Transcript
Speaker: Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
Speaker: Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
Speaker: Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does just about, runs into the advertising order. Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what a Where's my copy? got bunch of them How many do you cost them? 50 bucks.
Speaker: I'll deadline you.
Speaker: This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounder supporters.
Speaker: They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Speaker: Welcome back to another episode of... Monday soundcheck. We are live in the Sounder at Heart studios in the International District of Seattle.
Speaker: We are back with Adam Race and Nico Moreno. I'll let them take it away from here. What's going on, everybody? Happy to be back here on episode three. i mean Time flies, man.
Speaker: Thank you all for being here. Of course, Adam, the best mustache in the game right next to me. How are you? How's it going? How are you feeling after back-to-back wins? I don't even know how to feel, to be honest. I'm feeling better. It feels weird. It it doesn't feel natural, right? It's been five months since we've we've felt this kind of way. But also, it does feel natural in the way that this is how we're used to feeling as Sounders fans. This team comes out and dominates large portions of games at home.
Speaker: It's felt like this is the Sounders team that I grew up watching. So it's felt really good. It's felt really good. It's been one of those slowly but surely getting back into rhythm, getting back into confidence, it' particularly, and we'll talk about this game here in a second, but the big time players kind of showing up again for this team, getting some players back, which is always nice. So there does seem to be,
Speaker: some building momentum and we'll talk about that. But before that, I mean, JL say hello to the people, man. How are you feeling with, uh, you know, this, this team kind of getting back to their, their old, old ways.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, it's, uh, it's good to see. I wrote today. I just put out my column and I say, it I said, it feels like there's real momentum here now. Granted, you take it with a ah grain of salt, they are not beating the league's best teams. They are beating a pair of teams who came into their games with just one win between them since the World Cup break.
Speaker: But look, the Sounders are not in a position to be looking ah gift horses in the mouth, so to speak. And and we'll take it. We'll absolutely take it. Absolutely. Adam, what what was, what's the headline? What, what, what are the people got to know? What's the headline for Adam? If you guys got headlines, drop them in the comments. Don't forget to share, like, and subscribe as always. Adam, what's the headline, man? I think the headline is that the Sounders look like the Sounders again. And I will say a caveat to that is that specifically the first 45 minutes of this first game or this most recent game against Minnesota, they dominated that entire first 45 minutes. That's one of the best halves I've seen them play since the end of the world cup.
Speaker: It's a squad that is just going out and taking games to the opposition. And that was the big thing about this winless streak is that we were chasing so much. And that's never how Brian Schmetzer has wanted to play.
Speaker: He never wants the team to be chasing the ball, to be chasing possession. So much of what he's complained about from his team in postgame press conferences has been based on possession, holding up play, controlling tempo. They didn't do it as well in the second half of this Minnesota game.
Speaker: But for the second half of the RSL game, for the first half of the Minnesota game, it was all Seattle and they never left any doubt. And that has been the missing piece. That has been what has not been there.
Speaker: And now that we have that back, now that we have some of the players back, I think we can get a more realistic look of the potential of this squad, which is still very high. Brian says that every single match, there is a lot of talent in that locker room. There's a lot of experience in that locker room. It's been hard to see with all the injuries, with all the turmoil.
Speaker: But now that they are coming together in the way that they know that they can, it's coming to fruition. And really the the positive ah people through the winless streak, the pragmatic people, they're being proven right right now to a degree. You guys are absolutely correct that this is not the two-game stretch that defines how this team can play against this league's elite because it has not been the league's elite, but it's least showing the potential that this squad can put out to play their game and take a game to an opponent.
Speaker: Yeah, look, I was, or my main takeaway, talking about the 45 minutes that you're referring to in terms of dominance, yeah for me, it wasn't just dominant because it wasn't brilliant, but it's how easy they made it look.
Speaker: If I like the sounders were in control, maybe on in third or fourth gear. And to me, that's important for you for you being able to be a team that can handle whatever Minnesota was bringing on their end. It wasn't like they created big time opportunities. You know, they had, I think, six, seven shots and only one that was really on goal.
Speaker: And that just kind of talks about a team that was able to manage transition moments and turn them into just half chances. I think that they forced a Minnesota to early ah ah crosses in, to bad takes. I was actually pretty pleased with how um Jackson Reagan and ah Stuart Hawkins played, but particularly for me,
Speaker: Hassani and Christian just looked like they were really gelling. Like they were they really were building a rapport. This was probably Hassani Dotson's most complete game that I've seen so far.
Speaker: I mean, from start to finish, from the defensive end and defensive contributions to what he was able to do on the ball, helping the link up with the goal. So, yes, I would agree with you that this team starting to look like the Seattle Sounders of old and that maybe they're building some momentum, which is is important, right?
Speaker: But particularly, regardless of who and what team is in front of you, keeping the identity, being able to understand your principles and executing those moments, that's what really matters. And this team had I don't know, two, three months that they were unable to do that, where the little things were going wrong, where the the last minute passes were not going your way. When things just like a ricochet and maybe a ball wasn't going your way. Now you're kind of turning the page on that. And and to me, that's important regardless of who you're playing.
Speaker: You had a three game homestand. You are at six points out nine possible. I mean, to me, it's all going well. Yeah, they've done everything they've needed to up to this point.
Speaker: And to your point, they've put themselves in such a good spot where they are coming up against Sporting Kansas City. We're coming off a win, but they can absolutely go out and make this a nine point homestand. And I believe that would put them in sixth place in the West. Now that their games in hand would have been played out there in a playoff spot right now at ninth.
Speaker: with the game in hand above the the four teams that are fighting for that playoff spot below them, Portland, Real Salt Lake, San Diego, and Austin. They more than control their own destiny right now.
Speaker: And I also will say that there were moments, especially in the second half, where I got worried because a lot of what Minnesota was creating, especially when they did have their moments in the first half and in the second half as well, it's when they were able to pick the tempo up and press the back line. They did not look comfortable building out of the back. There was a lot of giveaways. It seemed like most of Minnesota's best opportunities were just on sloppy mistakes, passes from Jackson or from Stewart or for Andrew Thomas. He a, almost a howler of a giveaway in that game that Minnesota were, you know, very unfortunate to not finish off and tie the game up.
Speaker: And that has been a theme as well. Brian has been talking about that consistently, that a lot of the reason that this transition defense has been struggling is just because they're giving away the ball and really negative parts of the pitch where it's always going to be difficult to cover that ground to get back to effectively plug up those holes because you give it up in your own defensive third on an easy giveaway like that. And, you know, that's the bread and butter of a lot of these attacking players and other teams.
Speaker: I worry that when the Sounders come up against a squad that's confident to press higher up the pitch than Minnesota and ah RSL are confident in doing, it's going to throw them off because the moment that Minnesota and RSL were forced into doing that, the Sounders didn't look necessarily ready to react as they should.
Speaker: Yeah. And look, as well as ah both k Christian and Hassani played, um talking to, talking about giveaways that the goal that Minnesota gets comes of a giveaway on the left side. When it was playing a little bit high, it's a softball or or with not enough pace in it.
Speaker: Minnesota picks it up. It's a quick transition moment. And, probably one of the most hated players in Minnesota history for Sounder fans, Mark Inish. He just seems to know when to score goals against this Sounders team. And he picks up a ball just as a free runner. There's nobody even close to him. I mean, great ball to find him there, but...
Speaker: These are some of the things that the the sounders need to really ah start to clarify and understand how we are not going to let this happen ever again. Because this is not the first time that a free runner is going into the 18 and finding a...
Speaker: ah essentially an open net. and And Andrew tries to do whatever he can, but those are the things where I wish that whether it is communication or whether it is just understanding of field awareness, the team has to do better in those moments. So that goes to your point. However, I'm going to remain positive and we need to talk about one specific player. So for me, my um headline of the day is Albert Rosnick sparks offense in Sounders 3-1 win over Minnesota United.
Speaker: I thought that Albert Rosnick was the epicenter of everything great on offense that this team did. And he wasn't just on the ball. I was actually pretty pleased with his off-the-ball movement and his ability to find ah the spots in the pockets in between the lines and forcing the center backs out of the position and making it real difficult for Minnesota to just kind of drop in and stay in a deeper block whenever they wanted to. I thought that he was great on the ball, forcing certain passes,
Speaker: his set pieces throughout this whole game, thought were on point. There was just a little bit of taste of danger in every single one of the set pieces that Albert had. ah You talk about that Hassani Dotson goal. it's ah It's a great ball into the 18. Jordan Morris get gets in front of it, gets a good header in, ball comes off, and there's Hassani to just put it in ah for the ricochet. I thought that he was involved Albert Rusnak is in every single one of the big chances that team had over 90 minutes. And I'm pleased to see it because he's someone that whenever Albert Rusnak is playing well and in good form, and he is not necessarily asked to be the number one guy, the Sounders play well overall.
