Transcript
Speaker: Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
Speaker: Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
Speaker: Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does about, runs into the advertising order. Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what a Where's my copy? got bunch of them How many do you cost them? 50 bucks.
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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.
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Speaker: Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adiates, part of the Sounder at Heart podcast network, sponsored by Full Pull Wines. And of course, you are subscribers. We're recording on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. We took the day off for Labor Day. Hope that's okay with you.
Speaker: I am your host, Jeremiah Oshan. Today, I'm joined by Aaron Campo, internet engineer, Lickit. If you're a glass half full kind of person, it's entirely possible to see some positives out of the Sounders' latest game. a scoreless draw,
Speaker: ah at home against Red Bull New York. They fired off 21 shots, they created five big chances, and they were credited with more than 2.0 XG for the first time since May 13th.
Speaker: They even got their first shutout since April 4th, ending an 18-match streak of allowing at least one goal. Unfortunately, the glass half-empty types were also left with plenty of ammunition,
Speaker: For all the positives, the Sounders were forced to settle for another frustrating result. They've now gone 11 straight without a win, and this one was against a pretty bad Red Bull team. They, of course, failed to actually score any of those chances.
Speaker: So, Aaron, which of these two sides do you ultimately fall on? I'm much more of a glass half empty ay type guy right now. I think that it's all well and good to see improved play, but We're not talking about a young rebuilt team, you know, like we're talking. This is a veteran team. No its window is ostensibly now. And so you can't have moral victories. You've got to win games.
Speaker: ah Red Bull did not impress me. They looked like a team the Sounders should be. Sounders looked like the better team, but they ended up with a zero zero draw at home. And and that's with, you know, Jordan Morris starting. That's with Christian starting.
Speaker: Alex is back. I mean, they're not going to get much healthier than this the rest of the way. And they did create some good chances. I think, you know, they play that game 10 times. They probably win six or seven of them.
Speaker: But the one that actually happened, the one that actually counts, they they didn't put a goal on the board. And, you know, a great game from Ethan Horvath. That was an extremely annoying time for him to to have, you know, the game. Finally look like crap.
Speaker: Right. But yeah, you know, at the same time, the Sounders weren't making him work all that hard. I don't I don't feel like like they created some quality chances, but I don't think they were especially clinical with those quality chances.
Speaker: And it's it's frustrating. I mean, like, you know, we we talked about last week, this being a game that you have to win. If you can't win this game, if you can't get the points that you need to get into the playoffs from games like this, where are you going to get them? Well, they've got what, 12 more games to find those points.
Speaker: A lot of them are pretty easy, frankly. There are games that they should be getting points in, but why should anybody feel confident they're going to do that just because they're playing bad teams? They just played a bad team. They have played a bunch of bad teams over this winless stretch, and they haven't been able to get the job done. So until I actually see it, until they put the three points on the board, I'm going to remain pretty skeptical of their ability to pull themselves out of this.
Speaker: Yeah, look, ah they can theoretically, you know, they play like this, they there's a good chance that they could beat the Galaxy on the road this week. And I suppose if they win that game, you can kind of maybe ah over, you can you can sort of like,
Speaker: Call that a wash. But ah to your point, and like we said, like we got to hold ourselves accountable. We said, I believe on this show that this was virtually a must win game because not because the the table says that it's a must win game, but because.
Speaker: it like you like To your point, if you can't beat Red Bull at home, who are you going to beat? ah They play Colorado on the road after that. Then they have three home games, which I believe are a bunch of like At least one, if not two of them, are during an international break.
Speaker: Those are... I mean, they've got of their next five games, I'd say they probably need 10 points if they are to have any sort of reasonable hope.
Speaker: And there's, there's definitely 10 points out on the, there's 10 winnable points, uh, sporting Kansas city, Minnesota, Salt Lake are the home games. Uh, uh, they probably have to win all three of those. And then they've got figure out probably another win. They got, they got to win one of these games against Colorado or galaxy.
