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Just when we thought we were rounding into form…
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Fresh off a couple of encouraging wins, the Sounders reminded us that they are far from a perfect team. This time, they dropped two points in brutal fashion when they gave up an 89th minute goal to the San Jose Earthquakes
Jeremiah and Aaron discuss the relative degree of concern over blowing leads late at home, while also singing the praises of Jordan Morris’ recent play.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:02
Speaker
This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Fullpool Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Fullpool was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Will Bruin Joins Sounder at Heart
00:00:25
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.
00:00:40
Speaker
about sound it
00:01:12
Speaker
This is a a tight
00:01:31
Speaker
sound hardboard commentary that you didn't take look
00:01:41
Speaker
welcome to another episode of no a dis sponsored by full pull wines and our subscribers We're recording on Thursday, September 19th, 2024.
Match Recap: Sounders vs Earthquakes
00:01:50
Speaker
I am your host, Jeremiah Shan. I am joined by my co-host, Aaron Campo, as well as our engineer, Lickett.
00:01:56
Speaker
Just when it seemed like the Sounders were getting on a roll, they took a bit of a gut punch when they surrendered a late equalizer to the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. After coming back from 1-0 down to take a 2-1 lead, the Sounders seemed well on their way to dispatching the league's worst team. But a late lapse caused them two points when Paul Marie snuck behind Alex Rodon to poke home the equalizer in the 89th minute.
00:02:21
Speaker
It's the fourth time this year the centers have conceded an equalizer at home in the 88th minute or later, costing them eight points this year. That happens to be the exact gap between them and first place LA Galaxy. These two drop points sting a bit more, not just because the earthquakes are so bad or because they've gone winless against them in their last six, but because it turns out turns the final four games of the season into a much more stressful stretch than it needs to be. Instead of finishing the night tied for third, they're in fifth and only four points ahead of eighth, which would mean they have to be in the play in game. They've now got four games against likely playoff teams to close out the season. Aaron, what do you make of all this?
00:03:01
Speaker
Uh, I don't know yet. I, we, we talked on the last show about how, um, I don't think we said that these points were a foregone conclusion, but I think that was kind of the subtext. Yeah. Uh, at no point did I think the Sounders weren't going to win that game last night, uh, really until I would say, um, minute left in
Analysis of Defensive Mistakes
00:03:22
Speaker
stoppage time. Like I thought they were still going to get a winner late. Uh,
00:03:26
Speaker
And it's it's a baffling result. It's kind of game that happens in a typical sounder season where they're not, you know, chasing. They're not trying to make up a bunch of lost ground. They're towards the top of the table. You just say, yeah, that happens. Sometimes you play the earthquakes in September on a Wednesday night at home.
00:03:46
Speaker
and that they score a late goal and you only get a point out of a game that you were much better in. But I think with the larger context of the season, it just makes that harder to say. like That's just a more difficult sell, I think. And it's frustrating. i think I don't think there's any real takeaway from the game in terms of Brian Schmetzer lost the game when he didn't rotate, or the Sounders have you know serious mental issues where you know they they're just incapable of holding leads. I just think it was a very MLS kind of game and a very MLS kind of result. But I also don't blame anybody for wanting to find patterns and make it part of a bigger narrative because it's just been that kind of year where they give you a lot of reasons to want to do that.
00:04:32
Speaker
yeah ah Yeah, here's a crazy stat for you. ah I mentioned, I believe, earlier in the intro that the Sounders haven't beaten the Earthquakes in six games. but So you got to go back to 2021, the last time the Sounders beat the Earthquakes. What's even crazier is the last time the Sounders beat the Earthquakes at home was in 2020. They actually did it twice in 2020. They beat them on an aggregate score of 11 to 2.
00:05:00
Speaker
But to find the last time they beat the earthquakes at home in front of fans, you gotta go all the way back to October 28th of 2018. That was a game. I don't know if you remember this. It was the season finale that year. Raul Rui Diaz scored a very late ah winner to send the Sounders up the table. I think they've ended up finishing second. It was kind of a wild decision day game. But it the earthquakes have not been particularly good since then. They weren't good then. This is the most baffling sort of
00:05:37
Speaker
series of results that, you know, you can ah kind of understand, like the Sounders have this, this long, uh, winless run against the timbers at home that you can kind of understand they're, they're a decent team. They have this long, winless run against LAFC. They're a very good team. It feels like LAFC just has the Sounders number. I don't know that I can logic my way into understanding why the Sounders struggle so much against the earthquakes, because it just doesn't make any sense.
00:06:05
Speaker
It doesn't work. It's not like the, the earthquakes have a stylistic DNA where no matter who code no matter who the players are. Yeah. I mean, the 2018 earthquakes were pretty standard. I think bad kick and rush kind of MLS team. yeah Then they had the Matias Almeida style. Uh, now they're much more of a, you know, standard sort of.
00:06:28
Speaker
We'll press you, but not too hard. Uh, we'll look for counters, but we can also score out of possession like very bog standard MLS team. That's a lot different than a bog standard MLS team six years ago. They they've just, they've gone through tons of different players, coaches, uh, tactical permutations.
00:06:45
Speaker
And I think um I've just landed on, this is just a weird fluke, you know? um Because I think it's the most plausible explanation. like yeah i don't i mean that I don't think that Dave Cavall has put a hex on the sounders.
Sounders' Tactics Against Earthquakes
00:07:01
Speaker
You know, there's a there's a there's a blast from the past. That's the former earthquakes president who is now famously the president of the Oakland A's who has near and dear to my heart, of course. Yeah, real, real nasty piece of trash. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, so I just I can't think of another explanation other than they're just getting flukey results against the earthquakes. They're there. It's it's very baffling. I don't understand it like you Uh, if somebody can give me a better explanation than that, that's, that's not just vibes based. Well, I'd love to hear it, but yeah. I mean, I suppose there is a, I like, if I don't know if this is just, this is too vibey, but I would say there's one plausible explanation and it's simply that, and I don't even know that this is true. Frankly. I don't know that the earthquakes view the sounders as a rival, but I suppose if they do, and I know that there are sort of like.
