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Episode 434: Preview of Sounders FC - Colorado Rapids
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The Colorado Rapids have been mostly very bad this season but there are a few notable Sounders connections. The biggest is that Chris Little is now the interim head coach, he had previously been the Tacoma Defiance head coach from 2018-2020. We talked to Little about what's gone wrong, what went right last week and got an update on Danny Leyva.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to NOS Arietes. This episode of NOS Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of NOS Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest.
Sounders' MLS Cup Victory
00:00:28
Speaker
A.O. Shen! Let's go! What a save by Fry! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS Cup win! Here come three years through the middle to crown it the vehicle! And now they truly can't stop the celebrations. It's the Sounders' MLS Cup! Niko Liddo leaves out!
00:01:12
Speaker
Is that what you young people call twerking?
Chris Little's Coaching Journey
00:01:26
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of no study at this sponsored by full pool wines and Watson's counter. I am Jeremiah Shan joining me today to help us preview Wednesday's match against the Colorado rapids is former Defiance head coach and current rapids interim head coach Chris Little. Welcome to the show.
00:01:45
Speaker
Thank you, Jeremiah. I really appreciate it. Nice to talk to you. Yeah, so I guess let's start at the beginning, I suppose. Back in 2021, you left the Defiance to take a job with the first team at the Rapids. And I guess what was your hope? And it seems like it has, maybe not exactly how you envisioned it, but this seems to be illustrative of
00:02:12
Speaker
Part of the reason why you would go there is that you get these opportunities at the first team level. Yeah, I love my time in Seattle. I cannot speak highly enough of the club and the people there. I thought my personal growth was huge during that time and that was a lot to do with the club and the people and the opportunity that was provided.
00:02:40
Speaker
You know, I've been with Seattle for four years and I kind of obviously had been a director of coaching for the Academy. I'd coached in the 17s. And then I transitioned into coaching the Defiance. Had been very fortunate with Brian and the staff. We had a very close integration between the two teams and had spent a lot of time around the first team. And. You know, I wanted to keep growing and
00:03:09
Speaker
and kind of get out of my comfort zone and pass myself at the first team level. And the opportunity came up in Colorado, and it was a really difficult decision. But one that I'd taken to go to Seattle in the first place, I'd been a Division I college coach. It was a very, very good situation and had a lot of stability and a very successful program.
00:03:36
Speaker
And I wanted to go out of my comfort zone and test myself and stay out all the time and work out and the people and the situation. And it kind of was that same point again. I just wanted to kind of, I felt I needed to grow and go out of my comfort zone and get the first team opportunity. And I was very fortunate to get an opportunity in Colorado and we decided it was the right time with my family to do that. And yeah, so I've been here for three years and, um,
00:04:06
Speaker
It's been a really great experience so far.
Rapids' 2021 Success and Challenges
00:04:09
Speaker
And it should be said that first year in Colorado went just about as well as you could have imagined. You guys ended up finishing first in the Western Conference, despite not really being picked to do very well. Obviously, you nicked the Sounders right there at the end. Yeah. What do you think went so well in that first season and maybe hasn't gone as well more recently?
00:04:34
Speaker
Yeah, I think, you know, obviously I think you have to look a little bit prior to 21, you know, and looking at Colorado and Robin, you know, from, I think he took over kind of halfway through or toward the end of 2019, they went on a really good run. Just missed the playoffs.
00:04:53
Speaker
Then in 20, they went on a good run and were in the playoffs. So there'd been a positive trajectory and a thing that was really building here. And so I think 2021 was a continuation of that. I thought there was stability in the roster. That team had kind of started to come together. There was some... There's a combination. I think you had some really key
00:05:20
Speaker
experienced veteran MLS players like a Drew, Drew Moore, Steven Bayshore, Colin Warner, guys that kind of drove the locker room, set the culture, really, really good pros.
00:05:33
Speaker
and knew their role within the team. That was a big factor. Then you had some real quality. I think Jack Price at the time was one of the better midfielders in the league. I fought in 2021. We had a real good balance for the team. Austin Trusty, I think, really broke through that year and had a fantastic year and his potential, obviously, now in the Premier League. So there was a lot of things, but really good cohesion in the team.
00:06:01
Speaker
good character and it was the collective over the individuals, you know, and there was a lot of fortune as well. You know, I think the Sanders went on a tough run at the end of the year, which was very unusual and we benefited from that, but a great season and one that was really fortunate and happy to be part of.
Injuries and Disappointment in 2022-2023
00:06:24
Speaker
And then 2022, you know, we started to, we had injuries to key players. As I mentioned earlier, Jack Price, the captain of the team, influential, similar to Jau Paulo's injury and its impact with Seattle. I thought Jack Price is limited minutes for us that season was, was tough. And, um,
00:06:44
Speaker
Yeah, we obviously just missed out on the playoffs last year, and as I'm sure we'll talk about this year, it's been a difficult year and currently in difficult circumstances that we all feel as though that we've let the fans down here, we've let ourselves down in not performing to the levels we think we're capable of.
