The MLS Cup Playoffs kick off tonight in Ft. Lauderdale as the 2025 postseason begins its best-of-three first round. Philadelphia enters as Supporters’ Shield winners and title favorites, while Messi and Inter Miami headline the chase for glory. Speaking of the GOAT — he’s staying put. Lionel Messi has officially signed a new deal through 2028, keeping his Miami story rolling right into the opening of Freedom Park.
We’ll also look ahead to Sunday’s El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, as Kylian Mbappé and Xabi Alonso’s side look to flip last year’s script. Plus: four Atlanta United academy standouts earn U.S. U-16 national team call-ups, and we’ll have live commentary on the ATLUTD U-18 and U-16 matches Saturday morning starting 10 a.m. ET on atlutd.com/live and the club’s social channels.
The postseason is here. The GOAT’s still driving headlines. And Atlanta’s next generation takes the spotlight.
We’ll also look ahead to Sunday’s El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, as Kylian Mbappé and Xabi Alonso’s side look to flip last year’s script. Plus: four Atlanta United academy standouts earn U.S. U-16 national team call-ups, and we’ll have live commentary on the ATLUTD U-18 and U-16 matches Saturday morning starting 10 a.m. ET on atlutd.com/live and the club’s social channels.
The postseason is here. The GOAT’s still driving headlines. And Atlanta’s next generation takes the spotlight.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
The game never stops, and neither do we.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to The Morning Espresso on the SDCH Network, brought
to you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premiere undergraduate learning experience
and soccer powerhouse. Hey everybody, Jason Longshore here, It's Friday,
October twenty fourth.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
We got a packed.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Weekend across every level of the game. The MLS Cup
Playoffs kickoff tonight in Fort Lauderdale, Lionel Messi staying in
South Florida through twenty twenty eight. El Classico returns to
the Santiago Bernabeo on Sunday. Big Boy is bringing the
World Cup party home to Decatur. Atlanta United's academy teams
(00:55):
are on the air tomorrow morning, and we'll wrap up
with stories from around.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
The world, including a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Of financial chaos in a couple different places.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
First off, just wanted to say a big thank you
to our presenting sponsor of The Morning Espresso, Oglethorpe University.
We had a great time yesterday at their career and
job fair on campus. Talked to a lot of great
stormy patrols, and it is very possible we have a
few more Stormy Petrels that will be getting.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Involved with the SDH Network.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Love the partnership that we're building with Oglethorpe, both on
the soccer side with the coaches John Aiken and Rob King,
who are two of the best around, and also on
the academic side, supporting some of the different initiatives on
campus for the Stormy Patrols and helping some of their
students get experience hands on in covering the game and
(01:50):
covering all the things around the game. We'll have more
to come as we get ready for a very busy
year in twenty twenty six with the support of Oglethorpe University.
Let's start in South Florida with the MLS Cup Playoffs.
They officially kick off tonight. It's a big one inner
Miami hosting Nashville SC to start the postseason under the
(02:12):
bright lights in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
This year's best of three first round.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's no aggregate scoring like we saw last year, no
away goals, just ninety minutes to win. If it's level,
it goes straight to penalties. First team to win two
games moves on. It's fast, it's tense, it's unpredictable, as
we saw last year. With Atlanta United knocking off inner
Miami playoff soccer is amazing, and look, I know it's
(02:38):
not traditional, and I know some people get bent out
of shape because of that. The MLS Cup playoffs are
outstanding in terms of drama, in terms of story, in
terms of the intensity of these matches. I love this
time of year in the league. I hate that Atlanta
United is not part of it this year because last
(02:58):
year's playoff run is something I will never ever forget.
So Miami they're looking for revenge after last year's playoff
run that got ended early by Atlanta. They are the
highest profile side in the league, no question, led by
Lionel Messi, who just re signed through twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
We'll get into that in a minute.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
He finished the season with twenty nine goals and nineteen assists.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's insane.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That's video game numbers, leading MLS in both categories. His
connection with Luis Suarez, with Jordi Alba, I mean, these guys,
Sergio Busquettes, these guys, it's telepathic. At this point, you're
trying to send Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquetz off into
retirement with a trophy. The Herons are going to open
(03:43):
their playoff run trying to do that and trying to
be a little more secure defensively. Nashville is not going
to be a pushover, though. Bj Callahan has helped them
find a new level. They won de Lamar Hunt Us
Open Cup earlier this month. They finished sixth in the East.
Haney Mooktar samsge a dynamic duo headlining the attack. Walker
(04:03):
Zimmermann still incredibly important in the back. This has been
a very good defensive team this year. They've got the experience.
They've beaten Miami before when Messi wasn't on the field.
Can they do it when the lights are their brightest.
We're going to find out starting tonight. Elsewhere in the East,
the Philadelphia Union, they're the top seed after claiming their
second Supporter shield. Bradley Carnell's first season in charge has
(04:26):
been remarkable. This is a team that didn't make the
playoffs last year. Philadelphia's pressing and tactical flexibility remain elite.
