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Nos Audietis, Episode 265: Bring on the Dynamo
55 Plays8 years ago
The Seattle Sounders are back in the Western Conference finals. That’s two years in a row they’ve made it this far, three times in the past four -- with the lone exception seeing them knocked out in penalties -- and four times in the past six. Toronto FC is the only other team to make back to back finals and no other team can match the Sounders’ run of success in either of those other areas A club once known for its playoff struggles are now proving themselves remarkably consistent when it comes to postseason soccer.
Now, they’ll face a Houston Dynamo team that didn’t exact look dominant in beating a very depleted Portland Timbers squad for a chance to return to the MLS Cup final. It’s hard not to feel confident, wouldn’t you agree?
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Nos Adieres is sponsored by Full Pool Wines. Full Pool Wines are based in Seattle, owned and operated by Sanders fans, and have been sponsoring Nos Adieres since 2011. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, the Pacific Northwest. Their model is simple. One, they email compelling offers.
00:00:23
Speaker
Two, you request bottles that sound appealing. And three, your wine arrives at their soda warehouse and is ready for pickup or shipping. Their soda tasting room is also open to the public. If you're interested in joining their mailing list or learning more about them, visit fullpaulwines.com.
Sounders' Playoff Consistency
00:00:42
Speaker
Hey, this is Christian Roldan. And Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders Football Club. And you're listening to... There's no study at this.
00:01:04
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
00:01:22
Speaker
Welcome to another edition of NOS Adietes, sponsored by Focal Wines, pointing out an acupuncture very critical in designers, Marvel, and our broadcast partner, Bootstrapper Studios. This is episode 265, and we're recording on Monday, November 13th, 2017. I'm your host, Jeremiah O'Shan, and I'm joined by my co-host, Aaron Campo, and our engineer, Lickett.
00:01:40
Speaker
So it may be hard to remember at this point, but the Sounders are in fact back in the Western Conference Finals. That's two years in a row that they've made it this far, three times in the past four, with the lone exception seeing them knocked out in penalties, and four times in the past six. Toronto FC is the only other team to have made back-to-back finals, and no other team can match the Sounders' run of success in either of those other areas. A club once known for its playoff struggles are now proving themselves remarkably consistent when it comes to postseason soccer.
Match Analysis: Sounders vs. Dynamo
00:02:09
Speaker
Now they'll face the Houston Dynamo, a team that didn't exactly look dominant in beating a very depleted Portland Timber squad for a chance to return the MLS Cup final. So Aaron, how are you? Like I am, I am shockingly like, I don't know. I want to say, oh, I don't think I'm confident as much as I just feel very, yeah, no, I'm, I'm confident. I'm, I'm feeling confident. Is that, am I getting ahead of myself?
00:02:34
Speaker
No, I don't think so. I mean, I think that it's okay to feel confident. And I think that once you win the MLS Cup, you can feel confident in the playoffs. Right. I agree.
00:02:42
Speaker
I mean, there's a reality where Houston beats the Sounders over two legs. I mean, it's a possibility. Around this time last year, we learned that all sorts of seemingly improbable things can become true, and sometimes they're terrible. That would certainly be another one of those things that would be terrible, but I do think it's improbable.
00:03:05
Speaker
The Sounders are a much more talented team. Obviously, even, you know, they're probably going to be without Ozzie Alonzo, they're not going to have a full strength run Morris. There's still a lot, a lot better than Houston. The key I think is going to be
00:03:21
Speaker
not letting the break get to them because the Sounders this season have had a couple of real turds after a long layoff. It happens to every team. They've also had some very good games after long layoffs. Playing first at Houston, I'm not a huge fan of. We've talked about that a lot on the show. I don't think that having a second leg at home is really that big of an advantage for the most part.
00:03:45
Speaker
and Houston loves to counter attack and they can score goals and punches. So, you know, there are things to be concerned about, but I would be pretty shocked if the Sounders don't get past the dynamo. And I think that it's probably going to be pretty comfortable. I hate to say that, but I feel, I just, I'm with you. I feel pretty good about it. And I think that, you know, if there's ever a reason to feel pretty good about it.
00:04:09
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I just, I'm not seeing a lot of reasons that you shouldn't be confident. Now that, like you said, that doesn't mean that the Sounders will automatically beat Houston. Houston's not a bad team. But in a lot of ways, I see Houston as a less talented version of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Now, I think that they're a better coach team than the Vancouver Whitecaps. I think that they, you know, they do some things particularly better. But if you look, you know,
00:04:36
Speaker
player by player I actually think that the whitecaps are maybe a little bit more talented at you know key positions and the Sounders allowed a total of I think six
Sounders' Defense Strategy
00:04:48
Speaker
shots in that in that whole conference semi-final over two legs they only allowed one shot on goal they did a remarkably good job of keeping
00:05:00
Speaker
the counter attack at bay like there just weren't that many counter attack opportunities they certainly didn't create any shots off counter attacks and they also did a really good job of limiting set pieces like there I think there was three corners and two free kicks that were in the offensive third essentially that were close enough to to be crosses essentially
00:05:22
Speaker
You know, and so if the Sounders can avoid fouling, if they can avoid, you know, in dangerous areas, if they can avoid giving up corners and they can keep Houston from getting out on the counter attack, you really gotta like their chances, right? Yeah, I mean, I think that the key thing that we've learned about the Sounders over the past two seasons is that
00:05:43
Speaker
If they have a full strength defense, they are really, really, really difficult to blow away. They've had some games where they got blown out this season, but those games did not feature their full strength defense. And I just, yeah, the Dynamo can score a ton of goals and they can put up goals in bunches and their threatening team.
00:06:03
Speaker
But I just don't worry about the Sounders defense having that much trouble with them. And in the past, the Sounders playoff woes were mostly giving up three, four goals, I guess it was three, in a first leg and digging too deep of a hole.
00:06:20
Speaker
It's just really hard for me to see that happening with this team. I mean, the team last year just sort of grinded their way for two months to an MLS Cup and just did not let anybody score. And it's just, you know, people talk about
00:06:34
Speaker
Well, if the Sounders play Toronto again in the MLS Cup Final, Toronto is going to beat them 3-0. There's no team in MLS that I think could be reasonably expected to beat the Sounders 3-0 with this defense. No, this defense is very, very good. And it should be said that they're very, very good as long as they have, I think, one of or two of Svensson, Marshall, or Torres starting as center backs.
00:07:01
Speaker
and two of three of Leardham, Jones, or Newhoo starting at fullback. And if they have Christian Roldon, if they start a game with the same defense essentially that they started against Vancouver, I don't think there's any, like I would be shocked if they give up more than a goal in Houston. And I think they'll be in a great position coming home regardless. Yeah, and I think that one of the biggest differences between this team and maybe teams of Sounders past is that
00:07:29
Speaker
In the past, I think the Sounders played really defensively on the road because they felt like they kind of had to. And, you know, because the Sounders have had some good defenses, but I don't think they've ever been at this level. I mean, this is, I would take this defense over any team in Omaha, including supporting Kansas City.
