Coming to you live from Orelliot Avenue Studios of Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. This is Sounders Weekly with your host Jackson Felts. Good evening, Welcome into Sounders Weekly, everybody, Jackson Feltz here. Good to have you with me on this Wednesday night. Busy show ahead as the playoffs are beginning for the Sounders next Monday, Decision Day in the rearview mirror, a two to nothing win over Saint Louis a game where the Sounders looked god as good
as they've looked in a very very long time. Great win down there on Decision Day, and a big thank you to the Vancouver white Caps because with the Sounders win, with the white Caps forcing a draw against LAFC, Seattle is now the two seed all the way from three to two, and that is a big deal, of course, as we get it later into the playoffs perhaps, but the Sounders are the two seed after their win, and
what a win it was. Goals from Albert Russknack and an own goal four by Reid Baker Whiting read Baker Whiting I will not unfortunately has a hamstring strain. He's gonna be out for the first two games of the playoffs. But listen, I mean I think new who be able to slide into that left back spot where he has started for much of the year, and the Sounders
are often running with a very very good lineup next Monday. The playoffs will start on Monday night at Lumenfield. It's a three game series, best of three. If you are new to the show, new to this new playoff format is it is its first year that we have adopted this new format. Maybe a little bit of quirky to some people, but I will quickly outline it. The first round, just the first round is best of three. First game is at Lumenfield. Second game is going to be in Dallas,
third game, if necessary, we'll be back in Seattle. The first game next Monday is going to be a five to thirty Providence, Swedish premat show and at six o'clock kickoff. You can listen to the match over on our sister station Sports Radio and AM next Monday night, and I will say that you can also watch the match via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV or for free on Fox Sports one. And get your tickets today by visiting SOUNDERSFC dot
com. Slash tickets, So that is a Monday night football there at Luminfield for Sounders Dallas in the first game. So it's the best of three in the first round, and then all in the subsequent rounds Conference SEMIS Conference Finals, MLS Cup, that is gonna be a single game. So a little bit of a quirky situation there, but that is the new system we have. It's unfortunate that for the Sounders both of the playoff games that would be
a home here in the first round Monday the thirtieth. Then I'll go play in Dallas on Saturday, November fourth, and return here for the third if necessary game on Friday, November tenth. So those two home playoff games in this first round, it's unfortunate that both of them fall on weekdays. I know that is certainly poses a conflict for a lot of you people out there.
I feel for you. I really kind of personally, I'm not happy about it because I know that a lot of you fans are gonna have conflicts that either make you make concessions with your lives outside of soccer or makes it so you can't go to the game at all. So it stinks, but it is what it is, but I will say like for the conference Semis
Conference Finals, those games will fall on weekends. So good news there is that you will be able to you know, see your Sounders on the weekends if they make it past Dallas. So let's just get past Dallas and move from there. And I do like the matchup. We will go into it throughout the night. Brian Dunseeth, broadcaster for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, where you can watch the match for free, coming up next Monday. He's gonna be joining us in just a moment. We're also gonna talk to
Nico Moreno of El Polso. He will join us here in about twenty minutes as we talk about Nicholas Ladero's situation. You may have heard this. This will be Nicholas Ladero's final year playing for the Seattle Sounders. Nico Moreno had that report over the weekend. We talked to Ladero and Craig wible out at training yesterday. So Nico Moreno will join us to talk about ladero situation here
in a little bit, and of course we'll round out the show. Aril and Will of MLS Soccer dot Com for Around the League, and Andrew Harvey with great ol Rain News for Around the Sound, but joining us right now. He is a broadcaster for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He's gonna be on the call for Sounders Dallas next Monday. He was on the call for Sounders Saint Louis this last weekend. Brian Dunseeth joins us right now on the show. Brian, good to have you on the show, my friend.
How are you. I'm good, I'm good. I appreciate the time. As always, I appreciate your time. Brian. We'll spend a few minutes here talking about everything coming up. Let's just start with your thoughts on what you've seen from Seattle last week. Is a lineup that you know, see pretty much the same thing I expect, knew who to slide in it left back for the injured read Baker Whiting, but overall seeing what we saw from Seattle on decision day, what are your impressions of this Sounders team entering
the playoffs? I mean, I was I was texting with Craig Wible. I mean the fact that you think about June, July and August and the difficulties of I guess realizing how important Christian Rodan was to this piece of the puzzle on the right hand side of the midfield that you know, for Seattle to end up just three points out of the top spot in the Western Conference speaks volumes to the mentality of this group. I unknowingly said this in a
conversation with Hordan Morris the other day. I didn't realize Christian was inside the room while he was doing this interview, this conversation, and I just flat out said, you did everybody always know how important Christian was or did they really realize it when he was missing and dealing with the concussion like symptoms and Christian which I think felt really awkward and weird about it because we were talking
about him in the room, But you know, all jokes aside. I just think, you know, we saw Jordan on that side, we saw Albert on that side, we saw Nico on that side. We've seen a lot of players try to play that role, and nobody has played it as well as Christian hats. So there's so many positives for a team that, even when they weren't playing well, figured out how to turn losses into draws and draws into wins. And I think that mentality goes a long long way.
