We had a bit of a late night, sir. That's what we've been discussing in hour number one.
Yeah, yeah, I was on the desk. I know.
Atlanta United has gone from the ten chance to getting into the playoffs getting some help.
So I guess let's go.
Let's go all the way back to Decision Day, since it's been a while since we've had the chance to catch up with you. Overall thoughts on Decision Day in general, the West saved its chaos till the bitter.
End, and I mean like the end of the end, and.
It was well done by our friends at MLS three sixty and Apple TV and how that was handled, the beauty of multiple screens, and then the chaos in the Eastern Conference.
So if you would.
Please, sir, your observations on the chaos in general getting out of the regular season.
Yeah, I mean yeah. The short of it is, this decision Jay doesn't disappoint right. The cool thing about it was, I feel like after like the biggest drama was in the East, right, because you had four teams fighting for
two spots, various you know, possibilities. Atlanta needed like seventeen things that happened right for them and then when that finishes and now you go, you know, you have a slight break, right man, I think it's gonna be thirty minutes and you go into the next the Western Conference games. Like for the longest while, we just felt like, yeah, this is kind of underwhelming, like you know, it's ho hum here, right, and then yeah, it kicks in the gear.
And it's funny too because if you remember God all these decisions. But I feel like it wasn't it last year when or was it two years ago? There was a decision I think it went against LA where Salt Lake what the hell was it? Salt Lake had a like a like a it didn't go to VR or or the VR went like some crazy decision that got missed or something resulted in I think LA getting bounced out of the out of the playoffs, and.
A lot of Vanny got really mad about it. Yeah I remember that, so uh so.
Yeah, flash forward and now, like you said, right, like you know, the funny thing is when you have simultaneous kickoffs, you get it right because there's no advantage, but you really hope that somewhere there's like more stoppage time than the rest because you get situations like we had where
you know, fans watching on phones. I mean, first of all, did they not have Apple TV at at the Bank of Stadium, right, Like they couldn't just pop that on and have it on the main The thought goreboard right instead of having all the fans to watch on their phones. But uh, yeah, how cool is that?
Right?
Like just the the pendulum swings that we had at the at the very death, literally right of of of the regular season. That was that was trip. That was terrific.
And you end up with the Uh, let's let's start with the Eastern Conference and work our way in the timeline. You had uh, you had Philly collapse, you had DC collapse, her have a collapse or collapse.
Yeah, and then and then and then they then they had to be the ones watching the whole drama unfold with uh, with Atlanta and Montreal.
And and you had Troy la scene and the team after they realized they did not make the postseason have their meeting and I'm guessing in the the the meeting on the pitch it was like, okay, we didn't make it.
Whatever else that was said was said. And then they go over and talk to the Ultras behind the net, and I guess took the slings and arrows and tried to applaud the Ultras for being there and everything, and the the Ultras for DC United were less than pleased in the in the players stood and took it, you know, And it was a rather one sided conversation. I'm fairly sure while you had Troy Lacine and DC United plotting, who was there still?
But also, if you're the Ultras, if you're any fan base, right like, how does your team lay an egg of that proportion, right like on the final day of the season, and you didn't even need right they needed a point, didn't they? They didn't even need three. And then it's not like they lost one nil on a dodgy pk mm hmm, like they got thoroughly outplayed three nil. That's a bad look.
Not that close. It was. It was an it was an ugly showing.
And and then you mentioned the and this was the other thing that concerned me is that the second half didn't have unified starts because you had I mean, you had the first half start at six ' ten. Everybody else started there. Second half didn't have unified start times because I think Atlanta was one of the last ones to start in the second half because of the amount of minutes that had been carried over in the first forty five.
So traditionally, what you and I are used.
To seeing in the decision day over in Britain with the brim is that you have second half starts, even first half starts, even everybody's waiting around trying to figure it out.
But you didn't have that in Major League Soccer.
So even with the advantage of time and you starting ahead of time, you had to wait that much longer to come up with a decision, and so you still ended up with folks sitting there going and pulling what's left of their hair out.
And you know, listen for me, I'm and we've had this conversation just because of the nature of my job. I'm literally always every match night for thirty eight match nights on MLS three sixty. That's a good day to be on it, even if you're just a casual fan, right like, because of the whip around and because of the chaotic nature of a chaotic league, especially on his final day of the regular season.
