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Cristian Roldan is BALLING OUT for the USMNT!
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With Decision Day looming, Seattle star Cristian Roldan is having a banger stint with the US men's national team, logging a pair of class assists in this week's 2-1 friendly victory over Australia. With the bot community roiled in turmoil thanks to this development, we'll discuss whether the do-everything midfielder actually has a chance to make the 2026 World Cup squad, then dive into a preview of this weekend's D-Day action.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.
Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Lobbing Scorchers was previously recorded and streamed live on YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers. If you want to listen or catch these episodes live, see the video, and see all the rest of our content, go to YouTube.com slash at Lobbing Scorchers or LobbingScorchers.com slash YouTube.
00:00:22
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. Why the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be scorcher.
Sounders and Mariners Conflicts
00:00:44
Speaker
Good evening, everybody. Welcome in to another episode of Under the Lights. We got a great show for you all here this evening. We got Noah here for Under the I'm here. You don't see that every day.
00:00:57
Speaker
We got Christian Roldan to talk about. We got some soccer wise sound to react to, and we're going to looking at our favorite decision day matchups as well. Coming to you from a little bit of a later start time tonight ah with the Mariners playing in the ALCS.
00:01:14
Speaker
We figured. Probably not the greatest timing to be letting a Sounders stream rip like right in the middle of the game. and That game's pretty much over. ah That series is not going particularly well, but I still I think we made the right decision. We know a lot of you guys are probably watching that.
00:01:30
Speaker
I was watching that. So ah anyway, we're here now and we got some Sounders to talk. Noah, what's up, man? Thanks for hopping on late on this Thursday evening.
Seattle Sounders Performance Discussion
00:01:40
Speaker
How you doing?
00:01:41
Speaker
i'm I'm doing, I'm doing, I'm on the mend. I still sound a little sick, but I feel a lot better. so You look better than you did on the last the last time you tapped in sick. That was tough. Yeah, it was a tough scene last time, but ah you know we put in a full shift today of ah being alive.
00:01:57
Speaker
And I thought, you know what? Let me tap in. Let's let's make this our our official podcast for this week because we we had the decision day blues so far, I think.
00:02:08
Speaker
Yeah, no, I'm excited to catch up with you. We got ah we got a lot to talk about. Decision day coming up, obviously. Always a big day in Major League Soccer. Not really actually that big a day for the Seattle Sounders, at least relative to what it's been in years past. Remember in years past, they've been like fighting for second seed, and if they lose, they could fall to sixth. And with each goal, the points change, and there's so much pressure on it.
00:02:34
Speaker
Seattle's in fifth. Seattle's in fifth. So it's really more, this game in New York city is a lot more about putting in a good performance and vibes than it is about the points. ah But there's a lot going on the rest of the league.
00:02:47
Speaker
So we're going to look at that and check out our favorite matchups later as well. We got GBT starting off the super chat train, which we love
Mariners' Recent Games and Challenges
00:02:54
Speaker
to see tribe. We love you. He says, fun fact, if you attack one of our own players in a blue Jays kit, there's a 10% chance they award win to the Mariners.
00:03:02
Speaker
Yeah. is is tough It's tough. It's tough for the old nerves. Yeah. But, you know, nerves off the top. Do we just do we just get it out of the way and and hit our hit our rapid reactions? i'm I'm down to I'm down to talk a little baseball before we ah before we get into it. Why not? That's it's that's what's trending right now.
00:03:20
Speaker
ah Before we get into anything else, though, ah please like the video. sub to the channel rate five stars follow us on tick tock and instagram uh by the lobbing scorchers hot sauce lobbing scorchers.com slash sauce sub to sounder at heart uh is that it is there anything else to plug what am i what am i missing no um All right.
00:03:40
Speaker
ah Let's get into it. Yeah, we can ah we can hit some ah Mariners takes off the top. I mean, neither of us are ah baseball experts, but we both follow i mean, you've been a Mariners fan for a lot of your life, and i follow them decently closely. So we can be baseball guys for a few minutes here, even if it's coming off another disappointing game ah for the Mariners coming back to Seattle after being up to zero, getting those miracle wins in Toronto, having the chance. If you win one of these next two, all of a sudden the world series is right there and they've really just not shown up ah bongled for these last two games.
00:04:15
Speaker
So, uh, That's unfortunate, but I mean, it it feels dire right now, but it is two too And i think one thing I was thinking about while I was trying to cope, Noah, was just like like watching the baseball playoffs this year.
00:04:30
Speaker
Like the momentum in baseball like swings so fast. Like the way you can perceive a series or how things are going in a given moment. It just like my head spinning with how fast it's changing. So that could like, yeah there's still half this series to go. Theoretically that could still happen. It just, it feels like that's not in the cards right now, but I just don't, it's not impossible.
00:04:52
Speaker
Is it? No, I mean, listen, they they lost a bunch of games and then basically had to win out to win the division, and they ended up doing it. Like, they love to put themselves in a shitty situation and dig out of it.
00:05:05
Speaker
The last two games, the pitching's been terrible, the hitting's been terrible, everything's been terrible, and they've let the Blue Jays play their game. They didn't do that when they were in Toronto, and I don't know, like, what are you going to do But I was at the game yesterday,
Fan Experience and Mariners' Struggles
00:05:17
Speaker
and Bad vibes only. Bad vibes only. the The bliss of the first two innings absolutely been just gut punched by the remaining ah seven innings was horrifying.
00:05:33
Speaker
It was terrible. But minus $200 and i would do it again. It's about the ah the pitching letdown for me. like if the The Mariners, we all know that ah and they haven't been an exemplary franchise the last ah several decades. But if there's one thing that they actually are actively good at, it's like it's developing, starting pitching, and having the best pitching staff in the American League, at least.
00:06:03
Speaker
And like if George Kirby and Castillo are going to get worked on like that, it's like nothing else matters. Like that's it right there. You need them to be able to pitch roughly in the vicinity of how they normally do and not lob batting practice up there.
00:06:17
Speaker
So I think if you're looking at like what's deteriorated in these home games, these last two games, that's got to be it, man. Like it's just not what I'm used to seeing from those guys. We'll see what happens.
00:06:28
Speaker
There's a game tomorrow. So go M's. And, you know, I really i just I can't I can't um say that I'm surprised. I can't say that I'm upset.
00:06:41
Speaker
I can just say that I've seen this. I've seen this play enough times to know. whatever happens happens. And, uh, you can't disappoint me.
00:06:52
Speaker
My, my whole life has been a disappointment with this team. You've been in the trenches anymore. You've been in the trenches. I've been in the trenches more than I have 25 years. I've been in the trenches. It's it's we're good. I'm fine.
00:07:03
Speaker
Jake says, what's worse, watching the Mariners or seeing the Sounders drop points after the 87th minute?
Comparative Performance: Mariners vs. Sounders
00:07:09
Speaker
Scott, watching Kirby and Castillo pitch the last couple days, it kind of felt like I've been feeling when ah when the crash out red card boys show up and they give away the 87th minute equalizer or whatever it is.
00:07:19
Speaker
What's the worst performance against a Canadian team? Seattle Sounders versus Vancouver Whitecaps in Vancouver or the last two? 2017 MLS Cup, easily. That too.
00:07:31
Speaker
like that's Yeah, that's got to be it. I mean, the Whitecaps game this year might have been a bigger debacle performance-wise, but the 2017 Cup had a lot more stakes on it.
00:07:42
Speaker
ah All right. Well, I think that's enough baseball. Yeah, we're wearing baseball pundits now. Yeah, that was good. That was good baseball punditry. yeah I enjoyed it. But ah let's talk about the Seattle Sounders. that's ah That's like a a more positive topic at the moment. Two straight wins.
00:08:00
Speaker
Getting ready for the playoffs. ah they are They are the number five seed, which, you know, you want to be in the top four. But they do they do have a League's Cup trophy. to their name that I think softens the blow of the, of the five seed a little bit.
00:08:14
Speaker
And, uh, Christian rolled on. No, I ever heard of him. I, I famously have, I famously have heard of him so much so that there's an entire section of the internet that hates me personally and subtweets me personally whenever he does well.
Christian Roldan's International Performance
00:08:30
Speaker
And, uh, I think the beautiful thing about what we're about to talk about with Christian rolled on is ah I think you have more than full license now to take a little ah victory lap. And really, I think one of the things I want to talk about with this is like, I feel like that, you know, it's not just ah you and your Twitter crusades. I think it's the entire Seattle fan base.
00:08:51
Speaker
The entire Seattle fan base can take a victory lap ah on this because, you know, we've all had to sit back for the last however many years and watch our boy become a punching bag for this fan base that ah is not they're not commentating in in good faith on this stuff.
00:09:12
Speaker
ah They're toxic about it. And they also have no idea what they're talking about. And it's really and famously will openly admit that they don't watch any of these players. Yeah, that was that was also funny to see some ah USMNT punditry going around of ah people who cover the U.S. men's national team who were saying, well, I don't watch Christian Roldan with the Seattle Sounders at all, so I have no concept of of whether he's doing well or not at the club level.
00:09:42
Speaker
brother, don't you cover the U.S. men's national team? i don't like I don't expect you to watch every game of every player in the pool, but to like gleefully flaunt around that you don't that you don't give a shit enough about like what you're doing to to even keep track of it and like jokingly flex on it like that.
00:10:00
Speaker
what do we What are we doing? Number one USMNT soccer podcast, by the way. We won't name names, but... We won't name names, but it's just... ah that That was embarrassing. And let's ah let's set the stage, though. Let's set the stage.
00:10:12
Speaker
ah Christian rolled on, called into the US s Men's National Team. They played this... Friendly against Australia a couple days ago. And he Pochettino has been saying that he he likes Christian and he's he's going to give him a give him some run, give him a chance, which that's number one thing that I that I appreciate. We'll talk about Pochettino, but he let he lets Christian Roldan cook for this Australia friendly and Noah.
00:10:38
Speaker
I mean, I didn't watch the game ah live, but once I saw what was happening and saw how Christian was doing, I went back and i i watched some of it and I i saw all the highlights, obviously.
00:10:50
Speaker
i mean, am I exaggerating to say that he was the best player on the field and they won the game because of him? I mean, it's a little exaggerating. He also assisted the Australia goal. So he truly had three assists in this match.
00:11:04
Speaker
um That said, ah one of the defenders blasted a ball into his chest and he was just like, oh, in the penalty area. So I don't know if I can completely blame him, but he does get bossed over.
00:11:19
Speaker
I don't think he was bad, though, really at any point. i don't i wouldn't I wouldn't say this was a complete game for him, but I think that half performance... It's the most complete game he's had for the U.S. Correct, correct. I wouldn't say this is like this was like a vintage Christian Roldan performance that we would see for the Sounders, but like we've said so many times, the men's national team is a different beast. It's weird chemistry. It's different formations. It's different players every time. It's it's chaos ball.
00:11:47
Speaker
I think he, in those circumstances, had a really damn good game. I mean like yeah ah i mean, I'd have to go back and watch all the tape to know for sure. But i mean let's be real. He had two assists. He assisted on both of the goals, including ah the assist on the game winner that he got to Haji Wright. Oh my God, what a ball. What a ball.
00:12:10
Speaker
What a ball. But then also like the heads up quick restart, ah seeing that he has the opportunity to do that and then laying it in perfectly. It's just a brilliant heads up play.
00:12:21
Speaker
And he gets rewarded with the assist for it. And that's the ah that's the game winning goal. So the that he doesn't get on the stat sheet crowd. That was a tough night for them.
00:12:33
Speaker
And it was just, ah it was great to see because, i mean, he's going to get, that's the performances like that get you more run. They get you more run. He's going to get called in again.
00:12:45
Speaker
And obviously he's not just Ari Ari. He is Christian Roldan is not just going to get called in to another camp. Christian Roldan is going to be on the world cup roster I do not care who you are.
00:13:01
Speaker
I do not care what you think. Pochettino is putting him on this roster. It's happening. He will be there yeah no matter what. Will he start games is now the question.
00:13:12
Speaker
Will he start games is a genuine question. Christian, hold on starting World Cup 2026. The agenda that I have been pushing is coming true, folks. It's coming true.
00:13:23
Speaker
No, that's exactly that's exactly what's happening, which is really funny. And the way you can tell is, I mean, first of all, like these things are earned on the field. So with a performance like that, he has earned it on the ah on the merits. But then if you saw Pochettino's press conference after the game when he was act about Christian Roldan, I mean, Pochettino can't talk glowingly enough about him.
00:13:45
Speaker
ah But he literally said, i mean, it's so funny watching Pochettino discover like what we've all seen in Seattle for the past 10 years. I believe the rough quote, i'm paraphrasing a little bit, but he said something like, man, this guy, he just, he does everything. He's like the perfect player.
00:14:02
Speaker
That's what he called. That's what Pochettino called him. that's and That's not me. That's not me saying it. That's not us saying it. That's Pochettino saying it.
