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Sounders back?
90 Plays1 year ago
The Sounders are finally in the win column for the 2024 season following their dominant, which finally gave us a reason to do a happy podcast - but we're still not ready to get ahead of ourselves.
After an awful start, the Sounders finally gave us something to cheer about - in a big way - in their 5-0 blowout of the Montreal Impact. Jeremiah's in Hawaiʻi this week, so Aaron is joined by Mark Kastner to break down the Sounders big win, how excited we ought to be about it, and what it might mean for a very rough stretch of games ahead.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to NOS Arietes. This episode of NOS Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of NOS Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest.
00:00:28
Speaker
A
Celebrating MLS Cup Victory
00:00:29
Speaker
.O. Shen! Let's go! What a save by Fry! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS Cup win! Here come three years through the middle to crown it the vehicle! And now they truly can't stop the celebrations. It's the Sounders' MLS Cup! Niko Liddo leaves out!
00:01:12
Speaker
Is that what you young people call twerking?
Sounders' Best Performance of the Year
00:01:28
Speaker
Welcome to another edition of Nosartietes, sponsored by Full Pole Lines and our wonderful subscribers. We're recording on April 8th, 2020, 2024, ahead of Game Week 8 in MLS. My name is Aaron Campo, and I'll be taking on hosting duties this week. Joining me today is my good friend and yours, Mark Kastner, and we'll be covering for Jeremiah, who is on a much-needed vacation in Hawaii.
00:01:50
Speaker
And frankly, Jeremiah might have to stay in Hawaii, because as soon as he left Seattle, the Sounders seemed to remember how good of a team they were supposed to be. The Sounders put in what was easily their best performance in at least a calendar year, if not longer, dominating the Montreal impact in every phase of the game en route to a 5-0 win that if anything felt even more lopsided than the scoreline would indicate.
00:02:12
Speaker
The Sounders got two first half goals from Raul Rui Díaz, put an ending to any remaining doubt when Jordan Morris got his first goal this season on 48 minutes, and tacked on two more laying on from the unlikely duo of Alex Wildon and Dylan Tevez to sit in the Loom & Field fans home happy for the first time in a good long while. With the win, the Sounders are now off the bottom of the table, back to a positive goal difference, and though it's way too early to really care about something like this, just four points out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Fan Reactions: Turning Point or Concerns?
00:02:39
Speaker
If you're like me and you've been inclined to believe that the Sounders are a very good team whose awful start was a result of the combination of underperformance that was likely unsustainable, horrible luck with injuries, and horrible luck on the field of play, this result will likely reinforce those beliefs, especially given that it came on the heels of a very solid performance in last week's Lost of the Galaxy and happened against a very solid Montreal Impact team.
00:03:01
Speaker
If however, you're among the decent number of Sounders fans that feel like this team still has some serious structural issues and needs major changes in the summer to truly be competitive, one strong performance against the team who it must be acknowledged are at the very end of a grueling seven game road trip to start the season. And despite their promise, have shown something of a propensity for getting blown out probably won't be enough to convince you just yet.
Performance Positives and Negatives
00:03:23
Speaker
So Mark, with all that being said, how are you feeling after this one?
00:03:27
Speaker
I feel really good. Especially after, like, the, you know, it's probably still too early to say if the early season lows were just the hiccup or indicative of anything larger, but it just felt good to watch the Sounders beat the brakes off of somebody. And yeah, obviously there's caveats every which way you want to look. If you want to be a glass half full type of guy, you can
00:03:56
Speaker
you can do that or if you want to be a negative Nancy or whatever, you can also do that, which is kind of wild because I don't feel like when a team wins five zero, do both people get what they want of a performance like that. But there's certainly like, there are there are positives and natives like, you know, they
Raul's Remarkable Goal
00:04:18
Speaker
The first two goals are, you could say, very fluky. Like Raoul scores a galasso. Maybe he doesn't do that. And maybe it was deflected. Maybe it wasn't. I haven't seen definitive evidence. And then there's a penalty. So it's like they basically get gifted two goals. But then also, you look at how the other three goals developed from the rest of the game. And it's like, oh, those are the attacking patterns in the sort of, like,
00:04:47
Speaker
possession-based soccer that you want the Sounders to be playing. So yeah, I'm really encouraged. I think it was a big game from two people in particular, Albert Rusnak and Jordan Morris, that needed a big game. I know Rusnak doesn't get on the score sheet, but he does win the penalty. And I do believe he's credited with one assist.
00:05:15
Speaker
on Alex Rolland's goal. So yeah, it was really nice. I had a pleasant Saturday evening. I was entertained.
00:05:26
Speaker
Yeah, I think that that for me is definitely the biggest takeaway. You said it, I alluded to it as well. I don't think that this one game is a sign that everything is perfect, that everything is back on track, that this team is going to be the dominant force that everybody expected them to be in the preseason. But by the same token, I don't think you can ignore that they built on a lot of positive things that have been happening even as far back as the LAFC game. They have not played
00:05:55
Speaker
in every phase of the game in any game except arguably the San Jose game when they got their first run of play goal and actually put up two goals. And I think it's just impossible to ignore that they're actually delivering on some of that promise that they've shown, especially against the galaxy.
00:06:14
Speaker
But, you know, they are still averaging less than a point per game. Montreal is, I think, a good team. I think a team that's going to make the playoffs in the East. But they're young. They're at the end of this road trip that has got to take a lot out of you. And they do have that tendency to, if they lose, to lose in pretty spectacular fashion.
00:06:33
Speaker
All of that is important context. I do want to talk a little bit about Raul's game. In terms of the deflection on the goal, I still haven't seen a definitive, yep, there's the deflection. But having said that, the way that ball changes the path of the spin,
00:06:51
Speaker
either there's a deflection or there's something supernatural going on there, right? So at the same time, that's the... So Raul is a very audacious player and that can be frustrating when things are going poorly, when the sounders aren't creating chances and he's just taking these very speculative shots that are getting blocked or way off track. But this is the upside of that, right? Like he can make things happen. He's still capable of that.
00:07:18
Speaker
And whether or not the shot is deflected, it looks like it's on target the whole way to me. It's a good shot to take. I think, you know, it's, it's from a long way out. It's on his weak foot, but he's got a good path. The keeper's off his line. I'm totally fine with the shot getting taken because things like this can happen. Um, we talked in the last episode about the sounders maybe being a little too, um, unwilling to pull the trigger on shots, trying to create chaos, especially in a set piece situation. First set piece goal of the year, I believe for the sounders and.
00:07:48
Speaker
Yes, a set-piece goal comes in the immediate aftermath of a set-piece, but it's not like, you know, this was a header directly from a corner or anything, right? But he, you know, he scores that because he's willing to take the shot, and so that's the upside, and I think it's important to acknowledge that, because we certainly talked about the downside of that quite a bit. But Raul now, the caveat three of these goals are penalties. Still, four goals and an assist through six games. He had five goals and an assist in 2023.
