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What to make of Sounders quiet transfer window
2.2k Plays6 days ago
Jeremiah and Aaron give their impressions of the summer transfer window, that recently closed with no moves being made. They’re definitely frustrated but also somewhat understanding of different aspects of the move. Believe or not, they attempt to have a nuanced conversation.
Later in the show, Jeremiah talks to MLS Season Pass color commentator Maurice Edu to preview the Leagues Cup semifinal against the LA Galaxy.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sounders' Recent Success
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 we go. Come on. Hey, O'Shaan.
00:00:13
Speaker
Let's go. What a sorry, Bud Fry. The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. Here comes Rui Diaz through the middle to crowd it for Seattle.
00:00:28
Speaker
The Saunders rule the region! Seattle Saunders is good! This feels fucking awesome. And Portland can't say it's genius! Nice work on your little
00:00:46
Speaker
Ooch of a gooch! All creatures great and small! Villaviga!
00:00:54
Speaker
me
00:00:59
Speaker
you know What was the thought process in terms of who you decided to use and you didn't? Ever since I wrote a commentary that we didn't take the overcome seriously.
Sponsors and Hosts Introduction
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.
00:01:42
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adietes on the Sounder at Heart podcast network. I am Jeremiah O'Shan, and I should say thank you to our sponsors, Hacks and Ferments, Full Pool Wines, and of course, our subscribers.
00:01:56
Speaker
I am Jeremiah O'Shan. Joining me today is my co-host Aaron Campo and our producer Lickett.
Sounders' Strategic Lineup Decisions
00:02:02
Speaker
Sounders are coming off a resounding win against Sporting Kansas City in which they rotated their lineup heavily.
00:02:09
Speaker
They are looking forward to a match against LA Galaxy that will essentially that's essentially a CONCACAF Champions Cup qualifying spot.
00:02:20
Speaker
The winner will go to the final. The loser will go to the third place game, which gives them one more shot at the the ah getting into the CONCACAF Champions Cup. I will be talking to Maurice Adu of Apple TV later in the show.
00:02:34
Speaker
All that out of the way. Aaron, how are you doing? I'm doing OK. It's a little hot. ah It's a little hot for my taste, but I shouldn't complain because once the the sunshine and longer days are gone, I'm going to be in a much worse space. So.
00:02:50
Speaker
you know I'll take this over over that. and i i And this is, I guess, technically, this is smoke season. And I don't want to say anything about it. But, yeah you know, I guess I'll count my blessings. I'll just say it that way.
00:03:03
Speaker
We've been lucky so far and and really for the last years, I think. I mean, the last, like, really disruptive smoke event, I feel like we in the, in the you know, Seattle metro um have had.
00:03:14
Speaker
It was really 2020, I think. yeah It was like the COVID ah yeah ah year where it was you were stuck inside on top of everything else. I'm pretty sure my wife was ah extremely close to having me committed because I was just walking a laps around our 800-square-foot house and for like three hours because I couldn't go on my walks.
00:03:36
Speaker
yeah I was walking my dog with a heavy mask on.
Impact of 2020 Smoke Event on Sounders
00:03:40
Speaker
i remember that. It was maybe the most... dystopian and afraid for the future I'd ever felt at that point.
00:03:51
Speaker
Yes. And, you know, it's good to always reach new heights. But anyway, you know, um right. Yeah. So up until now, great opening, by the way. Really get the energy up. ah Good job, everyone. Thank you for planning that out. That was that was good.
00:04:10
Speaker
Now let's get to the fun stuff. May as well start with this. ah The Sounders beat Sporting Kansas City five to two, which on its face, not that big of a deal.
00:04:21
Speaker
Sporting Kansas City is very bad. They are trending towards one of the historically bad XG seasons. They just love giving up chances. And the Sounders created a bunch of them in this game.
00:04:34
Speaker
And But they made it interesting. You know, they the Sounders jumped out 1-0 lead, gave up the lead, tied it. Then they scored right before halftime, added another goal, looked like maybe they would cruise.
00:04:50
Speaker
Nope, not going to go that way. Sporting Kansas City pulls one back. But then it was gravy the rest of the way. Fun game, all things considered. Really rotated lineup, and I think that's probably the biggest takeaway from this thing is the Sounders made eight changes from midweek.
00:05:05
Speaker
That included Cody Baker getting his first start of the season, Snyder Brunel getting his first start of the season, ah There was just a lot. Danny Leyva got his first start at the 10.
00:05:17
Speaker
They were able to get Christian Roldan at halftime or off at halftime. They got ah they they got Yamar off at halftime. Really not a lot to complain about in this one.
Sounders' Transfer Market Strategy
00:05:30
Speaker
i And I think it really, you know, it was it was funny because this was the first game after the close of the transfer window. And before the game, we talked to Craig Weibel. We'll talk a bit about our takeaways from that.
00:05:45
Speaker
But it did sort of vindicate their decision to not make like a panic buy. Like, I think everyone agrees that they should have bought, they should have spent some money.
00:05:57
Speaker
And there's some symbolism in that. But from a purely practical perspective, this game was actually pretty illustrative of why they didn't feel like they just needed to add someone for the sake of adding someone.
00:06:11
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I think that ah one of one of the hallmarks of this run the Sounders has been on is that they haven't had games where they had quite this much rotation, although I guess against Tijuana, they they were pretty close to this level.
00:06:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, this was a lot of rotation. It was the fact that Cody Baker started by itself. tells you a lot. Yeah. But they were consistently looked dangerous, looked competent, looked good against whoever they were playing.
00:06:37
Speaker
And then they had the the game against Minnesota and then they have the game against Pueblo where they kind of struggled. They didn't kind of struggle. They struggled mightily to score and and didn't score in regulation.
00:06:49
Speaker
And it kind of was starting to feel like, yeah, maybe that was an aberration. and so I think to not only get back to playing at that level and looking really goal dangerous and looking really purposeful going forward, but to do it with such a heavily rotated team, because that was one of the things that was so impressive about that run as they were doing it with all different kinds of lineups. It was just so clearly a team identity thing.
00:07:11
Speaker
And they got back to that with guys that we haven't seen and in quite some time. And, you know, Sporting Kansas City is a bad team, I think, by a lot of metrics, the the worst team in the league.
00:07:25
Speaker
And you expect to beat them. You should expect to beat them. yeah You should expect to beat them comfortably, I think. But the last time they played sp Sporting Kansas City here, they didn't beat them comfortably. That was, you know, kind of a nail biter, if I recall correctly.
