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Episode 240: The Boys Are Back
63 Plays8 years ago
Opening training camp as the defending MLS Cup champions has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? The Seattle Sounders did just that this week, and there were no shortage of storylines.
The most interesting was probably the health of Clint Dempsey. The Designated Player has been fully cleared to train and even participated in the beep test on Thursday. It’s looking very much like he’ll be ready to go for First Kick.
Among the host of trialists, was a familiar name: Steve Zakuani. While it’s not entirely clear if he’s actually on trial or just hanging around, he too did the beep test and is looking very much like a player who could potentially contend for a roster spot.
There’s also a host of rumors attaching players to the Sounders, perhaps most notably one Fredy Montero.
Jeremiah and Aaron talk all about this stuff, as well as find time to take your wonderful questions.
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Transcript
Episode Introduction and Sponsorships
00:00:00
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:00:49
Speaker
The little side note here to start things off, I put a little PowerPoint presentation together for the guys to introduce Gonzo and some of the coaching staff and the people they need to deal with every day. And as a surprise guest, the last clip was highlights of Zach Scott. And then Zach came from behind everybody. Nobody knew who was coming. And so that was pretty cool. And so Zach came and told him, hey, look, you guys got to really grab on to this. Your career's short.
00:01:19
Speaker
Real jobs aren't that fun. Make sure you appreciate what you're doing here. So that was a good way to kick things off.
00:01:46
Speaker
The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle And the hills the greenest green in Seattle Like a beautiful child growing up free and wide
00:02:06
Speaker
Welcome back to another edition of NOS Adiata, sponsored by Fullpool Wines, Constellation & Company, Queen Anne Acupuncture, Verity Credit Union, and our newest sponsor, Designers Marble. This is episode 240, and we're recording on Thursday, January 26, 2017. I am your host, Jeremiah O'Shan, and I'm joined by my co-host, Aaron Campo, and our engineer, Lickit.
00:02:24
Speaker
Hey, it's hurt for a show of 2017.
Player Training Updates
00:02:28
Speaker
Obviously, the thing that got us back into the studio is the sounders opening training camp. The biggest news to come out of that is Clint Dempsey has been cleared to fully train and even took part in Thursday's beep test. By the way, he finished around the middle of the pack, coincidentally, around the same place as Steve Zacawany. Yes, I said Steve Zacawany. Oh, and we've been strongly linked with the possible origin of Freddie Monteiro.
00:02:51
Speaker
Suddenly, it's feeling a lot like 2012. Aaron, what do you make of all this craziness? Steve Zakawani, Clint Dempsey...
00:03:00
Speaker
Freddy Montero, it's all over the place. Clint Dempsey wasn't here until the 12th, but my point being, it's been kind of a weird beginning to this offseason. It has, yeah. I think that Zakawani especially is pretty easily explainable. He trained with the team last year to get in shape. I think he enjoyed it. I think he's somebody that can help out in training camp.
00:03:26
Speaker
He's been retired for a few years, but he can be a useful guy to have in short-setting games and whatnot. I'm really skeptical that this means anything in terms of a return.
00:03:38
Speaker
You know, maybe, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's going to pull a land in. Freddy Montero, I think is also pretty easily explainable. I think that, you know, he, he lives in Seattle in the off season generally, or in Bellevue, I guess. His wife is from here. His, his, I think his family pretty much all still lives here. So, you know, I would love Freddy back. I don't think it really makes sense right now with the roster that the Sounders have. I've tried to talk myself into it, believe me, but I just, it's,
00:04:07
Speaker
I think that they could make it work. I don't think it's a great use of resources. I think Montero and Dempsey are pretty, I don't want to say redundant, but I can definitely see them kind of getting
Dempsey's Future and Health Concerns
00:04:19
Speaker
in each other's way. They have a pretty similar sort of approach to the game. So I don't know. I mean, maybe I'm wrong. I wouldn't be sad, I guess, if I were, but it's just hard for me to see it, especially because of what it means for the temporary allocation money.
00:04:35
Speaker
situation with having to buy Don Alonzo. I'd still be pretty surprised if the Sounders sign a DP before the summer window, and if they do, I think it's going to be somebody that is filling a bigger need. I think the really encouraging thing, though, is Clint Dempsey. He's been training for about a month, apparently. He started getting back to it before the team did, which makes sense because he's obviously been out of action for a while.
00:05:04
Speaker
Um, and you know, the issue that he has, it's kind of a zero sum game. He can either play or he can't. And, uh, you know, it's, it's encouraging because he's going to have a little bit more work, I think, to, to get back to, to match fitness just cause he's been out of action for so long. And so we got a head start on that. And I think that's a good thing. I have seen some people saying that, you know,
00:05:23
Speaker
whether or not this issue is going to affect his ability to be a 90 minute player going forward. And I think as soon as he's back to that match fitness, that that's not really a concern. I think that his issue is either he has AFib or he doesn't have AFib. And if he doesn't, he's still the same player. He should still be able to put in the same number of minutes. If he does, he won't be able to play at all.
00:05:48
Speaker
But I think the fact that he's been training hard for a month, that he performed well in the beep test without any problems, apparently, I think that's really encouraging. Because this team was good at the end of last year. This team is great with Clint Dempsey. And assuming the six months or so that he missed didn't change him fundamentally as a player, which I sincerely doubt that it would, I think he's going to be a great addition. And I think he's going to just make this team generally more dynamic. So yeah.
00:06:18
Speaker
There's not a lot to know from three days of training or whatever it's been, but I think everything we've heard coming out of camp has been encouraging. So that's a pretty positive sign.
00:06:30
Speaker
Yeah, I would say it's as encouraging as it could be at this point. There's not really any I mean, aside from the general worry that is going to be persistent, probably until the day Clint Dempsey officially retires, which is at any moment, this could potentially come back that he
00:06:48
Speaker
And then if it does come back, then it's probably the end of his career. But aside from that, it seems like he's progressing about as well as he could. And that is very encouraging. And one of the Sounder Heart writers, Jeff Wilcox, he goes by Realeo on the site. He's been out at training the last three days. And he says that Dempsey's been the best player out there by a significant portion, which
00:07:17
Speaker
you know granted they're not they're not pushing themselves in the same way that they'd be pushing themselves during the season and i seriously doubt he's 60 minute fit let alone 90 minutes fit but that his skills are still there that he's still sharp that he's still got you know the things that make him clint Dempsey is obviously important so
00:07:38
Speaker
You know, and I think that his health is a big reason why I've been very skeptical of, or not his health, but just the fact that he's with the team is the biggest reason that I've been skeptical of this Freddie Montero rumor. I think the Saunders would probably be willing to take Freddie back. I'm almost positive Freddie would love to come back.
