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Was Brian Schmetzer’s critique of Pedro de la Vega over the top?
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Jeremiah is once again joined by Niko Moreno as the Sounders get ready to face Real Salt Lake in their second league match of the season. Niko provides some analysis of Real Salt Lake’s early-season struggles and thinks this is a good opportunity for the Sounders to finally break their winless streak in Utah.
Perhaps more interestingly, Jeremiah and Niko discuss Pedro de la Vega’s performance against Antigua and specifically some of Brian Schmetzer’s comments after the game. Although he walked it back a bit on Friday, Schmetzer somewhat called our de la Vega for some possibly unnecessary flair that may have contributed to Antigua’s goal.
Niko also let us know about some drama surrounding Cruz Azul as the Sounders prepare for their next Concacaf Champions Cup opponent.
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“Diversions” audio provided by Sounder at Heart subscriber Lars; find more of their music here.
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Transcript
Sponsorship and Introductions
00:00:02
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 Sounders supporters.
00:00:16
Speaker
They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
00:00:25
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 Come on.
00:00:36
Speaker
Hey, O'Shea. Let's go.
Seattle Sounders Celebrations
00:00:42
Speaker
The Seattle Sounders have done it. Cup winners.
00:00:53
Speaker
And now they truly can't start the celebrations. It's the Sounders MLS Cup. Nikola. so The Sounders rule the region!
00:01:05
Speaker
Seattle, the Sounders,
00:01:13
Speaker
it's going to be good! He's gone! That is good!
Episode Introduction and Network Content
00:01:24
Speaker
That publicist ain't cheating.
00:01:30
Speaker
since sounder hard commentary that you didn't take lo seriously Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adientes and what we learned this week with Nico.
00:01:47
Speaker
I am here. I'm Jeremiah Chan. I am here at Long Acres with Nico Moreno, my favorite co-host. i don't know. One of my favorite co-hosts. Let's go. We're moving up in the world. i don't want to disappoint anybody.
00:02:00
Speaker
No, I don't want to get your boy Lickett and Aaron. And Matt Doyle. Hey, I see the Matt Doyle thing. I dig it. I dig it. Right? Uh-huh. So we got to start, ah you know we gotta you know, we got we gotta to keep it real. um Hey, man, I love it. are You breaking it out, getting some MLS stuff, some Western Conference stuff.
00:02:22
Speaker
were We're doing it right. You're doing it right. Right? It's the one-stop shop on the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Got Lobbing Scorchers doing live YouTube shows. Mm-hmm. Got so much content. People are coming up to me all the time. It's so funny. We can put out as much written content as we want. And people are just like, oh, that's great. You start putting out a bunch of podcasts. People are like, it's exciting. Yeah. And I don't know how they do it. I think you talked about it. It might be just because they have a little bit more liberty with their day-to-day. But under the lights and then they got the other one. Man, they're just putting it out there. People loving it. If you are a Sounder at Heart subscriber on the private RSS feed, you are getting a fire hose of audio content into your face, into your ears.
00:03:06
Speaker
ah But here we are. It's a beautiful day. Could not possibly be more beautiful out here at Long Acres.
Sounders' Struggles and Rivalries
00:03:13
Speaker
And the Sounders are right now getting ready to go to RSL for their second league game of the year. It's funny to say that it's the only the second league game because it feels like we have played a lot of games already this year.
00:03:24
Speaker
but they are going to be going to RSL where they have really struggled. It is almost comical how much the Sounders have struggled. We are going to, I would should would say, we're getting ahead of ourselves, but we're going to talk about, now we're or committed to talking about RSL first, but we are going to talk about the Antigua game.
00:03:40
Speaker
We're gonna talk about the Cruz Azul game later next week, but I wanna do a little bit of preview of RSL. They are coming up on Saturday. The Sounders have really struggled at Rio Tinto Stadium.
00:03:53
Speaker
You gotta to go all the way back to 2012 to find the last time they won a game there. I guess you could say 2016 they won an Open Cup game, but i don't know if we really count that. It wasn't a shootout.
00:04:04
Speaker
ah But 2012, last time they won on scoreline. 2011 was the last time they won a regular season game in RSL. The only time they've won a regular season game That was 13 years ago, 14 years ago.
00:04:17
Speaker
That's crazy. It's insane. And it's something that I think, and I've heard from some fans, that this used to be a rivalry at some point, and it used to kind of be something that fans really wanted to win out, and then it just kind of lost its magic, and then it was more of other teams. ah yeah So it'd be interesting because if the Sounders are going to win, it's now or never. I actually ah put my... um Stamp of approval, if you are thinking about putting some wager in it, there's some really good odds um for Sounders being away, and I really do feel like this is it. When we talk about RSL, I'll go into it, but it's easy to say that RSL has struggled, to say the least, in 2025. Yeah, so let's let's do RSL first, since we're on the subject. all right So they are coming into this game winless in three competitive matches.
00:05:12
Speaker
They open their season with a 0-0 tie at Erdiano. They're leading the the top team in Costa Rica right now. ah Then they turned around and got blown out at home or on the road to San Jose Earthquakes 4-0.
00:05:25
Speaker
And then they turned around midweek and they took a one zero lead against Erdiano. It looked like, okay, maybe they're cruising. They got a little bit of a break when Erdiano scored their first goal and it got waved off for a foul.
00:05:38
Speaker
And then Ergino still came back at ah RSL and scored two goals. RSL did not put up much of an offensive attack. Their striker, who does not have a lot of experience, did get on the scoreboard, but...
00:05:52
Speaker
Pablo Mostrani did not exactly have high praise for him. he you You were talking about something that he said in the postgame about... Yeah, I mean, look, a Jagu is a player that is clearly new to the league, new to the team, needs to... He's a young guy, and and I think he catches himself, ah Pablo did, because one of the media members is like, oh, you know...
