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Episode 429: What a satisfying win
80 Plays2 years ago
It has been far too long since we have recorded after a win. In fact, it’s been nearly two months since the sounders last won a game, a streak they finally ended on Wednesday in very satisfying faction when they beat Austin FC 2-1 on a 90th minute Albert Rusnak.
In fairness, the Sounders were the beneficiaries of some fortunate VAR decisions, but give them credit for putting themselves in position to take advantage. Both goals they had were well taken and they did a good job of limiting Austin’s chances. I think you can even argue that they had as many and as good of chances as Austin, if not better.
The Sounders did all this while rotating fully half their outfield players. Dare I say it, but this win felt … important? Let's discuss!
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to NOS Arietes. This episode of NOS Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of NOS Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest.
00:00:28
Speaker
A.O. Shen! Let's go! What a save by Fry! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS Cup win! Here come three years through the middle to crown it the vehicle! And now they truly can't stop the celebrations. It's the Sounders' MLS Cup! Niko Liddo leaves out!
00:01:12
Speaker
Is that what you young people call twerking?
00:01:26
Speaker
Welcome to another edition of no idea to sponsored by full pool wines, Watson's counter and our subscribers. This is episode 428. We're recording on Thursday, August 31, 2023. I'm your host Jeremiah Shan. Joining me today is my co host Aaron campo. And of course, our producer Lickett.
00:01:44
Speaker
It's been far too long since we've recorded after a win.
Breaking the Losing Streak
00:01:47
Speaker
In fact, it's been nearly two months since the Sanders last won a game, a streak they finally ended on Wednesday in very satisfying fashion. When they beat Austin FC 2-1 on a 90th minute Albert Rissnet goal.
00:01:59
Speaker
In fairness, the Sounders were the beneficiaries of some fortunate VAR decisions, but give them credit for putting themselves in position to take advantage. Both goals they had were well taken and they did a good job of eliminating Austin's chances. I think you can even argue that they had as many good or maybe even better chances than Austin. The Sounders did all this while rotating fully half their outfield players. Dare I say it, but this one felt important? What do you say, Aaron?
00:02:28
Speaker
Definitely felt important on a lot of levels. We were talking about this, I think, before we started recording. So I got the score spoiled for me, which was a nice surprise, I suppose, but still not a great thing to happen. So I knew that eventually a second goal was coming.
00:02:48
Speaker
Uh, if I had not known that I would have been extremely depressed after Austin scored, uh, because the script for the season has been, you know, the sounders.
00:03:00
Speaker
give up goal and all hell breaks loose. And that didn't happen at all. I thought that they responded really well. They definitely looked like they were getting ready to pack it in and I think understandably so. But they didn't stop looking for opportunities going forward. They didn't just decide to live with a siege mentality.
00:03:20
Speaker
You know, they, they kept looking for opportunities, picking their spots and, and I'll burrow snack, picked a spot and a great result. And I think, you know, I said to you.
00:03:32
Speaker
Given the decisions they made with the lineup, given the decisions they made tactically, because I did think that there was a little bit of a tactical some tweaks in this game. I would have been happy with a thrilled with even a draw because they tried something different. They got a result and they looked better to get a win. I think is just more than I could have ever hoped for. Um, it was, you know, the perfect outcome. I thought Jordan Morris looked great as, as the loan, as the lone striker.
00:04:03
Speaker
And I thought the team just generally looked good and more comfortable and less frantic. And it just seemed like they kind of simplified things. And it was, it was really encouraging. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. It was, you know, I wasn't thrilled with, with the way they played against Minnesota. So really this is, even though it's four points from two games, it's one game where I've been really, really happy.
00:04:23
Speaker
But if they can build on this and if they can keep doing the things they did in this game, if this gives them the impetus to make bigger lineup changes more permanently, I think it's tough to be happier with an outcome than I am with this one. I would say that's really the key for me, is what does it mean? What momentum are they able to carry from this? Is this a one-off game?
