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The 2026 Season Opener vs. Austin FC!
44 Plays15 days ago
Loons superfans react to and recap the team's season opening match at Austin FC! Which Loons impressed us? Which have the potential to be special this year? We unpack all of this and more in this episode!
You can follow the show on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/looncalling.bsky.social
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Transcript
Welcome to Loon Calling
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome to Loon Calling, a podcast dedicated to Minnesota United Football Club. And I am joined by my friends in Minnesota United
Meet the New Participants
00:00:14
Speaker
fandom. We got Diakena here, as always. And then we have a new friend joining us today for this inaugural a match of the season. Gortz, do you want to introduce yourself to the ah the Loon's fans?
Gortz's Soccer Journey Begins
00:00:29
Speaker
ah Hi, I'm Gortz. I've been a Loonz fan since they came into the league. ah Just really love it. I actually have to i live up in North Dakota, so I drive seven hours round trip to go to home games, which is really fun. And kind of the whole you know soccer thing, I've gotten into it.
00:00:57
Speaker
2014 World Cup. I spent that in Belgium. so You went in Belgium? i was We were in Belgium right at the start ah kind of right at the start of the World Cup. and I have remember we have memories of going into a bar you know bar watching the ah game against Algeria. Afterwards, seeing a guy with an Algerian flag.
00:01:27
Speaker
ah Bicycling down down the street There was Grandmas and grandpas Everybody was because you know it was it was It was the start of the golden generation With De Bruyne Hazard Courtois No, yeah, no. So that's what that's what got me hooked. And ever since then, I've lived and
World Cup Comparisons: 2014 vs. 2022
00:01:49
Speaker
breathed soccer. so Wow. I mean, that's as good of an event as any to get you into soccer. like And actually like being there for the start of the World Cup, wow, that is that is that is incredible.
00:02:02
Speaker
I mean, in a way, the 2022 World Cup kind of got me into soccer too. That was the thing that kind of that that drew me in in the first place um was the first World Cup where I was like really – you know, locked in to watching almost every game. And then I have a friend of mine who is of Moroccan heritage, and they made a pretty deep run into the World Cup. So I got to see like how much it means to, you know, people from especially here in America when we have so many immigrants. I mean, we're all immigrants for the most part here in this country. And how, you know, how important the World Cup is to so many different, you know,
00:02:41
Speaker
uh nationalities and so many different uh heritages in the country it's got me into it too so yeah that's that's really cool but what got you into uh what got you into minnesota united do you just want did you want something more local that you could like actually be a part of or what got you into the loons in the first place yeah it was more local and i'm like oh hey you know kind of right when Lewins made the the step up to them to MLS.
Growing Local Involvement in Soccer
00:03:11
Speaker
And, you know, I remember, you know, a few times and then finally ah for my birthday one year, my parents surprised me with season tickets. The the first year that moved into Allianz Field, we got season tickets. So, yeah.
00:03:29
Speaker
ah amaze ever Ever since then, I've tried to go as many times as I can. But, you know, like I said, it's usually seven-hour round trip and usually comes with the hotel. and dad just Yeah, that's a lot of money and time. Yeah.
00:03:47
Speaker
That's a lot. I already feel like I spend a lot of money. i live in the Twin Cities, and I already feel like I spend a lot of money just... on the ticket and, you know, you know, associated beverages and things like that is already a lot of money. So I appreciate you're dedicated to Minnesota United. It sounds like you are a very good candidate to be a part of ah a podcast where we, uh,
00:04:09
Speaker
ah maybe go a little bit too in depth on this
Minnesota United's MLS Season Kickoff
00:04:14
Speaker
team. um Alrighty. What do you say we dive into the first match of the season? MLS is back, baby.
00:04:22
Speaker
Let's go. we have our first official match of the season against Austin in Austin. um Let's just go through some of the facts from the match and then we'll dive into more of the actual details from it.
00:04:37
Speaker
So we rolled out at least the team graphics showed a 4-2-3-1. It was looking more like 4-4-2 in defense to my eye. Our starting lineup from left to right, we had Markannik, Duggan, Boxall, and DJ Taylor on the right.
00:04:54
Speaker
ah We had Trapp and Triantis in the midfield, and Chancolay, Perea, and Bongi as attacking midfielders, and Yeboah at striker. The big thing that sticks out to me from this starting lineup is DJ Taylor on the right side. We did see a lot of him in preseason, and as it turns out, Jefferson Diaz, who would probably be occupying that position, spot most of the time as a starter. um He was unavailable. He's working on getting his green card.
00:05:23
Speaker
We don't have word as of yet if he's successful successfully got it. At least I don't think there's been word yet. um And then Dominic Fitz and James Rodriguez are still working on getting fit
Lineup Challenges and Strategies
00:05:36
Speaker
enough from preseason. ah Fitz had a medical issue that he had to take care of That set him back in the preseason timeline. And then James Rodriguez took forever.
00:05:48
Speaker
It's not his fault. And I don't even know if it's the team's fault at this point. But for some reason, we signed players and it takes forever for their working visas to get cleared. So, um, James Rodriguez, uh, was not, uh, or just got his visa too late to be available for this match.
