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Kickoff: Can Jesus Ferreira & Albert Rusnak play together?
404 Plays2 days ago
The Seattle Sounders took a 1-1 draw at Colorado in Matchday 10. With Jordan Morris injured again and Ryan Kent starting to emerge, there are lineup questions abound once again for the Rave Green looking ahead to this weekend's home tilt vs. St. Louis CITY SC.
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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 real scorcher today. Why the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be a scorcher.
00:00:43
Speaker
Good morning, everybody. Welcome in to another episode of Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff. I'm Ari. That's Nico. We got a great show for you here this morning. We're going to be talking about the Seattle Sounders 1-1 draw at Colorado Rapids and everything that happened in that game.
Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids Analysis
00:01:01
Speaker
The moose goal, the Jordan Morris injury.
00:01:05
Speaker
The Ferreira assist. We're going to talk about all of it. ah We're going to do some Ryan Kent discourse. We're going to be talking about ah the on-field fit of Jesus Ferreira with Albert Rootsnack. Later on in the show, we're going to hit some league-wide stuff.
00:01:18
Speaker
Atlanta United, not doing too great. I got some thoughts on that. Uh, and, uh, maybe a little preview action of, uh, inter-miami-vancouver whitecaps conca cap champions cup. I think that's a ah block but blockbuster matchup right now.
00:01:32
Speaker
So, uh, excited to get into it. Nico, how are you doing here this morning? Doing great, my friend, like you said, uh, and there's plenty to talk about, right? Uh,
00:01:43
Speaker
First off, the Sounders, of course, but I love that you're going to put in a little bit of Vancouver in there just because it's it's huge, right? It's huge because it really feels to me like either of these MLS teams can compete and win.
00:01:59
Speaker
This tournament, I looked at that Cruz Azul-Tigres game and was not impressed. So I ah think it's anybody's game in Vancouver, man, over the weekend. I was watching ah that the the game this weekend and, man, they looked unstoppable.
00:02:14
Speaker
I think they might be the best team I've ever seen. I'm excited to talk about that because I think you're right. Like um there's a decent chance that an MLS club could win Conky Cav Champions Cup this year. I think either one of these teams has the ability to do it, depending on who gets through Vancouver, obviously in the driver's seat.
00:02:33
Speaker
But Nico, let's start with this latest Sounders result. One, one draw at Colorado. And I think a good place to start. with a draw is I think anytime you have a draw or at least nine times out of 10, you're going to have one team that feel where it's a draw that feels like a win.
00:02:49
Speaker
Other teams going to feel like it's a draw that feels like it's a loss. I think this is a bit of a unique scenario where this is kind of a draw that feels like an L for both teams for Seattle. Uh, it's frustrating that they couldn't see out the win here because they were ahead in the game in the second half. And,
00:03:07
Speaker
All they had to do was keep the clean sheet. with You know, that's easier said than done on the road against the team with Georgie Mihailovic and company. But if they had kept the clean sheet, they would have won that game. ah So that's a little frustrating on one end. But then more than that, how it ended with the Jordan Morris injury.
Impact of Key Injuries and Performance Critique
00:03:22
Speaker
He's just getting back. Now he's probably going to be out at least a couple weeks again.
00:03:25
Speaker
That was a downer of an ending. So I don't think it was really a draw that feels like ah a win for Seattle, even if the result itself was was good, was fine. And then for Colorado, I don't think it feels like a draw it's a draw that feels like a win either. I mean, you want in MLS, you want to be winning your home games.
00:03:42
Speaker
And frankly, with how the second half went and the ah Navarro goal, which got waved off, they're going to be frustrated that they didn't win either. Nico, what are your just ah initial broader takeaways from ah this 1-1 draw at Colorado?
00:03:58
Speaker
I first would agree with most of what you said. The main conclusion I got out of this is simple. It's just there's still a lot of work to do for the Sounders team. ah Before, when the team was struggling, my statement or my conclusion was always, it's not good enough.
00:04:18
Speaker
They showed against Nashville what it can be. And here against Colorado, they just showed us there's still work to do. And that's all right. You go to Colorado, a difficult place to play, against a very good, very well-coached Colorado squad.
00:04:33
Speaker
I thought that the Sounders, look, they struggled in possession. They were imprecise. They were a little bit sloppy, especially building out of the back. You can tell that there is a huge need to figure out building out patterns or or how to adjust things without Jackson Reagan. Because look, right now you have three very good defenders, but none of which are I don't know if I like to call it the new age center back that can get forward with the ball, that is very comfortable with it, that their passing is beyond just average.
00:05:10
Speaker
And therefore that was a clear struggle for the Sounders. I thought that although Colorado had most possession and i thought that they were better with that possession, they weren't really dangerous. I thought that all of it was all set pieces.
00:05:27
Speaker
I thought Mihaljevic was very limited. i thought that Bassett i wasn't getting in the spaces that he wanted. I thought that Navarro did not get the ball as consistently as he gets it in other games.
00:05:39
Speaker
And you're right. The best weapon for the Colorado was always set pieces. And we knew he was going in and you know, we'll get to the goal and and and why and,
00:05:51
Speaker
what could have been done better and what could or could not change for this team moving forward. But it is tough to see, you know, part of our Friday show with Jeremiah, the number one thing I mentioned was you cannot, one, concede fouls in front of the 18, literally said those words.
00:06:09
Speaker
And then two, anytime that Mihaljevic is on the ball on a set piece, you just got to be careful and you got to take extra precautions. So when when I hear, you know,
00:06:21
Speaker
Christian Roldan and Bryant Smatcher talk about maybe not working enough on on set pieces on that specific moment. I mean, it just...
00:06:33
Speaker
doesn't sit well with me because yes, I agree that this doesn't happen often. And I agree that that sort of goal to the Sounders is not a reoccurrence, but whenever you're going into a game where you do have a little bit of a set piece specialist, you got to take additional precautions. So um we'll see how that moves forward. But overall, like I said, I'll keep it very simple.
00:06:55
Speaker
There's just still work to do on pairings on the field, on adjustments without certain players. And if it wasn't for that Jordan Morris injury,
00:07:06
Speaker
I probably feel a lot better about that one-on-one draw than I do right now. Yeah, I agree with that. And I think ah the set piece defending in general in this game was the biggest issue. Like you said, Colorado Rapids, they're always going to come at you with stuff like that. And it really, it wasn't even just the Mihailovic goal.
00:07:26
Speaker
It felt like every corner kick that he took, someone was getting a clean header. And I thought they, I thought the Rapids had, a few pretty good looks from open play too. Honestly, there was the Bassett one that was off the post, off the Yimar giveaway. And ah they had a couple of other good ones too.
00:07:46
Speaker
But ah Seattle had their chances as well too, to be fair. I was actually pretty happy, I think, with the with the chance generation in this game. I thought the the chance generation was good. And i do want to highlight the goal that Seattle did scored because ah cause I think that is a big positive from this game. What I like about the goals that they're scoring right now, Nico, is that they're coming from like a,
00:08:08
Speaker
repeatable type sequences of play that seem like it's the type of it's not like coming out of nowhere ah type goals it's like you can tell by design yeah exactly and so uh that was just a really well executed play uh jesus ferreira gets another assist i think that puts him up to five on the season so he i mean he continues to do good work as a facilitator i know he had another ah ah open look that he hit into the 27th row this game.
00:08:36
Speaker
So you'd like to see him put that on target. um But I think if he's getting on the stat sheet with assists, that's at least one positive as he continues to integrate with the team.
00:08:46
Speaker
I think KKR... there's a discussion with him as to a new discussion with him. I think as to what the real upside is there, i think it's gone past like, is this guy an MLS player to, we know that now it's just like how high ceiling and MLS player can he be?
00:09:03
Speaker
And then another really good finish from Moose. ah So that was a really good goal. It was good to see, ah but I think you do wish that they could have, they could have seen that out.
00:09:14
Speaker
Yeah. Look, a couple of things there. Look, one, Jamar probably had the worst game of the season, without a doubt. However, he is the guy that starts that play to get that goal that you're just praising right now.
