And are you Are you excited, are you thrilled? Are you intrigued? Do you give an ish about the Club World Cup at all? Yeah?
No, we we we uh we mentioned this last week. I intrigue is a good word for it.
I think.
You know it's on home soil. It's and it's an expanded competition, you know. I feel like in the past that was like, you know, six teams, two of which you've never heard of, yes or Bailey have heard of, playing at you know, two in the morning in Japan,
and you don't know know where to watch it. Like ah, it didn't appeal to me before, but you know, expand the competition meant to you know, model a little bit like the World Cup, you know in the stadiums that we know, uh, you know a lot of big teams, some some fun matchups.
So yeah, you know, excited for sure. Okay, just checking.
I mean because you know we were, like I said, we're going over ticket prices and how folks are learning about dynamic pricing and all that kind of stuff, where apparently Manchester City ticket prices are now officially plummeting or at least turning into something reasonable for their matchup against Alayen coming up in twenty eleven days time. Those kinds of things, so dynamic ticket prices, you gotta keep an
eye on all those kinds of things. We did spend a lot of time in hour number one discussing what happened in Nashville last night?
What happened in that film.
The US and a lot of folks would be wondering themselves what happened in Nashville last night? Because apparently the US decided to allow four goals to Switzerland and come out of a friendly losing four nil. And now apparently the world is on fire. Everyone is raging and going that the US men's national team is just it's a car crash, and that everything is everything is over as we know it.
And then you flip the like you split the screen and you show like the trophy presentation for the Canadian Shield.
Yes, and Jesse Marsh and.
Uh and and de Rouge, you know, winning a title after after a penalty kick lost to Ivory Coast quite the contrast.
Yes, and so lot's a lot getting a lot of interest for converting his penalty from down here in Atlanta. Uh so, yes, so, so apparently the world is falling down when it comes to the US men's national team into friendlies leading.
Into the Gold Cup. What do you think is the world falling down? Delan Butler?
Uh I will I will say, uh, there's nothing quite hotter than a US men's national team loss.
Hot take. Yes that's true.
But yeah it don't look good, right, you know, for whatever reason? Right, Like this is you know, like you look at it in two different ways, right, One, a Gold Cup an opportunity for Patchettino to look at players who could push their way into.
The World Cup.
Right, Like, let's see what especially a lot of young MLS players, Right, let's see what these guys can do in a in a high pressure tournament setting, because it's the last one that we'll have before the World Cup.
You know.
The other side of it is that also that means that your quote unquote star players will not have that final opportunity, right, Right, So their last one, I guess was technic was Copa America.
Right, Yeah, it sounds right, So that's not good.
Like what's the press I mean, certainly they're playing high pressure matches for the club, But what's the last big pressure match for Polistic, for Weston McKinney for Tyler Adams, for any of those guys.
League play chasing after domestic chair.
Yeah, I mean Zach Seffen knee surgery.
Uh. Now, Turner didn't look good.
And he's getting and he's apparently getting dealt allegedly possibly probably to a team that was another team ullion dollars plus interest and they're going to fork over eight to bring Matt Turner over.
Yeah, so uh huh not mm hmmm, not looking good. I mean, And and this is the thing.
It's like, one of the one of the things that we focused on is that you've got to have people who are starting, who are going to be in these positions. I went over the Gold Cup roster one through twenty six and you're you're sitting there and it's like, Okay,
I need dudes who are starting in these situations. So it's not just like trying to turn the engine over on a car and realizing that you might need to change the battery and you hope to god it's not the alternator, you know, I mean, that's that's kind of what you're staring at here.
And yeah, and then you look at the look at the other side of it, right again, you know, comparing it with with Canada. Yeah, yes, they also have a lot of MLS players and they have, right, But Steven Astasio is part of that, right, he just had his fiftieth cap with Canada. Should should he have been healthy, Alfonso Davies would have been part of this team, right, like Jonathan David is part of this team. So it's still a big It's still your core guys who play in in in in Europe.
But.
You know, joining MLS players as well. So it's a calculated risk for sure that the US is making. If it was if it was that, if it was Pachettino's choice, right, like you know the whole Polisic Donovan saga going on through social.
