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What We Learned This Week: Injury Bug is Hard to Shake
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Jeremiah and Niko give a rundown of the latest injuries while recording from the newly updated Sounder at Heart studio!
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Announcements
00:00:01
Speaker
Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
00:00:11
Speaker
Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
00:00:43
Speaker
Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does about, runs into the advertising audience.
00:00:54
Speaker
Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what cross! And what goal! Where's my copy? I got a bunch of them the car. We're handing them out for free already. How many do you cost them?
00:01:08
Speaker
50 bucks. I'll deadline you.
Sponsorships and Aesthetic Updates
00:01:18
Speaker
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 Sounder supporters.
00:01:32
Speaker
They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
00:01:42
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adientes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. It is Friday. we are back at the Sounder at Heart studios and we have video. Look at this. This is quite a set that Noah and Lovine Scorchers have helped decorate.
00:01:58
Speaker
And I, of course, paid for it because that's how this works. Of course. But it's Friday. It's a beautiful day. And I am joined by Nico Moreno for another episode of what we learned this week.
00:02:09
Speaker
Nico, are you doing? Man, I'm excited. I am at awe. I feel like we're up. This is surreal. We're moving up like the Joneses, man. We are just like the Jeffersons. We're up there. I mean, the visual component, I mean, it's pretty sick. I got to give Noah some credit for just aesthetics. I mean, he looks like aesthetics guy. He's an aesthetics guy. Yeah, for sure. But of course, you, Mr. I'm going to Mexico. I think you just say aesthetic if you're being hip. Otherwise, aesthetics is like an old person. Well, there you go. Take it for what it is. But my guy, he puts it together. And of course, you, Mr. Going to Mexico on vacation. I know. Paul Rothrock giving me a hard time about taking week I saw it. I saw it. I said, I appreciate you noticing. You did. We're coming down. Exactly. No, but I'm excited. You know, we had a decent week of training with some things to share with everyone. But yeah, so this is the first time we're out here. So if I look awkward or we don't, we'll start to figure it out now. Yeah, we're definitely be awkward screen for a little bit, but that's okay.
Injury Updates and Team Lineup Challenges
00:03:15
Speaker
All right, so this week, might as well start with the biggest news out of this week, and there's a few injuries. You know, it was funny.
00:03:23
Speaker
ah Brian Schmetzer, after the game on Saturday, when we asked him about Albert Rusnak coming out early, he's sort of like, oh, it's nothing. He was tired, and then we asked...
00:03:34
Speaker
we asked ah Albert about it and he's like, i don't know if I'd say it was, I was tired. I was feeling some tightness and he's like, we'll see how it goes this week. Well, he did not participate in any full training sessions this week. He was outside. He was doing some work. Brian said that if there was a playoff game, he would probably be in maybe even starting. But given that it's not a playoff game, I would say he's very much questionable, maybe available off the bench, but there's no way he'll be starting.
00:04:04
Speaker
No, definitely not starting. There's no reason to do so. You have a very capable. Yes. Jesus Ferraro to take that spot. You might even be...
00:04:16
Speaker
you know, trying to get minutes for Hazel Strayer at that position. He talked about all week about both that dual 10 option and then one over the other. so and then And it also makes some decisions easier. i mean, sure he's he wants getting he wants to get Danny Masofsky on the field. It allows him to sort of push...
00:04:39
Speaker
Jordan Morris out to the wing. Totally. He keeps Paul Rothrock on the field. You know, the Sounders right now are very, like you know, I was, like I would made this comment today when I was watching practice is that, you know, you look out at it, the lineup and they're missing. Yamar.
00:04:52
Speaker
Another one, Christian Roldan is going to be out, which we'll talk about. Albert Rusnak wasn't there. Paul Areola has been out on the side as well. And you look at that lineup and you go, sure, that's fine.
00:05:04
Speaker
Like, like I'll take all those starters. Yeah. especially with the team that's coming into town, right? I mean, what I definitely appreciate about the Sounders is something that we have been preaching all year long, which is their floor is extremely high. yeah And that goes into their depth where, yes, you could be missing your top center backs. You could be missing your main and starting pivot and in Christian Roldan. And you could still be like, wow, you know, this is a very competitive team. So, yeah.
00:05:37
Speaker
The competition's also gonna get and create more discourse as the things continue to go forward and players come back in Because we asked Brian about Tino Lopez and it's not just Tino, right? He basically mentioned it's Tino and Kalani having I can't add Tino for Alex without pushing Alex out wide and not having Kalani in that position. So there's so much going well for this team in terms of competition that one decision in one spot is also going to be changing two or three of them.
