Transcript
Speaker: Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
Speaker: Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
Speaker: Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does just about, runs into the advertising order. Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what a Where's my copy? got bunch of them How many do you cost them? 50 bucks.
Speaker: I'll deadline you.
Speaker: This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounder supporters.
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Speaker: Welcome back to another episode of Adiates on the Center at Heart Podcast Network. i am Jeremiah O'Shan. It's actually Thursday, not Friday as we normally record, but I'm here with Nico Moreno doing what we learned this week.
Speaker: Nico, are you doing, man? What's going on, Jeremiah? Fanbase audience of Sounder Hart family. Always excited to be on with you guys. Trying a new positioning on my microphone to see if I can minimize, you know, some of the...
Speaker: noise that sometimes apparently comes through the mics uh i am a deep breather and so um just want to let everybody know that you know i hear the commentary and there's always some fair criticism and stuff so went back listen to it i'm trying a new angle let's see how this works but i meant just um excited to talk to you especially you because you know we had talked about what Lumenfield would look like against Chivas. And it was very interesting the way that played out. Yeah. I went the game as a fan with ah my wife and sister and brother-in-law, nephew, and it was a good time. But it definitely...
Speaker: helped see closer what the stadium feel was like. So yeah, man, without meaning to do it, we're going to get to talk about it and probably two perspectives from your side and then from my side on on the fan side.
Speaker: Yeah. So full disclosure, I actually did not attend the game in person, but I was there at pregame. People may have seen me. i I was, i maybe I was replacing Nico Moreno. I don't know exactly what was going on there, but I was on Q13 for a live pregame hit.
Speaker: And so I came to the stadium. I saw the atmosphere outside the stadium. I got into the stadium. I saw the atmosphere inside the stadium I watched the game on TV. I experienced it that way.
Speaker: And look, the impression, I think that everyone came away from this game. We may as well start there is it felt, it's not like a Chivas home game. It felt much more of a neutral facility.
Speaker: And I think we're being kind to the sounders there. than I have ever seen at a Sounders game. And look, this is not the first time that a Liga MECI's team has come to Seattle. This is not the first time that a big Liga MECI's team has come to Seattle, but that was a Chivas crowd. And I think that I've seen some people frustrated about that. I get it, but I do think that this is sort of a unique situation in that, look, like I can speak from firsthand experience,
Speaker: the secondary market made it very attractive to sell your tickets just on its own. But that hasn't usually been a problem for the Sounders because most of the time they go into these games and they're very, they're high leverage games. They're important games. This was not like the reality was that the Sounders came into this game virtually eliminated already from league's cup. They needed to win by at least three goals to even have any chance. And that was assuming that like,
Speaker: eight other results went their way or something along those lines. So this was not the normal competitive game. The Sounders have obviously been in really bad form. So Sounders fans are not excited. I look at this as almost a cultural event for a lot of Chivas fans. And to Chivas' credit, they put out a lineup that reflected a ah a manager who wanted to put on a good show for his, his fans. Like i don't have any problem with any of these things, ah but for sure felt like a Chivas crowd. There's no reason to deny that. what What do you think? And by the way, to mark the occasion, i am wearing a Mexico Jersey because Hey,
Speaker: My wife just got her Mexican citizenship. I have i'm more than happy, more than happy to represent that side of things. So Nico, what was your impression of the crowd and the and everything?
Speaker: yeah Look, first of all, to your point on the lineup, I was slightly surprised, not incredibly surprised because Gabriel Milito, if anything, is looking for.
Speaker: a lot of positives to keep his job. it is, you know, that job, it comes with a lot of responsibility in Liga MX, you know, just about every single coaching job, it tends to start off with your seat pretty hot. And so there has been a lot of, discourse on on gabriel milito and so he was looking for probably something else to add to his bag and trying to keep his job but hey man from pio alvarado to brian gutierrez uh that was ah a pretty good lineup that the sounders were facing and so let's start with the big elephant in the room i watched this again from the fan side and i was
Speaker: overwhelmed and i was that that was I was really shocked on how heavy and how overrun the stadium looked in terms of Chivas fans walking into the stadium and then being at the stadium I don't know. Initially, I thought, hey, you know, maybe Sounder fans got there early. Maybe, you know, I'm seeing a lot of, you know, Chivas fans out here, but it's going to be different the stadium. You know, I'm talking to my family and like, look, it's going to even out in there. And when we walked in, it was completely, you know, red and white and white everywhere, right? I mean, there's just no other way to explain it aside from, yes, this was a game where the Sounders were clearly eliminated.
Speaker: There is always a little bit of lack of excitement for Leagues Cup games unless they are like elimination games or farther down in the tournament, like a final, a semifinal. So I think that all goes to it. It was a Wednesday. um And to your point, I think that there was a lot of demand for these tickets, right? I mean, that the Chiba fans are... are they don't get this all the time. Whenever their club comes in, they want to watch it. And as you mentioned, this is cultural, you know, there are some of the maybe not um real hard,
Speaker: supporters of like America or Pumas that feel like they can only watch their team or that they hate Chivas that were willing to, you know, go in and watch a Mexican team. That's a pretty big deal with a couple of national team players that they were going to be able to watch. And so that I think was part of that, but Look, there is this narrative of like, oh, ah why why are you surprised? Because I put the the pictures out there and i I said, look, I've never seen the supporters from Seattle get overrun like this. And people were like, oh, come on. this where Did you not expect that it happens all the time? Or someone was like, you missed the Cruiser Sue game. No, sir. I did not miss so the Cruises game. Stop.
Speaker: You know, i'm I'm admitting that this was a very lopsided, it maybe not lopsided, but it was clearly Chivas side game. But but don't don't.