00:07:45
Speaker
And so I think that, you know, the Sounders kind of felt like they had to bunker, had to play defensively on the road in the playoffs. And we're just completely unable to do anything offensively and just kind of had to, you know, retreat into a shell for 90 minutes. And that's always a recipe for disaster.
00:08:04
Speaker
This team, I think it's reasonable to affect into play, you know, a little more defensively than normal against Houston, but they don't have to bunker. They don't have to sit back completely and just absorb pressure. And they can, you know, create some difficulty in the attack and they have enough talented and creative attacking players that
00:08:22
Speaker
I don't think it's likely that they're going to just sit back and not do anything in the attack. And when Houston gets stretched, they're very vulnerable. So yeah, I mean, I think that, yeah, it's possible that Houston wins the first leg. I think it's just as possible. The Sounders get two or three away goals.
00:08:38
Speaker
Um, I'm, I'm just, I'm feeling really confident Jeremiah.
Critique of Vancouver Whitecaps Tactics
00:08:42
Speaker
I gotta tell you that, uh, and maybe, maybe that'll be the death of me. I don't know. I'm not here to tell you you're wrong, uh, for feeling that way. That's for sure. Uh, you know, one of the things that if there is an area to give us pause, and maybe this is a, not a bad statistic, the Sounders I believe are 0 4 and 4 at Houston all time. Uh, they, of course.
00:09:02
Speaker
You may remember this, that doesn't include, I don't think, their trip to Houston in 2009. I thought it was kind of funny. Someone asked Brian Spencer about that 2009 trip and he was like, that was a really long time ago. And it is, I mean, it was, it was like ancient history in a lot of ways. You know, essentially there's only one player that could conceivably show up in the game.
00:09:27
Speaker
And that also played in that game. And I don't think we're going to see Ozzy Alonzo. I mean, they don't play in the same stadium. But anyway, we don't have to get into that. But the Sounders have struggled a fair amount in Houston. But they've never really been blown out there either, which for all their struggles, I think their worst loss might be 2-0. So it's not like it's a house of horrors for them. And then on the flip side, the Sounders have never lost to Houston at home. I believe they are 6-0 and 2 if that's
00:09:57
Speaker
if I remember correctly, and they also happened to tie that game in 2009 in the playoffs. But this, so I mean, I guess you'll take that trade off, right? If you got a, you know, the two teams seem to cancel each other out in some ways, except for the Sounders are actually a little bit better at home than Houston has been. But yeah, it's, you know, it's, I don't know, Houston, it would be fitting if the Sounders got their first ever win in Houston in the playoffs, though.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah, it really would. And I think there's a pretty decent chance of it. I don't know. I'm not expecting it to really be especially nerderacking at any point. But we'll see. I mean, Houston did show against Portland that they can lock up shop pretty effectively.
00:10:46
Speaker
Who knows? But if the Sounders get a nil-null in Houston, I'll feel extremely good. Because honestly, there's no way that Houston team disputes Portland if Portland didn't have the injury problems that they had. They had to give 45 minutes or whatever it was to a guy who had a week earlier burned off the top layer of skin on his foot. That's the dire straits they were in.
00:11:10
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's one thing to look at that game and see, well, Houston came back in 121 in Portland, and that's obviously true. But the team they were playing in Portland was not really like any version of the Timbers that I think suited up this year for any game. And I wouldn't say I felt bad for the Timbers, but
00:11:32
Speaker
I must admit that like there was, I saw a couple of people kind of wanting to pile on Caleb Porter for that one. And it's like, you know, this is one of those situations where I really don't know that you can put it on the coach. Like if the centers are in that same situation and the centers have been playing short-handed, it should be said, but this was pretty extreme. And here we are, we're now more than 10 minutes into the segment. We haven't even mentioned
00:11:58
Speaker
Clint Dempsey scoring a brace for the Sounders. His one playoff game, you know, he misses the first leg. He comes back in the second leg and his first goal absolute, you know, kind of vintage Clint Dempsey in that I wouldn't say he made something out of nothing, but it was a pretty impressive goal nonetheless. And then he puts it away with a pretty much a tap in off of a gorgeous cross from Victor Rodriguez.
00:12:23
Speaker
But Dempsey was very, very good. And it wasn't just his two goals. He had 10 shots in the game. He was dangerous. He was active. He looked like a guy who was making up for lost time. Yeah, he did. He did as much of a put the team on my back, I think, as you can really kind of expect in soccer, especially with the team that's good, that doesn't really need anybody to put them on the back.
00:12:50
Speaker
Yeah, and I thought that the center's offense looked pretty good, aside from Dempsey. And like, I think you got to give credit, a lot of credit to Christian Roldan for really doing the hard work, or not the hard work, the hard work probably was the finish, but putting in a lot of the work that created the defensive
00:13:08
Speaker
kind of unsettling that allowed Dempsey to to put in the uh what was ultimately the winner uh but I thought the the the offense was you know came in with the right attitude I found Vancouver's tactics to be disgusting frankly and not in a oh this is dirty soccer but and I don't usually get frustrated but I just felt like
00:13:30
Speaker
for as talented as Vancouver was, I thought Carl Robinson came in with a just a frankly embarrassing game plan where he wanted nothing to do with the game aside from like it seemed like his only interest was like nicking a goal that came against the run of play or taking it to penalties like that seemed to be like there was no intention of really playing in that in that series.
00:13:55
Speaker
Right. And you could maybe forgive him for that if given the, I think the talent deficit and everything, you could maybe forgive him for that. If you hadn't done pretty much the same fucking thing in the first leg. And that's, that's what's so frustrating to me is you've got the super talented team.
00:14:11
Speaker
you know, that's facing off against the Seattle team that's missing one of their best players that's banged up. You know, you would think that they would have attempted to attack in that first leg and they didn't at all. They were arguably less attack minded in the first leg than they were in the second leg. Right. And it's I mean, it's incredible to me that I was actively pissed off about Carl Robinson's tactics during that game, despite the fact that it was beneficial to the Sounders.
00:14:40
Speaker
Like it's just, it's so frustrating to watch a team that should play really good soccer. They have a lot of talented, creative, you know, pretty fun players on that team. And they're playing just the worst, you know, Tony pool is kick and rush bullshit. And it's just, it's, it's awful to watch and it's a waste of talent. And it's frustrating as hell to play against even when you win pretty comfortably. Yeah, I was very, you know, I felt kind of bad for, for Freddie. Uh, not that I don't mind.