00:07:38
Speaker
And. This just felt much more businesslike, and much more competent. And it's just it's it's good to get back to that. It felt good to have a game like that again. and And even though I am very much on the side of the fence that believes that they really, really needed to sign someone in this window.
00:08:00
Speaker
For me, it's always been a lot more about either you need to sign U22 for the next generation or it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up somebody for depth.
00:08:11
Speaker
I think if you're of the position that they didn't really need to sign anyone because the team they have right now is probably good enough. I mean, yeah, I think that that's, I think that that's a reasonable position and I think this game definitely bolstered that view.
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah, you know, to just back up one of your your observations, this the Sounders have played 37 games across all competitions this year. They've used 36 different lineups, which is pretty remarkable. Like that's even by this like the standard, the Sounders, I feel like have always used a lot of different combinations in their lineups just because that's, and I guess a lot of teams do, but this seems extreme.
00:08:52
Speaker
ah they They're basically playing on an average of four and a half days rest all season. ah They are making...
00:09:05
Speaker
Three and a half, more than three and a half changes per game, every game. ah These are, this is a team that has been using a lot of their roster and just being remarkably effective. They right now have already scored more. They've already tied their all competition record for goals score, home goals scored in a season.
00:09:28
Speaker
ah I believe they are only two goals away from their, their, their, the most goals they've scored at home in an MLS campaign. They've got four games left to to tie that record.
00:09:44
Speaker
It's been really ah remarkable season in terms of depth. They have another way of illustrating that. I think they have nine players that have at least two goals, which last year they had four players that had ah four five. I give me five players that had at least two goals.
00:10:02
Speaker
It's just been really an ah an impressive display of using everyone on the roster and not just using them, but actually getting production out of it Yeah, it's I think that the way the team has played has created opportunities for everyone.
00:10:20
Speaker
ah I think the Sounders had a lot of players last year who were capable of scoring goals if you know... the The stars were aligned the right way and and the moon was in the seventh house and whatever else. And I think this year they're just creating so many quality chances that guys are going to get a lot of cracks at putting them away. um they're They're generating these chances like the one on and the first goal that they they scored against Sporting Kansas City.
00:10:47
Speaker
where they had four very good cracks at goal before right you know before the shot went in Moose has scored a ton of of just completely wide open opportunities this year.
00:10:58
Speaker
um they they've just They've created all kinds of chances. Weirdly, the the only area in chance creation they haven't been super dangerous at has been set pieces, which was the only way they could score for long swaths of last season. Yeah, that is kind of funny the way that's worked out. Yeah, it's it's an interesting one. But ah they they're just so holistically good at creating consistent danger in a way that I don't think any Sounders team that I that I can remember has ever been, including the 2014 team.
00:11:27
Speaker
yeah We've talked about this before, but that was such a two man show. Yeah. And, you know, games where you were missing one of those two guys or you were missing Ozzie, you didn't feel confident going into them.
00:11:40
Speaker
I felt very confident going into this game against the sporting Kansas City, even knowing that the lineup was heavily rotated because I've seen the Sounders play their game.
00:11:52
Speaker
consistently, no matter who was on the field all season long. And that means their game means creating chances, keeping a lot of pressure on the opposition. um One of the things we talked about earlier in the season was how they created all of these great opportunities to to to score off of counters due to their really effective high pressure. And they weren't able to convert that into actual scoring opportunities. And they have gotten extremely good at doing that.
00:12:17
Speaker
Yep. they're just... There were a lot of things that I liked about the way last year's Sounders team played. And I was able to, um was, I liked it so much that I was willing to put up with the stuff that they did that drove most people crazy. And i think reasonably so.
00:12:35
Speaker
And they've kept a lot of that identity and added this cutting edge to it. That is just sort of like the, my platonic ideal of how I want my MLS team to play.
00:12:46
Speaker
And, you know, it's this, this team has, has been over the course of its history, kind of a team of personalities, right? Like they were Freddie Montero's team and they sort of took on his personality.
00:12:59
Speaker
They were Clinton Oba's team and they sort of took on that personality. They were Ladero's team for longer than anybody else's. And last year, they were kind of struggling to figure out who they were.
00:13:10
Speaker
And this is the first time I can really say that they have ah ah personality and a style of play that is team wide, that seems to take advantage of everybody's strengths and minimize everybody's weaknesses.
00:13:23
Speaker
And it's, it's a lot of fun to watch in it. I think that their ceiling is really, really high. i wish they could have found a way to make it a little higher in the transfer window, but yeah I also understand not wanting to,
00:13:36
Speaker
upset that balance when you feel like you have a pretty good thing going. Yeah. It's a convenient position, i think for Craig Weibel to take where he says, well, we didn't sign anyone.
00:13:48
Speaker
But that was partly because we had to be really careful about not messing with sort of what we have here. But there's also like some validity and truth to that position. And it's it's kind of what's frustrating, I think, about this transfer window. and And I guess maybe this is a good transition into it is that I do think there is truth in a lot of like, I don't think Craig Weibel was being
00:14:17
Speaker
untruthful to us. I don't think he was fudging, but there was, there just felt like a lot of convenient truths as well. ah You know, the idea that they were sort of looking for this perfect player, this player who was a U22, who was going to contribute right away, who also, you know, fit within their budget, also didn't make so much money that they were, you know, they they obviously to be a U22, you had to make basically $750,000 or less and salary and
00:14:48
Speaker
And you go, well, those players don't really exist. And I think you can make a very valid case that that's a good reason to just like the U22 to me is about stockpiling talent.
00:15:01
Speaker
It's not about addressing immediate needs. And the Sounders made a choice to try to address immediate needs instead of instead of stockpiling talent.
00:15:12
Speaker
And that sort of gives them an out to not make the signing. Now, I suppose if they go out and they make that signing in the winter, on some level, you, you kind of forgive it but yeah, It did feel like there was, so it's like, I guess in that same tone, it's ah it feels a little insincere to say like, well, they could have done something to help this year's team.
00:15:31
Speaker
And it's like, yeah, that was admittedly that they were trying to thin, like thread a really tight needle there. And I'm both frustrated and disappointed that they weren't able to do it.
00:15:42
Speaker
but also there is part of me that gets why they didn't do it. Like that it was, it was very difficult. And i I, so I guess my point is that if you're going to be frustrated, you have to either be frustrated that they didn't address an immediate need, or you have to be frustrated that they didn't stockpile some talent. It's hard to be frustrated about both of those things, I guess is what I'm saying.
