Halford & Brough in the Morning - Jesper Sørensen Talks Whitecaps

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

In hour two, guest hosts Jamie Dodd and Dan Riccio are joined by former PGA golfer Richard Zokol. Dick talks Scottie Scheffler's dominance, if anyone can challenge him, the psychology of golf, and why Rory is struggling. Plus, the guys look ahead to the Tour Championship. Later, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Manager Jesper Sørensen joins the show. Jesper discusses Thomas Müller and his impact on the club. Plus, what are the Whitecaps looking to add before the transfer window ends? This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Welcome back to Albert and Brough here, Sports at 650, Jamie Dodd, Dan Riccio filling in on a big band Tuesday here on the show. Alperin and Brough is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Learn how a consumer proposal reduces your debt by up to 80% with no more interest. visit sands dash trustee.com. This hour is brought to you by jason.orgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. That's jason dot mortgage.

And we are coming to you live from the Kintech studio, Kintech footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. And guests on Sportsnet 650 call in on the hotline powered by Power West Industries. Don't get caught in the dark when it matters most. visit them at powerwest.ca. Today, they keep the lights on and now joining us on the hotline to look ahead to the tour championship coming up this weekend. Former PGA golfer Richard Zockel joins the show.

Richard, thanks for doing this today. How are you? I am well. Thank you. Thanks for inviting me. Good to be with you. Yeah, it's our pleasure. And man, I mean, it's just, it's the Scotty Shephler show.

It feels like it's Scotty Shephler's world and we're all just living in it right now. Another win on the weekend. I mean, what do you make of just this incredible? incredible run that Shephler's on right now. Yeah, Scotty does it again, winning the BMW championship this past week and his fifth win this year, his 18th PGA tour win, beating Robert McIntyre. You know, it's really fascinating to watch this guy, and it's very easy to start comparing Scottie to Tiger.

You know, Scotty overcomes a four-shot deficit going into the final round and wins by too and he's in the fact that he's doing it with such ease where everyone else is burning out their fuel in their tank Scotty's got a big tank it's full and he's doing it a lot easier so you know there's it's wonderful that we are watching a person on the PJ tour separate himself and be more Tiger-like but keep in mind there's a significant difference than Scotty and Tiger at this point. And if we allow Scotty to continue at this pace for another six, seven, eight years, then I think it's fair to start comparing him with Tiger.

But right now, it's a good story, and it's a great story, and how he's going about his business. It's just, it's wonderful for the PGA tour right now. Yeah, and at 29, he's still got a lot of years to maybe compete, continue this dominance. but, you know, it just, it felt so similar to Tiger moments that we saw where, you know, go into the final group on Sunday and the guy he's playing with just completely crumbles, and we saw it very early from McIntyre on Sunday, and he lost a four-shot lead by the fifth hole.

It's just, it's remarkable that Sheffler has that kind of presence, and it just, it almost felt inevitable right from the first T-box where McIntyre pushes it right and Sheffler's down the middle, you're like, all right, here we go. Four-shot lead doesn't feel that big for Scottie Sheffler right now. Well, yeah, that's exactly right. And keep in mind prior to the final round, you know, Bob McIntyre is a real gritty guy.

So he's not going to shy away from this, even though, but he is also one of those guys that tries to push harder. and sometimes you push harder and you push yourself over the edge and I don't think anyone was prepared to see Robert McIntyre not play well but it did get very interesting

at the end and it did give McIntyre life when Scotty made a cut miss those few short putts on 15, 16 and then he pulls off this remarkable and miraculous shot on 17 and pulls out the victory just to kind of put icing on the top of that cake. It was fun

to watch. That chip was like maybe the closest thing we've seen since the Tiger chipping at Augusta on 16. It was just like the slow inevitability of the ball getting into the hole. The buildup, the anticipation it was very similar and I

think that if you put that in a position to like Tiger did that shot, that remarkable shot, the Nike low right in the middle of the golf ball as it hung over the edge and gave a full second that seemed like an eternity before falling into the hole was just unbelievable to win the masters as well but but since there hasn't been anything to that degree of excitement this is the next level

it was pretty exciting it was it was remarkable when other people were also just kind of making a mess of that hole because it was so treacherous at the end so it was it was great TV. Who was that guy, like the dominant guy on tour, just the big presence on tour? I guess in the early 80s, it was probably Tom Watson, who had a really, really good stretch there through the early 80s? Sure, it was Tom Watson in the 70s and early 80s, then Greg Norman, and then Nick Faldo that ran through the 80s and into the 90s. So there were dominant, and you know, Greg Norman was a dominant player. I'm not sure how many, but he had, prior to Tiger, he had the record of the most consecutive weeks as the world number one. So, but also he had that if you recall, or you may

