April 25, 2025 • 7 mins
Former Portland Timbers Head Coach Giovanni Savarese is an analyst for MLS 360 on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass. He joined us to discuss FC Cincinnati on ESPN1530.
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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.
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Follow on X: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Block This CESPN fifteen thirty Moegger presented today by Hello
(00:03):
Garage Cincinnati. Upgrade your garage from the floor up with
Hello Garage at Cincinnati. Schedule a free estimate today at
Hello Garage dot com. James Rapine more on the draft
coming up at five oh five. FC Cincinnati is on
a roll right now, four consecutive wins. They have earned
a point in each of the last five matches, and
(00:24):
home tomorrow for the rare day game hosting Kansas City.
The match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. You've
heard me talk about how huge a fan I am
of MLS three sixty, which is the whip around show
on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, And if you watch
that show, either the English or Spanish version, you can
(00:45):
see and hear our next guest, Giovanni Savarici, is with
us talk a little. FC Cincinnati soccer geo. It's good
to have you. Good afternoon. How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Really good? It is great to be in your show,
Thank you for the invitation, and great to talk about Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Well, it's great to talk about him with you. It's
really fun from our perspective with this team playing as
well as they are.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Definitely. I think we have seen a fun team already
for a few years. I think, you know, since Pad
has arrived to the club and all the changes, the
team has become one of the best teams in MLS
every season. I know last year was a little difficult
(01:31):
with injuries and trying to keep the team together, but
I see the team coming back. I see the team
getting stronger, stronger defensively, attacking, and and it's been fun
to watch them this this season, especially with the vander
been uh you know, a new a new acquisition that
I think is going to bring a lot of good
things to the to the club.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and obviously terrific in the match last Saturday against Chicago,
two goals, booking it around the Kevin Denkeg you talked
about at noon and and you obviously have a unique
perspective relative to the job that Pat has had to
do this year, having been a coach in this league
for so long. You know FC Cincinnati's preseason, there were
a lot of moving parts with players coming and going,
(02:13):
and some guys who didn't show up to preseason training.
They were in the CONCACAFF Champions Cup, a lot of travel,
a lot of matches in a short amount of time,
players getting injured, players not coming back as soon as
they would have liked from injuries they suffered last year,
some guys having to take off to go play for
their national teams. And yet Pat and his staff did
(02:33):
more than just keep things afloat. This team is clearly
in the supporter shield hunt right now. We've talked about
this a lot here, but from your perspective, having been
in pat shoes before, what has it been like watching
him kind of navigate what he's had to work through
the first couple of months of the season.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I think he's done a phenomenal job because I know
the moment sometimes when you have a roster that is
no complete, that you have a lot of injuries, players
having arrived uh, and you have to try to manage
with what you have and stay competitive. And I think
Pattern has done a very good job to keep the
team always competitive no matter what with the injuries and UH.
(03:14):
And it feels good when when you see that now
those important pieces you start coming back, because you start
feeling now that you can put on the seal your
best version of your ideas and what you have instolen
the players. But you do need, you know, players as
well to be able to give you the best version.
And I think we're starting to see now with Cincinnati, uh,
(03:37):
you know, playing a little more free, playing a little
bit more confident, understanding exactly what pet Pad and the
staff wants from them. And it's been fun to watch.
And I think, you know, it's definitely showing early and
off at this time that it's going to be a
team that's going to compete to the top of the table.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, obviously tied for the most points right now in
the Eastern Conference and one behind Vancouver in the overall
point table. You look a little bit lower and you
see Kansas City, the team that have c Cincinnati plays tomorrow.
Where does f C Cincinnati have an advantage over them?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
First of all, these are the tricky, the tricky games,
these other games that usually, uh, you have to pay
a little bit more attention because it's very easy to
underestimate sometimes those teams that are in the bottom, and
especially this team that at the moment is trying to
uh survive and and and reinvent himself things. Uh. Peter
(04:42):
left the team, Uh, and the reality is that they look,
they look very last game, they put a very strong performance,
and I think the confidence is growing uh in in
uh In Kansas City. So I believe that this is
a very tricky game. This is a tricky again that
needs to be pay attention with the players playing at
(05:05):
the highest level and now as a team that is
on the first place, these are the games that you
have to win, that you have to show and make
a statement that as soon as you enter into the
game that you have to make sure that you don't
give any opportunities to the team that is in front
of you in order to make sure that you can
in some way, you know, manage the game at your favor.
