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.
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Speaker: Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adientes on the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network and the SoccerWise Media Collective sponsored by Full Pool Wines and of course our readers. We are back at the studios at Sounder at Heart headquarters and it is Friday for another episode of What We Learned This Week.
Speaker: This is Nico Moreno. I am Jeremiah O'Shan. How doing, Nico? you doing, Nico? Feeling good, Jeremiah? Obviously, the difference a week makes in MLS, the difference a week makes in for the Sounders. It's been ah a different Friday because we didn't get to, you know, usually I'm a little bit warmed up because we go to the facility, we ask some questions. So, you know, just trying to...
Speaker: Get ready to go. I did my stretches. I did my vocals. We're trying to, you know, get in rhythm to give our Sounder, our heart family, another great show of what we learned this week. Yeah, it's ah the Sounders left town on Thursday and we weren't even out at training on Thursday. So we're even we're two days removed from our last training session. So it's a little a little weird. We don't have quite as much insight into the inner workings of the the team right at this very moment. But we know plenty.
Speaker: There was actually a little bit of news today. two Two notable pieces. One of them was the Sounders traded their last international roster spot ah to Real Salt Lake for $50,000 in 2026 GAM. Now, this may seem like, it depend depending on your perspective, it may seem like a frustrating move or it may seem like ah a weird move.
Speaker: But to give you a little bit more context to this, the Uh, the roster freeze is today. So this is the last day that teams can make any changes. I think what this does indicate is that the Sounders, like we kind of thought we're not going to make any last minute additions. I don't know that they really need anything right now. They're getting guys healthy.
Speaker: That's how it is. For Real Salt Lake, presumably they have an international that they are either bringing up from their second team or they have some free agent that they're bringing in. They needed a spot. So but basically the Sounders are getting $50,000 for some an asset that they were not going to use. One thing that was thought was interesting though is I looked it up.
Speaker: The Sounders are only using one of their eight international roster spot. That's being used on Kim Kihei. They do have two other internationals in Nico Petkovich and Pedro de la Vega. Neither one of them actually occupy international roster spots because they have been put on season ending injury.
Speaker: But the Sounders, so the Sounders are only using one international roster spot. No other team in the league is using less than five. Hmm. ah The Sounders have done, you can, now you can chalk that up to a too a few things.
Speaker: One of them, i think you can say the Sounders have done a better job than most of getting players their green cards. But part of why they've been able to get players their green cards is because guys stick around for multiple years. It takes, it's a multi-year process to get players a green card. The player has to want a green card.
Speaker: But most a lot of internationals don't stick around long enough to get one. and And I think it speaks to both the Sounders, you know, a few things. It speaks to their their willingness to bring players up from defiance, from their academy.
Speaker: It speaks to also their lack the relative lack of turnover. And I can understand why people are a little frustrated with both of all those things, frankly, but they are turning those into assets. ah In the last year, they traded away those seven international roster spots, brought in $1.3 million dollars in GAM for this year and next year.
Speaker: ah Depending on, you know, we we've been keeping track of this on Sounder at Heart. They should be rolling over something like $3.5 million from this year. Yeah. they already have something like 1.5 million banked.
Speaker: And then if you combine that with money that they might be bringing in from other trades, we figured the Sounders going to have something like... $8 million dollars of GAM next year, which is a lot of GAM, which gives them some flexibility. I don't know if they're going to use it in 2027. They might use it in 2728. We still don't know exactly how all those roster rules are going to work. But, you know, it's not for nothing, I guess is my point. They aren't they aren't just sitting on these things and, and you know, wasting spaces.
Speaker: No, it it does talk about the way the roster is utilized. And, you know, I'll co-sign everything you said because you kind of broke down every single important factor that goes into the way that Sounders do business with the roster and the advantage that they have as a club because of their phenomenal pipeline from their academy to the way they use Tacoma Defiance. They're able to get guys in there. And obviously, anytime that you generate domestic talent, you have the leeway to be able to move around these international spots that are so much more valuable for the LAFCs, the Miamis of the world. And, you know, you can kind of capitalize on that. And the the team does a good job.
Speaker: I'm with you. I do understand ah some of our audience that gets the annoyed and frustrated by the fact that there may be those spots are not used on on higher talent, bigger players. What I would say about this one particularly is that obviously we've already talked to you guys about the difficulty of bringing free agents that haven't been playing, what that means in regards to a contract and the contract that a player would need to be incentivized in order to come in and play half of the season for you. So there's no need to panic buy for this Sounders team. You've seen a
Speaker: growth and improvement in their play. You see a team that is cohesive. You see a group that has ah eight game a games unbeaten, three games in a row that are in a winning streak. So it's obvious that they we were able to do that. Another comment that I saw is why 50,000?
Speaker: Usually this second window international spots there last because obviously it's for potentially just last season. They them all back. They get them all back at the end of 2026. So basically you're renting out an international roster spot for a couple months and it's, you know,
Speaker: There's other teams that have open spots, so presumably the market is not that robust. There's not meant that many signings. I mean, i don't know how many signings. Teams are not pushing to sign a lot of guys right now. Yeah, so if you're scratching your head right now and you're writing Weibel out with a knife and carving it in in a in a table, you know that's the reason. don't don't Don't allow your brain to go ah off and just start thinking that it has anything to do with whether a GM decides on those prices or not. It's just the way those are because I did see some of those comments. yeah I said, oh, this is Craig Whitewell again, just ruining it for everybody. so you know, I just wanted to put that out there. You know, thankfully, it it sounds like those...
Speaker: commentaries have kind of died down, which is, it's nice to see because the team is doing so well, but yes, I think that you hit all the good points and all the most important points in and regards to the international spot. And again, the Sounders are able to at least give us something to talk about today. Right.
Speaker: ah Exactly. So this was a good question from dudes B in the chat. Just a reminder. We do these live for our Discord. They are available to everyone once we are no longer live, but we make it live. If you want to watch us live and and interact with us, we make it available on the Discord.
Speaker: It's free to everyone, though, on Mondays when we do Monday Soundcheck in case it's confusing for folks. But Dudesby had a question, and he says, it is it hard to spend $8 million dollars on non-DP players? And yes, if you the thing about GAM that you have to keep in mind, it's really flexible. You can trade it.
Speaker: You can sign players that are already on your roster and you can sign external players. So if you had to spend it all on one player, yes, you're right. You would have to spend it on a DP, but you can spread it out in a lot of ways. $8 million dollars is definitely usable.
Speaker: It is essentially just expanding your salary cap space. And i we still don't know how this is going to be used when in the new CBA. That's obviously a ah very big question that is relevant to the discussion right now.
Speaker: We don't really have good answers for that. But even going into next year, it just gives them a lot of flexibility. it lets them do things that they might not be able to do otherwise. Every team is interested in GAM. you know You're going to the Galaxy have perpetually been on zero GAM and has really limited what they've been able to do.
Speaker: And they've had to trade players. The whole reason Dan Jovalich is no longer on the galaxy is because they needed gam. So they traded him to sporting Kansas city. And, and so that's, you know, it it keeps the balance, the books balanced essentially. ah And so I, I don't know. I think this is, I'm not asking anyone to be really excited about this move. Look, it's a, it's a low roster kind of minor thing, but I do think it opens up some conversations that are worth having.
