Episode 216

Hello, what's up everyone? Welcome to another episode of the Sounders FC podcast. The second one of this young 2025 season. It's an exciting one. We'll be having one of the Sounders new. signings joining us on the podcast here shortly. um obviously the team pre-season is in full swing and the start of the season is just around the corner but yeah we'll begin here with the sounders pre-season i haven't had a chance to go out and watch um them yet i know they do go to marbella

A couple days. They did this before and you went that one time. So the Champions League season. Well, no, I went to... I didn't get to go to Marbella, but I went to Morocco. Morocco, that's what it was. And they were just in Marbella for 10 days before that. That's what it was.

But it's a great opportunity, and I think a lot of players would maybe want to stay closer to home. But once you end up playing the LA Galaxy and San Jose and the same teams over and over again, it's just the thing that's been echoed by the club is it gives them a look at different competition.

It gives them an opportunity to see different styles of play than what they're normally going to see in Major League Soccer and let them prepare for multiple tournaments. I think if this was a club that didn't have five tournaments this year playing against different teams in all different types of styles.

I think it probably makes more sense for just to focus on MLS. You go down to Palm Springs or Florida because you know that that's the only competition you're going to get. But I think it's an 18-day trip in Spain. And it's long. It's long, but that facility is amazing. You're in a decent little hotel, and then you walk to practice every day. You don't have to get in cars like we did in preseason every single day. So it's a good setup ultimately for the players, and there certainly could be.

worse places to go how did you manage that because let's speak on that because i remember in my time you know brainerton was a destination Tucson. That was a time we used to go to Casa Grande, Arizona. And I think the very first time we went to Casa Grande, I think it was about 12 days. And then, you know, people who don't know, that was really in the middle of nowhere. I mean, there's a great facility there, but there was nothing.

you want to get to. I mean, you might while you're there and get in the vans and go, but you're training twice a day. By the time you were done with the 4 or 5 p.m. training, you don't want to go anywhere. So you end up just going to room. But I found it more just that the mental challenge was tough. Being away that long, bored.

Only so many times you can play cards with the guys. Only so many times you can take a walk around the complex. So that does it. I mean, 18 days is a long time. I get that. But... Based on what you said of where they're going and just what you have access to, you're cutting out so many of the stuff that we have to deal with, especially in Florida, driving to and from training in vans and all of that. Just, oh my God, just way back in the day. It has to help that.

the upgraded lifestyle is a bit better now yeah it's definitely better but at the end of the day if you're a coach what better way like we both coached high school and my dream would be to go out to cleelum and have a house all together and build that team culture and team bonding

I think half of it is the training facility and the competition. And then the other half is getting the guys together and allowing them to like meet each other in a setting where you're forced to be together. You on the trip. Spurning was on the team, I remember that, but we went to Florida, and then on the way back, we stopped in, what's the beach city on the east coast of Mexico?

i was on the trip i can't remember what was that and we stopped i forget what the city's called i've never been there as a vacation but we stopped there and it was uh the hotel was like right on the beach

And the teams that they said we were playing all canceled. And they were like, oh, you're going to play the U16s. And our coaches were like, screw that. And so we ended up having like a couple training sessions. And then the only thing I remember from that trip was hanging out in the pool and having a couple.

adult beverages that's the only thing i remember from that i think cancun cancun yeah we were in cancun okay that's a joke um also this is just reminding me of me remember the titans and i'm gonna figure out a way to splice like Because that's what you're making preseason sound like. That's all I remember from that preseason. And I can't remember what year it was, but I think we had a good season. And maybe that's what the team needs.

Ultimately, it's a chance to get together and create some fun memories. Yeah, I agree. It's interesting you said that from here, because before then, I always thought as a player's perspective, you think about just yourself. As a coach perspective, you know, I've coached high school, I've coached some club, you know, I'm not coaching now, but...

Yeah, when you're a coach, you think very differently. I was always thinking, what can I do for team bonding, team activities? How do I do? You're thinking outside the box. And I think with our time with Ziggy, there was one time we came in for training and he told everyone, put your boots away, you know. we're gonna go the glass guy the glass museum oh yeah Julie yeah he went to the Julie house and we just spent a whole lot there just like we've got a game in three days but

I understand it now. You're always trying to find little different things can you do to bring the guys together if you sense it as a coach. So, yeah, I think preseason probably gives you the best opportunity to do that where you're just together. You're there for 18 days anyway.

