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The partner in soccer and extra throughty, ah today, the Audi MLS Cup playoffs went crazy. The underdogs rule the roost! Doyle? Inter Miami! Puse! Columbus crew! You're out! FC Cincinnati, not this year. It's been a ride. We started these playoffs. I specifically remember an intro in which I said, good teams don't win MLS Cup. Only great teams do and all the great teams were like,
I'll use this while we fold our hand. I am rocked because I thought the whole point of this three game series, not the whole point, but if you look at the effect of a three game series last year, seven of the eight higher seeded teams won. The one team that didn't of the higher seeds was a team that we were saying all year long was fraudulent in NYC. Oh, that's excuse me. In St. Louis City. In NYC.
We'll see catch the random stray right there. Don't worry, Melissa out of New York. You in fact did win. Yeah, not fraudulent this year, but kind of. And it's just been turned on its head in 2024. Miami, Columbus, Cincinnati, RSL who had a very good season record setting 59 points for them. Done.
I like it should there should be less variance over the course of 270 minutes than there is over the course of 90 because in one game, anything could happen, but over the course of three games, the better team is supposed to win much more often than not has not been the case in 2024. Most famously with what happened on Saturday night with Atlanta United, a come from behind and then hold on from ahead and score a goal when it guys down,
and then the injured one for the record books and the memory banks forever. Emolescent is going to MLS. And that's just what I kept thinking after all of these. It didn't it didn't less. But that's what you're not considering. That's actually MLS. Emolescing and that they load you to sleep this insane league of ours into thinking it was predictable into thinking that it was obvious what could happen in these high stakes moments and thinking that no,
the offs are different now this three game series is in fact going to sort of sort out the teams that couldn't get it done in the regular season and then in true and less fashion, it just flips the narrative the next year so you don't know what the hell is going on at any time.
That's the beauty of this league now if you're trying to catch up here and understand where we're out there are eight teams remaining round of the conference semifinals, which will happen after the international break this upcoming weekend. And then the MLS composing priority is now basically shifted to the city of Los Angeles. LFC have the first priority. Galaxy have the second. The sounders have the third. Of course,
the others go to LFC in the conference simmized in the galaxy host Minnesota fourth Orlando city have hosting. Only Eastern only Eastern conference team that could host now it's been decimated. Yeah, Orlando City will now have an opportunity against their rival Atlanta United. Meanwhile, we get Hudson River Darby in the other conference semifinal Minnesota United have a chance if in fact it all goes.
Absolutely insane like if anyone other than Orlando out of the East make it in Minnesota make it to MLS Cup then I guess we're going to Saint Paul. Let's just get into it man. Let's just try to put a little rhyme and reason to what has none best thing you saw in round one game one then we'll dig into the specifics on all of these game threes from round one.
Maddie freeze with ice in his veins he's been the best or second best goalkeeper all year in this league had some spectacular moments for the pigeons and the save he makes on Luca or a shano in the first half of this one was one of the best he saves we've seen this season and then he brought that energy to the the PK shootout which was one of the.
The best bad shootout I've ever seen in my entire life. It was so bad it was good. Yeah, there were a cup like there were some absolute bombs hit top corner from these guys like some unsamable penalties but then there were some spectacularly saved penalties and then there were like three or four of the worst penalties you'll have to back the back to back.
And Johnson's for tough like and if you don't know what that is that's when you fire it into the universe basically and it begins to orbit earth. Can we get antifreeze is that a new nickname is that no no they call him Maddie ice and we're going to go with Maddie ice I am disappointed he wasn't on the US roster for these games coming up this weekend Jamaica in what is it the nation's league.
And he is right now he's the best American goalkeeper at least the best one who was playing regular minutes. I would have hoped to have seen him in that roster. Hopefully I guess there may be a camp cupcake in January and he'll get a look then and if he keeps playing like this this is a guy who should factor in for 2026.
I put you to say hey unless please release everyone in January for that camp and you know that might be possible the New York City might make their way to the concaf champions cup and they might want their guy to be around for that when it is also I would say I mean look it doesn't rise the level of criminality but it's frustrating that he was not a finalist for goalkeeper of the year as well.
And that's pretty simple and to freeze just you deserve to be there and I'm at the ice is not I don't mind the ice is a show up in the big moments so do I know that's tough you know like if we're isn't that. You know are we going back to Super Bowl quarterbacks it that fail in the final moment if we're going maddie ice or am I wrong about that connection.
I I'm not enough of a of a NFL expert to say I just think maddie ice is a is a it's a baller nickname so yeah it's cooler it's not a dead joke. Anyway best thing I saw round one Brad big tuna Guzanne in the net flailing around as if he's just been caught in a troller.
This was just one of those images from the in less cup playoffs that I will never ever forget to one Atlanta United Lee and I'll mess he scores a magisterial header as Ray Hudson might say he goes into the net he fights Guzanne for the ball he strips him just you know takes that ball away but then here comes Leo component of shove Guzanne in the back into the net.
Guzanne does the thing where he's stuck and he's leaning back in his hands are flailing and he just can't quite get up he's just like a big guy stuck in a net and it was I mean it's not funny to Atlanta United fans they were very bad they wanted to funny now right.
It is true it was funny from the start it just looked funny and Brad Guzanne's mannerisms and his emotions coming out in that moment I'm sorry Brad but it was funny and then to have Lee Suarez then be like oh I'm Lee Suarez so when I see you flailing in the net I'm immediately going to run up in front of you and taught you and yell at you.
It just it was I enjoyed it I enjoyed it and then Bartoschlige goes full like Polish Dominic Wilkins for the dunk header at the back post and then Miami fires up fireworks at home after they lose. And get knocked out of the playoffs and unimaginable like biggest upset of all time fashion it it just it had it had everything and it was unbelievable and yet so believable at the same time and that's where we will start our breakdown.
So with Inter Miami Lionel Messi Messi's friends Tatum Martino crashing out of the MLS Cup playoffs basically before the playoffs really even began in a lot of ways right like this is not supposed to happen this has never happened before Atlanta United the team that lost 2 DPs and a head coach and it's basically like the game is just a little bit more rooting around for solutions just to make the playoffs makes history.
This is the biggest upset of all time in the MLS Cup playoffs tell the people why it's one of the biggest upsets in North American playoff history across sports I honestly believe that Miami set this single season record for points 74 points won the supporter shield have the greatest player of all time some of his closest friends a bunch of
good young players. There were cracks that were showing and we're going to get into that later on but unquestionably when Messi's healthy this team is the favorite there was a 34 point gap between them and this Atlanta United
that had spent most of the season being dog water like they needed to win their final two games of the year just to make the playoffs they needed a little bit of help from you know VAR on the final day just to get to 40 points 40 points is usually not enough to even make the playoffs usually 9th place is 42 to 44 or so so like the most years they're not even here but they are here this year 34 points behind inter Miami the previous largest gap in MLS history between
two teams who faced each other in the playoffs was 31 points so this is the largest gap ever between two teams that was 98 DC United versus FC Dallas at Dallas burn as they were called back then or sorry 9th DC United LA galaxy versus the Dallas burn and LA killed them because when there's that big of a gap between two teams usually the team with many more points kills the bad team obviously didn't happen like that the
biggest gap between teams who were an upset was pulled off 22 points between NYCFC and the revs the previous single season points record holder back in 2021 though I will say the underlying numbers that they loved that NYCFC team and they win on to win MLS Cup we've seen big upsets before obviously last week the red bulls coming like 19 points below the crew in the single season standings
back in 2005 the the galaxy 19 points below the supporters shield winning San Jose earthquake side pulled off an upset in that one I think NYCFC on Saturday 19 points below FC Cincinnati in the game against the world so back in this lightnings pulled that one off so there's starting to be a pretty good volume of this sort of thing but what Atlanta did the difference between these two teams in the to more than anybody else in MLS playoffs history. It is a absolute shock.
