Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Jesus Ferreira has all the tools to be a superstar
6.7k Plays6 days ago
The Sounders made their acquisition of Jesus Ferreira official on Wednesday. To give us a better idea of what kind of player and person the Sounders are adding, we talked to FC Dallas insider Steve Davis. Not only is Davis one of the longest tenured soccer writers in North America, but he’s also the color commentator for FC Dallas and has been covering Ferreira for nearly a decade. Davis pushes back against some of the narratives surrounding Ferreira and thinks the Sounders have picked up a potential superstar.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:02
Speaker
This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Fullpool Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Fullpool was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Will Bruin's Introduction
00:00:25
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
00:00:40
Speaker
about sell <unk> it
00:01:21
Speaker
we all got of sudden go
00:01:30
Speaker
We're seeing some of the hardwood commentary that we didn't take lo seriously.
Episode Overview: Ferreira and Arreola
00:01:41
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of NOS Adiates. I am Jeremiah O'Shan. Joining me today for this ah deeper dive into the Sounders newest acquisition of Jesus Ferreira and we' we'll also touch on ah the Paul Arreola situation is Steve Davis. ah This is a name that hopefully you will recognize. He is a former colleague of mine at SB Nation, but more recently and relevantly, he has been a TV broadcaster for FC Dallas. He was, ah he still is the,
00:02:10
Speaker
ah the the color analyst for their radio broadcasts.
Sounders' Acquisition of Jesus Ferreira
00:02:14
Speaker
He writes for Soccer America. Steve Davis, one of the the the oldest and best names in American soccer coverage. Thank you for joining us on the show, Steve.
00:02:23
Speaker
Hey, nice introduction, Jeremiah. And I now know how to pronounce your last name as well because, of course, I've seen it for years and years, but I don't know that I was ever really clear on it. So that's just a little stuff that I've added to my bank of knowledge. Oh, Shan, man. I was pretty confident in the pronunciation of your name.
00:02:41
Speaker
but right Okay, that's a low bar, my man. That's a low bar. It's a low bar, but thank you for doing this, Steve. So, the Jesus Freiret trade is now completed in full disclosure. We are recording this before that has been formally announced, but we are, I think, in good footing here with what we're going to be talking about.
00:03:06
Speaker
As we're recording this, the Paul area, Olia deal is still not finalized as far as I know, but we're we'll get into that a little bit. ah So that's a little disclosure for you, the listener. But Steve, I think on paper, you look at this Jesus Ferreira deal, and I think from a sounder's perspective,
00:03:25
Speaker
you're going, wow, this is great. They're getting a 24 year old who has scored fit. You know, he's got more goals than any player of his age in MLS history. He's got 53 goals through 24 games. He's got to 50 goal or through his age, 24 C age, 23 season. He's barely just turned 24. He's the fastest player to 50 goals in MLS history.
00:03:46
Speaker
or the youngest player, I should say, to 50 goals in MLS history. ah this is a you he what But he was a a designated player with Dallas. He's coming to the Sounders as not a designated player. This is not something you see, especially at this age. it On one hand, it's very exciting, but there clearly is some other part to this story. ah and I've heard rumors of this, and I wanted to mainly bring you in to kind of give us a little bit more sense of where How does Jesus Freire go from being the poster child of sc FC Dallas and really of the whole MLS homegrown system to you know moving across the country and playing in Seattle at a pay cut?
00:04:28
Speaker
Yeah, no, look, it's it's a fair question. It's a good question. And, uh, you know, the, the, the answers are forthcoming, but what, what I will say is it starts with, uh, sort of the simplest notion in, in sports, you know, something that you and I have you know talked about and then listened to since we were kids, which is, um, uh, four words time for a change.
Ferreira's Performance and Challenges
00:04:50
Speaker
You know, it's sometimes it it really is that simple. um You know, with Jesus, it's been really interesting because he was a talented player. He still is a talented player. He's a smart player. You know, he understands the game. He reads the game.
00:05:09
Speaker
Um, back in Jeremiah back in like 2000 and what 18 or something like that when the, you know, the the guy was, you know, 16, 17 years old. I just remember watching a practice and just telling people what he was barely playing, you know, so just telling people he's the best finisher on the team.
