October 25, 2025 • 21 mins
Ross joins from his home studio to break down the western conference wildcard match with Portland and RSL, his weekend assignment in Vancouver, and the rest of the run this weekend...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you so much for your patience. I can't believe
the technical difficulty. I got a studio and what did
they say?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
All the gear? No idea is what they say.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Dude. I'm right there with you. I can definitely relate.
The studio, by the way, looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
That's some fancy stuff you got going on. I do
want to get your your intel and your input on
the match that you called and the match that you're
going to call, and then just some stuff in general
when it comes to because we had Lucas Panzica on
to start the show this morning to get some intel
on Nashville and Messian friends, but you were very, very
(00:35):
busy calling the West Coast the Western Conference wildcard game. Frankly,
I didn't know what to expect in this one. Which
version of RSL was going to show up, which version
of Portland was going to show up, And you got
the Portland version where Mora was on a heater and
justin glad forgot to Mark kamal Miller at the back post.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, John, I'm with you. I thought it was going
to be the other way. Pablo Master on his side,
they were riding a wave of momentum. That was the
message going to players is house money. We're playing with
house money, nothing to lose, Let's go for it. And
on the other side, it's funny two teams in a
wildcard situation where the messaging was completely different. Phil Nevill
(01:19):
was talking about this being a failure, a failure of
a season, the fact that they were again playing in
the wildcard, and you think back to it was almost
a year anniversary of Portland when they got thumped by
the Vancouver white Caps, and it was it was worryingly
bad last year and that was starting to trickle in
is it going to be a repeat, And I couldn't
quite believe it, to be honest with you, and I
(01:39):
think credit to Phil Nevill, the decisions he made, you
live and die by it for a manager, Diego Charra
turned back the clock, Felipe More as you mentioned, John
turned back the clock. He made those decisions. He chatted
to us in the build up. He said it's a
game for the tried and trusted man.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
They did.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
They pull it off and Charra, thirty nine years old,
turns four for next year. People starting to ask me
just with my past links with with with the timbers,
and the inside Tarra retiring. I said he has said
he wants to go till forty, which will be April
next year.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I don't see every I don't see an announcement coming.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
He's a guy that what he says, he means and
he wants to go to and by that performance RSL,
you know he can go another year.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I look at someone like that and when he says
I'm gonna do something, I want to play till you know,
I want to play till I'm forty five. I want
to play till I'm fifty. Am I gonna sit there
and stare at him and sit there and go no, no,
I'm not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah, yeah, it's something now. You know what John as well,
he knows he doesn't have the legs as well to
go off and transition, and he's got to be a
lot more clever.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I think it's the most clever we've ever seen Diego
ChIL Row.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
He just kept on parking himself in between the center backs,
which the center backs would enjoy, and he just saw
everything coming and then and then more of his two
goals were classic more. Twenty twenty one, he scored against
RSL and that was when Moore was you know that
year he scored in the final end MLS Cup Final,
one of the Timbers' greatest memories.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of in the history of the club. You know, More
gave him another night. He was sensational.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So then what does this say about RSL and their
season coming into the eight and nine and laying a
clunker on the road. How would you grape they did
even though it ended the way that it did.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I think it's it's tough given the fact that and
both teams had a similar storyline that their their front
line was was taken out, was traded away or moved
on from and then a new front line came in.
You know, Timbers had that in a way. Jonathan Rodriguez
has been injured obviously still with the club, a vander
losing him. Felipe Moore wasn't the same player without those
(03:44):
two guys. But it's the same with RSL.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I think we.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Almost forget that they had they had Gomez, they had Julio,
they had Chicho Arango.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
It was at San Jose.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Now there was a difference in twenty seven goals regular
season goals from last year with RSL this year. Now
they've tried to rectify it during the transfer window. All
Latunji came in scored two goals in decision day. It's
gonna take time, though, it's gonna take time. It wasn't
a quick fix. And Thiego Luna, I think he'd be
the first to put up his hand and say, you know,
(04:15):
the start of the season was much better for him
than the end of the season, and they couldn't quite
figure out. They tried different position with him. He played
on the right side of a number ten.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Wasn't quite there. Gonsalvez, you know he's.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Got a talent, but it didn't come out enough. And
so the attack is where the problem really laid for
RSL And you know, ultimately they didn't have enough, whereas
the Timbers they turned it on when they had to.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So then the Timbers now proceed as the eight. They
go down to the Murph Dragon to start their best
at three against San Diego. There was some there was
some talk, so I got that from Adrian Garcia Marquez
and it has stuck with me. So they go to
San Diego and there was a discussion. There was printed
word from Tom Bogert about Chuki Lozano and his engine
(05:02):
running a little too hot for the liking of everybody there.
