Transcript
Speaker: Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
Speaker: Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
Speaker: Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does about, runs into the advertising order. Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what a Where's my copy? got bunch of them How many do you cost them? 50 bucks.
Speaker: I'll deadline you.
Speaker: This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounder supporters.
Speaker: They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Speaker: Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adietes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. It's Tuesday, August 18th, 2026. Coming to you a little bit late than normal, later than normal.
Speaker: And with a different guest host. I'm here with Nico Moreno, who normally record on Fridays, but it got a little crazy this week. I was feeling very under the weather yesterday. I could not record last night. I probably shouldn't have gone into the press box on Sunday, but, ah you know,
Speaker: what's got What's done is done. and I'm back ready to record today. Nico, welcome to the show. We had an interesting day of training today. Irresponsible, Jeremiah. I would call you irresponsible. That's what they yeah I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, you're i am not. I am not a germaphobe, Adam. I'm from Colombia. We don't care.
Speaker: But I'm feeling under the weather today. I'm feeling under the weather. I really am. And you know what? It's not the weather. It's my stomach. I am sick to my stomach with the sounder situation. I cannot remember any time since I've been covering this team for 15 plus years.
Speaker: Where I just don't know what's happening. And so we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it. But I just you to know that the situation has me so stressed and concerned that I am physically ill.
Speaker: Yeah, it's bad. But let's. OK, so we are going dig into all that. But because this is. the beginning of the week, we should at least talk about the game that just happened on Sunday. You know, the Sounders have played worse this year. They've played worse during this streak, but I don't know that they've ever looked quite the, like you could argue they, they were less dangerous this game than they were against Toluca. Although I don't know.
Speaker: That's pretty close. I actually think the best chance they had against Toluca was much better than the best chance they had in this game. But this game was at home. it was against a depleted and struggling Vancouver Whitecaps. Now, admittedly, the west Western Conference leading ah Vancouver Whitecaps, but still not ah team a team that had not won in seven games.
Speaker: a team that seemed to be ripe for an upset. And the Sounders didn't play awful. They actually were looking okay. it looked like they could they could grind out a 0-0 tie until the minute when...
Speaker: Vancouver finally broke through, but they were just so punchless on offense. They seemed to really, they didn't put a single shot on frame. i think that's the first time that's ever happened at home.
Speaker: They only took four shots that's tied for the fewest they've ever had at home. And the last time they did that, they were playing down two men against LAFC. So it was, it was a really dispiriting performance and the mood in the locker room really captured that. Like, no, like,
Speaker: Albert Rusnak, to his credit, talked. Alex Roldan, another veteran, talked. So look, we've complained at times about the veterans sort of like not talking after tough losses. So I guess they deserve some credit there. But no one has answers. And I don't know. the and then, of course, Jesus Ferreira getting hurt, going down in the 36th minute, which would we learned today.
Speaker: doesn't sound good it's certainly multiple weeks if not maybe the rest of the season even i don't know uh but they're getting a second opinion what did you make though of this game i mean it's just we're talking seven straight league losses this is bad this is real bad
Speaker: jeremiah i going into this game my hopes were very low. thought that this team would be lucky to get a draw. And I know that you're playing a depleted Vancouver side, but it's still star studded and it still has more talent than you do. And a lot of times that's what really matters. And especially when you have a team on the other end that not only are you depleted with injuries, but you also haven't been great collectively because So it just was not much to really bet on when it came to the Sounders.
Speaker: I thought that in this game, particularly, they were okay for the first 45. I think that that was more because Vancouver was still kind of getting settled into the game.
Speaker: but Not only did it look bad live from the press box, but when I rewatched this game today, it looked worse, Jeremiah. And that's not always the case. and And the biggest problem that I saw was, and I asked Brian about it was how disjointed, how out of sync...
Speaker: this team looked, there was so many miscommunications, misunderstanding on, on between players of where the player wants the ball and where the ball ended in And it was in the build out. It was in the buildup. It was in transition. it was in the final third. There literally was not a facet of the game where at least once I didn't catch two players going at each other because the player made the wrong run or the player made the wrong pass.
Speaker: And that's concerning. Even going back to Andrew Thomas, I think it's a six minute is the first time I catch it where it's going to be a build out moment. New who pushes to the left. He's asking for the ball.
Speaker: Andrew Thomas just kicks it completely out of bounds. And even in the simplest moments, I know Brian mentioned how good, Vancouver's press was, and I think that it was good at times, but it wasn't always. And when you have unpressured errors, that's when I'm like, what's going on? You know, there were moments with Snyder Burnell turning the ball wrong. Kalani Kosariensi, he sues before he got hurt. I mean, it was everybody. Danny Misovsky just angry at the world. And I don't know, was like he had a horrible game. Danny Misovsky had a horrible game, but like horrible game.
Speaker: And he's yelling at Jesus. He's yelling at other players because he's not getting the ball where he wants. He's getting dispossessed with the easiest of a mark in in front of him. I mean, there was just so much of uncharacteristic.
Speaker: mistakes happening that it feels like he's getting worse, Jeremiah. And I think that's where I'm going with it. It feels like it's not getting better. It's spiraling out of control.
Speaker: Yeah, it's it's definitely spiraled out of control, I would say. And that doesn't mean they can't turn it in round. know, like one result could potentially, the reality is that for all their struggles, they're only one game under 500. Now, this game is the one that put them under 500 in terms of wins and losses.
