Coming to you live from our Elliot Avenue studios of Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM. This is Sounders Weekly with your host Jackson felt Good Evening.
Everybody, Welcome into Sounders Weekly.
Jackson Feltz here good to be with you on this special Thursday edition of Sounders Weekly. We're normally, of course, on Wednesdays, but tonight we're on a Thursday because we didn't have a postgame show last night for the CONCACAFF Champions Cup match against Antigua. This effectively will be your Sounders Weekly slash postgame show. Following that, we're gonna be hearing from Danny Lava, who had a great game in
the midfield. In just a few minutes, he and I were able to catch up in the slightly noisy tunnel after his good performance in the victory. We're also gonna chat with ri E lullionall from Major League Soccer dot Com and Brian Dunseeth, MLF Season Pass broadcaster. He will be on the call for Sounders Real Salt Lake this coming Saturday. But yeah, let's spend the first couple of minutes by talking about the win over Antigua, the series win.
It was two three to one victories that got the Sounders to the round of sixteen facing Cruz Azul coming up next week and then the week after. I'll give you some more schedule details in a few minutes on that, but it'll be Cruise Azool in the round of sixteen coming up next. And we know game one was a pretty comprehensive three to one win down there in Guatemala,
but this was also pretty comprehensive. I mean, you know, if we're kind of to give the big headlines here, it's Pedro de la Vega, Pedro de la Vega, Pedro del la Vega. Yes, I can mention a lot of other players had very good games. I thought Haysis Ferrera, we saw flashes from him. Danny Lava, I thought I had a very good game alongside Joel Paulo in that holding midfield. But Pedro de la Vega, man, I tell
you what, two goals. He gets a goal in the twenty fourth minute where you know, he gets this pass into Jordan Morris, who holds it up, dishes back to Pedro who hits a first shut that's deflected or blocked, and then he stays with it, gets the rebound and with his left foot puts it past the keeper on just I mean, that was gonna be our play the match if we had done a postgame show what a goal that was for Pedro de la Vega.
So he gets that.
One, and then he gets another one in the eighty eighth minute where Duel Paulo slips it in and finds him to make it three to one. And Pedro is really, you know, three games in looking like the guy that we all thought he would be last year. It's clear after a full off season to integrate fully with the team. Now that he's fully healthy, we are seeing the fully
actualized Pedro de la Vega. And boy, this is gonna be a special player for us for a long time because we are seeing the glimpses of how good this kid can be. The you know, the bouncing locks as
he runs his hair. Of course, I mean he is a very special player, and this specifically the skills he put together last night, and how well he's I think already playing off of even his new teammates a heyesus Ferrera, who, by the way, for the second time in three games, he dishes an assist to Paul Ariola, his former teammate there in Dallas. That connection is obviously very much still
intact and working very well to start this season. But yeah, one defensive lap gives Antigua their goal, and ultimately I'm gonna be happy with any three to one win because it is a pretty darn dominant three to one win. And we're seeing this team with offensive excitement for the first time in a while, and truly you're going in the game confidence offensively that we can score two plus goals in any game we go into. Did it in all three games now so far this season, three to one,
two to two, and three to one. So offense looking much better. Defense some holes to fill up. I don't think it's anything too wild. And then Danny Leva and the midfield, whether it's a oh bed Christian Danny JP, I think the entire midfield has done well to start the twenty twenty five season. Speaking of Danny, Lava had the chance to catch up with him outside the locker room. I'm'll emphasize outside a little bit noisy in the hallways of lumen Field, but it was good to talk to
Danny about his performance. I started the questions by simply asking him to react and how the team is feeling, how he's feeling coming off of the series win over Antigua last night.
Really good. I think overall team performance, I think, you know, there's a couple of rotations there for the guys that didn't really play much. I don't really played much this season, but I think it was really positive to see, you know, the good team performance and showing the depth that we have as team. You know that everyone's competing for his fun and everyone wants to play. So really happy personally in.
Terms of the depth topic.
Obviously, with the trade of josh A Tencio, the sale of Josh Tencio, that came to a surprise to a lot of us in the media.
I guess part one.
Was it a surprise to you and what was your reaction kind of seeing that and saying, okay, you know this is this is for me an opportunity.
Yeah, no, I think you know, like you say, it's always a surprise when someone leaves, especially like John, you know, someone that's come through the academy that's loved this. This club played with passion every single game. I think, you know, it's hard to see that thing in sports, but you know, anything could change really fast. You know, you never know one day you're here, one day you're in another place.
So I think you just have to keep working. You have to keep putting your mind day in, day out to get better. And and I know that he wanted to play, just like me and everyone else. So I think it's obviously tough, you know, especially when they're in a good team full of good players to get minutes sometimes then, but you know, yeah, I wish him all the best. I know he's gonna do well. He's gonna kill it over in Colorado. And I think that just goes to show that you know that anyone could have
the opportunity to play. We just have to be ready.
