Faces drop them Sdham for another week. John, hear you there. Hopefully, if you are here in our native footprint and studio space, you are staying as dry as possible, being careful on the roads, and just making sure that you can get from point A to point B to kick off your week. All right, So let's break down the week for you. Let you know what's going on. Remember, today is the beginning of the off season chaos involving Major League Soccer. We'll get into that in just a second. So here's
the rundown for the week. And the next two weeks get a little weird. And I mean that in just a scheduling sens as I sit here and turn around and grab schedule. Okay, So today is normal as you can tell since we're up and running already at nine oh whatever. And like I said, my apologies, I always forget that I've got to do certain things to get the show up and running at nine oh five. So morning is morning. It is time to get everybody what's
on what's on everybody's mind? Morning, Harry. Harry's first in this morning. This is this is uncharacteristic. Traditionally it's Alex that's in early this morning. All right, so today normal, Tomorrow is gonna be a PM show after lunch. This is when I start getting ready for the high School Football Championships. And so there's a meeting tomorrow at Mercedes Been Stadium during the show that I have to be at.
So it'll be an SDHPM. That'll help us out with the news of the day and get us ready for the afternoon. So time to be determined. Set your notifications as to the when, but it'll be an SDHPM, not an SDHAM. Then we're back to normal the Atlanta United Information Exchange Program with Tyler Pilgrim. He'll be at nine
p fifteen. We'll see if Dylan Butler can join us to put a bowl on the end of the Major League Soccer season at ten, and then we'll get you through the rest of the day because we do have some college CAMPI I guess that's plural for campuses that are still active in their particular division of soccer tournament.
We're trying to catch up with those coaches. Scad is continuing to advance, Dalton State continuing to advance, Columbus State continuing to advance, and so we're trying to catch up with them as we go this week as they get ready to travel to play next weekend. So Wednesday normal, Thursday, normal opening hours. What the opening hour is our number two is your power hour, you know? And Nico fully
loaded at ten o'clock. In the last half hour, we'll catch up with Niko Moreno and catch up with what's on his mind when it comes to Major League Soccer. Friday normal, see if we can catch up with our friends from beyond Goals entering and let and find out what it's been like for our resident mogul and training and his Eastern Conference Championship performance by his Rhode Island FC right right there, Rhode Island FC right there. So outside of tomorrow morning not being a morning show, it's
a normal week. Next week is the week of chaos because I'm out. I have the High School Football Championships. I'm sequestered at Mercedes Benz Stadium. We're on the air at eleven o'clock every morning, so I've got to be in there probably by eight thirty and so that's when they start putting makeup on me, and it takes two and a half hours for me to get ready before the show starts. So we're trying to figure out what
to do next week. I have asked folks if they can come in and see if they can host so we can keep everything rolling and get you ready for the Christmas season. So that is next week. This week, the only week, the only day that's different is tomorrow. It's an afternoon show. And I got to send an email to Kaylor Hodges and let him know, don't be don't expecting an email for what's going on because I won't be there tomorrow morning, be there tomorrow afternoon, won't
be there tomorrow morning. So that's that's the rundown of this week and next with the high school football championships coming and eml's coming and all this kind of stuff. All right, night, Well he's early. Wow. I'm sitting looking down at looking down at the clock, and I'm like, man, he's early. All right, fine, he's early. He got all the green lights. So that means one thing. It's Monday, and that means it's Monday's with a Babe Gordon joining
us from nineteen nine in the game. As I look at him in the green room, your headroom, sir, is fine. You are ready to go?
How we doing good?
Morning morning. It is the end of a regular season in Major League Soccer. Did you what would I imagine you were paying attention to the American college football this weekend? Pretty much?
I was watching MLS Cup as well.
I have multiple TV setups, so there were some on football and some on football, but we were all we were all covered.
So now that I'll go ahead, this will be kind of an opening kickoffee kind of a thing. So the CFP did they get it right?
I think?
So, there's a couple of different things. There was no right or wrong. It was only preference right. So so let's start there. They went with a preference of not punishing conference title contestants. They didn't punish Texas via their seating, they didn't punish Penn State via their seeding, and they in turn also didn't punish SMU by by kicking them out. They also and you can make whatever arguments you want
to make. If you want to look at quality wins, then sure, but I also think you have to pay attention to the losses. In my argument would be SMU's two losses are both better than the losses from Alabama.
And you know, I just.
Don't feel bad for a team that went and got boat raced to a sub five hundred squad in Oklahoma at the time. They became five hundred with that win. I just don't feel bad about that. So every team that's on the outside looking in no excuses, man, Like, you had your chance to play your way in and you didn't. If you're Old Miss, you can't go on the road and lose to a Florida team that Texas beat by thirty. If you're Miami, you blew a twenty
one zhering lead against Syracuse. Like, all of these teams have their bumps and bruises, and no one's perfect, and so I think it came down to a matter of preference. I think it also came down to a matter of precedent, And I don't think in year one you wanted to set the precedent that we are going to punish teams for losing their conference championship games. And look, if this was SMU's third loss, it's a different discussion. Now we're on even footing. It's not it was to a top
twenty team. I think they got it right. But again, it's really not a right or wrong. It's a matter of preference. A lot of people are sitting here, Well, if you lined a bump on the field, wouldn't you take Alabama to win?
Yeah?
I probably also took Alabama to beat Oklahoma, though, and they lost.
By twenty points and scored three.
I mean, so I just don't think you can do that sort of comparison as like sound reasoning. So I think it's I think it's fine. I didn't know if the committee would actually do it, but I think.
It was the right call. But again, it's not right wrong, just preference.
You want sound reasoning when it comes to college football and a college football playoffs? Sir, what is the matter with you?
I just want people to be consistent.
And that's what worries me with the committee is they just change their minds on what matters from week to week. And I would imagine in year one, as they've set this precedent of not penalizing teams that are lost in the conference title game, does that precedent remain next year or the year after as situations change and they may
change other aspects of this. I know there's a big complaint about the path that Oregon may have to take versus the path that Boise State or Georgia has to take and the ones heed gets punished in the So they may, they may change some things around, but at no point should as MU be at risk when Alabama doesn't even play a game. That's just my opinion. If one team's at risk, they both need to be at risk.
So yes, but you're logic and college football in the CFP twelve. That is something that we will see if it continues as we go forward. I am a master of the black helicopters, and I had firmly anticipated that the folks in Tuscal Lucia would get in as the twelve because this is, after all, a television mini series. What are you trying to get ratings in a television mini series? It is Who's Got Jr? It is at La Law where the Diana muldou character Rosalind Shase falls
down an elevator shaft during sweeps. You know it's a
death here there. Whatever your favorite television show is, whatever your cliffhanger is, I was firmly anticipating that I would open up the door to my hangar with my black helicopters and you would have Alabama in because they would make for better television as a twelve with a blue blood either hate watching or just watching watching, then watching an SMU team that took a little while to get started that then acquitted themselves very well in the a SEC Championship game.
I don't necessarily disagree, but if that's the premise, then you should have had executives from ABC, CBS and Fox on the committee. I do think that while there is partly some of that, they had to keep it somewhat fair onto the football field.
Or else.
Why even why why even take any of the teams? Well, why take Boise State? Why take why take anyone? Just just just go back to the idea of the Big Tens top five and the SEC's top five and just those are your contestants.
So I don't know.
Yeah, well, considering the two networks, we're getting to the point to where you have the Fox Conference and the Four Letter Conference, and so that's where we are. All right, that's opening kickoff. I'll run the promo with all the sponsors after you're gone. Uh So, MLS Cup with LA Galaxy and Red Bulls. Early on it legitimately looked like LAG was going to run Red Bulls out of the building. I mean, it was it was early and it was two goals on the board and you're sitting there, going, man,
this field is tilted. And I don't know if the wake up call, I don't know if the alarm went off in the hotel for Red Bulls or what. But early on it looked like lag was just gonna sit there and just smash Red Bulls. They did. With two goals on the board early.
Yeah, I mean it was two nothing fifteen minutes in and they were.
Both very very odd goals, not in terms of the build up, but the final touch. I'll be honest, Cornell needs to save that first goal.
It snuck under it.
Now, it was a one on one with the keeper, but it was not well hit and that this shot was not something that should have beat him, and so.
That kind of was an ashtist on his own. And then the second.
Shot was off balance, cross footed, and he was just frozen. There was nothing he could do on that one. But defense in the mid was pathetic on that build up for Red Bulls, and it goes from a turnover to an attack immediately in your own half and it's too nothing. And then you got to a weird situation in the
game where it was like what are Galaxy doing? Are they Are they just gonna sit on this lead, like we know the joke meme Moniker of a too nothing leaves the heart And I'm just sitting there watching it and I'm like, are they done pushing?
Like what is going on here?
Maybe you don't want to get so aggressive that you get countered, but it felt like Red Bulls got control of the game and even down to nothing, it felt like not that they were like confident necessarily, but they weren't panicking at that time, and so they finally fight. I mean, I hate to like just like dump on the MLS Cup champions, but like, what is that defense in the box?
I mean, you got to clear that ball? You don't. Red Bulls pounces.
They kind of get a goal that maybe maybe they didn't necessarily deserve, but that's the way the ball bounces in soccer for the best teams and the worst teams. And so it's two to one, you're desperate to get the halftime if you're the Galaxy. Because the mindset needed to be flipped. I think they needed to get back into it. I think they they got up to nothing, they're like, all right, we're gonna ride this out, and here we go ML's Cup champs, and they were put
under pressure a little bit. And then the other disappointing thing for me was Red Bulls in the second half, specifically the back end of the second half.
I just don't think they got desperate enough.
They really waited until stoppage time to just start forcing everything up the field. And I'm like, yeah, I get why you didn't have to start doing it that at sixty minutes or even seventy five minutes, but like when you get to the eightieth minute, like you gotta get your goalie into the box on corners, I mean, just start start getting walky out there, get desperate.
You've got to find a goal.
This isn't you take your point and and you have hope in the return match or anything like, you got to extend this game. And so I just don't know why they waited until the last essentially four minutes of this game to really push everything.
They had so very odd game. I mean, look, at the end of the day, the team.