00:04:49
Speaker
Do they come back and they look like crap against the timbers? Then this game doesn't matter, right? Or maybe it matters to some degree because it gets them that much closer to making the playoffs. But the thing I found encouraging about it was Brian Schmetzer showing a willingness to change, to try something new at forward, to try some new players, and did not do it in a way that felt as if it was punting
00:05:19
Speaker
And to some degree, I think this was rotation that was focused on Saturday against the Timbers.
Lineup and Tactical Adjustments
00:05:26
Speaker
But I also think it was an attempt to try something different and just to see what they can do. And I think the proof will be how many of these changes that he made get carried on into the Portland game.
00:05:40
Speaker
You know, if, if roll reedias is back at forward, if Albert Rusnak is back next to Joe Paulo, if, you know, Morris is back out on the wing, I think that you have to question whether or not any lessons were really learned from this game. But, you know,
00:06:00
Speaker
Taking it for what it was, I thought it was an encouraging performance. It was really good to see some of the young guys step up. It was good to see Albert come off the bench and be effective. It was good to see Ledero be effective. I didn't think bad play in this game. There was no one that I was super frustrated with.
00:06:19
Speaker
I thought Leo Chu tired down the stretch. At one point, I was yelling at my TV to get him. I actually may have yelled it on Twitter to get him off the field because it just didn't look like he had legs in him to defend anymore. And that was sort of when the sounders were getting pinned back.
00:06:36
Speaker
Other than that, and there was a few new who pull your hair out kind of moments, but he's mostly made up for that with other plays. I just thought it was a solid performance. I was encouraged. I feel more optimistic now than I've felt at least since the last win against Vancouver.
00:06:55
Speaker
If I recall, I don't think either one of us felt super optimistic after that one either. It was a real breath of fresh air. It's not as though Austin is a great team. They're below the playoff line. They've struggled at home even this year.
00:07:16
Speaker
But you beat who you play. Like, I mean, that's all you can do. And this beggars can't be choosers at this point. And the Sounders have been begging lately for wins. And I just think it's the Sounders were never going to lose out no matter what they did. Right. Like if they could have kept playing the same lineup, having the same tactical approach, and they were probably going to win a game at some point.
00:07:42
Speaker
But I think is that they, they won the game, but they looked different in a positive way. Yeah. They, they had a different look about them. They looked more confident. They looked more comfortable. Um, and you know, you can say that there's an argument that maybe Morris's goal was offside. I'm not going to spend a lot of time worrying about that. You can say there's an argument that.
00:08:06
Speaker
Probably a stronger argument that Austin had a goal not counted that maybe he should have. But I don't think you can really argue with the way the game played out. And sounders looked good. They looked different. They looked comfortable. They didn't collapse after giving up a goal. They kept pressing without exposing themselves. They just looked like a different team.
Western Conference Prospects
00:08:34
Speaker
Hopefully that means they can beat Portland at home, which would be really something different, I think. Yeah. Again, if they beat Portland at home, I think that really changes the completely outlook. It really does. It changes the outlook of the season. I think it starts to make whatever aspirations we have feel a little bit more realistic. And I realize Portland's not a great team either. But the thing is like no one in the West is great. St. Louis.
00:09:05
Speaker
on paper, they've getting a lot of results. This is a team that's under Smash 3-0. LAFC, I think probably the most talented team in the West, but even they're struggling to string results together. The West feels as wide open as it's really ever felt.
00:09:24
Speaker
at least in recent years. And I don't see why the Sounders can't put together a run, especially if they're willing to change things up a little bit. And, you know, I really hope we get to see, like on the top of my list of things I want to see, I want to see Josh Atencio get a real run because I thought he, you know, both Tim, Tim Foss and Mark Kastner both wrote about this on Sounder at Heart.
00:09:53
Speaker
they basically said the sounders have fallen into
00:09:59
Speaker
You know, like the geriatric band that's playing a little bit too long and they're playing the same hits, but they're just not as sharp as they used to be. And Josh Atencio was sort of this guitar solo that came in and revived everything. And that may be a little bit of a tortured analogy, but I get what they're saying. I mean, they asked me if it was.