00:06:05
Speaker
Did not really get to train with the team at all, but I did just see a tick talk today on the official team page that he's training with the team officially. His first day was on Monday, um, which is very exciting. Very exciting indeed. um and possession possession was a big thing from last season we did not have a lot of the ball in this game we had more of the ball than we're used to seeing um we had 43 of it and uh in that possession we created about 1.63 expected goals So do any of y'all, I guess I'll throw it to, uh, to die kind of first. Do you, did you have any thoughts on the starting lineup when it came out? Any surprises to you or was it about what you expected?
00:06:51
Speaker
um Yeah, I saw actually a couple different like lineup graphics, one of which was a 4-3-3, and then like later was changed to the 4-2-3-1. But also, like I remember during the match, like the commentators were noting like the starting lineup doesn't really tell you a whole lot, because a lot of it is kind of how players move around once the game actually starts. Like we saw a couple times in preseason, and I think I saw a couple times during this game, it looked like we kind of were almost running a sort of two striker setup with Joaquin often kind of coming up kind of parallel to Yeboah. But then they both, you know, when we kind of drop back into defense, um you know, Joaquin kind of buries himself more in the middle of what we're trying to do. I'll also jump off. You said like ah you know we had more possession than maybe we might have expected compared to last year. it's still kind of low, but I think it was also, like even with low possession, it still looked really different because on defense, we weren't sitting as far back.
00:07:59
Speaker
um We didn't just have that five back line kind of turtle shelling, you know, around our goal. Basically, it was a little further up. um And on top of that, it wasn't, you know, like last year where we kind of get the ball and then just immediately try and go. We were often, you could see us kind of trying to do a slower, more intricate build um up whenever we got the ball back. We weren't just like booting it and, you know, telling you, hey, go get the ball.
Team Evolution: Possession and Defense
00:08:27
Speaker
Um, so I think, you know, it's, it's not a lot of data, but like, I think you can kind of see that Cam is kind of trying to evolve us, you know, from this like defensively centric team towards something a little further up and also trying to do a little more, something a little more intricate when we actually have the ball. It did look like, you know, we're still kind of figuring some things out. I think like the guys just don't
00:08:53
Speaker
quite have that connection with each other yet because they're just not used to playing in this way but you could kind of see glimmers of what they're trying to build at least and I did kind of like getting to see that Gortz do you have any thoughts about this starting lineup and just how we looked in general with this lineup I mean, like like you point out, the first thing was DJ Taylor starting.
00:09:19
Speaker
It was just weird to see him start because you look at him, he didn't really get a chance under Ramsey. Didn't really give him a chance really at all. If he did play, he was playing for the Twosies.
00:09:35
Speaker
It's just weird, weird to me, but I felt like we played good. Definitely a lot more eye-pleasing, you know, instead of, you know, sitting back and, you know, like like they said, you know, i think, you know, defensively our shape was more, you know, 4-4-2 with, you know, Yeboah and Pereira, you know, leading the press from the front and then, know, You know, as the you know, attacking and build, you know, Pereira goes and kind of goes, finds out ah to be the outlet and kind of the guy that can go through. But, you know, otherwise, I think it was a really good game. And I think it's only going to get better from here.
00:10:14
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. i Those were my main takeaways, too. um there There was a lot of there was there were some hiccups. Well, when we go through the match timeline, we'll get to the defensive hiccups. But ultimately, i saw a lot of good things and a lot of like very honestly looked incredibly like more interesting to my eye. Like like that's what.
00:10:38
Speaker
you know I was at Blackheart watching this game. ah you know I knocked a couple of averages back, so I was not in my 100% sober analytical mind at the time. But even then, it was just a lot more there was a lot more of players dropping deep to collect the ball and distribute, a lot more of Yeboah dropping deep and sending balls to the wing, either to Bongi or to... ah I actually don't remember if he sent any to DJ Taylor, but it was a lot like it feels like Cameron is encouraging players to just find the ball and find the game and distribute it to where it needs to go. Chanclai on the left was drifting towards the center and getting the ball on the right. Even though he started at left wing, he was dropping down and covering on defense. um
00:11:26
Speaker
Perea. you know In that 4-4-2, he's technically playing as ah as a striker, I guess, but really functionally not at all. was just all over the place. um Doing defensive work, leading the press with Yoboa, as you said, when we were defending the ball.
Integrating New Team Players
00:11:43
Speaker
It looked like, you know, i guess the one thing you can carry over from last season is that we looked super comfortable sitting in a super structured defensive shape. um Like you said, Diakena, it was much higher. The line of confrontation was like 20 yards higher. it felt like um like it our team really just wanted to confront the ball as as as high up the pitch as possible, but looked still extremely comfortable being compact in defending when Austin was trying to break them down, which is great to see because that is definitely the thing I loved most about last year is just how...
00:12:23
Speaker
rock solid we looked in defense but everything just seemed more fluid overall um that that was kind of my main takeaway any other general thoughts from this match before we dive into the minute details um you mentioned we had a couple guys missing fits and james rodriguez I can definitely see guys like that finding a place in what we're trying to do, this kind of more possession-oriented. And like on my earlier comment, like it looks like we're still kind of trying to figure it out, but that kind of makes me more excited for guys like that who could come in and maybe be that kind of final missing piece. um you know I think everyone's excited for that.
