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What We Learned This Week: We (still) have Rothrock
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He’s staying home. Niko Moreno joins Jeremiah to discuss the Sounders re-signing of local folk hero/soccer player Paul Rothrock. The guys break down some specifics of the saga that has been ongoing for quite some time and what ultimately led to Paul re-signing. They also weigh in on the other new additions to the team in Hassani Dotson, Ryan Sailor and Max Anchor.
Follow Niko Moreno on BlueSky and YouTube.
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Transcript
Sounders Legend Joins Podcast
00:00:01
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.
00:00:11
Speaker
Come on. Hey, O'Shaan. Let's go. The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. Here comes Ruiz Diaz through the middle to crown it for Seattle.
00:00:25
Speaker
The Sounders rule the region.
00:00:58
Speaker
what was the thought process in terms of who you decided to use and who you didn't? Ever since I wrote a commentary that we didn't take the outcome seriously.
Podcast Sponsorship by Full Pull Wines
00:01:18
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.
00:01:32
Speaker
They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Sounders News Discussion
00:01:41
Speaker
Welcome to yet another episode of Nos Adietas on the Sounder at Heart podcast network. I am Jeremiah Shan, joined again, second time this week by Nico Morano. We're going to do another episode of what we learned this week because the Sounders keep dropping news. We keep learning new things.
00:01:59
Speaker
ah The latest is they are going, we we are in full disclosure. We are recording this before the Paul Rothrock signing has been announced, but we now feel very secure in reporting that that is happening. Nico, just want to say good, good job reporting this one out. This has been an interesting one to to follow.
00:02:21
Speaker
Thanks, Jermat. It's been one that I, I didn't put a lot of resources into, and I'm glad that I did, you know, he might not be your, ah the Paul Rothrock being re resigned might not be your St. Clair to Miami or anything of that degree nationally. But I feel like two to, the response of the people that I've, that I got over this breaking news. I mean, it was pretty cool. Just it talks about the community around the Sounders. And so, yes, i'm I'm very happy that we were able to get ahead of it, that with your lead, we were able to talk about it.
00:03:02
Speaker
Now we're able to talk about the Dotson thing. I feel like we've done a lot of you know, work sporadically here and there, making sure that we keep everybody updated. So yeah, man, I appreciate it. And and and it's definitely a good one to break for the people.
00:03:18
Speaker
Yeah. So Paul Rothrock is, it's been quite ah an interesting saga to follow.
Paul Rothrock's Free Agency Decision
00:03:23
Speaker
you know, we, we have touched on it a few times and I'll tell you everything i was hearing. I think everything you were hearing as well up until maybe a week or so ago was that it looked like Rothrock had played his last game for the Sounders, at least ah for the time being. we,
00:03:42
Speaker
he was going to test free agency and the expectation, I think inside the organization, or at least with some people inside the organization was if he tests free agency, he's going to get offers. And the question will be whether or not those offers would rise enough to the point that it would justify him leaving Seattle. And the Sounders were pretty secure in that they had made a fair offer to him and that they weren't really they they They offered him what they felt like they could afford to offer him in the salary cap. and They offered what they thought he was worth. And then once he he goes out into the market and sees what else is out there, i guess there was some, you know, I think this is maybe where there was ah a disagreement a little bit internally. i think some people in the organization thought he's goingnna he's going to leave.
00:04:31
Speaker
Whereas there were some other people, and I think maybe even Craig Weibel was among these people who thought, or we're a little more confident that he might come back. Is that fair to say?
00:04:43
Speaker
that's that's exactly fair to say. Sometimes you make an assessment to evaluate a player and you compare league wide you club player,
00:04:57
Speaker
club have the confidence that that evaluation holds up and that you might even be given the player a little more than than the average team would give him because of the history, because of everything that Paul Rothberger presents ah for everything that he was able to do for the Sounders last season. and i think that's what happened. They said, and we've talked about Craig Weibel being a pretty straightforward guy. He, and, uh,
00:05:29
Speaker
at ah at the negotiating table was very likely telling Paul, this is what it is. And you go ahead and test the market, see what's out there. And if you feel like there's a better option, then we'd be, you know, happy to see you go somewhere else. But if you don't, the door,
00:05:45
Speaker
is open. And I feel like that's exactly the situation. Even when I was talking and reporting that San Jose was in advanced conversations, and I was very careful with that term because, you know, negotiations begin with throwing formal offers, but it was definitely something along the lines of advanced serious interest for the player saying, look, this is exactly what we'd be able to offer you.
