Bass has dropped on a new round of Sdham. John here you there, thanks for dropping by, and as always, it is a no dealing new Dally zone on some Mondays because folks are kind of, oh, I don't know, working and trying to make ends meet and things like that and making sure that their favorite to their favorite animals are in fact getting the chance to rule the roost and have the place all of themselves. So abes joining us off the top, I'm not really gonna wasteing time.
Go ahead and lay it on me.
I mean, look, you had an outstanding first half Saturday night at home against Charlotte. You were feeling good, and obviously you felt like it could have been more than just one nothing.
But it was Moyemba.
They gave you a lead, and it was just one of those things where you go to halftime you say, hey, this is a team that's had issues coming out of half, and so we'll see how it goes. You make a substitution, and now there's a lot more questions to be answered in regards to Evan Morales not starting in the second
half after he had started in the first half. Takes about seventeen seconds the game equalized, and then fourteen minutes later you no longer have a lead, and you give up three goals in a second half in a home loss to Charlotte. That, in my opinion, not that it wasn't already there, that pretty much seals your fate for this season.
The numbers are just too difficult at this point.
I mean, I saw our buddy Joe Patrick tweeted, I thought it was too funny not to also bring it here. I mean, this is a team that may not become Bowl eligible right, like they have four wins, like they may not even remake six wins to get to Bowl eligibility. Here, you've got eleven matches remaining, your thirteen points behind the playoff line. It probably will increase as teams continued rack up points above you. And the schedule is just not
some sort of Sunday stroll. You got games against and I don't remember all that off the top of my head San Diego and Nashville and enter Miami and I think Columbus maybe one more time. And so you just I just don't think you're going to be able to go on that run. And so it's time to wake up and go ahead and and Bury this season and start to adjust for next season. And I think we've seen that with some of the moves that are being reported,
some of the moves that have been made. Obviously with me High coming in, we'll get a look at him hopefully in our next match potentially, But obviously a move made yesterday and some more rumors early today.
Yeah, and it might end up being a cause and effect involving Naomi High and Ephron Morales. It's being reported in a couple of different circles that and right now because the window doesn't open until Thursday. It is for the for the technical aspect of it, it is a
reported deal that Ephra is heading to Montreal. Second center back that Landa United has had that is heading to Montreal, apparently first being George Campbell who's now at West Brom and so Campbell moves to West Brom Ephy looks like he might be moving to Montreal. And that came about yesterday. I want to say, those reports from Tom Bogert started about five thirty yesterday afternoon and it has raised a lot of eyebrows.
But what I would what I.
As I was trying to process the idea, hear me out on this. So if this is in fact going down, I don't know how much AM you had in place when you were bringing in me Hi in the first place. And if you are going to be making more moves in the transfer window, I don't know how up against the AM window you are. But you were looking at one of the more marketable individuals that you have at the back, because once again bringing in a center back, you know, does that create issues or what have you
when it comes to the numbers game. So okay, if you were to analyze the center backs, all right, so what can we get if we move Efra on? You bring in more AM to possibly make more deals and help you out in paying the me high number up against the contract. So it's a lot of cause and effect in three dimensions, is what I was trying to process yesterday after.
Well, look, there's a lot of aspects of this that Greek of conspiracy is not the right term, but like you go back and look at decisions that were made over the last fifty whatever it's been since Saturday night. I'm not trying to do math, but look, you sub them out at halftime, right, is there a situation where this discussion took place. And this happens in Major league
baseball all the time. You see it when pitching prospects get pulled out of minor league starts, or someone out in the third inning, for get shelved, it's because they're getting traded. Did something happen in the first half where we found out he was gonna be moved and they said we need to protect him, right? Ronnie Dila in the post game does not use the word or pulls back the word injury right and says he's not injured. Well, you're not gonna move an injured player. Montreal is not
gonna take that. So what was that part of it where he kind of reassessed his comments and said there was an issue and this and that. But you know, we can't really go into details. A lot of this, to me, and again I don't know the background. I'm not speaking on behalf of the team. A lot of this now looking back, means they knew about this trade during the game on Saturday night.
That to me is why Effrie Morales got pulled.
The other side of this was for whatever reason, effort goes to Dala says, hey man, I can't sprint, and Dyla says that's not how players on this team act.
You're out of here.
I tend to believe that's not the case everything we know about Efform Morales. But again, if we wanted to play like conspiracy theorists and and kind of look at it from different angles and timelines and stuff like that, I think that is at least on the table.
But I do find it interesting.
You're right the me high timeline could create a numbers game situation.
I tend to believe that based.