Speaker: And everyone that's been watching the Sounders should feel encouraged about some of the players that maybe already have on your roster. And are you really, in your mind, thinking that you could have gone out to the market and gotten a free agent that because that's all you get?
Speaker: after obviously the window closed that was going to come in and perform or do more than a sebastian gomez or be able to do a kate and clark you're getting a lot of injured players back right right hey sue should be available for this game yamr is going to start this game so all of those things you have to take into consideration knowing that why are you going to go out there and get a player to just let him sit when you have such a cohesive unit absolutely absolutely Well, the other big piece of news is that the Sounders announced the twenty twenty or the potential 2027 class of ah eternal legends.
Speaker: The big name, Ozzy Alonzo, I think he, I have to imagine he will fly in. I think he could have been put on any ballot. He would have been, he's an automatic, no question, club legend.
Speaker: Easiest vote that you'll probably ever take in this thing. And then the other three I think are interesting because I don't know how much the average fan knows about these. Now, old heads will know Mike England and they'll know Pepe Fernandez. ah Pepe Fernandez was on that initial 1974 team, but he's nominated as a builder.
Speaker: He was just involved in the Sounders so throughout the years as sort of like a brand ambassador. he is a player that a lot of fans, Lickett, our producer, was always a big Pepe Fernandez fan.
Speaker: And he's someone that, you know, I think a lot of old Sounders fans have a lot of positive feelings about. And then the other, Mike England was a center back. And I'll be honest, I didn't know a whole lot about him.
Speaker: i I do wonder how much his candidacy, it's a really interesting test of this whole program. He was a center back. He was all NASL one of the years by all accounts. He was a very, very good player, but he only played here four years. He has something like, ah you know, a little more than a hundred caps with the, with the NASL era.
Speaker: I believe he stuck around as well, but that's going to be an interesting test because he had a high, you know, in some ways, very similar to Casey Keller, where he had a really high ceiling, but he wasn't necessarily, he didn't have the longevity of a lot of players that will eventually go through here. And then, and then the the last one is Gary, right? Who,
Speaker: I would imagine more people know about, but they might not, especially if they are relatively new to this team. Gary Wright was really influential in bringing the Sounders into MLS. He was sort of the bridge between the Seahawks and the Sounders. He was the guy who really set the bar for what the Sounders wanted to become. He was one of those people that pushed them to be not just another club,
Speaker: You know, the press box is named after Gary Wright. yeah He was very influential within the Sounders. he i would like to think he will fly by, but I can also imagine he's ah in there as a builder potentially as well.
Speaker: And i do think there's probably going to be a little bit more education required for the Gary Wright vote. Yeah, no, I totally agree with it. I think ah obviously Ozzy Alonso is a guy that is just so much more relevant because of his recent success with the team, what he was able to do. He was such a...
Speaker: pulverizing just figure with the fan base from being the honey badger or cola el corazón de los sounders you know there are just so many ways to just think and imagine the persona both on and off the field that osvaldo alonso is i mean i would say was as a player but still is uh every time that he comes in uh to the stadium just he he get standing ovations. He's such a great guy as well, but mainly what he was able to do for this team, you know, I think that him and Diego Char are probably two of the the best defensive midfielders that I ever saw in m's history yeah right? I mean, their continuity, their performance,
Speaker: ruggedness to the game, their competitive approach, all of the titles that you were able to get under Ozzy Alonso. Obviously, he's one of those guys that created one of the pillars of success for first season. you know, 10 years of this franchise. So he's definitely one that's an easy go. I hope that we get to talk to him. He's obviously a friend of the show. He's someone that is still kind of involved in soccer with Spokane. He is someone that without a doubt, a lot of people know. Now, you know, when comes to the other two, I will say this.
Speaker: When I've heard about Mike England, it seems like the the biggest reason why he is a bit of a big deal is because of his prior trajectory yeah to coming to the United States or being part of the Sounders. And I don't know if that's always the best reasoning to have a guy go into your ring of honor, if you will. And to me, Jeremiah, and you guys can have a different opinion because I don't want to come out disrespectful to those who – kind of paved the way for everything the Sounders are. But if you want to keep your ring of honor
Speaker: elites right? You got to be able to say no to some people. So we said yes to all of the nominees last season. and And I think that all of them were worthy of being part of that ring of honor. The fact that Mike England, regardless of him, apparently being part of the hotspurs hall of fame and, you know, being a phenomenal, a premier league player, and obviously probably one of the the most known legendary players of that era.
Speaker: When you play four years for the team and you have 106
Speaker: I don't know. I'm a little, he doesn't necessarily feel like a first valid guy to me. Yeah. Hey, I, I'm going to be very interested in talking to like, i eventually we'll have Frank McDonald on, I'm sure to sort of give us a little bit more insight into all these players, but I'm with you.
Speaker: i am a little surprised that a player like Mike England has been pushed this early in the process. And it's an interesting, like I said, I think it's an interesting test of the process. I suspect that not all four of these players going to get in this time. The bar to getting in is not a particularly, it's pretty high.
Speaker: And it came pretty close last year to some of it. My understanding is like Casey came pretty close to not making it last That's wild to me. And so if Casey Keller, who everyone knew, even if they didn't,
Speaker: Love him. They, everyone knew who Casey killer was. If he had a hard time getting in, i don't know that all these that I definitely don't think Pepe Fernandez and Mike England are going just be automatic. They might get in. And I think it's going to be an interesting, like i said, an interesting test and interesting process that we're going go through.
Speaker: And that's what I think. I think this is good for the whole process. I believe that having some friction in this, that every player that's not everyone that's nominated doesn't just get an automatic rubber stamp, I think is what makes it a really interesting opportunity. honor to have, ah just like the Hall of Fame in baseball, every other Hall of Fame, is that everyone who's nominated does not get in. And there's nothing automatic about it. So I do think that that's there'll be a good process that we go through. Hopefully we get a lot of good information, have some good debates, and let the chips fall where they may.
Speaker: But like you said, i i am a little skeptical that all four of these will get in at least on the first ballot, which is I don't think is is a negative. No, no, no. And again, it it also talks about, and I think you mentioned this, and it's important for me as someone who is essentially going to vote in this,
Speaker: the way you're categorized as an inductee to this ring of honor builder, builder or player, right? So, so, so player in terms of what he was able to do, have a hard time with it. And you know, if people want know, he obviously played nigga for 450 appearances for Blackburn. He has, you know, uh, two, uh, leaks, Cubs, uh, UEFA cup, uh, with the Spurs. I mean, the guy's a big deal in England. So I don't mind that being one of the things that makes him interesting. that's, not what makes this candidacy great here. Totally. So for me, when you say player, I'm immediately going to not necessarily be, you know,
Speaker: of the of the thought process that this is a guy who deserves a first ballot type of i entry into the look the Ring of Honor. There's a lot of really good players from the MLS era who have not been nominated yet.