00:09:28
Speaker
ah He has a very clever moment. Not clever, that's the wrong word. He's smart enough to quickly restart that free kick, puts the ball over the top of that that midfield, sees Ferrer on a pocket, Ferrer brings it down perfectly,
00:09:44
Speaker
Barrera takes his space, looks up. And like you said, ah someone that you know has the privilege to watch practices every single day, this is things that they work on consistently. And you could tell because KK...
00:10:00
Speaker
um is literally running to that space as soon as Ferreira gets the ball, being mindful not to get too forward and ah ah play himself off sides.
00:10:11
Speaker
When he gets the ball, he looks up to Moose. He had already put one ball into Moose earlier that game that ah the goalkeeper kind of gets, and I thought maybe he didn't...
00:10:23
Speaker
put that where he wanted it. And you could tell that that's where him and Moose have, you know, kind of been working on getting the ball to do specific spaces. So, ah Gaymar, yes, he had a bad game. He'll be the first one to tell ya I thought that The whole defense struggled to really get out of the back.
00:10:42
Speaker
But him specifically, there was moments that created ah potential transition moments. That yellow that he gets comes off a bad pass ah into Christian Roldan that gets picked off.
00:10:53
Speaker
the The foul is on him. I mean, there was a lot of issues with Yammer in this one. So clearly he's got to turn the page. is kind of hard to criticize and to me the the most dominant uh defender that we've had um since chad marshall and the most consistent without a doubt he's been and defender either finalist or in the talk for defender of the year in mls since he arrived here in 2020 so kind of hard to ask any more from from yammer gomez andrade but definitely not his best game
00:11:27
Speaker
With all that said, it all kind of goes into the basket of, hey, maybe this draw is not bad. If our best defender didn't have his best game, if ah you know we created some opportunities that we couldn't put away, if Ferreira kind of missed the center right in front of goal, so we'll take that draw. But there were a lot of things that maybe didn't go the way you wanted.
00:11:49
Speaker
I have some thoughts about the substitutions, but other than that, I mean, it it was a game that I think Seattle played good enough to deserve that point on the road.
00:12:02
Speaker
Yeah, I think you could pretty credibly argue that Seattle deserved to concede more than one goal in this game. ah But I think you could also credibly argue that they deserve to score more than one goal in this game. So that's kind of a wash to me.
00:12:15
Speaker
You hit on the ah on the substitution right there. I think that's a big topic from this
Controversial Refereeing and Tactical Debates
00:12:19
Speaker
game. So let's talk about that in a second. ah Before we get to that, I wanted to hit this from Michael in chat. Oh, that's ah the wrong one.
00:12:27
Speaker
Wait, where am I looking? Okay. Uh, he's bringing up the Navarro non goal. That's what I wanted to talk about right here. Since you brought it up quite the uproar with that waved off goal. Sure. Seemed like a foul to me. Don't put both hands on the guy and jump straight up.
00:12:40
Speaker
I actually, ah I see that one a little bit differently than maybe some people I thought at the time and still think now after seeing the replay, I think that's, I think that's a bad call.
00:12:52
Speaker
I think that is a good goal that, uh, Should have stood on the field. I do think that once you do blow that whistle, you can't, I mean, you literally can't overturn that. I don't think that's like a VA or a foul is not like a VA horrible, uh, thing.
00:13:07
Speaker
ah so I, I did think that was a bad call and a bad break for the Rapids. I can understand why they're tilted about it, but Nico, my thing is that, uh, The ah Seattle might have gotten bailed out on that play.
00:13:19
Speaker
Colorado got equally, if not more, bailed out in this game earlier in the second half. ah that That kid, Jackson, Jackson, Travis Sims. I don't even know who that is.
00:13:30
Speaker
I think he was like making his MLS debut. He was on a yellow card, commits another yellow card foul. And instead of sending him off, the ref gives him a warning. He needs to be sent off there.
00:13:41
Speaker
Absolutely has to be sent off there. There is no debate. There's no question about it. If you look up a yellow card foul in the dictionary, that foul is what they will, they'll they'll have a clip in this. It's a, it's a virtual dictionary.
00:13:56
Speaker
in this scenario they'd have a clip of that exact foul it's a yellow card foul 100 times out of 100 they should have been down a man for the entire rest of that game uh so i don't feel bad at all that they got that goal taken off even if it was a bad uh call because uh the ref missed that one and he went over there and gave him a warning and that's just not that was that was ridiculous so uh no doubt about that but anyway uh what are your takes on that whole play Yeah, the the referee was, i don't know, below average at best.
00:14:29
Speaker
But going back to the call on Yemar, to me, it's not a bad call. I think it's a soft call. I think it's one of those that can go either way, depending on the angle of the referee and depending on his first reaction. I mean, that's the way refereeing goes at times is that.
00:14:46
Speaker
the referee's first decision to make the call, and he's got to stick to that. I think that there were hands on the back of Yamar. I think that is did there although maybe he didn't fully extend his arms, there was a push to Yamar Gomez-Andrade. It's kind of odd to see Yamar go down that easily. So I want to say that there was some push there.
00:15:09
Speaker
ah So to me, the foul stands. I have no issues. I could see where it could look soft or it could look like and a bad call. But ah again, to the comment that was just said, don't put your hands, don't make it look like a foul if you don't want it to be a foul, right?
00:15:25
Speaker
And then it's on to the player. Yammer's not a player that's going to sell one. Maybe he did. He might have sold that one. he might But maybe he sold it. Because like I said, you see the massive individual that Yammer is. It's kind of hard to see him just go down like that.
00:15:40
Speaker
ah But again, that that's all part of the game, right? So if he did decide to go down and embellish, that's just part of the game, maybe. So he gets that call. So for me, have no issue with it.
00:15:51
Speaker
Going back to that call in the 46th minute for Jackson Travis. Look, What I think happened was this. The first yellow to Travis was soft.
00:16:03
Speaker
And he was a little tangled on the left-hand side with Mussofsky. And I don't think that deserves a yellow, but he gives him a yellow. But that's on the rep. And then the second one that he should have absolutely given him the yellow, you could tell he grabs his pocket and then he realizes who it is. And he's like, oh, damn.
00:16:21
Speaker
Exactly. I kind of gave a soft yellow. I can't give him another one and get him sent off And that's just wrong that's not If it's a yellow then you can't You can't base like whether or not you give the yellow On yeah on if ah You gave the guy one earlier it's a yellow it's a yellow And like yeah exactly to see him Like go to it realize that oh If I give it to him I have to send him off here You got to send him off got to send him off.
00:16:45
Speaker
I don't like to be the complaint about the ref guy. I'm just saying, you know, there was a lot of, ah oh, well, Seattle, ah Seattle got bailed out. That goal should have counted. They should have been up a man the entire second half. So it's a valid point to bring up. Cause I mean, if we were in court, you know, the the back door to your statement is the fact that if Colorado rapid fans are upset about that, not call or the call on, on the, about but dismiss that dismissed that Navarro goal. Well, there you go. There's a, another,
00:17:13
Speaker
instance that kind of goes the other way. So, you know, be happy, not be happy. he kind of is a wash. Yeah. And to be fair, I don't, I haven't seen ah the Rapids fan base, like crashing out that bad over the call. They were booing at the stadium, but that's to be expected.
00:17:29
Speaker
Yeah. It was funny to see Navarro and Gamer just kind of go ahead. Just in case there's any narrative out there that like, Oh, well this really should have been an L because of that 50, 50 call on the Navarro goal. They should have been up a man the entire second half.
00:17:41
Speaker
ah Jared asks, has anyone heard any updates on JMO? ah Not since postgame when Schmidt said it was the hamstring. ah He said, he doesn Jordan doesn't think that it's that bad, ah but we're going find out this week exactly how long he's going to be out. if i had to If I had to guess, I'm just guessing, but...
00:18:00
Speaker
And are we just assuming that is the same hamstring? Because I'm assuming it's a re-aggravation. wasn't at the presser, so I didn't. But I don't know what he asked, but i I guess we could assume that it is.
00:18:11
Speaker
He didn't. Yeah, he didn't say it was the same one, but I i think it probably was. And I think you're probably looking at another two to four weeks without Jordan Morris. which is unfortunate because he was, you know, just getting back into the swing of it. I was talking on the postgame show about how, like, the frustrating thing about it ah is feel like you can't really gauge this team's true, true ceiling unless you see them run this stuff with Jordan Morris in there.
