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<v Speaker 1>All right, Dax, welcome to the chaos that is uh

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<v Speaker 1>Friday here on on SDHAM.

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<v Speaker 2>Uh problem, thank you? So uh, you.

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<v Speaker 1>Know, leading into the conversations, all right, so prep Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>Michael said that he was at the matchup at lower

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<v Speaker 1>dot com to see it Landy and I I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 1>throw you right into the fire since he already asked

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<v Speaker 1>my first question, no problem. Uh, Atlanta United and Columbus. Columbus,

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<v Speaker 1>you know put a stomping on the first forty five.

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<v Speaker 1>It was three nil. It ends up three to one.

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<v Speaker 1>When you look at I guess Columbus, that's expected that

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<v Speaker 1>they go and they're gonna put their foot on your throat.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's an expected result. When you look at Landy

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<v Speaker 1>United right now, having been with you when you were

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<v Speaker 1>here and covered you at SDH and your time here

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<v Speaker 1>in Atlanta, when you look at Atlanta now as someone

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<v Speaker 1>with Apple TV, what is sticking in your mind about

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<v Speaker 1>it Lanty United right now?

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<v Speaker 2>Uh, they don't have any cohesion. There's some sort of

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<v Speaker 2>discos accessibility shortcuts. Wow, sorry about that. There's not There's

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<v Speaker 2>not a ton of cohesion right now with Atlanti United

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<v Speaker 2>from top to bottom. I see a roster that of

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<v Speaker 2>players who I see talent. I have seen talent at

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<v Speaker 2>different moments during the season, but there is just a wild,

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<v Speaker 2>I think, disconnect between the players and between what their

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<v Speaker 2>strengths are, what their weaknesses are. They don't there's not

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<v Speaker 2>they don't balance each other out well and quite frankly,

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<v Speaker 2>there's just not a ton of cohesion on the field

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<v Speaker 2>when you look at what's happening, look at either side

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<v Speaker 2>of the field. Defensively, they cannot stop leaking goals. They're

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<v Speaker 2>one of the worst teams in the league at goals conceded.

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<v Speaker 2>They give up seemingly multiple goals almost every game. Can't

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<v Speaker 2>even remember the last time they had a clean sheet.

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<v Speaker 2>And then on the attacking side of the field, their

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<v Speaker 2>big time players haven't been good enough. And it's okay,

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<v Speaker 2>it's okay to say that, Like I think, when you

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<v Speaker 2>sign designated players, there's a lot of factors that go

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<v Speaker 2>into them settling. But the reality for Atlanta United is

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<v Speaker 2>that if you're going to spend forty or fifty million

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<v Speaker 2>dollars in the transfer market and have this very expensive outlay,

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<v Speaker 2>then you don't really have the luxury of time to

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<v Speaker 2>try to get acclimated to each other. It has to.

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<v Speaker 2>It has to almost work in the first couple of

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<v Speaker 2>months of the season for a proof of concept. So

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<v Speaker 2>it's not just all down to the designated players. There

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<v Speaker 2>are other issues that I see in midfield, but for

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<v Speaker 2>the most part, Emmanuel Latte Lot, Miguel al Moron, and

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<v Speaker 2>Alexi Moranchuk have not lived up to the price tag.

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<v Speaker 2>And when you can't score goals and then you can't

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<v Speaker 2>defend your net consistently, you're going to end up where

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<v Speaker 2>Atlanta United is, which is outside the playoffs looking in

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<v Speaker 2>How frustrating.