It is the biggest upset in MLS playoffs history. And it leaves a lot of questions to answer for this inter Miami side. You know, we were on MLS wrap up and MLS season pass on Apple TV talking about this like I'm gonna be in the media aftermath. And I regret not going harder on inter Miami on that show. Kevin Egan asked us, is this season a failure for Miami? And we started to say, well, you know, Sasha came out and said, no, unequivocally, no, they won the supporters shield.
And I said, well, we don't have to be, you know, black and white about this. It's the biggest playoff flop of all time. That is absolutely true, but there are successful portions of this season. You know, I wafled a little bit. Ask me that question again, right now, I'm not going to waffle oil. Was this year a failure for inter Miami? Absolutely an unequivocally yes. 2024 is a failure for inter Miami.
There is no consolation prize when you don't win MLS Cup and crash out in the way that they did, when you have the go, when you have his friends, when you have all the expectations that others set for them, yes, but they set for themselves. I mean, just listen to Tatum Martino after this game. Quote, when you are eliminated in the quarterfinals, the season cannot be considered a success. Sadly for all you shield truth is out there, Doyle. Not Kaylyn, you're on my team.
The fact that this shield is not being celebrated right now or being pointed to as the consolation tells you everything. Like this is the bride's made of trophies, unfortunately. It's not the bride. The shield is an asterisk. The police record is an asterisk. It's not going to be, well, there are great team because they won the shield. It's going to be, they fell short because they didn't get the job done when it mattered most.
And that wasn't just MLS Cup, even though what obviously is, it goes for Concert Champions Cup to a lesser degree. I would say it goes for League's Cup and not going further in that competition. It goes for Open Cup final last year, probably two, though they got a little pass on that one. The fact is, like the near-cred bulls of the past, those shield winners, they didn't win Cup. That was disappointing. That was heartbreaking. That was awful, but they weren't Miami.
They didn't have the greatest player of all time. They didn't have Leon El Messi. They didn't have Luis Suarez and Busquets and Alba and U-22s who cost $10 million a piece and guys on loan that probably shouldn't be on loan for the numbers that they were at. There was a different set of expectations. Miami's Messi team cannot and should not and will not be judged on the same rubric as anybody else's toil. They're the most talented team in MLS history.
They have the greatest player in MLS history. He's the best winner of all time. Messi's very presence set the expectations, which was to win everything. And then Luis Suarez literally came out and set it to start the season, not that we even needed him to. You don't get a mulligan into Miami. That's not how chasing and establishing all time greatness works. And the window, by the way, is very finite. We're not talking about a group of 25 year olds.
We're talking about Leon El Messi and Luis Suarez at 37. Sergio Busquets at 36, Jordi Alba at 35. We don't know how many more chances Messi and friends will get. And in the meantime, look around. The league is only getting better. Every opportunity to win MLS Cup or any cup, I don't care what cup it is, it gets past this team is the definition of failure. And again, it wasn't a magical cup run that fell short. It wasn't bad luck. It wasn't circumstances.
It wasn't an equally great team being greater on the day. It was the biggest playoff flop of all time. And it's not even close. And I think back to what we've talked about in the past oil about David Beckham and the Galaxy and the connection to Inter Miami. Beckham's Galaxy won the shield. They went to MLS Cup and lost on penalties. Did anyone call that a success? Did Bruce Arena consider that a success? Did David Beckham consider that a success?
Did Landon Donovan, an MLS Cup champion of epic proportions consider that a success? No, it wasn't a success until they won MLS Cup and secured their place in league history. So look, let's be clear here. Inter Miami season included success on a scale that nobody else has reached in the regular season. But that's not the scale that they were meant to be measured on. It's not the scale they asked to be measured on.
They fell woefully short when it comes to history and their own expectations and our expectations. So they failed. Welcome to North America. Like, I don't know how seeing Messi storm off the field. I don't know how listening to Tatum Artino that we can think anything else. I respect Sasha's take about the shield and about what they did because those 34 games were brilliant. But man, the games and the moments that mattered the most, they weren't there.
They did not show up in the biggest moments this season. And we can't say we didn't see it coming, right? Because we talked about it on the show twice last week that this team can't defend. The underlying numbers we be were flashing warning signs at us all year long that they turned the ball over a ton. And if you look at the goals that gave up to Atlanta United, that came off of turnovers. And two, they were disastrous basically every time they turned the ball over.
It's how Monterey smoked them in the cocky-capped champions cup. It's how Columbus smashed them in the leagues cup. And it's how their season ended in these MLS cup playoffs. And they never addressed it. Never. There was some flukiness to this loss, right? Because Bradgazon played out of his mind and Atlanta's game winner came under, I guess we'll call it hilarious circumstances. I depend again to that. Like Goosan, it depends on your perspective.
Yeah. But the way it happened was also virtually the way all of their losses happened this season. So it wasn't totally out of the blue. It was a failure. And if you go back to those underlying numbers for a second, in terms of expected points as per American soccer analysis, Miami were a 44 point team. Well, they ended up on 74 points.
They ended up on 74 points because they had such overwhelming attacking talent, both in the starting 11 and off the bench that they reliably won the high leverage moments that so many games are decided by. Even without Messi, it was the same formula time and time again. It worked until it didn't and virtually every time they played a high stakes game, it didn't. And their season's done. It reminded me of, and this was a great ETR moment in a different place of a tightrope app.
Like, you know, if you walk the tightrope and you're an expert at it, you're like the best at it in the world. But every once in a while, you're going to fall. And of course, on Rappup, I call it a Trapi's Act, which, you know, got ETR listeners of Days Gone Bio will just nod their heads and say, oh, a mixed metaphor that you screwed up. Exactly. It just, it worked until it didn't work. Right?
And like, it's crazy because they have all these players that you know from basically decades of unprecedented quality and success and being at the very, very top of the game. And that's in Spain, that's in international competitions, it's incommable. Of course, it's, it's everywhere that that matters in the world of soccer. And then to be knocked out by no offense, I don't mean any offense, but just A to B apples, the apples comparison here.
Jamal Tiare, Bartoschli, Savilo Bajanitze, Derek Williams and Shanday Silva, outscoring you on aggregate over three games. Like the best player on the field for 60 minutes was Dax McCarty, which, you know, all of us old heads and immolacicos are nodding our heads and smiling about. Bragg Ruzon deciding that, you know, hey, Eleni Knight might have tried to erase me out of the starting lineup of this team, but I'm about to erase Inter Miami.
I mean, Rob Valentino, Tatum Artino connection is mind blowing. I mean, this is like, this is like Padwan Learner knocking off the Jedi master, right? Like, this is, I mean, Rob learned from Tatum. And then he's the interim and he's fighting for maybe not even this Atlanta job. Maybe just a job period as a head coach. And he beats Inter Miami in the playoffs. I, it boggles the mind. It really does.
Simon Evans had the tweet from Jordy Alba afterwards about the MLS playoff format because this is what happens after you lose. Quote, we were the most consistent team. We broke the points record. We had a good season, but we wanted was to win these playoffs. I think this format is a bit unfair. It's been done for many years, but I think it should be the chance to win the game.
And done for many years, but I think it should be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other to make it as fair as possible. That's not playoffs. It's not that's not what playoffs are, Jordy. Like, I get, I get his point, but that's what he's describing is, is a super cup. Right. And there's an argument that maybe MLS should have a super cup between the Leagues Cup winner and the MLS Cup winner or the Shield winner and the Cup winner, assuming that nobody does the double.
That's a fun way to maybe start the season. I think we'd get hyped for that, but that's not the playoffs. The playoffs are, you go through the regular season, and then you face multiple adversaries over the course of a few weeks or a month or six weeks or whatever it is until you get to the final. So what he's talking about, and I understand the frustration that he feels, and he did continue to give Atlanta United a ton of credit. So, you know, good on him.
But what he's talking about, what he's asking for, is not playoffs. We're talking about the playoffs. Well, and look, this is the way it's supposed to be, at least in our league in North America, this is the way it works, is that you play a regular season to set yourself up in the best possible situation you can be into succeed. And that's what Inter Miami did, credit to them. You know, they got the team that was 34 points worse.
