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Under the Lights: Vuori Where Style & Versatility Meet Sponsored vuoriclothing.com Shop now Show chat replay Seattle Sounders are hosting Lionel Messi in the Leagues Cup FINAL! (feat. Battered Herons)
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The Seattle Sounders are off to the Leagues Cup 2025 final coming off Wednesday's massive 2-0 semifinal triumph over the LA Galaxy. Now, a matchup with the GOAT awaits, as Lionel Messi and the Barca Boys get set to come to Lumen Field for Sunday's title match. Can the Rave Green slow down he mighty Herons attack and keep their red-hot attack rolling?
Later on, we'll talk to Kris from the Inter Miami podcast Battered Herons to preview Sunday's match and get the scoop on Seattle's upcoming opposition.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
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Transcript
00:00:00
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.
00:00:22
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna a real scorcher today. What the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be
00:00:44
Speaker
Good evening everybody. Welcome in to another episode of Lobbing Scorchers Under the Lights. Gonna be a good show here this evening.
00:00:56
Speaker
ah Not sure if you guys heard. Not sure if you guys heard. But the Seattle Sounders are hosting the League's Cup Final against Inter-Miami, Leo Messi, and the Barca Boys at Lumen Field.
00:01:14
Speaker
On Sunday. By virtue. Of last night's 2-0. Semi-final triumph. At LA Galaxy. ah Which is still. don't know if it's fully stuck in yet.
00:01:28
Speaker
That Leo Messi. It's coming to the city for a a cup final. But that is happening. That is happening on Sunday. ah We're going to talk about that.
00:01:39
Speaker
We're going to preview that game a lot. we're going to We're going to bask in the l L.A. win a little more as well. And I did... Line up an Inter-Miami guest for you guys.
00:01:51
Speaker
I got Chris from Battered Herons, an Inter-Miami podcast. He's going to be joining the show a little later. They are doing their own preview show on their channel right now.
00:02:03
Speaker
ah But Chris is going to tap in after that, and we're going to talk some Inter-Miami. Get the scouting report. You know, you got get the scouting report on ah um Leho Messi.
00:02:15
Speaker
Strengths and strength and weaknesses, you know. But we're going to get Chris on here. He's going to tell us all about life with the Herons this season. But really, I think we're going to be talking a lot about the Leo Messi era and just kind of the moment that that team is in right now.
00:02:35
Speaker
ah that's That'll be coming up in a little bit. ah But before that, really, I didn't have a lot specific planned other than, like I said, basking in this l LA win a little more. I think ah do think it's worth kind of appreciating a moment like this when you get to a moment like this.
00:02:55
Speaker
ah Cup finals, they don't come around all that often. you know We've all been lucky enough to watch this team play in a lot of them and win a few of them. over the years, but, uh, opportunities like this one in particular, where you get a cup final against the literal number one greatest player to ever play the game opportunity like this, uh, doesn't come around every day. And the reason that, uh, that this opportunity is here is because of the run that this team is on right now, which has been, this has been an incredible run in leagues cup, but really since club world cup, uh,
00:03:34
Speaker
This is some of the best footy I've ever seen this team play, ah just in terms of the comprehensive nature of some of the performances we're seeing, the attacking footy that we're seeing, the production that we're seeing, the aesthetic value of what we're seeing, and the results that that they're taking. So I don't want to i don't want to gloss over that.
00:03:58
Speaker
before going into this final, which it's, i mean, it's going to be a historic game. I'm expecting Lumen to be crazy. ah It's going be wild. And it's going to be fun. This is, you know, this is this is why we do it, stuff like this.
00:04:14
Speaker
This is why we grind all year watching mid-April games against FC Dallas.
00:04:30
Speaker
It's all so you can have opportunities like this. So it's going to be fun. I'm excited. We're all excited. ah We'll preview the game a lot. We'll talk a lot of Inter-Miami. As always, if you guys have questions, topics, anything at all that you want me to hit, go ahead, drop it in chat. When we get Chris on here,
00:04:55
Speaker
If you got inter-Miami questions for him, I'm sure he'd be happy to field some. I always think that's fun when you guys hit the guests with questions. So I'm going put him on the spot. put them on the spot.
00:05:07
Speaker
a And then, ah yeah, that's going to be the show. ah If you have not done so yet, please subscribe to the channel. Follow us on all socials, including Instagram and TikTok.
00:05:19
Speaker
ah And like the video. I'm going to be telling you to do that a few times. Go ahead and like the video. Thank you to everyone who tuned into the post game live last night. It went crazy. ah We definitely have more people in there.
00:05:32
Speaker
than we've ever had at one time. So appreciate everyone for making that what it was. And, hope you know, hopefully there was some, ah i think there had to have been statistically some new people in there.
00:05:45
Speaker
So that's another thing about this situation is when you're, when you're the team that's playing against Messi's team,
00:05:57
Speaker
it's It's a different kind of microscope in its own right, because from the outside, the way everyone else is framing this is like, oh, that's that's the team that's like trying to take Messi down. you know That's Seattle's role in this situation.
00:06:15
Speaker
And it is kind of weird.
00:06:18
Speaker
I feel like most times in a cup final, it's like everyone is kind of always rooting against Seattle, or at least when it comes to playoff games, big games, Seattle is the team that gets rooted against in in these situations a lot of the time.
00:06:34
Speaker
Uh, but I don't think that's the case this time. This is the team that like everyone wants wants to see the downfall. I don't even, i don't necessarily put myself in that, uh,
00:06:47
Speaker
in that category I'm always I'm always in for a good downfall uh but i don't feel that passionately one way or the other if Inter Miami has a categorical downfall or if they don't win any trophies and the Leo messier is considered a failure I don't really care one way or the other I think it's been pretty sick having messy in the league uh he's very fun to watch
00:07:17
Speaker
But there is a you there is a unique opportunity in this situation, I think, is what I'm trying to say. Even outside of the fact that it's an opportunity to add a trophy that Seattle doesn't have yet to the trophy case.
00:07:34
Speaker
There would be, i think, there would be something special about doing it against this team. And we'll talk about that more later.
00:07:46
Speaker
ah
00:07:50
Speaker
I had a couple in chat here to start it off, get us rolling. And then I did have one little thing planned at the start here. New segment for you guys.
00:08:10
Speaker
Ari's still going to Miami for your B-Day. TBD. TBD. TBD, Noah can't go anymore. So I would be going solo. ah And like part of the reason to go was the novelty of potentially seeing the Sounders get to play against Messi and the Barca boys.
00:08:29
Speaker
ah You know, it's kind of like anyone's guess on a given week, whether he's actually going to play. And you know, what's funny too, is if this was a regular season game, he would not be coming within 2,000 miles of the city of Seattle.
00:08:45
Speaker
There's no way. Not on short rest, not on the ah on the turf. i don't think I don't think any of the Barca boys would ever play here unless it was a final.
00:08:56
Speaker
That's the only circumstance that they would ever play here. And it's, you know, Seattle takes a lot of heat for the turf.
00:09:05
Speaker
Visiting players famously hate the turf. I low-key think it's like it adds to the home field advantage in situations like this where, you know, you got ah you got some guys you got some guys that are advanced in age, okay?
00:09:27
Speaker
We're going to see what the old men have got.
00:09:32
Speaker
They're going to have to do it on turf. It might be raining. I don't know. I haven't looked at the forecast.
00:09:38
Speaker
but there's there's no weaseling out of it. There's no, I'm going to take this game off to rest. Like they're going to be throwing it all out there.
00:09:50
Speaker
So ah I definitely, thing about inter Miami is that if they hit their top level on any given game, they're hard to beat.
00:10:04
Speaker
This team is,
00:10:06
Speaker
When they get hot, they can score goals with the best of them.
00:10:13
Speaker
They're not always hot, though. They're not always hot. And the thing about this matchup, too, is that it's also like the they can be scored on. I'll tell you guys that. This team can be scored on.
00:10:25
Speaker
They've been known to leak some goals. And that's why, chat tell me if you agree with this take. I was formulating this one. Nuhu obviously suspended for this game. People were debating, like, ah you know, J.O. said on a post-game live last night that he's he's pretty certain that RBW is going to get the start.
00:10:44
Speaker
People might have different feelings about that. I think that actually, i don't think it's better than if Nuhu was available for this game, but... I do think that ah when you're game planning against a team that's got Leo Messi on it, making the decision on your play based on like their defensive capabilities, I almost feel like it doesn't matter.
00:11:13
Speaker
there's There's been no defensive player... to my knowledge, in the history of the sport where that's where that's made a difference. where they've been I don't know. maybe someone Maybe someone who follows it better than me know can know if or does know if there's like a ah if there was a La Liga defender or ah or a Champions League defender that was known as... like member they Remember they used to say like the ah the Kobe stopper? I don't know if they don't know if there's like a Messi stopper historically.
00:11:40
Speaker
ah But when it comes to matching up with this messy led version of, uh, inter Miami, how you line it up defensive. Like he, he can score on you in any moment of the game from anywhere on the field at any given time, no matter who is out there, you can have new who out there. You can have your defensive specialists out there.
00:12:06
Speaker
You can have the greatest defensive lineup in MLS history.
00:12:12
Speaker
He can get you at any time. and that's what and that's And so that is to say, this game is all about the offense for me. If you're able to put three or four past this team,
00:12:28
Speaker
just say for the sake argument, you get four. Messi could have two goals and an assist, and you could still win the game. See what i'm saying? And RBW, yeah, fine. Put him out there. Let him let him make his runs. Let him send in his crosses.
00:12:45
Speaker
I'm not saying it's like you shouldn't try and stop them. It just doesn't always make a difference. That's, I think that's the thing that I have gleamed as much as anything from now. I'm, you know, I watch a lot inter Miami. I watch week in week out when they get rolling, when messy's hot,
00:13:09
Speaker
They can put a couple on the scoreboard. I would not, I do not at all by any stretch of my imagination expect a clean sheet in this game. I just don't like you can hope for it. You can wish for it.
00:13:24
Speaker
He's probably going to get you for at least one. He is. He is.
00:13:30
Speaker
But if you can, if you can get on them and you can out and outscore them,
00:13:38
Speaker
I think that's the path to to winning this game, just especially with how their personnel is and how they match up and how their defense has been known to be their, their weak point.
00:13:52
Speaker
That's kind of how I was thinking of it. Um,
00:13:58
Speaker
but yes, uh, Messi is still quite good. ah He is the reigning MVP. He has 19 goals, eight assists in 25 games this year.
00:14:13
Speaker
he yeah the other The other thing is, like you know I was saying, he can hit you with a goal at any time.
00:14:19
Speaker
also the He's also the best playmaker to ever play the game. That's the thing about him. He's like, if you combined...
00:14:30
Speaker
the most clinical efficient goal scorer of all time, and then gave him the attributes of the best playmaking facilitator, number 10 of all time, and put them in the same guy.
00:14:43
Speaker
That's like, that's what he is.
00:14:47
Speaker
So you got to deal with that.
00:14:53
Speaker
the The frequency and efficiency that he with which he gets on the stat sheet, it's like, you know, you we all knew that that's what he was doing in Liga his whole career these last 20 years.
00:15:05
Speaker
For me, it's been different, like, actually watching the games every week and just kind of the staggering efficiency with which he does it. It's unmatched ever. So, that's why it's fun, though.
00:15:19
Speaker
That's why this is such a unique opportunity and why it would be
00:15:24
Speaker
an even more historic win than it already would have been if they were playing somebody else.
00:15:35
Speaker
Famously, we did better than PSG than they did in Club World Cup.
00:15:40
Speaker
True. True.
00:15:43
Speaker
i think they I think they got four-0'd. Seattle only got two-0'd. I think Seattle got beat by the least out of like anybody by PSG until they got destroyed by Chelsea in the final.
00:15:57
Speaker
um Which, you know, i I think there's a little bit to be said for that. My memory of that game is like when they went up to zero they kind of...
00:16:11
Speaker
took their foot off the gas a little bit. It felt like they were kind of in first or second gear. ah But you still have to credit credit Seattle for having any game against a team like that and with an even decently competitive scoreline, which two oh you know.
00:16:34
Speaker
ah there's There's different kinds of 2-0s. I would argue the 2-0 that Seattle put on the LA Galaxy last night was one of those where it really could have been 4-0. oh
00:16:47
Speaker
And you might you could probably say that about the PSG game, I guess. But no, I don't think to the same extent. i thought I thought Seattle was like relatively dignified competitive in that game.