They've balanced out their attack well, even with losing Daniel Gazdag.
This is a good Philadelphia team. The question will be
do they have the guys that when you get into
these playoff games and they get a little bit tighter
and teams don't let you press them as much. Does
(04:48):
Philly have the players to grab the game and go
win it for you because it will come down to
some individuals at times. Do they have the guys who
can step up and do that? We'll find out. Missing
Quinn Sullivan is a big issue for Philadelphia in my opinion. Charlotte,
they're right into the playoffs after a record tying nine
game winning streak powered by wilfrid Zaha's pedigree. However, wilfrid
(05:12):
Zaha will miss Game one due to a needless needless
sending off on decision Day. Chicago Fire, they're back in
the postseason for the first time since twenty seventeen. They
got their winning the wild card game under Greg Burhalter
Philip Zinkernagle fifteen goals, fifteen assists, one of the best
players in the league this season. In the West, San
(05:33):
Diego made history as an expansion team. They the best
first season ever, top the conference behind Hoders Dryers nineteen
goals nineteen assists. Now the problem with San Diego is
Chucky Lozano is having issues with the club after being
substituted at halftime of a match a few weeks ago.
(05:55):
He was not part of the decision day squad. It's
it's really crazy that you're having this issue at this
time of the year, Like, why is this the case
when you're trying to win a trophy? Talked about it
on the Intersection last night on ninety two nine a game.
(06:16):
It's so selfish to get upset about being substituted at
this stage and make it all about you. We'll see
if Lozano can get that sorted out. Full credit to
mikey Veris for standing his ground and setting a standard.
Vancouver they're surging too. They've been great this year. Thomas
Mueller since coming over, seven goals and seven matches, Ryan
(06:36):
Gould returning to fitness. If Brian White can stay healthy,
Vancouver can go win it all. I think LAFC is
the favorite to go win it all after getting Son
hu Men from Tottenham Hotspur in August.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
They have been lights out.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Hey and Denny Bowyanga have combined for twenty five goals
across all competitions. They have been brilliant. I think they're
the favorites to go win it all. I think it
could very well be a LAFC Miami Final, which would
be unbelievable for everybody involved with Major League Soccer. That's
the way I'm seeing it right now. This is the
(07:12):
league full of all the stories, all this kind of attention,
with Sonny coming over, with Messi here with more great signings.
The numbers show the momentum for the league right now.
MLS reported an eleven point two million total attendance for
twenty twenty five. That's the second highest in history. Now
it's the first time you've had thirty teams with San
Diego joining, But still, I think the one that jumps
(07:35):
out to me is the twenty nine percent rise in
live viewership year over year. You get some of the
naysayers who talk about MLS not being on linear television,
Well they are. First off, they're on the Fox family
of networks. That's actually happening, and it's about the same
number of games as Fox has always had, So one,
the narrative isn't even true. Two, you're not on ESPN.
(07:59):
That is true, but you have a partner who is
invested in creating good content for you, and you're seeing
growth inside of that partner's ecosystem.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
With Apple TV. The numbers are backing that up.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
People will try to point out that, you know, oh, well,
you're averaging this number on a weekend. That means it's
only two hundred and fifty thousand people per game.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Well, look, we know that.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It's not two hundred and fifty thousand people spread across
each game. We know some games are going to draw
a million plus, and we know some games are going
to draw a small audience. Those games, the ones that
drew a small audience in the past, drew an even
smaller audience on a regional TV, on a local TV
(08:41):
because they weren't drawing a whole lot locally and they
weren't drawing anything else nationally. You're getting a larger audience
across the board. Twenty nine percent rise in live viewership
year over year is fact. That's what they're telling you.
That's what the numbers back up. Is it perfect? No,
of course, I wish you had major league soccer games
(09:03):
on a regular basis on broadcast television, with great presentation,
with great promotion, with great respect shown to the product. Well,
that hadn't happened before the Apple TV deal. Ever, not
on a regular basis you had too often partners not
showing you proper respect, and yeah, they put your game on,
but then immediately when you were off their air, they
(09:25):
trashed it. That hurt the league more than it helped
the league. The league needs to continue to grow. Don't
get me wrong, there are ways this league needs to
do some things to continue to grow. But this is
a different world than it was five years ago in
terms of what television looked like. The league needs to
reflect that. I think they need to continue to get younger.
(09:47):
They need to continue their growth on social with clips.
They need to to grow their audience with a younger
crowd that might not consume full games as much as
those of us in the past have and still do.
It's a new world. I think MLS is really trying
to be ahead of that curve. Maybe at times with
(10:08):
this kind of a move with Apple TV, they actually
went well out in front.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Of the curve. But here's the deal. I think you're.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Starting to see a lot of other leagues and a
lot of other properties try to catch up to that
because that's where it's going and we've known that. I
like that the league has taken a chance. I like
that they got some money in the bank on this
Apple deal. I like that they're producing good content with it.