00:10:24
Speaker
I said it was good, so he could be good if he didn't like it. No, where I was going with it was maybe I don't think if I did it right. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I think he it felt it feel it feels like a fair like, this is not a broken team. It's a team that wasn't fitting together. And I think maybe just maybe
00:10:49
Speaker
moving some pieces around and swapping in a couple might be what it needs. Yeah, completely agree. I think it's different ideas. I think that teams can get in ruts when stuff's not working and having players that are not pressing who are trying to make the most of their opportunity.
00:11:10
Speaker
Uh, can, can, you know, work wonders. And I think, um, it was encouraging that Nico seemed willing to take a different approach to the game and sort of play, like you said, play within himself. Um, and Jordan scoring, even if it's not necessarily a goal that
00:11:31
Speaker
You know, you don't think Raul ever could have scored or was, you know, distinctly a Jordan Morris kind of goal where he just kind of outruns everybody. Uh, it was nice to see the striker score goal. Like it's, it's been a while since we've seen that. And, um, yeah, it's been a long time. I think it was May 7th or something like that was the last time the Sounders got a, or no, I guess May 7th is the last time Jordan scored for the Sounders. But whenever the Charlotte game was, it was a span of like 10 games since any forward had scored for the Sounders.
00:12:00
Speaker
Yeah. And that's, I mean, that's rough. It's, it's very difficult to win games if, if your forwards aren't scoring goals. So, you know, unless you're like.
00:12:11
Speaker
Man City, I guess, but they have a four that scores a few goals. Right. Right. Just, just a few. So yeah, I mean, it's, uh, it's one game and there were, it's not like all of the problems were solved and they went out and ran riot over Austin. But like you said, like the West is pretty tight, pretty wide open. Um, this is not the best founders team we've ever seen. This is not a team that I think even if they can get everything kind of figured out that, that I think is.
00:12:37
Speaker
nailed on to make a deep playoff run, but they're not a bad team either if they can make use of the talent that they have. And I think too that if there are players like Raul Rodriguez who I don't think is done, right? Like I think he still can be a good player, but I think he is at a point in his career where he's not capable of just fully pulling himself out of a rut.
00:13:05
Speaker
through sheer force of will, like you maybe used to be able to do. But if the pressure is not on him as much, and he can have, you know, some games where he's coming in late, where he's not expected to start, not expected to score, that pressure doesn't continue to mount. Maybe that's the thing that he needs to do to get back in a better headspace where he can be a really solid contributor again. And it's a lot easier to give him the space to do that when
00:13:30
Speaker
He's not sitting on the bench saying, well, they're not doing anything either. Right? Like when, when you're getting results with, with the guys that are on the field, it's hard for the guys that are on the bench to say, well, you know, I could do better because they hadn't been. So yeah, hopefully, you know, that gives everyone the ammunition they need to keep making the right decisions for the team. Uh, and to.
00:13:55
Speaker
you know, just try some different stuff because it was really nice to see something different in that game. It was really nice to see something different in that game. And, you know, I think I would be a little insincere if I didn't mention that the Sounders lost the XG battle 1.8 to 1, which I think is almost exactly the mirror image of what the XG was the first time they played.
00:14:20
Speaker
Austin where they won the XG battle. And I don't know, I think this is one of those ones where it's maybe a little like XG is a little deceiving because the Sounders created chances. You know, they had Leo choose chance where he hit it off the post. If he squares that ball to Jordan Morris, it's a tap in.
