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Episode 400: Sounders/Reign recaps; previewing Timbers/Thorns doubleheader
79 Plays2 years ago
Believe it or not, we've made it to Episode 400. It's been quite a journey and taken us about 12 years to get here. Mostly coincidentally, we're marking the occasion with a joint podcast with our friends at Coffee and Valkyries to preview the Seattle-Portland doubleheader. Thanks for listening!
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime sounder supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest.
00:00:21
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to... There's no study at this. Here we go. Come on! Hey, Ocean! Let's go! What a save by Fry! The Seattle Sounders have done it! MLS co-pointers! Here comes Ray D'Ace from the middle to crowd it! The vehicle! And now they truly can't stop the celebrations.
00:01:04
Speaker
Seattle Sounders, the greatest MLS team in history. This is a tiny f***ing doll.
00:01:34
Speaker
Is that why
00:01:38
Speaker
Welcome to another edition of NOS Adiata, sponsored by Full Pull Wines, Watson's Counter, and our sub-stack subscribers.
400th Episode Celebration with Guests
00:01:45
Speaker
We're recording on Thursday, June 1st, 2023. I am your host, Jeremiah O'Shan. Joining me today on a very special episode, 400.
00:01:46
Speaker
you young people call twerking?
00:01:55
Speaker
Joining me today is Aaron Campo, Susie Rance, Steve Vote, and our producer, Lickit. It's admittedly a bit of a coincidence that we're all here on this special day, but we're recording.
Preview of Portland Doubleheader
00:02:08
Speaker
We brought everyone together to do a joint podcast between us and our rain friends at Coffee and Valkyries and Ride of the Valkyries to talk about this weekend's Portland doubleheader.
00:02:20
Speaker
But before we get to that, we probably should talk about the games that both of these teams played.
Sounders vs Earthquakes Analysis
00:02:27
Speaker
The Sounders, of course, lost at home 1-0 to the Earthquakes, while the rain had a very different result going on the road and dumping San Diego Wave 3-0 in a challenge cup match. So, I don't know, we'll start with the Sounders just because I feel like it's something that we can probably all, we probably all watched and we all can opine on.
00:02:50
Speaker
This was a pretty frustrating game. The Sounders fell behind on a set piece goal, but then outshot the earthquakes 18-0 over the last 35 minutes or so of the game. Couldn't find a goal though, despite creating a ton of chances, and it has ignited a bit of a debate, both on Sounder at Heart and on Twitter, over the value of XG, which
00:03:16
Speaker
We have talked about at various times here, but it feels like it's become very acute after this one. Aaron, I know you hate single shot XG and you hate single game XG, but I feel like maybe you and I can agree that in this particular case, it does tell a story of a team just being a bit unlucky.
00:03:40
Speaker
Yeah, I think that my frustration with the way a lot of this conversation has gone is that you're right. I am a skeptic of XG and I don't necessarily think that the XG from this game tells you anything that looking at the chances doesn't. And the frustration I have is that I think a lot of people see XG and they get upset because they're like, you're trying to convince me that this team isn't crappy and that we shouldn't trade everybody and that we shouldn't fire everybody.
00:04:09
Speaker
And that's how I feel right now. And I think a lot of the time what people want after a loss like that is catharsis and they want to be mad. And that's a totally valid way to feel.
00:04:21
Speaker
But what you do and what the folks that write at Sounder at Heart do, and what I do attempt to do on here poorly, is analyze things. And you can't really analyze the game without looking at discrete events like Raul Rui-Diaz missing an open net twice, Leo Chu putting a ball over an open net, A-Bear missing an open net badly. The four chances off the top of my head, I think you should expect any of those guys to score.
00:04:51
Speaker
And in this game, I think a lot of the time when you see these games where the game state sets things up this way, where one team dominates possession, another team is happy to sit on a lead, you get these big aggregates of
00:05:06
Speaker
low probability chances that can add up over time. And so I think that a lot of the time people are right to push back against that. I just don't think that you can objectively talk about this game and say, the problem here was something other than poor finishing or poor luck in finishing. And I think that's what's been so frustrating about this conversation. I don't think the Sounders played great
00:05:34
Speaker
I don't think that this was as good as they were early in the year. There wasn't a cohesiveness and fluidity in the attack. They created some great chances, but they almost felt just like moments rather than like
00:05:50
Speaker
the result of consistent breaking down of the defense. But I think most of the time they win that game and probably won it pretty comfortably. And the one goal San Jose had came on their easily their best chance of the night. They didn't do anything after that goal at all. Literally, they had no shots after that goal. Yeah.
