Landon Donovan and Bob Bradley Interview with Jon Stewart

★★★★★ VERY DIFFICULT

This is an interview between one of my favorite comedians, Jon Stewart, and US soccer player Landon Donovan and US Men's National Team soccer coach Bob Bradley. This video is long and difficult! It has a lot of mumbling, stammering, and people talking at the same time -- the way people do in real life. If you can understand this, you will do well in America!

(Yes, I am a huge soccer fan. There will be more like this. And I had to put the transcript above the video to make the coding work. Scroll to the bottom to get the video.)






Jon Stewart: My guest tonight: One of the stars of the US National Soccer Team, and the man who coaches him. They were responsible for such great moments as this one.

Game commentator: Cross, and Dempsey's denied again! And Donovan has scored! Oh, can you believe this!

Stewart: Please welcome Landon Donovan and coach Bob Bradley. (To Landon): Thank you, baby. Come up. Come on. Come on and sit. For God's sakes, welcome. (mumbles -- difficult to understand.) Listen, this is for soccer.

Donovan: That's great, man.

Stewart: This is... It's...it's like...doing a talk show in...in... Barcelona, for God's sake. I mean, this...it's...is... Are you feeling the response yet? Are you feeling...uh...uh...the power of what you guys accomplished this World Cup?

Donovan: I feel like I am. We...we came from the stock exchange today, and basically everyone on the floor was clapping, shaking hands, autographs, it was cool, man, and now this. This is sweet.

Stewart: Well, the stock exchange... [turns toward fans] Yeah. They love it. [back to Donovan.] The stock exchange actually just applauds anything that takes their minds off what's going on at the stock exchange. Uh...uh... What about in terms of the international recognition? [to Bradley] And...and I'll ask you. You've been doing this a long time. Have you seen the reputation of the United States change amongst its colleagues overseas?

Bradley: Yeah, we have...uh... Last year starting in Confederations Cup, and this year, internation press...uh... Player from other teams, coaches, have had good things to say.

Stewart: [to Donovan] I mean, look at... You're playing in the Premier League, you play also for...uh...uh...the Galaxy...

Donovan: Yeah.

Stewart: You play for Everton in the Premier League... [to Bradley] When I was growing up, we didn't have guys who went over...uh...uh...Now... How many guys now playing in these types of... Premier League, Bundesliga...?

Donovan: There's a lot. There's a lot playing all over the world, not only... The Premier League, in France, in Germany...um... It's pretty impressive now to see how many guys we have playing in the top leagues.

Stewart: [to Bradley] Now... When you and I... You are I are around the same age... You're obviously much older, but we're around the same age... you played in the same area of central Jersey...uh... Back then, obviously, the game was different, uh...we could use our hands... It was...uh...it was a better... Are you surprised at how...how quickly this has happened? Or..or...have you see the product of all the work that's gone in?

Bradley: Uh...it's...it's come over time, but...uh... it's come becuase there's been a lot of good people involved over the years who...who've made a difference.

Stewart: Right. And your son, uh, Michael, is a midfielder on the team, uh, 22 years old, scored...a...a...really a tremendous goal against Slovenia, and Landon you also scored, um... When that happens, do you say, uh, to the rest of the team, "That's my boy!" Is it...

Bradley: I wait till I get home.

Stewart: Do ya? Is it... What's it like to coach your son, y'know, is that... Are you able to separate?

Bradley: Uh...you have to. Uh...So...I mean...

Stewart: Right.

[Jon Oliver comes out and blows a whistle.]

Oliver: Half time, half time.

Stewart: We got halftime, we're just gonna have some orange slices real quick. Uh, during halftime, we're gonna watch a quick video of people reacting to Landon Donovan scoring against Algeria. This is halftime.

[video of crowd reactions.]

Oliver: Second half. Keep it clean. Let's go.

Stewart: All right, nicely done, all right. In your mind, what was the key to success to this year's team.