Wiz did playoff experience that this group has absolutely so We're talking to his brother Alex out of training today and you know, he was talking about his brother saying Christian is the glue, and I think we're certainly seeing that nine matches unbeaten entering the playoffs. Brian dunsas our guest. He's colored analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, which, by the way, you can
watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for free. Next Monday, Sounders going to be hosting Dallas there in the first round of the playoffs, which is a three three game series. Brian, let's quickly talk about that. I mean this new shifting model, which feels like it's shifting every other year at this point. But this new model where the first round is a three game series. Well, there's a play and of course eight versus nine, but then we have a three game best of three first round series
and then it's just a one off from there on. Are you a fan of this new model? Well, I am because I'm old and I played in these three game series back in the day, and I love that there's an ode to the past. While being nimble enough to recognize what the future and the immediate future is. I mean, listen, I am a firm believer that if you've made the playoffs, your fans deserve to see you play
at home. And I think that's what this ultimately does. Listen, the owners are gonna make their money, they're gonna put buds in seeds, But more importantly, I think the fans get an opportunity to celebrate their group at least one more time, you know, for the loyalty and the success the
teams have had over the course of the regular season. I also think that as beat the format adjust, it's important to point out, you know, this whole talk about promotion, relegation, and accountability, Well, this year eight managers have been fired as of right now. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two more clubs went in different directions at the end of the season.
And then ultimately, when we talk about during those long summer months, results matter, dropping points matters, well now it does because you're looking at you know, Seattle ending up in second place and outside of facing a Saint Louis at any point, they're gonna have home field advantage. So I just I do think there's a ton of advantages. I think also to reminds people. I know Seattle didn't do great in League's Cup, but if you paid
attention, if the game's tied, you go straight to penalties. Yeah, in this three game format, which I think is another exciting factor. So yeah, I just I think there's a there's a chess match that we should talk about. You know, we talk about the five substitutions and the patterns and chess versus checkers, with managers and coaches making decisions how to speed the game up, how to slow the game down, how to score goals,
how to lock games up. And I think this as another layer to that conversation, which for me is just from a tactical standpoint, always fun to think about. It absolutely is. Looking ahead of Monday and looking ahead of this series that will be a Monday, Saturday, Friday best of three between the Sounders and Dallas. These two teams interesting statistics where both of them have scored forty one goals on the year. Sounders have given up thirty two.
Dallas has just given up thirty seven. Two best defensive teams in the Western Conference in terms of those goals allowed number. What do you look at this series? How do you handicap it for at least the Sounders looking at how they match up with Dallas. Yeah, I think it's two teams that need
timely goals, you know, two teams that have struggled offensive. I mean, when you put into context Jordan Morris, you take away his goals, you probably have the same conversation when you're talking about a guy like Hayses Patta. You know, Hazes Paeda is another guy who scores a lot of goals and then he's been he's dried up a little bit. So you know, if you talk to Nicolas seven as Se Dallas coach, they've lost a couple
of influential players for either international duty, suspension or injury. And it's a very similar story to what Brian Spencer's dealt with, so very similar, very similarity. They go up tweaks and their tactics. I'd i'd be really fascinated interested to see who tries to maybe jump to shark and add another layer to their tactics, maybe a tweak or nuanced matching up. But I mean,
most certainly the danger man to keep an eye on his hasis Patta. Just because the US international, much like jor and Morris, can stretch you and beat you. He can play in a bunch of different positions and I just
think he's he's one of the more dangerous active strikers. And I think the other edition was the atom Indi coming from from Spain and a former Spanish international, he had a big role in what they were trying to do and solidifying that midfield with Qignon and Paxton pomacall so you know, the fine margins who can punish the mistakes of the opponent. But I think the ace and the back pocket of Bryan Semester will have, has been and will always continue to
be step on pride. I think he's one of the elite goalkeepers. He's often his name is overshadowed by some of the other names that the national media always tries to promote. But when you talk about consistency, loyalty and a parent all jokes aside a pair of safe hands behind you, that's for me. Friday's been one of the best of what he's done in MLA, absolutely so in a great year. Here for this defense of giving up only thirty two goals this year, I agree with you on a lot of those points.
