Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Seattle Sounders preseason heads to Portugal!
1.2k Plays15 days ago
The Seattle Sounders preseason continues as the squad travels to Portugal for fitness training before heading to Marbella, Spain where they'll play three scrimmages. We'll discuss what we're looking for as prepration for the 2026 season and Concacaf Champions Cup begins in earnest, then jump around MLS for some league-wide coverage.
Follow Lobbing Scorchers:
SPONSORS
Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!
Sounder at Heart - Our network host and biggest supporter, Sounder at Heart covers the Seattle Sounders, Seattle Reign, and MUCH MORE! Subscribe and Support to the BEST independent Seattle Soccer coverage.
Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!
Full Pull Wines - Founded in 2009, they the best boutique wines of the world to members, with special focus on our home, the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Sounders Tickets - Get tickets to an upcoming match straight from the club and help support the show at the same time.
MLS Season Pass - MLS Season Pass is back on Apple TV with access to every single MLS match—including Leagues Cup and the entire Audi MLS Cup Playoffs—with no blackouts! Subscribe today to support the show.
MLS Store - New year, new gear! The 2025 MLS jerseys are here, and MLSStore is the ultimate destination for every fan. Every purchase helps support our show!
Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.
Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based cellar. Not only are they a local company, but they've been supporting independent Seattle soccer media since 2011 and are run by Sounders fans. They offer the best boutique wines in the world to members of their mailing list with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest. Their model is simple.
00:00:19
Speaker
One, they email compelling offers. Two, you request bottles that sound appealing. Three, your wine arrives at their Soto warehouse and is ready for pickup or shipping. Their Soto tasting room is also open to the public. If you're interested in joining their mailing list or learning more about them, visit fullpullwines.com.
00:00:35
Speaker
Breast conference not spicy enough? Not as hot-headed as Peter Vermees? Are your hot takes just not hot enough? Spice up your life with Hacks and Ferments. Handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Specializing in unique small batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Hacks and Ferments brings bold flavors and natural fermentation together for something truly special. Whether you're a heat seeker or just looking to elevate your cooking, you'll find something you love at hoxonferments.com. That's H-A-X-A-N-F-E-R-M-E-N-T-S dot com. And right now, if you use code LS at checkout, you will get a hot sauce completely free with your order. Again, so go to hoxonferments.com, use code LS at checkout for a free hot sauce with your order. Hoxon Ferments, proud sponsor of the Flaming Hot Press Conference. Trademark pending.
00:01:23
Speaker
Ari, as a dedicated fashion expert, how do you do it? Day in and day out, I see you rocking the best fits. I need your help. Noah, I'm glad you asked. People ask me that a lot, and I can tell you need an upgrade.
00:01:35
Speaker
Looking for timeless menswear and durable home goods with a touch of the Pacific Northwest? Podium in Edmonds, Washington has you covered. As Edmund's first ever men's general store, Podium offers a curated collection of quality clothing and durable goods featuring domestic and European brands.
00:01:50
Speaker
Whether it's Filson, Dayhen 1920, or Wax London, everything in the store is made to last, be loved, and even passed down. Located 114th 4th Avenue North, just off Main Street in the heart of downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore at Podium to find all the essentials for the modern Pacific Northwest man. They're open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 to 6 or Sunday from 12 to 5. Also anytime online at shoppodium.us as well as Instagram at Podium Edmonds.
00:02:21
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers was previously recorded and streamed live on YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers. If you want to listen or catch these episodes live, see the video, and see all the rest of our content, go to YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers or LobbingScorchers.com slash YouTube.
00:02:43
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. What the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be scorcher.
00:03:06
Speaker
Good morning, everybody. Welcome to a Tuesday edition of Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff. I'm Ari. That's Nico. We took a little holiday off yesterday, but we are back at it with Seattle Sounders preseason coverage and coverage of all of Major League Soccer. ah Not as much to get to as usual today, I guess. It is a little bit of the dog days of preseason, ah but...
00:03:32
Speaker
So there's a, you know, the so the Seattle Sounders are off to Portugal. They're doing fitness training. Then they're off to Marbella for a trio of scrimmages that I'm sure we'll all be watching intently as much as we're able if they stream it.
00:03:46
Speaker
Hopefully Noah and J.O. are going to be out there. They supposedly said they're going to ah Periscope live some of these scrimmages. We'll see if that actually happens. But yeah, Nico, what's up, man? thanks for Thanks for tapping in. As always, how are you feeling as preseason continues and the squad with the squad departed to Portugal? What's going on?
00:04:07
Speaker
Yeah, what's going on? Ari, Lobbings Coaches family. Yes, we took a day off. Important ah holiday, MLK, Martin Luther King. If you guys took the day off, I hope it was a day of not just celebration, but reflection, being a better person to those around us, finding what makes us equal, common grounds, and and not focusing on our differences and respecting ah a man's life who did a lot for unity. But aside from that, ah yes, feeling really, really good, Ari. um
00:04:41
Speaker
It was great to once again go back to... Providence in Swedish, the Sounders Performance Center and Clubhouse. It was an interesting week. I thought that we got to see a lot from the guys. We got to hear from Brian. We got to hear from Christian. so it was a it It wasn't eventful in terms of news, but there was a lot that we did learn about the team, the mentality, the way they're going to approach this preseason. and look, believe it or not, the week of trading made me feel more positive about how things are
00:05:25
Speaker
kind of starting to come into place there for the Sounders. I get it. I get it. No big signings, nothing crazy. There's still things to see. I mean, I got a cameo, if you will. I mean, it was just, you know, three days of...
00:05:41
Speaker
Small sided games, 9v9s, you know, seeing where guys are fitness wise. But I was encouraged, Ari. I was encouraged. Yeah, I'm excited to catch up with you about that. I haven't been out there at training, so I'm i'm kind of out of the loop on what's going on as far as that goes. I'm sure we'll get into all the positional battles and the tactics and the formations that they're going to be running all that good preseason stuff. Let's get into it.
00:06:08
Speaker
But before we do that, I do need you all. I need I need a favor chat. I need a favor before we get this rolling. We're on the road to three K subs on YouTube and we're closing in on twenty eight hundred. We're at twenty seven ninety nine.
00:06:22
Speaker
Right now. Right. So I need just one person who is not subbed to the YouTube. I know there's a couple of you watching right now that are watching the show, listen to the show, but haven't subbed to the YouTube. Just give me one sub to the YouTube to get us to that 2.8, 2799. I can't have that. That's like tough on guys so just give me one youtube sub get us to that 2.8 as we continue the road to 3k obviously toss us a follow on instagram and tick tock as well uh the content never stops on those platforms either we got some good stuff going on so drop us a follow on all platforms and also uh of course as always shout out to our sponsors hacks and ferments podium menswear Full pull lines, got some exciting stuff coming up with our with our sponsors this season. And if you do want to sponsor Lobbing Scorchers, hit us up. we are We're on the hunt for more for the 2026 season World Cup year. So if you are a local business or know of a local business that wants to work with us, send them our way.
00:07:21
Speaker
ah All right. Enough of that. Nico, let's talk some Seattle Sounders preseason. I think they they departed to Portugal last. yesterday, if I'm not mistaken. And I think the idea is that they're going to be doing the fitness training in Portugal. lot of beep test stuff. We'll see who wins the beep test.
00:07:40
Speaker
It's always Christian, but I'm sure there will be ah other guys competing for the the beep test. Or I guess Rothrock is a good beep test guy too. they got some They got some good runners on the team. They're beep tested in Portugal, and then they got these three scrimmages in Marbella. So... We'll be tracking all that, of course, but Nico, let's let's talk about what you mentioned off the top there about what you have seen in this first week of preseason training and camp camp at Longacres before they went to Portugal. You know, you had Hassani Dotson was there. I'm not sure if the the Serbian U-22 is there. What's his name again? Sorry. Nicola Petrovic.
00:08:18
Speaker
Petrovic. Petrovic. he there? did you he was there. He was there. Okay. What did you see out at ah out at Long Eggers? You said that ah it was making you feel positive. I'm interested to hear why. What did you see out there that ah that you were liking?
00:08:37
Speaker
Look, there was a lot of things. And the biggest one for me was the approach of the coaching staff. It started with Brian Smetzer.