I mean, you sit there and it's like, well, they
actually won without him when he was injured at the
beginning of the year. If they're not satisfied with his
response inside closed doors and you sit him or you
bring him in and don't give him full minutes, how
does San Diego respond. I mean, I'm looking at it like, yeah,
(05:22):
they might be okay if it comes to that desperate,
But when you look at the one eight out Westwood,
you staring.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
That, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I mean, the thing that they have done with Pellegrino,
I'm so impressed with it, bringing him in from San
Jose on loan for next next to nothing, and he's
gone any he's goes it three goals in two games.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You know, maybe he's on four.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
But they've scored eight goals as a team in the
last two games without two Qui Lozano. And it's interesting, John,
because this isn't the only hickup that's happened.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
And we're all wondering, well.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
You know, we're led to believe it is a heated
exchange between player and manager and the room. But think
of Milaniloski Milanalaski was banging in goals and then had
said the messaging to us was that he he wanted
to go back to Europe. He was back in Europe
more or less just to pack his bags and come
back to MLS and Philadelphia and here in Milanilaski.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, something went on there.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
The fact that and that's his home, Santiago, the fact that.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
He didn't stay there. I thought, I thought could be
the fall.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Could be why San Diego the most points total for
an expansion team come into MLS.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That may be why they.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Don't go and and lift the cup this year because
they're missing the nine.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Well now they're missing you know what do you call it?
Number seven?
Speaker 1 (06:41):
A number eleven on the wing potentially, but will publagreno't
do enough?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, you're missing in eighteen, I guess in chu Ki
Lozana with a seven and eleven, Milanalaski to me that
that was a head scratcher. They were saying it had
to do with, you know, money, They couldn't agree on
salary figures. He was crushing it at Orange County and
USL Championship. I thought it was a pick up at
the time, and then it's like, yeah, no, we're good.
And then he comes back and now he's in Philly,
and you know, guess where Philly is and who's helping
(07:07):
that offense. Okay, your matchup that you've got coming up
this weekend is yet another one and it's a chance
for FCD. So it's like you're working Vancouver in Dallas
and we've been talking about the game that's happening after you.
Now let's talk about your game that's happening now Dallas,
seven point thirty Eastern time on Sunday, BC Place. They're
(07:28):
opening up the upper tank at BC Place. I'm expecting
a hot crowd, a hot environment, and the seven seed Dallas.
I think it might be a long day for them
going up here. In game number one of this series.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah interesting, you know, they just took down Vancouver up
at BC Place. But you have to remember, for those
who didn't read the match report or they only saw
the score, you know, FC Dallas played a man up
for the majority of the match, with Laborda, the center
back for Vancouver, being sent off pretty early on, and
so you know, they did well to get the results
(08:04):
still because Vancouver went at them without a striker, without
a number nine. Thomas Muller moved into that position. But
you know, and as Muller does, he's still affected the
game all over. But you missed that extra player up front.
Now they're going to have.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To contend with it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
The big questions for me, John with Vancouver, who's it
going to be up front? Is Brian White going to
be back? We've heard that, you know, he's he's been
pounding the training room, he's been doing whatever he can
in the fitness room to get himself sorted. Tristan Blackman,
that's been an issue center back. Now they're depleted, yesper
Sorenson's side, But what Yesterer Sorenson has continued to do
(08:42):
despite guys being away on international duty, the spite guys
being injured, hadro Vite, they sold to down to Mexico,
down to Liga and Mekis, they still get results. And
that's the first loss that they've had under Thomas Muller.
So I just think it all went FC Dallas's way
and to your points, you know, I think Vancouver now
(09:03):
have that that that extra bit of uh you know,
bit between their teeth, the chip on the shoulder. Right,
we're gonna show show you you don't come into our house.
This place is going to be packed. We're gonna turn
you over. But on the other side, eric Quill, what
he's done since the midpoint of the season, since Luccho.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Acosta has gone out the door.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Who would have said that if you lose Lucho Acosta,
you're actually going to get better. And what he's done,
Eric Quill, he's brought the team together. And for me,
I don't know about you. There's so many fascinating coaching
stories across the league this year, probably one of the
best in terms of different styles, in terms of personalities.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Ericqile has his own unique.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Style and he he went away from what he believed
in how they the team should play to what they
are now, which is which is more direct, playing into
Petar Musa and and there the better for it. Eric
will put aside his ego and and.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
They're coming good. So they're riding a wave of team
spirit right now.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
FC Dallas similar to Pablomaster, Annie side House Money. You know,
that's a that's a tough opponent to go up against
when you have that unity.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Ross Man hanging out with us here on the morning
show from the the Palatial studio, cut the Palacial studio.
Nay Ross Smith. Uh, you mentioned Eric Quill and being
confident enough in yourself. I guess to go away from
who you are as a coach and change your your
DNA at least the team DNA to get success. How
(10:30):
often do we see that.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I don't necessarily see someone stepping away from who they
are and their absolute DNA and then saying, Okay, I
get it. Now let's do this, this and this mid
season to come up with the results that you get.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah, I'm with you, I'm I'm racking the brain just
real quickly for managers in the past who have who
have done it. Look at Wolf for Nanci, everybody's saying
with with his injuries this year, he's got to change
his style. Woll Fnanci's not going to change his style
which has brought him so much success and now it's
got him to this stage really without a striker.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
You know, managers are steadfast and what they believe in.
