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Lobbing Scorchers: It's Time to Have Nouhou Discourse
340 Plays1 day ago
It’s our first L Pod of the season as the Seattle Sounders were dealt a 2-0 defeat by Western Conference nemesis Real Salt Lake. Can we chalk this up to a logjammed schedule and squad rotation or is this cause for greater concern? We debate that in our game review, then wade into the Nouhou Discourse as part of our Agenda Check after the polarizing defender scored one of the worst own goals of all time. Later on, we discuss some of the other results from Matchday 2 in MLS, including a troublingly dominant performance from Inter Miami even without the services of Lionel Messi.
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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.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. Quite the scorcher today. Well it's gonna be a scorcher.
Seattle Sounders' Recent Performance Review
00:00:22
Speaker
What's going on everybody? Welcome to episode 86 of Lobbing Scorchers. This is Ari Lillianwall and Noah. We are about to lay down our first L-Pod of 2025. How are you feeling?
00:00:34
Speaker
We got an L-Pod. We got a draw pod. We got a win pod. We're slowly sliding into a little bit of a decline, Ari. I don't know how to feel about this. We have gotten El Pod to lay down as the Seattle Sounders went down to Real Salt Lake and absolutely blasted the ball into their own goal yet again, leaving with a 2-0 defeat at America First Field.
00:00:57
Speaker
We're going to talk about that in our game review, unfortunately. We're going to dive into the new who discourse, unfortunately. We'll hit our agenda check, take the pulse of the streets. And later on, we're also going to talk some CONCACAF Champions Cup round of
Preview of Upcoming CONCACAF Match
00:01:12
Speaker
16. The Seattle Sounders start the round of 16 on Wednesday at Lumen Field against Liga, Mecky's side, Cruz Azul.
00:01:18
Speaker
Nico Moreno and I previewed that in in pretty... good detail on lobbing scorchers kickoff earlier this morning. Uh, but we're going to talk about it here as well, because I think Noah, we all want to, uh, move past what we saw on Saturday and get back to CCC because that's exciting right now. As tough a game as, uh, as that RSL game was, there is a very big, exciting match coming up on Wednesday. So we're going to talk about that. And then later on, we're going to hit some of the other results for match day two and MLS, maybe talk about, uh, some of the other CCC results.
00:01:52
Speaker
So it is a jam packed show this evening.
Podcast Network Promotion and Acknowledgments
00:01:55
Speaker
Uh, but before we get into all that, I do have to let you all know that Lobbing Scorchers is a part of the Sounder at Heart podcast network. If you want to get the best independent Seattle soccer coverage, consider supporting us by going to sounderatheart.com slash LS.
00:02:08
Speaker
That's sounderatheart.com slash LS. Scroll down to subscribe and support to get 30 days completely free. Every sign up through our link helps support and grow this show. Uh, It appears we are closing in on 100 Sounder at Heart subs.
00:02:21
Speaker
ah So now more than ever, it's a great time to become a member with the season in full swing. Subscribers also now get access to the audio only versions of our live shows right to your podcast feed. That is a big perk.
00:02:32
Speaker
um Noah, we got any new subs to thank? We do. Oh, hell We have one new sub. Let's go. Let's shoot for two this week, but we got one for this week. Ryan Van Leier.
00:02:43
Speaker
Ryan, thank you so much for becoming Sounder at Heart member. Thank you, Ryan. Appreciate all the support. love to see ah um Love to see that spreadsheet just always growing.
00:02:55
Speaker
Music to my eyes. Music to your eyes. Also, shout out to our sponsors, Hacks and Ferments, Podium Menswear, and Full Pull Wines. ah If you haven't done so yet,
00:03:09
Speaker
Like the video sub to the YouTube. ah Follow us on all socials. Am I missing anything? I think that's it. Let's get into it. I don't know. Probably.
Lineup Choices and Game Strategy Debate
00:03:17
Speaker
We're always missing something. all Let's lay down the L pod. No, we also saw like to the Seattle Sounders zero. Let's do our lineup reaction before we get into the key moments of this game.
00:03:30
Speaker
pretty rotated, but not fully rotated, right? You had a John Bell start. You had the Cosa Rienzi debut and you had the Georgie Roth, rock duo on the wings. What was your lineup?
00:03:41
Speaker
What was your lineup? What was your reaction when you saw this lineup? Noah, I was, um, was a little confused. I mean, I understood the reasoning behind rotating here, but I was just a little bit, I was a little bit surprised that they would throw this much of a rotated lineup out, to be honest with i thought it was less rotated than i would have thought.
00:04:02
Speaker
And now that I know how it panned out, I wish they had rotated it more. Because you essentially got a game that you punted. while throwing out more of your, you know, like this, there Jordan Morris was out there. Albert Rusnak was out there. You had the wingers rotated, but you had Christian out there. You had Obed out there and ah you had the first choice back line. Sands, Alex rolled on who KKR went for him.
00:04:29
Speaker
But I mean, I don't know. um I think ah in actuality, it's pretty much about as rotated as I would expect, but certainly not a first choice 11 with De La Vega and Ferreira.
00:04:42
Speaker
I was shocked at ferre out of my like that He played at the end. I mean, didn't start, I guess is what I meant to say there. Like I was really thinking that this is his time to eat.
00:04:53
Speaker
You know what i mean? he was He was like an oil baron against this team in the past with FC Dallas. I was just expecting Brian would be like, okay, yeah, Jordan Morris, you are getting a break.
00:05:06
Speaker
Here you go. I think the explanation there is simple, which is just that they're saving him for CCC. I don't know if there's a fitness issues that necessitate him not playing a full load on the weekend ahead of a Wednesday match. That's, But either way, I didn't I didn't mind in principle putting a rotated lineup out there. In fact, I think that was that was a necessity in this situation with CCC on the horizon.
Critical Game Analysis and Player Performance Review
00:05:36
Speaker
And frankly, think it was a good opportunity for depth test to see how this team would handle a situation like this. And I think if I have a concern coming out of this game, it's that they did not handle it.
00:05:50
Speaker
Well, no at all. No. Uh, so let's get into why that took place. Uh, go over the key moments in this one. Uh, I mean, obviously the moment of this game was the eighth minutes opener courtesy of an own goal from new who clinical finish. Let's just break down this play because it really is an unbelievable play.
00:06:10
Speaker
um there it was ah There's a throw-in, right? And the guy hits in a... RSL guy hits in a cross that um there's ah there's no runner there.
00:06:21
Speaker
Right. It was within right within proximity of Stephen Fry where he could easily come off his line to swoop that right up. And ah Seattle could have just gone about their day.
00:06:32
Speaker
Yeah. Instead, knew who... flies in out of nowhere. think he said he, or he indicated that he didn't hear Stefan Fry call him off. That is a very basic, like goalkeeper defender communication moment where the goalkeeper says that he has it and the defender lets the ball go. He must, he must not have heard him.
00:06:52
Speaker
I still don't understand what he was doing. but Even if he, even if you did, he like if, even if you didn't hear him, he's in your line of sight, is he not? He must, he must have somehow not seen him or heard him.
00:07:05
Speaker
and they but Or even known that there's supposed to be a goalkeeper in the goal? Because I don't understand. Even taking that into account, it was like a flicked header. and du It was clinical. It was a clinical finish. If you look at the picture they took of it, he looks like a striker.
00:07:20
Speaker
Yeah. He looks like a striker on in a 1v1 with the goalkeeper. Diego Luna is in the background with his mask, but he's nowhere near either Fry or Nuhu. Nuhu is a better finisher in this game than Diego Luna. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:32
Speaker
Well, by by like a million years, ah you don't want that to be the case. folks No, you don't. ah And I think what is especially kind of mystifying about this is ah no i the own goal against Charlotte. I, ah I just missed it.
00:07:50
Speaker
I said it was a fluke. I said that that probably isn't going to happen one time yeah again for the rest of the season. I also called it one of the top two to three worst ah goals conceded in Sounders history, if not the number one worst.
00:08:04
Speaker
And literally in the next league game, they conceded one that was worse. This was, yeah okay, let's debate this. New who said, Ari, I listened to the podcast. Please hold my beer.
00:08:15
Speaker
I will go down in history. Let's debate, honestly. Let's yeah debate which one was worse. Because I think there's arguments for both. i know i I think there's no question that ah the raw sequence of events, the new who one is worse. The silent one, I can understand why it was a chaotic moment.
00:08:32
Speaker
I could understand... It was a horrible giveaway by Jackson Reagan, but he's not the first CB to have a bad giveaway like that. And then Yimar, like, i and I understand what he was trying to do. He smashed it into his own net, but he's trying to clear it.
00:08:47
Speaker
This one is a totally inconsequential cross that's going right to goalkeeper and then Nuhu comes in and scores in his own goal, almost looking like he was...
00:08:59
Speaker
trying to. So it's worse. That its it is the worst one from that perspective. The argument, I think in favor of the in favor of the argument for the for the Charlotte one would be the the timing of the game. Honestly, if you're going to concede an own goal, the eighth minute is ah a better time to do it than right at the end of the game when you have you don't have an opportunity to salvage the situation.