00:08:02
Speaker
this is a plausible rival so that it might be the case that maybe they they get really up for the playing the Sounders and the Sounders just routinely overlook them but frankly the Sounders probably routinely overlook a lot of teams right like right every team is not a rival and I don't think the Sounders look at the earthquakes as any more of a rival than, I don't know, the rapids. And they dominate the rapids. And the rapids have actually been good ah during some of this time. So it sort of does defy logic that they've had all these struggles against the earthquakes. But let's let's talk about the struggles in this game. Both goals, I think we can say, came from defensive errors.
00:08:44
Speaker
Yeah, the first one was pretty egregious. It is, first of all, it starts with Yaymar putting a pointless, like, I guess he's trying to skip some lines maybe, but he, he basically just kicks the ball into the middle of the field. It gets picked off.
00:09:02
Speaker
The centers are set defensively, so it shouldn't be a huge problem, but it does give the ball back in in their own end. And the earthquakes loft in across, doesn't look particularly dangerous. But for some reason, there's some miscommunication between Steph Fry and Alex Roldon, I suppose. So Steph does not come out to claim it. i don't i I watched this replay many times. I don't entirely understand. Maybe he didn't think he was going to get there.
00:09:29
Speaker
And if that's the case, he just he did get a bad, he maybe read it poorly, but in any case,
In-depth Analysis of Defensive Errors
00:09:35
Speaker
he doesn't play it. And and Christian Roldan, I think, actually does something reasonably sensible. Instead of trying to awkwardly head it, he tries to screen Amal Pellegrino. Unfortunately, Amal Pellegrino is like 6'10", and just sort of wraps his leg around rolled on and is able to kick it in like kick it into essentially an empty net. It's a pretty ugly goal. I know the you the imp the ah the it looks on paper like when you're first watching it, it does seem like Christian rolled on and gets pretty badly beat on there. I'm watching it again.
00:10:12
Speaker
I get where, what he was trying to do there. I don't necessarily, I really, I put this one mostly on fry for not claiming it and sort of creating this awkward situation where you have two defenders who aren't quite sure. They weren't expecting, I don't think they were expecting the ball to bounce. And so when it does bounce, they are sort of caught a little off guard. I don't know. Where do you, where do you chalk that one up?
00:10:33
Speaker
To me, I've, I've watched the replay a few times as well. And to me, it really looks to me like Fry is going to claim it and Pellegrino just kind of heads it out of his grip grip grip. And it looks like Fry just does not really expect to see a man of that size going for the ball and, and being in a position you're probably not used to when you're a keeper, when you're going up for a ball.
00:10:56
Speaker
having guys being capable of heading it away. And so to me, it just looks like that really flusters fry and you know, the the rest unfolds as it does. In any case, I feel like that's, if you're calling for that ball, you've got to go get it. Cause I think if he doesn't call for that ball, I think that that's probably dealt with.
00:11:14
Speaker
Um, and I think 99 times out of a hundred with a normal sized defender, a normal size of the attacking player, fry probably gets to that ball. Uh, but it's a bad, I mean, it's a bad play all around. It's it's Yemar's first pass was awful. His clearance was really bad. Yeah. Yeah. The second chance to clear it too. That's right. Yeah. Um, I, I, I would need to watch again. Maybe this is too harsh, but it felt to me like he didn't necessarily need to head that ball away that he could have.
00:11:42
Speaker
chested it down and and actually cleared it more effectively. Yeah. It wasn't it wasn't hit at him very hard. So I would say that he had some option. You're talking about Yeymar here. He probably had some options how to play that one. um And maybe that's nitpicking. I don't know. The first pass is obviously the most egregious thing. um Nobody's closing down the cross, which I'm always hesitant to be super ah critical in that situation, because from my recollection, the decision is, do I come out and challenge to this cross and let my guy get in behind and, you know, give him the opportunity to get open in space going towards the end line, or do I just assume that my the other defenders have it have their man taken care of? So I i do think that it's two guys making pretty bad mistakes and other guys just being put in really kind of no-win situations and and maybe looking bad as a result. But ah just to
00:12:37
Speaker
The kind of goal that to me is extremely frustrating to watch in large part because it's not a goal I expect the Sounders to give up. Yeah. I mean, this is the the Sounders have been all season really other than all season, uh, one of, if not the top defensive teams and, you know, they're coming off two straight shutouts.
00:12:58
Speaker
They were, they looked good. They've only given up you know two goals a few times this year. And to their credit, they came back relatively quickly within five or six minutes, scored the equalizer on a little bit of a fluke-y goal, although one where they create their luck, I think we can say. Essentially, it starts with ah with a free kick. It doesn't get dealt with very well.
Jordan Morris' Performance
00:13:27
Speaker
ah they they put in a shot, it it the clearance ends up ah essentially ricocheting off of Pedro de la Vega's chest into the path of Jordan Morris, who very alertly hits it very hard on the first time. It's sort of at the goal keeper, but it's hit with enough power that the goalkeeper can't really do anything other than try to throw his body in front of it. It it gets past him. He scores tie game, sort of a, it seemed to calm things down. And then the centers
00:14:04
Speaker
comeback and they score another one on a, on a, on a really well-taken, I thought a really well-taken goal again by Jordan Morris. Uh, not a great cross necessarily from Paul Rothrock. It gets deflected, but Morris is able to sort of control it off of his knee, I believe, and then just sort of poke it, redirect it into the goal. Uh, both goals, what I liked a lot about those goals.
00:14:27
Speaker
they're sort of strikers goals. And, you know, we've taught a lot about whether or not Jordan Morris is a number nine. And part of the reason I think people are skeptical of him as a number nine is he, he scores a fair number of goals, but he doesn't score a lot of these types of goals, which are really strikers goals, you know, goals where you're sort of making something out of nothing. It's just sort of instinctual, you're you're relying on your reactions. There's not a lot of thought that goes into it. And he doesn't put himself in those positions to score those goals a ton. But he didn't have two of them in this one.