00:06:11
Speaker
And at the end of the day,
00:06:15
Speaker
what Seattle was likely offering Paul Rothrock and what he was getting out in the market was either at the same value or a little less or not enough for him to move away from Seattle, move away from a situation where he has guaranteed minutes, where he where he has the trust of a Bryant's Metzer who is clearly going to use some consistently where your entire,
00:06:44
Speaker
Childhood and yeah local nativeness makes you a lot more interesting in the daily paper or in the news cycle that than it would for a San Jose or in Nashville or certainly an LA Galaxy, some of the teams that were interested in him at one point.
00:07:04
Speaker
Right. All in all, we know that the Sounders are a team that still a protagonist in this league that is playing for big titles. And I'm sure all of that was part of the equation that ultimately led all Rothrock to say, I'm staying home.
00:07:21
Speaker
Yeah. And so I was able to do a little bit more digging and it sounds like he, whether or not he got formal offers or not, I'm not going to get into like a ah contest over that with some other reporting out there. Yes. yeah I think yes there has been interest. There was very much interest in him.
00:07:38
Speaker
And I think the three teams you identified are probably the three of the teams that showed interest. And my understanding is that they were telling him that they could, they could meet his valuation that he, they, they, they could probably offer him close to max money. But the difference, like one of the things I think that became a apparent were, were two things. One is,
00:07:58
Speaker
Look, I'm not a big fan of the lack of income tax in Washington. Not going to get on a political soapbox over it, but I will admit that I think it helps in this case because it shrinks the gap where the Sounders can offer a little less money and it's a 13% difference than what you would essentially be taking home in someplace like California where they do have a state income tax.
00:08:21
Speaker
So that's that's one factor. But then beyond that, I think there was a recognition from
Rothrock's Values and Community Ties
00:08:27
Speaker
Rothrock. And I would love to talk to him at some point and get his, his thoughts on this, but this, and so this is a little bit more of a guest, but my suspicion is that he understood that in Seattle, there's,
00:08:41
Speaker
He is effectively a star, whether or not he's the star, like the star player on the team. He gets the, the attention. He is sort of a spokesperson. he gets a lot of shine.
00:08:52
Speaker
He gets, ah you know, he, he gets he in the community, people respect them and know who he is. Whereas I don't think you can assume any of that stuff outside of Seattle. Yeah.
00:09:03
Speaker
And here's a player who, you know, he went to college at Notre Dame, found out he didn't really like it there. He transfers to Georgetown. he got to experience what it was like in DC. He gets drafted by Toronto. He goes there. He experiences with that. It's like, and then he comes back to Seattle. And I think that experience of leaving home and coming back,
00:09:21
Speaker
really did help inform the decision to return to the Sounders because he knew it wasn't, he knows that the grass isn't always greener and that there's considerations beyond just money now.
00:09:33
Speaker
And especially if the money's close enough where it doesn't make that much of a difference. I just think that this is, you know, I think he deserves some credit for exploring his options and ultimately deciding that the Sounders were still where he wanted to be.
00:09:49
Speaker
Absolutely agree. And going back to the whole offers or not, I mean, it's always funny to me because, you know, as someone who's getting that back end story, you're just careful with it because it's very simple for me to be like, Jeremiah, you know, I want you to leave Sandra Hart, although you're the owner and I want you to come work for a pool. So, so, you know, how much is it going to take to, ah you know, have just fly and, and, you know, leave that ship.
00:10:19
Speaker
that That is a negotiation as it is. Right. But, you know, people, when they phrase it to me, i use the same words, just being careful, but I'm with you. There are clearly offers. There was clearly an interest well enough for the coaches to be involved, for real numbers to be thrown out. so All of that to say, yes, I am more than happy for Paul himself, that he gave himself that experience and that self-validation to say, I am attractive to a lot of teams. I did better myself and say, hey, let me just see what's out there. And ultimately, I made the decision to stay with no regrets and no
00:11:03
Speaker
I don't know what you'd call it, um you know, feeling like i had to come back with my tail between my legs. You know, nothing like that. There was, there seems to be no issue with him just saying, look, I did, I looked, I checked it out. And I ultimately wanted to stay home. Right. So I feel like that's the way he should be written rather than maybe he didn't get what he wanted and he had to settle for Seattle. I think that he made a conscious decision to stay in a place where he's going to be an influential player.
00:11:34
Speaker
Right. Exactly. And I think that that's, you know, so I think that's an interesting thing. And what else I find interesting is that this feels like this week has sort of flipped on its head, the narrative around the Sounders off season, which very quickly went from, man, all we've done is lose Danny Leyva to, Oh, we are bringing back some of my favorite players. And Oh, we also added Hassani Dodson and a couple other players. Now, these are not,
00:11:59
Speaker
necessarily the big splashy, you know, high profile moves that I think a certain segment of the fan base justifiably would like to see happen, but they are the kind of moves that smart teams make that build a foundation and that keep you achieving at a high level. Like there's no, like, yeah I'm sorry.