00:07:09
Speaker
and hoping to kind of put some things right here towards the end of the season and finishing on a positive note.
00:07:14
Speaker
Yeah. So, you know, you, you sort of alluded to that. I guess I alluded to it as well, but, uh, a couple of weeks ago, uh, the, the difficult decision was made to, to, to part ways with Robert and Frazier and you were, you were picked to succeed him as the, as the interim head coach was, I don't know, what is the mood around
Interim Head Coach Transition
00:07:33
Speaker
the team right now? And is that an awkward position for you or is that something where it's an, is it a relatively straightforward process?
00:07:43
Speaker
No, it was very difficult, really emotional. You know, I think when you work closely with someone that you really trust and like and respect as a person first, and as a coach and somebody who's gave you an opportunity and you know, he loses his job, it's really tough. And it was quite emotional and difficult for everybody on the staff.
00:08:11
Speaker
Um, so it took some time to process that and obviously things happened quickly. And I was asked to carry the responsibility to be the interim coach through the end of the season. And you know, then you kind of hit, uh, you kind of have a job to do and you have an obligation to the club and the fans and to the players. And so the staff, then it was, okay, how do we, how can we look to turn things around and,
00:08:38
Speaker
And to answer your question in terms of the mood, it was that. We've been on a slide, we couldn't break the momentum, and so confidence was quite low. And so it was, OK, let's open up to this situation. We're all unhappy with it. We're not happy to be where we are.
00:08:59
Speaker
We want to get out of this situation. What do we need to do to get out of it? And we met at a leadership group with the players and then the team. And then the players' response to that has been fantastic, to be honest. And we had an extended training period with the international break where we could get 10 days of training in prior to the New England game and the players' application and their work ethic and commitment to each other.
00:09:26
Speaker
It's been really good and really good for the players and to get a positive result against New England and to build some confidence from that going into this game and the Sounders tomorrow.
00:09:37
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it should be said, I thought you guys look really good against New England. You win this game 2-1, you're up 2-0 up until pretty late in the game. What do you think went so much better in that game? Was there anything tactically or is it just a matter of getting, you know, just maybe hearing a new voice or whatever it might be?
Tactical Improvements
00:10:00
Speaker
Probably all of the above, but I think that
00:10:04
Speaker
You know, New England is a really good opponent. I think we rolled our luck a little bit. They hit the cross bar early. If they'd have scored, maybe that could have run in a different way. But what we were really pleased about is we conceded too many goals in transition, maybe a little bit too open. And so we've made a commitment here that we want to be a little bit harder to beat, a little bit more tactically, and responsible to each other.
00:10:32
Speaker
and I think that was evident in the New England game that you know there were periods of the game where we maybe didn't play well but we restricted them to few chances in the first half you know so we were kind of a little bit more difficult to beat and then when we scored the goal I thought that we really grew in confidence and we had a really good kind of 20 minute spell in the game and we were a threatened transition and grew into the game as the confidence grew so it's really been
00:11:01
Speaker
and kind of a commitment to doing the simple things well and letting our confidence grow from there. Yeah, and you know, something else that probably should be said is, you know, even though the overall results have not been good, and there was this three-game losing streak where, you know, you guys had, like you said, had sort of maybe gotten away from some of your principles, up until then,
00:11:26
Speaker
You had been in a lot of games. You had been defensively very good. Is that something that... Do you feel like something changed that you lost there? Is it something that you feel like you're maybe getting back to?
00:11:43
Speaker
Yeah, I think that, you know, it's all about players, you know, so the players, the defensive side of it, you know, we've, we've had kind of too many nil, no draws, right? Where you could see there's a plethora of them through the year, you know, where we sell as though we've defended. Well, we kept the clean sheet that would maybe, maybe haven't done enough on the attacking ends, you know, and, um, and that can come in different ways. I can, you know, chance creation could come from,
00:12:13
Speaker
you know open play and build up and then balance an opponent but it can also come in transition you know and you know we looked to put an emphasis in transition a little bit could be a little bit more effective and dangerous in that and I felt that we did that in New England and we created five or six good opportunities from transition and were a threat and so just looking at
00:12:38
Speaker
some of the other ways that we can score because in set pieces, but we've always been a threat. I think we have the highest expected goals, I think from set pieces of any team in the league. It's just not been the conversion hasn't been there. So we know we can get goals from there and it's just, how can we be dangerous in other phases of the game as well?