00:08:18
Speaker
he's doing, you know, at least in terms of putting the numbers on the board, he's doing relatively well. And we've talked a lot in the last few episodes about the Sounders most likely not currently being in the market for a nine, at least that's, you know, Jeremiah's take on the situation. And I know that that's the thing that a lot of folks in the fan base are really desperate for is to get a DP nine in here in the summer, based on what I've heard
00:08:44
Speaker
that doesn't seem likely. That can always change on a dime, of course, but right now it doesn't seem like that's a priority. Given that, how do you feel after this game and just generally the start of the season? How do you feel about Raul in that nine spot the rest of the way? Yeah, I'm kind of comfortable.
00:09:05
Speaker
with how he's played so far. I think the problem with Raul has never been like quality. It's just a fitness issue at this point in his career. So he's playing really well. I'm not gonna say as well as he's ever played, but he's playing really well and he's definitely exceeding expectations at this point in the season. But it's...
00:09:34
Speaker
it always feels like you're like two minutes away from seeing him pull his hamstring
Strengths and Key Players
00:09:38
Speaker
again. And I don't want to put that like juju out in the world or whatever. But you know, if I if if we're 15 games in the season,
00:09:49
Speaker
And he's putting up consistent, you know, 60 minute performances, 75 minute performances, maybe coming off the bench one game for 30 minutes here and there. And he's showing his like body is, is right. Um, I think there are other areas on the roster is that automatically become more, more pertinent to address. And I think, I think an important context here is the Sounders entered the season.
00:10:20
Speaker
with Raul Rui Diaz kind of being a free hit in the sense that I don't think very many people expected him to be starting. Even fewer people probably expected him to be scoring at the rate that he's scoring at. Obviously, when you're winning as many penalties as the Sounders are, it helps. And then you just kind of look at it and it was, you know,
00:10:47
Speaker
It was supposed to be Jordan Morris starting up top, but because of injuries, he's had to shift out to the left. You know, they tried the four, four, two thing and it didn't work. But yeah, I mean, he's, he's making the best of the opportunity. I would like to see that continue because I just think that you can spend like a DP spot on a different position and get more value out of it with the way that this roster is currently constructed and
00:11:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think between Raul and Jordan, that's like a really good, between those two, if everybody's healthy, if you get to pick between those two and you're kind of like doing a horses for courses type thing, that makes this roster look really good, I think, as long as everybody stays healthy, which is obviously not a given.
00:11:43
Speaker
Right. That's that's the big caveat always. And I think I think this is a game where if Raul is not on a hat trick and looking incredibly close to cashing in on the hat trick, he probably does not play as many minutes as he did in this game because I do think that you need to protect him. I'm with you. I think that.
00:12:02
Speaker
he can be a frustrating player. And I think that that was true even at his height, right? Like, I remember discussions from, you know, 2021 about how streaky he could be. And that's just kind of the nature of the kind of striker that he is. But to me, last season, he looked like a player that was
00:12:25
Speaker
leaning towards done to me. And it's always tough to tell with someone who is at this phase in their career where, you know, a player like Earl can go on and play well into their late 30s. And they can also just be done, you know, in their early to mid 30s. And I don't think that he looks done anymore. I think that physically he looks
00:12:46
Speaker
Quite good. He's clearly not as explosive as he was at 30. Who amongst this is? Honestly, I'm probably in much better shape than I was at 30, but that's not a pro athlete. He looks capable of doing everything he needs to do physically to be successful.
00:13:08
Speaker
And, you know, I don't want to... I think there's a tendency to discount penalties, right? And I think that that's reasonable to do in terms of, hey, this guy scored, you know, 25 goals. Well, if 12 of them are penalties, that's context, right? That's useful. But...
00:13:25
Speaker
You know, the penalties that rule is converted have all been great. And I feel like the Sounders are a team that's going to get penalties. You know, they've got three so far this year, I believe. And and all of them save for the first one against San Jose have been
00:13:43
Speaker
earned by good play. The one in this game was no exception. I think, you know, Albert Rosenach had just completely shredded the Montreal defense and was in on goal. And he's definitely got an opportunity to score there. And, you know, that was, it was created by good play. If you put the ball in the box,
00:14:00
Speaker
and you're attacking credibly, good things are going to happen. Having a striker that can convert those penalties is a nice thing to have. That's something the Sounders have been really lucky with over the years. When Brad Evans left, it was a little nerve-wracking because he was such an automatic from the penalty spot. Nico was also fantastic. Now Raul has risen to the occasion.
00:14:26
Speaker
But generally, you know, I think Rebel can get 10 to 12 goals this year. I don't think that that's crazy at all. I think if Jordan can get 10 to 12, you know, if Albert can chip in, I think this is a team that has the ability to score 20. I don't think that they're a team that's going to regularly score five goals against, you know, anyone in the league. I mean, they've done it very rarely over their history.
00:14:47
Speaker
But I think it's a team that can score plenty if their defense can be as good as you know, they've been so far this season and for most of last season and I do want to talk a little bit about defense or more specifically one position in the defense.
Cody Baker's Defensive Impact
00:15:00
Speaker
No matter what you think about new who I think it's fair to say.
00:15:03
Speaker
It's never ideal when you have to make a substitution 11 minutes into the game. But Cody Baker, I thought, was great at the left back position. He was extremely involved in the build up and the attack. I don't buy in fully to the idea, not fully, I don't really buy in at all to the idea that the difference in the Sounders attack in this game and the first five games was Nuhu not being in there.
00:15:27
Speaker
I think the Sounders probably win this game pretty comfortably, no matter who is playing the left back spot, but it is impossible to ignore how involved Cody Baker was in the buildup. He had the most passes attempted in the team, the most completed passes, third highest number of progressive passes attempted, and the highest number of progressive passes completed. He's moving the ball forward, he's involved in possession, and those are things that, you know, I think it's
00:15:51
Speaker
The most charitable way to put it would be that New Who has struggled doing some of those things in the past. But it's also worth noting that Cody Baker didn't have a lot to do defensively. Montreal just did not do a lot in the attack. And it was pretty obvious pretty early on that the Sounders were going to be able to hold onto the ball quite a bit. So if you're not having to worry about tracking back and defending, it's a little bit easier to feel confident that you can get involved in the attack. And my takeaway, I think, is that
00:16:18
Speaker
It's nice to know that Cody Baker can do a job really effectively at left back. Whether you think this is right, right wrong or indifferent, I think the left back job is new who's to lose. And I don't think that this game is going to be enough to convince anyone in the coaching staff that there needs to be a change there. But I do think that having Cody Baker have this kind of strong performance at left back on the board is good for his standing and it's going to make it a little easier
00:16:46
Speaker
to make that change if the time comes or just to know that that option is there. But as someone who I think you won't be upset for me to say that you've been critical of new who in the past, I wanted to get your take on this and see how you feel about, you know, what Cody Baker meant to the office in this game. Yeah, I think I thought
00:17:07
Speaker
Cody Baker played exceptionally well, considering, you know, 10, 11 minutes into the game, he has to start playing when that's not a moment in the game that you ever really think. Like, if you're on the bench, you think like, okay, maybe I get in in the second half. But, like, Nuvo goes down.