00:18:37
Speaker
I know Moose is playing really well right now. He's in form. He's scoring goals. ah But Jordan brings, like, a different ah dynamism to the table at that position with the runs he can make and how he can stretch the field in a way that Moose doesn't as much.
00:18:50
Speaker
So it's ah it sucks, but it is what it is right now. um Nico, it is what it is. But look, we can talk about the institutions because I think that. Yeah, yeah, and that's what I relate with this.
00:19:05
Speaker
But what I want to know when it comes to Jordan is and I'm going to ask and I want to be persistent about it is. what what was missed, right? what What is it that the Department of of of Sports and Science and strength conditioning coaches missed on Jordan's hamstring? Because we knew that he was supposed to be back a game ago, but he kind of felt some tightness, right? And they kept him off and they were okay by taking him off.
00:19:37
Speaker
What is it that they felt like they he was good enough to play 45 because b Brian brings him in at half because he's ready for 45 minutes. And he gets injured clearly at the end line of those 45, which I guess if there was a thin margin, then it is what it is.
00:19:55
Speaker
But if there were any concerns with Jordan and there was no need to put him in 45, Why do so? And look, I'm not going to put this on Brian because Brian's not going to bring in a player that he hasn't been cleared to bring in.
00:20:11
Speaker
So I just want to know where the issue is and what was it about this injury that was not assessed adequately? Yeah, let let's talk about how the how the subs were handled in this game because ah leading into this game, the whole debate that we were having on our shows was, you know, do you ride the hot hand or you get your start or your returning starting DPs back in there? You just had this great performance against Nashville at home.
00:20:37
Speaker
Do you give that team and another run that they've earned or do you go back to what the original preferred starting 11 Yeah. um i was pretty I was saying the whole time that I feel like after a game like that Nashville game, you run it back. You run it back, especially because the guys we're talking about are not 90-fit yet, obviously, or even 60-fit.
00:20:57
Speaker
So ah that's – you know, in the coming weeks, it's more of a question. But in this scenario, I feel like it's perfectly justifiable to run back the same lineup that got that great result against Nashville.
00:21:10
Speaker
And that's what he did to ah start the game. But I think where – where you start to ask the questions is it it seems clear that these were like pre-planned moves at halftime. Like they were like, we're going to give Moose 45 and then give Jordan 45. Um, and then that obviously didn't end up working out, but my thing is like,
00:21:31
Speaker
ah I feel like you should be amenable to altering that plan based on how the game is going. The first half of this game was pretty shaky, at least for the first, I thought the first like half hour honestly was a little shaky. And, um,
00:21:48
Speaker
think you could argue that the lead Seattle took at the end of the half there was against what the run of play was for most of the first half. But the the last few minutes of that first half, they looked a lot, they were looking a lot more comfortable, a lot more in the game.
00:22:00
Speaker
They end up getting the goal and taking the lead. I think at that point you could argue that maybe the calculation changes a little bit because of the uptick in performance at the end of the first half. The fact that you got a goal, the fact that Moose,
00:22:15
Speaker
uh is the one who got the goal so uh you you still got him in good form you don't you don't really need to give jordan that 45 based on the fact that you have the lead and how the game's going so even if it was pre-planned i think uh you could definitely argue that you should have changed the plan once you saw like how that the end of that halfway how do you see it I totally agree.
00:22:41
Speaker
And it's unlike Brian to kind of pull the trigger on that substitution so quickly, um especially because what you just said, i don't think that there was enough that went wrong in the first half to feel like you needed to change that immediately, specifically for Mostovsky, because he had a goal.
00:23:02
Speaker
ah He had you know been pressing well. If you look at his heat map, I thought that he was moving well across the first half. I thought that the issues, once again, were retaining possession.
00:23:13
Speaker
I thought that um Neither Christian or Obed had a particularly good game. i thought that the distribution was was bad overall. There were moments where it was either miscommunications or just that passes period that just were not working for Seattle.
00:23:30
Speaker
And... Therefore, I don't think that there was any need to change Mastowski. So I agree with you that this was a pre-planned substitution where it was like, look, we need to get Jordan 45.
00:23:41
Speaker
So we're going to bring him in here unless, I don't know, we're winning 2-0, 3-0. I don't know what but the the changes might have been if the score had been in any different. But it was definitely something that was thought about pre-planned and then executed.
00:23:57
Speaker
That didn't go well. So I would agree with you that that early wasn't necessary. But at the moment, I didn't have an issue with it because my thought was if Brian's bringing him in, he's got to be cleared.
00:24:10
Speaker
They're 100% sure that he's fine. so I didn't think much of it. The substitution I had an issue with was Pedro De La Vega coming off as early as he did for Albert Rusna. I'm not sure why we continue to. No, that's unfair. Let me rephrase that.
00:24:27
Speaker
The Alba Rosnack-Ferrera playing dual tense hasn't worked. And I know that you probably want to figure out how to make it work, but in this specific game and in the manner that it was being played, I thought that although Pedro was not particularly sharp, he was causing a lot of mayhem. I thought that him and Kalani Kosariensi were working very well on the right side. I thought that they were the most dangerous players overall.
00:24:56
Speaker
And Ferreira was giving you some through balls and was giving you a lot of link-up play and things like that. But if I had to pick between Pedro and Ferreira to come off in this one, I'm bringing down Ferreira because I need the dynamism that Pedro's giving me right there. So I had an issue with that one particularly. And I feel like you could tell that once again, Albert and Ferreira just didn't quite work in the second half.
00:25:21
Speaker
I thought the Rapids did a pretty good job on De La Vega. They seem to be able to give him more trouble than most teams have been able to this season. i think their their press in general was definitely giving Seattle issues.
00:25:36
Speaker
That's what they do. And they were, I mean, they're, that's the first like full Rapids game I've watched this year. And they've got that like kind of New York Red Bulls energy drink soccer going on.
00:25:47
Speaker
ah But you hit on it right there. That was the next topic I was going get to. It's the title of the stream, but this whole, uh, experiment with Ferreira and Rusnak playing together.
00:25:58
Speaker
ah Can they play together in a first choice 11? That's sort of the tactical debate, I think, coming out of this game, because like you mentioned, when that sub was made, ah it felt like it was kind of some, a lot of the same issues that we've seen so far this season when those two guys are playing together of, big I mean, they're they're playing the same position.
00:26:18
Speaker
They're playing the same position. They haven't figured out how to run it. So, Ferreira is not drifting too much centrally and they're getting in each other's space and all that, that we've, ah that we talked about ad nauseum.
00:26:31
Speaker
Noah and I have kind of differing schools of thought on this. Actually ah he's been saying that the whole dual 10 experiment and them playing together, it's, it's done. It's chalked. You need to mix and match and just rotate them based on like who you're playing and a squad, squad rotation, fixture congestion. You either start one or the other.
00:26:50
Speaker
I still think that it's early enough in the season where chalking any setup where two of your best highest paid players on the field at the same time is not a good idea just because, you know, it's not a good use of resources to have one of those guys starting on the bench necessarily. And then also i do think that Jesus Ferreira is a very smart player. He's a very adaptable player.
00:27:17
Speaker
ah It hasn't, fully come to fruition on this team yet, but like, I would be surprised if, uh, if it just never, if they keep running, uh, grinding it in training and like trying it in games and it still looks like the same way it has all season, maybe it will, but I think you have to at least give it some more run because, ah you don't want a situation where you would have to have one, one of those guys coming off the bench every time. Otherwise it just doesn't work.
00:27:45
Speaker
Uh, what do you think of, uh, of them on the field at the same time? Is it, is it possible to get it to a functional place or, or you would know it? Should they just chalk that idea? I think it's possible. I just think you' got to work at it a lot more. And again, as someone that does get to see a lot of the training sessions and practice, I don't feel like there's been enough done.
00:28:07
Speaker
However, I think that now you're getting decisions made for you because with Jordan Morris injured, Now you have to look at your roster and say, i have one striker left. That is Danny Mussofsky.
00:28:24
Speaker
That is not ideal. So regardless of whether you like it or not, regardless of whether people in this chat or watching this show or whoever it is does not believe that Ferreira can be a striker, he has the striker designation in his name.