Speaker: And then, and that, cause at that point it does become a math problem. It's just a simple, you've got too many teams to pass and you've got too many, ah no so not enough games left to play.
Speaker: And it's just going to be really hard to make any sort of move. And look, I don't even know that making the playoffs is itself a, it's a goal, but it's not an achievement. i I guess that's maybe a good way of putting it is that the goal has to be to make the playoffs, but just, we can't fool ourselves into thinking that if they just squeak into the playoffs, that that's somehow a successful season.
Speaker: Uh, They've got a long way to go right now. It feels a bit like a lost season that, you know, they, they, I suppose the positive is that Jovolech is a, is a legitimate building block. Maybe they have really started the process for moving into the next phase of, ah of the sounders. And if, if that's true, then that's good.
Speaker: I don't have real high expectations for the sprint season. i suspect the sprint season may be best used as a, you know, as a, let's figure out what we have kind of window, but ah you know, this, this, and I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves on this, but the Red Bull game, i think just brings up a lot of those, those feelings.
Speaker: Yeah, I think that the way I kind of felt during and at the end of that game was, man, even if they make the playoffs, like who who really cares that much? Like this is just not a good team. It's just not a good team. Like I for a long time, I felt like this is a good team that needed to get healthy.
Speaker: And they're like I said, they're as healthy as they're they're going to get, and they still didn't look that good. Like we're we're encouraged by creating some good chances. That's that's just not a good place to be. And and I don't even know.
Speaker: why it's not a good team. I mean, I, they need another winger and they couldn't get that done, which certainly has not helped my, my frame of mind. ah ah Paul Rothrock just looks like he is out of gas. But what, ah you know, what else is Brian Schmetz are going to Right.
Speaker: um But I just don't see this team making any kind of dangerous run, right? Like the 2016 team, is the one everybody always brings up as a team that, you know, like you're, you're never out of it as long as you can get into the playoffs. But that team was a completely transformed team in the second half of the season.
Speaker: This team is giving us moral victories and nothing else. And, and that's just, you know, maybe a flip gets, ah you know, a switch gets flipped against the galaxy and they go on a run like that and they win 12 straight games and and they are a house on fire.
Speaker: And I look like an idiot, but I mean, Yeah. Did you bring it Yeah. they They need to do it first, right? They need to actually put the points on the board. And, you know, i feel like a lot of the goodwill from the Ovalich signing is not gone because I think it was such a statement signing that, hey, like we are willing to go get players and spend money.
Speaker: But it was so, so obvious that the team needed at least one other impact player. And it's been obvious since last year at the very, you know, earliest. or at the very latest and, and they couldn't get it done again.
Speaker: And so it's like, they have to have seemingly the perfect situation lineup where they, you know, chase a guy for months and months and months. And, and finally the situation with the team that owned him changes and that's what gets the deal over the line.
Speaker: How often is that going to happen? Right? Like it's just, uh, it's, it's, it's as dispirited and as bummed out as I can ever remember being about this team because you know in 2022 the last time the ah the sounders missed the playoffs they had a pretty good ah you know alternative right they had a ah pretty good consolation prize they're not going to have that this year and you know at no like if they get in the playoffs they're probably going to be in that planned round i would guess and i don't see them going on the road six times in a row or however often it would it would have to be to to make a deep run and
Speaker: that just can't be the standard for this team. and It just can't be. I mean, this is a team we're talking about being a potential shield candidate back in you know, in April and May. A few months. and and Yeah. yeah Yeah. and And really not that long ago in terms of games, right? Like it was a long time ago in terms of the calendar, but they've just fallen apart in a way that I i don't think anybody saw coming.
Speaker: Injuries or not, it's just been really, really disheartening. Well, i I did want to ah speak to one of the points you made about Paul Rothrock, who i i don't think deserves blame per se, ah but I think he's illustrative of sort of the the problems, which is, look, he's having a decent season. He's got five goals. He's got, i think, four assists.