Speaker: And whenever he's able to really find some rhythm and find a report, the team does just... does better and I thought that throughout this whole game even when he came to just understanding defensive pressure moments even when you don't get there if you look at his heat mapping you look at his effort and you look at his push not every ball that he kind of tried to force through went to where he wanted it but whenever he got intercepted whenever somebody picked up a ball he was the first guy with the repress trying to at least make something happen and
Speaker: in that way, forcing Minnesota into some very mild mistakes. So I was just impressed by what Albert has been able to do. I believe he's, what, four assists and one goal the last two games in this found new youth of ah ah wins for this team and and this moment that they've been able to once again ignite. um I'm excited about it, ah Jeremiah.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, one of the things I think is just very kind of funny and fitting is that Rusnak is now on 11 primary assists. He's tied for the league lead. he is five He's tied for the league lead. He's got seven assists since in his last eight games.
Speaker: ah Only four goals to go along with that. You know, we'd like him to be scoring more, but 11 assists. I mean, it's it's right back to where you'd want. Yeah, Albert, I would want to come in and have maybe like a different take than you, Nico, just to spread the love. But that is also the player who stood out for me. he He was excellent the entire match from the very start. The amount of space he was finding in between the lines, you can chalk that up a little bit to I don't think Minnesota were doing nearly as good of a job as they should have been true to closing him down because it seemed like he was always in the space between the midfield and the defensive block. And when he got it, He looks so confident and comfortable to just quarterback the offense. You look at that first goal um where he provides that pass to Jordan Morris. He's so patient. He waits for the play to develop. He's slowly able to approach the defensive line.
Speaker: He knows when Jordan's making that run. He can't time that pass any better. He can't wait it any better. what a finish from Jordan Morris. i mean, that is vintage. That's a lot more difficult than it looks. And it looks really, really difficult.
Speaker: That is a beautiful goal. That's one of the best goals we've seen over this last unbeaten run, the seven game unbeaten run, just pure technical ability. But it starts with Albert Rusnak being able to know the moment to put that in, to be patient in the buildup.
Speaker: All match, he looks so smooth attacking wise. And I've said it before on the show a couple of times that I think Albert Rusnak is not getting the level of credit that he perhaps deserves. And I think that stat that you brought up, Jeremiah, the fact that he's tied for the league lead in primary assists, nobody's talking about that fact.
Speaker: It sounds surprising, but also with the way that he's been playing, it's it's not that surprising. He has been the epicenter of everything that's been going on offensively and just the fact that he can be in the lineup so consistently and be so durable.
Speaker: you can definitely give a shout of Albert Rusnak being one of the most valuable players. The Sounders have had all season and it's really come to fruition over this last couple of weeks. Yeah. And look, if,
Speaker: This team stays on this pace. I mean, we can once again have another season where Albert Rusnak has double-digit assists, double-digit goals. and And that is, to me, Albert Rusnak in a nutshell, right? I mean, he gets a lot of criticism. There's a lot of scrutiny. But he's always so reliable. He's always so consistent, at least with goal contributions and what he's able to do with the ball. And obviously, this is not...
Speaker: the most prolific Sounders team ever. And he's had to be the one guy that's been healthy with, you know, a a bunch of injuries around him. And still he's been able to stay consistent. So that, that is all great news for the Sounders because it's him is, uh,
Speaker: ah Jordan Morris and then Paul Arriola, who, you know, I think has earned himself to be the starter at, you know, left wing, let's call it, or right wing, maybe.
Speaker: yeah If Jordan's going to play on that left wing. moving forward. Obviously he didn't start this game because he's still getting back from injury. He's played, had the most minutes he's had, he's had in like two years at last game. So you were not going to start them, you know, in, in after just a midweek game, but,
Speaker: He comes in, he performs, he gets another goal. ah He, and that's the beauty about Paul Arriola is that he comes in and gives you whatever he has in the tank. So he comes in against higher legs.
Speaker: I thought that he, he found the great zone. He's able to put a shot with very little angle. So, When the big time players for this team and all this experience and everything where you've kind of seen this team invest, right? Because we all talk about Craig Weibel and the roster construction and how it had now been working. And look, if you're unable to be team, on the field, that is a problem. But now that these players are starting to get fit and be there, i just, I love to see it. I absolutely love to see it. You got to see Yemar Gomez and Drada come back into this game. I thought that that was huge. This team has missed his physicality, his speed, his leadership, his ability to just control the games, that reactiveness he has and allows for the center back next to him to have all the freedom. He's almost like a seatbelt. He's a safety blanket for this defense. So seeing them back is is huge for a group that, you know, has another game to continue to build on this, ah you know, great run of games. And then we'll see what happens after that. But it's all moving in the right direction for the Seattle Sounders. I also want to say that you talk about Paul Areola on the right, Jordan Morris on the right.
Speaker: It was so great to see Alex Roldan back at right back. He looked excellent. um I was a little surprised initially to see Brian Schmetzer go with Stuart Hawkins alongside Jackson Reagan at center back.
Speaker: We were wondering if that was something he was going to stick with. He seemed kind of hot and cold about it post game after the RSL match. He ran it for part of that match with both of them back there. And it seemed to work pretty well, but Brian has wanted to put Alex at one of the center back roles to have a more comfortable ball playing center back.
Speaker: um I think that he kind of got his answer today of what the best arrangement is for Alex rolled on because he had a stretch of games where I was getting a little frustrated with Alex rolled on at center back. I didn't think his distribution was that good from the middle of the park.
Speaker: And defensively, I thought the Sounders were lacking something without a true full-time center back there at both center back roles. Alex rolled on on the right side, being able to get involved in the attack, get higher up the pitch. Some of the balls that he was shaping into the box were just perfectly done. He was so active. It looked like he was re-energized by the fact that he was put back out wide.
Speaker: I want him to stay out wide for as much of this season as possible. And it is going to be possible now that Yemar Gomez Andrade is back. Stu Hawkins, he's proven himself that he is an MLS starter.
Speaker: You know, the the coaches, the players, they are singing the praises of Stuart Hawkins. They're Jackson Reagan calling him a future MLS all-star, future one of the best center backs in MLS, could have a future in Europe if he wanted to.
Speaker: Brian Schmetzer has said that this is a guy who could be making U.S. national team appearances in the future. He has more than proven himself to be a starting level MLS center back. And Brian Schmetzer is even giving him the nod as not necessarily a third choice behind Jackson Reagan and Yemar Gomez Andrade. He is leaving the door open for Stu Hawkins to be one of those starters, even with a fully healthy back line.
Speaker: Absolutely. And look, I cannot agree more. I think that Alex Rodin's ability to not just create overlaps and underlaps and and being in an offensive presence, there isn't a lot of guys that in his position are able to also defend from the inside areas. You know, he's told us many a times that in this system, sometimes he is ah so inside that he just becomes another midfielder. I think that this was another game that all of that was...
Speaker: very accurate and he provides the best service from that side of any player. I mean, there was an opportunity that was missed on a Danny Mussovsky header right before the half, I'm not mistaken, ah Alex Roldan takes his base, picks up his head, see that there's potential for a couple of runners into the 18 and then just puts an absolute perfect ball in terms of pace, position, too far away for the goalkeeper to make a run on it. perfectly in front and well behind the the the center back. And if it's not for a Danny Mussovsky that I thought hesitated to get to that ball and then kind of closes his eyes and puts down his head, that's a goal. And that is all coming in from a right back position that in this system, right, where you got inverted wingers is such a key fun ah ah you know fundamental presence for this team. But Jeremiah, you got some for me? Oh, yeah. so one of the things people pointed out and I did notice on the rewatch is Danny does get a good tug on the back on that on that chance. ah So, you know, there was a couple of these kind of penalty shout ish kind of situations. And then there is also then, of course, Alex Rodon, maybe his best play was that one in the second half where he cut it back, put the guy on the ground and then blasted a ball to the near post that.
Speaker: Somehow, Calendar got a hand to him and hit it off the post. But he he was he did look good. I was starting to wonder if he just wasn't capable of playing right back anymore. But, I mean, he looked very capable in this Yeah, there there was a bit of a scary moment that still kind of tells me that he might not be 100%.
Speaker: ah but we You know, they call that hip thing chronicle. And there's a, I think it's still in the first half where he tries to get a ball and his foot kind of gets stuck and he kind of goes down and you're thinking, oh man, you know, no contact injury. But thankfully he gets back up. But yes, I think that Alex looked just as good as you know he did earlier in the year.