00:12:21
Speaker
I love Danny Leyva. i love Jao Paulo, but there's no way that you can convince me that Hassani Dotson is not an upgrade over those, those players, what they were at least last year.
00:12:34
Speaker
ah Now, Danny Leyva maybe has a higher upside. And I think that's a a fair point, but in terms of what the Sounders got out of those two players last year, i have very little doubt that Hassani Dotson should be able to provide more than that.
00:12:49
Speaker
Right. And yeah, Although i have shared my concerns in regards to Hassani's profile as a midfielder to not necessarily give you some of the things that you lost in a Danileva or some of the things that were so effective by Ovid Vargas that you and I have talked about having those pivots that can do different things and how valuable that was last season. I do think that
00:13:23
Speaker
considering the the budget, considering what's out there, this is a good move. ah We'll talk about how much it might cost the team. And me you might have different opinions on whether that lessens, whether this is a good move or not. But ultimately, I feel like the team is making strides to make the team better, knowing that those top players,
00:13:45
Speaker
positions, those areas of the salary that are taking the biggest parts, the DPs, the damn players, those are set. Those are done. Those are the ones that you're hoping that can elevate the the level of your team, that jordan morris is the the Russnax, and of course, the Pedro de la Vegas.
00:14:04
Speaker
Look, and I hear people already saying, cringing at me saying these names because there's the Albert Russnag skeptics that that they don't want to see anything about Albert Russnag being a DP and then the Pedro de la Vega clearly injury situation but you're hoping that by keeping a guy like Rothrock you are keeping that floor high and you're building on um a successful 2025 season going into 2026 and waiting for Pedro to come back from what it seems to be a very rehabable that's is yeah word. It's not, yeah but, but, you know, I and enjoy that. should come back from,
00:14:45
Speaker
Not quickly, but it shouldn't be an issue like a ligament or anything like that. So I do believe that the roster is being constructed adequately and
Sounders' Roster Strategy
00:14:56
Speaker
all these little pieces, all these players that are being added are just additions to just build the rest of the roster.
00:15:04
Speaker
Right. And I think bringing Rothrock back also gives you some... some security because otherwise you are relying a lot on Georgie Manungu and or Paul Areola sort of having big seasons. And I think this puts both of those players in a position where what you get out of them is a bonus.
00:15:25
Speaker
Manungu is a, is an interesting one though, because I do think there is room for him to get, to really explode if he, if he can get some minutes, but you know, there's still holes in his game and, and there's, you know, I think it's good to have competition at those spots, but it does feel like the winger position is pretty settled at this point.
00:15:46
Speaker
But I wouldn't close the door on the Sounders making. i still think they're out there looking for a U22 striker. ah You know, it will be interesting. Right.
00:15:56
Speaker
and i And I think it makes sense. And I think a lot of that, you know, I think the neck, whether or not the Sounders make another big move, i think probably hinges on a few things. One of them is whether or not they can they can get a u twenty two ah But the other part of it is if they can move out someone who I don't know,
00:16:17
Speaker
like Obed Vargas. I think the sound, like we've talked about this, the center still think there's a chance that they can move Obed Vargas. ah And that they can basically collect the, the two point, they have about $2.3 million dollars of available gam that they can still bring in because they got about 700,000 from Danny Leyva.
00:16:36
Speaker
And so i think their attitude is look, any cash, any, any gam we can get for any cash we can get from that above the 2.3 million is sort of a bonus, but that obviously gives them a lot more flexibility to do stuff under the cap if they were to get 2.3 million for Obed Vargas. And then of course there's a possibility that they could trade dan Danny Masofsky or a new who, or someone like that, where they, again, they sort of replenish their, their gam budget.
00:17:04
Speaker
i And I, but aside from a U22 forward, I don't know that there's the sounders feel like there is an obvious area for need again, barring moving one of these other players.
