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Nos Audietis: Could the 4-2-3-1 be here to stay?
0 Playsin 13 hours
It was another busy week around the Sounders with a U.S. Open Cup match and a signing. Jeremiah and Niko dig into another episode of “What we learned this week” that focuses a lot on the development of younger players who appeared in the Tacoma Defiance match against the Portland Timbers. Somewhat connected to the Defiance match was a second consecutive match where we saw the 4-2-3-1. They discuss what kind of tactical tweaks that could bring.
They also give a scouting report of the Houston Dynamo.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sounders Legend Update
00:00:01
Speaker
Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here
Seattle Sounders MLS Cup Victory Highlights
00:00:11
Speaker
we go. Come on. Hey, O'Shaughnessy.
00:00:14
Speaker
Let's go. What save by Frye. The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winning. Here comes Ruiz Diaz through the middle to crowd it for Seattle.
00:00:29
Speaker
And now they truly can start the celebrations. It's the Sounders MLS Cup. Nico leaves absolutely no doubt. The Sounders rule the region.
00:00:43
Speaker
Seattle, Sounders, it's got built.
00:00:52
Speaker
This feels fucking awesome. This is a tiny dog. Nice work on your little yacht yat thing. And Portland can't say shit. know, what was the thought process in terms of who you decided to use and who you didn't?
00:01:06
Speaker
Ever since Southert Hart wrote a commentary that we didn't take over coming seriously. Go, not Seattle!
Sponsorship and Podcast Introductions
00:01:18
Speaker
This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounder supporters.
00:01:32
Speaker
They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
00:01:43
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adietes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. It is Friday. We are at... No, it is not Friday. It's Thursday. it's Thursday. It's Thursday. with This might come out a little later. But this is actually, in all, to be ah completely fair, it's Thursday.
00:02:00
Speaker
And I'm Jeremiah Shan. As always, though, I am joined by Nico Moreno. This is what we learned this week.
Sounders News and Personal Balancing Act
00:02:07
Speaker
How you doing, Nico? it's It's Thursday, but it feels like it should be Saturday, quite honestly, because we've been doing so much work. It's been a busy week, both you know on the sounder level and for me as a parent at the father level with my daughter going through tryouts and moving things around, having to get home. So it's nice to be in my comfort zone here, in my sanctuary of ah this beautiful place
00:02:37
Speaker
Providence in Swedish, PCC, as I like to call it these days. That's right. That's right. ah But yeah, just excited to be on here. This is too long. So PCC sounds kind of cool. Yeah, I got it.
00:02:47
Speaker
ah I think and there's another company using that, so might get a little confusing. Oh, Dang it. You're right. didn't think about that. Well, clubhouse and performance center, whatever. But i' just excited to be on because I do kind of feel like it's been little convoluted,
Tacoma Defiance vs Timbers: Youth Showcase
00:03:02
Speaker
a little bit. this week has been ah It's been a little hectic week. ah Of course, the Defiance played on Tuesday in the Open Cup against the Timbers.
00:03:09
Speaker
But it felt in a lot of way. I had to catch myself saying Sounders constantly when I was talking about that game. But it was the Defiance. Uh, we had a, but it was, it was an interesting, we had a lot to talk about this week. We had the defiance game.
00:03:22
Speaker
Osase De Rosario signing got announced today. You and I talked to Craig Weibel yesterday. He talked again today. we, you know, Brian Spencer gave some injury updates. So there's plenty of stuff to talk about.
00:03:35
Speaker
What do you want to start with? Why don't we, won don't we go with you I'm going to you drive this bus. Oh, okay. All right. Uh, well, just to go, uh, from where we started the week, and in sense of the the wonderful ah name of our show, I think we could talk about what we learned from the Tacoma Defiance game. that's a Yeah, I think that's a good that's a good one. And I think this was a real, we've been talking about this game as a learning opportunity for a bunch of young players And we already saw, I don't, you know, I think they they presented it sort of like this could be a make or break game for Osase De Rosario.
00:04:13
Speaker
I don't think, I think the decision was made before he played in this game. But it was good to see he played well. And I think we learned a lot about a lot of young guys.
00:04:24
Speaker
That was one of the things that you and I talked most extensively with Craig Weibel about yesterday, where we just talked about what, what you know, that they had two 18-year-old center backs.
00:04:34
Speaker
that held their own against a $10 million dollars striker for the Porton Timbers. you know They had ah they five guys in the starting lineup who were 20 or younger in this game.
00:04:46
Speaker
Nobody other than then Andrew Thomas was older than 23. This was a young team going against a very veteran, maybe not their first choice group, definitely not their first choice group, but a veteran a very veteran Portland Timbers team and a bunch of guys who have been starters relatively recently.
00:05:05
Speaker
Zach McGraw and Dario Zapierich were the starting center backs for most of last year. Ayala was a starting was a starter for a lot of last year. Paredes was a starter for a fair amount of last year.
00:05:17
Speaker
Kelsey is not a starter, but he is playing a lot of minutes for the first team. He ah you know he was he was pretty good for FC Cincinnati last year. He was $7 million dollars transfer this offseason.
00:05:30
Speaker
He's been valued at over $10 million dollars at various times. so So this was a pretty good Timbers team roster. what do you What were your big takeaways in terms of what we learned from that Defiance game?
Player Performance Evaluation
00:05:41
Speaker
I would add on that this timber team did have two full-on starters.
00:05:46
Speaker
Imbrabo and Joao Ortiz both have been consistent starters this season. ah Both were supposed to give this team that experienced leadership. and i thought that Neither one of them. Tacoma did great, man. And, you know, ah guy like Lasseter, who's an MLS talent, and he's yeah he's a pacey guy. And I thought he was contained for the most part of it. So I was impressed with the character of Tacoma, the fact that because they were the more cohesive unit and you could tell that they knew what they were trying to accomplish on the field.
00:06:25
Speaker
They were almost the better team, regardless of the way the score moved at times. There were moments where they were the better team, that they created opportunities. I thought large portions of that game they were the better team. Maxine Craypo is another player who, this is a guy who was starting, or maybe not starting, but he was playing in the in the World Cup. yeah He was a starter for much of ah the last two seasons. he was you know He was the guy who robbed the Sounders of going to MLS Cup in 2023. He's MLS champ.
