Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Seattle Sounders Reality TV - Ep. 46
112 Plays1 year ago
There’s no midweek game but the Seattle Sounders certainly gave us plenty to talk about as the star striker and the left back each got (effectively) suspended for this weekend’s match against the Chicago Fire. We break down all the drama in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over FC Dallas and what it all means going forward.
Elsewhere in MLS, we also had a coach firing and some major injury news come out for FC Cincinnati. We round it by regretfully reporting that the USMNT bots unfortunately found themselves in a less than pleased state due to some reports linking Weston McKennie to MLS.
- Support the show by subscribing to Sounder at Heart and get 1 FREE month!
- This podcast was made possible through the support of Full Pull Wines.
---
Follow Lobbing Scorchers on Social Media:
Follow Ari Liljenwall
Follow Noah Riffe
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
---
Visit Sounder at Heart:
Website
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.
Recommended
Transcript
Game Decisions and Introductions
00:00:00
Speaker
The two players are not going to be involved in the game on Saturday. And it was a coach's decision. It was my decision. It didn't stem from any conversation or argument between myself and the two players. And it's a done issue.
00:00:16
Speaker
What's going on everybody? Welcome into episode 46 of Lobbing Scorchers. This is Ari Lillianwall. I got producer Noah here with me. And Noah, we don't have a Sounders game for this midweek pond, but we've got about as much of content to go over on this episode as we've had all season, don't we?
00:00:36
Speaker
Yeah, I literally just purchased the full 90 combo from the concession stand, Ari, because I need that popcorn. I need those two hot dogs and those two bottles of water for the heat we're about to get into, honestly. Get your popcorn ready, because we've got a doozy for you
Suspensions and Team Dynamics
00:00:50
Speaker
here today. The Seattle Sounders reality TV show that apparently just launched has had some dramatic developments, as Raul Rui Diaz and Nuhu have both been effectively suspended, was the term that I saw used. They were suspended.
00:01:04
Speaker
They're suspended for the whole week of training and they will not partake in Saturday's match with Chicago Fire FC at Lumen Field. We're going to talk about all the drama that led up to that sequence of events stemming from the comeback win against FC Dallas in match day 22.
00:01:22
Speaker
So looking forward to that and we've got some headlines from around the league that we're gonna hit on the at the end as well and Some news on Pedro de la Vega that we're gonna hit we also we had a coach firing we did so that's always exciting We're gonna talk about
00:01:37
Speaker
our thoughts on that. But before we get into that, the first thing I wanted to tell you all is that I know I said on the last show that the transfer guru, Tommy Scoops, Tom Bogert, was going to be on this show for an interview. He ended up having to push. Tommy Scoops is a very busy guy, so I'm sorry about that. But we're going to get him. I was talking to him today. We're going to get him on the show. He just had too much going on today and tomorrow. He had to go back to Mexico. Yeah, he had to go to Cancun for the transfer summit 2.0.
00:02:07
Speaker
I promise you we will get Tommy's scoops on the show as soon as we can, but we just gotta get our schedules aligned.
Subscriber Appreciation and Support
00:02:14
Speaker
Also, as always, I'd like to thank all of our paid subs. We have a new subscriber this week. Chris, so you can stop reading this list, Smith.
00:02:23
Speaker
I got bad news Chris we do we appreciate the sub but you know it's still few enough names where Noah I feel like I have to read the list I'm just gonna do it really fast guys if the list reading is becoming too much you're free to flame us on Twitter for that but you know I feel it's necessary to express our love and appreciation for every single one of you until it really becomes like an untenable amount and
00:02:47
Speaker
So Chris, so you can stop reading this list, Smith. Thank you. Appreciate it. We also got Norm Bonnier, Rob Lincoln, Tom, Lachlan Galbraith, Samuel Fout, Nate Bowling, Joey Pascanelli, Brenna Murphy, Peter Earls, Rhombus, Nate Bonnier, Tyler Nakatsu, Owen Mason, David Rodriguez, Christopher Maley, Bill Breitenbach, Mike Lentini, Aaron B., Derek Richards, Sounder Naves, Dan Paveto, Mike Standish, Ryan Shane, Eric Stanley, my nephew CJ, Miles Maranakis, Andy Hill, Ian Mitchell, and Greg Hoeger.
00:03:13
Speaker
No, I did that fast this week. Dude, that was good. I'm impressed. I usually take my time, so I think the more we get, the more I'll just blast through it like that. And eventually, I might have to go to just thanking the new subs, but thank you to everyone who I just named. We really appreciate you.
