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I'm Tired of Being A Loser - Ep. 29
51 Plays1 year ago
Ari and Noah detail the excruciating Seattle Sounders loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, speak about Pedro De La Vega, preview the upcoming road trip to Philadelphia Union and take you around the league with Inter Miami and Messi, St. Louis CITY SC, Sporting Kansas City, Chicago Fire, Real Salt Lake and more.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Context
00:00:09
Speaker
What's going on, everybody? Welcome in to episode 29 of Lobbing Scorchers. This is Ari Lillianwall. I'm joined here virtually by producer Noah. Noah, say what's up to the people. I'm tired of losing, Ari. I'm tired of losing. I mean, we've got a doozy, an absolute doozy of an L-Pod for you today, folks. This is one of the craziest L-Pods that we've recorded.
Reactions to Sounders' Loss
00:00:38
Speaker
since the founding of lobbing scorchers. This might be one of the craziest Ls in Sounders history. It is, and we're going to dive into the exact historical implications of this L. 2-0 at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps at Lumen Field, but that doesn't really even capture the full scope of it.
00:00:58
Speaker
There's a lot to dig into in this L for the Seattle Sounders. The people are upset, rightfully so. So we're going to dive into the fine points of all that. We're going to hit on all of your questions and observations from the people, as usual. So this is going to be a tough one. No, I'm going to have to be, I'm going to have to clown on the Seattle Sounders quite a bit on this episode.
00:01:26
Speaker
It's unfortunate. I don't really take joy in that. But the thing is, I have to apply the same standard of clowning to the Seattle Sounders that I would about any other club. And we have a lot of fun at the expense of the shortcomings of other clubs on this show. We recorded an entire episode devoted to LAFC choking in CONCACAF Champions League last year, for example. So when the Seattle Sounders engage in behavior as they did on Saturday night, picking up two red cards,
00:01:56
Speaker
finishing the match with nine men while losing a game they really needed to win at home. The the clowning is inevitable unfortunately. It's it's equal treatment as far as the clowning goes.
Podcast Announcements and Growth
00:02:12
Speaker
So we're going to do all that and and then we're going to keep our usual formula of jumping around the league with winners and losers for match day 10 and MLS and
00:02:22
Speaker
lay down some takes on some of the other results that took place around the league. But before we get into all that, a couple of quick housekeeping items at the top of the show here. I'm excited to announce that Lobbing Scorchers has our first ever paid subscriber. I'd like to thank
00:02:37
Speaker
Big thank you to Greg Hoker, hopefully I'm saying that right. Greg has generously subscribed via our Buzzsprout page, which is something that you can do. It's totally not obligatory, obviously. Greg's the first one to do so. But I did want to throw it out there that if anyone wants to join Greg,
00:03:00
Speaker
as becoming a paid subscriber to Lobbing Scorchers. All you have to do is go to podcast.lobbingscorchers.com and you'll see a little button that you can press that will allow you. There's options for how much you want to donate. It can be three dollars a month, five dollars a month,
00:03:15
Speaker
$10 a month, you might even be able to put in a custom amount. So like I said, no obligation whatsoever, but shout out to Greg, we really appreciate that. And if anyone else wants to do that, it'd be huge for us, honestly. So definitely huge shout out to Greg Hoecker, first paid subscriber in Lob and Scorcher's history. Thank you, Greg. You bought low, so maybe you can sell high, you know? It's like stocks. Exactly.
00:03:45
Speaker
And then another quick housekeeping item. Lobbinsqorters is also on YouTube. Noah set up our YouTube page. So I really, I would love it if everyone listening to this could go subscribe to that right now. If you just Google Lobbinsqorters, I believe the YouTube will show right up.
00:04:04
Speaker
We're on four subscribers right now. I checked right before we started recording, which that's not enough. All of the episodes to date have been uploaded, and they're going to be uploading there from now on. So as many views and subs as we can get on there as possible would be great. And that's totally free. All you have to do is go to the YouTube page, click Subscribe, and give us views whenever they're uploaded there. That would be awesome. We're trying to expand on there.
00:04:33
Speaker
So, good job setting that up, Noah. That was good technology by you. Working hard over the years. Every single person listening, go sub to our YouTube right now. And also, just thank you to everyone for continuing to tune in. Noah, our last episode pulled over 400 downloads, and it seems like our new baseline is in that 300 to 400 range. Remember when we started this thing? I was talking about getting
00:04:56
Speaker
30 or 40 people maybe for the first episode. And we've been steadily growing ever since our previous baseline was more like one to 200. Now we've seen this growth up to three to 400. So I just really appreciate everyone who listens to the show. It's really it's fun and awesome to do a podcast that
00:05:13
Speaker
You know, you put it out and people actually listen to it, which I didn't really know if that was going to be the case when we first started this thing. So shout out to you, the people, the listeners. We're going to keep putting this out because it seems like there's demand for it. I know even we got some people in the front office who listen as well. I met a fan who works in the front office and actually gave me and Ari a little gift. So we're on the come up, Ari. We're on the come up. We might actually be able to coach this team one day.
00:05:43
Speaker
and we owe it all to you, our loyal listeners and supporters. And, you know, I think in a way it seems like the, I've mentioned this before, but it seems like the early season struggles for the Seattle Sounders have kind of aided our listenership in a way.
In-depth Analysis of Sounders' Defeat
00:06:00
Speaker
It's been a run of form that people aren't necessarily used to with this team. And I think it is really, it's kind of, it's given them a spotlight in sort of a different way.
