Latest / Tectonic Takes / Episode 166: Balanced Through Success

Transcript

Episode 166: Balanced Through Success · Tectonic Takes

• Tectonic Takes: Quakes fans we're back after another three one victory at Sporting Kansas City I'm obviously joined by Devin and you guys might have noticed a very special guest with us Eric from that buddy dad Eric. How you doing today? I'm doing fantastic, man. It's a beautiful. It's a beautiful day It's you know, we got quakes wins and talk about and future wins to get excited about Exactly. We have the open cup game coming up against Phoenix Rising. Unfortunately, won't be able to cover that too much because this episode won't come out until after that takes place. We'll talk about it a little bit, but mostly we are going to focus on previewing, well, first of all, talking about our big win at Sporting Kansas City, but also previewing our game against LAFC. Devin, what was your thoughts on the game against ⁓ Sporting Kansas City? You know, I was pleasantly surprised at I mean, not the first portion of the game, obviously. I think the first 35 minutes, we played pretty rough. You know, we were slowly trying to move our way back into a rhythm, just kind of like we did, you know, last game ⁓ at home. And it was just kind of like a similar struggle. And, you know, once we found our feet underneath us, and, you know, I think partially credit to Harris's ⁓ injury before halftime, I think that that gave us some breathing room and gave us some time to recollect and then put us in the right path forward. But once we found our rhythm, we were unstoppable. And I think Bruce mentioned that in the press conference too. So ⁓ first half, completely different story than second. Really proud of the boys in the second and how we finished the first half. ⁓ overall, great game, great comeback. Eric, does that line up with you? Yeah, pretty much. mean, was kind of, you know, this in the air when that first goal went in just kind of like, this is the most quakes thing to happen is just have this beautiful streak of games and then let someone like sporting Kansas City come in and ruin it right before a big game like LAFC. And, you know, thankfully, the quakes have grown a lot since last time I had this feeling and you know, they brought it out and they closed out a game and said, Nope. this is how we beat bottom of the league teams, know, respect to them because at the end of the day, you know, we still have to play the game and still have to score the goals and sporting didn't make it easy. But I think the higher quality team won for sure. Yeah, I remember back in like 2019, we wouldn't be saying that to, know, in those days, like we'd be losing to bottom feeding teams and then somehow competing against top seeded teams. So, yeah, you know, really, really proud of how we're handling the season and, especially Kansas City. Well, that for me, sorry, one of the things is also playing away at sporting Kansas City has not been kind to us in the last, I don't even know, maybe 10 years. I could probably count how many times we've won at Children's Mercy Park in the last 10 years in my hands, you know, so ⁓ probably one hand now that I think about it is that that I still have open cup nightmares from penalty shootouts. And, know, my real Quakes fans will remember that. And, you know, so to get the win there, regardless of where sporting Kansas City is always a big deal for us. Yeah, definitely. And, and you know, the season where six in one, which is the best we've ever done to start off the first seven games of the season. ⁓ but you know, it's still been a perennial, like, you know, thing looming over us where it's just like, when's the other shoe going to drop? When are we going to go back to being the center of the earthquakes? And, you know, obviously that's always going to be. Looming over us until the last game of the season ⁓ but you know, there's also Been a very noticeable change in the culture in the club You know due to Bruce arena partly, but also just this this personnel. I think there's a really good group of guys ⁓ But but what is more important are these guys carrying Bruce arena or is Bruce more responsible for this change? Eric, I'm gonna let you go first. ⁓ You can't take away from Bruce. the end of the day, Bruce Arena is Bruce Arena. is the most the winningest coach in the league for a reason. The man knows ball. The man knows what to do. You know, there's always arguments of whether or not his style of play is still relevant in MLS today, which I think he's proving that he can make magic with very little ingredients, you know, and that's sometimes that's the best recipe for a home cook meal. You know, keep it simple. keep it to what soccer is supposed to be. And it seems to be working but also a huge credit to the team that we have, you know, the guys I think knew they were going to go into this season being underdogs every game. That's just a fact, you know, unfortunately, regardless of the talent that people like you and I see, you know, every day because we follow them so closely, we see the growth we see the players like Jamar Ricketts go up and shine. so much brighter than they did on day one. People like Preston Judd, who I was, you know, one of the biggest critics of last season, you know, really come in and say, Nope, you're wrong. I'm one of the better strikers in this league. And you know what I mean? So we get to see it because we follow so closely, but to get to see the rest of the league see it. You know, they're they've been, they've had that chip on their shoulder where no DP, you know what I mean? They're all, you know, players that A lot of people wrote off and here we are, know, one of the best teams in the league and they deserve every bit of credit there. know, a random comment. ⁓ I want to point out like, you know, after every Quakes win or after every game, I like to go to different podcast groups of the teams that we just played. And I wanted to, you know, I like listening to their insight, you know, and it's funny because I was listening to an SKC podcast today. And one of their segments is who has the best hair on the field. and, and the answer to that question is typically their head coach or, or I think it's their head coach, but they changed their answer and Preston Judd was the person who they thought had the best hair in the field. And I just thought it was hilarious because in my head, I'm listening to the podcast and I'm like, it's not Preston Judd. There's no way. Cause he reminds me of like a at least earlier in the season, his hair kind of reminded me of like a Jossi Zardas when he was back at Galaxy. And then she was like, yeah, Preston Judd has the best hair, even better than our head coach. And I just sat there like laughing and you know, sure enough, like he got the assist against them and I just thought it was a really, really funny moment. I mean, that's not who I would have picked either. You and I are on the same page. I thought it was Miko. Yeah, I think Nico has a really nice style to his hair. I think that Jack's skin is a really cool hair is kind of a super saiyan kind of vibe. No, mean, you