September 10, 2025 • 27 mins
Chris Doran visits SDH AM to break down a lot of things going on in Columbus, Ohio these days...
The USMNT and the Crew heading into the run-in after the international break...
Plus, a preview of the matchup in Atlanta against Atlanta United- what the lineup may look like with the wild cards of injury monitoring and travel returns...
The USMNT and the Crew heading into the run-in after the international break...
Plus, a preview of the matchup in Atlanta against Atlanta United- what the lineup may look like with the wild cards of injury monitoring and travel returns...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, and it's always fun to catch up with
our friend Chris Doran and find out anything and everything
going on involving Columbus Crew. And it's it'll be our education,
Opposition Research Choice d all the above. We get to
kind of find out what's going on, and we'll ask
about an event that's actually happening tonight. And Chris has
been kind of keeping an eye on folks that have
(00:21):
been doing training and following and along and everything, and
so we bring in Chris Dorn and the the the
velvet tones of Chris Doran.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
By the way, John, it's so good to see you.
Good morning to you, Good morning to you.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
I have a I have a question of that I
will end our segment with and it has to do
with the item over your right shoulder in the corner
of your office.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, on the floor, the guitar.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The guitar. So I have a guitar based question that
I will save to the ending. I do want to
lead off with. I mean, we were discussing, and you
can take it in whatever direction you want. We were
discussing the suspension that was added to Luis Suarez before
you came in as one of the big pieces of
news coming out of League's Cup. League's Cup made their decision.
(01:09):
Then MLS makes their decision and says that Louis Suarez
gets an additional three and that's it. Nobody else gets nothing.
Louis Suarez gets a three. What when you saw this
in League's Cup? What was your initial thought? And now
that the league has come down with their decision on
top of what the League's Cup has come up with
their disco, what is what's your process of this particular
(01:33):
run of events.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, it's it's a great discussion point, and obviously it's
been an active topic on social media.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I did see the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I did not pursue alternative camera angles if they were
out there, saw a few fans shooting video from the
from the stands, First and foremost, it's the most unfortunate
outcome to what was a pre spectacular evening of soccer
for Seattle, not just the game itself, but the environment,
(02:07):
the sixty thousand fans, the promotion of turning in one
jersey for another. I just thought the whole thing was terrific.
It was great for the club, it was great for
the league, and it was great for League's Cup. So really, disappointing.
In the end, my tendency, John is to look at
some of the things that really are maybe not capturing
the spotlight. For example, you mentioned Luis Suarez. He was
(02:30):
the only player who got the additional suspension from the league,
but Stephen Lennard, who is part of the Seattle coaching
staff as a mental health coach, also has his credential
pulled for the season by the league. I just thought
that was hilarious that he was even involved. If he's
a part of helping the club and the players with
(02:51):
their mental health and he's involved in that melee at
the end, what does that say to you about your
hiring practices. He used to be a member of the
Columbus crew, So you know, I.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Feel a little bad talking about it.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
With regards to Suarez getting the three games. I mean,
the league's got to do something. I don't think everyone
is ever going to feel like it was enough. But
if you back up the microscope just a bit and
say to yourself, Okay, what has the league had to
do in order to accommodate Miami's growth and build over
(03:25):
the last several years, you come to understand that, and
I think the league would admit this too. They've kind
of gone all in on Miami, and with good reason.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Lionel Messi's down there.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Unfortunately, if you live by the build up, you're going
to die by the build up too. And I don't
think that the league wanted to be in a situation
where Miami makes this last thrust into the playoffs and
then through the postseason without one of their star players,
and the continuing conversation of well, you know, if Suarez
(04:00):
were here, he would certainly help Messi win MLS Cup,
you know. So I just feel like the league was
in a tough spot, but I think the league put themselves.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
In that spot.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I also don't like the fact that it took Suarez
four days to go out on social media with a statement.
I don't like that it took Miami four days to
get out there.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
On social media with a statement.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So that's an indication that the PR people, the comms people,
and the league were all in cahoots and figuring out
exactly what.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
They should say and shouldn't say.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
The timing of the League's Cup announcement of suspension, and
then forty eight hours later we get the League's Cup
suspension announcement or the league's announcement of a suspension. You know,
it's all coordinated, but unfortunately it has to be in
our day and age. And then beyond that, does it
go far enough? You'll always have people who say it doesn't,
(04:57):
but I think the league had to just keep it shor.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah, And when you mentioned Messi and friends down in
Fort Lauderdale, I give them credit as an ownership group
for pushing the envelope when it comes to acquisitions and
navigating the salary cap and however you want to refer
(05:21):
to it. I give them credit for chasing after all
the big guns that they're bringing down there. Sure. I
think what it does is it reminds all of the
other ownership groups. It's like, Okay, they're doing their things
that way. If you want to go and hang out
with the Joneses and do that, that's your prerogative. They've
shown the way you can do that. But it also
reinforces if you're comfortable with your way of doing things.
