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We Are So Back - Ep. 15
37 Plays2 years ago
Ari and Noah talk about the latest Seattle Sounders FC DUB against Austin FC and preview the Portland Timbers rivalry match.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Setup
00:00:10
Speaker
What's going on, everybody? Welcome in, finally, to episode 15 of Lobbing Scorchers. I think that's the right number. One of those. Yeah, if that's not the right number, I'm not going to correct it. This is Ari Lillianwall. I've got producer Noah here with me. Noah, say what's up to the people.
Return from Break and Sounders Excitement
00:00:30
Speaker
Man, we came out of hibernation. We're back. And the Sounders won.
00:00:35
Speaker
Yeah, we came back for a dub pod, which is great timing on our part. It's good to be back. I think we're both actually excited to talk about this team. For once. For our return episode. Apologies on the delay on getting this one out. We haven't been able to get our shit together last week or two here. But we're getting back on the grind. We're back in action.
Listener Interaction and Schedule Reminders
00:01:02
Speaker
I appreciate everyone, you know, every time I've fallen off schedule a little bit, a few of you loyal listeners out there will needle me on Twitter, and that's good. I actually appreciate that. If you ever notice us falling off schedule, I'm totally fine with that.
00:01:15
Speaker
Make sure to at me, because it's usually my fault. At Noah, at me, at whoever makes us feel good to know that we're missed if we get off our schedule. We love all of you. We love all of you.
Seattle Sounders Game Preview
00:01:29
Speaker
We're glad to be back. We're going to be talking to some Seattle Sounders today, and there's a lot to talk about.
00:01:35
Speaker
there's a dub pod there's a timbers game coming up that i'm actually going to miss unfortunately me too it's yeah it's weird uh i would never uh miss one of these but uh i'm gonna be out of town but uh uh you know i'll be keeping close tabs on that and we're gonna talk uh we're gonna preview that so we'll talk about that later in the show
Sounders vs. Austin FC Recap
00:01:55
Speaker
But I think we're going to spend most of this episode dub-botting. I think we're going to talk about this 2-1 victory over Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. Always a good bit, taking a dub at Q2. Last time they did it, they did it with the youngest starting 11 in MLS history, famously, as we all remember. Famously. So this one didn't have quite that novelty, but it was a good dub.
00:02:20
Speaker
in an interesting lineup. Yeah, an interesting lineup, a different lineup, which is what I liked about it. There was actually some tweaks going on. I think a lot of that was due to just the actual need for a squad rotation with fixture congestion. Who knows? If the schedule hadn't been as such, maybe Schmetz would have just run it back again. But he made some tweaks. They paid off. The squad got a dub. But before we dive fully into that,
League's Cup Disappointment
00:02:48
Speaker
Well, we'll have to give you the prelude and set up what happened leading up to this game because I believe last time we recorded was around the league's cup debacle. I can't remember exactly how far we got into that. But I mean, I think we all know that leagues cup didn't pound pen out very well. The squad shipped seven goals in two games. Incredible morale was low.
00:03:11
Speaker
And they didn't look much better than that, to be honest, in the return to league play against Atlanta United. That was a 2-0 loss at Looming Field. And Gonzo Panetta got his revenge. Ozzie Alonzo got his revenge. Carth Longaway got his revenge. It was a full-on attack. It was a boat racing perpetuated by a score of former Sounders that
Sounders' Struggle Against Atlanta and Minnesota
00:03:39
Speaker
well they settled the score pretty comfortably in that game and you know as low as morale was in League's Cup I think it actually dipped even lower after that Atlanta game because the whole thing with that game was they had you know we have three weeks off we're gonna we're gonna get back on the training ground
00:03:59
Speaker
We're going to iron out the fine points. We're going to figure out what works. We're going to shift this shift that we're going to get this thing back on track. We just need these three weeks off to to get it together. And then they came out at Lumen field against Atlanta. They were trying to find themselves. They tried to find themselves.
00:04:17
Speaker
They did not in that game that not only did they not look like they solved anything in that game. They actually looked worse on offense, I think. I mean, I don't know. It's been pretty tough. It had been pretty tough sledding on offense for a long time. I mean, I don't blame you. I don't. I mean, I was I was there working it. So I couldn't do that.
00:04:40
Speaker
but anyone who did I don't blame you at all. That's how kind of discouraging that was. But then they started this two game road swing at Minnesota United at Austin FC and
00:04:57
Speaker
I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. My expectations were not particularly high. We've seen a lot of lethargic, uninspired play in attack for a pretty long sample size leading up to this. They had the Atlanta game at home.
00:05:15
Speaker
actually managed to backslide in that game. So I'm looking at a trip to Allianz field against a Minnesota United team that hasn't played well at Allianz. They weirdly have like a two, two and six record there now. But you know, it's still it's a tough road. They sound like the sounders.
00:05:34
Speaker
Yeah, well there but even like like even weirder
Challenges in Scoring and Offense
00:05:38
Speaker
splits. Yeah, like Seattle's at least one six home games Minnesotan United has won two home games all year, which that's crazy for them to like they're still treading water close to the playoff line because they've been pretty good on the road But two two and six at home like that's crazy
00:05:55
Speaker
So I guess you know if there was a reason for optimism going into that game that would have been it but I was looking at that and I was like I don't really You know score multiple goals in the game score multiple goals in the game and maybe you'll win it But if it's just the same thing same lineup same tactics we've seen on offense
00:06:18
Speaker
don't really know why that would happen and That turned out to be right. It was actually pretty funny how that game turned out Seattle took the lead they scored a goal they scored first they went up 1-0 in the first half and The man who scored it was you know the guy that we've all been saying needs to start carrying the offense the the prime attacker that
00:06:43
Speaker
When you need a goal, it's the guy that you always turn to. And that guy is Yamar. The center back, the GOAT number nine of the 2023 Seattle Sounders came through with a really good goal, actually. All joking aside, that was a really sick header.
00:07:04
Speaker
Listen, I'm not gonna say that our fans are the smartest of all of the punditry Podcasts, but we did have a question that asked is a more the best defender in the league And I don't know but he's for sure the best attacker on the sounder's roster He might be I mean, you know, I was joking on Twitter after he scored that you know, just start him up top at this point Why not? What do you have to lose?
