Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Seattle Sounders preseason continues and a transfer rumor!
1.1k Plays10 days ago
Seattle Sounders preseason churns onward as the Rave Green charge toward the start of their 2026 regular-season and Concacaf Champions Cup campaigns. After our first glimpse of the squad in action in a pair of friendlies in Marbella, we'll give our take on where things stand on the depth chart. We'll also discuss a recent report from Sounder at Heart linking winger Georgi Minoungou to Hammarby.
Follow Lobbing Scorchers:
SPONSORS
Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!
Sounder at Heart - Our network host and biggest supporter, Sounder at Heart covers the Seattle Sounders, Seattle Reign, and MUCH MORE! Subscribe and Support to the BEST independent Seattle Soccer coverage.
Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!
Full Pull Wines - Founded in 2009, they the best boutique wines of the world to members, with special focus on our home, the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Sounders Tickets - Get tickets to an upcoming match straight from the club and help support the show at the same time.
MLS Season Pass - MLS Season Pass is back on Apple TV with access to every single MLS match—including Leagues Cup and the entire Audi MLS Cup Playoffs—with no blackouts! Subscribe today to support the show.
MLS Store - New year, new gear! The 2025 MLS jerseys are here, and MLSStore is the ultimate destination for every fan. Every purchase helps support our show!
Recommended
Transcript
Sponsor Highlights
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based cellar. Not only are they a local company, but they've been supporting independent Seattle soccer media since 2011 and are run by Sounders fans. They offer the best boutique wines in the world to members of their mailing list with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest. Their model is simple.
00:00:19
Speaker
One, they email compelling offers. Two, you request bottles that sound appealing. Three, your wine arrives at their Soto warehouse and is ready for pickup or shipping. Their Soto tasting room is also open to the public. If you're interested in joining their mailing list or learning more about them, visit fullpullwines.com.
00:00:35
Speaker
Breast conference not spicy enough? Not as hot-headed as Peter Vermees? Are your hot takes just not hot enough? Spice up your life with Hacks and Ferments. Handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Specializing in unique small batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Hacks and Ferments brings bold flavors and natural fermentation together for something truly special. Whether you're a heat seeker or just looking to elevate your cooking, you'll find something you love at hoxonferments.com. That's H-A-X-A-N-F-E-R-M-E-N-T-S dot com. And right now, if you use code LS at checkout, you will get a hot sauce completely free with your order. Again, so go to hoxonferments.com, use code LS at checkout for a free hot sauce with your order. Hoxon Ferments, proud sponsor of the Flaming Hot Press Conference. Trademark pending.
00:01:22
Speaker
Already here. As a dedicated fashion expert, how do you do it? Day in and day out, I see you rocking the best fits. I need your help. Noah, I'm glad you asked. People ask me that a lot, and I can tell you need an upgrade.
00:01:34
Speaker
Looking for timeless menswear and durable home goods with a touch of the Pacific Northwest? Podium in Edmonds, Washington has you covered. As Edmund's first ever men's general store, Podium offers a curated collection of quality clothing and durable goods featuring domestic and European brands.
00:01:49
Speaker
Whether it's Filson, Dayhen 1920, or Wax London, everything in the store is made to last, be loved, and even passed down. Located 114th 4th Avenue North, just off Main Street in the heart of downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore at Podium to find all the essentials for the modern Pacific Northwest man. They're open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 to 6 or Sunday from 12 to 5. Also anytime online at shoppodium.us as well as Instagram at Podium Edmonds.
Live Recording Details
00:02:20
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers was previously recorded and streamed live on youtube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers. If you want to listen or catch these episodes live, see the video, and see all the rest of our content, go to youtube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers or lobbingscorchers.com slash YouTube.
00:02:42
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. What the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be scorcher.
Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl Win Discussion
00:03:04
Speaker
Good morning, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff. I'm Ari. That's Nico. We are recording this on Tuesday morning. Folks, just under two weeks before the Seattle Sounders start their 2026 MLS regular season ah against the Colorado Rapids.
00:03:24
Speaker
And... Nico, what's up, man? good do ah Good to see you We got some Sounders stuff to talk about. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl. I got my ah Devin Witherspoon throwback jersey on. Definitely real. Did not get this from a knockoff website. But ah how are you how are you feeling? How are you doing after after the bowl and getting ready for Sounders season here?
00:03:45
Speaker
Yeah, man. Oh, it's a beautiful day in our neighborhood. It's a sunny, beautiful day in the Seattle area, which is nice. It all comes together on the the eve before the the parade for the Seattle Seahawks after they get their second Lombardi trophy.
00:04:02
Speaker
And on the same sentence, we could say that the Sounders are also back from Spain. so today we'll get a chance to once again go down to the facility Check out the guys, see where everybody's at. So, man, it's all good news right now, man. I mean, this sunshine could very well be how I'm feeling right now. Just very bright.
00:04:23
Speaker
It is beautiful out there. I just noticed that myself looking out my window, you know, usually, especially over the off season when we're recording these at this early hour in the morning, it's all dark and cloudy and rainy. And this is this is great vibes. Like you said, parade tomorrow. I'm going to be there. i went to the last one and it was really cold and it was impossible to bus out of downtown because there were so many people there. They're expecting more people there.
00:04:48
Speaker
Tomorrow than there was last time. So we'll see if we can make it out, but I'm definitely going. ah We're going to start with that, actually. Let's start with that. Just ah just ah give a few minutes. We're
Seattle Sports Success Reflections
00:05:00
Speaker
going to bask. We're going bask in the Super Bowl, guys. I know we'll probably get a couple comments like, you guys are sounders. We're going to bask.
00:05:06
Speaker
It's a big deal. It's a big day for the city and parade tomorrow. So we're going to bask for a couple minutes, but we are going to talk mostly mostly about the Seattle Sounders. I had a couple other additional takeaways from these last preseason games that we watched about the two two strikers set up, Osaze and Jesus Ferreira. We're go to give you the latest on Obed Vargas. He debuted...
00:05:29
Speaker
Someone, my mom called me out for saying debuted. I apparently I just can't pronounce the word debut. I used to say and I say debuted and Obed Vargas debuted for Atletico Madrid and he's been playing. They play Barcelona. You were saying Nico before we started recording. playing Barcelona coming up. So we might get to see Obed Vargas play Barcelona. going give you the latest on that. Maybe hit some MLS wide stuff.
00:05:52
Speaker
uh at the very end of the show here before we do that shout out to our sponsors hacks and ferments full pull lines and podium menswear as always if you have not done so yet if you're watching this and you have not subbed to the youtube drop us a sub on the youtube guys we're uh we're one away from 2850 which was actually our goal for the month So we're about to hit that on February 10th if we get one more person to sub to the YouTube.
00:06:20
Speaker
Hit the IG as well. We're on the road to 4K there. ah TikTok, Facebook, follow us on all platforms. But good morning, everybody. Thanks for tuning in. And also, thanks for to everyone who tuned in to the 4 a.m. preseason watch-along. There's a few of you sickos out there. I went live at 4 a.m. before the Sounders preseason game because I'm sick in the head. And there was like 10 of you up with me at 4 a.m. m Some of you, I presume, were on the East Coast, but there were some of you on the West Coast, shout out Tribe, were up at 4 a.m. for the start of the watch along. And hopefully that was abusive to you who woke up and early in the morning and needed to catch up. And I was up at 4 a.m. and went for five
Sounders Preseason Analysis
00:07:02
Speaker
hours. So that was fun. And thanks to everyone who tuned into that. We're going to keep doing watch along content. I think whenever the opportunity arises, it's a lot of fun and people seem to enjoy it. So, yeah. And, and, and get the, let's, let's get the chat going. ah Let's ah I don't know, Ari, ah ah you might not be coming onto the mic. I'm not a hundred percent sure. i don't know if the chat can verify that. I'm, I'm trying to see, you I'm getting hearing a little bit of an echo. I don't know if it's cause you're not, your mic's not.
00:07:31
Speaker
All right. Is that better? That is better. I felt like there was something off. I didn't know what it was. So we're we're good. We're good. We caught it. Hey, we caught it. It could have been a whole hour and then we would have not. has happened That has happened before. Starting Lobbing Scorchers kick off off with tech issues. Apologies for the bad audio on my open. It was such a good opening spiel, too. I i felt like I was really killing it.
00:07:56
Speaker
You were cooking, bro. I was cooking the intro. It was all going well, and that's going to sound like I was on a Skype or Zoom call for the first oh only minutes. You're right. You're right, Nico. I'm not going to crash out about it because we caught it. That's right.
00:08:08
Speaker
Now we're going to hit the rest of the show with perfectly good, great audio. Show not ruined. ah Let's go. ah Nico, let's ah before we get into the Sounders and and MLS stuff, like I said, we're going to take a couple minutes basking the Seattle Seahawks. Shout out to the Seattle Seahawks.
00:08:26
Speaker
for winning the Super Bowl, obviously, anytime the city gets a bowl, that is a big deal. And I don't think this is a year that, I mean, I know I did not expect this necessarily to be the year that the Seahawks won a bowl. But I'll just give you, let's do some NFL punditry, Nico. I'm going to give you my ah my my takes on the bowl, which is when when Seattle hired this guy, Mike McDonald, a couple years ago.
00:08:52
Speaker
I don't really know much about him, but I did know that the pundits said this man, the Seattle Seahawks, they just hired the Sean McVay of defense. And they kept saying that over and over. And I was like, all right. Okay. I was pretty skeptical. was like the Sean McVay. He's the Sean McVay of defense. Okay.
00:09:10
Speaker
All right. I mean, if they're going call him that, like, let's see it. And at the beginning of last year, i was kind of the guy like, I don't really see how he's the Sean McVay of defense yet. And then by the end of last year, i was like, oh, OK, I think he might actually be the Sean McVay of defense.
