Listen to this. It's like a morning of my wing. His proud evidence and Steve Steve. Who is it? Brad Evans. It's so good. Happy days here again. Bernie with a private Steve Zucka warning. Evan, what the left foot? He's an attacking Brad Evans. It's been so weird. The party has started. Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome to another episode of Side by Side. Player of addition. It's here. The thing we worked so hard all year for the sound is after missing last year. Bounce back in great fashion.
Ended regular season really, really well. The performance down in St. Louis was extremely encouraging. We'll talk about that. And of course we now know our player opponent. Who we could see three times FC Dallas. And that game will be on Monday night. The sounders will play at 6 p.m. at Lumenfield. Sounders against Dallas. We roll over to that. But before that, let's look at the game against St. Louis. Which, you know, we did the game with Danny on the radio.
St. Louis came there to play and their fans. You could tell they were like, they were into it. They were like, we're going to end it with a bang. We're going to build up. And the sounders just, I mean, I mean, showed up. Showed up. Like, that's what he said. And it wasn't like vintage. It was a great, amazing, but just did a job, very professional. And I think a big credit goes to Schmitz. Because I never would have fought in January, February. That we'd get to a very important game.
And you have Nicole Adaro and Raoul on the bench. And that would be the right decision. And it was. And what works. And when you want, you tell us what works in your opinion, Brad. Is there any way Schmitz can change at this point for the playoff? I think before we start. Is that new tattoo on that? Is new tattoo? Yeah. Don't try to get in here and not show us. Let me see that. I'll post it. I'll post it. So I did a massive. That's why I came a little bit late.
Yeah. I mean, again, at the last couple of days, I mean, some massive, massive portraits. So I'll just say this. I'm terrified of snakes. Terrified of snakes. Terrified of snakes. Oh my god, dude, you're Indiana Jones. I never knew. Terrified of snakes. But I got a massive snake tattoo. It was my sister's favorite animal is a snake. Okay. So I put it on my arm and then got a massive portrait of her. Yeah. It really hurts. Yeah. I'm not going to lie. I hate tattoos. All right. So he sat it up.
Okay. We got the story. Yes. Yes. Credit to Schmanz. I mean, we had talked a week before about what this sounder's lineup was going to be heading into the playoff. And we said, oh, you kind of got to play, Role. You got to, you know, get this guy off the bench and get it. But at this point, unless something happens, he's not going to play. And Nico won't play either. I don't think. I think this is the sounder's lineup moving forward. I mean, 14 shutouts now.
That's a club record for, for Stefan, for I hats off to Steph. But a lot of credit goes to that back line as well. Okay. And so playoff. So you have to play to zero. You just have to play to zero and give yourself a chance. And, you know, you saw it last night with sporting Kansas City playing to zero. They go into penalty kicks at home and they win. Okay. And now they snuck into that eighth seed playoff spot. So keeping it to zero. And Steph is a huge, huge piece of that.
And if we can put the ball in the back of the net, we show that we can do it in St. Louis. That bodes well for this team moving forward. They got a little bit of a break. And now we go in on Monday night in a massive game against Dallas. But yeah, those are big decisions that a coach has to make. And I don't think it's all on Schmetz's shoulders. Shoulders. I know those, we know those guys in that room are thinking. Yeah. This is probably the best way to do it.
But from an outsider's perspective, we, you know, we did talk about. Is it Raoul that's got to play because he's such a killer? And at this point, you get that result. I think that gives a coaching staff confidence and, you know, Craig as well. And the higher ups say, okay, this is how we're going to move forward. And these guys might not be in our plans for the next, for the next year. And they might even not be at this club from here on out. So now where do you put your resources?
You put it into the guys. You got to try and keep them motivated to a certain extent. And I think that they will because they're not done playing. No, they want to show up. They need to stay fit. Yeah, of course you want to have. If you come off the bench, you want to perform well because there's teams that are not in the playoffs that might be looking to spend the same amount of coin that you were just making to potentially go somewhere else.