On pulling Efford Morales at halftime of a game in which you had a one nothing lead, a game in which he looked fine and was playing well, and then don't commit to him being injured but some other physical issue that we really haven't still been described to. I think they found out during the game Saturday that that they were going to transfer him, and you can't risk injury in the second half ahead of a transfer, and
that's what happened. And unfortunately, you're in a situation, and this goes back to the first discussion we had this morning.
You're in a.
Situation with this season where transfer, in the business side of things, probably comes ahead of winning games. Right now, you're just not going to win enough to get into the playoff RaSE, and so you to some extent sacrifice the second half by pulling Ephim Morales out of this game because there was a deal on the table, and that's just where the situation is, unfortunately, is that some of these decisions have to be made and possibly to the detriment of trying to pick.
Up points well.
But at the same time, I would also pose it that you know, what happened in the first seventeen seconds is something also that needs to be discussed behind closed doors with players, whether it's communication or what have you, because it was a situation that was taken advantage of by the folks that were in town. It was, you know, Charlotte seeing that there is some confusion or discussion or however you want it phrase, then they take advantage of
it and score to make it one. And in a way, it's just one of those things that you add to what's been going on this season that you have moments like this and you're hoping that the players can It's not something that you would ever anticipate, but you're also hoping that it's something that gets discussed behind closed doors
about Okay, this had. You know, this kind of thing can't happen, but it all it seems like in you know, various windows that yeah, sure something like this would happen in a season like this.
Well, you know it's interesting too.
I was sitting in the press box next to Maddie on Saturday night and I mentioned, boy, it's it's not really like it Lanny United to be the second team out. Usually we see the Roague team and we have our complaints about timelines and why they aren't out there. This time it wasn't Lanny United who who was very late getting out And it's one of those things where you sit back and look and try and dissect what happened, and you just wonder, how could you not be ready
to come out of the second half. And I don't know whether it's a conversation, it's in the locker um or whatever. They just weren't ready out of the second half. And you're right, Charlotte took advantage of it. They had two really nice passes to string it in there. But you've got to come out ready like there's no transition period, especially when they're the team that has the kickoff. You've got to come out more ready than that, and it's just it's a complete drop of focus for twenty seconds
that could have essentially cost you that match. That just can't it can't happen. There's just no place for it. He professional athlete. Yeah, it's it's not an option.
Yeah.
Hey Gordon nineteen nine the game with his Monday visit here on SDHAM. How busy do you anticipate the transfer window being, considering it'll going to start between this time and the next time that you're going to be with us here on the morning show, how busy do you anticipate it being.
I think it's going to be as busy as they can possibly make it. I think the question is how many players can you move away from? How many of these guys are getting interest elsewhere? Because you can't just bring in, bring in, bring in. At some point you also have to move out, move out, and so we've seen a little bit of that.
But I just don't know how.
Many pieces of interest other teams have, and so I think that's the bigger challenge. I don't think the challenge is bringing guys in. They'll be able to bring guys in. I think the challenge is creating either the money or the roster spots to allow guys to come in, and so that's what I'm fascinated by. I think they have a number of guys that they probably don't want to move, but those are the guys, the pieces that teams would
be interested in. And so I think it's gonna be incredibly busy both you know, two Way Street moving in and coming on.
Out, and you've got Seattle coming to town. That's your last matchup before League's Cup, where you've got matchups on July thirty and August two and August six, and two of those three obviously at Mercedes Benz stadiums. So if you are looking to have a runway to bring in the new players, obviously me Hi probably is going to get pressed into service, probably sooner than a lot of folks would have anticipated. With the Morales deal on the table. Then you end up with what we're talking about here
in this window. Okay, so me Hi becomes official everyan Morales looking like it's going to be official outbound, and so your numbers are the same at the back, and then you end up with the transfer window opening up, the one match with Seattle two days in, but you have League's Cup as that runway to kind of sit there and say, okay, we can focus on transactions and try to make a run in League's Cup and those
kinds of things. So it gives you another outlet to try and get things done here with players ins, possible players out, and something else to chase after in a season.
Yeah.
The other thing here with Leagues Cup coming up, and I talked with Brad Guzan about this is almost in my opinion, takes more significance and more importance than the rest of the MLS season. Right A League's Cup is still an opportunity with a blank slate. Everyone's got the same record that you're starting out on level terms, and you can still make a statement and potentially win a trophy.