00:13:10
Speaker
james rodriguez just because it's a big name but i'm kind of curious how he fits intos into this system i'm also really curious about dominic fits who we didn't really see much of last year but i think he we felt like he has a lot of potential and i think what we're trying to do right now will get more out of what we saw of him last year so it It does seem like the system is just screaming for a true number 10 to come in and and really put it over the line. It seemed like, to my eye, you were splitting the playmaking from Chancolai and mostly Padea because that is...
00:13:48
Speaker
you know He's extremely good at passing and extremely good at distributing the ball. um It really does seem like if James Rodriguez comes into the lineup and is looking sharp and going to be that true number 10 it allows players like padea and chancolai to stay ah ah you know stay further up the pitch and bonky also and threaten runs in behind when you have that player that can just be that dedicated 10 um that's going to be very very
00:14:25
Speaker
very exciting to see uh gortz do you were you getting excited at all about the potential for a playmaker to really like throw you know push this uh this play this style of play over over the line if if there's anything you know it's we're all looking forward to seeing hamez just you know ping balls you know behind the defense and letting in and then it it doesn't from like i have a a really good friend who's a Everton fan and, you know, got to see him for 45. And it seems like James isn't really that much of like, as far as pressing. So and I'll be interested to see how much, you know, ah defensively he does yeah um with that.
00:15:15
Speaker
But um I mean, overall, like I said, having a playmaker like James is, gonna be just you know phenomenal and you know you're they're gonna you know even if you have you know like you know james in the 10 and then pereira on the left it's like you have two ultimate chance creators and you know they both can't all be on you know james they also have to you know look out for pereira as as well and and it's
00:15:47
Speaker
i think I think it's going to be some beautiful football with those two and and all the other attackers that we have. Let's hope so. Let's hope so. Well, with that, let's get into the match timeline. We're going to go through what I believe to be the kind of major points in the in the match. And so we start, we we kick off. Everybody's looking, at least to my eye at the beginning, everybody's looking a little bit excited, a little bit maybe nervous, a little bit slightly unstructured.
Match Analysis: Minnesota vs. Austin
00:16:22
Speaker
um And we get off to a very shaky defensive start. We concede the first goal in just the seventh minute, which was not the way we wanted to start the season. You never want to concede in a match early, but you also don't want to concede a goal just seven minutes into your season. um
00:16:43
Speaker
Despite that, you know, and in that disorganization, there was just... There was a lot of sloppy fouls at the beginning. I remember, especially on my ah on my rewatch ah trap and Pidea in particular, were taking a lot of fouls, in my opinion, unnecessary fouls.
00:17:02
Speaker
But, you know, the the ref The yellow card doesn't come out until later in the match, so it ended up not being as much of a problem. But I was a little afraid of Perea or um Trap getting an early yellow card. But despite that shaky defensive start, despite you know conceding that first goal... We kind of grow into the game from there, like the 20th minute onward. It seems like we're settling in We're starting to play our game. We're not allowing Austin to get as much of the ball as they were getting in the through the first 20 minutes.
00:17:38
Speaker
Progressing further through the match, there's a great shot from Chonkali in the 40th minute that's forces a Stuber save. And that gives the team a corner.
00:17:49
Speaker
um Really encouraging to see Chancolai wanting to shoot the ball. And ah just overall, I was kind of impressed with his shot placement throughout the whole match. I think that's kind of a through line I noticed between Chancolai and Perea is they both seem to have very good shot placement. They go at least...
00:18:10
Speaker
you know We have more experience watching Perea, but ah it seems to be more placement over power with those two, although Chancolai showed a lot of power in one of his volley strikes later in the match. um And off of this corner kick, after ah after that ah shot from Chancolai that forces the corner kick, um Service from Perea onto Duggan's head, and he heads the ball between Stuber's legs right through the five hole, and he gets his first career MLS goal.
00:18:44
Speaker
Good for him. Very happy for him. It really seems like he's earned that starting spot this year. like it It seemed like Ramsey, especially towards the end of the season, was favoring him. I could even tell through the Coachella Valley Invitational that he looked fit from the beginning, and I think he was one of the top players Performers on the beep test, if I remember correctly, I think that was reported by Andy Greeter, that, you know, both the midfielders, Jeanne and Trapp, scored really high, and then I think Duggan scored the highest of the center backs.
00:19:17
Speaker
So, he's looking super fit, super... Calm on the ball and also looked like he really wanted to get forward and get involved in the attack, especially later in the match. He was getting further and further up the pitch, which you love to see. Love to see center backs getting involved in the buildup.
00:19:35
Speaker
But great goal by Duggan. Great, ah you know, great place to be in the penalty area. Love center backs getting involved, especially those, those tall guys would love to see boxy get some goals this season.
00:19:49
Speaker
um I feel like we need more boxy goals. He's always in there and it it seems like he's going taking less of the long throws. um So yeah. What was y'all's ah I'll throw it to, to Gortz first. What was your reaction after that first goal?
00:20:06
Speaker
I mean, it incredible I think Duggan is going to be a a standout player for us. And it'll be really interesting to see the competition between him and Romero, who um I think I forgot forgot to say when the when the team info came out, Romero wasn't even in in the squad at all. and i think Yeah, healthy scratch.