recall. Couldn't close in the majors. That's right. He had that, uh, that, I guess that bugaboo in his mind. It was obviously a mental glitch that in all those events that Ty, sorry, that Greg Norman was close to and he seemed to get beaten by. He should have, played that back nine, you know, where it was really no contest. So he brought, Greg Norman, I predominantly think that it was his ego that got in the way to disrupt him. But if he had a proper balanced mindset, he could have really won a lot more majors in his time and separate himself. But unfortunately, it didn't come to pass that way. So Richard, looking ahead to the Tour Championship this weekend, I mean, is it, is it a case of,

this is Scotty Shephler versus the field. I mean, I remember back in Tigers Hayday, that's how we kind of looked at a lot of big tournaments. And is that fair? And I mean, if it is, like, who are you taking? You taking Scotty or are you taking the field? Well, that's a good decision to make. And I think that, you know, he has earned that right to be compared on a regular basis.

So if you're a, you know, if you just take a look at the betting odds and what they're doing, and they will be in Scotty's favor. There's no question. He's proved it time and time again. And I think, you know, what really. falls in his strength category is his perspective. Scotty

Sheffler is an outlier in the fact that he doesn't he doesn't put, he doesn't identify his personal identity is not who he is when he wins tournaments like most other athletes like most other golfers. He forgets it and moves on

to the next event. Like if you recall, prior to the Open Championship, he was talking about how he gives it about 20 minutes and then he lets it go. That's a guy who does not have ego or an ego problem. And I think it serves him really well. It really helps him with an energy burn rate that's less so his tank is more full than anyone else.

And his ability to play and handle these situations better than others is his great strength. And it's been interesting to hear the candidness of some of these top players through the, year, the moment with Sheffler that you mentioned, and even Rory after the Masters, how he admitted to, you know, like, it's this big thing in my life, and I finally achieved it. And, you know, there's a natural almost letdown effect. And yet, you know, Rory, he's still been good through the end of the season. And he's still in the mix. And I think he's second in FedEx bonus money to this point. But it just doesn't feel like we've seen Rory at his best, really, since the Masters. Well, I think that, you know, we watch it. Let's compare these two.

guy. Scotty Shepler, Rory McElroy in 2025. The two best players without a doubt than anyone else on this planet. We watched Rory McElroy this past year deal with this psychological barrier that's been overpowering him for 14 years in not being able to win not only the Masters to get him to, you know, win the career grand slam, but another major. He hasn't won a major in four years. This is a mental block. Then he starts working with Bob Rotella. And we watched him go into the final round this year at the Masters with the lead. He double bogies the first hole. And then he starts hitting some remarkable shots. And after three holes, he's got the lead back. And then on the 13 hole, he hits this horrible shot into Rays Creek that you would think no one on the PG tour could do.

Then he hits remarkable shots on 15 and 17. And then on the final hole with the nine iron and in a sense, he dumps it in his bunker, in the bunker, doesn't get it up and down. And now we're into a playoff in which he then hits it to a foot away from the hole. So this roller coaster of emotion that Rory is still in, that Scotty Sheffler is not, tells me that, you know, in spite of the great talent that Rory McElroy is, he's still struggling psychologically. And we're watching him still struggle. but we do, when we watch Scotty Schaeffler,

we notice that he doesn't have the same struggle. You know, the other player that kind of feels snake bit and has the monkey on his back right now is Tommy Fleetwood. We've seen him have so many close calls. He's been in playoffs that he just hasn't been able to close. It's remarkable for a guy that's so often around the top of the leaderboard still does not have a PGA tour win. when you see Tommy Fleetwood and him not having a win next to his name on the PGA tour, what do you think?

I think absolutely psychological barrier that's holding them back to get across that line. We just look back to a month ago at the travelers where he was sitting in the middle of the 18th fairway facing Keegan Bradley. And all he's got to do is make par and he's going to win this golf term. He's got a pitching wedge in his hand, and he hits it way short left. So in that situation, he has a mental barrier, and he didn't get it up and down. You remember that pathetic putt that he made in attempt to get into the playoff. It was so, and he did it again this past week in Memphis at the FedEx St. Jude's, he had a two-shot lead deep into the back nine on Sunday.