Speaker: And so it's not like the season is beyond repair, but it's the, the distance they have to make up sort of mentally is bigger than the distance they have to make up physically. it physically is points behind, you know, and they just seem like they don't know what they're trying to do. You know, I, I, the thing that I sort of,
Speaker: latched on to rewatching this game is similar to what you said, but at least four times I counted Danny Masofsky basically sitting on the back shoulder of the deepest center back.
Speaker: And yes, I looked to make sure he was on side. I, cause I had a bunch of people tell me, no no, no, no, he was, he was off side. That's why they didn't make pass. He was on side on all four of these situations.
Speaker: And every single time twice, it was new who twice. It was Ferreira. They just didn't make the pass. And then, like you said, it it manifested itself a little differently later on where Ferreira did play him in and Rossovsky then wouldn't make the run.
Speaker: And, and we kept seeing stuff like that where, you know, Massovsky, I think only ended up with like 13 touches or some relatively, he had, he barely had the ball. But he was completely, you know, he was his only thing to try to do early on, at least, was to try to get in behind and he wasn't getting the ball. And then once he wasn't getting the ball, he sort of just gave up.
Speaker: And that's indicative of a team that doesn't really know how they want to attack. And I will say Albert Rusnak after the game, he made a a comment about how we sometimes we just have to take that risk, even if we don't think it's going to come off.
Speaker: I asked Kalani Kosarienzi about that, too. And he said, you know, that's part of just being confident. You have to believe that if I try this, it's going to work. And you can't get wrapped up in thinking, well, if I try it and it doesn't work, I'm going to get.
Speaker: you know, I'm going to, I'm going to turn the ball over and that's going bad, but this is a team that just is not playing with confidence that, you know, and, and Albert rustic I think is, is responsible for it. Still, although admittedly, I did not see a whole bunch of examples of him missing passes, but I will point out one where he probably misplayed. It was late in the game right before on the play that immediately precedes Vancouver's goal.
Speaker: He gets the ball in space. And instead of driving at the defense and sort of forcing the defense to react to him, he immediately pushes it out to Rothrock wide.
Speaker: And then Rod Roth, Rothrock could have moved much more decisively. Look, he could have cut it back across the box. He had runners. He could have done that, but instead he pulls it back. He ends up his shop gets blocked. the chance goes wanting the center's best chance in this game was kind of similar where they had Rothrock. Again, they break the pressure. They have Rothrock out wide. And he, all he really has to do is put the ball on the deck and it's gonna force the defense to do something. And instead he sort of floats in this cross that is somehow both in front of, of, Mussovsky and behind Rusnak. And they don't, they're not able to do anything. And it's a very frustrating segment. That was probably their best chance at scoring.
Speaker: But this is just a team that doesn't communicate that they don't know what each other want. And it's very concerning. And look, they can go out and make a big signing. And we we will talk about that later because it looks like maybe something's in the works.
Speaker: But one signing is not going to fix this. I mean, that's the reality. No, no. And look, just to stick with the game theme and breaking down the game.
Speaker: I think it's funny that there is, and and I find these funny maybe because we're so close to it and we understand it better than most, including national celebrities, pundits, and commentators in Apple TV. But, you know,
Speaker: but Rothfork gets a lot of strays. Like, hey, you know, like this guy, he shouldn't be your main guy and all this. thing And I think that there's some true to it in terms of like, if you want to keep up with MLS as a whole, that shouldn't be your number one option. But man, the guy...
Speaker: is doing what he can. He gives you 110%. He blocked a ton, bunch of shots in the back end. He's, you know, trying to take guys one V one, he's crossing the ball. It wasn't always great. And he, he sometimes doesn't have the best service. There's one after the one that you described already that he just kind of lobs a crossing that kind of falls out of the 18 instead of inside the 18. Yeah.
Speaker: Sure. But the the guy's effort and and the guy being your top scorer is not a coincidence. He's just the guy that gives everything he has and he's earned every single goal. So I just, I find it funny because, know,
Speaker: I like Albert Rusnak. You and I have talked about it. I like him. I think he is is a good player. i don't think he's a great player. You know, he's not a that's going to put the team on his back. But, you know, when I look at Paul and I look at Albert, I just – I wish I got more more from Albert. and And I don't want to be part of the Albert – You want to the game a little bit more, right? Just force it. Exactly. Just take it up on yourself. That is your – you know, burden to bear. You are the highest paid player, man. And so you, you have to do them more. You got to shoot better. You got to be better on set pieces. Set pieces were horrendous in this game. I mean, it's, it's just time and time again, I just found myself just thinking, how is this team going to,
Speaker: affect the game offensively when their only outlet is Paul Rothrock. So again, he goes back to the Paul Rothrock being take getting strays, getting hit with strays when he was the only outlet that you had, you got, you had no width in this game. Kalani Kosarinas, he rarely got into the attacking end. And I think that's because of the way that Vancouver plays and,
Speaker: I thought that once Sabi dropped back a line, they were also a lot more dangerous. But regardless of, I mean, he he did a lot of defending because that's what was going to keep you in the game. That's why you kept the game 0-0 to the seventy seventh or whatever minute.