Roldan's Role Under Pochettino
00:14:11
Speaker
And, uh, I guess that brings me to my second point, which is that Pochettino, uh,
00:14:17
Speaker
He knows ball. Like at this point, I know ah i know we gave him a ah real hard time at the beginning of his tenure, I think deservedly based on ah how it was going. But I got to say, the more i more I see how he's handled the player pool in the Collins and how he's got the team from where it was at the beginning when he first took over to now, aren't the vibes just so much better? Like the vibes are much improved.
00:14:43
Speaker
And the way I look at it, like you kind of got to, You got to give him it wouldn't it wouldn't be fair to ah rag on him as much as we did. And then when he does things well to not give him his credit.
00:14:58
Speaker
And so it is partially, you know, giving him his credit because he's calling in Christian Roldan and we like a Christian Roldan. And we think it's funny how people who don't like Christian Roldan react.
00:15:11
Speaker
when he gets called in, but it's not even just about Christian Roldan. Like you can tell that he's doing a merit-based system on how he's doing the call-ups. He's not discriminating based on league or or anything else.
00:15:23
Speaker
And he's like actually trying to ah so put but his honest like takes on it and I can respect that. So he's not, listen, he's not going on X the everything app and listening to a guy named Kaka Kaff George Michael.
00:15:39
Speaker
Your, your username is like Haji, right? Haji writes left toenail. It's ah it's, it's, he's, he's actually watching the games. He's, he's watching the games. yeah Listen, he knows what he's doing. I'm sorry. Like I don't like the U S men's national team because of the fans, frankly.
00:15:57
Speaker
ah but, po Poke's kind of... He's making me... Ari, I'm going to admit it. Poke's making me like this team again. He's like winning me over. Yeah. he This was the exact quote that he had about Christian Roldan. Yeah, read it. Read it.
00:16:12
Speaker
Christian Roldan is an example of how if you want to build your perfect player, he has a little bit of everything. Often on the field, that's what we find. Pocatino says, Christian Roldan is your perfect player.
00:16:27
Speaker
The bots... In shambles. They're in shambles. And he's right. They can't talk shit on this guy. They can't talk shit on this guy. Yeah. No, well, I think they, I mean, you mean Pochettino?
00:16:40
Speaker
They can't, because some of them already turned on him ah long time ago. It took like one negative result or one previous Christian Roldan call up for that to happen. But it was funny. I did ah i did go on X the Everything app.
00:16:53
Speaker
And I just, you know, I just wanted to just to see, see how, ah see how the bot community was doing, how they were handling it. And, you know, there was some of what you would expect, which is people discounting it or claiming that it doesn't count. There was some like, it doesn't count because it's Australia going on ah there was there was There was some of that.
00:17:13
Speaker
But then ah there was also more than I expected of like begrudgingly admitting like, Okay, and like, he actually... that no no one None of them ah like flat out admitted that they've been wrong this entire time and have no idea what they were talking about.
00:17:29
Speaker
they would never They're physically incapable no of doing that. Don't know how to do that. But there was more acceptance of it than I was... than I was anticipating for a fan base that actively roots against its own team because they want to be proven right about their takes on players in the pool.
00:17:48
Speaker
I was surprised at how much they actually accepted and acknowledged what, what took place. It was, it was pleasantly surprising. Yeah, um here's another Pocatino quote about Christian Roldan because let's just layer him on here.
00:18:03
Speaker
Christian is a very aggressive player on the pitch. He has the he has the capacity to motivate, talk, communicate. That's very good things to have in a player like him on the pitch. Off the field, it's similar. He's always positive. He's always smiling. He's always energetic.
00:18:15
Speaker
He's always positive in every single thing. That's really important to keep that mentality and that idea on how we want to live together outside is important. He's an important player on the field. Of course, he needs to be because that's the first relevance that we take, but he's also helping a lot outside because he's very energetic and happy.
00:18:32
Speaker
That guy's contagious with his energy. And that's what I've been saying. He's a vibes guy who can still play the role. He can still play the position. He's had his best season of his career at this late quote unquote age.
00:18:48
Speaker
And he's a guy who can help bring this team together. This team was famously not very good at being together. Like, do we not remember the whole Gio Reyna saga and all of the like Pulisic's dad versus some, you know, a podcaster. Yeah, the podcast rivalry. the but like we It was a battle of content creators. got documentarian filmmaker Pulisic going at it with yeah podcaster Tim Howard and Landon Donovan.
00:19:18
Speaker
And they're most famous for those those things, not for the soccer that they play, clearly. Yeah, no, I mean, you got you got the team captain putting out a ah documentary where he's like going after the the media.
00:19:32
Speaker
ah You got the the former players with their podcast calling out the current players. And then on top of that, like a program that has just had really...
00:19:44
Speaker
Mediocre to outright bad results really for ever since the whole switch from Burr Halter to Pochettino. And it is, it can't be a coincidence that as soon as they give Christian Roldan a bigger role, the vibe is completely turned around.
00:20:01
Speaker
They actually win a game. Like, Coincidence? I think not. I don't know. man i think I think he is a good engine. i think that, you know, he's starting to settle in more and play better. Obviously, this was his best U.S. Men's National Team performance ever, statistically speaking, and I think even just vibes-wise.
00:20:21
Speaker
um But, man, it's... ah It's validating. It's it's validating. it's It's really validating. And, you know, I went on... and They still have these on X, the Everything app, the spaces, you know, when you can, like, talk to people.
00:20:36
Speaker
yeah So there was ah there was a bunch of bots in one of those, and I requested to get in there. The speaker to just get in. As a speaker, as a speaker. And I got accepted and I just started laying down the Roldan propaganda. and And honestly, it was just a bit of a troll job. So it felt good to do that. And then them not able to say anything. Oh, well, well this was, he has one good performance in 50 caps and bla blah, blah, blah, blah. And I said, and guess what?
00:21:02
Speaker
That one performance, he's going to the World Cup. Stay mad. Stay mad. He is. you no like What you said is exactly right. like it's ah It's now a debate of how big a role on the team should he have and should he be starting at the World Cup. you know Like I said, there is a lot of time for things to change.
00:21:25
Speaker
Your stock on October 16th, 2025 isn't the same as it's going to be next summer necessarily when the World Cup rolls around.
Roldan's Fit in USMNT and Fan Perception
00:21:34
Speaker
And, you know, I'm biased. I admit that I'm biased.
00:21:37
Speaker
But if it was me making the starting 11 right now, say I was making the starting 11, there's a game tomorrow. Bet your ass you'd be in there. And that is partially because I'm biased. But it's also you can you can absolutely make the case now, like based on.
00:21:55
Speaker
on-field performance. ah Not really, yeah I don't even think just in this game, like he's he's been playing well, like since he started getting called back in again. And this was just kind of like the culmination of that.
00:22:06
Speaker
So it's a it it was it was just beautiful to watch him have a game like that for for the U.S. because it's what we've known that he can do. this whole time that he has not, I would i would argue, has not really been given ah and extended opportunity to show that.
00:22:25
Speaker
And now he's in his position. He's in his natural position. He's in natural position. He has a coach that gave him a fair shot and clearly respects him and believes in him.
00:22:36
Speaker
And sometimes that's ah sometimes that's all it takes. So ah props to Pochettino and Christian rolled on. 2026 World world cup Starter.
00:22:47
Speaker
The agenda is on. Book it. Book it. It's probably happening. buy Buy your stocks and now so that when it happens, you'll be like, you know, look, we told you.
00:22:59
Speaker
I'm just saying our agendas, we have a really high hit rate, Ari. We have a really high hit rate on our agendas. And and I fear that we're going to continue with this one. Yeah, and I mean, there was just such a long period of time, though, where, like, you know, I always thought the narratives around his USMNT career were were bullshit the whole time.
00:23:22
Speaker
But even, like, getting back to the last World Cup, even with that into account, I would not have, like, argued that he necessarily should have been, like, a prominent player on the team over certain other guys. i think i would, I argued at the time that he probably should be getting a bigger role than he was getting, but this, this is different now. This is different now. Now I'm sitting here like he should be, he actually should be starting like on the merits.
00:23:52
Speaker
He probably definitely should be. And you know what? He called his own shot too, which I think is kind of beautiful. He's been saying like, I want to play well enough to get a call up. I love the national team. I want to be in this world cup. I want to work my ass off to get there.
00:24:07
Speaker
He had a goal and he's actually working towards it. I don't hear any of these other like random European guys saying that. they Yeah, maybe they want to get called in or they feel like they deserve to get called in, but they're not out there naming it. like I will work as hard as I need to work to get this call up. I will come at whatever camp I need to do. i will come in the middle of my season at the most important game. I don't care how many games I've played. He's not going to sit there and say, oh I'm tired. You can't call me into this camp, poke.
00:24:36
Speaker
I'm tired. I've played so many games. Christian Roldan's going have played like 75 games by the end of this goddamn season, dude. Like, it's crazy. It's insane.
00:24:47
Speaker
And you know what? He deserves the call out more than anyone. I'm sorry. It's just the truth. It's the truth. Kyle says it seems like having gritty gamers is more important than maxing out your player talent like you're playing FIFA, especially in international soccer.
00:24:59
Speaker
think it's a great point. Like, he's kind of a Christian Roldan, that is. a I think he's a little bit of a throwback to the era when this team was actually better than it's been the last couple years ah because it had those gamer-type guys who... Michael Bradley, Kyle Beckerman...
00:25:19
Speaker
he's He's in more of that that mold than these guys who you know go Dortmund or whatever, ride the bench, don't do anything when they get called in. like ah he's He's much more in that type of player that can help you punch above your weight, which, let's be honest, that's what this team like still has to be doing probably more than people want to admit or...
00:25:42
Speaker
acknowledge like the player pool as much as we all thought it was so far beyond those years i think what we've learned in the last couple years is that it's really not so i think that it's it's a reason why a guy like christian might help even more even more so than the obvious reasons No, I'm right there with you. My question, I guess, before we we jump on this segment is related to this, but I wanted to ask, are the Roldan brothers the most hated brothers in all of international soccer?
00:26:14
Speaker
Alex is absolutely... like If you go... Alex tweeted out ah ah congratulating Christian on his... Obviously, his two assists. The entire comment section is like... There's like 80 people calling him a coward, calling him a traitor, calling him... Oh, for El Salvador stuff?
00:26:31
Speaker
Yeah. So he he is... Because he was the captain of El Salvador. Yeah. And he stopped for... Basically, pair I don't know. I don't know what's been reported. i know what's not. I don't know what's I mean, I can I can give the nutshell of that. Yeah, give the nutshell.
00:26:45
Speaker
I mean, basically, what I understood of that situation is that he agreed to play for El Salvador. He was getting called in. ah Like you said, he became a key player for them. He became a captain. He scored a few goals even. And I thought it seemed like he was going to be kind of a ah staple.
00:27:00
Speaker
For that team. And it was like at a time when they were rebuilding, they, uh, uh, they had this coach, Hugo Perez, who was like trying to turn them into, into something. And it was like this up and coming team.
00:27:12
Speaker
And then, it just, it sounds like it just kind of, it, stuff fell apart behind the scenes with the Federation. It's either like they, they don't have funding, they don't have resources. The whole thing's kind of ah shit show.
00:27:25
Speaker
um And that's kind of resulted in players either getting disillusioned or just feeling like it's kind of a crackpot operation that, know, it's not worth the amount of time that playing and for a national team getting called in for, it's just not, it's not worth it for an operation. That's not like run well or professionally.
00:27:46
Speaker
And so I think that he ah like what I remember at the time is him saying like, this isn't like something that I can spend my time on. Like, it's just not competently run Yeah, then exactly. Well, so he pulls out because of that. But there's a ton of El Salvador fans who absolutely just hate him, which is super irrational.
00:28:05
Speaker
I mean, I can understand being frustrated, but like it's about player welfare at the end of the day. And if your player is like, I'm not being taken care of in these extra games that I'm essentially now going to supposed to be playing for free. Yeah.
00:28:18
Speaker
Right. I think someone in chat brought up either the payment. There's a payment like issue. but Yeah. And so you have you have him, who's now despised by a ton of the El Salvadorian fans.
00:28:29
Speaker
And Christian Roldan, who is, in my opinion, unfairly cast aside by some of the dumbest individuals online.
Roldan Brothers in International Soccer
00:28:37
Speaker
But I would say the the general consensus of USMNT fans is that Christian Roldan is terrible and sucks and they hate him.
00:28:44
Speaker
I would say as far as like, if they're the most hated sibling duo in international soccer, I would say maybe among specific, I think sometimes we lend too much credence to the vocal minority.
00:28:59
Speaker
Like, I think most most fans, even of El Salvador, and honestly, most USMNT fans that aren't terminally online don't have as strong an opinion as the bot brigade ah on Christian rolled on.
