By IVES GALARCEP
With playoff races tightening up in Major League Soccer, and the U.S. Men’s National Team playing their first match after the World Cup last week, there was plenty to talk about in the latest episode of The SBI Show.
Episode 163 of The SBI Show takes a look back at an eventful MLS Week 26, which featured some key clashes in both conferences. We discuss all the matches, including New England’s win vs. Chicago in the “Blind Draw Derby”, the New York Red Bulls’ important victory against struggling Sporting Kansas City, and much more.
Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I also look back at the U.S. Men’s National Team’s 1-0 win vs. Czech Republic, discussing the players who impressed, and those who didn’t. We also answer listener questions in the latest SBI Show Q&A.
Give Episode 163 of The SBI Show a listen after the jump:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166744282″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=’166′ iframe=”true” /]
What did you think of the show?
Share your thoughts below.
People stop complaining about long episodes. I love having more content because I do a lot of activities which allow me to listen to podcast. Keep the 1.5 hr shows comin!
Sounders have taken unfair credit on yeddlin. From my understanding (I’m in Seattle), Yeddlin was helped in many ways by Crossfire and the families on his team. The Sounders taking credit for his development is totally unfair and Crossfire I don’t think is very happy with it.
Garrett should really calm down with mocking readers/listeners while doing a dumb voice. He tends to present the most extreme version of an argument to try to shut down an entire side of a debate. Thing is, unlike Ives, he doesn’t have the cred to be a definitive voice on hot button topics. It’s becoming grating even when I agree with him. Garrett, sit down man.
Why you knocking on Garrett? I didn’t hear him mocking readers/listeners. Be careful, he may decide the aggravation isn’t worth it. He’s probably doing this for free, who would replace him?
It’s feedback. He does it with increasing frequency. Contrary to what he thinks, I think he was better to listen to in the early days of the show.
“Be careful”? Ha, he gets worse from Ives on the show with regularity. He’s not going to quit because an internet commenter has some constructive criticism for him. Besides, there are probably tons of people out there who would love to take over for him.
Agree that this episode had a number of good lines, but the best was comparing Garrett to Max Headroom, during one of his verbal torrents. 🙂
Shea has been done, or at least should have been. I think I understand why JK might keep giving him calls, but I disagree with those imagined reasonings: He’s a freakish athlete, young, and can be creative and aggressive. Plus, the hair.
I’ve admired these Brekian qualities, especially that strange hair, but I’ve never rated him.
I don’t believe he is struggling through some plateau, either, but that he’ll never be able to put it all together.
He has never been a consistent producer.
If he was ever a good shooter, or header, or had a knack for making runs, he would’ve been a striker. But, he doesn’t maximize his frame, and as a wing player, cutting inside to connect, or attacking the endline to attempt a cross, he lacks finesse.
He hasn’t shown me the faculties required to get better, the aptitude. At this point, hoping for him to make something of himself on the USMNT is like hoping for Adu to do the same. Well meaning, but never going to happen.
The guy hasn’t had consistent playing time for a couple seasons now. He is gifted, but consistently wastes chances in the final third. He desperately needs to improve his club situation. Like, last year.
My favorite dinosaur is Stegasaurus.
is the homegrown player you were talking about in your rant harry shipp? i remember there being a lot of talk when he was about to be signed about whether or not that was a legit claim
“Blind draw derby” or the “Commissioner’s Cup” LOL!
enjoyed the HGP rant.
i agree its lame and incorrect for MLS clubs to claim that they “developed” players like Zardes and Yedlin and when often times they have played less than a year or two in their system and I agree that after so many years these are the best players that MLS has “developed”?!, i mean they could barely make a starting eleven this summer of these players!!!
but its still an improvement over simply relying on other youth academies, ncaa soccer and pdl to be the only point of development prior to going pro. Bypassing the draft and spending at least part of a year training with a professional team’s academy prior to signing a pro contract is one of the best moves MLS has done in its 18 years.
some day soon we will have MLS starting xi’s that are full of pro’s that have played with the club academy since they were kids and it will show..