Speaker: And so, you know, he was doing his thing, but when you play with inverted wingers and Sebastian Gomez is trying to do the the job that maybe Jesus does and he can't really quite get there and you have a better defensive team in front of you, a better coached team that than you've had in the past. Sebastian Gomez, you know, he wasn't going to get off in the way he got against Querétaro because Laborde is really good, because Preece is really good, because Jasper Sorensen is a very good coach. And so...
Speaker: You're very ineffective in wide areas. So this is just what's wrong with the Sounders right now is just there's a lack of talent. There's a lack of a finishing that, you know, maybe when you get some guys back, you're going to be able to win some games. But it's just it's really hard to bet on this team.
Speaker: even if you know that there's one guy coming, because as you mentioned, this feels like three guys should be coming in both you and I know that's not the case. And we could talk about, and I do want to talk about the way maybe, you know, there's possibilities that we we got scenarios where, you know, you could make some room for a DP. There's a scenarios where the more likely, which, you know, you use a U22. So we could talk about that later, but just to conclude on the game, i just thought,
Speaker: In this particular game, it'd never been more evident the importance of having a
Speaker: high historical ah leader, like ah like a hierarchy type of of player, a guy that...
Speaker: gives the whole team confidence like you had in Lodero at one point, like you had in Raul Rodriguez at one point, because I could not keep my eyes off of Thomas Mueller.
Speaker: The guy coached the whole game, the whole game. He yelled at Andres Kubas one time, letting him know where he wanted the ball or why he was asking him ah or, you know, from where i'm I was thinking, Watching the game, he felt like he was asking him why he rushed on a pass. He coached at halftime. He coached throughout the whole game, yelling at players, telling people to press. Man, it was reminiscing of what we had in Lodero. And I almost felt nostalgia sitting in the press bars, looking at the team, asking myself,
Speaker: Who's out there doing that? You could move around the captain band as much as you want. Give it to New Who, give it to Albert, give it to Andrew Thomas. But that that that doesn't come with a magical thing that's going to make you a good leader and make you a good captain, man. That's what this team is lacking, man. I mean, Thomas Miller was phenomenal, not just...
Speaker: on the game and and the second goal he got that I'm sure going to talk about. But just to close the rant, it was just beautiful to see the impact that one player can have you now in a team.
Speaker: Yeah. And I have to admit yeah you're right there. Like I have pushed back against the idea that the centers don't have any leaders, but it's undeniable that they don't have a leader on the level of a Thomas Mueller. Like I think Christian Roldan is a leader now is, but he's not, he's not a Thomas Mueller or a Ladero type. I think Rusnak can be a leader in some specific way. Stefan Fry obviously is, is a bit of a leader, there's,
Speaker: You're right. They don't have, they don't have one guy who's willing to sort of be like, ah look, I got this. We we will figure that. And it's not necessarily him about doing the thing. It's about giving others the confidence to do the thing. And then there's no one really on this team who is able to do that. Who's able to infer confidence on teammates.
Speaker: And, you know, like ah again, just to kind of harp on this moment, you know, when Albert Rusnak gets that one ball and he, It's like you want him you want the ball right there. You want him to say, I've got the ball at my feet in a dangerous spot. I'm going to make the defense do something.
Speaker: I'm either going to draw them to me and then I'm going to push it out wide if that's what ah what I have to do. Or i'm goingnna if they're not going to come to me, I'm going to shoot this ball. I'm in a position where I can drive forward and put myself in a position to shoot the ball. And you kind of need that from Albert right now.
Speaker: and we're not getting it. Uh, it's, it's very frustrating. I, I don't know that there's anyone on this team that's really immune from criticism at this point. ah no one is exactly covering themselves in glory, but I, to get back to the Paul Rothrock thing, I did think it was a little weird that Brian chose to get frustrated with Rothrock for yeah shaking a teammates or an um opposition player's hand. I guess there was another moment where Jackson Reagan did something similar and it's like, what, what are we
Speaker: I guess he's trying to get them to be a little bit more cutthroat, I suppose. But that just seems like every game, Brian seems to be going off on some level.
Speaker: Minor thing. And as a way of, I don't know, of maybe just venting his own frustrations and he doesn't really know how to do it. And I, and I, I guess I can see what his larger point is, but it just feels so off. It feels so more missing the forest through the trees here. Like the problem with the sounders is not that they're too nice.
Speaker: ah The problem is that they only took four shots, you know, ah that they're, This is just a team that is that feels listless, that feels directionless, that doesn't really know what they who they want to be or how to get there. And it's just wild to think that this was a team that before this all started, literally right before this all started, they were seven one and three in league play It was a team that looked like they were they had just come off that that win over at San Jose, who is in their own sort of slide right now.
Speaker: But it felt like this team was going somewhere, and it just does not feel that way right now. Yeah. And a team that continues to get out dueled and and yeah hustled at times. Right. I mean, if you look at the duels, aerial duels, the Sounders won those, because there was a point where Jackson Reagan was kind of just clearing crosses for the 18 or whatever, but all the ground duels, they mainly went to Vancouver. and And those are the things that this team didn't do or didn't have issues with in the past. And, and,
Speaker: you know what the I don't know if it was Alex that that talked about, oh no, it was today. Kalani talked about the team shooting themselves in the foot, right? I mean, let's talk about the elephant in the room, the the indirect free kick that you give up because there's a, ah I called it a compounding problem because I think that's what it is. There was miscommunications all game long and then it ended up in in the biggest miscommunication of the game where I think there's 70-30 culpability in that particular game in that particular play. think it's 70% Nuhu's fault, 30% Andrew's fault. I mean, there's no way, there's no reason why Nuhu should have not grabbed that ball and cleared it or used his strength and his speed to get around the the the pressing player. There's definitely no
Speaker: situation or universe in which a defender should be yelling at the goalkeeper to come out halfway through the field and saying, come get this ball. So he's mainly at fault. But Andrew also has to know better. you already He's seeing this go way wrong. If I'm a goalkeeper and I'm not a goalkeeper, never playing goalkeeper, but if I see that situation, I know that New who's messing up from half field or or whatever he he's coming from, you've got to clear that ball.