And let's figure out how close to build our identity, to build a ball, obviously get the training habits going, try the different schemes, try formations, all of that. And another signing we didn't get to talk about officially last time is Paul Areola. which is, you know, you talk about defensive acumen as well. I mean, this is a guy that played in a right back role for FC Dallas and was a really good player.

Not only that, but he can attack as well. He can plug in anywhere in the attack on the wing, so it gives the Sounders a ton of flexibility when it comes to building this roster and who's going to play, how they're going to play. I mean, he's a dogfighter. I mean, this is a kid who turned pro, you know, didn't go to college, went straight to Tijuana, and already has 50 caps with the national team. That's the thing. 50 appearances for the national team. Like, yeah, that is huge. That is, yeah.

I wonder what they seem as. I just wonder. Or do they seem as what you said, as in he'll plug in. But I wonder if they have in their mind the preferred position, they're going to try to work on that. And then if he has to be, you know, in an emergency situation, can you fill in that right back in other spots? Maybe. I don't know. I'm into it thinking, you know, right mid. I don't know. So, yeah. He's going to view himself as a starter. Why wouldn't he?

I mean, it's Tijuana, D.C., and then Dallas as a consistent starter. And he's only 29 years old. And so, you know, it's an addition that you can look at it as coverage. But if I'm Paul, I'm thinking I'm. I'm a starter on this team. Now where? I don't know. That's TBD. Yeah, and we can discuss that all day. But what I saw from him, he's obviously good friends with.

He's probably spent the majority of his national team career with Christian, with Jordan, and with Jesus for a number of caps as well. I think he's got 20, 25 caps, 27 caps, something. So this is a group of four guys who've got 200-plus caps between them. That's just a good core. It's a really, really good core. No, I think – Where he might even help a lot is in those games where when we started to see that, you know, Christian's getting back to his best, Christian's going to be best centrally.

but then whoever was on the right would go down injured and Christian was the automatic guy to be moved out. Even though you knew you were in the middle, you can go there. With Paul, you don't have to do that. Christian can stay in the middle now as much as possible because Areola can do that job. well without having to tweet Christian around as much as we did so he'll give cover in that sense but I'm with you if I have his resume his age

I'm thinking, yeah, I'm coming here to start. You know, the competition is with Depega, it's Georgie, it's Rothrock, you know, maybe Jordan to an extent, if you're talking about the left as well, or the right, or Jesus Ferreira can play. So it's kind of that group. They can't all play, but I think that breeds really good competition.

I will be shocked if his mindset isn't that I'm coming into a women's starting spot. Yeah, I mean, Paul's still coming off an injury from last year. Then you throw in Reid Baker Whiting, who had splashes of brilliance as well, coming off an injury. He's got to get himself right.

um to hopefully have a good successful long season um there is there is one other piece of news that isn't um player related transaction related but could be you never know down the line what it is but the sound is with a partnership between a sister city in Visal Kobe and Seattle. So there was a massive earthquake that kind of devastated and affected thousands of people in 1995.

in Kobe. And the group came together and they said, we're going to play a game in Seattle and we're going to play a game in Kobe. So the Sounders went over there and then Kobe came over here and played a game. And, you know, it just speaks to that. What is a sister city and why is it important? But ultimately what it was, was raising awareness for the affected group in Japan. And now we also get the opportunity to have a player.

joined Defiance in Kaito Yamada. He's a 2006 center back and from what we've heard, 6'4", big kid, and it's an opportunity to now build a partnership. while being a sister city and maybe be a feeder for both sides, which is really cool. And it just provides the Sounders an opportunity to continue to build relationships around the world.

and bring awareness to a tragedy that happened 30 years ago. Super important to Adrian. We renew that partnership and get an 18-year-old kid who's played for the Japan. uh youth national team and now joins the sounders mls next pro side which um you know all these things pay dividends in the end and uh not only just potentially with a partner but also building that relationship and maybe that's where the sounders preseason next year

Go to Japan and continue to build that relationship and build that brand in Japan. And you get a couple Japanese players and all of a sudden it's a feeder for both sides. And if I'm a young Sounders player. Well, put my hand up to go to Kobe and get some different competition and play in front of a rabid Japanese fan base in the J League, which would be pretty cool, too. So definitely want to highlight this one and something that the fans can, you know, maybe Google and get a little education.

and build a partnership between the two clubs. I didn't realize it had gone back that far, but yeah, hearing you say that, it's true. And then, yeah, no. what you just said, if I'm a young player, if I'm a player on the team and I'm not getting that much time and that opportunity came to say, would you want to go play in the J League for a little bit? I'm jumping at that with both hands. I'm going. Absolutely.