00:03:31
Speaker
we also have one sounder at heart sub as well who used our discount code yes Kenneth Kenneth thank you Kenneth and honestly if you want to support us moving forward that's the better way to do it as we it's a good segue Noah lobbing scorchers is a part of the sounder at heart podcast network
00:03:47
Speaker
If you want to get the best independent Seattle soccer coverage, consider supporting us by going to sounderatheart.com slash L-S. That's sounderatheart.com slash L-S. Scroll down to subscribe and support to get 30 days completely free. Every sign up through our link helps support and grow this show. So any and all support that you can toss us on there is very much appreciated. And if you haven't done so yet,
00:04:10
Speaker
Subscribe to the Lobbing Scorchers YouTube. We're almost at 200, dude. Oh, really? We're close. 170. Yeah, we must have blown up since the last time I looked. We were more like 150 or 60 last time I looked. But we continue to grow our presence on there. And we appreciate it. That's an easy way to support the show. All it takes is a click of the button. And we can keep growing our platform on there.
00:04:35
Speaker
All right, I think that's enough housekeeping.
Player Tensions and Reactions
00:04:38
Speaker
Let's get into this drama with the Seattle Sounders, because I feel like a lot popped off since our last episode. And the makings of this were started when we were talking on the last episode. But we kind of downplayed it. And to be honest, I did not fully grasp the extent. Well, it hadn't come out yet of exactly what took place. But it turns out that everything that took place in that FC Dallas game
00:05:05
Speaker
You know what it seems like to me? No, I'll just give my initial take right off the bat and then we'll recap what actually happened. But it seems like a lot of frustrations from a frustrating season kind of came to a head and boiled over.
00:05:22
Speaker
It resulted in a couple of suspensions, and Schmetz was getting grilled at training about it, which that was pretty entertaining. So let's recap what exactly happened first. I'm going to go through the entire series of events. I've written it all out. And then we're going to go more in depth with our takes on what it all means and the effect that it could have on the team moving forward and the season moving forward. All right.
00:05:48
Speaker
It all started at the in the 78th minute of the FC Dallas game after Raul Rui Diaz scored the goal to make it 2-1 and he gave a celebration where he pointed at the name on the back of his jersey which we talked about on the last show as if to say don't forget about me.
00:06:05
Speaker
You know who I am? He ran past Brian as well. And he was, as he was running past the Sounders bench, which I didn't really take into account that aspect of it, but he absolutely was pointing at it as he, uh, as he jogged by the bench. And realistically Schmetz even said at the pro post game press conference that he kind of figured and knows that that was directed at him because Raul Rui Diaz has not been starting these games. The last three games he's come off the bench as a super sub.
00:06:31
Speaker
He comes on as a Super 7, the Dallas game, and he scores that goal, which turned out to be a very important goal. And he gave Schmetz a little, don't forget about me, point to the name on the back of his jersey. Then Jordan Morris and Raul got into it a little bit.
00:06:49
Speaker
on the field and I think as I understand it that situation was about Jordan not forcing the goalkeeper to play the ball in faster and Raul was kind of getting on his ass like you need to hustle you need to get on him like there's like let's go there's not that much time left in this game and Jordan ends up scoring the equalizer just a few minutes later but I thought that was interesting just because you know
00:07:13
Speaker
Jordan is not typically a guy that you're gonna see getting getting a little mix it up with the teammate like that he's really is not a mix it up type of guy period. But you know when we were talking about it on the last show. I think we kinda chalked that up to just you know two competitive teammates.
00:07:30
Speaker
having a frank exchange of ideas but it's something that happens on a professional sports team so that incident in isolation I don't think there's all that much to it but I think when you combine it with everything else that we're about to talk about it does kind of take on potentially new meaning right.
00:07:50
Speaker
So we all know what happened next in the game. Jordan scored the equalizer, like I mentioned, and then he ended up scoring the game winner in second half stoppage time for Seattle to take a 3-2 comeback victory. And that's the other thing that I was going to say is I kind of think I think it's pretty funny that this happened in a game that they won.
00:08:11
Speaker
After a terrible L, especially at home, I would expect something like this more, but it's like, guys, come on, you won the game. It was the biggest win of the season. We recorded a whole dub pod about it. You're mad about a dub. But I think when you actually look at what happened, it makes a little more sense, irrespective of the result. But I do think that is a funny element to all this, is it came after a game that they came after not just a dub, but the best dub of the year.
00:08:40
Speaker
So after the final whistle of the 3-2 victory, Raul Nuhu immediately, they beeline to the locker room. They did not stay on the field for the traditional classic celebration that the players do with the fans and they do the chant, right? And I think if there's a way to get under Brian Schmetzer's skin,
00:08:59
Speaker
that's one of the biggest ways I could think of you know Schmetz talks about all the time how the most important facet of the club is the connection between the players and the fans and I think those celebrations kind of after after victories at home like those are those are important to him and I think
00:09:18
Speaker
I don't know. Without knowing for sure the specifics of the situation, I would venture to guess that that's the thing that really got Schmetz going was them just bolting off the field after the win and not staying for the fan celebration. Raul Nuhu were then not seen at Seattle's next training session at Long Acres. And subsequently after that, Sounder at Heart, great website. Great website.