Speaker: And as a goalkeeper, you know that he just touched it. Just hit it off, out of bounds or to the corner. You've got to just have a reaction to it. And, and you know, New who's trying to shield or whatever,
Speaker: It's his mistake mainly, but Andrew should know better. Yeah. i'm I'm literally watching this play right now. And and I got to say, it's remarkable how early new who does this. he it's like, he is, he's trying to direct traffic. He's calling for Thomas to get the ball when he's,
Speaker: 10 yards outside of the penalty area. Like, I don't know exactly yeah what he's expecting Thomas to do there, but part of why Thomas is so late off his line is because new who has this ball under control. There's no reason that he has to do any new completely in position to make this play.
Speaker: He is completely in position to make this play. Uh, I don't know why, like he doesn't even have to clear the ball. He can just play it wide and, and expect one of his teammates to get it. It's or play it back. I mean, he could have literally just asked it. Right. Exactly. And so he does put Thomas in a, and sort of just a completely impossible position. I don't know.
Speaker: I, because unfortunately Thomas at that point is not expecting to have to play it with his feet. He's, he's expecting new who to do something. yeah, I mean, I put this really on new who and, and i I, get, apparently there's a whole cottage industry of people who don't really, who think we're too hard on new who and fair enough. Like he's not, I will say in retrospect, he is way like on the first goal, he's five yards deeper than any other defender. But the reality is that,
Speaker: Jackson Reagan, even five yards disconnected from new who is probably keeping the runner on. Now you could argue if new who wasn't so deep, Jackson maybe would have been able to step a little bit quicker, but I'm not as inclined to put the first goal as much on new who as, as let's be honest, Brian Spencer said after the game, like he was putting that on new who, but,
Speaker: knew who was not great in this game. He was like, he he was bad. And, but he is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is this team's offense. And, and, you know, he has some small part to play in that as well. But the, the biggest problem is really that this team has not been able to put up anything like a coherent attack outside of the game against correct throw, where they were, let's be honest, they were playing against a reserve.
Speaker: korea They were not playing against red throws top players. Totally. So this is, this is a bad, bad place for the centers to be in You know, I, I know in the off season and in the preseason, Brian talked a lot about having to shore up the defense. I, I tended to think that he was overstating the issues. Really the issues last year were almost exclusively their inability to defend set pieces and not really their open,
Speaker: their open play defense. And I think if they had just gotten better at set piece defending, they would have probably been able to improve a lot. But, ah you know, this is maybe a good transition into the injury issue.
Speaker: The reality is that the Sounders are missing essentially six likely starters. If you include Pedro de la Vega in that mix, I suppose you could stretch it out to seven. And for some reason you thought Pekovic was a starter, but let's assume that you don't. So you but five or six starters, the Sounders are going to be missing. There are not a lot of teams in MLS who can, and that's not even including Paul Areola.
Speaker: ah There's not a lot of teams that can weather that kind of injury crisis. The Sounders, every single player who is on a TAM, a U22, or a DP contract, save for Albert Rusnak,
Speaker: are out for this game. That is a lot of money on the bench. And I think we are starting to get a sense that Brian and the club are losing patience with everything that's going on. Now, some of this is luck, but you know, today, Brian, I thought was interesting. He said, look, there's not a lot we can do right now about fixing the injury issue because the, the kind of the, the,
Speaker: the the map is is is already out there. we We are sort of following our best plan, but he he did basically imply that in the off season, it could be a very different situation, but ah that's a very little comfort right now.
Speaker: Sounder at Heart has been around in one form or another since 2009. In 2026, though, we make a pretty significant evolution when we go analog. Yes, that's right. In the year of our Lord, 2026, we are publishing a real-life magazine. We're calling this thing 4, as in Sounder at Heart 4.0. But we're stylizing it as IV because we absolutely love Roman numerals. And if you want to refer to it as IV, that's cool, too. The first issue has a comic book-style cover that was hand-drawn by local artist Kevin Newber. Features by Tim Foss, Susie Rance, and Charlie Boehm. A statistical deep dive by Kat Bush. A Q&A with b Brian Schmetzer. A column by G. Willow Wilson. And photographs by Noah Reif, Max Aquino, Mike Russell, and Jane Gershowitz.