(05:43):
It's just a reminder, let them do their thing, we'll
do our thing and we'll be fine. So I think
that there's a lot of buttons economically that are working
for Inner Miami and that's their thing. Just it reminds
folks if you need go down that road if you want,
you know, caveat emptor buyer bewaren a situation like that. Though.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, I think it's a really great point, and you know,
I applaud the league for taking the chance with Messi
and making it happen. You know, they did the same
thing with David Beckham fifteen years ago, and the first
thing Beckham wanted when he landed in Los Angeles was
the opportunity to be loaned out for the off season,
and that was like, well, hold on a second, is
(06:22):
David not happy with being in Los Angeles and the
welcome that he's been given and all the money from
Adidas and the cash that's been laid out for him
to play in Los Angeles?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
So that was kind of a cluster as well. I
agree with you.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I think the ownership group pushed the envelope in Miami
and they're enjoying the benefits of that. But where the
league's concerned, I think they've got They just probably are
in a tough spot and I don't care. You know,
we're going to probably see Miami in the playoffs. I
just want to beat him. That's all I want.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You and everybody else major life, You, sir, are in
a majority opinion in that regard. Uh, there's something going
on tonight there in Columbus. H. Yeah, it has to
do with the national team or something. I don't know,
you know, some some team that's yelling about that. They're
not all happy. You know, no one's everyone's ever going
to be one hundred percent happy when it comes to
(07:16):
the US M and T. Anyway, what is the vibe
in town as they're getting ready for this game where
let's see the sky is falling? Mauritio Pochettino doesn't know
what he's doing right? What is this starting lineup that
he's got out there? What is he looking for? Where
are the big stars? What questions am I missing? I'm
(07:37):
sure they're all out there when it comes to what
is the vibe like there in Columbus getting ready for
this matchup with the US and Japan?
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Well, John, great question, and as usual, you have your
finger on the pulse of the disgruntled in America when
it comes to the massive men's nation.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Has anybody ever been gruntled?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Chris? I? I. Well, I'll tell you what you know.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You even go back to two thousand and one, which
is twenty five years ago, when Columbus was the host
for the very first qualifier between the US men's national
team in Mexico. That is to say that Columbus was
hosting for the first time and it's twenty eight degrees
outside Brad friedel'sen goal for the US. Mauricio compos I
(08:18):
think was the goalkeeper for Mexico, and it was intentional
that that game be played in Columbus in the middle
of winter because Mexico had been such great sports of
taking the US men's national team to Estadio Azteca in
the middle of summer at elevation with bags of who
knows what coming out of the stands. So it was
(08:40):
just sort of tit for tat at that point. So
twenty five years later, here we find ourselves, and by
the way, that was the first of four Dosa sero
results against Mexico in Columbus. Twenty five years later, we
find ourselves in a position of having to host here
in Columbus.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
We absolutely adore it.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
You can talk to the people who are lifelong soccer
fans in this town and they are thrilled with the
opportunity of having the Red, white and Blue in the city.
I was out at OhioHealth Performance Center yesterday. The guys
were training, spirits were great, the weather was terrific, and
I think there's an there's a thought from the team
(09:22):
that they've got to do better than they did on
Saturday night, and there's a spirit that understands there's a
way to do it against a team from Japan that's
already qualified and as well, plays very much like South Korea.
So I think that the mission is probably pretty clear
(09:43):
from the head coaching staff on down. I think the
understanding is is that they're on sacred ground here in Columbus.
The men's national team is ten to one in three
in fourteen appearances here in the great City of Columbus,
and they want to do they want to do right
by the crowd that shows up tonight. I suspect that
(10:03):
we'll see some fans of the Japanese national team in town.
I don't know how many. I kind of doubt it's
going to be equal to the number of South Korean
fans who showed up in Harrison on the weekend.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
What's your gut tell you about tonight?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
My gut tells me that my wife and I'll be
sitting field side and.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Enjoying the sites.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
We don't get to go to games very often together,
as you might suspect, and so when we have the opportunity,
we kind of sees it.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So it'll be a special night.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I'm anxious to see Max Arsten at least get a
whiff of playing time, if not a start. In addition
to that, don't forget that Sebastian Berhalter spent six years
in this city. His dad was head coach of the
Columbus Crew before Greg took over with the men's national team,
so Sebastian was a part of the Columbus Crew academy
(10:57):
while he was growing up. It'll be a really fun evening.
It'll be beautiful in terms of the weather. The pitch
is in terrific shape. It's been cared for over the
last two and a half weeks since our last home game,
and I really think that it'll be a fun night
for everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
For someone who doesn't have the luxury of seeing Columbus
as much as you do. What does Max Arston bring
to the table in a Columbus sense and in a
national team sense? From your observations. What does he bring
because he's gotten a lot of slings and arrows in
his short time there from the folks, from someone who
is gruntled where Max Arston is concerned, what does he
(11:35):
bring to the table?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well, I think people who have watched him over the
last couple of years certainly understand that his trajectory doesn't
appear to have a ceiling. And that's the most positive
part about it. It means that he's a great student.
He puts the work in and you do get results.
He's increased in his performance as it relates to shooting
opportunities that he's created with the Columbus crew this year,
(11:59):
and then beyond on that has been a tremendous contributor,
not just on one side, but on the opposite side too,
as Wilfred Nazi has experimented with certain points in different
matches switching the wingers. He does the work defensively, getting
back in that three five to two lineup that Wilfred
likes to use, and then beyond that will go ahead
(12:21):
and get the work done on the attacking side of
the ball. So from a Columbus standpoint, he's an integral
part of our attack. I think the addition of Ibrahim
Alie I beg your pardon of Wessumabu Ali is going
to make things even more interesting as we learn to
(12:42):
find him in dangerous spots and complete plays at the
attacking end of the field.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I think the sky's the limit.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
We've heard rumors that there have been teams that have
called about his availability, and the club has, it's been rumored,
opted to hold Max until the end of the season
and likely ship him out at some point on a contract.