00:07:57
Speaker
He said, now granted this was a couple years ago, he said that he would want to play here again someday. But you look at his Twitter timeline and he still loves the Seattle area. I think it's almost a given that given the opportunity he would like to come back here.
Roster Analysis and Veteran Presence
00:08:14
Speaker
But as long as Clint Dempsey's here, it just doesn't make sense. Maybe you could figure out a way that they can get on the field together.
00:08:22
Speaker
So I suppose it's possible you could throw Montero up as a 9 or even Dempsey up as a 9 and have the other one kind of sit in behind him. But I think when you're talking about an attacking band of Freddie Montero, Clint Dempsey, Jordan Morris and Nicholas Ledero, you're talking about four players who all, their natural tendency is to drift towards the middle of the field.
00:08:46
Speaker
I think that's just going to be, you know, I think there's times when it would look just absolutely insane, but I think there's a lot of other times where it could get bogged down and there'd be, you know, a lot of space being occupied by the same players. That said, I love Freddy Montero. I'd love to see him playing with the sounders again. I just...
00:09:03
Speaker
I really don't see it happening. I will say that it sure does look like he's leaving his Chinese team though. They are four games into their preseason and he's hanging out at Starbucks in Seattle. So that doesn't seem to be a good sign for him coming back to China.
00:09:21
Speaker
Yeah, with the changes to the rules in China about the number of non-Chinese players, there can be the signings that his team has made. I just don't see any way it's gonna happen. I guess it's good in a way, because I really like watching him play, but I kind of wish they had waited to make those changes until this summer. That would have been nice. Yeah, it's kind of a rough go. It seems like he's done... You look at the last two teams he's played for, he was at...
00:09:51
Speaker
at sporting or sporting CP and then he was at at Tianjin Teta and both places he's produced you know probably on a on par or even at a better rate than he did with the Sounders. He at times was one of sporting CP's best players but he has just not been able to really become like a
00:10:17
Speaker
player that teams feel like they have to hold on to and And he's been like kind of considered surplus goods Which is kind of unfortunate because he's played well in his last few stops. I mean like this last team He was the second leading scorer granted for not a great team, but I mean he scored nine goals last year He was one of their better players but Yeah, you know, I guess they have like seven internationals. They can only use three. So that's that's
Youth Development and Playing Time
00:10:43
Speaker
quite a log jam
00:10:46
Speaker
But other than that, I think that, you know, everything that Legway said is that he's basically expecting this to be the team that they opened the season with. This being the group of players that they have out there. It's, you know, a handful of Academy kids. It's a handful of guys coming up from S2. And then there's, you know, mostly guys that are signed to first team contracts. There's really only, you know,
00:11:11
Speaker
two or three players that you would call trialists in the way that they've had in the past. One of those guys is kind of an interesting name. Galle Abassimande I believe is how you say his name. At one point he was the top defensive prospect in the United States. A lot of people thought he was going to be another Iguchi on Yewu.
00:11:32
Speaker
uh... animal how familiar people with listeners of the shore with them but you know you go back to two thousand what was it two thousand ten i think it was that he won the young this young player of the year for u.s. soccer you look at that list it's it's a virtually uh... full of guys who had had very good careers with the exception in the even freddie montaro or freddie adieu eyes maybe one of the exceptions on that list but he's he's actually had a decent career
00:11:59
Speaker
coincidentally, he's on trial in Portland, apparently. But anyway, he's an interesting character. Last year was probably the first time since 2010 that he'd gotten regular minutes and he got like 27 starts for the Fort Letterley Strikers in the NASL and Garth Ligoy seems like to think that he has a pretty good chance of making the team. But I don't know, is there anything else that jumped out at you from this preseason roster, Aaron?
00:12:27
Speaker
No, I mean, if anything, the thing that jumps out is that it's pretty much, you know, what we had at the end of last year, plus a try list or two probably and, and some S2 guys. Minus a bunch of veterans too. Yeah, minus a bunch of veterans, obviously. You know, I think that it's, I'm encouraged that they,
00:12:47
Speaker
are going to give some of the younger players time. I'm encouraged that Aaron Kovar is probably going to get some playing time this year, which is good because I think people forget that he was one of the few bright spots in
Brad Evans' Role and Defensive Strategy
00:13:00
Speaker
the earlier part of the season last year before he got hurt. I think that's encouraging.
00:13:07
Speaker
The Sounders have sort of a reputation of not giving younger players a chance, and I don't think that's entirely fair because if you look at some of the guys that, you know, they've been criticized for not giving a chance, what they've managed to do after they left has not been especially impressive in a lot of cases. And I'd say almost the only exception is maybe Cordell Cato, and I don't know that Cato is really that much better than anyone thought he was going to be.
00:13:34
Speaker
No, and I think, I mean, you could probably make a pretty good case for Shawna Coley as well, but Shawna Coley still hasn't, you know, become like a, a great player in MLS. So, um, no, I, and I think Shawna Coley is actually a very good, uh, a great, like kind of a great test case for this. Um, you know, the, where he ended up, you know, he's obviously, he left the Sounders, spent a year at, at New England, didn't play any more with New England than he was playing with the Sounders.
00:14:00
Speaker
The Sounders, before he left, the Sounders had offered him a chance to play at S2. He wasn't interested in playing at S2. And then, of course, where he finds his footing is at the U.S.L. level. He wins the Golden Boot. We've had him on the show. We've kind of gone over Okoli's life, but it's going to be very interesting to see what he does with New York City FC, but I'm sorry for cutting you off.
00:14:18
Speaker
No, fine. Sorry for not being able to find the unmute button. Even with the players that have not on to be pretty good, pretty useful players, there are some contingencies or caveats. I think maybe eventually it'll turn out that we would love to have Shana Kole back. I would kind of like to have him back now at this point.
00:14:41
Speaker
I think that he made the right decision for him at the time or what he thought was the right decision for him. And I think that, you know, the fact that he didn't really play very much for New England is kind of makes it clear that he probably wasn't ready to feature at the MLS level that often. So, but, you know, I mean, it's it's going to be a lot harder for Aaron Kovar to get good, significant minutes if Andrea Savantia is still on the team.
00:15:04
Speaker
It's going to be hard for Victor Mancieri to get a look if Hurt Gomez is still here, which is kind of crazy, but I think that's fair to say. It's good that those guys are going to get opportunities, and if they aren't up to it, if they don't perform, you've still got another window to bring in
00:15:25
Speaker
talent, I think people get a little freaked out because of what happened in 2015 and kind of forget that that was a perfect storm scenario. You know, of Dempsey being suspended and then gone for national team duty, of Oba being hurt, of just a lot of things that you can't really plan for and a lot of losses in the same positions.
