FiredUp Network
Saturday, June 22: MLS Kickin It With Carmine Isacco
[BLANK_AUDIO] Hello everybody, this is Joseph Easek, and welcome to the Far Your Double Network. Welcome to the soccer show with the coach Carmen Esaco, John Freeman Nelson. We'll join us in a few minutes, but let's get to it. Carm, let's talk first, MLS. A little bit of a disappointing performance for TFC on Wednesday here at BMO Field Against Nashville, wouldn't you say? >> Yeah, a couple of too bad performances, and I don't know if everything's is all butterflies and sun shines and rainbows right now. I think there may be issues that we don't see. And it cuts down from the issues that everyone's had in their minds from the beginning. >> And what are we gonna do is hit December and the window and of course, murals are currently playing and Copa starting and then the Olympics and all that? What can they do with those two guys specifically? >> I mean, no, no, I mean, they're gonna be with the team. The squad is the squad. The only one which is a big loss is missing, John. I'm sorry to the captain. I don't know, I believe that he's the only one on the international dude. No, I'm LaRia. I've achieved LaRia as with Cameron doing his rehab. Hopefully 100% when he gets back, but he's an important piece for both groups. And so, I'm sorry for both groups, but it is what it is right now. And they've been dealing with this the whole time. You know, it's, they've been dealing with these, whether it's injuries or suspensions, they've been dealing with this the whole time and doing an admirable job of it. But the last two games, both at home, losing to lower the table. The Asheville and lower table Chicago and the way they lost too wasn't to convince you, especially against Chicago, it was a bit of a mental, like a mental, physical and tactical letdown. And this to Nashville last night, this was a big loss because Nashville was four points behind them. And if they would have won, they would have been in the fifth place. But Nashville won. So now Nashville is only a point behind TFC, TFC's in seven. Of course, first seven spots make the playoffs. So now they're only a point behind. And now heading to Saturday, TFC plays in New York, the New York Red Bull. Again, it's New York coming back last night with Montreal down 2-0 and tying 2-2. So not an easy matchup. These last two matchups were sort of supposed to be easier, but they lost. Now they go to New York on the road. Yeah. I mean, Red Bull, I believe top two, top one team in the standings right now. And they're resilient, not sure how either the Cup America or the Euros have affected them. I don't think it has at all. And they've been a solid group from the beginning. So yeah, it's tough doors, but you know, the one thing this TFC's done is they rebounded obviously not from the Chicago game to the Nashville game, but they found a way to get things right when they needed to, when everything seemed to be going downhill and kind of getting drained, they found a way to fix it and there's no reason to believe that they won't do it again. All right. I'm going to talk about the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Of course, Miami winning without Messi. So they're proving they can do it a couple games, at least without the star. But the big surprise to me and this I want to Cincinnati, okay, Cincinnati right now is that in second place in the Eastern Conference, but look, they're five, two and two at home, seven, one and one on the road. Yeah. They're incredible road. I mean, they just, they obviously, community shield winners last year, top of the league. So they've developed a culture of winning from, you know, so it's a great example of what, what people, you know, Noonan is doing and that type of mentality is happening at Cincinnati. It's, they went from, you know, an expansion team, a struggling team, to a, to a mediocre team, to now being, you know, a legacy of winning already and it's, it's, it's an important lesson for, for team building for, for, for organization building that Cincinnati's making and the fans there and the stadium there, everything's fantastic. And, you know, they've got some pretty good players that are coming and they've lost some pretty good players. But, you know, league MVP is still the league MVP and he's, and he's motoring a lot and he's doing some incredible things. All right. Now in the West, I want to touch on the two LA teams, they're tied, LAFC and, and, you know, LA Galaxy and they're both home record. They haven't, you know, 7, 0 and 2 for LAFC, 6, 0 and 3 for the Galaxy at home. Amazing. On the road, they're pretty good too. But these guys are second and third and talk about a traffic call and all this in LA. It's, it's real South Lake is only leading by three. That's another story. We are South Lake, you know, not many people are talking about it and they're on top of the table there. Yeah. And then finding ways to win, you know, finding ways to win, whether it's four, three or one nil, they're finding just different ways to win and it's, it's, it's, to me, amazing. What they're doing with, what they're doing with so little, obviously, they have probably the league MVP in a wrangle up top that's just scoring goals. I believe he's in the Colombian international and they still found a way to find four last game. I believe he was, he was coming back as well. So there's a lot of character on that team, you know, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of players that have that massive chip on their shoulder and you can achieve a lot with that. And, and I'm going to coach with the same set, same type of mentality. He's been through a lot through through different teams at different times and different programs. So he's learned