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 Felt here late on this Wednesday night. We're back to our normal days of Wednesdays, I believe from here on out eight pm this week, eight pm next week. Then we're back
to seven pm when the Kraken season is over. But thank you for joining us here this evening here on ninety three point three kjr FM, where we are talking Sounders FC soccer for the next hour here on KJR And unfortunately, we are talking about a Sounders loss and a Sounders loss that we're gonna spend a little bit of time on tonight. Not much I'll ask our guests tonight about it. I'll give my very quick two cents, but really we're going to talk a little bit bigger
picture Sounder soccer. And we're also going to be looking a lot tonight ahead to the Dallas game coming up this weekend. Before we get going, let me give you that broadcast details for the Dallas game. We are back on radio full radio this weekend. We are going to be having the match on nine to fifty am this Saturday evening for Sounders at Dallas once again nine to fifty km our Providence, Swedish premat show will start at five pm kickoff right around right after five thirty people.
You can also watch the match on the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. The person calling that match I'll get to in just a moment. He's joining us tonight and you can also listen in Spanish language on LRA thirteen sixty and Saturday's match is presented by the Western Washington Toyota Dealers. I mentioned MLS Season Pass mar Soo Balboa of course in the United States legend
longtime player. He is now doing broadcasting for MLS Season Pass, and Marso Balboa will be joining us for our final segment tonight to preview Sounders Dallas as he is going to be on the call for that for Apple TV. So Marcelo Balbo coming up will also of course chat with Ari Lillienwall Major League Soccer dot Com and his podcast Lobbing Scorchers.
I'll get their.
Two cents on the loss to San Diego, and that's kind of where we'll start tonight by before kind of getting some bigger picture stuff.
So listen, the game was not good. Obviously.
You give up a second minute goal where it's a good job by Chucky Lozano to get himself some space after a corner and crosses it in the middle of the field, and it's kind of just you gotta throw your hands up and say it's port offending.
There's really you could you could.
I guess you'll give the quality for Chucky to get some space and the finish is good, but at the end of the day, it's just not good enough defending in the box to allow a San Diego goal in the second minute. From there, the Sounders completely get opened up and it becomes a very open match, which is the way San Diego likes to play. This is a team that likes to get up and down the field,
and boy, we saw that. As Danny Jackson and said on the broadcast, they were enjoying their football, and they sure did there on Saturday, because in that first forty five minutes they were keeping Seattle open, really had a
few good opportunities to score. Ultimately, it's in the forty first minute where they get their second one from goodoy and then in the forty fifth plus few with Chucky Lozano on a breakaway and both of those goals, you know, you can see defensive breakdowns, especially on that third goal for Losano. It's just you know, making you wonder. You know that for a team that was the best defense in MLS for the last couple of years, where is
that defense right now? I mean, Jackson Reagan does not look like the same player that Jackson Reagan looked like over the last couple of years.
He's a shell of himself.
And it's really disheartening because this is a guy who was in the voting and in the running for MLS Defender of the Year who came in I believe third right. And it's just frustrating because where is that quality from Jackson Reagan. We aren't seeing it right now, We aren't seeing it other places. And San Diego just exploited it. And the second half it was better defensively, but it was better defensively because San Diego weren't attacking much at all.
I believe their XG at halftime was something like one point twenty six and I think it ended at one point two six. I think that was the graphic. Apple might have had that wrong, but that was Apple's graphic there during the broadcast that we watched. And I don't know if they got two point zero zero zero zero for XG in the second half, but regardless they weren't attacking. We know that they had a three to nothing lead. Seattle had to go at them, and we just couldn't
get anything going. And offensively, we're just continuing to see this team struggle. We obviously saw the starting of Georgia Manongo and Heesu's Ferreira at the top and then in that right pocket of our lineup in this kind of situation, this three four to three that ultimately has one center forward and two in the pockets behind, and you know, they interchanged, but at the end of the day, it just didn't work.
No matter what.
Georgie Manongu is not a true center for Brian Schenzer knows that. He even said so much. And you know, at the end of the day, like we're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, trying to make something work because heyesuths frere at the top has not worked. Georgie's not guy. But we're just trying to figure something out because Massovski was obviously injured. He was on the bench with his back injury. Jordan Morris still
out with his injury as well as hamstring injury. Maybe hopefully we see him a little bit against Dallas.
We'll see.