Team Dynamics: Competition and Camaraderie
00:06:15
Speaker
And and that's a great problem to have. So if anything, I learned this week is that this group is –
00:06:24
Speaker
very cemented, very together, but they all understand the level of competition that is out there. And I think you mentioned it and and and you were spot on, maybe you can talk a little bit about that line that you mentioned when it comes to maybe other teams in contrast to the Sounders where it's not as cutthroat, you're still competitive, but you're still family. You're still doing yeah this, there's this level of camaraderie that maybe you don't see in other clubs. You don't. And, you know, one of the things that for a long time in MLS we talked about was how in Europe there's competition for spots every week. And that it's and it's not necessarily a friendly competition that it's like you look at the guy across from you as your competition, as you're you're about putting money on or food on the table for your kid. And one of the things that the Sounders have been able to do is create that sense of competition
00:07:16
Speaker
but not create that cutthroat sort of like it's me or you sort of attitude and that there is this collectiveness. And that's something that I think comes out of, it starts from the top. I mean, it's Brian Schmetzer, it's Adrian Hanauer, it's Craig Weibel, it's all the the decision makers up top,
00:07:31
Speaker
But it's also the players who have been around long enough, who know each other, who have real relationships. You know, one of the things we talked this week was Snyder Brunel, and he was talking about how the central midfielders are this tight group that's almost like a goalkeepers union in that they are hanging out and they are, you know, friendly and they are, you know, a lot of these guys came up through the academy together, and so they or they played for Tacoma Defiance together, and they have these existing relationships, and it's and I think it does sort of create this collectiveness that allows the sounders to be more than the, you know, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
00:08:08
Speaker
And, you know, it does come off as a tagline a little bit, but I think there's a lot of truth to it at the same time. There's a ton of truth and we've talked about this and if anything,
00:08:19
Speaker
Time gives us more of that validation of some of the takes that we had early on because this Sounders team by no means has spent as much as Austin, Houston. Anyone. you know All of these teams that are below the Sounders right now. Right, exactly. RSL, right? All these teams yeah that that that they're good, they have all this talent, but they're just not good as a collective. And the Sounders have built this team mechanism where you're bringing in a guy like Peter Kingston that has not played at the highest level.
00:08:55
Speaker
He told us this week, and you can check out his interview on Lobby Scorchers, phenomenal interview, where he was talking about playing Sunday League. Right. Where he's playing Ballard FC, right? And now you bring it and you have all of this other methods of of just building up your professional career. And now you're in and you are going out there every single week and just giving it all because you're grateful for that opportunity. So those intangibles have always been, to me, one of the keys to the Sounders' success. They don't just look at talent level. They don't look at age. They don't look at just the regular things that you would see in a database for other teams. They're looking at talent.
00:09:38
Speaker
the person that you are? Are you gritty? Can you perform? Are you accountable for your mistakes? All of these additional things that you might think it sounds like, you know, fairytale-like or like unnecessary or you're just being, you know, a little bit too romantic with the soccer components. But it's a real thing, man, where...
00:10:04
Speaker
The guys in this locker room have a common goal. They have a lot of common values. And that tends to shine. man yeah i don't want to oversimplify what the Sounders do, but I feel like that is something that ever since even Chris Henderson, Garth Lagerwey, and now with Craig Weibel, there is a sense of importance of you as a person and not you as a just a soccer player. Yeah, no, absolutely. But I also don't want to bury the lead too much. We mentioned that Christian Roldan is going to be out this week.
00:10:34
Speaker
And, you know, he's the leader of a lot of these guys. But apparently he took a ball to the head at some point during training this week. And he's in concussion protocol. So he's going to be out at least this week. He was outside doing work, which is crazy.
00:10:47
Speaker
a good sign because it means it usually means they're like this is should not be a multi week absence. But you know, as a player who has a history of concussions, I'm sure they're going to be a little bit more careful with them.
Player Absences and Adaptations
00:11:00
Speaker
ah But yeah, that's going to be a loss for them. ah But at the same time, they have Snyder Brunel and Hassani Dodson who can just step right in and not be certainly on a one game basis should not be a huge drop off.
00:11:12
Speaker
Yeah, you hope that it's not. I mean, Christian Rodin is one of those pillars of your team. And although you do have experienced players like Hassani, very capable, I always look at the details and... some of the unique traits to Christian Roldan. So you might have a little bit of a decline maybe on pass progression, maybe on the chemistry between your pivots, that ability to press in the block. you know so And he's also coming off two of his best games of the season. Absolutely. So that that that's what I wanted to go to. It's tough because it's not just what he does for the system, but boy, had he been good. yeah He'd been so good, and it's something that you and I have talked about where he's had some games where maybe he was a little negligent with the ball, maybe not as sharp, but over the last couple of games, he was he was heading somewhere. yeah So you you you might feel that, but to your point, it is nice to to know that this group understands the system and that even though
00:12:19
Speaker
individually and on talent and maybe potential, you're gonna feel it. The overall floor and the overall play is gonna still be there. And for... Hassani, if there's something that I do like about him is that he simplifies the game. He likes to get rid of the ball very quickly. So maybe that's going to add more to a guy like Jesus Ferreira. Maybe add more to a guy like Jordan Morris if he's playing out wide.