I think it's getting there. They're still room to grow,
(10:39):
and I want to see how teams and the league
navigate that.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
But yeah, it's a good time for Major League Soccer
right now.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Five percent decrease in average attendance this season. Overall attendance
was up again with the addition of San Diego. Let's
see this continue to grow. This is one of the
most viewed leagues in the world with attendance in the stadiums.
This is a league that is growing its broadcast side,
(11:09):
and this is a league that now can count on
the goat staying here through twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Yeah, the news is official.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Lionel Messi is going to stay with Inter Miami through
the twenty twenty eight season, keeping him in MLS obviously
through the Summers World Cup, through the opening of Miami
Freedom Park, the team's long awaited new stadium.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
This is important, This is very important.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
In the club's video announcement, Messi sat at midfield in
the under construction venue signing the deal under the caption
He's home. He said, it makes me really happy to
stay here and to continue with this project that, besides
being a dream, has become a beautiful reality. Playing in
the stadium at Miami Freedom Park. By the time his
contract ends, he'll be forty one years old. It's pretty
(11:53):
fair to say that Miami will be his final club.
When his contract ends there, he will have played for
Miami longer than anybody else in his career except for Barcelona.
The influence is enormous. Attendant spikes everywhere he plays. It
still does record global viewership. He's bringing new eyeballs to
the league. I see highlights from all of my Argentine
(12:16):
connections that I follow for news. Anytime Messi does anything brilliant,
which is most every weekend. He has transformed MLS visibility
across the world. He's made it a cultural force in
many parts of the world. He's not slowing down either.
He's probably going to be the most valuable player this year.
(12:38):
He's producing at elite levels. He's still drawing defenders out
of position just with a side eye. Yeah, it's the
final chapter, but man, it's a long chapter, and he's
using a lot of bold print a game that he
knows very well, game that he's no longer participating in
El Classico.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
In Spain.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It returns on Sunday, Real Madrid hosting Barcelona at the
Santiago Barnabeo, Killian and Bappe. He leads La Liga right
now with goals scored. This is going to be fascinating
to see how he handles the pressure of this El
Classico because Barcelona won all of them last year, four
in all competitions combined sixteen to seven score. Can Shabi
(13:24):
Alonso help Killian and Bape get Real Madrid back to
where they want to be in this rivalry. Barsa have
injury issues, Robert Lewandowski is out, Arthena is out as well.
Hansei Flick will serve a touch line suspension after his
red card last week.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Silly red card for him.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That means Lamina Mal is going to carry the attacking
load and he's been talking and Madrid folks are not
happy about the things. Lamina Mal has said. He's becoming
a bit of a villain in El Classico. I don't
think Lamina mind I don't think he minds that too much.
I'm excited. Tibou courtois the Real Madrid goalkeeper. He summed
it up this week. We have to stop their firepower
(14:04):
while being Crisper upfront ourselves. This is a huge opportunity
for killing Ambape, a chance to cement himself in Madrid
lore and to make himself the key figure of this
rivalry right now in this era. Expect some fireworks on
Sunday eleven fifteen.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Kick. You can watch it as always.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Over at our favorite favorite soccer bar in the United States,
the best soccer bar in the United States, the Brewhouse Cafe.
You can grab it around the corner logger powered by
No Faux Brewing. Yeah, it's good times. That's going to
be a really really good match on Sunday. All right,
let's come back closer to home. The next generation of
(14:45):
Atlanta United talent takes the field tomorrow morning for Atlanta
United Academy players Fred Bond, Shay Fakiasi, David Olivobert and
Noi Santian. They have been called up to the US
U sixteen now team camp in Spain later this month.
Before they go, you can watch them tomorrow morning. Madison,
(15:06):
Cruz and I will be on the call for both
the U eighteen and U sixteen matches starting at ten
am on atlutd dot Com, slash Live and the club's
social channels and YouTube. These matches are always fun. I
love calling these games. High tempo, great technical quality, a
real look into the future of what Atlanta United can
(15:26):
look like. This club's academy, it continues to set the
bar in Major League Soccer. Let's stay closer to home
with some news yesterday you might have missed. Atlanta is
already turning up the volume for the World Cup, getting
some help from Decatur. Big Boy is going to headline
opening night of the Decatur watch Fest twenty six with
a free concert on the Decatur Square Thursday, June eleventh,
(15:48):
twenty twenty six, the very first day of the World Cup,
with the games kicking off at the Estadio Azteca and
in Mexico. Big Boy said, as an Atlanta and a
huge soccer fan, performing for Decatur Watchfest twe twenty six
to kick off our World Cup festivities is a great honor.