00:17:09
Speaker
You're right. My bad. 19 goals, eight assists in 19 games. I was trying to remember it off the top of my head, but I mean, that it was that illustrates the point even more. 19 goals, eight assists in 19 games. It's a lot of goals and assists.
00:17:29
Speaker
ah
00:17:32
Speaker
I did have a, let's introduce a new little segment here. This is a fun little segment for you guys. we were doing We were doing a little bit after the Cruz Azul game where we were we were riffing on the final graphic that the team that Seattle beat had to post.
00:17:52
Speaker
And we had some fun with that. And I was thinking, you know, that could be a fun little... ah Anytime Seattle ah destroys a team or knocks another team out of a tournament like this, let's go ahead and take a look at the...
00:18:07
Speaker
at the final graphic tweet. What did the LA Galaxy cook up here? They got B2-0 in the League's Cup semifinals in a situation where they've been one of the worst teams in the league all year, and this was all they had to play for.
00:18:24
Speaker
So needless to say, the the fan base is not happy. there's There's not really like a ah
00:18:31
Speaker
ah good decision to be made on that. Well, let's see what they cooked up for us. See what they cooked up. Now you got two decisions to make here.
00:18:42
Speaker
It's like, what, what do you put on the graphic? Who do you put on the graphic? And then, you know, do you, do you, uh, have some text to go along with it?
00:18:53
Speaker
I'm a big fan of the no text final graphic. Um, like whenever another team does the no text final graphic, that's the funniest to me. But here they decided to go with, instead of just like the final period, they went with focus shifts to a chance at a CONCACAF champions cup spot on Sunday.
00:19:12
Speaker
Cause they're playing in the, in the third place game. ah i i would not have, I would not have gone with that because underscoring a third place game to me, like that feels counterproductive.
00:19:25
Speaker
Um, i I, but like final and full-time period, you know, those are very I might've gone no text final graphic here, straight up. Might've gone no text final graphic.
00:19:37
Speaker
Uh, but I do like what they did with the, uh, with the picture. Like when we were looking at the Cruz Azul one, they had one guy centered on it and it's like, come on, man.
00:19:51
Speaker
I think this is the better way to do it. What, where you have the, uh, the group photo. It's like, we're all, we were all in this together.
00:20:01
Speaker
We took this L together as a team. Now we're in the third place game. I would have, so I would, it was me doing it. I would have taken this out. And then I think the graphic is actually fine. It's a lot better than the cruises will graphic, but you know, when you got a seven, no,
00:20:20
Speaker
Again, that's another situation ah where there's not a lot of good options, to be fair. ah You can see they're ah they're sitting on 78 replies here, which Cruises will, I think, at least 5K'd on their replies. So it's a little lower stakes in in that regard.
00:20:35
Speaker
ah But, I mean, if you if you go through... It's a lot of stuff like this.
00:20:44
Speaker
It's a lot of stuff like this.
00:20:48
Speaker
Anyway, that's the new segment.
00:20:53
Speaker
That's the new segment. Final L graphics. I'll have to name it. um
00:21:02
Speaker
Hopefully you guys all got some sleep last night. I didn't get a whole lot. I was sitting there watching the Osaze goal, the shake and quake. I was sitting there watching the shake and quake for hour or two.
00:21:17
Speaker
after we got done with the post-game show.
00:21:22
Speaker
And then I was just buzzing. was just buzzing.
00:21:29
Speaker
It's just kind of a crazy crazy situation to be in. And really, like, that game last night was...
00:21:39
Speaker
I know it was just the Galaxy. People are going to say it doesn't count.
00:21:44
Speaker
But like there's in ah in a knockout game and an elimination game, there's it can always go either way. And if they had lost this game and missed out on the opportunity to host this game against this Galaxy team, it would have been a big, big disappointment.
00:22:03
Speaker
To say the least.
00:22:09
Speaker
So it was very nice to see them just take care of business like that.
00:22:15
Speaker
Get on top of them from the jump. Did you guys notice how, you know how these teams that have been playing against Seattle lately have been doing this shit where off the kickoff, they yeet it way out of bounds, like in in the in the Seattle end, and then concede the throw in on purpose so they can like start their press early.
00:22:40
Speaker
ah love what Seattle did off kick last night. None of that. None of that. They literally immediately started attacking immediately started attacking and like kind of almost got a little good chance right off rip.
00:22:57
Speaker
That's how you set the tone.
00:23:01
Speaker
I love, uh, I love this team's mentality right now. I love how they're pressing. I love how they're putting teams, uh, under pressure. And I want to say too, even, uh, with the new who red card,
00:23:13
Speaker
ah
00:23:16
Speaker
there's there's There's people saying like ah
00:23:23
Speaker
there was no reason for him to be going into into that tackle that hard with that lead at that point in the game. like He should have been more tactical and just let Gabriel Peck
00:23:35
Speaker
stay upright without a tackle, without trying to win the ball off him right there.
00:23:42
Speaker
i fuck that.
00:23:46
Speaker
They didn't get to where they are in this tournament by by letting up.
00:23:53
Speaker
By letting their foot off the gas pedal.
00:23:59
Speaker
Swamp them the entire game. Doesn't matter if you're up 2-0. I like that he was still playing hard. I like that he was still
00:24:10
Speaker
going into tackles. It obviously had a bad outcome, and i think what you could say is that
00:24:18
Speaker
If he is going to do that, make absolute sure that there's no interpretation of that could be had of your studs going into his leg or whatever. the heat of the moment, I think that's kind of hard to do.
00:24:31
Speaker
But as far as Nuhu still playing hard at that time in the game, first of all, I love the mentality, but I also just think it's... Nuhu hates Gabriel Peck. He hates that guy.
00:24:43
Speaker
And he doesn't respect him.
00:24:47
Speaker
I think that's kind of what I took away from watching them go at it again last night. That's the third time I've gone at it. There was one really funny moment that I noticed like watching the highlights back. You guys remember the one where he and Gabriel Peck were going at it on the on the right side near the penalty box and knew who just starts pointing.
00:25:07
Speaker
He starts pointing and then Gabriel Peck. takes the ball away from where Nuhu is pointing and takes a shot from distance and sails it way over the goal. And i remember when he did that live, I was like, Nuhu, what are you doing?
00:25:20
Speaker
Why are you pointing like that and then giving him space to rip a shot from distance like that? Watching it again, I think what he was doing was, it was like calling his shot like, I know where you're going to go.
00:25:34
Speaker
ah you have You have one move. I know what it is. You're going to go right there. I already know what you're going to do. And it's not going to work. It hasn't worked on me one time.
00:25:47
Speaker
So do it.
00:25:50
Speaker
Point it. Just go right there. Go right there. Gabriel Peck is like, oh, you think you know what I'm going to I'm going to take it back this way. I'm going to rip a shot into the 27th row.
00:26:04
Speaker
He hates that guy.
00:26:10
Speaker
And i don't think I don't think that's why he ah slid tackled him that hard. I think i think what in his mind, it's like, you are not I don't care. like You're not getting an inch on me. you're not getting it I'm not giving you one blade of this grass.
00:26:27
Speaker
I don't care.
00:26:31
Speaker
You've been a crash out, Chris, for the last 30 minutes of the game. I own you.
00:26:39
Speaker
You cannot play with me.
00:26:43
Speaker
I think that's kind of what was meant what his mentality was. And, you know, he got ejected. He's not playing in the final.
00:26:53
Speaker
In general, I just don't mind the mentality of keeping your foot on the gas, suffocating those guys every second.
00:27:09
Speaker
Suarez is one of the preeminent crash outers in the history of the sport, which, you know, he's also scored some of the most goals in the history of the sport.
00:27:20
Speaker
So whatever makes you tick.
00:27:27
Speaker
But, uh, I mean, that's just another variable that Seattle is going to have to deal with. I mean, Like realistically, you've got the greatest player of all time.
00:27:41
Speaker
You've got. Is Suarez a top five to ten striker of all time? I dished that take once thinking it was non-controversial. And whoever I was talking to was like, you think Suarez is top ten striker all time? And I was like, I mean, what's your metric?
00:27:56
Speaker
If it's just goal production. Yeah. If it's like trophies won, games won.
00:28:06
Speaker
Yeah, he's also a top one crash-outer of all time.
00:28:12
Speaker
ah But he is one of the best, I think, number nines ever, pretty inarguably. He got the best left back ever. Best attacking left back ever.
00:28:23
Speaker
I don't know if he's considered the best two-way. Certainly the best attacking left back ever. I don't even know who you would like put up there.
00:28:32
Speaker
And then...
00:28:35
Speaker
One of the top five to 10 best D mids ever. No? Sergio Busquets? So that is ah that is what you're going to have to deal with. they are ah They are all on the elderly side.
00:28:49
Speaker
They got that average age of 38.2.
00:28:56
Speaker
um But I think what we've seen in how they've adapted to MLS is for the most part, like they...
00:29:04
Speaker
I don't think it's a, any of them are what like categorically washed situation. Even Suarez. I know Suarez has been dealing with washed allegations this year and he, you know, he is playing on, i think two knees with no cartilage in them or something.
00:29:22
Speaker
I think he's still pretty damn good. I think if he gets his looks on goal, he's a pretty good bet to finish them. And he's done a lot of good work for them as a playmaker this year, especially like when they haven't had Messi.
00:29:34
Speaker
He's taken on that role.
00:29:38
Speaker
So...
00:29:42
Speaker
Difficult matchup, to say the least. I'm i'm i'm glad Seattle has this at home. I really think that making them... Fly all the way here.
00:29:56
Speaker
Play at Lumen. Play on the turf. How much do you guys want to bet that
00:30:05
Speaker
there we we get a lot of postgame quotes from my Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi about the turf? I think that's going to happen whether they win or lose.
00:30:15
Speaker
And, you know,
00:30:19
Speaker
Messi has also been managing ah muscle injury lately. And I think there was a quote from him coming out of the game last night where he said he was feeling it like during the game.
00:30:34
Speaker
Now he has to play on short rest. Got a couple super chats here. Jacob became a YouTube member. Thank you, Jacob. Appreciate you. Great way to support the show.
00:30:47
Speaker
you have not, follow Jacob's lead. Become a YouTube member. Thanks, man.
00:30:55
Speaker
Thank you for the $1.99, Spencer.
00:30:59
Speaker
You coming to New York for the October match, coward? Probably not.
00:31:04
Speaker
Probably not. they play They play at NYCFC this year. I remember that. don't know if that's accurate.
00:31:23
Speaker
Messi and the Barca boys come into Lumenfield.
00:31:32
Speaker
How confident are you guys, chat? How confident are you?
00:31:40
Speaker
I think it's just tough to judge because all things being equal with the form that Seattle's in against a team, a road team that's coming in with the defensive issues that this Inter-Miami team has had,
00:31:53
Speaker
ah You like your chances, but
00:31:59
Speaker
one thing I do know is that having the greatest, the literal number one greatest player of all time on your team can tend to be an X factor in any given situation.
00:32:17
Speaker
You can think that the game is going well. You got the game state under control. You've got messy, relatively contained. It's all it's all going well. like I guess that's what it is. is in Against a team like this, like game state and you know, controlling the tempo and limiting touches of the dangerous guy. Like that stuff doesn't matter as much just because you have multiple guys, but one guy in particular that literally it's just any, any point in the game, he can either just score.
00:32:54
Speaker
You can dribble three-year-old defense can score out of nowhere. You can find some crazy pass that no one
00:33:03
Speaker
No one else would have thought of that spring is an opportunity that leads to a goal. That shit can happen at any time. And there's going to be sequences in this game where that does happen.
00:33:15
Speaker
Where he gets on the ball and he just starts cooking.
00:33:23
Speaker
They're going to, they for a bunch of old guys, that when they get out in transition, like it does, they don't look very old. Like, yeah.
00:33:32
Speaker
The Inter-Miami on the counter
00:33:37
Speaker
with with all these old guys is still like a buzzsaw sometimes. When they get rolling, it can be tough to stop. um But the same thing could be said, I think, for Seattle right now.
00:33:52
Speaker
Seattle is phenomenal in transition right now. And another thing that Seattle's been doing that
00:34:04
Speaker
I've enjoyed watching and could work in their favor in a situation like this is, the way they've been overmatching other teams energy.
00:34:17
Speaker
The way that they just jumped all over the galaxy last night, it looked like one team was playing just at fundamentally different pace, different level, different level of intensity than the other.