Speaker: And I think that part of that is because we don't know how this is going to go. i suspect Clint Dempsey will have a fight on his hands to get in. i don't know if he cares, but... probably doesn but But, you know, Clinton Dempsey, you know, Nico Ladero, I think ah automatic. But like, will Roman to Torres get in? That's I think there'll be an interesting test. ah You know, there's got two rings here. And no, there's he has a good candidacy. I don't want to like diminish his candidacy, but I know that I'm with you. i Yeah, I think there's going to be a lot of interesting fights over this. I love it.
Speaker: I think this is... Like for me, Clint Dempsey is a lock-in, but I would understand people who might think because of the tenure he was there. DeAndre Jettlin is another one that, you know, he is such a... ah He was on the best 11 all-time Sounders, and he might not get into the the little Ring of Armor. And he was in somewhat like the face of the Sounders coming in because he was like the homegrown. Right. Went to England, and, you know, he was this phenomenal player that was also U.S. national team player. So, yes, and this is the beauty of what this... absolutely Now, in terms of Gary Wright, he's one that I'm absolutely going vote for because obviously we're more in the inside of of ah the the team. And although I came in in about 2010, 2011, there was enough to be known about Gary Wright. Yeah, know gary I mean, I hope Gary Wright flies through. where i think he's going to be a no-brainer. And then Pepe Fernandez, funny enough, I knew of him before Mike Englund, to be quite honest. The the name... Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't think we'll talk more. I think he is a more well-known player in part because he was so involved with the organization and outreach to fans. He was, he was a real conduit from fans to players.
Speaker: And I think that that's something that, you know, that he's, that he is nominated as a builder is notable because it's not trying to pull them up as this amazing player. He was a good player, but it's, it's really recognizing more what he did outside of the field Again, that'll be a great test of of how well we can get out there and educate people.
Speaker: And then people will vote however they vote. And Yeah, and I'll tell you like the Latin community you know always looks for those within the Hispanic community that were part of those early days. So that that's one of the reasons that that I think he was a name that kind of was more around. You could hear it more in in the the areas of of the sounders, whether it was in or out of them. So he's one that would be interesting. But again, does he have enough in his resume? Yeah.
Speaker: Him coming in in as a builder, to me, makes it easier yeah for me to say, yes, that makes sense. He's one of those guys that, you know, when I was a young kid playing in South Park, you would hear them on Pepe Fernandez if you had anything to you know know about the Seattle Sounders, obviously a team that was very young at that particular time. So, yes, all of those things to me when it comes to being a builder.
Speaker: Makes it a little bit easier, but I love it. I love that it is where we are now with the Sounders, that they are continuing to build this history and that you, the fans and us as press, we can have a say and be involved in this sort of decisions. And it creates, you know, for good conversation. yeah And again, what what you just said is that the education on who these people are and the impact that they had in various ways for the organization. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Speaker: Well, let's get into a little bit more of the current day Sounders. ah This was not, like we said, we did not have as much access to the training this week as we oftentimes do. We were only out there Tuesday and Wednesday.
Speaker: But, you know, we saw some interesting stuff. Jesus Ferreira looks like he is fully back in training. Yemar Gomez and Jaudy had already been back, but it looks like he may actually be fit enough to start one of these games coming up.
Speaker: So just probably going to rotate some during this, this road trip. And, and frankly, they have games basically every four days until the end. There's only 28 days left in the season. Once, you know, starting on, and believe there's only four weeks left in the season from now, basically.
Speaker: And they're going to be playing. They have seven games left. There's going to be a lot of games to play between now and the end of the season. But what did you, what did you make of Jesus and, and Yamar?
Speaker: I think both are guys that have been dying to get into the field. You already got a a sample of Yama Gomez-Andrade just understanding that his time on the field is gold.
Speaker: valuable as gold for him for ah many a reasons. He's a competitor. He understands that the center back duo with Stu and Jackson has looked good or Alex and and Jackson has been been formable. So he understands as a high competitor, this is my spot and I'm going to come in and I'm going to own it.
Speaker: I've said this many a times and I, you know, I said this yesterday or on Tuesday with Aaron Levine on on Fox 13. he feels like a guy that this team has missed.
Speaker: His physicality, his speed, the the way he wins aerial duels, how much... um confidence He gives that back line, whether it's Jackson Reagan's ability to just get forward, not have to worry about, you know, am I going to get back? Jackson Reagan is not the quickest guys. You just saw him have a little bit of an issue in in the game is against Sporting Kansas City. So, you know, in all of those moments where he has that, know,
Speaker: Safety blanket, he just looks so much better. Nuhu is another guy that always feels like he has more free range when he has a guy like Amar Gomez-Andrade right behind him. I think that Snyder Burnell, a guy that you know ah we we'll talk about here in a little bit, is another person that feels safer when he has a guy like him in the back end. So to me...
Speaker: That is a huge plus that is going to rise the level of a physicality of this team. And, you know, I think you will see immediately against a very good New England team, the importance that he said now he's kind of going in cold Turkey.
Speaker: as a starter. So if he does, I mean we're just kind of guessing that he's going to start, but I'm a little concerned that is kind of, you know, you're, you, you've been gone for a while are you're going to started immediately. He hasn't gotten many, as many minutes as you he only played five minutes or so from the, like he played stoppage time, essentially. Exactly. So, you know, hopefully he's able to find his feet quick, his game rhythm. Obviously it's a long, long trip. So you kind of hope that he is back and he sues.
Speaker: The chapter of number 27 starts in in New England. Hopefully we'll see if he gets in, of course. But if you have forgotten, he gave number nine to Jovlich. He's going to be playing with number 27. I'm kind of curious. My daughter hates it, by the way. She's like, I cannot believe he's 27. She likes the single digit numbers for her attackers. And she loves Jesus Ferreira. So, yeah, definitely one of those things that is going to be interesting. and And this is, you might think it's it's just the number, but I do feel like it's his ability to kind of get rid of the player he used to be, which was more of a full-on forward that was scoring all this goal. And his new playmaker role, he's a playmaker that can score, obviously, but I really feel like this is a new chapter of his career. He looks fit. He looks willingly
Speaker: Again, i' ah' I've talked to him off to the side as he goes out of training. He looks and sounds like he's very confident that everything's okay. He feels like there's no none of that second-guessing yourself, which is nice. But i don't know. it It still, to me, feels early. So i'm I'm hoping that everything is fine. But he sounds confident. Yeah, he last played on August 16th.
Speaker: So call it seven weeks. He ended up missing. They originally said he was going to be out eight to 10 weeks. So he's at least a week ahead of schedule based on the general prognosis of when the Sounders...
Speaker: set a schedule. He's way ahead because oftentimes the Sounders underestimate how long a player is going to be out. In this case, they overestimated or he just got, he just got fit faster.
Speaker: ah So he, but both of them have been in full training for a couple weeks. Yamar, you would like to think has, gotten enough training sessions under his belt at this point that he can push it. I doubt he's 90 minutes ready, but you know he looked really sharp in his first game.
