Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome to another episode of the Sounders FC podcast. We are ticking down to the start of the season. The Sounders are back in town. Coming off a very, what seems like a great trip in Spain. It just seems like it from a team perspective, team building, guys getting minutes. Obviously, there are a couple of games you can look back on as well. A couple of draws the Sounders had, lineups and stuff. Maybe we can read into it.
don't but we'll get into a bit of that and then just previewing what's coming up like the season i'm just looking at the schedule now like it's coming up really really quickly um this sound is um um season but Before we look forward, let's look at this trip in Spain. I had a couple of games against a good European opposition. Two very different lineups and two very different scorelines as well. But we're seeing Jesus get on the scoreline.
Alex is back amongst the goals. Jordan having an assist there. From all we're getting, and we weren't in Spain, it seems like you couldn't have scripted, for the most part, this trip to go a bit better. Maybe if you care about results in preseason and winning. But apart from that, I think, you know, guys are fit, no injuries.
And yeah, I mean, Jesus looks like he's hit the ground running as well. Yeah, I think putting the ball in the back of the net, I think that is the biggest thing, right? Building that fitness. Those were the fitness concerns of Jesus coming in and to see him get off the mark. You know, we've talked about this on every...
single podcast putting the ball in the back of the net is the most important thing yeah and yeah it was a 3-3 it was a 2-2 um but you're playing against opponents that you don't know really anything about so you're kind of flying blind on these games and you're playing very very technical teams i mean hammerby is a really
good team uh historically yeah yeah yeah Sweden yeah um and so it was just a great opportunity for the guys to get over there get some sunshine good training um it'll be great to have to have someone on hopefully next week so we can talk about the trip overall and how it was for the group and really get an in-depth report but
You know, Jordan put the ball in the back of the net. I mean, Rothrock, JP, the goals kind of came from everywhere, which I think is encouraging. And I think Schmetz will be happy with that trip overall. And I'm sure the guys will be happy to now be back. And then they tee up for two weeks. Two weeks' time from now, and maybe less than that, actually. Just about two weeks. Antigua is on February 19th. Yeah, in Antigua. You read much into the lineup? No, not too much.
Not too much. Yeah. I mean, it does seem for me like definite a sway towards that second game. The Hamaby game were maybe more of quote unquote starters that we're used to, but. The wrinkle was that, you know, I'm looking here on the list, Jesus was thrown into that and so was Areola. And that might just be to get them super up to speed. Like, yeah, let's get you just... We want to see how these two guys can play with the group together, not just one at a time. Yeah.
Yes, I think that's more of it. And Schmetz is going to have some tough decisions. I mean, if he enters this season with Areola, Jesus, and Pedro, all fit. I think what will happen is it'll be, if Jesus is fit, if Pedro's playing as well as Marty has been, it's going to be those two starting for this group. um although you're playing away from home in the first game right and so maybe you go a little bit more defensive and you put on areola for that first matchup yeah
But man, have we really talked about this team and having options in the first game of the season? It is, yeah. It's the last time we did that. Yeah, especially the depth seems good as well. You needed it. Let's talk about Jesus for a bit. Obviously, we haven't seen him in... play for the Sounders yet. We've seen him for Dallas for years. I always liked his game.
I felt like, you know, when he first passed onto the scene, I was like, okay, this guy, wow, he's special. And I can see why he made the move. I think he just needed a change. It gets to that point in your career. But he can obviously play. He's been around the national team. I think his national team record is like something like 15 goals in like 23, 24 games.
So it doesn't care who you're playing against, whatever. I think you can do it. Everything we're hearing is that he's doing really, really well. Where would you, I mean, it's hard because he was a nine for Dallas, but he's played a 10 before. He can play out on the right.
I don't know that you, I just, you can't move Jordan. If you're going to play 4-2-3-1, Jordan has to start at the 9. It's his to lose. Where would you, and Albert's not losing the 10. So I'm thinking his suits on the right then, and Pedro, yeah. I mean, the way that I see it. It's shaken out as the Sounders will start in a 4-2-3-1. And then at some point in the attack.
