Speaker 1: Welcome in. It's time for another edition of the Morning
Speaker 1: Espresso here on the SDH Network, brought to you by
Speaker 1: Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and soccer powerhouse.
Speaker 1: I'm Jason Longshore, and here's a lot of the soccer
Speaker 1: news you need to know, at least as we get.
Speaker 1: The day started on Thursday, July twenty fourth. I've already
Speaker 1: had one story blow up a little bit since I
Speaker 1: started on my notes. It's a busy one, silly season, chaos.
Speaker 1: It's Morning Espresso, It's what we do. Let's start with
Speaker 1: Atlanta United. Yesterday the official announcement that it had acquired
Speaker 1: up to eight hundred thousand dollars in General Allocation money
Speaker 1: in MLS from Montreal in exchange for f Ryan Morales,
Speaker 1: of which four hundred and fifty thousand dollars is guaranteed.
Speaker 1: Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in GAM is conditional.
Speaker 1: I talked about it on Atlanta Soccer Tonight. Go back
Speaker 1: and listen from Tuesday night about my kind of personal
Speaker 1: feelings about f Ryan and you know, seeing moves like
Speaker 1: this and how they do make sense for the club
Speaker 1: to get that much allocation money for a player who
Speaker 1: was probably going to become a reserve due to the
Speaker 1: signing of an Ami Chai. I get it. I understand
Speaker 1: the business, and it is a cruel business at times.
Speaker 1: It is a business that you have to do these
Speaker 1: kind of things to make your team better. That doesn't
Speaker 1: mean it isn't hard in situations like this with a
Speaker 1: player like f Ryan, who I've gotten to know over
Speaker 1: the years, has always been willing to chat. We just
Speaker 1: sat down with him recently for a feature on the
Speaker 1: SDH network. You can go read that at Soccer down
Speaker 1: here dot net. Listen to it on our podcast feed,
Speaker 1: please do. One of the really good guys and one
Speaker 1: of the prime examples of the quality of player out
Speaker 1: of the Atlanta area. The work that Tony Annon did
Speaker 1: in the early days of the Atlanta United Academy, continued
Speaker 1: on by Matt Lowry and now Javier Perez. It's a
Speaker 1: really good, strong academy producing really good, strong players and people,
Speaker 1: and f Ryan is one of them, somebody that will
Speaker 1: always be rooting for in Montreal and with Bolivia as
Speaker 1: they try to qualify for a World Cup. But he
Speaker 1: is officially a member of the CF Montreal roster as
Speaker 1: of today because this is when the transfer window opens
Speaker 1: in Major League Soccer, he'll be eligible for them this
Speaker 1: weekend and Aa me Kai will be eligible for Atlanta
Speaker 1: United this weekend as they host the Seattle Sounders. For
Speaker 1: Atlanta United too, there was also news yesterday head coach
Speaker 1: Steve Cook will leave to join the USL Championship club
Speaker 1: Lexington SC as the club's academy and youth technical director.
Speaker 1: Coached his last game with the twos at Carolina Core
Speaker 1: over the weekend, join the club in February of twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three's coached the team since they joined MLS. Next
Speaker 1: pro Jose Silva, the assistant, will take over as interim
Speaker 1: head coach as the club begins the search for a replacement.
Speaker 1: As you've known and listened to our broadcasts of Atlanta
Speaker 1: United too on the SDCH network and on ninety two
Speaker 1: nine in the game, you know the strong regard that
Speaker 1: we hold Steve Cook in and he has been beyond
Speaker 1: gracious with his time for us at SDH for us
Speaker 1: to talk about players you know, both on the record,
Speaker 1: off the record, just casual chats. He is absolutely one
Speaker 1: of the great people in the game and We've all
Speaker 1: been really lucky here in Atlanta for our paths to
Speaker 1: cross with Steve Cook. We'll be catching up with him
Speaker 1: once he gets settled in Lexington. Talk about that role,
Speaker 1: and don't you worry, Steve Cook will will continue to
Speaker 1: be a contributor on the SDH network because we've got
Speaker 1: to have Steve's opinions of what's going on in the sports.
