Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network. Here we go. Come on! Hey, O'Shaan! Let's go! Here comes Ruiz Diaz through the middle to crowd it for Seattle. And now they truly can start the celebrations. It's the Sounders MLS Cup. Nico Ledero leaves absolutely no doubt.
The Sanders rule the region! Seattle, Saunders, it's good feeling! He's gone! There he's gone! Finally! This feels fucking awesome. This is a tiny dog. Nice work on your little yacht thing. You know, what was the thought process in terms of who you decided to use and who you didn't? that we didn't take over coming seriously. This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011.
Full Pole was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounders supporters. They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest. Welcome back to another episode of This is Friday, so of course I'm here with Nico on what we learned this week with Nico. And today we are recording not at Long Acres, not at Lumen Field, but at Project 9 Brewing up in Maple Leaf.
A friend of mine, brewery, and it was such a beautiful day. I thought, let's get out into the world and do something environmental. So here we are just drinking a couple beers and discussing the week that was, Nico. to the show hey thank you this is a very seattle-esque type of situation we got going on right exactly right got a beautiful ipa by the way so brewery is on point love the little turf they got on the side it's a nice open area you got the little heaters in the back
Just in case it gets cold. Man, I'm digging this spot, man. So if you're definitely around, what is this like? Maple Leaf. Maple Leaf area. And the next one is Lake City. That's because I know this sort of roams areas. Definitely check it out, man. And worth it. Big IPA got myself. It's delicious. So I'm excited to hop on. To complete the plug, we may as well. I also ate here. People may have heard.
Kenji Lopez, if you are a foodie, he is one of the big food influencers. And he recently did a bit on the Mexican Seoul truck here, which is like a Korean-Mexican fusion type place. I had their tacos today. They were very good. So now all that out of the way, we can record. Let's do it. That's how we do it here. Exactly. We paint the picture. I think prior to the fact that we take the picture on what you said last week.
Sausages made. Yeah. I like it. Exactly. So it was an interesting, another interesting week in the Sounders. The big piece of news, a big piece, I guess the news was not so much that Ryan Kent was signed. We've kind of gone through that. But we got to see him training quite a bit. He trained on Tuesday. He trained Wednesday. I guess he was not outside on Thursday. But then he was back outside today. I got to tell you.
I was very impressed by his sharpness, by his fitness, and you can see his quality. It did not take long to see that this is, if he's healthy, this could be a really good player. Look, man. One of the easiest things to see in a player is where he's at technically in the sort of pedigree that he has. I've had the moments of realization with guys like...
Leardom at a certain moment that's like Victor Rodriguez at a certain time Brad Smith there's just some things that a player does when it comes to the way he strikes the ball the way he controls it Ryan Kent His ambidestrous ability in the passing, the dribbling, especially the shooting, just give him an edge in training, obviously. But this is what's going to give him the edge on the field, man. And I'm just excited to see it.
Day two, he had a beautiful strike, maybe 14 yards, 15 yards out with his left, put it in the back of the net. Then moments later, he puts one with the right foot. That sort of thing.
makes me excited because it is something that although it might seem simple and people who don't really know the game it's not easy to do but when you have it man it just opens your world into what you can do in a moment's notice whether it's in tight space whether it's in transition so when you get that out of Ryan Kent
It just gets you excited. And if anything, the players that are potentially competing with him might not be as excited, but I enjoy the competition, man. And this guy looks up to par. Yeah, so today he... was doing drills where he was crossing mainly to Morris.
and him were working together, and he was doing crossing from both sides where he would do a little dribbling in tight spaces, and then he'd get down to the end line or do whatever, various kinds of crosses. And again, like you said, very two-footed player to the point where I don't know that if you just watched him you would say oh he's clearly right-footed and he just has it's just there's a sharpness to his game that you know
You watch Pedro, for instance, and he is a very talented player. There is no question. But there's also sort of this looseness almost to his game, like a South American sort of flair. And it's not these tight, crisp things. He's... And it's not to say one is better than the other, but it's a different look. And I think that's what was really impressing me about about Ryan Kent is just that how how tight and precise all of his movements are. Again, like we you know, it's this is.