00:20:28
Speaker
Yep, which is very, very interesting to me. But like I said, ah you know, the the competition for, you know, that that left center back is going to be really interesting between, know, Duggan and Romero. I think Duggan has it. And I think, you know, ah you know everybody, you know, kind of feel, I feel like you give like the first, you know, 10, 15, 20 minutes to kind of grow into the game. And then it's really after that, that, you know,
00:20:57
Speaker
Everybody, you know, feels out what, you know, what they need to do and just, just incredible. What about you? di kim what What were your thoughts on the first goal?
00:21:10
Speaker
um I was really happy for him because I remember he had a couple really close chances last year and just, I think one went like through his legs and he just barely missed. But he, i think has been great from day one. He, I think started on our debut last year as well.
00:21:28
Speaker
um And he's just been really solid defensively. He's got that big build um kind of similar to Boxall, but he's also very fast. Um, so he's able to kind of throw his weight around. Um, and obviously he's able to get forward, um, and help a lot in those corner kicks that we really love.
00:21:47
Speaker
So. Absolutely. Set piece FC. Will we live up to our reputation this year, even under Cameron Knowles? Who knows? So, ah Like one of my big takeaways that I'm actually surprised I didn't mention in the top is that Yeboah looked really, really sharp in this game. Like very, very sharp. I was very impressed. He seemed calm.
00:22:13
Speaker
He seemed ready to play. He seemed fit. Again, does not does not seem like he had the he has the pace that he had when he first joined the team. Like that was the thing that stood out about Yeboah.
00:22:27
Speaker
when he first joined the team in 2024 is that he had like elite pace. It doesn't seem like ever since the injuries last year, he's really had that pace or maybe he doesn't want to push that pace too hard as of yet, but everything else is hold up play was looking very, very good. He was not turning the ball over. i don't think he turned the ball over once that I could recall. It could be wrong about that. Um,
00:22:53
Speaker
But in that first half, it's like right at the end of the first half, like the, the, like 44th minute or something like that. He, i can't remember who crosses the ball into the pen penalty area, but somebody serves him in the middle of the box. And he chests the ball and hits just a rocket of a volley that is saved by Stuber. Amazing save by Stuber. And if it's like a foot in either direction, we're talking about being up two to one in this game.
00:23:23
Speaker
But that's just an example of just how sharp he seems. He seems really ready to to put his mark on the game at at ah any time. He was dropping deeper so many times. He got a lot more touches on the ball than he really got, like, basically all throughout Ramsey's tenure. Like, last year, he barely got touches on the ball because his job was to just... stay on the back line ah and, you know, try to threaten in behind or over the top. And he just did not get that many touches on the ball. Seems like this year.
00:24:00
Speaker
Nobles is encouraging him to drop deep in and connect if if things need to progress forward. Um, and he was also drifting from wing to wing from time to time to progress the ball further of the pitch too. I remember he drifted out right and won a corner kick for us. And I think he won a corner on the left too. So he's finding ways to impact the game.
00:24:21
Speaker
And if we are going to be a team that is relying on set pieces to get a good amount of our offense, if you boa can continue to progress the ball further up the pitch and win corners, that's actually really, really huge for our offense. um Gortz, what did you notice about Yeboah's play in this match? Did you like what you saw? Are you still feeling a little bit of trepidation considering he started last year strong, got got injured? So what are your feelings about Yeboah after the first match?
00:24:52
Speaker
I think he's, he's looking back to his best, you know, started last year, you know, like you said, you know, really strong, got that injury. And then it felt like when we did sell Tani last season, okay. Then we give, okay, yoboa you're the guy, you're the striker.
00:25:09
Speaker
um but it seemed, it just seemed like he wasn't at it. Cause it seems like he just couldn't get over that injury that, that he had. And now to, you know, have the off season to re, you know, kind of rehab and start off fresh was, was something really, really um cool to see. But um ah you know, I think, but I keep on saying, I think the the best is to come from him.
00:25:35
Speaker
yeah againnna What were you, what were your thoughts about Yabawa in this match? Yeah, he looked closer to 2024 Yeboah than 2025, which is like a really good sign because he kind of came into this team and hit the ground running pretty well. And then last year was kind of up and down for him. I don't think it was entirely like him. a lot of it was probably just like the way we were trying to play didn't compliment him as well. And it was changing a lot throughout the season, depending on the game. So I kind of...
00:26:11
Speaker
felt for him that he kind of struggled to find his form, but I'm hoping that this season will give him a little more consistency that he can kind of build around. Obviously an early goal um early in the season will give him confidence, but also like you said that um ball off his chest, the volley was awesome and something I would have expected him to do 2024, just because That season, he just had way more confidence to do stuff like that. So I'm hoping we can get more out of him this year. I did like i do wonder like how he works in kind of the buildup.
00:26:49
Speaker
um you know Is he best like getting a single ball through or is he best as part of kind of more complex kind of buildup formations? um I'm not quite sure yet, but that's something I'm kind of looking for with him to see How do we kind of get the most out of him, not just in terms of pure goal production, but, you know, in other aspects of the game as well?
00:27:12
Speaker
And does he do better when we have a more integrated into the team or when we're just kind of keeping him up top as a pure goal scorer? um I don't know the answer to that yet. That's just something I'm kind of looking for this season to kind of better understand him as a player.