00:06:13
Speaker
So we're kind of, it's unfortunate for the Seattle Sounders to be in this situation, but it's kind of a boon here at laughing scorchers. Uh, and you know, that's a good segue into the game we got to talk about this week, because like I said, Noah, I mean, I think the first thing I want to say about this is just not L not all else are created equal. You know, you can have, you can lose a game and,
00:06:42
Speaker
play well in the game, be competitive in the game, put good effort into the game. There's dignified ways to take an L. This was a pretty undignified L. It was about as undignified an L as I've ever seen the Seattle Sounders take. I'm going to give some comparisons to
00:07:01
Speaker
to other games that kind of match up to this type of L, but, uh, this was, this was a meltdown. This was a meltdown. Brian Schmetzer called this the low, one of the lowest points he can remember with this team. Yeah. Yeah. I was, I mean, that, that was a,
00:07:19
Speaker
I think an apt quote at his post-game press conference, and I tend to agree. There are a few that you could put up with it. The famous Sporting Kansas City Club of Professional Wrestling Enthusiasts, a way match of 2016, that's sort of considered to be the impetus of Ziggy Schmidt's eventual departure.
00:07:39
Speaker
You have the red card wedding, which, you know, I have fond and positive memories of the red card wedding, having been there, but ultimately that was not a great thing for the club. I think, I mean, they finished that match with seven men. That was like a record dude. I didn't even know you were allowed to finish a game with seven men. That was like, I was learning new rules. That is the fewest that you're allowed to finish it with before you have to forfeit.
00:08:08
Speaker
Um, but I mean, this match on Saturday was very much up with, those are the two main ones that come to mind when I think about just like kind of a catastrophic colossal meltdown of an L this, this was up there. And especially when you consider the circumstances going into this game where, you know, this team started off the season. Very slow. They're really low on the table. They need to start racking up points. You have a home game, a rivalry game where
00:08:38
Speaker
you need to take a result and you end up with nine guys on the field. Like I completely agree with Schmetz. This is definitely a low point for the team. I think, you know, I think he was saying since he's been head coach, but maybe since he's been around the team, you know, he's an assistant for years before. So I don't disagree, but let's talk about the game itself. I mean,
00:09:08
Speaker
This game was all about the two red cards for Seattle on Jackson Reagan and Alex Roldon. So we're gonna talk about those calls. The Jackson Reagan one was the most controversial of the two red cards. People were heated about this. And that's really, it really, that chalked the game. That chalked the game right there. As soon as that red card happened, you go from a competitive,
00:09:36
Speaker
relatively evenly matched 0-0 game where Seattle has a chance at getting the three points to completely chalking the entire thing. And so that's the unfortunate thing, but let's litigate the call itself because that was the big topic of discussion on the Twitter sphere last night. Jackson Reagan goes into a challenge on Scottish Messi, Ryan Gold. The greatest player of all time, by the way.
00:10:06
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, we're going to talk about the white caps because, you know, it was kind of a stark contrast in where these two teams are at, you know, watching the white caps, you're watching one of the best teams in the league right now and you see how they operate. I mean, they're pretty well oiled machine. They took advantage.
00:10:20
Speaker
of the red card exactly how you're supposed to. But so Jackson Reagan goes into this challenge on Ryan Gauld and it's originally called a yellow card, but ends up getting turned to a red card on video review, which the process took too long. People were really upset about the call, but I mean, all right, I'm gonna give my take on this, Noah, and some people probably aren't gonna like it, but I'm just gonna tell you how I see it, okay? I'm just gonna tell you how I see it. I really actually,
00:10:48
Speaker
don't think it was that shocking of a call that this got called a red card, okay? I'm gonna tell you why, is because at any time you have studs into calf, you are susceptible to the ref maybe giving you a red card. And that's kind of the end of the debate as to whether it should be a debate, if that makes sense. Like anytime you see studs in calf,
00:11:16
Speaker
It becomes there because a certain percentage chance that the ref can give you a red. A guy by the name of john pranjic who I hope i'm pronouncing that correctly at that Croatian guy on Twitter jumped into the discourse in my mentions.
00:11:37
Speaker
last night, and I believe John is a ref himself. So he was kind of giving the referee's perspective on everything. And I thought he actually made some good points about this call.
00:11:49
Speaker
most of which I agree with, one of which I disagree with. So I'm just going to basically read what he said and I'm just going to present it as sort of a counterpoint to a lot of the controversy based around this call because I know people were really upset about this call and I understand why it was controversial but I think there are a few things that John hit on in his response that
00:12:14
Speaker
might explain it to people who are still upset about this. So John listed off some of the considerations that are going through a ref's mind in a call like this. Number one is point of contact. Where Jackson Reagan makes contact with Scottish Messi was on the calf or above the ankle. So that's number one. Motive contact, studs. I mean, his studs went into his calf.
00:12:43
Speaker
Number three, and this is where I kind of disagree, excessive force. And was it a dangerous challenge? You know, the referee clearly determined that it was, I think that's where this challenge is a yellow for me is that I didn't think it was excessive force. I didn't think there was intent and I didn't think it was really, uh, I don't think he was really endangering the safety of the attacker on this play, but you know,
00:13:13
Speaker
I mean, I can see how the referee could look at that and think that he was endangering the safety of the opponent. This is one that people weren't really considering, but where the ball is is a consideration on this play. It was off the ball. It's not in reach. It was way off the ball. Yeah, exactly. Off the ball, and he has no chance to get to the ball. So they're considering that when they're looking at, when they're evaluating how dangerous the challenge is or how reckless it is, right?
00:13:39
Speaker
Um, Jackson Reagan had no chance to get the ball. Uh, and then an additional point of consideration, the referee's point of view is partially blocked, hence the need for the VAR. Um, so those are kind of the things that the ref is looking at. And I guess my kind of take on it is that at that, at that area of the field, they're basically at midfield, you have to be pretty calculated in
00:14:09
Speaker
making a challenge like that and the aggression with which you make that challenge, I just don't think it's a smart play by the defender, by Jackson Reagan. Like you're putting it in the ref's hands by going into the challenge that aggressively. And you know what it is? It's just, that's the kind of thing that happens to,
00:14:35
Speaker
Not good teams, you know, you could sit here and you can, you can blame the rest. That's fine, but it's not smart defending to go into that challenge like that in that area of the field at that point in the game, it's zero zero.