And if you show up and you show up lame, you know, there might be a Colorado or, you know, a Toronto that's going to say, maybe not for us. Yeah. So that's kind of where I see things moving right now. Yeah. I mean, I've got the Northern number 10. He scored, I think, Christian, I mean, we said, I mean, unbelievable. Because when you began to that position for Christian, it's always easy to make the cross right away. Yeah. And he waited for the third option. I mean, I hope it was.
Yeah, it was a fantastic fantastic. And then to delay, delay, delay, find out what makes a really good finish. Which you want from your number 10 coming into a box late, really good. Look at the lineup here. I mean, Schmetz and the Annie did take off Albert. Read had to come off from injury. Read came off of injury. Jarl parlor came off from Leo True came off. No, Nico came on last 10 minutes or so. I, and I Jordan down the middle, think, gives you that threat.
And I don't think you can move Leo True from the left. No. Then I don't think Jordan's as good on the right, but he has the place. Oh, he has play. So he's going to start up tall. It's the physical presence. So now you're in a situation where the team is almost now somehow picking itself. And it excludes two of the best players in the club history. It just does at this point to the defense. Stefan Frye broke his record from, I think, 2017 or 2018. 2017. So consistency.
I mean, to do it six years later is ridiculous. Like to still be at that level. But how good of a year? What now? Like I've been talking about it. Jackson was not a star coming to the season. This was a real good big money center back came in the game. Well, just how good has Jackson been and you play in a position? How hard is it to be a center back in his league? Yeah, I mean, well, he's, he's, I didn't play center back my whole career. Like he did.
I actually started as a center back in a three five two when I played under 10s. And then got moved up to a number nine after that. So that was my last experience until stepping in and whenever was 20, 2016, 2015, 2016. And so for him, it's a lifelong position. And I think he's known that he can't play anywhere else on the field. That's a guy who literally could not play anywhere else. He's a center back through and through. Maybe he could be a goalkeeper. I don't know.
But for him, you know, it was a lot of talk with Andy at the end of the last season. Like, man, we're high on this kid. We, we, we trust him. We know he made a couple mistakes last year. He's, you know, against Portland. He got the red card. Yeah. And then you kind of have to fight back mentally after that. He got bigger. He got stronger. He got faster. And he just started reading the game better than he did in years past. And that all comes with experience. And so, but he did.
He started in the club world cup, right? Down and they said, we're going to go with this guy. And I think if you would have seen this group now at that club world cup, you win, you win that game. For sure. In that first one, then you go on to play where I'm a dread in the next game. Yeah. And so just to see his growth and consistency this year, that's been the biggest thing. But at the end of the day, you're going to be judged on your last game.
And now you're in the playoffs where everything's heightened. Mistakes become that much more vital. You are, you know, you're waiting for another team to make a mistake. Yeah. And when we, you know, have one games in the playoffs, it's been because of, maybe we didn't play amazing, but it was just we're going to get the result no matter what. We might have to play ugly and we have to grind away from home and be nasty and commit fouls.
He's got to be willing to do that and not get caught with the ball at his feet in the back. And that's, that's all he needs to do is negate mistakes, win the ball in the air and become. And he'll be a massive piece moving forward for this club. I mean, Gamer is, I don't know how old 3031 maybe. I feel like Gamer just looks like if he stays fit, he can just play for a long time. Right. Because it doesn't ever, it looks like he's exerting himself too much.
And if he has to cover, he will doesn't do too much on the ball. You know, Gamer just, yeah, I think Gamer and Reagan, they have at least probably two or three seasons together. If they stay fit and you know, you have new who in there who looks like he wants to stay here and be here for a long time as well. Alex is not going anywhere. So there's no reason for new who to leave now.
If he's getting called in with the national team, there's no, I mean, unless he wants to be closer to games when in those international breaks, but I just don't see, I think he's happy here. Yeah, I think he's happy. I think that's a perception of him. If the sounders make a good run in the playoffs, I think he'll be content.
If we get knocked out in the first round, he might be thinking, oh, I need to maybe make a move and find a bigger club in Europe or even go to France and play in French league. One, but I don't even think that that league from from the top three amazing top top four sometimes. Amazing in that league, but then on, I mean, it's a good league, but I'm not sure. I think your point is fine. If he's getting called in being here, then what's the problem? Right. He likes living in the South.