It got him to to where they are.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Other managers have have been shown the door because they
were too hardheaded about how they need to be. Lauren
Courtois couldn't figure things out in Montreal and couldn't get
the guys to buy into what he had to do.
So to that with Eric Quill what he's done and realized,
guys aren't buying in to what we're trying to do.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Let's change it up.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
And I really liked the line he said, I had
to jump over the fence to their side. You know,
not many managers want to do that. He did that
and I think got the respect from the players. There's
a great story of him chugging an adult beverage after
the game in Vancouver that he pulled out and he
threw back and all the guys cheered.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I asked him.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I asked him when chatted to him yesterday, and I
was there another one in the pocket of your hoodie
that you're going to have And he said, I'm not
one for champagne unless you lift the trophy, but there'll
be something else.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I'm all about celebrating, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
So he's won the guy over, and he won the
guys over when he desperately needed to because they still
had time to change their season anything.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I'm wondering if he's got a Muskoka or a Molson
tucked away.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I wanted to ask him that John. I came off
chatting with him, and I.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Thought, why didn't I ask him one of those I
love that you that you know?
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Oh well, full disclosure. I worked for a handful of
years at the Score when they did TV news, and
so I was their US correspondent whenever, however, anything happened
yet was it was me and Caroline Frolick and Martine
Geyer and Greg Sansoni and Tim and sid and and
(12:38):
then verk and all and Cabby. We were all in
the same place working.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Oh my god, Cabby. I've always wanted to meet Cabby.
I'm Canadian.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I'm from, yeah, the home of the gwelf storm. I
believe if I'm not.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
John amazing, I mean amazing, you know, and whenever, like
Jake Zivin is one of my closest buddies, and whenever,
and that Boarcher has worked with them. Remember those guys
reference a gwelph. I just love how they how it
just rolls off their tongue.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
I mean, I'm I'm a I I admitted I'm I'm
like a hockey guy and a soccer guy. So you
could you could bury me in the East Coast League
and I would be watching you know something there with
the you know the the Atlanta Glads and you know
something like you know the Alaska Steelheads with Scotty Gomez,
and I'd be a happy dude. Give me an obscure game. Look,
I look, where is it? Let me see if I
(13:27):
can find it. Okay, so that's my hockey. Where is it?
It's I think it's up in the upper corner, out
of the frame out here on this rack. I have
an Oshawa general's hat that I picked up when all
of the the furor about John Taveres being an underage
player draftee was going on. So I'm like, I've got
(13:50):
to go see this. I went to Oshauwa to go
see him as an oh and I've got that. I've
got the lid. I think that, Like I said, I
think it's out of the corner. So no, you get
into talk about the Quebec Major Junior, you get into
HL talk and we're talking London Nights and Gwelph storm. Dude,
I'm there. That's that's an easy thing for me. Now
(14:11):
that we've completely derailed the show on a Friday. Fuck
is Jesper Sorenson your vote for coach of the year
and if not, who is it?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
It was close. It was almost a flip of the coin.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Bradley Carnell and I've had the argument with others, you know,
with you know, Yespera Sorenson, Mikey Varies, Mikey Varis having
to build from scratch. I actually think it's I shouldn't
say excep. I've never been a manager, so I don't
know what's more difficult. But also going into a club
where the prior manager was so revered in love, like
(14:44):
Jim Curtin, to have to win the guys over and
change what they've been doing, you know, a diamond for
however many years, and and go into your own philosophy
and get guys to buy in where a club has
had so much success on the prior manager. Everything Bradley
Carnell has done. Given the backstory of Saint Louis, he
was shown the door and then uh, you know, it's
(15:06):
come back into Philadelphia's had to pick as ego up
off the floor, you know, I think Bradley conn there's
so many managers though, I mean we could talk about
bj Callahan as well being in there when winning US
Open Cup. But yes, Prisorrenston wasn't far behind my pick
for for Bradley Counne.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I just wanted to check because you could go a
bunch of different directions with it, and I didn't know
where your your sale was was when it came to
Lake Ontario and when you had the boat for water,
a couple of other things. And then we'll let you
go because I know you're a very very busy man.
The the Miami series uh with Messi and Friends in Nashville,
(15:42):
and it could be something where literally, if this goes
for three, you could be seeing the same guys for
four straight matches. It's like a it's a four game
series with the Nashville Sounds and you know, the Indianapolis.
It's just like it's crazy that it worked out that way.