00:15:02
Speaker
And he, Jordan, I got to say he was playing with a fire. He was playing with sort of an energy that we don't see all the time from him. You know, he was arguing with the referees. He was demo. He was, he was exuding energy, which was, and it wasn't sort of slump shoulders. It wasn't negative energy. It was like, let's go. Let's, you know, it was, it looked like a different player, frankly. He,
00:15:27
Speaker
Yeah, you know, I saw some people ah very oddly criticizing him, I guess, because he didn't finish a chance that he had late in the game. But the centers are in this game. Let's be really clear, almost exclusively because of Jordan Morris's play. He was involved in virtually every dangerous chance they had either by making a run to free up space for someone else, or being part of the buildup, or being on the end of a chance. He was the by far the most influential player on the Sounders in this game.
Sounders' Offensive Strategy
00:16:05
Speaker
If he's not on the field, I am willing to say they probably lose this game one zero two zero and it's an even more frustrating result than it is that said he gets them up to one
00:16:16
Speaker
And really, I thought they, they weren't cruising, but they were come reasonably comfortable. Like they were the ones creating more of the danger, even though they weren't, they like, if there was a frustration, and I think this is a fair frustration, they didn't possess the ball. They didn't do a very good job of sort of just grinding down San Jose. They sort of were getting out on the counter attack and they were creating chances, which is good, but they weren't doing the kind of just.
00:16:47
Speaker
grinding debt like I get that's good I think that's the term I'm looking for they they were not giving San Jose this sort of sense of what are we doing here and that's sort of what they did against or against supporting Kansas City on on Sunday that's what they've done against you know when they've looked especially when they're playing against opponents who are worse than them and they have a ah Let's be real, theyve they've made, they're where they are right now because they've done a great job of beating teams like the Earthquakes, especially at home over the last few months.
00:17:20
Speaker
Yeah. The knock has been that they're flat track bullies, right? The knock has been that they can't beat the teams ahead of and them in the table. Right. Exactly. And that said, somehow they manage, they do have a few of these frustrating losses, but it's, I don't know, the figuring out the Sounders this year has been yeah a real futile effort, I think. But they were creating chances and they they weren't necessarily, like I said, they were it didn't seem like they were in control, like really firmly in control, but they did seemed like the team that was more likely to score again.
Substitution and Player Impact
00:17:52
Speaker
And they had a few really good chances of score. i You know, ah around the 63rd minute, Georgi Minungu and Reed Baker Whiting come in ah for Pedro de la Vega and Paul Rothrock.
00:18:06
Speaker
I don't know. I, I was okay with those moves. De La Vega. This was his longest outing of the season of the entire season, 63 minutes, which is not, which is not a lot, but I thought he looked okay in the first half. he He was not super influential during his close to 20 minutes of the second half. And I was totally okay with him coming out. Rothrock also wasn't doing a whole lot in the second half.
00:18:30
Speaker
Minungu seems on paper to me, seems like exactly the kind of player you want to bring in against the earthquakes. And every time he got the ball on the wing, there was danger created. So I think like he brought energy. You know, he does he he does not have the refinement that you would like, but he's still you know, he he came very close to connecting with Jordan on a cross that would have sealed it. He had a couple other good looks. I was just rewatching this almost right before we were recorded. And I will say there was one big, I had one big frustrating moment with Georgie Monongo. And this is on the play where Josh Atencio sort of dribbles the length of the field almost and creates a chance for himself. And he had, and that in real time, it felt like maybe he should have passed it off to Morris. I feel very comfortable watching the replay that
00:19:20
Speaker
passing to Morris was not the right play there. Morris was well-marked. I think Atencio probably took advantage of that and tried to beat Danielle near post. What's frustrating though, is Menungo plays himself offside almost like at no, almost at no point does he get himself into an onside position and make himself available. And if he had, they didn't have the numbers to defend him.
00:19:47
Speaker
yeah Even if he's on side, it forces it forces everyone to sort of react differently to him, but he's so far offside that I don't even think the defense pays attention to him because he is a non-factor in the play.
00:19:59
Speaker
Yeah. And that's a weird one because it's like, there are a lot of things where you see a younger, more inexperienced player do something and then it's like, well, they'll adjust to the league, but like the offside rule is the same everywhere. Right. So that's, that's definitely a frustrating one. Um, and yeah, I mean, the choice there, if he's on side is either you have an unmarked guy at the far post. Right.
00:20:17
Speaker
Or you have one guy on Morris, right? ah And it's it's definitely, um yeah, that's that's definitely frustrating. I mean, he's he's so fun to watch in a way that is going to become very frustrating, I think. If you're still doing this stuff in, you know, frankly, in ah and a few more weeks, it's yeah it might cease to be fun.
00:20:41
Speaker
Yeah, um there's, I mean, it's, i I made a joke in the discord that he's basically playing like a FIFA player career because he's, oh, he's taking everybody on. yeah He's trying some really ostentatious stuff. And I'm totally fine with that being his game. And it's like, I think the kind of dynamic player that the sounders have been missing and that that they can really benefit from bringing in off the pitch or bringing off the bench.
00:21:08
Speaker
But you have to have a tangible outcome at some point. Like you have to get an assist. You have to get a goal. ah He did. I think I thought he he had a couple of good passes. Like you said, he had one that it ended up just getting caught by the keeper, but it was sort of floated ball to the far post. Yeah, this is what i was talking was where he was playing it to Morris. Yeah. um So i it's not like he is hopeless with the final ball at all. And I think that there is.
00:21:36
Speaker
some segment of the fan base that feels like, yeah, he's, he's a lot of fun to watch, but he just can't do anything once he gets into the final third. And I don't, I don't think that that's true necessarily, but you do have to have output. Like you have to at least have set up and a shot. Yeah. and Yeah. And he's, you know, and let's be, he's getting close to 200 total minutes in MLS play. It's not like, this is, we're still very early, you know, he's got a basically two games of experience at the MLS level.
