I am the manager.
I'm on the sidelines, and I'm waving Pablo off the pitch, and standing next to me wearing number nine, of course, is Jason Christ and I've decided to sob Jason in take Pablo off Jason Christ on a Wednesday afternoon.
Jay, how you doing, buddy.
I'm doing great. It took me a minute to catch what you were laying down there.
Well, it usually does.
I mean that's part of you know, our relationship for the better part of twenty years.
I'm just kind of one step ahead.
Right, Yeah, you definitely are. Your humor and your wit is definitely one step ahead of where I'm at.
You know what. Thank you very much for that compliment. That's never happened before. Porter.
Will you clip that sound and send it to my email please, I'd appreciate it. All right, Jay, let's start with the good home opener MLS style. Seattle rolls into town and you guys send them away with a two zero win.
The good the bad? Would you like? What didn't you like?
Please? Obviously please with the result. I think sometimes in this game you you kind of would just take whatever result you can get. I felt its strangely so I felt that the group was under a bit of pressure, even though it was only our fourth game of this season and our second MLS game. I think we've set a different level of expectation amongst ourselves and amongst our fans that we don't you know, that we don't have three poor results in a row, and that's what we
essentially had. With the draw at at Costa Rica perhaps being a semi positive one, but then losing against a Jose Away and then losing the game and not advancing in CONCACAFF, I think made us all a bit uneasy. So to get that result against Seattle was very very important. I don't I wouldn't qualify the performance as one of our best, but I do think it was a very positive step for the team and a positive reaction to come back off those off those disappointments and get a much needed three points.
If we were at an RSL season ticket holder dinner and I was an RSL season ticket holder, and you were speaking and they opened it up for questions, I might say something like, how can you tell me that you're taking conky CAFs seriously when you have two nines with very little professional experience and unfortunately unable to advance.
Well, I would say that there's a lot more that goes into that than just the outside view that we don't have an experience nine. The fact of the matters, we thought we were going to have an experience nine. That's why we made the trade with the Red Bulls in the offseason, and all of our free conversations with that player led us to believe that he was super
excited to come. So to find out later that he wasn't going to come and didn't show up here for a preseason puts us in a completely different point of view. So what we had expected to be sort of backup role players, young players coming off the bench for us now are players that we have to rely on. And then, put on top of that, that one of them gets injured the day before the first Readiano game, and now you've got one striker in your entire roster. So it
was not an ideal situation. But that doesn't mean that we didn't put our best, our best foot forward and try to win those games, which I believe we did.
So that leads to the next question.
As a guy who made a living and scoring a lot of goals and look forresters had some bright moments, but your reference and I do want to talk to talk to you about the I think it's Ilias man well instead of Elias. I want to talk to you about that in just a moment. But where are we at with the progress? Kurt joined the program last week and said things are in the works, and obviously fans wondering if the number nine is on the way, are we getting close?
I don't know that I could qualify it as close, but I would qualify and say that from what I see, Kurt is working extremely hard and our scouting department is working extremely hard to get something over the line there. But you know, I don't have a day by day check in on that situation. I just know that it's a very obvious and apparent focus for our entire club
to get somebody in the door. I think that both the two players that the both the two strikers that we have in are off have now played for us, which is great because we wanted to see Arif play. I know I would like to see him play a bit more before before kind of making any final judgments there.
And I think both players are useful. I don't know that I would see, you know, either player at this very moment being somebody that we should rely on to be our weekend and week out starter and somebody that we is going to be a focal point for our attack, and somebody that we're going to rely on to score those goals. So the work is being done, and I believe that we will make a signing. It's just a question of when that signing will happen.
Is it fair to say the expectation is prior to the window that closes April thirtieth, you will.
Have a nine on the roster.
Again, I think that that's that's where we are headed, and that's our objective. I don't think there's any reason to shy away from that. I just I just couldn't promise without you know, without any uncertainty that we we won't be successful because you know, I've seen that happen many time before. Or you you try to make things
happen and it just doesn't. And I think the ultimately one of the mistakes that I've seen a lot of comes is to put themselves in a situation where they absolutely feel like they have to Because Garth was the one they used to say it probably more than me, But you never want to do any harm. We don't want to sign a player that we don't really believe in and then have him stuck on our roster for the next several years.