00:09:25
Speaker
And then this year i was like, oh, OK, he's he is literally the Sean McVay of defense. And ah it created what just like a phenomenal season for the Hawks. They were just beating the shit out of everyone. There were all these games where they were winning by like 35, 40 points to the point where once they made it past the Rams in the NFC Championship, I've never been like more confident going into a game that the team that I support was...
00:09:51
Speaker
was going to win. And it was kind of funny. Like it felt like the whole city and the whole fan base had this sort of like quiet confidence of like, we are like, we already kind of know what's going to happen. Like we've seen what happens in this situation all year when you're playing a team that's doesn't have the horses to hang with them. They just destroy them. They should have honestly destroyed the, ah the new England Patriots by even more.
00:10:10
Speaker
Then they did. that It was 29 to 13. That could have been one of those like 44 to like 10 games. Like they had a couple of those this year. So really just like, I think you got to just credit the the coach and the GM for,
00:10:25
Speaker
making a courageous move in firing Pete and hiring this Sean McVay of defense guy and kind of leading the charge into a new era when a lot of people thought that that might be a risky move or a bad idea. and now ah got a got a Lombardi, got a got a Super Bowl. Pretty cool, man. Looking forward to going to the parade. But also it's just like this with this coach and with the the young guys on the on the team, the team is set up to be good for next like three, four years. It seems like so. And that kind of brings me to my overall takeaway, which is just like good time to be a Seattle sports fan, man. Like, honestly, we're Sounders people around here. So we've been winning for a while. We we know what it's like. we We've been winning the most, I'll say. But, you know, everyone has their own takes on where that matters in the pecking order. It matters the most to me. But ah the other the other major teams in the city, I mean, ah you know, the the Seattle Storm have won a lot of
00:11:20
Speaker
championship So we got to acknowledge that. But if we're talking about Mariners and Seahawks, they haven't been that good for a while. And now the Mariners are good and the Seahawks just won the Superbowl. The Sounders took down messy in leagues cup last year. It's just, it's just good times. Like I'm, uh,
00:11:36
Speaker
it It feels like there's just more good vibes and and winning going around the city in these last year or two than there has been in a while. And it's great. I support that. But Nico, any NFL, national football, American football punditry that you ah that you want to get out there?
00:11:55
Speaker
ah Yeah, look, I mean, not not to bore everyone that is here for sounder news and sounder information, but obviously NFL is my second love. I do get to cover the team from time to time. And from the beginning of the season, when we were going to the early camps and the preseason, there was just a clear idea that Mike McDonald was going to, even from the very beginning, from the from his very first camp,
00:12:19
Speaker
there was a clear idea that he was going to play hard-nosed football. And for me, that is great. Someone that's going to want to win it in the trenches, that's going to come here to fix the defense and play run run-down football, right? It's going to be about the run game and and having Sam Darnold be a guy that is going to help out your team and and and perform. But it felt like that the main pillars of what he wanted to do was going to be defense and and the run game. And at the beginning of the season, you're right. I didn't think they were going to win a Super Bowl. You felt like they were going to have a better year than last season. But I honestly did not have it in my bingo cards that they were going to go this far. But as the season went along, I mean, it was just clear that they did a great job in the draft. They did a great job at
00:13:06
Speaker
building a system for Sam, the two punch duo between Charbonnet and K-9 just was unbelievable. Cooper Cup, JSN, just having a phenomenal season. So at some point at the end of the season, you did feel like this team was equipped to win the Super Bowl. Shout out to Jackson Feltz, who...
00:13:27
Speaker
Not only did he think they were going to win it this year, I mean, he was just on point about how they were going to dominate the playoffs. ah The 49ers was a game that I was like, i don't know if they're going to dominate the 49ers. They destroyed them. And then when they went against the Rams, you just talked about it. So shout out to McDonald because he did a great job at doing one thing. And this is what I'll end with.
00:13:49
Speaker
He did not want to be associated at all with the Pete Carroll era. he One of the first things he did with the team was take down all the imagery and he didn't want to be talked about ah or reference anything that had to do with the Legion of Boom or or or you know his predecessor. He respected him, but at the same time, he wanted to build his own chapter. And I think that he did that excellent. He did that perfectly. And in the week prior to ah The Super Bowl, he got sick and tired of talking about if there's 30 seconds to go and it's fourth down, are you running or passing? I mean, he literally was like, man, I'm tired of that. I'm tired of the the question. he did not He wanted to separate himself completely from it. So I just think his mentality and the way he went about it was phenomenal. So congratulations to the Seahawks.
00:14:40
Speaker
ah Congratulations to Rashid Shahid that I got to talk to him before they left to Santa Clara. Nicest guy that you'll ever, ever talk to. I mean, just such a cool dude. um i I thought he was going to do a little bit more. I actually...
00:14:56
Speaker
put some wager on him, maybe being an MVP, just because I thought, you know, it might be a long shot, you know, it was 3,001. Yeah, I really thought that maybe that that was going to be, because then it was going to be a low-scoring game. like I took the under on that, and so i was like, hey, if there's going to be somebody who's going to break this thing apart, it could be Rashid Shahid, who was another...
00:15:15
Speaker
piece that you got to give John Schneider a lot of credit for going and get him for a fourth round and a fifth round. I mean, the the guy has been unreal. So credit to the Seahawks. We can move on to the Sounders.
00:15:30
Speaker
Well, I do want to say. Real quick, as we wrap up our and NFL punditry, I watched the game at a friend's house. But before I went over there, I pulled up like the pregame show.
00:15:42
Speaker
And the first thing I see is like Jason or Devin McCourty or whatever. oh yeah and he's interviewing malcolm butler and they're doing like a in-depth breakdown of the of the interception at the end of the last super bowl uh they're like dude they have the circle charts out and they're doing the schematic i was like All right, this this needs to be the last time that we do this.
00:16:07
Speaker
And it is. It's over. That's done. We never have to think about that shit again. And the last thing I do want to say, too, is ah we had to listen to everyone throughout the country, all season, talk trash about the quarterback, going into every game, especially the big games. Like,
00:16:22
Speaker
Well, well, what if, what if he throws a bunch of interceptions? He could, he, like he throws a lot of interceptions. I was trying to explain to people all year, like, yeah, yeah, he throws a lot of picks. It doesn't matter because the de defense, every, every time he threw a pick, it was like, okay, ah that's not good.
00:16:38
Speaker
Gave the ball away. Demarcus Lawrence is just going to like cause a fumble. We get the ball right back, probably score a touchdown. Someone's going to pick it off. It doesn't matter that he throws a lot of picks. He has pick immunity from throwing picks.
00:16:50
Speaker
And he also stopped throwing picks at the end of the year. And now he's won a Super Bowl. So anyway, yeah, like you said, shout out to the Seahawks. That's probably the last time we're going to dive into NFL punditry unless they win another Super Bowl. But for today, i am glad that we worked that in there, especially at the beginning of the show. And, you know we're waiting for people
Sounders' Roster Concerns
00:17:06
Speaker
to trickle in. So if you didn't like the NFL punditry, you can skip it. It's fine.
00:17:11
Speaker
ah But yes, Nico, this is indeed a Seattle Sounders show. So ah let's talk about the Seattle Sounders who are about to begin their season. Like I said, Colorado Rapids coming up on the 21st. They famously have a bye in the first round of CONCACAF Champions Cup. which watching San Diego FC play, it really reinforced to me, Nico, like, man, having a buy is is great. They did really well in their, in the first leg of their game, but like it adds miles to your legs. And it also, you never know what could happen. They're up for one on aggregate right now, but they got to go to Mexico. It's their club's first ever game in Mexico. There's no guarantee that they don't get three owed and, and bomb out. So just having the buy is, is great, but we are under two weeks from the regular season opener and Nico, where I wanted to start was just, ah we talked about it on the watch along quite a bit, but let's go over our our broader takeaways from those last preseason games and see if there's any new developments or any more in-depth thoughts we have on where things stand just tactically and with personnel as we get ready for the start of the season here. And let's start with, there was I think there were two main...
00:18:22
Speaker
I guess three main notable takeaways from the game where they ran the starters, which is ah the first thing that caught my eye, Nico, was two striker setup. They go out there with Osase De Rosario and Jordan Morris lined up there. And I was kind of i was trying to tell how I was going to play. I've been saying that these two striker setups play more like ah ah a dual striker setup than ah than the classic 4-2-3-1. And I think that is kind of how I saw it playing, but there was just some interesting stuff going on. One of the Osase goals was created by Jordan Morris, honestly, pulling the center backs towards him when he makes that run in the middle. And then you got Osase crashing the far post, whoever it was sends in the low cross. And there's so much attention on Jordan Morris that Osase is just completely unaccounted for easy tap and finish. That's I see a goal like that. And it makes me think,
00:19:16
Speaker
There might be something to this two striker setup, especially when you take into account that they were running it in the playoffs against Minnesota last year and they did not win the series, but they did score seven goals over the last two games after they switched to having Danny Musavski on the field with Jordan Morris. So i I guess what I'm wondering, we can start here.
00:19:37
Speaker
do you think that they came out with that two striker setup in that preseason match? to test it as their primary formation? Or is this something that they're running as maybe a backup plan or an ace in the pocket and they're going to just keep running the 4-2-3-1? Because I got to say, based on what I saw in that game, i thought the I thought the attack looked excellent. And I feel like there's an argument to be made that if it's looking like that, then maybe perhaps Brian Schmetzer for the first time in his tenure will be going away from the four, two, three, one and running like dual forwards as he has at times in the past, but he's never committed to it as something that he does with regularity. So what did you think of just seeing them run that look to start that preseason game? Both just if, as far as if they're going to keep running that going forward and then how it actually functioned, which I thought was at an extremely high level.
