Episode 76: The 2026 World Cup Became Too Big to Ignore

Episode 76: The 2026 World Cup Became Too Big to Ignore

After a two-week break, Rice on the Radio returns with something a little different: a World Cup episode.

The 2026 World Cup has taken over the sports conversation. The United States had the stage, the crowd, the ratings and the chance to make a real run at home—but Belgium ended that dream with a 4–1 knockout-round win.

Ian breaks down why the U.S. exit is both progress and a missed opportunity, why the Balogun controversy became one of the strangest stories of the tournament, and why a record American soccer audience makes the loss sting even more.

Friend of the show Danny joins during halftime of USA-Belgium to give a real soccer fan’s view of the tournament, the U.S. team, Haaland, Messi, Mbappé and the remaining contenders.

Then Ian reacts to the second half, the U.S. elimination, Argentina’s wild comeback, Norway’s Haaland-led run, and a quarterfinal field featuring France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland.

This is not Rice on the Radio becoming a full-time soccer podcast.

Probably.

But this World Cup deserved an episode.

Transcript

Why The World Cup Matters

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I guess there's only one way to find out was to do it too, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Extra, extra. Keep the light lock. New York talking with the late night go from the garden clock to the stadium state. When every last W What does it mean? Right on the radio, comment through your speakers, big things, bar tools, our brakes, building the mat games, death giants, next on the ride. Pull up the channel, let the whole city decide. No free are answered, no stickin' on the fence. We don't talk loud, laughter, make it flex running down light. Let's do it to it in the Alright.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Before anybody checks the name on the podcast to make sure that they click the right show. Yes, this is still Rice on the Radio. We are doing a World Cup episode. And yes, after a two-week break, this is apparently how we start easing back into the show. Not with the Mets, not with the Yankees, not with the Jets or Giants slowly walking towards training camp. Nope. Episode 76, World Cup Soccer. International drama, flags everywhere. People online yelling about VAR with the same energy that I usually reserve for a third and long draw play. Honestly, it feels right. Nobody hacked a feed. I have not spent the last six months secretly waking up at seven in the morning to break down the Premier League formations. You know, I still hear false nine and think somebody is shaving strokes off their golf score. But look, I know enough about soccer to understand the game. I know enough to have opinions. Like most kids in uh in this country, soccer was probably the first sport that they played. More importantly, though, I know enough when to recognize when I need to bring in somebody who actually watches the sport for more than one month every four years. We'll get to him in a few minutes. First, this episode had to happen. This show is supposed to cover the biggest conversations in sports, especially when New York and the rest of the country are completely wrapped up in them. You cannot look at what has happened during this World Cup, look at the crowds, the television numbers, the upsets, the controversies, and pretend that there's nothing worth discussing because NFL training camp is still a couple weeks away. This tournament has taken over. Germany's gone, the Netherlands are gone, Brazil is gone, Portugal is gone, Paraguay knocked Germany out on penalties, Morocco eliminated the Netherlands and then handled Canada. Norway went to MetLife against Brazil, fell behind, and then Erlen Hallan scored twice late to send Norway to its first World Cup quarterfinal. England had to survive Mexico in the Azteca, a weather delay and a red card in one of the wildest games of the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed that this would be his final World Cup, and then Spain ended it with a late goal. One of the greatest careers the sport has ever seen did not end with a trophy, a dramatic penalty shootout, or Ronaldo riding off into the sunset. No, it ended with him mostly being taken out of the game and Portugal going home. But while one era is ending, the next one is kicking the door down. Holland, like I said, has been a wrecking ball. Norway had never won a World Cup knockout game before this tournament. Now they're in the quarters after eliminating Brazil, and Holland is scoring like somebody told him that goals can be exchanged for money after the tournament. Mbappe has been doing the same thing for France. I mean, he's already breaking knockout stage records, chasing Leonel Messi for the all-time list and making it feel like France could reach the third straight final. You know, this is not just a tournament where the famous countries are advancing and everybody else is happy to have received an invitation. The established powers are getting punched in the mouth, and a few of them have already been sent home. Then there is the United States. Look, this was supposed to be a great opportunity, man. A World Cup at home, a generation led by Christian Polisic and Tyler Adams and Weston McKinney. They've been together long enough that you that that the youth and inexperience cannot be an explanation anymore. Mauricio Pochettino was brought here to raise the standard, not simply help the United States participate in its own tournament. The Americans reached the round of 16. They won three games during the tournament. Florian Balagun emerged as the leading scorer, received a red card against Bosnia, and then somehow became the center of an international incident when FIFA suspended his automatic ban and allowed him to play against Belgium. I mean, you got the president calling FIFA, Belgium demanding answers, UEFA accused FIFA of crossing the line. Only soccer could turn one red card into a diplomatic crisis before kickoff. And that brings us to the interview you're about to hear. A good friend of mine and listener of the show, Danny is an actual soccer fan. Not somebody who just buys an American flag tape every four years and watches a couple games and starts demanding that the best NFL wide receivers be transferred to the national team. Which, by the way, just saying. Anyway, no, he follows the game. I mean, he knows the players and he understands the sport just beyond the World Cup. So we recorded this conversation during halftime with the United States-Belgium game. That's kind of important. Belgium was leading 2-1, but the game was still alive. Malik Tillman had tied it with a free kick. The United States had immediately surrendered the lead again, which was not ideal. But there was still 45 minutes left. Hope had not yet been completely beaten out of us. So you're going to hear us discuss how the tournament had felt, the United States performance, the teams that had surprised him, the players who had taken over, and who he believed could win the whole thing. Neither of us knew what was coming in the second half. I considered cutting around that, honestly, and pretending the conversation happened in a timeless vacuum, but really the timing actually makes it even more revealing. I mean, this is what the tournament felt like while the United States was still alive. You can hear the possibility in the conversation. Then we will come back afterwards and deal with what actually happened. But uh here's my conversation with Danny recorded at halftime of the USA Belgian game.