00:06:14
Speaker
Thiago finally got on the scoreboard. He said, well, yeah, from the first game to now, we've had a ton of chances. And, oh, by the way, in this specific game, according to Pablo, first of all, there were 28 shots, just shots by RSL. According to Pablo, 18 were inside the 18. Oh, my God. In that one game? And only five in that one game. And only five were on goal.
00:06:37
Speaker
Only five out of those 18. So definitely playoff. team that needs some clinical finishing, and it's been the issue from the first game against Edidiano to ah the Bruce Arena game where even Bruce threw them a bone and was like, hey, well, you know, the score doesn't really tell the whole story, and then getting eliminated against a good Edidiano team, but it's not a great Edidiano team. It's not ah one of those teams that you're thinking, man, that's one that might be a dark horse. This is not your dark horse, man. This is a team that literally struggled in this one to get
00:07:13
Speaker
some offense going. And it's it's interesting because not to spend too much time on it, but Arsenal almost implodes. They make a substitution. They bring in Ojeda in the 69 and all of a sudden, um oh and I think it was Diego Luna.
00:07:33
Speaker
And A minute later or 30 seconds later, that's when the equalizer falls for Edeliano, and then it's over after that. So this team, looking at the games, because I've i've been able to watch 90 minutes of three of the games of them this season, so every game, they're just very slow in transition. It seems like to gate the ball from their end, from their build-out all the way to the – whether it's prime scoring positions or prime assistant positions, it takes them a very long time.
00:08:08
Speaker
They tend to... depend a lot of certain players that I don't know if they're up to the challenge, man. I mean, um a guy like Diago is is someone that, you know, he came in, praised, but I just have not seen enough from him for him to be the guy. And and Pablo talked about him. He's got to be the guy for us to be successful, yada, yada, yada.
00:08:31
Speaker
I just don't see this team offensively challenging anybody in MLS
Player Strategies and Game Analysis
00:08:36
Speaker
right now. And they went from... but having this prolific offense with Gomez on the left, with obviously Chichua Rango. I mean, they had some players.
00:08:48
Speaker
Anderson Julio was a guy that either came off the bench or started for them. That's a lot of goals that you got rid of, and now they're struggling. Yeah, um you you brought up this that sub situation.
00:08:58
Speaker
So yeah, ah basically they made a triple sub. Triple sub. Triple sub ye ah at the 70th minute, ah brought in starters Pablo Ruiz, I guess, I don't know, Taylor Wealth might not be a regular starter, but in Brian Ojeda, and then immediately, almost immediately, they gave up. Yeah.
00:09:14
Speaker
The equalizer. And it was a boo-boo. I mean, I think it's Diego that passes the compromising ball to Palacios. Palacios, I don't know how he falls on the ball of some sort, and then he creates a transition moment, and there's the goal. So they they definitely have some difficulties, and...
00:09:30
Speaker
but It's systematic. they Every single game that I've seen, they tend to really focus on trying to get the ball out wild to Marisouk, and they they're prolifically to that side. They're trying to get early crosses in because they're having a hard time getting bodies committed up front.
00:09:48
Speaker
So it's just it's very predictable. And in the first game against Ndiano, there was nothing going on offensively against San Jose. Christian Espinosa played as a wingback. Christian Espinosa. And you were unable to capitalize on that side? i mean, it was outrageous. Yeah.
00:10:07
Speaker
Yeah, this is a... You know, it's funny because they rotated the lineup pretty heavily for Eridiano, which, i don't know, maybe was... maybe came back to bite them. But then once they got their starters on, I mean, Diego Luna came on in the 59th minute.
00:10:21
Speaker
ah They, you know, so they um the they had starters on the field when the game got out of got out of control. But they should be reasonably well-rested for this one. But I don't know if they even really have a set starting lineup, really. And they only have one striker. So they...
00:10:40
Speaker
they so they I don't know. this This is an opportunity, I think, for the Sounders to end this streak of futility. ah i was talking to somebody. they The Sounders have only scored like four goals in like their last 13 games at RSL. it's um It is really a stark...
00:10:59
Speaker
It's hard to explain because the Sounders have been on a pretty good road team during most that time. And, you know, Brian talked about that today. How, oh, we're a good road team. We don't think we should be struggling this much there, but I don't know what it is. But something that does happen and it's odd The scheduling, it seems to be every single time it's a Every single time, and that seems to be the case. Yeah, the the first time they were, or the last time they were there, it was a lineup that had, like, Georgie Menungu's first start. It had Soda Kitahara in the lineup.
00:11:29
Speaker
Danny Leyva was in the starting lineup. ah it was ah It was a pretty heavily rotated squad that they used the last time they were there, and that seems to happen a lot. I don't know. what The good thing is that even rotating the lineup,
00:11:42
Speaker
This is a pretty deep squad. We saw that in on Wednesday a again ah against Antigua, where even though they made seven changes from the weekend, there was really not a big drop-off, and they could probably make seven changes again, and I wouldn't expect there to be a big drop-off.
00:12:00
Speaker
So from a Sounders perspective, what did you how are you and don't know what did you see on Wednesday, and how do you think that's maybe going to translate into this game? Yeah, I thought that... ah It was encouraging that the team, regardless of the rotation, held true to their identity and their concepts and the number of of players they were able to commit.
00:12:25
Speaker
ah thought that the pivots did a fantastic job, the holding midfield. Seattle played through the midfield. And and that was ah just clear to me within, i don't know, I think it 80 minutes when I started typing the tweet.
00:12:38
Speaker
And i was like, man, it was they've been so good, so quick on the ball. JP touched every ball. He was coming back. He was ah so involved, so engaged. And Danny, he's through balls, his ability to to honestly, the spacing was very good.
00:12:53
Speaker
Seattle just seems to have a very good idea of what they want to do offensively and how to execute it It wasn't a perfect game. And I mean, there's but basically no no perfect games. But i thought they were good in the first half and they were very good in the second half. I mean, there was clearly a moment in time. And Mauricio Tapia talked a little bit about him making a formational change and kind of pushing a little bit higher, and knowing that he was gonna leave some gaps, and that's where Seattle capitalized.