Donovan: There was a lot. Uh...started a long time ago. You guys probably turned on the TV and saw the last three weeks, but this has been going on for four years, uh...

Stewart: I've been watching you guys the whole time.

Donovan: I know you have. We know you have. You're one of the good ones, Jon.

Stewart: I've got a webcam.

Donovan: No, but there was a lot that went into it. There was a lot that went into it. Lotta hard work.

Stewart: Was it quitting smoking? Was that what did it for the team? Gettin' the win?

Donovan: Uh...maybe Bob. Not me.

Stewart: [to Bradley] Did you know you had something special with this team? When you put it together?

Bradley: Um... Yeah, over time, you could tell that...uh...they were motivated to do something...uh...special, and they worked...uh...put a lot into it.

Stewart: Typically, even the World Cup teams, lotta drama. This team, no...no... no real drama, no prima donnas, everybody seemed to get along, it's... I mean, is that really... Can we compete on an international level...

Donovan: Without being dramatic? [laughs]

Stewart: Without...uh...without divas and uh...emotional drama, and, uh...this type of thing.

Donovan: We did all right.

Stewart: you thought you had a little bit?

Donovan: We did all right.

Stewart: Any fights, uh, back in the thing? Dempsey looks like he could take a couple a knocks.

Donovan: He's a tough dude.

Stewart: But where's uh...was it the Algeria gamer where somebody punched him in the face and he did one of these. [Shakes his head.] And there's like, just... There's like a four-inch gash on his face?

Donovan: I don't know what you guys saw, but it seemed like every game he was taking a few elbows and shots and kicks, and...

Stewart: Did they get you? I mean, you're not...you're...you're...a little bit larger than me. How badly did they come after you in the games?

Donovan: They tried, but I tried to get outta the way.

Stewart: So that's they key.

Donovan: Yeah.

Stewart: What happened to the Gooch. We had...uh...we had Gooch in there, he was central defense, he's runnin' people over, he's comin' off a knee injury, and then, uh, disappeared, you go with, what's it, Bornstein?

Bradley: Leftback, Bornstein.

Stewart: [stutters] By the way, from my people, really, nachus [yiddish word meaning 'pleasure'] good moment for us, but... So how do you make those decisions? You...you...you look at tactics, or is it fitness?

Bradley: Gooch had missed a lot of time. He worked, uh, incredibly hard to get back, played the first two games, um, but we went into the next game thinking that there were different challenges, that the matchups were different, and we put Carlos Bocanegra in the center, and brought Jonny Bornstein on.

Stewart: [mumbling, can't understand.] Nice tournament, everybody, and, uh, you said the midfield, U.S., was just so impressive during the entire tournament. Who do you like now that's, uh, left. Who's your, who's your pick.

Bradley: Brazil.

Stewart: So you're going out on a limb?

Bradley: Yeah. Way out.

Stewart: All right, what do you think?

Donovan: Brazil, man.

Stewart: Okay, here's... So, I was in a pool here because, I, uh, obviously you don't know this, I gamble, but, um, so here's what I did. I was doing great, I had a Spain-Brazil final, right? So we get to repick after the knockout round? You know who I go with? South Korea. You know why? I'm a [bleep] idiot, that's why. What's next? You go back now to the Galaxy, you gonna play for a little bit with the Galaxy?

Donovan: Game Sunday night, fourth of July.

Stewart: No rest, no rest.

Donovan: No. Tell my coach, maybe.

Stewart: Back, what...?

Donovan: Bruce Arena.

Stewart: Your... Arena's your coach?

Donovan: Yeah.

Stewart: The old guy from UVA, that you used to...

Bradley: I have worked for him too.

Stewart: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [to the camera.] Hey, Bruce. Let my boy just rest.

Donovan: I like that.

Stewart: Why don't you throw Bornstein in? [turns back to Donovan and Bradley.] Landon Donovan and Bob Bradley. [shakes hands.]