Speaker: come and try to tell me that this had happened before or even before Chivas has shown up in the same stadium. and And I haven't seen it like this. And so whether it was Pumas or there was Cruz Azul or Santos or Querétaro, I have never seen a fan base that was clearly the the home side. And, um,
Speaker: So Brian, you know, he kind of shook it off and kind of just dismissed the the question a little bit and just said, hey, you know, well, you know, I like the the fans traveling and, you know, I like it when my fans travel when we're away.
Speaker: But look, to be honest, I did want to... hear a little bit from Brian on on the real sense. I think that if you were to get the real Brian Smetzer, he'd be like, this fucking sucks. Like, yeah, this is this is our home. Like, we shouldn't be, you know, over here sitting and and the Chivas chant was loud. Chivas, Chivas. When La Hormiga was going to go in, Hormiga chant started coming off from the sides. I mean, it was clearly a a very one-sided game when he came to, like, the chants and the
Speaker: high moments of the game. So, and I don't want to sit here and disqualify those Seattle fans that did go. Cause when Gallatin Sadness scores that goal, there was a pretty big roar. Yeah, it was a big roar. There was definitely some fans there. I mean, I was there as a fan, so I was wearing, you know, my scarves and my, my wife was wearing a Jersey and the whole thing. So, you know, we, we, we definitely were, we're trying to represent, but it, it, it just never a cure to me that I was going to walk into Lumen field and feel like I was at Akron in Guadalajara. Like I really didn't.
Speaker: Yeah. And I, again, I just, I do want to dig into this because I have heard this before. Like, look, every single time a big Mexican team comes to Seattle, there's always this anxiety. I think among Sounders fans of we're going to get over run, blah, blah.
Speaker: And I remember, and people talk about that Cruz Azul game. I assume they're own they're specifically talking about the Champions Cup game because it definitely was not the case in the Leagues Cup game when Southers won 7-0. I don't remember hearing a lot of Cruz Azul fans at that game, but at that 0-0 game, the you know, there were definitely...
Speaker: vocal Cruz of soul fans, but it did not look anything like it did last night. It was, it really was, it felt like a Chivas crowd, but here's the thing. This is the the way I, I rationalize it maybe is first of all, like the idea that the sounders are not,
Speaker: at all reaching any of these fans specifically is just not true. I guarantee if you were to interview all these, if you were to survey all the fans, you would have found plenty of people who consider themselves Sounders fans when they're not playing Chivas, first of all.
Speaker: ah Second of all, there were a lot of mixed families there of older parents wearing Chivas stuff and younger, you know, like I saw a lot of teenagers ah with their families who are wearing Sounders gear. Like this is somewhat of a generational thing as well.
Speaker: the The kids likely grew up here. This is their team. They are, maybe they were for Chivas on the side. Like I do think we can oversell the degree to which the Sounders now could the Sounders do a better job of reaching Latino communities in the C in the Seattle area. 100% undeniably. Yes, that is undeniably true.
Speaker: But the idea that they have that these communities, Chivas fans have never really been properly exposed to the Sounders is just not, I don't think that passes the smell test for me. And like I said, i think a lot of them would admit that they are, you know, at least casual Sounders fans, even if it's not their first team.
Speaker: ah But the game itself, look, I think, the the the lineups almost reflected the the approach of the fans as well. The reality is that b Brian Schmetzer put out a lineup that look, I think, I don't think I'm going on a turn.
Speaker: That lineup would have been far more appropriate. Maybe not. yeah I'm not calling it an inappropriate lineup, but, If they had rolled that lineup out in a open cup game, no one would have batted an eye.
Speaker: There were only, there were really only two regulars starting lineup. There was Osazade Rosario who, you know, may or may not actually be a starter for this team. And then Jesus Ferreira, clearly he's a starter.
Speaker: Everyone else was at best a reserve. And in four players cases, literally Tacoma defiance players, Charlie Gaffney, it was not even originally on the league's cup roster. He was a late addition to the league's cup roster.
Speaker: ah Edson Carly, a 18 or 19 year old ah player to the with defiance who has won ah full season or is in his first full season with defiance Gallatin Sandness.
Speaker: who has gotten some call-ups with the the first team, but this was his first start. And then ah Mark O'Neill also getting his first start for the Sounders, also on loan from Tacoma Defiance. And then and then even around him,
Speaker: they had ah Stuart Hawkins, who was a young player. They had ah Ryan sailor who was making his first sounder start. They had Sebastian Gomez, another young player. They had Tino Lopez, who was a defiance player at the beginning of this year.
Speaker: And then on the way, you know, I think that's, that's everybody, I guess. So like, look, it was It was a very mixed lineup for the Sounders. I don't know that Brian Schmetzer, frankly, took it much more seriously. But, you know, he he did not.
Speaker: That's not maybe not fair because I'm sure he put a lot of energy into this game, but he was not taking risks. these These are, for the most part, players who he's not expecting to play against Vancouver when they return to league play on Sunday.
Speaker: No, and he was pretty transparent in the press conference and admitted that the fact that there was a very low percent chance that the Sounders were going to get through to the next round was a factor in choosing this lineup. But he also wanted to see these young, hungry players and – Maybe he did a little bit too much of that bid.
Speaker: And he said, I looked at this that number the A team straight in the eyes while talking to them and all these things. But you look, there is a sense of there is some very interesting, hungry players there. um I think that sadness, I wouldn't call him necessarily just a Tacoma player because he has been growing and he's someone that a lot of people are watching and and he's very interesting.