Obviously we saw the return of Pedro de la Vega, that was great. How much does Pedro de la Vega play on Saturday against Dallas that's a question obviously, and the new injuries as well. This is a team that's injured. It's a team that's trying to fit you know, pegs and holes and all that kind of stuff and trying to figure it out in what is a one three
and three start. And you know, that's enough on the San Diego game because it was depressing enough to watch and you know, I know that it was not fun for any Sounder fan obviously the three nothing loss. But it's a one three and three start. And weirdly, you look at the Sounders last year because we talked about these slow starts, and the Sounders last year were one
three and three. This is a team that just you know, just like last year started very very slow, and last year I think we can look back to it I mean, I have a schedule pulled up right here, and after starting one three and three, we actually then lost two more games. We went two or we hosted Vancouver, lost to nothing, and then we went to DC United and lost two to one. And at that point we were sitting at one five and three, you know, nine games in.
That was terrible and almost went Charles Barkley right there. It was terrible. But then then we hit the stride. Then we got going. We got the big three to two win at Philadelphia. If you remember that game, Ruy Diaz had the forty five yards strike from distance and that kind of lit the team on fire. I think Philadelphia scored two second half goals to make it three to two, but it was an offensive burst and then
defensively held down in the second half. And that was the game that kind of kicked things off, because then you have a drug against the Galaxy, you have the win at Portland, and then from there we saw that great summer and everything started to take off. And really this year we're kind of saying, all right, do it again, and hopefully we don't lose too straight. Hopefully we don't lose,
you know, to Dallas. This weekend, and then Nashville is the next game at home the following weekend, and hopefully we don't have that same run that we saw last year. But we were in a really even worse hole last year than this year, unless we lose the next two games, which again I don't think is gonna happen. But at the end of the day, right now one, three and three, same spot as last year, and there is reason I
think that wasn't. I mean, last year it was won three and three, and I don't think that we had the injuries where we were kind of saying to ourselves, you know, oh gosh, what's what's going on here? This We kind of look at it, we say, all right, we're gonna get Jordan Morris back. We're already in the process of getting Peter de la Vega back, We get Ryan Kent eventually, when Ryan quins visas situation gets figured out. He's looking very, very good at training. I can tell
you that. So when Ryan Kent hits the pitch, that's another attacker. There's things you can point to and say, I think this team's going to figure it out and be okay. And also, again best defense in MLS the last two years. I think eventually they will figure it out. But for Jackson Reagan, I mean, yeah, he's gotta have the awareness. And we talked about this in the postgame show. Pete Fewing mis vitamata era, I think really set it well. Just you gotta have the awareness and the knowledge to
know that I'm not playing up to my standard. I have to improve, and I hope Jackson Reagan has that, you know, understanding of I cannot be playing at the level I'm playing right now.
I have to get better.
And you know we're gonna need a better Jackson Reagan for this defense to improve, because.
I don't know.
I mean, do you, if you're Brian Schmitzer, do you do something bold? Do you make a big change in the eleven like taking out a Reagan and putting in a John Bell just to send the message? Do you switch up at formation entirely? This three four three isn't working in a lot of spots. I've mentioned it before on this show. Paul Rothrock, I don't think is a left wing back. He is a winger. He is an offensive player, and I don't think his best position as
out at left wing back. I don't think that's working for him, So I think there's a lot of pieces that it isn't working for So do you change that up and kind of go back to maybe the good old four two three one formation and kind of just get people more back in their spots. You know, these are the questions that Brian Schmitzer and his coaching staff are gonna have to figure out because what's going on
right now I don't think is working. And if we don't want to see what happened last year happened where we lose another couple of straight games and we're sitting in a one to five and three hole, I do think some changes going to happen be because this team hasn't won since March eighth, hosting LAFC, that big five to two win. We go loss, draw, draw, loss, and now here we are on the road again against Dallas.
So it ultimately goes to the element of, you know, players' mentality right now and the element of I think I mentioned this on the postgame show, and I'll.
Do it again here.
The fact that these guys have been together for a long time, and they've had lots of games together, lots of experiences together, and in many years they've gone through these slow starts and then they've all pulled out of it. As the weather turns, so does the team, and boom, suddenly we're looking at a big summer. We're looking at a top four place in the Western Conference. And it happens so many of these years. And when you have a group who's been together for so long, who's been
through all this, there's two things that happen. There's one, they all have the confidence of knowing we are going to be okay, and the confidence, I think second, we then turns into results and it's very very possible. We see that again here. But I want to just play something a clip audio here from new who so Knew who was interviewed at training last week and was asked about the slow starts and turning around the slow starts, and here's what knew Who had to say.
I think I feel like this season is gonna be similar les season. We always start a little bit slow. As soon we start to get a win, it's gonna become easy for us.
What's going to.
Be the key to get to get you guys going.
What's going to be that point where you say, this is where we ramp up, and this is where we take the next step.