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<v Speaker 1>And and I'll go ahead and say, you're an alum,

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<v Speaker 1>you spent time in Atlanta, how frustrating for you is

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<v Speaker 1>that as alum of Atlanta United?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, look at my preseason predictions. I thought that Atlanta

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<v Speaker 2>and I did, with a few additions, would be at

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<v Speaker 2>the top of the East fighting for a supporter shield.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought Emmanuel Latte Lott would be fighting for the

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<v Speaker 2>Golden Boot. And I think this is just a really

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<v Speaker 2>good lesson that I think money buys you better players,

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<v Speaker 2>it always has, but it doesn't necessarily buy you cohesion

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<v Speaker 2>and success because there's so much more that goes into

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<v Speaker 2>it than just let me just buy a bunch of

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<v Speaker 2>expensive pieces and see if they fit together on the field.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a lot more that goes into it. So I've

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<v Speaker 2>been frustrated for sure, because I actually really love almost

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<v Speaker 2>everyone that I encountered in Atlanta. It's a really good

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<v Speaker 2>group of guys in the locker room. I don't know

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<v Speaker 2>the coaching staff as well. Obviously I didn't play under Ronnie.

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<v Speaker 2>I played under Carl Robinson a little bit with Rob Valentino.

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<v Speaker 2>But I really like all the people that work in

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<v Speaker 2>the front office, behind the scenes, the kitmen, the chefs,

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<v Speaker 2>the people who sell tickets. Everyone there is really pleasant

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<v Speaker 2>and really really wonderful. But that doesn't necessarily mean you're

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<v Speaker 2>going to put a winning team together on the field.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I've been just as frustrated as the fan

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<v Speaker 2>base because Atlanti and iited gave me the opportunity to

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<v Speaker 2>end my career on my terms, and I have some

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<v Speaker 2>wonderful memories in Atlanta. So I you know, as an analyst,

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<v Speaker 2>you have to take a step back. You can't be biased.

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<v Speaker 2>You have to try to be objective in how you're

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<v Speaker 2>looking at things and analyzing things. And if I have

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<v Speaker 2>to put my analyst hat on and analyze what's happening

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<v Speaker 2>this year. It's just not good enough and it's unacceptable,

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<v Speaker 2>and the players will know that, the front office will

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<v Speaker 2>know that, the coaching staff will know that. I appreciate

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<v Speaker 2>the candor with which Ronnie DLAs speaks. You know, he

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't sugarcoat what's happening right now. So it's frustrating. It's

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<v Speaker 2>never over right with regards to him that making the

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<v Speaker 2>playoffs at this point. But I would say it would

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<v Speaker 2>take a little bit less than a miracle for Atlanti

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<v Speaker 2>and I to to make the playoffs at this point.

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<v Speaker 1>Apple TVs. Dax McCarty hanging out with this SERI the

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<v Speaker 1>hour of chaos as we call it here on Fridays,

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<v Speaker 1>the last hour of the week. So then you have

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<v Speaker 1>this time on the road where Atlanta United is away

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<v Speaker 1>from home, and you have other tournaments being played at

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<v Speaker 1>Mercedes Benz, and so you get the opportunity to try

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<v Speaker 1>to sort things out away from Atlanta United and the seventeens,

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<v Speaker 1>but you're also a month away from the summer transfer window.

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<v Speaker 1>If things do not fix themselves. In whatever terminology you

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<v Speaker 1>want to use in air quotes, and that's a dollar

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<v Speaker 1>in the jar for me. How you know, Hey, cliches

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<v Speaker 1>are dollars in the jar and at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the year, the boss is like, oh, look at the jar.

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<v Speaker 1>How active? And I'll use that word. How active? Would

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<v Speaker 1>you anticipate the summer transfer window for teams south of

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<v Speaker 1>the playoff bar right now at Lanti United included, Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>I would think that it's it's got you have to

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<v Speaker 2>be active if you're not in the playoff picture at

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<v Speaker 2>this point in time. But there is context and nuance

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<v Speaker 2>into why you should be active. If you're a team

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<v Speaker 2>like Toronto FC, then how active should you really be?