00:29:14
Speaker
So I think there is an element of like, if you actually sized up the number of people that feel negatively towards them, it's probably not that many past the the bot brigade on Twitter, which while... ah While very, there's a lot of them, it's, they don't represent like the majority of people or fans.
00:29:34
Speaker
So that's only kind of qualifier I would give, but, uh, you're right. Like, I forgot about the whole El Salvador controversy. Like there is, uh, there's stuff with both of those fan bases there.
00:29:48
Speaker
So, uh, That's it' is kind of unfortunate that there's negativity surrounding any of that. Cause at the end of the day, these are both just guys trying to play soccer. Like it doesn't need to be that heated of a heated of discourse, but I mean this, this has been the theme surrounding Christian and his USMNT career for, for years.
00:30:07
Speaker
So, uh, I completely agree, but it is. Yeah. I feel like he's, uh, Yeah. i don't know. i They're hated for no good reason.
00:30:17
Speaker
That's fine. Yeah. it's it's ah It's very silly, but ah Moments like this, especially where I think I feel like this is Christian's. This was his breakout game for the USMNT. It was easily the best performance he's ever had. He got on the stat sheet twice.
00:30:33
Speaker
It was great to see. And we're excited to to see him keep getting called in now. No, the only question is, how long does it take before? paul Watches the film and realizes that this Jordan Morris guy is kind of good.
00:30:49
Speaker
i think I think Jordan Morris and Christian Roldan, both on a World Cup roster, would melt the brains of the already half-melted brain individuals.
00:31:01
Speaker
But i don't think that i don't think christian's gonna get I don't think that Jordan is going to get called up. I just i think that it's pretty clear who the nines are in this in this setup. and I don't think there's enough time for Jordan. Is and Haji Wright? that it?
00:31:14
Speaker
Probably. Baligan, for sure, is who I would i would be starting. Yeah, that that situation does seem like it's defined itself a little bit. Like, ah Haji has been scoring a lot of goals in the championship, as I understand it. He scored the goal that Christian assisted on, the game winner.
00:31:31
Speaker
And then Baligans looked pretty good. So that those would seem to be the the consensus, the obvious top two.
Roldan's MLS Roots and Future Prospects
00:31:41
Speaker
ah But, you know, if they need a a third striker or another attacker in there...
00:31:46
Speaker
Jordan starts playing well for the Sounders. The nice thing is Yeah, if both of those guys die, maybe. Well, the the nice thing, though, is that ah like I feel like with Pochettino, if he feels like that it's earned and that it's a something that he wants to see, he's not going to be afraid of ah of doing it.
00:32:05
Speaker
So it could happen. And like you know you also you never know what's going to happen with the depth chart as far as like ah other players' form or or injuries and stuff. so um it could It could happen.
00:32:19
Speaker
It could happen. Yeah. People are saying Pepe as well, but guys, that would require Pepe to have two functional legs, and that's just never going to happen. there's a there's like a yeah There's a large contingent that think that Pepe is like the greatest number nine of the last generation. i i don't know I don't know this. I don't follow him that much. Listen, Pepe's great. Pepe's great.
00:32:42
Speaker
Pepe is great. He could be that good. I don't know. And let's let's be very clear of where Pepe got his pedigree. Major League Soccer. FC Dallas. yeah Major League Soccer. What has he done in Europe?
00:32:57
Speaker
Let's look at the tape, okay? Not much. Well, so apparently he scored a bunch of goals in the Eredivisie. Okay, come on. So is Albert Rosnack, you know? Like, and in would you rate Albert Rosnack bots? I don't think so. So I don't know.
00:33:11
Speaker
Yeah, why do you... I like Pepe. I actually i actually like Pepe. watched him play us in Dallas. But I'm just like, I think it's...
00:33:20
Speaker
I just don't know if he's like that good. That's i don't i'm I'm just I'm just asking the questions. I'm just asking the questions. I'm just asking questions here. Okay. Just curious. Just curious. Um, Jordan Morris.
00:33:32
Speaker
He's got a badass. And there's another sports player with a large butt called the big dumper. He scores a lot of runs. Could Jordan Morris score a lot of runs?
00:33:46
Speaker
Makes you think. What what is this an and impression? I think I was trying to do like um like like a combo between Ben Shapps and Tucker Carlson. Okay, that's ah that that's the Ben Shapps. Now I'm getting it. Yeah, it's it was bad. It was really bad.
00:34:02
Speaker
skid marks new youtube member thank you for uh joining up if you want to uh support the show support the channel that's a great way to do it follow skid marks skid marks example which also great way to spell m-a-r-x skid marks skid marks fire i love that uh all right anything else on the on the usmnt or uh or should we keep a pushing here I think we can keep it pushing. Honestly, we 35 minutes on USMNT. I'm impressed that we were able to do that long.
00:34:34
Speaker
Well, we did baseball punditry for like five minutes. It wasn't all. so and And we got sidetracked on El Salvador. So there there was ah there was a lot to the USMNT segment. That's true. but and god yeah You talk about this. I got to get my computer charger. be right back.
00:34:49
Speaker
Okay. How long until the bots turn on Patrick Ajimon and start calling him the next best thing? He's in championship now. So got to be the straight top striker in the pool. ah Yeah, i don't I don't know. Like, how is he doing in the... ah in the championship because my, uh, my perception of that whole trajectory is that, uh, he started the year on Charlotte FC with all this hype.
00:35:15
Speaker
Uh, he got all this transfer buzz and, uh, he didn't start the season off that well. Then they did, they still sold him for a bag to Darby County, but then put, uh, their Toklamati in his place and became way better as a team. Looked like one of the best teams in the league as soon as they made that change.
00:35:33
Speaker
Um, ah So I don't know if the Ajimon stock is a is that hot right now, but I admittedly have not been following him. the The bots don't like Ajimon. the butt the bots The bots have never liked Ajimon.
00:35:45
Speaker
They've always thought that he was a fraud and that he was a terrible call-in and that Peppy should have been there instead of him. the bots The bots don't like him. um But along those lines...
00:35:58
Speaker
I think if a player like Patrick Ajiman can get a bite from the championship, how can Paul Rothrock not be getting his phone rung off the hook from the championship after what he's putting up?
00:36:10
Speaker
Does that not make any sense Maybe I'm trying to speak this him. maybe he is. We don't know. That's true. Maybe he is. Maybe he Any agents, Paul Rothrock's agent, let us know.
00:36:21
Speaker
Or Paul. Or Paul's family. Or anyone. I do think stylistically... what We've been saying for a while that we feel like that would be... ah That that would be a good fit. But don't i mean don't you think... this is This is on a completely different topic. But I just think there's... ah There's more than a couple guys on the on Seattle's roster right now that ah other teams in MLS should be really throwing the bag at.
00:36:46
Speaker
Rothrock being one of them. We've talked about Moose a lot. yeah like I would say if I had to name two candidates on Seattle's roster right now, where if I was running another MLS team that was ah going for a culture change or just trying to get like a baseline competence or floor, as it were,
00:37:04
Speaker
Moose and Rothrock, can you name, like, two better guys for that type of, if you have that type of roster need, which a lot of teams in the league do right now? Like, that's... a I know it might not be fun to ah to talk about guys leaving, especially a fan favorite like Paul Rothrock, but ah that is i mean that's the reality. like the There's going to be a lot of interest in those two guys.
00:37:28
Speaker
ah from I mean, I can name five clubs right now that could use both of them. that moose Moose, maybe even more so because of ah like his his position and and skill set is maybe a little more valued, but that's ah That's real.
00:37:46
Speaker
Yeah. i I also think Georgie ah is ah is someone that a lot of other MLS clubs should be bidding on. Yeah, but ah I don't know.
00:37:59
Speaker
I don't know if you move him. I don't think that the Sounders should move them. I don't think that they should move from Rothrock. And someone brought up in chat, they said ah that the championship is a lateral move. I agree. It really just comes down to like what the player wants to do. Like does Paul Rothrock like Seattle?
00:38:14
Speaker
I mean, I would assume so. um But, you know, I think that if I was a championship team trying to make a push and there was a player like Paul Rothrock available, I don't know.
00:38:25
Speaker
Wrexham, maybe get Paul Rothrock on Wrexham. That would go crazy content-wise. That would be content, brother. Okay? And we're in this for content. We're not... we We will tell you this all the time. We're not in this to be the smartest around. We're in this to have the best content. And that would be incredible.
00:38:44
Speaker
He would turn that whole town upside down. I can only imagine. Polly prime time. They'd probably say like, Polly prime time. Polly prime time. Is that your Welsh or your scabby? I mean, it's ah we're we're recording this at So...
00:39:03
Speaker
We're busting out the impressions and doing baseball punditry. lobbing scorchers after dark right now. um All right. Noah, two more things to ah to get to. I'll let you pick which one we do.
00:39:18
Speaker
we we do Wanted to look at the decision day schedule and talk about which matchups we like the best and and i kind of preview that. And then I got soccer wise sound, some national punditry related to the Seattle Sounders to react to.
MLS Decision Day Excitement
00:39:34
Speaker
Let's do let's do the decision day first and then we'll we'll save soccer wise for our for our. All right. I can dig it. I'm going to pull up the schedule right now.
00:39:42
Speaker
And this is actually an exciting decision day for the first time in like. You know what I love about it is that exciting but what I love about it is what ah exactly what I was talking about with how little pressure there is on Seattle, relatively speaking.
00:39:58
Speaker
the These past few years, there's just been so much on the line going into this. It's stressful. I don't I don't like it this year. ah Everyone else is kind of dueling for our entertainment. And, you know, the NYC game matters.
00:40:12
Speaker
But it's not like there's not like you're hosting for the MLS Cup final. the, uh, NYC game. Yeah. Like if you win that you get points and a record. And then if you happen to face someone who has less points, right? Yeah. So no, it does. It's like, I'm not, I definitely have not been trying to, uh, say that you should like mail in or punt the NYC game or that the points don't matter.
00:40:36
Speaker
But I do think there's different stakes to it when what, what seed you are is actually on the line. And, uh, there are situations on decision day where, uh,
00:40:47
Speaker
You know, teams can be like, are we going to finish in second or sixth? Like that stuff happens. That's a way more stressful situation to be in than what, than what Seattle's got. And there's some teams that are in situations like that, like Charlotte, Nashville, and one other team, and NYC are all fighting for like to see who gets fourth place.
00:41:07
Speaker
That's stressful. Yeah. And we're also going to do on Saturday, ah if you're if you're still good with it, Ari, a watch along. Oh, yeah. know Of of the the the whole slate, because it's basically only they all kick off at three or they all kick off at six.
00:41:24
Speaker
So we can do a little a little, hopefully, maybe have a little break in between. But like I'm really excited to watch my favorite game of this whole slate. Ari, can you guess what it is?
00:41:35
Speaker
I think it's probably ah my same favorite of the whole slate. Are you talking about the spoon bowl? Yes. The spoon bowl. what's Right here. Right here. Oh my God. I'm so excited for this game.
00:41:47
Speaker
I might not even have whip around on for, uh, yeah, for this. I might focus on, uh, on this game. I mean, what time does the Sounders game kick off? as well Same time. Yeah. All right. All right. Damn. That sucks. All, uh, all two windows, two windows.
00:42:00
Speaker
all I'm going to be toggling. that's how That's how into the spoon bowl I am. For those of you who don't know. Wait, Ari. yeah I should come over there and we should set up a war room.
00:42:13
Speaker
I will bring all of my monitors, all of my TVs, and we will have a war room. I mean, if you want to set set that up, I'm down. Done. Okay. i will play you this more I won't be of any help on the on the tech on that, but decision-day war room, that sound I mean, it sounds like ah we kind of we got to do it up. We're doing this big watch-along.
00:42:33
Speaker
And there's a, like, okay, this for those of you who don't know, Atlanta and D.C. are playing, and this literally determines who gets the spoon. Uh, if DC wins, Atlanta gets the spoon, Atlanta draws or wins, DC gets the spoon.
00:42:50
Speaker
And really, uh, like the novelty, um I don't think I've ever seen a decision day situation where it's literally the spoon bowl. Like but the result determines which one of the teams that are playing, get the, uh, get the spoon. But also dude, like the fact that Atlanta is playing for the spoon and they actually might get it.
00:43:08
Speaker
Like what is, what has happened What, ah what, how did, how did they end up in this place? How do you spend the most money ever on an off season and you are playing for the spoon?
Atlanta United's Financial and Management Issues
00:43:23
Speaker
I, it's it's mystifying to me. it It's baffling. Uh, they need to be studied. They need to be studied. I mean, everyone um everyone knows I've been tracking the downfall really dating back a couple years now.
00:43:36
Speaker
ah But this year has been like the most egregious year yet of the Atlanta United downfall. And I just don't know what to make of it. Like I prepare myself every year for them to become 2017 Atlanta United again.
00:43:50
Speaker
and I, I mean, you remember in preseason, I was, uh, I was saying all that stuff. I was resigned to it. I was saying, oh, man, they they really cooked this Latte Loth guy. I mean, I have no idea anything about him, but they spent $22 million dollars on him. He has to be good. that's Once you spend that much money, you're basically probably guaranteeing that it's going to hit, right?