00:17:18
Speaker
Correct. So let's talk about something that's very relatable and goes with everything you just said. First of all, I totally agree with you that Georgie Minungu is going to be a very interesting player coming into 2026. Ultimately, I can't sit here and guarantee you that Paul Rothrock is going to be a starter right off the bat. I mean, he clearly has an edge and he's leading that team. as of right now over Areola, I would think, and over Georgie Menungu. But we'll see what happens in the preseason, and then we'll see how players perform. Because I have seen Georgie Menungu that seems determined to go into the 2026 season with all cylinders rolling. He's getting fit. He's working out. He seems to be a guy that's going to come in just like,
00:18:10
Speaker
on fire and we both know that his potential he's ceiling is high because of his one-on-one one-v-one abilities everything he was able to do last season he's such a difficult player to defend he stretches out defenses he gets to that end line very consistently he's a very he's a different type of winger than than paul is and that's good for the sounders having different weapons on that side but i do feel like there's going to be variations to the best starting 11 next season and then People might not love that, but I think that worked this season, right? i yeah felt like having different combinations and having versatility, almost interchangeable players at positions in that attacking end ultimately resulted in 68 goal season. And you probably want to build on that. So all of it to say that,
00:19:02
Speaker
If there's one area that I want you to give me your two cents on, and we already had Jeff's opinion, and and I take that opinion very highly because he knows Dodson.
00:19:15
Speaker
But do you have any doubt that if both you and I seem pretty confident or or we feel like it's very likely that Obed is gone,
00:19:29
Speaker
at the beginning of the year, that Dodson is the guy that's going to be slotted into that position. And I say that because I think that's obvious. I think that Dodson is going to be the guy that's going to be next to Christian Roldan, whether or not they're similar players or whether or not Dodson, as of what we have seen so far, doesn't have those other attributes.
00:19:52
Speaker
you don't go and get a guy like Dachshund that you've wanted for a long time to not start him. Right. Or to not make him be a guy that if Obed is gone, he's the next guy that that takes that role.
00:20:06
Speaker
And I want add that in my opinion, everything that I had, heard about Dotson talking to other teams and being a guy that was a desirable free agent was that he was asking for a max contract yeah or max money.
00:20:30
Speaker
Although we don't have the official number, we do I would venture to say that his salary is likely in the 800s. So if you're spending that much money to have a guy here, you're almost certainly saying we're going to try to solve ob it with everything that that we could possibly do to get him the right salary.
00:20:54
Speaker
scenario, the right team, the right situation for both club and team. And then Dotson is my guy that that seems pretty squared away, right? That it feels like that's pretty straightforward.
00:21:05
Speaker
Yeah. I would totally agree with you there that the reason you sign Hassani Dotson is because you think he is a starting caliber player, whether or not Obed is here, that's a separate, you know, if Obed's here,
00:21:20
Speaker
that'll be an interesting competition. i think, and I do think it's a competition. I don't think, I don't think the centers brought in Hassani Dotson to be like the old hand who just sort of like keeps it locked down. I think they brought him in to compete and to compete at a high level.
00:21:37
Speaker
The, you know, he's a 28 year old midfielder who still feels like he's got a lot to offer in terms of high level play. I guarantee he did not come to the Sounders to sit on the bench. Like that's not the pitch they made the Hassani Dotson. And I'll add the Sounders have been really interested in bringing Dotson over basically ever since he made it clear that he wanted out of Minnesota when when things weren't lining up with Minnesota United. The Sounders were among the teams that were trying to work out a trade. My understanding is they they were actually trying to get him last summer.
00:22:11
Speaker
And originally it looked like he was, he he had originally been designated for the season entering injury. And under that auspice, the Sounders thought that they could kind of get in early on the, on the potential free agency and and bring him It did not work out for a variety of reasons, but the Sounders have been pretty dogged in their pursuit of Dotson. Again, not the sign of a team who just wants him to be here to be, you know, like like this is not a Kellen row situation where they're sort of like bringing a player in because he's a local kid and he might be able to help with the, you know, just with the,
00:22:46
Speaker
with the, the locker room or something. No, they brought in Hassani Dotson to compete, to play minutes. And you know, whether again, he if Obed Vargas is still here, my assumption is that's going to be probably Obed Vargas's job, but it's going to be a lot of competition, you know? Uh, and, and I think you're right. I think he's probably is probably up close to the the max salary for, for that, for a free agent, which would have been right around eight 30,
00:23:12
Speaker
And again, that's another sign that they're not bringing him in just to be a guy on the roster, to a squad player. Thank you for listening to the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, which now includes Nosarietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild.
Exclusive Content and Membership
00:23:25
Speaker
Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible through our paid subscribers. Plans start as low as $30 a year and allow us to remain independent and mostly ad-free. subscribers get access to all our written and podcast content, including a full text RSS feed and a mostly ad free podcast feed that includes every show in one spot. If you really like what we're doing though, I'd encourage you to sign up at our higher tiers, which include all sorts of various perks. The most popular of those is our members only discord or the real Sounders sickos hang out. I know I've called this group the smartest, funniest and best informed Sounders fans in the world, but it's more than the rough equivalent of a Sounders Mensa meeting. Discord is where we make things happen. Like, for real. You know the promotion the Sounders ran that offered fans the opportunity to trade in their messy jersey for a Paul Rothrock one? That originated in our community. You'll not only be the first to know about stuff, but you also have a semi-direct line to the movers and shakers at the Sounders organization. If you want to be one of the totally normal people who occupy the Sounder at Heart Discord, just become a supporter of Sounder at Heart. Anyway, thanks for listening, and go Ders.
