WORLD CUP FEVER! Is the USMNT Making Us Believe? With Guest Kirk Rudell

Matt and Paul are back and this week it's full-blown World Cup fever. But before they get there, the guys dive into the latest San Francisco Giants chaos, including the Rafael Devers drama, the Pride Hat controversy, Tony Vitello's handling of the clubhouse, and whether Buster Posey is secretly staring at the ceiling at four in the morning wondering what he signed up for. Plus, they look at the NBA Draft, react to the Warriors selecting Yaxel Lendeborg, and check in on soon to be former 49er Brandon Aiyuk increasingly bizarre social media saga.(20:43) Then Matt and Paul welcome back soccer historian and host of the An American Game podcast, Kirk Rudell, for a full-blown World Cup Roundtable. The guys break down the USMNT incredible start to the tournament and ask the question every American soccer fan is suddenly afraid to ask out loud: is this team actually for real? They debate whether Mauricio Pochettino has completely transformed the culture of U.S. Soccer, whether this is the best American World Cup team we've ever seen, and if Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun, Jedi Robinson, Chris Richards and company can make a legitimate run. Along the way they hand out awards for the tournament's biggest surprises, biggest frauds, best crowds, best stadiums, best jerseys, and most entertaining teams, debate which dark horse nation nobody is talking about that could crash the party, discuss Scottish fans taking over Boston, does Norway have the most beautiful fans, Mexico and South Korea fans proving soccer might actually solve world peace, and make their Final Four and World Cup champion predictions. If you've caught World Cup fever, this is the episode for you.(1:13:55) Later, Matt and Paul wrap things up with Pet Peeves, Pet Pleasures, and Best Things They Saw. The guys review Obsession, The Agency, and Widow's Bay, celebrate another great week of television, and somehow find their way back to sports, movies, and the random conversations that make absolutely no sense anywhere else except Beat LA.Thanks for listening! Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.Hosts: Matt Ferrucci & Paul RuehlFollow, Subscribe & Watch the Show on:Watch Episodes on YouTube!Instagram: @beatlapodcastTikTok: @beat.la.podcast Email the show at: [email protected] Matt Ferrucci on Instagram: @matt_ferrucciFollow Paul Ruehl on Instagram: @llruehljWebsite: https://www.beatlapodcast.com/