Speaker 1: I think he's one of the guys who gets the
Speaker 1: cross section of the on the off field, the human side.
Speaker 1: Just absolutely one of the great people in the game,
Speaker 1: Steve Cook, and you'll be hearing plenty from him down
Speaker 1: the line, and I'm sure Steve will be very happy
Speaker 1: to not have to deal with the penalty shootouts and
Speaker 1: ML's next pro going forward. There are a couple of
Speaker 1: rumors from top tier sources on the Atlanta United Front
Speaker 1: that I wanted to share. I'm sure many of you
Speaker 1: have already seen finalizing a deal, according to Tom Bogert,
Speaker 1: to sign center back Juan Betrocal that's on loan from Hitafe.
Speaker 1: The deal includes a purchase option. Twenty six years old,
Speaker 1: he spent most of his career in the second division
Speaker 1: in Spain, has experience in La Liga as well. If
Speaker 1: you watch the new Rooted documentary from the club, I
Speaker 1: think it's pretty clear that they're looking for another center
Speaker 1: back to potentially pair with Mikhai. This would be a
Speaker 1: loan with the purchase option, so you almost get, however
Speaker 1: many games he's going to be eligible to play here
Speaker 1: in Atlanta by the time he gets here. If this
Speaker 1: deal gets done, to see and then you can make
Speaker 1: the decision at the end of the season on keeping
Speaker 1: him as the partner with me Kai or moving on
Speaker 1: into a different direction. The other rumored player, This one's
Speaker 1: been working for a couple of days now, according to
Speaker 1: Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport, and Tom Bogert confirmed it.
Speaker 1: The club has reportedly agreed to a fee of around
Speaker 1: two million dollars plus add ons with Hull City for
Speaker 1: midfielder Steven Alsate. He is a seven cap member of
Speaker 1: the Columbia national team. He hasn't played for Columbia since
Speaker 1: since twenty twenty two. He's been with Hull City twenty
Speaker 1: six years old. Would likely be a partner for Bartos
Speaker 1: Sleish in the midfield. And I think when you watch
Speaker 1: Rooted and you think about these rumors and you see
Speaker 1: the moves that have been done so far. I think
Speaker 1: you see the value of the partnerships in the spine
Speaker 1: of the team. And if you get the center back
Speaker 1: partnership right with me Kai and Barakal, you get the
Speaker 1: midfield partnership right with Sleish and Alsat, you're talking about
Speaker 1: a very different kind of group. Slee should be the
Speaker 1: one who carries over, and he absolutely should because he's
Speaker 1: been brilliant this season for Atlanta United. If you get
Speaker 1: that base of four players right at the hub of
Speaker 1: your team, the center back and the central midfield, things
Speaker 1: should improve. Things should improved dramatically. This should be a
Speaker 1: team that is much more difficult to break down and
Speaker 1: a much more effective team. We will see, as always,
Speaker 1: take rumors with a grain of salt, and we'll see
Speaker 1: what official announcements are coming. Chris Henderson will speak to
Speaker 1: the media this morning from Marietta the Children's Healthcare of
Speaker 1: Atlanta training ground with the transfer window open. We will
Speaker 1: have updates on that training ground dispatch. I don't know,
Speaker 1: I might call it a front office dispatch. Two different
Speaker 1: things will be posted later this afternoon and you'll be
Speaker 1: able to hear any specifics from Chris Henderson later this
Speaker 1: morning on SDHA m MLS All Star last night in Austin, Texas,
Speaker 1: a three to one win for Major League Soccer against
Speaker 1: the Stars of Liga MX sellout crowd in Austin at
Speaker 1: Q two Stadium, Sam Surage. He opened the scoring with
Speaker 1: a header getting passed Sergio Ramos across from Denny Bwanga,
Speaker 1: with Ty Butteribo doubling the lead. After halftime, Joe Beeto
Speaker 1: Mora pulled one back for Liga MX. The sixteen year
Speaker 1: old He's had an amazing summer. Mora, what a player.
