Time to bring our buddy Niico Modeno. And you're not wearing a hat. What's going on?
Man?
No having man, no hat. Just got a haircut yesterday. I was trying to, you know, get the hair right. But man, we're just back man. And of course there's no other show that can do what you do, John, No other show can do what you do. Going from Lima all the way out here in the Pacific Northwest for some Seattle Sounders and Western Conference information, my guy. But happy Thursday. There's this cup number one actually of coffee,
believe it or not. I just got a nice little whole shower, got ready to go, got my coffee on, and now I'm ready for some questions by my man John.
All right, So, first and foremost, how was the surprise birthday party last week?
It was great, man, It was all around exciting. It was an emotional day. I for those who don't know, I had my oldest when he was when I was eighteen. Now he's turning eighteen, so it's kind of a full circle thing there. My parents showed up. We had some pancakes and eggs and everything he likes. So it was it was a good time. It was a good weekend
overall as well. He's getting kind of a whole couple of weeks of celebrating because we're also going to do a little something with him during the super Bowl halftime or after the halftime, I guess, because after the show, I guess. So we're going to do a little song for him as well there just so you can celebrate with some friends. But yeah, man, overall, it was a good It was a good Thursday celebration last week.
And when when you're surprised by family, you go with what the family does when they surprised you first thing.
In the morning. That is mandatory. That's how this rolls.
So you got, we got, you got to go in that direction, and happy eighteenth across the board.
From all of us here on this side of the planet.
I want to, as always get into what's going on in the Pacific perspective when it comes to Major League Soccer. I want to start a little south of you and start in Los Angeles, what's going on at LAG because last week, and this is the first time we've had the chance to.
Talk about it.
The new rule, which was a long time common about being able to trade and buy inside Major League soccer. You're starting to see these kinds of transactions. I want to talk about Jack McGlenn and Houston and Philly coming up in a second. But the Bishop Dejon Yoviolich gets sold to Sporting Kansas City for four good piece of business by LAG. Then LAG it looks like they're going to be adding Christian Ramirez from Columbus. And we'll talk
about Columbus in a second. So SA ram looks like he's going from Columbus for a lot less money to LAG.
As the bish Jovolich goes to Sporting for four.
LAG is in an interesting spot right now because, Okay, you got your Joviolich replacement. I don't know if c ram can match those numbers, although they're hoping. I guess he can get close. But LAG now is very very interesting because Ramirez supposedly coming in, you still don't have Ricky Poohe for a substantial amount of time. I am intrigued to see how LAG solves this problem.
Yeah, I mean it was a problem mainly because of the salary cap, right, I mean, they wanted to do right by the player. The player wanted more money to deserve more money, and just the way the salary cap currently works. There was no way that the LA Galaxy We're going to be able to keep Jovlish. So they do good business in my opinion, and I think it's a win win because Sporting Kansas CD needed a nine of this caliber and I am probably higher on Joblish
than most. I think that he will make Sportikaa City his team. He's finally the face of that attack, right. He was always the additional piece behind Hivier Hernandez, you know, in the mix of being around Pack and Puk and Royce, and you know, he was never the guy necessarily, regardless of how good he was, and regardless of him being the one that puts the final dagger into the Sounders and eventually puts his team out in the ML's Final
and eventually into a championship. So I think the Jovils is very capable and I think many are going to be surprised of how good he will be with Sporting Kansas City. So it goes well for both. Sportikaa City gets a guy that they needed in a position of need and LA Galaxy because of the demands and because what they had to do get rid of somebody and later down the week or you know, a little bit over a week, we find out about the Christian Ra
Mirror's situation. Christian Ra Mirrors he's not your every game franchise type of striker, but he's a double digit striker without a doubt. You know, he's thirty three, his experience, he's intelligent, he is poised in front of goal. He's good on er old duels. I think that lag are doing good business once again by bringing in a guy like Superman, and he's a guy that's used to not being the guy. He's used to being the guy that is also behind somebody else. So he's going to go
in there and just try to produce. This is probably one of the best situations he's been in, with the exception of course last year, with Rossi and Kucho next to him. So he's gonna get a ton of service, he's gonna get a ton of opportunities in front of goal, and I think eventually and essentially he will be a
guy that's going to produce for La Galaxy. Again. I don't think he's gonna be the every game guy, and I think they will be other players coming into the Galaxy team's formation that could eventually rotate that position, but I think Christian Ramirez going there was smart for the La Galaxy. Columbus is a better if I had Scratcher, you know, you talked about him. I'm not really sure what's going on down there. For the life of me.