00:34:32
Speaker
So,
00:34:35
Speaker
We'll see if they can do that. It's going to be a lot harder against this team. Uh, all right. We have got tonight's guests tapping in right now. Uh, excited to welcome in it, welcoming him in on short notice. You know, usually I try and get these guests a little further in advance, but, uh, not knowing who the, uh, what the matchups were going to be, what the opponent was going to be.
00:34:58
Speaker
I couldn't do it until this morning. And luckily,
00:35:02
Speaker
we've got We found someone nice enough, generous enough to come on here, talk some Inter-Miami versus Seattle Sounders League's Cup Final. Let's bring him to the stage right now. His name is Chris.
00:35:15
Speaker
He's with the Battered Herons Inter-Miami podcast. They have a podcast and YouTube channel where they do great work covering Inter-Miami. Chris,
00:35:26
Speaker
Welcome in. Thanks for joining the show on short notice. Like I said, how are you doing? How are you feeling after the semifinals? ah Feeling good. I mean, luckily, you know, we're in a finals, so that's fantastic.
00:35:40
Speaker
And it's the the the uphill battle still proceeds because we're we're winning trophies this year. So that's what we're looking in for. Yeah, i think that's a that's a good place to start. But but before ah before we get into it and talk this matchup in this game, we do like to give our guests at the top of the show a chance to tell our audience, ah you know, your origin story, how your show got started, where to find your work, and just the type of stuff you guys do covering this team ah week in, week out. So, yeah, feel free to plug anything that you're working on and, like, just give the story on how Battered Herons came to be. It's a great name, by the way.
00:36:19
Speaker
Thank you. No, and that's that's all credit goes to my co-host, Danny. He but called it battered fans because he's a Jets fan. he you know he's He's been battered his whole entire life. That's so that tough. react For him, he's you know battered fans. Even when your team is is a good team, when they don't make it to the championship, it's a failure.
00:36:39
Speaker
So that's sort of the idea of what a battered fan is, right? Him and I sort of started a couple years ago before Messi came on. And I wasn't even a soccer fan.
00:36:50
Speaker
I hated soccer ah about two and a half years ago. And he's like, hey, we should go to a game. I'm like, OK, I got nothing to do. Luckily, they won five to one against a terrible team.
00:37:01
Speaker
It was fun. The atmosphere was amazing. And I said, you know what? Let me buy some season tickets. So I bought season tickets. He's like, you want to podcast? Like, yeah, sure. Let's do it. So we jump on the podcast. And since then, we've just been, you know, racing.
00:37:16
Speaker
That's funny. That's it's a little bit similar to to my origin story, starting with the Sounders, ah which was I was doing like a journalism internship in Seattle and ah my editors didn't really care about soccer.
00:37:31
Speaker
And i was like tangentially in the MLS. I like soccer, but I wasn't obsessive into it. I wasn't like super diehard about it. ah yeah But then they let me cover a couple of Sounders games for this internship. that was This was like 2014. Let me cover a couple of Sounders games. And the first time I went, I was like, yo, what is this?
00:37:50
Speaker
This is like the coolest thing I've ever been to. And i I mean, ever since the first one I went to, I was never not hooked after that. it's It's amazing how that can happen. Like when you go just like experience it and ah feel like what it's like in the stadium and just ah watch the game live and the the fans in the atmosphere. It can it can pull it can suck you in right away.
00:38:12
Speaker
And obviously, i mean, you guys kind of luck lucked out because those first couple Inter-Miami years were not that glamorous. ah It took a while for this team to become what it is now. But really, over the last couple years, I guess this is where we'll start. I like to... ah Give my perception as the as a neutral outsider of ah yeah of the team that Seattle is playing.
00:38:36
Speaker
And then ah you can tell me if ah if how I perceive it is accurate or if there's any amendments you would make based on what you know of, how you guys think of it, how the fan base thinks of it.
00:38:47
Speaker
ah But I mean, I think it's some of these are harder than others. I know more about some teams than others. I think this team, everyone knows it at this point, this Inter-Miami team, one of the sickest teams to be a fan of right now. um And it's because of what they've done with the with the players they brought in, obviously specifically Leo Messi, but bringing in his Barcelona comrades that he dominated La Liga with and Champions League with for for so many years.
00:39:14
Speaker
It created what was last year looked looked pretty unstoppable. I was pretty convinced you guys were going to win MLS Cup going away easily after setting the points record ah because of how that season ah went.
00:39:26
Speaker
But I still think that that team last year, ah when they were when they were on it was They were playing the best attacking footy I've ever seen in the league.
00:39:37
Speaker
Every single time that they were on a counter with Messi pulling the strings and running it, it was a dangerous opportunity every single time. i've really like The only time that I've seen anything like that was like the Barcelona teams that all those guys played.
00:39:53
Speaker
were on that's what it looked like for uh for a lot of the season so really like the uh on-field impact and and product that's been put out in the in a lot of the regular season results you can't really argue with uh but as i see it right now when you're talking about like the total final trophy hall the championships that were supposed to come with this It is not quite lived lived up to that. Like it's there's been meat on the bone with that. They obviously got upset by Atlanta United in the playoffs last year.
00:40:25
Speaker
So I think this team, this inter-Miami team is playing for a lot this year and specifically in this game like this. When you have a team like this, the expectation is win everything, win Leagues Cup, win MLS Cup, you know, win the Shield, which they last year.
00:40:40
Speaker
And if you if you don't, that's just what comes with it. And if you don't do that, it feels like expectations aren't being met. So the way I see it is this League's Cup game and this tournament and then MLS Cup this year are going to be like hugely determinative in how successful this messy era is thought of, because there's been amazing footy. There's been amazing goals, entertaining stuff.
00:41:05
Speaker
but only a league's cup and a shield so far, gotta have more. yeah Would you amend anything with that or would you say that's where things stand? i would make a couple changes, right? because ah let let's start from where you Let's begin where you started, right?
00:41:19
Speaker
Historically, right, you mentioned that the first couple seasons were kind of, you know, stucky. um One thing that I think is a big misconception is that this team was terrible before Messi came and that Messi is the only reason why we breathe air and and in South Florida.
00:41:37
Speaker
Now, that's not the case because just the year prior, we had a good team that made the playoffs with Alejandro Pozuelo and basically Higuaín and a couple other pieces, right?
00:41:52
Speaker
now inter miami didn't sign anybody to any dp contracts because it was seen that we were going to obtain a big dog the biggest dog ever in messy right so there was plans happening in the background so then everybody's like well what's happening nobody's getting signed posuelo's riding ah a stationary bike on a balcony and brickle and nobody knows what's happening So there was a lot of planning that was happening in place. And then obviously, since half the season in the beginning, you're not signing anybody.
00:42:25
Speaker
Pozuelo's out. ego I mean, it's it's just a disaster. So you, of course, you don't do your best. You drop. And then all of a sudden ah comes in Tata Martino, ah comes in Messi, comes in all the boys.
00:42:38
Speaker
And obviously we start doing incredible. Tata Martino, who is class, right, one of the best managers that we've seen in MLS, ends up taking this team and making it essentially into an offensive juggernaut with the greatest player of all time, along with some other really great players of all time.
00:42:57
Speaker
And we start, you know, hitting it strong. Now, unfortunately, we did take a big fat L against ah Atlanta when it was predicted that we were going to win everything, right?
00:43:10
Speaker
But that's just, I guess, football, right? you know and so so and And by the way, a lot of people also miss the fact that a player that's not named Messi, his name is Yannick Bright, who was ah his rookie season coming in, he's getting paid like five bucks and a Happy Meal.
00:43:29
Speaker
He was the difference maker against Atlanta. The first game, we played phenomenal. First half of the second game, he was on, played phenomenal. He got injured.
00:43:40
Speaker
Second half of the second game and the third game, we played awful. So that that tells you a little bit more than than what people actually are portraying out there. um When it comes to this year, the expectancy is high because we were expected, or at least the fan base were expecting in the CCC to win, right? and We weren't expecting to win the Club World Cup.
00:44:04
Speaker
but at least the CONCACAF Champions Cup we were expecting to win. When we got bounced out of that, now at this point, it's got to be Leagues Cup and MLS Cup or bust. Yeah.
00:44:16
Speaker
So, yeah. and And that's kind of what you're anticipating. High expectations when you got guys like Messi, Busquets, Alba. you know Now you got Rodrigo de Paul to add on to that.
00:44:27
Speaker
So there's a huge, huge amount of expectancy for this team, especially at this time. Yeah, and you know you want to be at a place where expectations are high, ah but there is like a there's like a pressure and weight of expectations that come with that that ah that I think this team is dealing with.
00:44:46
Speaker
I was wondering, you know obviously... ah Messi is the biggest signing that's ever come to the league. Best player to ever play the game. I don't think many people will dispute that at this point.
00:44:59
Speaker
What is, ah what is this era been like of just having him on the team and in the city? Because I just, I feel like I've been around in Seattle when he's been here with Argentina and ah like,
00:45:13
Speaker
the like I compare it to like people when they're around something that they think is like a god. like That's what the environment is like. People like get emotional. They're crying. ah There's people running after the bus. it's just Everywhere he goes is this just crazy spectacle.
00:45:31
Speaker
ah What's that been like having that come to Miami and, you know, be a part of a club where I think people, people knew David Beckham had some stuff up his sleeve, but the fact that he actually pulled this off, what's just been the sort of impact on the, on the fan base and then the the city at large, I would, I would say.
00:45:51
Speaker
Well, okay, so I think, yeah, because there's always going to be a before Messi and after Messi, not just for the league, but especially for us in South Florida.
00:46:02
Speaker
We went from a point where the players were literally walking from their clubhouse area to the stadium and you can just walk up to them and they'll be signing baby diapers right ah to now they get tracked in a bus from the clubhouse yeah maybe like ah ah like ah ah just a tenth of a mile to the stadium.
00:46:29
Speaker
So it's pandemonium. A lot of people are coming out, especially in the beginning. In the beginning, it was heavy because a lot of people wanted to see Messi. A lot of Argentine fans, lot of Barcelona fans, they came out and they attacked. They wanted to watch Messi live, finally have the opportunity to do so.
00:46:49
Speaker
I think um it's been great, not just for Inter-Miami, but I think for MLS. I think the idea that you want is you want to hope to retain maybe 10%, 5%, 15% of those fans to watch Major League Soccer.
00:47:07
Speaker
um it's it's been great, but at the same time, you have a lot of fans who basically just come and say, hey, I'm here to watch Messi only. Your league sucks. America sucks.
00:47:17
Speaker
And I'm out of here even if he goes to play like janitor league in like Argentina. I don't know. Yeah, but ah it'll be interesting to see like what the actual lasting impact is ah past when he's here because I think you're right. there are a lot of There's a lot of people. It's not even just like MLS fans right now. It's like people in the world who are a fan of him over a team.
00:47:44
Speaker
And so like it'll be interesting to see how many people maybe get drawn in ah because he, he came here, but then realize, Oh, I actually, i actually like this. I'm going to keep following it and keep being a fan of it past when he's here.
00:47:56
Speaker
I don't know what percentage of people that will be, but I, you know, I think there's a decent chance it'll be at, ah at least some got Chris from battered Herons joining, joining the show, talking some inner Miami Seattle Sounders leagues cup final.
00:48:10
Speaker
ah Chris, let's get into this this final coming up on Sunday a little bit because, you know, from from where I sit, ah you never – wouldn't say you ever feel – this is the first time the Sounders have ever played against Lionel Messi.
00:48:29
Speaker
And I wouldn't say I feel great about any matchup going up against him just because, i was you know, i was talking about it. earlier, he is as much as any player that's ever played the game, a guy that like stuff like game state and and tempo and what type of defense you're playing, it just doesn't matter.
00:48:46
Speaker
Like he will pull out a goal on you at any time. And there's um not that much you can do to stop it. So that is, uh, you know It makes you wary of the matchup in ah in one sense, but you know I've been trying to ah to ah come up with the ways in my mind that Seattle can get at this team, like what chance does Seattle have in this game? And what I come to is that ah with this Inter-Miami team, I think at least the perception is...
00:49:12
Speaker
uh you know phenomenal Lionel Messi led attack one of the most electric dynamic attacks we've ever seen in in the league when it's on but a team that is vulnerable defensively at times at least last year that's how I thought about it is uh all right like I mean they're leaking some goals it didn't matter because they scored so many that they still won every game by scoring four or five goals but they were they would lead goals at times that was that was the thing and Uh, it seems like that is actually improved this year. Like it's a much more sound, uh, less leaky defensive team than usual, but a team that does have the propensity for still leaking goals at time.