00:09:21
Speaker
Seattle didn't end up salvaging the situation, but they at least had a chance to. Yeah. So I don know, though. it's so I mean, I guess it depends what your criteria is.
00:09:32
Speaker
But like you could also say that the ah the new who the new one, it really didn't. It just feel like it chalked the game like immediately. Yeah. so they had Yes, they had time to salvage it, but it just felt like you already put yourself so far behind the eight ball in a stadium where you never win anyway.
00:09:50
Speaker
So it almost might, might as well have been in the 90, whatever minute to lose the game. Yeah. I listen, I have to be honest with you. 100% that knew who won is worse. You, chuck yeah, if it did feel like he chalked the game, I mean the way that ah RSL play at home too, is they're just going to run you.
00:10:06
Speaker
They're just going to run you and run you and run you down and try and break you with the altitude and their pace and whatever. And the problem is when you're doing that already on a short rest, plus you're down a goal that they didn't even really earn.
00:10:22
Speaker
It's just that's just demoralizing, man. That's just so demoralizing. And frankly, got to be honest with you, Ari. if we're talking about clinical finishes, you know, I have to give the new one over the Yamar one. Cause the Yamar one, it's like, it's defensible. there's a free It's a freak. It's a freak. He's getting back to defend.
00:10:44
Speaker
There's a reason for it to be defended. You don't know if there's a trailing runner. You don't know if the ball is going to get there. It's a hectic situation. This is just run of play. Yeah. This is just like, everyone is in position.
00:10:57
Speaker
This cross comes in it was like, you know what? I'm going score today and then scores. Yeah. You know, I already made this joke to Nico, but when we said score more goals, yeah, this isn't what we meant. No, it's not what we meant.
00:11:10
Speaker
Uh, second own goal against RSL, uh, for new who were for Seattle. Uh, I think for new who, That could be true. I think he had one other one. and i think it was in 2020 or something. um Either way, um it just, it felt backbreaking, but I mean, I would say it didn't necessarily need to be. They had so much time left in the game.
00:11:31
Speaker
ah They almost, they, um they got inches from equalizing way on the play where Jordan was offside. I guess that's a good segue into the other key moments of this game. um to me, Noah, this game was obviously lost on the own goal.
00:11:48
Speaker
I would argue it was just as much lost a few minutes before when Seattle had a corner kick that Albert Rusnak put into the box. Jordan Morris ah goes up, wins the header.
00:12:00
Speaker
the ball That ball looked like it was going in to me. We'll never know. ah But Georgie from ah way, way offside position comes in to make sure it goes in, but it obviously doesn't count because he was way offside.
00:12:13
Speaker
ah In a road game like this where you are rotated, tired, got fixture congestion. You're in a building where you never win.
00:12:25
Speaker
and You're probably only realistically looking at two to three chances in a game like this that you're going to have it all. ah No matter like, uh, no matter what lineup you have out there, like just with the physical demands of what was going on and the heavy legs that we're talking about and just all the circumstances that we're talking about, you're probably only gonna get two to three of those chances at most, more likely, more like one to two.
00:12:50
Speaker
Um, you can't be offside there. Like you really can't. And it's the second time that it's happened, uh, to Seattle this season where they have laid down a perfectly executed corner kick routine. And the last guy, ah has been offside. Yamar did it, uh, earlier this season and Georgie did it this time.
00:13:12
Speaker
That literally, I know no one is going to talk about it as such. That cost the game just as much as the own goal. It did. yeah like you need If you realistically want any sort of good chance at attaining a result in this game, you can't be offside on that play.
00:13:30
Speaker
I think Georgie had a ah ah kind of a brutal one. I'm not going to lie. Like this was not this. This just shows the reality of a player like Georgie, who's not necessarily fully like fully fledged out yet like he he has so much to work on shows a lot of raw talent but you know the thing we always say all the time is like in those moments are you going to be consistent are you going to be impacting the game you want to be impacting the game but not like this i mean it's yeah you you have to know your positioning on a set piece that's like
00:14:05
Speaker
So basic, man. Like, I'm sorry. How many times are have they been drilling these routines at Long Acres? Like, if I understand, like, things are going to happen as one-offs, but now you've got two instances where you...
00:14:21
Speaker
thermoblast the ball into your own net. Yep. And two instances where you ruin really good set piece routine. I guess the, y the Yamar one, um, he actually, that, that one I think went off the poster. He didn't even make it even with the offside, but he's still like, uh, it was still,
00:14:37
Speaker
it would ah if it had gone in, it would have been, he would have blown it by being offside. And then ah this one from Georgie, he's just so far offside that, ah yeah, it's just, a I have no doubt that ah awareness stuff like that will come with game experience for Georgie. And I'm still ah excited about what I've seen from him so far this year.
00:14:58
Speaker
He's been exciting. He's been fun to watch. ah But I think the reality is ah that play cost the team a result. as much as the own goal did.
00:15:09
Speaker
And ah that might not be a popular take, but I think that's a fact. I mean, I don't think that it was the, I don't think that it costs them as much as the own goal. I think that that's, that's probably not the case. Cause I gotta be honest with you. I don't know if that ball from Jordan is going in. If Georgie makes a better run on it, then he can finish that. Absolutely. But I, I just don't know.
00:15:29
Speaker
I just don't know. People are saying that it is, but I just don't know. well you have that If you're that far offside, you have to let it go to find out. That's it. That's fair. But, you know, I think that if we're talking about more consequential, the new thing just can't be overlooked, man. That's just... Well, I'm not overlooking it. I'm just saying that ah there was ah play on the table where if they executed it, the new goal could happen and you still have... You're tied. You could... You have a...
00:15:59
Speaker
exponentially better chance at getting out of there with a point. If you either let that ball go in the net or stay on side. So, I mean, I don't know. It was just a, it was another brutal play. Uh, and again, like in succession with them doing that pretty much exact same thing in another game, which Yemar is a veteran by the way. So, uh,
00:16:19
Speaker
you can't chalk that one up to inexperience. Uh, but yeah, no, I mean, not to, uh, not to bag on the Georgie Roth rock duo, but it just wasn't, it wasn't effective. No, they were, they were bad. I don't even think that that's bagging on him. It was bad. They both looked bad.
00:16:34
Speaker
And, uh, I think that is, the concern coming out of this game is that, uh, you know, we've spoken very highly of how the team has played so far this year.
00:16:45
Speaker
And we've spoken quite highly of the depth that they've demonstrated. This was a situation where, uh, we got a case study on what it looks like when they need to lean on that depth.
00:16:57
Speaker
I don't want to use one game to fully define anybody or say that ah this team doesn't have depth or anything like that. But I wanted to see them go into and,
00:17:12
Speaker
the depth have a good showing, have a good chance at taking a result and kind of show that they can lean on a rotated lineup like that when they need to, especially because they're juggling with CCC right now.
00:17:24
Speaker
And I think the concern coming out of this game is i think they, ah they kind of showed, they kind of showed the opposite if we're being honest. So yeah. um Other key moments in this game, obviously Jordan, ah the Jordan to roost snack goal where, ah where Jordan was offside on that ball over the top.
00:17:46
Speaker
ah You could say the exact same thing. I think about Jordan on that play, as you could say about Georgie, which is that there's kind of, there's just no reason to be offside there. Uh, he, I think he missed time to run a little bit, but Schmetz even said today, like part of your job as a striker is to time those up. So that doesn't happen.
00:18:06
Speaker
And i think he was slightly offside. Some people, it was close for sure. That that's the thing is that one i think is a little more understandable because it is very tight, close call. Whereas the Georgie one, it wasn't close, so but either way, if he is literally like,
00:18:23
Speaker
you know, two inches back and on side, Seattle ties the game right there. And they could have won the game if that had, if that had counted. So that was just another crucial moment in the game where really, like I said, you're only going to get two to three chances in a game like this.
00:18:39
Speaker
Those were your two and you were offside on both of them. So
Game Reflections and Emotional Reactions
00:18:42
Speaker
can do it. can I mean, you're kind of asking to get clean sheeted. There's actually, point there's one rule already. There's like, there's like a lot of rules, but there's like one rule. It's where you're not actually allowed to be behind the last defender.
00:18:54
Speaker
And like, so like you just, you really shouldn't do that. Cause that's like basically the one rule where you're not allowed to do. I mean, if you do what I mean, it's like, well, if you do do that and you score, it's not going to count. Yeah, it doesn't count. So, but like, you know, does that go into XG? I'm not sure. We'll have to, we'll have to dive into that. Um, I have to make light of this somehow, Ari. I don't know. This was such a... I talked about the Charlotte game being brain-breaking.
00:19:18
Speaker
This was 10 times more brain-breaking, which I guess before we get to the positive positives and negatives, I wanted to ask you this. Does this make the Charlotte game look better or worse?
00:19:30
Speaker
I just, I kind of don't know how it relates to anything else like that because i don't know how much of this just real Salt Lake away curse. Real Salt Madrid. Well, they but okay. They really did not look like that in this game.
00:19:45
Speaker
They are bad. So but well, I'm going to save that for my negatives because I have, I have takes. All right. So I only had one more, ah one more moment that I wanted to talk about from this game, which, well, okay.
