SoccerWise - MLS Soccerwise | USMNT Teenagers Shine, Nashville Clinches

Episode Date: September 21, 2026

The kids are making noise in MLS. Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Peyton Miller and the next wave of young American stars are making noise in MLS. Matt Doyle and Tom Bogert dig into what’s next for the USMNT’s teenagers, talk about Nashville clinching a playoff spot, the tightening place race and whether St. Louis has emerged as Vancouver’s biggest challenger out West.0:00 Intro1:42 Philly’s Stunning Comeback8:49 MLS’ Young Stars19:45 USMNT’s Next Generation31:21 Brad Stuver Keeps Austin Alive33:50 The Crowded Western Conference 41:16 Playoff Picture out East46:58 What’s Wrong with New York City FC?52:42 Nashville Clinches57:19 Questioning LAFC, San Jose and Miami1:08:51 St. Louis vs. Vancouver1:19:46 MLS Managers Five-a-SideFor the sharpest coverage of American soccer, we’ve got you covered:https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq

Greetings, folks, and welcome to Soccer Wise. You can tell that I am not David Goss. I am Matt Doyle in the big chair for this one. Joined by Tommy Scoops. Tom is back full-time, good to go after we're charging with a little bit of a vacation at the start of September. David is off atoning for a year's worth of sins. We wish him well. Good luck with that one.

And to everyone else who is observing. If you're listening on Sirius XM, thanks for joining us. We'll go about 45, 50 minutes. If we run long, go to your on-demand player or search anywhere you get your podcasts. Before we start, I'm going to plug my newsletter for the weekend. Tactics FreeZone took you around the entire league, starting with, it was nice to have some Viernesty football on Friday night with the Hudson River Derby. which you were at, Tom, that was not the greatest game, but Marisa Pocitino was there as well.

And you covered that in your weekend roundup. We're going to have a lot more to say about that one. But actually, like, I guess that kind of brings us to the best things we saw. And Tom is left. Goodbye, Tom. I will start then with the best thing I saw. was the crazy Philadelphia Union comeback in Kansas City against sporting KC? Welcome back, dude.

I'm taking this through the best thing I saw. Look, anytime a team comes back from 3-0 down and wins, not just draws, but actually wins, it's probably going to factor pretty high in the rundown for the Monday show. But what really made this one sing was the reaction of the cauldron behind. this sporting case goal after uh kevin zellivan scored the equalizer and the crowd like like i've had my issues with some of the directors that uh apple tv has but this guy nailed it because he was able to zoom in on like four or five different uh different kc fans throwing the double bird up and like that's piece de resistance right there like that was that was a moment of artistic license

that I truly, truly enjoyed. Gut punch for sporting Kansas City, but it's what we've come to expect from Philly at this point, Tom. Yeah, the fight and fills, of course, they have that mentality. They are relentless, good, bad, and indifferent, and obviously it's been a whole lot of good over the last couple of months.

I think I'm going to start on the Kansas City side because, you know, unfortunately, as is typical for them in 2026, it's not going to be super pretty for them over the next seven minutes. but let's start with something positive. Andre Louise, I think we're not hearing a whole lot about his price tag at the moment in a negative connotation. We're hearing it in, oh, that's what you can get if you spend that money. He scores twice in the opening 10 minutes, particularly the first one, both were really good goals, I think, but the first one, he picks a ball up at midfield on the touchline with, you know, not a whole lot going around him.

He runs down the wing, beats a player, beats another player, cuts in and fires one pass Andre Blake. That was one of the better goals that I've seen since the World Cup break, and that was just a moment of pure individual brilliance. So if that is indeed money well spent as it's looking, and he just kind of moves differently, Doyle, if that's not too simplistic to say, like, he's so clearly better than most of the players, all of the players on Kansas City. But when he gets the ball versus when somebody else does,

and that's not even just a shot at Kansas City, he looks to be a difference-making special player in this league. We have to couch it with the boring caveats of it's, it's been what a month of him playing since he debuted probably less actually so sometimes you have good games sometimes you have bad games it's early days but that's super encouraging they go up 3-0 after 16 minutes on philly and over the course of nine minutes in the second half philly score four goals to win four three i don't know if you've seen but do you have any idea what the xg for philly was in this game oh it was like 0.75 yeah it was less than a goal yeah it was not but that's a little like

that's why single game xg is of course bit wonky because one of the goals was a was a own goal and um you know i i i would question uh the number for the cabin solvin the equalizer but um but yeah this was not suddenly they were finding chance after chance after chance um for for you know one foot out tapins this was um this was this was smart kansas city crumbling in a way that that we've gotten used to seeing them crumble this year. But like you said, Andre Louise is a big silver lining so far.

The guys he was gliding past, Kai Wagner and Nathan Harriol have two of the best defenders in the week. And it was it was Lukach on his first goal, I believe, because Lukach followed him. And like he's a really good central mid. And like a super athletic ball winning all-action. He's not like a deep lying playmaker that if you strand him out

one-on-one that you're worried about. I'm like, that is an all-action type of player. And he breezed past him. So, no, it was really impressive. It was. It's also one of those plays where it's like, how did they not get a 10 done? Like, how did you not get it? Like, if that's what your $18 million winger looks like when you're able to get him the ball on the run and isolate, like that's what number 10s do. They create chances like that one.

At least there's something to look forward to for sporting Kansas City. And there is now proof of concept to, to achieve. degree that if David Lee has, you know, if you give him the right amount of money, he can make a big signing that works. But I think there's got to be some frustration that this is for more, for the most part, a lost season for sporting Kansas City. But hey, this first season is only two months away. And the hope is that they'll have too deep. I agree with you that, you know, I'm very surprised that it wasn't two DPs now in a third in the winter or just don't trade Dejan Yovalich, I promise you that offer is going to be there in the winter, or if not exactly

$6 million, I still think it would be. Wouldn't be much less. So I think that is one that could have been waited on. Frank Dolan in the YouTube chat here says, imagine him and Manu Garcia. And Doyle, I'm curious your thoughts. I just don't think Manu Garcia was a DP level player. No. But I've seen kind of from Frank and other Kansas City fans since Manu Garcia's left, it's like

a fond remembrance of him, but I didn't know if I was in the minority or. Or if maybe we are on the national level, I don't know if Kansas City fans felt stronger, more strongly about him than we did. But I thought that was a good move to move on, assuming that another DP was going to come. Yeah, if they had backfilled him immediately with an upgrade. And like he is an upgradable spot.

Like the only thing Manu Garcia did at an elite level was pass the ball. Like he did not win the ball back. He was not goal dangerous at all. But he was a great path. of the ball and like if you had put him with Andre Louise maybe he starts looking like a DP number 10 either way the barn door is open the cows have gone and that version of sporting Kansas City is one that we will never actually get to see hopefully they can make more good signings but it's 2026 man they're there they're a wooden spoon team Philly looked like it the

first half of the year we have written and talked at length about why they no longer are. One of the things I'm keeping an eye on is the number of minutes. These guys have played the second half of the season because they're not a deep team. So they're really racking up the miles. The schedule on the other side of this international date is a little bit compressed. Usually it's spread out the last month of the season, but because of the World Cup break and everything with this year, it's a little compressed. So that's something to keep an eye on.

but nine wins, two draws, and 11 league games in this Cloussera here. Philly looked like maybe the best team in the Eastern Conference. But I guess that brings us to the best thing that you saw because a lot of these Philly kids are going to be in the national team for this break. Yeah, for me, it was a really, really strong weekend for the teenagers in MLS that got called Amarizio Pochitino's USM&T roster for this elongated. fall break, four games on tap. There's going to be a lot of minutes to go around.

They've got 28 players in camp. I'd expect most, if not all of them, to play. Risa Botrachino was more cool about it because that's what he always is when you ask him about individuals. Like you said, I was at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. It was just a beautiful evening, just a picturesque, like, early fall day in the city. And even though we're playing soccer, Yankee Stadium, like, there's still something special about, like, being at Yankee Stadium until, I guess, the game starts.

and you look at the kind of the cramp confines and the difficult patches of turf, but we got to interview Pochitino behind home plate, like on the dirt of like the track in front of the dugouts and stuff on Friday night, and he was in a really good mood, as he should be, right?