00:24:33
Speaker
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00:25:04
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00:25:35
Speaker
Does that make you feel like this is any, um, any lesser of, ah of, of, of a good move? Uh, you, you, you heard me talk about, um,
00:25:48
Speaker
and the whatever When I initially heard about it, is I thought it that it was a depth move. I thought that it was a move that was decent, that I understood the versatility. I understood the the combination of player that he is, the intangibles that he brings to the table that are very in line with what Brian and the club wants or desires in a player.
00:26:16
Speaker
But when he came to the salary, I felt like a lot of a lot of the fans and and and even ah while talking to other people more involved in the league, there was a sense that...
00:26:30
Speaker
whether or not he was going to come to Seattle on some sort of like hometown discount. And I made it a better move because he was not going to ask for max money. And he knew that he was coming from a season where he was injured and he had 400 minutes. And so maybe he was looking to revitalize his career by having a lesser salary. That doesn't seem to be the case. So to me, it still feels like a decent move. But I feel like the value that you're paying definitely puts more pressure on what I expect that sort of salary to produce on the field. So I'm i'm wondering what you feel about that.
00:27:08
Speaker
I would say that obviously as a, as a, you know as a, as a fan, you'd love him to be coming in on a hometown discount and it would be better for the cap if he were coming in at some sort of discount.
00:27:23
Speaker
But I don't think it's a mistake to pay. You know, we're talking about the difference of maybe on the high end, $200,000 of what we maybe thought he was going to be getting. And you can argue like, look, this is the difference between what the Sounders were offering Paul Rothrock and what Paul Rothrock wanted to. And so you can, you know, we can, we can have a debate about playing hardball and doing all these types of things, but ultimately it doesn't really bother me. Like if Dotson is at the level that he was at in 2024, think that's a really, I think that's a bargain.
00:27:52
Speaker
You know, at that point, he was one of the top central, you know, two way midfielders in the league. I think if that's the player you're getting. You're not really too worried about one hundred fifty, two hundred thousand dollars here and there.
00:28:05
Speaker
And and so and I think the other thing about this and which I can't really escape from. and I think this factored into the Paul Rothrock negotiations, too, is that.
00:28:16
Speaker
we have 2026 and then there's this sprint season in 27 and then the full season in 27, 28 sometime between now and then the whole way that the raw, that the, the, mo the money in MLS is structured is going to be,
00:28:32
Speaker
blown up pretty considerably, i think is where this is all heading. Uh, MLS is going to have to loosen the way that they spend money in order to take full advantage over this calendar shift. And I think that's a, a, when not if kind of, uh, proposition.
00:28:48
Speaker
And so that's where I think, some of these, like, I'm not going to get too bogged down in the particular money. I can understand how it feels like less of a home run deal. And, you know, it it does feel different when you're bringing in a player like Dotson purely as depth versus someone who might be an important part of the team. But that's the thing is like, I think Dotson potentially has a really good role to play on this team.
00:29:14
Speaker
And so it doesn't really bother me as much in the same way that Dotson with Rothrock, I'm okay overpaying him a little bit if it meant, you know, because I think he can perform at that level. So, i mean, I, I, I get what you're saying. I don't, I don't really, i don't really have any quibbles with what you're, what you're arguing there. I guess just personally, I'm not as worked up about it because it seems like the Sounders are still going to be able to do the things they feel like they have to do to put together a good roster.
00:29:44
Speaker
Right. And now this is supposed to be a Paul Rothschild show. I want to add a couple of things on Paul Rothschild. But before that, I mean, I looked at the free agent list for midfielders and there was really nothing better than, than Dotson out there. You know, you had like Felipe Carballo, you had a Christian Paredes. Justin Hack.
00:30:02
Speaker
ah oh Well, yeah, Justin Hack, but that one was, Kind of a hybrid between the center back and a, and a defensive midfielder. And I guess the Sounders did talk to Justin hack as well. ah But ultimately I think they felt like Dotson was a better fit for specifically what they wanted, but go on. I'm sorry. i didn't mean to interrupt. No, that's exactly where I was going to Justin hack is ah is a very good one.
00:30:23
Speaker
I just don't know if the the system works to, uh, accentuate and amplify what he does well is completely different of what he had in New York and what he could do elsewhere. Same thing as Gaston Bergman, a guy that's a lot older, does have some injuries. There was nothing really out there. So I do give credit and I'm always going to give Craig and Sean the benefit of the doubt because regardless of the criticism and valid criticism on my end to some of the situations there with the way ah Craig operates and things, he...
