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Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff: Sounders FLOP against Real Salt Lake + Scouting Cruz Azul
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It was a flop of a Matchday 2 in MLS for the Seattle Sounders, but thankfully they've got the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 on the horizon against Cruz Azul.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.
Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
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Transcript
Introduction and Live Stream Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers was previously recorded and streamed live on youtube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers. If you want to listen or catch these episodes live, see the video, and see all the rest of our content, go to youtube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers or lobbingscorchers.com slash youtube.
00:00:21
Speaker
Well, sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. What the scorcher today? Well, it's gonna be scorcher.
Co-host Introduction and Viewer Interaction
00:00:48
Speaker
good morning everybody welcome in to another episode of lobbing scorchers kickoff we got nico moreno my co-host of lobbing scorchers kickoff sounder at heart puslo sports nico how are you doing man hey good morning ari good morning familia of loving scorchers excited to be on today uh you know uh probably uh We got to make some doing to do today. Some doing to do is going to be a tough pot.
00:01:17
Speaker
Uh, you know, maybe a little humble pie pot. Uh, we'll, we'll really see how that works out. Uh, but you know, lots of things to discuss. I'm excited to hear people's comments. So if you're on right now, go ahead and get those ready, send them in, send them super chats.
00:01:31
Speaker
Let's get it going. Ryan, $2 super chat. Thank you so much. New who scored another goal. What a guy. Yeah. So, uh, when we, when we were, uh, when we were compelling the team to score more goals, this isn't what we meant.
00:01:46
Speaker
It's not what we meant. Not like this, not like this.
Impact of Own Goals on Team Performance
00:01:49
Speaker
You're supposed to, you're supposed to bam it into the other net, not your own net. Apparently there's some confusion on that topic.
00:01:57
Speaker
Um, Yeah, back-to-back own goals. i don't think it's ever happened. I'm pretty sure it's never happened. No, it's funny. great get found why don't we why don't we ah Why don't we just get right into it? um After the own goal in the Charlotte game, Nico, I said it was one of the top two to three worst goals ever conceded in the history of the club, if not the number one worst.
00:02:19
Speaker
they They outdid it. this was liter This was worse. i I think they might have scored two of the top five worst own goals in the history of the sport in back-to-back games, which is honestly kind of impressive.
00:02:32
Speaker
um But I think there was honest, there you know, I know that own goal is going to get most of the attention, but there, I think... ah There's a few things to chew on coming out of that game.
00:02:44
Speaker
I'll just give you a my first two takeaways.
Balancing League Play and CCC Tournament
00:02:48
Speaker
You can tell me if I'm overreacting what you think of this. But the main thing that I came out of that game thinking was, ah you know, we've been... ah we've been positive about this team so far, I would say, or excited and encouraged about ah what we've seen the, the potential of this team be.
00:03:09
Speaker
And I still feel that way. I'm not going to let one game change how I think of the good things that we've seen so far this season. But I will say, ah number one, i did come out of that thinking that balancing league play with CCC is,
00:03:28
Speaker
I think we were all hopeful that the depth we saw on this team would be able to mitigate some of the struggles that MLS clubs typically have with that. I came out of that game but feeling a little...
00:03:41
Speaker
Not as much like that. I'll be honest. I feel like juggling these competitions might be as hard as it always is. And that might lead to some tough times in league play. And then ah the other the other thing I would say is that the defense is officially off to a bad start to the season.
Seattle's Defensive Challenges
00:04:00
Speaker
You have two of the worst own goals that you're ever going to see conceded. ah You have ah set piece concession against Charlotte FC. You have another set piece botched marking against rear our RSL where they were lucky that that wasn't a goal.
00:04:17
Speaker
Like, honestly, Stephen Fry bailed them out, but that should have been another concession right on the stroke of halftime. And then even the second goal that RSL got, yes, that partially happened because they were throwing numbers forward trying to get the equalizer, but it's a CB error. Like it is Jackson Reagan steps too high with no cover.
00:04:37
Speaker
And that leads to them scoring the second goal. So that's another defensive breakdown. So this was the best defense in the league last year. I tend to think that that will even out. I,
00:04:48
Speaker
Last week, I dismissed the own goal against Charlotte as a fluke. I don't think you can dismiss it if it happens two games in a row. I said I didn't think it was going to happen again all season. It literally happened in the next league game.
00:05:02
Speaker
um So those were those are my negative takeaways coming off a negative result.
Analysis of Seattle's Defeat at RSL
00:05:09
Speaker
Nico, what were your thoughts on this 2-0 defeat away at RSL?
00:05:14
Speaker
My thoughts are harsh. Um, anytime my first conclusion is that the team looked disjointed and flat. And anytime that that's the case right off the whistle coaching has to be looked at. And did Brandt's met sir really look into this and put these guys up to a task that he kind of brushed off when I asked him about it. And, uh, maybe he could have done more to protect a guy like, uh,
00:05:45
Speaker
Kalani, it was his first game and you put him ah right right on the same side as another young guy. i felt like that specific side was an issue. ah George did not have his best game, but I think that it was beyond that. I mean, it was two young guys trying to cover a team that honestly had been weak offensively. and and you They're not good. They're not good. And you made them look good. You made them look good right off the bat. I mean, they created opportunities. They exposed their left side.
00:06:15
Speaker
I do not know why Ferreira has started one game this season.
Jesus Ferreira's Limited Playtime
00:06:20
Speaker
One game. I want to ask Brian about it. what what What's going on? Is he needing a little bit of extra time? Because he didn't start last game either. And ah he didn't start against Charlotte either.
00:06:34
Speaker
So what is going on? He's not fit. Could that be it? Well, that's what I'm saying. So, but is it more than that? Because, I mean, it's been weeks. I mean, he should be ready. but but What is it that's going on with Ferrer? Because I feel like this game needed it.
00:06:47
Speaker
Look, rotations were necessary. And there's no doubt about it. And regardless of whether Bryant Smetzer thought he was too cool to answer, their priority is CCC.
00:06:59
Speaker
I mean, it is. ah You know that. I know that everybody on this chat knows that. My daughter knows that. You know, it's it's fine. that The guy that doesn't watch soccer knows that. Everybody knows that. But when you have an opportunity to perhaps get rid of the stink or the sting,
00:07:20
Speaker
excuse me that you got left over from the Charlotte game, you do it. I felt like this game, regardless of rotation, needed a little bit more experience and consistency to start off the game. to start off the So you see when in the in the second half, the first two subs are Pedro and Arriola.
00:07:43
Speaker
And it changes things. I mean, for the for the better. I mean, that those first five, 10 minutes of the second half is probably what you could have had at the beginning of the game, controlling the tempo, being the one dictating the game.
00:07:57
Speaker
But when you start off with a somewhat shaky lineup that that didn't work out and that I want to ask Brian, because I wasn't in the press conferences, what is it about the way you set it up that did not reflect itself on the field execution wise.
00:08:17
Speaker
And I really want him to do a little bit of self-criticism because he he just, I feel like he's put a lot of it on the players. I feel like in this one, again, he talked about the players that, and the effort here, but when there's systematic and consistent issues, because everything you said, we've seen all season.
00:08:36
Speaker
the the The defensive woes have happened, even in wins against Antigua, right? Where the line is cut up of a restarts consistently over throw-ins and things happen. Sure, there's a couple of on goals and and that that happens.
00:08:51
Speaker
But when the ball gets to those positions, you got to go back and reflect on how the ball got there. And those are the things that Brian and his coaching staff need to fix. We started going into this
Missed Opportunities in Seattle vs. RSL Game
00:09:02
Speaker
game, man. This is a Real Salt Lake team that struggled offensively that is going to be easy for the Seattle Sounders to put their game model and and really get this game going right off the start. and And none of it happened. So but that's my first conclusion is how much does it go on the coaching? And how much of that is Brant's mentor and his coaching staff willing to take amends and says, yes, that's on us.
00:09:32
Speaker
The Ferreira thing is another thing that I wanted to bring up. We brought it up. I will ask about it when I get a chance because I am curious of why the lack of ah confidence or use of Jesus Ferreira.