Brian, great stuff, man. I hope you can talk to you again down the line. I have a great call next Monday, and we appreciate the time. I appreciate it. Man, can't wait to get to Seattle. Always enjoy the atmosphere. It's one of the best in Major League Soccer. Love the thunderclap when the teams are entering the field, and especially when that weather turns. You know it's MLS Cup playoffs. So I can't wait to be a part of it up in Seattle. I can't wait to
have you here. Brian. Safe travels and we'll see you up here. I appreciate it, but man, thank you. Great stuff there from Brian Dunseeth, once again broadcaster for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He and Max bred Us will have the call play by play in color for all of the Sounders Dallas games. I should mention and think we're gonna have Brian on the show again next week to talk about the second game back in FC Dallas for Sounders Dallas Game two. Well, Monday's match is presented by Regent's Blue
Shield, where connection is at the heart of a healthy life. Regents Blue Shield. Together we health Sounders Dallas coming up on Monday. Will take a little bit of a diversion coming up next to Sounders Weekly, and we'll talk about the situation with Nicholas Ladero, final season with the Seattle Sounders, the midfielder announced there earlier this week. We'll talk to Nicol Moreno, who had the report about Nicholas Ladero. We'll talk to Moreno next on Sounders Weekly Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. Now back to Sounders Weekly on your home for sunders FC, Seattle's Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM. Welcome back Sounders Weekly, Jackson Feltz here. Good to have you with us.
Thanks to our first guest tonight, Brian Dunseeth Dunny for joining us in that previous segment MLS on Season Pass on Apple TV broadcaster who of course did this Sounders game against Saint Louis last weekend and will be on the call for Sounders Dallas coming up next Monday, which you can of course also listen to over on our sister station as we mentioned nine fifty am five thirty pre game next
Monday night. Well, good to talk about the Sounders playoff road. But now for a few minutes we kind of got of take a left turn here in sunders Weekly because, as we mentioned at the start of the show, there is some very very big news here in sunders Land this week. You may have seen on Sunday we got the breaking news from our good friend Nico Moreno of l POSO at l Rolo NW on Twitter, who has joined us
for many shows in the past, and he's on hold right now. But Nico came out with the news on Sunday with an exclusive conversation with Sounders midfielder Nicholas Ladero, and Nicholas Ladero in that piece announced that this is his final year in Seattle, this is it for him in Rave Green. Now, after Nico came out with that piece yesterday afternoon on Tuesday, everybody met with
the media. I shouldn't say everybody, but a bunch of media were out there and we met with Craig Weibel, Sounders general manager, Nicholas Ladero himself, and head coach Brian Schpenzer. Schpencer had very nice things to say, but I think it should before we bring Nico Moreno on be mentioned exactly what happened in that conversation and Nico Moreno on hold, you can listen, you can chime in and let me know if I get any of this wrong.
But the way it came across yesterday at training was Craig Wibel said We've had conversations throughout the year and that for him it didn't sound like any of the conversations were final, didn't sound like the door was closed. So then Ladero takes the microphone yesterday and Ladero says, for him, the door is closed. This is it. Conversations happened, but Nico Ladero got the feeling that
the club did not believe in him. This is a according to the conversations that we had yesterday and the conversations in Nico Moreno's piece about Ladero that came out on Sunday, and Ladero got the feeling like they didn't believe in him anymore. And the conversations was sort of ended as a non committal and I did ask in the press conference, and then you can get all these press
conferences by the way, Brian's, Craig's, Ladero's. I sent him out yesterday on my Twitter and I'll retweet them here in just a moment as well, and my Twitter account is at Jackson B. Felts's where I posted them. But in these conversations we had out at training, it got the sense that because the Sounders, Nicol Ladero felt because the Sounders were non committal to his future in Seattle, he kind of felt like, all right, that's
it. If you're not going to commit to me in these conversations, not negotiations, If you're not going to commit to me in these initial conversations, then that tells me that you know, I this is not a place that I want to be long term. So it sounds like there really weren't big negotiations that took place financially wise between Ladero and the club. It all came down to how Ladero felt those conversations going, and it all comes down to
how the player felt things ended up. That's kind of where we're at right now is Nicholas Ladero did not feel like those conversations were committing to him, and thus Nicol Ladero says, this is his final year in Seattle. That's
where we're at right now. It is sad, obviously, but as we bring Nicol Moreno on, I'm sorry you had to stay on hold so long, Nico, but we have to talk about your piece with Nicholas Ladero that came out on Sunday and listen, man, it's sad that this is his last year, but personally, I will say it's a little bit bittersweet because yeah, it's sad, but also it's awesome to see a good friend as you are, coming out with such a fantastic piece doing some great reporting there
with Ladero this last weekend after the Saint Louis match. So welcome to the show again, my friend. It's great to have you on after a great piece that you put out there on Nico Ladero this last weekend. Well, first of all, thanks Jackson for having me on. You know, I love to be on ad KJR with your fantastic audience and talk about Sanders and