00:19:56
Speaker
It's a, it's actually a couple of moments. ah Pablo Mastroeni. was kind of on one in this game in a way that was kind of pissing me off. Honestly, I'll tell you what I mean.
00:20:06
Speaker
um Our ex-dog. There was, yeah, our ex-dog coach. We love Pablo here, but he was acting a little ridiculous, in my opinion. He was acting a fool. so ah There was a play where the real Salt Lake guy was trying to make a run in behind.
00:20:21
Speaker
he and Yamar are going at it. It was like a a physical one V one that they were in and they were in the box and the guy, the striker grabbed Yamar's Jersey, pulled him down and, ah was went down trying to sell a penalty, but the ref actually made a great call to realize that it was a foul on the forward and not Yamar Pablo Mastroini on the sideline is losing his mind that it should have been ah penalty kick, which first of all, if you watch the replay, that is not the case. The guy very, very obviously fouled Yamar.
00:21:00
Speaker
But on top of that, how is Pablo going to see that either way from where he's at on the sideline? yeah He's melting down and throwing a tantrum when we you we literally know for a fact that he has he had no clue. He has no clue. He has a 50-50 chance at knowing what happened there at absolute best.
00:21:16
Speaker
And he's what you know what he's doing, Noah, is throwing a tantrum for the cameras because he knows his team is overmatched. talent wise, even with Seattle rotated and crazy shit, like own goals and penalties and set pieces are the only way his team is going to win the game. So he's, he's getting ahead of it and throwing the tantrum. So if if his team blows the game, he can go and be like, Oh, well it should have been a penalty and ah makes him and his team look better. All right, whatever.
00:21:45
Speaker
That's one thing. But the one that honestly, drove me even crazier than that was, uh, there was a play where, uh, it was, it was the Jordan Rusnak offside play where, uh, the AR, the AR let the play go. They let Rusnak score the goal and then put the flag up. Right.
00:22:06
Speaker
They cut to Pablo on the sideline. He's throwing a tantrum again for the fact that they let the play go and you can read his lips and he's saying this. That's so embarrassing. That's embarrassing, dude. There is no way that yeah he does not know the rule yeah that the AR is supposed to let those go and then put the flag up after. That's the whole point of VAR. There's no way. Well, and it's also, everyone knows this rule. Yeah. ah RSL had a player who was screaming at the AR. Oh, that was so funny. And she was like, she literally was just like, what, what do you want? She was like, what do you, what do you want? Just for the record folks.
00:22:40
Speaker
She was absolutely right. Yeah. In fact, uh, I was that, uh, like I had the reaction of, yes, that is what you're supposed to do. Right. And Jordan was offside. They correctly, I think probably, I mean, I don't know. uh,
00:22:52
Speaker
I think he probably was either way. There were some people trying to argue he wasn't, but I don't think so. Assuming that he was, the AR handled that exactly correctly. So for him to say that it's embarrassing, you know what's embarrassing is either there's two options here. He either...
00:23:09
Speaker
doesn't know a rule that has been in place for like two years now. Which you're a head coach. That's embarrassing. That's embarrassing. Or he's pretending ah not to know the rule when he does and throwing a tantrum anyway, which is also embarrassing. Yeah. So why are you crashing out Chris? Pablo was crash out Chris in which I understand coaches do that sometime.
00:23:28
Speaker
but But he was leading, especially especially with the ah offside one. It's like Pablo. What are you talking about? but he's ah He's a certified chirper. I just like, I just didn't know what I was watching, man. Like he's, yeah, that's, that was embarrassing for
League Season Implications and Predictions
00:23:45
Speaker
him. It was. Yeah. Um, all right.
00:23:47
Speaker
Positives and negatives. I'll just read off mine. Then you can give yours. Uh, all right. Negatives. Here's what I had written down. We're hitting negatives first folks. That's how you know how this was. I guess for a negative result, we'll do that for positive results. We'll do positive. i like that. I like that.
00:24:01
Speaker
I have written down here. The own goal was just insane. And it's now happened two games in a row. lead games in a row. ah rotated offense with Rothrock and Georgie on the wings. I said C minus at absolute best. oh That's generous. Absolute best. That's generous. I mean, we can talk about the offense a little bit more. yeah ah My take was that like, obviously it was not a good performance in the attack at all. And in all faces they shouldn't really. Yeah. But specifically talking about the attack, they didn't play well on offense, but I thought I did think for whatever it's worth, which is not a lot, but I did think that
00:24:37
Speaker
Uh, there were more, there were more moments where it looked like there was functioning attacking movement and like half chances and stuff. Then, um then there would have been, if this game was played like early last season, sure where they, where they would have like produced absolutely nothing.
00:24:52
Speaker
I didn't think the offense produced absolutely nothing, ah like chance wise, like they, they produced absolutely nothing on the scoreboard, but like chance wise and just how it ran, i thought it was, ah there was at least semblance of life.
00:25:07
Speaker
Right. You know, so that's why I landed on C minus. But that I like if you were going to give it in the D range, I wouldn't argue with that. I would probably argue with F just because of what I said, that there was semblance of life.
00:25:21
Speaker
But yeah, I mean, if you were going to give it a D, I would not argue. Um, Jackson Reagan, uh, made another error on the second goal, which, uh, that happens because of game state, you know, Seattle's pushing they were equalizer. Yeah. They were not in it, but like that's still, um, that's still an error by the center back to step that high when there's no one back,
00:25:42
Speaker
And he's not been performing too hot, Ari. Neither of the None of them. This is my overall kind of takeaway, which is that the defense as a whole, it's not even just the CBs. I'd say the defense as a whole is just off to a pretty notably bad start to the year. Oh, have an agenda for that one. These concessions are past the point where... I can write off the Charlotte one as fluke, but you've now conceded Uh, a set piece goal that, I mean, we talked about the Charlotte one. It was, it was well done by them, but that's still ah a set piece concession.
00:26:19
Speaker
You've got what I described on lobbying scorchers kickoff as two of the top five worst own goals in the history of soccer as a sport. And I understand that that is like a recency bias exaggeration, but but not that much of a, like two of the worst own goals that you're ever going to see.
00:26:36
Speaker
and then there was also a set piece at the end of the first half in this ah RSL game where they didn't mark the guy. And that really should have been a goal. They got lucky to not be down to zero on a first half stoppage time goal, uh, because Stefan Fry bailed them out.
00:26:52
Speaker
So, uh, that's a negative, Uh, taking an L at America first field, the stupidest. Yeah. You could, yeah. You lost at the worst name stadium. I hate L's at America first field.
00:27:04
Speaker
Uh, and yeah, defense. It's not even in salt Lake Ari. Yeah. Uh, Sandy, Sandy. Yeah. Sandy. You lost to Sandy cheeks. America first field is oh my god it's not only the stupidest stadium name in MLS, it's the stupidest stadium name period period out of yeah any sport in the entire country.
00:27:22
Speaker
Took an L there. um all right, I'll do my positives. Not that long list. Wait, I got to hit my negatives. Well, I was going to do both. Okay. All right. all right. That's my positives were just like, uh,
00:27:34
Speaker
Like result wise, this, it doesn't matter that much. Like there's so many games left to make up the points that you dropped. And really this season is all about like more than that. This season is all about CCC right now. yeah If making a run in CCC comes at the expense of bombing a couple league games like this, I'm okay with that. But I guess just to get back to being negative, um my thing is like,
00:28:00
Speaker
You know, we've seen MLS teams bomb a billion times while they're trying to juggle champions league. It happened to Seattle in 2022 when they won it. It didn't make the playoffs. It destroyed their league season. yeah It completely destroyed their league season.
00:28:15
Speaker
I don't know. I don't expect that to happen this year, but I came out of this game feeling. a lot more like them juggling the, like the league play with CCC is going to look more like a team that is struggling to do that than what we hoped would happen, yeah which is that the depth would come through and they would actually be able to take results in games like this when they have to rotate.
00:28:42
Speaker
I come out of that and this is probably, this could be, they can prove this wrong because it is only one game and it is in a venue where they famously can't win. But it was hard for me to come out of that and not be like, this might kind of tank the league season again. Like, that's what it looked like. So it's up to them to go prove that wrong. And I'm fully willing to be ah proven to be like a reactionary on that.
00:29:08
Speaker
I'm just I'm just expressing how I felt. Um, but that was my one positive is that like CC sees the focus. Uh, it's early enough in the season where you can make the points up.
00:29:19
Speaker
It was a rotated lineup. You do have to, there's, there's been some commentary on this. Uh, and to be fair, I just did a lot of commentary on it without bringing this up, but like you have to acknowledge the context that Ferreira and De La Vega didn't start the game. Right. You know,
00:29:36
Speaker
I am disappointed that the Georgian Rothrock duo flops in, in substitution for them, but like to make a conclusion about this team or this offense as a whole in a game where De La Vega and Ferreira aren't out there is ah lazy. It's bad analysis.
00:29:58
Speaker
um Anyway. Okay. Noah, what are your positives and negatives? My negatives to start it out here, RSL looked like absolute dog shit. Terrible. i mean like i I I was watching this match and just increasingly getting more tilted. It was like we were playing to the opponent.