00:20:31
Speaker
I actually disagree. I think that it wasn't a two striker setup. I think that Jordan Morris was playing winger, you know, Brian, Brian said, you know, well, we wanted to see um Jordan playing wide as a wide winger and he he played it and I thought it was great. I think,
00:20:50
Speaker
As someone who consistently tries to figure out what the formation is, and so many times both Freddie Juarez and Brian Smetzer, they don't really want to focus too much on the the starting formation. It's more about the concepts in play. There are opportunities when the Sounders are building out that if – your left back is getting higher down that outside ah lane and the flank. Jordan Morris can tuck inside and become a second striker. like you agree It's like a hybrid role. That's how I see it. Like there's winger stuff going on, but like there's also striker stuff going on. And like on the play I'm talking about where Osazi got the goal at the far post, Jordan is central. Like he's not wide.
00:21:35
Speaker
So there's like both things going on. And that's that's what what you know they've been working on with this 4-2-3-1, and that's why the personnel kind of changes, and depending on that, he can make certain things happen more often than not. But in my opinion, what I saw was a 4-2-3-1 where Jordan Morris would at times be the guy that came in that inside channel, but usually you'll hear Brian talk about who who we need who is going to be the widest guy on each side, and it was clear that Jordan Morris was the widest guy on the on the left side, and Alex Rodin was the widest guy on the on the right side, where Ferreira, as that pocket winger, he's doing a lot of central play. He's doing a lot of link-up. He's coming back and and helping out in transition moments. And at times, he does get a little bit higher where he can be another reference guy inside the box. So,
00:22:26
Speaker
It's all about the movement. It's all about what happens when guys are in certain situations, what happens when they commit certain numbers forward. But I'm with you in one thing, that by adding Jordan Morris at the lift at the left wing, it does give you yet another goal scorer, another threat. He's probably right now your um biggest goal threat from the wing compared to, you know, Paul Rothrock or Areola or Reed Baker-Whiten or whoever you want to put on that left side, Georgie Benungu. He's the guy that could probably have the more goal threat. So,
00:23:06
Speaker
Ivo Sase, who was so clear-cut the best player in the last preseason game, and he's had such a good preseason camp in general,
00:23:18
Speaker
I think he's forcing his way into being that nine. um And that's the real key here. Cause to me, that's where I was going to be. That's going to be the rotating role is that that striker position is going to influence who's going to play on your, on your wing side as well.
00:23:36
Speaker
But to me, the tool bag for Osase is so much bigger than Danny's or, you know, Jordan Morris. is I like him at the nine because he get behind, but seeing how comfortable Osasa was in hold up play, how in that first goal, he just bullies the defender. And look, I know that the quality of this team, we got to take that with a grain of salt. You know, they're definitely a competitive team, but, but, you know, I could definitely hear the comments being like, Oh, come on. man who Who are they
Player Breakout and Readiness Discussion
00:24:14
Speaker
playing? So I'm just going to say I'm going to preface it there by saying Yes, I understand that this is a team that maybe is not as high When it comes to the eliteness of of play But I still felt like he just bullied that defender And it was strength and it was speed And it was the ability to see the field And cut inside at the appropriate time And then put it away with composure in front of goal So
00:24:36
Speaker
I also love that he got a couple of mid-range shots. So ah with all the tools that Osase is providing you, I do feel like he's, if not the the starter right now, it's going to be him and Jordan rotating that specific position. And depending if Jordan Morris is up top, then you can figure out how you want to play. Now, when it comes to that two men setup, I feel like that's going to happen whenever you do play more of a 3-5-2.
00:25:02
Speaker
and at that time, you might need more of a real true wingback. So whenever you see Paul Rothrock on the left side or you see Paul Arriola on the left side or Reed Baker-White on the left side, that's when maybe it's more of that 3-5-2 in a true two-striker system. But again, this is just the way I saw it. So, you know, we'll see what Brian says here later on today. But your point is well taken. i do think that two,
00:25:32
Speaker
top goal scorers or threats like Jordan Morris and Osase can coexist. And that could be very, very interesting going into the season. It kind of felt like it was sort of morphing between the 4-2-3-1 and the 3-5-2 in how it played during the actual game. I guess that's what's kind of cool about it is You have a lot of positional flexibility and versatility with what ah you can do when you pair Jordan's skill set with Osaze's skill set, which I guess that's the next thing to talk about I mean...
00:26:05
Speaker
i mean You know, it was only one preseason game that we're talking about, but from everything I've heard, and you would be able to speak better to it than me, but from everything I've heard is like, this is kind of just what Osase has been doing all camp.
00:26:18
Speaker
And when you consider that combined with his performance in that last preseason game, i mean, this guy needs to play, man. Like... I don't know if you need to be dogmatic about it. Like, okay, our primary formation has Osaze up top and Jordan has this kind of winger striker hybrid role playing off him. And we're going to just run that, but he's got to be playing. He's got to be getting minutes and you got to, I think you got to find out what the upside is here, because if this is a 15 to 20 plus goal scorer, as he looks like right now, you gotta, you gotta find that out and then go from there as to, as to what you want to do with him.
00:26:56
Speaker
But I think he's earned that. And I think the the potential upside of finding out that you have a big-time volume goal scorer on your hands, you've got to at least run it enough to know one way or the other. And from how he's looking so far, it's just very intriguing how he's playing. I don't i don't think i definitely did not expect him to be lighting it up like this. And also, just ah i'm trying you know I'm trying to...
00:27:26
Speaker
not over over analyze or over index one game, but just looking how dynamic that it looked against hammer B it was, it was definitely it caught my eye, man. And i think the other thing I wanted to point out too, was I was just watching, you know, Noah was out there. He got the footage of those Ozzie goal. And that field was absolutely chalked. Like every time he was running, it was like every, every step he ran, there was just water splashing everywhere and the ball would stop rolling. And I do think that that made, ah especially the second game, it felt like that was affecting things even more. And I wanted to ah throw Max anchor a mulligan on that because he had a very unfortunate situation.
00:28:09
Speaker
Howler where he passed it directly to the striker. And that was how they scored their first goal in that game. But like looking at looking at it back, that field was so bad. Like he also, I'm pretty sure slipped on the second goal that he was diving for as well. So I'm, I'm, my point is I'm not going to judge Max anchor off that. That was like pretty disgusting elements. And I think that on a normal field, that first howler probably doesn't happen. He's trying to, he's trying to kick the ball farther and it just stops rolling because the field is so wet. So I guess in general, it's a little bit of a grain of salt situation, but the fact that they look that good offensively in those conditions and those elements, that almost makes me feel like, man, what if they put them on a normal field? Let's see what they can do. Like they were dominating with, ah with the field completely submerged in a giant puddle. So I think that was actually a good thing. Do you have any thoughts on Osase stock or just what, like, what can you tell us about what you've seen from him in camp, just outside of that preseason game? Because, know, I keep hearing that basically what we saw in that preseason game is just essentially what he's been doing all all camp.
00:29:15
Speaker
Yeah, look. I'm not a you can't teach size type of guy and size is all that matters. And, you know, you got certain frame strikers that are just dominant. But when you do have that dominant frame with a guy that's starting to be confident and that has footwork and that can ah be a finisher, then you absolutely start feeling like this is something that we can work with. I mean,
00:29:42
Speaker
having that dominant presence inside the box can only do great things. And that's what I've been hearing from everyone is that he has been throwing people around, including guys like Jackson Reagan off. yeah and And he just has been doing this consistently. So for me, it the the the great thing about what the Sounders have right now that they have different profile nines and they all do very different things.
00:30:11
Speaker
But if Osase can kind of be the one that gives you the most tools all across the board, then maybe you can create some continuity with him up there. So for me, is the the growth from you know the end of last season to to now is the consistency in terms of him just keeping himself in form and in shape and and, and, and being hungry still to wanting to get that, that position. And with some of the, it sounds like there's some back issues with ah Danny Masovsky. Osasie might get a chance to just, not just because of his performance, but because of there's there being a need that he might just right off the bat, get a lot more, more minutes. So I'm hearing the same things as that you are from the first
00:31:02
Speaker
Week that we got to see him, I thought that he looked as sharp as he can be. So just excited to see him back today and see him in the last preseason game on Sunday.
00:31:13
Speaker
The bully ball he plays is really fun to watch. I mean, he famously did it in League's Cup against poor Zonka, LA Galaxy legend. He absolutely, but he bullied like all three. He bullied two center backs and a wide back on the same play to score that goal in League's Cup. And you see that bully ball on that on that goal, that first goal that he scored over the weekend. So just really intriguing stuff. And i think if there's, if there's a big development over the preseason that I didn't expect that I think is going to come into effect when the season starts, I think it's that right there. I think you have a situation where Osaze had a nice year last year ah and he really broke out in leagues cup and made a case for more minutes. But by the time Moose was back healthy and Jordan was back healthy, he was kind of back to being a depth piece. I don't think he's a depth piece right now. Like I think not only is he not a depth piece, he's like,
00:32:06
Speaker
I feel like he needs to be in the in the first starting 11 of the season, which is not where I expected his stock to be when camp started. So that's the that's the fun thing about preseason training camp is you see guys emerge that you maybe wouldn't expect. I think he was madete it's it's less surprising because of the year that he had last year, but it is nice to see him capitalize on it. That's how Brian Schmetzer described it. He said that he maximizes opportunity and that he's hungry and that he can tell.
00:32:31
Speaker
And that's what you want to hear. That's what you love to hear. And it it bodes well for his, i think, potential of being not just a regular contributor for this team this year, but a big time contributor. We'll see. He still has to go out there and do that. But he has at least put himself in position to be able to do that. I don't think like what you have to do in these situations as a player is kind of give the coach no choice. Like that's if you play well, if you train well enough and you play well enough in these preseason matches, you're you can do that. You can give the coach no choice but to work you in there.