We all believe is the better team out of these two ended up winning MLS Cup, and they do so in their home home stadium. So a couple of moments that I thought were really special. After the second goal, they go and hold up the Pooch jersey. The Ricky poochs jersey obviously had to miss this game with the knee injury. I thought that was some really nice scenery. You know, once you go up to nothing, you're like,
all right, we've won MLS Cup. Like here's here's a little love to our brother the not with us on the field today. So I thought that was a really nice scene. And then like college football comes into the world of the MLS. At the very end, they're like, fans are rushing the field, the teams are out there, the game's not over yet, We're like, all right, what are we doing here? It ultimately didn't change anything but a little bit of wonkiness at the end. It was
an off sides call. They thought it was for final whistle. But look, I thought the best team in MLS, or at least the best team remaining, made their way. And for Red Bulls, I think they obviously handled their business in round one right. They took out the Columbus crew, but they didn't have to face Miami. They didn't have
to face Cincinnati. And then for the LA Galaxy. They got the benefit of some of the other top teams in the Western Conference being knocked out early, so not the toughest path for either squad, but ultimately it did feel like Galaxy for I mean, at what point in this season where we like, Galaxy is one of the two or three best teams in the West. It was probably match day five or six. We're like, yeah, they're
a problem. So it was at least nice to It would have felt a little fluky if it were Red Bulls. It doesn't feel like a fluke champion for the Galaxy.
I guess this is where we open up the the yearbook and start looking at you know, it's when we're in high school. You know, you're with like a couple of weeks left in the school year. You sit there and you get your yearbook. You look at your yearbook photos, you go wandering around, folks try to sign it and like the end click looks at you like, okay, so you want me to sign this, Okay, I'll sign it.
And then they come up with something that, you know, thanks for being a great student, you know, and the quarterback for the high school football team writes that in there and he writes some snide that's a double entoned or something like that, where he's smashing you and you don't really realize it until like twenty years later. You look at the yearbook for Major League Soccer this year,
what sticks out in your mind? I guess senior superlatives when it comes to overrated, underrated, shocks, surprises, no surprises. What is in the Abe Gordon MLS yearbook for twenty twenty four?
Well, I'm trying to think back through all the tournaments. I don't think anyone would have predicted and correct me if I'm wrong, John. Obviously they didn't win MLS Cup. Did Miami win anything this year? Supporter shield and single season record holder? But did they win an actual cup? Did they win?
Who won leagues? As I said, I'm trying to think who won League's Cup?
I mean, just as you look that up like that would be Obviously, the biggest surprise is that this is the team that this league is hoping to be boosted by in the very short present here. While they have a MESSI League MVP, single season, supporter, shield, record holder, all that stuff, but when all of a sudden done, they didn't win anything. I mean at least last year when Messi came in, they won one of those things something US Open Cup maybe last.
Year, but yeah, crew won League Cup this year.
Yeah, so I don't think they won anything, and so that that would obviously be a little bit of surprising.
And we see teams in other countries the treble or a.
Double or whatever, like I don't know if there's a term for being the best team and winning nothing, but that's what Miami accomplished, the Goose thing. So so yeah, I mean I think that certainly was was of interest. And then trying to get a feel for for Apple TV now as it continues, they need some adjustments to keep or get eyes on the MLS. And I understand the money flow and the cash that came in at
the time. They have to have better viewing windows. They have to find ways to get it not competing with college and pro I mean, look, they're not the only sport that completely disappears when college and pro.
Football come around.
Nobody watches the last season of Major League Baseball. People barely tune in for the playoffs or the World Series, certainly on the weekends, right, I mean, going against the NFL Monday night Thursday night, Sunday night going against college Saturday, like, it just becomes invisible. And I'm not one of these people that's gonna rally and cry for like Friday nights for high school football, and I know you might be in that group, but hang on now, every once in
a while they did Friday night games. I think they need to do a lot more of that. I think when you get to before Monday night football comes around, maybe even swing in a Monday night game to finish out the weekend. I know it's supposed to be Apple TV, find a way to simulcast these games on somewhere on television where people can watch. Just people are not going to Apple TV, even when it's a free pass for that game or that weekend, Like people aren't going to check.
It's a shame because it's it's a pretty damn good league to watch. Look, I'm not saying it's the Premiership, but it is a fun league with compelling storylines and really good players and it's a good league to watch. It just gets completely buried with their packaging deal on Apple and so I wish there was a way for them to get more eyes on on the league, especially early you've just got to gain the momentum because again, once football season comes around, it's just so tough. Like
you know, I work at the radio station. We have a team here in Atlanta, Like we talk about it for four months and then like the Falcons and Georgia kickoff and we're like, did did did you.
United have a game today? Like I get asked that question, where was it home?
Like, and I'm like, man, like you guys aren't paying attention at all, and I understand why.
And these are not necessarily people who are like.
Soccer lovers in general, but it's just so tough to hold any momentum for the league once football kicks off.
So yeah, between those.
Two, I don't know.
I don't think we had any crazy, like defining storylines of the season outside of MESSI. Let me ask you, because I know there were some people heated. Do you think MESSI was league MVP?
I would not have it, goes to my wording, And since you're reading my notes, I was going to ask you the question, since you beat me to it. I looked at I view the wording of most valuable player as if this individual was not a part of the lineup, would they have been ask So.
Here's the problem though, And Messi is the best player in the league. I'm not countering or argue that his stats are wild in the team, but like he went down with injury and they went like eight zero and one or whatever the number, Like the they didn't miss a beat without him. I don't know how you quantify that, Like the team wasn't great, but like DC has zero scoring threats without Ben Tech.
Kuco obviously is in this discussion as well, and it's just like.
Are we just back are we gonna join every other sport? Like like is the MLS gonna join every other sport where it's just best player on best team or biggest statistical season versus true value. And it's just tough if we take this discussion real quick to to the NFL. I don't know if he's gonna win the MVP or not, But if you take Josh Allen off of the Bills, like, what is that team, And with all respect to Saquon Barkley, who's having a huge season, that's a pretty good team
without him. I mean, Josh Allen's worth six wins, Saquons maybe worth one and a half.
You know what, I mean, like these.
Are the comparisons, and then some people want to throw Lamar in there because of the offensive season he's having Joe Burrow.
As well, Like it's like a four lost team. The Bengals have like six losses. Yeah, so it's just so.
Tough to quantify best player versus value, and almost none of these leagues use the term value properly in I understand why MLS is probably heading that route. I also, voting systems are broken in every sport, Like players face a guy maybe twice a year, and you're supposed to glean value off of that. Some guys you didn't face the entire season. You never saw him. You don't know
how difficult he is to defend that year. You're certainly not watching games because they're on the same time that you are in broadcasters, Like it's always tough to quantify who actually has watched enough to really glean that and not.
So I don't know.
I don't think there's a perfect solution, I MESSI you know, I had no problem with him winning MVP, But like, just like in every other sport, if we ever like actually to find what most valuable players supposed to be, I find it tough that he would have won just because of how good Miami was without.
Him, right it was, I think you were right. It was eight wins out of nine in all comps, and I think they were I think they'd won three of the five in Major League Soccer during that time frame. So Messi number one for the players vote, number one in the media vote, number two in the club vote, had four point seven percent more over Couco Hernandez in the aggregate thirty eight point four to thirty three point seven.
If vander was a distant third, Christian binech A a and even more distant fourth than Luis Suarez was fifth at two point one seven percent. But no, I would have gone I probably would have gone Cucho Hernandez over Messi. I'm not denying. I am not denying what Lionel Messi is for this league, not denying that under any circumstance whatsoever.
But I would have gone Kucho. Considering if you had taken Messi out of Inter Miami and Messi and friends, you still would have had and friends, and you still would have been successful, and you still would have won the Captain America Pie played. I'm sure at the end of the season. So that's how I viewed the Major League Soccer MVP voting to your point about other nights of the week. Last week, in between visits of you, we actually tackled this and we suggested that Major League
Soccer find a way to own Friday Night. Okay, you get the doubleheader, you start your programming at say six thirty or seven o'clock, you get to your East coast kickoff, then you have your Bridge programming and your ten o'clock kickoff, ten ten or whatever it is under Apple. Then ten ten, you have your West coast programming, and you own Friday Night. You turn it into an event.
But there's one problem that doesn't happen if it's on Apple, Like you have to be partnered with TV, and I know Apple doesn't want to hear that. That's not why they signed the league. That's the reality of the situation. You're not gonna gain viewers by claiming Friday Night. If it's still on Apple TV, people aren't gonna go that far out of their way to watch soccer.
They just aren't.
So if you put it on FS one, say, or even Big Fox as your secondary carrier, who is already your secondary carrier in the league. Would you then check off on this idea if it was on either FS one or Big Fox in addition to Apple TV.
Well, the other thing I would do is pair a West Coast Perry West Coast MLS game that kicks off maybe later than normal, maybe eleven o'clock Eastern, with your Friday night Fox game of college football. That's the other thing I would take a look at is once you are in college football and Fox is running that Friday night eight o'clock or seven thirty ki, I think it's normally eight o'clock kick. It's normally been a Big twelve
or or a Big ten game whatever. Put an MLS game after that and see what you can do to hold the audience. And I know you get weird with like, well, what if a game goes in overtime and do you start the MLS game late?
Do you just run it or whatever?
Like figure that out fine, But like I would, if you're trying this Friday night thing and you can get it on TV somewhere even when you do get into football season, partner it up. Fox is gonna run an eight o'clock football game, run an eleven or eleven fifteen soccer game right after.
And that's what FS one is for. So if you have overruns or you kick things off. So yea, So here's what I so along your lines, here's what we're work shopping here. So your Eastern game on Friday night football a f U TV starts off with an Apple. Apple runs their whole thing, they go from beginning to end. So FS one then kicks off with the East Coast game at seven or seven thirty whatever is in line
with the all night product. Then when that is over or eight, then when that's over, hey switch over to Big Fox and you get the Western Conference game. You know that way, So you get your Eastern doubleheader on one part of the Fox network, and then after your college football game on Friday night, Friday night football continues in a different form and spelling with your Western Conference game on Big Fox late.
Night and you and you still get potentially a decent holdover audience from from the college football game when you get to that part of the year. I mean, you got to do something. And again this there was always going to be this problem with the contract. I understand the cash flow, but the amount of eyes you were going to lose year over year, even with bringing MESSI in is a problem.
You just got to find a way to get games on TV.
And I don't know how much money that takes out of Apple's you know, pockets when you do that. But you're just not gonna get that win even on Friday nights or even on whatever night the game of the week or free a free Apple Pass for that game or that weekend. It's just not gonna happen if it's only.
Via the app in.
I just.
It was.
It was a good idea and it's fine, But like if you didn't understand that the casual soccer viewers not going out of their way, I don't know what to tell you.
I mean, I have Peacock now because I bought it during the Olympics.
Yep, you know what I still don't do, like ever turn on Peacock to go out of my way and watch an EPL game.
I watch Goal Rush, I'll.
Watch whatever's on TV. It's on USA or if it's on Telemundo, I'll put it on. Like I just I just still.