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Speaker: Yeah, look, we we asked the questions. And for anybody who ever says that you're too soft, I thought that you were on point. I mean, I was kind of upset because you kept taking my questions, but I thought it was great that we both kind of were going in the same pathways on everything that you asked today, including this whole debacle that is the medical and fitness team. And, you know, you asked one that I asked the other where I think – Brian was being very smart today about trying to get off some questions and kind of not really answering them. But I thought that it was pretty honest of him to say,
Speaker: Look, we I know what you guys are looking for. You guys are are asking questions to something that is really not going to change now. There's not going to be an immediate change now. He said the overhaul is going to happen at the end of the season, right? We're we're asking tough questions and we're going to have you know tough conversations at the end of the season. But right now, aside from changing specific trainings to certain guys, depending on whether they have soft tissue injuries or whatever,
Speaker: Those things we can do. But, you know, i'm not saying that the whole program can't go away. But right now, it's just not going happen. and And that's all I wanted. That's what we wanted, Jeremiah, was was an answer to it where we don't have to next week ask again, hey, what were the conclusions that of of the investigation or or what you're looking at, your, you know, root cause analysis, because now he's letting us know.
Speaker: we are figuring out where we can be better, but we're not going change anything until next season. And that's just the way it is. And right now, after Jesus' injury, I mean, I don't know who else can go down anyways. So I just, at the end of the day, I'm glad that they're looking into it. I really expect a completely different staff next season or or procedures or whatever it is that you need to do because it is unacceptable, Jeremiah. This sort of...
Speaker: results in terms of injuries, man, you got to make a change. Yeah. I mean, it's like, I'm not out here. I don't know enough about this stuff.
Speaker: I'm not saying anyone needs to be fired, but it is was a definitely a different tone than even a few weeks ago when Brian was calling Adam Sintifani, who is the head of sports science. Is that what his title is?
Speaker: ah He was calling him the best in the business. And look, I don't have anything against any any particular person here. Of course not. they all I am sure they're all very qualified and very smart and know ah a lot more about all this stuff than I do and I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert but it was notable that how different the tone was uh in this after you know this week than it had been and there are you know look there's there's real concerns uh they are getting so many injuries this is the and I think this one is maybe a little bit more of a fluke but it is interesting that
Speaker: I've now counted six times the Sounders have lost a player in the first half to injury, which seems like a lot to me. ah That's not even including Pedro de la Vega, who got hurt seven minutes after coming into the game ah the other day.
Speaker: And, you know, this is a, this is a trend. I don't know if it is a pattern or not, but it it definitely feels like something is off with how the Sounders are assessing injuries, how they're assessing risk, and how they are training these guys. Because it's a lot of injuries. It's a lot of muscle injuries. And in the past, you know like previously...
Speaker: look, Jordan Morris separates his shoulder and you go, i mean, what are you going to do? a Separated shoulder is not a predictable injury. A guy does his ACL. You go, all right, well, that sucks, but what are you going to do That's not really a preventable injury, but it's all these muscle injuries. You know, a guy dislocates his kneecap. And so last year, most of the injuries were these sort of freakish one-off injuries that you don't really have a a protocol in place to avoid because it's just not the nature of those kinds of injuries. But this year it's just one muscle injury after another. i mean, really, I think the only, the only injury that was really freakish was the Pekovic one where he did his ACL. Almost every other injury has just been, has been muscle and has you know like, there's no broken like knock on wood, no broken bones, nothing crazy like that. It's, it's mostly stuff that feels,
Speaker: much more in the realm of of preventable. And ah I can only imagine that Brian is probably the most frustrated of anyone on this thing. and And I do, I sort of feel sorry for him, but they don't have a lot of options. And I think the lack of options on some level is their own making because the transfer window opened weeks ago and and it's starting to look like from what brian said today and what we're hearing that maybe they're getting close to making a signing or two but man it's taken for me it's taken way too long to get them get get something over the line yeah no totally agree i thought i got it
Speaker: Message, by the way. um I got all my clothes and everything. i got it everything I got out there. Everything I got out there. You're going to pull booger and have it actually break news. That's what I was hoping. Honestly, I was shooting for it. I was shooting for, you know, ah let me let me take this call, Jeremiah. But no, that that was not it. um So two things here.
Speaker: One, I definitely think that At least, i and again, I'm not an expert, but at least the preseason regimen, because it's not about the rehabs and the injuries. It's about what are you doing to prevent some of these injuries? And again, just being a guy that's just watching I go to enough training sessions to, i don't know, sometimes I wonder why there isn't more stretching. i know there was a point in time where this team did yoga and Pilates. And I mean, I don't know. I just think that you have to ask yourself what it is that we're doing and just go opposite of it. I mean, shoot, at this point in time, go to the VMAC and go ask them, hey, man, what are we doing wrong? I mean, you got...
Speaker: and some of the best across the street. And so that that's just what I want to see. I want to see some changes there. I'm not asking for anybody's job, but certainly what you're doing now is it's not working.
Speaker: And when it comes to the specific injury, Jeremiah, look, going to be quite honest.
Speaker: I feel like this Jesus Ferreira situation is probably going to be, if not season ending, and you know, maybe close to it. So now that makes it even more interesting.
Speaker: important for the front office in two weeks to do more. And that shouldn't be the case, right, Jeremiah? Because most teams, they use every window to pick up one or two players, right one player. You know, you don't have to, and this is something that you and I have said repeatedly, I'm not asking the centers to be the most high spending team in MLS. I just don't want you to be the least spending team in MLS. And I don't want Tacoma, you Defiance in the academy to be the only way that you're replenishing your number one team. And that's why I thought it was refreshing from Bryant's Metzer to be so bold and as aggressive as he was with his comments on both
Speaker: not looking into common defiance to replace his nine and saying, we need more than that for this team. And the question that you asked them saying, look, my first guy off the bench is Sebastian Gomez. And I don't think he meant the respect to him either, but he's saying, that's what I have. And then I got Osase. And then I got a Philly savvy Hernandez. I'm kidding. now He didn't say that, but I don't know who he was talking about. You know, it's funny. He said Xavi. And I was like, who is he even talking about?