I think, as soon we're gonna have in the first game, everything become easy. We can't say whatever you want, we can look ut, but if you're in a first game, if it's gonna become easy because you just need to have confidence to o win the game and everything you come easy.
So that from new who And I think he's right because you look at last year and that win over Philadelphia that we just talked about a few moments ago, that really sparked the team and it got the team going, uh. And if you're to get another Filmhiladelphia like game that sparks the team for another you know, spring summer run, then we're looking at the same thing again. So it's I see where he's coming from, and that confidence is there, and you'd think that, you know, a lot of.
Guys share that.
I would also ask this, and I asked this on the postgame show, and I also asked it to Brian Schmitzer in our production call. So in case you don't know, before every game we have a kind of a broadcast interview with the head coach h and you know, to prepare for the you know, specific game that week and
last week. I don't think I phrased it right, but my point to Brian was this, when you have a group of guys who've all been together and who've all gone through these slow starts, and who've all had the confidence that will get out of it and will be okay, Like new who had the confidence right there, I'm wondering if that doesn't develop a complacency or develop a mentality of will be all right. And at the end of the day, the will be all right. That doesn't equal
points and wins. It's a at the end of the day, it's a hope, right, It's a confidence of yeah, we're gonna be okay. But it's one of those things where as a for me, I just look at the facts and figures and the numbers and the logic and even though the confidence is there, that's great, but you still
got to go out and do it. And when you look at a schedule that has, you know, Dallas this week, then Nashville, Colorado, Saint Louis who you know, we obviously lost one nothing to them a few weeks ago, LAFC Portland in May.
Then we get a home stretch.
So I look at good teams coming up, and these results are going to have to come I think against good teams. So it's nice to have that confidence, but I don't want the players to have the complacency of saying will be okay, will be fine, and then the dot dot dot, Where are the results? Where is the will be fine? Are they really fine two months from now? Or is it just that commidence of will be fine that never ended up, you know, coming to fruition in
the form of points. So I am concerned in that regard that all these guys have that confidence of will be fine, but will be fine doesn't mean we'll have points, and I am concerned about that. But at the end of the day, like I think, right now, in this moment, you can point to the guys coming back from injury. You can point to the defense hopefully figuring it out.
There's the word hopefully again.
You can point to Ryan Kent being integrated in the squad, and you can say this team a month from now, as long as there aren't another major injuries, yes, looking at Albert Rusknack and Alvi shrold On, But as long as there aren't other major injuries, you know, Jordan Pedro, then I think this team will be fine. But again I used the word think right there. I used the word hopefully right there, and we'll be fine. I'll gonna say this because this is my favorite line I said
on the post game show. I just said it a minute ago. I'll say it again. Will be fine does mean will have points? And right now I think this team has to figure it out and hopefully hopefully get a point at Dallas this week. All right, we'll take a break here on Sounders Weekly. We'll come back and chat with Ari Lillianwall from Major League Soccer dot Com and the podcast Lobbing Scorches will go around Major League Soccer with him. We're also going to chat a little
bit later on with Marcelo Balboa. He's on the call MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for Sounders Dallas this weekend. I'll get both their two cents really quickly on the Sounders loss at San Diego, and then we'll really kind of focus in on Dallas coming up this weekend and how the Sounders can one more time say it together now hopefully get a point on the road this weekend. We'll beve back with more on Sounders Weekly. Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM.
Now back to Sounders Weekly on your home for Sounders FC Cele's Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.
Welcome back to Sounders Weekly. Jackson Feltz here still come up later tonight. Marcelo Balboa. He's gonna be on the call for Sounders Dallas this weekend. He'll join us talk some Sounders Talk Some Dallas. Also want to get his two cents on the United States men's national team. Got to do that with our next guest as well, I will mention Sounders FC Soccer is presented by Providence, Swedish, the official healthcare partner of Sounders FC. Joining us now
the man from the podcast Lobbing Scorchers. They have live shows on YouTube every Monday morning and Thursday evening. Look up Lobbing Scorchers on YouTube. He also is a writer and editor for MLS Soccer dot Com. It's our friend Ari, Lillian Wall Ari. How you doing, buddy, I'm good Jackson?
How are you?
I'm good? Man, I'm good.
Albeit you know, coming off of a Sounders three nothing defeat, trying to be hopeful, trying to agree with Sounder players that will be okay, but just as we get started here. Your two cents on the three nothing loss at San Diego.