Let's talk about this game specifically against Antigua. You get the start, you know, talk about the partnership going into the mansion and the communication and the game plan for you and JP, knowing you coming in with a three to one lead, what was the game plan coming in for specifically you two and that double pivot.
Yeah, I think the connection to how with JP is very special. I think you know, ever Sins come in, we've had like some very similar play styles. I think we understand each other very well. In the field. You know, I don't think much needs to be said, you know, in terms of communication off you obviously we still communicate, we're still vocal on the field, but I think it's something that's just there. You know, we we know how each other plays, we know how we want to play.
We have a similar playing style of you know, keeping the ball but also you know, moving it with intention and also you know, dictating the pace and the rhythm of the game. So I think me and JP we formed a very special connection, even more so this preseason because we've been together a lot and a lot of the friendly games, and especially in Marbella. So I think, you know, whenever we're playing together, we know how to play and what to do together.
So how it was more I talked to us about Spain, and I have more questions about this game.
But but what was it like over there in Spain?
Amazing? You can't complain. You know, the weather was perfect, especially when you go to Spain, you know, it's it's something good to ta get some sun. And yeah, it was a great time. I run with pepple me and people were just really yeah, we would we have the beach right in front, so we kind of just walked to the beach, drink some moth daily, some music. Yeah, those what kind of some things, went to old town, you know, just coming around a lot. We're in the pool.
We played a lot of card games, a lot of a lot of games on the iPad together. So we had a great time watch a lot of games too because the Champions League games are there. So yeah, I think everyone had a good time.
What's he like off the field? What's he like?
You know yet know, Pippo's a very caious like I love him. I think he's it's been a great guy, you know, not only to play with, but I think he brings that charisma to the team and that strong personality of you know, having fun always of also you know, putting in the two hundred percent to you know, work to get better, but also to enjoy life and be a great sag.
He obviously had a big game, but I think so did you.
I mean I sent out a social post where I said, Danny Labors having quietly having a.
Very very good game. You were working your butt off out there.
I don't mean a blow, smoke or anything, but you looked like you were really active in that game and I'm kind of what if you were kind of obviously haven't seen the film yet, but evaluate yourself coming right off of the field, how you think you performed tonight.
Yeah, I think, you know, there's a good performance overall for me. I think there's always something to improve, you know, whether that's defensively some plays, you know, I can't get get more stuck in, win some loose balls there that I could have won and picked off more. And I think, you know, attacking wise, maybe have more of an eye for goal, you know, impact with the goals and assists. I think that's gonna be something I'm gonna continue to
work on. But I think, you know, overall, I I had, like you said, a very good game in terms of controlling the temple with JP, you know, trying to play simple because it came out aggressive the first fifteen minutes. And we know that if we control the ball, control the temple and moved it at our pace, that we're gonna have a good game. We're gonna create a chance to have a goal. So I think in that sense it was a very good showing for anoy me but JP.
So it certainly came across with a three one win now the question that I have to wrap things up is what's the next step for you? I mean, like, man, we've seen you get loaned out, We've seen the ups and downs here, but now that Josh is gone, you know, you and JP kind of are that next up in the double pivot. So as you kind of look to twenty twenty five, what's the next step for you? What are the things that you say I need to do X, y Z to take that next step as a player.
I think for me personally, I think I've always had that ambition to be a starter, to be a player that can impact and solidify his position within the team. So that's kind of my goal. You know, first perform here with the clubs and you know all obviously the international stuff all that. Get back to the national team would be great. But I think I'm focused in the day in day out, continue to work hard, be the
best version of myself. Like I said, improved goals and assists, be a little bit quicker in the explosiveness, and you know, try to be that force in midfield because I think technically with the ball, I'm good, but you know, defensively in positioning I could still improve aspects in that and you know, yeah, I think that's that's my goal to help the team and whatever I can, And obviously I have my personal ambition to be a starter and and make the next step.
Now, then, now that you're back from the loan, you've settled back in, what's what's life for day? Like for Danny Lava off the field these days, how's life for you going to Just personally, it's a.
Really good, really good Yeah, having my sister close to she's playing at you dub you know, so a shout her to her. Yeah, it's really good player, maybe better than me, but I always support you know, we always hang out together. We always you know, like to go out to the lake together and maybe go to the mall, eat something, watch Netflix a couple of times, play video games.
But yeah, it's kind of you know that that that life outside of the field, to try to stay busy, try to find new hobbies, you know, especially now that I'm done with school and got my degree, I kind of have more free time, so kind of exploring things to do, you know, hang out with the teammates and yeah.
Well man, we've we've kind of followed your journey over these last number of years and it's it's definitely been a journey, but great game tonight.