00:28:40
Speaker
And therefore, you've got to try to figure out, look, if Jordan is out for X amount of time or if he's not going to be ready or if we're concerned that he's going to re-aggravate it even more, you're going to have to emphasize this in practice and figure out a way to make it work.
00:28:57
Speaker
Because, again, Danny Musowski now, he's on this island on his own, you know although he's been productive and he's been working. And let's say you start him off again at the nine and he continues to work.
00:29:09
Speaker
You're going to have to figure out a way to give him a little bit of off time. You've got to figure out a time when you're go to k need him off. What happens if he cools off and and and he's unable to get this poacher-type goals?
00:29:23
Speaker
you gotta have a plan B. And this has been my theme and song. I've been preaching this, you know, with book in hand, just letting everyone know you need a permanent option aside from Musowski up top. So I'll ask this as well this week to Brian is, is there a way that A high IQ, soccer IQ individual like Ferreira can play your system and you can coach him.
00:29:55
Speaker
So he works with a guy like Pedro and Albert behind him by going completely against his own team. design of play in his own, ah you know, the way he gravitates and and his instincts. Can you play Ferreira high enough, like sit him down, work the film and say, look, I know that you like to gravitate here. You like to come here. Your instinct is to hit this pocket.
00:30:24
Speaker
But right now, the the way things are working, we need you to be here and here and move up here. You have to figure it out, and that's going to have to go on the coaching. But what I don't want to happen is that you're going to rely on Masavsky for the rest of the time that Jordan is not here, whether it's good or whether it's bad.
00:30:42
Speaker
that That is my only concern. You can have Masavsky continue to play. I have no issue with that. But you've got to be working on Ferreira playing that position if there's a need to do so.
00:30:55
Speaker
Moose can't play every minute of every game. like You have to have an alternative setup. It's funny. A couple weeks ago when the Sounders played FC Dallas, I was talking to Sam Hale of the FC Dallas radio network.
00:31:06
Speaker
He suggested a shock caller for Ferreira when he starts drifting too far towards infield. Just give him a little buzz. like i think Maybe they they need to do something like that to ah really get him to, like you said, kind of just play that, play that position in a different way. That's more like a conventional forward than number 10. And ah yeah, like, like by necessity, they're going to have to figure out, I think a better way to get Jesus Ferrer and Albert Rusnak working together. Yeah.
00:31:34
Speaker
But I don't know. I think we ah we might overcomplicate these things or put too much weight on position at times. Like, yes, they need to figure out how to play off each other more, not get in each other's spaces. But ah at the end of the day, like, if you get two talented guys like that on the field together and ah you have them work on it in training, you should you really should be able to get it to a place that's like i agree at least more effective than we have been seeing.
00:32:02
Speaker
um So let's hope that they can ah they can progress on that.
Player Highlights and Tactical Discussions
00:32:07
Speaker
um Ryan Kent, Nico, another cameo in this game. I continue to like.
00:32:14
Speaker
really like what I'm seeing from this guy. I like how saucy he is on the field. ah He's got that kind of that swagger and flashiness to his game that I think everyone's been excited to see more of.
00:32:28
Speaker
And that's another ah factor with this JMO injury. I think you're going to see him get even more minutes probably than he would have otherwise. But to me, it's pretty clear that the talent is evident what he can bring to this team in terms of just like the ah energy and technical ability and, and being goal dangerous and all that.
00:32:50
Speaker
i think, i think we're seeing glimpses of that. ah What are your thoughts on Ryan Kent's after our second look at him? How do you want to see them use them going forward? Yeah, look, first of all, there's nothing that I can say about Ryan Kent that I haven't already said, that I haven't already seen in practice over the last couple of games other than he looks just as good and on the field as he does in practice.
00:33:13
Speaker
And the reality is that you're going to have to find a way to bring him in and utilize everything that you just said that he has all those skill sets in his bag. He's a guy that's creative, that can move around, ah whether it's completely on on the white channel, you can come inside. and he has fantastic um delivery of the ball, which is something that you can absolutely use. Although I will credit Paul Rothrock, because he's been so much better on his passing and his decision-making.
00:33:47
Speaker
But with Ryan Kent, you get someone that perhaps has a pedigree a little bit higher, and maybe that's unfair to Paul, but he just definitely looks like the real deal. So ah to me the best way to use Ryan Kent is in 4-2-3-1 formation, allowing him to be higher up the field, taking away a lot of the defensive defensive
00:34:12
Speaker
obligation. Because look you're going to have to defend no matter where you play. And that's just metable, right? But whenever, and this comes from Paul Rothrock himself, the difference between the wingback and the winger is that there's a whole lot more responsibility, a whole lot more running.
00:34:27
Speaker
And if I am Brandmaster, I want to try to exploit what Ryan can does best, which is that attacking side and that creativity and that flair and everything that we've seen over the last couple of games, whether it's that no looker pass or the little back heel or or someone that just understands the game.
00:34:48
Speaker
almost at a different level, I guess, ah just because of the pedigree ah and the, the way he's kind of grown up with the game. So ah I love it. I think that beyond his skillset on the field, he's a guy that just radiates confidence and that is going to give any defender issues.
00:35:05
Speaker
And that's all you can ask is whenever I see Ryan King coming in, the, uh, opposite the opposition and the other coach is saying, Hey man, we need to shift to that side.
00:35:17
Speaker
We need to make sure that we know where this guy is at because that just opens up spaces for everyone else. So I think Ryan Kent is going to be an issue. He's going to be a problem. And with everything that we've talked about and you know, whether Jordan Morris is going to be ready or not, you're going to need more of those talented players that are also dangerous and can be Hard to handle in the final third. And I think the rank and provides you with all of that.
00:35:44
Speaker
Yeah, I don't I mean, I don't think it's a knock on ah Paul Rothrock at all to say that the Ryan Kent brings just like kind of a different type of ah pedigree. I mean, this guy was one of the best players in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers for a pretty lengthy period of time before he hit this point in his career where he's been out of action for a while.
00:36:03
Speaker
um But, I mean, Michael says right here, only thing that makes me sad about Kent is I know he won't be here long term. I wouldn't necessarily be so sure about that. If he was, like, early 20s, I'd be like, yeah, if this guy balls out, he's out of here.
00:36:15
Speaker
um But I think ah with Ryan Kent, with what he's been through the last couple years, he's just looking for a place where he can – be happy, play footy, have fun, enjoy the game with his teammates, all that stuff.
00:36:29
Speaker
Uh, if he, if he really feels like this is a place where that, that this is a place that gives that to him and he's feeling happy off the field and like he's fitting in and likes the city and all that, he might, uh, he might decide that he wants to stick around. What do you, what do you think about that? Nico?
00:36:46
Speaker
I think the issue, uh, has X in the equation, a factor that we don't know, and it's the the salary cap and his demands salary-wise.
00:36:58
Speaker
Right now, he clearly comes in and a very low salary, and that's obviously because of the situation he's in, the situation the Sounders are in. But moving forward, let's say he does ball out.
00:37:12
Speaker
He's clearly has been... used to getting paid a certain amount. He's, uh, been at a whole different level. He's going to feel like he's got a little bit of leverage. If let's say he balls out, like we were just saying.
00:37:27
Speaker
So I think that remains to be seen. ah It'll be good for Seattle regardless of that. Rankin has a fantastic 2025, regardless of what happens in the future.
00:37:38
Speaker
But I feel like we will know if he will stick around, depending on what that option looks like for next year, because the club does have an option on him. So what that looks like, I'm intrigued of. I have not heard of the numbers.
00:37:52
Speaker
And then what does that look like moving forward? I think that's going be the real deciding factor on this whole thing. Yeah, and at this point, I just i just want to see what he can do with a bigger complement of minutes. Like these cameos, you've seen some good stuff, but what could he do if he gets 60 minutes?
00:38:09
Speaker
Like but enough time to actually make ah ah pronounced impact on the game? it's like It's exciting to think about, and as much of a bummer as this JMO injury is, that is one thing that I'm excited about in the coming weeks here is just seeing what this guy can do because, like I said, man,
00:38:28
Speaker
Talent is very obvious. um Nico, anything else from this Colorado game that we that we missed? Am I missing anything anything obvious or do you have any other takeaways on ah where things stand coming off this game and looking forward?