00:16:07
Speaker
Yeah. I think that's totally fair. i think that, This is not a criticism. It's actually a compliment to Craig Weibel. He is a very smart guy who is very good at framing the situation in a way that it makes him look favorable.
00:16:24
Speaker
And I think that's an important skill to have when you're in a role like this. But I do think that by the criteria that he laid out, yeah, it probably did make sense for the Sounders not to to sign anyone in this window.
00:16:37
Speaker
But the criteria that he laid out for what would have made a successful signing right is not the definition of what may would have made a successful signing. And i you know you look at the list of players that they supposedly targeted that that he basically confirmed, I think, during during the press conference. yeah um and And those are players i'm I'm happy that they're going after. like I think that those would be good signings to make.
00:17:04
Speaker
But that doesn't mean that... there's not a tier of player below that who maybe has as high of a ceiling that you really like their, their profile. You really like their athleticism, but they're not ready to, they're they're not evident evidentially better than Darrow yet.
00:17:25
Speaker
Right. Right. right Well, you can still sign that player and they can compete with Debra and they can give you some depth because right now, If something happens to him, you're starting Jesus Ferreira in either the third place game or the or the title game of League's Cup, right?
00:17:42
Speaker
um If something happens to him down the stretch, you've got one striker and until yeah hopefully the playoffs, right? You don't have that depth. So um yeah, I mean, if if that's the criteria he was given from ownership, right, is here's your budget.
00:17:59
Speaker
This is the kind of player I want you to sign. And if you sign a player that doesn't contribute right away, that isn't clearly better than Darrow right now, I'm going to be mad at you. Maybe that maybe that's the conversation. I don't know. yeah that's... in and that Go ahead.
00:18:18
Speaker
i was going say, like, I think there's a balance between because I think you're right. I think that is sort of like maybe not verbatim what the conversation is, but I do get the impression that Weibel was sort of given the directive like here. I'm willing to pay for a U-22 transfer. Yeah.
00:18:32
Speaker
transfer But that's your that's your shot. Like that's like we don't get a do over. And I think there's a sort of there's a balance, I think, between that where you're holding it to such a high standard that you're effectively creating a paradigm where you just don't sign players.
00:18:49
Speaker
because there's always a future player that you would maybe rather have, or there's, you get dead set on certain players. And so you, you don't make the signing. And then there's the other extreme, like what Atlanta went through for a long time, where there was almost no opportunity cost. Like it was just like, well, just sign a guy if you like them.
00:19:07
Speaker
And if they don't work out, we'll buy them out and then we'll move on to the next one. And then that sort of leads to this kind of cycle of, of just sort of wasting money. And there's a middle ground there, right? There's a middle ground where like you, you're allowed to make mistakes, but yeah not so, but there's no, but there is still a risk of failure, you know? And, and I think that that's sort of what I would hope the sounders are at.
00:19:34
Speaker
And, you know, one of the things that I'm trying to sort of balance internally is my frustration with not getting a player signed this window
00:19:45
Speaker
But also understanding that it's not – my frustration is not so much that they didn't sign someone this window. Yeah. But what what sort of brings it – is frustrating is that this was the first summer window in four years where they actually had a transfer budget, best I can tell.
00:20:02
Speaker
And they haven't gone out – but it's not just the summer transfer window. It's the last four years. they've only made two They've only paid transfer fees twice in the last four years since COVID started.
00:20:14
Speaker
For Leo Chu, I guess five years, and Pedro De La Vega. there's so that's you know Call it $10 million dollars roughly that they've spent in that time on transfer fees.
00:20:26
Speaker
They are lagging behind every team in MLS. They are dead last in MLS in transfer spending in that time by at least $2 million. That's a... that's a That's not an impossible... ah Clearly, it's not an impossible gap to overcome because they have managed to stay competitive during that time.
00:20:46
Speaker
But it's concerning. And I think it's just... It's more about the message that you're sending to sort of the fan base. and you're in And you can sort of see this in other parts of the organization where it just feels like... You know, maybe this year is a... It feels like they've started to correct some of this stuff. But in the year in the last few years, you could just see...
00:21:07
Speaker
corners being cut in in various yeah areas. And the transfer spending is just illustrative of that.
00:21:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. And I think that my my thing that that I keep coming back to, right, is that Greg Weibel can point at the state of things and Adrian Hanauer as well and say, this team is clearly one of the best teams in the Western Conference and and arguably one of the best teams in MLS.
00:21:35
Speaker
Top contender for MLS Cup. We're in a tournament semifinal. We played in the Champions League this year. Yeah, we lost, but we lost the eventual champions who we then demolished in the League's Cup.
00:21:47
Speaker
ah all of our signings aside from Paul Arreola who got hurt and can't really, you know, blame anybody for that. But Jesus Ferreira, I think has come good.
00:21:57
Speaker
Pedro has, has turned things around and come good. We're, we're doing fine. And you know, this approach works. It's, it's clear that it works. The, the, the thing I keep coming back to though, is that,
00:22:12
Speaker
Christian is 30. Jordan is 30 and has has had his missed pretty much the entire year with injuries. um Albert Rusnak is 30.
00:22:24
Speaker
ah Danny Mussovsky is 29, right? This this team is not getting younger and this core of this team, Stefan Fry's is 38, you know, and not is actually particular and Fry is 39, actually. Yeah.
00:22:38
Speaker
Oh, yeah. This ah this chart hasn't been updated in a couple of months. um In any case, you can see the point I'm making, right? Game R is 32. um And a lot of these guys, Stefan Fry, Jordan, Christian,
00:22:54
Speaker
who have been the core of of this team for a long time, with obviously with different superstars, but have really been the heart and soul of the team. ah The Sounders got for free.
00:23:06
Speaker
Christian was a draft pick. Jordan was a homegrown. Steph cost, I think, like a second round draft pick. Third round draft pick. They don't even have that round anymore. Right. um Rusnak was a free agent.
00:23:19
Speaker
Right. They obviously they had to pay him a big, you know, a big TP contract, but they didn't have to pay a transfer fee you to get him. Um, Jaymar is the only one of those guys that paid a transfer fee for, and it wasn't a huge transfer fee.
00:23:33
Speaker
And that way of building your squad, you can't take it for granted. Like you're, you're probably not going to get another Christian. it Right. There's no Jordan, right? That's, that's one of the reasons you sign a u twenty two who even if they can't contribute right away, maybe they'll be able to contribute in a year, six months, whatever.
00:23:55
Speaker
You know, if you sign them now and get them acclimated and used to the team and used to the area and living in a different country and all that stuff, maybe they can contribute right away starting next season. But you've got to start succession planning.