00:12:44
Speaker
Snyder, Brunel, obviously a guy that has been so good at taking more chances, taking more mid-range shots, being... a lot more defiant on the ball. Maybe you add a little bit of pressure there, and that might be what ultimately balances things out for not having Christian Roldan. But I'll finish with this.
00:13:03
Speaker
I am concerned because of his history with concussions. Hassani was, in my opinion, out longer than I thought he would be with a concussion. Yeah, and he missed in like three weeks. Yeah, and it sounds like that is because it's so hard to...
00:13:20
Speaker
evaluate and get through that clearance of protocol, which I'm totally okay with. Yeah. Concussions are are a real thing, something that you have to be very, you know, strict with. So, you know, we might not have Christian for a couple of weeks, if not three.
00:13:35
Speaker
Well, well's hope know let's hope
Player Progress and Offensive Strategies
00:13:37
Speaker
not. Let's hope not. Yeah. well No, you got the break, though. You got the FIFA break. So you would only miss him for, I think it's one more game, right? Oh, is there another coming up? is there another break coming up but that Well, isn't the World Cup almost here? No. You're like two months away, buddy. Oh, my God. is it i was i was talking to I was talking to Kevin today, for some reason, he made it sound like he was here. so we got like we got like eight games before the World Cup. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah don't worry. It's OK. We'll edit this out. This will stay. It's going to stay. But regardless of, we might miss him for three of those eight games. Yeah, exactly. ah
00:14:13
Speaker
But you know I will say that Hassani is probably a better partner with Snyder than he was with Christian because I think he is a little bit more of a natural, so like at least in the way the Sounders play, he seems to be more of a natural six than a natural eight.
00:14:27
Speaker
And Snyder definitely is more of a natural eight. than a natural six. So I think they potentially form a nice little partnership. But it was it was funny when we asked Brian today about Snyder, and he didn't give a great quote. It's like you really got to see the answer to get, but he he just sort of smiled and did one of these...
00:14:47
Speaker
He's looking really good. you know like he He really likes Snyder and he has been very impressed with the progress that he's made this year. And I think really anyone can watch the Sounders and just see that Snyder is a potentially special player. And you know, you asked him, I believe about the comparison with Obed Vargas. And now, you know, because Obed is, you know, he just started this week for Atletico in, in La Liga. Uh, you know, he is a player who has already reached a pretty high level, who is potentially a world cup participant.
00:15:21
Speaker
And, he took the i thought But you watch Snyder and you see so much of what you saw in Obed. and in some ways, I think he's a i mean he's probably ah a and like a more dynamic attacking player.
00:15:37
Speaker
Yeah, I think he might be, if not on par, a step ahead on the offensive efficiency Yeah. He takes a lot more risk than maybe Obed did at yeah at that time. Yeah, for sure. He, I think, has done that because of the level of competition. And I love that Snyder mentioned, I'm watching all these guys. I'm watching Attenso. Yeah. I'm watching Danieleva. I'm watching Obed. And I'm trying to replicate and ah grab things from each individual player. And I could see it.
00:16:09
Speaker
I could see that. And so maybe at 18 with those role models, you're pushing yourself a little bit harder of saying, man, i I want to be able to break ah pressure with the ball and dribble through pressure. And I want to be able to be a little bit more decisive when I'm taking a big range shot. And that has reflected on his play. So Love the kid.
00:16:31
Speaker
Love the answers. Love the fact that he gave flowers, but still had a little smirk. Yeah, like he's confident. know what I'm at. You know, I know I am. I'm there. He does not seem at all. No, right. And he doesn't seem intimidated by the competition. He does not.
00:16:47
Speaker
He's not giving the aw shucks. I'm just so happy to be here. He's giving the I'm one of the guy. You know, yeah I feel like I am. Colleagues with Christian Roldan and Hassani Dotson and all these other guys like I belong here. and his plays is very much ah on par with in it and it's it's just very it's interesting that he he's progressed this quickly. You know, and i it probably helps that he started so fast last year. that He scored two goals in his first two games. which is kind of crazy to think about. ah But he has, he has low, even though he doesn't have a goal or an assist to show for it this year, he just looks like a more complete, a more, you know, he just seems like he belongs more like in this last game.
