I made a great decision to cover the 2026 World Cup for the Phil's Place podcast. Choosing a global focus for this assignment, I will be interviewing supporters from various countries. They share their love and passion of The Beautiful Game. They also capture the cultural impact and vibe when their respective teams are playing.

Dr. Nikos Lambridis joined Phil's Place to talk about the entire structuring of building a national World Cup team. From leadership, to selection of team, to fitness, to strategy, to deciding the Starting Xi, and game management.

Dr. Lambridis is a former professional footballer and coach, who played on the Greek national football team. Dr. Lambridis earned a BS in Biophysics and an MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of San Francisco. He was also inducted to USF's Hall of Fame.

After working for software companies in the Silicon Valley, Dr. Lambridis earned his PhD from the ICN School, in Nancy, France. He is now an Organizational Psychology professor at the University of York (UK), and an executive coach.

Matt and Ayhan (Buster), two very close mates who support rival teams, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, respectively, provided the blueprints for how their teams should fair. Matt is Three Lions and Buster, being of Turkish descent, is pulling for Turkiye. What brought the three of us together, including Matt's wife, Natalie, are the love we share for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We have presented some solid content and fun banter.

Valerio and his son, Federico, who reside in Córdoba, Argentina, share the passion for Argentina's national futbol team. We went into deep detail about life and culture in Córdoba, including the local teams and the rivalries. Vale and Fede are avid supporters of Club Atletico Talleres. You will feel their passion while watching and/or listening to this episode.

Jorge Molinero, expert photographer and world traveler, from Sevilla, España, visited Phil's place to talk about Spain's national soccer team. A very avid supporter of Sevilla FC and the national team, Jorge perfectly outlined what Spain will need to do to in order to win the 2026 World Cup. Fantastic coversation we had!

My good friend, Zach Tamilia, spent time at Phil's Place, talking about the U.S. Men's National Team. Zach is a soccer guru, and is extremely knowledgable about the players, formations, and who the Starting XI should be.

Zach resides in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, and also follows Arsenal, in the Premier League, as well as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, from the USL.

I provide a list of things to do in Pittsburgh during the NFL Draft. The museums I recommend are:

*Fort Pitt Museum* Fort Pitt Blockhouse* Heinz History Center* *Roberto Clemente Museum*Places to Eat in and around the city:* Olive or Twist* Barcelona Wine Bar* Max's Allegheny Tavern (not mentioned)* DeLuca's (not mentioned)* Pamela's (not mentioned)Places to eat in Robinson Township:* Central Diner* All Star Grille* Ditka's (not mentioned)* Mad Mex (not mentioned)Places to eat in Moon Township:* The Hangar (not mentioned)* Four-Twelve Project (not mentioned)* Jenny Lee Breakfast Nook* Eggs N'at* Primanti Bros.Websites for recommended museums:* Fort Pitt Museum - https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/whats-on/fort-pitt/* Fort Pitt Blockhouse - http://www.fortpittblockhouse.com/* Heinz History Center - https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/* Roberto Clemente Museum - https://clementemuseum.com/* Carnegie Museums - https://carnegiemuseums.org/

Like all Pens fans, I was not pleased with the their performances in Games 1 & 2. I offer my unrealistic keys to win Game 3, tomorrow night in Philadelphia.