00:06:56
Speaker
Exactly. he's enamous exactly this is So there was a lot of talent, a lot of talent. a veteran savvy, and the Defiance more than held their own for much of that game.
00:07:07
Speaker
I don't know that, you know, i was, one of the things I was saying, I don't know if at the price tag, I would take anyone from that Timbers team over players that were on the Defiance.
00:07:19
Speaker
and Especially when you're talking about ah projection and and and potential and you know bringing in a guy that's going to be fundamental for your team. I would agree. I mean, Kelsey is maybe the exception there, but at $7 million. dollars Yes, that's the price. actually I would definitely take Kelsey without a doubt. Yeah, exactly. if You can just give me him, but at the $7 million dollars transfer...
00:07:41
Speaker
I don't know if I'm super excited about that. And I think that, you know, we can get into this later, but I do think that that sort of underscores some of else what we talked to Craig Weibel about, about the bar that they need to clear to bring in a U-20. But we will
Kalani's Fullback Challenge
00:07:53
Speaker
get into that.
00:07:54
Speaker
One of the other players who I was... i I would say the player who I was most surprised to see in the Defiant starting lineup was Kalani Kosarienzi, who to me has established himself as a first-team player at this point.
00:08:06
Speaker
And no one else in that team was really an established first-team player other than maybe Andrew Thomas, who clearly is just, he needs he needs minutes, right? And he was seemingly very excited to be playing in this game.
00:08:17
Speaker
But Cosa Rienzi is someone who, you know, a couple of weeks ago, he started two weeks ago. He started against the Rapids. He started against Nashville. He started against Dallas. He's getting minutes.
00:08:28
Speaker
But there was an interesting twist to why he started in this game. Do you want to talk about that a little bit? Yeah, and it's ah the fact that he had been playing mainly, if not only, as a wingback. yep And by the decision of the team to change formations, they're going to be using more of a fullback function.
00:08:47
Speaker
And I think that they wanted to see him play as a fullback rather than wingback. Against an opponent. opponent. Because you don't learn much. If you let him play, if you're just going to throw him down to the Defiance and play MLX Next Pro Games, you aren't going to get the data you need. no No, you would not. And that's exactly why i think that decision was made.
00:09:07
Speaker
Also, Alex Roldan, I think, made it easy to get his job back because he had a phenomenal ah game against San Luis City. He was one of my highest rated guys when I ended up rewatching the game this week.
00:09:21
Speaker
And it was just a little bit of everything that Savi... that ability to change the point of attack consistently. He had two or three fantastic through balls. He was ah doing the underlaps very smoothly.
00:09:35
Speaker
ah thought that he was working well ah with the wingers in Pedro de la Vega in this one. So for me, Alex Rodin... solidified himself at that position and gave Brian the opportunity to say, hey, let's see how Kalani plays against this Portland team at that position. And I think he did okay. I think he got put on an island there at the end of the game yeah because I feel like Georgie was gassed by like the 70th minute.
00:10:02
Speaker
And there were times where he was having to cover two guys and he had a a difficult time getting forward and trying to track back. But that heavy motor that Kalani has, that... ah grind, it showed, it showed. But I would say that his skill set definitely diminishes under the 4-2-3. I would agree with that. He is at his best when he is sort of allowed to just fly up and down the wing. He's not going to be able to do that with quite the reckless abandon that he has been doing that.
00:10:31
Speaker
He's a, you know, and we he was a little, i will say he was, i thought, a more limited influence on the game Tuesday than we're used to seeing him when you know when he's usually playing as a wing back.
00:10:44
Speaker
ah The play that most stands out, I think, to a lot of people is the equalizing goal, where he is essentially left to guard, to to mark two people. Because he's got Ian Smith, which, i think this is isn in a little aside, interestingly,
00:11:00
Speaker
The Timbers sort of started their comeback when they started bringing in their deeper reserves. Their younger guys. Their younger Because their bench was all young guys. That was like T2 guys. And Ian Smith, I guess, is I think he's a fringe first-teamer, but he hasn't played much.
00:11:14
Speaker
And then Gage Guerra, who scored the goal, is also a very fringy first-team player. But anyway, what happens is Ian Smith gets out on the wing, and Kalani is there. He's not...
00:11:27
Speaker
closing him out as aggressively as you might want. But the problem is there's another player hanging out right inside the penalty area that Kalani is having to to track because if he just bails out, all of a sudden they're giving him a slip ball.
00:11:40
Speaker
And what he needs is Manungu to be marking Smith more aggressively. He's very late to get there. He doesn't get there until basically the moment that Smith delivers the cross. Now, full credit, it's a great cross. It is. and and this But it's also between two center backs.
00:11:58
Speaker
ah Maybe you'd like to see those center backs close down the the the attacker ah or be able to deny that ball a little bit. But let's give credit where it's due. That's a great cross, but it he's able to get it off because Manungu is late to get his mark. Yeah, and Kalani is, like you said, very...
00:12:16
Speaker
having to to do two things at once. And I think he takes the preventive or more conservative decision and try to play at his speed level. And he just can't get there either way. He basically makes Smith deliberate. He puts it on the guy who's 30 yards away from goal to make a perfect pass. And yeah he makes it. But that's, i mean, that is sort of the decision you want him to force there. You don't want him to you be able to just make a little slip pass.
00:12:41
Speaker
And all of a sudden you've got a guy running free in the in the penalty area. And look, we're not sitting here over-criticizing Manungu because I feel like... His legs were gone. yeah hes He was just tired. he was He'd been doing so much running around.
00:12:55
Speaker
He's the one that sets up both of the assists. He was a guy that that, to me, was probably the biggest influence influential player in the attacking end And he was just done. And...
00:13:06
Speaker
Obviously, H is is a guy that's trying to get a win. Maybe he is a little late on making that substitution. I think that that if there's one thing that you can second guess in this game, I think it's getting Manungu off around the 70th minute yeah and bringing in a Jackson Corey or someone like that who is going to do a lot of the same stuff, but maybe not be as effective as an attacker, but as legs.
