Soccer Down Here 9/26/24: Thursday Thoughts, Nino and Niko, Stupidity Down Here

Just dropped in the morning show here on the SDH network. John here, are you there, and thanks for dropping by. And we know over the next twenty six hours, at least from a broadcast perspective, it might be a little challenging, and so today it literally will be as best as we can and hopefully we can get through the show this morning without getting any kind of power knocked off or anything like that. Tomorrow, if we have power, will be on the air at nine oh five Eastern time.

Hey?

Did you know? We're up for an award? We are? I don't know if you knew this, And it literally is the one of these things is not like the other situation, the Football Content Awards, And like I said, I'm going to be bordering obnoxious about this until October eleventh, I think, because I think that's the Friday. But Football Content Awards, we are up for Broadcaster Rights Holder. We are up for those. And get this, it's just the wild It literally is just the wildest thing that we

And his Crestinadian Championship can win the Boyzers Cup for the Vancouver White Cups vxcus. It's day Vancouver White Cups successfully enough.

The Canadian Championship win.

The second time in three seasons, said the Vancouver White Cups to CHINAFC penalties.

And Jimmy Brennan.

Then once again the lifting the Lawyers hs Cup days.

It sponsors.

There you go and beyorn inga Utvic was the individual that got the final kick in the can Champs for any Sartini and the white Caps to get it over the over the bar, and you if you watched it, or if you found a way to watch the highlights, you saw that jorning Utvic actually was wearing the soft helmet to help out with uh any kind of contact with concussions or any any integration with concussions, contact had

Yeah, no, we made it back home, made it back home late last night. It was like ten hours to get out of Florida around whatever the hell is coming, only to arrive to another weather system in Atlanta.

That was fun.

Yeah, I didn't. I tried to stay up. I got through like forty five minutes of LA and Kansas City. Yeah, I was a little bit and like VAM was losing his.

Mind and I'm happy for Bam.

Part of me was tickled at the idea though of l a f C continuing to lose in finals. But hey, you know what the secret is, get l a f C into extra time and they'll take care of business. Columbus, Look, beating Club America in the Capes Cup isn't for everyone.

It's okay, this is a safe place for your judgments, but.

It's not for everybody. Sometimes you need a Jeff Lorenowitz moment. It didn't have one. The most fun moment was uh kuco hitting it outside of the foot Tevallo.

That was just beautiful. That led nothing.

It was still beautiful though it was beautiful.

Uh it was saved, which is the kind of thing that like, here's the disconnect for me, because if that gets posted here, all I see is social media accounts losing their ship about well, it didn't result anything, whereas Kuco can do it. Everybody's falling over themselves like it's mister magoo and.

You should fall over it.

But but but they are correct and the same thing should be done here. Look, if we post somebody as an amazing pass, let's pay off.

Sometimes it's not gonna pay off. Sometimes you can get sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get beat.

Yes, and uh, but also you got beat. They go keep her in the moment. Then we had the entire conversation once again about goalkeepers coming off the line early ball hits a crossbar in the Penlties. I get you're trying everything you can to angle this towards MLS digital people.

Cross bar.

Uh.

Also, if we're going to keep planting this further and further towards the guys taking the kick. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Columbus is just fun once again. I am waiting for someone from Europe to come a colin Ah for for well, for Nanzi.

I don't know when that happens. I don't know if he takes it.

I don't know Nanzi's mental you know where he is mentally and emotional? Like, is he the kind of guy who's like, you know what, I got a great thing here in Columbus and I'm just gonna like be the biggest fish in this particular sea.

Or does he want more?

Someone's gonna throw someone's gonna throw few money at him eventually, whether he takes it or not.

There isn't a time with a different conversation.

Yeah, and guards thinking if the goalkeeper doesn't affec the result of a pKa where off their line, the result still stands.

I still have my beef.

With the way because we saw, we saw this happen, not this exact thing. We saw what imubscribe happened in a last next Pro game where a goalkeep where a taker runs up, hesitates super hard, it comes to a stop. Go Hibbert comes off his line anticipating the kick. The guy hesitates. Hibbert comes like has taken that step where he had tied it in a way that had the guy actually kicked it, Hibbert's foot would have still been on the line and he was using that foot to drive.

And I don't know.

How we expect goalkeepers to make saves in those situations for those rules. And if we're gonna say, now, if you know Web and Doral and everybody, you're gonna or I think we leave the charge. I think the pointed out the rule book apologies was part of it. He

Yeah, at what point do you just not have keepers in there?

Yeah?

Are you gonna like also say the keeper has to keep both feet on the line until there's contact. The keeper has to stand perfectly still, and he can't make any loud noises. He has to like whisper like he's Elmer Fudd in the woods.

Or it's like the the the uh, the movie with what's her face? The wife of John Krasinski. A quiet place. Oh yeah, yeah, you always lunch Emily Blunt. Thank you. You've got to you've got to turn being between the sticks into a quiet place, and you can't do anything to exacerbate it, or you take to keep her out entirely, and you just expose the four corners like you do when you're trying to have somebody win a new car, Like I mean the hole there, And you know, why.

Don't we just settle all the games by goalie wars. There you go, I like that settle by goalie wars. But yeah, I mean, if we're gonna say that he came off this line early and the guy hit the crossbar, maybe he just hit the crossbara. Sometimes you just hit the crossbar like the guy let the other direction.

Anyway, mm hmm.

That is true.

But yeah, it had been cool to see MLS winner at the trophy. Yeah, that was fun game anyway. Yes, but you don't you don't have to like keep bending, like not bending, but changing the rules further and further and further altering. Yeah, yeah, to favor everything towards the guy at the spot.

Yeah, are absolutely not fair to go keepers it all especially in PK shootouts.

Keepers to break all the school Yes, so you want to add an entirely new rule. MLS media folks like y'all want to add an entire new rule to make it even more so. Honestly, we're to the point now if a goalkeeper makes a save in a shootout, he should get to get up and just basically do a full deepo Martinez. He should get to like air house whatever he wants. If he wants some DX cross shop you,

A save in these anymore.

You gotta be like you gotta be in someone's skull him Elia who is one hundred and eight years old in soccer years, correct.

Or like and be like six foot forty five.

Yes, that is absolutely true, because you know, when you're six foot forty five that does absolutely help you out in these situations. Uh, Bart's going to join us tomorrow morning in the nine o'clock hour, by the way, Power Permitting to discuss all of these things and Bart because Bart dms me and he says, yes, there were a couple of roughing down here moments yesterday or last night to get into and I'm like, cool, bring it. Yeah, So we're gonna do it tomorrow Power Permitting in the

Turnover chain for the goalkeepers, see.

Now that a PK save chain, that's what we need.

And it does refurther, it does further enforce the idea of if you're in a shootout, and this was like where I was like losing my faith in my own insanity in the Least Cup.

Yeah, when it.

Atlanta, like two of the three shootouts, Atlanta has been in Least Cup practice and has either made a save or Josh Con has made a save or a shot has been missed. In the way shootouts are done nowadays, if somebody makes a save, you gotta win.

Absolutely.

It's slanted so hard towards the taker. And I understand some teams don't practice peeks for whatever reason, just it's kind of like for me, like practice your free throws.

I realize that there's no one blocking your free throw.

But like, and it's kind of hard to replicate the tension of the moment, but like practice, you know, practice knowing where you're gonna go with the ball.

When someone makes a save, you gotta win.

Or if someone, you know it, puts one up into space, that might actually knock Michael Bradley's twenty eighteen CONCA Cap Champions Cup final penalty into a decaying orbit.

Yeah, we had that last night in the Botafogo Matchel Tucktanino about that now or two.

That one didn't quite reach Michael Bradley's, which if mirror were still up there would have put mere in the ocean skylab.

Yeah, oh my god. Yeah.

And so Claire, missus Pancalps goalkeeper, said, yeah, that's a psychological win, because all good goalkeepers are actually psychological terrorists and should be treated as such.

And I mean that in the most complementary fashion I.

Possibly can, absolutely, so it doesn't matter if I if I went the wrong. Same role applies to like in the in football, where quarterback throws a fade, he underthrows it.