00:38:43
Speaker
Yeah, the the only thing that I wanted just to add and and and press on is that you're going to have to figure something out. and And I said this briefly, but I really want to emphasize it.
00:38:53
Speaker
You're going to have to figure out how you're going to work out. the build-out patterns and maybe without Jackson Reagan, it is better to just go back to a four-man back line, to a 4-2-3-1 rather than ah the 3-5-2 or the 3-4-2-1 just to simplify things in the back end a little bit.
00:39:13
Speaker
Because look, Kim did not have as bad of a game as perhaps ah yamar and and and knew what times did against Colorado, but he clearly was not comfortable coming out of the back like we knew. he you know ah Everything that we've praised about Kim was how the simplicity in his game just makes him the right guy and and makes you feel comfortable with him there.
00:39:39
Speaker
But with the current build out and the way things work out for the Sounders, If a team's going to press you the way Colorado did, you're going to have to figure something out out where you bring one of those midfielders in to help you with the build. That is something that Seattle used to do consistently.
00:39:56
Speaker
i think that's something that you're going to have to do just to keep yourself from having situations like you did in this past game and situations that you continue to move forward a as as you move on. San Luis, they're going to pressure you.
00:40:11
Speaker
San Luis is going to make you uncomfortable. So what are the adjustments that the Sounders are going to have to do without a guy like Jackson Reagan on the field? So I just think that is something that needs to be looked at.
00:40:24
Speaker
And As much as I know that Yemir Gomez-Andrade has been one of the best defenders in MLS since he got here, I also understand that passing and getting out of the back is not his strength, right? he he gets He's fast enough where he'll get best players.
00:40:39
Speaker
he's I don't want to call him shifty enough, but he he can get around a striker at times. But you saw what happened against Colorado this this week. It's something that could happen. He's he's passing.
00:40:52
Speaker
at times is he's good because he's willing to make the difficult pass, but he'll probably make that difficult pass three or let's say two out of five times.
00:41:04
Speaker
And that's just not good enough for what Seattle is currently playing like in their own system. We can't even talk about Nuhu coming out of the back because I don't want him with the ball back there, although he's another player that can be, he can be shifty enough and he can move around enough where things happen.
00:41:20
Speaker
But once again, could be an issue if he's pressed consistently, if things don't go his way, if he does a little scissors and they don't come out. I mean, you know but you just don't have the Jackson Reagan type right now. So you're going to have to modify that.
00:41:35
Speaker
One of my few criticisms at times are for Bryant's measure is that he likes that plug and play. We talked about plug and play with Ferreira and Moose and Jordan hasn't worked.
00:41:47
Speaker
At center back right now, you're going to have to figure something else out. Because if if you continue to move on with the same mentality, the same concepts, with guys that can't exactly execute those, it's going to be an issue.
00:42:01
Speaker
It's a good call out. They miss Jackson Reagan a lot. ah You know, people have been giving Jackson a hard time this year because there's been ah there's been a few individual errors that have led to goals or big chances.
00:42:13
Speaker
ah But ah one of his biggest assets, like you said, is his passing out of the back, specifically is his long passing. He's one of the best like long passing CBs that I've ever ever seen.
00:42:25
Speaker
And it really, it brings a lot more to this team offensively than I think ah we probably shed light on, you know, we kind of take it for granted, I guess.
00:42:36
Speaker
And i think, yeah, you saw an example in this game of, ah you know, Kim Yimar, that's a good pairing. Like if we're talking about purely defensively, but if we're talking about playing out of the back, long passing ah that multifaceted nature that Jackson Reagan brings to the position, know,
00:42:53
Speaker
There's like, ah there's just, it feels like there's something missing there. There's something missing there. And yeah, like they're going to have to figure out how to play without that because it is is's a pretty unique attribute.
00:43:04
Speaker
And they're they're kind of lacking they're lacking in that area without him right now. But there are ways to, you know, if you feel like Kim and Game R and Nu who are good enough to play take that risk that maybe I don't have that guy out of the back, then there's ways to change it. There's ways to adjust around it. You play direct.
00:43:25
Speaker
You play more forward. You ah you know change it up a little bit where you're kind of going off of the secondary balls rather than just being fully in possession. Or, like I said, you use and you utilize your ah center midfielders a lot more where they're coming in consistently and being that guy out of the back.
00:43:41
Speaker
Look, JP used to do it all the time for this team where he was the first guy on the ball in the build-out because he was a great distributor. So can you do that now again? i don't necessarily know if... Christian's good enough in distribution. He's no JP when it comes to getting out of the back and his passing skills, but he's good enough to be able to know what to do with the ball, to get forward on the ball.
00:44:02
Speaker
So you just got to change things up. You you need to... It's okay to understand your limitations and the fact that you have great defenders, but maybe not great defenders on the ball.
00:44:13
Speaker
It's all right. But as long as you understand that and you know how to adapt from that, then everything's all right. B. Cheez Mo asks, do you think Kim and Reagan would work as a good pairing?
00:44:23
Speaker
i think ah I think Kim and Reagan, Yamar, Reagan, both work. Because, I mean, like we were saying, Kim and Yamar, you got guys that ah they can lock it down defensively, win their 1v1s, good in the air, all that stuff.
00:44:41
Speaker
ah If you put either one of them with Reagan and his his passing ability, I think that works. How do you see that, Nico? I think it could work. ah I feel like Jackson has created a big report with Yamar because of Yamar's recovery speed.
00:44:56
Speaker
He feels very comfortable being able to get forward with the ball. And the guy that kind of corrects his mistakes is Yamar Gomez Andrade. The issue is when Yamar's coming out of the back and he's the one making the mistakes, there's nobody quick enough to get back.
00:45:09
Speaker
I got to praise Kim, though, ah in that direction. Mistake that Yammer had coming out of the back that creates that and ah goal and that shot on on the post.
00:45:20
Speaker
Kim maybe doesn't get there, but he's quick enough to pressure that runner. And that's why he doesn't have a comfortable angle. And that's where the ball goes where it went. So, Kim... Again, I can't say anything negative about him because he's just been good at what you're supposed to do as a defender, which is defend.
00:45:38
Speaker
and and And the guy clearly has enough of the wheels to get back and track back. But I feel like the pairing with Yamar and and Kim and Yamar and Jackson is something more than I would like to see.
00:45:50
Speaker
ah I'm probably biased, if you will, but I'm not going to bench a player that has been as dominant in the position as Yemmer has been. Just look at the stats, clearances, interceptions, duels.
00:46:05
Speaker
and the The guy's been on the top list of MLS since 2020. Nego, let's talk about this ah St. Louis game real quick, and then we'll hit some ah MLS and CCC to close it out.
00:46:18
Speaker
St. Louis, it's a team that Seattle's already played this year. They went to St. Louis in March. And lost 1-0. That was the game where Edward Lewin bammed the free kick like 15 minutes in.
00:46:32
Speaker
and then they just sat on that the rest of the game and ended up – Seattle ended up losing that 1-0. That was a frustrating game. ah And they're going to be looking to rectify that.
00:46:44
Speaker
i think when I look at the St. Louis team, that's the ah that's the only full game of theirs I've watched this year, but I watched all the highlights and I follow them ah decently well. And ah this is a team that... ah I don't know. I'm going to try and line up a guest to talk about them this week, but like, it doesn't seem like they really give a rip about scoring goals.
00:47:05
Speaker
Like this new coach that they've got in there. It seems like he is very committed to, uh, we're going to play bunker ball a little bit.
00:47:16
Speaker
If we have to zero zero every week, That's fine with him. And you can see that in the, like most teams in the league right now, they're, ah they're up at like, you know, 15 to 20 goals scored.
00:47:29
Speaker
ah a lot of, a lot of teams are at like 10, 15 goals conceded or whatever. It looks relatively similar. If you go up and down the table and look at it, St. Louis right now has seven goals scored, eight goals conceded.
00:47:41
Speaker
like every game is like 0-0, 1-1. There's not like a lot of deviation going on there. How do you see this St. Louis team right now? And what do you think Seattle needs to do to win this game?
