Speaker 1: I am the manager.
Speaker 2: I'm on the sidelines, and I'm waving Pablo off the pitch,
Speaker 2: and standing next to me wearing number nine, of course,
Speaker 2: is Jason Christ and I've decided to sob Jason in
Speaker 2: take Pablo off Jason Christ on a Wednesday afternoon.
Speaker 1: Jay, how you doing, buddy.
Speaker 3: I'm doing great. It took me a minute to catch
Speaker 3: what you were laying down there.
Speaker 1: Well, it usually does.
Speaker 2: I mean that's part of you know, our relationship for
Speaker 2: the better part of twenty years.
Speaker 1: I'm just kind of one step ahead.
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, you definitely are. Your humor and your wit
Speaker 3: is definitely one step ahead of where I'm at.
Speaker 1: You know what. Thank you very much for that compliment.
Speaker 1: That's never happened before. Porter.
Speaker 2: Will you clip that sound and send it to my
Speaker 2: email please, I'd appreciate it. All right, Jay, let's start
Speaker 2: with the good home opener MLS style. Seattle rolls into
Speaker 2: town and you guys send them away with a two
Speaker 2: zero win.
Speaker 1: The good the bad? Would you like? What didn't you like?
Speaker 3: Please? Obviously please with the result. I think sometimes in
Speaker 3: this game you you kind of would just take whatever
Speaker 3: result you can get. I felt its strangely so I
Speaker 3: felt that the group was under a bit of pressure,
Speaker 3: even though it was only our fourth game of this
Speaker 3: season and our second MLS game. I think we've set
Speaker 3: a different level of expectation amongst ourselves and amongst our
Speaker 3: fans that we don't you know, that we don't have
Speaker 3: three poor results in a row, and that's what we
Speaker 3: essentially had. With the draw at at Costa Rica perhaps
Speaker 3: being a semi positive one, but then losing against a
Speaker 3: Jose Away and then losing the game and not advancing
Speaker 3: in CONCACAFF, I think made us all a bit uneasy.
Speaker 3: So to get that result against Seattle was very very important.
Speaker 3: I don't I wouldn't qualify the performance as one of
Speaker 3: our best, but I do think it was a very
Speaker 3: positive step for the team and a positive reaction to
Speaker 3: come back off those off those disappointments and get a
Speaker 3: much needed three points.
Speaker 2: If we were at an RSL season ticket holder dinner
Speaker 2: and I was an RSL season ticket holder, and you
Speaker 2: were speaking and they opened it up for questions, I
Speaker 2: might say something like, how can you tell me that
Speaker 2: you're taking conky CAFs seriously when you have two nines
Speaker 2: with very little professional experience and unfortunately unable to advance.
Speaker 3: Well, I would say that there's a lot more that
Speaker 3: goes into that than just the outside view that we
Speaker 3: don't have an experience nine. The fact of the matters,
Speaker 3: we thought we were going to have an experience nine.
Speaker 3: That's why we made the trade with the Red Bulls
Speaker 3: in the offseason, and all of our free conversations with
Speaker 3: that player led us to believe that he was super
Speaker 3: excited to come. So to find out later that he
Speaker 3: wasn't going to come and didn't show up here for
Speaker 3: a preseason puts us in a completely different point of view.
Speaker 3: So what we had expected to be sort of backup
Speaker 3: role players, young players coming off the bench for us
Speaker 3: now are players that we have to rely on. And then,
Speaker 3: put on top of that, that one of them gets
Speaker 3: injured the day before the first Readiano game, and now
Speaker 3: you've got one striker in your entire roster. So it
Speaker 3: was not an ideal situation. But that doesn't mean that
Speaker 3: we didn't put our best, our best foot forward and
Speaker 3: try to win those games, which I believe we did.
Speaker 1: So that leads to the next question.
Speaker 2: As a guy who made a living and scoring a
Speaker 2: lot of goals and look forresters had some bright moments,
Speaker 2: but your reference and I do want to talk to
Speaker 2: talk to you about the I think it's Ilias man
Speaker 2: well instead of Elias. I want to talk to you
Speaker 2: about that in just a moment. But where are we
Speaker 2: at with the progress? Kurt joined the program last week
Speaker 2: and said things are in the works, and obviously fans
Speaker 2: wondering if the number nine is on the way, are
Speaker 2: we getting close?
Speaker 3: I don't know that I could qualify it as close,
Speaker 3: but I would qualify and say that from what I see,
Speaker 3: Kurt is working extremely hard and our scouting department is
Speaker 3: working extremely hard to get something over the line there.