Speaker: who he was talking about is a guy who was called up from the defiance. Uh, Shavi, no Lottie, who, uh, is an interesting player. Uh, don't get me wrong. Like we've written about him.
Speaker: with the defiance, but like, this is the reality. like I'm just going to share a little bit of this. So when he on their bench, this last game, they're only attacking options were really Sebastian Gomez and Osaza de Rosario.
Speaker: And then once Gomez came in, where he came in in the first half, he was looking down at the bench. I mean, Osaza De Rosario. And then you've got Tino Lopez look a perfectly fine, but not an offensive player. Kim Ki, he a veteran, but again, very much not an offensive player. Charlie Gaffney, who is a interesting prospect.
Speaker: Don't get me wrong, but he is not the guy you want to be bringing in with five minutes left in the game and you need two goals. And then the guys who didn't play were Stefan Fry, Ryan Saylor, Stu Hawkins, and this Shabby Nolati guy.
Speaker: Uh, that is not the lineup. That is not the, the options that you want as a coach, uh, all of these fine players in their own rights, but you want a little bit more, uh, something to be looking down at the bench and say, I need to figure out how to get this guy into the game. And that is just not the situation the sounders are in right now. And look, uh,
Speaker: You know, I do. want Let's talk a little bit about the Mark Bronick statement where he was asked about Mark Bronick. If you don't know, Mark Bronick is a player with a defiance. He is currently on an absolute heater. He has nine goals in his last eight games. All the underlying numbers say he, these are, this is a real run that he's on. He looks really good. He's 19 up until as of now, he has never played a game above above the third division in American soccer.
Speaker: And what Brian, what I took Brian to be saying, cause he, it was basically phrases like, is this the guy who you can work into the rotation? And his answer to that was no, I don't want to work this guy into the rotation.
Speaker: Not because he's might not be a good player, but because we need more than that right now. Like I don't need another project. I don't need another, ah maybe a slight, maybe he's better than Osas de Rosario. but like the numbers he's putting up are not so different than what Osase did last year or what you Suka Nome did. And we all know that you Suka Nome is done no longer.
Speaker: is on loan right now. ah He, what he's basically saying is get me someone I can use, get me someone who I, I have to get on to the field. And,
Speaker: And I don't blame him. And I was really relieved to hear him say, don't go out and sign Mark Bronick and act like that's that's our our summer signing. ah The way you did last year when you signed Osorio DeVersero. The way you did two years ago when you signed Georgie Manungu.
Speaker: ah These are fine players, but they are not what we need. We need real players that have that have real upside. Yeah, he's never... pointed the finger that hard at the front office. And I, know I said that on socials and I stand by it. I don't think that he meant to crap on chronic, although it kind of felt like that. I just think that he wanted to get a message across and it was that that's not the bar. I need more than that to get this team. Right. And I agree with it. Right. I mean, i like the kid and I probably like Osasa better because he had, well,
Speaker: a different frame and he felt like a guy that could potentially do it. And that's no knock on Bronick. I'm just saying that if I'm already, I've already been bit by that once, I'm not going to let it bite me again the second time. And so, Hey, credit to, to Brian for saying what he said and, and, and really putting more pressure on Adrian Hanauer to say, hey, man, we we we need some some cash out here in order for for me to keep up. So it was interesting to see him that animated.
Speaker: Yeah, it was, it was interesting. And then you know, I basically asked him, are you frustrated that you haven't gotten more players in? And he went on a little bit of a rant and not a rant. He made a very, he's trying to wreck a callic yeah, they but he, he basically said, well, maybe you guys need to do a little bit better reporting. And he,
Speaker: kind of implied that a a signing is in the, ah is, is close. And look, I, I, you and I have both been checking in on sources. I did hear from someone that said we are getting close. So we'll, we'll see. We'll see if if that actually comes to fruition, but I think we all know. And I think Brian knows. And I think the front office knows that this team is not,
Speaker: one signing away from being a contender. They need a few things they need. First of all, they need Christian. They need probably Yamar and they probably need Jordan, all of those guys to get healthy, first of all.
Speaker: And then after that, we can talk about what the, ah you know, that's sort of going to set the the foundation. And then this new signing will potentially raise their bar, but the,
Speaker: this team is at least three or four more healthy bodies away from being anything like a competent, uh, like to get to the sounder standard of, we're not just happy to make the playoffs. We actually think we can do some damage in the playoffs. And look, the good news is that the sounders are still for all their struggles.
Speaker: They are, they're still only, ah one point out of the playoffs right now. If they were to win um, Wednesday, they would probably shoot up to eighth and they would be right in the mix with all these other teams ah that go all the way, frankly, up to, you know, they they could get into fifth without, without really breaking a sweat, but they got to start getting some results. And look, it's not going to get any easier than Austin FC on Wednesday. Austin is almost surely going to be rotating their lineup. They have,
Speaker: They're coming off a game on the weekend where they lost at home to Dallas. They got outplayed by Dallas at home and they then have a game coming up on. Let's see. What's their, their next game is ah they have a game on the weekend against Philadelphia, just like the Sounders.