Yeah, I can only see benefits from there. We've already seen one with the Defiance signing. A player from over there. And then we'll see. We'll see how it translates between fan bases and then even... off the field, how these two clubs can help each other as well. But Sounders continuing that partnership going on 30 years now. So that's been, which is great to see.

You just hope that this one continues to grow, right? I mean, what is a sister city? You know, it's about tourism. It's about relationship, cultural exchange. I think that that is just really cool. And maybe it's just me being biased because I really want to go to Japan. It's like... really high on my list. And so maybe this is a cool opportunity for two brand ambassadors to hop on a plane.

Hop on a plane. Adrian. I've actually never been to Asia, so there we go. There we go. Let's build it. So the Sounders will head out soon. Head to Marbella. We'll cover those games as best we can. And I'm sure that they'll be live streamed and we can get a look at what the Sounders will be doing. They probably won't play their first game for another.

week and a half or so so we might hit the net next podcast and kind of preview those when we get that full match match schedule and uh and set up i'm going to be joined by paul areola shortly here so we'll take a short break

and then when we come back we'll be talking to brand new sound i think this was rumored for a while and it's always weird and that kind of you you're hearing about it is it true is it not true i think we all knew this was happening but i'll be curious to ask him when when did he know

Because it's like, you know, sometimes the players can be one of the last in love as well. But it was rumoured for a while. It is now official. We can talk about it. He is here. He is in town. He'll be a sounder. And so we'll be joined by Paul Areola. Stay tuned for that interview. Bunch of tough guys. You look like a bunch of fifth-grade sissies after a catfight. You got anger, that's good. You're gonna need it, son.

You got aggression, that's even better. You're going to need that too. But any little two-year-old child can throw a fit. Football is about controlling that anger, harnessing that aggression into a team effort to achieve perfection. Some coaches, they cut a player if they think he's not up to snuff. Or they think he's hurting the team. This is a public school program. I will never, ever cut a player.

who comes out to play for me. But when you put that uniform on, that Titan uniform, you better come to work. We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts. And then you will run a mile. Perfection!

Jump right in, isn't it? Yeah. When did you get here? When did you get to Seattle? I got here Friday night. Saturday, physicals and some physical testing Sunday. And I think Sunday was a physical testing and then Monday on the field. OK, so this rumor was out there for a while. You know, I'm not even I'm not even a social media person. And even I was catching wind of it. And no one knew is it going to happen? Won't it happen? So I think.

For yourself, when did it become for you concrete that, hey, this is happening this offseason, I'm going to become a Sounders player? When did it begin to feel real? And then how did it all come about? Yeah, I think... You know, it was for me, it stayed at this 99% gonna happen for like a month and a half. Originally, like just kind of speaking to my agent.

And kind of going back and forth from club to club, you know, they were saying it should be done, you know, December 19th, December 19th. And then, of course, just like nothing ever happens the way it's supposed to. Right. And then. Everything was kind of agreed to, and then Dallas kind of pulled back a little bit on what they had originally had as a plan and, you know, kind of said, like, if, you know, we can't do the deal, he's going to have to come back to Dallas.

i was i'm like what are you guys saying like i'm i'm already set you know like i know i'm gonna i i need to go to seattle and then it just became you know just of course everyone the way i say it is like you know everyone had to give up something in order for this deal to happen and that was very clear in the beginning of course you know the the project and and the way that it was presented to you it's not always like that and then

At the end of the day, it comes down to the details and what you're willing to sacrifice. Thankfully for me, all parties were willing to sacrifice something in order to get it done. But it was definitely a long offseason.

staying quiet and keeping my mouth shut and still representing FC Dallas through the entire process was important for me and not really speaking or opening up about you know where I was in the situation it was kind of like I was just kind of bouncing my emotions off of You know, my wife, my family, my friends, my agent, and of course, Jordan and Christian, who were kind of constantly asking me about where we were.