But I think that if anybody can pick the law
on Messi and Friends, it's gonna be somebody like a
(16:03):
BJ Callahan staring at that back line, going yeah, I
can run at that. I'm good to go.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
BJ Callahan's you know, I live in Nashville and so
I'm able to get down and watch training. He's He's
been very inviting for me to go down and see
what he does and how he builds, and to your point,
if there's going to be a team, it's them, and
the fact that now Miami have turned them over a
couple of times, they're carrying that. And I listened to
Eddie teg Seth and his press conference yesterday and for me,
(16:30):
if if it went outside of goal scorers and assists
when you're talking about most valuable player, but I'd be
going for the Norwegian.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
They call him the Norwegian nuisance and for good for
good reason.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
He he John reminds me of Diego Chara when when
Charra you know, first came into the I mean Tara
for fifteen years, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
But teg Seth, he's just he's nasty. He's nasty, nips
at your ankles.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And the fact that Messi scored his first goal in
the last game and he went beyond tag Seth that
sit well with the Norwegian anyways. They've got the way
that bj Callahan builds from the back, but he's getting
the most out of the front as well. Sam Surge
twenty four goals, Honey mood Our sixteen goals. You know,
these guys want to attack this. Everybody wants to shot
at Miami Nashville have it. And I think what we're
(17:17):
seeing with these three potentially three game series, you know,
Nashville haven't played them turns into flour. Like you said,
you're seeing the what a manager is made of because
now it's a quick turnaround and tactically they can dive
a little deeper now, and they need to dive deeper
because it's not as though they're just seeing the team
and they won't see him again from another three four
months and things can change. You know, they're having to
turn things around quickly, adjust quickly, and I think you're
(17:39):
going to really.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
See the brilliance of bj Callahan over these next two
three years.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Right, last question for it, and it's it's the hometown
question here since we're based in Atlanta. I have to
ask your thoughts about the dismissal of Ronnie Daila and
the future when it comes to Atlanta United. It's going
to be a busy offseason on a bunch of different
fronts on the field and off you have player decisions
to make. It's going to be you know, basically, make
sure that your seat belt is fastened and that your
(18:03):
trade tables are in the full up right and locked positions.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Yeah, I mean John would be so interested with with you.
I mean, I can talk about anything and it'd be
really interesting to hear what you have to say with it.
But certainly with Atlanta, obviously I'm a bit arms length
at it all. But you know, from the times I've
covered Atlanta, there's obviously been a divide, a divide between
you know, is the talent real that is that has
(18:28):
come in and is the coach getting the most out
of them?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And so was it the right recruitment or is it
the coach? And you know the Garth Logerway, the Chris Henderson.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
They've won out right now, you know, they believe that
what they've brought in should be performing better. The one
thing the conversation with Ronnie Dyler that we always had
it came back to character and it sounded like something
was rotten in the club. We didn't know if it
was one particular player, if it was a group of players.
You can start to have a guess based on what
players they were starting to or had left the club
(19:00):
they were trying to force out.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
But I would say Rob Valentino.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
What what he got out of the guys as an
interim manager, was a lot more than what we saw
from MLS Cup winning Ronnie Dylas. So something was up,
something had to change, and Ronnie Diyler was the fall guy.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
All right, hit the promo for me. You and Tony
are very very busy, sir. What are you doing for
folks that haven't been listening to the first twenty minutes
of the segment.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
But am I doing this weekend with you?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
What are you calling, sir?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Oh? I meant to fill you in my time. I'm
jumping on.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I'm jumping on an Air Canada flight heading to the
Great White North, Vancouver to call game one of Vancouver
versus FC Dallas, a quick turnaround rematch of a team,
the Texas team that took Vancouver down, which not many teams.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
And then you're gonna go to Zeller's and get some
arrow bars and make sure that you're bringing home right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I love that you know all this, jo This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Yes, I mean, look last my time on King Street
brother in downtown Toronto. I know, I know it's entirely
too much to pay for steak and uh look give
me the seven eleven and the mountain dew that they
have in Canada is a little more high power than
what we get here in the state.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Wow, John, I gotta ask you this. I mean what
I'm doing tonight, I'm watching the Blue Jays. I'm getting
my girls wearing Blue Jays gear. We're going I'm going
to crack open all the bots.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Who I I that is?
Speaker 1 (20:24):
That is fascinating for me. Just anyways, thirty two years later,
like the Kidemy's coming.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
On one of the loudest environments I've ever been witnessed to,
whether it's Joe Carter, whether it's jose where Joey batts
and his home run against Texas When when Skydome's Look
since Rogers ain't paying me, I ain't saying it's Skydom
always will be sky a Skuydome is electric when you
get into those environments, and I love that environment up there.
(20:52):
I know that you're going up against the Doyerson. As
an Angels fan, I'm hoping that the rest of the
entire civilized United States is rooting for Toronto going up
against the Doyers. That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
I got to get you some Blue Jay swag to
put in that beautiful studio.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
That would be epic and I will trade you SDH
swag for Blue Jay or Gwelph storm swag or whatever
you want to get your hands on, some dagging them
in Redbridge, maybe something as always, my friend, you know
where the garage door opener is and the keys are
under the mat. You know you can crash it anytime,
my friend.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Good to see you, John, Great to see you.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Thanks for having me, Thanks for putting up with me
my technical difficulties too.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
It's all good. Go be safe flight and say hi
to Tony. We'll catch up with you.