00:09:45
Speaker
I'm not sure what is going on with that. And then finally,
00:09:52
Speaker
we had talked about this team's ability to score goals and going into the season, we knew that there were going to be learning curves on the defensive end that they were going to get caught up in transition and, you know, all of these things that kind of came about with what we've seen in the preseason.
00:10:09
Speaker
In this one, the offense was just not working.
Seattle's Game Closing Struggles
00:10:12
Speaker
And Paul Rothbrook's had a hard start to the season. He's admitted it He's, he talked about rust.
00:10:20
Speaker
He talked about getting over a big injury. How can we get him to that level so he can be a consistent guy like he was last season?
00:10:32
Speaker
So defensively, J-Bell, I didn't think he was at fault with any of the problems that happened in that game and and the mistakes that did happen and the holes that opened up for this team.
00:10:44
Speaker
But what happened to Stuart Hawkins? I just, I'm wondering what, this was a game where I thought that it would be interesting to see him play. It felt like if there was something missing out of this back line was someone that could, that was a more than average passer to really get the ball out of the back and build up.
00:11:05
Speaker
And I don't think that that's not Yammer's strength. He didn't look like he was J-Bell's strength. And he's definitely Nuhu's strength. So that was a problem for the Sounders to build out of the back. And I felt like maybe a guy like Stu would have been able to do some of those things. So it's just a correlation of things. that The substitutions made a difference. But again, you're already rowing against the river and you're already behind on the score. And that's exactly why that this team is unable to
00:11:38
Speaker
manage the game in general. So I hear people panicking, not about two games, but it's more about flashbacks of 2024.
00:11:50
Speaker
And the fact that last season, this was a team that gave lifelines to any struggling team that they played, at least at the start of the season, where you saw a San Jose team that was awful and they played the Sounders and they beat the Sounders, right?
00:12:07
Speaker
inability to close games, those, you know, ghosts and skeletons in your closet, they're popping out with what happened in Charlotte. Some of what happened here, because you weren't able to get back in a game and then you give up a flimsy goal there at the end of it, where your back line is very high.
00:12:26
Speaker
He takes two passes, one one, one, two, and they're behind you.
Game Management Issues
00:12:31
Speaker
And a guy like Ajago that struggled to get on the score sheet,
00:12:37
Speaker
has a whole bunch of real estate to run into Stephen Fry and just finish in front of the goal. So there's just a lot of bad things from this game that need to be fixed. And I like the fact that Brian called it a wake-up call.
Reflections on Seattle's Performances
00:12:51
Speaker
I think that's what it was. or this is a wake-up call, reality check, whatever. It better be a wake-up call. It better be a reality check. and You heard me talking about a Humble Pie.
00:13:00
Speaker
That's what I'm talking about. ah you know I think that Brian's been a little bit too cheeky with some of his comments, a little bit too fresh and cool about things. Maybe let's get this team back to round one and get it working again.
00:13:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think two things can be true. Number one, the there was some very good, exciting, encouraging soccer that was played ah in the opening of CCC and in the Charlotte game.
00:13:26
Speaker
And um that this game was a total flop. Like they had an opportunity to build on that. that This was a big opportunity you kind of show that a that the good stuff we were seeing and earlier in the season was for real, and then also do away with this storyline of being unable to win away at RSL.
00:13:46
Speaker
It's literally been 15 years, Nico, since this team has won away at RSL. That should not be a thing. ah i understand it is a very difficult place to play. I can grant that your record ah over the years there is not going to include a lot of Ws, but I mean...
00:14:05
Speaker
Like, you know, Colorado is at altitude and they haven't had that much trouble taking results there. So I don't think that's it. It's not, this is not real salt Madrid that we're talking about. Okay. This is a team that has had some good years, but it's not, it's not like 2019 LAFC every year where you're like, this is an impossible team to, to beat on the road or whatever. So they had a chance to do away with that storyline.
00:14:28
Speaker
I really felt like, uh, the depth that we were seeing could at least, could at least get them the point in this game. ah But when you, I mean, when you have an own goal like that, eight minutes into the game, you pretty much deserve what you get from there. Any chance, pretty much any chance that you had of taking three points in that game is gone right off the bat, even though they stayed in the game and were competitive. And honestly, um I agree with you that the offense Didn't look great.
00:14:59
Speaker
ah I did think there was like flashes and moments where you saw like the ball movement and stuff that we had seen earlier this season. But I mean, you can't give them too many points for that because they didn't get on the score sheet and they lost the game. So ah let's get to another super chat.
00:15:16
Speaker
ah A couple super chats here. I think both from Zippy Tuna and then we'll keep rolling here. Another $2. I'll donate for every own goal. All right. Well, hopefully that's the last $10 on that front of the season on a $10 super chat from Zippy Tuna. Thank you so much.
00:15:32
Speaker
Appreciate the support. In my opinion, the Sounders were second best in intensity in all four MLS cups they play. Ooh. I'd have to think about that. Even the and convoluted question there. Schmetz also never contends for the shield, I'd argue, in part due to lack of week-to-week intensity.
00:15:51
Speaker
am I imagining this? I don't know if I saw intensity and effort as the issues. people i think any time a team takes a bad result, people are going to go there.
00:16:03
Speaker
i find it... ah I'm never going to say like someone is not trying out there unless it's like blatantly obvious. felt like the effort was more or less there. It just, ah I think maybe late. They look disjointed and and and that flatness, I think is what,
00:16:22
Speaker
gives you the ah indication that there's lack of intensity. But man, I mean, when you're able to build up your own tempo and really get things going, like I understand why people would say that.
00:16:34
Speaker
Now, the I'm not saying that there isn't any effort. I mean, there could be a variety of reasons why the dynamism and that intensity wasn't quite there. um They're obviously playing at altitude.
00:16:47
Speaker
There's, you know, a whole bunch of questions about how difficult it is to face a team that maybe be is having some struggling moments. So it kind of has double edged sword where they come out to play because they're, they need that more than you do. Right. And you're coming off of a big result against Antigua.
00:17:07
Speaker
And, you know, sometimes that has a lot to do with it, but that's again, why I go to the coaching where, when the team is in running right off the gates at the top potential,
00:17:21
Speaker
it's difficult in Seattle to, you know, his point, I don't know about like all four cups, but this season, and if we just want to talk about what we've seen in 2025 in every game, it seems like the second half has been the better half. It was the second half of the first Antigua wing was the better half against Charlotte. The second half was the better half.
00:17:40
Speaker
I mean, taking this team sometimes to settle into games. Like what what is it that perhaps it's, not evident right off the bat, right off the first 15, 20, 30 minutes of the game.
00:17:53
Speaker
Bad sequels. Thank you for the $5 super chat. Appreciate it. ah This is, i was going to get to this topic. So thank you for bringing this up. What are your thoughts on the Morris header, Georgie offside goal?
Controversy Over Disallowed Goal
00:18:02
Speaker
Was it going in?
00:18:03
Speaker
Was it the right move by Georgie? No, that was not the right move by Georgie. And honestly, you all know, Nico, you know, everyone in chat knows this as well. I've been,
00:18:15
Speaker
as excited about Georgie as anybody. I think he's shown traits so far this season that are very dynamic and unique.
00:18:28
Speaker
And he's very exciting and fun to watch. He was kind of killing me in this game. He was killing me in this game, starting with this play. um First of all, this was the second set piece of the season that was perfectly executed by Rusnak and Jordan Morris that the the last guy on the end of the delivery was offside. Yaimar did it in the Charlotte game.
00:18:54
Speaker
Georgie did it in this game. He was way offside. way offside, he either, he needs to be on side or he needs to let that ball go. I don't know for a fact if it was going in, but you can't do what he did, which was Kool-Aid man in there and headed into the goal when he's not, he, it is not even close.
00:19:17
Speaker
Okay. So that was, ah that needs to be a goal. Like I said, people are talking about the DP's ghosting. Rootsnack could not have put that in any better. Jordan could not have done any better to win the header and put that ball where it looked like it was going on target.
