Speaker 1: I were live today at the Snowmobile show out here
Speaker 1: at the Mountain America Expost Center. It's about a mile
Speaker 1: and a half south of where the soccer club calls
Speaker 1: its home at America First Field. That the Riots have
Speaker 1: come on by and say hi, big match coming up
Speaker 1: on Saturday. The lads are back at it Saturday night
Speaker 1: against Veck Vancouver and with a win, RSL would set
Speaker 1: a single season point record for the club, breaking the
Speaker 1: record held or a set in twenty twelve when fifty
Speaker 1: seven points was the mark. They would have fifty nine
Speaker 1: if they went on Saturday, making Pablo mash to Any
Speaker 1: the greatest manager in the history of RSL. Porter. I
Speaker 1: have not heard from Trey, who is our RSL guest today,
Speaker 1: former of that position, Our friend Jason christ Oh hi Jason,
Speaker 1: Happy Friday. How are how you doing, Bud.
Speaker 2: I'm fantastic. What a terrisfic introduction that was, sens I
Speaker 2: appreciate it. And this might be a very phone call.
Speaker 1: Oh oh you know what. I you managed that twenty
Speaker 1: twelve team. That's on me and I know the RSL
Speaker 1: that I'm sorry, Jay, that's on me that I need
Speaker 1: to be better. There my bad.
Speaker 3: Okay, I'll allow it.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Funny. It was good, good fun.
Speaker 1: Okay, hey, look I'm doing this for five hours today.
Speaker 1: I have to have a little funner. I'm gonna go crazy.
Speaker 1: Thank you for your time today on a Friday. But
Speaker 1: give me your thoughts on what that record would would
Speaker 1: say about this group because you had, you know, five
Speaker 1: six really elite years here and fifty nine points. There's
Speaker 1: a lot of points. What would that record mean?
Speaker 2: Jay, I think it's awesome. I think it would be incredible,
Speaker 2: you know, And if I was the coach of the team,
Speaker 2: I would be easing it as a big motivation for
Speaker 2: the players because it is writing your name and the
Speaker 2: history books. We had some pretty good teams back in
Speaker 2: those days and we won a trophy. So it's an opportunity,
Speaker 2: I think for these guys to really make their mark,
Speaker 2: and they're all aware of it, and hopefully they come
Speaker 2: out tomorrow night and show that they're ready for it.
Speaker 1: So I had Pablo on this week and he alluded
Speaker 1: to the potential of seeing as close to a first
Speaker 1: choice eleven as you can as you can get right
Speaker 1: now on Saturday, because look, with the schedule being what
Speaker 1: it is, sometimes Saturday, Wednesday. Saturday, we see Diego sit
Speaker 1: and then coming off the bench, and then we'll start
Speaker 1: on Saturday, or Chicho sit on Wednesday and start like
Speaker 1: there's been a lot of shuffling out of necessity because
Speaker 1: of the schedule. Do you think we're going to see
Speaker 1: a first choice eleven coming up on Saturday, the eleven
Speaker 1: that we could potentially see come playoff time.
Speaker 2: I think it's going to be a really strong lineup
Speaker 2: and an interesting one with a couple of guys playing
Speaker 2: in some different spots, but it's a lot of quality
Speaker 2: players in the attacking half of the field. We're probably
Speaker 2: only missing Vera. What I would say is one of
Speaker 2: my one of our thinking is strongest eleven just to
Speaker 2: his suspension. But I'm excited to see how this group
Speaker 2: operates tomorrow, and I hopefully they bring everything together because
Speaker 2: you know, known, I still think that this team has
Speaker 2: a higher potential than what they've shown in any game
Speaker 2: in the second.
Speaker 3: Half of the season.
Speaker 1: You reference Vera, so I got to follow up, and Pablo,
Speaker 1: you know, alluded to the fact that he feels like
Speaker 1: you know, Brian responded the right way in our conversation
Speaker 1: this week, but it's the second straight year, Jay, And look,
Speaker 1: I'm sure he's gutted because he's not just out on Saturday,
Speaker 1: he's suspended for a playoff game. And as you know,
Speaker 1: from a player's perspective, like that's everything you want to
Speaker 1: play in the postseason. So he is being punished. But look, man,
Speaker 1: that's the second straight year, Like, you can't do that,
Speaker 1: you know, I would imagine the message has been sent
Speaker 1: from your vantage point. Has the communication been very clear
Speaker 1: about what I perceived to be a really unacceptable act
Speaker 1: for the second straight year.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, Kurt and I sat down with him last week,
Speaker 2: made it very clear to him that that action.