Thank you so much for your patience. I can't believe
the technical difficulty. I got a studio and what did
they say?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
All the gear? No idea is what they say.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Dude. I'm right there with you. I can definitely relate.
The studio, by the way, looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
That's some fancy stuff you got going on. I do
want to get your your intel and your input on
the match that you called and the match that you're
going to call, and then just some stuff in general
when it comes to because we had Lucas Panzica on
to start the show this morning to get some intel
on Nashville and Messian friends, but you were very, very
(00:35):
busy calling the West Coast the Western Conference wildcard game. Frankly,
I didn't know what to expect in this one. Which
version of RSL was going to show up, which version
of Portland was going to show up, And you got
the Portland version where Mora was on a heater and
justin glad forgot to Mark kamal Miller at the back post.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, John, I'm with you. I thought it was going
to be the other way. Pablo Master on his side,
they were riding a wave of momentum. That was the
message going to players is house money. We're playing with
house money, nothing to lose, Let's go for it. And
on the other side, it's funny two teams in a
wildcard situation where the messaging was completely different. Phil Nevill
(01:19):
was talking about this being a failure, a failure of
a season, the fact that they were again playing in
the wildcard, and you think back to it was almost
a year anniversary of Portland when they got thumped by
the Vancouver white Caps, and it was it was worryingly
bad last year and that was starting to trickle in
is it going to be a repeat, And I couldn't
quite believe it, to be honest with you, and I
(01:39):
think credit to Phil Nevill, the decisions he made, you
live and die by it for a manager, Diego Charra
turned back the clock, Felipe More as you mentioned, John
turned back the clock. He made those decisions. He chatted
to us in the build up. He said it's a
game for the tried and trusted man.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
They did.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
They pull it off and Charra, thirty nine years old,
turns four for next year. People starting to ask me
just with my past links with with with the timbers,
and the inside Tarra retiring. I said he has said
he wants to go till forty, which will be April
next year.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I don't see every I don't see an announcement coming.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
He's a guy that what he says, he means and
he wants to go to and by that performance RSL,
you know he can go another year.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I look at someone like that and when he says
I'm gonna do something, I want to play till you know,
I want to play till I'm forty five. I want
to play till I'm fifty. Am I gonna sit there
and stare at him and sit there and go no, no,
I'm not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah, yeah, it's something now. You know what John as well,
he knows he doesn't have the legs as well to
go off and transition, and he's got to be a
lot more clever.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I think it's the most clever we've ever seen Diego
ChIL Row.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
He just kept on parking himself in between the center backs,
which the center backs would enjoy, and he just saw
everything coming and then and then more of his two
goals were classic more. Twenty twenty one, he scored against
RSL and that was when Moore was you know that
year he scored in the final end MLS Cup Final,
one of the Timbers' greatest memories.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of in the history of the club. You know, More
gave him another night. He was sensational.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So then what does this say about RSL and their
season coming into the eight and nine and laying a
clunker on the road. How would you grape they did
even though it ended the way that it did.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I think it's it's tough given the fact that and
both teams had a similar storyline that their their front
line was was taken out, was traded away or moved
on from and then a new front line came in.
You know, Timbers had that in a way. Jonathan Rodriguez
has been injured obviously still with the club, a vander
losing him. Felipe Moore wasn't the same player without those
(03:44):
two guys. But it's the same with RSL.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I think we.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Almost forget that they had they had Gomez, they had Julio,
they had Chicho Arango.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
It was at San Jose.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Now there was a difference in twenty seven goals regular
season goals from last year with RSL this year. Now
they've tried to rectify it during the transfer window. All
Latunji came in scored two goals in decision day. It's
gonna take time, though, it's gonna take time. It wasn't
a quick fix. And Thiego Luna, I think he'd be
the first to put up his hand and say, you know,
(04:15):
the start of the season was much better for him
than the end of the season, and they couldn't quite
figure out. They tried different position with him. He played
on the right side of a number ten.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Wasn't quite there. Gonsalvez, you know he's.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Got a talent, but it didn't come out enough. And
so the attack is where the problem really laid for
RSL And you know, ultimately they didn't have enough, whereas
the Timbers they turned it on when they had to.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So then the Timbers now proceed as the eight. They
go down to the Murph Dragon to start their best
at three against San Diego. There was some there was
some talk, so I got that from Adrian Garcia Marquez
and it has stuck with me. So they go to
San Diego and there was a discussion. There was printed
word from Tom Bogert about Chuki Lozano and his engine
(05:02):
running a little too hot for the liking of everybody there.