Speaker 1: But MLS restored their two goal lead with a finish
Speaker 1: from Brian White of the Vancouver white Caps. Three to
Speaker 1: one for MLS over Lega MX in the All Star Game,
Speaker 1: but a lot of the conversation was about Lionel Messi
Speaker 1: and Geordie Alba not participating despite being voted in Don
Speaker 1: Garber before kickoff, he would not say if the pair
Speaker 1: would be suspended, which is a rule that the league
Speaker 1: enacted for healthy players who skip the All Star Game,
Speaker 1: most prominently's Latan Ibrahimovich. In twenty eighteen, Miami plays Eastern
Speaker 1: Conference first place team Cincinnati on Saturday. Don Guarbre said
Speaker 1: last night that he and his colleagues were quote managing
Speaker 1: through that process as we speak talking about whether to
Speaker 1: discipline Messi and Alba, he said, quote, we have an
Speaker 1: All Star Game that we think is a real priority.
Speaker 1: It is an important mid season break for us. But
Speaker 1: he also said, quote, Miami's had a schedule that is
Speaker 1: unlike any other team. Most of our teams had a
Speaker 1: ten day break. Miami hasn't, So we have to manage
Speaker 1: through that as a league. Messi's played every minute for
Speaker 1: Miami since coming back from Argentine national team duty in June.
Speaker 1: It's a lot of minutes. People are going to have
Speaker 1: opinions either way. It's a no win situation. Good luck
Speaker 1: Don Garber and MLS in dealing with this and trying
Speaker 1: to find a resolution that people don't go nuts about.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's possible. Next All Star Game is
Speaker 1: going to be in Charlotte. We'll see what date is
Speaker 1: going to be set sometime in July, probably after the
Speaker 1: World Cup concludes on July nineteenth, maybe soon thereafter, maybe
Speaker 1: a little bit later that. A bigger topic is the
Speaker 1: potential change to a new calendar format. There was no
Speaker 1: vote held yesterday about it. The board of Governors met,
Speaker 1: but Paulton Oreo did some digging and he established that
Speaker 1: twenty seven of the thirty MLS owners are in favor
Speaker 1: of the switch. Get it done. It's the smart move.
Speaker 1: I was against it for a long, long, long time,
Speaker 1: but everything has fallen into place now to do it.
Speaker 1: To start your season in August, take a winter break
Speaker 1: of six to eight weeks, figure out what that works
Speaker 1: in the calendar, and then come back and finish the
Speaker 1: season in late April and have your playoffs in May
Speaker 1: that would not be interrupted by international breaks. You have
Speaker 1: an international break in March in the second half of
Speaker 1: the season that you would be easy to work around.
Speaker 1: The beginning of your season would be a little stop
Speaker 1: start because of the international breaks in September, October and November,
Speaker 1: but most leagues in the world deal with that. MLS
Speaker 1: can deal with it as well. Twenty seven of thirty
Speaker 1: owners favor of the switch. According to Paultonia of the
Speaker 1: Athletic it's time to get it done, and it should
Speaker 1: have been done after the World Cup. I don't think
Speaker 1: it's possible to do that at this point. They've said
Speaker 1: they're gonna wait and enact it in twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 1: I would be completely fine if they go back on
Speaker 1: their word and say we're gonna start it after the
Speaker 1: World Cup. Stay tuned, We'll see silly season, Let's go
Speaker 1: Alexander Esak. He has told Newcastle reportedly this morning, according
Speaker 1: to Craig Hope of The Daily Mail, that he wants
Speaker 1: to explore a move away from the club. He is
Speaker 1: not on their preseason tour. Interested clubs are very aware
Speaker 1: of Alexander Esoch's feelings. Liverpool told Newcastle prior to signing
Speaker 1: Hugo Ekitik that they were prepared to pay a British
Speaker 1: transfer record fee for Esak. If Liverpool sells Luis Diaz
Speaker 1: and Darwin Nunez, maybe they go back for Esak to
Speaker 1: pair with Ekitik. Maybe I'll Hella have told Newcastle they
Speaker 1: are ready to make a significant offer. No engagement yet
Speaker 1: on the player side. He has not shown encouragement to
Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia yet. In terms of what he wants to do,
Speaker 1: Esoch reportedly wants to assess options rather than committing now
Speaker 1: to a new Newcastle contract. He is contracted through twenty
Speaker 1: twenty eight. He's well compensated, but now you're going to
Speaker 1: have a drama in Newcastle who have struggled to bring
Speaker 1: in players that they've wanted to This summer going to
Speaker 1: be very very interesting what happens. This is going to
Speaker 1: be a huge story all over the world right now,
Speaker 1: with Alexander Esoch saying he wants to explore leaving Newcastle.