00:14:54
Speaker
I have a hard time making this all about the ref. I do. And I think that, like I said, I don't think that this challenge met the criteria of excessive force and a dangerous safety endangering play. But once that challenge gets made, you're opening yourself up to that outcome. You just are. You just are.
00:15:19
Speaker
and yeah i think this is such a thing that's happened too much this season yeah no it's so silly like the whole thing is so silly because it is exactly what you're talking about it's indicative of what's been going on not only this season but last season as well like
00:15:34
Speaker
I think things like this have happened to the Sounders and then, you know, maybe they've been on the front foot of the game, they've been dominating control, and then they make a stupid mistake and the game is over. You know what I mean? Like, and Brian kind
Player Criticism and Team Challenges
00:15:51
Speaker
of had a quote talking about how Alex Roldon's challenge was stupid and, you know, like, but he was like, yeah, but we didn't give up.
00:16:01
Speaker
No, you gave up when Alex rolled on who is I'm not gonna say he's the most measured player on the field, but he's generally pretty Well, you know mannered and I think we would probably say that was out of character. Yeah
00:16:18
Speaker
when he is going and getting frustrated and committing the dumbest red card. I think the Jackson-Reagan foul, I don't think it was a red, although it did leave imprints in Ryan Gold, which he did in his press conference talk about. And Ryan Gold said he didn't think it was super nefarious. It was just he wanted it to be reviewed for a red card. That's what he had asked for, right?
00:16:44
Speaker
I think we could talk about the whole like how long it took in that after this but basically to say like you get in a situation like this again and again and again over the last few years and You're one man down. That is not the end of the game That should not even be remotely the end of the game in your mind, but the sounders like Everyone you can feel it in the stadium. You can feel it when you're watching the team Something bad happens a mistake happens. It's over
00:17:11
Speaker
The game's over. That's so stupid. That is the mark of a team that is not good or that doesn't believe that they are good enough to get over the hump of any kind of challenge.
00:17:22
Speaker
Yeah, so let's talk about this Alex rolled on red card because that was really when this devolved into a run of the mill L with 10 men to a meltdown. The Whitecaps were ahead 2-0 at the time. They got their goals after the red card. Scottish Messi scored the opener just before the hour mark.
00:17:42
Speaker
Brian White scored the second in the 71st minute. Both those goals came on sequences, by the way, that weren't necessarily caused by being down a man. Obviously, being down a man
00:17:54
Speaker
contributed to the game state, I think, that led to the goals. But just on the exact individual sequences themselves, they're both just bad giveaways that really gifted them the goals, regardless of if they've been down a man or not. First one, Yemar just plays a pass, a dangerous pass that gets picked off, and the Whitecaps
00:18:13
Speaker
line up that goal for Scottish Messi pretty easily. And then the second one, I don't know what Javi Ariaga was doing. He was, he was cooking. He was, he was trying to. Obed made a really bad pass to him though.
00:18:29
Speaker
Obed put him in a shitty situation. There's a lot of courses of action that the CB could have took in that situation that weren't trying to get into a one-on-one and get dispossessed and give an easy breakaway goal to their striker. Wait, don't we have another central defender? Wait, Ari, didn't we sign a central defender so we could move Javier Iaga?
00:19:02
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Soundwork Heart Podcast Network, which now includes No Sonietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023,
00:19:13
Speaker
need your support to make sure it continues. Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible by your continued support. Memberships start as low as $25 a year, which not only helps make podcasts like this one happen, but also gets you access to everything we produce. If you're able to support us at higher levels, starting at $75 a year, you gain access to a host of other perks
00:19:35
Speaker
most notably entry into our members only discord where the smartest funniest and most engaged commenters share their thoughts and ideas to find out more just visit center at heart.com and click the subscribe button in the top right corner thanks for listening yeah i mean maybe nathan
00:20:02
Speaker
could have been on the field there, perhaps. I mean, Javier, he hasn't been playing as many minutes in the last year or so, and he's played a little bit more this year. He hasn't had a honker like that in a while, but I don't know whether to attribute that to improved play or just the fact that he hasn't been on the field as much. But either way, I mean, those are two really bad errors from your CVs that lead to those goals that, you know, when you're down a man, you obviously can't afford sequences like that.
00:20:29
Speaker
But anyway, Alex rolled on then gets a red card in the 75th minute, which like I said, that's, that is a meltdown with that foul that he committed. That is something that you do when you have lost the plot and you are lashing out and you're
00:20:47
Speaker
not in your right mind that is letting your emotions and your frustration get the best of you and like you said that's that's the game was probably already chopped at that point is 2-0 and you're already down a man but that i mean you are
00:21:04
Speaker
whatever off chance you have, you never know what can happen. It's not impossible to score down a man. I mean, it is for the Sounders. You're making a difficult pass. You're making a difficult task in an abjectly impossible one with that play. And I think it really, like I said, that was the moment where I was like, okay,
00:21:33
Speaker
This is a game that got chalked on one red card, but now this is a, this is a disaster. It was embarrassing. Yeah. I mean, okay. I wanted to hit on that point because you know, we were talking about it a couple of weeks ago and you were talking about how the attack was embarrassing. That was the adjective you used. And I was, I was like, I don't really know if I see it quite like that because
00:21:59
Speaker
Like I said, all L's are not created equal. A lot of the L's that they've taken over the past year, they've at least been competitive in the games, even if they aren't scoring goals at the clip that they need to. It's not like these are, have been like Laffer type results where they're getting played off the field or they're getting double red cards. But this, I mean, this is, to do that at home,
00:22:25
Speaker
two red cards, whatever you think of the call on Jackson Reagan. I understand that a lot of people aren't gonna agree with the take that I laid down on that. But to follow that up with the second red card and get boss 2-0 by your rivals at home. I mean, I'm sorry, there's no other word for that. There's a reason that Schmetz himself called it a low point. That is embarrassing.