I can understand that you want to do right by players and you want to cash in and a guy like Kucho for sixteen mil and you know you're making a profit, YadA YadA, yacht. But man, you know, jaboah gone, him gone, Hinestrosa gone. I mean, that's a lot of main key players for your club that now you're going to have to replace. I don't think it's a full on rebuild down there, but it's definitely a full on remodel.
I mean they're taking the kitchen and the two bathrooms downstairs and they're trying to fix that whole thing up. So definitely substantial. Definitely something that's gonna be not easy to do because you don't find Couture Hernandez signings on trees and you don't find guys like in Estrosa either in those sort of situations. So I think Columbus is
in for a rough start. Obviously, you have a guy like Will fer Nancy, where you know that he's used to working with not the most incredible rosters, and he still has a soccer module. He's intelligent, he has obviously pieces to work with in Rossi and other guys that are still part of that Columbus crew team, but a lot of question marks all around when he comes to top teams in the league, specifically in the Western Conference, of course, But there is that sense of MLS in
twenty twenty five. It's been crazy. He's been amazing in the off season, but that usually mays for some unpredictability, at least for the start of the season.
And you know, I think you're right.
I think that Columbus is turning the basement of the house into a mother in law suite and it's going to be interesting to see how they do this and have to do it on the fly, because if you were looking at deadlines, you can still do business with South America for the next five weeks or so, depending on the country and depending on the league, but you can't do anything in Europe except for like maybe Turkey and things with have a couple of deadlines that are extended.
So Columbus is going to be in a very very interesting place. Philadelphia for me, is also in an interesting place, but probably not for the right reason. McGlenn goes to Houston and another one of these deals where the league is finally letting folks get sold inside the league for money, money and not garberbucks two point one initially from Houston former Glenn bonuses and metrics can add another one point four to the whole thing.
And then you get fifty.
Then you get fifty percent of a sell on, but you're not getting the full fifty percent because initially sixty percent went to you and forty percent went to the other two teams in New York City area. Because you violated the Dibbs zone in getting McGlenn. You went, you went past the uh, you went past the invisible fence in your yard, and you've got McGlenn. And so now forty percent of any sell on goes to the two
in New York area clubs. You get fifty percent. So you might get a million out of five or a million out of ten. It's just it's a really screwy situation involving McGlenn.
But Philly, Philly, Now.
I want to know what they do with this money do they Are they going to just continue to be grinders and go, oh, we're just gonna have guys that are gonna be tough and we're gonna be, you know, grinding things out because that's Philly and that's who we are, and we're going to take our young talent.
We're going to sell them on.
And then I don't know what you're doing with that money that you're bringing in. I know that you're building infrastructure and things like that, but are you really doing things to benefit the product on the field. So the sale for me from m Glenn presents another interesting question out of Philly. What are you doing with it? How do you replace him? And what are you doing come twenty five.
Yeah, that's a great question and is one is difficult to answer because if it was hard to predict when it was Curtain managing things, now it's even more unpredictable because you got a guy like Cornell Dad. How much power does who really have at this point? How much influence can he you know, half with the use of those funds. Is it going to be Philly just keeping them money and continue to just inject their academy system?