00:22:05
Speaker
he's you know he uh he's there's time I don't I don't want to be I don't want to rush to judgment and he's 22 it's entirely possible that you know he I although it does it does seem telling it seems telling that this is a guy who was not on the roster three weeks ago and he is now the first option off the bench which yeah either tells me the cylinders are not really feeling great about their bench options or they are maybe made a mistake by not signing him earlier. Now, i I think that was an organizational decision. I'm not pinning that on one person. All indications I have heard is that they sort of didn't want to bring him in any earlier than they had to because they wanted to
00:22:56
Speaker
keep open the possibility of bringing someone in from outside the organization. But I'm a little skeptical that they didn't know he wasn't, they weren't going to sign someone until like literally after the window closed. So yeah it feels like maybe they should have brought him in earlier. I don't necessarily think he would have changed any results, but he would have gotten a little bit more time with the first team. I don't know. That's, that's not, I don't want to get too bogged down in that, but it is,
00:23:25
Speaker
It's a little, at least a little concerning that he is clearly the best option off the bench.
Fatigue and Squad Rotation
00:23:31
Speaker
And somewhat related to that, the Sounders didn't rotate this lineup almost at all from Sunday. They were on two days rest. They started nine of the same 11 players. The two changes they made were new who for Reed Baker Whiting and Pedro de la Vega for Minungo. And it, it It did feel a little bit like the sounders were sluggish. It did not feel like they were sharp. Even if you were to make one more change, I think making a change in the central midfield, probably playing a tensio, maybe for Obed, maybe for Christian. but one of the and And I did not think Obed had a great game in this one. This it felt like an obvious, almost...
00:24:17
Speaker
especially in in hindsight, seeing us and seeing how Josh played. Josh, I thought, looked really good, really energetic. yeah ah As you would expect, he hadn't you know he he hasn't played much he hasn't played a ton since the the crew game.
00:24:33
Speaker
It felt like yeah maybe this was a would have been a good game to start. And I don't quite understand, you know, b Brian has gotten better about subbing early, like he is routinely making subs around the 65th minute at this point. That's great. I think that's ah that's a positive. But he is almost even getting more dead set on a core group of starters, eight or nine guys who are gonna start no matter what.
00:25:03
Speaker
And maybe a bit of a little bit in this one. Yeah. And I think I was, I defended the decision to keep Obed in the lineup with no game this weekend. Um, and I still think it was defensible. It's defensible for sure. I do wonder why he's playing 82 minutes, right? Like if you're going to start him again on, on that short arrest, right maybe give him 60 minutes, right? Because I think if Atencio comes in at the same time as Reed Baker Whiting and George Munungu, that he probably has more of an impact. I mean, he would definitely have more of an impact on the game, right? Because he would get another 20 minutes. Or maybe he comes in with Reed and you give Munungu, you know, you let Rothrock stay on the field a little bit longer. Yeah.
00:25:55
Speaker
I don't know. ah Yeah. It felt like the I didn't think the subs were necessarily wrong. I just. And I know Brian took a lot of heat from the fan base about his subbing pattern. I felt more that was the starting lineup that could have used some some rotation that said.
00:26:16
Speaker
You know, Jordan has, I think that maybe the most surprising sort of pseudo iron man that the centers have is Jordan Morris, who has basically played every single game the centers have played over the last four months, 23 games in that time. He's averaging like almost 85 minutes a game and he does not look any worse for wear.
00:26:37
Speaker
No, I mean, he's, he's still running hard at the end of every game. Uh, he's still, to me, looked like the most likely player to score late in the game. It's, it's pretty impressive. Um, he he's a guy who he's obviously had two major injuries. And so it's.
00:26:55
Speaker
it's It's probably not accurate to say that he's been a super durable player, but when he hasn't been recovering from one of those injuries, I think he's been ah a reasonably durable player. but i mean He's had his fair share of hamstring injuries. He's had a fair share of like muscle type of injuries. and you know You knock on wood, you never know when that stuff's going to come back, but he just seems like he's in so much... He feels like a much more durable player right now than he's ever been. To me, he looks...
00:27:25
Speaker
fitter. Yeah, generally. Yeah, he he it felt that times over the last couple years, like maybe he was a little too booked up. Yeah, um I couldn't see that. And I think he maybe he's found like a good balance for his body of like, he's still much stronger than he was in 2016, 2017, for example. Um, but he doesn't look like quite as much of a brick, a brick house as he did, yeah you know, maybe in, in 2021.
Morris' Role and Performance
00:27:52
Speaker
Um, and yeah, I mean, I think, you know, also as, as I love to, to say players are injury prone until they're not, they're durable until they're not. So yeah hopefully we're not, you know, tempting fate here, but.
00:28:05
Speaker
I do think that there's something to the idea that guys sometimes just kind of learn how to take care of themselves a little better um you know and just kind of grow into their into their careers and get to know their bodies more. um And so hopefully that's the case because I think that Jordan's value is obviously, he scores goals. you know I think he's he's done really well with hold up play, all the other less glamorous forward work. But I think that being able to know that that he's going to be able to start and play a lot of minutes when Raul has never been that guy. Clint Dempsey was certainly never that guy. Oboe was, I mean, he, you know, he wasn't necessarily that guy either. It's really been since Freddie Monteiro that the Sounders have had a striker that you felt pretty confident was going to be able to play pretty much every game. And it's a very, it's a nice luxury to have. And and it should absolutely be mentioned that he is on a
00:29:03
Speaker
easily the best scoring form of his career, the most extended scoring form of his career. It was like two months ago that I said something similar where it's like, oh, we've never seen Jordan go on a two month run like he's on right now. It's now been four months. He's got 16 goals, three assists in that four months. He's averaging almost a goal contribution per a game. It's like 8.89 goal contributions per 90 minutes.