00:24:07
Speaker
Right. It doesn't feel like
Sounders' Academy Strength
00:24:09
Speaker
they're doing that at all. I mean, they they have this great academy. And and i I think that they don't get enough credit for how good their academy is. I think Steyer Brunel is going to be a star.
00:24:20
Speaker
Obed is probably going to be their their first major transfer sale since d and DeAndre Edlin. um They're producing good players. Which is crazy to think.
00:24:31
Speaker
It is pretty crazy. It's crazy to think about that. It is. It is. But they're producing good players. It's it's fantastic. But they're they're you know they're not producing another Jordan Morris.
00:24:44
Speaker
Asase is a great player, but he's 24. And he wasn't an academy product. I think he's developed a lot since he got into the organization, obviously. But he's not a homegrown prospect.
00:24:57
Speaker
And they've never really produced a striker other than Jordan who, whether or not the club... really produced him in the traditional sense is kind of up for debate as well.
00:25:08
Speaker
Right. Um, so it's just, I, I worry about what's going to happen what's when this court ages out. I really do. um and I think this is the point at which you really have to be thinking very hard, especially because you know Christian might be and as a highly effective starter for another three, four years, but I think Obed's probably gone next year. you know i think ah Craig even alluded to that, I think, that that there's a good chance he's gone. He basically said they need to start selling play players in order to ah generate the kind of allocation. Because it's...
00:25:46
Speaker
Basically what he was saying is it's not so much about spending transfer fees. It's about raising how much money you have under the cap because though there's a lot more players that are affected by that.
00:25:57
Speaker
And in order to create more money under the cap, you have you just absolutely have to sell players. There's just no way around it. that you cannot mate You cannot keep up with the with the best teams in the league by selling players.
00:26:13
Speaker
draft picks and selling, ah international roster spots. You've got to figure out how to get, you know, ah million and a half gam, the way that they got from the Josh Atencio trade, they, they have to keep doing that type of stuff.
00:26:27
Speaker
And the only way you're going to do that is by doing sales. And, and that is, you know, so these are all sort of problems, uh, And you're right. Like the one one of the ways like in and that's sort of where the U22 stuff kind of comes back around is that like theoretically selling U22s is a really is a potentially good way of generating some of that allocation money.
00:26:55
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's the perverse incentives of of I, you know, I hate say this, but modern football. Right. um The mechanisms are different in MLS, but it's the same stuff that clubs in the Premier League have to deal deal with where you're incentivized to sell homegrown players. So you can buy players who were not homegrown from abroad, who are worse, who will probably never play for you.
00:27:19
Speaker
so that you can sell them in a year or two so that you can buy some more play. It's, it sucks in a lot of ways, but that's, that's kind of, that's the global transfer system.
00:27:29
Speaker
And for MLS to continue to improve, they, you know, you've got to get comfortable swimming in those waters and, um and yeah, and part of that is, you know, buying a lottery ticket every now and then and hoping that you can turn it into a meaningful transfer in a few years. so Yeah, I think, and that's really what I think what we're saying here is it's not so much that I don't think we at all we're not saying that Craig Weibel is incompetent, but we're, I think we're just saying. think extremely competent.
00:27:59
Speaker
Right, yeah and I think that in some ways that's, you know, it's it's it is sort of like the you know they they created a more complicated situation by being so effective at creating the roster that they have. like If you don't have a Osaze de Rosario ready to just call up whenever you want, it makes it easier to go out and identify a U22 who you feel like you can out that can help you.
00:28:23
Speaker
Similarly, if you don't have a Snyder Brunel just waiting there to be signed to the first team, it's it's much more, it's easier to find players that you feel like can improve your midfield.
00:28:35
Speaker
And, you know, the reality is that between Snyder Brunel and Osase de Rosario, these guys have five goals in like 800 minutes between them across all competitions, something along those lines.
00:28:49
Speaker
And there's like really no way that they were going to get that kind of production that quickly out of a u twenty two signing And yeah, and don't get me wrong. You could do both things.
00:29:01
Speaker
You can sign Osas, a day or sorry, you can sign Snyder, Brunel, and you can still go out and sign U22.
00:29:09
Speaker
But if your standard is these guys need to play right away, That's going to be tough. I just, and so I think that's more my issue is like, I think creating this idea that they had to sign, they had the the player they signed had to be able to contribute essentially right away.
00:29:25
Speaker
Just felt to me like a little bit more like an excuse not to sign somebody. And if, if that, if those are your criteria, right? If you were insistent on that, that we're not going to use these, we're not going to pay a transfer fee or use these spots on players that can't contribute right now to the first team.
00:29:43
Speaker
fine, but use them on the players you have now and make that because clearly the way they have built their roster, they've built it in a way that they have left space to go sign a U22 externally.
00:29:56
Speaker
Right? Right. Because if they if they weren't going to do that, they would have signed Obed and Reed and maybe Brunel, although there's not really an incentive to sign him to U22 right now, I guess, but they would be using at least two of those spots, right?
00:30:13
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's it doesn't really make sense Like, why they haven't just given Obed Vargas a max you twenty two contract, like, today, seems a little... Like, what are we doing here?
00:30:28
Speaker
It's pretty strange, because he... I mean, he's fully out of contract, right? He doesn't have an option year. No, yeah he's got an option. Obed has an option. Reid is out of contract, though. Reid, I don't think you need to... Like, i would...
00:30:40
Speaker
i you know I would imagine the the cost of signing Reed is lower than Obed, but ah you know they... I do think that they could, they could help themselves a little bit by making some signings like internally, like get Paul Rothrock extended, get Reed Baker, whiting extended, get Obed Vargas extended.
00:30:59
Speaker
Uh, you know, the good news is that, ah that Danny Masofsky is got a team option for next year. i would imagine the Sounders don't feel a lot of pressure to renegotiate that, uh,
00:31:10
Speaker
It is kind of funny. You know, he he got a pretty big raise this year, which I guess was in his contract. i I think he got like $150,000 raise this year. and And I'm sure there was a lot of people that were frustrated by that. But boy, is that look like can you imagine where this team would be if they had not if they didn't have Danny Masofsky just sort of waiting there?
00:31:32
Speaker
I think they would have had to have... done something drastic, I think. I think they probably would have had to have maybe sold Pedro and eaten ah in that transfer fee. Yeah, something like that.
00:31:48
Speaker
Yeah, it's been interesting, and I think what they do with Moose is, i mean, it's entirely possible, I think maybe even better than 50-50 odds, that he is going to set the single-season goal-scored record.