(05:26):
But it's going to be definitely a very very difficult game.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, we call it a trap game. Right, they've been
on a roll, they're at home, they're playing a team
a little bit lower on the table than they are.
These are the sort of matches where you've got to
get three points from our perspective. Hopefully they do that tomorrow.
It's been great, have you, Gina, having you g I
appreciate the time.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Thanks so much, Always a pleasure. All the best.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Likewise, Giovanni Savarice, the former head coach the Portland Chimber
is now an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Of course, the match tomorrow can be heard on ESPN
fifteen thirty. All right, we pretty much are gonna go
wall to wall mostly draft. Between now and six o'clock,
we do have to chat with one of our experts
(06:14):
from Ortho Cincy. We had to move this back to today.
We usually do it on Wednesday or Thursday. We got
to talk about Tyler Stevenson. We got to talk about
Christian and Carnassi on strand. Reds are back in action
tonight take on the Colorado Rockies. Sports headlines a service
of Kelsey Chevrolet home of lifetime power train protection and
guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life,
(06:37):
kelseyschev dot Com. NFL Draft continues tonight seven o'clock coverage
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Bengals have the seventeenth pick forty
nine overall in round two and the seventeenth pick eighty
one overall in round three. Meanwhile, it is the Reds
and Rockies tonight Andrew Abbott and Kyle Freeland. Tonight's first
pitch at eight forty from Denver on seven hundred WLW.
(07:00):
Your starting lineup tonight for Cincinnati. Friedel McClain is dhing,
Dela Cruz at short, Hayesen left, Noel de Marte is
playing third base, Spencer Steer at first, Santiago Espinal's playing
second tonight, Wins is catching, and Blake done in right field.
I mentioned FC Cincinnati. They're playing at home tomorrow at
two against Kansas City. That match is on ESPN fifteen
(07:23):
thirty with pregame coverage beginning at two o'clock. By the way,
we had Shamar Stewart on the show earlier today. If
you missed it, it's up on the podcast page of
ESPN fifteen to thirty dot com, also on the iHeartRadio app.
James Rapine on our show yesterday correctly mocked Shamar Stewart
(07:43):
to the Bengals. What does he make of the decision
to take him with the seventeenth overall pick and what
does he expect the Bengals to do tonight. We'll get
to that with James coming up in just about twenty minutes.
Today's show is a service of
Block This CESPN fifteen thirty Moegger presented today by Hello
(00:03):
Garage Cincinnati. Upgrade your garage from the floor up with
Hello Garage at Cincinnati. Schedule a free estimate today at
Hello Garage dot com. James Rapine more on the draft
coming up at five oh five. FC Cincinnati is on
a roll right now, four consecutive wins. They have earned
a point in each of the last five matches, and
(00:24):
home tomorrow for the rare day game hosting Kansas City.
The match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. You've
heard me talk about how huge a fan I am
of MLS three sixty, which is the whip around show
on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, And if you watch
that show, either the English or Spanish version, you can
(00:45):
see and hear our next guest, Giovanni Savarici, is with
us talk a little. FC Cincinnati soccer geo. It's good
to have you. Good afternoon. How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Really good? It is great to be in your show,
Thank you for the invitation, and great to talk about Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Well, it's great to talk about him with you. It's
really fun from our perspective with this team playing as
well as they are.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Definitely. I think we have seen a fun team already
for a few years. I think, you know, since Pad
has arrived to the club and all the changes, the
team has become one of the best teams in MLS
every season. I know last year was a little difficult
(01:31):
with injuries and trying to keep the team together, but
I see the team coming back. I see the team
getting stronger, stronger defensively, attacking, and and it's been fun
to watch them this this season, especially with the vander
been uh you know, a new a new acquisition that
I think is going to bring a lot of good
things to the to the club.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and obviously terrific in the match last Saturday against Chicago,
two goals, booking it around the Kevin Denkeg you talked
about at noon and and you obviously have a unique
perspective relative to the job that Pat has had to
do this year, having been a coach in this league
for so long. You know FC Cincinnati's preseason, there were
a lot of moving parts with players coming and going,
(02:13):
and some guys who didn't show up to preseason training.