00:19:36
Speaker
That just like, that play lost the game to me as much as the own goal or sacrifice the result as much as the own goal. A game like this, where you're playing with heavy legs, you're rotating, you're juggling with CCC.
00:19:48
Speaker
You're probably only going to have so many chances that uh, in a game like this to find the score sheet. That was a phenomenal chance generated off a set piece. Like I said, perfectly executed.
00:20:01
Speaker
And like, it's just, that's gotta be a goal. You, that has to be a goal right there. Has to, it has to, you can't spend like, if it's like a marginal play where he's like a tiny bit offside, I could see it, but he's way offside.
00:20:15
Speaker
And ah You know, i'm not I'm not trying to put this entire game ah by any means all on Georgie and Rothrock, but ah I mean, it was they were ineffective.
00:20:26
Speaker
And Rothrock, like you mentioned, has had a tough start to the season. I guess I'm wondering if that if we're doing rash conclusions here. Is this team not as cheap as we thought it was?
00:20:39
Speaker
No, no, it's not about hitting the panic button. And it's not about acting like the ceiling is falling. It's about identifying issues that need to be corrected and that it's a fair point to say that the coaching staff, are they not doing enough? Because it's six games in. i mean, I know that they're back to back or whatever, but I mean, it's it's been a lot of games, are four games, I'm sorry, right?
00:21:11
Speaker
Four games. ah So it's clearly something that they need to look at, right? They need to be able to be talking to Paul, talking to Georgie and and seeing how they can, you know, get him off this funk and continue to develop them. Cause yes, they were outstanding last season. And and look, I I'm super high on Georgie and his overall potential. And the kid is, is brilliant on the way he moves the ball, but there's coaching that he needs to get to this needs to do.
00:21:40
Speaker
But it's those other things like, The defensive issues, the ah the the problems that they're having in terms of any time that this team concedes a goal and they're behind, that ability to get back in into games. I mean, that those are the things that you need to really work on. And look, there was a lot of individual bad performances, right?
00:22:05
Speaker
ah I've been really high on Consolianzi. He had a difficult game. and on his daughter i mean He was hard. He was just out of position. So, I mean, I'm not going to like... No, of course not. No, no. no and And it'd be unfair to do so. But I'm just saying that obviously these are things that the coaches that should have seen that, okay, I got this guy that is his first game. You know, how do I protect him on that end?
00:22:27
Speaker
um I thought that the midfield was... not as in control of the game as they've been in the past. There was sloppy plays, sloppy passing. There was one play where New Who is trying to give a ball down to Obed and Obed is pushing out and it ends up being a counterattack.
00:22:47
Speaker
There were just so many miscommunications and basic concepts that were not done in this game that, you know, it's fair to
Criticism and Call for Improvement
00:22:56
Speaker
be upset. And again, it's not about hitting the alarm button, but but it is about saying, hey, we need to get these things fixed if you're going to be a contender and if you're going to live up to the potential. I mean, look, we were all sitting here praising these things that we were sitting here praising the excitement and diamondism. And when you're not able to do those things and you still have the defensive issue that you continue to have, it's okay to be criticized. And yeah it's okay for this to be a wake-up call.
00:23:26
Speaker
Yeah, but absolutely. Zippy tuna, another $2 super chat. Thank you so much for the support. You're a madman. Morris gotten so freaking good at winning headers. Yeah. i I think, uh, out of all the things that, uh,
00:23:40
Speaker
grind my gears about the first two games of the league season here. honestly, those, both of those set pieces where the guys ended up offside, cause those are great chances. um This was one of, if not the best set piece teams in the league last year. And last last year they were getting goals off those.
00:23:59
Speaker
So it's just, like I said, it's unfortunate that ah they had to look that good early in the game. They would have been up one zero.
00:24:10
Speaker
All you have to do is let that ball go. go And I think that it goes in. Um, let's see, Nico. Uh, yeah. but when most invested instead What is that?
00:24:24
Speaker
Anything else on this ah RSL game? Let's get into Cruz Azul here in a, in a minute, but you yeah, just just going back to the setup. Uh, look, I know that obviously Alex Rodan was unable to come, um,
00:24:36
Speaker
Because of his ah wife, you know, she was getting ready to give ah birth. And obviously that's the reason why she wasn't there. But, you know, could could you have switched Paul Rothrock to that right side and maybe, you know, put Paul Arriola, who had been as consistent as many on the left side?
00:24:54
Speaker
um Would that have changed anything? Again, the Ferreira thing, he comes in late, Ferreira, or if not late, I mean, just later than most, right? sixty nine minute.
00:25:07
Speaker
Cruz Azul is clearly team that's going to challenge you more than any game that you've had this season. So you probably want your best pieces ready to go.
00:25:17
Speaker
Yeah. To me, that also means minutes,
Preview of Seattle vs. Cruz Azul
00:25:21
Speaker
you know? So, hey, Zeus, not starting as many games, getting in here in the 70th minute in a game that is in altitude, that you're already losing, you know, that has so many situational moments,
00:25:37
Speaker
I have questions on why that's being handled that way, right? And and can this team off of a a bad game, off of a no momentum, be able to handle a team like Cruz Azulman? I certainly hope so, but I felt like more should have been done for this game.
00:25:56
Speaker
because it was going to be the game right before Cruz Azul. So it's it's a balancing act, right? I'm not talking about you should have had all your starters in there, but I felt like a little bit more of an emphasis it should have been done to win this game for a thousand reasons, if not other than having some good momentum going into this Cruz Azul game. So I hear people's frustrations about RSL, about the gameplay, about some of the performances.
00:26:21
Speaker
Jordan Moore has got a lot of heat. I am once again going to tamed those down. i understand he had a couple of moments that he could have made a difference, especially early in the game. Should have had a goal.
00:26:33
Speaker
Should have had a goal. Absolutely. Right. He absolutely should have had a goal. There's the one that I think he hits with his left and end he's end up shooting to like the sideline or something.
00:26:44
Speaker
Yeah. So there was a few opportunities that he could have had. um So all the fair, And I understand that because we're going back to those demons from last season or the season before, because he had a good season, but there's always this question marks of a specific moment.
00:27:01
Speaker
I still think that Jordan Morris is putting himself in good positions. And if maybe, if maybe he would have had a little bit more support entering the game, if he gets that goal,
00:27:17
Speaker
the game changes completely. So I understand the criticism on Jordan Morris. I'm trying to be a little bit more patient with him. Uh, although maybe that shouldn't be the case because he's obviously, uh, that the P tag is going to have people just trying to go at his neck all the time, which seems to be unfair.
00:27:33
Speaker
But at the same time, um, he's coming from a couple of goals. Let's get him some confidence. He's a key part of this lineup. Uh, so that's just another thing I wanted to put out there. Yeah.
00:27:44
Speaker
I, uh, I know we're all feeling the pretty negative coming off that game. I do think it is important to be mindful of the context of juggling CCC, rotating your lineups, playing at a place where you pretty much never win. So all that is true.
00:28:05
Speaker
But I think the concerning thing is that I was hopeful that this team was demonstrating the depth that like, like they could withstand that better than a, the average MLS team.
00:28:17
Speaker
We've all watched enough CCC to know that oftentimes what it does to your form in league play is kind of irrelevant to how you play in CCC. You can look like Real Madrid in CCC.
00:28:30
Speaker
And if you empty the tank on that, you're going to have a bad time in league play. That's just how it goes. But like I said, I think the hope was that this year on this team with this roster in this depth, that they would be able to go into a game like this in a difficult environment and get a result. And they weren't, they weren't able to do that.
00:28:52
Speaker
I totally agree. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, All right, do you want to just ah do you want to get to CCC, talk some Cruz Azul? I think that's that's really, for me, the reason that I'm ready to kind of blow past this ah RSL game is because this season is all about CCC right now.
00:29:13
Speaker
Absolutely. A match day to away loss at Real Salt Lake when you've got a round of 16 CCC against Cruz Azul coming up. We all know what's more important between those two things.