00:17:32
Speaker
He had two shots. He could have had a third. He said it, but he ended up setting up Danny Musoski for a decent chance on that one. But both of his shots were really dangerous shots. They were from distance. They they troubled Roman Berkey a lot. I really, really think that he is going to be, when it's all said and done, i mean, by the end of the year, I think he's going to you know he's going to be a player who is probably cemented in the starting lineup.
00:17:57
Speaker
Not to say where his career could go. And it it does add ah component that the Sounders haven't had all season. and I mean, we've heard, how many times have we heard Brian talk about, we need to take more shots. We need to be able to do more of that. And it was interesting. It's notable that he is the guy who sort of,
00:18:18
Speaker
took that on and said, sure, I'll be more than happy to take some shots from 25 yards or whatever. So you could tell that he just soaks up what the coaching staff wants. He seems to be better game by game. So look, I don't want to put a lot of pressure. Although we asked him about pressure, he just says, look, I do the exact same thing that I did when I was at Tacoma Defiance. And I just try to stay in my lane, which is great. But I do have a lot of expectations from him We'll see how, and this might be ah a very good challenge for him to have a guy like Hassani, completely different yeah to what he's had. Maybe he needs to fit role of, okay, now I've got to do more because Christian's not there. So I want see how he handles it against a Dallas team that we'll talk about here later.
00:19:07
Speaker
I'm sure after the break, but that is very physical. And they're going to play them physical. They're going to be very direct. So it's going to be interesting how that plays out. A couple of more things here from training.
Defensive Updates and Strategies
00:19:19
Speaker
Yemar Gomez-Andrade, Ryan Saylor, the center backs that you are hoping to get back. Kim Keehee. They were all out there. Stuart Hawkins all in. Yep, all And it sounds like he's actually going to play at Tacoma Defiance next week.
00:19:33
Speaker
Which is great, right? I would say Ki-hee and Stu are the closest guys to being ready to go. Yamar, Brian mentioned, he hopes he gets back right before the World Cup break, which is not one more game away. and um And it was he what happened to Brian Saylor. And I just want to touch up on him very briefly.
00:19:55
Speaker
I've had my eye on him all week long. He seems to be still getting his conditioning back. yeah I think he has probably the toughest battle in two minutes. yeah Because Tino has been so good. Kim Kihee. Is a known quantity. Is a known quantity and looked good today. looked great. I mean, he was all over physical, strong, good on the ball. so And the Sounders have a lot of invested in Hawkins' potential.
00:20:24
Speaker
And that's other. And so it's like you have, just once you even get beyond the you know Jackson, Reagan, Yamar level, you have Tino Lopez, who's already proven himself. Kim Ki-Hugh's already proven himself. Stuart Hawkins, who is, like I said, already somebody they have a lot invested in.
00:20:42
Speaker
Alex Roldan. yeah And we can talk about that whole situation too. Kalani Kosarianzi, and that that's sort of linked to Alex Rodon. There's a lot, you know, it's it's hard for me to think of a scenario where it would have to be a injuries and rotation situation for Ryan Saylor just to get on the field, let alone starting games. So, I mean, and that's maybe he will. I mean, and ah It's a great problem for the Saunders to have potentially, but he's, I would agree, he's got the the steepest hill to climb to get significant minutes.
00:21:16
Speaker
ah Yeah, so um overall, the vibes have been there. You could tell the level of competition is doing something That has a very particular and would call normal effect with the Sounders training, which is everybody's given out their very best. Even today watching Stefan Fry and Andrew Thomas practicing. I mean, Steph still looks like a guy that...
00:21:44
Speaker
Man, he he he looks good, man. I was watching him take some shots today and and and just that that level of competition at all roles to me makes dangerous teams. And Maybe the Sounders are not in a hot streak like San Jose is right now.
00:22:01
Speaker
But do I think that the Sounders are going to, at the end of the year, be higher than San Jose understandings? I think so. i just feel like this dabbed the depth, the players that going to get back. So I'm high on this team because...
00:22:18
Speaker
You already did the hard part, which is finding ways to win on the road. Now you come home, the expectation is that you continue to get results. Now they have to keep doing that, of course. yeah Of course. it it But you start getting players back. yeah And so you've already kind of endured the storm. And now you're hoping that you could just build on that. So that's the way I see it. And I don't know. I really do think that this team has the power to be you know one of the top three
Performance Expectations and Competitions
00:22:44
Speaker
teams in the Western Conference. Yeah, so there's a little tool that we are getting ready to unveil on Sound at Heart. It's just like measure a strength of schedule. And it measures both the previous games that they've played and then it projects their strength of schedule that's left.