00:09:41
Speaker
Sound at Heart original reporting from sources that the suspension from training and then it turned out to be for this game on Saturday stems from a postgame argument that both players got into Wishmetzer in the locker room after the match. I don't think it said exactly what that argument was pertaining to, but like I said, read in between the lines. I'm pretty sure he was probably telling them, guys, that's not acceptable. You have to stay on the field to celebrate with the fans after the match. That's something that like we expect all our players to do and they probably
00:10:11
Speaker
Did not see it that way that's just that spec that part is speculation But there is solid reporting from sounder at heart that the suspension was Related to an argument between both of those players and schmetz so
00:10:27
Speaker
That's why they weren't at the next training session.
Coach's Decisions and Team Unity
00:10:31
Speaker
That's why they're not playing on Saturday. The sources, according to Sounder at Heart, indicated that Rui Diaz was upset already with, quote, a perceived lack of communication over not starting the last three games. So not necessarily that he wasn't going to be starting, but
00:10:49
Speaker
a supposed communication breakdown in, I guess, telling him that he wasn't going to be starting. That's, I mean, that's what the report said. Schmetzer then called an unusual Wednesday media scrum and he stated that Nuhu and Raul are out for a, quote, coach's decision and said that it didn't stem from any conversation or argument between myself or the two players and that it's a done issue.
00:11:13
Speaker
So he's basically denying the aspect of it that it stems from an argument, and maybe his contention is that it was more related to how they didn't stay on the field after the game. But either way, that's, I mean, it's some good drama. It's some tasty gossip.
00:11:31
Speaker
Raul knew who will be in the building for training by themselves this week But won't participate in group training and will not feature in the match versus Chicago Christian rolled on also said that players supported Schmetzer's decision to suspended ideas and knew who? Stefan Fry also came out and you know, he said that uh, you know, Raul was a passionate dude He's a competitive guy. And so I think
00:11:56
Speaker
Players understand when emotions come to a surface like that to an extent. So I don't know if there's any strife or discord among the locker room. They're saying that there isn't. But needless to say, the Seattle Sounders will be without Raul Rui Diaz and Newhoo for this match against the Chicago Fire.
00:12:18
Speaker
this whole thing just really uh it really escalated so now let's let's talk about our takeaways what do we make of all this um i mean i'll start by first of all uh again funny that this happened after a dumb uh and also um
00:12:40
Speaker
It's tough, you know? I feel like Rui Diaz being upset over a perceived lack of communication. There are ways to handle that that don't come to this, where you kind of leave the field in a huff without celebrating with the fans after a big win in which you scored a goal. And then further getting into it with the coach in the locker room, that's just typically not gonna end well.
00:13:09
Speaker
And I think in that situation, you ideally want to handle that
00:13:18
Speaker
Not in the eye of like everyone at the stadium, right? Yeah, that's kind of how I think of it as for how knew who got involved in all this I don't know what he was mad about I don't know if he was just saw that brahool was mad and was like I'm gonna be mad too or if there was I did you notice anything in the game where knew who might have gotten upset with the teammate or with I think he was Yeah, so about getting subbed out so
00:13:44
Speaker
It just, it seemed like he sort of just latched on to Raoul's anger. I don't know like if Raoul hadn't stormed off, maybe he doesn't storm off. I didn't see the footage of the storm off. Like I did not really see that aspect of it or hear about that aspect of it till after the fact. I did, I did see the Raoul and Jordan exchanging words, but I don't know. What do you think Noah? I feel like
00:14:11
Speaker
I feel like from Rui Diaz's perspective, you can handle it that way if you want, but like just most times that's not gonna end well, is it? No, I think it's quite silly and childish from a player who is not only just a veteran, but like a locker room staple and someone who's supposed to be leading the team. And also someone who's like,
00:14:35
Speaker
trying to prove that their value to the team that seems like a really dumb thing to do when you know you're trying to fight your way back into the starting lineup whether you believe that you should be starting or not that's kind of like you just made the decision for yourself to not play and that just feels really stupid
00:15:02
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Soundwork Heart podcast network, which now includes No Sunny at This, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023, but need your support to make sure it continues. Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible by your continued support. Memberships start as low as $25 a year, which not only helps make podcasts like this one happen, but also gets you access to everything we produce.
00:15:28
Speaker
If you're able to support us at higher levels, starting at $75 a year, you gain access to a host of other perks, most notably entry into our Members Only Discord, where the smartest, funniest, and most engaged commenters share their thoughts and ideas. To find out more, just visit centeratheart.com and click the subscribe button in the top right corner. Thanks for listening.
