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Lobbing Scorchers Live: Previewing the 2025 Leagues Cup Final (feat. Jeremiah Oshan)
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It's the morning of the Leagues Cup Final and the Seattle Sounders are facing off against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. We're joined by Jeremiah Oshan to preview this historic matchup at Lumen Field.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Lobbing Scorchers' Episode
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers was previously recorded and streamed live on YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers. If you want to listen or catch these episodes live, see the video, and see all the rest of our content, go to YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers or LobbingScorchers.com slash YouTube.
00:00:22
Speaker
Well, sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be real scorcher today. What, the scorcher today? Well, it's gonna be
00:00:43
Speaker
Good morning, everybody.
Anticipation for Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami Final
00:00:46
Speaker
Welcome in to a very special episode of Lobbing Scorcher's Kickoff. It is leagues cup final match day, Seattle Sounders in just a few hours time are going to be taking on inter Miami, Lionel Messi and the Barca boys at Lumen field with silverware on the line.
00:01:06
Speaker
Uh, One of the biggest games in the history of the club. I think it's fair to say. ah I think we we might talk about later exactly where this kind of ranks in that pantheon.
00:01:17
Speaker
ah But needless to say, it's a big day for the Seattle Sounders. We're going to be hanging out here this morning ah previewing the matchup. breaking down our favorite matchups.
00:01:28
Speaker
I don't know about predictions, but ah we'll be we'll be talking about how we think the game is going to go, or at least how it could go. I'm not a big predictions guy. um But Nico is going to be hopping on here in just a few minutes.
00:01:41
Speaker
Noah's supposed to show up at some point. But to start here, going to be running it running its solo. I think I'm going to rip the Schmetz presser in a second here from yesterday while we wait for people to...
00:01:54
Speaker
trickle in but uh i think for the most part it's just gonna be hanging out one more time before uh Before this game, which it's going to be huge, guys. I mean, ah last I checked, 65,000-plus tickets sold.
00:02:12
Speaker
ah We could be talking about a situation where it gets up towards that 68,000, 69,000 mark where it was for the CCC final. I don't know, but I know it's 65-plus.
00:02:23
Speaker
It's going to be crazy. Messi in the building. Luis Suarez in the building. Sergio Buscad. I mean, you guys know. You guys already know.
00:02:35
Speaker
So thanks for thanks for tuning in, and hopefully this can serve as just like a ah sort of send-off before we all see each other on the other side.
00:02:46
Speaker
um If everyone watching could go ahead and like the video, subscribe to the channel if you haven't. I know there's been a lot more people than usual tuning in to our stuff, given that ah Seattle is now playing Inter-Miami.
00:03:05
Speaker
So if you're one if you're among those people, Drop us a sub like the video. ah Logging scorchers.com slash sauce. Logging scorchers.com slash archive.
00:03:17
Speaker
Become a YouTube member. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok are.
Seattle's Chances Against Miami and Messi
00:03:23
Speaker
ah I got to say, I got to say, you know, I've been keeping track of ah not just the national pundits, but the
00:03:33
Speaker
the sentiment from opposing fan bases and from, you know, just random fans around the world who, yeah when mess whenever Messi's involved, it's you get a lot of those types of eyeballs on it.
00:03:49
Speaker
And no one's ah no one's fancying the Seattle Sounders' chances much in this game. I thought who the favorite was was debatable.
00:04:02
Speaker
We're going to talk about that. I thought it was debatable at least, you know, I get it. One team has Lionel Messi and the Barca boys and one team doesn't, but you know, one team's got the game at home.
00:04:18
Speaker
One team's been in better form in the tournament, at least by like record and goal scored and differential and stuff. One team's going to have,
00:04:31
Speaker
60,000 plus behind. yeah you know You know, there's there's reasons why why the home team could have an argument as a favorite in this situation. But ah the national pundits, inter-Miami fans, other random fan bases around the league, I'm seeing a lot of ah Seattle's going to get crushed.
00:04:54
Speaker
Messi's going to destroy you.
00:04:58
Speaker
Sounders don't stand a chance. Okay, all right, all right. I'm not here to argue. not here to argue with anybody. i get I get why people are saying it. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
00:05:11
Speaker
People expect you to win and are guaranteeing that you're going win.
00:05:16
Speaker
You better not lose.
00:05:21
Speaker
kind of gives this feeling of... ah I don't want to say house money. I've, I've, I've steered away from that term a little bit,
00:05:31
Speaker
but when everyone expects you to lose, i think it has a way of taking off some of the pressure.
00:05:43
Speaker
I guess I'm just, uh, I was a little, I was a little surprised at how, how split that was and not even, not even split. I think, uh,
00:05:53
Speaker
every national pundit I've seen has predicted into Miami to win this game. And the analysis seems to come down to, uh, they have Leonel Messi.
00:06:05
Speaker
Therefore they're guaranteed to win, which may be, maybe, but, ah I don't know if, I don't know if it's that cut and dry.
00:06:20
Speaker
I don't know if it's that cut and dry.
00:06:26
Speaker
Miami. They have lost games before. There is precedent for that. Can be done.
00:06:34
Speaker
So i guess I guess we're just going to have to see. We're going to find out. 5 p.m. Pacific kickoff. Probably going more like 5.20 or so. ah We're going to be ripping this preview show for about an hour or two. And then we're going to be heading down to Pioneer Square pretty early.
00:06:55
Speaker
probably get some tats delicatessen to start it off filming some content. If you see us down there, feel free you to say hi. And then also, also fast fashion brewery 2pm.
00:07:13
Speaker
Pre match party. Hold on, let me pull up the flyer.
00:07:24
Speaker
That's right.
00:07:26
Speaker
We are hosting pre-match party, Fast Fashion Brewery in Soto. You can see the address right there. We've had events there before. They have hosted Sounder at Heart many a time. We're going to get there around 2 p.m.
00:07:41
Speaker
says kickoff 4 p.m. That's ah technically incorrect. But I think I'm planning it on heading into the stadium a little aggressively early. But we will be at Fast Fashion around 2 o'clock.
00:07:55
Speaker
If you are in the area, want to come say hi, drink a beer. um
Seattle's Strategy and Team Dynamics
00:08:00
Speaker
i you know I won't be drinking any beer because I've got to attend this match in a working capacity, but people there will be drinking beers, and I encourage you all to drink beers with us at Fast Fashion.
00:08:16
Speaker
It's going to fun. Definitely don't be shy. ah As always, you guys got a any questions, topics, thoughts, predictions, observations, agendas, grievances, feel free to drop them in chat.
00:08:32
Speaker
Get to as many as I can. ah And I think right now, while we well we keep waiting for people to to trickle in and wait for Nico, who should be here in a few minutes, I'm going to rip this Schmetz presser from yesterday, see what the coach has to say.
00:08:49
Speaker
Kind of, let's let's see what his vibe is. Let's see what his vibe Is he going to seem nervous? It's big game. Tense. I mean, we've all seen the ah
00:09:01
Speaker
the now famous quote.
00:09:05
Speaker
Messi is the greatest player the sport has ever seen, but we have Paul Rothrock.
00:09:13
Speaker
So he didn't seem nervous there, but this is this is more official presser. he's ah He's at like the podium. This isn't at training. So let's check in on Schmitz and then we'll take it from there.
00:09:27
Speaker
Welcome everyone to this official press conference, Leagues Cup 2025, ahead of the final between Seattle Sanders and Inter Miami. Today we welcome coach head coach Brian Schmester from the Seattle Sanders and subsequently we'll bring midfielder Christian hold Rodan.
00:09:46
Speaker
Thank you very much. Any opening statements? Nope. All right, we'll start with questions here. You know, Brian, ah yesterday, i I guess it was, you you made a statement about how you know they have Messi, but we have Paul Rothrock and a whole bunch of other players you know, local kids, but, you know, taking the, the sort of like the funny contrast of that aside, there is a real, it does say, so it does say something about the way that the rosters are built, you know, that they have a lot of international talent, big names.
00:10:14
Speaker
You guys do not have necessarily the same level of big name players. You have a lot of players who have, you know, been in MLS for a while that have come through the system that have gotten really great results on their, in their own right.
00:10:25
Speaker
And I guess if you could just speak to the contrast in sort of, um, philosophies when it comes to roster building between these two teams and and and how that sort of might manifest itself in the game.
00:10:35
Speaker
Look, I think that's been written about on both sides. You know, there's 30 teams in the league. Each one does it differently. Some are maybe grouped over here and some are grouped over here.
00:10:47
Speaker
Look, my personal feeling on our roster build was, you know, Albert was the last piece to get us over the Champions League. Recording in progress.
00:10:59
Speaker
ah the you know the the way Garth did it when Tam came in, and now there's you know different rules, U22s, everything's always evolving.
00:11:11
Speaker
you know We had Clint Dempsey and Oba and you know more recently, Nico and Raul. There's not to say that you know when some guys age out, we might not go back we might go back to getting an established star. we We might do that. Everything's cyclical.
00:11:27
Speaker
What I'm proud about with this roster is that Craig's done a good job because nobody really talks about Jesus and Paul. You know, Albert, like I mentioned, you know, Pedro's finding his feet. Jordan, Christian, they've all been a part of many championship teams.
00:11:44
Speaker
Steph Fry could be the best, you know, signing this club has ever made at the end of the day. ah You know, that was back when Ziggy and Tommy were talking about goalkeepers.
00:11:56
Speaker
ah So the the thing I'm most proud of is, you know, we do it differently. Everybody does it differently. But yes, the young kids have shown up.
00:12:07
Speaker
And specifically, you know, the names I mentioned, ah look, Paul is great. ah Jackson's great. Snyder's got potential. Obed's getting a lot of press because of his talent.
00:12:21
Speaker
ah You know, just Danny Leyva having some good performances. The list goes on and on. And, you know, being from the Northwest, ah seeing local kids grow up similar to what happened in my time, ah you know, with Mark Peterson, Jeff Stock, Jeff Durgan, you know, then Chance and, you know, Billy Crook and everybody else.
00:12:45
Speaker
ah Jimmy McCallish are leading us off. I can't forget him. But Pacific Northwest has produced quite a few really good soccer players.
00:12:56
Speaker
Brian, you stressed to us that you're not a defensive coach and yet and defense is non-negotiable. But talking to your players today, they the messaging they understand and embrace the opportunity that they're going to have to play some defense in this game and then you know see if the counterattack can happen.
00:13:18
Speaker
Well, hopefully it's not just counterattacks. Hopefully we do extend some possessions because, you know, the less time Messi has on the ball, the less chances he has to score. But it's not just Messi, it's DePaul, it's Busquets, it's Alba, it's Suarez, it's, you know, like Segovia's goal against Orlando, the last goal was really good.
00:13:37
Speaker
They've got some young kids that have played well. Kramashi, you know, scored some goals for them. So it's going to take a lot of smart defending. And what I mean by that is higher up the field, if we can press effectively, that leads to turnovers. And that's an area that they're they have concerns about on their side of the thing, on the ball.
00:13:58
Speaker
So our defending has different meanings. You know, we're not going to try and be pushed back for the entire game. But it certainly is going to be one of the, you know, key things is, you know, keeping Suarez and Alba and Messi and Busquets and Paul and Segovia off the score sheet.
Seattle's International Experience and Strategic Insights
00:14:20
Speaker
hi coach, how are you? Back here. um This is a question about yourself. I wanted to ask you, given all the players that you have out and all the injuries through the season, what would you rank as yourself?
00:14:32
Speaker
Is this your best coach job that you've done given all these casualties, to put it in that way? ah You know, it's an interesting question.
00:14:44
Speaker
I think with a little, a few more years of reflection, I think it might be right up there. ah You know, we have lost a significant amount of time with our designated players.
00:14:58
Speaker
You know, we Yaimar and Jackson and then Ryan Kent, ah you know, then Jao Paulo and, you know, Steph with his concussion and everything.
00:15:10
Speaker
i will take 30 seconds to compliment, you know, the coaching staff. I think Precky, you know, again, was coach of the year in MLS at some point in his career. He's excellent coach.
00:15:24
Speaker
Freddy Juarez could have any job in this league. I'm confident of that. And he will be a head coach. at some point in his career. And Tommy Dutra is an excellent coach. And I label him all the time as just a goalkeeper coach, but it's not only who he is, he helps us with the build out in the back, playing out from the back on goal kicks in our initial starting point with ah how we want to possess the ball.
00:15:49
Speaker
So the staff has done an incredible job of giving these players the tools to be successful. And we're very proud of them too.
00:16:00
Speaker
ah Coach, with the suspension of Nuhu, are you going to change your formation to maybe a back three? come How are you going to approach your website of the defense?
00:16:11
Speaker
Well, you really want me to answer that? but i mean, look, Javier probably knows who I'm going to start anyway. You know, with film these days and everything, there's usually not many surprises, but we are going to be true to who we are.
00:16:28
Speaker
ah You know, look, we brought a third center back later in the game to close a game out down in L.A. That's certainly a possibility. But I have full confidence in the players that step on the field that are starters.
00:16:40
Speaker
And then if we need to change the game somehow through substitutions, fresh legs, whatever, I have that at my disposal as well. We'll take one via Zoom. Jada, take it away, and then we'll go back here to the room.
00:16:55
Speaker
Give me just one second. There we go.
00:17:00
Speaker
Go ahead, Jayden. Thank you. ah Thanks for the time, Brian. i you Can you talk a little bit about Pedro and just his progression? And do you notice any more um excitement from him as far as being able to play this game against ah such a star from his country?
00:17:18
Speaker
Sure. He was excited about playing games in the club world cup. He just has a joy about him when he plays, you can see it in his smile and his face, you know, when he, before he cut his hair and maybe that's why he's playing a little better, but you know, when he had his longer hair, he would run and the hair was flowing and he smile on his face and technically he's excellent on the ball. So, you know, he looked like he was having, uh, a lot of passion in how he plays.
00:17:48
Speaker
He'll bring that again tomorrow, I'm sure. Part of it is just who he is, but of course, everyone, and not just, you know, not just, you know, Pedro.
00:17:59
Speaker
ah Christian's going to be excited, and Reid is going to be excited, and, you know, Jaimmar and Jackson and Osaze, they're all going to be excited to play against Messi.
00:18:11
Speaker
We'll take two follow-up questions here in the room, Jeremiah.
00:18:16
Speaker
i Yeah, just any injury updates you can provide. I know there was some mystery concern earlier in the week, and if you could just... Well, no mystery no mystery concern, but I will give you this little tidbit, Jeremiah, since you asked.
00:18:30
Speaker
I am going to have Albert Rusnak on the bench.
00:18:40
Speaker
Hey, Ryan. um I mean, I'm sure you could talk about all of your players, but Jesus Ferrerz, I mean, his versatility, he's played different positions. That has to take soccer sense and then some so skill as well. Can you just talk about how smart he is as a soccer player?