Speaker: And I think he's just fundamental. If this Sounders team is going to continue to build up points and is going to have any chance at when Joe Volish comes back, getting the best service possible, Alex is one of the guys. Alex is one of the guys because he is able to do it from all over the pitch. And he is probably the one player that because of that overload that he creates sometimes, you know, he has a lot of time to put in the ball wherever he wants and he could put the ball wherever he wants. Yeah, shout out in the chat, Derek Richards. Three in a row on Thursday, sky is the limit. It certainly feels like the team could go out and win a third right now with how they're being with how they're going out and attacking games. We said it before on our last show going the ah RSL game, you said it very well that this team needs to go out from the very start and just grab that game and attack it.
Speaker: And at the halftime of that RSL game, I was in the dumps. I was i was not impressed. I was very negative. That was that was one of the most boring 45 minutes of soccer I've seen in a long time. And I just thought if they keep doing that, then that that we have to kiss the season goodbye. Like that's just not good enough against that team.
Speaker: They came out and they turned it around. What I will say is that it seemed like in both this Minnesota game and the ah RSL game, the Sounders needed a spark before they really turned it on.
Speaker: They were better than Minnesota before that first goal, but they didn't look that creative. They didn't look like they were doing anything that was really threatening to open up the scoring. And when the goal does come, that's just beautiful play. That's not a team goal in the sense that it's this huge buildup that that goes down from one end of the pitch to the other and just breaks down the defense. It's really a matter of one perfect pass and a really incredible finish from Jordan Morris. if There's that bit of brilliance, and there is the shot by Danny Mazovsky against ah RSL from distance, which is not something that Danny Mazovsky is known for.
Speaker: But once that goal goes in early on in the second half, then the Sounders are right on top of RSL. Then they're doing what they should be doing from the onset of that match to Real Salt Lake. And it is the same for the Minnesota match that before that first goal went in, it didn't look immediate that that goal was going to go in. It looks slow.
Speaker: It looked a bit laborious at times. You've talked about this before the fact that this team, and I don't think you're imagining it is having a problem with these slow starts. They do need to pick that up when it comes to after this homestand. You're not playing teams that are below you in the standings because teams that are going confident to come out and counter press you and push the back line and force you to break out of a press. It's just it's looking like a team that's not going to be comfortable in those situations, especially to start games off.
Speaker: No, totally. And not every team is going to allow Albert Rusnak in the 15th minute to pick up a ball in his own half, kind of just drive it all the way to the other side, and then just have all the time in the world to pick out what he wants to you know hit up Jordan on on that play. And although you know he does a phenomenal job, that as we say in in in football, sometimes ah a quarterback throws you open. I think that he plays Jordan open in the back end. But you're right, not every team is going to give you the you know, easiest ways of of getting your way the way that Minnesota has. Maybe, you know, you're not going to have a team like Arisal with 10 injuries. And we'll see what happens against Sporting Gas City because they've found a little bit of a genie in a bottle in in one Andrew Luis, who's just been phenomenal. But moving forward, I do think that there's at least one more piece of business that we've got to talk about. And it is...
Speaker: Kaden Clark. He gets his first start. He was okay. Didn't really get on the ball as much as I thought that he would. You could tell that there isn't that rapport with him because whenever the team was moving forward, it seemed like you go to the people that you trust most, right? He was going to go to Alex Rodan. He was going to go directly into Jordan Morris. Albert Rosnack, of course, was running all the reins. Even Denny Misowski, I think, was getting, ah trying to get more involved. that They were trying to get him more involved than they were Kidd and Clark. So it is something where when he had the ball, I thought he was good. i thought that he's passing.
Speaker: ah You know, was on point. Not every single pass was like a line-breaking pass, but he definitely helps in possession. And I feel like that's something that might, help them earn more minutes because if there's something that Brian has been talking about is his team being better in possession.
Speaker: And again, it's Minnesota, but the possession was great. Adding more minutes to the the long spells of possession, it is Brian's master ball.
Speaker: You need to be able to at least keep it. got to be able to link up. And I thought that whether it was in the one twos, whether it was trying to switch the ball or simply just dropping back, Caden Clark was pretty good. However, you want to see a little bit more from, from him, of course. But when he comes to playing in those inside channels, in those inside pockets, ah you know, I thought he was all right.
Speaker: Yeah. We were talking before the show about the fact that Caden Clark has looked most effective in his very young tenure with the Sounders when it's been working out a little bit of a of a chaotic situation when he just jumps on a loose ball, maybe in transition, you know, the goal he had against Colorado was one of those where it didn't necessarily come from this big buildup. It kind of came out of nothing.
Speaker: And I think the same thing happened in this Minnesota game where when things were picking up the tempo, when he see he was able to glide past the defense i'm on the run and pick up a ball in a little bit of chaos, he looks very dangerous. He's obviously very technologically. gifted. We've always known that about Caden Clark.
Speaker: I was a little surprised to see him get the start in this match. I think that says a couple things. First of all, it speaks to the fact that he has integrated very quickly and very well. We've talked about how good he's looked in training.
Speaker: Great sign for him, a player who has been in some not great situations in his career. It seems very obvious that this is perhaps the best situation he has found himself in. He said that himself candidly, that this is the best organized organization He believes he's found himself within. He said that within a couple weeks of being here.
Speaker: That's great to hear. What I also think it says is that Brian Schmetzer really likes Sebastian Gomez coming off the bench because the way Sebastian Gomez has been playing, You would think that that would maybe earn him starts in games like this, but he's looked so good when he does come on in the 60th minute as that game breaker who has the energy and the confidence.
Speaker: So I think this might have been a case of Brian Schmetzer putting Caden Clark in knowing that it's It's 60 minutes. He's going to have the option to put in Seba Gomez and Seba Gomez is going to cause problems for that Minnesota back line. And that's exactly what happened. Once again, another great shift some from Sebastian Gomez. He's a big part of that third goal. He's so patient in the buildup as he waits for the lines to get back and he waits for the runners to get in.
Speaker: Finds Albert after drawing a defender closer to him. So Albert Rusnak's in all sorts of space. And with the form that Albert Rusnak is in, he's going to find the runner on the right side in Paul Areola. And it's a great finish from Paul.
Speaker: as well. But a lot of credit, Sebastian Gomez on that third goal and a lot of credit to keeping this form up with young players. You sometimes wonder, is this a little spark, a little flash of confidence that's going to fizzle out? We maybe saw that with Sander Brunel happen this season, but Sebastian Gomez has kept it up.
Speaker: He has remained in there as someone you want seeing the pitch for at least 30 minutes, if not more, every single game. Yeah. And look, this is a formula that has worked for Brian's master in the past. He always has a spark blood guy, an emergency guy, a injection of adrenaline, Pulp Fiction style to the heart of the team. And he wakes it up immediately. used to be Paul Rothrock at one point and then Paul Rothrock became a starter. Now Sebastian Gomez could play that role of being a guy that comes in late and immediately sparks the game the the team into gear. And in this game, you know, that was kind of part of it. And when you have a guy that's as good in 1v1 situations and you're going against tired legs, I mean, that is going to be disastrous for any defense, right? He's going to collapse anything that gets in front of him. So this is something that I do feel like Brian has done in the past. And I think he's found his guy, whether it's him or Kaden Clark. i mean because obviously you're going have Joe Vlis back after this morning in the city game. So we'll see what that looks like. But you're going to have a lot more options. And I've said it so much this year.
Speaker: Sometimes just having those pieces coming off from the bench is just as important to finish up a game, right? Because games get stale, games get difficult. We've heard Brian talk about eps and flows of the games. And when the game is at an all-time low and you're unable to really get it going, you need those guys coming off the bench. And I think Seba is one of those. And look, Jordan Morris himself, I thought that he's been so good at reading moments in the game. He's looked so hungry.
Speaker: He's looked so hungry. And I think you mentioned it before we started the show. when When he had to move to the ninth position, I mean, he was just relentless. And he was just pushing. I think that Seba Gomez is one guy that,
Speaker: is always looking for Jordan Morris. he He just understands that he is the guy that you got to try to feed when he's playing that night position. And to me, that's that's a great combination. Yeah, I was worried at times that Sebastian Gomez, with how much success he's had in one-on-one and dribbling right at opponents in the wide areas, that he was going to overdo it in games like this coming off the bench. But like I said, in that third goal, he still has his head up. He's looking for other options. He's looking for Albert. He's looking for Jordan. And to speak on Jordan Morris's play, we heard it from both the players and the coaches that you can talk about the fact that he scored a goal. It was a great goal. He's looked very goal hungry over the last little little run, but his off the ball play has been crucial to how this team wants to break down a defense because his ability to break a line with a run, keep a back line uncomfortable, especially when you're working against a more defensive team with a back five,
Speaker: or a backboard, lower block, he is able to keep those backline defenders on their toes with a quick run. And that's what Jordan Morris made his career on, is that he is always liable to break in behind. Even if that delivery doesn't come, he's going to free up space for other players, especially once we get Dejan Jovalich back and that space is created for an elite number nine like Dejan.