Every time I see him, I'm starting to think this is a better and better move. Look, we're not over here sitting like the people that are the tacticians. And I'm not going to lie to anybody that I am like this pro soccer guy that has all the certifications. But I know. I've played it my entire life. I am very confident in my ability to see talent. And to what you just said, I call it purposeness. Purposeness with the movement. A lot of times as South Americans, we do get a little bit of...
And there are times when we might cut the ball back when there might be no need. We might give you a back heel where there might be no need. He is so purposeful with every single touch that it makes him that much more effective on anything. And this is us looking at scrimmage. mini size games of like 6v6 drills. But it gets me excited to see him on the field because when you're that smart with every single movement that you have, in MLS specifically, that's going to translate.
so well when I think that one of the things that's good about it is you know we see a lot of players who struggle with the transition into MLS because it is a more physical league because it is a faster league sometimes but This feels like it's set up very well for MLS. This is a guy who had been in Turkey, which is known to be a physical league, been in Scotland, which is also known as a physical league, and obviously came up to the game in the lower levels of England. And these are just that.
That's his game. I am very bullish on this guy being a starter relatively quickly and being productive relatively quickly, assuming he stays healthy. In the meantime, it's looking good right now for the Sounders health-wise. Pedro De La Vega is going to travel with a team that was maybe not a surprise, but it's on the front end of what... Jordan Morris looks like he might be ready next week. Those two players being...
that neither one of those were serious, serious injuries has to be considered a good sign. And they just need to sort of manage through this stretch right now, which is, you know, encouraging, right? Yeah, and now to add on to that... heat remake and whiten yep both ready to go both should be on the bench for branch magic words all of this finally sets up a game where the depth that we spent so much time right about it
preseason might come to life now does that reflect in a result i'm not going i'm not going to bet on that because it is a very difficult game at san diego it's a very good team we'll talk about that later on however does make me start to wonder two things. One, I would like to see at some point soon, Brian Smetzer finally deciding what the best 11 looks like. And that's me asking a lot.
Because we just talked about a Ryan Kent that will not be available for, in my estimation, another two to three weeks. Yeah. Maybe. But I want to see it more together. He's not going to be ready next week. So you're right. Two to three weeks is a good high end. close but i want to start seeing a little bit of continuity it sounds like and it feels like and it looks like brian's ready to die on the hill of this 352 or 343 it has worked
I'm wondering if we'll see a 3-2-3-1, 4-2-3-1, I'm sorry, 4-2-3-1 at some point here soon. But regardless of, I just want to see a little bit more continuity on...
what he decides the best grouping is to start off games. And the second thing for me is what are the guys that are going to be coming off the bench to be that spark plug off the bench? And who are the... that are going to come in and really change the game because over the last couple of games i have seen a team that maybe is not deciphered yet and that's why you get those really slow starts those really tough games and i think against san diego
whether there is a wrinkle here or a wrinkle there, I hope that he gives you a better idea of what Ryan wants and sees this team going forward. Well, Ian, and this is going to be an interesting test this week because based on what... Brian said, based on the way that they finished the game on Saturday against San Jose, it looked like Danny Masofsky was going to get the start in part because he just sort of plays the role of the number nine the way that Brian wants him to be playing.
the team has been training up until now he is not jordan morris but he can do a lot of the things that jordan morris does in terms of hold up play and things like that and jesus ferreira is just not that player like he is a very talented player i've actually been really
pleased with what I've seen from Ferreira when he has the ball at his feet, but he's not a classic nine. And I think the Sounders probably need to recognize that he's not going to be a classic nine. And so if they're going to play him at the nine, they need to alter the way they're playing.
It does not look like Danny Masofsky is going to be fit enough to start. He missed most of training this week. He was in training today. So that gives me some hope that he'll at least be available. But it does. That leaves the Sounders with some probably.
optimal choices. One, they could start Ferreira again. The second choice seems to be trying Georgie Minungu at the number nine. And he definitely presents as a number nine if you look at him. But he is, as far as I know, never really played as a number nine, and that provides an interesting experiment that I suspect that we'll see some of, because my suspicion is Ferreira and Manungu are going to switch off.