But when it came down to the 17th hole, when it was time to close the deal, again, it struck him. So these are reoccurring a thought loop that is a mental barrier that he has to get true. He hasn't done it. And it's the same thing. Just because all these PGA tour players are such great players, it doesn't mean they aren't without their challenges. And the difference is psychological. And we're watching this snowball of Tommy Fleetwood. it's going to get bigger

before he's until he's able to get across that line and then alleviate this, that monkey on his back. Shaffler's the number one storyline, of course, going into the Tour Championship this weekend, Richard. But who are the other guys in the field that you're curious or excited to watch play in this event? Well, I think we have to, which is exciting, is to watch now because who's going to be

the other six players that are going to make up the captain's picks for the Ryder Cup. So the Wednesday after the tour championship. So these guys like Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, McNeely, Kagan Bradley, is he going to pick himself or is he going to just captain or do both? So these are the final questions that have come down to the decisions that's going to be made the following Wednesday. And there's going to be a lot to talk about who's going to be the next six picks for Kegan Bradley and set it up for the Ryder Cup in a couple of weeks down the rest.

road. I think it's also, you know, seeing Xander Schoffley miss out on the top 30 here. He's not going to compete in the Tour Championship. This guy won two majors last year. And it just goes to show how fleeting it can be, even for these Uber talented players. I mean, we've seen a lot of guys kind of go through this. Even Victor Havlin, obviously, I know he's bounced back a little bit, but it looked like he was going to be a guy competing for a lot of titles. And he's worked on swing changes and just hasn't been able to find that that top level again. It just, it really goes to show how fleeting it can be at the top of the game for these players. Absolutely.

Take a look at Colin Morikawa. Yeah. So he has played poorly ever since the players championship. And I don't know if you recall or not, but at the players championship, he had to defend himself when he said, when he ignored the media. and then the following week he said that nobody owes me anything and it caused quite the kerfogel and then he started and then he doubled down and said the same thing again and then it is like as if karma was in effect he has not played well and I think he's regretting perhaps saying

those things because he sounded like such an entitled person and it was such a poor perspective on his part but you're absolutely right the psychology aspect of performance is very fleeting. It can turn things around in a moment, but at the same time, it can put you in a downfall that you don't feel like you're ever going to be able to recover from.

Two Canadians in the field for the Tour Championship as well in Cory Connors and Nick Taylor this weekend, but I did want a parting thought on the CPKC Women's Open that's going this weekend out in Mississauga, Ontario and Brooke Henderson. She had a pretty good turnout

out last week at the major, but it, you know, speaking of fleeting, you know, we've seen Brooke at the top of her game, but it's been a struggle for her lately. It really has. I'm a little concerned because I think Brooke, who's got such a remarkable talent, I'm not sure if she's getting a lot of pressure from her team, which means, I mean to say her father, I think there's some real challenges with that. And I think she, as she gets a little older, you know, she doesn't like being in the spotlight and when it comes to, you know, playing major championships in Canada, the spotlight's right on her. So I'm, it's really concerning to me to see the past she's on in this past year, in particular. I think she's getting a little frustrated out there. And I think

there's some changes in order that need to be made if she's going to turn this thing around. Richard, really appreciate the time this morning. Thank you for doing this and enjoy the tour championship this weekend. Thanks, guys. Always a pleasure. That is Richard Zokel, former PGA golfer, joining us on the show here to chat a little Scotty Sheffler to her championship. And as he mentioned, this has big implications for who's going to be on the Ryder Cup teams as well coming up in September. It is Halford & Brough here, Sportsnet 650. You can send your text in 650, 650 to the Dunbar-Lumber text line. Just to give you an update on what's coming up on the show, in just about 10 minutes time, we're going to chat with Jesper Sorensen, Whitecaps manager.

Lots to get into with Yesper. So looking forward to that. We'll talk to Micah Awee, BC Lions linebacker at 8 o'clock as well. And then of course we'll do what we learned at 8.30. So send your what we learned submissions in now. We need some more of them so we can read them at 830. Again, 650, 6.50 is the Dunbar Lumber text line. Hashtag WW, what you've learned in the last 24 hours in sports.