this is kind of off track, but ⁓ Eric, who has the best hair? You know what? I like the one Jones hair. He's got he's got style. Rick and switches it up enough that, you know, he's a contender for sure. You know what I mean? He he rocked a couple different looks last season. So. There's definitely a couple contenders. I have a pretty similar haircut to like Daniel with the facial hair and the kind of modern mullets. That would probably be my overall pick, but we got some stylish dudes on this team. Can I say if he hit the field earlier in the game, think my answer is always going to be Ian Harks. Ian Harks has that sexy hair which like parted down the middle and it's always just kind of like wiggling around there. It's classic. ⁓ Thank you for for being that up there, but I am gonna hold you to the question ⁓ Who is more responsible for our success this season and you can say, you know, it's equal, you know I'll accept that but I'm curious about your thoughts on the matter. I Think there's only one person that can bring a group together Cohesively and I don't think it's necessarily the players that are responsible for that. I think Bruce is largely to you know, to point out for the success. And usually when you say you point at someone, you blame someone. But in this case, the Earthquakes are so successful this season, you point at Bruce and say that this is the guy that brought all of the players last season who seemed to have some sort of you know, disconnect and a connect at the same time. Good at scoring, also good at conceding. ⁓ But this season, he brought the players together and I think, you know, Bruce is largely to to celebrate or to be celebrated for being that individual to, you know, to bring all these guys together. I think, you know, who would have thought last year's contributed to this year's, you know, Supporters Shield leading performances? No one, except Bruce, because he's done it before and he'll continue to do it again and again until he retires. I have to agree with that and you Devon you brought it up earlier that for the first like 30 minutes we didn't look very good we're losing the ball when it wasn't unforced errors ⁓ you know way too many and then we're giving the ball away we kind of I'm not saying it's anyone's fault in particular for the sporting Kansas City goal but we kind of let that happen in just not winning the ball back and you know losing the ball in the first place but after ⁓ You know, Calvin Harris got injured and we know we never want to say it's a good thing. Obviously it was good that he was able to keep playing. ⁓ But regardless, Bruce called everyone over and kind of gave them a talking to and were like, guys, you got to do better. And he denied this in the press conference when he was asked about what happened in that sequence. ⁓ But it was clear to see for the rest of us that there was a big difference between the quakes before that talk and after. And then the quakes that came out of that talk, you know, were the ones who ended up winning this game three to one. And that's a really big testament to the impact that Bruce has ⁓ on this team. But speaking of impacts, I want to talk about Jack Skean. Where did you guys think that he would be, you know, coming into a game like this instead of our DP winger and then scoring a brace to win us the game basically? Eric, I'm gonna start with you. Did I think Jax Kane was going to be the hero of Saturday night? Absolutely not. know, nothing against him. I think he's had kind of a rough go at the season. You know, he's always been kind of a good role player. He's been, you know, when you need some kind of high press really fast, you know, just trying to kind of force the ball in their face. He's the man to call. But this season has just been kind of off. And I remember being at PayPal just a few games ago where the crowd really just turned on. He had missed a couple of open goals and that messes with the player's head. So anytime that I see him in the lineup, I'm like, all right, is this the redemption game? Is this the game where you say, nope, like, hey, Quakes fans, like, you can love me again, you know? And I think he kind of took it on and was like, this is it, you know? And so I'm happy that he got that. I'm happy that he got that off his back, getting that first goal of the season, but also getting right with the fans, you know? Because I think there's a lot more eyes. on the quakes this season that there has been in a while. You even just being at PayPal, the last game was, I haven't experienced that in a long time. So I'm happy that those newer fans are getting to see this side of Skein instead of, you know, what we saw a couple games ago. So no, didn't expect it, but I'm very happy both because he's a really cool guy off the field and, you know, from everything that I've seen and, you know, because I think Seeing him constantly come into the games and be a workhorse, regardless of being a starter or not, it's nice to see him kind of get that moment to shine after all those years of hard work. 100%. Devin, anything to add? Yeah, I'd like to think of, ⁓ you know, Jack Skean as what is that wheel called in casinos where you're like, you bet on red or black. ⁓ roulette? Yeah, he's like a roulette wheel. You don't know exactly what you're going to get from scan game in game out. So, you know, if I were to nickname, I'd nickname him the roulette wheel, but also like he's in moments you really need a player to perform in. I want to say like the middle of the game. He, you know, doesn't necessarily start games well. And I don't know if he necessarily finishes games well, despite the fact that he's been a late sub and he's been, you know, he's had impactful moments. But I think. where he shines most is around the middle of the game. So between 30th minute to 70th minute. ⁓ And, you know, we effectively saw that. And thankfully he showed up versus Sporting Kansas City. He knows where to pick his moments. He knows where to pick himself out on the field, find the right space. He's always been good at that. We've seen it in year in, year out when he's been playing with us. ⁓ He knows how to find the gaps, the channels. behind the back line, he's got the pace. ⁓ And I think in the last couple of months, you've seen him, you know, slightly improve on his dribbling and ⁓ just ability to support his teammates effectively. yeah, no, I'm really happy. ⁓ know, Skean was the man of the match and ended up getting both of those goals. But how can we... How could we talk about scan but not bring up Niko Tsoukeris? Yet again. there. I'm getting Yet again. He's got to assist. Technically, one was a secondary assist, like a hockey assist. But it's still a tally on his stat sheet. So to assist, Niko. mean, Abram, are your thoughts here? Well, I'm not going to let you derail my topic. I'm going to go back to that. I'm just kidding. I do want to talk about Niko. Thank you for bringing him up. But first, yeah, I mean we've talked about Jack Gaines a lot over the past like three years since I've been doing this show where I've had to apologize to Jack Gaines just for not rating