00:15:49
Speaker
Is it a possibility that it happens again? Sure. But I think that you have to consider it an unlikely possibility. And I think that, you know, the upside to this kind of rockster construction far outweighs the downside that something like that's going to happen again.
00:16:04
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with you there. And I think that it's an important note that you bring up that, you know, like one of the things I thought was interesting when I talked to Hercules Gomez shortly after he announced his retirement was that he was starting to get to the point where he was feeling guilty about taking minutes away from not, he didn't literally say Vic Mansory, but guys like that who, you know, he knew that he was basically getting the benefit of the doubt when it came to playing him over someone like that or a Darwin Jones or whoever it might be.
00:16:34
Speaker
And he's and at least that's what he said was that that's part of why he decided to retire is that he just wasn't really comfortable taking minutes away from younger guys who You know might be just as good of him as him if not better have given the chance So, you know, I I respect
00:16:50
Speaker
the decisions the centers have made. I think if there was one guy I'd like to have kept from last year who they lost, I think it's probably Eric Freberg. I think they still have a little bit of a hole in the central midfield in terms of depth as far as depth goes. But, you know, I can understand why they think they can fill it with the guys they have between Harry Shipp, Alvaro Fernandez. You know, they're obviously more attack minded, but
00:17:19
Speaker
I mean, I guess that is the big hole is potentially a defensive mid I guess maybe Brad Evans could slide up there But I guess that's that's the last place will end the segment on and then we're gonna go to questions But Brad Evans has not been in camp. He's with the United States national team Apparently he's been playing right back for the national team. He's been mentioned as a possible Tyrone Mears replacement at right back for the Sounders. Are you comfortable going into the season assuming
00:17:48
Speaker
He's the starter. O'Neill Fisher is the backup and that's basically your right back depth chart. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think he's played really well at right back. We've seen that before. I think he's a good fit for the position. I think he plays it similarly to the way Tyrone Mears did, but I think he's a little better going forward.
00:18:07
Speaker
more than a little better defensively. I think that a player that's making what he makes and is also the captain of the team, it's important that he is playing a position regularly every day if it makes sense to do so. I think that it could help prolong his career. I think he could play right back for a lot longer than he could play as a winner or in the central midfield. I have concerns because obviously he's had some durability issues in his career.
00:18:38
Speaker
And I think O'Neill Fisher is a solid backup. But is there a risk to, I mean, if Brad Evans is out for two months and O'Neill Fisher is asserting right back, does that hurt you more than it would if maybe you had a slightly more veteran right back? Yeah, I mean, it does. But again, I think that that's sort of the risk you have to take when you're trying to get younger.
00:19:02
Speaker
trying to maybe cut some of the fat off the payroll bill. There are concerns that I have, but I think that there are always going to be those kinds of concerns in MLS, and especially when you're kind of in a transitional phase. I mean, the Sounders won the MLS Cup last year, and that's awesome because they've got some changes that they have to make, and this is a good time to try to do it, I think.
00:19:30
Speaker
Because if they can, you know, with the roster they have now and the payroll that they have now, if they can perform well with this roster, I think they've got an opportunity to add some real talent either in the middle of this season or next year when maybe some more money comes off the books. So I'm in favor of the approach. I have my concerns with it, but you know, I think that
00:19:51
Speaker
It has to happen at some time, right? They have to be a little bit more willing to trust younger players at some point and go in with that as the plan rather than just keeping them around in case everybody dies like they did in 2015.
00:20:06
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think we're on the same page there. That seems like a good place to call this a segment. We have a ton of questions from you guys, and we have YatCon to talk about a little bit too. So anyway, you're listening to No Study Yet This, and we'll be right back.
00:20:28
Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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00:21:22
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:22:03
Speaker
We'll go back to Nos Arietes. Before we get to questions, I guess I should give a plug to Yacht-Con. If you're one of the few people, I don't know. I don't have no idea how many of you guys actually follow us on social media. And maybe even some of you don't read Sound at Heart. But Yacht-Con is coming up on February 12th. It's going to be at Queen Anne Beer Hall. We're doing it from one to four.
00:22:28
Speaker
If you want to buy tickets, they're $5 in advance, $7 at the door. You can either buy them online from Brown Paper Tickets. I think it's yachtcon2.brownpapertickets.com. And you can also buy them in person at Consolation & Company Full Pool Wines in Queen Anne Beer Hall. It should be a lot of fun. We're going to have a photo booth. The MLS Cup is going to be there. You can take your photo with the MLS Cup.
00:22:58
Speaker
We're going to have some great guests. Not quite at the point where we can 100% guarantee who's going to be there, but there's going to be some representatives from the rain. There's going to be representatives from the Sounders. I think you'll be very happy with who we get. So it should be huge and it should be a lot of fun.
00:23:18
Speaker
So anyway, hope to see a lot of you guys there and gals. And we're going to be raising money for the Seattle Children's Autism Center, which is a really great service that Children's offers.
Player Fitness and Lineup Predictions
00:23:34
Speaker
And you'll learn a little bit more about that. There's also going to be a teaser of the new Levy Films sounders documentary. So anyway, with all that said, Likit, why don't you go ahead and start asking us questions.
00:23:47
Speaker
Okay, golferdave02 asks, thoughts on Dempsey? Go, specifically regarding risk. However, if he can play, I know it's gonna be for us and love that actually, if he can play. I do think that he, right now, if I had to guess today, I would put my money on him playing, maybe not the, yeah, I think, I kind of, if I had to put money on it, I think he'll play in the first game. I don't know if he'll be ready to start by the first game.
00:24:17
Speaker
just because he's been out for so long. But given what we've seen in the first few days of training, it feels like that's what's going to happen. But we're going to learn a lot more in the preseason games, that's for sure. Yeah, I mean, I would tend to agree. I think that there's a chance that he won't be able to play, but that's going to be because of his fitness more than anything else. He's been out for six months or so, so eight months, I guess.
00:24:45
Speaker
I think six, I think six, I think it will have been six months when... Will you last play in October? No, I was in New Orleans when... August? Yeah, it would have been August. So it's been... Yeah, I think you last played in August. So what do we got? September, October, November, December, January, February. You're right, eight months. It will be eight months when the season... Right. So, anyway.
00:25:11
Speaker
Okay, Jeff Nothen asks, at what position does Brad Evans play the most games for the Sounders this year and how many games does he play in total? I'm going to say right back and I'm going to say all competitions or regular season. All competitions. All competitions, not including playoffs, because who knows. I'll say maybe 30.