Speaker 1: Chelsea they have stepped up their pursuit of Chavi Simons
Speaker 1: from RB Leipzig. That's what according to ESPN twenty one
Speaker 1: years old, Leipzig are willing to sell, even though they
Speaker 1: only brought him in on a permanent basis in January
Speaker 1: for a fee of about fifty nine million dollars. He
Speaker 1: had been on loan previously at Leipzig from PSG. Leipzig
Speaker 1: want to make a profit on the deal. They're looking
Speaker 1: for a fee in excess of sixty million euro. Chelsea
Speaker 1: have not agreed to personal terms with Simones yet. Arsenal
Speaker 1: and Tottenham Hotspur are also clubs that have shown interest
Speaker 1: in Chavi Simones. Bayron Munich tracking the situation, especially with
Speaker 1: Jamal Musciala's injury. Simones would be Chelsea's eighth summer signing
Speaker 1: if they get a deal done. Raim Sterling could be
Speaker 1: on the way out. He is receiving interest from Juventus
Speaker 1: and bayer Leverkusen. The thirty year old could be moved
Speaker 1: by Chelsea. Probably would like to be moved by Chelsea
Speaker 1: and it could be to Italy or Germany. Arsenal they
Speaker 1: are set to complete the signing of Victor Yolkaris from
Speaker 1: Sporting in Portugal. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic,
Speaker 1: a deal worth sixty three point five million euro plus
Speaker 1: ten million euro and potential add ons is close to
Speaker 1: being done, still some minor details. Fifty four goals in
Speaker 1: fifty two games last year for the twenty seven year
Speaker 1: old Swedish forward. He's made it clear he wants to
Speaker 1: go to Arsenal. A contract is agreed between the club
Speaker 1: and the player. His agent even reportedly waived the commission
Speaker 1: to get the deal done, and according to reports, Yocharis
Speaker 1: will arrive in London tomorrow to finalize the move. John
Speaker 1: Audrias he is headed from Flumenense to Wolves and that
Speaker 1: is done now. He was one of the best players
Speaker 1: at the Club World Cup. The Colombian winger headed England
Speaker 1: the reportedly seventeen point five million euro plus two point
Speaker 1: five million in add ons Manchester United. They have held
Speaker 1: fresh talks over Ali Watkins at aston Villa. Sixty million
Speaker 1: pound valuation that's deemed too high. According to Manchester United,
Speaker 1: they would like to have that price come down and
Speaker 1: then they would like to advance things aston Villa. Unless
Speaker 1: they get a replacement, they're not going to change their price.
Speaker 1: Nicholas Jackson at Chelsea is a player that they would
Speaker 1: not mind bringing in as a replacement. Leeds. They have
Speaker 1: reached an agreement in principle with Leon for goalkeeper Brazilian
Speaker 1: Lucas Perri twenty seven year old has been given permission
Speaker 1: to travel and undergo a medical state uned Milan. They
Speaker 1: have confirmed Paravis s Dupignon from Brighton via seventeen million
Speaker 1: euro plus five million euro add ons Benfica. They're chasing
Speaker 1: Joel Felix. Talks were held during the club World Cup.