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<v Speaker 2>The season's over for Toronto FC? So you know in

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<v Speaker 2>c F Montreal, right like these types of teams who

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<v Speaker 2>quite frankly, they don't have a chance to make the playoffs.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you wait until the winter where you can turn

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<v Speaker 2>over the roster a little bit faster, you can get

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<v Speaker 2>players in and get them a full preseason. Or are

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<v Speaker 2>you a team like the Chicago Fire who are maybe

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<v Speaker 2>are on the outside looking into the playoffs, but they

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<v Speaker 2>have a good enough team to not only make the

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<v Speaker 2>playoffs but make a run. And so there are nuances,

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<v Speaker 2>there's nuances to the different teams, but I'll keep it

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<v Speaker 2>at Lanta United focused. Landa United has to be active.

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<v Speaker 2>They have to do something because what's happening right now,

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<v Speaker 2>what the supporters are seeing, what we are seeing as fans,

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<v Speaker 2>it's just not acceptable. They're not even competitive in games.

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<v Speaker 2>If you look at their last three results, two zero

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<v Speaker 2>to the New York Red Bulls, four zero to NYCFC,

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<v Speaker 2>and three to one to the Columbus Crew. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>even that score line against Columbus flatters Atlanta. They were

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<v Speaker 2>miles off of it. They didn't even look competitive. So

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<v Speaker 2>you need to be active if you're at Lanta United.

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<v Speaker 2>I actually don't know how much flexibility they have to

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<v Speaker 2>make moves to bring players in. I would think that

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<v Speaker 2>in order to do that, you would have to move

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<v Speaker 2>some players out, and some players that are you know,

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<v Speaker 2>quite frankly, probably pretty high priced players, you know, And

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<v Speaker 2>so you need to make moves out of the team

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<v Speaker 2>first before you can bring people in. And I don't know.

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<v Speaker 2>I think where Atlanti and Nited should focus mainly is

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<v Speaker 2>in midfield and on the back line. You're not going

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<v Speaker 2>to be able to get rid of Miguel al Moron

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<v Speaker 2>or Emmanuel Latte Lot or Alexi Moranchuk. Maybe Moranchuk would

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<v Speaker 2>have some transfer value somewhere in Europe, maybe somewhere in Russia,

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<v Speaker 2>right if you got an offer. But Alexi Moranchuk, to me,

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<v Speaker 2>he hasn't been as bad as people sometimes talk about him.

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<v Speaker 2>But again, him and Miguel al Moron, it doesn't seem

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<v Speaker 2>like they can coexist together in a functional way. So

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<v Speaker 2>it depends. And then with midfield, you need to bring

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<v Speaker 2>in a defensive midfielder. That's been such a problem for

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<v Speaker 2>Atlanta United this season, not having that spine of the team.

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<v Speaker 2>It's been a rotating cast at center backs. What do

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<v Speaker 2>you do at center backs? You have some young players

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<v Speaker 2>in f Rraane Morales and Noah Cobb who I think

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<v Speaker 2>have a lot of potential, but it's clear that the

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<v Speaker 2>coaching staff doesn't trust them at this point in time.

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<v Speaker 2>So you have Derek Williams Andon Gregorson who have had

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<v Speaker 2>trouble staying healthy. I think you need to bring in

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<v Speaker 2>a defensive midfielder and a center back in this transfer

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<v Speaker 2>window in the summer, and then you reassess and reevaluate

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<v Speaker 2>what you're going to do for twenty twenty six in

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<v Speaker 2>the offseason.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you mentioned Chicago. I just like saying the word

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<v Speaker 1>zinc ornogy myself. It's a lot of a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of scrabble, a lot of scrabble points that

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<v Speaker 1>are attached there. Let's let's get into since you mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>other teams in the Eastern Conference, I guess we can

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<v Speaker 1>go into senior superlatives here as we have into the

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<v Speaker 1>All Star break, all star team gets announced snubs. We

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<v Speaker 1>know that there were locks. We know that there were

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<v Speaker 1>locks that attach to the MLS All Star roster. First off,

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<v Speaker 1>do you dig the All Star Game being the way

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<v Speaker 1>that it is or would you rather play MLS players