Excited to see more of you in twenty five.
Appreciated Jackson, thanks for having me.
That's great stuff there from Danny Lava. And also special congratulations and shout out to his sister. I didn't know that Danny Lava's sister plays for the University of Washington Andrea, So congratulations to both of them. That's sibling, a power sibling duo here in the local soccer world. But you know, no I did to wrap it up there with Danny.
It's been fun to see his journey, and you know, obviously, you know, I thought he really was active and had a good game there against Antigua, and I think we'll see a fair bit more of him this year after the Josh Atensio trade. Again if you're just catching up on that, the Sounders sold Joshtensio to the Colorado Rapids for one point six up to one point six million dollars, six hundred and fifty thousand in general allocation money this year, six fifty next year, and up to three hundred in
performance incentives. So it's great for Josh gets more playing time. It's great for Danny Leva. He gets kind of bumped up for more opportunities, and it's great for the Sounders for up to one point six million for what was a depth piece in josh Atensio. Great all around, I think on that sale. But yeah, we clearly saw Danny Leva grabbing his opportunity and having a good game there in the midfield with Joel Polo yesterday in the win
over Antigua. As the Sounders, as we mentioned a few minutes ago, move on to the next round of CONCA CAF Champions Cup Round of sixteen, they will really kick things off. You know, this was Antigua, Guatemalan team, but now you got cruise A Zool in the next round. It's next Wednesday, March fifth, at Luminfield and then the following Tuesday down in Mexico. That will be a big test. Nico Moreno, by the way, will join us next week
next Monday. Sounders Weekly will be on Monday next week because of other content here on the station, and we're gonna have Nico Moreno on who we've had on many many times to preview cruise A Zool because he knows very very inside information and deep information about Cruise a Zool and I want to get all that from him later on, but that will come up next Monday. As for tonight's show, we still have to get to Ari Lillianwall from Major League Soccer dot com, where he is
a writer and editor. Also he hosts the podcast The Lobbing Scorchers. And Brian Dunseeth, a broadcaster for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV Money, will join us in our final segment tonight to preview Sounders Reale salt Lake, which is coming on Saturday. Quickly broadcast details for that. As I mentioned, Dunny will be on the call. You can
watch it on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. You also listen in Spanish language on l RAY thirteen sixty, but I will encourage you to listen here to Kjar not here actually, because the match will be over on nine to fifty am. Nine to fifty kr AM will have Sounders Rayale salt Lake this coming Saturday, the Providence, Swedish premat show. We'll begin at one o'clock and the
game will kick off just around one thirty there. For Sounders RSL, we'll have that over for you on nine to fifty am while we have a quick moment before we head over and are joined by Ari Lillienwall. I wanted to tell everybody about a cool promotion that is now happening. The Sounders unveiled this on Monday. It's called the first Match on US groundbreaking new fan engage program. I was actually at Loominfield walking the concourse yesterday and I saw a couple of good fellows by the names
of I believe Dylan and Devin. They're sitting at a table and they're you know, it's one of those tales tables that you see around the concourse where you can get more information on this if you happen to be in the stadium, A look for them around the concourse and they have kind of a scarves set up, and you may kind of ask, what are these two guys doing.
They can tell you a lot more about this, but really really quickly, I can kind of give you the very bare bones details here, and that is that if you have never gone on to soundersfc dot com and you've never purchased a ticket using your Sounders FC account manager, and maybe maybe you've gone to games, and maybe you've used other services like stub Hub or whatever, venue Kings and you've never actually gone and purchased a Sounders ticket through you know, actual soundersfc dot com, or if you've
never gone to a game at all, and I know many you listening right now or probably deep intense Sounder fans, you've gone to games. But if you haven't ever gone to a Sounders game, you can go to a Sounders game for free this year. So this is a new, unique program that is kind of really engaging the community.
And I've really never ever seen anything like this before, and it's been covered a lot by news outlets this week around the Northwest, but it's really cool where what you can do is you can get to a match for free, complete with tickets, specially designed welcome experience, a free gift, And what you can do is you can go to soundersfc dot com slash first Match on us and you'll take you to a first match on US Sounders page and it's kind of just your invitation. You
can register, You can sign up for the program. You'll receive an email confirmation with a text confirming that you're registered. They will confirm your eligibility that you've never attended a Sounders match or you've never bought a ticket through the Sounders to go to a game at Lumenfield. Then you can pick from eleven matches at Luminfield this year. It starts with the March twenty second match against Houston. You can choose from any one of these eleven games to
go to. And on top of this, you can claim up to two free tickets through this, so you can bring a friend and you can purchase up to four more to bring friends and family to get these initial match day experience with you. And then once you have the tickets, you just show up to whichever one of the eleven matches you pick and rave.
Your ass away.