00:07:30
Speaker
He snapped that header in better than I've seen any sounder strike or do it this year So, you know, yeah more scored that goal and that was great. You know, I'm not gonna take anything away from that It was good to see them score a goal after they didn't do that against Atlanta but you know, I can't really look at that and be like, oh well
00:07:56
Speaker
This is the answer on offense. Yamar scoring goals. Congratulations. Your center back scored a goal. That's not necessarily what I would say is a sustainable way to be generating offense going forward or in the playoffs. And the game itself also didn't look much different than anything that we've seen as far as were they able to consistently generate chances and look dangerous, get that XG up?
00:08:25
Speaker
they were really worried they weren't really doing much of that. But they were holding on to the one zero lead into the second half. And so I mean, at that point, I'm thinking, okay, can they
00:08:41
Speaker
just see this out because i don't it's not like i have all that much confidence that they're gonna score another goal so it's kind of about can you see it out to one zero and turns out that they couldn't uh... because the game are scored again he scored again he had a brace he had a break or two goals in the game unfortunately the second one he scored was an own goal for minnesota united uh...
Defensive Challenges and Low Expectations
00:09:02
Speaker
you win some you lose some unfortunate a little unlucky i mean i
00:09:07
Speaker
He's just trying to clear out a free kick from Reynoso into the box and that I mean Most times he flicks that header. It's not gonna go straight into the goal So they I mean they they they did a good job to hold Minnesota to one goal But you know thinking back right now as I talk about it about that Minnesota game. They were under pressure a lot and
00:09:32
Speaker
Like they probably, I mean, they did get lucky to not lose that game. But they, I mean, they, you know, credit to them. They, they saw it out and they, they got a road draw that under normal circumstances, one, one at Minnesota is not a terrible result, but like with where this team is at, especially on offense.
00:09:52
Speaker
Uh, it didn't, it didn't really, it felt lucky and it didn't feel like a morale boost needed to be in the form of a multi-goal game where they look better on offense, signs of progress. Uh, and I, I didn't really come out of the, that Minnesota game feeling like that really.
00:10:09
Speaker
I felt like I had pretty much watched a similar game that I've been watching for the last six to eight weeks or however long this offensive has gone on. It's been a long time now. And so that left morale
00:10:27
Speaker
pretty low, I would say, going into the Austin game. I don't know. Did you have high expectations for that game? I don't think any people did. I didn't want to watch it. I had the Miami game on, and I was like, all right. I was toggling. I was toggling. I was like, you know, give me a little messy. This is way more interesting than me having to watch Sebastian Derusi bang in a brace to beat the Sounders and, I don't know, hit a Fortnite emote or something. And I think that's fair. I can't say that I felt all that much differently, to be honest. Yeah.
00:10:57
Speaker
Um, but they won. They did. They won the game. So we're going to talk about that. Yeah. Great win. Thank you for listening to the sound art podcast network, which now includes no sunny at this lobbing scorchers and the cooler guild. We've been independent since August of 2023.
00:11:22
Speaker
but 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.
00:11:38
Speaker
If you're able to support us at higher levels, starting at $75 a year, you gain access to a host of other perks, most notably entry into our Members Only Discord, where the smartest,
Victory Against Austin FC
00:11:49
Speaker
funniest, and most engaged commenters share their thoughts and ideas. To find out more, just visit centeratheart.com and click the subscribe button in the top right corner. Thanks for listening.
00:12:08
Speaker
It was actually a good win. It was actually a good win much needed sorely needed Just so badly needed and you know, I'm not even gonna qualify it, you know Did they look amazing on offense? No, but you know Signs of progress. Okay, Rome wasn't built in a day. All right, you gotta take baby steps here. So It was a bit of a
00:12:32
Speaker
a grinded out game where they withstood a lot of pressure again at times. Was it still like pulling teeth a little bit in attack for pretty lengthy stretches of it? I would say so. Yes.
00:12:47
Speaker
They had they had one even XG. I think that pretty much matched the eye test. Yeah, so They're not like out of the woods based on this dub is what I'm saying like there's there's still a lot of Progress to be made if they actually want to make a run this year But listen like right now a dub is a dub a road dub is definitely a road dub three points is three points I'm not really gonna I'm not gonna like take anything away from it just because the performance wasn't incredible and in fact
00:13:17
Speaker
I think a game like Stephen Fry was talking about this after the game, but I think a game like this where it's difficult circumstances on the road and they're still not playing their greatest, but they actually put it in and get the dumb in the way that they did.
00:13:35
Speaker
Is it beneficial type of dub maybe not as much I think it would have been very Cathartic and even better if they had just boat raced him 3-0 off the field and the offense looked amazing and all that obviously that would have been ideal But I do think there's something to be said for a dub that they got in the way that they got it So let's talk about that
00:13:56
Speaker
There was a few lineup tweaks to this game like I said that was born out of the necessity for squad rotation But as much as I thought they're not as much as as some people wanted to see But there was enough where when the starting 11 came out. I was like, okay like
00:14:14
Speaker
There's there's probably more a couple more changes. Yeah, I would have made just given the scheduling honestly right as much as anything But when I spoke when I saw the starting 11 That had Josh attention in it. He's he's free. He's free. Where the fuck? Oh my god. Where's he been? I don't know the the
00:14:35
Speaker
The banishment of Josh Atencio has been something that I think has been bothering a lot of people for a while now, and it's been bothering me. Josh Atencio got hurt in like, May. He hasn't been hurt for a while. Before he got hurt, he was playing well, you know? He scored one of the best goals anyone on this team has scored all season. He's got half the goals that A-Bears got. Like, where's he at?
00:14:56
Speaker
He, uh, his skill set also is pretty necessary. There was this, he's young. There was that one stretch where Obed Vargas had started like seven games in a row with, with JP. And it's like, you know, Obed, it's nothing against what Obed has done this year. I think he's playing all right. I don't think he's played so well that I'm like, you got to write him in pen. Anytime that, uh, Rusnak pushes higher or you got to rotate JP or something like it's gotta be,
00:15:26
Speaker
Obed like and I think Josh attention to my mind at least
00:15:32
Speaker
He seemed like he earned at least some of those minutes. Schmetz had a quote about it the other day where he was alluding to like, Josh still has stuff. We're maybe not seeing enough in training exactly what we want. I don't know, man. I feel like it got to the point where you got to just start throwing stuff at the wall and see what sticks. And with how long of a period of time we're talking about, just nothing on offense,
00:15:58
Speaker
I would have liked to see Josh Atencio out there sooner. I was really glad, really glad to see him in this lineup. And I think he paid that off. He played great. Oh, he took his shot. He did. He did. I don't have all the numbers in front of me. I probably should have. But if you break down all the stuff that people, with passing completion percentage and forward progressive passing and work rate stuff like that, he put it in.
