100 Days Out Special: U.S. Starting XI + Brian McBride Interview + World Cup Power Rankings

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse are back with a new episode of State of the Union Presented by Zillow. Someday Starts Today. We are officially 100 days out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and we’re talking all things USA. Alexi sat down with USMNT legend Brian McBride to talk about the striker options for the national team, what made the 2002 group that reached the quarterfinals so special, his infamous 2006 bloody nose incident and much more. Afterwards, Alexi and Mosse debate whether Tim Ream should pass the torch to Noahkai Banks for a starting center back spot and touch on the possibility that Banks might switch to the German national team. In #AskAlexi, the pair discuss if Italy can survive the playoffs and finally return to the World Cup and in One for the Road, Alexi gives us his top ten power rankings for teams in this summer’s tournament.

Intro (0:00)
Brian McBride: Who starts up top for the U.S. & more (2:52)
U.S. Abroad: Banks vs Ream, Balogun & Wright keep scoring (28:43)
Alexi's U.S. Starting XI Prediction (42:48)
#AskAlexi: Italy misses again + Iran at the World Cup (47:27)
One For The Road: World Cup Top 10 Power Rankings (54:26)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices