FiredUp Network
Wednesday, June 26:Time Out KC Soccer
i've been saying that throughout the season but yeah my god is it and it's going to be the day that I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit of fun and I'm going to be a little bit my my god is it just like glaringly obvious you go sporting Kansas City played easily one of their worst performances I've lived here for 20 some years and man I'm going to get my glasses straight after watching it easily one of the worst performances I can remember the team putting out four nil didn't even get a shot on goal against the Columbus crew granted a good team and then the current the next day travels to what may well be the most difficult place to play in the NWSL if it is in Kansas City Portland take on the thorn and they beat them by a wider margin and a more dominating performance in Portland than they did here can can you sum it up any more than a tail of two cities no I don't think so I think that sums it up pretty well it's it's a it's a weird time to be a soccer fan in Kansas City right now that's for sure but yeah we have one team that's doing well you know it was the best of times it was the worst of times yeah and it's summed up by the post game comments too well let's go ahead and we'll we'll go to the video tape it's like the old George Michael sports machine here's Peter for me is after the game yeah I don't know it's like it's it's look I think the guys gave a good effort you know he got behind us the one time cut the ball back to the top of the box they score you know and then we're on the wrong side of one of the crosses that comes across you know going that second goal didn't help right before halftime back to that I think we just got incredibly tired but they're a good team they're a very good team they deserve to win for sure they play with a lot of confidence but they're a very good team now we'll react to that clip but let me play the other clip this is uh defender e-ball Elizabeth Ball and holding midfielder Lova Banta yeah I it's crazy to me um especially that one of them wasn't a pk that is crazy to me um but yeah I mean just I think one thing we do really well on this team is score goals especially with stina being our 17 goal scorer now so to be a part of that is huge to assist um nice very nice and I'm wondering how you guys are able to get contributions from everyone like it seems like everybody on this team even the defenders are scoring um so kind of talk about if you could talk about what it's like you know what how this team is it's getting contributions from so many different aspects of the field yeah um I think it's I think teams are they're kind of changing how they play against us sometimes so I think we have to you know pivot a little bit and so if we're not you know making productive passes up top it's like all right defenders let's try to find it find them up top um but yeah I think everybody uh knows their role and knows we're trying to score goals we're trying to be a threat from every every position so um if they shut one person down then somebody else is gonna come up to the plate and do what they have to do I mean you you can't get more of a contrast than that that was like I said Elizabeth Ball and Lotte Wabana after Lough had her first career brace and what she referenced at the beginning she's the designated pk taker usually she had two goals in the course of play neither one was a pk and Elizabeth Ball for the first time in 81 NWSL starts and she's been a high level center back so significant playing time 81 starts she had to assist in the game so they're literally doing what they do to win and then I mean the the most complementary thing I can say about the peter vermese quote is that was a nice shirt I did like the shirt he was wearing I kind of had the same thought yeah it's a good sporting shirt I like the pattern the blue envelope they have yeah sporting style has good stuff yeah that's true I mean where do you go you're sporting Kansas City you just had your worst loss in years there was even with the winless streak that was broke in the weekend sweep of Kansas City against Seattle when the royals beat the mariners sporting beat the sounders and the current beat the rain all in Kansas City the same weekend there was talk that hey it's okay this is when the season turned around and they made it to the Western Conference finals last year everything's fine we got it we got our win here we come and then you go out and get really dominated by the LA Galaxy in the second half and then just a total beat down by Columbus so the response to that was Brian Bliss and sporting Kansas City decided to part ways what do you do now well where's the next step that's a that's a tough one to answer because a lot of people would say that the next step would be Peter I'm not on that bandwagon of of getting rid of Peter I think it's I think giving him a few more transfer windows it's helpful so now I guess we just have to buy time till the transfer windows open and then we can see what they're gonna do see if they're gonna let him spend the money that he's been trying to spend and in the meantime we just have to I don't know try not to lose with what we have on the field I guess try to get some people healthy which has been kind of the difference but from last year everybody was getting healthy around the same time as when we finally beat Seattle so we beat Seattle and then we and then everybody got healthy and so we had a full squad a healthy squad and that really helped right now is the exact opposite so everybody's getting injured and we just keep picking up more and more injuries to more and more crucial players so I think we have to just hope this and people can get can get healthy and then the transfer window maybe we can get somebody who can make an immediate impact but other than that I mean we need we need to average I think it was 2.2 points a game for the rest of the season just to make the playoffs yeah so that's gonna be a difficult task especially since our schedule is pretty difficult so yeah I mean they almost need to win out at this point yeah pretty much pretty good lose what they can drop one or two games and that's it yeah pretty much so what let's talk about let's talk about the roster because I think Cliff and Mike illegal or in agreement with you they've basically said that they're not they're not making this a decision a verdict on Peter for me's and you know I got to say I admire Peter for me is going out there after every game and before every game is very accessible and unlike most coaches you're not getting coach speak from Peter for me it's true he actually he lets it fly I mean there was a game early in the year where the extra time went 12 minutes which seemed insane I was at the stadium and all the other media and the fans are going what the hell I mean it was supposed to be I think no more than seven minutes and they just kept rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling with no real reason and then sporting gave up a goal 11 and a half minutes and extra time they end up getting a draw it would have been a win early in the season it was with replacement referees and unlike a lot of coaches saying well hey you know how it's part of the game blah blah blah blah Peter said okay I have no idea why why 12 minutes we were playing against three people we were playing against the officials the clock and the other team I mean true I mean yeah great so I don't have a problem with him saying stuff like that hey we're extremely tired okay yeah you got a lot of guys injured true but as admirable and as endearing as that is when you're winning it does kind of sting when you're losing because if you're not looking at it in context those quotes are going to age badly yeah for sure yeah and I agree I also have always liked that that Peter's just kind of says what he says and you know he's a little reserved because he doesn't want to get fined and stuff like that and sometimes he's not but no when he brought the the iPad out yeah yeah that was the the all ten thousand dollar fine for directly criticizing the officials yeah I'm sure but you know I've always liked that he that he just kind of speaks his mind and I think that's kind of what makes Peter Peter plus he obviously has some sort of sense of security at this club and the job which is made obvious by the fact like you said they like you referenced they've already said they're not going to fire and they're going to give them at least three transfer windows to see what can happen and he's done it before he's managed to take you know a lame squad and have three transfer windows and then build a build another strong squad so I think he can do it again and if he can't then I think leadership will make the make the necessary move they have to at that point but now they have up to 18 players when you look at contracts expiring and players under club option 18 players on the main roster can be gone at the end of the year how much change do you think happens um it's tough to say because the history of me watching this club makes me think not that much because it's never it's never that much but I do feel like they seem to recognize that it's a bigger problem than it usually is and that we really have to have a lot of turnover and even elig has mentioned that there's a lot of turnover potential at the end of this season so yeah I anticipate quite a bit I think we're going to have a lot of the young guys that are there will get re-signed and they'll they'll be brought back maybe players like Eric Tommy I think he's one of the ones that's out of contract I think he's got an option they could pick up I I can't see him going anywhere yeah I it'd be I mean I can because he's a little bit older and it seems like that's what they're going to want to do but I think that that particular move would be pretty dumb yeah he's he's our best player right now why would we do that doesn't make any sense really not even close no no so who are who are the guys on the team now outside of I'll give you the one lay object Davis that are locked in let's say foundational players pillars of the team sure who would be another pillar for you uh I'd like to say Remy Voltaire probably maybe Radhoyan now he's had a really good season kind of a quiet season but that's kind of what we like from our number six so Tommy I think other than that I mean you know get rid of all of them I like I'd like to see a freefa and Vargas stay I don't know that I would call them pillars yet obviously but I'd like to see them stay and be simpler