00:17:30
Speaker
and then he has to come on. So I think considering like how quickly he had to like get ready, come on the field, and then just like didn't put a foot wrong for the rest of the match, I thought was, I think you have to praise the individual for that. And I do, I do agree with you that I think the Sounders were going to play this well, regardless of who was playing left back or not, just based on
00:18:00
Speaker
Based on the evidence of how the game ended up playing out, how the sounders attack was structured, and their build-up was structured, I would have to assume that the coaching staff built all of that with Nu-Hoo in mind playing in that position.
00:18:20
Speaker
you know, hopefully, hopefully that would have been true. One, one kind of one thing that gives me a little bit of like hesitancy is Cody Baker is so much quicker to receive the ball and get rid of it than new who that I do. I do wonder if there is a, if there is a sort of like marginal
00:18:45
Speaker
increase in quality in terms of like how quickly Cody Baker moves the ball, just in general, because we've all seen new who received the ball. His first option isn't available. So he kind of tucks the ball turns around and passes it back to either the midfielder, Jackson Reagan, and then, you know, was pointing at whoever, um,
00:19:08
Speaker
But then I also think New Who is so much of a better dribbler than Cody Baker is. Although I think there are two instances in this game where Cody Baker really kind of drove out from the back. So all that to say, I think I would be really interested in seeing this game play out in kind of the alternative universe where New Who isn't healthy because like one minute into the game,
00:19:38
Speaker
it basically screwed up, which is really harsh. I don't really wanna be the guy that I am, I guess, but it is just kind of interesting. I was talking with somebody after this game and I was like, I feel like if soccer had a wins above replacement type statistic, Cody Baker would be the ideal
00:20:08
Speaker
flat line of that. And we've just seen a handful of games this season where Nu Who has played a lot worse than he can play. So like, I think what we just saw is like a situation where
00:20:25
Speaker
You just had like a neutral thing at left-back and that really helped the team perform well. Hopefully now that, you know, the Sounders have won, they've scored a bunch of goals, you know, hopefully Nuhu isn't too injured and he can come back in and contribute without sort of like all the narratives and kind of the confidence issues that come with being on a losing streak.
00:21:01
Speaker
Yeah, I will get into this what it meant for the team more holistically a bit later, but I like the point you make about it feeling like that the way the game plan was structured from the start was to try to build a little bit more from the right-hand side. Now, Cody Baker was very involved and he made a lot of passes and had a lot of the ball, but I do think that a lot of that was in possession and I don't...
00:21:27
Speaker
I don't feel like new who's attacking weaknesses are necessarily what he's doing in possession necessarily because like you said, he is a good dribbler. He can dribble out of trouble. He can keep the ball. He's making safe passes. It's his inability to progress the ball. It's the final ball. It's, it's
00:21:43
Speaker
the decision making when the attack is actually on that I think is the problem. And so I'm kind of like you where as nice as it was to get this performance from Cody Baker and to have a little bit more information about what he can do with that position.
00:21:59
Speaker
I also kind of want to see the alternate universe of this game where Nuhu stays at left back and they have this game plan that doesn't, it seems to sort of trying to be protecting his weaknesses because I think the ideal world is you structure a game plan that benefits your players, the players that you have. You have a game plan that puts all of the guys on your team in the best position to succeed. You can't do that.
00:22:29
Speaker
in a perfectly optimized way, right? There's always going to be trade-offs. But if the Sounders have a tactical system that allows Nuhu to do all the things he does really well in defense, and the things that he's not necessarily bad at in attack, and keeps the ball away from him in positions where he can be a detriment, that's an ideal world. And they've struggled to do that at times with him playing as a left-back, right? As a left-center back, I think that's
00:22:56
Speaker
I feel like most people would agree that that's a position where you don't have to do a lot game plan wise, because that's just sort of the position he was born to play. But as a left back, you know, it's a trickier thing. So hopefully, I do think like, well, yes, like I, you know, in an ideal world, we can see the alternative universe where
00:23:20
Speaker
more or less the same exact outcome happened. But there is the flip side to that where I think very clearly this has been
Attacking Patterns and Tactics
00:23:30
Speaker
happening all season. This was no different than Montreal's game approach to the game as LAFCs or whatever. Teams let new who have the ball because they know that that's the weakness in the buildup.
00:23:46
Speaker
They just let him have the ball. So he goes off injured and Cody Baker comes on who has a completely different skill set. And their Montreal's approach was still in deep areas, in deep filled up phases, let the left back have the ball. And Cody Baker made the best of that opportunity.
00:24:03
Speaker
And it's pretty silly to say that a team that loses 5-0 and got a red card played well. But Montreal is the best coached team the Sounders have played against this season, I think. And it kind of sounds like damning them with faint praise. But in the first half, I thought their approach was great. I thought the Sounders responded really well and played great on top of that. But it was 2-0 at halftime.
00:24:33
Speaker
Um, and I thought Montreal was in the game basically until Jordan Morris scored and they, I would have loved to see what would have happened. Like what sort of halftime adjustments they could have made around Cody Baker, but Jordan Morris scores. And then a few minutes after that, they get a red card and you're down 10 men, you're down three zero. It's cold and wet and rainy and you haven't been home in three months. Yeah. You're going to give up.
00:25:06
Speaker
Yeah, I definitely agree with all that. And I think the point about Montreal's game plan not really shifting with a shift in personnel is a really good one. And I think it adds some context to Cody Baker's numbers. And I don't want to take anything away from him. Because I think, like you said, he did the best that he could, you know, and he took advantage of the situation. But I do think that
00:25:26
Speaker
If he's starting from the get go or if he's the regular left back, maybe that doesn't quite play out that that way. But I am glad you mentioned Jordan Morris because that's the next next thing I had on my list to talk about. He's finally off the mark in 2024.
00:25:40
Speaker
I feel like you really needed this goal in this game. I think a game where the Sounders score four or five goals and he's not amongst the goal scorers, the chatter is going to get louder. But he finishes off a wonderful chance, great team goal. Christian Roldan sets it up or provides the ball that Jordan finishes.