To set a better word for it, but you know, just be enjoy being a fan and enjoy your experience at the stadium. So SOUNDERSFC dot com slashed First. Actually it's first Dash Match dash on Dash US, but I'm sure if you just google Sounders first Match on us
you can find all the details there as well. But yeah, it's it's this awesome program that I've honestly never seen this in sports, really freaking cool that you know, if you've never gone befo for it and you just want a chance to go and experience what it's like for a Sounder match Atluminfield. What an opportunity this is to get you in for free, to get you in for this really unique new experience. Again, you can get it
for up to two tickets. You can bring a friend, you can create this atmosphere, get it's just what a program. This is first Match on US. Check it out if you've never been or you've never gotten a ticket through Sounders FC, and get to the stadium this season and hopefully this still be a way. I mean listen, I mean we've talked about it both on this show. We've talked about it on other shows on KJAR. You look at the attendance from years to years, and you know, yeah,
it's still good compared to the rest of them. It's still great compared to the rest of MLS at thirty thousand a game, but we once had forty thousand a game, and that atmosphere is legendary, and god, if we can get back to that forty thousand, that would be awesome and this program might be the way to do that. So check it out Sounders First Match on US program, and you if you've never purchased a ticket through the Sounders can go to a match for free check that out.
Wanted to share those very very cool details. What a job by the club to put that together. I've never seen anything like it in professional sports and it's really really cool. So there you go. We'll take it break here in Sounders Weekly. We'll come back and chat with Ari Lullianwall from Major League Soccer dot Com and the podcast Lobbing Scorches. Want to get his thoughts on the rest of Major League Soccer as we enter week two.
Sounders RSL ahead, that's next on Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM.
Now back to.
Sounders Weekly on your home for Sounders FCS. Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.
Welcome back, Jackson Feltz here.
Good be with you here on this Thursday evening special Thursday edition of Sounders Weekly. Of course, because of the cockacaff action last night, good to spend it the first segment recapping that. But as I mentioned there, we are shifting gears because I love the first week of Major
League Soccer action. There's just so many storylines and so many things to discuss, so many teams that really in last week's opener, the first season, first show of the season with Ari Lillianwall from at Major League Soccer dot Com in the podcast Lobbing Scorches. We talked all Seattle, Seattle, Seattle, and a little bit as well on Charlotte. There's so many other teams now, especially that they've played a week, that I want to talk to Ari about now. Full disclosure,
this conversation with Ari happened back on Monday. His schedule because of his work on multiple places, is full yesterday, and of course was full tonight where I believe they're doing an actual Lobbing Scorchers live show starting at eight pm, so we'll tune into that after this show here tonight.
But Ari and I had the chance to talk on Monday, and yes, we got his thoughts on the Sounders two two, Drug and Charlotte, but we had to talk about so many other teams around MLS that it will be challenging Seattle for the top of the Western Conference and some other things as well. So full packed conversation with Ari.
This isn't outdated at all, But we did start the conversation myself and Ari by talking about the Seattle Sounders the two two draw way back on Saturday, which course now feels like a full week and a half ago. But nonetheless we did start by just getting his two cents on the two to two draw against Charlotte.
I think the way that it ended, unsurprisingly left a sour taste in a lot of people's mouths. But I don't know about you, Jackson, but I continue to be encouraged by what we're seeing on offense. Obviously, they got an excellent result to start off DCC, and I think when you put away the terrible ending aside, if you look at the performance on the whole, I felt like they still looked really good at times in attack, and they scored multiple goals, and Albert Rusnak and Jordan Morris
both looked great. So there, I think with the dust settled after that ending, there are a lot of positives to take from that game.
I think there are, especially on the offensive end. It's just frustrating that for the fifth time since the start of last year, you lose a one goal lead late in a home games. That's that's got to be remedied by Brian Schweitzer and that staff soon. And you know, we had that old phrase and you'll give it the full ninety Now we need to give it the full
one hundred because of these late, you know, added time losses. Ari, the Sounders have to of course turn their attention not only from Wednesday's game, but also RSSL, the next opponent, have their attention from Wednesday's game because like Seattle Real Salt Lake playing in Conker caf Action on Wednesday two. But these two teams face off RSL and Seattle back in Salt Lake and they're in Sandy, Utah this Saturday.
It'll be a one o'clock Providence.
We just premach show one thirty kickoff for our folks here on at Sports Radio at nine to fifty KJR AM. We will have the call on Saturday. And Ari, it's an RSL team that just got their doors blown off at San Jose for nothing loss. It's an RSL team that certainly looks a bit different from last year. How much of a wounded animal is this coming out a week one or is this an RSL team that Seattle should still be fearing.
Yeah, I mean I think you hit on it right there, Jackson, But they are a wounded animal right now. They lost four zero to the San Jose Earthquakes in their first game.
So I see this.
