Go back to Softie and Dick on Sports Radio ninety three point three kJ RFS No Washington Huskies, Seeattle, you're home for the Huskies, and well goes into Russneck and it's a goal, but don't pretty goal for the Sounders on a must win nights out of nothing. It's Russnick who finds the bolt in the back of the net. All right, we are back Larry Stone, by the way, who's uh deciding for some reason to just be lazy every day and retire from sports riding. Sounds good like we do every day.
By the way, he will join us at six pm tonight in the radio program. But joining us right now on the show a guy who I'm sure Larry wrote about at some point in time, the head coach of the Sounders, Brian Schmetzer. Brian, how are you. I'm doing really good, Saftie. Yeah, it's pretty good world, I know they are, And I gotta ask you, there was a point in time this year where the road was slightly bumpy for this team, right, and we we chronicled and
talked about all of that. Here you are, You're waking up and you're twelve days away from playing LAFC and the Western Conference semis, how satisfying is this because of what you went through? Well, yeah, the road was seriously bumpy. There was a lot of ups and downs, a lot of chatter about you know, the team and the coach and you know, lots
of different things. So getting the team finally doing what it is capable of, having the Blairers believe and I mean everybody believe that this team is capable of winning a championship. I think we got to like our chances. I'd love to hear about your blood pressure level in the first thirty three minutes when it's zero zero, and how much it goes down when you finally find the back of the net in a key game. Well, Dick, that wasn't
too bad because I think the guys started the game really well. I think their energy there, enthusiasm. We knew there was going to be a goal. My blood pressure was rising in like the eighty third minute through the ninety third minute. I mean they were throwing the kitchen sink at us and we had to survive. Plus you know, we were on the bench, we're debating, well, we only had one sub left and we were going to
put Hovey on for the fifth defender and close it out. But then what if they did score, We needed Raoul on the field and Montero for penalty kicks. So that was a little old. That was a little crazy. Well, I was I was looking at Twitter before the game and I saw a tweet from our buddy Jackson Feltz, who could not believe that Ferrero was not going to play. I cannot believe it. Unbelievable. My god, this is huge, gigantic, earth shattering news, and it was big.
Obviously, when did you find out he was out? And how did your game plan change when you found out? We found out just like everybody else. I mean, we knew he came on the trip, but we didn't know if he was going to start or be involved in the eighteen. We kind of knew based on, you know, what we saw down in Dallas. I mean, he came out, was holding his groin. I didn't think he was going to play. But it made them a more a younger, maybe hungrier team. I mean they came out and you know, had
some young guys up top that were doing the best they could. I mean, obviously Ferrera's you know, was the starting center forward for our World Cup team. But you know, I think they were an honest team and they worked hard. I saw a close up of you on the sidelines after one of the near misses that you guys had when you were already up one nothing. I mean, you were just this close to putting this match away numerous times in the second half, and you just had this You got to be
kidding me, look on your face when you got what is that? What is that like when you're just about ready to deal to death blow numerous times and you just can't find them back of the net. Well, those are the games, Dick, that we all know that come back to haunt you. So you're all over an opponent, You've got them right where you want them, and you just can't, you know, finish the job, and you know, they somehow find a way back into games. So a lot
of that is emotion. That's the great thing about sports, our sport. A lot of motion goes through fans, players, coaches alike. Yeah, so let me get this straight. We got to wait twelve days now to get back on the pitch. That seems like a ridiculous amount of time to wait between playoff series. Am I nuts, You're not nuts. We gotta wait for a new who to come back from Cameroon, you know, Josh Attensio a little bit of our surprise call up with the US national team,
but we got to wait for this international break, Saftie. It's one of the odd things about our sport and the calendar window that we play with MLS and it's not great, but we're going to deal with it. Thank God,
we got the home game and we'll be ready. All those chances that I spoke of in the second half that you got that you didn't finish, do you does that kind of booy your confidence thinking that, hey, this offense is clicking and we're going to find the back of the net in net LAFC game or is it just a completely different situation and it might be totally different next game. I like the way we played, Dick. I think the expected goals were good. You know, we accomplished some of the things
we set out to do tactically. Now, look, obviously LAFC is the defending champs and so they they they're the champs for a good reason. They're a fantastic team. They're different than Dallas. They don't play out of the back like they do like Dallas does. They're a little bit more direct. They love hitting you in transition. So we'll have to we'll have to have a good game. We'll have to have a clinical finishing game. But our team's capable of it. Well, Rabul reed. Diaz did not play in
the game of Dallas. Nico Ladero did not see a lot of action. Talk about those two going forward, Well, that was one of the hardest coaching decisions I've had to make, Softie. You know, it just came out that way. And this is a team that we're rolling with. They're both ready whenever I call on them, if they need to come into the
games, they're both ready to go, chomping at the bit. And you know, let's be honest, Softy, they're ready to say, hey, you know what, coach, screw you, I show you I can do still do the job. So I like that about them. They're competitors and I expect nothing less. Well, I think some Sounders fans, maybe casual Sounders fans that hear those names, would be thinking listen to this interview, going well, why aren't they playing, coach, Why aren't those guys playing
more? Well, You've got a couple of young kids, Josh attend To and Obed Vargas that you know, pushed Albert higher up a line. You've got Jordan Morris who wants to be a center forward. Now he's scoring a bunch of goals. You've got Leo Chu out on the left wing who's come into his own that pushed Jordan into a more central position. We've got some really talented young players coming up through the roster that are pushing the senior guys
for playing time. All right, before you go, I got to I got to give you a little bit of information before you take off here, Okay, your game is here on the twenty sixth, obviously of November. Oh, I know where you're going. You realize who is not going to be there for the game that day? Any idea Jackson Jackson has fumbled, Jackson Felts has decided to take a vacation instead of watch your game in person.
It's not that I've decided to listen you keep quiet, all right, I don't know in the room, No, no, what do you say to mister super fan over here, who's not going to be there for the biggest game of the year. That sucks. There's our drop. Listen. My family had planned a vacation back in August. My niece's school schedule got in the way. They had to move it to Thanksgiving when she had time off of school. So family comes first in their eyes, right, No
excuse. There you go out a boy. I love it. Don't tell me about the pain, Show me the baby. I love it. Brian, you're the man. Don't get him. We'll do in a week. All right, Well, hey guys, take care, see you man. Brian Schweitzer with us on the air. The legend Larry Stone leaving the Times after twenty seven years, walking away from this crazy business. They'll join us next on ninety three three KJRFM