May 2, 2025 • 8 mins
Dax McCarty is a studio analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. With FC Cincinnati searching for a sixth straight win on Sunday against NYCFC, Dax joined us to talk about the orange and blue on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
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Instagram too: @MoEgger
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty on Molegger. Despite the weird preseason,
all the moving parts of preseason training, and the early
portion of the MLS schedule, FC Cincinnati sits atop the
Eastern Conference. They hit the road for a Sunday game
against New York City FC. That game is going to
be at three o'clock. You can watch it on Apple
(00:22):
TV's MLS Season Pass, where you.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Will also see Dax McCarty.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Dax McCarty has transitioned very nicely from the pitch to
the MLS Season Pass studio and kind enough to give
us a few minutes to talk about the Orange and Blue.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Dax, It's good to have you. Good afternoon. How are
you doing great metal, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I appreciate you doing this. I watched the clip from
This Is MLS where you were asked the question about
whether Kevin Danke and Evander make up the best one
to two punch in Major League Soccer.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I waited for your answer.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
You said yes, and then you articulated, and I want
you to do this our audience. What excites me about
this because I think the answer is probably yes. But
the fun thing is these guys are really just getting
started with each other.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, exactly, mo. I mean, the question was a difficult
one obviously. I think Major League Soccer has come leads
and bounds in terms of the great players that are
in this league, and not just great players scattered throughout
multiple different teams, but it's great players on.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
The same team. And I think that's something.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That MLS has really started to hone in on in
terms of different player profiles and different players that match
up well with each other. Kevin Denka and Evander there's
so much excitement around these two players for what they've
already been able to do individually. Six goals apiece already
on the season for both these guys. But the thing
I was talking about on this is MLS in terms
(01:49):
of the excitement level for me, is that they haven't
even started combining together in a way that I think
we'll see as they get more and.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
More used to each other and more and more in sync.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
And that was something that was exciting that I spoke
with Pat moon And fairly recently, and you know, he agreed.
He said that, yeah, these guys, they they haven't been
on the same page as much as we think they
can be in the future.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yet in the season.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And that's the beauty of what's going on in Cincinnati
right now, is that I think they're only scratching the
surface of their potential with this team. Before the season started,
you are always going to ask the question, how do
you replace luciol Acosta? And I don't want to diminish
what Lucio Acosta meant to Cincinnati as a city and
f C Cincinnati is a team because I thought he
was a fantastic player for a very very long time.
(02:34):
But when things don't work out, and then you can
go and you know, get money for Lucio Acosta and
replace him with, in my opinion, a better player, a
younger player, a player who's motivated to continue to play well.
FC Cincinnati knocked that one out of the park.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
With the Vanders.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, no question about that. A credit to Chris Albright.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You talked about your conversation with Pat Noonan, which I
watched that as well on Major League Journeymen, and you know,
Pat's had a lot of success here. I thought the
early part of the season for him was going to
be a challenge, and I mean he even acknowledge it
right preseason training. Some guys don't show up. There is
the fluid Lucho Acosta situation. There's late additions, there's multiple
(03:14):
competitions they're playing in, there's a ton of travel early
in the season, there's guys running off to go play
for their national team. And for this team to go
into the first weekend of May sitting atop the Eastern Conference,
it's a credit to a lot of things, man, But
for all the great things Pat Noonon has done here
in Cincinnati since he showed up, where he has this
team and what he has done this year to me
(03:35):
tops the list.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
It's incredibly impressive. Pat Noonan is a really impressive guy.
If you ever get a chance to sit and talk
with him, He's.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Very thoughtful, he's very methodical. He's very self aware.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
I think that's the one thing where I look at
in terms of what makes me most excited if I
were an FC Cincinnati fan, is that Pat Noonan is
very self aware.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
He's very acutely aware of what his blind.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Spots are and where his shortcomings are as a coach,
which is why he surrounded himself with such a great staff.