Is it happening? Is it not happening? All these things. So, you know, everyone was really helpful. And at the end of the day, you know, regardless of how you get there, you get there. Right. And that's the that's the main thing. So I'm really happy to be where I am now. So what prompted the move? Was it you saying, I need to change of pace, I need to get out of here? And second part, was Seattle the ultimate destination for you? Yeah, it wasn't.

It wasn't initiated on my end. I've been around a while. I'm a veteran, and I understand that. You know, it's not just about product on the field. It's also about business and money and using the salary cap and, you know, all these different rules that exist. It's not just black and white in terms of how much money you make. Are you happy with?

what you're getting paid for what you know you're doing on the field these types of things ever since uh a year about a year and a half ago i would say kind of dallas was kind of started to kind of shop me around a little bit in terms of ideas and potential of movement. And I always felt a little bit disrespected by it, but I was very loyal to the project and to the coach who brought me in Nico Estevez at the time.

He was still the coach. We sat down at the beginning of last year, and he told me, he said, I don't want you to leave. He said, I want you to stay. The only reason I would ever let you leave is if you came to me and said that you wanted to go somewhere else for a better opportunity for you, for your family, you as a person.

but I would hate to see you leave because we're in this together. And that's kind of how I felt as well. And especially just being the captain, you know, you don't want to be someone. to focus on being somewhere else or thinking about the future or anything like that. And I just kind of always, you know, prided myself in that and always gave everything I had for the club. And at the end of last season. With the interim coach, it was pretty clear that if he stayed that...

he wanted me to stay and I was going to be a very important piece for him moving forward. And just kind of with everything up in the air with FC Dallas at the end of the year, it ended up not being him. And I was also notified at the same time that. you know it was probably best for the club to try and find a solution for me whether that was a payout whether that was being traded and i think just my relationship with them kind of

prompted them to try and do things the right way with me and allow me to kind of explore where I wanted to go. And at the same time, them not ask for too much money in return in order to hold me back. And so kind of the words from them were. you know, this is a strictly a business move. And in order to help this team kind of rebuild based on, you know, your compensation and all that stuff, we think that you and another player potentially.

If we can find a solution that makes you happy, we would like to do that as well. Of course, I felt hurt. by the club, obviously representing the club as best as I could and bringing in a lot of good moments, being the captain for the past two years and just really pushing from a player side to try and make the place a better, more competitive place to be.

But also taking a step back, I am thankful that they also allowed me to kind of explore and essentially be a free agent without being a free agent. And, you know, of course, when you go to a club and you tell them that you don't have to pay. the player's full salary you only have to get them for half of the salary it makes the deal almost a no-brainer um so i was able to to kind of explore options with

Seattle and San Diego, San Diego being my hometown, and I had multiple conversations with them. But in the end, just Seattle was the constant team that was very consistent with what they were offering. why i was going to be very important to the team obviously you know the the organization and the club and the records and

Constantly, you know, being competitors in every tournament that they play in, that was a huge factor for me. It wasn't necessarily a move that, you know, would make me the most money or that would get me the closest to home, which were the other two things, right? It's, you know. playing you know soccer wise for your career financially

you know, helping provide for your family or, you know, being close to home. And for me, this was a move that was strictly based on playing and wanting to be a part of an organization and a club that fights for titles. And I feel like I can really help do that in whatever form that looks like throughout this year. you know, so many different tournaments and competitions to play in. There's games, you know, during the week, weekends. So it's constant.

I do believe that in MLS right now, the best teams do have a great rotation and have a lot of guys that they could trust off the bench. It's not just the starting 11 or the first 13 or 14. It's, you know, guys deep into the roster. And so, you know, I'm...

here to be a part of this team, to earn my spot on the field. And I'll do that by, you know, obviously things that I do on the field, but also I believe just the leadership that I bring and being able to kind of bring my experience that I've had.

internationally and club-wise to this team. And I'm excited to continue to get going. I mean, listen, we think it's a big gap for the Sounders. I think everything you're saying to the fans, we'd be glad to hear you say that. And I think sometimes you might not know someone, but you can watch them play.