I mean, you sit there and it's like, well, they
actually won without him when he was injured at the
beginning of the year. If they're not satisfied with his
response inside closed doors and you sit him or you
bring him in and don't give him full minutes, how
does San Diego respond. I mean, I'm looking at it like, yeah,
(05:22):
they might be okay if it comes to that desperate,
But when you look at the one eight out Westwood,
you staring.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
That, yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I mean, the thing that they have done with Pellegrino,
I'm so impressed with it, bringing him in from San
Jose on loan for next next to nothing, and he's
gone any he's goes it three goals in two games.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You know, maybe he's on four.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
But they've scored eight goals as a team in the
last two games without two Qui Lozano. And it's interesting, John,
because this isn't the only hickup that's happened.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
And we're all wondering, well.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
You know, we're led to believe it is a heated
exchange between player and manager and the room. But think
of Milaniloski Milanalaski was banging in goals and then had
said the messaging to us was that he he wanted
to go back to Europe. He was back in Europe
more or less just to pack his bags and come
back to MLS and Philadelphia and here in Milanilaski.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, something went on there.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
The fact that and that's his home, Santiago, the fact that.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
He didn't stay there. I thought, I thought could be
the fall.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Could be why San Diego the most points total for
an expansion team come into MLS.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That may be why they.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Don't go and and lift the cup this year because
they're missing the nine.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Well now they're missing you know what do you call it?
Number seven?
Speaker 1 (06:41):
A number eleven on the wing potentially, but will publagreno't
do enough?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, you're missing in eighteen, I guess in chu Ki
Lozana with a seven and eleven, Milanalaski to me that
that was a head scratcher. They were saying it had
to do with, you know, money, They couldn't agree on
salary figures. He was crushing it at Orange County and
USL Championship. I thought it was a pick up at
the time, and then it's like, yeah, no, we're good.
And then he comes back and now he's in Philly,
and you know, guess where Philly is and who's helping
(07:07):
that offense. Okay, your matchup that you've got coming up
this weekend is yet another one and it's a chance
for FCD. So it's like you're working Vancouver in Dallas
and we've been talking about the game that's happening after you.
Now let's talk about your game that's happening now Dallas,
seven point thirty Eastern time on Sunday, BC Place. They're
(07:28):
opening up the upper tank at BC Place. I'm expecting
a hot crowd, a hot environment, and the seven seed Dallas.
I think it might be a long day for them
going up here. In game number one of this series.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah interesting, you know, they just took down Vancouver up
at BC Place. But you have to remember, for those
who didn't read the match report or they only saw
the score, you know, FC Dallas played a man up
for the majority of the match, with Laborda, the center
back for Vancouver, being sent off pretty early on, and
so you know, they did well to get the results
(08:04):
still because Vancouver went at them without a striker, without
a number nine. Thomas Muller moved into that position. But
you know, and as Muller does, he's still affected the
game all over. But you missed that extra player up front.
Now they're going to have.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To contend with it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
The big questions for me, John with Vancouver, who's it
going to be up front? Is Brian White going to
be back? We've heard that, you know, he's he's been
pounding the training room, he's been doing whatever he can
in the fitness room to get himself sorted. Tristan Blackman,
that's been an issue center back. Now they're depleted, yesper
Sorenson's side, But what Yesterer Sorenson has continued to do
(08:42):
despite guys being away on international duty, the spite guys
being injured, hadro Vite, they sold to down to Mexico,
down to Liga and Mekis, they still get results. And
that's the first loss that they've had under Thomas Muller.
So I just think it all went FC Dallas's way
and to your points, you know, I think Vancouver now
(09:03):
have that that that extra bit of uh you know,
bit between their teeth, the chip on the shoulder. Right,
we're gonna show show you you don't come into our house.
This place is going to be packed. We're gonna turn
you over. But on the other side, eric Quill, what
he's done since the midpoint of the season, since Luccho.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Acosta has gone out the door.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Who would have said that if you lose Lucho Acosta,
you're actually going to get better. And what he's done,
Eric Quill, he's brought the team together. And for me,
I don't know about you. There's so many fascinating coaching
stories across the league this year, probably one of the
best in terms of different styles, in terms of personalities.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Ericqile has his own unique.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Style and he he went away from what he believed
in how they the team should play to what they
are now, which is which is more direct, playing into
Petar Musa and and there the better for it. Eric
will put aside his ego and and.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
They're coming good. So they're riding a wave of team
spirit right now.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
FC Dallas similar to Pablomaster, Annie side House Money. You know,
that's a that's a tough opponent to go up against
when you have that unity.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Ross Man hanging out with us here on the morning
show from the the Palatial studio, cut the Palacial studio.
Nay Ross Smith. Uh, you mentioned Eric Quill and being
confident enough in yourself. I guess to go away from
who you are as a coach and change your your
DNA at least the team DNA to get success. How
(10:30):
often do we see that.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I don't necessarily see someone stepping away from who they
are and their absolute DNA and then saying, Okay, I
get it. Now let's do this, this and this mid
season to come up with the results that you get.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah, I'm with you, I'm I'm racking the brain just
real quickly for managers in the past who have who
have done it. Look at Wolf for Nanci, everybody's saying
with with his injuries this year, he's got to change
his style. Woll Fnanci's not going to change his style
which has brought him so much success and now it's
got him to this stage really without a striker.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
You know, managers are steadfast and what they believe in.