00:06:09
Speaker
And so I think that same, the sounders did a lot of things right in this game.
Assessing Sounders' Potential and Performance Metrics
00:06:15
Speaker
They were unlucky slash finished poorly and that's what cost them in the end. But to say that they didn't create anything, they looked toothless. This is the same as last year or this is the same as the Vancouver game. That's the stuff that gets frustrating to me because it's
00:06:31
Speaker
saying that those things aren't through doesn't mean they're going to go out and beat Portland 4-0 on Saturday. It just means this is what happened in the game. This is why they didn't win. And I just think a lot of the time people don't want to have that honest conversation about what happened in the game. And I do think that people
00:06:51
Speaker
as you said, I'm a skeptic of XG, especially in smaller samples. But it does something to certain people that is just like it really, really upsets them to even see it. And to me, I don't think possession tells a whole lot of the story a lot of time. I don't think the number of shots, I don't think the total number of passes, like these are all discrete data points.
00:07:13
Speaker
that nobody's going to have an eyelash at if you say, Oh, the sounders had 60% possession and however many shots, 20, 21 ever shots. But when you say they also had three XG, people feel like you're like trying to push an agenda. And that's, that's just, I don't understand it. And I think that it's just, there is some resistance to.
00:07:34
Speaker
that's that people aren't as familiar with, but actually has been around for like 10 years now in public, right? It's been around for longer than that in private use, but I mean, it's been publicly facing for a decade now.
00:07:46
Speaker
I don't know, I'm not telling anybody they have to love it, but the reaction to it just seems very outsized. Especially when I think what you've been saying consistently, what Mark Kastner was saying today, and a lot of the discussion I saw, we're just trying to figure out what's going on. We're not saying... I'm not presenting this data point as some kind of gotcha. I'm saying this is an interesting data point. And it is. I think anytime you have a data point like that,
00:08:14
Speaker
it's worth talking about and looking into. So along those lines, one of my contentions is that if we want to move forward, if we want to improve this team,
00:08:26
Speaker
We got to do things right. And just saying score more goals is not real analysis, right? But if you do all the stuff that leads to goals, you should score more. If you do all the things that prevent teams from getting into good positions, you're going to not allow a ton of goals. And the Sounders seem to be doing that for the most part. And if they continue to do that, it doesn't mean they are guaranteed to keep doing it. But if they do keep doing it, you would think the results will turn.
00:08:52
Speaker
Susie, what did you make of this? What do you make of going forward? Are you seeing the danger? Are you seeing the sound? Are you seeing the positives or do you find some of the broader criticisms to be fair? I think I'm kind of in the middle. Obviously, it's truthfully been very frustrating and I feel like
00:09:17
Speaker
good teams, even when they're not able to score, even when they're creating good chances, they can hold on and not give up. The kind of goals that the Sounders have been giving up, you know, I think that's been more of my frustration actually on the other side. I feel like that's like the mentality piece that you need to have if things aren't going right in front of the net. And obviously a bummer of a goal that they gave up against San Jose. I think too what maybe
00:09:46
Speaker
was kind of a consistent theme and was the most frustrating part of the game was just how they started, that they weren't on the front foot. Laura Harvey says all the time, goals change games, and they truly do. It's pretty proven. So if the sounders can start more effectively, I feel like maybe some of this could change. And not to get too
00:10:12
Speaker
you know, broad in our transitions, but this is kind of the story of the rain, like last year, especially, right? Even though they won the shield, they were consistently underperforming their XG. And I don't know, maybe that ended up biting them ultimately, but it does, like I just can't, like for me, I just can't get beyond, if you're creating lots of good chances, that's a, like it's harder, it's harder to like beat up on your team when you're,
00:10:40
Speaker
creating good chances, it's like, this is what we want, lots of chances. And I don't know, it's one of these things where I understand the desire for catharsis and for someone to be raging on a megaphone to fire the coach and to cut all the players, but I don't know that that's gonna get the sounders any closer to actually getting better. And I don't know, Steve, do you have any,
00:11:07
Speaker
Any more thoughts on this before we move on? We don't need to spend too much time on the talk. I think one thing that probably is adding to it is early in the season, it felt like the Sounders were almost unstoppable with scoring goals. They scored a couple of goals very quickly. Jordan Morris was on fire. And all of a sudden, that well seems to have dried up. And so it's almost more frustrating because it's like, obviously,
00:11:32
Speaker
we have talented players and they know how to score but suddenly everyone has gone cold at the same time and it's like do we need to you know burn some sage? What do we need to do to change this luck because we know we can score goals.