Speaker: Having Jordan Morris at this type of form, not only with the ball at his feet, but off the ball is going to make this offense click in a way that I think we haven't seen so far this season. Look, I absolutely agree.
Speaker: A couple of questions before we kind of finalize the the segment of just going over this game. Hasani Dotson won that role next to k Christian for you? Or are you still waiting to see what happens with ah Snyder Burnett? Now, it's interesting because Hassani Dotson is going to be serving suspension for the next game on a couple of yellow cards. So Snyder Brunel is going to be in that role against Sporting Kansas City.
Speaker: I'm kind of thinking of that as a last audition for Snyder Brunel to say I deserve to get some starts down the stretch because the last couple of games, Hassani's looked very solid. Snyder has not looked as solid.
Speaker: How it looks right now is that Hassani Dotson is going to be that number one guy and Snyder Brunel is going to be a guy who comes in and cleans up if Hassani's having an off shift or just situationally you want something like a player who can get further up from the midfields and provide more of an attacking spark because I think Snyder provides that more than Hassani does generally.
Speaker: um But at the moment, I think that Hassani Dotson has the role. Snyder has one more chance here against Sporting Kansas City to turn his form around and make Brian think about that more.
Speaker: JL, what do you think about the whole Hassani? Are you ready to give him that position? I mean, I think he, he to me, it looks like he's winning the job right now. But unfortunately, Snyder Brunel actually won't be available against Sporting Kansas City because he's going to the U-20s.
Speaker: ah So this is the one game he's going to miss. Really unfortunate timing. In hindsight, you almost would have maybe started him against ah Minnesota, and then you'd have Dotson potentially ready to go. I don't know. a bit Whatever. that's ah Your boy, Peter Kingston, probably going to get a run in this game.
Speaker: Peter Kingston? No, I mean, I don't think you have anybody else. they' They've dabbled with Sebastian Gomez there, guess. Maybe Alex. Maybe Alex. Maybe you drop. I'm kidding, Mario.
Speaker: ah But yeah, no there's definitely not a lot of choices. Therefore, the Sounders, lucky for them, ah sporting Kansas City on paper doesn't look like a thread, but you know we'll see what happens cause they were coming of ah of of a very good game. Last question.
Speaker: And before we, I think we're going to touch on the business meeting a bit, J.O., or is that something that you're interested in? Yeah, some not we can we can talk about that. But the question is,
Speaker: Are the Sounders back? Are you ready to say the Sounders are back? You know, what's your level of confidence? Are they back? Yes and no.
Speaker: Yes, the Sounders are the Sounders playing against teams that are in their part of the standings. They have not yet proven it against a squad that is a surefire playoff team, a squad that is confident to press them high up the pitch.
Speaker: Once they can... play even if they can play 45 minutes of what we saw in this ah RSL in Minnesota game against a more middle or higher table team then I will confidently be able to say that the Sounders are back and that's assuming that being back means being a competitor a playoff format where you can be a dark horse you can make a run you're always a threat to get towards a Western Conference final to get a couple rounds into the playoffs and That is yet to be seen.
Speaker: What we have seen, though, you can only play the teams that are on your schedule, and the Sounders have done everything necessary to prove that they are still what they have been. Yeah, I don't think they're back, not just yet.
Speaker: I think they're trending in the right direction. i feel like... Once we figure out exactly what the best 11 is, we give some continuity to the starting 11 and we grasp a little bit what the ceiling and floor is to this team once again, because I kind of feel like we lost all sorts of you know assessments that we had and and the margins that we thought that they had. So for me, you're right, Adam. I would have to wait until maybe that refs game at New England. that That's going to be a good parameter. Maybe at Dallas. Those two games, I think, are going to be very important to just figure out where this team is at, who's healthy enough to play. And and you know what what what typically is a Sounders team that, if they're back,
Speaker: They're not a pretender. They're a contender. And whether you go in at eighth or seventh or sixth, or it doesn't matter where and in in which way, whether it's to the play-in or you go straight into the playoffs, they're always a threat. Jeremiah, are they back?
Speaker: I mean, I think they are showing that they can be back, and that's a pretty big, you know, we we won't really know if they're really back. Even this Kansas City game, they could win this Kansas City game. I think there's still going to be questions, but, know, very conveniently, there is a big test coming up after Kansas City.
Speaker: They're going to go to New England Revolution, who you may, if you haven't been paying attention, they are ah charging up the a table in the East. They're not going to catch Nashville or anything, but they are, they're looking pretty strong.
Speaker: And then they got FC Dallas after that, who is again, a team, if you're not paying attention, these guys are, are, are actually pushing for the the West right now, them and St. Louis city are starting to close ground on Vancouver. So ah some good tests are coming back.
Speaker: I think after this next road trip, we're going to be able to really say, are they back? Because if they are, you know, if they can win this Kansas city game, big step,
Speaker: but then they got two good tests. If they can get points in those games, I'll feel a lot better about ah saying they can go really ah up against just about anyone in the West and, and have a puncher's chance.
Speaker: Totally agree. Well, without further ado, if you have any comments, if you have any takes about this game, go ahead and put them down on the comments. Let us know. Share, like, subscribe. Help us grow.
Speaker: But in the meantime, J.O., I was unable to get there on time for the ah business meeting because of family ah commitments, unfortunately. But... ah Look, I'm kind of curious about what you thought. I've you know i've gotten some feedback from a lot of fans. Some is good. Some maybe they're waiting to see if this is not one of those, you know, politician telling you that things are going to change when they're not. You know, what was your take on on the whole thing?
Speaker: Well, ah you know, let's start off with this. I'm going to play a audio clip or a a video clip from the ah annual business meeting in which I think this was the the thing that most people were talking about. It is Adrian Hanauer giving the first part of his answer about potentially moving to Renton.
Speaker: So let's go ahead and play that. We'll put that up right now. And yeah.
Speaker: Okay, so here's... I'll just let the audio go. and Go ahead, Jeremiah. Give me a sound check, baby. Let's go. Yeah, all right. It's going right now. You can't hear it, obviously, but Hey, everyone. David Goss here from SoccerWise. I am coming to you with our MLS Minute presented by Continental Tire. We are so excited to be working with some of the best local MLS coverage in the league as part of our new collective.
Speaker: So after you're done listening hear about your team, come on over and listen to myself, Doyle, and Tom talk about the USMNT and all of Major League Soccer. Yes, Monday we're talking USMNT because the kids blew out Peru. So we'll have full coverage of that as well as full coverage off the bat of the Chile match on Wednesday. And we expect to have a USWNT roster to break down this week as well. This was of course a chaos weekend in MLS with international breaks and a lot of players missing, but the points still count and there was a lot of movement in the standings. Let's dig into it and start with Philadelphia who wrote a Milan Oloski hat trick to a four to win over Orlando.
Speaker: Philadelphia have now taken 32 points from their last 12 matches, which is tied for the most points in any 12 games span in MLS history with the Seattle Sounders back in 2018.
Speaker: Nashville kept up the pace at the top of the shield race with the honey moved our brace to knock off TFC. They stretch their lead a little bit with the revs losing to a stumbling RSL on the road and Vancouver drawing in a wild 3-3 game out west.
Speaker: FC Dallas took advantage in the West with 1-0 win over LAFC. So now they are three points off the top of the conference. And San Jose stayed hot on their tails, led by Preston Judd and throttled the Portland Timbers.
Speaker: Cincinnati have fallen out of the playoffs with a 3-1 loss in Montreal to a team that only dressed... 14 players for this game. It wasn't the only wild result on the weekend. Austin scored three goals in 14 minutes to come from 3-0 down to draw San Diego at home. And one of the players who might decide the playoff race for every team might be SKC's Andre Luis. The $18 million dollars man has terrorized his opponents and teams are starting to drop points to an SKC team that was on pace to be the worst in MLS history. This week, it was the Houston Dynamo falling off second place in the West with a 2-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City. One note to watch out for St. Louis Red Bulls game was canceled due to weather. It's been moved to this Wednesday. So additional MLS game coming into this international break, which will fare better for St. Louis, who's only missing one player in Damon Downs to the 10 players that the Red Bulls have called up, including, of course, Julian Hall, who scored in his national team debut.
Speaker: We will have all of your MLS, NWSL, U.S. s national team coverage for you on the SoccerWise channels all week. This has been the MLS Minute. It's a part of our SoccerWise media collective sponsored by Continental Tire, where we are proud to work with local soccer media partners across the country.
