And it is time to go to the busiest man in the Northeast and find out what's going on in the rest of Major League Soccer and catch up with our buddy, Dylan Butler from emlisoccer dot com. Dylan, Alexander esach is a requested commodity inside the Newcastle and roster.
Yeah, I mean he's uh, folks want him? Are there? Are there? Are there many better strikers in the EPL right now? I don't think so.
No, I'm I'm right there with you.
But uh, I didn't know if the if where your defcon level was about something in the January window, about losing him to say an Arsenal or something.
I mean, it all depends on where Newcastle are on the table, I think at the time, right like Esak, others Anthony Gordon late, they all want to play European football, right like it's everybody does. So if you're positioned yourself in the right way to Europe, even if it's on a top four, you know, like get to that second tier, I think you can keep some of these guys and
if not, I think you lose them. I think it's just the unfortunate reality of you know, of a of a team trying to push their way into that elite level and you know, battling teams are already there.
And uh, you know obviously Champions League, Europa League, all those kinds of things going on.
Uh.
What as the resident Newcastle fan that comes outbound that is uh comes and visits every once in a while, what is your thought about where things are with Eddie Howe and what do you what? What are you staring at right now with your beloved Newcastle.
I feel like we're always staring at uncertainty in some way or another. So you know there's that, But you know, coming off a quality that he went on the weekends that was that was great. Yeah, I mean just have to I mean I think an advantage Newcastle have I I think I don't. I don't know if the top four is necessarily reality this year, but I think they can't push themselves in Europe And a big reason why is because they don't have Europe this year, right, so
like they could be rested. They're not going to Prague on a Wednesday and and then and then having to go down to Liverpool or something, so they you know, they'll and that was the issue I think was it last year, two years ago? Last year, like you know, we beat PSG and and all of a sudden it's like, uh, you know, the world is that our is our oyster and and then just injuries we weren't. It wasn't there
wasn't depth. We couldn't get players because of you know, all the realities that that are out the fair spending and then and then yeah, and then you fall down the table as a result, so they won't have that crutch if you will, which is ironic. So now I'm talking about needing to get back to Europe to keep their guys.
But mh, a guy.
There's kind of the ying and the yang of it.
Right, Yeah, you are a win because of the current jam and the standings. Basically you are a win with goal difference basically out of sixth So I mean you're eleventh right now at fifteen points even on goal difference ten ten score ten allowed you win one. You're at eighteen points and you're in that gaggle that's four five, six, But then that's goal difference.
That'll get the part that's also.
You asked about Eddie, how I love them like I wish i'd love them this day, right, But I think there's that reality as well, like where our Newcastle come the January window, like in the table, right are they fourteenth?
Right?
I think there's a reality of ownership probably looking to make a change then, right are they fifth?
Right?
He keeps his job. I think it's you know, the unfortunate kind of reality of the of the of that business in that league.
No doubt.
We've talked a lot nour number one about Atlanta United and Messi and friends as they get ready for match day three.
By the way, can I make a point real quick about that, so.
You most certainly can, sir.
I was in the midst. I don't even know what number it was at the time, but I was in the midst of twelve high school soccer games in a nine day.
Span, correct, because you told me it was eight and five at one point, And so now that he ended up.
In twelve and nine, I also added in a football game, so it was I ended up being thirteen broadcast in nine days. Wow, but twelve soccer progusts. So whatever number I was at at the time, I was leaving that game Saturday night, and you know, jump in jump in my nice uh uh Grand Cherokee, and and and had the heated seats going a little bit chilly, got the heated steering wheel going. And then I popped on serious. Uh and my boys or or on the on the broadcast.
Loved it. I heard the Atlanta radio broadcast of that massive way.
Now.
The sad thing is I had I received a call, so I missed. I missed the final.
Because it interrupt Oh no.
Yeah, yeah, uh, but I did here. I did hear the first Atlanta goal and uh, it was great to hear here. Uh hear those guys.
Yeah, Mike, Mike and Jason. Uh, Mike invoking Larry munt uh look, invoking Larry Munson, the legendary voice of the University of Georgia with his first with his first goal.