him enough and now I'm here, know, three years later like, well, he does keep coming up big. You know, whether we like it or not, whether he has a bad game, you'll forget about it. He has the memory of a goldfish and that's what I like about him was that, you know, he... He's very fast and we know that but I think the main attribute that I like about him is his mentality and he's always positive. So it doesn't matter what situation he's in, he's gonna look to make something happen. That's what he's gonna be trying to do. But no, you hit the nail on the head. Nico Jacaris, there's a reason why he's on the team of the match day. consistently been like one of the basically the heart of the team, you know, he's behind the the ⁓ effectiveness of the attacks. He's not the only one, but he is like, you know, the kind of I don't do the term that I'm trying to coin. It's just in my head that I thought of. He's not the captain. He's not the best player, but he is the Red Ranger. Does that make sense? So he is the red ranger of the center of the earthquakes where, you know, they're not always the best one. They're not always the leader of the captain. Like sometimes it's Tommy, sometimes it's the black ranger, but he is just like, we looked at him to make a difference and he is always doing that. ⁓ Sorry, you know, I was trying to see if I had a power I know I have a power coin up here somewhere I was gonna be Looking for the Red Rangers ⁓ I was like, you know, I know I have a Red Ranger power coin somewhere. So I was like, you know, I get the reference Yeah, yeah ⁓ I appreciate that that would have been really cool if you pulled that out of nowhere ⁓ Like I was saying, Nico has just been getting better and better on that on the assist that he had for the second goal That was beautiful the way that he just like sized up those defenders and just like kept kind of moving He showed his agility and then you know accuracy to find scan making that run in the box with his right foot His weaker foot, you know Really big on Nico and the impact that he's had so far and his what we've known that he could do, but he's finally showing that he could do it week in, week out. Eric, anything to say? No, you're again, right on it is, you know, he's kind of been poised to be that player for us in the midfield for a while, but I just don't think he's had the room to shine. You know, that's kind of been the story this season as we're seeing all these players who have been around. We've seen these players who have, you know, kind of had this big fanfare around them for a while. when they were signed or when they made their debut. And then they were kind of slowly pushed aside for those big names, those big contracts that didn't really do much for us. you know, a lot of us again that we've been following the team for a while know that there was a diamond in the rough, just kind of waiting on the sideline. And this season they're showing that there was a lot of those. So to see him just kind of get that confidence that I haven't seen from him in the past. He looks really comfortable on the ball. He looks like he's where he belongs, which is on a soccer pitch and you know, playing in front of thousands of fans in his hometown. It's you know, it's it's hard to beat and it's hard to, know, it's hard to say like, you know, why why like why didn't we see this last year? Why didn't we see this? And you know, but I'm just happy we're getting it now and happy we locked him in for a good amount of time. Yeah, you know, in seven games, I don't think any of us would be sitting here now. Or at least during preseason saying like he'd get out of seven games. He'd get six, you know goals and assists Looking at last season statistics. He's only got one goal and then maybe one or two assists and that that's it ⁓ You know, albeit he was with the national team for a while and was injured, you know There's a whole bunch of different factors why I didn't play many minutes But you know, he's getting full 90 minutes now and he's producing the numbers that we're expecting attend to produce You know, we lost a 10 in the offseason, we got another 10, playing as a 10 this season, and he's living to expectations. ⁓ You know, I think it was the goal that Abram referenced. It was the first goal where he was taken on Calvin Harris and ⁓ beat a couple of men ⁓ to give Jack Skehan the equalizer. But it was also the second goal where he was able to find Preston Judd. with a curled pass outside and, you know, Judd was also able, you know, he was aware enough to find a wide open Jack Skehan in the middle. So the partnership, and I tried to ask Bruce about this, the partnership between Preston Judd and Nico Secaris, I was really looking forward to this and I said it last podcast as well. was excited to see the partnership between Preston Judd and Nico Secaris. Sure enough. They delivered ⁓ double assists on skein's goal, but ⁓ as good as we looked, I think we can also attribute SKC's woes to the fact that we scored three goals. know, assessing the goal, at least the, well, both the first and second goal, the defending I felt was kind of atrocious. And Eric, I'll ask you in a second what your thoughts are, but ⁓ you know, the first goal, Nico Winnat, Calvin Harris beat him. ⁓ Second goal, there was not a center back or right back in sight anywhere in the middle of the goal. And that's something as a professional player, you have to be aware of your space there. I know you have to close down Preston Chud, but if there's a wide open player in the middle, you want to cover that passing lane ⁓ and give the goalkeeper a chance to ⁓ play at a tighter angle rather than directly in the middle that Jack Scanan was able to take a shot from. absolutely poor defending. ⁓ Eric, what are your thoughts? No, you're, you're right. And you know, as, someone who played center back most of their career right here, if you want to call it that, ⁓ you're right. It makes no sense why he was wide open. And I think that's one of those things that has a center back, you go into game and you say, okay, like I know who I'm locking down. I know who, as soon as they step in my box, I know where they're at and either I'm on them or I'm yelling at someone to get on them. But to kind of give the the Quakes credit on the other side for causing this confusion is we don't really have that guy. There's arguments to be made for Timo Werner. You know, if he's in, that's the guy you want to make sure you're locking down. There's arguments made for Preston Judd because he's, you know, our striker. He's been lighting it up when he's free in the box. But seven games, seven different goal scorers, I think the Quakes are causing enough chaos and confusion that it's making defenses who, you know. at end of the day, they're still professional players and they're still way better than most of us at defending. The Quakes have created enough chaos to put them off their game like that and to create that chaos that gives people like Preston Judd the space to score there, but it also gives people like Skean the space to score, know, because they don't really know, like, who am I