But for now he's in Columbus and we're glad he's
wearing the red, white and blue tonight.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Question for you with your observations yesterday when you were
at OHPC, the other half of the equation was not
at practice and when Sean dinged or nursing an injury,
what have you, however you want to phrase it, Obviously,
that's going to be one of your storylines heading into
(13:36):
this weekend if he's available under normal circumstances. When you
look at someone like Sean, who to me is much
like Max, he's kind of a joker. It's like, okay,
so he's here, he's here, he's here, he's he's a
typical wherever you put him until the whistle blows. What
does he bring to the table for folks who haven't
(13:58):
seen him, and what do you lose if he's not
available this weekend.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
That's a great question, John, and I appreciate you asking
about him, because we were disappointed to get the news
yesterday that Shawn injured himself with the national team last
week and Harrison training for that friendly against South Korea
on the weekend. He didn't dress on Saturday, and he
will not dress tonight. There are still some questions as
to whether or not he'll be available at all this weekend.
(14:24):
My suspicion is that it's either one or the other.
It could be a devastating injury or it could be
something that keeps him out for a couple of weeks.
But I think what Wilfried, Nanci and the Columbus crew
missed from a player like Shan Zawatsky is sort of
the Swiss Army knife of all different types of player profiles,
(14:46):
a guy who can play in a lot of different
spots and unfortunately actually had to play goal for US
last year against Seattle because we had a goalkeeper that
was red carded in the twenty third minute. Shawn started
and grew as a midfielder, went to Georgetown out of
the academy, and came back to the men's to the
Columbus Crew as a midfielder, played alongside Darlington n Agby.
(15:09):
When Rudy Camacho went down our center back, it was
John who dropped back between the two outside center backs
and sustained we thought, very good consistent performances gamed game.
That's where he's been all season long for the most part,
and has done very very well. Have there been some
(15:31):
problems defensively, yes, but it can't all be on Sean
Zawatski and it can't all be on the goalkeeper either.
This team depends on pushing forward with the ball and
everyone dropping back in recovery without the ball, and we've
had a lot of problems with teams who have been
able to get past our midfield when they take over
(15:53):
and transition and create these isolated one v one or
two v one situations that create.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Goals for them.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Zawatski is a big miss if he's not available, no
matter where coach decides to play him, and it does
mean that our center back force is thinned out. We
go from five in the stable to four in the stable,
although Andres Herrera could be pulled back as a center back. Uh,
he's been doing so well in the midfield. It would
(16:21):
be yet again in another spot where we would have
to plug somebody in.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Do you know if Stephen Morera has how do we
phrase this? Does he has a private jet? Does he
is he going to be able to make it from
because are you going to be watching Cape Verde at
noon in their in their activity in the Afcon as
(16:47):
they are a slight favorite against Cameroon to make sure
that he gets back so he can be a part
of things on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
It would be wonderful if the coach would rule him
out and they'd put him on a plane, now, wouldn't it,
But that that would be selfish. You John have been
around enough soccer players to hear them just gloat with
the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
To represent their national team.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And I think it means so much to Stephen to
be able to do this. I wish him and Cape
Verday all the luck in the world as they take
on a very tough Cameroon team in an effort to
qualify for the World Cup. In our in our experience
on these types of international windows schedules. Steven typically doesn't
get back until Wednesday night early Thursday. Maybe he trains,
(17:31):
maybe he doesn't Thursday, and then Friday, the tactical session.
The guys get on the plane flight to Atlanta Friday afternoon.
You know, Stephen could be on the bench on Saturday
in all likelihood, and in that scenario we'd have to
go again into the into the roster and start pulling
players to sub in for him. The flip side to
(17:54):
that is sixty minutes out of Stephen morera can be
a dangerous sixty minutes if Columbus is on you with everything.
So it'll be interesting to see how coach Wilfred Nazi
handles it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
On the weekend, Chris Dornaldoppo Research getting us ready for
Columbus and their visit to Atlanta, and Mercedes Benz on
the weekend. One other player that I wanted to get
your opinion of. What has it been like to see
Jason Russell Rose game advanced to where it is these days?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
It's been good, you know, I think Jason wants more
out of his game. I think Wilfred Nazi wants more
out of Jason's game. I'll be very candid. I'm not
exactly sure if if Jason maybe needs another coach's voice
in his head. And I'm not being critical of Jason
at all. I just feel like there's probably a little
(18:44):
bit more from Jason as a pro athlete, as a goalscorer.
And you know, I think Wilfrid brings the best out
of all the players he works with. But I think
players can also limit the reception of the messages, either
consciously or subconsciously, and I feel like we maybe have hit.
(19:10):
I won't say a wall, but I feel like there's
there may be an impasse where Jason Russell Rowe.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Might actually.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Might actually benefit from hearing from a different voice. Again,
not being critical of either the player or the coach.
As a coach myself, I understand that players get to
a point where where they need something different or something more.
I don't know that Jason is at twenty two able
to acknowledge that he needs another voice. And I think
(19:40):
Wilfried Nanci has got a track record of player development
that may keep Jason Russell Roe in the Columbus crew
camp knowing that he can make inroads with this young player.