00:32:04
Speaker
but for the team it's that he's at 15 goals he's at 15 goals for all comps he the record is 19 and they probably have
00:32:20
Speaker
at least i would guess at least 10 games left yeah they have literally assuming they make the they have they have at least 10 games left to play so if he score if he continues to score at the clip that he... Or I guess he's not he doesn't have necessarily 10 games. He only has yes eight, I guess, because he can't play in two of them.
00:32:40
Speaker
But um he's going to have opportunities. like it's It's just very, very funny to think that Danny Masofsky could end up being the first 20-goal scorer in Sanders history.
00:32:51
Speaker
if If he scores at his current XG and MLS play... um he would score 19 goals, which would break, which would tie the all competitions record. No, it would break it because he would have, um he would have 21 all comp 19.
00:33:11
Speaker
nineteen and i'm saying You would have and MLS. He would have. Yeah, because would you know basically through those last eight games at his XG pace in MLS, what he would score six because he's scoring something like point eight four per 90 in MLS.
00:33:30
Speaker
Now, I don't think i don't think it's reasonable to expect him to keep up that pace. um But I i mean, i think he could score four and at least tie the the record. you know I mean, um he the thing that's amazing, he just gets into so many dangerous spots.
00:33:48
Speaker
He doesn't even have to be clinical. you know Early in this game against Sporting Kansas City, the first ah Effectively, the first play of the game, Georgie Manungu rips a cross through the box that if Musovsky just gets a foot on it, it's a goal.
00:34:05
Speaker
He's a little slow. I think he's you could say he's a little slow there. And then like five minutes later, he picks off a ball in the box. He rounds the goalkeeper and he hits the side netting. ah you know And then he he gets two goals that are one-touch finishes off of headers.
00:34:22
Speaker
And then he gets a ah penalty, which, I don't know, there was some debate. do what did you Where did you come down on that? is it dan Is it more important to get Danny Leyva his first MLS goal, or is it more important for Danny Masofsky complete his hatch first MLS hat trick?
Penalty Kick Debate
00:34:37
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, it would have been it would have been nice to see Danny get his first and last goal. If Danny had done something really special to win the penalty, I would have just getting sort of knocked over.
00:34:51
Speaker
Yeah. And like also, I mean, Moose a veteran player, although I'm not he hasn't been in MLS that much longer than Danny, I guess. Yeah.
00:35:02
Speaker
But, you know, he's put the team on his back and he was on a hat trick and he's like, I think the the older veteran higher profile player is going to get the penalty 100 times out of 100 in that case. But especially when they're on a hat trick. But yeah, but, i you know, I can't imagine. I'm sure Danny was disappointed. I feel bad for him. But, you know.
00:35:23
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, he still had. I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep over it. No, and and you know and Danny's going to get his goal at some point. you know Although I would think the thing that bugs him more is that Snyder Brunel has played two games and now has two goals.
00:35:39
Speaker
Which, yeah, that's got sting a little bit. Yeah. I got to say, though, I've been watching these goals that Snyder Brunel scored, and both of them are not necessarily well-taken goals, but the movement on them is so good.
00:35:54
Speaker
Yeah. yeah especially this goal against Sporting Kansas City. So he's making this run and he's sort of like motioning to ah Manungu to play him in.
00:36:06
Speaker
And then he just pulls his run back. And he's just sitting there waiting for a cutback and he he finishes it with his left foot. Both of his goals actually are with his left foot, which I think is kind of an interesting little thing because he's not left footed.
00:36:18
Speaker
But I was really, really impressed by Snyder Brunel during this whole game. ah you know he He completed 40 of 42 passes, something like that. he just he He was really strong on the ball.
00:36:30
Speaker
Just a ah very impressive game. I've watched more Snyder Brunel than i I would imagine most people have. And... Honestly, he looks like a player who is better equipped to play an MLS than an MLS Next Pro, which is kind of weird. But Kalani Kosa-Rienzi, I was actually talking about this with Tim Foss in the ah in the press box.
00:36:51
Speaker
Both of those players seem like their game is almost better suited for MLS because they're surrounded by players who can ah pre like kind of spot what they're doing.
00:37:03
Speaker
and And they're just you know they're they're just so... They've both been very good, but ah yeah, I i am kind of fell in love with Sander Burnell a little bit against Sporting Kansas City. That was a very impressive performance. so He looked great. And the thing that i'll I'll say about his goals especially is that I love Obed Vargas. I think that by the time his career is is done, there's a very good chance that he will have be the best player to have ever worn a Sounders kit.
00:37:32
Speaker
but he could learn something by watching Sider Brunel's late runs and the way he, he gets into the box. And i would like to see Obed add that to his game.
00:37:43
Speaker
And I know adding goals has been a, has been a focus for him, but Snyder just gets into those, those really good positions. And, uh, if If Obed can add that to his his game, I think that he skides the limit for him. So Obed's better at everything else.
00:37:58
Speaker
Don't get me wrong. right um But that that one aspect that I'm really impressed with. One of the great underrated skills of soccer players in general, and I think this is true about Danny Masofsky. It's true about Osauza de Rosario.
00:38:13
Speaker
And it looks like it might be true about Snyder Burnell.
Danny Masofsky's Skills and Development
00:38:15
Speaker
is getting yourself into spots where you have a relatively easy finish is such an underrated skill.
00:38:24
Speaker
Like there are even, you know, even Jordan Morris, as good as he is the number of goals that he scores that look easy, not that high.
00:38:36
Speaker
Danny Mussofsky feels like he, you know, this guy has 15 goals and yeah, they're like good headers and they, you know, he like he had two good headers. Neither one of those were necessarily easy finishes, but he puts himself in such a advantageous position over and over and over again.
00:38:55
Speaker
and to the point where he can miss chances and it's not like he's, you know, with Jordan, like he does a good job of running in behind and getting breakaways and, and he finishes, you know, at a decent clip on those.
00:39:07
Speaker
But man, I just am constantly amazed at how easy Danny Masofsky makes some of this look. ah It's very, very impressive.
00:39:19
Speaker
It's, i mean, it's it's extremely Wondolowski-esque, I think. like he Yeah. I think Wondolowski was a better athlete than Danny, although Danny's a ah very good athlete as well.
00:39:30
Speaker
But I mean, Wondolowski was, I think, you know, an elite MLS level athlete. um But he just knows where to be. He knows where to go from where he is right now.