marking, who am I not? And that's where the beauty of the game happens is when there's confusion, that's where you get some of the coolest goals. Yeah, and that's very well said Eric ⁓ that that brings us into the next question I had which I'm actually going to ask Devin to ask it because I'd like to answer Devin you brought up in the discord an interesting point about team over there or the lack thereof Do you know what question I'm talking about? Yeah, and brought it up a couple of times and it's more of I don't know if it's taken to be taken as serious the way I asked it But I'm gonna ask you, you know In the last seven games, we've only seen Timo Werner play four times. Do you think we're better with or without Timo Werner on the field? When you say you, who are you referring to? You, Abram. Do you think we is the earthquakes? Sorry, I have to make it sure. No, yeah, I don't think that. Obviously, this is more of a thought experiment rather than an assessment on your part. ⁓ which i think it's fair we should be asking questions we have been very good but it's not that we haven't been good without timo ⁓ not that we haven't been good with timo verner he played four of the seven games and you know in those four games who won three of those so it's not like you know timo's putting a real damper on anything and it's not his fault that we lost a seattle game in fact i think that he was one of the better players in that game ⁓ despite not being able to make anything happen in the final third ⁓ You know, I think that when you get to the later stages using Ori, you get to the games where you know, you're have to start grinding more and the things that have been working for us, if they don't work in a certain game, I think you're gonna really miss his quality if you don't have him. And so I think that he would be really good to have once he's fit. Obviously an unfit team of earner, we are better without somebody who's not gonna be able to pull their weight. I think anyone would agree with that. But you know once he can play once everything, you know said and done I think that we want him on the field and I also think that you know if we're looking at this ⁓ Born in Kansas City game as an example of us playing better without him Do you think that you know, scan? Or do you think that Timo Werner can't do any of the things that Jack scan did? I think that he's just as capable of doing that, you know, maybe he gets marked tighter, you know, there's all kinds of differences there, but I think that he finishes both those goals. I think that he's fast enough to get into the spaces that Jack got into. I don't think that we are ⁓ a better team without him. I just think that we've been very good and that we should hopefully improve once he is able to be integrated to the team fully. Eric, what do you think? Do we look better with or without Teemo? I think that's tough, man. I mean, it's... If he had had a full preseason with the Quakes, you know, it'd be a little bit easier to kind of pick a pick a side here because then it's like, hey, like you're integrated, you're part of the team, you've spent that bonding time with the team, which is really important for the team chemistry. think then I'd be a little bit more comfortable saying yes, we're better with better without. I think my main thing is the Quakes are just good. which is really refreshing to say. The Quakes are good and I think Teemo is sort of like the cherry on top right now. I don't think he makes us worse, which is something that, again, is refreshing to say as a Quakes fan because we've all been there where DPs have definitely made us worse. Sorry, Emigara, I still remember you and that Ferrari. ⁓ But if my real Quakes fans will know. But ⁓ yeah, he doesn't make us worse, which is a really big thing. for us moving into this new kind of era of being a quakes fan. And I think he's a cherry on top. think there's still a lot to kind of figure out with his team chemistry. But at the end of the day, the 10 guys that are on the pitch are working hard enough that it one I think he takes eyes off of them, which can be good because then their pressures off if things go bad. The media is really only focused on the fact that Timo Werner lost the game. not to say it was a earthquake. So I think it makes it easier for some of those younger guys. But when he's good, then it's like, hey, there's that cherry on top. There's that sweet treat at the end that just makes us kind of feel better. So I think, I think, yes, he makes us better, but he doesn't make us worse. And the team has showed that Timo or no Timo, we're winning games. Eric, I think you're right. It is, it is a healthy balance. It comes down to whether or not the tactics give us the advantage and Teemo's obviously part of those tactics. And since he's a big name, the attention draws to him rather than other players who are also picking up the pieces right now. There aren't even any pieces right now, we're a full puzzle. Despite the lack of depth, we're a full puzzle and we're winning games. But apart from Seattle, we're doing a really good job with the depth that we have. It's a thought provoking moment where I had pointed out that of the games that Timo Werner missed, we had scored three goals in every single game. So to benefit Timo Werner, he's played four games and he's had to assist. So he's producing at a 50 % level, which is still good. You know, we want him to make any, you know, contribute of any points of any kind, ⁓ which I'm happy that. he's able to provide assists. But it's also the fact that on the other hand of the argument, some fans can say, Timo Werner is an attacker. He's a left wing, he's a nine. He said his ⁓ preference is a false nine. But at the same time, we've only seen Timo Werner take two shots on target since he's joined the team. I think we expect to see more from him. ⁓ And also that, you he's an injury prone player and he's missed a couple of games so far due to, I think it was a lower back injury that Bruce had stated. ⁓ So, you know, that's, that's also a current ongoing issue right now with Timo, you know, missing more games due to injury, but also the fact that we want to see him take more, you know, chances on target. We want to see him contribute just a little bit more than, than what he's doing right now. Cause it seems like anytime there's an opportunity at hand for Timo Werner. He hesitates in front of goal and he keeps looking for that that pass rather than you know to finish off a shot himself Yeah, I think I've all said we've been you know, we had just asked for for more from Timo Not that he's been bad, but we'd like to see him, you know take the onus and the responsibility of being the star player which you know, it's been it's been a little bit like it's been good, but not amazing ⁓ but that was You just before he got his injury and he hasn't been able to you know appear much for us But you mentioned depth Devon and that brings me into ⁓ Next segment What do you guys think that we should do? Considering we have LAFC on Sunday, but before that we have Phoenix rising in the open cup A lot of quakes fans in the past are