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It's Time To Start Paul Rothrock - Ep. 21
38 Plays1 year ago
Ari and Noah break down the latest Seattle Sounders 0-0 draw to Austin FC, preview the upcoming matchup with the Philadelphia Union and talk about the winners and losers of matchday 3 in MLS.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Setup
00:00:10
Speaker
What's going on, everybody? Welcome in to episode 21 of Lobbing Scorchers. This is Ari Lilianwa. I've got producer Noah here with me. Noah, say what's up to the people.
00:00:20
Speaker
I'm just tired.
Analysis of Seattle Sounders vs. Austin FC
00:00:23
Speaker
I'm just tired. I'm just it's not gonna be the happiest of pods today Unfortunately, it's not an L pod for the Seattle Sounders But it's what I would deem a highly underwhelming draw pod for the Seattle Sounders 0-0 at home against Austin FC so
00:00:42
Speaker
We're going to have to break that all down, unfortunately. I'm not super excited to break it all down, but, you know, we don't shy away from results here at Lovings Gortures. We talk about it no matter what it is. So we're going to dive into that and then we're going to bring back the segment that we debuted on episode 20.
00:01:02
Speaker
winners and losers where we jump around the league and give some takeaways on the other results that took place throughout MLS. So we're going to throw down those takes and then I think get out of here. I don't really feel a burning need to spend a great deal of time on the Seattle Sounders this week.
Sounders' Tactical Challenges and Strategies
00:01:22
Speaker
We developed a policy last season where we would go in depth on them and always lead the show with the Seattle Sounders if they scored multiple goals in a game. I wasn't sure if I was going to carry that policy over to season two of the pod, but that's kind of how I feel this week after watching that game.
00:01:41
Speaker
Like I said, 0-0 at home against Austin FC who are, they might be the worst team in the league right now. I didn't really see much in this game. They tried to give the game away multiple times, but the Sounders refused to take that opportunity. They certainly were not overly interested in scoring a goal for themselves, which, you know, I don't necessarily fault teams.
00:02:07
Speaker
when they come to Seattle and try and do that, you know, kind of just get out of there with a scoreless draw. It's always really frustrating when a team does that to success, though, because you can always tell when that's what a team is doing. That's exactly what Austin FC was doing in this game. And they did it successfully. They got their zero zero. They got their road point. So I really can't hate on that too much. But
00:02:31
Speaker
wasn't all that fun to watch. The Sounders are now zero one and one through two games of their 2024 season, one point through two matches, and one goal, one goal scored through 180 minutes, which was a penalty kick, not from open play, a deservedly earned and well converted penalty kick. But this team still
00:02:54
Speaker
looks pretty much the same as last year on offense you know the only other team that doesn't have a goal from open play right now tell me New York City FC that's yeah that's interesting they look uh they look really bad and this is supposed to be a big uh resurgence campaign for them we might talk about you know the planets also said that it was supposed to be a big resurgence campaign for the Sounders in attack too so
00:03:17
Speaker
It's true. And OK, so let's just get into it. I tweeted after the LFC game that I was going to wait to formulate a judgment about this team until I see it with Sao Paulo and Albert Rusnak both healthy and in the lineup.
Key Players and Tactical Adjustments
00:03:30
Speaker
They were not either of those things in this game. And so I still feel that way pretty much. I think, you know, it's
00:03:40
Speaker
should surprise no one that when those two guys are missing that this team struggles on offense. It certainly doesn't surprise me to see that.
00:03:49
Speaker
However, that caveat only takes you so far when you haven't really had your full lineup since dating back to last season. And when you're in that situation, the onus is on the players and on the coaching staff to adjust and try things out that might change your fortunes a little bit. Doesn't it feel like
00:04:17
Speaker
They're kind of banging their heads against the wall, trying the same things over and over and over again to the exact same results. That's how I feel watching this team play offense. And in that vein, Noah, I guess we'll give our takes on the changes that we would make personnel wise and tactically to try and fix this offense. But I think in general, the thing that I want to say is I just want to make an appeal for something different.