Just watch what's on TV unless I'm specifically, you know, going to watch my team. I still don't go out of my way. Yeah, and so that that's for the best soccer league in the world. You know, certainly people are going to be doing that for the MLS.
Wow. Yeah. So, uh you see what you've done. You've opened up another door in time for another topic at the end of your segment. So you see how this works.
All right?
What's going on with you in nineteen nine in the game before we catch up next week?
Yeah, we're heading towards the holidays here in a little bit. But uh uh, just we're talking football, the American version, some some good in college and some bad in the pros. And so it should be a fun week on the Midday Show. I'm gonna be hosting on Thursday and Friday on the Midday Show, So looking forward to that.
Very nice. We'll catch up with you next week, my friend. Good to see you.
You got it, Thanks John.
All Right, that's Abe, and see Abe opens up like nineteen different windows and topics as the segment is ending, and it's like, ah, I need to continue to talk to him about these things. Uh okay. So Abe opened up a window involving our discussion last week about rights holders and contracts and Major League Soccer and how do we fix what's going on. He brings up a valid
point about viewership and trying to draw more eyes. If you know, if we take the Friday night football product that we proposed last week, Bruce Buffer Eastern Conference game, it's time you know that and have your doubleheader and make an evening of it at Apple TV. Do you just keep it on Apple and try to draw folks in with the the you know, the subscription teas early in the season with Friday night football, or do you have that secondary carrier You're over the air carrier. Start
your evening on FS one. Say then when Friday Night Football footba LLL is over, have your late night game on Big File. Your Western Conference game goes on Big Fox with your college football game being the early part of your Big Fox programming on Friday. See Abe open this window and we have to sit there and look at it. So, uh, that's opening Kickoff and we'll make Abe's whole segment. Opening Kickoff brought to us buy our
friends at Kickoff Coffee and Kickoff Coffeeco dot com. There is your QR code for thanks for hanging out with us. You hit that QR code That reminds me since I'm out of frame. I have to hit my glance led board to let everybody know what's going on with the scores. So that is the QR code for our friends at Kickoff Coffee and Kickoff Coffeeco dot com. You hit that QR code when you check and you go in. You use the code soccer down here fifteen when you check out,
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get the scarf. You can get that jersey, and they're also releasing a new one just in time for the holidays. They don't have the links up yet, it's not at the store yet, but that's the last one that they
produced before they produce the new one. We need to catch up with Lloyd Hours, the technical director for the Marshall Island Soccer Federation, get the latest about what's going on, especially up in the Four Corners, up in northwest Arkansas, in st in north east Oklahoma, in southwest Missouri and southwest Kansas and southeast Missouri. I think that's right, so Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma there in the four corners. So you can go and grab the new Marshall Islands jersey when they make
that for sale. But we've got to catch up with Lloyd Hours it's the technical director and find out things are going up there at UH and in the in the territory for usl Arkansas, up in the n w A. So there's a lot going on. There's a lot that you can do to help out, just in time for the holiday season and just in time for Christmas, Christmas. To me, Alex, it's black. Of course it might have been limited lighting. When I was looking at it at Scott on Scott Flood's laptop, I thought it was black.
And so if it's UH, maybe shoot Olivi and yorkan note and ask them, because then that'll have an answer for all of us. So shoot Olivan York a quick note. I think, I think. Don't quote me, all right, So I'm gonna all right, so we're gonna live. We're gonna live workshop this. I think it's black. I think it is. I legitimately think yes. Orders shipping four to five weeks after purchase, so all right, that h doesn't say okay, doesn't just as size and trim color, so trim color
can either be sky blue or white. I think it's black. That's just me. I think it's a black supporter's kit, but anything as possible, and it usually is. So like I said, that's just me staring at it. So that's all the stuff that's on our Christmas list, what's on yours. So that's a opening kickoff brought to's buy our friends
at Kickoff Coffee, Kickoff, coffeeco dot com. All the different ways that you can help what's going on when it comes to Major League Soccer SDH, the SDCH network and everything that we do and everything that you guys help us do on a daily basis. So it's very very cool on a Monday, all right. So I wanted to kind of get into before Bart joins us in fifteen minutes, since we were fixing Major League Soccer and kind of
got into MLS Cup. We'll get into refing down here in the US women's national team and all those kinds
of things. The other news of the morning and by the way, by the way we have it is an important day morning, Abby, It is an important day in Major League Soccer because it is the beginning of the half day trade window, and so if anything is going on this morning, we will let you know and we will keep you up to date on anything and everything going on in Major League Soccer, because from forty five minutes ago it is the open of the half day
trade window, so from nine until one, if anything happens, we'll let you know. And a couple of transactions that happened before the opening of the half day trade window. Minnesota United signed Tony Olawasse to a contract extension, and the transfer of Sante Sosa to Rossin Klube is official from Atlanta United. That's why you picked up the option. You pick up the option so that way someone's interested
you get a transfer fee out of the deal. And we also mentioned last week about Edwin Musqueta and there are a couple of clubs interested in him. Manuel Vev yesterday mentioned that it appears and like I said, this is you know, it's kind of where we are right now in this particular time of the season. According to Manuel Vev, it looks like Atlanti United is interested in Drew Yearwood. Now, for those of you that I might remember,
it's like Drew Yearwood. Who what, Yeah, that Drew Yearwood, the Drew Yearwood that you either saw in a Red Bull's uniform or you saw in a Nashville uniform. And it appears that Drew Yearwood might be chased after by Atlanta United when it came to availabilities and available players. So right now, and Beth has been active yesterday, last couple of days, so a couple of things that Veth has put out there, and the signing of Eric Maxim Chubomo ting is getting closer and closer to being official.
Four Red Bulls by the way, so it appears a couple of notes from Veth from yesterday and unless Next pros a Golden Boot, Next Pro MVP and Golden Boot winter, David parab A signed a first team deal with Chicago Fire. That's the smart move by the Fire. Twenty one and six and thirty two games last year for Chicago Fire. Two Now the note on Drew Yearwood. According to Veth, sources say that Atlanta United are interested in signing the
free agent center midfielder. Talk's early stages parties still far apart when it comes to salary, Atlanta would like to make it work. This is according to Manuel Veth. Other clubs also interested. Yarwood's contract set to expire New Year's Day, so Drew Yearwood, who is a sertifiable pain in the butt for both Nashville and Red Bulls was making and I had the number here, So Drew Yearwood last year
for Nashville as a central midfielder. Base salary of five fifty guaranteed compensation just under just under six hundred thousand dollars. So twenty four year old. But I know a lot of us may remember him from his time with Red Bulls before he moved from Red Bulls to Nashville. Just to give you some background, twenty five matches last year with Nashville, one goal to assist fifteen hundred and twenty eight minutes, one game in Huntsville, three games in Conky
CAF champions Cup. Spent a lot of his time before then with Red Bulls. Before he came over, he was with South End United and had a cup of coffee with Brentford in the Championship in the nineteen twenty season before they were promoted to the Premier League. After that, twelve games in Major League Soccer with Red Bulls in twenty had one match in the playoffs, then played for Red Bulls two in the Championship in twenty one. Started getting a lot of productivity in a lot of minutes,
starting up the twenty one season. Twenty nine matches played for Red bull In twenty one a goal and an assist in seventeen hundred minutes, one match in the playoffs, three in the Open Cup. Twenty two, played twenty five matches for Red Bulls, two goals and an assist in fifteen hundred and fifty minutes played. In twenty three, he played three matches for Red Bulls two, played two in
the Open Cup, played four in League's Cup. Played twenty matches for Red Bulls in the twenty three season and then was then moved over to Nashville, where he played twenty five matches last year with a goal and two assists. Most of his time is spent in the central midfield. One hundred and two of his career matches have been in the central midfield. Three goals, eleven assists along the way, so steady presence in the midfield. Twenty four years old,
central midfielder out of Harlow, England. Like I said, that's Manuel Veth, and that's just a name that Deth floated out there yesterday. So Atlanta, according to Veth, interested in signing Drew Yearwood. Also Rafael Spiegel cl very close to signing with the Oakland Roots. The tales being negotiated. Both parties want to make it work. He's a keeper last played for Laws On Sport in Switzerland, so keep an eye out on the Drew Yearwood idea. H Abby Abby
says he was a pita as a Red Bull. Emelia wants to know if he can play in an upbeat system, million bober player. He might be more of a he might be more of a stay at home central midfielder or just so we'll see. But the the systems that he has been in, obviously with Red Bulls there you're used to to pressing and pushing forward, and in Nashal under Gary Smith, you're used to being very physical and really making sure that you don't have room to breathe.
And this is to Abby's point about him being a pita as a Red Bull, and I don't mean that as something that you put Greek food in, and neither does Abby. Abby remembers him as a pita. I'll have to remember that acronym.
By the way.
That's pretty good. So pain in the you know what, pain in the ass, Let's go ahead and say it. He was a peda. He's a pain in the ass. So yes, he was a pain in the ass as a red Bull, got a lot of minutes with Red Bulls, and then he moved over to Nashville and that's where he was, so all right, time to say hi to everybody once again. We got to Bart joining us in about eight minutes to kind of go through everything that's
on his mind and go through that. There's one play I want to Here's what I want to break through with Bart this morning. Normally we do our reffing down here segment. There's one moment that I wanted to go over specifically with Bart involving refing down here. Yes, we'll go over all the other red cards and things like that and all the non calls last night. I don't know if you saw it in Lega Emma Echis, but over the weekend they were getting close to determining the
aperture of finalists for the twenty four season. Montterday beat the breaks off of Lettinko San Luis and Johnny Vial and Jurgen dom So Month today advanced Saturday. The Sunday match was the second leg of Clubamedica and Cruse Assous. So in that particular match, it was crazy it was two nil and three to one, and then it was three to three, and then it ends up with a penalty call at ninety plus four that ends up giving the seventh goal of the match to Clubamedica. They beat
CRUs Assoul for three. They advanced to play mom On today in the finals in Liga m Echis. In the APERTUREA I wanted, I wanted. I wanted Bart to go over the penalty call inside the eighteen. I wanted to basically get his thoughts on it. That's going to be one of the plays that we look at from this week when it comes to Lega m Echis and how
we look at refing down here on a Monday. But I also wanted to discuss with Bart the heat in the room and how in a game that is as chaotic as that one was, once again you had a goal that made it if you had goals on the board that made it to nil, then it was three to one, there's two to one, three one, then three to three, then a penalty at ninety plus four where you had twelve minutes added. Then it's a goal that gets scored four to three. Final and Clubomedica advances and
everybody talks about the Crusos Solea all over again. So that's where that's one of the plays that I wanted to bring to the table this morning with Bart in refing down here. But we're also going to talk about the women's national team, and we're going to talk about the goalkeeping situation, considering that they no longer will have a listen there as a part of the activity between the sticks. So we'll find out what he thinks about the keeping situation, what we may have learned from the
window and reffing down here as we always do. And it's always good to have Bart who suffered through the Friday show where the internet provider here at Office HD decided to just kind of shut things down and turn things off. It literally, it was like somebody had a light switch and they're going off on four times. The show dumped, or at least it dumped on my end.
