Nos Audietis Mailbag World Cup Break Edition

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Welcome back to another episode of the first time. Adiettus, part of the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network, sponsored by Full Pool Wines and our subscribers. We're recording on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. I am your host, Jeremiah Shann. Today I am joined by my co-host Aaron Campo and our engineer Lickett.

Uh after a team record tying start, the centers are stumbling into the World Cup break with a one-zero loss to LAFC. That left them one, two, and two in their last five games, and they are sitting sixth in the West. as we prepare for eight weeks without a Sounders game. Rather than in focus entirely on that, we figured now's a good time for a mailbag. So that's what we're gonna do. Aaron, first off, how are you doing?

Oh, you know, I'm hanging in there, I I suppose. Uh had to commute for two days last week and Still not recovered. Into Seattle? Drive the whole way. No, no, I didn't. I went to Federal Way and took the train and that was nice. Uh and I'm sure everybody that has to commute uh is just seething right now. Uh as they should be. It's a really annoying thing to complain about on your podcast, but you know, that's the way it goes. Uh and I to be fair.

I think that's people can relate to where you know very Minutes ninety minutes each way, right? That sucks. So that I will tell you I used to when I lived in California, I would do a ninety minute each way commute and it was soul sucking.

It's uh yeah, it's it's it's insane. It's insane to expect people to do that. My wife does it every day. I have no idea how she does it. Uh I would I well I won't get into what I would do if if I had to do that every day, if I ever have to do that every day again. Uh so yeah, but uh you know on the plus side I got to watch the Mariners lose in uh horrible fashion. So you know, great way. That's the baseball team.

It is, yeah. Yeah. Theoretically. Theoretically the baseball team. That's that's what they say. They call themselves. Sometimes I'm not so sure, but uh you know. Ah, yeah. Well, on that uplifting note, uh should we just jump right into this thing? Yeah, I'm sure the questions will be really positive and they'll probably pick the Yeah, energy uplifting and

Yeah. Let's let's go. First one is from uh Professor Insufferable 74. Can anyone identify what changed structurally with our attacking patterns compared to last year? You know, I I will be honest with you. I I don't know that to my eye I see a lot different. I know there's gonna be I I know one of the things I've heard people say is that there's just not as much off ball movement and the m and it's not as dynamic.

And I don't know. I don't to my eye, it's not it's not quite that. Like there is definitely some you know, the Sounders at the by at points last year were absolutely rolling. And I don't want to present what they're doing now as being close to the peak of what they were, but I I do think they're

chance creation has been better than I think a lot of people realize. You know, they're eighth or ninth, I believe, in expected goals per game, which, you know, there are some game you know, we've talked about this a lot where There are games where that can be pretty deceiving, but you know, we're at thirteen games now. I think it's pretty you know, I think it's somewhat reflective of their chance creation.

And, you know, I th I like I look at the LAFC game and and it actually was not a particularly high XG game, but they had three or four good scoring chances that, you know, they they probably should have done better with. And You know, that that changes the game a lot. They're defending still pretty well. Uh, I don't know that there is an obvious thing that they're doing differently. They're just less

clinical in front of goal than they were last year. Now last year they they finished at a rate that was basically on in line with a very good XG. And this year they are one of the biggest underperformers in XG. So I dunno I I think it has a it's not a satisfying answer, but I don't know that there's anything structural as much as it is they just don't have players who are putting their chances away the way they were last year.

Yeah, I mean that that definitely passes the smell test for me. Uh I I don't really see any difference in the way they're approaching games. I I think they they go a little more direct at times, especially when Uh Sase is is playing up top, which you would expect, right? You've got a big dude up there, you might as well use that. But I don't think it's been drastically different uh by any stretch. I think the most notable thing is probably that

You know, the Sounders attack didn't really round into form until Pedro de la Vega started playing on the left. And that was when stuff really came alive and he just hasn't been there this year. So I don't I don't think that's by any stretch of the imagination the the extent of the problem because frankly the Sounders attack has been much better this year by the underlying numbers than it was prior to Pedro de la Vega moving out left last

Um and that was and as we in case anyone needs a reminder, that wasn't until after the Club World Cup, which is when their season really started to pick up. Uh you know, they they went into the Club World Cup break, if you you may or may not remember, with two straight losses, which is Pretty similar to how they you know, it was I guess you can actually find some similarities to last year, uh, in this way that, you know, the Sounders before the two games, those two games, they were

like kind of pushing it. They they were looking really good. They looked like they might be able to uh maybe even chase down Vancouver in the Western Conference last year and be in the supporters shield race. And then they lost to Minnesota at home and then they lost they got they lost that horrible game to Vancouver on the road where Vancouver was missing a whole bunch of guys due to illness and they just came out completely flat and

got pummeled by Vancouver and and then they they kinda turned things around in the Club World Cup. We don't have to get into all that, but I think there's I guess I I bring it up though because there's plenty of reason to think that they can still improve that this last five games is not.

indicative necessarily of the way their season's gonna go. And in fact I I looked this up recently because someone made the statement that every supporter shield winning team goes through a stretch like the Sounders just did. And that didn't Sound right to me. But I mean, I didn't go and check every team, but I can tell you the last two years that the uh that the Philadelphia Union and

And inner Miami both had stretches where they had fewer five five-game stretches where they had fewer than the Sounders did in this last five-game stretch. So if this is the low point. That's great. Now, it's always hard to see the top of the hole.

When you're when you're in the m at the depth of it, but uh you know, the centers are not in a bad position. There's plenty to think that they can turn around and if you know, if and it's a big if, if De La Vega comes back and is fully fit, at some point You know, before we get too deep into the season, you know, it could happen. Oh, I guess I ask you the question now. That's how this goes. All right, this is from

Yeah, and I should you know, that's a good reminder. We try to do these once a month. We have not done uh we did not do one for a while. We have not done one for a while. And in case you forgot, in order to ask questions you need to be in our Discord and in order to be in our Discord, you need to be a subscriber at the supporter level or above. That's the seventy five dollar a year level.

And I I do admit I spend a lot of time in our Discord. I I it's a you know, there are times where it drives me crazy, but I uh I do enjoy the you know, the community that is there. And so I would urge people to check it out. But uh

Another question that came from there. This is from Interpersonal. I look at the underlying numbers for the sounders. Good dovetail from the last conversation.

And I see that Jordan Morris leading the squad in XG plus XA per 90. Yet a lot of folks seem to think the Sounders don't have a starting striker, and that a Tam U-22 player is going to change that. If the underlying numbers say that Morris is as effective as Up top as ever, wouldn't it make more sense to target another position than to add a fourth or fifth striker option?