Speaker: he you know, he had the, he won all three of the duels include two aerial duels. I thought he looked sharp. He looks sharp in training. ah He hasn't played those since like this was his first game since March seventh He's missed almost the entire season. It's insane. and he, you know, you talk about players who are going to be motivated down the stretch. Every player is going be motivated, but this is a guy who's quite literally playing for his next contract. He is out of contract at the end of the year. And the difference between him starting, let's say four or five games and looking good and him only starting one or two games and struggling crazy.
Speaker: Not just the difference between, you know, a million dollars and 500,000. it's It's like looking at a guaranteed contract versus maybe having to win a ah contract out of, you know, go on trial or something. I mean, or leave the country who play and play somewhere else outside of ah MLS.
Speaker: So this is a big deal for Yamar. And I'll be rooting for him. I really, yeah i think we all know that at his best, he is a starter in this team at his best. He is a ambulance defender of the year candidate. Absolutely. But he hasn't really been at his best for almost two years. no So,
Speaker: We'll hope, you know, hopefully we we get to see some of that because it's been, this has been a rough year. I want to say at least three times he was ready to come back yes and then suffered a setback. I mean, originally when he first had this injury, it did not look like he was going to be out that long. no It was like three to four weeks or something. yeah And then it was a setback. And then he was supposed to come back again, I believe. And then during the World Cup break, he was back.
Speaker: And then there was, I think maybe another time since the World Cup break. Maybe. But anyway, it's been it's been really rough for him. And the good news is that the emergence of Stuart Hawkins, that has been, which i we talked about this week a little bit, or, you know, the we can talk about this. ah The one silver lining of all these injuries the Sunners have had is that three in particular, three young players in particular, have really been able to get a lot of minutes. Stu Hawkins, Snyder Burnell, and Seb Gomez. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't know that, I mean, for sure I would have put Stu Hawkins. No, at the beginning of the year, i probably would have Snyder Burnell as my top correct prospect. Stu Hawkins. And then Seb, maybe not even third. Like he may have been fourth, fifth, something like like like that.
Speaker: But now, right now, as we look right now, Seb Gomez looks like the player who may actually be the closest to the starting... to Yeah, no, look, I had Gallatin's sadness in front of him just as a regular prospect, even though he wasn't part of the first team. I was i was even looking at what Yudhukunomi could do ah with this team. He's not even longer with the team. He wasn't able to perform. So, look, credit to Seba for being able to to step up. that Those have been the good things about, maybe not good things, but I guess the good things of not having certain players. And what I would say is this.
Speaker: Anytime that Yemmer has come out from an injury, he's always performed. I remember this team holding on for dear life for him to come back in the 2022 run of that Champions League. And he came in and he was yeah phenomenal against Pumas. He was phenomenal in that run. Unsung hero kind of of the CCL run. Absolutely. And that's because to me, he's always been a definition of consistency in the way he runs the game, the way he performs, the way he approaches games. Again, if there's something that I learned this week and this goes in line with what we're talking about right now, is that the level of competition
Speaker: was huge this week and maybe it had to do with the fact that there were fans in the stands yeah at training and you could hear people go, oh, ah, whoa. And so players, they feed off of that, right? Absolutely. You saw Nuhu do a little like shimmy thing at the end with it. I think he got ahead of goal or something. That was funny. Yeah, so all of those things are part of what I've seen, whether it's a Caden Clark or a Seba Gomez. Look, Yammer takes out Jesus Ferreira on a play, I think halfway through the practice, where I'm like, oh, man, like's that's pretty...
Speaker: you know, hard of a tackle, but Hey, you know what? That's the way they're practicing. They're making sure that they're ready to go. You know, Jesus kind of just got up and and went on his way. So the level of competition has been there. I think every single player, whether you're coming in from an injury or you're a starter, or you have been a a good contributor off the bench, everyone understands that,
Speaker: nobody's position is necessarily safe. And obviously I say that with question, you know, with the quote marks on top of like, well, you know, some players positions are there's some players that are definitely locked down, but you just kind of feel it. I felt that the whole week,
Speaker: Absolutely. I think that's is going to be one of the more interesting. One of the interesting narratives coming out of this week was, like you said, the competition. And it's that, okay, there is there a competition at every spot?
Speaker: Probably not. But there's real competition at a few spots. I think there's real competition starting next to Christian Roldan. There's real competition starting at center back. There's real competition on the wings as well.
Speaker: And I think all those are going to be, Sounders have viable backup options at the, you know, at wing is a particularly crowded place and you've got Paul Areola playing well. You've got Seba Gomez playing well. You've got Jordan Morris playing well. You've got Jesus Ferreira coming back.
Speaker: You've got Caden Clark ah coming back. playing well as well. Peter Kingston, maybe in that mix. And then at defensive midfielder, you have Peter Kingston, Snyder, Brunel, Sonny, Dotson, all competing at, at when you may even get throw Kalani into the, sure to the wing competition. So you, you've got all these players. And then at center back, obviously we, we've talked about Stu Hawkins, Yamar,
Speaker: You could maybe say ryan Ryan. I don't know that Ryan Saylor is really in competition for starting minutes. I don't know that Kim Kihi at this point. Even Tino Lopez, who we were so high on. yeah you know he's barely Yeah, I don't think he's gotten on the field in a long time. had a really good header in in this scrimmage.
Speaker: on Tuesday that that gets saved by um Andrew Thomas. But yeah, he definitely he's another guy that you could see in practice that he's just trying to push as much as he can to just be seen, be observed. Kalani is a guy that just in the 2v2 drills, he runs like... yeah He is in in game. Like, I just love the way he approaches practice.
Speaker: Again, he's another guy that has been so good. He's had a lot of minutes, almost felt like a for sure starter. And now guys are coming back and all of a sudden you're back on the bench. So all of those are good problems to have, as you mentioned, with the convoluted schedule, with a team that we've heard from everybody. Absolutely everybody knows that there's a playoff game every single week. yeahp It sounds like a cliche, but that's the reality. Obviously this road trip is going to be a huge parameter of where they are, but,
Speaker: I don't want to sound like a guy that is here just telling you that this team is completely back or that we're super excited because we said that these next two games are important. These next two games are huge to find that out. But it feels like they're trending, not just in right direction. I don't want to use the same word always use, which is trending. It's just there is a true relief. There's a true new air in this team. It's almost like... oxygen was brought back in to that facility, into this roster. And it's a real thing. It's not an opinion. It's not something that we're letting you know. It's just what it is right now in the facility and within this roster.
Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. i would I'm really excited to see where this ends. I would not have said that a few weeks ago. But this is this is a it's been a fun ride for the last few weeks. These last three games, I think, are going to be really important to find out if that was a mirage or if that was a real indication of ah of a turn a corner being turned.
Speaker: And I really do think these two games are going to tell us a lot of those answers because they, if they look bad in these two games and they come back and they blow out CF Montreal at home, we haven't really learned anything. No, but if they, or we have learned something, we've learned that they are probably not competitive with the the top teams in the league. yeah there you go And, but there's not like, I don't think there's any reason to get too excited. to Like the overall record I'm not as interested in as it's who they get those wins against.
