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Nos Audietis mailbag: We’re still on about the Leagues Cup
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Jeremiah and Aaron are a little late to their August mailbag but they banged it out today. Before they get to the listener questions, though, they need to address Luis Suarez’s apology and Inter Miami’s empty statement. They weren’t impressed.
In the mailbag, there’s lots of stuff about the impacts of the Leagues Cup and the future of the goalkeeping position.
As a reminder, all these questions came from our private Discord, which is available to all subscribers at the Supporter ($75/year) level or above. If you’d like to upgrade your membership, you can do so here. If you’re already a Supporter or above and want to join the Discord, shoot us an email.
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Transcript
Introduction and Announcements
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.
00:00:14
Speaker
Let's go. The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. Here comes Ruiz Diaz through the middle to crown it for Seattle.
00:00:25
Speaker
The Sounders rule the region. see of
00:00:59
Speaker
you know what was the thought process in terms of who you decided to use and who you didn't? Ever since I wrote a commentary that we didn't take the outcome seriously.
Sponsorship and Recording Details
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 Adientes, part of the Sounder at Heart podcast network, sponsored by Full Bull Wines, Hacks and Ferments, and our subscribers. We are recording on Thursday, September 4th, 2025.
00:01:56
Speaker
two thousand and twenty five I am your host, Jeremiah Shan. I am once again joined by my co-host Aaron Campo and our producer Lickett.
Mailbag Segment and Bumbershoot Discussion
00:02:05
Speaker
This is the mailbag episode, ostensibly for August. We had intended to record this a little earlier. it is It is September, but we're doing the August mailbag. I hope that is okay with everybody. But a lot of questions about Leagues Cup and all kinds of other things. But before we get to that, Aaron, how are you doing?
00:02:25
Speaker
I'm real tired. i didn't get a great night's sleep last night, but I've got, ah you know, I've got a four day weekend coming up and I had a five day weekend last week. So, yeah. don't I don't know if I'm feeling a lot of sympathy for you. Yeah. No, that's fine. You shouldn't.
00:02:38
Speaker
how How did you, you went to Bumbershoot last weekend though. I did. Yeah, I did. It was fun. ah We didn't watch any bands. The only band we cared about seeing on the day we were there was playing in the Vera project and we couldn't get in.
00:02:52
Speaker
So, Uh, yeah. Uh, what is it? My, my wife and children to co went to COVID. My wife got COVID.
00:03:04
Speaker
Uh, went, went to, went Went Bumbershoot and they had a great time. I guess it seems like it's a good hang. I still have never been. ah But they had a lot of fun watching bands.
00:03:17
Speaker
It's definitely if you are expecting Bumbershoot circa, you know, 2014 or what have you. It's not that, ah which I'm grateful for, because that's I love going when I was younger. And then it just the scale of it got a little too much for me.
00:03:31
Speaker
um the the bands they were booking were not as much my speed and it it was just too, too much, you know, as it was like any other festival. It's much smaller scale, a lot more, I think arts focused.
00:03:43
Speaker
um That's yeah. It's right. Yeah. Yeah. And relatively relatively cheap, right. Especially if you get the early bird tickets, I mean, nothing is cheap anymore. So I'll tell you that the hack for us, we got, so we bought two, two day passes for adults and,
00:04:00
Speaker
yeah And that got us, ah if we wanted, we could have had brought ah up to four kids each day. We only brought three one day and two the other. But you break that down on a per day per person basis. And it's a pretty good deal.
00:04:16
Speaker
Yeah. And it's definitely I mean, it's kid friendly as long as you're not, you know, ah crude. Right. um there's because There's some, you know, there's like a circus arts thing that's a little. Yeah. blue and uh you know there's there's adult focus stuff but uh nothing nothing too crazy and uh no one there was no complaints about any of that yeah from our kids it's a good time it's uh the cat i i will say this If you are a big time cat person, I don't actually recommend the cat circus because I heard that was bad. Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:50
Speaker
It's so basically you wait in line for like half an hour. And when you get in there, it's a bunch eight year old kids petting the most scared looking kittens you've ever seen in your life. The cats are stuff just not happy. And and it's it's an adopt it it is ultimately a cat adoption event.
00:05:08
Speaker
And those are that's just kind of the nature of them, um you know, and it's it's worth it to get the cats good homes and everything. But you're not going to see like a cat doing tricks. I keep it in my mic. Sorry about that.
00:05:19
Speaker
um Yeah, you're you're you're not going to see a ah cat doing fun circus tricks. You're going to see a cat shaking and sticky handed eight year old. Yeah. But other than that, a lot of fun.
00:05:31
Speaker
Bumber mania is always a good time. You know, if you're into that sort of thing. Yeah. Well, I'm happy to hear all that. there The other thing that got some questionable reviews, there was a stand-up, some ostensibly a comedy show or something that yeah yeah my daughter went to and was like, that was it was so awkward. it was It was very, very bad. They didn't even advertise any of the stand-ups. Like...
00:05:57
Speaker
their names or anything. Oh, um that's what I thought was a little strange. But ah the other fun thing is the fashion district, though, ah which is right next to where the stand. Yes, they they got do they love that.
00:06:09
Speaker
Yeah. My wife bought me an Elvira candle. ah Yeah, it was good time. And before before that, I went to full pool wines to pick up. Oh, look at that. um So, you know, organic ah mention.
00:06:24
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Very organic. I was not trying to figure out a way to segue more naturally into that.
00:06:32
Speaker
They didn't ask us to do that, to be clear. No, I wouldn't imagine. Did they at least hook you up a little? I don't think so. I wouldn't. I would feel extremely uncomfortable if they did.
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah, I would. I definitely would. Okay, fair enough. Yeah, well, were you know, I'm not saying it like it's a good thing. its Yeah, fair enough. You know, it's how I am.
00:06:54
Speaker
All right. Well, I believe that ah ends the banter segment of the show. ah That said, so before we get into the questions, we do have one newsy topic that I don't know if it will be addressed. I don't think it's addressed in the question, so I just wanted to get to it.
00:07:11
Speaker
So both Luis Suarez and InterMiami issued... What I guess, well, Suarez, I think you can call it an apology. He did use the word I apologize. I think he actually says the words I apologize.
00:07:25
Speaker
And he takes some level of, he he expresses some contrition, even if it's vague. And I wouldn't exactly call it a good apology, but it is not.
00:07:37
Speaker
I've seen much worse apologies. Let's put it that way. It's definitely a look what you made me do kind of apology. It had an element of look what you made me do. i will yeah I will absolutely agree with you there. Because it it does say
Inter Miami Altercations and Reactions
00:07:52
Speaker
there unfortunate things happened and then I reacted.
00:07:55
Speaker
which What exactly are you reacting to? We've seen the tape, my man. and Right. Yeah. I mean, the unfortunate thing that happened was they got their asses kicked, I think. Right. I guess that maybe is maybe that's maybe he's blaming the Sounders for kicking their ass.
00:08:08
Speaker
that That's possible. Yeah. I do think that he and Messi and Busquets see at that as ah is an enormous affront. I actually do genuinely believe that. I mean, it all available evidence suggests that you're you're correct.
00:08:21
Speaker
But I'm going to go ahead and read the full Inter-Miami statement because it's short enough that I feel like I can do this justice. And I think you'll notice... ah Well, I'll just read it.
00:08:33
Speaker
Inner Miami condemns the altercations that took place following the conclusion of the League's Cup final. These actions do not reflect the values of our sport and remain committed to upholding the highest standards of sportsmanship, both on and off the pitch.
00:08:46
Speaker
We are working closely with League's Cup and MLS officials to ensure the situation is addressed appropriately. We thank our fans and community for their continued support. You'll notice no no apology, no acknowledgement even that they were involved in this really. Other than to say that they, like the Sounders could have, literally the Sounders could have put out this exact same statement.
00:09:07
Speaker
And ah ah to like it would had no it would have made no difference. like It's amazing it's like kind of an amazing statement. yeah Almost like why bother putting this out?
00:09:19
Speaker
It's like if we don't like it that there was a fight. Right. It's definitely got that. ah There was an altercation and at some point a bystander became struck by a bullet fired by the gun of an officer kind of vibe to it. Right. Yeah.