An experiment that a lot of our audience has brought up. Yes. In theory, like you mentioned, it makes sense, right? I mean, he's quick, he's fast, he's good on the ball. However, it's not his game. It's not his game. And people, there's a very common misconception about how easy it is to play the night. And as someone that spent a lot of time talking to...
Nelson Valdez about how hard it really is and why at that specific time 2016 why Jordan Morris was having such a hard time playing with his back to goal and holding of the ball and doing the the runs without getting anything in return because you're just running to run right you're just running to create you make a lot of runs that are not where you don't get the ball no one sees you're just occupying the defenders you're occupying
his face so there is a mental component to it I'm not against it because and at his best I will say Raul Ruiz when he was at his best that was maybe his best skill oh yeah was his willingness to make runs that went unrewarded Keep doing all this. Stay high.
And get 20 touches in a game, even though I'm sure he wanted to touch the ball 40 times. But anyway, I digress. Go ahead. No, no. And he was going to make it count. And that was going to be my next point. So it was a perfect segue because it's about making it count. Right. And I don't know if Jordy has that finishing ability. because when Ryan talks about... He does not have a lot of goals. He doesn't have a lot of goals.
And when Brian talks about him not being the finishing product, he talks about decision making, finishing, all those things. So we'll see how it works. But I'm all happy if that's the case. We're not saying that there's any certainty to that. But if that is the case, I'm okay with it. A little creativity. Let's see how it works. Nothing is done in the South Sea because I saw your video and I'm glad that you're able to give him his due credit for that high motor, that effort that he put.
And I want to be clear about something. I'm not saying that Danny Masofsky is the ideal answer to the number nine. I'm saying he is the answer given the limited opportunity. options and the fact that Brian for one reason or another and I asked him this this week and he didn't really give me the answer that I was looking for in terms of how Kind of his thing this week. Yeah, a little bit of that. Just because he kind of gave me a little bit of that.
diplomatic answer where i don't really know if he did give me an answer or not but i feel like there is a bit of a apprehension to work to His skills is more of he wants a plug and play. He wants Ferreira to adapt his game to the game plan, not adapt his game plan to. Exactly. And he told me, you know, it's a little bit of bone. We got to work the skill set and we have to.
get him to work to our game plan so he didn't really give me an answer but I feel like there is an apprehension about hey we gotta modify in some sort of way our game plan to Ferreira and if you're not willing to do that I'm okay with Danny Masavsky because he is going to just play the role. I mean, I think undeniably they were much better in the second half with Danny at the nine than Ferreira at the nine. Now, again, we can get into sort of chicken and egg.
discussion about whose fault that is but either way i don't i don't know that we're gonna see it and i wouldn't even be surprised if osase de rosario who is the tacoma defiance number nine you know he he i think he It will be interesting to see what kind of role he gets. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a short-term loan for this week. He's not going to start. That's interesting news, though. Yeah, he could be available.
I don't know. Did you happen to watch the Tacoma Defiance game on Wednesday? I did not. I lied to you. I wanted to go down there. I always tell myself, I'm going to go to the... the Tacoma Defiance game, and I don't. There's always a reason not to cool out for Tacoma Defiance. I have the same problem. I will just say that De Rosario, I think, can do the, like if you're just literally looking for someone to do the Danny Masofsky job, I think he's okay at that.
He is not the, I don't know, I'm not a huge, huge, I'm not going to sit here and say he's the answer because I'm not sure that he is. But I think Masovsky is a better option than Di Rosario. But it's an intriguing option that they have. I'll tell you, the player that I just want to mention, and I want people to keep in mind, remember this name, Edson Carley. He is a, I think, 17-year-old that plays for the... academy right now. He's been playing up with Defiance. He has not signed yet.
but he's now played, I think, three or four games for the Defiance. He is a fun, fun player. Do you talk about players who are willing to do things that are creative, that are outside the game plan, that are just... Things that we have not seen a lot of. That's one thing academy players from the Sounders have not been is just, you know, like they'll do their own thing. Clinton Dempsey types. Edson Carley has that in him. You know, he was trying backheels. He was trying.
He was beating guys off the dribble. He did basically generate the goal that... It was the winning goal. It was a known goal, but it was his play that set it up. He had another ball off the crossbar. He had this one through ball, nutmeg, a nutmeg through ball that didn't quite come off, but it was like just the idea of trying to do it. But anyway, I do it.