If I'm Schmitz, I give Jesus the freedom to become two up top. Move around it, yeah. Push Jesus up high. If the ball's in the right channel, Jesus just tuck all the way in and become a number nine. And then you can also pivot one of our sixes, eights, to kind of cover that space on the left. the left because you know knew who's gonna gonna stay home most likely
And he will provide you that cover. So it's going to be really interesting to see how this one breaks down and where Jesus really finds success. But he's done it. When he plays for Dallas, he doesn't usually find himself in the middle of the park and just turning and going. It's mostly...
coming from wide positions anyways where he's kind of slashing on that 45 run and someone plays it through splitting the channels and he finds himself in on goal because I think he likes to be shaded more towards the left anyways because he is right foot dominate yeah dominant and
I mean, how many times has he found the back of the net on that left side? Kind of that left third of the field, I think, is where he really, really likes to operate. Yeah. And I think you're right. I think, I mean, Killy, how old is he? Is he like 24? Oh, God. Yeah, 23, 24. 23, 24. He's very young.
He's been a captain for Dallas, stuff like that. He's got lots of experience. Yeah, I think for him, and obviously we played against his dad. His dad was a really good player. Was unreal. Yeah, one of the best players I've played against.
So it comes from a good legacy there. I'm assuming most fans are familiar. Those who aren't familiar, he's a guy who wants to get on the ball. He can play make as well. He's not like a Jordan where you don't want him just to run him behind and behind, but he's good in the box as well. He can make runs in behind.
And I think quietly it might end up being like a really massive pickup, like within the league to bring that level of player for a team that needed it. I think the shakeup's really good. And then... And Arreola as well. I mean, we spoke to him on the podcast. You can tell right away someone can come in and lead from day one. Has experience, been around the league as well. He got some minutes there as well. Too early and we're just completely speculating. With speculation.
you would see he's going to be more of a slow ease into the team? I mean, not necessarily a slow ease into the team. I just think it's out of the cards that Schmetz has been given. Yeah. I think Schmetz is... playing style, the players he likes to coach. I think he would prefer Paul.
But I think if you're talking about natural ability, game changing, if Jesus is healthy, fit, and he's engaged, you have to play a player like that. And I think that Paul will understand kind of where his time is going to come. And I'm not sure it's going to be right off of that. It could be right playing away from home like we talked about. But I think in an ideal world.
And Pedro's had a very good preseason from what we've heard as well. Yeah. He's been lights out. He's gotten that full preseason that we talked about. Got to go home, come back, and he's been very good in camp. I think in an ideal world, it's those two wide and Jordan up top with Albert.
and then Christian and Obed. And I'll tell you what, that lineup, that's a good team. Yeah, and now you're talking about depth, you know, you're talking about bringing like Joe Paolo off the bench. Yeah, the AP off the bench to solidify things. Rothrock when you need it. All, Rothrock, Georgie. I mean...
That's how you build a team, yeah. How nice is it that you have five subs? Yeah, exactly. And they can all play as well. You actually get to use them, right? You're really looking down that bench saying, okay, if Georgie is your fifth sub...
That's a nice fifth sub day. Because last year, he was one or two off the bench. Yeah, and towards the end, maybe he's going to start. Maybe he's not quite there yet. From the video, he's been very good as well. So I think it's been a successful preseason for the Sounders. Does it translate?
directly? No, we all know that. Let's talk about it. What do you think? Because I've had, well, we can talk about it as a team collective and also on an individual basis. I definitely have had both, whether it was in college, definitely in the pros as well. like really bad pre-season. We're like, we're not going to be that good. And then we come out lights, lights out. And I've had other ones where pre-season, great, we're coasting and then we can't put a result together the first five weeks.
Like, what is it? I mean, I don't know. Like, is it just a step up in intensity? Like, you know, how much can we read into, what's a good preseason in that sense? Like, when do you, yeah. I mean, I think a good preseason is everyone comes away healthy. Everyone is 70 to 90 minutes fit. Your defenders are ready to go in on the same page. And your goalkeeper is healthy. I think that's super important.