Speaker 3: Will not be tolerated going forward.
Speaker 2: It was disrespectful to himself, was disrespectful to his team,
Speaker 2: It was disrespectful to the club.
Speaker 3: Probably most important, it was.
Speaker 2: Disrespectful to our fans pay their money to come and
Speaker 2: see a product on the weekend, and they don't need
Speaker 2: to see if somebody spit and somebody else's safe. So
Speaker 2: that type of action will no longer be tolerated. And
Speaker 2: he does feel very apologetic about it, and he was
Speaker 2: making he held up his hand and took accountability for it.
Speaker 2: But I think it's just important that he does. All
Speaker 2: this is the second.
Speaker 1: Strike, so that you know that that does leave a hole.
Speaker 1: You know, it's not just what he brings on the
Speaker 1: back line. I mean he takes a lot of free kicks.
Speaker 1: There is that, you know, the corner kick situation when
Speaker 1: Pablo has the cornerkick taker play it short to Brian
Speaker 1: so he can just have a crack with that laser
Speaker 1: left foot. How do you replace a guy like That's
Speaker 1: what's the plan of along the back line? And is
Speaker 1: there even somewhat of a decent attacking option that can
Speaker 1: make up for what he does on that back line
Speaker 1: or is it straight just you know, we got to
Speaker 1: go with the best defensive central defender that we have
Speaker 1: to make up for what Brian you know, the vacancy
Speaker 1: that he that he leaves.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I'll be clear again, I'm a big
Speaker 2: fan of Bryan's you know, I do like the I
Speaker 2: do like that he's that tough guy.
Speaker 3: Do like that he puts some fear at the eight
Speaker 3: components attackers.
Speaker 2: I really like his left foot, what he's capable of
Speaker 2: doing in possessions ball. We don't have another player like that,
Speaker 2: so we do lose something by not having him out
Speaker 2: there and again speaking to to how his decision affected
Speaker 2: our team for multiple names, it's just not a great situation.
Speaker 2: But last weekend, our last game that fanote, Phil Quick
Speaker 2: came in and played out less center back spot and
Speaker 2: did a really solid job. Again, so we feel good
Speaker 2: about the fact that we've got guys that can cover
Speaker 2: it out over the field and be so obstopical. It's
Speaker 2: because to continue his consistent performances which he's put together
Speaker 2: really over the last six games.
Speaker 1: All right, So you were a guy who once upon
Speaker 1: a time made a living scoring goals. You had ten
Speaker 1: for the Rally Flyers once upon a time. Then you
Speaker 1: move over to the Dallas Byrne and obviously with RSL
Speaker 1: you were one of the great strikers of your time,
Speaker 1: at one point having the all time MLS goal scoring
Speaker 1: record where you know, you scored your hundredth I think
Speaker 1: with us at RSL, and so you are uniquely qualified
Speaker 1: to talk about where we find ourselves with Chicho who
Speaker 1: at one point Jay it felt like he was going
Speaker 1: to smash Savos record and potentially win the Golden Boot
Speaker 1: in the league. And when you guys went, that went
Speaker 1: with that stretch of fifteen matches unbeaten. There were games
Speaker 1: where he'd only score one and you'd be like, what's
Speaker 1: wrong with him? He's only scoring one goal. He was
Speaker 1: as hot as any striker we've ever had here, but
Speaker 1: he hasn't scored since mid July. And I'm not telling
Speaker 1: you anything you don't know. And Pablo also alluded to this,
Speaker 1: if you want to lift a trophy, number nine is
Speaker 1: gonna have to look like the number nine that we
Speaker 1: saw back in June and in the spring. Where are
Speaker 1: you at right now with your confidence level in Chi
Speaker 1: Joe as we approach Saturday and then after that it's
Speaker 1: playoff time?
Speaker 2: Yeah, Bubbo and I think about this pretty regularly.
Speaker 3: It's the rest of the staff.
Speaker 2: Pablo has said that he thinks jo Us had a
Speaker 2: tremendous couple of weeks of training. It's been fortunate probably
Speaker 2: for him to be able to really work hard and
Speaker 2: not be concerned about keeping Treshess for the weekend, so
Speaker 2: he feels like he just in a really good spot.
Speaker 2: I spoke to cheachout today just about sort of the
Speaker 2: Spiker's mentality and how it is sometimes where you just
Speaker 2: go through stretches where nothing seems like it can go right.