Speaker: That's not a bad season for Paul Rothrock. You know, he he could he could, with a little bit of a push, he could get to 15 goal contributions. That would be a solid, a solid season.
Speaker: But the problem is that he's right now, he he has been your most effective attacker and he has not done much in the last, you know, basically since the world cup break, he has one goal since the world cup break.
Speaker: And he has started all, but he's played in all, but one of the Sounders games, He has started all, but I believe four of their games across all competitions, across all competitions.
Speaker: That is not a place you want to be. i don't think, uh, no, it's not, not be on like you're a written inning starter. He's got to be getting competition for minutes. And the, because of the state of the roster, there's just, there's nothing really there to push him.
Speaker: And, I feel bad. i feel bad for him, honestly, because I don't think he's being set up to succeed. No, and it's it's it's not his fault. He's done, I think, everything that you could have asked for him of him and and more with the amount of minutes he's put in. And he's he's stayed healthy and he, you know, he's he's still doing Rothroth shit every game and and getting under opponent's skin and and doing everything that's asked for him. Right. Setting a good example.
Speaker: But he just hasn't been super effective, like you said, over the over the last you know six weeks or so. And there's there's nothing... like i don't think the issue is Paul Rothrock feels comfortable, and that's why he's his performance is has slipped.
Speaker: But there does need to be somebody behind him that you can put in and say... hey, you're not getting it done the last few games. We're going to try to take some pressure off you, whatever it is, right? um and And see if you can be more effective. And, you know, I thought Jordan looked great in the first half against ah the Red Bulls. but That was one real positive, I thought. It was. Yeah, i thought I thought he looked as good as he looked at any point since 2024.
Speaker: But that just means that Gomez isn't going to be getting a ton of minutes, right? Like, it's not actual competition for a spot. it's It's another guy that's just back in into the lineup in ink.
Speaker: And look, if Jordan can get healthy and play that well down the stretch, I mean, that's that is how you get to actually this team might have something going into the playoffs. I think it's you know probably the the main ingredient in that in that recipe.
Speaker: um But it just doesn't feel like it's going to be enough. And and it's you know we've known that Jesus Ferrer and Pedro de la Vega were going to be out for for a while now. And it's just baffling that we're still in this situation to me.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, ah I guess we didn't have a chance, a whole big chance to talk about it on here. We talked a bit a bit on on what we learned this week on Friday. But, you know, to to just with at the risk of saying stuff people have already heard, the Sounders did come ah pretty close to signing a winger.
Speaker: ah We're going to be writing about this a little bit more. It's a it's a guy named Adrian Svanbach, who is a Swedish-Finnish player who is playing in Denmark.
Speaker: No, who is playing in Sweden and ah playing for BK Hawken, which is the team Eric Freberg is currently the sporting director for. And that would have been a I think that would have been a solid signing. I'm not saying it would have been a home run signing, but it would have been at least another statement of intent. It would have put some real action behind the words of Adrian Hanauer.
Speaker: But ah my understanding is the same. The Sounders didn't actually get final approval to make that signing until Monday and the transfer window closed on Wednesday. And so that just left a very small amount of time to sort of close the negotiations with the player.
Speaker: And, ah you know, they had gotten everyone to agree to terms and it just, it just didn't come together. And who knows? It may have never come together, even if they had more time, but,
Speaker: The Sounders' whole recruitment strategy seems like it needs a refresh. I do honestly feel for Craig Weibel because it seems like he has been put in a position where he is sort of having to build a roster with one hand, sometimes two hands, tying behind his back.
Speaker: And there's just not... ah Like it's not that there's no money. Clearly they, there is some money to spend, you know, they spent a fair amount on Jovo Lich. They were apparently willing to spend like $4 million dollars to bring in a Svonbok.