00:05:26
Speaker
you know It's funny because right now, people people don't people don't see him as as a great finisher. He may be a good finisher, but you know they see him as something more recessed in the in the in the tactical alignment. But he is a very good finisher. you know and He just has a world of talent. And here's the thing.
00:05:42
Speaker
um the The talent was sort of was flourishing. It was at its peak in 2022 when he almost set the team record for goals and was was bitterly disappointed in the last game to not have accomplished that. He really wanted that. you know He was driven by it. And then the next year, in 2023, he started really really well.
00:06:04
Speaker
And then something happened, man. and And I'm not sure what, you know, he, you know, he he was coming off the, uh, the world cup where he started, you know, for the United States in an elimination game. Then he went, then he went to the United States national team in that summer. And as he came back, I don't know something, something, something had happened. Uh, it was hard to recognize. It was impossible to recognize at the time because you didn't know it, but as you watched him.
00:06:29
Speaker
For the rest of the year, you know you you started asking yourself and asking him, you know is he carrying an injury? And he wasn't saying anything about it, but maybe he was. And then in 2024, it just wasn't his year in a number of different ways. He was carrying some injury. and What i saw those you're my was just a player who. Who when he when he likes confidence he only wants to ball in kind of comfortable spots that's not uncommon for soccer players ah but it's at some point it's ineffective.
00:07:00
Speaker
You know, he can still, you know, he'd sort of drift out to the right. He wouldn't stay high drift out to the right play make from that That sort of, you know area right side 40 45 you got 30 yards out something there and he can hit a good ball in there But at some point that becomes predictable. So, you know the the the answer to your question is just Is Seattle right now, here's the bottom line. Is Seattle right now getting 2022 version of Jesus Freire or are they getting more 2024 version of Jesus Freire or are they getting a guy they can at least get back to 2022 version? And you got a great coach there and you got a great staff and you got to, you know, there's a good culture there. So I have confidence that he can be that player again. The problem is just with FC Dallas last year, he just wasn't. And I think it was just a good time for a change for all parties.
00:07:49
Speaker
Yeah, you know, you look at his his numbers and and you sort of alluded to this pretty directly, but you go from 2022 through the Gold Cup of 2023 and at the Gold Cup, if people go back in their mind and they remember the Gold Cup,
00:08:05
Speaker
It was sort of a ah a roller coaster ride in a lot of ways, specifically for Ferreira, because he scored a bunch of goals in that tournament, but it was against sort of lesser opponents. And the US ended up going out in pretty, the yeah I think they lost, they went out to Panama, I believe it was the worst performance in a gold cup.
00:08:26
Speaker
in, uh, maybe ever, but certainly in at least, you know, a generation or two of, of us s nationally and, and Ferreira sort of became the poster child for what went wrong with that team because he, you know, he, I think he scored six goals in that tournament. He has an immediate. I mean, it's crazy. He has an amazing goal scoring record with the US. s He has 15 goals in 23 US s national team appearances. He's like the 11th best scorer in US national team history. And this is a player who I think most national team fans see as like a persona non grata almost ah with the national team, which is so I mean, the Sounders are sort of collecting those types of players.
00:09:05
Speaker
ah in between Jordan Morris and Christian Roldan and ah potentially Paul Arriola.
Sounders Team Dynamics
00:09:10
Speaker
But it's it's it is a funny little dynamic where you know he he played about as well as you could play over an 18th month period for both club and country. And then in the last 18 months, it's been a very different player. I mean, he only scored a couple of goals that season in at the tail end of 2023.
00:09:31
Speaker
Uh, and then, you know, he had five goals last year for, uh, for Dallas with like a six assists, uh, you know, MLS assists, but, uh, it was, he was just not the same player, but then you go back and you watch these, you know, like we've been passing around this 50, the goal, the video they made from his 50 goals.
00:09:49
Speaker
And it's like, this is an amazing player. He's finishing from all over the park. You know, yeah like one of the the plays that that sort of stands out in my mind is he had a free kick that you sort of took where ah who was it maybe against RSL where they were not ready for him to take it. But it just shows an intelligence of being aware of the situation and just taking this this free kick from a not particularly easy place, but placing it perfectly, but against a defense that wasn't set.