00:15:58
Speaker
Yeah, it's interesting because, you know, before all this happened, I, uh, my observation was that Raul was actually handling, uh, his loss of his starting role quite professionally. You know, the team put out the video after the Houston game of, uh, of the players on the field after the match. Did you see this video on Raul was like passing up Paul
00:16:19
Speaker
Rothrock, he said, this is the guy, this guy brings the best energy, I love this guy. And he did not, and he came off the bench in that game, and he didn't really seem pressed about it at all. And I think, if anything, he's had a reputation as a great teammate, not just a good teammate, but a well-liked guy in the locker room who is very supportive of his teammates, and specifically has been a great mentor to the young players, which
00:16:47
Speaker
Not every star player of his stature and pedigree will work with the young guys like that. Clint Dempsey was not a guy who did that as much. Raoul is a guy who's done that. So to see it kind of go from gassing up Paul Rothrock on the field, and I'm going to be a good teammate, to storming off the field and getting into it with the coach and then getting suspended, it just seems like a really quick and fast escalation,
Social Media Implications and Internal Speculations
00:17:17
Speaker
you know?
00:17:17
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I feel like I can see it both ways, though, in the same sense. He can be connected with the team and respect his teammates and, you know, be in in good terms with the team, but also be frustrated with the coaching staff, with the front office. And if I can be a little conspiratorial here. Yeah, do it.
00:17:38
Speaker
I think that because yeah like that was not even that long ago that he was the game before the game before the midweek game before maybe he got some news about his contract or what they might possibly be doing with him in this next window that really frustrated him because the source says lack of communication but it doesn't necessarily note the lack of communication was about starting or not
00:18:01
Speaker
I see. I mean, you know, there could be... That's my galaxy brain take. That is a galaxy brain take in that there could be something to that. You know, there has been a lot of speculation regarding his future with the club, given his age and just the lack of production. Not really just from him, but from this whole offense. I think there's been a kind of a sentiment that guys are playing for jobs right now, and he's at the forefront of a player who's being talked about in that manner.
00:18:33
Speaker
So he also, I forgot to mention this part, but he posted a photo on his Instagram story today, correct? With the caption in Spanish, my mother didn't raise a coward with a devil emoji. Yeah, fire. With a portion in the background, too. Yeah, with a portion in the background. Not exactly sure what he means by that, but it definitely is quite obviously a commentary on the drama that's been unfolding.
00:19:00
Speaker
So anyway, we'll see how it pans out. Christian Rolled On and Stuff and Fry were both pretty emphatic that this team is close knit, that there's no discord or strife or drama among the players or in the locker room. Of course, they're going to say that. Schmetzer also tried to downplay everything today. So yeah, I thought the Schmetzer stuff was way more odd than the Christian stuff because
00:19:30
Speaker
that makes sense to me at least you can have a united locker room and players and also be mad at the coach like that there's always a hierarchy between people disagree on stuff yeah but it was it was odd to it was odd to me that you know christian raldon was like this is literally the closest that this group has ever been in the whole time that i've been on this team and then at the same time it's like okay but raul is pissed at the coach so
00:19:58
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know my galaxy brain take, Ari. I'm just saying, you know, what happened? Schmetz did seem to be kind of saying like two things at once. Like he said it was not disciplinary, which I mean.
00:20:13
Speaker
I don't understand how it could be anything but that. But at the same time, he was talking about how it was a coach's decision. But there was no argument. But there was a reported argument. But the coach's decision would obviously be related to their conduct after the match. There's nothing else that that could be about. So whether there was an argument or not, clearly, this was a disciplinary suspension for both of them.
00:20:42
Speaker
And it's Newhoo's second suspension of the year. His Uber famously got stuck in Washington DC traffic when he was supposed to be at a film session. So he got suspended for that game. Now he's gotten suspended for this game. You know, Schmetz claims that.
00:21:00
Speaker
everything with him and Nu-Hoo is good and you know he called Nu-Hoo a great kid who you know they've seen grow up and is becoming an adult and these are just like you know learning moments for him he's also been on the team for like seven years yeah I was gonna say I don't really think he's a kid anymore but I mean Schmetz calls all of them kids that's true
00:21:19
Speaker
Anyway We're gonna be keeping close tabs on all this to see what developments and what resolution all this has come to I gotta say it's probably the best locker room drama I've seen since this this team has been
00:21:37
Speaker
They've been good about being drama-free in that way. They always have good team chemistry and level-headedness, I think. There's been times where things are not going well in a similar way to how they've gone off the rails at times this season.