Speaker: Thank you for listening to the Sounder Heart Podcast Network, which recently added Monday Soundcheck to our roster of shows. Soundcheck airs live on Mondays at 1 p.m. You can watch it on our YouTube channel or listen to it at your convenience, however you consume podcasts. It joins a roster that already includes Nos Adietes, which airs on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Cooler Guild, who cover the Seattle rain. If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a member of Sounder at Heart.
Speaker: Subscriptions start as low as $30 a year, which gets you access to everything we produce in an ad-free RSS feed from all our podcasts. At the $75 level, you'll also get an invite to our members-only Discord, where the smartest, funniest, and most attractive readers all hang out.
Speaker: Our operation is almost entirely reader and listener funded and has allowed us to become one of the top independent sites covering soccer in all of North America. If you really like what we do and have a business you think would benefit from a relationship with us,
Speaker: We're also looking for sponsors. Send an email to partners at pnwsoccermedia.com and we'll get you all set up. Thanks for listening. Thank you, Adrian, for that that long answer. But that that I think that gives people the the the sense of sort of what we're talking about. This was, I think, the topic that got most people's attention.
Speaker: Understandably, I mean, they're talking about this is, ah you know, this has been building to give you guys a little bit of history. This has been building for you know, three years, I think three years ago is when i believe Hugh Weber first told Sounder at Heart that they were considering the possibility of moving to Renton. But it's been kind of on the back burner. They haven't talked about it a lot.
Speaker: And so this was the most extensive comments for sure that Adrian has ever made publicly, both about why they they need to do this and Renton specifically.
Speaker: And honestly, it seems like Renton is the the favored location, not for anything in particular, other than they have land there. They have access to land.
Speaker: No one seems to be enamored with the idea of moving to Renton. And in case you don't know, Long Acres is not like in downtown Renton. It is in a office park and wetlands.
Speaker: And there's just nothing really there. There is, like Adrian said, there is a train stop that literally ah is is connected to the property. But it's a train stop for Amtrak and for the Sounder.
Speaker: The Sounder, of course, does not run on the normal schedule that you would want for the Sounders. And getting it to do that is not as easy as asking. ah That is a major infrastructure change that is that might never happen because Sounder does not own those rails. That's owned by BNSF.
Speaker: We can get into a whole other thing about that. But this this was the topic I think that most people ah came away talking about. Well, if I can get on my soapbox for here for a second, Jeremiah. ahead. Go ahead. so I understand all those reasons as to why he wants to move it to Long Acres and Renton. He has the land there.
Speaker: So that's where he wants to move it. He doesn't want to have to deal with finding land that he doesn't already have and all these other reasons. The way that he approached this for these comments he's made were insulting to me.
Speaker: The fact that he is dancing around the fact that this is a financial decision. That is why this is being made. He brings up, they don't have locker rooms. You can't see it on the front of the stadium.
Speaker: ah Do we swear on this show? Is that... Hey, bullshit. That's that's just bullshit. He's just saying things to try to make it sound like this isn't a financial decision.
Speaker: And then he talks about the atmosphere of a soccer specific stadium, which that's just a backhanded insult to our own fans, our own atmosphere, as if we haven't created one of the best atmospheres in MLS for the last 17 years.
Speaker: at Lumen Field, because we absolutely have. He's just trying to make us feel like we want this, like this is a decision for us. And he brings up this this Pierce County resident.
Speaker: I think we have this Pierce County resident in the chat here, Johnzilla16, saying, I believe I'm the person he's referencing. I'm from Pierce County. And he wants to make that clear, that he is not excited about a stadium in Renton. And I'm sure Adrian, when he when he heard even a little bit of that in whatever meeting that came up in, his ears perked up and he's like, oh,
Speaker: I can make people feel like this is something the fans want, that this is something that's good for the fans. He doesn't care. That's not why he's making this decision. He might, I'm not going to speak on the the character of Adrian Hanauer and necessarily say that he doesn't care at all about the fans and about the fan experience.
Speaker: That's not his priority. And the fact that he's coming into this meeting and trying to make it sound like this is a priority thing about atmosphere about having the culture of it, having their own stadium, of us being disrespected by being in Lumen Field.
Speaker: That's a crock of shit. That's not true. It is about the money of it, that he wants to control the stadium. He wants to control the concessions. He wants to have this level of control that you don't have at Lumen Field.
Speaker: Financially, that makes a lot of sense. I wish he would just come out and say that. I really wish he didn't have to sugarcoat it with all of this because it just goes to show that he feels he does have to hide this behind other things.
Speaker: And also, as fans, you know, this idea of this is six years out. We have six more years left on the lease. We have time to to not think about this. No!
Speaker: Get mad now. This is something that is going to be addressed now because as Adrian said, this is something that takes time to happen. It's something that it's a decision that's going to made ahead of time.
Speaker: You don't have time to just be complaining. This is where you have to get angry and you have to realize that if you don't take action, if you don't show management that this isn't acceptable,
Speaker: They're just going to do it because it makes the most financial sense. And at the end of the day, that's what they're going to want to do. They're going to want to do what makes the most financial sense for them.
Speaker: The fact that they are saying all these things about it's what we want. You know, it's what the fans want. The fans want, you know, raise your hand. If you guys have been to a soccer specific stadium, he's trying to make us believe that it's for us. It has never been about us. If this decision was made, it is not about us. I have been going to the game since I was six years old.
Speaker: I remember the inaugural match against the Red Bulls and how amazing that felt to be in that atmosphere. I watched this business meeting. I wasn't able to be there live.
Speaker: I watched it the other day and i was just in an awful mood the whole day. And it started as anger and it just turned into this sadness because it it felt like, it felt like they've made up their mind of what they want to do and that they're just floating it and starting to put it into our heads. they like, yeah, this is, this might be something that's going to happen. And, oh man, I mean, if wouldn't it be great guys to have our own stadium?
Speaker: And, I'm just scared. I'm just worried because if you look at other parts in this meeting, um I find it very frustrating and very contradictory that you hear comments from Adrian, from Craig about the fact that's what's special about the Seattle Sounders as an organization is that there's so much consistency. There's so much consistency with the players. There's so much consistency with the management, with the fans. And they talk about how that's what sets this club apart.
Speaker: The least consistent thing you can do as a soccer team is pick up shop and move down to Renton, all love to Renton. I think it gets a worse rap than people are are saying here. It's a lovely town.
Speaker: it's not this It's not Seattle. It's far away from all these people who built up this fan base, who built up this club. it It is going to irreversibly, in my opinion, negatively change the charette trajectory of this club's history if we move down to Renton. I'm just getting scared that it's a decision that's already been made.
Speaker: Hey, Cook. Cook, my man. I like that. Love the passion. love Love him just going for it. And look, this is why... this is the show for you guys to listen to. And look, we're going to scrap the rest of the, the, the show. We have to, as long as we put up this sort of content, because I know that's what you guys want to hear. That's what you guys want to comment. I read you guys. I hear you guys look to me.
Speaker: I think that there are reasons why it is important to have a soccer specific stadium, but I feel like Adrian Hanauer at least in this specific meeting, kind of touched on all the wrong topics and repressed all the wrong buttons for the fan base, starting with, you know, the whole 25,000 as ah the ideal ah size of this stadium.
Speaker: I'm sure i remember who was the one who, the person who put the comment in, but I would totally agree with you. To me, ever since this new facility in Renton kind of came about and I was able to talk to Hugh Weber for as long as he was here, my question was always, how are you working to grow your fan base, right?
Speaker: Because to me, this is... some of the best product, if not the best product in MLS in terms of the community, the history, the championships, everything that surrounds the Seattle Sunners to me is better than New York. It's better than Miami. And those teams in the biggest metropolis in the United States can find a way to fit a stadium in those cities. So don't tell me it's impossible.
Speaker: that That's my problem with it you telling me that it's impossible to keep it in Seattle. I understand that right now, maybe you don't have the space for it, but taking away that illusion, that vision for your fan base to feel like there's going to be a way for you to put that stadium where it is when it's ready to, to me is important and capping the amount of people that are going to come see your team at 25,000 to me and I don't know how true this is, to me, it's a little bit insulting because I feel like there is enough of a product here that you can build on of what you have now. Don't be complacent. Don't be happy with what you've already done. Don't rely on prior ah success.
Speaker: Think about how are you going to make more people come watch, to me, the the best soccer atmosphere in MLS. Make it that. Turn it into it so people feel like it is a reliable product that they're going to continue to have in the future. So I hate that Adrian kind of touched in in those topics that to me feel more like someone that, yes, wants to do it now, maybe because of what you said, Adam, in terms of the money aspect of it. But I do know that, you know, the calendar and having to be just a tent in Lumenfield is a problem, right? I hate the fact that this team has missed so many opportunities to make big games happen because there is a monster truck event a weekend or because Carol G is coming to town. I don't know. Whatever it is that that happens, you have very little control over.