Speaker 2: It just gave him a couple of ideas about how
Speaker 2: I thought, perhaps you could you could get that first one,
Speaker 2: that first goal. He and I both believe that that
Speaker 2: first goal may come in a really ugly way, and
Speaker 2: if it does, it won't matter how it goes in,
Speaker 2: and lotly matter that it does go in. And then
Speaker 2: I think that he will have in the back, because
Speaker 2: that's just how the life of the striker is. You
Speaker 2: can go really bad for a long time and then
Speaker 2: you can have one take bouncer away, and all of
Speaker 2: a sudden the flow is back, and now you're scoring
Speaker 2: every game again. So you know, if I still and
Speaker 2: I think everybody still believes that he has that editing,
Speaker 2: that it's coming at a minute, and once it does,
Speaker 2: I believe that we're gonna see, you know, the teacher
Speaker 2: that we need going.
Speaker 3: Forward, and you haven't corrected.
Speaker 2: I think Papa also, he said, baby bitch, I think
Speaker 2: that you know, our chances of winning MLS Cup without
Speaker 2: him playing as fast are very vinimal.
Speaker 1: I left one team off your pedigree, and I don't
Speaker 1: even what is the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers, Jason.
Speaker 2: Wherever were pulling these up from. By the way, I
Speaker 2: was gonna mention that I'm not sure that Rowley's fire
Speaker 2: statistic was correct, or the Riverboat Gamblers with a team
Speaker 2: that was in themilarly back in the day the us
Speaker 2: I SL I played for the Orleans Riverboat Gamblers during
Speaker 2: summer of Black College.
Speaker 1: Heres, Okay, I'm learning new things about I just did
Speaker 1: I just searched your name, and I'm pulling up the stats,
Speaker 1: and I'm pulling up your bio, and I'm learning something
Speaker 1: new about you, Jason. And I've known you for twenty years.
Speaker 1: I guess you can always learn new things about people
Speaker 1: you've known for a long time.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for being so interesting, Spence. I really
Speaker 2: appreciate that.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, I'm interested. I care, Jason, And you
Speaker 1: know what, I don't get enough credit in the community
Speaker 1: for how much I care. I need you to start
Speaker 1: spreading this word for me.
Speaker 3: Please, Okay, I will hear biggest proponents.
Speaker 1: I've sensed the sarcasm in your voice, all right, Jay.
Speaker 1: You know it's interesting. Sometimes players are traded, sometimes they're
Speaker 1: let go, and the fan base of the club it's
Speaker 1: kind of like a feeling of good riddance. And then
Speaker 1: there's Demir and everybody loves Demir. And you know, at
Speaker 1: the end of the season last year, I was on
Speaker 1: the road for the playoff match somebody I felt somebody
Speaker 1: grab me on the shoulder. I turned around. It was
Speaker 1: Demir and he said, I just want to thank you
Speaker 1: for interviewing me all year, and I was like, what,
Speaker 1: you know, like it was the first time a play
Speaker 1: because look, man, I know the deal. I'm sure you
Speaker 1: got the text from Tren today and you're like, oh, great, yeah,
Speaker 1: I guess I'll do it. Nobody wants to do this stuff.
Speaker 1: I know that, but I appreciate it when you know,
Speaker 1: you spend the time to spread the message of the
Speaker 1: community and fans. But no player has ever done that
Speaker 1: on any level in any sport. But that's just kind
Speaker 1: of who Demir is, isn't it. So what would you
Speaker 1: say to RSL fans is we're preparing to welcome Demir
Speaker 1: back coming up tomorrow night.
Speaker 2: Well, first I have to disagree with your sentiment. I
Speaker 2: would tell you that I absolutely enjoyed.
Speaker 1: Doing this, okay, noted?
Speaker 2: Noted, Just so you know then that I would say that,
Speaker 2: you know, everything that I've heard about Demir is that
Speaker 2: he is top, top, high class individual, incredible professional, terrific leader,
Speaker 2: legends of the club. Unfortunately never had the opportunity.
Speaker 3: To really work with him or really speaking to.
Speaker 2: Him in death. But I know that he's a legend
Speaker 2: of the club, and I know that we are very
Speaker 2: happy to be welcome back here for the first time.
Speaker 2: I think there's gonna be a little ceremony either before
Speaker 2: the game or at halftime out with Tim and mister
Speaker 2: Kimball are president, so it could be happier to have
Speaker 2: him come back and hopefully the fans.
Speaker 3: Off there and show their support.
Speaker 2: And appreciation for everything that he has given to this club.