Yeah, that was not good Jackson. It's one thing to take an out, but it's another thing to get blown out and not be competitive. And that's what happened in that game. I mean that San Diego team. You're going in there knowing that they've been one of the best teams in the league so far, one of the highest scoring teams in the league so far, and it felt like that game was just out of control right from opening kickoff. I mean even in the two minutes before
San Diego scored. The tempo and the game management are just not what it needs to be in the Western Conference road game like that, and the result illustrated that. I think. So really just a lot to fix right now. The defense has looked like not very good so far this year, after how good it was last year. The Haysus Ferrera integration still doesn't look like it's making much progress. So some injured guys are gonna come back and hopefully
that'll help things. But I think the disappointing thing is this was supposed to be one of, if not the deepest teams in the league, and they not.
Look like that so far.
Yeah, as I kind of said it a segment ago, it's like trying to fit a you know, square peg into a round hole at the offense right now, because you know, I don't think you have a true forward with Missoski hurt and Jordan's still on his way back, and I don't even know if Pedro da Levey can save this team if we don't have a true forward right now.
So we'll see what we look like.
But already, you know, looking ahead, it's a Dallas team coming up that is pretty confident right now. You know, the only losses are to what a good Chicago team and to number one Vancouver. So it's a Dallas team that's playing good soccer and they're hosting Seattle.
Yeah.
No, they're off to a pretty good start under Eric Quill, who's in their first year coaching them. And what I think is interesting about this game is, you know, it's it's a matchup of the trade partners from the offseason. You have Hey sus Pereira's former team in paul Aariola's former team obviously, but you have Leo two, who is actually playing some pretty good ball for them. He had a game winning goal a couple of weeks ago, and he has more goals this season officially than Hay sus Prrera,
so we'll be tracking that for sure. But you know, I think whoever wins this game wins the trade. That's what I'm gonna say.
Wow, whoever wins this game wins the trade. We are forgetting that the Sounders in Dallas will play later on in Seattle, but this game will decide the trade. I mean, it's it's interesting that you mentioned Leo too, because like I'd seen the goal he had a couple of weeks ago. But other than the goal, the fact that, I mean this is news to me that he's, you know, playing a lot and playing good soccer. We all knew that he had raw talent and maybe just needed to change
the scenery. But I guess good for Leo. But it's one of those things that's gonna obviously, you know, rench your gut a little bit knowing that you know he's he's kicking butt out there.
I mean, I guess I don't know if it was ever gonna happen for him here, regardless, I think he might have it was a situation where he might have needed a change of scenery to take the next step in his career, and there's still there's a long way to go before I think we can actually evaluate who won the trade or how how much progress Leo two has really made. But he certainly, I mean, he's earned
some minutes down there. It seems like he's starting for them, So I mean, that's a good start for them with that acquisition.
Ario Lillion was our guest. He's a writer and editor for MLS Soccer dot Com. He also hosts the podcast Lobbing Scorches. They go live on YouTube on Monday mornings and Thursday nights. All right, Ario, let's bounce around the league here now that we've kind of taken care of
the Seattle front. Interesting to me that, you know, last week we were talking about Peter Vermei he's being fired, and also Timilia, their goalkeeper, ended up retiring later in the week, and then Kansas City go from the you know, the two massive franchise moves to getting a win over Saint Louis. So is that just the new coach bump or what's going on there in Kansas City.
Well, first of all, I'm glad that Timilia now has a chance to pursue his true path of professional wrestling.
I think we all know that.
That is the career that he was really aiming for this whole concert that he gets to go do that. But no, I think it is a classic case of a new coach bump.
But you see you see it a lot.
It's a strained phenomenon at like the first game after you let go of the coach, the team usually wins, like not just an MLS, across all sports. But I don't know if I'm sporting KC or like back after that, they definitely definitely a big win for them, an important win for them, and it was good for them to see Dan Joblich score a couple of goals. For sure.
I still think that they're probably a bottom tier team in the West, but I think those just survived with that that they needed a new beginning, a fresh start. Peter Vermis has been a very successful coach in the league, but it had been what fifteen sixteen years, so it doesn't really surprise me, I guess to see a new coach bump there.
Yeah, and it makes sense from that front, for inevitably, somebody's going to be driving around right now and maybe a new Sounder fan who just jumped on the bandwagon as part of the you know, the first Match on OZ program and wondering what tim media professional wrestler, and I always want to make sure that we remind people of that, because what was it.
It's not like now four years ago, three years ago.
It feels like a long time ago now that basically there was a scrum in front of goal and to Melia suplexed, Christian rolled on over his head right, Well, how many I don't know how long that was ago?
Now?
Uh yeah, I was. I think it was like two or three years ago at this point. I don't care how long ago it was. I'm never gonna let it go.
But the whole thing.
With it was that Dwayne the Rock Johnston tweeted about it, so it went like viral all over the world, and it was a whole thing. And they have been henceforth known by me as the club of professional wrestling Enthusiasts.