00:08:51
Speaker
and the mindset of the group going into the season. And we'll get into the fitness stuff and the soccer components. But for me, the way you set up your preseason, the way you start off the training, the the beginning of it all it's is your preseason. I think the Sounders have done a really good job over the last few seasons at identifying objectives with the need to be better, figuring out what was it that season before, the season prior that didn't work out and fixing those things. and And it has worked out, you know, last season, this team had a goal and before they went to Marbella and in Marbella, it was all about making the team better offensively, making it a team that could get out there and win games with goals and adding numbers forward. And, uh,
00:09:46
Speaker
passing, ah passing movements, crashing the box, offensive movements, all those things. They tinkled with a couple of formations. And at the end of the year, you had a ah record scoring season for the team, right?
00:10:03
Speaker
We've established that. So that objective was reached. And I thought from beginning to end, the coaches that did a great job at just focusing on that, emphasizing on that. There were some things that maybe the team definitely could have done better. So that's what I wanted to see day one.
00:10:18
Speaker
And ah Brian, right off the bat, you know, he mentioned that he had some clips of that Minnesota loss or not loss elimination because the Sounders didn't lose any of those three games, but being eliminated against Minnesota,
00:10:33
Speaker
He put some of those clips of obviously ah he didn't go into detail, which clips, but I'm guessing I would set pieces. A lot of the things that maybe didn't go his way. Right. And just kind of closing that chapter. And when I asked them um or when he got into what he wanted to emphasize or what he wanted to, to do or, or, or what felt like something that he wanted to add on this year,
00:11:01
Speaker
to what he built on 2025 was accountability from his players and and and the leadership on the field and them holding themselves accountable, right? And as, I don't know, maybe romantic as it may sound or not, what people want to hear in terms of like tactics and strategy and all of these things, to me, it really,
00:11:33
Speaker
targeted a weakness of the team last season. There's some great leaders in this team and i just did not, believe that last season they necessarily showed up in certain moments when you give up goals at the very end when you have defensive lapses when you know there's a throw in against the la galaxy and you have five guys on the wrong end of the ball and there's nobody screaming and yelling and saying what the f are we doing get back on defense you know last minute last minute last minute
00:12:09
Speaker
it does talk about maybe a little bit of a need to for players to hold each other accountable, set pieces as well, you know winning those battles in those defined moments. So when Brian talked about what this team's X factor, what this team's um special – attribute was last season. He talked about how cemented the team was and and ah how Christian Rodin talked about this being one of the closest groups that that this team had ever, that he's ever been on.
00:12:44
Speaker
i thought that was accurate. I really do believe that the collectiveness of of play and the collectiveness and the unity of this group was a huge factor of why the team was able to win a leaks cup why they got as far as they did what they had some really good moments in 2025 it wasn't perfect but they have some really really good moments so to me i love the mentality by brian to really zeroing on a team that yes we could talk about defense and that's the other part right that's where i That's where I was going to go. that's Yeah, but when it came to mentality, it was there. So before we talk about defense, Christian will then focus on that. And that's what I mean. I mean, it was really clear that there was...
00:13:26
Speaker
An idea, a mentality of what the team needed to get better on. And Christian went off and said it. I asked a question and he said, look, we just need to be better defensively, better on counter defense, intercession defense. We need to go back to being in that team of 2024.
00:13:46
Speaker
Anytime that you identify the issue, you abate it, you correct it, or you're trying to correct it, that that is the the main objective. Love the mentality. Call me, I don't know, crazy about just focusing so much on that little detail. But let's start off with that, ah Ari, and I want your take on it. am I just maybe putting in too much stock on that ah when in terms of mentality and approach?
00:14:10
Speaker
Well, no, I don't think so, because i think it is it's almost the opposite situation as last year when, like you said, they went into the preseason, coming off a season where the offense wasn't good enough. It wasn't productive enough. It wasn't dynamic enough.
00:14:27
Speaker
And that was the theme of last preseason, was honing in on that, drilling their new tactics, drilling their new formation, integrating guys like Jesus Ferreira, and really trying to create a team that could carry the load offensively and score goals and and be fun to watch that was the whole that was the whole theme of last preseason and uh like you said to their credit they they did that like they rack uh 80 plus goals all comps they won Leagues Cup they looked like a freaking wagon in attack in Leagues Cup scoring goals for fun even the playoffs where they got eliminated they it's scoring goals wasn't their problem in that series after the first game, the last two games, the offense looked great again, but I think the what the result was was almost an overcorrection in the in in one direction where you had a team that was a lot more aggressive and proactive and effective. an attack. But I think at the expense of what had been their calling card over the Brian Schmetzer era, which was their solidity in defense and not losing, exerting control over games, not letting other teams score on them. And last year you did see a much improved, much more productive offense, but there was a, if there was an issue with this team last year, it was defensively. And that's what did them in, uh,
00:15:51
Speaker
In the games where they dropped points last year, it really was not very often that it was because they couldn't score. It was because they were blowing leads and giving up soft goals and giving up goals at inopportune times. So what my my whole thing that I wanted to see in this preseason was them just finding a better ah a better balance with that where you can still – play like they did last year in attack and be a really lethal team in transition and be a bit good goal scoring team. But ideally, you know, while also still having that control over games and that defensive solidity so that you're not in these situations where you're scoring goals and you're ahead in the second half or ahead late in games. And then you have these lapses where you blow the leads and you drop the points.
00:16:37
Speaker
To me, that was the biggest reason they ended up with a relatively underwhelming points per game in league play. And they ended up finishing fifth instead of in the in the top four. That was the biggest issue. So it's it's just tough because i think there is an extent to which if you're going to be a really aggressive, proactive attacking team all the time,
00:17:00
Speaker
The reality of that is, like, that's what we all want. It's more fun to watch. But you do have to kind of accept that there's going to be a little bit more defensive vulnerability that comes with that. And the best teams are the teams that can maybe concede a goal or two, and they're scoring three or four in a given game. So they take the results anyway. There was just too many times last year where ah the soft defense resulted in blown leads and dropped points. so yeah so So let me ask you this question. is that Yeah.
00:17:27
Speaker
Let me ask you this question, Ari, just in terms of maybe closing this one um observation, because it may it might be a final one. I was asked about this on Saturday on a Spanish show, and i thought it was an interesting exercise. Maybe even Chad can jump along and and and give their opinion. um I love Christian Roldan. I think that he is...
00:17:53
Speaker
One of the most fierce guys on the field. I think that he is a leader by example. I think that he has the heart of a lion. i mean, the guy is is just incredible.
00:18:05
Speaker
Leadership stuff. And sometimes having to scold somebody, having a at times be the bad guy. You know, I remember Nicolas D'Aro at times would get into it with oh yeah a lot of players and and he wasn't afraid of it. Sometimes he would would even Roman turn off his music because Maybe they gave up a a late goal or or it was a ah bad game or whatever it was.
00:18:27
Speaker
Clint Dempsey, he I've seen him always go to blows with guys. Straight up. I've seen him go to blows with guys. we we have. I think you were there. Okay. so I'm not exactly. I don't know that I'm just making things up.
00:18:39
Speaker
being Being a captain sometimes is is difficult because you it's not necessarily a popularity thing. It's a respect thing. Sometimes you got to be the bad guy. So k Christian, ah maybe he can grow into that. He's grown so much in his career and and he's gotten so much better. Maybe this year he can definitely do that.
00:19:00
Speaker
Because I do think that at times he's such a nice guy, such a great guy that it might be difficult to just be that guy, right? Be that mean... ah listen there's a real That's a real issue. like it's it's yeah it's It's reality and it's not you know negative on him. But this is the extra exercise. If it's not...
00:19:19
Speaker
Christian Roldan. And i think we both believe that Steph is more than likely going to be a sub this season. Who in the squad do you think can grow to be a captain, a leader out there, right? in And...
00:19:36
Speaker
be that person yeah no that is a that is a great question because you're right guys like nicholas ladero ozzy alonzo steph fry those have been those leaders and those standard setters who are who are willing to like you said not necessarily always be popular or uh be what they're they're willing to get after guys and if if the standard isn't being met then they're going to be the ones to say it And I think that honestly, since Ladero, the Ladero era ended, that's kind of, that has been an issue. And I think Christian and Steph have stepped up in that leadership role. I think that's a role that JP is that has played, even though he wasn't necessarily playing every minute every minute of every game or playing a lot of minutes in general. That was maybe a presence he had in the locker room, but who's going to step up and kind of take on that that mantle as Steph kind of transitions to the end of his career?