Uh I don't think it will come as a shock that I largely agree with this. Um I I do think that Jordan has not played a lot at the nine this year. Uh he hasn't been super effective when he has. I don't think anybody's Arguing that he has. He has not put the ball in the back of the net. And one of the things that I've been really frustrated about this year is that.

I think the the underlying numbers are good. I think the sounders are creating chances. I think that the luck will even out. But I think the guys who are paid to put the ball in the back of the net need to put the ball in the back of the net. Yeah. I think it's okay to be frustrated by that. But at the same time I you know, I do think Jordan is largely the same guy he ha he always has been. I see people say, oh, he doesn't have the speed that he used to. He's he's getting bullied off the ball.

in ways he didn't use to. And I just haven't seen that, frankly. I think that when players are struggling, people look for whatever the most plausible explanation to them is and Jordan's two greatest weapons diminishing as he ages are plausible explanations. It just doesn't It doesn't match what I've observed personally. Yeah. And I think if you keep playing him at the nine, he's gonna score, you know, probably ten, ten to twelve goals with the amount of season that they have left, right?

However, The problem is is that You could say the same thing about most of the other places on the field. Why don't we just we have Quality at this position, why don't we target a different one? Well there's quality at All over the midfield, right? Um Rusnak, Jesus, PDL V when he's back, Rothrock, um, Polarola, obviously.

Um in the central midfield, that's maybe the thinnest spot, but you've still got Christian, you've got Sandra Brunel, you've got Dotson. Um, you have options there, right? You have Kingston. Um left back, right back, maybe I guess I've heard some folks say that we should just consider Alex to be a center back at this point. I don't think that I agree with that, but, you know, if if you think that's the case, we'd probably need some depth at right back, right?

Um, it's true everywhere. And I think that what the Sounders have struggled to do far so far this season is put the ball in the net. They've been elite defensively again. They haven't been quite as good over this stretch, but I mean that was always gonna even out a little bit, right? They're still a very, very good defensive team, probably the best in the league.

I don't think that anybody's gonna displace Christian. I don't really want to sign somebody that's gonna shift Snyder to the bench. I think it's really critical to stick with young players when they have played as well as he has. So I think you have to sign an attacking player, right? And I think that I

Osade de Rosario is somebody I want to make sure there's minutes for. If Danny Mousovsky loses minutes because we sign another guy, I can live with that. If Jordan Morris can't score and he gets shifted out to the wing and and they, you know change the tactics otherwise or even he he loses his starting spot. If somebody is producing at that number nine spot, I can live with that. I just think you have to improve.

the attack somehow. Yeah. And if the best way to do that is sign in a striker, that's that's what you got to do and you figure it out. Yeah, I I'm I think I'm with you there. And I'm not I I would say I'm somewhat agnostic about what position they add. And I I think that Andrew is making a very valid point here, which is

This doesn't strike me as the weakest position, so why are we trying to upgrade it? And yeah, look, that's a that's a valid perspective. I I guess I my thing is I and I don't think the sounders are like laser focused on finding a nine, but I can see why they you know the a nine is maybe a little easier to identify. And

You know, especially if you're gonna like I would think that if you sign a nine, probably makes sense to try to move Danny Masofsky at the same time. So it's like it's not gonna be it it doesn't necessarily mean you're four deep at that position. I I don't know. probably have to eat sour to do that for what it's worth. You might, yeah. But uh, you know, I I think that that's but that's why you have all this gam, right? Um Right. Yeah. You know, uh so yeah, I

Uh you're not wrong, I guess is what I'm saying. I just don't I I I just I just I I just think you need to add talent. You need talent. Yeah. Yep.

All right. Uh go ahead. Alright, this one is from Spaceman Spliff. Snyder has been awesome this year, earning that starting spot along cr side Christian. How soon would should we be locking him up to a U twenty two contract so that we don't end up taking an eighty percent discount like we did with OB? You know, I do think that the Obed situation was

unique. Like he got into a specific situation there where You know, the Sounders tried to do what was right, I think, and they offered him a U twenty two contract at a time when it made sense. And I think you have to be careful about offering U-22 contracts before it makes sense, just because you're afraid of it going sideways. But, you know, Snyder is signed for a few more years and

You know, I I think it w I wouldn't be upset if they went and if they signed him to a U-22 deal now. But I also think that there's something to be said about like he hasn't done that. I mean he looks good. Uh is he is he a million dollar player right now? I I mean I don't I don't think so. Uh right. I I I think I wanna see a little bit more of Snyder before we give him a U twenty two deal.

Just'cause you start to set a bad precedent of saying like anytime a player shows us anything, really. Right. Yeah. I think that there's this takeaway from the Obed situation that Obed didn't sign the U twenty two deal and left as soon as he could because he felt disrespected because he wasn't offered it earlier. And I don't think that there's any Yeah, I don't think I'll score that.

I think that uh Obed had folks that wanted him to be aggressive with his career moves and there was an opportunity to go to his boyhood club and you know, they they jumped at that and I think, you know, they they I think they saw that as a possibility far that farther out and they didn't want to hamstring themselves in any way and

Look, I mean, we talked about it a lot on the show. I don't know that it was the safest approach, but it's pretty impossible to argue with the results. You know, he's he's playing regularly for Atletico Madrid. And uh I didn't see that happening. But you know, here here you go. So it's probably good it's probably one of the best things in the world that he for for him at least that he didn't sign that contract, even though it ended up uh, you know, not being the ideal situation for the Sounders.

I don't think you can reasonably expect every player to go that route. And I think it's a really big mistake to as you said. overcorrect so far in the other direction from that situation, especially because it wasn't necessarily a typical situation, that you end up committing yourself to, you know, a long term deal for

for a young guy who ends up not being worth the contract. And I know a lot of people would say, well the contract's off cap, who cares? I mean V think about who the ownership is, right? I'm like, don't you really want it? Want to to hand out contracts that go poorly. Well and I and I also think it's worth noting I a lot of folks act like a U twenty two contract is

the equivalent to a homegrown player contract in terms of the way it hits the cap. And that's not true. Uh, you know, you have to elevate a player to the senior roster, which is, you know, a finite thing that you have. Uh and you have to and they hit they hit the cap at two hundred thousand dollars. Right now Snyder Burnell is off cap and is a supplemental roster spot. Like those are those are not insignificant

things to consider. Uh and b and by the way, he signed through December or he's got an option through December of twenty twenty nine. So the Sounders have him for quite a long time. Uh, you know, th this is they're in no rush. I think it would be at the very least.

I think you have until this offseason to make that adjustment. And it's not Yeah. I and I and if you if you if the difference between signing him to a U twenty two deal is do it now or he's he's gonna have he's gonna spend three years playing out his contract. I I mean I don't know. I guess that's a risk you take.