To dip back into some of the conversations we were having earlier in the show when we were talking is Patrick Mahomes no longer the clear cut head and shoulders above everyone else number one quarterback in the league and I kind of threw out there and purposely I knew what I was doing here but I said you know I think this is the year that the chiefs aura crumbles and Jay texted in the chiefs have a similar mystique as the Pats this is the year they falter was said multiple times at the start of the Pats Super Bowl year and that was a theme for the late period and not even that late. I mean, when did it start? Probably like 2010 or something and how many Super

Bulls did they win after that? But every year, it was like, ah, the pads are done. They can't possibly do it again. There's not enough talent on the roster. Yeah, they have Brady and Belichick, but no, no, they're done. And then they go and they come back against the Falcons 28 to 3 in the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl or whatever, right? You go through all the list of Super Bowls they won in that time. So I get what Jay is saying. However, just because that team was able to pull a rabbit out of the hat time after time after time year after year after year with a substandard roster and find a way to be extremely competitive and even win the Super Bowl it doesn't mean it's going to keep happening with the Chiefs I will say there's a part of me that

and this is where I eventually got to with Brady after like oh no they'll be done they'll be done I was like okay I'll believe it when I see it yeah people are telling me they'll be done I'll believe it when I see it there was 10 years between their Super Bowl wins right like They were incredible for all those years. Yeah. But they did have a couple of Super Bowl losses, right, in 2011 and in 2007 as well. Of course. So, you know, it's against the Giants, you know, those pesky giants, the way they beat up on the Patriots.

But there was, it didn't feel like they were going to lose it. Like you knew that they were still among the best teams in the AFC, but they couldn't get over the hump for a while there, even with Brady and Belichick. And then they went another crazy run through the mid-2010. Well, I wonder maybe if that's the roadmap here for the chiefs as well as we draw the comparisons where they go the early success, winning three. And then did Brady have like the same? I know obviously Brady versus Manning was big in the AFC for a lot of years. But like the four best quarterbacks in the NFL are all in the AFC. That's not something Brady necessarily had to contend with through his tenure

with the Patriots. You look back and it was Ben Rothlisberger in Pittsburgh and it was Philip Rivers in San Diego and I'm trying to think. But you had Rogers out there in the NFC. Yeah, later. Breeze in the NFC. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah. So it wasn't all concentrated into the AFC as the way it is now. Yeah, that's true whereas now it's just ridiculous. Yeah. Like easily the four best quarterbacks are all in the AFC. Yeah. Who's number five?

You can have that debate. It's probably Matt Stafford, but the four best quarterbacks, we know who they are, Alan, Jackson, Burrow, and Mahomes all stand in the AFC. And it does feel like for, especially for Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, because Joe Burrow and the Bengals, it's just such a like what's going on with that team, right? So they could do it because Burroughs that good, but who knows. But it feels like for Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, if they don't, I mean, we're just having the sports psychology discussion with Richard Zokel there, right, in golf. and I wonder if this is already the case for these guys too but like if they don't if those teams if one of those teams loses to the chiefs again

in the playoffs this year that's got to be a nightmare to come back from psychologically because you can think of me like man they are vulnerable we're ascending we're playing such good football right now Lamar Jackson's at the peak of his powers Josh Allen's at the peak of his powers like if they can't get over the hump this year that's going to be devastating for that franchise

I think for those quarterbacks as well I mean it's crazy because we've kind of been saying that the last couple of years for the bills, right? Psychologically, if Josh Allen can't beat the chiefs in the playoffs, what's it going to do to them? And look what happened last year. Now they're close loss in the playoffs. I've been seeing stories like, are the bills the Maple Leafs of the

NFL? Wow. Shots fired. I mean, there's a little bit more playoff success there for the bills than there has been for the Maple Leafs. But, you know, I think Lamar Jackson is kind of more in that conversation where it's just like it hasn't happened for him in the playoffs.

No, it hasn't. It hasn't. it's you know that's one of those things where it's not necessarily on the team because the ravens are pretty stacked yeah you want to talk about stacked teams like ravens have it all yeah the ravens are a loaded roster all so uh there's there's less excuses for lamar jackson i'd say than there is for um joe burrow or even josh allen in this and and patrick mahomes yeah all right send your text in 650 650 what we learned coming up in an hour but as mentioned up next on the show white caps manager yes Sornson with a lot to get into.

That's next here on Halford & Brough Sportsnet 650. Welcome back to Halford and Brough, your Sportsnet 650. Welcome back to Halford and Brough here, Sportsnet 650, Jamie. Dan Riccio, Halford and Brough brought you by Sands and Associates. Learn how a consumer proposal could get you on the road to being debt-free in just two weeks. Visit sands-trustee.com. This hour of the show is brought to you by jason. Dot Mortgage. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you.

That's jason. Dot mortgage. We are, of course, coming to you live from the Kintech Studio. And 650-6-50 is the Dunbar Lumber Text Line. Metro Vancouver's trusted choice for contractors and rental warriors for over 50 years. Visit them at one of their three locations to serve you or online at Dumbar Lumber.com. Now joining us on the hotline powered by Power West Industries. He is the manager of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Yesper Sorensen. Yesper, thank you very much for doing this today.