Hope Springs Eternal. That is what it is for the start of a new cycle. Everything that he said is framing it towards 2030. I thought you were going to say, Hope Springs Eternal because Aaron Judge is back. No, he's not. He's back on the aisle. Oh, is he already?

I think that, I think that, actually happened on Friday or the decision was made on Friday. So yeah, stuff. But he was in a good mood and he was he was interesting. He was walking around shaking hands laughing. Like him and J.T. Batson, the CEO of U.S. soccer, believe they're in the same luxury box as PEP Guardiola Doyle. I think that they showed them on the broadcast a few times, which was interesting. And it's funny because J.T. Batson was sitting between them, if I remember correctly. And PEP was J.T.'s first call. But before Pochastino got hired. I know that there's familiarity and respect between

Pochastino and Pett, but that was just another like little sidebar. But he was there to watch Julian Hall and Adjimmedi as well as Matt Freeze. Julian Hall scores for the Red Bulls in a one-no win over NYCFC. I think Audrey Mametty played quite well too. You talk about Cabin Sullivan. And I want to break for a second because you wrote this really well about Kevin Sullivan's movement on his goal

and just how intelligent it was. Yeah. Um, you want me to go into that or like with like, I was going to give you the chance to talk to talk about it, but you, all right. Well, you threw the pass right back. Um, so that I think it's what the separator is for for Kevin in terms of, look, there's a lot of separators for him. He's, he's an exceptional prospect. One of, I think, the three or four best the U.S. has ever produced. Um, his ability on the ball, like he's one of the best and most effective dribblers in the league. and he combines that with like truly elite passing vision, which is why he's, I think, second in the league and assists now. But he also is goal dangerous beyond his years because he understands where the space is going to be. And you can see that a few times.

Like you could see it in the backheel goal he scored, which is a pure counter-attacking goal. And he's in a cat-and-mouse game with Ian Murphy. and he understands how to win that game and create space for a one-touch finish in the box. And it's all about, okay, when the centerback looks at me, I'm going to move hard towards the near post because I want him to bite on the near post.

And then as soon as he looks back away to reorient himself towards the ball, I'm going to jam on the brakes. Because that means I'll be available for a one-touch finish for the pullback. It's just understanding where the space is going to be. And then what he showed this week in his one-touch finish is understanding where the space is going to be off the ball. You know, it's he's on the left side like he's been playing mostly on the right flank over the past couple of months, but he's on the left flank for this sequence.

The union have the ball on the right side. They're combining a little bit and they get to the end line for that pullback, right? Which is like we used to call it the Man City zone because PEPs teams famously were the ones who really first just said. up and oriented everything towards trying to get to that zone and hitting pullbacks. And there's a million different reasons why one of them being, if you do it right, you can do it again and again and again and again and not give up any counterattacks because your structure behind the ball just gobbles up any clearance. But anyway, Gavin Sullivan, 16 years old, understands the philosophy behind all of that and

understands that if you're at the back post, don't get to the back post. wait for the forwards to make those runs to the near post or towards the center of the box, that'll clear the defenders, and then you make a sideways run to the six, you know, to the penalty spot for a one-touch finish. Lino Messi has scored like 400 goals over his career. And usually it's they're building up the left and he's coming from the right side.

I mean, the Jordi Alba connection was that a million times over. This is just Kevin Sullivan understanding the geometry of the thing from the other side. It is like he is he is he is the most sophisticated off ball attacker the u.s has developed at least since landon donovan but probably forever because landon was mostly doing his work at this age he was mostly doing his work first of all because children he didn't play first division soccer until he was 18 um but like mostly doing it in transition and cavan has has shown the ability to do it in transition to create transition moment and by manipulating defenses or this one, moments of like relatively pure possession. It is like he is everything he was cracked up to be. He was everything he looked like he would be on those 25 minute long highlight reels. I watched when he was 12 years old and I was like, ooh.

I feel bad about that. Like as a rule, I don't watch highlight reels, but I watch that one. And I was like, oh, damn, this kid, you know, and he was a child. He was a tween. And he had that. Julian Hall has some of that. Yeah. No, no, no.

I was just sticking with Calvin for another second is because I wanted you to go into that because Brian White, we both think, is one of the best, if not the best, off the ball, movement center forward in the league. Cabin's goal this weekend, if that was Brian White, we'd be like classic Brian White. That's incredible intelligence, great movement. Like, this is a kid. He turned 17 by the end of the month. And he's not a center forward.

And I just think it's important to highlight this because, of course, he's going to go to Manchester City because of his technique, because of his dribbling, because of everything that you see on the ball. That's so obvious. But the reason why he actually has a chance to make it in Manchester City to me is some of this stuff. It's his mentality and everything else, but it's that offball intelligence. And when he does those, like, technical plays or he'll dribble, not just for dribbling sake, which really high-level youth players that are super technical and great dribblers can get caught up doing because you're just conditioned for many years that, like, I could beat this guy. And then if he gets me i'll beat him again and then i'll beat him again captain solomon does a lot of things uh with

purpose and direct ali badouye was saying it uh on the show with me and goss last week about we had to talk to him about he he wants to go direct like he wants to everything to be like he wants to play with purpose like that and sometimes we have to say okay this is when you put your foot on the ball and play it sideways and and this is when you don't but i'd rather the player have the issue of i'm trying to be more direct rather than uh like ponderous on the ball and um neil pierre was another player i mean i know they conceded three goals but like he helped create the only, like it was his header that created the own goal. That was the game winning goal in a 4-3 win.

And then he's a teenage centerback that I can't wait to see in this camp. Frankie Westfield has been just ho-hum, excellent for the union all season, pretty much last season as well. Julian Hall scores, I hit him already. Peyton Miller was really good for the revs. Broken Raines didn't get on the score sheet. He was good for the revs again. Brian Schwakey, not a teenager, so it doesn't quite fit in this, but you get the spirit of it.

He keeps a shut out from Nashville as they went 3-0. these are all players that are coming uncapped into the national team now they're probably all landing in Atlanta today or tomorrow and they looked really really good and it's just a great time and it's a really exciting time for the national team yeah it's funny because i mean cabin is such a i mean he he's casting a shadow over like this would be a generational crop of young players even without cabin sullivan but he's been so good he's He's cast a shadow over the rest of them. Julian Hall, like you said, scored this weekend. It is the first goal in a while, I think, 12 games. But he is, I think, better and more productive as an 18-year-old than Ricardo Pepi was. Right. And that's a pretty high bar right there.

Justin Ellis. Oh, yeah. I mean, I think he picked up his, did he get credit? I don't think that he was credited for an assist on that. Or maybe I was just looking at football. Obviously, not primary assist, but I think that goal might have went down. unassisted but yeah they think maybe maybe one of the defenders got a small touch on it but like his vision the way he opens up the game for like there's a reason uruguay are coming in and at least talking to him

um you know very publicly like a little bit of there there's there's no coincidence that a uruguayan media member got the photo of him and diego four line you're only taking that photo so you kind of's like a shot across the bow i didn't i didn't expect necessarily expect him to be on the uh u.s senior and I want to be clear, I don't think that Diego Forlon taking a photo with him had, you know, pressured Bochitino and the staff to calm up. But I was pleasantly surprised, but it does show that like Uruguay are generally a very good team. I know they were really better at the World Cup, generally a very good international team. And that's the head coach that's coming to to Orlando to meet with him on the eve of his first senior national team co-op. It's not nothing, Doyle.

Yeah. And then, I mean, even guys who didn't make the raw. Loster. Like, Nico Shakiris has been one of the best playmakers in the league this year. He drew the red card on Aaron Long this past weekend for the quakes. His offball movement is special. I'm shocked he wasn't called in. I think our friend John Mueller over at Footee,

footy has him rated as the best domestic player in the league this year. Then there's Logan Farrington, who we've talked about. I know Goss is a huge fan. I would have called him up for this camp. He's a little bit older, but he's still young in his professional career. It's fun. It is great to look at MLS being this kind of league. And I think Pocitino's comments in the article you wrote reflected that.