Speaker: So, you know, that's, that's what, that's the kind of money that you need to generate this stuff, but getting it seems like it is pulling, like pulling teeth.
Speaker: And I just don't know how effective that is as a, as a strategy. No, I mean, it's it's clearly not effective, right? And we've we've had hints of this over the last few years, i think, especially last last year, where it was just an inability to get alignment on a signing being needed until the very last minute, and then getting sign-off from everybody in the organization.
Speaker: And look, you can have all different kinds of decision-making structures, but And be successful. You know, you can have a coach be the GM, you can have a coach have zero input on the roster and just play with whoever the GM gets them.
Speaker: You can have all sorts of of things in between, right? You can have an owner that's super involved. You can have an owner that's very hands off. And you can have success with all of those models. And you can have failure with all of those models.
Speaker: And the Sounders currently have a failing model where it comes to player recruitment. And I don't have enough insight into the operations of the front office to know where that failure point is, or if there's a single failure point. i'm assuming there's probably not. That's not typically how dysfunction works.
Speaker: but something isn't working correctly, right? Somebody is not being allowed to do their jobs effectively. And and it's it's causing huge problems. I mean, the Sounders have needed roster turnover and new new faces and competition for spots for a long time now, for a very long time now. And yeah it just hasn't it just hasn't, they haven't been able to get it done. And it's it's I think it's all kind of coming home to roost. Right.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, the and I think that the, again, to to the degree, I'm not trying to say that the front offices cover themselves in glory in any of this, but to their credit, you know, I do think that they recognize that this is a roster that needs to get younger and more athletic.
Speaker: Like they have recognized that and they are trying to make that happen. And they could have brought in, I think, and maybe this is, maybe they deserve some credit for you know, not making, because ah like Caden Clark, I don't think is a panic buy Caden Clark because Caden Clark is a young player who has some athleticism, who has some upside and maybe he helps them. Maybe he doesn't right. he He might flame out and it, and it was a pointless signing, but it does push them. You know, it does give them another piece of, of young and athletic talent that they can potentially use.
Speaker: Now, if they had gone out and signed a 35-year-old winger who maybe offers them an upgrade over what they currently have, that doesn't really help them in the big picture. like maybe it gets them maybe Maybe they're instead of ah a nine seed, maybe they're a seventh seed. But are they really any more likely to win MLS Cup? I don't i don't necessarily think so.
Speaker: And that, to me, would have been a little bit more of a panic buy if they had gone out and done something like that. And who knows, maybe they they will. ah Maybe maybe you know they' they'll go out and sign a free agent like that.
Speaker: ah But as long as they don't have to commit a whole bunch of time to them, and that is sort of the trick. I think people sometimes overestimate or underestimate how difficult it is to sign a free agent. And one of the things ah that most of these free agents are looking for is a commitment of some extended period that the Sounders were able to get Ryan Kent last year on a six month guarantee is kind of a,
Speaker: like that's not normal. You're not usually able to get players of his resume to agree to six month deals. In fact, today I was, I was talking to Craig Weibel on background and I just was asking him like, what, what is going on with Ryan Kent? And And he said, you know, look, I just think he's a player who has made a fair amount of money in his career, who understands what he doesn't want to do, where he doesn't want to play.
Speaker: And he's just looking for the right deal. And it just doesn't like, he's not going to come back here and do another six month stint. You know, like that just doesn't make sense for Ryan Kent. And, ah And I thought that was kind of interesting. I actually, if that's true, I actually appreciate that about Ryan Kent because it's one of the things I never understand is how many really rich athletes are willing to do just about anything just to play another year.
Speaker: And, uh, and if he's not, if he's, if he, if he's willing to sit out on principle, good for him. ah yeah, I don't, I can respect it. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, it doesn't necessarily, you know, ah help for the longevity, but hey. Right. i can I can appreciate i can appreciate the the, like, he's staying in shape. and And anyway, so I don't know. We'll see if if ah if a free agent gets signed.