Speaker 1: All Right, we already talked about the potential of seeing
Speaker 1: the eleven coming up tomorrow night, and this is Pablo's
Speaker 1: own words, not mine, that we could potentially see come
Speaker 1: playoff time. So we have this really embarrassment of riches
Speaker 1: in the attack that you and Kurt and the staff
Speaker 1: are put together for Pablo's disposal. So I wonder if
Speaker 1: you could just generally speaking, walk us through what the
Speaker 1: plan is, you know, with Diego and Diogo and Dominic Marks,
Speaker 1: who can Lachland Brook and obviously chie Chow and Matt Crooks,
Speaker 1: and there's Anderson Julio, you have this group of five, six,
Speaker 1: seven attacking players that are all really talented in their
Speaker 1: own ways. How's the progress coming to formulate what that
Speaker 1: will look like, both with the eleven and then the
Speaker 1: available off the bench as well.
Speaker 2: I'll repeat what I said earlier where there's gonna.
Speaker 3: Be a little bit of a twist.
Speaker 2: It's main get that I'm really interested to see how
Speaker 2: how it works out. It's something that we haven't seen
Speaker 2: with the combination of these players, so it will be
Speaker 2: interesting to see to see how that works. I think
Speaker 2: the competition is really rife for starting positions right now.
Speaker 2: You know, if I look at the guys that are
Speaker 2: in the lineup, and I'd say there's three guys there
Speaker 2: that would be starting in a whole lot of other
Speaker 2: MLS teams. That's the way I will continue to So
Speaker 2: now it's about, you know, put up or shut up. Basically,
Speaker 2: if you perform in the team and the team plays,
Speaker 2: I think here's the lineup for the next week, and
Speaker 2: that's just how it's going to.
Speaker 3: Go the rest of the way.
Speaker 1: Very very interesting generally speaking, how healthy is the group?
Speaker 1: You have? The uh you have the break, the international break,
Speaker 1: and hopefully that helped. But as you approach Saturday, are
Speaker 1: we close to full health?
Speaker 2: We are one player away, basically from the fall health.
Speaker 2: Tony Dango continues to struggle with a little bit of
Speaker 2: a neuromuscular intrigue that's playing so eight people won't be available.
Speaker 3: But for all the other players that that are on a.
Speaker 2: Roster aren't active roster, he's the only one that's that's
Speaker 2: not available to get entry.
Speaker 1: That's actually not bad at this point of the season.
Speaker 1: I think you'll take that What are you hoping to
Speaker 1: see tomorrow night? To indicate to you and Curt and
Speaker 1: everybody else in the front office that you got a
Speaker 1: shot and that that's all that's all you can ask
Speaker 1: for this time of year. Be one of the teams
Speaker 1: that rolls into the postseason with a shot, with a
Speaker 1: chance to win to to to hoist MLS Cup. I
Speaker 1: perceive you to be in the group of teams that
Speaker 1: does have a shot. But what are you lookingoking for
Speaker 1: tomorrow to emphatically hammer that home.
Speaker 2: I'd like to see a complete game. I don't think
Speaker 2: that in my opinion, I don't think I don't feel
Speaker 2: we've had a complete game since you know, at least
Speaker 2: six weeks. I don't feel like there's been ninety minutes
Speaker 2: where that that was our team out there playing an
Speaker 2: r away at being dominant. So you know, that's what
Speaker 2: I want to say. I'd like to see a really
Speaker 2: high class performance for night. I'd like to see our
Speaker 2: biggest players show up and make big plays because actually
Speaker 2: know that that's what they needed to give them playoff
Speaker 2: fatality and put the cherry on top of everything. I
Speaker 2: actually Kajo scored two goals.
Speaker 1: To two straight clean sheets, Jay, and you know I'm
Speaker 1: always careful because of lessons I've learned about this stuff
Speaker 1: from you and others. To lay the blame or the
Speaker 1: credit for a clean sheet simply had the feet of
Speaker 1: the keeper. There have been some very obvious front facing
Speaker 1: gaffs and mistakes from both Zach and Gavin this year,
Speaker 1: so it's easy ze four folks that want to be
Speaker 1: brave online to attack them individually. And I'm not letting
Speaker 1: them off the hook. I don't think it's been good
Speaker 1: enough from either of those two, but those are your
Speaker 1: two options. How much of the past couple of games
Speaker 1: with the clean sheets would you give credit to Zach
Speaker 1: and then talk about how the entire group has participated
Speaker 1: in defending in order to not allow a goal against
Speaker 1: either Minnesota or San Jose.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would put I would put those clean sheets
Speaker 2: one hundred percent. The credit for that goes to the
Speaker 2: coaching staff, to the entire team for taking on the
Speaker 2: messages that we're putt in front of them to look
Speaker 2: for improvements, particular defensive areas, starting with how we press
Speaker 2: the ball all the way up the field, to how
Speaker 2: we defend a Peonty box, and by the way, a
Speaker 2: big one is defending some pieces. So I think those
Speaker 2: have been truly collective efforts and the credit goes to
Speaker 2: everybody involved. I think to have back in the goal
Speaker 2: for those you know, you do have a veteran guy
Speaker 2: that communicates well with his back line that seems to
Speaker 2: palm the group down a little bit, so you know
Speaker 2: he will continue that situation to save as others. When
Speaker 2: he performed and the team does well, you continue on
Speaker 2: your pasitting.