00:27:29
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be very interesting to see how we use him tactically in the in the final third. It seems like if he's being encouraged to come deeper and distribute the ball, he might be more encouraged to find a more late arrival into the box to be more of that kind of box poacher. um we'll we'll see we'll see what happens it's only the first match we don't really have a large sample size but we'll see how that goes so that that amazing chested ball that turns into a volley and ultimately a state a save by stuber um closes the first half and to be honest i was feeling pretty good at the end of the first half and then
00:28:15
Speaker
The second half starts. It's very slow. It's a lot slower of a pace. I think these two teams are are are used to each other and maybe playing a bit more methodically. But Austin is definitely taking advantage of the energy of being at home.
00:28:34
Speaker
They see the vast majority of the possession. Yeah. like through the 66th minute.
Second Half Tactical Shifts
00:28:40
Speaker
Um, and I think that is a, ah a big motivator of why Cameron decided to send in Gressel and Harvey in the 66th minute seemed like we needed ah a burst of energy into the squad to keep up the, uh, the defensive intensity. We were defending quite well. I think, um,
00:29:00
Speaker
you know we weren't We weren't getting pinned back too far, but it it was obvious that we needed a little bit more juice to to to just progress the ball forward after we turned it over. um I also remember remember seeing a lot of... ah Not great passing, not sharp passing to relieve the pressure, and a lot of sloppy turnovers that fail to relieve pressure too, which is not good to see. But again, those substitutions did help that a little bit. I especially liked...
00:29:33
Speaker
um harvey's play when he came in i really really like harvey actually and now that i think about it maybe jefferson diaz isn't slotted to start in that in that spot maybe harvey is is is going to be more of that substitute um but yeah really liked what i saw from from harvey and then uh gressel
00:29:58
Speaker
Gressel I was less pleased with, although he did make a play later in the half that we will get into. But Diakena, what did you think about ah Gressel and Harvey as subs in this game? Do you think they were impactful or do you need to see a little bit more from from them to kind of determine if they are impactful subs or not?
00:30:24
Speaker
I'm still curious what we're doing with Gressel, but I did like him in this game because he came on and you could see he brought on a lot more energy. I think last year he just seemed kind of out of place and like we were asking him to defend and he really just doesn't know how to and doesn't really have the speed. But on ah offense, he just looks a lot more comfortable. I also noticed he was a big part of our press and he did that a bit at Coachella as well.
00:30:58
Speaker
um I didn't really see that kind of energy from him as much last year. I think he just wants to be on the front foot, um even if it's like counter pressing.
00:31:08
Speaker
um I'm still not entirely sure what to make of him, but I was at least glad to kind of see that like you could see glimmers of maybe what Khaled sees and is hoping to get out of him.
00:31:21
Speaker
um Still haven't seen much of him. like I think he's best known for his service, kind of a right-footed Pereira in that sense, and didn't see a ton of that. But I think that as we kind of keep growing into what we're trying to do offensively in terms of our buildup, we'll kind of start to get more out of him, especially as we work like Fitz and Rodriguez into things. I'll be curious kind of to see how they all start to integrate together.
00:31:49
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Gortz, did you notice anything about about Harvey when he came in? Did you did you like his sub? Did you like his play or anything you noticed? Yeah, I think har Harvey, I think whenever he comes, I think har Harvey especially come, you know, USL Championship, I think you know i think he's he's been a steal, i you know, when when he's been playing. As far as Grassell,
00:32:18
Speaker
Seems like, ah you know, I think, you know, like Dia kind of said, um you know, known for the service. um But, you know, where does, you know, Grasso really, you know, fit in in here? You know, is it more, you know, more winger midfield? It's something that, you know, um umm I'm very curious to see.
00:32:42
Speaker
Like what, where Gressel plays due to his versatility in, and in positions. But, you know, overall, think, you know, I thought Harvey, you know, always good and, and, and, you know, good to get, you know, always good to get fresh legs in.
00:33:03
Speaker
Absolutely. And despite these fresh legs, Austin does score in the 76th minute after Mark Hennig and Gressel fail to defend the cross. um That's kind of the story of the game in terms of defense. Both of the goals are so are scored on crosses like service into the box that were not marked well or defended well. So that's some like organizational defending that the team needs to work on, obviously. but Yeah, it it it was a bummer when we conceded that goal, but we did have a savior in this match and his name, Lakeville's own David Padelford, gets subbed into the game um and he is immediately impactful. But before I share my opinion on it, Gortz, what did you think when Padelford was subbed on and what did you think of his performance?
00:34:03
Speaker
I think, you know, Padelford really has, you know, so something to prove because, you know, I watched a little bit of, you know, he spent the last half of the season on loan to St. Louis. And I think there are a lot of St. Louis when it came time. And I think St. Louis fans kind of, I i saw some of them. They actually wanted to go away and and get Padelford. But, um you know,
00:34:32
Speaker
He's, you know, a minute Minnesota boy and, you know, you you know, you want to see, you know, local guys playing. um But yeah, no, I think, you know, I think Padelford is definitely going to have a career and, ah you know ah hopeful you know, hopefully it's, ah you know, stays and and enjoys his time in ah Minnesota.
00:34:57
Speaker
Absolutely. Dikehanna, when he subbed into the game, I feel like there was an immediate injection of pace ah up the left. Would you agree with that? Or ah what how would you summarize Padelfrid's performance in this game?