00:09:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. um Which is always, always a good one to hear. That's always fun. Sure. i agree. Yeah.
00:09:41
Speaker
Yeah, so that was that was not that was not great. ah Yeah. i But the good thing, I suppose, if you choose to look it this way, is that that these both these statements came out on the same day does suggest that the wheels of justice may be finally moving now. It seems like it, yeah.
00:10:01
Speaker
I wouldn't be be shocked if it were a situation where they were like, you have to put out some kind of statement. Yes. About this or else this is going to be worse for you. Maybe. Maybe.
00:10:13
Speaker
But if that were true and Ender Miami put out that statement, I would say, okay, this is even worse if you than if you hadn't said anything. It's a very bad statement. it's it's It's pretty brutal.
00:10:23
Speaker
yeah Yeah. ah It also contradicts itself by saying that they're committed to upholding the highest standards of sportsmanship while putting out a statement in which they accept zero responsibility for what happened.
00:10:37
Speaker
ah which i really like I'm not going to say that the Sounders are... like the centers will probably catch some punishment. I don't doubt that just because that's how yeah these things go.
00:10:49
Speaker
But I, I really dare anyone, anyone to watch the film of what happened, whatever angles you want and find me one instance of a sounder sort of initiating,
00:11:01
Speaker
ah initiating anything like, yeah, I feel like everything the Sounders did was absolutely retaliatory ah or even defensive. And i don't think you can say the same thing about most of what Miami does.
00:11:17
Speaker
No, I don't think so. I mean, yeah if What we've heard is to be believed about what led up to all of this. um Miami was pissed about how physical the game was was allowed to be called.
00:11:29
Speaker
um Right. Which, you know, i don't feel like Sounders fans can have too much of a complaint about that because this was the same referee that was a referee in the game against Puebla. who also played extremely physically and Sounders fans were extremely pissed off that no fouls were being called. So to some degree, turnabout is fair play. Although I do think the difference is that the Sounders were actually trying to play at the sport of soccer, whereas Pueblo were not.
00:11:53
Speaker
um But there is plenty of, I think, i precedent of Sounders fans being outraged that games were too physical, right? Yes, sure. Which is fine. i'm it's It's fine to be hypocritical about referees.
00:12:09
Speaker
when it comes to your team that is agreed completely fine um this is sports it's not serious but um that seemed to be the only thing and like ah you know we've heard reports of of messi saying some really nasty stuff to obet vargas and and pedro de la vega um suarez is a legendary shit talker uh busquets was clearly jawing all night long And I'm sure they were getting something back from from the Sounders players.
00:12:39
Speaker
You know, I mean, we saw Pedro sort of like, yeah, and and that's the way it goes. But I do think there is this level of entitlement of these guys of.
00:12:51
Speaker
I'm allowed to do it to you because of who I am, but you are not allowed to to do it to me because you are not me. And that's just bullshit. I mean, yeah, like nobody is nobody thinks most of all Pedro de la Vega. I'm sure that Pedro de la Vega is is Lionel Messi.
00:13:09
Speaker
Nobody believes that. But on the night, he was the better player on the night. His team was much better than Lionel Messi's team. And if you're any kind of a professional, you should be able to deal with that.
00:13:21
Speaker
And I'm not going to clutch my pearls about the, you know, the trash talking and the mental games that they're trying to play with it. But i i do think that when you allow that to carry over after the whistle, and it especially when it turns into something physical like this.
00:13:39
Speaker
ah It's just really, really Bush League. And, you know, Messi was still jawing at Pedro de la Vega when they were in the the metal line. In the metal line. I know. Yeah. it's There's a great shot of that where yeah like he's he's like six people away.
00:13:56
Speaker
Right. like Like Pedro is towards like the middle or even maybe the front of the line and Messi is sort of at the beginning of the Miami line, but there's a ah big gap. And it the video actually is just Messi sort of like yapping into the ether. And then finally, Pedro sort of steps out of line and is like, are you talking to me?
00:14:18
Speaker
Right. why why are we still Why are we still doing this? Why are we exactly... Yeah. and And I don't think... Most people who are sports fans to any you know serious degree are under any auspices that these guys are what their public reputation would have you believe. Yeah.
00:14:40
Speaker
But the reality is I think that like you can't be as good at a sport as Lionel Messi or Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. Any of these people who are in the conversation
High-Pressure Mental Struggles of Top Players
00:14:49
Speaker
for this person is tiger Woods.
00:14:52
Speaker
Tiger Woods. This person is the best to ever do this thing in a highly competitive, highly stressful environment that also brings with it enormous amounts of wealth and fame.
00:15:04
Speaker
You can't have a normal brain and do that. Whatever, whichever direction the causality is like at a certain point, you're just not going to be a normal person anymore.
00:15:15
Speaker
ah And usually that in a very bad way, like usually it just completely breaks you mentally and. It leads to things like we saw on Sunday. Yeah, I am with you. I'm like I'm not worked up about whatever messy said to. Yeah.
00:15:33
Speaker
Pedro or Obed. I don't need to I don't think we need to litigate that at all. Frank. I mean, like he, I'm, I assume he said some bad stuff and I assume it's, it's awful to hear it outside of the, like even maybe even the game. I don't doubt that it like sort of bothered the players, which is why I think the, there's still that we're talking about it, but like there's trash talk and then there's whatever happened after and whatever happened after is clearly,
00:16:01
Speaker
This is not sport anymore. This is yeah being a crybaby. This is just sour grapes. And it's embarrassing. it It is embarrassing. And I don't think it's embarrassing for MLS.
00:16:12
Speaker
I actually think and in a weird way, I don't know if it's as good for MLS. I don't think it's good for MLS. But there there is an element of this that turns this into a very sticky sort of news story.
00:16:24
Speaker
And it's not the kind of coverage that MLS wants. and But I assure you, if the Sounders had just pantsed Miami and that was the end of it, we I don't think the national media would still be talking about this story.
00:16:36
Speaker
And that's not, again, this is not a, oh, it's it's good that MLS has villains kind of thing. But there is a reality to this, which is, people are talking about the league's cup final that would have never been talking about it. And yeah it was a great, and I, and I think there's a weird element of this where it sort of forces them to mention, by the way, the Sounders drew 69,000.
00:16:59
Speaker
They sold out Lumen field. It was amazing atmosphere. The Sounders played this amazing game. But later, let's talk about all this other stuff. And honestly, without... But let's talk about all this other stuff. I don't know they even mentioned the the first parts that extensively.
00:17:13
Speaker
So whatever. i'm not I'm not really worked up about the... optics of this thing, except for man, inner Miami looks so, so bad. it, I can't have not, yeah I've yet to hear anyone that doesn't either work for Miami or is just a sort of, uh, red pilled messy fan who is actually defending anything really that happened on Sunday after the whistle. And it's kind of funny to see because it does feel like it's sort of a mask off moment a little bit where absolutely. Yeah. ah You know, Messi and these guys were sort of held up as this in some weird way, this model kind of organization. And it is very clearly a deeply, deeply troubled situation.
00:18:00
Speaker
organization that is probably rotten all the way through i am very happy for chris henderson to not be there anymore very happy for deandre yedlin to not be there anymore i don't think there's really anyone left that has ties to the sounders so that's great yeah it is i mean i think that um in a weird way like it does show some growth of mls where um you know, these, these players who I think expect to just totally come in and dominate the league yeah are very frustrated that they're not able to do that.
00:18:33
Speaker
And we're not talking like second tier, former superstar. Like we're talking the greatest player to ever live, who is still playing in an extremely high level was like the best player at the world cup.
00:18:44
Speaker
Two years, two years ago or whatever it was. Um, like, real legitimate world class players who are extremely frustrated by how difficult the league is. And and I think in a way, this this becoming like this big international story, because it involves Lionel Messi, even if it's not exactly the kind of attention MLS wants, like you said, i think it does. Like if you are somebody who has a negative perception of the quality of play MLS, and you know what you know about Lionel Messi and how competitive he is,
00:19:16
Speaker
um and you know louis suarez and how competitive he is and and what a high level they're still capable of playing at and you see wow they still care they're still invested and they got waxed by this team full of like academy products that's that's a positive thing for the league i think for for people outside of of you know the and mls bubble to see um yeah that that they are upset that they clearly care. There's no way there is absolutely no way that you can spin this as with a straight face.