00:26:02
Speaker
great team build-up play. And it's kind of what we saw against the Galaxy, but there was no final product in that game. Final product was definitely there in this game and on this chance. I thought a great, clever finish by Jordan. It's one that he loves. He's scored a very similar goal multiple times. I feel like he's good for one or two of those a year, but it has to give him some confidence, right? That's a tough finish to make.
00:26:24
Speaker
Uh, Christian, I thought looked really good in the middle last week. And so it was a little disappointing for me at least to see him back on the right, but this is the best performance he's put in. In that sort of box to box wide midfield role in definitely, you know, before, uh, the concussion issues last year. And I think it was a good reminder of how good he can be in that position. Uh, and it's, you know, when he's struggling out wide, it's.
00:26:49
Speaker
it feels like the most obvious upgrade in the world to go out and get and to move him back into the center. But he can be really effective in that role. And I think this game and especially this third goal is a great example of what he can bring there. Yeah, I thought I was just so pleased with the kind of tactical pattern that the Sounders
00:27:13
Speaker
had on display on Saturday night with with their kind of like in deep build up phases still use the left because that's what Montreal and pretty much every team is going to give you their ability to quickly shift the ball across the field to get the ball to either roll dons 25 yards away from goal and then kind of have dynamic runs you know Jordan kind of coming across the box coming from
00:27:39
Speaker
from the backside of defenders into kind of in front of them. That's exactly what you want your attackers doing because a defender either has to turn around and stop looking at the ball or guess where you're going to end up. And most times you're going to be wrong when you're guessing. So that goal to me was the first time this season where I've been able to be like, yes, that's a Sounders goal. Like I can describe how that's going to happen.
00:28:06
Speaker
And that's exactly what I want to see. Like I, if it's, you know, we're making that run, maybe it's Russ neck, maybe it's Jordan Morris, you know, hopefully soon it's Pedro de la Vega. You could even see kind of Leo Chu making a run like that and, and, and taking that shot. So it was so, so encouraging for that goal to happen. And you're right. Like the last time the sounders beat the brakes off of somebody like this, it was probably that sporting Kansas city game last year around the same time.
00:28:36
Speaker
And Morris scored all those goals. And then that kind of ended up being like the detriment to his season where it was like, oh, he only scores his goals in one game. Now, if he can kind of have this performance where it's
00:28:52
Speaker
like one goal here, maybe a brace here, maybe picks up a couple of assists here and there. You're slowly going to be coming into the summer looking at a pretty healthy goal and assist total, hopefully. So one last point I want to make about Roldan's play. I thought this was Joshua Tenzio's best game and
00:29:12
Speaker
there's just a symbiotic relationship between those two players, because there's always going to be, both because they play together, but also, like you mentioned, when Atencio plays poorly, you're kind of like, why doesn't Christian play there? But I just think that with, when you see both teams playing, or excuse me, both players playing to their strengths like they were against Montreal on Saturday, you see the whole thing work. And Josh Atencio was that sort of,
00:29:43
Speaker
He was that kind of lever, that pivot to switch the ball from the left to the right. And he was often receiving a pass from Cody Baker, turning around and kind of having that curling right footed pass out to Christian Roldan. I loved seeing that. That's like his bread and butter, so.
00:30:02
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I'm with you. I think that especially when João Paulo gets back, you know, I think that a lot of the excitement over Christian in the midfield last week was that it was the best I think the midfielders looked since the LA FC game of not, you know, going back to last season. And I think Christian was a big part of that. But I think that.
00:30:21
Speaker
I really do think that that role in this system that the sounders have where they just are an unbalanced team and that's sort of by design and also just sort of a necessity of the roster construction. Having somebody that can play that sort of box to box wide role where they
00:30:39
Speaker
Christian can give you a solid contribution and attack. He can score goals from the wing. He can set up goals, as we saw in this game. But his ability to run, to contribute defensively, to cover a lot of ground, to cut inside, to cover for whoever is in that 10-roll, getting forward, that's all super valuable and makes the system work holistically. And I feel like this was the first game, and the Sounders still don't have Pedro de la Vega, still don't have Shaw Apollo.
00:31:08
Speaker
uh, for, you know, for more than a cameos, a number of minutes. But this was the first game where you kind of saw the system working holistically and, and seeing how things are supposed to work, right? Because they actually had, you know, a 10 who was doing what the 10 needs to do in this lineup. So, um, it was, it was good to see Christian put in a performance like that. You know, I think that he's another player that,
00:31:34
Speaker
needs a couple of good runs of games to get some confidence back, uh, and, and to just get more comfortable. And, you know, I think, um, confidence is a big thing for this team. And I think I'm a skeptic that it's ever like the explanation for something, but I do think that this is a team that has not gotten a lot of attacking reps this season. Like they've had to struggle. They've been.
00:31:58
Speaker
You know, they've gone down early quite a bit, so they've had to try to break down bonkard and defenses. And so I really liked what the Sounders did after the third goal. You know, based on if you thought Rensch Metzer had a
00:32:13
Speaker
his post-game locker room speech that the Sounders posted on social media, where he definitely, I think, made it clear that taking the air out of the game was very intentional. And after the third goal, the game was over. The Sounders were quite content to just keep the ball. But I like to see them not as aggressively, but they were still prodding for chances. When the opportunities were there, they were decisive in going after them.
00:32:40
Speaker
And so it was good to see them say, Hey, we've got what we need. We do not want to take any risk of letting Montreal back into this game. We don't want to get anybody hurt. We want to get some guys off the bench some minutes, but we're going to take the goals if they're there. And I think that for a team that, that does need those reps that needs just for the sharpness and also the confidence, those last two goals have to be pretty cathartic when they've struggled as much as they have this season in the attack.
00:33:05
Speaker
Yeah, and it's just, it's even more kind of confidence building that they come from your right back, and then one of your reserve wingers. I think, you know,
00:33:19
Speaker
I really liked Dylan Tedes just as a player, but I don't think he's the reason why that goal happens. I think he just kind of scores the goal. That's going to end up finishing up like very much finishing off the game because of the minute market happened in. But yeah, I think like it's.
00:33:41
Speaker
We make things so complicated when in sports sometimes they are just a lot easier. Like the dudes are feeling themselves and they were just kind of going off and it was cool. It was awesome to see it. We haven't seen the sounders play like that in a very long time. Like you're right to say it's been almost a year. Like maybe that St. Louis game last May, maybe. But even then that was like a really tough first half and then they just beat the brakes off them in the second half.