00:19:00
Speaker
good it's It's, you know, when we' we're comparing notes and the messaging to our team this morning was, you know, we've done a lot of good things this year, this season. We played against some big teams, PSG, Atletico, Botafogo.
00:19:13
Speaker
And what did we do well? You know, and one of those things is, You know, Miami has a lot of experience. yeah They have a lot of players that have played at the highest levels, but we were able to compete against teams at the highest level in the Club World Cup.
00:19:29
Speaker
We've had players, Jesus, I'll answer your question, you know, he's played in World Cup. He's played in a in a knockout World Cup game as a starter. ah Christian's had a lot of you know experiences in Jaimar and Jackson, and maybe it's not at the highest, highest levels like you know Suarez emes and Messi and DePaul and all those guys, but you know we've shown that we can compete.
00:19:51
Speaker
So Jesus brings that little bit of you know experience. He's certainly a very smart soccer player, both on and off the ball, and we're lucky to have him.
00:20:03
Speaker
We'll have time for one more. Sure, Jeremiah. We haven't seen it a lot, but it does seem like Osaze and Jesus have sort of started to form ah neat little partnership up there. And ah the fact that they have and a similar background and that they both are the son of players who are themselves peers, ah what is that, you know what what have you seen with their interchange and sort of the way that they play off one another that seems to be working?
00:20:33
Speaker
It's an interesting thing. I never really thought about that, that they're sons of famous footballers. ah And I don't know if they've connected on that level. I'm sure they probably talk about it in the locker room. I'm sure they share experiences. But, you know, what I would say about them is you've got Jesus, again, to Maz's question, a really smart soccer player. He can play with Jordan. He can play with Albert. He can play with Moose. He can play with a lot of guys.
00:21:00
Speaker
And then you have not the not the counterbalance, I wouldn't say, but just the young kid who's making the most of his opportunity, who's so full of vim and vigor, and he's just like, he he's just, his ears and eyes are open. He's sucking in all the information.
00:21:17
Speaker
And for a guy like Jesus, who's a little more cerebral, it's kind of fun to play with. You got a guy who would do everything you ask for and then some. And so i think you're seeing out of Osaze just kid,
00:21:31
Speaker
has a lot of confidence. I'll give him that. And you know he's just making the most of his opportunity. With that last question, we close our press conference. And thank coach Brian Schmetzer. Thank you.
00:21:47
Speaker
There you go. That was the Schmetz presser from yesterday. Final presser before. League's Cup final match day, which is today.
00:21:59
Speaker
ah I think the biggest news from that, which I'm sure many of you heard yesterday, but ah Albert Rusnak will be available for this game. He's going to be coming off the bench. So we'll see if he ends up...
00:22:13
Speaker
getting some run. It's not, uh, the easiest scenario to be coming in as a sub your first game back after ah pretty lengthy injury absence, but it's, it's just glad it's good that he's back available. Uh, and that that's in Schmetz's back pocket.
00:22:34
Speaker
Should he need to go to it? Uh, but overall I would say, ah the vibe of the team, the vibe of the coach, everyone seems like they've got their heads in the right space, uh, saying all the right things.
00:22:51
Speaker
They don't seem, there doesn't seem to be this like kind of shock and awe of the moment, which I think that's what you kind of want to avoid. You can both be excited and relishing the opportunity to play against these guys, to play against Lionel Messi, uh, but also stay within yourself, you know, and,
00:23:08
Speaker
ah maintain maintain that sort of belief of like
00:23:15
Speaker
i think it can it can sound silly when you're playing players like this but like you know the the belief of yeah we have to deal with we have to deal with leonel messi and luis suarez and sergio brusquets and jordy alba but they got to deal with us.
00:23:32
Speaker
That's how they should be thinking of it, and I think that's how they are thinking of it. Schmitz was joking around when he was saying, but we have Paul Rothrock, we have we have ah this guy, that guy, but like i that is, in all seriousness, how you need to
00:23:49
Speaker
to go into it.
00:23:53
Speaker
They got to deal with Pedro De La Vega.
00:23:56
Speaker
That hasn't gone super well for a lot of other teams in League's Cup. I'm looking forward to see what he can do in this game. I think what's been so encouraging about how he's played over this last stretch is it's it's not just that he's been scoring a bunch of goals. It's that like There have been these big moments, not just in League's Cup, but in in like ah in like games like the Atlanta game, for instance.
00:24:26
Speaker
There's moments where you need your star players and you need your DPs to step up.
00:24:31
Speaker
And he has been up for that so far in this tournament.
00:24:38
Speaker
So he's going to have to do it again today if Seattle's going to win this game.
00:24:50
Speaker
Messi is only one guy. When Seattle is in the final, the whole team is a different beast.
00:25:00
Speaker
That has been true in the past. They've never been in a situation quite like this. This a very unique situation. Kind of can't believe still that the team is in this situation.
00:25:15
Speaker
But I don't know. Like we've been talking about kind of how, not just the Not just the matchup, but like the symbolism of the matchup, right?
00:25:29
Speaker
Two contrasting ways of doing it.
00:25:36
Speaker
you got You got a team that's
00:25:40
Speaker
built around the collective. And you've got a team that's signed like four of the top 15 best players of all time or whatever, including the number one best player of all time.
00:25:55
Speaker
Which is a, that's a valid way to do it. if you're If you're trying to be successful in MLS, signing Messi and the Barca boys, I can't fault that strategy.
00:26:07
Speaker
Can't fault the approach. It's just different.
00:26:12
Speaker
It's a different way of doing it than the team they're playing, right?
Significance of the Match Beyond the Trophy
00:26:19
Speaker
So that's just kind of, that's what makes this even better than just two good teams going at it. One of which obviously has the greatest player of all time.
00:26:35
Speaker
Michael starting us off with a $20 super. Thank you so much, man. Appreciate you. Post game beer fun. Hell yeah. Thank you, man. Curious where you think this trophy would rank in the hall of Sounders championships. Yeah, I was thinking about that because yeah like, I guess this is sort of what I was getting at.
00:26:54
Speaker
To me, this game is not, it's not about like leagues cup being a super significant trophy compared to CCC or MLS cup or having more or less weight. Like you can, we can have those debates, but with this matchup being against inter Miami, like I think this is about more than that.
00:27:20
Speaker
It's about more than just the trophy.
00:27:25
Speaker
It's about like, clash clash of ideologies
00:27:33
Speaker
and for that reason i think if they if they do win this game i don't know if it would be the biggest win in sounders history but it would be ah it would be up there this is certainly one of the biggest games in sounders history and uh Depending on how it goes, it could be the biggest. If they win, it's the biggest. If they lose, then actually League's Cup is a cynical cash grab but tournament that no one cares about.
00:28:02
Speaker
But I just think i just think the what how this panned out with the opponent,
00:28:09
Speaker
it changed it it changed how I look at it. Changed how I look at it as far as what the implications are
00:28:20
Speaker
of the result. Certainly it's just different than if, if this game had been Orlando, like they, they have a good team. Martino Hada is a great player, MVP candidate.
00:28:34
Speaker
It's just, it's not the same as getting to play, you know, this, the, this is the most stacked team in the history of the league on paper, on paper.
00:28:52
Speaker
And to be fair, like the ah
00:28:57
Speaker
the results that they've taken from the Messi and the Barca boys era, if you're talking purely just about their record point hall points per game, all that.
00:29:08
Speaker
it has been indicative of a team that is that stacked. I think, you know, you could argue, we were talking, I was talking about this on the last show with Chris from battered herons. Like you could argue that the total trophy hall is underwhelming for them so far, but as far as like the level they play at weekend week out,
00:29:29
Speaker
it's been pretty damn good. So
00:29:39
Speaker
And yeah, like some people are saying, it's,
00:29:44
Speaker
i the reason I wanted them to win this tournament, ah in addition to those other factors, is it's, you know, whatever importance we put on it, it's a true it's a tournament that's here to stay. They're going to keep playing it.
00:29:56
Speaker
It's going to keep generating history. It's going to take, um like, its status will be decided. Like,
00:30:05
Speaker
Whatever trophies are available, you want to have it in your trophy case. Seattle doesn't have this one yet. They've made the final once. It's only a few years old.
00:30:15
Speaker
So i do I want them to just knock it out. Just get this one. Just get this one in the case. That would be nice. And then the fact that you have to get through a team like this to get there,
00:30:31
Speaker
think that just adds to it.
00:30:42
Speaker
Seattle lose, don't say because of ref, don't cry like other teams, though.
00:30:50
Speaker
we'll see We'll see what happens.
00:30:53
Speaker
hopefully Hopefully the refs don't give anyone reason to to say stuff like that. I think it's a little silly to pretend that the yeah Orlando game was controversy-free. I don't really care i like about about that discourse.
00:31:10
Speaker
I mean, it's whatever. i think
00:31:15
Speaker
Orlando shot themselves in the foot in many ways outside of what happened on those controversial calls.
00:31:25
Speaker
I will say, like, you know, you got people out there saying that the yeah the one on that Busquets had on Angulo...
00:31:36
Speaker
was like not a penalty. And I just, I'm not quite sure what we're talking about.
00:31:44
Speaker
Like, i've I don't know. watch that Watch that highlight and tell me that that's not. but That's like one of the clearest penalties I think I've seen.
00:31:56
Speaker
So that's, I mean, that is where the controversy from that game came from.
00:32:07
Speaker
I'm not sure who the center ref is. I haven't looked at that yet.
00:32:19
Speaker
Could be considered our greatest tournament run if we finish with the trophy 7-0 against reigning CCC champ, reigning MLS champ, only team with a perfect score after a group stage. Definitely, i think no matter what happens in this game, I don't know. If Seattle gets like blown off the field, maybe that would... ah change it, but I think this has been a great tournament, like regardless of what happens in this game.
00:32:47
Speaker
Like the results, yes.
00:32:52
Speaker
But the level of footy that's been played, a couple of the individual games and performances. I mean, two of my favorite goals in Sounders history have been scored in this tournament.
00:33:07
Speaker
De La Vega scored a damn Puskas nominee against Cruz Azul. And then the shaking quake from Osaze was just...
00:33:20
Speaker
That was up there when you consider the circumstances, who scored it and how it was scored.
00:33:28
Speaker
So...
00:33:32
Speaker
As far as like the moments and the memories, like I said, the level of the footy, It's been a great run. ah But to make that really, really mean something, you got to win it.
00:33:54
Speaker
J-O just texted me. We might get a J-O cameo here. Showing up before Nico and Noah, potentially.
00:34:09
Speaker
Thought I was going to be running solo all morning over here. Hold on, guys. Sorry. I'm going to
00:34:18
Speaker
send J-O the link. Get him in here.
00:34:37
Speaker
All right.
00:34:43
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. ah cascadde Cascadia Cup actually clears.
00:34:51
Speaker
Heritage Cup. Hear me out. Hear me out.
00:34:59
Speaker
Close relative who's doubting the Sounders, but hey, he's been a skeptic for years. lot of a lot of people are doubting. It's funny. like i i was i was I've been looking at all the national pundits, and there was actually ah two of them.
00:35:10
Speaker
I'm not going to name any names. There's two of them that right after the match, the Galaxy match, they were like, you know, I think seat yeahtletle ah
00:35:24
Speaker
Seattle might actually be the favorite here. Low key. I'm paraphrasing.
00:35:30
Speaker
And then two days later, everyone was like, ah, nah. Messi and the Barca boys. They got this. But
00:35:42
Speaker
Which, like, that that could very well pan out.
00:35:48
Speaker
I think this is... The thing about the thing when you're playing when you're playing one of these GOAT athletes, you know, Messi, this guy's like in that Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali.
00:36:07
Speaker
and When you have that LeBron, when you have that tier,
00:36:15
Speaker
One thing I've noticed about about guys like that is they always seem to come out on top, no matter what the circumstance.
Jeremiah O'Shan's Insights and Fan Engagement
00:36:24
Speaker
You can think that everything is against them, and they just still find a way to do it.
00:36:30
Speaker
And that could very well happen here. ah I think... If Inter-Miami pulls this off and Messi pulls this off, it'll it'll be like a way more higher degree of difficulty accomplishment than people probably give it credit for. I think people are thinking of this like, oh, well, it's Messi.
00:36:49
Speaker
He can just win whatever game he wants easily. I mean, this is one of those classic MLS situations that puts anyone... up against it. They have to fly across the damn country. It's one of the longest distances.
00:37:04
Speaker
They have to play front of 65,000 plus on a turf field on short rest
00:37:14
Speaker
in a climate that they're not used to. I don't know how much that's going to affect things, but it's, this is one of the hardest degree of difficulty road trips for any MLS team.
00:37:30
Speaker
Andy's got a bum hamstring. So it's like, I mean, if if he pulls it off under those circumstances, then there's nothing to be said or argued with other than
00:37:46
Speaker
he's a literal goat. I mean, i don't put anything him. That being said,
00:37:55
Speaker
that being said
00:38:00
Speaker
It's team game. Apparently, J.O. didn't get the link. I'm going to DM him.
00:38:06
Speaker
Oh, there he is. He did get the link. All right, let's bring him onto the stage right now. The first one tapping in to the Lobby Scorchers League's Cup Final Preview.
00:38:18
Speaker
Jeremiah O'Shan, sounder at heart, overlord. What's up, Jeremiah? Thanks for tapping in. ah League's Cup Final Preview. got I got to tell you I feel dumb. I didn't realize you were emailing me the link because we were texting and I thought, oh, he's going to send it via text. And then i was like, he did not send it. What is he doing?
00:38:37
Speaker
Well, I figured like a you you might want to tap in from your computer, you know? Yeah, no, that's that makes sense. I'm an old person, though, so I'm like constantly at my computer, actually at a computer.
00:38:50
Speaker
Well, thanks for tapping in regardless. It is the morning of the League's Cup Final. The Seattle Sounders are about to play Lionel Messi and the Barca boys. ah How are you feeling about this one? Nervous, excited, all of the above?
00:39:03
Speaker
You know, um so I and don't think I'm breaking any news here, but I do like open. i'm ah I'm definitely a Sounders fan. I'm not like sitting here pretending like I don't care what happens.
00:39:16
Speaker
And so my, I, I have emotions that I don't have to pretend about. Right. And so I'm weirdly not nervous. Like, I don't know why i don't, I don't, I think the stakes for this feel a lot lower than the semifinal weirdly. Like I was really nervous and I, this could change. I was really nervous for that game. Yeah.
00:39:36
Speaker
I was because I felt like the losing in the semifinal would have been like a disaster, like a disaster because you sort of um you set yourself up for what is like Aaron and I sort of put our ah our flag in the ground at the start of the tournament.
00:39:51
Speaker
Fourth is the worst you could do. Like it's it's worse than bombing out of. the phase one it's worse than going out in the, and so it was like fourth quarterfinals. And then you finish, you, you bomb out.