00:30:17
Speaker
It was like we we were up here, right? like You know the quality that Seattle can play with. You had just watched it like three days ago. And then you watch RSL walk out with... Basically, I've seen college soccer play better than this Pablo team. I mean, they are bad.
00:30:34
Speaker
Diego Luna looked bad. Everyone looked bad, dude. He's a good player, but that's like pretty much it. But he's so streaky. He's so streaky. like If he's on or he's off, you know what I mean?
00:30:44
Speaker
And I'm going to tell you what, that whole team looked turned off. They didn't even know what was going on. They didn't even want to be there, man. I swear. They looked... terrible That's what kind of bothers me the most is they got they got bailed out.
00:30:58
Speaker
and like i they i don't I don't think either of these teams deserved to win this game. No, this no exactly. this Neither of these teams decided like deserved anything. This was... such a painful watch. They they should ah like appeal to the league and have RSL points rescinded. Yeah.
00:31:18
Speaker
ah Deduct RSL points and just,
Expectations and Strategies for Future Matches
00:31:22
Speaker
yeah. but yeah no I see what you're saying. like ah it like If ah RSL was even like an average team, I'd be like, alright, if you're playing them on the road, rotated, you're fighting an uphill battle to get a result against them,
00:31:36
Speaker
this line This lineup should have been able to get a result in this game. It sounds so dumb because it's Real Salt Lake, but when they play the Sounders, we literally did this as an episode title, Real Salt Madrid.
00:31:50
Speaker
When we play there, we cannot beat them. And this was supposed to be the match where... The Sounders, they finally have this depth. They're finally like by and far the best team in the West. They're like, they are this behemoth.
00:32:05
Speaker
And they played. Like it was RSL 2 versus RSL. Like, it was... um my My brain was melted from this match. it It was so bad. And then, of course, you know, I saw that we would have to do new discourse, and I was like, I... We're gonna do it. you were Yeah, it's... ah Anyway, that was my first negative point.
00:32:27
Speaker
My second negative point... The pundits were actually watching this game, Ari. I know that it sounds stupid, but we have to hear from all of these... big brained you know east coast pundits all the time they just like don't watch the sounders or they say they do but let's be real we know when tom booger goes to bed we know he's we know he's going to bed before the sounders kick off we love you tom but we know andrew weeby i think he goes to bed at 6 30 gotta be honest with you but
00:32:58
Speaker
This is just like this is the performance you put on when you are the only match on, when you are being praised, when you are being talked up, and you can't even be held to the standard that people are talking about you as. Like, that's just so frustrating and brutal, and I know that it's aesthetics, and I know that it's silly.
00:33:19
Speaker
But when it comes down to it, it's like people are always complaining, oh, why do these co-punits never talk about the Sounders? Why do they never talk about the Sounders? Because every time they talk about the Sounders, this is what they watch. ah Third and final negative from me, the games don't get any easier, man.
00:33:34
Speaker
The games don't get any easier. And if you want to win the Shield, which I keep seeing people say the Sounders is a Shield contender, I never thought so. I think that was the same thing to say.
00:33:44
Speaker
I mean, I can see why people would ah like ah any, anyone who was high on them coming into this season might pick them. I, my argument just would have been ah there's just too many games, too many competitions. Yeah. If they were not in CCC club, world cup and leagues cup, then I for sure might pick them to, to compete for the shield.
00:34:07
Speaker
But yeah, They're like, especially like with what we saw with how the depth played in this game, they're definitely not winning the shield if they can't get that turned around. Right. And or home field advantage in the West.
00:34:22
Speaker
If you can't get these results, like the season is long, but last year it came down to one or two results for playing at home or winning the West with a team that, you know, maybe if you win the West and you're playing the galaxy, you At home?
00:34:39
Speaker
Maybe you make it to an MLS Cup. yeah I mean, this is all this is all questioning. And we're in last season now, but let's go to my positives here. I know people were shitting on KKR, Kosarienzi, but I think that once he shifted positions a little bit and came off and that came out of that second half and really like settled into the match...
00:35:03
Speaker
He looked really good. He looked like he did in preseason. He was making really good progressive plays. His vision is so good. I just think that he needs more reps. He needs more time. It was the same thing with Pedro early on where, like I was saying, he's not settling into games.
00:35:18
Speaker
He's not looking amazing. But once he gets settled in, he's going to be so much better. And once he can calm down and feel that, he's going great. And he has been. And I feel like it's going to be the same for Costa Rienzi.
00:35:29
Speaker
I know he got shit on. He looked really bad in the first half. But my positive take from it is he grew into it. He grew into the game, which is what you want to see from someone who has never played an MLS match ever. Sure.
00:35:39
Speaker
So I like that. Yeah. um And then my last my last positive here. and MLS season is long. Let's be real. This result might not matter at the end of the day. Honestly, like. results kind of don't matter to like June or July in this league. You know, like ah you don't want to punt points like they've done these first two games. But ah if it happens this early in the season, you can't, you at least right now can say that there's time to make those points up.
00:36:07
Speaker
And i would imagine ah usually the way it works is that there's a couple of, results that when you look at the schedule, you think, Oh, that might be a tough game or I don't see any way that they're going to win that game. Maybe you catch someone else rotated and win like that.
00:36:22
Speaker
Maybe, uh, maybe the opposing coach doesn't feel the backup goalkeeper and then their goalkeeper gets a red card and you have Sean's a Watson. Well, I'm not, I'm just kind of doing a radical situation. theoretically But like, uh, there's going to be games this season that we think that they probably aren't going to win that they do.
00:36:42
Speaker
bri And hopefully they got to hope that that can make up whatever points that they've ah dropped at the beginning of this season. And I got to know, like if they win against l LAFC this weekend, how does, how does it like, what does that do to change the narrative?
00:36:58
Speaker
Well, they're going to have to do it with a rotated lineup again. Sure. that's Because they're goingnna they're going to empty the the tank for this Cruz Azul game. So, ah yeah, if they if they can go out there with the rotated lineup and beat LAFC at home, I would...
00:37:15
Speaker
If they put on a good performance and cruises, we'll take an aggregate lead, put themselves in good position to advance and then go out and beat LAFC with a rotated lineup and look a lot better than they did at RSL.
00:37:28
Speaker
I'm kind of willing to look past this RSL game entirely. If they do that, Uh, and sample side I'm basically, I'm basically, ah hoping to be able to write it off as like the, uh, well, I mean, yeah, they lost that game, but that's the, you they, it's apparently physically impossible to win at America first field is the biggest fortress. They have under the professional sports.
00:37:48
Speaker
So, uh, that was game was impossible to win if they, Uh, if they ball out against Cruz Azul and then beat LAFC, I'll feel empowered to have that take. Uh, and that, ah that would be recency bias too, but that would be, I think that would be a great sign if they do that.
00:38:04
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I just think that what, what I'm trying to bring up, I guess, is that it's all about the context, the context that we do have. We don't have that much context. We have, we've played really well against a Guatemalan side.
00:38:17
Speaker
We get, and then in league play, we've just looked sloppy. But the thing is, if you look back at years past, the Sounders always look sloppy and at this point in the year. And then, you know, you move on, you settle in, you figure it out.
00:38:30
Speaker
ah It's just so much harder when you have this level of expectation on you. I feel confident still that... the first choice 11 of this team is going to be a very productive and dynamic fun to watch ah offense this year. All that. I still, i still think that, uh, I think, uh, I think the concern I have coming out of this game is, you know,
00:38:59
Speaker
we were all under the hope and impression that a rotated 11 would be able to maintain maybe not, maybe not like the exact level as the first choice 11, but something close to it.
00:39:11
Speaker
And you did not see anything even remotely in the ballpark of that until, uh, honestly, ah one positive that I didn't mention is that De La Vega came on and I thought he, I thought he was looking pretty good again. Yeah. So, um,
00:39:26
Speaker
I, I, uh, I don't know about you. I still feel, I still feel good about the first choice 11 and I feel good about, ah the first choice team having a chance at making a run in CCC and having a good chance in this Cruz Azul series.
00:39:42
Speaker
I think, uh, I saw a lot of people too saying like, um, well, uh, This ah RSL game, I mean, if they if they do that against Cruz Azul, they're going to get boat raced by Cruz Azul.
00:39:57
Speaker
Yes. Yes. yeah But De La Vega and Ferreira are going to be playing against Cruz Azul. And I think that is going to, I would hope that's going to make the offense look better. And probably Paul Areola.
00:40:09
Speaker
Yeah. Which I think is a underrated point in this. Also, ah Alex Roldan should potentially be back. ah His wife was having a, I mean, they were having a kid obviously together, but like. Congrats to Alex. Congrats to Alex. We love Alex on this podcast.
00:40:25
Speaker
As I literally gave him my my man of the match last match. He was playing like, and you know what? I got to say this. A guy who has a kid on the Sounders is good for one goal right after. Yeah, there is. There is historical precedent for that. So Alex rolled on absolutely because he only scores absolute bangers, right?