00:34:12
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I, I'm also skeptical about like, how much does confidence play when like you can just, you should just be better than the teams are playing against. But Ryan Spencer as a person seems to be really big on kind of confidence and momentum. So if, if the head coach believes in those two things, building on each other, then that's obviously going to have a, um,
00:34:41
Speaker
That's just his philosophy. So it's gonna come through in the way he coaches the team. So maybe that's why when the Sounders struggle, it feels like the world is coming down around us. And then on the flip side, maybe it feels like we're never gonna lose again after a game like this. So yeah, I'm ultimately really fine with everything and I want
00:35:07
Speaker
I don't think every game's gonna be like this in the world. We'll obviously talk about kind of what's coming up, but it's just, it was such a crucial moment in the sounder season that I think we'll look back on and be like, this is either the flash in the pan or this is where it kind of things completely turned around.
00:35:27
Speaker
Yeah, it's definitely, I mean, I don't want to be negative because I'm actually feeling quite good after this game, but I couldn't help but think about that game against F.C. Dallas in 2016, where the Sounders, I think won, I think it was five or six nil. Yeah, it was five-zero, Ziggy's last win. Yeah, and I don't think this is that situation, but if you are more skeptical of this team,
00:35:53
Speaker
I think that you probably are going to see some similarities, you know, it's FC Dallas wasn't in exactly the same situation, but it was a compromised lineup. I think it's fair to say, you know,
00:36:06
Speaker
the midweek game, the Sounders benefited from a penalty that really helped get things going. So yeah, some similarities there. I think it's Montreal lineup and team is much better even if they are tired from being on the road as long as they have. But it's always possible that this is the proverbial, I hate this phrase, but people know what it means, so I'll use it, dead cat bounce. So I don't think that's true, but
00:36:33
Speaker
They got to do it next time out. Um, I want to talk about things holistically and some of the tactical changes that you notice, but before we do that, I do think it's important to call out stuff. And for, I did not have a lot to do in this game, but he made a vintage fantastic save on a point Blake header from Joaquin Sosa in the 30th minute. Um, I think the sounders are always winning this game, but.
00:36:57
Speaker
That game could have gone differently if Montreal gets one back there and it goes into halftime 2-1 instead of 2-0. And so it was nice to see him come up with a big save like that after letting in one that he definitely should have had against the galaxy. I think Andrew Thomas is the keeper of the future. I'm excited about him, but I want stuff to go out on his own terms. And so every time he can make a save like this, I feel a little bit better about his ability to do that.
00:37:25
Speaker
Yeah. And I, you know, it's only the second shutout of the season. So yeah, it's, I think it was like you mentioned the video, the sounders posted on social media of Brian's postgame comments. But I think if this team is going to be as good as we kind of hope it's going to have to be built on, like
00:37:49
Speaker
an incredibly stringent defense. And part of having a defense like that is having a goalkeeper that can keep a game at 2-0 right before halftime so that you can go in and have the halftime speech and plan and kind of changes that you want to have. Because if it goes 2-1 at that point, you've got
00:38:14
Speaker
You've got like eight, nine minutes with stoppage time of like, things are a little hectic. You have your assistant coaches kind of, hopefully not completely ripping up what they were planning on, you know, honing in on at halftime, but it changes everything. I think going in and then, you know, maybe Montreal comes out in the second half and they score the Jordan Morris goal instead of us. Yeah. I mean, it was just like, it'll go.
00:38:42
Speaker
In two weeks, everybody will kind of forget that that's it happened, but it really, really, really is important, so. Yeah. For me, I think the biggest tangible thing that you can point to is the sounders came out quite aggressively in the second half, and they get that goal quickly. I think if it's 2-1, they're probably not coming out nearly as aggressively. And so I think that's a big difference. So before we started recording,
00:39:10
Speaker
You pointed out that the sounders just looked a lot different in terms of their shape and in terms of their build-up play and their tactics, and we've kind of alluded to that a little bit throughout the show. But I just wanted to sort of get your take on what was different, maybe why it worked, and, you know, anything you'd like to see them build off in that context.
00:39:30
Speaker
Yeah, so if you kind of end up going and searching out like any sort of passing map or heat map type thing, if you're a nerd like myself, you'll see a much more sort of like balanced sounders shape pretty much across the board.
00:39:51
Speaker
all season regardless of if he was playing striker or in the 4-4-2 or in the 4-2-3-1 or if he was playing on the left in the 4-2-3-1. Jordan Morris was always the most advanced highest player on just generally the left part of the field. Even if he was playing striker, he would end up there because that's just where he likes to be.
00:40:17
Speaker
This game has so much more balance between the other three attacking players, Raul Rui Diaz, Albert Rusnak, and Christian Roldan, that just opened up so much more space for Jordan and Christian. But I'm primarily talking about the difference in Jordan Morris' play.
00:40:39
Speaker
What that allowed him to do is, you know, instead of being naturally like double teamed by a center back and a fullback or defensive midfielder and a center back, he, he had so many more kind of one on ones to just deal with. So, so if you go and watch his goal, he just completely like, he just.
00:40:59
Speaker
runs across the defense and they don't know who should be marking him until it's too late. And a center back tries to challenge him when he gets the ball. And that challenge is what kind of puts him off balance a little bit and makes him have to do that kind of neat, like back heel finish almost. But I think with Jordan playing like this and with everybody else playing well around him, it means he doesn't have to like,
00:41:26
Speaker
he doesn't have to get the ball so much. And it's kind of funny because he receives the most progressive passes in this game. So it kind of sounds like I'm saying something counterintuitive, but with how poorly kind of the sounders had been playing,
00:41:42
Speaker
he was having to be so much more involved in the buildup on the left side, where in this game, he just got to kind of be the final pass, or hopefully be the receiver of the final pass.
00:41:57
Speaker
That's the first thing that was very encouraging. The second thing was, I kind of alluded to it with the way I thought Joshua Tenzio played well in this match, but the ball moved so much quicker from side to side in this game than any other game the Sounders had played this year. So the opposing teams are going to allow the Sounders to build up on the left side because they think that that's where the Sounders' weakness is.
00:42:22
Speaker
regardless of what you think about new who that is. What happens so? What I think that the reason why I would I would have wanted to see new who play out this entire game is because I think the Sounders have been working on getting the ball from new who to basically Christian rolled on or Alex rolled on as quickly as possible. And that happened that basically happened in this game through Josh attention just knew who got hurt unfortunately so.
00:42:52
Speaker
The sounders would build up, they would receive the ball maybe 40 yards away from goal, let's say. Cody Baker would kind of receive the ball and instead of passing it back to Jackson, Jackson Reagan, who would then try to hit a long switch over onto the right side, which is what the sounders have been doing a lot this season.
00:43:09
Speaker
Josh Tentsio would pick up the ball and shift it over to the right side, either through dribbling or a pass to Albert Rusnak or kind of using Obed Vargas as kind of like a wall bounce pass type situation. And that was just like.
