Hello, it's Jay and Joe from Stretford Paddock and this Christmas we have teamed up with Virgin Bet to reward several football season ticket holders up and down the country for their loyalty and fandom. Virgin Bet understand that there is a lot to consider when following your...
team travel tickets and that pre-match burger and with some premier league season tickets costing over a thousand pounds they think football should be more accessible and we think so too that's why we want to reward eight fans with a thousand pounds each towards their season ticket and it's all sponsored by Virgin Bet. Virgin Bet believes that betting can be a force for good. It's not just about winning and losing. It's about making an impact and engaging with real fans. Now that is a good bet.
To enter, just tell us why you or someone you know deserve to have £1,000 put toward the cost of their season ticket. Maybe they're an incredible asset to the community of their club or they've just personally been there... for you through thick and thin entries will be judged on impact creativity authenticity and more head over to winwithsportssocial.com to enter by the 23rd of december you must be 18 or over and a uk resident and that's not all
Virgin Bet is also giving its members a totally free bet builder on a selected football match every week this season. So download the app to claim yours. Remember, 18 plus, always bet responsibly. For advice, visit gambleware.org. Pre-match only. Minimum odds evens. Value varies between £1 and £20. T's and C's apply. 18+. Bet responsibly.
Whether you're screaming from the stands or the sofa, Virgin Bet is even more for you to shout about this season because we're giving you a totally free bet builder on a selected football match every week this season. So get ready to make some noise. Join us and claim your bet builder free bet every week. Virgin bet. A good bet.
Use BetBuilder free bet on selected match by kickoff. Min odds evens. Max 1 free bet, 1 to 20 pounds. Accept via pop-up. T's and C's apply. 18 plus. Bet responsibly. Gamblerware.org. Hello and welcome to another episode of the MLS UK show. I'm Henry Hewitt and as always I'm joined by Elliot Holman. Hello there. First of all, thanks very much for all those who listened and watched our last episode with Andrew Wiebe.
If you haven't watched it back, again, head to our YouTube channel. If you haven't listened to it, you can listen on your podcast provider. He gives his insight into not only what happened into Miami, but also he looked ahead to the last weekend's fixtures, which... If you listen back, he does get the LAFC Seattle game oddly spot on in what happened. He kind of said, oh, well, if this happens, this will happen. And yeah, it was quite right. So that's why he gets...
All the big books from Apple and me and you, Elliot, are stuck here in our box rooms, in our made converted studios doing this podcast. Yeah. Just sat in my garage and Andrew Wiebe. Live to the world on Apple TV+. But yeah, great chat with Andrew Wiebe. If you haven't checked it out, go and listen to the last episode. A lot of chat about Miami and Messi and Tata Martino.
uh yeah really enjoyed that thank you to andrew for joining us um and then just after andrew weeby joined us on the podcast it was of course the semi-finals And I personally loved them. I thought they were great. What did you think, Henry? I think we should spend more time thanking Andrew to delay the fact that we have to talk about that. No, yeah, three excellent matches at the weekend. One, you know what? Genuinely, I'm not even joking. I think the Orlando Atlanta one was the worst one.
just because I think Atlanta just ran out of steam. But I guess we can start there. Yeah, Orlando in the conference final. You know, I tweeted, Elliot, I tweeted you and I said, congratulations, you deserved it. You know, I did think Atlanta had run out of steam a little bit, but no, Orlando are through. to the final where they'll be at home against New York Red Bulls. It's just incredible how this playoffs has ended up.
with a conference final that includes, I mean, Orlando, we did kind of say, well, maybe you've got a chance. If you'd have said Orlando would be at home, I mean, that was the shock. But then to play New York Red Bulls, it's been, it's just been incredible, hasn't it? Yeah, Orlando fourth, Red Bull seventh.
playing each other in the conference final. But this is the beauty of the MLS Cup playoffs. We've talked about this multiple times. This is what it's all about. It's a win or go home, unless it's in one of the... best of three games um and ultimately uh orlando came in with a until that last game of the season they came in with
an incredible amount of momentum more than any other team in the league um and and it's got them this far and they've got on paper one of the easier games in the final but this is not going to be easy Yeah, I think if anything that this playoff has shown us is that we just can't predict anything. You know, New York Red Bulls, I mean, to the credit, they've knocked out Columbus and then went to NYCFC, their bitter rivals, who they'd just lost 5-1 to.
and won that game. And with 2-0 up after about, whatever it was, 25, 30 minutes, they really started well in that game. And I think that's the key for me on, you know, on Saturday, yes, Saturday night, when they play Orlando, is...