Speaker: like or who they how they get the points. Totally. in And a question that that I was asked was, you know how important is it to avoid the the playing games? Well, it's not just about avoiding the playing games, which is obviously important to to avoid, but is you have to build yourself the best possible chance to make a run in the playoffs. Because again, no one is going to throw a parade because you made the playoffs. Just give yourself a chance And the only way you do that is by earning points from here on out. So you get to a higher seed and you're able to have some sort, any kind of a, a home field advantage of some sort, just get a game here is important. Right. And those are the things where now more than ever, you need to just get a result after result. And, uh,
Speaker: with what we've seen out of the Sounders is easy to, to maybe be optimistic about it, but we got to see it. Look, Joe village. He obviously was slowly brought into the training pace. He didn't get a lot of minutes with the Serbian national team, but he was still off to the side with Snyder before he was able to come in and kind of join the rest of the group. So I'm curious to see where he's at. He looks sharp. He looked good. Same old finisher. ah Maybe, be
Speaker: I did not see him as connected in the final third as before he left. And look, this is me going off of 30, maybe 20 minutes of a scrimmage. But those are the things that I want to see. How quickly can you recapture some of that chemistry with a guy like Albert that has obviously been a guy that you've connected with very well. How good you play with a guy like Jordan Morris playing onto your left side? That's a connection that needs to be had. And that can mean a lot to this team by having that. So all of those little things are what we're going to be looking for in this New England game coming up.
Speaker: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think it's going to be really interesting to see how they match up against New England. Before we get in, we have a segment at the end that we're going to do buy or sell. Yes. So we can do it. Maybe we spend a little bit of time before that on this New England game. yeah What do you, what, what can you tell us about New England? I don't know that a lot of people realize they're second place in the East right now.
Speaker: Yeah. So ah we we talked a little bit about it, but the the more I've been doing video study on on on New England, the more I think that the sounders are going to have to adapt into the game. And that's not something that you want to hear. Usually you want your team to control the tempo of the game, but...
Speaker: New England does such a good job at making the game uncomfortable because they condense the space that you can work with, right? They really hike in that confrontation line. They really push their back line really high. They're going to want to go off of what the Sounders have been doing a lot of, which is...
Speaker: giving away the ball in vulnerable positions of the field, specifically when they build out of the back. I really hope that the Sounders are ready to play a bit more direct. Maybe just push the ball past the first line of pressure.
Speaker: You don't need to fancy the game in this one. It's about really being able to adapt into the game. So, uh, For me, that's the the main storyline going into it is Candice Sounder just be able to change the way they're playing, not forget their principles or their concepts of play, but being able to adjust them for specific moments of the game. Maybe you get Andrew Thomas just pushing the ball just but right off the goal line and try to find the speed of Jordan Morris is behind that high line that Marko Metrovich has ah put out for this New England team. Look, this is a very...
Speaker: veteran team. You talk about Matt Turner, you talk about Poster, you talk about even the young guys that just got their UNSF national team caps on Reigns and Peyton Miller. This is a very talented team that the Sounders are going to have to try to if If not make them comfortable at times, be able to capitalize on the spaces that they do provide you with. I think the switching the point of attack in high speed is going to be important for the Sounders team.
Speaker: What Hassani and Christian do in this specific game is going to be huge. You cannot allow this New England team to find those quick passing patterns in midfield. So,
Speaker: very high paced game. I think it's going to be a little bit of a foot race and, and Seattle's ability to adapt is going to be key. Thank you for listening to the sounder heart podcast network, which recently added Monday soundtrack to our roster of shows soundcheck airs live on Mondays at 1 PM. 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 Reign. If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a member of Sounder at Heart.
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Speaker: send an email to partners at PNW soccer media.com. And we'll get you all set up. Thanks for listening. This is a ah good offensive team. That's sort of how new England has made their hay is with some good offensive player. Carlos heel is huge part of that. and They've gotten and a bunch of good contributions from young players like Peyton Miller. Brian called Carlos Hill, you know, like fine wine, right? The older he gets, the better. so this is a team that definitely has the capability of just making you uncomfortable. Ligoni is also a very good, talented player. ah He's shifty. He is going to try to...
Speaker: coming to this inside channels, but but because they they do push their, their wing backs pretty high or their full backs pretty high, but just Lugoni is a, is a very good creative player in that final third. So this is not going to be a easy match.
Speaker: No, it's not. You have a, how are you feeling? Does this feel like a game? The centers can, you expect centers to get points from? that So um I got them winning one. I mean, I have them drawing one and winning one in this two game off the road, on the road stance. I have them drawing at New England and beating Dallas in Dallas. So, yes. I mean, this would be, I would say that that would qualify as passing the test. I would agree.
Speaker: I would agree. And and and i only say that because I i do feel like, There's a lot of people high on Dallas, and this happens every year, it kind of feels like. And I know Quills has given them bit of a different grit to their game. They're a more difficult team to break down. They have obviously the second goal scorer in MLS in Peter Moussa. I've always liked Santi Moreno. I think he's a phenomenal player. i think Valiente is very good, but I don't know. i feel like they match up better with the Sounders because to me, they're still not as structured when it comes to defending and transition. And so for me, they just match up better against ah the Sounders. So if had to pick one, i think it's Dallas. And that's also a team that that could very well be a preview of a playoff series.
Speaker: they If they were to finish third, very possible they could go a 3-6 type of matchup between the Sounders and FC Dallas, which would be quite the... and we've We've seen Dallas a few times in the playoffs. Yeah, and look, I feel like I've seen New England win against better competition in a more...
Speaker: impressive way like that uh uh for two win over orlando but regardless of of whether or not uh grisman was in that one or not it was a very good win i just feel they more ways to beat you and it's kind of funny because ironically people say that dallas has have more weapons but i feel like new england has more ways to beat you so that that's why i feel like this particular game is going to be more difficult not to mention the fact that is all the way to the east coast uh in a place where you don't play usually at and Right, they haven't played there since 2018. Which is crazy.
Speaker: Yeah. It's crazy. They've played there twice during, no, this is this is only the second time they have played there during the Brian Schmetzer era, which he's been around for 10 years. Yeah, no, totally. And I also think like Trugman is the type of forward that the Sounders are going to be happy to have. a guy like um yammer back in in the lineup because he does have that ability to be more of the target type of of of profile so look it's gonna be a good game i'm excited to watch it think it's gonna tell us a lot um brian's measure he he was not too fond of me saying that they haven't won a lot over there He was very quick to point out that it's not... We don't go there a lot. We don't go there a lot, exactly. Yeah, so I think he really wants to make sure that all those little wins and everything that he could kind of put his signature on is there. Yeah, when was the last time?
Speaker: but only it's twenty eleven last um they they won there but you know it's been forever since 2011. You're right. 2011 was the last time they won there. Now they've only played that. They've only had ah four games there since 2011, which is another wild stat. And to be fair, the Sounders tied the last time they were there in 2018.
Speaker: And they actually have two ties in that time. So it's not like they've been, it's not like it's this house of horrors for them. Right. It's just that they haven't played there a lot. ah So, you know, whatever. ah All right.