And the youth program and get guys here and there that are serviceable and you know how much how much heat is they're really in that front office to get somewhere. Because to me, it feels like the expectations dropped with Philadelphia, right, I mean, they were highway curtain on the bench, but now with a whole new system, with guys gone, with McGlen gone, a guy that's as good as he had been. I mean, he was one of my favorite guys to see of the young guys now ends up going to Houston.
So for me, Philadelphia just has a lot of room to say, hey, look, we're in a whole new place. You know, we are trying to make things happen, and we have a whole bunch of outbound guys. We haven't really brought in anybody necessarily that can replace those positions, and we're gonna go off of being a collective unit the same way Cornell did in Saint Louis. So it's just very hard for me to say what and where that money's gonna go to and how it's gonna be spent.
But whatever happens from here until the end of the transfer window in the winter, right now, will tell you what has been said to Cornel and this team. Whether we're just gonna take it easy, we're gonna let you eas your way in, We're gonna give you three years to build us into something that's gonna be okay, or we need to win now, because that's the way I
feel like they should approach this. This famiase doesn't deserve to have three years of waiting when you know they were Gareth bail Better away from winning the championship a couple of years back. So it just seems like you are backstepping or you're trending in the wrong direction when it comes to Philadelphia.
And uh, you know it's gonna be I think it's gonna be something red bullsy in because that's where Carnell came from. It was kind of red bulls light when he was at All Caps. Yeah, and then they freaked out when they had a bad start in year two and it's like, oh second time through the batting order, Oh no, they figured out our picture and so you get rid of Carnell and you see what happens in the off season. So for Philly, I right now, like I said, I'm I'm intrigued to see how this works.
It Earns Tanner believes in it. So you're bringing a guy like Bradley Carnell and it's just gonna be r and we're you know, we're gonna be We're gonna personify the city and all these kinds of things.
Yeah, but you look at that roster, it's just hard to see. And then when he goes to Houston, Man, they themselves are also switching up a lot of players, right Cuku Caraskija now in Mexico after Herera out the door. Now you bring McGlenn. You've got a couple of pieces down there, Uh that are gonna be interesting to see. But man, Houston's also another team that, like I said, especially in the West Conference. To me, I guess because
I'm on this side. When I look at those top teams rsl LA, Galaxy, LAFC, Man, there's a lot of turnover and there's a lot of switching and moving and going. You know, LAFC lost Ilia Los Marie, Joe lost Bogats. I mean they lost so much prime talent, so many contributors, so many goals, so much defensive responsibility, so much experience. It's anybody's game and hopefully we'll talk about the Sounders
here because they went the other way on you. They maybe did a little bit less, but they kept continuity. They kept a lot of the guys. They they have a better gauge on where this team is going to be to start off the season then maybe any of the other top teams in the West.
All right, since you open that door, let's go through that door. As you take a sip from your cup number one one out of the Rave Green mug. They did not take you with them to Spain, which was disappointing because I was looking forward to the live shots from Marbea with you at like three point thirty in the afternoon at a hotel, kind of kicking back and going, yo, look at me. See where I am? You mentioned continuity and right now, and I mean you add to continuity
in a different way. You bring back Kim kihe who knows what the system is like. So you're bringing infamiliar faces in addition to keeping who you have. And you made the big deal in the off season. You made big deals in the off season. Who am I kidding? Where you ad You add to your experience in the midfield, You add to your scoring punch and you're adding to a nucleus that has been there for a while. I
mean you have, you know, senior oster spots. It's Ariola Tensio, Bell, Leo Chu Ferrera, fry Yamar Gomes Anddraga, Danny Lava, Georgie Manongu JP, Jordan Morris, Mussofski, Reagan, both roll Dons, Rus Knock Knew who Obed Vargas. Who's getting interest and we can talk about that in a second. And then PDV you've got four homegrowns as part of your supplementals.
Then you've got international roster spots attached.
To Menongo and PDV DP right now Ariola U twenty two's Josh Utensio and Leo Chu So you got all of the Seattle influence and everybody that's been there for a while. You add pieces like Ariola and Hayesus Ferrera. You mentioned the why I think it is going to be the wild West this year with the changes, with the three teams that finished above the Seattle and the regular season standing, you have stability a then you add
firepower and experience in the midfield. How is it integrating from what you've been able to discern so far here in training camp.