00:29:29
Speaker
He is currently tied for fifth in MLS in non penalty goals. He's got 13. He is. got an outside chance of tying the single season record for and MLS goals, which is 17 for the Sounders. He's got a maybe better chance of becoming the first sounder to score 20 all competition goals. He's currently on 17. There's a chance that he will pass Raul Rui Diaz this year in terms of
00:30:03
Speaker
the Sounders franchise scoring record. He's on 83. He's three behind. Uh, Raul Rui Diaz. So, you you know, this could be really a breakout year for, for Jordan Morris in a lot of ways. And I, it's so funny because I, I'm reminded of this. People were sort of critiquing the Sounders signing him to a extension when we were sort of going through, okay, what mistakes have the Sounders made recently? And more than a few people have pointed out, well, I don't know why you signed Jordan to a five-year contract. He's going to just get worse every year of his contract. Well, last year he tied his career high for goals. This year he said his career high for goals. He's still not, I don't think he's 30 yet. I think he turns 30 next season. He's 29 now.
00:30:45
Speaker
ah You know, he's he's potentially got, yohi there's an entirely a realistic scenario where he is productive all the way through the end of his contract. And I don't know, right now it looks like he's doing everything you could ask for as a number nine.
00:31:00
Speaker
Yeah, he has equaled Raul's single season best for non penalty goals. ah He's three shy of Oba's single season best for non penalty goals. And he doesn't have the sporting cast so bad in the attack. No, he definitely did not. I know people get tired of me talking about Jordan as a number nine, and but i I do not understand what else he has to do.
00:31:25
Speaker
and I mean, i get the the only argument I suppose for moving Jordan to the wing is there's this belief, which I don't think is really supported by evidence, but there's a belief that he will be just as productive coming off the wing as he is as a number nine. I don't know that that's true. I am skeptical of that assumption. I i can only hope that if they I mean, ah don't get me wrong, if they can go out and sign a Really great number nine. I think you can justify moving Jordan to the wing, but I think you can just as easily go out and find a very good winger who supports Morris. Thank you for listening to the Sound Rit Heart Podcast Network, which now includes No Sunny at This, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild.
00:32:16
Speaker
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00:32:55
Speaker
Thanks for listening. I think that the case for signing a striker and and having it be the right decision is we can get a guy that's good enough to offset the loss in production because we have a lot of evidence that Jordan Morris is going to produce at one level on the wing and another level centrally. We have a long, you know, many, many games of evidence that that is true, that he's going to score more goals playing centrally.
00:33:25
Speaker
ah So you have to offset that. And you also have to offset the fact that his skill set is probably going to age more poorly on the wing than it will at Stryker. So you might get fewer productive years out of them. And that's not to say that there's not a number nine out there that can make those trade-offs worth it, right right? But this idea that a marginal upgrade on Jordan makes it means that that's the move to make. I just I don't I don't understand that. That but yeah because you're and I do think that there's sort of become this accepted fact.
00:33:59
Speaker
that Jordan is not a number nine. Of course, of course Jordan isn't a number nine. It's it's almost a given a certain among a certain sort of pundit class. Frankly, I think even with internally within the sounders, I think there's still people in the organization that it's like, well, obviously we got to go get a number nine. Is that obvious? I don't know that it is. I would hope that the sounders are are giving some second thought to that because he is playing... Look, I mean, if Raul Ruiz Diaz,
00:34:29
Speaker
If we had a 29-year-old striker not named Jordan Morris putting up the numbers that Jordan Morris is putting up right now, there would not be a question that it was the right just that he's the guy. it's Just no it's it's it's like just like take his name out of it and put look at the numbers. it is if if we had another we have never I don't know that the centers have ever had a striker going on ah on a run like he is on where he's got 19 goal contributions in 23 games. I I don't know that that role ever did that i I haven't checked so maybe he did but I'm sure no one else I know I don't think over everyone on a run like that. I know Eddie Johnson never went on a run like that and these are players that we never questioned as a number nine.
00:35:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think that that's the thing for me, that it's like, look, if you want to say, I think we can do better at that position, fine. Like, obviously you can. There are obviously better strikers. But the idea that he is not a striker and that he shouldn't be playing there and that he's being played out of position is
Playoff Implications and Defensive Concerns
00:35:30
Speaker
crazy. It is absolutely crazy to me. If you move him to the wing, that's where he's out of position.
00:35:36
Speaker
In 2016, 2016, Jordan Morris and MLS probably should have been playing on the wing. He didn't have a physicality yet. he He had better breakaway speed and he was able to lean on that pretty heavily as he got accustomed to the league. That happens a lot in the sport where younger guys play on the wing until they kind of grow into their game and then move back centrally. That's not uncommon.
00:35:59
Speaker
nobody Nobody ever questioned where whether Terry Henry was a nine, right? Even though he started on the wing and and moved centrally. it's just I think it's just something people have decided to double down on that is no longer supported by any kind of enemy. I do think there's there's something else. I think people want to see him the And obviously the irony is that he's, he's got a bunch of playoff goals. He's got goals in big games. He doesn't have a bunch of goals against Portland. He doesn't have a bunch of goals against LAFC. I suppose it's literally that simple, like score a couple of goals against Portland, scored a couple of goals against LAFC. You're our number nine. Again, it could be like, yeah I do think there is a illogic
00:36:41
Speaker
to that kind of thinking. and And maybe that's what, you know, like, let's say he goes out and has a hat trick in the season finale against the Portland. Let me manifest that into reality. Jordan Morris is going to score a hat trick against Portland in the season finale. All the questions about whether or not he's a number nine go away and we we move on our armory way. But this ended up being a ah pretty significant diversion. We should probably talk about where the game fell apart in this one.
00:37:11
Speaker
And that is a a play that it doesn't come from nothing, but it, it doesn't really come from something either. Uh, they, you know, it's, it's a little bit of possession that San Jose has. They move the ball into the wing and.