Right. Yeah. I also think there you have to also consider how other players on the roster are gonna react, right? Right. To a kid who has played really well and and done, I think, more than people expected, but has still been Not like uh he hasn't been an all star this year. He doesn't have a goal or an assist. I mean, that's just right. And how you know, y if you're a veteran, how are you gonna react to that? Like where you when you had to scrap and claw your way? Like and

Yeah, exactly. Uh all right. This is from MCB. As much as it's not fun, I think the team management will be vindicated for doing nothing in the summer window. Ariola coming back alone will juice the attack and finishing luck will even out. If Pedro is three fourths of his best, the team will be a wagon. Do you disagree?

I do. And not on the merits of the argument. uh that the sounders couldn't i if the argument is that the sounders can not do anything in the summer window and probably they'll be fine, sure. That's I don't disagree with that. Um That's not the only reason to do something in the summer window is that you're gonna like people are frustrated with the lack of signings. Um people are frustrated with the Sounders doing enough to get into the playoffs and hopefully they can make a run.

Um, people are frustrated with the penny pinching. A lot of these guys, as much as I love'em, man, like they've been on the roster forever and ever and ever. And they've been the backbone of the team forever. And I appreciate it. That's great. But I think it's okay to wanna see some new guys every now and then and then. Yeah. You know?

And every window we go without make every summer window we go without making a signing, you know, in the off season there there there were signings, but they were basically just replacing guys that that left.

it's a little more frustrating for people. And I find the argument that, well, look, the team is fine. We don't need to improve that much. I find it a little less compelling. And I think two, If the finishing luck doesn't even out and Polareola doesn't juice the attack and Pedro isn't three quarters of his best and the way they've performed over the last five games ends up kind of being the norm and they finish like fifth or sixth and they get knocked out in the first round again.

I think that's a huge failure. And I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to empty at least a couple of the bullets you've got in the chamber. To try to avoid that. Yeah, and I'll just say finishing fifth or sixth and going out in the first round of the playoffs, but like the thing that made last year a success. to the degree that it was a success was they won a trophy. I mean that's I didn't.

They they had they had a great run that they won a trophy that the uh the the uh leagues cup final against Miami is An absolute highlight. It's something that every fan who is there will remember and talk about. And and that's you you build that you want that moment, right?

But like let's also not pretend as if finishing fifth and going out in the first round against Minnesota didn't suck. And if that's how this season ends and it and if it does like look, if they I guess you can argue that that the approach last year was vindicated because they won that trophy, but I think you can also argue that it wasn't vindicated, that it wasn't like for all the

the good feelings about, you know, when when Craig said, Well, I'm glad we didn't sign a striker because we wouldn't have known that Osaz it wouldn't have given Osaza a chance to shine. Like I guess there's truth in that, but there's that that isn't what this is all about and I I think the other thing that is gonna be even tougher to sell this year is that look, you sold Reed Baker Whiting, you sold Obed Vargas, you sold Georgie Manungu, you sold Danny Leva. Those are four useful young pieces.

that the whole point of moving them was to bring in someone else who could help raise the bar. And look, if Hasani Dotson and Nico Pekkovic are the only two players that you bring in to replace them. You cannot ask people to be happy about that. I mean, that's just Yeah. It's not just about results. There is an entertainment factor here and you just can't I'm sorry, you can't sell that. Uh like they have the ability to make summer moves. And

I I think they have tried in the past to do it and the I I suspect they will try their darndest to do it again. And if they fail to do if they fail to close the deal, that's a that's gonna be a failure. That and there's not really much to be s you know, like that's just kinda how it is. Um Yeah. And w whatever the cause of the failure is, whether it's Adrian gets gunshine and doesn't want to Commit the resources. Right.

whether it's whether it's I mean, uh the thing that's weird is that the money is spent, right? Like the GAM is spent. It's been converted to GAM. No Yeah. If they it's okay. There's two things here. One of them is that if they don't sign a player from outside of the league and they don't want to spend money, I could, you know, look, I could talk myself into living with that. But if they also sit on the gam and they don't make a interleague move.

on someone who could really help the team, that that's where it's becomes what do what what are we doing here? Like what's the point what was the point of all the other stuff if it wasn't to to make a signing like this? And this this team, I mean, the core of this team is not young anymore. Christian is not young. Jordan is not young.

Uh Albert Rosnak is not young. There are young players on the team that are that are promising that you can build around for the future, but the guys that are getting you to the championship. are not young. And I you don't want to throw all of that gam at an imperfect solution, but you're you're doing your fans and the players a disservice if you're not at least trying to get better with the resources you have. Yep.

Uh all right. So let's talk about specifics then, I guess. Uh from KW 2026, positional priorities for new player acquisition in the summer window, if you could spend all the available uh XM resources and how that changes if you're only able to spend up to 75% of that. I mean, I don't... I'll be honest with you. I don't know that the... I guess it's the number of players that you are able to sign. Like I I don't know that there is one player out there who is worth emptying your

Gam bank on. But I guess the if you okay, let's put it this way. If you are willing to Empty the GAM bank account. I think probably what that involves is you are figuring out how to open up a DP spot. and pushing that money forward. And even if you're not spending it all now, you've sort of you're you're structuring it in a way where you're you're kind of now all that money is spoken for.

And so like if you can go get like a Dion Jovich or a Hugo Kuypers or, you know, someone of the like clearly a top class number nine, I guess that's how it looks if you are emptying it. And if it's seventy five percent of it, you know, you're probably looking at more like a TAM level signing and you know, I I don't have anyone off the top of my head that I'm like, that's the guy that they should be going after. But

uh you know like uh a Prince Owusu to use a a player that I've seen thrown around. This is a twenty-nine year old uh striker who plays for Montreal and You know, he's having a great year. I think he's overperforming his XG, which gives me some pause. But, you know, that's an interesting player who I think people could get kind of excited about.

Yeah. Um I think there are also there are probably international strikers that are going that are gonna be free agents that you could theoretically sign com you know coming in from Oh, yeah, sure, yeah. Wouldn't take up all of that game, but would take up a decent chunk of it. But I I do think that a inter league move is the most likely thing. Um

Yovliches would be perfect. If if you can find a way to make that happen, I know some people would be frustrated that they weren't spending a transfer for you to go get a DP nine and they were just trading for a DP nine. But I think i I would be over the moon with it. I I think the risk is extremely low. He's he's proven to be a really, really good striker at the MLS level. He's twenty six.