00:25:35
Speaker
30. That's more than I would have guessed. I think 25 to 28 is probably a solid bet. I mean he's probably gonna miss a few games for various reasons.
00:25:49
Speaker
But if, I mean, I'm confident that if he can, yeah, 30 maybe is, I don't think 30's out of the realm of possibility, but if you can get 25, if you can, if he can start 25 games at right back, I think that's a harbinger of good things for the starters. What's the ballpark number of games that we're talking about? Like how many potential games are there in a year? Well, there's 34 regular season games, and then there's gonna,
00:26:15
Speaker
You know, I guess there could be as many as what, six Open Cup games? Yeah. And that's really, they don't have, there's no Champions League this year. So that's, so I guess the upside, the high end would be 40. And he's probably not going to play Open Cup games until like the semi-finals. Yeah. I would imagine so. Yeah, maybe 28. I'll go with 28. Seems about right.
00:26:40
Speaker
Jeremiah underscore Lee one asks, what do you think the starting lineup in formation will look like this season? Well, first of all, if I want to say I think this is the first question we've gotten from a Jeremiah So that's that's something The formation I think will be a four two three one and I don't in my sense is that it's gonna be Will Bruin Jordan Morris Harry ship in the middle
00:27:08
Speaker
Nicholas Lidero on the right, and then Roldan and Alonso, Jones, Evans on the outside backs, and then Marshall Torres Fry. I think Fry will be back. I know that Fry has an injury, but I suspect he'll be back by the time of the season. So we're talking just for season opener then? Or what we expect to see, like, is the first choice lineup for the first half of the season? I mean, I'll double down and say I think that's the first choice lineup for the first part of the season.
00:27:38
Speaker
So you don't think Dempsey is in the first choice lineup? Oh, I guess that's a... You got me. You got me. Yeah, I guess you can swap Dempsey for Harry's ship in my lineup. I think you're probably right. I would rather see Morris as the nine with Dempsey behind him and keep ship, but I think you're probably right that Morris is going to be on the wing.
00:28:08
Speaker
I mean, do you agree with me, though, that if it's a choice between ship and Ledero, that ship starts in the middle and Ledero's out wide, ostensibly? Yeah, I think so. I think Ledero is just better playing out wide because he does so well finding space on the wing and then using that to cut inside and create from there.
00:28:28
Speaker
And Ship is somebody that can drift out wide and play out wide as well. I just think he's generally better in the middle as well. I think they're pretty good complementary players. And they're obviously going to interchange a lot if they're on the pitch together, but I think they definitely start with Ship in the middle and Ladera out wide. And I do say that creates a nice conundrum if you're bringing one of Harry Ship or Will Bruin off the bench. I think that's a nice luxury to have.
00:28:58
Speaker
We have an Alan Gordon type, almost, with Wolverine. Yeah. OK. Rob Seem asks, what are the roster holes now that you've seen the first list? I think the glaring hole is probably as a backup defensive midfielder. Yeah. I mean, that's the obvious one. Maybe backup left back as well. But Fisher can play there. I still don't love wrong-footed fullbacks.
00:29:28
Speaker
That's probably a me problem. And I do think that the center is a little bit more of a nerve-wracking thing. Maybe the boss man can switch to central midfield and be the backup there. Seems unlikely, but you never know. Yeah. Although it sounds like he's pretty kind of Roman Torres-esque. No, he is. I mean, he's definitely not a center midfielder.
00:29:59
Speaker
Maybe, maybe Alfaro can play in as a Cindermenfielder. Yeah, I mean, but that's actually, you bring up Alfaro. Alfaro, I thought, acquitted himself well in the one game he played at left-back for the Sounders. Weirdly, I think that's his only start for the Sounders was at left-back. Yeah, it is. It is. At least, I think he's starting an open cup game as a Cindermenfielder, maybe? I don't know. That's possible, but...
00:30:22
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I would be fine. I mean, I'm fine. I think I'm I feel actually pretty good about their their fullbacks right now.
Right-Back Strategy and Training Insights
00:30:30
Speaker
Tolo, who's the guy they just signed, is a nice, you know, project. And then they got, you know, they have Fisher for depth. They have Alfaro they can play out there. I'm not worried about I really think defensive midfielder is probably the only depth area that I'm I'm really actively concerned about.
00:30:50
Speaker
I actually, you know, now that we're talking about it, I kind of have some concerns at forward as well. Yeah, I mean, it's just, there's not a lot of proven depth there, which is part of the reason I think that it's more likely that Bruin starts on the bench, just because it's, they've got a lot of options to bring in to kind of change the second band, like the band of three there, but they don't have a lot they can do up top, so that's part of my thinking there.
00:31:23
Speaker
Okay, Dave W. McGonnery asked, most impressive Academy and S2 trialists this week? I mean, I would be lying if I said that I actually could...
00:31:37
Speaker
verify this stuff with my own eyes. But I would say that the thing that's most impressive is that this Azrael Gonzalez kid who's 15, I believe, has been training with the first team. And I guess I've heard that he at times looked like he's a little overmatched, but he's 15!
00:31:57
Speaker
And so I kind of love that they're giving this kid a chance. If you do yourself a favor, look up his highlights. This kid can really, really play. And it really makes me pretty excited about the Academy. But yeah, I mean, I guess it sounds like there hasn't been anyone that's really like jumped off the page, but he's there is pretty cool.
00:32:24
Speaker
Isn't there something that a couple of those couple of those kids are going down to Tucson with them too? Yeah, supposedly and And according to Schmetzer, they've been you know holding their own well enough So that's I think that's a good sign, but I'm not gonna sit here and say that I've I've watched anyone That yeah, it's like I haven't been out to training yet sadly. I've had sick kids every day. It's been crazy every day kids
00:32:50
Speaker
Okay, got two write back questions. I know you guys already talked about this a little bit, but these seem to be okay to answer anyways. 23 Squared asks, seems like SKC's write back side Abdul Salam would be a good fit for sounders. Would you take him if it was available redundant via V Fisher? You know, I really, I,
00:33:17
Speaker
I don't see it as a whole on the team. I really don't. I mean, we know that Brad Evans can play there and play pretty well. We think that, you know, the hope is that O'Neal Fisher can kind of be the right back of the future. And so I wouldn't really want to block his opportunities. I think they need to find out now if he can be that guy. And there are just, there are positions that I think are a bigger need that if you're going to use resources on bringing in new players, maybe making a trade or making a signing or what have you,
00:33:45
Speaker
There are just better places to try to do that. I understand the concerns with Evans and his durability, they are what they are. But I just think that trying to go the extra mile to put Brad Evans on the bench and block O'Neill Fishers would be a pretty big mistake.