Bart was in the room. Everybody else who were guests they stayed, bumped me out, and so that's why the show in its edited audio form only when an hour and forty five minutes, I shut her to think what it looked like on YouTube. So we'll see morning abel aables like no League MVP for Messy Morning, Harry Morning Alex and in our college football discussion pars is the Alabama of now is not the Alabama of saban That is true. And will SMU shouldn't be punished by losing
an extra game. No, they shouldn't. They shouldn't. But I have always viewed, once again through the prism of it being a television show, first and foremost, do you want Who Shot Jr? You don't want Jennie Lee Harrison no offense to JANIEE. Harrison, But you don't want Chrissy Snow's sister,
And you don't want Priscilla Barnes and Three's company. You don't want You might want the mister Furley taking over for the Ropers, but you don't want You don't want like Priscilla Barnes and Janie Lee Harrison coming in for Suzanne Summers. You want Rosalind Chase falling down the elevator ship. Do you want Who Shot Jr? You want Goodbye Farewell and I'm in you want you want Hawkeye's nervous breakdown on the air, whateverever, Cliffhangers, They are out there for you.
That's why I thought it legitimately, it was going to be an Alabama over an SMU, even as SMU acquitted themselves very very well. Like I said, I'm programming a television show I'm bringing in Alabama for hate watching or just watching in general, Pars, I'd love it if college football had promotion relegation. I would love it because then
you'd have teams in the Missouri Valley. Then you'd have like North Dakota State, South Dakota State in the either in the probably in the Big Twelve because they need all the help they can get. Could you imagine promotion and relegation in college football? It would be so amazing. You'd have Montana coming in out west, and all these great powers that we see in Division I and Division two. I mean you probably would a couple of years from like Grand Valley State being promoted into the B one
G those kinds of things. I think it'd be amazing. I think you need to have it. Will Alabama don't lose dog? Alabama once in don't lose Dog lumb By twenty one. Absolutely true. Also, week before I send you three spots above, BAMA being punished for losing an extra game is bogus. Absolutely true, and yes, Will, we are celebrating happy half day open trading window, so we are
waiting for deals when they happen. We will let you know what is going on with the half day trade window if anything is going to go down at all, So we will see what's going on there. Pars said. He's been saying since Boyse beat George and the dum they should be able to be considered for better Bowl games. And yeah, oh, Alex, when I was talking about the yearbook, Oh yeah, I was in the nerd click in high school.
I know that surprises you then, so you had all the jocks who would sign things in the nerd books and then it would be just like, you know, great a plus in math. You know, then they're the ones that are sitting there getting c's and d's and they don't care. But because they're the quarterback. Those are the kinds of things that I got in my your books. Uh yeah, no, Kucho mess MESSI wanted on name only.
Well Messi's numbers were ridiculous. Will, But if you pull Messy out of the discussion and it's like okay, I said, it depends on how you gauge MVP. What your definition is for me with MESSI if you pull him out of the lineup, they still won eight of nine and I think we're one three. There were three to one and one in Major League Soccer. So uh no, his numbers are sick, that is without question. But I view
MVP through that prism. So and well, the ultimate Baseball broken systems, the Baseball Hall of Fame missing on people's committee fixing or electing bad players. Harold Bines is not a Hall of Famer on any planet, according to Will Happy, Definitely for Dave Parker and Dick Callen, absolutely true. Uh and Breezy Gaming, Uh, thanks for up and buy this morning,
pretty off topic. Fulham fan went to the game yesterday, so jealous Jedi plays for the m and t Okay, all right, okay, cool, all right, good, Well this is where we'll bring Bart in as he's wearing his West Virginia gear today, so he's getting ready for a Bowl game. All right, So I'm gonna bring Bart in here to start things off since it is now officially ten o'clock. We have viewers from England, and I can't do it like Nick and Jason do it, So I'm thank you, sir.
So breezy gaming is in this morning and he goes, hello, make pretty off topic here, but a Fulham fan who went to the match yesterday, I'm so jealous. Jedi plays for the M and T he would easily be England's first choice left back. Exceptional yesterday against Arsenal. What say you, Arsenal fan, Well, I'll.
Just say that Jedi is always exceptional and he's a very reliable and dependable player, and I think that's been his greatest asset to the US men's national team is for the most part, he's been very healthy and you know what you're getting out of him. But he has also improved a lot since he started with US back in twenty twenty one. Fulham does have a great left back in Anthony Robinson, and I think, as you saw yesterday, captaining the team, being a leader for that team, he's
a good guy. We are lucky to have him for the US national team and I think he chose wisely.
He chose wise.
Look, if you want to win games in the World Cup, you should play for the US, because England has never beaten the US in the World Cup ever, men's or women's.
Oh boy, go ahead, start, just start. That fire already.
These are just facts, John. I'm here to report facts.
Well, I know you're here to report facts. That's why we bring you in.
And another fact, Alabama didn't deserve to go to the College football Playoff.
Oh, absolutely not. But once again deserve versus television programming. We always know that when there's an option available, that door might get open. Yeah, uh huh uh oh uh. Did you find out what bowl game your w b G v ors are going to this year?
Yeah? At John? You ready for us? Sure? The Mountaineers are finishing up the season in a soccer stadium.
Okay, okay, Oh there's coffee, here's coffee Frisco. Okay, Memphis, right, yes, against Memphis, Memphis and West Virginia. It at Frisco.
Future Big twelve team probably not, but.
Yeah, well you guys, there's always auditions. I mean, that's to me. There's always places to audition in these kinds of things. Uh. I wanted to go over a couple of things with you this morning in the in the roffing down here purview, but since we're talking national team stuff, we'll go ahead and go there.
Okay.
Uh. The part that I want wanted to discuss with you, and I'm going to steer folks over to episode CV of the Soccer for US po D. It's I think that's.
One o five penned on my Twitter account. You can go to a Soccer for US pod on both Twitter and Blue Sky and find the link.
There you go, So you you are a part of the the folks that are drifting over to Blue Sky like a lot of us right. Yes, the women's national team after these matches overseas that happened in I mean relative obscurity. I mean they were broadcast on television. But it's like, oh, and the listen there announced that she's done with the international It's like, but that seems to fit. It's just like, ye doesn't want to be doesn't want to make a big deal about it, doesn't want it
to be about her. It's like, oh, yeah, oh, by the way, I'm done.
Yeah. I think that was kind of funny that she gets into camp and then is like, yeah, by the way, it's my last international camp done after this that seems very a listener, like you said, she doesn't want the fuss. I am ninety nine point seven percent positive she'll get some sort of send off recognition next year. You know, I'm actually I was actually expecting her to retire next year period and probably get a send off match in Chicago.
But we'll see where she ends up getting one. I think, you know, a Listenaier has been the unsung hero for this team for so long, and in fact, I hate the fact that her most legendary performance was the twenty twenty three World Cup, and that's the one that you know, her teammates couldn't get the job done for her. You know, she even saved the final penalty kick despite what Vaer said, and she has two She's was the number one for two World Cups. She got one win. She obviously was
the backup in twenty fifteen. She now has a gold medal, which is a pretty you know, nice thing to add to that. So for a listener to step aside while it, John may feel sad for a lot of people, and I get that she was obviously an integral part to this team for you know, more than almost a decade. It is good that she is stepping away before forcing the hand of him that hey is to make it a difficult decision because John, as you and I both know, she is on the wrong side of thirty and while
goalkeepers can play long. We struggled with the Brad Guzan comments commentary recently because he was up and down. You know, he had a great end of the season, but he's been up and down throughout a lot of his past what two years. Even so, to not force a coach to say, hey, you're no longer the number one while she's still on the team, it's pretty respectful. I also think again that it's nice to see a player step aside while still acknowledging they can have a club career
after the national team. I'm hoping we see more when the national team players do that. But Alyssa is vastly it was vastly important to this team. And now John we get a goalkeeper battle.
Uh huh. So then who is? And this is very Jim Brownish, You're very very Sanders ish from a listener to go out where you are internationally and it's like, nope, I'm good, I'm out.
Its two fantastic games over the window.
Yeah, and so you know you're just going to go back and be a Chicago Star. So it's for me, it's it's going to be interesting. Who By the way, it is going to be able to compete with moments like this.
This could end it. Jesse Fleming, the Canada captain, taking on the responsibility of leading this new era in the women's national side, the game at her feet save for a third time by.
Their She's saved three, she converted one, a lesson there has almost single handedly set the United States and of the Women's Goal Cup final.
So you've got moments like that. Who can do that? And then who can, by the way, proceed that moment once again? Thanks to our friends at CBS and a concacap with a moment like this, And.
Now she takes third. Still can't believe her tipping onto the posts in the World Cup knocked them out a chance for redemptionnaire into the bottom corner. This is the LISTENERI game.
Oh my goodness, says.
Two steps up, what second opens.
Up their hands, slots it into.
That far corner. What a penalty kick that is. Yeah, So Chris Whittingham and Laura lindsay in the Gold Cup. Yeah, watching probably one of the most certifiable badass performances. Yes, and that was only nine months ago.
I know that was And she did it again, remember, and she believes Cup. You know, it cannot be understated how amazing her mentality is. And I think that's what I want people to take from her, is that is a way that you can go about being a star in the national team. You can show up, do your job, and be a badass.
So then who who Comma bart Comma gets to be the next bad ass between the sticks?
Legit, That's a good question because I don't know who that person is right now, and I don't think we have a clear picture on who the number one is now. If you were to ask me, if you were to ask me before October, I probably would have said Casey Murphy. She was the heir apparent. She got a lot of time in goal under Vlatko, which is something we didn't see a lot of. Alistenair didn't really start for the
national team until she started for the national team. So Casey Murphy has had a lot of big game and a lot of international minutes. But I think it's very fair to say she has not grabbed that starting job the way that we expected her to. You saw someone called into camp this time around. She didn't get playing time. But Fallentelli's Joyce is one who is starting for Manchester
United the best goalkeeper in the WSL. Right now. You also have Jane Campbell, who didn't feature in the fall friendlies because of an injury, but she's been around the Nation one team for a long time. She's obviously the pride of Marietta, so we hope she can another Marietta girl hoping she can stay on with the national team. You have some older ones like Kingsbury, but you know, it is an open battle in twenty twenty five and you have two years Emma Hayes does to figure it out.