You're not doing that in the MLS season. So you know, in recent years, when it's been a US Open Cup or it's been a League's Cup, you might see a mixture of your A lineup with a couple of B lineup guys in there and maybe some youth and a chance to give some of your regulars arrest here and there. Like, if you're gonna do that, I prefer you to do that during the MLS season and run a full out
lineup in Leagues Cup. I mean, you're if you're gonna put anything together and make a run, League's Cup has to be where it happens. It's just not gonna happen in the MLS. So I'm fascinated to see what the approach is gonna be. But yeah, you could see a lot of moving parts depending on who's in, who's out, and what the transfer and it looks like it could
get messy. But I mean, John, it's been messy all season. Like, I'm not gonna sit here and say, this is not a team that's like risking losing its identity because you move players in and out right, like you don't have an identity. Ronnie Tylers spoke about that as recently as a week ago, and so, like, my concern is not that you're breaking up some sort of thing that's working.
We see some.
Teams in the MLS move a piece or do something. You're like, boys, that's puzzling. This is a team that's second in the East or second in the West. Why are they making this move with a significant name. Now, there aren't those concerns with Atlanta United, like, like whoever it is you move or whoever it is you bring in, it's not gonna be, at least for me, a situation where I'm like, boy, that's so confusing because things have been going so well.
Like that's not the discussion.
So I'm fascinated to see what changes are made and kind of you're probably not gonna bring on maybe positionally like for like, but mentality, playing style. There might be a couple of things where a new center back or a new midfielder is a completely different style than something we have right now. So I look forward to seeing what some of those adjustments might be.
How much of those adjustments would you anticipate with the younger players that we've seen with Atlanty United two getting cups of coffee, whether it's Noah Cob, Matt Edwards, Will Riley, Luke Brennan getting a start on the weekend, how much integration from the younger players that are already here you anticipate.
Yeah, I mean when I look at that group, the untouchable for me right now is Matt Edwards. I just think he's too good, too valuable, and quite frankly, can play too many different positions and so I think, I mean, unless you're moving him to Europe. You know that's a
whole different discussion. But I mean, if you're telling me someone comes and grabs Brennan or Cobb, and Cobb seems not falling out of favor, but he was kind of passed over there by Ephie Morales, and you would assume me, Hi is gonna stay above him, and as guys get healthier.
Derek Williams return this week.
And he was with the twos, and so you know, who knows what's going on with him in his future at this point, I mean, right now, the only guy wouldn't move unless he's going to Europe would be Matt Edwards. I think everyone else moved in North America or in South America is on the table.
So then how many of you would how many of them would in the flip side of that, would you anticipate staying and be inserted in a starting lineup going forward outside of League's Cup or wherever you would want to put them. How many of these folks are you sitting there saying, Okay, I want to get you some run in starting elevens for Atlanta United to get you acclimated to the future. And you know, at the end of this season and next.
Yeah, I think Riley is in that discussion for sure. I think if you do keep Cobb, there should be a point in this MLS season where it's gone and you start to run him back out there as well.
Luke is interesting. I liked what I saw from him Saturday night.
Ultimately, you know, there was a little bit of criticism for Ronnie Diler, but certainly I'd be okay with him. But you know, if you're gonna pay Saba and you're gonna pay some of these other guys, are we really gonna start Luke Brennan over him week by week? And so that's something that has to be discussed between the executive branch of the ownership group and the coach right and figure out, you know, just playing time and experience outweigh the cost of whoever the players are.
And so.
Yeah, if they're here, I think Matt Edwards has to be starting every week. I'd like to see Will Riley in there a little bit more. Same with Luke Brennan, especially again because in my opinion, the MLS game is the result at this point doesn't much matter. It's more about building something Towards twenty twenty.
Six, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches of Atlanta United. Is what you're staring at over the next little bit, because well, and to your point about starting then you're once again we're talking those two lanes of traffic that we were getting into where you can navigate Leaks Cup and chase after something and get them run in an MLS season where you're trying to just better your position as you go and see, you know who's gonna be ready for twenty six and who you jettison
for twenty six and so no, it is. It is interesting stuff all the way across the board. All right, hit the promo forming what's going on.
Yeah, we got full coverage for you over the course of this week and look forward to getting back after it at home final of a three game homestand a tough one as you mentioned against Seattle, and then we got Leaks Cup right on the precipice there, so I'm looking.
Forward to that. And yeah, the window is coming.
And so as as soon as something gets confirmed, I know, you guys see the rumors and just kind of run with it. We have a slightly different process to vetting and discussing on air at ninety to ninety game. Stuff that happens, but once we get stuff confirmed, we're gonna run with it. And so looking forward to seeing the names both unfortunately the ones going out but the ones coming into.
Has always been friend great to see you on Mondays. Be safe and obviously if things bust out late in the week, you know that you can probably come in and crash and you know how to get in the door.
Anyway, we'll see Saturday night, if not before then,