00:19:48
Speaker
Well, Miami just doesn't care about leagues. These players don't care about this league. Clearly that you do. They do. right They could barely care. They could barely work up the ability to carry more because they are sort of like at the top of their caring you know tank.
Sounders vs. Inter Miami: Game Analysis
00:20:08
Speaker
So that part I think is good. i also think that it illustrates, I've heard this many times that, well, Miami is sort of washed, that they're done, blah, blah, blah.
00:20:20
Speaker
There is an element of, It will never be the same. Like i said, there's a mask off element of this, but part of what makes this honestly pretty special is that the Sounders beat a good team.
00:20:34
Speaker
They beat a very talented team. They beat a team that had moments that had long stretches of this game where they actually played well. I rewatched the game. I was actually a little surprised how much of the game Miami really did control. I mean, from the beginning of the second half, at least until the 60th minute when Brian Schmetzer makes some subs to his credit that changed the game.
00:20:56
Speaker
Those 15 minutes were really, really good, were solid stuff from Miami. i I also thought the first 20 minutes, the Sounders looked like a team that was on a different level. They were ready to play.
00:21:09
Speaker
i The line I used was, it looks like, Miami brought a violin to a knife fight because they were just sitting there complaining about how hard the Sounders were playing.
00:21:21
Speaker
And it was a lot of clean tackles and it was a lot of just hard, good play. The Sounders were challenging every pass. They were challenging every shot there. You know, there was this funny clip that I just saw right now on Instagram where they're glazing Leo Messi for this wonderful through ball.
00:21:39
Speaker
I think it was to DePaul. Yeah, that the one that Jackson Reagan makes this amazing block on inside the box. It was early in the game and it sort of is. they're I just think it's so funny. they're They're talking about, oh, look at this great ball that Messi plays.
00:21:55
Speaker
The shot was blocked. It was a great play by the defender. It was a nice ball. And I think it it's ah fair to recognize it was a good ball. But let's talk about the whole sequence here. Right. Yeah.
00:22:05
Speaker
No, I mean, it's the the ball to set up ah the first goal from from Jesus to Alex was ever as good as that. I think was great ball. And ultimately, like. The time in MLS where a guy who could pull off tricks like that could just completely dominate is over and has been for a while.
00:22:25
Speaker
Like there are lots of number 10s in the world right now that could come in and make a couple of passes like that a game who would be a total waste of a DP spot. Now, obviously Lionel Messi is not a total waste of a DP spot.
00:22:36
Speaker
Right. But the cult of personality of Messi is the reason I didn't want him in the league in the first place. And the reason that I will be so glad when he's gone, because of shit like that. And because like the tick tock that showed the, um, the, the confrontation of him and De La Vega post game, the caption was like, never disrespect the goat.
00:22:55
Speaker
Yeah. I don't think Pedro has said a word to him the whole night. Right. It's just, it's, it's, yeah, it's, it's ridiculous. So, uh, very glad to see the back of them. And, you know, I'm glad we don't play them for,
00:23:07
Speaker
Oh, oh, oh, two weeks or whatever it is. Yeah. But, you know, with any Luxor and Busquets will be will be suspended. So, yeah, you would hope.
00:23:18
Speaker
All right. Well, let's get into these questions where we yeah we have a lot of them. We do. We do. We actually kind of trimmed it down even. I think that we originally had close to like two and a half times as many questions as we have. wow uh, thank you to everyone. And we've also combined some of them. Uh, if your question got cut, uh, it was not, does not indicate there was anything about the quality of the question.
00:23:42
Speaker
um There were just too many of them. And so first we'll start out with some questions about the league's cup. And this one is from Rick. ah The Sounders played and beat the defending CONCACAF Champions Cup, MLS Cup and Supporter Shield winners by an aggregate of 12-0.
00:23:58
Speaker
10 different goals scorers and 14 different players had goal contributions. Four clean sheets and two total goals against. Was this the most dominant performance by an MLS club ever? So they're only talking about League's Cup because if you wanted to really get crazy, you could include MLS Cup, the reigning MLS Cup winner twice within that same span of time.
00:24:21
Speaker
And it would have actually been 16 0. Yeah.
00:24:27
Speaker
Yeah, but there are talking about leaks
Sounders' Leagues Cup Success
00:24:29
Speaker
out. I think it was a very, but I think it has to be the most impressive leaks cup run. I believe the Sounders are the first team to go undefeated leaks cup.
00:24:38
Speaker
At the very least, they won more games in regulation than anyone else. Now, not exactly the longest. I guess that's probably not true. They probably aren't the first team to go undefeated, but they, I believe they had the the biggest goal difference.
00:24:52
Speaker
I believe they scored the most goals. It was a very, very impressive Leagues Cup performance by the Sounders. There's not a lot to compare it to, but this is gonna this is up there. this is This is more dominant than their CONCACAF Champions League title, which was, i believe at the time, also the most lopsided goal difference in CONCACAF Champions League history.
00:25:17
Speaker
so When the Sounders come to play, they they really do put on a show. This was a very impressive showing. ah if you If you include all the games, I believe they outscored the opponents 16 to 2.
00:25:34
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's right. That sounds right. ah Four shutouts. I mean, just dominant stuff. it we there's I got no notes. this is And they did it while rotating their lineup a lot, like not just on the fringes.
00:25:50
Speaker
Every game had a different lineup. I believe every game featured at least four or five changes from from the previous game, whether it was in league play or not. And i actually have that right here.
00:26:02
Speaker
i Every game in, i guess I take that back. The Inter-Miami game only had one change from LA Galaxy game, but the LA Galaxy game had nine changes from the previous week.
00:26:15
Speaker
Yeah. A lot of changes in these games. They lost Albert Rusnak during the tournament. Didn't seem to matter.
00:26:26
Speaker
They were playing without Jordan Morris. Very much did not matter. They lost Danny Masofsky during the tournament. It didn't matter. They lost New Who during the tournament. It didn't matter. It was up and down the roster. Just yeah really, really amazing stuff.
00:26:41
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think that the only other competition for most impressive tournament performance ever would be something else in the league's cup and nothing else that an MLS team has done in the league's cup, I think comes close to to this.
00:26:56
Speaker
Um, and something in the champions league and you have to win the champions league for it to be the most impressive. And the sounders the only team to who have ever done that. So, um, I mean, I'm more impressed by the champions league, i think in a sense, because it required going on the road and, yeah um was more of a traditional tournament So I think that's a bigger accomplishment.
00:27:18
Speaker
More games for sure. I think that's a bigger accomplishment. um But I don't think anybody would argue with that in terms of just how badly did the Sounders beat the did the team beat the opposition into the dirt?
00:27:32
Speaker
It's really hard for me to think of anything that comes close to to what they did in this League's Cup. And that they beat, you know they beat good, you know, they they didn't have the toughest road possible, but they had a tough enough, they had plain tough road.
00:27:46
Speaker
ah Yeah. there were You know, so whatever. ah And they did have to go on, they at least won one game on the road. So I think that's trip also true. That's true. all right, this is from Andrew. And again, I'm just going remind everyone, all these questions come from our Discord.
00:27:59
Speaker
Our Discord is just sort of blown up lately, in part because I think people heard that the whole trade your messy jersey for Rothrock thing originated in our Discord, and it eventually made its way all the way up to Sounders ownership.
00:28:13
Speaker
And they found out there's real shit going on at the Discord, and the Sounder at Heart Discord. And... they want ah They want a piece. And so if you want a piece, come on in, join. with's It's fun.
00:28:25
Speaker
Anyway, Andrew asks, was this the Sounders' best performance of the Schmetzer... Was this the best performance slash Schmetzer's best coaching in a cup... Oh, just for cup finals.
00:28:37
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, I mean, if you look at the cup finals, 2016, I mean, I don't want to take anything away from from Brian. ah ah The way the team was set up was was great, but I don't think you can ever give too much credit for a nil-nil.
00:28:55
Speaker
2019, great performance. Toronto was not um nearly the team under Miami, is i don't I don't think. ah they're It's a little weird because Pumas was also like not the very strongest team that they could have played. I think Miami was a better team than Pumas was in 2020.