And luckily in twenty twenty five you don't have any real major tournaments. You can use she Believes Cup with all three of those friendlies to maybe try out three goalkeepers or at least rotate to see who gets, you know, the best looks in game. And you have a whole league of NWSL goalkeepers who I think a lot of them have proven they could be that player if given the opportunity.
And that's you know. And it was in the broadcast from Luke Wilman and Julie Foudy last time out where this was part of their their running commentary and Julie Foudy mentioned, yes, she has two point five years to figure it out. She kind of has two and a half, but she really doesn't, because you've got to be ready by that event to you know, be to have everything locked into place.
Correct.
If your if if you looked at your paperwork, you you looked at your paperwork, you looked at your research, you looked at your your yearbook, and all of your thought pattern here, what does your gut tell you about
who would be number one? All things being equal? What would you if you were stacking a roster if there was the the Bark Keeler Soccer for US POD Invitational that included the US Women's National team, and it was I'm not going to say like over Christmas holiday or anything, but let's just say, you know, Valentine's Day, it's the Valentine's Day Extravaganza for the soccer for US PO D Cup,
and the us WNT is a part of it. Who would you stack your roster with when it comes to being between the sticks.
Well, let's just look at a real tournament we have. She believes Cup coming up next winter fall, whatever season that is at that point in time. Yeah, I guess that's winter. I would I would have Casey Murphy as my number one. I would have Jane Campbell as the two, and I would have Foulon talis choice as the three. But I also really would like to see Katie Lund from Louisville. I think she's the one that I've been
championing for a while. I do think she needs to be on a better soccer team, but I think Katie could be a very interesting choice. She's very tall, like Casey Murphy and and very very good shot stopper. I don't really think there's anyone else. And again, like Mandy how it's a good shout of a player who could
get an opportunity. I just don't know who. How much you want to experiment, right, there's there's a difference between bringing players in to have them prove in person, which you've seen on tape, or you know, maybe at a game, right because Emma's not at training sessions. But then there's a difference between that and while it is a tryout
that the field is very selected, right, it's curated. So I do think that you've seen kind of the players that Ema ha Is maybe is already considering, and they are Casey, Jane Fallen and probably Mandy how it wouldn't surprise me if there are some other interiviuusal keepers coming in. But yeah, those are the ones that I think are most likely to be battling out for the number one spot.
It sounds like there's thirty eight keepers that could possibly.
I mean, there really are, John and I think that's the difference between now and in twenty sixteen when we moved on from Hope Solo or Hope Solo decided to move on from the US women's national team is it was a very much a well it's now listen there, and we were a little uns and part of that was again because naire hadn't been given a lot of national team playing time. Whereas now we've seen some goalkeepers.
Right in October we saw Casey and Mandy right, that's good again and she believes cup it when it surprised me if we see at least two goalkeepers played, maybe three again in twenty twenty five. We don't have any real tournaments coming up, right, we don't have to worry for on the women's side to worry about like, oh, we gotta go win a trophy. Obviously you want to win.
She believes Cup. I understand it's a tournament, it's a bunch of friendlies, so you have time to go explore, you have time to test players out in a real time. But again, you're not holding an open, open tryout. You're carefully selecting who you're bringing in to make sure that they are up for it. And this is where Emma's going to be really tested. There's some other position battles in twenty twenty five that we did talk about on the podcast, and we will probably talk about it a
lot coming up in twenty twenty five. We have that futures camp in January, which is Emma hay is taking the January camp from the men's side and actually framing it correctly, and we'll see if anything comes from that. I don't know if it will. Teagan Why is the youth national team goalkeeper that I think a lot of people are high on, but she's still I don't think
she's even twenty one yet, So we'll see. John, But I'm glad that Emma is having tryouts but being very selective about who's being brought in.
Okay, help like kind of sort of involving soccer for USPOD. Christian Polisic a torn muscle in his right calf, ac Milan said on Monday, following an MRI could be out until January. During the first half of Milan's loss at Atalanta on Friday, Milan said he would undergo another MRI in a week. One of the top players this season five goals for assistances in Syria, three goals in Champions League.
The men's national team does not play an official match until facing Panama in concor CAB Nations League semifinals in March. Polsit could return according to the four letter and wire service reports for the Italian Super Copa semifinal matches against Juve in Saudi Arabia on jan three.
There's another piece of breaking nudes that relates to Atlanta United. There John, if you want to hit that? So the chat.
So the the high performance note, Yeah, did we get that already there? So you gotta I boosted the I boosted the the note briefly. So there is a new individual in the elevation of the sports science department. David Tenney is now in as director of High Performance for
Atlanta United, MLS, NBA, NCAA Sports Performance vet. David Tenney as quote, their director of high Performance end quote twenty years of sports science expertise, most recently four years with Austin before that, three years with the Orlando Magic, eight years with Seattle there's your tie, and a couple of years with Sporting Kansas City, replacing Head of Sports Science Ryan Alexander, quoting Garth excited to welcome David to the
club's director of high Performance. Considered a leader in our industry, David brings twenty years of experience and elite sports performance, during which he worked for multiple MLS teams across multiple different sports, overseeing the club's performance department that includes first
team Atlanta United two and the club's academy. So Director of High Performance David Tenney is now in led the sports performance department with Seattle for nine years oh nine to seventeen, ultimately promoted his high Performance director for the twenty seventeen season with the Sounders, two MLS Cups, four Open Cups, made MLS Playoffs in all nine years, Tenny created the Sounders Sports Science Summit Say that ten times Fast,
which became a leading sports science conference. Goes into his career, but a director of High Performance now for Atlanta United, David Tenney it's being brought in from Austin.
FC, so that is clearly a Milan needed him to keep Poliitic healthy.
Ah, there's there's the first singer of the one there it is Bangs.
Such for Pulisic, he's had a fantastic season. Hopefully this can't. I mean he's legitimately had player of the Year type performances for Milan this year. So I think Milan will miss him a lot. But hate that for Pulisic.
Yes, so you know he's he's been been on a heater, as they say in the casino, and and he is going to be on the shelf for a little bit obviously going to be monitored by anyone and everyone that is attached to the men's national team program. Okay, it's
that time for reffing down here. And there was the one play that I wanted you to look at specifically before we go into the activity in the Premier League, and Tom wanted to go back to an Evertonian call from the midweek as well, so that was actually requested that we look at this long ever the Evertonian call from the midweek, but the penalty call at three to
three for Khrusasul and Klubamedica last night. You have a penalty call in the box at ninety plus four, and it kind of looked like either one of two things. It looked like dude was trying to take a summersault over the opposing player or it was a hip toss
that was being made inside the eighteen. But in either case, you don't want to give the man in the middle something that he's got to think about at ninety plus four in a tie game that's going to decide a semi final, that's going to get the winning club to a final.
Correct, That's gonna be the problem here for this particular moment is when you're making any sort of challenge in the box, you have to be you have to be very careful because and a pivotal juncture like that one, I will say, referees don't want to have to make a call here, right, This is not the type of game deciding decision you want to have to make.
But but however.
We're also very much in the heightened sense of awareness of what's going on because everything else is very very tensions, very intentious. There are going to be people who are gonna get mad no matter what this decision would have been. So, Yeah, the defender made I think, made a mistake by making such a I don't want to say careless challenge, but that's by definition what a foull is. Yes, just not not sticking through their technique. Let's put it that way, right.
So, and the point that I wanted to go in sideways here and discuss with the idea of a center f navigating a moment like this and trying to determine internally, Okay, I've got a tie game, it's ninety plus four. Do I let it go? Or do I at ninety plus four in a three to three game that decides a semi final in a second leg to determine who's going to play for the Aperture Championship. Right, that whole notion of okay, do I let it play out? Is it
too harsh? There's that there's that line that you've got to navigate late in a match with everything that's important and everything attached to the top of it. That's kind of what I wanted to gauge your opinion on here, all of these different things that you have to navigate as a center f y late in the match, with all of this that that is important as important as it is well.
And that's that's kind of the question you have that I I the way you framed it, I don't love do I just let it go? And again I think I've talked about this. I don't like the itic the term of oh, just let them play or let it go. Let it you know, that to me indicates that you're too scared to make a call. And in this type of moment, you have to have the testicular fortitude there
you go to. You have to have that that courage to know that you can and should make a call, right, because you have to keep your threshold of is it a foul the same right. Just because it's the ninety plus what four fifth now doesn't mean that it's any less a foul than if it happens in the fourth minute or the forty fourth minute or the sixty fourth minute. You know, you have to have the courage to believe in yourself to make that call.
And that was kind of what how many how many times do you see outside and I guessaid, we can be talking about various and sundry levels of the sport. How many times have you noticed that either as just as as an observer of a match where the line shifts late because of all of those.
External well, I think with var John we have been able to keep our lines a little more consistent throughout the game because in the past I definitely believe that there have been referees who wouldn't have called something like this because you don't want to be the person who impacts the outcome of a match like that. Right now, personally, again, if it's a fouls, falon needs to be called. That's
that's my personal view on things. You know, I don't think that the stage of the match is that shouldn't bear much on that. But you also have to take an account the You do have to take an account the temperature of the match, the stakes in the match. But again, if it's a foul, it's a foul and it should be called. That's just where it is. But I think now with var John, a lot of referees feel confident in making calls because it can be reviewed
and you can overturn it. But on the flip side, if you if you were to say no, I don't I don't think that was a penalty kick, and then you have the opportunity to take a second look at it through VAR that could also help you again then make that call. And I think that's just where we the benefit of VAR is being able to actually corroborate get second opinions. Maybe it's your own second opinion, but
you're still getting a second look at things. I still would prefer the referee make this call if they feel it's a foul. Don't get wrapped up in the the time, the stakes, the you know all that.
But that's got to be a difficult thing though. It is.
It absolutely is, John, It absolutely is, and especially in a country like Mexico where they are not particularly friendly to referees and you know they throw things on a good day. But that's my slight up Mexico for this.
Yeah, that's.
But yeah, I mean it, It is scary to make that call because of course you're going to make a call like that, right, And what's going to happen to me, to be after every player on that team, plus the bench, plus the coaches, plus their brother in law plus their sisters brother in law are all coming in to tell you how wrong you are, right, and you know, while they're not supposed to be talking to the referees like that, they will and that can be You know that that
type of stuff is scary. Again, the last thing you want to do is wrongly impact the outcome of a game. But you know we always say, oh well, we want to let the players decide, right, That's what all the commentators will say. We want the players to side. Making a foul is a decision. I'm sorry, you don't just make a You don't just foul someone without action and decision. So them committing that action that resulted in the foul is the players deciding the game.