00:49:50
Speaker
So I'm, when I'm coming up with reasons why Seattle has a chance, I'm like, all right, messy Mike, he's probably going to get you for at least one. Uh, the likelihood that he gets you for two or three is honestly decently high in any given game.
00:50:03
Speaker
ah but Seattle is also in great form in attack right now, and you can get at this team defensively. So ah really the path to victory to me relies on like capitalizing on that matchup more than any, ah any idea of like slowing down or stopping messy doesn't really do much for me because I just don't think that's something that many, anybody has ever been able to do, it's not possible.
00:50:27
Speaker
So you gotta just hope that you swarm, swarm this team defensively playing at home. But ah where would you say Inter-Miami is at as far as that aspect of their team right now? Like, is it a team that you feel confident in, like going into a road game like this defensively? Or is it still an issue ah that Mascherano's got to deal with?
00:50:50
Speaker
I think, ah well, first to answer about the messy thing, like it's impossible. yeah Orlando in our in the most recent game, they had like four or five purple jerseys on him and he's still shaking and baking.
00:51:02
Speaker
So there's there's just no way. And his vision is just, k it's just ridiculous that the the the cutting and the and the running behind, you know, the line, the stuff that he sees is just astronomical.
00:51:14
Speaker
Now, as far as defensively, Jordy Alba, who's someone who pushes back, pushes up pretty high. He actually has a pretty good knack on running back and playing some pretty good defense.
00:51:27
Speaker
ah Ian Frey, who's the right back, he's typically pretty good about that as well. um Doesn't have as much pace, but he's he's he's very good. Did he move from center back? So he at some point was playing center back.
00:51:42
Speaker
They actually at one point in about a season ago or two, he was actually playing CDM like one or two games as well. ah But he was playing a center back position. Then naturally he felt comfortable at the right back position.
00:51:56
Speaker
But he's been competing for that position with a guy named Cello Weigandt. uh it's been a back and forth because they're both very different cello's a very defensive minded player not great offensively ian fray is great offensively and not as i guess consistent as cello wagon is on defense but he's been able to hold his own especially against pacey uh pacey wingers the center back position is kind of where we have our fear because it's been a pretty different duo every game or every other game.
00:52:32
Speaker
The last duo to play together was Gonzalo Lujan and Maxi Falcone. ah But Noah Allen, who's a homegrown player, has been the best center back so far this season.
00:52:43
Speaker
um Toto Aviles, he's a pretty good center back. He's been riding the pine for the most part this season. So that is where you're going to see a little bit of... of ah room to be able to roam for Seattle.
00:52:59
Speaker
The only other thing is also Busquets isn't as good as he was five years ago. Defensively, he could be a liability, right? There's some plays where he has that he has great mind to play, to to be in the right place at the right time.
00:53:16
Speaker
And sometimes his lack of speed is a detriment to the team. So those are things that I would see as as advantageous for for Seattle for sure. The Busquets one is interesting because like when they, when he first came to the league, he's, I mean, he's one of the best passers I've ever seen. know Like, Oh yeah. In terms of his vision and his mind.
00:53:38
Speaker
Yeah. His long passing and this the switches. And I can see why Messi is like, yeah I feel like he brought all the guys that are like, that's my guy. And I can, I definitely saw right away having not watched all that much Busquets.
00:53:52
Speaker
Like when Busquets got to Miami, I was like, I see why, why Messi like, is so intent it was so intent on bringing this guy to the team so comfortable uh but you know i guess what i'm hoping in this game is that uh seattle's double pivot matching up with uh inter miami's midfield ah you know hopefully they can use the uh kind of dynamic traits that they've been showing in this tournament and maybe take advantage of a matchup with a guy like Busquets, which might sound crazy, but it's, you know, it's the defensive aspect of it. Like he's going to, he's going to hit some crazy passes. He's going to, he's going to do his thing out there.
00:54:35
Speaker
i mean, you guys are, the you guys are kind of depleted though. Like, You have people out injured. You have people out. I mean, you guys, I was just going over this in the, in the show that I just had.
00:54:46
Speaker
You guys since June have had nine red cards. Yeah. Oh yeah. It's, it's been, ri it's crazy. Like, yeah, I call it the, uh, I call it the crash out red card boys. They, uh, they, they found a, uh, uh, it's remarkable. The, uh, the multifaceted versatility that they found and how they managed to get sent off.
00:55:07
Speaker
Uh, you got, you know, you got throwing a ball at a fan. Uh, you got flipping off the ref. That was all in the same one. Uh, you've got like the more normal ones that are on a slide tackles, but then you got Danny Musovsky bumping the ref, uh, knew who's gotten three of them by himself. It is this, they, uh,
00:55:25
Speaker
Team loves to get red cards. They managed to take results in spite of that somehow. I don't i don't know. It would be nice if they could make it through a match with all 11 guys, but apparently too much to ask, as we saw in the last game. But that is one thing ah I'm looking for. is Andrew Thomas scares me. that that man That mustache of a man scares me.
00:55:46
Speaker
Just for his his penalty prowess or just his general? I mean, just because he's just a he's just a unit. Like yeah ah he's, he, he was really good with penalties.
00:55:58
Speaker
I mean, he has the, one of the best goalie looks of all time. So he i'm scared this is his first like extended, he, he got this whole tournament starting because Stefan Fry, got a concussion and, uh, Fry's back, but they just did let the guy who started the tournament go through the, uh,
00:56:15
Speaker
tournament so that's good yeah this is our first look at the heir apparent uh and he's been incredible in this tournament especially in that penalty shootout uh but uh How are you feeling, I guess, about about this game? And what would you say the temperature of the of the fan base is? Are people feeling pretty pretty confident? Or is there any apprehension about having to do it on the road, play on turf, any of that stuff?
00:56:41
Speaker
I think the swing is definitely up in terms of the feeling behind this team. um We have players that have been injured that are contributing and they've been looking better than we anticipated.
00:56:53
Speaker
ah and I feel like everybody feels good about the game coming up against Seattle. Uh, I mean, obviously, you know, ah doing an inner Miami podcast, everybody feels pretty confident that we're going to win. Uh, but for the most part, just generally speaking without any sort of biases, I feel like the swing is definitely up for sure with the contribution, with the players and stuff.
00:57:15
Speaker
It's going to be great. Yeah, I think, uh, I don't know. it's kind of I guess I haven't really taken the full pulse of it. But speaking for my for myself, it's one of those games where ordinarily Seattle in a final, historically, I'll take them all day.
00:57:34
Speaker
It's just that like when you're matching up with Messi, everything just kind of goes up in the air. But ah i'm a I'm really excited to see how it pans out. This is kind of... ah we We were kind of talking about it on our post-game show. It's sort of like a... ah it's a matchup of like different paths, different ideologies, different ways of, ah of team building. You know, you've got like the, the big flashy superstars.
00:58:01
Speaker
You've got a team that the whole, one of the big controversies around this team this year is that they don't spend any money at all on the transfer market. And they'll do stuff like ah sign Snyder Brunel as a homegrown midfielder and be like, see, that's our, that's our addition. And, you know,
00:58:15
Speaker
Yeah, but it's just not it's just not the same thing as what a club like Inter-Miami does or yeah or can do. So I think that kind of storyline with it is a lot of fun as well. And it's I think you know the two preeminent clubs that are near the top of the league and considered the bigger trophy contenders this year going at it. So, ah Chris, I know you said you were on a little bit of a ah of a time crunch, so I won't keep you for too much longer.
00:58:42
Speaker
But I guess... ah anything else about this game that you wanted to hit or did you have anything that you wanted to ask about from a Seattle perspective that you were wondering about?
00:58:54
Speaker
I do want to add to what you were just saying now. If there's any team in the West Coast aside from like the Los Angeles teams that I feel that can be able to sort of build up you know to where the MLS is trying to get to is Seattle.
00:59:10
Speaker
I believe that you guys have probably one of the best fan bases consistently and a lot of history in terms of ah you know in the MLS and American soccer.
00:59:21
Speaker
So I feel like at some point you guys can be able to get a big fish from the other side of the pond. ah Has there been any talks about that in terms of like Seattle looking around? Because i mean, Thomas Mueller to Vancouver to me was shocking.
00:59:37
Speaker
And I figured to myself, why wouldn't he go to Seattle? It's just, ah it's just not something that this team does. And I don't know if they make it a point of like, not,
00:59:49
Speaker
doing it but like uh when you look at the big signings that they have made over the years it's guys like nico ladero and raul ruy diaz who are not household names in the same way as like a thomas miller or so young men but these are guys that you know are big money high pedigree transfers in their own right that had a lot of impact on the club and on the league and on winning and on the trophies that this team has won. It's just not the same type of guy. And even in the the last big splashy type signing that they made was Pedro de la Vega, who is a high upside.
01:00:24
Speaker
He was a high upside prospect when they signed him, but not a known commodity. So it's just ah like it's not something that they have done historically and not really something I expect them to do especially because ah they're, they clearly there's something going on where they're not as willing to spend money in general as they used to be. They have a, you open you 22 spot that they didn't fill in this window. So yeah, no, I, I don't, I don't expect them to really do anything on like a Thomas Mueller or Sun Hung Min type level, but like they, I, I personally don't care as long as they're winning and contending and competing for and ultimately winning trophies.
01:01:05
Speaker
So that's sort of, that's why this game is kind of so huge. Cause it's like, uh, can you offer your proof of concept of how you've been doing this and win this trophy and to get to do it against this team?
01:01:17
Speaker
Like it's the kind of, it's the perfect matchup to like test it really. And I do think, you know, there is kind of there's like a, stigma kind of a negative stigma that comes with name chasing or like the retirement league or signing these guys over at the back end of their career or whatever.
01:01:37
Speaker
But it it is funny. Like when you're talking about messy, that just kind of goes out the window. Like that, that's one where if you have the opportunity to do it, any team in the world would be absolutely just high out of their mind to not do that.
01:01:51
Speaker
So it's just, yeah, it's kind of a different thing. And I think that the whole retirement league deal, I think it's starting to die down seeing that players like Son and like Rodrigo DePaul came over, right?
01:02:04
Speaker
In a time where they're not necessarily retiring. and they're not They might be in their prime a little bit, but they're not retiring, right? They still have some good years ahead of them, yeah and they're spending here in the MLS.
01:02:17
Speaker
So like my whole deal is don't look at Miami and think to yourself, they're doing it wrong. We need to start from the ground up and just work with, you know, people in the in in in in academy.
01:02:31
Speaker
Like, no, let's let's all get on the ball here and make this league better than it can than anybody could ever imagine. You got the corners of the map that can for sure get involved.
01:02:42
Speaker
Right. After that, you'll start to see it branch in a little bit more. I feel like it can definitely be a success. Absolutely. i And like, I think you can have it both ways, like in in a way, like it doesn't, it doesn't have to be one way or the other, where it's like ah we we do it all through our, by ourselves with our internal. I mean, you don't want to be the Philadelphia person.
01:03:03
Speaker
Philadelphia Union, like where they're just getting kids from like, el you know, middle schools like, hey, come on, come over here and join our soccer academy and we'll pick you up. And then like, no, we want some big names. We want people to kind of stir the pot in a positive way.
01:03:18
Speaker
so they're they're an example of a team where it's like they've had great success doing it one way but haven't really been able to get stuff over the line and like have the trophy yeah hall to show for it and uh i think their fan base feels like that that's part of it it it's like you have such good infrastructure such good foundation some of the best yeah development we've ever seen in mls if you guys just like spent a little bit. It might doesn't even have to be like ah a big name.
01:03:45
Speaker
Like if it was even like a Ladero or Rui Diaz type profile of guy, like, I think there's a feeling with them that that could elevate them into like a trophy winning club. So it's like, uh,
01:03:57
Speaker
there there's uh there's more than one way to do it and that's what we're gonna like we're gonna see in this matchup it's gonna be like a clash of that stuff so it's gonna be fun uh chris i'll let you go on that uh thank you so much for popping on and uh talking about this game with us uh it was nice nice to meet you uh you got uh anything that you want to plug as far as what you guys are are working on coverage you got coming up here yeah sure uh if you guys want to visit the the the inter miami channel you can go to battered herons on youtube we also do a mls show so you can go to battered mls fans uh and you can be able to check us out on there on on what is it twitter on youtube uh we do a bunch of other stuff as well we also do las carzas in spanish coverage in spanish in uh in for inter miami
01:04:48
Speaker
and check us out it's a fun time all the time with the chat some of the people from the show that just came over they're hanging out in the chat right now shout out to you guys so it's been really cool chat everyone go toss a battered herons sub. I put the, uh, put the link in the description. So, uh, go check out their coverage and, uh, give them some support.