00:13:25
Speaker
But that's not something every team does. Sometimes team can play risky, get numbers forward, and their space is behind, or there's certain pockets that open up, and teams don't capitalize on that. That can be said true about 2024 Sounders. This year, I have to give them credit because they were able to do it.
00:13:45
Speaker
Sure, they could have scored more goals. There's no doubt about that, right? I mean, there's one, Masowski has a couple, right? i think ah De La Vega has one that he should have scored. Jordan. Jordan had one. Obed, I believe, had one. There was a whole bunch of times where the volume of of of of play was there. the the The volume of chances continuously showed itself. And i I'll always be more concerned when a team is not generating chances absolutely than when they aren't.
00:14:14
Speaker
being clinical what they're finishing but the sounders have eight goals through through games and they have not been clinical i think that's great sort of notable sure that they you know you know that i thought they were better against charlotte in that way but they have generated plenty of chances they have been out in transition a lot they have been willing to commit ah numbers forward more often you know i wanted to go back to something you said about joe paulo touching he had 96 touches in that game He had 84 passes.
00:14:40
Speaker
He was 80 for 84 passing. That is amazing a monster game for him. Danny Leyva also, i thought, was very good. He was 83 of 96 passing. He had 113 touches.
00:14:51
Speaker
These are the backup center mids. And I do like what Brian is doing with that, where he seems to have picked a two pairs. Yes. He got sets of holding mitts. Exactly, and I think that it' you know it's, I think it allows them to create a little bit more ah fluidity between them.
00:15:10
Speaker
and And I hope that he continues to use it this way, where assuming he can afford to do that, where if you need to rotate, you you bring them both in, ahll be interesting to see what they I'm sure they'll go back to Obed and and Christian for this weekend. But I was really encouraged by Danny and and JP because if you can have a solid backup center mid pairing like that, it allows everything else to flow out smoothly from it.
00:15:35
Speaker
you know We saw Pedro was... constantly getting the ball in dangerous spots. Jesus Ferreira was getting the ball in dangerous spots. ah Ferreira has really impressed me in his playmaking ability.
00:15:48
Speaker
We saw it again. He picked up another assist ah to ah Paul Areola in this one. I really love that whole sequence there where Areola plays him in. Ferreira ends up taking his his runner outside.
00:16:02
Speaker
And Areola makes this really clever sort of... run where he holds it up and then pulls back and and it was a good finish. I've been very impressed by both those players so far. The scary part about that, Jeremiah, is that I still don't think Ferreira is at 100%. No. I see a Ferreira running about 80% just compared to other seasons where he's been completely healthy.
00:16:27
Speaker
And that's just scary because, I mean, that this is a guy that's not even at his full potential. And he's still being a difference maker. And you could see the IQ. You could see the field of awareness. You could see the chemistry with Paul Arriola. And Paul, Paul has been the equivalent of but in the definition of stability and stability.
00:16:48
Speaker
just consistency. And, you know, I asked him a little bit about that after the game and, you know, he was just like, i feel like I've taken, i asked him, what what is it about this system that has made you, not just hit the floor running, but made you so consistent? And he, you know, he said, yeah, look, I've gotten tactically better over the last three years.
00:17:05
Speaker
Greg Bellhalter was someone who's helped me with that, my time with him. And you could see it. He just understands the game at a different level. And, Short pride. I mean, he's like literally my height. He might be be either smaller or just as ah framed as Victor Rodriguez. But he plays a position that demands more of your physicality and your pressing and your retrieving. I mean, all these things that I just have been amazed. And now I get why so many people had nothing but fantastic things to say about Paul coming mean in here. It is a funny thing because he was definitely of the two players, the one who was more like, oh, well, he's more of an add-on. see if it works out.
00:17:50
Speaker
But right now, it's hard. that He makes the way the Sounders want to play, he makes it so much easier. And, you know he yeah you know, he didn't start against Charlotte, but I think it's pretty clear that he's the number one choice as the the left wing back.
00:18:08
Speaker
You know, I suspect he'll he'll continue to rotate in and out, you know. ah But he, i just think the system works so well for him. He seems to understand it.
00:18:18
Speaker
He seems to be buying in. You know, I don't know. i just He seems to be having a good time. i I am really thrilled with that acquisition. That, to me, right now, is the biggest acquisition that Saunders made in the offseason.
00:18:30
Speaker
And that's not to take anything away from Ferreira's performances. I think he's been good. he just... That's how good Uriola has been. yeah that he's He's just been that much of a difference maker.
00:18:42
Speaker
I liked a lot what I saw.
Player Development and Coaching Feedback
00:18:44
Speaker
And honestly, even more than the polish, which it's the third, they've played three games. You don't expect total polish. It was just fun.
00:18:53
Speaker
they seen The players were running up and down the field, creating chances. It was an exciting game. It was a fun game. Pedro De La Vega brought some flair. We can get into that a little bit. He should. ah You know, he had two goals, which I think is huge for his confidence.
00:19:09
Speaker
For a player like him who has struggled, in his own words, with confidence last year, who you can see, though, when he's playing, when he when he feels like he has the trust of his teammates, when he has the trust of the coaches, it just allows him to play more free.
00:19:26
Speaker
Both goals were very well taken. And, you know, he had a lot of little moments of flair and cleverness. But one of those moments stood out particularly because it it was right before the Sounders conceded.
00:19:39
Speaker
And if you missed it, what he did is he rainbowed one defender and then he rainbowed a second defender before. And he didn't lose possession. He passed it to Areola, who then was able to pass it to JP.
00:19:51
Speaker
A turnover happens, whatever, it ah the goal, right? And... After the game, I asked Brian, what did you make of De La Vega's performance? You know, kind of just ting it up, softball question.
