You're really rocket and rolling this morning. You're all business. You don't have the lid on or nothing.
That's right, there's red world business today. We even got a new cup here with the Wazoo logo and.
Whoa what is it?
Credit to my my son for his efforts and commitment to the university. So new cup here as well.
So so so wait, we we had it. We had a commitment, so we had a declaration of going through the transfer portal and we have a the son of Niko Moreno going to the police. Is is that what we have going on here?
That is right? That's right. He's committed to the uh Murrow communication program down there at Wazoo. Uh so you know he definitely hid the transfer portal and uh first year in college. But yes, he definitely has committed to Wazoo. So we're very excited for him. And therefore, you know, chose a board that I got a nice little cup with the cougar on it.
Absolutely the way that it should be. All right, So we started our conversation this morning talking about Messi and friends and talking about Vancouver and how you know, for those of you that have been faithful to Vancouver through the juice boxes. Through this entire tournament, you have really
made a killing. And for those of us who are looking at Messi and Friends and going bruh, what did you think about what happened last night with Vancouver basically grabbing Messi and Friends and we played we played the play by play call of in the sixtieth minute when Pedro Vite basically sent Jordi Alba into the nether world with the with the gate that he gave him there. What'd you think about Vancouver advancing? Eh?
Hey, I thought I was a thing of beauty, and not just because it was economically great for me, but just the fact that, look, we talked about this here. I talked about it on Monday morning a loving courtuers.
I thought that a lot of people have been really I don't know, timid about giving Vancouver their credit and realizing that when you are a team that in MLS is dominating, that they have the best goal differential, that they are tied for most goals at winning goals this season with Portland, that they have a unit the worst collectively as well as they do. Would look a jasper source that has a new fan right here, because it wasn't just about getting the guys ready physically, tactically, but
also mentally. And I saw a team that had believed that even after going down a goal early in the eighth minute, they had composure. They knew what the game plan was. I thought it was interested in the conference, for instance, said, look, I enjoyed and I think we did a better job at executing our game plan today that we did in Vancouver. He said, we were too rushed in this one. We held the ball even though
we went down a goal. We knew what the game plan was, and man, that's all credit to the coach. I thought he did a fantastic job at eliminating busquetes, eliminating the half spaces for messy Lou Roman. I thought that he understood exactly what that two lead meant coming into this game, and he took advantage of it. Miami had twelve good minutes and after that it was mainly Vancouver for the rest of the game. I mean, in the majority, in an average, they were more effective with
the ball. I thought that, you know, this game could have been even broader than the three one. It could have been four or five to one. I thought Brian White was stellar and it wasn't just the goal. It's his position in his runs, the way he sets up Sabbi for a potential goal in the first half that doesn't happen because sab just wasn't able to put it in the back of the net. Pedro Vite I've been praising this guy, talking about he should be in the
VP conversation, and he showed up again. It's the way he handles the ball, is his commitment defensively. Cuba's commitment defensively is bur Halter. Which was probably the only bad thing out of this game is that because of the yellow he won't be available for the final in this competition.
But I thought burt Halter was very good. I just see a team that with their identity and with their ability to believe in themselves and using the chip on the shoulder of nobody believed in us, they're going long waist man. So all I got to say is that the coach is pushing all the right buttons, moving all the right levers and with the team that is this unified. This cemented Sky's the limit. I said that on Monday, I'll say it today.
And this is a team in Vancouver, and I went through the schedule where you played three, you played seven, you're playing eight and yeah that's February, March, and April, and you're gonna be doing the same thing in May where Yes, for Sorenson isn't resting, folks, literally, it is trotting out the same eleven. You're going with rhythm. I guess you're making sure that your physios they're right there
and that they're taking care of business. And anybody's got a niggle or a nock, you're like, you take care of it immediately, so they're back out there. This is a team that trots out the same dudes, regardless of competition, regardless of how many days off. And he's just rolling with it. And right now he's coming up with sevens and eleven's at the craps table. Man.
Well, I'll push back a little one that just because he did rotate completely for Minnesota, he brought in the big guns there in the second half. He really did, because Vite comes in in the second half, he has a brace, should have had Hatcher to be quit Frank against Minnesota, but he know he tattled compos Bryan White. You know he's Sadberhalter. Obviously they came in as well late in the second half. But all in all, I just think that this team being able to do what
they're doing is unprecedented. Right, they are the best team in MLS in the regular season and they are in the final of the concac CAF Champions Cup. It's never happened the Sounders have been in this position. Were I think almost last. I think they were third to last when they were in the final. Vancouver know the impact were there in the final Legics Club America. They were the worst team in MLS. I mean, we've seen it time and time again, and they're doing something completely unpresident
and I think he goes back to the coaching. He goes as well, we got a credit certainty for what he built in terms of those foundations and a guy in Jasper Sorensen that hazard guys believe in and completely flying. I mean, these guys understand the task, they get it tother.