today. Yes, a little bit of a bittersweet, right, I mean, it's it's a time of transition for the Shadow Sounders in general senses, and it's kind of ironic that is coming right before the fiftieth anniversary of the club, right, But yes, we do get this report. I was, you know, very privileged that Nicholas there decided to open up with us in this interview. And yeah, it sounds like is an end of an
era. That's the way he put it himself as well. It appears that what kind of drove the decision wasn't as the money or the contract or anything that might be your usual cliche reason when you know, fans or media kind of talks about a player moving on. This almost a little bit more about approach. Right. If you go through the things that he said during this interview, there's a little bit of hurt, you know, there's a little bit of I wish things were different. He said that it's part of the
interview. He wish that things would have gone differently, and he was going to be here next year. But with all things said, he basically just not admitted I think he revealed the fact that he won't be coming back, that he hasn't got any offers at this point in time, he doesn't expect any offers from the club, and he just wants to thanks the fans for the love and the support that he's gotten over the years. Him and his
family. He went over constantly about the best part of playing in Seattle have been the fans. So it isn't even the end of an era. Yeah, it really is. And just to go back to the comments, and Nico talked to a little bit about yesterday too, as you know, but
you mentioned how he said he wishes it went differently. What does he wish went differently is the approach, right, I mean, basically everything he talked about was the fact that at some point during the season he thought there was going to be reading in between the lines, a more personable approach to a guy that has been so committed, loyal and influential to the team. And look, it's standard practice. And if you look at my article, I
say that, right, it's standard practice business. At times, it can be that you wait till the end of the season for serious contract negotiations, right, I mean that's normal, he can happen. But what I think can change, and you see this all around MLS, is that you can't put everybody in a cookie cutter. You need to be able to read certain players and if they're important to to you that you want to keep them, there's got to be a different approach to each and every single one of those
athletes. And I think that's what happened here. I think if the Sounders would have had some sort of conversations with nicolasa little early and said, hey man, look we're tied in the budget and you know it's a transitional moment next year and there might be a lot of shifting going on, so we can only bring you in. I don't even have a number for you right now, but we really want you to be here. We want you to
be here and celebrate the fifted university of this club. I think Nicholas Dedero would have been happy just with that initial conversation, and he sounds like that just never took place. Nico. You mentioned that it wasn't necessarily about the money for Nicholas Ladero. I mean, this is a player who makes the base salary of two point six million with a guaranteed salary of the three point
two million. Did you get an idea for him of what he was willing to take in terms of financials, in terms of being a designated player or not in terms of you know, if you were he would want to be a upper level TAM player. Did he get any idea from him on specific
numbers? Not a numbers, but it's just the fact whenever you say I was willing to come back as a non DP player, that gives you a range of numbers right right there, that that just kind of I'm not his agent or I don't know what he was willing or looking to get, but it is sad that the negotiations just never happened. This is a player that at one point told me he wanted to retire a sounder, that he wanted to eventually move on to be a coach or help with the fantastic academy program
that this organization has, and that just hasn't been the case. So there's just been a little bit of I think, like I said, disappointment and heard on the approach and people you know that there's been a lot of comments about all the narrative is the club is evil and they're leaving him out on the cold. No, absolutely not. This is a guy that was looking at the camera and was basically talking to the fans because that's what he based
it on. He wanted to explain to the fans why he won't be back next year, why he won't be able to defend that crest the way he has since twenty sixteen. And that's what he kind of opened up about everything, and and he was just being a very candidate with everything. So it's not about making the club look bad or that you know they're living out in the colde absolutely not. He's just not happy with the approach and as someone who needs to us, all of us should see athletes beyond just what they
are, the human beings. And if he felt like you know, he was jaded because of the way that things have come about, then he has the right to feel that way. And I concur as well. I think that I said it constantly. There's sometimes that initial thought of going to a player who who's been as important because you're talking about argue with the best player, the best under player of all time, right, it would be great
to have him in the fifth year anniversary. Well, I want to talk about that, and once again, Nico Moreno is our guest of l polso you can follow him on Twitter at el Rolo andw to not only see his story here on what Nicholas Ladero says is his last year with the Seattle Centers, but so much more great info here from Nico Moreno, and I want to hit on that point before we get a quick thought from you on the playoffs ahead, and that's the point of Ladero's legacy in Seattle because you look
at what happened since the day he got here. From the MLS Cup in twenty sixteen, they go to MLS Cup in twenty seventeen, nothing in twenty eighteen. That's because of injuries in the playoffs. I always say twenty nineteen, another championship, twenty twenty, Western Conference title, twenty twenty one, you make a League's Cup final, twenty twenty two, you make a you win the Conka cav Champions League, first ever American team to do that.