Player Highlights: Danny Leyva and Marlon Vargas
00:12:58
Speaker
So one of the players who has kind of come in and out of the team recently hasn't been getting a ton of playing time, but it's someone that I'm sure Sounders fans are interested in is Danny Leyva, someone who you also have a pretty long history with working with both of the Academy and second team level with the Sounders. Where is he right now in sort of his situation?
00:13:21
Speaker
Yeah, so Danny's obviously came in on loan from Seattle for the season. We suffered some injuries with Jack probably being out for the year.
00:13:34
Speaker
an injury and Brian Acosta has moved to Portland. And so there was a lack of depth in that area. And so Danny's obviously came in and he's been a fantastic addition to the team. You know, I've known him well and took a long time in terms of his character and everything Danny's about. And he's been such a great addition to the group.
00:13:59
Speaker
He maybe hasn't quite played as much as he wanted to. And I think it's difficult when you kind of get in that losing skids and the games are super tight. He hadn't quite had an opportunity, but his attitude and application professionalism has been really good. And, you know, hopefully Danny can get some opportunities here in the last seven games of the season that we have coming up.
00:14:25
Speaker
So another former sounder or player in the sounder system who is in the rapids organization is Marlon Vargas. And I'm assuming you also have a relationship with him. How has he been doing with the rapids too?
00:14:43
Speaker
Yeah, Marlon has been doing fantastic. I know Marlon very well and spent a lot of time with him, obviously for the Academy and with the Defiant. I thought Marlon could be a good fit here after he'd finished with Defiant last year. He's came in and done fantastically well.
00:15:06
Speaker
you know, our R2, our top of the Western Conference at the moment and that, you know, they go into the last game of the season where I think they can finish as the number one seed heading into the playoffs potentially with the right result this weekend. And Marlon's been instrumental in that, you know, he's played really well, he's been
00:15:26
Speaker
really, really effective in transition with final passes and assists and chance creation. So I'm really pleased for him that he's had this opportunity and took it and really helped the team here.
00:15:39
Speaker
You know, we talked to Wade Weber a lot in the past about Marlin. And one of the things that he would oftentimes say is, you know, I think he's an MLS talent. I don't know if it's with the Sounders, but he seemed to really believe that Marlin was someone whose game could translate to the next level. And I'm curious if what you're seeing from him and that potential, his projectability, I guess.
00:16:05
Speaker
Yes, I agree with Wade. Yeah, I definitely think Marlin has MLS ability and potential. I think when the players get to a professional level, they all have an identity and attributes that have allowed them to get to that level. And I think Marlin's final pass on the weight of it and the angle and the weight on balance, the back line,
00:16:34
Speaker
as he did with Tacoma when he was obviously in the MLF next best 11 and what he's done here that's that's you know of a high level of an NLS level and you know but having a season he's had again here every time he does these things he's gone obviously increases exposure and so you know I'm certainly a massive fan of Marlin and you know definitely secures a potential like Wade does
Approach to Remaining Games
00:17:01
Speaker
And I guess just more broadly speaking, what's your approach going into these last few games of the season, both personally and sort of the message that you're sending out to the team in terms of how you want to finish the season and sort of some of the, I don't know, the benchmarks maybe that you set, if maybe not making the playoffs, it's, well, we can still win games and we can still do these things. I mean, what's, I guess, how are you assessing these last,
00:17:29
Speaker
You know month or two of the season Yeah, so we have we had eight games less now we have you know afternoon but now we have seven Really I see our approach as a coaching staff is we're here to support the players You know, so we've you know, we're in a difficult situation We've come together. We've tackled it head-on. They've taken ownership of it They've addressed
00:17:55
Speaker
we've addressed together with them what how we can help them what we think it needs to look like to allow us to be successful you know an identity of our team and so you know we have three of the next four games are at home for us so it's really can we build on
00:18:15
Speaker
taking a game at a time, but can we build on it in the positive energy and try to build confidence? And so I think after New England, it's now just really the focus on Seattle. Can we continue to make ourselves hard to beat?
00:18:34
Speaker
keep ourselves in games and then as we continue to grow in confidence, we feel as though we've got some quality and some real players that can hurt the opposition and see if we can go and get a really positive performance and result against Seattle before we move on to the next one against Portland.
00:18:51
Speaker
Well, Chris, I really appreciate you joining us. It's been, you know, satisfying to see someone leave the Sounders and, or the Sounders organization and have, you know, and do well and have a positive influence on another team.
Chris Little's Influence and Sounders Connection
00:19:08
Speaker
So it's, we definitely consider you part of the family. So thanks for doing this with us. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks, Jeremiah.
00:19:19
Speaker
All right. Uh, I am Jeremiah Shan signing off for no study at this and we will catch you next time.
00:20:21
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!