They got the team that had to absolutely like grind their faces off just to get into the playoffs. They got that team on short rest after a wild card game. They got that team at home twice where they had been practically unbeatable this season.
They got a team with, for all intents and purposes, one designated player, and that designated player being one that had come in the summer and hadn't particularly performed that well so far in Alexi Moran-Chuck though he was, he was pretty good in this series. They got every advantage that the MLS Cup playoffs can give you. They even got a mulligan for game two because if it was two games aggregate, they would have gone to penalties after that.
I guess at least extra time and then after that, if it was still tied penalties. But hell, this team could have lost in extra time the way they give up chances and transition. They lost that game in the final second because of the way they give up chances and transition. Yep. The goal they gave up in the first leg, they gave up in a chance in sort of semi transition. This is just who they were. We were warned all season long that it could end like this.
I just never thought it would be a cross a three game series. I thought Messi would have enough magic in him. I thought Suarez, who was terrible, by the way, would have enough magic in him. I thought that just the brute force of the talent differential over the course of 270 minutes would be enough. And it wasn't and credit to Atlanta United. And on any normal day, it probably is. But Brad Guzan was like, these are not normal days. We be, let's talk about this. 31 points from losing positions.
You wrote in the rundown. It was a badge of honor and a flashing alarm bell. You broke, gave away transitions like candy on Halloween. You wrote down set pieces. Derek Williams. Was there anything else to this? I think they're also the, let's go to the moment on the third goal. Let's go to the moment on the third goal because that one isn't really any of those things.
That's just something that we saw all year as well, which is a lack of focus and execution and critical moments, particularly defensively. Thomas Abilis is laying on the ground in the 18 yard box while Atlanta United are attacking. Like they are actively attacking and look, I understand a cramp hurts and it seems like that's what he had. I'm not going to speculate. That's what it seemed like. And he left the game right afterwards. But he goes down in the 18 yard box and lies down.
You take away a central defender. His teammates look around and are like, why isn't the ball being put out? And it's not Atlanta United's responsibility to do so. It's, it's simply is not. And Tottenham Artino was frustrated about it in the post game and he said, we would have put it out. And I said that's very, that's a very real line. I remember Lena Messi dinking a ball over an RSL player and all of us. Oh, sick, sick. I remember Miami playing through in this series. Players being down.
Well, Yumba was down at one point and they played through like if you're Thomas Avelis. When you're Thomas Avelis, you don't you can't go down. You can't do that unless your leg has come off. All right. Like that was the most insane thing that I've seen in these playoffs. The fact that he thought if he just lie down there that that would force Atlanta to stop playing no matter what. But it lies in the final third. And in the middle of the day. And the regular season, that might have been true.
No, no, I don't think that would have been, not maybe a little bit attack. And it's more reasonable at least to think that that's a possibility. Fair, but it's still not something that I would expect the attacking team to do. And Avelis has been bad this year. Like we have to say it. Like we've given him a lot of rope because he's young and he clearly has a lot of tools. And he said a rotating cast of center back partners. And he said to switch between a four and a five.
And they spent so much money on him. He is still the most expensive center back in league history. And given all of that, we're like, okay, let's give him some rope. It's going to be tough to, you know, it's going to be tough to write this kid off. He was bad this year. And that was a big reason why they were in this position in the first place. He was not good. And then to compound it by making the most brain dead decision, you could possibly make in that situation.
And that in turn was compounded by the rest of the Miami D. of the Miami defense shutting off, which I can't for the life of me understand because Avelis is 20. He's a young kid who did a dumb thing and his team suffered for it. Nobody else on that back line. Nobody else in that defensive midfield as inexperienced as that.
It was inexcusable for them to just start waving their hands and yelling at the official instead of continuing to play because the rule is the official is not going to stop play unless it's a head injury. And the rule is Atlanta does not have to stop playing. 20 year old kid made a terrible mistake. Everybody else compounded it. That's why Miami's going home. I mean, like winners win those moments.
It's not just the moments where, you know, Messi's trying to force the issue and finds it back post and heads it in. It's not just the moments that look obvious. It's the moments before the moments. It's the moments where you're like, well, you know, the path veers here. There's two forks in the road. What's going to happen? And meanwhile Bartosz Leish is like, I'm going to get about a 10 step head start. Nobody's going to put a body on me.
I'll run through three guys who very easily could disrupt my run or mark me or challenge for this ball. And I'm going to jump like I've never been, I don't know man. I'd love to see him try to jump that high again. He freaking flew. He flew. He headed that ball down. And Atlanta deserved every, every ounce of this celebration, every ounce of this moment. You could, you know, the celebrations, you're just looking at Brad and at Dax and this entire squad.
That's like, yeah, everybody had counted out, you know, Garth Lockerway, who's got to be thinking, what a strange, strange trip this has been in 2024. I mean, it almost, it almost defies belief. Anything on Atlanta before we get to what's next for Inter Miami because like it or not, Miami are, they are the, they're sort of the Goliath in this story, you know, like David's going to keep going on and, and he'll probably get a story written about him.
But ultimately, like Goliath hit the ground, man. Yeah. Atlanta is not going to go into this next game against Orlando thinking that they don't have a chance. They, they showed it on decision day, right? They already beat Orlando and what was a must-win game for them. And now they're coming off of this where they just won two games against we know Messi's Inter Miami. Like this is, like this is just the madness that is MLS. There's no real explanation for it.
But God, it's a, it's a hell of a story. And I am glad that I get to watch Dax one more time. One of my favorite MLS players of all time is ability to get to the top of the game. His ability to conduct the game on both sides of the ball. He's like, he had to assist in this one. Well, maybe an assistant a half because that first one was deflected. But still he, he sees the field and he plays in a way that makes the job easier for everybody in his attack.
Because he gets you the ball early, he gets you the ball in stride and in space. And it has been a joy to watch this guy play soccer for almost 20 years. So I'm glad we get at least 90 more. He was simple, but he was directing this game. And that's what, that's what Atlanta were begging for to break down. Like Miami's defensive disorganization, right? Like when you get the ball, be calm. Understand that there are gaps in front of you. Let them develop. And then play the ball.
Try to make sure that the second goal is just perfect, right? Because Martinez, left center back is flaring out a little bit, which creates a channel. If there's a turnover and of course there's an immediate turnover. It's a one touch pass to Dex. And he immediately plays that ball into the channel where Martinez is two or three steps out of position. Like that is, that is the definition of game IQ. That is the definition of understanding where the pieces on the chess board are.
It's also like why were Nashville so bad this year compared to last year? Because they didn't replace that. Can I also just say Pedro Amador might be a home run signing? Like goodness. Is a home run signing? This dude serves a freaking ball. Like that. If you're a DP coming into Atlanta next year, obviously anybody on the team right now and this dude gets on it. And puts his head down as about to whip one with your left foot. Just run at the goal. Run at the back post. Like get there first.
You're going to have a chance to put the ball on the back of the net. There's more to come for Atlanta. We got a lot of time to talk about it because the conference semi is our two weeks away. Let's just real quick get into what comes next for inter Miami because. Them winning MLS Cup would have been a huge story. Them not winning MLS Cup at any bounce is arguably as big a story. And it puts even more pressure on the off season.
So we basically know Doyle the Diego Gomez is going to go to the Premier League with Brighton. So that's going to bring in a bunch of money. And of course they've spent a bunch of money. But money doesn't really seem to be an object for the Moss brothers and David Beckham and the ownership there. They're spending to win obviously. And pressure will be on them to continue to do that. On the U22 side, Fakundo Farias is going to return from that season ending injury list.
That's going to be a conundrum because now they'll have U22s of Thomas Aviles, one. Benhak Kromowski just signed a new deal to Federico Redondo, three, Farias, four, and Emerson Rodriguez who's been on loan five. They currently have two designated players in Bousquets and Leon Amese. Alba has an option for next year. He was on Tam. I wonder if his option is for Tam. Like kind of think it might not be. But they need. We've heard a piece. We've heard probably. Yeah. We've heard.