And here in twenty twenty three. We will see where this thing goes. But all but one year since Nico has been here, they've gone to a final and won a final in many of those years. His legacy is absolutely I think as the greatest sounder of all time and is one of the greatest Seattle athletes of all time. Yeah, in terms of success, in terms of influence, I mean, I said it in this piece as well as under a heart. Is not just the numbers. It's not just the fact
that he's been very consistent with his play, consistent with his numbers. But he's the leadership role Jackson. He's the guy that runs to every single guy and make sure that everybody's good. I was there in that to draw at Estadian Olympic COO in Mexico for the finals of the CCL. He's the guy that was barking at everybody and talking here and talking there and having watch to
Talavera. And then he scores that goal and he in the PK and he shows at the top, and he was the guy that emotionally boosted that team. And he's always done that. He's been the epicenter of every single successful story that this team has had. Of course, this is a collective unit. Of course, this is the team spoort. Of course you've had Jordan and Raoul and Christian, of course staff in the back line, everything, But what Nico has done away from the numbers is just given one hundred and
ten percent every single day. Question his quality now if you want, if you say he's lost a step whatever, people have opinions, that's fine, but you can never question his integrity and effort every single time that he laces those boots and he gets on the pitch. Well, I think you also, you know, also look at what he's done to other players in this
team, like Let's just take Obed Vargas for example. Obed Vargas has learned how to take a foul at a very very high and professional level and almost like where he can just feel a guy on his back and then just you know, slow down by just that mile per hour where the guy just comes right over his back, boom foul. That I mean Obed Vargas, the
way he does it is exactly the way Nicholas Ladero does it. So Nico's influence even to just the that's just one of a thousand examples, but just the way he's been a leader and an influence on a bunch of young players too on this team, it's invaluable. So yeah, I mean, listen, I understand the way that the Sounders are moving forward into twenty twenty four. I think that Craig wible Is it certainly has an idea in mind of
where he's going. And listen to this team second place in the Western Conference entering the playoffs. You know, we'll see how far they go, but I think they have a great shot to get out of the West. But at the end of the day, yeah, it will be sad to see Snicholas Ladero not lace them up in Rave Green next season. Nico Marino. One more for you here, buddy, And that's the playoffs ahead. We
just mentioned it. Second place in the West, starting things off, facing Dallas in the first round, a team where we had two one to one games earlier this year. Just give me a quick thought of where you see the Sounders starting the playoffs facing Dallas here in the first round. Hey, you know what, this shadow team, if anything, has shown us that when it comes to the playoffs, they do the work. When it comes to elimination rounds anywhere, they do the work. So when you're playing a
Dallas team that for me has been inconsistent, they have been underwhelming. They have a lot of peaches. If you look at them on paper, you're like, Wow, what a team. They've been an absolute disappointment to me. They're My expectations of Dallas this year was they're going for it this year. They're bringing up Aariola, They're making sure that a Ferrera is well. I mean, they have a really good squad overall. But I do believe
that they're very inconsistent. I think that they have an issue creating goals. I mean, they just came off of a for to one win because they were playing the worst defensive team in the conference at the Alley Galaxy. But that's not going to happen here. I mean Seattle, if anything, they have a fantastic back line. They have to run fry Relis League in a blank sheets for the year, so this is a very good defensive team.