00:15:10
Speaker
beating him and certainly I am not feeling bad that he did not score against the Sounders in the playoffs. And I definitely don't feel bad that this may have been his only season with the Whitecaps. But I did. There were moments where I just could not believe that the way they were deciding to use him was to throw him up on an island and basically let him contend with two center backs while there was no help at all from the midfield for large chunks of the game. It was the most bizarre thing. And I don't know why anyone would think that Freddie Monteiro
00:15:40
Speaker
is particularly well-equipped to play that way. He's best when he's playing off of other guys, when he's interchanging and playing 1-2s and playing quick soccer. And that wasn't at all what he was set up to do in this game. Maybe that's why it was so frustrating because it was giving us flashbacks to the 2012 game against the Galaxy. But at least in that case, there really wasn't a different option.
00:16:04
Speaker
Right. Exactly. And pretty much every Whitecaps fan I know feels the same way. They were just insanely frustrated by it. And then I thought it was, took a lot of balls for Cole Robinson then to go into the post game locker room and basically say,
00:16:20
Speaker
we need to get more talented players like so what you can let them like there was no ambition at all from your game plan like if you go out and you okay you lose the first leg zero zero i guess i mean i don't know i just think there was so much the script was written at that point clearly if you lose the first leg you've you've kind of played your hand and that's what you're like you can't then kind of go all out in the second leg because then you look like a real idiot but i just
00:16:47
Speaker
I was just very disappointed, like there's way too much talent on the whitecaps to play the way that they did. If I'm a whitecaps fan, I'm incensed. I don't know that I could, you know, bring back the code. I mean, there's, are they as talented as the Sounders? No, I don't think that that's going out on the limb. And I've seen people suggest that you could go position by position and you would probably take the Sounders starter
00:17:10
Speaker
over the white gap starter at every position and i don't know maybe that's true like i i think there's some arguments to be made there but even if it's even if you accept that as truth
00:17:20
Speaker
this is not a bad team. They just aren't. Christian Bologna is a good player. Freddie Monteiro, a good player. You go down the list. There's a lot of talented talent on that team. Yeah. And the thing is that if the talent gap were the same, but the Whitecaps had a bunch of physical dudes, big target forward, a bunch of really speedy wingers that are really good at playing direct, then yeah, maybe it's a defensible tactic. But they don't. I mean, they have the opposite of that.
00:17:50
Speaker
They have like, there's no way that the style of play that they employed gave them the best chance to advance. And there's this belief that like, well, if you're not as good as the other team, then then you could have to play negative. You have to. And I just don't buy that. I just don't buy it at all. You have to play to the strengths of your players. And the way Caps just did not do that. And that's I'm fine with it because it was, you know, it made the series pretty comfortable. But
00:18:17
Speaker
just frustrating from an objective standpoint. Yeah, it was. Yeah, I don't know. I don't want to harp too much on what the Whitecaps didn't do, but it made the wind much more satisfying. And I was glad that
00:18:34
Speaker
It would have been really painful to see that tactic rewarded, essentially. I mean, this is not Celtic going against Barcelona. Right. And before anybody says anything, I don't think that it's comparable to what the Sounders did in the MLS Cup last year. I don't know. Right. Exactly. First of all, let's put a couple of things out of the way first. That game was on the road. Right.
00:18:57
Speaker
I don't think that it was one game. It wasn't two. It's not any one game that I don't think you're allowed to employ these tactics. It's that you did it over the course of two legs, one of which was at home. And I don't think that the Sounders were nearly as feckless offensively. They weren't as willing to seed. If I remember correctly, the possession was pretty close to 50-50 in the MLS Cup. And more to the point, you do what you have to do in MLS Cup in the final game.
00:19:27
Speaker
And I guess I'm just not convinced that, and there was a lot of things going on in that MLS Cup game. And I don't think that the Sounders felt like they were so under talented. I don't think they went in with a game plan that they were just going to play for penalties. I think that's just kind of the way it went out. But the difference with white gaps is they were clearly just playing for it that way. I also think that there's some revisionism in terms of how
00:19:53
Speaker
one side of that game actually was in terms of shots and whatnot. But I don't know. I didn't think that I think that Toronto's dominance was drastically overstated. Exactly. Like Toronto had maybe one or two clear chances in that game. Yeah, they had a ton of shots, but most of them were bad shots. And even the even the great save that that
00:20:17
Speaker
that fry made it was on a really great shot it wasn't from like a gimme chance right right like let's remember Josie outdoor was fading away off a ball that was almost out of bounds I mean it wasn't it was a great play it was a great you know he did a great job but it's not like
00:20:34
Speaker
I don't know. I'm not really that interested in relitigating MLS Cup final. I certainly don't feel bad about winning it that way. But I think it is important to point out that we're... I don't think we're being hypocritical because I think that that game unfolded the way it did. And I think at a certain point, the Sounders kind of locked up shop, but I don't think that they went into that game expecting that game to play out the way it did.
00:21:00
Speaker
I very much agree with you, Aaron, as always, to make very astute points. That's probably a good place to call this a segment. We'll come back, we'll talk a little bit more about S2's move, and then we'll take questions.
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Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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Relocation of S2 to Tacoma
00:22:55
Speaker
Welcome back to NOS Adietta. So we had this long break. Among the things that happened was that the sounders officially announced that they were moving S2 to Tacoma. I think if you're a listener of the show, I suspect you were aware that that was likely happening, but.
00:23:11
Speaker
Maybe you weren't. I don't know how many times we really talked about it. But I went to the launch event in Tacoma at Doyle's Pub, which I regret to report that I hardly was inside Doyle's Pub. So I don't really, and I've been meaning to get out there for a long time. And I basically walked through it on the way outside to the tent that was set up. And it was a very nice event. And I will say,
00:23:36
Speaker
that the event itself gave me a lot of reason to think that this move is going to work. I was impressed that the Tacoma mayor was there, that there was a few city council people there, that the Rainiers clearly seemed very excited about this. I thought it was worth noting that Aaron Artman, who's the president of the Rainiers, said that he was one of the voices that was really pushing back against
00:23:59
Speaker
doing this move now and that he didn't decide to go along with it until he was essentially convinced that they could put out a good soccer product. And I guess what they've done
00:24:12
Speaker
they're willing to spend, they're gonna be spending a fair amount of money. They've built this contraption that allows them to remove the pitcher's mound pretty easily. They had to buy this huge crane to move it. Apparently there's something like 10,000 pounds of clay that go into a pitcher's mound. I don't know if that's an accurate number, but that seems a little high, right? 10,000 pounds. That seems, that's five times. Yeah, like maybe it was, I'm pretty sure that's what they said. That just seems like an absurd amount of clay.
00:24:41
Speaker
But anyway, so they're going to remove the mound every game, but they're even going to be pushing the end line out into the warning track. So they're going to be using more sod out there. And so I've become convinced that I think this is going to actually work. I think this might actually be a pretty cool place to watch a soccer match.