I think whispers that. But it's not that it would be a DP option. So it's okay. You convince him to come back on Tam and Suarez on Tam, by the way, who's talked about having discussions about his future with the club. Then you would have two DPs, but you need to fix your U22s because you can only have three if you're going to have three DPs. And we've heard the rumors about name are.
And meanwhile, you probably have to open up some salary caps based somehow, which they've done repeatedly this season. Trading the likes of Deandra Yedlin and others. So Julian Gressel is a guy that could be moved. He's been. MIA basically and these big playoff games. Leo Kampana. I guess you could move him. He would have value in the league. Robert Taylor would probably have value within the league as well. I so let me go through this.
The Gressel thing, the fact that he didn't play in the playoffs after being one of their most reliable players throughout the course of the regular season. And especially the fact that he didn't play down the stretch in game three when they were chasing a goal is unbelievable to me. It is irresponsible from Tata not to get Gressel on the field in that specific situation. I'm like, do we remember what happened in last year's Eastern Conference finals when he came on? Change the game.
Got the crew to MLS Cup. The fact that that didn't happen. Like something very clearly went wrong for Gressel to go from being basically a written in pen starter. To an unused sub in all three playoff games. He's on $1.1 million. If he is not going to be part of the plan then and like given how good he is, there's going to be interest in him. Like you can get something for that. Then the game that you're going to get from the Diego Goma sale.
Then the fact that Sergei Khristov understandable for a lot of reasons did not have a great year. He's on a big number as well. You could get to $2.2.5 million worth of cap space or budget space because some of that is is gam. I think they have the ability to go out and bring in the type at least one type of center back that they need. If you have that much room and you can't find the right center back.
But they didn't have that much room and they found a bunch of guys and it didn't work out for them for a myriad of reasons. Like Friday looked like he was going to maybe be that guy. And then he has a season in Indian injury. And Martinez at moments was that guy, but he was on loan and then hurt, you know, then terrible in this series. Yeah. And why gets on loan? I thought he was actually better in game three than I've seen him a lot over the course of this year.
But like that greets out of contract. I think you got to say goodbye to him. You know, Matthias Rojas technically has options, but you could move on from Matthias Rojas as well. But what I'm saying, good minutes like you're saying that there's flexibility that they can go back to the well. Yeah, they can they should have the ability to reinforce this back line. And because of their ability to develop guys like Kramaski and David Ruiz and Noah Allen and even Ian Frey.
Because we expect him back at the start of the season. Like they're going to have enough depth to tinker. And then they don't really have any bad contracts. The only one would be the the U 22 kid who they they sent out on loan. Emerson Rodriguez Emerson Rodriguez and like you couldn't buy that hour. Maybe even find a taker within the league. Oh, just keep him on loan. Keep him on loan for another year. So well, yeah, there you go.
And so it's just like it's very clear that there is a path for this team to be. I would argue even better next year because they should be able to identify and address all the stuff we were talking about with how bad they are in transition transition defense. And how to control the game by building from the back line, which is something they never had the ability to do this year.
And in the process, moving a talented young player like Toto Avelis into a more tertiary role where his growing pains aren't going to cost you so much over the course of the season. And then most especially in high level games. So I actually think Miami's in really good shape to get all of this done. And if Chris Henderson was the guy making those decisions, I would have a lot of confidence that they're going to get this done. But that is the sound of the other shoe dropping.
The beauty is for them that at least they had Chris to set them up to make the moves. Right? That like the salary kept situation they're dealing with. Comes from one of the master manipulators and scouts that the league has really ever seen probably. I mean, I don't think that's hyperbally in any way. But that likely somebody else very likely in their own conference is going to have the access to those tools. And perhaps the team they just lost to Doyle and Atlanta United.
So if you got thoughts on this, obviously we got the time we got the inclination to talk through it. I mean, this is I would say, I mean, it's not the biggest story in the most history. But if it's not, it's a real conversation. Miami's crash out. It's up there. It's up there and it makes the offseason a lot more fun. Yeah. All right. If it was just Miami, you know, one of the supporters shield with a voice record. And then they steamrolled their way to MLS Cup.
Like, okay, that's that's fun too. But this, you know, a super club in a little bit of turmoil. That's good radio. Okay, let's keep it going. The opponent for Atlanta is going to be Orlando Charlotte Bifted. The Bifted Doyle. They finally scored a goal in this series. Took him three games and Carol Soderowski got it done. And by God, it didn't look like he was going to get it done. That break look that it was going to break down yet again for this team.
But hey, all as well that ends well in less than second half stoppage time. Your defensive midfielder is going to reach out and grab the jersey of a forward on a set piece. And depending on your point of view, either pole Duncan McGuire down or Duncan McGuire goes down far too easily. But the fact of the matter is Gerille Dionney grabbed an attacking player's jersey with a straight arm and held it as he made a run. And second half stoppage time of a game that his team was leading one nothing.
And that would have sent them to the conference semifinals. I can't I just I struggle to understand. People make mistakes. So that's really what it comes down to. And Dean Smith was a very he was very frustrated. And I just about that call. Because that call was sent to video review. And is we're peckmitch the referee said nope stick with my call on the field. I can't believe that was sent to video.
I can't either on such a blatant grab like I you can for sure argue that that Duncan McGuire goes down easier than he may. Oh, he makes it. But if you're in the box and your shirt is getting tugged at all in second half stoppage time of a game where you need a goal. Yeah, you go down like that. And like Dean is like well, the referees. I'm like I get that. And I think on the Patrick Agimong goal that was called off.
I think you have every right in the book to be super frustrated about that one because it looked. Even perhaps certainly on side. It also could have been offside. We have terrible camera angles on it. So look the only person looking down the line. Is the AR and anybody sit in the section directly behind them and well, they're not referees. So. But like that's the one to complain about. Deonie has to bear the responsibility of grabbing a guy in the box. Yeah, the referee.
You don't put that one in my opinion on the referees. But man, Charlottes game play and almost worked dude. Sit back, absorb, hit on the counter attack. They didn't hit until game three and it almost didn't matter. Yeah, it will for him. I feel for him. It was who they have been this year when they've been at their best is that type of team that trades possession and field position first based account or into. And I honestly thought that Ajimong thing was on side.
I wish we had gotten another look at that. But like it was. It did look like Dagger Dan is. It looks like he's deeper than the two center backs. Yeah. It just and I'm like I'm one of those people that when somebody says what it looks like I'm like, come on man. Like we all know about these angles. We understand how the camera tricks you and you know perspective is not the same when it's not directly down the line as it is on this case where it's a weird camera angle to the side.
But boy, it does. It does look like he's on side and I'm also biased to big pat. But you know, yeah. But it was the right. Look, it was the right game plan from Dean Smith and it almost worked. But that brings us to Orlando. Like do Orlando were great in game one. They were nonexistent in game two and. I'm not going to say they were poor in game three, but they weren't incisive in. The way that you would hope to have seen in a knockout game at home. I guess the team.
Where you're going to have 65% possession. And so I'm going to put this question to you, we be why were they so poor in the final third is this just credit to Charlotte because they've played. You know, they had played Orlando for 180 minutes heading into this game and they have a very good defense. Like we don't love to watch them play, but they're a good defensive team and over three games that showed. Yes, I think a big part of it is Charlotte.
The big is strength of one team, especially when it sort of counteracts the biggest weakness of the other, which is. The business and for Orlando for a long time with various small blips, which is if you sit back on them and you take away and compact space in the final third, they struggle to break you down. Like this is not a new trend for Orlando city under Oscar Parah.
Right, it's like it's something that this fan base has been frustrated about that oscar has had to talk about for a long time. There's a reason why they look better on the road oftentimes where there's more space to attack into where guys like Angulo and Martino, who's really not a 10 who dropped in the game is so good. What was what was the difference between this and game one then.