Absolutely true. We've got a bookmark the fifth Pro World eleven on the men's side that has been announced this morning as of about but twenty minutes ago. Real surprises across the board except for me. Actually, Messi is not in the FIEFT Pro World.
Eleven, but he is the MLS MVP John That is true.
He is absolutely an MLSM Wow and Bofe Holland, Venetius junior midfield, de Bruna, Rodrick Kross, Bellingham back three, Carve Hall, Rudigert van Dyke and Ederson in Net. That is the men's team fief Pro World eleven.
Okay, I don't have a hot take about that. John. It sounds right.
Was chosen by twenty one two and sixty six players the world eleven, So that was that was the best in the world our PFA members, So that is that came out. Everybody wants to know, Hey, what's your what's your take on the world. It's like, yeah, okay, looks good. Yeah, it's okay, cool. You had twenty one thousand vote, no real surprize. So yeah, they broke that out this morning
starting at ten o'clock. And apparently Lucy Brons has now matched Wendy Renard's record of seven appearances in the fief Pro Women's Good.
For her, I mean, we talked about her last week. She's a class player and continues to prove why.
Okay, fift pro ward eleven on the women's side looks like it is a three three three one. Barbara Banda up top behind Cacedo Marta and James behind bon Natti, Walsh and Potaeus or tell Us as anglicized Lucy Brons, Greenwood and Carmona, and in that it is Mary ERPs. So that is your fief Pro Women's World eleven. Yeah, okay, okay, that seemed to be rather resgnated.
Uh, let me.
Mary or so it's Marta, Laura and James lind the Caceado Barbara Bonda, so basically four forwards.
Yea, Lauren James is really only good at stomping on people, so I'm not I just don't understand the love with Lauren James. But that's that's also me being an arsenal hater. Yes, uh, midfield healthy hater as an arsenal fan.
Kira Wallsha, lets you to tell us Monty you're back three defensively, Lucy Browns, I.
Don't think Petelias deserves it. I gotta be real, honest, she's she's at this point, she's just writing on name recognition. That's just where she is. I'm sorry she hasn't been that elite for a while, and I would like to say that again. We have n WSL bias because you're telling me not a triple Espresso the group that won a gold medal. No name me, Germa. But hey, they plan they play in Europe, so that means they must be the best player who's ever existed.
Right, wait, so what country are they playing now?
Well, so we have Caados in Spain.
Oh no, no, no, no, I was going for the effect.
I was going for the well, couple of them playing eng but most of them is playing yeah up, yeah, and you know you see now you're going to differentiate from now going forward?
Yeah you got yees see back three Lucy bronze log of Carmel and Alex Greenwood Mary ers in net. So you have your Your one complaint is Alex superto you got a.
Lot of English players. Ain't one deadly squat since twenty twenty two.
But okay, fine, five of the eleven are are are English.
Yeah, that's not shocking because now I will say the WSL Okay John Power Rankings of Women's Sport of Soccer leagues is you still have NWSL at number one, despite what anyone else wants to say. Y'all come over here and try to win in this sleep. It ain't that easy and your body is going to be hurting afterwards. That's number one. English Women's Super League number two. Right, you have most actual talent top to bottom in that league compared to other leagues. Right, Spain is like number seven.
You've got Barcelona, Barcelona. None of the other teams are that good. Right, and Frank got two teams maybe three? Yeah, yeah, Leon PSG.
That's it.
Yeah, Germany's getting better. You got Wolfsburg, you got Byron. But telling you man like European leagues are there, they're all just very concentrated m and they all have you know, they have two teams maybe in each league that has all the good players, right mm hmm, okay, good.
Then there's an imbalance I believe as well.
Massive imbalance and talent and and that that's why I just I'm sorry. I don't buy into the European hype the way that a lot of people do. There's there's a lot of euro snobbery coming from the women's side because you know, oh, well they play pretty soccer. Yeah, well watches Trinity Rodman and mouse wantson just run past them and blast the ball into the back of the net.
So yeah, you want to talk about imbalance, go to Scotland and look at their league. That that is about as imbalanced. A yeah. Uh var reviews for down here this week. I know that Tom wanted to go over an incident in the midweek at Everton. So one of the incidents I wanted to discuss has to do with elbow up and it's the Koulishevsky elbow on Romeo Lavia, Tottenham and Chelsea. The seven goal craziness that was there.
Laviya knocked to the ground first half stoppage, Koulishewsky elbow up, Anthony Taylor gave the free kick, took no disciplinary action. Should and the question is should the VAAR have advised a red Koulashevski catching Lava on the back of the head with the elbow. No reblem was given.
I think, you know, just because something looks bad doesn't mean it's done with excessive force. Right again, our our our standards careless, reckless, excessive force. Right, So you a red card for either serious foul play or violent conduct. And the question is did that meet either one? It looks bad, it's a foul for sure, it could have been a yellow card. I think that's probably a safe a safe bit of discipline there to say that was a very reckless thing you just did with your elbow.
But to me this like, is it a normal challenge in the scheme of the game that can be considered reckless, where yes, you might be going up with your elbow, but most of the time something like that when you're in the grand scheme of actually playing soccer is not going to be given a red card like that. Right, it looks bad, I know, but there's a lot of things that look bad that are just unfortunately still part of soccer.
Question says it could have been violent conduct for the use of the elbow, serious foul play, for challenging for the ball in a way which endangered the safety of possible I mean, and so in the the arm that had elbow up obviously that you're looking, Kulashevsky had a closed fist. I mean that that traditionally, when you're when you're you know, challenging for someone you're trying to clear out, it's not going to be with an open hand. So that's kind of a natural it's almost a red herring
for me with a closed hand in the situation. Yes, because tradition, you know, when I it's like when I'm when I'm running, I'm running closed handed, even if my elbows at ninety degrees, I'm not running, you know, like I'm trying to be a windmill or something like that.
So yeah, again, I think this is one of those where it didn't look and you cannot judge this necessarily, but This is the benefit of VR is it didn't even look premeditated, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, it just looked like two people challenging for the ball. One's elbow got higher than the other. I personally think the yellow card could have been a very appropriate course of action here, but I do not think that.
John.
We always talk, but we don't want VR to re referee no right, and I don't think there's any reason for VIR to intervene for something like this.
Okay, So then let's go to the Casado Sar incident. Oh so, Sar and Casato challenge in the thirty three Anthony Taylor gives a free kick to Spurs. No disciplinary action taken. Also checked for a possible red for serious foul play. No red was given as Casado is past the point of the ball and Sar is caught on the shin by ca Stato as he has gone past, and once again it gets into context about the same level of force to go to a review.
Yeah, I do think this one probably looks a little worse than the elbow. I think this is one that maybe possibly could have been a red card. Sure, but I do I kind of understand what the reasoning of this was at the very end of his follow through, it was very obvious that the attempt was still to play the ball right Again, is this serious foul play or violent conduct? That's the level we have to kind of, that is the level we're trying to hold it to.
And I don't think this necessarily is serious foul play, but I can see why, you know, I could definitely see why this could have been given a red card. But again, is it serious foul play?
That's the question, yes, And that's what we're staring at here. Okay, So while I'm going back into the archive to go over and find the Everton moment. Question from David who was in Raleigh this past weekend, daughter went to Waken Stanford. Who do you like in the Wake North Carolina Final?
Well, I work with a woman who played at Wake, so I'm going to support her. U and C has all has enough titles they don't even know one even with a with an interim coach as someone who did go to college in North Carolina.
Yes, ABC, Aha, yes, anybody, but.
But I do think I do think Carolina will want it.
But ABC, Yeah, I see, I see, I see you working here. Uh like I said, I love how computers. You sit there and it's like, look, I'm trying to find I'm trying to find the moment with this Everton call and Tom, if you've got it ahead of us, then that we can get into your wake. Yeah, so wake would be nice to see the w So crap, I can't find it like in a time.
If it's the off side, I think we talked about it already, and I think we did an offside. He was offside, like it was he he committed.
Again.
I think we talked. It may not have been a foul, but it's offside.
Okay, So there we go.
I think that's what if that's the one we're talking about that that we covered that, right.
I think we came on.
That's a full on OPI pick, you know, Yeah.
I think I think we did talk about it, memory serves. I think we did talk about it when you came on late last week. So Tom, go back. But yeah, that's the short version. It was an OPI pick, all right, So what else is going on in the soccer for us Pod Planet that folks need to know about other than going back and listening to episode one oh five?
Yeah, go listen to that determining when we're recording this week because I have three soccer games to play this week plus a weekend full of referee coming up. Yeah, so we'll see. We're going to try to record something before Christmas to kind of wrap up twenty twenty four, and then we'll lead the year with as we did last year, our resolutions for the US Soccer program and teens. Yeah, that's what's coming up.
Yes, all right, Well be good, my friend, it's great to see you. Like I said, since I've got championships next week, I don't know what the next week, what next week's GrITT is, So I'm trying to get I'm trying to get substitute hosts to come in and make it and see what's going on. So we'll see who. We'll see who's gonna be host?
Who could do that?
Well, not an intern anymore? Yeah, a full on we've got a full we got a full on sicko.
Yeah.
So to add to the full on sickos.
And what's Chason doing anymore? The season's done, he doesn't have a job.
We will discuss, my friend, that man is busier than as my dad would say, he's busier than a one armed paper hanger.
So you ain't as are you?
You ain't kidding, brother, We will see you soon, my friend.
Be well, y'all have fun, and yes, make sure you check out the Women's College Cup final tonight.