The quarnerback has beat.

By five yards, but he's underthrown it so much the corner can knock it down. He's absolutely standing up and declaring a no fly zone.

Absolutely, you find.

Out the wrong way in a penalty and you shake it in to h and the hitting little tivvy upside the head. Hey, I'm gonna let you know about it, because guess what, I don't care how that big X appeared on the box of.

Five as an X there. They don't ask cal they ask how many exactly.

And so yeah, next time Jess is on, we've got to ask her about this kind of stuff, about how she approached PK's and how she counsels her her young charges about pks. And we also have to ask about Redding. They're back into their ish ton of problems because another ownership thought has fallen through. And but yeah, next time Jess is on it, we need to ask her about all these GK things about penalty kicks and saves and things like that mentality for keepers. I want to get

So they've they've done such a good job in Columbus obviously across the board on a lot of things. But you went from Patrick Stefan, who's amazing shots, he's an amazing show.

That's about where it begins that you're thinking.

You're thinking when you said Patrick, Sorry, Patrick, ste Jesus Christ, I'm sorry. I can't sleep much.

A lot of driving, a lot of a lot of not sleeping, a lot of like negotiating with a small, hostile.

Seven year old terror.

Zach Stefan is the great shot stopper and the great shots stopper, and that's about where it ends.

For Zach Stefan.

Yeah, I am asking him to do about as much with his feet as I'm asking myself to do with my feet, which.

Is not really anything.

But then you went to Eloy Room, who was really good for a while, and then you went to Chault like you had the plan laid out. They've done really well in that respect, man, And I think if you're Atlanta, you're you were. You were kind of side eyeing Jayden Hibbert in a similar vein of I don't know how quickly Jayden Hibbert gets there.

I think Jaden and Hibbert made some absolute leaps this year. M hm. Also, you're what is Brad forty though Verses thirty nine.

Oh, the old.

Battle Ax goalkeeper was a Team of the week. You got some decisions to make, and he's got some decisions to make if he wants to go be a family man.

Or wants Brad Brad's a man. He's forty.

Yeah, but yeah, I think you're You're in a situation where like I don't know if it's a year or two from now, but I think Jadan Hibbert can be yeah, can be that that guy shoot rather than later. I was excited about his potential.

I think he's shown that he is. But he's shown I think he's.

Better than I expected it to be a year one as a pro. But you yeah, ever, you always want that. You thought you had that when you had uh Cinti Reys and and Justin Garcis, because everybody wants that succession line that Columbus has absolutely nailed.

And I'm sure they have another one in the waiting in the wings. Find one.

No, they've got Stosilapkis for a crew too. They absolutely did.

Yeah, yeah, they got another one. They're fine. The chamber is reloaded.

Yeah, because uh Stoslapkis, I think was a part of Goalie Wars this year. He's been one of the stout keepers for UH Crew Crew two this season. And if I had enough time to go chasing after my notes, I would MLS next pro let me see if, let me see if we have anything resembling statistics involving folks with the MLS.

My favorite thing still is that yeah, Brads ropes h. Brad turns forty this month. I love sports because we can look at a guy and go, he's forty years old.

He shouldn't even be anymore.

How was he playing pasuzla out here kicking a ball around while his bones turned to dust? Whereas like the rest of us are like staring straight in the face of forty being like, you.

Know what, I'm not that old.

Yeah, Stoslopkiz seventeen matches this season, starting for Crew two, and it is a let me see, I hate these because his passing percentage, he's down all the way down at the bottom of the page. Passing percentage at eighty four and a half percent this year out of the blocks inside is eighteen and so Lopkiz has been I mean, Lopkiz has been the lead guy for Crew two this season. And Crew two right now in the Eastern Conference, they're

Yeah, I know, I'm still salty and like it's you gotta Atlanta's gotta figure out the twos have got to figure out a way to hit out of the blocks the way.

They get late the year.

Yeah, because in the second year in a row where you started out, actually you did this last year too, I got I think it was like the second game you humbled somebody and you're like, oh, okay, you got you got something here, and then you just kind of wander through the dark through half the season. You you start to find yourself and get consistency in the late part of the season, but it isn't there long enough to your having to chase the low eyes and you gotta find a way to.

Carry that through the whole season.

Because we saw when it was working that it was really fun and when guys were consistent, it was really fun.

It's just it's a it's a tricky thing to navigate them well.

And the other point, and I'm sure that we will get into this uh with Steve in our last conversation with him as we get ready for the matchup against Union two on Sunday at this So that means that power permitting, it's going to be tomorrow with Steve uh.

One of the weddings shifting east.

Yeah, so we make it punched right in the face. The team had two three week breaks.

Yeah, I I know.

I would like to punch people in the nose of the mlsxpro over this metaphorically speaking literally, not trying to get charges. I yeah, you handed a team two three week breaks, You like restructured their entire schedule to hand them three week breaks, and then in turn handed them a bunch of congestion instead of a normal easy, like hey play once a week schedule. I just have no

I don't know.

Yeah, but Jesus Christ, what the hell were you thinking?

Well, and that's the that's the larger point is what the hell were you thinking? And you know, you end up with a team when they were in rhythm that was doing very very well, I mean their.

Results and if and if it hinges on, Oh we had to change the schedule because so and so was an Open Cup. Then just go back to the way you did Open Cup before and put the MLS teams in there.

Yes, I know there's.

Issues with other leagues not doing enough to drop up Open Cup Financially, it's a little tricky for them, and I know there's layers to this, But if you're going to have those questions and then all this next pro teams and Open Cup, oh we had to change the schedule around, then figure out a way to put the

Well, just ask what was it William hurt in the in the movie in the Crap in the movie in the nineties where he said, when you die, you connect, you connect planes in Atlanta. That's literally how it's all structured. And I mean it's it is.

I was always told whether you when you die, whether you go to heaven or hell, you got to keep the flat out of Atlanta.

And thank you.

Alex for sharing this from Charlie Bold Kat Comorrow on USOC legacy. Don Garber was here. I saw him, he was on the podium. He gave me a medal. So just get him in here and make sure they don't take mls away from this. This is amazing. You know,

Thing up financially, right, Like you need.

Help from US Soccer to actually support this tournament. Lower level leagues can only do so much in terms of throwing money into it because they only have so much money to throw in to it, especially when you get into USL teams, just because USL is insanely expensive to be.

A part of.

First of all, the laundry list of teams longer than my leg they have tried to go.

To USL and just crashed on because it's.

Expensive, it's hard. There's financial stuff you gotta c. US Soccer needs to clean up, and MLS needs to clean up with them.

Ripping MLS out of this ain't ain't the answer.

Also, one of the things was watching this game last night, was once again incredibly pissed off that you know, Atlanta loses that game to INDYE eleven.

Because Indye eleven went and played SKC and lost. Case he was in the final.

Last night, you two stands away from a final and he didn't get there.

Because you lost. Don't do a USL team.

Huh. I'm sorry. I'm angry all over again about it.

It was unacceptable. Man. I get you were balancing guys because the schedule was chaotic at the time.

Yeah, but Jesus and it's sock.

The worst part of that whole thing was like, once again, Daxon's like US Open career ends on a really ugly young goal where he's just trying to make a play like it sucked for Dax. Yeah, but dah Man, like MLS US soccer. I need you to sit down at the table. Bring the other leagues into this. Everyone, grab a seat at the table. Don't worry what this giant key and padlocker for min you own damn business. I'm

I even put some.

Sparkling water from the bougie among you figure your shit out to get there.

Yeah, that's that's uh, that's one way too. Uh, that's one way to look at it. Just get it, get it all squared away, and get your ish together.

Uh part I would also accept Motel six and Tombo Debt presenting the trophy.

Oh see, I mean I but we had we fixed the MLS All Star Game. Do we need to fix Open Cup now too?

I mean possibly. I mean there's, like I said, like, there's some of the things that Don Garber is.

Really really good at putting his foot.

In his mouth, even when he has a silent point, even when he is on a side that I agree with, like open Cup is not perfect.

MLS does a lot of financial heavy lifting with open Cup.

I get it, yea, even when he's on the what on a side I agree with, I still feel like Don Garber likes to insert foot into mouth.

