Live from the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast studio. Now back to Softie and Dick on your home for the Huskies and the Kruken Sports Radio ninety three point three KJR FM.
All right, well, this is not the conversation we were hoping for, but it's one that has to be had a successful season in my eyes. Nonetheless, no matter what Jackson's Twitter poll respondents think.
We'll chat about that in just a moment.
Well, we always say, Dave, you make the final four of the league. I agree with that's a successful season.
That's my philosophy. There, Dicky joining us right now on the radio show. Head coach of your Sounders FC, our friend, your friend, Brian Schemetzer coach.
How were you?
Well? I certainly would have been love to have another four training days this week and one more game.
How about that? That would have been nice? Would have been nice? Man? What happened against the Galaxy?
Let's just start there and talk about why the boys were not able to get going on the offensive side.
Uh yeah, I think we created one really good chance, the one when you know, knew who got up the field and Jordan laid it off to Albert and he just you know, he just didn't hit it clean enough. I mean, I've seen Albert make that goal, score that goal in training one hundred times. We just don't make
the play. And then you know, we were a little hamstrung without Paul and you know some of the changes that we had to make throughout the week and you know, some lame excuses there, but we just didn't have enough, you know, throughout the course of the year. And that's you know, we've had meetings the last couple of days and us and the staff. That's that's been the big focus is how do we get our team to score more bulls softly? Because if we score the first goal
against the Galaxy, that game's over, that's done. We'll lock it down.
Yeah, no question.
And you know, their star Ricky Pousche played the final thirty minutes I see on a torn acl I mean, it didn't look like the tackle that got him injured was that hard. But that's that's pretty phenomenal. You can play thirty minutes of soccer on a torn acl.
Yeah, he's a pretty good athlete obviously, and he's lighter. You know that that took into part. But you know, look, there was something to do about Christian and the tackle. I didn't see that he got injured on that tackle. You know, there was a play you know, four or five minutes after that. It might have done it, or it might have you know, partially done it and later in the game. You just never know about those things.
It's certainly a bummer because look, the kid's exciting. I mean, I think I came on the show last week and said, you know, I as a fan, I like watching him play. So you know, it's sad news, but unfortunately that's part of sports.
Well, it just kind of feels like the offensive questions that we're talking about, we've been kind of going back to that well for a couple of years now, that's been really an issue. I mean the last six games he scored four five total goals. I think it was in the final six games of the year zero two to one, zero one to one. So yeah, five goals
in the last six games. I mean, is this you need to kind of look at the attack in the offseason, the philosophy, the scheme, or is it just a roster issue in your mind.
We've we've looked at all of that softy. Look, I can sit here and complain about the roster. But Craig and Adrian and over the years, we've we've always had a good team. Uh. We've looked at our offensive schemes, what what are we trying to accomplish. We've looked at, you know, individual players and their strengths and where they have areas of improvement, and we've worked on it in training.
So I think it's the combination of a two percent over here and maybe a five percent here and then yeah, sure, I mean it's already out there. The club is looking to add.
To the roster.
Yeah, and we're going to add you know, attacking players to that roster.
Yeah. And we'll get to that in a second.
But I just want to follow up that because Jackson had a Twitter poll. We like to play with Twitter polls, you know that, and see what people think. And I think Jackson's five Jackson's followers are as learning about soccer as anybody in the city. So when his followers speak, I think we all should listen. Was it a successful year? Jackson's Twitter followers, Fifty point four percent say yes, forty nine point six percent say no.
What do you think, Well, Softy, I don't think that the coach that the season was a success because we didn't win a trophy. Now, there's smaller successes within a season, you know, the breakout year that you know Obed Vargas and Paul Rothrock and Jackson. There's certainly moments in a year that you would say you did a good job, there was success. My personal feeling is, you know, you got to win a trophy. I mean, look, that's the
only thing that keeps my job secure is winning. And if I don't have that attitude, how am I supposed to expect that the players don't have that attitude. So for me, you know, it's it's we gotta win trophies.
Well, let's talk about twenty twenty five and beyond your team. MVP Albert Rusnak is out of a contracts, So what does the outlook look like for him coming back next year.