So the question is then, you know, what's the next coach going to do when Pachatino leaves the U.S. to take over Spurs in three weeks? you earned that sip of coffee there i was uh i was wondering what you thought when pochetino he doesn't like talking about individuals um so i was pleasantly surprised when i asked him about noa kai banks and he kind of just directed uh responded head on he was like yeah he called me and he said you know let us know that he's picking germany and like i appreciate that he was honest but i only want players who are committed and and he goes you know we try to call him up and he would say no i'm you know i'm not ready to make a decision like that's not commitment And like, I want players to want to die for the badge.

He said that some of the young players that hadn't been called up before cried, like in tears of joy when he informed them they're called up. I guess that means he called them rather than the World Cup, which was an email. And then a singular video that was sent to all 26 players. So, you know, I found that interesting. Maybe that's a good sign of growth. But I was wondering how those comments about commitment. reached you from his point of view

is their boilerplate, right? No, but but but somebody who had a interview with A.C. Milan two weeks before the World Cup camp started, somebody who like you just joked the jokes are going to follow him of yeah, I'm not joking. I'm not joking that much like, does herbie

is going to be fired by that dude's a fraud? I know that this is you know, nobody comes here to listen to us talking about that guy's a fraud man like he he he spikes his hair as he gets out of bed he talks you know he's really media friendly in that way he's good sound bites but like there was like another manager in like the second or third game uh that was playing spurs and he kind of accidentally said yeah we know exactly what they want to do right like yeah more

of less that like you have this one pitch and then like you develop this whole thing you're this genius that doesn't know how to you know adapt or and just i don't know he's i don't think that there's anybody in the world like he deservey is the best manager in the world if you as deserve me and just always rubbed me the wrong way puts the way he treated uh ismail coney just you know ridiculous yeah um i i don't follow it that closely i kind of admire his hair but you know i'm coming from a different point of view um but what i look i i do think that he will be fired probably within a month and i do think that pochtino will be the first call from Spurs, and I expect him to pick up the phone.

And I, I'm not going to say I would be surprised if he was still the national team coach by the end of the year. But it feels like a 50-50 to me. And I still don't have any problems with him saying what he's said about commitment. I don't have any problems with him taking a call from A.C. Milan. that's what that's what the business is every coach in the world listens to phone calls that's what like that is what modern soccer is and um i don't think it should inform like if j t batson and um den hellfridge and everybody else has to hire a new coach by the end of the year i don't think

let's say potchitino does leave for for spurs i don't think that that should negatively inform their next coaching hunt, right? Like, I think they should try to get the best coach that they can. At the same time, I think everybody should understand that sometimes having a guy for whom coaching the national team is their life's dream is actually the right decision, even if they don't have the Premier League or La Liga resume. that would make the QSM&T folks go crazy, right? Like you want people in the room,

it does go back to the commitment, quote, I guess. You want people in the room who would die to be in that room. I think it's a fair point. I know that that's on me for us getting a little sidetrack. There's two more like national team-related things before we get all the way back into the MLS weekend. Obviously these are all connected because we're talking about MLS players. This is from John Connorson in the Discord.

Again, you could join our Discord, which is firing all the time by subscribing to our Patreon. He says, which of the young national team call ups has a high ceiling, either the club level internationally. We've talked too much about Calvin Sullivan. I mean, it's all been warranted. Just set him aside from this conversation

because that's probably the answer, definitely the easy answer. So setting him aside, Doyle, for me, it's Audrey Mehdi. I think whether it's any answer that you could give here, whether it's Mehmeti or Hall or Pierre, even Peyton Miller, like, where you see him, I think that there's a lot of good answers here,

but for me, like, I feel strongest about IJMMedi reaching his potential maybe than anybody else, and I'm a little bit concerned of my confidence on this. I just think that his style is something that's different than really anything the U.S. has produced in his position in terms of a player profile. And I think his technical ability and his brain, no questions.

He's going to be a really, really good player. Obviously, the athleticism and maybe the defensive side of the game are the two things that are you going to be at a championship club or are you going to be at Bruce and Wich and Klebek, which there would be absolutely nothing wrong. That's still a very good career. But he's got, he's somebody who I think has elite, elite, elite potential. And there's, if you remember Harris Medunian at the Philadelphia Union,

he played for Bosnia, I think 50 or 60 times. Awesome career. spoke to people around Philly and had heard this about him in the past that like if he was, you know, 25% more athletic because he was one of the least athletic players. If he was like 25% more athletic, like he's a Bayern Munich player. Like the difference between him being like a really good pro

but ending his career in MLS or having played five to seven years for Bayern Munich was that. And Ajima Mehdi, I have no doubts that whatever version of his potential is, if he doesn't get 1% more athletic or 1% better defensively, he's going to have a really good career because of the way he plays the ball. Yeah. So it's like the Jack McGlynn Tanner Testament thing, right? Like these are obviously really talented players who have been sold for multiple

millions of dollars to teams in pretty good leagues. They need the situation around them to be right for them to show their best. And my concern with Audrey Mametti is, there are a few clubs in the world that create the right situation around a guy who's going to be ball dominant but limited defensively at that particular position. You mentioned Baruchin-Mundchen-Gladbach. He would be a terrible fit there. I think he would be a terrible fit in most of the Bundesliga because the Bundesliga is about running. Like there is not much midfield pitch control. And what Adjimamedi does outside of Bayern Munich, is like, it's just not something that is in the game model for most teams. Whereas could he end up at Porto?

Could he end up at PSV Eindhoven? Like, like big fish in a smaller pond type of teams? Like, I think that actually kind of makes more sense. And I hope that that's what, you know, Audrey Mehdi and the Red Bulls and his people are thinking. Like, that would be the right next step. And then if he hits, he does have actually the game and the brain. to end up playing his way to, you know, a Bayern Munich. Like, I think he's that kind of prospect.

Or like, the joke I've made is like he plays like he was, you know, raised in La Macea, not Montclair. Because, like, he's so Barcelona coded on the ball. But he still, he still has to grow into his body. He has to get stronger and faster and quicker. and then his defensive reads on the front foot has been really slow this year. And that is a big reason why the Red Bulls kept getting gash in transition. And it's a reason why over the past four or five games,

they've dropped into more of a counterattacking team, just keeping more numbers behind the ball. They're still using his passing, just using it in a different way to get guys like Julian Hall out in the open field. He's a spectacular talent. He is, I think, the best defensive midfield prospect that we've ever produced. But he, like, because of his physical limitations, he has to end up in the right spot.

Whereas a guy like Neil Pierre, he's a 6'6 inch tall centerback who, I mean, he's still skinny, but he's obviously got strength. But he reads the game well. He's a really good passer. I think you could plop him down in just about any situation. And like maybe if he hits completely, his floor isn't as quiet as high as what, you know,

a fully realized version of Adriam Mehdi could be. But like he has way more wiggle room with in terms of where he could land. These are first world problems though. Like most of the US, most of his prospects aren't this kind of prospects. But those were the guys who came to mind for me. A guy you mentioned is our U-22 player of the week. Peyton Miller, who has been playing as a winger this year.

And I questioned that going into the season because I think long term, his best spot is going to be as a wing. Go ahead. Listed as a defender on the U.S. Rosser, which I think shows what they agree with, I'm with you as well. Yeah. So long term, he's, I think, his best. position is a as a wingback or super attacking left back.

But playing as a winger this year for the revs. And he had two goals in this one in their four to win over Justin Ellis and Orlando City. He understands his strength is his straight line speed and he weaponizes it to have both goals, or especially the first goal happened. But he also, like he's, we talked about like, like, that off ball movement and finding one touch finishes that that Kevin Sullivan has been so good at. Peyton Miller's got that too, to a degree.

Like he is, he's understanding where goals happen. And especially when the ball is on the other side of the field, he's as a backpost winger, he's understanding where to be. And I think it just speaks well when you have that kind of athleticism and he might be the fastest player in the league to go with that kind of soccer brain. It type of thing that gets you into the national team at age 18. Yeah, and like you said, maybe playing out of position, not as long-term position, but it looks really hard for the revs to take him out of one of those winger slots because of how impactful he's been. So we want to continue a quick sidebar of the player of the week for us here at soccer wise?