Speaker 1: Manager Bruno lag has confirmed the interest in a return
Speaker 1: and if you haven't seen it, it's not about Joel
Speaker 1: Felix but Benfica. If you haven't seen it, watched the
Speaker 1: club's welcome video for Richard Urrios talked about it this
Speaker 1: week on the Espresso. The conflict between Rios and Benfica's
Speaker 1: captain at Nicholas Oltamendi. This was during the last World
Speaker 1: Cup qualifying round with Argentina and Columbia. Funny sequence with
Speaker 1: those two barkin at one another and they did a
Speaker 1: really good video to play off of it. Go watch
Speaker 1: that at Benfica's social media channels. US men's national team
Speaker 1: striker Josh Sargent his proposed transfer from Norwich to Volsburg
Speaker 1: appears to have fallen through, and it is according to
Speaker 1: people with knowledge of the situation, it was Sargent's decision
Speaker 1: not to continue with the move to Volsburg. According to
Speaker 1: Tuto Sport in Italy, Milan and Napoli have inquired about
Speaker 1: Weston McKinney of Juventus. He wants to stay in Durin
Speaker 1: but he does not have a contract extension done yet
Speaker 1: beyond twenty twenty six. LAFC reportedly pushing hard to sign
Speaker 1: Tottenham Hotspur Sun's star Soun Hung Men in the summer window.
Speaker 1: The interest has been reported. The MLS team is really
Speaker 1: pushing hard here to get this done. One source said
Speaker 1: there's not substantial movement yet, but the talks continue. A
Speaker 1: lot of hope in LA they can convince him to
Speaker 1: join the team for the rest of twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: and beyond. Marcus Rashford he might have to wait to
Speaker 1: become an official Barcelona player. He is semi official at
Speaker 1: Barcelona now because they still got to register him and
Speaker 1: this is always a challenge. Reportedly, Barcelona are already over
Speaker 1: their La Liga salary limit and they have to get
Speaker 1: this resolved one way or another. He can train, he
Speaker 1: can't play in preseason matches even without being registered. It
Speaker 1: wouldn't be Barcelona without drama, right, and there's even more
Speaker 1: drama from Barcelona that we did not have on the
Speaker 1: Bingo card, because this club is just a wizard when
Speaker 1: it comes to drama and brand new drama that no
Speaker 1: one expected. Barcelona have canceled their preseason friendly against Vissel
Speaker 1: Kobe and Japan, citing contractual breaches by the promoter due
Speaker 1: to non payment from one of the promoters organizing the event.
Speaker 1: Their two scheduled friendlies in South Korea are also at
Speaker 1: risk of not getting done. The club set Barcilar scheduled
Speaker 1: to play Vissel Kobe on Sunday and then go to
Speaker 1: South Korea to play FC Soul and Digo FC over
Speaker 1: the next week. Barcelona announces that it has been obliged
Speaker 1: to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next
Speaker 1: Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf
Speaker 1: of the promoter, according to a statement issued by Barcelona, Nevertheless,
Speaker 1: the club will consider readjusting the leg of the summer
Speaker 1: tour in South Korea if certain conditions are met by
Speaker 1: the promoter. If these conditions are met, then the club
Speaker 1: will travel to South Korea in the coming days. Barcelona
Speaker 1: regrets this incident and the impact it will have on
Speaker 1: the many many Barsa fans in Japan. Missil Kobe also
Speaker 1: apologized to fans. One of the promoters, there's two didn't
Speaker 1: hold up there into the bargain and make the payments
Speaker 1: that were necessary. Now the games in South Korea are
Speaker 1: at risk because you have to change the visas with
Speaker 1: people coming. Instead of coming from Japan to South Korea,
Speaker 1: they are coming from Spain to South Korea, and I
Speaker 1: don't know if they're going to be able to get
Speaker 1: the visa changes done in time, and Barcelona might miss
Speaker 1: out on three preseason games and miss out on some
Speaker 1: revenue from those as well, which we know Barcelona needs
Speaker 1: their revenue. Let's go to the Women's European Championships. It's
Speaker 1: been the tournament of the goalkeepers Spain. We're about to
Speaker 1: get eliminated against Germany. In the semi final yesterday, Gota
Speaker 1: cool with literally the last touches of normal time. She
Speaker 1: makes the save and then gets out of her own
Speaker 1: net to make a second save on the rebound. That
Speaker 1: might be the greatest play of her career. Spain went
Speaker 1: on an extra time to get past Germany one nil.