Go watch that, yes ABC, as Bart says, So there goes Bart. All right, so now we've got stuff to get into. We talked about Christian Polisic and the torn calf muscle, and uh, Cocaine has agreed to a new Barsad deal, so there's also that. That's a part of the morning for Kart. Now I've got to go back and see who I missed more morning Abby. Uh yeah, Tom h Apparently a UCL injury for Carson Beck and he's gonna miss the h He's gonna miss the sugar Bowl or wherever they're going to be. Uh. So let's
see that is a it is. I think it's like both a replacement and a new position Emilio for the director of High Performance. I think that's like taking over duties and then adding on other duties. So uh, morning Rich. Uh, Michael's like, let's not talk about the U A T. And so let's see morning Martin. Good to see you. I think this is Martin's first visit. Martin get a hate that good morning, and so uh yeah, Tom, I believe we did discuss, but yes it was. It was
an o PI pick. When Bart came on late last week, I think we did talk about it then. So uh, let's see Morning Emilia, Morning Abbey, and that's our Drew year with discussion. Oh, getting into the other colleges. I know, we've got to get into the Ashworth dismissal firing walking away at Manchester United. We got to get into that, and also the Don Garberer State of the Union. We got to get into that before we get out of here with Gossipermrian and you window what to watch, where
to watch it, how to watch it? Okay, So in the NCAA tournaments, it's very very busy time, very very busy time. So all right, so women's soccer, we click on that and we go into Division two and then we look at the brackets and once again remember it is we get to click. So it looks like with the receding the seed list Columbus State, cal Poly, Pomona, Franklin, Pierce in Minnesota State so and so it will be so the seed listing so here it is Columbus State
and Minnesota State Saturday in in North Carolina. So Saturday, December thirteenth, three o'clock Columbus State Minnesota State followed by cal Poly Pomona and Franklin Pierce. Cal Poly Pomona Columbus State were the two number ones that made it through. In the quarterfinals, cal Poly Pomona beat Colorado School of Mines two nil, Columbus State one in PKS with staves from Heidi Harris in frames four and five to advance after a goalles one hundred and ten minutes against the
University of West Florida. So Columbus State takes on Minnesota State. Minnesota State as a two seed beat Grand Valley in PKS five to four, and Franklin Pierce the two seed, upset Shepherd two to one. So you have your two number ones cal Poly Pomona and Columbus State taking on the two number twos Minnesota State and Franklin Piers. So that is Semifinals D two's sports Plexit. Matthews is where it is. It's not in the Kerry, but the sports
Plex at Matthews. Friday and Sunday or Saturday and then Saturday and Sunday, So everybody's up at the sportsplex at Matthews. If you're anywhere close, go see Columbus State as they chase after a national championship. Columbus State, Minnesota State, cal Poly Pomona, and Franklin Pierce. So that is Division two Division three women's soccer. Wash You won the Division three women's soccer tournament and they won. They defeated William Smith
in the championship. It is washu's second D three national championship in school history. It was where am I going here? Yeah? Wash you beat William Smith by the final of three nil. In the semifinals, Wash You beat Christopher Newport three nil in Vegas. William Smith shut up Emory two nil. Great season for the Emery Eagles and head coach Sue Patberg. So semifinals Wash you one. William Smith won. Wash You won the title in Vegas, and so your Division three
women's champ is wash You out of Saint Louis. And so then on the men's side, when it comes to soccer, we were discussing what was going on in the other division's Division two on the men's side, with the bracket going on right now for ads pop up on trying to be Crazy. The semifinals on Thursday this upcoming Thursday, Charleston of West Virginia taking on co Issue Pueblo and Lynn taking on McKendree. Lynn knocked out Clayton State with a golden goal in the first minute of the first
overtime at Lynn this past weekend. So Lynn beat Clayton State two to one in like the ninety four in the ninety first minute of play. It was the first minute of the first overtime period in a golden goal setup. So the two ones Charleston and CSU Pueblo, and the two two's Lynn and McKendree. So it's Charleston, CSU Pueblo, Lynn and McKendree Thursday, December the twelfth, and that is your Division two championship. On the Division three side, we'll
get into the NAIA here and just a bit. Amherst won the Division three Soccer tournament, beating College by the final of four to three in penalties to win their first championship since the twenty fifteen season. The Amherst Mammoths, I don't know if they're woolly or not, but nevertheless, so semifinals, Amherst beat Middlebury two one, Connecticut College beat Washington and Lee and Amherst wins in penalties. Now and the NAIA in INNAIA action scads still has a run going.
Dalton State still has a run going. So on the men's side, William Penn has advanced to the title match against Dalton State. William Penn down a goal twice, they win it in the ninety third minute, and then Dalton State, with a win, advanced to their first ever semi Now they've advanced to their first ever final, beating Cumberland's four nil in Wichita, Kansas. Seventeenth shutout by the Roadrunners this year Nicholas lete with the shutout, so Dalton State voted
as the top team during the regular season. Once again. It's at Skiel Striker in Wichita, Kansas, So if you are there and want to check out the championship please go to Wichitak, Kansas and check it out. So it is the road Runners of Dalton State. They are in the championship game against William Penn of Iowa on the men's side. On the women's side, there is a now well. The championship game set for two o'clock this afternoon with
SCAD and Kaiser number nine versus Number three. Kickoff is set for fifteen minutes from now because it's in Pensacola, Florida, So it has been moved up because of the weather that is heading into the Panhandle later today. Was supposed to be kicked off at two o'clock this afternoon, it has now been moved up literally to thirteen minutes from now. And so you can go to the NAIA website and go to I'm gonna give you the link here to
the article. It's on the Urban Edge Network and the NAIA network out of Pensacola, Florida, So go here to read about it. But SCAD is going to be playing in fifteen minutes and they are going to be literally at what time did they change the time? At what time? Let's see, So let me check the time of the release. It says yesterday. So it was yesterday was when they announced the time change. Taking the field for warmups, Oh oh,
Central time, My bad? Okay, So it is noon eastern eleventh Central, so taking warm ups at twenty five minutes after the hour Central time, well twenty five minutes after the hour period taking the field eleven twenty five eastern for warmups noon eastern kick. Scad the number nine seed, Kaiser the number three seed, and that's at the Ashton Brosenham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida. So Scad Kaiser noon
eastern kick. And you can click on the link because it's got the article to the Urban Edge network and to the NAI network. So go there watch Scad take on Kaiser in the championship game noon eastern time. So in an hour and eleven minutes you can you can go catch Scat as they've made their way through as a nine seed. So David wants to know, David says, when I say school of mines, he just hears school of mimes and envisioning a soccer match that side. That's
I'm being marked. I'm being marked. I feel like Marcel Marshall. I'm being marked. I can't leave this space. I see, I see how David is. Definitely the trade window for card is ongoing as we speak. Literally, it is ongoing as we speak. It is the half day trade window. So when it comes to trades, it seems to be fairly quiet right now. To be perfectly honest, have not seen anything involving a trade in Major League Soccer. So
let's see. I'm trying. I'm what I'm literally trying to do is see if there is anything going on and it sets up one again. You're setting up rosters before the expansion draft list is released tomorrow afternoons. So UH trying to check and see if anything has happened so far here in the half day trade window this morning, UH, saysar Luis Merlow is reporting this morning that Marcela that Marcello Wagant has renewed his contract for one more year
with Messi and Friends. So Messi and Friends keep cell Awagant for another year. Announcement expected in the coming day's extension given after the UH. This is once again quoting says or Luis Merrilow directly. This is direct translate given the after the objectives said in the bond we're met. I'm guessing that there were either minutes or matches or certain metrics that were met and it was an option pickup, and so cell Awagant met those metrics and Messi and
Friends picked up the option. So cell Awagan is staying for me and Friends for another year with the renewal of his contract. So that looks like legitimately the only thing that's happened so far is the renewal of the Chellawagant contract involving Messi and friends for twenty twenty five season. All right, so let's see morning Abby, Morning Tom, Morning Unk. Let's see morning Will, morning Rich. Let's say morning Michael. Okay, so we're caught up on folks and me saying hi
to everybody. Abby only a few hours different pulling for Skeed just like Kaiser very much. Coming from a former nai A parent, Amelia wants to know you gotta hire him. Yeah, you gotta hire a TD and a manager. Don't want to late arrival for an excuse to be integration issues in a slow start. Now, it's I think that that's that's not what you want heading into the twenty five season with all of the positive all the positives that you found at the end of the twenty four season.
I'm intrigued and I can't wait to see who the individuals are. And alas said, I have no I have no knowledge as to whom those two positions could be. We have supposed, and we have presupposed, and we have tried to add, you know, A plus B and came up with Chris Henderson as the logical thought for technical director, but head coach. I mean, we've seen the names that have been bounced around out there. Don't know where the process is, don't know where the progress is, don't know
how close they are to signing an individual. So we'll see what We'll see what the situation is there. Oh, that's what I wanted to get into because the comments were starting to come out out of Toronto involving the John Herdman resignation and I'm trying to see if I can find yes. So here's according to the Canadian Press, and this is I'm gonna read the article as is John Herdman's decision to step down as Toronto FC coach
is quote an unfortunate situation. According to Jonathan Assorio, Herdman resigned saying it was the right time for me to step away from the club as the organization defines its vision for the future end quote. Departure linked by many to the Canada Soccer investigation into the drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics that cost Bev priestman Jasmine Mandarin
and Joey Lombardi their jobs at Canada Soccer. All three are currently serving one year suspensions from FIFA, with Lombardi having resigned his Canada Soccer position soon after the Olympics. Quoting Asrio, I know John was excited about taking the job in his first year. He really enjoyed being at Toronto.
I'm sure this decision was not an easy one for him, but I can imagine with the situation and everything surrounding it, it made it tough, and you know, he felt like he had to do something that was best for him and maybe also thinking about what's best for the club as well.
Just all in all, an unfortunate situation. Assorio spoke after appearing at a PlayStation event that saw the Canadian international midfielder and fans try their luck at kicking balls at targets in the form of the PlayStation controller buttons on a goal in front of the Prince's Gate. Event was part of PlayStations Play has No Limits campaign. So the FIFA Appeals Committee ruling the summer put Herdman at ground zero with the Canada Soccer situation and the investigation there.
Once again, Herdman has said little did not cooperate with the investigation from Canada Soccer, despite being asked a handful of times said it was scheduling issues that was the problem. Severely doubt that, but okay, Assorio is a longtime gamer, says he still plays, especially when it comes to EA Sports FC soccer franchise formerly his EA Sports FIFA and
so Neil m David Neil Davidson. It the Canadian Press chased after Jonathan Massorio and got that comment from him about the whole thing Melia is saying a source saying curtain to n y C. Okay, I'm intrigued n y C. Will they will City Football Group see now? And for me, City Football Group, will they invest in n my CFC? And this is just in general. It doesn't matter who specifically we're talking about here would be the new head coach?