Yeah, I think we should. Look, he doesn't get a lot of love. And he's one of the latest, like the most recent, in a long line of U.S. goalkeepers who didn't break through until they were 30. but Brad Stouver for like five straight years now for Austin FC has been what top four top five goalkeeper in the league this year he might be top two or three his shot stopping is phenomenal and it was on full display this weekend against FC Dallas Austin I think they're unbeaten in seven now they got a nil nil draw incredible I don't think that they're going to make the playoffs the fact that we're even answering the question is unbelievable to me yeah credit to them credit to interim from Dave Yarno. Credit to the players, Christian Ramirez, Brad Stewart,

like you said, this is a team that it should be a lame duck team. It absolutely should be. They traded or Cacheford, they traded Danny Pereira,

Cacheford Owen Wolf, two of the players that we thought were building blocks. They were very clearly trying to clear the decks for Caled Al-Mod for his first full window and Jim Curtin to take over

in the winter. The head coach was named in the end of May, early June, that isn't taking over until after the season. This was the most obvious Toronto had this before Herdman took over.

They've basically lost every game before. That's what I figured it happened to Austin. So honest, like real, real credit to the current staff and those players for having the pride and competitiveness. Like, if they don't make the playoff, they should be dead last, right? And they're not, and they fought for this. It ain't easy. It'd be much easier to just say screw it. You know, hopefully either my contract's guaranteed or hopefully, you know, I'm going to leave here.

New coaches coming and all this stuff. it's a small win but like i don't want that to go overlooked yeah it shouldn't and i think there's actually a thread of optimism in the austin fan base that didn't exist uh six months ago um and throughout all of it though there's been massive appreciation in that um fan base for brad stuber which is deserved he's our player of the week it's deserved i wouldn't hate it seeing him get a national team camp. I mean, he's more likely to be the next Tim Melia in terms of a guy who was just a great MLS keeper

for a long time, but never cracked the national team set up. But he's beloved in Austin for a reason and performances like the one he put together this weekend, R.Y. And I guess that should take us into our drive to the playoffs segment, presented by Continental Tire, who's a longtime partner and supporter of, MLS and American soccer. I actually, it's just out of frame,

but I'd have the old Extra Time t-shirt presented by Continental framed just behind me. We talked about Austin just now. They are one of seven teams in the Western Conference from 29 to 33 points. Only two of them are going to make the playoffs. All right, from bottom to the top, Minnesota United, who can't defend it all anymore,

Seattle, five unbeaten. What a run. They're all draws. R.S.L. Might be the worst team in the league right now. Austin, who we just talked about. San Diego, who got a good draw at Miami last night. Portland Timbers, who got a disastrous home loss to Atlanta United and the LA Galaxy, who are starting to get some guys healthy and have the eighth spot, but they have played more games than anybody else. I guess I have two questions. for you, Tom. Which of the, these two teams get in and doesn't matter or are these are just like teams that are gay, they're going to get mowed down by either the caps or St. Louis City in the first round. Yeah. It's a crapshoot to say like, I want to, I will write off Minnesota, though mathematics. They're so close. It's three points behind. We also like, as you said, I believe your exact words in, in your column was death spiral, which is very apt for this team. So another team that I would write off, of course, it's MLS. Things can change over the course of a few weeks. Austin, it's a fun story, and I would probably put them to the site as well.

So then it becomes two spots for Galaxy, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle. Seattle have two games in hand. So that would be an obvious one, as well as Dan Yovlich is fully blooded into the team. It didn't take them very long. Christian Rodon is back. Jackson Reagan came back off the bench, I believe, this weekend.

Three, three, three, draw against, Colorado. Sidebar, Morgan Whitaker, two goals looked really, really good. That's very

encouraging for the rapids. But the boring answer would be Seattle for one of those spots because the game's in hand.

And we know how good this team can be. And I think we can see that this year. But we've been saying that what, for two, three months now,

Doyle. So I don't want to just take that for granted. But I'd still lean with Seattle because of the quality within that team.

And then, man, Portland, losing that land at home this weekend. It's just brutal. That's one where you got to get three points in this really, really tight playoff race. San Diego obviously topped the West last year. They weren't as good as first in the West. I don't think, but they're not as bad as, you know, 10th to 14th in the East, in the West

this year, wherever they've been for most of the season. I think that would be the other easy answer, but I would do Seattle and the LA Galaxy. And doesn't matter, the Galaxy, no, honestly, I don't, I don't see them, you know, upsets happen. I don't see them having a realistic idea of winning two rounds, maybe one, who knows, probably not. But Seattle, just because we know what their upside is, but of course it would be unlikely, which is obvious considering we're talking about them

trying to claw into the wildcard game. Full strength, Seattle, if they get in, and I'm starting to lean no, because they do have those games in hand, but they're going to be missing Dejani Jovalich for, I think three of three games is it. Yeah, that's a good point. Because they're playing,

they're playing constantly during this international window, which is not great. No. Like, I'm, I would be, I'm not going to say shock. I'm starting to think that the sounders aren't going to be able to do it. That said, if they do get into the wildcard

and they win, they're probably facing Vancouver, who they buried in Concordia Cup six months ago. And if it's a full-strength Seattle side against a full-strength Vancouver side, like these are still basically the same players that we saw go head-to-head in March in competition that both teams wanted to win, and Seattle were much better.

So that is still there somewhere. I think of these teams, if the Sonders figure out a way to actually start winning games, like they're the ones that are the ones that are the most dangerous, but I don't even, at this point, I don't even think they're going to make playoffs. So it's like, I don't even, like, I don't even know what to say, um, about the bottom of the west other than like, there's a few teams here that are just like colossally disappointing.

Yeah, like Seattle, the San Diego in particular, we also like, especially where they were two and a half months ago, um, I feel for them, it's much more than just losing Gozo, but Gozo wasn't included in Palace's Europa League squad, which I had a triple check because I thought that's for shore where he was going to get more of his minutes. Then he wasn't in the match day squad this weekend for Palace. And people in Real Salt Lake are not thrilled that there was no negotiating or wiggle room on can he stay here for the rest of the season. We also like that would be better, but they have more problems than just that.

But that's unfortunate. On Portland, another team that disappointed this weekend outside of that game, shout out to our guy, Chris Whittingham, who had his bachelor party this weekend. And they were in Portland. then they got to watch that, uh, riveting one, no loss. But more to the point, they got to play a pickup game on the, on the turf at Providence Park the next day. It looks fantastic.

I was devastated to not be there. Chris Whittingham scored a penalty. And then they celebrated. And it was, uh, very, very cool. Shout out to the timbers too for hooking him up. Shout out to Whitty. He is just the absolute man. So I figured to give that a few seconds.

And I know Woody's listening and I know he's absolutely bright red right now because I did not tell him or ask for permission. here we are. What do we make of the timbers at this point with the Marty Sifontas era? Pass. I think that's... I think we need more data and like anything else. There's games all the time.

There's different lineups. Yanson didn't start. I was confused, right? I wasn't confused about that unless I'm mixing it up with a different game. No, he didn't start. Like, you'd like for Sifentes, somebody who's like very, the whole selling point. point on this hire. It was his tactical sophistication. You're not really going to get that when you take over midseason and when there's a billion games and Kelsey's there. Then Kelsey leaves and then

Yanson gets suspended and then, right, like there's just so many moving parts that like it's going to be difficult for me to make a real, real judgment on Sufentis until early next season. But that's a boring answer for a podcast. Their ninth place in the, or sorry, they're dropped down to 10th with San Diego getting a point, didn't they? Now I have to pull up. It's all the same. No, they're in, they're a point ahead of San Diego. Okay, yeah, they're a point ahead of San Diego in ninth place. I have just a minus one goal differential. Their best run came under the interim manager.

It is tough to figure out what's going on out there around the red line in the Western Conference. Eastern Conference, it's easier. Atlanta, Columbus on 26 points, Toronto, and D.C., on 29 points. They're all cooked, right? I would say so. You left out Montreal. I'm assuming that that was...