00:22:53
Speaker
Um, do you think this is the wrong bottom? I mean, it is so far this season, 100%. And we're going to, we're going to see in the coming weeks how the team responds to it. Um, but I'll tell you what, no, it really, it gave me, I got those same vibes a little bit.
00:23:18
Speaker
watching this game as I did during that 2016 SKC game right before Ziggy departed. And I'm not necessarily saying that that means anything as it pertains to Schmetz's status, but I definitely think that whole storyline, it got a lot more interesting after this game. A meltdown result like this, that's what
00:23:47
Speaker
That's what creates kind of, kind of talk like that. You know what I mean? So, I mean, it all comes down to how they respond. They could, they could bounce back. They could bounce back from this with a good East coast road trip. They start taking results. You know, maybe this could be looked at as a blip, but the one thing I will say is, you know, after the five zero over CF Montreal, I, uh,
00:24:15
Speaker
I gave them credit in the dub pod and I said that it had the feeling of a result that they could build on and hopefully get some positive momentum going forward. I mean, they chalk those vibes. The vibes are game that I've never been to a sounders game. I probably, this was probably my 50th sounders game or something like that. Like I've, I've been to so many soccer games in Seattle.
00:24:40
Speaker
this is the first time where I saw people do the baseball leave where like it's the it's the you know bottom of the seventh and or top of the sixth or whatever and you know they strike out and half the stadium gets up and leaves it was like the 65th minute that second red card and half the stadium got up and left and like it was just this feeling of
00:25:06
Speaker
Oh, this team fucking sucks. This team is terrible. Like, it's not even worth staying through the whole match that I paid for. That's embarrassing. The vibes have never been this low. I still feel like even in that SKC match, I still feel like the vibes were, they were bad, but they weren't this bad. We haven't had any success this season.
00:25:31
Speaker
We haven't had any success and we just played our rival we lost to a rival a rival who is now at the top of the Western Conference and looks like one of the best teams in the league and You have the Sounders who were predicted to be in that spot Last place in the West or wherever we are. I'm not sure but should be I Think the thing about that 2016
00:25:57
Speaker
season is that you had the, the Nico Ledero X factor inbound you know they were widely expected to make a big signing like that. That was the whole kind of thought at that point was okay well it's really bad right now but they're going to make a big move.
00:26:14
Speaker
Um, and we're going to see what type of impact that that has. And it ended up turning the entire season around and they won MLS cup that year. I mean, the problem this year is that, you know, your game changing signing took place in the off season before the season started. That was supposed to be the thing that kind of turned around. What was a struggling offense last year. And we didn't, we didn't even hit on this at the top of the show, but that's signing Pedro de la Vega. He.
00:26:44
Speaker
Blue is hamstring out like two games into the season, hasn't played since the first couple of games of the year, and then had a setback in training this last week and is now out for a few more weeks. So who even, who knows when he's going to play? Like what you have right now is essentially what you got. And there's no, there, there's no Nico inbound.
00:27:10
Speaker
really to turn it around I mean you're hoping that Pedro de la Vega can have that type of impact but that's not a sure thing for a couple reasons you know number one because of the health of his hamstring there's no
00:27:22
Speaker
I have no idea like when he's going to be fit to play, but also when Nico, you had an established player who was the starting number 10 for Boca juniors and an Iroquois national team player. There was a level of pedigree and like established nature there that Pedro de la Vega is kind of, he's as talented as he is and seems to be. That's a hedge on upside that feels like way less of a sure thing.
00:27:47
Speaker
to make the type of impact that you need him to make your hook. That's a hope. Respectfully, he's the Leo Chu model. You invest big, hoping that you hit, but if you don't, it's possible. I think he's better than Leo Chu. I'm not saying that he's comparable, but you know what I mean.
00:28:12
Speaker
The number one thing they got to do is get him fit. And right now it seems like he's probably, I don't know, at least, at least a month away right now with his setback.
Future Games and Coaching Scrutiny
00:28:23
Speaker
So they have to go into this big fixture congested portion of their schedule without Pedro de la Vega.
00:28:32
Speaker
And now you're going to have Jackson Reagan and Alex rolled on suspended for their upcoming games. And it's not going to get any easier. You have two East Coast road trip games coming up.
00:28:45
Speaker
one at Philadelphia to make up the famous rain delay game of 2024 where they flew out to Subaru Park and then a bunch of guys with mops ran out onto the field to try and clear the field but couldn't quite get it in condition so they flew back having played six minutes of the game. So they're gonna have to go to Philly and pick that game up with the exact same lineup
00:29:12
Speaker
that they had out on the field when that got rained out. So that's gonna be just a weird game. And then you got DC United who, you know, they're not taking results maybe at the clip that...
00:29:27
Speaker
I expected them to, I was kind of high on DC United going into the year because they hired my boy Troy Lissane, former New Mexico United coach. They're not taking results, but I mean, any East Coast road trip is gonna be a really difficult game. And they also, I mean, they're two, three, and four with 10 points. And they do have one of the better number nines in MLS right now in Christian Benteke.
00:29:55
Speaker
He's a beast in the air. He has six goals. He's up there with the golden boot leaders. So I mean, these are going to be tough games. And, you know, ordinarily I would say that heading out to the East coast, if you can pick up a point and get out of there and come back, that's a good result. But again, like.
00:30:14
Speaker
They need to be taking three points right now with where they are on the table. And, you know, Jackson, Reagan and Alex rolled on suspended and just the overall downturn in vibes right now.
00:30:28
Speaker
I mean it's kind of hard to see them winning either of these games. You know what's so crazy too going into this match? It's funny we were so excited because JP was back. Which the funny thing is JP basically played a flawless game. Like he genuinely was incredible. Best player on the field in my opinion other than Scottish Messi because he's Jesus Christ.