Speaker 3: But you know, I don't have a day by day
Speaker 3: check in on that situation. I just know that it's
Speaker 3: a very obvious and apparent focus for our entire club
Speaker 3: to get somebody in the door. I think that both
Speaker 3: the two players that the both the two strikers that
Speaker 3: we have in are off have now played for us,
Speaker 3: which is great because we wanted to see Arif play.
Speaker 3: I know I would like to see him play a
Speaker 3: bit more before before kind of making any final judgments there.
Speaker 3: And I think both players are useful. I don't know
Speaker 3: that I would see, you know, either player at this
Speaker 3: very moment being somebody that we should rely on to
Speaker 3: be our weekend and week out starter and somebody that
Speaker 3: we is going to be a focal point for our attack,
Speaker 3: and somebody that we're going to rely on to score
Speaker 3: those goals. So the work is being done, and I
Speaker 3: believe that we will make a signing. It's just a
Speaker 3: question of when that signing will happen.
Speaker 2: Is it fair to say the expectation is prior to
Speaker 2: the window that closes April thirtieth, you will.
Speaker 1: Have a nine on the roster.
Speaker 3: Again, I think that that's that's where we are headed,
Speaker 3: and that's our objective. I don't think there's any reason
Speaker 3: to shy away from that. I just I just couldn't
Speaker 3: promise without you know, without any uncertainty that we we
Speaker 3: won't be successful because you know, I've seen that happen
Speaker 3: many time before. Or you you try to make things
Speaker 3: happen and it just doesn't. And I think the ultimately
Speaker 3: one of the mistakes that I've seen a lot of
Speaker 3: comes is to put themselves in a situation where they
Speaker 3: absolutely feel like they have to Because Garth was the
Speaker 3: one they used to say it probably more than me,
Speaker 3: But you never want to do any harm. We don't
Speaker 3: want to sign a player that we don't really believe
Speaker 3: in and then have him stuck on our roster for
Speaker 3: the next several years.
Speaker 2: Any any thoughts on other acquisitions we're hearing potentially a
Speaker 2: winger on the way as well. Everybody's focused on the
Speaker 2: nine as a result of the moves you made, and
Speaker 2: as you reference the player who elected not to report,
Speaker 2: but any other spots on the roster you guys are
Speaker 2: looking at to.
Speaker 3: I think we're really focused on that one spence. I
Speaker 3: don't think we're looking a whole lot in other areas.
Speaker 3: The good news is that you know whether or not
Speaker 3: we make this signing, and hopefully we will. We still
Speaker 3: have on top of that signing, we will have flexibility
Speaker 3: to improve this roster if we feel it's needed come
Speaker 3: the summer window.
Speaker 2: So you reference the situation, I thought it was Elias,
Speaker 2: but when Kurt joined the show, he said it's Ilias
Speaker 2: so Ilias Manuel Manewel. You know, the news comes down
Speaker 2: that you guys have made the deal, the release goes out,
Speaker 2: everything looks official.
Speaker 1: What happened, Jay? From your vantage point, how did this
Speaker 1: thing break down?
Speaker 3: Well, since first, I'll say that I think you and
Speaker 3: I can call him Elias because we're not real happy
Speaker 3: with him. Whatever we want fair enough. It's a really
Speaker 3: strange one. I've never actually been a part of a
Speaker 3: club or a team where this situation, this kind of
Speaker 3: situation has happened. Because we did our due diligence. We
Speaker 3: talked to lots of people that have played with him,
Speaker 3: lots of people that have coached him before, We spoke
Speaker 3: to the player in depth about whether he was open
Speaker 3: to this move, and so all of our diligence was done,
Speaker 3: and we thought we had traded for a player that
Speaker 3: was happy to come here. What was left at the
Speaker 3: table was he had made the assumption that there would
Speaker 3: be a brand new, shiny contract for him, and we
Speaker 3: were not in that position. We were in a position
Speaker 3: that you're an MLS player, and this is how trades happen.
Speaker 3: You know, you come here and do well, then of
Speaker 3: course you know we will come and say you accordingly.
Speaker 3: But he's on a contract for several more years. So
Speaker 3: it was just a complete shock to us that that
Speaker 3: would happen. And then it comes to a point where
Speaker 3: you know, you're just kind of you're saying to the player,
Speaker 3: you know you should want to come here. We don't
Speaker 3: feel like we have to talk you into it or
Speaker 3: convince you that this is your very next step should be.
Speaker 3: So ultimately it all, it all broke down, and I
Speaker 3: think we came to a really good next option, which
Speaker 3: was to sell him to a different club.
Speaker 2: So help me understand, Jay, You know as your reference
Speaker 2: you have transferred him to a Brazilian club. You transferred
Speaker 2: him to a club in Brazil. Does this essentially mean
Speaker 2: that you guys came out more or less even on
Speaker 2: the transaction.