He's been a foot long. But who have those conversations with the coach too? Like, hey, if I stay here, I want to be a part of the national team and that coach will tell you honestly. Yeah. Right? Jürgen would tell you too. Like, hey, you need to go to Europe. You need to go to Europe. You need to go to Europe. Okay, okay. I don't want to. Yeah. I don't know. I guess I'm out. I'm out of the defense.
Yeah. The step-fry is nominated for ML Schoolkeeper of the Year and Yemar is nominated for ML as defender of the year. What is the next closest shot out in that would be a great league. I have the list up over here. Okay. Yeah. That's fantastic. It's me. Maybe 12. I think it's Saint Bush. The Cincinnati guy. Oh, Cincinnati guy. 12 clean. 12, okay. And then Clark with Houston has 12 also. Yeah. No, it's that fantastic. Great achievement.
And defensively, you know, I think we're the second best team in the whole league defensively. Nashville in the East but the west obviously the sound as well. Let's talk a little bit the opponent. We saw them twice. Wide games-one, one, one, both games in the first one came here after the gold club. Guys were missing. We went down there a bit more recently, my fingers to the game where I think if I remember 완전 had to break away lay on trying to find new who maybe should have shot that one.
It could've been a really ugly year of the last. It's got you. A good one. Yeah. A good well всем lead, okay. Dgruntsent, I'm coming to Winston. A mid as sound as good run. I'm trying to remember if it's my time, it's all, but I don't know how I'm gonna say this, but does regular season matter at all, as you go into the playoffs?
Is this, can we say we know Dallas, and they just beat Galaxy 4 and, they went down there, Galaxy has been out, Dallas putting a good performance, got some goals, the last goal for error, good players. But in some sports, sometimes NBA sometimes, I think it doesn't matter. Those years where they're warriors, were the best team, but they might get the third seed or whatever. But we knew once player of comes in, they're gonna switch it on.
I don't know if MMS works like that, but can you take any stock into, sounds with second seed, high seed, that's high seed matter. He's basically my main question I'm asking. Yeah, I think higher seed matter. I don't wanna play two games at Dallas, and hold to get a hold of the home. The whole pitch, yeah. With going straight into penalty kicks. Yes. Right? I don't wanna go down there and put in this great defensive performance, hoping to go home and get a result and get some goals at home.
And then you lose on PK's, because you played really well and held a shutout away from home. I just, I don't like this set up. I would rather have them play overtime in the first two games. And then if the third one comes, do the PK's and the third one to find a winner. Something like that, because it just puts too much onus on Dallas coming in here and saying, we'll play six at the back. We know we might be an inferior opponent. I agree. We're not even gonna play for the win.
Yeah. We're gonna play for set pieces. We're gonna sit back, play to zero, hope to get to overtime or to penalty kicks. We saw that and we're gonna... Couple of seasons ago. Yeah, I'm not like that. That's right. I'm like, I'm a big shot. And then you get knocked out. I'm out of play. We have no shots. So I just don't like it. Yeah. But I still think having, you know, two games potentially at home in a three-opt series, we'd better be able to win at least one of those games.
You pretty much have to put your money on it. So I don't... I do think it matters. I think if Kansas City right now was playing two home games against St. Louis, they would win. Wait, what the fact that they're going to St. Louis, it's gonna be tougher for them, especially coming off that mid-week game. So there is something to have in the higher seed. And especially as we move forward into the playoffs, you don't want those miles sitting in an airplane and having to... You know what I mean?
It's just better to be... Just better to be at home. And the sounders have done that, right? They're in great form going into the playoffs. Something that we've been waiting for. Yeah, so let me... Let's talk about that. 2016, you were on the team that... Maybe lifted the cup. The M&S Cup, when the team had horrible season, got into really good form, but the team was hot. Does it feel as good as that? Or is this more just... We've been steady. It's a different heart.
I think that... What are the teams? Yeah, that 2016 was... Was that team was... Nico came every time. Exactly. He just was on. The top players were healthy and ready to go. This is a little bit different. It's kind of the obverse. The top players, the highest paid players aren't playing. Yeah. What everyone else is getting the job done. So maybe that's a storyline for this year.