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<v Speaker 1>playing MLS players in showcase the league in and of

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<v Speaker 1>itself instead of going up against leg at mc geese

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<v Speaker 1>or Juve's D squad or whatever.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, I think an All Star Game is

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<v Speaker 2>a very American thing and it's hard for it's hard

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<v Speaker 2>for you know, other people from that aren't from the

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<v Speaker 2>US to understand why we do it. I love the

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<v Speaker 2>All Star Game. The format with the All Star Game

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<v Speaker 2>when I was a player, was you played these big

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<v Speaker 2>time teams right who were in their preseason preparations. And look,

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<v Speaker 2>we played against Real Madrid in twenty seventeen and I

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<v Speaker 2>was lucky enough to be a part of that. That

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<v Speaker 2>was incredible. It was an incredible experience. And even if

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<v Speaker 2>you know some of the biggest players they had at

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<v Speaker 2>the time, I don't think Cristiano didn't play. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>they had all of the stars right that were there.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, Gareth Bale was there at the time, Marcelo,

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<v Speaker 2>Sergio Ramos, I mean, these guys all played, and even

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<v Speaker 2>though it's preparation for them in preseason, you still want

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<v Speaker 2>to win. You're at Soldier Field in front of seventy

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<v Speaker 2>thousand people, and it's a fun game, right, It's almost

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<v Speaker 2>like a training exercise. But people come go to All

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<v Speaker 2>Star games to be entertained. So the Lega MX format

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<v Speaker 2>has been nice. I think that it's been competitive. I

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<v Speaker 2>think that fans have enjoyed it, but I think you

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<v Speaker 2>lose a little bit of the All Star feel when

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<v Speaker 2>it becomes a really competitive game, Right, you want fans

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<v Speaker 2>to be entertained, want you want players to enjoy themselves

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<v Speaker 2>and show out. I mean, players go to the All

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<v Speaker 2>Star Game. They don't want to get injured. So I

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<v Speaker 2>would personally love to see an East first West like

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<v Speaker 2>throwbacks to what we had in the early days. I

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<v Speaker 2>think it would be great. I think it would be

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<v Speaker 2>especially with thirty teams in MLS. Now you have so

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<v Speaker 2>many players who are deserving. I mean, you could go

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty six All Stars, I think all deserving. Sure,

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<v Speaker 2>you could have another All Star team of twenty six

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<v Speaker 2>players who would all be deserving as well. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>difficult for players that have missed out. I mean, there

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<v Speaker 2>are so many snubs I can think of off the

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<v Speaker 2>top of my head. Honeymook, Tar, Sam Surge from Nashville.

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<v Speaker 2>They've been fantastic, pet Bil from Charlotte, Martino Hayda from

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<v Speaker 2>Orlando City has been wonderful, right, Andrew Goutman, Dan Lovets,

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<v Speaker 2>Kai Wagner. I mean, I'm just naming fullbacks here who

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<v Speaker 2>have all been deserving to get recognition in an All

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<v Speaker 2>Star Game. So I definitely see the novelty and the

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<v Speaker 2>the functionality of doing it lega MX's versus MLS. I

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<v Speaker 2>think there's a lot of synergy right now between those

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<v Speaker 2>two leagues when you look at Leagues Cup. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>the All Star Game is always going to be fun.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm looking forward to it. It should still be really

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<v Speaker 2>fun this.

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<v Speaker 1>Year and you know, as we sit here and look

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<v Speaker 1>at senior superlatives to this point of the season, who

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<v Speaker 1>has been your biggest surprise wise that is north of

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<v Speaker 1>the playoff bar currently, since we've talked about it, Landy

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<v Speaker 1>United below the playoff bar. Biggest surprise north of the

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<v Speaker 1>playoff bar for you this year is there one?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's not even close. It's San Diego. My expectations

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<v Speaker 2>for San Diego going into the season were low. I

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<v Speaker 2>had them I think my preseason which, by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>preseason predictions suck. No one can get them right. So

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<v Speaker 2>I just didn't give them a ton of credit because

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<v Speaker 2>of the fact that I was skeptical about their back line.