They were in the CONCACAFF Champions Cup, a lot of travel,
a lot of matches in a short amount of time,
players getting injured, players not coming back as soon as
they would have liked from injuries they suffered last year,
some guys having to take off to go play for
their national teams. And yet Pat and his staff did
(02:33):
more than just keep things afloat. This team is clearly
in the supporter shield hunt right now. We've talked about
this a lot here, but from your perspective, having been
in pat shoes before, what has it been like watching
him kind of navigate what he's had to work through
the first couple of months of the season.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I think he's done a phenomenal job because I know
the moment sometimes when you have a roster that is
no complete, that you have a lot of injuries, players
having arrived uh, and you have to try to manage
with what you have and stay competitive. And I think
Pattern has done a very good job to keep the
team always competitive no matter what with the injuries and UH.
(03:14):
And it feels good when when you see that now
those important pieces you start coming back, because you start
feeling now that you can put on the seal your
best version of your ideas and what you have instolen
the players. But you do need, you know, players as
well to be able to give you the best version.
And I think we're starting to see now with Cincinnati, uh,
(03:37):
you know, playing a little more free, playing a little
bit more confident, understanding exactly what pet Pad and the
staff wants from them. And it's been fun to watch.
And I think, you know, it's definitely showing early and
off at this time that it's going to be a
team that's going to compete to the top of the table.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, obviously tied for the most points right now in
the Eastern Conference and one behind Vancouver in the overall
point table. You look a little bit lower and you
see Kansas City, the team that have c Cincinnati plays tomorrow.
Where does f C Cincinnati have an advantage over them?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
First of all, these are the tricky, the tricky games,
these other games that usually, uh, you have to pay
a little bit more attention because it's very easy to
underestimate sometimes those teams that are in the bottom, and
especially this team that at the moment is trying to
uh survive and and and reinvent himself things. Uh. Peter
(04:42):
left the team, Uh, and the reality is that they look,
they look very last game, they put a very strong performance,
and I think the confidence is growing uh in in
uh In Kansas City. So I believe that this is
a very tricky game. This is a tricky again that
needs to be pay attention with the players playing at
(05:05):
the highest level and now as a team that is
on the first place, these are the games that you
have to win, that you have to show and make
a statement that as soon as you enter into the
game that you have to make sure that you don't
give any opportunities to the team that is in front
of you in order to make sure that you can
in some way, you know, manage the game at your favor.
(05:26):
But it's going to be definitely a very very difficult game.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, we call it a trap game. Right, they've been
on a roll, they're at home, they're playing a team
a little bit lower on the table than they are.
These are the sort of matches where you've got to
get three points from our perspective. Hopefully they do that tomorrow.
It's been great, have you, Gina, having you g I
appreciate the time.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Thanks so much, Always a pleasure. All the best.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Likewise, Giovanni Savarice, the former head coach the Portland Chimber
is now an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Of course, the match tomorrow can be heard on ESPN
fifteen thirty. All right, we pretty much are gonna go
wall to wall mostly draft. Between now and six o'clock,
we do have to chat with one of our experts
(06:14):
from Ortho Cincy. We had to move this back to today.
We usually do it on Wednesday or Thursday. We got
to talk about Tyler Stevenson. We got to talk about
Christian and Carnassi on strand. Reds are back in action
tonight take on the Colorado Rockies. Sports headlines a service
of Kelsey Chevrolet home of lifetime power train protection and
guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life,
(06:37):
kelseyschev dot Com. NFL Draft continues tonight seven o'clock coverage
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Bengals have the seventeenth pick forty
nine overall in round two and the seventeenth pick eighty
one overall in round three. Meanwhile, it is the Reds
and Rockies tonight Andrew Abbott and Kyle Freeland. Tonight's first
pitch at eight forty from Denver on seven hundred WLW.
(07:00):
Your starting lineup tonight for Cincinnati. Friedel McClain is dhing,
Dela Cruz at short, Hayesen left, Noel de Marte is
playing third base, Spencer Steer at first, Santiago Espinal's playing
second tonight, Wins is catching, and Blake done in right field.
I mentioned FC Cincinnati. They're playing at home tomorrow at
two against Kansas City. That match is on ESPN fifteen
(07:23):
thirty with pregame coverage beginning at two o'clock. By the way,
we had Shamar Stewart on the show earlier today. If
you missed it, it's up on the podcast page of
ESPN fifteen to thirty dot com, also on the iHeartRadio app.
James Rapine on our show yesterday correctly mocked Shamar Stewart
(07:43):
to the Bengals. What does he make of the decision
to take him with the seventeenth overall pick and what
does he expect the Bengals to do tonight. We'll get
to that with James coming up in just about twenty minutes.
Today's show is a service of
Mo Egger News
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