Uh, even with a new coach, are they still the end with Melia gunn Are they still the wrestling enthusiasts?
Absolutely?
Absolutely, no question about it.
I love it Allri Let's continue on here, big and Big. I always you know, like to talk to you about big numbers, and especially for a team that Sounders just saw last week San Jose, and we got a one to one result, a late goal from Albert Rusnak to make it a one to one game. San Jose come back this weekend. Six goals on the board on Sunday night against DC A home six goals and I think Joseph Martinez got a hat trick, most hat tricks in MLS history.
This San Jose team.
Is that a game that again, we're going to look back, you know, kind of like Charlotte at the end of the year and say, well, San Jose ended up being a pretty darn good team.
I tend to think this result in particular was more about DC United being one of the worst teams in the league than San Jose being super good. But I will say I think it's We're far enough into the season at this point to pretty comfortably say that this Dan Jose team is an improved side from the Wooden Spoon team of last year. I mean, it could torpedo on them, but they look like they have a pretty solid foundation. It looks like, as you mentioned, Joseph is
getting going. He hasn't had a hat trick in a couple of years and he gets one, So no, they're definitely. I think Bruce Arina might just be the guru. He might be. You just put him on as the coach of any MLS scheme and you're guaranteed a floor of fifty ish points. That's what it seems like.
Ari looking at Houston's one nothing win over LAFC, is that more about Houston being good or more about LAFC rotating because they're focused on Conka CAF action Against Miami.
It was more about LAFC being focused on conkor CAF. But I will say that the goal that Jack McGlenn scored in that game for Houston was a really nice goal, and if Houston can take any encouragement from that, it's that McGlenn got on the score sheet and just has been looking better because that was that's their new centerpiece, that was their Heck Herrera replacement, and they really they went big on betting on a domestic player with a big trade to build their team around him, and it
hasn't really been working so far. So I think it was encouraging for them to see him score a goal like that.
That makes sense.
Ari, you know, we always joke about how down bad the Los Angeles teams are, and we could do it again just and eat up a couple of minutes. But we'll just reference the fact that the La Galaxy lost again to nothing to RSL, and you know, their season is just going down the drain. And I shouldn't be cracking too much fun because Seattle is not too much better at one, three and three. But another team that
is down bad. And we meant to talk about this a couple of weeks ago, But now that we have a couple minutes, let's talk a little bit about the United States men's national team. We got Marcelo Balboa the United States and you know, national team defender legend coming up here in about ten minutes. But before he gets here, Ari, this is a United States program that went through Nations
League and was just a flat out failure. Let's just open up with your thoughts on how down bad the United States men's national program is.
Oh, I mean, it's pretty much a joke at this point, Jackson. It is like, I just think it's so funny because Pochettino came in as the big name that a lot of the fans had been asking for everyone has been talking for the last five years or whatever about how Greg Burhalter is the worst coach of all time. Pochettino they get it, gets hired purely based on I think the pressure from that. It was an optics thing, a
perception thing. They basically were like, who is the biggest name that we can possibly get to take this job? That was what they landed on. The team looks worse. It literally looks worse, like that Nations League performance was horrible. It was worse than anything that Burholter team ever put
out there. I'm not even saying that Burholter was that great a coach, but like, if if the team actually has regressed the way it looks like it has under Pochettino, then that means that a lot of people have spent the last five years dishay talking points that are just lackable to look at in hindsight. So I don't know, I kind of think it's funny, Like even in my wildest imagination, I could not have imagined that they would look that bad like those two games. Those last two.
Games were awful.
Awful is a good word for I mean, like full disclosure I mean, and you know that I'm a Tottenham fan. I swear by you know, Mauricio Pochettino, and I was just over the moon about the higher and I'll defend him, but at the end of the day, for me, when I watched that team play ari, for me, it's it's about the lack of quality from players and the lack
of I think cohesion. And I don't know if I necessarily put it all on Pochettino, but like I for me, and I'll get your two cents, I look at this as specifically players are not executing at every level.
Yeah, I mean, this is supposed to be the Golden generation.
That's the thing.
We've heard a lot of talk about that as well. You know how much better these players are more talented and previous generations because you know, oh they're playing at Barusha Dortmund or politics at Chelsea, Like this must be the most talented group of players we've ever seen. Are they even better than the generation that came before them? Like I think most people would say yes on paper,
but results wise, they're not. They haven't won anything. I don't think they haven't even they they haven't earned the status to be the Golden Generation, even over the years when it was Quinn, Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and then a bunch of MLS lifers. You know, so like to be the Golden generation, like you have to, you have to earn that status on the field, and this group of players, it's it's time to like put up or shut up, Like that's how I feel about it.