00:39:42
Speaker
He knows like he has a really good understanding with his teammates. I think that's the biggest difference between 2025 Danny and 2024 Danny Mussovsky is... is the timing was just a little bit off. So the, the, the shot that Osase missed where he skied over the bar, where the ball was just a little bit behind him and it it turned what looked like a sitter and actually like a much more difficult finish.
00:40:07
Speaker
Right. Danny had that situation constantly last season. And he missed all these chances that looked a lot easier than they were because the timing on the runs was just a little bit off. The understanding with his teammates was just a little bit off.
00:40:19
Speaker
And I think this season he's just completely locked in with everybody else on the timing of his runs. and And so he's just making things that much easier on himself. And, you know, he's not like some sort of Messi-esque Evander-esque, I guess, ah finisher in terms of like...
00:40:37
Speaker
but you know, outperforming his, his XG, his, no, he's actually like right on par with his, ex it's pretty remarkable. Um, but he is sixth in the league and, and shots per 90. And if you get that many shots, wow, I didn't know it is. I could, yeah, he's, he's right behind Ben, uh, Ben tech.
00:40:54
Speaker
Wow. Um, okay. And if you finish at an expected rate and you get that many shots, you're going to score ah bunch of goals. And, Yeah, it's ah it's been – it's crazy, and I do think it legitimately causes a little bit of – not crisis, but it gives you a choice to make for next year, right? like It's a very interesting choice.
00:41:22
Speaker
Yeah, I don't see way – if Jordan is back in time for the playoffs and he's healthy and he's ready to play, it's really nice to have an option off the bench, right? Like you yeah cannot – you cannot take Danny out of the lineup if he's performing at this level. It's crazy to say, but I i tend to agree. i tend to agree.
00:41:41
Speaker
But going into next year, i mean, i think if you're a team that is, you know, you feel like you're on the cusp of of being a contender and you don't have a nine, you just want a sure thing at nine. You've got the supporting cast in place and the Sounders say, hey, are you interested in Danny Misofsky? Yeah.
00:42:01
Speaker
you could probably get a pretty decent return, you know, and he's not somebody I feel like the Sounders really should be signing long term. You know, he's he's going into his age 30 season. And he's never done anything like this, right? Like.
00:42:16
Speaker
Who knows if if it's ever going to happen again? So, you know, it'll be it'll be interesting to see. It will definitely be interesting. It'll definitely be a problem to have. Very much.
00:42:27
Speaker
Well, ah the Sounders also have a game coming up tomorrow or today, I guess, probably when by the time you read this, listen to this.
Upcoming League's Cup Semifinal Preview
00:42:35
Speaker
ah They're playing the LA Galaxy in essentially CONCACAF Champions Cup play-in game.
00:42:42
Speaker
ah If the the winner of this game gets a guaranteed spot, as well as the potential to host the final, like that's the other thing that's on the line. The winner of this game will host the final against the winner of Orlando, Miami.
00:42:56
Speaker
ah We have ah an interview coming up with Moedoo where we will sort of get into depth a little bit more. But is there anything, broadly speaking, any narratives about this game that you feel like need to be ah sort of addressed?
00:43:11
Speaker
No, I mean, the Galaxy are a weird team. um to say the least. they're They're not good. They're definitely not as bad as their record looks. um I like Osaze De Rosario. I really wish Danny Masofsky was healthy. But, you know, De Ros has scored and performed as well.
00:43:32
Speaker
so But, you know, and the the theme of this season seems to be like, why make it easy on yourself? Yeah, absolutely. Why? Who cares? But I do think, you know, just raise the level of difficulty data at every turn.
00:43:43
Speaker
Yeah. and And I do. I think that the Sounders having pretty much everyone else and being able to put out whatever kind of lineup they feel. like they they want to put out is, you know, kind of quite a quite a luxury. So um I expect them to win this game.
00:44:03
Speaker
I wouldn't be shocked if they don't just because the galaxy are are capable of playing really well at times. And, ah you know, I wouldn't be shocked if they picked this one to do it. But ah this is I mean, to me, we talked about this before the tournament. This is the turn. This is the game that determines whether or not this tournament was ah success that was worth doing for a huge waste of time because.
00:44:27
Speaker
I mean, notishing I guess if they lose and they finish third, it's still still worth it. It's still the third best outcome. It is. Yeah, I was convinced until like the 85th minute of the last game that ah this was the game that determined whether or not they would get to a Champions League. And once I realized it wasn't, it became a lot less stressful. But yeah. ah Yeah, I would just I would really like to get Champions League again.
00:44:55
Speaker
um because I think that they're going to have a very good team again next year. And, you know, it's always fun to play in that tournament. So, right. Yeah. But I don't, I don't have any great insight on this game. LA is weird.
00:45:06
Speaker
So are the Sounders. So we'll, we'll just have to see. Yeah. I don't, I, I think, you know, the one thing I come back to trying trying to figure out if the win that they had over the galaxy a few weeks ago or a couple weeks ago yeah who who that helps like is that to the sounders have the advantage or does like i don't know and i don't maybe it doesn't matter but one thing i i do think about that is it
00:45:41
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know what I think about that. I don't know what I think the result. I don't know what the result meant anything. It's it's just so. oh I know what I gonna say. One thing that we know is that the Sounders at least are convinced that there's not a lot we can take away from it because the Galaxy were on short rest. They're going to have, you know, their starters are now fully rested.
00:46:01
Speaker
You know, there's a different mentality, I think, for them.
00:46:05
Speaker
i don't know. ah The Galaxy, like you said, are very weird. yeah they Yeah, they definitely are. I mean, you know, the Sounders were somewhat... Well, not really. yeah They had Andy Thomas played, obviously, and and Kim started at center back.
00:46:19
Speaker
They were pretty much full strength otherwise. Yeah, I mean, the Sounders weren't totally full strength. Oh, they were missing Rusnak, too. Yeah, were missing Rusnak. Right. um But they' like the Sounders aren't more full...
00:46:33
Speaker
I guess they're maybe slightly more full strength in this game, but they're missing Wisowski. Yeah. Yeah. Missy Musovsky and Rusnak. And that's, those are both pretty big misses, I think. Right.
00:46:44
Speaker
Oh, do they have, no, they didn't have, that was the game that, that, uh, those first game without Albert. Yeah. Right. Right. But, um, all right. Well, that's a good place. We'll call this a segment.
00:46:58
Speaker
Um, listen, stick around for the Moa do interview. I'll come back and and give some closing thoughts. You're listening to no, I'll it this.