00:30:51
Speaker
I think it's so funny how it's just evolved into every time you get a tiny piece back, you get another giant setback. We get JP back, he's balling again, and then it's like, all right, two of our starting defenders are out, and our DP number 10 just exploded his hamstring again. This team, what is happening? What is happening? How do you...
00:31:18
Speaker
Let's, let's dive into some of some of the questions from you, the people know if you could pull those up before we dive into those though. I do want to thank john john john chronic for for braving the storm and
00:31:33
Speaker
engaging the discourse with the red hot heated Seattle Sounders fan base last night you know like I said I'm pretty sure from looking at John's profile that he has a refereeing background and guys like I really his at the Croatian guy on Twitter okay he posted these counterpoints last night I was looking at them because I was pretty
00:31:54
Speaker
I was pretty firm on the Jackson Reagan red card being an egregiously bad call, but I, you know, I tried to go into the counterpoints with an open mind. And I mean, I just, I don't think it was that crazy a call. Like I said, it's a yellow card. It's a yellow card for me, in my opinion. But I think when you really break down all the factors that were
00:32:19
Speaker
at play on that sequence. It's definitely not like an egregious travesty of justice that that got called a red card. But the one thing I would say is it does need to be a shorter process there.
00:32:38
Speaker
that was way too long for him to be at the monitor. If it's clear and obvious, you need to be able to peg that right away. So that would be my gripe with the VAR protocol on that sequence more than the ultimate conclusion, which I don't agree with it. I thought it was a yellow card, but I understand why it got called the way it called.
00:33:01
Speaker
Yeah, I agree there. Let's jump on into a couple of these here, and shout out for all of your questions. We always appreciate you lobbing your own scorchers in Ari's replies. I'm glad it's not my replies, because it can get a nightmare in there. A lot to unpack here, but Schmetzer has to be the number one adjustment here. Other teams with these players getting these results, the coach would be on the chopping block. I saw this one a lot. So is it time, Ari? Is the seat hot yet?
00:33:32
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, after, after every L it seems like that's going to come up and after an L like this, it's definitely going to come up. You know, I still, I still don't know if that's, if that's going to solve or change anything, but
00:33:51
Speaker
I mean, I understand why people are asking the question after a game like this, because like I said, it's not even necessarily about the result. It's about the nature of the result. And you had a team that melted down in this game. So I don't know. I still think that the combination of
00:34:17
Speaker
track record and the amount of winning that Schmetzer has done since he's been the coach creates a certain amount of equity there. But if things continue on this trajectory, I mean, the seat's only going to get hotter. That's the reality.
00:34:36
Speaker
This team doesn't have the players for possession style soccer, at least in the front four. They have the players to run at teams in waves. I'd like to try that. Also need coach Chad Marshall to get the back lines collective heads in order. That one's from Tropic Sound.
00:34:54
Speaker
Take tropics out that should we just I like the observation. I just yeah, I just thought we had to toss that one in there this one's a collective mind-building of my own here, but a lot of people were incredibly critical of Jackson Reagan This entire season actually not even Joe's gonna say over the last few games, but this entire season so Jackson Reagan is a time is has his quality expired. What's going on there Ari? I
00:35:22
Speaker
I mean, I don't think it's expired, but I do think that, okay, you have this red card. He's conceded at least one penalty this year. You just have some errors that you're starting CB, like can't be making. So honestly, if Nathan started, I mean, he's suspended for the next game, but once everyone is back healthy, if Nathan started,
00:35:52
Speaker
the next game. I wouldn't argue with that. That was a tough call. It was a tough call. Having made the challenge, I don't know if he could have done that much differently, but I just think it's a challenge that he shouldn't have made and didn't need to be made.
00:36:17
Speaker
Yeah, it's a tough one, but it's like, yeah, he's been making some very questionable decisions over the last few weeks that aren't a normal character trait of his defending. Totally get that Regan shouldn't have been sent off at all. Totally get the red didn't blow it. Good chance we win one nil. Obviously, if there's no red. Aside, what happened to, quote, seriously considering a lineup shakeup?
00:36:48
Speaker
Brian did say that. I mean, he did, but he also mentioned at his post game presser that, uh, with all the fixtures congestion coming up, kind of everyone's going to be getting a chance to play in the next few weeks here. Um, so I think there might be a little bit of lineup mixing and matching out of necessity in that way. Um, but, but where's Cody? Russ neck and, uh, JP are healthy now.
00:37:18
Speaker
So that's good. It was good to see, uh, JP back, like you mentioned. Um, and you know, I've been, we've been saying here on loving scorchers that we want to see more Cody Baker. Um, but you know, like, I don't, I don't know. It wouldn't have mattered if Cody Baker was on the field last night when you have two of your other starting defenders getting thrown out of the game. You know, so, I mean, maybe if he's playing this individual instance, there was, uh, yeah.
00:37:47
Speaker
There was other other variables at play that negatively affected the proceedings aside from that. I mean yeah, maybe maybe if he's playing instead of Alex, maybe he has a cooler head. He you know he's he's a chill dude. We do we do love him. We you know so maybe that's that's my bad take for the day is that there would only have been one red card and he would have bombed in a fire ass cross and we would have won the game and stoppage.
00:38:13
Speaker
Yeah, okay, this one was interesting to me as well because I was kind of asking myself the same question when this substitution happened.
00:38:22
Speaker
subbing Raoul over Jordan is extremely questionable. Raoul has been informed and Jordan has not. Brian needs to check himself or at least the assistants. This one's spicy. I like the spice on this one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Raoul came out pretty much right after Reagan got the red card. Correct.
00:38:48
Speaker
I understand that, honestly, because you have the entire second half of the game left to go that you're going to be playing down a man. The real odds that you're going to be competing to win the game and score multiple goals are pretty much
00:39:04
Speaker
pretty much none. And you've got Raul in the situation where his hamstring could go at any time. So I didn't really mind just cutting your losses, getting them off the field, and seeing if you could get out of there at 0-0, which obviously they couldn't. But I don't know how much there was to be gained from leaving Raul out there for the rest of the game.