Speaker 1: And it does look like to your point, the entire
Speaker 1: group has bought into what Pablo has asked them to do.
Speaker 1: And I don't want to single just one player out,
Speaker 1: but I'm going to and ultimately I do want to
Speaker 1: expand the conversation because I think Diego Luna deserves a
Speaker 1: lot of credit for his work rate, and it's something
Speaker 1: that you know, even prior to your arrival here, I
Speaker 1: would talk to people and they would bring that up,
Speaker 1: like we love the kid. He's obviously incredibly skilled. He's
Speaker 1: got to participate in the team defensive concepts more it
Speaker 1: feels like he has. And then he grabs that goal,
Speaker 1: which you guys needed on the road. So I have
Speaker 1: a two part question. Give me your thoughts on what
Speaker 1: I perceived to be a better work rate from from
Speaker 1: Diego as of late, and now that you've been on
Speaker 1: the ground for a while, what have you learned about
Speaker 1: him after the game. I loved his interview. He said
Speaker 1: I want the ball because when the ball's at my feet,
Speaker 1: I make magic happen. I loved it. There's a lot
Speaker 1: to love about this kid. Give me your thoughts on
Speaker 1: Diego Luna.
Speaker 2: I'm really impressed with you. I'm really you know, he
Speaker 2: was a player that I was a little.
Speaker 3: Bit skeptical on.
Speaker 2: To be honest, haven't looked afar And whenever you have
Speaker 2: a player with that kind of talent to the attack,
Speaker 2: you have the field it's very typical that they won't,
Speaker 2: you know, hardest workers defensively. It's also a little bit
Speaker 2: difficult that draft they could have an ego that's maybe
Speaker 2: needs to be kept in check. But from my first
Speaker 2: conversation with Diegos where I am right now with him,
Speaker 2: he's shown nothing, uh, nothing out of.
Speaker 3: Than being pubble, wanting to work hard.
Speaker 2: Obviously he's ambitious, but you know, hyping. The most impressive
Speaker 2: quality about him is what you've already touched on. He
Speaker 2: worked extremely hard up the ball, does a great job defensively,
Speaker 2: and that's a credit to him into Pablo or for
Speaker 2: teaching and learning all of that in a very short
Speaker 2: order last year.
Speaker 1: All right, final thing, Jaille said, you loo after this,
Speaker 1: after the transfer window came and went and there were
Speaker 1: five new players brought in and obviously Andres sold for
Speaker 1: a very pefty price, which of course you had to
Speaker 1: say yes to. I asked you that hit the week
Speaker 1: after a close did you trade short term success for
Speaker 1: the long game approach? And you said no. Do you
Speaker 1: still feel that way?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I do because I was watching things a little
Speaker 2: bit more particularly than baby Boles, and then I felt
Speaker 2: like tres tres performance system very much about doing more
Speaker 2: what's best for on Treans, and so I felt like.
Speaker 3: The team was already starting to.
Speaker 2: Dip a little bit. I felt that a defensive work
Speaker 2: was really going down. Uh, he was just not a
Speaker 2: but I would you know, obviously everybody labeled it as
Speaker 2: a team player.
Speaker 3: I felt like he wasn't.
Speaker 2: He wasn't doing that for the team. So I felt
Speaker 2: in the long run it would be better to have
Speaker 2: a player in his position than Baltimore into the team concept,
Speaker 2: that that would help the team PLoP run.
Speaker 1: All right, Jason, Well, thank you for not hanging up
Speaker 1: on me after what many people online are calling a
Speaker 1: very witty, genius joke and intro to the interview. And
Speaker 1: I'll be there tomorrow night, so I'll come say hello.
Speaker 2: Okay, it was absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. All right, there he is Jason Christ
Speaker 1: RSL back in action coming up tomorrow night against Vancouver
Speaker 1: seven o'clock Mountain Time kick. Go to RSL dot com
Speaker 1: for single game ticket options and let's pack that place
Speaker 1: tomorrow night.