Um I would be I would go nuts for that. I don't think it's gonna happen. I just don't I don't see it happening. Um I I don't think that the only plausible route they have to get there is extending Jordan. Probably through the twenty nine thirty season, I guess, right? Um And I just don't know if we're we're gonna see that, whether he if he would even wanna do that, if the Sounders would wanna commit to him for that long at at, you know, a max TAM number, so

But it would be cool. I wouldn't I wouldn't uh complain. But yeah, otherwise I think if you're going for a Tam guy, there there are options out there where maybe it's not a guy who comes in as your and is your unquestioned starter, but If you're bringing in, you know, a guy like Ousu off the bench as your first sub rather than Danny Musovsky or If he's scoring and you ship Jordan back out to the wing, I don't think anybody's gonna complain about that.

I mean I think the other thing I guess the other th you know, to go back to Andrew's or interpersonals, uh question is I think what makes it tough is honestly it's it's a little hard for me to wrap my head around the player who is an upgrade over Georgie Manungu who costs less than what you got for him. And so that's part of why I'm just sort of skeptical of the idea of going after a

And I guess you could bring in someone who costs more'cause you have more flexibility than that. But yeah. It's I think that's what gives me some pause is my concern that are we really like how realistic is it to upgrade over Uh over him. Apparently rap Diego Luna's gonna be a free agent soon. Is that right? Oh, that would be interesting. That would be interesting. Yeah. Good player. At twenty two too. Wow. That's I know. Uh, good for him. He's gonna he's gonna make some money, I think.

He's probably gonna be happy. Well y it looks like he has club options coming up. So Okay, check out, check out, check out. But he has he does he is out of contract at at the end of twenty six, but uh yeah, you would think he's probably in line for a D P extension if anyone knows. Yeah.

Nothing else, yeah. You've you've put the idea of Joblitch in my head and I'm annoyed at you. 'Cause it's I know that it's not gonna happen and uh All right. Uh it's all Goody wants to know. It feels as if our team has a very high number of good to great players, but very few, if any, top tier talent.

I'd call that a high floor low ceiling roster. Are y'all aware of any correlation between teams which prioritize high floor, low ceiling rosters versus low floor, high ceiling rosters in the context of success? Long term stability and ability to perform in must win games. I don't I think that would be a really difficult thing to c to try to quantify, um, because who who's determining what the you know the Yeah, sure.

I do know that there is no correlation between spending. There's there is a mild correlation, I should say. There's not no correlation. There's a very mild correlation between spending and success. Um And I'm like... in MLS, right? Uh elsewhere there's a huge correlation between wages, not transfer spending. To be clear, there's there's very little correlation between transfer spending, but wages and success, there's a huge correlation.

Um so yeah, I mean I think the MLS roster rules mean everybody is going to be spending about the same money on all but a few players. And so it's more important to Pay the players that you have some freedom, make sure you're getting the right ones. Um So yeah, I mean I think that it's the best measure we have to determine that is that there's not really a strong correlation. Um and and to be clear, the correlation is more shows that you have to spend some money.

rather than it literally doesn't matter, right? Um it's Which I did think was an interesting little tidbit that came out of the salary data was that the players the teams who are way at the bottom of the spend Pretty much the worst teams in the league have been Right, right.

But like once but there is like but there does seem to be sort of like a level like around the twenty seventh, twenty-sixth highest spending team where it's like the difference between them and the fourth highest spending team is almost non existent on a correlation basis. And

on a year over year basis, like you can look at some really horrible teams that have spent a ton of money. Chicago Fire forever. Uh this year they're they're they're pretty good. But for years they had super high pay payrolls and they were were awful. Um a lot of Toronto FC teams over the years have have been very expensive and very bad. So um yeah, it's it's really I think just there's more important stuff than

spending money, which is the whole point of the structure of the league, right? Like you have to be smart and and make sure you sign the right players rather than just spending your way out of trouble.

Right. Alright, next one is from Marth107. Uh I'm gonna paraphrase this a little bit. Uh it's a it's a long one, so hopefully uh I don't leave out the wrong stuff. Um, what is the process for making changes or improvements to VAR? Would MLS be able to make changes on their own or is it purely up to IFab? Can any of these changes be actually made? I think some of the suggestions are like limiting the amount of time

Um and you know, having a better standard for clear and obvious. Uh, can any of these changes actually be made or are we doomed to the cycle of eventually forgetting about vars problems until the next time it happens? Uh I do think that MLS has some flexibility in terms of how for sure they have flexibility in terms of like the direction they give uh the video.

uh review sort of like e each league sort of has a different standard and you can see that. You know, uh in England, for instance, for offsides they're using uh they're using automated offside, right? Still? Yeah.

Yeah. So like that's an example of something that is so I uh and like I I don't see any reason why MLS couldn't institute a sort of a time limit on how long an official is allowed to review a call. Uh I I do think that the you know, I I think they actually have tried to clarify what clear and obvious is and It just isn't you know, like that's just not It's like w what's clear and obvious to one person is different from another, right?

And even in in ConcaCap, they actually don't use Clear and Obvious. They I guess they have some different standard. But yeah, I mean the the short answer is yes. MLS does have the ability to make the kind of changes that you're talking about. I I think I would be

You know, like I don't I don't mind the way VAR works on a broad on a broad level. There are individual calls that still frustrate me a lot, but I I still find it compelling that the most egregious mistake are usually fixed and And I you know, I've I've heard people suggest that it's like we used to argue about refereeing less than we do now and I don't That's insane. That's an insane thing. Crazy. yeah yeah Yeah, that's true.

I think you have to forg you really have to like work hard to forget how much time we spent talking about officiating in the pre-var days. Yeah. And like just offside debates and all that kind of stuff, right? Yeah. Um Mm. Yeah, I I think MLS does a pretty good job with her VAR implementation. I would I would not mind seeing a time limit. Um

I would prefer it if offside was not reviewable and it was just the call on the field, um, personally. But otherwise, I think it's generally pretty good. I think the issue with it is that The whole like the way that VAR is kind of sold is that this fixes officiating. We'll get all the calls right. And that's crazy.

Uh and that shouldn't be the way it's presented. It should be like this this is a tool that helps us get closer to perfect, right? But these are still humans, decisions are still subjective. Um the rules of the game are Subjective to a large degree. Some aren't, right? Like there's an objective standard for what offside is. Um, but Everything else is is is open to interpretation to some degree or another. And so

Um, I think acknowledging that and just saying like, look, like we got multiple people's opinions on it, everybody weighed in and this was the call that ended up being made, rather than this is the right call. I I find the var reviews a little like the the VAR post game analysis thing that they do a little frustrating for that reason because it's like

You're pretending like this is a binary thing and there is clearly human judgment at play, and that's fine. But um yeah. Anyway, I it could it could be worse. MLS uh does var a lot better than a lot of other leagues, but Uh yeah, a few minor changes would be nice. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. Well this one's coming from Dorcas. Uh Champions Cup has switched to a one game final. Would you switch that back to a two-game final? Why or why not? Would Campiona's Cup be better if it was two games also? Why won't MLS switch to three game first round of the playoffs to a point system first of five points with one point for a tie and three for a Um

I I don't so I wouldn't mind the Champions Cup final being a single game if it was a neutral site from a competitive standpoint. It doesn't make any sense from a financial standpoint to have the Champions Cup final being a neutral site. So I would personally switch back to the two game final. I don't think there's any chance in the world that happens. Um but I think competitively it just doesn't make sense to have

a team hosts the knockout final. I just uh in whatever standard you're using for well, they earned that spot and then I come on, like whatever. I mean, I think it makes a lot more sense in a league where you can say they've earned home field advantage over the a long season. They're doing it in Champions Cup where you theoretically earn it in how you play in the tournament, but you're playing very different opponents. It doesn't Very stupid.