And you kind of can think, OK, they're probably that kind of person. And what you're saying for me matches how I've seen when you play. What kind of qualities do you think you can individually add to this team? I know you can play a lot of positions as well. It's not just one position.

Not going to put you on the spot and say, give me your best position because you might want to play multiple roles. But yeah, kind of as a player, how you view yourself position wise and then you're fit with this team. Yeah, I think I think tactically. You know, I really thrive on being able to read the game in different situations and being able, you know, not only understand my position, but understand the positions of others alongside that, the relationship that I have with.

you know, a few of these guys that I played with, Christian, Jordan, and Jesus, of course, you know, just being able to know them. And again, you know, I'm not here to... to be the superstar i'm here to you know be a be a vital piece for for the team and i think everywhere that i've gone that that i've been asked to To be that, I've been very successful. And that's just me knowing the type of person that I am and the player that I am. You know, I'm not a guy that...

that needs to be the best player on the field or the second best or the goal scorer or whatever it is. You know, I just want to be on there to try and figure out ways to win games. And over the past couple of years, playing wingback, playing right back even. I've embraced the defensive roles of all of that stuff as well. I'm a ferocious little guy who wants to get after it offensively and defensively, and my engine also supports that as well.

You know, just the consistency to be able to get up and down, defend attack, kind of add to the depth of the attack and provide cover in the back. I think that's... That's definitely the biggest asset that I can bring along with leadership and focusing on getting guys better and not just, you know, I'm not at a point in my career where, you know, I need to make a statement for myself. It's more.

You know, how can I continue to grow as a player, but also help the guys around me grow? And if I can give them different things that I've learned from playing with the national team, from playing in, you know, CONCACAF Champions League, from playing in, you know, World Cup qualifying, all these different games that.

you know, are constantly giving you different looks at what soccer is, you know, the more I can do that and prepare guys and support them, you know, I'm going to be better off and my team is going to be better off as well. So Jesus comes into this group and obviously was incredible for a couple of years. Got kind of hit with the injury bug.

How do you get the best out of Jesus coming into this group? Is his expectation to kind of get a change of scenery, be with a new group of guys, a new coaching staff, a new fitness crew? But from your experience, right, he's a little bit different than you. Yeah, he's a scrapper and he's a fighter, but he's got, from our view, he's got a bit more of an ego, right? He's typically the goal scorer. All of them do.

So how do you get the best out of Jesus? And it's great that you are here to kind of hopefully right his ship along with, you know, what you just talked about. What do we need to expect from him? I think everyone knows what we're going to get out of you, right? Coaching staff, ownership, players around the league. It's a perfect fit for the Sounders' DNA, what you're going to bring.

I think our big question is, what are you going to be able to get out of Jesus? And has that been put on your shoulders a little bit? I think that's just the responsibility that I've taken over. I don't think it's necessarily the... the pressure to to try and get something out of them i mean you know a lot of us know or the three of us know the the way that nines operate and the guys you know the the guys who score the goals and and

You know, those are typically the guys. Right. And so just to be able to get him as much as he needs is kind of what I always did in Dallas and creating a really strong relationship with him. The beauty of Jesus is. He can play multiple positions. He's extremely, you know.

tactical and he's a really good presser he runs in behind he you know can come underneath and play as a 10 he creates a lot for others as well he has a great delivery so you know he i think there's going to be a lot of ways besides just scoring goals he's going to be able to help this team uh with and without the ball i think for him you know what he for sure is going to focus on in the beginning is you know staying healthy and focusing on his health first and

you know it's just kind of you know his experience so far has just been the classic you're a young kid you have so much talent and you know you kind of ride with what your body is giving you uh and then you start to kind of grow into your body and things kind of start to turn a little bit for you know one way or another and and you know if you don't have that super strong solid core base of uh strength in your body you know when you start to

you know, maximize your output, you might not be able to sustain it for long. And so I think just that last year, that was him kind of recognizing that and kind of going through that transition. And I think, you know, for better now, he is much more in tune with his body and focused on.

you know, more work in the gym. And I know, you know, coming to a new team, the club paying a lot of money for him, they're going to take care of him. And he's going to have, you know, a lot of expectation to take care of himself as well. Alongside that, him coming into this team, you know, he... He's in a similar boat as me in terms of he's a team player. He wants to win. You know, maybe he wants, you know, to be one of the guys. But I think for me, you know.

