Sporting Legend and former Kansas City center back Jimmy Conrad joined The Border Patrol on Wednesday morning to discuss the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Sports Radio 810 WHB.
Visiting with hosts Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John, Conrad spoke glowingly about Mexico's upset win over Germany but underlined El Tri's need to advance past the Round of 16, where they have been eliminated in each of the last six World Cups.
Conrad also shared his thoughts about the current state of American soccer as the U.S. Men's National Team watches the World Cup from home.
"We have enough players that have a desire to play and get better," Conrad said. "I think where we're lacking is the quality of coaching and the quality of refereeing. There are a lot of elements to it.
Concerning Major League Soccer's role in improving the state of the national team, Conrad added "At the end of the day, they're a business. Teams are going to give opportunities to the best players, and if anything I think motivates American players to fight for that (playing time) and not just assume they're going to get it because they're American.
"With the national team that didn't qualify (for the World Cup), there was maybe a sense of entitlement that had crept into the group. And when it was time to get down to brass tacks and fight for stuff, we maybe didn't have that same resolve that previous generations had."
Conrad also reflected on the current state of American soccer's youth development, identified a handful of worthy candidates for the next U.S. MNT manager and reflected on his own World Cup experience as a player in 2006 in Germany.
Listen to the full podcast below.