It makes no sense. I don't like it at all. I think it should go back to a two game final. Like unless you said uh if we get to a point where we can have a CONCACAF Champions Cup at a neutral site. and have any expectation that people will care and show up, that's fine and good. But uh To not get into that point.

think we're anywhere near that point and I would not want to see that. I had to honestly, I when they said Campionas Cup, I actually was like, I don't I don't even I'm not sure I know what Campionas Cup is and I Uh it is I do know what it is. It's the winner of League Mekes versus the winner of MLS. No, what are we talking about?

Yeah. Uh and yeah, the for the for the playoff system, I mean, yeah, they should get rid of the playoff system they have now, but they're probably going to, so I'm gonna I mean I I I have been a champion of this format that he is talking about, which is instead of I do like it, for sure. Instead of it two wins, it should be a first to five points.

And the uh like the so the way it would work in case people were wondering is you get one point for a tie, you get three points for a win, and if you and then you would have uh you'd have at the end of a a shootout, you would have a You you would I guess you would get three points in that? I I re I Yeah Yeah, I but you only have the shootout if it's tied in the la in the third Last game. Right.

Um in that event the Sounders would have gone through over Minneapol or Minnesota. And and I I don't say that it that's not to say it's a good format because the sounders would have gone through. But you shouldn't be able to go through with two ties.

Yes, I say that as somebody who watched the games and saw how the series played out and recognized that the Sounders played much better than Minnesota. As frustrating as it was that they shouldn't it shouldn't have been that close, the Sounders should have gone through in in that series. So Yeah. But again they're gonna change up the playoff format. Yeah, exactly. Don't don't worry, this format's gonna go away at the end of this year anyway.

Maybe I don't even know if it actually is I'm not a hundred percent sure that they've confirmed that we have this playoff format this year. Yeah. I mean it wouldn't be the first time they changed it. without really telling anybody, so

Uh, another one from Dorcas. The Sounders have been blessed with having only having two head coaches since two thousand two. How rare is that? It's very rare, I'll just answer at. Uh what do we know of the future after Brian Schmetzer finally says goodbye? Uh by the way, I just it th I guess they have confirmed the playoff format for this year. But uh Well that sucks.

It's I mean, it's really I mean MLS there's no precedent for a coach being around as long as Brian Schmitzer has between the two stints that he's been the Sounders head coach. Yeah. Certainly there's no precedent for one coach being involved in the coaching staff for as long as Brian Schminster in MLS. I have no idea how common it is in the world. I would imagine it's exceptionally rare. Uh, you know, Sir Lylex Ferguson was the coach of Manchester United for Yeah.

A long time, but that's like that's that's the sort of like rarefied area you're talking about. Uh the exception that proves the rule almost. Um he was manager of Manchester United for Twenty-seven years. Yeah. That's longer than Brian's been the head coach of the Sounders, but a lot longer. But it's you know, that's that's the sort of like

rarefied area that we're talking about at this point. So it's it's really, really rare. Uh we and we don't know what the future hold like I don't think w like we could guess as to like the succession planning. You know, if if for some reason he stepped down at the end of this year, I I wouldn't be totally shocked if they were to hire a Freddie Juarez, depending on the the circumstances of his departure. I think they could go look abroad. Like they could go look I I think they would probably

try to find someone who has Sounders DNA, like a a former player or coach or someone that is connected to the club in some way. But I I mean your g honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I've not heard anything even approaching credible rumors. Yeah. Uh and I'm that makes me happy'cause I don't want to think about it too much. I have over the last couple of years I've always appreciated Brian Schmetzer. I've always thought he was a great coach.

the last few years I have really come to appreciate him on a level that surpasses how I felt before. Um I think that when he leaves it is going to be a rude awakening in a lot of ways for the fans, maybe for ownership to some extent. uh I I think that he is a miracle worker and I I would be curious to see what he could have done at a higher level, but I also think he n he understands American soccer and he understands MLS on a level unlike

very few people. Yeah. Um the only I I've done a little quick research here. The only person I can find that's had a tenure longer than Schmitzer is Peter Vermese. And that's just an MLS play, right? Peter Verbeese was at Sporting K C for sixteen years. Um and Schmetz has been at uh at Sounders this is season ten, right? So Yeah. Consecutive. Now obviously he's with the USL team and has w much longer history with the club itself. Eight more years as the head coach in USL.

But even just in MLS, right, like he's already I think the second longest tenured coach in league history, I believe. Um so well Jim Curtin actually got to eleven years with the Oh. Um yeah, Ben Olson ten years at DC United. So if he's around for a couple more years, it'll be him and and Peter Bermese, right? Um I would love to see him break that record. I don't know how likely that is though. He would have to be here through uh

twenty thirty two. So another six seasons seems to be tough, but Yeah.

Uh, you know what, before we do any more, I just wanna say we should probably take a break, uh and we'll come back and we will finish up with the rest of the questions. You're listening to nos Adietis. Senator Hart has been around in one form or another since 2009. In 2026, though, we make a pretty significant evolution when we go analog. Yes, that's right. In the year of our Lord 2022. We are publishing a real life magazine. We're calling this thing four, as in

Sound art heart four point oh, but we're stylizing it as IV because we absolutely love Roman numeral. And if you want to refer to it as IV, that's cool too. The first issue has a comic book style cover. That was hand drawn by local artist Kevin Nuber. Features by Tim Foss, Susie Rance, and Charlie Bohm, a statistical deep dive by Kat Bush, a QA with Brian Schmitzer, a column by G. Willow Wilson, and photographs by Noah Reif, Max Aquino, Mike Russell, and Jane Gersh.

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Welcome back to Nos Adietis on the Sound Routheart Podcast Network. All right. Uh just pick up where we left off. This is from Wimberley Wait, is this is uh me asking? Yeah, I'll ask. Uh tw Timberly twenty three. I believe Pedgeo is still on track to be available probably limited minutes after the World Cup. What are you most looking forward to for his reintroduction? Also, how does his reintroduction impact summer targets or positional questions?