I think the Seattle can play through their pressure. I think they could play through that midfield that whoever sits right next to Pomical just doesn't seem the job. They seem to be very open at times, and it's easy for Into transition on them. So I think Seattle has all the tools to get this team to the next day. So I think the playoffs might go well. You just saw them play without Rowel and Nico and Jordan did excellent and Chew
did too, and it was a good game. There's things that you got to kind of fix in the back end, too many turnovers, things like that. But I think that having Raoul and Nico in great form gives you different styles of play in systems to face this Dallas team. So I think Shaddow will do well. I think they will do well as well. I mean having Ladero and Ruiy Diaz as super subs is a pretty good situation. And then Yamar leading that back line, leading the league in interceptions, Fry
leading the league in clean sheets, Chew has had his breakout year. I mean, this team right now is hot entering the playoffs, so I agree with you. Really good insight there, buddy, and once again outstanding report there on Nicholas Ladero. I mentioned it's bittersweet, so it's great to see you with this awesome report. But yeah, we'll be sad not seeing Nicholas Ladero playing for the Sounders next year according to him himself. And before you
leave, we have Ari Leanwall coming up later tonight. He wants to say hello and thank you for not starting a kicker in fantasy football to allow him to win this week over you. So that's a little joke there from Ari, but we appreciate you, buddy. No happy to be here. And you know what, socause you got a gamble, I decided to do a little sum there. We'll see how that plays out for me. For those who don't remember, last week, Ari Lulion Wall and I we played each
other in fantasy football and I beat him. This week, Ari Lullion Wall, who's coming up later tonight on Sounders Weekly, faced Nico Moreno. Nico didn't start a kicker and Ari beat him narrowly. So a hilarious result there in our fantasy football league that we have, well, great stuff from Nico Moreno, l Polso you can find him on Twitter at El Rollo and W that's E L R O l O n W Nico. Great stuff there.
To go back to kind of the comment he made a few minutes ago, you know, this all comes back to Nico's Ladero's feelings about those conversations, and it didn't sound like it ever reached negotiation point. There's a difference between conversations and negotiations. I asked Ladero that exact question and he did it it rate. You know, there were conversations, but it comes back to Ladero's feeling about the conversations, and Ladero's feelings about the conversations that took place influenced
the fact that there weren't negotiations. And Moreno said it right there, So it ends up kind of coming back to Ladaro's feelings and as Moreno just said, and I agree, Ladaro's entitled to his feelings. Absolutely, he is I would just say, you know, whenever you have legendary players with organizations who feel like they deserve a certain level of treatment, this is still a business. And I come that also from the element in years talking to Garth
Logerway has given me this kind of mindset of the general manager element. And I can see it from Craig Weibel's eyes. This is a business and they look at the finances. They understand Albert Russknack's situation. We also talked to Craig Wibel and once again you can find that whole interview that I posted it
just retweeted it at Jackson B Feltz on Twitter. It's also up on my YouTube page, the full com conversation with Craig Wible yesterday, and we talked about how Albert russnak situation is certainly tied to Nicholas Ladero's situation, and they look at how Russnak played. I mean, he's scored in the decision day game against Saint Louis. He's looking great at that number ten spot. One domino another domino. They're all dominoes that have to fall in this order.
And for Craig's job to figure out which Domino goes first. I mean, at the end of the day, if Nicholas Ladero is not going to be here, then all right, then you look at al situation like Albert Russneck and right there there's your number ten and he has an option I believe for next year. So whichever Domino fell first or goes first, you have a result of a situation of having your number ten figured out for twenty twenty four.
So from the business side of things, you can absolutely see how Craig Wible looks at these situations of Russnak and Ladero tied together, and you can see how he would approach those conversations with Nicholas Ladero. So I don't blame him in the slightest for the way that the club has looked at Nicholas Ladero and had those conversations this year. It makes sense. But again Nicholas Ladaro is entitled to his feelings, and he felt a certain way about how those
conversations, again conversations, not negotiations. Ladero is entitled to how he felt like those conversations went. So at the end of the day, here we are, this is it, and we just get to enjoy the last few games of Nicholas Ladero's career in Rave Green. Here in these playoffs, well, quickly I will mention that Sounder's e FC Soccer is presented by Providence,
Swedish official healthcare partner of Sounders FC. We'll switch gears here in Sounders Weekly and we will talk about the playoffs ahead and the wild decision day that was. We'll go around the league with Ari Lileenwall and around the sound with Andrew Harvey. That comes up next on Sounder's Weekly Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. Now back to Sounders Weekly on your home for Sounders FC, Seattle's
Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FL. Welcome back Sounders Weekly. Jackson felt it's good to have you with us here on this Wednesday night thanks to our previous guests so far this evening we got Brian Dunseeth in the first segment and then Nico Moreno talking about Nicholas Slandero in the news this last week here in the last few days that it is the last season for Nicholas Sladero in Rave Green. Check out the podcast in case you missed any of it,
