For Nico Cantor, it's about the excitement that comes with a voice in his ear. The Golazo Show co-host is constantly buzzing through European football, switching from game to game as events unfold in real time. It forces a certain understanding: Man City lose to Real Madrid one second, PSV beat the Juventus next. Piece it all together, and the CBS Sports analyst is about as talented as it comes to talking fans through what's happening.
But he has a different perspective. Unlike some of his Paramount+ co-hosts, and CBS's other on-air talent, he doesn't have an extensive resume of professional soccer. Cantor played at a high enough level, but these days he's an analyst and a fan. Very few - even at the top level - can claim to have consumed the game with more vigor than he has. Still, he remains a skeptic. His chief job this year? Make sense of an often strange revamped Champions League group phase.
"I don't think I can draw a conclusion now, because the new format isn't over. We still need to see a champion... but I was expecting a little more excitement," he tells GOAL.
Cantor grew up watching the USMNT. He saw Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann and Bruce Arena fail to deliver for the country in the biggest moments. New coaching hire Mauricio Pochettino might be different.
"There's a different aura that he brings to the table," he said.
And that's a good thing, too. These days, the USMNT player pool is largely based in Europe. This is a different archetype of footballer to the one that failed over and over. Pochettino understands that.
"He brings a lot of different assets to the table, as a manager, given his experiences, as a coach, and as a player. And I think there's a certain level of respect that a lot of these guys respond with when you have a manager like Pochettino coming into the dressing room," Cantor added.
Meanwhile, Cantor has a role in a shifting American soccer landscape. The USL announced two weeks ago that it will found a Division One League. MLS would seem to have a competitor. Cantor is a part owner in a team that could soon push for the highest level, FC Naples. This is an exciting time for him.
"One day I will be able to tell my grandchildren I own the team. Who knows what will happen, but I feel like we are going somewhere special with the space that we have at USL right now," he said.
Cantor discussed the Champions League, Christian Pulisic's Serie A pedigree and more in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