a lot and taken a lot. And I think that his, this, this team is, is a team that's not supposed to do well, you know, whether it was because of problems and in the ownership problems and in the stands or problems everywhere else, but this team is kind of defying the odds and doing fantastic. And you know, we know the LA team, we know LA guys very well because it looks like the old TFC teams, you know, Greg, Greg Vannies stuck to his son, stuck to his, his, what is important to him, his values that are non-negotiable. And he's, he's added players that fit those non-negotiable, obviously paint still and, even with the gundis and Peck, the Brazilian has, has just been perfect for, for Greg Vannies system in that 43. And you have in an Omar Gonzalez, who, you know, we know, sorry, Delgado, that we know very well from, from Toronto, from Toronto days as well. And what he's still doing this and just invaluable moments that he has, whether it's on the defensive side or the possession side. But, you know, credit to Greg after last year, the organization could have given up on them. A lot of, a lot of, you get added a couple of players, obviously they have probably the best player in the league, but he's been out and they've been winning without him, is, is poo, Ricky poo. And then so credit to Greg, credit to the, to sticking to the values that have gotten there, credit to the staff who understand what Greg wants and it's pressing and with him without the ball and, and you know, it's, it's great because he, he tweaks what he already knows very well and he brings in pieces, that, that kind of reinforce what he knows to do well. All right. So we're going to switch gears here, we'll be joined by John in a few minutes, but switch gears to the CPL. And I'll tell you what, the, the table is turned around the first place. Athletic O Ottawa, York United in second and forage in fifth. And York United, another win last night. They have played 11 matches and have won at five, drawn to and lost four. They're in second place, but I want to talk about athletic O Ottawa. How are you, how surprised are you at both these teams, Ottawa, and especially, you know York United? Yeah, I mean you bring in a, a new energy with, with Benjamin now Mora, the Mexican coach in York, York United has turned into a, you know, a very hard working team, a tough team to beat and put things in perspective, Richie got a red card in the 38th minute last night. They were up a goal and you see the resurgence of a, a Brian Wright and you see a resurgence of a mobile goalie getting a ball coming back, understanding that I think that the new coach has basically said, if you're not working hard, if you're not working with him, a system which is a three, five, two, and you have Max Ferrari, who's always the hardest worker on the field, regardless of the situation. And he's, he's gotten probably one of the best players in the league tomorrow at the buy-in. They're, they're going to be tough to beat. They're going to be tough to beat. And I think that's the mentality that, that's kind of been missing. So, you know what, you talk about coaching changes, you talk about mentality changes, you talk about that, that insertion of energy. Right now, Ben Humming's system that, that three, five, two has kind of instilled a lot of energy, standards-based work rates that, that not a lot of people are used to when we play here at United and, and they outworked yesterday the hardest working team in the league in Pacific. And I'd let him go out and I did it all, because they brought in players, they brought in, they brought in, you know, did it, and Pedro Apparicio, who arguably should be at the next level right now in MLS, because he was one of the best players in, in CPL probably could do it. And, you know what, I, I think Toronto is, he could use some of that energy right now as well if he was there. So, you looked at the players that they brought in, and it's, it's, that's what they've done pretty much by on the field stuff, and they've made some important, important investments. And there, those investments included, you know, with Ollie Bastet, and the, the, the portal, and the players that they'll compost, excuse me, players of the yoke has, has, has started doing, like, pain, like, getting, getting dividends, so right now it's been on the field. They, they lost their first game against ironically enough at home to a motivated and hardworking York United team. So this, now it's about consistency, Ottawa has proven that they can be consistent in buying results, Ottawa's been, you know, but it's also about the consistency that York United has to find now. I mean, the sample size is three games. They, with an underman's squad, they tied Vancouver at home to two, and they won the next two games against Ottawa in Ottawa, and, and against the city at home. So, you know, the sample size is small, but this has to continue, and it's their consistency, it's their motivation, it's all those things that matter, and I think that Ottawa and New York have to show that, you know, in this league, you put four games together, you, you move up three spots quickly, or you, you lose three games, four games, you go back down to, you go back down to an out of a playoff spot. So yes, it's a great start for both teams, but they have to be consistent, consistent in their play, consistent in their domination, consistent in their, their, their mentality. All right, we'll be back in a couple seconds with the Hall of Famer, John Freeman Nelson, we'll talk about the Euros and preview, Copa America, that's Carmen Esacko, you do not want to get him on, on Twitter and then X and all that, just reach out all every week here. He's on the fired up network. Thanks a lot, Carmen. [BLANK_AUDIO]