00:11:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's the thing that's very frustrating is it would be one thing if the chances were just falling to the guys. You don't expect to score for some reason, but like still the chances are going to Jordan Morris and a bear and and roll radius last night and the players who you would think if we can put these players in dangerous positions that are going to score that get their goals. They're just haven't been doing it lately, but the rain are seemingly in a different.
00:12:14
Speaker
space right
Reign Team Performance and Rivalry Discussion
00:12:15
Speaker
now. They are coming off a 3-0 win. I don't quite know what to make of a 3-0 win in the Challenge Cup, though. Susie, do you want to explain what should we take away from where the rain are right now in the season, which seems to be a little up and down?
00:12:31
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you know, a week ago, or two weeks ago I would have had a much different answer about the rain than I am this week because they have lost back to back games instead, including a blowout at home. And then they beat Angel City for one and then then they beat San Diego in the challenge cup three zero so right now, I'm feeling good. I think that what like my big takeaway is
00:12:54
Speaker
Like their movement has been so much stronger in this last week and in and around the box. You know, they only had seven shots in this Challenge Cup game where they scored three goals. They completely dominated the game, I would say, but they didn't get a ton of shots off, but they were moving in the right places and they were using a significant amount of depth. I would say like maybe four starters on the field.
00:13:18
Speaker
Um, at the beginning of the game. Um, and I think that's my big takeaway with the rain this year is they have more attacking weapons than they had last year. Um, that's really going to set them up well for the season. I think, um, they've had six different players for their last seven goals. So, um, I think they're, they're clicking collectively at the right time, feels like.
00:13:41
Speaker
Steve, what are some things Sounders fans who might be seeing the rain for, if not the first time ever, at least the first time this year, should know about where the rain are this year and what their outlook is?
00:13:58
Speaker
I think one big thing is it's like Susie said there's a lot of different players who are contributing like they're they're missing Rose Lavelle right now to injury and in years past if they were missing one of their key playmakers that would have been almost a death knell but the the midfield has really kind of stepped up and they're kind of playing attacking mid by committee almost Bethany Balser has been kind of dropping back and playing there and they've
00:14:21
Speaker
Megan Rapinoe has been dropping in. She had three assists against Angel City, which I believe was tied for a league record. I think only five players or something like that in NWSL history have had three assists in a game. So it's kind of been this almost free-flowing
00:14:41
Speaker
It's a fun kind of attacking routine where you kind of don't know what they're actually going to do next because if it's not working on Megan Rapinoe's side, maybe they'll give it to Sophia Huerta on the other side and she's going to put in some crosses or they're going to try and bring it up the middle if they have Jordan Heidema or Elise Bennett in the middle.
00:15:00
Speaker
In a lot of ways, as an observer, it's almost been kind of an adventure to see how are they going to break down an opponent next and to see how they're doing that has been really kind of entertaining this year versus just saying, oh, they're going to give it to Kim Little and she's going to do Kim Little magic and she's going to score a hat trick.
00:15:21
Speaker
And so once again, it feels like this is always the case, but the NWSL is a bit of a log jam, especially at the top of the table. You got Gotham FC who just beat rain. They're at the top of the table with 17 points. Everyone looks like they're on nine games, but then you have Portland.
00:15:39
Speaker
rain, wave, and Washington all tied on 16 points. How would you handicap where the rain are in terms of potentially repeating as shield winners?
00:15:55
Speaker
I think they have as good of a chance as any team in that mix because of their depth. Every team is going to be missing some players during the World Cup. They'll be playing a lot of Challenge Cup games during that time, but they do have some regular season matches while a lot of players will be away for the World Cup.
00:16:15
Speaker
Ring could lose anywhere from six to eight players for that but still have plenty of depth to be able to fill in so Personally, I think they should be challenging for the shield at the end of the year And the challenge this is and and just to be clear the the game this weekend is a
00:16:34
Speaker
regular season game, not a challenge cup game for the, I know I was a little confused by the challenge cup since we just had a challenge cup game though. What, what are like, how should people be? Is there an easy way to know like, okay, this is a challenge cup game. Cause it's the same opponents in both the challenge cup and the regular season. Right.