I've seen the energy of the World Cup creates, and
I'm excited to get the party started for music and
soccer fans in my backyard. It's the first in a
(16:11):
lineup of concerts and viewing parties that will run all
thirty four days of the tournament. The music side of
it is produced by Amplify My Community, who also put
on the Amplified Decatur Music Festival. You got eight World
Cup games set for the Benz. You got a Marta
station literally beneath the Decatur Square. Decatur's going to be
(16:31):
one of the city's major fan hubs with big screens,
live music, local food, nightly events, great pubs, great restaurants,
big boy opening Decatur Watchfest. Just feels perfect, doesn't it. Music, culture,
soccer all blending together and on the Marta line. So
it's just going to be so easy to get to
and to get back to wherever you're going. Really looking
(16:53):
forward to everything getting started next summer. All right, now,
the not so fun stuff in the morning espresso, Let's
go back across the pond.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
It's a cautionary tale.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
In English football, Sheffield Wednesday one of England's oldest clubs.
They have entered administration that brings a twelve point deduction
in the table in deep financial uncertainty. Administrators have stepped
in to stabilize the operations and find new ownership. Co
administrator John Wigfield, he's a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan. He
(17:22):
said supporters are the backbone of any football club. Every ticket,
pint and scarf sold now directly supports the day to
day running of this club. Fan protests over owner defon
Shen Siri have grown over months, amid unpaid wages and
ballooning debt. UK officials are now calling for tougher fit
and proper ownership rules, especially in light of this one
(17:45):
other scandals involving seven seven seven partners other potential ownership groups.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
It's got to get better here.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
I mean, there's reports that the league was going to
approve seven seven seven partners taking over Everton and now
we find out that it was all fraudulent. The good
news right now for Wednesday fans, fixtures will continue, new
investors will be sought. But for a club with this
kind of heritage, it's a sobering moment about what can
happen when financial mismanagement collides with fading oversight.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
This is a problem.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Hopefully it can now get resolved around the world. Let's
go to South America. Lega Diquito stunned Paul Metris last
night three nil in the altitude of Ecuador in Nicopa Libertadora,
semi final, first leg, a massive upset. Now you have
the Ecuadorian fans dreaming of a return to continental glory.
The final will be in Lima, Peru in November. Cannot
(18:43):
wait to see the second leg of these matches. Flamengo
with a narrow one nill lead, they got to take
to Argentina and try to defend rasing. Will be missing
our old friend Santiago Sosa due to injury. I believe
he has had surgery today with facial fractures after catching
a wayward elbow from his teammate Marcos Rojo. So rossing.
(19:03):
Will be missing one of their most important players. See
if they can overturn a one nail deficit, and Paul
Metis is going to have to come out all guns
blazing in the second leg in Brazil, trying to overturn
a three nil deficit against Lega Diquito. Let's stay in Brazil,
John Texter's boat the Fogo dealing with major financial unrest.
You've got issues right now that Globo is reporting on.
(19:25):
Players are in dispute with the club over unpaid Club
World Cup bonuses. They should be getting paid out now,
and the club is putting forth a plan of payment
rather than actual payment. They want to spread the payment
over twelve months rather than pay the bonus. That's an issue.
John Texter's group and the club both the Fogo still
(19:46):
owe Atlanta United for the transfer fee for Thiago Almada.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
That's sitting before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That's
an issue.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
John Texter was actually one of the people who was
linked with potentially buying Sheffield Wednesday. Don't think he's to
be able to pull that off these days. Let's go
to Japan Kyoto Senga. They continue an unlikely j League
title challenge. Big weekend for them. Four weeks left in
the JA League season.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
We'll see if.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Kyoto Senga can become the twelfth team to win the
JAY League in history. In Europe, Benfica has again been
named the world's most productive academy, with ninety three players
developed and playing professionally worldwide. River Plate is in third
in that conversation, and Argentina has the most clubs in
(20:35):
the top one hundred, with fifteen Argentine clubs that are
on this list of producing the most professionals worldwide. In
the women's game, Spain, Germany, France and Sweden will kick
off the UEFA Women's Nations League semi finals this weekend.
The US women's national team lost last night to Portugal
(20:55):
for the first time ever.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Rose Level scored in the first thirty seconds and in
the US didn't really look that good. Ema Hayes was frustrated.
We'll see how they look.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
In game number two of this window, but it's gotta
be better than this one was. It just felt like
the intensity dropped after they got the early goal. Other news,
Morocco's Hakeem Zayek, former Chelsea man, played a lot of places,
played really well in the last World Cup. He has
officially joined at White Ad Casablanca, returning home to play
in the Moroccan Pro League for the first time in
(21:26):
his career. It's one of these weekends where the game
truly is everywhere. You got the playoffs in South Florida.
You got Lionel Messi staying put. He'll be eating the
crazy Argentine pizza from that pizzeria in Miami. You got
Madrid and Barcelona ready to clash in El Classico. You
got Big Boy come into Decatur next summer to kick
(21:47):
off the World Cup party. And you got Atlanta United's
next generation kicking off another chapter in their story. On
the air tomorrow morning. Don't forget ten am. You'll be
able to watch the Atlanta n I d U eighteens first,
then the U sixteens. It's a doubleheader atlutd dot Com
slash Live. The game never stops, and obviously neither do we.