Maybe how many storylines have we seen with the sounders, either hot start in the season, slow start, then we get hot in the middle, or we get hot at the end, and then we hit the playoffs. There's no right way to do it. The matter of the fact is keeping the majority of your guys healthy as you enter the playoffs. And getting that confidence as a player, you know. If the sounders would have lost three games heading into the playoffs, I think the heads would have been down.
And it's like, oh boy, here we go again. But you know, you get a couple of string together, a couple of good results. And off you go into the playoffs feeling, they have to be feeling confident right now. There's no reason for them not to be feeling confident. In fact, if I'm a player, I'm saying, man, we don't have Nico in the field. We don't have Raul, and we're still getting results.
That gives everyone on the roster some hype going in, saying, okay, I might have a chance to make an impact too. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I might be missing one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, nine games on beaten. Sounders, nine games in the season. How does that not give you confidence? Yeah, that's that. Yeah, we don't really talk about it. It's like so under the radar. It's a great run. That's great. What's good is that, and I tell, since that lentilus, yeah.
I tell, you know, the high school kids too, is like, you have to learn how to lose, and you have to go through those moments, and you'd rather do them in the middle of the summer than hitting it at the end of the season where you're like, oh, wait, how are we going to react as a group to a loss or a string of losses? Sometimes it happens at the right time, and then you get hot, you get a reset, and you just fly through playoffs.
Maybe that's the case right now for the guys, is well, we know what it's like to lose. We shurred things up in the places that we needed to. Now if we keep doing that, the proof is in the numbers. If you get 14 shutouts, and you get three or four more in the playoffs, you find yourself an MLS cup. Right? Now, the biggest wrinkle is if you played a zero, and you don't score goals, then you're just counting on penalty points. Yeah, that's a tough one for me. That penalty's a tough one.
Yeah, I mean, I personally think the sound has to get the stand in two games. I think so, I don't think we see free games. I think so. I think the sound is just a better team than Dallas. I don't think Branch Mets, with the experience they have, they do where the team's feeling, so dangerous at home. Leo chooses the consistency there, Jordan, Christian, what a big boost just having him back, Joe, but I just think they're too strong for Dallas.
Now, you never know in the playoffs, but I think all the two games you went at home, you go down there to Frisco, this team's good enough to get results. What I saw in St. Louis convinced me. That was a team that treated like a player of game. They came there trying to put a ball on there, amazing season. Let's give them credit. It had an amazing season, but after 25 minutes, I mean, you couldn't hit the fans anymore.
It's like you took the energy out of the arena, just because the sound is just resilient, with the storm that came, got the goals when they needed to. And that's what it takes on the playoffs sometimes. So I think the sound is a bit too strong for Dallas. I'm looking at the field here and you spoke about... The fact you've been in St. Louis now, I think you can beat anyone, and on the road you can. I mean, who are the teams to watch for? Is it St. Louis, LFC, or are we maybe sleeping?
How could have been awesome, John? I'd give him credit. I mean, I don't want to play... I mean, I was talking with Facito about this the other day. Yeah, and Salt Lake. I mean, they play good soccer. And they are so unpredictable. I mean, at least Cup and they... We don't like playing there. I don't want to face Salt Lake. I don't want to face Houston. I mean, we're never going to avoid everyone.
But I just think that those two teams for me, Houston, Salt Lake and LFC, I mean, if they can keep the front three healthy, but they just haven't been the same since Champions League. I have the same with the Sounders last year. They just haven't been the same. And aging, you know, Keelini is good, but this has got to be it for him. Yeah. And so I think that they're still yet to figure their best form out. But not to say, I mean, they have playoff experience. They won MLS Cup last year.
So they know how to win. Now it's a matter of... I just... Something about Salt Lake and Houston. Everyone else seems like we can get a result against. Yeah, I'm looking at Vancouver. No fear. Vancouver, no problem. You know, Kansas is waiting. I still feel good about that. San Luis, we've just shown we can go there. Yeah, we wouldn't play Kansas City until... Yeah. The semi-finals or the conference final, right? Yeah. If it came to that point... Yeah, we can't play them in the quarters.