How are you? I'm good things. Thank you. Thank you. So not the results. I know that you and your team wanted on Sunday at BC. place, but certainly the atmosphere, and with Thomas Mueller making his debut, it looked like a pretty special evening at BC place. What did you think of the whole experience and the

atmosphere and the fan support on display? No, it's great. It was great. And it has been, of course, there's been a great vibe around us since the rumors about Thomas and since it was announced that he was coming. And of course, everybody has anticipated this, this, this, moment for him to play for us and I think that fairly I think that players really responded very well especially the second half we played very

very well but unfortunately football is sometimes that you have to score on your own opportunities and you have to be able to keep the opponents away and they made a good strike

in the second half actually we have I think we had control over the game but it was what it was but it was a great atmosphere great support so it was a nice great evening. The moment that I think a lot of us will remember from that match more than any else

unfortunately is the goal that didn't count ultimately that was called back off off the foot of Thomas Muller. What was your reaction in the moment was as that transpired? Yeah I was just celebrating and then one of the assistant coach said it's off-sides

And I said, oh, and I looked out and I know that they check it. So I hoped still. I asked if it was close and I said it was very close. But of course, it was a magic moment, but yeah, but there was a party spoiler and he insisted, so it was okay. Might have just been Brian White's pinky finger that was offside. Yeah, it wasn't much, but it was okay. It was, you know, it's what it is. Yeah, those things happen.

But it is exciting to get Mueller in. And you see the quality on that play. You see the quality and just the runs he makes and how it opens up space in the offensive third of the field, the passes, the vision he's got. So we can already see what it's like. But to get him into training and really try to get him integrated a little bit more this week with his new teammates and into this system,

How big is this week of training for you to have a full week with Mueller available and getting ready for the next match? Yeah, it's, of course, nice now. We have some opportunities to really do something on a training pitch. So we have Mueller now maybe with a little less noise around him and a little bit more on the pitch. It's not that he hasn't been focused, but there's been a little bit. a lot of focus surrounding him, also when he's been on the training ground. So I think it's going to be great just work continuously forward. And, you know, it's not about being perfect Saturday.

It's about moving forward and get also too much into it, but also getting, you know, it's the last week of the transfer window. Let's see how the roster looks when this week is over. So we need good training sessions where we can pick each time. other up and make sure that we can progress as a team. And I think for me, it's just nice that we have this time now. So we can hopefully build ourselves up towards a very good final part of the season. I hope that we can certainly. Well, as a tactical geek at times myself, I can only imagine how it is for you being able to think about the different options, the different

combos, the different looks you can provide in attack with Jaden Nelson informed Brian White's been informed. Sabi has looked really good. You add Mueller and Kenji Cabrera to this mix. It's got to be fun for you to figure out the different kinds of looks you can give to your opponents with all the options you

have available to you. Yeah, definitely. It's nice to have those opportunities we haven't really had a deep roster since we played in Mexico. since then it's been more or less depleted because of the Gold Cup

and because of players coming out and not many coming in. Now we have Kenji and Rulain which makes you know the death and especially at the front positions very good now and we also have Ali

came back so that was also a thing and now we have now we have to see if we can do something about the defensive part of the of the pitch so we can also maybe get more depth there now. So and then we'll be good. Then we'll be heading

towards the final parts of the season and hopefully we'll do very well there. You mentioned having Kenji Cabrera in the fold and he made his team debut last week in Hamilton, his MLS debut on the weekend as well. He's kind of flown under the radar a little bit of course with all of the

attention on Thomas Mueller, but you know, he was a significant addition as well when he was acquired by the team. What can you tell us about Kenji Cabrera and what he's going to bring to the white caps going forward? Yeah, for me, he looks to be a very talented player, very quick, you know, in picking up things. He's got a very good skill.

He's more of a passer than a dribbler, but still he can pass well. He has a good right foot, can finish with both feet and also with his head. I think that he's a versatile player who can play both on midfield and in the highest line. So I think he's a very interesting young player that we got in from Peru.

And I think, I hope that he will make, you know, that he'll start slowly getting into how we play and get into the team. And then I think he will be for the future, a very good player for the White Caps. in conversation with Jesper Sorensen, Whitecaps manager here on Halford and Brough Sportsnet 650. And I know you haven't had a ton of training time with Thomas Mueller yet. You'll get a lot more of that this week. And of course, you know, first and foremost, he's here with the white caps because of what he can do on the pitch during matches. But when you bring in a player with his resume and what he's accomplished in his career, it also has to be a pretty great opportunity just to have him around the team in training for other players to get a chance to train with him and see what he's all about. about what have you noticed?