That's a total digression. Just a name to keep in mind, Edson Carley. He's a fun player. If you're watching Defiance, he's probably going to start this week. And a player to watch. That said, we don't need to get into that game too much. Other than that, I will note that the Defiance are playing Oakland Roots in the third round. They are hosting in the Open Cup, and that game is going to be on April 15th in case people want to go out and watch that one.
Getting back to the Sounders, they are playing San Diego FC on the weekend. What do you make of San Diego? This is a team that is maybe the biggest surprise this year. They're the biggest surprise, but they might be. And I'll say this without necessarily doing a good job at going back and looking at the games that we played in MLS this season. But they might be the team that, maybe with the exception of Charlotte, has the most ingrained.
identity of the teams that we've played so far and it's odd because they're a brand new team so we shouldn't be this far ahead when it comes to this is the concept this is how we executed. This is our 4-3-3. This is the way we're going to be compact when we defend. This is when we're going to be able to expand when we get the ball. But they do it so well. By far the best.
possession-based team statistically, but for me, more importantly, is effectively. They are effective on the ball. When they have to be direct, they're direct. They use their width very well. And that's with El Chucky Lozano, by the way. Rosano came in in the second half in the 3-2 game against LAFC. Should have had at least two goals. Did not put him away. But for me, just the concepts of what they want to do with the ball are so clear. In midfield, they got a dog.
They got a nasty veteran that knows exactly what he wants to do, how he wants to play the game, how to dictate tempo in Godoy. Give me Godoy every single time, regardless of his age, because he's going to... the tempo on the other side a more skillful a more aggressive guy with the ball in the la torre i just look at this team and you don't see any big big names
think chico is another big name i do uh but people who look at this team just say the way they play how conceptually they play is the reason why they have an edge on teams and i'll tell you right now they took it to elia They stole the protagonism out of that game and they put him on their back the entirety of the game. Maybe not the entirety, maybe 75 to 80%. LAFC did come back. There were five goals in that first half. LAFC got a couple back.
first half, and then in the second, regardless of getting Igor and Jesus red-carded, they had a couple of chances. But San Diego just knows how to play. Last thing I'll say about San Diego, set pieces. Very dangerous. Dreyer seems to have a foot that he knows where he wants the ball, the pace he wants the ball with, and they get a lot of numbers behind, whether it's in the 18 or whether it's on corner, whether it's...
Short corners. They just know that when it comes to restarts, throw-ins, free kicks, they're going to have a difference. They're going to make a difference. And that's what Seattle should be looking at to try to limit this San Diego team. But to me, they're just very well coached.
and they have a lot of talent yeah and so you look at their schedule and you're kind of immediately you go well sure they're three one and two but who have they played Thank you for listening to the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, which now includes Nos Anietes, Lobbing Scorchers, and The Cooler Guild. We've been independent since August of 2023 but need your support to make sure it continues. Although this podcast is free, it's only made possible by your continued support.
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Here's what their schedule has been so far. On the road against the Galaxy in the season opener. They win that game 2-0. Then they host St. Louis City, and this was sort of a game that I think a lot of people maybe remember because it was kind of a boring game, and they tied that one.
St. Louis City but that's a good defensive team it is then they go on the road they beat Salt Lake and then they host the Columbus crew they tie that game they lose at austin but then they come back and they beat lafc at home these is this is a tough schedule it is it's just not a cakewalk schedule these are
a mixture of road games and home games these are teams that are mostly in the that you would expect to be competing for playoff spots you know Austin has been one of the best teams in the uh in the league this year that's their only loss They weren't really outplayed in that game either. They were not. And it's just, this is a good team. The Sounders, I think, shouldn't feel like they can't play with them, but it is not. This is as much of a test for the Sounders as it is.
for San Diego. They're road dogs, by the way, if you look at it that way. There's a really good plus 240 on the draw. But honestly, this team is good enough to be the... Sierra's the underdog. There's no doubt about it going into this game. And so that's what I want to kind of clear out is that this game is by no means easy. And regardless of them being an expansion team...
something you just mentioned, they've been the better team in every single game. And whether you put a lot of stock into it or not, I like the items. And in every game, and I've watched, I want to say every game this season for San Diego, they've always been the best. team. Heavy possession team, heavy volume in terms of chances, and they're just very effective on the ball. So Seattle has their hands full. I thought that it was nice to hear from you this week, and he seems excited.
playing against this San Diego team. And he seemed excited about where the team is, where he is physically. He talked about being a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end. He had a couple of great chances against San Jose. He did. Those are maybe his three best shots.