00:35:10
Speaker
I didn't know he could do crosses like that. like I didn't know he had that side to his game. because he he is mostly a defender.
00:35:21
Speaker
um You know, not that I thought he was bad at buildup or whatever, but he has this nice run up the left. And I think part of the reason he gets it is because Austin didn't really think he had that in him either.
00:35:33
Speaker
um But he gets around a defender and puts in this really perfectly placed a cross to Yeboah, who was not super well marked. It was a moment of, you know, kind of poor defending from Austin. I also think it's important to note that Mamadou Diang was up there next to Yeboah and maybe did a little...
00:35:53
Speaker
He kind of ran a little closer to Padelford while Yebo ran more towards the back post. So like maybe it helped that D'Ang was maybe kind of pulling defenders away from him a little bit. And then Padelford was able to kind of launch a ball over them. but An absolute dime of a cross. like Yeah, I mean, just a perfectly placed cross that I would expect, you know, like Joaquin to to make. But like I did not see, I did not think that
00:36:23
Speaker
that Padelford had that dog in him. like That was really what kind of threw me about it. um you know And obviously glad that Yeboah was able to get up there and get the placement. But um if this is kind of a new thing we're seeing with Padelford, if he's going to kind of take over what like Rosales did for us. You know, we just played against him now, but like Rosales had that ability to, you know, scream up the wing and get across. And I think we're hoping Chonklai can kind of do that. um If we also have Padelford able to run up the wing and kind of put a solid pass in, um that's just one more attacking threat. so that's something I'm kind of going to be curious to see going forward for him.
00:37:08
Speaker
I'm really glad you mentioned Mamadou Dijang's run. He dashes toward the near post while Padelford is just screaming up the the left wing there.
00:37:20
Speaker
And you're right. It seems like Austin is not really making a move on the ball. And I don't know if they actually know he's going to send a cross in. But Mamadou Dijang, that near post run pulls...
00:37:35
Speaker
a center back and the goalkeeper. And I think two center backs and the goalkeeper, because they think that's who he's going to serve to. And then you both is just like, Oh, I'm just going to waltz into the back post and just tap this in like an and Anthony Markanik esque, you know, goal. um It was really great to see. And I will also shout out a Gressel. um He, he,
00:37:58
Speaker
You know, has a great outlet pass to Padelford, who, to his credit, sees the space and takes the space, which is just it was just great. We were going crazy and ah in Blackheart, it was a great goal because it happens in the ninetieth minute. Um, so just right at the depth or right at the depth of the match, we get, uh, a goal that ties it up. And, uh, it was just, it's just great to see, you know, you don't want to play from behind, but the fact that we came back from behind to grab that point at the end of the match away is pretty, uh, is, is, is pretty great. I think it's, it's nice to see the team, um, have that fighting spirit and also just have enough,
00:38:44
Speaker
options to make that result ah happen. It's also a nice inversion of what happened a lot last year where we'd get an early lead and then lose it later in the game. The fact that we're kind of staying locked in until the last minute and willing to kind of fight back um even into the 90th is hopefully that's something we keep up with.
00:39:09
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. Something I saw, know, after, know, Yeboah's guard was, you know, he didn't go out, go off to celebrate, you know, he went, you know, went straight back to the, to the center circle and, you know, we were going for the winner and that's something that you really don't even, we really didn't really see that much, you know, last year, know,
00:39:36
Speaker
The change in mentality can also you know be incredible incredible to to see and you know you know if we're going to have that fight to play, you know not just you know till to the minute, but till till the tilt till the whistle Absolutely. And also the fact that we were playing on the front foot at the ah the end of the match. Obviously, we were we were playing from behind. That is a big reason why. But I hope that the team will be more encouraged to play on the front foot even if we are leading. And I hope the fact that it seems like we want more of the ball means that even if we are leading toward the end of the game, instead of sitting and bunkering and trying to be compact in our defensive shape, we
00:40:27
Speaker
you know, still maintain defensive principles, but try to control the game and try to have the ball toward the end of the match. And if we have impact subs off the bench that are actually game changers and that will change how we're playing it if we have padelford that is going to be a substitute that is adding pace to the left or gressel is a difference maker in the midfield and harvey or romero or other you know substitution options are going to like actually change the dimension of the game not just a fresh pair of legs to just keep operating within the system I think means we can break games open more often. at least I hope I'm an optimist as you can probably hear. um
00:41:17
Speaker
but, uh, I hope it turns out that way. And, uh, yeah, dude, do we have any conclusions from, from the match? Like, ah like after the game was over, what, what, what was the the thought that was in your mind? I'll throw it to you. Gortz first. you know, ah a good match definitely to just to start the season. um You know, definitely, you know, some things we can improve on defensively, but, you know, other than that, it's it' it's a good start to the season.
00:41:50
Speaker
Yeah. diana kindnna A lot of players I'm excited about. I'm still not sure how exactly it all fits together, but like you guys said at the top, I think this will be a more interesting season to watch, like at least just visually and tactically compared to last
Season Outlook and Fan Excitement
00:42:08
Speaker
year. like After a year of grinding out these hyper-pragmatic matches, you know which was interesting in its own way, like I'm ready for something new. And I think Cam definitely got us started off on a very new direction that I'm curious to see develop and evolve.