00:34:09
Speaker
Yeah, and I'll back that up by saying that if you're going to have Brad Evans on the roster, if you're going to go to the length of renewing his contract, if you're going to, you know, if you're going to have him on this team and you're not going to give him an honest shot at starting right back, I don't understand why you brought him back.
00:34:28
Speaker
Uh, because that's a lot of money to devote to a player who doesn't have a position. And if the Sounders didn't see him as a right back, I think that's a big miscalculation that they made in terms of bringing him back. I think he would be a very good right back. I was calling for him to be right back over Tyrone Mears, uh, up until we kind of got towards the end of the season and that just wasn't going to happen anymore. But, uh,
00:34:51
Speaker
I mean, I really strongly think you almost have to use Brett Evans as your right back. And it's not just because he's the sunk cost. I think he's going to be a better player there. But I think if the Sounders aren't willing to take that chance, that it was a really bad decision to bring him back. Yeah, I mean, I guess that's the clear point, right? Because if they are going to exercise his option, it's crazy to do that and not just that I'm playing him right back.
00:35:19
Speaker
So you guys kind of already answered it, but I'll just read it just to make sure that we cover it. US Army in Tulsa asked, what are the chances we find another right back other than Evans before the season starts? And I think you guys did cover that, so. Yeah, I don't think, I think, like I would be shocked if the Sounders spent any resources on bringing in another right back. Just like really blown away by it. It would just make no sense to me. Are people like a little worried just because we lost Mears and
00:35:49
Speaker
Uh, Dylan?
00:35:50
Speaker
I mean, I guess that's why, and it's been kind of funny to me how many, especially on the Sounder's Facebook, or on our Facebook page, Sounder at Heart Facebook page, I was surprised at how many people were really bummed about Time Room Mirror's leaving. And I don't know, maybe, and it's like I guess I'm in this bubble where a lot of the Sounder at Heart contributors, us on this show, were, I don't think we were pitching
00:36:20
Speaker
What's the term? Pitchforks and torches? Torches and pitchforks? I don't know, whatever. By the end of the season, I think we had accepted, we'd come to terms with Tyrone Mears being the starting right back. During the middle of the season, I was like, I could not, I was like, pulling my hair out at how bad he was playing.
00:36:40
Speaker
after that KC game after like when he got pulled at halftime of the Portland game I thought that was kind of the last week we'd see of them but you know people have a much better recollection of how they he played I've been amazed at kind of some of the the the
00:36:55
Speaker
the verbs people have used, or the adjectives people have used to describe his play. Well, you gotta remember, probably the most vivid memory they're gonna have is him stealing the ball and sealing the wind. Yeah! I mean, it was a great play, and it was probably arguably the most important single play outside from maybe the save of the playoff run, but I am personally, I think Brad Evans is an upgrade over Tyler Mears.
00:37:21
Speaker
I think he's a pretty significant upgrade over Time Room Mirrors. I think he's going to give you a better... I think that they're very similar in terms of the way they approach the position, but I think Evans is just kind of better at everything. Okay, moving on. ARback asks, 0.5 Zakkawani appearances this year, over or under? Under. Yeah, I gotta say that's a clever... See, that's the guy who understands how betting works.
00:37:49
Speaker
I'm gonna say under, but I've been impressed that these first few days of training make it look like it's at least a possibility. When I first saw him out there, I thought, oh, this is clearly just a thing where he's out here, keep staying in shape, but that he did the beep test
00:38:11
Speaker
And that he apparently is holding his own with these guys is interesting. I still am a little skeptical that a guy who has been retired for literally two years is gonna just kind of come off the street and make an MLS cup.
00:38:27
Speaker
defending, you know, defending MLS Cup champion roster, even if it's just as like a late sub. But I guess the Senators could use a guy with Steve Zakawani skills, but I'm still not. I'll believe it. If he goes to Tucson, I think maybe I'll start thinking about it a little differently. Aaron, nothing? I said under. Okay. Maybe you had another comment or something, you know, whatever.
00:39:00
Speaker
We're going to fight after this. Wilcox4u asks, which unsigned, trial-type player are you most hoping to get signed and why? I guess the galle or boss. I don't know. What are we going to call him, Aaron? Galle or boss? If he makes the team, I'll actually learn how to pronounce his name.
00:39:20
Speaker
Um, correctly. I think it's a blossom on day. I think you're right. Um, but I, I have this horrible habit as regular listeners will know of knowing how to pronounce people's names and still pronouncing them incorrectly. Um, which you would think I wouldn't do having the last name that I have, but you know, here we are. Um, yeah, I think, but I agree. I think, I mean, it's weird because you know, I'm excited about Alfaro, uh, and, and we obviously have two very, very good center backs.
00:39:48
Speaker
Um, so it's like on the one hand, I kind of wish he was a defensive midfielder. Sadie does too. Um, but he, I think his upside is just is undeniably really high.
00:40:03
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's the guy I'm, I feel like has the most potential to be not just an okay MLS player. Like there's a potential, like he's 25 still. I think there's still a very good MLS player that's potential in that guy. Okay, Derek M. Young asks, soccer and politics should never mix, but man, distract me with Monteiro rumors.
00:40:32
Speaker
I disagree. I think that soccer and politics should mix sometimes. I know what he's getting at, but yeah, I think that it's very hard for me that people can root for this team with the players on it from all sorts of different countries.
00:40:53
Speaker
that have come through the team to watch this league to see how that mix of cultures is so cool and one of the things that makes this country really special and be okay with the kind of shit that's going on right now.
Expansion Team Speculation
00:41:08
Speaker
But Montero rumors are good, you know? Montero rumors sure are fun. Yeah, they really are.
00:41:18
Speaker
Bill Jones, S-T-E-R-P-T-E-S, can you give me false hope of a team with Freddy, Deuce, Nico, Morris, and Bruin, please? I... I... I wish I could. I do. I really, really do. But I just... I can't see it. I can't. I just don't think it makes any sense. From a roster construction standpoint.
00:41:38
Speaker
I think that the only way that it happens is if they know they want to bring in Freddy, they know that this window is the only chance they have to bring in Freddy. And, you know, they say, you know what, this is an optimal roster construction, but we want this guy. He's the guy that we want to replace Dempsey when Dempsey's gone. And we're just going to kind of figure it out this season. That just doesn't seem like a very Garth waterway way of approaching things. But, you know, we'll see. I don't know.