00:13:28
Speaker
And I think we also saw, unfortunately, on the penalty that ends up deciding the game where Georgie just grabs the attacker really out of lazy, like, I don't, I don't want calling him lazy, but I think those are the tired. Out of exhaustion. Out of exhaustion. He doesn't want to chase this guy, and I get it, but you can't, you can't do that.
00:13:48
Speaker
On the whole, I think Manungu showed that he does, he is developing the parts of his game that you really want him to develop. Of course. He's not a 90 minute player right i think that's what sort of the, there's two takeaways from the Georgie Manungu experiment. One, he's becoming a very effective attacker.
00:14:05
Speaker
He destroys, is it Ayala or is it? No, it's Bravo. Bravo. He destroys him on that first goal. Just absolutely wrecks him. And that's what you want to see. That's the main thing. The reason you have Georgie Mnugo on the field is to do that type of stuff. So that's good.
00:14:21
Speaker
but we also learned that he's probably not a 90 minute player. the The moment to me that really said, okay, he's maybe too gassed, he got out on a breakaway and instead of going at goal, he lays it off to Yusuke Nome, who another player we can talk about, who yeah who ends up not having a great look and and ends up getting kind of a weak shot off.
00:14:43
Speaker
But to me, if Minungu has his legs, he's going at goal there. Yeah, no, 100%. And that was maybe around the 70th minute or so. if i No, and that that that is sort of something that he's been working on. And ah look, we we all know that, and this had a big effect on the game.
Emerging Talent: Manungu, De Rosario, Tsukunome
00:15:00
Speaker
It was the the way that...
00:15:03
Speaker
Starfires played. yeah And I feel like at times, maybe Manungu was a little bit rushed and was a little bit trying to make too much happen. And I think that killed his legs. Yeah. um and but he was I think he put, understandably, a lot of absolutely lot of that game was on his shoulders. Yes. And I think that was sort of the game plan is like, let's and he had a heart. It was funny because he had a hard time getting into it in the first half.
00:15:26
Speaker
But in the first 20 minutes of the second half, he was as electric, as good as you that we've ever seen him. I mean, he looked like a ah ah man possessed who was ready to just tear open.
00:15:38
Speaker
and And both goals come mainly from his industriousness, his skill, his ability. So i don't wanna I don't want to diminish what he did there. I just think that he also needs to we also need to be real about where are the goals came from. And I think we have to be very mindful. And people at times are, once again, it's the right to be, but they're just too radical. And he's a guy that is a great talent. He continues to develop.
00:16:07
Speaker
He's going to be a contributor for the first team. But he clearly played way above... The Tacoma defiance level, he's shown that time and time again. He's not a defiance player. So we've got to give him the credit that he deserves, the respect that he deserves.
00:16:20
Speaker
And he's going to continue to develop and get better. He's going to get to be right next to a guy like Ryan Kent and Pedro La Vega and learn every day. He's going to be a talent that will continue to play for ah the the first team.
00:16:33
Speaker
Another guy that at thought was interesting, and I'll try to be brief here, is Bernal. I thought he had a very solid game. Solid game. Yeah, he's another 18-year-old starting in the defensive midfield against a veteran team, and he held his own. he was He had a moment in the first half that you'd like to see him be a little bit more composed in the box, where he ends up shooting high. and he Yes.
00:16:54
Speaker
But other than that, I thought he did everything you'd want him to do. And frankly, that's not totally his game anyway. So I don't want to put too much on him, but he held his own. And you can kind of go through the roster. I don't know that anyone looked like they were overwhelmed. know I thought Reid was good. Reid probably should have had the game had a potentially had a game-winning assist.
00:17:12
Speaker
Puts in a beautiful left-footed ball to Stuart Hawkins at the back post. Hawkins, unfortunately, he has Osaze de Rosario making a run that is wide open if he taps it across the goal and he shoots it instead and it's saved.
00:17:28
Speaker
ah But... Going back to De Rosario, he was putting himself in dangerous positions. thought he looked great. I'm excited about what he can bring to the first team. Yeah, I'll give you my last take on him before I ask you about just one specific player that was interesting that I had not really been watching closely.
00:17:46
Speaker
But De Rosario, he's... ah Ability to know how to attack the box, when to attack the box. He's a physical player. He had two very big framed, experienced center backs, and he looked the part.
00:18:01
Speaker
ah He has a wonderful header that he goes and gets, and yeah he has to have an off-ball movement to get to that ball. is kind of fighting off a defender while he's hitting. He's fighting off a defender. So for me, the he looks solid. The thing I like that he just looks so solid going up for it.
00:18:16
Speaker
There's a guy bodying him, and he's not... like that He may not have gotten quite as much on it as he would have otherwise, but the fact that he gets a good, strong header off while he's got a defender literally against him is great. So I thought he was just very good at his positioning, and and that's huge for what the Sounders will need. We'll see what he does later on when it comes to ah defense and triggers and you know some of his link-up play. Those things that will grow, but at least I feel like he is a guy that –
00:18:48
Speaker
is not just a good depth piece, but that has a ton of potential to develop into an even better player. The player I wanted to ask you was about Yu. And I thought he came in and was very good. As soon as he came in, soon he was impactful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would totally agree with that.
00:19:05
Speaker
So Yu Tsukunome is... ah i was a little surprised that he didn't start. i think... In hindsight, it was very, or once you saw the game playing out, it was very clear to me what the game plan was, which was to move Antino Lopez, who is normally a center back, into the defensive midfield, not to play as a third center back, but to play as sort of a ball-winning player in the middle. And so I think it was a very smart move, I think, by Diese to say, look, we don't need a third center back patrolling the backfield, but what we need is someone, a physical presence in the midfield.
00:19:38
Speaker
And that he provided that. I thought it worked. And, you know, they were a little unlucky to be down 1-0 at halftime. And I think to the same degree, Diese deserves credit for making the change at halftime to bring in Yu Tsukunome.