But I think we expected a little more from Jason,
given the departure of Christian Ramirez and cuco Ornandez, the
opportunities night in and night out of regular starts for
(20:03):
Russell Rowe and I just don't know that we've seen
it all, and I don't know if he gets the
opportunity to show it all here with Columbus or if
maybe the opportunity exists elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
From your keenest of keen observations, what concerns Columbus crew
the most about Atlanta and what are they most confident
about coming into this matchup going up against Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, I think they're very confident in their system.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
They always have been.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Going on the road is never a problem, and it's
because they invest so much in making sure that the
roles and responsibilities are covered, so the details are covered.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
You know, this.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Draw that we had in Harrison two weeks ago would
have looked terrific in the middle of June. You go
up against a fired up Red Bull squad on the road,
a field that had just new turf four days before
the game, and you get out of there with a
scoreless draw. It's a great shutout for Patrick Shulty. He
(21:09):
had four saves on the night. We didn't have quite
as many shots as I think probably the coaching staff
and players would have liked, but it's still a scoreless draw.
It's one point on the road, had a tough place
to play. Unfortunately, it came with seven games left in
the league schedule, and so while there may have been
some frustration on the fan base side, it's still you
(21:31):
still have to take the good with the with the ugly,
and I think there was a lot of good that
came out of that, so there is some confidence there.
The downside is, while the crew does have two weeks
to get used to Wessumabu Ali, he's been gone with
Palestine for the last week, so you really haven't had
the time to get accustomed to him. And then the
(21:52):
two week break is also providing Columbus with the opportunity
to let Darlington Nagby continue to heal without being tested
on a week And my hope, of course, is that
Nagby's available this weekend. Mo Farci could be coming back
from his injury. That starts to add to the stable
a little bit. We'll learn more about the availability this week.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, as you sit there and you look at my notes,
cross that question off of the board with the whether
or not it was a good time for a two
week break before we get to Saturday. Your IU football
team is taking on Indiana State Friday night, A boy
and it is. It is in Bloomington, six point thirty
(22:34):
kick for IDU and number twenty two Indiana, And it's
is this a homecoming game? Or is this just a
visit from the friends from Tara Hoape? What's going on there?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I you know, I only follow wins and losses. I
don't know what the ceremony is around it. I'm so
glad that you brought it up. I think Kurt Signetti
has been just a firecracker for that program and for
that town. And I have a lot of friends who
just embrace everything that he's doing. He has demanded so
much from the athletic department in terms of raising the
(23:07):
level off the field, and he has matched expectations on
the field. If he can duplicate what he did last year,
I think everyone will be happy. I don't know that
running through an Ohio State football team at some point
during the season is something that can be fairly expected
by Indiana. Who's your football fans, But it's it's certainly
(23:29):
it'll be a big Friday night when Indiana State comes
to town. We'll have a lot of folks coming into
town for that matchup, as teror HOAt is only about
forty five minutes away.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
And then after that it's Illinois, then you go to Iowa,
then you go to Eugene, and it just continues to roll.
So it's uh, that is a that is a that
is a big honkin schedule that you've got coming up
the next couple of weeks. Okay, my wrap up question
for you, and thanks for putting up with all of
my tangents as you always do.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
You are so entertaining. Don't worry about.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
It over your right shoulder. You have what some folks
referred to as a guitar, And so what I wanted
to do was, if you had the opportunity to sit
in in a jam session with said guitar, who would
you want to sit on a stage and jam with?
(24:18):
Given the chance, who would you want to sit there?
And it's like, yeah, I'll trade licks with that dude.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Well that's a delightful question. And I should preface it
by my answer by telling you I can't play.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
With a devil. I really can't.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I mean, thank goodness for the iPad and all the
lessons that are available out there on the interweb, because
it gives me the chance to hang out in the
office and play with it.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
But that's about it.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
You know, Eric Clapton's doing a show in Cleveland here
in a couple of days, and Clapton's from Ohio. He's
been to Columbus Crew games. The one concert I missed
out on John when I was working in music radio
some years ago was to go see Eric Clapton play
and sit very close to the stage, which would have
(25:06):
been incredible. So I would say that if I had
the opportunity, I would sit on a stage with Eric
Clapton and probably just sit and admire him for the
For the two hour jam session, it was.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Like, yeah, just dude, I'm right here if you if
you need a riff, I'll give you a riff. But
I'm just gonna sit and watch that is that's that
is a tremendous pull, and any jam session with Eric
Clapton would not be suboptimal. Go ahead, and if you would, sir,
for folks that wish to listen to anything and everything
going on, Columbus Crew with you and the cast of
(25:42):
thousands that makes it happen. Go ahead and cut the promo.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
For me, John, thanks so much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Inside the Crew airs Wednesday nights on iHeartRadio and you
can catch the podcast on Thursday, follow us on Twitter
and get the link instantly on Friday. On Thursday morning
on your ride to work, we'll have plenty of coverage
of the men's national team, including a couple of one
on one interviews with Sebastian Burhalter and Max Arsten. And
then look forward to this weekend against Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Looking forward to it as always, my friend. Thanks for
always dropping by, and like I said, you know where
the key is under the mat, you know where the
garage door opener is. If there's anything you ever want
to get off your chest, you know how to do it.
It's always great to see you and we'll catch up soon,
my friend.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
You're terrific, John, Thanks so much for having me. You
got it.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Chris Dorn and he knows anything and everything about everything
going on in Columbus, Crewe national team, guitars, I use football,
all of it. He's what we refer to as a stud.
Dorian is a stud without any question, and it's always
great to be able to circle back and catch up
with him and find out what's going on. I did
have those burning questions about the back, and I think
(26:47):
that it's something that to pay attention to morera and
travel coming back from AFCON, the Zawatski injury and the
progress therein is it just a knock or a ding
or is it something more substantial and finding out what
the layout is and trying to make sure that the
connection with the wessamabu Ali continues to grow. Darlington n
(27:10):
Agby continues to heal with a couple of weeks off,
and so that is what you're staring at in the
street fight that is the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer.