It got him to to where they are.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Other managers have have been shown the door because they
were too hardheaded about how they need to be. Lauren
Courtois couldn't figure things out in Montreal and couldn't get
the guys to buy into what he had to do.
So to that with Eric Quill what he's done and realized,
guys aren't buying in to what we're trying to do.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Let's change it up.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
And I really liked the line he said, I had
to jump over the fence to their side. You know,
not many managers want to do that. He did that
and I think got the respect from the players. There's
a great story of him chugging an adult beverage after
the game in Vancouver that he pulled out and he
threw back and all the guys cheered.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I asked him.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I asked him when chatted to him yesterday, and I
was there another one in the pocket of your hoodie
that you're going to have And he said, I'm not
one for champagne unless you lift the trophy, but there'll
be something else.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I'm all about celebrating, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
So he's won the guy over, and he won the
guys over when he desperately needed to because they still
had time to change their season anything.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I'm wondering if he's got a Muskoka or a Molson
tucked away.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I wanted to ask him that John. I came off
chatting with him, and I.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Thought, why didn't I ask him one of those I
love that you that you know?
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Oh well, full disclosure. I worked for a handful of
years at the Score when they did TV news, and
so I was their US correspondent whenever, however, anything happened
yet was it was me and Caroline Frolick and Martine
Geyer and Greg Sansoni and Tim and sid and and
(12:38):
then verk and all and Cabby. We were all in
the same place working.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Oh my god, Cabby. I've always wanted to meet Cabby.
I'm Canadian.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I'm from, yeah, the home of the gwelf storm. I
believe if I'm not.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
John amazing, I mean amazing, you know, and whenever, like
Jake Zivin is one of my closest buddies, and whenever,
and that Boarcher has worked with them. Remember those guys
reference a gwelph. I just love how they how it
just rolls off their tongue.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
I mean, I'm I'm a I I admitted I'm I'm
like a hockey guy and a soccer guy. So you
could you could bury me in the East Coast League
and I would be watching you know something there with
the you know the the Atlanta Glads and you know
something like you know the Alaska Steelheads with Scotty Gomez,
and I'd be a happy dude. Give me an obscure game. Look,
I look, where is it? Let me see if I
(13:27):
can find it. Okay, so that's my hockey. Where is it?
It's I think it's up in the upper corner, out
of the frame out here on this rack. I have
an Oshawa general's hat that I picked up when all
of the the furor about John Taveres being an underage
player draftee was going on. So I'm like, I've got
(13:50):
to go see this. I went to Oshauwa to go
see him as an oh and I've got that. I've
got the lid. I think that, Like I said, I
think it's out of the corner. So no, you get
into talk about the Quebec Major Junior, you get into
HL talk and we're talking London Nights and Gwelph storm. Dude,
I'm there. That's that's an easy thing for me. Now
(14:11):
that we've completely derailed the show on a Friday. Fuck
is Jesper Sorenson your vote for coach of the year
and if not, who is it?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
It was close. It was almost a flip of the coin.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Bradley Carnell and I've had the argument with others, you know,
with you know, Yespera Sorenson, Mikey Varies, Mikey Varis having
to build from scratch. I actually think it's I shouldn't
say excep. I've never been a manager, so I don't
know what's more difficult. But also going into a club
where the prior manager was so revered in love, like
(14:44):
Jim Curtin, to have to win the guys over and
change what they've been doing, you know, a diamond for
however many years, and and go into your own philosophy
and get guys to buy in where a club has
had so much success on the prior manager. Everything Bradley
Carnell has done. Given the backstory of Saint Louis, he
was shown the door and then uh, you know, it's
(15:06):
come back into Philadelphia's had to pick as ego up
off the floor, you know, I think Bradley conn there's
so many managers though, I mean we could talk about
bj Callahan as well being in there when winning US
Open Cup. But yes, Prisorrenston wasn't far behind my pick
for for Bradley Counne.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I just wanted to check because you could go a
bunch of different directions with it, and I didn't know
where your your sale was was when it came to
Lake Ontario and when you had the boat for water,
a couple of other things. And then we'll let you
go because I know you're a very very busy man.
The the Miami series uh with Messi and Friends in Nashville,
(15:42):
and it could be something where literally, if this goes
for three, you could be seeing the same guys for
four straight matches. It's like a it's a four game
series with the Nashville Sounds and you know, the Indianapolis.
It's just like it's crazy that it worked out that way.