Speaker: So, they are most likely going to have to rotate their lineup in this one. They are also a pretty bad team. I mean, they're one of the teams who spending is not their issue, but putting out good results is their only win in their last, uh, geez, their only win in their last.
Speaker: Like 10 league games is over the Sounders. which just speaks to how bad the sounders have been lately. But man, this is, if the centers don't win this game, I think you've got to get really, really worried about them honestly breaking the MLS record of straight losses, which is 12 because the schedule is not going to get any easier in the immediate future.
Speaker: So two things that are important there. First of all, I think that Brian felt the heat and he just had to crack a ah joke to get away from it. Yeah. Because your question was about...
Speaker: Are you surprised whether why you don't have any players already here on the field and not are you making any signings? That was never the question. We know the guys are coming. Don't don't don't worry about the reporting, man. i You know, right we got that on lock. Like, don't worry about it. Look, I tell you guys right now, I'm going to go ahead and share this just because I'm going to call his bluff. We I thought I had a guy i because this is how the play might be.
Speaker: Because of the situation right now and the limitations with the cap, it is very likely that the Sounders are going to go for a U22 forward because that's a position of need. Yes, you need another body. Yes, you need another profile of striker. Absolutely.
Speaker: You need somebody that can score. Well, I don't know if U22 gets you that, but maybe you could look at potential. But right now, the biggest need is... the winger with Pedro going down and my goodness, now Jesus going down that you've doubled down there. So I think that the biggest portion of your resources are going to go to that winger. And, and I'm hearing that there is an international that they are trying to bring in, but obviously that comes with other necessities, right? You have to go find a way to open up a so a spot if for a, um,
Speaker: international player. And I know people are going to be like, Oh, well you already sold too. Yes. That was before things got crazy and you fall even more of a need. I'm not excusing that though. I'm not being apologetic for a team that, as I mentioned, should have had guys already on deck and should have been yeah possibly filled that U22 spot two years ago when I was calling for it, when I was saying you need to find the Jordan Morris replacement. Now go out there and get it, go find a U22 that you think you could work up to. Yes. I know that,
Speaker: You're not going to get U222 that's going to come in and and immediately take the league by storm. And you're not going to get a Joveless right away, although that would be phenomenal. But you've got to go find somebody. So that's the way they're going. So I had found a name of a San Luis striker by the name of Makai Joyner, a guy that has a very interesting profile. Unfortunately, sounds like those negotiations did not...
Speaker: finalized in in in in signing the player. So there there is the reports that we had as well, ah of course, on Casper TaxNik. That's not going to happen necessarily anymore either.
Speaker: But those are the the things that we've been reporting on. So your question was not, are you guys looking for guys or are you guys bringing in guys? It's why are they not here yet? And i think that's the biggest problem. And and I'm going to go ahead and keep this very tight because I know that we're running out of time here. But the biggest problem with this team is that we, both you and I, have pointed at cracks in the foundation of this team for a very long time.
Speaker: including the necessity to find the next replacement for Jordan Morris. Go out there and get that U22. You got rid of Nico. You got rid of of Raul. You're burning Jesus. And then you decided that Jesus was going to be a playmaker and you didn't replace the forward position. So that should have been step two, right? You decided that Jesus Ferrer was going to be a really good playmaker. Cool.
Speaker: That sounds great. But go out there and get yourself another striker. Jordan Morris is a guy that maybe you could have moved. I've i've heard that there were teams interested in Jordan Morris at one point.
Speaker: There were teams interested in Pedro that other they guy at one point. But the reality is that if you move one of those guys, you're forcing yourself as the front office or as the owner of this team that if I'm moving Jordan Morris somewhere in I'm going to those And you got to replace him.
Speaker: You better replace him. You better go out there and get me somebody because I'm pissed off that now Jordan Morris is playing for a Western Conference team. And now I have to make that right by going and getting you a big time player. And that costs some money. So those are the things that unfortunately, those cracks that you and I pointed, Jeremiah, those were spray painted.
Speaker: with beautiful, shiny paint, but the cracks were always there. And that paint was league's cup by winning league's cup and winning it over messy. And the the whole wonderfulness that happened that night was also wonderful.
Speaker: The biggest problem moving forward for this team, because it became okay to not do anything. I honestly thought that they were going to build off of that and they were going to use that to continue to push the envelope and get even higher. But that wasn't the decision. So the cracks in the foundation was still there. Now the house is falling apart and no one should be necessarily surprised because we had been pointing to a lot of these issues.
Speaker: Yeah, we we have pointed to him. and i And I will say that I think that the roster build was not as bad as it looks right now. But it I think you can only put off making additions for so long before it all sort of, you know, it's it's like renovating a house. If you wait till the house is falling apart, you have too much work to do, you know?
Speaker: And I don't think that they did enough to sort of bolster... the the roster in the last, you know, you can't just sit out summer window after summer window after summer window and expect everything to be fine.
Speaker: yeah Eventually that's going to catch up to you. That's exactly what has happened here is that the Sounders have waited too long before making additions. Hopefully they start fixing that now. I don't think it's going to magically all be fixed, but you know, hopefully we have something fun to report on sooner than later.
Speaker: But ah for right now, i don't know. Do we we have anything we want to say about Austin? ah i Other than they are a team that should be beatable, we don't know what their lineup is going to look like in this game.