A lot, and like, man, you don't have to play tough guy with this.

You don't have to play like the aggressive We're the good guys. Angle It's it's okay.

Boss, we get it all right. So it took me a while and I couldn't find it in an organized form without the dates being blotted out. So I finally got it. Uh Nino Torres joining us in ten minutes. Okay, So you play two matches, you're one and one, you beat Core one nil, then you get a three week break. After that three week break, out of the blocks, you lose three of four and the first two matches after that three week break. You get out scored nine to one. It was also to the top two teams in the

Six and you and you know, and let's speak blunts about it didn't win enough of.

Those They did not win enough.

Of those games.

That is why you're in it.

Look, first team is in a very similar situation. Look, first team is.

Not out of the playoffs. They're they're in a gaggle of teams where they need to win games. You know why you're in a gaggle of teams You need.

To win games because you lost like five or six straight at home that you shouldn't have lost. The teams you shouldn't have lost to now granted two of those losses, I can look directly at Pro and slap them upside the face. For the LAFC game was a joke, and the Charlotte game turns on one of the most unacceptable far overturns that I've ever seen. Charlotte was dead in the water in that game, and Pro handed them a goal and a lifeline back into that game.

You shouldn't have lost to Minnesota in that span. You should have beat Philadelphia. Like you, you dropped games that you can't drop, and the twos did that too, They dropped home games that they can't drop.

Right, you had it was six of seven at home to start, then you had seven of nine on the road. You get off to the start where you lose three your first four at home, but then you end up with scheduled compression and you lose of those three. Say, of the seven of eight that you started at home, you only won two, so you could have made Hey, well the sun shine and you only won two. Yeah, you win to your first eight. Then you go on the road for seven of nine and you don't. You

Yes, yes, two three week breaks, I mean. The thing.

The thing about both of the clubs this year, and one of the reasons I got disappointed by by their feelings to get into the playoffs is despite especially with the first seam, despite any doom and gloom. This is not a this is not a rant to dump on them or say that everything sucks or doom and gloom, because what's frustrating is the inconsistency.

Because boats showed you that they can be good, but they.

Didn't show that consistency, and those disappointing performances would not be as disappointing if I did not feel like they can be better, Like the talent is better, the players are better, the collective can be better than what they showed, because yeah, man, we got some games where the twos were just not on the step Maddie and I had a number of times we went down to that locker room or you know, the locker room, excuse.

Me, in the media room.

Yea, and Steve had come in after just reading the Absolute ride Act to them. We watched the first team sleep walk through this unacceptable game with Nashville two weeks ago. Uh, both teams had those games where, like you just for

They showed better than that, and they didn't.

They did not consistently deliver better than that.

That's on them to figure out.

Like I said, coaches, Rob Gonzo, Steve Cook cannot go out bear and do it for him. That cannot be behind them with Whips and with Fire twenty four.

Seven, And Michael says the way to fix the MLS All Star Game is to end it. It's almost like the end of war games for Michael.

Sometimes I would actually support this, I don't really care.

We look, we fixed the MLS All Star Game, Nick and I did, and John we introduced Maddy to it, and Maddie is like low key horrified by the insanities.

That we have created. This like Eldridge horror of an All Star game, the.

Hell of a TV show though, but we.

We fixed it.

Just do that, like don't don't let it be serious, turn into like a royal rumble thing.

Let it be dumb, doesn't make serious.

I'm fun with it. So no one gets injured and screws up the rest of their season slash career because of a body check that happens in your own venue and legs up uh Tom until the TV show known as League Cup gets canceled for low ratings or low interest or whatever. It's always it's it's going it is going to be a TV show that is going to be attached to Apple TV Plus. It is a TV It's like Shrinking and Ted Lasso. It is a TV show on Apple TV Plus.

Oh I started watching Shrinking. It was pretty good.

Yes, I And look, Tom Michael, I get it. They're making money off of it. It's not You're not going to just be able to power it away.

We can. You can wish it away all you wanted. There's money in it for him.

Mm hmm. So easiest thing to to fix Open Cup, Leagues Cup. Just flex out your rosters, just make it, make it. Make it like the n b A. Don't put limits on the number of times that you can use someone and call someone up. Give your roster the accepted flexibility. Where l a FC did the quiet part out loud two seasons ago. Remember the game against Monterey Bay where they started seven LAFC two players and a backup keeper and still couldn't beat and still couldn't lose

That's that's yeah. I need MLS the Players Association, instead of laying everybody to figure.

Their lives out.

Absolutely so we can have this so we can Yeah, so we can say, hey, we're gonna on Open Cuper Leaks Cup and we're gonna put academy kids.

Out there, right, go for it. Yeah. It's still as.

Bs that a player can play in us L and still which is a professional league. They maintain their eligibility to play college athletics, but they can't play an MLS game and maintain their eligibility.

Yeah, get the hell on, Yes, Michael, Yes, there Hey, there were moments of leaks cuff that were hilarious, like in just a just an absurd sick go.

Way like there are there were moments where they were absolutely hilarious to watch on the vault, and they're gonna need to find a way to make it more appealing as time goes on, though, They're gonna need to refine it. I'm sure they're gonn try because again, yeah, I'm right.

Television proud.

Yeah. So uh, I mean that's it. Look I mean, I mean, but yeah, we we fixed the world's issues. That's why we were nominated for a football Content award because we fixed the world's problems. I imagine there was a little bit more to it than that, but yes, and yees. Schedule compression, good lord Christ the absolute inverse of what happened with Atlanta United two. You end up with well and because of three week break, you end up with scheduled compression, and you end up with uh

Yo, But John, don't you know six games in nineteen days is fine because you had a three week break and you actually stockpile all of that time off. It's not like the body actually needs time to recover from things. Now, three week break cover everything. You just stuck pile and you just you hoard all that time off, you hoard all that oxygen. You just do a little blood spinning like you're climbing up the tourd of frosts, and then you go about your life.

Yes, absolutely true, that that is absolutely how this works. Yeah. Your your body, your body, your body, you know, saving all of that energy and from those two three week breaks, then turning around and playing six and nineteen it is like a squirrel trying to get ready for hibernation.

You could also expand out the rosters and expand out the salary cap and let teams build more complete teams with better death that can play these tournaments.

Oh my god, you could also do that.

Oh my god, Yeah, you could also do that, But no, why would you why would you want to do something like that. Now we can't we can't have that. Just to put a bow on what happened with LAFC and Sporting Eric times, I'm scored in the sixtieth after Olivier's Jeru who said he's gonna fly twenty hours this month on planes, on for matches for beginning mcgah for Major League Soccer. Congratulations Olivia, Jeru, welcome to traveling in the United States in general. For business. Compost scored at one

You know, you know you losgh community, mister John Nelson, Junt Smith, Yeah, everybody, yeah, man, so happy.

To be here, man, Yeah, all right. So we got into Open Cup. We were talking about the US Open Cup and talking about Campion's Cup and all the competitions that happened last night, and Jared and I were getting into the weeds. And one of the one of the things that we did, and this was before you started joining us, going fully loaded on your Thursdays. Yes, you're gonna need to be hydrated for this, is that because of the flaws of MLS's All Star Game, we spent

It's a good question, man.

Uh, but but I think when he took the chances again to come over here to to Columbus.

He didn't realize how well was he going to do?

And uh, you you come up with with expectations to you to do the best of the UH that you can. But when you get this, this kind of success, we're talking about four finals in a year. Man for four finals in a year is an unpresent for for MLS teams and Uh, I think that his commitment with the club is is gonna make you say, maybe for another year.

I want to say one more year. Okay, but then it's crazy.

But at the same time, it's strassy nowadays because it's so hard to turn down the the the the obnoxious amount of money that is coming from the office right and and I don't know if that that kind of that kind of money is gonna be going down in the MLS anytime soon. So but basically what the guy did, basically what his relationship with with the players, with the club. I think I would stay. I would stay one one more year, see, you know, to to give me, you know,

Jared leading off with your first question for Nino here is we're fully loaded on a Thursday.

Yeah, This is actually I think my only one. I have a work call I have to jump on to.