00:04:46
Speaker
You know, just try try something new. I would rather have the intrigue and uncertainty of the unknown than I would watch the same thing over and over again this season that we watched last season. So until JP and Rusnak are healthy, I think there is a couple of things that you can at least try. Just try it. Just try it. OK, so I'll tell you what I would do. OK.
00:05:16
Speaker
Number one, I think this is the biggest thing for me, Noah. And this is not a bit at all. It started off as a bit. Oh, I know where this is going. It started off as a bit last season. This is not a bit. Start Paul Rothrock. Start Paul Rothrock. Start him. Start him. Just try it. He's the only one who can finish. He is the only one on this team who was scoring goals last year. OK, it was in US Open Cup play where he scored. He had a game where he scored twice. He scored twice in one
Player Performance and Lineup Suggestions
00:05:44
Speaker
game. When's the last time a sounder has scored
00:05:45
Speaker
twice I couldn't I couldn't even tell I think the last time I was thinking about this yesterday I think the last time where I was watching the Sounders play and they were really just flowing on offense and they looked like a team that could be consistently dangerous and score multiple goals in a game was Charlotte FC
00:06:03
Speaker
last year I think that's about the last time there might be a couple games in there after that that I'm not thinking of but that was that was the last time I remember watching this team and feeling like they were a an upper tier danger consistently dangerous MLS attack it's been too stagnant since then and you know
00:06:26
Speaker
Paul Rothrock, he had his two goals in US Open Cup and he scored the game winner against Houston at the desk. He is the only one
00:06:37
Speaker
who was consistently scoring goals. I understand it's very small sample size, but I think in that sample size, given the struggles that this team has had on offense, dating back to last season, it's worth just giving it a try. It's worth giving it a try. The other one is Cody Baker. Just put him in at left back.
00:07:00
Speaker
please just try it please try it okay i think of cody baker as a more defensive minded fullback than an attacking one which is how which is new who's same profile of skill set in a way but you know like when i watched cody baker play last year i thought his wide service was pretty good
00:07:21
Speaker
Um, well anything's better than new who when it comes to wide service when it comes to like just attacking full backs In general. Yeah, you know, I think like what it goes to is that The the left side of new who and leo chew is just is not getting it done so far this Oh, yeah, and it hasn't it wasn't really getting it done last year and leo chew you know, I think he's had a pretty tough start to the season and
00:07:48
Speaker
He had glimpses last game that where he looked well last game But like I think last year for all the criticism that he took at times He had a pretty good year. He had five goals eight assists. He looked like he was figuring it out a little bit but you know, it just hasn't been very consistent and
00:08:09
Speaker
I don't know. So far this year, him and Nuhua, that left side just feels like a black hole right now. Every time they start charging down that flank, you kind of know what's going to happen before it happens. Weio Chu, he's a very physically gifted player. You can see it.
00:08:30
Speaker
at times but the decision-making especially just like between the two of them when they try to combine it just feels off right now and they're not generating like any danger when they try to run the offense through that side and you know two dudes in their own world a little bit yeah and you know frankly uh the right side with the brodons it's not like they've been cooking with gas either um but
00:08:56
Speaker
You know, I think you saw a little more in the Austin game where you could make things happen when you're running it through the right side. Well, with people there, too, that that helped a lot. He was he was kind of cutting in on that side a lot. And we'll talk about him because there were a couple positives from this game. And I really think what I've seen from Pedro de la Vega through two games, there's there's you're within reason to be encouraged.
00:09:20
Speaker
by that if you want to this guy is sick um i think you can kind of tell that he hasn't fully developed uh the the chemistry with the other attackers yet as far as he's he's picking out these passes that are it's really impressive vision and just the fact that he's able to to spot guys and pick them out but
00:09:42
Speaker
It feels like they're not quite quite on the same page yet, but I think I think that will come with reps. They have pretty much no reps together. So I'm encouraged by what I've seen from him. Can I give a hot take on that? Yeah, go for it. So I think one of the big chemistry is the biggest issue. But number two, I think that a lot of these sounders players, you know, especially like someone like Obed and and and other people just kind of cycling in the middle that are
Impact of New Players and Team Adjustments
00:10:11
Speaker
Going to receive they've ever played with a player with this quality before they're not used to playing in a squad Where they need to be ready at any moment to receive a pass or he's gonna slot that pass in Basically through, you know two defenders I saw that happen a lot even with Jordan where he just was like, oh, oh shit. The ball's here like And maybe that was just from my angle or my view but I felt like he's almost like
00:10:38
Speaker
Not, not, not, um, the, the, the chemistry, it's obviously not there. It's not quite there. I do think, um, you know, as far as players that are able to pick out those passes and when they pick them out, like I do think Nico Ledero shared some of those same attributes, especially in his prime, as far as the last two years.