like, okay, you gotta you gotta throw that that game ⁓ Against a lafc and go full strength in the open cup because we want to win the open cup and i've always been somebody who's been hesitant to do that not that I don't want to win the open cup, but it's just like If we we go all in on the open cup and then we you know lose that and then We we threw games in the mls to to do so then we're stuck without anything and we we put all our eggs in a basket and then we threw the basket away And it just it hasn't worked out for us either way But i'm curious what you guys think that we should do this year since it's going a lot better for us in the league So far devin i'll start with you ⁓ well by the time this goes out We have already played phoenix rising, so I want to congratulate the earthquakes on their win. ⁓ no i'm just kidding I don't want to jinx anything, you know, but nadi congratulations on the the you know, your first professional debut, hopefully ⁓ you know, if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. And so be it. You can call me out. But, ⁓ I, as, as Bruce stated in the press conference, I think we're going to see a lot of rotations and I think those rotations will come from attacking pieces. ⁓ if we really want to succeed, I think we're going to have to Benji. I think we're going to have to bench Preston. I think we're going to have to bench, ⁓ you know, we shouldn't play Jamar Ricketts. He's, I assume he's coming back from injury. Bruce didn't want to touch up on that, but the way he was talking about. ⁓ Jamar's return, he also included his name with ⁓ Timo Werner and Vitor Costa. So I can only assume that he was injured and that's why he missed the game despite flying out there with the team. ⁓ I say we rest Jamar, wait for LAFC. I think we bring in a couple of other guys, know, give Jonah a chance, give ⁓ some other depth a chance. ⁓ I know that... ⁓ one of quakes twos, ⁓ home groans or earthquakes home groans. ⁓ you know, ⁓ Mendoza, he played a full 90 with quakes two and, ⁓ was actually their, their, their key to the victory. he played a full 90. So I don't, I don't see us using him, ⁓ for the Phoenix rising game and us open cup. think we're going to utilize a lot of the guys that we've seen on the bench, Paul Mary, ⁓ you know, ⁓ was gonna say scan, but you just call him Paul Mary. That's that's how he says his last name. Yeah says it like that Yeah, he says it Mary. Okay, I like it's been like what five years and we've always called him Paul Marie That's a big change. I'm have to adjust you but alright, so gotta say with a French accent though ⁓ No, yeah, so crystal linked his SoundCloud audio to pronouncing his last name in the Discord and that's how he said it. Also, I was part of that team that did the private travel thing, ⁓ the charter flights. When I talked to ⁓ Paul, he said his last name Mary. So I was like, ⁓ that's a bit different. So yeah, is Paul Mary for fans out there ⁓ who call him Marie. You can still call him Marie, but that's how he pronounces his last name, Mary. ⁓ You know, seeing guys like him, maybe even Fernandez in the midfield, take out Bowe for a little bit, maybe leave Bowe as a late sub. The possibilities, despite the fact that we have a low count in depth, the possibilities kind of feel endless because there's a lot of players that can play at multiple positions. They're very versatile. know, Uni can play left back. ⁓ We have Max Floriani at center back, you know, who can replace Roberts. We also have... ⁓ There's a lot of replacements at left back. ⁓ You know, just a bunch of different guys that you can just name left and right. Maybe we'll see Crockford and Goal or ⁓ our backup instead of Danielle, because Danielle has known to get injured. I kind of hope we see Danielle and Goal, but also at the same time, it's LAFC on Sunday and that's the biggest opponent, ⁓ at least in my eyes. You know, we're succeeding in MLS. I would rather save our top players for that game instead of Phoenix Rising, because I could see our depth, ⁓ you know, making damage or doing good damage against ⁓ Phoenix. What are your... ⁓ Who do you think would be subbed or replaced, Eric? I mean, it's tough to gauge. You know, as fans, we put a lot of importance into these games. I mean, it's a knockout game. And, you know, obviously the game against LAFC is an important game for fans. There's obviously they Portland spoiled our our fun of taking their unbeaten streak away. But anytime an LA team loses, you know, another Quakes fan is born or whatever you want to say. So but. Trying to put myself in Bruce's head. I feel like he's gonna look at it as it's just another three points. Yes, it's LAFC. Yes, it's a big game. Yes, we want it, but it's three points, right? Can we, is throwing a knockout game, not necessarily throwing it, but is not putting in all of our effort into a knockout game worth just three points? I don't know, right? This early in the season, I think we could probably, it's kind of a toss up. I'd like to see a good. a good lineup out there. But I do think we have enough depth to do it. think, you you put Nonny in for Preston. think you got kind of rotating in maybe your Florianis, your Dreszynskis. You know, I really don't like messing with the back four, but there is room to play there. And I think those are all players that, you know, all respect to Phoenix Rising that can compete at the very least at the USL level. You know, Phoenix Rising is kind of one of the ⁓ better teams in USL, just historically. they're not to be taken lightly, but there's definitely a lot of rotation that can happen. But you're right. think Secares will probably sit. I think we'll see Jonah in. think we'll see Nani's debut, as you mentioned. And I think I will see some good rotation out in the wing. think it's tough to really put a finger on what exactly will happen, but I think that's... kind what I'm, where I think Bruce's head will be. Just focusing on trying to get, ⁓ Conker Calf soccer on the schedule for next year. Yeah, I kind of agree. And Eric, I want to throw another question and then shoot it to Air Room after. What is your interpretation of US Open Cup in terms of importance for this season? You know, we're, succeeding in MLS so well, you know, a lot of fans may, may be shifted in different tiers in terms of importance based on our success. Where do you think US Open Cup stands in 2026 for you? think it's one where we should be going for that cup. We don't have a US Open Cup. We haven't played CONCACAF soccer, at least not in a long time. And admittedly, with Espinosa leaving, I've been kind of tracking Nashville a little bit closer than I would have on previous seasons. to see the excitement that people have for Concord Caps Soccer, to see them play these teams that, you know, that experience that you get playing abroad. you know, obviously it's not at the level of like a UEFA Champions League, but it's a really cool experience, you know, watching them and playing against teams like America and Mexico and, you know, all these smaller teams that I'm familiar with from Central America, just from following those leagues. Like, I want