Speaker: But I'm not really holding my breath. and And I guess I'm almost coming around to the idea that signing a free agent who is over 30 and doesn't have a lot of, you know, who who doesn't look like he's going to be able to help you beyond this year, i don't know if that's even worth doing at point.
Speaker: Sounder at Heart has been around in one form or another since 2009. In 2026, though, we make a pretty significant evolution when we go analog. Yes, that's right. In the year of our Lord, 2026, we are publishing a real-life magazine. We're calling this thing 4, as in Sounder at Heart 4.0. But we're stylizing it as IV because we absolutely love Roman numeral. And if you want to refer to it as IV, that's cool, too. The first issue has a comic book-style cover that was hand-drawn by local artist Kevin Newber. Features by Tim Foss, Susie Rance, and Charlie Bohm. A statistical deep dive by Kat Bush. A Q&A with Brian Schmetzer. A column by G. Willow Wilson. And photographs by Noah Reif, Max Aquino, Mike Russell, and Jane Gershowitz.
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Speaker: I think that you... I think it's a reasonable conclusion to draw that it's not worth doing. i think it is also completely at odds with the message that the front office is sending constantly, right? I agree with that. I would agree with that. that's I think that's what people are frustrated by. like There are a lot of idiots in the Sounders fan base, just like any fan base, but I don't think Sounders fans, by and large, are idiots. And I think that they understand that cores age out.
Speaker: And, you know, sometimes you're just going to be kind of shitty and that generally we've been pretty lucky as Sounders fans to avoid that fate, ah you know, for the most part.
Speaker: And I think that, you know, the the messages like obviously a front office can't come out and be like, yeah, these guys are all old and they suck now. So we're just going to be bad for another you know year or so. They can't say that, obviously. But you can send the message that like, look, this is a transitional period and we understand that it's a transitional period.
Speaker: And we're not going to sell out, you know, to try to give ourselves a little more gas going into the playoffs. I think that that's a reasonable message to send, but that's not the message they're sending, right? They're writing open letters talking about how they're,
Speaker: doing everything they can to train the squad. And like, so I think that that's the frustrating thing is it's almost like a, you can make a very good case that there's no sense in going out and overpaying for a guy who's going to give you Ryan Kent like performance, but you can't do it and talk about how serious you are about PD.
Speaker: Right. It's just, yeah. Yeah. I will ask, ah oh I will add a caveat here is that I don't think it's so much. i Look, if if they want to go and spend ah Max Tam on a six month loan to bring in a Ryan Kent level player, I don't have any problem with that.
Speaker: But I think where they do get in a little bit of trouble potentially is if they have to give that player a two and a year deal. And, and now you're stuck with a player who you might not really want. And i and I do think that the centers do need to like, that has to be the focus of this off season is, is you know, and, and look, I, I don't want to get totally dismiss what the positives from this game.
Speaker: I'll, I'll agree with you that I thought Jordan Morris looked by far the best and, and to kind of to the, my larger point is like, I do think, the degree to which you can get Jordan Morris to play like a designated player is the,
Speaker: extent to which you can expect to salvage the season. Like if you can't get Jordan Morris playing like a DP, I just don't know that there's a hope for this season. Like I can, rent I can see Albert sort of playing like a DP, especially if he has Morrison and you over which putting up decent numbers.
Speaker: But if you, if you can't get Morris going, there's no, there's no sense. I don't think in, in pretending like the season's going anywhere, but like next year, I do think that the,
Speaker: what they really, i believe they need to do next year is just focus on figuring out what they really have. Like they need to, uh, they need to figure out if this is a, a team that has,
Speaker: ah you know, like if they, what are the building blocks? Like what are the building blocks that they can, um that they can use going forward is Sebastian Gomez, a, a starting quality MLS player is Stuart Hawkins, a building block sort of player is, you know, is Mark Bronick a player who can, ah you know, perform at the MLS level. Like these are the questions, these, to those things at this point, I feel like are almost more important than, ah than anything else than anything, you know, with the current,
Speaker: Like yeah I just what I'm saying is like, I just don't know that. um Given their inability to bring in a different a second difference maker, this window, i guess I'm just becoming ah more focused on the future, I think is what I guess what I'm saying.