(22:09):
I'll be at Georgia State tonight as the women host
James Madison in the sun Belt home finale, trying to
book their spot in the sun Belt Conference tournament. Really
excited for that seven o'clock on ESPN Plus. Then the
Academy Games on Saturday morning, then the Georgia State Men
at home at the GSU Soccer Complex on Sunday at
(22:31):
six o'clock. I'll be on the call for that one
as well on ESPN Plus.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I'm Jason Longshore.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Thank you for listening to The Morning Espresso, brought to
you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and
soccer powerhouse. Catch every episode on Spreaker, on YouTube and
wherever you get your podcasts. Have a great weekend having
around the corner.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Logger.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
If you get the chance to go over to the
brew House Cafe and enjoy your soccer, will be back
on Monday to wrap it all up for you and
gets you ready for a new week.
The game never stops, and neither do we.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to The Morning Espresso on the SDCH Network, brought
to you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premiere undergraduate learning experience
and soccer powerhouse. Hey everybody, Jason Longshore here, It's Friday,
October twenty fourth.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
We got a packed.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Weekend across every level of the game. The MLS Cup
Playoffs kickoff tonight in Fort Lauderdale, Lionel Messi staying in
South Florida through twenty twenty eight. El Classico returns to
the Santiago Bernabeo on Sunday. Big Boy is bringing the
World Cup party home to Decatur. Atlanta United's academy teams
(00:55):
are on the air tomorrow morning, and we'll wrap up
with stories from around.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
The world, including a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Of financial chaos in a couple different places.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
First off, just wanted to say a big thank you
to our presenting sponsor of The Morning Espresso, Oglethorpe University.
We had a great time yesterday at their career and
job fair on campus. Talked to a lot of great
stormy patrols, and it is very possible we have a
few more Stormy Petrels that will be getting.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Involved with the SDH Network.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Love the partnership that we're building with Oglethorpe, both on
the soccer side with the coaches John Aiken and Rob King,
who are two of the best around, and also on
the academic side, supporting some of the different initiatives on
campus for the Stormy Patrols and helping some of their
students get experience hands on in covering the game and
(01:50):
covering all the things around the game. We'll have more
to come as we get ready for a very busy
year in twenty twenty six with the support of Oglethorpe University.
Let's start in South Florida with the MLS Cup Playoffs.
They officially kick off tonight. It's a big one inner
Miami hosting Nashville SC to start the postseason under the
(02:12):
bright lights in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
This year's best of three first round.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's no aggregate scoring like we saw last year, no
away goals, just ninety minutes to win. If it's level,
it goes straight to penalties. First team to win two
games moves on. It's fast, it's tense, it's unpredictable, as
we saw last year. With Atlanta United knocking off inner
Miami playoff soccer is amazing, and look, I know it's
(02:38):
not traditional, and I know some people get bent out
of shape because of that. The MLS Cup playoffs are
outstanding in terms of drama, in terms of story, in
terms of the intensity of these matches. I love this
time of year in the league. I hate that Atlanta
United is not part of it this year because last
(02:58):
year's playoff run is something I will never ever forget.
So Miami they're looking for revenge after last year's playoff
run that got ended early by Atlanta. They are the
highest profile side in the league, no question, led by
Lionel Messi, who just re signed through twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
We'll get into that in a minute.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
He finished the season with twenty nine goals and nineteen assists.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's insane.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That's video game numbers, leading MLS in both categories. His
connection with Luis Suarez, with Jordi Alba, I mean, these guys,
Sergio Busquettes, these guys, it's telepathic. At this point, you're
trying to send Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquetz off into
retirement with a trophy. The Herons are going to open
(03:43):
their playoff run trying to do that and trying to
be a little more secure defensively. Nashville is not going
to be a pushover, though. Bj Callahan has helped them
find a new level. They won de Lamar Hunt Us
Open Cup earlier this month. They finished sixth in the East.
Haney Mooktar samsge a dynamic duo headlining the attack. Walker
(04:03):
Zimmermann still incredibly important in the back. This has been
a very good defensive team this year. They've got the experience.
They've beaten Miami before when Messi wasn't on the field.
Can they do it when the lights are their brightest.
We're going to find out starting tonight. Elsewhere in the East,
the Philadelphia Union, they're the top seed after claiming their
second Supporter shield. Bradley Carnell's first season in charge has
(04:26):
been remarkable. This is a team that didn't make the
playoffs last year. Philadelphia's pressing and tactical flexibility remain elite.
They've balanced out their attack well, even with losing Daniel Gazdag.
This is a good Philadelphia team. The question will be
do they have the guys that when you get into
these playoff games and they get a little bit tighter
and teams don't let you press them as much. Does
(04:48):
Philly have the players to grab the game and go
win it for you because it will come down to
some individuals at times. Do they have the guys who
can step up and do that? We'll find out. Missing
Quinn Sullivan is a big issue for Philadelphia in my opinion. Charlotte,
they're right into the playoffs after a record tying nine
game winning streak powered by wilfrid Zaha's pedigree. However, wilfrid
(05:12):
Zaha will miss Game one due to a needless needless
sending off on decision Day. Chicago Fire, they're back in
the postseason for the first time since twenty seventeen. They
got their winning the wild card game under Greg Burhalter
Philip Zinkernagle fifteen goals, fifteen assists, one of the best
players in the league this season. In the West, San
(05:33):
Diego made history as an expansion team. They the best
first season ever, top the conference behind Hoders Dryers nineteen
goals nineteen assists. Now the problem with San Diego is
Chucky Lozano is having issues with the club after being
substituted at halftime of a match a few weeks ago.