because they're young and I think they have a lot of talent I think Vargas needs a little bit more experience and some you know more work a freefa is probably closer to being ready um but I don't I don't know maybe Daniel Chalery I don't know he hasn't really been there good this year either um it pains me to say it I think Johnny Russell fits in that same category too but is not not super effective so yeah that'd probably be it I I think really that's a lot to uh lots move now can you turn over that many players and I don't think they're going to turn over 18 that that seems crazy but even if would you turn over can you turn over 12 players in MLS and turn around and be ready or is it more a matter of one or two impactful transactions and those impactful transactions are enough to turn it around I think it depends on if you're willing to spend the money if you're willing to actually spend the money then yeah you can totally flip 12 players and make an impact immediately um especially in the MLS there's a lot of turnover in the MLS already because we have you know the English league and pretty much all the different you know Premier League's Bundesliga will league all those things they cherry pick players from us constantly yeah we're basically a feeder league for them all of our good players go over there so you already have that built in so the so the revolving door of players is already kind of a thing in the MLS so I think if you're willing to spend that money then yeah you totally can do it um as far as can one or two players be impactful they can but it has to be the right players and that also again means you have to be willing to spend the money um you know we'd have to be able to you know get somebody that like some English or German team is looking at and we managed to get them to come here instead of going instead of going over there um or maybe we can talk messy into coming to Kansas City for a little bit who knows yeah it's supposedly Ronaldo was close yeah yeah I've heard that but I've also heard that he's supposedly joining Miami by the end of the season to so that him and Messi can play on the same team but wow we'll see we'll see but yeah that's a good point about the other leagues poaching from MLS because the image rep I mean there's Timothy Weya and Christian Polasek yeah neither of which are playing in MLS Nope nor is Tyler Adams nor is Gina Reyna nor close to home the guy who was just here a couple weeks ago with the US Olympic team John Luca Bussio who is the best example of the sporting youth academy cranking out a player I mean he would make a huge difference Eric Palmer Brown another one he's playing out in Portugal so yeah that that is an issue the reason I asked though if one or two players can make a difference it was evident in the Kansas City current's game you get two players that are impact players and get them working together it makes a big difference is it off of Mueller against it back Cooper to the back post showing his header they're flicked on heading the last tough belongs to La Banta and now we get one of the best things in all sports a low La Banta goal celebration and it's a being in the midfield Michelle Cooper again and again has had time in his right hand side she gets around the edge of Mueller and just serves this one across in the shawinga who does so well to backpedal and allow herself to attack this ball to keep it in play and then of course low La Banta just there to screen the goalkeeper glances off her head wise as she manipulates her body and Steve the reason I wanted to show that is Temwa was that one huge addition and then they took Michelle Cooper who was a high draft pick and a college star as a striker and moved her she's basically playing a wing and she has been a terrific presence offensively for the current just running hard down the line crossing in or when it's open turning and aggressively driving right into that penalty box area just them working together they're creating goals all over and it's really those two that have been able to really make a connection and that's not even talking about DeBina and Bia and then the other you know players on the current who have scored they're up to 17 players have scored a goal now I mean look at the difference Temwa has made and maybe a better maybe a better position for Michelle because she's just attacking the offensive box on every possession it really is doing a tremendous job yeah and that is a good example of you know if you're willing to spend the money and get the right players you know you could bring them in and they can definitely make an impact we did already have kind of a better roster already in place yeah those that those two impact players were added to versus like sporting roster is clearly not great right now so we'd have a little bit more work to do there but but yeah I mean that's a great example of being willing to go out and get get those players and spend the money that it costs because you want to bring them here and not let them go somewhere else and it's it's paying off for the current so we just have to hope that that the higher ups that was sporting and illegal them decide to you know follow in the current footsteps and spend some money and get some get some real names to come over here and help us