00:47:11
Speaker
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00:47:24
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:47:52
Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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00:49:01
Speaker
Welcome back to Nos Adietes. So we are getting ready for a really big League's Cup semifinal right now. Helping me preview this game is Mo Adu. You know him well from his playing days, but also he is a ah color announcer for a color broadcaster for ah Apple TV. He's going to be doing tomorrow's game with our Wednesday's game with Keith Costigan.
00:49:26
Speaker
Welcome to the show, Mo. yeah Hey, how you doing, man? Appreciate you for having me. Yeah, so this is ah this is a fun one. ah The Sounders and la Galaxy have a pretty rich history of of meeting.
00:49:40
Speaker
It's kind of a ah nice kind of, I guess, dovetailing that this was also the Western Conference final last year. And it's sort of a replay of that. But the teams are in very different positions than they were last year, obviously.
00:49:55
Speaker
Yeah, it's ah listen, there's a really healthy rivalry between these two teams, and they both have a a winning pedigree attached them. As you mentioned, they're in different positions right now, currently in the MLS table. Seattle, the much better of the two sides in terms of consistency and the way that this season has played out, but Galaxy are the reigning MLS Cup champion. So coming into this game, you would say there's a lot at stake for both sides, but even more so from the Galaxy standpoint because of how poorly they're doing in the regular season. um But make no mistake about it. Both teams will be viewing this as an opportunity to first and foremost qualify for a CCC spot, but then also to get one step closer to lifting a trophy.
00:50:35
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's a little surreal to think that the Galaxy are coming into this game as probably the worst ever defending MLS Cup champions, and yet they are one win away from qualifying for Champions Cup next year.
00:50:52
Speaker
That's the beauty of this sport, right? That um no matter how down you feel like you are at times, that as long as you approach things with the right mentality and the right way, um and that's what the Galaxy have done with League's Cup. They've used that as their springboard to potentially want to save the season, but to be able to attach some kind of positivity to it.
00:51:12
Speaker
If they're able to get a CCC spot, ah that, that by all accounts is an incredible accomplishment, but then they're able to actually lift the trophy as well, you know, when when it's all said and done, they'll be doing something that majority of the teams that make the playoff.
00:51:26
Speaker
I mean, every team minus one, if we're being just specific about it, they'll be doing something that every team minus one won't have done, right? So it's a weird kind of juxtaposition that you view this through.
00:51:37
Speaker
um But that being said, look, it's not going to completely erase what this season has been like in the minds of their fan base, but it's going to give them something incredible to celebrate if they're able to lift the trophy.
00:51:48
Speaker
And for Seattle, it's about continuing the month momentum that they've had throughout the course of this season. I would say the stretch following Club World Cup has seen this team in incredible form,
00:51:59
Speaker
They came to LA earlier this month and, you know, put a hurting on the Galaxy 4-0. So in some ways, they'll be recognizing, both teams will recognize ah that result. And from a Galaxy standpoint, don't want to think that.
00:52:10
Speaker
From a Seattle standpoint, they'll realize and know that Their expectation coming into that game should be a completely different one and a response from the Galaxy side. So there's a lot of ah lot to play for.
00:52:22
Speaker
and I can't wait. I can't wait. These are two managers that I have an incredible amount of respect for. The longevity that they've had in this league, the success. That's a company that longevity is incredible. Brian Smetzer for Seattle and Greg Banny for Galaxy as well as with Toronto FC.
00:52:37
Speaker
And two clubs that have always shown a level of ambition to compete, to try to acquire players in different ways, and to just always be a name that's mentioned when you talk about the hierarchy of Major League Soccer.
00:52:49
Speaker
Yeah. So you mentioned the previous meeting that was just ah a couple weeks, really just a couple of weeks ago, I guess a few weeks ago at this point, no, a couple weeks ago. ah But how much, is there anything that we should take away from that meeting? I know the galaxy used effectively a first choice group, but they were on short rest.
00:53:08
Speaker
They will be much better rested this time. Most of their starters did not play ah when they, when they actually beat the rapids this last weekend, um Whereas the Sounders will be a little bit different as what the sounds will also have a little bit of a different team. What do you, what do you take away from that game? And should we, should we take anything away from it?
00:53:27
Speaker
i mean, you definitely take something away from it because Seattle came on the road and got a result, right? They got a result in an emphatic way, but you definitely, you can't, you can't ever mask that or take away from that result in that performance.
00:53:38
Speaker
and both teams will probably feel in that way. But that being said, both teams will also view this as this is a different competition, right? That result only had bearing on the league position and your league standing and how you're trying to make a playoff position.
00:53:51
Speaker
This is now a one-off event, right? there's There's no, hey, we have a game next week guaranteed. Well, guess they have third place game if they don't win, but there's there's no, you know, in the league season, you know that you have consistent games where you can make up points or make amends for a result.
00:54:05
Speaker
For both teams now, it's, If you're trying to win this, if you're trying to League Cup and lift a trophy, it's win or go home, right? and And that's the mindset, that's the mentality that you'll be approaching this game from. You'll take whatever lessons you can take from a tactical standpoint or a approach standpoint from that last game.
00:54:23
Speaker
But even with that being said, I still view this as kind of a one-off situation where you're going to look at the history that you have against this team and things that have worked in in years past and in games past, but knowing that you've got to just approach this game from the standpoint of this a cup final in essence.
00:54:39
Speaker
right This is the ticket for you to get it to the into PCC um and then get you one step closer to lifting a trophy. And again, both of these managers have been in this position before. They know what it takes to get over the line.
00:54:51
Speaker
They know what it takes to get to the finish line, and then they know what it takes to cross that finish line. So I'm incredibly intrigued and excited to see the intensity that this game brings, the little tactical nuances that the game starts with that it that have to be adapted as the game progresses and how the game finishes.
00:55:08
Speaker
So you look at this roster that the galaxy of are likely to be putting out and it frankly, doesn't really make sense how it has done so poorly in league play, but what have they done so much better in leagues cup that they weren't able to translate into league play?
00:55:27
Speaker
I would say leading up to league cup, they finally were able to stay healthy first and foremost guys like Marco Roy and your bigger players, your Marco Royces, your Gabrielle Pech, your Joseph Payne. So they all had their own little share of niggles that either allowed them not to play or slow them down. And there was also a little bit of an adaptation. There was quite a while where they had to really find a way to adapt to the loss of Ricky ricky Pooch. And part of that, kind of Kurt telling me what I was saying about the injury, Marco Royce was supposed to be the one who stepped in to really supplement and
00:56:01
Speaker
take that responsibility that was left when Ricky Pucin out injured. so it took them a while to kind of find their feet and get into form. But then they went on a little stretch where they started picking up some points and just starting to look like the team with the potential that we all thought they had. And it kind of played its way into League Cup where you could tell from day one the approach was this is our opportunity.