Media, you'll talk about that.
Yeah, yeah, not good vibes.
No, So speaking of not good vibes, So Jesse Marsh, you mentioned Jesse Marsh. Apparently he is he is of the mind in cutting a wrestling promo that apparently folks were out to get his national team players that were playing for Vancouver in the CONCACAFF final of the conka CAFF Hemispheric Extravaganza where they just got got absolutely destroyed by CRUs asoul So the white Caps, Crusasulaada and Cruise
Osul ended up with a five mil win. Jesse Marsh comes out and says that yeah, they they they food poisoned my guys on purpose, and so Jesse cuts his promo. What have you thought about Jesse up North so far?
I think he's hitting. Uh, he's done an incredible job. I think if you're a US national team fan and you're putting hashtags on the latest out, you know, I think you're like, why couldn't we have gotten Jesse Marsh?
But do you want all of that chaos though? Do you want? All? Right?
He thrives in it. I think I think it's another way to get his guys going as well, US against the world mentality, that whole kind of thing. He did it.
He did it with Red Bulls as well, right, Like I remember one before one Hudson River Darby match, was complaining about how he hoped or you know, he hoped that NYCFC stars would stop getting preferential treatment like that, that the officials wouldn't give David Villa and those guys preferential treatment before the match, which led to Patrick Vieira in his post match quote talking about you know, he's tired of hearing Jesse Marsh cry and like it was great,
like it it's a great drama, right, like you want that in Darby type situations.
Yeah.
My question actually is is I thought about this because now this is the second year in a row where there's these allegations, right of food poisoning, right, yeah, sure, Why doesn't it happen with national.
Teams because they take their own chefs, they bring their own food.
No, but so yes, yeah, exactly right.
So why doesn't that happen with Vancouver after what happened with Columbus the year before?
I mean, right, And this is the thing that, this is the thing that the current thing of one of the many things where look, if you are a if you're a domestic side, I would think that if this match meant to you, the last match of the Conka CAF hemispheric extravagance, if this match meant to you as much as you purport it to me, then you are going to take every eventuality. You are going to take
every security element of this. You are going to double stack your travel party, you are going to have your own chefs brought down, You're gonna have your own medical personnel brought down. You're gonna have your own food imported on your charter plane. You're gonna make sure that everything works out the way that I mean literally, I want all of my food refrigerated.
On my plane. I ain't, you know, getting it out to anybody.
I'm taking every possible precaution known de mandkind and then second mankind's precautions to make sure that I'm not getting stuff like this happened to me.
Why aren't domestic teams sitting there and taking.
These and as I said, especially after that was the narrative after last year's final. Right, last year, you have an MLS team playing in a final in Mexico, claims of food poisoning. Fast forward, you have an MLS team playing in Mexico. Let's yes, let's sequester the team. We're in this hotel. We're in in uh floors ten and eleven or something.
That's it.
You know, we're eating here, We're not going anywhere else. We're in this conference room. We're boarding the bus, we're going to training, We're going to the press conference. We're going back to the hotel.
Like it, just it.
And then when you have you have a national team coach creating hemispheric moments of angst against other national teams. Yes, I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to gin up your own You're trying to gin up your guys. You're trying to sit there and go US against the world. But I mean, if you're the United States, and I know that a lot of folks would sit there and say, well, why don't we why didn't we get Jesse? Do you if you're the US national team, do you want that kind of a circus?
Do you want that side show? Aren't you? Aren't you?
I don't know if I I wonder if it's as much of a circus or a side show with the US as it would be with Canada, only because you know Canada is trying to escape this little brother type thing, right, But do.
You do that by cutting wrestling promos?
Though again, it's it's in his it's in his nature, Like he's also the same guy that took on took on Trump right on social media, so or in a press com I think it was a press conference.
Yeah, So it's just.
It goes hand in hands with Jesse Marsh. But I think if you pulled the US fans right now, I would can you know, after these results and the run of form and the vibes around both programs, I think you would get more who would vote for Jesse Marsh as the US men's national team coach than.