yeah and now the current the reason I the other reason I wanted to point that out they were second to last in the league last year two years ago they made it to the final but last year it just kind of kind of fell apart so I'm wondering is there is there similarity or was the current more the coaching just wasn't there and now you get the coaching with what Flacko's done and you add that one extra piece and I mean it's go time yeah I think it's I think the coach the coaching change which I realized kind of goes against everything I've said about Vermees with supporting but they didn't really have it you know their their coach in Kansas City wasn't as established as Peter is but yeah the coaching change was a big upgrade and then being able to being willing to go spend the money and get those players is is obviously proving to be to be very helpful so now what sporting reminds me of and crossing sports is another Peter who is a head coach Pete Carroll with the Seahawks one championships with the Seahawks consistent playoff performer and then they they just kind of had this run with an older team going with Russell Wilson that they just kept going you know eight and eight seven and nine nine and seven and just kind of treading water but never never getting back to challenging because it's hard to build that roster up and then they then they just kind of you know bottomed out and went ahead and made a bunch of roster moves and ran forward with a different team thanks to the Denver Broncos helping them out yeah true so it I mean is it just that they were consistently good for so long that eventually you just have to have a rebuild period it just it's just inevitable because you get you get older the MLS draft isn't what it used to be as a feeder system for talent and it's just time to rebuild and open up the checkbook and get a couple new foundational players and it's really nothing that they've done wrong it's just time being against them yeah I think it's a lot of that I think our our academy is not it hasn't really developed anybody in in I say in recent years like like very recent years yeah we haven't really developed anybody that has been all that helpful or if we have they're just stuck at SKC2 and not getting called up for whatever reason so maybe that plays into it a little bit but yeah I think it you know eventually you have to do some kind of rebuilding and that that starts with ownership being willing like you said to open up a checkbook and start you know paying some people some money get people over here now just to ask because I'm not as familiar with the other MLS teams rosters as you are our other teams cranking out significant contributors and starters from their academy programs or are they having the guys who are your big academy wins just gone and going to a euro league and you get the transfer fee yeah that's a that's a big problem for everybody that's definitely not just in us thing but I can't think of any names right off the top of my head but I there have been a few like academy academy players at other teams that have managed to make it through and make an impact our two biggest names have been John Luca Busio and Daniel Shallowy Shallowy still with the team obviously yeah and Busio transferred over but I think the yeah the international teams you know poaching our best players that's that's an issue everybody deals with every team with those issues so yeah I can't I can't think of any names off top my head that that have come through academy products with other other teams but I don't maybe it just feels like recently we just haven't had anybody that's come through aside from Jean Luca Busio and Jake Davis oh yeah yeah ignore the obvious one I guess yeah that's but yeah it's definitely an issue that every team deals with just to ask one more question and we'll move on to the US team Jake Davis what's his best position on the field playing where's where's he the most impactful for sporting moving forward that's a really good question um I think my I lean towards he's going to be the most impactful at right back for the long run right now he's most impact in impactful in the midfield because we don't have very many midfielders right now but I think in the long run he's going to be most impactful at right back because we do play with the wing backs that push up and play like midfielder so much sure um that I think I think in the long run he's going to be he's going to be more impactful there yeah well it becomes almost the way they play with the constant building out of the back and the the wings especially you don't notice it as much this year with a guy who and we've mentioned a few times is a big absence Logan and Debay who was one of the younger players who was making moves when they had him and Jake Davis able to sprint up the sides and start the offense much more balanced you don't get that as much from Leibold so no he had definitely been Leibold and yeah even Zorin Bessong is he's young too and he he's got he has flashes but but yeah you're right Leibold and Bessong are not neither one of them are are as talented or uh or fit that position as well as Nadembe does so yeah and where if you have those guys together it becomes a distinction without a difference are you going to be the right back or are you