00:22:57
Speaker
And the Sound at Strength at Schedule based on this metric is the toughest to the point of the wow of to the point this season. And you know the the rest of the season is, you know it's not easy, but it's it's like closer to the bottom of the middle of the pack. and it just Which just goes to your point, of like they have really played the toughest part of their schedule so far. Now are they gonna be able to continue to get 2.3 points per game?
00:23:25
Speaker
I mean, if they do, they're going to win Supporter Shield. I'm confident in saying that. But i don't know I also don't know that I expect them to maintain this exact pace. But I think they can. I mean, this is a game that they should win at home. They have a bunch of winnable games coming up. So there's no reason to think that they're going to fall off immediately or that they should fall off immediately. But before we move on to the break and we we talk about FC Dallas after the break, I did want to talk a little bit more about the center back situation because it does continue to evolve.
00:23:54
Speaker
I think Yamar probably is going to be able to come back in and get back to being a starter. But with each week, it becomes less and less clear. or It's it's a it's a a testament to the players that are here that it's getting tougher and tougher to say that. Last week, it was Tino Lopez who looked very good playing alongside Alex Roldan. It looks like Jackson Reagan will be back this week. Alex Roldan likely playing center back again.
00:24:22
Speaker
But part of that is, you know, Brian said, is that Kalani Kosarienzi is playing so good at right back that they don't want to take him off the field. And this is just my point is that the centers are creating a really good problem, which is they have a lot of players along that back line who they want on the field.
00:24:41
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And I think in Kalani's... favor I would say that he's just so gifted when he comes to getting forward. is It's very easy. His athleticism. His athleticism just allows him to get forward with such ease.
00:25:00
Speaker
And the more that this back line plays together, the the better they cover each other. so I thought that the San Luis game was was a very professional good win by the Sounders. i thought that they struggled heavily in the first 20 minutes. yeah After the goal, they settled down.
00:25:21
Speaker
Credit to the set pieces. But in the moments where things got a little dicey and Nuhu had a couple of bad moments, the guy who... Especially early. especially early, the game who came to his rescue and really was able to cut angles and make that transition moment go negative was Tino Lopez. And on the other side, Alex Rodin has been so good on that those emergency defense moments that, man, it just seems to fit because Kalani does give you this...
00:25:49
Speaker
very dangerous threat on a guy that is explosive and he get behind so quickly. And his delivery on the wall has been very good as That's one thing that's gotten better, I feel like, in the last few weeks is his delivery has gotten... Because he you know he's someone who...
00:26:07
Speaker
I feel like was able to rely on his athleticism to get him out of trouble sometimes and he's had to do that less recently and he's just looked like a cleaner player and if he becomes a really clean technical player, a very high ceiling for him.
00:26:23
Speaker
Sure, sure. So those those are the things, I would say that If there is an area, because I don't want to make this team sound like they are like they wouldn't need any help anywhere. yeah I would think that the one place where you're still hoping that you see another level and that maybe you could still have scrutiny is that ninth position. Mm-hmm.
00:26:51
Speaker
It's an area is old and it's tired. But even now that you get a goal here and there from Danny Masavsky, you get a goal here and there from Osase, who, by the way, the goal...
00:27:06
Speaker
I mean, it was a good goal, and and I didn't want to, on Monday, Ari was very high on being in one of the best goals. It was a good goal. But, man, ah it wasn't ideal. like It wasn't, I don't know how to put it wasn't fundamentally right for a a forward. Like that shot should should to be taken first first time I mean, we asked Jesus about it. Yeah. And he just sort laughed. It's like, yeah, i mean, I thought i did give him a really good ball. And I thought he wasted it. because They went around everybody. Exactly. so I mean, because really what you would like him to do there is either take it first time with his left or just make a quick cut back and hit it with his right.
00:27:43
Speaker
Instead, what he did is he collected it, dribbled around, backpedaled, dribbled around, and then he, and then he, like, shot. Cross shot it. right he Yeah, he hits it like a fadeaway through traffic, and hey, ball goes in. Absolutely. So, what are you gonna do but But to me, that's where maybe you still have a bit of a question mark where,
00:28:04
Speaker
Is Danny Musavsky the guy? I couldn't tell you. Is, as I say, the guy? i don't know. Is Jordan? I would hope so, but we still haven't seen it. So if there was someone where you might be able to say, well, look, if this team needs something, it's maybe a little bit more TNT, more gunpowder, more explosiveness at that specific position, then that might be it. But everywhere else, it just feels like this team is just just deep, deep,
00:28:31
Speaker
There's competition. And they're just in sync, which to me is more important. Individually, you can be great, right? And and I think we've side midweek, right? When you have all these teams, New York City FC, Cincinnati 4-4, crazy game, ridiculous.