Speaker: Do we want to get into this buy or sell segment? Yeah. Yeah, I think we're we're ready. We're ready for that. Yeah, absolutely. Just so everybody knows, we we've kind of mentioned this before, but if you have not heard it, the Sounders are staying on the road in this one. They're going to practice at New England after ah their game. Obviously, they're going to have a regen day. They're going to have a quick practice that they're going to go to Dallas and then they're going to go from Dallas, train there, I'm guessing, one day and then they'll come over here. Right. So they'll go probably train in New England on Monday, travel Tuesday, train or travel and train probably on Tuesday and then play Wednesday, Wednesday night. They'll come back and then they'll be back training here. probably Probably just do one day of training between yeah yeah region day. Right. So there's only going to probably be the Friday before the Saturday game against Montreal is probably the only day that we have.
Speaker: I'm almost positive. That's the only day we have access to. All right, well, ah here we go. buy so we're going to do a little segment we call Buy or Sell, and the these are essentially predictions that take us through the end of the season.
Speaker: All these stats are going to be based on regular season performances. So the first one, we may as well start. Are the Sounders going to finish? do you buy that the Sounders will finish fifth or better?
Speaker: I buy. You buy that. um um'm I'm optimistic about the way they could finish the season. I look at the schedule and I see teams that weren't good or they maybe weren't good on paper like LAFC, but they're struggling. They have a new management. I see a Vancouver team that's also struggling that just got mollywobbed just recently.
Speaker: And to me, the Sounders are effectively struggling Gaining ground and fuel at the right time. You know, it's not the way you start is the way you finish and this is cliche as that is in MLS and in any sort of setup that has a playoff run type of situation in any sport.
Speaker: That's what you want. So the Sounders to me, gaining ground, getting some players. And maybe I'm getting ahead of it because again, we have ah two difficult games here, but I do feel optimistic. I think that there is a universe that with what they have, they have the potential to really get going. I've said this as well.
Speaker: To me, this is an improved version of the team and improved roster of the group that lost to Minnesota last year in the first run of the playoffs. So to me, this team has enough to finish strong in this last seven games. Yeah.
Speaker: get a higher seed like let's say fourth or fifth and be able to make a run in the playoffs that's just a gut feeling if you will but so to your point uh the sounders would have to pass at least two teams to get to fifth they play both of those teams they play l lafc they play houston and then to get up to fourth potentially or they also play fc dallas which is another team that's ahead of them Five of their 17 remaining games are against teams currently in playoff positions.
Speaker: So they're gonna they have some ability to control their own destiny. I don't know if they can quite control their own destiny to get to fourth. or But fifth is pretty... you know and if I mean, if they win their games, fifth is a totally doable thing. I agree i am not as optimistic. I think sixth is a little bit more of a realistic finish. I like it. I still think sixth would be, if they can get to sixth, I think that would still be ah fine relatively. Fifth it would be better.
Speaker: Fourth it would be even, fourth is I mean, the difference between, I guess, the difference between sixth and fifth Not too big. If you can go from fifth to fourth, that's a big difference because all of a sudden you get home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Speaker: So that would that would be huge. i'm I'm not quite as optimistic. I just feel like there's not as many points maybe left on the table for them as as you do, but I would love to be wrong about that one. How about you guys? You buy, you sell, hit the comments, hit the like button, subscribe, share.
Speaker: Go ahead, Joe. All right. Absolutely. all right. So next on the list, we got the Jan Jovolech eight or more goals. So that would mean he'd have to score five goals in the last seven games of the season.
Speaker: Seven games, five goals for a guy that has already, you know, had a brace. the quality of of the defense that that you have in front of you is not necessarily great. So I'm going to buy it. I'm going to buy it. I think that it's not just jovelage. I think it's the volume of play that you're going to get back by having a guy like Jesus Ferreira back. A guy like Jordan Morris at his best. Now, we're obviously talking best case scenario here. Everyone healthy. Everyone good. To me, ah I'll buy. I'll buy. i'm I'm just buying. I'm just, where's the credit card? I'm buying. I actually agree with you on this one. and I, and I gotta to admit if you have little gets five more goals, the chances of them also getting fifth or better increases a lot as well. But with you in your, in that sense, part of what I love about your over liches chances going forward is that,
Speaker: you're just going to have so you have a much more, ah you have a much more confident and skilled team around him. of course. Then even where he left the team just two weeks ago to go on international duty.
Speaker: Jordan Morris has started playing better. Seba Gomez has emerged more thoroughly. paidroll Paul Areola has Christian rolled on. And then Jesus Ferreira coming back. Albert Rusnak as well.
Speaker: ah There's a lot to like about this. All right, ah which is a a good segue into Albert Rusnak will get at least 20 goals and assists. for the For the record, he is currently on 16, so four goals, 12 assists. So he would need four more goals and assists in the last seven games.
Speaker: You go first. Let me think about this one. I'm buying this one in part because i'm I'm buying into this offense being much more improved. Four goals does not seem that, or if he doesn't have to score four goals, and this is including secondary assists. So once you include secondary assists, I feel like this is a pretty doable thing.
Speaker: But what's funny about this is we spent so much of this season rightfully, I think, complaining about how unproductive Albert Rusnek has been, but maybe missing the forest through the trees a little bit, which was, he we never we've never made the argument that he is a singularly skilled player who is going to put, you know, do an Evander and put the team on his back and produce no matter what's out there, that he is really dependent on the talent around him, that he is a force amplifier multiplier, I guess is the way that they, they like to say it.
Speaker: And i think you put talent around him and he's going to produce. And that's what he's shown us over the last five or six games is that if you get talented players around, he's going to, he's going to look good.
Speaker: Yeah, going to buy. And again, I'm going max on my credit card before we get out of here. But look,
Speaker: Albert Rustic's a guy that he always walks around as cool as a cucumber, cooler than the other side of the pillow. I mean, the guy is just someone who just has that composure about his game. But there was a time...
Speaker: Before Jovlich and when all the injuries were there, where you could feel a little bit of the tension within his play, almost as that forcefulness. He's trying to force it, trying to you know be be a difference maker because he knew that he had to. Maybe he's the DP thing or not. I don't know what it is, but as a reason, I felt like all that has left his body. Yeah. And he just has played so much more instinctive and and so much more creative. And he's taking chances where he maybe wasn't taking those chances before. So to me, he's another player that is kind of coming to the best form as he comes around. And it all goes back to being able to have other players to release some of that...
Speaker: pressure off of me and you watch him and training Jeremiah and to anybody who is a Albert Rusnak hater. i always think you see some of the things he does in practice. Like his technical ability is, is phenomenal. The way he hits the ball, he puts it where he wants the way he curls it. I mean, everything about his game is just so impressive when you really look at it objectively. So to me, without the pressure with this phenomenal in and much improved co-stellar group,
Speaker: I'm buying it. I think that for contributions is easy biscuits there. Yeah, I kind of think so too. All right. This one is a little bit more nuanced. I think Seb Gomez starts at least four of the remaining games.