00:29:27
Speaker
um this is a ah This is what it's all about, Nico. Games like this, this is what it's all about. You get upper-tier Liga-Mecchi side. I think they're fifth on the table right now, but historically, this is a... ah Very good, very reputable Liga Mecky side.
00:29:45
Speaker
They've got a couple of former MLS stars in Mateus Bogus and ah Georges Giacomakis. And Seattle's going to have their hands full starting this Wednesday.
00:29:58
Speaker
ah Nico, based on your research, what you've learned about Cruz Azul, what are the Seattle Sounders dealing with in this round of 16 series? All right, just real quick, I wanted to get started by just talking about Cruz Azul team that, regardless of the talent, and we'll talk about that, ah they did have a a rough start to the season, not necessarily in the stands and the results, but internally. This is a team that was abandoned by their coach in week two of Liga MX play.
00:30:35
Speaker
Martín Ancelmi was the coach of last season. And he had talked big game about, you know, what the team had done that season, got to a semifinal, got to the final. They were an exciting team. They didn't win anything, but they were a team that was outstanding in the in their way of play. was quick. It was exciting. They seemed to be a really united unit.
00:30:59
Speaker
Coach even goes to decide on where Cruzul should play because for those who do not know, Cruzul is currently homeless. They are literally homeless. They have no stadium.
00:31:11
Speaker
So they'll be playing, and they have been playing, at Estadio Olimpico, which is home of Pumas, and Ciudad Universitaria. So that's what this team plays.
Cruz Azul's Internal Challenges
00:31:21
Speaker
And, you know, that has affected this team in in in several ways internally, right?
00:31:29
Speaker
what i don't I don't want to call... Say it again? Why don't they have a stadium? I i haven't heard about this. Oh, okay. Oh, you but perfect. So the reason why they don't have stadium is because... ah They had been playing in a 80 year old, near 80 year old stadium that ah they've had a whole bunch of issues in terms of renovation and maintenance. And they hadn't even gone out to tell Cruz of Soldiers they wanted to do maintenance.
00:31:56
Speaker
It was going to be a hundred percent out of their own pocket. um They had issues with scheduling with this specific stadium in between The what they were paying this group to play there in between rent if you will plus concession stands and Ticketing and all of the percentage that they got you want to put like 46% of the revenue that they were giving up so they just decided to we're done and over with, we don't want to play to that anymore, and they moved on ah to Stadio Universitario.
00:32:32
Speaker
So it's basically a breakdown of a whole bunch of issues with a specific stadium, and they made the decision to move on. So that's obviously something that creates turmoil, that creates issues for, you know, a fan base that, you know, I've been talking to a lot of people that cover the team, and The fan base will go anywhere. I mean, they have sold 29 to 30,000 season ticket holders that will go watch this game at a high school stadium. They do not care.
00:33:01
Speaker
but at the same time, it does create an issue for the players internally. And it's been a topic of conversation. It's never fun when you're playing. Let's say if Seattle had to play in Portland, I mean, sure, the fans would go, but it doesn't feel like home. It's just less than ideal.
00:33:17
Speaker
So it's it's been an issue. So with that, we add on the problem with the head coach. They currently have an intern head coach by the name of Vicente Sanchez, and he's done a good job. He's currently have this team at sixth, so not great, but, you know, they're they're hanging on.
00:33:34
Speaker
But in terms of talent, that's what this team shines, right? I mean, Matias Bogus just this weekend had a brilliant free kick that he put away against, you know, 11th place Mazatlan that, you know, is not your top team, but nonetheless, Cruz Azul was dominant in this one.
00:33:52
Speaker
When he comes to the purely scouting purposes, this team likes to play out wide. They play consistently with wingbacks. Rotondi is the main man when he comes to giving you whiff. He's the guy that's consistently getting to the end line.
00:34:06
Speaker
He's the guy that's also someone that's stepping into day 18 to create goals. He's another guy that if there's a far post cross from the other side, three out of five times he's behind He's hitting He's getting to it.
00:34:21
Speaker
Charlie Rodriguez, I think, sets the tempo for this team um in midfield. One of the criticisms for this specific coach that's obviously an internet coach is that that's not being used enough.
00:34:33
Speaker
They don't play out of the midfield the way they used to. they They tend to just be more direct, less possession-based, and more playing out wide. So that was Rivero and Rotondi, both of the guys that play wingback or winger at times.
00:34:46
Speaker
ah They're the ones that give you that width. There's two guys that you know of, right? Bogut and Jokomakis. Jokomakis has had an okay season.
00:34:58
Speaker
Some people think for the price tag, he should be putting in a lot more goals. And that's where maybe Seattle can benefit because he's like their Jordan Morris.
Cruz Azul's Offensive and Defensive Strengths
00:35:07
Speaker
He's like they're Jordan Morris ah with a little bit of an even higher price tag So even there's even more pressure on me Didn't they pay over 10 million for both Giacomocus and bogus?
00:35:18
Speaker
I think it was 10 for him a thing I'm pretty sure bogus might have been like eight or something like that, but yeah They've been big money for both of these guys, right? And Giacomocus is the one that's getting a little bit more scrutiny but going back to this Although the team does tend to get in very good scoring positions along the last four games specifically, the biggest criticism is that they don't put enough goals in the back of the net.
00:35:49
Speaker
There's even the question mark if Sanchez has any idea who his best strikers are. Kasefulbida, the guy who ah most people want because he has the best goal per minute ratio,
00:36:03
Speaker
does tend to miss a lot of opportunities. In the last two games, he's missed three that were clearly and openly easy shots on goal. Giacomacchus himself, he does a lot of things in terms of holdup and linkup, but he only has two goals across MX play. So there is that question mark of can they do more offensively?
00:36:24
Speaker
So maybe Seattle can benefit out of that. If defensively they can be sound, they can limit this team from getting in the scoreboard, maybe Cera has a chance. So ah a lot of talent, but a team that is just not necessarily running as sharp as they could be.
00:36:49
Speaker
So maybe Cera can figure that out. Now, ah defensively, they are better than they were with Anselmi, and that is... consistent thought process from several analysts, from several people that I've talked to.
00:37:03
Speaker
So, you know, is Seattle going to be able to break them down? That's a concern I do have. One positive, I hate to say that way, ah but Wilbert Dita did not play this weekend.
00:37:14
Speaker
yeah Apparently he was sick, very sick, and therefore he wasn't able to play. And he is at center back, in my opinion, their best center back. And he's also their least...
00:37:27
Speaker
depth group in depth so they don't have a lot of center backs that can do what he does so whether he comes and plays on Wednesday or not that could be a real important area to look at so if Vita plays that game against Seattle and in you know what type of form and shape he's in I'm not really sure, but he was sick this weekend. So i thought that that was relevant because they are definitely a different team without him than they are with him.
00:37:54
Speaker
He's a guy that can really get on the ball, that distributes well, that's physical, that's fast. Again, to me, their best defender. um And then. Unlike most teams, I do want to highlight Kevin Muir, their goalkeeper, very good goalkeeper, and not just in terms of stopping and, you know, aerial duels and everything that a goalkeeper does, breaking down goals,
00:38:19
Speaker
But he's actually a guy that plays off his line a lot. He's like another liberal outside of, you know, he gets the ball out. He's pushing forward, consistently leaving his back line. He's very good on the ball.
00:38:31
Speaker
And he's constantly going to juke you, shake you. and I talked about this with Jeremiah that, you know, I like those sort of goalkeepers, but it can create opportunities for a guy in a team like Seattle ah where if they're pressing high, a guy like Jordan Morris, if he's pressing and you're right in front of the goalkeeper, maybe don't give yourself up on the first attempt to shoot because more than likely he's going to just try to make a move, cut inside and and keep going with that ball.
00:39:02
Speaker
But going to be an interesting thing to look. But Kevin Meir, man, he's going be fun, but I think he could also help. He could create situations where Shadow could take advantage of.
Seattle's Defensive Strategies Against Cruz Azul
00:39:12
Speaker
Bogus' transfer fee was reportedly over $10 million. dollars Oh, my God.
00:39:18
Speaker
Giacomacchus was as well. So, I mean, they definitely ah dropped ah some big bags on a couple of... former MLS stars.
