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Episode 442: Previewing the Sounders-FC Dallas playoff series
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The Sounders will play familiar-playoff foe FC Dallas in a best-of-3 series that starts on Monday. To help us get some insight on the Sounders' opponent is Jon Arnold, who is part of the FC Dallas radio team as well as the guy who runs the Substack Getting Concacaf'd.
Arnold says he think Dallas matches up reasonably well with the Sounders and tells us about the story of Bernard Kamungo, who went from a Tanzania refugee camp to U.S. youth national team player.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsors
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to NOS Arietes. This episode of NOS Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of NOS Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest.
00:00:28
Speaker
A.O. Shen! Let's go! What a save by Fry! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS Cup win! Here come three years through the middle to crown it the vehicle! And now they truly can't stop the celebrations. It's the Sounders' MLS Cup! Niko Liddo leaves out!
00:01:12
Speaker
Is that what you young people call twerking?
FC Dallas Playoff Preview
00:01:26
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of NOS Adiatus. I am Jeremiah O'Shan, and joining me today to help preview the FC Dallas playoff series is John Arnold of Get CONCACAFT, and also of the FC Dallas radio broadcast. Thank you for joining us, John.
00:01:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's good to be here. I'm excited for the playoff series. You know, on decision day, FC Dallas wasn't sure if they would even make the playoffs. And then they were sort of looking at, are they going to be playing in the wild card game? Are they going to be playing LAFC? And, you know, with all respect, and this is not what the team is saying. This is what John Arnold is saying. I don't think the Sounders are the worst matchup. I think we're going to get a good series. And of course,
00:02:07
Speaker
If it is a good series, then only the fans went well and one of the teams too. Right? Yeah, exactly. Well, it's been an interesting end of season for FC Dallas. They are tied with the Sounders for the longest unbeaten streak going into the playoffs. But it now I know that they won the season finale for one
00:02:27
Speaker
I'm sure that raises the emotions that makes things feel a lot better. But that's only the second win they've had during that nine game unbeaten streak. What has the mood around Dallas been over these last few months? Has it been like, oh, we've got it all figured out? Or is it more? It seems like on paper, there's been some frustrating results in there. Yeah, no, I wouldn't say at all that it's been we've got it all figured out. I think it's been a bit of a frustration.
00:02:50
Speaker
You know, some of it is with external factors, even the fact that, you know, FC Dallas had to play Philadelphia midweek in Philly in a rescheduled game because of Philly's success of Leeds Cup. That probably wasn't when FC Dallas wanted that game to take place. But yeah, this basically run of draws until that decision day victory over LA Galaxy, I think, has caused frustration, most of which kind of came out after the previous week's game, that draw with the Colorado Rapids.
00:03:18
Speaker
Your listeners will probably know that the rapids are not very good. They fired their coach. They came to Frisco now again.
00:03:26
Speaker
an external factor this time god or mother nature or whatever you believe the weather caused this game to take place in another non-convenient time during the international breakup so they didn't really lose anybody but still kind of weird circumstances uh but if they had won that game they would clinch the playoffs right had a chance to kind of assure themselves of this better seed that they ended up in any way uh but i think the frustration after that game was massive now what we heard from manager nico estebes from the players after that game was that
00:03:55
Speaker
they needed to sort of let that frustration go because, you know, it only served so much. And the fact that they won that decision day game against the galaxy and did it so convincingly, I think obviously has changed the mood and mentality of the team ahead of the playoff series. And I think added some belief because, you know, I think it was a lot of frustration as they kept putting up draw after draw after draw and usually draws, you know, I think
00:04:25
Speaker
three or four of them were one ones and one or two were scoreless. So it also draws where it wasn't looking, you know, it wasn't like, Oh my goodness, we could have had them, but we bobbled a defensive player, gave up the penalty. No, it was, well, that's what you got. And, uh, so I think there was certainly a level of frustration there that, that FC Dallas hopes has lifted with that decision day result.
00:04:47
Speaker
So
Sounders vs. Dallas Playoff History
00:04:48
Speaker
the Sounders and Dallas have faced each other. This is the sixth time I it's kind of a it feels like they are almost meeting every year when they're in the playoffs and and the last time they were both in the It would have been I think sevens this at one point they would have played each other six straight years the one chain the one hiccup was I think it was Portland that beat Dallas in a playoff series. Otherwise, they would have played him again that year, but
00:05:17
Speaker
They've played twice this year, and they've both been 1-1. They were 1-1 in Seattle, where Bernard Camungo got the goal, which was sort of the one chance that Dallas really had in that game. And then when it came back to Dallas more recently, Alex Roldan scored the equalizer. It was really a tale of two halves, where Dallas was the much better team in the first half, and the Sounders seemed to be the better team in the second half.