Speaker: But to me, the problem is, your idea of what people want to hear and no one wants to go to Renton and look as a as a Ken native I'll tell you that you know not every place in Ken is awful and neither is any place in Renton but again it's not Seattle I want the stadium for the Seattle Sounders to be an icon of the city to feel like when I'm flying to the city say there's Lumen there's T-Mobile and there's the Sounders Stadium the there's a sense of pride. There's a sense of connectivity. And if we are the team that as we preach every single time and Adrian preaches this and ah Brian preaches this, we are the Seattle team.
Speaker: Then you got to play in Seattle. You got to be able to make it happen. ah Look, if you decide to go in this other way and bring it to Renton, and look, it's going to be a headache to to get it there.
Speaker: My fear, as Adam said, is that you're going to make a decision where you spend so much money that you're unable to get... get back from that bad decision and then the product goes from bad to worse and you lose a huge part of your fan base and you lose that connectivity with your soccer community so to me adrian hanauer needs to find a way to at least keep that hope alive to keep the team in seattle jayle
Speaker: Jeremiah, you can go ahead. I have some quotes I want to ah want to go over from the meeting, but Jeremiah, I want to hear what you have to say as well. Yeah, I mean, I'm i'm totally with you guys. i My concern about the Renton Stadium is it's a generation it's a potentially a generational mistake.
Speaker: you know this is a You don't build out there unless you're going to be out there for 25, 50 years forever. ah and And I suppose there's a future where the area around the stadium gets built up. I know that's the plan.
Speaker: And so it's sometimes it's hard to envision you know exactly the completed project that they're putting out there. But they're but you're right, Adam. This is about money. It's about controlling revenue streams.
Speaker: And... I think there is a practical argument to be made, which is if this if we want the Sounders to be able to keep up with the rest of the league, ah they probably do need to have more control over their revenue streams than they have right now.
Speaker: But I am just very skeptical that Renton is going to be the panacea that they see it as. I think it more likely will be sort of ah the same, but worse, if if that makes sense.
Speaker: And, ah you know, i'm I'm not, I'm not, I don't love this idea at all. I've heard all the arguments for it. I think that The biggest thing for me is you look at the teams who have left the cities that they are named after, Chicago, Dallas, even LA, New England, and all of these teams, or I guess New England is in New England, but you get my point. They're not in Boston.
Speaker: All these teams are relatively irrelevant in their market, in their home market. and And a lot of that is they're out of sight, out of mind. and And sure, you can argue that almost every ah MLS team is is sort of irrelevant in their larger market. But that's the one superpower that the Sounders have is that they are actually relevant in Seattle.
Speaker: And moving them out of Seattle sort of takes away their superpower. And now they're just another recyclable ah MLS team. Seattle is really what makes the Sounders different.
Speaker: And I'm really worried that going to Renton just makes them essentially like everyone else. At risk of spending too much time just being angry and and you know speaking in between the lines on what Adrian said and what Craig said, I want to go through some of the quotes from this specific section of the meeting that stood out to me.
Speaker: First of all, when he's going over the reasons that ah he says untenable is the is the word he used for staying at Lumen Field. He starts with the locker rooms. He then goes to postering on front of the stadium or stuff like that.
Speaker: And then he kind of sneaks in after he says three or four of these things. He says, quote, revenue opportunities are unacceptable. That's all he says about that. That's the reason he's doing this. And he feels he has to sneak it in behind all of these things in one quick little sentence.
Speaker: I really wish he would just say that because that is the main reason behind this. And he's trying to hide it. That's one thing. He also says, quote, we need a stadium that fans feel a connection to.
Speaker: I understand what you mean that if we have a soccer specific stadium, that that is a unique Sounders thing. The implication that Lumen Field is just some plastic pop-up that the Sounders have been floating around and people have grumbled and been like, oh, we'll go to Lumen. I love the Sounders. But no, the history of this club is at Lumen Field. There has to be some respect given to that, whether or not He says, quote,
Speaker: that is one question the idea that this has just been some place where we've been is insulting and ridiculous he also says quote i'm one of those people that believes change sucks Why say that? There's no reason to say that. you you In this situation, you don't believe that. And one of the most, ah you know, i I paused the YouTube and I got up and paced the room when he said this. He says, quote, there's a chance we lose some fans.
Speaker: I don't believe we'll lose all of you. that's That's disgusting. That's a disgusting thing to say in a room full of people who have given over a decade of their lives, multiple decades of their lives, thousands and thousands of dollars to this club.
Speaker: All the tears and emotions and highs and lows to sit there and say that to them is disgusting. I can't believe he would say that to them, but it shows that he understands that this is going to be something that loses a lot of fans.
Speaker: I'm not sure if he truly believes that it's going to be this thing where there's still 25,000 people filling up a stadium. It could be that he truly believes that the people of, of you know, the fans of Pierce County, the fears the fans of Renton and South King County are going to fill up that stadium. I don't think that's a ridiculous thing to think.
Speaker: I don't know if that's what he believes or if he just knows that even if we pit 15,000 people in that stadium, that the revenue is still going to be higher because they control all of it. I don't know if it's one of those two things. All I know is that that is a insulting thing to say. I cannot believe he said that.
Speaker: And going to what Craig said, he says, quote, continuity and consistency is the only thing that creates culture and sport. And Adrian's next to him nodding his head. What are you talking about? That that is the opposite of this whole this whole idea. You're destroying the continuity and consistency of this club by moving it down to Renton.
Speaker: You're thinking it's some kind of exception to this rule of what makes the Sounders so special because it comes down to the revenue. I also would like to say later on in the Open Cup conversations, they say, quote, when we open up Starfire, we struggle to sell 2,500 tickets.
Speaker: And then there's this awkward pause. And someone's like, oh, yeah, that's three quarters of a mile from Renton. Yes. You know, the Open Cup's a whole different competition. Obviously, it's a matter of interest, but I've been to some games at Starfire. I've worked some games at Starfire.
Speaker: um There's problems in the infrastructure of that stadium itself, but also the fact of getting down there is people don't want to get down there as often. I'm seeing in the chat people are talking about they dropped the ball on the on the Memorial Stadium.
Speaker: um You know, not having... that That's more complicated because that's with Seattle Public Schools and everything. yeah that you know that's that would have be ah ah That would have been amazing if they were able to get Memorial Stadium as even a possibility. that That would have been iconic.
Speaker: um But... The point is, is that they they contradict themselves. They, at times, I think, spit in the faces of the people that came to this meeting. you know, I was very upset with some of the things that Adrian said in this meeting. And what's frustrating about it is that there are real reasons that they want to build a new stadium.
Speaker: He went about this in a way that is very insulting to the people who have put decades of their life, thousands and thousands of dollars, all their emotion into this team.
Speaker: and right Right now, it it doesn't seem like he cares very much. Yeah, look, going to play the devil's advocate here, but I will say this. The quotes are bad. and And I do think that Adrian...
Speaker: means well at times. He just doesn't articulate it well. And I am with you that specifically the thing about losing fans just sounds off. What I would say is this. I think that, and shout out to Derek Richards for $10, $10. Send our way. Appreciate it. um I think Adrian is in some way saying, look, if we build, they'll come.
Speaker: Because he, in his mind, is so sure of his fan base that they are going to stay true no matter where they are. they're the Sounders. they're No matter where they're going playing, they're going to come. So he's betting on the fans saying, look, going to lose maybe those that are not true, real fans to a certain extent.
Speaker: but But the real ones that I've been there from the beginning will come. But he just phrased it so poorly. And it does sound insulting in the way he kind of put it out there. but But in that same sense, if you understand and you know the value of your fan base, then don't give them a consolation prize by putting them in the outskirts of the city.
Speaker: And anybody who's been at Starfire for an Open Cup game, i mean, those are the exact same issues you're going to have at Long Acres. Because have you ever been in the...
Speaker: bottleneck traffic that happens when there is an open cup gain. I mean, getting out of Starfire is a two-hour adventure. So all of those things is maybe what he's not quite looking at.
Speaker: i will say that two things can be true. I think that there is a money aspect that clearly is going to benefit him and maybe the soccer team in general. But then there's also the ability to be able to control you know, your own schedule and your own things. And yes, look, I would love to have, you know, maybe sections of the stadium that are named after legendary players like Chad Marshall and Clint Dempsey and Ossie Alonso and Nicolas Odero, that there's a statue of Nico and Brian hogging it out. I don't care. Like, look, there could be some really cool stuff happening, but,
Speaker: The settling part is what I have an issue with. Settling for this is what we're going to give you. Is this or nothing? that That's what I don't like. And to your point, when it comes to continuity and and building, don't take away the march that happens all the time. you know Ever since I can remember my son being four or five years old and him watching that march and marching with everybody all way to the stadium, that that is a cultural, historic moment.