Call.
Yeah, since it was the anniversary of Georgia, Florida, where Mike was. You know, this place is worse than bonkers from the Oh yeah, yeah, the run Lindsay, the run Lindsay call from Georgia, Florida from nineteen eighty.
See, it's funny.
I didn't know.
I didn't know that. I didn't know there was a background today. I just thought he was. It was funny because I could even I could tell you exactly I was. I was pulling into Starbucks as like a drive through, and I heard the call and I was laughing, but I didn't know the background to it. That's good.
Yeahs legendary play by play voice to the University of George Larry Munson when Buck blow to Lindsay Scott nineteen eighty on Georgia, Florida today that game winning score monson goes and this place is worse than bonkers, and so that that was an homage to Georgia, Florida.
I love it.
The the historian Mike Conty created a hell of a moment on the Derek Williams goal and then the skip carry esque sid slid call with score score score score four scores and the ninety seconds to go instead of seven years. But yeah, so Mike and Jason had a couple of gyms.
I will say this full disclosure.
Atlanta United on their two hundred and eighty character app has a booth camp and they have that call as released on their two hundred and eighty character app, and I will and I will recommend watching it more than once because there's a lot going on. They have the MLS video above and it's the double stack, the.
High low split screen.
Up high is Apple TV's video, and then down low it's Mike and Jason. Watch it once to see Mike, then watch it again to look at Jason, because Jason sees things in three dimensions better than anybody that I know, and a lot of folks out there in the industry today. And so as the play is the developing, and they do that rapid fire bing bing bing bing, and you see shanday and the.
World opens up.
You see Jason start to stand as it gets to Shonda Silva and I'm literally zuppruderring.
Okay, when does he stand.
As opposed to?
Yeah, So literally, Jason sees the play develop and he's anticipating what's going on with Shandy, so he's up and Mike calls it as Shande puts it in. Jason saw it coming, so watch it. Landy United on their two hundred and eighty character app for Mike and his reaction.
And then he sits during games.
Who doesn't Mike? I know, I know, I don't.
I don't sit because I'm I'm too busy wandering back and forth and being all that. But yeah, Mike sits, Jason sits because they have the monitors right there with them, the TV monitors, and so they can use those ash and so yeah, so watch it more than once because you see Mike's reaction in the front and then you see Jason developing reaction in the back. So it is it's like twenty two seconds, but still you watch it more than once and get all those different aspects of it.
My goal calls are generally me just screaming out the guy's name who scored. That's like I don't I don't do necessarily, I guess an homage to anybody, but it's more just like you know, filled me just screaming at the guy's name.
Well, and for me, it when when I call Matches I and people have circled me over to Dave Johnson with DC United, where I go and it's in Okay, I go, It's in you know, one of those and then I lay out and then I'll go back and either recap it myself or you know, if it's a two person booth, I'll have color go back through it all. But you know, for me is an in or and
it's in something like that. It's more of a Dave Johnson d C United kind of a call is opposed to a name, because then that also if if I'm as blind as a bat and I'm wearing my progressive lenses, just go ahead and say they're buy vocals, mister optometrist, and get it over with.
Uh, I can buy some.
Time and sit there and figure out who's scored if I don't see it initially.
Yeah, I mean that's the that's my other Like I'll say something like, you know, I think I might have said it's in the NAT or it's a goal or whatever, just if I don't see the guy for sure.
Uh So, now what do you think about said series of one v nine in the Eastern Conference, now that we are at a match day three? Yeah, going back to the erector set.
For sure, the East is wild and uh full rest, full confidence, no pressure? Why not us?
Right? Like?
Why not? Why not?
Atlanta f e a baby? That's the rallying crod.
Well. I won't tell you what the rallying crowd the Mets was, but but you guys know it.
Yes, that's yeah, yea, that is true.
But yeah, no why not right like and and and people forget or if they don't if they remember, they don't they discount it because it's like a different season. But let's not forget the regular season success as well. Right, nobody's had more success against Miami than Atlanta. So I think they can go in there and just play, play with confidence, play with some swagger, like, you know, not be too concerned that they lose they were supposed to lose, and the shock the world.