Recurrent players like Morris as a striker or Winger. Um, I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is I just think that he has a skill set that none of the other current wingers do. Rothrock is probably the closest, but I think Pedro is just I mean, he's just a more technical player, right? He's a little less direct, but he he can be very direct. He will ram the ball down your throat if he gets the space to do so.

Um, but he exploits space in a really effective way and he's just capable of doing stuff that nobody else on the team is capable of doing. Like I don't think that he's necessarily a better soccer player than Albert Snack or even Jesus Ferrera or Jordan Morris, but he does shit that they do not and would never attempt to do. And that's that's useful, right? He's unpredictable.

And when he is at his best, when he is on one, he's unplayable. And and I don't know that there's anybody else on the team that offers that. So I think he's just uh He's a he's a wild card, right? Um he had even after moving to left wing, he he still had games where he was largely invisible. But they were much, much less frequent. Um, but when he was effective, he was effective and teams had to worry about him. And I think that's the biggest thing. Um I think it probably does have to impact

you know, potential summer targets to some degree. But like we talked about earlier with, you know, the question of why you would go out and sign another striker, I just think they need help. at in the attacking band and whatever the best player they can get with the resources they have to to provide that help, I think, is what they have to do and figure it out later. Yeah. Yeah, I would uh I I I I uh I don't know what to expect about his return, but I think

you have to sort of I my my impression is that you kind of have to assume he's not gonna be fully back this year. Like and so I don't know why you like I I just feel like you I don't know. I I think it and that's also part of why I feel like it would be okay to sign a nine because you're probably gonna be moving you can move Jordan back to play. To play there. Yeah. All right.

Uh next one from W is there anything we can take away from the stretch looking forward to when play resumes against Portland in mid July? I mean I I think any stretch of games you have to take. Seriously, like you can't I don't think you I don't I think it would be a mistake to look at these five games and say, Oh, that was a aberration, even though we were about as healthy as we'd been all year.

And like yeah, there's something to be taken away and I think the thing that you take away is that This team still lacks a great offensive player, like a real ceiling raising offensive player, and you are prone to stretches like this. N like any team is prone to stretches like this, and so you should be doing what you can to safeguard against it, I suppose.

Yeah, I don't think I really have any anything else to add to that. Um I I think that they are better than this stretch. Yeah. For sure. But I think that it's a reminder that they are Probably not on par with the greatest scenes in MLS history. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that's that's fair. You know, the teams that are at the top of the standings right now are trending like uh record setters. And I don't think that the s this Sounders team is a record setter. Uh that said.

I I don't I don't think they're far off from Nashville. I don't think they're far off I mean they beat Vancouver twice, they beat San Jose twice, so you know, I don't know. Tough to say. Have to say.

All right, this is from Boomstick three fifteen. Do you think the World Cup is gonna actually have any positive impact on MLS? First World. Of course. Thank you. Pry I mean, I don't know. It's I is it gonna raise the profile of the league in any way? I don't think so. I was I was watching uh some just like some scroll on Instagram the other day and saw a clip of like

I think it was like fifth division English soccer, right? And the top comment, thousands of upvotes, was like, Well, it might be fifth division, but it's still better than MLS. Like have like the perception of the league that they have and there's literally nothing yet. Like the best player to ever play this sport has played here for several years. And people and hasn't really done anything that much more impressive in terms of like personal achievements than he did anywhere else.

Right. And b like so who ca like so in that sense I I don't think so. Um in the sense that some MLS players might feature and and make their teams some money, maybe that helps. In the sense that maybe, you know, some Some players who were skeptical of coming to the US decide they like it. I mean I think that one's

I mean that seems vaguely possible. Uh, you know, I like I love the idea of someone from Belgium falling in love with Seattle and saying like, Yeah, I'll take a I'll I'll I just like let me stay here and I'll we'll figure out the money later. Yeah. I I don't think that's like out of the realm of possibility. Um. And the same is probably true of some other MLS cities, Vancouver. I could see very easily that happening, you know.

And I and I think could see the global profile of individual cities raising. Like I I really do think at the end of this. a lot of people in the world, including very good soccer players, are gonna see like, holy shit, Seattle is really amazing city. Like what a like like Seattle I really think is gonna come out looking very good in this thing. I think Vancouver is gonna come out looking really good.

And you know, I and so I could see it sort of attracting talent. I don't know that the average soccer fan in the United States, who frankly is who we should be most interested in attracting. Is gonna be moved one way or the other by this. Yeah, I think that's that's the thing, right? Is like there's this and I'm not uh

This has nothing to do with what Boomstick is saying. We're just uh, you know, freestyling now. But uh there's this perception that like the most important thing about MLS and its its place in the world is what Europeans think about it. And I don't I don't care what like on the list of things about the country I live in Europeans care about. MLS is way

Way down on the list of things I'm concerned about, right? Uh and that was true, you know, 10 years ago. It's certainly true now. Um Uh but Americans like Yeah, I I do like I because that's the thing that's gonna level continue leveling League up, right? Is getting Americans hooked on it. And I do think they did a pretty good job of of capitalizing on that momentum after twenty fourteen.

Um the the p you know, the league went through a pretty rapid period of growth after that. Um and so I think in that sense, when the World Cup captures the attention of Americans MLS tends to do pretty well in in the you know in the uh in the wake of that. So in that sense, maybe. I mean although I've I think uh Matt Doyle is where I got this from, but I I think he said that the league that stands to benefit the most from this World Cup is probably the Premier League.

And like that I really do think is probably true. Like whatever the Premier League rights sold for last time, I would imagine they will could probably 2X that at least in the United States. And Uh, and I think the World Cup is gonna do a lot to raise the profile of soccer in the country. And so there might be some trickle down uh positivity that comes to MLS as a result of that. But I do not think that

this World Cup is going to be in any way transformational for the league. And I put that mostly on, you know, I on some level I don't know. What the upside potential really was. But the league has not done virtually anything to capitalize on this moment.

And if I can take a another digression just a little bit. I got an advanced copy of Paul Tenorio's book, The Messi Effect, and there is actually an excerpt in from the book in our magazine that is uh currently being sold. So if you want to go get that and get a look at this this excerpt, you're welcome to do that. Uh go to sandartheart dot com to buy other magazine. Uh but

His point, like the theme of this whole article is that Messi came in and he provided this moment for MLS to capitalize and say, look, if e like Messi coming in cannot just be about Messi selling a bunch of shirts. It has to be Bigger. And that's what that's what the Beckham thing was. It it brought in a whole big change to the league's structure and the way they thought about things. And The book essentially says MLS missed the opportunity to do that and uh

You know, maybe that's not completely gone because Messi's still here, but they certainly missed on the opportunity to fully capitalize on the World Cup. And I think that that's probably true. Uh So that's too bad. Maybe good for uh I don't know. I don't know. In some ways I don't I don't think that's so bad for us as Fans of the Sounders. Like it's like we've got a few more years where even without being the most high-spending team, we can still be competitive.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. But uh Yeah, I do think that the Premier League being the league to benefit most from the World Cup is some real it's that's a some real sports explains the world kinda shit. Yeah, yeah. Uh all right, this one's from Look Forward. Which teams are you looking forward to watching in the World Cup and why? For the quality of play, for the potential drama and chaos agents, other than the USA, who will you be rooting for? That's a bold assumption right there, brother.