00:16:53
Speaker
I was saying up until probably this summer, the easiest way to know is if it's a midweek game, it's a challenge cup game because the league has promised no regular season matches during midweek. I think there will be some challenge cup games on weekends, I think during the World Cup break though. So don't take my advice through the rest of the year. I think you'll just have to check out Sounder at Heart because we're pretty good about clarifying.
00:17:19
Speaker
But yeah, the rain are in a Western group in the Challenge Cup. So they're in a group with San Diego, Angel City, and Portland. So I would just say if you're looking at the schedule and seeing those matchups, you'll have to kind of double check if it's a regular season or not. But all the tickets are in the season ticket package? Is that right? They are. Yeah. Okay. And during the World Cup, those are just Challenge Cup games that are getting played?
00:17:47
Speaker
No, a mixture. I think we were doing the math and assuming you make it pretty far in the World Cup, those players will probably miss for regular season games. If you make it to the final, you might miss a couple others for celebrating purposes. But four compared to previous years is not that many.
00:18:11
Speaker
All right. Well, that's probably a good place to take a break. We're going to come back and we're going to talk about the Portland games that are coming up on Saturday. You're listening to NOS Adiates. Watson's counter wants to thank everyone for their patience, but now the wait is over.
00:18:32
Speaker
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00:18:58
Speaker
Welcome back to Nos Adietes and our friends from Coffee and Valkyries, Steve Vogt and Susie Rants. So we'll start off, we started off talking about sounders last time. We'll start off talking about rain in this segment. This is a big one. Rain are going to be hosting the Portland Thorns.
00:19:20
Speaker
I don't know if people remember the last time this game happened, but the rain won a rather resounding victory over the thorns. And it was celebrated by Jess Fishlock doing sort of like a mic drop with roses, which I thought was a great moment. It was definitely the highlight of that day because the sounders looked like absolute crap against the timbers, if I remember correctly.
00:19:49
Speaker
And we got Laura Harvey seems to absolutely love this rivalry. It is a fun rivalry. What should we be looking for in this game? Is this any reason to think that this one won't live up to the previous standards?
00:20:04
Speaker
I mean, every game in this series, it feels like it's turned up to 11. Like Jess Fishlock has said from day one that she lives for playing against Portland. She always seems to score or assist or just have some sort of incredible tackle to win a ball away.
00:20:21
Speaker
And the series has been really tight back and forth. The rain have a slight advantage in the overall series, even after gifting the Thorns four games in 2013. And in fact, that last double header game is the last time a team has actually won in the regular season in that series. All the games last season in the regular season were draws. But I know the rain players have had the state circled on the calendar because they always want to show up Portland.
00:20:51
Speaker
And so, I don't know, do you get a sense that the rivalry is on the left? What's the sense of the rivalry among the fan base for the Reign? And I suppose maybe for the Thorns as well. Do the Thorns view the Reign as their biggest rival? I'm sure Reign fans view the Thorns as their biggest rival.
00:21:10
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. I mean, there's, there's a few kind of smaller rivalries that kind of developed with other teams over the years, like the, the thorns and the courage kind of have a thing going, but it's kind of faded into the background. But, but this, this rivalry, even with the number of times it gets played each season between regular season and challenge cup and.
00:21:27
Speaker
preseason games, it seems like the intensity has stayed very high. And the players really kind of feed into that too. Like Megan Rapinoe loves to kind of go to Portland players when she's there, because of course she went to college there. And they seem a little bit jealous that she's chosen Seattle beyond that. And as I said, like Jess Fishlock really loves getting into it with them. And there's a few even Portland players like Christine Sinclair has been here since the beginning too. So they kind of know
00:21:57
Speaker
all the history of this and the fact that they've done this now, this will be the 35th time. So it's a lot of games in only 11 years.
00:22:09
Speaker
I think, too, a sign of the level of the rivalry. I was at the preseason game down in Portland, and we've got loud and clear the fuck Seattle chant, build a bonfire. Those are equally as big for Thorns fans as they are for Timbers fans. And I think that's a fun part. That's what women's soccer rivalry should feel like.
00:22:34
Speaker
You know, I remember, I feel like at that game, like I've been to a few rain games since then. Uh, but at that game, I felt like the supporters section actually had a much more robust gathering than you're used to seeing at, at rain games, which aren't, aren't always like a really full supporter section, even when they have good crowds, but is there, should we expect that for this one? Should there, should we expect like a full voiced, uh, supporters section, you think?