00:44:08
Speaker
right like You can't spend $22 million and have the guy be a total bust. That just wouldn't happen. they're They're smart enough for that not to happen. Oh, Miguel Amirone coming back. That's pay whatever for that. This guy, he was incredible in MLS. Why would it, why would this time be any different?
00:44:25
Speaker
Don't let those two. Don't, don't go back and look at what Ari's takes were on that. Yeah, I mean, i there the the videos are all out there of Miguel Amirone was the best move any MLS club made all offseason.
00:44:38
Speaker
It's me preemptively trying to get in front of the turnaround because I kind of don't want the turnaround to happen. I like it when they're struggling yeah like this. But it really, I can't believe that they are actually hosting DC United on the last day of the season for the spoon.
00:44:55
Speaker
If there was a script, this was scripted. this that that game is going to be like those guys better be playing like like as a playoff game like their careers depend on it you it atlanta even if atlanta wins that game and they don't get the spoon it's still a ridiculous joke of a season for them but i think there is something to the principle of like all right we weren't the worst worst team in the league we were the second worst team in the league like that matters in some kind of in some kind of way you've
00:45:28
Speaker
You can't spend $30 million dollars to spoon, man. You just can't do it. You can't do it. And realistically, you can't spend $30 million dollars to almost spoon either. You should be not just in playoff position.
00:45:39
Speaker
You should be a top four seed if you're spending that much money. There's just no no other way to... And it's like, you know, listen, Arthur Blank loves to donate his money to really terrible causes that ruin our world and ruin our environment and ruin, you know, every aspect of our lives.
00:45:58
Speaker
I didn't think he would try and do it to himself or he would spend his own money to ruin his own life. So it's really what you shocking. What you think he thinks of this situation?
00:46:08
Speaker
If I'm him, i gotta be just like... I'm pissed! I'm pissed, bro! I'm doing... i mean I'm going Adrian in the locker room, brother. I'm the i'm flipping tables. I'm firing everyone. I'm taking... i'm i don't know I'm doing everything. like like like Just imagine going going to your boss at whatever your job is and saying, look, I really need $22 million dollars for this for this thing.
00:46:34
Speaker
And they're like, well, why do you need $22 million? dollars And you're like, look, it's it's if you just give me this $22 million, this is guaranteed to work. like This is such a high percentage move. but All it's going to take is 22 million dollars and your boss is like all right but i mean this better pay off because it's 22 million dollars i'm not really trying to like shell out 22 million dollars on some shit that's uh that's gonna be bad or not work and then ah you go out you spend the 22 million and not only does what you spend it on not pan out but it's like like latte lot is one of the like five least dangerous number nines in mls this year
00:47:12
Speaker
How do you get your ass owned by Daniel Musavski? Daniel Musavski, the guy who's the the second string striker on the Seattle Sounders, has more goals, not just by a little, by a lot.
00:47:28
Speaker
By double. And you got paid how much money? I'm just saying. Atlanta United, call us. He's for sale. He is for sale. He will do it for you too. I promise. This is not snake oil.
00:47:40
Speaker
It's one of the, uh, it's one of the, uh, guys that are clubs that I think could most use a guy like, uh, Musavsky and like really I think like man if I could give Atlanta United some free advice okay it would be put away the 22 million dollars put away all the the transfer fees go out and find it doesn't have to be Danny Musavsky and Paul Rothrock but find guys that are like that if you find guys that are of that ilk and profile and experience in the league proven in the league
00:48:13
Speaker
guys who work hard and are good culture guys. I mean, you could, ah you could argue if Moose qualifies for that, but Rothrock certainly does. Like that's what you like, go find guys like that first and foremost, and then bust out the $22 chill with the 22 million dollars you've spent you've spent the 15 million dollars on barco you spent the 15 plus million dollars on almada which that's the only one that uh kind of hit but then you got pity martinez you got latte lot you got this almarone debacle now you're playing for the spoon and they didn't get paid for their uh their botafogo transfer apparently
00:48:49
Speaker
Oh, I saw that today, too. Should we... ah Here, I have a... ah Yeah, let's just keep let's keep bagging on Atlanta, honestly. oh I mean, I'm always down. Yeah, no it just is honestly This is honestly ah interesting from the ah perspective of... you know Seattle played Botafogo this year.
00:49:08
Speaker
And... um They looked really good. They had one of the, I think, surprise best showings at the at the Club World Cup and they were getting all this positive press.
00:49:19
Speaker
Turns out they might be a little shady with it. I'm trying to find this. John Texter being shady. Ari, come on. It turns out you can't you can't tell me that John Texter, an American, would do something shady in Brazil.
00:49:36
Speaker
No way. He, it turns out like I, I thought that he, okay, here we go. Here we go. This is a tweet from Joe Patrick, Five Stripe Final. They do great Atlanta United content. One of the best specific podcasts for any MLS team. Without a doubt. But he posted this whole breakdown today on X the Everything app. Oh my bro. Went 12K words on X the Everything app? Come on, Patrick.
00:50:04
Speaker
we can ah we We can do the abridged version. Joe, you got to paywall this, brother. Atlanta United transfer of Tiago Amata has been a nightmare. Instead of dealing him to another club, he was transferred to a football holding company, essentially an individual investor, the aforementioned John Texter, who's controlling owner of multiple teams.
00:50:23
Speaker
One of Texter's club, technically his company's Eagle football holdings, Olympic Lyon, was sanctioned to the second division by French's soccer governing body just two point two and a half years after Texter bought the team.
00:50:34
Speaker
Lyon successfully appealed the sanctions called administrative relegation. only after texter injected 90 million euros into the club this summer and stepped down as chairman and president uh and then i mean it goes on to uh basically okay here it is atlanta united is still waiting on texter to hand over the money agreed to reported 24 million as part of the almada deal who texter since sold to atletico madrid for reported 21 million dude they're doing crypto scams yes exactly doing crypto scams in soccer now
00:51:08
Speaker
Texter is a ah crypto guy. Yeah, they're doing crypto scams in soccer now. It's awesome. i thought he was i mean I thought he was cooking with all these clubs that he's owning and how well Botafogo was playing. It turns out they did. they ah Remember the ah the team that Reggie Cannon played for? that ah Yeah, yeah.
00:51:27
Speaker
It's the same thing. their Their whole strategy with... Except they didn't pay Reggie Cannon. they yeah They didn't pay the transfer fee for like any of the players that they bought over like a two three years. Or the players themselves. Or the players themselves.
00:51:39
Speaker
ah But like it was it was an innovative strategy that they came up with. You agree to a transfer fee for a player, and then you just don't pay it. Yeah. That's when Boda Vista tried that.
00:51:53
Speaker
I was like, damn, why didn't but why don't the Sounders try that? I didn't know you could do that. Adrian. don't pay. Adrian, pick up the phone. Don't pay. Macklemore, pick up the phone. Pull the John Texter. It is it is awesome that of all people, Atlanta United got crypto rug pulled.
00:52:08
Speaker
Like, is that not the perfect place for that to happen? yeah i mean i didn't I didn't honestly, until I saw that tweet from Joe to today, I didn't realize that ah Texture or pulled a fast one on them with Almada like that. That's crazy.
00:52:20
Speaker
Bro, that's what you get when they're like, what if we bought the Jake Paul crypto egg token? Right. And then and then like maybe it'll hatch into a dinosaur NFT, and then we can sell the NFT from the holding corporation to someone else.
00:52:36
Speaker
And then that NFT is actually connected to a soccer player and a contract. So, yeah. Basically, Atlanta United... um I don't really know if there's a worse.
00:52:50
Speaker
There is one other worse run organization and it's Miami, but at least they're able to actually make deals happen and cheat effectively. Atlanta, they're just getting crypto scammed. Like the Amada transfer was like two years ago.
00:53:05
Speaker
ah yeah How have you not gotten your bag from that? And realistically, like when you have Arthur blank money, I'm not sure how much it actually matters, but it's the principle. It's the principle.
00:53:15
Speaker
um What else? What happens when he dies? Because he's iss old. You know, what happens when he dies? Text her? He's not that old, is he? No, no, no, no, no. ah ah oh Blank checks. Blank checks?
00:53:28
Speaker
Yeah. ah I mean, I'm sure there's like several other blanks that'll just take on and over. But maybe theyre maybe they'll be meh, you know. so Sell the team.
00:53:40
Speaker
Yeah. i don't I don't know. I don't know. I don't think that would happen. ah Did you have any other? Let's see. We got Charlotte Philly. That is actually that's a pretty good one. That's pretty good one. Yeah, but Pepiel died.
00:53:53
Speaker
He's officially dead. What happened to Pepiel? That's your boy. What happened? He died for the rest of the season. um i can't remember what. Let me look it up. I think it was like a. ah They've been they've figured out how to play without him, though.
00:54:07
Speaker
I know. I just... He was your mvp pick. He was so good, bro. He was my MVP pick. like He genuinely... He looked like such a stud all season. Next year.
00:54:17
Speaker
Next year is his year if they don't if they don't transform. Yeah, knee tendon injury. i kind of... a I have ah an affinity for Toklamati. I think that's kind of... i do like Toklamati, too. kind of akin to your affinity for Pep BL.
00:54:33
Speaker
You know who I wouldn't mind winning this year other than the Sounders is Charlotte. I agree with that. I agree with that. They were, ah I think I wrote about it in my Sounder at Heart preview of some of these matchups, but they were my number one pick for like a dark horse team in the East that I could see making
Charlotte and Columbus Crew's Playoff Prospects
00:54:50
Speaker
a run.
00:54:50
Speaker
I just think that they've been in some of the best form. ah really They almost broke Seattle's MLS win streak record. Yeah, I know. They got really close. They drew it. Yeah, they tied it. They won nine straight and a At one point.
00:55:04
Speaker
And then also, i think how they play lends itself well to tournament soccer, theoretically, in that, like, you know, you have these teams, lot of the and MLS Cup favorites, like in the West, LASC, San Diego, Vancouver.
00:55:19
Speaker
ah These are teams that like make their name on just having a lot of firepower. And ah it's not like ah like Vancouver's not bad defensively. i don't think l LAC's bad defensively. But they're not, like, Charlotte is like a well-oiled machine. They honestly kind of, ah don don't they play a little like Seattle? Is that like good call?
00:55:40
Speaker
I feel like that's a fair comparison. They're like Seattle of the East. Of the East, yeah. Yeah. ah They're like really well rounded and they might not have like the raw firepower of ah of a Philadelphia or some of the upper tier teams in the ah East, but they defend really well.
00:55:59
Speaker
ah They're really strong in midfield they're good in transition. And then in, in Charlotte's case, like they got Toklamati who's a match winner. So yeah that's all the stuff that I think when you, when you talk about what, what plays and what wins in the playoffs, they have a lot of those ah of those same attributes.
00:56:19
Speaker
so And they've been bringing up a lot of like homegrown players like Toklamati, like Ajiman. Like I know Ajiman, I don't know if he was technically a homegrown, but he was a draft pick. Yeah. Super draft pick. um And yeah,
00:56:31
Speaker
I don't know. i I like they've built out a very, very good youth base and like young player base and trusting in their players while also bringing in great players like a pet BL, you know, ah like a like a ah Zaha.
00:56:49
Speaker
who is... Oh, he's been a... He's been a lot of favorite character the entire movie. Yeah, he's been very fun new character in the league this year in an unexpected way. Like, his whole Snapchat, like, arc. Dude, he loves... The guy loves Snapchat. The guy loves Snapchat, and it's so funny.
00:57:05
Speaker
I've never seen a man of his age be that obsessed with Snapchat. It's incredible. He's crashing out on Snapchat, but it's, like, fun crash-outs. It's not, like, toxic. It's, like... He's, like... he's like Oi, I work really hard for this club. Like, you're ah you're making fun of me for not scoring. You got to talk about yourself in the third person. Yeah, it's like, they see zo say doesn't score anymore.
00:57:28
Speaker
Well, they don't look at Zaha's assist numbers. They don't look at Zaha's passing percentage. They don't look at Zaha's ah long balls. Yeah, I'm a team player. It's whatever to make this team win.
00:57:38
Speaker
And you're like and they're like, bro, this is your seventh Snapchat story in the past 20 minutes. The bars are like just like little tiny dots. He's posted 100 stories at this point. He's a lot of fun on...
00:57:51
Speaker
Snapchat, he crashes out, but in a fun and endearing way, in my opinion. And he's ah he's like turned it on on the field as well. like He actually has become a game-changing player, I think, for Charlotte in more of the way that ah they expected when they signed him and in a way that he really wasn't, I think, maybe for the first couple months of the season. And that's why the Snapchat crash outs started. But then he started playing well, and he just kept posting.