Speaker: um there's a There's a lot of, there's a lot of, that's a team with a lot of questions, just like the Sounders. But man, ah they they probably are in somehow a better position than the Sounders are.
Speaker: ah As sad as that is. They have more firepower. I mean, Uzzuni is a guy that I questioned for a long time, but he's found his form and that that has made them look better. They have a one of my favorite guys in this league and in a very veteran and savvy center midfielder in L.A. Sanchez, who I really like. I think Gallagher with his overloads on the left side in the same side as Uzzuni could be a real problem for Uzzuni.
Speaker: your right back. I think that's going to once again, pin back Kalani, if that's who they go with as that right back. I don't know if you want to if I was Brian's master, you know, there's the whole mirroring thing that was a it was a thing for a little bit and then he went away, but maybe I'd go with a three, four, three myself to kind of match up.
Speaker: better against Austin, but you know, they, they have some quality players. I do. They did rotate against Dallas, which makes me think that they're going have some of their number one players against the Sounders. They probably, and this is no disrespect, but they probably see more of a win.
Speaker: here if they're able to bring their main guys. So I expect Brandon Vasquez to be in I expect Jaden Nelson to be in I expect the defenders to be back for this particular game. So I do think that there might be what I like to call an an alternative group, you know, kind of like a mix of of both. But I think you will have a lot more of those number one players that that you may think. So the Sounders, man, I still think that, know,
Speaker: they're going to have ah a tough game. It's going to be a tough game and it's going to take a lot of intensity. It's going to take a lot of please. Oh, please just get out of your own way. No bad turnovers, no indirect free kicks in the 18. I mean, just get out of your own way, simplify the game and just get a result, man. Cause right now a draw might feel like a win.
Speaker: Yeah, I will say so. we We did hear back from Phil West of Verde all day, and he he thinks they're going to go with pretty close to a first choice lineup. I will. yeah I will say he he thinks they're going to play. We'll be back.
Speaker: Yeah. he I mean, yeah, they John Bell apparently is back to. um Irvin Torres is the guy is the guy that you're you're talking about that is this 18-year-old who... who i he had He set up the winning goal, I want to say, against the Sounders in the first meeting.
Speaker: but they think... Yeah, Brandon Vosquez likely into this game. So, yeah, there's ah there's definitely... some reason to think that the, that, that Austin is going to treat this as a very winnable game. They did. It should also be said they were good in leagues cup.
Speaker: You know, they, they got out of the group stage. They are into the quarterfinals. So that maybe that's something that, allows them to or urges them to to rotate a little bit more, but they are, you know, they did play well. They won a couple of games.
Speaker: So again, again, the unfortunate part is the line by line. They're just better than you. Look, look I would, give you a lot for Christian Ramirez at this time, you know, give give me Superman instead of what we have at the nine right now and I'd be a happy camper. So, you know, it's just, it's difficult. It's difficult when you look at the lineup and Dallas did come back in this game, you know, in the last game that they had against against Austin. But look, I like the, I like the lineup. I really do think that it's going to be a difficult game, especially this close to, you know, it's a midweek game. ah you You have lack of depth. I just, I'm not very optimistic, Jeremiah. I'm really not.
Speaker: Yeah. Well, uh, like I said, if the centers don't get this one, it could get pretty ugly. Uh, I, I take no, no joy in that, but it's, it could be, could be bad if they don't, if they don't figure out a way to get three points from this one, or if they at least don't get a point from this one.
Speaker: Uh, but man, if you ever have circled a game and thought, okay, this is a game that we should win. You would think this would be it because look, uh, Like i said, i don't I don't think Austin is a good team. They are certainly in a better position than the Sounders are in, at least as as far as their ah the players on their roster, but it's it's not been a team that's been very good. So we can only hope that the Sounders can figure this thing out.
Speaker: All right. Well, um we should probably get out of here. I'll share one last thing, Jeremiah. Yeah. I'll just, because you, you don't have me here because of my nice beard and beautiful face. I'm just going to go ahead and give you guys a little bit of insight on, we haven't heard anything back necessarily.
Speaker: i To be honest, we didn't quite ask today about Pedro, but what I'm hearing, and this is not official word, it sounds like the player will be getting some sort of surgery. it sounds like they're going to do it in Spain, likely in Barcelona. So unfortunately, Pedro de la Vega will need some, some sort of surgery.
Speaker: i definitely feel for the guy. i think that he has been going through it. It's not easy to kind of question your whole career saying, having to get another procedure done. so I wish him nothing but the best. And of course we'll hear, we'll wait for official word at one point. But that's just some of the the things that I've been hearing in terms of Pedro de la Vega. And now we'll wait to see what happens with Jesus. But yeah, just wanted to put that out there for that sounder and hard family. yeah You know, that's yeah these what I try to provide.
Speaker: Yeah. Great news, right? Nothing but great news here on the, on the center at heart podcast network. Hope you have a glass of whiskey next to you people. Yeah. All right. Well let's get out of here. Thank you to our sponsor, full pool wines. Thank you to Nico for filling in today.
Speaker: And thanks to all of you for being patient with me as I try to kick this cold. But ah all that said, I'm Jeremiah Shan signing off for Nico Moreno.
Speaker: This is Nos Adietes, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. And remember, you'll never get alone.
Speaker: Let's go at Sounders.