00:10:58
Speaker
uh not as not too as great effect but in terms of skill set i think there are similarities there but like it's an entirely different player that you have to learn their tendencies and when they're going to hit those passes when to make your runs and all that stuff so you know jordan leochu uh raul every everyone in the attacking group is going to have to learn that with Pedro de la Vega
00:11:22
Speaker
And I think that will get there. It's not quite there yet, but just, I don't know, in general, it's.
00:11:31
Speaker
I want some variability. I think if the writing is a little bit on the wall that this might be a little bit of a struggle and a slog until you get Albert Rusnak and Jaupalo back. So just start throwing stuff at the wall. I really don't want to see the left side of Nuhu and Leo Chu in Philly next week. I don't. It's not working. You might get one goal out of that through luck.
00:12:01
Speaker
I don't think you're going to generate consistent danger in the way you need to in an MLS game, mind up like that right now. And, you know, I don't want to overreact to the first two games of the season, but this goes back to last year. No, it goes back to last season. And it that game looks too much like last year. Like there's a lot of talk this off season about how with the moves that they've made,
00:12:26
Speaker
It wasn't going to be like that. And they would be able to withstand an absence or two and maintain some type of level. And no goal is at home against Austin FC. That's concerning. That's concerning to say the least, man. That was not a fun game to watch. Seattle, OK, they had four chances in this game by my count that you could credibly call good chances. All right.
00:12:50
Speaker
Leo Chiu, he had a pretty good one in the first half where he lined one up from the left side. He was inside the box and that did not miss by much. He almost cashed that. That could have been a goal. Jackson Reagan had a header off a set piece, I believe. That was just over the bar. That could have been a goal. Jackson Reagan, I want to I want to see him get a couple of goals this year. I'll say that six foot six. He's a beast in the air. You know, one of the things that made Chad Marshall so great over the years was he was such a goal threat.
00:13:20
Speaker
He could get a headed goal off of set piece at any time. I want to see Jackson Reagan develop that aspect of his game. It was good to see him get close with one, but when I look at the stat sheet at the end of the year, I want to see him with a couple on his ledger. He's a physical enough presence to be that type of player that can offer that threat.
00:13:42
Speaker
But he had that one that was right over the bar. In the second half, Josh Atencio had a header that Brad Stuver, who's a really good goalkeeper, to be fair, had to go full extension to save that. That was pretty close to being a goal. And I thought the double pivot of Atencio and Obed functioned much better defensively in this game. And I thought... I mean, that's not saying much, though. This is Austin.
00:14:08
Speaker
No, I mean, and that's true. I mean, I was I was going to bring up the defense with that caveat. But, you know, they had they had their job to neutralize them. And however much they may or may not have tried to score a goal. They did it. And but like also in in the LFC game.
00:14:28
Speaker
you didn't really get all that much in attack from that, from your, from midfield. And I thought a tensio in particular, he played, he played well in this game. Like I think if you had to give a man of the match, I would almost, I would almost, I think I would say he got me. I think that's a good choice.
Player Roles and Potential Impact
00:14:50
Speaker
So he almost scored on that header and then Rui Diaz, like in stoppage time I think, Atencio put in a cross form and found him over the top and Rui Diaz hit it about as clean as you can possibly hit it and he just absolutely blasted the crossbar.