00:39:29
Speaker
I do think, you know, Bogus is very good. Very, very good. um Seattle has played against him quite a bit from when he was with LAFC. And ah they did get, I mean, they got the better of him last year in the, ah in the playoffs. This is obviously an entirely different circumstance, but I do think there is ah something to be taken from the fact that they have experience playing against Bogus.
00:39:54
Speaker
I don't know if they I'm pretty sure they played Atlanta was Dracomacus was on the team as well. But um yes, I do. I remember that ah specifically ah because Yammer was up to the challenge that day. and You know, he definitely said that dude is, you know, a horse. I mean, there's like how big and strong he is.
00:40:12
Speaker
And I remember that day, that was a Gonzalo Pineda game, actually, that that he was coaching that game. And he was just all over. He's pressing, he's pushing. And that's, Diokomaghi's not just offensively, but man, defensively, he's just so good as well. He's just all over. He's a tough guy to contain.
00:40:28
Speaker
And look, ah this past weekend and in that draw against Mazatlan, that brilliant free kick, it was Bogut's first goal of the season. But in terms of talent, more than one person has told me that they believe he's top five in Mexico.
00:40:43
Speaker
So that tells you and he came out of MLS. He was a guy that ah was good. He was very good with LFC, but I don't know if he was top five in our league.
00:40:55
Speaker
No, no, he definitely, that you could easily, he wasn't like an MVP finalist or best 11 guy. I don't think he made best 11. He had a very good year. He definitely had like 18 goal contributions or something. But if he, if he they're saying he's top five in Mexico, there's no way he was top five here last year. um Either way, this is going to be the biggest test yet for this defense.
00:41:22
Speaker
So, um doing things like absolutely smashing the ball into your own net is not something that you can do to state the obvious.
00:41:33
Speaker
But also, I mean, just in general, outside of the own goals, you can't have the, like you can get away with that against Antigua. You can't get away with that in this series.
00:41:45
Speaker
This series, it's going to be a lot harder to score too. I doubt they get six goals over these two legs. So the margins are much more thin. And I'm just hoping that ah they got all that stuff out of their system over the last couple weeks with these own goals and that they and that they're ready to lock in because this series, like I said, you can't, you can't have that.
00:42:13
Speaker
um Yeah. One thing that I also had on my notes, not just for this specific game against Mazatlan, but, but going back ah even to what I think was their, their best game, their, their win against Pachuca.
00:42:31
Speaker
When you have a team that just up, just about every single player, doesn't matter what position they play. has the talent to dribble themselves out of pressure.
00:42:47
Speaker
More than one time, specifically yesterday, that's kind of right on top of my mind, Mazatlán pressed hard. And when I'm telling you that every person that touched the ball, turned into space, passed perfectly, and they literally passed their way through pressure and then created an opportunity,
00:43:07
Speaker
That makes me nervous because if Seattle had a hard time pressing and in specific moments against Charlotte or against RSL, teams that maybe don't have the sort of firepower up top,
00:43:25
Speaker
if they get beat on a press and the ball is forward and you got Rotondi running like a madman on the left side, and then you got either Sapulveda and Giacomachis or El Toro Fernandez right there getting ready to score a goal, that's just bad opportunities for Seattle. I mean, that is my biggest concern, that Seattle continues to press high, that press doesn't get there.
00:43:50
Speaker
They are beat out either of the dribble or through passing, and having a crucial team that's on the run with numbers forward, that's just recipe for disaster. So I'm really hoping that Seattle maybe focuses more on the defensive end in this one than the offensive. And that that might be a clear trigger for some people that I'm saying that. But if you do not make it difficult for this crucial team to transition the ball and get it to those players,
00:44:24
Speaker
prime assist or prime scoring positions, you're in for a tough, tough day at the office, man. Regarding what you were saying earlier about Jesus Ferreira, I didn't realize that he's only started one game this year. i was kind of thinking of it as he was still getting his fitness up and also...
00:44:47
Speaker
I think, I don't know if it's like they're saving him, but I think they're like part of the reason that he was brought here was for games like this. ah I mean, I have expectation that he will start both games in this series and play the majority of the minutes. Like, do you have any reason to think otherwise?
00:45:07
Speaker
No, and absolutely not. Not right now. And I'll ask the question for sure. Cause we won't be able to talk to Brian tomorrow. But, I mean, it's been on the top of my things to ask. And like I said, unfortunately, i was not at the press conference just recently, and I really wanted to ask that question. No one asked it.
00:45:25
Speaker
um And I just, I really want to know the reasoning behind it. And sure, i mean, if you're saving them, then you better come out and just be outstanding as for the soul. But, yeah, I think that for this one, it's got to be your best possible lineup. Now is that...
00:45:43
Speaker
the 4-2-3-1 that, you know, they've been playing pretty consistently. and ah does that mean that is Ferreira out wide with Albert in the middle and is Pedro on the other side or who's in the other side? I mean, at this specific moment in time, if it was me, that's the way I would set it up.
00:46:00
Speaker
But Brian is very unpredictable when it comes to that sort of thing. I don't know.
00:46:06
Speaker
You know, he he's clearly been on the mic about his... um speculations on certain moments in times where Pedro does or does not do certain things. so Does he think he's part of that starting 11? I'm not sure.
00:46:22
Speaker
But what I do know is that they're a better start, no matter what. They're all going to start. De La Vega better start too. De La Vega, I know Schmetz is mad at him for doing the whoop-de-whoop in the ah Charlotte game, right?
00:46:37
Speaker
But ah yeah he's looked like the most dynamic attacker on the team by far, most creative. I agree. ah He came in and made a difference against RSL. I mean, right off the bat, right? I mean, he's just the guy that demands more from you. That's why, if there's one reason why I'm less concerned about the RSL game, like, with Ferreira and La Vega not starting, I think you can reasonably say, all right, that probably would have looked a lot better and they're much more likely to have gotten on the score sheet if those guys were playing from the beginning.
00:47:09
Speaker
But, like, With this game coming up, i also I understand why they wouldn't be starting that game. I see what you're saying, too. is I think you made a good point about minutes, like both in terms of fitness and chemistry.
00:47:24
Speaker
Minutes are valuable in that in that way, but you do you do have to toe the line of not emptying your tank for a an MLS match against real Salt Lake when you have Cruz Azul coming up in CCC. And, you know, if that means that the RSL game is tough sledding, then it is what it is. But like I said, I think the concern or disappointment from where I sit is that,
00:47:52
Speaker
um I really felt like they were in a situation where you could be playing in CCC and be in situations where you have to rest guys like De La Vega and have to rest guys like Ferreira. And you can run a lineup that's got Georgie in it and Rothrock in it.
00:48:06
Speaker
And you should be able, that's the disappointing thing. I think about how that went is, Like really, if this team is as good as we all hope and think that it can be, they should be able to take a result in a game like that. It shouldn't be like a lot of times an and MLS roster that doesn't have the requisite depth can compete in CCC.
00:48:26
Speaker
But a game like that, you're just punting it. There's literally like no chance that you have. It doesn't matter how bad the opponent is. It doesn't matter what lineup they're putting out there.
00:48:37
Speaker
ah A lot of times when you're in these situations with fixture congestion in CCC, and MLS rosters just don't have the depth to be able to. It's all honestly, it's annoying. Like you go into a game in those situations with the result essentially predetermined because of the fatigue factor and just.
00:48:57
Speaker
The fact that you have to rotate out like your big guns and then with the salary cap, you're not going to have, there's going to be a big drop off behind them. There's been a lot of years where Seattle would have played that RSL game and I would have gone into it like, don't even make the trip.