Speaker: I still like Stu Hawkins better as a prospect, to be honest, but to be but fair to the kid, I mean, i think sadness is a very good player. um Mark O'Neill, ah brother of Shane O'Neill, who we will have in this show at some point talking about his little brother. um ah You know, he's, he's an interesting guy. Gaffney, there's something about Charlie Gaffney and I can't explain it,
Speaker: But to me, there is something there. And and I don't know if it's the fact that he has some dog in him or that he's very does like balanced. um He doesn't do anything amazing. like He's not brilliant at anything right now, right right in this stage. But I think that there's something that really like Charlie Gaffney. I don't know. He's a guy that I keep my eye on in practice. So it it is cool to see these players just go out there, perform, And there are some others that you and I have been wondering when they were going to get some minutes. And there is that sense of you got to figure out what you have in certain guys. and And I think everybody knows who I'm talking about here is Ryan Saylor, who
Speaker: ironically to me, because, you know, we have been talking about maybe him not getting any minutes or him being really low in the pecking order, which he probably still is, but he had a pretty decent game. I was yeah my mildly surprised with his play. thought that he was well positioned. I thought that he looked stronger on the field in this particular game that that I've seen him on any of the practices that that I've been able to watch. I thought that he was good on the air. um
Speaker: So yeah, it was interesting to just see some of these other players. And then there were others that did disappoint a little bit. Osas de Rosario is a guy that really want to get behind. right And he he does so many things right.
Speaker: But when it comes to what makes a striker play, tick, what makes a striker's salary, what defines the position, that's what he falls short, man, because he had a couple of opportunities, including one of the 15 minutes that could have set you up to zero in that game that he's just looking down at the ball and rarely looks up and he just takes a shot, which look, I I'm always for you forcing a safe, but ah there was so much space on the other side. Maybe you just pause, let that defender go through and try to hit it with your left. So, you know, those are the moments that I think I want to see from Osasera Rosario. But look, when it comes to, and and I'll try to conclude and pass you the ball to Jeremiah, I'm sorry, I'm going long here. but when it comes to the veterans, Ferreira did a ah ah decent job at trying to get some chemistry with these guys, trying to understand. There was a couple of like passes that didn't end up in the feet of a standard players because I don't think he has that
Speaker: chemistry with these players. There's one on top of the box that was particularly bad, but I think is expecting a different run from, i don't know who it was, but there was, uh, Edson Carly.
Speaker: It was Edson Carly. There you go. There you go. That's the one. So there were moments in this game where, you know, We talk about Jesus and i think he's still a very good player. He is a very good player, but it's kind of hard to judge him when he's with a whole bunch of new players in this particular game against that A-team lineup on the other side. And then just to finish it, Stefan Fry, man. ah I just love Stefan Fry. He's just such a competitor. He was outstanding in this game. He keeps this game from getting out of hand early as well. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't know if I buy into the whole, we have two goalkeeping starters. I just, I don't, I don't fit into it. I'm not going to fit into it. I think Andrew Thomas, is still the guy with all the respect and love that I have for one Stefan Fry, who's absolutely legendary and who clearly shows you in all these league cup games that he could absolutely do it. It's just that you have to take in consideration the amount of,
Speaker: wear and tear that he takes to be the everyday guy. And so look, it's great to have a phenomenal backup and it's great to have experienced player like that. So I'm not going to buy into the narrative into whether or not that's Andrew Thomas should be fearing for his job. I just think that you have some really good goalkeeping group.
Speaker: Yeah, I think that the thing as far as b brian Schmetzer reiterating this whole, we've got two starting goalkeepers thing, he says it's a competition. i think realistically what's going on here is he's trying to keep Steph motivated to some degree, but he's also trying to put some pressure on Thomas. But I think everyone knows that the only reason that Andrew Thomas would lose this job at this point is if he falls apart because he is the, he he is the future of the, of the goalkeeping position for the Sounders right now. And if you're putting Stefan Fry in there, all you're basically saying is,
Speaker: we're starting over and i don't, I don't really see any reason of that happening. ah I will. One other thing I wanted to highlight though, from this game is Stu Hawkins. I thought had a, a solid, had a, had a really solid match, especially when you consider that he was given the responsibility of playing the center center back, the middle center back in a back three back five, depending on how how you want to put it. And that's a lot of responsibility.
Speaker: And I thought he handled it well. He was solid in his passing, but the play that really stood out for me is a play that I think a lot of people had like myself had to go back and watch multiple times because they couldn't quite believe what they were seeing.
Speaker: This is in the 78th minute and it's another kind of day Rosario moment where you would like to have done better, by the way, on a different day, Osase, De Rosario, or even on a different day.
Speaker: If a star number nine gets the chances that Osase had yesterday, he probably has a hat trick. Anyway, agree what one of those moments, maybe the best moment that from this game is the Sounders are getting out on our counterattack.
Speaker: Paul Rothrock is bringing the ball up the wing and there is a player running, making a, ah a absolute sprinting run coming up on his inside.
Speaker: He gets the ball and he puts in a Trevella that just bends so perfectly into the, the feet of Osase De Rosario. who looks like he is going to have a golden opportunity to shoot in front of goal.
Speaker: And the defender does just enough to put them off. He doesn't actually make contact on the ball, but I'm watching this going like, oh who hit that pass? That must've been Paul Rothrock, right? Nope. That's who passed it to him.
Speaker: Maybe it was Tino Lopez. No, Tino Lopez is back here somewhere else. And I'm like, hold on. Is that Stu Hawkins? Is that the one you texted me about? Yes. Oh, wow. What is happening here? Where did Stu Hawkins? Not only like he makes a run that you do not expect to see a center back make, but the culture he puts on that pass Where does that come from? i am.
Speaker: That is one of those. Like, I did not quite appreciate what you had in your arsenal there, Mr. Hawkins, because that was that was an amazing moment. ah A really remarkable play that that Hawkins made on that.