00:39:33
Speaker
the chase for goals that would have likely ultimately been fruitless. Yeah, no, I agree. I thought about it for a minute when I was out there. I was like, why is Raul coming off? And then I remembered literally what we talked about with Jeremiah about like, you know, Brian should really let him play 45 or 65 minutes and then sub him off. And then I was like, damn, Brian, really? He listens. He listens to lobbing scorchers. I mean, it was dictated by the red card to be fair.
00:39:57
Speaker
No, but I get I you know get why he did he also he might tap in he might listen, you know This one is also interesting because I think this wasn't really talked about at all zero shots on goal all game Not a single shot since the 48th minute. When will we see improvement 48th minute to be fair? Red guard pull off Raul change your foot But but leading into the game No shots on goal
00:40:27
Speaker
It's, uh, it's hard for me to really evaluate the offensive performance in that way because they played so much of this game down a man. For me, the more, the bigger issue is how you end up playing that much of the game down a man and then ending up playing the last 15 minutes of the game down two men. Right. Um, but I still think there's an argument as soon as, as soon as Reagan got thrown out, like.
00:40:56
Speaker
The game was chalked. The entire game was chalked. They played an entire half of soccer that was pretty much pointless.
00:41:05
Speaker
Yeah, I mean I still think that the fact that there were no shots on goal the entire game Didn't they get one at the very end? Let me fact check this. Let me fact check this. This might be this I thought I remembered the white caps keeper. No, then there isn't there There was not a shot on goal that I can see there was one that was off target by Jordan in 45 plus six was like that header and then looking
00:41:34
Speaker
There was the Josh. Oh, I guess no. Josh attention was on goal. That was the save. Ninety plus four. That's very at the very end. Right. But like, you know, not a shot on targets until 90 plus four. Is that concerning to you? I mean, they were down two men at the time. Yeah. But I mean, even in the first 45, I mean, like not it's not to minimize the concerns that I have about this offense. I mean,
00:42:02
Speaker
Uh, but I don't know if I'm any more concerned or concerned in a different way after this game than I was previously. I'm more concerned that they got two guys thrown out by the game. That's not like you can't in a rivalry game that you need to win. Like that just can't, that can't happen.
00:42:21
Speaker
Yeah, two more here. I know we're doing a lot this game, but there's just so many good spicy ones. I'm here for it. Caps fan here. Sounders are not the same team. I mean, the caps are noticing this. This is just embarrassing. Caps fan here. Sounders are not the same team. Something is definitely off. Even before the red card, they were out of sync. Some big changes will happen there for sure. I mean, caps fan.
00:42:46
Speaker
You might be correct in that in that observation. It is kind of funny. You know, after like I take these I crowdsource these questions and I do get a
00:42:59
Speaker
Like people from other fan bases or from the team that Seattle just played sometimes and their eyebrows are always raised. Cause you know, Seattle has been perennially such a, such a winning team. And, uh, I think their struggles have reached the point where it is kind of getting noticed nationally more and more where people are like, wow, like what's going on over there? I got a lot of responses like that this week.
00:43:25
Speaker
Yeah, it's pretty embarrassing. I'm not gonna lie. I just like winning. I like winning. I feel like, you know, I like being selfish and I like winning. All right, last question here. Ariaga and Alex Roldan should have been released a long time ago. Ariaga has no business trying to get between two players so close to the box. Obviously we talked about that pass a little bit, but I'll reframe this in an actual question is,
00:43:53
Speaker
What are we doing with Pavi? Is there an actual plan to move him? What's what do you think's going on? I mean, I read on the situation is that they put him on the trade market last year and I would imagine this year as well. I don't know if he ever came out of it, but.
00:44:12
Speaker
whatever reason they didn't, the market might not have been what they thought it was. And that move never ended up happening. And then, you know, on paper, you have this CB room that we went into the season thinking it was probably the deepest position group on the roster. But I think what you ended up having is sort of a
00:44:37
Speaker
There's just, it's, it's like too many bodies in that one position group. Right. And then when you have a play like that happened last night, where Javi commits a defensive error that leads to a goal, um, that makes the situation look even tougher. I mean, but I mean, I imagine, you know, if they had gotten the offer that.
00:45:03
Speaker
they wanted for him last season, like he would have been traded. So I think they probably will still try to move him, but it just clearly, like I said, clearly the market isn't what they thought it was. Which I find kind of surprising in a way, because I know how he takes a lot of heat, but he's still an Ecuador international CB who has played a lot of pretty good MLS ball.
00:45:30
Speaker
He was a regular starting player for this team back when they were playing well. And, you know, a lot of teams could use the CBO. So I thought it's been a little strange to me that the market for him wasn't more robust, but evidently it's not.
00:45:47
Speaker
We've talked also multiple times.
Trade Market and Player Development
00:45:50
Speaker
I know earlier in the season, we were like, oh, Javi looks really good. He looks like he could contend for a starting job over Reagan if Reagan falls off the map. So it is odd. I really have no clue what's going on there either. But I would hope that they would make a decision. And I'm surprised that there's not a club clamoring for him because he is talented. Sandra's fans might want to bitch and moan about it.
00:46:17
Speaker
He is a quality center back and can be. In his minutes so far this year, to my memory at least, he had been playing decently well. There's nothing that pops into my mind until the Howler last night. Which, again, like I said, he received a bad pass. He made a bad decision, but he was put in a tough position as well. He was put in a tough position.
00:46:43
Speaker
not to be, not to blame Obed who, I guess I'm going to ask this last one too because we kind of talked about how Obed and Atencio, it almost seems like their growth is being stunted in a way because they're just being slotted into these makeshift shitty teams where they don't really have a definitive and defined role.