00:25:08
Speaker
Yeah, I'm super excited about it. I mean, I think that it's not only possible, but highly likely that I'll go to way more S2 games in Tacoma. A low bar is 15 minutes from my house? Yeah, Starfire is 15 minutes from my house, and Chini is about an hour, but I'm sure I'll catch four or five games next year. And I think that
00:25:33
Speaker
That's probably pretty common for a lot of people. And it's, I think, certainly for folks in the South Sound to have another team to root for. There are a ton of sounders fans down there. And maybe they can't make every game. Maybe they can't make any games. I know my sister is super excited to be able to go to some games, especially as her kids get a little bit older. And they can't make it up to Seattle that often.
00:25:57
Speaker
Um, it's a new market. It's exciting. It's a, it's a different experience for existing sounder fans, existing S2 fans. Um, and I know that there are some people that are disappointed by it, but I think on the balance, it's, it's just, you know, it's going to be a lot better for, for fans and for the team itself. Yeah. And I think it should probably, it's worth staying. It's worth saying that for the few hundred
00:26:24
Speaker
passionate S2 fans that were showing up every week to Starfire, it's going to be hard to convince any of them that this is a good move. They had put their energy, they had put their emotions, they had invested time and energy and whatever else into whatever that experience was at Starfire that they
00:26:46
Speaker
liked and i'm sure part of what they liked about it was that it was theirs and that they didn't have to share it with thousands of other people that you know for the few hundred people that showed up maybe it was dozens i don't know how many people really showed up every week but i'm sure that there was something kind of special about being in a really small club like that and that's kind of what that was but for the rest of us who weren't going out to games i think you know i went to a few s2 games and
00:27:14
Speaker
when at its best, it felt like a scaled down version of what the Sounders were doing. But a lot of the time, I think it just felt like a scaled down version of what the Sounders were doing. And which meant that it just didn't have, it had none of the pomp and circumstance. It had none of the, you know, it's like when there was a lot of people in the supporters section, I think it could feel fun. And there was this energy that was very different than what you would get at a Sounders game. But when there wasn't very many people there,
00:27:44
Speaker
It just felt small and cheap. And I think my suspicion is that with this move, it will feel like something totally different than a Saunders game. I don't imagine that it will feel quite like going to a Tacoma Stars game was the last few years when the Rainiers were kind of running the show for them.
00:28:04
Speaker
But I suspect that it will feel more like a Stars game and less like what we've come to grow at an S2 game. And so I think that there's some fun to be had there. I have a feeling that a lot of people, like my suspicion is that the Rainiers draw well, not because people love AAA baseball, but because they've just created a fun environment for people to hang out in.
00:28:25
Speaker
Yeah, and that's the thing with minor league sports is that you can't grow too attached to the players because most of them are going to be around for one year or two. It's not the highest quality all the time. And so there has to be something else. It has to be a little bit more fun for the kids. There has to be some distractions. It has to be a little goofier to be successful.
00:28:47
Speaker
And I think that's okay. And I think that for whatever reason, the sounders decided to be just super deadly damn serious about us too. And it just, I don't know, it just never really felt like it worked. My suspicion is that they
00:29:05
Speaker
maybe started off, I do think you're right. When they first started off, I think they did have this kind of like pretty serious perspective on what S2 was gonna be. Like it was, they were serious about player development. And then I think they kind of went down that road and then they didn't have a way back from it, especially once they started cutting staff and they didn't really put a lot of resources into, you know, kind of creating anything beyond, you know, kind of a,
00:29:33
Speaker
It just never felt like there was a there there, I think is what I'm getting at. And I'm enthusiastic. I think that even before they have their own stadium, I think that Tacoma Games will feel like something different. And then once they get their own stadium, I think it could be really cool. What was interesting, I talked to someone with the Sanders Community Trust and
S2 Community Trust Explained
00:30:01
Speaker
This is what I still don't understand, and I'm going to have to get more information about it. But apparently, somehow the Rainier's don't have an ownership stake in S2, so I assume that the sounders must be paying them some sort of management fee. I'm not quite following what it is the Rainier's have, what skin they have.
00:30:21
Speaker
Yeah, because apparently what happened is that if they had given some, or sold some portion of S2 to Rainier's, it would have triggered this liquidation clause in the contract. And that would have meant that the Senator's Community Trust would have been cashed out. And I suppose that they could have come up with something that allowed them to then buy back in or whatever, but to save them the hassle,
00:30:48
Speaker
I guess, partly to preserve the Community Trust ownership stake in S2, they didn't do that. And I still don't fully understand what that's going on. But apparently, the Sanders Community Trust is unaffected, essentially, other than they're moving to Tacoma, like the teams moving to Tacoma. And
00:31:06
Speaker
And the community trust seems to think that this is their opportunity to kind of have a reboot and to really kind of have a second life and to get started because I don't think there's any way around it that the community trust has fallen way short of what the expectations were. Like whatever the expectations were for S2, I think the community trust has fallen somewhere below that to the point that I don't think a lot of people even realize that the community trust still exists because they've had virtually no presence.
00:31:35
Speaker
It's kind of amazing. I mean, that's the thing is I just, at the time, I guess I didn't have a lot of these concerns. So it's sort of Monday morning quarterbacking, but it just, I don't think there was any way it was ever really gonna work the way, you know, they set it out. But I think that the ideas, you know, some of the ideas like the community trust and community ownership and
00:32:01
Speaker
are really good ideas. And so I think that if that can be preserved and give the project a chance at actually succeeding that it never hadn't talked well with them, I think that's huge. Yeah. And it'll be interesting to see if things that the community trusted kind of
00:32:22
Speaker
I guess promised is the right word, like things like having a clubhouse, like having a game day presence, like having a real, you know, a visible aspect of game day experience being linked to the community trust. You know, it'd be interesting if any of those things actually take root in Tacoma, because best I could tell, you know,
00:32:44
Speaker
The community trust remains more of an idea than a than a material thing. And I know that there's people that are working on it, but it's it's not transparent at all. And my hope is that, you know, in the coming, you know,
00:32:57
Speaker
weeks if you know months at the very least that we start getting a bit more information about how the community trust is going to interact with this new kind of this new situation because I think that the idea behind it is still sound. I think now I'm more confused as to what the ideal is though like I don't I don't know you know seeing it in practice I just don't know
00:33:25
Speaker
what community ownership means right now. And I think I liked the sound of it more than I ever really gave it enough time to think about. And the reality is that no one's out money in this thing. If the worst thing that happens is that it's a failed experiment, it's a failed experiment, and there is some, maybe there's some trust, lack of, pardon the pun, lost, but,
00:33:50
Speaker
You know, no one's, you know, the people that put their time and energy into organizing it are clearly out their time and energy. But at the same time, I suppose those people are the ones that knew what they were getting into and, and, and kind of had the most control over that. But anyway, it will be interesting.