00:58:17
Speaker
He just kept firing those Snapchat stories, which is, it is it is funny you like ah that he still uses Snapchat. Correct. who's Who is still lighting up the Snapchat stories? The Brits are the brits are big on that. he's ah i love i I don't even think they're a dark horse. like You know what? I'm going to say it, Ari. to say it right here. They're going to be my ah MLS Cup pick.
00:58:41
Speaker
Charlotte? No, I mean, I think it's a good pick. I think it's a good pick.
00:58:45
Speaker
what's ah Let's ah look at the rest of the schedule, and then we can we can talk about what Jake's saying with ah Seattle's decision day lineup, maybe project a little bit on that. ah Columbus are low-key bad now. Did you know that?
00:58:59
Speaker
Yeah, they are they are not good. Wilford Nancy, fraudulent. I mean, like, they started off looking like the normal crew, and then they had a downturn midseason that I kind of dismissed and wrote off. I was like, I mean, it's Wilford Nancy and the crew. They're going to be up in the top four and probably contending for MLS Cup.
00:59:18
Speaker
And then I kind of didn't pay attention to them for a while, and then I looked at the table right before decision day, and I was like, the crew, they never got they never came out of that. They might just not be that good. No, and Darlington Nagby's having a bad season.
00:59:31
Speaker
he's retiring. He's retiring. He's been playing average at best. They they do not look like they're going to win MLS Cup. No. they I do hope that they are in um the play-in game, though, which I think that based yeah that's going to happen.
00:59:47
Speaker
they unless I guess they could they could not. like If they win and the chips fall like Orlando. I think it's like, ah i mean depending on what happens with this Red Bulls game, like the crew are probably, I think it's most likely they're going to be in the play-in, which is partially a function of the East being really strong, but it's also like they, uh,
01:00:09
Speaker
They have not been good for a while now. I mean, let me let me look at the table. How many games have they won this season? I feel they've only won 13 games. Yeah, and they had won 11 in like August. They've drawn the most games out of any team in the league, I'm pretty sure, because they have 12 draws, which is impressive.
End-of-Year Awards Show Plans
01:00:25
Speaker
Like, they love a draw. They love a draw. 12 draws. They only had a plus two goal differential. they and ah Toronto has 14 draws. my My apologies. I forgot that Toronto exists, but...
01:00:38
Speaker
of of Of all playoff teams. Yeah, they're not playoff teams. They have the most draws of all playoff teams. Yeah, so. Jake asked, does Lobbing Scorchers have end-of-the-year awards thoughts? Coach of the year, goalkeeper of the year, MVP.
01:00:51
Speaker
We'll probably save that for the... Yeah, no, like, and so my idea, Noah, I hadn't even pitched this to you yet, but... ah Pitch it live. I mean, I was... a Pitch it live. End-of-the-year awards show where we can share our... pay I mean, I actually get to vote, which is kind of sick.
01:01:07
Speaker
Yeah. But ah I can share who I'm voting for and we can talk about ah who we think the best candidates are. But then also, ah let's do it for the Sounders as well. You know, team MVP, offensive MVP, most improved player. well We'll come up with a bunch of accolades for Seattle players specifically and then do either both of those in the same show or we could do them in separate shows as well.
01:01:32
Speaker
Yeah, we can we can get actual awards made and ah slip them into the locker room when no one's looking. Yeah, no, we're definitely... I've just been waiting for the season to actually end to decide who I want to pick for Seattle's end-of-the-year awards, but i best read I have already been... Best red card award. This will be an award.
01:01:52
Speaker
Yeah, no, I was going to have that be a surprise, but we're gonna ah we're going to debate which red card... is the best uh i mean i think we already know the answer to that but it'll still be fun it'll be fun to debate anyway because like it'll be a nice trip down memory lane yeah we can there's there's ah i think there's the obvious red cards that come to mind new but uh there's also maybe we should do a live award show ari maybe we should go fast fashion and and do a live award oh like a live live award yeah Okay. All right. yeah we're cooking Now we're cooking.
01:02:24
Speaker
Here we go. But yes, anyway, we are going to be doing that. Uh, Nashville, Miami. That's probably, that's the one that all the pundits are going to be watching. I don't think that's the most, I don't think a single pundit is late.
01:02:36
Speaker
I don't think a single pundit is going to be watching and another game other than, uh, other than that. But, uh, I guess, I mean, is there anything on the line standings wise with that? ah Nashville, Nashville for Nashville. there is happy but They got to win that. They got to win that to try and get in a top four. So they'll at least be going for it.
01:02:56
Speaker
Yeah, that's something I just, who cares about that game? I'm probably not going to watch that game at all. I don't care. That's like that's like the most boring, non-interesting game of the whole slate. like Maybe Cincinnati and Montreal is also in. That's also boring.
01:03:14
Speaker
because like since That is a pretty horrible matchup. That's a terrible matchup. like The Union already won the Shield. like If the Union hadn't won the Shield, then maybe that would have been interesting. but Sam Surridge, Golden Boot Race, that's true. Messi versus Sam Surridge, Golden Boot Race for Miami-Nashville.
01:03:31
Speaker
That's interesting. Do really about the Golden Boot that much? but No. That is something on the line. Yeah, that is true. Bawanga would have won it if, you know, he didn't have international call-ups. Who's LAFC guy? LAFC has ah the Colorado Rapids. That is an interesting one. Okay, that's interesting because if l LA lose and ah Minnesota win, I'm pretty sure we would be playing LA.
01:03:59
Speaker
Yeah, and it's something like it's something like that. Really, we want LAFC to just... if you're If you're of the mind that Minnesota's the better matchup, which I am of that mind, then you want LAFC to either win or draw.
01:04:12
Speaker
Yeah. I will say, i will say, if... it's just crazy This whole thing is crazy because we could be playing...
01:04:27
Speaker
Yeah, we could. No, no. it's Yeah, we could basically be playing.
01:04:32
Speaker
I guess we could also play San Diego. Yep. Yeah, that there's it's between San Diego, l L.A., FC and Minnesota. I've been pretty consistent that ah Minnesota is the one I want and that that's the one that is the one that's most likely.
01:04:48
Speaker
But do you feel there any any different? No, but I want to i want l LA because the tickets to fly there are cheaper than Minnesota. I was looking at tickets the other day, Ari, for that week, and they're like $500 each. But it's like, we're going.
01:05:02
Speaker
so yeah Yeah, we probably have to. yeah you know It's just the the the Lobbying Scorchers bank account, what we actually want to spend is... you know it's If you want to toss any super chats towards the cause of saying Lobbying Scorchers...
MLS MVP Considerations
01:05:19
Speaker
Go right ahead.
01:05:20
Speaker
But... Yeah. I mean, purely on field though. Uh, I think he's in the golden boot race. He is, he has 24. Messi has 26 surge as 23. So is there, um, is there any chance at all that anyone other than Messi gets MVP?
01:05:39
Speaker
He's fine. Why is he getting it? I mean, i yeah might have to vote for him, unfortunately. No, no, no, no, no. Anders Dreyer.
01:05:52
Speaker
It's just the, like, I realize the stat sheet isn't everything for MVP, but when you have one player who's that far ahead in it, it's just tough. like Like, Dreyer is just nowhere. i mean, he's close.
01:06:08
Speaker
He's not that close numerically, i don't think. Georgie Menungu. you Yeah, okay, I'll vote. Because he has the most successful dribbles per 90. That's the only stat that matters, clearly. Yeah, I don't know. all ah I'll think about it. If I get bullied and peer pressured.
01:06:23
Speaker
i just, like, I can't i can't accept that Messi would win MVP off of, like, doing, like, nothing. You know what i'm saying?
01:06:34
Speaker
Like, what is he doing? I just don't know if 26 goals and 18 assists is nothing. 41 goal contrabs is pretty wild. i Yeah, you can't really. I mean, wait, is that i I was just saying numbers. is that It's 41 total. is i think i know I think it's more than that because that's his and he was he was five off Carlos Vela's record. Well, now his stats page isn't loading. That's sick.
01:07:00
Speaker
maybe on I'm looking on FOTMOB, so MLS probably has it more correct. but Oh, maybe there's secondary assists in there. There's definitely secondary assists on that, so. I don't know, man.
01:07:12
Speaker
Evander's also played good. i don't think he's going to win it. i think it If it's not messy, it's dryer. That's what it is. Yeah. And speaking of d dryer, there's there's some good matchups in here.
01:07:24
Speaker
The Timbs have San Diego at Providence Park. And that's that is interesting that's an interesting situation because they need a result to stay out of possibility to be in the wild card, which Phil Neville himself said is a failure.
01:07:39
Speaker
He said that, which I don't know why he said that, because it's like, dude, that you're there's a low key, a pretty decent chance that you guys are going to end up in that. yeah But he said, but they they need a result to take themselves out of contention for the wild card.
01:07:55
Speaker
And they have the team that might win the West. Like, that's not an easy matchup for them at all. That's one of the best teams in the league. So the Timbs are kind of up against it as far as staying out of the wild card round.
01:08:06
Speaker
But also you that yeah you're also betting on FC Dallas winning, and that's just like never a good idea. And they're playing the Caps. who The Caps want to win. they They don't want San Diego to be able to... like The Caps are playing for number one in the West.
01:08:21
Speaker
which unless Which they're basically going to win unless San Diego score 10 goals to zero.
01:08:30
Speaker
Because their goal differential, they have 10 more... You mean if Vancouver wins? and Vancouver's on 63. San Diego's on 60. So even if even if San Diego win, they'd be tied on the Their goal differential is plus 29 for the Whitecaps, plus 19 for San Diego.
Vancouver Whitecaps' Successful Season
01:08:47
Speaker
So the Whitecaps have won. Plus 29? Yeah, the Whitecaps have won the West.
01:08:53
Speaker
Pretty much. yeah like LAFC had an opportunity to win, but their window closed. So but because they were really a fantastic season. like and We should probably acknowledge that. I mean, I know how the Champions League final and went for them, took some of the shine off, but they really they they turned it around.
01:09:15
Speaker
They went on a tear down the stretch. And then don't don't they feel like they have like the best vibes going right now with Thomas Muller coming in and him being like one of the boys. He already has 11 goal contributions. He's a penalty merchant, but yeah, sure. He was a penalty merchant at the start, but he definitely wasn't on that game winner in Orlando.
01:09:32
Speaker
That was a sick goal. And like, yeah yeah but it's also just like, ah it seems it seems like, ah Vancouver and LAFC, unfortunately, with these guys that they brought in, both have bolstered their vibes. And I feel like Moeller was worth it for them, honestly, just for that alone. yeah And now the production has started to come.
01:09:54
Speaker
And then Sun has just been, he and Buonga have been going absolutely nuclear. They're just like, no, you score. No, you score. No, you score. No, you score. And they like love each other, and it's like this bromance that's like actually like kind of cool. It's unfortunate. But ah um like you know on one hand, it is ah I think it is genuinely cool to have ah guys like Sun and Thomas Miller in the league. And it's clear to me that both of those guys are bought in in a way that the the famous global Eurostar is not necessarily always.
01:10:30
Speaker
bought in uh it's just unfortunate that uh lafc or one of the clubs benefiting to such a degree the white caps it's like they've been kind of a long suffering club so yeah i don't mind that at this season for them like yeah i don't mind seeing them succeed yeah but it as far as like if uh the danger that is posed to seattle in the west vancouver and lafc neither one of those teams are going to be easy matchups at all. I think both of those teams would be the favorite if they played Seattle in the playoffs.
01:11:01
Speaker
Yeah, probably. And Jesper Sorensen. Do you think Jesper Sorensen is going win coach of the year? I do. And I think that's who going to vote for. Like I, there's, there's a couple of good candidates this year.
01:11:13
Speaker
And I know, uh, you, uh, you have the Schmetz agenda, uh, Well, I mean, yeah, I'm, I, you know, you know that I'm, ah I'm partial to the Schmetz agenda, but don't you think there's a, but the problem is you're not allowed to take into account leagues cup. And so if you, if you're looking at the season as a whole, you look at a season where they dropped a lot of points from winnable positions.
01:11:39
Speaker
And as a coach, how much do you wear that on your shirt? Like, unfortunately, probably a lot more than Well, but you could also, you could, you could very credibly argue that leagues cup aside that with all the injuries that Seattle had this year, specifically to Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnak, but also to Joe Paolo, to Jackson Reagan at one point to Yamar now at a couple of different points.
01:12:04
Speaker
I mean, you could go down the list, man. Like the list of injuries this year has been ridiculous. Leeds Cup aside, you could argue that Schmetz getting this team to to top five in the West in the regular season with all that taken into account is actually pretty impressive.
01:12:22
Speaker
i just don't know if I'm really objectively looking at it, if it's more impressive than what Sorensen has done with the Whitecaps. He completely he changed their whole club from an irrelevant afterthought to what I think is the team that's played like pretty clearly the best footy uh of anyone in in mls for extended periods of of time like and they're currently they're playing at that level right now i mean you just said it they finished this year with a plus 29 goal differential like you gotta you gotta give that man his due for that and they won the canadian championship and they won ah the whatever it's called the um
01:13:06
Speaker
The Cascadia Cup. Cascadia Cup. Thank you. Yeah. They did not. I mean, if yeah, but you're you're not allowed to take ah Champions Cup into ah into account.