01:05:11
Speaker
And, uh, Chris, thanks, man. Looking forward to this game and, uh, maybe we'll, uh, get some collab again soon. These teams play in a couple of weeks. So maybe get you, uh, get you back on for that. But, uh, just thanks for, thanks for popping on, on the, on the short notice, man. That was great.
01:05:25
Speaker
Yeah, no problem. Shout out to you. Thank you guys for having me. And, uh, and we'll link up soon i promise take care have a good one all right you too brother that was chris from battered herons joining the show appreciate him uh giving us the time you know they were doing their preview preview show while we were uh what we were on earlier so uh Appreciate him taking the extra time and really, you know, giving us the lowdown on what's going on with Inter-Miami, Leo Messi, and the Barca boys.
01:05:58
Speaker
um
01:06:03
Speaker
I think it... I was thinking about, like, who has the more pressure on them in this game, like which of these two teams. Because when you're the team hosting a final, and theoretically, you're usually favored in that circumstance.
01:06:20
Speaker
You're usually the team that's got got the pressure on you, the onus on you. to It's not like a house money situation. But
01:06:34
Speaker
I feel like they got to win this game.
01:06:39
Speaker
If they lose this game and then win MLS Cup, I don't think that'll be like a a failure of a season. But we were talking about it. It's weight of expectations. Like when you when you have the roster that they have, trophies plural are is is what you're that's that is what defines success. And messy all as long as Messi's playing in the league, they're going to be in the mix. But how old is he now? 38?
01:07:12
Speaker
It's kind crazy he's 38 because if you watch him play, like, i don't know about you guys. I don't know how much Inter-Miami you all have watched this year. He does not look washed at all.
01:07:24
Speaker
He looks pretty much like the same guy that has been the best player in the sport for multiple decades now.
01:07:37
Speaker
So when you have that,
01:07:42
Speaker
You've got to take some trophies. And ah I'd like to think that this is going to be ah among their their biggest tests as far as the length of the road trip they have to go on, the environment they have to play in, the team they have to face, which is a team that's 9-1-4 since the Club World Cup and been ripping through Leagues Cup.
01:08:13
Speaker
It's going to be good stuff. I'm not sure what's been going on in chat. do we have some ah crashing out going on or what's going on?
01:08:37
Speaker
um Okay, fake crashing out.
01:08:44
Speaker
You know, either way, it's it's incredibly sick that Seattle's hosting this game. I'm so glad that they don't have to go to Fort Lauderdale for this.
01:08:57
Speaker
Hosting a final at Lumen for the first time since 2022. And it's a get against this team. it's kind of It's kind of crazy how this all lined up, isn't it?
01:09:09
Speaker
I don't know how you guys felt watching the Miami-Orlando game last night. Uh... But before before the game, going into that game, that was that was the that game was before Seattle's game. Before that game, I was kind of on the...
01:09:26
Speaker
Root for Orlando, you know, for the upset narrative, but also because I was like, i don't, you know, I, they're a good team. They're a really good team. They have an MVP candidate on their team.
01:09:39
Speaker
Really good offense. They've scored as many goals as under Miami this year, but I just felt like them coming to Seattle for a final for a theoretical final. would be easier for Seattle to win than a team with messy and the Barca boys on it.
01:09:51
Speaker
Uh, but you know, once it all went down and Miami got out of there with the, uh, with the win, I was excited about the prospect of Seattle hosting this team. It's how it should be
01:10:11
Speaker
to be the best. You got to beat the best. Isn't that what they say?
01:10:18
Speaker
Meant to ask Chris about it and forgot, but
01:10:23
Speaker
he did say that he was feeling the injury in the Orlando game.
01:10:32
Speaker
And that being the case, like, does he have a full 90? Does he have a full 90 in him?
01:10:41
Speaker
I don't know, but one thing I do know is what I said earlier, which is that... um There's just no way that he, or I don't think any of the Barca boys, would be playing in this game if it wasn't a final.
01:10:54
Speaker
It would just never happen. I've seen enough ah teams that have that type of player come to Seattle
01:11:06
Speaker
that ah to know that they just don't usually do that.
01:11:12
Speaker
Zlatan played on it. I respected that. ah but He didn't run. He didn't run at the time, so I guess maybe that made it what it made it need the service mad or less. But I do remember he played at Lumen.
01:11:30
Speaker
But there's just no way there's just no way, unless it was knockout game, that Messi would ever play here. So I think that's another thing that adds to the novelty of this situation, is just that he is going to be playing.
01:11:45
Speaker
It's not going to be a situation where they can hold them out and rest them, not bring them on the trip. They're bringing them on the trip. You might be youre here right now. I don't know. don't when they get here.
01:11:58
Speaker
Got a couple of super chats.
01:12:01
Speaker
Thank you guys for the love and support. Christian, thank you for the five. Christian with a CH says messy is coming for that ass on Sunday. What's up, Chris?
01:12:13
Speaker
Ethan became a YouTube member. Thank you, Ethan. Appreciate you.
01:12:21
Speaker
Stick and wiggle. Thank you for the five. Rodrigo DePaul looking to get nutmegged by RBW for a second time this year. Rodrigo DePaul, that's their secret intel because he already scouted up Seattle and when he was on Atletico Madrid during the Club World Cup.
01:12:42
Speaker
Now he's coming here again.
01:12:48
Speaker
He's going to tell them what's up. He's going to tell them how it plays.
01:12:58
Speaker
Messi's not 100% yet, but he's playing the full 90 because it's a final. I tend to agree.
01:13:07
Speaker
And if his hammy's not feeling good, I don't... I i just... I don't feel any ah
01:13:18
Speaker
There's like no real degree of safety I feel in this situation.
01:13:24
Speaker
Seattle could lose this game.
01:13:28
Speaker
When you're playing against Leo Messi, you can always get bammed on. That's just, that that is just the sad reality.
01:13:36
Speaker
I'll say though, I like, I like their change. I like Seattle's chances more than i would pretty much anyone else.
01:13:44
Speaker
Like given that they're hosting it. if they had to go on the road, it would be different. But this team hosting games like this, this is when this is when they play their best. And really like ah this entire tournament, it really has been some of the best footy I've ever seen the team play. Like for me, there's very little doubt about that at this point.
01:14:05
Speaker
I think the comparison that most people have made is the 2014 team,
01:14:11
Speaker
the Deuce Oba days. This team plays better team ball than that. That team was two guys, Marco Papa.
01:14:24
Speaker
was Deuce Oba, Marco Papa.
01:14:30
Speaker
Have those guys kind of just cook, and that was that was the team. This team team can hurt you in all different kinds of ways. All different kinds of players are scoring the goals. You got Osase De Rosario out there banging in goals.
01:14:46
Speaker
I really liked how they've been able to kind of switch between tactics in games. Have you guys noticed that?
01:14:55
Speaker
Like they'll be playing, like they'll be pressing like the, like the goddamn energy drink soccer, New York Red Bulls one minute and then knocking the ball around like a classic Sounders team slicing and dicing the next minute.
01:15:12
Speaker
I think part that's part of what's working right now. is like These teams they're playing, that they don't know they don't know what to expect. They're on their heels.
01:15:24
Speaker
And just the way they're pressing right now, this is definitely the best I've ever seen a Sounders press look. it's It's insane right now. It's so fun to watch because like ah like with the Galaxy game last night, you could feel them getting overwhelmed.
01:15:43
Speaker
know They didn't know how to deal with it. That's what happens when you have a good ah good press. You have guys that put them under pressure. lot of teams try to press.
01:15:56
Speaker
and aren't that and aren't effective with it because what they're doing a good job of is, is pressing, winning the ball spring encounters. But like the thing that does those energy drink Red Bulls teams in some, or did those teams in sometimes I feel like they don't play like that as much anymore, but what did those teams in is like, if you play like that all the time and you're not just hyper locked in and disciplined and on your stuff the entire time, every moment that you play like that, you leave yourself susceptible.
01:16:24
Speaker
on the ah on the other end of giving up other teams' counters. And just generally, your defense isn't as set. It's not as solid.
01:16:40
Speaker
But I think what Seattle is doing a good job right now of right now is pressing these teams, putting them under pressure, winning the ball, but not giving away an egregious amount of transition opportunities going the other way.
01:16:58
Speaker
They're still good about staying solid and locking it down when they need to be.
01:17:13
Speaker
Caps press Miami and look what happened. that That's the, ah that's sort of the blueprint. I hope the, I hope the team and the coaching staff watch a little bit of that film because Vancouver was able to overwhelm them on the road, which that's not easy to do.
01:17:32
Speaker
And Messi was playing in that game. Unless I'm, unless I'm tripping.
01:17:39
Speaker
So I guess that's the other thing. like It's definitely... It's hard to be a team that's got messy on it, but it's not impossible. It can be done.
01:17:52
Speaker
Will Seattle do it? I don't know.
01:17:57
Speaker
Maybe not. It's just... it's
01:18:02
Speaker
It's not like this thing where Seattle winning it would be completely out of left field
01:18:17
Speaker
like if the galaxy won last night and this was inter-miami against the galaxy i mean i don't even think they would need a need to bring ah messy on that trip god the galaxy
01:18:36
Speaker
like i'm i'm you You guys know. You guys know. I'm not like it ah it doesn't count guy.
01:18:43
Speaker
There's no it doesn't count in knockout games.
01:18:48
Speaker
that's That is kind of the beauty of a knockout game is it does count by definition. That's the whole point of it. It counts for who advances and who doesn't. So you can't say it doesn't count because it literally, the whole it doesn't count thing is like, oh, it's a random regular season game. If it was a knockout game against the whoever, then that would count. Well, it was a knockout game.
01:19:12
Speaker
So it does count. But God, there're their defense.
01:19:19
Speaker
that That guy Zonka, that center back start,
01:19:28
Speaker
I think he had i think he had one of the worst games i've ever he had one of the worst games I've ever seen a defender have. And one of the only other ones that I could name in recent history was by Amero Garces earlier this year, who is he is his teammate on the same Galaxy team.
01:19:45
Speaker
Garces didn't play last night. I think he was injured or suspended maybe or something. But like two of the top five worst defender games I've ever seen have been played by center backs from the 2025 LA galaxy.
01:20:01
Speaker
And I love the extent to which the Seattle sounders have taken advantage of, of that over these last two games that they've, that they've played the galaxy.
01:20:13
Speaker
And you know, it's funny. Sure. Many of you have already looked at this and gleamed this, but they play again and like two weeks. Seattle plays the galaxy again Lumen right before the Miami game.
01:20:27
Speaker
<unk> just playing the same teams over and over right now.
01:20:41
Speaker
Seattle shouldn't focus so much on Messi. They should try to exploit Miami's weak defense first, and then you can contain Messi as much as possible as a team. Yeah, I pretty much agree. like That's what I was trying to say earlier.
01:20:54
Speaker
The Messi goal isn't like
01:20:57
Speaker
baked in, but I mean, it pretty much is man.
01:21:03
Speaker
Keeping him off the stat sheet over a full 90 is the, it's just very hard to do.
01:21:15
Speaker
I would not, if you're, if you're like super hoping for a clean sheet in this game in Miami, not scoring at all. I would not, I would not bank on that. I would not take that to the bank.
01:21:29
Speaker
I think they're going to get at least one or two. It's just a matter of Seattle's defense can put up three plus and just hope that it's not like an insane. I would be, I would be, I think he's going to get one. If he doesn't get one, they're going to give him a penalty. We all know that.
01:21:48
Speaker
What minute, what minute is the penalty awarded? We and we know it's happening.
01:21:58
Speaker
But if you can get three plus and he gets a couple, then you still win the game. See what i'm saying?
01:22:07
Speaker
I think any game plan that you're trying to coach up of like, this is how we slow down Messi. Like, no, it's it's limit his it's limit the amount he gets on the ball as much as you can, as much as it is physically possible.
01:22:23
Speaker
But as far as for the idea that you're going to fully neutralize them. It just doesn't, I've seen no evidence that that's something that happens pretty much ever.
01:22:37
Speaker
So I think you try, I think you try, you got this game at home. I think you try and swarm these guys.
01:22:43
Speaker
you do you You play it exactly like you did this last Galaxy game. where i mean i thought it was so impressive how quickly Seattle got on top of the Galaxy last night as the road team.