00:42:10
Speaker
T underscore Rob Thomas asks which players lost this offseason? Sounders which sounders players lost this offseason will we see starting for other MLS teams going forward? Well, I think the only player that
00:42:30
Speaker
I think Tyrone Mears might be the only guy. I'm just racking my mind to think who they lost that stayed in MLS. I don't think Dylan Remick's going to be starting. I think Tyrone Mears is the guy that has the most potential to be like, ah, shoot.
00:42:51
Speaker
I mean, Darwin Jones maybe will develop a new starter at some point. Maybe, I don't know. Dylan Remick, I guess I could see him being a starting left back for a mid lane team for a couple of years. But yeah, I don't see there being a lot of potential for ones that got away sort of regret this season.
00:43:17
Speaker
Matt Oak, aka Celine Dion Butt Tattoo asks two questions. Is Atlanta a year one playoff team? Yeah, I think they have a chance to be the best expansion team ever. I think they have a really good chance. They might crash and burn. I mean, it might be, you know, throwing spaghetti at the wall talent wise, but man, that roster looks really good. I mean, I think that they could conceivably challenge for the yeast and there are some good teams in the yeast.
00:43:43
Speaker
I'll say that as much as I agree that their roster looks really intimidating, I still don't really get how that team's going to come together defensively. And MLS is not really a league that has ever had a team that just outscores opponents, like they're giving up a goal and a half a game and still winning on a regular basis.
00:44:11
Speaker
So I guess, although I guess the Sounders maybe in 2014 would be a, I don't know what to say. But I'm still skeptical that it's just so hard to win in this league in year one. I think, you know, you look at what Orlando City and New York City FC did in year one. And I think that Atlanta has put together a better team than either one of those guys did. But I just, you know, I don't know, I guess I'll,
00:44:39
Speaker
I'll say I'm very impressed. I should say I was someone who was a very vocal skeptic of what that market was going to look like. Now I should say that my skepticism came before we saw how much resources Arthur Blank, the owner, was willing to commit to them.
00:45:02
Speaker
You know, in the time since he's shown to be, I think he's going to be a great MLS owner. But, you know, they're going to end up breaking the Sounders' expansion attendance record, which is amazing. I'm just not 100% sold that they'll be able to make the playoffs this year, but we'll see.
00:45:21
Speaker
I think they're... I'd be shocked if they didn't make the playoffs. I don't think I'm anywhere near as skeptical of their defense as you are. I mean, they've got some good defenders on this team. Greg Garza... Proven winner. Proven winner. They've signed a proven winner. Tyrone Mirs, proven winner, Tyrone Mirs. Greg Garza is a good player.
00:45:41
Speaker
uh Michael Parkers is a pretty good player Zach Lloyd the pretty good player oh I guess they they did get good parkers didn't they yeah they got uh Gonzalez Perez they signed today I think they've I think they've got a pretty solid defense I guess the question is
00:45:56
Speaker
And it's kind of the question any time, you know, a team puts together pretty much a new roster from scratch, whether it be, you know, like Manchester City and Chelsea, who took like three or four years to figure out, or just a team literally starting from scratch, is, you know, are they going to be able to gel in year one? I think is the big question. But I'd be really shocked if they didn't make the playoffs.
00:46:24
Speaker
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00:46:49
Speaker
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00:47:12
Speaker
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00:47:49
Speaker
Matt Oak's second question is, how hard should we be laughing at Portland regarding Freddy Ado? It's pretty funny. I mean, it's definitely funny. One of our friends of the show is very fond of defending Freddy Ado. And I just do not see him having an MLS career.
00:48:10
Speaker
No. Anything like a productive MLS career. I would be bummed if the Sounders brought him in. I mean, look, to be fair, there's nothing about Freddy Ado in terms of his age and, you know, kind of the talent that he obviously has that makes you think that he couldn't have a good MLS career except for literally every other thing that's happened in Freddy Ado's career.
00:48:35
Speaker
I mean, I think that that just makes you you have to you have to kind of say, well, yeah, he's probably going to flame out here, too, if he even makes the team, which is sad. I feel I feel bad for the guy. You know, I don't think it's like a character flaw on his part. It's just it just does not work for the guy. I think for the first time in his career, though, he's actually feels like he's the actual age where other than him being like he should be like 40, but he's only 27.
00:49:05
Speaker
Nathan Nithinius, Nithinius22 asks, will Zack Scott's number be retired? Huh. I, I, I, no, I don't, I don't think it will. Um, as great as he was from a narrative perspective,
00:49:31
Speaker
And he was here a really long time by American soccer standards.
Season Predictions and Player Comparisons
00:49:37
Speaker
And he won a fair number of trophies, but I mean, he was never like a starter, a regular, like he was never the, the presumed starter at any point during the MLS era. And I would like, it would just feel a little, it would feel a little forced to retire his number. I feel like there's other ways to honor his memory than retiring his number.
00:50:00
Speaker
I'd say if there's one player you're going if you were to choose one Sounders player that would he would be the one probably Yeah, you're probably right. I don't know I I don't
00:50:13
Speaker
I don't know if the Sounders will ever retire somebody's number, but I could see them doing like a ring of honor kind of thing, which I kind of like better than retiring numbers anyway. So, you know, because then you end up like the Yankees where you've got like guys who are number 73 or whatever, because they got so many damn numbers retired. So yeah, but I feel, I agree with Jeremiah. Like I feel like retiring numbers is reserved for
00:50:40
Speaker
Truly great players that that also have the kind of connection to the to the franchise that you know somebody like Zach Scott does And I don't think that Scott's a truly great player Okay, second question by from Nithinius 22 is is there going to be a Western Conference champions banner or just MLS Cup champs I Suspect there would only be an MLS Cup champion. I I don't know how the
00:51:10
Speaker
I don't know how that works normally. Do the Mariners have their AL West Championship next to their World Series? Oh, shit. Sorry, that's not a good way of asking. It's not very nice. But do you have a banner for 116 wins, though? That's true. Do they have the 116 win banner? Yeah, well, they have it on their AL West Champions banner. Oh. I would suspect that it will just be an MLS Cup banner. That's my suspicion.
00:51:40
Speaker
Yeah. I think it'll come down to budget. It could. I mean, it is what it's like $25,000 or something to put it up there. They're not cheap. Yeah. DerryDCtown asks, preseason predictions. Do we make the playoffs, reach MLS Cup Finals, win MLS Cup Final? Does Dempsey return? Hashtag, do you guys have jobs?