But I think that if anybody can pick the law
on Messi and Friends, it's gonna be somebody like a
(16:03):
BJ Callahan staring at that back line, going yeah, I
can run at that. I'm good to go.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
BJ Callahan's you know, I live in Nashville and so
I'm able to get down and watch training. He's He's
been very inviting for me to go down and see
what he does and how he builds, and to your point,
if there's going to be a team, it's them, and
the fact that now Miami have turned them over a
couple of times, they're carrying that. And I listened to
Eddie teg Seth and his press conference yesterday and for me,
(16:30):
if if it went outside of goal scorers and assists
when you're talking about most valuable player, but I'd be
going for the Norwegian.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
They call him the Norwegian nuisance and for good for
good reason.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
He he John reminds me of Diego Chara when when
Charra you know, first came into the I mean Tara
for fifteen years, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
But teg Seth, he's just he's nasty. He's nasty, nips
at your ankles.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And the fact that Messi scored his first goal in
the last game and he went beyond tag Seth that
sit well with the Norwegian anyways. They've got the way
that bj Callahan builds from the back, but he's getting
the most out of the front as well. Sam Surge
twenty four goals, Honey mood Our sixteen goals. You know,
these guys want to attack this. Everybody wants to shot
at Miami Nashville have it. And I think what we're
(17:17):
seeing with these three potentially three game series, you know,
Nashville haven't played them turns into flour. Like you said,
you're seeing the what a manager is made of because
now it's a quick turnaround and tactically they can dive
a little deeper now, and they need to dive deeper
because it's not as though they're just seeing the team
and they won't see him again from another three four
months and things can change. You know, they're having to
turn things around quickly, adjust quickly, and I think you're
(17:39):
going to really.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
See the brilliance of bj Callahan over these next two
three years.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Right, last question for it, and it's it's the hometown
question here since we're based in Atlanta. I have to
ask your thoughts about the dismissal of Ronnie Daila and
the future when it comes to Atlanta United. It's going
to be a busy offseason on a bunch of different
fronts on the field and off you have player decisions
to make. It's going to be you know, basically, make
sure that your seat belt is fastened and that your
(18:03):
trade tables are in the full up right and locked positions.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Yeah, I mean John would be so interested with with you.
I mean, I can talk about anything and it'd be
really interesting to hear what you have to say with it.
But certainly with Atlanta, obviously I'm a bit arms length
at it all. But you know, from the times I've
covered Atlanta, there's obviously been a divide, a divide between
you know, is the talent real that is that has
(18:28):
come in and is the coach getting the most out
of them?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And so was it the right recruitment or is it
the coach? And you know the Garth Logerway, the Chris Henderson.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
They've won out right now, you know, they believe that
what they've brought in should be performing better. The one
thing the conversation with Ronnie Dyler that we always had
it came back to character and it sounded like something
was rotten in the club. We didn't know if it
was one particular player, if it was a group of players.
You can start to have a guess based on what
players they were starting to or had left the club
(19:00):
they were trying to force out.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
But I would say Rob Valentino.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
What what he got out of the guys as an
interim manager, was a lot more than what we saw
from MLS Cup winning Ronnie Dylas. So something was up,
something had to change, and Ronnie Diyler was the fall guy.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
All right, hit the promo for me. You and Tony
are very very busy, sir. What are you doing for
folks that haven't been listening to the first twenty minutes
of the segment.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
But am I doing this weekend with you?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
What are you calling, sir?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Oh? I meant to fill you in my time. I'm
jumping on.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I'm jumping on an Air Canada flight heading to the
Great White North, Vancouver to call game one of Vancouver
versus FC Dallas, a quick turnaround rematch of a team,
the Texas team that took Vancouver down, which not many teams.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
And then you're gonna go to Zeller's and get some
arrow bars and make sure that you're bringing home right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I love that you know all this, jo This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Yes, I mean, look last my time on King Street
brother in downtown Toronto. I know, I know it's entirely
too much to pay for steak and uh look give
me the seven eleven and the mountain dew that they
have in Canada is a little more high power than
what we get here in the state.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Wow, John, I gotta ask you this. I mean what
I'm doing tonight, I'm watching the Blue Jays. I'm getting
my girls wearing Blue Jays gear. We're going I'm going
to crack open all the bots.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Who I I that is?
Speaker 1 (20:24):
That is fascinating for me. Just anyways, thirty two years later,
like the Kidemy's coming.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
On one of the loudest environments I've ever been witnessed to,
whether it's Joe Carter, whether it's jose where Joey batts
and his home run against Texas When when Skydome's Look
since Rogers ain't paying me, I ain't saying it's Skydom
always will be sky a Skuydome is electric when you
get into those environments, and I love that environment up there.
(20:52):
I know that you're going up against the Doyerson. As
an Angels fan, I'm hoping that the rest of the
entire civilized United States is rooting for Toronto going up
against the Doyers. That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
I got to get you some Blue Jay swag to
put in that beautiful studio.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
That would be epic and I will trade you SDH
swag for Blue Jay or Gwelph storm swag or whatever
you want to get your hands on, some dagging them
in Redbridge, maybe something as always, my friend, you know
where the garage door opener is and the keys are
under the mat. You know you can crash it anytime,
my friend.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Good to see you, John, Great to see you.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Thanks for having me, Thanks for putting up with me
my technical difficulties too.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
It's all good. Go be safe flight and say hi
to Tony. We'll catch up with you.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.