And that happened in the Western Conference because you had going in the idea of Lag and LA f C chasing after it, and then it took a late equalizer for Lag to be back on top. Then it was a late goal. Then it was the chaos that was attached to all of that, where you're thinking, okay, it's Lags and then it turns into la f C's and.
Daniel steris yes, like if you're if you're, if you if you've got a board up right, and like who's scoring the late winner or the late decisive goal here for Houston? Uh huh, Daniel Stairs isn't going to be your guy?
No, no, no.
Right and against his former team.
Yes, And the Marlin goal proved out to be a goal difference difference maker because if everything was locked down with the number of points, then the Marlin goal ends up being the goal that gets them that particular category
if it had come down to it. So you had chaos upon chaos if you stayed up until what I Meanwhile, traditionally twelve thirty or so, but now this time around, it was only like eleven thirty watching everything going on in the western half of the planet, So it wasn't it wasn't as bad of a late night, but it was still a late night.
It's always a late night, yes, and that's absolutely true.
So when it comes to the postseason, well, I guess this is almost senior superlatives time. But what team worries you the most? Who do you not want to face in the East right now? And who in the Eastern Conference do you think is the team that can be bumped off the easiest? Which which one concerns you for being a seated team that could get bumped out early? And what team do you not want to face right now?
All right? So bumped off first? Right?
Yeah, how you can take it?
How have you wish Cincinnati? They've they've limped, I mean literally down down the stretch with all of their injuries. They never looked to be the same team that they've been. And they face now a dangerous ny CFC team. Right, that's that on their best day, you know, all right there with the best in in in the league. So seeded teams, Yeah, I would say that's a team right like that, at least in the East, I think has
the best chance to get knocked off. We can, we can go conference to conference and then in the West, uh yeah, Columbus, Like it's like it's Columbus, like I, it's funny, Like I I still feel like I'm one of these I don't know, like not non believer, I guess, And I don't know. Am I a non believer in in Miami? It's hard to be at this, I don't.
I mean, because I think.
Head to head the crew are better.
Yes, I would agree.
Right, So, like, I think that's gonna be an unbelievable Eastern.
Conference final if it gets to them.
Unless Atlanta just blows the whole thing up. Well, I mean possibility.
Yeah.
We mentioned that Atlanta United is the only team that has four points off of Messian Friends this year.
They have not lost.
Yeah yeah, so uh uh, Miami for Lauderdale has issues. Messi and Friends have issues at the back. They do it is it is a point of it is a point of parliamentary procedure.
They have issues at the back.
And I mean that back line, not Drake Calendar, even though Calendar has been a little up and uppy, uppy downy here in the last say a couple of weeks of the regular season. But that back line I think can be had. And if you have speed to get around the midfield and can not let Miami. It's like if you if you don't look at the back of the jersey and sit there and are intimidated all you know,
holy ish, There's there's a guy named Messi. Holy Ish, there's a seven foot two inch guy named Sergei Busquetz. You know, holy ish, there's Jordi Albo. You know, holy ish, there's Luis Suarez. They didn't get bogged down in that at Mercedes Been Stadium and they handcuffed you know Messi and I mean they can be had. They can be had. I think it can be had before a possible matchup with Columbus.
I'm just saying, yeah.
Even Orlando, right, if they thinking you on their trajectory.
They could pip. Yes, they can't. Western Conference.
Who of the seeded bunch you know, of the higher seeds are you concerned about the most?
And then who do you not want to face right now? Oh? Thinking capiss On.
Yeah. The seed that I'm concerned about the most I want, Like in my heart, I want to say Galaxy. Yeah, because of their defensive deficiencies.
Mm hmm. What about RSL, Yeah.
They're the four? Are they four? Right?
They? I think there's I think the three six I want to say.