00:20:28
Speaker
It is a good question and it's important question. And ah like, I see Christian as kind of the heart and soul and the leader of this team. But like you said, he's, his personality is maybe not what in Ozzy or Ladero was. So that's going to be well that's something to like, look at is who's going to, who's going to step up and, and be that guy. i think Jesus Ferreira is a guy who could elevate into a more vocal leadership role this year in his second year on the team. It's kind of tough to be that guy coming in as the new guy on a new team, but now he's a little more established. And I think he, he ah he proved himself last year. He became a real sounder in my opinion, to where he has the credibility to to step into that role a little bit more, but it is interesting because,
00:21:16
Speaker
ah This team, I mean, i've been I've been saying for years, not from a leadership perspective, but from like an on-field bite perspective, like they need some more dogs. They need some more guys that are willing to be more in the Ozzy Alonzo mold. It's great to have a team of awesome, great guys that are super nice and cool and that you'd want to hang out with, but you also, you need a little bit, you need, you need a little bit of that other personality type too. I think in every, in every locker room and you need guys that are willing to lead and be standard setters. But like I, it's, it's tough because if you look at the DPs,
00:21:55
Speaker
they're all kind of more mild-mannered, softer spoken guys. Albert Rusnak's not like a big personality, a big vocal leader type of guy. Jordan Morris is not really in that mold personality-wise. De La Vega is not really in that mold personality-wise. So, uh,
00:22:10
Speaker
I mean, i think this is Christian Roldan. It's hard. It's like, this is yeah, no, it's a difficult one. He's the, he's the captain. He's the leader, but other guys are going to have to step into those, to those roles. And I think we're going to kind of see who it's going to be. i mean, I think Yamar is another guy who I think has a, has a presence like that.
00:22:30
Speaker
um But yeah, no, I, it's difficult, right? yeah Yeah. I don't know. What do you, what are you think? What are your thoughts on it? I took the longest time as you just did, and i kind of went around it and I landed on Jesus Ferreira. So it's funny that you say that. i And I'll tell you, I'll tell you here why in a second. ah A couple of the other guides that were at the studio said, you know, hey, you know, knew who is Cameroon's captain now. at' told him, look, obviously knew who Cameroon.
00:22:59
Speaker
Certain respect and validity, you know, with the Cameroon national team, I think here might be difficult for him just because, you know, he's been here for a while. And yes, although, you know, he's a guy that, you know, can. You can't be the local leader and also be the guy who throws the ball in the stands. He has certain things that that I just don't think would vote well, right? I heard Albert Rusnak. told him that Albert is just not that guy. You know, he he definitely is someone that ah has been very good for the team. He amplifies the play, I think. And I'll tell you some of the observations I saw from him this season. But I just don't see him being – he's just too – he's too chill. I mean, the guy is so cool.
00:23:39
Speaker
It is too chill. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:23:52
Speaker
but it's like ah it's personality type like that the vocal leadership that we're that we're talking about it's just kind of a different skill than than just being a dog on the field someone uh jerome's name dropping rothrock as someone new contract uh i think maybe he steps into a role like that as well i think he kind of already did to an extent last year especially with all the league's cup stuff so i think paul's an enforcer out there paul paul's definitely an enforcer I don't know if he has the, because there's a certain respect and trajectory that I feel like is necessary a bit to to get that ah more of a leadership role, but he's definitely an enforcer out there and that that that definitely does help. So that that's a good shout.
00:24:35
Speaker
Paul Areola people are are are name dropping as well. i I like that shout, but that is that's sort of akin to the Ferreira situation from last year where with his injury last year, this is really his first year ah on the team. So we'll see how much of that type of role he can take on. But I think he he is at least a guy who has been around in the league and has maybe more of a personality type that lends itself to that ah that type of thing. We got our first super chat of the stream. to hit that. Someone was saying that, ah okay, Danicus, you were able to submit it. Danicus was saying that YouTube was having technical issues, not lobbing scorchers. YouTube was having technical issues with the super chats, but... We got one. Appreciate it, Danicus. And if you want to support the show, this is a great way. This, becoming a YouTube member, all that good stuff. Says the mental lapses on defense were the difference between a top two finish in the West and where they ended up switching off is not acceptable. Yeah, no, that is totally caught on. And
00:25:39
Speaker
that I mean, that was kind of the issue with the team all year, wasn't it? Like, they would have been in the top. if you If you switch even a couple of these games, the Atlanta game that they blew right at the end, the Colorado game where they were up 3-0 in the second half, I think, at home, and they end up drawing that 3-3. There's like two or three at least.
00:26:02
Speaker
More. Yeah, the Charlotte game that started this season. and There's the LA Galaxy game. i mean, there was a bunch. There was so many. And it's like, if you even, if you make the Colorado game where you up 3-0 at home against the not very good team, if you give them that that win, they see out that game. And then the Atlanta game where, I mean, that game, Marin Chuck hit an insane goal to to tie it. But like still, if you just see out those two games, you're literally in the top four.
00:26:30
Speaker
You're in the top four. You have home field. And the likelihood that you get past Minnesota if you had had the first game at home I think is pretty high, man. Like, I think we saw how that series went the last two games after Seattle made their tactical adjustments. And we saw how the game at Lumen Field went. ah Them 0-0-ing that first game in Minnesota and losing in PKs, that was – arguably one of the biggest factors that did their season in.
00:26:58
Speaker
So that's, a that's all stuff trying to find that balance, trying to find ah those who's going to step into those new leadership roles. These are all, I think the most intriguing things to keep a track of, keep track of in a preseason. But yeah as far as the mental lapses on defense being the difference, like, yeah. And,
00:27:17
Speaker
That is, to me, that's the biggest issue that they need to address and solve in preseason. The defensive lapses are the offensive adjustments that they were making last year. Like this year, the focus has to be on just seeing seeing these games out and making sure you take those points fully in those situations. That's something that I feel like under Schmetzer, this team has been pretty good about. Like they they don't historically blow leads in an excruciating fashion at the end like it it has it has happened but it wasn't like a recurring theme at least to my memory in past years under schmetz as it was last year and i think some of it is to do with how they uh played an attack but a lot of that is it's like it's mental it's a mentality thing like you those moments in the game are when you have to be on it the most or uh or you will blow leads in these games and that's kind of what happened too much last year so yeah no 100 and that that goes into my second observation because look
00:28:16
Speaker
Coaching can only go so far. And, you know, I had a lot of people tell me, well, you know, Andy Rose was in charge of set pieces and, you know, it's set pieces were an ni issue. And that's true to a certain extent, but there's times where you can practice all week, but if if you're not executing on the field, that's a problem. And sometimes the momentum goes away from you, that the, that the, the,
00:28:43
Speaker
the ah intensity drops. And I remember having a conversation with Nico at one point, and he was saying that sometimes you got to revive that um with like a, it's almost like if you're trying to bring somebody back to life and the captain does that, you got to shock the team. You got to do something to get the troops ready to go.
00:29:08
Speaker
I was in Mexico city watching a Sounders team lose two zero at Estadio Olimpico in a hostile environment against Pumas yeah in that two-legged final for CCC or CCL at the time.
00:29:29
Speaker
The person who like a paramedic came in and said clear and and really revived that team was Lodero. He was all over the field. He was not running. He wasn't going to let them lose that game. he was not He was not going to let them lose that game. He took those two PKs He was the guy that was talking to Talavera who was just doing all this chirping. He's getting the the fans mad. He's getting the troops rolling. He's talking to everybody. i mean...
00:30:04
Speaker
At the end of the game, he was it was so clear that it was him that at the end of the game, the Pumas players were just trying to fight him. And and I remember one player who I've said this before other shows, I will not share his name, but he told me, look, we're we're trying to hold Nico ah you know back. And he he i'm I got size on him, but he he looked six foot seven in in that field. I mean, it was just that presence. So there's something you need that. so
00:30:33
Speaker
I landed on Jesus Ferreira because i've learned a lot about him over the years. that we just had. And and you you talk to a player every every practice, every training, you see him and, and and ah you know, there's some misconceptions about sometimes the the the way that, I don't know, he ended in in Dallas and you hear from, you know, certain media members or you hear from people and and you always make that different assumption when when you see a player, when you get to see him on a daily basis.
00:31:05
Speaker
And there's a fire in Jesus that I don't think people realize. He has a trajectory that he would be more than if he tells you something, hey, make sure that you do this.