You know, and it's always fun to catch up with
our friend Chris Doran and find out anything and everything
going on involving Columbus Crew. And it's it'll be our education,
Opposition Research Choice d all the above. We get to
kind of find out what's going on, and we'll ask
about an event that's actually happening tonight. And Chris has
been kind of keeping an eye on folks that have
(00:21):
been doing training and following and along and everything, and
so we bring in Chris Dorn and the the the
velvet tones of Chris Doran.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
By the way, John, it's so good to see you.
Good morning to you, Good morning to you.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
I have a I have a question of that I
will end our segment with and it has to do
with the item over your right shoulder in the corner
of your office.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, on the floor, the guitar.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The guitar. So I have a guitar based question that
I will save to the ending. I do want to
lead off with. I mean, we were discussing, and you
can take it in whatever direction you want. We were
discussing the suspension that was added to Luis Suarez before
you came in as one of the big pieces of
news coming out of League's Cup. League's Cup made their decision.
(01:09):
Then MLS makes their decision and says that Louis Suarez
gets an additional three and that's it. Nobody else gets nothing.
Louis Suarez gets a three. What when you saw this
in League's Cup? What was your initial thought? And now
that the league has come down with their decision on
top of what the League's Cup has come up with
their disco, what is what's your process of this particular
(01:33):
run of events.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, it's it's a great discussion point, and obviously it's
been an active topic on social media.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I did see the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I did not pursue alternative camera angles if they were
out there, saw a few fans shooting video from the
from the stands, First and foremost, it's the most unfortunate
outcome to what was a pre spectacular evening of soccer
for Seattle, not just the game itself, but the environment,
(02:07):
the sixty thousand fans, the promotion of turning in one
jersey for another. I just thought the whole thing was terrific.
It was great for the club, it was great for
the league, and it was great for League's Cup. So really, disappointing.
In the end, my tendency, John is to look at
some of the things that really are maybe not capturing
the spotlight. For example, you mentioned Luis Suarez. He was
(02:30):
the only player who got the additional suspension from the league,
but Stephen Lennard, who is part of the Seattle coaching
staff as a mental health coach, also has his credential
pulled for the season by the league. I just thought
that was hilarious that he was even involved. If he's
a part of helping the club and the players with
(02:51):
their mental health and he's involved in that melee at
the end, what does that say to you about your
hiring practices. He used to be a member of the
Columbus crew, So you know, I.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Feel a little bad talking about it.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
With regards to Suarez getting the three games. I mean,
the league's got to do something. I don't think everyone
is ever going to feel like it was enough. But
if you back up the microscope just a bit and
say to yourself, Okay, what has the league had to
do in order to accommodate Miami's growth and build over
(03:25):
the last several years, you come to understand that, and
I think the league would admit this too. They've kind
of gone all in on Miami, and with good reason.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Lionel Messi's down there.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Unfortunately, if you live by the build up, you're going
to die by the build up too. And I don't
think that the league wanted to be in a situation
where Miami makes this last thrust into the playoffs and
then through the postseason without one of their star players,
and the continuing conversation of well, you know, if Suarez
(04:00):
were here, he would certainly help Messi win MLS Cup,
you know. So I just feel like the league was
in a tough spot, but I think the league put themselves.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
In that spot.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I also don't like the fact that it took Suarez
four days to go out on social media with a statement.
I don't like that it took Miami four days to
get out there.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
On social media with a statement.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So that's an indication that the PR people, the comms people,
and the league were all in cahoots and figuring out
exactly what.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
They should say and shouldn't say.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
The timing of the League's Cup announcement of suspension, and
then forty eight hours later we get the League's Cup
suspension announcement or the league's announcement of a suspension. You know,
it's all coordinated, but unfortunately it has to be in
our day and age. And then beyond that, does it
go far enough? You'll always have people who say it doesn't,
(04:57):
but I think the league had to just keep it shor.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah, And when you mentioned Messi and friends down in
Fort Lauderdale, I give them credit as an ownership group
for pushing the envelope when it comes to acquisitions and
navigating the salary cap and however you want to refer
(05:21):
to it. I give them credit for chasing after all
the big guns that they're bringing down there. Sure. I
think what it does is it reminds all of the
other ownership groups. It's like, Okay, they're doing their things
that way. If you want to go and hang out
with the Joneses and do that, that's your prerogative. They've
shown the way you can do that. But it also
reinforces if you're comfortable with your way of doing things.