Beto, obviously it’s great MLS is investing more money in academies, but all the phoniness about how much of a role they’ve played in developing some top MLS players is laughable, and serves to conceal the reality, which is that MLS academies have been producing first team-caliber talent at a disappointing rate.
MLS taking marketing to far.. To an almost phoney level.. Never!
If you think this is terrible, remember that this is actually the enjoyable part. When MLS finally becomes a big fat deal, the phoniness truly go nut, s like its jacked out older half-brother the NFL who is entirely capable of a basic human relationship.
Here are a couple of quotes I heard today to illustrate my meaning. which I might not have gotten down quite verbatim:..
Phil Anschutz, Owner, AEG/LA Galaxy:
“Gyasi Zardes is a player I have been developing since I gave birth to him over two decades ago. We scarcely spend a moment apart– I developed him during the same period I developed the game of soccer from scratch, so the bond is very strong. Even now he is concealed within my belly, as though he is Cuato. Remember the nickname, “Homegrown Gyasi” which is what everybody calls him as of now”
Roger Goodell, Grand Cyclops, National Football League:
“I am currently, and always have been, completely unaware of the existance of any individual named Ray Rice, which sounds like a made-up name, if any of you had any sense. I also do not know any black people, or athletes. It is possible I know a few humans, but I certainly have never heard of a football league and besides I am functionally illeterate as my lawyer and law school classmate has explained.. It is patently absurd that you would suggest this. I have already sued you successfully, which you will notice in a few hours, right before we stage your suicide”.
I listen to the SBI podcast while running on a path along the Mississippi River. I’m usually pretty stoic but when I heard Ives’ HGP rant I started laughing out loud. It was hilarious. It went on for about 15 minutes. So I sent Garrett a tweet:
“Garr: Mention HG players whenever you can. Ives will suffer cardiac arrest, we’ll all get lots of laughs, you can take over.”
Garrett mentioned it at the end of episode 164. I guess they both got a laugh out of it.
another long episode lol
Altidore needs some competition for the starting USMNT role or a strike partner.
Boyd and Johannsson need to get healthy and Agudelo needs to find the right club.
Maybe Klinsmann is waiting on Haji Wright for 2018 lol
Zardes needs a call up, he can do just as well as Altidore. he makes better runs
On the Zardes thing, people need to realize that while yes he is doing well. He is playing with Keane and Donovan. This is gunna help anyone a lot. Zardes has 1 assist which means he isn’t returning the favor to Keane and LD. This doesn’t mean is he bad just not super amazing.
So sure, he has earned a call up because all of the other MLS american strikers but really relax.
and ripping up the Colorado & Chivas defenses… big jump from the international game.
that said i think he is a great prospect and ready for the jump. and yes we need some competition up top, Jozy has been the default option for a while and really hasn’t improved much over the past cycle.
And your point is? He is a striker. Strikers score goals. Oh god no he has only recorded 1 assist? that means he is doing exactly what he is supposed to do which is score goals.
Playing with Donovan and Keane will make him an even better player. Christ people. Isn’t that why people want American players to go to England or Germany? Because it’s assumed that American players will get better by being around better players? So you would rather see Zardes playing at Chivas?
I think his point is, when the defense if composed of mediocre players who have to worry about defending Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane then it creates opportunities that would not exist if the defense was closer to parity with Keane/Donovan OR if the defenders left marking Zardes were more capable.
Yup, pretty much it. I mean its a team sport. Look at how awesome Henry has made like 4 different strikers in a row look.
Kenny Cooper: 18 goals in his 1 season with Henry then 6 the year after that.
He needs a strike partner. He has always needed a strike partner. There was a lot of talk of need for crosses coming in from the wings, but Jozy has never been that kind of player. He’s not great in the box in the air. He likes to combine and go at goal with the ball at his feet. He needs a strike partner for that.
Jozy Highlights were basically Adam Maher highlights.
Both struggled after their breakup. =(