00:23:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. I think the Royal Guards kind of gradually been building up their membership over the years. And even though, you know, normally they kind of spread out in the whole South section, so it feels a little bit more sparse. But I think particularly on Saturday, there's going to be a lot more people there and there's going to be more packed in. And I'm sure a lot more ECS people will be sticking around and joining in.
00:23:26
Speaker
And they always have the Rain City Riot band there too, which adds a lot to the atmosphere, which was something lacking kind of early on in the early season. So now they have the drums and they've kind of gotten their chance figured out and the crowd really kind of picks up on that.
00:23:42
Speaker
Yeah, I just thought like ECS was such a big partner in 2021 when they did this, you know, welcome the Royal Guard before the rain had even moved to Lumen. And I'm expecting a similar level of support on Saturday from them too. So Erin, I kind of want to bring you in on this just because I feel like you might have an opinion. But first of all, do we know what jersey the rain or the thorns are going to be wearing? Are they going to be wearing their tattoo shirts?
00:24:09
Speaker
I hope so because they haven't won very many games in them. OK, well, Aaron, do you have any particular take on the tattoo shirt? I hope that's what they're wearing because it feels like it would be such a missed opportunity if they're not. I think it sucks really bad, but. I think it's OK for soccer gets to suck if they're like it's it's I think it's it's objectively bad. I think it looks like Ed Hardy.
00:24:40
Speaker
I don't like it. It's not my aesthetic at all, but I think that's fine. I'm glad that it's the thorns that have it because it makes it more fun when it's arrival. I like gaudy kits that fit into a very specific aesthetic. And when they don't, I think that they look really bad.
00:25:06
Speaker
similar version, I guess you would say, of this shirt that's very stylized, the pink. I think that both of those two shirts are not for me, but they're at least
00:25:20
Speaker
something. So I will make fun of them for sure. If we're having friends over for a barbecue and this game will be on and I will be making fun of the Thorns kits to my non-soccer watching friends if they're wearing those kits. But I think it's at least interesting. It's
00:25:43
Speaker
There's nothing to make fun of if it's just a white boring kit. That's true. And sports are about entertainment and it's fun to make fun of a rival's kit.
00:25:53
Speaker
Yeah. My understanding, I think the sounders and timbers will be wearing their pink and red combo again, because that's what screams Portland, Seattle is pink and red going head to head. But we'll, I guess we'll probably get what blue versus white, I assume. Yeah. But it sounds like they're going to
00:26:16
Speaker
They're capping attendance at 42,000. My hope is that we get close to that for both games. The Sounders have told me that they think it's going to sell out. I don't know how many tickets are left, but last time I checked, they seemed like they were selling reasonably well. As of we're recording this, my understanding is there are still tickets left. What has been the
00:26:41
Speaker
I know that, so if you don't know, the way that this is being handled, the way it was handled last time as well is it's essentially, it's part of the Sounders season ticket package. It's not part of the rain season ticket package. There is a practical reason for that, which is the Sounders have a lot more season ticket holders. And if someone's got to have their seats, I suppose it makes sense to give them to the team that has more of them.
00:27:02
Speaker
But it has been, it is, it feels like a little bit of a sore spot for, for rain season. They could hold us for understandable reasons because there were some discounted tickets available to them.
00:27:13
Speaker
but not very many from what I can tell. And for the most part, if you want to go to this, just, you want to go watch the rain, you're effectively like having to pay double what you would pay to see the rain play a normal game. What's been your sense of the reception that, that sort of like the ticketing and do you have any, I don't know, is there a better way to handle this, do you think?
00:27:35
Speaker
I don't know if there's a better way. I think there has been some frustration. It hasn't been super clear to everyone the process. And obviously you do feel like a second tier fan in terms of priority. But I think in my head, and I know this isn't going to make people feel better, but this isn't a game for rain fans. This is a game to bring in people who haven't maybe aren't season ticket holders.
00:28:03
Speaker
And it got a big spike in 2021 when they did it, even when they were playing at Genie. So I think they're hoping for the same. I think the Rain have smartly prioritized building a Rain fan base that may be a little bit different than the Sounders fan base. There is a lot of crossover, but this is a way to maybe invite more people into that circle
Experiencing Different Match Vibes
00:28:25
Speaker
too.