00:40:04
Speaker
And then after that, then you get into like the, You know, and do you actually want to, win of course you want to win it at that point, you know, but you got to navigate through all this mess to get here. And so the Sounders navigated all the mess and they've, they've sort of arrived. They've already qualified for champions cup.
00:40:20
Speaker
ah They get to host. Like the thing is is, that with a match like this, it's, there's so much upside to just getting to host. Because you get all the you know you you get all the attention that comes with being you know getting 65,000 people into the building, and it's over 65,000.
00:40:39
Speaker
um I also have a i have a ah little bit of news that I'm going to break on your show. Oh, let's go. Let's go, chat. We got breaking news. What do you got So my understanding... is that the sounders are going to be offering fans the ability to trade in a messy shirt for a sounders Jersey.
00:40:58
Speaker
Oh, that's sick.
00:41:02
Speaker
Now this is not official yet, but it sounds like that's happening. Wow. So like any, is it, it have to be a Jersey or is it just like, got Yeah. It's going to be after a Jersey. You got, I assume, I assume this is, and I, and I, I want to give credit to the sounder art discord because they came up with this idea and I was like, Oh, that's funny. I should pass this on.
00:41:23
Speaker
And I passed it on. And not only did like the PR people love it, they floated it to like ownership and the highest level of management. And they're like, this is a great idea. Wow.
00:41:36
Speaker
Sounder at heart discord changing, changing history. So it was, i so I think it's, I think that and to me, it it sort of illustrates like they would never do this for a MLS cup or a CCL or, and I think it's sort of like, it's, it's having fun with the the tournament.
00:41:56
Speaker
It's a serious tournament in that there's real stakes, but it's not so serious that you can't do something like this. Yeah, no, I think i think that's that's awesome. That's hilarious.
00:42:08
Speaker
Jacob Stash, thank you for coming in with the five. Appreciate you. J.O. on a no Saadietas role. Great episode with Valeri on how to get past Miami. Yeah, J.O., tell us about your interview with Diego Valeri. What did he have to say about ah this match and Seattle's chances and all that? I listened, but tell the people.
00:42:26
Speaker
Yeah, he, I mean, he was, he, first of all, Diego Valeri, impossible not to like now that he's no longer playing for the Timbers. I have to say, ah it's, you gotta be sort of, I, it was funny. I, I called him one of the best players in MLS history and someone was like arguing, Oh, I don't think so.
00:42:43
Speaker
I don't think so. And I was like, i don't, I don't know what to, i hate to break it to you, but he is easily. Yeah. Yeah. This is not me. The, like, I'm just saying this from a, like, there's a no pretty wide agreement on this.
00:42:56
Speaker
Um, But he was great. he he's he's called you know He's called dozens of of messy games, so he's seen what teams are able to do that shut him down. and And like you said, there's not really a way to shut down messy. You kind of alluded to this earlier, that on some level, if he just just so if he just is on a heater... You're at the mercy of that.
00:43:19
Speaker
Yeah, you're you're sort of along for the ride. But the thing is, he I don't know that he's capable of like fully dominating a match for 90 minutes these days. And he doesn't have to. That's the reality. He just doesn't have to do that. He can turn it on for a few minutes.
00:43:33
Speaker
And that's sometimes enough. And if you miss your chances, you're at the win. you know That's what happened to Orlando. They dominated the first, what, 75 minutes of that game? Yeah. And then...
00:43:44
Speaker
or maybe 70 minutes, whatever. They they were of the better team, but they didn't put away their chances. They sort of left it up to the whims of a soccer god, and he punched them, you know and that's how it
Key Matchups and Defensive Strategies
00:43:56
Speaker
goes.
00:43:56
Speaker
And they kind of lost, after the equalizer, they kind of lost their composure, which I think that's another thing you can't do in a situation like this. You got to be locked for the whole thing.
00:44:09
Speaker
ah but Yeah, I don't i don't know. like yeah As far as stopping Messi, I don't think that's necessarily possible or what you should try to do. but ah what i mean yeah what i Basically, what he said is that they have they're very they're exploitable defensively.
00:44:26
Speaker
they are going to give you you know Jordi Alba is going to give you space on the wings, and you just need to punish you need to punish them. you You have to be physical with them. You can't sort of...
00:44:37
Speaker
defer to them you can't sit there and think you're gonna uh sit in a low block for 90 minutes and just hope for the best you got to come out and play and you got to punch him in the mouth and and see how it goes and sometimes it doesn't work out you know like I said Messi is perfectly capable of still destroying a game plan and and that's you know I don't know that he had anything super like i don't know if that's breaking news exactly But i I think more what his message was is like, he... Miami is very much an MLS team.
00:45:12
Speaker
Like, this is not... As much as, like, their resume can make you you you squint, and you're like, oh that looks like kind of 2014 Barcelona. But it's not. You know, these guys are...
00:45:23
Speaker
not in the prime of their careers. They are not capable of dominating the way that they once were. And they've, you know, Vancouver beat them three zero at home. They beat them. I think was it was, was it five zero on three, one, five, one, five, two, five, one on aggregate or Yeah. Something like that.
00:45:39
Speaker
Right. They dominated that whole series and messy was playing. And they, the second of those games, they had it at home. So, you know, that doesn't, doesn't guarantee anything, but it does show that like, uh, they, they can be beaten.
00:45:54
Speaker
It's yeah they not impossible. i was thinking about this too. Like what you're saying. Blood. but good Well, what you were saying about how it's like, ah They are an MLS team at the end of the day. Like, if you look at their lineup, I was kind of looking at both teams projected starting 11s and seeing what matchups Seattle may be able to exploit. And I mean, I think the biggest one, man, like they're starting right back right now is a kid named Ian Frey, who's like a homegrown.
00:46:24
Speaker
He was a center back. And I guess I didn't even know this, but they slotted him over and he's playing. right back and he's you know he's a good player he's he's a like inspiring story because he did his acl three times and came back and his plan at a high level uh but can he Can he stop Pedro De La Vega right now?
00:46:44
Speaker
If he does, it would be like the performance of his career, which if he does that, more power to him. But that's a matchup. I haven't heard one pundit talk about that matchup.
00:46:55
Speaker
um right like It's like messy versus it's how it is with Messi versus ah Seattle's guys. I have not heard one person mention, can ah can Ian Frey slow down Pedro De La Vega?
00:47:08
Speaker
we have I don't feel like we haven't talked about, has can ah Paul Rothrock completely neutralize Jordy Elba? Yeah, that one's less you know glamorous on paper. No, but I think it's a real thing, though. I mean, like Paul Rothrock, to me, if I'm Paul Rothrock, this is the meeting. this is This is exactly what I... This is why I do this.
00:47:31
Speaker
Jordi Alba seems like the perfect foil for the Paul Rothrock sort of agenda. Yeah, it does. Well, like the the thing about Jordi Alba is... ah He's the best attacking left back to ever play the game at this state stage of his career.
00:47:48
Speaker
Is he like a defensive stopper? I don't think so. Like that's not really his thing. So ah we got Noah tapping in finally. Nice of him to show up. Let's ah let's get him in here.
00:47:59
Speaker
Good morning. He's got his archive kit on. What's up, chat? What's going on, man? League's Cup final game day. So I have a practical question for you guys that I could have texted you, but this is live. This is what YouTube Live is all about, right? like Yeah, exactly.
00:48:14
Speaker
We do it on the fly. Is there a live show at Fast Fashion, or is that just a pre-funk? That's just a pre-funk. Okay. All right. We might do live shows again at some point. The watershed ones were fire, but we don't have like a PA. I realized you can't really hear like the podcast set. So we'll look into that.
00:48:33
Speaker
But i know no, life no live show. This is really good live chat. So I do have a PA a that I can, that we can, that you can Okay. Well, I don't know. What? Maybe at some juncture.
00:48:44
Speaker
Not today. not Not today. All right. So i've I've maybe disseminated some bad information. That's okay. That's okay. We like to we like to send out false false information. that's I published a story today by accident, actually.
00:48:57
Speaker
Oh, nice. Yeah. So I published a story. It was like 90% edited, but very clearly not 100% edited. Like there was mistakes. There was not even mistakes. There was like...
00:49:08
Speaker
open sores in the story. Journalistic integrity. So what what story was it? Let's promo it. The one I just published right now, I republished it as a totally different story.
00:49:21
Speaker
And so people are going to have like, and my hope is that most people will not notice this is that because it published like right after Charlie Bome's story on Miami or right before Charlie Bome's story on Miami.
00:49:33
Speaker
So my hope is they just totally ignore it. The first version. And that they only read this one. So it's the story about, but that basically is the the contrast version ah Charlie Boehm's story about all the big money and and expensive players and famous players that Miami have and how the Sounders have done it very differently.
00:49:54
Speaker
Hell yeah. The Sounders yin-yang part of that story. Check it out on ah Sounder at Heart, everybody. Subscribe to Sounder at Heart if you ah if you hadt haven't. Sounderatheart.com slash LS.
00:50:05
Speaker
Noah, What's going on, man? Leagues Cup final match day. Inter-Miami, the Barca boys. It's going down. 5 p.m. Lumen Field. ah I'll be there. how are How are you feeling? are you are you are you Do you fancy the Seattle Sounders' chances today? Because I've been i've i've dove deep into the national pundits.
00:50:26
Speaker
They don't think the Seattle Sounders have any chance. Yeah. You know who I saw was defending us? Who? Bradley Wright Phillips. Yes, the guy. Okay, yeah. yeah BWP is one of the only ones I've seen who is like, I think Seattle, I actually kind of like Seattle's chances here, which I saw a couple of people ah dabble with it.
00:50:48
Speaker
Maurice Adu was another one who, he he I was funny watching him, like he but they asked him in the moment and he's like kind of just formulating this take on the fly. And he was like, man, it might sound crazy, but I think Seattle actually might have the, so there's been a little bit of it.
00:51:02
Speaker
ah But for the most part, what I've seen is, oh, Leo Messi in a final. It's all, it's over. It's chalk. You may as well not even play the game. Why even play it? Just give him the trophy now. Like that's, and their fan base is definitely saying that stuff. So.
00:51:15
Speaker
Yeah. i mean, you know, ah that's like, of course the national candidates are going to say that, like, I don't blame them. They don't watch the West. They don't know what the Sounders are up to. It is, it's it is kind of, like, still, like, i'm I've been a little surprised at how, you know, I was watching 360 yesterday, and, like, put it aside that it's a League's Cup final.
00:51:35
Speaker
You would just think that because Messi was in it, that there would just be more hype and attention around this. You know, um I was, our friend Jason Davis, who who does a ah podcast morning, i think it's called Morning Footy, and and They did like their four to watch. They had this thing called four to watch where they they talk about the four games that are most interesting to them.
00:51:58
Speaker
Leagues Cup did not make the – it was like all these random games in USL and like – like every game that they talk about – like this is not even joke. I bet you the combined attendance of the four games they talked about will be smaller than the crowd that shows up ah today.
00:52:15
Speaker
And then they sort of passingly mentioned, well, we you know we should at least mention League's Cup. I don't know if anyone cares about that outside of Seattle. And I'm like, okay. Wow.
00:52:26
Speaker
Wow. So that's like a that's kind of like a shot at both. Kind of. Yeah, it was kind of weird. I mean, do we think that Miami really care if they lose this final? yeah Yeah, I do. I actually think Miami probably cares more about losing this final than sound. Ben, uh, I think more Miami fans are going to be bent out of shape about losing this. Then Sounders fans will be if they lose. Cause I do genuinely think that there is, you know, and and I've heard Ari talk about this.
00:52:55
Speaker
know, I think you talked about this with the, the Miami podcaster. And how, you know, they won a shield last year and they won the 2023 leagues cup, but like, this is pedestrian stuff. Like it's the whole messy aura is the accumulation of hardware and achievements.
00:53:15
Speaker
And, and it's not like any one title is that, you know, he, okay, he's got the world cup now. So that's that he's got so many champions league titles. It's, that it's like it starts to become it's not about what trophies they are it's about just accruing more and more trophies and so i think for miami it is like the prod the success of this project is not so much did you win mls cup once did you win champions league once it's how many trophies did you win and leagues cup is you know i think this is a you know every final that they lose which they haven't i don't think they've lost a final yet right no they haven't uh
00:53:51
Speaker
is going to be like a ah chink in the armor. And I think there's this, and they have this perceived invincibility, which is shocking considering they bombed out to Atlanta in the first round of the playoff. Yeah, no one no one talks about that.
00:54:04
Speaker
Yeah. ah No one seems to want to talk about that. one wants to talk about that. I mean, I do. Yeah. yeah no one ah Definitely no one is arguing that if Inter-Miami loses League's Cup, that it undermines Messi's legacy as a whole or anything. right But ah theres there's another there's there's other stuff at play. I think specifically just met the the legacy of the Messi era, the Messi project and the Barca Boys era,
00:54:35
Speaker
at InterMiami and eml MLS specifically, that is going to be, that legacy is going to be defined by, ah like you said, how many trophies they win, plural.
00:54:46
Speaker
And right now, i don't i don't think that... ah the leagues cup that they have in the shield and points record that they have is as much to sneeze at as some people, but it's not enough to like, be like, Oh, we got messy and the Barca boys to come to the league. And then we absolutely dominated and won everything in our, like they got to win multiple more trophies to be able to lay claim to that type of status that they are purporting to go after.
00:55:12
Speaker
And to achieve that, They got to win. They got to win more. They got to win more trophies. They got to win this game. Like, so in in that way, it is a situation where I think the pressure is all on them, man.
00:55:24
Speaker
Like, I, I mean, don't know if Messi feels pressure for it, but I do think that the fan, not him, but them organizational. Yeah. I agree with you. I think that the, I, my, I mean, I don't know, maybe I'm totally projecting, but I just don't, I do genuinely feel like you, like the Sounders are sort of playing with house money at this point.
00:55:41
Speaker
Like, The fact that they were able to get here while missing, you know, seven, eight of their real starter, you know like guys who would potentially be in contention for starting. I mean, it's unreal. You, you know, you look at the players they're missing and that they don't seem to be missing a beat on this is pretty remarkable. Like i one of the stats I highlighted in my story today was just since leagues cup started, like ignore all the stuff before that, which is good too.
00:56:13
Speaker
But they have 10 goal scorers just in the eight games since League's Cup started. They're averaging almost three goals a game in these eight games. They're 6-1-1.
00:56:24
Speaker
And they are averaging over five changes per game on their lineup. It is, yeah. the The injuries and the absences and like yeah the amount of goal scorers.
00:56:37
Speaker
It's been like a team-fueled run, which is what I write what i love about it. I had okay i had like some ah questions for the for the group that I was going to pose as we talk about like who should actually be the favorite in this game. Just you know just food for thought, things to ponder.