to experience that as a Quakes fan. I haven't gotten a chance. ⁓ as an adult, as a fan who can go to these games, who can travel to these games. Like if there's a Quakes game in Guatemala, I'm booking a flight. I'm going home and I'm, you know what I mean? I'm doing what I can to go watch my team play against a team from my home country. Like that's, that's exciting. So I'd love to see them really put in an effort, which I don't think we've seen even from Bruce last season, despite how far we did get. I don't think there was really a focus on winning the cup. I think it was like, let's kind of put out. like an 80, 90 % full lineup. And if we win, great. If not, we still have MLS to go through. But I'd like to see a little bit more focus because I think US Open Cup is the silverware would be great in our trophy case. You know, we've got the room for it and concave soccer. Let's let's get the quakes in there. Let's let's broaden our reach and hopefully attracting more players that want to play continental soccer for the future. Because I think We're we're riding that high of no dps and still winning but You know the season's only going to get tougher. The depth is only going to be called on more throughout so Having that for the quakes of when they're signing players you're coming in but you're you're playing continental soccer I think is just another plus for us. I think Go in for it. Bruce. Let's do it. Let's get that cup Yeah, I mean, yeah, I would have no complaints about that. I think it would be honestly Now you mentioned the Guatemala thing. like, I hope that happens for your sake. Like I want you to be able to go on that trip. That would be dope. I unfortunately, so I'm Mexican and my family is from Jalisco. We support Guadalajara. And when we played them, dude, what are you talking about? You don't have a horse in the race. So when we played Chivas, in ⁓ was it Levi's I think I got food poisoning on the way to the game and I had to to tell ⁓ the Quakes PR like hey I can't go like I was halfway there and I was just like I just can't do it like I'm gonna you know be in the stadium it's just not a good situation so I had to turn around and go home and you know that was really disappointing and she was is the team that like they they they I get to watch them more I guess I don't know I don't I don't think it's as rare for me as it would be for probably you to watch your team play against a Guadamalan team do you have a Guadamalan club team that you support just just off topic I do I do and I do have a Mexican League team that I support I won't call myself a fan because I know if you're watching this and but I do support America That's why I had to give you a little stuff there. yes, ⁓ family, that's what that reaction was. I knew that it wasn't like Atlas or something. It was America. No, no. And the funny thing is I only support them because I used to give my sister's dad, my stepdad. ⁓ He's a big he was a big TV fan. He watched them every game. And I had to sit there and watch them every game and watching them get mad when America was gore was always hilarious. So my sister and I would root for America. just to mess with him and then it kind of just stuck and it's kind of our way to honor him now is we keep to that. so that's why we're, I support America. I'm not a diehard. I don't watch their games. I'll watch a classical and if they're on, I'll put them on. But if I had to pick a team, that'd be my team. But back home in Guate, I'm a Cremas fan. Comunicaciones, that is my team. That's the team that I almost had an opportunity to play for as a young kid. So that's, I got to. That's my team and that's my connection back home. That's awesome. Thank you for sharing. ⁓ But yeah, we're going into this game against LAFC. They're coming off the back of a 2-1 loss at the hands of Portland. I got to watch the highlights of that game. And honestly, for me, there's not much I can pick apart and say, this is how we fit into this and this is how we'll do. Because in a lot of the goals there was an element of luck involved. I don't know if you guys got to watch the highlights, but the Terry goal, like obviously very well struck, but Asim Mdulela again, I don't know if he can, know, obviously I hope the best for his career and stuff, but like I just, that's a very difficult goal to replicate. ⁓ The two goals that Portland scored, the first one I was like, okay, well he did great to take that opportunity for himself. But again, was ⁓ the keeper probably could have done better. And the second goal, ⁓ the winning goal ⁓ in the 96th minute, I believe, the keeper just jumped over the ball and kind of let the guy on the line have a free header. And I don't blame the keeper. I am the last person to blame the keeper. But I was watching this game. I was like, is this guy professional? What is he doing? ⁓ It was really shocking to see. level of play ⁓ and So I'm like, okay. Well, they're probably gonna fix that they're probably gonna replace the keeper I just don't see how like we can go in and then you know replicate any of those things because of how Kind of bizarre they were But obviously I hope to give LSC another upset ⁓ Devon, what do you what are your thoughts coming into this game? I don't have many thoughts. It's just kind of like my My hands tremble a little bit just because of the fact that, you know, it's LAFC and we're tied with least goals conceded with them. ⁓ So, you know, looking at that number alone, I think it's difficult for both teams to go in expecting goals because both teams are excellent at defending. You know, with two good defending teams comes, ⁓ you know, a great ⁓ battle in the midfield. I think whoever wins the midfield will win the game. That said... I think a really big key to LAFC is Benjica Kanovic because of the fact that he is on Denny Buonga's side. I know they do have a midweek game in CONCACAF Champions League, so they're going to utilize their first team players for that. Meanwhile, we can kind of rest our players for US Open Cup, so I think there's a bit of an advantage for there. ⁓ But Benjica Kanovic is a player to look out for in hopes to shut down Denny, just like he's been doing the last seven, you can say 10 games as well in preseason, how he locked up Wilfred Zaha. ⁓ You know, if there's a player to lock someone down, Benjik Canovic hasn't conceded a goal all season from his side. ⁓ And as well as Nico and Bo, I think if you want to win the midfield battle, you're gonna have to have your young guys step up and ⁓ take away the passing lanes in space. from Hyeong-min Son and anyone in the central area. I think we're gonna have to, as you pointed out Abram, in the game against Portland, I think you have to take the chances that are given to you. Even if you score Wando-like goals, just like Portland did for both of them. Whatever is given to you, presented to you at your feet, place it on target and hope for the best, because as you said in Portland's second goal, the goalkeeper... may be a professional goalkeeper, or sometimes they may be a semi-professional goalkeeper. You never know what you're gonna get until you test the