00:21:56
Speaker
Nothing has ever careened off the tracks in like in a drama sense and I don't think we're at like Full like meltdown or implosion stage with this yet But it is the type of when it when there are meltdowns and implosions this is the type of stuff that tends to happen first and you either
00:22:17
Speaker
Nip it in the bud and move past it and in some cases you can get stronger from it or you know, I've seen examples of MLS teams or just like professional sports teams in general where the locker room does implode and You know the coach loses the players and that can get that can get crazy. I
00:22:37
Speaker
doubt that that's it's going to fully escalate to that in this situation. This seems like something that everyone should be able to move past. But I mean, I will say like all the talk about Raul specifically his future with the club.
00:22:52
Speaker
I mean, that's only going to increase with this because people had already been talking about his future with the club just based on how he was playing and how the team was playing and really just the attacking output that we've seen all season. That was already a topic. You throw in some drama like this. I mean, it could just be the beginning though.
00:23:20
Speaker
Yeah, and you know schmetzer's always been known as a player's coach and I still think that he is there were some people lobbing some terrible scorchers on twitter about how brian is you know, he's lost his touch and all of this and He clearly hasn't he sat there and he has no reason to defend nuhu or raul if
00:23:41
Speaker
What, you know, is being reported actually happened, which I do believe it did. He could just say, no, this is a disciplinary suspension because they broke team rules and they were disrespectful and disrespected our fans. But instead of doing that, he sat there and defended them basically just lying or, you know, just.
00:24:00
Speaker
the truth. Representing the situation in a different way than I think the public at large understands it. Yeah, exactly. That's the perfect way to put it. And so I think this is no, you know, Siggy Schmidt era, Clint Dempsey not showing up to practice and throwing a tantrum. This is like
00:24:22
Speaker
This is a scuffle, you know, but then again, we could be wrong because people pointed this out to us last episode and we were like, nah, bro, we're chilling. It's fine. Well, I mean, I we were specifically, if I remember correctly, talking about the Raul and Jordan interaction, which, like I said, like that on its own, I don't read too much into
Player Management and Team Performance
00:24:44
Speaker
that. But I think what that looking back on it now, like what that indicates is that Raul was
00:24:50
Speaker
he was pissed and he he is pissed and he's probably he's been pissed he's not happy about i mean he's probably not happy about coming off the bench but it's it sounds to me reading between the lines that he's not happy about how how that was handled yeah and we're not going to know exactly the specifics of what has him feeling this type of way but
00:25:13
Speaker
It's something. As for Schmetz, there's being a players coach, and I do think man management is what Schmetz has proven to be best at. I think he's sharper tactically and with personnel than maybe he gets credit for, but I think what's made him an elite coach in this league, and a big reason why he's won the amount of trophies that he has since he took over as coach of this team, is because his man management skills are so sharp.
00:25:43
Speaker
And he's very good at getting players to understand that he cares about them as people off the field. And he's very good at putting them in situations where they can become the best player that they can.
00:26:00
Speaker
And to me, that's the most important part of being a coach. It's managing egos, managing personalities, managing the locker room, and putting your players in the best positions to succeed more than it is necessarily X's and O's. And Schmetz, I think Schmetz is an elite coach at that aspect of it, but you also
00:26:21
Speaker
there's a fine line between being that type of coach and getting walked over when a situation like this comes up. So I don't necessarily think Schmetz is in the wrong for taking this disciplinary course of action, but it's definitely just going to be interesting to see what type of subplot this could evolve into as we move forward in the season here.
00:26:49
Speaker
We are basically Bravo TV RE. We are locked and loaded for this. Earlier this season, they were the improvisational comedy troupe. Now they're the reality TV show. And frankly, you know, it's entertaining for us and it's good content for us at Lobbing Scorchers. So I'm okay with it from that standpoint. And, you know,
00:27:11
Speaker
Maybe a little drama is a little drama after a big dumb is what the team needs to really like light a fire under it. I don't know. Maybe I'm reaching but it's definitely the whole situation escalated to a much greater extent than I would have thought.
00:27:31
Speaker
Unless you have anything else, Noah, I think we can move on to the other news from the show. Rest assured, we're going to be keeping track of the drama and what happens moving forward. As for the effect that it will have on this game on Saturday,
00:27:48
Speaker
The Sounders won't have Raul or New Who for the match. I think if there was a match where you could go into it without those two guys and hope to make it out all right and still have a great chance of getting the three points, it would be this one. You're at home against a Chicago team that's one of the worst teams in the league, been one of the worst teams in the league, honestly, for the last four or five years. And frankly, you've been getting great production from Jordan Morris.
00:28:18
Speaker
Reed Baker Whiting will probably play in New Who's place. And all three goals, as I believe Jeremiah pointed out in that Sounder to Heart report, all three goals came after RBW subbed on. So he should be able to fill in more than capably. You just don't have the variable of bringing Raul in as the super sub in a situation where you might do so.