Well, I mean, once you get the first goal that changes things right. Yeah, I don't know. I for the nitty gritty of it, I'm not I'm not able right now. To go in and say like granularly exactly why they were able to get two goals. Yeah, so it was just those two goals. Honestly, those two goals in game one, like they could have had four clean finishing variance because of Kundo hit the post twice in the first half. That's a fair point, you know, maybe some of it's just finishing variance.
The other thing I would say about Orlando right now is I kind of think oscar. It's like. He has a little bit of a nine issue in that he has almost too many options, but all of whom. Have issues right now that don't let them be their best selves like Ramirez, Rique is a. I mean, he's like a dog without a bone. He's just flying around, pressuring, making runs, but.
It's just not a reliable finisher and he's not an efficient finisher for that matter. So okay, you don't have that will dunk him a choir is a more efficient finisher, but he seems to be a little bit hurt and. You know, oscar hasn't trusted him to start. So he's not in like firing form that we saw last year and then loose Maria is very clearly and undoubtedly the most talented of those three and arguably after watching him in this game.
He might be one of the most talented attackers in the entire league, but he obviously is not fit enough to play extended minutes. So like you have all these options, but you're like, that doesn't like what you like. What which one's going to get us to the promised land it's like well some amalgamation of the three, but.
That's hard to time that's hard to get right on one day, which is now where they're going to be at one day and every game at home against teams that are going to sit back against them. Yeah, certainly every team. Well, New York Red Bulls just be just upset the crew by doing that and like pressing in certain moments, but I don't think they'll want to expose themselves to this Orlando team that'll just go play direct over the top.
New York City on the road is not a expansive team. They're a skip lines team on the road as well. I don't think you're going to see Orlando in their most comfy situation the rest of the way. So, so Orlando's going to be treated like the favorite in the Eastern. They are the terms. So they are. Are they your pick to cut? Are they your pick to come out of the Eastern?
I have no idea. What do we talk about here? Just on seating, they should be the favorite on home field advantage. They should be the favorite. There's no three game series left here. There's no like second bite at the apple for anybody. If you get to play every game at home and in the regular season, you were the best team. And I think if you look at the total. We're talking to talent. They have more talent. They have more talking to anybody else.
They're talking degrees, right? Like they're 52 point team. NYCFC are a 50 point team. The red ball. And that's why you're not going to catch me out here being like, oh, they're the favorite. They should go to cup. I just I don't know what's going to happen in the East anymore. Yeah. I don't think anybody does. I don't think anybody really does. I agree with you on the nine issue. I just I think Enrique set such a tone in terms of his movement and his defense. And he makes it easier.
Like there's a reason why I think Focutora ends up getting the ball in so many good spots. And part of it is like Orlando's really quite a good team. And part of it is that Vermiro Enrique is always moving the opposing back line around. So Focut gets the ball in better spots these days than he did in the first half of the season. And then you have even though Duncan McGuire is clearly limited with some sort of injury issue.
Didn't he have his arm like a shoulder popped back into place in this game? I think so. Yeah. But like 30 minutes. He unloads. You know, he empties the tank in those 30 minutes. And sometimes it can end up being you draw a penalty other times it's you know his movement in the box is good. And again that has a knock on effect of opening things up for Focutora's and Martino Hayda. I I also kind of feel like maybe Orlando needed a series like this.
Right. Maybe they needed something that was going to be tight that was going to test them at the end going to penalties and beating Christian Collina a game after you had lost to him. Like that. It's all. It's checking a lot of boxes in terms of what I wanted to see. You see an Oscar Praihara needs a chippy tight series. Decided by guts at the end. There's nothing he needs more.
I'm wondering. I'm wondering if maybe they needed that in order to play with a little bit of freedom going forward because the knock on Oscar who is one of the great coaches in MLS history in these in these big games in the playoffs. His teams play tight. They play a little bit afraid to make a mistake. They get a little bit. They get a little bit too enamored of the baby games to use. You know, I want to want to tailor 12 men's favorite expressions like the offball stuff.
The stuff that doesn't really have to do with how you're playing and has to do more with the emotions. You know, you know, you have to do it through this. Freeze them up to say we can win like that. But we're better. Everybody involved and taking risks. And I'm hoping from an aesthetic point of view that that's the version of Orlando City we get in the Eastern Conference semis and perhaps beyond. I trust their defensive midfield and and back for far more than I trusted my Emmys.
I trusted my Emmys attackers far more than I trusted this group for Orlando City. Though again, I do think that in the East they have the most talented group left throughout the squad. But one game and you're going to play them all at home. So how free are you going to feel? How free are you going to feel knowing what your history is in these games that you're now the favorite quote unquote.
I guess we'll see let's talk Charlotte before we keep this thing rolling here. What's next for Charlotte Doyle and is it just as simple as which DPs come back and what DPs do they sign like that's what's missing for this team realistically. I think that's where the the entire offseason discussion has to begin and perhaps end with them. Pep BL club option for 20 25 can't see it can't see it.
Carol side air ski does have one guaranteed left a year left at a 2.25 million. I know he got the goal on this one. He's not. Anders was right. Anders was right about Carol.
And he was the first to take from the beginning was that sort of he was not not that guy and he has not been. Yeah, I mean that one's got a maybe someone takes him on loan for the final year. And we open up the spot like when he went to Italy or or maybe we have to consider a buyout or maybe we go get somebody else in that other DPs spot and figure where we go.
And then the ball has not been that guy either did not start in this one and it was not. Like I thought I thought that was the correct decision because he hasn't done much. Yeah, they got to figure out how to get more out of him. No doubt about it. But look, I it was a great season for Charlotte. It was a turnaround season was a foundation laying season.
But after you lay the foundation, you got to look around and design the house. And I think they're still in the process of of building something bigger that can do more in these high leverage. Well, the question is like we we left it unsaid, but we just listed three disappointing DPs. And we know that the DPs, you know, Jews we act in Alan Franco, the previous DPs. They've all been signed by the same front office or in Kranetta running this front office since before day one in Charlotte.
Look, there are the big question about Charlotte's upside is Zorin Kranetta. He has to show the ability to sign the right guys to elevate this team because right now there is a hard cap on their ceiling. They just don't have those kinds of match winners. Pat, Pat Ajimahn is very clearly the best attacker on this roster. And they got him with like a mid first round draft pick. That's that's not a sustainable way to build a contender in MLS.
And I think you leading into this year the pressure had been on the managers. And they had paid the price and I'm not saying the front office will now pay the price, but I think with Dean Smith now at the manager and stability in that place for the club and trust in that place between front office and manager.
And the pressure rightfully shifts to the front office to get Dean the players that he needs to make this a more expansive team that isn't just hoping to score one goal and hold on in the playoffs. They need to be a little bit more than that big off season for Charlotte.
It's a big off season for any team that doesn't win in Luscup. That's true for Cincinnati now as well. New York City didn't exactly well it wasn't you don't hang in the Lou even even Nick Cushing on his 40th birthday afterwards was like, well, I didn't do a whole lot with the ball, but defensively we were very good and Matt frees was extremely good. This looked to me, Doyle like game one except in game one Cincinnati found the moment. Got a one moment right.
One moment. And in this game, they just couldn't quite find that moment and so New York City held on and then it goes to the variability of penalties and while Roman Salantana was very good. Freeze was better and Cincinnati. Yeah, they're out because of it. It's been a very, very strange year for Cincinnati. Like it's been a year of shifting sands off the jump with all the change in the starting 11 and big players leaving and big players being signed.
But then they were good like Lucho was MVP level. They were first in the east and when the year you expected Miami to do it and then. Me as a guy hurt and it all just kind of. It all just kind of fell apart. They just never were able to get a consistent group together. And I think most importantly and we've been talking about this for a while, but this game is a microcosm of it or maybe even. I don't know if is macrocosm a word. I don't know.
The number nine position has been an issue since bupins the last summer. Yeah, like bupins had talent. He didn't have the personality to fit and obviously he didn't. You know, they sold Vasquez who was maybe the upside wasn't as high as others, but was very reliable and what he did on both sides of the ball. The winter signings didn't work. Kevin Kelsey is not that guy in my opinion and you know, Corey Barrett is more of a guy that you rotate in.