The best thing about this team when I look at it now and the roster that we currently have is... There's not pressure on one guy to just score the goals and one guy to just have assists. I think there's so many different guys that are going to be able to play make in so many different moments. I think everyone is going to shine at some point in the season. And hopefully, you know, we're all shining for as long as we can.

throughout the year and making plays offensively and defensively. And then, you know, when you get down to the final games, it's going to be that experience and the guys that know how to play in those games to step up and, you know, win. championships steve i got i got a second part real quick and and i think paul talked about it but with 50 caps with the national team world cup qualifying those are the guys and and you

express something that really holds true. It's knowing what other guys need to do on the field, right? And also doing your job. And that's something that Steve and I have talked about for the last three or four years. And who's going to be the guy that is going to be the general of this team? Is that something that you bring to the table? And for me, I don't care if it's day one of preseason, but if you're that guy, be that guy. Because that's what I think that this team needs to kind of have.

that guy on the field that's going to exp and steph does it steph does it great but we all know goalkeepers right they're they're goalkeepers and as they're all the way you can't steve can't hear him up the field at left wing right

And so is that something that you're looking to bring to this squad? Because it's something that we've said on the podcast for the past, you know, three to four years is that we need a guy like that. And I think that you've expressed all the right things. Now, can you do that?

right in practice and on the field yeah naturally i think that's that's how i am you know i'm not necessarily a guy to uh get on to get on to players over silly things missing a shot or missing a pass or things that are technical situations, but it's. More of just mental lapses and when you kind of start to see a constant reoccurring theme. And FC Dallas is the perfect place to kind of learn to be that with all the youth and all the kids that are constantly on the team and the raw talent that.

maybe don't have a great tactical sense of what they're doing. And so I've kind of lived that over the past three years of these constant mistakes and bad habits that are... that are learned in training and not corrected. And here it's a lot different, right? There's a lot of veterans on the team and I'm just a really positive person. So, you know, if...

If someone makes a mistake, I make mistakes all the time, and I never claim to be perfect, but I always strive to be perfect, and I want to have a great game, and I want to know the areas to risk and not to.

Even our second day of training yesterday, I was on Cody Baker's team and he was playing on my side and just communicating with him and making it easier for him to be able to... play a little freer right communicating on whether or not i'm dropping back if he needs me fully into the back line if he needs me to step you know encouraging him to tell me you know shift left shift right like just communicate more right like

Even if it's the wrong communication, at least it's communication. And you can all be on the same page doing the wrong thing. But at the end of the day, you're probably going to get further than just one or two guys doing the right thing and everyone else doing the wrong thing. So, you know, I just.

I just really want to try and help everyone grow. And I do believe like doing that is going to make us all better. And in a game, you know, I'm typically so tired. I'm just always gas. My mouth's always open. I'm like breathing for air. But I just try and lead by example. You know, that's really what I do is on the field, lead by example. And, you know, if that means, you know, we're getting spanked and, you know, someone has to put in a hard challenge, like.

I'm not ever going to really shy away from that or if someone's gotten the best of me a couple times like I know how to send a message my group like hey let's figure this out and let's get after these guys I'm sick of it right so and

listen, I'm not coming to a team that doesn't have experience, that hasn't played in huge games before, that haven't won trophies. And so for me, it's just easier to be myself and come in and be a part of the group. And then I think from the leadership standpoint, I think eventually it'll naturally come, but I don't necessarily feel the pressure right now to, you know. force my way into anything when, you know, you have guys, like you said, like Steph and Christian Roldan and, you know.

Yamar and all the, all these guys that have, that have been here and have played and have the experience. And, and, you know, there's, there's a lot of guys like that. And so it's just nice for me to, to kind of take that, take that responsibility and, and, and use it positively.

with some of the younger guys, like my example with Cody yesterday. I think your resume, though, comes in and commands respect. You know, 15 games for the national team. You've been a captain in this league. Guys will respect that right away.

So I think there's that. And also, you know, you've had a long career. You said yourself, you're a vet. I'm curious kind of at your start, because you took a kind of more unconventional path. You didn't do the typical college. You know, even I'm from England. I still did a college thing.

and you actually started your career across the border playing in the Mexican League. How did that come about? And at that young age, that's still a big move to me, even though where you grew up is close to there.