01:22:55
Speaker
That's not always easy to do. Usually the home team is like dictating stuff off rip. You got to try and make sure that
01:23:07
Speaker
you you maintain that dynamic as much as you can.
01:23:13
Speaker
with the knowledge that when they win the ball and they get off running in in transition, like there's gonna be scary moments in this game where Seattle loses the ball or has a giveaway.
01:23:30
Speaker
When they win the ball or there's a giveaway, they they hit it to number 10 right away, which is, that's what they should do. That's what I would do if I was on that team, which I'm not, but if I was,
01:23:43
Speaker
If I was on that team, i that would be my, i would I would, if I had the ball, I would just give the ball to number 10. And
01:23:51
Speaker
when he starts running, it's going to get nervy at times. Uh, I wouldn't panic if they score first necessarily. Like
01:24:05
Speaker
that could happen.
01:24:08
Speaker
Um,
01:24:11
Speaker
i think for them I think for them, they need multiple goals to win this game outright. I'd be pretty surprised. If Seattle gets shut out by this Inter-Miami team at home, then so be it.
01:24:25
Speaker
That means they'll have had, like, out of character oh a much better game defensively than... ah than they usually do. And I also think, I thought would one of the things I was talking about with Chris was kind of underratedly key that I hadn't really thought about that much, which is that for as good as Busquets is, like it's not, he's not a speed demon and he's not like, he's one of the best dime dischers to ever play the game, but he's not like a defensive enforcer type. That's like what they got to Paul for. Right.
01:25:01
Speaker
right
01:25:06
Speaker
I think Christian and Obed can actually get at this guy a little bit. maybe Maybe that's just Hopium.
01:25:15
Speaker
It could be.
01:25:18
Speaker
But i think you i think we saw it in the Orlando game. Like, I thought Busquets... Dude, he should have... The play that he had on Angulo...
01:25:33
Speaker
That's a penalty, bro. Like, what are we...
01:25:40
Speaker
I don't know what we were talking about with that.
01:25:46
Speaker
I think the one that Orlando got called on them, i mean, I don't know. I didn't watch it that much. But from what I saw, seemed like the guy grabbed the jersey and pulled him down, whatever, gets awarded on VAR.
01:26:00
Speaker
But how that one by Busquets on Angulo not get called a penny? I don't know. I don't care. Like I said, I'm happy for this matchup to be against Messi and the Barca boys. I think that's great.
01:26:18
Speaker
But come on now. like watch that Watch that play and like tell me tell me I'm wrong.
01:26:31
Speaker
That's probably something that ah Seattle's to have to deal with as well.
01:26:39
Speaker
Busquets, the Barca boys can do stuff like that and they don't get that called on them. Seattle does it to Messi now.
01:26:48
Speaker
You would see number 10 on Inter-Miami at the spot faster than you could think.
01:27:01
Speaker
ah Yeah, the Orlando goal was not ah was not a handball. No. No.
01:27:13
Speaker
you You like at the very least you could not tell like where it hit. I didn't think it hit anything on his hand or arm. I didn't even know what we were debating with that.
01:27:25
Speaker
That was, that was, uh, to me, it looked like it didn't hit any part of his arm or hand.
01:27:32
Speaker
But if we're saying that, if we were trying to gleam, whether it did based on trajectory, which is what it looked like they were doing, you could not tell.
01:27:41
Speaker
You could not tell.
01:27:50
Speaker
and If you can't, like, you could be right, but, like, if you can't tell, then you're then you can't overturn it. It was the right call to not overturn it, for sure. And the one, and the... ah
01:28:03
Speaker
The Angulo one is the one that gets me.
01:28:07
Speaker
I know the there was a lot of talk about the one that... ah The first one that Miami got awarded.
01:28:18
Speaker
That one, it's like...
01:28:22
Speaker
I feel like I can, so you know, just thinking at a back on it on my mind, i feel like I can see why it was a war. It looked like he looks like he pulled the guy. Like he pulled the guy down. You're going to get that called.
01:28:36
Speaker
The Angulo one, it's like he's or he's around Busquets if Busquets doesn't stick his leg out and trip him. And it was in the box.
01:28:46
Speaker
So like I... I don't know. I'm not ah I'm not the tinfoil hat guy. You guys know I'm the one who's been saying that the fact that they got the Paul is like not as controversial as it's being made out to be.
01:29:02
Speaker
i think that's just, it's just something that there's a lot of precedent for when the oligarch class has a name that they want to get in the league and your club is linked to that player. It doesn't matter if you're inter Miami or anyone else, they will find some way to let you do it.
01:29:23
Speaker
As Seattle Sounders fans know quite well, thanks to one Clint Dempsey. Like, so I'm not, I'm not talking about them cheating. I'm not talking about script writing,
01:29:39
Speaker
but that's a penalty. That's penalty.
01:29:52
Speaker
Osaze got to be clinical.
01:29:58
Speaker
Yeah. ah there's There's... I'm telling you, man. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. There's going to be chances like that and this game.
01:30:08
Speaker
There's going to be.
01:30:10
Speaker
If you can finish three plus of them, you can win this game. You can win this game, and it doesn't even matter if Messi gets you for a couple.
01:30:19
Speaker
And... Like, that's the other thing I was going to say ah about the it doesn't count thing. Like, well, it doesn't count because it's the Galaxy Defenders. The Inter-Miami Defenders, i might regret saying this, but it's not like they're that much better. I think they are they are better than freaking Zonka and whoever, I don't know, whoever else with was out there for them last night. They are better than that. Falcone and...
01:30:51
Speaker
whoever the other guy is. They're better than that. They're not, i I don't rate them or think of them much that much differently than any other team. That's got like replacement level to bad um MLS defenders.
01:31:12
Speaker
They can be scored on. They're going to give up some chances. It's just, can you finish? And, uh,
01:31:22
Speaker
I think this game is is ripe for Osaze to make an impact. i don't expect him to bully ball my the Miami defenders like he did do three. Oh, man, that's one thing I forgot to. ah I just still I wanted to show to you guys.
01:31:43
Speaker
This was funny.
01:31:46
Speaker
Just from watching the Osaze goal again, the amount of.
01:31:55
Speaker
The amount of chances that they had to to stop this goal is
01:32:04
Speaker
pretty... It's comical. It's comical. Hold on. I got to just find this still real quick.
01:32:14
Speaker
Look at this chat. let's ah Let's bask in this one more time.
01:32:21
Speaker
this is This is the situation when... ah
01:32:26
Speaker
when the long throw in came to the box to Osase,
01:32:32
Speaker
look many guys they have. Look how many guys they have in the vicinity. One, two, three, four, five, arguably six. If you crash in there, there is just no way.
01:32:49
Speaker
There's just no way this can ever be a goal. And then look, so when he flips it over,
01:32:59
Speaker
One, two, three, four, five still. What are you guys doing? Just standing there. Letting him moss your two former English Premier League defenders.
01:33:17
Speaker
One, two, three, still right there. Still right there. Someone stop him.
01:33:27
Speaker
Get off me. Don, get out League Scope. Anyway.
01:33:35
Speaker
Like, come on, man. I mean, it was it was awesome for us, but good Lord, guys.
01:33:44
Speaker
and We're not talking about two two guys in the vicinity. We're talking about five or six. And what's funny about it, too, is if you watch the ah the first goal, where they just let Rothrock come in there and steal the rebound.
01:34:02
Speaker
Zonka is just standing there.
01:34:07
Speaker
Cuevas, I think was confused because i think, uh, what is their goalkeeper's name? Nikko Nikovich Novak Nikovich. I think he and Cuevas got crossed up because the goalkeeper looks like he gave him like, i got this and clearly Zonka and, uh,
01:34:28
Speaker
Cuevas didn't know that Rothrock, it didn't even like occur to them. I don't think that Rothrock would just be, wouldn't have stopped sprinting and was just running in there. I don't think they saw him or knew he was coming.
01:34:39
Speaker
So I think Cuevas was genuinely confused. Zonka was just standing there.
01:34:53
Speaker
I thought the key keeper called off Cuevas.
01:34:58
Speaker
So maybe Zonka got confused too. Maybe that's on the the goalkeeper, but someone's got to get in there and deal with that, man.
01:35:09
Speaker
You can't let Paul Rothrock jet rocket, jet rocket across the penalty box
01:35:21
Speaker
and get to that rebound before any of you guys do. That's crazy.
01:35:28
Speaker
Like i said, I mean, you know, I was happy. I was happy that they did it.
01:35:39
Speaker
You like that, Jake?
01:35:45
Speaker
We're already narrating the players while stop motion in the YouTube clips. um I can do that. Also, ah Chris Steininger, People seem to like my broadcast skills when I do the watch long stuff i'm becoming a broadcaster. Chris Steininger, That was one of our most popular streams was. Chris Steininger, The lafc charity match watch along where I was broadcasting the match.
01:36:18
Speaker
Rothrock Siegel, they're French fries, bro. Yes. i
01:36:24
Speaker
Should we stop motion commentate that one? Let's do it.
01:36:30
Speaker
There was some issue of us like not being allowed to do this, but i I see everyone else do it all the time.
01:36:55
Speaker
think this is it.
01:36:57
Speaker
All right, so
01:37:01
Speaker
what's a let's size this up.
01:37:07
Speaker
That's the Osaze shot. it's an It's an easy save for Novak here. i was wondering if he if he could have snared this fully.
01:37:21
Speaker
ah But good on Osaze for putting enough pace on it. ah But even so, like once it's spilled, you got Rothrock all the way over here.
01:37:33
Speaker
How many guys we got? One, two, three, four.
01:37:39
Speaker
Is anyone going to do anything to stop this? No, he's just going to jet rocket all the way over there and take it.
01:37:47
Speaker
Oh, my goodness.
01:37:55
Speaker
It's a undeniably tough scene for the for them defensively.
01:38:04
Speaker
ah But I will say it is the type of stuff that that you make you you make your own luck by putting a bad team under pressure a lot.
01:38:16
Speaker
Inter-Miami is not this bad. Their defense is not this bad. It's not great. It's definitely, if there's a weak link in their team, it's that. i would take Seattle's defense over their defense, even though Seattle's defense has been leaky in its own right at times this year.
01:38:36
Speaker
But it's been great in League's Cup.
01:38:41
Speaker
But I guess, again, i just don't know how much that's consideration. You can have the best defense in the league, and if you're playing Messi and the Barca boys, it's not always going to save you.
01:39:00
Speaker
Jose with the $2. Thank you, man. Appreciate the support. Why is Schmetz still not coach of the year contender?
01:39:11
Speaker
It's because ah the national pundits have an East Coast bias.
01:39:20
Speaker
And in all seriousness, don't
01:39:25
Speaker
It's because the perception is that he is a product of his circumstances more than he is actually good at coaching.
01:39:36
Speaker
That is how
01:39:41
Speaker
people perceive it nationally is that he has had a ton of success. He's won a ton of games. He's won a lot of trophies, but how much of that is because he is this great coach and how much of it is that he is perennially given some of the strongest foundation infrastructure and talented rosters in deepest rosters.
01:40:07
Speaker
in the league. That's why he, he's not, he's not never been in consideration for that. Now,
01:40:20
Speaker
those perceptions are incorrect and flat out silly at this point. And I think this season proves it more than anything.
01:40:34
Speaker
The, the, job that Schmetz has done this year, getting this team to play at the level that they've been playing at, despite the injuries that they've had has been unreal.
01:40:47
Speaker
It's one of the best coaching jobs I've ever seen.
01:40:52
Speaker
And there's a lot that goes into that. You know, part of it is just like purely
01:41:00
Speaker
the on-field stuff, like the tactics, the game planning, coaching the players up to execute those game plans week in, week out. He's clearly way better at that than people give him credit for. it Like, I don't know what to say about that at this point. Like, you think he just writes 4-2-3-1 on the sheet every week and that's all there is to it?
01:41:21
Speaker
And he doesn't have to do anything else?
01:41:26
Speaker
But for me, it's more about stuff like winning culture, identity,
01:41:37
Speaker
giving players chances.
01:41:41
Speaker
I was thinking about this example from this Galaxy game. Not every coach would have started Osaze in that situation. I think there are previous years where Schmetz might not even even started Osaze in that situation.
01:41:59
Speaker
there is a There's a school of thought where ah coach in that situation would have overthought it, and they would have been like, Osaze, he's trusting him to start a game and come through in this moment.