Not well, And you know then I think that and we've been looking at two specific position groups. I think that this probably means that Matt Freese is going to be your guy starting in the Gold Cup because of what we've seen from Matt Turner, who hasn't been getting regular reps. And I think that Matt Freeze and I think it's Matt Freeze and Chris Brady before Matt Turner heading into the Gold Cup now because of what we've seen and what we haven't seen.
And that's the other thing too, right, Like it's always been and that's another big problem that the US has had in recent years.
The goalkeeper.
Of the day that you have, right, he needs regular reps. Right, we did have that with Brad Friel, We did have that with Tim Howard, Right, we haven't had that in recent years. So like if like it's not if Matt Turner's not getting.
Regular reps, yeah, if.
You know, like and Zach Stephan wasn't, so he made he and his agent whatever his team, they made a good decision to come back. Maybe now he'll get regular reps. Unfortunately now he's injured. But yeah, I don't think you go for the goalkeeper just because he plays in Europe like that. That guy's got to get regular time. So if he's not, you know, he can't be your regular starter for the US men's national team.
Is that the position that you have the most concern right now when it comes to the national team between the sticks?
Or is it up top for you? Or is it a cause and effect? Almost?
Uh?
Yeah, I mean I.
Guess if you can't score, then you've got to defend. But defend, you know, you got to score.
Yeah, I mean both. It's it's you thought you had a lockdown in in goal, right, like turn to look like he was going to be the guy. After it looked like Stephan wasn't going to be the guy. And there's still that rotation up top, right, They're still looking for the answers, you know again, you know they we thought probably a year ago that that was a position that maybe we have figured out. We we we don't.
We don't.
It's not figured out so yeah, I mean I think both. I think it's exciting times. If you're a Brian White, right, you're in a were on a form, you you have a chance to and again the last tournament pre World Cup to open up eyes. You know, maybe maybe you score six goals in this tournament and all of a sudden, you know you could be the guy starting.
In the first World Cup match.
Dylton butlerimosoccer dot Com dropping by for his Wednesday visit when he is not out conquering high school athletics at Varsity Media on the YouTube, so you can go back.
Everything's archived, right, all your matchups yep, yep. Yeah.
So if if you've missed anything from Dylan when it comes to Tri State High School extravaganzas, you can go back to Varsity Media on YouTube.
You can catch up with Dylan.
Who had like thirty eight lacrosse matches in the three day period that he navigated through the other day it was eleven.
I think my total count for this spring was it was thirty, which is wild and you think it was like eleven in the final week.
But I know that's yeah. Championships will do that for you across the board. This weekend. It is a matchup on Thursday for Atlanta United in NYC. You get to be the only game in town and it's I'm just still after you will have Glenn Crooks on to talk about NYC.
But you got that to start things off.
Then you've got Friday night football, which is something that I have mandated and maintained that Major League Soccer needs to have and you need to own Friday nights. You've got Friday night football with Portland and San Jose. Do any of the matchups here coming up on Saturday or starting Thursday have any kind of Dylan Butler level intrigue other than you having to sit there and be on the desk to follow them on Saturday.
Who is intriguing to you coming up this week?
Well, I'm on the desk on Thursday as well, so I will be I'm manning the ship.
Solo on Thursday.
So that.
Because of that intrigues me.
Okay, so let's stop there. No one is coming back to be ready for NYC because of travel and such. So it looks like it's gonna be Thomas Romero and net for NYC and Buchrar starting in the attack for NYC. And for Atlanta, it's gonna be a couple of races against time. But I think we put a piece together. What it's gonna look like Latte Lot flies over from Toronto, he's gonna probably be up top. Uh, can you give me sixty something like that? So intrigue for NYC and Atlanta United for you?
Yeah, I mean I think just a lot of what you said, it's it's it's you know, not dissimilar to what we just said with the US national team, right, like an opportunity for other guys to step up and and to uh, you know, proof that they maybe earn some extra minutes. I think Portland San Jose because it is San Jose.
Always take me over.