00:20:02
Speaker
Talk about this great, this player's a great game. yeah And he said, well, I'll get to that. But first, I want to pump the brakes a little bit. And he, you know, he went on a little bit of a thing about how he didn't really like the way that the Sounders conceded. And he...
00:20:15
Speaker
You know, it was funny because today he sort of walked it back. But if you read the quote, I mean, he put it on. He he he you know he said, we got to knock that stuff off. Yeah. About the range you and the little play there. and Yeah, think he said, we got to stop. right Those things got to stop. those the Exactly. And he was very firm, right? so Yes. I'm very happy. And credit ah to Jada Evans for bringing up those questions today. Yeah. is something that I had in my back pocket, but ah I was trying to say it before the end. I love the fact that she asked it.
00:20:46
Speaker
and And that's because look, i I know, and this is very true, that Brian constantly wants to keep expectations low on young players. He's done it with Paul Rothrock. Georgie Monungu. it Jackson Reagan, Ovid Vargas. He's doing it right now with Stuart Hawkins. With Stuart Hawkins, right? So he does that. I feel like this one, maybe he was a little too detailed and a little bit too harsh, in my opinion. He came in pretty hot.
00:21:14
Speaker
When you're coming up with specific... play and you're bringing out an example of exactly what needs to stop. When he didn't turn it over. When he didn't turn it over. but Those are the things that, especially for a player that has struggled so much and that has finally gotten his dream start at home, pe maybe you let them have a little bit of flowers. Maybe you give them a little bit of praise. Maybe you butter them up just a tiny bit.
00:21:41
Speaker
So there's a balancing act there. I'm not gonna fault Brian completely on it, but I do understand why the narrative, and it wasn't just us. I mean, it was out there. That was weird that Brian said that. A lot of people noticed it, yeah. A lot of people noticed it, so it's not just us. I wanna make that very clear here that it's not just us that had that opinion. And I thought that, yeah, to me,
00:22:02
Speaker
Brian at times can be a little bit... He should be a little bit more... He should praise his players a little bit more yeah in specific moments. I get not wanting to you know let a guy's ego get high or whatever, but at times, building confidence through your coach is important.
00:22:23
Speaker
And I will say, in in Brian's defense... I think, like, in going back and watching the play, there was a sort of simpler play that he could have made that potentially actually could have set up a decent counterattacking opportunity.
00:22:35
Speaker
Like, if he's able to control the ball, and if he just kind of pushes it back to JP, but there's runners that potentially are getting down the field. So I think, and he did sort of allude to that today when we were talking to him about there's a certain way we want to play. yeah And I think...
00:22:51
Speaker
Some of that one-two passing is part of it. And that's not necessarily... Pedro wants to be on the ball, and I think that's good. And the Sounders need, in my opinion, a player like that who can change the game. And that's going to come with trade-offs.
00:23:06
Speaker
Sometimes they're going take an extra touch. Sometimes they're going to do something that is a little bit more unexpected. But it's that... X factor that is, I think, an unlock more potential down the road. So I would hope that he doesn't come in too hard.
00:23:20
Speaker
You know, this is sort of the same, you know, the the Clint Dempsey, I need someone who will just try shit kind of a school of thought. But I do think the Sounders kind of need some of that. And I hope, you know,
00:23:32
Speaker
Pedro, to his credit, did not seem bothered. he did not He did not. And I do think that speaks to Pedro's sort of like inner confidence and his ability to sort of receive feedback without making it super personal.
00:23:47
Speaker
Yeah, and I think that's important. That's a very good point. too It's a very good point because... we talk about a younger player, we talk about a player that maybe in our eyes, you know should be feeling a lot of pressure. And I thought he took that criticism, you know, as ah as a good thing, as a constructive criticism. And, you know, he told us, ah I like that he says that because there is always room to grow. And I think that players who don't think there's room to grow. Right. The players who think they've arrived. Right. so And, you know, I'm kind of paraphrasing here. And I need to ah put that on Pulse of Sports because the Spanish interview had some interesting things about, you know, Cruz Azul and all of this stuff when the ah Sounders cameras pulled off. So I got to post that up there.
00:24:30
Speaker
But I thought that it was very poised and mature of the way he took those comments. Yeah. I do, too. And I really like Pedro. I think that he is a player. We're seeing it. We're seeing it. You know, every game he is doing new things that just show a different type of confidence.
00:24:50
Speaker
and And I will say that Brian today did sort of like walk back some of his criticisms. He did. And he said, you know maybe I could have been just more... more overtly praising of a player who had kind of a breakout performance.
00:25:05
Speaker
ah So i i don't I don't necessarily think there's any problems here. I just found it notable. I think a lot of people found it notable. Absolutely. And it's something that just sort of needed to be talked about. yeah But this is, i think we're in I think they're in a good place.
00:25:18
Speaker
And it's going to be interesting to see how this, I really hope that they can keep moving on in CONCACAF Champions Cup, because I do think it's good for the team.
CONCACAF and Upcoming Matches
00:25:26
Speaker
that they're going to be forced to play a lot of players yeah a lot of minutes i'm very interested to see what kind of rotation we see for both games but looking ahead a little bit to cruces azul this is a very very talented team they are you know they've gone up and down in terms of you know they're always willing to spend money but i feel like all the gamech's teams it's it's constantly cyclical about how well it's going right now they have a lot of talent
00:25:52
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, which now includes No Sanietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023, but need your support to make sure it continues.
00:26:05
Speaker
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00:26:18
Speaker
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00:26:34
Speaker
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00:26:43
Speaker
It's getting to be that time of year when you need to figure out how to watch Sounders videos. If you're an a Alliance member, you are getting a free subscription to MLS Season Pass and you're covered. Similarly, if you're a T-Mobile subscriber, you're also covered.
00:26:56
Speaker
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00:27:14
Speaker
Just to make things extra easy, we'll put a link in the show notes too. Thanks.