But coming on now on Sounder's weekly. We're gonna shift our gears and be joined by my good friend Ari Louien wall of MLS Soccer dot com and host of the podcast Lobbing Scorchers. Before we do, I'll quickly tell you that bud Light was brewed to be a delicious and easy to drink beer. Bud Light, easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Pig out bud Light your
local retailer today, please and Joe responsibly. Ari Leon Waller joins us right now for around the league to look back at all of the wildness over decision Day and the playoffs ahead. Ari, good evening, My friend, how are you, Jackson? Thanks for having me back well. Ari? First off, congratulations on your fantasy football win against Nico Moreno, who joined us earlier tonight. That's the first thing I will say. It makes up for your loss last week to me. But we'll move past that good as we
already ribbed Nico earlier in the show. About that. Listen, man, we got to start by talking about what happened with our Sounders to nothing win over Saint Louis capturing the number two seed. Lost to talk about in terms of Decision day action, but just your initial takeaways from watching Seattle go to Saint Louis and win too nothing. Yeah, I think there is a lot to be encouraged by in that game. You know, Saint Louis has been
in first place in the West for pretty much all season. It's a really difficult place to play, so to put on a performance like that, scoring multiple goals, Albert Resnak gets on the scoreesheet again, that's a great sign. Seeing RBW make a play like that was a great sign. He's really kind of emerged these last few weeks. So I think you do. You have a situation where Seattle's going into the playoffs playing about as well as they've
played off season. I mean, they're eight unbeaten now and they've looked quite a bit better offensively. So it's not going to be an easy road by any means, but I think you have to feel a lot better about their chances at this point now in this type of form, I still have my questions as to whether or not whether or not they have enough offensively to carry them on a whole playoff run. But I gotta say, from what I've seen in the last few weeks, I definitely think it's possible that they can
ride this out and they can actually go on a run here. Well, in terms of that run, it will start with Dallas in this best of three series. First game is Monday, next Monday, coming up at six pm, and then of course the Sounders go to Dallas on Saturday, November fourth, and then the following Friday night would be back at Loomenfield for a
game three if necessary. So just your initial takeaways of Sounders against Dallas and specifically this FC Dallas team that Seattle has seen twice this year, both of them won one draws, and then Dallas coming off of a four to one win over the Galaxy on decision Day. What do you think about them? I actually love this matchup for Seattle. I don't know about you, but FC Dallas is a team that has frankly been among the bigger underachievers in the
entire league this season. They were a trendy pick to be near the top of the West, and they were actually down by the playoff line, like add or below the playoff line for a lot of the year. And I think Seattle is historically, at least in recent years, had success in their playoff matchups against FC Dallas. There was the Crazy Series in twenty nineteen where they had to they needed extra time and at Jordan Morris hat trick to get it done. I think they got the better of them in twenty twenty as
well. So it's a team that they historically do match up well against. And you know, as compared to what the alternative opponent alternative opponents was, so a Vancouver or a Houston or a team like that, I think Seattle matches up a lot better with the f CE Dallas than either of those teams. That doesn't mean that it's going to be in the US Series and that
they're just going to cruise the victory. FC Dallas still has some very good players, but in terms of any matchup that Seattle could have could have drawn for this, I think this is the best one. I do. I don't know about you, Yeah, no, I completely agree. When you look at Dallas and what they've done with the same number of goals scored at forty one they've given up thirty seven. They're a similar team in that sense where they don't score a lot. Their defense is pretty solid, second best
in the West. But for the Sounders right now, I mean, you think back to those one to one games where I don't think Seattle was at one hundred percent in either of them, and so I think it matches up very well for the Sounders, and you just need, I think, a single moment of brilliance. And I also look at Dallas and correct me if I'm wrong, But they run pretty much, you know, ninety percent of their offense through Hasus Ferrara, and that's it's a similar sense to what Nashville
does with Hanny Mookdar. Sounders just went down to Nashville, and you'll figure out a game plan to shut down a single player that runs a offense. So I know I agree with you, man, I really like this matchup for the Sounders, but we'll talk more about that next week. I mean, this whole show's right has been an opponent Alex, So I'll quickly tell fans that tonight's pretty much entire show opponent Alex, presented by Sharp Vision,
Modern Leask and Lends, the official Lasik provider of Sounders FC. But Ari, we got to go around the league and spend a few minutes talking about what else happened on decision day, and we have to first celebrate the Portland Timbers completely blowing it thanks to a San Jose draw plus a Kansas City win, plus getting blown out in the rain at home by Houston. And I listen, I say blown out. It was a three to one loss,
but it was three to nothing for a while. I mean, ari, Portland losing at home three to one to Houston to be eliminated from playoff contention and have no shot at the PU one of the most beautiful things I've seen on decision day in a long time. Yeah. Well, first of all, I think justice was served in that sense, because based on how Portland has played throughout the season, they really didn't deserve to go to the playoffs and it would have been pretty annoying if they had managed to to pull out