01:13:17
Speaker
But he almost low-key. They almost did it They almost did it. They were one bad burrito away. They were one bad burrito away. ah Let's see.
LA Galaxy's Season and Management Critiques
01:13:30
Speaker
l LA, Minnesota. So that means the loons, uh, the loons should be able to, it's, it's in LA. It's in LA, but come on. It would be funny. Come on now, Eric, Eric Rams player, do your little, you're on the road. That's where you thrive. Do your little thing.
01:13:46
Speaker
you're been Oh my God. Can you think of a team that these Minnesota United tactics would be more effective on than the 2025 LA galaxy? Like I actually kind of want to watch that. Yeah, that's going to be a good, I'm actually kind of stoked about that matchup.
01:13:59
Speaker
Like when you're talking about like, we really are just in it for the shit house games. That's truly our brand. Yeah. We're it's, we do this for the content. And the LA Galaxy trying to break down this Minnesota team, that's going to be good content.
01:14:14
Speaker
And you you know that ah it's going to be like 82% possession Galaxy, 27 shots, none on target. Minnesota United, 20% possession, one shot on target, off a set piece, 1-0 win.
01:14:29
Speaker
Like, I'm calling that right now. 100%. ah hundred percent That is what's going to happen. But honestly, Minnesota, one of the reasons that I've been saying that they're the best matchup for Seattle is stylistic, but also recent form.
01:14:41
Speaker
mean, Vancouver and LAFC have been on fire. San Diego, like maybe not as on fire, but I mean, they've still been playing pretty well, i think.
01:14:53
Speaker
Minnesota have not been in good form. They get to play a Galaxy team on decision day that... You know, almost spooned, but ah Noah, i ah did you know, I read this in ah in a Doyle column, ever since the Galaxy got their first win of the season, which was on June 1st, which is a funny stat.
01:15:13
Speaker
Since that win, they are they're like 10-8-6 with a plus-8 goal differential. So it's like not good, but like more like a normal team.
01:15:24
Speaker
It could be in the mix for a playoff spot. Right. like Realistically, like for most of the year, they've actually been the quality of like a mid-table, not that great, but not that bad playoff team.
01:15:35
Speaker
Yeah. So all that's to say... it's not like it's guaranteed that Minnesota is just going to roll all over them at home. Like the galaxy might be able to scrap something there and that could affect who Seattle plays in the, in round one.
01:15:51
Speaker
So that one's is definitely worth keeping an eye on. I'm rooting for sandersers pa for sure. We're going to be, we're going be eyeing on that. I, listen, man, you know,
01:16:04
Speaker
I saw a rumor that ah Will Kunz was on a list and like they wanted to interview him for the St. Louis job and that he declined.
01:16:16
Speaker
um Will, I don't know what you're doing. You should have taken that job. You should have taken that job because there are only so many more days where your fraudulent ass is going to be able to be at the LA galaxy.
01:16:30
Speaker
You should count them, brother. You should count them. He is the most fraudulent GM in the entire league. And that is my agenda that I will wear till I die. You don't think that they're set up to be a playoff team again next year? Cause I was looking at it and I kind of do, but what's going to happen with Royce and Pooj?
01:16:51
Speaker
I mean, I'm assuming that Pooja is coming back and playing for them next year, which I mean, I have heard nothing to the effect that that's not the case. Yeah, no, I agree. But like how are they going to split minutes after Royce has been playing well? I mean, you you have Pooj. You build the whole thing around Pooj like you always did.
01:17:09
Speaker
And if Royce is still on the team, he's a super sub. He's been there like bell cow this year, but he's 36. And the only reason that happened is because Pooj's injury and other injuries that they had.
01:17:25
Speaker
i don't think they they I don't think they brought him in originally with the intent of building like the entire attack around him like they ended up having to this year. But I think a situation with the roster where Pooj is your centerpiece again and then Royce is his backup, that could work.
01:17:43
Speaker
And mostly I just think that Pooj coming back and then... their roster normalizing a little bit as far as, uh, like we all know what happened with their roster this year. They put themselves way up against the wall with it and it totally backfired. Theoretically that should be like less the case next year. And then but do they could have put Pooj on season ending. That was the dumbest decision. That was mind boggling. They could have made the playoffs. Um,
01:18:12
Speaker
they could And this is why I don't understand how his ass is not fired is because if you look at the form that they went in once, they kind of like had some semblance of a team and stopped playing the one center back that they had who was like famously incredibly terrible. I can't remember his name right now.
01:18:31
Speaker
Garces? No. um Zonka? Zonka, Zonka, Zonka. Zonka played in the Seattle games, though. Dude, I know. But regardless, um if they would have season-ending injury Pooj, they could have easily been in playoff position this season and with like a couple of signings. And it's just like, they're there's so... That was terrible management.
01:18:53
Speaker
i'm i'm I'm very... I'm sorry. I do not like Wilcox. and yeah I mean, you've had the anti-Wilkins. He ruined my team that I thought was incredibly beautiful. so he also He also made that team, though. So...
01:19:12
Speaker
No, I don't give him that. i don't You don't give him credit for that. That's yeah. No, that's too logical. Ari, you're making too much sense. Now you're, you're, you're cutting against my agenda in a way that makes way too much sense. And I just will not have that. I think, I think the reason, and i think the reason he didn't get fired is because they won MLS cup last year. Yeah. yeah He got equity. Yeah.
01:19:30
Speaker
for that. And then really, i think next year is where his job's on the line. Like if they, if they turn it around and they, I don't even think they need to be like shield contenders next year, but they got to be back like 1.6, 1.5, 1.6 points per game at the very least, like a real, like actual puff team. Again, they do that. He'll save his job.
01:19:52
Speaker
But I think he, uh, he used that and MLS cup equity, get out of jail free card. And, uh, that that got them through this year.
01:20:02
Speaker
Let's see if... I was just kind of looking at their roster today, and I was like, I think this team is actually... i don't know if they're going to be like good next year. yeah you look at their improvement in form since the summer, and then Pooj coming back, and then theoretically some other roster movement they can do, think they're going to be a normal team again next year.
01:20:24
Speaker
Which is unfortunate because the we'll always have the first... two three months or whatever of the 2025 streak it was in mls history it was one of the most incredible runs i have ever seen from an mls club in terms of the ways they found to lose i mean everyone remembers the uh game against sporting kansas city where they where they lost the game when when they didn't allow sporting kansas city ah shot which is and like people think oh like shot on target no literally they don't take a shot
01:20:58
Speaker
Sporting, yeah. Sporting didn't take a single shot and they won the game 1-0, which that is that is finding a way to lose a game that I really genuinely did not know was possible. But like even outside of that, like the there was just so many other examples of
01:21:16
Speaker
of games like that where it's just like, how did you guys even manage that? And it was it was incredible. like it was And then they re-signed their coach in the midst of not winning a game. That was an all-timer. The whole PR media blitz, too, around that.
01:21:34
Speaker
They hadn't won a game. They lost 7-0 in Will Koontz going on the fucking Kooligans podcast and being like, dude, I used to work for the Yankees. It was awesome. i like My general manager friend for the Yankees said that if I was in baseball, I would have gotten fired already.
01:21:50
Speaker
yeah Don't say that, Will. Don't say that, Will. Don't say that. and then you Yeah, that that was a great moment like when he gave that interview on the Cooligans, and then immediately they lost 7-0 to the Red Bulls.
01:22:03
Speaker
That was great. And then, yeah, the whole signing Greg Vanney to the contract extension in the middle of a 16-game record winless matchup. run ah to start the season and then them having them having to give the ah the press conference of like, we have extended this man.
01:22:20
Speaker
We believe he is the man to to lead this club to the to the glory that it's rightfully deserved. And you look at the record and it's like, oh, 14 and three and you're extending your coach, which I don't even, I even said at the time, like,
01:22:35
Speaker
I at least I can understand why they feel like Greg Vanney is like Mr. Galaxy, the guy for that job. But the optics of the timing of that, he even said it. I remember at his press availability after he signed that extension, he literally said to to his credit, I guess, like I feel and guilty is the word that he used for how he felt for having his extension announced in the middle of 17 match run.
01:23:01
Speaker
windless run I mean, I hope we get content like that from them next year. i just, I doubt that that's going to happen. I would be surprised if that happens, but but you never know. but Look, look, this look what Daniel's s saying. And I agree with this because I just pulled up their cap.
01:23:18
Speaker
ah Their cap space here and it's LA Galaxy will have cap space issues next year. They have a hard time adding new players in the offseason. They're going have to buy a bunch of international spots next season. They're going to have to cut their there. there're It's going to be a it's going to be a shit show, dude.
01:23:34
Speaker
It's going to be another one. We're going to have another one. They're like they're going have to ship Royce. There's no way they can keep Royce. They put themselves in a situation where, honestly, if it was like a multi-year endeavor to get back to normality, if that honestly wouldn't surprise me. I've been thinking of it like this year has to be the brunt of it, and they can start building back towards being a respectable team again next year. But, I mean, i don't know. like Maybe that's not the case. I haven't actually looked at their cap situation to know.
01:24:06
Speaker
But maybe we'll get more... there's just there's There's just no... ah poo Ricky Pooge coming back alone is going to add a couple of a tenths.
01:24:19
Speaker
ah Yeah, but it's like, how how well is he going to come back? like how How good is he going to come back? You can... He's what? He's 23, 24. And modern modern medical science, like in ACL, you can come back pretty much the same from that, especially at his age.
01:24:37
Speaker
he it is It is a question, though. Like any any major long-term injury like that, that is a question. He's going to need a ramp up. It's going to be tough. You're going to have to ship more players next year.
01:24:49
Speaker
You're going to have to sign. Like, I just, I don't know, man. I don't think it gets easier for here. and And that's why I'm saying, Will, Willie boy, I don't know why you would turn down that interview with St. Louis because at least St. Louis is in a position where you could make some signings.
01:25:05
Speaker
And you can also be bad and it's like, it's fine. Understandable. Yeah. The galaxy being this bad is like a national disgrace. Yeah. I say Lewis, they're a new club. You know, they don't they have the ah history for that to, to be as much of a thing.
01:25:22
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. I don't, I don't. Jake says, does LA galaxy want Danny Musavsky? They're the type of club that should.
01:25:31
Speaker
the galaxy. Yeah. I could see it. I've been saying, I've been saying Atlanta. I'm just, I'm just looking at these teams right now. Atlanta, the galaxy, Atlanta, Toronto, uh,
01:25:48
Speaker
maybe, ah maybe a little Austin FC, maybe a little real salt Lake. Those are the teams that, uh, come to mind for, for Moose, but also, uh, for, for a guy like Rothrock as well, man. Like,
01:26:02
Speaker
they're the types of guys those teams should be targeting. And I don't, you know, I don't say that to manifest it. I say that to, uh, prepare us all for the reality that. Awesome. Once the off season, it's more of a topic for the off season, but that stuff is going to happen. So we may as well all, uh,
01:26:22
Speaker
Prepare for it early and, you know, focus on the playoffs first. But yeah. um Same recovery optimism for Paul Areola.
01:26:33
Speaker
He's like, he's a little older than Ricky Pooge. He's like, and he's done it before. But it's it was a different knee, right? But now he's done both. 32, he's done both.
01:26:43
Speaker
So I think that that's when it gets a little dicier. Ricky Pooja, we forget this. He's like literally 23, 24 years old. 26.
Player Recovery and Political Connections
01:26:51
Speaker
No way. Yep, he's 26. He's been in the league for that long?
01:26:55
Speaker
Yeah. No shot. That's what I'm telling you. He got to the league when he was 22. You're right. Wow. Yeah. He's 26. That is still young enough where you I think you can come back from an ACL, but. I like to hear that because I'm about to turn 26. So i I fear someday that's going to happen to me. I don't want it to, knocking on wood, but I'm just saying. It's good to know that I have Ari's... ari um You're Ricky Pooja's age. I'm Paul Areola's age. Yeah, it's all fine and it's all good. Everyone can recover from an ACL.
01:27:24
Speaker
I have an announcement, Ari. We're going to have a returning guest coming on Lobbing Scorchers at the end of October. Who's that? Miss Katie Wilson.
01:27:36
Speaker
Oh, let's go. Miss Katie Wilson will be back. Confirmed. i also I also reached out to the Bruce Harrell campaign. They have not gotten back to me. They're not going to get back you. They have not.
01:27:49
Speaker
We asked them to come on in an NPR, on NPR, in an NPR article. in lobbying yeah in case hes kid In case no one saw, Lobbing Scorchers was on NPR. should we Should we pop up that that that audio?