But I remember preseasons where we were putting the ball in the back of the net. That always gave me confidence. Even if we lost the game in preseason, because you play mixed lineups. Because in preseason, and every preseason for us, I think has been very different. And depending on who your fitness coach is, depending on the new players you're bringing in, sometimes, like you said, these guys aren't up to speed just yet on the way that Sounders want to play tactically. So you can't read.
too much into preseason for those reasons and you know you could be playing against a very another very good team in preseason and be nil nil or one nil up you make five or six subs you end up losing 3-1 because the other team is playing champions league you're not they need to get 90 minutes fit they keep their starters on the field and it's really hard to read into um pre-season but i i think it's encouraging more than last year.
that the sounders have put an emphasis on putting the ball in the back of the net and understanding like this season starting early we're starting february 19th and we've got a bunch of competitions and we're going for it with these signings we're going for it for not just this year but for the next you know two three four years
Oh, yeah. But does it put extra? OK, I know that Schmetz is kind of like pushed aside the Club World Cup thing and saying that's not our focus. Fair enough. Coach has to say that. But if you're a player and you know that. this year you're playing in that tournament, does that give you extra emphasis in preseason to try and be as sharp as possible?
knowing that you have other tournaments, but is that like the guiding light for you as a player playing in a game that means something? I think 100%. I was going to say collectively, yeah, but like individually, what's a good preseason, that varies from player to player. For me, I always knew.
Like, you know, opening night will be, I'm not going to be playing my best football in March or April, mate. I knew that. But can I keep getting better? Now you have kind of this Club World Cup in the middle of the season. You ask any player and you put Schmetz in knowing how competitive he is. You're getting the chance to play PSG, I think Atletico Madrid, Botafogo in real games.
He doesn't want to out-coach Diego Simone. Yeah, he wants to test himself as well. But I'm trying to imagine you as a 22-year-old getting the opportunity in four or five months to play against PSG. I'd be... When I knew we were playing Barcelona in a... I was trying to get ready for that. And that's Danny Alves' preseason. But I'm playing against Danny Alves. Like, I want to go at him as much as I can and see, can I do it? So, yeah, I think now, if that was like a real game.
I think that motivation for me is going to be next level. And a lot of these guys like Jordan, Jesus, Christian to an extent, Paul to an extent, they've had national team experience. The World Cup's going to be here in 12 months from that time. Maybe you're on the outside looking in with a new coach, but if you can play lights out against PSG on that stage...
Pochettino has to think like maybe they deserve a camp. Anything can happen. Ricardo Pepe has a season-ending knee injury. That's how opportunities arise. And Precky told us he's trying to get Jordan World Cup ready. Precky was like, he can still go.
Yeah, I think so, man. I think if you're having those, I don't know for you, for example, when you were, let's talk about national team, in a Gold Cup year or whatever it was. World Cup year. World Cup year. 2014. I think your approach is a bit more like, yeah, like I'm going to. Yeah. so i think we went to brazil in 2014 and then i think it was three four games into the season we played new york at home
Bradley Wright Phillips was in on goal and I, it was literally six yards out. And I just last second lunging tackle, I got the ball, but then he, I mean, he was going to. rip a hole in the back of the net yeah smashes me in the calf so it wasn't a calf strain but it was a contusion yeah and that derailed my whole i was out i couldn't get fit go into a world cup camp and then you know you you don't pass the fitness test
because you're just not fit enough for missing some games. But that was the motivation that year. You know that those big tournaments are coming up. And for me, I think the Club World Cup, yes. The other tournaments, it's a chance to measure yourself against our region's best. But personally, as a player...
Those are the three games that I'm looking forward to of any tournament that the Sounders play. In real games. Of course the coach is going to say we want the other ones, but I think all the players are thinking the same thing. We played against Pumas enough. We've played against all these teams. That is the highlight.
Exactly. Of this season for this team. Plus regular season. I think the team will always want to do really well in the regular season. Yeah. But yeah, what an opportunity. I agree, man. I think, yeah, those guys. on that level. Every game, you know, Leagues Cup comes up and, you know, the regular season, I agree with you as well. Obviously, we expect the playoffs. That's just the way this club is. Those games matter as well. But we've never had...
the Club World Cup in Seattle against world powerhouses. Let's just be honest about it. And yeah, I would care if I'm like 22-year-old Steve Zaquale and I'm there in that locker room right now and I come back from Spain. I'm like, I want to play well against Charlotte and Antigua, but... That's PSG coming, man. I want to be good for that. And then that hopefully can propel. You have a good club or club that propels you into second half of the season as well. Speaking of the season, so...
Champions is coming up, but Charlotte is coming up as well. That's a home opener here. And we spoke about this brief in the last podcast. I want to touch into a bit more detail, just how important it is to get off to a good start. And I'm going to say that from, I'm thinking back to, I'll give a few examples.