Speaker 1: I mean, was everything kind of restored to where you
Speaker 1: wanted it to be?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Absolutely, At the end of it, we saw it
Speaker 3: very much said it was a zero sum thing for us.
Speaker 3: We get en up giving college picks out of the
Speaker 3: situation that, you know, I think we'd say, I feel
Speaker 3: very good about two to three of those picks that
Speaker 3: we made in the college draft this year, as far
Speaker 3: as as becoming RSL first team member at some point
Speaker 3: and contributors. So we had a very good draft and
Speaker 3: some of that was because of that trade.
Speaker 2: In fairness, you know, Forresters scored a couple of goals. Now,
Speaker 2: I think in the return match when Radiano was here,
Speaker 2: even though he got a goal, there were four or
Speaker 2: five opportunities where he.
Speaker 1: Just felt like he's got to put that away.
Speaker 2: But because he is playing, and because he has scored
Speaker 2: some goals, I mean, even though he went to Duke,
Speaker 2: which you know doesn't take a big IQ to get
Speaker 2: into Duke, we should give him a little bit of love.
Speaker 1: So what do you like about this young strike?
Speaker 3: Well, what I like is that he went to Duke. Okay,
Speaker 3: all right, No, I mean, listen, he's he's got tools.
Speaker 3: He's got tools, he's got size, he's got speed, he's
Speaker 3: got strength, he's got he does have a very good
Speaker 3: knock around the goal. When you watch him in training sessions,
Speaker 3: he scores on a regular basis, whether that small side games,
Speaker 3: medium sized games, eleven to eleven in training, he's a
Speaker 3: regular scorer. So he's got that instinct, I belize. Now,
Speaker 3: I think he lacks a little bit of some of
Speaker 3: the stuff that just comes with playing high level games,
Speaker 3: a high number of high level games, and he will
Speaker 3: only gain that through experience of playing regularly and playing
Speaker 3: at a high level. So but yeah, I mean he's
Speaker 3: an exciting player. I think we saw the other night
Speaker 3: when he came off the bench against Seattle. I think
Speaker 3: that was a great scenario for him, really really good scenario.
Speaker 3: When the game is a little bit more open and
Speaker 3: the opponent's a little bit fatigued, he can come in
Speaker 3: to make the difference and put the game away.
Speaker 2: So we had a Mecca on the show on Monday,
Speaker 2: and every time I leave an interview with him, I
Speaker 2: walk away just more and more impressed. I mean, he
Speaker 2: has a maturity about him for a young man that
Speaker 2: is very impressive. And obviously he's got all kinds of game.
Speaker 2: You once upon a time or the captain's arm band
Speaker 2: for RSL. That spot was filled admirably by the legend
Speaker 2: Kyle Beckerman. And there have been some different options DeMar
Speaker 2: and such. What about a Mecca screams leadership to you?
Speaker 2: And why do you think he's the right guy to
Speaker 2: wear that armband right now?
Speaker 3: Well, I think, first and foremost, it just comes through
Speaker 3: Mecca's hunger to be a high level soccer player and
Speaker 3: to be the absolute best professional soccer player that he
Speaker 3: can be. He's he trains extremely hard. He you know,
Speaker 3: he comes in, he's the first one in the building,
Speaker 3: he's the last one to leave because he takes he
Speaker 3: takes this whole thing seriously, and then because of that,
Speaker 3: he's he he leads by example. We are definitely working
Speaker 3: with him to become a bit more of a vocal leader,
Speaker 3: a bit a bit of a leader that can have
Speaker 3: more influence on more players around him, that can understand
Speaker 3: and learn how to direct the other players around him.
Speaker 3: You know, I look at him and think about I
Speaker 3: think about a Kyle Beckerman, and I think about when
Speaker 3: Kyle Beckerman when he first joined our club was a
Speaker 3: different Kyle Beckerman than he was when he retired. And
Speaker 3: a lot of that leadership capability and a lot of
Speaker 3: that strength, and a lot of that ability to influence
Speaker 3: others and communicate well with others and dictate where others
Speaker 3: needed to go came through experience. And so I think
Speaker 3: that a Mecca has a lot of same qualities. And
Speaker 3: you know, I don't think there's any reason why he's
Speaker 3: shouldn't be a guy that could be here for the
Speaker 3: next ten years.
Speaker 2: You guys decided to make a moving goal, and I've
Speaker 2: not been able to talk to you since then. Ratha
Speaker 2: cabral in Gad was sold and then for some reason,
Speaker 2: Zach decided to wait until like two weeks before the
Speaker 2: season for surgery. But that you can let me complain
Speaker 2: about that. But early returns, Ratha cabral and goal what
Speaker 2: do you say, Jay, I've.