Speaker: I'm going to take a big leap here, but I'm going to say that.
Speaker: Stu Hawkins might be a better passer than Jackson Reagan. I mean, he's passing. I'm willing to, yeah. And and that's Jackson's thing, right? And I remember one Danny Leyva talking to me about Stu's passing range, and maybe I should have taken the...
Speaker: thoughts from a specialist when it comes to passing and vision like Danny did. and I didn't at the time, but now, oh baby, I see it. I absolutely see it. Look, in full disclosure, I have not rewatched the game just yet.
Speaker: um But when you when you texted me about that pass, in my mind, I thought it was Tino. That's what I thought too. Because I watched it firsthand. But now that you're telling me that was due, oh, it checks, baby. It really does check. The kid has some phenomenal passing skills, his vision. love his anticipation as well. And so, yes, I would absolutely 100% second everything you just said.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, if there was one play that I'm going to come away thinking about from that game, it's probably that one. And look, the reality is the Sounders, I thought, looked pretty competitive through the first half. They were up one zero Fry clearly did made some decent saves. I did not think he was tested the way that he was against Toluca in the first half, at least. And then as the second half sort of wore on it was very clear that Chivas had sort of like up their game. I think they made threes halftime subs. If I'm remembering correctly and the the field completely tilted, uh, they were going for it.
Speaker: Yeah, they were going for it. And by the time they get their equalizer, which comes around the 60th minute, they had had something like 86% possession. In the second half. I mean, the Sounders could barely get onto the ball. and And they then they score again on a ball that's ah ruled offside.
Speaker: they They then score again. ah And look, they they dominated the second half. And yet the Sounders were in a position where, because Osase gets another chance that almost right after the ball from Hawkins, where he gets set up by Rothrock.
Speaker: on a good, not a great chance necessarily, but a good chance in the box that he hits wide that he doesn't really make good contact on. And that was the third of the three shots where I said, a ah ah star striker probably converts all three of those, but You know, I, so I appreciated the effort. They centers clearly ran out of gas.
Speaker: I do want to say one, one other play that, ah that I liked from this game was Edson Carly hit a volley from about 20 yards out that deflected off of Chivas defender that immediately, that was the the corner that led to the corner that the sounder scored on. that was a really well struck ball. And I think it showed some of what Carly is capable of. And then there was the, the other side of it where Ferreira makes this amazing run down the sideline.
Speaker: He has Carly sort of making a run to the top of the penalty box. Maybe you would like to see, I would like to see Carly make that run a little harder, but also either way Ferreira needs to put more on that pass.
Speaker: ah And so there was, there was promising moments, but look, I do think, and I, and I appreciate where, where Brian was coming from when he says ah the spirit and the energy and the belief was all there for these guys. And I need the first, the the normal starters to see that and to sort of take that.
Speaker: And I, that's all true, but also, Look, I think we can also admit the Sounders were overmatched in this game. They were not. Absolutely. Like they they they were not the player. The roster that we put out was not in Chivas's league. And that's I don't think there's any real shame in that. But ah we also don't need to pretend as if it was, you know, two heavyweights going toe to toe.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. No, no, I absolutely agree. And it was the right approach. I think that there was nothing to gain by putting your starters out there when Vancouver is coming up on the weekend. That's where your your objective should be. That's where your vision is. where all of your efforts should be going to is that specific game. Again, I absolutely love you being able to figure out what you're getting out of some of these guys. Look, Carly was a guy that I didn't necessarily have on my list.
Speaker: He had just been added. i had heard from other people about him, clearly, but I didn't quite have him because I typically keep my own notes. And, you know, he's been added to that, you know, and that's what you get out of this sort of games. You know, Sebastian Gomez playing a wingback and and, you know, he's a guy that... I have said on the show that I thought have plateaued and look, he clearly hasn't. He's continues to work, continues to be a guy that is willing to put in the minutes. um And so look, you kind of do get out small, small,
Speaker: uplifting moments out of this, you kind of feel a little bit better, at least about the depth of the team, right? Because now you're looking ah yeah well the future. But, you know, for me, you're particularly seeing a guy like Ryan Saylor that, you know, you weren't thinking he was going to be able to provide it. Yeah, good point. Where you're like, oh, you know, that's that's pretty good. That that that might work out. Sebastian Gomez with a whole bunch of new players and a very difficult team task at hand uh specifically playing this chivas team paying a guy playing a guy like alvarado you know i thought that they did a very good job and so you know there are elements that i've seen from both the queretaro game and this one regardless of queretaro clearly rotating and in this specific game you rotating there are some sustainable moments in terms of
Speaker: passing sequences, offensive movements, specific players that are showing some leadership aspects. I got Lex to Hawkins that again, if I want to, you know, I just kind of clicked on that where his leadership for a young guy he was screaming, yelling, directing traffic. Like I really had my eye on Stu in this game and man, I, you know, I, I didn't think he had it like that, but because he's put into a position where you do, maybe you are one of the,
Speaker: high-ranking officers on the field you know you do get that ability to be like hey you move there you move here he was really you know on set pieces uh on transition moments i saw a stew that was willing to be vocal and and try to move people around so you get all of that out of this specific game you didn't get the win Whatever. It didn't matter. It was going to be unconsequential. It didn't matter. But now you get a little bit of a boost in term of what you have in depth and and you you put in a little bit of fire, maybe under a couple of guys in the first team.