Obviously, inaugural year, everybody knows what happened here. But our second year as well, we played, I think, Philly at home. They were a new team. And we played really well. We beat them. I think you scored. I assisted you in that game. And then Montero scored. We beat them.
There was another, I don't know if you played in this game or not. I think it was 2013. We had Montreal at home. I remember that one. We lost 1-0. And it was 2013. And for me, just to start, like... the difference in opening night when we beat New York inaugural year then we end up I think one of the first three games yeah when we beat Philly that first game like the confidence it gives you kind of okay
What often a race is... The season doesn't start till you get that first win. Losing at home to Montreal in 2013, and that ended up being a really bad year for the team. I remember just being so deflated. Like, it's a team we probably should have beat. They weren't that great, and we lost 1-0 in front of our fans. It deflated kind of all the world.
we've done so with that context just you know obviously we've had a lot of opening night experiences here but obviously it is just three points but even for momentum sake or confidence sake because if you come out you beat charlotte 3-0
And hey, Suits gets one. And everything goes well. You're like, yeah, it's working. Right away, it just... Oh, you come into that game and you get beat free now. It's just so... How important is that game from that perspective just to get off to a good start? I think this year it's wildly important. I think...
after last year's start, this team has to know, that'll be echoed in the locker room. They're going to pull on last year and say, we can't do it again. We got to win this game. And I guess I did start and play at 90 minutes in that game. I got a yes. Was it March 30th?
2013? I found an article about it. It was DeAndre Yedlin's Sounders debut. Yeah, because I remember having to talk to him. And Siggy Schmidt even said something about that maybe a little bit from when you have a good preseason, you're maybe a little complacent. Exactly. But we came up with a good team. I'm like, well.
good we have so many good players and then we lost front four was you mario martinez eddie johnson and mauro and then we had overcoming in a couple weeks yeah like it was like that year so so i i I just think as a fan base, players, coaches inside this facility.
how nice it is to walk in the next day and do your rehab and be like all right that one's under our belt there's a few notches throughout the season it's always that one can can we get off to a good start agreed man and i think against the charlotte team will be good um but i think it's a team that the Sounders have to be looking at. They have signed one player though that I know well.
And I don't know how good he is now, but Wilfred Zaha is someone that years ago, before he came on the radar, we knew about him in London. And I was like, there's this kid because he played Crystal Palace. And he was on the left wing and had another right winger who's a good friend of my family.
and I of Yannick Balassie. He's from the Pongo. And they were both ridiculous. And it was like, my brother was telling me all the time that, no, there's these two kids at Palace, they're in the championship. And Zar obviously got a big move to Man U. Didn't quite work out for him. Went back to Palace, had a...
Great career. And he's kind of bounced around. I think he's been Galatasaray, Leon. It's towards the end of his career. But if he's motivated, again, I remember hearing about him when he was really young and like that. And Dean Smith, the Charlotte coach.
played centre-back with my brother at Latin Orient back in the day. Before I went to Akron, I trained with Latin Orient reserves to get fit. Dean Smith was the coach. No way. Yeah, great guy. We call him Smudge. So I look like that. And he's a great coach as well. So...
I think Sean is good. Yeah, they're going to be good. That's my point. The hard thing is we don't really know much about them. Yeah, he coached for Aston Villa. We just don't know enough about the Eastern Conference. And we can say they played them, they played them. And all we can do is watch. Yeah.
couple time zones away so it it makes it a little bit more difficult but at the end of the day the sounders team is at home and you have to yeah you have to figure that the sounders are going to come out flying on that one and then but and we'll get a good test run a couple days before because they have champions cup yeah uh down in guatemala and there's been some crazy results so far and yes obviously teams are playing away from home right now but i think last night
Pumas lost. And there's just been some wild results. All these gaps are closing. Yeah, they're all closing, man. Those games are always tough. They're closing a little bit more. They lost to Cavalry. FC from Canada. But now they've got to go down to Mexico. We always know what happens in those situations. And these are teams that are mid-season right now for the Mexican teams pretty much. But Chivas ties that home to a team from the Dominican Republic, which was a little bit unexpected.