00:30:57
Speaker
him Him and Sean Henderson have brought in mainly players that have been effective. I mean, aside from ever is the only one that I can really think of that they kind of missed on. But even, you know, Danny ended up working out on the last, but then it was asking that I'm having a big year. i think that forever was ah a phenomenal move. I think the Albert Rosnick thing has been worked, has worked. I mean, feel like they've,
00:31:19
Speaker
the the players that they've identified to come in and bring in and and have them perform. I think Jonathan Bell was a very good player to come in and produce. So all of these players, so they get the benefit of the doubt on my end.
00:31:32
Speaker
I like to um give them their due, they deserve credit that they know these players a lot better than I do. I could have a thousand opinions, but they're clearly way closer to it. And finally, anybody that, you know,
00:31:48
Speaker
wrote or asked me about Andres Kubas or Sebastian Berhalter, it was just never going happen. I would love to, would love for things to work like FIFA and say, sure, I'm not going to get Dotson. I'm going to, you know, go ahead and get Andres Kubas. Absolutely. But, you know, Perlance is offering this guy like 5 million to get him out of Vancouver. So it was clearly something that was out of the cards for the Sounders. So considering what their realistic options were,
00:32:18
Speaker
I think it's fine. And i I leave room to be surprised. And I would love that. I would love to have this expectation where it is and for Dotson to come in and and perform at higher level if that is the necessity of the situation.
00:32:34
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, just to speak to Andres Kubas, the Sounders would have to, like, even in a world where the Sounders had $5 million dollars to pay Kubas's transfer that he'd have to be a designated player. i don't really see how that is an upgrade over what they, you know, you bring in Andres Kubas to put next to,
00:32:54
Speaker
I guess you put them next to Christian Roldan and, and is he a better player than Dotson? Yeah, I sure. Absolutely. But I would agree. You you have to make salary. What's your pain? Exactly. Yeah, and exactly. ah But yeah, so, I mean, I'm feeling pretty good about where the Sounders
Ryan Saylor Signing Announcement
00:33:11
Speaker
roster is right now. We didn't really mention that they they also signed Ryan Saylor, who was a center back with Miami. Ryan Saylor was a player who was at UW.
00:33:20
Speaker
ah He graduated in 2022. He helped take them to the national championship game where he was a teammate with Kalani Kosarienzi, as well as Dylan Tevez, as well as a whole bunch of other players who have been in and around the Sounders organization.
00:33:36
Speaker
ah He's a player the Sounders know very well. ah He was the number nine pick in the in the draft. He played a lot. He actually played, you know, like 1500 minutes his rookie year. I believe that was with, ah why am I blanking on the the coach at the time? The the guy who's at Portland right now.
00:33:55
Speaker
Phil Neville. Phil Neville. Thank you. i was like, had no, that was even close to where my brain was. But then basically under Tata Martino and Javier Mascherano, he didn't, he didn't play almost at all, but the Sounders i have a lot of connections with the Miami front office. Obviously Chris Henderson was there. They, and I guess Chris Henderson always had a high opinion of them.
00:34:18
Speaker
ah So they liked Ryan Saylor lot. They bring him in effectively for free. He's going to, you know, he'll probably make somewhere close to the the league minimum. And he doesn't really hit the cap.
00:34:28
Speaker
And then they also picked up a guy named Max anchor, who was a goalkeeper, who was in the white caps organization. He's a homegrown player. So he doesn't count as an international and he doesn't count against the salary cap at all.
00:34:40
Speaker
So that's, again, you get a third goalkeeper who is effectively free. He's young. I think he's 21 22 like professional minutes. So he's gotten a lot of playing time and I'm sure the Sounders just feel like he's a high upside type of gamble and he's your third goalkeeper. So, but anyway, you you get to have a third goalkeeper for free essentially. And so the Sounders have really sort of, they've replaced John Bell.
00:35:04
Speaker
They've replaced Jacob Castro. We haven't mentioned that they re re-signed Stephen Fry, who is coming back probably about half of what he was paid last year. So that creates a little bit more flexibility. They bring back Paul Rothrock.