Would City Football Group invest period in ny CFC or they would Would they just continue to use ny CFC to flip players out? Oh no, John John Herdman has too many. Uh yeah, John Herdman to anywhere right now, doesn't matter what franchise you're talking about, John Herdman to
anywhere right now for that particular franchise. If any franchise took a leap on John Herdman right now, I don't know if there would be any goodwill left in whatever market that was if somebody said, you know, I'm interested in John Herdman, and you signed John Herdman with all of the black clouds hanging over him right now, I'm of a mind to think to think that Toronto FC had a feeling or has a feeling something's going to come down hard quick on Herdman, and that John Herdman, Yes,
for card Herdman is radioactive in the US. But the question is for NYCFC, for whoever that new head coach is. Are they just going to continue to kind of invest in NYC and take players that they have and then flip them like they did Tati Castillanos, Or is it a situation where they will invest knowing that they've got Dylan Butler or States with broken ground and they've got to get ready for that moment of when it opens and they're trying to find the right guy to be
on the touch line before Pep Guardiola comes in. And I say that half firmly, a tongue half planted in cheek, Toronto, You know, we'll spend money. So Jim Curtin, if he's doing the car wash right now and catching up with folks, does Jim Curtin at whatever gig he's at, does he try to go to the Bill Parcells card? Is he the one that wants to buy the groceries and cook the meal at whatever his next step is? By the way, San Jose apparently is interested in an Open Cup hero
Brandon Basquez. Remember they made the deal to get some players come over from New England for half a million dollars in am So Bruce Arena, getting some familiar faces including Ian Harks to start things up in San Jose. Interest in Open Cup hero Brandon Vasquez at Mont today? Does that happen? But anyone who is abby, thank you? The question is who goes to invest who's going to invest in these That's the larger question here. You know
that they're gonna spend money. Ah, So we the Union is the one that is saying, and once again, we the Union is probably well known more by a lot of other folks. A content creator, and once again this time of year, once again, just look at your number of followers. The fact that the search engines are out there we the union with two ends with one hundred and twenty nine followers on the two hundred and eighty
character app got to keep an eye on that. So yeah, four card Garth should be interested in Open Cup hero Brandon Masquez zero reliable according to Rich Ransom. Okay, but you know, whomever wherever Jim Curtin goes, does he want to be the one to buy the groceries and cook the meal? I would imagine, So after all of his time in Philadelphia Toronto, we'll spend money on bringing in
a coach. They'll pay handsomely and they'll also bring in players, so you know, so we'll see what happens with Curtin and his next stop Toronto and their next choice Philadelphia. Philadelphia had been linked to a European coach and the negotiations had been ongoing, I believe was how it was phrased. So we'll see what it looks like there. So yeah, today is the half day trade window until one o'clock to set up the expansion draft rosters. The expansion draft,
by the way, is Wednesday. Tuesday is when you announce who you're holding who you're not. Just that sets up your roster for those for San Diego to figure out what they want to do. Today is also the beginning of the three day College Showcase, so Major League Soccer clubs can sit there and look at folks and go ooh. We'll see if so and so is going to get drafted or if I'm going to have a UDFA opportunity and sign somebody to a deal to one of the
one of the other places. So we'll see what happens with the College Showcase and the half day trade window. We have not gotten into the Jim Ratcliffe comments and Dan Ashworth after being done after five months at Manchester United. Keep an ear out for a three where Drew Dickinson will give his thoughts on that. We'll get into that tomorrow. Remember tomorrow is a power hour ish or an afternoon show. I don't know what time, probably after lunch, but once
again after lunch, we'll keep an eye on that stuff. Thursday, free agency opens up at one o'clock. Ind of your waivers is at five. Friday re entry Stage one is at one o'clock. So that is your MLS timeline for
the week. But we still got to go over Don Garber's comments from the State of the Union and the other material involving Liverpool, Josie Mourinho, Jim Ratcliffe and apparently Black Knight Holdings, the Bill Foley group that owns Vegas, Golden Knights, Bournemouth, etc. They might be chasing after Shamrock rovers. For me, most likely for Curtin would be Toronto, because I think that he would want the opportunity after what happened in Philly to be buyer and chef. I said,
I think his next gig. I think he wants to have that kind of power, all right. So yeah, Alex hiring herdman, that's a ten foot pole hire. You ain't kidding. And like I said, four Card says radioactive in the United States on multiple fronts. What surprised me if he went back to like New Zealand or something and tried to coach or just had to lay low for a
couple of years, gossip Bruman and Nuindo. Like I said, tomorrow, we'll get into State of the Union from Don Garber any of the other half day stuff that happens after we go off the air, which means it's all going to happen after we go off the air, and then we'll get into state of the Union from Garber, the Dan Ashwood situation, the Ratcliffe comments, all those kinds of things. So looking at the gossip of the day before, what
to watch, where to watch it, how to watch it? Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United remain interested in Dollhovitch Juve considering selling the Serbian striker unless he agrees to a new deal. Liverpool had made an opening contract offer to most Salah. Liverpool also looking to tie up Virgil van Dyk and Trent Alexander Arnold to new deals. Manchester City could swoop to blow Liverpool away and a deal to sign Martin
Zubamindi from Real Sociodet. Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth was not in favor of appointing Rubin a Marim as the club's new manager, instead recommending a move for Gareth Southgate. Graham Potter was also on that list as well.
The short version for Ashworth was that he felt that he was being left out of a lot of the decision making and he wanted to go in a different direction involving the coaching search, and they went and got Ruben a Marim and Ashworth wanted to stick with an English coach, Crystal Palace's bid and other things like I said, we'll get into it tomorrow afternoon. Crystal Palace has bid to sign Leon winger Ryan Cherkey has been hit by
PSG in Dortmund joining the race. Three letter Paper Villa one of four Premier League clubs interested in US nineteen year old winger a Keenan Yildiz, whose club could seek a fee of about sixty six million pounds. Ac Milon Keen on a loan with an option to buy for Chelsea's Carnichukomeca, who's also attracting interest from Celtic Interesting. Real Madrid's forward Endrick has decided he will not go on loan in January continue to fight for a sparing starting spot.
Georgian winger Kevichka Kvard Skellia close to signing a contract extension with Nopoly until twenty twenty nine. Remember, contracts of length mean all you do is control the asset. It does not necessarily mean that you want the asset for the link the deal. West Ham also considered Max Allegri as a successor to Jewel low Pteggy, but the cost involved makes it a probable non starter. So what to watch or to watch it, how to watch it before
we get out of here. And once again this comes from our friends at Soccer America and let's see if there is anything going on today. Yeah, west Ham and Wolves is at three that's on you, I say, and at nbcsports dot Com, at TAFE and Espaniel's an ESPN Deportees and on ESPN Plus. Paramount Plus has Northampton Town in Peterborough United out of League One at three o'clock and Siria at two forty five, Monza and Esse at two forty five on Paramount Plus. Remember tomorrow's Champions League
and all of that. So just so we know, it's our weekly table check. Uh oh okay, So let's then we got to hit the breaker for this. Definitely have to hit the breaker for this. So let me cueue up the music, leg go. The PGMOL has sacked referee David coot dismissed statement from the PGMOL reads following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into Coote's conduct. Is employed
with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect. Coote's actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract with his positions deemed with his position deemed untenable, supporting Coot continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare. Coot has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment. So David Coot out no longer a part of the PGMOL. He has been sacked by the PGMOL. So we'll keep
an eye on that. Will he continue to ask for help or or what? But what I wanted to do was look at the tables since we were discussing what was going on involving the lower divisions and the Ryan Reynolds extravaganza known as Wrexham. Wrexham scored a goal on an Olympic co a win Olympico, they wind aided Olympico and four card quoting Rick James this morning. All right, so quickly getting into the tables that I wanted to
get into. Yeah, if you if you haven't seen it as a tremendous Olympico by the way, and Wrexham right now is tied, but they have played one more match than Wickham Wanderers. Birmingham City has two matches in hand on Wrexham. Wrexham right now nineteen matches played and forty points in their one goal behind Wickham in goal difference, but right now with a little bit of activity going on, So about the halfway point of the season, forty six
matches and they played either seventeen eighteen or nineteen. Wrexham right now in the second automatic promotion spot to the Skybet Championship behind Wickham Wanderers by one goal in goal difference. So that's that's where we are. So we come back tomorrow, we will go through all the other things up. Do we have a move? Do we have a move? Do we actually do we have? Do we have we have a move? From Tom Bogert Okay, RSL have agreed to a deal to acquire Tyler Wolf for fifty thousand dollars
in GAM from Atlanta United. Tyler Wolf sixty one appearances with Atlanta after signing a homegrown deal five plus one and six hundred and forty two minutes in twenty twenty three. So RSL have agreed to a deal to acquire Tyler Wolf from Atlanta United for fifty thousand dollars in GAM. So this is why you guys. You guys are on top of it, absolutely absolutely on top of it. So you guys are a lot faster on the draw than me.
So uh so Tom Bogert Tyler Wolf to RSL for fifty thousand dollars in gam So there you go, sixty one appearances with Atlanta after signing a homegrown deal. So thank you Alex for the siren. And we'll be back at again tomorrow morning at nine oh five where we will discuss things. So we've got the Don Garber State of the Union. We've got to get into stuff from the Independent, Jim Ratcliffe ishing on Manchester United saying that they're mediocre and not elite, the whole Dan Ashwood situation.
Find out what else happens in the half day trade window, which has an hour and fifty one minutes left in it, and we'll find out what else is going on as we go. See here's my list, and that's what we're going to be doing this week. But once again, remember tomorrow is not live. It is going to be not live in the morning, live in the afternoon because I've got to be at the Georgia twow. I just dated myself there Mercedes Been Stadium for meet and greet, getting
ready for the High School Football Championship. So it'll be an SDH after lunch and we'll see what has yielded with the morning has yielded tomorrow as we get you ready. But yet, it'll be after lunch tomorrow and we will get into the action on your Tuesday. No doubt, no doubt, Fast draw Alex absolutely true four card. So that is another go round here at SDH. Thanks to Bart, thanks
to AB and thanks to y'all. And actually, no, I'm driving for the championship, so I'm gonna be in the parking deck because i gotta be there for like fifteen hours and I'm actually staying at a hotel downtown. I'm not driving back home after each day because I need to get a place to be settled and crash practically immediately and then get up and then go back into the dome and get back to NBS and do all that.
But no, drive it in tomorrow and then for the Championships Monday Tuesday Wednesday, And like I said, we're working on the host thing for next week to try to figure out who can host and who can hang out and all those kinds of things, because I'll be at Mercedes Benz Monday Tuesday Wednesday, and then the boss has called a road trip for her company Christmas party, so we're flying to Chicago and that takes me out of
Thursday and Friday because of playing of it ability. So next week we'll be guest hosts and we'll see what can go. We'll see what goes next week with the High School FOOTBA Championships with me. I'll be listening. I'll be watching like the rest of you and boosting all of our numbers. So back at it again tomorrow afternoon
and we'll break everything down. But the big news that just broke, Thank you Alex Tyler Wolf heading to RSL in the half day trade window, setting up spots so mucha ploty all played safe, everybody, since it is the end of the show that means I get to do this. We'll be back at it again at some point tomorrow afternoon, probably after launch or something, and we'll bust it and we'll see what else is going on. So once again,
out the door, which plot all played safe. Love you all very much, We'll see you later.