00:05:44
Speaker
But how does Dallas feel like they match up with the Sounders? Does it feel like a rivalry game because of how many times they've met in the playoffs?
00:05:54
Speaker
There's definitely a sense of familiarity, I think, especially when you consider how geographically far we actually are from each other. It's like a four hour flight. Every time I go up to Seattle, which I love, I'm like, man, it is far. It's a lot longer than you think. So I think, obviously, rivalry breeds. Typically, I have to say, it's Houston and Austin, and you guys hate Portland and Vancouver. And I think, I wouldn't call it a rivalry, but I would call it a series of interests.
00:06:22
Speaker
I think the sound is reputation around the league and winning the concave champions league and those sorts of things also just make it a game that people circle. So for FCD I think you know when you look at those two games that you mentioned
00:06:36
Speaker
can be taken from those past meetings, I think in some ways have shown the strengths of FC Dallas and the weaknesses. A lot of times they're able to control where the game is being played, how many opportunities another team is getting and making the most of their chances sometimes, especially on the road. They've been a surprisingly decent road team for MLS standards. We saw it in decision day when they went to LA, were not
00:06:59
Speaker
Even remotely bothered by that look of course and already eliminated LA but you know it's still a road game you still gotta fly west two time zones and they came out like they're shot out of a cannon so I think that when FC Dallas looks at this game again.
00:07:15
Speaker
with respect for the Sounders, with an understanding of what the club is and what this current incarnation is. But at the same time, when you looked at the other potential matchups, again, this is not what the team is saying, but my impression is that this is probably the best matchup FC Dallas could have hoped for.
00:07:33
Speaker
If you promise me no one from St. Louis is listening, I'll say, maybe St. Louis could have also been that, but then you have to go through the wild card game, right? Right. Yeah, absolutely. I think, and that's, you know, I joke, but like, I think FC Dallas can cope with St. Louis' style. They almost, they had a weird game against them in St. Louis that end up with a red card and all these different factors that kind of condition the results. So I think that this is probably the best or second best matchup that FC Dallas could have found. And so I think,
00:07:59
Speaker
you know, when they look at this series, they're not going to be frustrated and certainly not surprised because of how many times it seems like it ends up being FCD Sounders in the playoffs. Yeah. And, you know, I also, I just sort of, I look at the, the playoff field as it being as wide open as I remember it ever being, you know, Dow, I think, you know, St. Louis, clearly the number one seed, but I don't know that any team in the West is like,
00:08:22
Speaker
No.
00:08:37
Speaker
go ahead and that's where and that's where I think that like frustration of FC Dallas is truss freak and going into the playoffs maybe lower than they expected after what they were able to do last year. Niko Estella's first year is is I think like kind of could clear a little bit, right? The FC Dallas is team that to me does have some clear deficiencies, but they've been more inconsistencies than deficiencies. They have trouble creating a lot of attacking volume some games, but then some games they put up, you know,
00:09:07
Speaker
seven chances and convert two or three. Sometimes they've had trouble converting chances. But if Jesús Ferreira finds his back of the net, you feel like he's going to get two or three more. At times they've had, you know, issues individually at the back.
00:09:22
Speaker
But they haven't really had that in a while. So it just seems like, well, and the other big thing is, I think, you know, central midfield has been sort of a circle spot. And they went out and Bari Raramendi, the former Real Sociedad Andrea Madrid midfielder, who's really brought a level of, you know, class and huge soccer IQ to the middle. So
00:09:43
Speaker
You know, the FC Dallas that that kind of has frustrated could still be the team that shows up in the playoffs. But it's also a team that that I think will give themselves every chance to get out of a very difficult tie against themselves.
Watson's Counter Reopening
00:10:00
Speaker
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Speaker
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Bernard Kamungo's Inspiring Journey
00:10:31
Speaker
Well, one of the players who seems to have come on, especially recently, as I mentioned earlier, Bernard Camungo, who is a Tanzanian refugee. Is that the right? Is that right? But he's playing for the US youth national team set up. Tell his story. What is going on? He's got six goals. It's unbelievable. Yeah, it does seem like that way.
00:10:51
Speaker
So he, Tanzanian refugee camp moved and resettled in Abilene, Texas. I'm not sure what the Washington parallel would be, but it's about two and a half hours west of Dallas Fort Worth, the big city. Yeah, so like a Yakima. Sure. Yeah. And, and I think, you know, and even like, I went to school at Texas Tech, so like Lubbock and Pullman, I think we always have a little bit of, you know, it's similar vibes, kind of a cow town with all love.