00:14:41
Speaker
Jordan had a shot where he put it through Brad Stuber's legs. It just so happened to deflect slightly off the inside of his leg and it goes just wide. They were getting looks in the game and these were
00:14:57
Speaker
You know, that's what you want to see. You want to see them moving up the field, getting it out in transition, doing things that we just haven't seen the sounders doing that much in the last two months, the last four months, really. And it was just all, it was all positive to see that was good to see, you know, and I think the players really do have an appreciation for
00:15:22
Speaker
They have not fixed anything. This is the step. These are positive steps. And I think in that context, the Minnesota result was probably a good lead into this one because I thought they did enough well against Minnesota. I thought they deserved that point. I think one of the things that we've seen consistently in these two games is that one of the things that I think happens to the Sounders when they are struggling is
00:15:50
Speaker
They're just not connecting passes. Yeah. Like they aren't able to, uh, I guess, what's it called? Rest defense at what it's called. Uh,
00:15:59
Speaker
There was a term that Mark I remember using one time about active defending. Is that what active defending passive defending? Maybe it's passive defending where it's basically you're just defending by holding the ball. Yeah. And they haven't been able to do that very well. And I thought one of the things that was most encouraging about the Austin game and what I think we also saw in the Minnesota game was when it got down to crunch time, they weren't panicking.
00:16:27
Speaker
They drew fouls where they needed to draw fouls. They put balls out of bounds, where they got throw-ins, they could milk the clock. And I felt like for a 10-minute stoppage time that they had against Austin, there was very few moments of real nerves, despite them playing with the lead that whole time and Austin presumably just throwing everything they could. And Austin didn't really generate any chances during that stretch. And I thought that was super encouraging.
00:16:55
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think that this is, like you said, one of those games where it's almost the mirror image of all those games. The Sounders won the XG battle. Right. Right. Yeah. Of course you were creating chances. You were playing at home and you were losing the game.
Stefan Frei's Goalkeeping
00:17:10
Speaker
Right. You know, and and I thought the Sounders did really well. I think.
00:17:16
Speaker
I'm not trying to dunk on anyone because I'm not going to sit here and say that Stephen Fry did not have some rough games earlier in the season. But I definitely feel vindicated in feeling like he was still a very good goalkeeper. And I think this game was a great example of that. I thought he played exceptionally well.
00:17:37
Speaker
And Minnesota, I thought he was really good against Minnesota, too. I mean, he's been really good most of the season. And it's just almost, again, not trying to dunk on anybody because it was reasonable at the time to have concerns. But it is kind of crazy to think that that was earlier in the season, like a big debate was, is, you know, is a time to make a change, a goalkeeper. And I think really he's more than solidified his spot. Yeah, I mean, it's great so much so that I, I
00:18:06
Speaker
Think not only do I want him to come back. I think that's the right decision to bring him back. I don't think you're going to go out and assume you can find a better goalkeeper at a similar price than what you're getting seven fry for. And so, and I think these last few games I've really.
00:18:24
Speaker
One of the last two games have really solidified that in my mind that this is not a player who is past it. He's still got the shop stopping ability that you need from him. You know, his, maybe his distribution could be a little bit better, but I thought in the last couple of games, his distribution was pretty good. Yeah. And it helps when you're, you're, you're kicking the ball to Jordan Morris instead of roll reed is up top. Yeah, it absolutely does. Just cold, hard facts there, right?
00:18:47
Speaker
Yeah. And I think too, you mentioned that the Sounders were connecting passes and able to hold on to the ball in a way they hadn't been. And I think specifically for Nico, that was the thing that has been standing out for me for months with him, is that he was misplaying so many seemingly very simple passes.
00:19:07
Speaker
Yeah. And that just wasn't a thing he did in this game. I mean, it was maybe the biggest difference between Nico in this game and Nico over the last few months is that I don't I'm sure that there were passes he didn't connect on because that's just kind of the nature of his position. But I don't remember any that sort of.
00:19:24
Speaker
you know, brought this frustrated reaction out of me that had become pretty common with him over the last few however many games where it's like, that's a simple pass. And I don't understand how you did that poorly with it. He didn't have any of those. He didn't have giveaways and bad spots, which have been an issue for him. Um, he just looked so much more comfortable and in control. Uh, and, and I think that he's so vital to when he's on the field.