RSL game as an opportunity for Seattle to keep building on what they've been doing early in the season, but also buck a narrative. You know, you mentioned the narrative of them dropping home points. Well, they've also historically struggled quite a lot to take road points in these games at RSL seemingly kind of no matter what the quality of RSL is, it's a very difficult place to play.
It's at altitude, and Seattle just for whatever reason, it seemed to have a really hard time getting results there over the years. So they can go in there coming off Champions League and get a win and continue to showcase the depth they've showed over these first couple of games, then I think that would be a big time early season result.
Real quick before we move on, and we talked about the other side of that San Jose RSL game in the offseason.
I mean, let me go back.
Actually two years ago, Salt Lake purchased Chico Orongo from Pachuca for almost maybe it was over five million dollars, and then this offseason, I believe back in January, Salt Lake sold him to San Jose for just what was at one point three million? I mean, I guess the thought. I mean, Chicho Ourango real good player. Just a year ago, one point three million of what was Salt Lake doing with this?
Yeah, that seems really cheapd to me as well, considering his track record, I think it was one point four but still, I mean, I think the best guest that I can give is that his stock was just quite a bit down because of how he finished last year. He got off to an incredibly hot start last year. He had huge numbers like through the All Star break, and then he really tailed off in the second half of the year and RSL kind of torpedoed along with him.
They never replaced what the production they lost after they sold Andres Gomez. So I still think with all that taken into account, one point four million is less than I would have guessed Keijo Aroango would go for within the league, but turned out to be a good opportunity for the Earthquakes because they got him on a much lower number than we would have thought.
R Lelene was our guest.
He's the host of the podcast Lobbing Scorchers, which I'll remind people has a live show going on Thursday night. After you finished listening to Sounders Weekly, and also he is a writer and editor for mlssoccer dot com. So let's talk about San Jose. Then it's the perfect opportunity to switch gears and talk about the team that just won for nothing over Salt Lake. Bruce Arena took over, and as much as I didn't believe in the LA Galaxy last year, I also didn't believe Bruce Arena was
going to turn things around in San Jose, Ario. It looks like he may just be.
Yeah. I mean, it's hard to say how much of that result was San Jose being good and RSL being bad. I guess that's what we're gonna find out. But I think coming off a wooden spoon year for San Jose where they pick where they were playing at a zero point five points per game and conceded eighty goals, I mean they will take that result to start off their season all day, especially like you mentioned, first year under Bruce Arena. So I don't know, I'm not ready to
anoint them as fully turned around just yet. They gave up eighty goals last year, which is an incredible stat Not sure how that's even possible, So I want to see it over a larger sample size, but it definitely it got off to as good a start as it possibly could have, There's no doubt about that.
Yeah.
And for as bad as San Jose was last year, Sounders couldn't even get a three pointer out of their games and that'll always be frustrating. But hopefully this year we'll see what Bruce Arena looks like going into this next week, as I believe the San Jose Earthquakes are going to Sporting Kansas City, so we'll be watching that one as well. Ari Let's talk about Messifc, and I
don't mean Inner Miami, I do mean Lionel Messifc. He has kind of obviously made his change at coach and changes in the front office, changes across the roster, and it takes a late, late goal for Miami just to equalize New York City over the weekend. Meanwhile, at the end of the game, you have Messi getting into it with an assistant coach, putting his hand on the back of the neck of an assistant coach. I mean, is
it just hot mess express down in there, Miami? I mean, how do you read that whole wild situation down there?
Yeah?
I mean, I don't know they got a red card pretty early in that game. They're playing a man down for most of it. They actually it's one of those draws. For Seattle's draw felt like a loss. I would say their draw felt like a win because they were playing down a man the entire game and they tied it
at the absolute last second. It's definitely been weird storylines coming out of this offseason, and I'm not entirely sure how sustainable the dynamic is down there For me right now as it stands today, I tend to think that they are probably just based on the guys that they have, going to score like seventy or eighty goals this year, which is probably going to be enough to offset whatever
drama or defensive deficiencies that they might have. But there's certainly more of a thought in my mind that their downfall could happen this year, which that would be arguably more entertaining than watching them score all the.
Goals that they've been scoring.
Arguably so, speaking of downfalls, the Portland Timbers, who while last time we saw them in a competitive game, they got blown out by Vancouver five nothing at home in the playoffs the first round, where they were the road team, but they're playing at home because of the Vankover's BC play situation that you and I laughed about at the end of last season. So MLS schedule makers in their amazing wisdom, And I don't mean that facetiously. I mean
it is truly a wise move. Also once again scheduled Vancouver at Portland to start the twenty twenty five season, and the white Caps did it again. Are a four to one winners. What the heck happened down there in Portland? And why do the Timbers suck so bad this year?