Yeah, I'm not even mentioning that. Montreal's been cooked since 2022. So, congratulations to them on getting to the Canadian championship final. Like, that was a legitimately big moment for them. The last time they won that tournament was 2021. They ended up breaking Vancouver's streak of four straight. Canadian championship. So good job Montreal for that one.

But no, they have no chance in the playoff race. Well, yeah, I didn't think Atlanta did either, but at least they're within closer distance in terms of points. Atlanta, Columbus, on 26 points, they are both seven points below the playoff line. Toronto and D.C., both on 29, they are four points below the playoff line. DC has a game in hand on one of those teams, and I'm with you, a comment. of the points behind plus the quality and lack of consistency from both of those teams. So that leaves you with NYCFC in 10th on 32 points, Sinci and the Red Bulls in 8th and 9th on 33,

Orlando in 7th on 34. And I think Philly has played their way out of this conversation, but just they are only four points above the playoff line at the moment. But they are nine wins than the last 11 games. And I don't see that completely flipping. I think that maybe they're not going to go on. defeated for the rest of the season, but I think that they're going to be quite good. So it comes down to either two teams for three teams for two spots or three teams for four

spots depending on where you see Orlando in this conversation. Should Orlando be in this conversation? I thought that they were further ahead, but they are only one point ahead of Red Bulls and Cincy and two ahead of NYCFC. I don't know if we've gotten a prognosis on Greisman or not, but Orlando plays Philly during the international break. Not a bad time to get Philly when they don't have Neil Pierre,

Kevin Sullivan, or Frankie Westfield. But yeah, I think you have to at least include them just because how close it is even if Red Bulls since the NYCC are a different level of disappointing over the last couple months. Yeah, like different level of disappointing is a good way of putting it.

The Red Bulls to their credit are, have now won two in a row. A big one that you saw at Yankee Stadium and then the week before that, getting a late Ronald Donkor winner at the crew. Like we talked about, Michael Bradley has shifted the pragmatism dial. This team is playing behind the ball now and just getting out in transition, which I think is the right choice. Like they've taken a lot of lumps and learned a lot of stuff this year.

Sincere, I still can't figure it out, right? They have overwhelming talent and overwhelming firepower, really. And it just has not come together in any meaningful way. Now, they did get a late goal for the draw at Houston, which is the second straight week that they've gotten late goals for a draw. But this is not a team that looks any better than they were a month ago. They've conceded 14 goals in our last four games. Yeah.

This is a team that has a DP spot in Central Defense. I believe Celentano is a Tam level contract in goal. Matt Miyazga was Max Tam before he was waived, and they're bringing in Tyrol Malacia. Obviously, he wasn't, he didn't play. But he's, I don't know if he's Max Tam, but he ain't a senior minimum contract. Like that's another significant investment.

They brought in wingback, Duder, who I think is going to be a good signing. I think so, too, about Melasia, too. But I just feel like we're having the same conversation about this team where they put too much resources into defense for them to be conceding as many goals. The only team, NMLS, that's conceded more than their 61 goals is sporting Kansas City at 63, who how many times on the show have we said they are on pace to be the worst team in league history at times, right? It's baffling.

It's honestly confusing because you look at the team on our depth charts and you think about the coaching staff, of which I have immense respect for Pat Noon and and Kenny Arena is like their defensive specialist and they have had a good defense or like earlier in this run and there are a lot of players that you look at and like and then all of a sudden they're just one of the very worst defensive teams in league. They haven't kept a clean sheet since April when they beat the Red Bulls 2-0. That is one of their, in MLS play I should say, that is one of their two clean sheets all season. The first one came on opening day. They are infinitely more likely to concede three goals. goals than have a clean sheet.

And honestly, I think that then even concede one. And it's unacceptable and they're not a serious playoff team. If they make the playoffs, they are not a serious team. Yeah. They're a team that, to me, more likely, if they make the playoffs, more likely to lose in the wild card than they are to actually win around or give presumably Nashville any kind of run because they would be playing Nashville in that first round.

And Nashville, since you are so gapy against the ball and they turn the ball over in bad spots, Nashville kills teams like that. They just, they will run down your throat and they will score three goals like they did to the fire this past weekend. That brings us to NYCFC, who I think on paper have the most talent

of any of these teams and the best balance. Like, if you look at the players on this roster, they should fit together. And I actually thought they outplayed the Red Bulls. They just didn't finish their chances. And James Sands had a pretty uncharacteristic error to gift Julian Hall that goal. But they're like, they're on the same kind of,

I won't call it a death spiral, but how about a nosedive or tailspin that the sounders are on out west where it's just like everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for them for the past couple of months and it just seems to be compounding. Yeah, it's another one that that doesn't make sense to me because it's not that James Sands can never make a mistake, but like he's a ball, like he's a defensive midfield that's playing center. He's a ball playing center back. And that moment that that created Julian Hall's goal was very uncharacteristic and very surprising. It was just a really like he was off balance,

a really bad decision to try to play it back. and in that like he wasn't under immense amount of pressure right and he's somebody that I trust under pressure too so that was pretty uncharacteristic and Matt freeze got caught in between I don't necessarily blame him like it would have been weird if he just stayed on his line while Julian all ran at him for 40 yards but um that's a national starting goalkeeper at the World Cup and and like a MLS US MOT like pool player like I don't he's obviously drifting behind now with so many more young players coming up but like those are two really high level MLS players and and and like a MLS players and and I'm at the US MET like he's obviously drifting behind now with so many more young players coming up but like those are two really high level MLS players and And you have Nico Mercow, who is one of the best players in league. He's got 15 goals. He's in the top five in the goal in boot race. They spent $10 million on Benny Traori, who was giving them nothing since signing this summer. No goals. Well, he has one P.K. goal, but no, like, open play, SIP's goals, none and no assists in 12 games.

Honestly, I had to keep reminding myself that there's a $10 million player on the field when I was watching that game. And I think some of the knock-on effects, too, of Maxi Morales's injury is Nico Mercos. seems to be further away from goal. I don't know if that was just because of the way that the Red Bulls were playing, but there was routinely where he'd be maybe on the touchline or a little bit deeper in possession, and I'd be looking forward like,

oh, like, where are they going to find Nico McCown? I was like, oh, that was him that started the attack, 15 yards behind. And then you get into the attack. And when he's not there, it's more toothless. I still believe in this team, because, as you said, all of the pieces make sense, Aidan O'Neill, played at the World Cup.

Tavon Gray is a good MLS defender. Luigi has been good, though he's missed chances. Pascal Jansen made a point to say there's nobody to blame. He said he took responsibility as a coaching staff, but he can't blame anybody, right? You know, Luigi missed chances today. You can't blame him. Luigi mischances against New England.

You can't blame him. And Luigi mischances against Cincinnati, and you can't blame him. You can't blame anybody. I was like, that's weird. You only names one player there. But... And by the way, Luigi has four goals in 500.

minutes. He's like he's missed chances, but he's finding a lot of chances and he's scoring a bunch of goals. So right. But like, you even look at this run, they've, they've drawn Toronto home and away. They've lost to Sinceree and Philly. They've drawn New England. Again, some of these, they've drawn and lost to New England. Again, New England is a good team, but these are all teams in the East that before the season, I thought NYCFC were better than. And pretty much with the exception of the Philly run and New England, you definitely put them above Toronto and stuff like they beat real like that's her only win but they drew

Nashville in like a weird no no game like I still think that this team too can if things come together they have a higher ceiling but it is proving to be very elusive yeah it's getting to be a bigger and bigger if you mentioned Pep Guardiola was

in the building on Friday night and Pascal Yanson has been you know struggling a little bit as a head coach this year. Is that something that we should be keeping an eye on? It was certainly a top of a conversation when word was getting around that that Pep Cordial was in the building.