Speaker: Sounder at Heart has been around in one form or another since 2009. In 2026, though, we make a pretty significant evolution when we go analog. Yes, that's right. In the year of our Lord, 2026, we are publishing a real-life magazine. We're calling this thing 4, as in Sounder at Heart 4.0. But we're stylizing it as i IV because we absolutely love Roman numeral. And if you want to refer to it as IV, that's cool, too. The first issue has a comic book-style cover that was hand-drawn by local artist Kevin Newbern. Features by Tim Foss, Susie Rance, and Charlie Boehm. A statistical deep dive by Kat Bush. A Q&A with Brian Schmetzer. A column by G. Willow Wilson. And photographs by Noah Reif, Max Aquino, Mike Russell, and Jane Gershowitz. I could not possibly be more proud of the work everyone put into making this, and I think you're going to absolutely love it. If you'd like to get your hands on one of these limited edition copies, we're currently selling them for $15 on our website. Get yours now.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. No, and and I don't think of so. It wasn't a completely wasted performance. You know, they don't have the same momentum that they had coming out of the Corretaro game. They, the reality is that they go into Vancouver and they, they don't have a eight or nine game losing streak, which is what we were honestly worried about, but they do in a sense still have this six game league losing streak, which they can't really, you know like they can't hide from that. And you know, we'll see. They, they have to like, because if they lose the Vancouver game, the losing streak conversation is gonna start up right again. And, ah and I would like to think that this game prepares them for,
Speaker: for Vancouver a little bit better. And Vancouver is, is themselves not necessarily in a great place right now. They were the, I believe the only MLS team to go winless in the, in leagues cup.
Speaker: And, you know, they also had kind of a tough draw. They, they also, i think they had to, they had to play it. they have to play to Luca? ah ah No, that's so no, no, no, no. They actually didn't have... Too bad of a draw?
Speaker: Yeah, because they had Atlanta first, I remember, if I'm not mistaken. Well, I'm pulling it up right now. They had Tigres. Oh, that's who I was thinking of. Tigres is just not the Tigres of all two. They're also struggling. Right. But they had to play at Tigres.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. right Yeah, so so that that's kind of that is interesting that they didn't get a win because they had Atlante, they had Juarez, they had Tigres. That's not necessarily your top dogs from League of MX. Although I do like Juarez, believe me, I really do. They got a couple of interesting MLSers that I tend to enjoy. But yeah, I don't think that that's the case. I really do. And we can get into Vancouver in a little bit because I do think that they're struggling a bit. But in terms of this game, and i hope i hope I'm not jumping into this segment, Jeremiah. No, go ahead. but But there was those those comments by Brian Smetzer that maybe went a little too far. Maybe went a little too far in terms of what you got out of this game and maybe how it was more important to –
Speaker: get this type of spirit going in the locker room and getting these guys going in the right path. That being more important than getting a TAM signing or getting some, some new players. And ah i don't know if Brian needed to say all that. I think he was good where he was at. Hey, we approached this game.
Speaker: Yeah. Differently, I wanted to see some of these hungry guys out there. I got to see that. They were winning 1-0 against almost a top-line Chivas team. I'm proud of that.
Speaker: Cool. Cut it right there. But when you go into the whole... You know, maybe this is even more important than getting some tampers. That's when you lose me. You you lose me, Brian. you You lose me. And I know that you don't need to have me on your corner or whatever, but ah it is something that, oh, man, it's difficult because, again, I've said this once, twice, a thousand times.
Speaker: Just because you have a sustainable pipeline It can't only pipeline. It's phenomenal academy that provides you sustainable contributors. It's a common defiance team that works well with your entire system. And they have the same curriculum and you could stick players in that are going to come in and perform.
Speaker: it does not mean that that's the only way you should be feeding your first team. And... You can not be contentious, be in a good team, be a great team, be a phenomenal team. And for you to do that,
Speaker: I'm sorry who I'm losing with in in this commentary, but you need to add talent. You have to add top talent. You have to be able to compete with the rest of MLS that continues to grow, continues to get players on a day-to-day basis. And that's the reality. I love the Sebastian Gomez's. I love the Tino Lopez's. I love seeing a guy like Charlie Gaffney get his shot, but At the end of the day, you got to have some playmakers. You got to have some game changers, not even playmakers, game changers. And yeah for that, you need DP money. You need DP level talent. You need TAM level people. And that's just the reality, man.
Speaker: Yeah. So yeah in case people missed it, I'll give sort of – ah a slightly truncated version of his quote, but he was talking about how there's all these storylines coming out of this game. He lists off Steph may have been the goalkeeper of the tournament, which i don't know. The guy let's be really he gave up five goals. Uh, but either way, ah He was good. He showed everyone he's fucking good at what he does. i thought that was an interesting time for him to use an F-bomb. He doesn't normally do that. But he says, that's the example you want.
Speaker: That will take the franchise farther than any TAM signing. It'll take us a long way. It's like, okay, like I get your point. And like you said, he was sort of like in this, ah the German storm. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl pearl Harbor a kind of moment, you know? And so he was sort of on a roll and you just want to let him go with it. But like, look, we don't need to, we don't need to go there. Why are we we, don't need to do this. Like, I think he needs to understand fans are just tired of hearing about why we don't need a new signing. ah And it,
Speaker: Look, if they don't get something done, this line is not helping. If they get something done, ah great. And maybe you've done a good job of doing the sort of under-promise over-deliver thing. But look, the the expectations are already in the basement for a lot of people. You don't need to drive them even into the you know even deeper. That said, this is maybe a good transition point to talk about.
Speaker: Potential signings. We, so we, it does not look good on the Casper tank stat front. It looks like he might be going to Greece or Turkey. We're not sure exactly what's going on there, but I continue to get encouraging signals from the sounders that something is in the works. That doesn't necessarily mean signing is going to get announced today or tomorrow or whatever, but like there is there,
Speaker: and and let me and let me just back this up. And if if people don't remember, you and I have both been pretty open that even in the center's front office, there's some frustration that they don't feel like they're going to get stuff done at various times.