Yeah, you're staring over you know, you're Ali's you know, hovering over Sunny liston at that point, and considering that that was in Miami, then that makes a lot of sense.
Uh.
In the East, in and of itself, Uh, you've got Orlando and Charlotte, the four five Purple team and Sermonty a lot they're going into a match day three. You've got Cincinnati and Dylan Butler of State's future residents n y c Uh. I think that third one might end up getting played at Red Bull Arena. I think if there was talk about that because of availabilities and things.
Uh, it is it is chaos.
It is chaos in the East, sir, where three of the four are heading to a match day three and the one that's not is the shocker. Of the bunch because my bracket's now officially busted for sure, and you know.
Who, you know who's like sort of sitting there on the other side of it, like being like, come on, keep only chaos, keep on the chaos. La.
Yeah, man is like bring it, it's all good.
Like we've hosted MLS Cup before. It's great out.
Here, come on out.
You won't have weather concerns.
Nope, but I mean Columbus out by Red Bulls and the other three match Day three. No, I did not see it coming, Like I said, my brains in the toilet, although like you know me, like.
I'm I'm I'm more og right like and I love sort of like the new g's coming in, Like is it the greatest playoff upset ever? Like I don't even think it's the greatest playoff up set in Red Bulls history.
Like I was there.
The year they made their run to the Cup and they played the Crew and they beat a Houston Dynamo team that I believe had just won back to back MLS Cups And they went to Robertson Stadium and and John Wallniak had the thriller dance after just scoring scoring a decisive goal there, so you know, and that was that was when it was a little bit MLS weird, right where like the Red Bulls were on the western side of the bracket, so they had to beat Houston beat salt Lake. I think Salt Lake was a one off.
I think the Houston was a was a was an aggregate giant stadium first leg, Robertson Stadium the second leg, then at Salt Lake and then they're, uh, They're in the Cup and they they hope they hoisted like a little tea cup of a Western Conference championship in Sandy, Utah. And then uh and then a few and then a week later they were they were taken on Siggi Schmidt and uh uh Scilotto and and the Columbus crew and and they lost in their only ever tripped out of the MLS Cup final.
Man, that is uh that wow. That that's that's definite wayback machine material. When you look at uh the four five and in NYC and Cincinnati. I've always thought that uh, Cincinnati for me has been kind of been on the ropes for a while and they would be one of those teams of the higher seeds that could have been knocked out not Columbus to me, but I would have thought maybe Cincinnati because of their downward trend. But you know, NYC goes from one nil down to winning match Day
two three to one. What was the difference was it? Was it just something as simple as getting back home or what was the difference do you think for NYC and match Day two?
I think there are some tactical tweaks, like they they flooded the midfield and made it difficult for Cincinnati. Santhia Rodriguez kind of pinched in more centrally, little nuances like that.
But for sure, listen, it is sometimes it just boils down to being homer away, and especially for NYCFC, Like they're really good at home whatever home they play in, which is a lot of credit to them, right Like I was thinking that like Atlanta, you know, you always know you're at the Benz, right like, and you cultivate a great home field there. They've wanted home in three different venues around here, which is super impressive. But yeah, now they have to go to Cincinnati and like, not
gonna be easy. You know, I was thinking after Columbus lost and with Miami, you know, are they on the ropes? I mean they're certainly in a pressure packed, winner take all game. Now that if I'm Pat noon in Cincinnati,
I'm like, this door just opened up for us. You know, like we win this game, you know, we've have confidence, and you know they would have Geez in the East at least, right Like you would argue, certainly, I Miami loses, you would argue that they've then got the best player on the field whenever they play with Lucco, Right, So best player a team that's made these runs. Obviously there's still there's still issues there, but they would, as the highest seed, have home field.