01:28:02
Speaker
i don't I don't want to listen to it ah because I hate hearing my own voice. Okay, fair enough. But I encourage others to listen to it if you haven't yet.
01:28:13
Speaker
It's pretty funny that we're in that, I think. we were We are that. we are on that It was because, I mean, I don't know if... ah anyone watching hadn't seen that we interviewed Katie Wilson, but we interviewed Katie Wilson ah back when she was not up and comer.
01:28:30
Speaker
She was not like a, she, that was so long ago, like in her candidacy that she was not, I don't think considered like a serious candidate at all, which is probably why she was polling at all. Yeah. but But so we interviewed her and then, uh, and then her candidacy took off, which I think that we can take credit for a hundred percent. yeah And now she might actually low key win potentially.
01:28:54
Speaker
And, and we're going to have her back on returning guests and, uh, hopefully we get credit for, uh, launching her campaign. We'll have to ask her. um but that's, uh, yeah, she got the lobbing scorchers bump. Exactly. she did Yeah.
01:29:08
Speaker
And, uh, that's That's sick that she's coming back. that's And you got to call out ah Logan Paul on the on NPR for it. I called out Logan Paul?
01:29:19
Speaker
Yeah, you said you said ah Donald Trump, Logan Paul, terrible content, but really smart. Savvy so yeah i did say that savvy strategy. yeah yeah You're like, terrible content, but really smart.
01:29:33
Speaker
Yeah, unfortunately unfortunately, they cooked with that strategy. But like it is, that's sort of what the MP article is about. Yeah, exactly. You guys should It's like a, it's like a, a similar strategy with a different demographic.
01:29:49
Speaker
ah Yeah. Okay. Let's, ah let's do this soccer wise sound and then yeah call it a night. does that sound good? No. Sounds great. All right. Let's do that right now. right. So what we're going to ah well
01:30:04
Speaker
There it is. One of those buttons. ah So we're going to play a little segment from soccer wise with a Goss, David Goss. It's a Doyle and Bogart are on the panel and they were doing it. Don't call us back in anymore. Ari.
01:30:20
Speaker
Yeah, know it's a, We're not big time enough. We're not big time enough. It's fine. It's fine. We more live stream views sometimes than you guys, but it's fine. It's fine.
01:30:32
Speaker
That's, yeah, exactly. You know? you know but It's fine. No, it's cool. No, it's like I get it. It's totally cool. It's chill. ah There's definitely, I mean, it's 1 a.m. m Eastern time, so they're definitely not tuned into this.
01:30:44
Speaker
No. So what they were doing, chat, was... they were doing a little thought exercise where before the season started, they did over under point lines for every team in the league. So it was like, uh, DC United 31 points. And then they all guessed over or under, and then they went back, uh, with the season about to end and looked at which teams they got correct on the over under and which teams that they got wrong on the over wonder. And they were discussing like,
01:31:15
Speaker
what they might have missed, what they got right, when they got wrong, all that stuff. So we're going to play their segment, them talking about their Seattle over under and see what ah what the national pundits had to say, kind of assessing Seattle's season as a whole.
Seattle Sounders' Season Analysis
01:31:31
Speaker
And then we're going to react to a their takes and talk about if we agree or disagree. So let me pull that up right now.
01:31:43
Speaker
There it is. our friends at soccer wise. This is good. I'm sure he's free fire. Wow. Wow. Yeah. Lithuania. Okay. King. All right. Let me know if he said I'm back with the athletic now. Let me drip it or drown.
01:31:58
Speaker
He's Tom's kind of always always driven. He's always dripping but Doyle. bill also justpping free We have. nine and a half points Can you hear this? naty cincinna Yeah, 59. It's a little quiet. but oh Yeah, wait, I can't really. hear Oh, wait, I think I'm on the wrong input. So we are all incorrect on Seattle. We are all correct on Cincinnati on the Seattle side.
01:32:19
Speaker
I think the Club World Cup and League's Cup is a portion of this. Injuries are a portion of this as well. As Tom likes to keep saying, I'll still trust the process. t If Seattle Sounders wins 2025 MLS Cup, I will not be surprised.
01:32:35
Speaker
And that's the team that they have set up right now. i would agree. i would agree. This is like, they, they went deep. They obviously winning leagues cup, having the club world cup. That was a lot over, over the summer and injuries picked up and um rolled on now with the national team, which awesome to see, but it was just too much to kind of overcome on a week to week basis and MLS. And particularly now that like they're, they've,
01:33:00
Speaker
I don't know if they would if you how long they've really been locked into the fifth seed, but it's not like they're really jockeying for position over the last you know several weeks here. I mean, they were up until Leagues Cup, and I think they put everything they had emotionally into that Leagues Cup final, and then they... they like I like I thought coming out of that, it was either going to go.
01:33:20
Speaker
They were going to blaze through the the remainder of the schedule and just take that momentum or there was going to be a letdown. And obviously there was going to be a letdown. And so four game win this run there from. Yeah. and starting And that's when they and that's when they fell out of the the race for like second or third yeah in the conference.
01:33:35
Speaker
But this team um look going into the season. the The argument was for their week to week consistency more so than their top end talent.
01:33:47
Speaker
And what they showed is that they have the top end talent to go out and win a trophy. But the week to week consistency because of the injuries and because they were getting pulled in one direction with the Club World Cup and then in another direction but with Leagues Cup.
01:34:03
Speaker
um Like it, it, the week to week consistency was really hard to find that said like, there's just not a better org. There's just not a better org in this league at all of the above.
01:34:15
Speaker
Right. They, they just like, ah I don't know. Like LA say his name, say Paul Rothrock's name.
01:34:26
Speaker
Tom, what are the chances that, what are the chances that Paul Rothrock is on the Sounders next year? I don't know, man. I think a lot of teams should be trying to get him. And I think Seattle should obviously be trying to resign him. I think high. I'm very curious to see how that one plays out here.
01:34:40
Speaker
Yeah. The only question on the org stuff is the like Jesus Ferreira. I mean, Paul Ariello, there was nothing I could do about. He got hurt of like whether they made the right calls on those players, but inside of the restrictions they had,
01:34:55
Speaker
They did as well as they could. This, I guess me questioning better org is I would include ownership in organization. And while they're stable and consistent, they did not take a risk to try and get massively better for the club World Cup.
01:35:10
Speaker
see i disagree ryan can't mate i i just think in in terms of um getting ferreira and areola that was the risk they took but that was and that's it was a smart no it was a smart calculated it was a smart and calculated one and because it it did keep the floor high and it did it like it was a way of soaking up those minutes um like and And what we've seen from the way they played at the Club World Cup and then the way they played at League's Cup, they might have a higher ceiling than anybody in MLS.
01:35:43
Speaker
And and they they because of Jordan Morris hitting those bonuses, they did not have an open DP spot to go spend $10 million, even if they wanted to. And again, they weren't going to, it to your point, though, Koss. And that's where still think if you yeah look at this and you say, if Albert Rusnak is the DP 10 that you're going to sign, it's a different stratosphere. And it didn't give you a chance to potentially push through a Club World Cup group that they played really well in.
01:36:07
Speaker
That was not been talent that they did. And if maybe it wasn't healthy, they do. And I'm wrong about all this. But whatever. Let's talk about this next week when we get it.
01:36:18
Speaker
He's so fucking for real right now. ah David, Mr. Goss. i was Okay, I was going to wait to hit the Goss take, but it sounds like you want to – Are we being serious?
01:36:29
Speaker
Okay, well, here's here's what i here's what I want to say. Well, first of all, shout out SoccerWise. We love. Go sub to their channel. or like Okay, so I disagree with what he was saying there, too. We're to talk about that.
01:36:41
Speaker
But I was glad that he brought up the devil's advocacy ah just because it is a talking that exact talking point that he was giving is something that got brought up lot. brigade talking point. It's a bit of a brigade talking point, but it's actually not even... i think a brigade talking point is a little dismissive. like It it's ah it is is a fair thing to ask. I don't agree with the conclusion of...
01:37:05
Speaker
you know, kind of what he was getting at of like, they didn't show enough ambition to move on in the club world. I don't agree with that conclusion, but those were, those were, I think, fair conversations to have at the time, at least, especially before we saw what happened in the club world cup and going into the season, like we didn't know if the roster was as good, i think, as it turned out to be.
01:37:25
Speaker
So it is, those were points that I think are worth addressing, even if, uh, I don't agree with them, but anyway, uh, what did What do you think of that take? We'll start with that take and then there's a couple other things I wanted to hit there.
01:37:37
Speaker
I guess I'm just confused as to what you think was the problem with the way... like the Okay, I'm sorry. like Yes, a $10 million dollars striker was the reason that they didn't beat PSG.
01:37:52
Speaker
A $10 million striker is the reason that they didn't beat Botafogo? No. The reason that they didn't beat Botafogo was because Nuhu gave up a dumbass free kick. The reason that they didn't beat PSG is because PSG had a billion dollars more of a roster on the field. And the reason they didn't beat Atletico Madrid is because they're a better team.
01:38:13
Speaker
It's that's, and, and are and I have, I have to point out because it was the one that Goss used as the example who scored in the game against Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid who scored.
01:38:27
Speaker
It was Albert Rusnak, okay? Like, the ah the number 10 not being able to produce against, like, a team of that stature or whatever was definitely not the issue. He was one of the only reasons they had a chance in the game for the amount of time that they they did when he when he scored that goal.
01:38:43
Speaker
So, like, when he when he say and what he's getting at with, like...
01:38:49
Speaker
If you have Albert Rusnak as your 10, that is like a tier below the type of player you would need to be competitive in ah and the Club World Cup. I mean, if this theoretical... They were never going to be They were competitive. It wasn't even that they were they they were competitive.
01:39:06
Speaker
They were competitive with him. They were never getting out of the group. They were never getting out of the group. Yeah. They were never getting out of the group. and here's here's the other truth to it is...
01:39:17
Speaker
I'm sorry, but Messi and Miami don't get out of that group either. Messi and Miami don't get out of that group. I'm sorry. i mean We then you literally saw what happened when they played PSG. They lost way worse than Seattle.
01:39:30
Speaker
And this is what i'm saying. You could spend the most money ever spent in the entirety of MLS on 10. And it it doesn't matter. it It doesn't matter. We said this ad nauseum at the time.
01:39:42
Speaker
Like, because there was so much discourse going around of like them not signing Noah, Ohio or whatever you 22 was like unambitious and going to ruin their chances in the, in the club world cup.
01:39:57
Speaker
But it's just like, the reality is like, if we accept this hypothetical where they move off Roosnack and spend a bunch of money on this higher tier 10,
01:40:08
Speaker
ten it would it wouldn't have made a difference, man. It wouldn't have. It wouldn't have. It just wouldn't have. Like, I'm sorry to burst anyone's bubble on that. I know a lot of people are still upset about it, but like, honestly, you're frankly delusional to like, to think that that would have made a difference. It wouldn't have made a difference. The number 10 that you did have is the only one who scored a goddamn goal in the Atletico Madrid game. So like, ah you know, I know Goss wasn't like trying to blame him But a lot of fans were.
01:40:40
Speaker
So like we should just we got to just be we got to be serious about ah about that. I get like also it's one thing to say that the ownership group is stingy, quote unquote, or they are not going to.
01:40:55
Speaker
They are not Arthur Blank. They're not Arthur Blank. But we've said this again at nauseam. What he what is the Arthur Blanks of the world that kind of money getting you?
01:41:06
Speaker
What is it getting you? You're fighting for the fucking wooden spoon. And the Sounders are playing Messi in the final. And winning. And winning. Emphatically. yeah So I don't quite understand where, on one hand, you're like, such a great organization, but the ownership, it's kind of shitty.
01:41:28
Speaker
Like, yeah, okay, maybe the money isn't there. And i'm we spent two months basically talking shit on ownership for that. I just, I don't understand how you think that that's going to completely change this team. And that was the problem.
01:41:45
Speaker
That's silly. That's silly. So this is another thing I was thinking about with their discussion, which is like, You know, when you when you take League's Cup out of it and you just look at the table, 1.5, 1.6 points per game, whatever they're at right now, ah they finish in fifth. They're not in the top four. That is, like, below the standard of ah of a regular Seattle Sounders season. So they were talking about the reasons.
01:42:11
Speaker
for that and I think they correctly brought up, ah you know, so much so much time and energy ah and resources were spent going for League's Cup and the question was whether they were gonna be able to maintain their level after the tournament, if it was gonna be a springboard or a detriment, turned out to be a detriment.
01:42:30
Speaker
They didn't play very well for those first few games after League's Cup and that's part of the reason why they're in fifth and not in the top four. I think that is all true, but no, when I was listening them to them talk about that, I was also thinking, like yeah, like that that is part of it, but like I would argue a bigger reason that they're in fifth right now more than that is because they got a lot of dumb red cards and shot themselves in the foot in these games before that that like dating back before League's Cup even started.