Uh second part of the question kind of piggybacks on what we were just talking about. Which of Belgium's players should we be rooting for to fall in love with Seattle and what to stay? Uh all right. Let's take within reason. I mean, I don't know, is Lukaku so far outside of our like I realize he's a little on the older side. He is on the team, right? Yeah, he's thirty three. Yeah, he I mean he's a little older, but like just Yeah.

You know, give me a little piece of that action, I'll I'll take it. Uh I have to open up a DP spot. Yeah. Um yeah, he would definitely require a DP spot. Um you know. All right. Uh Uh my two favorite Belgian players both play a for Villa, so can't have them. 'Cause we need'em. We're playing the Champions League next year, brother. How surreal is that?

Yeah, I mean it's it's it feels weirder than last time, um, which is saying something because that felt really weird. Uh just because I didn't think it was ever gonna happen again. So now that's like twice in three years. The so it's uh it feels like a thing now. It's it's crazy. It's yeah. Yeah, it's pretty wild. Um Yeah. Yeah I would say if anyone I would I'll just say this if anyone from Belgium

falls in love with Seattle and we're able to get them as a result of that, it's like I I I would take it. Like I I I don't know that there's anyone on Belgium's roster who would not immediately help this out. That's probably true. Yeah. I mean I think there are players, young guys, who maybe wouldn't break into the lineup right away, but they're probably going to be extremely good players, so

Um but what was the oh the second the first part of the question was are you looking forward to to watching and why? Uh and who who will you be rooting for? I mean, I guess I'm becoming interested in Belgium just'cause they're gonna be training here. Yeah. Uh I honestly have not spent any time thinking about who else like the like I've I always enjoy fr like I do enjoy watching France. I've found myself for France a lot.

So I guess they probably will be who I ultimately default to. But I I I have never been less in let me put it this way. I the first World Cup that I uh was working in soccer media for was two thousand ten. And I don't think I've ever been less engaged on a broader on a broad scale with sort of like the anticipation of the World Cup than I w have in this year, which is really surreal. Because not only is it here, but you know, I'm

spearheading a magazine and I've done a lot of stuff as it pertained to our magazine and maybe that's why because I was just too focused on that. But I don't I I I don't I don't I don't have I don't I don't have a good entry point for myself other than I'll I'm interested in the US, I'm interested in Belgium to some degree. But yeah, I'm that's boring answer, but that's the truth. No, I think that's I think that's fair enough. Uh

World Cup for me is generally more about individual players, uh, good narratives, good stories that emerge. Um, I'm looking forward to seeing if Ollie Watkins can get some meaningful minutes. You know, I love I love Ollie. Uh he's he's not gonna start, obviously, but

man, if he could get like a big goal for England to, you know, to go down in history with them as as kind of a hero, that'd be really cool for him. Uh I'm looking forward to being a hater. I love being a hater. So Portugal, you know, crashing out of the group stage would be great for me. Um Whatever whatever big team that doesn't make it out of the group stage unless it's one I'm have some kind of sentimentality for is gonna be funny. I mean... It seems impossible, right?

I mean famous last words and all, but it seems really unlikely that a big team is like a team that people have expectations for isn't gonna make it out. I feel like the new version of that will be not making it into what use would have previously. The round of sixteen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That'll be the new like if you okay, great, you made it to the knockouts, but then you lost to Greece or whatever. I know Greece. Um so yeah, I think that'll be that'll be fun to watch. Um

I mean my my investment in this US team is at a historic low. Um I hope Christian gets a chance to play and and does well. That'd be the thing I'm most interested in. Yeah, that's the thing I care about the most, right? I hope he gets to play some meaningful minutes and I hope he shows well. Um

I just find it really hard to connect with this team for a lot of reasons. If they make a run, I'm sure that'll change. I'm sure, you know, my wrench heart will grow three sizes, but For now it just feels like it's gonna be really hard for me to get super invested in the in the US this year, aside from Christian. Well, I'll I'll tell ya, I'm really happy this question's for you because I I barely know what I'm saying. Pandered to and for the record I love it.

All right, well this is from Andrew, and he says swerve Darby or Nick Wayne, who would make the best summer signing? I honestly don't know who any of those three people are. That's probably for the best. So all three are local boys, right? Uh Swerve from Tacoma, although he he grew up in Olympia. Or oh are these this is wrestling. Uh not Olympia, sorry. He grew up in Florida. Uh Swerve is the best athlete of the three. He's got the best size of the three.

Uh he also would probably uh get a red card every three games because he's uh a psycho. Um Darby would die for the badge. Uh But he would literally die for the badge, so he probably wouldn't be around too long. Nick Wayne, though, I think is the blue chip here. Uh He's he's got, you know, he's he's quick, he's young, uh he's hungry, he's he's from Everett. Like I said, these guys are all local boys, but Nick still lives in the area, so he fits in that in that regard. And uh

Yeah. Coach's son, right? Uh so I think you gotta go with with the prodigy Nick Wayne for for this one. All right.

Yeah. All right. Last question from Uh, from Bard. Uh I'm not I'm not using your Discord in joke name. I hope that's okay. Uh a magic wish-granting billionaire emerges from the grounds at Lumen Field and offers you one of the following three options, but by taking them the others are out of reach for at least the deck. Oh one uh I I really like this question. This is a great Good, yeah.

A soccer specific stadium just for the sounders reign and defiance in prime Seattle location, comparable or better than Lumen. Option two, unlimited financial roster flexibility to rebuild after this current core ages out, and for the next round of DPs after that. I'm talking messy numbers for DPs, pipeline flexibility, the money to properly replace Christian.

And the last one, a proper financial and developmental connection with three major soccer leagues around the world, Spain, England, France, etc., for the next twenty years. Which would you take and why? Wow, that that is a really thoughtful question. It is, yeah. that has a lot of uh

different angles. And all three of those things are attractive and not but also not entirely unrealistic if right for say, like let's just say like the sounders somehow I g I guess the prime Seattle location throws it off a little, but You know, like theoretically current ownership could make a soccer specific stadium happen within Seattle. I I mean, I think realistically that this does that feels a little bit that it would be better or at least as good as Lumenfield.