What are your early impressions just of having Mueller around the team and the impact he can have in that way? Yeah, it is great. You know, it is great for everybody. It's great, you know, for me as a coach, having a player in also see how he works, see the example he sets,

and especially for his teammates, see how he's already always he's on he's always well prepared and he always goes full out on the pitch and that's very important to see that's what brought him the career he's had

so far and hopefully he will have many highlights coming and for everybody it's just now we all have to yeah to to also

So, you know, pick up Thomas's example and really be ready every day we are, of course. And I think this group has been great, but it's great to see a guy like Thomas also setting high demands for himself and also for his teammates. Not because he's unrealistic, but just all the time communicating how he wants things, you know, how we can help each other when we play instead of afterwards. talking about what we should have done. So I think he's great in that sense. And he's all committed to the team. He's all in. He wants to come here and see if we can win something here.

And that's why he's here. And that's a great part of it. What's your message been to the rest of the team about Thomas Mueller joining the squad? Because I can imagine if I was one of the other players on the team and all of a sudden this legend is out there on the pitch with me. Do you get a little, is there a temptation to kind of away from what's made you successful, maybe to defer to him a little bit.

Have you talked to your other players about, hey, just be us, stick to our identity. Now we just have Thomas Mueller, but that doesn't mean we have to defer all the time to him. No, that's definitely a thing. It's very important that it becomes natural. And also that Thomas is not one small island and then we have the rest of the group. It's very important that he's in the middle of the things because that's where, he can affect things most and I think that's been my message

and also that Thomas is a great guy of course you can have a little bit distance to begin with because you know it is it is a guy that you've seen and admired and you know grown up watch play but still now he's here and he wants to be he doesn't want to be outside the group

he wants to be a big part of the group so let's make it natural for him and for us that he's here he is a great team player That's what he is and what he's all about. And he just wants to, he knows that he won't accomplish anything alone. So it's just, we have to make it natural that he's here and, yeah, play along with him. And, of course, it's good that he has, he has the talent and quality that he has. And we also defer to that because we need to maximize what he can bring.

But it's also important. that it becomes natural for us to try to do it and not force things all the time. So it has to be natural to play the right past to Thomas and not just play the pastor Thomas when it's not right because he's Thomas. So that's the things. We just need to make sure that we play natural

and we play with the flow that we need. And I think we did that well in the second half. I think we had the flow in the game. We had the natural state of play. And I think with a little bit of fortune, we had scored the second goal and then I think we would have gone for the third but you never know

it's football where's Ryan Gald at in his recovery could we see him get on the pitch before the end of the season yeah I really hope so I hope so because first and foremost I hope so for Ryan it's been a tough season for him

we've been successful having had a good season but but he since he came to this club he's been you know really continuously driving the team

forward and and also adding the quality that has elevated the team so I think it's also you know

I really hope for him that he will make it back for this season I can't set a date but I am

optimistic I see him do more and more and hopefully he will get back and be part of the last part of the season. I really hope so.

And I also think so. With the transfer window closing later this week, you know, the loss of Veslinovich on defense certainly isn't optimal and Blackman had to come out at halftime with a bit of a knock as well.

Is there maybe plans to add on defense before the window closes? That's not maybe. There is plans. It's not only maybe plans, there's plans, but it has to be the right players, you know, for the right money. That's what MLS is also about the cap and stuff.

So we need, we don't want to do stupid things, you know, making a quick decision for something we really don't believe in. So, but we are looking and we try to do something and we also have some options, but we have to see if it falls in place. What are the traits you're looking for in a potential addition at centerback? to your squad. Yeah, you know, we are looking for someone who is not just

because we have rankal out, but a guy that also can, we believe, can help us going forward in the future. So that's what we are looking for. And I will not give any specifics because I think that it's, yeah, that will not be fair to anybody. But of course, we're looking for players in that position with the current state we have in the squad.

Well, Yes, for us. We're not looking for attackers right now. All right, fair enough. Yesper, we'll wait and see if anything does transpire before the transfer window closes on Thursday and enjoy training this week. We look forward to seeing you guys back out on the pitch on the weekend. Thanks very much for doing this. Thank you very much.

That is Jesper Sorensen, Whitecaps manager, weighing in on, as we said, you know, it's not, obviously, we focus a lot on Thomas Mueller in the course of that conversation, but there's a lot else going on with the white caps, especially with the transfer window. And it says sound like they are keen to add a centerback, keen to add.