going to be in midfield because you're essentially a back playing midfield because he's so important in bringing the ball up and starting the offense yeah doing a lot of the things if I just complimented Michelle Cooper on driving driving the ball in and getting those crosses so yeah it's an important role I just yeah just want to ask because he's kind of been moving around and if you're just watching when wait a minute we just signed this guy to a four-year contract why are we switching positions it's out of necessity right now sure and and it's if anybody is asking that it is worth mentioning that Jake Davis started as a midfielder he was a midfielder all the way through the academy and until he got brought up he just filled in it right back last year out of necessity because yeah for Zusi and he was just good so we just left him there and um and he's just continued to grow and get better and he's had he's had a few uh weaker moments recently uh in the last few weeks uh sorry before he went to uh midfield the last few weeks that he played right back he had some some slips and stuff like that yeah but he's young that's gonna happen so um but yeah I look forward to having him at right back and hopefully keeping Logan and the den bait that would be another name that I would say probably has earned a spot as long as he comes back healthy yeah and he should be back I mean relatively soon so yeah in the spirit of last year's Kansas City Royals I think we'll be getting an evaluation year the rest of the way yeah probably not not saying they're not mathematically eliminated yet but it's it's getting close that's one thing about MLS yeah let's look on the bright side of things the U.S. national team and the COPA they took care of the Bolivians the Bolivians uh were hoping the game would have been played in Denver so they would have had the advantage playing at elevation but didn't happen they played in Dallas U.S. national team uh kept the Bolivian side losing and looked good in doing it they honestly probably should have won five or six to nil 100 yeah is this a U.S. national team that can finish strong and maybe even win the COPA America absolutely if they can all get on the same page that's been we spent uh we recorded our podcast today and we spent half the podcast talking about this exact question um but that is if that's there's a big if they can stay on the same page because this game they really looked like they have so much talent and they play really well together but this game they just kind of looked out of sorts which uh like you said it should have been five or six nothing yeah um but it only ended two nothing and I think that's just because they just weren't quite they weren't quite on the same page all the time so and maybe that's just first game I don't want to say jitters because you know we've been playing you know we've had a few friendlies in the last month and stuff but I don't know I guess jitters maybe um hopefully they can shake that out and and use the rest of the group stage to get right and get on the same page but there's so much talent and this lineup is so deep our bench is so deep and yeah I 100 think they could absolutely win the whole thing uh no no risk of uh Panama knock him officer uh I don't think so but I mean you never know it's it's international soccer you have no idea I think they win all three group games um that's that's my prediction has been the win all three group games and then they're going to make it to the final and lose darjatina that's that's been uh my no shaman yeah losing to no shame at that no no shame there at all no um but I think we definitely have the tools and the talent and the players to win the whole thing and the third game is going to be right here in Kansas City and GEHA feel that arrowhead stadium sure is a historic soccer venue yeah yeah um yeah that'll be a good one I that'll be the our hardest test in the group stage at least for sure um that'll be a tough one I know you're wise one 15 of these I believe um so that that's going to be a hard one but the US men's national team likes to play in Kansas City uh and they often win in Kansas City so I I don't remember the last time I watched them lose in Kansas City it probably was like last year and I just don't remember it but um but I they don't often lose in Kansas City so I think that'll bode well and by then I think we'll have everything figured out so yeah I I don't remember a a US national team player looking as I don't know dominant or in control as pull a sec does yeah I know they had said something the announcer said something that I guess he did said in an interview that in previous previous like tournaments and stuff he's always had like with his home club when he played for Chelsea there's always contention there and he's always you know been upset and like you know always had something else weighing on him now he's at AC Milan and he's there he's their ace guy he's their starter there's no there's nothing bad going on there or anything yeah now he said that he feels the most comfortable that he's ever felt and he feels like he's playing the best football he's ever played playing in this tournament right now so I hope that translates um I've always been kind of critical of him because he he's very talented but