00:42:28
Speaker
it Yeah, it my conclusion was just it was it was in it it was interesting. Like, it was interesting to watch. There's a lot of interesting threads in this team, and which I think is a positive sign for the development of the team that I can see so many things across the roster that could come to fruition. And obviously, we haven't even seen Fitz or Hamas yet. Yeah.
00:42:53
Speaker
um in and how they might impact the attack um if this is our floor uh this is me you know this is me uh i'm not saying this is going to be our floor but if this result getting a draw away at austin is the team's floor it could be really really exciting this season that you know a team that maybe Wasn't capitalizing on all the chances, but was still threatening was, was seeing a good amount of the ball 43% away. Possession is a pretty good marker, um, for getting a good amount of chances. Um, if you can get solid play from across your rot roster,
00:43:36
Speaker
in a situation like this, I think it's really, really promising. And then the the fact to that, you know, we haven't even seen two potential impact players hit the roster yet and see how they're going to change the dynamic of the game. We haven't seen Duncan yet our new signing from Red Bull New York at right back. We haven't seen Jefferson Diaz yet.
00:44:00
Speaker
You know, there are still pieces we've we've yet to see in this puzzle. So a lot of potential options, which is really, really exciting. So I think Lunes fans should be excited. um i kind of saw.
00:44:14
Speaker
a general vibe of not really being excited about the team from people in the discord and people on the subreddit. Um, and also just people I've talked to. Some people are finding it hard to be motivated about the team. I think watching this match and hopefully listening to this podcast gets you stuff to be excited about. Like, I feel like the roster is deeper than it's ever been.
00:44:37
Speaker
Um, there's a lot of things to be excited about. um you know Or maybe that's just the optimist in me. um But yeah, that's my conclusion about the match. Any other thoughts before we move on to our our final segment?
00:44:55
Speaker
ah I do think that... in another year people would be more excited about this team. I have to imagine that the last couple months of, ah you know, everything going on in Minneapolis has probably worn people down.
00:45:10
Speaker
So I don't think that if you're picking up on like a lack of enthusiasm, i don't think that has much to do with the club itself so much as the people of minneapolis saint paul just being exhausted which is a totally understandable thing um yeah you know i think that's a good thing to bring up um for me this is my escape so i was i was like as shit was hitting the fan i was just like jesus fucking christ we need i need my soccer back I you my team back right now so I could just lose myself in it. um But that that's a good point. Also, i think there's been a general sentiment of of people being disappointed at the lack of investment in the team in terms of of like impact signings, for which I would argue that we are still building out the depth of the roster and also need to be a club that prioritizes developing and selling players to...
00:46:16
Speaker
remain profitable and sustainable in the market that we are in, which sucks, ah especially if you're used to different sports where the market is the league that you're used to watching.
00:46:35
Speaker
Soccer MLS is just a player in the global market where all the money is being funneled toward five clubs, something like that.
00:46:48
Speaker
um So it's just also a different thing as a fan, I think. and But I think the criticism is is rightful. Like the fans should be pushing for impact signings, like a splash DP signing. But you also need to have a good team that can like play with these good players and provide them service and also have a good enough team that can take advantage of the positive impacts of a player like Hong Min Son or, uh, Thomas Muller or, you know, Messi. I don't think Minnesota is ever going to sign a player of the caliber of Lionel Messi, but,
00:47:29
Speaker
you hope that James Rodriguez can maybe be that kind of impact player. um We don't really know yet, which is exciting to me rather than underwhelming, you know? So i don't know. I guess those are my thoughts on that. Do you have any thoughts in that regard?
00:47:46
Speaker
i think it's a roster that like, yes, Rodriguez is cool, but like, I think, it is a roster where you do have to be kind of like a deeper fan to get excited about. Cause like, you know, the star tribune is not writing, you know, five articles about Dominic fits, but like the true hardcore John Martholler to write articles about Dominic fits, please.
Focus on Youth and Roster Dynamics
00:48:12
Speaker
I mean, I'll do it like all, but like, you know, he's the kinds of people who I am excited about are often either like, like,
00:48:23
Speaker
for very specific reasons that they like fit the way we're trying to build tactically, or it's guys like Owen Jen or Mamadou Diang or Momo down on the twos, these development prospects where you kind of get to see that sort of project pan out over a few years.
00:48:43
Speaker
um you know But that that's not going to like appeal to the casual fan in the same way that, like yeah, you're saying Song Hyung-min or you know even like maybe Denny Buonga now at LAFC, Ricky Pooch when he was still playing at the Galaxy. like They can kind of have an appeal to a broader audience and the kinds of people we assign. you know Maybe Yeboah could get there you know if he has another really good year, but we tend to not go for that kind of player. Even if I do think we are... i do feel like the club is getting more ambitious.
00:49:21
Speaker
like I think Collette in his own way, kind of trying to push it in a really good direction, and there is... there are exciting things happening with the roster, even if not headline making. Gortz, do you have any thoughts about this conversation topic? Sorry, I kind of steered it in ah in a direction. I didn't mean to, but do you have anything, any thoughts?
00:49:43
Speaker
No, I'm just, I'm, I'm, I'm excited for, for the future. ah Definitely. You know, I think, You know, giving the the young players and, you know, you know, could be fine, you know, I think, you know, Momo Kamara, you know, looks really good. um You know, just the giving, giving the young guys, if the young guys can, you know.