00:10:18
Speaker
And it's just sort of like the just the thinking the thinking that it takes to ah even attempt that play. No, you're right. His soccer brain is is elite. ah his His skill level is is is elite. um that That player you mentioned with all the goals, you know it's in there somewhere. ah He didn't forget how to play.
00:10:41
Speaker
um and You know you mentioned the the the goal against ah ah RSL there's another one sort of similar back in I was probably Jeremiah i think it was 22 Sort of similar against LFC You know where he yeah catches a goalkeeper sort of oh gosh, you maybe it was Ellie Galaxy. ah It's one of the LA teams out there. Yeah Yeah, south california and you know caught to goalkeeperer kind of napping look's it's it's all in there ah i watched that same clip of fifty goals and i forgot how many of them or on really intelligent well-timed runs over the last As I told you, as as he's gotten to this place where he's just once the bottom more comfortable spots, I think he stopped. And because he was playing further back into formation, you know he stopped making as many of those runs. But I forgot how doggone good he was at it. If you look at a couple of those goals in a clip, it what it also demonstrates is he's a really good and willing
00:11:36
Speaker
pressing striker, ah you know, and and to go play for, you know, Brian Schmutzer, you know, and and and the press and to recognize the pressing cues, which he can, and to have the willingness to put the work in, which he does. All the ingredients are there. Some of it I sort of wonder, is it because Look, he was playing for a national team that was, eh, you know, we we don't need to relitigate all the national team issues, you know, under Burr halter. Uh, but he's also playing for FC Dallas, the team that was having its own struggles. So now, you know, both of, both of his teams are struggling. Um, you know, he's, I think he's, he wants to win, you know, he's got that in him. He's got that competitive spirit. So maybe he was putting a lot on him. Um,
00:12:18
Speaker
Uh, you know, as you and I were talking a while ago, you're alluding to some things you've heard about, you know, uh, teams, you know, they were done with him. He was done with him. i See, I don't, I don't know that I really see it that way. You know, some of the body language, you know, you could, you could talk about on the field with Jesus, but, uh, but I think he was a pretty good teammate. He was always willing to step up for his, for his teammates. You know, he's, he's a little bit of a ah difficult.
00:12:42
Speaker
character to read and that he's he's always a little guarded, he's he which makes him a little unapproachable in ways. And and I sort of wish he would he would soften the edges on that a little bit because I think, you know, look, it's just culture. It's just it's it's just the way we are
Comparing Transfers: Ferreira vs. Vasquez
00:12:57
Speaker
as people. You know, if you if you reveal a little bit more of yourself and make yourself a little more vulnerable, people are just willing to give you more of a chance, you know, and and and they they're just willing to you know to to ride with you a little bit through the through the tough times. so I guess with Jesus, the other thing I would say is, and I've been saying this for, I don't know, two or three years, watching him at FC Dallas. I always said that Jesus has a decision to make. He is a good soccer player. He's going to be a good soccer player. He's one of these guys that at 80%, he's going to be better than a lot of people at a hundred percent. So what I've always said is he has a decision. Does he want to be a good soccer player or does he want to be special?
00:13:37
Speaker
If he wants to be special, you know, he's got to, he's got to do a little bit more in terms of probably keeping his body in the right place. Cause he's got a little bit of a history of injury now. Um, yeah I'm not saying he's not doing enough, but I'm saying special is special. You got to do a little bit more. Uh, can you integrate yourself a little bit more within the tactical system? You know, ah I've seen Seattle under, under brunch medicine for years. He's going to have to.
00:14:03
Speaker
you know if he doesn't he's not good he's not going to play you know so he's going to have to and i think it's a good move for him in those ways you you guys have such a good culture there i watch i love watching seattle play because you can every game i can just see the culture yeah if if that makes any sense And sometimes it's better than others, but I can see it at work. And now he's going to a place where he's not going to be the leader as he was here. He's got to fit in there. It's like a dog in a pack. He's not going to come in as a pack leader. He's got to fit into the pack. And I think that's good for him because, again, he's got that choice to make. You want to be good. You're there. You're OK. You can be done right now. And you'll have a good career. Or do you want to be special? And that's what he's got to figure out.