00:15:10
Speaker
unlucky but you know it was good to see Raoul get a chance like that and hit one that clean that looked like you know how we used to yeah and I think I think if there's another positive from this game I thought Raoul looked good I was gonna bring the same thing up I was gonna say
00:15:28
Speaker
That that's one of my biggest changes that I think even just from this game and the in the previous game Raul Looks like he is a man possessed. Does that mean he should start? I don't think so. I think he's still Incredible coming off the bench, but
00:15:44
Speaker
that Jordan and Raul kind of double striker thing was playing well because Jordan was able to pull defenders and get Raul a little bit more space. It didn't seem like Jordan was as much of an attacking threat when they were both playing, but that might just be
00:16:02
Speaker
OK, here's here's my take on that. Like I think. That like if you were judging it based on what honestly gives you the best chance to score the most goals. Yeah, Raul is the starter. Oh yeah, no, I don't want Jordan to start. That's my takeaway. Not at the Jordan at the nine thing, I think.
00:16:20
Speaker
that while there might be merit to it, it hasn't worked so far. Raul looked really good in this game. The only thing is like, how many minutes can you put him on the field before he does his hammy? Yeah, like that. That's what you have to consider. And I don't know the answer to that question.
00:16:37
Speaker
In the last year or two, he has not been able to carry a large share of minutes without doing his hamstring. And that's just the reality. So I understand that there's going to be a balance with that in managing of his minutes. But based on what I saw in this Austin game, Raul's still the guy. He's still the guy if all things were equal regarding his health and how many minutes he can play. But they're not.
00:17:16
Speaker
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00:17:42
Speaker
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00:18:12
Speaker
I think with this game, I had this written down that I think he earned that job with this performance compared to, I mean, Jordan is an incredible talent, but I think it's becoming more and more clear that his wing play is so much more effective in this system, at least than anything he's ever going to do with the nine because I just.
00:18:33
Speaker
Yeah, maybe it's because you have Leo Chu on the wing like that connection worked for a minute But clearly like that, let's play a ball in over the top and get Jordan in The defenders have learned how to cover that and it's just not effective anymore. You really need a threat at the nine
00:18:50
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think you hit on it right there. I think in this system, Jordan is best served as a winger and not the nine. I agree with that. And I still think he's one of the best wingers in the league. It gives you more ways that he can hurt you because
00:19:08
Speaker
He's still got very, very good pace even with the knee injuries that he's had. He was the third fastest in week two. He's physically a beast and he's done really good work over his career in MLS being a threat from out wide and acting as a facilitator and not just a goal scorer.
00:19:33
Speaker
him and by proxy the team more multifaceted when you have him out there as opposed to up top where you know if he was if he'd been banging in goals these first couple weeks I might think about it differently but the whole team has looked so anemic on offense
00:19:49
Speaker
I feel like you just you got to change it up. You got to change it up. You got to start Paul Rothrock. I'm not joking about that. People are going to ascribe that as a bit. It's not a bit like give him a give him a chance. Unleash him. Unleash him. Unleash him like we've been saying this since last season. I even had that written down as something that I was going to talk about.
00:20:11
Speaker
I was like, dude, start Paul Rothrock. I also had Cody Bakes in my, in my changes, getting new who on a plane to Ligoon. Get him, get ready to deliver Uber Eats buddy. You're going to Ligoon. I don't know. Move on him. Uh, what else do I, what else are my hot takes? I'm just firing them off now.
00:20:30
Speaker
Yeah, there needs something new. Brian, buddy, I know the seat isn't hot for you because the Sounders will never fire a coach ever in their entire life until they're so underwater, but I think he should be feeling a little heat.
00:20:46
Speaker
The feeling in the stadium, and I know you were in the press box, so it might be a little bit different, but the feeling in the stadium is that this team is boring, this team is stale, the play is boring and stale, and here we go again. This is another season where we're gonna, you know, underperform the expectations and basically just be waiting out Raul's DP contract till we can find something new, and then hope that it all just gels together.
00:21:14
Speaker
I would I would be in that exact same boat if If it looked like this with Russnak and job hollow in the lineup We haven't seen what it looks like with them in the lineup yet. So I
00:21:27
Speaker
I just want to see that out of curiosity as much as anything. I'm open to the possibility that once those guys are in there, that maybe it will still be the exact same.