00:47:55
Speaker
ah Well, I mean, the good thing is that Seattle's already played them, right? And they know some of the things that this team does well and doesn't do well. ah I agree with you that ah they are a team that Their main job is to make you uncomfortable, make you break them down.
00:48:15
Speaker
And therefore, they're willing to play without the ball. They're willing to play a lot deeper. and That's something that Seattle has struggled with in the past. I feel like this year they've been better at breaking teams down. The reality is that this team is going make it difficult for Seattle to move the ball.
00:48:38
Speaker
from their own end into St. Louis side. And whether it is through breaking lines on the ball or being dynamic enough to kind of break that down for st Louis, it's going to be a difficult game.
00:48:54
Speaker
I do think that they're a team that gets forward very easily. They like to go direct. ah You saw the issues that Harlow brings on every single time that he's on the ball. I think Salil Pompeo was a guy that they've missed for a while. He's a guy that can get on the ball.
00:49:07
Speaker
That's good on the 1v1s. I'm interested to see how Sandy Silva eventually kind of fits into this grouping. ah You know, Klaus is a striker that he can be streaky and he's you he's going to create some issues on the physical end. He's going to want to pivot. He's going to want to do a lot of link-up play. And I feel like that plays to Seattle's strengths.
00:49:30
Speaker
I've said it consistently. I feel like Seattle... usually is has more issues with a Navarro type of striker than they do with a Klaus type of striker. And you side with Peter Moussa.
00:49:42
Speaker
You side with ah um the Nashville guy, Surin. So Serge, same thing, right? It's a lot easier for them to kind of handle that sort of big physical ah type of striker.
00:49:57
Speaker
So I feel like a lot of the things that San Luis does offensively plays to Seattle's strengths. So that's why I'm a little confident about that going forward into this game. The issue is going to be how you break down San Luis.
00:50:10
Speaker
And honestly, the the question marks that Seattle has on the attacking end It's going to a good test to see if you can ah break down a team that's going to be sitting in.
00:50:21
Speaker
ah so St. Louis has only scored in four of their 10 games. um But they did almost beat LAFC last night. did. They had that game. the They were ahead 2-1.
00:50:32
Speaker
It was kind of a crazy ending. They got an own goal in the 89th minute to go ahead to one. They were about to win that game. And then ah Denny Buonga scores in the 95th for LAFC to salvage the two, two. But ah St. Louis is coming off a game where they scored twice, which is a big step for them.
00:50:47
Speaker
So we'll see if they can. And they're going to be a team that's good on on set pieces. Like every good defensive team is ah they're going to take their chances. They're going to be selective on the way they counter.
00:50:58
Speaker
Like I said, they they do like to get out wide and they do certainly use certain players to make sure that they can win those one-on-one battles. But yes, they're very limited. I feel like Seattle can, without a doubt, do enough to keep them away from scoring.
00:51:14
Speaker
But can't Seattle score? Can't Seattle break them down? that That's the big question on this one. Nico, let's get into some league-wide stuff as we get into our last couple topics here.
00:51:26
Speaker
you guys got any other questions or topics you want us to hit, feel free to drop them in chat. Also, like the video, like the video, sub to the channel, rate five stars, all that stuff.
00:51:39
Speaker
ah Nico, the team I wanted to talk to you about first, Atlanta United.
League-wide Performance Analysis
00:51:45
Speaker
I think it's so interesting What's going on down there right now?
00:51:51
Speaker
ah This is a team that I i was praising their offseason. I bought into it. Bought into it again. i bought into all the, you know, Boca Negra. He was the problem.
00:52:02
Speaker
Garth. Hasn't had a chance to really make this his team. This is his team now. ah He got that Arthur blank money and he went out and spent $22 million dollars on Latte Loth.
00:52:14
Speaker
They went out and they brought Miguel Almi Rome back for another $10 to $12 million dollars or whatever that was. I said that was a great move. I called it the best move any club has made all offseason. I said that, in Nico.
00:52:25
Speaker
I said that. I'll admit that. I said that at the time. ah But i you know I stand by like why I thought that. ah But if you look at how it's worked out, ah they are officially off to the worst start in the history of their club.
00:52:40
Speaker
ah They have lost each of their last two games 3-0. Ronnie Dela is on the hot seat already, straight up. that The fan base is talking about that.
00:52:52
Speaker
um And there's... ah I've been following this a lot. There's a lot of questions about the, like, just inherent culture of the team. ah There's questions about, like, the effort that players are putting in on the field, how much they even care about representing that club, ah which...
00:53:13
Speaker
ah You know, every like every time the Sounders lose, every time you get somebody going like the effort was and I always kind of just dismiss it because like I'm never going to call out effort unless it's like very, very, very clear that a guy is like loafing it. And i I feel like it's been pretty rare, if ever, where we've seen a Seattle team like really phone it in on that end.
00:53:33
Speaker
I've watched a lot of Atlanta United because I'm trying to see what's going on. It's absolutely like a fair question for fans to be bringing up when they watch that team play. It looks like they're phoning it in.
00:53:45
Speaker
Nico, like, what do you attribute this to? And also is this changing the way you look at Garth Logger way at all? Because let's be real. If we're talking about who to blame for what's going on in Atlanta, who else is there left to, to look at like,
00:54:04
Speaker
There is no Boca anymore There is there's no like other players From holdover regimes That you've had to keep or whatever This is his team so like ah what do you what do you Why are they this bad?
00:54:18
Speaker
right First of all, we've got to slow it down on the Garth thing Simply because Clearly he's not necessarily the we We know that he's going to have a say When it comes to soccer operations But his job is completely different He's handling more of the entirety of the organization. So that alone gives me a way to say, look, that is not on him.
00:54:41
Speaker
He is had different sporting directors. He brings in the best in Chris Henderson. Yeah. They, uh, are a proven duo. I know you and I both know Chris.
00:54:53
Speaker
He's one of the most intelligent guys in the business. One of the best in the business. You got basically two of the best GMs, if you will. Let's just call them that for right now. In the last decade, together, again, with a backing of millions and millions of dollars. So the sounders in steroids.
00:55:15
Speaker
And yet it's not working for me. There's clearly a at fault on Garth and on Chris and the decisions that were made to bring in Ronnie Dyla.
00:55:27
Speaker
But this is a talented squad, and it's not working for me. It's the coaching, man. I've watched every single game of Atlanta United this season, no doubt.
00:55:39
Speaker
Maybe one I might have missed 90 minutes, went back, then and and I think I did like a – I like to fast forward and and stop and go whenever i I'm in a rush to watch something. I want to say one game – I forgot which one it was that I did that, but I've watched almost 90 minutes of every single game of Atlanta.
00:55:54
Speaker
And there's always a reoccurring – way that they lose or draw games. And it is, they shoot themselves in the foot. It's it's it's a it's a mistakes from the back, it's errors on on easy giveaways, it's leaving the ball in vulnerable positions, it's a lack of effort where a player is not coming back enough, they're not tracking, there's no communication.
00:56:18
Speaker
To me, that all goes back to the coaching. So yes, because you have obviously two guys that are and grind into the soccer culture as they are in Garth and Chris, there's got to be some culpability there. and And let's say there's got to be a big one.
00:56:35
Speaker
I'll probably put more on Chris than I would on Garth because he's the guy that is the guy in soccer operations. He is the guy that's supposed to be on top of this project. But at the end, it's maybe running dollars just not fitting.
00:56:47
Speaker
And it is something that we've seen consistently in Atlanta, regardless of who's in the front office. They've brought in a whole bunch of
00:56:56
Speaker
Coaches that don't feed the culture. They don't fit with the players, right? It happened with DeBoer. It happened with Hainsey. It happened with, I don't know, Gonzalo. People seem to think that he didn't fit with with certain players. So regardless of what it is, there's something beyond the front office and Garza's done everything in his power since he got there to change it.
00:57:18
Speaker
He got rid of a whole bunch of dead weight, got rid of a whole bunch of players that were the same questions. Do they care enough? Do they play enough? Moreno, Sosa, Almada, um ah you know, all of these players that, you know, were just dead weight on their salary cap. He brings it and changes it up completely and it's still not working.
00:57:36
Speaker
To me, this specific group of players is good enough. The only one that's leaving me some... Doubts is Marin Cech. Solis, I feel like he's not a player that was, don't know if he was brought in by Garth or not, but he's another player that I do not like.