00:49:09
Speaker
Literally don't even send defiance. Like you have to save your, ah you have to save everything for CCC. So there's kind of no point in this. This team was supposed to be,
00:49:20
Speaker
not like beholden to that this team was supposed to have the depth where that wasn't the uh predetermined outcome and i think that's where i come out of the rsl game a little tilted because i'm like i understand that's how those games go like when you're juggling ccc but this team like it's not supposed to be like that it's not and he should be tilted and this is something that has consistently come across either my x feed or uh blue sky or people asking me just randomly hey you know i thought this team was going to be real good they have a lot of depth ah you mentioned how good they were during the preseason all those things are still true yeah now if that's where i go through the coaching that's exactly why i go because the way you set it up the way you start off a game can have and the way you end the game
00:50:15
Speaker
that's what ends in the results. That's what has people upset right now is that draw against Charlotte and then getting outplayed, outpossessed against a bad RSL team. so And I'm going to bring this up real quick and you know please entertain me for a second.
00:50:34
Speaker
The Charlotte game could have one it be could have been won with a little bit of gamanship. And I don't know if that's The South American in me, the South American in me as a coach, there is a foul in the minute before the equalizer where Stephen Fry has to run all the way to the the the left side of the 18 to take a free kick.
00:51:06
Speaker
In South America, man, you're walking to that ball. You're tying your shoe at the ball. You're measuring it and flipping that soccer ball, trying to find the right edges behind it. Maybe you cleared the grass.
00:51:23
Speaker
I don't know. The turf, you your brush it. I don't care. You do not take 30 seconds is the time that I had from the moment the foul happened to when Stephen Fry kicked that ball into a 50-50 opportunity to Jordan Morris.
00:51:40
Speaker
Whether that should have been a Seattle ball or not because the AR messed up or not. That should have not even been a possibility. Now, Brian said, well, you know, did you want us to possess the ball and keep it on our half and bring in the pressure? I just wanted you to be more deliberate with those last couple of minutes.
00:51:57
Speaker
But those moments... That's not on the depth and that that's not on the quality of the team that's on gamemanship and then obviously all the issues and mistakes and Anomalies that really happened for you to draw that game But what people get left with is the draw and the fact that you are unable to close a game and then when it comes to RSL I would argue that had you had more starting pieces to dictate the game from the very beginning Maybe that own goal doesn't happen. And now I'm over here just throwing maybes and, you know, multiverse. harder whopi withrio pair But feel like it's a fair point that that maybe if you have a couple more starters in that team, things change up. And look, again, I'm not going to put it all on Kalani, but, you know,
00:52:47
Speaker
Was he put in a situation to succeed or not? Look, I understand that Paul Areola is not a fullback, but man, if if I have a moment where I have nobody else to go to and maybe I'll move Paul Areola one side and Paul Rothen on the other, maybe that's the way I set it up. I mean, there was just so many things that I feel like could have been done.
00:53:07
Speaker
The Ferreira thing is the one thing that I do not understand why he didn't play or start in this one. Same as Pedro de la Vega. I thought that he could have started, played 45 and been taken off. But dictating the tempo of the game right off the bat, out RSL, to me would have been important.
00:53:25
Speaker
Nico, I'm assuming this is J.O. on the keys for Sounder at Heart. He says, how much longer do you think he, Fry, could have wasted? He took 30 seconds. There was three minutes left to play. Easily full minute.
00:53:37
Speaker
You know, maybe get a yellow like I mean, it's all about just holding that plate, holding that ball, especially with ah um a referee that I mean, i don't know if he had, ah you know, that you got to be able to push the referee to that limit. He's got to be the one that's letting you know, telling you so.
00:53:57
Speaker
Was putting the ball into the 50-50 situation what Brian wanted? Absolutely. He said it He told me that was the decision that I wanted Stephen Fry to make. Sweet. that that That's amazing. You don't trust your center backs to contain the ball, hold it, move it around.
00:54:14
Speaker
That's all right. that That's fair. Put it over there. But taking that time and gamership to me would have been important. ah same Same thing goes for this. I forgot this. I forgot this. It's a throw-in.
00:54:25
Speaker
The throwing goes all the way back to the goalkeeper. You're winning the game 2-1, and five guys press the goalkeeper where the ball goes to, right? I mean, I understand that, and Jeremiah has been very serious and honest and firm about this.
00:54:45
Speaker
The reality is that an anomaly happened, that you should trust your center back, your, i don't know, MLS Defender of the Year candidate, defender to hold that ball to make the right decision because he had a whole bunch of options.
00:54:59
Speaker
I am not denying that at
Lineup Decisions for RSL Game
00:55:01
Speaker
all. But could have you been more conservative to hold that game? I think that that is a fair question. I think I see the lineup issue a little bit differently.
00:55:13
Speaker
i i think we had Dan say it in chat right here. You can't have it both ways on Friday to the discussion was we have to play our best 11 against Cruz Azul. You have to rest them.
00:55:24
Speaker
I like, I literally, i have, I would have had no issue if they had rotated the RSL lineup even more than they did. The thing that is concerning to me is that,
00:55:37
Speaker
I feel like ah you know when you throw the own goal in there and just the totality of the rest of the performance, it didn't feel like the lineup that was out there got... I mean, I guess they were they were competitive. It wasn't a blowout, but it was not the type of performance that you can put out there and rightfully expect to take any points at all from the game.
00:56:00
Speaker
So that's kind of how I... That's a fantastic comment. in And that is... As fair as it gets a hundred percent, we all knew that the best 11 and that the priority should and was always going to be Cruz Azul. So that i have no problem with, but if you knew that you were going to maybe need to at least play certain players, 45 to 30 minutes.
00:56:26
Speaker
Dictating the temple from the beginning of the game would have been a lot better against a team like ah RSL. If you're going to bring in a guy like Georgie and and Paul, which, you know, they theyve they played against Antigua, they started against Antigua, total different type of parameter as b Brian talked about it during the press conference.
00:56:47
Speaker
But if I know that the quality and the the challenge of the venue is going to be ah lot tougher, I don't want to guess right off the bat.
00:57:00
Speaker
I want to make sure that I put at least A couple of more experienced players into that starting 11, even if they're on limits on minutes and I got to pull them off and then I put in a Georgie or I put in a Paul Rothrock against tired legs against, you know, in a second half, then maybe you switch the game. And I hate maybes. I'm saying maybe way too much as maybes do not exist in soccer or in sports in general.
00:57:26
Speaker
But it all goes back to questioning whether or not the setup and the design of that game by Brands Matcher was good enough to get a result out of Nico, we're just past the hour mark here, so ah feel free to ah cut out whenever you need to. I'm going to be here for another 15 to 20 minutes or so, I think. No, no, let's do it, my God. Let's do it.
00:57:50
Speaker
All right, let's do it. I wanted to talk about ah some of the other CCC results from MLS clubs that we've seen and kind of compare how it affected them in league play, or specifically, wanted give some context to you guys ah regarding how this has affected other clubs, ah specifically FC
Comparison with FC Cincinnati's CCC Struggles
00:58:14
Speaker
Cincinnati. Let's look at FC Cincinnati.
00:58:16
Speaker
They are a popular pick to win the shield this year. They're considered one of the best teams in the league. They've been hailed far and wide for their ambition.
00:58:27
Speaker
ah home They are, I think most people think that they're, as much of a con content contender, if not more so in this tournament than Seattle is. I think that's fair to say s Cincinnati.
00:58:40
Speaker
um They drew their second leg against my, my, my Tagua from, the powerris which that team is better than Antigua, I would say, but not like, I don't know, not that much.
00:58:56
Speaker
FC Cincy is as good as people and been saying. I feel like they should have, handled that series or at least that second leg a little better. um But then guys, you guys want to know what happened to FC Cincinnati in match day two.
00:59:10
Speaker
You want to know what happened to them? They played the Philly union. They lost four to one. The Philly Union are look they're cooking so far. They look really good.
00:59:21
Speaker
FC Cincinnati is supposed to be one of the two to three best teams in the league. This tournament comes for everybody, man. Like Seattle, if you compare Seattle's performance at RSL to what fcency FC Cincy put out there trying to juggle this competition at Philly.
00:59:40
Speaker
Seattle actually fared way better. Seattle was reasonably competitive and could have gotten a result in the game since he lost four to one. So like on, like, like I said, I stand by what I said that I'm was disappointed to see the depth flop like that.