00:27:20
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:28:02
Speaker
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00:28:15
Speaker
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Cruz Azul Challenges and Opportunities
00:28:20
Speaker
They look like they're going to be a pretty tough opponent. What can you tell us about Cruz Azul? Yeah, so... Cruz Azul is a very interesting team right now. And I'll tell you why, because I've been talking about the talent and the challenge that ah the talent on the field presents to a team like Seattle, but this is also a team with some turmoil in the back end that people might not know of.
00:28:44
Speaker
And it's something that I wanted to focus on because I feel like people like to know that context, right? We do. So, number one. This team basically has no stadium.
00:28:55
Speaker
They have no home. They have you have kind of been a vagabond team, right? they've Even though they are a huge team, they've not been able to stay one place for a long time, right? And the funny part is that the fans have been there, right? So I was ah ah reading and talking to a friend of mine that's in Ciudad de Mexico and covers the team, and he was saying, look, these guys have 20,000 to 30,000 season ticket holders where, you know, the tickets are sold. So people are following you no matter where you go right You know, you could put it out on a parking lot and that parking will be packed, right? yeah And you'll see it here at Lumen. I'm excited about, you know, the fan base is very strong, but they were they were playing at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes or City of Sports um Stadium, I guess that would be the translation. But it's like the third stadium in De Efe, right? is that their stadium in the FA is nearly 80 years old.
00:29:46
Speaker
80 years old. So that there's been a whole bunch of issues between Cruz Azul and the the the owner group of the stadium because of maintenance. It's clearly well dated.
00:29:58
Speaker
There's also a ah approximately a 43% of... ah revenue that goes from Chris Azul to this group, on top of what you gotta pay to play there, there's a 43% part that goes of sales of tickets, sales of beverages and food taken. I mean, they're making a load of money. hu So between that issue and the fact that a lot, like sometimes it happens to the Sounders where there's other events yeah where Cruz Azul potentially could have not played at home. Let's say if the final wouldn't have been America Cruz Azul and they would have to play it somewhere else, they would have to play in Puebla perhaps because and there was an event going on and at the municipality of that area basically has dibs on the stadium as well.
00:30:48
Speaker
And therefore it would have been an issue. So because of all of that, Cruz Cruz said, we're done. We're not playing there. so we're going to play at Estadio Olimpico. Me and you have been there. We know it well. Which is where Pumas normally play. Yep. That's the Pumas in Ciudad Universitaria. Great city. Me and you got to walk it. It was amazing. Fantastic.
00:31:07
Speaker
Cool little stadium. Dated as well. Dated. Very dated. But ah but i mean it's a fantastic cultural experience. So... so Ironically, Seattle's gonna get to play Cruz Azul in the same place they went and basically set themselves up to win CCL because they they tied that game 2-2 in a fantastic game.
00:31:29
Speaker
But if you think that's the only problem, you'd be wrong. In week two of Liga MX, um the head coach decides that he had an offer from Porto in Portugal, fantastic team, you know, of course you're going to take that.
00:31:47
Speaker
And he said deuces. The coach just peaced out. The coach peaced out. No clause paid. Right now, there's literally a legal issue of Cruz Azul trying to obviously go to FIFA and say, hey, look, there's a breach of contract. There's a whole bunch of problems.
00:32:03
Speaker
Nothing was paid. We were going to try to figure it out, but nothing's been paid. The guy is gone. So Vicente Sanchez is the interim head coach right now that's been taking over, but this team was playing so well last season.
00:32:15
Speaker
They got to a semifinal. They got to a final. Now there's an entire head new head coach that's came in. and he hasn't been as sharp. They have the talent, so they they've obviously been able to hold up.
00:32:28
Speaker
We said that Texas has won five games, drawn one, lost one, but there's definitely not a cemented group as it was last year.
00:32:39
Speaker
And they are a very talented team. they have And they have a lot of familiar faces to and MLS, to if you if you're familiar with, ah you know, like they just picked up Mateus Boguch, good friend of ours from LAFC. Giamakis, the old striker from Atlanta.
00:33:00
Speaker
This is a team that spends money. They are not shy about spending money. They have a lot of talent. And presumably it's going to be a a big, big match for the Sounders. I feel like the Sounders probably need to get a... I mean, they need to score at home.
00:33:17
Speaker
they I mean, to feel really good about this series, they probably need a 2-0 win or better ah to to go to feel like you can go down to Mexico City and and sort of survive. and that's really... the best that you can hope for in Mexico, even still today for and MLS teams is to kind of go there and survive. Not a lot of teams are going to Mexico and and winning outright.
00:33:37
Speaker
So it's a, you know, it's gonna be a challenge. It's gonna be a big game, but it does sound like maybe this is an opening for the Sounders. Well, yeah, so that's kind of what i wanted to provide is a little context that gives you a little bit of hope because look, Martin Anselmi's team, which is the previous coach, the one that ended up going to Porto,
00:33:55
Speaker
Did play more possession-based, was a lot better on the ball. It seems like the criticism that I've heard, obviously because I don't follow this team consistently, but I love to get myself accorded with people who do.
00:34:08
Speaker
This team is a little bit more predictable. They like to get the ball out wide. They look a lot for Matias Bogus. ah they They try to... make um take advantage of the the strikers they have in terms of height. So they cross the ball in a lot.
00:34:24
Speaker
Obviously, they got Giacomakis. They got Sepulveda, who is basically the super sub. He's the leading scorer. And he's the leading scorer, right? Although he's not a full-on starter. And then you got El Toro, that that is the the the other which is the bull.
00:34:40
Speaker
That's the other striker that... has been okay, has been all right. Actually, seen in the 1-0 win against Querétaro this weekend, he kind of misses one in front of goal, and people are wondering, does Vicente Sanchez really know what his best striker is and what the starting lineup is? So there are all of these question marks around the team that I wanted to bring up just because you see the talent, and the talent is there.