I don't even know what to say about them right now, exactly, I really don't. I mean, if you look at what happened to them this offseason with losing Evander, they bring in this tecasta guy at the last second, Phil Neville. They're giving it another go when no one, I think, really understands why they were giving it.
A go to begin with.
But they're, you know, God bless them, they're running it back. And then they go out there and put that on the field where they get a red card and then conceive four goal contributions to Aiden Nelson, whom might well be a nice player for the white Caps. He's not a footballing demigod. That should be getting one goal three assists against you in a single game at home to start your season. So yeah, I mean I understand why Seattle people were annoyed about how their game ended, but
at least you did not have that. I mean, that was a tire fire. There's no other way to put that.
That's just music to my ears. I absolutely love it. Portland Timbers are such a disaster right now. It's going to be a wonderful year watching them fail and fail some more. Ari God, and I hope, please God, let those words not get marked down eight months from now, Ari, hopefully we have time for a couple more.
Maybe this will be at.
San Diego MLS new squad, San Diego FC. They have their inaugural match this last Sunday night. They have to go to Carson, California to face the defending champion LA Galaxy without Ricky Pooge. And how about San Diego FC playing party pooper? They ruined the party there in LA win two nothing. And how about the inaugural club from Major League Soccer getting their first ever win?
Yeah no, they played great.
I mean they were taking on a version of the Galaxy that's been kind of decimated honestly this offseason. But that doesn't even matter, Like, take nothing away for your expansion side debut game, to have to play the defending MLS Cup champions and not just hanging with it but winning the game, you couldn't really ask for much better vibes for them. I feel like they haven't really been talked about as this expansion team that's going to look like,
you know, like Atlanta or LAFC. People are kind of expecting them to be more on the FC Cincinnati and Minnesota United end of the spectrum when they joined the league and had a really hard time. So I mean, I don't know if they're going to be a playoff team. We'll have to see. They'll have to sustain it. You know, we saw Saint Louis City do this a couple years ago where they got off to really awesome start and then they weren't able to sustain it into the next year.
So I mean, they'll have to prove it. But that was definitely I mean, that couldn't have been a better first game for them, but really they could not have.
We say, right now, they have Chucky Lozana, They Luga de la Torre from the US national team.
They have some pieces there.
I just I don't know if those pieces are all gonna come together, you know, for for a be a playoff team. But I'll be interested to see. I think the Sounders face them twice in the kind of the first half of the season, so that'll be interesting to watch. While we have a second, I gotta I gotta ask you about this before we wrap it up. LAFC their opening game that they had, they kicked off I believe though, the whole thing, and they needed a galazzo from one
of their new pieces there, EBOBSI. I believe Jeremy, former San Jose Earthquakes player and former timber I think too. But Jeremy and Bobaci they needed a galazzo from him to get the one nothing win over Minnesota. I guess it's a two part question. What do you read into that needing a great goal just to get the three points? And then two What should be the expectations for la FC this year, given also that they went underwent some roster changes over the last couple months.
Yeah, neither la team looked that great. I mean the Galaxy lost to an expansion team, and like you said, LAFC, they won, but they definitely did not look like World beating LAFC like they have in past years. So that's another one of those things we left to wait and see if it holds true. But you know, I was cautiously hopeful I guess going into this season that both of the LA teams would take a step back the
Galaxy because they've had to shed so much salary. In LAFC, because they've had a ton of roster turnover themselves, and it can be hard to integrate a new team, and basically they're not starting like fully from scratch, but they have a lot of new guys to try and integrate in there, which is not always easy to do on the fly. So I don't know exactly what to make
of it just yet. It's only one game, but I'm definitely looking at both these LA teams and thinking that there's at least reason to believe that they might not be as good as they were last year.
Well, and that's once again, I'll say it again, music to my ears. Considering I am a Sounder fan Ari great stuff. Look forward to listening to you and Noah on Thursday night. For Lobbing Scorches after Sounders Weekly ends, of course, so I have a great show, appreciate this and we'll talk to you.
Soon down good Thanks Jackson, it's good stuff there.
From Ari Lillaal Major League Soccer dot Com writer and editor and also on the podcast Lobbing Scorchers. I will quickly mention that Sounders FC Soccer is presented by Providence Swedish, the official healthcare partner of Sounders FC. We'll take a break here in Sounders Weekly and we will really begin to deeply preview Sounders versus Salt Lakes. Some good thoughts from Ari earlier on there, but we're gonna chat with a broadcaster from MLS Season Pass and preview Sounders arasl
that's next year. On Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.
Now back to Sounders Weekly on your home for Sounders FC clles. Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.
Welcome back here Sounders Weekly on a special Thursday night here on KJR Reacting of course to the Sounders moving on to the next round in COCACAFF Champions Cup with the six to two agurate score over Antigua. But we're going to continue to focus in on the match coming up here in just a couple of days. RSL on Saturday, the man who's once again calling the match for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. You heard him on the call for Sounders Charlotte this last weekend at luman Field.