Upcoming Matches and Player Debuts
00:28:45
Speaker
But they should be able to make it through this game without those two guys. Yeah, it's gonna be a fun one I don't know. I'm here for the drama. I love a drama filled match. So and it's the Chicago fire It's given me some juice. Yeah, it's like listen season has been a has dragged at points Yeah, and now we've got some like we got some juice to it. Like it's kind of fun
00:29:06
Speaker
Anytime anything crazy happens, it's just we're me and Ari hit the text and we're like, oh yeah, this episode's gonna bang This is great content right here. So and they really delivered it. Yeah, they did week. We had some Pedro de la Vega news He could play it in this game. That's honest. I mean, that's a big story that normally we probably would have led with yeah He's been he's been in full training if I'm if I'm not mistaken and he He should get at least
00:29:33
Speaker
some minutes in this game which that is fantastic news you know we've talked about how disappointing it's been this year to not get to see him play that was the biggest thing i was probably looking forward to this season is to what extent could he potentially elevate this offense from what it was last year haven't gotten a chance to see that been
00:29:55
Speaker
for the most part, pretty much the same offense that we saw last year, which was a pretty mid-MLS attack. And to be fair, it's been much better the last few weeks, I think. They've scored multiple goals in like three or four straight games.
00:30:12
Speaker
the form in general has improved but the notion of actually getting Pedro de la Vega in this lineup for any extended period of time at all is exciting and I really hope that he I'm hoping he puts in a good 20 or 30 minutes in this game and we can hopefully see him make the type of impact that we all thought that he had the potential to make when they signed him.
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we talk about it all the time. He is going to be the difference maker on the latter part of this season. If he can hit, if he can get cooking, if he can stay healthy, that gives a new boost to the Sounders who are already in a position if they continue to get results to make the playoffs. And we we all know once again, the playoffs.
00:31:01
Speaker
Anything exactly and you know for as much as we've complained about this attack this season At this moment at this exact moment right now you are getting consistent production from Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnak Both of those guys are in really good form. They are putting up numbers on the stat sheet You add a guy who has the creative ability that de la Vega has You're adding just a potentially dynamic layer on top of a group that has really
00:31:31
Speaker
They have been humming. When they're not playing well, I'll point it out. But Jordan and Albert specifically, they have been in legitimately good form the last few weeks. So I'm excited to see what De La Vega could potentially add to that. Alex Roldan has been in full training this week as well. He had been coming back from a concussion.
00:31:54
Speaker
So he should be back for this game at right back. So you're likely going to see them line it up with Alex rolled on starting. And I think it'll be RBW at left back. And you're probably you're probably looking at the classic 4, 2, 3, 1.
00:32:12
Speaker
with basically how they've been lining it up and then I'm hoping that De La Vega is the first sub off the bench. We also have Rodilio Rodriguez injury update as well which was not as
00:32:26
Speaker
as positive. Brodilio, who people might not know, but he was signed from Tacoma Defiance before the season. And he's been out all year with a hamstring injury. And he's legitimately the one Defiance guy that I was actually really looking forward to seeing what he could do this season because he has kind of a fun backstory. He's from Portugal, I believe. And he went to Franklin and Pierce University.
00:32:53
Speaker
which is a really random division two school and had a 2020 season for them and They won a national championship going like 25 0 and 2 and he was the best player in division 2 and he actually was tearing up MLS next pro So I was hoping to see what he could do this year, but he had another setback With the Defiance and will be out for the foreseeable future. So we hope he gets better soon um
00:33:20
Speaker
We already talked about the Chicago Fire a little bit, but Schmetzer did call them a dangerous team even without Shaqiri. He said without Shaqiri. He was saying because Shaqiri's gone. Which is even funnier. So what I can tell you about the Chicago Fire is that
00:33:38
Speaker
Their patented move is to get, honestly, man, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, and I don't say this to Jinx anything. If they get the lead in this game, do not even worry about it even a little bit. They could be up two goals. I'm telling you, I'm telling you, it doesn't matter. It does not matter.
00:33:54
Speaker
They, this team loves to give up the lead. It's their greatest passion in life and in sport is to, they actually quite frequently score the first goal and they sometimes even go up to zero, never win the game. Pretty much never. Like the games that they do win, it's not games where they went up first, it's games where they act, where they come back.
00:34:16
Speaker
But they don't win very often and if they're up two goals It is it is the most meaningless lead that you could possibly imagine they might score first in this game I'll be telling you what will happen right now if that happens. They will give up the equalizer It's what the Chicago fire do
00:34:32
Speaker
Like you mentioned, Zierdan Shakiri is their big DP signing from a couple years ago. He has been pretty much a bust in MOS. He's had some okay individual moments, but he has not been like the big centerpiece stat sheet stuffer that they were envisioning. This guy, I mean, he's one of the, he's the best player in the history of the Swiss national team. Correct. And you know, he's played for Arsenal, Bayern Munich, a couple other big clubs like that.