Speaker: Yeah, I don't I don't remember where if whether I said this on Blue Sky or in Discord or what, but I basically said that the the The Red Bull game was a game that was sort of like the pivot point for the season for me, where if they get three points from this game, they they can come out and they show something. There's still enough time left for them to convince me.
Speaker: if They don't get three points in this game. This season becomes entirely about all the stuff you just mentioned, right? Like is Jordan still a good player that, that you can, you know, hope can be a starter for you next season or, or a player that you you're happy having on your roster, right?
Speaker: Is Stu Hawkins a starter at this level? Can Snyder Brunel kind of turn his form around? Like all of that stuff is more interesting to me than, are they going to be the eighth or ninth seed in the playoffs at this point?
Speaker: And yeah, um that's not true for everybody, right? and i And I understand that that's the fear of the front office, where if they sort of even tacitly admit that they're doing some kind of rebuilding, that they're going to lose even more season ticket holders.
Speaker: And there is probably some truth to that, right? But you like unless you're willing to throw a ton of money at the problem to try to fix everything all at once, and well you know that's you're kind of have to deal with that transitional year.
Speaker: I mean, that's sort of the thing, right? Like if they are serious about competing right now, Show us, you know, you got to show got to show us show your work, you know, show, show us what you're doing show like ah the Sounders to their credit. I think I've done a decent job of on background articulating something that amounts to a vision to people like me, Nico, like the reporters that are covering this team.
Speaker: But what they haven't really done is is done this in a public forum and and articulated to the fan base. Like, look, we didn't get the signings across the board that we wanted to get across, but this is the kind of, this is what we're planning on doing going forward.
Speaker: and And honestly, I don't know that I have a great i have a great sense of what what that is either, because ultimately it's it's going to be about show me, don't tell me. And I do think that's going to be one of the things that's going to be really interesting about the annual business meeting, which is coming up on, which day is that? The 26th? Is that right? Yeah.
Speaker: The 26th. So if you're planning on, on if you're interested, i would I would urge you to go to the annual business meeting before the match on September 26th. But I mean, this is their chance to sort of like articulate a vision and to say like, look, this is this is what we want to do going forward.
Speaker: this is These are the resources that we want to put into it. ah Who knows? Maybe little surprises and say like the sprint season is not we're not focused on the sprint season, you know, um which I I'm sure is a sentiment that exists in the front office. I don't know if it's the dominant one.
Speaker: But like, how do you prepare for a 14 game season? I don't i don't know. It might be a lot of fun. i think it would be a mistake to punt on the on the sprint season, to be honest with you. But ah eat it if you don't come out of the gate strong, one of the other things that's going to be interesting about the sprint season is strength of schedule is going to play a big part. And basically, yeah however the draw falls where who you get at home and who you get on the road may end up being a huge determining factor and in who does well that season. But yeah,
Speaker: that's getting a little ahead of ourselves here. I guess what I'm saying is I'm, I'm not giving up on the season, but I'm, I'm getting to the point where ah the sounders have to show us that it's, it's worth continuing to care about this season for anything other than like building for the future.
Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. And, and if they don't like, Hey, you know what? That's fine. I can, I can take some mental bandwidth back. um But I think that to me, like to talk about though,
Speaker: It's true. It's true. It does get harder to talk about when you when you're really kind of checked out. But I do think that the the the sprint season does give you an opportunity to take a couple of swings, right? Like, yeah.
Speaker: I don't know that I believe the Sounders have that in them, um but i'm I'm willing to be proven wrong, right? Like I'm willing to believe that maybe... Yeah, yeah. You know, the the reason they haven't done more is because they were all kind of building towards the sprint season.