(05:43):
It's just a reminder, let them do their thing, we'll
do our thing and we'll be fine. So I think
that there's a lot of buttons economically that are working
for Inner Miami and that's their thing. Just it reminds
folks if you need go down that road if you want,
you know, caveat emptor buyer bewaren a situation like that. Though.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, I think it's a really great point, and you know,
I applaud the league for taking the chance with Messi
and making it happen. You know, they did the same
thing with David Beckham fifteen years ago, and the first
thing Beckham wanted when he landed in Los Angeles was
the opportunity to be loaned out for the off season,
and that was like, well, hold on a second, is
(06:22):
David not happy with being in Los Angeles and the
welcome that he's been given and all the money from
Adidas and the cash that's been laid out for him
to play in Los Angeles?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
So that was kind of a cluster as well. I
agree with you.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I think the ownership group pushed the envelope in Miami
and they're enjoying the benefits of that. But where the
league's concerned, I think they've got They just probably are
in a tough spot and I don't care. You know,
we're going to probably see Miami in the playoffs. I
just want to beat him. That's all I want.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You and everybody else major life, You, sir, are in
a majority opinion in that regard. Uh, there's something going
on tonight there in Columbus. H. Yeah, it has to
do with the national team or something. I don't know,
you know, some some team that's yelling about that. They're
not all happy. You know, no one's everyone's ever going
to be one hundred percent happy when it comes to
(07:16):
the US M and T. Anyway, what is the vibe
in town as they're getting ready for this game where
let's see the sky is falling? Mauritio Pochettino doesn't know
what he's doing right? What is this starting lineup that
he's got out there? What is he looking for? Where
are the big stars? What questions am I missing? I'm
(07:37):
sure they're all out there when it comes to what
is the vibe like there in Columbus getting ready for
this matchup with the US and Japan?
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Well, John, great question, and as usual, you have your
finger on the pulse of the disgruntled in America when
it comes to the massive men's nation.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Has anybody ever been gruntled?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Chris? I? I. Well, I'll tell you what you know.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You even go back to two thousand and one, which
is twenty five years ago, when Columbus was the host
for the very first qualifier between the US men's national
team in Mexico. That is to say that Columbus was
hosting for the first time and it's twenty eight degrees
outside Brad friedel'sen goal for the US. Mauricio compos I
(08:18):
think was the goalkeeper for Mexico, and it was intentional
that that game be played in Columbus in the middle
of winter because Mexico had been such great sports of
taking the US men's national team to Estadio Azteca in
the middle of summer at elevation with bags of who
knows what coming out of the stands. So it was
(08:40):
just sort of tit for tat at that point. So
twenty five years later, here we find ourselves, and by
the way, that was the first of four Dosa sero
results against Mexico in Columbus. Twenty five years later, we
find ourselves in a position of having to host here
in Columbus.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
We absolutely adore it.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
You can talk to the people who are lifelong soccer
fans in this town and they are thrilled with the
opportunity of having the Red, white and Blue in the city.
I was out at OhioHealth Performance Center yesterday. The guys
were training, spirits were great, the weather was terrific, and
I think there's an there's a thought from the team
(09:22):
that they've got to do better than they did on
Saturday night, and there's a spirit that understands there's a
way to do it against a team from Japan that's
already qualified and as well, plays very much like South Korea.
So I think that the mission is probably pretty clear
(09:43):
from the head coaching staff on down. I think the
understanding is is that they're on sacred ground here in Columbus.
The men's national team is ten to one in three
in fourteen appearances here in the great City of Columbus,
and they want to do they want to do right
by the crowd that shows up tonight. I suspect that
(10:03):
we'll see some fans of the Japanese national team in town.
I don't know how many. I kind of doubt it's
going to be equal to the number of South Korean
fans who showed up in Harrison on the weekend.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
What's your gut tell you about tonight?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
My gut tells me that my wife and I'll be
sitting field side and.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Enjoying the sites.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
We don't get to go to games very often together,
as you might suspect, and so when we have the opportunity,
we kind of sees it.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So it'll be a special night.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I'm anxious to see Max Arsten at least get a
whiff of playing time, if not a start. In addition
to that, don't forget that Sebastian Berhalter spent six years
in this city. His dad was head coach of the
Columbus Crew before Greg took over with the men's national team,
so Sebastian was a part of the Columbus Crew academy
(10:57):
while he was growing up. It'll be a really fun evening.
It'll be beautiful in terms of the weather. The pitch
is in terrific shape. It's been cared for over the
last two and a half weeks since our last home game,
and I really think that it'll be a fun night
for everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
For someone who doesn't have the luxury of seeing Columbus
as much as you do. What does Max Arston bring
to the table in a Columbus sense and in a
national team sense? From your observations. What does he bring
because he's gotten a lot of slings and arrows in
his short time there from the folks, from someone who
is gruntled where Max Arston is concerned, what does he
(11:35):
bring to the table?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well, I think people who have watched him over the
last couple of years certainly understand that his trajectory doesn't
appear to have a ceiling. And that's the most positive
part about it. It means that he's a great student.
He puts the work in and you do get results.
He's increased in his performance as it relates to shooting
opportunities that he's created with the Columbus crew this year,
(11:59):
and then beyond on that has been a tremendous contributor,
not just on one side, but on the opposite side too,
as Wilfred Nazi has experimented with certain points in different
matches switching the wingers. He does the work defensively, getting
back in that three five to two lineup that Wilfred
likes to use, and then beyond that will go ahead
(12:21):
and get the work done on the attacking side of
the ball. So from a Columbus standpoint, he's an integral
part of our attack. I think the addition of Ibrahim
Alie I beg your pardon of Wessumabu Ali is going
to make things even more interesting as we learn to
(12:42):
find him in dangerous spots and complete plays at the
attacking end of the field.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I think the sky's the limit.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
We've heard rumors that there have been teams that have
called about his availability, and the club has, it's been rumored,
opted to hold Max until the end of the season
and likely ship him out at some point on a contract.
