About this episode

The episode discusses Lionel Messi's return to MetLife Stadium and features a tactical breakdown by Jon Akin.

Ten years after announcing his international retirement in that very building, Lionel Messi returns to MetLife Stadium with a chance to close the loop. Jason Longshore and Madison Crews revisit that full circle story before Oglethorpe head coach Jon Akin joins to break down the tactical battle to watch tomorrow, from Rodri's control of tempo to Argentina's aggressive man marking. Plus, the 3-4-3: three players to watch, four headlines including Kylian Mbappé's new World Cup scoring record, and three things that made Jason smile heading into the final.

People in this episode

Hosts: Jason Longshore, Madison Crews

Guest: Jon Akin

Topics covered

• Lionel Messi
• soccer tactics
• Argentina
• Kylian Mbappé
• World Cup
• 3-4-3 formation

Keywords

• Messi
• soccer
• tactics
• World Cup
• Mbappé
• Oglethorpe
• 3-4-3
• Argentina
• MetLife Stadium

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oglethorpe

Places: MetLife Stadium

More episodes of Off the Woodwork

• Jason Longshore: "Clean passing & organization" how Spain beat Argentina · July 21, 2026 · 10 min
• Spain's World Cup Triumph, US Soccer Takeaways | Atlanta Soccer Tonight, 7.19 · July 19, 2026 · 1h 57m
• Spain vs. Argentina Final Preview, De la Fuente and Scaloni's Coaching Bond | Atlanta Soccer Tonight, 7.18 · July 18, 2026 · 43 min
• Fulltime Report: United stumbles out of the gate after return from World Cup break. · July 17, 2026 · 37 min
• Madison Crews: Spain "picking right time to get hot" & must play their game · July 17, 2026 · 11 min
• The World Cup Final is set: Messi and Lamine Yamal are in, Kane and Mbappé are out! · July 16, 2026 · 45 min

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