00:37:31
Speaker
basically Jeremy Obobasi is able to get a head start on Christian Roldan who tries to close down the cross. This is not a, this is the kind of play that happens a half dozen times in a game where a winger, like Christian, I don't really blame Christian for not closing down that cross better because he's never really, like yeah he's not in a dangerous position, frankly.
00:37:57
Speaker
But what happened, the play gets made is that Paul Marie starts out on the far top of the penalty area and Alex Roldan is sort of aware that he's there, but he's more focused on where the ball is than where Maria is. And Maria is able to sort of like ghost around him and get goal side, which you can't You can't let him do. You can't let him get goal side. But really to me, the the most egregious thing about this play, the Sounders, both center backs are in a position that they should be able to either cut out the cross or impede Marie's run so that he's not able to just go directly to the spot that he wants to get to.
00:38:40
Speaker
right Yaymar specifically is in a position where if he just takes a couple more steps, he's a he should be able to cut out that cross. He does not cut out that cross. Marie gets inside. Alex rolled on. And then the other thing I was I've watched a bunch of times. I'm not quite sure what Steph Fry is reading because he dives the wrong way. He's got the near post covered. He almost dives out of the way of the shot. I don't know why. like what about, and maybe I'm just not, like I don't give a, I'm not, Steph Fry clearly sees something that I'm not seeing, but I don't know what he sees that he is convinced that but Paul Murray is going to hit it back to the middle of the of the goal because to me it seems like the danger is very clearly the near post. Steph Fry is not on the near post at that point.
00:39:31
Speaker
No, he's not. And ah he had been, which makes it yes makes it a lot more frustrating. He definitely had that covered. Another just, I think, really frustrating, but uncharacteristic goal for them to give up. It's the kind of this is the exact kind of play that a defense like the Sounders and Brian Fletcher said this, they drill this exact kind of thing all the time. Yeah. Because it's the kind of goal you just can't give up. you just It has to be because it's it It is the kind of goal that you can't give up because it's the kind of goal you can't give up. Right. It's just one of those things. with this it's It's playground stuff. Right, exactly. This is the kind this is the exact kind of goal. The first goal, that happens sometimes. Sometimes there's a miscommunication. Sometimes there's a play where you get boxed out. You're you're trying to box out a guy and the guy is 6'10", and he reaches his foot around you. Look, that it's an ugly play, but it happens.
00:40:28
Speaker
Yeah, this is the exact kind of play that good defenses just they don't give that goal up because it's yeah, it is a textbook kind of attacking play that you can practice against there is nothing unexpected that happens in that play like Paul Murray, maybe you can say he makes a slightly clever run because he sort of fakes one way and he he curls around This is the exact kind of run that players are. Coach to make and defense is our coach to stop. I don't, it's infuriating to watch it unfold. Yeah. This is the kind of goal that Chris Wandalowski made a career out of scoring. Right. Palmery is not Chris Wandalowski. He is not. No. Palmery is not a forward. Palmery is a defender scoring the school. It's just, it's crazy. It's crazy to allow a goal like this. And I think.
00:41:20
Speaker
The best I can do is that this is the kind of goal that a team that is extremely tired gives up. Yeah. And I don't think there's just, that's not a satisfying excuse because there's no reason to have a bunch of tired players out there. Right. Uh, it's yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's very frustrating. And also, I mean, John Bell's on the field, right? Like, um, it's, it's, it's not like everyone in the defense was, was exhausted, but.
00:41:50
Speaker
I think most of the people culpable for the goal were exhausted. And yeah, it's just, it's a real gut punch because like you said, it's not like San Jose hadn't done anything, but they hadn't done anything of note. Like, no, I felt extremely comfortable.
00:42:06
Speaker
at that point in the game. I did not see any way they were scoring a goal at that point in the game. Unless it came from not like the only way I like I was worried to the degree that I'm always worried about a one goal lead late in games because I don't really get a free kick and all of a sudden they bang in a free kick or or ah ah a weird penalty happens or whatever, right? You're always nervous about something like that happen.
00:42:28
Speaker
But this was not, this was the kind of, like the Sounders were not under a lot of pressure. They were not, you know, they did not have a lot of possession. They were, I was possessed 60 to 40 basically in the second half, which is bad. This is the earthquakes are not, are the least or one of the least possession heavy teams in league. So to give up that much possession is annoying. yeah It wasn't like San Jose was putting the Sounders under any significant pressure at all.
00:42:54
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I think what you want to see for the Sounders, because the Sounders at a certain point made the decision that they were going to try to kill off a game, which I think is totally justifiable. It's not like they stopped trying to attack at all, but they definitely went into protect mode, right? Well, they were, yeah, they they were, they, they were drop guys and then look for a counter. That's. Yeah. But if you're going to, when you do have possession and and what you're trying to do is kill off a game, you need to make the other team work.
00:43:24
Speaker
Right. You have to make them chase shadows, make them tire themselves out. That's the whole point of keeping the ball in a game state like that. And it just didn't feel like the Sounders were doing that at all at all. No, I i would be willing to bet they did not have any. Ten past sequences after the 65th minute. Yeah, either just go back into a shell and absorb pressure and maybe look to spring a counter.
00:43:53
Speaker
or have some purposeful possession. But it's like they just were kind of in this halfway between mode where, you know, they didn't want to fully sit back, but they also were content letting San Jose have the ball. And that's fine until it's not like it. Ultimately, I think the failure there's there's plenty of.
00:44:12
Speaker
blame to go around, but I think ultimately the failure is letting San Jose score the most basic ass-goal you're ever going to see. Right. yeah and and and Yeah. And it's a costly two. The thing that's really frustrating about it is, sure, there's a temptation to, okay, it's two points. Two points, right? Yeah. But it's not, it's like, this playoff race will, two points, I guarantee, guarantee,
00:44:41
Speaker
Wherever they finish, they could be finishing higher if they had two more points. did man Maybe it's third and they could have been second. Maybe it's eighth and they could have been seventh. It could be any it could be anything in between there, but I guarantee you two points is going to end up making a difference. so and hey If they run the table from here on out, maybe you you you chalk it up and you go, like okay, well whatever.