00:16:25
Speaker
and I test for sure I test for sure and the team look better the team I don't know I just don't know why I wasn't playing earlier it's not Christian Roldan who's the glue it's Josh attention you could be it could be in a row I hope this inspire Smith to give our boy Josh some some freedom and it's because I mean I free him
00:16:48
Speaker
Whatever he said to Schmetzer could like you got to get over it. I'm sorry Brian must have did something I love you hot damn, but you know I'm glad the whole freezing out Josh attention thing is over that was annoying and he played in this game He played well team looked better with him on the field RBW Also started in this game Ethan Dobby also started off game And I thought they both did well they didn't
00:17:16
Speaker
They didn't look like incredible game changers. These guys are really going to move the needle. That's a good shout actually. I kind of forgot about that. I was wondering where Cody Baker was. Well, you know, I actually don't mind giving RBW the start there because I think he's got more upside as a prospect. I think Cody Baker has the floor, RBW has the ceiling.
00:17:38
Speaker
So yeah when you're at this point where? You got to throw some stuff at the wall like you could make the argument for Cody Baker there And I wouldn't have I wouldn't have argued with it, but I don't mind RBW right there I think he's better at that wing back position. He's got he's got those He's got that dynamic kind of attacking ability that Cody Baker Cody Baker is more the bulldog That's gonna mess you up on defense. Yeah, which is great, and I love that about him
00:18:07
Speaker
but I also you know I want to see RBW get his run too because I mean RBW like you see these reports and it's like he's being scouted by Manchester United Barcelona Manchester City you're like whoa where the like I mean not like he's a good prospect don't get me wrong but like I don't I don't I don't know if I
00:18:27
Speaker
You know scouts no more than I do But like if you if I hadn't seen those reports and you asked me like should he be getting? Scouted by all these like top clubs in the world like I just I don't know if I would have said that is all I'm saying But like that's why I want to see him get run because I want to see like him get the minutes to show that He has that upside that all these European scouts seem to think he does so it was good to see him out there I'd like to see him out there more and
00:18:55
Speaker
Yeah, but it was good that Alex rolled on got that rest and you know another an RD RBW was one of the ones that started and Josh attention and Ethan Dobbler maybe the last year at the five teenagers game, so it was good to see him go. It's a good bit Just go into Q2 and winning with a bunch of 17 to 19 year olds like that's funny every time I'm down for them to do that I'm done for them to do it again
00:19:22
Speaker
So it was just good to see a different lineup even if it was just squad rotation and
00:19:30
Speaker
Good to see the young guys get a run. Jordan Morris started up top in place of Raul Rui Diaz. This was an interesting one because, you know, I don't know if you've seen these Noah, but Schmetz has been giving some like more, how would I describe it? Kind of, he's kind of shed more light than usual onto kind of the issues that he's facing with the number nine position and how they've gotten zero production out of it.
00:19:52
Speaker
And he hasn't been throwing Raul under the bus, I wouldn't say, but he did say, he told Senator Hart, he was like, look, I mean, I'm at the point where if we're not getting production from that spot, we're gonna have to try different stuff there.
Key Performances in Austin FC Game
00:20:09
Speaker
And if that means sitting Raul, that's what I'm gonna do.
00:20:26
Speaker
732 minutes, I think. That's insane. For an elite striker, that's insane. Because usually with an elite striker, it's a gradual decline. This seems instantaneous. Like the Charlotte game, he was like normal. Remember that? He was like normal Raul banging in goals. And then ever since then, he hasn't scored.
00:20:41
Speaker
And I mean, I think we might have been past that point, at least as far as like trying something different, at least for a game.
00:20:46
Speaker
So Jordan Morris got the start up top in this game banked in a sick goal. That was a very sick goal We're gonna talk about that goal. But uh, I you know, I thought that uh the whole idea of Trying the way out you Jordan Morris thing again that really cooked earlier in the season Yeah, they got they had a the four goal game in sporting Kansas City where they'll chew assisted on all four and Jordan Morris scored all four and
00:21:14
Speaker
That seems like it was like five years ago. That sounds like last season at this point. I didn't mind. I didn't mind giving that a run. See if you can recapture that magic. So they didn't they didn't really recapture that exact magic. But Jordan Morris scored a great goal. And that's kind of a good segue into the game that Nico Adero had in this game. That was vintage Nico out there. He really like
00:21:43
Speaker
I've been saying that Nico, I don't think he's as like washed as a lot of people seem to be saying he is. Nico has been putting it in. And like Schmidt said, after the game, it's not like you can ever quit question his fitness or his effort or his desire.
00:22:00
Speaker
All that stuff is still there Is he is he playmaking at the level that he needs to be in recent weeks No, I think he would be the first to tell you that I think there's probably more factors As to why that's the case then just you know simply writing it off as he's declining as a player You know, I think
00:22:25
Speaker
They can't lean on him 90 minutes every single game, week in, week out, game in, game out like they used to. I think that's what this last stretch of games has kind of shown us. But I mean, the old man, this was a game where Nico Lidero was kind of saying, OK, you want to say that I'm washed? Yeah.
00:22:49
Speaker
Did you forget who I am? Yeah. Watch me work. Watch me run this spin cycle. Watch me run this spin cycle. Watch me run around the whole damn game like I used to. I can still do this. And that was kind of cool to see from Niko. Because one of the great things about watching him over the years is he's such a great competitor. His will to win is second to none as far as DPs that have played for this team. And that's never changed.
00:23:17
Speaker
And that's never changed. Even when times are tough. Through this tough stretch, you could see it weighing on him on the field, and that's where he starts pressing and trying to do too much. I think that's what got him into trouble over this last stretch, but I don't think it was about...