00:35:16
Speaker
All of a sudden, this roster that was starting to look a little thin, right back where we expected it to be. Right. And I'm going to have to trust you and Craig and Sean when it comes to Ryan Saylor. I did my due diligence. I called a couple of guys that I trust that know that the scene at inner Miami and I got mixed reviews specifically from the time with Tata and those that worked a around Tata about him as a player. To me, i don't know. it
00:35:52
Speaker
I don't know what the need was there. Uh, I think I was, and we've said this before. I thought Tino Lopez was a guy that they wanted to look at. yeah. What happened with, those what happened with Leo Bernie? I mean, don't, I don't know how much, i know that he had a lot of injuries, uh, has a lot of injury concerns. He couldn't stay healthy. So maybe that's what it was, but, uh,
00:36:13
Speaker
a guy that has played, you know, 40 plus games in four years. I mean, it happens, I guess. And the Sounders have done well. You mentioned this to me ah prior to us starting the record is that John Bell was a situation where he didn't play a lot of minutes for St. Louis, but then he ended up being a really good player for the Sounders. Maybe that's where this lies, but it doesn't, it definitely doesn't excite you. I still think that the biggest move that they were able to do is getting Rothrock back and, that That's very interesting.
00:36:43
Speaker
It is kind of interesting. And it's it like I said, it's it's funny how bringing back Rothrock seems to sort of change the narrative a little bit, because I think people were getting in their feelings, understandably, about the idea that they were going to lose Paul Rothrock.
00:36:58
Speaker
Here's a player who the Sounders have hyped up a lot, who has in endeared himself to this fan base, who feels like a local kid who has, who bleeds Sounders green. And the idea that he was going to walk away was it hurt. I think a lot of people, it was frustrating and it felt like the sounders dropped the ball on this one.
00:37:23
Speaker
And the fact that he is coming back is changed. Sort of just changes the mood. The the sun feels a little brighter and the the clouds have, have, have cleared a little bit. And that doesn't mean everything is perfect.
00:37:38
Speaker
The Sounders can still improve this roster. i just think that the sort of like the gun to their head of you need to get something done now has been put away and they have a little bit more grace and a little bit more time to go out and do some things.
00:37:55
Speaker
And I think we can go into this break now feeling a little more settled with how things look. Exactly. That's the way I would put it. I feel like, um I am back to zero, right? ah It felt like with the moves of Danny Leyva, JP retiring, or you know, no longer being with the team with the departure or potential departure of um Rothrock, Ryan Kent's departure, it seemed like you were at a place where this team was
00:38:28
Speaker
was good and they had a successful season, but now they lost all these players and we haven't really gotten anybody. i feel like with the additions that they made, now you see where that hole for a guy like, Leiva and JP might be filled and you feel better about the center mid position. Now with Brothrock back, like you said, the sun just feels a lot brighter because you do get that guy that has a very high floor that, you know, he's going to,
00:38:57
Speaker
just be ah a handful. He's going to create havoc all day long, all game long. So it does make you feel a little bit better, but I wouldn't say that the roster has improved. I think it's, it's up to the players to raise their level And I think that's what the organization is betting on that Ferreiros are going to be better next season. That Jordan Moore is going to be healthy next season. That Albert Rusnak is going to continue to play as well as he has. That Pedro de la Vega is going to come in and pick up where he left off during the
00:39:30
Speaker
His last game in New York when he got that injury where you just thought, man, anytime Pedro's in he is so good on the ball. He's so essential. He could create magic in any moment. So there are these pieces that I believe that the the club is saying as long as those players perform to the potential that they have, we're going to be all right. So...
00:39:52
Speaker
In terms of the off season, I think we're back zero degrees, right? We're right back where we started, right back where we left off. I would totally agree with that. I i think that's a good way of putting it. They have sort of gotten back to where they ended the season.
00:40:08
Speaker
And from here, they have the ability to go higher, but they but they have not I don't think anyone can really look at this roster and say, Oh, it's clearly better than it was last year.
00:40:19
Speaker
ah So we'll see, you know, that's not the most exciting thing in the world. I get it, but I do feel good about where they are. i think this is, you know, I think the Roth rock move was a good one. I think it also says some good things about where this organization is ah in internally, like the way players see it and the way that this is still someplace that players want to be.
Future Strategy and U22 Striker Acquisition
00:40:41
Speaker
And there are positive things going on here. you know, Good for the Sounders for getting the Rothrock deal across the line. i think they played it well and, you know, they didn't panic. They didn't go out there and, and, and start, you know, ripping up ideas or whatever. So, you know, i think those are good things.
00:40:58
Speaker
and and And that's, and that's where, you know, Craig's negotiation skills do come out on top because you didn't concede and you didn't overpay for the player and you felt like it was fair and you waited And you played poker with a great poker for the entire time. And then you ended winning the hand. So it's, it's great. And I think both,
00:41:21
Speaker
player and club winning this one, as I had mentioned. yeah So, you know, it's a good situation for both. And, and now the fan base gets to be excited about but having their guy back. I, I do think that the U22 striker is something that has to be a priority. As you mentioned, I simply want to see a guy come in that has the potential to be,
00:41:50
Speaker
the next Jordan Morris to to take that torch. And that's not a knock on Osase. I think that he's a very good player. I just don't see him like that franchise guy necessarily.