I agree with you. I was watching the game with my daughter because we were in Poma with my son, and my son was dead asleep, and I'm watching it with my daughter, and she's like, Daddy, is that new? I've never seen him do that. I know. I literally, I kid you not, I said, Neither have I, honey. I have never seen him be this good. I don't know where they came from. Yeah. All those shots should have been in. But there was great reaction by the goalkeeper there.
But can Seattle be more aggressive? Can they really take it to San Diego? San Diego only won one game at home, which is that LAFC game. That was a great game. But can they surprise him? Can they beat him off of that possession? Because I haven't seen a game.
season where San Diego doesn't have the ball. So if they win that possession, maybe they put him in an uncomfortable position. I don't know. But it's going to be a game that I feel like it's a really good parameter on where Seattle stands now. Yeah, I think it is. I would have not circled at San Diego. in week seven as a real test for the Sounders. But I think we're going to learn a lot about this team. And they are going to be a little shorthanded, so it's maybe not a perfect test.
But this is, again, I say this, I've said this before, I'll say it again. The way that this roster is built, it should be deep enough to handle missing Jordan Morris for a few weeks. It should be deep enough to be missing Pedro de la Vega for a few weeks. And I don't think it is a personnel issue. I do think that the talent is here to be competing. And it's not like it's been a disaster. If you look at the start to last year and you look at where we are now, I think...
I think they're ahead of where they were at this point last year. There were some real struggles going on last year. There was some real mental breakdowns that were happening last year. We're not there right now. I don't think this is like nothing I've seen in the first six weeks disabuses me of the belief that.
But this is still a team that is going to contend for... trophies one way or another now they need to start putting some results together because you can't just keep dropping points every week and thinking we'll figure it out next week and so i'm i am looking forward to this game.
I kind of would have loved to have been able to go down there to San Diego. We aren't going to be doing that, but it is expensive. I was looking at tickets. It was like going to be like $800 round trip or something, which is crazy, but that's not, we don't need to get into that. I don't know. What do you like? Do you like the Sounders chances this weekend? I do not. You do not. I am putting my money on a draw. Okay. I feel like...
Seattle defensively can mitigate the effectiveness of San Diego's set pieces. I see a Yamar Gomez-Andrade that is committed and motivated. to have an MVP-type season, best defender of the year season. I've talked to him a couple of times, and he really feels like this is the year where he's finally going to break through. Oh, okay. And what he said this week.
Jackson Reagan, obviously a guy that has minimized the mistakes that perhaps had happened at some times this season. The pivots in this one, I'm hoping that they're at their best. So I feel like Seattle has a good chance to get a result. Yeah.
I just don't know how much I trust that offense. And that's why I cannot sit here and honestly tell you, yeah, I think the Suns are going to win this game because I don't know if they have enough. And I'm hoping that at some point they do. And I am very confident.
That when I look at the talent pool of this roster that eventually they'll figure it out, I just don't think it's this weekend. But I do feel like they have a really good chance at playing a better game than they had in San Jose. Because to me, it was way too long. So I'm hoping that over the course of 90 minutes, this team at least has a better ability to execute the game plan consistently and that they have more chances and that they create. But I just don't know if...
Finishing product will be there this week. Fair enough. So one more thing I wanted to get into before we call it a show is it was overlooked a little bit because of the conversation was all about Ryan Kent this week. But we did talk to Craig Weibel for a pretty long time. One of the comments that he made, and maybe he was, I can't remember who he was answering, but we talked to him about the U-22 signing. And he, if you read between the lines, I think he was expressing...