And then in the summer, they swung and he missed big time big swings. Reportedly Josh Sergeant and him on Berthorame. Berthorame the closer of the two and couldn't get it over the line. And so you got Joaquini, which obviously did not work. And so in the end, in the biggest games of your season, you, you Kubo, who's played all over the pitch and has never scored in volume, but did get double digits this year and Luke or a Sean or your ninth.
And so when the Andre Edelens arriving at the back post, it's the Andre Edelens and not look or a Sean. You know, when you need somebody to combine on the left side with Lucio, it's, you know, it's you know, it's a Melissa who's been really good, no doubt about that, but is a much different threat than or a Sean individually. It just felt like the trickle down from not getting the nine right. That was that was the big difference. That maybe was the difference.
Not even maybe if this team had a, you know, even a top 10 number nine, I'm not talking like, if that alone, so we delete. Yeah, then this team is going through maybe even a mousseff for a crore, probably going through in two games. And I think the process for Chris Albright in that front office was probably pretty good. Like, but pens is scored a lot of goals in Turkey and his underlying numbers were great. And it is like me to come first in the golden boot draft because of that.
But he was a lunatic and he got tuned up by pro boxer and he's gone. And when it was clear early, you know, early on in the season when it was clear that that pencil was not going to be the answer, shifting to a guy like Kelsey, who has a ton of talent and getting that across the line on the U 22 deal and on low to by the way, so you weren't you weren't committed like committed. Yeah.
And the problem is Kelsey just can't like he's toolsy, but he's not a good soccer player at this point. Okay. Well, at least we have Corey Barrett, Corey Barrett's good signing. Yeah, it's a good signing to we universally praise that's for whatever reason, it did not fit. It did not work like, okay, then you turned to the transfer window transfer market in in the summer. And like, yeah, they were aiming for big DPs and they got kind of screwed by Bergerama who backed out at the last
minute and they were still able to bring in a guy who scored double digit goals last year in MLS and for whatever reason that didn't fit either. So it was kind of like a year from hell for Cincinnati, just in terms of trying to fill that spot. And if they had gotten it right, even one of those signings, they would still be, I think they would still be alive in the game. In these playoffs, but they didn't. And they came up against one of the best goalkeepers in the league in the shootout. They
helps them out with a few of those takes. And now they have a whole off season to think about how to fix it. So you said hell, speaking of purgatory afterwards, Lucho Acosta says he could be done in the mid game. Well, maybe it is the end for me at this club. We'll have to think, we'll have to talk with everyone about what the future might hold. Obviously I'm giving everything for this club.
Quote we played a game today that I may remember as my last, at the club, I played with my absolute 100% and more. I hope that's how I'm remembered. This is a club I gave my life for. I gave everything for so incredible years here. And who knows, I may not leave. Whoa, OK, heads on a swivel here, Locio. Quote, there are many things away from the game within Luciano that many people know, which that's a hell of a quote within Luciano. I'm going to start using that for myself.
And then from Laurel Flauer, quote, a lot of things the club did hurt me. They hurt a lot to go from having an incredible year, winning the shield and then leave a lot of players aside dot, dot, dot. He has a contract for context. Lucha signed an extension in 2023 and the midst of the shield winning season when he was MVP through 2026 with an option for 2027. What I will say is that when I saw these quotes after the game, I just chalked
that up to an emotional guy being emotional and a little dramatic. And we have seen that from players all over this league in the past upon being eliminated in the playoffs. You see it in every. Yeah, it's human. Every sport. That's human. Two, three years ago, Lebron was like, I might retire. Like no, you're not. Remember in 2016 when Lena mess, he was like, I'm done with Argentina after Copa, I made it. Yeah. So this is, this is not unprecedented
even for kings of their sports. And that's what I chalked this up to. I still think it's more likely than not that Lucho is back with Cincinnati next year and probably the year after. What I will say is I've heard from multiple sources at and around the club. This particular line, a lot of things the club did hurt me. They heard a lot. That did not go over well in the locker room because the perception in the locker room is that the club bends over
backwards for Lucho. I don't think you could argue that they built the whole team around it. Yeah. I don't think that, I mean, that's kind of a given is that he gets the free reign. He gets the big contract. You know, his guaranteed comp this year is $4.3 million. He's one of the highest paid players in the league. He's one of the best players in the
league. He's earned that contract. He's earned a preferential treatment. But like, it's kind of hard to turn it like, okay, yeah, they let your buddy, Barriago, but Lucho or Ashano is, I would argue, a more impactful player. Yeah. You know, and they have, it looks like a very reasonable option to keep Orishano at the club permanently. You know, Lucho is not asked to do a ton of defensive work. He often pops up with big defensive moments.
And that's often when Cincinnati are at their very best as well. When he is a part of that collective that turns the ball over and gets going the other way fast, he benefits from those moments individually. But there's a lot of guys that run a lot for him. So what I thought was that there was a zero chance, zero percent chance that Lucho would be gone even after those comments. But upon talking to some folks, I, I, I will say that
it's, it's a non zero chance that Lucho will not be back next year. It is a massive story to monitor this offseason because he was the MVP last year. And until that, that foot injury in July, double foot injury, I mean, whatever it was, he was even better. He was even better this season. It's a tough, it would be tough to let guy go like that go.
That said, if Grammy O Corinthians, you know, Flamenco are struggling right now, but there, like if a Brazilian team comes in with an offer and says, we'll pick up that salary, I would not be shocked if, if, if both Lucho and Cincinnati were, were tempted. He's only 30. And you know, look, we've, we've sort of been like, well, why would Lucho complain? There is a reason why Lucho would complain as well. Like we talked through it
with the number nine situation, right? Like he had to be looking around at Bupinza and being like, this guy, like this dude's insane. This dude's putting us all in a terrible spot with his own behavior and looking around just saying, I don't have as much help as I wish I had. The standard we set last year, we can't reach because, you know, these things that in some ways were out of the control of the front office, but we're also in some
ways and control just didn't come off the way that they had hoped. So I get why he would be frustrated, but at some point when you're sort of the face and the leader of the club, probably not the best idea after you lose a dramatic game and have your season in and your under contract for two more years to, to air it out, you know, to completely air it out. But we'll see what happens. I will say given the ambition of FC Cincinnati and
let's just throw it out there. Tom Bogart immediately reporting in the aftermath of this that since he or nearing a club record deal, the sign togo international forward, Kevin Denke from, from Bruce, circle, Bruce, not circle, Bruce. I didn't want to try to pronounce that. I'm not going to lie. For $15 million, you know, they have ambitions and they're
willing to spend that money. So if Lucho is not there, open it with D.P. spot and saying, look, what we can do might not be the least palatable option in the world for Cincinnati. So maybe, maybe Lucho sees some writing on the wall there too, but he should also see the writing on the wall that some serious help is coming because Denke won the Golden Booten Belgian last year. And we've seen some Belgian guys coming in, would be real big hits. And he's not old. He's 23. He's young.
We've seen some guys come from Belgium and not be big hits too. True. Dante Van Zier, Hugo Piper's was just okay. True. I mean, I think this looks like a good signing. Perhaps even an excellent signing. As he said, he won the Golden Booten last year. His underlying numbers are very, very good. Once again, this year, he's at the right age. I genuinely actually kind of like the Belgian league, but it's anyway. It'll be interesting to see how good this guy is if they get this deal over the line.
But if they do, and it suddenly doesn't work with Lucho and the body language between the two, the nine and the 10 is bad once again. Last time the finger was pointed at Aaron Pupenza. I don't think the finger will be pointed at thank you this time. By the way, we get a Hudson River Derby. We haven't talked about that just yet in the conference semi-finals. On your juice scale, where's that rank? How juiced are you for this?
