The Late Run

In this episode of The Late Run, Premier League and Champions League winner Mario Balotelli joins Ocho and Raheem. From the opening bow, it's clear these two are cut from the same cloth: two of the most unapologetic showmen their sports have ever produced, in one room. Chad doesn't call himself "Balotelli Jr." for nothing.

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Rey Mysterio Jr. walks into the Late Run and immediately makes it personal. The WWE Hall of Famer breaks down why the mask means everything to Mexican culture, what it'll feel like at Azteca for the World Cup opener, and how Maradona shaped his love for the beautiful game. Then it gets heavy: 14 ACL tears, the moment he almost tapped out for good, and how his son reignited his fire as they made history together.
Ocho and Raheemovic push Rey on Mexico vs USA at this World Cup and the timeless Messi vs Ronaldo debate (spoiler: Rey breaks Ocho's heart). They also crown the Messi & Ronaldo of the WWE: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. And finally, who are the better actors: Footballers or Wrestlers?

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Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor Parkes put the GOAT question to Inter Miami's Dayne St. Clair — the only man who trains next to Messi every day — and get a one-line answer that stops the tape. From NFL pressure vs. World Cup nerves to whether MLS finally gets its respect, this one lives in the crossover.

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Maurice Edu joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheemovic to break down what success actually looks like for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Group D, the Paraguay opener at SoFi, the Belgium and Portugal wake-up calls, and whether a quarterfinal run is enough to shift soccer culture in America. Mo sets the bar at semifinal. Chad's not sure we get out of the group. Hit play and pick your side.
Plus, Mo brings the receipts. He talks his 2010 World Cup run in South Africa with the USMNT and the 86th-minute Slovenia goal that got chalked off by the ref. He gets into what it meant having his mom and brother in the stands watching him wear the crest. He looks back on his MLS Rookie of the Year campaign as the #1 overall pick with Toronto FC. And he breaks down his Rangers years in the Scottish Premiership: a 93rd-minute Old Firm derby winner, three league titles, Champions League nights at Old Trafford, and a front-row seat to the club's financial collapse.

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USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams joins Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Tyler opens up about what a successful World Cup looks like for this generation, why some young Americans are moving to Europe too soon, and the politics of being an American player trying to earn respect abroad. He drops a powerful line: until America creates its own Messi, there's always going to be a stigma on US players.

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Bradley Wright-Phillips pulls up to The Late Run and pulls no punches. The MLS legend and son of Arsenal icon Ian Wright sits down with Raheemovic and Ochocinco to talk about the pressure of growing up in his dad's shadow, why he believes Messi's child has no chance of being better than him, and what MLS in 2013 was really like - "the ghetto". Ocho shares the real story of his Sporting Kansas City trial during the NFL lockout, the time Mourinho let him train with Real Madrid's reserves and they ran rings around him, and why he got fined by the NFL for warming up with a soccer ball.
The GOAT debate gets heated when BWP tells Ocho flat out that Messi is "not even close" to Ronaldo, the boys read hate comments, and the squad imagines what would happen if America's best athletes had grown up playing soccer. Plus: refs on power trips, Ocho's TST appearance, the BWP-Yannick Bolasie rap battle, and the McDonald's diet that fueled 13 NFL years with zero injuries.

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Rob Gronkowski joins Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run for a MASSIVE crossover episode. Gronk tells the story of meeting Messi in Barcelona's owner's suite, playing goalie against Barca players, and explains why Tom Brady IS the Messi of football. He also drops a scorching take: the NFL RUINED American soccer by stealing the country's best athletes — and ranks European pub culture ABOVE NFL tailgating.

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Stephen A. Smith pulls up to The Late Run with Ocho and Raheemovic and goes everywhere. He picks Messi as the soccer GOAT, doubles down on his "Messi in MLS is LeBron in the G League" line, and tells the wild story of how a 1991 Winston-Salem Journal assignment turned him into a Wake Forest soccer beat writer for two seasons before ESPN. Then he switches sports and delivers the full Jordan-over-LeBron stat package: 6 Finals, 6 rings, 6 Finals MVPs, never a Game 7.
Stephen A. weighs in on whether American athletes could compete in soccer if they had Ronaldo's training regimen, drags Knicks fans for not having "a license to be passionate," and commits to attending the 2026 World Cup with Ocho — Miami, Argentina, Colombia, Morocco, Brazil, Croatia all on the table.

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Four-time WWE World Champion Sheamus joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run during WrestleMania week. A lifelong Liverpool fan from Dublin, Sheamus tells the insane story of wearing a Liverpool kit on live TV in Manchester — bottles thrown, fans swinging, and he calls it the best moment of his career. He picks Maradona as the real GOAT over Messi and Ronaldo, explains why winning a WWE title is harder than scoring a World Cup goal, reveals he'd trade his WWE Championships for Ireland to win a World Cup, reacts to Rooney slapping Wade Barrett, debates Jordan vs LeBron, and breaks down why European fan culture is on another level compared to America. Plus: Van Dijk as the greatest PL center back ("nobody will say Carragher"), Euro 88 changing Ireland forever, the Super Bowl as a corporate event, and Ocho's pitch for Sheamus to walk out to "You'll Never Walk Alone."

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Cam Little, kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars and former soccer academy player, joins Ocho and Raheemovic for a full crossover episode just weeks before the 2026 World Cup on American soil. Cam settles the GOAT debate immediately - Ronaldo, no hesitation - and breaks down exactly why Messi's World Cup win doesn't change anything when you look at the longevity, the fear factor, and what Ronaldo is still doing at 40. Plus: could Ronaldo and Messi actually coexist on the same MLS team?
From sneaking onto University of Oklahoma practice fields during COVID to nearly quitting after his first hit in a varsity game, Cam tells the full story of how a soccer kid ended up being one of the NFL's most dangerous kickers. He drops a confession mid-episode - no hot mic - he still enjoys soccer more than football. The episode then moves into Real Talk territory: Super Bowl game winner vs World Cup penalty kick, the Brandon Aubrey origin story your timeline hasn't told you, and the Nkunku-style balloon celebration Ocho is ready to personally fund.

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