00:23:36
Speaker
As far as a physical decline goes for Nico Ledero I mean I just don't I don't see that in the way that some people are saying that there is like he's probably as far as players that I've covered on the team the guys as much of a freakish physical specimen as I've ever been around like it's it's it's amazing to watch him work just because of you know how good a carry takes of his body and yeah just how it is like the physical fitness on him like if you always look at how much he runs every game it's crazy
00:24:08
Speaker
So it was a great Nico game the dime he put in on that set piece goal that Jordan Morris scored was such a good pass that was that was one of his better passes like certainly of this season and like when you're
00:24:24
Speaker
We were talking about the pantheon of great Nico Ledero dimes like damn that was a good one because there was such little space. Yeah, yeah, it was dropping a bucket. It was a drop in a bucket like to for Jordan to have a chance to to score that like from that angle like marked as heavily as he was like the pass has to be literally perfect like there's no other spot that ball can be and all Jordan had to do was
00:24:51
Speaker
put his foot out and redirect it and it knocks off Brad Stuver and right into the goal. That's one zero. So I'm sitting there looking at that. I'm like, OK, you know, they got a goal there. I had one zero again. Awesome.
00:25:10
Speaker
You know, not to give a caveat, though, but I mean, it was a set piece goal. So that's great. But, you know, I keep looking for stuff that's like sustainable and repeatable and set pieces. There's a lot of variance. It's very random. You can't really bank on them usually unless you're a team that's hyper elite at them, which I would not necessarily describe Seattle this year as that.
00:25:34
Speaker
So it was great to see the goal. But as far as how they looked on offense to that point, I mean, I felt like I was I was watching a lot of the same stuff. I won't lie to you. Austin FC. Austin FC is pretty bad.
00:25:53
Speaker
That's not a very good team. And their fan base, they got real hot and bothered when people pointed out all the underlying numbers that suggested that they got a little lucky and were over performing last year. And they said, look at the table, the results are the only thing that matters.
00:26:17
Speaker
And then this year, I mean, you kind of see why, like, when you have, they had crazy underlying number, I know you hate this Noah, but like last year it was actually like a really notable spread of, they overperformed their XG by like double digit goals. And then they also, their expected goals allowed, they like allowed like 10 or something less than that.
00:26:44
Speaker
It's just one of those things where when you look at that, you can be like, okay, that's fraudulent. They're not going to be able to carry that over for another full season. And it was, I wasn't like the only one who thought that, like a lot of people were looking at that and saying that, and that panned out pretty much to a T.
00:27:01
Speaker
They they did manage to tie it up, though. But actually, before we talk about that, we have to talk about the funniest play of this game. There's a very, very funny play in this game. Not very funny to Austin F.C. fans, but it was funny to me. They were the Seattle was still ahead one zero and Emmanuel Ragoni had a free header on goal. Stephen Fry reaches back and pause that thing out of there and.
00:27:31
Speaker
It was ruled a save, and Austin FC is frantically arguing that the ball crossed the line. Now, there's a lot of salty Austin FC fans about this play.
00:27:47
Speaker
They were they were going off on their official main Twitter account Posting like these screenshots and then the clip of it and then they had an it they had an angle I think that the VAR officials didn't have where and they're posting this like it was like a dunk that Proved that the ball went in and that it should have been a goal and their fans were replying to it after the game They were saying protest the game protest it
00:28:14
Speaker
and get us a point out of this because that goal should have counted. Not how it works. They were going full Charlie Day. They were, yeah, they were. They were literally going full Charlie Day on this. Okay.
00:28:28
Speaker
the angles that they were posting like I'm sorry I hate to break this to you Austin FC Twitter I don't know if any of you listen to lobbying scorchers probably not but the angles that they were posting and that you were all talking about they don't show that that ball across the line I get that you're using the post as the reference point in the end line is
00:28:47
Speaker
is theoretically like right in line with that. So that's what it looked like. But just to explain the rule to some people that I mean, it seems like you guys don't get it. I mean, you'll probably be talking about how you know the rule and that it was a conclusive angle. But like, that whole ball has to be fully across the line for that to be a goal. If there's any part of that ball that is above any part of that end line,
00:29:12
Speaker
then that's a save and it's not a goal. So the post isn't your reference point there. It's the very last part of that end line. So did it cross that? I think it's more likely than not
00:29:27
Speaker
that it did, but you definitely can't say that definitively from the angles that we're working with. None of the angles that they posted on Twitter showed that definitively either way. It's a really close play, I'm not gonna lie. I think if they had ruled it to go on the field, I wouldn't have been able to argue that either. But the idea that
00:29:54
Speaker
That was fully, fully, clearly and obviously definitive based on the angles that VAR had and based on these like screenshots and clips that Austin FC's official Twitter were posting. Like you can't like you can't tell. You can't tell. It's not clear and obvious. That whole ball has to be over and like showing that. It was past the post like doesn't prove that, I guess, is what I'm saying. So
00:30:26
Speaker
You know it was it was it was a good save by Steph and I thought it was funny how mad they got about that like I mean I get being frustrated but like you really you honestly can't tell if the whole ball was over.
Austin FC's Defensive Issues
00:30:39
Speaker
I'm also watching this clip right now and the like where their camera is in proportion to
00:30:47
Speaker
like it's basically an optical illusion because you have the line on the ground and you have a vertical post it's going to appear as though it's past the post but it's not going to be over the line completely does that make sense or it may or may not be yeah may or may not like
00:31:04
Speaker
You can't you can't tell from that angle that they posted So like I mean another thing is look I'm glad I get to say this about another team because no I feel like you and I have actually been Consistent on this this year and we made this point about the Sounders a lot of times So it's gonna feel good to say this about another team like you can't hang your hat on 50-50 calls like that in this game
00:31:27
Speaker
You can't if you're leaving your fate Up to a borderline call that could go either way You don't really have anyone but yourself to blame or just bad luck You could blame bad luck, but you really have no one but yourself to blame if it goes against you That's a really really really close play. Mm-hmm
00:31:52
Speaker
Steph Frye, pawed that out of there. And Drew Fisher, the ref, I don't think he had a great game. I have my own complaints about how Drew Fisher officiated this game at times. I mean, that's pretty hard to see. I don't really. Without the goal line technology, what are you supposed to know? If Austin FC fans have made a fair point in this saga on this play,
00:32:21
Speaker
It's that we should have goal on tech. I agree with that. Why not? I agree with that. I'm cool with that. I'm not against goal on tech goal on tech would have solved that. Yeah, but especially give it to the bar. Fuck it. Yeah. So yeah, yeah, they should we should have goal on tech to avoid situations like this. Yeah, that's that's true. But as far as you know, saying you're going to protest the game to try and get to try and get a road or not a road point a point out of it like
00:32:48
Speaker
Protest and just don't play. Protest to your team for being below the playoff line, man. Protest your team for allowing how many 90th minute goals? Yeah, exactly. Austin FC has much bigger issues than one play where a ball may or may not have gone across the end line. There's larger stuff at play for Josh Wolf and company to be worried about than that one play.