00:19:55
Speaker
He's going to dictate so many things about how the sounders are playing. And if he's struggling to connect the path, connect passes, it's going to put so much pressure on everyone else. And so I think it's really critical if he is going to be playing that he's not making those errors because it can really have a cascading effect. And in this game, it sort of was the opposite where.
00:20:13
Speaker
the midfield wasn't under pressure because they weren't having to deal with bad giveaways and things like that in the middle third. And he was also hanging out mostly in the middle third. He wasn't roaming all over the field, which is another thing that you really want to see from Nico. And if he wants to shade to the left, you can shade to the left, but like.
00:20:33
Speaker
Don't go too crazy. But anyway, that's, that's probably a good place to take a break. We're going to come back, talk a little bit more about the Portland game coming up. And, uh, yeah, you're listening to Nos Adietes. Watson's counter wants to thank everyone for their patience, but now the wait is over. Located at 6420 24th Avenue, Northwest in Ballard.
00:20:56
Speaker
They've reopened in a brand new location with the same bomb-ass coffee and the same dumb-ass vibes. You can still expect their classics like the gochujang fried chicken sandwich and Fruity Pebbles French toast alongside their new soft-serve program and their world-class coffee. Make sure to follow them on Instagram for all the latest and greatest. Welcome back to Nos Arietes.
Preview of Portland Timbers Match
00:21:20
Speaker
So big game on Saturday.
00:21:24
Speaker
Big. Big. Yeah. Very big. I for two teams that aren't necessarily looking super hot. Well, no, I shouldn't. Yeah. Overall, neither team is looking super hot. But I don't know. This feels like a like a must win. There's nothing about it that technically is a must win, I suppose, other than if the Sounders want to win the Cascadia Cup, they need to win their two home games against the Timbers and Whitecaps. Yeah.
00:21:52
Speaker
but they have to figure out a way to beat Portland at home. Yeah. It's interesting that I feel so much better about this game because Gio is gone. Well, he has absolutely had the Sounders number. No way around it. There was the one major ass kicking down in Portland, the 6-2 game. The last time the Sounders beat Portland, by the way.
00:22:21
Speaker
And that's, that's been pretty much it. And, uh, yeah, so I do feel, and they don't have a new manager yet and won't before this game. So they, they shouldn't get the new, the new coach bounce, which will be nice. Um, yeah, I mean, Portland stinks, they're, they're really bad. Um, they are.
00:22:40
Speaker
As bad as the Sounders were, they're absolute worse and have been for most of the year. They're below the playoff line, which is extremely difficult to do this season. And yeah, they're just the team that pretty much everyone in the league should expect to be at home, except maybe Colorado.
00:22:58
Speaker
Um, or pretty messy inter Miami. Um, and because they have so consistently embarrassed the sounders at home and, and because that.
00:23:12
Speaker
that loss in Portland is the thing that really feels like there was the one up here last year and that sort of derailed some building momentum in that season. And then there was the one down there that sort of really was when the wheels came off on this season with the Sounders. And it would just feel, if you're a believer in vibes and the importance of vibes and the Mariners are increasingly making me a believer in vibes and their importance to sports teams,
00:23:39
Speaker
I really think you've got to win this game because it really does feel like it has the potential to just turn the fives around completely. Yeah. Not to jinx things, but I'm looking at Portland's schedule. They have not won consecutive games.
00:24:01
Speaker
all year. They have not won two, they don't have a single winning streak this year. And they beat RSL in the previous game. They have not, they haven't won the XG battle for six straight games. They got blown out by Houston 5-0. That's the game that got Gio Severisi fired. They followed that up by losing 3-2 at home to the Whitecaps. They did
00:24:26
Speaker
Redeemed themselves a little bit by beating RSL two to one on Wednesday, but this is not a good team. They have not been a good team. They weren't a good team when the Sounders played them last time, of course, but, or the time before that, that hasn't necessarily changed things for the Sounders, but this is just, they got to do it. Yeah.
00:24:51
Speaker
that nothing about this says like Portland's not gonna lay over and just like let the sounders beat them.