Yes, intrigue And then you look at the uh, you look at the weekend slate. You know, probably like Minnesota San Diego. That's an interesting one, right, even though obviously they're not full squads, but at least not Minnesota's full squad. I think Columbus Vancouver again, if you have your full allotment of players, right, Uh, is an intriguing one. But yeah, it's it's tough. It's tough when it's when it's you know, a lot of Eyes obviously had Club World Cup on the on the Gold Cup as well.
So I mean you look at Vancouver at a Koubi, Ali, Achmed Berhalter, Bobolina Kubas, Tate Johnson with the U twenties, Jaden Nelson, Pedro Vite, Brian White. Uh yeah, yes, they.
Still got a result too, right, Like they had that they had about seventeen guys questionable with illness and yeah, you know they they they went to their homegrowns and their academy kids and you know, they get a goal there and it was a good result for them on this past weekend.
Yeah, that's me. That's it.
But once again, you know we always talk about second teams and MLS, Next Pro and stuff like that, and and the benefits pop up in situations.
Like that are our inboxes will be busy with short term signing emails.
But and this is a thing that gets me is that.
I think that I legitimately think that you should take the short term signings and turn it into like the NBA, because I think that putting a limit on more term signings, I think it's it's detrimental to the process. And then you're sitting there and you're having to navigate them. But it's like you can call them up, but you can't play them, or you can't play them every time you call them up. You can only play them like two or three times if you call them up for six.
I mean, it's just it seems like it's a that to me, is something that you've got to adjust, Like if you call them up, call them up, give him the fourteen day contract and have them be there for two matches or three matches or whatever, and not have it counteract everything that we traditionally would see in a situation like that instead of oh, short term call up,
he's got one more short term call up. You know, he's got one more in You have to navigate that, and you've got to sit there and figure out, Okay, do I burn a short term call up on a guy? And you've got to think about it too hard when it really should just be just like the NBA, call him up, I need him, I need him for two weeks. I got a ten day deal or a fourteen day contract. It should be that simple. But it's no.
I agree. I agree, especially if you're not going to expand the roster or the salary cap. Or you know, you need to figure out a different mechanism to have additional players play.
So, yes, I'm in one hundred percent agreement with.
You on that.
Vancouver is a plus two to ninety on the road at Columbus of a minus one twenty three. NYC is a minus one ten in the Bronx taking on at Land United, who's a plus two eighty two. You mentioned Portland and San Jose. Portland is a minus one one. San Jose is north of plus three hundred and uh, as we look at I think.
We both need to somehow find a way to work for Phil Nevill.
Well, yeah, I mean.
Then you like he like he would be like, well, well, I mean, look, John Nelson is the best radio guy in the in the in the in the league.
There's no we don't have a question about it.
Yeah, well, I love you for that. That's fantastic, Uh from your lips outbound. But as long as I get to still do everything here and then we'll be fine.
Like David Ayala's the best midfielder, Anthony should be the MVP or then there's no question, like it's great, Like I'm sure he rips his guys and inside the locker room, but outside right, nothing but praise everything.
So four and a half, by the way is a plus two forty five.
So it turns at three and a half. Portland and San Jose's over underturns it three and a half, by the way, from a minus to a plus and uh, it goes to plus one four three and a half. Plus four and a half is a plus two forty five. And if you're really ambitious, plus five and a half is a plus five eleven. So that's that's what you're staring at with Portland and San Jose. I like, I like the four and a half of a plus two
forty five. I think that you can see chaos and have it and have it rage supreme with your chaos there with that one.
Okay, it's it.
It's it's Portland and San Jose. It's after dark.
Uh huh.
Yeah, there's a there's a high degree of likelihood of chaos.
Yeah, And and it's its own match, and so it's it's its own spotlight. So you've got that going lag. They finally won, but they're a plus two to fifty dog taking on all caps in Saint Louis revs. And Cincinnati Philadelphia, Charlotte, Austin hosting Red Bulls. Uh, this is going to be a challenge for a lot of folks,
especially with their fantasy rosters. Yeah, you know, me being me and everything, it's like you're NAVI getting your fantasy roster to make sure that you captain the right guy and that so and so isn't on any kind of international duty.