It makes for an interesting tournament. Like you said, it's getting a little bit closer. It's starting to shift in real time. It's only gotten more competitive as we've kind of moved. It's surprising though. just figure the mexican league teams would be Yeah. Above and beyond. And I don't know. It'd be interesting to get someone on that really knows in depth about the Mexican league and what's happened. Yeah. What has happened in the last five years? Is it truly that major league soccer has.
just spent more money? Or is there a fault in the Mexican league that we're missing out on that we haven't touched on the podcast? Because it's certainly not just MLS teams that are getting results. It's teams from... everywhere South America Caribbean that are getting results yeah
Have those leagues just gotten that much better and bigger? Yeah, it really has spread out. Yeah, it really has spread out. Before we go, let's do a bit of projecting. We don't know. So we are talking about kind of the schedule. We're saying about the sound of schedule, et cetera, et cetera. it's a few games in quick succession. We don't know. Let's see how the next phase of preseason goes. But even early projections, there's going to be probably some rotation.
from game to game. There's going to have even that, right? It's going to have to be. Now, I just wonder which one you prioritise in that sense. We just said how important the opening night is, but Continental successful, like the sound is, it's just, you just...
Honestly, I appreciate this club in a sense of every game meaning something. There's the pressure to win. I've always loved that. We can't pick and say we can take it easy until you're going to come and beat Charlotte. No, it's like the fans are like, no, win both. And you have the squad to do that.
now but i just wonder if there is one that takes a bit more priority it's so close together it's too close together to really take priority My gut tells me you're going to see a full-strength lineup in as much as we can in... champions just to win get the first leg everyone's going down yeah and we're going to try and get a result there and if we can go i don't think it's going to happen but if your ideal situation is you know two three up after 50 60 minutes
But then you're playing away from home and they've got nothing to lose and they've got everything to prove down there. Right. How many times have we talked about whenever. I mean, you can imagine like a Mario Martinez. I mean, he has a good champions cup or whatever we called it back then champions league back in the day. And then all of a sudden he's on, you know, the Sounders radar. So it's, it is an opportunity. for those players to make the jump. They all want to come to Major League Soccer.
and it's an interesting one and and i think the sounders will have to the biggest thing is just being healthy and i think you take it you know half by half at this point Because like you said, no one's going to be game fit in game one. I mean, the Antigua will be, I think, maybe 10, 11 games into their season by now.
yeah it's gonna be yeah so you're it doesn't matter if they're technically a little bit below us and maybe wouldn't do good in major league soccer but they're going to be flying on and on all cylinders and that stadium is going to be packed I would imagine it's a hostile place to play so far this year so it'll be eight games into their to their season nine by the time they play us and it's going to be a tough one.
And I think your point's right. I think it's the motivation for the individual players. What a stage for them. Getting to play the Sounders in that. So many eyes on them, etc. And before we go, really quick, I don't know if you saw the Atlanta signing, for example.
um i think they just smashed the mls record so somewhere the league growing yeah for i mean a guy who's wasn't not even EPL so it's like I mean it's a big gamble and I just bring it up to say like teams around the league are strengthening you know Columbus has lost Kucho a lot of changes I have not checked too in depth but I would say the Sounders have to feel
good about the off-season acquisitions in terms of like, even if looking around the league, like I don't know that too many teams have made moves. I just, I feel really good about Jesus and Paul just because there's not going to be, yes, there's always an embedding period of going to a new team, but...
it's not the same as like Pedro for example coming from a different league they know the league they know the travel they know how it is so is there still like a bias for fans like have you guys noticed a bias when a team signs a guy from MLS who's like a star like a Jesus Ferreira is there still a bias against
that kind of signing publicly as opposed to a guy like pedro de la vega i think you still want the like do fans still like yeah yeah i think here we know that we don't that's not how we build we don't we've never really clint is the one
That maybe, but he still was like an American coming home in that sense. Like never really have done that. So I think for the sounders now, it's like, you know, it's about winning and can you put winning team on the pitch? And I think Craig and the guys in Schmetzen.
You can't argue with them. We'll see how it plays out. But I do think, yeah, we all want a big flashy signing in a sense. But I think Atlanta spending 22 million on someone that no one probably has heard of, really. Yeah, from a business, though, it doesn't make sense anymore. No.
any team to splash money on a player from yesteryear that maybe is nearing their prime. That's just not the business model anymore. Now when you sell it, there's no incentive for the team to do it because there's no sell-on. Right. Exactly. I think teams are looking at it more as a business, especially with academies and you've got brand new facilities. How are we going to fund our whole machine? Yeah. Is it through jerseys anymore?