00:24:59
Speaker
But the Sounders need to, they need to absolutely score first in this one. They need to score second. They need to make this thing, like Nina put this to bed. Yeah. I, we normally say that like in a game like this and a rivalry like this, it's cliche, but it's a cliche for a good reason that the records don't matter. And you got to throw that out the window. And that's certainly proven to be the case. Yeah. Throughout the history of this rivalry, especially over the last, you know, five years or so, but I don't,
00:25:28
Speaker
You can't have it. The circumstances of this game mean that it. That stuff can not matter. What matters is that Portland is really bad. They've won one game.
00:25:42
Speaker
on the road this year, and that was in April, and the Sounders are better. And if they want people to take them seriously and they want people to feel like, yeah, this is a team that is capable of actually turning this thing around, you got to beat this team. And frankly, you got to beat them pretty handily.
00:26:01
Speaker
Bizarrely, the one game they won on the road was against St. Louis leading St. Louis. That's very funny. St. Louis is a weird team. They are. They're a weird team. They're fun to watch team, but they're a weird team. And they actually outplayed St. Louis in that game, too. Yeah. Like, it wasn't like they got lucky. That was a long time ago. Yeah. They've had a lot of injuries. Like, they're not in this position
00:26:26
Speaker
in a vacuum. There are a lot of reasons. I will say that was also during the one stretch of the season where they looked pretty good. They actually won three of six and they were three, two, and one during those six games. A streak that was started when they beat the Sounders for one in a massive come from behind victory that
00:26:51
Speaker
really started to derail the Sounders season. So it would be kind of fitting if the Sounders could sort of like put a nice bookend down that beat the timbers and then ride that momentum into the postseason. It would be. And I think if they win this game, obviously there's still a lot of season left.
00:27:09
Speaker
I think the fears of the Sounders missing on the playoffs have to evaporate if the Sounders win this game. It would take a lot. They would almost have to go winless. If they win this game, they'll be on 43 points. I would imagine 45 points is probably going to get you into the playoffs. Yeah. Even now it would be difficult.
00:27:33
Speaker
for them to miss the playoffs considering A, how many teams make the playoffs and B, how bad. It's not just that the sounders don't have like an insurmountable cushion in terms of the gap between them and 10th place, but there's a lot of teams between them and 10th place. That's really the trick is that the scenario isn't just that they drop all these points, it's that they
00:27:59
Speaker
drop all these points to the, and this, these specific teams are the ones that are, you know, picking them up. It's a lot, and it's a lot of them that all have to be doing it, but let's not worry about that. Let's get this win. I guess what are the things, what are the big things you want to see from this aside from the result? Like what are, what are the, the signs that you would be encouraged by or like, what's the lineup you want to see?
00:28:24
Speaker
Uh, I'd like to see a lineup similar to what we saw, uh, against Austin. And I, I mean, maybe not man for man. I think Leo true look pretty ragged at the end of that game. So that's, you know, maybe tough for him just to get another start. I guess who do you put in his place? Like, would you want to see Jordan on the left there? I really want to see Jordan up top. I think there's a chance we see a bear. Um, I suppose there's a chance we see Raoul.
00:28:51
Speaker
I'd rather not. I really want to see what Jordan can do up top. And that does complicate things, especially if Leo can't start again. I mean, I don't know. I don't know who you start there.
00:29:07
Speaker
but I really want to see Jordan up top. To me, that's the key thing. I would be happy to see Raul get some minutes in this game, and I think it's unlikely that Jordan is going to be able to go 90 after starting midweek, putting in a pretty, what looked like a pretty exhausting shift.
00:29:28
Speaker
I think maybe you can play Nico on the left. Maybe you can give that another try. I don't know. But I think the biggest thing for me is who doesn't start. And I love Raul. I think he still has it in him to be a good player this year, to be a guy that is starting come playoff time. I think he needs to start this one on the bench, at least this one more on the bench. Yeah. I want to see the Sounders come out aggressively.