00:40:42
Speaker
Absolute banger against Chris Azul fill that in my pocket. um I don't know, man. This is this is all this is all very doom and gloom, but we got
In-Depth Analysis of Defensive Roles
00:40:53
Speaker
to feel it.
00:40:53
Speaker
We got to feel it as a club. and just move on because like the season's so long dude I don't know I'm just I'm just glad there's CCC on Wednesday and hopefully thank thankfully hopefully you never have to think about this game again
00:41:11
Speaker
um All right, let's get to our agenda check. No, one let's do it. All right, we're going to do the new who discourse right here. There's been a lot of the official agenda for this one. Yeah, there we're going to do name. We're just going to do the new discourse and hopefully the well, OK, so my agenda on this.
00:41:28
Speaker
Let me explain. yeah Yeah, we all know that a new who has been a polarizing player on this team for many years now. He he's a fan favorite to some.
00:41:41
Speaker
He he always remember Garth Logger way describing him as exciting to watch and then saying that's not necessarily the attribute you want in a defender. But Nuhu, he's fun to watch. He does the step overs. He runs really fast.
00:41:56
Speaker
ah He's got an affable personality. does like acrobatic bicycle kick clearances and stuff. He likes spicy teriyaki. He likes teriyaki. Exactly. So he's been a fan favorite to some for all of those reasons.
00:42:12
Speaker
There's also a segment of the fan base that doesn't just not rate Nuhu, but like really, really... think he's like a horrible player, like an awful, awful soccer player. And that's not like a niche take.
00:42:26
Speaker
That is like, there's a heavy contingent of people out there that think that my take on that has always been that the new who hate I'm never really subscribed to it that much.
00:42:40
Speaker
I understand why he can be frustrating to watch. And I definitely think the, the flaws in his game are obvious. He never developed as in attacking threat whatsoever.
00:42:53
Speaker
And, uh, he also, He is known as an excellent one V one defender and, uh, he is an excellent one to be one defender. There are, uh, there are times where like he met, he's sometimes like he's marking people in the box and not marking them kind of stuff. His positioning is bad. His positioning can be bad at times. I don't know about always bad.
00:43:15
Speaker
That's kind of one of the things that I think is exaggerated. Like, yes, his positioning is bad sometimes. Is it more frequently than any other defender on the team? A lot of people would say yes. more frequently, for sure. A lot of people, see, I just don't necessarily.
00:43:29
Speaker
i read in the last two weeks? Probably not. Probably not. In the last, like, two weeks, but I'm saying i'm just saying on the whole. Overall. Either way, ah I understand why people get frustrated watching him, and i understand I definitely understand why he is taking heat after this own goal.
00:43:46
Speaker
um But I think that the discourse around him gets overblown. I've been saying this for years, and i ah I think people act mind blown at like, you know, why did, why does he start weekend week out? Why is he still playing? He's so terrible. And people people dish those takes when I think the value that he provides to the team still is quite obvious to me.
00:44:12
Speaker
um And you know, who else sees value in him as a player is Brian Schmetzer. So I think the first thing I want, I, I, I would point out is that if you're saying that knew who is, if you're really saying that knew who is this horrible of a player, like he's awful at defense, his one V one defending isn't even good. That's all propaganda.
00:44:36
Speaker
He never developed as an attacker. So he's just this like massive net negative every single time he's on the field. Why is he not benched? If that is your honest take, then you are also arguing that Brian Schmetzer is completely out of his mind and doesn't know what he's doing.
00:44:51
Speaker
You are because Brian Schmetzer has been new has been on the team for like seven or eight years now at this point. And he has been a written in pen starter the entire time.
00:45:03
Speaker
And through a lot of ah like, there's been a professionalism incidents like member last year where he missed his Uber ah through and he never developed one attacking skill.
00:45:17
Speaker
And yet b Brian Schmetzer starts him every single game, every single week. He started him in the biggest games. He started him in MLS cups. He started him in all the biggest champions league games. He started him in some of the most important matches in the history of the club.
00:45:34
Speaker
So are we really to believe, first of all, that Schmetz is just completely out of his mind on that? And he's just starting this player that totally sucks and has no value.
00:45:46
Speaker
I think that strains credibility. So let's let's. What value does Schmetzer see a new who? Why does he start him every week? Despite all the shortcomings that we all see, I'm just going to, I'm going to explain this in a way that is, this isn't even necessarily what, uh, what I believe. This is what I am, uh, passionate about. No, this is, this is what I am. Uh, what's the word I'm looking for? this is what I'm assuming that Schmetzer believes as for why he schmitz come on the continues to just play him on the pod so we don't have why he continues to play new who which is that um new who all right okay let me let me let me start this over okay
00:46:30
Speaker
When you're the Seattle Sounders, for instance, which the Seattle Sounders are the Seattle Sounders, you got to play guys like Denny Bawanga. You got to play guys like Gabrielle Peck.
00:46:43
Speaker
You got to play guys like Ricky Pooge when he's healthy. Let's take Bawanga, for instance. Seattle, when they're going into a game against LAFC,
00:46:55
Speaker
New who gives them an edge that most teams don't have Denny Bwonga just from a physical profile standpoint, there's pretty much no defender in the league that can, that can keep up with him both in terms of like speed and like the moves that he's got.
00:47:15
Speaker
those Those matchups, those one V ones for most teams in MLS are lost before they even start because they don't have someone who's fast and athletic enough to, uh, to win those one V ones.
00:47:27
Speaker
knew who can whatever else you want to say about him. Do you ever wonder why when the Sounders play the LA galaxy, they actually do kind of good defensively.
00:47:40
Speaker
Do you ever wonder why when they, ah when they played LAFC, LAFC boat raced them a couple times last year for sure. Don't get me wrong, but there have been games where ah even the, even the playoff game where Bwonga scored the game winner,
00:47:54
Speaker
he was not He wasn't doing all that much for the rest of that game. Do we think New Who has nothing to do with that? It's the the whole back line deserves credit for that.
00:48:04
Speaker
This has been the best defense in the league for the last two years, but that, that, uh, underscores my point. This has been the best defense in the league. The last two years with new who as a weekend week out starter, every single game.
00:48:18
Speaker
Are we really saying that that is, ah in spite of new who and not in part because of him? I just think that we are being a little disingenuous to suggest as much.
00:48:28
Speaker
And, uh, the idea that, he's a net negative and brings no value defensively. i find that a little ridiculous. I'll be honest.
00:48:40
Speaker
Why would like Brian Schmetzer has been coaching this game a long time, just on a base level.
00:48:47
Speaker
We, why, why would he put a defender out? That is that horrible. But I also think from watching new who go up against teams, best players weekend week out, I could come up with just as many clips of him making like incredible plays to break up counters, ah and winning one V ones against these guys, just as much as you could clip up all his mistakes.
00:49:12
Speaker
there's an example in this game, five minutes, maybe even less like three minutes ah before he scored the worst own goal I've ever seen. He made a freaking incredible play to break up a counter where the RSL winger had him one of V one. And if he gets by new who like it's probably going to be a really dangerous opportunity and knew who snuffed it out. He got the ball off him and he anyone possession back.
00:49:36
Speaker
So that obviously is not, that is vastly overshadowed in this game by the fact that he bammed that ridiculous own goal. um However, my point is that ah like this Cruz Azul game, for instance, you got to go up against some guys.
00:49:53
Speaker
You got to go against Matius Bogus. You got to go against Chaka Makis. You got to go against, go down the list. This is a good ass team. I am, I legitimately, I'm putting new who out there for those matchups and every time, man, every time, because like I said, when you are going into those matchups, he actually has a chance at winning them in a way that a lot of defenders just don't.
00:50:19
Speaker
That's why he is still a starter on this team, uh, for, uh, after seven or eight years. And honestly, uh, the skillset that I'm talking about that he brings to the table defensively It must be more valuable and harder to find than we even understand.
00:50:37
Speaker
Otherwise Schmetz wouldn't play him as much as he does. And in conclusion, that's why I think the new who hate is overblown. Noah discuss. Wow.
00:50:48
Speaker
That was... that wasn't it you should have You should have written a ah post about that. Maybe you should. That's my take I think you should do a a Sounder and Hard article about that, too, because that would that would cause even more discourse. I'm just trying to tell people who don't get why he still plays why he still plays, and it's because he is a very good one v one defender who...
00:51:06
Speaker
has the best chance on the team or really of any defender of the league um going going ah into a game against these alpha attackers and actually helping you neutralize them. Like that's what he can do here. All act is the, all act is the bots that are going to come after you. You don't even have to, because I know you're part of the anti new who, well i I think that's unfair because you, you, you, okay. Yeah, that wasn't fair.
00:51:28
Speaker
You, you used to be, I wouldn't say that I used to be. I think that he got better last year, and I think that I acknowledge that. I think that he had a rough patch of time, and he's having another rough patch of time.
00:51:39
Speaker
I think that it's fair to criticize your center backs and and in any kind of back. it's fair to criticize him, but like, ah I mean, we'll get to it in the pulse of the streets, but like you guys... His mistakes get blown out of proportion compared to others, in my opinion.