(05:55):
He was not part of the decision day squad. It's
it's really crazy that you're having this issue at this
time of the year, Like, why is this the case
when you're trying to win a trophy? Talked about it
on the Intersection last night on ninety two nine a game.
(06:16):
It's so selfish to get upset about being substituted at
this stage and make it all about you. We'll see
if Lozano can get that sorted out. Full credit to
mikey Veris for standing his ground and setting a standard.
Vancouver they're surging too. They've been great this year. Thomas
Mueller since coming over, seven goals and seven matches, Ryan
(06:36):
Gould returning to fitness. If Brian White can stay healthy,
Vancouver can go win it all. I think LAFC is
the favorite to go win it all after getting Son
hu Men from Tottenham Hotspur in August.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
They have been lights out.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Hey and Denny Bowyanga have combined for twenty five goals
across all competitions. They have been brilliant. I think they're
the favorites to go win it all. I think it
could very well be a LAFC Miami Final, which would
be unbelievable for everybody involved with Major League Soccer. That's
the way I'm seeing it right now. This is the
(07:12):
league full of all the stories, all this kind of attention,
with Sonny coming over, with Messi here with more great signings.
The numbers show the momentum for the league right now.
MLS reported an eleven point two million total attendance for
twenty twenty five. That's the second highest in history. Now
it's the first time you've had thirty teams with San
Diego joining, But still, I think the one that jumps
(07:35):
out to me is the twenty nine percent rise in
live viewership year over year. You get some of the
naysayers who talk about MLS not being on linear television,
Well they are. First off, they're on the Fox family
of networks. That's actually happening, and it's about the same
number of games as Fox has always had, So one,
the narrative isn't even true. Two, you're not on ESPN.
(07:59):
That is true, but you have a partner who is
invested in creating good content for you, and you're seeing
growth inside of that partner's ecosystem.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
With Apple TV. The numbers are backing that up.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
People will try to point out that, you know, oh, well,
you're averaging this number on a weekend. That means it's
only two hundred and fifty thousand people per game.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Well, look, we know that.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It's not two hundred and fifty thousand people spread across
each game. We know some games are going to draw
a million plus, and we know some games are going
to draw a small audience. Those games, the ones that
drew a small audience in the past, drew an even
smaller audience on a regional TV, on a local TV
(08:41):
because they weren't drawing a whole lot locally and they
weren't drawing anything else nationally. You're getting a larger audience
across the board. Twenty nine percent rise in live viewership
year over year is fact. That's what they're telling you.
That's what the numbers back up. Is it perfect? No,
of course, I wish you had major league soccer games
(09:03):
on a regular basis on broadcast television, with great presentation,
with great promotion, with great respect shown to the product. Well,
that hadn't happened before the Apple TV deal. Ever, not
on a regular basis you had too often partners not
showing you proper respect, and yeah, they put your game on,
but then immediately when you were off their air, they
(09:25):
trashed it. That hurt the league more than it helped
the league. The league needs to continue to grow. Don't
get me wrong, there are ways this league needs to
do some things to continue to grow. But this is
a different world than it was five years ago in
terms of what television looked like. The league needs to
reflect that. I think they need to continue to get younger.
(09:47):
They need to continue their growth on social with clips.
They need to to grow their audience with a younger
crowd that might not consume full games as much as
those of us in the past have and still do.
It's a new world. I think MLS is really trying
to be ahead of that curve. Maybe at times with
(10:08):
this kind of a move with Apple TV, they actually
went well out in front.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Of the curve. But here's the deal. I think you're.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Starting to see a lot of other leagues and a
lot of other properties try to catch up to that
because that's where it's going and we've known that. I
like that the league has taken a chance. I like
that they got some money in the bank on this
Apple deal. I like that they're producing good content with it.
I think it's getting there. They're still room to grow,
(10:39):
and I want to see how teams and the league
navigate that.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
But yeah, it's a good time for Major League Soccer
right now.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Five percent decrease in average attendance this season. Overall attendance
was up again with the addition of San Diego. Let's
see this continue to grow. This is one of the
most viewed leagues in the world with attendance in the stadiums.
This is a league that is growing its broadcast side,
(11:09):
and this is a league that now can count on
the goat staying here through twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Yeah, the news is official.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Lionel Messi is going to stay with Inter Miami through
the twenty twenty eight season, keeping him in MLS obviously
through the Summers World Cup, through the opening of Miami
Freedom Park, the team's long awaited new stadium.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
This is important, This is very important.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
In the club's video announcement, Messi sat at midfield in
the under construction venue signing the deal under the caption
He's home. He said, it makes me really happy to
stay here and to continue with this project that, besides
being a dream, has become a beautiful reality. Playing in
the stadium at Miami Freedom Park. By the time his
contract ends, he'll be forty one years old. It's pretty
(11:53):
fair to say that Miami will be his final club.