00:29:14
Speaker
twenty I think so. I think so. even Even relative to the quality of know the teams at the time. Right. Not that much has changed in three years, I guess. But yeah, so it's, I mean, I think that if you look at the, the way the Sounders are just playing in general right now,
00:29:31
Speaker
um is really impressive, the way the team was set up, the tactics, everything like that. And then the adjustments that that they made to counter what Inter-Miami was doing after halftime um completely changed the game.
00:29:44
Speaker
you know and And that's been one of the knocks, fairly or unfairly, I think more recently unfairly, but in the past fairly. But one of the knocks on Brian Schmetzer, I think, has been...
00:29:56
Speaker
ah He doesn't sub aggressively enough and his subs are predetermined and he doesn't really like to sway from his his plans. And I think in this game, it was very clear that he was responding to the conditions in the game and he picked the exact perfect substitutions to make. And in terms of the end game, that's really where you make your money, right? Is adjusting to what the other team is doing, that sort of punch counter punch thing. and Right.
00:30:20
Speaker
I mean, he threw a haymaker in this game. You couldn't really have asked for anything better. Yeah, and the that the first two subs were Kalani and... Why am I blanking on who the other sub was?
00:30:34
Speaker
Danny Leyva, believe, right? Danny Leyva. Yeah. Kalani and Danny Leyva were the first players off the bench. And... ah Neither one of them necessarily were great in the there when they first got onto the field, but they both brought a lot of energy and that energy really was sort of needed.
00:30:53
Speaker
And then the Manungu one was just a masterclass sort of decision like that could not have been better. It played out exactly, exactly how you would have drawn it up.
00:31:03
Speaker
And it was spectacular. Yeah.
00:31:08
Speaker
All right, this next one is from Atlas Collective1234. ah What is the payout for Leagues Cup? Saw some info say the champion would be awarded $2 million, but also some info said there was also prize money per win. Any ah idea on the total set the Sounders walk away with?
00:31:24
Speaker
So my understanding is the Sounders get $2 million dollars and then the players get, or I should say the centers get at least $2 million. dollars And then I don't know if it's of that. I suspect it's not.
00:31:38
Speaker
think it's a separate payout that the players then get 900,000 from at least 900,000 because the way it's set up is you get a hundred, you get a hundred thousand for every,
00:31:52
Speaker
game you play and 50,000 for every win, i believe is exactly how it breaks down. And so there's a winner. They won all six games. They played six games. That adds up to 900.
00:32:04
Speaker
There might be an adjustment. they They might get a little bit more. But that's the bare minimum that the CBA mandates that they get. And they max that out. so you you know this ah And then I actually, you're you're really curious, the set the players have now collected about $2.5 million dollars in total prize money because they got $1.4 million from the Club World Cup. And then they got like $212,000 or so from...
00:32:30
Speaker
the CONCACAF Champions League. And this is before even they're they're getting bonuses from um MLS play, which there are a whole bunch of bonuses that you get for MLS play. But if you just, even if, and I don't think this is how they'll do it, but if you were to just break up that $2.5 million dollars into 30 even size chunks for the each player on the roster, again, I doubt that's how they'll do it. But if you did that, it would be about $85,000 a piece, which might not sound like a ton, I guess, if you're thinking in millionaire athlete brain.
00:33:03
Speaker
But for a lot of these players, that's a, really significant part of their salary. Yeah. Like some of these guys actually literally doubling their salary best in performance bonuses potentially. So that's great.
00:33:14
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. ah This is from MCB. The Sounders didn't start a single passenger on defense in the final. Has this ever been the case in prior finals?
00:33:26
Speaker
So i went and looked at the lineups from, i didn't go back to the Open Cup days. That's okay. Forgive me for that. But I think we can safely say Sana Niasi was on a lot of those teams. That's so funny. I was thinking of Sana Niasi.
00:33:39
Speaker
um But, and and ah Freddie Lindberg was on one as well. um Did he start the 09 final? I guess he would have. That would make sense. i think i think he I think he did, yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. You probably did.
00:33:54
Speaker
So 2022, the
00:33:59
Speaker
um the the Champions League final, I wouldn't call anyone on that team a passenger defensively, but I also don't... i Yeah, I mean, he he would press, but certainly not to the degree Asazi did yeah in this game. and and More like chase than press. Yeah, 2019, Jovan Jones started at right wing.
00:34:26
Speaker
but i think What are you suggesting? i'm not suggesting anything, brother. Yeah. I think when he was not lined up at the left back position, I would say he was not especially interested in in doing a lot. I don't know that he was especially interested in defending as a left back either.
00:34:42
Speaker
Well, that's that's true. um I was trying to be kind, but yes. So, yeah, I mean, I think you could. I think you can definitely say beyond a shadow of a doubt that that no Sounders team has ever been so completely from top to bottom invested in playing defense.
00:35:02
Speaker
as they were in this game. And they won three. No crazy, crazy how that works. How, how being that committed to playing aggressive defense can turn into a bunch goals. It is and truly wild, truly wild.
00:35:14
Speaker
But yeah, i I would agree with all that. All right. Next one is from Bill Jones, TRPT. As much of us as a lot of us ah in parentheses, me ah referring to himself, but it also works perfectly.
00:35:28
Speaker
if you say me, um complained about Leagues Cup before the tournament. ah Could our ruin in that tournament ultimately run in that? Gosh, could our run in that tournament ultimately be the thing that starts to grow game day attendance going forward?
00:35:44
Speaker
So, yeah, I think you're talking about the broader game day attendance and not necessarily Leagues Cup attendance. And I i think a spectacle, let's call it, like it was on Sunday.
00:35:58
Speaker
can't help but have a positive effect on everything you're doing. And, you know, you would think 2022 would have had a similar effect, but the difference in 2022 is that happened in May.
00:36:14
Speaker
And unfortunately, there was a lot of season left to play. And they did have a few... like That summer was actually going pretty good up until the banner unveiling when they got smacked by Portland Timbers. And then it was a pretty dramatic...
00:36:32
Speaker
decline from there forward. The Sounders, so the Sounders, bring that up because the Sounders just weren't able to maintain the momentum that they built from 2022. 2019, also an amazing spectacle, an amazing event.
00:36:44
Speaker
also an amazing spectacle an amazing event Then there was this COVID thing that happened ah the next season that sort of took away all the momentum from that.
00:36:55
Speaker
I think this has the potential to be very different, partly because it's already towards the end of the schedule. Assuming the Sanders do not fall flat on their face, which there's really no indication.
00:37:07
Speaker
There were still some warning signs, I think, early in 2022 that maybe we were able to push aside. But there are not, this is not, the like the the warning signs, I suppose, this year were that they keep getting injured, but that apparently doesn't matter. Like that's, right I think we're at the point now where, like there are, I'm sure there are, there is, i'm um'm like a Jenga tower. I'm sure there is as a point at which you can pull enough pieces out where the whole thing crumbles.
00:37:35
Speaker
But right now the sound, like I would, i ah the sounders seem very capable of handling those those kinds of missteps.
00:37:49
Speaker
And so, yeah, I do think this has the potential to carry some real momentum, man. I'll tell you, they could not have time the release of the season ticket renewals any better. Literally they came out this way out. Yeah.
00:38:02
Speaker
Yeah. Like, it's funny because they first announced them right after the transfer window closed. And I was giving some of the people in Sanders PR a hard time. Like, did you guys really, want to release this, right? Like announce, tease this right when the transfer window closed and you guys did nothing.
00:38:18
Speaker
And then he's like, oh, I think the results will, will help. And I was like, okay, we'll see. And then, yeah, I think there's so like, I don't know what kind of person right now is going to look at that season ticket renewal, by the way,
00:38:30
Speaker
it's like the smallest increase in the last three years. So like ours were up 3%, which is effectively nothing. And they have a whole bunch of new perks that are enticing. There's, you know, you get discounts on various things. We have an article coming out that'll be really interesting. I'm not going to get into it all right now, but yes, ah the answer is yes.
00:38:49
Speaker
That's the answer. I think. Yeah. I, I, I pretty much wholeheartedly agree. I think too, um, beyond just how they looked in that game and how, i how dominant they looked and and everything like that.