00:31:17
Speaker
I think you will listen. He's got friends, but he's not like best friends with all of these people and in the team. So I feel like he is a guy that could be this leader ah by by example, vocally,
00:31:34
Speaker
He's a guy who I really think has all of the elements to be this leader and this guy that could really, I expect him to have a better season than last year productivity wise. So with that goes also the leadership component. And if he does that, he's going to become such an influential player in this team. And I know that there's a lot Jesus throw haters out there and,
00:31:58
Speaker
I got to tell you that the more I get to know him and the more I get to see him train and perform, the more I think that he is going to be a huge player for this team next season. And it all starts about, and this goes into what I saw this week.
00:32:15
Speaker
Jesus talked to us this week. He's a guy that's highly motivated and, He puts his ambitions and his goals as high as they go.
00:32:25
Speaker
He talked about he wants to be in the World Cup 2026, that he's still he feels like he's got a good chance, that he wants to perform on the field, get this team...
00:32:36
Speaker
be great with this team and show that he can be that guy that Pochettino can look at and maybe invite him to one of his trainings. But it all starts with his performance with the Sounders. And he said, look, if if I don't make it, well, at least I know that I'm doing everything that I can. I'm you know'm i'm going to be this influential player. So that that was number one, the mentality, the objectives.
00:32:56
Speaker
Love that from Jesus. But one of my ah the biggest takes I had from this week is that all of the star players were From this team The Jordan Morris's, the Albert Rusnak's And Jesus Ferreira, they were all out there Like rookies On the field in terms of Fighting every ball, giving 110% in every single exercise. I mean, these are like guys that were like they didn't know they had a real spot in this team. And I love that because they said the example, they said the bar really high. Even Albert. I mean, Albert was defending. He was pressing. He was he was great this whole week. But going back to Jesus,
00:33:42
Speaker
He told us during the the time we got to talk to him that this was a hard week for him, especially the running and the testing, because he was sick over the weekend. And that's all he said. But, you know, off the mics and stuff, it sounded like he was really sick, like high fevers. He got whatever was going around. I got that. I got that. You know, I mean, that was sick as a dog. was bad, yeah.
00:34:02
Speaker
So nobody would have been upset if the guy couldn't make it or if he was like really sick and he's like, you know what, I'm going to take a day. I'd rather not show up like this or I'm only at 60%. But no, he decided to push through that, be there, give everything he had because he knew that he's one of those guys that needs to show, needs to be an example. So to me, i have to applaud him for it because it's not something that I think people would – really think about, right? Because they have this pre-assumptions of him and things like he's not really going to care or whatever. No, it's the opposite, man. This guy is full in, ready to go. So I absolutely love that. That's why i think he's a guy that can grow into being a real leader in this team. But just to conclude my second observation, it was that
00:34:53
Speaker
All the leaders, all the stars, the DP. I mean, obviously, Pedro's not out there, but youdps your DPs, your high-tem guys, they were out there just busting their behind, like really setting the example. And that was big for me this week. Yeah, I i love to hear that. You know, when they traded for Jesus Ferreira last year, there was questions as to his buy-in. Does he just see this as a bridge to Europe, Mexico? You know, is this just somewhere that he's going because he doesn't want to be at FC Dallas anymore? How invested in this club is he really? And I think you're right. Like last year he showed it was exactly the the opposite. I thought his his buy-in was was great. It was second to none. And I think if you're going to step into a captain or or leadership role,
00:35:37
Speaker
you have to back it up on the field and he does as far as, he, he, he works really hard. He's running all the time. He is never loafing it or anything like that. So, uh, no, that's a, that's awesome to hear that he, that,
00:35:54
Speaker
He showed up even though he was sick and that it seems like he is trying to step into a ah bigger, more vocal role on this team this year. And I think that can, that can only mean good things. ah Square does bring up a good point. Nico, what do you think of this? Does Jesus consider the Sounders a stepping stone to bigger things? Still, I want my captain to be focused on us, not with one eye on the exit. My impression of that is that he is, ah he he's all in here right now that could change but uh the way i see it for for the moment is that is this is not like a uh his exit is written on the wall type situation it could happen but for now like he's a uh he's a sounder and i'm happy about it how do you see that nico i totally agree i i don't think that he
00:36:44
Speaker
or I haven't heard from him. I'm sure that in his vision board, they're probably still Europe or moving on at some point. But what I see from him is that. Jesus cares about what's in front of him, about what matters. It's family, it's his club and it's the the national team, right? Those are three things that he knows that he can be completely focused on. He has it right there. Um,
00:37:12
Speaker
He understands that the better he is with this club, ah the the better his situation potentially is with the U.S. international team, the more opportunities he gets. So I don't think he sees it as a stepping stone. I've never heard him talk about Europe. I just don't want to dismiss it because I think that was this thing at one point.
00:37:31
Speaker
that's everyone's goal. And maybe that was a thing at one point. Yeah, no, a hundred percent. Right. And this was younger Jesus. Right. and And this was a guy that, you know, probably had was very different than he is now a brand new baby, different things. I mean, he's really embedded into that community real quick. I can tell you that he's setting in roots here. ah So ah to me,
00:37:53
Speaker
I feel like he's all vested in the club. Whether dad lands him somewhere else or not, that's just part of it. But I do feel like at his age, his profile, his mentality, and everything that I've ever talked to him about – have never even included him moving on anywhere else. He is focused here. He's focused on getting this team another title. So ah it's a great question because I don't i definitely um i might ask him about it ah you know when once once the team is back or once we get ah availability. But I do feel like he is ah more vested in the now than what's what's ahead next.
00:38:31
Speaker
Scott says, hey, Seuss, best presser on the team. I thought you meant ah media presser when I first read that, but I think you're talking about high pressing. And yeah, that's what I that's what i love about him. Watching him last year, it really gave me a genuinely greater appreciation for the art of the of the high press. it is's not It's not just about running and fitness and every time ah every time you see someone get the ball, you're just charging at them. There's so much timing to it that he's that he's so good at. And he's also really good at winning winning the ball, like knowing where to be to to create these these giveaways.
00:39:12
Speaker
And that was the most fun I had watching this team last year was when that high press was going and they were just suffocating these teams and putting them under pressure. ah Jesus Ferreira was, I would argue, like the biggest driver of that, man. He really he really was. Like, that's such a...
00:39:29
Speaker
part of his game that I didn't really recognize or appreciate until he got here. he is elite at it. And then when you throw Rothrock in there, who's elite at it as well, and you get them both going at the same time, it's, it's fun to watch. It's like, it's genuinely fun to watch them press and, uh,
00:39:47
Speaker
and play defense so like what what i want uh for this year is to kind of keep that keep that progression that keep that high pressing uh let jesus do that uh as much as he wants because he's because he's so good at it but just again finding that balance where you're limiting these situations where you where you concede right at the end and you blow leads and you drop points But as far as what they were what they were working with, with that kind of energetic, high-pressing, suffocating style, I just want to see more of that. Because when they had that working in League's Cup or those those games against the the Galaxy where they were just swarming him, God, that was that was fun to watch. And really, i don't think that they do that as high at nearly as high a level if Jesus isn't on the team. like He is such a beast at that.
00:40:37
Speaker
I totally agree. And people, you know, that just see stats and and and they focus and they have agendas or they don't necessarily like Jesus, they tend to dismiss that and just kind of brush that off. Yeah, they say, oh, he only had five goals all comps, so that was like a bad trade or whatever. It's like, oh. But he he fulfilled the role. he He was a guy that was influential in so many ways, including that pressing. I mean, the Sounders pressing was incredible. That's another – flower there for Brian Smuster and his coaching staff. I mean, they were, that this was the best pressing team I've ever covered myself since 2012, maybe That is the, the
00:41:24
Speaker
when they when they were the most effective yeah When they were at their peak, their apex, the the press was the best. Certainly the best. was like June and on, maybe it was obviously was through, you know, Club World Cup and after, I mean, Leagues Cup, obviously. But yeah, they hit a moment where they were just so good. And he wasn't just the president. He was cutting off the passing angles. He was winning secondary balls when they forced clearances. I mean, it was ah taking that first stride immediately as you pick up that ball and then that transition offense working perfectly. I mean, it it was just... ah
00:42:01
Speaker
A very synchronized, perfect way of pressing, recovering and attacking. I mean, it was it was it was great. Yeah, it was the it was the next evolution iteration of Schmetzer ball, which is was I think is known in the past, perhaps sometimes unfairly as being like more conservative or. defensive I mean, that's not how they were playing last year at all. Like when they figured out how that high press was working and, ah and we're firing in transition, it was, it was tough to stop, man. So i think the goal for this year is getting a little more defensive solidity to go with that. And then also I guess just more consistency. I feel like that level that we're, we're talking about where the press looked that good.