Speaker 1: Itana bon Mati beat and Katrin Berger at the near post.
Speaker 1: I thought it was a great finish from bone Mate.
Speaker 1: It was unexpected, great win for Spain. They had never
Speaker 1: beaten Germany before, They've never been to a Women's European
Speaker 1: Championship final. They are now. And remember bone Mati came
Speaker 1: into the Euros after being in the hospital ahead of
Speaker 1: the tournament with about of viral meningitis. Incredible performance from
Speaker 1: Aitana bon Maty in extra time, a great finish. Now
Speaker 1: it's England and Spain in the final on Sunday. Spain,
Speaker 1: according to OPTA, are given a fifty one point five
Speaker 1: percent chance of victory. Ahead of the tournament, these were
Speaker 1: the top two favorites. England got there maybe on a
Speaker 1: rockier road. Spain has been the best team in the tournament.
Speaker 1: So far, these teams have been really even as of late.
Speaker 1: England are the third European team to reach the final
Speaker 1: of three concentsuative major tournaments. They lost to Spain in
Speaker 1: the FIFA World Cup final in twenty twenty three. When
Speaker 1: these teams met in the UAPH Nations League, both teams
Speaker 1: got one nil wins at home in England. TV viewership
Speaker 1: has been great for this tournament. An average of eight
Speaker 1: million people in the UK watched the win against Italy
Speaker 1: in the semi final that delivered ITV's highest viewership of
Speaker 1: the year. Peak audience reached ten point two million, compared
Speaker 1: to nine point three million in England's semi final win
Speaker 1: over Sweden in twenty twenty two. Other news, as we
Speaker 1: wrap up this edition of The Morning Espresso, Joe Dickerson Ars,
Speaker 1: Cameron Blanchard and Logan Brown. They are the three Americans
Speaker 1: or US based referees among the fifty four referees who
Speaker 1: have been appointed by FIFA for the U twenty World
Speaker 1: Cup in Chile. They've been working together in MLS matches.
Speaker 1: They work games at the Gold Cup this summer. I'm
Speaker 1: just gonna tell the nations around the world, if you
Speaker 1: get Joe Dickerson in one of your games, don't talk
Speaker 1: to him. Just don't talk to him. I think he
Speaker 1: enjoys some confrontation. Not really my favorite style of refereeing,
Speaker 1: to be fair, and I've said that over the years.
Speaker 1: That's nothing new. Obviously a very good referee to get
Speaker 1: these kind of assignments. I think at times he enjoys
Speaker 1: the confrontation a little bit too much, and I hope
Speaker 1: that gets eliminated from his work, because he's too good
Speaker 1: of a referee to have that be kind of the
Speaker 1: first thing I think of when I see him, and
Speaker 1: there's been a number of incidents. This isn't just a
Speaker 1: one time thing. I hope that that can change. I'm
Speaker 1: not a fan of referees who at times look for
Speaker 1: confrontation in matches and maybe look for those moments as
Speaker 1: opposed to downplaying and diffusing them. I think Joe has
Speaker 1: work to do in that regard. We'll see if the
Speaker 1: U twenty World Cup helps him in that process. Boca
Speaker 1: Juniors last night knocked out of the Copa Argentina by
Speaker 1: Atletico Tukuman. They have now gone ten games in all
Speaker 1: competitions without a win. It's only the third time in
Speaker 1: the club's history that this has happened. Their last win
Speaker 1: was April nineteenth. Now, the only way for Boca to
Speaker 1: qualify for the Copa Liberta d'ores next year is through
Speaker 1: the Klausura in Argentina. If they win the Klausura, they
Speaker 1: will automatically qualify. If they finish in one of the
Speaker 1: top two places in the annual combined table between the
Speaker 1: Apertura and the Klausura, they will automatically qualify. Right now,
Speaker 1: they're third, which means they would go into the playoff
Speaker 1: to qualify, which is where they got knocked out by
Speaker 1: Alanzelima this year. Now Aleanzelima, speaking of them, they got
Speaker 1: knocked out of the Libertadors in the group stage, but
Speaker 1: they went into the Copa Sudamericana because they finished third
Speaker 1: and they eliminated Grammio last night in the knockout rounds.