00:39:02
Speaker
Just the word of mouth about like, oh yeah, Messi came in here and his team got waxed. It's probably going to get teeth got smashed people interested. Yeah. And there were definitely people on the broadcast that they showed that looked, ah who were wearing Miami jerseys, who looked like they'd been won over. So maybe they were Sounders fans before.
00:39:24
Speaker
But like, and and but like you can't be that much of a Sounders fan, even if if you're wearing a messy jersey to a game, right. Yeah. Yeah. yeah um So yeah, I think it could have ah have a big impact.
00:39:38
Speaker
Yeah. I'm excited. I mean, it I do think there's a genuine, there was a genuine interest outside the normal Sounders bubble. I had a lot of people come up to me in the last few days and just say, wow, what an amazing thing for you to get to cover.
00:39:54
Speaker
And these are people who don't normally, care about the sounders really and yeah and so i do think that it sort of reached beyond the normal group and that's really how you grow the attendance numbers thank you for listening to the sounder at heart podcast network which now includes no sarietes lobbing scorchers and the cooler guild Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible through our paid subscribers.
00:40:17
Speaker
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00:40:55
Speaker
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00:41:21
Speaker
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00:42:22
Speaker
ah This is from MCB. Who do you think was the Sounders MVP of Leagues Cup? So, excuse me, um Pedro was the player of the tournament. And yeah I'm not going to argue with that call, but I think it was Christian personally.
00:42:36
Speaker
ah He was just on on a different level. um And as a defensive midfielder is never going to get that kind of award, ah you know, player of the tournament. But he was just a total nightmare for every team.
00:42:51
Speaker
um I think Obed may have been the MVP against Miami, but for for the tournament, At large, i think it was Christian. I think he was the the best player, period. period Yeah, i yeah i would ah i would agree with I would agree with that. i think you could maybe make, like Alex was sneaky, very good. Jesus Ferraro was sneaky, really, really good too. there were you and so I have no issue with Pedro De La Vega getting it. I think he was the most exciting player of the tournament. I think he's the player who generated the most buzz.
00:43:24
Speaker
And that was another thing, just to go back to the previous question, I think that's another reason that will help the Sounders is that there was just so much, there are so many memorable
Fan Engagement and Player Development
00:43:33
Speaker
moments. From these games and so many of them happened at home.
00:43:36
Speaker
I do really feel like this year maybe turned a corner in a lot of ways, at least from a fan engagement perspective. Like we still have complaints. sure I don't, I don't think those complaints are invalidated by all of this, but they certainly are, are rendered less important.
00:43:55
Speaker
Like when you're playing the way that the centers are playing right now, you don't have to do literally everything right. You can do a few things. You can, you can cut some corners in off field areas and still, sure still be getting a lot of positivity around the team.
00:44:11
Speaker
Yeah. So that's it for league cup questions. Next, we've got three questions about the defiance and we're going to do things a little bit differently ah for these. And I'm just going to ask all of them and Jeremiah is going to answer them because he should.
00:44:25
Speaker
be able to answer them much better than I can. So, uh, the first one is from ATNSG 2000 is the growth we've seen from the younger players correlated with the arrival of Craig Dalrymple is head of development.
00:44:36
Speaker
Any chance we can get an interview with him slash Wade slash both about the changes in programs. You know, we can, we could work on that. ah But I do think broadly speaking, Dalrymple has had a pretty positive effect. He only has been with a team, I believe, since last year.
00:44:54
Speaker
So I don't want to give him too, too much credit. But I think you could draw a direct line to Osaza de Rosario's development. I think you can draw a direct line to Snyder Brunel's development.
00:45:06
Speaker
I think you can draw a direct line to some of the Kalani Kosa-Rienzi's development. So I think he's doing good work. I think he's doing really good work.
00:45:17
Speaker
ah And Wade Weber, I think, has done a really good job of creating sort of an environment where the Sounders have been able to have a really positive pipeline sort of experience where there is integration between the levels of the Sounders that i don't know i don't know how how common this is, but I do know that the Sounders have a really...
00:45:43
Speaker
collaborative process when it comes to moving players up and down between the teams and trying to make it feel integrated. Like it's not uncommon to see,
00:45:56
Speaker
Defiance or even Academy players training with the first team, especially when numbers are low, but they are able to do that ah pretty seamlessly. Like they, the Sounders are never at a point where they don't have enough players to do proper training exercises.
00:46:11
Speaker
So, and I don't, again, i only see the Sounders, but they, they have really done an amazing job of integrating the entire pipeline that, I would think is bordering on common sense, but probably still something a lot of teams don't do.
00:46:28
Speaker
All right. Next one is from Green Caribou. ah This summer really struck me as remarkable how it seems every player that comes up from Defiance seems to be mentally and emotionally ready and not overwhelmed by the moment.
00:46:39
Speaker
They look like they believe they belong. What does Defiance do to prepare these young players, especially teenagers, for the move up from a mental standpoint? Well, I think a big part of it is that these players already know each other pretty well. And I think that's partly the result of they have these integrated training sessions.
00:46:58
Speaker
But for instance, Snyder Burnell preseasoned with the Sounders, not just this year, but last year as well. And so they're pretty good about identifying players who they believe have real MLS potential and entrusting them to to sort of be able to meet the level.
00:47:19
Speaker
Osazi De Rosario preseasoned with the Sounders this year. Kalani Kosarienzi preseasoned with the Sounders this year. I think he also did last year. So they're really good about identifying players and moving them through and giving them lots of opportunities to get reps with these players so that when they come in, it's not ah new it's not really a new player.
00:47:38
Speaker
It's someone who already has a rapport, who they already are, you know, maybe even friends with some of the the first teamers. So I just think it's it's not as much of a of a... ah What's the right word?
00:47:54
Speaker
They're not surprised by anything, you know? ah Culture shock. Culture shock. That was word I was trying to think of. Yeah. Yeah, I think that that's key, too. Like, it's such a huge change to go from...
00:48:06
Speaker
you know, playing an ex-pro and being a developmental player to um there's enough already without it, every element of it being um intimidating. And yeah.
00:48:17
Speaker
All right. Last of the Defiance and Academy questions is from Pulsbo Sounder. Are the Sounders looking to expand their Academy footprint? How can they parlay the season success of our Academy slash Defiance graduates into further recruitment of young talent?
00:48:31
Speaker
That I don't have as much insight into. I know at one point, I think they cut their U15 team, although I think it may have come back. They have a U17 team and a U19, I believe, at the academy level.
00:48:45
Speaker
I'm not 100% sure what the status of that is. But theyve they've done some stuff which is maybe... corner cutting a little bit if you choose to look at it that way, where they don't have a full... right Like the U15 thing, I believe they they cut briefly.
00:49:01
Speaker
And a lot of folks were kind of frustrated by that, understandably, because they... were sort of losing a full-time team. And and sort of instead of that, they were kind of creating these sort of hybrid teams where they would call up players from you know the best players from local ah local clubs and sort of like have them as guest players and things like that. Although I think now that they've, I think they're back to having a formalized you fifteen team.
00:49:31
Speaker
But ah they they do have a lot of connections to the local academies. I know especially Seattle United they work with pretty closely. And that's sort of how they go below the U15. And I'm sure I know a lot of clubs have teams that go down to U9 and that that are like directly affiliated. The Sounders do not do that.
00:49:49
Speaker
I suppose they could expand. But I think their attitude is it's better to cast a really wide net early on like that. and And so what they do is they provide... lesson planning and and coaching sort of tips to the local academies.
00:50:05
Speaker
And so they try to, they they don't, it's not their employees that are, that are implementing these, these plans, but they have the plans that are, they're entrusting to these other academies, I guess. And so they probably could expand that. I don't know that they are.
00:50:20
Speaker
i don't know if that's really the answer that's being sought there, but that's, that's what I know.
00:50:27
Speaker
ah So I guess I'll ask you this, Aaron. This from Josh. He says, in preseason predictions, Jeremiah called out Georgie's take on ability as a possible influential X factor in 2025.
00:50:41
Speaker
And after this tournament, even in very limited minutes, I think we can officially say he's come good on that prediction. He needs minutes, but given the performance of others ahead of him right now and players trickling back from injury, it's hard to see how significant minutes will materialize anytime soon.