Speaker: um But you can, like, if you're worried about continuity... and and you don't want to have too much roster turnover in any you know, given season, this is actually kind of a good opportunity to get some turnover, right? To to get some new players in because you're not punting the season, right? You're making signings, you're changing up the chemistry, but...
Speaker: it's, it's a weird, short, fluky season. and And if, if it's taking longer for new players to settle, you're not out as much as you are in a full season. And then, they're settled. Right. So when the new calendar starts, you know, you've got a couple of new key players that are sort of settled in and they're no other teammates. Well, and um yeah, I mean, I think it does give you that opportunity, but again,
Speaker: I I'm skeptical that they're going to do that. And I certainly don't blame anybody else for being just as skeptical. The interesting thing will be when we have a better sense of what the new roster rules are going to look like and seeing what the sound of strategy is going forward with that. And maybe we'll get a sneak peek at that at the business meeting. Although I'm guessing they probably can't share too much about, you know, CBA type stuff, but I I'm optimistic that the changes, mean, don't know that they have answers.
Speaker: that's the answer of I don't even know if they have answers because it's like it is a negotiation. It is, you know, it's not just up to the Sounders or any MLS team. it's It's part of a negotiation with ah with the union. And, you know, it'll be interesting to see how they, you know, how that falls out.
Speaker: Yeah, it will. It will. um And i'm I'm optimistic that actually I think the way that I think people are sort of predicting the spending gets opened up will benefit the Sounders, right? It'll be a little more...
Speaker: yeah friendly to to Adrian's roster building philosophy. um But, you know, we'll see. I'd love to hear that articulated in some way as as soon as they can do that. Because I'm, you know, I'd like to hear anything articulated more or less. Like anything other than, well, yeah, like this guy scored a bunch of goals, so we thought we should sign him, right? Like that's... Right.
Speaker: That's great. which That's great analysis, but... I mean, i do. i The funny thing is, like I do love, unapologetically, I love this Jovo Lich signing, and everything I've seen from him makes me like him more.
Speaker: ah You know, I actually liked, I saw some positives from him in this game yeah outside of the goal scoring, which I thought was was actually good to see. He had a couple moments where he was kind of doing the Brian Schmetzer endearment campaign where he he got back, like there was a play in the second half where he was out defending on the wing because the Sounders were down a number for some reason.
Speaker: And I was like, yeah, that's what we need. you know, he, he had some decent clearances. So I, I actually am a really, really high on the Yovalich thing. I am intrigued by the Caden Clark signing and, and who knows, I suppose there is an X factor there that that, that he could help turn things around, but it's just, it's a lot right now. It's a lot to get,
Speaker: um it's It's asking a lot to get excited and be optimistic. And I think that's what's tough is like, I'm not trying to be doom and gloom. I don't think I'm being doom and gloom, but I I'm just trying to be realistic about what is left this season.
Speaker: And look, maybe if they, if they can beat LA this weekend, all's not forgiven, but that does, that would be a real injection of hope. I would certainly welcome that. I would, I would love to have, you know, I really loved the week after the Yovlich signing because it felt like there was energy again and I'd love to get back there, but you know, it's, it's, it's tough to pretend like ties are enough. Cause they're not, they're just not not enough.
Speaker: They're not. Yeah. I mean, the if they had won that game against, uh, against New York, they'd be, uh, on 29 points. So they'd be below the line, but they'd have, you know, a game in hand on, on all the teams ahead of them.
Speaker: Uh, And instead, they've got three teams ahead of them to even get into that ninth playoff spot. And and that's the thing, right, with with the playoff race that I think people miss a lot of time is it's not just the number of points you are, you know, but behind a space, but it's also the number of teams that you have to continue to perform.
Speaker: that's where it becomes a much trickier trickier thing. And if there's no teams between you in the ninth spot, that's a lot better of a situation than three teams ah between you and and that last playoff spot.