not in the games that we need him like he doesn't score the goals in the games that we need him he scores goals in the third minute of the first game but then you know in a knockout game we can't get him to do anything so so I'm I'm hoping that this will be a good turnaround and he he is a key for us for sure well and I do like that uh he's picked up a new skill too the game was refereed by an Italian crew and uh playing for AC Milan Christian uh according to the announcers was complaining to the referee about the call in Italian yeah so I heard that that was that's pretty cool good good to know that's good versatility well hey let's uh let's wrap it up just uh predictions for the week you got the Kansas City current taking on Houston the dash that's Friday night at CPKC's stadium you see the current breaking that NWSL record for undefeated streak they're currently at 16 which ties the record one more decision they break the record yep uh I do and I uh unfortunately I think Orlando will be right behind him um to also do it but that uh July 9th matchup right before the international break with uh Orlando is I cannot wait for that game I cannot wait for that game so um I think that will be the one that determines which of these which one of our two teams finally gets to actually keep the record yeah um so yeah because uh the league gets better every year it's going to be hard to do that again I think yeah absolutely I agree then sporting twice at home this year so home really hasn't helped us at all but um I I don't think we win this one I think it'll be three to one we'll probably get beat by Austin so I think the woes will continue maybe we'll get another fun lineup change this this week again though while we tried uh we tried the five what did we run the against Columbus it was it was five two three yeah it was well it was a 343 but it really looked like a 523 um but I think it really played like a 523 because we never had the ball so when you play a 343 like that it's pretty common when when you lose the ball and the other team has it those wingbacks will fall back and play like the five across we just never got the ball back so they never got to go push back up we only had 29 percent yeah that should in that game so um and then the game before was actually a 4-2 or 4-4-2 so that was another different lineup change with RSL so who knows maybe we'll get something else wild this week well there's there's not a lot of other combinations because you only get one people that's very true let's go to the weekly champion from the pitch who's your champion of the week Steve it's got to go a little banta she scored two that second goal she scored from outside the pk box was just a just a rocket plus your celebrations are great I noticed you cut off the the video right before we got to see the celebration which is a shame well ironically the highlight video that the nwsl shared the announcer's referenced the celebration yeah then they went to the replay and then the highlight got caught of course i don't know why they did it there everybody knows her celebrations are wild but yeah don't show them but it was an out-of-context uh cut thanks to the uh the uh the nwsl highlight tape she's gonna get my job there for sure okay that's a good one while in here i'll go with the teammate that was up there talking i'll give uh Elizabeth ball the champion of the week uh pressed back into starting duty uh and really has has done a great job and has been an offensive threat to which is something unusual because as long as i said the first time she's ever had to assist in a game so they just keep finding people to contribute offensively and that whole attitude they're they're running up and they're attacking so they're to use a soccer cliche they're definitely playing on the front foot yeah so we'll give the Kansas City Current another weekly champion here and Steve where can people find you and get more detail takes on the Kansas City stalker world yeah you can hear us on the paint the wall podcast uh you can find us ptw underscore pod on twitter uh paint the wall podcast on youtube we are also on fire.networks you can watch us there too right after you watch this yeah watch and we'll be right after it i'm sure so excellent that's where you can find us and the best place to find the fired up network if you're looking to get it on your tv easily accessible download that true tv plus app it's available on amazon on roku on android on google play and the apple app store plus even on chrome cast so it's everywhere you get the fired up network you can get wrestling spotlight so and a lot of other great channels entertainment channels uh if you're a fan of the old uh daffy duck looney tunes cartoons that's available on there and yeah i didn't know that lots yeah uh cartoon classics uh lots of great entertainment options right there on that true tv plus app well for Steve Gerald Bentley thanks for joining us here time out Kansas City we took a detailed look at the soccer pitches nkc the current sporting and the us national team everything is uh coming to a conclusion here is kopa america comes back to Kansas City then the current and sporting both have home games this week Steve thanks for joining us here and we'll be back with more on the fired up network thanks