I mean it's with Cincinnati's issues have been at the back consistently, and so if you can, you know, if you can keep possession and keep Cincinnati pinned in and work it past that back line with all the injuries and stuff, and how Pat Noonan has had to kind of sit there and uh look at the whole cloth and the pantry and try to figure out what to do with the back. Uh for me, it's it's gonna be an interesting dynamic with that particular matchup. Red Bulls
get to sit and wait that I don't. It's so then when it came to to Red Bulls and Crew? Was it more what Red Bulls did or less what Crew did?
I if that makes any.
Sense, No, it doesn't make sense. And it's I think, I think what we all tend to do, right, if there's a big upset is our first thought is, well, what happened to that team that was a fever?
Right?
If Atlanta go down and they and they they advance over Miami, what's a what's the national storyline? It's not Miami failed, right, It's not that Atlanta won.
Yeah, that Miami.
You know, this team built for you know, the super club, you know, got knocked down. So in this case, yeah, I mean I think it's both. I think it's Columbus. I mean how many I wanted to add it up before we got on the show. I didn't get a chance to. But god, how many matches did they play this year? Right?
Eleven bazillion?
So many competitions that eventually will will tax you, right, especially when you play a team like Red bull where
it's gonna be prenetic and all over the place. And the Red Bulls were in a similar situation to Atlanta, but the difference being they got the first win on the road, so now they can go to Red Bull Arena be confident, and even in a that's so metro kind of moment when you can see deep deep in second half stoppage time, they still managed to pull it out with Carlos Carnell doing you know what he did
in the shootouts. So but listen, they're a different team with Emial Forsburg healthy, Like that's a big deal to this team. I didn't again do the stats on that, but you look at Red Bull with Forsburg in the lineup and without it will be like Miami without MESSI was like negligible differences correct, significant with Fordsburg in or out of the lineup.
Eight, nine, ten, eleven, I'm adding twelve.
Are you counting the cruise matches we might be here for a while. Thirteen we have smart coffee.
So thirteen.
So forty seven matches total for crew in all competitions.
That's a lot, and a lot of those were like how many you didn't really rotate and maybe five matches?
Yeah right, yeah, Wilford Nanci is the kind of guy that's gonna sit there and go dance with a girl that brung you. And the next question then for me is Wilford Nanci, does he max out or does he stay because he's pissed and want to to go back and chase MLS cup again? I mean because I'm sure. I mean if if John Texter say, and Eagle Holdings, they sit there and they look at Leon, and Leon
is not what John Texter wants them to be. If I'm John Texter, one of my first phone calls is to Wilford Nanci's agent, Hey, you know you want to go home? You want to coach Leon? Name your price? I mean Wilford Nanci. For me, I could see him maxing out and I could.
Go honestly to that point, John, I think now is the time. Yeah, No, Like he's not going to be a hotter commodity than now, like if he if he if he comes back with the crew. Also, who knows if you'll have kuco right, Like, who knows what that team will look like. So I think you've got to read the tea leaves. If you're NANSI, you know you're you're you're the hot commodity right now, like you got to cash out.
Uh.
Look, and he's super competitive, like he always wants the next challenge, So.
Absolutely, all right, So twenty twenty four Columbus crew, this is courtesy of our friends at spot track. Uh, looking at salaries and things. Where was No, it's not the rundown that I was looking for the rundown that had uh seven our.
Wars ask you said, They're like, these are not the rundowns.
You know, these are not the rundowns. Uh, you know, looking at rosters and things. Okay, so twenty five. Fine, I'll look at the twenty five roster. Give me the damn filter and sort for that. Okay, Uh twenty five Uh in a stroke was alone until June. Keegan Hughes for twenty five is a club option. There's a lot of guaranteed here. Christian Ramirez a club option for twenty five. Yah Yuboa a club option for twenty five.
They did lock up a lot of their guys during the year, for sure.
Yeah.
Camacho's got one more year, Farsi has three more, Kucho has twenty five and a club option for twenty six. But once again, it's an asset. You are in control of the asset here for one more year before a club option. So if somebody knocks on your door, hey, here's eight figures to the left of the decimal place. Does the front office sit there and go, yeah, sure, okay, great, uh nagba, let's see. Nagby's got one more year with a club option. Christian Ramirez, okay. Rossi has two more
years and a club option after that. Supplemental Max Arston has three more years guaranteed. Azy Jackson a club option for twenty five, Russell Roe club option for twenty five, Shelty a club option for twenty five.