And then he did the smokestack thing. And then he was in the booth in the suite with Pocetino and Batson. It was definitely something that the people talked about. I think that if he actually was angling for the NYCFC job, he wouldn't do it this way. I think he's somebody that respects a lot of coaches and I'm sure through city football group he's got some sort of relationship with Pascal Jansen or at least has the respect

to not be like publicly looking for his job but I will tell you man like they open a new stadium in a year that would be an interesting project we know that he likes to be in New York he's there right now he was there during a sabbatical after Barcelona and or after Byron I forget which job he ended with

that ended with him refereeing a youth soccer game because people in New York didn't know that that was Pepc Gordiola. But for me, like, this is no intel, but wouldn't it make sense his next job is a big international team? It would. Right?

Like, I still think one day he's the NYCFC manager. I just don't think it's next year, but hey, why not? Why not dream? Why not dream? Indeed. All right, let's run through some of these weekend matches. By the way, if you're listening to us on Sirius,

obviously we are running long. Surprise, surprise. Yeah, surprise, surprise. Go find us. any on-demand player, search soccer-wise anywhere you get your podcasts. Let's start at the top. Nashville had a tough week last week, a loss and two draws. This week, they get back to their winning ways.

They crushed the fire 3-0. Notable in this one, I thought, was that Hani was dropping deeper. He was playing as a, I thought, a true 10 in a 4-2-3-1. It gave Nashville, I think, control through central midfield. And the fire on the flip side, really. struggling they're they're winless and seven now across all competitions yeah Nashville are unrelentingly excellent and they are marching towards a supporter shield Vancouver is the only team that I think you can realistically say is

still in the race partly because they do have a game in hand but and they are eight points behind with that game in hand and I don't I don't see it going down to the wire unless that Nashville really slip up and the fact that that's how we're framed continuing to frame the conversation just shows how because they're not boring, but it's boring excellence in that we've hit every angle. You know basically how they're going to beat you, what they're going to do. It's fun as hell to watch. They're really entertaining. But it's, there's nothing more for us to talk about. I don't think until they lock down the shield and we get to playoff time. And this is the way that they've made the playoffs now

seven of their eight years in MLS existence. I don't, I think this year they're really getting their flowers as they demo should. But this has been a model of consistency in MLS since that they've got here first with a more like defensive structure identity and then they missed the playoffs once fired gary smith and have completely reloaded into this new juggernaut. And what Mike Jacobs, the front office is done, what BJ Callahan, Hani, Muktar being through here through it all. Like what they've done is just fantastic. Yeah, it is. Hany is an all-time legend in MLS. You know, I wish he had a little more personality when somebody put a mic in front of his face,

but he is German. The growth this year from what they were last year when they were a really good team, won the Open Cup, showed more facility with the ball into this year being a team that can beat you 17 different ways, loading up, as you said, by adding young players at Max Willegi who might win Defender of the Year, but also Reed Baker Whiting, one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league. And then Elias Saad this summer, that was a masterful work by, Mike Jacobs. Kind of the opposite from the fire.

I thought the fire were going to be better the second half of the season. But this is like, it's not Robert Lewandowski's fault that they're not winning these games. But it is one of the things, it is an object lesson in, hey, just upgrading your goal score doesn't automatically make you better. There's no question that Robert Lewandowski is a better goal score than Hugo Kuyper's. but Hugo Kuypers was so good against the ball. He was one of the two or three best pressing center forwards in the league. And that turned defense into offense for the fire for the first half of the season.

They do not have that now as they're currently constructed. And they're trying to figure out who they are as a team. And between that and I think an inability to create chances purely from central midfield, they're a little bit lost Tom and I'm a little bit surprised by that. I just don't I just don't understand why they didn't sign a DP 10 or haven't over the last year and a half

more or less since Greg Berlter took over two years ago I thought that'd be top of the list and it hasn't and I think this is one of the instances where there's a lot of games that it would have been nice but this is a team that has that is very somewhere between good and very good and I think that they had the potential to be great.

And I think to be great, they needed one more high-level sign. And they can still be very good. And that could be good enough in the playoffs. But I've just surprised that the analysis from Greg Burrhalter and his staff has been, we don't need a DP 10, or at least they haven't felt that they desperately needed it, unless the circumstances are all right. So Zincranagel got a new contract. I don't know where that played in.

but if you signed a new DP in the winter, you could have turned around to Zincranoggle and said, listen, we just can't make it DP. I'm sorry, they got to wait until Bomba or somebody else leaves. So I think that that's just a missed opportunity for Chicago wildlife, and I still think that they're going to be good or fine. You're looking at them as if, you know, there's more there. And I'm going to use that to highlight a game, too.

Speaking of more there, L.EFC 2-2 draw against San Jose. LFC go down to 10 men, son young men and Danny Belonga both score. and LFC still don't pick up the three points. They're in a bit of a bit in the mud at the moment as well. It was a late last second, 98th minute equalizer from centerback, Reed Roberts, who fired from 28 to 30 yards on the ground into the bottom corner. It was a nice strike, disappointing that Ugo Luris couldn't save that,

and that's a difference between one and three points, as well as they had a third goal that was called back, rightly, I think, by VAR for a foul. and then before the attack that L-EFC scored, I mean, sorry, the San Jose scored. Again, they were playing with 10 men for a long time in this game. But when they went up 2-0, you thought that they had it, and they kind of capitulated.

Lurice made some nice saves. There was not great finishing from San Jose. But with the minute left in the game, the 97th minute, Schaffelberg had just come in, I think, for Bwanga. Doyle, was either Bwonger's son. They played him into space down the flank. He somehow neither won a foul,

nor got to the corner, nor beat a player. San Jose win the ballback where that could, that should have been the game. That should have been in the corner, be frustrating, get fouled, win a corner, win a throne, whatever, kill the game off. You try to beat the player or try to flick it out, good defending, San Jose go down to score.

Like these are the moments, man, that is not good enough for a team that we think more of. And it's probably unfair to Shaffavert to say Bwango was in the game or son was in the game. But maybe if Bwango or son was still in the game for two more minutes,

that's a different story. Is this a team we think more of anymore? L-AFC or San Jose? L-A-FC. We'll get to San Jose in a second. We should. We should. They have Danny Buonga, who's one of the best players in the league and Sun Hung Men, who is the league record signing.

And they have a lot of really good MLS players, like, like Delgado, like Aaron Long, Ugo-Laurice, I can listen, he's not an elite goalkeeper, but that was a really bad sign that goal that he conceded. Like, again, there were pieces in the back, and they're Pete Tim Tillman.

That's the name I was looking for. Tim Tillman, Schwannier. These are all players that I think that we know are good. And they constantly play below the sum of their parts. They do. They're sort of a one phase of play team.

And I thought that going into this season, they were going to try to adjust that and be a little bit more dangerous with the ball, which is something that we saw from them in the first half of the year. But they've methodically stripped out all the creative players from their roster. I mean, Boudre got like 300 minutes and he's gone.

Davy Martinez, obviously they got a really good offer for him and they made a lot of money on that sale, but he has not been replaced by a real chance creator. And they are reduced now to being a counterattacking team and they can still do it really, really well, but we know how that ends. Counterattacking teams do not win big in the playoffs. And it feels like maybe this version of L-AFC has run its course. And it feels like a team that could and maybe even should have big moves coming in the winter, unless they go on a miracle run in win MLS Cup, which I just don't think is going to happen.

The quakes, unbeaten in five now, the shift to the 3421 has stabilized them. Getting Nico Shakiris back has been a huge part. of that. They also got Preston Judd and Timo Werner back in this one as well. Where are you on the quake? Let's be real quick on the rest of these games. But where are you on the quakes? They were one of the two or three best teams in the West to start the season. Are they back to that level or are they we're talking more mid-table in the Western Conference? I think that they're in the group with Houston, Dallas, LASC and Colorado, depending on how they finish the season, could be in that.

But I think it's a clear Vancouver, tier A, like a slight second tier to St. Louis. So, you know, I think maybe in a month, we or even two weeks, we could say that they're both in the top tier. And then they're with the Houston, Dallas. And, you know, I'd put them as big underdogs against the teams above them. They could beat each other. They could lose to each other. I think the variance of outcomes is wide with this team. Yeah.