00:14:49
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. For what sort of I just went back. I looked at his, his 2023 gold cup. He had seven goals, seven goals and five games and back to back hat tricks. I had complete. I kind of, I, in my mind, I was thinking he was very good in that tournament, but I, and including he had the only goal for the U S in the game. They're eliminated against in Panama.
00:15:07
Speaker
um But to to your point, ah it is I think you're right. I think that, you know, this is a team that, you know, Albert Rusenak came into in 2022 where he was sort of used to being the guy at RSL and he was just sort of one of the guys at when he when he came into Seattle, he was asked to sort of play a different role than he had played before with the idea.
00:15:29
Speaker
Kind of under similar circumstances where i they were going into CONCACAF Champions League and they they sort of said we have a role for you to play and we need you to play that role and he and he did it well and then he sort of got integrated and and then he had this big breakout season last year.
00:15:45
Speaker
um And I do kind of wonder if that's a similar messaging that they're going to use with Ferreira, where, you know, you he is clearly not going to be, no one's going to be looking to Ferreira to be the leader. This is a team, you know, Stephen Fry is a leader here. Albert Rusnak is now a leader here. ah You know, even guys like Jordan Morris and and Christian Roldan, and you've you've got ah you've got a nice mix of Spanish I really obviously he's he's an English-speaking American But he has he he's one of these players like Christian rolled on who can sort of or Alex rolled on for that matter who can sort of exist in both worlds of the Spanish-speaking players and the English-speaking players and And and it's I do think it's this kind of nice environment where there are a mix of old guys and young guys you have locals and you I mean you have a just similar to Dallas where you have all these homegrown players and
00:16:35
Speaker
But you've sort of got this I think one of the things that the Sounders have done a good job of over the years is in ah of of sort of like balancing the idea that we are a Seattle team, but we bring you know we sort of embrace stars from from elsewhere with it out. you know For whatever reason, Seattle has never really been known as this mecca of homegrown talent the way that Dallas sort of has been. But if you look at the numbers,
00:16:58
Speaker
you know the number of players who who played significant roles who came through the Sounders Academy on the Sounders last year is as high as anyone might have been the highest in the league. And and yeah, I mean, I do think that there's it's going to be an interesting dynamic, especially that he has an existing relationship presumably with Jordan Morris, with Christian Roldan, potentially with Paul Ariola.
00:17:19
Speaker
ah So it's it I'm really excited to see what he does here and I sort of look across the rest of the league and maybe I'm Looking through this with with rave green glasses, but you know, I look at Austin just paid $10 million dollars to sign Brandon Vasquez. And you compare his scoring record and admittedly with that includes some time and in, in the game, equies, but you compare him to Hey, Sue Ferreira. And these are very similar players. The difference being that Ferreira is two years younger and, and didn't cost $10 million dollars to bring in.
00:17:53
Speaker
ah No, you're right. And look, yeah obviously, there's some other things you sort of ah have to weigh and all that ah calculus, ah you know, fit within the system and right and things like that. And another one is, ah is your contract? Where is his contract? What's he? What does he want next? yeah I don't want to say this wrong, but I believe he signed through 25. So you could potentially- Yeah, I think that they're signing him to a new deal as part of this trade. My understanding is that he's guaranteed at least through 27 now. Okay. Well, so you take that off the table as a factor there.
Community Support and Podcast Network
00:18:29
Speaker
So yeah, look, I think it's-
00:18:33
Speaker
I think it's one of these things, sometimes you look at a trade and you say, well, you know, that team got the better or this team got the better. And sometimes you look at them or sometimes you look at them and say, and let's wait and let's wait two to three years and then and then I'll tell you about who got the better of this trade, you know, ah because you have to look at how things sort of play out.
00:18:51
Speaker
And then sometimes you look at it and say, I don't know. Dallas is sitting on a pile of guaranteed allocation money. They got an international spot. You know, Leo Chu's got something. Oh, I think Leo Chu is not nothing in this trade for you guys. No, that's right. and and and you know and But Seattle will get something. If they can get that, if they can get, you know, U.S. national team starter and elimination game, Jesus Frere, then didn' both sides get something really good out of it, I believe. Yeah.