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<v Speaker 2>I was skeptical about their goalkeeping situation, and quite frankly,

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't think that they had a striker to be

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<v Speaker 2>able to thrive in that attack. With Dryer and Lozano

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<v Speaker 2>as wingers, they have blown the doors off of every

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<v Speaker 2>expectation that I think anyone could have of them. Right now.

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<v Speaker 2>I think they're sitting first in the West at this

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<v Speaker 2>point in time, which is nothing short of insane, and

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<v Speaker 2>the way that they have played, they're completely breaking the

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<v Speaker 2>model for how an expansion team can come into MLS.

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<v Speaker 2>They played beautiful soccer, they play entertaining soccer, and they

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<v Speaker 2>play effective soccer and it gets results. So I think

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<v Speaker 2>if you put together a formula of like what is

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<v Speaker 2>the perfect expansion team expansion season, san Diego's living that

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<v Speaker 2>right now. And so I know there have been other

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<v Speaker 2>expansion teams that have been great. Chicago Fire back in

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<v Speaker 2>the late nineties, obviously winning I believe they won the Double.

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<v Speaker 2>I know they won MLS Cup, but LAFC, right Seattle,

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<v Speaker 2>even Atlanta United when they first came into the league,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean really took the league by storm. The way

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<v Speaker 2>that San Diego's doing it has been so impressive. Anders

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<v Speaker 2>Dryer right now is the MVP in Major League Soccer

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<v Speaker 2>if the season ended today. That's not a hot take,

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<v Speaker 2>that's just a fact. But I've been so impressed with

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<v Speaker 2>mikey Veras and everything that San Diego's done.

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<v Speaker 1>No doubt about it. And I'm right there with you.

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<v Speaker 1>I was looking at San Diego FC, and I'm sitting

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<v Speaker 1>there going, you know, I don't know, and they have

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely just sat there and they wagged the people's index

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<v Speaker 1>finger at me and they're not so fast, my friend.

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<v Speaker 1>Before you get out of here, and first off, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for doing this. And now that you have the

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<v Speaker 1>garage door opener and know where the key is under

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<v Speaker 1>the mat, you know that you can crash here on

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<v Speaker 1>Fridays at any time and sit there and shoot. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>at nine point thirty, if there's ever a great Guards

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<v Speaker 1>or a Michael Parker's sighting and you sit there and

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<v Speaker 1>you go, oh, I want to crash on that segment,

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<v Speaker 1>you know you love it. What is your best? And

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<v Speaker 1>Kevin Egan is one of our A listers as well?

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<v Speaker 1>What is your best? Kevin Egan's story to this point

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<v Speaker 1>of the season about live at MLS three sixty, Oh.

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<v Speaker 2>Kevin Egan's the best. Genuinely, before I say any any story,

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<v Speaker 2>I genuinely feel like I could not have gotten more

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<v Speaker 2>lucky being able to walk into MLS three sixty with

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<v Speaker 2>the crew that we have, me knowing Bradley right Phillips

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<v Speaker 2>and Sosha question, well, already I know Kaylen Kyle as well.

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<v Speaker 2>I knew her before this, but Kevin Egan is is

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<v Speaker 2>the probably the person I didn't know the best out

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<v Speaker 2>of everyone, and he's been probably my greatest asset in

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<v Speaker 2>terms of helping me acclimate to a new life. We

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<v Speaker 2>lived in Atlanta together, uh for those six months where

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<v Speaker 2>I stayed in Atlanta until May, and we were on

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<v Speaker 2>every flight together up to the studio and just being

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<v Speaker 2>just being able to have him as a sounding board

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<v Speaker 2>and to pick his brain on things that I was

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<v Speaker 2>curious about, things that I needed help with. He's one