Turkey coming up on June seventh, Switzerland on June tenth to again kind of get ready for the World Cup. But we are right now fourteen months away from the World Cup and you know, games being played, and obviously you know the United States men's national team will be here in Seattle play at lumen Field. And for you right now watching how bad this team is playing, can we even go into the tournament expecting to get out of the group stage?
I mean, I don't know. I wouldn't be shocked if they got groups at this point and less things improved. Like there is a lot of time between now and the World Cup, but like not really honestly, And I'll only get so many camps together before those games starts. So they need the reality check themselves and they need to You can't go out the World Cup and put out a product like that, would that would set the country back decades. They really they need to get on that.
Like we talk about what like what the World Cup could do for soccer enthusiasm in this country If they don't make it out of the group stage in the World Cup. Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, that'd be bad bad news.
All right? Are good stuff there? Look like that we could find.
I only get some thoughts, you know, albeit to angry thoughts, but thoughts nonetheless on the United States men's national team disaster in the Nations League. Buddy, thanks for the time. We'll talk to you next week after hopefully the Sounders get a result on the road at Dallas.
You got it, Thanks Jackson.
That's great stuff there from Ari Lillionwall Major League Soccer dot com and check out his podcast Lobbing Scorchers. We'll get a break here in Sounders Weekly. We'll go back talking some Sounders and get more United States men's national team thoughts from Marcelo Balboa. That's next on Sounders Weekly Sports Radio ninety three point three KJRFM.
Now back to Sounders Weekly on your home for Sounders fc Cel's Sports Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.
Welcome back to Sounders Weekly, Jackson Feltz here. Good to have you with us on this Wednesday night. Good to hear so far in this show from Ari Lillionwall. But coming up right now here to preview the Sounders Dallas match. You can watch it on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. This man will be on the call.
Well.
Marcelo Balboa joins us right here on Sounders Weekly. Marcelo, good to have you back on the show man, How are you.
I'm good, buddy, Thanks for having.
Me, Thanks for coming back.
It's great to have a United States men's national team legend on the show. Of course, I got to talk to you about what's going on with Potch and the US squad here in a few minutes. But let's just let's eat the vegetables first, Marcelo and talk to some Sounders. Three nothing loss, one, three and three starts of the year. Now from your perspective nationally, what's going on with our sounders?
You know, it's it's always tough. It's early in the year. The Paul Ariola thing doesn't help, and it's just you know, it's a slow start. The beauty of MLS season. It's long, it's grinding, and you got to write the roller coaster. It's gonna be up, it's going to be down. And for me, what I look at is when you gave up eleven goals already, you look the first thing you look at a defensively, are they're playing well?
And they're not right now, No they're not.
That's what I was saying earlier in the show is Jackson Reagan looks like a shell of himself, just not at all like the defender of the Year candidate that he was last year. And offensively, we're just waiting for guys to get healthy and more injuries. It's a difficult
situation right now for our sounders for sure. And you know you mentioned Paul Ariola, Marcelo and obviously the Dallas game here coming up this week, and what interests me so much is a Dallas team that seems to have kind of just reassembled a pretty competent squad following the departures of both Ariola and hayesus Ferira.
Yeah, you know, they rebuilt, you know, but when you go and spend money with a Costa, you know, you go out, you spend some real money which when I used to see him from Dallas, they were building. You know, they've got a new coach who's an ex player, who is going to fire them up. He's going to change their mentality. He's changing everything about that club right now. And like I said, it's early in the year and
there's still a lot of soccer to be played. But we all know the rabbit that takes off like a sprinter doesn't win the race at the end of the day. This is a marathon. This isn't This isn't a four month season that you get a break. This is a grind. This is ten months. You've got to grind it out. You've got to find that international window. You've got to make some trades within MLS. So man, it's a great start for them. They're sitting in sixth place. It's a
great start for them. But you know, I think the expectation for all of us who have been in this league, who have broadcast is we're used to consistency from Seattle, and I think that's where I think a lot of people are just surprised right now.
Yeah, no, very surprising indeed. And you look at Dallas. I mean, the two losses have come to a pretty decent good, maybe even Chicago team under Burhalter, and then to Vancouver who's just lighting the world on fire, number one in the Western Conference right now. And you know, Dallas playing with confidence, just going to an Atlanta team get result in Atlanta. It's a confident Dallas team, Marcelo.
And for a Sounders team right now that isn't confident and injured and et cetera, et cetera, going to a team this I mean, we're almost for a Sounder fan perspective, hoping for some overconfidence on Dallas's part for us to get a result on Saturday night.