00:19:17
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Soundwork Heart Podcast Network, which now includes No Sonietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023. but need your support to make sure it continues. Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible by your continued support. Memberships start as low as $25 a year, which not only helps make podcasts like this one happen, but also gets you access to everything we produce. If you're able to support us at higher levels, starting at $75 a year, you gain access to a host of other perks
00:19:50
Speaker
Most notably, entry into our members-only Discord where the smartest, funniest, and most engaged commenters share their thoughts and ideas. To find out more, just visit centeratheart.com and click the subscribe button in the top right corner. Thanks for listening!
00:20:07
Speaker
Yeah, no, I mean, certainly I'm hopeful
Ferreira's European Transfer Attempts
00:20:09
Speaker
with that. i There's two elements of this that I also was curious to your take on ah that I've heard kind of come up repeatedly as sort of flashpoints in the Dallas ah Ferrera relationship. ah The first one, I suppose, is the transfer that fell through last year where he was supposed to go to Sportech, Moscow. And this isn't Dallas, you know, this is MLS came in and probably rightfully said, we don't want, we're not comfortable doing business with Russia, who is under all sorts of international sanctions. We're not sure if this is a legal move. But in either way, I think it was a, it was, I would imagine pretty frustrating for Ferreira that he thought he was getting his big move to Europe, ah even if Sparutek Moscow is not what most people think of as moving to Europe, but that they, you know, whatever. Yeah.
00:20:59
Speaker
And I would imagine that there was some emotional letdown because it did seem like the deal that he signed with Dallas in 2021, 2022, was sort of structured with the idea that he would be leaving before he counted as a full DP, which would have started this year, I guess. ah So look, I don't want to speak out of place here. I never got the sense that he was you know, ferociously frustrated with that. Because like Sparta Moscow, I mean, as you said, you know, you're not exactly talking about ah moving to Chelsea, right? Right. And it's sort of, you know, look, at you know, it's at a time when there's a, I think the Brittany grinder thing was still going on. Yeah, it was. much you and she she wasn back yet So, you know, ah it's almost like, you look at that thing. And and and he says, Look, he's, which is a smart guy, right? um And I just think that
00:21:53
Speaker
you know There's a part of him that I'm sure looked at that and said, yeah right you know if I'm not going there, that's cool because maybe I didn' fair i maybe i didn't want that anyway. and yeah The other thing is, he's not one of these guys. There have been plenty of guys that have come through the FC Dallas Academy. and as they As they get signed to a pro deal, their their next thought isn't,
00:22:16
Speaker
That's great. Now I can play for the shirt at the in the stadium. The next thought is, now I can go to Europe. right And I don't think Jesus was that guy. you know he you know I think it was always in the back of his mind and as he got a little older. He played in a long time in Dallas. Because he wanted to and he said all along, going way back, he said, I want to do what my dad couldn't do, which is win a championship for this month.
00:22:40
Speaker
he was not He was not a guy who who was hell-bent to go for europe to to go to Europe. So when that opportunity came up, um okay, yeah, he gets to go to Europe. but look and And again, I'm not inside. He and I aren't sitting around playing video games talking about this stuff ah you know and on ah on a Thursday night, right? So don't want I don't want to lie about it, but I just don't get the feeling that that was you know something that made him sulk around about. you know i just I just don't think that was that was a deal. I could be wrong, but I never got the impression.
00:23:10
Speaker
frankly, a little real like I know there was a lot of people we this has come up more than once in our community of saying, I don't know if you really wanted to go to Russia at in 2023. I don't i'm a have a little worried about this guy. But maybe you're right. And I mean, I would love to I would I would love this story this version of the truth to be the correct version because it is comforting frankly that to some level uh because i think you're right there is a lot of evidence that he is not a player who was solely focused on going to europe or else he wouldn't have signed the contracts i mean he signed two
00:23:45
Speaker
or three contracts with Dallas over the years, he clearly could have forced his way out somewhere. I mean, it's not that hard. like as we've As you've seen numerous times, it's not that hard for Dallas to move a player to Europe, but the goal is just to get to Europe. ah They have done it as well as anyone.