00:34:07
Speaker
I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm excited in a broad sense as well as a specific sense of what this move means for S2. And while I sympathize with everyone for the people that aren't feeling like they're going to get the same experience, it should also be said that this move is not exactly coming out
USL and MLS Playoff Scheduling Challenges
00:34:28
Speaker
of nowhere. Yes, the move next year was earlier than I think most people expected, but
00:34:34
Speaker
it's not, you know, we've been talking about the sounders moving to Tacoma, S2 moving to Tacoma for a long time. Yeah, and their hand was kind of forced. It was kind of forced. Yeah, so I guess, like, as much as the, for all the talk of what, of why they moved, I believe it was actually in one of their, one of their, I think in one of their FAQ documents that said that the reason they're moving now is because
00:35:04
Speaker
The U.S.L. basically told them they need to be playing on a... They couldn't get a waiver for playing at Starfire and they don't need a waiver to be playing at Chaney. But anyway, that's probably that on S2's move. We're gonna come back, take some questions. You're listening to Nos Adiattas.
00:35:28
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:36:18
Speaker
Welcome back to no study at this. So, uh, we got a bunch of questions and we'll just go ahead and jump right into those. So take it away. Look at, all right, here we go. Have better than asks. Did you forget about the playoffs? You know, it is funny. Um, it's now we're now what, uh, more than a week removed or like 10 days removed from.
00:36:42
Speaker
the Sounders clinching their spot in the Western Conference Finals, and it feels like it was a really long time ago, and they aren't going to play again for another 10 days? More than that. No. Another week, essentially. They're going to play a week from tomorrow. It is
00:37:06
Speaker
This break is really, really bad, I think, for momentum. Like, I think as Sounders fans, we'll get into this. I don't have any doubt that the atmosphere, when the 30th finally rolls around, will be lacking in energy. But man, this break is really, I think, a negative aspect of... Like, why couldn't they be playing this coming weekend instead of playing on Tuesday?
00:37:41
Speaker
I'm with you. This is the number one thing I think they have to fix about the playoffs. They talked about a lot of different solutions and changes that they possibly want to make, but this is the biggest problem. It's so crazy because it goes from so much is happening all the time at the end of the season. There's Decision Day and then a few days later, there's the knockout games and the knockout games were great this year.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I guess the idea is maybe that they don't want teams that have internationals to have guys on short rest or whatever.
00:38:05
Speaker
Um, and then, you know, it's three more days and the, and the game starts and then, or the, uh, I'm sorry, the semi-final start. And then, you know, and then nothing for almost like three weeks. It's just, it's, it's awful. And they, they've got to do something to fix it. And I mean, yeah, Sounders fans will get pumped and, and amped and bring it, but.
00:38:27
Speaker
It would be just so much more of a fulfilling experience if it didn't have this huge. I mean, you look at just look at what the Whitecaps did between October 22nd, which was decision day to
00:38:41
Speaker
to Thursday, November 2nd, which was the second leg of the Western Conference Finals. The White Caps played four matches in the span of like 12 or 13 days in less than two weeks. And that's like a breakneck pace. There's a lot of soccer being played. Even the Sounders, who didn't have to play a midweek game in the playoffs, or didn't have to play the playing game,
00:39:07
Speaker
they still played three games in in less than two weeks and then they took uneven line there's more there is more time i guess this is another way of putting it there's significantly more time between those four games between the last game that the sounders played and their next game than there was between the 22nd and the 2nd which just seems like if this was the break before mls cup i think i could get into it because you can figure out a way to fill that time but
Speculating Sounders' Lineup Against Dynamo
00:39:37
Speaker
I don't know, I think this is just bad scheduling. Yeah, if there if there's no if there has to be a break during the playoffs, this is possibly the worst possible time. Like after the knockouts, maybe to to help people get healthy would be better. And, you know, before I'm a less cop and roll the hype train around, that would be better. But this is, you know, there was a year where they put the break between, I believe, the
00:40:04
Speaker
two legs of one of the rounds. That was worse, but not. Yeah, that's a pretty close second. All right. At maker 253. Yes, we totally saw Torres and Svensson in the World Cup coming, right? Those I got to say six months ago, if you had asked me which three Sounders would be playing in the World Cup, I would be very
00:40:33
Speaker
Very surprised to have seen anyone pick Nico Ledero. Nico Ledero, maybe an obvious choice, but Roman Torres and Gustav Svensson. And not only was Sweden an unlikely participant, but that Svensson would be a key component of Sweden's team to put them there.
00:40:51
Speaker
Yeah, it's super cool. With Torres, I think most people are happy for him, but there's a taintedness for it for a lot of US soccer fans, I think. There's no sense in holding anything against him, but you're happy for him because he knocked the US out, right? But with Fenson, it's all happy. And he helped knock Italy out, and I think everybody's happy about that.
00:41:17
Speaker
Uh, not underscore Rossi asks, what would it take to re-sign Svensson next year? 170k now, but what was his Chinese salary? Is he a gam tam player? Well, we have not, I don't know that we have a straight answer on this. Uh, I suspect that he's probably still being paid by his Chinese team next year. And I don't think that there's anyone that thinks that he's going to suddenly become
00:41:48
Speaker
uh, less available next year. So the centers might have him on the same deal, but I would imagine that they would probably have to pay some, uh, allocate, they'd probably have to use some allocation money on them, but I don't, I don't think he's necessarily a Tampler.
00:42:05
Speaker
He's a good deal, I think, is a good way to put it. We're getting a great deal on him. And it feels like a weird little loophole that, I mean, because Vancouver has a similar situation where they have Freddy Montero on loan from a Chinese team and they have to pay his full salary and he's a DP. And the Sounders are getting goose ups since it isn't Freddy Montero, but they're getting him for maybe 20% of his salary in China. That's pretty sweet.
00:42:36
Speaker
Okay. ECS football girl asks, did Ventura's MLS snobbery hurt Italy's chances? Do you think they might've bested Sweden with Jovinko in the lineup? Couldn't have hurt, right? Couldn't have hurt. I think that playing the good players that they actually did have on the team probably would have been more helpful. But yeah, I mean, Jovinko certainly couldn't hurt. V underscore twin Sam asks, lineup guesses for the 21st?
00:43:07
Speaker
I suspect that we're gonna see Victor Rodriguez, but I don't, and I don't think we're gonna see Osvaldo Alonzo. So I get, but I don't know, that's a good one. I think I could see how, I guess I wouldn't be totally shocked if we saw
00:43:33
Speaker
Rodriguez come off the bench again only because I think Schmetzer really likes the defensive look of New Who and Jones on the left. But otherwise I think it's, I think Rodriguez is the only likely change to the one, is my suspicion.