00:56:59
Speaker
ah So I'll toss those out there and see what you guys think. And these are, these are sort of what I asked myself in going into any match. If I'm trying to think of who's the favorite or not. Right. Like, and ah there's, I have five things written down here, which number one, who's in the better form right now at the moment going into this game, what would you, what would you say?
00:57:24
Speaker
I mean, I'll go Seattle. I think that's that's just pretty clear. like Miami is kind of operating at normal levels. like You can get them. You can not get them. It really is dependent on how much magic Messi wants to produce in a game or how much he can produce in a single game or, you know, ah how how open you leave the game to being decided by a call here or there.
00:57:50
Speaker
I mean, I saw a lot of Orlando fans being all pissed off, but it's like you got you got to know that like a part of Miami just operating at a normal level is they're probably going to score at least one. Messi's going to score one goal and they're probably going to get a penalty at some point.
00:58:04
Speaker
yeah like i uh just looking at leagues cup form uh seattle has a better record more goals better differential uh so that is i mean that is just one thing i mean jo do you see that any any differently like as far as i i i don't know that i fully agree that the sounders are in undeniably better form i mean there like yes like it's The Sounders have been very impressive.
00:58:33
Speaker
ah But if you just, you know, if you go back to the, you know, pre if you're if we're just talking like total picture, the reality is that they've only, that Miami's only lost once since mid-July.
00:58:45
Speaker
So it's, you know, they're they're on like a six-week run that's comparable to the Sounders. um You know, they... Okay, that's a good case. Like, that might be like a a wash.
00:58:56
Speaker
It could be just a wash. I mean... Both of them are playing very well. I think that's sort of my thing is that it's not so much that that Miami is playing out of its mind. And I think if you want to get into the margins, you could probably make an argument that Sounders are better. Like, I'm sure we could break out an XG table and ah and make the case that the Sounders are better ah in this run of form.
00:59:21
Speaker
But um i I do think Miami, i miami let's not the kid ourselves, Miami's playing well already. No, they definitely are. Both teams are obviously in very good form. And I think kind of ah ultimately...
00:59:35
Speaker
It's close enough where it doesn't tilt the scale one way or the other, I would say. ah But that's you know that's a 50-50 proposition. It's definitely not skewed all the way towards Miami or Seattle. Here's an interesting one.
00:59:51
Speaker
Who has the better all-around team? Not the best individual player, not the three or four best individual players. Who's got the better, who is the better team?
01:00:03
Speaker
what how would you How would you answer? know, I think the Sounders win this one, not necessarily because... and I'll say, and this is the way I'll put it. The Sounders, like I said, are missing seven players, probably seven or eight. I guess you can make the... They're missing eight guys.
01:00:20
Speaker
Seven or eight guys for this game. They will still put out a team that is extremely competent and ready to go toe-to-toe. I don't know that Miami could miss...
01:00:33
Speaker
just pick seven random players and still feel this confident. ah So I just think on that notion alone. Now, if you want to count up their, ah you know, their scores or whatever, like I would imagine Miami has a better average score, but I just, I just feel like the centers are, have, have proven that the lower end of their roster is competent and,
01:01:02
Speaker
productive Whereas I don't think Miami has been tested in the same way. I think that like the system that the Sounders are playing in is much more well-rounded for every player on the field than Miami's because I think the idea of Miami's system is a very individual thing. Like they have great young players like Allende and Segovia and they have amazing players.
01:01:25
Speaker
They have the best player in the entire world to ever play the game in Messi and, you know, one of the best to ever play at the nine. And Suarez, whether or not he has no knees or not, he's going to just kind of stand around and poke the ball in the back of the net. He likes to do that.
01:01:41
Speaker
I don't know. it's It's hard for me to say because I think if you're looking at like who's healthy and who's suspended and who's whatever, like for me, that's a wash. Because while Miami may not have a back line and have never had a back line, the Sounders are effectively... they They have to score...
01:01:59
Speaker
multiple, multiple goals. Like they need to score two or three goals to feel safe or confident at any time. And you have to put that on de Rosario and you have to put that on Paul Rothrock and, and, uh, um, De La Vega, which like, you know, I don't know. It's just, and, and, and no Rusnak it's for me, I'm like, I'm kind of a wash on that. Like, I think that it's a, it's a bit tougher than if these teams were fully healthy maybe Maybe the more well-rounded team is the Sounders. like Defensively, the Sounders are there, but like i just I think there's still some question marks. And then, yeah, you don't have Nuhu. You don't have Moose.
01:02:44
Speaker
It's just going be gritty, man. It's be gritty. It's another one that feels kind of more like a toss up than anything that's skewed one way or the other to me. Like it's it's definitely it's definitely at the very least debatable. And I don't immediately go to like Miami as my answer. Like I think there's arguments both ways.
01:03:07
Speaker
Another thing that ah I think of, you know, who has the home field advantage? Obviously, we know the Sounders do having this game at Lumen Field, which, ah you know, ordinarily when Messi's involved, I don't think that that matters that much. It's not like there's any sort of venue or setting or stage that's going to get to to him or frankly, any of the of the Barca boys. But guys, I do think.
01:03:34
Speaker
ah this is a uniquely challenging road trip for them. Barca boys and all this, this is the longest distance pretty much, unless you're talking about Vancouver.
01:03:45
Speaker
I think this is the longest distance wise road trip you can possibly take in the league. um And then, you know the ah The environment and the fanfare and the spectacle of it, I really i don't expect that to like tilt anything towards
Seattle's Home Field Advantage and Team Preparedness
01:04:00
Speaker
Seattle.
01:04:00
Speaker
ah But like when you're talking about the turf and stuff like that, maybe maybe it's going to rain today. I don't know. But do you guys think that... ah the the road trip and the surface or any any other variables as far as the home field ah actually matter in this scenario or do you tend to think that when messy and the barca boys are in the mix any perceived advantage you can get from that type of stuff even a road trip as long as this you even them not used to be playing on turf does that just kind of not make a difference
01:04:35
Speaker
I think it makes a difference. I mean, they're human. They're they're still like... they they You know, their flight was delayed two and a half hours, which granted was... you know I did that. That was me.
01:04:45
Speaker
Which is... it You know, that was two nights ago. So we get don't know how much of a factor that is. But I do think the travel... is helpful on the margins and that, you know, they, and there's like 10,000 people outside of Messi's hotel room right now, just like screaming at all times waiting for him. He's used to that though.
01:05:04
Speaker
That's like, that's true. But it's like, that's an average to your players, you know, maybe have we gone down to the four seasons to check out what the scene is like down there? I have not, I don't think it's four seasons. I think he's at the, they're at there. They're like actually in downtown.
01:05:19
Speaker
Yeah, the four season. Isn't that the one? I'm talking about the four season. That's Pike by Pike Place. Somewhere down there. I thought it was a different one. but Oh, maybe not. That's what I had heard. People going crazy over. Maybe you should go down there, report back to us.
01:05:33
Speaker
Let us know if ah if they've caught an eye or what. i I am genuinely curious. I've started to doubt myself. I had said, I've been saying all along that I think it's going to be like a ninety five five Sounders crowd.
01:05:47
Speaker
ah Like, i don't know. I think there's going to be a lot of Messi fans there. There's going to a lot of Paul Rothrock fans, but also a lot of Messi fans. i think I think you'll get... I'm fascinated to see with how this turns out because i I just was convinced, but maybe I'm wrong. i don't know.
01:06:04
Speaker
I think I was convinced too until I started scrolling on TikTok and saw like straight up 40 different videos of people like hunting for Messi, looking for Messi. It doesn't mean these people are going the game, but like it was actually crazy. like The amount of people were like, I love the Sounders, but Messi's my first love and mo bla blah, blah, blah.
01:06:25
Speaker
So you might get people who are showing up in a Sounders jersey rooting for Messi, but i think that there's a possibility that that that happens. I really don't think that ah you can...
01:06:38
Speaker
Especially because he hasn't been here since, what, 2016? So, yeah. I mean, there's just that the reality is like people don't know when they're going to be able to see him again ah in Seattle. This legitimately might be the last time he ever plays in Seattle. So who knows? I think it definitely is because, i mean, I've said this before, but if this was a regular season game, just like a random regular season game.
01:07:00
Speaker
0% chance he or any of the Barca boys play. They would not play on that turf. Why? Why? They have to. They literally have to because it's a final, but that's the only reason they're even making the trip here.
01:07:11
Speaker
We all know that. So like ah when I think like, you know, why is that? Why is it that in ah in a normal circumstance, they they would not even enter their mind to play in this game?
01:07:25
Speaker
Does that mean they're worried about it like them getting injured? Probably. Yeah. Does the fact that they don't want to play on that field, is that going to affect anything as far as how the game actually goes?
01:07:41
Speaker
I think it's at least worth asking. I don't know. But what I do know is that the only reason, the only reason Leo Messi is actually playing in this game is because it's a cup final. Like any other circumstance, ah he wouldn't. he He straight wouldn't. He would do what a lot of these other superstars do and just take the game off.
01:07:59
Speaker
And that's why we love Lumenfield. I mean, we've seen ah you see it happen a lot of times. ah I think Zlatan, to his credit, he played here. He was like, I'll do it.
01:08:10
Speaker
But like for the most part, a player of that age and status or whatever wouldn't do it. And we know Messi and Suarez wouldn't do it. So i'm all I'm saying is I'm curious to see...
01:08:25
Speaker
What if any impact that has on the game, because there's got gotta to be housing that there's got to be a reason that they are so against it. It's it's undoubtedly going to have an effect. Is it good like, could it affect the amount of playtime that the, that, that the goats play? I don't know, but I mean, like I said before, Suarez is operating functionally on like two jello cups in his knee.
01:08:50
Speaker
Messi's hamstring. I don't know how real yeah that is. Like if he's actually injured with that or if they're just saying that or whatever, supposedly like his hamstring is not doing too hot.
01:09:01
Speaker
Yeah. what he said You know what? This is hamstring FC. Ari, you know how many hamstrings the Lumenfield turf has taken just this season? A lot. Yeah. So I don't I don't know. And if it starts right, here's the perfect scenario.
01:09:15
Speaker
Starts out dry. the Sounders get their advantage playing playing on the field and then it just starts raining. It just starts Seattle raining, misting a little uncomfortable for them for the Miami fellows.
01:09:27
Speaker
And, you you know, you finish it back out with some sun and then maybe like a heavy rain during the penalty shootouts. How just magical would that be? Do we know the forecast? haven't looked at the forecast. This is cinema.
01:09:39
Speaker
I'm crafting cinema. If it starts raining, that will be cinematic. I hope it does. I hope it does. I think that would be hugely advantageous for Seattle. They play in the rain all the time.
01:09:50
Speaker
I don't think Messi and the Barca boys do that. don't think it's supposed to rain. I mean, either way, even if it doesn't, the fact remains that it's at least possible that the home field advantage variable could come into play. To what extent? I don't know. Again, like i I sort of tend to think that this is the classic situation where you might think things are stacked against Messi and then he just goes out there and scores a bunch of crazy goals and wins anyway. So that that definitely could happen. And you know if that does happen, he is the he's the GOAT. so
01:10:24
Speaker
Uh, another, another thing I take into account when I'm assessing is the favorite. We were kind of just talking about it. Who's healthier? ah probably them, but like not like we just, uh, Messi's got a bum hamstring Suarez.
01:10:39
Speaker
Does he have knees? I don't know. Uh, do they have any other major injuries? They got Segovia healthy. They got Allende healthy. They got... I don't watch the East. Falcone.
01:10:51
Speaker
ah Who are they going to start at center back? That guy, Lujan. I love you just ripping through the raw. I have no, I, it's like, I'm, this is like, I like purposely don't watch inner Miami games.
01:11:02
Speaker
I watch a lot of inner Miami games. Yeah. They're, they are, a they're a lot healthier than, than Seattle. But the, I think the caveat with that is that I think messy specifically his,
01:11:16
Speaker
his He said after the Orlando game, did he not? Like, I feel not 100%. Like, I don't feel like fully. and But he's still absolutely bammed on them. So I don't think that matters.
01:11:27
Speaker
But ah that is like them being relatively healthy does have that that caveat. But I would say the caveat for how unhealthy Seattle is, is they've been able to maintain their level despite that throughout this tournament. There's not like any new wrinkles that the Sounders are having to do. Like, if Christian Roldan had gone out this week, that would have been.
01:11:47
Speaker
but nightmarish yeah very bad uh but he's apparently fine and so it's like i don't know i know his ass is not fine huh i know his ass is not fine You think Christian's carrying something? He's just... Bro, you think you think Christian rolled on, of all people, would say anything if he was feeling any kind of anything? Well, finding that he's going to play.
01:12:12
Speaker
Oh, yeah, for sure. Right. Like, I don't know. He might have some... He might be not feeling 100%, but... but but due to play only one percent That on 1%. That man would have refuse to get a charger on 1%. He's just going crazy.
01:12:28
Speaker
um Okay, last ah last thing to think about if we're assessing who the ah who the favorite is this is. This is one that I try and go over in my mind and assess as much as I can on a week-in, week-out basis.
01:12:41
Speaker
ah Which team has the literal number one greatest player of all time to ever play the sport in history? Is that ah Snyder Brunel? Snyder Brunel.
01:12:54
Speaker
Uh, no, I mean, that is, i just think that is one thing when you're talking about inner Miami that, uh,
01:13:02
Speaker
You can't really like plan for it. That's the thing. like if if If this game was against Orlando City, you know I'd be like, all right, this this might be how you slow down a guy like martin Martino Hedo or at least like limit his influence on the game or ah limit his touches and stuff like that.
01:13:20
Speaker
ah Even guys like Haney Mukhtar whatever, you can sort of think of it that way. I just don't even let that really enter my mind in this scenario Like it's very possible, perhaps even likely that at some point today, tonight, that we see Lionel Messi just score an absolutely insane goal out of nowhere. Or like, I guess one thing you can try and do is limit the amount of dangerous free kicks that you give up as much as possible. Because I know every time there's a foul in any one of those areas, it's just...
01:13:55
Speaker
the chances he's just going to bam it are way higher than anyone else that you could ever play in a game against. So that is the yeah that is the reality. I mean, do you guys, just on the prospect of matching up against this against this player, like how how do you think of it? How do you approach it? mean, we famously have an Argentinian number 10, so like I'm not really that scared.
01:14:21
Speaker
There you go. Okay. i mean, what do you say? What do you say about it? Yeah, like, yeah, you have Messi. But I mean, if you if you did listen to the most recent Nosadietes podcast with world-famous superstar commentary commentator Diego Valeri, ah he gave some good insight on how to stop Messi. And it was just like, ah hold on for dear dear life. Yeah.
01:14:42
Speaker
And cut off his, just piss him off. And I'm sorry. There's two guys in the world who are going to piss the fuck off out of Messi. It's Christian Roldan and Obed Vargas.