But I will want to ask about No, no, no, I want to ask about.

I want to ask about what was down We're about to follow last night.

Okay, we're going there, all right.

I'm using violence to start, I'm dropping a grenade to leave it.

Oh, so let me ask you. I'm gonna I'm gonna answer that question with another question. So how many finals for UH for Atlanta this year?

There will be there will there will be a final game, our final game on decision Day?

Is that?

Wow?

Wow?

Jared went with violence and Nino just shot right back. He took the grenade. Literally, Jared threw a grenade.

No, that's fine, no, because like it wasn't even just the grenade. It was just the insanity.

Of that game that like I got, you.

Know, I was on the road for ten hours yesterday driving back from Florida, and I got home just in time for a shootout and nothing. I said that about what the hell is happening? Like I don't know, like I we we have for years tried to spread the gospel of pseudo Medicana and Roberta Doors to people and every year we just keep going together like see see this is k this is fun.

Please watch.

Yes, yes, yes, that's what we like.

Man, that's what we like here and in coming all you know, because you going to a war every single game, and every.

Single game is abouttle everything single game. It's a lot of stake and it's just it's it's.

So much fun to watch, man, It's so much fun to watch because you got these all advantain from the games and there's and we got plenty of games also coming up tonight and hopefully there's more to come for for the MLA.

I don't I know that.

Is logistically undoable for the MLS to to uh to complaints were coming bal Or to Americana, but this I have this to don't gover.

Once when he was.

In Columbus, so most I said, hey, any chance that we're gonna go down there to plays? It's like, think about this and go from Seattle to freaking Buenos Aires.

Man, I don't know how many hours it's just to fly.

It's like fifteen hours, fifteen give it a take, right, it's it's.

Go New York to Santiago. No, no, no, but uh you know what, why not try one year, just one year.

Right, there's enough money for them to try it. There's enough money on the table. They'll try anything once.

Mm hmm, yeah, I mean it.

This is a lot of money on the table.

So I don't know.

I think if you, if you guys have'm talking about Domingus on Darby.

Think is why not?

Man? Why not?

Why not try once?

Trying to see and maybe if it doesn't work? Okay, you said we try right, Like you're true?

I mean, could you?

I would?

I would lose my mind if they try. Can you imagine Mercedes Benz Stadium. Yeah, we juniors coming here for a full stadium experience.

People would not know what to do. They're not prepared for that. They're not prepared for Like, hey, we sit l A f C on the road, what'd you do? We're sitting into Monumental?

How'd that go?

That?

Will no one?

I was ready for that, but still, man, do you you dropping those perspective matchups? I pulled the rock here from WrestleMania forty. I'm like, I'm doing that.

I'm doing Olivia.

Olivia the Ruse played all over Europe dropping in Monumentsal at thirty eight years old, like nope, nope, nope. Sorry guys, my calf tightened up.

I'm good.

I mean, could you. I mean picture this. We we're fixing international soccer this morning. I'm fully loaded, that's what we're doing. I mean picture this. If you had an L A f C. If you had a Messian friends, if you you get the Gulf Stream Galacticos to go play river plate and have it mean something? Holy Christ.

No, no, just let me let me go a step forward.

There, here we go. All right, we're go for it.

So of course I swear I didn't smoke anything weird this morning. But when I say this, all right, how about just picture this right in Atlanta, United.

Couple, Oh my god, there's.

You want.

You want money on the table. Then enter Miami, down to Newles, then Messi and down to Newles. Oh wow, watch what happens. They might retire on the spot and just hang out for a while.

But watch that. Watch the attendance of that game.

But at the same time, you got you better have the you better have the gendarme, like in like a three mile radius around Newell Stadium. Because of all the stories that folks are saying about Messi if he ever comes home and goes back to Newles But I mean to have those kinds of matchups, to have an l A f C, to have an LA Galaxy, to have a crew, to have a MESSI and friends, to have in Atlanta, United going into the into these competitions that we the SDH super Copa. That's it. That's what we're

That's it. That's it.

I'm all. I'm all jacked up now, okay, all right, So both the Focos the Apollo. Last night, some guy named Thiago Almada scored. Folks in Atlanta might have heard of him. Then for the longest time it was one nil, and then the eighty seventh you get an equalizer. Then

It's gotta be like that. And and you know, I was watching that game. I watched the full game of follow and whattfolo? And really that's a polity, no god match man, no god matching?

What the follow?

And then I'm so happy for for what the bol to reach the finals, then the finals.

There's just still a couple more games semis.

Yeah, but they got the semi finals of the Coming Bowl tournament in fifty one years, man, fifty one years man, it is It is ridiculous.

So it's special for what thefore? And I'm so happy for an after that derail from last year.

They were leaning for seventeen points and they ended up behind, and they have blowing up that lead.

Seventeen point lead, man, how do you go up seventeen point leading a tone? It is ridiculous. But back to the penalty thing, it's that's the beauty.

Man.

I don't know why people, why people, it's against the penalties.

It's in the most even decision for a game, you know, just you know, then you gotta go for clipping a colin in, right. But penalties are fun, penalties are dramatic.

Penalties adds so much more to the game and a lot more to the game.

And I'm so for it for the for the penalties. But I mean said that, you know, I missed when I missed from Prince Rules.

It's the the golden goal.

Okay, that was that was That was awesome.

That that was super dramaic. But because because once you score, the game was over. That moment you score game over, game over, Oh my beautiful.

I think they might consider to bring that up back up.

That would be pretty sweet night. It is peni Roll and Flamingo. Flamingo in the juice boxes is a plus one twenty four. They're a road favorite six o'clock Eastern time. In the US, peni Roll is a plus two thirty five, and Flamingo is a plus two twenty two.

Oh pion All Everyone's soup be supporting Pinionole the Catronados. The Giants are Batman. The Giants are five times champions, go believe its man, five times man, and now they.

Have even won this tournament since nineteen eighty seven.

This is the first chance to go back into the finals since twenty eleven when they.

Lost to Santos.

And uh, what I saw in the first leg being you you old, got you gotta you got Joe, you got to google dot dot golf. From being old, they're swimming many Google up because it's just it's this magic. It's magic, you know, all the elaboration from side to side. It's not on one side finishing the other side and having to hold hoving to the the character to hold on Flamingo because they went after them, but Pole did not finch, did not finch one time, not one time.

They could have put a couple more goals with a couple.

More counter attacks, so it could have been the distance could have been longer, but one.

It is what it is.

And now they're going back to a Celo Stadium.

Imotivideo sold out, completely sold out Biondelo in motivideo to welcome the old Mighty Flamingo. That a roster of two hundred and fifty million dollars, bigger than anyone else in the in the continent. All right, it was funny because the other day we were somebody match up the rosters leagues,

And but but if there's.

A concrete that can stand up against Brazil.

That's your wife.

And they they've done it many times, many times, and that thing they're gonna do it.

I get it.

It's the moment for piano. Let's go pian, all right.

Uh, the other half of the bracket has already been figured out and they don't play again until late October. It's Atletic, it's Atletico and river Plate and so river Plate after knocking off Colo Colo two one in the aggregate, they advanced and Athletico was down one nil to flem An Insay before scoring two goals and making their way through So Atletico River Plate one semifinal. Both the Fogo waits on pay roll. Who's up one nil in the

Yeah, that's that's the.

More even match up right there between Real played and Athletic Dominato, because I think we played has.

Enough to be Athletic mania after what I saw last night. It was it was a massacre.

Twenty five shots, twenty five shots from Athletic do Minato, seventeen of those on target.

The seventeen on target.

All right, the goal was massive. Then there it'scoring. Only two goals. It missed a penalty, Hulk missed a penalty. But Attic Dominado last night it was wild.

It was.

It was scary, scary, and I think that we played even with the old mighty Ga Yardo and the world champions with and the tourn of Cini for real play. This is gonna be off to who knows, who knows?

Soon.

I want to see that we have played versus Spando.