01:42:13
Speaker
Like, I don't trust him to do that. He's too young. doesn't have enough experience. This game is too important. I'm going to start Jesus Ferreira as a false nine and bring Osaze off the bench.
01:42:25
Speaker
Some coaches would have done that.
01:42:30
Speaker
Schmetz stuck to what he what do you believed would work. He gave a player an opportunity that
01:42:41
Speaker
earned it on the merits on the training ground and through the work that he has put in since he was on Tacoma Defiance, a player who had been producing and performing on the field. And he rewarded that with a start in the biggest game of the season.
01:42:55
Speaker
And yeah, was he forced into it because of the Moose suspension? But like I like like i said, like not every coach would have had the belief in Osaza right there in that situation.
01:43:09
Speaker
Schmetz did.
01:43:14
Speaker
That's good coaching.
01:43:18
Speaker
That's putting your players in position to succeed.
01:43:27
Speaker
Let's look at some of the other coaches of the years of the last couple of years.
01:43:36
Speaker
See if he got snubbed for anybody.
01:43:48
Speaker
Last year was Wolford Nancy.
01:43:52
Speaker
Can't really disagree with that. Year before that is Pat Noonan. Fine choice year before that Jim Curtin year before that Bruce arena Jim Curtin got it twice in three years. 2022 was the year that Seattle won champions league, but then crashed out of playoffs. So he wouldn't have won it that year, even though, like I mean, it's a league season award, so he wouldn't have it that year.
01:44:24
Speaker
I don't have like any major issues. with this
01:44:33
Speaker
But Schmess should get one. I think he could get one this year. i don't think he will, but like on the merits of it, he could. ah Just because of all the injuries this team has had this year, man. It's crazy.
01:44:50
Speaker
It's crazy.
01:44:53
Speaker
With this... like
01:44:57
Speaker
we We were talking about it on the postgame last night, but I'll reiterate it again because it's one of my favorite things about this team, and especially during this tournament.
01:45:11
Speaker
It's just how how they they don't use the adversity and the injuries and everything that's been thrown at them in that way. They they don't make excuses.
01:45:25
Speaker
You'd be real easy to be, to throw your hands up, be like, well,
01:45:32
Speaker
the number nine has been injured all year. The number 10 is out. The left back gets suspended every two games.
01:45:45
Speaker
The backup striker crashed out and got a, got a red of his own.
01:45:53
Speaker
This galaxy game is me. You know,
01:45:57
Speaker
Could be tough.
01:46:01
Speaker
No one would ever say that outwardly, but like, I think we've seen situations where stuff like that, it like gets into your head into team's heads, like subconsciously.
01:46:13
Speaker
There's just none of that with this team.
01:46:17
Speaker
They don't care. They don't care what the lineup is, who's starting, who's coming off the bench, who's available or unavailable. They just go out there. They put in work.
01:46:31
Speaker
They score a bunch of goals. They take results.
01:46:38
Speaker
I love that. It's refreshing.
01:46:44
Speaker
Refreshing to watch an MLS team that gets all that stuff thrown out them and just wins the games anyway. There's so many MLS games and CONCACAF Champions League games that I've watched over the years. where it's really it's mostly mls games when teams are juggling with concaf champions league where it's just like you're punting there's just not enough depth to rotate as much as you need to withstand all the injuries that you're inevitably going to have and still take results and it's frustrating because you're effectively punting results and then you know the discourse is super toxic and negative the fans are all pissed off and you're sitting there like well
01:47:25
Speaker
mean, no one who actually is like a highly paid impact player
01:47:33
Speaker
on this team was even out there. So it's what I expected, but it's all this bad discourse anyway, and they took L's and it just sucks. This team right now is giving us the gift of not having to do that.
01:47:49
Speaker
Appreciate them for that.
01:47:56
Speaker
Today on KJR, Schmetz said there was an injury concern coming out of the game. He would not say what or who, but I think made it pretty clear it was Christian. Well, I hadn't heard that.
01:48:08
Speaker
That's not good.
01:48:13
Speaker
What did he...
01:48:17
Speaker
What did he... Oh. Noticed during in the game at one point, it looked like he might have tweaked a hammy.
01:48:25
Speaker
Well, I guess we'll see if he can still play. I mean, a game like this, too, on short turnaround, it's a battle of attrition to an extent. I mean, Messi has a tweak Tammy, too.
01:48:42
Speaker
He's going to try and play through it. Messi with a tweak Tammy is obviously still better than most.
01:48:57
Speaker
it would be ah it would be a problem if Christian can't play. That is the one guy where I don't know if what I was just talking about applies. I don't. Because lot of these situations, its the the depth players are...
01:49:15
Speaker
providing a like-for-like of the players that they're replacing. Moose, for example, is pretty much a like-for-like replacing the production that you get from Jordan Morris, which is crazy, but it's true. Osaze has contributed to that as well.
01:49:30
Speaker
There's not really like-for-like for like for christpher what Christian does for this team.
01:49:41
Speaker
But I'm not going to... Even if he can't play... I'm not going to put it past this team to still get
01:49:51
Speaker
to still get a result.
01:49:55
Speaker
Who would start in the double pivot?
01:49:59
Speaker
Snyder, I'm not even tripping about that if that happens.
01:50:15
Speaker
is it a big spot for him, but it is a big spot for him, but
01:50:23
Speaker
if, if it comes to it, I trust Snyder Brunel to go out there and compete, lay it on the line, not back down from the moment.
01:50:35
Speaker
I've already seen all, a lot of those attributes from him. He doesn't seem phased by much.
01:50:42
Speaker
And you know, An 18-year-old homegrown playing his third game with the first team, fourth game with the first team.
01:50:52
Speaker
In a double pivot, trying to slow down Leo Messi and the Barca boys.
01:50:59
Speaker
It's scary.
01:51:02
Speaker
But if if you if it has to be done, it has to be done.
01:51:08
Speaker
like That's what I'm saying, Jake. like I would be actively excited if he but like if he started this game. I don't know if it would go well. Maybe he gets burned for a bunch of goals. i don't know.
01:51:22
Speaker
But I think that's like the that's the ethos of this team right now.
01:51:33
Speaker
They don't make excuses. They go out there. They compete. They take they they take care of business. They stand on business.
01:51:43
Speaker
I trust them to do that no matter what in this game. And that's a cool feeling to have because ah
01:51:53
Speaker
kind of allows me to feel like I'll be yeah at peace with the result, even if it doesn't go Seattle's way, because um like a final against a team like this, all you can do is go out there, throw down, compete as hard as you can,
01:52:15
Speaker
and let the chips fall where they may.
01:52:19
Speaker
You just, you can't,
01:52:24
Speaker
you can't face plant, not compete, get overrun, not play up to your to your level, up to your potential. that's That's, that's what I can't live with.
01:52:47
Speaker
But i trust this team to go out there no matter who's in the starting 11. If it's Snyder, Brunel, if it's Christian Roldan, if it's anyone else, I trust them to go out there and compete at a high level to the best of their abilities.
01:53:03
Speaker
If you do that, let the chips fall. If it doesn't go your way, it is what it is.
01:53:20
Speaker
just how he's not over now moves on the field you can see why he's the Defiance Captain he is just so been in so intriguingly good i am I gotta to say like it's pretty surprising I don't really know what to expect I hadn't watched him play on Defiance all that much
01:53:44
Speaker
ah But what you know what I look for like when I'm watching these young kids come up is like who looks like who looks like they're standing out? Who's excelling? Who's not just blending in? Who's not afraid to make who' like who's blending in who's afraid to make mistakes? And who's like actually putting their imprint on the game and standing out?
01:54:05
Speaker
He's doing that, I think, outside of the goals that he scored.
01:54:12
Speaker
it's time It's wild that they can just bring a guy up like that.
01:54:23
Speaker
Best signing of the transfer window that anyone made.
01:54:28
Speaker
Highest upside prospect signed by any team during the transfer window. I'm going to keep doing this bit, even though I know it's unpopular. Because while I say it facetiously,
01:54:47
Speaker
Signing your homegrowns counts as signing players.
01:54:52
Speaker
If you're good at it. If they actually become starters, impact players that move the needle, impact results for the first team, stand out whenever they're on the field.
01:55:12
Speaker
If he's doing that and he's an a and he's a homegrown, it's actually you got you realize it's actually better for the health of the roster than if they used allocation money or U22 spots or whatever it is for that position.
01:55:31
Speaker
It's actually better. It's more impressive. And he's a homegrown, so he doesn't count against the salary cap.
01:55:41
Speaker
Not saying that means they shouldn't have signed somebody or that they shouldn't sign someone moving forward. I'm just telling you, like, that is... That is a move. It's a signing. It's a roster edition. People can mock that and laugh at that if they want, but...
01:56:05
Speaker
It's just facts is what it is, and it's also like...
01:56:10
Speaker
If he's playing like he's been playing, scoring goals, looking this good um like as part of the team, what do I care if he's homegrown or from somewhere else?
01:56:23
Speaker
I don't. Maybe some people do.
01:56:31
Speaker
You guys said yesterday how the Sounders roster is the antithesis of Miami. So Snyder scoring and outshining Messi would be hilarious. ah Just the fact that Snyder, it sounds like there's a very strong possibility that he's going to be on the field against Messi.
01:56:50
Speaker
That's awesome.
01:56:53
Speaker
We were, you know, we were laughing in the club World Cup, just like taking joy in the in the visual of like the. Of the PSG scouting staff and coaching staff in the film room, putting putting the Seattle tape on.
01:57:09
Speaker
putting it in the i pick VCR. I picture them, uh, putting a tape in the VCR with one of those TVs. They used to wheel into like your classroom in third grade to watch Bill Nye. Got one of those in the inter Miami film room, put in Seattle's tape in the VCR PSG scouts writing it.
01:57:25
Speaker
All right. Danny Musavsky.
01:57:33
Speaker
Got a kick out of that, that visual. Now it's the inter Miami staff.
01:57:40
Speaker
Except they got Leo Messi and the Barca boys gathered around the ah TV.
01:57:47
Speaker
Snyder. Brunel. Okay.
01:57:52
Speaker
Anyone know who that is? No. Osaze. De Rosario. Then they play the clip of the shake and quake.
01:58:00
Speaker
Sergio Biscuets goes, oh.
01:58:05
Speaker
That's who we have to play against? Screw that. I'm not going to Seattle. staying on South Beach
01:58:19
Speaker
all I want is labor redemption sorry stops subs in on stoppage time scores the game-winning goal on a free kick I want him to get his goal he deserves it who's starting up top give me Osaze
01:58:40
Speaker
Give me Osaze. I think in tournament play, vibes matter.
01:58:50
Speaker
And
01:58:54
Speaker
the Osaze vibes are just incredible right now. You keep writing that. You don't mix that up.
01:59:00
Speaker
I was thinking about it watching the game last night because... We were talking about how, you know, if Moose hadn't crashed out and got the red card, Osaze doesn't start that game. The shake and quake doesn't happen.
01:59:12
Speaker
and And also how Osaze had two wide open breakaways that if you gave Moose those exact same chances, I don't know if he... i mean, moose Moose can make runs like that, to be fair.
01:59:30
Speaker
it like What I was getting at is Moose probably finishes the ones that Osaze had saved with the form that Moose is in right now, but there's no way that Moose does the shake and quake.
01:59:50
Speaker
So yeah, now you ride Osaze in this game and you let the chips fall. That's what you do.
01:59:58
Speaker
Same lineup, but just RBW because knew who read. Yeah. And then if this Christian injury is real thing.
02:00:06
Speaker
Snyder B. Is it weird chat that ah the notion of Snyder B starting this game against messy in the bars of the boys like doesn't faze me that much.
02:00:18
Speaker
My overconfident.
02:00:24
Speaker
I'd be happy to see him out there. Not really like from this in the sense of like, uh, it would be a huge bummer if Christian just wasn't able to play in this game because of what the opportunity is, the team they're going against and everything he's put in for this team this year.
02:00:42
Speaker
He deserves this opportunity. And I believe he would make the most of this opportunity, but if he can't,
02:00:55
Speaker
then I believe in Snyder B.
02:01:15
Speaker
It'd be a drop-off, like um obviously in certain ways, Christian's skill set is very unique.
02:01:24
Speaker
Doesn't Snyder have like shades of him and certain ways? I'm not saying they're like don't total like for like comp. I think they are. I think Christian is just such a dog on defense and covers so much ground.
02:01:46
Speaker
he's He does more of like the dirty work than Snyder B does at least. that I've seen so far. ah But as far as, you know, ability to get out of pressure, ball progression,
02:02:08
Speaker
moving proactively, knowing like where to receive the ball, making these turns, bringing attack, like he does that.