Speaker: Are you buying that? He's going to be so essentially the majority of the games. Is he going to be effectively the starter or not? I'm selling down one. I'm selling down one. I think he has one more game to start, which is going to be this New England game. And after that is him coming off the bench, being a spark plug, being a guy that goes in and takes advantage of tire legs. I think that it is a um equation of success it is a formula of success for brian smetzer to have a guy having that sort of role and with paul rothrake still very much far away from coming back i think he could take on that potential role i think he fits him well and to be quite honest i want jesus starting and jordan starting every single game that they're available to do so with obviously albert at middle and Joe Vlitch up top. That's your best 11. I would even venture to say that if it's not one of those two, Jordan or Jesus, I want Paula Riola in there. I think Paula Riola is a guy that's extremely motivated. He has a contract to the end of next year, but he feels like he has a lot to prove
Speaker: He has found a little bit of finally momentum. He's paid the most minutes as he's had in a very, very long time. And he's been productive. And he he's a gamer. He's a guy that's used to those big-time moments. And when there's big-time pressure, I want my big-time players to perform. So give me Paula Riola all day, every day over Seba Gomez and allow Seba to continue to grow, continue to develop, and and a allow him to come in off the bench and and do his thing off of you know limited minutes. Yeah, I'm selling on that one too, largely for the same reasons, which is less of a commentary on Gomez and more of a commentary on the number of players that Brian has to keep happy. And not even just that he has to keep happy.
Speaker: I mean, Paul Areola has been very productive. He, by on a per minute basis, Paul Areola has been the most productive player, I believe, on the roster. Now it's a small sample size, but he's been, you know, if he stays healthy, you got to keep playing him.
Speaker: And then i think Caden Clark is going to be competing for minutes on the wing as well. yeah i think it's the it's just going to be tough. I don't know if anyone is going to get four starts ah on the wing other than and at that wing spot. is I do think Jordan Morris is probably going to start. is the one Who's going to start most of the time. But that other wing spot, I think, is going to be a lot of rotation.
Speaker: ah and And there's nothing wrong with that. All right. Andrew Thomas gets 10 shutouts. He currently has seven. So that would mean he would pitch three shutouts over the final seven games.
Speaker: That's a difficult one. That's a very difficult one. You do have some very potent offenses coming at you, even at home. I think Houston you know has a very good offense. I think LAFC, that's the one thing that they can rely on. Obviously, Vancouver is a very offensive-minded team.
Speaker: So, ah and I'm going to say, i stay I think he falls short. I think he gets two more, and he falls short of the 10. I'm going to buy this and I'll tell you what I'm the reason I'm buying it is because I want to make an argument about him being a contender for goalkeeper of the year. Oh, I like it And if he gets to 10 shutouts, I think he's got to be right in that running for goalkeeper of the year. He somehow got overlooked for the all-star game.
Speaker: He somehow got overlooked for the national team. Mm-hmm. I really would like to think that he will not also get overlooked for end of the year goalkeeper voting. If he can get, because as it is, he's leading, I believe in goals prevented, which is a stat that basically looks at the XG goalkeepers face and how many goals they prevented from that. He's leading that category, which in some ways is, I think you can argue the most important category if for a goalkeeper.
Speaker: He's right up there and save percentage. And if he gets to 10 shutouts, he would be probably second. He probably finished second or third in shutouts. So look, if he's got all these stats, he needs to be in that consideration. i don't know that he will, but I think he deserves to be in that conversation. He's been stellar as a shot stopper.
Speaker: Look, his distribution can still use some work. I think he would be the first to admit that. But as a shot stopper, he's been huge. He is really the reason that the Sounders defense looks as good as it does, because it hasn't been the same defense that we've had the last few years where it was just this shutdown defense. And really the difference between the numbers is not that big in, in large part because of the play of Andrew Thomas.
Speaker: Yeah. i look to your point. I will say that I feel like the learning curve as a starter for this team is behind him. I feel like there were moments at the beginning of the season and maybe all the way down to right before or after the ah break ah for the World Cup where there might have been some bad moments, even on the goalkeeping side. Yeah. um ah Coming out on on on set pieces. Yeah, like a two or three game run where he made a couple mistakes. I agree. so But I feel like that's behind him. You talk to him and he seems to be a very methodical type of person. Obviously, having ah the goalkeeping guru of Tom Dutra telling him, talking to him, having Stephen Fry just rooting for him, um also being available to to just
Speaker: have commentary and and learn from him. I just feel like as of recent, there is a different level of confidence. I've never, ever doubted his talent. I feel like he's a phenomenal shot stopper. As you said, his athleticism, his ability to get from He stands all the way down to to a shot, the way he understands how to angle his body, how he cuts down on one-view-one situations, as you saw against ah RSL. I mean, he's a great goalkeeper. So ah to your point, maybe that's there's the case. I just do think that there are some very, very good offensive teams coming at you. Yeah. and know how that goes Absolutely. Absolutely. All right. So this next one is based on the Sounders'
Speaker: overall performance. Will they, that do you buy or sell it? They're going to win all three of their remaining home games. As a reminder, those three home games are Montreal, Houston, and l LAFC, which is probably the toughest of those three home games. I do.
Speaker: I'm going to go ahead and buy that. I feel like if this thing is going to get to a a fifth position or better, you kind of need to, yeah, believe that. Yeah. Right. And they've been very good at home. i feel like they've been able to find,
Speaker: different ways to win a different gear, even when they can, I expect this team to gradually get better and better as ah you have a more continuous 11 and you build some continuity.
Speaker: Again, if everyone's healthy, yes, I feel like this team wins the three home gains left of the season. All right. We're going to move outside of the Sounders and ask a couple of questions about the the league as a whole.
Speaker: First off, Nashville will break the points record of 75 points. Now that would require them to get 15 points from the remaining seven games, which would obviously be a very good pace, which is how it should be. If going break the, you shouldn't just coast into the points record. Yeah, that's difficult. I love BJ Callahan. I love this Nashville team.
Speaker: ah So well constructed, such a great understanding of their identity. Sam Surge is phenomenal. um Mukhtar looks like the Mukhtar of old. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and buy. It's hard. It's hard to it's hard to ha themm yeah to fathom. but But I feel like this team is is on a very good run. I feel like the remainder of their schedule ah tells me that they can do it. So, yeah, why not? Let's let's go ahead and ah get rid of one more of Inter-Miami's records in MLS, please.
Speaker: BJ, Nashville, do it for ah good old Nico here. So just to give you a quick rundown on who they have left there at, uh, on the road against Austin home against sporting Kansas city road against San Jose road against Montreal home against Philadelphia home against Red Bull road against Cincinnati. I will say that their road games are really quite manageable.
Speaker: Uh, you know, and so we're talking about, they basically need five wins from this group seems doable, I'm going to say sell. I think they're gonna fall just short though. I think that they are, you know, this Austin team has been better than they've looked. I think that's going to maybe be a tough one this weekend. San Jose. That's another tough road. yeah That's a, that's a tough road game.
Speaker: And then one more game that they can't win. And you, I mean, they're going to be home against Philadelphia. Philadelphia is one of the hottest teams in the league. I think that's another one where they might drop some points.