00:35:00
Speaker
So he is a very obviously talented player and I think we talked about the goal he scored in the Euros for Switzerland. So he still does it for them but not for the Chicago Fire. But even when they, like you said Noah, even when they have him,
00:35:19
Speaker
things don't go particularly well. But they do have one player that I really like, who's Brian Gutierrez, who they frequently play as their number 10 instead of Shakiri, even when Shakiri is with the team. And this is a very good player. I think
00:35:35
Speaker
One thing Chicago has done well is they've produced some really good homegrowns over the years. And they've also sold on John Duran to Aston Villa for a huge bag. And they've also, they're very good at producing goalkeepers. They sold Gaga's La Nina to Chelsea, who a lot of people think is the future of the US national team. I'm not as sure about that.
00:35:58
Speaker
anymore, but I did buy into that at one point. And I do believe in Gaga's upside. So I credit them for developing them. And then also, their starter and goal right now, Chris Brady, is supposedly just as good, if not potentially better, than Gaga's. So they churn out elite goalkeepers without a doubt. And Brian Gutierrez is very good. He's a fun player to watch. Hugo Kuipers, their DP striker, he had not been
00:36:26
Speaker
Producing early in the season, but I would say the last like few weeks here. He seems to have come to life for them He scored a few goals and he's a pretty highly rated Croatian striker. So I Don't know how dangerous he is Consistently, but if there is danger if there is danger to be had from the Chicago team I expect I expect Bryant Brian Gutierrez and Hugo Kuipers to be in the middle of it and
00:36:51
Speaker
And they, I mean, Chris Brady is a sick goalkeeper. He's probably going to make some nice saves in this game, but realistically, um, beyond the guys I mentioned, there's just not a heck of a lot going on with this Chicago Chicago team. They might still have Chris, Chris molar, molar port. Uh, I don't know. That's about it. But this is a team that at home with the form that Seattle's been in, that's been better lately. They should be able to handle this Chicago team.
00:37:15
Speaker
Yeah, I am not going to be surprised if they get a goal on us, but I fully expect that the current form Seattle Sounders should beat this team. Does it mean they will?
00:37:28
Speaker
Absolutely not, necessarily. Should and will they? Two different things. Alright, let's hit a few headlines from around MLS and then get out of here.
Coaching Changes and Team Evaluations
00:37:40
Speaker
Does that sound good Noah? We don't have questions this week. There was no game so I didn't source any. I probably should have about the drama. That's not bad. But we'll just make it a quick one this week and we'll get back to taking your questions after the game on Saturday.
00:37:52
Speaker
Coach firing Lucci Gonzalez out to San Jose earthquakes. He's terrible you think I mean He was the FC Dallas. I feel like was always pretty pretty mid under Lucci They would make the playoffs and then usually lose to Seattle like in the first round. That was their ceiling with Lucci
00:38:13
Speaker
I don't really know what to think of his quakes tenure because I mean so it's not a surprise that they made this move because they're like 3 14 and 2 and they've given up 15 51 goals this year. No, she's that's that's more than they gave up all of last year when they were also pretty bad and also that's just like I mean there's a lot of games left they could ship like it like
00:38:36
Speaker
They're on record or they're on pace to break the record. Yeah, which is 70 something Yeah, either Minnesota United or FC Cincinnati in their wooden spoon years has that record and I mean it's when you're talking about 70 plus goals
00:38:51
Speaker
shipped in a season, that's pretty hard to do. And you're talking about record stuff with that. So just an absolute mess in defense all year. But Chris Leach, their GM, I was reading the transcript of his press conference. And he gave the classic line, which is that our roster is better than this record. And we're underachieving relative to the talent that we have. I mean, I agree with that in the sense that
00:39:21
Speaker
They genuinely have some really good attacking pieces. Christian Espinosa is a very dynamic player. This guy, Hernan Lopez, the Diego Maradona's nephew, the new DP they just signed, he's pretty nasty. He's already scored a couple of really nice goals. It seems to me that he's going to be a productive player in MLS.
00:39:43
Speaker
Jeremy Bobasi is a really good MLS striker underrated So just right there you have the theoretical makings of a good productive MLS attack And I think you've seen it in glimpses with them this year But I mean their defense is just like maybe maybe they're underperforming relative to their talent But I mean they might want to look at that because 51 goals conceded at this point in the season is I mean it's far and away the most in the league and I
00:40:11
Speaker
Nothing's really going to, they can score plenty of goals and if they're conceding at the rate that they've been conceding, the results are not going to improve. So that's the number one thing that they gotta look at.