Speaker: This last week, week and a half, I feel like there's been a real mood change where there is momentum. They feel like they will hopefully get something. Like there's a hope that they'll actually get someone signed.
Speaker: Yes, and look, as far as I know, Casper's still in the mix for things. um Yes, there are ah a lot better offers, but you know I've seen a lot of reporting about like numbers and you know a lot of that probably comes of transfer market and things. The Sounders understand that they're going out there probably trying to get a guy on – look, MLS is this growing league. you're going to be able to come in here, do this stuff, and you know perform for a top MLS team.
Speaker: But they're not going to break the bank. I mean, that's the reality, right? So I do think that they're pitching their players well into coming here. I know that people, like my guy James, he's going to be like, oh, why are we getting guys that don't want to come here? what's it's It's just the way you got to go out there and pitch yeah your your league. You got to pitch your your team. Yeah.
Speaker: And, you know, not every guy that comes in wants to stay here. How many times have you heard Buonga talk about, I want to go and all this stuff? He's still here. that Just the top players are going to want to demand other ways. Look, your agent ain't doing his job if he's not coming up with five teams that...
Speaker: want you in at the same time that the Sounders do. So that that's still in play. And the Sounders are not going to break the bank. They're not going to go DP level money. There are ways around certain things that they're working on. Unfortunately, I did hear that the center midfielder that they were looking for, it for or their top prospect of center midfielder they were looking at isn't going to be there necessarily. But yeah,
Speaker: But there are things about the way that Craig Weibel and this scouting department is approaching this window that i i interpret different than any before this. Like there's truly a man, we, okay, this guy is not coming up.
Speaker: Let's look for the next guy. There is an urgency to go out there and get the right guy. And that's, I don't want to come in here and sound like a Craig Weibel apologist, but I do think that people need to fit need to understand that he he's out there working the phones. He's not out there just sitting around, you know, playing Halo. I mean, he's really out there. You know, do people play Halo anymore? That's a terrible reference. I just aged myself like 10 years, Fortnite or whatever people play this these days. You know, he's working the phones, man. He's out there.
Speaker: He's traveling. He's been out of the country. And so, you know, I do think that there is going to be something made. I stay on my initial statement that I am 80% sure that this team will at the very least make one signing this transfer season.
Speaker: Yeah. And I guess, and I'll, that's all sort of goes with what I've been hearing. I think that there there is a recognition within the team that they need to do something that it's not just about that.
Speaker: Cause I think maybe they needed to get it out of their system that they had almost talked themselves into a signing is purely an optics thing that they didn't actually need a new signing. And I think that they are maybe starting to see that they do need a signing because look,
Speaker: Jordan Morris's health is unreliable. Pedro de la Vega's health is, uh, we're seeing is somewhat unreliable. We're seeing that there are players who I think that they were sort of counting on as being, look, once they're back, we're fine.
Speaker: And I don't know that they are feeling like as confident that they're going to be back for an extended period of time. So I think that's, we can take that all as a positive, at least from a mindset change, uh,
Speaker: But you also wanted to, while we're we're on this, look, Pedro De La Vega is someone who I think anyone that watches him play, one of the things I love about Pedro is that he is an example of a type of player who anyone can watch him play and immediately recognize this guy is talented.
Speaker: We even saw that in the less than 10 minutes that he got to play against Corretaro. He almost scored. He was looking fresh.
Speaker: He was looking good. And then he has this injury that we still don't know the severity of, but clearly he is really, really frustrated about this. Danny Masofsky, who, you know, look, I don't know that it was his place to say this, but he says,
Speaker: ah Pedro was crying in the locker room sort of as a sort of, and look, ah we don't need to, we I'm not trying to litigate that part of it, but look, but point being, Pedro feels this. He is emotionally, he wants to show what he can do. And you wanted to talk to this a little bit more. I'm going to let you kind of take it from there.
Speaker: Yeah. Oh man, this is difficult and I do not want to cross any, mean, lines of privacy or anything like that. But the more I read commentary from our fans, which I've said time and time again, they have the right, it is their prerogative to be angry at the club and to ah not even be rational at times and and and, you know, have their own perception of things. But when I see commentary about how,
Speaker: Pedro de la Vega is just happy catching in his check and stealing money from the club as he rehabs through injuries. And that he's a guy that's the biggest bust in franchise history. Look, see it any way you want it. And is it fair to criticize the fact that he has been unavailable as much as he has That's fair. If you think that there was way too much money spent on a player that had a prior injury, but if you really look at it in detail, it's not a history of injuries. And the injuries he's had in this club are of various aspects. It's not one particular muscle injury. I mean, it's just...
Speaker: a gambit of situations that unfortunately have hit him, but I'm not going to let you guys sit here and create a false narrative of the player because I have had the opportunity to talk to Pedro on a couple of times, including last night.
Speaker: And it was very brief when I got to talk to him and see him. But this is a guy that cares so much that he can't even talk about it. He can't even talk about disappointing the fans, being unable to play for the club that trusted him to be a key component of this team without tearing up, truly tearing up.
Speaker: You could see it. it's It's physically painful to watch him talk about the injury. I have heard from others that there was a point in the game when he feels the injury and he wants to stay in and and try to fill it out and and almost fake it because he...
Speaker: was almost embarrassed as a player that, that his fan base that just gave him a standing ovation that wanted him out there that have trusted him as well as one of the players that they want to see out there the most injured one more time after doing rehab and, and, and yoga and, and, you know, eating right. You just put in his day-to-day things,
Speaker: life line in in just the the best way possible to come back from this injury as soon as he could and as strong as he could. And and the fact that 10 minutes after he jumped into this game, he gets another injury.