00:51:55
Speaker
Yeah, he scored a horrible own goal. Yaimar and Jackson Reagan compared for what ah combined for one of the worst own goals I've ever seen the game before. They took criticism for that too, but like...
00:52:06
Speaker
Not in the way where blows like Nunu. Yeah. let me Let me go. I'm yeah sorry i'm getting into... No, you're you're I'm here for it. We're hot on Lobbing Scorches today. but we got We were having too much hacks and hot sauce today. You know what it is.
00:52:19
Speaker
um Here's what I'll say. This is what someone will say. Well, Schmetzer can be wrong. Schmetzer didn't rate Jordan as a nine. Schmetzer never... He constantly told Jordan, you're not a nine. You're not a nine.
00:52:30
Speaker
You won't be a nine. And guess what, Ari? He's a nine. He's the best nine that this team has and has had in a long time. People might not like that, but he's a designated player nine that is really good on this club.
00:52:43
Speaker
So Schmetzer can be wrong. How would you respond to that? I mean, do like, yes, any coach can be wrong. You really think that he's that wrong about this to where he's putting out, like, one of the worst players of all time for, like, seven years straight and somehow winning, like, six trophies while doing so? Like, you think he's that wrong? I mean, I think if you're coming from the fact that someone thinks that he's the worst player of all time, you're already cooked.
00:53:10
Speaker
You're already not having a conversation. But I do think that that if you think that... Nuhu's positives negate his benefits, or his, sorry, his negatives negate his positives, then I think that there's a conversation to be had there. Because while I agree with you, there are times when this defense would not function without Nuhu.
00:53:34
Speaker
I think that he does do a great job against players in pace. ah And he has literally in this last season, done so much to work on his passing and you can tell that he's not just super eager to put his head down and rip a ball.
00:53:50
Speaker
He's looking for passes. He's putting in good balls. He's had assists. He's looked better. He's looked like a more dangerous attacking threat. But the thing is, And most people's biggest gripe is something that you've even talked about. I wish we had an attacking wingback. I wish we had a wingback that was actually capable and dangerous in the attack. And frankly, Nuhu isn't.
00:54:14
Speaker
And he never will be. And that's okay. But... when he goes forward and gets caught forward and then doesn't make it back or gets out of position because I don't think that he's good with that. I don't think he's good with that going forward, attacking movement, and positioning on the on the return.
00:54:33
Speaker
it's It causes problems, and I think that if you put him on another team and he's not getting covered by two of the best center backs in the entire league and two of the best defensive mids in the entire league, I think that he he looks a lot worse.
00:54:48
Speaker
So my my argument would be... um What is it? High tides, raise boats, all boats or whatever. Like he is surrounded by an incredible core. And I am not saying that he is a bad player or that his um the things that he doesn't bring to specific games are literally like the core of the whole defensive model.
00:55:08
Speaker
I think that people's frustrations are are, you know. quite valid in that. We can agree on the pace. We can agree on those, you know, efforts of just bodying people off the ball or you know, his classic shielding the ball.
00:55:24
Speaker
I even love his conca caffery, man. The way that he brings that kind of shithousery to this team is awesome. but You need someone like that, you know? But I think something you have to ask yourself is does that negative stuff in the in the system that you're playing Does that outweigh those non-poised flashy to a fault moments?
00:55:50
Speaker
And I think that is a valid question. And I, uh, I don't deny that. And I honestly do ask myself those questions and I understand, trust me, I understand the shortcomings. My contention is that, uh, with him, with him specifically, it gets blown out of proportion.
00:56:08
Speaker
Um, I mean, does with a lot of people with Alex Rolled On, too. Yeah, but he knew who... I think that he he brings that on himself to an extent with the ah with the antics, you know? So, ah I get it, but I...
00:56:25
Speaker
I'm just trying to explain the, uh, this was a value, the perceived value. Yeah. I think he brings to the table, whether like, honestly, whether you agree with what I said or not, that is why he's playing yeah is because when Schmetz is looking at it and he sees, I've got freaking Mateos Bogus bearing down on the squad this week.
00:56:45
Speaker
Who do I want out there? He wants the guy that actually can have a chance at locking that guy down. He, that's, and he's a practice guy. And I think he, uh,
00:56:56
Speaker
I think I would probably, I think a lot of us more than you would think if we were in the position of assembling the lineup might come to the same conclusion. The world will never know.
00:57:08
Speaker
Schmetz, let us coach for one day, dude. I swear we will, i we'll at least get it. We can get a draw with this club. Um, I did have, uh, the one blue sky one skeet that, uh, this new, that this discourse was going on in my mentions.
00:57:23
Speaker
Uh, so I, I wanted to read, uh, what this person wrote. This is from, uh, user, uh, it looks like okay B zero four. So don't have a name on that, but he wrote an essay on this topic that I'm just going to read because there's a couple of things in here that I think illustrate kind of what I'm saying. And I also disagree with couple of the points, but he says knew who's by far the most scrutinized player in Sounders history. Don't know about that, but he's definitely up there.
00:57:46
Speaker
We've seen really bad mistakes from both other center backs this year, but they haven't seen nearly the same backlash. Is it fair to blame this game on newhoo when our DPs ghosted the entire game and couldn't produce any offense? Use the word ghosted.
00:57:57
Speaker
So that last part, uh, I don't agree with, I'm sorry, man. He is right about the first part. He is. He's the most scrutinized player in soccer history. that we've seen mistakes from both other center backs, but they haven't gotten nearly the same backlash. That's not true. That's absolutely true. That not That's absolutely true. Then you're not looking online.
00:58:14
Speaker
Not in the same way Nuhu gets backlash. It's not the same. it's a yeah yeah That is not true, dude. People have been... Clowning. Listen, I am a connoisseur of all things reactionary content when it comes to the Sounders. I consume it all folks because like to be misinformed personally ah and they have been there. There has been an anti Jackson agenda forever.
00:58:39
Speaker
I think Yamar doesn't get but but I don't even think he's been that bad this year. He made one mistake that I would put on Jackson more than I would put on Yamar. and He had a ton of giveaways in the first Antigua game.
00:58:52
Speaker
Absolutely. And we talked about that. And guess what? He got a lot of criticism because his level is higher than that. People are used to seeing this shit from New Who. That's the difference. If you're criticized constantly, maybe it's you.
00:59:05
Speaker
Maybe it's you, man. I'm sorry. and then he He does shit to get criticized. It's not about, it's not that he's above reproach or beyond criticism. It's the temperature of the criticism and the discourse that I'm, that I'm pointing out.
00:59:19
Speaker
But anyway, I think we've, I think look if you got takes on the new whoo discourse, I know my takes aren't going to be that popular with, with some of you out there. That's fine. Talk about it in the, in the comments.
00:59:31
Speaker
No, ah finish your thought on the new who discourse and then let's get to your agendas. I'll finish it with don't ever use the word ghosted. I'm canceling that word. Okay. Let's ah if we're not allowed to use agenda, ah we're not allowed. yeah No one else is allowed to use ghost. I read this guy's take because I agreed with that part. agreeing with the bots are Let's talk about the the second part because I agree that the term ghosted is a your least favorite commentators will use that. Well, also, ah they they didn't ghost in this game. they had ah
01:00:06
Speaker
They had a perfectly executed set piece that could have and should have been a goal, if not for a mistake from another player. And then they also combined for ah ah ah goal that was...
01:00:19
Speaker
Also waved offside, but like it was a good play and ah the offside on that play was marginal. So to say that they like ghosted and this game is all on them.
01:00:32
Speaker
i don't agree with that at all. Well, yeah. there's I mean, yeah maybe Morris didn't have the best game, but saying Albert had a bad game is just stupid. He went 30 for 33 on his passing. He had four chance creations.
01:00:46
Speaker
How many shots did he have? I know he had at least... He had a dynamite corner kick on the play where Georgie was offside. He three shots. Two of them were on target. He had... I mean, what are we talking about, man? really Three of five accurate crosses. Rusak was a Georgie offside and a Jordan marginal offside from having two goal contributions in this game.
01:01:08
Speaker
And neither neither one of those were his fault. I'm sorry, like i'm sorry Brigade. like that is It is not his fault that Georgie was offside. It's not his fault that Jordan was offside. No, so like I, there was ah someone from the brigade victory lap in and saying that the brigade like wins the debate. Now you could not be, what are you talking about? More off your rocker on What are you talking about? i had to, I had to leave the brigade group chat again. They added me back in and I had to leave again. Ari, I couldn't take it.
01:01:36
Speaker
and I couldn't take it. Uh, should we hit our actual agenda check now? Yeah, I liked the new who discourse. though I like it when we disagree. It's sick. Yeah, it's good content, too. Yeah. Yeah, I feel like then we you guys don't see it, but we turn the cameras off and we fist fight each other.
Comprehensive Team Performance Evaluation
01:01:51
Speaker
What's the ah the Skip Bayless show with a first take? We're like, yeah we're like first take right now. Can I be Shannon Sharp?
01:01:59
Speaker
Is he on there? i I thought he was on there. I don't know. I just want to be shaman sharp. The new thing was my agenda so you can run the rest of the agenda check. whatever are I spammed some agendas here because I've been thinking about it all day.