Finally, Oh yeah, no doubt uh soon Americana, they're still in the quarters leading into the Semis. Corinthians made it no problem. They had beat fort Lesa five nil in the aggregate to make it to the Semis. And yesterday Lanoos was going up against the Indiana mid Ejen and for Lenows there's another familiar phase for Atlanta United folks. It is Marcelna Moreno. So Marcelna Moreno's getting reps right now at Lenouse and Lenous. It took him a while, but they got the win. It was a goal is

I think Corinthians is gonna take it. Corinthians is gonna take.

It on on Lanus and and I love, I love that my boy Andre Carrio is starting now, not just playing for Corinthians, starting for Corinthians in the right wing.

And the picture is right because in Brazil, if you if there's if there's two positions that we can get more quality is wingers and our backs, right, and he is playing as a winger in THELA that is remarkable at the age of thirty two. My boy, all my my goodbybes to you, and and Luis it's it's a classic. It's a classic Insul American. Did they always go up

They're minus one seventy nine tonight, hosting athletical part in i NSA at a plus four eighty four. So right now the juice boxers are saying Crusado and Rossing Clube winning tonight to work their way through. But the biggest question is can they win big enough tonight, because can they win big enough tonight to get through? Cruzero's already got a two nil lead. So if they win, they've

I think that Rossing Globe, the game is gonna go into the penalties. Man, They're gonna go into penalties. I don't think that, even though who knows that? Because if we got Martinez and Kato in a in a in a big night, it could be something special for Russian that they're looking to go back into the the semi finals.

Of International Company Chapter twenty seven years.

It's been it's been a long time in the in the making for Russian who has a cous as a man.

Of the house, right, a big, big rassing gist leading the way. But uh, it all depends.

It all depends if the Columbia is all fire case closed. Okay, close, thing goes with all penalties, but it could be either way.

And the other match up, the Crusado, they're gonna not gonna have any merit in Liberta.

I'm sorry, Liberta, you got your chance to see if this is the thing. If they win and home they're done.

Yeah, so yeah, you you you gotta you gotta go now, I go to Brazil and you you're not gonna make it.

You're not gonna make it, all right, So I have your list and I have we have we have three topics to get to before we do the handoff. And I know that you probably want to ask about uh Roberta drs and Suit Americana with Nico when he shows

So that's crazy, right, I don't know what's going on with the with the with the people from Alima, because this is the year of the Cincinnado whenever, for one hundred years of the of the club and then they've been throwing stories here and there, but yesterday it was one of the I mean for me, for us, it's funny, right, for when you study fantasy, it's funny because it's all said and done.

Water has more championships than anyone else. Right, we got twenty seven titles.

Alias Elva has twenty five, but there is uh this story from the title from nineteen thirty four.

Nineteen thirty four, you know the books, the official.

The official records from the PREVIM the soccer federations, is that when you started reports won the title for nineteen thirty four, right, and Alias Alima won the previous three. They got the the the three championships in a row. They could have done it four in a row. Unpresidented.

It never is done. It has never been done in Peru anyway. So but there's these uh historians, historians.

They say that, I'm not that's not true that Alan Salima won that year, even though the title points at twenty one points right, twenty one points on twenty one for another studio. But it was decided because of the result of the reserves. So aliensa reserve. It needn studios reserve, and that's how they decided the title, right and uh. And then the pruing OCCA Federation said, you know what, We're gonna play one matchup one. It took like six

We're gonna do a plus one.

There you go.

You know we're gonna were gonna play one game and one game only, and it gets who won. We won't, all right, but no, no, no, no, no, this is not true. This is not true. You gotta start fake, you gotta start fake.

So this guy, this Brandon journalist, send an email to FIFA in February right third.

I think it is the date.

Oh my god, you just.

Got that response yesterday, right yesterday, got the response.

No, the champion of nineteen thirty four improved, and that it's been going on all around.

You have no idea, man, It's like Southeastern Conference football. It's like you know, rivalries. No, we've got this many wins, No, we've got this. No, we know exactly what you're talking about with college football and those kinds of things. Brother. That is that is That's about Park. That's about that's about Park.

It was funny, man, it was funny.

That is absolutely and and so yeah, I can I can see how you guys are taking swings at each other over that. But yeah, that's that's that. That is a college football Saturday in the Southeast. Man. You get those rivalry numbers.

Their official records.

Man the records on the records, you know, no, there Look, there are college football rivalries in the Southeastern United States where they dispute the number of wins. And it goes back to those times that are ninety to one hundred years ago, were records and newspapers. You remember newspapers where it's like, you know, yeah, this is what we think happened, but how many people were there and how many people remember it? And like, no, we won that game. No,

And then and I'm gonna do something about this, maybe because I'm not I'm not I'm not done with the same.

I'm sick of this.

I know, you know when your title is, but not that there was.

The h This this is the newspaper in Parokire is the the biggest one of all el coomercial they got they have, of course, they're archives, and I'm gonna go there and diving give me.

The fives from nineteen thirty four. I'm gonna pull it, out it up. I don't know if I can take a picture or not, but we'll feel something out about. I'm gonna go there and pull the fish rekles from that year because they have it.

They do have it, so.

Watch out, all right.

You are hip deep in the Portuguese Premira right now? What's doing with goal TV? And it is time to get out the trumpet and hit it as loud as humanly possible. Grab the siren, sit there and wind it up and make it as loud as possible. Because you you are turning into the Victor Yokeresh fan club president. Understandably so considering what he's doing at Sporting, but you are sounding the Yo Korsh siren and hitting it as

To forty goals in forty games this year, no one has more goals than Victor Joggris in the planet.

He has more than Mbapei, he has more than Hallan. He's ahead of those two, all right, and not only that in the last ten matches. Last time listen to this. Huh seventeen goals on papacies in the last ten match.

So tell me if your boy Halena has on that, tell me, tell me, just tell me, no, no, no, nobody, nobody is a little as Victor Yochris.

Right now on the planet. Man on the planet.

All right, So breaking out and of course you're want to see it in the Champions like now, week after week and he's gonna keep adding out those numbers and then they're going down to.

Uh to Iron Dahmer next week and next week.

So I think it's gonna be another another massive night for Bigger Yograshy in the Champions League and now this hopefully and hopefully in.

The in the winter transfer window.

So crazy it comes up with two hundred million to take out Joggers out of the Permier year. That's the only way that they can take him out because he's released closes right now is a hundred million now and.

It's gonna get even bigger and bigger with Yo Koresh if Sporting can pull the trigger. My guess is it it'll happen after the regular season's over because they don't want to uh, you know, they don't want to upset things and what they're doing right now. They want to win the league. They want to go as far as they get a Champions League. They gotta hang under Yokoresh until the season's over. Then I think they make the deal.

Uh.

You also had a really cool story involving Sporting CP and one of their one of their big fans. What happened there?

Yeah?

It was crazy, right because I was calling the game the Sporting game last weekend and I show this grandma and this grandma with her jersey of Sporting right, all the fans, all the the the head coach, he got pictures with the players and how it's going on on the air, and it is so cool because I when something like this happens in Portugal, I always said on her Guys filmman here, what's going on that? People on ex people on the Instagram everywhere? Just right to me,

So then boom, somebody.

Said that to me, Boom, send it to me and says, this lady lost her her house on a fire. Because there's a lot of fires in Portugal right now, as well as in Peru too. I'm glad that they're in. It's over now.

But the.

TV was, you know, this lady is losing her house. But she was saving her sporting club stuff from the fire.

Wow.

Right, her memorabilia, that's what she saved. That's what she rescued from her house. Nothing else but her beloved clubs memorabilia. And so they saw that on the news. They called the lady.

They he was just just.

Just t People don't understand.

And what what the.

Passion for for the sport for your club man aided your callors in your heart man for a reason.

How much? How much? That's very cool? How much Universitario stuff do you have there in the the studio, Dinino? How how much stuff do you have?

Of get a couple of things? I got a couple of things. Oh but I promise you right. Oh, I want to show you something. Oh my boy, my boy.