When his contract ends there, he will have played for
Miami longer than anybody else in his career except for Barcelona.
The influence is enormous. Attendant spikes everywhere he plays. It
still does record global viewership. He's bringing new eyeballs to
the league. I see highlights from all of my Argentine
(12:16):
connections that I follow for news. Anytime Messi does anything brilliant,
which is most every weekend. He has transformed MLS visibility
across the world. He's made it a cultural force in
many parts of the world. He's not slowing down either.
He's probably going to be the most valuable player this year.
(12:38):
He's producing at elite levels. He's still drawing defenders out
of position just with a side eye. Yeah, it's the
final chapter, but man, it's a long chapter, and he's
using a lot of bold print a game that he
knows very well, game that he's no longer participating in
El Classico.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
In Spain.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It returns on Sunday, Real Madrid hosting Barcelona at the
Santiago Barnabeo, Killian and Bappe. He leads La Liga right
now with goals scored. This is going to be fascinating
to see how he handles the pressure of this El
Classico because Barcelona won all of them last year, four
in all competitions combined sixteen to seven score. Can Shabi
(13:24):
Alonso help Killian and Bape get Real Madrid back to
where they want to be in this rivalry. Barsa have
injury issues, Robert Lewandowski is out, Arthena is out as well.
Hansei Flick will serve a touch line suspension after his
red card last week.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Silly red card for him.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That means Lamina Mal is going to carry the attacking
load and he's been talking and Madrid folks are not
happy about the things. Lamina Mal has said. He's becoming
a bit of a villain in El Classico. I don't
think Lamina mind I don't think he minds that too much.
I'm excited. Tibou courtois the Real Madrid goalkeeper. He summed
it up this week. We have to stop their firepower
(14:04):
while being Crisper upfront ourselves. This is a huge opportunity
for killing Ambape, a chance to cement himself in Madrid
lore and to make himself the key figure of this
rivalry right now in this era. Expect some fireworks on
Sunday eleven fifteen.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Kick. You can watch it as always.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Over at our favorite favorite soccer bar in the United States,
the best soccer bar in the United States, the Brewhouse Cafe.
You can grab it around the corner logger powered by
No Faux Brewing. Yeah, it's good times. That's going to
be a really really good match on Sunday. All right,
let's come back closer to home. The next generation of
(14:45):
Atlanta United talent takes the field tomorrow morning for Atlanta
United Academy players Fred Bond, Shay Fakiasi, David Olivobert and
Noi Santian. They have been called up to the US
U sixteen now team camp in Spain later this month.
Before they go, you can watch them tomorrow morning. Madison,
(15:06):
Cruz and I will be on the call for both
the U eighteen and U sixteen matches starting at ten
am on atlutd dot Com, slash Live and the club's
social channels and YouTube. These matches are always fun. I
love calling these games. High tempo, great technical quality, a
real look into the future of what Atlanta United can
(15:26):
look like. This club's academy, it continues to set the
bar in Major League Soccer. Let's stay closer to home
with some news yesterday you might have missed. Atlanta is
already turning up the volume for the World Cup, getting
some help from Decatur. Big Boy is going to headline
opening night of the Decatur watch Fest twenty six with
a free concert on the Decatur Square Thursday, June eleventh,
(15:48):
twenty twenty six, the very first day of the World Cup,
with the games kicking off at the Estadio Azteca and
in Mexico. Big Boy said, as an Atlanta and a
huge soccer fan, performing for Decatur Watchfest twe twenty six
to kick off our World Cup festivities is a great honor.
I've seen the energy of the World Cup creates, and
I'm excited to get the party started for music and
soccer fans in my backyard. It's the first in a
(16:11):
lineup of concerts and viewing parties that will run all
thirty four days of the tournament. The music side of
it is produced by Amplify My Community, who also put
on the Amplified Decatur Music Festival. You got eight World
Cup games set for the Benz. You got a Marta
station literally beneath the Decatur Square. Decatur's going to be
(16:31):
one of the city's major fan hubs with big screens,
live music, local food, nightly events, great pubs, great restaurants,
big boy opening Decatur Watchfest. Just feels perfect, doesn't it. Music, culture,
soccer all blending together and on the Marta line. So
it's just going to be so easy to get to
and to get back to wherever you're going. Really looking
(16:53):
forward to everything getting started next summer. All right, now,
the not so fun stuff in the morning espresso, Let's
go back across the pond.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
It's a cautionary tale.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
In English football, Sheffield Wednesday one of England's oldest clubs.