He's been a smooth transition and adaptation to all new components, including a lot of the young that you mentioned already. Everything I've heard from mar Vegius Paint and which came to an end yesterday after a too to draw with hammer By in their second preseason game of the day because they had an early game before that. But man, it's been good vibes overall. It seems like Paulariola and Farrah have you know, being a good fit for the squad in general, and to me, that's that's a big deal.
The competition level is high. When I look at the overall adjustments in addition of concepts for this sounder teams, there's one prevailing message and is we're gonna be aggressive. We're gonna be aggressive in our press. We're gonna play with a high line. In every single preseason game that they had in Spain, it was a three man back line. Sometimes it's a a three five to two, sometimes is
a three four three. You know, there's variations of what they did in certain parts of certain games, but you think that with three men backline, they were going to be a little bit more direct and they weren't going to be as aggressive, but it's the opposite man. They've been a possession based team. They've been very good at transition moments and the aggressiveness of the press. Yesterday against Hammerby, they get their first goal out of a high press situation.
The second goal, there's also some influence of it. They do get caught at the end of this game by the moments when you are committing so many numbers forward to press and the press doesn't get there, and a couple of passes you're trying to recorrect and you're trying to get a foot race to you know, get to guys that are behind a whole bunch of other players that you were committing forward and they get cut up. But overall, man, it's aggressive, and I like that. It's
aggressive in terms of the offensive as well. We're gonna overload one side, we're gonna switch it. We're gonna have guys crashing the box. We're gonna have Ferrera and Albert playing as two creative midfielders behind Jordan Morris. So there's a lot of freedom, there's a lot of movement. We're gonna get a lot of width out of our wing backs.
We're gonna trust that Christian Rodan and Ovid bargains is a double pivot always in are gonna handle moments of transition defense and that they're gonna be able to get forward. So overall, man, I'm excited about what this had the team can look like with some of these new adjustments and the aggressiveness of it. Can it be dangerous? Am I a little concerned that you having the best defense on the league per se got you to a Western
Conference final last year? And now if you gamble a little too much with that high line pressing as high as you are doing it right now, can that result in a couple of bad goals and maybe some instability defensively? Maybe? But I think that the team can correct it, and if they can perfect it, they're going to be a difficult team to be. Not to mention that brand Smetzer is not afraid of going back to his standard save
four two three one and working from there. So I just like what I've seen so far out of our Bedjia a couple of standouts. Pedal beggas been lights out, engage, consistent, understands the system. Unfortunately for him, I think this formation does make him the odd man out. He wasn't part of what I would call the starting lineup yesterday in that second game of the of the day in preseason in Marveja, but he's looked fantastic. H love what I'm seeing out of over the bargain so far. Hey, sus
Ferreira man, he very versatile, very free, very open. Uh. Yesterday he put a couple of balls into Jordan Morris that there's pot on there weren't supposed to be. Jordan isn't able to finish in those, but I think he has been incredible on the defensive end. Kalina is a guy that does not have a contract with the Sounders, but as a as a wing bat, he's been very very good. I have asked Brian about him. He continues
to praise this kid. I think he is a player that could potentially earn an early contract with the Sounders, especially knowing that Red Baker Whiten had a hamstring injury. Brian Smetser said that he felt that pop the kid did the player, So we'll see what happens with that hamstring. Something to look at. But because of that, I think Kalina can really get himself into a situation where he has a contract this season. Jordan Morris's look good as well,
So overall, man, it's good vibes from the Sounders. There was one other bad news yesterday that I don't want to overlook here. Albert Russnik did go down in the twenty seventh minute. I believe of the first half of that game yesterday, you can hear brand Smester telling him to go down. I went back looked at the tape. He seemed like he might have pulled something. He's trying to play through it. He's given the sideline all kinds
of signs and eventually he just goes down. So hopefully that's not incredibly long for a player that's going to be important for this team. But to me, man, I feel like there is a better There is a better outlook into this squad, strategy and the players that there was last year, And that alone is very encouraging and I think it's going to be I think it puts Seattle in a position to be one of the more almost written in sharpy, to be on top of the West.