And as he said, they're definitely not looking for attackers. I've seen also. Maybe there is definitely plans. There are plans. It's just a case if they come to fruition, they don't want to make a mistake just because they're dealing with injuries right now. They want to make sure it's a long-term fit as well.

Well, it's tough to integrate players into the squad this late in the season, but it just feels like they, you know, you've made the Mueller move. You've got to give yourself the opportunity to make the most of this season right now for the white cap. So getting a centerback to me is imperative for them to continue on this good ride, on this good run, and potentially have a chance at MLS Cup. They need to add on defense. Yes, for Sorensen doesn't back away from that.

There are plans. Thursday is the end of the window. We'll see if they're able to get anything across the line before then. But to me, it's apparent, you know, with not only Vesilinovich being out for the rest of the season, but Blackman also nursing a bit of a knock, you just need to add back there and get something, get some more bodies, get some more talent back there with, because Veslinovich is a big loss. Him and Blackman, really strong centerback pairing, but you lose that. And you're more prone to mistakes at the back, which is going to be a deciding factor when it comes to playoff time. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't matter how much flashy attacking talent you have up front. If you're leaking goals at the back end and your centerbacks are prone to the big gaff at the key moment, that's going to be really tough.

Look at how they beat into Miami early in the year in the Conca Calf Champions League. I mean, Miami couldn't defend worth a bleep. And the white caps absolutely took advantage of that. I think the other big thing that we spoke about with Sorensen there is the potential for Ryan Gould to return before the end of the season. What did you think of the answer there? Because you ask and he says, well, I hope so. Yeah. And it's, okay, that's good.

That makes me a little concern, though, because we're still not dealing with concrete timelines, with updates. It's a lot of hope. And credit to them for what they've been able to do in Ryan Gould's absence. But let's not forget, I mean, pre-Thomas Mueller, it was either Brian White or Ryan Gald for best player on the team, right? He is a massive, massive loss. They've been able to have a sensational season even despite him.

But boy, if you could get him back, get him fit, get him healthy and on the pitch for a regular basis before the playoffs. What a shot in the arm would that would be. But it just feels like it's been so long since we've heard any sort of concrete update on his status. It really is a mystery. Yeah. Because all season long, you know, it didn't feel like it was going to be a season long injury. And now it essentially has been.

And he did say he's optimistic that Ryan Gould will return before the end of the season. But that's not a concrete answer. and they've continued to live in a gray area as far as Ryan Gould's return to the squad. He's been training on his own, but, you know, he's been training for a while now without any timetable for a return to the field and to the field of play. And that, that to me is still concerning for Ryan Gould's potential inclusion into the squad through the end of the season. It's concerning, too.

And I don't want to, you know, harp too much on the words that Yesper is using there, right? It's 730. so I don't want to parse them too finally here. But, you know, there's still a long way to go in the season. You know, in their still 10 matches left. Their final regular season game isn't for two months, October 18th. And then, of course, you've got the MLS Cup playoffs after that as well. That's a long time.

Like a two month injury is a lengthy injury, let alone all the time that he was already missed. You would love for it to be, oh, he'll be back, right? We can't give me a definite timeline, but he will be back this season. the fact that it's still kind of hopeful when you have a minimum two-month timeline to get him back on the pitch is a little concerning for me. I'd love for there to be a timeline right now.

I'd feel a lot more confident about it. Look, the Whitecaps do have a lot of attacking options right now, but Ryan Galds, Brian White, Thomas Mueller, and one of Sabi, Jaden Nelson, Ali Ahmed, as you're attacking for. I mean that that sounds pretty good to me. That's pretty gnarly if you could if you could be able to get that together

if you can ever get those guys on the pitch healthy informed together Justin the copier guy says sounds like it might be a popliteous maybe they can talk to that your damn yeah maybe it was a similar thing right similarly where it's like we don't there's not a lot of like

intel on what exactly the injury is he's working out by himself you know he's skating by himself it's like is he going to rejoin the team well I don't know We'll see. We'll see where it goes. And we're most hopeful for Ryan as well that he can get back on the field.

650, 650 is the Dunbar Lumber text line. Great to chat with Yesper Sorensen. And as I said, they're really excited to see where this goes with Thomas Mueller after his debut over the weekend. We're going to chat with BC Lions linebacker Micah Away in about 10 minutes here at 8 o'clock to kick off the final hour of the show. But of course, we're also going to do what we learned at 830. send your texts in 650, 650 to the Dumbar Lumber text line. Hashtag WWL, what you've learned in the last 24 hours in sports. And as we dive back into the inbox and back into some of the conversations we were having earlier in the show as well, you know, we were talking about the Kansas City Chiefs.