00:50:55
Speaker
How do you think about this conundrum? Is the situation really all that likely to change much for him in 2026? It's a good question. I think that right now, um Georgie is not a 90 minute player under ideal circumstances, right? Like I think maybe there are some teams in the league where where he would be, but I think right now he is very much best deployed the way he was deployed against center Miami and and just as a later game sub to run at people, take people on, make something happen.
00:51:25
Speaker
um That's not to say he can't you know be effective as a starter. He's just not a guy i think that's close to starting, especially for the Sounders. um But I think he's going to continue to get chances because he keeps taking advantages of taking advantage of the chances he's he's being given.
00:51:43
Speaker
um These teams have not figured him out yet when he's deployed that way. He he just he makes things happen. He creates chaos and I think he's getting more confident. I think the goal he scored against I think that would have been. Tijuana.
00:51:58
Speaker
Tijuana. Yeah. The one where he got sent off, unfortunately. But, ah you know, that's I think that had to be a big confidence builder for him because he hadn't he's he's tried that move a few times where he cuts in and tries to curl one in and it hasn't gone well.
00:52:12
Speaker
um I think finally connecting on one is going to be good for his confidence for for sure And winning that penalty against Miami, I mean, it was proof of just how dangerous he can be.
00:52:23
Speaker
um And so, yeah, I think he's going to continue to get minutes. I don't know that his role necessarily is going to change that much going into 2026, but I think he is going to be, I think he came into the season as a guy who needed to prove he could be effective in this role.
00:52:40
Speaker
And so it was really hard for him to get any kind of minutes. ah earlier in the season. And I, I think he's going to get very regular minutes down the stretch. And, and I think he can parlay that into, you know, maybe having twice as many minutes next year as he does this year and maybe getting a a few more starts, especially, you know, in secondary competitions. Yeah.
00:52:59
Speaker
um So, yeah, I think that the situation will change in the sense that he's going to go into next year as a bigger part of of the plan than he was coming into this year. And he'll be able to build on that rather than having to sort of come and improve himself as an option that can be trusted off the bench.
00:53:16
Speaker
I think the best upside for him right now with players coming back is that Brian Schmetzer has sort of been given a real... piece of evidence that the sounders are deep, that they can rotate, that they don't have to rely on the same group of players every game, especially during fixture congestion. And so my hope is that even as players get healthy, that they still use a lot of these rotations and that it's done more out of a position from strength and less of a position of need.
00:53:54
Speaker
And I think that might happen. Like, I think there's reason to believe that that could happen and that Georgie presumably will be in a position to benefit from that. Like, I don't think he's going to be a ah regular starter, but I think he's going to get minutes.
00:54:07
Speaker
Yeah. All right. This one is from good looking. That's wow. Confident. Is there an update on Stuart Hawkins? Unfortunately, there is. Well, I'll give an update there. It's not great news. My understanding is he sort of suffered a setback in his in his recovery from the hamstring injury that he suffered.
00:54:29
Speaker
Unfortunately, it happened. the The original one, I believe, happened while he was doing a postgame sort of like. ah running like sprinting after playing off the bench.
00:54:41
Speaker
So that's not great. And then I think he may have hurt himself again in the weight room, maybe ah again while in recovery, which is not great. So hopefully he is getting closer. He was, it's, ah it's funny to, he's kind of become a forgotten piece, but at the beginning of the year, he was having an amazing season for Tacoma defiance and Tacoma defiance season has sort of gone off the the rails a little bit.
00:55:06
Speaker
which seems to have coincided with him no longer being available. So that's been too bad. He's also going to end up missing out on the U 20 world cup, which is ah bummer because he, he probably would have been a useful player for the United States in the U 20 world cup. So kind of a bummer for him.
00:55:24
Speaker
Hopefully he's back sooner than later, but I think it's still a few weeks away.
00:55:31
Speaker
ah This one's from Danger Dane. How seriously are the Sounders considering moving Masovsky and Yamar in this offseason? for how much possible For how much possibly? Masovsky seems like a no-brainer, but Yamar seems like the kind of guy who they can hold on to a year too long rather than a year too early.
00:55:50
Speaker
Then let go a year too early. So... Yeah, so I can't i cant obviously speak um to how seriously they're considering it. I would guess that they have to be considering it pretty strongly. um
00:56:04
Speaker
I think that you're right that under better circumstances, Yehmar is a guy that you want to see a sign that he's not the player that that he has been this year before you cut ties. But I think they're going to be in kind of a difficult situation next year if they want to add talent.
00:56:18
Speaker
And I think that there is a real risk to just totally running it back, no matter how good they are this year. And we've we've seen that play out before. So I think they've got to at least be thinking about it. um I'm less convinced, honestly, at this point that Masovsky is as much of a no brainer as I was a couple of weeks ago. um Yeah, I think there's a good chance he's going to set the single season goal scored record for for the team.
00:56:43
Speaker
I think it's hard to move a guy like that, man. I still think it's the right decision. i just think it is going to make it a lot harder, especially because I think that the return that they're likely to get on him as a 30 year old who has had one season, anything close to this one is going to be less than what it seems like maybe they should be getting. Yeah. um And they, i you know, I can see how they don't really want to have that kind of PR hit, I guess.
00:57:10
Speaker
But yeah, I definitely think it's it's on the table for both of them. um And i would I would say that you're correct that Musovsky is probably the more likely to move.
00:57:21
Speaker
But I really wouldn't be shocked to see Amar move because I think he's got a ton of value to teams that need a player like that to get them over the hump. you know Yeah, I think that's that's the the conundrum, I think. is i don't know what the market's going to be like for Danny Musovsky. I agree on paper.
00:57:38
Speaker
If you can move one, Musovsky is probably the one that you... feel like you can live without because you have a sort of ready-made replacement for him. Most likely Jordan Morris is going to be the starter next year.
00:57:53
Speaker
Even if Danny Masofsky scores 20, 22 goals, I don't eat. He could have an amazing season, but I think Jordan Morris is still probably the odds on favorite to be the starting number nine next year. And Osase de Rosario is right there as ah as a very viable backup. And so that leaves you with,
00:58:13
Speaker
you you know, a player who you can potentially move for, for assets, but who knows? Maybe it's Osazi de Rosario. Maybe Osazi de Rosario is actually has real value and you can get a yeah good return on him.
00:58:24
Speaker
So I don't know. Maybe it's, the i don't think either one of these are, are very simple, but the only reason you trade Yamar is not because you don't believe he's going to be good next year. It's because you believe you can get a real return for him.
00:58:38
Speaker
And I don't know what it would take for the Sounders to trade them. But I do know that they sort of have to consider doing some things like that because otherwise they're going to sort of be stuck in the same cycle that they've been stuck in previously, which is that they just don't have enough resources to make really bold moves.
00:58:58
Speaker
And then, but I don't know, maybe they, after this year, maybe they feel like they don't need to make bold moves. That's also possible. Yeah. So who knows? It is. Yeah, it's possible. i think the concern I have there is that,
00:59:10
Speaker
they've felt like that before. And then it turned out that the complacency caused issues. So um that does make me a little nervous, but yeah. Speaking of Osaze, next one is from Boomstick315.
00:59:21
Speaker
How radically has the internal appraisal of Osaze changed over the course of this run? Does the front office see him as a viable second option for next year or even as a possible first choice in the longterm? I, I have not heard a lot specifically in that, that,
00:59:37
Speaker
level of detail, but I do know that their opinion of Osaze has changed in the last year. Now, has it changed in the last few weeks? That's not usually how high-level soccer talent evaluators work. it's you know they They like to see players doing well. I don't know that he's doing anything so dramatically better that they are suddenly...
01:00:01
Speaker
changing their opinion of him, but he has been really, really good. I know I've changed my opinion of him. I know that i did not expect him to hit the ground running the way that he has.
01:00:13
Speaker
You know, there weren't a lot of people that would have been suggesting this, although I will note that Matt Doyle was an early person saying, look at this guy's MLS next pro numbers. I think this is going to translate.
01:00:26
Speaker
And it really has translated, translated remarkably well. and And again, sort of like Masofsky, it's not like he's on some finishing heater. He's just really, really good at getting himself into outrageously advantageous positions.