Zawatski. Zawatski has three more years gear.
So there's some stuff there. Non actives Amensen, Chamboise, Shaberko Habrun all guaranteed, hogging backup Keeper is a club option. Herrera's alone. Cole Moroca guarantee, but we see him at Crew two. Isaiah Parente is a club option for the next two years. Yeah, so all three guarantee, all three dps for Crew one more guaranteed year before club options kick in, and Heino Strosa is a loan until June
and then guaranteed. So one more guaranteed year for Kuco, Nagby, and Rossi, and then you've got to figure out what you're looking for. I do not see a Maton, So I'm guessing Maton is being he's out after twenty four, so he did not appear on this salary list.
So there you go.
Some questions for crew coming into twenty five, but the core looks like for the most part that it's still.
There and the biggest obviously being at the very top Maton's twelve well in terms of your manager and also you're you're superstar mm hmm.
Absolutely.
Uh so you're staring at that with Crewe Western Conference. I know you mentioned Lag Sittinger going, come on, dial it up, brother, you just y'all keep going.
We're good.
Uh.
We haven't even gotten into the postseason awards yet, where Gabriel Peck was named Newcomer the Year over Luis Suarez.
I figured that.
That the conventional wisdom, or the black helicopter theory would be that Suarez would get Newcomer and Messi would get MVP. Yeah, but it ended up going to Gabriel Peck la won and done outscoring Colorado, who didn't have Georgia Mihilovich in match Day one, lose five nil, lose four to one. They're out the door. Minnesota advances as a six. Seattle in the chaos of a four or five with Houston.
They advanced seven to six in that shootout in match day two, and now LAFC is going to a match day three because Vanni Sartini, who needs to be protected and secured at all costs, you know. I mean, he ain't taken no fools from nobody, but everybody's looking at LAFC and Vancouver.
Everything else in the West is settled after two.
And listen, I've loved him from the moment that he's that he joined the league and I and I shouted from the rooftops that he was so severely underrated. But I think now finally the MLS world is getting to experience the greatness of Ryan Gold. So he's the leading scorer right now in the playoffs. What are the five and five goals and assist I think, and let's not even count what he's what he did to kind of lead even to some of those own goals right as well.
So I think if you looked at that series and you said, all right, well, who's going to be the player to dictate things? I think conventional wisdom would have told you Dennis Bowonga would have been the guy. H But it is not it is it is Ryan Gold, so they too in uh in Atlanta asque kind of a way you know, can can go and uh and be confident and bold and you know, I would love to hear Sartini's uh the game speech to the guys.
Oh well, let's I believe that the metaphors will be colorful. I would imagine, uh, so it would not what it would it surprised you? I guess how much would it surprise you if if the if the Caps went into a match Day three and took care of things in front of the thirty two fifty two, Yeah.
I think it would. Uh, I don't know. I guess the bigger question is what is well that you know what I'm gonna answer my own question. I was gonna say, the big question is what's the bigger upset? H And I actually do think it well, vanc over for l AFC versus Atlanta against Miami again because of Atlanta's success over Miami during the course of the season. So yeah, I mean of the two upset specials, Yeah, it's it's Vancouver That's would definitely be the bigger one.
Okay, uh, when you look what else what else is on your radar these days. I mean, you've got some clubs that are making their their their end of season moves. You've got as we kind of wait for things happening in December, and news is kind of trickling out, no real surprises in a couple of places. But what else is on your radar as you are juggling the the activity at varsity media all of the postseason involving both
football and football and with soccer dot Com. What else is on your radar that you're keeping an eye on these.
Days for MLS? Well, yes, yes, yeah, I mean it's it's hard to like. I don't get I don't get all bogged down in the post season awards, although I did find it funny that Dean Smith in his post game presser basically let a giant cat out of the bag in terms of Goalkeeper of the Year.