00:33:15
Speaker
I watched Josh Wolf's presser after the game and you know to his credit he actually wasn't as salty as I he was salty don't get me wrong and he was talking about how they need goal on tech and all that and he was he was very clearly trying to frame it like yeah like we got kind of screwed
00:33:30
Speaker
because like that should have been a goal so it really should have been 2-2 but i guess that's my other point is like okay let's assume that you had your goal line tech or that that was ruled a goal like you're saying it should have you would have had a 2-2 against a vastly struggling team at home when you're below the playoff line and you need all three points in every game to get above it that's not a good result either either that's a
00:33:54
Speaker
pretty bad result it would have taken it from a terrible result which is what they got to a pretty bad result so that wouldn't have really solved much for you guys maybe would have made you feel better but like
00:34:07
Speaker
I would be worried about other stuff if I was an Austin S.T. fan. Listen, what is it that I always say? We don't listen to these made up stats like XG to determine how a game went. And we don't listen to these made up scenarios like blaming what could or would or should have happened.
00:34:26
Speaker
You made your bed, you gotta lie in it. Quit conceding in the 90th minute. That seems like a thing that should be pretty easy. There's a lot going on in that take. I agreed with some of it, disagreed with other parts of it. But no, I mean, I think your larger point stands.
00:34:46
Speaker
They have made a habit out of conceding goals like the one we're going to talk about next all season. That's why they are where they are on the table. And really, their squad to me, it seems it's it's just it's Drusier bust like they they're poorly built. They don't have like they were starting Jiaxi in this game. You know,
00:35:06
Speaker
I'm I don't I'm not one of those guys that is constantly taking shots at G.I.C. I think you know I always I was always a G.I.C. defender when he was on the national team like I thought he was fine you know I enjoyed it yeah you know every time he scored a goal it was a good bit because USMNT hate Twitter hates him so much so it was kind of like I supported his career based on that but like he was George Moore's ally if he's your starting number nine for as an MLS club in 2023
00:35:34
Speaker
Like, that's not great. Will Bruin, shout out Will Bruin. He came on later. Yeah, that's right. Which is like a classic Will Bruin moment. Oh man, you could tell he wanted that one. He wanted to get Steph on that one because they've gone at it at Starfire so many times. But like the point is like the rotation of Geossi and Will Bruin in 2023
00:35:55
Speaker
Like those guys are good depth forwards but like and then and then maxi Rudy is like the other one Yeah, it's like that's the sickest group of MLS number nines ever. Yeah in 2015 That's one problem with their squad but then they they also this is just becoming just like a trash on Austin FC segment But I'm kind of down with it because yeah fuck them their fans were kind of pissing me off We're gonna cook on it
00:36:20
Speaker
They also I mean the way that they can see goals is like they're like Another version of the Chicago Fire like they concede really bad goals. They concede late goals all the time exhibit a in this game Julio Cascante on his own that guy if you if you need it if you're a struggling attack in MOS as the Seattle Sounders have been hit up Julio Cascante in Austin FC though. They'll give you one I was another part of Josh wolves presser after the game and
00:36:49
Speaker
was so he actually got pretty grilled pretty hard like the Austin FC media it's kind of sick like they actually put his feet to the fire a little bit I don't know if they're just sick of watching that team or if there's some kind of like animosity that's been festering there but they had this one guy who was he was really using the presser to cook and he was letting Josh Wolf have it a little bit and at one point he's like he's like Josh this is literally I'm not I'm paraphrasing a little bit but this is pretty much what he said he's like Josh
00:37:19
Speaker
I have all, we have all this data on Julio Cascante that like he's basically just been shipping goals like it's his job. He's busting out, he's like, he conceded this goal, this goal, it's been like five straight goals. Why is he still starting basically was the question and Josh Wolf was like, he was pretty much like, I mean, that's not a bad point, like,
00:37:46
Speaker
You know, I support Julio, but he doesn't have to start every game. And bro is trying to get a job out there. I know. But like, I mean, I did think it was interesting. It seems like that Josh Wolf's seat might be warm and warm in the press. It wasn't even fans hate. It wasn't even just the Kaskantek guy lit him up for like three or four questions. And then there was another another woman that was lighting him up a little bit.
00:38:14
Speaker
So he he was taking heat at the presser. I thought that was tight. I'm always I'm always down to watch coach get grilled like that. And there's only like so many points of the season where it gets to that point. And they're there in Austin.
00:38:30
Speaker
So that was fun. I enjoyed that. It's good to see two teams in the mud. Scrap it out. Nice little mid off. I actually had another take that I missed on this outline. You're going to like this. You're going to like this. It's good. So we were talking about the goal that Rigoni thought that he scored. They all thought that he scored it and they didn't. Okay, so check out this take like low key.
00:38:56
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not sure that the one Drew UC scored went in. I don't mind them ruling that a goal. Like there was nothing conclusive to say that it didn't, but I watched the replay. I'm just saying, I'm just saying like, he got his, he got his foot to that.