But for now he's in Columbus and we're glad he's
wearing the red, white and blue tonight.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Question for you with your observations yesterday when you were
at OHPC, the other half of the equation was not
at practice and when Sean dinged or nursing an injury,
what have you, however you want to phrase it, Obviously,
that's going to be one of your storylines heading into
(13:36):
this weekend if he's available under normal circumstances. When you
look at someone like Sean, who to me is much
like Max, he's kind of a joker. It's like, okay,
so he's here, he's here, he's here, he's he's a
typical wherever you put him until the whistle blows. What
does he bring to the table for folks who haven't
(13:58):
seen him, and what do you lose if he's not
available this weekend.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
That's a great question, John, and I appreciate you asking
about him, because we were disappointed to get the news
yesterday that Shawn injured himself with the national team last
week and Harrison training for that friendly against South Korea
on the weekend. He didn't dress on Saturday, and he
will not dress tonight. There are still some questions as
to whether or not he'll be available at all this weekend.
(14:24):
My suspicion is that it's either one or the other.
It could be a devastating injury or it could be
something that keeps him out for a couple of weeks.
But I think what Wilfried, Nanci and the Columbus crew
missed from a player like Shan Zawatsky is sort of
the Swiss Army knife of all different types of player profiles,
(14:46):
a guy who can play in a lot of different
spots and unfortunately actually had to play goal for US
last year against Seattle because we had a goalkeeper that
was red carded in the twenty third minute. Shawn started
and grew as a midfielder, went to Georgetown out of
the academy, and came back to the men's to the
Columbus Crew as a midfielder, played alongside Darlington n Agby.
(15:09):
When Rudy Camacho went down our center back, it was
John who dropped back between the two outside center backs
and sustained we thought, very good consistent performances gamed game.
That's where he's been all season long for the most part,
and has done very very well. Have there been some
(15:31):
problems defensively, yes, but it can't all be on Sean
Zawatski and it can't all be on the goalkeeper either.
This team depends on pushing forward with the ball and
everyone dropping back in recovery without the ball, and we've
had a lot of problems with teams who have been
able to get past our midfield when they take over
(15:53):
and transition and create these isolated one v one or
two v one situations that create.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Goals for them.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Zawatski is a big miss if he's not available, no
matter where coach decides to play him, and it does
mean that our center back force is thinned out. We
go from five in the stable to four in the stable,
although Andres Herrera could be pulled back as a center back. Uh,
he's been doing so well in the midfield. It would
(16:21):
be yet again in another spot where we would have
to plug somebody in.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Do you know if Stephen Morera has how do we
phrase this? Does he has a private jet? Does he
is he going to be able to make it from
because are you going to be watching Cape Verde at
noon in their in their activity in the Afcon as
(16:47):
they are a slight favorite against Cameroon to make sure
that he gets back so he can be a part
of things on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
It would be wonderful if the coach would rule him
out and they'd put him on a plane, now, wouldn't it,
But that that would be selfish. You John have been
around enough soccer players to hear them just gloat with
the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
To represent their national team.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And I think it means so much to Stephen to
be able to do this. I wish him and Cape
Verday all the luck in the world as they take
on a very tough Cameroon team in an effort to
qualify for the World Cup. In our in our experience
on these types of international windows schedules. Steven typically doesn't
get back until Wednesday night early Thursday. Maybe he trains,
(17:31):
maybe he doesn't Thursday, and then Friday, the tactical session.
The guys get on the plane flight to Atlanta Friday afternoon.
You know, Stephen could be on the bench on Saturday
in all likelihood, and in that scenario we'd have to
go again into the into the roster and start pulling
players to sub in for him. The flip side to
(17:54):
that is sixty minutes out of Stephen morera can be
a dangerous sixty minutes if Columbus is on you with everything.
So it'll be interesting to see how coach Wilfred Nazi
handles it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
On the weekend, Chris Dornaldoppo Research getting us ready for
Columbus and their visit to Atlanta, and Mercedes Benz on
the weekend. One other player that I wanted to get
your opinion of. What has it been like to see
Jason Russell Rose game advanced to where it is these days?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
It's been good, you know, I think Jason wants more
out of his game. I think Wilfred Nazi wants more
out of Jason's game. I'll be very candid. I'm not
exactly sure if if Jason maybe needs another coach's voice
in his head. And I'm not being critical of Jason
at all. I just feel like there's probably a little
(18:44):
bit more from Jason as a pro athlete, as a goalscorer.
And you know, I think Wilfrid brings the best out
of all the players he works with. But I think
players can also limit the reception of the messages, either
consciously or subconsciously, and I feel like we maybe have hit.
(19:10):
I won't say a wall, but I feel like there's
there may be an impasse where Jason Russell Rowe.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Might actually.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Might actually benefit from hearing from a different voice. Again,
not being critical of either the player or the coach.
As a coach myself, I understand that players get to
a point where where they need something different or something more.
I don't know that Jason is at twenty two able
to acknowledge that he needs another voice. And I think
(19:40):
Wilfried Nanci has got a track record of player development
that may keep Jason Russell Roe in the Columbus crew
camp knowing that he can make inroads with this young player.
But I think we expected a little more from Jason,
given the departure of Christian Ramirez and cuco Ornandez, the
opportunities night in and night out of regular starts for
(20:03):
Russell Rowe and I just don't know that we've seen
it all, and I don't know if he gets the
opportunity to show it all here with Columbus or if
maybe the opportunity exists elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
From your keenest of keen observations, what concerns Columbus crew
the most about Atlanta and what are they most confident
about coming into this matchup going up against Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, I think they're very confident in their system.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
They always have been.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Going on the road is never a problem, and it's
because they invest so much in making sure that the
roles and responsibilities are covered, so the details are covered.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
You know, this.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Draw that we had in Harrison two weeks ago would
have looked terrific in the middle of June. You go
up against a fired up Red Bull squad on the road,
a field that had just new turf four days before
the game, and you get out of there with a
scoreless draw. It's a great shutout for Patrick Shulty. He
(21:09):
had four saves on the night. We didn't have quite
as many shots as I think probably the coaching staff
and players would have liked, but it's still a scoreless draw.