00:42:45
Speaker
from From June on, I think you're right. And really all of League's Cup, they were they were cooking. And then it maybe it wasn't, it didn't maintain that level consistently for the whole stretch run of the season. So just being able to tap into that level as consistently as as they can. i think if they're able to get to a place where they can do that, they're going to be in in good shape to be competing for trophies and home field in the playoffs. I think where it with ah with where the roster stands. uh ian thank you for the for the dollar 99 appreciate you for the momentarily open last member episode yeah yeah uh noah with the tech difficulties we recorded our bonus episode members only content this guy just leaves it public for all to see i had to go in there and toggle that on to members only so uh but the point there uh
00:43:39
Speaker
become a YouTube member. We're going to get, we're getting back on the IRL pods. We, we, uh, we recorded one, and did our bonus episode last Thursday, and we're going to try and we're going to try and get like on that routine as much as we can. So become YouTube member and you get bonus episodes that are going to be little more informal. We had fun, responding to the, uh, Scottish premier league Celtic bots that invaded our comments that we provoked to invade our, uh, our comments, but I don't, I don't know if you saw that Nico, they were not happy with our Scottish premier league takes. That video has like 140 comments and it shows you like the percentage of people that like verse dislike it. It's at like 34% likes.
00:44:25
Speaker
So Scotland, and Scotland is not happy with us, but ah thank you. We appreciate you. ah Oh my god, that's that that is hilarious. i i I saw them. I saw it later. You just dropped nuke and then didn't look like I didn't read any of the comments. No, I saw it later. I saw some stuff and look, it's it's pretty hilarious. I'll say this real quick. I mean, I don't have to watch the Scottish Premier League. I don't. I don't either to know where they stand ah in the global aspect of things. And it's very simple.
00:44:59
Speaker
I'm sorry to tell you, you know, Scottish fans of Rangers and Celtics, but you're the ugly stepsister of the European leagues. Sure, you got to pass through the ball, but ain't nobody trying to marry you.
00:45:14
Speaker
Ain't nobody trying to marry you You are definitely not Cinderella You're the ugly stepsister That's just the way it is You're not as high on the pecking order as By designation, you're there You're Europe Sure, you're Europe you're You're in Europe But that doesn't mean that you have the exact Or or even close to the validity of other leagues So I don't gotta watch it I'm not gonna watch it to know that.
00:45:36
Speaker
but I like telling the Scottish Prem fans that like the Chicago Fire would destroy all their mid-table teams and then just not paying attention to the responses. It's kind of it's kind of fun. like I mean, I appreciate Shout out Scotland for all the all the views. like The video performed very well, so we appreciate that. We appreciate the engagement.
00:45:54
Speaker
engagement All right, Nico, we got we got a few more minutes left here. Did you have anything else on ah on the Sounders as far as what you saw at training at Long Acres leading up to their departure to Portugal or just any positional battles or anything you saw or that you're hoping to hoping to see as they continue preseason here?
00:46:18
Speaker
Yeah, I'll try to be quick. Obviously, we got to see all the new guys in the in that group of new guys is also ah the two Tacoma Defiance guys that got first-in contract. So let's start by Hassani Dotson, which was the the bigger of the signings. I thought Hassani looked very good. He was very fit, absolutely.
00:46:38
Speaker
ah I thought that he was impressive on his physicality, the way he holds up the ball, the way he defends, the amount of space, that the range of his play is very good. He's not flashy. He's not a guy that's going to be taking a whole bunch of players. But there's a little finesse there, a couple of of really nice plays linking up little backhills. I mean, the guy just looks like a... nose to the ground type of of grinder, a guy that knows that he's coming in to be the new guy. Love the mentality. He said, I got to be here to earn my stripes. Cool. Love that. He's going to come in, do his thing and and really try to perform. But I was pleased by the overall performance
00:47:19
Speaker
fitness the the The body language, how integrated he was within those small groups. He was a guy that was a standout ah during the cameo again, that the very brief three, four days that that that we had to to see him.
00:47:37
Speaker
I believe that on Wednesday there was some sort of 9v9 tournament and the final was, he was in one of the final teams. It ended up being won by Jesus' and Yamar's team. But, you know, he was definitely one of those guys that was very important. Didn't get to see much from Nikola Petrovic, unfortunately. Oh, I'm not going to ask. I've heard some really good things about his technicality on the ball. i means the first he He came in late. He wasn't there on the first day. he did just ah jogging on the second day. um And then he got to play and and do some other things for the rest of the week. But so far... ah
00:48:16
Speaker
Kind of what I've gathered is that he is a guy that's been impressive on the ball, that has a really good technical component of his game, that it's not necessarily going to beat you one v one but he has some interesting things. I got to wait and see what what we see from him later on. And then when he came to Yutsukenome and Sebas Gomez,
00:48:41
Speaker
ah Sebas Gomez was the guy that stood out to be the most out of the two. Sebas talked to us. He talked about being an entertainer when he's a soccer player, that that's the kind of game he follows. He talked about being a guy that...
00:48:55
Speaker
likes to play like Pedro, find the pockets. And and I really saw that from him in the small-sided games. I mean, he's a guy that is good on the ball, that he's going to try to dribble past you. He has some really good explosive moments, acceleration, understanding on when to when to push. Had a really nice goal that I thought he might have been offside by one or two steps, but just the movements and the motions and the confidence – He talked confidently to us. He played confidently. He was a guy that was very interesting. I'm not saying he's going to get a whole bunch of minutes because it's going to be difficult to get minutes with this type of ah group because there's going to be a lot of positional battles. And I think he's definitely there in the lower pecking of order, but definitely has the right attitude. it was very, very interesting. Yeah.
00:49:45
Speaker
In terms of other guys that stood out, Paul Arriola was really, really good. but he doesn't seem to be full on Like ah in every practice, they're still being careful with him. They're monitoring him. The expectations are going to be very...
00:50:04
Speaker
Different for him, I believe, as as they continue to move on. But when he was on, he was on. mean, beautiful couple of goals, his delivery, his first touch, the way he moves ah when he pushes. He's not afraid to give the the the the team a little bit of...
00:50:21
Speaker
of slowing it down and and dropping back a pass and and keeping possession. i really do think that he's a guy that's going to fit very well into the system. So he was a guy that stood out along with the Albert Rusnak's that were phenomenal. Jesus Ferreira. Osase De Rosario was very, very good finishing everything he had right in front of him. He was a guy that looks like someone who ah knows and understands that there is a possibility to play with two forwards per Brian Smetzer.
00:50:51
Speaker
Whether it's him or Danny or Jesus or whatever Brian's thinking, i believe that those positional battles are pushing everybody. And that includes Osas de Rosario.
00:51:03
Speaker
Seems like everyone who was out of training last week noted that a similar had similar observations about Paul Areola. So it's great to hear that yeah he was he was looking good at Long Acres. I think he's going to play a significant role on this team, obviously, this year. ah Good stuff on Sebastian Gomez, too. You know, I haven't watched him play a lot, like a little bit with Defiance here and there, but that's pretty much it. But I was asking around about him. And I had people tell me similar stuff as far as, you know, he's very audacious. He's entertaining. He's a try stuff, Clint Dempsey, try stuff type of ah type of player.
00:51:46
Speaker
And then to hear to hear him saying that he considers himself an entertainer. I'm getting to the point where I'm like, all right, like I'm I'm interested to to see what this what this kid can do. We've talked a lot about how they haven't developed as many attacking type players as they have sixes and eights.
00:52:02
Speaker
So ah let's let's see what he could do. Yutsu Konome is in the mix there as well. On Petkovic, do you have, ah what's your read at this point on like his exact...
00:52:13
Speaker
position like I picture him as more eight than six and more kind of like long passer facilitator through ball pinging type of guy maybe not necessarily as well-rounded a JP but like a good like a good passer and connector type player would you say that's roughly accurate or is there is there more tumor anything different to his skill set than that and No, that's that's exactly where I think he falls.