goalkeeper. So ⁓ I think those are my keys to the game. If you wanna win a game, you have to present yourself with feasible opportunities and also ⁓ win the midfield battle plus Benjy Kukanovic. So that's where I'm thinking. Eric, what are your thoughts? A couple, man. You said a lot of very... Good points there. You did bring me back to a previous question about Open Cup that I didn't think about is another reason why we should go all in is with the Quake success. I don't think the first team is going to be playing in Open Cup next year with the way that things are structured. We'll probably see them in Leagues Cup. So if this is one of the last opportunities to bring that trophy home, let's do it. So that kind of came to my head. I totally forgot about that part. So Bruce, let's bring home the Open Cup. Cause I know you're watching. just, you know, know Bruce sits at home and goes, let's, let's watch the latest tectonic takes. So what are those boys up to today? Yeah. He's like, ⁓ let's turn on tectonic takes, know? ⁓ but, ⁓ another point was you brought a great point, Abraham is when you said, can we do this? And I love that. Cause there's always a conversation, especially people like us that cover teams when we say we and that. But this is definitely a we question and I think this is gonna is what can we do is as fans to show up because Portland is one of those places that is not easy to play. And I guarantee you that while I don't my wife's a keeper so I can't always blame the keeper because then she's the first to say yeah but if we don't score or yeah but the defense so you know so I won't put the blame on the keeper but playing in a place like Portland with those fans. Because the first thing that that guy did when he's, I don't remember who the forward was that scored, he jumped up, the crowd was behind him, he almost fell off the log, I saw that. ⁓ But that crowd was roaring and I'm sure that has to play into a keeper who has to come in and play instead of Yoriz. He's playing in a place like Portland. That's gotta be hard and that had to factor in to some of the blunders and. and to some of the play. if we can make PayPal be that, then that 12th man really makes a difference. So as fans, we can go out and show out and make it even crazier than it was the last home game, because it was it was a great, great game to be at. And I think L.A.F.C. is only going to get better. So as fans, we can do that. But yeah, I think. We have the speed in the back that we didn't have at the Levi's game last year. I think that killed us. was the speed was in there. We weren't able to keep up with that kind of dual threat of Sun and Wanga. And I think this year we do. We have the speed. ⁓ So we're kind of running out of excuses as to why to lose to them. So I'd love to see, ⁓ you know, Benji locking up Wanga. You're right on there. If there's a guy that's going to do it, it's going to be, you know, Sacramento's finest. ⁓ And then again, yeah, just we can't let them have that free space in the middle, but you know, with somebody like Vieira in there, I think it's going to be a very gritty game. You know, it's something we haven't said too much this year about Grid FC, but it's going to be Grid FC Goonies 2.0, where we just kind of fight 90 minutes and, you know, we're going to be bruised and battered. And I think, I think it'll be a game where the best team is going to win. And I just hope that it's the Quakes that day. Yeah. I think something that Tom Bogert mentioned too is, is, um, LAFC. through a lot of their substitutes on the field versus Portland, and they still competed. And that shows you how much depth that they have on their team. know, sure, we are a cohesive team and we are a whole puzzle, but we don't have the depth that LAFC has where they almost go to Portland and beat them at their own game, at their own home with a full starting 11. ⁓ You know, it shows the amount of power that LAFC have. And even if they rest players for... the San Jose game, because if they want to go all in on on ⁓ Gankacaf Champions Cup, then by all means they can probably do that. And if they lose to San Jose, then sure, they lose three points. And and, you know, we'll just think of it as it's L.A. FC. They're just going to win a bunch of other games after they play us. ⁓ And there's probably no concern for them about missing playoffs just because of how deep their squad is. So, you know, we may or may not actually see some of their starting elevens, because I believe this is ⁓ this past week or I guess tomorrow or Wednesday when LAFC play Champions Cup. This is their round one of two, right? Correct me if I'm wrong. I believe this is the first round, so they have another game next week in Champions Cup. It should be the first leg, Yeah. I don't think they're at single game knockouts yet. I think with that in mind, they may ⁓ sit out a couple of their starting guys ⁓ just to compete in CONCACAF Champions Cup. So, you know like to like to is tomorrow. Yeah, okay So maybe maybe we will see it there their full roster ⁓ Against San Jose, but either way, you know, we may not play our our primary guys and we may Against Phoenix Rising. What are your thoughts? Just so you can cut it in ⁓ Yeah, mean it's gonna be a tough one LAFC is always tough And you know, I've been in the BMO stadium and we've been louder than like as a fan, we've been louder than the 3252. those games, felt that there was like a lot of there was electricity in the air. I felt it before and we almost beat them at their home when they turned off the VAR switch on a Capo. uh... when he was brought down in the box and they couldn't go to review because the barger wasn't recording uh... you know whatever the heck that was you know that's a game where i'd i'd truly believe we could have won and i don't think that that team was as cohesive as this team i don't think that team wanted to win as badly as this team wants to win uh... you know that's just uh... comment on the mentality of the two squads I that's I'm hoping that you know we rest of you guys against ⁓ Phoenix just because I think that we have some really good players on our B team that will do a very good job against Phoenix and we have a genuine chance against LAFC you know because there's been times in the past where it's like well the MLS this is our worst season ever why not just try really hard for the Open Cup ⁓ you know that's been a point of discussion this year is like well we have a very good chance in MLS and three points against LAFC would be really good to have you know later in the year because we saw we missed out on ⁓ a tiebreaker last year against Raw Salt Lake so every point counts in the league and yeah I agree that you know we might not be in the open cup next year and you know that is something to consider but ⁓ I think that the guys if I'm thinking about what Bruce is thinking about. I think that they have blinders on for this year and then whatever happens next year that that's that's for future Bruce to decide or whatever. ⁓ So that's that's my hope because like I said we have a very strong team. ⁓ We've we saw Benji lock up plenty of guys. I