01:02:13
Speaker
Agenda check, baby. Seattle best defense in the league agenda, Ari. I, uh, I think this one's it's, it's on notice on decline a little bit. Um, I've perhaps been thinking about this one since that first week and even in preseason.
01:02:31
Speaker
Um, it's not looking good. It's not looking good. I mean, yeah, there's the, like I said, one of my conclusions from this game is that like, uh, it went from me dismissing it as a fluke to no, the defense is just having a bad start to the year. They can, there's plenty of time for them to turn that around. This is by and large, the same defense that played at the best in the league level last year. So I have every expectation that, uh, they will improve and it's not unthinkable. It's not the craziest thing that, uh, a defense is, uh, has a couple of mistakes like this early in the season,
01:03:13
Speaker
But as for the agenda status, like it's definitely on notice where if this type of play continues, it's going to torpedo. That's for sure. Yeah. Tough scenes for the boys in the back. But what about the boys in the back of the back of the back?
01:03:28
Speaker
Sounders best depth in the league agenda. Did this take a hit this week? um I think I personally want to see them play a lineup like that at not America first field to get like a better read on that because I still don't know if this was attributable to their depth not being as good as we thought or if it was attribute attributable to and cursed in field an off day at a cursed field when ah you're playing on a short rest. Like I don't know. We're going to find out. So i ah I know it's a boring answer, but I feel like we need more games to know that.
01:04:09
Speaker
I think that that's like a lot of this, ah but we're here and we're in the business of rash decisions and flaming hot takes. So I'm just going to go for it. Maybe the depth isn't as good as we thought.
01:04:20
Speaker
That's sort of the question. Maybe the depth isn't as sort of, it's stewing. You know, I like to use a lot of cooking analogies on this sex segment. And I feel like, you know, when you ah you just, you put your garlic in the pan early so it can get a little you brown and you could smell it a little bit more. That's what I'm feeling.
01:04:38
Speaker
That's what I'm feeling. It's, we're starting to make something here of this agenda, but I don't really think that it's there yet. I don't want it to be there. I want to believe that this depth is good, but how do you not get it done at RSL against the worst team in the world? I guess because it's because it's our it's because it's RSL. but That's literally the answer to that is curse field. Yeah.
01:04:58
Speaker
Seattle Sounders winning the shield agenda. Well, if we're looking at the points, uh, apparently, so apparently, uh, it's is San Jose still up there. I think San Jose might be up there for the shield race, which yeah, that's a twist.
01:05:13
Speaker
I guess I, uh, some people really are into the shield. I, I am way more, i guess it's union. I'm way more into CCC, this year that I am the shield.
01:05:27
Speaker
Like I would easily, easily 15 times out of 10, take a CCC win this year over a shield win. Yeah. And you know what? You could be the Galaxy. You could be the Galaxy right now.
01:05:38
Speaker
You could be two losses ah for the Galaxy looking the worst. I've seen the Galaxy since they had to fire their GM owners, head coach, everyone.
01:05:49
Speaker
So... I don't know if that adds anything positive, but I also just don't think that's going to happen. Like, I don't think they're winning the shield. I don't think that was ever something that was realistic. really never, i we were never on that agenda. No, I saw, i saw some national pundits picking the Sounders and I was like, do you got, I think this is how you know they don't watch, man. This is how you know they don't watch.
01:06:11
Speaker
But you don't even need to watch to know that they're in so many competitions that it makes the degree of difficulty on winning the shield higher than it would be otherwise. Yeah. Like, what are we doing? why I know.
01:06:22
Speaker
I don't know. And my last one, this is my only player agenda for the day, but I felt like it needed to be addressed as the purveyors of the Rothrock agenda. We needed to check in.
01:06:35
Speaker
I think it's not looking too good, Ari. But i have to I have to put the caveat with coming back from an injury is hard. I was just going to say. like Coming back from an injury is really hard. It's a major injury. I think he's even acknowledged that ah it's affecting him and as far as he said he has getting off playing well yeah well his getting his confidence back. and just like it It can be a mental thing.
01:06:57
Speaker
like we talked about it with pedro i'm most season last year I'm not good. I am not. I'm not going to chalk Roth rock or Georgie ah off of one game. I know we've, uh, uh, it's been a little hot, but, uh, we do, we do need to keep, uh, recency bias and not judging things off one game in mind. I know that was a bad game, but like if we're talking about, uh, the depth being terrible and Georgie and Roth rock being chalked, I would, I would slow down on that.
01:07:30
Speaker
Let the Steve, let us get into the season a little bit more and give them a chance to show that it was a one-off I'm willing to give, I'm willing to, uh, to accept that it might've just been a bad day at the office.
01:07:41
Speaker
I mean, yeah, it's to be honest, like Paul has not looked great this season. But we've even given this caveat to the best of players. We gave this to Pedro last year. We said, listen, dude, coming back from an injury, it's not only mental, it's physical, it's everything. yourere You have to retrust your body again.
01:08:02
Speaker
And for him to come off his highest highs, to be this like insane momentum player, to literally just kind of have your season end, that's hard.
01:08:15
Speaker
and he's still probably getting back to fitness and still getting back to where he was in his headspace. And so while the Rothrock agenda has taken a little bit of a hit, we will continue to update it. And, uh, I'm still positive on the Rothrock agenda.
01:08:30
Speaker
Yeah. I'm definitely not chalking it on one game. No, no, absolutely not. Thanks for listening to agenda check. um all right all i had left noah was match day two winners and losers from yeah around mls we can talk about some other results and then get out of here let's do it um my winners from mls match day two no the philly union look like the best team in the league i mean i other than uh other than inter miami but like they might be better than inter miami They literally, they have the most goals in the league through they've scored four goals in each of their first two games.
01:09:02
Speaker
And outside of the production, they just look like they've looked like a buzzsaw. They, uh, they were playing a, uh, since he's squad that was also rotating and tired from the CCC. So caveat acknowledged, but they, uh, they did exactly what you should do to, a team that's in that situation and absolutely destroyed them.
01:09:25
Speaker
And Kavon Sullivan got on the field. Oh, did he? I didn't even know that. Well, anyway, the Bradley Carnell era for them, i kind of was like, I don't really, that seems like a lateral move from Jim C, but they're off to a good start. And it like it was kind of, it's kind of a reminder that like, you know, we were going into this season and not even really thinking of the Philly union, I think as much of a factor, I wasn't.
01:09:47
Speaker
Cause they were pretty bad last year. They fired their coach. I was uninspired by their new hire. It's not like they overhauled the roster all that much. was like, I don't really see why the Philly union would be all that much different from where they were last year.
MLS Standings and Team Performance Highlights
01:10:01
Speaker
And with the new coach, with the new coach uncertainty, they might even be worse. They could be back to being like the Philly union of the peak Jim C days. Give it a few weeks. Yeah. Like we'll see, but they definitely look good to start. They're a winner for the week.
01:10:16
Speaker
I mean, 4-1 against, for all intensive purposes, the best club in the league right now. That's... That's pretty good. No matter rotation. You have Cincy as the but best team in the league? I mean, maybe not the best maybe not over Inter-Miami, but I'm saying like... They don't count, but like even... That's what I'm saying. I don't even think about them. Cincy's pretty good. If they're not the best team in the league, they're one of the three to four best teams of the league, like guaranteed. So that is... ahs You're right. It's a big dub for Philly either way.
01:10:48
Speaker
yu ah San Jose, they beat Sporting Kansas City, the club of professional wrestling enthusiasts, 2-1. So their Bruce era is off to a good start. Joseph found the score sheet. Bruce put something in the juice, man. He's got the Michael Jordan juice. That's sort of my takeaway is that it looks like Bruce is just kind of actually... He's kind of him. He's the MLS guru.
01:11:14
Speaker
ah But in the Quakes, like they've looked... good too like yeah they don't look these aren't mickey mouse results where you're like oh that's gonna even it's like oh okay i mean it was skc and rsl but like yeah but like last year the quakes wouldn't couldn't beat anybody but the sound yeah that's true yeah that's true i'm not looking forward to playing them no personally like they uh i can't we can't lose to our we can't lose to them again ah Not again.
01:11:39
Speaker
Then my last winner was Orlando City. They had a really horrible match day one result, and then they bounced back and and smashed on a really bad Toronto team, but they're still back on track, and honestly, I was just kind of having trouble finding a third winner, so i went with would have put Charlotte in the third winner, but... Well, i see, I have... That brings me to my losers section, which is Atlanta United.
01:12:04
Speaker
They lost... Atlanta... <unk>ta so they lost two zero at ah Charlotte, which I think you're right. Like you have to give, i think Charlotte, Charlotte looked good. Charlotte looked good. Zaha looked, Zaha looked phenomenal, dude. Yeah. Well, so the first half he kind of was tanking and I was like, maybe he's bad. Right. And then the second half I was like, Oh yeah, I see what you're getting at. Right. That he looked, I mean, he was pretty much unstoppable in the second half and ah he looked exactly like the player that Charlotte FC need.