00:42:02
Speaker
We don't need to talk about Danny Mussofsky and the year he's going to be, or whether he's going to be here next year, but you just need that. guy with the potential with the high ceiling to, to just be the next guy in store. You know i mean? Yeah. The Sounders can get their patchy adjement. You know what I mean? They yeah get that sort of player that's going to come in and, and perform whether it's via draft or whether it with the but, but that, that's what I want to see this team be able to really key on.
00:42:32
Speaker
yeah I don't think this is, there's no such thing as too much striker depth. Like you can't, you can't have too many good young options at striker. ah And cause what you're doing is you're just sort of, you're, you're buying more, more throw throws throwes of the dice.
00:42:48
Speaker
And I think that's exactly what the U22 is about. It doesn't, you don't need to sign a u twenty two Like i wish they would stop using this analogy of like, we, we need this U22 to come in and contribute right away. That should not be the standard that they're looking at. I don't, I don't know that that's really ultimately what they're really doing.
00:43:07
Speaker
I think what they, I think they know that they're buying potential and let's just be real. Like that's what they should be doing. Like they should be looking at getting someone with high upside. And yeah as an aside, it is crazy to see how much money teams are throwing around at relatively unproven talent on this U22. Like there's a guy that, uh,
00:43:31
Speaker
I think it's Dallas is is buying from the second division in Israel. And i was, i'm in like some chat rooms with, uh, and analysis types. And they're just like, is this a, it's just like a kickback to an agent or something. And it's like, you see these deals and it's in it. I can see why the sounders sometimes get a little frustrated because it's like, they see people spending dumb money and it just makes it harder for them to go out and spend smart money, I guess. But anyway,
00:43:58
Speaker
Yeah. and obviously the intent is what people want to see. i feel like it's those optics that you always talk about and you you always use that word. I love that word, the optics that you're trying to get better there. Right. ah I don't think anybody is expecting you to have the money to go get a Silvetti or a Diego Gomez or, you know, even a Martinez from LAFC. Yeah.
00:44:27
Speaker
I think you just want to be able to go and get a player that you could kind of see that there's, that there's potential, that there is an investment and that you can develop into something that that's interesting and that you're using those mechanisms. Right. I feel like leaving those open is another gripe that is understandable that the fans have had. Why is this spot open when my team doesn't feel like, doesn't need it. Right. That that right that is kind of the the, the optics that I'm talking about.
00:44:57
Speaker
Absolutely. No, and and I get it. And I don't, I hope people understand that we, we feel you, we, we also would like to see the sounders be a bit more aggressive when it comes to ah using all the tools at their disposal.
00:45:10
Speaker
So hopefully that's something you know, they do sooner than later. ah But I think that's, that's about what we got here. I don't want to tread on too much material that we've already tread on in earlier this week. So Nico, thanks for hopping on here.
00:45:27
Speaker
ah We're going to continue to do these anytime there's, like we said, anytime there's news, we're still happy to get on and, and, and do these shows. So ah hopefully people are enjoying these sort of emergency podcasts. Yeah.
00:45:41
Speaker
Yeah. And add some insight. I mean, we're not just getting here and just reading off of a press release or anything. I feel like we are trying to provide insight on the players in a situation on the vision of the team or where it could go, what it could mean. you know, we sit here, we have the way we throw our takes. It sounds like from all the comments that people are enjoying these. So I hope that that's the case. I do want to end on sending special message to,
00:46:10
Speaker
Catherine K. It's, uh, Kevin's case mother who, uh, she is a loyal listener. And I have been meaning for the last five or four shows to send her a, a, um, a message of just saying hello. And, and, and we appreciate, uh, her being ah a listener and and someone that enjoys the the content because Kevin's such a great guy. I mean, he's just a fan. We love Kevin. And when he told me his mom listened, I was like, man, I gotta be able to just send her a hello. Obviously but more meaningful from Jeremiah. So Jeremiah, yeah go ahead. I mean, yeah, of course we, we love, we, we love Kevin. We he's a, he's a good guy. And we, we always enjoy him telling us stories about his family listening. So yeah,
00:47:00
Speaker
Thank you for doing that, Nico. I would have definitely, you're always good about that stuff, but all right, well, let's get out of here, Nico. Thanks again for doing this. ah You're listening to no Saudi. I'm Jeremiah Shan signing off for no Saudi at this part of the sound or heart podcast network, and we'll catch you next time.
00:47:48
Speaker
Let's go and Sounders.