Halftime Talk With Danny Cruz

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Now for my guest this week. Uh someone who follows soccer pretty religiously, not just a World Cup guy. He's a true and true Chelsea fan, knows what he's talking about, can definitely give me a lot of insight on the pod when I need it about soccer if we had ever it ever comes to it. Uh I'm now joined, we are now joined, with Mr. Danny Cruz. Hello, hello. He is uh founding member of the Sentinels, he is uh good friend and a very knowledgeable soccer friend. Danny, how are you, bud?

SPEAKER_01 7:10

I'm great, thank you for having me on today. I appreciate it. Of course, brother, of course. Glad you brought me on. I know. Yeah, yeah. Like anyone of you know that I know soccer.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Yeah, of course. I guess. Hey man, World Cup's cooking right now, USA's doing alright. We're actually doing this interview at the halftime of the USA game right now, and they're down 2-1. Let's hope they come back. Before that, before I get into the whole thing, do you think they'll pull it out?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

I think they will. Uh it's I hope I think it's gonna wind up going to extra time. I feel like they're gonna tie it instead of stay 2-2, and then it'll go to extra time. Okay, I like that. I just hope not penalties.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

So, uh, like I said, for somebody who follows soccer year round, has has this tournament actually been as chaotic and entertaining as it feels to a more casual fan, I guess?

SPEAKER_01 7:55

It has, and also in the sense that they did change the whole uh bracket and everything. They added more teams too. So it to my I mean, if you look at the brackets, it's a lot of the bigger teams kind of had like the easier routes, but it's still I mean, the lower teams, a lot of the African teams have been playing incredible, a lot of the like l South American countries too, and it's been pretty chaotic. I mean, Argentina Cabo Verde was one of the if not the best game of the World Cup I've seen so far. And the it's it's been a pretty chaotic World Cup. Alright, man, that's been pretty wild.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Yeah, I mean, listen, for somebody who doesn't really follow soccer as much as you know, I think I would like to. You know, I claim myself as a Liverpool fan, but am I waking up Saturday mornings and watching the game all the time? No, not exactly. But yeah, I definitely would say it's uh it's been pretty hectic, man. There's been a couple upsets, there's been a couple bangers, so yeah, it's definitely been a good tournament from a casual fan's point of view. So I'm glad to hear that as someone who watches pretty often that you would also say it's been pretty chaotic.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

I've pretty much almost watched I think I've watched almost every single game, or at least try to, but they've been it's just pretty been in a pretty intense World Cup too, I have to say. It's a it's been good. A lot of like the I just love when the young guns, like the you know, the underdogs, are the ones who kind of come out in some games, and it's been a lot of that, which is always a good time.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

So just to bring it back to the United States here, uh what makes you believe, or maybe not believe, that this is a real progress in the United States program, not just home fielded energy, not just other teams not being able to handle the heat, so to speak.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

No, without a doubt. I mean, over the past, I want to say three, four World Cups, US has never looked anywhere near dominant. I know, I'm not gonna be compl I want to say it was the uh two years, like two World Cups ago that they had uh missed out.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