There's no possible. Yeah, it's a decent... Actually, I think Lewis gets eliminated in the first round. We could maybe. Because we become the highest. Because we become the highest. It's too much math for me, right? As I agree. I'm not to look too much to the other side, but we don't really focus on the Eastern Conference as much. But our good friend, Pat Nuno, I mean, let's give him some love. One of my favorite all-time teammates.
I mean, I remember when he came... I mean, he's the first one of the best players I've ever played in my life. I mean, he was just so good. But just as a guy in the team, it was amazing. And then the turnaround is on a set as Cincinnati. I mean, this team was a laughing stock of MLS for a while. And they only lost five games. Five games in the whole season. Really bad team that used to be. What a turnaround he's had. Would they be the overall team to beat?
Then they've earned that, yes, in the playoffs. They have to have a fair match. Yeah, for sure. They've been the best team. He's done an amazing job, Pat Nuno, and they... Are you surprised how good he has been? Well, just the years he spent on the Bruce really prepared him. You never know with a coach. I mean, he's always been cool, calm, and collected. And he's always seen the game. You know, this different and better than everyone else.
Yeah. So if he puts the guy to the right staff, I think, you know, it's hard to be a head coach, right? Especially, I mean, he's young, right? He's in his early 40s and he's still... Yeah. Still figuring things out, but he has a great group around him and Chris Albright's there as well. And a guy who had known the league for quite a while. And so he's got a great group around him.
And yeah, I just think it's about his relationships with the assistant coaches too, all being friends, and all on the same page. And they had some good signings. And yeah, they made a run. And who would have known that, I mean, Kosa was good in DC, but maybe he just needed... It's one of those guys who just needed to be on a good team because DC was a disaster at the time with the stadium and coaching staff and everything that went on there. And... I want to say they lost someone mid season.
They lost. Yeah, the Brenner. Yeah, the loss... Brenner was gone. He was always on the way out kind of. And so, yeah, they were able to make some adjustments and they stayed healthy, most importantly, they stayed healthy. But I mean, they have Haggland, who's a, you know, MLS vet in the back and Miyazga, who's playing the league for a long time and in Europe with the national team also. So they have a good group.
And they mixed in some MLS vets, mostly MLS vets with a sprinkle of some good talent. They're really hard to play at home, but I think this Red Bull team can cause them some problems. I mean, I watched the game last night. Charlotte was just so happy to be in the playoffs and they just, they were bad last night. That's so good, yeah. And when I look at that Charlotte roster, they have a couple of good guys, but not enough to really make a run. So credit to Red Bull for getting the job done.
So they'll play them in the first round. That'll be a good series. And I don't know since the NADs play off ready, right? Maybe they had a great year. Yeah, I mean, you can't just sleep on when in the supporters shield. We've seen that when the NFC ran the West, just, I mean, one year, we bought Bradley's year, I mean, they were unbelievable. And the sound just went down there.
And then just, I mean, that's probably the single, in terms of I think at this club, just a nine team performance that might be the best that Nico was on fire, or a fire shut down. Oh, yeah, I got a shout down. It was like, how are we doing this? Being at that game. So it's possibly can happen that way. Back to the sound before we go, we've been talking on and off here, Lionel's and who's in his eye. It's pretty clear that Nico Ladeiro, you know, he's not the captain anymore.
He's pretty clear that he's not in the starting group anymore. I think he knows that. He put a nice message. I think it was a fine message saying, you know, hey, I, you know, may not be here next year, but as long as I'm here, I've got a job to do to the summer 31st. And you can count on me. I'll be committed. I'll fight for the fans. I'll do all of that. And it's a pretty long and he's not a guy who really is out there. He's told me before that I'm not a social media guy.
I'm not a guy that's going to really talk. I just want to get my job done going to my family. But there's a lot of emotions for him. Obviously being who he is and allude into the fact that he may not be here next year, but I'm going to stay here and give everything while I can. Will you so one, just your thoughts on if you have any on just on his message in general and two, it just looks likely that he's probably on his way. It's done.
And he goes play these last regular season game for the sounders. And it's just now how long do we go in the playoffs? Yeah. I'm to be here. Well, I think Craig has said like there's still an offer to be had there on the table. And you know, at the end of the season, once they figure out some other pieces. So never say never. Yeah. You know, I think we've all been in contract negotiations before.