00:35:02
Speaker
But there is a little bit of turmoil there Yeah, and it is... we talked One of the other things we talked about with the Sounders various players today is sort of managing this stretch of
Fixture Congestion and Young Talent
00:35:14
Speaker
fixture congestion. Because it's one thing you open the season with three games in a week ahead. that's a That's a heavy load.
00:35:19
Speaker
But the reality is that they're going to be It's not letting up. As long as they're in CONCACAF Champions Cup, it's going to be like this. It's just going be like this. And so they're going to have Cruces Hool on Wednesday, and then they have LAFC on Saturday, and then they've got to go to Mexico City for the return leg on the following Tuesday, March 11th. So that's a lot of load. This either not games the Sounders can just afford to punt on in league play.
00:35:45
Speaker
I think they're going to do their best to sort of manage this and balance the the various needs. From your perspective, how do you feel like they've managed the roster so far?
00:35:57
Speaker
The Sounders? The Sounders. I think they've done a fantastic job at at rotating, at like we have already mentioned, and and I think you had a great point on it. Having groups, right, that that that play together, that come in together.
00:36:13
Speaker
I thought getting Jay Bell in there was important as well because Jay Bell. That is, i will say, center back right now, until Kim Keehi is fit, that's probably my biggest concern is how they manage the minutes of the center backs and getting John Bell, who looked, I thought, pretty good.
00:36:29
Speaker
ah Getting him some real minutes against Antigua was huge because they're going to need him in the next couple weeks. And I couldn't agree more because it is about repetition. It is about getting out of the back. It it is about certain things with playing in in your position.
00:36:45
Speaker
Right now, the Sounders, when they get so many numbers forward, and we we talked about it, and I'm i'm not going to sit here and bore you with tactics, but positional integrity is key whenever you're pushing so many numbers up.
00:36:57
Speaker
and And your center backs have to be very... ah aware of where to be, when to be, when to clear, where to pass, where to go quickly. and And so J-Bell getting those minutes, it <unk> it's fundamental. So I think that Brian has done a really good job at just bringing in guys that he knows he's going to need consistently. yeah Because J-Bell's also a guy that he brings in to Closeout games, yeah. You know, if Nuhu gets into ah trouble with cards or something like that, I think that both of the holding mitts are going to be important because, mean, hope nothing happens, but both Christian Rodin and...
00:37:32
Speaker
Obed Vargas, they get a lot of physical wear and tear because of their position and the way they play that position. So they're consistently getting hammered. It was good to see both of them not have to play at all. and Not at all and at all. And this was a point of emphasis for me.
00:37:48
Speaker
I literally said five, six times, i do not want to see Obed in that game. Maybe Christian, just because I feel like Christian... I don't know, his frame, his center of gravity is a little bit more. has a history of being more durable. Exactly.
00:38:00
Speaker
and the And that's the point, the the history of being more durable. So it was great to see them both take a chance. So I think that Brian and his coaching staff have done a good job by rotating in the right places, in the right moments.
00:38:13
Speaker
And right now you look into a team that it doesn't really matter what pairing it is, you feel pretty confident that they're going to be, if not good, they're going to be very good.
00:38:24
Speaker
Giorgio Meningu. He came into this game just obviously late, but as soon as he comes on, he's like handful, right? He's a different player this year. I really think he's a different player this year.
00:38:35
Speaker
i would say of all the players that I've seen, he might have made the biggest leap in terms of he just feels like he's so much more in control. You know, we asked him, you know, it's funny, I asked him if the game is slowing down for him.
00:38:47
Speaker
I don't think he understood the question because he was just like, no, I'm still as fast as ever. I was like, no, I didn't mean like yeah your physical speed. But, I think the game is slowing down for him. I think he's seeing it more clearly. He sees the gaps, absolutely. No, he he sees the gaps. I feel like, again, he his crossing and his services are not just more deliberate, but they are better paced, they're better positioned.
00:39:10
Speaker
So did this whole thing, but when you know we've we've mentioned the depth of the team, it was serious. So the Sounders might not have the the the best DPs in the league,
00:39:22
Speaker
But whenever you have a core group that it all plays to the same rhythm, to the same beat, It's kind of the perfect situation for when you're playing so many tournaments, or you're playing it so many league play because- It is. Because you have so many more players buying into everything. you don't You shouldn't have a situation where you have players pining for minutes that, look, the minutes are there. go If you're not playing, look yourself in the mirror and ask why you aren't playing.
00:39:48
Speaker
ah That said, I was a little surprised. I asked about the center back situation, and Brian said he was thrilled with the the depth. But he also mentioned that Stuart Hawkins was, it sounds like he's not going to Arsola. I thought this might be a good chance for him to get a start.
00:40:06
Speaker
And it sounds like he's going to go play with Defiance. They have a preseason game against Vancouver FC, which is a Canadian Premier League team. And I don't know, maybe they just want to ease him in. They want him to get some competitive minutes before...
00:40:18
Speaker
They throw him in the fire. i But I really hope there is a plan for Stu to get first team in this because I think he deserves it. You know, he talked Brian talked about, oh, I wanted to get him into the game against. But I didn't. But I didn't. And i I thought this would have been a good opportunity to get him on the field. so I'm a little bummed that he's not going to be there. And it's a little concerning to your point, right? Because if there is a grouping that you're not so sure of is center backs.
00:40:45
Speaker
So if you don't get Stu right now to maybe just test it out. Right. And kind of like ah a moment to see, okay, let's see how he does from a start. Then J-Bell is your only guy because Kim...
00:40:58
Speaker
He's got to be two weeks out. Yeah, exactly. like Kim is not training. He's still building fitness. He's not doing any real drills with the team yet. heat Today, b Brian said, oh, maybe another week.
00:41:09
Speaker
there's He's not a week away. No way. He's not training with the team yet. like No way. that's not a knock on Kim. That's just a reality. He hasn't played for two months. He's in preseason. It's going to take some time to get him ready.