01:14:55
Speaker
Yeah. So, I mean, that's two very annoying dudes. Like, I wouldn't want to match up against them. The only guy who I wish that I could see play in this game against Messi is Ozzy Alonso because I would love to see an Ozzy Alonso just absolutely crunching tackle on Messi. Like, how?
01:15:14
Speaker
mean, that's... that's I fear if I even say how that would make me feel, I would be a band off of all soccer platforms. I, uh, I don't know how it's going to pan out, but I am just so looking forward to, uh, Christian and Obed going up against messy in this attack. And, uh,
01:15:35
Speaker
I know that they're going to be they're going to be up for it at the very least. like yeah This team, they they might get theirs. they They usually, by the time any of their games are are all said and done, they usually have a few goals.
01:15:48
Speaker
ah But I do know that Christian Obed in the back line, they're... I think in this scenario, you want to be actively looking forward to it as opposed to like feeling the weight of it and kind of not dreading it, but being intimidated.
01:16:07
Speaker
And I don't think this team has any ah any ah of that. I think at the very least, the mindset and the mentality is is where it needs to be. that doesn't ah That doesn't necessarily mean anything for their chances of ah of winning the game, but it's at least a starting point.
01:16:24
Speaker
um anything else that you guys wanted to hit with this game? Like, yeah. Did you give predictions? I've been purposefully like okay not giving one.
01:16:36
Speaker
Cause I hate doing that, but I will say that, ah you know, just going through that list of questions and determining who the favorite is like Seattle's chances, I think are better in this game than is are being,
01:16:52
Speaker
talked about anywhere outside of Seattle. I think everyone in Seattle has been watching this team over the last few weeks feels decently good about their chances in in this game. and yeah yeah i don't feel, i don't see how you can't help but feel, can you know, like maybe not, I'm not saying the Sounders are definitely going to win, but I do feel confident that they're going to be good in this game, that they're going to be able to hang with Miami. i I honestly would be a lot more worried if it was Orlando.
01:17:23
Speaker
I was more worried about necessarily. I'm not I didn't think Galaxy. I'm not saying the Galaxy are better than Miami. But I would like I said, I was way more nervous about the Galaxy game than I am about this one, in part because it feels like, again, like it does feel a little bit like they're playing with house money, like they've already qualified for Champions Cup.
01:17:41
Speaker
They've avoided the worst case scenarios. So much of my personal rooting interest is avoiding ah worst case scenarios. And ah I'm sure once we get there, i'll so I'll start caring about, like, I'll feel the the the nerves of wanting to actually win this thing.
01:17:59
Speaker
But still, you know, here we are seven hours before kickoff and I'm not freaking out. And i like I like the Sounders chances. I'll say I'm going to predict a 3-2 Sounders win.
01:18:12
Speaker
Okay. he's pretty He predicted it. He's on the record. I love it. Here's what I'll say about the whole thing.
01:18:21
Speaker
You know, you heard Brian Schmetzer. He said, Messi, arguably the greatest player to ever play the game. But we have Paul Rothrock.
01:18:31
Speaker
And frankly... I just think that that is exactly it. The Sounders, they have nothing to lose. They have a group of guys who want this shit more than anything. You can tell me that Miami got together in the locker room and they want this game and this is their whole focus.
01:18:50
Speaker
You think Messi gives a flying shit about League's Cup? He already won at one time. Let's be real. They want to win um MLS Cup. They want to win a star. They want to win CONCACAF Champions Cup.
01:19:04
Speaker
He wants to stay healthy. He wants to play in another World Cup. that's That's the reality. This game means only as much to him as it is easy for him to win it.
01:19:18
Speaker
He can, he can, yeah like, I really do think that's the truth. If you muck this game up, if you make them feel it, if you make them feel suffocated, not only by your play, but by Lumenfield and the noise that comes from it, the Sounders have never lost a final at home.
01:19:35
Speaker
Ever. Do you remember those atmospheres? I mean, I understand that it's a different situation with Messi being here, but you can't tell me that it's not going to be loud and thunderous and crazy.
01:19:47
Speaker
That's a, that is an atmosphere that there is basically not a comparison in American soccer too. And that is just the truth. Messi's played in big games before, but he's never played Lumen field in, in those conditions. Never played on that to America, but it was on grass.
01:20:02
Speaker
That was his on grass. That was on grass. i'm just um i'm just glad that I'm just glad that he actually he has to play on the turf. No reason I'm out of it. It was on grass, I guess. I didn't even think about that.
01:20:13
Speaker
Yeah, they laid down the shittiest fucking grass I've ever seen in my life. that was the Was that the stuff that everyone was like s slipping on? it was Yeah, it was so bad. It was like separating. it was crazy. that was That was crazy.
01:20:25
Speaker
but Shout out to whoever did the Club World Cup grass. You guys did a great job. um Anyway, no it's, i i can't bet against the Sounders. I can't. I just can't. Like, it's it's not, it doesn't make any sense to me.
01:20:37
Speaker
Like, how you could do that. It's, I get it. It's messy. It's awesome. That's why. Yeah. But, like, this is their game to win. And you, yeah I'm never betting against Brian Schmetzer in a game like this, having his team in form like this.
Young Players Rising to the Challenge
01:20:52
Speaker
It's almost better that they're missing starters because like, you don't think that you don't think Osase de Rosario hasn't been waiting his entire life for this moment. Isn't, and isn't just going to like feast same with, same with, you know, Reed Baker Whiting and all of these, like,
01:21:08
Speaker
They already played PSG. They already played Atletico Madrid. They already played Botafogo. This is a game that's below that. And like Jeremiah said, the stakes are not that high. Yeah, I mean, I think that's the other thing is that there's no reason for the Sounders to feel intimidated. You know, Reid Baker Whiting, I assume, is going to be the starting left back.
01:21:25
Speaker
And the reality is that he started against Atletico Madrid. Like, I don't see how this would be more intimidating. And that's why you give young players chances in moments like that, by the way, because when a moment like this comes up, they'll be ready.
01:21:41
Speaker
And I like, I obviously knew who being in the 11 for this game would be ideal, but RBW... might have gotten sent off anyway, though.
01:21:53
Speaker
Well, I was... Okay, that let's ah let's talk about that because, guys, I swear to God if someone gets a red card today, I swear to It's going to happen. Okay, all right.
01:22:03
Speaker
Here's what I'll say. Here's what I'll say. If they're... happens where they're up a few goals late, like say just it's, it's the best case scenario. One of the greatest performances in club history, they're up three or four zero in the 88th minute.
01:22:20
Speaker
If you want to get a red card at that point, just for the bit, like to, to keep the, to keep the bit going, I will accept that any other circumstance, and everyone just lock in,
01:22:32
Speaker
No red cards. If they get a red card in like the 28th minute, you know, and chalk themselves for the rest of the game and we have to watch them scrambling down a man against Messi and the Barca boys the entire goddamn game, I'm going to lose my mind.
01:22:46
Speaker
And i would not i would not put it past this team to to do that. God knows. We've seen that enough times this year. So it shouldn't be as high on the list of important things as it is.
01:23:03
Speaker
But don't get a red card for the love of all that is holy. Just finish the match with 11 men. That's one of the only things that I ask here. Finish it with 11 men.
01:23:14
Speaker
You got to imagine that Miami is going to try and bait a red card. Yeah, they are. They are. Because they... I mean, at this point, it's like on the scouting report. Like, you can you can get these guys to crash out and get sent off.
01:23:27
Speaker
But that's the thing is that... I will say, in defense of the Sounders in that way, they aren't crashing out and getting red cards. New Who... crashed out. Moose did.
01:23:37
Speaker
Moose crashed out. But even then, i don't even... i don't like i even feel like that is in such a different category because it's not like he is someone prone to that type of thing. like yeah he's crashed He's crash out adjacent.
01:23:50
Speaker
he's I've seen him get hot. but like The Sounders don't have a bunch of guys who are... like i don't know. If you watch League's Cup especially, there are a lot of players in the world, a lot of teams, who part of their bit is...
01:24:04
Speaker
yelling at the referees and crashing out and doing and the sounders don't really do that i don't know that i buy that the sounders are getting baited into red cards uh yeah i you know i guess baited is not uh
01:24:20
Speaker
is not the right way to put it. But it's definitely true they'll try and lock up the game. All I know is they have nine red cards this season. They do have nine red cards, but they're that's what's so remarkable about it.
01:24:32
Speaker
Take the crash out part out of it. Like, you know, like the the one Georgie got. like not ah Not a malicious situation. he was persecuted for his beliefs. That's First Amendment grounds there, okay? what like But, like, just anything like that. Like, they they found random ways to get sent off as well.
01:24:52
Speaker
Like, in addition... And a lot of them, you know, the new, who the last new who one against the galaxy. Uh, I really, not, I haven't been crushing him for that. I feel like that was unlucky and I didn't mind him.
01:25:04
Speaker
i talked about this on one of our last shows, but I didn't mind him playing, still playing hard, still going into tackles, still coming at Gabriel Peck at that time in the game.
01:25:15
Speaker
But it is still, it's a pattern is the point. Okay. And you just can't have that surface in a, ah in a game like this. At the very least, you got to give yourself a chance by ah keeping everyone on the field.
01:25:29
Speaker
And I will agree with you. They can't get a red card today. They can't get a red card. No red cards. No red cards. Got a couple of super chats from Bernardo to hit right here. Bernardo, thank you for the support. Appreciate you.
01:25:40
Speaker
He says, mark my words. Sounders win tonight. Osase goal. And the Brazilian photographer runs on the pitch to celebrate. shout Shout out Fabio. Uh, and then, uh, coming in with the 10 Bernardo. Thank you, man. You're a maniac.
01:25:55
Speaker
Uh, Morris Kent JP injury updates. I mean, they're all out for this game, obviously. ah I mean, Joe, do you have anything on timeline? Uh, no timeline updates. Jordan does seem to be, he's out of his sling and he's in a, in a,
01:26:11
Speaker
What do they call a brace? He's in a brace. So I would imagine that means that he's getting closer to being able to train. He'll probably train this week. Actually, that's my assumption is that he'll train this week.
01:26:22
Speaker
And then I don't know what the timeline is for his actual return is. i I mean, to be honest with you, I, at this point, if I'm the Sounders, I i would be reluctant to start him ever at this. Like, I just don't see why you would.
01:26:37
Speaker
Well, not ever. Ever again. Jeremiah breaking news here. They're trading Jordan Loras. Like, i don't I mean, I just don't know that there's any reason to rush him into the starting lineup. Like, it's Danny Masofsky playing great.
01:26:49
Speaker
And why? Like, you don't need to. you don't need to risk anything like get them a hundred percent fit. yeah i agree with that i I don't know. Like he's not, I mean he's not playing today, obviously, but ah Albert Rusnak is available off the bench is supposed to be available off
Injury Updates and Predicted Lineup
01:27:04
Speaker
the bench. But I, my suspicion is that that's just going to be like, if it's late to game and they, they think they might be going to penalties or they're chasing a goal or something.
01:27:12
Speaker
Yeah. Penn was training as well, right? He's back in training off to the side. He has started doing stuff outside. Yeah. He has started doing stuff outside. JP is also doing, ah yeah, like all of them are in the conversation for returning. i don't think, I don't know. I, my suspicion is that the timeline, the order is probably Jordan is probably the closest.
01:27:36
Speaker
And then I would assume JP and Kent, but, um, there's the no way JP comes back. There's no way, right? This season? Yeah. I think there is. I mean, and they're definitely acting like... TG's magically didn't tear his ACL, even though they said and that even though like he did have a torn ACL, but then they got a second opinion and it wasn't torn.
01:28:00
Speaker
i don't know, man. It wasn't a second opinion. It was they went in to operate on it and they were like, that's straight. It's just not torn. Right. There you go. I don't know. I mean, I've never heard of that either. but And that's why. There's no reason for them to say that he didn't tear it if he actually did tear it.
01:28:13
Speaker
And that is why I'm a follower of Christ.
01:28:18
Speaker
Miracles. So the thing with the thing with JP, for I mean, ah there's no, I don't think there's any suffrage going on here. I think that is, they're being straight up with what happened there. And part of why I think that is that JP, my understanding is JP was like seriously contemplating retirement.
01:28:33
Speaker
Like he was, he he wasn't sure he wanted to go through another ACL recovery. And so this sort of like, was it kind of a weird, ah you know, snip, snap, snip situation where it was like, I don't know where his head was totally. So that's, that one's tough.
01:28:53
Speaker
I don't think he's going to be starting games, but I think he wants to get just back enough that he can contribute, that he can be like a late sub. I love the guy, but I feel like the retirement option might not be ah too bad of a shout.
01:29:10
Speaker
I want to be a coach, man. i think there's that that's a I think that's probably on the table. Yeah, I would love him to stay with the Suns. Yeah, no, I think that's honestly, I could see that as his like second act for sure.
01:29:22
Speaker
um I didn't give a score prediction. Sounders Fuck Miami. 5-0. There you go. they actually 5-0 him, that's going to be such fire clip. good bit. ands if it actually if they actually five owe em that's good this that's gonna be such a fire clip ah good bit Yeah, so that's a good gamble there. Good playing. Roll of the dice.
01:29:40
Speaker
ah Guys, I wanted to pull up ah what I think is going to be the Inter-Miami 11 maybe suss out some matchups here. And I'm just pulling up like how they lined it up against Orlando because I think that's pretty much going to be how they do it again.
01:29:56
Speaker
this was This was how they did it. And what I think was interesting about this is they they did DePaul on the wing. Is that, did he really play on the wing? Yes. I did not realize this is how they lined up normally.
01:30:11
Speaker
that lived did They did. This is how they lined up. He was playing out wide like that. And it honestly, it if you listen to even how their fans were talking about that, it did not go that well. They got shut out in the first half and it wasn't looking too hot.
01:30:25
Speaker
And i think this is, this presents an interesting ah little conundrum for Javi Mascherano, because the reason he did that is because obviously DePaul is, you know, world-class player and has played there at times in his career, as I understand it and been good at it.
01:30:42
Speaker
And he, i think Mascherano was doing that so he could get Yannick Bright on the field because Yannick Bright, he offers like ah He's like a random super draft pick. Good story.
01:30:56
Speaker
Became really good for them. But he offers a more kind of like ah Christian Roldan style skill set, I would say, at that spot that I think Mosh really wants on the field.
01:31:07
Speaker
ah Whereas like... a double pivot of DePaul and Busquets. I think that's, uh, that's good on paper, but it's not like Busquets is this super physically dynamic ground covering type of guy.
01:31:21
Speaker
ah DePaul supposedly is that guy, but if he, if, if they're that confident that that double pivot would be, uh, as good as it seems on paper, then why slide DePaul up and, uh,
01:31:35
Speaker
start yannick bright for for this match you see what i'm saying so like i uh i'll be curious to see if they run the busquets to paul double pivot and sit yannick bright who i think they kind of need on the field uh or if they try running to paul out wide again which i didn't think worked i don't know what do you guys think I mean, it seems like they're trying to get... it does I mean, I'm a fan of them trying to shoehorn their players onto the field because I feel like that's... ah but never Famously good.