And sometimes you say things so that it puts pressure on the club to maybe make an offer or sometimes you say things and you mean them genuinely. But I think that it's fair to say if I'm not starting, I've been here for a long time. There's a lot of questions. But every day he's probably asked by the reporters, what's the deal? So finally, you just got to say, hey, on social media, so everyone can hear it, not talk to three people. This is where I'm at. This is where the clubs at.
This is how I see myself moving forward in these current times without an offer. Maybe if something changes, that will change. But for right now, fans, like I'm here, I'm committed. I want to win an MLS cup just as much as you do. I want to go on a high note if I'm going out just as much as you want to see me go out on a high note. How many players do you see go out on their own terms on a winning season? Very rarely. Very, very rarely. And so he's setting himself up for whatever happens next.
And I think mentally, also, that might just give him the chance to take a breath like, okay, that's out there. Stop asking me questions. No more questions about that. This focuses on the team. I think that's a captain move at the end of the day. It's a veteran player that understands his situation and someone has said, okay, this is the business of it. At the end of the day, this club, no matter what, has to look to the future. Because that's just what happens.
It's just what happens with the club. Sometimes you have to say, goodbye as much as you don't want to and try to exit, lifting a trophy if you're going to leave. And if not, maybe there's an offer on the night before MLS cut for two players and then all of a sudden it frees up cap space and then he's like, okay, we'll all stay for that number. And then things get sorted. So I don't want to put too much into, yeah, he's leaving. Yeah, he's staying.
I think we see how the season plays out and wait until our next podcast, you know, in January when we have a clear picture of that one. And I think that's fair to everyone too. Just enough speculation on it. And we just say, okay, this is where it's at right now. Yeah. We're heading into the playoffs. Good time to send a message a couple of days before the first round so that everyone can kind of take a deep breath, know how to approach him in the locker room, where he's at, where the team's at.
I think it's just a smart move overall. Yeah, I agree with you. I think you said it perfectly there. And I think, I don't think we've seen, I think Nico has a role to play. I think, you know, bringing, if we're going to just message and saying, hey, even if I'm not starting my motivations that you can count on me, I think he has enough pride that if he comes into a game, one, he's thinking of my potential next team could be watching.
But two, just for himself, I think Nico has his stomach and impact and what a player to bring on for 20, 30 minutes if we need just to keep the ball or get, make something happen. So still, still we can do that. Before we go, predictions for Monday night, you never know if playoffs, I'll go first. I think, listen, why so in St. Louis, I've been looking for it all season that resiliency has been there, but then being opportunistic in attack, taking your chances.
And I think Christian makes such a big difference, man. Like he just having him on the pitch. I don't even know what is really that good at. Because I can't pick the one scale. He can just do everything really well. And he just makes everyone around him better. And also, I thought JP was outstanding. I thought he was everywhere. We kept saying his name every five seconds on the broadcast. You'll get in your best place into the best form. Little true still looks dangerous.
I think Jordan has a nine, it works. I think it would be too much for Dallas. Now they might come in and you said just sit back and be like, we don't have to do anything today. Yeah, if they watch anything from Vancouver game, you don't have to write at home today. Exactly. That scares me a little bit, but I think the sound is well, especially we score early and score first, but I'm aware for sounders when I think it can be a 2-0. 2-0. That's what I was saying too, 2-0. We're all going to know.
We're all going to know. 2-0. 2-0 all set at the same time. So it accounts. 2-0 win. All right, Kidi, is it all Apple TV? Yeah, so we are on Apple TV. We are also on FS1 and TSN, although TSN doesn't. We're not in Canada, so you're going to watch TSN. But we are on linear TV as well, and we are on Apple TV watch-free, so in front of the paywall. In terms of radio, we're on 950 KJR, 1360 L-Ray, and every single radio match will also be on a serious XMXC channel 157. It's the playoffs.
Monday night, sounders, FC Dallas 6 p.m. and then we will be back after that, hopefully. Recap and go win and previewing the next one. As always, thanks for listening. Comment, like, subscribe, whether you got your podcasts. This is the bean-style by side.