00:43:52
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I guess there's a possibility that they want Jordan Morris playing away for the counter-attack threat. But I'm inclined to agree with you. I think Morris is probably going to be a bench player for the rest of the season. Yeah, I would think if Morris plays that it's more of a late sub option than as like a change of pace option than a starter, especially with how bad the grass is probably going to be in Houston.
00:44:20
Speaker
And, you know, he hasn't played in two months. Right. That will be two months by the time. Sadie, Andy Mullen excess fitness of injured players, does it actually does it take actual match time to get match fit or could Jordan and Ozzy be expected to be good for a full 90 in game one based on only having lots of time and training to get fit?
00:44:42
Speaker
I mean, I'm not an expert in this area. My suspicion is that if Ozzy were totally fit, that he maybe could play, that he could maybe start. I think the intricacies of a, like, my guess is that time away is going to hurt a forward more than time away is going to hurt a defensive player. But I could be wrong. I don't know. But I don't, I don't think we're going to see either Alonzo or Mora start.
00:45:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, has there already been any update? Because I know after the game, there was some speculation that Ozzy was done for the year. Yeah. So the speculation, as far as I can tell, came from the Sounders postgame show where Pete Fewing and Wade Weber and those guys were talking. And they kind of implied that they thought that Ozzy might be done for the year. Now, they didn't give any sourcing on that. They didn't say that someone had told them that. But my suspicion is that they weren't
00:45:39
Speaker
like they had some information that led them to believe that. And then on the same token, Fewing also let slip that he had talked to Jordan Morris' dad and at the time, Dr. Morris said that he thought his son was two weeks away from returning to action. Okay, Andy Fretwell asked, any news on Houston's pitch? No, still sucks. Okay, under on injuries after first leg.
00:46:08
Speaker
Yeah, I guess the part of the problem is that they share the field with. There's also high school football that gets played there, or maybe it's even college football. And I don't know the schedule that is before that game. But man, that grass was really, really bad.
00:46:27
Speaker
They do, they did, to be fair, have a pretty large hurricane not too long ago. And I think that that is really when it got bad. And it's kind of hard, I think, when stuff is being played to bring it back from from, you know, that kind of state. Hopefully this this layoff has given them some time to
00:46:47
Speaker
to do some work on it, but I sure as hell hope so, because it was a nightmare. I think in their last broadcast, one of the announcer guys was talking about, might have been the third guy, he said something that they put in new grass over the off season. And that strain takes a while for it to take hold. So that's why it's kind of bad now, but supposedly it's supposed to be better in a couple of years. Oh, in a couple of years.
00:47:12
Speaker
or like a season or two or something. I can't remember what they said, but basically it sucks now because of what they put in. Maybe they should have used this train of grass that doesn't take two years to be placed. Yes, I think so too. So for what it's worth, I guess it's Texas Southern that plays there and they do not have a game at home before the 21st.
00:47:41
Speaker
So Ryan M. Baum asks, would you like to see Bruins starting not only because of his form this season, but specifically because Seattle plays Houston? Seems like a man with the chip on his shoulder, but in the motivating way.
00:47:56
Speaker
I mean, I, I think we're going to see him start and I think that's probably a good decision. Uh, and yeah, he does seem like he, like, you know, his, uh, he scored against Houston in that home game. I think he scored the winning goal. That was the famous thumbs up celebration. If you may remember that. Um, but yeah, he, I mean, I, I like, I think, I think he's probably a solid bet to start.
00:48:23
Speaker
ARback asks, given what Polisic said about developing teenagers, do you think the lack of teens playing an MLS is due to their ability, coaches not trusting them, or something else?
00:48:37
Speaker
You know, I think this is kind of one of the funny things about, uh, about the criticisms of MLS is that there's one of the criticism criticisms is that there's not enough pressure on players to perform. And yet in this situation, we oftentimes we'll see the reason that teenagers don't get to play more is because there's so much pressure on coaches to win now that they don't spend time developing players. And those things to me seem very counterintuitive. Like if they're.
00:49:06
Speaker
too much pressure on one way, shouldn't the pressure be working? If there is no, if winning an MLS, there is no pressure to win an MLS when you see teenagers playing more. I think that
00:49:17
Speaker
that a lot of it is due to coaches just not wanting to take the risk of having faith in a younger player. But I also think that part of it is that it's a little different in Europe when they're playing teenagers because those guys are all very talented. And I would imagine that most of the teenagers in MLS are not quite as talented, but maybe that's because they're not getting opportunities.
00:49:42
Speaker
But I also think that that's something that I suspect we're going to see change as the U.S.L. becomes more and more of a factor in development because you're going to see kids get professional minutes against other professionals at a much younger age. You're seeing it right now in the sounder system.
00:49:59
Speaker
And so my suspicion is that, you know, one of the things that Garth Legaway talked about at the center's business meeting was they would like to have kids that come through their academy have a hundred appearances at the US level before they make their MLS debut. Now, I don't know how realistic that is in all cases, but just the fact that they're setting that as a goal, I think speaks to how much development they believe can be done at the US level.
00:50:26
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, and you kind of alluded to this. I think that there's this perception that a lot of people have that like,
00:50:34
Speaker
All these European teams have multiple 17, 18-year-olds in their first teams. And that's just not the case. I don't really think that most leagues are playing teenagers at a higher clip than MLS. I think the big difference is that they have competitive second teams. And that's a newer thing for MLS. I mean, S2 and the other affiliate clubs have not been around for that long.
00:51:02
Speaker
And obviously, I mean, Kristin Polisic was a really, really talented player at 16 years old. That's why he went to Dortmund. And it is more common, I think, to see clubs like Dortmund and the like who are big on big clubs, but also big on bringing players to the academy. That's kind of their mantra, right? And you can't do that as much in MLS. But I think that
00:51:30
Speaker
The weirdest thing, I think, about missing the World Cup this year is that I think that US soccer in a lot of ways is in a much, much better place than it has been in a long time in terms of developing players, giving players the opportunity to play professionally at a younger age, giving them opportunities to play a full season at the US level, giving them options rather than playing in college, which I think is going to be a huge thing.
00:51:59
Speaker
It was just that they were caught in this weird sort of in-between period. But I think we're really going to see the dividends of the Academy system start to pay off. 2017, there were more minutes by Academy products and MLS this year than any other year. And I think that we're going to see the dividends from that coming soon.