Here, Oh yeah, here we go. We are a pet friendly environment. We are pet friendly. Oh yeah, here we go. There he is bringing the man to the table here. He he's like, what I do. Oh, he's got his jersey, buddy, that's awesome. And you woke him up. He's just like, know, can dad, can you put me back on the sofa? I was sleeping? Can you do that for me? You woke him up to show the jersey. He's like, man, can you just put me back on? Can you put me back in the sofa? You woke my ass up

We're gonna gonta light schedule this week and we got two games on sun on Saturday and two games on Sunday. Of course, we got the big the big dogs from Portugal got the the Picas game on Saturday, it's at three thirty pm eastertime versus the Jubi Senti. Then we got the U one Championship with wonder Rest versus Danubio. Danube's the only leader. This funny perfect in the un Championship. I'm all for that game. And then on Sunday, Porto

Old, Samuel or morod On.

Uh huh, you guys score three.

Goals in the last hundred and twelve minutes.

Yoah, Yeah, we have been keeping an eye on I'm Morodeon and finding out what he's going to be like because the paycheck will exist for I'm Alredyon coming up in short order. All right, last half hour of the show. We know what that means. That means we add Seattle to the mix. I run a fancy open, we turn it into a three way dance with a handoff. I imagine today that the question is going to be the conversation is going to be suder Americana, Roberta Doors. We'll

All?

Right, Here we go, found the open, fancy open. Here we go. H that time beat two three four, It is Nino. It is Nico and it is Nelson. That's where we are here for the final half hour, starting with the handoff. What Nino, what did you want to talk about with Nico this week? Did you want to do Alberta DRS and sit Americana. Where'd you want to go?

Yeah, well we'll go Libertodores they will have Unfortunately there there's no there's no Colombian teams in the on the picture, neither Prubians, so it'll be it'll be nice nice to see that and anytime soon then, But Nico, who do you think you can make a run next year for a for A for the for the Columbia League in the company.

Or the oh man, that's tough man. The Colombian league has been in such a disarray as of late. Actually, my.

Team of Colombia Atlantic National, they're usually at the top of all of these sort of tournaments. I'm not used to watching as where Athletico National is not a protagonist. On Junior was the last one to like really be any sort of competition this year, so it's been a difficult one. I like National either way, not just because I'm it's my team, uh, but I feel like it's one that you're starting to get a group of players

All right, that's the handoff as we go through sud Americana, we go through Libertadors, and we even talked a little bit about what's going on with with Nino and his Columbus Ohio perimeter tattoo. We'll get into that with cooking up in just a little bit. Nino, as always, my friend. Great to have you for the first half hour of the power Hour here on Thursday when we go fully loaded.

I think it's in my Scotch. Always a pleasure to all see you next time.

You got it, Love you be safe and we will catch up soon. All right, And now Nino's gonna go into the green room. What Nino does when we sign off. After the handoff, he listens in the green room. He doesn't just hang up. I mean what he'll do. He'll sit there and he'll listen to us talk about Major League Soccer. Always got the rave greenout? Which cup two or three?

This is two baby two? Absolutely?

Uh So he'll he'll kind of hang out in the green room and he'll react to what you and I are talking about. Literally, there'll be times where he'll fall out of his chair and I can see it in the green room. So we have our we have our South American live audience falling out of their chairs as

Well, I watched two of the three, so I would love to start with Open Cup and then maybe we can put into moving to compelling His Cup after that.

All right, So it was three to one. Kai Kamara obviously with the quote of the day. After the match was over, he said Don was here, meaning Don Garber. I saw him, he was on the podium. He gave me a medal. So just get him in here and make sure they don't take MLS away from this. This is amazing. You know, this is American soccer right here. Don't take away from our history. End quote. So Kai

It does?

It does?

However, I feel like it if he's built a team that.

Can't benefit from that sort of play, then I think it's all good and well.

Right.

I mean, I've always been like you, right, kind of this.

Purist of beautiful soccer, and I want to see you hold the ball, and I want to see you use the width of the field, and I want to see a little bit of flair in some connection, some link up play.

But Steve yeah, I think he saw himself in some situations.

I mean, you don't lose four finals and don't try to change things up. And throughout that time he has been a coach that would rather play counter soccer and rather give you the ball and like you said, not create, but maybe just leive off your mistakes. We're gonna press the ball, We're gonna go and transition, and I think he's built a team for it, right, I mean, the wing play is elite is.

Uh, it doesn't matter which way you go, you go bwanga, you go bug with, you go kick. You got guys that can run perfectly. When it comes to a transition moment.

You have a a holding mid field that is quick distributing the ball, that is going to try as much as they can at delivering the uh switch of player or switching the point of attack whenever it's necessary, whenever you see the space on the other side.

So because of that, I don't hate it.

And I thought that in this particular final they struggled a little bit because Peter Vermis, in a very Peter Vermes type of situation, he gave l a f C the ball and he was very cautious and yes, a lot of people were criticizing Peter for.

Looking a freight in the first half, and I think that's outrageous, man. I mean, you're playing LA f C.

If I'm going to go play you open and I'm going to try to his beat you out what you're good at, I'm not gonna go anywhere. And I thought that that's why this game was as even as it was throughout the first ninety. I thought that, uh, Peter did some some some great things, right. I mean he really limited situations even with Dennis Banga did look like Dennis Blanca votes I'll tell you that.

He mean, he was all over.

He was a handful uh speed, I'm gonna come right at you, clearly taking advantage of Shelton, a non defensive minded player has a right back.

And you saw Kay later on do the same.

Uh.

But uh, Dennis Banca thought was on point.

I thought, jiu has this was the best game I've seen him play, uh since he started with LA f C, obviously with l A f C and MLS. Please don't come at me. The best game I've ever seen him play, I mean with this particular team. And I thought that the speed that Peter wanted to see out of that that midfield, out of their senate defensive midfielders, I thought created some problems at times for LAFC. So it was a great game and Kai Kamara, you gotta just applaud

It was two to one.

It could have still been tied up, it could have been equaled at some point. But Kai Kamara, the way he literally jogs to the eighteen, He's looking at Denny's wangat the entire time Denny Wang is doing his thing on the side. He continues to just lightly jog. He sees that Shelton has no idea he is right behind him. And when then he puts that ball inside with good pace at the right spot, he just runs right in front of Shelton and puts the ball away effortless.

And that's what he's been doing for this team.

And that's credit to Charndolo for being able to use a guy like him with his experience with his IQ and they deservingly won that Open Cup.

But I do want to credit Sporting.

Kansas City for making it hard for taking it to ot for not allowing themselves to just get beat down by l AFC. Tommy is a guy that he's always been productive. He's done it all for Sporting kind the City. He's been in the back line, he's been on a plane out wide, he's played middle. In this one he played as as a cam and and I thought he did it well. It was nice to see him in shallowy uh put that goal for Sporting Kansas City. But LAOC was just too much. At the end of the day,

That's never the best, never to win until two more questions about LAFC, and to your point about Sporting. If I'm Peter Vermes in that matchup, you're on the road, You're going up against the team that is better than you. Why not let them have the ball? Why not let them It's almost like Vermes wants to rope adope you and literally it's like, all right, you can have the ball. You you expand you expend, you spend all of your energy. I'm gonna sit here and I'm gonna wait. I saw.

Yeah, And he said it.

I don't know if it was after the get, but he said, you know, I knew they were going to come at us with everything they had within the first twenty minutes.

So he had to hold on.

He had to do certain things, and we did that. Holding on, Polito gets a great chance in front of goal. And now Polito is a guy that he needs to put those type goes away. And we're talking about a whole different ballgame, right, And that's been Sporting.

Kansas City's season in a nutshell, right.

It's just the fact that their top players are not a top form right now, and guys like shallow Wie and Polito, even Russell, who obviously is at the end of his career already or at least not in his prime. They're starting to see a little bit of problems. But I thought that the strategy was put on right. I thought that they played the game that they that was

How did Carlos How does Carlos Vail fit under the salary?

Kept?

Did they just give him like an Albertson's gift card or something for for stuff? I mean literally, is it like and Albertson's gift cards and you know, maybe a lifetime a lifetime gift card to in and out Burger? How did this come down? How did this fit?

That's a great question. Uh. I know that they have room.

It wasn't much, okay, and that and that was my biggest thing. It's like, you know, how creative are they? Did they actually have room? Was it a gift cards kind of a thing? What is the what was working with here?