00:29:56
Speaker
Uh, without getting punched in the mouth, which has been the thing that is, has kind of screwed them against Portland. I think in this run of poor results against them is that you can come out aggressively and play like the home team and go after it without being.
00:30:13
Speaker
overly confident or naive, and I think that's kind of the thing that's done the Sounders in against them, is that Portland is a team that can counter-attack. They pretty much always have been, and the Sounders have gotten eaten alive on the counter-attack because they've just been a little too aggressive. But at the same time, you're playing at home, you're playing against a bad team, it's a game you have to win, so you can't come out too timid either. It's a tough needle to thread, no question.
00:30:42
Speaker
I think you have to be able to do that if you're a team that people want to take seriously. And yeah, I think the biggest thing is just don't give up stupid goals. Don't fall apart if Portland does happen to get a goal, because that's happened a lot. The pressure of this game has pretty clearly gotten to the Sounders at times over the last couple years. So bizarre. It really is. It's very uncharacteristic. And it's uncharacteristic of this specific group of players.
00:31:11
Speaker
Right. That's what I mean. This is a group of players that's won a lot of big games, that's played in a lot of big games, and yet something about playing Portland, especially at home, brings out some of the worst tendencies in this group. I'll tell you, the group I want to see, I think I've settled on this, and I wouldn't mind seeing this for an extended period. Morris up top.
00:31:38
Speaker
I, I'm okay with seeing, I think Leo, my suspicion is that he can start again for, I just think he was, you know, it was hot. There was a lot of reasons that he would certainly be my preference. Right. Like if you can go, I'm, I'm thrilled. And I suspect that he can, uh, on the right. I think I want to see Rusnak. I realize that's not his preferred position, but I think with the way that the centers play, the way that centers use that spot, I don't see any reason he can't be successful there. I want to see Lidero back in the middle.
00:32:09
Speaker
He earned that right. He played that well. And then I think in the central midfield, I want to see Ciao Paolo, Josh Atencio. I'd be, you know, I think Alex bring Alex Roldan back on the right back.
00:32:22
Speaker
And then, uh, and then the normal, the other normal ones that are, uh, Yeymar Jackson and new who and, uh, and fry. I, and I, like, I, that's not, that's not a crazy amount of change, but I think that's the lineup. Like if that's the lineup you use going forward, that's your, that's your a lineup. I have no problem with that. Uh, at this point I'm not expecting Christian rolled onto, to, to like, I'm not counting on him for anything this year at this point. If he does, I, I hope that's a good sign.
00:32:52
Speaker
My, at this point, my feeling on Rui Diaz is he needs to play his way back into the starting team. That means he's got to find a way to score off the bench. He's got to do it. Maybe there's some spot starts that he gets, but I don't think at this point he's, it's not his starting spot anymore. And, and, you know, roll with this and see if, if you can get that going. I do think that there's some, I think it's fair to say that there's open competition at right back.
00:33:21
Speaker
I think Reid Baker Whiting has shown that he is at least capable of challenging Alex Rodin. I still think it's Rodin's spot. Similarly, on the left, I think Cody Baker has shown some signs that he can challenge Nahub, but he hasn't played enough recently to warrant a start in this one. And frankly, I think it's fine to be a little conservative with the lineup outside of the two changes that I said. Yeah.
00:33:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think I think that the fact that there's just that little bit of pressure on some players who have not really had a lot of pressure is a really positive thing. And that doesn't mean that they've become intentionally complacent or lazy or anything like that. It just means that subconsciously, you know that if you don't perform, you're going to lose your job and that can bring out the best in people. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
00:34:14
Speaker
Yeah. And I think that there's, the sounders have some decent options off the bench. If you can bring Rudy Diaz off the bench, great. That's a great option off the bench. If you can bring a Paul Rothrock, who all you need to do is bring energy, cause some chaos. That's, that's great. Bring Reed Baker Whiting off the bench. If you want to get a little more aggressive on at right back, these are all like, these are like Obed Vargas has an option off the bench. Another solid option. Yeah.