Speaker: He's not happy. he He like, I worry about his mental health. Like this is a guy that truly wants to perform for every single person in that stadium for for those colors, that badge. Yeah.
Speaker: Call it what you want. Call him a bust if you want. Like, I'm not going to argue with how many games he's played over the longitude of his time here and the amount of money that you've invested in him. But the intangibles in Pedro were so spot on. He's such a hard worker. He's such a caring guy. He fits in with our community so progressively, you know, thinking about everything.
Speaker: Loves the community. Loves the city. And I know that's not what people want to hear because at the end of the day, it's about your performance and what you've done for me. But when it comes to the person and not the player, my goodness, that this guy Just has it all. I truly hate the fact that either the medical department with the Sounders that is in question right now or his own body has been unable to hold up. I don't care. But if he was to be healthy, i promise you that this guy would be a legend. Like like he yeah he's just so good. has been so good when he's been healthy. But I just want to finish it on, guys, I'm just some dude talking here.
Speaker: Have your takes on on a guy, but don't don't kid yourself. Don't lie to yourself by thinking that this player is just happy catching in the she check. And he's just having the time of his life kicking back, waiting for rehab. Cause that is a bold, insulting lie. This guy gives a shit. This guy cares a lot. He has put in the F and work time and time again through this whole summer. You see it in his body muscle. You see him in the gym. I mean, the guy has really been working on getting right. So
Speaker: I'm still not going to tell you what to think. I'm just letting you know that to me, it's wrong to create this false narrative about a guy that cares as much as he does. Yeah, I think that is the and I think it's in general. i think that's a like no athlete is enjoying rehab.
Speaker: ah There are players who when they get towards the end of their career, maybe aren't willing to work as hard as others, especially if they have guaranteed paychecks. But look, Pedro is not that guy. He's a young guy. He knows he has a lot of his career ahead of him.
Speaker: He wants to perform for this fan group. I think he wants to perform for his teammates. He wants to perform for the coaches. i just don't, I have not seen a lot of this, but i if that's out there, I think that's really, really unfortunate because there is not someone who I've wanted to see excel more than Pedro in part, because you've seen what he can do.
Speaker: ah and you know, so hopefully we get, we, you know, hopefully there is like a good, you know, ending to this story that there is a a redemption, a redemption arc that is even better than what we saw last year. That would be, that would be the ideal. ah But for now, we're going to have to just wait and see how long it takes for him to recover. Hopefully he comes back even better.
Speaker: And hopefully it's not too long from now. All right. ah One other thing we should probably close out. Let's talk a little bit about the Whitecaps who are coming into this game in probably their worst form of the season. They have not been they have not been great basically since the ah since the break, since coming back from the break. Like I said, they went...
Speaker: Oh, and three. I mean, they, they lost in a penalty shootout despite being up two men against a bank against Tigris, albeit on the road at, ah at, uh, which is obviously a very tough place to win,
Speaker: Since the, since coming back from the break, their only win was in the Canadian championship. They beat Calvary FC, Calvary FC, fs four to one.
Speaker: And then they actually tied them. This is a Canadian premier league team. One, one in the return leg. And then they lost four to three to Cincinnati. They tied Minnesota zero, zero.
Speaker: They tied LAFC one, one. They lost to Atlanta. or at Atlanta, Atlanta, uh, one zero. They lost a war as three, one, even though they dominated statistically in that game. And then they lost to, to Tigre. So it's been a rough road for them really since the break, uh, maybe not quite as rough as the Sounders, but, uh, it's not coming out of nowhere either in part, you know, they, they lost Sebastian Berhalter.
Speaker: This is not, maybe, maybe that was a bigger part of their team than we maybe thought. What do you think? Oh, yeah. No, I totally agree. Look, I love Vancouver in terms of the roster. i think Jasper Sorensen is phenomenal. He is the perfect version of a motivator and a strategist.
Speaker: But they have truly had a hard time adjusting to not having Sebastian Brea-Halter. The perfect...
Speaker: partner to that pivot between him and Andres Cuvas. Andres Cuvas needs somebody like Sebas Chamberlain-Holter. First of all, it's obviously the communication, the chemistry, the ability to just keep shape, the un- vocal understanding of the game where you're going to push to a certain pocket and I'm going to drop here. We're going to go together. We're going to overload on this side. You just haven't seen that from Vancouver since. And i talked to a fan about it in my, one of my open spaces that I did last week. La Ross is a competent player. La Ross is a,
Speaker: you know, a player that I liked in Colorado, but he's limited. He doesn't have the ability to change He's not the player. No, totally. When comes to progressive passing, when comes to having a mid-range shot, set pieces. Sebastien Barhalter was so key in set pieces, right? So...
Speaker: Vancouver's had a real hard time adjusting to it, but he hasn't just been that. I think that defensively they've struggled. um Clearly ah having a guy like Ocampo at right back, that is, i would call him more,
Speaker: More fit or more equipped to attack yeah than he is to defend. They've really had a hard time now with Kubas having to do a little bit more to solidify that side. They've been prone to counter attacks. And so this team has kind of fallen off a bit.
Speaker: They have the star power and they have a guy like Mueller. But when your striker, and that's kind of funny that I'm saying this, is not performing because, look, if anything, Brown-White has been outstanding forever. Ever I can think of Brown-White, he's putting the ball in the back of the net. He's in a bit of a bad form. he is and And he also is hurt.
Speaker: he's He's been hurt. And so he's he's been in a bit of a slump. And so I really do think that has a lot to do with their inability to get games going their way. Now they got Daniel Gastock. I really like Daniel Gastock. I think he's a really good player. I don't know if he necessarily...