All I know is that they they did have room both in roster and his salary, and that number. I'm unaware of what that is because I've read a couple of different reports, and I don't want to give you a wrong number, but there was room for it.

Whether whether that number is the same number.

That you know they told us they gave Gary Bale at one point, and what they're saying that they're giving Louise, I'm not sure what's behind the scenes if they do get that in and out lifetime warranty, you know, if they get a free pass or their entire family to hit up Disneyland, I don't know, but at the end of the day, there's gotta be something.

Else in line. But you know, look the Corlins build.

I think it's interesting. Man, it's more of a celebration to him. I think it's just like a farewell tour. I love the way Carlos kind of tamed all expectations. Man, I'm not ready to play in any team. I'm just here just to help the squad right probably later down the road, and I think that's what it's gonna be.

He's gonna be training, he's gonna be with the guys. He's gonna enjoy of.

Whatever run LAFC makes this season, and whenever his number is called, to be ready to play.

Fifteen twenty minutes.

Maybe I don't know if he'll get a start, but if he does, he's gonna have to get used to all the changes that happened with his offense. He's gonna have to get his body right, and he lets you know already that he his But it's not right to start or to play any minutes at this point in time, So I think it's more of.

A celebration to a player that was great. Look, I kind of envy them.

I would love to see a Nico Letodero final tour in the Club World Cup next year, but she's not gonna happen. But I thought that it was a cool, interesting thing. I love that Torrenton ended up even answering some questions in Spanish about the decision to bring back a player as important as Carlos Vela. But in terms of the salary cap, I'm sure they did some some magic tricks because I don't know how he fits.

Yeah, Ki bail Reese, Jeru Veila, there's some creative financing going on here with But it was weird.

If this was going to be the end game, why didn't Carlos just accept whatever it is that was negotiated before I mean it's a little bit odd.

I'm not gonna lie to you that part.

I like to see the best of the novel of the series of the Gesture, but it is a bit of a head scratcher of why you would you decide to sit for six months and then come back and take pennies underd dollar.

At the end of the day, yep can Champ. Vancouver won in PKS and they win the can Champ, so they get their way into the concor CAF Hemisphere Extravaganza. Columbus and Cluba Medica go to PKS tied after ninety go to PKS. Clobe America wins at five to four.

I think he's happy there, I think, and I don't know Wilfred like this, but if I was to paint a picture of what I think goes on in that big brain of his, I think that he likes what he has right now.

He has the ability to mold young players.

He has older resources that he can He has a team of brilliant players and you saw it in the play. We'll get into that in a little bit that he can work with. So he's all good right now. But in soccer things tend to change day to day. So I'm looking at Kucho, I'm looking at how much he's making.

I need to get a race.

So how does management make sure that a guy that is important as Coucher stays and that keeps Wilfred happy there. We'll see, But I feel like the infrastructure of Columbus and what they've been able to do, even moving on from certain front of his personalities, and they've been able to keep that theory and that soccer module. I think Wilfrid is fine. And I don't think he's dying to get to Europe. I'm not sure that's what I see

Kucho to your point, and I found the salary figures courtesy of our friends at the MLSPA. Kucho's base is two point six guaranteed comp just under two point nine. Some of the other heavy hitters in Columbus nagby one point four base, one point five to four guaranteed, Rossi two point six seven five base guaranteed, three point three three million, three hundred and seventy six and twenty seven dollars. That's Rossi guaranteed. And those are the only ones that

Yeah, no, absolutely, And compared to what Wilfred was coming from, I mean that that's gotta feel pretty good.

And I do expect this team to go and get more people.

And when I saw guys like Juwan Jones come in for whatever money they did, that looked like a move. Dad Wilford said I need that guy. I want that guy, and they got him that guy. So I'm not really of the thought that he needs a big wallet and just once undeniable money like Atlanta or Miami. I just think that he wants the guys he wants, and as long as you provide him those players, he's going to

Right now Patrick Shelty, who's probably going to be getting a big raise. His comp right now full is one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, so that is going to be going that direction with a Shelty. At the very least.

How much is Farsi making.

Mo Farsi According to the MLS players Salary grouping, he's three point fifty base three eighty guaranteed.

They've just done such a good job with that.

I mean, when you look at those players and you look at the talent level, at some point maybe this is one of those situations where it's the perfect moment for the team because you got all of these upcoming players that haven't really reached top salaries. But when you look at Farsi Morera, when you look at Christian Ramirez and what he's making, again, even Kucho Kutcha could be asking for double what he's making, but he came in at this specific price in time. Would you look at

They're all making mid six figures. To answer the names that you mentioned, Christian Ramirez full compensation just under five hundred thousand. We mentioned Chelte right now, he's at one sixty six oh three. He's going to get a big raise, and a big ass raise is what he's going to be getting. Let's see Morera's at eight hundred thousand base eight eighty two guaranteed, Maton coming in from his time with NYCFC and other places. Four to fifty base for

Yeah, yeah, I'd probably go with a draw there. Maybe Columbus goes and just manages this game DC United. If anything, they can't create some problems for that three man back line, uh specifically with their crosses.

I thought that.

Yesterday they put themselves in some bad situations. I mean that goal by Novella that is a new signing for COPAM for Club America from Chile.

Very good, very fast.

It happens in a little bit of a breakdown where your lines are just too high, you're pressing. They try to press, and they failed, not by anything that they didn't do, but credit to Club America. And all of a sudden, you got a guy running in front, right at your goal and he puts that one away. Uh so yeah, I think that might be a situation in which, uh maybe Columbus gets a draw.

All right, other matchups as we roll, here we go. It is I'm gonna save Atlanta, Philly and Seattle Houston to the end. It is FC Cincinnati LAFC. FC Cincinnati at TQL minus one zero four draws a plus two eighty one. LAFC coming out off of last night at home flying to Cincinnati is a plus two point fifty.

Wow. Uh huh wow, that's uh, that's.

Uh.

What's the goals on this one?

All right? So let's see what direction we go here. So FC Cincinnati and LAFC we're gonna go over under and once again, this is courtesy of our friends in the composite at odds portal two and a half a minus one eighty three three and a half a plus one thirty six. So that's where it changes three and a half at plus one thirty six. Under three and a half is a minus one seventy five.

Wow.

Now, uh, if I had to do this game, because I feel like it's gonna be hard to decipher because of all the factors.

The just mentioned.

Because Cincinnati within themselves have being not the Cincinnati of old, I could see a two to two draw in this one.

And let me say that we did pretty.

Good last week on the goals differentials, and if it wasn't because Atlanta messed me up, we put it would have got in Atlanta as well.

But we did pretty well.

So I'm gonna go three and a half in this one. I'm gonna take the draw for a two to two between Cincinnati and LFC.

All right. So we'll go two two. Draw, by the way, over at four is a plus two thirty nine. Under four is a minus three thirty five. Since you punched that number, figured we'd go there.

Uh.

Messi and Friends that the erector said are going to be waiting for Charlotte to try to get out of this mess. My guess said, Charlotte's gonna fly out of Helene as soon as they can. Messi and Friends of minus one ninety two. Charlotte has only won twice I think since July fourth. So Charlotte a plus four thirty three, Your draws a plus three seventy three. New England flat out even money plus one hundred at home hosting Nashville, Nashville's a plus two fifty and your draw is a

Man, give me Nashville.

A plus two feet give me Nashville. I mean, that's those those numbers are just odd, you.

Know they are odd, and that I like those numbers look allowed me to use your platform to just stuck cart of this hill.

That it is not the way that you come out a defender.

That's the thing between him and Aviriaga and the way he pushed them, the way he came out him, the whole thing.

Caleb called it embarrassing. It was embarrassing.

But Caleb, I mean, but Carlos Hill, as the face of the franchise, the best player, he cannot come out of having a reaga like that, regardless of whether he was having a terrible game or not.

That's not here nor there. That's not leadership. Man.

You can't come at your player like that and dog them right in front of everybody as you're walking towards the tunnel in the locker room. Keep it in the locker room. I'm doing it in front of everybody. Come on, I think that New England imploded last game. They allowed Charlotte to put four on you. That's Charlotte Baby.