Speaker: bond between fan and team you can't take that away so you got to be able to put it in somewhere look at this point I really you have a barge of 20,000 people in one barge and we'll just play the games there to close enough so we can have a march from Pioneer Square rather than putting it Renton I mean i just don't I will never settle on this team not being able to keep that team in the city.
Speaker: I, like I said, this team has been a part of my life since I was conscious, you know, since I was seven years old. um I love this team. I love being able to report on this team. I loved when I was just a fan of this team.
Speaker: If the team moves to Renton in six years, I do not think I'm even close to alone in saying this, that in my mind, the Seattle Sounders will be gone.
Speaker: That's not the same team. And I'm not going to be able to think of it as the team that I grew up with. I think that the one constant of things that destroy even great sports franchises is instability.
Speaker: And this is the biggest bit of instability that you can possibly put on this club. The fans have made it clear. i don't I can't even count the amount of comments I've seen, amount of people I've talked to in person.
Speaker: um yeah Shout out to my own parents who brought me to those games in 2009. I've been inaugural season ticket holders. If the team goes to Renton, a lot of these season ticket members, inaugural season ticket members, people who have lived and died by this club, are not going to follow it.
Speaker: And there's this idea that like, oh, some will follow it. Don't think like that. these Every single one of these people, keeping them involved should feel like life and death for ownership. And right now, the fact that it seems like they are able to sacrifice a large number of these people who have been with this club through thick and thin, it's so disheartening to me.
Speaker: Yeah, I agree. I would just read some comments here. ah You know, they're comparing 49ers leaving San Francisco. It's so whack. They're from Jerome Mack. There's a lot of, you know, people who just were upset and they they call um Adrian just tone deaf to a certain degree. And I feel like There is some some of that where, you know, just the way you phrase things and the way you tone things and the way you portray your your your vision, and maybe that vision isn't there. So, I mean, I don't want to sit here and and say that that's what it is, but I think there were very...
Speaker: of this quotes that you just read that I don't know if Adrian realizes that they were so off on the wrong side, but, uh, JL, anything else aside from this that you want to point out before, uh, we move on to, uh, the, the match of, uh, the best match of match day.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, I, I just, the story I wrote, uh, sort of recapping the annual business meeting just published on sounder at heart. So I would suggest going to check that out. But, uh, the other things were, I would say minor in in comparison, uh, but to just to highlight a couple of them, uh, they did sort of pump the brakes a bit on raising expectations too much for a big influx of money coming in, uh,
Speaker: Adrian did say that, you know, look, we'll spend as much as we need to be competitive in our our search for championships every year. I guess it's good to hear him say that, but there, are he stopped very far short of saying we're going to spend whatever it takes. You know, it's like, we'll spend enough, uh,
Speaker: And, you know, I think Craig gave us some insight into ah the way that he's going to go about building the 2027 roster, assuming he survives this upcoming boat.
Speaker: and it And it sounds like they really look at 27 as more of a an assessment period to get ready for 2728, as opposed to ah something that they're going to go all out to try and win.
Speaker: And then there was a lot of talk about technology and how they hope technology is going to fix a lot of the customer service issues that they've ran into. This new jump platform, i they're putting a lot of faith in that. But it to me, it was like, look, if this is so great, show us a demo.
Speaker: Walk us through this. How is it going to be? How is it actually going to improve the lives of season ticket holders? ah They did not have that ready. so you know all Overall, I would say that the meeting was... you know if i if it was a if it was a soccer game, I'd say it would probably have been like a 2-1 loss. like It wasn't the blowout loss it could have been. ah but I don't think they even ah played to a draw. I mean, this was...
Speaker: Ultimately, I think they they deserve credit for holding the annual business meeting. I think that is a awesome tradition that ah really no other fan base has anything like this, where they get to i ask questions of club leadership and club leadership feels compelled to answer. Now they don't give us the answers we want. And that's,
Speaker: that's That's a separate issue. But I do think i want to say that I am glad that they do this. I think it's actually really cool that they do this and that it it does provide some transparency, even if we aren't hearing the things we want to we want to hear Oh, man. ah Shout out to Eddie Jarvis, who just thank you put down a 20 like I would put a winning domino on the table, baby. I love that. Shout out, Eddie. Phenomenal, Eddie. Thank you for the 20. Really appreciate that. I hear, you know this is not ah a bad take. Reislow says, you know, maybe the Cerro Seahawks will decide to build the billion-dollar stadium and move and
Speaker: Sounders can, you know, figure out a way to use Lumen or restructure or whatever. I mean, I think that that's actually not crazy to think ah with new ownership. I mean, if there are teams that are going to be able to create a facility so extraordinary and with a sport that is just so much ah bigger in terms of the fan base that is already here for the Seattle Seahawks. I mean, hell, if they move to Auburn or Kent or wherever, I mean, people might might definitely get there. So, you know, that that could be a possibility.
Speaker: um Something i also want to say is that if fans want to look at this of a perspective of what kind of organization do we want to be, ah think of it like this. Think of ah in six years,
Speaker: The Sounders, they've decided that they're going to move to Renton. And you're still filling 25,000 people into the stadium ah in Renton. i Put in perspective with other teams in this league. And specifically, I want to bring in the Portland Timbers.
Speaker: How can you as a Sounders fan look in the eyes of a Portland Timbers fan and say that my organization represents the values of my community, my soccer fandom better than yours?
Speaker: You cannot say that. A club like the Timbers that has a stadium in the city that they fill it up, We know we can do that, too. If we don't even try to do that, we're just showing that we are going the way of many of these other and MLS teams that Jeremiah brought up.
Speaker: You know, many sports teams in U.S. history, really, who think that, you know, this is a commodity. We'll just throw it out of town and people will drive and people will buy the tickets. So it doesn't matter. This club is different. It should be different.
Speaker: There are clubs in MLS that are different. This is a time where perhaps we we start to move away from that. I hope that we as a fan base, we as an organization can ring some alarm bells and get ourselves off that path.
Speaker: Totally agree. Well, I guess before we move on and we talk about ah the best game of the match day, i just quick set of news, obviously, ah Mark Dos Santos got let go by LAFC after once again being unable to get a win for ah his team. The interim head coach still not being announced.
Speaker: I thought that it was going to be Andy Rose right off the bat, unless you got something different over there, J.O.? I mean, that's the rumor is that it's going to be Andy Rose. I don't think there's anything been announced yet, but obviously former assistant and former player, Sounders player, Andy Rose is ah considered one of the top assistants over there.
Speaker: In fact, his elevation to top assistant is a big reason that Ante Razov isn't there. So... uh good luck to andy if he gets that job of course we will be rooting for them to continue to be awful it's a hot potato though it's a hot potato and look i i think andy rose i've heard uh many people say andy rose is one of the the top young ah coaching minds in american soccer so i i don't know that's this that would probably be a smart move for them to hire him so let's hope that's not what they do let's do something dumb
Speaker: Yeah, no I absolutely agree. Actually, there isn't a player who I've heard say anything negative about Andy Rose, who his delivery and the way that he explains tactics and the way he gets his team going just seems to be something that players really resonate with. But that is a hot potato. That is a locker room that has a lot of egos in my opinion. i think that that roster is a shell of what it was a couple of years ago to be quite honest. I think that there's a lot of holes there and although I will no longer defend Marco Santos who I do really really like and I think that there is something there that hasn't quite
Speaker: materialized for him. um I just know that there's a higher expectation. They obviously dropped to six. They've dropped a ton of points, regardless of whether that is, you know, Song Hong may not having a great season and issues with ah defense. And i think that they've made some bad decisions at those roster spots. But nonetheless, LAFC, as you mentioned, ah Jeremiah, probably,
Speaker: Our fans or audience is happy to hear the turmoil happening down south, but it just kind of talks about what's going on here in MLS. But Adam, i don't know if you want to start off with your game and the best game that you watched this weekend.
Speaker: Go ahead and take it away. Yeah. I had a difficult time deciding between a couple of games. Um, one of them out East Philadelphia for Orlando to, uh, the union short of cabin solve and short, a few of their young stars come out and dominate Orlando. They come off to a big early lead. Milan Oloski is quite simply been one of the best players in MLS this season. love Beautiful hat trick that he had today. Uh,
Speaker: One of the those goals, a long distance strike, one of them well worked and one of them a penalty kick, a little bit of everything from him. ah That Philadelphia team 10-0-2 in their last 12 matches. This is about as hot as an MLS team has ever been for Philadelphia. They've been the story of the season, but I do want to focus on a game out West, which is more relevant to us, the Sounders and the Western Conference as a whole is Vancouver 3, DC United 3 at BC Place. Vancouver, they're they're struggling right now. They have only picked up a couple of wins over this last month or so.