But I'm trying to see it.
Looks like for the most part, well, I was gonna say, for the most part, it looks like the home the home folks are the favorites, But it almost looks like it's a fifty to fifty proposition, especially on the.
New England Cincinnati could be interesting as well.
Yeah, I mean New England Cincinnati. Both of them are on the plus side. Austin's on the plus side as a favorite, Chicago on the plus side going up against Nashville. The the the Greg Burhalter bj Callahan subtext of that one, I mean, I like that.
I like that one. That one's gonna be a fun one.
At eight forty Eastern Minnesota United on the plus side, favored because of their absences. Just so folks know, for Minnesota, set your fantasy teams appropriately it is Boxall, Harvey lud Olawaisse Rosales and Dane Saint Clair. So oh, Jesse marsh is hanging on to Dane Saint Clair and Tony Olawa say uh, then we'll see if they race back or if they're going to be stuck getting ready for Gold Cup. But you know, so I am intrigued when it comes to how things are going to look this weekend when
you look. So this is what we're gonna put the time capsule. My last question for you. The teams that are north of the playoff bar right now, in the East and the West, do they stay the way they are? And if they don't, who goes up and who goes down?
In the playoffs?
One second, we pull up my standings, ye pull up.
Your sad So pull up your standings, and so do the Do the nine stay the nine in the east and the west?
Just just in terms of above the line, you mean.
Just above the line, So nine above the line gonna be the nine? Does someone come from below the line? And then who dumps out in the East and the west. That's that's the This is the the time capsule question that we open up in October and November.
I would say the nine stay up in the East. I was hedging on Chicago because they haven't. They've been too inconsistent for me. But I think they're trending in the right direction, so I'll keep them above the line. I think Charlotte will figure out a way to stay there, and the teams above that as well, I mean New England, NY, CFC. If they do something in the summer, I think they
could both make a push. I think it's a lot of a lot of points to make up for, like in Atlanta, right understood, So, but then again, it's a forgiving lee. So you know, if they finally put all those puzzle pieces together and play the way they should with you know, that multi million dollar lineup that that is there, I think, you know, they can make a run of it as well. But yeah, like the teams that are above, it's hard to it's hard to say, you know whom I who might go below that, Like
Red Bulls haven't been great. They've been good, but like they they they don't until last year. I guess the thing is they don't do much in a playoffs where they make the playoffs. So so I'll say as of right now I'll say, yes, all those teams will stay above.
Okay, just thought, just thought I would ask, So we will keep that in the time capsule and we will bring it out and we'll see how incredibly correct we all are when.
It comes to yeah, looking at the west, Yes, hmm, it's.
It's a it's a similar kind of thing, right you look at the last spot, like there's two points separating Colorado and Houston.
And four with Dallas. If you want to go that far.
I'm not gonna go that far. Okay, I think, uh yeah, I don't think I will say that that again. It's not fun, I guess because it's it's going chalk. But I think I would say that those nine stay. My only caveat maybe being that nine ten spot with Houston Colorado.
But and the future of Zach Stephan and Nett in Colorado for the next four Yeah.
I was gonna say, you know, salt Lake with Luna, but I think Luna, if he keeps playing the way that he's playing, I don't think he'll be here past the summer, so understood. And that's the only guy. That's all they have.
Yeah, salt Lake, So yes, sixteen goals seventeen matches and they've given up twenty five so they're at minus nine and they got some work to do, winning two on the road and at home so far. So you're on the desk. When are you on the desk this weekend? You're on the desk tomorrow there, Thursday, Saturday. Okay, So you get to enjoy MLS after dark on Friday, right, Yeah, unless, of course you're actually going to spend time with family or something.
Yeah.
Well, usually I'm up early on Saturday, so I'm not sure if I'm making the full two hours of MLS after dark on Friday night.
Okay, all right, Well, as always, my friend, it's great to see you, great to get to all of your insights when it comes to everything going on in and around the league. We'll catch up with you on the flip side and you get to let us know what you think about it.
Landy nighted then y C next week. Yeah, buddy,