And but they Yeah, they didn't even make it out of group on that, didn't they?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Right and it's their team now is a lot of uh people who play in the European League, uh Sadia uh uh Premier League and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

So you have Yeah, Balogun, right? He plays for Morocco, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Polisig plays for frickin' uh uh uh AC Milan and Tyler Adams played for Leeds. So they got some kids, is what you're talking about. They have people playing in the league, and Pochettino has I mean, he's an ex-Chelsea coach. He's he did well when he was there, but I feel he's helped them out a lot.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Yeah, for sure. I think so too. I mean, coaching probably goes a long way in soccer. The uh the you know, it's crazy to think about Polisic, you know, Polisic was supposed to be the next savior, and he he came over what, 14, 16 years old? This is three World Cups for him now, right? He's already like an old man, he's almost in his like end of his prime here. It's crazy to think about it. So keeping it with USA, how unusual was FIFA's decision involving Balogun with the red card and everything? And does Belgium and UEFA have like a legitimate reason to be mad about this?

SPEAKER_01 11:05

I mean, I'm mad about it.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

I mean I You're mad about it?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

It's more just for the respect of the sport. And if you receive a red card, and yes, was I feel like it's a little harsh, but it was pretty close to being like, if not at least a yellow, but turn into a red, so be it.

SPEAKER_02 11:26

Right. So my follow-up to that is though, the VAR system is the thing that had the red card go in. There wasn't even a penalty called on the field. The whole point of the VAR is to see above sides. Do you think they overstepped it a little bit by having that be a red card because of the VAR system, or do you think it's just hey, it's par for the course, it is what it is?

unknown 11:43

Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

The VAR has always been not. Not a big fan of the VAR, are you? I mean, when when it was implemented, I felt it was gonna be an addition, something that would actually help and like you make those like wrong decisions by the ref kind of thing correct. And now I feel like they're like overstepping their boundaries, like they're the ones ruling the game sometimes, and it's yeah, it's it's more it's robots now, it's not you know, but I'm like, you still have it, you have it in slow-mo, and there's still calls that they get wrong, and it's yeah, it's just it's it doesn't make any sense to me.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Okay, so now for the broader scope, with Ronaldo getting uh popped out today, and it's his last World Cup. So, you know, hey, guys had an unbelievable career, can't argument anything. So between Holland, Mbappe, and Messi, who has owned this tournament so far and whose legacy has kind of changed the most because of it?

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Um Messi's already won his World Cup. So has been Mbappe. So uh uh it is it's his it's been Halan's tournament. I mean Yeah, that goal yesterday through the legs. That number goal through the legs was. The two goals was crazy. I mean, you're playing a very big team, you think you're not gonna they think Norway is just immediately just not even in the chance, and Halan just always comes out and just shows up. Guy's got a neck on him, dude. Yeah, that neck, are you kidding me? He looks like uh Majin Buu from Yeah, he does, he looks like Kid Boo. That's right, he does from Dragon Ball Z over here.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

So lastly, I gotta ask you. Um Brazil's out, Germany's out, Portugal's out, Netherlands are out. Who is actually the best team left, and who are you picking to win? Not, well, I guess who do you want to win, but take the emotions out of it. Who's your pick to win? Who's Danny Cruz's pick to win?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

My emotions are kind of already left out because my team Germany's already been knocked out. Portugal is my next team, and Ronaldo's always been my goat. So it's sad to see him leave, but going forward, and I really don't want to say this, it's I think Spain's got that. Spain's gonna take it home. They have a really, really good team that plays well together for the first time in a while because Spain has always had a very good squad, but never like connected, never flowed together when they played. And this is the first time I've seen Spain in years play this well.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Play as a full connective tissue, kind of. Yeah, it's funny you say that too, because I actually was looking at the Spain roster after they won today, and there's really not any like homegrown names. Like even someone like you know, listen, I know I I know all sports for the most part, and I know Holland, I know Mbappe, but like I look up and down that roster of Spain, and I don't really for a casual fan I am, there's no names that pop out to me. So if they're playing as a connected unit like that, and they're really like it's almost Knicks like they're like team, you know, team first kind of deal.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Exactly. Because I mean you have Laminimal who's the next prodigy. Uh he's in the in that, you know, just thought of like to be in the same realm of like Ronaldo Messi, kind of that type of deal, Ronaldinho, but uh Marino who scored the goal, plays for Arsenal. They have uh Laporte who plays for uh Man City, and I mean they do have uh Ferrantores is on that team too as well, plays for Varsa. So it is uh they do have a really good score in terms, but I'm pissed if they do win. I just don't want Argentina, just not Argentina, please.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