00:52:43
Speaker
um where he'll play will depend on how this team sets up. I do think that there's still a chance that the Saunders play with a three, five, two, they're going to figure it out. And that just kind of changes things. Whether they have an inverted triangle there in the, in that attack or the way they set up, it's going to be interesting. ah But I do think he's more of an eight. I think his qualities are more towards the attacking end, ah his vision and he's passing and,
00:53:11
Speaker
When he pushes high, what he can do with the ball. ah He has a decent strike from mid-range. So I do believe that he's more of an eight. Definitely not a six. Did not see him as a six. um I actually think that physically is one of the things that I didn't really saw him excel in in the very few moments that I got to see him play. So, yeah, definitely more of an eight.
00:53:37
Speaker
On the topic of the two-striker setup, I was saying that i'm I'm interested to see them try and run that, at least in in preseason, and see how it looks because it it looked genuinely really good, I thought, in the playoffs last year. That was the kind of whole thing that turned that Minnesota United series from that first game where they ended up getting shut out. to the last two games where they ended up banging in seven goals. That was the adjustment. And I know there's issues there as far as Jordan sees himself as a more pure number nine. And if he's playing with Moose or playing with Osase, then that turns him into more of a winger. I see that as less of an issue than some people, maybe just because I don't, I don't think that actually plays like Jordan is playing as a pure winger. I think it plays more like, uh,
00:54:28
Speaker
a two striker setup where you kind of got one playing off the other. And maybe in that situation with Moose as being the more kind of stationary target, number nine, Jordan ends up having to do more winger type stuff. But I, I, I, I see it like he's still playing as a striker and not, ah not a pure winger. It's just with another forward. So, I mean, have, have they been, have they been running,
00:54:54
Speaker
Like a 4-4-2 or anything in preseason? And like, what are your thoughts on the potential effectiveness of that? And if they're going to actually run it when the season starts? ah No, but Brian went out and said it. i mean, Brian straight up said that he wants to try to get both, you know, Danny and and Jordan on at the same time and playing with with two forwards. So, yeah.
00:55:18
Speaker
To me, the trickiest part is the midfield because that is your strength right now. and whether Obed, let's just say Obed stays until December, are you taking Obed out? Are you dropping Obed?
00:55:34
Speaker
Albert aligned and leaving Ferreira at the, let let's say it's just ah a triangle in a three, five, two. And, and is he the 10 behind the two strikers or, or is Ferreira up top? And then Ferreira and Jordan with Albert, they're the 10. And you still have the two pivots in um Christian and Obed. I mean, you know, I think that there's a tricky situation there about, you know, who's in, who's out, what you do, where, uh,
00:56:04
Speaker
Ferreira was playing last season and and and how much of that you want to replicate, or if you want to go completely different. And again, I think that maybe, um, Hey, uh, Freddie Juarez might have some issues with what I'm saying. Cause it's all about the way you motion once you're in possession and the way you build up, uh, rather than necessarily the formation that you start off with. But there are some things that you might need to tinker with depending on, on how you set up. And I think it's more about personnel on the field than anything. Um,
00:56:34
Speaker
I think Jeremiah did mention, and I don't remember this right the top of my head, but he said something about this year maybe be building more with two from the back. So adding another player and and maybe committing more numbers forward. So we'll see. There's there's just a lot of different moving elements that that that still are going to have to be figured out in this preseason. That's what makes it so exciting. Because there is positional battles on the left side between Paul, Georgie, Paul Arriola, the two Pauls and Georgie and Pedro when he gets back up top. I mean, you're trying to figure out if it's Jesus and Danny and Osase or is are you going to do the the two cams? And how does that fit in? and you know there I was going to say Jesus, Ferreira, Albert Rusnak, dual tens playing behind Danny Musavsky, Jordan Morris, dual strikers.
00:57:22
Speaker
All of it. All of it is just, there's a lot going on here. And i and that to me leads to to good performances and leads to a competitive team um with with obviously a team that collectiveness was their forte.
00:57:38
Speaker
Cause I think we'll have a lot of people say, oh we're talking about this team as is the super team when they had didn't go out there and get anybody. And to a certain extent they're, they're, they're correct. But I think that this team is betting on, Their top players being healthy this year, continuity, consistency, ah and and that's what they're going for. So I do think that there's going to be a lot of competition that will drive this team to have a good start of a season with what's currently available within the roster. um But yeah, no it's it's very interesting.
00:58:10
Speaker
Yeah, no, these positional battles, especially that left mid spot, it's going to be fascinating to watch in preseason. We better be able to watch these scrimmages, man. This an issue every year where we have to rely on Twitter to know what happens in these games and they post like janky YouTube highlights later. what i need to. I need to be able to watch these scrimmages.
00:58:29
Speaker
live Live streamed this year I know and there there's a whole bunch of stuff Behind it ah obviously we're Going to have the privilege of having and Jeremiah out there that might give us Some more accurate things But it did hear that Like transmitting live Might be an issue because of rights And a whole bunch of stuff that excuses I would love Look if the sounders were to be like Look we're going to put up a stream but it's going to cost you $15.99, $10.99, I'd pay it. your I need to see how who is going to be the second and third string left midfielders. all right that guy i need to be able to keep track of this.
00:59:11
Speaker
yeah i pay I pay like what? It's up to $79.99 for some boxing matches. Why not a preseason? like i i mean I'd pay. It was no no no problem. But yeah, it would it will be interesting how that all plays out. It's not just the Sounders. Any MLS team that's like being, we need to keep our preseason scrimmages secrets so people don't know our title. It's like you're you're sacrificing a lot of interest that Fans have in in watching these games to like keep secrets that aren't like what what is being divulged in preseason that like That people aren't gonna find out very shortly anyway, you know what mean? It's like I don't know. I don't really get no I think it's more about TV rights and
00:59:57
Speaker
that sort of thing i mean because people have open stuff like the coachella thing and all of these tournaments that happen mean they're pretty uh open you know all right well if it's the oligarchs who are putting their foot down unfortunately much that you can do about that but yeah maybe they'll uh maybe they'll be more chill about it this year one can hope one can dream All right, Nico, to close it out here, let's jump around MLS a little bit. Actually, I meant to get to this from Ian. Coach JP thoughts.
01:00:30
Speaker
ah JP, Jao Paulo, has retired and he has joined the Tacoma Defiance coaching staff as as an assistant. Nico, I'm stoked about this. Yeah.
01:00:42
Speaker
I wasn't sure if JP was going try to keep playing, maybe go back to Brazil or somewhere else in MLS, but it really seemed like coaching was in his future and I was really hoping that he would do it here. But if he had gone somewhere else to do it, I would have understood that.
01:00:59
Speaker
But no, he's back in coaching the Defiance. And I think that's freaking awesome, man. Like that's the, if I could name one guy that's played for the team over the last like five to six years that I would want on the Defiance coaching staff, mentoring the youth, that would literally be the guy. Like, I don't know. ah jp is kind of like a mysterious guy a little bit like he showed up and he doesn't necessarily say a whole lot uh he's just this cool brazilian guy that went out there made best 11 and was one of the best two-way mids in the league until he uh tore his acl and you know never quite got back to that level but has been just an awesome guy and a great leader in the locker room and veteran mentor and all that the uh whole time in a way to an extent that i'm not sure people fully realize and appreciate like his his ah re re-signing last year drew criticism because he'd been injured a lot and hadn't played a lot uh and craig weibs took heat for saying that that was one of his favorite parts of the offseason was uh re-signing jp but the re is there's reasons beyond like what he brought on the field for that and i think he is like the
01:02:09
Speaker
Perfect personality type to be a coach because he's such he's a very, very smart guy. Like if you ever listen to him talk, he's a very smart guy understands the game and knows how to teach it is the impression that I get which we talk about this sometimes like how great players don't necessarily always make great coaches because Teaching someone to do something is very, very different skill than doing it yourself.
01:02:34
Speaker
And a lot of really great players ah aren't good at teaching what they do, because to them, it's just like second nature. It's natural. They're like, why can't you just do what I do without having to think about it? But Some some guys are much more gifted in in that way as far as teaching what they know. And JP strikes me as the type of guy that is good at teaching what he knows. And to have him like in the building mentoring the the academy kids and the Defiance guys, beautiful. Love it.