Speaker 3: Been very very impressed with him, very impressed. I think
Speaker 3: he's been I think he's been good, arguably in all
Speaker 3: the games. Unfortunate that you know he's he's obviously conceded.
Speaker 3: We've conceded four goals against San Jose, we conceded a
Speaker 3: couple of goals against Arediano. But you know, in my opinion,
Speaker 3: if it had been a lesser goalkeeper between the pipes
Speaker 3: and those games, that San Jose game could have been six.
Speaker 3: So I think he made some fantastic saves. He's a
Speaker 3: terroristic character, he speaks English perfectly, He's a leader in
Speaker 3: a locker room. He's an unbelievable, unbelievably good professional and
Speaker 3: a good family man. So I think that was a
Speaker 3: great signing for us, and the early returns have been good.
Speaker 2: Before we get a thought on San Diego new club,
Speaker 2: who you've got coming up, you know, if we remove
Speaker 2: the dynamic that you have right now at striker, if
Speaker 2: we just kind of put that aside, and we all
Speaker 2: understand that best laid plans aside, reinforcements are needed and potentially.
Speaker 1: On the way. There's a lot of depth everywhere else.
Speaker 2: Jay, And you know, as a result of losing in
Speaker 2: Conka CAAF, you're not going to deal with the midweek stuff.
Speaker 2: But how would you or at least for a while
Speaker 2: before the Nation's whatever they're calling that Nation's Cup or whatever.
Speaker 1: A lot of cups in this sport.
Speaker 2: But how would you characterize the depth that you have
Speaker 2: on your roster other than the striker position right now?
Speaker 1: A lot of too many cups? Yay, too many cups?
Speaker 3: Too many cups. Yeah, it's called League's Cup. I would
Speaker 3: say I would agree with you. I mean the depths
Speaker 3: on this team and the number of players that I
Speaker 3: think the coaches I always think about it this way,
Speaker 3: like how many players can the first team coaches really
Speaker 3: rely on? How many do they feel like, yeah, I
Speaker 3: don't have any hesitation of starting that guy next week?
Speaker 3: And that number is extremely high and there's no doubt
Speaker 3: about it. I think this team has been built really
Speaker 3: really well. From my perspective, this is the type of
Speaker 3: team that if you added to one to two real
Speaker 3: difference makers. I think we're talking we're talking upper upper
Speaker 3: echelon of the league. That's how deep and strong I
Speaker 3: think the competitive nature within this group is. That's how
Speaker 3: many high quality players we have, and in a lot
Speaker 3: of positions. So I think we're poised to make a
Speaker 3: few moves and become really really elite, really really quickly.
Speaker 3: The best way for me to describe really the roster
Speaker 3: would be this. You know, I don't think last year
Speaker 3: the coaching staff had to make one difficult decision about
Speaker 3: who made the twenty man roster for a game, and
Speaker 3: this week they've already had to make one. In our
Speaker 3: last game, they had to leave out a player that
Speaker 3: started two of the first three games for US this season.
Speaker 3: So they will have to make difficult decisions every week,
Speaker 3: and that's a good thing, all right.
Speaker 2: Jay, Before I said you lose, I have not been
Speaker 2: grinding on San Diego FC tape, so I will not
Speaker 2: pretend that I know a thing about them. But they
Speaker 2: did beat the Galaxy in their inaugural match, and they
Speaker 2: had a draw with a pretty stout Saint Louis side.
Speaker 1: That's the next opponent. What do you know about them?
Speaker 3: You know, the nice thing about that early afternoon game
Speaker 3: last week was that I got to go home and
Speaker 3: actually watch San Diego play at the night their first
Speaker 3: player home opener. Was very impressed, very very impressed. Is
Speaker 3: the team that likes to keep the ball. They build
Speaker 3: out of the back all the time. I think they
Speaker 3: have a very similar style and game model to us,
Speaker 3: and that they want to be the dominant possession team
Speaker 3: and they want to create attacking goalscoring chances from their
Speaker 3: own possession. So I'm looking forward to what I think
Speaker 3: should be a high quality game on Saturday, and I'm
Speaker 3: also looking forward to another positive three points for ourself.
Speaker 2: Jason Christ, You're just one of my favorite people, my friends.
Speaker 2: I just appreciate the time. I think so highly of you,
Speaker 2: your intelligence, your charisma, everything, So thanks.
Speaker 1: For the time, man.
Speaker 3: Be good. I wish my wife was this nice to me.
Speaker 3: That's all I have to say about that.
Speaker 1: Bes to Kim and the kids. See you, buddy.
Speaker 3: Bye.
Speaker 1: All right, Jason Christ. So ourself back and actually at
Speaker 1: San Diego