01:32:10
Speaker
Famously good. Yeah, you know, that's one of those things where I know we had... We used to... Back in the day when the Sounders had... a lot of healthy players. We used to have these conversations about how you fit all their best. How do you fit Jesus for her on the field?
01:32:24
Speaker
Right. Yeah. And it was like, we were coming up with all these solutions for it. And i think when, what I come down is like, I usually want my players in positions where they're comfortable. Not so much.
01:32:36
Speaker
I'm worried about getting players in player in positions where they're comfortable. Not so much getting everyone um just on the field. And, you know, so, I, I, but I'm not even going pretend to know the nuances of Miami here.
01:32:52
Speaker
I mean, I, I think that, I don't know what they're going to do, truly. like Because i I just don't have any insight into the brain of Mascherano. I mean, that guy is that guy is dense. like That guy is dumb. like I don't really understand how he's coaching in this league.
01:33:11
Speaker
I think he would be unemployed if it weren't for Messi. And I really just i would not trust his game planning. at all period, honestly.
01:33:21
Speaker
um But I just think that like, I don't know. We've talked a lot about Mascherano's experience or lack thereof, or whether he has had coaching chops.
01:33:33
Speaker
ah I feel, I mean, I feel like Messi is pretty much the coach of this team. Yeah, exactly. That kind of works. The Messi starting 11 is going to be put on the field. And ah you know, I got to say for what it's worth, it's cooking.
01:33:46
Speaker
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like it doesn't ah like the impact of the head coach for them. It doesn't affect a team in the way that it might normally for. But when you're playing in a final away from home against a tactically like a very tactically minded coaching staff in the Sounders to where they're going to.
01:34:06
Speaker
Yeah, they're vibes based, but I feel like they have a really great grasp on how to adjust and adapt, especially coming out of half, what at least what we've seen this season. mean, that's kind of a nightmare. No, for for for for the mosh.
01:34:20
Speaker
Hopefully the mosh pit. Breaking news. Oh, the promo I teased earlier in the show is now official.
01:34:31
Speaker
Sounders FC offer fans the chance to exchange a Lionel Messi jersey for a Paul Rothrock kit today during the Leeds Cup 2025 final at Lumen Field. First 100 fans to take them up on the offer.
01:34:47
Speaker
They made it... ah They made it Rothrock. That's so fire. yeah and That's honestly... While supplies last. While supplies last.
01:34:57
Speaker
Only 100. They're going to need to bump i i think they have I think they
Fan Engagement Through Jersey Exchange Promotion
01:35:04
Speaker
have real limit. I think what they're genuinely worried about is that there are only so many Paul Rothrock jerseys on on hand.
01:35:14
Speaker
And they have pretty limited printing capacity right now. There we go. this is This is great. I think this is awesome. No, this is this is a good bit.
01:35:24
Speaker
It's a good bit. like and It's an undeniably good bit. if ah I think that we're going to have to make an Instagram post about this. Yeah. i would probably We probably should do that. ah Only other only other thing I want to talk about with this lineup was just with J.O. and I were talking about it earlier.
01:35:42
Speaker
But when I just look at matchups that the Sounders could hopefully exploit or take advantage of, i mean, my eyes go my eyes go right here, man. Ian Frey and whoever it is they have in their in their defensive midfield or on the wing or whatever, they're going to have to slow down Pedro De La Vega, which, you know, not saying it ah it can't be done, but ah that's I think that is a handful for Ian Frey.
01:36:13
Speaker
And again, like that's not being talked about, but if Inter Miami is going to win this game, Ian Frey needs to have like a huge game, which he could do. I'm not saying that it's ah impossible.
01:36:27
Speaker
It's just, I don't, I don't think that that's a, a given. And then of course, like Rothrock going up against Jordi Alba, that's going to be a lot of, a lot of fun to watch.
01:36:39
Speaker
ah Who gets the better of that one? I don't know, but I know Paul Rothrock is going to be going as hard as he can. So that's kind of like those matchups on the flanks, basically, I think could be where this game ah gets decided.
01:36:55
Speaker
So those are my takes on ah how Inter-Miami is going to line it up, because I think we pretty much know what they're gonna do. Aside from what I was talking about with the winger DePaul versus DePaul.
01:37:06
Speaker
Yannick Bright, like I really have no idea what they're going to do. So with that, I'm looking at the, the heat map for Rodrigo DePaul against Orlando.
01:37:17
Speaker
And that is not a, that is not the heat map of a winger. That's, that's for sure. He is not interested in being out on the touchline at all. He's just basically patrolling the half spaces. And that's, I think that's why, i can't remember if they chalked that at halftime.
01:37:32
Speaker
I don't know if they chalked it during the game, but I do know that ah a lot of Inter-Miami fans came out of that game and were like, what was that? Like, why was he lined up there? Yeah, I mean, Frey was essentially providing all their width in that game.
01:37:50
Speaker
Which is not surprising. so they be Like, Rodrigo DePaul is not a winger. No, that's what, so are they going are they going run him out there like that? I think they'd probably, they'd probably run the DePaul and Busquets double pivot and then just let the chips fall where they may. but it Sure, go for it. I say go for it. That's, I would urge, I would urge them to do that.
01:38:11
Speaker
Absolutely. that the That's the thing is Yannick Bright is ah way better for like the skill set they need to slow down Seattle, I think, than the DePaul Busquets double pivot. I understand that that's like an insane in in terms of name value on paper.
01:38:26
Speaker
That's an insane double pivot ah in terms of... ah like the defensive dynamism and skillset that you need in a game like this. I think they need Yannick Bright in there. And Yannick Bright is a ah super draft pick from, ah where from the university of New Hampshire.
01:38:44
Speaker
So it's just kind of funny, you know, a funny MLS thing to be debating who starts between Rodrigo DePaul and Yannick Bright. And then you have the, have the answer be like, no, I actually think that they should start Yannick Bright.
01:38:58
Speaker
Well, in either way, I mean, bringing ah guy like Rodrigo to Paul off the bench, that's kind of a fire. But if can you can you not start him in a game like this? I don't know.
01:39:10
Speaker
So who would they, so they would, a Yende would be the the player that would potentially start instead. Is that how that goes or Segovia or who, who? Yeah. So I think you would sit bright, put the Paul in the double pivot. And then don't, I don't what, I don't know what, uh, side Segovia or I end a play on. It's basically ah similar type guy to me, like really good dynamic winger who can score goals.
01:39:34
Speaker
So, uh, I think that's what they what they would do. I would argue, though, that that leaves them more vulnerable defensively and in transition than they otherwise would. Rodrigo DePaul, he's not like an insanely fast guy, is he? That's not really his thing. He's like the bulldog bruiser, like all enforcer type, which is great, but like when you're trying to slow down, say, Christian Roldan, Obed Vargas, Pedro de la Vega...
01:40:06
Speaker
that's like I think you need more complementary skill sets there than Busquets and DePaul, who they're they're a little different. like Busquets, his whole thing is he's like the best passer ever.
01:40:19
Speaker
DePaul is more of that like defensive and like can cover some ground type guy, but I just don't know if that's... There's a reason that they didn't run that in the Orlando game. That's what I'll say about that.
01:40:31
Speaker
There's a reason they didn't do that. So now now i don't know what they're going to do.
01:40:37
Speaker
I don't either. Sorry, I'm photoshopping a photo of Messi looking at a Paul Rothrock jersey. nice No, that's a that's a worthy use of ah of your time.
01:40:48
Speaker
ah I'm thrilled. I can't tell you. i'm i love i love this promo. I love it. It's really, it's it's refreshing to see the higher-ups see an undeniably good bit and be like, you know what?
01:41:03
Speaker
Yes, we should actually. You know, this comes when ah the new director of brand was just announced. So, all right, I just got to read this quote. I realize that this quote is probably written by written by a PR staffer, but I love it anyway.
01:41:18
Speaker
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest to ever play the game, but at Lumenfield, we back the rave green. This Jersey exchange is a great way for fans to show their loyal, where their loyalty lies.
01:41:29
Speaker
We want Lumen to be loud, proud, and unmistakably behind our club. There's no better time to support the home team as we pursue a major international trophy.
01:41:40
Speaker
Hugh Weber, Sounders. Hugh Weber quoted in the release. Hugh Weber cooking. That's fire. Hugh Webs. Thank you for the, for the banging, uh,
01:41:54
Speaker
The banging quote. De Rosario Shake and Bake, top two soundiest celebration. What was the the name that you guys came up with? I've been calling it the Shake and Quake, which i don't know I don't know if people like that. Like Snake and Shake, but like not as... Well, it's the Shake and Bake, but like Quake because he beast quaked. yet i think Didn't his dad call it the Shake and Bake too? yeah Yes. Oh, okay. that's what That is what the celebration That's what the original thing is. Yeah, like that. I like Shake and Quake.
01:42:20
Speaker
Shake and Quake. Okay, I like it. Yeah. I just already started using it, so we'll see if it catches on, but that's what I'm calling it.
01:42:30
Speaker
It was... a Like, i what i what's been cool about this tournament is, you know, like, you do it for trophies, but, like, the individual moments and the journey are ah part of what makes it fun as well. And this has just had some good ones. Like, the De La Vega, Puscus Galazzo, and the Shake and Quake are, like, two of my favorite Sounders goals ever.
01:42:52
Speaker
like i I totally agree. And I think that sort of tournaments like this, you oftentimes, I think, remember more for those moments than you do for... who won the trophy. Right.
01:43:02
Speaker
And i don't know maybe that's some that's cope maybe, but I do think that there's some truth. It matters. It's not like the, it's not like why you do it, but it is like, this is like this, this promo to me is one of those things that people are going to be talking about in 10 years.
01:43:19
Speaker
Even if the Sounders don't win this thing, they're going to be talking about how, man, remember when they used to do cool shit like that? Yeah.
01:43:28
Speaker
And then someone will go, actually, that was during an era where they did a lot. They didn't do any cool shit. And it was shocking that they did this. Yeah, I'm kind of in shock that they actually made the correct decision and just sent it. this is great.
01:43:44
Speaker
They deserve full credit for just going for it. And I appreciate that. it's like I assume that if you show up with a Miami jersey and you're like, hey, can i i you're out of Paul Rothrock jerseys, can I get a rbw jersey they'd probably be like it's cool we'll do it like that's my assumption right uh i don't think they're gonna get inundated my theory is there if they get five people to do this then it's a successful program oh yeah yeah i mean i mean don't know it's one of those things where you might think you only get five but they're enough people are
01:44:19
Speaker
we'll do it for the bit. You know, they can get another, it's a great problem to have. You know what i mean? That's really what it is, is that if you end up getting a bunch of people trading in jerseys, it's it's a great, it's great social media.
01:44:30
Speaker
Like they better be filming. They better have cameras at the, at the, at the pro shop ready to like, talk to these people and this is the kind of thing this gets the tv news out there they interview the kid why did you trade in your jersey oh well i realized i was wrong messi's a fraud that's either fraud paul rothrax paul rothrax paul rothrax the truth bro you don't
Excitement and Energy for the Final Match
01:44:53
Speaker
even what you know about capitol hill bro what do you know about capitol hill bro messi doesn't know nothing about capital this on
01:45:03
Speaker
I'm going to to non the kids kids don't go to bumper shoot anymore. Bumper shoot. Kids, actual kids do. My wife took our, our, my wife and my niece took our daughters and my daughter's friend.
01:45:17
Speaker
And I asked whether there a lot in there. So this is like a nine to 12 age range. And I said, were there a lot of kids there? And said, there were a lot of kids there. and Cause they get it 12 and under getting free.
01:45:28
Speaker
Do we know what ah jerseys? the That's crazy. 12 and under. Okay, go off. That's actually sick. ah what What jerseys are the Sounders wearing? Green. Green? Okay. I think for a final, you should do like your your classic. I've liked this kit.
01:45:46
Speaker
I think that is my yeah my favorite like alternative kit that they've ever put out, by far, honestly. ah Well, yeah, once but once upon a time, they used to do they used to always play the the secondary the other tournaments in the third kit.
01:46:02
Speaker
I guess that hasn't really been a thing though. they They haven't won the third kid at all in this tournament, right? I think for a final, I thought in the first round, they wore it all three times. I thought against, uh, against Cruz Azul, they for sure were wearing it.
01:46:18
Speaker
Oh yeah, I guess so. Okay. I'm you're right. But like, I was going to say like for a final at home, I like the idea of wearing your classic, like, this is our original colors and yeah schemes and stuff. like As much as I love the archive kits, I think rocking the rave green for this one is fine with me.
01:46:41
Speaker
um Yeah, I mean, guys, it's happening in ah in a few hours. Did you have anything else on your on your mind about the about the matchup, Messi and the Barca boys? Noah, how you feeling?
01:46:56
Speaker
I'm stoked, man. I couldn't sleep last night, honestly, genuinely. like i you know this is This is a club that I grew up with, obviously. I've been watching since I was a little tin teeny tiny little baby. ah and you know it It means the world to me.
01:47:12
Speaker
this this is like This is my everything. The Sounders are my everything. and so To get to play in a final again at home, you only get to see so many in your lifetime. That's just the truth of it. And the fact that we've gotten to experience three so far here in the MLS era, it's incredible. I mean, that's, that's, that's incredible. And to play against messy for a tournament that means something in, you know, a sold out stadium, that's like, it's, it's perfect. And to be led at this point, basically by completely just Seattle homegrown players, it's,
01:47:46
Speaker
It's beautiful. It's a beautiful matchup. It's going to be such a fun game. I'm so excited. And to be the talk of the town again, how could you not be stoked about it? I mean, the Sounders... Yeah, what I've been saying is that this is better from a just a juice vibes perspective than if they had made a big summer signing. You could have obviously done both. I don't want to get into it.
01:48:11
Speaker
But... this is this is This is the juice that they were thirsting for. This was the thing the Sounders have have felt like they've been missing since 2022. And it's just like the buzz and vibe and people getting excited about You know, and, you know, it is suck. It kind of sucks that tickets were as expensive as they were. But the fact that people bought them. They did drop some like $88 tickets and do a final nowadays. I feel like that's not bad. Yeah. And honestly, if you bought, if you were smart and you bought before like before the game was over, you could still get totally reasonably priced tickets. So it's like some level I don't feel that bad, but like the diehard should have been able to get cheap tickets.
01:48:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. i will yeah I saw some people in chat also saying ah might want to get another kit tonight. You better go early because I promise you, the i bet you jerseys are going to sell out.