00:19:50
Speaker
And essentially, so what he did is he brought Yu Tsukunome into play as as a 10, essentially. And then they dropped Peter Kingston back to yeah to patrol the midfield with Senator Brunel. And Tsukunome, literally as soon as he gets on the field, is making an impact.
00:20:03
Speaker
He helps set up the first goal. He has a... And then he scores the second goal. i And then he also had this amazing ball, this blind pass that he just loops over to Travion Sousa, that Sousa traps, plays into the box.
00:20:21
Speaker
And I thought he deserved a penalty. gets kicked. I think you're going to see that called a penalty a lot of the time. It doesn't get called. And then three minutes later... Portland equalized, that would have essentially sealed the game if they had gotten that call. But yeah, Tsukunome is a player who, you know, coming into this year, if you had asked me who are the top five guys on the Defiance who are MLS prospects, he would not have made my list.
00:20:48
Speaker
I think he is getting pretty close to the point where the Sounders almost have to sign him. I mean, he's got he's got nine goals and two assists in nine competitive games this year. wow He is, and he just does, he just has finds the game. He's not necessarily a conventional player. He's a little older. He's 24 years old.
00:21:07
Speaker
He's got an interesting backstory, too. He did not play professionally in Japan. He actually played... In the college system in Japan, which is not a normal true that's not a normal path. he comes to He gets out of college. He comes to the United States, plays in the NPSL for some team, I think, in South Dakota. No way. Yeah, he's like the leading scorer in the NPSL, which is basically an amateur league. Sure.
00:21:28
Speaker
And I don't know how the Sounders even found him, but they find this guy. And he's just got this sort of... innate ability to find the game. You watch him and you don't see any obviously plus skills, but yet he's always in dangerous areas. He's always creating danger. You know, he's a an interesting player. No, I talked to some guys of the first team after the game, and apparently they had seen him play, and they thought that he has a lot of interesting qualities, and he's one of those guys just like De Rosario, just like you at at one point it was Kalani, and
00:22:04
Speaker
You know, the the the first team players are always looking for who are the guys that are coming up. And he is one of the and you other players. Yeah. Yeah. Other players. Yeah. Other players. First team players.
00:22:14
Speaker
I always try to get give background on on anybody who I talk to yeah about certain players ah because they practice. and And, you know, yeah yeah we talk to them. We're sorry about that today that, you know it's something that they do get to do and it does help. but And he said, you know, they'll tell you what you need to do to be better.
00:22:29
Speaker
um And so that's why I ask. And it sounds like, you know, you is one of those guys that they were looking into. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he ends up signing a first team contract at some point this year. I don't know what.
00:22:41
Speaker
Position he really put like I don't know how you I don't know how you get him on the feet like I don't know the exact scenario that ends up with you suguinomi playing He's probably a 10. He's kind of a withdrawn forward. I guess you can play him out wide That's the challenge I think is like I don't know what role he plays but he he's getting to a point now where you know this guy scores 15 16 goal like you can't you almost have to sign him because that's sort of the system you've set up here If you perform at the at the at the second team level,
00:23:12
Speaker
the Sounders are gonna sign you. and theyve They've currently got six guys on their roster, first team roster right now, not counting homegrowns, who came directly through Defiance or S2. And that's sort of this pathway that they've created. And when, you know, Osazi de Rosario, I don't think was at the top of my list either at the start of this year. I i sort of figured he was sort of a flamed out prospect.
00:23:35
Speaker
He was, I thought, a little too old, but he's been a better, much better player this year. He's doing a lot of the fundamentals that you wanna see. he's He seems like he's understanding the game better. He is clinical.
00:23:45
Speaker
He gets himself into dangerous areas. So, Yusuke Nomi, another player who I think, again, not wasn't on my list, but is someone who I think you have to watch now. So let's let's use this as a segue to talk about ah about what we learned from ah speaking to
Recruitment and Team Formation Strategies
00:24:02
Speaker
Craig. Actually, it was just you and I basically, for the most part. Jose Moreno was there for a little bit as well.
00:24:07
Speaker
But we got to talk to him. Jose set it up. He set and then he walked away. Absolutely. Yes. Jose, we owe this guy five or something because he did set it up. He honestly set this up for success there.
00:24:19
Speaker
And essentially, we're talk to him about Basically this, and and the reason why I'm going use it as a segue is because he did mention that it wasn't just the Rosario that had, you know, and that Tacoma defiance game kind of made you think about the way you were going to go.
00:24:35
Speaker
But then he also said that with that U22 spot and perhaps that 10-day window that comes with the Club Rock Cup. which but we I want to just touch on this real fast. yeah but There has been some reporting out there.
00:24:50
Speaker
by, none i mean, Tom Boger, well-connected guy, he said he reached out to MLS, he reached out to US s Soccer, and no one to in from those organizations have actually confirmed that this window is open Everyone we've talked to at the Sounders has said, we're under the impression that we can use that window. Yes. So I don't know where the disconnect is, but the Sounders absolutely are operating under the assumption that they can use that window.
00:25:12
Speaker
Whether or not they actually can, I suppose, will be tested. But I just wanted to interject there. Please finish. No, no, that's great. No, and I just i want to kind of to throw the ball back at you because it has been my...
00:25:24
Speaker
Conclusion, in my opinion, that the U22 spot needs to be used on a striker. Now, Moose has got four goals in four consecutive games. He scores his fifth against Houston.
00:25:41
Speaker
He's going to join Oba in and Raul as the only players to go five. And then apparently oh the only player to go beyond that is Raul that went six games consecutively. And they actually went eight games, I guess, because he went didn't do playoff games, too. Well, incredible, right? So yeah that's where Moose is. Which is a crazy thing. Which is a crazy thing. And i'm again, I'm not sitting here telling you guys that Danny is the guy, the truth. No, that that's not what I'm saying, but I'm saying that it's kind of working and it's being productive.
00:26:14
Speaker
And now you got a guy like Osase that you're going to try to develop. So I kind of get where he might be coming from in terms of maybe we could use it somewhere else. To me, and I'll let you provide your take on it.