00:52:10
Speaker
I'll start at the end. We're both gainfully employed. All of us are gainfully employed, I believe, right now. Although it's not always been the case during the record, during the run of the show. I think, I don't know, have all three of us been unemployed at some point during the recording of the show? I don't know. I have not been unemployed since I was 22, so no. Oh, there you go. You're fancy. No, I kind of wish that I'd had like a month or two somewhere in there,
00:52:42
Speaker
um but uh i i god i want to say the sounders will repeat as n west cup champions um but i i don't think if i had to predict right now i think they'll probably be like uh
00:52:55
Speaker
They'll probably go out in the, I'll say conference finals or something and make the playoffs again. Yeah, I'm never gonna predict the playoffs even like, you know, on the day of the playoffs, but I think that they're definitely a playoff team and I think they could be in the conversation as a supporter shield favorite as well.
00:53:20
Speaker
SugarToes asks, I've been high on Kovar forever, but my dumb friend isn't a fan. What can I tell him to make him change his mind? Best question ever. I mean, I don't know what there is a not like about Kovar other than he's not like a superstar, but I think he's got some really good, he's got a great left foot.
00:53:43
Speaker
He's an honest, two-way defender. He's not a big guy, but he's willing to track back and do the stuff necessary. He's got a great engine. If he gets 1,000 minutes, I think he scores four or five goals, contributes an assist or two. I think he's a great player to have on your team right now, and I think he has potential to be an MLS starting quality player.
00:54:11
Speaker
I got in a discussion with somebody, I guess it would have been during the middle of the summer last year, maybe a little earlier, maybe late spring, who told me that he didn't see any way that the Sounders were ever going to be an MLS Cup team with Christian Roldan even on the roster. Not starting, just on the roster.
00:54:33
Speaker
And so I think that some people have, I think that some people have strong opinions about young players, and you just kind of have to wait and see. So if your friend wants to think Aaron Kovar is bad.
00:54:50
Speaker
That's whatever. That's fine. I don't think that that's true. Um, but generally I find that people don't change their mind about young players until the young players make it impossible for them to, to not hold that opinion. And then even then sometimes they don't. So, uh, T underscore Rob Thomas also asks, uh, who has a higher upside as a wing or cover or ship who will get more minutes this season?
00:55:20
Speaker
Oh, I think Ship is going to get more minutes, and I think Ship is probably a better player, but I think as a pure outside, like who's going to get more minutes on the outside, I actually think Kovar will play more minutes as a winger. I think Harry Ship is probably miscast as a wide player, I think he's much more effective in the middle.
00:55:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think Ship is an attacking midfielder that can play out wide. Similar, not as good obviously, but similar to Lodero where Lodero is playing wide, but he's an attacking midfielder and that's just the space he's most comfortable in. And I think Kovar is a true kind of old school winger that just operates in wider spaces and gets up and down the pitch and does old school winger type things.
00:56:11
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I will say this is that Kovar, if you're looking for a reason why you shouldn't hate Kovar, is he's one of the only players on this team right now who's like a true, wide player. There's not a lot of true, wide players on this team. And so at the very least, he gives you some tactical flexibility. And he's cheap on top of that.
00:56:32
Speaker
Third question involving Kovar SSU underscore Richard M asks core free kick back up to Ledero number of goals will Roman Torres get I'm concerned about our full bike depth Evans backing back up every spot. I Think Harry ship is takes him pretty good free kick if I recall correctly
00:56:54
Speaker
So if he's playing at the same time as Ledero, I wouldn't be surprised if he's kind of the second free kick banana. But I wouldn't be shocked to see Kovar kick someone as well. Yeah, I don't know that Kovar is going to be taking a ton of free kicks. But yeah, I mean, I guess if he's on the field, I think he's probably the guy that is the second best to Nicholas Ledero.
00:57:37
Speaker
Two? I don't know. Three? Yeah, that's probably my guess too. That's not a guy I'm counting on for, like, you know, Chad Marshall, what, he had three goals last year? Four, I think, didn't he? Was it four? Yeah, I mean, and it's like, I think he had one goal before that for the Sounders. And like, he's a really good, he's really good on set pieces, but it's like,
00:57:38
Speaker
, was the
00:57:59
Speaker
You know, center back's pretty tough to, you know, the really good center back, it's like four goals on goal. So it's, you know, somewhere between two and four, I think it's safe. Okay, Andrew H. Way asks, where's the in-depth Dutra profile? Seriously, the guy must be great, right?
00:58:22
Speaker
slash jerk. You know, if you come to Nos Arientes, maybe you'll get to get a little bit more Tom Dutra action. I love Tom. I think Tom's great. I think actually I actually have been thinking that I should write a story about Tom Dutra because he's a great story.
CONCACAF Format Criticism
00:58:43
Speaker
Been here since he's other than than Brian Schmetzer. He's the longest tenured Saunders coach. He's been here since 2007, I believe.
00:58:50
Speaker
And the list of goalkeepers that he's coached is very, very impressive. So I'm a big Tom Dutra fan. Would you write this story before or after Yacht-Con? Probably after Yacht-Con, just knowing my schedule. Okay. Just wanted to say Yacht-Con a couple more times in case people don't know. Yeah, Yacht-Con's coming up in case people don't know where.
00:59:18
Speaker
Pbar96 asks, what do you think of the new CCL format schedule? It sucks. I hate it. It's crap. It makes it so much less meaningful to me. Yeah, I'm not a fan. I think it didn't address, like for me, the biggest concern was that it wasn't
00:59:40
Speaker
Like I wanted to see it contained in one year. I didn't want to see it contained in a few months. And I feel like it's been cheapened. I feel like it is less meaningful than it used to be. I really don't like the idea. It's essentially a glorified cup competition. And I actually don't think it's a league at all. And I just think it, I mean, I get the thinking behind it.
01:00:09
Speaker
And, you know, once we get to 20, was it 2020 will be the first year that you don't have to play like a weird, like this, like, so the 2018 version is going to include teams that qualified in 2016. Apparently the 2019 version is going to include teams that qualified in 19, in 17 and 18. So finally in 2020, you're going to have teams that qualified in the right cycle, but
01:00:34
Speaker
I don't like it. I don't like it at all. I don't think it addresses the, for me, were the biggest concerns. I'm not a fan.
Social Issues and Team Identity
01:00:44
Speaker
Okay, moving on. Susie Rants asks, in what scenario would you ever bet against Laura Harvey? You know, I, um...
01:00:59
Speaker
I think a competition to see who could go the longest without making a trade. I would bet against Laura. It's like, who can be quiet the longest? Yeah, I don't... she seems like a pretty talented lady that Laura Harvey. She's... like she's built herself quite a little... she's again put together another intriguing roster and very impressive lady.
01:01:29
Speaker
AdamP__360S with Valdez gone, who has the best head of hair on the squad? I mean, it's gotta be Brad Evans, right? Yeah, he has good hair. His hair is kinda... Don't forget, Brad Evans was the king of the hair before Nelson showed up. Yeah. That's true. I think Torres's hair is pretty good, too. Yeah, Torres's hair is very good. Yeah. Yeah.