00:28:47
Speaker
I mean, sure, it sounds fun and maybe it was entertaining, but I don't want my team giving up for goals. I mean, I know I don't. That's why I find it pretty funny with all the LAFC guys that are hoping that Mark Dos Santos fails and they're like, oh, well, this team needs to be better. Look, I'm not saying that they don't need to be more dangerous on offense, but they're defensively they're defensively sound. Yeah. and You call it cliche or not, defense with championships and and having a team that's solid defensively is important. So the Sounders have that. And to me, that that has been the biggest change in credit because that was in the top of the objective board for this coaching staff. They've been able to do it. Yeah, absolutely. Well, ah why don't we take a break? We'll come back and we will talk about FC Dallas a little bit more. You're listening to Nos Adietes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network.
00:29:39
Speaker
Welcome back to Nos Adietes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. And I should note that you might be watching this on Lobbing Scorchers. This is part of a growing partnership that we have with Lobbing Scorchers. You, of course, know that Lobbing Scorchers has been on the Sound Heart podcast network for about two years, but we are...
00:30:00
Speaker
expanding our relationship and we are gonna be starting to push more Sound at Heart video content onto the Lobbing Scorchers YouTube page. We are not fully unwinding the Sound at Heart video ah program, but we are it's gonna mostly be a podcast feed for No Sarietes and most of the original video that we're gonna be doing is gonna go through Lobbing Scorchers. So if you are ah listening to this,
00:30:26
Speaker
and you want to see our faces more often and you want to see more video content, I would urge you to go to Lobbing Scorcher's YouTube page and hit the subscribe button. I guess that's what the kids say subscribe Like and subscribe, right? Like and subscribe. That's right. You know, we've been growing a whole lot when it comes to that. I i appreciate all all the support from... everyone and how um how much good feedback i'm getting yeah and that's how and that's what we don't want to put this studio to use that's right that's right and that is a big part of it and i and i really love the the video work that lobbing scorchers does and so i'm really excited about doing this we are going to be working more together than ever before and that you're still going to be doing lobbing scorchers uh
00:31:12
Speaker
Morning, what is it? Morning kickoff. Morning kickoff. yeah ah I didn't want to blow the name there. Yeah, Lominicorch kickoff, that that's been great with with Ari. And of course, you know, Friday's on what we learned this week. and I'm sure that at times we're going to be able to come in here with maybe a player, right, or two. maybe Show off a little bit. That's right. Show them the space. Use it. ah You know, all of it. So... ah I appreciate everybody just being on board. And and if there's ideas, things you want to see this space used for, you know, let us know. Jeremiah, man, he he's the boss. So whatever he says goes.
00:31:51
Speaker
All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about FC Dallas. They are coming off a midweek game against Minnesota United, 1-0 loss in which they were probably the better team. The game was in Dallas. And so this is going to be their third game in a week, basically.
Opponent Analysis and Match Strategy
00:32:08
Speaker
ah they And I guess Peter Moussa went out with an injury in the Minnesota game. yes And we don't know what his status is coming into this one. No, to me, it looks serious enough where you're not going to risk him three days later, especially with a travel in between and mean a short week. So Brian kind of asked me if I knew anything more than he did. And no, I do not. I watched the game over again this morning. and Things do change in dynamic without Peter Musa up there. I mean, no disrespect to Logan Farrington, who is a very good player. I think he's a good striker. I think he moves well. But...
00:32:53
Speaker
He needs that killer and that other attacker because I do feel like if there's anything to that partnership is that they play well off of each other. But without one, it just didn't look as good. Santiago Moreno is a Very known player around this part, right? He used to play for Portland. He's a player that a Sounders scouted actually very heavily prior to him moving to Portland. And he looked good. He started in this game. Valiente was the guy that was off this one in particular to start off the game. But Valente has also been very good. They have changed and rotated, i want to say, seven different starting 11 this season. So they're still trying to figure things out. They play more in a 3-4-3 during midweek. They like to use their wingbacks, Shaq Moore being their most effective. Shaq Moore is a guy that I actually enjoy a lot watching play. He's got very good delivery. ah He's very smart about when he gets forward. He's selective on when he used the overlaps and the underlaps. So with Santiago Moreno, though, he is a guy that likes to gravitate internally. So he does kind of push Shaq more and more towards the left side. But going to be interesting how they how it plays out. If I had to describe this team, I would say that they're...
00:34:16
Speaker
They're not quite there when it comes to what they want to do great at. Like there isn't anything that I think that they do great at. think they do a lot of things that are good, but they just don't specialize in anything. I think that they play in a mid block. I think that when they're on the ball, they push their back line pretty high. They like to keep you pinned in. They have taken advantage of a lot of transition moments because they do a good job trapping and repressing, but I wouldn't call them a high pressing team.