00:26:27
Speaker
To me, you still got to go find that generational yeah changing striker. Yeah. Jordan Morris has been fantastic, but, you know, the injuries, ah he's not old by any means, but 30 sometimes at that position for an explosive player can be looked at a little bit closely. it And I just said that, Dan, he's been great. He's a ah contributor, but he's just not the guy. And then we don't really know what to find from Osase Rosario, although he looks to be a guy that could essentially be an excellent striker.
00:27:00
Speaker
But what are your thoughts on what Craig said and where you think that this goes? Yeah, i mean, Craig kind of alluded to we have been told repeatedly for months at this point that their number one target is a U-22 striker, that they've been almost exclusively focused on that.
00:27:19
Speaker
So in that sense, I don't know that this has changed anything from a practical standpoint. The the reality is that most of their scouting has already been done on this. sure He said he talked to 12 or 13 players already.
00:27:31
Speaker
I would imagine most of those players, almost all those players are strikers. But... He sort of alluded to this idea that they might go best player available. Mm-hmm.
00:27:41
Speaker
Because they don't have and they don't have any glaring weaknesses where you can say, oh, now, okay, if they had an unlimited budget, if they had a full, even a senior, if they could go out and get a DP, you can identify any position on the field and say you can get better. Sure. Sure.
00:27:56
Speaker
Sure. But that's not the situation they're in. they're in and they They have money to go sign a u twenty two which by its nature is a player who is not yet finished, who has still growth to be had.
00:28:08
Speaker
And if you're saying that player needs to come in here and contribute, which is essentially the bar that Craig has set. Yes. He said it repeatedly. Very clear. very He said that... You know, weeks ago when we were talking to about it, he said it yesterday. think he repeated it again today when he talked again about the this whole situation. He wants someone to come in and contribute. Now, is that him talking? Is that ownership saying, look, if going spend this money, we want that money on the field?
00:28:34
Speaker
I don't know. I'm not going to get into the politics of it. But he has made it very clear. That's his expectation. and i And so in that sense, is there a clear path to playing time at forward?
00:28:45
Speaker
No, not not right now. Nope. Nope. But you're right. If you're looking at where you're going to get the most bang for your money, bang for your buck over the course of the long window, even two years out, number nine is where it is because yep Jordan has been great when he's healthy.
00:29:02
Speaker
He's 30 years old. Danny Masofsky is in a great run of form. He is also going to be 30 years old. Osazi de Rosario is in a great run of form. He is really unproven. Like the reality is that he is not proven at this level. Nope.
00:29:16
Speaker
He's 23 even though. Yep. So you don't really have, and in the and the ah the academy does not have a bunch of nines ready to pop either.
00:29:27
Speaker
So this is to me where you can get the most bang for your buck. Yes, number nines are the most expensive players to buy. But I think that's, it makes sense to me. I still think that when the rubber hits the road, that's where you want to spend your money. Yeah, I totally – and you know just lastly here, I mean, I think the only – to me, although I think you're right that there are not any glaring needs, I feel like the only other place that I would go other than nine was going to be at center midfield just in case Obed goes or whenever Obed goes. It's funny. We're on No Saudia. If you're listening to this, you probably listen to No Saudia too or the –
00:30:06
Speaker
show an aar but we nine and eight were the two yeah spots that we ranked as sort of the top two, what we thought would they would go after, and I agree with you that ah if it was and it was up to me, I might, the eight, I think, getting a Obed replacement, because,
00:30:21
Speaker
The reality is that I think Jao Paulo is fine right now. I think Danny Leyva is fine. But those are those players you can you can see upgrading over, especially if Obed leaves.
00:30:32
Speaker
Right. And the only reason why I've always leaned more towards the nine is because if the developmental progress of this organization through the academy and through Tacoma has shown us is that they can...
00:30:48
Speaker
ah farm out center midfielders. And you just talked about you. You talked about Brunel. Are they guys that can potentially do it? maybe Maybe. So there are options there, but the nine has not been that. No, and I think that's going to be the hardest position to identify, the bring through the academy.
00:31:06
Speaker
And anyway, we'll we'll see. We will definitely see. ah But the other thing that I think we also learned this week But also was reinforced in the defiance game. You know the Sounders use a 4-2-3-1, think really for the first time this year. Yes. Against St. Louis.
00:31:22
Speaker
After the game, we asked Brian about it. He said, i think we're going to see that a lot more, especially at home. But maybe we see it sooner than that. ah You know, I think that we're seeing a transition into that. Maybe not a full-time. Maybe it's not gonna be the full-time formation.
00:31:38
Speaker
But I think it's the easiest way to get Ryan Kent on the field. It's the easiest way to get Ryan Kent on the field without necessarily... like It gives you different kinds of flexibility, especially when Jackson Reagan's not available. You don't have three center backs, so you just need to get on the field together. Yeah.
00:31:54
Speaker
ah And if Nuhu is going to play like he did against St. Louis, it makes a little you feel a little better better better about him playing as a left back as opposed to a left wing back.
00:32:05
Speaker
But what we talked about this last week. Why don't you walk us through again what you see as the big differences between a 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1? Yeah, look, we've talked about And I want to just take the moment to just say that...
00:32:24
Speaker
Although Brian basically said a lot of the things that we've been saying on this show. I mean, if there's anybody that's been talking about this 4231 needing to be the change, it's a charismatic Colombian that does this stuff quite consistently on podcasts and shows in the area.
00:32:40
Speaker
So going back to the 4231, there's a couple of things. So the build out. ah And ah Brian talked about maybe let's start there. Brian, in his own words, said something that I have mentioned here before is that it makes decisions simpler.
00:32:58
Speaker
It makes things easier to to manage. Your your main decisions are quicker because there's less space in between players and.
00:33:08
Speaker
It simplifies a lot of things. One is the build-out. When you have a three-man back line, you have to push your wing back so far up to pin up the opposition that your build-out is usually a five-man build-out. Your three center backs, of which for the Sounders, especially right now, has two guys that are not necessarily good on the ball. but Now three because Jack's not being there.