01:03:04
Speaker
Look, it was phenomenal to hear that That was moving on, that he was ah coming back as ah as a coach. It's still not official, so we'll wait for official word from the club. But as far as we know, and we've been able to report, is that he has accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Tacoma Defiance. I feel like he has all of the attributes to be a phenomenal coach. You talked about most of them. He has a great soccer He's a student of the game. He's someone that...
01:03:36
Speaker
Tactics is definitely one of the the things he loves to pin on and and work on. He's someone that on the field was a guy that he wasn't the fastest, but because of his understanding of the game, he could angle players out. He, he, he could anticipate players that that all goes to just that IQ that he has as a player. And a lot like Gonzalo Pineda at one point, he talks like a coach and and you could, you could just see it that he was, it was, it was literally written in stone that at some point he was going to be a coach. He takes also a phenomenal decision in my opinion, because he's had a tough, he, his body was hurting. he He wanted to be out there and he is the sort of player that's going to give you 110%, no matter what he's had physically and the sacrifice that it was both mentally and physically to get back from this couple of injuries, try to get back um into full rhythm. I mean,
01:04:37
Speaker
I feel for him because I saw the amount of sacrifice he put his body through. And this just allows him to stay with the game. We all have that itch. We all have that desire. But even more so when you're when you've been playing your whole life, now you get to continue to be on that path and you create a path for the future. So for me, it's phenomenal. The other part of this news is that Tacoma Defiance is going to run on Brazil Power. I mean, Paulo Nagamora supposed to be the other guy that I'm hearing will be the head coach of Tacoma Defiance, so he would be number one with JP being number two. He's the former Houston Dynamo coach. He's also been sporting as a CB2, and you know he just came off. He played for Sporting KC for a long-ass time. Played for Sporting KC. What do you think of that hire? Because ah i feel like
01:05:31
Speaker
He I mean, he was one of the better like Academy coaches, which is why he got the Dynamo job. And then i i felt like I remember thinking that he was actually not doing that bad at the Dynamo and which it just kind of wasn't given a lot to ah to work with. But I think there's clearly potential there that people see as like he can be a top flight coach. He's been an MLS coach already, but I also don't really know all that much about him. Like, what do you what do you think of Paulo Nagamara?
01:05:59
Speaker
I think he's a great hire. I couldn't necessarily believe that he was going to be the Tacoma guy because, yeah as you said, he's well-known. Really experienced. Very experienced, has been a head coach in MLS, was just an assistant for Chicago Fire. ah He has that reputation as ah as a developer and as an academy guy. So he's kind of overqualified. So this is yeah probably a stepping stone into at some point joining the the coaches, ah Sounders coaching staff. ah
01:06:31
Speaker
that talks about the Sounders as an organization and the pedigree in which they are looked upon across, you know, MLS. So yeah, i think it's a great hire. I think he's going to be very good. Once he becomes official and once everything gets, gets squared away to me, it would be a phenomenal hire once he gets through.
01:06:52
Speaker
all right but but And before we go, the the last one in terms of coaches, we did tech, we did get a chance to talk to Ricardo Clark, Very different than um Andy Rose.
01:07:05
Speaker
Might be interesting just because ah I don't know if everyone knows, but when Gonzalo Pineda was part of this coaching staff, he he was a little bit of a... Hard, but you know, he was a guy that wasn't afraid to yell and do all this stuff and was one of the coaching guys that was like that. Andy was more of a personable guy that that I feel like he really connected with the guys. So how that goes will be interesting. He, for what I saw, he's a guy that likes to be very on the ball, very hands-on on his coaching for what we saw this week. it was going to be interesting how he performs and the sort of,
01:07:39
Speaker
experience that he brings on. i mean, he was under some really good coaches, starting with obviously Sorensen, who was phenomenal last season. um So it will be interesting how it works out, has the pedigree, has the understanding of the game, has the passion, but how that fills out and how that connects with the players is still to be determined, but it was good to talk to him for a bit.
01:08:02
Speaker
All right, Nico, let's hit some ah MLS stuff to close it out here. i really only had one thing that I wanted There's only one thing. There's only one thing to talk about. And it's folks, folks, we have a problem.
01:08:16
Speaker
We have a problem in Major League Soccer ah and it's going to need to be dealt with. And I'm not sure how to deal with it. And that problem is known as Inter-Miami CF.
01:08:33
Speaker
we've We've all seen what they've been doing all offseason. They've been wheeling and absolutely dealing. They obviously had Sergio Busquets and Jordy Alba, the crash out.
01:08:43
Speaker
Barca boys retire. ah So they had some holes to fill, but they've been, i mean... They've been just cooking outside of all that.
01:08:54
Speaker
A bunch of elite players that they've ah brought in. But, Nico, this this latest development, it's bad. and I mean, it's good for them, but it's bad for everyone else.
01:09:05
Speaker
this is we have a ah We have a Los Angeles Dodgers situation developing in in MLS. with what they're doing with their roster right now. But this latest edition, they have got ah ah Herman Bertramé, forward from CF Monterey, who ah I don't know. Anyone who watches CONCACAF Champions Cup has probably seen him play at one juncture or another. I've seen him play a lot.
01:09:32
Speaker
I mean, this dude is literally, i mean, is he the best striker in CONCACAF? Probably. Like, he's he's been up there. ah He's really, really good. He's 27.
01:09:43
Speaker
He's exponentially better at this point in his career than 48-year-old crash-out crybaby Luis Suarez. And it's really just, like, the fact that that's the team that gets Bertramé. Just like, dude...
01:09:58
Speaker
I mean, he's a guy who every time I watched him play for CF Monterey and CCC, I was like, God, if the Sounders could ever get that guy, that would be God tier. Of course, he comes to MLS age 27. And of course, it's to Inter Miami.
01:10:10
Speaker
And it's just it's it's tough, man. Like, The thing with Inter-Miami is in the Messi and the Barca boys era, they were they were tough to beat and they were unstoppable at times. And they won they finally won MLS Cup last year. But realistically, their roster was pretty top heavy and they were, you know, beatable.
01:10:30
Speaker
They lost in the playoffs to Brad Gizan. You know what I mean? Like they only just won and MLS cup for the first time last year, still haven't won CCC. So it's like, they were hella good and won a lot, but they were not this like unstoppable force that when I look at their roster now, especially with all the additions that they made and with, ah with now with bird Arama coming in, I'm like, I don't really see like the deck almost feels stacked. Like, i don't want to be that guy, but like,
01:10:57
Speaker
how do you beat a roster like this? This is the craziest MLS roster I've ever seen to the point where like, i don't really see how anyone else can do anything about it or keep pace with it. They're playing kind of a different game and they're, uh,
01:11:14
Speaker
They're doing that because of the messy effect, which is, hey, like that's what they should be doing. I don't fault them for that at all. But it's creating a situation where I'm going into this season like, do we just already know what's going to happen beforehand like ah like a Dodgers type situation? That's what it feels like, man.
01:11:31
Speaker
Yes. um There is no denying it. that Inner Miami has taken the league by storm. They have added to a team that...
01:11:44
Speaker
Lost some stars in terms of names, but they got even better in... Way better. every Every line, from defense to midfield and now to striker. I mean, it's still not official. that We still have to make sure that that that goes through, but it sounds like it's going to get done.
01:12:03
Speaker
um Bertram is a guy that has been flirting with MLS for a very long time. The only reason why he didn't end up coming to Portland A couple of years ago. It's because he... The Timbys almost got him?
01:12:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. The only reason why why he didn't come is because he was going to become a Mexican citizen to essentially be part of the Mexican national team, giving him his only chance to ever be at a World Cup and be at a national team because if you're not aware...
01:12:35
Speaker
Being the CONCACAF best striker doesn't necessarily put you in the Argentine national team, if that shocks anybody. But so that his one chance was to obviously become a Mexican citizen and have dual citizenship and play for the Mexican national team. And in order to do that, as far as I had heard, ah he was kind of strong at arm sustain, and that's why he didn't come. But now...
01:13:00
Speaker
He's already played for Mexican national team. He obviously already has the dual citizenship. And now he gets an even better offer opportunity because of the messy effect. And it sounds like it's all getting ready to be finalized, right? So Inter-Miami is becoming a juggernaut and there's no doubt about it.