00:24:03
Speaker
100%, you know, I probably look at somebody, look at him, somebody like even more like Jordan Morris. I think if Jordan Morris would have had, you know, a yeah je at some point along the way, but you know, just it it just he was happy enough there. And nobody's, you know, nobody's talking about, you know, Jordan Morris being pissed off because he hasn't gone to Europe. I'm thinking the way you could tell me. No, you're right. You're right. You know, the other thing about his suicide ah and His father, it wasn't that long ago that his father quit playing professionally, okay? got in Down in Columbia. So there was a long time when Jesus and his first family, he was kind of the man of the house, you know, he had, you know, at 16, 17 years old, you know, he kind of interesting. I didn't know that. Yeah. And and so, you know, it is so for him to, you know, to be here and sort of, you know, ah be the, you know, the
00:24:49
Speaker
be the, you know, major breadwinner of the family. I don't know what his dad was making, you know, playing, you know, in the lower levels of Columbia, you know, probably not what he was thinking. Right. Exactly. Exactly. And so, you know, I think that was, that was also incentive for him to stay here and not be again, one of these guys that was interesting.
00:25:05
Speaker
you know if If I don't go to Europe this year, you know i'm gonna um um I'm going to be mad about it. i just I just don't think that was him. I think he's level-headed enough to understand that Major League Soccer in 2024 is a pretty darn good place. And now he's going to you know to a to a club with winning history and great fans. And I think he understands all that. Does he probably want to go to... Well, in fact, I've heard him say, you know,
00:25:28
Speaker
Yeah, you'd like to go to Europe someday, but that's how he says it. You know, yeah, i would like I'd like to go there someday. He doesn't say, man, I can't wait to get there and I don't want to be here anymore. Well, I got to say, I just looked this up. I did not realize that David David Ferreira was playing professionally until 2019. Yep. Yep.
Impact of New Signings at FC Dallas
00:25:50
Speaker
That's pretty wild. he He's playing, you know, in Columbia and who knows what kind of way we have. But he was you know make use on a professional contract. Sure. That's right.
00:25:58
Speaker
ah But ah anyway, the the other flashpoint that I've sort of heard bandied about that maybe led to sort of hastened his ah that contributed maybe to some potential frustrations was Dallas signing Peter Moussa last year to be a number nine, which was, you know, Ferreira had played as a, I mean, if I'm on, if I'm, you'll know better than me, but my understanding is Ferreira had kind of been the number nine ah for at least for, during his most productive seasons at Dallas. And then Dallas brings in Peter Moussa, who is clearly a number nine,
00:26:33
Speaker
a very good player, it should be said. ah And this is this is also where it's sort of similar to Jordan Morris, where it it I would imagine, you know, the sounders would have loved to sign a Peter Musa. But Jordan Morris has been a pretty effective number nine. And it would it was kind of, I don't know, did, how did he sort of, from your perspective, how much did the Peter Musa thing, whether it was emotional or just from a statistic, you know, from a an analytics or ah tactical perspective, I guess is the word I was looking for. Did that affect Ferreira's effectiveness?
00:27:11
Speaker
So I don't think Jesus is a guy, he was never really a classic nine. He really liked to drop back. He wanted to play a little, a little further. I honestly, I think if if you think about the way, like Sebastian Driosi played for for Austin at at his best when he was sort of listed as an attacking midfielder, but you really, but he, man, he was in the box an awful lot. He knew how to arrive in the box and probably like a Clinton Dempsey as well.
00:27:37
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good, another good one, you know, another, uh, another guy, you know, that he's hard to define. So, so the fact that he wasn't going to be, you know, the high striker, I think he was fine with that. I think he likes, I think he likes playing in the half spaces. And in fact, i you know, i I know he does. That's sort of where he, where he wants to be. He enjoys creating just as much as he he does scoring. And he's, and because he's got talent, because he's got will, because he's got the the big soccer brain, He can do a lot of things. He can play as a 10. He can play as a, uh, you know, he plays a nine. He can play as sort of a nine and a half. That's what Nico Stavage used to always call him. He's like, yeah, he's not a nine. He's not a 10. He's kind of a nine and a half. You know? So, so I don't really think that I, in fact, what I would say is that the club's willingness to go, go out and spend on somebody like Pedro Moussa.