Injuries and Team Performance Concerns
00:21:41
Speaker
I tend to doubt that. I think Jalpaolo is still one of the best players in the league. I think Albert Rusnak, for however much criticism that he's taken from some corners of Sounders fandom,
00:21:50
Speaker
I think he's a provenly pretty good to really good productive MLS player that seemed to be coming into his own on this team last year. He's one of the most goal dangerous players on this team, that's for sure. For better or for worse, that's definitely true.
00:22:10
Speaker
Mainly just frustrated that we're two games into the season and we're already Doing these lineups that have two of the most important players out of them and we have to talk about these games where And now Pedro de la Vega they're mixing and matching because they're so depleted and now and now Pedro de la Vega Might have a nice hand me baby. Let's go. He came out under in the like 60 something minute and I thought that
00:22:36
Speaker
I was hoping that he was just cramping or maybe he was on a minutes limit, but then Schmidt said after the game, right, that he's MRI. So super awesome. I think I'm also nervous to like, I don't want to rule the whole plan out. I don't want to rule the whole team out, but we had a lot of punditry last year around rolled on being Christian, being the, the engine that was missing. We're missing the engine and Christian, and then he came back and they did nothing. So.
00:23:05
Speaker
Feel like I'm still seeing the same things the same issues and I'm just still nervous. I will you know what? I'm gonna be responsible as a capital J journalist and and wait it out until we can see a full-strength squad, but man I
00:23:21
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, so last year it was Christian and Raoul that were out for most of the year. And it just felt like this kind of caveat that was hanging over everything because they were never really at full strength. And then to start this year, it's the same thing, but it's with JP and Russnak. So it's frustrating. But like when you're in that situation, I do think, you know, not to belabor the point, but there comes a point where you just have to start throwing stuff at the wall.
00:23:48
Speaker
And in this case, I think Paul Rothrock is the key figure in that. That's what I would do. If I was Schmetz, which I'm not, I would unleash Paul Rothrock. But it is free advice here. Yeah. I think that's about enough on 00 at home against Austin FC, who, like I said,
00:24:11
Speaker
probably the worst team in the league. No offense, Austin fans, but I think they had they had probably sorry. The worst performance of match day one getting boat race by Minnesota United, who didn't even have a coach at home. And then in this game, they really did nothing. That much better than they did in that game, like they got outshot like 19 and nothing. There was a point in the second half where they had
00:24:40
Speaker
Literally, it was into the second half and they had 0.00 XG, which whatever you think of XG, if you have 0.00, they give you 0.01 for the most speculative non-shot that you can imagine. So that means you really, really were not doing anything on offense. Which, congratulations to Andrew Thomas on his clean sheet.
00:25:04
Speaker
Yeah. Congrats to Andy Thomas. He looks good. He didn't really have to do anything. But I think the whole defense did what they had to do in this game. You can't really blame the defense. It was just more anemic offense, unfortunately.
Preview of Upcoming Matches and Expectations
00:25:20
Speaker
And so looking ahead,
00:25:23
Speaker
The Philly Union are up next on the road, cross country to the East Coast, and we get to watch this team try and play offense against a team that's one of the best defensive teams in the league every single year and one of the best home teams in the league every single year.
00:25:39
Speaker
No, I don't really care about the result in this game because it feels like until Rusnak and JP are back It's almost like pointless to fret about yeah But like I just want to see like a different lineup tactical wrinkle Paul Rothrock Cody Baker Try something different on the left side than the new who Leo Chu combo which hasn't been working so far and
00:26:05
Speaker
See what works and if you if you lose and get your doors blown off like at least it will have been something new and Interesting to watch yeah as opposed to like if they run out that like say they run out the same 11 against Philly that they did against Austin Like I can tell you what's gonna happen before it happens like they're not they might get one goal no, but there's shot there's
00:26:31
Speaker
You cannot like maybe they get a penalty. Yeah, maybe there's like a crazy giveaway like you never know but as far as like that lineup Generating consistently dangerous offense like I don't what what evidence is there over a pretty large sample now that that's Gonna happen like I just don't see it. I would I would love to be proven wrong I've been wanting to be proven wrong on this since last year, but like we've just we've seen it. We've seen it
00:26:58
Speaker
I want to see something different. I'm hoping that the coaching staff came to the same conclusion. I think they got to be pretty tired of watching this offense, too. You know, as tired as as we, the fans all are like they we need a coach, man. We need a finishing coach.