Speaker: fits the needs that you currently have. Cause I feel like him and gold and him and Mueller, probably, you know, players that have similar skillsets, you could put them as a false nine. I mean, he could put the ball in the back of the net cause he has done that. He is a guy that doesn't have good But hasn't been officially added yet.
Speaker: Yeah. Gosdog is not. So he's not even on the roster right now. And and Brian White came out of the Juarez game with hamstring tightness. So it's not clear he didn't play against Tigres, which is not a surprise. But they my my point here is that they do have some personnel questions.
Speaker: Oh, yeah, totally. Totally. And so going into this game that does benefit the Sounders, this was a game that when I was looking in the calendar, I counted as a loss, to be quite frank. um Even if even it was here, I just thought they were that good. I wasn't expecting certain guys to leave, obviously. But now with the way things are set up, look, this could be a bounce back game for the Sounders.
Speaker: I mean, you'd like to, certainly it would be, it would be nice. It would definitely be nice if they can get a bounce back win, because that, that would go along being able to beat the white caps who they've like, frankly, they've beaten twice this year.
Speaker: ah Fair, admitted fair. Yes. Early in the season when the Sounders were playing a lot better, admittedly, but this would be, this would be a big deal. If they can get this win here, that would be a significant a significant step in the right direction for the Sounders to sort of get right. And it would be really nice to not talk about losing streaks anymore, frankly. And ah look, if they, if the Sounders can even get a tie in this game, I think you sort of take that. But,
Speaker: it puts a lot of pressure on the Austin game, the the midweek, but look, we can cross that bridge when we get there. ah And it will be interesting to see what the centers can do here. I don't think that they're going to have any surprises as far as availability. ah i guess at this point we're expecting Danny Masofsky to start.
Speaker: I don't, I don't, probably I don't know. ah They, but the centers have a lot of questions of their own. So I don't know. Uh,
Speaker: Yeah, and look look, I feel like like i was a bit harsh on a a tweet I had out there after the Karaturo win. But, you know, partially, i just think that big wins...
Speaker: can very easily become makeup on a nasty zip. And that's just what I didn't want that to become. Right. is Yeah. And i you get, you get a three zero win at that. All sudden things are perfect and all these things. I do believe that there's still issues with the nine position. yes I yes. Mistakenly put a particular goal that I thought was a,
Speaker: pretty lucky goal, which was the Misovsky, but I, I initially I had to put Sebas, but it was the Misovsky goal. And I get that a striker got to get to certain positions and that's a, um, a necessity. And that's something you got to give that player credit for. um,
Speaker: the finish was kind of just like very lucky. I mean, it it really was. he It was almost was like he ran into the ball. And so is that great? Because that's a player making the effort to make that run. Absolutely. But I'm not betting on that.
Speaker: I'm betting on the player that gets to that spot and hits it with technique and and and finishes strong. And so that's where I'm still not sold on, you know, although Brian might be, that Danny Mussofsky is the guy that has taken... i don't know That job with the with the very least, the the only goal out of the ninth position you've had but all year. So, you know, whatever, right? but But I do think that in this particular game against Vancouver, the key is going to be out wide.
Speaker: And that's where I have my questions is, can the Sounders be able to create wide play? The width, right? has not been there necessarily. Paul Rothrock himself, the the guy that's been most productive for this team, hasn't quite been able to do it. I think Sebastian Gomez has shown pretty interesting moments there. But, you know, whenever you do play with your dual tens and Ferreira's the guy that's coming inside, it puts a lot of responsibility on Kalani Kosariensi. But I feel like that left side, your left attacking side, Paul Rothrock,
Speaker: And, you know, any way that you want to shape those overloads on the left side, that's going to be the key to this particular game. You have to be able to keep a compo pinned back and you got to force them to defend. I also think that set pieces in this particular game are going to be somewhere where the sounders can do some damage in if they can perform in the, in the way that they want to perform. And, um,
Speaker: transition moments that that that has been the bread and butter of this team for so long and although in Queretaro I wouldn't call them transition goals there were goals in very quick passing sequences yeah that first kind of situation yeah switching the point of attack very quickly you know those are the things that you want to see uh I don't want to hear anything more about prime assist zone I just I Now when I hear that, that's not it. It is just about being able to get to the final third, creating chances with half range shots, being able to put early crosses into the box. Those are the things that I want to see the Sounders try to really challenge a guy like Laborda that although I really like him on the ball, defending, he gets a little bit overconfident in his positioning. So that's what the Sounders need to be able to take advantage of when he comes to this Vancouver team.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I do think that just getting into getting defenses to defend on their heels, I guess, is sort of the idea as opposed to letting defenses get so get kind of stabilized and and stuck in.
Speaker: ah Well, I think that's basically what we want to get through today, i think. Yeah, that's everything. We got a big game on Sunday against the white caps. We will be back next week. We are currently in talks to get some, and a new show into the lineup that will be let's go featuring Nico Moreno very prominently.
Speaker: We will have hopefully news on that relatively soon, but you can rest assured that we are continuing to do our best to expand what we do here and to bring as much quality content with different kinds of angles and and different approaches. So rest assured on that one. Again, I'm going to give you a plug.
Speaker: August is the most important subscription month for Sounder at Heart. It's when we make... the largest share of our operating income for the whole year. And if you are a listener to this show, I want to encourage you to become a subscriber to if you are at the $30 level, maybe consider moving up to the $75 level. If you're $75 level, hey, maybe consider going to the 215 level.
Speaker: All these things are ways that you can support us. You can, of course, also buy merch. You can buy the magazine that we put out for, which has two issues now currently available. And with all that said, let's get out of here, Nico. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker: i am Jeremiah O'Shan signing off for Nos Audientes, part of the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, and we'll catch you next time.
Speaker: Let's go at Sounders.