Any any thoughts on other acquisitions we're hearing potentially a winger on the way as well. Everybody's focused on the nine as a result of the moves you made, and as you reference the player who elected not to report, but any other spots on the roster you guys are looking at to.
I think we're really focused on that one spence. I don't think we're looking a whole lot in other areas. The good news is that you know whether or not we make this signing, and hopefully we will. We still have on top of that signing, we will have flexibility to improve this roster if we feel it's needed come the summer window.
So you reference the situation, I thought it was Elias, but when Kurt joined the show, he said it's Ilias so Ilias Manuel Manewel. You know, the news comes down that you guys have made the deal, the release goes out, everything looks official.
What happened, Jay? From your vantage point, how did this thing break down?
Well, since first, I'll say that I think you and I can call him Elias because we're not real happy with him. Whatever we want fair enough. It's a really strange one. I've never actually been a part of a club or a team where this situation, this kind of
situation has happened. Because we did our due diligence. We talked to lots of people that have played with him, lots of people that have coached him before, We spoke to the player in depth about whether he was open to this move, and so all of our diligence was done, and we thought we had traded for a player that was happy to come here. What was left at the table was he had made the assumption that there would be a brand new, shiny contract for him, and we
were not in that position. We were in a position that you're an MLS player, and this is how trades happen. You know, you come here and do well, then of course you know we will come and say you accordingly. But he's on a contract for several more years. So it was just a complete shock to us that that would happen. And then it comes to a point where you know, you're just kind of you're saying to the player,
you know you should want to come here. We don't feel like we have to talk you into it or convince you that this is your very next step should be. So ultimately it all, it all broke down, and I think we came to a really good next option, which was to sell him to a different club.
So help me understand, Jay, You know as your reference you have transferred him to a Brazilian club. You transferred him to a club in Brazil. Does this essentially mean that you guys came out more or less even on the transaction.
I mean, was everything kind of restored to where you wanted it to be?
Yeah? Absolutely, At the end of it, we saw it very much said it was a zero sum thing for us. We get en up giving college picks out of the situation that, you know, I think we'd say, I feel very good about two to three of those picks that we made in the college draft this year, as far as as becoming RSL first team member at some point and contributors. So we had a very good draft and some of that was because of that trade.
In fairness, you know, Forresters scored a couple of goals. Now, I think in the return match when Radiano was here, even though he got a goal, there were four or five opportunities where he.
Just felt like he's got to put that away.
But because he is playing, and because he has scored some goals, I mean, even though he went to Duke, which you know doesn't take a big IQ to get into Duke, we should give him a little bit of love.
So what do you like about this young strike?
Well, what I like is that he went to Duke. Okay, all right, No, I mean, listen, he's he's got tools. He's got tools, he's got size, he's got speed, he's got strength, he's got he does have a very good knock around the goal. When you watch him in training sessions, he scores on a regular basis, whether that small side games, medium sized games, eleven to eleven in training, he's a
regular scorer. So he's got that instinct, I belize. Now, I think he lacks a little bit of some of the stuff that just comes with playing high level games, a high number of high level games, and he will only gain that through experience of playing regularly and playing at a high level. So but yeah, I mean he's an exciting player. I think we saw the other night when he came off the bench against Seattle. I think that was a great scenario for him, really really good scenario.
When the game is a little bit more open and the opponent's a little bit fatigued, he can come in to make the difference and put the game away.
So we had a Mecca on the show on Monday, and every time I leave an interview with him, I walk away just more and more impressed. I mean, he has a maturity about him for a young man that is very impressive. And obviously he's got all kinds of game. You once upon a time or the captain's arm band for RSL. That spot was filled admirably by the legend Kyle Beckerman. And there have been some different options DeMar and such. What about a Mecca screams leadership to you?
And why do you think he's the right guy to wear that armband right now?