01:00:41
Speaker
Yep.
01:00:44
Speaker
right. This one is ah sort of a two part question. the The first one is from spaceman spliff. And he says, how excited are you to be entering the CONCACAF champions cup in the round of 16?
01:00:55
Speaker
Do we think we largely run back the same roster or where might we make some changes? And then boomstick had a similar question or a related question saying, realistically, how hard is it going to be hold onto this team?
01:01:06
Speaker
How many departures do we think we expect this off season? um So first question, I do think there is a big benefit to entering the Champions Cup later. um Although...
01:01:19
Speaker
having that round is nice prep for the um MLS season. You get maybe that's true an extra, um but I would rather enter later. um That first round has just been around where we see guys get injured a lot over the years. And I'm, I'm happy to not have to shift probably to central America or to the Caribbean. Although maybe an MLS, sometimes it's an MLS team, but it's, it's nice to not have that variable to worry about.
01:01:44
Speaker
It is. And the Sounders have twice been knocked out of Champions Cup or Champions League by Central American teams in that round. So, it's nice to not have to deal with. um In terms of the roster, though, um I think that the roster is largely going to be the same. I think that Pedro de la Vega is likely to be back unless he plays so well down the stretch that we get a crazy offer for him, which is, I think, a pot. I mean, it's, it's not out of the question.
01:02:08
Speaker
Um, but I, I expect him back. I expect Jesus back Jordan, um, Russ snack, you know, all the DPs, all the, all the key players. Um, but I think we probably see some turnover on the fringes. Um,
01:02:22
Speaker
And I think, I think Ryan Kent is unlikely to be back. Um, I think that he, I mean, he's been, his injury has really hurt him because in its ah his absence just hasn't been felt at all, you know? And, uh, that's, that's gotta be a tough place to be for him.
01:02:36
Speaker
um but I wouldn't be shocked to see maybe somebody like game or leaves, maybe somebody like Musavsky leaves as as we discussed. um You, you kind of put the road bug in my head as well.
01:02:48
Speaker
um Maybe he's, hadn't really thought about it either. it was sort of like a real time sort of a epiphany that that might be yeah something that could happen. Steph Fry, the Steph Fry decision is going to be a big one.
01:03:00
Speaker
i yeah I am pretty sure that Andrew Thomas will be the starting goalkeeper next year. And so, They're going to have to talk to Steph about if he comes back, like what number makes sense for everybody and is he okay being more of a backup?
01:03:15
Speaker
And if he's not, you know, they'll have to, I would think they'll have to bring on ah another backup from outside the organization. Yeah. And then who else are potential players that...
01:03:28
Speaker
And then that's the thing is that there's not... Jalpaolo is another one who I would think won't be back. Nuhu will be an interesting one. i have to imagine they will be exploring trades for him, especially sort of with the...
01:03:42
Speaker
you know One of the more important performances, frankly, and the final was Reed Baker Whiting. And not because he was so great, although he had some real highlights. The ball he played to Paul Rothrock for the breakaway was about as perfect of a pass as he could make.
01:03:59
Speaker
Yeah. And he i thought he held up very well defensively. You know, he wasn't perfect, but I think it showed that the Sounders don't necessarily need New Who and sort of all the trade-offs that come with him.
01:04:15
Speaker
Right. So it'll be interesting to see what ends up happening. He's got an option for next year, and I don't think it's... You know, the Sounders will probably pick it up, but I have to imagine that they're going to explore possible trades.
01:04:29
Speaker
Yeah. All right, so a similar sort of combo question. Up next, first from Mendy, adding to the offseason departures topic, how is the future looking for Polyprime time? Will we be able to keep the local kid local?
01:04:40
Speaker
Eric asks a similar question, but with the added wrinkle of, can you explain what happens if he doesn't come to an agreement? He isn't a free agent, so what does that mean for negotiations with other teams? Yeah, so my understanding is the Sounders were pretty significant pretty significantly apart from...
01:04:59
Speaker
ah Paul on a contract offer. His people wanted, i understand somewhere in the $700,000 range, the Sounders were supposedly offering somewhere in the $400,000 range.
01:05:11
Speaker
I, there is a, a reasonable middle ground there. actually thought 400 was a reasonable offer ah few weeks ago, yeah but I just don't know. After you make Rothrock, the poster literal poster child of your,
01:05:28
Speaker
match against Leo Messi and he then performs every bit as good as you could have you were better than you would have dared to dream let's be real like there was no realistic scenario that the Sounders could have come up with that it would have been as perfect as it was and so you put all that pressure on him And he performs.
01:05:51
Speaker
And then he basically says after the game, i love it. I thrive on that. This is what it's about. And I understand the conundrum because once Albert Rusnak comes back,
01:06:03
Speaker
I don't know that Paul Rothrock is a starter on this team because you've got Jesus Ferrer on the right. You've got Albert Rusneck in the middle and you've got Pedro de la Vega on the left.
01:06:14
Speaker
Now there's minutes for Paul. I think that's undeniable. He will play. But in a must-win game, is he a starter? I don't know that he is, and I don't think that really is even a knock on him because Pedro De La Vega has been the Sounders' most dynamic player for several months.
01:06:31
Speaker
Jesus Ferreira has established himself as this very solid two-way player, and again, he's doing everything the Sounders are asking. And so can you afford to pay non- ah non a player who really isn't a starter of that kind of money. Yeah. You, you probably can't, you have to figure it out. I think that's what it is. Yeah. ryan Kent's getting $950,000.
01:06:54
Speaker
He's not a regular starter. He was never really even, they didn't necessarily expect him to be a regular starter. So, right. I just think that centers are going to have to pay him. Now, what happens if they can't come to an agreement?
01:07:07
Speaker
His best option is probably to go overseas because he, he is not a free agent. I don't think, He's going to get a lot in a... I just can't see him moving within MLS. like The Sounders basically have to trade his rights.
01:07:22
Speaker
That doesn't seem very likely. His best option is probably to go to maybe England and see if he can land at a championship club, which doesn't sound like the worst option for him. i would much rather him stay in MLS, but i I think the Sounders have sort of created a situation where they absolutely have to re-sign him. have figure it out.
01:07:43
Speaker
Yeah, they do. And I think they will. I mean, I think that I do i do not blame Paul for asking for what he asked for. um So I, you know, I think they'll I think they'll get there. ah Next one's from Ken W. When are they going to stop dicking around and sign Obed and read?
01:08:01
Speaker
I think that's going to get the read one. I feel pretty confident will get done easily. i think the Obed one's tricky and the longer it goes, the trickier it gets.
01:08:15
Speaker
Right now, the the first big hurdle is he's got the U-20 World Cup coming up. If he goes to that, he's going to end up missing, I think, the last so potentially the last five games of the regular season. that's That's tough.
01:08:28
Speaker
That's a tough one to sort of stomach. And I don't know if it helps or hurts if the Sounders say... Because the Sounders, I think, can say no, but then you're...
01:08:40
Speaker
if Obed really wants to go and he's, he's not signed beyond next year, does that create bad feelings? This is going to be a tricky one. And I don't have, I'm not going to try to pretend like I know the easy, the answer, but what I do know is the Sounders absolutely should be offering him the max U22 deal. I don't really see the downside to that at this point.
01:09:00
Speaker
He's shown he deserves it. It only hits the cap of $200,000. That's, that's Adrian Hanauer's money. He just saved money by not signing, doing a transfer, ah you know, signing a transfer, pay the kid, get him under contract and then figure the rest out. and i really think that's what has to happen.
01:09:19
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. That's just, that's the, you cannot let a guy like a player like Obed get away. You just cannot. It's that ball. No, I totally agree.
01:09:30
Speaker
All right. So this is another com kind of combo deal. ah The first one's from Aaron R. And he says, Andrew Thomas has really come into his own this summer. Fry seems like he still needs to shake off some rust from coming back from the injury. How likely is it really that Thomas will be starting by the playoffs?
01:09:46
Speaker
And then Colin McLeod has a similar question. How does the front office navigate the Fry Thomas situation in the offseason? How do we keep Thomas without souring the relationship with Fry? So I think it's unlikely that Thomas is the starter by the playoffs. I think that Fry would have to have a rough couple of games, um, to, to lose the starting job.