Yeah, you know, I think I said it takes a little bit of time, and it's going to take time to get your feet under you. There's a lot of things, but you know when you look at it, when when you look at the at this group and you say zero three and one on the road, that's not what we're used to. That's not what people are used to when you talk about Seattle. So it's going to take a little time. Brian, I think he's doing a great job.
He's molding, he's twisting, he's adapting, and like I said before, it's you know, you don't win an MLS cupp or you don't make the playoffs in the first five games, six games, you know what I mean. It's that slow, steady build and when you get towards that end of the year. The teams that usually catch fire towards the end of the year, that last ten games twelve games is a team we usually see in the playoffs in
MLS cups. So they still got some time. They're riding the ship, they're getting some injuries, they're getting players back, so it'll take some time, but it's gonna take a big effort. You got to find a way to get a win on the road.
Yeah, exactly.
I love the kind of the twisting forming adapting there for Brian Spencer because that's exactly what he's trying to do offensively right now. And Marcello Balbo is our guest obviously broadcaster for MLYM Season Pass on Apple TV, Colins Sounders, Dallas this Saturday night. Also of course, long time player.
I mean hundreds and hundreds of games with the MLS, and I think what Leone as well, I believe a Colorado and you know, of course going back to Seattle, Marcela and you, as a player and having this player perspective, have I think a really good perspective on what I'm about to maybe just say or ask. Maybe there's not even a question here, but you know, the confidence that you're exuding of will be okay. And in terms of
the sounders, founders will be okay. And I spent some time earlier in the show talking about that element of the confidence from players and knew who spoke about this last week of We're gonna be okay, we just need to get a win, will be okay. And from the fan perspective, and you know, from my perspective of you know, will be okay doesn't always mean we'll end up having points. And I'm wondering if you know that that complacency, the mentality of will be okay, you know, does that usually
always you know, translate to points? Because right now I am feeling uneasy that will be okay doesn't mean that will end up being in the same spot we were last year, which you know ended up being in the Western Conference Final.
Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna say that I think you guys have been spoiled for a long time.
Yeah, with Raoul with Torres, with Nico. You look at that midfield, you look at the forward. You've had a lot of success bringing in foreign players. So yeah, you know what, it's okay to have a little bit of a swagger. I'm not saying that being air, are being cocky, but.
This is freaking Seattle. We're used to saying Seattle's at the usually at the top. So you know what, it takes a little time sometimes you get that swagger back and listen, will you be okay? We'll find out in twenty four more games, won't we That's the beauty of our sport.
We'll see it.
We'll see what happens in league's cub. But again, I think you're also going away from what we've seen for years with the international players coming in and all these things. I think you've gone that. You bring Freda, you bring in paul Aariola, you start bringing in guys within your trading between your league now. So that's not something we initially saw from Seattle from the beginning. Because you talk about Nico Loredo, you're talking about tours in the back.
You know, you're not talking about fry of twenty seven years old. So you know what I mean, it's it's becoming a great And the other thing is other teams are spending money in MLS. They're putting pressure their standard that Seattle said. People want to catch that. So everybody's coming after you, guys. It's not like it's a oh you know, it's no people know what Seattle's all about, so they're coming after you.
Well on another team that's probably saying internally right now in their locker room, will be okay or hopefully will be okay? Is LAFC You obviously called their game last week, but it's an LFC team. It was the five to two loss to Seattle. Looking at MLS action alone, here five two loss to Seattle, the one nothing loss at home to Austin. They get a win over Kansas City, but then losing at San Diego and then losing at
Houston this last weekend. Marcel, this is an LAFC team that is uncharacteristically losing a lot of games.
This is a team that we did. They're getting the team that played eight new starters in their lineup. So you know, for years, go back to when Seattle won the Champions League. You know, I mean, look at some of the games that they threw different players and to make sure they got their players rested. And that's the beauty of being in a champions league right now. So yes, you know what, they're still trying to find their form. But but like I said, listen, it's a roller coaster.
We all know MLS is a roller coaster. Can you ride the ups and the downs and not panic? And I think that's the team that will come out ahead. The team that doesn't panic, the front office that doesn't panic, a coach that doesn't panic, players that don't panic. This is the beauty of MLS. It's just up and down, up and down.
Well, we saw a LAFC team that managed the balance of MLS and CONCRECAFT so well a couple of years ago. They aren't managing that balance as well this year in the form of that Houston loss. But you're right, they're
CONCACAFT Champions Cup run. Marcelo Balbo is our guest colin Sounders Dallas this coming weekend, and obviously Marcello also many many games for the United States men's national team, and I can't let you go without first for a moment, talking about what's going on with Pochettino and the United States squad. We saw what happened over this last month Marcelo, and I guess is the United States soccer fan And for you, as a former player, what's your perspective on
everything Patch is doing here? Is we are, you know, just under just over a year away from the World Cup here in the States.