Like I don't even know what that would be, but right. I digress. This is the s nature of the question. Unlimited fine roster flexibility. I mean, hey, if Steve Ballmer ends up buying the Sounders, I guess that's sort of like what you're getting, right? Uh And potentially you're gonna stay at Lumen Field and you're gonna be stuck at stuck at Lumen Field forever. Uh, or a proper financial development connection with three major soccer leagues. I mean, that's Thank you.

Probably, I mean, let's be honest. Number three might be the most sustainable. Yeah. for a long term success. But I mean, I don't know. I guess I'm a I'm a I'm a simple guy. I mean number That's the one Adrian is picking. I'll tell you that right now. Right, exactly. But number two, uh look, I I'm a sucker. I I would love to root for a team that has

like that kind of roster flexibility. Like it would be uh especially since it probably means you're still like I love Lumen Field. I don't feel the need to leave Lumen Field. And just to have a soccer specific stadium like I That's a great point. You know, um Yeah, if you don't need the money that is soccer specific that's a good Right. I'm thinking Now

My my answer was the stadium because I think it gives you a lot of what the second option gives you, right? If the Sounders are gifted a stadium that they control in downtown Seattle. Nature of the question is that you can't that the the sustainability of that are that the money is is out of reach for at least a decade. Unlimited financial roster flexibility is Okay. But I think that's a good thing.

I I mean look, if we're just saying nothing about the amount of money that the Sounders spend changes. Yeah. They still spend like they don't control their own stadium and all you're getting out of it is a soccer-specific stadium in downtown. Absolutely it's the Sounders. Right. Okay. Because I'm with you. I don't I don't care about being in the soccer specific stadium. But if it's you get the stadium and all the benefits from it, you just don't have unlimited financial rock.

Like they're still gonna run the club as a sustainable business, they're not gonna spend beyond their means, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I think I'll take this I think I'd I'd take the stadium, uh, if they get to spend the money. Yeah. Yeah. I mean I Yeah. I mean gets that I I do think there's something to be said about the a proper financial development.'Cause that I mean, I do think that sort of sets you up for Many more decades than That's true. No, it's true.

The potential, you know, because the I will say the danger with the second option, which I am like a fly to mo uh, you know, a moth to light, I guess. But the danger with that is that Once your rich owner gets tired of you, uh, that it's that the money the the moneywell dries up unless there's

you know, a sustainable kind of project behind it. And there's nothing that's necessarily sustainable about spending a bunch of money. I mean, that's sort of the Arthur Blank, you know, I I guess you could say like if you could be You know, number two honestly feels a lot like Atlanta United right now. Um But that would be fun. Kind I mean, that's the thing, right? Like If it was run better.

You've got me thinking again because it was run by the guys who brought a Champions League trophy to Seattle. And they sh they got worse. So it's like you would have to like This is not a slight against Craig Weibel, but I don't think I'd want Craig Weibel in charge of running a team with unlimited financial roster flexibility, right? I don't know if he's the most appropriate guy for that. I don't think Garth... Like, yeah.

I mean, this is the thing. This is what the fascinating thing is, is that n there's no there's actually no good example of a Of a team in MLS that has sort of this unlimited financial flexibility.

and b has been able to translate that into sustained success. Right. Uh except to the degree that Miami has, but like, does anyone think that Miami is being run by like so much of what their success revolves around literally just signing Messi and and sort of like the extra powers that gives you to attract more sort of like very talented people who are sometimes willing to pay play for less than their market rate. And

I don't think they taunt them they spent too much money. They broke the rules to spend too much money for years and were terrible. Right. And so I it's like number two might be a poison chalice. I mean that that yeah that could be the The reality, at least the way MLS is currently structured. If it's a when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail problem where Right. Instead of taking like a holistic view of your roster and how they're Right. You're just like we'll spend money.

You're just churning through DPs at over Remember. over and over again, thinking they were gonna be the magic bullet. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll I'm not gonna change my answer, but I do think that it's a more I think there's a lot of nuance to the correct answer. I'm I'm with you. I came in thinking it was very obviously the stadium and I I don't know anymore, but Yeah. Yeah. Good question. Good question.

Thanks for. Yeah, I I gotta I gotta hand it to you that one. Uh that's that's that's one of the more thoughtful, thought provoking questions we've had. Uh in doing this for a long time, to be honest with you. So Thank you. Uh hopefully everyone enjoyed that. Um We're going to... Yeah. Exactly. For me alone. We're gonna still be doing shows during this break. I honestly don't know our exact cadence for it will what it will be. I am gonna be doing a show with Nico later in the week.

Uh, we are gonna be doing interviews. We'll have interview shows. I don't know that Aaron and I are gonna be doing a whole lot of proper shows like this. There's gonna be a lot of content on this.

channel. Uh I just don't know exactly what it will look like. But we'll have plenty of audio content for you to consume. We're gonna have lots of digital content for you to consume as well. So don't get Too worried, but it's gonna look you know, we've got eight we've never had this where we've had eight weeks off in the middle of a season. Pretty crazy. Yeah. I think I think we'll probably try to do a monthly mailbag uh every I wouldn't Check in. Yeah, we can at least do a couple more meal bags.

get back into that uh cadence as well. But yeah, that would be good for us. Uh in the meantime, go out and buy four. That's the Sounder Heart magazine. We're gonna be doing a couple at least two live events. uh gathering type things. On June 18th, we're doing sort of a meet and greet mixer type deal the night before the US Australia game at Project Nine Brewing up in Maple Leaf.

uh from six to ten. So if you wanna come out and and see me, I hope Aaron is gonna come on it's a Thursday night, so I don't know if he'll make it out to Maple Leaf. But Uh, then on June nineteenth, we are doing a whole day thing with the scuffed podcast, which you may or may not know is a US national team podcast. I'm good friend or become good friends with some of the people associated with that. But we're gonna go to fast fashion at eight AM

And then they're gonna do uh even if you don't have tickets to the game, they're gonna do a watch party at Fast Fashion and Soto. And then after the game, the scuffed folks are planning on doing a live postgame show, which I may or may not be involved in. I'm not a hundred percent sure. But uh there'll be lots of stuff going on at fast fashion.

We're we're gonna try to do a couple other events potentially just to uh if there are no other reason to give people an a uh a chance to buy our magazine in person. But uh yeah, so uh keep tuned in and uh I guess we'll get out of here, Aaron. Sounds like a plan? All right. Well, uh, thank you for listening. Uh, once again, thank you to our sponsor, Fulple Wines. Thank you to all of our subscribers.

With all that, I should get out of here. This is no Saudietis, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. I am Jeremiah Shann. This is Aaron Campo and Lickett. Thank you for listening, and remember you'll never get alone. Yeah, let's go.