01:10:08
Speaker
Um, yeah, yeah. I, I just, he's been, i mean, he's been pretty good this season and it's, I think that it's, even if you think Thomas is marginally better, i think that's a really difficult way to treat the captain of the team.
01:10:22
Speaker
Um, to say, well, you know, you've still performed well, but we think this guy is a little bit better. so we're going bench you for the end of what could be your last season. just don't, I don't, I don't see that happening.
01:10:34
Speaker
Yeah. And and it's important in terms of how, you know, they navigate that situation. i think Stefan Fry is a self-aware guy. i think he understands that his career is, is close to an end. i think he understands that Andrew Thomas has been really good. He looked ecstatic for Andrew Thomas after the game on Sunday.
01:10:52
Speaker
he did. and And so I think that, you know, that's a conversation they'll have to have. um I think I don't I don't think Stephen Fry is going to feel entitled to being the Sounders starting goalkeeper next season.
01:11:07
Speaker
And I think that if he he wants to start again, the Sounders will say, well, you got to go do it somewhere else. And and I think he will be, like you know, I think he'll he'll come to come to peace with that.
01:11:23
Speaker
i I think the long-term answer is simpler. Like you said, like it's, that's the easier part. I think you get through once at the, at the end of the season, regardless of how it's over, I think the Sounders have a conversation with Steph probably along the lines of, we'd love to have you back.
01:11:43
Speaker
We're not saying you can't compete, but. Andrew's the starting goalkeeper at the start of training camp and you've got to win that job from him and that the default is Andrew's going to be our starting goalkeeper next year. We don't know what's going to happen, but that's what it is.
01:11:58
Speaker
Now it is, i think a lot trickier right now. In part because Andrew Thomas just had spectacular League's Cup. Now, he wasn't tested ah ton, but he passed every single test he was given. none Not the least of which was the penalty shootout, where he came up with two massive saves.
01:12:20
Speaker
he had His upside at this point is... undeniable I think there's a very real possibility that Andrew Thomas in a couple of years will be one of the top goalkeepers in MLS.
01:12:33
Speaker
But the Sounders have a lot of, they have seven and very important league games to play before the playoffs. And i I don't know how they're going to navigate this. I don't, I, this is one where really don't envy I don't envy Brian Schmetzer because i I think probably what happens is Steph Fry is going to be the starting goalkeeper against the galaxy at home.
01:13:02
Speaker
And then maybe step, maybe Andrew Tom, and maybe because it's short rest, Andrew Thomas starts against Miami on the weekend, right? Well, if Andrew Thomas plays well again,
01:13:15
Speaker
it's goingnna be it doesn't matter It's going to become one of these things. like It doesn't even matter how well Steph Fry is playing because if step if you if you start to believe that Andrew Thomas is this potentially great goalkeeper who has this really high upside, it's going to be really hard not to roll the dice with him. i don't i So I don't know how this is going to play out.
01:13:37
Speaker
It's not the worst situation to be in because Steph and Fry... is a perfectly capable goalkeeper. He might be, i don't know if he's an elite goalkeeper, but he, he only gives, he's a security blanket.
01:13:51
Speaker
You know, he, he's not going to make really bad mistakes. And the reality is that in the two game, I think it's, he's only played two games, right? Since he came back. I think so. Yeah.
01:14:04
Speaker
Maybe he played three, but either way, he he's given up some goals, but no bad, like other than the, the Minnesota one, which I don't totally put on him. he's He's not been bad by any stretch. So it's it's not like he's playing himself out of the job, but this does seem to be a situation where Andrew Thomas is just sort of like raising his level.
01:14:26
Speaker
So don't know. It's going fascinating to watch, I will say, as as far as those things go. Yep. All right, we're going to close out with a question from Dorcas.
01:14:37
Speaker
He says, the standard we hold for excellent goalkeeping in MLS career is Nick Raimondo. Should Stephen Fry be the new standard or more like a co-standard with Raimondo?
01:14:50
Speaker
So I was tempted to say that I thought Stephen Fry's had the more impressive career, but looking at their their trophies and just general career trajectories. I'm not sure that that's true.
01:15:02
Speaker
um So I think it's just sort of the standard bearer of an era, right? Nick Raimondo was a standard of excellence during his prime. Stefan Fry was, and they they obviously had a little bit of overlap, but um they weren't dominant at the same time. So, you know, they weren't the consensus best the goalkeeper in the league at the same time. So,
01:15:21
Speaker
I think it's just, you know, when people think about goalkeeping excellence during this period of MLS, Steph is going to be the guy to guy that came to mind, just like Raimondo was from, you know, 2006 to or whatever it was that he sort of started to decline.
01:15:43
Speaker
Yeah, i it's going to be very interesting to see how history treats Steph Rye in the same way it's... You know, i even though Nick Romano never won a goalkeeper of the year, it felt like there was always sort of a recognition that he was an elite goalkeeper. And I guess Stephen Fry has enjoyed something similar, but not quite.
01:16:06
Speaker
Like, it just doesn't seem like Stephen Fry gets the the juice that Nick Romano had. and Steph is an amazing goalkeeper whose career, he's now the only, you know, he was already the only player MLS history who had won the Canadian Championship, the US Open Cup, MLS Cup, Supporter Shield, and CONCACAF Champions League.
01:16:31
Speaker
So you could just add on a sixth trophy to that. He's the only one to have won those five plus leagues cup. That is an amazing achievement. Now, he did not start the League's Cup, admit obviously, but he was very much a part of that team.
01:16:47
Speaker
And his career in terms of trophies is, i believe, unmatched as well. I think he has now something like nine or ten major trophies as a as a goalkeeper.
01:17:00
Speaker
And that's remarkable stuff. And i would suspect that he he's... much more interested in, in that
Goalkeeper's Ambitions and MLS Player Tenure
01:17:09
Speaker
kind of thing. Like how many trophies did you win?
01:17:11
Speaker
You know, what's the ride like? And I think he definitely wants to be the starting goalkeeper going forward, at least for the rest of the season. And so, and, and who knows, maybe he adds another, another MLS cup to that, to that trophy hall.
01:17:29
Speaker
and I'm like, I don't, I don't, I don't know what, what history will say, like, well, if he's the new standard bearer, but he deserves to be, he's been an amazing goalkeeper. he he's an amazing spokesperson and hopefully this works out for everyone.
01:17:46
Speaker
Yeah. ah MLS has one that thing that I think every league that's not the very, very tippy top leagues and teams has where, um the the very best players to play at any given position aren't there long enough to really sort of etch their names in the history books outside of Landon Donovan, who was kind of a weird ah situation. Edge case.
01:18:08
Speaker
Yeah. So like, I do think for a goalkeeper like Raimondo and Fry, like maybe they weren't the very best keeper in the league in any given year, but just keeping that standard so high for so long is is extremely impressive, I think.
01:18:21
Speaker
I agree. it's It's very, very impressive. And it's a this has turned into a fascinating year for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they won a trophy for the first time since 2022. But there's all these other little stories that you can tell. And Stephen Fry's story is definitely going to be one of those.
Closing Reflections and Gratitude
01:18:42
Speaker
All that said, ah thank you to everyone for submitting questions. We really do apologize if we didn't get to your question as it was. We did, you know, an hour and 15 minutes just on what we got. And i suppose that's a ah hint that maybe we should do these more often.
01:18:58
Speaker
Hopefully you appreciate, though, that we're able to go kind of in depth and and try to answer these questions as thoroughly as possible. ah With all that said, though, I want to say thank you to our sponsors, Full Pull Wines and Hacks and Ferments. Again, I want to say thank you to all our subscribers.
01:19:16
Speaker
You guys are what make this possible. This has been an exceptionally good month for us. we We got a big boost from the messy story.
01:19:28
Speaker
ah huge boost for the messy story. i have to say, as in a total aside, i get why... why Apple pays so much attention to Messi because boy, uh, it draws a lot of eyeballs.
01:19:41
Speaker
Uh, yeah. With all that said though, again I, again, am Jeremiah Shan signing off for Aaron Campo and lick it. This is no study at this part of the sound heart podcast network. And remember you'll never get alone.
01:20:18
Speaker
Let's go and sound