01:12:35
Speaker
But, um, I, I mean, I brought it, I bring Atlanta up because look, man, like i I was on their bandwagon of they're going to be good again this year. Finally, they're good. They're back.
01:12:48
Speaker
They got latte loss. They got Almi Roan back. I love the Almi Roan move. I still think that was, uh, that's going to turn out to be ah great move. Um, but that looked like the atlantic same Atlanta United as the last like three or four years,
01:13:02
Speaker
years Um, and honestly, they won their first game and latte loss scored twice. So, uh, they ended up getting positive press for it, including for me.
01:13:15
Speaker
But, uh, if you looked at the, uh, uh, like best attacking performances from match day one, like the underlying numbers, not even just XG, all the underlying numbers CF Montreal in that game against Atlanta was like comfortably the best, like performance wise, like attacking performance, uh, statistically in the league. And I saw that and I'm like, all right, so that means Atlanta, like honestly got kind of, they were giving up hella chances and, uh, not really controlling the game state that well at home and got kind of bailed out to win that first game. It seems pretty clear to me seeing that.
01:13:52
Speaker
And then this game, they ah they flopped in Charlotte. So I take- Tough place to play, but regardless, they looked not good. And you're supposed to be back. You're supposed to back.
01:14:04
Speaker
spent $22 billion. dollars you you You bought $750 million billion dollars of players. yeah i thought she I thought that money was the name of the game, Ari. Yeah.
01:14:15
Speaker
So that was kind of ah the point that I was getting to is like ah DP Jordan Morris. You know, and everyone's. Yeah, exactly. Like everyone's everyone's hailing the 22 million latte loss signing. He looked good in the first game and I have no doubt that he'll be good.
01:14:31
Speaker
We'll see if he scores more goals than Jordan Morris. to see We'll see. I'm tracking it. They're tied right now. ah The Morris latte loss agenda. that's I might start that, but either way, like I definitely caught my eye to see Atlanta United like looking like that.
01:14:45
Speaker
um Oh, my God. know Oh, I see it on the dock, dude. The Chicago Fire. Incredible. Incredible. i just they They know one they know one mode ari They know one mode. They out Chicago fired themselves, which I every single week last year, I would say that. And I didn't think it was possible for them to outdo it.
01:15:04
Speaker
They would out. They might have. This has got to be peak. I always say this is no. This one was peak. So what happened was they were winning two to one late in the game, playing DC United. Not a good team. Not a good team.
01:15:16
Speaker
one good player, he one good player. it's two to one late in the game. And you are, I mean, you already know, I was watching and I was like, I mean, they're going to give up the equalizer. Like I'm not even, I literally, I was barely watching cause I already knew that that was going to happen.
01:15:31
Speaker
They, uh, of course concede the penalty, uh, to give DC the look at the equalizer. Benteke goes to the spot. And so I was like, oh okay. Uh, game over. Like, uh,
01:15:43
Speaker
DC is tying this. That's it. Ben tech. He steps up to the spot. Sky's the penalty. That was guys. It misses Chris Brady's going crazy. And I was like, Oh wow. Chicago fire are actually going to get out of this with the, with the dub. They held the lead. They didn't deserve to, they tried to Chicago fire it, but Ben tech. I missed that. Like they're going to win this game. It's like the 88th minute.
01:16:03
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. like two or three minutes later in stoppage time or maybe right before stoppage time, but literally like right at the end of the game, some 20 year old kid for DC United, who I'd never even heard of Jacob Murrell, I think his name was, uh, scores. One of the most insane bicycle kicks. Oh, dude. That I have ever seen incredible to force the Chicago fire to settle for the two, two draw and choke the lead again. I just, it's it's honestly,
01:16:32
Speaker
some of the most incredible content I've ever seen. can't make it up. I don't know how to explain it. I don't know what to make of it, but I can promise you I was laughing my ass off when he scored that bike because it's just like, what are you even supposed to do?
01:16:45
Speaker
Chicago fire getting owned by a Georgetown University kid is just incredible. that That ball doesn't go in against any other team. There's no There's no way. It's predestined. The Chicago Fire do not deserve to win games. They did something.
01:17:01
Speaker
They pissed some kind of deity off, and now they are forever cursed to blow leads. It's incredible. Yeah. that Go watch the ah Jacob Morell Bowl if you haven't seen it. It's an insane highlight. And when you take into account that Chicago Fire context, it's even crazier. How long is ah do we think that ah our boy is around coaching the Chicago Fire? see ah like i greg berhalter perfect place for him think they're going to give him a long leash and with his name value they can probably get away with giving him a long leash my question is like when will like uh like blowing leads which is what the chicago fire are known for is such a mental thing we talked about this with the sounders and how they blew the lead against charlotte like
01:17:47
Speaker
Closing out a game is like that's where stuff like mentality and those intangibles, you know, that we like leadership, like all those things that I kind of make fun of sometimes is not being actual like things that you can measure. Like that's when that stuff like really matters. Yeah. When you have been blowing leads for as long as the Chicago Fire have.
01:18:08
Speaker
there comes a point where it just becomes like a part of you like yeah it's you're in your dna i think we said they need an exorcism last week but yeah they need an exorcism and like that is so hard to undo i don't even know how you do undo that because like they're they're just at a point where even with the roster turnover that they've had everybody in there knows when it gets to the 88th or 89th minute and they're up a goal or maybe even the last 10 to 15 minutes or leading at any point during the second half.
01:18:40
Speaker
That's got to creep into your head, doesn't it? Like, all right, it's going to happen again. We can't let it happen again. We can't let it happen again. And like, that's when you start to psych yourself out and things go against you like that.
01:18:52
Speaker
I don't know how Berhalter like undoes that. Like, I don't know. I don't think he does. He didn't do it with the U S men's national team. I'll tell you
Challenges Facing LA Galaxy
01:19:00
Speaker
that much, buddy. Hey, my last loser of the week, LA galaxy.
01:19:04
Speaker
They're bad. They might be like they're bad. They're on It's not fraud watch. It's bad watch. Yeah, it is on watch for being bad. um it's like, you know, ah we have to caveat everything with the early season, small sample size, but doesn't the galaxy feel like you can kind of see the writing on the wall of what's happening.
01:19:23
Speaker
yeah Like that's the vibe I get at least I could be wrong, but just ah looking at their injury situation situation with Ricky Pooge out pretty much all this year. If he comes back, it'll be towards the end of the season ending injury list. That was some of the, for a club that is really good at business. That was some of the dumbest possible business they could have done. They had to sell their whole team because of it.
01:19:46
Speaker
I mean, so I didn't really actually think of that, but you, yeah, you're right. Um, Joey paints is also hurt. So that obviously doesn't help know our King, but so they have a, he's back to make a horrendous, uh, injury situation.
01:20:01
Speaker
And that's not even mentioning, you know, that they traded Marky Delgado or sorry, he goes by Mark now. Yeah, it's Marky. Sorry. They traded Delgado. to uh marcus to lafc which hurts they had to trade jalen neal who was their highest upside young defender they had to trade jovelich who was their best number nine um who looked good i'm even uh i'm missing one too that like a big time departure that they uh that they had to absorb so it just it It feels like a situation where um they kind of sold out for the one cup and they might have to pay the price for it.
01:20:35
Speaker
I'm not going to call them chalk two games into the year, but it's looking like looking. It's looking like I'm interested to see what happens in CCC. I am praying that Club Sport, Ardario, Ardario, they beat, were they the ones that beat a Vancouver or something?
01:20:57
Speaker
They beat, no, Vancouver Advanced. Ardario beat RSL. RSL, yeah. So I'm hoping that they also beat the Galaxy. I think that that would be... Just peek. Chef's kiss. Just peek.
01:21:08
Speaker
um All right. ah No, unless you got anything else, I think we can call it right there for episode 86. That was a good one. i i enjoyed the New Who discourse. um Leave your thoughts in the comments if you want to get in on the New Who
Listener Engagement and Additional Insights
01:21:22
Speaker
discourse. We always love to hear from our commenters.
01:21:24
Speaker
Like this video. If you're listening to the podcast, subscribe to the YouTube. Write us a review, please. This is all I'm asking. Go on there. Give us five stars, please.
01:21:36
Speaker
And right write something that you enjoy. Write your own agenda check on us. In the best one, I said to write a poem ah in the last one, and someone wrote a poem in the YouTube comments, which I forgot to bring, but I'm going to bring it next week so that we can read the poem because it was so good. But don't do it in the YouTube comments. Write it in the review. Anyway, continue, Ari. Sorry. Good points, Noah. Good points. We didn't really preview Cruz Azul in this one, but honestly, the intel that I got from Nico on Lobbing Scorchers kickoff this morning is better than anything I could have provided. Really, all I know about them is they have Bogus and Giacomacchus.
01:22:13
Speaker
Nico had all the all the intel on them. so Where did you find that? Go find that on the Lobbing Scorchers YouTube channel. Or if you're Sounder at Heart member, it's on the private feed. Sounderatheart.com slash LS. Another reason to become a Sounder at Heart member.
01:22:33
Speaker
Anything else? Yeah, like, comment, Like, comment, subscribe. Whatever. That's it. We're out. Peace.