It's one point on the road, had a tough place
to play. Unfortunately, it came with seven games left in
the league schedule, and so while there may have been
some frustration on the fan base side, it's still you
(21:31):
still have to take the good with the with the ugly,
and I think there was a lot of good that
came out of that, so there is some confidence there.
The downside is, while the crew does have two weeks
to get used to Wessumabu Ali, he's been gone with
Palestine for the last week, so you really haven't had
the time to get accustomed to him. And then the
(21:52):
two week break is also providing Columbus with the opportunity
to let Darlington Nagby continue to heal without being tested
on a week And my hope, of course, is that
Nagby's available this weekend. Mo Farci could be coming back
from his injury. That starts to add to the stable
a little bit. We'll learn more about the availability this week.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, as you sit there and you look at my notes,
cross that question off of the board with the whether
or not it was a good time for a two
week break before we get to Saturday. Your IU football
team is taking on Indiana State Friday night, A boy
and it is. It is in Bloomington, six point thirty
(22:34):
kick for IDU and number twenty two Indiana, And it's
is this a homecoming game? Or is this just a
visit from the friends from Tara Hoape? What's going on there?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I you know, I only follow wins and losses. I
don't know what the ceremony is around it. I'm so
glad that you brought it up. I think Kurt Signetti
has been just a firecracker for that program and for
that town. And I have a lot of friends who
just embrace everything that he's doing. He has demanded so
much from the athletic department in terms of raising the
(23:07):
level off the field, and he has matched expectations on
the field. If he can duplicate what he did last year,
I think everyone will be happy. I don't know that
running through an Ohio State football team at some point
during the season is something that can be fairly expected
by Indiana. Who's your football fans, But it's it's certainly
(23:29):
it'll be a big Friday night when Indiana State comes
to town. We'll have a lot of folks coming into
town for that matchup, as teror HOAt is only about
forty five minutes away.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
And then after that it's Illinois, then you go to Iowa,
then you go to Eugene, and it just continues to roll.
So it's uh, that is a that is a that
is a big honkin schedule that you've got coming up
the next couple of weeks. Okay, my wrap up question
for you, and thanks for putting up with all of
my tangents as you always do.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
You are so entertaining. Don't worry about.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
It over your right shoulder. You have what some folks
referred to as a guitar, And so what I wanted
to do was, if you had the opportunity to sit
in in a jam session with said guitar, who would
you want to sit on a stage and jam with?
(24:18):
Given the chance, who would you want to sit there?
And it's like, yeah, I'll trade licks with that dude.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Well that's a delightful question. And I should preface it
by my answer by telling you I can't play.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
With a devil. I really can't.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I mean, thank goodness for the iPad and all the
lessons that are available out there on the interweb, because
it gives me the chance to hang out in the
office and play with it.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
But that's about it.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
You know, Eric Clapton's doing a show in Cleveland here
in a couple of days, and Clapton's from Ohio. He's
been to Columbus Crew games. The one concert I missed
out on John when I was working in music radio
some years ago was to go see Eric Clapton play
and sit very close to the stage, which would have
(25:06):
been incredible. So I would say that if I had
the opportunity, I would sit on a stage with Eric
Clapton and probably just sit and admire him for the
For the two hour jam session, it was.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Like, yeah, just dude, I'm right here if you if
you need a riff, I'll give you a riff. But
I'm just gonna sit and watch that is that's that
is a tremendous pull, and any jam session with Eric
Clapton would not be suboptimal. Go ahead, and if you would, sir,
for folks that wish to listen to anything and everything
going on, Columbus Crew with you and the cast of
(25:42):
thousands that makes it happen. Go ahead and cut the promo.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
For me, John, thanks so much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Inside the Crew airs Wednesday nights on iHeartRadio and you
can catch the podcast on Thursday, follow us on Twitter
and get the link instantly on Friday. On Thursday morning
on your ride to work, we'll have plenty of coverage
of the men's national team, including a couple of one
on one interviews with Sebastian Burhalter and Max Arsten. And
then look forward to this weekend against Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Looking forward to it as always, my friend. Thanks for
always dropping by, and like I said, you know where
the key is under the mat, you know where the
garage door opener is. If there's anything you ever want
to get off your chest, you know how to do it.
It's always great to see you and we'll catch up soon,
my friend.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
You're terrific, John, Thanks so much for having me. You
got it.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Chris Dorn and he knows anything and everything about everything
going on in Columbus, Crewe national team, guitars, I use football,
all of it. He's what we refer to as a stud.
Dorian is a stud without any question, and it's always
great to be able to circle back and catch up
with him and find out what's going on. I did
have those burning questions about the back, and I think
(26:47):
that it's something that to pay attention to morera and
travel coming back from AFCON, the Zawatski injury and the
progress therein is it just a knock or a ding
or is it something more substantial and finding out what
the layout is and trying to make sure that the
connection with the wessamabu Ali continues to grow. Darlington n
(27:10):
Agby continues to heal with a couple of weeks off,
and so that is what you're staring at in the
street fight that is the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer.
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