It's our good friend Brian Dunzeth.
Donny.
Good to have you back on the show. Man, how are you.
I'm doing fantastic, man. I appreciate it as always the opportunity to join you, and I apologize for all of you out there listing in radio land. I just had a collective groan that you know too. Max and I are back at the call this weekend.
Who I do listen.
There is a small minority of people, and you know they can just mute it or to even switch to the other call if they want to. But I love, I personally love listening to you guys, and I love talking to you every single week that I can all. Donny, well, you were on the call for Sounders Charlotte. Obviously there's
there's concaft that's in the rearview. We spent the first segment talking about last night, but let's let's talk to you about what you saw in MLS action for a Sounder team that, you know, based on what Brian Schmitzer did with his lineup last night, may look similar to what we saw against Charlotte coming up for the RSL game. So what did you see in what, sadly for us, ended up being a too two draw.
I saw a lot of dominance. I think I was probably as frustrated as Brian Schmetterer was in a lot of ways in his post scam because I was listening to this postmatch press conference and you know, they did. And when I say this context is is never a perfect game or really rarely is there close to a perfect game? But I thought Seattle was fantastic, you know.
For I think Charlotte is kind of the darling of the Eastern Conference this year, to be kind of like, it's not the biggest surprise, one of the biggest surprises. And there's a lot of talk about Wilfrid Zaha and unfortunately for Jean Smith and Charlotte, he was back in England awaiting the birth of his family's child and wasn't in Seattle. I think that kind of caught all of us off guard when that news came out from Tommy Bogert, who is the best mustache in the breaking news game.
So true, but you know Patrick Aigiman and knowing that Westwood and Eric Williams and the connection with you know, Seattle and Portland. Thinking about what this back line, the goalkeeper of the year in Kalina tim Rein US international
leader and captain. There's just so many like big data points, and you know, for the off season in which in a lot of ways, I think Craig Wible won the roster building turnover during the twenty two twenty five offseason to bring in guys like Cases Feta and Paul Ariola.
To think about the development of not only Paul Rock Rock with Georgie Manoonba, who hopefully is one of the most outstanding young talents in Major League SOCE because he's certainly incredibly exciting, you know, thinking about the summer and how many phone calls Seattle is going to have to wield with regards to Obed Vargish and what the future
of his development looks like. And then understanding a healthy and incredibly fit Pedro de la Vega that we saw last night once again, and you know, the just solid Brothers rolled on in this group. I just this team, watching them in the preseason games over in Spain, watching them on the road at Antisa and Tigle. Excuse me, it just felt like Charlotte was going to have a tansel and they surely, you know, he certainly did. Dean Smith and company I thought were overwhelmed and frustrated, holding
on for dear life. And when you can take advantage of a corner kit goal that Milanda did and heading the halftime break where all of a sudden, it's a
different feel. You've got a different rhythm and a different amount of self belief, whereas it's all about frustration for a completely dominant forty five minutes to see Jordan get his second to the goal, a second goal of the game so early to understand you have multiple opportunities and just these like little squeakers or worm burners that are spinning past the outside of the post or deflected wide. The inability to get the third goal unfortunately came back
to haunt them. And while I did jinx both center backs by talking about Privet and Milanda leading to the first goal for Sounders and then talking about Yamar and Jackson Reagan being probably the best center back tandem in Major League Soccer that then drinks for that own goal from Yamar where unfortunately, and I've been in this position whereas a center back, you're reaching the cut down, the ball crossed in front of the face of goal, and
the end up toe poking it, unfortunately through the legs of your own goalkeeper. This is the perfect example of when people say, at times a draw will feel like a loss for one team and a draw will face feel like a win for anough.
So true, and for us it did certainly feels like the loss, and I think the players felt that and stormed back yesterday with the the win to kind of reinvigorate and get some momentum back. But Brian Dunsath was our guest once again. He's gonna be on the call for Sounders or y' all salt Lake coming up this Saturday afternoon on MLS Season Pass.
So let's talk about salt Lake.
And you know, coming off of a four nothing loss and then coming off of what happened last night in CONCACAF action with the last second loss, I mean, they are certainly down right now. Is this a team that you know is one that the sounders can punish because they're down, or one that you think has it inside of them to kind of fight back and you know, fight out a result.
This Saturday, what kind of RSL team are we going to see?
Yeah, I'm gonna give you my expert analysis. You ready, Okay, I have no clue.
Well, that's why we bring you on the show, Donny.