00:52:19
Speaker
But we just have to be patient. And I think that having infusions of money is going to be helpful. This TAM thing where it's going to be a lot harder for American players to win spots, and they're going to have to compete. And that's one of the things we hear a lot from people that want all of our prospects going to Europe is that
00:52:41
Speaker
Well, they don't have to fight for their place. They know they're guaranteed a place and, you know, the quality just isn't good enough and they're too comfortable. Well, you know, if, if the salary cap functionally goes up by what, 30, 40% next season, um, it's going to be a lot harder and no people are going to have to earn their place to a much greater degree. And I think all that's going to be helpful. Okay. Mir Shimer asks, what teams are you bandwagoning for the world cup? Let's see. Sweden seems like an easy one to root for.
00:53:12
Speaker
Yeah, I think I'm going to say something that I imagine will be very unpopular among our, our listeners, but I'm actually going to be rooting for Mexico. I really would like to see a CONCACAF team do well but also, I just, I would enjoy seeing Mexico do well. I would have no problem qualms at all with Mexico doing well and I
00:53:32
Speaker
You know, I realize that there are big rivals and certainly I would like to beat them as bad as anyone when we play them, but I don't mind seeing them do well. It doesn't bother me at all.
00:53:46
Speaker
Yeah, I generally root for Mexico to do well as long as it's not bad for the US. International soccer, it's just hating your rival feels a lot more uncomfortable than me in international soccer, especially when you're the US and your rival is Mexico. You know, England and Germany or Germany and France, I kind of get the animosity there a little bit more.
00:54:08
Speaker
But yeah, I usually root for Mexico to do well in the World Cup again, as long as it's not going to hurt the US and nothing that happens this year can hurt the US. No, it certainly can't. I'll certainly be rooting for them and I'll be rooting for Panama too, for sure.
00:54:22
Speaker
That would be awesome. Obviously, the US making the World Cup would have been preferable, but it is nice to not have a rooting interest and just to root for chaos or root for the best story line or whatever. It's like the Euros. I love watching the Euros.
00:54:46
Speaker
And I never have a rooting interest. And it's like that, but better for the whole world. Yeah, I'm actually looking forward to it in ways that it will be a new experience for me. It's a new experience, I would imagine, for virtually all of our listeners. I'd actually be very curious to know how many of our listeners seriously remember the 86 World Cup or older ones.
00:55:10
Speaker
Um, because I certainly have no recollection of, I mean, I don't have any recollection of pre-94 World Cups. Uh, we should root for Senegal, Tunisia, and Morocco. Also, also good calls. Uh, Ken Opplinger asks, why isn't Fry being discussed as a USMNT option as goalkeeper? I, I think that he's...
00:55:37
Speaker
He's probably good enough to be a top three US keeper right now. I don't think it's as obvious as a lot of people seem to. But if he gets called up, I think he'd deserve it. He's been very good for several years now. But I think the biggest reason right now, it's just unfortunate timing.
00:55:55
Speaker
doesn't have another game that matters until 2019. And the only thing that really ultimately matters, I think everybody would agree, is the World Cup. And so, you know, Steph and Fred's gonna be, what, 35 in 2022? He's 30 now.
00:56:13
Speaker
Yeah. So, so 35. Um, and yeah, I mean, it's just, it sucks because, you know, if he were clearly heads and shoulders above everybody else, uh, it would be different and, and maybe you would feel fine, you know, with a 35 year old being your first choice goalkeeper, but he's, he's not. And so, you know, they're obviously going to look to two guys like Bill Hamid, Ethan Horvath, um, younger players that are going to be closer to their prime in 2022.
00:56:42
Speaker
Um, Zach Stefan, sure. Um, I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn't be shocked to see Stefan Fry get some call-ups here or there, but he's, he's just, you know, there are a lot of reasons that it doesn't make sense for him to get a ton of playing time. Yeah. I mean, I, I kind of go back to like, if, if you're telling me tomorrow, you need to win a game, Zach Stefan or Stefan Fry, I think I'm probably going to take Stefan Fry. Uh, and I think I might take Stefan Fry over a lot of the guys that.
00:57:09
Speaker
are probably, that are probably getting calls call ups right now, but it's not about who's going to win the game tomorrow. And it's not about who's going to win the game in a year or two. You know, it's about who's going to be the best goalkeeper in 2022. And, you know, I would love for Stefan Friday. I really do hope he gets some national team call ups. I think he's an underappreciated goalkeeper. I think there's an argument to be made that he is, like you said, at least top three American goalkeeper right now.
00:57:39
Speaker
but I'm not at all surprised that he wasn't called into this friendly. I'm not at all surprised that he wasn't necessarily even on the list for this friendly. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if, you know, he doesn't get more than a couple of call-ups during the next, you know, cycle. And it's not a reflection of his abilities at all, I don't think. Well, so you're going to choose between Stefan Fry and Zach Stefan. You got to choose the guy with not two names, a last name and a first name. Right. Can't trust people like that. No.
00:58:11
Speaker
Abom88 asks, prices for seats in Chaney are almost double the price of Starfire. What are the chances of S2 season ticket holders getting good seats in Chaney? And I asked him to clarify this and he said for the same price. And I would not hold out much, like if you have, like this guy apparently has like midfield tickets, I imagine he's paying something in the neighborhood of 150 or 200 bucks a piece for.
00:58:37
Speaker
And yeah, I don't think you're gonna get your cherry seats for the same price at Cheney.
00:58:46
Speaker
but that seems like too much to ask for. I think that's a lot to expect. I would agree with that. Maybe, I mean, I don't know, it'd be interesting if they give some sort of discount and maybe they'll set up something that helps bridge the gap between what you're paying now and what those same tickets would cost at Cheney. But, you know, the get in price, like if you have like, for instance, like I turned down my S2 renewals,
00:59:12
Speaker
I had those $100 Founders Club seats, and I turned them down under the impression that they were going to play at Starfire again. I just couldn't frankly give them away. And I would have happily bought those seats again at Chaney, even knowing that I wouldn't have been able to go to a ton of games, but just because I think I would have had a much easier time giving them away. And I would have assumed they would have been really bad seats, but I would have happily paid that.
00:59:39
Speaker
But yeah, I mean, I think it's the same kind of situation. Like if the sounders ever got a new stadium, I don't think you should expect to pay the exact same price that you're paying now. But it still seems like a pretty decent deal for most of those seats. Yep. Just another SC question. Justin B Sisk asks, what would you like to see personally for the S2 rebrand? Name, colors, kit sponsors, et cetera?
01:00:04
Speaker
Well, the name that I've seen thrown out there that I really like is Tacoma Narrow's FC. I think that would be pretty slick. That's not bad. I could do without the FC. Sure. Fair enough. But that's probably not going to happen. So that's pretty good. And Chaney is close to Narrow's. It is. You're right. Yeah.
01:00:29
Speaker
Yeah, but I also wouldn't be bummed if they went retro and call them like the tides or something. Yeah, I might have heard sounders too. I hope they go with a Tacoma specific brand. Yeah.