But also Pat Noonan, I think he's very secure in
who he is as a coach, and I love when
he talks about you know, he's not gonna go and
do things that make him uncomfortable.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
He's very comfortable.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
With what he asked of his players, what he asked
if his staff.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
And he's a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
He's very similar to Bruce Arena in a sense that
he sets his team up in a way and in
a formation, in a system that he can get the
best out of his best players.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
And that's where I really appreciate Pat Noonan. It's never
about him.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
He always makes it about the group and about the
greater good and about the team.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
And he's always deflecting credit.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I was trying to give him credit on Major Leaguejourneyman,
and he always kept deflecting credit to other places. I
think that's the sign of a really not just a
great coach, but a really humble leader. And I think
when you have a leader like that guiding the ship
in the right direction, you can deal with whatever it
is that's on your way, whether that's injuries, whether that's
contract dispute, whether that's losing guys from extended period of
(05:05):
time for whatever the reason is. I remember f C
Cincinnati is a club had to deal with numerous fires
in the offseason. It wasn't just Luto LaCosta, it was
Luca Orizono wanted a new contract. It was Kubo who
was unsettled. And the team just continues to navigate these
difficult situations where other teams may flounder and where they
(05:26):
may struggle.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
F C. Cincinnati just continues to roll with the punches
and get better and better. And they haven't even played
great this season.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
That's the beauty of what this team is all about, mo,
is that I don't even think they've played well for
ninety minutes yet. I think they've had really good stretches
of games, but they've won five consecutive games. I mean,
it's kind of hard to nitpick right now about the
team because of the success that they've had already this year.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I think if there's anything, and you know, they
did score three against Chicago, they scored twice against Kansas City.
I think, if anything, they've won matches while Pat Noonan
and a lot of us who just watch are trying
to figure out how do they get more going offensively?
So I'll throw that question at you, how can they
generate more goals?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I think to be completely honest, I think you
need I think you need Kubo fit and healthy, and
I think what that would then do is I think
Origiano is such a valuable player to this team, and
he's so versatile. He's almost a victim of being so
versatile and being so good that Pat Noonan thinks that
he can plug and play him kind of anywhere, and
(06:30):
so look, he's very dangerous. He can play in one
of those dual number ten roles, but I actually think
he needs to be back at wing back, and I
think that he can play on either side. I think
if you need to spell DeAndre Yedlin or Lucas Engel,
I think that you need to put Luca Origano a
little further back as a wing back so he can
isolate fullbacks one v one.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
That's the thing for me that I'm so impressed with
when it comes to Orizano.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
His one v one.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Ability, his ability to beat players off the dribble and
then make something happen from a wide position, I think
is so valuable. And you miss that that link up
with Kubo. Cubo, he's the He's the type of player
that I don't think anyone is going to be blown
away with any crazy statistics in terms of goal scoring
or in terms of pace. But he's such a clever
player with such a high soccer IQ.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
If you put a player like him around to Vander,
you let.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Them occupy spaces and try to find gaps and exploit
gaps in a back line. I think that not only
a Vander, but Kevin Dente as well will start to thrive.
I don't worry about this attack at all. I think
usually when it comes to attacking soccer, you know, it
takes a little bit of time when you have some
new pieces to gel. I don't worry about that at all.
(07:40):
I still think that they're getting players that healthy.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
And fit, and you have depth. You have Sergio Santos,
you have Fory Baird.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
You're gonna have plenty of options in rotations for Pat
now and to try to figure out what the best eleven.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Is in the team. But the depth is very exciting.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well said Dax. This has been a lot of fun
and I really appreciate you joining us. Enjoyed the weekend
and hopefully we can do it again.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Man, Thanks so much, Hey man, thanks for having me
mo anytime.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Look, I love talking that c Cincinnati. They're my pick
for MLS Cup champions and so I'll be following them
very acutely throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
All right, as you do, we'll have you back. Dax's
awesome stuff. Man, Thanks so much, Dax McCarty. MLS Season Pass,
Apple TV. That game is at three o'clock on Sunday.