think that he is a very good matchup for Bwonga who likes to you know use his pace a lot. He has more than pace, I think that ⁓ Benji at least matches them for pace and definitely for physicality. ⁓ No, this is a very good chance to finally prove, you know, because they don't believe us. They don't believe it in the earthquakes. this is like, LAFC has been probably the best MLS team this year, apart from their loss against Portland. This would be a very big statement, you know, not just like, OK, well, quick. got lucky again or whatever they want to say this is like a real statement hopefully Yeah, I think you're right. It... LAFC's... think they provide a lot of back and forth. ⁓ They have their moments where, you know, if they slip up, then just like Portland did, you know, there's an easy counter opportunity. ⁓ A lot of players when put under pressure, kind of not necessarily crumble, but they show cracks. And you just have to, you have to abuse those cracks, you have to you have to expose them. ⁓ And I think Bruce Arena has instilled that exposure mentality in our team. And it's something that we don't really talk about because it's kind of just like one of those under the earth type situations where, you you feel it, but you don't see it. ⁓ When you notice the earthquakes pressing, they press as a unit, they press hard and they press high. And when that happens, a lot of the times the opposition are exposed and they panic and they lose possession of the ball. And that's when we strike. That's the biggest thing for me when I'm watching the earthquakes. I see a lot of that. As Abram has pointed out many times on this podcast, ⁓ Eric, we push and we're like, we have a trigger press in the corners, the other team's defensive corners of the field. So when they pass the ball, goalkeeper passes the ball to each fullback, that's when we trigger press as a unit and. you know, they end up kicking the ball out in the middle of the field where one of our earthquakes players is standing. We collect the ball and we immediately counter down the middle. We saw that versus Sporting Kansas City. And I think if we can utilize that press again and eliminate the passing zones, any passing zones, passing lanes, them out of zone 14, I think we could really. do some damage against LAFC whether or not they have a a fully rostered starting 11. Eric, thoughts? Yeah, I mean, the big thing, I think for us is we've been on this road before, this season already. We've already had so many of these, well, they're one of the best teams in league. We've faced Vancouver, we've faced San Diego and I'm, you as a Quakes fan, kind of feel like we have a bit of a, of, we were kind of the catalyst for their downfall this season since they're sitting in eighth place after coming to PayPal Park and, you know, ⁓ who's to say we can't do it to LAFC? You know, LAFC is coming to town. We'll show them what a historic club can do, you know, all respect to everything they've accomplished in their short lifespan, you know. It's longer if you include T plus USA, you whatever be triggered. L.A.C. because we do, you know, it's fine. But, you know, we're this team is is riding that high. Like, let's keep riding it. Let's keep going into that. Let's let's imagine beautiful things. You know, all my ⁓ Mexican national team fans will know that Chicharito imagine most causes, causes, grandness or whatever. He said, you know, imagine beautiful things like we can beat. LAFC at their best. If they want to throw a B team, hey, that's fine. That's their three points to lose. You know, so I hope they come with a full 11 because that's I'm sure Bruce is to come with a full 11 because the depth that I think we have the depth to have two solid 11s for this kind of play where we have a midweek match for open cup. You know, your nonnies, your Fernandez, you know, they're there. It's the same idea of They're the future Nico Chakiris and and boulder rules that just needed that opportunity to shine You know what mean? We have Harks and and Viera who are a little bit interchangeable at this point so However, they want to show up. I think the quakes are a good enough team that You know right now if they do lose they'll be using the excuse of we have midweek We have that but it can go either way. We have midweek games to play. We've got knockout games to play and we're We're putting all of our eggs in every basket. You know what mean? Because we have that many eggs. Let's fill them all. Let's do it all. It's going to be beautiful. And you know, I think that the league has kind of gotten that wake up call finally. And no team is coming into PayPal going three points are secured. know, ⁓ they're professionals and they probably don't anyways, but definitely this season where, you know, the league's starting to wake up. They're starting to know like the quakes are the team to beat right now. They are the team that everybody's going to want to take, take that home. The players for sure, whether or not the coaches are, are, are seeing it that way, the players for sure, they're coming in going, yeah, we're going to be the ones that take that, you know, take that wind from underneath their sails. And so yeah, we're, we're, I don't know. I'm just, I'm just a happy Quakes fan saying, bring your best LAFC cause we're bringing our best. Very well said Eric. And, ⁓ you know, Let me take away from this match is that I hope that whatever the score is, it doesn't hurt us in the long run. think that if we can, know, because teams lose, you know, that's what happens over the course of a season. If we lose, I still want to see the same quick show up in the few days time for the Austin game, you know, for the games beyond that. ⁓ The mentality of the team has to stay strong regardless of the score. But there are lot of reasons why we can be optimistic for this game. Now we won't be here for the Austin game. We won't be able to preview that game, but we will be back to preview the game after that next week. ⁓ Eric, thank you so much for joining us this week. Where can the people find you? As always, I'm on Instagram and TikTok, ThatFootyDad. Come say hi. ⁓ I post all sorts of soccer and dad life content if you like that kind of stuff. come say hi, might make you laugh or I might make you think about how great the Quakes are. You never know with my videos. Yeah, also, if you're wondering why under Abram's face, ⁓ usually there's names underneath us. And if you're wondering why Abram's name says birthday boy, it's because on the day of recording, it is Abram's birthday today. So please in the comments, wish Abram a happy birthday. ⁓ We love you. We love you so much, buddy. Thank you very much, appreciate it. I am 26 now, so I'm officially closer to 30 than I am 20, which is, you know, not as fun, but obviously blessed to live another year. Obviously also blessed to have this community around me. The Quakes Discord is an amazing place to be. I've been trying to get Eric to join us on the unsuccessful so far, but we'll see what happens. But yeah, thank you guys so much for watching. We'll be back next week. Until then, go Quakes. Go Quakes. Go Quakes.