01:43:02
Speaker
and really independent of any hangover of any energy level of whatever lineup was on the field they could have had the exact same season played the exact same quality of footy in the regular season and uh and also one league's cup and if they just didn't go crash out red card boys for like a quarter of the games they would have been in the top four anyway like that's like man like I get what they're saying and I agree with it to an extent but also like I think that they actually if the if you're just looking purely at
01:43:36
Speaker
the level of footy that they've played this year, i would argue it it was better than 1.5, 1.6 points per game. But when you get nine red cards, okay, when you get nine red cards, and then also just have generally a lot of situations where you drop points, like you could have ended up in fifth, even if you didn't even play in leagues cup at all.
01:44:00
Speaker
yeah Like with how many times that happened this year. So that's what I was thinking about. Like, man, like if you just had like a little, you even in three or four of these games, you were just able to hold all the points that you had literally like a couple of these situations we're talking about, man.
01:44:18
Speaker
It's literally like the 93rd minute. And if you see out the game, you get three points and then you're giving up these equalizers that that shit adds up. that's how you end up in, in, in fifth place. But it's just in a way, like it's almost, it's frustrating. Cause like they should have been able to get at top four, even with the league's cup thing.
01:44:37
Speaker
Like they, there's no real reason hangover wise, why they shouldn't have been able to do that. They just, they got nine red cards. I don't... Yeah, I don't agree.
01:44:48
Speaker
i don't agree with the take on that. And I also don't agree with Jesus Ferreira and Paul Areola being in a... They're doing the... That's an unambitious signing, too. and That's kind of what he was implying there as well. Doyle is pushing back, too, and saying, like, well, no, like that was smart. They used the space that they had to get assured players.
01:45:07
Speaker
Like, players who you know how they were going to play in this league and perform when you already had... trust in your team that you had built. They were one game away from MLS cup last year, lest we forget one game away. And if they had won that game, they would have won the whole fucking thing.
01:45:26
Speaker
I mean like that's, that's like, I, I'm going to, I'm to, it's a, it's lobbing scorchers after dark. So I'm going to say something. Yeah. say something. I'm just going to say it. I'm to say it.
01:45:39
Speaker
when it When it's all said and done, the Jesus Ferreira trade is going to go down as one of the better, like, interleague MLS trades ever made by any club. And he needs to play for the team for, I think, a couple more years and put up some more stats for that take to be fully validated.
01:46:00
Speaker
But guess what?
01:46:03
Speaker
Winning the League's Cup in the fashion that they did, uh... over the team that they did and the role that Jesus Ferrer played in that game and that whole tournament, trade's already validated, purely based off that.
01:46:14
Speaker
That's it. so The whole trade is already yeah validated because they don't win that tournament. They don't win that game. They don't win that tournament without him. Albert Rusnak was hurt that whole tournament. You know who filled in that spot and played it at a high enough level where they were still able to win the tournament over Inter-Miami in the way that they did?
01:46:32
Speaker
Jesus Ferreira. So it was all right that was already whatever, like any ambition discourse you want to have about that trade, that's already out the window no matter what happens the rest of his Sounders career.
01:46:44
Speaker
if he ends up staying here for couple more years at least and playing at the level that he's been playing at, first of all, I think more stat sheet production is going to come. Like I really, i really believe that his, if if you wanted to point to,
01:47:01
Speaker
something that Jesus Ferreira has not lived up to this year, maybe it would be that the stat sheet production is not like where you would expect and want it to be for a player of his caliber. I think like if he's on this team next year, that's going to even out there. That's like a variance thing that's going to even out.
01:47:18
Speaker
And he's going to get on the stat sheet more. And he, the more he established himself, establishes himself as that cornerstone type player, the more it's like, wow.
01:47:30
Speaker
You got this guy for Leo Chu in a pick or whatever, like whatever it was. Like that is one of the best intro league trades in MLS history.
01:47:42
Speaker
Bar none. Like what's even the counter argument? There's none. It's if you, if you know ball and I've been saying this, you know, ball, you are impressed and love Jesus Ferreira as the dynamic and incredibly versatile player that he is.
Impact of Jesus Ferreira Trade
01:47:57
Speaker
And if you don't, You're just, you're just, you're looking, i don't i don't know what you're seeing. i literally cannot comprehend the argument. And I can't comprehend the argument either that it was a bad idea to bring someone in under the DP level, fleece FC Dallas because he didn't want to be there anymore.
01:48:20
Speaker
put him on a roster spot that he's being paid basically. I mean, he's getting paid a lot of money, but like he's getting paid basically not a DP. You, you, you took a DP off another team and brought him to your team to make him a Tam player. And you're going to tell me that that's,
01:48:38
Speaker
bad they did some it's what are you talking about low-key like what they were able to pull getting him on the on the roster on the books is not a dp it's not the same thing as the uh the the cheating that you always complain about with inner miami but they pulled a fast one in like a very similar way they got they got a dp quality player best 11 quality player on the roster on the books uh like as a tam player like that's what inner Miami has been doing and why everyone says they're cheating.
01:49:09
Speaker
Yeah. and So yeah, that's, uh, I just, except we didn't have to cheat to do it. We just have a good enough, like ownership and ah not necessarily ownership. We have, we have the pedigree of an organization that people want to come and play here.
01:49:26
Speaker
And so if you're going to tell me it's so, it's just like, you didn't really take a risk doing, you didn't spend any, but be be I don't, I don't care. I don't care if you're going to bring in a player like Jesus Ferreira,
01:49:38
Speaker
You can be cheap all fucking day. But there's not going to be a million Jesus Ferreras. And then next season, we I promise you, what we're going to see next season is a U-22 striker signed for anywhere between $3 to $8 million. dollars And you know what? Are people going to say that's ambitious? Are people going to say that it's bad if this player doesn't come in and immediately hit? Yes, they are.
01:49:58
Speaker
They're gonna have all this shit to say, even though it's exactly what they've been asking for. I don't understand... You have to look at process, like you always say, The process on the Jesus Ferreira thing was ingenious. And even Paul Areola as well, bringing in someone who you knew immediately would have a connection with him.
01:50:17
Speaker
That was genius. They looked insane in CONCACAF Champions Cup. let's Let us not forget, those FC Dallas boys were absolutely balling. They were absolutely balling.
01:50:28
Speaker
i just I just, I can't agree. I cannot agree with what our East Coast SoccerWise fellas are saying at all. And ah um' to ah to be fair to Goss, and you know, i don't want to pick on Goss.
01:50:39
Speaker
I think he he was devil's advocating. i don't think hes hurt sure I don't think he believes that like, this is your personality, Goss. Well, I don't think I really don't think he would argue that like the Jesus Ferreira trade was unambitious. But, I mean, it was it's it was worth him bringing it up, honestly, because that was talked about and that did get argued. We've been, we've been ah I think, making our views on that clear this ah this whole time. But I think when you, now that we're at the end of the season, we can look at the totality of these things more and be like, all right, how did it ah objectively work out?
01:51:19
Speaker
and And I didn't have to get a tattoo. yeah What's funny is that like you low-key were pretty close. Yeah. And like that, a because I know there's, the thing is, no, we already know there's going to be, there's going to be people that try and judge it purely off the stat sheet, which is honestly, the stat sheet's honestly not even that bad.
01:51:42
Speaker
He's had five goals, 10 plus assists, all comps. If you told me before the year that that's what they were going to get on the stat sheet out of the trade, would have said that's less goals than i would have wanted, but I'll take it.
01:51:53
Speaker
But I also, i mean, i I'll be on the, ah I'll be beating this drum for as long as this discourse is going on. It's the fact that his stats aren't better this year is just bad luck. Like, I really think that. And that,
01:52:05
Speaker
Ari, that's why you can't always believe in statistics. And that's why you can't always, but sometimes the eye test don't lie. The stat sheet can, uh, the stat sheet can lie.
01:52:19
Speaker
But it's also like... ah It's also not a bad stat sheet. It's not a bad stat sheet. but There's probably a couple of you out there watching right now. There's probably a couple of you that are going to try and do the stat sheet thing.
01:52:31
Speaker
you're out You're already like formulating the takes. There's of like, well, he only had this goals. paragraph. yeah Yeah. Well, yeah you're saying that he only had this many goals and this many... That's not a good point.
01:52:43
Speaker
Okay. Got to look at the assists. I look at the assists and also, I mean, we've talked about it a lot, but like Ferreira in particular, Ariola got hurt, but for her in particular, he brings so much outside of, uh, out of goals and assists that I didn't even expect or know about. I watched, we, watch we both watched him a lot on FC Dallas and, respected him a lot as a player.
01:53:11
Speaker
I had no idea he was as good at pressing. I had no idea he was this much of a dog on defense. I had no idea that he was like this unselfish in terms of his his playmaking and willingness to combine with other players and set guys up.
01:53:30
Speaker
So he he is most definitely the type of player that he he brings everything with his skillset in addition to the, uh, to the production, to the goals and assists, uh, Daniel coming through with the, uh, with the five for the donating to send lobbying scorters to Allianz field fund.
01:53:49
Speaker
It's not, uh, it's not totally sealed as Allianz field yet, but, uh, it's, it's going to the same fund. Nonetheless, we appreciate you, Daniel. Thank you for that.
01:54:00
Speaker
Um,
01:54:03
Speaker
Freire needs to hire Zaha as his PR manager. He needs to get on Snapchat with Zaha. We need Zaha. Dude, oh my God. Dream interview on Lobbing Scorchers Zaha. Dude, you can tell that he is just dying for a platform to come cook.
01:54:17
Speaker
Dude, we need... Oh my God. will fly to Charlotte, bro. How has he not become one of these guys who has players who has the podcast going? Zaha, that's what he wants. He has an opportunity here.
Podcast Future Plans and Growth
01:54:28
Speaker
That's what he wants. Like, he wants to podcast so bad. dude he... Oh, my God. Just put a mic in front of that man and just let him... Yeah. Just cook. Let him cook.
01:54:39
Speaker
God, we you know what? Okay, we got... Next next next season, i do want to do more, have some more interviews and stuff. like we I feel like next season is going to be our biggest season ever. We're going to reload. We've had our biggest season this year.
01:54:52
Speaker
We kind of exploded this season, but like next season, I feel like we're going to even... This season was like building the building the foundation. Yeah. Next season, we're going to crank it to the next level. We also got pretty blessed with the Club World Cup and Leagues Cup.
01:55:08
Speaker
Yeah. But you know, when you get the, when you get the content lobbed over the plate, you also got to capitalize. You got to, you got to mash it, dude. When you get the meatball, you got to hit your 63rd home run. And that's what the Mariners didn't do. Mariners need to take advice from a lobbing scorchers. Exactly. Noah's podcasting.
01:55:26
Speaker
I've come out of my depression and I'm podcasting again. ah Next season, we're going to gun for the Willy Zaha weekly segment. where we We're not even going to be on the show. We're just going to send him a link to a Lobbing Scorchers stream and let him just take it away.
01:55:46
Speaker
Could you imagine the like Wednesday Zaha show? Oh my God. I'd be locked in. I'd be locked in. too All right. No, coming up on a two hours for this, uh, for this show. Should we, uh, should we wrap her up i'm a wrapper up? I'm about ready to wrap her up. All right, let's wrap it up.
01:56:03
Speaker
ah was going to do it for us tonight, folks. Uh, thank you as always for, uh, for tuning in. This was a fun one. Appreciate, uh, you guys bearing with the late start. Although like we were saying, I'm pretty sure most people were, uh,
01:56:18
Speaker
we're appreciative of of that so they could watch the Mariners try and go to the World Series they're not doing too well at that but two more games to go uh but appreciate you all staying up with us and uh laying down the content uh decision day watch along starting uh I mean should we should we start it like 10 minutes before the games or I think I've been scheduled like 20 minutes or 30 minutes or something but we'll see when we pop on Just a check here or on either of our blue skies to find out exactly when we're sending that out. But that's I'm excited for this. This going to be a lot of fun.
01:56:55
Speaker
We're going to we're gonna be cooking all of Decision Day and giving live takes and commentary. ah The sounders are in the early slate, so we'll hit that.
01:57:08
Speaker
Like the video. Like the video. Like the video. Sorry, guys. I see four likes on my screen, so... on like on on our on our video yeah i saw four okay i hadn't refreshed it's 29 now but still that's not nearly enough that's not nearly enough everyone like the video uh if you've not done so yet sub to the channel uh be sure to tune in for the decision day watch along it's gonna be sick uh and then uh and then it's playoff time We're going to, I mean.
01:57:37
Speaker
We're blowing through this season. I know. Flew by. But the playoff coverage is going to be going off. We'll see how far Seattle makes it. But, I mean, we're goingnna we're going to be covering the whole playoffs no matter what.
01:57:49
Speaker
So, the content keeps rolling. Thank you guys for tuning in. And we'll see you on Saturday afternoon around 1 o'clock. Love you guys.
01:58:00
Speaker
We love you guys. Peace. Peace.