00:33:03
Speaker
And he's absolutely doing that. And Nico, that brings me to the other biggest standout of camp so far that I've been hearing about, which is Jesus Ferreira. He scores another preseason goal in that first game. And I think that was in terms of just the quality of the footy and the performance. the sequence of play and the pinging it around and then the service from Rusnak, that was the best team goal of the day. And a great finish for Jesus. He's also been banging in goals, as I understand it, all preseason. And, you know, we had i think Noah had the agenda that he's ready for a best 11 MVP caliber season. We'll see if he can reach those lofty heights. But my thing with Jesus is just like, I've been arguing that,
00:33:46
Speaker
He had a better year last year than some people are giving him credit for. And that I think the relatively not that good stat sheet production was down to bad luck more than it was him doing anything wrong or not playing well or not making the right runs or anything like that. And I think that's the type of thing that you usually see even out and correct year over year. So from that standpoint, I feel like he's set up to at least take a step forward stat sheet wise.
00:34:11
Speaker
But also, I think in general, it just feels like he is a lot more comfortable on this team. He understands his role. He understands where he fits in He is now established in the locker room as opposed to trying to just integrate himself into the locker room. So really, you have you have all the makings.
00:34:30
Speaker
of a step forward type of year where you're going to see him hopefully become more like the player he was at FC Dallas, where he had a best 11 season and 18 goal season on his resume. If he becomes that type of player for this team, and then, yeah i mean, if he becomes that type of player, you wouldn't even...
00:34:50
Speaker
The Osase storyline wouldn't even be that significant. It would be like kind like a nice little thing. But with Jesus looking primed for a step forward and Osase looking primed for a full on breakout. Those are two. I think those are two of the most exciting elements that we've seen in preseason. And I'm mostly just excited to see if Ferreira can make good on how he's set up, I think, to take a step forward this year, because. Again, like he's set up for it, but he does actually have to go do it. And you want to see, I want to see him closer to 10 goals this year than the five he got last year. do think he's kind of shown that his biggest value is as a playmaker on this team. But like, we know that he can score 15 plus goals in MLS. We've seen him do it before. So, I think a 10-10 type of season is within reach for him if he just kind of keeps playing how he's been playing. But what have you seen from Jesus in camp? Are you getting the same read that he looks like he's about to beast it this year, or is that overplayed?
00:35:50
Speaker
No, I i agree. you know, he was my breakout candidate for the year. um i do not repeat some of the things that you have already said. ah i like to focus on just The temperament, I feel like he has this ability to, or he's starting to be able to say certain things. And if you look at if you look back at that game, he was the one that was chirping at the ref, and he's the one that has his foot on the ball as there's a set piece for the other team, and he's making sure that they're not going to play it quick. And he is telling guys where to be And he's being a lot more vocal So for me, that's already i step up From where he was at last season The second part of that is that There's a better understanding of where he's going to be On the field I totally agree with you on the fact that
00:36:41
Speaker
The biggest role he has for this team is as a playmaker. And if he's able to crash the box late or get an opportunity in front of goal or with the dynamism ah in that attacking four,
00:36:57
Speaker
He's able to get opportunities inside the 18. I think that he could put them away. But there is a clear idea of where he's at. At the start of last season, we were wondering, where is Jesus going to go? Is he going to be a striker? Is he going to be next to Jordan? Is he the guy that's going to take over Raul Reed Diaz? were asking Craig Weibel, is he who you brought in to be that nine? and No, he was more of an attacker. So now we're starting to see where he fits in this system. I think Brian Hasso has done a very good job at playing to...
00:37:26
Speaker
For a skill set So what I want Is consistency with his game Because Jeremiah and I discussed In yesterday's show That he doesn't feel like Brian necessarily has Ferreira as a full-on starter right now, especially if there's a sense where if they play with a 3-5-2 or there is some personnel changes, he could be the one that pulls out if you think that Rustak is going to give you that playmaker facilitator in that area of the field. And I...
00:38:00
Speaker
Continue to say that for me, that would be a disservice to Jesus, to the team. i thought that he was a main pillar and a main reason of why the team got 65 goals last season. i think you're absolutely right about
Roster Depth Challenges
00:38:12
Speaker
his stat line. I think that he was unlucky with a whole bunch of Offside calls and and and things that Really handicap what his overall stat should have been at the end of the season but beyond the stats Beyond the numbers I don't want to look at the numbers It's just the overall eye test I thought that he was just excellent In the offensive side of the ball with this team So I want to see him continue that And that needs to have consistency In his play and the role he has For this team
00:38:40
Speaker
Nico, anything else from preseason? I wanted to ask you, is there anything ah injury wise we should know? I know you mentioned something with Moose and his back to your to the best of your knowledge. Did everyone make it out of Marbella relatively intact and healthy and good to go? or is there anything that we that should be on our collective radar as the squad returns to Long Acres to get ready for the start of the 2026 season?
00:39:05
Speaker
ah The biggest concern is the center back position. Stu Hawkins got injured prior to the trip to Marbella. i ah According to Brian Smesser, he said that they're far, far from being back.
00:39:21
Speaker
I don't want to misquote him on that, but basically it's going to be a while. Same thing for Ryan Saylor, another one that hasn't even touched the field. i' I'm not sure exactly when the injury happened or if he came injured. But it's it's really concerning that you get a guy and he's supposed to be an addition and he ah it has been hurt. He hasn't touched the field. So that's concerning. Kim Kihee has been limited. He sounds like he's more precautionary, but he wasn't.
00:39:49
Speaker
um He wasn't active in any of the preseason games. So it it's a little bit concerning that there are all those injuries at the center back position. Obviously, the the the the player who we butchered during the live show, sadness, but ah Jeremiah was able to give me a little breakdown on him, and he's a 17-year-old coming from the academy that they like because of his size. He's someone that ah Brian has mentioned in in some of those episodes.
00:40:22
Speaker
pressers that they do with the Sounders communication team. So there are some options, but I think Tino Lopez would be kind of more of an emergency guy that if you needed that depth right off the bat, I think he'd be the one that you call. It sounds like, um and I'm not going to kill his last name or or I'm not going to kill the player again, butcher it again, but it sounds like the 17-year-old is just not quite there. But Stu Hawkins' situation, it's it's rough and it's concerning because he has such a high – um ceiling and and we've been waiting for him to get his opportunity I thought that this year was going to be it and the fact that he continues to get hurt is just is just unfortunate for sure
00:41:04
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think that center back situation, like who even is the CB3 right now? We don't really know what's going on with Kim. It sounds like Ryan Saylor is going to be out for a while. We know Stu Hawks is going to be out for a while. Like if one of Yamar Jackson couldn't go, who would it even be right now? It'd be Tino Lopez, in my opinion. It'd be Tino Lopez. So that is not necessarily ideal. Or Cody Baker, because Cody Baker did a great job playing at center back.
00:41:34
Speaker
We're in in, you know, the same agreement that he probably worked better in a three-man system rather than a two-man system. So there are ways. Alex Roldan has proven himself there as well. So there are things that you could do. The season has not even started yet, and we're already talking about center back Alex Roldan. Okay, like that's all right.
00:41:55
Speaker
It's concerning. It's concerning. That's not where you want to be. I think I think if there is, ah you know, we did we talked about the positives. The offense looks great. it Looks awesome so far. ah And I think you know you know, you have your first choice CBs who you know you can at least count on and are good. but you can't start the same CB pairing every single game, especially you got champions cup starting pretty soon. Like you're going to need more than two than your top two CBs. And right now it just kind of feels like, I think Schmetz even said it. He was like, yeah, no, it's pretty, we're pretty thin right there.
00:42:29
Speaker
So I mean, to me, it sounds like like let's, if we assume that Kim couldn't go for this theoretical game where one of Jackson or I'm are couldn't go, Like it would probably you probably be in a center back Alex rolled on situation like with the season just starting.
00:42:48
Speaker
So that would be in the if we're doing positives and negatives. I think that would be in the negative pile. Generally speaking positives. I think the attack looked it looked excellent in the last game and it just it just looks like they are in good position to carry over a lot of the good stuff that they were doing last year into this year.
00:43:07
Speaker
And that, but they are there. I mean, they're, they're thin on the back line right now. They're thin in central defense and they're just going to have to hope that Yamar and Jackson can be horses that they can rely on to soak up the most of those minutes, which they were going to do anyway, but it is that that position group is sketchy right now. And,
00:43:26
Speaker
Going into preseason camp, that was i I would have told you that's one of the deeper positions on the on the whole team. But you got long-term injuries, it sounds like, to two of the members of that group right now with Ryan Saylor and Stu Hawks. And any I think, you know, as good as as as highly as they might rate guys like ah sadness sadness Sadness and Tino Lopez, you'd be talking about a 17-year-old academy kid in an MLS game playing CB. like I mean, I would love for him to do that. in excel it just It just feels like a lot to ask. So that a that's that's something we're going to have to keep an eye on, man, like and just pray prayy to whatever you believe in that Jackson and Yamar can stay healthy and play most of these games at the start of the year until they can get some of these guys back. But for now, it's definitely sketchy.
00:44:16
Speaker
Yeah, the the the other negative ah that that you know ah I came up with or that I wasn't encouraged by was Nikola Petsovic's play in that second game. Again, hard to go too deep into it with a team he hasn't played with, a team that hasn't really played with each other. I mean, that that second group actually was just kind of pieced together in order to – assess individual players, but individually, i just was not encouraged by Nicola's difficulty.
00:44:57
Speaker
moving from offense to defense, his ah tracking defensively, his defending in space for in that eighth position on the ball. I thought that he was also very off. And again, maybe he has to do with the poor conditions at the field and and a whole bunch of other things. But um not only was he not a player that um
00:45:28
Speaker
did enough to kind of make you feel like he had a couple of moments within that game or that he shined on the ball, you actually felt like he was...