Yeah, I'm not joking, man, I've got no clue when it comes to this group of players. Listen. What I can tell you is I had some serious questions heading into the start of the season because between the departures of Andres As, Chicho Rongo, Anderson Julio, Matt Crooks. You know, twelve months ago this was one of the most exciting unknowns in the Western Conference, and you fast forward to those departures in the last calendar twelve months. That's forty
two gold and twenty nine a sixt south of door. Like, I don't I don't think people realize that. Like when I was talking about, you know, doing my my preparations and doing my our local you know, the local TV show out here for Salt Lake that's specific to soccer and Major League SOCD and we Alsow Lake in Utah Royals, you know, David James and myself. He asked me last week, He's like, what do I spat? And I was like,
I don't know. I really don't know, because you know, we do this thing where we do our preseason predictions and usually we're either celebrated or just laughed at, right, and everyone goes, oh, look at the receipts grow, you know, like end of the year, like at the receipts, which is so annoying by the way, but anyways, we're so far ahead at the start of the season and in the first window doesn't close until you know, halfway through the spring, and then the summer window, and you don't
really know what kind of budgetary compliance or teams looking like.
And you know, you could be like Seattle was two and a half years ago, you know, the acquisition of the Rain and thinking about you know, incredible new training facility and how that might potentially you know, dent maybe potential spending for a guy like Craig Wible who somehow creatively figures out a way to Colorado, Colorado spend one point six million for you know, Josh Detensio, and you know, flip flopping pieces and seeing a guy like Jeses Faded
to come up, who's fifty goals and forty assistant Major League Soccer and Ariola one of the you know, big spirits of the game. I'm I'm waiting to see for Rialsow Lake ownership, who made significant money upwards of fifteen
million on strategic sales last year. Uh to go out and spend because they spent in the summer, but they spent late in Diogo coming over from Copenhagen, and when he did, it was unlike Chicho the summer before Chicho the summer was were showed up in Salt Lake City with about three weeks before he was available to play Arongo. Excuse me. Diogo was more of like deadline acquisition and never really settled in. I think he ended with five or six starts and we never really saw what he
was capable of doing. The pressure on Diego Luna, who last year MLS Young Player of the Year, which I joking and we said went from moon boy to moon man. Not only was he All Star Young Player of the Year. Somehow I still can't wrap my head around him not being a part of the Olympic team in France, but I digress a full US international now and I think one of the exciting young talents that Mariso Pochatino is
extremely intrigued with. It's got to be a big year for he and a Mecanelli, who was a real standout performer against Costa Rica in those January camps performances for the US in the national team, those two guys, they're going to have to ride it and there's gonna be pressure on them every single moment because they are really the two established players in this group that I'm going to look at and say, for RSO to have success, these guys have to put in all star caliber performances
each and every time they step on the field, because right now they're extremely short in the finishing department, and as we all know, if you're not scoring goals, that puts an insane amount of pressure on your back line and goalkeeper.
Well, and that's the one thing that we've seen with Seattle, the fact that we now suddenly have an offense where we have a lot more confidence that we can score goals. So it isn't as much pressure on what was the league's best defense last year to hold it together because now you have a reinvigorated Pedro dalea Vega, Hey, sus Ferreira Ariola, who has a couple goals already. So you know, it's we kind of feel that here in terms of okay, now we can maybe breathe a little bit. Well, Donny,
ignore the haters. I love listening to you, and I know a bunch of my close friends do as well, and we love the calls. So I have a great call there with Max, and we'll hear you and we'll talk to you soon.
Thanks so much.
One quick thing, Yeah, one of the fans out there in Seattle said, would you please stop staying rising up like a salmon during Seattle game? So I think I'm gonna I think I'm gonna try to figure out if we can get a great header for Seattle, right, if they can rise up like an Orca, make it really right, just dial it in.
I like it. I like it.
That's a nice little twist on it, especially with the redesign and the Orca now kind of being back in prominence.
So my favorite.
I love it all right, Donny, take good care, safe travels out there at RSL.
We'll talk to you soon.
Sounds good. Appreciate it that man Brian Don.
Seth MLS Season Pass on Apple TV broadcaster. Thanks to him for joining us. As always, I love him on the call. Just have these personal relationships with Dunny and Max, and you know that's that's one of the big reasons I love listening to them so much. But thanks to him for joining us. Good information all there, well, mikelob Ultra ninety five calories and two point six grams of carbs. It's only worth it if you enjoy it. That'll do it for tonight's show here in Sounders Weekly. Thank you
so much for staying tuned. We will talk to you on Saturday for Sounders and Raal Salt Lake. Of course, as we mentioned, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is where you can watch it. Also tell folks that you can listen to us over on Sports Radio nine fifty KJR AM nine to fifty AM this Saturday for Sounders and rsl Our Provident Swedish premat show will begin at one o'clock and you can listen in Spanish language on l Ray thirteen sixty. We'll talk to you on Saturday
at one over on nine fifty. Have a good Friday, everybody. We'll talk to you on Saturday and it is Fox Sports Radio coming up