Speaker: and And to sort of like further articulate the situation the Sounders are in is like they could have easily won these last three games. And if they had won all three of those games, they'd be on 35 points.
Speaker: ah They'd be tied for sixth and only two points out of third. uh but they didn't and they are in the situation they're in and i like they gotta they gotta start st stringing wings wins together and there's just nothing there there's nothing to say about it other than that like if if you can't get wins this is all this is all window dressing you know ah
Speaker: So yeah hopefully they can but get a win here and and get us talking about be more positive. Yeah, it would be nice. I mean, it's been. 90 days since since the last MLS win, it's it's brutal, man, it's it's, ah you know.
Speaker: No, it's been almost, I think it's almost, it's, it's been way more than 90 days. It's been, yeah it has it's been like a hundred, it's like 120 days. Yeah. The weather had not gotten nice yet when they last won. And now the weather is starting get shitty. And we're back in the fall. Yeah. They, they didn't win all summer.
Speaker: They didn't win at all. This is, during so this is the last chance they have to win a game this summer because after, after this one, their next game will be in fall. So if they beat the galaxy, they will have won one game during the summer.
Speaker: But that's, ah you know, it's asking a lot, isn't it? it It is. it It really is. Yeah, it's ah I mean, i'm I'm just like at this point, I've.
Speaker: I can't get any more pissed off than I was after five one Portland game. I just kind of want to be I kind of want to get to the fire for Works Factory, you know, like I'm kind of ready for this season to be over, whatever it is going to happen.
Speaker: I want to happen this season. And then I feel like the next couple of years are going to be really interesting, probably kind of kind of scary, honestly, because I think there is going to be a lot of roster turnover. ah But i'm I'm kind of ready for it because it's just this.
Speaker: I was going to say this, this, you know, mediocrity is too much, but it's not even mediocrity. They're they're just bad. There's just a bad soccer team right now. ah But, you know, that's maybe they can turn it around. And and i'm I'm certainly rooting for them to do that.
Speaker: um' I am too, and I don't want to you know pretend otherwise, but I also don't want to be blowing smoke up anyone. I also don't want the Timbers to be able to claim they ruined our season, which ah you know they can pretty credibly do right now.
Speaker: yeah Right now, definitely. but All right, well, i don't I don't think we really have a second segment in us today. um When the Sounders win, we'll give you a second segment. How's that?
Speaker: Yeah. That seems fair. Uh, yeah. All right. Well, uh, we do have, I, I do want to give you a little bit of a teaser. um we I will have a a story in the next day or two that gives a little bit more of a behind the the curtain look at the Sounders transfer window. So you can look for that.
Speaker: We are also getting ready to finally unveil our new podcast on the network. work We've had a couple false starts with it. The tech side of it has been a little harder to figure out than we thought it was going to be.
Speaker: But I think we've got to figure it out now. ah But Adam Race and Nico Moreno are going to be doing a Monday afternoon show. So hopefully, hopefully next week is when that will start.
Speaker: and And then Nico and I are going to start trying to do ah like do our what we learned this week. Maybe, i don't know if we're going do it live, but we should have video of that more often. So, you know, we're we're doing things. we're We're trying to make stuff happen. We're trying to bring value to our subscribers.
Speaker: We're not just sitting here complaining with ah no purpose. I'll also give you a teaser. We got a story on Mark Bronick, who is one of these players who you should be optimistic about coming from Defiance.
Speaker: He's having a great season. Tim Foss wrote a very good story about that. But let's let's get out of here. Aaron, thanks for doing this, as always.
Speaker: Thanks to Lickit, our producer. I am Jeremiah Oshan. Thank you to our sponsor, Full Bull Wines. Thank you to you, all our subscribers. And with that, let's get out of here. This is Nos Adietes, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network.
Speaker: And remember, you'll never get alone.
Speaker: Let's go at Sounders.