I think that's a good way of putting it, especially because they're still getting used to playing the new formation. And we saw that on Sun's goal, right, where there was a miscommunication. between David Romney, who was playing in the middle of the back three and the central midfield about like, all right, son's a center forward. When he drops in, who's going to go with him? Nobody went with him. Sun gets on the ball and is able to square up a center back and like that is a barbecue chip.

Not what you want. Not what you want. So there are still some issues. But if they can keep their guys healthy, we've seen most of the season. This is a team collects points at about like a two point per game pace when their best players are healthy. It's a massive if, but it's something to bear in mind. The rest of the top of the league, we mentioned Miami found a way to choke away points again, two to home draw last night. They only have four wins and I think 13 games versus San Diego FC. I think this is a second

straight game in which they lost a result because of the Noah, Noah, I just don't get it. I just, I don't get it. I just don't. Why would you not want that guy? It's like the Deaigneau Village thing, where it's like, okay, you wanted the $3 million in GAM for Noah Allen?

That would have been there in January. So the only pushback I got to have there is for him to sign a U-22 contract that had to be now. And I guess if you're Chicago, right? But Miami could have given him a U-22. Like, I don't know. I don't mean that maybe in the literal sense where their spots are. you could have planned around if you wanted to keep him, you do it, or you sign him earlier, regardless.

I don't get it. And there's a great skeet here that you pulled out. Yeah, from John Parker, who is an avid listener. Leonel Messi, MLS's greatest ever player and like a 20th to 50th percentile sporting director. He's better than the LinkedIn influencer in D.C. And the Roy brothers in Montreal, at least. That's a little bit vicious, but I don't really think it's wrong. The way Miami has churned through coaches and then churned through young players

has made it so that they're constantly kind of putting out fires and patching holes instead of building from strength to strength. And-ckelter. Yeah. And to your point, like, okay, they needed to give Noah Allen a U-22 contract. now. Well, David Iyal is in the final three months of his contract. Buy him out. You know, or like, send him away like you did with Thomas Auvius and then use that Open U22 slot to keep Noah Allen in town. He doesn't blow the offside trap that led to Anders Dreyer's

equalizer last week. He doesn't dive in and fail to get a touch like Fristio Cicelo did last week. Those are two plays a left back makes. And Miami are now, what, one win in nine? Not great from them. Really well done from San Diego. We mentioned New England beat Orlando four to two. I like this one because the coaches got a little testy with each other after the game. And I always enjoy that.

The attack's been a lot more cohesive and creative since the World Cup. And initially, I thought that was like just the Jack Harrison effect. Jack Harrison has missed a bunch of games now and they still look like one of the best attacks in the league our friends at the Blazing Muswick do amazing work diving in on all of this but to me the revs are now pushing into that second tier of teams I'm convinced I'm convinced I'm very very impressed by Marco Mitrovich even like what we were being I don't want to say dubious earlier in the season but just

pointing out like, hey, they're winning at home against teams that they, that aren't that great, which is a good thing. I don't want to frame it as a negative, but I want to be clear. I don't know if this is indicative of future performance against higher level teams. And this summer, they've just gone, continuing to get better, looking like a really, really good head coaching higher by New England. Next game to look at Charlotte FC beat DC United 2-1. I want to talk about Alan Max, St. Maxman.

He is, when we talked about Andre Louise, like, that guy moves different. like that guy's different. St. Maximum is different. You could see it in moments a little bit with Wilfred Zaha. But I think Alan St. Maximum is what we thought or they thought or hoped Wilfred Zaha would be. That goal he scored was nobody else on the team could do that moment. Pepi L is obviously special, but in different ways. It was a ball that got reset.

He was on his back foot when he received it one-on-one, just dice somebody, bad angle, fired it into the bottom corner before the keeper could even look. if he stays consistent, that is a match winning player for Charlotte. And it is significant because what we've seen over the past eight games, and they're eight unbeaten, is that PepiL has been starting as a number 10 every game. They're playing with four attackers every game. It's a front line of St. Maximum, Toklamati, who's been better over the past month and a half, and then Lee Al-Abada, who has been a revelation since the World Cup.

Are you going to pick up his $3 million contract option? I am not going to, I don't think, but he's been really good. Yeah, on ironically. And then PEP BL behind them as a true number 10. And I thought what was going to happen was that BL was going to play as an inverted right winger. And then they're going to play with three kind of ball winners in central midfield. Now, that might still happen because Dean Smith is a naturally, naturally very conservative coach. But this is a team that got eliminated in the playoffs each of the last two years.

six games they've played, two goals is all they've scored. So I think there has been a realization that they need to be more dangerous. And getting four true attackers out there at once has unquestionably made them more dangerous. And there's actually good attacking balance now as well because, say, Maximin, he's a left winger and he could get to the end line and he could beat guys for pace. But what he really wants to do is create dynamic overloads in the channels. And at the same time, because of where BL likes to operate, which is in the right, half space. Those guys create balance. And then Abada just stretches the field and almost plays like a wide forward rather than a winger. These guys are all making each other better in attack. It's been

really fun to watch, which is not something I have ever said about Charlotte FC. Again, I will repeat myself. It has been really fun to watch. Charlotte FC. First time ever. Well done to them. Tom, take us to the next game. Shout out, Sir, Minty. I'm going to lump two together in the Western Conference. Vancouver dominated Real South Lake 3-0 and St. Louis dominated Toronto FC. 3-0-3-1, wherever that ended.

Those were two. Really strong performances from, I think, the two best teams in the West. Again, I'd still give Vancouver White Caps because they've had the more longevity. We've seen them do it last year and this year. They have a plus 33 goal difference, which is much more than everybody else around them. but Vancouver, St. Louis, are very clearly the class of this conference at the moment. St. Louis into the U.S. Open Cup final. Alexandria Matan.

Gaston wanted to talk about him. He's got to talk about him now. He's been good for St. Louis. Hose has scored. Hoff and Navajo just fits this team perfectly. And when you talk about teams that are fun to watch, both Vancouver and St. Louis are very high on that watchability rankings. Yeah, St. Louis are a juggernaut right now. I think it's 16 unbeaten in league play.

And then obviously into the Open Cup finals, they smoked Colorado in the semi-finals. There was three-nil. Without holes, though, without Navajo. Like, that was a, and again, Adam Budry had a very, very large hand in foot in Colorado's disappointment. But, like, St. Louis completely controlled that game. Yeah, even if the Colorado mistakes.

Even if Budry hadn't made that mistake, I think that this was St. Louis kind of running away with it. And then what we saw this weekend was really interesting because Chris Durkin played as, is kind of a single pivot, which is not what we usually see out of it. Because Matan was dropped a line deeper, nominally playing next to Durgan.

But he just released and he was going and they were just flooding numbers forward. And, you know, Toronto's heads were spinning. It was relentless. I'm going to make the point that Vancouver have a losing record across all competitions since the World Cup break. They also lost, as we talked about earlier in the show,

to Seattle and Cockney Calf Champions Cup. They lost to Montreal last week in Canadian Championship. And they lost badly to St. Louis a couple of weeks ago when these two teams met. I know they're ahead of St. Louis in the standings. I know they have the best underlines and the best goal differential in the league. It's like right now, St. Louis is a better team than the Vancouver Whitecaps. Yeah, on form, sure. but I'm trying to take the step back

and what we do in MLS always I think what St. Louis are doing is absolutely real and they are in like within that tier within that conversation but how many times do we see a weird six weeks in this summer or something in MLS

Vancouver particularly with Sebastian Burholter leaving. Of course they're not going to be able to replace them dollar for a best 11 player how important it was but that's been something that they've dealt with this summer they play St. Louis in St. Louis Wednesday, October 14th.

That is a week before the Open Cup final. That is going to be one hell of a week for St. Louis. And I like, that's going to be one of the games to watch for the rest of the season. They have a run. So they play Vancouver next. But at Chicago, at L.EFC, at St. Louis is a three-game stretch from October 6, October 14th with a couple midweek games. Vancouver, like, I trust them in big games. But I can't wait for that run.

Yeah. I trust them as well. They have been dealing with a lot of injuries, but they don't look as inevitable as they did at their best earlier in the season or last year. But I think those are clearly the two best teams in the Western Conference right now.