02:02:19
Speaker
and Snyder does that all that stuff at a very high level. And if you watch these goals that he is scoring, or the two that he's scored,
02:02:33
Speaker
his movement in the box is just like savvy way beyond his years, especially the, what was the one?
02:02:47
Speaker
In the ah Sporting KC game.
02:02:53
Speaker
You guys remember that where sold it like he was asking for the pass out front? So his defender kept running to try and cut that off, and then he just stopped his run.
02:03:08
Speaker
And then Georgie was able to just pick him out, and he was wide-ass open. That's
02:03:15
Speaker
veteran savvy, man.
02:03:19
Speaker
It's good stuff.
02:03:23
Speaker
you don't You don't really you don't see that from like an 18 year old homegirl. I'm telling you, think he might be special.
02:03:40
Speaker
We'll see what happens with that. I don't really think like if Christian actually can't go, which would suck.
02:03:48
Speaker
do it like I don't even think you have another option. I think you ride Snyder B. You you roll out an 11 with Snyder B and Osaze de Rosario in it against Lionel Messi and the Barca boys.
02:04:03
Speaker
And you win the game anyway.
02:04:13
Speaker
Will we get cooked by Messi? Maybe.
02:04:17
Speaker
It's a, oh, will Reed get cooked by Messi? Maybe.
02:04:24
Speaker
Maybe, but that's, That's what I'm saying, man. Will, insert name here, get cooked by Messi? Yeah, probably. Probably. like The answer to that question is usually yes, regardless of it's Reed Baker Whiting or anyone else.
02:04:42
Speaker
it's not about It's not about stopping Messi and like keeping a miracle clean sheet. I don't think that's what this game is about. This game is about if you can put three plus on him.
02:04:56
Speaker
If you can put three plus on him, ah I think you can win the game. And that, you know, that sounds like a lot. And it is a lot. But we've seen this team score three plus a ton this year.
02:05:13
Speaker
A lot recently. And this Miami team... I don't know if Seattle's going to get three-plus goals or how it's going to end up. I do know there will be chances.
02:05:28
Speaker
I can tell you guys that.
02:05:31
Speaker
The looks will be there. in this It's just like the Galaxy game to a lesser extent. I don't think there're their defense I know it's not at that bad. But that, I mean... we We're watching Zonka out there.
02:05:47
Speaker
taking a leisurely stroll while Paul Rothrock jet rockets by him and steals a rebound off his own goalkeeper like that's probably not going to happen uh but as far as
02:06:02
Speaker
Seattle being able to press these guys win the ball get out in transition find De La Vega in space find Rothrock in space and
02:06:15
Speaker
get these goals on or get these chances on the counter that they've been getting.
02:06:24
Speaker
Those moments are going to be there in this game. And you never know. Maybe Maxie Falcone has like the game of his life, stands on his head. Seattle's XG merging. They have those chances. Can't finish him.
02:06:34
Speaker
Get shut out. Messy bams four times. That could happen.
02:06:44
Speaker
But
02:06:48
Speaker
There's goals to be had. There's goals to be had in this game. It's just it's just a matter of...
02:06:56
Speaker
What do they call it? Harm reduction?
02:07:02
Speaker
The likelihood that he's going to get you for at least one is pretty damn high.
02:07:09
Speaker
But it's about minimizing the damage, right?
02:07:16
Speaker
That's how, like, How many games have they lost this year?
02:07:21
Speaker
What's their record?
02:07:29
Speaker
They've lost five games. They have three games in hand. of Why do they have so many games in hand because of the club world cup, but Seattle has no games in hand. What's up with that?
02:07:43
Speaker
They've lost five games this year. Okay. Including three on the road.
02:07:50
Speaker
I want no part of penalty kicks against this team.
02:08:00
Speaker
Three goals. That's going to be the, I think that's going to be the threshold.
02:08:18
Speaker
I guess I i just, i
02:08:24
Speaker
I don't think Nuhu makes a difference, really. He might in some individual situations, but as far as the totality of if Messi's going to score on you or not, it's just as likely that he will bam on you with new who in there as it is with rbw in there like it's kind of my might it might seem crazy to say that but I have yet to hear of a defender who who makes a difference in that regard a lot have tried over the last couple of decades few if any have ever truly succeeded like
02:09:12
Speaker
that's just what it is
02:09:19
Speaker
I mean, we'll see. We'll see. we'll see like ah
02:09:25
Speaker
We'll see if he can do it on a potentially rainy evening in Seattle. We'll see.
02:09:34
Speaker
probably can. But we don't we don't know. We'll find out.
02:09:55
Speaker
is why players like Jesus Ferreira and Areola come to Sounders at a pay cut to compete for trophies, championship culture. You know, it's actually a good point ah
02:10:07
Speaker
because if if we're talking about some of the reasons why this team has been able to accrue the depth that they have, a winning culture incentivizes players to want to come here.
02:10:23
Speaker
And Ferreira is an example of that. He wanted to leave FC Dallas, take the next or different step in his career, deciding where he wants to go.
02:10:36
Speaker
Makes sense that like a a guy like him would be incentivized to come here and God, I'm, that is one of my other takeaways from the game last night. I'm so glad they made that trade.
02:10:51
Speaker
I am so glad they made that trade. am so glad he's on the team, and I am so glad that fans are not GMs.
02:11:03
Speaker
I thought he was so good last night, man. I really did. the fact he The fact that he didn't get an assist on a
02:11:14
Speaker
on that first wide-open shot that Osaze had saved, What a pass. And he was the dimes he was hitting the way those counters were running.
02:11:27
Speaker
Ooh.
02:11:36
Speaker
Is Adrian a key part in that culture building? Does Adrian deserve his flowers too? I think, yes, man, I do. I know, uh, we have had our, uh, Had our fun at old Papa Hanauer's expense this year.
02:11:53
Speaker
He crashed out on the squad in the locker room for them protesting a completely reasonable thing in the Club World Cup.
02:12:06
Speaker
He's broke, doesn't spend money on transfers.
02:12:10
Speaker
ah But yeah, like,
02:12:16
Speaker
you do have ah you do have to credit him for why the culture and foundation and infrastructure of this organization is as strong as it is.
02:12:29
Speaker
He might be broke, but he did he did create that. And, ah you know, for his for however broke he might be, he did ah it' spend a lot of money on a world-class training facility that I think also further incentivizes, like,
02:12:47
Speaker
players to want to come here.
02:12:52
Speaker
But also is just it's just like a part of that kind of foundation and infrastructure that we're that we're talking about. And I'm glad you brought it up because ah he does he does get credit for that. Like there's no way that he doesn't.
02:13:13
Speaker
he does He's the one who hired Brian Schmetzer.
02:13:19
Speaker
He does own a, or is it a pillow company or a frame shop? We always call it a frame shop, but that might be wrong. It might be a pillow company. Why do we call it a frame shop?
02:13:31
Speaker
Is it a frame shop?
02:13:36
Speaker
It's one of a pillow company or a frame shop.
02:13:45
Speaker
Him and his brother sold the Down Pillow Company a while back. Okay, so it's a frame shop now.
02:13:53
Speaker
Whatever it is,
02:13:56
Speaker
it must not be the ah but must not be doing that hot because the Seattle Sounders can't even sign U22. Am I right, folks?
02:14:14
Speaker
How does one get involved in the pillow business? I don't know, but he did he did clean out on that.
02:14:25
Speaker
All right, chat. I'm to call it a night. um've been I've been rocking for two hours and 15 minutes, so that's a good shift. All right. Thanks for tuning in to another banger show. Leagues Cup final on Sunday.
02:14:41
Speaker
Lumenfield, Inter-Miami and the Barca boys be there. ah We're planning on, i' I don't know, we haven't like, there's been no movement on like a potential meetup or meet meat of meet event.
02:14:56
Speaker
ah But I'm definitely trying to get down Pioneer Square early on Sunday. We'll let you guys know what's up with that. you're going to the game, definitely come say hi It's going to be gonna be an event.
02:15:12
Speaker
It's going to be an occasion.
02:15:18
Speaker
Leo Messi coming to Seattle and not just coming. like He's been in Seattle before in the Copa America and stuff. This is with a cup final on the line playing against the Seattle Sounders.
02:15:37
Speaker
Everyone do what Ben said.
02:15:42
Speaker
Like the, like the video, uh, sub to the channel. Go ahead. Sauce us a follow on Instagram. If you haven't take talk as well. Um, and like the video, like the video, like the video.
02:16:01
Speaker
We'll, uh, It's also possible we do another... I feel like this is kind of like a special occasion type situation. So if there's like an opportunity that makes sense to fire up another live or something, it's possible.
02:16:19
Speaker
I don't know if that's going to happen, but like it could be it could be like a unique type of schedule schedule with what we got going on right now. So follow me on Blue Sky. I'll ah keep you...
02:16:32
Speaker
up to date on, uh, anything up that way. And, uh, also on on what it's going to look like on match day, as far as where we're hanging out beforehand.
02:16:46
Speaker
And then, ah on Sunday, I mean, we'll be, uh, we've got our, we've got our, like, uh, our routine and our setup for being able to, to stream from the stadium, which those have been fun.
02:17:02
Speaker
We're going to, I mean, we try to do those for all the home games, but I mean, this one, win, win or lose, we're going to be on here talking about it, taking calls, hanging out.
02:17:17
Speaker
So
02:17:21
Speaker
don't miss out. It's a historic occasion. Hasham closing us out with the dollar 99. Thank you, man. Ronaldo is better than Messi.
02:17:35
Speaker
I don't agree, but I like your like where your head's at. like where your head's at.
02:17:45
Speaker
You think there'll be a lot of Miami fans there? um It's hard to say like on this short of notice. I imagine there ah there's usually... like for one of the big teams like this, there's usually some there no matter what. There's also like, ah this is another thing Chris and I were talking about. Just kind of the, there's a lot of people who are messy fans over like fans of being a club.
02:18:09
Speaker
I see a lot of messy inter Miami kits in Seattle, like independent of anything else, a surprising amount. Like, it's not like I've seen one or two I've seen like,
02:18:23
Speaker
at least like six or seven people walking around Seattle in messy inner Miami kids, which is fine. That's fine. Just means there, uh, I think there probably is going to be a lot of people there.
02:18:40
Speaker
There's going to be a lot of people there uh, are not and MLS people at all that are not inter my inter Miami or Sounders fans that are more fans of like global footy, European leagues and stuff.
02:18:57
Speaker
They're going to pull up for this.
02:19:01
Speaker
So it's going to be wild. I think, I think they'll, I think they should pack at least 60.
02:19:13
Speaker
They pull 50 to 60. I think that would be solid. But it'd be fire if they just sold this thing out. i don't I don't know what the situation is with that, but it's going to be crazy.
02:19:26
Speaker
I think celebrities will show up.
02:19:31
Speaker
Like Andrew Wiebe.
02:19:37
Speaker
I don't know if it's going to be ah as many celebs as like that show up to their games in Miami, but I bet we... I mean, there's going to be... yeah i mean, there's going to be famous people there. There's going a lot of national pundits there.
02:19:51
Speaker
Whenever there's a final, the national pundits descend, which I love i love the national pundits. they They love me too because that... ah
02:20:02
Speaker
Was it MLS Cup 2019? Yeah.
02:20:05
Speaker
One time they were all they were all here. ah Yeah, it was MLS 2019. All the national pundits were here. And the Kooligans were having an event at some brewery in Capitol Hill that was way too small for the scale of event that they were trying to have. And they got kicked out.
02:20:24
Speaker
And I showed up right as they were getting kicked out. And an entire gaggle of national pundits, they all looked at me. They said, hey, you live here. Where should we go?
02:20:37
Speaker
And I was like, oh, I got to think on my feet right now. Where do I take this massive group of pundits? So I took him to Rhino Room. And they were all like, oh my God, this is perfect.
02:20:49
Speaker
You saved the day. You got kicked out of the brewery. But this place is big enough for all 40 of us. I bailed them out.
02:21:01
Speaker
I don't think the Kooligans even know about that. I don't think it was like a lot of people there. I don't think they know that I was the one
02:21:10
Speaker
who saved them in that situation.
02:21:18
Speaker
All right. I'm getting out of here on that. Thanks for tuning in tonight, guys. Appreciate all of you. I'll catch you this weekend, hopefully before the game, but if not, most definitely after the game.
02:21:35
Speaker
Have a good night.