Podcast: Frank Dell’Apa on the World Cup and how New England factors in

United States goalkeeper Matt Turner dives for a save during a World Cup game against Wales. (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is longtime professional soccer writer and New England Soccer Journal contributor Frank Dell’Apa.

As part of his extensive experience covering the sport, Dell’Apa has covered seven men’s World Cups. 

While he is not in Qatar for this year’s World Cup, he’ll still be paying close attention and covering the event from afar.

Dell’Apa joined host Matt Langone to discuss the 2022 World Cup, which began on Sunday, and explored some New England storylines that can be found in Qatar.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Dell’Apa:

On the timing of this World Cup:

Dell’Apa: “There’s a lot of things that are wrong about this World Cup. The timing is really the main one and it’s going to impact leagues and all sorts of players all over the country, and all over the world. … The timing of this is actually leading to players being exhausted, coming into the (World Cup) and fatigued coming into the World Cup, and they’re going to come out, as they always do, tired as well.”

On USA’s ability to score goals:

Dell’Apa: “Well, that’s what it comes down to, is these individual players that can make plays and do something that makes a difference in the game. That’s what every (contending) country has, and the U.S. sort of has those guys. Now, as far as goal-scorers go, the U.S. doesn’t really have anything like what most countries do. If you look at MLS, the top 50 scorers — top 50 I’m talking about in the league — no more than five were born in the U.S., so that shows we’re not really producing goal-scorers.”

On expectations for USA:

Dell’Apa: “It’s a really good draw (Group B) for the U.S. They’re actually favored. Listen, the U.S. is favored by the bookmakers to win two of those games. It shows the group is not that strong. It shows the U.S. has progressed some. So, if they can get on to the second round, that is basically the goal for the U.S. They don’t have to get to the quarterfinals or semifinals. That’s a long way off, but just to get through that first round is really important.”

On Fairfield University product and former New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner becoming a starting goalkeeper for USA:

Dell’Apa: “It’s unbelievable. Matt Turner had never played for the national team until last year. We’re talking last year, and now he’s starting in the World Cup and he is playing for Arsenal. So, this is like a fairytale, it’s an unbelievable story. Matt was playing in Fairfield, like you said, and I don’t think anybody ever saw him down there. It wasn’t his fault, necessarily. A lot of scouts went to UConn, which wasn’t that far away. They probably flew into New York, LaGuardia, and drove on up there and went right by Fairfield on I-95.”

On the team best built to win the World Cup:

Dell’Apa: “I’m picking France right now. I mean, those guys are loaded. It’s unbelievable what they have. They got half their team back from the one in 2018, which is also a curse, basically, because it’s hard to win it two times in a row. But some of those guys are still playing.”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution and Soccerheads New England.

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