a last second bid there. So yeah, that was certainly great to see from a Seattle perspective. I mean, that team is in transition. They fired their coach go sever Ace earlier this year. They got a little bit of the new coach bump, and they looked a little better in a few weeks after that, and that's the only reason they were even they even had a chance at the playoffs. But you just look at their roster and there's
a lot of question marks. There's a lot of older veteran guys that they relied on for a really long time that you don't know are going to be back next year, like Sebastian Blanco and diego'chara. Maybe this is his last year finally in Portland. So they have they have a heck of an offseason
in front of them. They got to find a coach, they gotta they got to turn over their roster a lot, and it's never easy when you're in a situation where you're kind of have to rebuild from the ground up like that, and that's what they're gonna have to do, and sometimes it can take a while to get out of that. So a lot of question marks going on down in the River City, for sure, would not anger me or saden me at all if the Porland Timbers found themselves in the gutter for
quite a while as they rebuild. But yeah, amazing there. Ari Lunell is our guest writer for MLS Zucker dot Com podcast, hosts of Lobbying scorcheres Ari A quick other couple ones. First up, elie FC goes to Vancouver on decision Day and it's a one to one result. There. We thank Vancouver for getting that equalizer in the second half because that allowed the Sounders to
rise up to the number two seed in that one one game. Does that say more about the quality of the Vancouver white Caps getting a result against a very good LAFC team or does it say more about l a f C maybe entering the playoffs not playing their a game. I think it says more about Vancouver. You know, the perception of Vancouver, I think is still as
a middland team, but that's really not what they've been this year. And if anything, a lot of people think that if you look at their underlying performances and numbers, that their their record is actually not as good as it should be based on how they've played. So it doesn't surprise me at all that they gave l AFC a game and they got a result in that game. And you know, I think the White the white Caps are not a bad sleeper pick to make a run in the playoffs. They're really good.
They're a really good attacking team. They're kind of here miss and defense in defense sometimes, but they've got they've got a match winner in Ryan Wald and uh they can they can compete with anybody in a given game. I do think that Ari good stuff. My friend will talk next Wednesday after the first game of this series and look ahead to next Saturday match where the Sounders will be in Dallas for game two. But enjoy watching these games this weekend.
My friend and we will talk next week. Sounds head Bank Jackson. Good stuff there from Ari lilin wall Off, MLS Soccer dot com podcast host for lobbing Scorchers. One quick note before we shift our focus and move on to Around the Sound with our Puget Sound soccer expert Andrew Harvey with good news on ol Rain. I'll tell you that Sounders FC and Boeing are teaming up to
support the Washington Youth Soccer Community Corner on matchdays this season. Join us in stadium as welcome Washington youth soccer players and coaches to cheering the Rave Green courtesy of Boeing. All right, time to go from Around the League. We now turn to Around the Sound. Good news for ol Rain in their playoffs last Friday. Let's turn things over to Andrew Harvey. Just one note this
week from Around the Sound Jackson. But it is a big one. Ol Rain is back in the NWSL semifinals thanks to a one nil win at home against Angel CITYFC last Friday. That goal came from Veronic Alasko in the eighties Evans minute. As the Rain punched their way to yet another NWSL semifinal. Megan Rappino, her final home match ever at Lumenfield goes down as a w. Now the Rain turned their attention to San Diego Wave. The semifinals have
a bit of lead time on them. They'll play on Sunday, November fifth, on the road down there in San Diego at snap Dragon Stadium and that match will air live on CBS Sports. I'll have more for you on that next week. Good stuff there from our Puget sound soccer expert Andrew Harvey. We'll also quickly mention in terms of MLS Next Pro obviously to come in Defiance were eliminated in the playoffs. They were eliminated by Austin FC two and Austin
FC two actually ended up winning MLS Next Pro. They won the whole league championship this last weekend as well, so Tacoma goes out, but they go out to the eventual champions Well. That will do it here on Sounders Weekly for tonight. Want to thank all of our guests Nico Moreno, Brian Dunseeth are in Lillenwall and Andrew Harvey right there. Make sure you check out the
podcast in case you missed any of it. Check out Sounders Weekly wherever you get your podcasts, including the iHeartRadio app, and we will talk to you coming up next Monday for Sounders and FC Dallas in the first match of the first round of the playoffs. Here we go. You can watch the match for free on FS one or MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Listen over
on our sister station of Sports Radio nine fifty kr AM. The Providence, Swedish premiat Show will begin at five thirty kickoff right around six o'clock their next Monday, and get your tickets today by visiting soundersfc dot com slash tickets well. Monday's match is presented by Regent's Blue Shield, where connection is at the heart of a healthy life. Regents Blue Shield together we health. But we'll talk to you on Monday at five thirty for the playoffs beginning Sounders hosting Dallas
first game of the first round. Cannot wait for that, so we'll talk to you on Monday but for right now, Fox Sports Radio is coming up next.