And I'll say it like that, I mean, quite honestly, I think that the Sounders floor is so high that there will be in the top six slots in the Western Conference very early on.
Then, in a perfect world, all things being equal, Albert ruce knocks not going down taken into consideration, give me your starting eleven.
Woh? I like that. My starting eleven would be in a four two three to one me personally, so I would go Steph Knew who Reagan yamar Alex Christian rodan Ovid bargains the three band on top of the holding myths would be on the right, Ferrera No No No Horden on the right, Pederal la Vega in the middle, Albert Rusnak on the left, Jordan Morris and up top. For that's the way I will set it up. That's my favorite eleven. I don't think that's what we're gonna see.
They've been very focused on the three men backline, especially when their first game is in Antigua, obviously playing the Guatemalan team, So I think that they will go back to it and that lineup. The only change there is that you pull Pedro de la Vega out of there and then you add a center back or a wing
back per se. So I think that Ariola starts on the left and he's the guy that comes in for Pedro Leavega and then you just set it up with new who Yaymark and Jackson in the three men backline, and then everything else just kind of fits almost the same with Jordan Morris up top and Chris Albert Russneck and his as for working as a double creative midfield.
There so obviously a team that you can almost be sure that you know what the eleven are going to be, with one exception depending on what deformation is and the approach for Brian Scepter is in a couple of games starting the season.
All right, So what are you anticipating going on in the next week before we reconvene with another cup of coffee and another Thursday morning. What's what's going to be going on in Seattle between the time that the playing comes back from mar Begia and you get to go back to the Children's in Swedish Playhouse and find out what's going on over there.
I believe I don't have the calendar in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that Louisville they will face Louisville in their last preseous game of the season that's going to be in the Founder's facility. Not sure just yet if it's going to be open to media, but I hope it is. They will be back. We're hoping to hear from Brian about injuries to Albert and Red. I do expect one signing out of those guys that had been very interesting in Spain, the younger guys Burnell, Selas,
ten Gomes and Kalina. Those are the three that I'm looking at to essentially get a spot. Don't look at a big signing toil the summer. I think that the U twenty two will be used in the summer window in my opinion. But that's kind of what I foresee adding on here in Seattle before our next Thursday morning of course.
All right, So what else is going on with you right now at at l Rollo in w on the two hundred and eight character app.
Yeah, I'm an exciting uh I. I told you guys that I was gonna be doing a weekly Friday show with Jeremiah Shant from Sounder hart h. We're gonna be podcasting every single week about the entire week of training, the game ahead, any news, anything that kind of builds up, and we here in the walls or in the hallways of the performance Center, of course, so that's gonna be cool. Check that out. And then on Mondays we're gonna be doing something with Ari La La wall uh and uh
Love and Scorchers. So on Monday mornings. I think that's what the calendar says right now, is that we're gonna go Monday mornings and we're gonna be talking about that entirely. Uh obviously focused on the Seattle Sounders, but we're gonna also expand on to uh the week that was a couple of news items, uh, maybe the teams that are more exciting in the US and conference like LAFC LAG the Timbers of course, because they are the our tribals
here down south. So gonna be interesting how that plays out. But that's kind of what we have in mind. That's setting stones so far for me coming.
Out, looking forward to it as always, my friend, great to see you and glad the birthday went well, and I know that the birthday it's going to turn into a birthday month. I'm going to tell you right now, so just be prepared for all of that. We will catch up with you again next week for the last half hour of the normal two hours here on SDHAM.
Thanks as always my friend.
Love you very much and we'll see you next week.
Thank you, John. I'll be here, but I really appreciate him