Probably not. It's going to be because of a big transfer of a player, you know, whomever it is for, you know, 15 to $20 million. That is the goal now. That's the model that everyone's striving for. Like an Obed, for example. Yeah, an Obed. Exactly. Whomever it may be. Maybe it's Jesus in another year or two. Exactly. That makes a splash. Yeah. And MLS is showing that. You've got John Duran. No one knew who he was. I love the movie. Yeah. I don't have any idea.
in Chicago yeah and he was in Chicago did anyone know that he even played in Chicago for a season pretty much and now he's playing alongside Ronaldo making 20 20 million dollars killed in England and the thing about he's like he's young so he can go there
do three or four years. He'll probably come back to Major League Soccer, go wherever he wants. He can retire, he can buy a club. So it's like, no, I love that move. That's the goal. Yeah, I mean, but Atlanta, Amaran came back as well. So you are seeing kind of, yeah, that part of it too. I will say this, Doki, I think like,
the really good MLS sides have done both like Atlanta when they won it they had a really big coach in Tata they had the original Almiron and Martinez people forget they traded for Darlington Nagby as well and he was the key for that team I think and when he left they went downhill so it's like that was a big championship left a big in-league trade. He had one in Portland, he won in Atlanta, went to Columbus and won there as well. So he's like a key. So I think...
Within the league, you can grow your team now, I think. That's my point. Well, there's just so much talent. Yeah, I think it's used to pull up great signings. I think the MLS starters, even if they just had to add depth for, which I think they'll do more than that, you take that. And I think it's taken our team from 12, 13 serviceable. real to a 14 we haven't even mentioned they'll make a mid-season signing too
You think so? Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I think they have to. If you're talking about it business-wise, I think they're going to have to make a – not a splash per se, but it might not be a player that the Sounders are aware of, fans, but they're – They're going to have to bolster this lineup to...
You've got to keep up with the Atlantis somehow. And I'm not sure that you can do that just within the league. I think you've got to be thinking a little bit bigger. You have to have the Areolas, the Roldans, the Morrises. But at some point...
You got to think about, like we just talked about, is the business side of things and making a little bit of a splash again at some point. I have one more superlative now that we were sort of talking about depth and all of that. Who is going to be our 12th man?
this year because we have such good depth like who's going to be that 12th man yeah I honestly I think I don't think we'll see a consistent lineup for a while I think you'll always have a couple changes couple games you know a real a couple games depending who just who's the hot guy at the time um so yeah i think we'll have a 14
starting 11 if that makes sense like 14 guys that are on a Thursday we have to kind of wait and see what Schmetz does at training to see okay this week that guy got the nod and then next week it could be way different for no reason other than we can
So I think that's a good problem to have. I think so. It's a problem I think we have to have given all the games. All the good teams, yeah, had it. So I think one of the best teams we ever had here was the Supporters Shield year 2014. And that team for me is like the depth. That's what it was. That's the team that should.
have won it yeah Chad Barrett's Kenny Cooper it was a good team I watched that from the outside and I was just like that's a good they have a good depth it's a good team so the Sounders back home continuing to inch towards that opening game I think just one more game Louisville and that'll be here where we are at the training facility so kind of behind closed doors game I think we'll go to that and see kind of get a better idea we'll be back next week it'll be the date after the sound as I've
Played Louisville, and we're going to get eyes on it and really give you a good, good breakdown recap and lowdown. Hopefully talk to some players after me. Yeah, and try to get Danny Jackson on too at some point. And Danny Jackson, yes. Yeah, kind of how he's seen. Yeah, Danny will be here next week, so let's get Danny. He was here yesterday.
He was in the office yesterday. Yeah, let's get him on because I would love to just, his thoughts kind of how we've seen the team shaping up and what he's seen from the outside. He's very honest too. Yeah. He's very honest. Good football mind. So as always, we appreciate everybody listening. Comment, like, subscribe.
And do get in touch at the number Keely left. As the season goes on, we'd love to include a few more fan questions and just, yeah, get feedback from you as well. That would be really nice. But we'll be back next week. This is Sounders FC Podcast. Bye.