I'm pretty juiced for it. I genuinely enjoy watching NYCFC when they play at home. They're like a completely different soccer team when they play at home or when they play on the road. I don't love watching the Red Bulls, but they are a much easier watch when Forsberg and Morgan are both healthy. I think they're going to be for this one. They'll have a little bit of blood in their eyes given what NYCFC did to them the last time these
two teams met. But do you feel any different about the pigeons after this series that you did before? No. This was out of the playbook. It looked very good at home, created chances, were more expansive and confident. They haven't seemed to have that gear all year long. It isn't just a recent development. It felt like all year long. That isn't there. By the way before we move on here, I just threw up Kevin Denke and FB Ref to see who's the number
one similar player to Kevin Denke in their database. Miguel Borja, I River Plate, who FC Cincinnati had also been linked with. I don't know how real that one was previously. That's an interesting one. You figure though, there's still going to be in that two forward setup, right, Doyle? Yeah, though, it's a question now is one of the forwards, Oreshano. FFFare, if you've got a guy to run him behind and Oreshano can just sort of tuck in, especially
off the right side, be gold, dangerous. That might work pretty well. You let Yadlin stay in his spot. I feel like we were a little unfair to DeAndre. I think he played pretty darn well in this series and did things that you wouldn't expect him to be the guy finishing plays consistently in the final third. But a lot of players on the Cency team were asked to do things this year that maybe we're outside of what you would normally request.
All right, Western Conference, just one game three out there. That's going to be the Vancouver White Caps in L.A.F.C. It was déjà vu for the caps, but not in the same way as 2023, Doyle. In 2023, it was a complete meltdown at home. They just lost one nothing, but Vanny Sartini was going crazy and getting suspended for what he said and did on the field. And they had also gotten their butts beat 5-2 in game one. They were the better team in
this series. Aggregate says it. The eyeball test says it. Sadly, game three didn't say it for the Vancouver White Caps because Maddie Bogush had a special moment. An unlucky moment I would say for Andres Kubas on a header that deflected right to the feet of his opponent. So they can be proud Vancouver Doyle, but the result is still the same. L.A.F.C. are going
through. Yeah, it was a great adjustment from Steve Toronto in the second half because like the first half of this game was all Vancouver. They were so much better than L.A.F.C. in the first 45 minutes. And at the break, Steve Toronto dropped one of the centerbacks and brought in Eddie at the West as a number six to play in a 4-3-3, which tightened up the midfield. Right. Wait, hold on. No, that's a mix of two players. It's your boy at the West. Eddie Segura did
not get on. Wait, Edward. Oh my God. You've never heard him. I've never heard him call Eddie at West. I just called that. I just completely feel blue. I mean, I just any Eddie on L.A.F.C. is Segura for me. So I apologize. I will mute my microphone and wait until call the bomb. Take five. Yes. Yes. Bringing out, making it three versus three in central midfield, I thought was the obvious fix for L.A.F.C. by like the middle of the second
game. And Steve Toronto, most like he resisted doing it until the middle of the third game and doing so, I think provided the difference because it gave L.A.F.C. some pitch control even without the ball, right? Like you think of 4-3-3, especially as like a possession dominant kind of formation. And they did have more of the ball once they moved to the 4-3-3, but it was just having the right numbers and the right players, the right pieces
in the right spots in central midfield kept Vancouver from getting downhill. And if you look at the first 2-1-1 have games of this series, Vancouver were always getting downhill man. It was crazy. And it was something that I think L.A.F.C. were kind of willing to live with because the trade off allows Boanga and Bogus to get out in the open field a little bit more often. But like it was looking like a bad trade. It was looking like Vancouver
were were much more likely to score. And in fact, the first half, Brian White was able to get in on goal because again, playing 2-3 in central midfield for L.A.F.C. there's always a Vancouver midfielder free to play one of the attackers in to get on the ball and use that time and space. And they did that to good effect that Brian White, unfortunately
for him just wasn't able to finish it. So Toronto made a good change getting Eduardo at to us to in at the half going to a 4-3-3 making it in even numbers game in central midfield. And at that point, it's just it's a question of talent. And like I really like this Vancouver, I like this is the best Vancouver team in their MLS history. Easily. L.A.F.C. just have a little more talent and bogus made a huge play, scored a great goal and defensively
L.A.F.C. made it stand up. Let me ask you this. Does this result make you think bring it all back for Vancouver next year or does it make you think, you know what, this was it, this was their chance. It's probably never going to work with this group. We need to make changes. I don't know that they can do anything but bring it all back based on the way that they're they're roster is constructed. Like there's not a designated player spot to be played with
here. Like Stuart Armstrong is signed. He's there. He's not going anywhere. He's got a contract through 2026 guaranteed. Andres Kubas. He's got a DP contract. He can't be bought down. He's got a contract through 2026. Ryan Gaul, darn sure better not get rid of him. He has a contract. Can't be bought down through 2027. Like so the high leverage players on this team are set. When they signed Stuart Armstrong to that deal this summer, they were saying this
is it. Like unless we unless we move one of these guys and Kubas was freaking awesome in this series apart from one unlucky moment where the ball deflects off his head into the path of Bogus. Like that's it man. Like you're locked in unless the rules change. You are going three designated players and three U 22 players and you're not getting that extra game. Like that's just that's the deal. Those guys can't be bought down. On the U 22 side they
might have a little bit of room to work. Although you know Pedro Vita, maybe you could move him. I'm not sure Pedro Vita has really lived up to what they needed of him. He's become more of a more of a like a possession option as opposed to it. Yeah. As opposed to any sort of like attacking threat. And I'm just not sure in a U 22 spot that that's what you're hoping for. They said this. I could take you just one second. Okay. Right. We just got
paint the picture. Then I'll take any and all questions from you. Eddie O'Campo was signed this summer. He's a U 22 player. He would seem to be, you know, the right back of the future I believe he's just not ready yet. And so then it's Debra Caceto at U 22 who I think that you would be ready to move on from. He just he hasn't quite got it done. He's up in 2024 as far as tam signings go. Shop is up in 2024 in Tachioca is up in 2024.
So maybe you think you could go get a goalkeeper at a lesser number to use tam money somewhere else. And I don't think shoved to me. I wouldn't bring shoved back. I would try to, you know, find a different solution to that problem. But then, you know, you're basically saying you got to write it back with a few, a few changes. They could be big changes like in terms of profile and production. But not in terms of like DP contract changes. Yeah. So yeah,
I think they're running it back. I guess is what I'm saying. Yeah. So then is there anything that they can do that would make you think coming into 2025? This is a 60 point team. This is a legitimate threat, not necessarily to win MLS Cup, but to finish top two in the Western conference and to go into the playoffs as a team that you could say this is a this is a legit dark horse. Nobody's going to want to play. Not really. No. I think, I think
there is a very reasonable future that's a three four seed. This is, you know, you're the team playing the two home games in the three game series. You're the team that if things go crazy has a path in less cup that maybe is at BC place. But no, I don't think so. The other reason I don't think so is like, you know, within all of this, I'm talking about a couple of tam spots open a you 22 spot. But we know that signing a 22 players
not like snap your fingers. That's a game changer. Like, you know, realistically, Fafa Pico was one of their for sure game changers this year. He was not a tam signing. He was his contract. They have an option for next year. So they could bring him back. But he's not young. He is a career year. Like the point is coming back. Like the point is they would need to go out and get like a Diego Gomez level you 22 signing if they did that. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. And nail and really, really nail whatever tam moves they were able to make. And then also just have guys got like steward Armstrong needs to be the steward Armstrong we saw like in the Portland series basically. Right. Series 22, 22, 22, 100 minutes and healthy for the playoffs. Yeah. Ryan gold is Ryan gold. But he has to continue to be
Ryan gold. There are no guarantees there. You know, there are some other contracts on here that you're like in retrospect like Dmitry Krylock through 2025 is not a good one. That's not a that's not a great one. You know, but they do have their center backs side. I think born in Udfik is maybe another one you're like, Oh, well, you know, he at least he's not a tam guy, but he didn't really impact the team the way you would have hoped.