I thought it was cool. And again he goes back to the mentality of the coach that he was asked about, you know, playing against Alba and Messi and how that can getting players has had and he just humanized the entire thing and he was like, look, my own son has posters of Messi, right, But it's about getting these guys playing to our strengths. We knew that we had more capability to run. We knew that we could affect certain points of the game, and he could focus on that, right,
and then everything else just falls together. Man, I am a fan, Vancouver To me will win CONKAFT Champions Cup. To me, they will be either Kuzusoul or Tigers. I do not care. They have the tools, they have the personality, the character, the ability, the tools. Man, I'm just I'm all in. When it comes to the girl White opps.
It's that like Winston Zenemar from Ghostbusters. There for a second, we got the tools, we got the talent, I mean literally, and then you look at uh Messi and friends. Over the last four days, the book is out. I mean, you go up three to one against Dallas and then you get the one moment where the ball is shot, goes off of falcone, it takes a weird spin, gets
past calendar, and that gets everything rolling. Dallas comes back to beat you four to three, and then you had a one Nilli last night and everybody's thinking, oh okay, here they come here they come and Vancouver took care of business. So two times in a week, Messi and Friends have been found out and the tape is out about how to get after him. I mean, I said an hour number one, I said, I know what the
solution is gonna be. They're just gonna throw more money at the problem and they're gonna bring in you know, they're gonna bring into Bruno with Garber Bucks and take a and figure out a deal later since they've got DIBs on him. When you see Messi and Friends, now what do you see?
I see a team that is a year older, and there's just something that we had commented on and we thought that it was going to be an issue right off the bad Luis Suarez looks as old as he is and as the old as those knees are. Not having that creative finisher, kind of deadly striker. It's a huge issue for this team. You saw it against Dallas. Defensively though, I think that's their biggest problem. You cannot
emergency defense every single game and expect results. And I think that's what's been happening with Matrano is that he was able to get so many results despite playing poorly that he kind of got overconfidence in a false sense of security is the worst thing that could happen to a team and they got found out. Like you said, it's simply about Look, I hate to say it, but Cello we got is a good attacking fullback, not good
both ways. He cannot defend Jordi Albo. He's an older type of fullback, so he is not going to have the tracking methods against Dallas I and Fraig. Great guy going forward, not so defensively. Martinez more of a center back than a fullback. I thought that his instincts and positioning was off. So it's all about defensively, not being able to do what you have to do and feeling like because you have Messi and you have Leo and you got busquets, they're just going to magically individually change
the game for you. And when you don't have a design system, that's when you start to struggle as a team.
Yeah, basically it's like, oh, we're going to give up four of but all score five. You get that kind of mentality exactly, go ahead and do that, all right? I want to turn to Seattle. What's this about Jordan Morrison? Another MRI.
Yeah, that was interesting, and to me, it's never good. But long story short. On Tuesday, Brian Smetter said that after the MRIs were taken, they didn't like him. They were blurry, they were not consistent, they weren't able to see what was going on, so he had to get a new set of MRIs done. Bryan Spster mentioned that we're going to send those MRIs to England as a specialist to just take a look. So all we know
is that he won't be available this weekend. If I have to go off of my spidy senses, I'm gonna say that Jordan Morris is out at least three weeks at the very least. He's had some issues. He's had some tightness. The way he just sat after you know, he makes this huge run there at the end of
that game against Colorado was just a bad look. And regardless of whether he is maybe it's not a severe injury, you got to treat it like a severe injury because the last thing you want is a reoccurring, reaggravated injury for the rest of the season. So get him right, put him on ice, put him on the freezer. I don't care. Just get him to the best of his abilities. While you have a guy like Massovski that all of a sudden has turned into Luis Sarre of MLS and
just three goals consecutive times. He's confident, he's committed. Maybe he's the fact that he just got engaged by the dude's just feeling himself. And he talked to us a couple of days ago and he mentioned that, look, he's been working hard, he's getting more used to the team. Him and Kloney have built a really good report. So klan is the one that puts that both the one one both for the one zero lead in Colorado, And if that's what's going on right now, maybe you just
let that ride. In the meantime you figure out what's going to be playing to beat osased Rosario is a Takoma Defiance player that has turned every head possible at the next MLS pro level into Koma Defiance. He is the golf courp. I think he has nine goals in five games or something of that capability or of that sense. He's just killing it right. He was at practice yesterually he looked very good, scored a couple of goals, pressing was good. So I think that you will see him
this weekend, as you know, a temporary player. I don't think he's the solution moving forward, but for right now seat, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to play without Jordan Morris while he gets completely better.