00:28:24
Speaker
ah you know not only showing some willingness to spend a little bit for the roster, but also taking a little bit of pressure off of Jesus to squaw the doggone goals. I think that they he he rather liked that part. you know now Now, you get to ah December of 2024 as Eric Quill comes in. and I sort of wrote this on on the i sort of wrote this for the sub-stack that I sometimes write for, ah ah Texas 11.
00:28:53
Speaker
that Eric had a decision to make. He was going to have to between Peter Musa and his skillset, out of Alaska and his skillset, and Jesus Ferrer and his skillset, you really couldn't build your attacker on all three of them because they're just not exactly complimentary parts. Two of them, you could probably pick any two and create a system where they are complimentary parts,
00:29:19
Speaker
but probably not all three. Now you're, you know, now you're a square peg around whole kind of, you know, hammering. And I said, you know, I think some, one of them has to, ah it's probably gonna have to go or take some sort of, you know, a lesser role. And that's just, just somewhere in here, that's something else to consider, you know, that maybe, you know, and Eric Quill just looked at it and and and along with the technical staff and said, you know,
00:29:48
Speaker
It's not going to be Peter Musa because they paid a lot of money for him. It's probably not going to be out of Alaska because he's coming off the entry. They still think his value is really high. ah It just sort of fits in the club model of you know buying young internationally and maybe selling on. It just made sense in a lot of ways that that it was going to have to be Jesus.
Tactical Challenges for Seattle
00:30:07
Speaker
And you know so they looked to me like they went out and got a deal that, you know that again, everybody can kind of benefit from.
00:30:14
Speaker
um think mean it'll be interesting to see how that your husband was no that is kind of the question i think that is sort of the question that it that it wasn't yeah mean it does answer the question i think it also sets up an interesting conundrum for brian schmetzer because i do think it's on paper a similar ah You know, he's got some similar issues here. I guess maybe the difference is that the Sounders are probably going to play like 45 or 50 games this year and they're going to have to be rotating a lot. And one where that whether or not Jesus Ferreira is the number nine when they are playing their their most important games or if he's playing something else.
00:30:51
Speaker
ah there's probably a place for him on the field. And and so maybe that that sort of works it out a little easier just because the Saunders have so many games to play this year. ah But before we we go, I wanted to ask you real quickly about Paul Ariola. He is, ah it looks, and from what I can tell, it looks like that deal is going to happen. We still don't have official word on it yet.
00:31:13
Speaker
ah But just real broadly, everyone I've talked to seems to just rave about the character of Paul Areola and sort of... you know, what he, he brings on the field. I don't know. I look at his numbers. I'm still a little confused why he's why, what what you know, what was so bad. I mean, he, he was and for a player who was asked to play a lot of different positions last year. By my count, he had to play six different positions. He started at six different positions last year. I played a lot of wingback, played a lot of a fair amount of fullback.
00:31:46
Speaker
all up and down the field. um I don't know, what what can you say about paa Paul Areola? um you know ah A lot of what you said is is accurate. I don't think anybody looks at Paul and I don't think they're terribly upset with the performance level last year. Eric Quill is a guy who who's going to demand a lot of effort. Paul Arriola is a guy who is never short of it. I don't think that that's a problem. I think ah the issue is is more
00:32:18
Speaker
is more developing a roster that sort of makes sense in all the different ways. And, you know, Major League Soccer's weird salary cap, you know, gamutam, that it makes sense. And for a guy that's given you, as you said, ah five goals, seven assists last year, you know, those are, those are decent numbers for a guy who did play a lot of wing backs and right wing, left wing.