01:13:21
Speaker
Now, being great on paper and Actually doing it on the field two different things. I'm never, ever going to just say it's for sure going to happen because I've seen a whole bunch of teams just – S the bad, for lack of a better word, um or term, regardless of how good they are. I thought Cincinnati had a phenomenal roster last season. daily Stacking talent alone doesn't guarantee that you're going to be the best. it doesn like No, no. one way to But like you know we see teams like Atlanta United spend a bunch of money on a bunch of talented players that are mismatched. Let's hope that that's so what's happening. i yeah doubt I doubt it, but you know you never know.
01:14:02
Speaker
But, ah you know, I'm not with the, you know, they're cheating. now I mean, they're using all their resources. They have the ability to do it. What I dislike is this false narrative that this is a problem that only happens in MLS. I mean, look, in every league in the planet, go check out the best leagues in the world, the Premiership, Bundesliga, even to a certain degree, Serie A. I mean, in Colombia, in Argentina, you know, it's really the team, other teams win the the titles, but it's all Boca and River. And, you know, it's just the way of the world. There are teams that have more resources than everybody else in the league, regardless of how structure, whether there's a salary cap or not. Salary cap does make it a little bit more difficult for a team to just go crazy.
01:14:51
Speaker
But it's always going to happen that way. There's always going to be a couple of teams. And Miami is that team. That's why other teams have to figure out a way to Be different and ah approach the game differently. Because if you're going to try to outbid those teams like Miami, you're not going to be able to do it. So how do you give yourself a chance? Have a great academy. Find diamonds in the rough. Do all these other things.
01:15:17
Speaker
So disqualifying those things or dismissing those things or saying, i don't understand why teams just don't have ambition and they just don't buy every single player because they can't. ah I mean, do you want them to try to outbid these teams? They can't. They got to find other ways to do so. it that happens everywhere in the world. Nobody's trying to outbid Real Madrid or outbid...
01:15:42
Speaker
Manchester United you find other ways you make um a mythology you create it and then you bring it onto the field and that's how you end up giving these teams around for their money so not to discount anything that Inter Miami is doing I think it's great I think it's more than fair that if they have that sort of juice, they're going to use it all. And they see a win now with Messi. Messi's a winner. he is going to give you the best recruiting opportunities. You have the Jerry Jones of MLS out there, Jorge Mas, talking to the media and doing all these things. And he's getting all these flowers. I don't love those sort of owners that love to be in front of cameras like the Mark Cubans.
01:16:21
Speaker
I don't, you know, and and what he, this this team was losing. Where was he at? You know, i mean, I just... I don't know. I just I don't love that Hollywood type of owner necessarily in front of cameras. But in terms of being a team that is one so far the offseason and that looks like a ah problem, as you mentioned. Yeah, you know, Miami is going to be.
01:16:44
Speaker
the most talented team in MLS. Yeah, no, I mean it's an ah it's an an important point in that what Inter-Miami is doing is not like a – it's not a blueprint that other teams can replicate or follow. Like, I'm sure we're going to have – we're going to takes out there like, well, if Inter-Miami can sign Berderame, why can't Craig Wabbs sign Berderame? It's like they have – unique situation right now where they have the literal best player and that has ever played the sport ever on their team, which clearly i you know, I could have foreseen that that would give them some recruitment advantages, but the extent to which that has been the case has been even to a greater degree than,
01:17:31
Speaker
I would have thought, and they are leveraging that to great effect. And I don't fault them for it either, but it's just, it's not something that you can look at and be like, oh, well, why aren't other teams just doing the same thing that they literally, they can't, they, they literally can't there. It's not like a,
01:17:50
Speaker
lack of willpower or ambition on the part of any other MLS club. They just, they have got an advantage over everyone else that they are leveraging in exactly the way that they should be, to be fair.
01:18:04
Speaker
Like it would be way it would be malpractice of them to not maximize what they can get out of the situation. that they're in so it's just uh we'll see how it actually pans out on the field like like you said it's not a guarantee that they're gonna be a 75 point team and uh win the win the shield and win every trophy and all that but on paper they really should and that's what i've been saying about them viko like i bet all their i'm good with i don't think they're cheating i think their roster stuff is it's within the rules and I get what they're doing and I get what how they're doing it and why they're doing it. good
01:18:39
Speaker
like Go, go win CCC though. Go win CCC. Every, every year they got some, they got some reason why they couldn't do it. Couldn't get it done. Get it. ah Couldn't get it over the line.
01:18:50
Speaker
Go get it over the line this year. Absolutely no excuses. You have the most loaded roster by far and away that we have ever seen in major league soccer. ah It is way, way, way more than enough to overcome all these obstacles that we always talk about with MLS teams and CCC. Like, I don't want to hear about the the schedule. I don't want to hear about the travel. I don't want to hear about the refs. I don't want to hear anything other then y'all going out and actually winning CCC for the first time.
01:19:25
Speaker
And if you can, if you can do that, then like credit to you, but they haven't been able to do it yet. So we'll, ah we'll see what happens. But I was thinking of it from a perspective of like, you know, how would I, how would I feel if ah the Seattle team as it stands with this roster was going up against inner Miami again in, in any type of game, like do they, do they even have a chance? Would that even be a game worth watching?
01:19:48
Speaker
I think, I think they could, uh, They could compete. like it wouldn't I don't think it's going to be like a 5-0. I think that would be a good game. But I could be wrong. like We could get to the season and like no one in the league could even touch them. like That is a possible outcome, which is Sure. yeah but But again, it all goes back to how it plays out. It all goes back to how the team gels. I mean, there could be injuries. a whole bunch of stuff that it's really crazy to just go ahead. There's no...
01:20:19
Speaker
There is nothing wrong with giving them credit for how good they are are on paper right now and the additions they have made and they're an unbelievable team. But it's another to just just completely say – that's That's what's going to happen. you know every Every season, you know it might be a thing where if Inter Miami continues to do this, they might become the Bayern Munich of you know the the MLS, where every year you know that they're going to win it. But at the same time, that that's got to happen. and And I don't necessarily see it right now, but but that's the whole point. But
01:20:52
Speaker
The whole thing about making it an MLS thing is what really drives me crazy. The whole thing about relegation being the big difference maker. Look, why don't you go ask Godoy Cruz in...
01:21:05
Speaker
Argentina, what their end goal is every year. It's just not getting relegated. Is that ambitious? Does regulation make that team ambitious? No, they they have their limitations. They know they're not going to be able to do a whole bunch of things.
01:21:20
Speaker
ah they've They've had really good tournaments. they've had really good teams, but it just doesn't work like that. what Go ask, you know, Malaga, La Real Sociedad, Those teams, I mean, you know, what is their end goal? It's just you know sometimes sometimes just being a mid-table team. So relegation has nothing to do with it because the cause and effect is the exact same thing. Maybe you're not getting relegated, but if you don't win, you're losing revenue. You're losing interest by your fans. You're losing...
01:21:46
Speaker
Your brand is taking a hit. You're going to be a losing team at the end of the day. Teams are going to want to get better regardless of. and And I do believe that there's a change coming in MLS where there's got to be more investments.
01:21:58
Speaker
The Sounders, I wish they were investing a little bit more even to what they have. But at the end of the day, it becomes... a matter of what you have, the way you win, the way you use your resources and your limitations in order to become an important team within that league. And look, the Sounders just won Leagues Cup over Messi and France. And I know people are going to like, oh, it was one game and this see that doesn't matter.
01:22:24
Speaker
oh so now it doesn't matter. Now Leagues Cup doesn't matter. but But had Miami win, then they were the ultimate team. I mean, it's just... Ridiculous. So I just wanted to clarify those couple of points because I just don't agree with those narratives.
01:22:38
Speaker
Yeah. Go win CCC. Don't spit anybody spit on anybody. That's my ah last advice for InterMiami. All right, Nico, I got to run. Let's call it right there for this episode of Lobby Scorchers Kickoff.
01:22:50
Speaker
Thank you all, as always, for tuning in. ah Sub to the channel. I'm about to look, and if we are not at this 2.8, I'm going to be very upset with all you chat.
01:23:02
Speaker
Sub to the YouTube. ah Follow us on Instagram. Follow us on TikTok. Give us reviews. Rate five stars. All that good stuff. I don't even know I know it might be in Portugal, but you know well if if he's not, maybe we'll rip a show like we did last week on Thursday.
01:23:20
Speaker
And if he is, I'll probably stream by myself all alone. So stay tuned for that. Thank you all for tuning in, and we will catch you next time.
01:23:30
Speaker
Love y'all. Peace.