confidence that they could bring in a player who can contribute right away and that's really the bar they're setting for themselves they aren't looking for a project they're not looking for someone who will be good in it literally what he said is we're not looking for someone that's a year or two away from being
contributor we think we can find someone that can basically walk in the door and raise our level now and everything i'm hearing it sounds like they have essentially settled on they're going for strikers yes anything you're hearing in terms of when that might happen yeah definitely in the summer and he mentioned the fact that he doesn't want to get a player right now that's not ready to contribute he doesn't want to rush the process he was very clear about that and
As far as I know, I got a couple of hits on some players that they might be looking at, which obviously I won't share now because I fear that someone's going to steal them. But I do feel like they're looking in the right places and they're looking for the right profile.
clearly this team needs a true goal scorer. Yes. And it's a guy that's not going to be a false nine and it's not going to be... I don't want to say he's a Raul Reyes-esque because I feel like they're looking at a... athletic profile which was interesting to me but without a doubt they're looking for the next great thing and i love that because i feel like with the ryan can move they were ambitious in not being conservative and
hey this is the best situation let's turn it into a good one and up our ceiling on it rather than getting a guy that maybe is more conservative more of a short thing i feel like with this u22 it's similar
for a guy that's going to raise the bar. That's going to come in and be the next guy. And that's all I've been asking for. And Stryker is absolutely, without a doubt, and I said this in love with Scorchers, it is no longer an option for the Sounders to look other position for the U22, because if anything that we've learned this season is that there is a dire need for a guy that's going to come in and perform, score, and be that killer in the final third.
not a guy that's just gonna like to score no he's dying to score he needs to score and that's what they're looking for and that's what this team needs jordan morris has done a great job and i think he has plenty of years to be a productive guy but you have to think about what is that generational change going to look like and that's what I feel like this team is looking at with this U22 and those are all good things because you need that right you can't you
not go get a striker because you like who you have. Exactly. You need competition. You need to try to bring in someone that can raise the bar. And if Jordan keeps meeting that challenge, good for him. Good for the Sounders. But they need to... And you can't ride the wheels of the bus either. I have a lot of appreciation and almost admiration for what Jordan does. But at the same time, I feel like this club and Bryant.
They really overextended his... I mean, I think we saw at the beginning of the year is they felt like they had to have him on the field. They just were just really going at him every single time, every single game. You've got to have an option.
I said this in a lot of sports where, sure, Masowski could be this patch on a flat tire that you're going to be able to just add air, and he's going to be a patch, but he's going to lower your ceiling. And this team is not about lowering your ceiling. They need to up that. Yeah, so it'll be exciting. And I will add that if they are looking for someone that's going to come in and be able to start right away, it makes sense that they would wait until the summer because the reality is that...
The type of player who's available right now probably isn't going to raise that bar. Unless you get lucky. Ryan Kent was out of contract. He's 20 years old. You don't find that profile of player bumming around on a under 20.
age. All those guys are signed and if they aren't signed, I'm not sure you want them. You've got to pay a treasury. Right, exactly. So this is why you should absolutely be, I think going in the summer makes sense. That means we're going to have to little bit more uh that means that that player might not help them chase a supporter shield or whatever but that player should be able to contribute in leagues cup they should be able to contribute in the playoffs and that is pretty solid i think
I mean, I like the way that the roster is setting up right now. And it'll be interesting to see how Ferreira fits into all this ultimately. It'll be interesting to see how De La Vega fits into all this ultimately. And I like the idea of them being able to rotate their lineup freely if they need to.
So hopefully this is all trending in the right direction. And, you know, with Craig Weibel, me and him had a little bit of a back-and-forth about Ferreira and about was there any misconception on the profile of a player he was. He seems to be... I think that Ferrer definitely is a striker because I had no fear to ask him and tell him that Bryant's matcher looks kind of like he doesn't really love.
Ferreira up top, I kind of mentioned him maybe leaning, just pulling the plug on him being a nine. Craig believes still that he could be that nine. I think that at some point in moving forward, there might be a way and a system. when under that 4-2-3-1 and having a winger like Ryan Kent. In a healthy Pedro de la Vega. Exactly. If you have Kent...
and De La Vega on the wings, I think Ferreira could potentially work as a nine. Yeah. But absent those types of players... You can do it. You can do it. Yeah. So I'm hoping that that's the case, and that's where they're going to build their blocks onto, which is exciting. And that's all that we can ask for. I think that we have been, personally, let me say me. I've criticized this team at times. I've criticized Brian at times. I feel like...