There's going to be a massive atmosphere. There's going to be a bigger atmosphere in Orlando than there was for NYCFC because obviously it's at Orlando's actual home ground. But if New York Red Bulls can start fast... quiet the fans I mean they could do it again you could end up in MLS court yeah no they absolutely could and they're more than capable of beating Seattle and it would be an incredible game against LA Galaxy so
There's a lot of twists and turns still to come in MLS Cup. I already think MLS Cup is going to go to penalties. I'll stick that on now. Cut that bit out. Stick it on socials. I think it's going to penalties. Right. Well, will Orlando be in that MLS Cup match then? Obviously, they'll be away. The match is definitely going to be in the West. How do you feel about that? I know it's a one-off game, but, you know, Orlando being away possibly in that, if you get there.
Does that influence how you feel about it? Or do you feel Orlando can still go there and win? They can still do it. Of course they can. But ultimately, it's a huge advantage playing at home. in MLS Cup in any game in MLS we know because of the travelling but it's a huge spectacle if you can't get prepared if you can't get up for MLS Cup away from home then there's a big problem so
It is an advantage, but it doesn't mean that the home side are automatically going to win it. And we've seen that over the years. So I think Red Bulls would also be capable of going and causing a bit of an upset away from home as well. It's going to be in a great venue. And either way, whoever hosts it, Galaxy or Seattle Sounders, it's going to be a real ding-dong battle against Orlando or Red Bulls.
In my last hope, my last hope that it's not Orlando in that MLS Cup. I mean, it's not quite Red Bulls, but I've got my Metro Stars jersey. I will be wearing this on Saturday night. If those who remember when I bought this, Yuri Jarkov on the back, Bolton legend. But my Metro Stars jersey, I'll be wearing that in the hope that New York Red Bulls... can prevent something that I think you were there to support me when Atlanta won our last cup. So technically I will be there to support you.
if Orlando gets at MLS Cup. But I just don't think I can do it. So come on, Red Bulls, one last. I'm relying on you. Charlotte couldn't do it. Atlanta couldn't do it. Red Bulls, come on, my boys. I realised as well I'm sat here with a Orlando shirt, Kaká, and a Galaxy shirt. Beckham and just think maybe I've foreshadowed it this whole time. Well, I'm going out and buying something green if Seattle end up playing Orlando in MLS Cup or...
I'll be, yeah, I'll be finding some at LA Galaxy. But no, it's, well, let's move to the West then. You know, we saw some incredible games in the West. made up for the lack of drama in the Orlando Atlanta game. Let's start though with LAFC 1, Seattle 2. This is after extra time. And again, LAFC with the top remaining seeds knocked out. So we've had...
pretty much four of the top, you know, five seeds have been knocked out now, leaving LA Galaxy as the top seed left. Was this a surprise to you? I know Andrew Weavey kind of said it would be a surprise. He... He said LAFC is to lose, basically. But if this happens, Seattle win. It was a shock. But I wouldn't say on Atlanta beating Miami at scale, but it was still a shock, wasn't it?
Yeah, it was. I think we've seen so many times that when you get that far, anybody can beat anybody. And it's probably more true in MLS. than anywhere, even just in the regular season of MLS, especially in MLS Cup. So, you know, we had Seattle who are a good side. going to LAFC, who are a better side and have statistically been a lot better this season, but ultimately got the job done.
It's a one goal margin, same as we saw in the East with Orlando and Atlanta. Not quite such a small margin in Carson as Minnesota went down 6-2. But I don't think it's a huge shock to see Seattle in the final. Because we've seen LAFC struggle a little bit. You remember against Vancouver, conceded in the last minute, and they were devastated about that. I think that team has had the potential to do so. And ultimately...
whoever's up for it is going to get the job done. And that is why it's so, so important to carry that momentum all the way through. Yeah, I think what's important for me and what each game showed actually, even the LA Galaxy one, is taking advantage of those moments. That's what Seattle did. They went 1-0 down.
And I think over the game, it was kind of one way and another. LAFC had a lot of chances towards the end of the 90 minutes over a kick that didn't, you know, it got blocked on the line. Good save. Other chances that got off the line as well, whereas Seattle, of course, Chanel's own goal was a bit of a circus, really. And I don't know how he's managed it, actually. I think it was a lot harder for him to put that ball in the net.
what he was trying to do. But then with Jordan Morris' goal, it breaks for him in the penalty area, turn, a great finish. It's all about taking advantage of those moments. And I think that would be the case in the final as well, you know, in both conferences. especially for the teams that are away. I think for Seattle, for New York Red Bulls, probably not going to have as much of the possession, especially not Seattle. You then...