01:00:44
Speaker
So I actually asked about this and there was a lot of ambiguity around this at the launch event. And I think that technically they could not change their name because they've already ordered the uniforms and they've already kind of filed and done all this kind of stuff that they needed to do.
01:01:06
Speaker
And so they can't technically change the name, but it sounds like they're going to essentially call themselves S2 on all references. And they're oftentimes going to go by Tacoma S2. Or S2 Tacoma, one of the two. Like you'll see that signage a lot of places. South Sounders would kind of work because it's S2. Oh, yeah, so clever.
01:01:36
Speaker
Yeah, they could just kind of gradually do it. I suspect they're going to want to do a big full blown rebrand at some point sooner than later. Yeah. And they should. I think that when the new stadium opens is a good time. I would agree with that. Like for a full blown rebrand, I agree. They have to call the reineers behind it. So all that marketing there, they should have some say in that part of it. Hopefully they're good at that. They do seem to be very good at that.
01:02:03
Speaker
Jim C Kim asks, what early MLS Sounders moment do you wish had gotten the Lovey Films treatment? Oh man. Well, obviously the first goal by Montero. Yeah. That first game probably would be, you know, it's funny to look back now, like 2009 doesn't seem like that long ago, but if you watch highlights from 2009, that is some SD quality footage. Let me tell you, like it looks like it may as well be in from the seventies. It looks so old. It's pretty bad.
01:02:35
Speaker
I think Montero's free-caving against Dallas in 2000. That was a good one. I would love to watch that in super slow. I was thinking the 45-yard bomb he hit against Bill Gaudet against the Galaxy would also win another good one. I think more Freddie Montero moments in general would have been great. We got a season.
01:02:58
Speaker
with Freddie highlights, but I think also the Aussie sealing it against the... That's a good one. All that slow-mo for that. Oh, that's so good.
01:03:17
Speaker
Jills. Nodr2Rasi asks, what could or should Sounders fans do to hashtag save the crew? I sympathize with them after losing with the Sonics. I would like to see more organized support for them from Sounders fans. I've emailed Sounders and MLS and signed petition.
01:03:38
Speaker
I mean, I think the thing that we can probably most effectively do as Sounders fans is make sure that this stays a relevant issue and that it doesn't just go away. Obviously, the crew are doing a great job of holding up their end of the bargain by continuing to win games, which I'm sure is driving people crazy over in Columbus, at least in the ownership suite.
01:04:02
Speaker
But I mean, I don't know what else you can do realistically other than continue to send out hashtag, follow the stories and make sure that there's a constant flow of energy and attention that goes into the thing and don't let it just kind of become a foregone conclusion.
01:04:24
Speaker
Yeah, and I think that anybody that's expecting the Sounders to come out with some sort of statement of support of keeping the crew in Columbus, that's not going to happen.
01:04:36
Speaker
They're perfectly valid reasons, so it's not going to happen. I don't think it's necessarily cowardice or anything like that. But I think that putting pressure on the sounders to push back against it in the ways that they have to do such things certainly couldn't hurt. And I think that they probably do have some things that they can do behind the scenes to
01:05:01
Speaker
try to keep it from happening. But they're not going to say anything. Yeah, there was a name. So this question was actually asked at the annual business meeting. And Joe Roth took it. I and I don't know how much weight to put behind what he said. But he basically made it sound like the other owner like it to me, it felt like a kicking of the can answer, which was like the other MLS owners have limited
01:05:28
Speaker
Control over what ends up happening there and that might technically be true But there's no way that you can tell that you can convince me that if other MLS owners don't want this to happen That they can't keep it from happening because at the very least MLS is gonna have to approve whatever new stadium Whatever temporary stadium presumably
01:05:50
Speaker
the crew were to try to move into and, and if they don't, you know, so they can simply just not approve, you know, assuming they don't get some perfect stadium, it would be very easy for them to not approve the move in the short term. But
01:06:07
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. It's still very much unclear how much other owners have to do with this thing. But I'm 100% convinced that if other MLS owners become convinced this is a bad move, that it will not happen. The most important question is, I saved for last year. You guys ready?
Hosts' Favorite Fall and Winter Dishes
01:06:27
Speaker
Yes.
01:06:29
Speaker
Timothy asked, for some, we are in the middle of soup season. This is serious. What is your go to fall winter dish non holiday food category? So I have a few dishes that I'm really fond of this time of year. One of them is I love shepherd's pie. So I, I am looking forward to making my first shepherd's pie of the season. I have not done that yet this year. Um,
01:06:54
Speaker
I'm also a big fan of a Mexican soup called pesole, which I have started making by smoking a pork butt and then making a more traditional pesole broth, which is like ground up chili and tomatoes and stuff, and you serve it in with hominy. So those are two of my winter go-to dishes. Yeah, those are good. Pesole is super good. I've never made it before. I should try it. Come over some time, Aaron.
01:07:24
Speaker
I should. I should come over sometime. I have a green chili pork stew that I do. I'm glad you mentioned the smoking a pork butt thing because I want to try that this year. But it's a pork butt and then green chili and assorted other things. It's like a white chili, I guess, a little bit. That's super good.
01:07:48
Speaker
And then I'm from the South, so I love chili and I make a lot of chili. Um, but also Jambalaya is, is good this time of year. Um, anything, you know, anything that you cook for a long time in a crock pot is a good go-to this time of year. We make a French Canadian grandma's authentic Bavarian stew recipe. That's, that's our go-to fall winter dish.
01:08:19
Speaker
Oh, we got one more question, actually, and we'll end it right there. Matt Honeywell asks, how long before Aaron's cat gets a co-host credit? I know SAG's going to be banging down our door for that one. I don't know what Aaron's getting paid by that meow. I know. I'm not made of money. We should get a sponsor. I know. We should. That's a good idea. If you want to sponsor Sadie, get in touch.
01:08:50
Speaker
All right, well, that's the show, I guess. That's it. We'll see you hopefully. We'll be talking about a good result after the Houston leg, which eventually will come around.
Conclusion and Acknowledgments
01:09:06
Speaker
Man, can you imagine if we had tried to record twice during this break? That would have been brutal. But anyway, thanks to our sponsors,
01:09:16
Speaker
full pool wines, quinine acupuncture, Verity Credit Union, Designer's Marble, and of course our broadcast partner Bootstrapper Studios. I am your host, Jeremiah Shan, signing off on behalf of Aaron Campo and Likit. This is No Study Yetis. Remember, you'll never yet alone. Green Douglas, where were the waters cut through? Down in wild mountains and canyons you flew. Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue. It's roll on, Columbia roll on.
01:09:47
Speaker
Roll on, Columbia Roll on Roll on, Columbia Roll on Your power is turning our darkness to dawn Roll on, Columbia Roll on
01:10:19
Speaker
We love you. Let's win another one!