00:39:12
Speaker
And like what's God so it would have been really funny is like there's a scenario where they could have ruled that set fry saved that and When I watched the replay you can't really tell like it's definitely possible that the ball is still touching the line when when Steph Fry clears it so it would have been fucking hilarious
Albert Rusnak's Game-Winning Goal
00:39:31
Speaker
and
00:39:31
Speaker
Yeah, is if that if they're not even VA art it but just like they hadn't ruled it to go on the field and then they're like Well, we can't clear and obviously change it and so they had like they would have thought that they had gotten robbed on that Twice in that game and that they should have won the game. God that would have been but
00:39:51
Speaker
As it stands, Driosi scored that goal off a set piece. Albert Rusnak took the blame for it after the game. A lot of people thought Nuhu had some fault in that, too. But they've been conceding these goals off set pieces. The Minnesota one was a set piece, too, so they've got to stop that.
00:40:09
Speaker
Stop that. Cut it out. Cut it out. Stop conceding set piece goals. Schmetz said he knows it's an issue, so they're going to work on that. Get back to the training ground. Get back on the training ground. Three more weeks for winter. They're going to drill that. They're going to stop conceding set piece goals, hopefully. I don't know. We don't know what to play. We don't know, but they conceded that one. I'm not, but Austin fans, I'm not saying that
00:40:33
Speaker
That goal shouldn't have counted. That was probably... I am. I'm saying it. They deserved to concede on the play because they gave Sebastian Driosi a clean look on goal. When you're game planning for Austin FC, that's pretty much like the one thing that you need to not do is concede a clean look on goal to Sebastian Driosi. So they deserved to concede that goal. 1-1.
00:40:54
Speaker
and I was 1-1 all the way until the 90th minute and you know it's crazy how fast narratives can flip because I didn't think they were gonna score again and if it had been 1-1 there I would have been like okay two points out of six from this road trip not that great offense looked a little better in Austin than it did in Minnesota and versus Atlanta but like
00:41:17
Speaker
not like really I don't know a bear was out there fighting a bear was out there racking up XG racking up stacking on he was stacking the other they scored a couple goals but one was scored by a center back the other was off a set piece like okay so that's kind of I mean that's where my mind was at watching that game in the 90th minute and then
00:41:48
Speaker
One man, boom, boom, boom, put the city on his shoulders.
00:41:58
Speaker
and scored a game-winning goal which gave the Seattle Sounders multiple goals in a game which is not something that has happened very much over the last two months Albert Rusnak big play man big play that's the type of play that can save a season I'm not saying it's going to but
00:42:20
Speaker
When the vibes have been as down as they've been lately, and you just need to win by any means necessary so badly. Yeah. Burt. Burt stepped up. Burt. Burt stepped up. Shout out Burt. Burt, you know.
00:42:35
Speaker
Uh, getting this stock up before we trade. We're on record. We've been on record as Probert on this podcast. A lot of people are down on bird because they're designed as a, they don't know ball. Well, I mean, okay. They don't know ball. They don't know ball as far as like, if they're trying to argue that, uh,
00:42:54
Speaker
he isn't a talented or good player but like I can respect questioning the signing itself in the sense that the way that they've been using him is not really to his strengths so it's like if you were going to use him as a holding mid
00:43:15
Speaker
Why would you not just sign a DP holding mid? Why would you sign a DP number 10 who I thought could play out wide? But apparently, that's really not where they want to play him. So why would you sign him if he plays the same position as one of your other DPs and then you have to play him out of position? That's a fair point. That's a fair point. My counterpoint to that is that they made the signing.
00:43:42
Speaker
with an ITCL and they want it. So that I mean, that's the end of the discussion to me as far as like if signing him to begin with was a bad idea. They want CCL off it and a story. But I do get why it's frustrating to watch a player who ostensibly plays and excels at one position be put in another and then the team struggling like this and you're like, well, what is this? What are we doing?
00:44:08
Speaker
What's what's happening? Why is he playing holding mid? Well, we have Ledero at 10. Well, why are they both on the rosters DP? You know, I know these are all points that I've made myself but Saying all that like
00:44:22
Speaker
That was a big bird goal, man. That was a big bird goal. Burn it nine. A lot of that play had to do with Nico Lidero. He won the ball, did a little interchange with new. He gives it to new who gives it back to him. Nasty cross into the box. Julio Cascante did his thing. I don't know. Oh, God. That poor guy, man. He was trying to cook, but he couldn't quite
00:44:51
Speaker
I mean I can't really tell you what cuz content was trying to do he was I mean he's trying to clear it but he he went low to do so but I don't know why didn't just kick it like he went he went he went low and headed it right and You know, I mean I'll have to watch the replay again. Maybe he had some reason for like trying to
00:45:15
Speaker
diving headed but anyway needless to say the ball went he he's short-circuited i mean it doesn't make any sense like i feel like i could be wrong but i feel like he could have just stood there and kicked it yeah but instead he went to the ground he tried to diving head it was just like a relief very rare header that he tried to clear it with and then so it bounced off obed
00:45:42
Speaker
Obed just kicked the shit out of it right into Cascante, pops up in the air, right to Burt. Oh man, Burt has that. One of his other goals this year, the aesthetic of a Burt finish, it's just so satisfying to watch. It's just perfect form on that.
00:46:04
Speaker
And he rips it. They had Gallagher on the line like to try and clear that, but you're not clear in that. That's uh, that's the 90th minute game winner ball game. They actually, there was eight minutes of stoppage for some reason from nine minutes. Yeah. Uh, so you know, I think all of us were probably waiting for them to concede the equalizer, but they did it.
00:46:25
Speaker
They didn't ship. They didn't ship the goal. They saw it out to one victory, three points. So that brings Seattle to 11, nine and seven and 40 points. Third place in the Eastern Conference or in the Eastern Conference.
00:46:40
Speaker
third place in the Western conference. Still level on points with second place. LAFC, LAFC has the Los Angeles fraudulent club, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles fraud. See is a, I mean, they've got the, uh, I think so. It's total wins is the first tiebreaker. They're tight on that. Gold differential is the second. So LAFC is technically in second.