This year. So yeah, I mean, I think like third and fourth, you know, is is reasonable. But what's probably more important for this team is to go into concaf champions cup and make a run, right? Is to do something that they haven't been able to do before against high level competition in that particular tournament. I just I don't think first or second the West is really there, especially when you look around at some of the spending profiles
just alone in the city of LA. Yeah. But still great season for the caps. I really enjoyed watching them down the stretch. Let me flip it on you. L.A.F.C. Do they still look like the best team in the West and what role does Olivier Jarroux play in the rest of the playoffs? They have not looked like the best team in the Western Conference, even though they they ended the season really strong after that they had that little lol in the immediate aftermath
of of the leagues cup. But then they won the open cup and then were arguably the best team in the league the last four weeks of the season. They have not they didn't look it against Vancouver. I don't think they're playing particularly compelling soccer. They have so much knock out round equity. They have home field advantage the rest of the way. They absolutely have Seattle's number. I I'm not super confident about it, but I I am
picking L.A.F.C. Like this is still the best team in the West. And Drew. Right now there's not a ton. There's not a great argument to start them. There just isn't it hasn't worked with him in this game model. He's still very good at releasing wingers into space like he's always been brilliant at that. But like he hasn't really brought anything else to the table. And they just looked more natural with Bogush and I'm a guy who hates
false knives. But they have looked more natural with Bogush as a false nine and Boanga on one side in Olivera on the other. And I think that's what they go with for the rest of the playoffs in Jiru is a you know is a super sub 25 30 minutes. Yeah. The thing was Jiru that I think is tough is that is both Boanga and Olivera or or Bogush if he plays out there. To me are better when they're coming inside and basically ending up as forwards.
And the space that Jiru wants to occupy are the spaces that they want to get to. And he can't really join them on the break. And he doesn't drop into unpredictable positions in the midfield to really like force the defensive mid to get out a position or to force a
center back to move into space that they don't want to be an exposed space in behind. So it just it just feels like Bogush there who will do those things will drop into weird spots will flip out to the wing will get on the ball and drive forward who will shoot from distance. It just feels like that compliments in particular. Dini Bawanga better and and Dini Bawanga remains the best player on this team. Yeah. So but hey L.A.C. Steve
Trandor like yeah whatever you might not like the way it looks but here we are. Okay comfort semi finals. You would you dodged your own question. What did I say? What was my question? Do you do L.A.C. still look like the best team in the West here? No. No, no they don't. So are you picking the galaxy to come out of the West? No. No. I just don't think that it matters how someone looks right now. I do think that that Seattle
series is going to Seattle game with L.A.C. is going to be ugly as sin. Like I just don't I don't think that that doesn't look like a fun game to me in terms of aesthetics. But I would expect that I've see to get through and then I still think it's a tough match up for L.A. Galaxy just because they expose themselves in behind and they've never done it before in the playoffs against the cell. I would still pick L.A.C. to go through all
the way to the West cup. I just it doesn't it doesn't inspire you right now. But comfort in the final Saturday November 23rd at 5 30 PM Eastern time from city field New York City hosting the New York Red Bulls and at 10 30 L.A.C. hosting Seattle Sanders on Sunday and other double had her this time 3 30 PM is the start time in Orlando with Atlanta in town Orlando and the galaxy are hosting Minnesota at 6 PM Eastern time. Graham hit us up and said
in less cup contenders re ranked please I'm sure L.A.C. is the top the list. Maybe not but it feels wide open beyond that. So because who the hell knows, Doyle, we're going to do a draft as we always do and you have the first pick. So who are you taking first in MLS Cup contenders ranked? I don't love it, but I'm taking L.A.C. Okay. I will I'll follow you up with the L.A. Galaxy. Both of them coming out of the West, you know, we talked about
the West running through the city of L.A. Well, MLS Cup, it seems very clearly now runs through the city of L.A. So who's your third pick? I'm going to take Orlando city. Just brimming with confidence there with that selection, I feel. Give me. Give me. Give me Seattle just because I just they've been there before. I don't know that the attack has the difference makers, but you know, they have enough guys that can and could and they
have a backline I trust. I'll take Seattle. So top seeds go off the board first. Now it's time for the the underdog selection. So who's your fifth most likely team to win MLS Cup? The Red Bulls. Oh, explain. There's just a better team when they have Forsberg. Their underlying metrics are very good. They beat what I think is the best team in the league and they did it in Columbus. So they're not going to be worried about
playing on the road against anybody. It's fair. I will take Minnesota United. I think Minnesota United, if they do indeed do the do the thing, it will not necessarily be pretty, but they don't really seem to care about that, particularly on the road. I think they have a game model that can frustrate the galaxy and if they go to L.A.FC and play that exact same way, L.A.FC is going to be like, well, there is no space for us to run into. So I'll
take Minnesota United. Who is going to be your final pick at the number seven position? NYCFC. And it's like it wouldn't shock me if they beat the like I think they're favored against the Red Bulls, but then they're almost certainly going to have to go on the road. And if they go on the road and get past Orlando City, then they're going to have to go on the road again and win MLS Cup. And this is a team that has not played good soccer
on the road all year long. Fire up your bulletin board, Rob Valentino, F.E.A. at L.A. to United, take the eighth and final spot. And who the hell knows, Conference Symi's slash MLS Cup, look ahead draft on extra time, the inaugural version of it at least. All right, Doyle, I think that's it for us. We will have some good shows coming your way later on this week. We're going to do some interviews before we hit the conference,
in my preview with Kaylen Carr, two Thursdays from now. But before we go, would you like me to read you some Ernst Tanner and Jay Cegerman quotes on the Jim Curtin firing in the future of the Union, or you I would love that. No, I would love to hear everything Ernst Tanner has to say Ernst Tanner on firing Jim Curtin quote over the course of the last year, we felt we are not aligned in what we are doing here. We had a discussion
about expectations before we extended his contract. Unfortunately, things did not turn out how we talked. So they confirming not aligned, which is what we've been saying for a while now. And obviously, the dismissal said as well, Jay Cegerman on firing Jim Curtin quote, it would have been easier to stay the course. I like continuity. I know what Jimmy can do. This was the hard decision. It really came from Ernst's assessment of what we need to
do to get to that final step. That is the money quote right there. Like this is all on Ernst Tanner right now. And we said it last week when this insane decision, frankly, came down is that this is Ernst Tanner betting on himself, betting on his ability to find a coach who can implement in full his vision, which clearly, you know, there were some divergence between him and Jim Curtin. Does it? Like he's got what he asked for. I in a way, I admire
it because if he's going to go out, he's going to go out on his shield. Like there, there's no more, there's no more buffer. If it doesn't work in 2025 in 2026, it's all on Ernst Tanner. And okay, that's accountability. There you go. Joe Taney, who does a great job covering this team. Some nuggets on the coaching search here. In less experience will be preferred, but there's an emphasis on someone familiar with playing style, which we know that Ernst Tanner wants to go more into that sort of
rock and sock and robots in a way, playing style high tempo running. Ernst Tanner is a fan of Marlon LaBlanc, who was the two-head coach and would love to keep him if possible. There've been some Ryan Richter rumors out there about Union 2. And that Pele Greeno Madarazzo will not be a candidate. Madarazzo was just relieved of his duties in Germany. Some more quotes here on Jay Sugerman on just sort of the identity of the club. Our core
beliefs are not going to change, but we have to adapt as the league adapts. We are committed to our core principles, but that doesn't mean we can't respond to opportunities that present itself. Quote, do we spend enough? Are we buying enough quality players? I didn't think we lacked that, but we certainly lacked some depth. We're not going to change that strategy,
but we need more pieces. They are available. And quote again, from Sugerman, we are not going to have the flashiest players, but we're going to have really good players. And we'll see. That's what the offseason is for. I thought the biggest one in MLS history was going to start in Atlanta, but it has it. Inter Miami now own that tag. It's the biggest offseason in MLS history in so many ways. All right. That's it for us. Let us
know what you think, which you're wanting us to chat about. And we'll be back with you very, very soon. Enjoy your week, everybody. Adios.