00:45:03
Speaker
like you can always point to a game. But more likely scenario is that they're going to get somewhere between six and 10 points in these last few games. And these two points are going to be huge, like absolutely. ah They could be the difference. I mean, it ends up being the difference between the fifth and fourth seed. I think that's almost a worst case scenario.
00:45:27
Speaker
Because that's ah like that's the biggest, to me, that's the biggest sort of gap in where you're finished because you're either hosting two games in the first round or you're going on the road in two games in the first round. And if we learned anything from the first year of this best of three series is that being at home is a huge, huge advantage in the first round.
00:45:46
Speaker
so I don't know. It's it's really frustrating to they lost these two points. It's it's really frustrating that they and I guess we should talk about this too. This is now the fourth game this year where they have dropped points late in the and ah for a home game.
00:46:06
Speaker
Yeah. Do you make anything out of that? And I will add the caveat here that they have five one goal victories on the road. All of those victories came where they were having to hold a late lead. So they are clearly capable of doing it, but they have not done it at all at home. ah They have two one goal wins at home. Both of those games featured late winners.
00:46:32
Speaker
Anyway, do is this is this another statistical quirk or is there something to this? I think probably it's a statistical quirk, but i'm a little I'm inclined to believe that maybe there is an explanation for this one more more so than the San Jose flukiness, I guess. um if If all of their weight drop points at home were similar,
00:47:00
Speaker
I would be maybe a little more inclined to think it's a trend, but the RSL game, they had been getting stomped for a significant amount of time. Yeah. And the Rapids game was kind of the same thing. Yeah. Those were games where they were hanging on. This was not that kind of game. What was the other one where they dropped points on? The other game was Vancouver, where they gave up a late penalty.
00:47:23
Speaker
Right. Right. Which was maybe more similar to this one where they, I mean, yeah Vancouver was not in that game except for the fact that the centers couldn't score. And then they just sort of gave away a late penalty senselessly. Yeah. Um, yeah, that that one's coming back to me now, unfortunately. And I do think that that that this is, that was similar to the Vancouver game. And like you said, like, or the, sorry, the San Jose game and that they weren't holding back so the flood, you know, it wasn't a damn bursting kind of situation. It was.
00:47:53
Speaker
a goal coming from not a whole lot of danger and in a game where the sounders look pretty comfortable. um I think that in this one at least, I do think that fatigue was probably a factor to some degree ah and and just not having the focus late on that that allowed them to allow a run like that and a goal like that. um But I don't know. i just it's It's so frustrating to not have something to point to.
00:48:22
Speaker
Mm hmm. Because those eight points are huge. They're there. I mean, it's literally the difference between being in first guy with the galaxy in first or being in fifth. Yeah, absolutely. And I especially like the ah RSL game, ah that Vancouver game. Those games came at a time when people just like really needed some positivity. I think if they beat RSL, people feel a lot better about this team now. I think if they won that game, uh, because the Sounders hadn't turned the corner in like the a perceptible way at that point, right? Um, the Vancouver game, same kind of deal. Uh, and so, and back to back home games, there are at least back to back home games. Yeah, I think so. And I think if the vibes are better at that point in the year and their team is more confident, do they,
00:49:21
Speaker
go on this run a little early and and earlier and put themselves in a better position.
Addressing Late Game Concessions
00:49:25
Speaker
so it's just It's very frustrating. um I have a feeling that if there is a cause, it is occupying Brian Schmetzer's thoughts pretty much 24-7, trying to figure out what that cause is because it's just not a thing you can be doing. you know it's No, it's it's not. um it's It's so frustrating and I think if they win this game,
00:49:50
Speaker
It's really tempting to feel really, really good about this team. And this was just a reminder that they they they do have some problems. um And I think it's important not to look too much into that, right? Because LAFC dropped points to Austin. The Galaxy lost to the Timbers. The Rapids got run. The Rapids got run at Sporting Games of City. Yeah. I mean, bad teams beat good teams in MLS all the time. And the Sounders didn't even lose this game, right? They just dropped points.
00:50:19
Speaker
Um, this is just the kind of shit that happens in this league and it, you just kind of have to deal with it to to some degree, but there has been so much. Well, that's just the kind of shit that happens in this league. Yeah. I don't blame people for being sick of it. I'm sick of it. hi yeah And I think from an analytical standpoint, I'm willing to chalk it up to just one of those things, but from.
00:50:45
Speaker
You know, as a fan, I'm, I'm tired of it. I'm yeah tired of watching this kind of stuff. the I mean, I, I, I have not gone back and checked this, but I am pretty sure, like I, I assure you the sounders have never dropped so many points on Lake equalizers as they had you know a season. They may have done it more times this year than they had at home in their entire history. Frank, like it's happening. Wait, whether or not there is a analytical part of it.
00:51:14
Speaker
I don't we don't even need to get into that. and But it's so it's absolutely infuriating. And I yeah i like the analytics ah part of it probably says, look, goals come at all points in the game. There's nothing more significant about doing it in the 89th minute than doing it in the 50th minute.
00:51:32
Speaker
But it's a whole lot more frustrating. It's a whole lot more frustrating. And it sucks. And I would really like it to stop. That said, if the centers feel like they need to add an insurance goal, i'm I'm fine with that. ah But man, it is...
00:51:53
Speaker
it's It's annoying. it's it's this was This was an annoying one, and it's it's made even more annoying because they don't have a game this weekend, so they have 10 days off, and they're gonna have to watch.
Critical Upcoming Matches
00:52:05
Speaker
all All the teams that are around them in the playoffs are gonna be playing games this weekend, and invariably, one or two of them are gonna win, and the centers, they're gonna lose ground either from below or above, or maybe both.