00:47:02
Speaker
But so Seattle's the level on points for second in the West after all this Which you know is that an indictment of the rest of the Western Conference? Absolutely Probably yeah, but you know that's that's none of that's none of our concern You take the wins you can get the rest of the Western Conference is free to indict itself if they want to who am I to stop them just get better and
00:47:25
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know Houston Dynamo Vancouver white caps y'all have had a long time The Seattle Sounders scoring pretty much. No goal is to like make up this ground that Seattle still has so I Mean, I don't know. I don't want to like they're not out of the woods for a playoff spot But I mean they're in pretty good shape like Austin is in 10th and ourselves. All right RSL had been in third, but you're right. I was I was funny because you called that
00:47:55
Speaker
Well, no, I didn't. I called the opposite. I was talking about how good they are. No, no, but you said that. Oh, you're right. It was a mark. Yeah. And it was MCAT. Oh, I'm not taking I'm not taking the full L. It's not over seasons. They are definitely in bad form and my take doesn't look good. And to be fair,
Sounders' Standing in Western Conference
00:48:15
Speaker
Uh Pablo Ruiz who's been one of their best players all season and I think what you're seeing with RSL I was going to talk about this because Portland just played RSL but like uh one of uh one of one of their best players all season Pablo Ruiz had a season ending injury
00:48:30
Speaker
And they look like garbage without him. They're not just losing these games. They're getting boat raced. And they just lost to the Timbers. And that's like, ooh, you're down bad for that. God, I can't wait for the Sounders to lose to them on the Saturday. So that's who the Sounders play next. And the Timbers, no matter how bad they are, we all know their recent track record in Seattle. So we're going to get into that game just about right now. But the point I was making is that,
00:48:59
Speaker
This team is very much alive for a top two seed in the West and the home playoff games that come with that, which is crazy to think about, isn't it? Like we've been so down on them. Everyone has rightfully so deservedly. They don't score the goals very often. It's not something that they've done very much of this season.
00:49:20
Speaker
They still are level on points for second in the West and they're fighting for home playoff games, which like if you look at how they've played over the last two months, yeah, you could say they don't deserve that. But if you had told a lot of the fans before the season that at this point in the season, they would be they would be boxing with LFC for second in the West.
00:49:42
Speaker
I think everyone would have taken that. If you told them that both LASD and Seattle would be behind St. Louis, I think a lot of people would have been surprised by that. I would have been surprised by that for sure. The Westridge is a little bit of a joke, to be honest with you. It's laughable. It's pretty, especially when you look at it as compared to the East. I mean, SNC already clinched a playoff spot. SNC is going to beat the points record.
00:50:09
Speaker
They might. They actually might. They're 17, three and six. I mean, they're, they're the best team in the league right now. I mean, after that, like you got the revs up there with, well, they're not the best team in the league, but they are the best points team. How do you think is the best team in the league in Miami? Oh, okay. Well, yeah. I mean, I mean, come on.
00:50:30
Speaker
I'm gonna I'm gonna just I mean this is a total tangent, but I'm down to go on it Yeah I mean inner Miami like they are I mean they're the best team in the league on talent and how the and certainly in recent form But it's like it's just how much can you ride these Barca boys?
00:50:46
Speaker
They just hide Nashville SC 0-0 at home with everyone playing messy was playing Busquets was playing Jordy Abba was playing they look pretty gassed already and they still have like 10 games to play to make up this 10-point deficit that they have so I've been saying that I think they are gonna make the playoffs just because like when you look at how good that they they look at their apex it looks I mean
00:51:13
Speaker
I'm dead serious. It looks like the best MLS team I've ever seen. And I include all these really good LFC teams that have happened in the last couple of years in that. Like, I think what I saw from inner Miami in league's cup at the peak of their powers in attack, you know, they still have
00:51:31
Speaker
a lot of defensive vulnerabilities at times but like when you when you have the the P capability that that team has when their attack is going and you know they're reasonably well rested which they weren't in their last game no no one no one can play ball like that in this league it's certainly not this year and not that i've seen
Inter Miami's Performance Challenges
00:51:57
Speaker
I mean, I don't want to say ever because people are going to call it a hot take, but possibly ever. They have sequences of attacking play that are the best I've ever seen in MLS. And that shouldn't come as a surprise because they literally added three of the best players of all time at their respective positions, including the literal best player of all time. So I actually don't think.
00:52:19
Speaker
It's that hot of a take. But it's just so much to ask to sustain that for how long that they need to with the fixture congestion that they have to make up as big of a deficit as they have. And I think that Nashville game, that gave me some, I've been saying I think they're gonna do it, but that Nashville game gave me some pause of just how much gas do you have left to do this. But anyway, let's talk about this Portland game and then get out of here.
00:52:50
Speaker
I mean, the Portland Timbers are bad. They're not a good team. If you're, if you're talking about the sport of soccer, which we are, they're not good at it. They fired their coach a couple of weeks ago. Thank God. Shout out geo cyber racing was, uh, well now they're definitely not going to win in Seattle then.
00:53:09
Speaker
Oh, oh cuz Gio's gone. Gio, bro Gio owns Gio owns the Seattle Sam. Maybe that's just what it's been this these last couple years is it's just Gio in particular and now that he's gone They don't have the sauce anymore
Focus on Portland Timbers Rivalry
00:53:24
Speaker
You know, that's a good bit. I think, to me, what it seems like it is, and we talked about this the last time Seattle played Portland, but this goddamn game for the Portland Timber, it's their Super Bowl. Every player on that team, they live for specifically this game. You give them any other MLS team, and they're like, we're gonna be a 1.13 points per game MLS squad.
00:53:51
Speaker
But you put us against the Seattle Sounders doesn't matter if it's at Providence Park or Loom and Field We're gonna morph into real Madrid. That's just what we do. It is like we like MLS Cup US Open Cup leagues cup. We don't care about that. We care about two things We care about the MLS is back tournament and we care about beating the Seattle Sounders hang the baby
00:54:14
Speaker
Okay, so I guess that's one point I wanted to make about this game is like there's no excuse for Going into this game and not being ready for that you've seen it the last five or six times that you play the game You know, you know that they're gonna they're gonna come in playing this game like it's the last game that they're ever gonna play and
00:54:34
Speaker
You have to know that you have to be ready for that. And you have to match that intensity from the jump. You can't let them cook on you. You can't let them out intensity you like they have been in these games between these teams recently. All right. Like there's no excuse for it. You can't let it happen. You have to you're you're the home team in this game. You got you got to come out. You got to be on top of them and pose your will. OK.
00:55:04
Speaker
Can't let them start doing that stuff on your home field. Tired of watching that. OK, so I think I mean that's that's like the number one thing for me. Like you can't get out intensity. It's a rivalry game. Darby game like those results are usually going to be 50 50 and come down to the margins. You might win it might lose it. You might draw it.