And you look at the younger players that are active, whether they're coming up through defiance. Because you mentioned Coosa Rienzi, you know we've been looking at Paul Rothrock for the last couple of seasons, and now you bring in a player like Musoski and you give him a chance to show what the promise has been in other places. It's like, okay, so we've seen him down in LA. We know what Mussoski can do. When you look at the younger players,
who who is are they? Are they integrating at the right speed right now with what Brian Schmitzer wants him to do through match week ten. With the younger guys, are they are they where you would anticipate they would be when it comes to learning the system and being a part of things.
I think that they're behind it. I honestly team that Akr as they call him, Koloni Kosa Rians. I think he's pushing Alex for a starting spot, and I'm glad you brought it up because we asked Brian about this. If we talked to Alex, Alex, although he sattled the right things, I see something different in his face. He's got to be annoyed at the fact that he got injured and now he's got to figure out if he's going to get his position back. Because Klane has been
lights out. He understands the game. He's got a couple of assists, and physically he's so dominant. I mean, the dude looks like he benches through fifty. I mean, he's written, and he has an engine, and he's hungry, and he gets up and down dad flank like no one's business. So he's been great. Paul Rothrock has up his game. He's elevated what used to be just vibes and effort and runs. Now he is polished a little more. He has been able to find what he needs to do better.
When he pinches inside looking for that next pass, not rushing just going end line and just putting across through. He's cutting inside, he's looking for the he's looking to where he's going to be able to link up and maybe commit, maybe push back a little. I mean, he has found the game, in my opinion, to be a lot easier. Even he said it a little bit. He talked about some of the improvements he's had on that
part of the field. A guy like Ovid Bargains. We talked to him as well, because at nineteen years old, he just hit his one hundredth professional game, right his appearance. That a huge momentum in milestone for a kid of his age, and he's another player that have been consistently good and it's way beyond where he should be for his age, for the way he came up through Tacoma
Defiance and the academy and everything. So when he comes to the young guys, that's where Seattle, I think, is getting most buck for their money, or most pushed for their money, because they're able to have a sustainable system that is bringing all these kids that are providing you debt and now not just dept but they're providing you playmakers and starters and starters that are pushing other starters to realize that, hey, man, if you're not out here,
if you're not put in one hundred and ten percent, you're going to see us open event.
All right, and so since we are on our role talking about Seattle. Seattle is one of the three late games on Saturday, all Caps come to town otherwise known as Saint Louis City SC. You're a minus one ninety two. Ninety minute draws a plus three thirteen, and Saint Louis on the road is a plus five point fifteen. What do you think?
I love that draw. Love that draw. I'll tell you that look Saint Louising the team that's hard to be hard to break down, not necessarily in display against LAFC because they had a couple of a lot of bad moments. Actually in that game, LAFC should have won that one, to be honest, and they were unable to do so. But this is a team that likes to play deep, deep blocked. They're gonna overpopulate the prime assistant zones for the opposition. They're not going to allow you to get
to those positions. They are the I believe, second team with the least amount of possessions, so they're gonna concede completely the ball to Seattle and allow them to move it horizontally but not vertically. So how do you break that down? I think that Seattle is gonna have to
take a lot of mid range shots. I think that they're gonna have to be really quick in their triangles and when they get to the flanks, maybe internalizing a little bit of those moments and not just putting crosses into the eighteen, because that's where Saint Lewis I think is gonna benefit from. However, however, got to make sure
that you're careful with when they're occasionally pressed. They don't do it often, but Seattle, if anything that was evident against Colorado is that without Jackson Reagan, there's some real issues coming out of the back. K We talked about how good he's done, but he is a player there. I don't want to call him limited, that's unfair, but he's a different, old school type of center back, so
he wasn't coming out easy. Yammergaz Anderda had probably the worst game of his I don't want to say his career with MLS in MLS with the Sounders, but let's just call it the worst game he's had this season. I thought new wasn't particularly great coming out of the back, so you have some issues. Make sure that you don't allow it and Lewis to get an easy goal and then they're just going to park the bus. They might park a semi back there and not let you through.