You've got to take advantage and take those moments. And, you know, Seattle, again, it's going to be a big ass to go to LA Galaxy after LAFC and do the same. But they can do. You know, it's not pretty, but they can do it. They've shown over the season. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that one. That is, you know, all the attention went to the West and it's still with that match. You know, but I think both matches will be great. We're full of drama.
Well, let's move to LA Galaxy then. 6-2. Incredible display. Their front three all scored. You've then got Puj and Raul, so you've got Rice, so you've got assists. What a performance. If there's a team at the moment who are firing, you would say it's LA Galaxy. But I still think, I hope they haven't peaked too soon in these playoffs. You still think that somewhere along the line with Galaxy, they're going to mess it up somehow.
yeah they've just always historically got that potential haven't they uh and we're always going to be slightly suspicious that they're a couple of minutes away from dropping off the face of the cliff um but I think the thing is with LA is if they get an early goal against Seattle, that could get ugly. They could, you know, just pick up where they left off against Minnesota. That's a real possibility and they could absolutely...
stroll to a comfortable victory. I think as well, when you look at Seattle, they'll go, well, we beat top seed LAFC. And you've got Red Bulls. who are thinking, well, we beat Columbus, who were second seed in the East. In the East, you've got teams who are carrying a bit of belief with them. And then you've got teams like Galaxy and Orlando. who are just doing what they do and end up being the the stronger sides that are left in the competition uh and have to be the favorites yeah and i
I think that's the thing with Galaxy is that the way they're playing, just dominating, you know, even Colorado need to be in the last round. Some big results in that. They knocked them off after two games. They are playing so well. They're scoring goals as well. And that's the thing is that in MLS, you know, I know in any football match, it's whoever scores most. But I think when you have that ability, don't get me wrong, Galaxy's defence...
you know, Seattle will look at it and think we can get at that defense. We can score goals. But the way they're playing at the front three, the front six, really, and how they are performing. And I mean, just look at Gabriel Peck's... the fourth goal on, you know, on Sunday. What a goal that was. If you've not seen it, it was kind of like Maradona's against England in the World Cup in the 80s where he ran from his own half and put it in.
you know just incredible they're all playing so well it's a perfect storm at the moment for galaxy and yeah i i mean i'm i'm now probably moving my pick to galaxy to win it's moved a few times now yours has always been Galaxy. So I guess a perfect MLS Cup for you is Galaxy versus Orlando. But yeah, I think that is the game I'm looking forward to most because it's going to be incredible. I think it's...
Two kind of different styles playing against each other. But yeah, it's so exciting, this playoffs. And I think it's exciting because Miami aren't there. It's exciting because... LAFC and Columbus got knocked out. It's exciting because we've got, okay, LA Galaxy, we probably looked at and thought they could get to the latter stages. The rest of them, we were looking and going, even Seattle, I thought, man, it might be Houston, but that'll be it.
And they're all still there. And we could be in for an MLS Cup that no one predicted. I think, yeah, I think Galaxy get to the final and I'm just very smug because I called it. And they are very, very capable of going on and winning that against either Orlando or Red Bulls. So certainly one to watch. If I had to pick right now, I'd say Galaxy get the job done. Right.
So predictions then, you say Galaxy versus Orlando. You've got to say that, right? Yeah. Okay. Well, I... You know what? Just to be different, I'm going to go Seattle v. Red Bulls. I mean... I don't know what to make of that MLS Cup should it happen, but I still think there's one shock. I don't know where.
I'm hoping it's going to be a Galaxy Red Bulls final. I think the MLS fan in me does want it to be Galaxy Orlando final. I think that'd be a great game. You know, and like Andrew Wiebe said, then you have got sort of a narrative there of... Can, you know, the Galaxy get back to the past glories versus Orlando, who are, you know, now the second most...
interesting team in Florida. We're going for their first MLS Cup and it's just going to be ironic that they win it the year that Miami were meant to win it. Yeah, but let's hope that we don't put ourselves in that situation and Red Bulls win. Right. Let us know. What do you think is going to happen? Get in touch on social media. We're on Blue Sky now, as well as X, Instagram and TikTok at MLS UK show.
If you're on YouTube, stick it in the comments. And while you're there, subscribe to the channel and also like the video as well. If you listen on your podcast provider, then please leave us a rating and a review. Well, Elliot, there's one rule and one rule only. LA Galaxy style, five stars only. And we're still in danger of losing that line from the podcast. Potentially.
that's the penultimate time, you could be saying it. We will see what happens this weekend and then we'll be back next week with an MLS Cup preview episode. But until then, I've been Henry Hewitt. And I've been Elliot Holman. Come on, Orlando. Come on, Red Bulls. See ya. Podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network.