00:43:27
Speaker
It was like I was standing and saluting in my living room. I was so happy to see that because the quicker the ball moves, the more unsettled the defense is and the easier it is to score. It's not a very complicated sport.
00:43:41
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a great point because one of the consistent criticisms of the Sounders this season and during the rough patch last season and in 2022 as well has been that Ryan Schmetzer's slow, overly patient, methodical buildup is
00:44:00
Speaker
not a modern tactic and he's crazy for thinking this is good. I do not think that that has ever been intentional. I think that that's just what, it's kind of like how people get frustrated when teams are chasing a goal and they're just pumping in crosses into the box. Nobody is ever doing that on purpose, right? Like nobody is ever saying, oh yeah, our game plan is to hit crosses into the box from 30 yards out against a bunker defense.
00:44:28
Speaker
nobody's game plan is ever to chase a goal by passing backwards, right? Like that's just what players and teams revert to when they don't have better options or they're struggling to create or whatever it is. And so I think this was an example of what the Sounders want to look like in this game. This is what they are trying to do. And when it's working, it's effective. And I think that the problem has been they didn't have the players they needed to do that for a lot of this season.
00:44:57
Speaker
I was still skeptical that Rusnak being back was going to be enough to be able to do those things, but I think that they're a lot closer to being able to do those things with him in there and Joshua Tenzio as well, who is easy to forget, you know, has missed some time. So yeah, I feel much better about this team, not just because they went out and they scored five goals, but because
00:45:22
Speaker
As you pointed out, they made some significant tactical changes, whether they were a targeted thing or it was just a matter of the personnel they had available, whatever it was, I think it's pretty clear that this is what this team wants to do. They want to move the ball quickly. They want to create chaos. They want to give their quicker players an opportunity to get in behind. They want to give their creative players an opportunity to
00:45:47
Speaker
get the ball in dangerous areas and actually create.
Significance of Montreal Victory
00:45:51
Speaker
I thought the penalty was a great example of this, right? Like we just have not seen a player in that central attacking midfielder position in that 10 role try to dribble into the heart of the defense to make something happen that way this season. And so I was super encouraged by this game. You know, I think that it was
00:46:14
Speaker
All of the things that I've been worried about this season, the slowness and attack, the confidence of the finishing, Stephen Fry's shakiness in his first game back, first couple games back, the defensive fragility at times,
00:46:31
Speaker
all of those things I feel just a million times better about. This was a game the Sounders needed. This was a game the fan base needed. I cannot tell you how much more pleasant a place the Discord has been the last three or four days than it had been for the last couple of weeks. I think people want to be excited about this team,
00:46:53
Speaker
And there's still a little bit of a ways to go to tell people are fully convinced myself included. And I'm, I'm, you know, pretty bullish on this team. But this was the kind of result they really needed at this point in time and in the, in the season. I agree. Yeah.
00:47:14
Speaker
I think that's a good place to call this a segment. We are going to take a little break and we'll come back with a much shorter segment about the next few games. You are listening to Nos adiores.
Upcoming Matches: Strategies and Expectations
00:47:33
Speaker
Welcome back to new Saudi at this. So we've got a second segment. It'll be a little shorter than the first one. We just had a lot to talk about. We're excited about about a big win. And here's the hoping that the next one can be another big win because
00:47:47
Speaker
FC Galus is not very good. The Sounders have lost all three games on the road, but two of those have been two very tough opponents, LA FC and LA Galaxy. Weirdly, the LA Galaxy may be looking like the tougher of those two opponents, which I wouldn't have predicted at the beginning of the year, but hey, you know, MLS is crazy. None of those have included Albert Rusnak or Joao Paulo, who
00:48:10
Speaker
I'm assuming we'll not be ready to start this game, but is on the bench and available, which is great. SD Dallas does not appear to be a tough team. They have one win and one tie in six games. Their one win came against San Jose in the season opener by a familiar 3-2 score line down there in San Jose.
00:48:32
Speaker
Since then, they've been real bad. They've lost their last two at home to Montreal and Vancouver. They are winless, as I said, since beating San Jose. They cannot score.
00:48:46
Speaker
Do a slightly better job of preventing the other team from scoring, but that's still not a great job of it. Uh, this is another game for the Sounders in this early season run that you feel like they really need points from. Uh, I think even if things were going swimmingly in the season and the Sounders had been hitting expectations.
00:49:04
Speaker
you know, this is still a game you feel like, yeah, it's on the road, you need to win this game. And yeah, I think that confidence going into this one is good. The Sounders, as I said, three losses on the road so far. And I think
00:49:20
Speaker
No matter how bad Dallas is, if the Sounders are still struggling to score goals and had only gotten a point or maybe a narrow win against Montreal, maybe you're still nervous about this game. I feel like this is a nailed on three points and I really hope the Sounders do as well because I think we saw how dangerous they could be when they look and feel confident.
00:49:44
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think Dallas is very good right now. I will point out their entire midfield. There's three players that they would start in midfield are hurt. They probably, I don't think they're going to play in this game. They're starting striker is hurt and they're starting center back is also hurt and they're starting left back. So they, they're, they are.
00:50:09
Speaker
in the fiery pits of injury hell in the same way that they're like sounders fans think we are. So I think that's even more.
00:50:19
Speaker
evidence that the Sounders should win, although I will never, ever, ever feel confident when the Sounders travel to Frisco, Texas, just because I feel the same way about that place as I do San Jose. The Sounders never play well there. So I would say the grittiest 1-0 win you have ever seen off the back of like playing like 2002 Brazil against Montreal.
00:50:45
Speaker
Just because it's Dallas and I don't feel good about ever going to Dallas.
00:50:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's fair enough. And I think that's universal to the human condition outside of even the context of soccer. I think you're right. And I think that it's always probably foolhardy to expect three points in any game on the road in NLS. But I do think with the injuries Dallas has and just with how poorly they've been playing this year and how poorly the Sounders have been playing this year, this is one that
00:51:19
Speaker
If you want to throw caution to the wind, this is not a bad place to do it. I don't think that that's going to happen. I don't think that Ryan Schmetzer is going to say, we're going to win this game or die trying. I think that it's going to be the very business-like approach that this team usually takes on the road. And that's probably the right decision, but I just feel like if you can get this
00:51:43
Speaker
three points here you've got to feel really really good about that you know you're up you'd be up to over one point per game which you know is hey that's that's the that's the reality of where the Sounders are at right now 5-0 when notwithstanding
00:51:59
Speaker
And I think too, this is a game that would be really nice to get three points from because it gets a lot harder after this. Next up for the Sounders, they're back at home, but they're against Vancouver who are leading the supporters shield race right now. They are scoring a ton of goals. They have the second highest goal tally and MLS behind Inter Miami. They are preventing goals at
00:52:27
Speaker
the best clip in the league they're tied with a well no sorry I misspoke their their second third in the league a couple of teams have allowed only five Vancouver's allowed six still they're playing great in both phases of the game they look it's early right I don't know that I expect them to
00:52:48
Speaker
you know, go at a close to record setting clip for the whole season. But I think that it's pretty clear that this is a good Vancouver team, probably the best Vancouver team we've seen maybe ever an MLS, if they can keep it up at anything close to this kind of a pace, you know, they can beat you in a lot of different ways. This is going to be a really tough game for the Sounders. And that's on tap, you know, two weeks from now. After that, they traveled to DC United, DC United,
00:53:17
Speaker
Uh, not a great team, but a dangerous team traveling across country is always tough. Uh, and then they've got the union makeup game and midweek and that's going to come on short rest. Uh, and then they've got the galaxy back here in, in Seattle. So a lot of travel coming up, some tough games. And I think you just have left yourself so little room for error with the slow start and dropping points in games that you really need to win. If you, if you want to be competitive, that.