Well, I think, first and foremost, it just comes through Mecca's hunger to be a high level soccer player and to be the absolute best professional soccer player that he can be. He's he trains extremely hard. He you know, he comes in, he's the first one in the building, he's the last one to leave because he takes he takes this whole thing seriously, and then because of that,
he's he he leads by example. We are definitely working with him to become a bit more of a vocal leader, a bit a bit of a leader that can have more influence on more players around him, that can understand and learn how to direct the other players around him. You know, I look at him and think about I think about a Kyle Beckerman, and I think about when Kyle Beckerman when he first joined our club was a
different Kyle Beckerman than he was when he retired. And a lot of that leadership capability and a lot of that strength, and a lot of that ability to influence others and communicate well with others and dictate where others needed to go came through experience. And so I think that a Mecca has a lot of same qualities. And you know, I don't think there's any reason why he's shouldn't be a guy that could be here for the next ten years.
You guys decided to make a moving goal, and I've not been able to talk to you since then. Ratha cabral in Gad was sold and then for some reason, Zach decided to wait until like two weeks before the season for surgery. But that you can let me complain about that. But early returns, Ratha cabral and goal what do you say, Jay, I've.
Been very very impressed with him, very impressed. I think he's been I think he's been good, arguably in all the games. Unfortunate that you know he's he's obviously conceded. We've conceded four goals against San Jose, we conceded a couple of goals against Arediano. But you know, in my opinion, if it had been a lesser goalkeeper between the pipes and those games, that San Jose game could have been six.
So I think he made some fantastic saves. He's a terroristic character, he speaks English perfectly, He's a leader in a locker room. He's an unbelievable, unbelievably good professional and a good family man. So I think that was a great signing for us, and the early returns have been good.
Before we get a thought on San Diego new club, who you've got coming up, you know, if we remove the dynamic that you have right now at striker, if we just kind of put that aside, and we all understand that best laid plans aside, reinforcements are needed and potentially.
On the way. There's a lot of depth everywhere else.
Jay, And you know, as a result of losing in Conka CAAF, you're not going to deal with the midweek stuff. But how would you or at least for a while before the Nation's whatever they're calling that Nation's Cup or whatever.
A lot of cups in this sport.
But how would you characterize the depth that you have on your roster other than the striker position right now?
A lot of too many cups? Yay, too many cups?
Too many cups. Yeah, it's called League's Cup. I would say I would agree with you. I mean the depths on this team and the number of players that I think the coaches I always think about it this way, like how many players can the first team coaches really rely on? How many do they feel like, yeah, I don't have any hesitation of starting that guy next week? And that number is extremely high and there's no doubt about it. I think this team has been built really
really well. From my perspective, this is the type of team that if you added to one to two real difference makers. I think we're talking we're talking upper upper echelon of the league. That's how deep and strong I think the competitive nature within this group is. That's how many high quality players we have, and in a lot of positions. So I think we're poised to make a few moves and become really really elite, really really quickly. The best way for me to describe really the roster
would be this. You know, I don't think last year the coaching staff had to make one difficult decision about who made the twenty man roster for a game, and this week they've already had to make one. In our last game, they had to leave out a player that started two of the first three games for US this season. So they will have to make difficult decisions every week, and that's a good thing, all right.
Jay, Before I said you lose, I have not been grinding on San Diego FC tape, so I will not pretend that I know a thing about them. But they did beat the Galaxy in their inaugural match, and they had a draw with a pretty stout Saint Louis side.
That's the next opponent. What do you know about them?
You know, the nice thing about that early afternoon game last week was that I got to go home and actually watch San Diego play at the night their first player home opener. Was very impressed, very very impressed. Is the team that likes to keep the ball. They build out of the back all the time. I think they have a very similar style and game model to us, and that they want to be the dominant possession team and they want to create attacking goalscoring chances from their
own possession. So I'm looking forward to what I think should be a high quality game on Saturday, and I'm also looking forward to another positive three points for ourself.
Jason Christ, You're just one of my favorite people, my friends. I just appreciate the time. I think so highly of you, your intelligence, your charisma, everything, So thanks.
For the time, man.
Be good. I wish my wife was this nice to me. That's all I have to say about that.
Bes to Kim and the kids. See you, buddy.
Bye.
All right, Jason Christ. So ourself back and actually at San Diego