00:11:15
Speaker
to Lubbock and Pullman, you know, like a college town. Abilene is halfway in between those two places. Not, you know, much culturally going on and certainly not what you would expect to be a soccer hotbed. And maybe it wasn't because Bernard Kamongo was playing for his high school team, not for any sort of select club or pro team or any sort of academy system. His brother encouraged him and drove him to a tryout, open tryout, come all, come on, come all, to North Texas. FC Dallas is, you know, Tacoma Defiance,
00:11:43
Speaker
parallel. Yeah. And the coaches were blown away. And they said, you got to, you got to join. You got to be on the team. So he came in to the MLS next pro system, a very raw, but a very good player. I had the privilege of being able to go to his citizenship ceremony, which makes him eligible for the U S. Um, so he's us eligible, played for the U 23s in a couple of games recently and played well for one.
00:12:09
Speaker
Uh, set up a couple of goals. Oh, two goals. Yeah. Oh yeah. I guess he's, and he said one of them was to Obed Burgas. Yeah. So just the player who is willing, you know, one of my broadcast, uh, partner, Steve Davis said he's, he's too young to know that he shouldn't be trying some of the things that he's trying. And that's true. You know, I think that he, he's absolutely sometimes seeing things in a smart way, making a good run, getting in behind with his speed, but sometimes he does something and you're like, well,
00:12:37
Speaker
I think
00:12:53
Speaker
of
00:13:13
Speaker
that despite his age, despite some things that are going to need polishing, is a player who can absolutely make a difference and a really, really cool story, really great guy when I've been able to speak with him. So, you know, I know Sanders fans won't be rooting for him in this series, but it'll be tough to not root for him going forward.
00:13:31
Speaker
Well,
Alan Velasco's Playoff Potential
00:13:32
Speaker
and we did used to have, there was once upon a time we had a relationship with Tanzania that goes back to maybe 2011 or something. I think it was Tanzania that had this big tourism ad that was in one of the ends.
00:13:47
Speaker
And there was a Tanzanian player that came and trialed with the Sounders and it was kind of a big deal. And Tanzania is an interesting story because there's obviously a ton of soccer talent coming out of the continent of Africa, but where in the continent they come from is not evenly dispersed in any way. And Tanzania is not traditionally a hotspot of soccer talent.
00:14:14
Speaker
No, absolutely. Absolutely. No. And I think that's the thing too, is, you know, you say like, look at a guy like Alfonso Davies has a sort of similar story where he, you know, came out of a refugee situation, grew up, became a very good soccer player, came into an MLS Academy, goes abroad, you know, and then we all know who he is now, obviously. But as remarkable as that story is, comes from soccer, hotbed places, right? Way. Yes. Now, Canada's still getting to that status. No, but he I'm using a gone in
00:14:43
Speaker
Yeah, and then came up in the Edmonton area, which, you know, maybe that's the Abilene, Texas of Canada. But yeah, really remarkable story, really good guy. And I think beyond the good story, we're starting to see exactly why the coaches are so blown away, why these great things are happening for this kid, because beyond just being a good guy who deserves it, his talent serves it.
00:15:05
Speaker
And one of the other players who seems capable of really raising the level of Dallas is Ellen Velasco, who I don't know where you fall on this, but it seems like one week it's an example of how, what happens when MLS teams are willing to spend big money to bring in young talent. And then the next week it's, uh,
00:15:23
Speaker
It's a tale of see this is what happens sometimes when you get when you spend a bunch of money. Where is he right now? He you know, we you know, I know he was called up to the Argentinian national team. It didn't necessarily feel like a fully, you know, like a. A senior follow up. Yeah, so just to add some context to that, he was called up to the full team, but Stallone is doing some kind of half and half camps to get Javier Machirano's team ready for Olympic qualifying and then the Olympics.
00:15:52
Speaker
But last goes in the picture for that in part because of what he did in a game against Leanna Messi and enter Miami at the league's cup where FC Dallas probably should have won that game lost on a permanent shootout. But Lasko scores a great goal is an inconsistent player right now. If he becomes a consistent player, he'll be
00:16:09
Speaker
Well, and what came to my mind was Tiago Amada, right? Which is like... Yeah. So to point out that he has become a consistent player and he's going to go to Europe for a lot of money and play for a very big and important team and be a star, Velasco has the capability to do that. He has not shown that he can do that week in, week out. So in a series like this against the Sounders,
00:16:31
Speaker
He's a guy to watch. He's always a danger man, but there are games where he comes off the field and you say, he's absolutely the man of the match today. And there are games where he comes off the field and you say, he might've been the 10th or 11th best player on the field today. The thing that I think is frustrating for FCD and its coaching staff is it's not clear when or why.