00:41:21
Speaker
So I do think they need Stu to get some minutes they are gonna, you know, and hopefully, i think I'm really high on him. I think he's a good player. So hopefully there is there is that plan.
00:41:32
Speaker
ah But aside from that, I've been really happy with the rotations. I've been really happy with the way that they are sharing minutes. ah You know, I... I would have thought that this was a good opportunity to get Jesus a start up top maybe for RSL, against RSL, just because he has a great, he's got like five goals in his career against at ah RSL.
00:41:54
Speaker
And I don't think the Sounders have scored five goals in the last 10 years at RSL. So it would have been, an I don't know, I'm sure would get on the field. So I'm not too worried about that. Yeah, and look, I asked Brian, I mean,
00:42:07
Speaker
an easy question that I thought he was going to give me a little bit more on, but he's been very closed with me lately for reasons I do not understand. but you know, I asked him, you know, how he dealt with, obviously, having an an opportunity at RSL to win when you haven't in a long time, and then dealing with one of the top teams in Mexico.
00:42:24
Speaker
And the reason why I that is because, and of course not going to give any lineups, but I thought he was going to give me a little bit more depth about... I'm just going to try the best team that wins. You know, just put the best team, you know, it's easy, you know... it It's okay. That's all right. that yeah He decided to answer it that way. That's okay.
00:42:37
Speaker
But the reality here is this one, that you're obviously going to put your best team against Cruz Azul at home because it's the first leg of an elimination tournament that you need to make
CONCACAF Challenges and Surprises
00:42:51
Speaker
count.
00:42:51
Speaker
Because if you're going to Cruz Azul to a high altitude, high pollution, because in a city...
00:43:01
Speaker
it's going to be difficult in a full Stadio Olimpico with all of the Cruze Azul fans if you're trying to get back into a game, which hopefully is not the the the way it goes, or if you're trying to score out there because you weren't unable to make your home fortitude count, then that's going to be a problem. So you're absolutely going to play your best possible team against Wednesday. And I know that Brian is trying to make it seem like, oh, it's mysterious. Everybody knows.
00:43:31
Speaker
I am sure that Vicente Sanchez, interim head coach with six games, knows that your best team is going to go on Saturday. on Wednesday. So ah we'll see how that plays out.
00:43:42
Speaker
I will say this, that a lot of talent offensively for Cruz Azul, absolutely. And we talked about it. I think Charlie Rodriguez is a fantastic midfielder as well.
00:43:54
Speaker
I don't think he's getting used as much with this new head coach because they play so far wide. Ratondi is a wingback on the left side that is consistently getting into the 18. If there's a cross to the second post,
00:44:08
Speaker
Three out of five times he's there, and he's pushing the ball. He's getting it there. He's an experienced wingback. He's a guy that's playing mental against me the whole time, so mindful for sounder players to not let a guy like that get under your skin, get you a yellow.
00:44:24
Speaker
um Romero's a good um ah winger as well. He could play inside, he could play outside. but But in the defensive end, look, Wilder Dita is a Columbia National Team cap type of defender, physical, quick, great on the ball. He's a guy not afraid to get forward.
00:44:42
Speaker
to make teams collapse. If you give him space, he's gonna take that space. And Kevin Muir, he's gonna be fun to watch, guys. Goalkeepers are not usually fun. This is your typical South American. I might just dribble out of the box. you know I might give you you know a little cut here, cut there.
00:45:00
Speaker
So if I'm Brian, I'm hoping that you know they've done enough tape. I'm sure they have. that if there's a pressing moment and Jordan is close on the goal, don't go that first fake because it's very likely just going to be a cut inside and maybe that creates a goal for you because to me he's a little too confident. Look, I love him.
00:45:16
Speaker
He came from the best team in Colombia, which is the Tentico Nacional, and known for having crazy goalkeepers like Rene Guita. ah So this guy is very good. But he does tend to get too cocky, too confident with it. I'm hoping that Seattle can maybe use that to their advantage. But this is a good quality team.
00:45:34
Speaker
Aside from everything that I just provided in context, in terms of talent, oh boy, that's a good squad. Yeah. And it's going to be an interesting journey. If they get past this one, they've got Club of merit the winner of America and Chivas waiting in the in the quarterfinals. So it's it doesn't get much easier after this. But...
00:45:50
Speaker
As always, Champions Cup, CONCACAF competitions are always, ah there are no easy paths, no matter what anyone tells you. Yeah, no, please do not listen to the people who try to diminish crap on your parade but by providing you context that is a little bit misconstructed, to say the least. Man, I hated that article. But... um Anyhow, yeah this is probably as hard as it gets, though. I will say that. This as hard as it gets. yeah Because you play this crucial team right now, then getting the the the winner of the Chivas in America, that's a handful, man. yeah I mean, that that's two top quality teams, two top quality fan bases. I mean...
00:46:34
Speaker
If Seattle can do it, man, it's going to be unreal. I mean, it really would be the the biggest surprise of the tournament. It might be. It really might be because everybody is counting on a Mexican team getting as far as they can, And that it really is what what ah the the the narrative is right now.
00:46:53
Speaker
And I feel like for MLS, if you're not Inter-Miami or, you know, the l LA teams, nobody's really giving you a lot of, you know, confidence. Seattle Sounders are definitely one that I feel like people under- You know what it was interesting on the Spanish broadcast I watched on ah you did the CONCACAF broadcast on YouTube? Mm-hmm. They were pretty high on the Sounders. Oh, I love it. You can see that they have, especially in the Spanish-speaking media, I think, the Sounders have opened some eyes about what how seriously they take the tournament.
00:47:23
Speaker
Obviously, winning it is a big part of that. But they seem really, calm you know, like to be giving a lot of praise to the Sounders, the way they approach this tournament and their competitiveness in it. ah You know, the Sounders have a, it's crazy, the Sounders, I think, i have a 13-game unbeaten streak in CONCACAF right now, which is pretty impressive No, they've been good. And look, ah when it comes to MLS, I understand that ah you know Cincinnati and LAFC, for most people, are going to be like the favorites.