00:33:33
Speaker
ah Because Kim's qualities we are not with the didn't Are not with the ball distribution. Neither are Yamars and neither is Newhoos. So now you have three guys that are that's not their best attributes and they're having to handle the ball a lot more. You're kind of exposing them, making them having to get on the ball. And to the degree that they're building out or breaking lines, it's goingnna be with the ball at their feet, not with passing. Exactly. It changes a lot. And even if you're passing, like I this five is your three center backs and he's your two pivots and they come back.
00:34:00
Speaker
When you have a 4-2-3-1, you're already doing the pinning with your wingers. So it allows your two fullbacks to be part of it. And then you bring in your pivots.
00:34:10
Speaker
That's six players that are consistently building out of the back. And you've seen Christian Roldan be that guy that's coming in and kind of getting in between. The center backs at times, he's the one that's being the first guy with the ball to distribute.
00:34:23
Speaker
I've talked about how that also fits JP better. So it just makes things a lot simpler. On the attacking end, you are having guys higher up the field. And if anything was evident against St. Louis, is that in transition, regardless of who it was playing the left winger, they were cooking St. Louis. And they had numbers in the box. And they had numbers in the box, because everybody's higher up the field already.
00:34:48
Speaker
and um when you're talking about a guy like Paul Rothrock, that his engine is, and his engine block and his ability to go up back and forth is his biggest attribute. Now he's doing it just forward.
00:35:00
Speaker
And although I will say that he wasn't as sharp as he could have been, and he maybe had a couple of moments that decision-making wasn't quick enough, he was an issue all game long on the left side. I was surprised how many people were really frustrated with Paul, and I guess because he had a couple misses.
00:35:16
Speaker
But, yeah. I mean, i don't know. I just don't, if you get too wrapped up in Like, it wasn't like there were great chances. He just didn't make great shots. And that's why i like to call sharpness. He wasn't at his sharpest. That's okay, right? But I don't know if I'd be frustrated. I thought he was influential the entire first half. I totally agree. And he drew the penalty.
00:35:33
Speaker
yeah You drew the penalty? So it's not like, I don't know. And the penalty is one of those moments where could have he have taken a better touch and maybe put himself in a position to maybe get a chance? Sure.
00:35:45
Speaker
But what he does is that... He takes the bad touch, and he's like, man, got to make something happen. yeah And Rothrock making havoc is something that is consistently there. And in that havoc, he goes right at the defense and forces a PK. So those are the things that sometimes people are very highly critical. And and I think that if you – kind of go over the the reality of like the the productivity, it's there. So anyways, going back to the 4-2-3-1, it sets up better your wingers.
00:36:14
Speaker
And now when you got two fullbacks that can be more selective getting forward, now all you're with doesn't come from the wingbacks. In the three-man position, ah lineup, that's where all your width is coming from.
00:36:28
Speaker
Now you got that ability to win their selective and those underlaps and overlaps are are very good. Another misconception about Ryan Kent, and ill again, I'll try not to be too long-winded on it, is that everybody, and and even I said that he's a guy that is going to stretch out defenses.
00:36:45
Speaker
And he's got positional awareness. That's fine. But you saw how many times he cut inside and was in those inside channels because he's that good and he has that ability to do so. A lot of people have this concept that he's only going to be tied down to the to the line.
00:36:59
Speaker
And that's more of Paul's Rothrocks kind of type of game. And I thought that Kent and Nuhu had a very good report. And if Nuhu can be as... good and effective going forward. Like you said, man, this is the best setup for this team.
00:37:14
Speaker
But again, like I will say, this is not something that I'm saying today and I didn't say it at the St. Louis game. I've been saying it from the very beginning. You've been saying it for a long time. That the roster is built for a 4-2-3-1 and the only way to get your most talented players in the current roster is through the 4-2-3-1.
00:37:32
Speaker
That may very well be, and I think we're going to see a lot more 4-2-3-1 going forward. ah But, you know, that's a good place to take a break. We'll come back. We'll talk about the Houston Dynamo game, which is Saturday. We'll talk a little bit about what we think about the potential lineup in that game.
00:37:47
Speaker
ah You're listening to you listen to NOS Adietes on the Sandra Hart Podcast Network.
00:37:57
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, which now includes Nos Adietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023, but need your support to make sure it continues.
00:38:10
Speaker
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00:38:23
Speaker
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00:38:39
Speaker
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Upcoming Game Strategy vs Houston Dynamo
00:38:50
Speaker
Welcome back to Nos Adietes. So we got a game against the Houston Dynamo. The Sounders have actually had a fair amount of success playing in Houston. This will be the second time they've played Houston this year. They tied zero zero the first game.
00:39:05
Speaker
In a lot of ways marked maybe not the bottom of the mood around the Sounders, but certainly was a different... It was not a good... That was that was a frustrating result. I think we can all agree.
00:39:18
Speaker
But the Dynamo have not really moved up since the two teams have been going in very different directions since that game. Dynamo struggled a bit. Do you want to get into your scouting report or do you want to give a little bit more of an injury update on the Sounders going into one?
00:39:33
Speaker
We can start with the injuries and kind of maybe what we're thinking about the lineup and then we'll go into Houston. Okay, so today Brian said that Albert Rusnak and Jesus Ferreira will travel and will play.
00:39:46
Speaker
We don't know exactly how much they'll play because they were both somewhat modified in training this week, in and out of training. So that's a good sign in a sense that they're traveling, but they may have to do some funky stuff with the lineup.
00:40:01
Speaker
It also sounds like maybe Pedro de la Vega isn't going to start this game from what we can tell. Yeah, maybe not. I mean, there were options rotated there between him and Paul being those wing ah wingers.
00:40:13
Speaker
Brian has said a couple of times, one ah this week, that, you know, he's... ah You know, I've seen Paul on the right side, and he's worked the right side. And it like Ryan Kent might start. And looks like Ryan Kent will start, which is... That's the reason why we're not even touching the left side, is because if anything, it's almost certain.
00:40:28
Speaker
And, we I mean, hopefully Brian doesn't come here and, like, swing at us. But, I mean, there's a good chance... i mean, he's... Yeah, I think the signs have been all been all there. But that's that's kind of an exciting development. It I don't know how fit he is. I was a little surprised when Brian earlier this week said, no, he can start.