00:27:17
Speaker
I guess you know I thought I thought the XG merchant thing was hopefully going to die this year but like it was the same thing like the XG in this game was good like yeah pretty good I think they put up like I mean I don't know it was like close to one or something right well I think like I don't know some places had them like up more towards like 1.5 1.6 which is
00:27:37
Speaker
Not like great, but not terrible. But then I saw other places that had him more like 0.9 to 1.0. So I don't know. I think and if anyone's got like a source, they really trust on that. I'm a little confused. We got to hit up. Like, yeah, like I feel like it used to be that all that data, no matter where you looked, was like roughly in the ballpark. And I feel like in the last couple years, I've been seeing like XG numbers and other stats, too, that are just way different. So anyway,
00:28:06
Speaker
I think either way like like we went over the chances like there were some pretty good ones but like it was the same thing as last year where they would get those chances and then they would never go in the Ruby Diaz one off the post is just like
00:28:18
Speaker
Like it was a it was a good it was a great ball by a tensio Raul hit it so nice if that goes in we probably feel a little bit better about everything even though I really don't think it would have like changed much in principle like the proper that if you got bailed out by like a really sick volley in stoppage time it really wouldn't have changed what the rest of the game looked like right so anyway this Philly game
00:28:43
Speaker
I don't know. If I see the starting 11 and it's the exact same as the Austin one, I don't know how much of that I can really watch, man. I feel like I've seen it too many times. I always watch. But just please start, Paul Rothrock, man. Please. I'm begging you. All right. Yeah, there's nothing more to lose. There's nothing to lose. There's nothing to lose. Just try it. Just try something. Even if it's not Paul Rothrock, try something.
00:29:12
Speaker
Try something, throw a curve ball. Brodilio did his hammy, so he's probably not playing. Well, you know, sounder.
00:29:24
Speaker
Stays lengthy. You know, I I do think I mean we were talking about Cody Baker. I think RBW even would help in this situation. Oh, yeah. He's been coming back from a hammy too. So like get some youth out there, man. Like there's times in these games where it looks like, you know, even even like Alex and Christian and Jordan, they just don't even give a shit some of the time. Like they're just they're not as hungry as some of those young guys. And like when you're already like just lackluster in
Team's Transitional Phase and Future Directions
00:29:54
Speaker
front of goal,
00:29:54
Speaker
Yeah, put put Paul Rothrock out there and let him cook. Yeah, I think it's almost you kind of brought up like an even deeper discussion of You know when when you have a core that's been together as long as this team has and that's one as much as they have like I've kind of gotten the feeling over the last year or so that the the CCL win was almost like the the Mecca the apex and
00:30:19
Speaker
Yeah, for this core and they really haven't gotten those vibes back since then and you know a lot of that is due to injuries like you have to take that into account, but it's interesting to think about like the potential psychological component of it and like
00:30:34
Speaker
how hungry can you can you still be when you've already reached the mountaintop so i think that is it's impossible to say and really answer that question but it's something to think about and it's certainly something for uh craig wybes to think about um i was told that uh i was calling him craig waves on the last episode it's weibel craig wybes quick craig wybes craig wybes
00:31:00
Speaker
Craig Wives might want enough to think about that if... We hate pronouncing things right here. It's true, yeah. Wave is the king of the month mispronunciation. Correct. Anyway... Yeah, I would love to see... I think I'm in the same boat. Honestly, I think I'm just committed to the fact that we are in transition and have been in transition as a club. You know, the bit is like, here's to the next 50, right? The 50 years of the sound, you know, the sounders being around.
00:31:27
Speaker
I think that's true. I think that it's transition. I think that transition is really kind of painful unless you're a team like apparently Miami who can just sign God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.