Yeah, so I'll flip to that because they have not been the same team since Gomez left. Now, you know, Luna looked really good, but it's still about chi Cho, right, and chi Cho hasn't been chi Cho for for a while now, ye, so for sure, Yeah that's a concern. Uh. You know, I I really really would like to see an l traffic O Western Conference Final, especially because of
what that meant on decision day. You know, the Galaxy undefeated in Carson this year, but obviously l a FC has the home field now, so I still I'm not like if you if you asked about like a wild card, Like I think Portland is this crazy wildcard in this whole situation because they could score like seventeen goals in
a game that they might give up fourteen. True, but I mean there's so much fun to watch, so on the on the given day, they can they can mess ish up, so you know they're that kind of sneaky, dangerous team there. But yeah, I think the team I
don't want to play is LAFC. Now it's not you know that sets up for an LFC Columbus's Cup, but so be it, because these are the two teams that right now seem to be on that trajectory, right like the biggest games and when a title is the line, they seem to somehow find each other.
Dylan Butler imlosccer dot com at Dylan Underscore Butler on the two hundred and eighty character app hanging out with us when he's not the busiest man in the Northeast having to call five men matches in a four day period or five games in a four day period when it comes to high school. Yeah, so soccer, soccer and soccer. So he's got matches end games and games end matches to roll through here as we get get into the playoffs and kind of break everything down here. I mean
to your point about Portland. Portland, I think is tied in the Western Conference for they're tied for second in most goals scored in the Western Conference, and they have that offense where you are right, they can score seventeen through.
Through multiple guys too. Doesn't mean like it's not like it's a it's not like a DC situation where it's Beenteke or nothing like it's you know, a Vander and Rodriguez and Felipe and Mora and you know, they've They've got a host of different guys who could score the ball.
And to your point about defense and giving up fourteen a game, they are second in goals allowed in the playoff teams in the Western Conference. They've given up fifty six this season in thirty four games. Colorado is the only team that's worse of giving up sixty. Colorado will not. They've got to be concerned about Georgia Mihailovich, who was pulled from his match with a serious injury in the first half.
How is he going to look? Will he be at one hundred percent?
That's a kind of on fumes, you know, heading down the stretch. You know they've got that tire that got busted and they're just hoping to to get off the road. You know, they're worried.
About Yes, like I don't have triple A and I see the gas station at the X.
Somehow limp my way over there to get help.
Yes, So that is so That's what I'm agreeing with you about Colorado as well.
Colorado I have.
A concern because of injuries and just how they kind of faded into the postseason Portland. I mean, if you look at goals allowed. They're at fifty six, so that's eighth of nine in the Western Conference, and then before them it is literally the fifty of lag So there's a gap there, and then it's even you know, then you get into those teams that are stout defensively, like Seattle who only gave up thirty five. Stephan Fry had
eleven clean sheets this year, Houston at thirty nine. But yeah, I think that if you're and and if you're if you're Vanny Sartini, you've got to be just beyond pissed, don't you.
Yeah, I mean the NYCFC situation, it's a little bit different, right, like you're playing in baseball fields obviously, you know, let's let's get the jokes in there, right, but it's teams that are in the playoffs, right and they just now, you know, think they could thank the Dodgers just are able to get titty Field back. They were going to be playing their playoff game a rebel arena. But that's because of the tenants that are in that in those stadiums,
laying their most meaningful games. That's not the case at BC plays and that's a bad luck.
And so do we know how this is gonna look, I mean, does Vancouver get the home dressing room and get to boot Portland to the visitors dressing room or anything like this or because.
It's all honestly, I think, honestly, for Vancouver's sake, I think you just treat it as a everything is a roadmatch, like let's get you know, and and it's and it's their familiarity as well, right, so like let's go to the visitors locker room. Let's where the I mean, maybe the kid will be different. I don't know, like it might have to be different because of the seeds, but as far as the building goes and the operations and all that, Like I it's a road trip. That's what it is. If I'm Vancouver.
And just the frustrating you had.
You won the eight, but because of other things in the building, you get to be the nine, or you get to be on the road. Is the eight to take on the nine in a building where they have been fairly fairly unbeatable this season Portland at home nine three and five, eight three, eight and six away from home, Vancouver fairly consistent. I mean there's six, seven and four
at home. At BC Place, there's seven, six, and four away from home, So maybe if you look at numbers then it's kind of sort of, you know, to a slide advantage there, but Vancouver having to go on the road and look at things. So right now, obviously with Atlanta United in the win tonight is Vancouver and Portland. I guess you're saying take the over in this one Island.
I guess, yeah, I'm not sure. I didn't look.