00:45:42
Speaker
um handicapping transition moments and he was holding the ball when he needed didn't need to hold it or, you know, trying to play a player that was clearly off sides or if he was defending in space, he was either a foul or he was getting blown through or again, no explosive ah runs into space or, you know, all those things that maybe you want to see. And again, i maybe I'm being overly critical because for me, the expectation ah for a guy that has some sort of a prospect narrative to him and that he is a U-22 and that you did going go and get him from Charlotte, maybe were higher. And and ah is still to be determined, I'm not saying that that's the all be all for this player. I'm going to continue to watch him closely. But I just, he was a player that maybe underwhelmed me the most. in that second game because of what I was expecting from him. I thought that other players had moments. Even Peter Kingston at at center mid, I thought did better because Nikola Petrovic got pushed up to play that 10. I want to say after... um
00:46:50
Speaker
Danny Mosovsky comes off in the 45th after the first half because of the same back pains. I think he got pushed up to play that 10, but he just didn't look good in either position. So maybe something to watch, but that's another thing that was a little discouraging.
00:47:06
Speaker
You think Pete Kingston could make the team? think we might get Pete on the first team roster? I thought he looked good. I want Pete. This is a new agenda. I want Pete to make the team. Pete to the first team roster.
00:47:18
Speaker
I mean, he's versatile, right? He played right back. ah He plays right back. plays center mid. i mean, he played right back when Yammer came off the field. He played right back in that second game. Then he played at center mid. I think he has a high motor position. He's a high energy guy. I think he could do a lot of things. He plays simple. So, yeah, man, um' um yeah I'd be willing to, you know, take a chance on him for sure.
00:47:42
Speaker
Caleb with the first super of the stream. Thank you, Caleb. Appreciate you, man, with the $1. Thank you for the support as always. ah Yeah, I kind of don't know what to make of that second game just in general. ah The lineup, you never kind of know with those novelty lineups where they're pieced together and there's a lot of guys that haven't played together before.
00:48:01
Speaker
i kind of never know what to make of it. But also, in addition, the field conditions, I think, made it even harder to judge. Like, yeah, I agree. The Petkovich and Snyder B pairing looked kind of rough.
00:48:14
Speaker
I think the whole game was kind of a rough watch. But it's also like they've never played together before and they're on a soaking ass wet field. So how much do I really read into it? uh but you know i think you have to acknowledge that too with the uh like the starters were on the pretty much the same conditions same type of field and played really well so uh but again it's like i don't know how much you can learn about a individual player in circumstances like that until you see them play a little more but it it definitely was not the type of situation where you know if they had gone out there with that lineup and were ripping it up and looked really good and were dominating That would have been a a great sign, and they decidedly did not do that. They lost 3-0. So it was it was just tough. I'm going to wait to formulate any judgments on any of the players in that game until we get to see them play a little more. But it was not like a super...
00:49:04
Speaker
awesome second game at all. There was the goalkeeper Howler, and then people were saying that Anker could have saved the the second one as well. But also, again, like like I said earlier, Mulligan for Max Anker, that field was soaking wet. And I actually heard, I don't know, yeah what have what have you seen from Anker in camp? Because i have people telling me that he actually has been looking really good.
00:49:29
Speaker
So I'm not but I don't know. i haven't been out there. So I I haven't heard anything about him, but going off of that game specifically, regardless of conditions, he just looks a little green. He looks like he definitely just needs a lot of play time. And it wasn't just that moment that he had there passing the ball back.
00:49:49
Speaker
It's just his apprehension to attack the ball. There's a moment where the ball is kind of rolling in and he doesn't know if he should get out of the box to clear it or or wait for it and and get on the ball. Uh, there's a shot that he kind of stumbles on and then he like jumps on it. I mean, you could just tell that he's just a little green and then that's normal. I mean, that's your third goalkeeper and you're probably bringing him to, uh, get him, get, get refined by one of the best, if not the best goalkeeping coach in MLS. And, uh,
00:50:27
Speaker
he definitely has something, right? He definitely has a frame. He has some qualities that they like to bring him on. And with the Tommy Dutra magical wand, I mean, he could end up being a goalkeeper for any other team in MLS as we've had so many come and gone here with the Sounders. So that's a player that maybe...
00:50:49
Speaker
You don't have to judge immediately because he's more in in a developing role because obviously Steph's going to be your number two, and that's all you need to know.
00:51:00
Speaker
Caleb coming in with the five. He says Seahawks can win two Super Bowls before the Sounders can win in Salt Lake. Nico, I await your perspective. Yeah, I mean, we're going to – the Salt Lake away is early in the season, isn't it? It's like one it's like the second or third game, so we're going to find out if ah Caleb's agenda is going to last for another year.
00:51:20
Speaker
i i mean, Nico, do you have any thoughts on the Salt Lake away? Yeah, man, no. i I hope this is the year that they break that, but I also, i mean, Caleb, at this point, i've I've accepted it. Like, every time they go to America first field, it's just, like, pretty chalked. i don't i You're right that it's unexplainable. I don't know why that is because ah they No, Caleb could explain it to you. It's just, it's... Caleb is very in-depth on knowledge on the reason why the Sounders are incapable of beating RSL.
00:51:53
Speaker
I have a hard time collaborating or explaining it in the way he does it. um I understand that, ah and I have told him before, that for me, the Sounders do need to start looking at that more as a rivalry, the way they do ah the Timbers, the way they do LAFC, you know, it seems like for those games, the Sounders are always up for that challenge. So regardless of any additional um reasoning behind just play, what I would focus on is the fact that I just don't think the Sounders come up to those games in the same way that they do with any of the Cascadia teams or other new
00:52:43
Speaker
rivalies like the galaxy, right? It feels like every time the Sounders play RSL is in a midweek game where they're going to rotate or, you know, they're going to go to ah um play at RSL and they're like, okay, maybe we're just going to go ahead and rest some guys.
00:53:00
Speaker
It just feels like that's the way it's designed. And and it's just, it's it's hard to really comprehend now. Obviously the objective and and and the main, um reasons why you'd have a successful season is how many games you win how far you get in a title, all those things. So RSL unfortunately does take ah a backseat to those objectives, but I hope, I really hope that this year the Sounders are able to understand that
00:53:32
Speaker
People like Caleb and and and and a lot of ah other fans do see RSL as a team that they they want to be able to to beat. So maybe this is the year. it Hopefully this is the year. It is genuinely annoying. I agree with that much. It's not like ah RSL is like that good. They're not that good. And Seattle, like I said, every time they go into RSL away, I'm like, this is chalk before it begins. And I would know for reasons that... ah We may never under understand fully. Hebrew Hammer with the five. Thank you. Appreciate that. For the Spoke budget. Hell yeah. See y'all there. Nico, you going to Spokane?
00:54:09
Speaker
little Oh, absolutely. and Okay. well yeah that wasn' That one's on my calendar for sure. I mean, shit, I didn't go to Spain, but I'll go to Spokane. Well, we'll all we'll all be out there in Spokane. So yeah if you're based out there, hit us up. We'd love to hang out with our Spokane viewers and listeners. I'm sure I'll see you guys there. Oh, yeah. I'm excited, man. That dry side,
Transfer Rumors and Team Impact
00:54:28
Speaker
man. They're They love them some sounders, man. i'm I'm excited to go. You but you go out there for for Wazoo stuff now, don't you? Yeah, Pullman. But, you know, I got family. How close is Pullman to Spokane? Like an hour or two? or
00:54:42
Speaker
No, it's more. Apparently, my son just went over there. It's like three or four hours. It's almost the same amount. Things to get here, it's it's it's insane. I don't know how it works. But... um Yeah, I don't know why what it is about the way Spokane is set up that it it takes just as long to get over there or something like that. um Because I have family in Moses Lake and my son sometimes will come down to Moses Lake as well. But but yeah, I think it's, yeah I don't know why it feels like it's,
00:55:11
Speaker
Super farther than it should be That's crazy because that that means when when I got Stranded in Spokane driving back from Oh no, hold on, hold on, no, no Chiland is the one that's like Four hours, but it's Spokane is still a couple Of hours actually now that I think about it But okay it was Chiland was the one that I was thinking about Because I had a conversation with my son about Going down there for 4th of July And I was just, I was like why is it so long? But yeah, that's that's what it is I think Spokane is a couple of hours actually Yeah, well, I'm looking forward to getting out there either way. It is it is kind of weird, Sounders playing in Spokane, but there'll be fun novelty to it, and I'm excited for the fans. I've seen a lot of fans out there who are genuinely like super pumped up to be able to get to watch the team live. a lot of them haven't been able to do that like their whole lives in some cases. So I think even if in ideal world you would want a CCC game playing in being played in Seattle, I'm okay with this as the alternative for a one-off game. Nico, let's hit a transfer rumor. we got it We got a few minutes left. We're going to talk some transfer rumors. We're going to talk some Obed Vargas.
00:56:14
Speaker
We do have a transfer rumor related to the Seattle Sounders per Jeremiah O'Shann, Sounder at heart. Hammerby, who Seattle just played in Marbella, are reportedly interested in a one Georgie Manungu, Seattle Sounders winger. ah Nico, have you heard any follow-up, anything anything to follow up on this? Is Hammerby really making a play for Georgie, or is this more kind of a speculative situation? or do you think that there's a chance that Georgie could be on the ah on the move? let's Let's get the update on where things stand, and then we can we could talk about whether we think it's a good idea or not.
00:56:48
Speaker
Yeah. Look, Jeremiah ah was definitely the the one who was able to confirm that. um i had heard there was interest. What is clear on my side is that the team is not looking to move Georgie right now. And if they did, it'd be for a lot more than what they're offering. Do you know what they offered at all?
00:57:10
Speaker
It's a million is what um I think Jeremiah is the one who who who confirmed that. shouldn't have even dignified this. I shouldn't have even dignified this. A million dollars. They'd have to double up on that if they wanted to even be heard on trip up or a possibility. Yeah. And again, just to be heard, just to get you in the door, it should be two.