00:40:23
Speaker
They might benefit from a DP goalkeeper. That's all I'm going to say. In all seriousness, they have Ian Russell, a longtime assistant, taking over as the interim. And it's another situation, sort of like Rob Valentino in Atlanta, where he's going to be auditioning, basically, for the permanent job. But I mean, I don't know. Both of those teams might get a temporary new coach bump.
00:40:49
Speaker
If I had to predict it right now, I think both Atlanta and San Jose probably make hires from the outside. A couple of FC Cincinnati news items. Matt, this is a potentially very significant development. Matt Miyazga, their defender of the year center back,
00:41:06
Speaker
put on season-ending injury list. And then another one of their center backs, Nick Hagland, also broke his fibula. So they lost two starting-caliber center backs. I mean, Matt Mioska, one of the best CBs in the league. They still have Miles Robinson, but Hagland is kind of a heart and soul guy for them, and he's also, like, as good a rotational center back as you could hope to have in the league. So losing both of them, that's a big blow for a team that really, I mean,
00:41:35
Speaker
I felt like they were supporters shield, definitely contenders, if not front runners. You lose me Osga and Haglund. That's not good for them. They've also been linked to Weston McKinney, US men's national team player and Juventus midfielder.
00:41:54
Speaker
Um, so they're seemingly looking around for reinforcements, um, which, you know, Weston's not a CB, but, um, he is a, he's, he's a defensive midfielder that could help on that side of the ball with these injuries. Um, so we'll see what comes of that. But, um, ominous times for FC Cincinnati, Meowska in particular, that's a huge loss for them.
00:42:17
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's not looking good for them. But who knows? Maybe maybe their their goal scoring ability can can outrun their defensive woes all on Miami. But who knows, man? It's it's a tough scene for them. There are certainly more vulnerable now than they were previously. As for the West and stuff.
00:42:34
Speaker
You know a lot of the bots were not happy about this. They don't want Weston playing an MLS Major League Soccer, LLC, McDonald's. They're like deeper in shambles about it then I would have expected I would not necessarily expect the bots to Be handling this well anytime a national team players linked MLS you're gonna get this reaction to an extent I don't know like me personally
00:43:11
Speaker
It would probably be better for Weston to be getting his reps at the club level week out in a league like Serie A or the EPL or whatever. Do I think it matters all that much? I'm not that worried about Weston. I think he's proven the type of quality that he has over his national team career. And just in general, his mindset mentality and demeanor, I trust that guy to bring it
00:43:29
Speaker
Like, I'm honestly sympathetic to the notion that with the World Cup coming up,
00:43:37
Speaker
at a very high level every time he puts on the shirt, no matter what the opponent is. And I don't really care that much where he's playing his club soccer. Weston's one of the guys that I'm just least worried about in general. He's he's probably my favorite player on the national team. I love watching him. He's such a he's such a fun player to watch. And he also he brings the vibes and the juice to our team that like pretty much no other player brings.
00:44:04
Speaker
Yeah, I'm a big Wesson McKinney fan, which is why I would love to see him in MLS like why not dude? He's the thing is to like let's be real. You know he's not going to downgrade because he's playing in MLS like I know people want to bag on you know some LLC F FVC, I don't know all the acronyms they use for calling MLS and McDonald's League, but
00:44:30
Speaker
It's, you know, the competition here is getting better and is at a level that we've never seen it before. Bringing in a player like him, especially ahead of the World Cup, when we're already seeing these record transfers happen, he's still gonna be, he's still gonna be playing into Messi.
00:44:47
Speaker
Yeah, no, he's he's he's proven his quality. Like I said, I mean, this guy was one of Juventus's best players, you know, so. Yeah, it's going to be in the national team. Apparently, he can't. He can't. Are you like, I literally saw a bot say that it was like the worst thing that could possibly. I mean, God, yes.
00:45:11
Speaker
Gotta get a grip sometimes. I know. I called them neurotic and they did not like that either. You know, I stay away from the bots at this point in my life, but I respect and appreciate that you poke the hornet's nest sometimes. Everyone's definitely entertaining. All right, unless you had anything else, Noah, I think we can call it right there for episode 46.
00:45:32
Speaker
Thank you all so much as always for tuning in. We really appreciate the increased listenership that we've seen since our partnership with Sounder at Heart launched. We appreciate everyone who has supported and will support the show. We love churning these out. Like, comment, rate, subscribe, five star reviews. I'm just saying all the buzzwords. Yeah, all of them. You're hitting them.
00:45:58
Speaker
Share with everybody. Share with Weston McKinney. Share with the bots. Share with the bots. We love you bots. Please tune in. Give us downloads. If you haven't yet, subscribe to the YouTube and subscribe to Sounder at Heart, sounderatheart.com slash LLS. That'll do it for this one. Until next time, we out. Peace.