00:28:25
Speaker
Yeah, and I'll say I've been to, like I said, I've been to a handful of rain games or I went to a handful of rain games last year. And it's a very different vibe at the games. I love it. Frankly, I think it's awesome. I love taking my kids to the game. I love taking my wife to the game. It's just a totally different audience, I think. And I think that's actually one of the things that's really attractive about
00:28:48
Speaker
And I hope we still get some sense of that at this one. It will probably feel more like a Sounders game, but I hope at least during the rain part of it, there's going to be my hope is that there's a lot of people that stick around. There's only going to be like an hour between the games.
00:29:05
Speaker
which is barely like, I imagine it's almost going to be like sounders and timbers are going to be walking off the field. They're playing in the morning. It's not a kick. I don't think it kicks off until one 55. So you figure it's going to get over around four o'clock and the rain game supposed to start at five. So that doesn't leave a lot of time. I mean, there's going to be like ships passing in the, in the night type situation, like literally, uh,
00:29:27
Speaker
i would imagine you got players walking off the pitch while the goalkeepers for the timber for thorns and rain are getting warmed up and whatnot uh and so and then there's going to be concerts going on there's bands playing all this kind of stuff it should be a fun event i'm looking forward to it and hopefully
00:29:46
Speaker
The Sounders can get everyone in a good mood and win the first one. It's a win they need pretty badly, Aaron. I don't remember a time when they have played the Timbers and felt like they needed a win quite as badly as they need this win.
Sounders' Need for a Win Against Timbers
00:30:03
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, 2013 and the playoffs maybe would be great. Great. I mean, you, you set it up. I don't know what to tell you brother. Yeah. It's, it's so weird to be talking this way about a team that is ostensibly and still in first place. Yeah. I think, right. Yeah, there are there. I mean, it's, it definitely deserves an asterisk. They have played three more games than St. Louis and four more games in LAFC, but they are, they have the most points.
00:30:32
Speaker
I just, uh, they gave themselves a lot of leeway this season early on, which is good because this has been a really, really nasty lull. Um, but I do think I was encouraged by a lot of things we saw against San Jose and it just feels like they got a.
00:30:53
Speaker
They got to get this off their back at some point. And that's not analytical or based on anything other than vibes. But it just it doesn't feel like it can keep going on. And this is as good a time as any. This this game last year was when things really started going bad and started going bad yet, though. That's what's notable.
00:31:17
Speaker
Well, so what I'm saying is maybe this is maybe it's just a year long curse, right? Yes, I agree. Yeah. That, you know, there was like one of the best runs in team history in the middle of it. But aside from that, it's yeah, I don't know. I'm feeling weirdly optimistic. I don't feel like I have much reason to be. Portland's not good. This idea that we kicked out, started their season, I think is kind of falling apart.
00:31:42
Speaker
Yeah, they're no better than we've been since that last game. Yeah. And I mean, the Sounders are more talented than they are. And the Sounders, I think, played pretty well against San Jose.
00:31:55
Speaker
I think they played pretty well against New York as well. Um, we, I don't think we talked about that game at all, which is fine. We don't need to wasn't a fun game, but I think they played pretty well. They, they, New York is a much better team, I think, than they were getting credit for, especially defensively. So there are some signs of life. They're not going up against the juggernaut, although that has not really been reason for celebration this season, I suppose, but, uh, I just.
00:32:24
Speaker
It definitely feels like if they don't get a good result in this game, if they don't get a win. That. The wheels could really come off and that's similarly not really based on anything concrete, right? It's just the vibes will be very bad though. The vibes will be very bad. I think Raul getting back. I think that Christian potentially playing or even just being available, I think will will be nice and I think.
00:32:53
Speaker
I'm choosing to be optimistic about this game because what else am I going to do? I'm glad that I won't be able to fully concentrate on it on the first go around when it's actually happening. That will be a nice little respite. But yeah, I don't think I can stand another loss to those losers. I can't deal with the idea of that.
00:33:17
Speaker
So I'll say I'm optimistic, maybe against all reason, but I don't even feel like I'm choosing to be optimistic. I actually think the Sounders, if they play like they get against San Jose, I like their chances a lot. Susie, what do you take for it? What's your... What are you anticipating in this game?
00:33:37
Speaker
I just, I never know in Portland Seattle games are so hard. I feel like they're always pretty ugly so I anticipate a little bit of that I do think like, regardless of how many minutes you've plays. I do think.