00:59:57
Speaker
Like it did in the RSL game. but It's also just like, ah kind of how it goes and probably how it is going to go until, salary, the salary cap rules are expanded a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, it's just, ah it's unfortunate, but look at what happened to Cincy.
01:00:19
Speaker
Yeah, no, Cincinnati, and it's it's interesting, right? Because you you look at the two legs, right? Cincinnati heavily rotated. So did Seattle. So did Seattle.
01:00:30
Speaker
Yeah, no, 100%. And again, the situation there is that As much as Seattle did lose the tough one on the road, I mean, Philadelphia ran over Cincinnati. I mean, it was bad. car did This Philadelphia Union with the Cornell Magic behind it or thought process and game model man. They look scary.
01:00:56
Speaker
I mean he But he would drop the hat trick on him. I mean and he he was getting the ball like basically in the goal I mean they were moving the ball so well all over they really ex exposed that Cincinnati defense that that's supposed to be one of their strengths. yeah And man, they they looked out of sorts defensively. That's for sure.
01:01:16
Speaker
Yeah. And like I said, Philly, I think, I don't know. It kind of looks like Philly might be a lot better than we anticipated. And by we, I mean, ah No, I think you're right.
01:01:27
Speaker
But still, like if if FC Cincy is as good and deep as they've been billed as, like I don't think you take a four one there. like Seattle's performance was bad. like Don't get me wrong, but they didn't get 4-1'd.
01:01:42
Speaker
They were, they were, they had it one zero until the ah last 10 to 15 minutes of the game. And the one they gave up, they scored on themselves. So, I mean, i don't I know that doesn't make anything better, but it's just, it is context that I think is relevant in this situation.
01:01:57
Speaker
ah Nico, to close it out here, as we get into our last 10 or so minutes of the show here, why don't we take a look at some more just kind of league-wide storylines? Because there's a couple results that caught my eye.
01:02:12
Speaker
I was covering the games last night. um and Okay, let's talk about both the games that happened last night.
LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps Season Start
01:02:18
Speaker
I think there is interesting stuff to take away from both these games. ah Let's start with Vancouver versus l LA Galaxy.
01:02:26
Speaker
ah Nico, the LA Galaxy, I think they're in trouble. I think they're actually in trouble. Like, they have a ton of injuries right now, admittedly.
01:02:37
Speaker
When Joey Paints gets back, ah I think that'll obviously help a lot. Ricky Pooge will be back, but not for a while. So he's not going to be coming in to save the day for until the end of the season, if that.
01:02:51
Speaker
So... I'm looking at the Galaxy right now. They gave up a goal like three minutes into this game against the Whitecaps. They got a goal to tie it up. That was it it was not anything to me that looked like sustainable or repeatable. It was kind of a freak play where Gabrielle Peck had an open net and then they gave up the goal to lose it to Brian White at the end.
01:03:14
Speaker
you think the – I'm not going to call them chalked. It's obviously way too early for that. But I think this salary cap shedding that they had to do combined with the injuries that they've had, they're down pretty bad right now.
01:03:25
Speaker
Yeah. And look, honestly, I expected them to be better. And offensively specifically, that's where I thought they were going to shine. And I honestly – if you would have told me that we were going to see as much Miguel Berry as we've seen, I'd be concerned, and I am concerned. now Right. Because Kiersey Ramirez obviously comes in there a little bit later, but things don't really change.
01:03:47
Speaker
ah Sanabria and went from a bad game to a so-so game defensively. I don't know what happened to Garces, but this season he's off to an awful start there.
01:04:03
Speaker
The inability for them to control the ball, no matter who's in there, because with ah Marcus Reus, they were not able to do it the first game. He was inefficient and basically unseen for most of the game.
01:04:18
Speaker
Fagundes was awful in the first game. In this one, he was a little, well, not awful. He was just an island. He was unable to get the ball and get connected and get the ball moving. In this one, I don't think he was effective with the opportunities he had.
01:04:32
Speaker
so The attack is what really concerns me about this LA Galaxy team. That was what they did well. That that was their consistent way of winning games.
01:04:44
Speaker
At the beginning of the season, when they were struggling defensively, it was, we going to outscore you. And then later down the line of last season, where they got a little bit more balanced, it was both, we're going to attack well, we're going to defend well, we're going to hold the ball.
01:04:56
Speaker
In this one, they didn't do any. Now, Vancouver, on the other hand, they're off to very good start, man. And that that ball to Brian White for that game-winning goal was beautiful.
01:05:08
Speaker
Pedro Vite is so good. the The fact that Pedro Vita got to where he got to and put the ball from where he put it with that sort of spin, that sort of talent. Oh, man, it was perfectly placed. And Brown White, you know, credit to him.
01:05:23
Speaker
Technique to knock the ball down perfectly. So credit to the Whitecaps. But I think you're right. I had the Galaxy as number one in the West over LAFC.
01:05:35
Speaker
I had LAFC third behind the Sounders. I think my whole rankings are pretty suspect right now. Both LA teams look sus. LAFC is 2-0-0, but they they're both one zero wins. They have not looked especially dominant. they're goingnna have They have ah work to do to get back to, they i mean, maybe they'll do it, but to get back to the normal dominant LAFC that we've seen over the years, they're not at that level right now.
01:06:04
Speaker
ah which, you know, two games into the season. So I don't think necessarily anyone's going to be at their top level yet, but it's still like, it's LAFC, man. Like we, we, we see LAFC. We're used to a buzzsaw.
01:06:17
Speaker
Yeah. And I don't know if like, you know, I don't Pencil and Ricky, I mean, though, obviously there are guys, Pencil specifically, he'll be there a little bit, a lot earlier than Ricky.
01:06:28
Speaker
I feel like he does give him another goal scorer, another problem out wide. He could also play the nine if necessary. But the problem is just, there is no creative, no creation, no volume of opportunities that's coming from this LA Galaxy team. And that's not something I thought that was even a possibility this season. and So that's the biggest problem.
01:06:49
Speaker
Derek says LAFC is grinding out wins while playing in CCC. That's what elite teams do. That is that is a good point. That is a good point. And that's like, I think i think that's where... i think I think that's where we're all a little bit frustrated with what Seattle put out there in that RSL game is this is...
01:07:06
Speaker
This is supposed to be an elite team. They have looked like an elite team at times. you know i don't i don't think you could say that they're an elite team off ah smashing on Antigua and having a good one good attacking performance against Charlotte.
01:07:18
Speaker
But like I definitely don't think any of us were wrong to like what we were seeing. you know But ah yeah, I mean, I think it's a good point to see it flop that badly ah in their first attempt.
01:07:34
Speaker
Well, I guess it wasn't their first, their first road trip while they're trying to juggle these two things to flop that badly. it's not great. Uh, inter Miami, Nico, uh, we I've had a lot of fun at their expense with Messi's takeover of the organization, appointing the coach, getting the ah sporting director sent to Coral Gables, Florida, in one of the weirder stories I've seen, installing his academy mentor as sporting director.
Inter Miami's Depth and Messi's Influence
01:08:02
Speaker
We've talked about, is this Messi takeover good or sustainable? Are they going to pay for it in the future? I mean, i to be fair, I also said that I think ultimately it's not going matter when you have Messi and the Barca boys out there.
01:08:18
Speaker
They didn't even have Messi out there last night. This guy that they signed, Segovia, to replace Diego Gomez looks like the best player that I've ever seen. He looks better than Diego Gomez.
01:08:30
Speaker
They literally sold Diego Gomez to Brighton for $20 million dollars and replaced him with a guy who looks better. So ah I guess this is a long way of saying, unfortunately, inner Miami are not unstoppable, but when they're playing like that, they don't even need messy out there to dominate you.
01:08:52
Speaker
Look, man, I am never afraid to say I was wrong. And apparently, know, however much your honor can just not be the greatest coach and you have so much talent that it doesn't really matter. I could coach. I could not matter.
01:09:07
Speaker
I could have coached him to that win. And I was with you. I mean, it was and it was along the lines of Campana, Diego Gomez, Matias Rojas. I mean, there was a lot of guys that were contributors last season that are no longer part of the squad.