00:16:49
Speaker
His attitude is very good. He doesn't seem to be one of these prima donna So oh he's not training hard enough or he doesn't put in the effort or oh He only raises his game for the big games and that's why he you know excels against messy But maybe not against you know in a random league game against The rap MLS team X the rapids exactly when and that's the kind of game where you needed him to excel and he did you know I
00:17:12
Speaker
or freaking everything's good but like I think the other thing with Alaska that does maybe frustrate the coaching staff but also can be a benefit is he came and they started playing him as a winger then he moved when he was with Independiente he played as a 10 and as a winger he started his MLS life as a winger then they moved him inside to a more interior role as kind of an eight a two-way midfield player
00:17:35
Speaker
at times he has had almost a 10 creative free role. He does really defend well for an attacking star. So I don't think that they want to get that out of him necessarily. But there are times where I wonder if he is doing too much defensively and should actually be pushing a little higher. You could say the same about Jesus. So I think those are kind of the things with Velasco that have been frustrating for FC Dallas fans for the coaching staff, even for the player himself, because
00:18:03
Speaker
You know truly one week. He looks absolutely deserving of the top 23 under 23 Oh, you know number one ranking that he got right and then there's weeks. We're just like I don't see it with this guy So that's his challenge is to become a consistent player Now I would argue that he has performed his best in big games and big occasions The playoffs are a big occasion. He performed last year in the playoffs. So I think I
00:18:28
Speaker
My money would be on him to have it together for these two games. But some of that depends on where is he being played? What's the role he's being asked? And what are the players around him giving him as well? And obviously, what are the Sounders doing to try and stop it? Because I do think he's a player where maybe the frustration is not like a young player where, oh, they're visibly frustrated and they're going to stop trying things. But I do think it can get in his head a little bit. And if he says, this is going to be one of those games, maybe he's in that place where the Sounders could lock him down.
00:18:57
Speaker
and cause him to not be a factor in the series. But I would bet that he'll do something in this series because I do think he plays his best when something big is on the line.
00:19:08
Speaker
Well, John, I know you have a hard
Get CONCACAFT Newsletter Promotion
00:19:09
Speaker
out, but I do want to give you a chance to promote your newsletter. It is one of the best resources for following CONCACAF, everything in CONCACAF soccer, other than the United States, maybe, although you do get into the United States. But if you are at all interested in what's going on in the world of CONCACAF, this is the newsletter for you.
00:19:30
Speaker
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I feel like the US is well covered. I try and poke in when I have something to say that's a little different, but for the most part, like hey, y'all got this. I'm going to go tell you a story about Saint Martin, the French territory that's getting promoted from CONCACAF Nations League League. See how did they do it? How did that happen?
00:19:47
Speaker
different stories about players and coaches from the region that just need to be told, and I want to tell. And so, yeah, the newsletter is called Getting CONCACAFT. I always say, if you understand the joke, then it's the newsletter for you. Got the free tier, got the paid tier. It's five bucks a month or $50 a year. For every Monday, there's a premium edition with a roundup of news around the region, Mexico-specific coverage, especially Ligamakis, which is really helpful, I think, during League's Cup and the CONCACAP Champions Cup.
00:20:16
Speaker
And yeah, I love it. It's what I like to do. It's my favorite stories and hopefully people think it's interesting too. You can go to getconcacaf.substack.com or just Google getting concacaf. I always say similar to concacaf. I just had to make it a little too complicated to find. Maybe one day I'll do the custom domain thing.
00:20:36
Speaker
I actually was looking at the custom domains the other day. If listeners want to tweet or email in, I can get concacaf.news, I can get concacaf.expert, I can get concacaf.wtf, but I'm not sure what the best ending is. I don't know what the best ending is. Concacaf.soccer, I know some big proponents of the .soccer domain.
00:21:02
Speaker
Oh yeah, that one might not be available because I didn't see it on my list. I'll pull it up and see what I find.
00:21:08
Speaker
OK, well, John, thank you so much for joining us. Look forward to getting to know FC Dallas really well over the next three weeks. It is surreal to think that we are going to be doing this for three weeks in a row potentially. But hey, I guess that's that's the new world of MLS is over the player today who he made it seem that he was informed of the playoff format after the regular season, and he said.
00:21:36
Speaker
It's weird, but it's interesting. And I was like, yeah, that's about right. Yeah. I mean, at least you aren't, don't you hopefully don't have players who at the end of game two will be celebrating, uh, assuming that the, that they've won when in fact it's got another game, but right, right, right. It's on the coaching staff to make sure that doesn't happen. But if it does, we will laugh about it for sure. Absolutely. It would be a very CONCACAF moment. I suppose. Yes.
00:22:01
Speaker
But John, thank you so much for doing this. I am Jeremiah Chan signing off for Nos Adietes. We will catch you next time.
00:23:06
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!