Of course, you can listen to it on ESPN fifteen
thirty
This is ESPN fifteen thirty on Molegger. Despite the weird preseason,
all the moving parts of preseason training, and the early
portion of the MLS schedule, FC Cincinnati sits atop the
Eastern Conference. They hit the road for a Sunday game
against New York City FC. That game is going to
be at three o'clock. You can watch it on Apple
(00:22):
TV's MLS Season Pass, where you.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Will also see Dax McCarty.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Dax McCarty has transitioned very nicely from the pitch to
the MLS Season Pass studio and kind enough to give
us a few minutes to talk about the Orange and Blue.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Dax, It's good to have you. Good afternoon. How are
you doing great metal, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I appreciate you doing this. I watched the clip from
This Is MLS where you were asked the question about
whether Kevin Danke and Evander make up the best one
to two punch in Major League Soccer.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I waited for your answer.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
You said yes, and then you articulated, and I want
you to do this our audience. What excites me about
this because I think the answer is probably yes. But
the fun thing is these guys are really just getting
started with each other.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, exactly, mo. I mean, the question was a difficult
one obviously. I think Major League Soccer has come leads
and bounds in terms of the great players that are
in this league, and not just great players scattered throughout
multiple different teams, but it's great players on.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
The same team. And I think that's something.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
That MLS has really started to hone in on in
terms of different player profiles and different players that match
up well with each other. Kevin Denka and Evander there's
so much excitement around these two players for what they've
already been able to do individually. Six goals apiece already
on the season for both these guys. But the thing
I was talking about on this is MLS in terms
(01:49):
of the excitement level for me, is that they haven't
even started combining together in a way that I think
we'll see as they get more and.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
More used to each other and more and more in sync.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
And that was something that was exciting that I spoke
with Pat moon And fairly recently, and you know, he agreed.
He said that, yeah, these guys, they they haven't been
on the same page as much as we think they
can be in the future.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yet in the season.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And that's the beauty of what's going on in Cincinnati
right now, is that I think they're only scratching the
surface of their potential with this team. Before the season started,
you are always going to ask the question, how do
you replace luciol Acosta? And I don't want to diminish
what Lucio Acosta meant to Cincinnati as a city and
f C Cincinnati is a team because I thought he
was a fantastic player for a very very long time.
(02:34):
But when things don't work out, and then you can
go and you know, get money for Lucio Acosta and
replace him with, in my opinion, a better player, a
younger player, a player who's motivated to continue to play well.
FC Cincinnati knocked that one out of the park.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
With the Vanders.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, no question about that. A credit to Chris Albright.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You talked about your conversation with Pat Noonan, which I
watched that as well on Major League Journeymen, and you know,
Pat's had a lot of success here. I thought the
early part of the season for him was going to
be a challenge, and I mean he even acknowledge it
right preseason training. Some guys don't show up. There is
the fluid Lucho Acosta situation. There's late additions, there's multiple
(03:14):
competitions they're playing in, there's a ton of travel early
in the season, there's guys running off to go play
for their national team. And for this team to go
into the first weekend of May sitting atop the Eastern Conference,
it's a credit to a lot of things, man, But
for all the great things Pat Noonon has done here
in Cincinnati since he showed up, where he has this
team and what he has done this year to me
(03:35):
tops the list.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
It's incredibly impressive. Pat Noonan is a really impressive guy.
If you ever get a chance to sit and talk
with him, He's.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Very thoughtful, he's very methodical. He's very self aware.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
I think that's the one thing where I look at
in terms of what makes me most excited if I
were an FC Cincinnati fan, is that Pat Noonan is
very self aware.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
He's very acutely aware of what his blind.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Spots are and where his shortcomings are as a coach,
which is why he surrounded himself with such a great staff.