00:53:47
Speaker
Do you don't have the luxury of being as content with draws against bad teams on the road as maybe you would be in a more normal season? Yeah, I think the most kind of unfortunate aspect of starting the season without winning a game in five games is just the margins get so much thinner.
00:54:13
Speaker
Smetcher and the coaching staff tried a bunch of stuff during those games that just didn't come off. Mostly down to luck, but it was just kind of remarkable how they would try to do something different and then that different thing would be the reason why things went poorly. Which hopefully in a few months we can laugh about mostly because I don't really want to have to analyze that any deeper than just saying it was bad luck.
00:54:42
Speaker
But yeah, you just don't have any, like you gotta get points from these games because you didn't get as many points as you should have from other games. And that's like the most like John Madden level of analysts I could give you. But like Dallas being Dallas is whatever Vancouver is the game that worries me a lot because
00:55:11
Speaker
on top of how good they're playing, they just seem like they have the best vibes in MOS. And that, like you can ride that wave for a really long time. Like St. Louis did that last year. If you just like, if your team has good vibes, if your fans are having fun, if your coach is saying insane things, but he's awesome, you just have, if you just have a good time, you can take that really far in MOS. And we've done that as soundest fans. So it's kind of like,
00:55:41
Speaker
That's the game that really worries me. I probably think DC's better than you do, but they just don't lose games, but they also don't really win games either. So if
Future Tactical Adjustments
00:55:53
Speaker
you can get a point against an Eastern Conference team in the Eastern time zone, I'd take that all the time. And then that Philly game is just going to be weird because it's going to start at six minutes with a lineup that
00:56:09
Speaker
It's gonna have the same lineup that the Sounders had when they were in Philly, and that game should have never kicked off to begin with, but we're dealing with scab refs, the decisions that they make months later, so that's really cool. So I'm expecting nothing from that game, so anything is fine. So yeah, I think if you can beat Dallas, if you can, I would absolutely take a draw against
00:56:38
Speaker
maybe I wouldn't take a draw against Vancouver. I think you just gotta win the next two games and see where you're at. Yeah, it's tricky because I think these next five games,
00:56:49
Speaker
If I look at them in isolation, I say, you know what? If the Sounders get six points from these five games, I can't be too happy with those results in a vacuum. The problem is that that would put them on 11 points through 10 games. And there's still plenty of season left at that point. There's still 24 games left, but you're going to be in a decent sized hole. And I think that if you grind out six points in the next five games,
00:57:17
Speaker
Regardless of who the opposition is, that's not going to feel great. That's not going to help the vibes. But when you run down the list, you get a point against Philly, you feel good about that. I think you're right, you get a point against DC, you feel good about that. You never want to settle for a point at home, but I think if you can get a draw against
00:57:40
Speaker
Uh, Vancouver and LA galaxy team who to this far, those look like two of the best teams in the league. Um, I don't think you can be too upset with that again in a vacuum. Uh, I do think that the, the galaxy are beatable. I think the sounders have a blueprint for, for how to play this team. I think if they've got them at home and they've got, you know, I think João Paulo should be back knock on wood by that point. Pedro de la Vega might.
00:58:07
Speaker
feedback by that point, although I think that's probably still a little too early. But I think it's just going to be a much better Sounders team than the one that, you know, came very, very close to getting something out of that game last week in LA. So I think they're beatable, but it's just this weird situation where
00:58:26
Speaker
You need to win games that I think ordinarily you would feel content with not winning, with only getting a point out of. Uh, so it's, it's tough. This is a rough, rough stretch. And you know, it's why I think as, as much as I'm trying to be positive this week, it's why that start was so frustrating because there were so many winnable games in that run that the Sounders either got a point out of or just lost.
00:58:51
Speaker
Yeah, and then not to mention the five games after these five games that are even worse. Because then you start playing in midweek and you got to deal with open cup matches and a bunch of rotation and then God knows what happens in the summer with all the international tournaments and stuff. So yeah, I think it's okay to admit the Sounders didn't play well in their first five games.
00:59:19
Speaker
But it's also okay to admit that they didn't have the greatest luck. You know, I think that's the most like sort of like bipartisan way to approach what's happened so far this season. Things went really well against Montreal, both in terms of luck and play. And I think you just got to kind of like hope that keeps happening. Like play as well as you can against
00:59:43
Speaker
teams that historically have your number, like the Dallas games are always weird regardless of the state of their roster, but you got to make your own luck at the same time. And you do that by playing really well. So just, just play well, please. I will accept, I will accept a poor points total from these next five games, as long as they're
01:00:07
Speaker
not making stupid mistakes and playing well. I'm fine with the ball bouncing where it bounces. As long as they're doing the most that they can to make it happen, which they didn't in the first five games, I'm cool with that.
01:00:21
Speaker
And then maybe you get results you don't deserve. Like, Hey, I don't think they deserve to draw against the rapids. I thought they deserve to win that game, but Hey, maybe they're going to play against DC United and they're not going to deserve a win, but still get one. That would be cool.
01:00:39
Speaker
Right? Yeah. I mean, that's the thing, right? And it's something that I think people have a difficulty acknowledging sometimes. And I do think part of it is that good teams make their own luck by just creating a higher volume of chances and limiting the amount of chances for bad luck to go against them. But, you know, elite teams win games they shouldn't win. Elite teams win games because they get a lucky bounce. And I think that it's okay to hope for those things. And I think that
01:01:05
Speaker
The reality is that look like you can look at these next five games and say they can play really well and only get six points out of these games. But if the standard that the Sounders want us to hold them to is excellence, then they need to win games that are tough, especially at home. I think Vancouver is the real deal. And I'm not going to say that if they don't win that game, that it's a failure. But I think if they don't win either that game or the Galaxy game at home,
01:01:36
Speaker
That's bordering on a failure. Those are both good teams, but if you want to be a great team, you have to be good teams at home. The Galaxy found a way to beat the Sounders on the road last week, and so the Sounders should be able to do that to the Galaxy. Again, if that's the standard that we should be holding the club to, and I think it's reasonable to do that because they've asked us to do that.