00:50:08
Speaker
through You know, work and work to prove themselves to to get here, you know, if you know if they deserve a chance at the first team, you know, even even train with the first team.
00:50:22
Speaker
ah You know be on the bench on a matchday squad, you know, i'm I'm all for that and You know, I think down the line in the future, you know, we you know, we don't we don't have the Miami beaches or you know the glitch and glamour of LA or you're You know and a New York City, but you know, well we can you know, we like hey here's you know, we have a very loyal fan base ah a great state-of-the-art stadium cheering for you for you know all 90 minutes um you know it's just something to to be excited for i agree i like that i like that there's a lot of things to be excited about
00:51:08
Speaker
if You just let yourself be excited.
Hosts Share Personal Interests
00:51:11
Speaker
Surrender yourself to Minnesota United FC, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Okay. We're actually making great time. I'm so happy. Let's get into the final segment, which is as always a one more thing. This could be something you're watching, something you're playing. It can be more soccer. It can be different sports. It can be whatever you're doing. I will go first. Um, Um, my one more thing is I'm in my music era right now. I am. I got my nice sound system set up in my apartment with my turntable and stuff. I'm listening to albums. I'm checking out new music, i'm really trying to be very intentional with what I'm consuming and what albums I'm listening to and, and trying to sit down and listen instead of throwing it,
00:52:00
Speaker
uh on in the background and i'm finding a lot of enjoyment out of it um i just listened to willow's new album that she pulled ah or that she put out if you do not know that is will smith's daughter um she's actually been making music for a long time she had a hit song called with my hair a long time ago i think she was like 11 or 12 when she recorded that song and it was like a It was like a smash hit. And then her biggest song on streaming is called Wait a Minute.
00:52:33
Speaker
um it's a great It's a great pop song. She's just she's a very inventive, creative artist. um So that's kind of that's the project that I've been listening to. are I was also listening to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age, one of my favorite rock bands. Their album, Like Clockwork, is just...
00:52:56
Speaker
amazing i also like songs for the death um quite a lot um so yeah i'm just in my i'm just in my music era right now which is ah which is fantastic uh really really uh really really enjoying that gorts how about you go go next what what what else you've been watching playing i've uh been planning a trip with, uh, my friend from England who is coming over, uh, coming up He's a big Bruce Springsteen fan.
00:53:31
Speaker
we have tickets to Bruce Springsteen in LA. wow And, uh, the, uh, April 7th and April 4th is when the loons visit the LA galaxy. So you bet your best.
00:53:49
Speaker
But I already have away tickets for that. Yes. Love to hear it. i've ah And, you know, one of his favorite players is his top, you know, third favorite player is James. And so he'll get to see James play as well. And let's hope so.
00:54:11
Speaker
We might. Hey, James is so much of a celebrity in Colombia that we could see contingents of Colombian fans at away games just to see him. That's like how big he is in Colombia. That is that's kind of exciting to have a player like that on your roster.
00:54:27
Speaker
it It is indeed. I think I saw a few people that ah were bringing, you know, their parents or family to the Austin game.
00:54:39
Speaker
Because hobez Rodriguez plays for Minnesota and... yeah That's unfortunate. They didn't get to see Hamas, but he's working his way in He's might see him on Saturday. We'll see.
00:54:55
Speaker
kind of don't think we will. um I think it's going to he's still ramping up. He wants to be fit before he plays probably. But I don't know. We could see him for the last 10 minutes or something like that. It's entirely possible. We'll we'll have to see. Diakena, what's your one more thing?
00:55:13
Speaker
um One more thing. i just a few hours ago, um i think I've mentioned, I've been reading some of David Goldblatt's work on kind of the global history of soccer and how it relates to like economics and geopolitics.
00:55:33
Speaker
But a couple hours ago, I just had a quick phone call with him. So I'll be interviewing him later this spring. um We'll be doing like a long podcast on like the the geopolitical economics of the World Cup in the lead up to the U.S. hosting the World Cup. So we're kind of going back and forth now on email, kind of talking about what we want to talk about. yeah.
00:55:59
Speaker
Amazing. I'm so looking forward to that. Drop the link when it comes out. That's my shit. I also will say i finished the book I was reading, How Soccer Explains the World. Franklin Foer.
00:56:14
Speaker
How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer. I thought it was a good book. It was great for me, who is a relatively new soccer fan. If you didn't know, I have only been a fan of the sport since 2023.
00:56:28
Speaker
um My introduction to the Loons was a Leagues Cup game. Shout out to Leagues Cup, expanding MLS fandom everywhere it goes. um But yeah, so i'm I've only recently gotten into the sport. I have a lot to learn about its history and its cultural impact.
00:56:48
Speaker
It was a great like starter book. It just basically the format of the book is just how soccer explains X and it gets into different, you know, aspects of of of soccer. It mostly focuses on Europe, but dabbles in places like Nigeria and, uh, uh, a little bit in South America as well, but it's mostly around Europe. Um, yeah, great book.
00:57:13
Speaker
And with that, Making amazing time. We're almost exactly an hour of recording. Let's go. We are absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for listening to the second episode of Loon Calling. I hope you enjoyed and hope to see you in the next one. Bye-bye.