We can we can go over juice boxes and I can.
See this being uh a four to two game, mm hmm.
No, I definitely could see the over being the play here. When it comes to this game, I just have it. I just have it going super bananas foster off the rails very very quickly as Portland is trying to outscore Vancouver, and then Vancouver comes back and it turns it into an absolute, an absolute zoo. But I do have a worry about Colorado. They're the one late game on Saturday night at LAG and I just that one could be
over quickly. I think that when it comes to being in a series, I think that it could be over quickly with Colorado and Lag just because of injuries and travel and you see them fading into the the end of the regular season, almost Orlando esque, almost like the purple team for the Colorado Rapids and fading in.
And doing those kinds of things. Yike, shaggy.
We haven't even talked about postseason awards and what it means and what you would vote for and all these kinds of things. When it comes to m VP. How how are you when it comes to other sports? How do you gauge your MVP voting? When when I mentioned m VP, how do you vote for an MVP? And other sports, how do you look at like your your Yankees in baseball and and MVPs and things like that, how do you view it in other sports?
Certainly for my Yankees, it's it's regular season and postseason at this point because oh my god, John Carlos Stansen just you know, boo booed in the regular season. But he's like, hang on, wait for October. But I but I digresses. Yeah, So so there's it's it's the definition is the problem of it?
Right?
Like? Is it the best player on the best team? Not necessarily right? Is it the guy who brings who who? If that guy wasn't on your team, that team implodes, you know, So I think it's I think it's you know, but also it really can't be a last place team because then what did that person.
Do so less?
Yeah, so so case in point, I think had d C made the playoffs, I think a strong point could have been made for Christian Beneke. I I I don't think there's a player more valuable to their team's success in MLS this year than Christian Beneke. But again we mentioned all those parts around them, right, and I agree. I think I think when you look at a Vander and his total goal contributions and you know, the Valeri esque type of season he's having, he warns consideration as well.
But I think ben Teke where you know, if you take ben Teke out, they're probably a wouldn't spoon team again, right, so, but they didn't make the playoffs, so I think that takes him out of the picture. So yeah, I mean that that's the problem I think with with m v P, right, like I think I think Messi will probably win it.
I don't like I'm I I would go Kucho in this situation, but I did like for for for a good chunk there, I was team of Ander as well, just hard too because they're you know, I mean I I still think that they're they would score a chunk of goals with the other three or four guys I have in the mix there.
Yeah, I mean for me, I was team Kucho in the Eastern Conference, team of vander and the Western Conference and then you can sort of out amongst yourselves and figure it out.
But no, I am with you.
I My discussion is with an MVP, is it with that individual? How how worse with how worse off would they be? And so for me, I'm not denying. And this is for everyone who would vote for Lionel Messi in this situation. They navigated his absence, they were they were cool, they were fine without Messi, and David wants to know what the record was sounds messy and it was basically half the season.
And they were like it was close, but they were a better points per game team without Messi in the lineup.
Mm hm.
And because of Luis Warez.
Yes, And so I mean it's for and so for me, I would have Suarez ahead of Messi when it comes to that particular club and MVP voting, and it's and we were the one of the first ones, uh, We were the first ones to sit there and go, you know, Luis Suarez, we think his knee is jello, and we think that he's just gonna, absolutely, you know, have that knee just blow up on the on the pitch somewhere at the erector set and you know it won't he won't make a difference. We were wrong in that assessment.
That of of into Miami takes to to into Miami's credit.
Yes, they didn't.
They didn't think they had it in them for a supporter shield, you know, like doing what they did over the course of the season, let alone a record amount of points. I thought they were more because of their older star power, better served in a short turn like a knockout tournament situation, then across the stretch of the entire season. But so yeah, full credit to them.
So as of August twenty third, so this was Michelle Kaufman, I don't I'm gonna try and see if you can find something later than this, but thirteen to twenty five missed at the time. Heading into Saturday's home game against EPSIE Cincinnati and ter Miami boast their best record major League Soccer. Miami's record with him without MESSI this year
is not as desperate as one might guess. Across all comps including Triple C and League's Cup inner Miami is nine two and four with him, ten six and two without, so it was a six.
And this is like with two months. This was basically two months ago.