00:40:46
Speaker
i mean, he he said it. ah So i was I honestly thought we were maybe a couple more weeks until Kent was able to start. But I guess he's made a lot. i mean, this is a player who it's funny. Yeah.
00:41:00
Speaker
We were originally pumping the brakes on how how what kind of fitness level we expected to come in. He way exceeded our expectations there. We were saying, oh well, he looks good in training. We'll see.
00:41:13
Speaker
And he's exceeded the expectations there. Every game he's played, he's looked better. i mean, this is an exciting, but i don't want to get too... too crazy about it. But he's an exciting, I'm excited about the possibility of him starting.
00:41:26
Speaker
Anything else about the starting lineup? Jackson Reagan is, at best, it sounds like Portland, so he's not in the in the mix. Anything else starting lineup-wise you think is is notable? not Well, Albert Rusnak, do we say that already? i mean, Albert...
00:41:41
Speaker
Yeah, he's been modified, so it'll be interesting what happens there. i curious to see what they do with number ten Because I'm not really sure what what happens there, but in terms of Ryan Kent, though, um this is another checkpoint, and that's kind of what you'll see, right? We've all been excited about everything he's done so far, but I've kind of pumped the brakes as well because we don't know what 90 minutes looks like for him. We don't know what is starting.
00:42:05
Speaker
Game looks like it's very different to come in late in a game and credit to him for being as humble as he was after the game i thought it was I was kind of won over, you know, I yeah, I don't I don't gravitate towards like the English players that much I I don't know. I'm just not that into the game kind of He kind of won me over on that. Yeah, man. He's just so humble.
00:42:29
Speaker
He understands the game to the point of the look. Yeah, I was coming in later. or You know, i I came here at this point. So now we're going to see it 90 minutes fit. And we'll talk about how he can influence that against this specific Houston ah team.
00:42:41
Speaker
But all in all, I think those are the biggest takes. Another one is Alex Roldan, just obviously getting his spot back. Yeah. He is a guy that's going to be interesting going into this game.
00:42:52
Speaker
And then what happens with Danny Mussovsky? you know we keep just Can he keep it going? can Can he stay red hot? I mean, but that's very interesting for me. um And then what's going to happen with the pivots? I don't expect any changes there, but I would like to see if the scores allow it for Bucs.
00:43:12
Speaker
either JP or or Danny Leyva to be introducing to this one. But all in all, it sounds like the Sounders are looking at this game as a, we need to get a win.
00:43:23
Speaker
That's what I feel like I've learned this week. They're going at this Houston game, understanding that if there's a three game... They think this is their best chance to win in the next five.
00:43:35
Speaker
Now, I should say, i thought these two teams were going in different directions. No. The Dynamo have actually been pretty good. They have been. You know, they've they've gotten three wins across all comps. They've only lost, they've lost twice. they're They're basically in MLS play.
00:43:51
Speaker
They're two, two and two against, yeah, two, two and two. So they've actually been, they tied the Rapids. They beat Austin.
00:44:01
Speaker
They tied LA. They beat LAFC. And then they lost to the Timbers. So this is this is a team that actually has been pretty good, all like to be totally fair.
00:44:13
Speaker
They just won on the road against Phoenix Rising. They won 4-1 on the road against houston rising and the or Phoenix Rising in the new Open Cup. So maybe this is maybe i'm maybe I'm underselling them. theyve They've actually been pretty good lately.
00:44:26
Speaker
What do you what what do they do well? Yeah, so all in all, ah what happens with the Shus' Dem is that they were unbeaten four games before their last game, before their their last game. and And the biggest difference, I think, and and and we we'll get into this a little bit more, I feel like is that they've gotten a a new winger yeah that has provided them a another chance creator, a guy that can...
00:44:55
Speaker
almost be another player that is going to work with Ponce who just looked like a guy on an island so many times. He is supposed to be their 9th striker, but he was forced to come back so far.
00:45:08
Speaker
Basi has done what he can with what he has, and he's been a player that's very interesting. but Andre Linger. Andre Linger, yeah. He's the guy that that for me is going to be a difference maker, but they are just starting to click in the midfield.
00:45:25
Speaker
This was one of the top midfields last season. yeah And of a sudden, all your key guys are gone. And they have just started to kind of build that up. And now with a little bit of momentum, I feel like this ah Benny ball type of, of team has been very interesting. Another guy that has solidified them very well. And,
00:45:48
Speaker
Let's just go ahead and put it out. The three guys to watch for me are Anderlinger because of everything he's done. He's actually gotten a couple of goals before his last game. ah wonderful volley for the top of the box that went in perfectly. ah ah good header to win a game.
00:46:03
Speaker
Oh, no, to tie a game. And just he's been very good. The other guy that... the Sounders did not see last time they were here was Jonathan Bond. And he is being such a fantastic player for this team. The goalkeeper against LAFC. He had seven saves by the time it was halftime.
00:46:24
Speaker
Seven saves. The guy just has been absolutely unreal. And, He gives them not just a guy that's good on ah the aspects of being a goalkeeper, saving all the things, but he's very good on the ball.
00:46:38
Speaker
He's helping out their build-out. They've been able to bolster their lineup a bit because they were also really thin at center back, if I remember correctly, the last time they were here. Yes. And Sviachenko has basically been able to come back in.
00:46:50
Speaker
They picked up Jack McGlynn, I believe, maybe even since that game. yeah No, I think McGlynn, he might have been playing already by then. He's solidified his place on the team. Yes.
00:47:02
Speaker
The the winger we were just mentioned linger. So they this is a different team. So i'm just going to, you know, I would say this is their best chance to win of these next three. That doesn't mean it's going to be an easy game.
00:47:13
Speaker
No, no, no, not at all. Absolutely not. And. ah To your point, Burlow is another guy that had been injured, that had not been able to play as a center back. He played in the the Open Cup game 90 minutes. And so those are things that are working well for him.
00:47:29
Speaker
But LAFC ended up beating him. ah Rather easy, I'll be quite frank. ah Their biggest issue continues to be in midfield. Arthur is a guy that, although to me is one of the most experienced, better guys as a disruptor, as a guy that's going to get the ball back, play easy.