Instead of big moves, I'm going to go and play professionally in such a tough league, which at the time was clearly ahead of MLS. And some may say it still is, I don't know. But what was that choice for you? And then how was the experience for you just being over there? As such a young player.

I never thought about playing in Mexico until after our Under-17 World Cup in 2011. It was in Mexico, and my last name just drew a ton of attention from these Mexican clubs and as a few of my other American teammates. Tijuana had just came up to the First Division around that time, and so they were big on this Mexican-American culture and being able to bring a lot of fans and people from the United States to go down.

to Tijuana to support the team. Obviously, there was no team in San Diego. And so it was really San Diego and Tijuana's team. And I was part of the Galaxy Academy for a year. with the intention to sign a homegrown deal and i went to preseason with um the galaxy 2013 i went uh it was when lannon had just came back from his sabbatical and uh the team was filled with superstars man like

You know, I was a youth prospect. I, you know, I wanted to be a pro so bad. I was committed to go to UCLA as kind of my backup option. i just really wanted to be a pro seeing all my other teammates from the u17 world cup kind of start to go to holland or england or you know a couple went to mexico so

You know, that just really motivated me and kind of locked me in on I want to be a professional and the understanding of college. You know, like the thought was always you're going to play for three months and then you're going to have the time of your life for another.

you know, nine months and then preseason will come around and you'll do it again. And to me, that just kind of scared me away from college because I thought, man, you have three months to show yourself if you get injured, if something happens to you and there's a high chance that.

that going to college I'll realize that there's more to life than soccer and I just didn't want I just didn't want to believe that and I didn't want to put myself in that position like hey I'm gonna have the time of my life you know at school and I'm going to realize that soccer isn't my life, which, you know.

Growing up, I was always a part of the national team. It was always, you know, talking about making the senior team and playing pro and all these things. And so at that point, I was kind of in between Galaxy and Tijuana. At the Galaxy, after preseason, Bruce offered me a first-team contract and laid it out very clear. I have Bruce to thank for my career because...

You know, he said, we'll sign you even though we would like for you to go to college. We know you don't want to go to college. You know, we're going to sign you, but, you know, you have essentially no chance to play on this team. He said, you're going to be fighting for reserve minutes, which at the time was only 11 games a year or something like that. That's it. And so I said, yeah, thanks. I appreciate that.

I had the offer to go down to Tijuana and make similar money at the time, obviously because it's net instead of gross in terms of salary down there. And I signed the biggest U-20 deal for the team. went down there and planned to be a part of the under 20 team for a couple years and hopefully you know here and there train with the first team and the pre-season came as soon as I got there and I went with the first team with a brand new coach and

You know, he he he really liked me. He put me in one of our first friendlies against Club America. I ended up scoring and then put me in the next game. I ended up scoring again. And then after that, he kind of rode with me as as one of his guys. And so I it just.

happened that I ended up taking that opportunity the route wasn't so clear to me on how I was going to make it but my mom my mom went to college she went back to college after I was born and after my brother was born as well and she became a teacher and she told me like

You know, you can always go to college. It'll always be there. You'll always be able to do that. If you have if you have your dream in front of you and you want to take that, it's better to do that because, you know, college might not be free like it is right now.

you'll always have a chance to do it. And you won't always have a chance to be a professional soccer player. So take that opportunity. And as long as you can live with your decision and your consequence and, you know, for whatever happens, at least you could say you did it. And, you know, I kind of rode with that and trusted myself. I still lived at home. You know, I'd be playing these games and then I'd cross the border and go back home and hang out with my friends who were in high school.

you know, do all, do all, do all the, just the kid stuff. So I really did live the best of the best of both worlds for three, four years, and then made the national team. And then after that kind of. wanted to wanted to you know capitalize on the moment the moments that i had and and got a deal to dc that's so good mom's no best huh

Last one from me. In a quote you said, knowing that I don't have to ever play against Nuhu again is probably the best thing that I could have done by coming to Seattle. I think from a fan's perspective, Steve and I always have to talk our fans off the ledge because the expectations are so high. The players are typically very, very good.