01:01:52
Speaker
MuffinTopModel asks, how long until my sounder's license plates show up? They cash my checks two weeks ago. It's not really. Jerks. Yeah. Jerks. I'm not sure when. I don't know if that's it. I mean, they got to print them, right? And then send them? I'll say they'll show up sometime after this recording. Yeah, that seems like it. Because of us. Yep. OK, Rob Seamask, how disappointing would it be to sign Suarez and he go whole season without biting anyone?
01:02:23
Speaker
I was right. I kind of forget that Louis Suarez, there was that nice little run of fake rumors of Louis Suarez coming here.
01:02:36
Speaker
I guess the biting thing is not what concerns me about Louisaurs. It's some of the other stuff, but I don't know. I'm probably more along the lines of forgive and forget. I don't know if I really wanna get into Louisaurs. Yeah, that's reasonable. That's not gonna happen. Yeah, that's the thing. If we were signing them, I would totally go to the mat over it, but we're not, so whatever. Bill Jones, S-T-R-P-E-T asks, how many of you use Schmetzer as at least one of your passwords?
01:03:07
Speaker
That's what makes me think I should be using it, but I haven't. I haven't been using it. I'll say I'm guilty. Really? Which one? Yeah. Uh, the real James F. B. S. Yeah. Speaking of Spicer, the real James F. B. S. Do you agree with Sean Spicer's prediction that the sounders will win their eighth straight title this year? Hashtag alternative facts.
01:03:36
Speaker
I don't, because if he's predicting it, then you can draw your conclusions there, right? So no, I think he's wrong on that. Well played. Or is he right? Chip Rogers asks, what's a good strategy for dealing with Hinton's Twitter? You know, blocking it?
01:03:59
Speaker
Yeah, I got into a bit of a Twitter argument with Alan yesterday, and I've found myself engaging with him on Twitter more recently, because I feel like I do like to believe that he's open to maybe some educating.
01:04:17
Speaker
And I try to hold it to when he's grossly misstating facts. And I try to, my policy is to, I think you either need to ignore him, you need to just blindly follow him and accept what he's saying, or I think it's perfectly fine to try to correct his incorrect facts, which he is very fond of sharing.
01:04:46
Speaker
But I don't know. It's a tough one. And I'm sure that there are people that listen to the show that think that Alan has great political opinions. Sure. And that's I mean, like the thing with Alan Hinton's Twitter is that if it pisses you off, you should block it. Like you don't have a moral obligation to follow him on Twitter because he coached the Sounders, you know, like I'll second that. Yes, for sure. Like I don't I don't think he's like a shitty person or anything. I mean, I know people that know him.
01:05:16
Speaker
pretty well that that say he's a he's a great dude and I don't doubt that but you know you don't have that like I wouldn't follow my mom on twitter I can tell you that much and I'm lucky because I am talented and so like if my mom's a good analogy if my mom had a twitter account I would block it so fast that it's like a keyboard version of flames so um yeah I mean it's okay you know but like
01:05:38
Speaker
If you can also selectively mute things like you can mute Alan Twinton or Alan Hinton, Dow Jones or something like that would probably. Gas prices. Yeah, the gas. Oh man, I forgot about the gas price thing. That was, that was a hoot. Yeah. Oh, okay. One last question. Justicar asks, is it okay to punch a Nazi?
01:06:05
Speaker
I think I'll give my nuanced opinion of this, which is I 100% support the free speech of all Americans, of all people in this country, to speak. I do think, and I don't think that the government should be stopping people from speaking. That said, if you are the kind of person that is going to make a public persona out of
01:06:33
Speaker
out of supporting genocide or other clearly hateful opinions like that, and you get socked in the face, I am not gonna shed any tears and I will feel not guilty at all enjoying watching you get punched in the face. Yeah, I mean, I think that if there's a difference between the law and morality, and I find no moral issue with punching a Nazi in the face,
01:07:03
Speaker
I don't think it should be, I think if you punch a Nazi in the face and you get caught, they should probably prosecute you. Because it's like the government has to stay neutral, but no, I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with smoking weed and that's illegal most places. And I'd put them pretty similar ethically from a moral standpoint.
01:07:27
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things that maybe got lost in this whole debate is that the guy who got Richard Spencer is not just like some rando who happens to be a Nazi. I mean, he's like a very outspoken public pseudo leader. And so it's not like I think even those of us that are kind of pushing the punch Nazis meme are okay with
01:07:55
Speaker
you know, being selected. And I'm not saying we should all just run out around punching every single person we think might be a Nazi, but especially people that have not, you know, been very nuanced about their Nazi-like opinions. Yeah, that's the thing, is that I think a lot of people feel like people are using the term Nazi colloquially. Like, he's literally a Nazi. And if we cannot at all agree that that's evil, that's, you know,
01:08:25
Speaker
I'm curious to see what our listeners think of this conversation. But anyway. He's got a punchable face anyway, so. He's got a really punchable face. He really does.
Episode Wrap-Up and Event Reminder
01:08:36
Speaker
In that hair. But I digress. Thanks to all our sponsors. This is nice to be back. We're on a...
01:08:50
Speaker
We're going to be back. The next time you hear the show is almost certainly going to be Yacht-Con. So I hope we see you there. It will be streamed by Bootstrapper. I should say that. So if you're not going to be able to attend, you should watch the live stream. And that will be available after the fact as well. But I hope anyone that watches the live stream would be really cool if you will have a donation page for
01:09:12
Speaker
for Seattle Children's Autism Center. And if you watch the live stream, it will be appreciated if you made some small donation to that. But we want to thank, thanks to Queen Anne Beer Hall for hosting that thing. But especially thanks to our sponsors who are making this whole venture possible. Constellation and Company, Bootstrapper Studios, Full Pull Wines, Designer's Marble, Queen Anne Acupuncture, Verity Credit Union,
01:09:41
Speaker
They've all been instrumental in allowing us to have this show and to make Yacht-Con happen. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. So with that, I'm going to sign off on behalf of myself, Jeremiah O'Shan, and Aaron Campo, and Likit. This is No Saudi at Dis. Remember, you'll never Yacht alone.
01:10:01
Speaker
Green Douglasburg where the water's cut through Down to wild mountains and tangents you flew Canadian northwest to the ocean so blue It's Roll On, Columbia Roll On Roll On, Columbia Roll On Roll On, Columbia Roll On Your power is turning our darkness to dawn Roll On, Columbia Roll On
01:10:43
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!