01:09:21
Speaker
And you talk about Segovia. Fantastic. I mean, he he has looked Segovia, probably one of the best Venezuelan prospects that are out there, has looked lights out. I mean, finishing on the ball, off the ball.
01:09:38
Speaker
Kid looks amazing. But i got called out because of Agende. Agende, I said that, you know, they they didn they didn't really go like for like with some of these players.
01:09:49
Speaker
And I have a friend of mine who is a Goliath Cruz fan. And he's like, he told me, after our last show, you are looking beyond this kid. And I was like, oh, okay. I went and looked at him. He looks pretty good. was a Celta Vigo. He's all right. In this game,
01:10:07
Speaker
That kid came to play. had to call him. I mean, you were absolutely right. Like they but had a like for like messy replacement on the field. Man, that kid was crazy. Good man. That, that finish the way he finishes that ball in speed without an angle across to the other post of the goalkeeper with the pace and the placement. Was that Segovia or was that I end day?
01:10:29
Speaker
No, that wasn't again. I end day looks freaking insane too. Yeah, yeah. That that that that was, to me, the best goal they had. And it was created off of a little Luis Suarez flick.
01:10:42
Speaker
And the kid just gets in front of it and just uses all the real estate, moves the way he wants to move, puts it where he wants to put it. I mean, yeah, that they they look amazing, man. They really do. I honestly was very concerned about everything that they were missing and the Tata Martino factor.
01:11:01
Speaker
But all of it just seems to be... Pointless or does it matter? I mean, this team is going to be good no matter what. Watching Suarez, I just like, i don't get it. the he The man has, he doesn't have cartilage in either knee.
01:11:15
Speaker
You watch him run and it's like, I feel physical pain. watching him run. And then you look up and he's scored. He scored a really sick goal.
01:11:28
Speaker
He had two assists, three assists. I don't know. three He had one goal, three assists. He was involved in all four of their goals. This would literally, i think this would be the most loaded team in the league by far and away.
01:11:42
Speaker
If you took messy out of the picture altogether and you just had those three Barca boys. yeah, I mean, i don't know. It's kind of just... I said it all last season that it was impossible for me to see a scenario where they don't win the Shield.
01:11:57
Speaker
I was saying that I didn't see a scenario where ah they didn't win and MLS Cup and steamroll to it. Then they famously lost in the playoffs to Atlanta United. So I think when...
01:12:10
Speaker
you are as defensively sketchy as they tend to be. Sometimes you're always susceptible to crashing out in a, in tournament play, but just as far as like shield contenders, I don't know. I just was watching that Houston game last night and I was like, okay, well, this is, this is not good for the rest of the league. ah No, it worked for Houston though.
01:12:35
Speaker
Yeah. I was going to say that I had that highlight of here. Big, So, yes, to your point, aside from that, I thought Kramansky and Jan Bright had really good games.
01:12:47
Speaker
Obviously not the ones that are going to take any headlines by any means, but very quality. It allowed Redondo to also come off the bench. He got a little bit of rest. Redondo comes in, does Redondo things. I mean, damn, the the team just...
01:13:03
Speaker
I hate to admit it, but they look way better than I thought they were going to look. Now it is Houston. And, you know, we got to say that. That's a hard road trip, though. That is a hard road trip. Seattle place where hard road triptle goes, I kind of write it off.
01:13:16
Speaker
like yeah It is a hard road trip, but I felt like they really got exposed specifically at midfield. I think that they went at McGlynn all game long. ah they just They were just too quick on the ball.
01:13:29
Speaker
What I will say is that one, the other two things that I have highlighted here is Ian Frey lost his mind after the game. I didn't see what he did. I don't know what happened, but he ended choking somebody. I just saw that the referee was like, he said, that's what they want to do. So they were saying on the broadcast, they were like, that must have been... ah that must've been like a derogatory comment. Cause we don't really see what he did. I didn't see the footage of what he did either, but I did see the ref doing this.
01:13:57
Speaker
So I'm like, that was not like a comment. He was saying that he choked the guy. Yeah. He lateral spray will somebody. i don't know. screw hundred You know, he's pretty well did it's pretty well somebody. ah But yeah, that's one of the things. And the other one was Nico, man. I mean, he comes into, in the 55th minute, I believe ah he, he did some good things. He looked good to be honest. Yeah.
01:14:18
Speaker
He does put the ball in back of the mat, a little deflection, but it's just his movement, man. And he's won, his desire to get out there. You can tell that the team very easily and quickly are confident in his play and they started playing a little bit better.
01:14:32
Speaker
So just a plus to Nicolás Adaro, former Sounder legend. And yeah, he looked good. Yeah. it's a good point for Michael Pox and color combo on the field of Miami and Houston made my eyes hurt.
01:14:45
Speaker
Awful kit matchup, awful kit matchup. I had a colleague call it the rainbow Sherbert Darby. And I was like, that's pretty much. I will co-sign that. Yeah.
01:14:56
Speaker
Um, all right. Uh, I think it's about time to wrap it up here, Nico, for, uh, this edition of lobbing scorchers kickoff. Uh, CCC coming up on Wednesday. It's time.
01:15:09
Speaker
It's a huge game. these are these are it's kind of it's It's always kind of weird playing some of the biggest games you play all season, like right at the beginning of the season. you know like This is like going into a ah playoff game, but even bigger, and it's March 5th is when the
Conclusion and CCC Game Anticipation
01:15:25
Speaker
game's going to be.
01:15:25
Speaker
ah Nico, any last thoughts before we get out of here, either on the Sounders or MLS or CCC or anything at all? Yeah, I don't think the audience wants me to go and talk about Saha and all of these things. I would rather use my time to say this.
01:15:42
Speaker
Love that you call me on my BS. If you think that I now i am being um unfair or that I am wishy-washy with my comments, let me know. Because that, that ah you can't have the both ways comment. that I love that.
01:15:57
Speaker
I'm going to go ahead and restate that. I don't want to come up across as a guy that has a shaky... concept of of anything, right? So I understand that you can have it both ways.
01:16:10
Speaker
We are very high. I was very high on the depth of this team. And that means playing some of the young kids. So playing Rothrock, playing Georgie, Kalani, I was high on the entire preseason.
01:16:24
Speaker
That's absolutely fair. You've got to get those guys out there. But I always feel like there's a way to protect and move things around depending on the game. So rotations were necessary against RSL.
01:16:37
Speaker
I'm high on a lot of these young kids or younger players cause you can't really call Georgia kid necessarily. ah But no matter what, going into this RSL game, the way the game started, they look flat. They look disjointed.
01:16:57
Speaker
I go back a little bit more towards the coaching than the talent of each one of these players that started off that game. So that's all I'm saying. I'm not saying that these kids are not up to ah the game and, you know, they they're playing below their potential.
01:17:14
Speaker
I think that they had a bad game and that there's room to grow and that the coaching staff need to look within themselves and figure out what is it about that specific game that just did not work at all.
01:17:26
Speaker
We have high expectations and ah we hold this team to a high standard. And I think every single coach and every single player would agree with anyone who said that they didn't live up to that in that game.
01:17:41
Speaker
they ah I think they internally believe that their depth is better than that, too. Up to them to show that as ah as CCC continues here. All right. We're going to get out of here right on that. Derek Richards, thank you for the walk-off $3 super sticker. Love you, man.
01:17:56
Speaker
We will ah catch you. ah Later this week, Lobbing Scorchers, what is our Thursday? Under the Lights Thursdays at 7.30 pm And yeah, enjoy CCC, guys. This is going to be fun.
01:18:12
Speaker
why we do it. This is why we do it. is why we do it This is what we're doing, man. It's going to be an exciting game. Check it out. Cruiser Sioux fans will show up, guys. So, Sounders, get out there. Get that green on. Put them scarves up, man, because Cruiser Sioux fans will be there, man. and They're going to be there early, yeah you know, tailgating, the whole shebang, man. So, come out. It's going to be lit. All right.
01:18:34
Speaker
Get it out here on that. Nico, have a good one. Thank you, man. Appreciate you, Catch you guys next time.