You get in a mode where you watch these guys constantly, and sometimes they just drive you nuts. But the 30,000-foot view from other players around the league, what do the Sounders represent? You know, obviously it was a reason why you came here, but you have guys like Nuhu where he is feared throughout the league by players. No one wants to play against him. I would not want to play against him. Steve.

would have probably loved playing against him. Who knows? But just that, you know, that quote, knowing, you know, you don't have to play against this guy. What do the Sounders mean throughout the league? And that reason drove you here for a reason. Yes. To me that. This club has always been a club that just knows how to get it done. You know, and to me, this club is one of the best clubs of just finding ways to win games.

are constantly there in the important games, right? Like you talk about champions league, you talk about, you know, Western conference final, like. You know, watching the playoff series, like, you know, this last one against Houston, the way that they play, like, you know, going to penalties and then going to penalties again. Like, you know, it's almost like...

From an outside perspective and playing on a different team, you're looking at them saying, like, there's no way that they're going to lose this game. Like, it doesn't matter who's on the field, right? You know, you just see you see different guys that that step up in different ways. And it's like they're not going to lose. And I think that's the reputation that the Sounders have without, you know, within within within MLS and are so respected.

And, you know, I want to be a part of that. Right. Like, you know, in the beginning, I said this is a move that was was purely based on soccer and based on what I believe I can give to the team and what I believe the team.

you know, can give to me. And I really do believe that this is, you know, the team that is going to be the closest to winning a championship in my career. You know, I played for... dc and you know we had a good we had one good year with when with lucho and wayne and uh in dallas my first year but you know these are these are teams that you know you can you can win you can have one of those seasons right but

Seattle is a club that is it's a consistent and it's a constant it's a constant theme with them. And that's not something that's that's easy to do in any league, in any sport. And so clearly. you know, what the recipe here is right. And I just think me coming here, I hope alongside with Jesus and some of the other signings that...

You know, we could just be that cherry on top to push us over the edge and, you know, to have depth in different formations and to be able to adapt to different teams. And whatever the plan is, you know, be able to figure it out with the experience.

that you have on the field and so you know that that's that's what that is and and of course no one wants to play against new who i i couldn't you know i was hoping every time that that knew who was out or knew who was on the other side or i was on the other side of the field or something like No one wants to play against a strong, fast dude that...

You know, even after, you know, even if you're wide open and you get behind him, you know, he's still coming and he can beat you with strength or beat you with his speed. So, you know, I really am happy to not have to play against him and to, you know, I could try some things in training, but. No one will see that. No, it's been a pleasure. Last one before we let you go. If we're sitting here saying five years and we're not having a conversation looking back.

And you spent five years here, for example, maybe it's more, maybe it's not been about five years or so, if all goes that way. And we asked, you know, to look back on your time and what would constitute success? What kind of convo would you like to have in five years and look back and say, you know, this happened or that happened or I was able to accomplish these things and that made it a successful time and my decision and my confidence in myself?

to make this a soccer thing only, it was justified because of these reasons. I know sometimes it's things like championships and things like that. Sometimes it goes beyond that. But for yourself, sort of what would go into you looking back in five years' time and being like, yeah, I'm so glad I made that choice. Winning trophies. Winning trophies. The fans are going to love that, yeah. But, you know, like, that's what I want as well. You know, and at the end of your career, you...

You know, you played, you know, 400 games, 500 games. I represented the national team 50 times. But at the end, the things that everyone's remembers you for is what you've been a part of. Right. And that's kind of what, what carries with you. And, and, you know, it's funny, like, I'll look at, you know, just take like, like the Apple TV thing. Right. And it says like,

you know, MLS legend, right? Like, I don't want to just be an MLS legend. I want to be, you know, 2022 mls all-star i want to be you know 2025 mls all-star i want to be 2025 mls cup champion right like these guys that's that's that's what really matters to me at the end is and that's what you can carry with you for the rest of your life of course i'm very proud of the career that i've had and

you know the steps and the challenges that i've had to overcome but for me now in terms of club wise like i want to win i want to focus on you know that's why i say whatever it takes for the team you know I could have a great year, I could have a really bad year, but at the end of the day, what is going to define success for me is a championship. And thankfully for us, we have...

a lot of different competitions to focus on and that means a lot of different ways and opportunities to win championships. So I do believe that that's my definition of success being a Sounder. Love it, man. Love it. Welcome to Seattle. I'm sure we're crossing paths a lot more often. We're excited to have you here, man. Love it. Thanks, guys. Good luck, Paul.