Summary: In this edition we are joined by two guests who will help us examine the performance for the ages turned in by Tim Howard in Salvador against a Belgian tide that took added extra time to complete the damage, as well as discuss the very uncertain futures for two national teams in Japan and Italy who entered the World Cup with dreams beyond the group stage, but fell apart once the matches arrived and leave their federations with major questions to be answered. In segment one, Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC joined us live in the post-match of a remarkable match in which the US fought defiantly to overcome a 2-0 deficit in extra time against Brazil, but a match that highlighted both the best and the worst of the Jurgen Klinsmann reign with the US National Team. We not only explore the superhuman effort turned in by US goalkeeper Tim Howard, but also the many questions and factors now facing this program both in terms of the match itself and the undetermined future as the cycle moves to 2018 in earnest. This includes the questions as to whether progress is actual or that the trailing indicators are inconclusive, and what next for MLS as the league will seek to cash in on this success. In the second part, commentator and Editor-in-Chief for Goal/Japan, Cesare Polenghi offers his insight into two of the biggest failures in this World Cup, which happens to be the Samurai Blue of Japan and the Azzurri of Italy who not only did not live up to pre-tournament expectations, but face even bigger questions of themselves from a federation level if they are to return to loftier results in tournaments ahead, and deep within that analysis lies some key questions about identity and whether the future is assured given the many shortcomings exploited during the World Cup. At the core is how Japanese professional players overseas continue to develop and find club success overseas, and how Mario Balotelli appears symptomatic of a generation of Italian player who proved not ready nor focused enough for this tournament when needed the most.