00:47:50
Speaker
But I kind of like that. yeah I like that because... Whether everybody's looking at those teams, including Inter-Miami, under the radar is good, man. And that's where Seattle can shine. And that's where Seattle shined in 2022. When nobody thought they were going to go to Stadio Olimpico and beat UNAM because they were going to come off with at least a goal to try to wing back from. And they did it, man. So I really enjoyed that. I will say that um this team will have to be mindful of fixing things
00:48:22
Speaker
the the mistakes that they've shown over the first
Defensive Improvements and Momentum
00:48:25
Speaker
three games. Yeah, they've had some defensive issues, and I guess that's something we we didn't talk a lot about, it and we don't necessarily need to get too into now. But that is a concern.
00:48:32
Speaker
they've been ah They've given up some soft-ish goals, I would say. The you know the goal that they gave up against Antigua was an example of sort of just losing marks. I mean, they had two runners at the back post with one player marking them.
00:48:46
Speaker
It was a good pass, and it was a nice finish, but it kind of thing you don't really want to see happening. ah You know, similarly with the, you know, you you write off the first goal against, or the second goal against Charlotte, but the first one, you know, another marker gets free and he gets a free header.
00:49:01
Speaker
Again, great service, but you got to be able to defend that stuff. Yeah. and you know kind of And then, of course, they kind of fell asleep on the on the goal that they gave to Antigua in the first leg.
00:49:12
Speaker
So there's some definitely some defensive issues. They've been a little gappy. Gappy. That's the They've been looser than they than we're used to seeing them. But I have a lot more confidence of their ability to clean that up absolutely than if they were struggling to create chances and score goals, which they have been doing a lot of and has been a lot of fun to watch. And I'm hoping that we get some entertainment. I will say the worst thing about the RSL games – Traditionally, they're boring.
00:49:38
Speaker
They are slogs. The Sounders have not played a game. Like, put aside the results, they don't score goals at ah RSL very often. So I would really like to just see them score a couple goals and to provide some entertainment value because that seems to be the worst part about playing down there is that they just always are playing these sort of like dog games. Yeah.
00:49:58
Speaker
And I think the fun part, and at least the the confidence booster that that won't be the case, is that you look at this team, and even with the rotating squad, let's say it's ah Georgie up top or it's Ferreira. I mean, not up top, top, but like, you know, yeah as one of those creative midfielders or wide players, you have guys that, know, they have been lights out and and they've been able to get out there.
00:50:20
Speaker
ah You know, Jordan Morris, he's a guy that's, on a good streak. And that's what we want to continue to see from him. He seems to be excelling in this formation, just as Pedro is excelling.
00:50:34
Speaker
I'm seeing a Jordan Morris that's a lot more confident, that consistently get to better positions, ah that ah even when it comes to
00:50:45
Speaker
be Being the link-up player at moments and times, he's doing that even better. So the system is working. And RSL, look, another thing that and I know that we're kind of getting close to the end here, but Pablo, he seems to be worried about the age of the team, that they're very young. And you know he started the press conference by saying, if you don't want to feel like shit on Saturday, work harder on on Tuesday. And he said, you know it's kind of hard for me to tell a lot of the young guys to do this because you know I've done it, you know people have done it, but they're having a hard time. So
00:51:22
Speaker
when i When I see a head coach kind of be so straightforward about something like that, I'm like, man, he's definitely... Some stuff's going on behind the scenes. Yeah, and maybe you know he's trying to get that across to his team and he's using his platform to do so.
00:51:34
Speaker
So Seattle might be coming into a team that has some issues on their own, whether it's confidence, whether it's just the ability to get, like I said, that their tempo going. They're a young squad, man. You look at that midfield, you look at the players up top, I mean, they're a young player. Seattle has some experience,
00:51:50
Speaker
on their side. They have continuity on their side and they got momentum coming off of this ah game on Wednesday. So yeah I'm excited to see them play. and And again, i'm I'm confident that maybe this is the time where Shatter can get out there and get a win at our cell. Nice. well that's a good note to end on Nico Moreno.
Community Engagement and Feedback
00:52:08
Speaker
Of course, you can find them on blue sky, El Rolo and W ah you are of course on pool. So sports. Yes. i Check out his YouTube channel.
00:52:17
Speaker
ah You, of course, can hear him on our sister podcast. I think that's what we'll call them. Our their our Center at Heart Podcast Network fellow ah podcasters, Lobbing Scorchers, on their YouTube. They do a ah live YouTube on Mondays that you've been doing with them.
00:52:35
Speaker
So thank you for doing this. Of course, we'll keep doing this on Fridays. It's been great doing this with you, Nico. No, appreciate it. And keep the great comments going. ah I saw a lot of them. There was one that I thought was particularly funny because he mentioned, you know, I hate to, you know, take Nico's dream away to go to the Azteca. I had definitely forgotten that America was not playing at the Azteca, of course.
00:52:58
Speaker
But so whoever you are because i don't remember your name, thank you for listening. and Thank you for commenting on whether it's on Blue Sky or X or in the Sandra Page, Discord, you know, everything. I just, I'm excited that you guys are all chiming in.
00:53:11
Speaker
The more comments, the better. is You know, you put out your comments, whether it's on, you guys put it on YouTube, right? You put the yeah the podcast on YouTube. yeah So whatever you want to put your comments, man, I'll try to read them. And, you know, if they're interesting, I'll try to remember your name. I forgot my notes, but ah definitely something that I'm going to continue to do is just appreciating you guys' interaction with us.
00:53:31
Speaker
Awesome. Awesome. Well, with all that said, I am Jeremiah Shan. This is No Study At This, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. We'll catch you next time.
00:54:15
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!