Oh well, I mean if Kalna didn't get it, or was or isn't going to get it, I would have thought that something would have been funky with the voting, because I mean, what nine thousand clean sheets for Kalina this year to keep Charlotte in their season?
For sure?
But yeah, no, I mean it's just it's just, uh, you know on on these game threes really like you and I are both you know, big hockey fans, right and and and there's nothing like I don't care who the teams are. I don't care if I don't I mean I I don't care if I don't even know two players in a team. If it's a Game seven and the Stanley Cup playoffs, yeah it's must watch. And I think the same will be true here, right, Like these are knockout games and they should be treated differently.
And and you know, I've always been a big aggregate fan. I think we've had this conversation in times I get to you know, you can massage certain things and inside of an aggregate. And but these best of three series got you, you know, the MLS version of a Game seven, which again you know, will be must watch TV.
And you end up with two teams in Atlanta United and Vancouver white Caps that could be could be they could be that La King's eight seed.
Who hosts that MLS Cup final. I think Vancouver not because there's a girl Scout convention or something.
That could very well be the case.
I think that that would be the the element there in the in the room. But Vancouver is an eight and Atlanta is a nine. So so in theory it would be it would be Vancouver unless they'd have to go outdoors and play it where Pacific FC is out in the suburbs or something, oh in December. Yeah, so you'd end up with something like that orange ball and
all these kinds of things. But you know, at parlaying the hockey analogy, you got a hot keeper or you know, you gotta you got a hot goalie as an eight seed, that was how my Kings ended up winning the Stanley Cup first time out of the block. So as you were an eight, you steamrolled everybody because Jonathan Quick was the man.
He's the man now for my guys.
Yeah, I know, so, uh so it's it's it's odd seeing him in a bunch of different uniforms and things like that. But that you get a you get a hot goalie or a hot defense. Is an eight seed or a nine. You see where we are with match day threes? All right, lay it out for us, what's your what's your weekend? Like varsity media playoffs, all the sports, nineteen teams in four days.
And thankfully that's a little bit of a break there however, as power as part of that break. And you'll appreciate this because you've done a bunch of these. Tonight out at Mount Saint Michael in the Bronx right there on Murdoch Avenue off of bay Chester Avenue. Uh, we will be doing a c HSA A Boys Basketball media day. Oh, we will be broadcasting from there. So probably not too dissimilar from that Big ten media day that was just like on the U I think it was last week
or so. So we have interviews with all thirty one head coaches.
Wow, wow, are you having more than one on it once? Or oh?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were. We were going over this. Originally it was going to be every head coach and two players and they said, you know, yeah, you could probably do it within in two hours. I said, so we're gonna yeah, we're gonna have like, depending on the numbers of the league, you know, three to four coaches together on set. So that'll be six o'clock tonight on
the Varsity Media YouTube channel. Yeah, doing a little I just did some doing some work with Hofstra Universities, like some of the broadcasts, So I did graphics for for one of their from their brand new UH control room. Uh So that was fun produce.
They're no longer the Flying Dutchman, right.
They are the Pride. They have a lot of pride in themselves.
Okay, pride, okay, correct.
And uh I am producing their women's volleyball broadcast on Saturday afternoon for the MLS festivities.
Okay, and then then you get to go to MS Soccer dot com and uh SDH will be in Fort Lauderdale the erector set for Atlanta United and Messy and friends, and so we'll be down there for that. Apparently it's going to be in the eighties in mid November in Fort Lauderdale.
I dropped off my daughter at the bus stop today with the short sleep shirt out. I don't seventy two, I think today.
Wow, And the mug says that you are blessed. If I remember correctly, I am blessed. And so which cup of coffee?
Two?
I usually only go too?
Okay?
Well, as always, my friend, it's great to see you because we know that you are the busy, the busiest man in the Northeast. And when we can pin you down, you can come in and catch up with us and let you know what's let us know what's going on in your brain when it comes to everything Major League Soccer and everything else going around in the National Hockey League and all that stuff.
It's old. Yeah.
For Atlanta fans, enjoy it. It could it could be. It could be another magical moment in your club's history.