So Seattle's gonna be mindful of. We got to control the tempo of the game. We gotta control possession, but we got to be effective when we do get those chances and not allow Saint Louis to get even a goal or even get any confidence in this one.
Because however, I do like the drum. I do like the drum plus three thirteen because yes, I would imagine if if all Caps up with the early lead, they're gonna go and find those Princess Cruise liners that are out there im Puget Sound doing the Alaska tours, and it'll be like, yo, fam, we need you over here, and they just sit there and be like, you know, be like the Love Book camping out all right, our buddy Nico Moreno, as we always do, we play Cliffhanger
like the old Price Is Right Matt Price Is Right game where I roll through a lot of the games and if Niko wants to say something about him, then he says something about him, and then we keep going. I'm gonna save Atlanta National to the end. Four thirty, so translates into four forty. Toronto hosting the revs. You probably could do a lot better with your time looking at something in another country or another matchup. Entirely, Toronto is favored at a plus one twenty five. Also, you
have four early starts. C F Montreal at home at Stad Saputo, traditionally a tough place to play. That's a dollar in the jar. C F Montreal plus fifty eight hosting Philadelphia Union. I like the draw in that one, just because Union is a far better team. But you're going to Stott Suputo, Columbus and Charlotte. Columbus at home is a minus one fifty two draws a plus two
ninety two. Charlotte is a plus three ninety six. And all we heard out of Charlotte this week was wolf Zaha on Snapchat basically saying get off my back and head coach Dean Smith sitting there and yelling at the officials in Major League Soccer. Well, Dean Smith and Wilf Saha, welcome to the pressures that are associated with being a club that has high expectations in Major League Soccer. What do you think about this one?
I don't like one I don't like Dad one little bit by the way. I feel like a guy with the trajectory of Saha should know how to deal better with this sort of situation. He's got a lot of pressure. They tired of his career. Why is he over there, you know, going back and forth with a fan in the middle of a game, like, just center yourself, do your thing, and stop talking about yourself. Third person saha, this, Saha that. Come on, man, let's get it together. Let's
play some soccer. I don't like this at all. I feel like kid is a unnecessary interruption and something that the team doesn't need lingering above it. I like Columbus in this one. Don't like the numbers and entirely, but I do want to look at the goal compass because I do feel like this might be a battle there that might go three to two for Columbus.
Okay, so we go to the totals, and we started four and a half. Four and a half is a plus three seventy five and a half is a plus seven seventy five. So if you're thinking shootout, probably that four and a half number, the plus three seventy would be where you might want to go.
Give me Columbus in the four and a half. We did really well with the with the goals last week, I got to tell you that it was a good one. That Portland game really set me up nicely. So yes, let me get the goals and let me get Columbus. Yeah.
I was going back and forth. I'll break the fourth wall here. I was going back and forth with Nico when we when the game went crazy in the second half, and I'm like, man, you just need one more and you got your total five minutes later. It happened there.
It is so like there.
It is uh DC in Colorado at seven thirty seven forty, I think you can do better at a minus one oh two. Messi and Friends and Red Bulls at the Erector Set in South Florida. Messi and Friends are remind us one fifty nine coming out of Champions Cup draws, a plus three eleven Red Bulls almost a plus four hundred.
Look, I would love to stay when it rains it pours, but that four hundred just turned me off completely. I would say that the draw there would be another good bet. I don't feel like Inner Miami is gonna do much of a exposing their best players after you know, they just got eliminated. But obviously that the where in tear off everything they just did in CCC. I'll say that they'll probably play it safe, rotate completely. Probably we'll see a line up closer to what you said against Dallas.
But New York Rebels is another top of dog. They're not gonna let you in the game. They're gonna limit what you do. They're gonna take advantage of the players that right now are not playing so great for in Miami, like Agenda. So I just like, there's gonna be a good draft for you.
Well, and you're looking at the totals, looking at the goals, plus one and a half is a five to twenty is a minus five twenty two, So two and a half is a minus one fifty five. Three and a half is where it turned. Well, basically it turns at three, but three and a half over at three and a half is a plus one fifty six. So they don't think there's gonna be a lot of goals either.
Nope.
All right, so we will continue rolling on through all of the eight thirties. You got Austin and Minnesota United. Austin's favorite of the plus one forty nine. Chicago and Orlando basically the same thing. Literally, Chicago favored at home at a plus one forty seven San Diego and FC Dallas. San Diego is a minus one thirty nine, draws a plus two eighty two Dallas on the road to plus three fifty five, Vancouver hosting RSL minus one fifty nine
at home. RSL is a plus two ninety and RSL is a plus four twenty six.