00:56:22
Speaker
This is our opportunity to, in an isolated tournament, to make a run, to build the momentum and to, to earn an opportunity to still be celebrated in the way that we should be based off the fact that we're the reigning MLS cup champions.
00:56:36
Speaker
So which of the players for the galaxy, are you most sort of looking to step up in this game that would give them ah real chance and against the sounders? Well, of course, it's the bigger players that naturally you look at. You're Joseph Paintsville, you're Marco Royce, you're Gabriel Peck.
00:56:51
Speaker
But outside of them, you know, I'm looking at i'm looking at both fullbacks. i'm like I'm actually looking at the whole back line because I think the back line will be um valuable on both sides of the ball. The fullbacks and their ability to defend in 1v1 situations as well as to get forward and provide service.
00:57:07
Speaker
The centerbacks, can they put together another performance like they did against Pachuca where they defended their 18-yard box really well, defended crosses well, minimized threat in the 18 for large spells of that game.
00:57:19
Speaker
And then if I were pinpoint one other player, Diego Pagunda. I've been really impressed with what he's brought to that midfield. His experience at still such a young age is really showing, and he's kind of been that that link that really helps to give comfort to the young Edwin Cerillo and allow Marco Royce to have more freedom to really just find the spot in the attacking phase of the game where he can cause the most problems. So I've been really impressed with Diego Fagundes.
00:57:46
Speaker
He's a guy that you want on your team all the time, comfortable in possession of the ball, works his tail off defensively, and I think for so long, I viewed him as more of an attacking player, right? Playing either as an attacking mid or on the wing and doing most of his contributions in the final third. But the way that he went about his game, especially in that last game against Pachuca, it really, really impressed me. Just incredibly solid on both sides of the ball. A leader barking out orders, organizing those players around him. And I thought he was a big reason to why they had success.
00:58:15
Speaker
And then I guess on ah the other side, which, what has impressed you about what the Sounders have done since the club world cup? You know, ah going into the club world cup, everyone kind of looked at the sounders and thought, good luck to you You're in the group of deaths and I, and being fair to them and their performances, I thought they maybe deserve a little bit more because they competed like that in those games. I thought they showed, you know, although the results didn't go their way, I thought they gave an incredibly good account for themselves, especially in that group. And,
00:58:45
Speaker
those kind of moments teach you confident, right? You go and play against the best of the best and you show well for yourself. Like you walk away from that. Of course, you're pissed off. You're disappointed that you didn't win the game or get the result. But when you have a chance to watch that back and analyze things and see where you fared in relation to these opponents in one-v-one duels or just like your individual matchups and then your collective matchups, this is a team that can look at that and say there's a lot of things that they can be proud about from those games. And I think they've used that to just build on that and the generate some momentum going forward.
00:59:19
Speaker
um i feel like this roster this year has been in a different way, a deeper roster. There's been more competition for spots. b Brian Spencer and his group, they've dealt with quite a few injuries as well, but you want it you almost sometimes forget that because you always adopt the next man up mentality.
00:59:36
Speaker
It doesn't always play out that way, but this group seems to really have a adopted that mentality. you know Different guys stepping up in different moments um It's unfortunate that Daniel Musafzki is going to miss out on this game with the red card. But, you know the form that he's come into.
00:59:50
Speaker
um ah sorry. The Rosario shipped in with a couple of goals during this campaign as well. I've been impressed with the tandem of Obed Vargas and Rodan in midfield.
01:00:01
Speaker
I think these two are the courses of the season that have been incredibly solid, found a really good partnership and do a good job of balancing off of one of one another. So, yeah. There's a lot of pieces that Brian Spencer has at his disposal over the course the season that have chipped in at various stages. I think that I just saw stat yesterday.
01:00:20
Speaker
was it? I think Seattle scored 11 goals in League's Cup, and it's like eight different goal scorers. yeah right So that just kind of speaks to the way that different guys share the responsibility of contributing and in different moments.
01:00:34
Speaker
i So and just on a, on a little bit of a different note ah today, the U S national team roster for so the September games came out, neither Christian rolled on or, nor Jackson Reagan were on that. I was kind of hopeful.
01:00:48
Speaker
I thought they both had pretty good shouts. What do you make of, of their exclusion and, and more generally, what do you make of the the roster? ah I don't have a roster in front of me, be honest with you, but... That's okay. they're They're not on it.
01:01:03
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, they're they're... You know, anytime a roster comes out, you're always going to feel like there there were a couple of snubs or like, well, that there were guys who have done enough to at least be in that conversation. And, you know, all I can say to these two players is just to keep going, right? Like, their work, their performances, they don't go unnoticed, but sometimes, you know, a manager's looking to see this player and give this player an opportunity or that player an opportunity, but All you can do as a player, I've been a player myself, is just put your head down keep going to work. And as you continue to have success with your club team and your team has success, of course, of a bigger and bigger spotlight on your performance as well.
01:01:39
Speaker
um And these guys know that. you know k Christian knows that. that and they They both know that. And whether they're disappointment on their end or not, they're going to it's not going to deter them from what they need to do, which is to continue to be standout players and reliable players for the Sounders and try to steer their team in the right direction and to more success.
01:01:57
Speaker
Well, that's a probably a good place to end this, Mo. I really appreciate you taking the time. I'll let you get back to that wonderful heat in Las Vegas. And and and hopefully you'll you'll you'll get to us see a good game out there at Digny Health Sports Park.
01:02:13
Speaker
That's the plan, my man. That's the plan. It should be ah an incredible match and looking forward to it. All right. Sounds good. Welcome back. ah Thank you to Mo Adu for doing that interview.
01:02:25
Speaker
Thank you to our sponsors, Full Pull Wines, Hacks and Ferments. And of course, thank you to all our subscribers. We have really knocked it out of the park in terms of our subscriber drive this year.
01:02:39
Speaker
We are trending ahead of where we were last year, which was trending ahead of... where we were 2023. So that's great. like We are in a really great position right now. And so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for supporting us and and and doing everything to make sure that this is a sustainable project.
01:02:58
Speaker
It's been a lot of fun. ah Hopefully people are enjoying it. We'll have you know more good stuff coming up ah in the year ahead. But with all that said... I am Jeremiah O'Shann signing off for Aaron Campo and Lickit.
01:03:12
Speaker
This is No Sadietes, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. And remember, you'll never ya out alone.
01:03:46
Speaker
Let's go at Sounders. um