00:57:30
Speaker
And I think the Sounders would want to keep him for at least three or four. ah There's a lot of potential for Georgie Minungu. However, I do think that the likelihood could be there, especially in the summer window, because as we've talked about, Ari, there's a lot of competition for those wide areas right now. And as much as i love Georgie Minungu and I'm excited to watch him play, and I hope that he gets more than the 800 minutes he got last season,
00:58:03
Speaker
I know that those minutes are not guaranteed, especially when Pedro comes back, especially if Jordan Morris is playing some winger, especially if they go to a 3-5-2 and you're going to play more with a Paul Rothrock than you are with a Georgie Minungu.
00:58:16
Speaker
So if there's... interest If there's a good offer of three to four million, i don't see why it's not a win-win for both club and player where he's going to have a guaranteed spot to go play elsewhere. And maybe that interest in the summer window isn't just out broad. i mean, he could be within league.
00:58:34
Speaker
You know, it could be a team like Sporting Kansas City or Toronto or Vancouver. I mean, you know, I think that there's a lot of teams that could use a wide player with the skill set of a Georgie Minungu that he's going to stretch underneath it, that he's going to beat you 1v1, that he has shown that he has the ability to cut inside and score goals. So, yeah.
00:58:57
Speaker
I just see the likelihood as being high, depending on that offer. The Sounders are definitely not going to allow George Minungu to go on a small transfer, if you will.
00:59:10
Speaker
But the fact that he's 23, if he's going to go to Europe, let's let's say that, you know, if there's another team like a championship team or a
00:59:22
Speaker
And if he's a team that maybe is interested in a guy like Georgie, you want to make that move now or soon rather than later. Yeah, if someone came in with like a $3 to $5 million dollar offer for Georgie like at and on this timeline, like right before the season starts, I think you could argue it's where it's worth just doing it. But like if their offer was $1 million, dollars there's just no way because they're in a situation where they could – there whatever role he does have, it'll at least be enough where they don't have to do that, I guess. I don't know. I just i just would not sell him for... a mean They're in a situation where they can find out if he's worth a lot more than that and then sell him for a lot more. So there's just kind of no reason to ah to let him go for a Millie.
01:00:09
Speaker
ah But, you know, it is an interesting question because of what you mentioned with where things stand on the depth chart at that position with with Jordan kind of playing in that wide role in preseason and De La Vega coming back at some juncture. But to me, i always feel like uh like i really just like having as many bodies as possible man like you never know what's gonna happen there's going to be injuries there's going to be situations where you can you can think that you're a three four deep on the depth chart and all of a sudden you have nobody that happened we see that happening in mls all the time and i think that was a real uh genuine strength of this team last year is that and kind of just a strength of this roster in general it feels like they have created a roster that
01:00:50
Speaker
that more than most um MLS roster rosters, you'll see most and MLS rosters. If you pull out one of the key contributors, it has, it's like a Jenga tower. Like it has ripple effects on everything else. And you see situations constantly where teams lose one guy and it destroys everything. The Sounders have been in that situation before. Remember the Ozzy Alonzo years? You took Ozzy, they were one of the best teams in the league. You took Ozzy out. It was all chalk. This roster is uniquely set up.
01:01:18
Speaker
where if you like they have they've had pedro de la vega injured a lot and they've been able to stay afloat stay competitive and honestly take results at a similar clip as they probably would if pedro pedro de la vega was on the field just because of the depth of the roster so i like having as much bodies many bodies as possible you can think that you can afford to offload somebody And then we're seeing i mean we're seeing it right now with the CB situation. We all thought the CB situation was one of the deepest on the team. We literally have not even gotten to the start of the regular season yet, and there's two guys left.
01:01:51
Speaker
So it's just like ah i would rather keep a surplus of bodies, a surplus of guys that you know you can – put in and maintain your level. I put Georgie in that category where if he needs to make a spot start or if he needs to start three or four games in a row because of injuries or whatever the case may be, I trust him right now to do that at a higher level than I would a lot of people. And I also think he, even though he is 23, he's still, he's not gotten that many minutes to know what his upside really is.
01:02:19
Speaker
So I think they're much more, it would be much more prudent to keep them for now, unless you've got a God offer, keep them for now and and see if he gets enough minutes to hike that value up even further. And then in the next window in the summer or whatever, you can start fielding offers that if he if he gets enough minutes and plays well, it's good they're gonna they would get a lot more than a million dollars for him. even at ah Even at age 23, he's still considered, I think, on the market a player that has a lot more to contribute than he has so far in his career. So... Uh, yeah, definitely don't sell them to hammer B for a million dollars. I respect what they were trying to do with that. You know, I'm sure they were watching the, uh, scrimmage in Marbella that Georgie did play. And I think he had an assist in that game. I bet they had their guys there and they were like, Oh man, we could really use that guy. Uh, and they don't really play them that much. Let's see if we can get them on the cheap smart idea, but no, no, like don't do that. Don't do that. Um, anything else on Georgie or, uh, or the, the transfer market either. Yeah, yeah look, I'm excited to see Georgie,
01:03:18
Speaker
um I have been saying that it wasn't just the confidence that he gained from his international play with his national team, but it was also like the the physical component. He looks like a guy that is a step or two ahead from everyone else when he comes to that facet of the game. He looked like that in that preseason game.
01:03:43
Speaker
He's already a guy that – That's one of his biggest attributes is his speed, his explosiveness, that that the way he plays the game. So I'm excited to see him play. I i don't know where he's going to be in the depth chart at the end of, or at the start of the season.
01:04:00
Speaker
i hope that he gets more minutes. I hope that he's a guy that if, you know, you have, you decided to play Jordan at the nine, you play a Georgie Monungu on the left side, and you can just start to give him a little bit more time. But I understand that it's not an easy decision, especially if Osace is just chomping at the bid for a a starting role. And you do feel obligated. and I don't mean obligated because you have to. It's just because he's earned it.
01:04:29
Speaker
And you need to put Jordan and on the left wing. But I do want to see Georgie get more minutes in some some way. Zach brings up an interesting point that we have talked about a little bit. He says Georgie style doesn't match Schmetz ball. And I think there is something there is something to that. Like he has a very exciting, intriguing, compelling skill set, super fast, really good at winning his one v ones ah He is not in the skill set mold of the the wide players that Schmetz has favored in the last couple years, such as Paul Rothrock and Jesus Ferreira, both of whom are, you know, known as extremely like just freakish, constant work rate, always running, ah very good at defense and very good high pressing players.
01:05:16
Speaker
Georgie's that I think that's part of the reason he has not broken through and gotten Super, super consistent minutes. That's probably the reason why, right? Like he his his skill, if you gave Schmetz the choice between a winger of the skill set of Georgie, which is very fun and exciting, versus a skill set of Jesus Ferreira or Paul Rothrock, Schmitz, he knows what he likes. Like, he's got to go with the Jesus Ferreira, Paul Rothrock mold every single time, which you can debate the the wisdom of that. i and I understand from a coach's perspective, like, why you want the more well-rounded, maybe harder-working, better 1v1 defensive players because that, I mean, I do think there's an argument to be made that having your wingers who ah have that skill set, that's kind of...
01:06:03
Speaker
been a huge part of what's been making Schmetzer ball go for the past like year or two is to what great effect he's ah deployed wingers of those skill sets that Georgie doesn't really bring that to the table. And I think the question is, can he bring that to the table to at least a ah closer extent to some of the white other wingers that Schmetzer seems to favor? And he kind of, I don't know. I feel like,
01:06:29
Speaker
he He hasn't really totally done that, and that's probably why he hasn't gotten more minutes, and unless he does do that, his role is probably going to look pretty similar this year to what it did last year, and it's I don't know. I don't know if that's like a necessarily what's best for the team because...
01:06:45
Speaker
He has shown these incredible moments of exciting talent and individual brilliance, but he also he is just fundamentally a little different than the than the guys who start for this team.
Obed Vargas' Transfer Debate
01:06:56
Speaker
So, I mean, do you think there you think that that is sort of what's going on as to why he hasn't had a bigger role to this point? Do you think that do you think he can get there with that stuff? Or is it sort of a situation where his skill set is just fundamentally not not what that is?
01:07:12
Speaker
i No, I agree. but I think that it's the profile. I also think that
01:07:19
Speaker
in to be fair to Bryant's master, the way he looks at things is what what I need from this left winger is A, B, and C. And and and usually that is making certain runs, pressing a certain moment, playing two-way ball,
01:07:41
Speaker
And those are the areas where Georgie maybe lacks. He's going to be better on the ball. He's going to be chill with the dribble. He's probably, you know... Very goal dangerous, right? I mean, statistically, Paul has done pretty well for himself when it comes to just finding those pockets and getting some goals. But Giorgio has the skill set. But when he comes to those non-negotiables, I do think that the Pauls, the Jordan Morris's, even the Paul Areola's, they do kind of have a...
01:08:13
Speaker
a a higher ranking for Brian Spencer. Paul Areola is literally like if you built a lab, the type of player that we're talking about in the mold of like Jesus and Paul Rothrock. Paul Areola is like exactly that. And that's why I think there's kind of a an expectation. Like we already know that Paul Areola is going to play a ton of minutes and start a bunch of games this year for that reason. And ah Georgie is just He's just like a different style yeah and and And I think that's why he likes to bring Georgie off the bench Because as a spark plug player A specific moment in time where you can Go against tired legs, you can give him a little bit more freedom He's still going ask for A, B, and C don't Don't Don't get that twisted. I mean, non-negotiables are non-negotiables for Bryant-Smetser, but I just didn't feel like he feels more safe at just playing them late. However, I do think that there is a balance to things, and there has to be a time where you feel like
01:09:08
Speaker
You can use a player with the creativity and the freedom and the threatening ability that Georgia Minungu has. So, you know, how do you bring him along? How do you play him on? I do think that he can get there. I do think that he's gotten better defensively. I think that his decision-making has gotten better. So yes, I do think that he has the ability to get there, but again, it's just about competition level. It's about where things are at.