Speaker: um And they haven't been against necessarily one of those came against ah RSL. It wasn't necessarily impressive. They've struggled to pick up points at home at the level that they had been doing for most of this season.
Speaker: It's interesting because for most of this season, we've seen Vancouver. They're that destroyer out in the West. They're this excellently built roster that are that are just so hard to play against and that is all true but they've just hit a little bit of a rough patch in the season where they defensively specifically have just been a sieve.
Speaker: They've been letting goals through DC United are not a great team. They're really not a good offense. They're one of the lowest scoring teams in MLS to go into BC place and score three on the caps really just shows how kind of disjointed that team is right now.
Speaker: But I will say the fact that Thomas Muller back on the field, beautiful assist, beautiful goal. Brian White, he's at 17 goals now. He continues to be incredible. you're not going to slow down this caps team on offense necessarily, but when it's disjointed and open in a home match against DC United like that, you start to think this team might be a little more beatable than we may have thought a couple of months ago coming into the playoffs. Vancouver has always been looked at as that team to beat in the West. And right now they're looking as beatable as ever.
Speaker: Yeah, look, ah I think ah ah Jasper Sorensen called it too open of a game, and and I would agree. I think that they went back and forth, ah just sat in the middle of the ring and just exchanged with a DC United team that was willing to do it. Now, they did it in various ways. They did it off of set pieces. They did it capitalizing on mistakes. But look, this Vancouver team on offense is phenomenal.
Speaker: Bruno Caicedo is one of my favorite guys to watch in the league. Love what happens with Ocampo when Ocampo plays. That midfield is still extremely solid. Obviously, in this particular game, the need of Andres Kubas is clear and obvious. I mean, that is your anchor in the middle of the pitch, not just defensively, but he kind of controls the tempo for this team. And it was one of those situations where if you're unable to hold on to possession and you're unable to have that...
Speaker: game manager within that midfield, they really struggle. ah But nonetheless, I mean, it was definitely one of those ah matches where you're like, look, if the Sounders go in and they have to play this team in the playoffs, why not? Right. If this United can put them through the ringer and make it a 3-3 game, then, you know, it's definitely a possibility. But I would agree with you in the terms of
Speaker: At least as of right now, they are maybe not the juggernaut that you thought that they were at one point. But I do think that in this particular game, missing some very clear pieces, ah you know, could be a little bit deceiving. But look, to me, they're still the best coach, best to put together team in in the West there. They've been together for a long time, so they're definitely going to be a handful.
Speaker: ah But yeah, but I totally agree with it. Yeah, they're going to have a big test coming up as well. They've got a five-game road trip coming up. Chicago, LA, St. Louis, Austin, Colorado. um There's a very good chance that they come out and they do great on this road trip and they prove this wrong because, as you said, it's a very well-constructed team, very talented squad. There's a reason that they have had the dominance there. that they have had for a lot of the season out in the West. But this is a big testing ground for Vancouver.
Speaker: Anyone who is a fan of a team who's trying to be a dark horse in the West, trying to make a run, keep an eye on this five-game road trip for Vancouver. It's going to say a lot going into the playoffs. yeah Talk about exchanging goals and we're getting close to the end of the of the show. My ah best game of the match day was ah the Austin's comeback after going down three goals to zero against San Diego.
Speaker: Talking about a team that likes to give away goals, San Diego definitely. uh did that against austin obviously austin's superpower has been just their ability to simplify the game to play very direct and get the balls to the guys that know how to put her in the back of the net uh in this specific game vasquez getting a goal again was you know for me always love uh him a being a striker i didn't think that the decision to go to league amx paid off the way he wanted it but now he's back he's starting to get on his feet open set up for uh parks basically that that comeback for for austin in that second half and then they're able to do it look superman again uh we were looking at his salary before the game uh because look uh christian ramirez is a guy that has been scoring goals for a very long time he's one of those ultimate bench players that you can come in and bring in he's an experienced guy that's going to give you double digit goals and i think that that's one of the better finds that austin's had after they moved on from their last previous
Speaker: terrible GM that they had moving things forward for for Austin. But I think he was a great pickup. ah This is a team that can, you know, get in some sort of a run, but in this particular game, in transition, at the end of the game, being able to just bolster that attack, uh,
Speaker: San Diego being a team that also doesn't have the ability to control the pace of the game, just didn't know what to do with that much of a lead. You could tell they were just kind of trying to figure out as they went along. You could see the coach trying to figure out what he wanted to do. And look, this a team that is supposed to be a very good team. possession-based team. And did they win the possession battle? Sure. But when they had the ball, they were just not very productive. And whenever you have possession without productivity, it's just a bad workout for you being able to manage in a game. Yeah, it's so fascinating to talk about Christian Ramirez. And he's absolutely all the steel that you're saying he is. We were talking before the show to put in perspective how big of a steel he is. Christian Ramirez on $125,000 less per year than Danny Mazofsky.
Speaker: danny moszovski um which yeah, and he's been he's been excellent. That's an Austin team where salary wise, they're very top heavy for Kuno Torres and Brandon Vasquez making far more than really any other of their stars. But they have just been a fun team to watch. They gridded out that win on the road against Vancouver to one despite not seeing much of the ball and having a red card in that game. They're just finding ways to pick up points right now.
Speaker: This is one of my favorite outside of the top five teams right now in the West that can be a real surprise in Dark Horse in the playoffs. Austin are a team that i think a lot of good squads are not going to want to come up against playoffs. I could not agree more, man, especially with Portland kind of falling apart. My goodness. I mean, I knew it was going to be a difficult game against San Jose, but man, oh man, did they put it on port Portland? So they're kind of falling apart. Austin's at 13 right now in the West. i don't know if we want to show the standings, J.O. If we don't, it's completely fine, but You know, things are kind of moving, shaping very interesting Seattle, obviously at ninth right now, pushing their way up.
Speaker: RSL surprisingly still holding on at 11, but Austin, man, that, that is, I'm totally with you. One of my favorite teams to watch is because of some of the, the way they go about games is just like, I'm going to put it all out there and I don't know if it's going to work out, but going to try to just meet you halfway. It's just a very fun team watch. Yeah, they are going to be exciting. And really, I think they've been that for their whole history. They got to pick up points, though. They're running out of time as well to get into the playoff picture. And I don't know if we've talked about it much today, but it's playoff picture.
Speaker: It's so funny to think about where we were two weeks ago, and we were thinking about all these these hypotheticals of where the Sounders would be. I'm not sure a month ago if you would say that they'd come out of this winless streak and immediately there's seven games unbeaten with two wins in a row, a good chance to pick up a third. I don't know if I'd necessarily believe it happening, but as we said earlier in the show, Sounders completely control their destiny. If they beat a sporting Kansas city team, we haven't had much time to preview that game, um but that's going to be an interesting one. A sporting KC team that is the worst in MLS in a lot of metrics and points,
Speaker: predominantly is the main metric that they're bottom of the West would be bottom of the East as well. But they've got Andre Luis, who is looking like out of place. ah He's looking like one of the most exciting and best players in MLS. So that is not a game that you can fall asleep at the wheel for if you're Seattle, because they've got a real game changer in Andre Luis. But the expectation has to be now that Seattle's picked up the first two of that homestand that they pick up all nine points in the three. Yeah. They found GD in the bottle without a doubt. I mean, and,
Speaker: To their credit, they're doing a very good job at just finding ways to get him the ball. yeah I mean, he well if he has four goals and one assist in five games or something of that nature. I mean, he's been phenomenal. And they frustrated this very good, in my opinion, Houston Dynamo team, Hector Herrera, just being Hector Herrera. just He's got to get some therapy or something. come on, man. It's The game's too long the line. And you are just going to go and just shove somebody and give the referee,
Speaker: every single reason to send you off, you put your team in a bad position. And look, Spurgeon City, there they they got something cooking over it. it'll It'll be a game to watch out for. Another interesting one. I know we're running out of time here, but RSL 3-0 over New England. and that the out of nowhere, they break their own winless streak against a New England team that's one of the top teams ah in the East.
Speaker: Maybe that gives a little credit to the Sounders, that you know an RSL team that we came into their our game against them thinking this is a team we've got to beat. And maybe you know they or a little better than maybe we thought going into that. Give ourselves a little more credit on a dominating win right there.
Speaker: ah But yeah I think we said this last week as well. It's been a really crazy few weeks around the MLS, just game to game, upset to upset. It's picking up down the stretch. It's been fun to watch.
Speaker: Exactly. has been fun to watch. We hope that you had fun watching and listening to another episode of Monday Soundcheck. I am Nico Moreno here with Adam Ray's J.O. on the backboard.
Speaker: Hope guys have a good day.
Speaker: Let's go at Sounders.