So Spain's your answer. Spain's who you're taking it, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Yeah, I hate to say it.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

Yeah, man. Well, hey, that's great. Uh again, Danny, Danny Cruz, thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining the show. Really happy to have you on. Looking for some soccer knowledge for a long time. I'm glad I got to finally sit down with you. All right, man, here's your chance. You got anything you want to plug? Anything you want to tell anybody about the people, where to find you, where to follow you, whatever you want.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

I mean, my name is Danny Cruz Jr., like you said. Uh, my band's name is Sentinels, S-E-N-T, I-N-E-L-S-N-J is our Instagram and the other account. I'm just Danny Sentinels, same spelling as prior. But thank you for having me in. Uh, I really appreciate you uh you know taking me in over here. Yeah, of course, bro.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Hey, God bless and good luck, brother. Let's go, US. Take care of yourself. USA USA. Well,

The Second Half Collapse

SPEAKER_02 16:06

that was halftime. And then the second half happened. Belgium beat the United States four to one. There's no clever way to soften it. The Americans were not robbed, they did not lose on a questionable penalty call or a bad bounce or just a moment of individual brilliance. Now, Belgium was just better. They were calmer with the ball, sharper when opportunities appeared, and ruthless whenever the United States made a mistake, which happened often. I mean, Malik Tillman's free kick had given the Americans life in the first half for a little over a minute. The crowd got back into it, and then Belgium absorbed the early goal and found its way right back into the fight. Sixty-one seconds later. That sequence told most of the story. I mean, the United States could create a moment here and there, but Belgium just knew how to control a match. Things completely unraveled after halftime. I mean, the goalie, Matt Freeze, came racing out of the goal to clear a long ball and kicked the ground instead and handed Belgium its third goal. Christian Polisic injured his foot and left the game, and then post-game sounded terrible, but that's a different story. And then Romelu Lukaku, yeah, there we go. I got there. Eventually added the fourth and stoppage time just to make sure that nobody could describe the final score as misleading. Belgium even began the game with Kevin De Bruin and Jeremy Doku on the bench. Listen, guys, they're soccer names, they're tough. I don't know them. I'm getting there. Okay? It's not bad, if you ask me. That's kind of the part that should sting. This was not exactly uh a United States losing a classic to an unbeatable opponent operating at full strength. You know, Belgium arrived with questions of its own, and they left two of their biggest names out of the starting lineup and still expose the difference between a team hoping to establish itself, I guess, and a country accustomed to competing against the best teams in the world. Pochettino said afterward that the United States was not good enough and never connected the with the game. Honestly, it felt like the moment was just too big for them. He's right. I mean, there are nights when a team plays well and loses. This was not one of them. The United States produces its most hesitant performance, I guess, at the exact point when the tournament demanded its best. Kind of makes the final evaluation of the tournament complicated. You know, reaching the round of 16 cannot automatically be considered a disaster. The United States won three games at a World Cup, even with the expanded field. Tillman had a breakout tournament. Balogun scored three goals. There were stretches where the team looked way more confident and capable than any previous American team the past four, six, eight, ten, twelve years. The goal was not simply to produce a few encouraging performances, though. You know, this was the home World Cup. The crowd was there, the attention was there, the bracket created an opportunity, you had an easy pool. The United States had a real chance to reach its first quarterfinals since 2002 and turned three weeks of national interest into something much bigger. And they didn't take it. That makes it the most watched soccer telecast in American history. The audience peaked at nearly 37 million. The NBA finals with the Knicks was peaking at about 30 million. So a sport that plays every four years for this country peaked at almost 37 million. That's kind of that number makes the loss even more frustrating. Everybody showed up. The country did its part. Casual fans did their part. People who couldn't explain the offsides rule without moving salt and pepper shakers around on the table were watching. You know, the United States had the stage, it always claims that it needs before soccer can make another jump in this country. And then the team loses by three. Look, I I don't think that erases everything the tournament created. 30 million people do not exactly disappear from the sport forever because one goalkeeper kicked the dirt. You know, kids watched, cities were packed, the the atmosphere was real. You know, this tournament proved there there is an enormous audience here when the stakes are obvious and the event feels unavoidable. The loss exposed how far the national team still has to go before attention turns into expectations. American soccer has spent decades asking to be taken seriously. Well, being taken seriously also means getting judged seriously. You cannot ask for the same spotlight as the NFL, the NBA, MLB, NHL, and then request a participation trophy when Belgian sends Belgium sends you a packet. Progress off the field, but missed opportunity on it. And the ballot gun controversy also looks even more ridiculous now. The entire country held a constitutional convention over one red card. FIFA suspends the ban. Belgium protests. The president personally got involved, apparently. Balogun played. Belgium won 4-1 anyway. All that international chaos ended up being the loudest argument over something that had no effect on the result at all. While