00:33:53
Speaker
it's encouraging that Christian Roldan is an option. I think like when you look at what has been happening with the Sounders, he just knows when to like take charge of a game and how like energy wise, movement wise. So it's exciting to even have him as an option this game. I don't know if he sounds like he may likely play, but
00:34:15
Speaker
I mean, he's involved in the press conference tomorrow, the joint press conference between the rain and sounders. I feel like that's a pretty good sign that he's going to be available. He was basically training in full or he was pretty close to full training last week when I, or I guess earlier this week, even when I saw him out there.
00:34:33
Speaker
a little fun story. He was in the press box with Jordan Morris watching the game yesterday. And they were mainly up there because they apparently they wanted to watch the LAFC. The LAFC game was on before and so I asked them, who are you rooting for? And they said, well,
Support for Leon over LAFC
00:34:52
Speaker
Of course, we're rooting for Leon. And I was warm. My heart was warmed by that answer. And they had said that. And I was like, well, aren't you friends with Aaron Long? And they're like, well, of course, we sent him a good luck text. But he knows that's not. We don't actually wish him good luck. That was great. But so his sense of humor is back, which to me tells me that he's clearly back. He's clearly back.
00:35:20
Speaker
But yeah, Steve, do you have any, any, I don't know.
00:35:24
Speaker
I don't, there's, we talk about the, the sounders struggles in the season. They have also had this insane streak of not being able to beat the timbers at home that goes back. So this is the perfect thing. We've, we've broken so many other teams, bad streaks like San Jose streak of not winning on the road. So it's time for us to break our own streak. Like Aaron's thought about vibes. Like this is, there you go.
00:35:51
Speaker
This is the vibe where we're going to ride to break another streak and it's just going to be ours for a change. Yeah, I like that. And because the timbers have a very modest three game win, win this run, like that's nothing. That's nothing. Right. Exactly. That's like a regular occurrence, but there's something notable about that. Now our winless run against the timbers at home goes back.
00:36:14
Speaker
I guess to 2017, I think is unbelievable, something unbelievable like that. And it just feels like, I realized that casinos are built on the due line, but the sounders are due, like just rolling the dice here.
00:36:33
Speaker
I don't know. I felt optimistic in the past and it's come back to bite me, but I don't know. I do like the Sounders chances in this one. I hope they're able to pull it out. I think you go almost position by position. I think the Sounders are better at almost every spot and it would be very annoying to not win this game. And I honestly don't want to deal with the community if we don't.
00:37:02
Speaker
so save me sounders from my own from our own community here uh because it's about we're about to eat ourselves i think if uh if this doesn't go our way but i guess we'll i guess we'll find out uh well that's that's about all we have i don't know does anyone else have any last thoughts they want to share about either one of these games
00:37:22
Speaker
Well, go ahead, Steve. Okay, I would just say, you know, if the sounders struggle, if the sounders struggle, stick around for the rain because I think you'll see a good game. If the sounders do well, stick around because you're celebrating and you want to keep celebrating. Exactly. I like that.
00:37:41
Speaker
I was gonna add, we were just talking before we started recording that this will be Laura Harvey's 200th game coached. And she's an amazing coach to have in Seattle. We're so lucky to have her so a cool milestone.
00:37:57
Speaker
And we get to probably have one of the biggest Seattle soccer fans in the world as the new range general manager and Leslie Galmore. I'm not sure there is a bigger Seattle sports soccer fan out there, so that's pretty cool too. It'll be her first home game as general manager.
00:38:13
Speaker
Yeah, and if I think we actually, she's a Yacht-Con, a former Yacht-Con participant to be the GM of the rain is pretty like to- That pipeline. Yeah, it's quite the pipeline. I hope we can kind of build on this thing. So that'll put that on our list of things to do. Reasons to have Yacht-Con back is because Leslie Galmore rode that rocket ship all the way to GM of the rain.
00:38:40
Speaker
So, with that said, I guess we can probably call this a show.
Conclusion and Acknowledgments
00:38:45
Speaker
Thank you to our sponsors, Fullpool Wines, Watson's Counter, and, of course, our sub-sex subscribers. I am Jeremiah O'Shan, signing off for Steve Vote, Suzy Rants, Aaron Campo, and Lick It. This is No Saadietes. Remember, you'll never yell alone.
00:39:35
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!