They're in a position where they've played a little bit better than maybe the record shows. I feel like the roster is better than the record shows. And moving forward, after the San Diego game, when you get some guys back... Can they have a streak against where they turn the course that's currently on around? Can they get people excited? Right before, and I don't want to leave this show without talking a little bit about Club World Cup. Yeah.
Because I had the opportunity to talk to a FIFA official about how excited they are about Seattle hosting. And the expectation that they have that people... that this is a dress rehearsal for the World Cup. And to me, if you have a team that starts to do well now, that's going to help those sales. There is no marketing tool.
that can hit the Seattle area better, then the sound is playing well. Exactly. That's absolutely the single best marketing tool that you can unleash is playing fun, exciting, winning soccer. Yes. Show us that you can get on the field with Botafogo. Show us that you can play at times with Atletico Madrid. You know, PSG? Okay, this is a high bar. We are setting a high bar. But... I want them to compete. I want them to not get embarrassed.
And if they can get a point or two out of this thing and be in contention for advancement on their final game, I think that would be probably seen as a success. And honestly, it would set up a really fun stretch run for the Sun. What I will say is this. This is the one and only time where Sound at Heart audience, I'm talking to you. The players on the field might not have the only impact.
in the club. Like I said, after talking to Brian Swanson, he's the, I think, director of public relationships for FIFA. I said, I have no doubt that the Seattle Sounders fan base is going to show up. Uh-oh. You put your marker down. I put my marker down. And I know that the tickets are high-priced, and I know that it's difficult to get around. It's in the middle of a week as well. But I really hope that all of you... Some of those kickoff times are not exactly helping.
And I'll be the first one to say it. And I said this to him, right? But I really hope that every single person that can and wants to be at those games does that job because as a soccer community, we do have a little bit of a responsibility. to show up in this global scale and make sure that that atmosphere that I
praise about all the time to anyone who will hear it outside of the States, that needs to show up. That needs to reflect. And I hope that that's the case. That's why I'm putting a little bit of the responsibility on every single person that loves us. that goes through every game. Maybe it's unfair because they're like, Nico, are you paying my bills? No, I'm not. But I do hope that everybody shows up because after talking to this specific person, there is an expectation for Seattle to show up.
I didn't necessarily put my hands under fire, but I did say that I was pretty sure that they were going to show up. All right. Well, I mean, it'll be interesting to see how that plays out, because I do think that my impression is that. sales have not been as robust as they thought they would be. Although everything I'm hearing is that on a relative sense, Seattle is selling better than any other market. But I don't know that in general the...
The tickets are moving quite as well as this week. They came out with a package deal where if you bought a ticket to the opener and a ticket to either the final or the semifinal, you got access to the... World Cup to do a World Cup ticket which I don't know these are very expensive tickets so I'm not really blaming anyone I will be interested to see what happens when they finally open up the
inventory for the lower bowl and some of the better seats. I think a lot of people are probably holding out to see if they can get access to those tickets. But I agree with you. I think the thing that's so exciting about the Club World Cup is that
the Sounders get to play home games in this thing. And that is an opportunity that is really unlike anything else that we've ever experienced, we might ever experience. And it is special. So I hope at the end of the day, hopefully we get some good crowds there. ACS is going to get a chance to show that amazing, creative, just outstanding way of showing their support that they do every single time against the Timbers at 2019 MLS.
Every single time, they'll be able to do this, and there's going to be cameras of the entire planet watching over this game. And that's what I hope for. Again, I understand that, unfortunately, the tickets are not as accessible. and easy to come about as they should be. But man, I'm excited for the world to have those lenses on a crowd and a supporting fan base that, man, I think that it's worth watching.
Yeah, I think that's probably a good note to end on. Nico, once again, thank you for joining me. Thank you to Project 9 for hosting us today. This has been a beautiful day in Seattle. This has been what we learned this week with Nico. This is Nos Adietes, part of the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network. I am Jeremiah Oshan, and we'll catch you next time. I expect an LAFC who's motivated.
to prove themselves at home, to prove to their fans that they're capable of winning in this league. And it's up to us to really ruin the party. You guys like that? Awkward joke, dad joke right there.