They have entered administration that brings a twelve point deduction
in the table in deep financial uncertainty. Administrators have stepped
in to stabilize the operations and find new ownership. Co
administrator John Wigfield, he's a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan. He
(17:22):
said supporters are the backbone of any football club. Every ticket,
pint and scarf sold now directly supports the day to
day running of this club. Fan protests over owner defon
Shen Siri have grown over months, amid unpaid wages and
ballooning debt. UK officials are now calling for tougher fit
and proper ownership rules, especially in light of this one
(17:45):
other scandals involving seven seven seven partners other potential ownership groups.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
It's got to get better here.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
I mean, there's reports that the league was going to
approve seven seven seven partners taking over Everton and now
we find out that it was all fraudulent. The good
news right now for Wednesday fans, fixtures will continue, new
investors will be sought. But for a club with this
kind of heritage, it's a sobering moment about what can
happen when financial mismanagement collides with fading oversight.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
This is a problem.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Hopefully it can now get resolved around the world. Let's
go to South America. Lega Diquito stunned Paul Metris last
night three nil in the altitude of Ecuador in Nicopa Libertadora,
semi final, first leg, a massive upset. Now you have
the Ecuadorian fans dreaming of a return to continental glory.
The final will be in Lima, Peru in November. Cannot
(18:43):
wait to see the second leg of these matches. Flamengo
with a narrow one nill lead, they got to take
to Argentina and try to defend rasing. Will be missing
our old friend Santiago Sosa due to injury. I believe
he has had surgery today with facial fractures after catching
a wayward elbow from his teammate Marcos Rojo. So rossing.
(19:03):
Will be missing one of their most important players. See
if they can overturn a one nail deficit, and Paul
Metis is going to have to come out all guns
blazing in the second leg in Brazil, trying to overturn
a three nil deficit against Lega Diquito. Let's stay in Brazil,
John Texter's boat the Fogo dealing with major financial unrest.
You've got issues right now that Globo is reporting on.
(19:25):
Players are in dispute with the club over unpaid Club
World Cup bonuses. They should be getting paid out now,
and the club is putting forth a plan of payment
rather than actual payment. They want to spread the payment
over twelve months rather than pay the bonus. That's an issue.
John Texter's group and the club both the Fogo still
(19:46):
owe Atlanta United for the transfer fee for Thiago Almada.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
That's sitting before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That's
an issue.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
John Texter was actually one of the people who was
linked with potentially buying Sheffield Wednesday. Don't think he's to
be able to pull that off these days. Let's go
to Japan Kyoto Senga. They continue an unlikely j League
title challenge. Big weekend for them. Four weeks left in
the JA League season.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
We'll see if.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Kyoto Senga can become the twelfth team to win the
JAY League in history. In Europe, Benfica has again been
named the world's most productive academy, with ninety three players
developed and playing professionally worldwide. River Plate is in third
in that conversation, and Argentina has the most clubs in
(20:35):
the top one hundred, with fifteen Argentine clubs that are
on this list of producing the most professionals worldwide. In
the women's game, Spain, Germany, France and Sweden will kick
off the UEFA Women's Nations League semi finals this weekend.
The US women's national team lost last night to Portugal
(20:55):
for the first time ever.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Rose Level scored in the first thirty seconds and in
the US didn't really look that good. Ema Hayes was frustrated.
We'll see how they look.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
In game number two of this window, but it's gotta
be better than this one was. It just felt like
the intensity dropped after they got the early goal. Other news,
Morocco's Hakeem Zayek, former Chelsea man, played a lot of places,
played really well in the last World Cup. He has
officially joined at White Ad Casablanca, returning home to play
in the Moroccan Pro League for the first time in
(21:26):
his career. It's one of these weekends where the game
truly is everywhere. You got the playoffs in South Florida.
You got Lionel Messi staying put. He'll be eating the
crazy Argentine pizza from that pizzeria in Miami. You got
Madrid and Barcelona ready to clash in El Classico. You
got Big Boy come into Decatur next summer to kick
(21:47):
off the World Cup party. And you got Atlanta United's
next generation kicking off another chapter in their story. On
the air tomorrow morning. Don't forget ten am. You'll be
able to watch the Atlanta n I d U eighteens first,
then the U sixteens. It's a doubleheader atlutd dot Com
slash Live. The game never stops, and obviously neither do we.
(22:09):
I'll be at Georgia State tonight as the women host
James Madison in the sun Belt home finale, trying to
book their spot in the sun Belt Conference tournament. Really
excited for that seven o'clock on ESPN Plus. Then the
Academy Games on Saturday morning, then the Georgia State Men
at home at the GSU Soccer Complex on Sunday at
(22:31):
six o'clock. I'll be on the call for that one
as well on ESPN Plus.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I'm Jason Longshore.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Thank you for listening to The Morning Espresso, brought to
you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and
soccer powerhouse. Catch every episode on Spreaker, on YouTube and
wherever you get your podcasts. Have a great weekend having
around the corner.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Logger.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
If you get the chance to go over to the
brew House Cafe and enjoy your soccer, will be back
on Monday to wrap it all up for you and
gets you ready for a new week.
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