That next group, you mentioned a bunch of them. Let's talk about them. Houston, they collapsed late against Cincinnati, now just one win in six. Dallas, scoreless home draw versus Austin. Anytime I have any, sort of expectation for Dallas one way or the other, I'm wrong. Every single time.

Every time. Like good or bad. When I doubt them is when they play with like it. This is how do you get a handle on this team? Yeah. Well, I think part of it is, first of all, it's been a weird year for them. They had a nine game road trip. That's tough.

Just like drop that right in the middle of the season. When you have nine consecutive years of stadium renovations that most teams do in 18 months, what can you do? I mean, they are the Barcelona of MLS. Clearly, in so many ways. So the big question I have with Dallas is what's their best 11? Like, to me, Petter Moussa and Logan Farrington are their two best attackers. Maybe they're two best players.

Those guys rarely start together. I don't get it. I don't get it. Three times. Like, what, them to talk in Santy Moreno was a 10. games. It's three times in 15 games since the World Cup break. That's all.

That's it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't know. They're, like, Moose's had some knocks and the, you want to rotate a little bit, but like, this was a perfect example of my concern about Dallas, which is like, we're three quarters away through the season, and I don't know what their best 11 is.

And if you can't bring your best 11 to bear in big games, games that have like real playoff seeding consequences and you want home field so that, you know, you could show off that beautiful stadium to international viewers. Like it is a legit concern for FC Dallas. For Houston, it's just like, I don't think they have the juice. They're not one win in six. they were unable to see out the game against Sincet.

They were kind of like defending for their lives for the final 10, 15 minutes, Tom. The only thing that I would say in defense of Houston is Sincere play chaos ball with everybody. They drag, you know, again, for good, bad and indifferent. Though your point does remain for Houston Dynamo. I think two things can be true. I think that they're fine and they're good. And they can beat good teams. I don't I wouldn't go into some of these

You know like they went to Vancouver and won Like that was a good result I think that they can do that as a one-off But like would you back it? Would you would you expect it? So I don't know what I don't think that their ceiling is as high as there's a couple of teams around them And maybe the floor is a little bit higher But they're they're dropping results and how they have Kansas City at home Minnesota on the road San Diego on the road obviously San Diego is is a good team

But those are three players three teams below the playoff line this would be a good time to pick to right the ship. I know it's going to be over a number of weeks because the international break, that third game that I mentioned is October 14th, so they've got a little bit of time. And I think that they're a solid playoff team and I don't think anybody's going to pick them to win the West.

Yeah, they just don't look like they have the juice. They need to run the table out there. Dallas might, but again, they need to... I just don't see it. I cannot trust. has this team to be consistent over several playoff games. I think you're right, but in most series,

they will have the best player on the field. And sometimes that can win you a game or two. But I do think that this last eight-game stretch for Eric Quill, the job is to figure out how to get Musa and Farrington onto the field together in a formation and a tactical approach that kind of works. The other team in the mix out west, though, because they keep dropping points, they've lost their ability,

I think, to sneak into the top four and get home field is the Colorado Rapids. They're actually closer to the red line on 36 points than they are to this pack. But they scored three goals in a game for the first time since April, and Morgan Whitaker got two of them. And the first one was a really smart,

you know, winger's goal in the way that we were talking about with Calvin Sullivan. reading the play and getting into the box for a clever finish. And the second one was just a true banger. And look, Matt Wells has said all year long, he wants his wingers to make the system go. They went out, they spent $12 million on a guy who has been productive at a pretty good level. Early returns are promising, even though, again, they got steamrolled last week by St. Louis.

Yeah, this Colorado team is interesting, right? they were picking up points this summer defensively. And then it was frustrating that they weren't scoring more goals, particularly from open play. Paxon-Arensen wasn't really doing much at all. Hoffo Navajo was mildly productive, but they still weren't like capitalizing on that like both pitch control and ball control dominance and scoring on set these goals.

And now Morgan Whitaker comes in, you know, they have to shake up. Abu Farkey started for this game as did obviously Whitaker. Whitaker scores twice. Very interestingly, I think Paxton Aronson-Empic'd pick up two assists. and if those two can combine, like if Whitaker is a good sounding on his own, like that is what is most important.

But there's a possibility that the knock-on effect is that helps Ernstyn, which is big because they spent $7 or $8 million on that player. Abu Farkey was $6 million. Like that's a pretty opulent attacking trio. And at 3-1, this is a team that I would have trusted defensively to hold on in the game, and they didn't, which is disappointing and sucks.

But I would be more encouraged just than this game by the Rapids. I know that it was a tough week. That was an awful open cup performance and result. Adam Boudry did not start for the Rapids. It was Nico Hanson in goal. But three went up with Lloyd Williams and Rob Holding in defense and Ogeneren, shielding.

That's something that you'd feel pretty good about. So we'll see if it's something that's indicative of what's to come or I think that's more of a blip. But we'll see. Because it might also be a blip that they scored three times too. It might. And it's interesting to me that Paxon Aronsonerson is now playing kind of on the left wing. as you mentioned he picked up to assist and they looked good doing it

but then they emptied the midfield a little bit it was almost like Donovan Philip who's really a center forward it was the third central midfielder 424 I like I don't know it was it was a strange look to me almost almost too clever in in my opinion

but the rapids are a solid place playoff team. I think, though, we did see the gap between them and the top of the league in that open cup semifinal. Tom, we got one more topic. Then we're going to hit the bricks. Why don't you walk us through that one? Our guy, Kevin Wallace, in the Discord, said, build the best five-aside team you can use,

only using current MLS managers, not how they were in their peak playing days, but how did they play now? And I think obviously, 75-year-old Bruce Arena, stick them in the goal. Nothing's getting passed in. I was kidding. This was a lot thinner than I kind of thought it was going to be because there's a lot of younger coaches in the league and a lot of former players.

Michael Bradley, the obvious one, right? He's with a bow at Doyle. And then I don't know that there's the next, like, most obvious one. I went with Ryan Richter because he played,

most of his career was like USO championship, played a little bit less, but he's 37 and he's still fit. So I think that's another one that would make it. Ron Bucre is 48. That's a little bit older than I thought, but he had a good playing career. plus he's fit as hell right now

and he does some say it's moitai some semblance of mixed martial arts that I you know maybe maybe your touch isn't going to be perfect but I would bet on a bet on that to be part of the team

then there's a few others I think Doyle what I went with was Kiwi Gonzalez the new Inter Miami head coach and Pablo Masteranier Ben Olson I think were the two that I came down to for the fifth spot and slightly leaned Pablo slightly lean Pablo

Because you want the ball winner in there. Sure. The dog. I know that I know Ben Olson is a dog too. But I felt like when it came out of 1v1, it's tough not to say Pablo in any sort of cage match. Yeah. Just in terms of like 1v1 defensively, 1v1 in attack, it would be Benny. Like Benny was in.

Especially before he blew out his ankles. He was a legit national team attacker, though that was we're closing in on 30 years ago now. And hang on. So if we're looking at an over 40-ish type league, you know, maybe Benny would be because it's more likely that your technique stays with you rather than I'm going to go flying into 50-50s at 49 years old. So maybe. So that's the thing, though, Pablo would still go flying into those 50-50s. Yohan DeMé is the youngest head coach in MOS, but he's been one of those like super brains who's just been a coach his whole life. I'm sure he's fine as a player, but like I just don't have any

don't have any evidence of it. I'm going to have to ask him maybe around the Open Cup final. I'm sure that's what's going to be top of his mind to see what he thinks about any of these conversations. Yeah, you asked the tough questions. That's why you're a big New York Times journalist. And I think that's where we'll leave it for today's show. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. And thank you to David for giving us the big chairs for an hour and a half. That probably won't happen again anytime soon. We will have the NWSL show tomorrow and then U.S. national team full camp preview and MLS weekend preview for the rest of the week. Tom, any last thoughts? Are you going to head off into the sunset?

A man, a few words. I'm going to head off. Nice to talk to you, Doyle. Good show. Yeah, you as well, my friend. Thank you everyone for joining us. Don't forget you can join our Discord. A lot of fun has had in there every match day.

and we'll see you all very, very soon.