00:32:43
Speaker
A few games at right back, and they sort of did a tactical thing where, yeah, he was right back, but they released him very quickly up the field. So, you know, he was sort of an attacking right back. the ah those are Those are respectable numbers, right? um You know, they're not they're they're not the Gabriel Peck numbers. You know, they're not... They're not numbers for somebody who's maybe commensurate with what he's making. And I think that's that's a lot of it. He's just ah a little bit older player who's making a you know a damn you know ah a lot of money. And I think just within the the salary structure, they just needed a clear little bit
Paul Arriola's Potential Move to Seattle
00:33:20
Speaker
of room. and
00:33:20
Speaker
Look, and I don't know the particulars here. And if he goes to Seattle, it wouldn't surprise me. If he stays in Dallas, it wouldn't surprise me. And I think everybody would be happy to have him here. ah You know, one of the things I always think about Paul ah and he's he's not a big guy, man. You know, you see he's probably, you know, he and out of Alaska were the smallest guys in the field. But, you know, I remember he, ah a game here.
00:33:41
Speaker
Uh, I'm pretty sure it was Jackson Reagan. Um, you know, he just, he goes and, and I don't know how, but he, you know, he hits Reagan pretty hard and then he gets a yellow card for it. And, uh, literally Reagan's gotta be twice his size, you know, and, and later.
00:33:56
Speaker
And, you know, Jackson's a, you know, he's a physical defender and he had gotten into it a little bit with Jesus for, and, and, and I sort of asked Paul something about it. I was talking to him a couple of days later and he's like, he's like, I'm not going to give a let Jackson Reagan do that to my guys. You know, I went, yeah, I took my yellow card. I was happy to, I wonder what it was. I think it was like his fifth yellow card and he had to sit out and, you know, I said, are you kind of, he's like, no, good i'm I'm not letting Jackson Reagan do that to my teammates.
00:34:20
Speaker
You know, and that's what you want, right? Yeah, yeah. In fact, the Senators have talked a lot about needing that last year, actually. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think you got some of those guys with the rolled down brothers, et etc. But, but maybe you know, look, you can always use what he is a guy that he was, he was a team captain and You know, honestly, there are some yellow cards that he took that, ah you know, that I kind of wish he wouldn't have, you know, I think he needs to be smart about it. But sometimes again, you know, that's what I think that was a conversation we we're having. It's like, you know, sometimes, you yeah, you're right. But he says, you know, but sometimes you just got to do what you got to do.
00:34:53
Speaker
And you you like that in a guy and and again like five gold seven assists for a team that wasn't very good last year. You know for honest That's it's it's not bad and you can't play a bunch of different positions By the way, he love he really loves playing at the left so he cut in on his right foot that's Oh interesting if he had his if he had his druthers, that's where he'd be playing probably left wing Oh, interesting, interesting. Well, ah yeah, ah Steve, this has been super illuminating and really satisfying to have this conversation. I'm glad we finally got to talk. We have ah not not to not to bore people with our history, but you and I were working together ah as as far back as 2010.
00:35:32
Speaker
Uh, uh, which is a, it was a long time, especially in the, in, in this world of ours, but, um, it's been great, uh, seeing everything that you're doing. And I, uh, I'm glad to see you having the success that you're having. And, uh, I really really appreciate you, you doing this with me.
Final Reflections and Wrap-Up
00:35:49
Speaker
Uh, so thanks, Steve. Anything else you want to plug?
00:35:53
Speaker
ah Yeah, plug sounded hard because back at you, man. i've told I told you know Dave Clark this way back in the day that know is ah is one of the many, many hats I've worn over the years and in media and soccer media. um As SB Nation manager, I've said that that was the first blog that I brought into our and the SB Nation fold. And I said, if I'd stopped right there, it'd have been a success because you you guys you guys you guys do such a great job up there with the One of my little cheat codes, ah you know and when I've got to get ready for Seattle, my first you know for a broadcast, my first stop is Sounder at Heart.
00:36:29
Speaker
Oh, well, that's that's extremely nice of you to say and and really satisfying to hear. And I'm sure Dave will love the shout out as well. ah But um thank you so much for doing this, Steve. It was great having you. um Best of luck going forward. And then hopefully we get to hear you on the radio this year. And ah yeah, hopefully, hopefully we can get a road or we can get Radio broadcasts for both teams on every broadcast. That should be the biggest goal on ah MLS season pass. I'm going to start that campaign right now. I'm with you. Sign sign me up, man. I love it. I love it. Absolutely. All right. Well, um I'm Jeremiah Shann. This is No Sadietes and ah we'll catch you next time.
00:37:47
Speaker
one