00:47:05
Speaker
How do you feel that's affecting their growth or just like affecting the perception of them from us or Sounders fans? I think Obed and Josh Atencio have both played pretty well this year for the most part. I personally rate Atencio a little higher than Obed, but I think there's there's valid points to be made in favor of
00:47:36
Speaker
either one. My thing with Obin, and I think I said this on the show last week, but like, I just think the next step in his development is positively impacting the game more tangibly on a week to week basis. I think he's done a good job of holding his own and blending in, but like,
00:48:01
Speaker
you want to see him start to make more of a pronounced impact. And that's why I was pretty encouraged to see him get the assist in the, even if it was a secondary assist in the CF Montreal game, like I want to see more stuff like that from him. Um, but I just, I think it's kind of hard to get a read on the development of both of them right now, just because of how much the team is struggling. Right. Like, um, and.
00:48:30
Speaker
I don't really think that when I, when I make my own mental list of the issues that this team has right now, Josh and Oban aren't particularly high on the list. But, um, I think that's one of the frustrating things that's going on right now is that it's from the outside. It's hard to get a read on how they're developing because the team around them is kind of a chance.
00:49:00
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. It's a tough look, but I do feel like they both have such good upside and they have played really well. I thought Obed had had a stretch over the last two previous games that he looked like he deserved to start over Atencio because Atencio kind of had like an average game and then JP was back. And clearly they rate Obed and JP together better than Atencio and JP and Rusnak and that whole thing.
00:49:27
Speaker
I don't know. It's interesting. There's there's always some kind of upside to be to be gained by I know that we're this is like totally aside from the sounders looking like absolute dogshit, but These are like young players who have the potential to be really incredibly good And I don't know I enjoy watching their progression. So that's the questions for this week Ari
00:49:49
Speaker
Thank you to everyone who submitted, as always. I've been collecting these every week. And I know we don't get to every single one of them. But I think it's a good way to kind of check the pulse of the people and sort of get the discourse flowing. And especially with how kind of crazy a meltdown the game was last night. I genuinely, even though it devolves into chaos and debauchery in my mentions, I enjoy taking the pulse of the streets. So every time I take those, if you guys want to blow up my mentions,
00:50:19
Speaker
Don't don't hold back. Feel free. Yeah, you know, so I'm I actually did. I wasn't at the game in the press box last night. I'm in Eugene, Oregon visiting family for Passover and.
00:50:31
Speaker
You know, it's rare that I miss a home game. I'm usually at every single one. And so at first, you know, when Reagan got thrown out and I was like, okay, this game is chalked, this was probably a good one for me to miss. But honestly, it was, the game was so notable in the extent of the meltdown that I ended up being like, damn, I'm kind of bummed I missed that one. I was like, that might be a good bag one as a kind of inflection point type game that,
00:50:59
Speaker
I'm going to, I'm going to rue. I'm going to lament not being at, um, all right, let's jump into winners and losers from, uh, from match day 10 and
Other League Results and Highlights
00:51:09
Speaker
MLS. There's a lot of results worth talking about. Uh, the first one I wanted to hit on was I don't even have either of these teams as a winner or a loser, but I thought the best game of this, of this slate was the three, three draw between sport in Kansas city, the club of professional wrestling.
00:51:24
Speaker
enthusiasts in St. Louis City SC at Children's Mercy Park. This was just a really fun, entertaining back and forth game. St. Louis City SC Thomas Totland scored a, it was like a 92nd minute equalizer to draw that one, 3-3.
00:51:42
Speaker
That Midwest rivalry that they've got going on dating back to last year, I think they had in their games that they played last year, they combined for something like 20 goals. So this was sort of a continuation of just every time St. Louis City SC and sporting Kansas City.
00:51:59
Speaker
the club of professional wrestling enthusiasts get together. It's fireworks. And this one, this was, I was kind of half watching it. I was trying to, I'm trying to keep track of all the different results at the same time when I'm working these games, but just a really fun game. My first winner for match day 10, Real Assault Lake, 4-0 at Chicago Fire FC, which, you know, Chicago Fire
00:52:24
Speaker
We're going to talk about them in the losers section. That's not the best opponent that RSL are ever going to play this year. But it's still a really good road result. And I think the main thing that was notable about it, Chicho Arango, four goal contributions, two goals, two assists, goal contribution on every single Real Assault Lake goal in this game. And I think my RSL take from last year is finally coming to fruition, Noah.
00:52:54
Speaker
Chicho Arango is a bonafide MVP candidate right now and Diego Luna, one of my favorite, uh, one of my favorite young prospects in the league. Uh, also found the score sheet in this game. So we also like their second second place in the West right now on the goal differential tiebreaker. So, uh, Chicho Arango, that swoop for them. That's the kind of like game changer that you need from your DP spot.
00:53:22
Speaker
Yeah. And he's kind of proving to be kind of that same type of game-breaking player for RSL and that he was when he was on LAFC. So Pablo Mastrioni and company kind of finally starting to cook with gas over there. Enter Miami 3-1 over Nashville SC, Lionel Messi with three more goal contributions, two goals, one assist.
00:53:46
Speaker
Um, I really thought, I mean, Nashville had this one in the bag. They scored in like the second minute. I was, I turned this one on. So it's kind of a similar thing to what happened with inner Miami last week. They gave up a really dumb and bad early goal. It was an own goal, a really bad own goal. And immediately you hear the chatter. They can't defend. Uh, this is this team is not as good as everyone thought. I mean, they just, they, they hung three on Nashville SC who supposedly
00:54:15
Speaker
one of the best defensive teams in the league. They haven't really looked like that for most of this year so far, but they hung three on Nashville SC easily.
00:54:26
Speaker
right now. Um, but when you have, I think Suarez is also going to not play next game. Potentially. I mean, they're probably going to have to manage his minutes all season. So, you know, anytime they were rotating those guys out, they're vulnerable, but, uh, Sergio Busquets scored a goal in this game. Um, it's just, I mean, I see precious little scenario where this team isn't the supporter shield favorite and likely the MLS cup favorite pending health.