01:49:10
Speaker
At least what stock they have. and I will say that i I was at Lumen Field yesterday for a the press conference, and they had like the outside the pro shop cash register set up which they don't i don't think they normally do for a normal game so i also wanted to say brian babcock is currently on our i'm streaming this to tiktok as well trying that out and he commented stop giving me more work jeremiah to film the jersey swaps so you've officially been called out via tiktok that's shout out Shout out Babs for hopping in the TikTok chat. that's I know. like I just scrolled and saw don't know if he's still in there or what, but ah shout out Babs. Our TikTok comments, man, I got to say, like the ah just the ah the confidence of the Inter Miami fan base, I admire it.
01:49:57
Speaker
like when I feel like when Seattle's in a final, i I'm a little bit superstitious. like I steer away from like talking all kinds of mess or like making bold predictions and stuff.
01:50:08
Speaker
they don't care. Like they're, they're talking about like, and I understand TikTok. Why? Because they are not, they, they got at most two years of investment in this thing. This is all fresh. Yeah, yeah. It's just like for for me, it's like I i always, if i if I did that and then the team lost, I would like feel responsible, you know? yeah But I guess they're just, ah they're so sure already that they have it in the bag that they're not even like considering that, which ah which like I said earlier at the top of the show, like ah I think it's ah it's admirable to be confident, but I'm i'm just saying you better not lose.
01:50:45
Speaker
Better not. I mean, that did people care about Messi. That's about it. It's it's cool. It's tight. i don't i don't like That's tight. He's cool. He's cool player. Can't really be mad at him.
01:50:57
Speaker
They're going to chirp, but like they're not going to follow Inter-Miami after this. Who cares? after this like who cares you So you think it's like, ah there well, there is there is actually a distinction there between like the Inter-Miami fans and then the people that are specifically fans. The people who are watching the 5DP era before the this 5DP era um where they actually got fined for it and it was a bunch of random players.
01:51:30
Speaker
Yeah, like that's cool. That's tight. i That's awesome. ah the inner my There are real Inter-Miami fans. Like there are people who... There are people that were... there is a lot of people There are a lot of people going to those games when Blaze Matuidi was there. Yeah, dude. yeah tasty But I think... yeah went crazy um i'm just like I just wanted to look at the chat right now. This is crazy.
01:51:53
Speaker
Which chat? Even the YouTube. no the on the even on the youtube Oh, yeah. chuck Say hi, chat. so Everyone say hi to Jeremiah.
01:52:03
Speaker
Yeah, our chat's great. Yeah, that's great. it's great Are they allowed to exchange an Argentina kit? I assume if it has Messi on the back. i No, it says it specifically says an Inter-Miami...
01:52:16
Speaker
Oh, I mean, I don't know. They they might. maybe Maybe you can get it, but it does say trade in any Lionel Messi inner Miami jersey. Got it. The thing is, there are ton of those like out there. You can probably go to TJ Maxx or Ross or whatever and probably pick one up.
01:52:33
Speaker
Be real. Yeah, exactly. It would be it'd be pretty. You see Chad saying hi.
01:52:41
Speaker
I bought an inner bootleg for $20. I feel like a lot of people are going to be bringing in their bootleg messy jerseys. I like that, though. that's you know it's I mean, that's legit, I think. I feel like that should be legit.
01:52:52
Speaker
I agree. yeah I agree. Give them a real one. that's And this this is, in I think, to to not to... extend the conversation to its depth but like this is how you make new fans like this is how you you bring in a fan from sc this is the best way a nice jersey and you're cool done right that's 100 new fans they were giving away tickets for first one on us or whatever this is yeah like that and this are two great pro like on like no notes these are great programs good job sounders we love you
01:53:29
Speaker
Good job. Yeah. Good job for recognizing and a great idea when you hear it. Exactly. All right. All right. whos What's the score prediction? Come on. You can't leave chat without it, man.
01:53:43
Speaker
And if you're wrong, you have to get a tattoo. yeah yeah So while while you filibuster, I just want to add something. This does put some pressure on the Sounders actually re re-sign Rothrock, doesn't it?
01:53:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. yeah Agent's like, yeah. They're going to another jersey exchange. His agent has got to be loving this. It's like, don't leave these games with me. And like these games, not like the promo, but then also, you know, if Seattle does win this game, the quote of ah they have messy, but we have Paul Rothrock that I think that's already in the Pantheon, even if they lose, frankly.
01:54:19
Speaker
And if they win, it's like in the, can that be added to the no study at this intro? oh yeah so it It'll be it up there with like better than Bob. and cut The whole thing.
01:54:31
Speaker
Yeah. Better than Bob. It is better. That's better than better than Bob. Five gifted for Michael. Thank you so much. Appreciate you. That's huge. Let's go. Five gifties. Thank you, Michael. Thanks, Michael.
01:54:44
Speaker
um Prediction.
01:54:49
Speaker
i don't know the more the more i've been love how we just like fired something off without any thought and you're sitting here we've it's been um because i hours because the brigade's ready to get him it's because i'm it's because i'm superstitious i don't like to jinx stuff and i kind of think all right if you're superstitious we don't want you to jinx it yeah don't worry i will like is the brigade into this game how's the brigade feeling about this one They're rooting for Seattle to lose for sure. So they can transfer they can fire up the transfer discourse. No, if Georgie plays, they want Georgie to do well.
01:55:20
Speaker
The brigade is somehow pro Georgie. Georgie the guy that they that's their guy right now? I feel like a lot of them are pro Georgie. But I think a lot of people are pro Georgie. It's hard not to be pro Georgie. he's a it's sorry Yeah, i hope he... yeah If he got some run today, that would probably mean Seattle's ahead. So that'd be cool. Here, here Ari, i've got I've got something that means, actually.
01:55:44
Speaker
oh large it could be i don't think it's i don't think they're putting Georgie on to secure a win. i think I was thinking more of just like, you know, if they're, say they're up by a lot, a lot, like get guys like a moment or whatever.
01:55:56
Speaker
But you're right. like He could come on if they're chasing a goal as well. Here's the question. Yeah. Does this finish in regulation or does this go to penalties?
01:56:07
Speaker
That would not, I would not be cool with that. I do not want this. And I want no part of penalties on this. Yeah, that would, this is a regulation that way. It's turning a fun night into a nightmare.
Sounders' Confident Playing Style and Strategy
01:56:20
Speaker
What if they win in penalties? Then it's... Winning in penalties is great, but the value proposition penalties is not good. No shots on net, winning in penalties.
01:56:32
Speaker
I mean, you know, it could always finish. It could be like a crazy shootout game that finishes level, but like I don't think... ADT saved penalty against Messi. this doesn't strike me. andrew I'm sorry. Apologies. Sorry. This doesn't strike me as a matchup where it's going to be like super cagey and defensive the whole time. Like, I think it's going to be up and down. There's going to be chances there.
01:56:56
Speaker
They're going to be going for it. It's definitely, there's going to be no dynamic of like anyone acting like club Puebla or Minnesota United out there. No, no, no. That's just not,
01:57:07
Speaker
I think it's going to be an electric final. like Like, Jeremiah, you said it perfectly, where you said there will not be a better final in the MLS Cup unless it's a rematch of this. Because you're right. It's two, like, high-octane offenses.
01:57:22
Speaker
One has a good defense. One doesn't, like, they basically just don't have a defense. So it's going to be just, like, goals galore, hopefully. it is ah It is straight to pens, everybody. um i I was adamant that there was extra time on the last show, and then I was dead wrong.
01:57:39
Speaker
So straight it does go straight to pens. For some reason, I had it twisted. I thought that the final had extra time, but it doesn't. So if it's ah if it's a draw after it straight to pennies where, you know, they have Lionel Messi, but Seattle has Andrew Thomas.
01:58:01
Speaker
So something to think about. You know the reality is that Messi only gets to shoot once. Andrew gets to say, gets to be back there for every taker. So bits, we don't even need to, it's, there's not going to be penalties.
01:58:17
Speaker
This is going to, this is going to get decided. It's going to get decided in regulation, trying to will that into existence. Cause I know, no, no, one none of us want to sit there through penalties. That's how that does sound like pretty torturous.
01:58:29
Speaker
It was torturous enough in the Puebla game. Yeah, no, I'm not, I'll be leaving the room. just I'll be leaving the PB. Vacate the I'm sure yes the you guys, the Manchester United coach was ah sitting there on the sideline. You know, they they had a penalty to win the game at the end of the game yes against burninggainst highly touted Burnley.
01:58:51
Speaker
and Yeah, where they were like celebrating winning the PK in the end. yeah those Yeah, but the the coach just could not even watch.
01:59:00
Speaker
That's it like the Puebla goalkeeper during that shootout had his back turned for every shot that his team took. And I was like, yeah, I relate to that. I just couldn't do it, man.
01:59:12
Speaker
It's better to not know. Just go off crowd reaction. Yeah, exactly. I'll just I'll just hear it. Yeah, no, no pennies, no pennies.
01:59:23
Speaker
I can't do it.
01:59:25
Speaker
can't it. Let's see. I mean, yeah, I don't have any other topics. We're just freestyling at this point. We've been ripping for like two hours. still haven't had my morning coffee. I can't believe I agreed to do this without getting coffee. Bad decision by you guys. I was like writing checks that my body wasn't ready to cash. I've already tossed back. Man, holy shit. Charlie Baum going fucking 5K words on InterMiami on Sounder at Heart, huh?
01:59:54
Speaker
Oh, yeah. We're pulling out the big guns. Let's go. This is content. What was a jail? What was a CB's Miami piece about?
02:00:05
Speaker
I mean, it's sort of just, it it was sort of just framing the contrast with the sounders and how they built their roster. And um I mean, it was very complimentary of it, ah but it, you know, it just, we, I felt like we needed a Miami piece.
02:00:19
Speaker
You know, we needed something that looked at the Miami side of things and who better to do it than Charlie bone. Oh, absolutely. It's, it's, a go it's a very like unique to this specific moment in this specific final like component of it. Like there's always novelty to making a final, but making a final where you're playing the literal go, that's like, it's just, it's just, yeah and you know, and I, and we've talked about this already, but I, one of the things I love about the Sounders right now is that even though they are, you know, you can, you can,
02:00:54
Speaker
frame it as a scrappy young team who's just happy to be here, but they're playing in a way that does not like they're scoring goals and bunches. They're playing this very confident brand of soccer that sort of belies the scrappy nature of their roster. Right. Like, like that goal, that D roll goal is not a oh what a tap in dude. Yeah. Like that. agree.
02:01:22
Speaker
yeah like that even the page i agree I think that they took pieces. I've been saying this. They took pieces from every single one of their Club World Cup opponents and created a mashup of all of them.
02:01:36
Speaker
I mean, they're basically playing. There's actually a lot of truth there. I think that they they took a lot. I do think they genuinely took a lot of lessons from the Club World Cup. And you're right. I think that that's they kind of met they they kind of like took bits and pieces from the various opponents and like, why can't we do this?
02:01:52
Speaker
but Yeah, like they have the press of PSG. They have like the the the kind of, I don't know, Athletico like work rate. And I guess PSG, I don't know. I feel like they took the most from PSG because this team is basically playing like mini PSG with their press.
02:02:10
Speaker
And like how they play in possession, I would say. Yeah. Yeah. And I would say the biggest, the other thing that they took was sort of, i think there was this realization of how important the margins really can be in that understanding the moment and that it's not about going all out for 90 minutes. It's about being really good about when you need to go all out.
02:02:34
Speaker
And and they And I think they were just blown away at how effective teams were in going from defense to offense and how ruthless – there was like a ruthlessness to these all these opponents that they played that I think that they that really resonated with them and that they understood that it's like – the skill level is not the real differentiating factor here. It's their ability to be, like I said, to be just ruthless and to be, to understand that there's little moments when you need to foul and that there's a line that you have. And I think that's maybe what why we're seeing this ah recent spat of red cards is because
02:03:12
Speaker
I think they are trying to find where that line is a little bit. And they're they're trying to see, like, what can we get away with? ah And so and it's not so and and that's why I don't think it's I don't think it's them crashing out. I think it's them sort of like maybe playing on the edge a little bit.
02:03:27
Speaker
Well, it's ah something that has become part of their identity over this last stretch since the Club World Cup is the relentless relentlessness, right? Like that's, I think, the biggest thing that honestly stands out to me when I watch this team play right now. It is... ah It is the press, but like it's how the press kind of speaks to the mentality that they're playing these games with, which is like we're not going to give anybody an inch. We're going to be on top of you the whole time. We are going to be putting you under pressure the entire game, and you better be ready for it. Otherwise, we're going to smother you. We're going to force you into mistakes. We're going to win the ball in dangerous areas, and then we're going to be –
02:04:09
Speaker
equally relentless and ruthless on the, uh, on the counter. And, I think there is ah line that, uh, that you need to find with that, that maybe like in that moment against Gabriel Peck knew who he was up against the line, ended up upon slowed down VAR with the freeze frame and the zoom in cross the line.
02:04:32
Speaker
But, uh, I, what I'm hoping from this, I hope they start this game like exactly like they did the, ah the galaxy game. One of the, one of my under the radar favorite things about the galaxy game was, was how they started it. You guys notice that how off kick they immediately were just going, going for it.
02:04:52
Speaker
Like, it's a small thing. It's not like that led to a goal immediately or anything, but to me, that's like, a saying that's, that's it don't kind of almost did, but it's also, it's a statement of ah purpose, a statement of intention mentality. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. i I, I just wanted to add this little bit, the, the two plays, the two parts of the, the galaxy game that I thought were just really so illustrative of what they were doing was the first goal where Paul Rothrock is making this run and he has no business at all getting to that rebound, but he goes after it anyway. And he's a dog. He's a dog. effort forces that creates the chaos because it wasn't a particularly tough play. You know, uh,
02:05:41
Speaker
D-Rowe puts a decent shot on, but the goalkeeper is going to save that every single time. And it wasn't a bad rebound either. It wasn't like it was this crazy loose rebound, but I just don't think they, it didn't register in their head that the guy on the wing is going to come flying in and try to win this. and Oh no, the Nikovich whatever their goalkeeper's name is,
02:06:03
Speaker
that didn't even enter his mind. He literally gave his defender the like, uh, here, I got it. Stay back there. I got it because it didn't even occur to him. That Pauly prime time was flying in from out of left field to, to make that play happen. But like, yeah, that play is exact. Another example of what I'm, uh, what I was talking about is just like that, uh, that relentlessness, that,
02:06:27
Speaker
if if they If they channel that and they play like that today, it it doesn't like mean they're going to win the game. But I think if they if they just kind of play even close to that level with that type of energy and intensity, so' they'll give themselves a fighting chance, even even against a team like this.
02:06:48
Speaker
And then the other part of the game that i thought was that really I thought was illustrative of how they are playing these days
Adaptability and Depth of the Sounders Roster
02:06:54
Speaker
is after they went down to 10 men, or after ten to ten men The way that they they didn't drop into... like Everyone usually when in that situation, they they put five in the back.