Likely, it seems like, to take a big step back this year or at least a step back. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but they're also a Chiefs. they've got that aura, but it did kind of get me thinking, right? We're so close to the NFL regular season getting going here. We're talking, doing all the previews and which teams are going to improve, which teams are going to slide back. We're still a ways out from the NHL season here. But on the NHL side, you know, we always talk about the non-playoff teams that are going to jump up, right?

Can the Buffalo Sabres, young team kind of, I guess now, still finally take that jump and make the playoffs. Is this the year the Red Wings take the big leap? The Anaheim with Joel Quenville behind the bench. can they make the leap? Who are the teams that you think are like, oh, I'm worried. The playoff teams that could take the big step back or the big slide back on the NHL side of things.

Because we have the conversation about which teams could jump up and we're going to talk about, hey, can the Canucks make the playoffs? But by definition, someone's got to fall out if the Canucks are going to make the playoffs. Who are the teams you see in the NHL that you think, you know what? They could be due for a pretty significant step back in the standings this year. So the team that jumps off the page for me is the L.A. Kings. Sure.

I mean, it's hard not to look at them. It really is. And be like, yeah, I feel great about the L.A. Kings with Cody, C.C. Brian Dumolin and Joel Edmondson as their bottom three defensemen. I mean, that's going to be tough. So you already have an aging Drew Dowdy who at times look like. his age last year. Brant Clark, I know there's still hype around him, but hasn't really reached the potential they thought of him

as a top 10 draft pick from a few years ago. So I think the L.A. Kings are the one that immediately jump off the page. Other teams, like, I don't think, like, Winnipeg's not going to drop out of the playoffs. But a step back from the record, for sure. Yeah. They're not going to have another 110-plus point season. I think another team in that category is the Capitals. yeah right now is it all the way out of the playoffs i don't know but the capitals were very much

last year's vancouver canucks of the season before right and then we saw it now from 109 to out of the playoffs right so i'm not saying it's going to happen but you just think of like they finally got the record for ovechkin how how motivated is he going to be at this point in his career some of the incredible shooting numbers they got from a guy like alexi protis again there's some talent there i'm not saying they're going to come all the way out of the playoffs, but if we're just talking about raw points in the standings, the other team I'm really curious about in this regard, the Toronto Maple Leafs. And I know everyone says, oh, Marner, he's a bum. You can't get it done. Well, he got it done in the regular season. Addition by

subtraction. No, no way. Maybe once you get to the playoffs, but even then, probably not, but not in the regular season. Can Tavares have another year like he did last year at his age? Like, that's a reasonable concern as well. That's fair. I think Matthews has a better season. Sure. For them, the defense, can Christanav keep standing on the ice? It's 31-year-old Morgan Riley. 31-year-old Jake McCabe, 35-year-old Chris Tanov, 34-year-old OEL. That's a lot of concern for me on the back end for the lease. There's some veteran savvy on the back end for the Maple Leafs.

You're like the real estate agent. It's got great potential. It's like, that means it sucks right now. It's just a little dirty. It's still good. They're just a little old. They're still good. they're still good.

Veteran savvy on the back end. Veteran savvy. You know, they know how to play the angles. You know, they got a little bit of, they got the dark arts in their game. You know,

they know how to block shots and maybe get away with a few hooks and holds. I'd say, you know, I'm not sure about the Ottawa senators as well. If they're going to keep getting better or are they still in that mid-90s range, which is not a guarantee to make the playoffs.

St. Louis and Minnesota would be in that conversation as well as teams that were on the bubble last year. We know with teams on the bubble it's always fragile. Yeah, it is always fragile. And I know Minnesota they persevered through a lot of injuries last year and they do have some young talent that Judd Brackett and co have been building for a few years. So they should be okay. But, you know, the teams on the bubble are a lot easier to predict falling out. I'd say L.A. is the 100 plus point team that I feel the most strongly could fall out of the playoff picture. Micah always going to join us on the other side, BC Lions

linebacker just before we go to break a little bit of Canucks reporting from my regular co-host Thomas Drance at the Athletic who tweets hearing the Canucks have cooled off on pursuing late summer UFO Jack Roselvic. Club wants a full-time center upgrade and

doesn't see that player available in the UFA bargain bin. It's going to take a trade. That's from Thomas Trance and he says he has more in his notebook at the athletic, but the link is broken. So once I get that link fixed in the break, we'll see if we can get some more tidbits from Drance after we chat with Micah Aweigh. That's next here on Halford & Brough Sportsnet, 650.