00:34:43
Speaker
I think this is like, I'm not going to sit here and say the sounders are endless favorites or anything, but I can absolutely talk myself into thinking this is a team that is capable of something.
00:34:56
Speaker
if they play the parts right. It's also a team that's capable of completely falling apart. I don't think they're going to miss the playoffs, but it's not outside. Like these two games have not suddenly convinced me that they are like a great team. I don't want to overstate that, but I guess what I'm saying is they showed me enough that I'm now kind of convinced that at the very least I want to see what this altered group can do.
00:35:25
Speaker
Yeah, I think that that's, I mean, that's the key thing, right? Is that there's all of a sudden we know that Brian is willing to make changes. We know the players can respond to those changes. We know that they're capable of putting in a good performance. It was, I think reasonable to worry. Oh, this is going to be the way it's going to be the season because that's, that's what that's because that's what it had been exactly. And it's the way it was most of last season too.
00:35:52
Speaker
And, but all of a sudden it's not. And it just that little like bit of promise that, Hey, like it doesn't have to be the way it's been. This team can still be good. They can still get results. That's all I need to keep me invested is just give me something different. If it was something to hope for. Yeah. Give, give me a reason to watch, right? Uh, winning games is, is the best possible reason to watch as far as I'm concerned. So, um, yeah, so I have.
00:36:23
Speaker
My, my cynicism level has been cut in half, if not more. Uh, and you know, a great time to do that is, is before, before the Portland game. Exactly. Exactly. You know, it was funny. I had sort of talked myself into the belief that they could lose this game against Austin and I would still.
00:36:42
Speaker
feel I don't know something like I really do feel like this week comes down like the success of this week. I suppose on paper if they tie Portland, it's still a five point week. That's still positive. But if you want to change the way that the fans feel about this team, it's not a math problem. Yeah, it's it's something different than math. It's
00:37:06
Speaker
give me reason for hope and beating Portland would be that reason for hope. But they got to go out and do it. They got to go out and do it. And if they don't do it, not only is all the whatever goodwill or whatever hope there was from this past week erased, it's maybe worse. Right. Because this was sort of like the potential turning point.
00:37:30
Speaker
I don't know, like you're telling me you can't beat Portland at home and you're going to do something. You're going to go on a run. I'm skeptical. Yeah. I'm more skeptical than I was, you know, before like the, uh, for anything else. So it would be nice. It would be very nice if this week ends up being a positive, you know, turning point. Uh, so let's, let's end it there. Uh,
00:37:55
Speaker
Thank you to our sponsors, Full Pool Wines and Watson's Counter. Thank you. A massive, massive, massive thank you to all the people that have signed up to become subscribers of Sounder at Heart. We are really doing well on that front. I don't want to keep banging this drum, but it's true. It's not a fully sustainable project yet. We're in great shape. We're going to get through this first year. I have no doubt about that.
00:38:22
Speaker
But to make this a really sustainable, long-term project, it's going to take a little bit. We need to keep growing this thing. And everyone who's signed up, I really appreciate it. I hope we continue to give you a sense that you're getting value out of this. I'm not trying to make it sound like this is a charity, but I've been really proud of some of the work that we've done just in the last couple of weeks. I think we've put out a lot of good stuff on this channel.
00:38:50
Speaker
And the people that have been helping out with this thing have been a massive, massive help. The whole Sounder at Heart team, the whole Ride of the Valkyries team, Aaron Lickett, the Nos Adietes folks, which I guess I'm part of as well. This has been a really invigorating thing. I hope people are excited by it.
00:39:13
Speaker
I do think it's pretty awesome to be able to put our stake in the ground as an independent media company. And I hope people are taking some pride in that as well. And it's worth being excited about. And I'm hopeful that we can ride some of that energy. We can build on this energy with results from the sounders. So anyway, all that said,
00:39:37
Speaker
I'm Jeremy O'Shan, signing off for Aaron Campbell and Lick It. This is no sadiatis. Remember, you will never yet alone.
00:40:40
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!