Yeah, I know, they're pretty deep in the conversations with Albert. There's conversations going on with Joel Paulo. There's there's some things. Craig's working hard. Now it's his time of the year to really go and do what he needs to do. But we've given Craig feedback. You know, Albert great player, if you know. Look, if I'm just a soccer guy
a coach, would we like to have Albert Backe. Yeah, sure from a soccer perspective, But this is also a business, and you know, those guys are trying to maximize their their contracts and we'll just see where it lands.
How about Rod Raoul Ruez sounds like he's done with the team. Can we just confirm that he's no longer a sounder?
Yeah, we can confirm that. Look, Raoul has been such a tremendous goal scorer for this club. I mean, we've had a lot of good forward Softy Dempsey Oba, you know, those guys were at the top of their game. Raoul is at that level as far as being a pure
goal scorer. The amount of times that Raoul you scored that crucial goal in the right moment to win us a game or a championship, that puts him up there with all the great forwards that we've had in the club, and certainly on a league wide basis, when Nico and Raoul when they were in their prime, I mean, nobody could touch those two guys.
Oh well, coach, you did sign a new contract a month or so ago. Can you give us some information on how long that one is.
It's a multiple year deal, and I'm extremely happy to be with the club. I want to run through the World Cup. Let's see how it goes after that. But I'm really happy that I was able to extend my career because look, another fact, there were twelve coaches that were fired this year, So I feel pretty lucky.
All right, Cough if it's longer than two years, oh, I love that, all right. So if the Galaxy win, you get a CONKA CAF champion spot for next year. Are you rooting for LA on Saturday? Yes or no?
Yes? We are, as much as that pains me to say, because we were that close to it and we want to beat our you know, don't want to beat the team or not have the team have success it beat us. But look, if they win it, they deserved it, They've had a great year, and it does put us, you know, it does put us in a good spot for you know, another Champions League qualification, which is a tournament that we want to be in.
Yeah.
Well, I got to tell you just to follow up on the question about whether or not this was a success, and I think all of us appreciate your perspective on that's it speaks to the standards that you guys have in Seattle. There's about twenty five teams in the league that would take where you guys are at right now every single fricking year. So it just goes to show
you the standards that you guys have sat here. The next question is when are you gonna drag your ass down here and do a show with us and go drink some tequila.
Yes, well, now that I have time off, we might if you guys want me to back, you know, next Tuesday. May.
I nothing going on next Tuesday, That's fine.
We'll have Jackson's people talk to your people, will figure it out, all right.
And by the way, you know why you lost the game, don't you? Because Jackson's ass wasn't on your plane. That's why I told sure.
I thought about that exactly after the kickoff with the answer the rest blue the whistle. I knew that it was Jackson's fault, My.
Fault, my fault.
We saw you had some pull and you could get him on the plane.
Apparently not for trying out loud.
All right, man, we would have loved to have him Jackson's a great, great guy. I love having Jackson and he's he's a super human being and a great guy.
Let's not go too far, Mail's let's let's like, let's not get crazy.
Talk here, all right, keep in touch. We'll get you down here.
We'll talk some dogs and hawks and soccer mariners, all that stuff. Bring you down here and you can see how the sausages made behind the scenes.
Then we'll go out and have some fun. All right, man, sounds good, All right.
Congrats on a hell of a season, by the way, coach appreciate it. Brian Schmetzer with us, do we think that they had a successful season? And I appreciate his perspective on the trophies and all that, But that's what they've created for themselves, right, I mean, I don't want to call them the Yankees of the MLS, but whatever would be like right next to that.
They've kind of created that also.
And also when you turn your season around, and they were clearly better in the last three months now in the first five months of the season, I think that that factors in as well. I mean, if they would have started hot and then petered out at the end and lost in the first round, of the playoffs. Maybe even with the same record, then yeah, that's probably not successful.
But they made the finals of the Western Conference.
For God, do we believe that after the final horn sounded that he was thinking about Jackson Felts not being there?
God?
No, God, no, baby knowing him, I wouldn't be stunned. He should have had Jackson. God, jeez, he looks at freaking as all his superiors and Adrian and situde.
Could we just get the guy on the plane next year? For crying out loud, it was it was a it was a different plane there. I don't know if there was room for me, a different plan.
I think I would have I would have sat without fourteen I was talking about.
I would have sat with the luggage. But I just don't think that for me. All Right, we're gonna break