But also Pat Noonan, I think he's very secure in
who he is as a coach, and I love when
he talks about you know, he's not gonna go and
do things that make him uncomfortable.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
He's very comfortable.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
With what he asked of his players, what he asked
if his staff.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
And he's a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
He's very similar to Bruce Arena in a sense that
he sets his team up in a way and in
a formation, in a system that he can get the
best out of his best players.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
And that's where I really appreciate Pat Noonan. It's never
about him.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
He always makes it about the group and about the
greater good and about the team.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
And he's always deflecting credit.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I was trying to give him credit on Major Leaguejourneyman,
and he always kept deflecting credit to other places. I
think that's the sign of a really not just a
great coach, but a really humble leader. And I think
when you have a leader like that guiding the ship
in the right direction, you can deal with whatever it
is that's on your way, whether that's injuries, whether that's
contract dispute, whether that's losing guys from extended period of
(05:05):
time for whatever the reason is. I remember f C
Cincinnati is a club had to deal with numerous fires
in the offseason. It wasn't just Luto LaCosta, it was
Luca Orizono wanted a new contract. It was Kubo who
was unsettled. And the team just continues to navigate these
difficult situations where other teams may flounder and where they
(05:26):
may struggle.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
F C. Cincinnati just continues to roll with the punches
and get better and better. And they haven't even played
great this season.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
That's the beauty of what this team is all about, mo,
is that I don't even think they've played well for
ninety minutes yet. I think they've had really good stretches
of games, but they've won five consecutive games. I mean,
it's kind of hard to nitpick right now about the
team because of the success that they've had already this year.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I think if there's anything, and you know, they
did score three against Chicago, they scored twice against Kansas City.
I think, if anything, they've won matches while Pat Noonan
and a lot of us who just watch are trying
to figure out how do they get more going offensively?
So I'll throw that question at you, how can they
generate more goals?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I think to be completely honest, I think you
need I think you need Kubo fit and healthy, and
I think what that would then do is I think
Origiano is such a valuable player to this team, and
he's so versatile. He's almost a victim of being so
versatile and being so good that Pat Noonan thinks that
he can plug and play him kind of anywhere, and
(06:30):
so look, he's very dangerous. He can play in one
of those dual number ten roles, but I actually think
he needs to be back at wing back, and I
think that he can play on either side. I think
if you need to spell DeAndre Yedlin or Lucas Engel,
I think that you need to put Luca Origano a
little further back as a wing back so he can
isolate fullbacks one v one.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
That's the thing for me that I'm so impressed with
when it comes to Orizano.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
His one v one.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Ability, his ability to beat players off the dribble and
then make something happen from a wide position, I think
is so valuable. And you miss that that link up
with Kubo. Cubo, he's the He's the type of player
that I don't think anyone is going to be blown
away with any crazy statistics in terms of goal scoring
or in terms of pace. But he's such a clever
player with such a high soccer IQ.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
If you put a player like him around to Vander,
you let.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Them occupy spaces and try to find gaps and exploit
gaps in a back line. I think that not only
a Vander, but Kevin Dente as well will start to thrive.
I don't worry about this attack at all. I think
usually when it comes to attacking soccer, you know, it
takes a little bit of time when you have some
new pieces to gel. I don't worry about that at all.
(07:40):
I still think that they're getting players that healthy.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
And fit, and you have depth. You have Sergio Santos,
you have Fory Baird.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
You're gonna have plenty of options in rotations for Pat
now and to try to figure out what the best eleven.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Is in the team. But the depth is very exciting.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well said Dax. This has been a lot of fun
and I really appreciate you joining us. Enjoyed the weekend
and hopefully we can do it again.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Man, Thanks so much, Hey man, thanks for having me
mo anytime.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Look, I love talking that c Cincinnati. They're my pick
for MLS Cup champions and so I'll be following them
very acutely throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
All right, as you do, we'll have you back. Dax's
awesome stuff. Man, Thanks so much, Dax McCarty. MLS Season Pass,
Apple TV. That game is at three o'clock on Sunday.
Of course, you can listen to it on ESPN fifteen
thirty
Mo Egger News
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