Messi’s Comeback And Tournament Madness

SPEAKER_02 21:47

the United States was processing its exit, the tournament found another way to lose its mind entirely. Argentina trailed Egypt to nothing, to nil. Excuse me. Look, I'm getting better. Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes left. Leonino Messi had already missed the penalty. The defending champions appeared to be going home against one of the biggest underdogs left in the field. Christian Romero scores in a 79th minute. Messi equalizes four minutes later, and then Enzo Fernandez completed the comeback in stoppage time. That's three goals in roughly 13 minutes. To put it in uh American football terms for you, that's the Tom Brady 28-3 Super Bowl against the Falcons. That's what that comeback is. Messi went from missing a penalty and staring at the end of Argentina's title defense to scoring, assisting, and leaving the field, leaving the field in tears after one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history. That game is the tournament in a mini. Nothing has felt safe. Reputation has not protected anybody. Brazil could not protect a late lead. Argentina nearly went home against Cape Verde, and then nearly went home again against Egypt. England has survived two knockout games that felt like public emergencies. Morocco is back in the quarterfinals. Norway is there for the first time. The quarterfinals now give us France against Morocco, Spain against Belgium, Norway against England, and Argentina against Switzerland. Eight teams left. That's it. 95 games played, four countries gone, including all three co-hosts, plus Brazil, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands. That's a ridiculous tournament. That's why people fall in love with the World Cup. France has been the cleanest team left, I would say. Spain has not even conceded a goal yet, believe it or not. Belgium, Belgium's looked half dead in the group stage, and then they somehow just beat United States 4-1, which we probably all saw that coming, but we thought we had a chance. Norway is just riding halan like a cheat code. England keeps fighting and surviving. Argentina looks like it's being held together by duct tape and messy. And meanwhile, Switzerland, Switzerland is just standing there like the guy that nobody invited to the card game, but somehow he's got exact change and he knows the house rules and just quietly keeps taking everybody's money. If I gotta pick somebody, I'd say my rooting interest is Norway. I'm not gonna pretend that I discovered Norwegian soccer before burning some Belgian waffles for breakfast as payback in the morning, but Halan turning the World Cup into a personal demolition tour has been one of the best stories in sports. I mean, he is living it up down in Texas. Watching one superstar drag a country into completely unfamiliar territory is exactly what makes this international tournament different. The team I probably trust the most is probably still France. I mean, Mbappe is Mbappe, man. He's operating at another level. France has experience everywhere, and they have shown that they can dominate a match or survive an ugly one. Morocco will make them feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I think France feels like the team with the fewest ways to beat itself, and that's always a good thing.

What The U.S. Loss Means

SPEAKER_02 25:17

Argentina, I mean, look, Argentina's still alive, though. They seem determined to test Messi's heart and survive in advance as much as they can here. Look, I came into this episode as a casual soccer fan trying to make sense of a massive tournament, and I'm leaving it understanding why people become obsessed with the sport. The games have tension that does not need constant scoring. One mistake can sit in your stomach for an hour. A country can spend four years preparing for something that disappears in a few minutes. The best player in the world can look finished in the 78th minute and then immortal again by the 83rd. Now, I still don't think I'll be waking up every Saturday morning for the Liverpool pregame, but hey, I can't say I haven't enjoyed watching the tournament either. This World Cup deserved an episode. Danny helped explain why, and I appreciate him jumping on during halftime while both of us still believed that the U.S. might give us something historic, and that maybe our bar tabs might get discounted a little bit because of it. The history came. Just not the uh not the version we wanted. So again, thank you, Danny, for joining me, and thank you all for listening, for tuning in. A little World Cup action here. You can find Rice on the Mics wherever you get your podcasts, and follow the show on social media for clips, for polls, everything else coming out on the episode. Stay tuned for some big American football news coming from the pod soon, too. But until then, like always, spread some good energy. Tell someone you love them. I am Ian Rice. This has been episode seventy-six of Rice on the Radio, and I'll catch you next time.