Speaker 1: After a one to one draw in Brazil, Alanza received
Speaker 1: a red card at the beginning of stoppage time in
Speaker 1: the second half. They scored in the ninety sixth minute
Speaker 1: to tie the match. And advance. Fernando guy Bor had
Speaker 1: an incredible through ball and to finish from Ernan Barco's
Speaker 1: top tier. Go watch it if you get a chance.
Speaker 1: Aleanzelima getting past Gremio in the Copa suit Americana last night.
Speaker 1: Stay in Brazil. Paul Metis. They had a big comeback
Speaker 1: win at Flumenence last night in the Brazilian top flight
Speaker 1: two to one. Vitor Roke completed the comeback with the winner.
Speaker 1: Paul Mettris is now in third place, but they have
Speaker 1: two games in hand on leaders Crusero, who drew last
Speaker 1: night at Corinthians. And your crazy story of the day.
Speaker 1: To wrap up the Espresso, Mark Bryce. He has denied
Speaker 1: that he quit as coach of Cameroon, despite the country's
Speaker 1: football federation confirming his exit yesterday. The Belgian coach has
Speaker 1: said his email was likely hacked and his alleged resignation
Speaker 1: letter did not come from him. That's the new one.
Speaker 1: I've never heard that. Another one for the Bengo card.
Speaker 1: This is a long issue between Bryce and the Cameroon
Speaker 1: Football Federation. He was appointed in April twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1: The letter was dated July twenty first. Supposed to leave
Speaker 1: from Bryce to the Sports Ministry and the Football Federation,
Speaker 1: saying that he had made the decision to terminate his
Speaker 1: contract quote due to the non payment of my renuneration
Speaker 1: and that of my staff for more than sixty days.
Speaker 1: The letter came into the public domain on Wednesday. The
Speaker 1: Federation said in a statement they had noted the resignation
Speaker 1: and would quote implement a coordinated response to mitigate the
Speaker 1: impact of this vacancy at the head of the national
Speaker 1: team's technical staff. Then Bryce said in a state in
Speaker 1: a letter to the Sports Ministry that his email had
Speaker 1: likely been hacked and that he had not resigned. I
Speaker 1: got nothing. That's a new one. Never thought I'd have
Speaker 1: that conversation here on the morning espresso. This is what
Speaker 1: happens during a crazy summer of soccer. Today at Lanta
Speaker 1: United training, we will have training ground dispatch, we will
Speaker 1: have a front office dispatch. Chris Henderson's going to speak
Speaker 1: to the media. Ronnie dild is going to speak to
Speaker 1: the media. We'll get you ready for Atlanta and Seattle.
Speaker 1: We'll get you ready for the rest the silly season
Speaker 1: for Atlanta United. You're going to get some information both
Speaker 1: On On ninety two ninees Off the Woodwork podcast and
Speaker 1: on the SDH social media's from our old friend Jack
Speaker 1: Collison about West Ham's visit as part of the Premier
Speaker 1: League Summer series. All kinds of stuff happening. This is
Speaker 1: what we do in the summer of soccer on the
Speaker 1: SDCH network. Big thank you to our friends at Oglethorpe
Speaker 1: University for sponsoring this edition and every edition of The
Speaker 1: Morning Espresso and there will be a fresh cup of
Speaker 1: espresso for you tomorrow on Friday Morning.