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<v Speaker 2>of the most selfless individuals that I've ever met, and

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<v Speaker 2>he he just wants everyone to thrive, and so he's

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<v Speaker 2>he's an amazing person and he's very good at his job.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the best hosts I've ever seen. Best Kevin

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<v Speaker 2>Egan's story up to this point. He's just it's not

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<v Speaker 2>it's not just one single thing that he does. It's

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<v Speaker 2>just an accumulation of things. He absolutely loves food, and

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<v Speaker 2>so he's a big foodie and so he'll uh whenever

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<v Speaker 2>we get to the studio, he's always on the hunt

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<v Speaker 2>for a new restaurant or or somewhere to uh to

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<v Speaker 2>grab a bite to eat. And he's just he's just

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<v Speaker 2>a great guy. Like there's really there's really no one

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<v Speaker 2>single particular story that stands out, but it's his preparation.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll tell I'll tell everyone, like for how we prep right.

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<v Speaker 2>We prep through the week, and as a host, your

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<v Speaker 2>prep is a little bit different. But every single day

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<v Speaker 2>on Saturdays, in the hotel before the show, Kevin Egan

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<v Speaker 2>goes down to the lobby. He grabs a coffee and

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<v Speaker 2>he grabs like an overnight oats or a bagel or

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<v Speaker 2>something from the hotel and he sits in the little

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<v Speaker 2>cafe area for six seven hours before MLS three sixty

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<v Speaker 2>and he's just banging out prepped notes. He's got a notebook.

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<v Speaker 2>It's very organized. You'll see it next time you watch

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<v Speaker 2>MLS three sixty. Look at the desk, look at the

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<v Speaker 2>big notebook he has. And that's why I that's that's

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<v Speaker 2>why I take my preparation so seriously, is because I've

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<v Speaker 2>seen him do it, and because I see how big

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<v Speaker 2>of a pro he is. And he's just consistent. He's

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<v Speaker 2>just a consistent individual who just wants our show to

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<v Speaker 2>be the best it possibly can be. And without him,

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<v Speaker 2>he's the team dads. I'll tell you guys that he's

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<v Speaker 2>the uh, He's the team dad and just a great

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<v Speaker 2>dude altogether. Man. So really really grateful for everyone on

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<v Speaker 2>our crew, but especially keV.

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<v Speaker 1>If if my math is correct and I really suck it. Math.

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<v Speaker 1>There will be a moment this Saturday where you will

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<v Speaker 1>have a ten box amazing. It will be early second

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<v Speaker 1>half because you have six seven forty kicks and four

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<v Speaker 1>eight forty kicks ten box.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know if we've ever had that before.

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<v Speaker 1>So you'll start with a six pack and you'll go

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<v Speaker 1>from a six pack early second half to a ten box.

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<v Speaker 1>And I don't know what to call a ten box,

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<v Speaker 1>So I mean literally this this could you could be

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<v Speaker 1>getting critical mass in Kevin E can Ray with a

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<v Speaker 1>ten box and going you got we gotta go, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>one of those. I am now officially intrigued about the

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<v Speaker 1>ten box and what this is gonna look like here

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<v Speaker 1>coming up this Saturday. Dax as always great to see you,

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<v Speaker 1>Great to have you come and crash the party. Good

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<v Speaker 1>luck with your ten box, sir. I wish you nothing

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<v Speaker 1>but the best success when it comes to the ten

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<v Speaker 1>box and everything going on. It's great to see charging

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<v Speaker 1>and taking care of everything up there at MLS three sixty.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not be a stranger once again. Like I said,

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<v Speaker 1>you got the garage door opener. You know you can

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<v Speaker 1>crash at anytime, so just have a hell of a

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<v Speaker 1>show and we'll catch up with you soon, my friend.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for visiting, and don't make this the first time,

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<v Speaker 1>all right.

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<v Speaker 2>John, Thank you guys for having me. Cheers,