00:55:27
Speaker
That's good analysis right there. Those are the three outcomes that could happen they could abandon the match, too You know hopefully they don't throw anything on the field, but like it can't be a situation like they've had repeatedly now in this rivalry where you get out intensity and Overrun
00:55:53
Speaker
By a team you're better than. The Sounders, for however much they've struggled recently, and they have, we all know that.
Timbers' Performance Issues
00:56:03
Speaker
They're better than this Portland team. This Portland team is bonk, dude. They don't have really anything.
00:56:10
Speaker
they got their embarrassing they got Sebastian Blanco who like he's been hurt for most of the year and has come back recently but hasn't done all that much what about their like DP signing that just like
00:56:26
Speaker
They bought Evander for $10 million, and he's not that good. He's been a little better, but I think it's fair to say on the whole that that signing is not panned out for them. That's a big reason Gio got fired is because they needed... You spend $10 million on that guy, you need him to be a goddamn MVP candidate. You need him to be one of the best players in the league at his position. That's what they paid for it, and that's not what they got.
00:56:51
Speaker
So that guy, I don't know, he might be able to get at you for a little something, but not that much.
00:57:04
Speaker
I'm around a spree. That's the guy I'm scared the most of I got that guy terrifies me I'd be shocked if he doesn't score a goal in this game Yeah, if I don't even know who the tinder's timber tinder's I don't even know who the timbers interim coach is but like if he doesn't start He took the win against RSL he did yeah he did I
00:57:28
Speaker
Um, but like how much I mean, that was, that was a mid off is what that was. If we're going to call the Sounders Austin game mid off, like that, that was also a mid off. It pains me to say that. Cause I was, I was so invested in my real salt Lake take, but that was a mid off. Um,
00:57:47
Speaker
But you know, yeah, I think his name is Miles Joseph or something. I don't know. Miles, if you don't start Dairon Esprit in this game, you don't know what you're doing because I don't know how long you've been around the squad. But that guy lives through scoring goals against the Seattle Sounders. So if I was Miles, I would.
00:58:05
Speaker
I wouldn't really even put all that much thought into the rest of the lineup. I would just make sure Esprita's out there and I would make sure Blanca's out there just because he's been a good player for them. He's been good in the rivalry games, for sure. I don't even know if I would start Evander. Definitely got to get Chara in there.
00:58:26
Speaker
Yeah, obviously I mean that's that's good. They're gonna keep riding riding him for another five years. Probably he needs at least a hundred more yellow cards. Yeah, so Anyway, I'm actually yeah, I'm not I'm not gonna be at the game unfortunately I'm gonna I'm gonna be out of town this weekend, and I'm also I'm gonna miss the media game, so that's unfortunate I know everyone's really upset about missing out The content on that and I was out of town for the last one too, so I'm denying you guys Content they didn't they didn't invite me so
Match Predictions for Sounders vs. Timbers
00:58:56
Speaker
Maybe next time you can get me on there, but yeah, I should have just given you my spot. I know it happens What do you what do you think what do you think it's gonna be the result I want to I want to hear a prediction should I go first my prediction I give yours and I'll give mine Three nothing Portland timbers See I don't see anything like that because
00:59:21
Speaker
like I don't think either of these teams like have good I don't I don't think either of these I don't trust either of them to score three goals yeah like when I look at Portland I'm like why would you score three goals how would you score three goals yeah but when I look at Seattle I think the exact same thing yeah so I think it's more like a 1-1
00:59:39
Speaker
I don't know. I'm going three, three. I think you're mending it. You're mending it. No, no, no. Three. No, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. My, my brain is fried. You're taking Timbies three. No, I mean, Timbies three honestly with how this rivalry has gone recently. I wouldn't be all that surprised. You know, I think for Seattle, the hope is that
01:00:01
Speaker
You can ride the momentum of that Austin game and like use that confidence to propel you forward. All right. I mean they had the win in Vancouver. That was their last win before this one which was on July 8th. And we were like OK they're going to parlay this into momentum multiple goals three goals in a game like this is what we needed to see that didn't pan out. So
01:00:26
Speaker
It's an important game for the rivalry aspect. It's very important. It would be important no matter who they play because you can't have a galvanizing type win against Austin and then come out at home in your next game and then play like you did against Atlanta.
01:00:44
Speaker
Can't do that if you do that as far as I'm concerned you're pretty much back to square one. We're gonna be on episode 16 Talking about like complaining about the same stuff that we've been complaining about for the last two three months But it also is important for the rivalry. They haven't won it is in five matches
01:01:02
Speaker
Yeah, four losses, one draw. Everyone's sick of this Portland dominating the rivalry narrative. And make no mistake about it, they own the rivalry right now. Yeah. They do. And they're trash. They're a 1.13 points per game ass team. They're not good. Brian, wake up. You got to figure out a way to snap out of that.
01:01:27
Speaker
I just still not sure I trust this team to score multiple goals in a game. I'll believe it. When I see it sustained over a larger sample size than one game against Austin, where one game came, one goal came off a set piece and the other came in the 90th minute when served on a splatter and you know, get served out with not served on a platter by Julio Cascante who actively tries to give up goals. Anyway, I think that's about a wrap for this episode. Unless you have anything else on this Portland game.
01:01:57
Speaker
No, I just go sounders. Yeah, get a get a goddamn dub over here in Portland. I'm going to try and watch but to working. So we'll.
01:02:10
Speaker
We'll see what happens. We'll lay down the content about it. It felt great to be back. This was a lot of fun I really enjoyed this one. I think it's just cuz we hadn't we hadn't put one out in a bit so Good to be back, but I felt like we cooked on that a little bit lay down some good takes
01:02:29
Speaker
Thank you to everyone for listening and staying loyal. I hope everyone who had been tuning in previously tuned back in despite our little break and we appreciate all of you a lot. Rate five stars and like on iTunes and review it and Spotify. Follow all the stuff I'm talking about right now. Do all that stuff. Share it with
01:02:58
Speaker
share it with cuz Conte did. Let's hope. Let's hope Julio doesn't listen. Yeah, actually. We'll talk to you after this Portland game until then we out.