Listen, I think we're all very frustrated right now. I covered the Nations League for Univision and to sit on the sideline and watch them lose to Canada. I hope this was a wake up call for the players, for everybody that when you put on that national team shirt, you got to give everything you got. It's not just come put on the shirt and we're going to win. And I think this is a big wake up called. No one thought that we were going to come forth out of four teams. So I don't think you can
always blame the coach. And I said that on air the other day, and everybody seems to want to blame Oh, we paid this for Butchet, you know, and we were You know what, it's the same players and the same thing happened under bird Halter. They bring in a new coach and the same things happening right there. So at some point I think that we have to put the blame on the players and say, why aren't you given the effort, Why aren't you doing this? You can't blame Listen.
In Europe and in South America, when the team is at winning, it's not always the coach's fault. So at this point, I think you've got to turn it and look at the players. Have we hyped them up too much to be this golden generation? Have we put that much pressure on them?
Well?
If we have, you know what, welcome to freaking soccer in the United States. This is what we've been for. This is what we've been begging for since eighty eight, since I started in the first ninety World Cup. But we wanted pressure on these players. So they want to feel the jersey, the passion they have when they put
it on. They have to have of their country, and you know what, they have to live up to it, and they better live up to it because if they don't, this could be the biggest disappointment in the last twenty years in US.
Soccer exactly because this Golden generation.
Mean, Listen, I'm a Tottenham Hotspur fan and I swear by the Bible of Pochettino, and I just I was over the moon about the hiring. And so I'm with you on the players side, and I don't know if it's a system thing or just a quality thing, because I'm asking that same question, is it just.
That these players?
But then I go watch to you, sergeant, and see what he does last weekend, and I go see the United States players having success elsewhere, and I'm wondering why the quality that we see when they play in their respective leagues, why that quality isn't shining through on an international level. Because I think I agree with you. I think it is a player issue.
Yeah, listen, when when you walk out on that field, do you know your job and you know what you have to do and what you're good at? Okay, So the problem may be is we've got a bunch of very good technical and individual players, but they're not the stars, you know, I mean Christians the star at AC Milan. But the other players are good players, are starting eleven players, but they're not the start right when you put them with the US national team. There's a lot of pressure
for wet or on that players. There's a lot of pressure at Western mccinnity score on said pieces, and now we're putting them all in this pedestal of they're the best players. Why they you know what, they're good players on their teams, but they're not the stars. You can't rely like putting that team on Christian's back right now
is probably not a great idea. Putting it on West End not a great idea unless all eleven players are firing all cylinders and I mean playing after each other, running for each other, kicking for each other, defending, transitioning from attack and to defend and defend to attack. And we're doing that at full speed. We're a good team, but we're not a great team. And right now, the way they're playing, you can't say that. The US, oh yeah, they have a chance to win a World Cup, you
can't say that. And that's why I think we're all disappointed because again we've seen this team take away this year for the last three years soccer and yeah, you know what, we keep beating Mexico, but we have to beat better teams around the world. We have to beat the Argentinas, to Brazil, to Germanys of Portugal. That's who we're going to go against in a quarter final or maybe in group play. So right now I would think hitting that little bit of slump that we all see.
But they're gonna have to get their heads out of there, you know what I mean, Come not even a year from now to get ready for this.
Woke up well said indeed, I sort of you know, one of those things where I feel confident in saying the Sounders will be okay. I have no confidence in saying that the United States will be okay because I have no idea if these guys can live up to the pressure.
Well said.
All around, Marcello, you're singing the same song I'm singing, and very very well said on all fronts. Thank you for spending some time and then sharing those thoughts on everything regarding the soccer where we appreciate you taking some time to join us tonight.
Thank you for having me, buddy. I really appreciate it and I look forward to the Seattle Dallas game this week on.
Apple Marcelo Balboa MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Loved those thoughts on the United States men's national team. Couldn't agree more on all of them, and yeah, I don't feel confident in the United States soccer program right now, I do feel confident the Sounders will eventually figure it out?
Will they figure it out?
This week we will see Sounders at Dallas. You can listen to mar Solo MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. For this Saturday's game, we will have the broadcast on Sports Radio nine fifty nine to fifty am, Providence, Swedish premat show of five o'clock kickoff just after five point thirty For Sounders and Dallas folks. You can also listen in Spanish language on l Ray thirteen sixty and Saturday's match is presented by the Western Washington Toyota Dealers.
That'll do it.
For tonight's show, check out the podcast Sounders Weekly wherever you get your podcasts.
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