00:54:57
Speaker
Austin FC took a 1-0 victory over Houston Dynamo FC in their Copoteas rivalry match, the Texas rivalry. This was a fun 1-0. Austin got the game winner right at the end and it was a pretty entertaining game, hard fought rivalry game. And the thing I was thinking about while I was watching this game is just kind of
00:55:19
Speaker
Like rivalry soccer is so fun. Like the Sounders Cascadia rivalry match got shocked and wasn't a lot of fun, but like in general, like Austin FC, not off to a good start this year, look like a lower tier team in the league, Houston off to a very good start this year, looking like an upper tier team in the West. And just none of that stuff factors in.
00:55:42
Speaker
at all. And then, you know, when Austin scored the game winner, you know, you could feel just the excitement and the emotion that's just like different than your normal game. Yeah. It was there's some there was some good rivalry stuff going on this week between the sporting Kansas City St. Louis game and Austin FC first Houston, I just I love it. Um,
00:56:08
Speaker
Let's dive into the losers. Does that sound good? Wait, can I guess? Can I guess who's at the top of the losers? Can I guess that it might be the Seattle Sounders football club?
00:56:20
Speaker
Seattle Sounders 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, and they got two red cards. They're now 12th place in the Western Conference. You go into this game already having a difficult start to the season, but this 5-0 win over CF Montreal was still relatively recently. You had a chance if you could beat Scottish Messian Company in this game with how
00:56:43
Speaker
how good they've looked to start the year you could you maybe could have further galvanized yourselves off the heels of that game even though the the you zero zeroed out FC Dallas right after it and you pick up two red cards and lose two zero and get bammed on by Scottish Messi and Brian White. Not good. It's unfortunate that I had to bring this bit back of
00:57:10
Speaker
putting the Seattle Sounders in the losers section. But I mean, that they really, they had as clown worthy performance as any team in the league this week. And one of the most of the season, you know, like I watch most of, uh, most of these games every week, or at least, you know, I see the highlights of every single one. I mean, that was, I was up there. Yeah. That's a top five.
00:57:37
Speaker
Yeah, Chicago Fire, I mean, we hit on it 4-0 at home to Real Salt Lake. It's a new year, but it looks like the same Chicago Fire. At least they didn't blow a lead in this game, but they never had one. Real Salt Lake was up 3-0 in this game in the first half. And there was one, one of Chijo's goals in particular was on a corner kick where he was probably the most unmarked
00:58:06
Speaker
Striker I've ever seen a full time. It was a, it was a well-designed little set piece that RSL ran. Yeah. Uh, and they had Chicho, they had Chicho making a smart run, but there's just no Chicago fire defender within any distance of him. Yeah. That's terrible. It's just like, uh, it just feels like, uh, it feels like groundhog day for them, man. Like every year.
00:58:32
Speaker
People are wondering if the Chicago fire kind of turned the corner and then you see a game like yesterday and unfortunately does not look to be the case for them. Uh, and then finally I got the new England revolution again, one zero loss at Toronto FC. You know, for as down bad as the Seattle Sounders are to start this year, uh, the revs are down worse. They're one six and one.
00:58:56
Speaker
with a negative nine goal differential, four points on the season. Caleb Porter era continues to get off to a very tough start. You know, the Sounders only have the fourth fewest points in the league right now. FC Dallas and the San Jose Earthquakes each have fewer than Seattle's six points. So if there's something to take solace in, I guess there's that. You know, six points through match day 10 is still not a great haul. Yeah, no, that's bad.
00:59:26
Speaker
You're not the worst team in the league. I think the I think the revs are the worst team in the league right now with the San Jose earthquakes right there. And then I just don't know, man, like who who lost to the San Jose earthquakes? It's true. And that with every passing week in every passing San Jose earthquakes, that was for Seattle.
00:59:46
Speaker
looks like even worse. Yeah. It's like embarrassingly bad. I know. I keep saying embarrassingly, but like what else do you call that? That's like insane. And like the the quakes, it's not even like I don't think they're that injured. You know, like they're just they definitely weren't particularly injured in the Seattle game and Seattle lost that match 3-2. So it's it's it's tough out here right now. Yeah.
01:00:17
Speaker
I know what I'm going to say it. I think the revs are still worse because like going based on like goal differential, they're minus nine, but they've only scored five goals all season. Like the people want to say, oh, the Sounders haven't scored. We scored five goals in one game. The revs have scored five all season. Like that's bad. And they also lost their, uh, their CONCACAP Champions Cup series nine to two on aggregate. Yeah. And they were one of the best teams in the league, according to the athletics. So yeah, exactly.
01:00:45
Speaker
Um, all right. Well, I think we're going to call it right there for episode 29 of lobbing scorchers. Unless you have anything else, Noah, I just thank you all for, for tuning in. Subscribe, subscribe to the YouTube. Yeah. Please sub to the YouTube. Um, if you would like to become a paid subscriber and support us in that way, shout out to Greg Hoker. Uh, please feel free to do that. Although no obligation, but anyway, yeah, like I said, at the top of the show, thank you to everyone who keeps tuning into these.
01:01:15
Speaker
We have a lot of fun recording these and it's been great to see our listenership just growing and expanding. As tough as things may be for the Seattle Sounders right now, I don't know about you, but these are like cathartic for me to come on here and break it down regardless of what happens. It keeps it fun for me.
01:01:41
Speaker
even in these kind of dark times, and I hope it's having a kind of a similar effect for all of you who are listening to it out there, and we can have some fun with it despite this tough form.
01:01:57
Speaker
Anyway, much appreciated. Like, comment, subscribe, sub to the YouTube. Tell your friends. Tell Scottish Messi. Tell Scottish Messi to tune into the show. Yeah. And we'll be back next week for episode 30. 30 already? Peace.