01:09:36
Speaker
Look, I, One thing that Brian's also known for is that, look, if Paul Rothberg isn't quite giving you what he was giving you last season and Georgie is, he's not going to, ah you know, be scared to pull the trigger and saying, like, you know what?
01:09:51
Speaker
Georgie's going to go in here. So that high level of competition will, at the end of the day, reflect itself on the field. And so, you know, it's up to Georgie. It's up to that that battle on the left side to figure out who's the one that's going to earn more minutes.
01:10:06
Speaker
Nico, last couple topics before we call it a wrap for the day. ah Obed Vargas, Atletico Madrid player, ah famously transferred from the Seattle Sounders to Atletico for a reported fee, $3.5 million, I believe.
01:10:21
Speaker
was the exact number, but he has made his club debut. And ah he he so he played in the first game against Real Batiste when they were up 5-0. And then he came on in the game on the weekend, also against Real Batiste, I believe, and played a few minutes. And now there's some injury situations, I believe, with Pablo Barrios and maybe one other that have kind of opened a window for him to take on a genuinely kind of significant role.
01:10:49
Speaker
probably earlier than people expected. Nico, how closely have you been tracking tracking Obed so far? i bet I watched the first game that he played a little bit. He only played like 10 minutes, but yeah he had a couple you know nice little Obed-style moments. he drew I think he drew a yellow card on a guy, which is you know that's the school of Nicolas Ladero that he learned under. So that was fun to see. But what are you what are you seeing as far as the potential that he could actually... Because when we were talking about this, we were talking about him getting loaned to Celta Vigo. Not only is that not happening, it seems like he might actually be playing for Atletico pretty regularly moving forward here. So what's the situation with Obez so far?
01:11:30
Speaker
Yeah, so let let's go chronological. First of all, i like to just add some details that we discussed yesterday with Jeremiah in our show. And it's the fact that ah we've both been able to confirm that the the fee for Atletico
01:11:46
Speaker
Ovid Vargas, right off the bat, in terms of money, was $2.5 million with the opportunity to build up up to $4 ah The biggest part of the transaction that I feel like we need to focus on is I had said that it was over 20%, more than 20% of the salon fee that the Sounders were keeping. I have not heard a ah number for that percentage, but over 20% is pretty good.
01:12:17
Speaker
Jeremiah on our show yesterday said that it's at 30 or more, 30% more. look Johnny Cardoso, to me, is a is not as good as Obert Vargas. He was sold to Athletico for $30 million. So give yourself a chance to dream to the fact that at some point you could sell Obert Vargas for $25,000 or $30,000. And man, you know, 30 or 35 or 40% of that, that's that's a lot of chunk of change. So at the end of the day, this move could end up making the Sounders a pretty significant amount of money. So let's leave that there. In terms of how it all happened, yes.
01:12:58
Speaker
Obert Vargas is a phenomenal player, phenomenal kid in general, but he's also been struck with a great lot of luck. I mean, yeah yeah there were there were moves for Atletico Madrid that did not come to fruition.
01:13:13
Speaker
as the clock ran out for Obed to be moved elsewhere, so the decision was made to just keep him, which is a phenomenal decision by Simeone and Atletico Madrid.
01:13:27
Speaker
Beyond that, Johnny Cardoso has some back pains. He can't go in in the first Real Betis game for Copa del Rey. He gets the opportunity to be available for that game. In that game, it's such a...
01:13:44
Speaker
blow out That it's 4-0 Like in the 65th minute or something like that So you know That if there's a time where you're going to bring in The the new guys, it isn't a 4-0 Scoreline He comes on, it is a being 5-0 after a Thiago Amara goal So he gets his debut Because of where the game was at.
01:14:05
Speaker
And then in that same game, Barrios gets a muscle injury in his right thigh, I believe. And then he's out for three to four weeks. So...
01:14:16
Speaker
In his home debut against Betis again, i thought he was going to have the opportunity to play and start in that one. But Simona goes with Rodri, who he's he's played in the league. So I understand why he'd go with Rodri instead of Ovid Vargas.
01:14:37
Speaker
Llorente could also play that position if he needed to. There are other options that you can kind of put right there in that area of the field. But Ogilvarez gets in the game, plays 20 minutes, doesn't do so much. It was a difficult game. Pellegrini decided to play against Atletico Maggiore with a deep, deep block. It was a Sloppy game, Atletico created very little outside from set pieces. But the reality for Obed is that he continues to have progression in minutes right off the bat, right off the bat. So that the trust in Obed, the willingness from Siméon to continue to play him leads me to believe that to add on to his perfect...
01:15:19
Speaker
um his perfect moments in in Europe. He goes to the team of his dreams. He goes and starts right off the bat, but now he gets to play against Barcelona on Thursday which is amazing. I mean, just everything's going over. So we'll see how much, we'll see how many minutes he gets there. But I mean, it's, it's been amazing for Obed.
01:15:42
Speaker
Don't be a coward Simeone. You know, I know he's young. I know he just got there, but throw him out there against Barcelona. Let's see what he can do. I had one more thing I wanted to say about the ah whole Obed thing, because we, said we saw a lot of people in our comments, particularly on Instagram, crashing out about the fee and that the Sounders didn't get plus $10 million. dollars And the whole implication is that they fumbled the bag. They ah they got $2.5 with add-ons instead $10-plus million dollars when the player's worth $10-plus million. dollars And that it's all their fault, and it's Craig Wab's fault because they didn't sign him to the U22 extension earlier. and it was just all bad planning, and they cost themselves all this money.
01:16:26
Speaker
But I just, ah we've talked about this a lot. So is probably the last time I'm going to address it. But I do feel, Nico, I feel like I'm losing my mind a little bit with some of this. Like, if you're ah if you're arguing that, I think you got to realize that you're arguing two things.
01:16:43
Speaker
Well, you got to acknowledge a couple of things, which is number one, like, If he's got people in his ear telling him not to sign something, unless you're arguing that they should have like forced him at gunpoint to sign the U-22 extension, then I don't really know what you're like contending that they could have or should have done. You can't force him to sign it. People were literally telling him not to sign it. This is well reported dating back like to the era, like ah coming off his like back injury, like back in those days, he had people in his orbit that were telling him not to sign that U-22 extension. So you can't like threaten or browbeat him into signing something. But number two, and this is the most important thing that we haven't really talked about that much, but it is well reported as well. They did have two, I think, 10 plus million dollars for Obed Vargas. One from Tigris, one from Club America in Liga Amekis. So what you're also arguing in this instance is that they should have just taken the money and ran, sold them to Tigris, sold them to Club America and been like, sorry, kid, like we know you wanted to go to Europe, but we had 10 million on the table. If we wait to sell you to La Liga or another league, they're not going to pay us that much. So good luck in Liga Amekis and thanks for your service.
01:17:57
Speaker
That's what you're arguing that they that they should have done. And i'm just I'm just saying, man, you can't do that, man. You can't. And Obey doesn't need to agree, by the way. Obey doesn't need to agree. you You got to do right by your players, man. like what what you can and and And not just because you want to, but because you have to. The player needs to say, I'm willing to go. If he doesn't, he could mess up the whole transaction. I mean, he you you cannot make the player go where he doesn't want to go. So that was out of the question.
01:18:23
Speaker
yeah and but so i guess that's that's so maybe they couldn't have actually done that sale but they could have pushed harder for it they could have been like look man yeah like sure we're gonna be out a ton of money like if you don't but no like they were like we're going to take we are going to take less money to do right by the player and send him to a club that he actually wants to go to that's better business than if they had been like trying to play super hardball and been like oh but you have to go to club america or uh tigres because we need the 10 million dollars like That is, that is actually like your people are arguing that that's a good business. That's horrible business. That is terrible. You cannot operate like that, dude. Like you have to do right by your players because not, john not just because of the money stuff, but because of the optics, like for other, for other players, like if you take less money to sell Obed to Atletico, like they did, that sends the message to the other homegrowns. Like if you work hard, you, you follow everything we tell you to do. You train like we tell you to do. And you excel for the first team we're going to do right by you. We're going to send you somewhere that you want to go if there's the opportunity and we're not going to sell you out. We're not going to just just for more money for ourselves. Like, like, i just feel like people are arguing stuff like trying to sound smart. And it's like, you're literally arguing something that they cannot do in any universe or any dimension like. So that's, and and I get that it's unfortunate that they lost out on all that money, but it's also, that's honestly a credit to Obed to me, man. He bet on himself and he won. That's what happened. He bet on himself and he won. And you got to credit him for that. Even if it resulted in the club losing out on, you know, five, $6 million. dollars Like that's just, that's just the reality of the situation. And I think how it ended up working out with him going to Atletico, like his dream club and all of us getting to chill back here. And, uh,
01:20:07
Speaker
watch him in La Liga against Barcelona this weekend. I think that worked out great. It is, it's just like, you know I get why people are mad that it they didn't get as much money, but like when you actually look into the situation, there, there, you, you couldn't, have you could not have done the things that people are contending that they should have done. Unless, like I said, you're saying like that they should have like threatened him or like sent the mafia after him. I don't know what, like,
01:20:30
Speaker
people are actually implying, but like, that's the only way that you can like force someone to sign something against their will. Right. So I don't know. Anyway, you had any thoughts on the, all that discourse, Nico? but No, I'm, I'm with you. and And I like to hear you cook.
01:20:44
Speaker
The reality is for me, as follows As much as i' been I've criticized Craig and and in the front office at times, he is now absolved of all sins. The move to put Obed in Atletico Madrid was masterful.
01:21:03
Speaker
It is probably the second biggest move in MLS history. ah because of where the player is going, how quickly he and how quickly he's playing, and how much he'll continue to play there. Alfonso Davies. Alfonso Davies, John Duran.