00:34:45
Speaker
um But a high effort team, but they kind of like a Brian honestly like a lot of similarities to way the Sounders play with under b Brian Schmetzer is like every single player is expected to defend totally every player is expected to run this is not a team that has a lot of or They don't have luxury players and I think that's part of what made cost does time so tough there was that he is he is kind of more of a luxury player who just want, you know, he's like a classic 10.
00:35:12
Speaker
But yeah, so Asante Moreno made his first start of the season since moving over to Dallas on Wednesday. It seems maybe unlikely that he would start two games on short rest like that, but he will certainly have a role to play. The other player who I keep hearing a lot about and who seems to sort of like personify a lot of what Dallas is under Peter Quill is ah is Christian Kappas, a defensive midfielder who is sort of their, ah you know, he he's he's kind of the their Christian Roldan a little bit.
00:35:47
Speaker
Yeah, and the the funny part is that although he has been good, I think that there is a lot more to be needed in terms of game possession and game tempo. They give up a lot of Over the last three games that that I watched pretty consistently, they have a hard time managing games late, right? They give up a a very easy goal against San Luis City a couple of weeks back. They have a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy, even after Joel Klaus goes out, who now is out for, i think, all the way to like after the World Cup break. So this is a team that they don't have a tempo setter at McPhil. Yeah. Kayaki, the other midfielder next to him. I totally butchered his name. He's another one that... Ferreira, you're talking about? ah
00:36:41
Speaker
Yeah, Kayaki. I have no idea how to say that. yeah no i I was trying to practice it before this and I totally lost it. But he is a another...
00:36:53
Speaker
midfielder that I feel like is more of a box-to-box but doesn't quite set the tempo or hold the ball the way that would allow you to be more purposeful late in the game. also think they're very gappy. I feel like...
00:37:08
Speaker
watching this game with ah another analyst, we were kind of talking about that it's easier to play through them than around them. And I feel like that fits Seattle pretty well, right? Because yeah Seattle has some very good through ball passers, whether there is Jackson Reagan, In the back end, whether it's Jesus Ferreira a little bit higher. Well, you know, Christian Rodin does that pretty well.
00:37:30
Speaker
He's done it in the last couple of games. He won't be in this particular game. But maybe a Snyder-Burnell can do that. So because the Sounders do such a good job of playing through certain pressure, I feel like Seattle is effectively built to beat this Dallas team.
00:37:48
Speaker
Yeah, and the reality is that the Sounders have – dominated Dallas at home. They have the longest active home unbeaten streak against a single opponent. Actually, it's the longest in MLS history, I believe, at 21 games. they you know So this is a game where anything less than three points would be a disappointment.
00:38:06
Speaker
I mean, that's just the reality. true That does not mean that Dallas is not capable of winning this game, but this is a game the Senators should feel like they should win. And it's a an opponent that they have, you know,
00:38:19
Speaker
They have every reason to be confident going against. Yeah. And i would think that although they do play with a three-man back line, I think that they have a hard time when it comes to combination play. And that's another part of the Sounders game that has grown so much over the last couple of years. i got to give Freddie Juarez a lot of...
00:38:44
Speaker
credit when it comes to a lot of those attacking movements. So if you can pull those center backs out, drag them out a little bit, you can really get through and and create some big opportunities. And the goalkeeping situation for Dallas has also been dicey. So testing from mid-range shots I think is going to be important for this team. So with everything that I'm saying here, I think you're seeing my indication that I feel like Seattle should win this game pretty comfortably, but you can't say that, right? You can't overlook the opponent. I feel like the Sounders... You can say it. you yeah Yeah, you can it. You can't do it. But what I will say is that I was talking to Kevin today, and I was like, look...
00:39:30
Speaker
Unfortunately, and people are not going to like this, the Sounders with the Epson flows of the season, they're due for one of those stale games and for one of those I'm going to drop some, I know, I know. But to everyone watching, I do think that it might be more of the Kansas City road trip and not this one because because City tends to be a dicey one for the Sounders. But this particular game at home,
00:39:53
Speaker
with who I believe is going to be a very good Jesus Pereira in this particular game. It does seem like a game that sets up well for him, especially that he's playing his former team, his boyhood club, as he called them. I mean, he it's sort of hard to overstate his history. Like we talk about, oh, Paul Rothrock grew up a Sounders fan, but the reality is he didn't really get into the Sounders organization until he was a senior in high school.