01:01:58
Speaker
as fans and, you know, it comes back to that margin of error, right? Like if you don't want to be held to that standard, you got to win the games that you should be winning. Otherwise, you got to find those points somewhere. Yeah, I think the. We kind of we kind of talked ourselves into like a worst case scenario here, which seems to be six points from five games. And I think the only acceptable way, the only way that I will
01:02:28
Speaker
take that is if the six points are against Vancouver and the galaxy. Because then at least you're beating the teams that you're theoretically going to be playing against in the playoffs. I guess you could probably make a case like, well, then they should have just beat FC Dallas. And I agree they should.
01:02:45
Speaker
If for whatever reason that just is an annoying game and god I mean how many weather delays have we dealt with in FC Dallas alone? If that's just weird and then you're on the east coast and it's just two weird games but then if you can beat Vancouver and if you can beat the galaxy
01:03:09
Speaker
I would feel fine. I wouldn't feel fine. I'd be very, very uneasy, but I would be at least, well, there's something to build on, but it's proof of concept. Yeah. Just, just, uh, if, but if, if you're good enough to beat Vancouver and if you're good enough to beat the galaxy, you can probably get something. You can probably get at least three points in the other three games, if not more. So yeah, let's just do that. Yeah.
01:03:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's, that's a great call. I think that they should win the next five games and, you know, get back into the supporter shield race. I don't think that that's likely, but I do, you know, as much as I want to temper expectations or I don't want to, I've just.
01:03:53
Speaker
not genetically allowed to not take that approach. But I do think that there's a reality where the Sounders do get, you know, nine or 10 points. I think the Philly game is going to be tough. I think that's going to be really tough game. They're a very good team and the Sounders are not going to be able to start
01:04:10
Speaker
the kind of lineup that is going to be the one most likely to score a bunch of goals. At the same time, the Sounders defense has been great and their defense is going to be more or less intact. So maybe they can grind a point out in that one. But that's also a game that you're on short rest and you've got another game coming up and you've got a lot of travel. So maybe it's not the worst thing that you're not going to be able to play all of your attacking players who are still on their way back from injury and getting back to full fitness.
01:04:40
Speaker
That's a weird one because that lineup is already set. You know exactly which players are going to be playing in that game unless the Sounders want to burn a bunch of substitutions from that game. So that makes the DC United game even trickier because you're probably not going to start Raoul against DC because he has to start against Philly.
01:05:04
Speaker
those four days are going to be very uncomfortable, I think. And I think the sounders tend to do pretty well.
01:05:16
Speaker
when things are weird and uncomfortable. I think that's kind of like dragging other teams down to the mat. And I don't think those games are gonna be very fun to watch, but I think you're gonna learn a lot about kind of the steel of this team between those two games, just because of how weird of a circumstance that Philly game is. It's not just another midweek game. It's a game that has already started that they have to play again with the same exact players on the field.
01:05:45
Speaker
in decisions that they had to make a month ago because of the state of the roster are going to carry on basically two months later. It's crazy. It's very stupid. I can't believe MLS isn't just saying that game should just restart. But the same thing is true for Philadelphia because they rotated their lineup.
01:06:07
Speaker
crazy because that was in between two, uh, CONCACAF games. So I think that I'm, I'm hyping myself up. I'm expecting something good to come from that. Yeah. I mean, there's no harm in it, right? Like it is kind of a free hit. Um, it's a game that
01:06:25
Speaker
is it's not already in the books but in a way it kind of is and yeah I think anything you can get out of that point that game is a nice bonus and you know I don't know there's no reason to think they couldn't win that game because like you said Philly doesn't have their A team in the game
01:06:45
Speaker
But I agree that it's just ridiculous that that game was allowed to start. I'm still upset that teams at this level can have pitches with drainage that bad. It's been two games now in the season where it's had a huge impact on a game.
01:07:01
Speaker
I think, you know, I said I wouldn't blame the loss in LA on the pitch and I'm sticking to that, but I would love to see that game replayed without the pitch being waterlogged. I'm glad they didn't have to reschedule it. Don't get me wrong. But, you know, it's just, and now they've got this Philly game that's, you know, coming in a really busy period with lots of cross country travel. So it's pretty upsetting. And yeah, I think
01:07:26
Speaker
I think that the right thing to do for the league would have been to say, you know what, this game never should have started. Because we had the replacement refs, we're going to consider this, you know, extenuating circumstances and just start this game over and not hold teams to the same, you know, roster constraints and lineups. But I get why they
01:07:46
Speaker
wouldn't want to do that for PR reasons or what have you, but it's frustrating. All that aside, I think this is going to be really important trash games for the sounders. That seems like a very obvious thing to say that probably doesn't really need to be said, but it could be the difference between this Montreal game being the start of the turnaround and something great, and this Montreal game just being a nice little distraction
01:08:12
Speaker
on the way to a lot more hard work to do. Uh, there's hard work to do either way, but this can be either, you know, the sounders get nine or 10 points out of these next few games. They're fully back, right? They're not quite back into the thick of the race, but those are good results against good teams. And you've got to feel pretty, pretty confident in their ability to finish strong at going into the summer and.
01:08:36
Speaker
and maybe go on a little run when the schedule gets a little bit softer. They struggle, they get five or six points. There's still quite a grind. And we also have to acknowledge the reality that those rogue games don't come easy. They're not able to get it done at home and they come out of this
01:08:53
Speaker
you know, in a pretty bad position still, which would be a huge downer. So let's hope that doesn't happen. But I think that's a good place to call it a show. Mark, thank you so much for joining me. It's always a pleasure. Is there anything you want to plug? I've always wanted to ask that in a podcast, so I'll just go and say that. You should read it, but if you're listening in, you already read it.
01:09:21
Speaker
Thanks for reading Sounder at Heart. That's what I want to look. Thank you. Thank you for reading Sounder at Heart. Thank you to our subscribers for making this show possible. And thank you to Full Pull Wines. I love you, Full Pull Wines. My wife and I had a bottle of wine that we got there this weekend. It was wonderful. You should, if you're a wine drinker, if you're not, if you're not a wine drinker, I have not historically been a wine drinker, but having Full Pull available has made that transition a little easier for me. So they do great work over there.
01:09:52
Speaker
This has been Nosadietes. Jeremiah should be back next week, so we will have regular service returns. You will have to hear me about half as much as you did this week, so thanks for slogging through that with us. We love you, and we will see you next time.
01:11:07
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!