Four on you.

So I think that in this one, with all of the bad vibes, all of the problems, Dylan Borrero suspended all the things that happen New England. I think Nashville is a good pick this week.

All right, We'll go from there to Hudson River Red Bulls hosting New York City Red Bulls A plus one twelve draws A plus two sixty seven and NYCFC on the road crossing over the rivers a plus two nineteen.

That's a draw, baby, that's a drawing. That's a safe draw on my regard. And again, thank you Red Bulls for ruining my Atlanta pick. That one was tough or or Atlanta uh ruined in my my pick on that one because that that looked good that that Atlanta was gonna take that game and they didn't.

Uh, But yeah, I think it's gonna be a draw.

Uh.

New York City has been interesting, man, because they have a lot of quality players.

Uh.

They seem to at least have gotten the nine situations situated, but they still seem to have issues managing games in general. They played well or actually Miami didn't play well and they were able to get a drug against Miami. But I think that there are things with New York City have seed that can change in the future. But between these two teams, I think a draw is pretty safe.

Yeah. I think you're I think you're spot on. We're gonna save Philly in Atlanta, We're gonna save Seattle and Houston for the end. Austin hosting rs L Austin Favorite Home at Q two at A plus one thirty three RSL plus one eighty three, Chicago hosting Toronto at a minus one oh two, obviously looking at having Toronto traveling to Vancouver then having to come back and play in Chicago on the weekend. Toronto's a plus two to fifty

Wow, so let me get two one.

I would definitely take Portland over Vancouver in this one, although Portland was another one that could have been real good for me last week and then it ended up being a draw. But they were there, they were there. We did get the goals on that one, by the way, But I'll take Portland on this one. And I want to see the goals on a FC Dallas and Orlando City because that's gonna be an interesting one.

Look, f SE Dallas is not the FC Dallas of old.

I think that in the non Nicostaves era they are not just more dangerous because of.

The strugg sure of the play I do.

I feel that they'd be more decisive, and of course the fact that they're getting Ferreira back and Belasco back.

I mean, those players are so important. You saw that last week.

I think that in this one, with another team that likes to get forward in Orlando City, there could be a lot of goals.

Two and a half a minus one forty three and a half a plus one seventy four. So technically it changes three to a plus one nineteen. So three and a half. If you go two two, that's a plus one seventy four. If you take the over there, what four and a half four and a half four and a half is a plus three ninety four. So if you're looking at three two or four to one plus three ninety four.

Give me the four and a half. I should have taken more fours and a half last week, and I didn't. We would have hit that Portland game. We would have hit the Columbus game. So this week I was thinking, I'm gonna go more four and a halfs. That's one of them. I'll take the four and a half. Orlando and FC.

Dallas, David is asking if Sheltea is the generation Adidas are a homegrown. Shelty is on his option year that was renewed in his first three year deal, and so I'm efforting to figure out if he's a GA or if he's a homegrown product.

I thought he was a home grown. Yeah, I think he's I'm almost I'm almost certain that he's a homegrown.

All right, So We'll go with homegrown until evidence comes otherwise about Patrick Schulte. Okay, last two matchups on the board, Atlanta at Philadelphia Philadelphia minus one forty one in the playoff Chaos in the East. Your draws a plus three thirty Atlanta's a plus three seventeen, provided that they can get out of town.

What do you think that's a tougher man, Atlanta. There's been such a headache for me, and Philadelphia has has bounced back. I could see why the numbers are what they are. I know you guys probably don't want to hear it, but I think another draw in the future of Atlanta is pretty.

Pretty possible. I just think Atlanta has had so many.

Woes defensively and just that moments in general not taken care of that the right moments. I know it's hard sometimes to play in front of the substitute teacher that you know he's not going to be the remaining teacher, but man, it's just it's tough sometimes to watch Atlanta.

So yeah, man, I'll go with the drawing.

Down, all right, And so let's wrap up with yours and your matchup is one of the late games on Saturday, hosting Dynamo. Seattle's minus one twenty three draws a plus two sixty eight. Houston is a plus three thirty. What say you made you laugh to start things out?

Wow, I don't know why I like that three thirty man.

Look.

I think a draw is probably a safer bed. I think Seattle against San Jose went back to a lot of the problems that they've had all see.

And.

Houston is not an easy game to be He's Houston is not an easy team to break down. Houston has some quality experience midfielders, and without Joe Pablo and the fact that he's gonna be Josh Atensio and Ovid Bargains in the midfield, which both quality players. I just think that against Orlando, you need a little bit of those dark arts. You need a little bit of that experience.

Uh So I'm over here just moving it around.

I think Houston wins it, and I think they win it by the minimum, by a one zero score in in in Seattle.

Uh.

And I hope I'm wrong, and I hope I don't get you know, canceled over here in Seattle. But I feel like Houston is equipped to give Seattle headaches and give Jordan Morris herricks and when there is no plan B by this Sounders team, when Jordan isn't scoring, I think that this one could go to Houston.

All right. So that is the rundown of everything this week and this week's version of Cliffhanger. So what is going on with you in Pulsar Sports? On the soccer bar, I know that you've got probably about a half hour to catch your breath and head toward Cup number three.

I do, so we got definitely a soccer bar. We are going to be talking about a lot more into depth to compel on this cup. What happened while went right?

While went wrong? I thought it was a very exciting game. I thought it was entertaining. Regardless of what both of these teams are in the standings. At the end of the day, it's a battle of two countries. They played it that way, so we're gonna go into that.

We're going to have a conversation with Danny Lava, another player that has been molded here in Seattle. He came out of the academy. He's very talented, but hasn't really broken out. He hasn't really had the ability to turn himself into this player that you know, we all think he can be at some point.

So check that out.

That's going to be both in Soccer Bar and Pulso Sports, and then we'll be at the training grounds at Providence and Swedish Clubhouse later on today, so check that out as well at Pullso.

Sports mister Schmittzer's clubhouse. As always, it's great to have you on on Thursdays, my friend. Enjoy your second cup as your head toward your third. Be safe.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Oh and by the way, we will also have a really good podcast with Jeremia O Shan that we'll be recording today. I don't know why he'll drop it, but it should be should be spicy. We're gonna be looking into the Sounder season where they're at Bryan Smetzer right now.

The conversation is con ends at the end of the year you keep them? Do you move on?

What do you do?

Are you happy where they are? So check that one out. There's gonna be a spicy little podcast.

There by the all right, as always, my friend, great to see you and great to hear from you, and have everything. May everything stick to the cards, May al the interviews work out well, and we will catch up with you next week. Always, great to see you, my friend.

Thank you. Bos how a good one?

All right, that's a Nico. So Nico's got Nico. We're like the beginning of his busy, busiest day of the week. Literally, it's like he comes on with us. He's he's taken the he's taken the kids to school, and then he comes on with us after racing it like Dylan Dylan had. Dylan takes his daughter to school and then he hops on with us after ten o'clock when he can if he's not having to do anything with Varsity Media or anything else family related. So Dylan comes on on Wednesdays

Yeah.

Right, you went back to your buddies at the lunch table and you're sitting there and you're talking about Yeah, there's no way. I don't. I mean, I think I think it will help the younger fan more. But the guy who is charged going and saying what he said about Venetia's junior a year and a half later, getting charged, you got to go to class, you gotta write an apology. I'm not optimistic. I wish I was more optimistic, but

He's right.

Uh.

The vote to amend from Jamie Gardner at the Independent. Remember the market value thing we were talking about. The vote to amend those rules was withdrawn ahead of the meeting. The sources said the vote related to a small change to the league's data bank, withdrawn ahead of the club's meeting today. Sources insist the change would have only been

Man.

He've almost gone into a third hour. Being Cope, Labertadors, pay your Roll, Flamingos at six, copasit Americana, Rossi Clube, Athletico part in I NSA at eight thirty. That's on being being an Espanol simulcast. If you don't have it, get finanatees FNTZ dot co slash soccer down here helps out everybody. Europa League Malmoane Rangers at twelve forty five on CBS Sports Network, Roma and Athletic Clube at three deports ESPN Deportis simulcasting Theliga at one in three box Deportes,