02:07:05
Speaker
and they just sort of And they have like one forward. And they sort of just play this 5-3-1 type of formation. The Sounders played like a 3-3-3.
02:07:16
Speaker
And they had three players up like at the front line of the defense... harassing galaxy every scene. Like there was no room to breathe.
02:07:27
Speaker
They just were not going to let the galaxy get back into the game. And I just thought that that was such an aggressive and like exciting way to close out that game and saying like, look, we aren't going to let you just pump in crosses and, and create chaos.
02:07:42
Speaker
If you're going to be throwing in crosses, you're going to throw them out from 20 yards further than you want to. And our goalkeeper is just going to eat them up. And Jackson Reagan is just going to eat them up. And Kim Kee and Yamar. And, you know, I just love the way that they went for it right there. And that's how I want the Sounders to be playing. I think that's what's so exciting about this team.
02:08:03
Speaker
And it it's this is i for me, this is the most fun I've ever had watching the Sounders. And i I'll include 2014 in that one. That was a lot of fun, but it was sometimes... You know, sometimes it was just the Clinton Nova show.
02:08:15
Speaker
And this is something totally, totally different. You are stacked top to bottom. I mean, you are stacked. Like, you have two best 11 caliber center backs. You have yeah Alex Roldan, who I think has been under the radar sleeper, really, really, really, really good this season.
02:08:35
Speaker
And you have the best center mid pairing in the entire league by far. I don't give a shit about Messi. I don't care where he plays on the field. He can't he can't compare to those guys.
02:08:47
Speaker
And then you have... 7,000 wingers. You have a full team of wingers. You've got you've got a European winger who who who who beefed with Fenerbahce, and you've got Pedro de la Vega, and you've got Paul Rothrock, and you've got Jesus. You effectively have like 20 DP wingers on this team.
02:09:08
Speaker
And then you have, you know, ah when Jordan's healthy, granted. Yeah. You have Danny Musavsky, though. Or Danny Musavsky or DeRisart. I mean, like, it's just this is the deepest team in MLS. But more than that, like, it's the most complete team.
02:09:25
Speaker
And I think that that is also like credit to Brian Schmetzer, who has crafted this incredible, like, uh game plan and like ethos of the sounders this season to be attacking and fun and fast and also shout out to craig weibel who a lot of people don't like but who has built a great roster craig has done a very good job with this roster even if he's a little mad at me right now oh didn't like the presser questioning
02:09:56
Speaker
I don't know. you know You know how these things are. Yeah. That's okay. He's he's definitely pro-loving Scorchers, hopefully, because we're defenders. I definitely he would do the pod in the press box, even though he was just trying to get away from me. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what's going on. Oh, yeah, for sure. I definitely think this team is... They're they're playing the game at a higher level than i I've ever seen a Sounders team play just in terms of the, the quality of the footy, the, the press, the chance generation, the amount of goals that they're scoring.
02:10:30
Speaker
Oh, I know that I guess league's cup isn't supposed to technically count for this, but every year I've, I've said something like, ah, you know, Brian Spencer deserves more credit for coach of the year, but I don't actually vote for him.
02:10:43
Speaker
Like, when it comes down to it, i very i don't think I don't know if I've ever voted for him. I just want him to be in the running because I think he's doing a better job than he gets credit for. This year, I think, he it's this he has to be – he's the coach of the year right now. I don't and don't want to hear about Bradley Carnell, and I don't want to hear about Pat Noonan. Oh, Carnell is going to get it. They're going to give it to Carnell.
02:11:05
Speaker
Of course they're going to give to Carnell, but I don't want – like, this is – I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. He's going to get it I know Bradley crap. Now, I right chat?
02:11:17
Speaker
Exactly. I was just going over candidates. we do the line of builder yet? ah We didn't bust out the builder, but yeah. i know there was like 20,000 questions about how the Sanders are going to line it up.
02:11:28
Speaker
I know Jeremiah knows exactly how it's going to line up because he's actually Brian Schmetzer. When he pulls off his mask, he just walks down and he is Brian Schmetzer. He knows exactly how it's going line I already have it set up how I think how they're going to do it. I mean, would you offer any amendments to this?
02:11:46
Speaker
That is but how they're going to line up. That is how they're going to line it up. There you have it, folks. It's going to be RBW starting for knew Who, who famously will not be featuring in this game.
02:11:59
Speaker
You got your Jackson, Reagan, Yamar center back pairing with your Alex Roldan at the the right back. You got your classic double pivot and then your front four of Pedro de la Vega, Jesus Ferreira at the 10, Paul Rothrock on your right wing and Osaze de Shake and Bake Rosario up top.
02:12:20
Speaker
Ferreira 10 baby. He's going to be dime dishing. This is a, I think this is the, uh, the right lineup. And I think this is a lineup that, uh, that will it Will they get a result? I don't know. if That's what we're going to find out today.
02:12:35
Speaker
but If we do, is it not hilarious that this ross like this lineup would cook messy? and the birth boys and Yeah, let's let's take a second and talk about this. They've got three players who were literally born in Seattle in this roster.
02:12:50
Speaker
They've got another player who moved here when he was 13. They've got two players who went to college, who moved here for college. And then they got a guy that they, ah and then they got two more players that they developed in Andrew Thomas and Osazi de Rosario.
02:13:05
Speaker
There's only three players on this roster who are like normal, for lack of a better term, and MLS type of acquisitions. Pedro de la Vega, Jesus Ferreira, and Yamar.
02:13:16
Speaker
Everyone else, they basically built.
02:13:21
Speaker
Built, not bought, baby. Come on. Isn't it crazy to be going into a game of this magnitude with Osaze starting up top and like actively being like, i can't like i'm fine I can't wait to watch him play.
02:13:35
Speaker
I think ah even just the last game against the Galaxy, I felt like he was in his bag with stuff that I hadn't really seen from him yet as far as ah just kind of like... ah the runs he was making and like those plays where like the play in particular, where, uh, De La Vega got around Yoshida and Osase kind of just ran in from off screen and got onto it. And then like gives himself a wide open breakaway that got saved. And I think watching it back again yesterday, I think they got De La Vega for a phantom foul on Yoshida that if Osase had made that, I don't think it would have, uh,
02:14:14
Speaker
counted anyway, but just that type of run, I'm looking at that and I'm like, wow, he's actually, he's like way more dynamic and got more in his bag than I thought.
02:14:26
Speaker
And, uh, I'm, I'm really excited. The next pro, you know, now I'm really excited to see like, if he can, if he puts in another, uh, performance like that, where he's getting in to so many dangerous places,
02:14:41
Speaker
i think I think the odds, you know, I think his finishing clearly is not fully refined, but the odds that he gets one, if he just is in that many dangerous spots, I think are decently good.
02:14:52
Speaker
And it I'm just excited to watch him today. Like I, which, you know, if you had told me before the season, like Seattle is going to be in a league's cup final, but the injury and suspension situation is going to be such that Osase is going to be getting the start up top and it's going to, and it's also going to be against a again ah messy and the Barca boy Barca boys. I would be like, I don't feel good about that.
02:15:12
Speaker
But ah with how Osaze has looked lately, like i'm like I said, actively excited to watch it. So I want to just real quick. This is something that ah Tim and I worked together on last year about Osaze that I think illustrates how far he's come this year.
02:15:30
Speaker
So we did these year review players of all the Defiance guys. And we yeah this is what we said about him as it all if it all works out. Once in an up-and-coming star in Canada, Dave Rosario was not necessarily young by football standards anymore, but if he can make a habit of playing like he did against Barbados or during the runs of games in the summer, he could be a legitimate option ah striker for the Sounders.
02:15:51
Speaker
At his best, he's shown an ability to be a threat in the box, a target for set pieces, and capable of using his size and technique to create opportunities for his teammates. Even if he can't climb to the heights of becoming Seattle's starting striker, he could certainly be a legit death piece. That's actually much more ah complimentary of him than I thought we were going to be, but ah he he was a player who I was not 100% sure was going to be back last year.
02:16:14
Speaker
Yeah, it was that he it wasn't really talked about that much to my memory. He really only started tearing it up in Next Pro like at the start of this season, is that isn't it? Yeah, yeah. he He had six goals in like 1,200 minutes last year, which is not horrible, but it's not anything It's not like jumping off the page. And then this year he started out insanely hot.
02:16:33
Speaker
ah They had the Jordan injury. and brought him up and I don't know, like, Just the the run that he's been on in this tournament, that's kind of what's fun about a tournament like this is, you know, we can talk about the how important it is in the pantheon of trophies and stuff, but it like you know for it to give a platform for a player like this to have sort of a breakout opportunity, I think that's pretty cool. And it's like, you can just see how that that goal, the Shake and Quake goal is just like a
02:17:09
Speaker
a young up and coming player who is just so hungry to make it and isn't going to be denied. And that's, it's fun. It's easy to root for a guy like that.
02:17:23
Speaker
True. I fear that the Paul Rothrock Jersey, uh, is going viral already. Uh, the Paul Rothrock Jersey swap is it's, it's popping.
02:17:35
Speaker
Okay. It's hitting the algo and, I think that this might be the best promotion the Sounders have ever done. i think so what Just in terms of like ah ah comedic premise, like I think this has got to be <unk> gotta to be the best one.
02:17:55
Speaker
um how How are you guys feeling about ah ah RBW? I think that's the main thing to talk about with this. I love RBW. Yeah, I feel like RBW is getting graded on a curve, to be honest with you. And I think it's a curve that's working against him because i think there's this weird mix of people that have that know him, that actually know him from his youth, and so they don't want to be too Homer-ish about it.
02:18:24
Speaker
But there has been this hype around him in terms of it being him being like a ah ah national team, kind of like in the youth national team, and he was on you know he had some... some trials in Europe. And I think there's this expectation that he was just going to, that it's like, he's not, there's this belief that he's not really hitting the mark. And I just, I just think he's a ah really solid player.
02:18:48
Speaker
ah Maybe not the finished product yet, but I I'm, I'm feeling okay about it. I think he is, I think he's a better defender than, than the the haters say. You know, he's maybe not quite as dynamic going forward as we'd like him to be, but he's, you know, he's still capable of of dropping dimes every now and then.
02:19:07
Speaker
His defense is getting better. Like, I will say that. Like, there was there was a few instances earlier in the year, like, ah where it was it was like positioning stuff, like getting caught out on a ball over the top.
02:19:22
Speaker
That happened a couple times in the Atletico Madrid game, but I think the fact that people were that bent out of shape... over that is like ah pretty silly. I mean, it was against Atletico Madrid.
02:19:34
Speaker
So the fact that he had to bust his ass back to cover a couple of ah counters and maybe, maybe got beat on a couple of them should not be as mind blowing to,
02:19:47
Speaker
as it was to some people but i i think that in the last few times at least that we've gotten to see him play that's i think that's looked better that's looked better and i i fully trust that he's going to be he's not going to be like the reason the team loses the game or anything like that like I'm pretty sure that he's going to be good for the moment and compete to the best of his abilities, which is all I want from him. So ah i'm I'm not like super, obviously it'd be great to have new who in there, new who versus messy. Also just the general defensive presence that he brings would be helpful, but I believe in RBW.
02:20:30
Speaker
I think that's pretty much, unless you guys had anything else on this, on this lineup. No, I think that's good to me. All right. Fire. yeah Wait, wait, we got to promo the, the, the pull up the Instagram thing with our, oh yeah, yeah i did that already, but I'll do it again. Cause there's a lot more people. Exactly.
02:20:50
Speaker
The Dolly Parton. part Party. The party.
02:20:56
Speaker
ah What?
02:21:01
Speaker
Yes, Dolly Parton. Are you streaming on Insta too? Instagram and TikTok, bro. What is this? We're trying out new methods. We got to pump the algo.
02:21:15
Speaker
Here it is again.
02:21:19
Speaker
pre-match party, fast fashion, Soto. Address right there. I fucked up the graphic. but Noah fucked up the graphic. It should say 5 o'clock, not 4 o'clock. But everything else here is accurate, including the location and the the start time.
02:21:35
Speaker
We're going to be heading... Lobby Scorchers head down to Pioneer Square area ah right after this. So maybe you'll see us down there. but I'll be there.
02:21:47
Speaker
You're going to, okay. We'll see. J O is going to be there. ah did we confirm a special guest or is that still on the, on the rocks? uh so i thought there was gonna be it might be i'll tell you know i'm gonna i'm gonna tell them to that there's no show so uh that might help yeah yeah it's just saying no no no we're just hanging out uh does fast fashion allow kids i think so yeah yes they do it's all yeah it's all ages yeah all ages people asked about food uh i don't have awesome they have an awesome pizza program actually okay they have pizza there's but there's also a sandwich shop like across the street paseo uh picado or not picado winno it's uh isn't it paseo or something it's a oh oh there's the sales across there yeah dude it's oh i you know i love that i used to live by the one in uh fremont and went there all the time
02:22:42
Speaker
Yeah, so there's like good ah there's good food options. There's good food options. Good food options. Great proximity to the field. Everyone hanging out.
02:22:54
Speaker
One last hurrah before the League's Cup final. um It's going to be sick. Don't miss out.
02:23:03
Speaker
And that's the promo for our pre-match party. I think I'm about ready to wrap up this the show here, guys. we're We're coming up on two and a half hours. and Yeah, I think my wife is probably ready to kick me out of the house.
02:23:19
Speaker
You need coffee, bro. yeah Don't forget coffee. Get capped up ready go. cap ready to go Big game today. um like Like the video and sub to the channel if you if you have not. Those are two important things that you can do to pump us into the this big algo day for us.
02:23:38
Speaker
youre yeah good the I just am realizing how insanely crazy some of your Instagram posts have gone. Oh, yeah. Easily.
02:23:49
Speaker
You should see the TikTok.
02:23:52
Speaker
That would require me downloading TikTok, which maybe I need to do. yeah i mean it's it's the worst comments section i think but we love our tick tock comment we love tick tock we love tick tock say good things about tick tock we're streaming love tick tock everything we say we love tick tock we love tick tock we're getting close to uh to the coveted 1k on tick tock please follow us on tick tock we need 10k to monetize tick tock so we got so many what yeah oh come on
02:24:25
Speaker
Well, that's even more of a reason to, uh... Yeah, just... If everyone on here just were to register for, like, 15 accounts, we would be there. Oh, no no no no no, no, no, no. We can't do that. We can't. Don't don't do that. We're gonna get banned on TikTok after this live stream.
02:24:43
Speaker
Damn. Everyone remember to stay hydrated. That's right. That's right. good Good advice from Sam. Uh... Get us out of here. Get us out of here. Come on, Ari. You're killing us.
02:24:57
Speaker
We got Messi. They got Messi. But we got Paul Rothrock. Exactly. They got Messi. We got Paul Rothrock. We will ah we see all you guys at a Fast Fashion. And then we'll see you on the other side.