Speaker: And if they were to drop, I believe points in three games, I don't think they would be able to get there. Yeah. So, uh, yeah, I'll, I'll be, I'll be the skeptic on that one. I'll take, I'll take that. I'll own that if I, if I have to. All right. So this is the next one. and this is where we're going to close out on.
Speaker: The Whitecaps will hold on and win the Western Conference. And for context, they're only now in their lead in the West is down to, I believe, three points. Is that right?
Speaker: Jeez. I think the points their lead in the West is down to three points. Yeah. And they have been playing. They've lost two of their last four games.
Speaker: They have really been struggling since the World Cup break. And they more ah more broadly, they've been struggling to recover since Sebastian Berhalter left. What do you think? Are they going to hold on Are going to hold off St. Louis? Who really is, i guess Dallas is potentially another team that could catch them on that. I'm a little more skeptical of that, but St. Louis to me is the team that they got to be worried about. Yeah. Look, you're on the mat has done such a phenomenal job at turning a very talented roster into a dynamic ah difficult to defend.
Speaker: They're going overload certain parts of the field where you don't expect them to. There is such freedom and fluidity out of the midfield. ah think Navajo gives them ah an X factor up top. I think that they have a very deep bench guys coming off, understanding their role.
Speaker: Right now, when I look at both teams, as much as I absolutely love Jasper Soares and i love that Vancouver team, Mueller is dealing with a couple of injuries. I don't know if he's going to play this weekend.
Speaker: I feel like Vancouver has a lot of hard games coming up and especially hard to manage without their top star in in in Mueller, where.
Speaker: San Luis is almost ready to tie the. ah we i undefeated streak, right? 20 games. And they just look unstoppable. Again, they're doing things.
Speaker: Obviously, the man coming off of the Wilford Nancy coaching tree, if you will, he does a lot of those really difficult things to do with your offense. And he seems like everybody...
Speaker: has understood it. And it's so hard to defend because they they just overload certain side of the field. They know when to shift. They they push the ball with ease. I just don't have very many teams in the rest of their calendar that can hold back and limit that attack.
Speaker: And therefore, having ah ah so a decent defense with a very good goalkeeper, I think St. Louis is going to be the that's going to take the West. Wow. That would be quite a blow for for Vancouver. For most of the year, they were contending with van with Nashville for at least the first two-thirds of the season.
Speaker: They were really right there contending with Nashville for the the Supporter Shield and... By the underlying numbers, they were one of the best teams, but I'm with you. I think that they're going to struggle to hold on to this. They've got to play it. The thing that's really going to hurt them.
Speaker: They've got a ton of road games. I think they have five straight road games coming up. That's brutal. That is brutal. Totally agree. I am with you. i'm I'm selling that one.
Speaker: And then I'm going throw you actually one more curve ball. Oh, all right. Let's do it. so the Who's your MVP right now? If the season ended right now, who's your MVP? Oh, God. i I hate to say it, but it's going to end up being messy.
Speaker: I mean, his stats are... He has all the stats. I know. He seems boring. He seems awful. He just said goodbye to the Argentina national team. He's the league's most pulverizing in figure, whether you love him or hate him. i Look, the funny part about it is that i love Messi. I grew up watching Messi. I remember... it is funny how you first never meet your legends. Yeah, the very first goal, which was from my favorite player of all time, which is Rondinho, in a past the past to Messi, Messi puts in his first goal.
Speaker: Since then, I just have been like, man, that guy is just so good, so quality. yeah And then, you you know, I've been so close to it, get to meet him and hear things, and it just kind of has killed it for me. So I'm going to painfully say...
Speaker: Just as of now, I'm hoping that his career ends soon so I don't have to continue to deal with it all the time. But yes, I think Messi is going to win the MVP. So I'm going to just share a couple things from this to illustrate your point.
Speaker: Cause I think you're right. I like, I was, I was maybe thinking like, Oh, maybe honey looked at her. My buildable. His stats are way like the reality is that messy right now has nine more goals and assists than anyone else. in crazy He's got twice as many. If you subtract penalties, he's got twice as many goals as anyone else in the league. He is, his numbers are so overwhelmingly dominant that there's almost not a race for, and and this is what's funny is that like of all the players who are even close to him in terms of production, none of them are on teams that are,
Speaker: having great years. So it's not like there's an, it would it would be one thing if Mokhtar was second and they set the points record. Sure. But he's not, he's, and you know, he's, ah you know, some surge might be, he's barely 10th. Yeah, exactly. because some just has Evander, like Evander is the closest one to him in terms of the numbers and he's on, ah they might not make the playoffs. Yeah.
Speaker: And then you got Peter Musa, who's great, but he's ah a more limited. I don't think anyone doubts he's a much more limited player. And then you you really start getting into like players who just are not in contention for their teams are just not good. And and I think that at its best, the MVP is a representative of the best player from the best team.
Speaker: But then there are years where there's someone who's so overwhelmingly dominant. You just can't help but give them the award. Yeah. And I think that's the case for Messi. And it's not even like, you know, you I mean, he's, he it's like, he's, he's not even, he's played, ah you know, he's played a decent amount of minutes. His, his per minute production is not off the charts the way it has been in the past sometimes, but he's just been so good yeah that it's, you know, and we'll see if they can actually do anything in the playoffs, but not my problem. Yeah, I know that. Not my problem. All right. Well, I think we're going to get out of here. Thanks a lot for everyone hanging out. We had a handful of you hanging out and asking questions and we're going to try to do this on Friday. We'll keep doing these live things around this time around this time for the, for the small audience that we have. Hopefully we get more, more people want to come into the discord. I guess I can do a better job of promoting it in discord.
Speaker: But ah for everyone else, thank you for for doing this. Thank you to our sponsor, Full Pool Wines. want to say thank you, of course, to our partners at the Soccer Wise Media Collective. This has been a lot of fun getting involved.
Speaker: Hopefully we have a good game on against New England. And then next week we can have some good times talking about the upward trajectory of the Sounders and and the start season starts to get really interesting. Yeah, and thank you to everyone that always reaches out. I know that we talked to a couple of people after the Sounders ah training. It's always great to talk to the fans who absolutely love the shows. Molly O'Brien also shout out as well from us. I had been asked about this, Stanley. This is a, what are the cool gifts from the show?
Speaker: um organizing seattle washington the Seattle organizing committee for the World Cup. And yeah, it's just like a little whale. It's like a little sign of... Yeah, it was the symbol that was all over the World Cup. that was Exactly. So that's what that is.
Speaker: Kind of a cool thing. But thank you for everyone that comes up. and gives us feedback or has questions that we absolutely love it. Absolutely. I had it got approached at a roller skating event the other day. Hey, that was kind of cool. I love that. Actually two people at that roller skating event came up to me. It was wild. That's awesome. That's because you're JL. They shouldn't come. You're the Don.
Speaker: All right, let's get out of here. Thanks to everyone for hanging out. This is no side to get this part of the sounder heart podcast network, and we'll catch you next time.
Speaker: Let's go and Sounders.