00:52:20
Speaker
They could very easily, the next time the Sounders play, they could be in seventh place. I believe that's the farthest they can drop before they, yeah, I think they can only get, they can drop all the way to, I think to seventh next time they play. They're going to be playing home against Houston. That is a huge, huge game. I mean, absolutely almost literally must win game, not from a making the playoffs perspective. they' The Sounders are going to make the playoffs that much is almost guaranteed at this point.
00:52:48
Speaker
But where they finish is very much up in the air. And if they want to end the goal, I think should be finishing fourth. And if they have any hope of finishing fourth, they absolutely have to win this Houston game. They probably need to get.
00:53:03
Speaker
two or three points from the two road games against the rapids and Vancouver. And they absolutely will have to win the Portland game. The season finale, like that game, yeah the nightmare scenario, I suppose is that the four or five spot is on the line.
00:53:20
Speaker
in the, in the, uh, Portland game and there, those, these two teams are are playing for that four or five spot and the center that, but that's like the best case scenario. Like if the centers are playing for the four or five spot in the season finale, that might be the best case scenario because I don't think there's a real plausible path to getting higher than fourth at this point.
00:53:40
Speaker
Probably not. I mean, it's it's possible if they run the table. hospital But I don't think it's like it's it doesn't seem likely. No, which sucks because I think if they if they hang on to that that game last night, I'm almost betting on it. You know, it's ah it's really bad. and And I would say I don't care if the Sounders had wrapped up the supporter shield a month ago, beating Portland at home in that finale is a must-win game. No, it is. so that i just know It would be nice if it wasn't so much writing on it. Right. Right. But i mean that's what I'm saying, right? is It's like that's like, you have to be Portland at home. Finally, right? It can't go on like this. No. no and And the fact that it's not just that, writing on it, but really critical playoff positioning,
00:54:30
Speaker
Uh, it's just so frustrating that it's gotten to this point after I had started to feel really, really good about the team again. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I had, I had talked about in my last column, I had talked about how, okay, that it feels like they have.
00:54:46
Speaker
They sort of turned a corner because Sporting Kansas City was almost exactly the kind of team that San Jose was, except for better. San Jose is a worse version of Sporting Kansas City. The Sounders basically dismantled Sporting Kansas City. And then they come around and they definitely did not dismantle San Jose. Frankly, based on the run of play, like they were maybe a little lucky to even get 2-2. If Jordan doesn't score those two goals,
00:55:16
Speaker
I don't, I, I don't think they find another goal in this one. Probably not. No. I mean, they, they had some decent chances, I guess. Um, the, the, the ball that Leva put in that Yemar almost got to. Yeah. I mean, it was yeah i wouldn that was, that that I mean, that would have been pretty sweet. wait Jordan, Jordan did have a decent chance that Menungu, uh, helped set up. Yeah. I mean, um, they had, so but they weren't great chances. No, they they weren't in great chances you were knocking on the door all night, you know, um,
00:55:47
Speaker
Yeah, it's, I still think this is a good team.
Playoff Readiness and Team Potential
00:55:52
Speaker
This result doesn't change that. I think that the sporting Kansas city result, the the Columbus result to to some degree, I guess, uh, you know, those those are much more indicative of the kind of team this is, but.
00:56:04
Speaker
This was a reminder that they they ride the edge. They are absolutely riding the edge. they are absolutely play you know ah they you know that's That's why you want to make a move in the summer, right? Is so you can create a little bit more wiggle room. yeah ah and you know i think they you know they there's a I don't want to catastrophize or anything, I'm just trying to be realistic about what the last four games looks like. And it looks a lot different if they have two more points than what they have. ah The West does feel relatively wide open.
00:56:49
Speaker
I, I hope the sounders get a chance to play the galaxy in the playoffs. I'll just say that like I, I am not like I, I will take the sounders chances against the galaxy. I'll take the chances of sounders chances against frankly, anyone in the West. Uh, I'm not looking forward to playing LAFC, but I feel like they might be due. Yeah. The thing with the sounders that is so frustrating.
00:57:18
Speaker
And it's exciting too, at the same time, is that I think they can beat any team in MLS. There is a reality where the Sounders go into the playoffs as the five seed and win the MLS Cup. And I don't think it's that far fetched, right? i means yeah sure It's why you watch, right? it's it's yeah There's also a reality where they lose the playing game because they can also lose anything in MLS. and And the game is going to look pretty much the same whether like every win on the way to the MLS cup is going to look more or less the same as that game where they lose the playing game. Right. And that's just, that's just who they are. And I hope it's not who they are next year. There are a lot of things I like about this team.
00:58:01
Speaker
I think that they are fundamentally a good team. I don't think they're far away, but they have got to give themselves some a game. Games like this are a real reminder of how they're limited. You know, like we kind of ran through the list today, but it's it's a it's a good reminder that this is a team that is flawed.
Closing and Listener Engagement
00:58:23
Speaker
And has a lot of room for improvement and.
00:58:28
Speaker
you know we'll see we will yeah see ah That's probably a good place. You know, we've gone on now for for an hour talking about yeah this yeah game, essentially. It's like an old then old-school Los Adiattas. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. yeah I think next week we're going to do a mailbag episode to sort of fill things in. So you can you can put that on your calendar. I have started trying to do more. I did an episode of SoundBytes earlier this week that you may have caught. So I don't know. I might try to start doing those again.
00:59:02
Speaker
Thanks to everyone who's been a subscriber. We have enjoyed a pretty solid renewal rate. We're now about a month past the year anniversary. So I feel pretty good about being able to say that the renewal rates are trending in a in a positive way. Probably I don't have exact numbers, but I would guess in the 90% rate. So I'm stoked about that.
00:59:28
Speaker
ah Things are, so thank you to everyone who is making this happen. ah We cannot do this without reader, listener, support. ah Thanks to our sponsor, Football Wines. ah Thanks to producer, Lickit. I am Jeremiah Schein signing off for Aaron Campo. This is no study at this. You'll never get alone.
01:00:28
Speaker
on