Well that's an interesting one because look, uh that was another one that we hit on last week was Rsel. I see an RSCELL team that is starting to figure things out. Diggle Luna is playing like his hymn. That is his team. He has, without a doubt put this team on his shoulders. I love the fact that he's chirpid, He's just being Diego Luna. I feel like even Diego and the rest of this team is starting to really play at his movement. So in this one thing is
a Vancouver team that they have. They have to shut down the engines at some point, they have to shut up they just so they don't overheed. There's boat. So I'm gonna go with Ursel on this one. I like the numbers. I like them set up. Give me, give me o ourself.
Okay, Lake Games. LAFC favored big against Houston at home. San Jose is favored on the plus side at one o four, hosting Portland at a plus two thirty seven h Seattle. We talked about that. One Sunday, NYC hosting FC Cincinnati. They're favored at the U twelve pitch. I guess it's at Yankee Stadium. I don't know if it's at Yankee or City, but either way, it's a U twelve pitch and they're at a plus one twenty two f C Cincinnati is a dog at a plus two
oh nine going into wherever playpen they're going into. And the late game SNS is sporting Kansas City at a plus one hundred, hosting LA G lags at a plus two forty nine. And so of course that leads us to Atlanta and Nashville. Atlanta favored at a plus one twelve, draws a plus two fifty, and Nashville is a plus two thirty four.
Oh man, I do not want to talk about Atlanta today. You know, the way that they just had a dut against Orlando. Not a shot. This is a team that had no character, showed no response. This was an Orlando team that had not scored a goal in two hundred and thirty plus minutes, and you allowed him to score three on you. All easy, simple wolves that you know, not a lot of pressure or somewhat some pressure. You just boost that ball out. Marco gets it on top
of the eighteen. Nobody immediately pressure same, He's able to just look up, drink some coffee, tweet hats like I'm going to score, and he just puts it in the back of the net. It just was not a good look for Atlanta. So in this one against a BJ callaen had teim that is coming from a ridiculous score line. That thing got way way at a hand. I do feel like the way they handle the ball, the way that they control momentum is going to be complicated for
Atlanta and just to get him off they're funk. Maybe if I choose Nashville, I'm gonna jinx it and they will win. So I'm gonna go with Nashville. I think this will be a high score line. So what is the compass on goals telling you? I only said that the surge is feeling himself. I feel like they're playing very direct and with the issues that Atlanta has had at simply handling balls over the top and coming out of the back, I just want to see the goal in there.
Two and a half is a minus one sixty two. It turns it three three and a half is plus one forty five.
Three and a half seems like a decent bet if you want to just add it on. But I'll take Nashville. I'll take that three and a half. But man, Atlanta's got to figure it out, and I am concerned. It is the team that I thought was going to be fighting for the Shield and right now worst start in their history. Worse than that, they just seem to have no answers running Dialer's got to be he seems gotta be on fire. And I hate to take because he
just got there. But you cannot allow your team to look this unresponsive for this amount of time and not feel like your job isn't on the line.
Yeah, So we'll see what happens with Atlanta Nashville. What's going on with the Pulso Sports and Sound at Heart.
Of course, as always this week, we're gonna have some things going on today, So check YouTube for the Post Sports because his sus Ferrera has not been practicing with the team. I don't know if it's more of they're just limiting him or if there's an injury there. With the ready to Jordan Morris. Jordan Morris news, this is not great. So we're gonna go into Providence in Swedish PCC and we're gonna figure out what's going on. Bryan,
as much as should talk today about two things. The images that came off, you know, blurry and now they have new evidence on what's going on with Jordan Morris and then what's going on with Hissus Ferra and hopefully is not something worse. So wait for that information. YouTube POOSL sports like Share help us out join the family. Fridays, of course, as always, we're going to do with Jeremiah Shannon ies what we learned this week, lots to talk about.
Of course, we probably have Brad Evans if he can make some time for us, former MLS captain of course for the Seattle Sounders, a great guy still working with the organization. That should be fun, so go ahead and
check that out. And of course on Monday, as always, kickoff Love his Courchers where we just set it up and hopefully we get to talk about what happened over the weekend as well as who is going to eventually be facing Vancouver in the final, because we have been talking about CCC on Love's Quarters, so go ahead and check that out.
As always, my friend, great to see you on Thursday to get the breakdown of everything going on in Major League Soccer from there on the Left Coast. Congratulations and may all the traffic to the police be as safe as humanly possible. Paulman and back. As always, my friend, great to see you, Love you very much, catch up with you next week.
You a man, John