01:21:22
Speaker
I would put Atletico over John Duran to Aston Villa, in my opinion. Those are the only three in the discussion. Alfonso Davies, Bayern Munich, ah Obed to Atletico, and John Duran to Aston Villa. yeah Yeah, and then you could say... um DeAndre Jellandre to Tottenham Spurs. So it's kind of crazy that although the Sounders are not a selling team, they have two of the top five sales the history of MLS in terms of importance. In terms of importance. Don't get me wrong. In terms of importance. So I thought it was ah a phenomenal deal. I think you're right in terms of marketing and in terms of optics of, look, the Sounders have been all over the
01:22:05
Speaker
ah media in in Europe about this move. And there's been a real... effort from the Atletico Madrid social media and stuff to get him on record, asking him about the Seahawks, asking him about him. He has this phenomenal, original, true story about how he wanted to play for Atletico Madrid, which is not really something that's very common. Typically people want to play for bigger teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona and Manchester United, whatever, wherever it might be. So it's been such a
01:22:39
Speaker
Generic and and and true Organic I'm sorry such an organic story That has been phenomenal For the Sounders In general because they they are Part of this system where now Players are like wow you know the Sounders Are also a team that can put me In a top team in in in Europe Plug for you all. There is a Sounder at Heart article coming out soon telling the behind the scenes story. It's going to be epic. Subscribe to get it to your inbox. Sounder at heart dot com slash LS.
01:23:08
Speaker
oh Let's ah well let's hit ah just a couple more things from chat here, and Nico, and then we can get out of here. James coming in with the two. Thank you, James. When did they first ho or offer him a u twenty two How much money? thats so that's That's the type of stuff that like we don't know. like i don't i I don't really know what the timeline was as to when they ah first offered him a U22 extension to when he actually...
01:23:30
Speaker
had people in his orbit telling him not to sign one. All I know is that he never did sign one. And by the time that those negotiations like got to the point where like they could have had him sign like the max deal or whatever, there were there was just, there was people telling him not to do that. And, you know, you can debate the wisdom of those people in his camp, but they cooked, they won.
01:23:54
Speaker
So that's kind of, that's kind of just what happened. But I do think there is an element of it that it's like, it's kind of, it's hard to know how bad they fumbled the U22 thing, because I really, I don't know about you, Nico. I have no concept really of like when he was first coming up, like 15, 16 years old, I guess the, I guess the contention is like people are saying they should have locked him down, like right back then but that was i mean that was so long ago and I have no idea like what the dynamic was at that time i do but what I do know is by the the last time they were negotiating or they were trying to get him on the U22 he was literally just like no
01:24:32
Speaker
No like no So like that's kind of the end of the Discussion at that point Like unless you you grab his arm And just like site like you can't sign it yeah thank you So I mean do like do you know Like the rough timeline on that because I really don't like when Yeah as far as I know This is what it seems that Maybe this is what's coming out in the article Maybe ah What I know is that it's or The way I have it Is that Ovid was expecting a an offer for the U22 back in 2023. The
01:25:10
Speaker
the Saunders didn't make that ah until spring of 2024, and that's when it was already – he didn't necessarily want to do it. The Saunders waited on him to get new representation,
01:25:26
Speaker
ah which ended up with Gerardo and being his new agent, they delayed They were obviously amicable about it. they They could have put the screws to Obed and they didn't. They allowed him to take a very long time interviewing different representation and they landed on Gerardo. And in 2025, it was definitely not going to happen.
01:25:48
Speaker
And
Season Expectations for Sounders
01:25:49
Speaker
that puts us to where we are now. Let's hit this from Gmallo to close it out. Yo, guys, what are your expectations for our season this year? I expect this team to be contending for for trophies, contending for top four in the West, hopefully making a run at a top two seed in the West. And I think they should like their chances in CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup against anybody. we should they They showed what they can do in Leagues Cup last year, and they got a lot of the same personnel. This is a team that has a...
01:26:19
Speaker
long and storied history of doing well in CONCACAF Champions Cup. They won it in 2022, famously. And I think that they they they have they got more than enough horses to make a run at all those goals and objectives. And it's just going to be a matter of if they can get that to come to fruition. And also kind of like what we see with LAFC and Inter-Miami and clubs like that, you know, it's it's very possible that there's a couple teams that might have them outgunned, like in terms of the roster that inter Miami has put together. If you had that roster come into Seattle for a league's cup final this year, I would think that they would have, would have a much better chance than they did last year when they got whooped off the field and crashed out and spit on gene. Uh, but so there are a couple, there's, there's a couple of dangerous adversaries standing in their way, but I still consider this a team that, uh,
01:27:15
Speaker
One game, put them up against anybody, and I think they have ah at least a good a good chance. Anybody in this league or League of Meckies. Nico, do you want to cook on that to close it out? Yeah, I think this is a top five team in the Western Conference, um and I say that confidently. you know If this team stays healthy, i think continuity consistency how cemented this group is and our understanding of their system.
01:27:43
Speaker
And if we use last season as a parameter to how much better they could be this season, Again, with health, with a healthy roster, I think that they're a top five team. I look at the West and I see a lot of question marks. I see question marks in Minnesota. If you think Hamas Rodriguez is going to make Minnesota the best in the West, then you should really go check out where Hamas is in his career. i think Portland has got a whole bunch of question marks. They just let go of Jonathan. Don't call me Cabezita Rodriguez. Yeah.
01:28:15
Speaker
LAFC has question marks. LAG has question marks. ah But let's just say LAFC is going to be top. You know, let's, I don't know, put, um i don't even know who else, a Vancouver too. And then it's anybody's game after that. I think Austin, I don't know.
01:28:35
Speaker
put a lot of money in the table. They have a lot of new players, but what how is that going to play out? They've done it before where they've put a lot of money. San Diego could be number three for sure. Yeah. So I think that there is definitely room for Seattle to be a top 15. I think that there's a lot of question marks beyond those three teams, perhaps.
01:28:52
Speaker
ah Real quick on the Hamas thing i you know I thought you would be excited for that Nico No I am excited And my son is actually upset with me My son is like why are you over here talking about Hamas you know Because he was my favorite player like In the whole world i have seen i have seen a little bit of ah the sentiment of, oh man, another team going out and getting the big name. Like the Seattle Sounders would never do that. We had Tribe on here the other day talking about how like Minnesota United just got Hamas Rodriguez and Craig Wobbs doing but like ah all that, ah all that stuff. But like, for me, I look at that and I'm like, dude, I'm so glad the Sounders don't do stuff like that. They don't have to do stuff like that. Hamas,
01:29:34
Speaker
uh is 34 he's coming off he was on club leon right in uh i looked at how he was doing there he was doing pretty good but to me they they didn't do anything really other than get like a so a slightly above average to maybe slightly better than that league i'm ecky swinger which is useful in mls that's someone that can help you ah be a playoff team and can help you win individual games and he's one of the sickest players ever like in his prime he was like He he's going to score some cool goals. He's going to do some cool stuff. But I think, I think there was a time in MLS probably as recently as four or five years ago where you could kind of shortcut your way to contention by doing stuff like that.
01:30:16
Speaker
But I don't think that's really how it works anymore. Unless you're talking about an insanely, insanely high caliber player, which you see a couple of examples of that in the league right now with Messi, obviously, and son at LAFC. But even Timo Werner, even Timo Werner, Like yeah he's a huge high caliber player, but what else do you have around him? Right. There, there isn't really a team. We'll see what that looks like at the end of the day, but that's what I'm saying. And going back to Thomas, look, one of my favorite players of all time, obviously he's a different animal when he puts that Columbia Jersey on and and ask anyone, he just turns morphs into a God into a different player. Right.
01:30:58
Speaker
But at the club level, after leaving Bayern Munich, it's been inconsistency after inconsistency. It's been lack of play. And look, I i love the guy. I think he's he's got a huge skill set. But the reality is that at this point of his career, with the speed of MLS, with how ah difficult the...
01:31:18
Speaker
logistic part is and it's a draining type of of league when it comes to a lot of components. I just don't know if he's going to do well. This guy used to complain about the the cold in in Germany.
01:31:31
Speaker
Minnesota is pretty damn cold. I mean, so um so i don't I don't really know. i just don't i don't know if he's a good fit in general. So Not to discredit who he is or anything like that. Again, I love the player and I understand why people would be excited, but is he a player that you can rely on and say he's definitely going be productive in MLS? I just don't know who could say that. He's going to have six, seven great games and he's going to make some super magical goals. But when it comes to the end of the season, you're going to be like, man, he kind of fell off.
01:32:08
Speaker
to To me, when I look at maybe maybe he breaks that, maybe he surprises me. Yeah. you know our power totally Timo Werner, too. But when I look at San Jose in Minnesota and the situations that they're in with their clubs and their rosters and I look at them bringing it in Hamas and 34 year old Hamas and Timo Werner, who has been considered kind of washed for the last like two or three years. That to me seems more like desperation than ambition, but you know, that's just me. We'll see how it pans out. I could be very wrong. Like you said, maybe Hamas is like the MVP, but I mean, I seriously doubt it. Like he had, he had like five goals, nine assists in Liga Mekis last year. That's like good. That's fine. It's not like incredible. So, I mean, if he's roughly that level of production type of player, ah it's a fine signing, but it's not like club altering. It's not going to change. It's not going to change their outlook as far as like competing for trophies or to win the West or anything like that.
01:33:02
Speaker
All right,
Show Conclusion and Preview
01:33:03
Speaker
Nico, let's call it right there. Ran a little late today, but i appreciate you hopping on. Thank you all, as always, for tuning in. Please like the video, sub to the channel, follow us on IG, on TikTok, and on on Facebook, all that good stuff.
01:33:19
Speaker
We're going to be back at it with ah preseason coverage this week. Hopefully podcast Thursday. Back at it for kickoff. Monday to kickoff will be back on Monday. i Appreciate you all bearing with the Tuesday shows over the offseason when they've had to happen. We should be back on Monday next week. Shout out to the Seattle Seahawks. Appreciate you all. Love you all. you soon.
01:33:39
Speaker
Peace.