00:57:55
Speaker
I don't feel like he's the Polish guy, right? The Polish guy. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that they brought they that this regime brought him in, and ah he was supposed to be like a big game-changer, got talked up a lot, has been ah bust.
00:58:09
Speaker
Marinchuk, I think, has been pretty much bust. I totally i mean i agree with what you're saying about coaching. I think, with hindsight, looking back at the Ronnie Dyla hire, was this guy... ah i Did he have as good a resume as ah as we were told?
00:58:29
Speaker
He won MLS Cup with NYCFC, but if you remember, ah that and NYCFC team was not like a super great dominant team during the regular season. It was an instance of a team that got hot at the right time, which is fine.
00:58:41
Speaker
You get the trophy all the same for that. ah But maybe maybe that's something that in hindsight where it's like ah that wasn't the right hire. But ah you know if if the if the issue is the coaching,
00:58:54
Speaker
And that's why this team is underachieving as much as they are. Then don't you have to look at who hired the coach? Absolutely. And that's where that goes. Right. That is absolutely it.
00:59:07
Speaker
That is where that goes. And even if they were all the right, you know, check marks, former MLS coach, ah winner, ah it's coming from Europe, highly qualified if it's not a fit for the group that you're bringing into then absolutely it's it's on the front office right and considering that chris henderson was born a little bit later I guess you could absolutely put ah put that on Garth because if there is no nobody below Garth at the time when the hire is made, then it's specifically on him.
00:59:41
Speaker
So I guess that's where you could really add on more of the culpability to Garth Lagraway. But it's just odd. It's odd that you have two of the most brilliant minds in managing a team and they still can't figure it out.
00:59:57
Speaker
There's got to be an issue bigger than that.
01:00:01
Speaker
But to me, it all goes back to the coaching and the culpability to the front office is bringing that guy in and not figuring out whether he doesn't fit or not. But you look at the squad and the talent is there. And against Orlando, they were horrific.
01:00:14
Speaker
Terrible. They were horrific. They did not. they did not shoot on goal. Nope. They didn't get ah real clear shot on goal. And they were beat beaten again um mistakes coming out of the back that are so clear.
01:00:28
Speaker
i think it's the third goal where Muriel is not even a ah high press from a, striker that, you know, his fitness and his speed is not his forte.
01:00:39
Speaker
And it's a bad clearance that ah the the new Croatian gets. Then he gets it on top of the box. He takes his space.
01:00:50
Speaker
There's no immediate pressure to him. And then he just puts the ball on the back of the net. I mean, it's so simple. It's so easy to beat this team that it's just I don't understand it. Like it's, it's mind-boggling how bad they are with as match talent as they have.
01:01:06
Speaker
If I was Arthur blank, I would be like, what the hell man? I just gave you guys 30, whatever million dollars. That's like a $5 bill to me. i don't really care about that, but the team should be better than this. You know, yeah like it's, uh, you're, it's confounding. It's confounding. And I'm definitely, mean, I think it's kind of funny, so I'm going to keep, uh, definitely keeping tabs on, uh, their downfall. Maybe it gets better, but I don't know. I've been, uh, everyone should subscribe to five stripe final. I've been consuming a lot of their content just out of curiosity. And, uh,
01:01:37
Speaker
fa the The fan base, there's like an uprising right now. They're not happy. ah Nico, let's talk some CCC. We got this second leg on Wednesday of Inter-Miami versus Vancouver Whitecaps.
01:01:48
Speaker
i was ah cover I was covering the first leg last week. That's why we had to reschedule under the lights. Uh, but the Vancouver whitecaps might just be the best team ever.
01:02:00
Speaker
They might be the best. I think they're just the best. Like, uh, there was a period of time where I was like, all right, this is, this could just be a really hot start. We've seen teams get off to really hot starts before and then cool off. And it becomes apparent that they might be good, but they weren't that good. I think this team is just really like that.
01:02:18
Speaker
Like, I think they are, one of, if not the best teams in the league right now, they've been doing what they've been doing without Scottish messy. Ryan Gould hasn't even been playing. They're still dominating.
01:02:30
Speaker
ah They handled Miami pretty comfortably in that first leg. Uh, they get the two goal lead. They keep the clean sheet.
01:02:40
Speaker
That's against messy in the Barca boys. That's absolutely as much as you could ask for LAFC got up on them one zero and it didn't matter. but Vancouver at least got the second goal.
01:02:52
Speaker
Sebastian Berhalter looks like a star. Like he looks like one of the best players at that position in the league. They played, um, They played at Minnesota last was it last night.
01:03:03
Speaker
yeah yeah it was ah It was yesterday Allianz Field, which Minnesota, they're a pretty good team, honestly, so far, at least this year. yeah and you're playing Their home field is a very hard place to play. It's a crazy environment. They have a great crowd. Vancouver...
01:03:20
Speaker
They won that three one and it looked like they weren't even, they didn't even break a sweat. Like they just handled them like they've been handling everyone this year. So I guess the question is you know, I don't think a two Oh aggregate after leg one against this inner Miami team is there by no means out of the woods. Like they're going to have ah hard time seeing this out.
01:03:41
Speaker
ah But i Like most teams, pretty much every team, I would be like, all right, Inter-Miami is probably still going to win this. I even said it in the last series when LAFC was ah up 1-0 after the first leg, and everyone was like, oh, they might do it. They're going to do it. I said no chance the entire time.
01:03:58
Speaker
1-0 is not enough. I'm pretty sure Inter-Miami is still going to win it. That's exactly what happened. But I'm looking at this one, and I'm like, I think the Caps have – Every great opportunity to do this Like they are good enough ah To pull this off How are you sizing up this second leg?
01:04:16
Speaker
I think that Vancouver is going to win I think that they're going to pull the result I think that they'll end up drawing a 1-1 Or ah something in that manner that so day But for me Vancouver Was going to win or lose this series In the first leg And I said, it i said look Vancouver might not have the stars, might not have a better roster, but Vancouver is the better team overall yeah as a collective unit.
01:04:42
Speaker
They're the ones. I've always said the soccer is about current form, and they had way better current form than Miami at the time. Miami was coming from a Columbus game that they should have lost, and they didn't because Columbus allowed Miami to stay in the game the entirety of it.
01:04:57
Speaker
They could not put the ball in the back of the net to save their lives. But Miami was an emergency defense all game long, And they win that game on one opportunity, one pass to Cello. Cello puts it in the middle and Kramansky puts it in the back of the net. That's how they beat Columbus.
01:05:13
Speaker
But Vancouver had been... balanced the entirety of the season. They were just a better squad coming into this one. So I laid it all out. I actually got, you know, i like to go to the casino and do my thing. And and man, that that was a big win for me because i really see Vancouver as a team that can hold you up defensively. They could overpopulate the midfield.
01:05:41
Speaker
they're not goingnna They're going to forge you to play centrally. They're not going to give you nothing out
Team Building and Identity Importance
01:05:46
Speaker
wide. They have excellent dual play players like Pedro Vita that to me has to be in the MVP conversation. He's been outstanding on everything he does for Vancouver.
01:05:57
Speaker
against Minnesota. He had two, should have had three, should have half trick. He misses the sitter right in front of the goal. But Vancouver is just a quality squad. Look, they rotated completely for Minnesota. Ocampo wasn't in there. i mean, this is a team that even when you're're you're switching and shifting players, they know what they're playing.
01:06:17
Speaker
they Whenever you have a team that has an identity and they know how to execute it and have the players to do so, sky's the limit. And when you got a guy like Brian White that can score anything that's in front of him, you're just giving yourself a better chance every single time. You've got a guy like Pedro Vita. You've got guy like Kubas.
01:06:37
Speaker
Kubas is the guy that's completely underrated because he does all the dirty work. He's the guy that's a disruptor. He picks up the ball. He plays simple. He's easy. But that's what you need when you have a balanced squad. So to me, we're looking at the best team in MLS without a doubt.
01:06:49
Speaker
For those who like statistics, they have the best goal differential, 13-plus. They are tied for the most goals scored with Portland in 20. And the differential comes in the fact that they don't concede a lot because they are a balanced team. They do stay disciplined. They have a great shape.