So yeah, two months ago they were nine two and four with him, ten six and two without him, so five point fifty five winning percentage at one point, I'll see if I can come up.
With a deeper number.
But yeah, so they were slightly better with two months to go in the season with him than without, and I mean like the lightest of margins. So it was and I think it flipped at one point to to get there. Okay, So ten oh and three as of September, So I'm getting warmer with my numbers here.
It's like you're trying and find something. You find something, You find something.
Miami ten oh and three in MLS and League's Cup play. In Messi's absence, Messi's twenty five goal involvements in twelve appearances, or forty percent of Miami's sixty one league goals. You had Suarez, Gomez, Alba, Rojas, the Herron scored at least two goals in eleven to thirteen matches since Messi last featured, and so inconsistent defense middle of the pack forty goals conceded, sixteenth most in the league. That came from Braden Chalker
a month ago. So we're getting warmer and warmer and warmer when it comes to what it would what it has been like with and without. But they're both in the neighborhood. And I think that that goes to the U the nil deals that have been signed by the Gulf string galacticos to make sure that they are under the salary cap. I mean, we've seen what Messi with lays and home improvement and beer and all these kinds
of things. There have to be nil deals to make sure that everybody else is under the manageable cap space that's available, I would think, I mean, come on, it's got to be some nil deals in there somewhere. They've navigated the cap brilliantly and tried to figure out how to keep everybody happy. Four Cards saying Suarez was full of ish about his knee. When we all thought that Suarez his knee was full of ish yea. So four Cards says that Sarez his knee claims were just to play.
It's like, we'll take pity, We'll take pity on Louis Suarez and it's like, oh yeah, it's nice. His ne will blow up and then all of a sudden, Suarez blows up. Uh what, sir, are your weekend plans? When are you on the desk? What are you doing?
And what's going on at Varsity Media?
Let's see, I well I was last night. I'm not thankfully on tonight merciful for the what it eleven o'clock start?
Uh?
Yeah, I think you're I think you're pretty close. I mean it's it's ten thirty. Actually, well ten ten forty. Because that's the other thing. People sit there and look at the start time and they're ready for ready to go right on the the hour of the half hour, and then it's like you got to add ten minutes. So ten forty Eastern times start Vancouver, the eighth seed at Portland, the nine seed from Providence Park.
And I was flipping sports for a second. So like last night hockey had that what do they call it, the frozen frenzy?
Yeah, where everybody's playing on the.
One night but at all different times like that was so confusing. I was like, looking at my Rangers, I'm like, why are we playing at seven to fifteen? And then why are the Islanders playing at seven forty five? Like it was, I didn't I forgot what the marketing play was there.
All in the stagger to confuse us. All that what the I needed to have an NHL three see.
And they'll go into my first Ranger game of my quarter season plan coming up Thursday tomorrow, right tomorrow.
Yes, tomorrow. Who's uh who's in town, sir, Florida?
Oh okay, So how do you how do you uh win the bet as to which which games you're going to go see with your quarter season package?
Your your your ten?
I mean, I have their minds. So it's just a matter of like I sold the home opener, it was it was a Saturday, right, so MLS obviously rules the world on a Saturday. And then other days if there's just you know, work related things I can't go, you know, then I'll sell them as well. So okay, but this will be the first one which will be fun. Got I'm on the desk Sunday, uh double header?
Yes, you get the Orlando Charlotte and l A versus the winner at the eight nine.
Oh, did I already say Portland?
Portland?
That's what I put on my schedule. I didn't like it was it was easier on my phone just to put the winner like here you go, so good luck, congratulations Vancouver, you just apparently won that game. And a whole bunch of you mentioned varsity media. That's a whole bunch of soccer playoffs. I am. I am Derek raying it. If you will, I guess I've got a Saturday doubleheader. I've got a Monday doubleheader, a Tuesday double header, a
Wednesday doubleheader. Who Thursday championship, next Saturday championship, next the third a double header championship.
So sir, it's very busy as always.
Great to see my friend, Glad you're here, and we'll talk about your Newcastle and the p IF the next time, and how you're trying to rule the world and buying things like networks and.
Things like that.
I just want to win. I just want to win games.
Yes, uh, Dylan is always my friend. Great to see you. We'll catch up next time.
Cheers