00:40:18
Speaker
Jesus first playing for FC Dallas at like nine years old. grew up there i mean he played he played there through ah his age 23 season. He went through his whole life ah rooting for FC Dallas and when he was a child before before that even his dad was a player was the best player on the team. So he has a lot of history with FC Dallas and you know, he he talked about how it's still a little weird to face his former team. I think it helps that there's not a lot of players left over from at least there's players left over from when he was there, but there's the players he came up with are mostly gone now. And I just want do a little mea culpa. I called the coach of FC Dallas, Peter Quill. Peter de Quill is Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy. Eric Will is the coach of ah FC Dallas. So anyway, I just wanted to make sure people realized that I knew I made a mistake. ah
00:41:11
Speaker
But yeah, the game is, this should be a game that this, end you there's a lot of reasons to be confident about the Sounders. But if there are reasons to be skeptical, Logan Farrington has to be at the top of the list. This is a player who came out of the draft, who was ah a number three draft pick and has been one of, if not the best players come out of the draft in a while. And that's saying something because the draft does continue to churn out at least a few players every year who are pretty good.
00:41:43
Speaker
Totally. I could not disagree more. He's savviness he's not the fastest, not the strongest, but he his ability to locate himself correctly in that final third is is great. And it's of a player beyond his years. Yeah.
00:42:01
Speaker
And it makes him a very dangerous player for a Sounders team that, you know, they have done well when it comes to minimizing the the challenges that certain strikers might provide. And that's why if there's anywhere where I think the Sounders have to be careful, it is on set pieces. That's still somewhere where I think Dallas could affect this game. And if you allow Dallas to get... ahead in this game, maybe, you know, it gives you a little bit of ah of a headache. but But in terms of those attacking players, yeah, i think Logan Farrington is certainly alongside of Santiago Moreno, because Santi Moreno might not be a DP talent, but he can have DP moments. he He is a very... And yes, it is the same Santi Moreno from Portland yeah Timbers. Yeah, yeah, same guy. He left, was in Brazil. Right. yeah Look...
00:42:54
Speaker
He left Portland, not just because, i mean, there was a lot of issues with that Portland front office, which they've been a mess for quite some time. Oh, interesting. Yeah. this Yeah. And then he went to Brazil. Now he's back. I think he's a very good player and he could have magical moments. So that's another guy that you need to be on him.
00:43:14
Speaker
disconnect them from the game and not allow him a lot of space on top of the box because he's not afraid to take mid-range shot curler and put it away in the back of the net. And he also connects very well where he's going to be looking for the through balls. He's ah shifty on the ball. So I think both Farrington and Santiago Moreno are the two guys that I would look at and make sure that you are consistently taking out of the game.
00:43:36
Speaker
All right. Well, that's probably a good place to call. I don't think we have anything left to discuss. Do we? No, I don't think so. I think that we covered all the injuries that were important. Obviously, this this game against FC Dallas. So, yeah, no, I think we talked about about everything. we We were even able to, you know, promote that Peter Kingston exclusive. Yeah, that's allclusive on Lobbing Scorchers. And the audio version of this, maybe we'll throw that interview in between the segments. I don't know. If you're listening to this, you probably already know what we decided to do there. But... ah
00:44:13
Speaker
It was nice talking to Peter Kingston. he is someone who understands his place. And i think understands this moment that he finds himself in and he's not taking it for granted. i think he's someone that's really easy to root for. But the more I watch him, the more I really like his game. I mean, he has some sauce. He has some ah some bite.
00:44:35
Speaker
he He is a player who I'm a little surprised has... didn't catch more attention than he's got here. He fell through the cracks. There's doubt about it. He very much. And the Suns have done a good job at just collecting those players. Maybe people are not watching. I think the only question about Peter Kingston that – I didn't quite realize until we got to talk to him is maybe we don't know his best position. i feel like his central midfield because you know when you give him that freedom, I think he can get in and out, especially in this system where you find yourself maybe a little bit wider depending on the the push of your fullback. Sometimes it's Kalani in those inside channels, you could get pushed out. or you know There's a lot of ways that by adding numbers, you could find yourself in different positions. But I thought I heard him say like winner. Yeah, I think he said left wing. What he said was preferred position, which I don't know if he's even played for the Saunders yet. I don't know. I mean, I know that he did he got put like on the right wing in Spokane when he created that goal. And you know he has right back in his background. Yeah, he's played some right back. I mean, he's played he's a very versatile player who I don't think we've seen the, I think we're only like kind of seeing the tip of the iceberg with him, which I think is pretty exciting. Uh, and I, I think is another reason to be bullish about this team, but, uh, yeah, with all that, let's say let's get out of here. I'm Jeremiah Shayan signing off for Nico Moreno. Uh, this is sounder at heart, or this is no study at this part of the sounder at heart podcast network on and video on lobbying scorcher. So again, make sure to like, and subscribe to this video. Uh, we'll be back doing more of these.
00:46:16
Speaker
We'll catch you next time.