01:07:08
Speaker
So, man, I just, I'm sold on on Vancouver. I mean, ah I am sold and I think that they'll get a result against Miami and it's not going to be a surprise.
01:07:18
Speaker
It's going to be a given. and and And to me, they're going to be able to get through. And essentially, man, They can get out there and beat Tigres or Cruz Azul. Look, I watched the Cruz Azul-Tigres game, and I'll be very brief, but it was sloppy. It it looked like a week one sort of matchup.
01:07:34
Speaker
It was boring, to be honest, until about the 65th minute. And I think that Vancouver has a lot of ways, and we'll talk about it if it does happen, but I think Vancouver has a lot of weapons to exploit what either Tigres or Cruz Azul do wrong.
01:07:47
Speaker
It's great example of why things like team building and identity and infrastructure and conviction in what you're doing, why all that stuff matters, honestly, just as much, if not more than the money you spend or anything like that. Look at the these two teams we're talking about right now.
01:08:07
Speaker
Atlanta United, $22 million dollars on a manual latte loss. 30 plus mil total when you throw the Almiron transfer fee in. Disaster. Latte Loth is scoring goals, but it's not making a difference. Al Miron signing is looking like a bust.
01:08:24
Speaker
Why is it that ah it's so terrible down there and the Vancouver Whitecaps who have Brian White, a 2018 MLS Super Draft pick, leading the line, comfortably outplaying the guy with the $22 million dollars transfer fee?
01:08:43
Speaker
It's because they're run intelligently. It's because they know what they're doing. They know what they're looking for. They know what their identity is. They know what their play style is. They know what types of players fit that. They don't need to spend $22 million dollars on one player to try and kind of shortcut their way into into being dynamic and productive in attack. And then, like you said, just all around well-balanced. A guy like Pedro Vitae, I love the MVP shout for him. He's probably the best player in the league at that position right now. I already shouted out Berhalter, but Berhalter, did you see the score that Berhalter scored yesterday?
01:09:20
Speaker
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Oh, my God. And if you go back to, you know, that that the leg one against in Miami, he's in there, too. I mean, that the the the beautiful thing about this Vancouver team is that they can move and rotate, and Bear Halter sometimes will come off the bench, sometimes he'll start, and he'll be just as good. he He's on a run where he knows where to be. He knows how to exploit it, how to make runs into the box, and he's lethal when he does Yeah, no, i I totally agree with what you said. This is the best team in the league right now. I think they have a great chance of taking down Inter-Miami. And, you know, I kind of hope they do do it.
01:09:58
Speaker
I kind of hope they do do it because Inter-Miami is ah an example of a team that – you know they I mean, what they did, you can't argue with it. They loaded up in a way that no other team has ever been able to ah to load it up. But it feels like the success that Vancouver is having right now, it's like ah they really earned it.
01:10:16
Speaker
they didn't ah They didn't just like throw money at a big-time player and like hope that it. They really like they put the work in. They put the effort in. Now they're reaping the benefits, and ah they're kind of looking like a model for what teams that maybe can't spend as much as everyone else ah can do. And like, they're showing that you can build a team like that and not only be successful, but be dominant.
01:10:38
Speaker
So that's a, it's a fun storyline. I was just shocked that they rotated the entire team, stayed in the game with Minnesota, the entirety ah of the game. Then of course they brought in Vitae and, you know, they were able to, you know, benefit off of that.
01:10:54
Speaker
They clearly brought in Burr-Hartor, but you know, they left Brown-White on the bench and it didn't matter, man. I mean, they, they, This is a team that just knows exactly what they want to do. And it seems like everybody's bought in.
01:11:07
Speaker
And sometimes that's infectious. And if you're able to rotate your entire team, hold it off, bring in a couple of guys and win three one against a decent, so good Minnesota team that had everybody in, man, that's just praise to the coach, praise to the group.
01:11:23
Speaker
And sometimes when teams get hot, teams get hot, man. And they just are red hot. but They're just, man, just unbelievable. Imagine how good they're going to be when a Scottish messy comes back.
01:11:35
Speaker
He's one of the best players in the league. Like he's a guy who's in the MVP conversation, at least on the fringes of it every year. They literally haven't, they've had him for like what, three or four games. If that, I don't even know, but like, it's, it's crazy to think about like that.
01:11:50
Speaker
That's, this isn't even their ceiling. Their ceiling is going to be determined when I think when he gets back. So And we'll see. I mean, Rios and Nelson have done such a good job of, you know, nelson doing a lot of things, man.
01:12:01
Speaker
And Rios could play out wide. He could play, you know, center forward. He could do so many things. Man, it's just... Ryan Gold's going to to come in and and and really re-earn his spot in some sort of way.
01:12:15
Speaker
And I'm sure that he'll get a chance because he was injured. It's not something that he can control. But when he does, man, it's going to be difficult if it doesn't have the same fluidity, if they're not as dynamic as they are, because they like to counter, man. They like to just pop it and go. I mean, they're not afraid to just...
01:12:31
Speaker
withstand pressure, absorb it, absorb it, and then go that, you know, maybe, uh, I don't know if gold can make that any slower or not, but either way, there's this is a team that again, it's all about the collective unit rather than the star power.
01:12:46
Speaker
Exactly. Uh, all right, Nico, I think we're about out of time here. anything else that you wanted to hit on or plug or promote, uh, before we get out of here, watch out for Portland.
01:12:57
Speaker
Um, Portland looks good. Portland has depth. We're going to get a chance to see them ah here, obviously. It's going to be interesting what type of lineup they put up against the Tacoma Defiance.
01:13:09
Speaker
But especially on the attacking end, man, they can go. Anthony was a baller yesterday, playing wingback position that he...
01:13:21
Speaker
didn't necessarily play and two assists, a goal. I mean, the the guy was just outrageous. Calvacita Rodriguez came in, he did well, he earns a um a PK.
01:13:34
Speaker
They allowed Galaxy to get back into the game, and and I think that's Portland's Achilles heel is a little bit of the defensive organization and discipline. But man, Portland looks good. They're they're good.
01:13:47
Speaker
they did a They did channel their inner Timbys in the second half there, like you said, letting the Galaxy cut it to three two after they were ahead 3-0, then...
01:13:59
Speaker
Jonathan Rodriguez wins a penalty, which I thought was a little soft, but ah there's, I mean, there's no question about it. Phil Neves has them playing really good ball. And it looks like they, it looks like they're kind of here to stay. Like, it's not like a ah fluke run of form.
01:14:18
Speaker
They're like, where they're just hot right now and they're going to cool off. They'll probably cool off from how hot they are. right now um but i think they're just a pretty good team um all right let's call it right there nico uh thank you as always for uh laying down another episode of lobbing scorchers kickoff always great catching up with you uh i'll be back at it uh well no and i are going to be dropping a uh uh pod uh tomorrow hopefully and then i'll be back on it thursday for under the lights gonna try and line up a St. Louis guest for that.
01:14:48
Speaker
ah And ah like, comment, subscribe, rate five stars. Nico, you got anything like coming out this week with Pulseau or Soundert Heart or anything that you want to promote?
01:14:59
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Obviously, check out our YouTube page for Pools with Port where I'll add every single press conference. If the Sounders at times they don't have their video, guys, you can check that out at Pools with Port. I'll also try to get a couple of exclusive interviews ah this week moving forward for what should be an interesting game against St. Louis.
01:15:21
Speaker
Also check out on Thursdays Soccer Down Here. You can look that up on YouTube. They also have a Twitch and you can check out all my links on X. We do Thursdays with Nico where we'll break down the entirety of the MLS and the week that will be. We go over juice boxes if you're into that sort of thing in the
01:15:42
Speaker
favorites, the odds, and, you know, we did pretty good this week, so go ahead and check that out. And, of course, Fridays, always what we learned this week with ah Jeremiah O'Shan, of course, and that's been one that is getting a lot of good comments from you guys, so go ahead and check that out if you haven't.
01:15:59
Speaker
Always, obviously, the very best information that sounder heart in the sound at Sounder at Heart Podcast Network. Subscribe to Sounder at Heart. Like the video.
01:16:09
Speaker
Subscribe to our YouTube. right. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We're going to get out of here on that. Appreciate it. See you next time. Peace.