00:47:48
Speaker
You're starting to kind of tell that he's got a lot of miles on his on his wheels and and he has to not looked as sharp. So ah for me, that's where Seattle can have the ability The advantage ah the last guy that I wanted to put up as the third guy to look for For Houston is McGlynn and McGlynn you just kind of mentioned that it's not just what he does on the field But in set pieces he said pieces are fantastic. He has a in phenomenal left foot ah Whether it's straight at goal or corner kicks or setting up guys.
00:48:20
Speaker
He's a guy to watch So those are the three guys for me that you got to watch Now, going into this game, Franco Escobar lost his head against LAFC, gets a silly second yellow.
00:48:31
Speaker
He will not be part of this game. They've had issues with that specific position. Maybe it could be Steris, that place. They're a left back. Dorsey's the right back. oh yeah ah and And so that's somewhere where I feel like Seattle is going to be able to attack both flanks.
00:48:49
Speaker
Dorsey on the other side, although he's got... Wheels and in a huge engine block and could do a whole lot. He gets forward very easily. say He gets hung up sometimes. So Ryan Kent might able to exploit.
00:49:00
Speaker
Yes. So that's what we were talking about. Ryan Kent Ryan Kent is going to have a lot of space potentially dealing with a guy like Dorsey. Now Dorsey is going to be physical and he's going to be getting on him. It's going to be very interesting how that matches up that match about. I'm going to be all over ah because Dorsey is also a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas and And so getting a guy that's had all of this, you know, reflectors and trajectory, I could see where he's going to be all over him.
00:49:29
Speaker
So great matchup. But I do think that Seattle can get the better of Houston by using those flank spaces that consistently get open for this Houston team. And what ah what's happened to Nico Ladero since we last met him? He's been more of a role player. I mean, he was just a placeholder until they got more attacking players. The attacking players are here now.
00:49:51
Speaker
And so he played in the Open Cup. He had a solid performance. And he's just that guy that's just more of ah ah a rotational guy. I will say the locker room, including a guy like Ponce,
00:50:03
Speaker
utmost respect for for Lodero. They listen. He's one of the guys that has one of the loudest voices on the field, on the locker room. So he's been a guy that has, without a doubt, been a positive influence for ah Benny's team.
00:50:16
Speaker
um Benny's actually, it was kind of funny because it was his birthday on the last game, ends up losing that game. ah But this team does kind of rock to Benny's style. They're emotional, they get forward, they're grindy.
00:50:30
Speaker
So like Brian said, it's it's not going to be an easy game. ah a Houston, it could be hot these days, I'm not really sure, but the humidity and all of those components there, ah see we asked Brian what was going to be the key for the Sounders, and he talked about...
00:50:46
Speaker
Continue to do the concepts that they've been doing so far. I think that's very accurate. The quick passing is going to be important in this one. The last thing I'll say when it comes to the scouting report of this Houston team is that they've had some big difficulties getting out of the back.
00:50:59
Speaker
um And it's not just in the loss against LAFC. yeah Even when they've been able to win games, they've struggled getting out of the back. It's been a bit of a rotational door there at center back, like I mentioned.
00:51:11
Speaker
But... To me, when you're looking at a guy as young as Obafemi at center back, he came from MLS Pro.
00:51:23
Speaker
This is his first year in the league. He's had 11 games, 11 starts, so he's done it, but he struggles at times, compromising balls, and ah that's where I think Seattle, if they press correctly on this new formation, maybe they can you know put put it put a a good goal initially.
00:51:41
Speaker
For me, I am very optimistic that Seattle, with the current form and the current players and going against Houston team that I think has a lot of holes, I think they can get this win. And it'll be a huge win on the road.
00:51:56
Speaker
Because if you win this first game, you can manage the other two. You can rotate against LAFC. You can then maybe play full against Portland. you You give yourself so much more options.
00:52:07
Speaker
Right. And the reality is that the Sounders are sort of due on the road. they've got They haven't been bad, but they only have two goals on the road so far this year. They have 14 at home. That's ah quite a big discrepancy, even though they've played more road games than home games at this point. So they're probably, you know, it would be good to start scoring a few goals on the road. So maybe we can do that this week.
00:52:28
Speaker
I think that's all I have. Nico, you you anything else and on your checklist you wanted to get to? No, no, not specifically. I think that, let me just look at my notes real quick. But ah yeah, no, I think that we just hit about everything. It's been, ah like I said, a very busy week overall. But yeah, I think we hit all of the pointers that ah we looked at all over the past.
00:52:52
Speaker
The week that was, ah yeah, no, I have nothing else left. I think we touched on everything. Good job, Jeremiah. It's like you've done it before. Yeah, exactly. Thank you. Thank for that, Nico. aye Of course, where can people find you other than here?
00:53:06
Speaker
You were on, oh you were you were also on Logging Scorchers with me. That's right. Yeah, that was fun. Soccer down here. Cool, so sports. Anything else you need to plug? Just 11 quarters kickoff.
00:53:18
Speaker
um You know, from time to time. Monday mornings. Monday mornings, yeah. have Monday mornings from 8 a.m. to about 9, 15, 9, 20, depending on twenty the depend how long we go with Ari. That's been really good. ah We'll potentially...
00:53:30
Speaker
I got to find something to gift because we did say that if we get 100 likes on that specific video, I was going to raffle something. So I'll get something. Don't worry about it. So go ahead and check that out.
00:53:42
Speaker
And then I will be doing a couple more things here in June before the Club World Cup with Fox 13 on TV. So that's that's always kind of cool because we promo the heck out of Sandra Hart.
00:53:53
Speaker
And yeah, man, that's about it. Awesome. Well, with all that said, I'm Jeremiah Shan signing off for Nico Moreno on what we learned this week, part of the Center of Art Podcast Network.
00:54:05
Speaker
We'll catch you next time.
00:54:31
Speaker
I expect an LAFC who is motivated ah to prove themselves at home, to prove to their fans that that they're capable of winning in this league. And it's up to us to really brew in the party.
00:54:44
Speaker
You guys like that? and a what Awkward joke, dad joke right there, huh?