CITY SC Posse 31 | 19 Unbeaten, Klauss Returns & CITY Eyes First Place

Bright: All right, midweek episode here. And it's it's our first one in a couple of weeks, Kev. You just got back from vacation. and and you already told me before we got started here that you didn't listen to the last episode that Duds and I did to fill in for ya while you were gone. What up?

Kev: Yep, I've been I've been a little busy with some work stuff, you know, and then getting home from vacation trying to gear back into the normal ring of things. So didn't even see that one launched, I'm gonna be honest. Didn't even know about it.

Bright: man. Well that either means I'm not doing my job promoting it. We did have

Kev: That could be it.

Bright: we did have good views on it. Not not as many maybe as one as you and I, but we still had a good amount of of views on it. So

Kev: Peace.

Bright: wanted to keep it going and there, you know, there are big games going on and the schedule gets pretty intense from from here on out. So hopefully we can continue doing a lot of these. And yes, like you say, kinda getting into the routine of of games. Plus we got the blues are are back in action and so yeah, it's gonna get pretty hectic. Mizzou had a big win last week, so that was really exciting. But but yeah, so City obviously had the big win. US men's national team just wrapped up there. perfect for an o right stretch over this international break and then the city game. Now this this made it tough having been postponed, right, from the Saturday to Wednesday because of that nor'easter. And it really screwed up with our schedules because Saturday night

Kev: yeah, it did.

Bright: I was ready to go. my

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: wife was gonna have the kids. I was gonna lock myself in the basement and then canceled. And wouldn't you know it, I was out of town last week. So being able

Kev: Yeah, we had a a dinner plan that night. So I was able to follow along a little bit on my phone, but getting to watch the game live unfortunately wasn't happening. Now I was maybe gonna get to watch the soccer game that Saturday if it had gone through as as it was normally scheduled, because we were getting home from vacation

Bright: Right.

Kev: that day. And I I think I got home at like six o'clock. So like I I could have

Bright: Would have been perfect.

Kev: pulled it off, right? Wasn't quite tired yet. But I wanted to lay on the couch. It was it was gonna be great and it was a no go.

Bright: Damn weather. And when when you when you watch the the

Kev: Unbelievable What a

Bright: game on Wednesday, the not a lot of New Yorkers showed up either. Their stadium was was pretty empty. So I think that

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: that schedule it really screwed up everything for everyone, e

Kev: I believe it.

Bright: except for the players. So we'll get into the breakdown of the game certainly, but where we stand now, so it's October 7th as we're recording this, Wednesday morning, and Vancouver lost last night. They played Chicago, lost three to one. So that was their game in hand. So we now sit firmly in second place, three

Kev: É isso. É isso.

Bright: points behind Vancouver. who are in first, obviously, with the same number of matches played at twenty-seven. Now they have the big tiebreaker on goal differential at the moment. But we beat them in Vancouver and we won't get too far ahead of ourselves. But next Wednesday, so a week from today, they're in town to play us. So we're looking at a scenario here going into the weekend and and into next week where we're playing Vancouver where we could be playing for the top spot in the conference.

Kev: Pretty awesome, isn't it? I

Bright: It it's it's crazy to think.

Kev: I didn't realize they were coming in town. I know you said that it was gonna be a

Bright: Yeah.

Kev: tough schedule coming up here, but that's news to me and and now I'm a little nervous. Not that nervous, just a little nervous.

Bright: Yeah. The the schedule in and of itself coming up is is pretty crazy here. So listen listen to this. So this weekend we play Sunday night soccer. Sunday, right? So we get that extra day. Not that you need it coming off of the big international break, but then we're gonna have the short turnaround. So Sunday we have LA Galaxy here at home. Next Wednesday, we have Vancouver at home. You have both of those tickets, FYI. So you got both of

Kev: to know.

Bright: those games. So those would be two two big games. Then we're away next weekend at Minnesota. So that's three games in like six days, right? Or seven days, however you look at it, but three games in one week. Then we have another midweek.

Kev: Yeah, but that Minnesota game might as well be a break, you know.

Bright: Let's let's hope. I mean they're sitting at 14th right now, minus nine goal

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: differential. so yes, that's a good one to be playing on the road

Kev: might be a time to get a little

Bright: on short rest. Absolutely.

Kev: Little break out.

Bright: Then we have the US Open Cup final on the road in Columbus. another midweek matchup, so that's October 21st. And then it doesn't stop. Then we play the on the weekend, October 24th, at Real Salt Lake. They're currently sitting at 11th place. So yeah, you would say a winnable game. Then we're home October 28th. These are my tickets against Portland, who's sitting at 10th. And then on Halloween, you and I both have the last game of the season against San Diego currently in fourth. and then we have we then we finally have a week break, and we play November seventh at Houston on Decision Day. So pretty crazy schedule. So basically you're playing every three days, all the way up until that week break in between Halloween and November seventh to wrap up the season. So We were talking about this in previous episodes. The depth of this team has gotten better. Our squad has gotten better. We're we're gonna need that that depth. We're gonna need to have Sangbin playing. Betcher is gonna have to continue to to play minutes off of the bench at times. Ostruck's gonna have to be coming in. Fallu Fall is who got the start the other night. He's gonna have to be playing. Orasco McNaughton are gonna have to be coming in. coming in. Paul Vera might have to move into that center mid position on occasion, right? So we we need the players that we have on the bench and now it's a little bit of a luxury. and when you look at the schedule just makes me a little nervous because we've been playing so well. I don't and of course we're on this huge unbeaten streak. I don't want anything to d derail that and this

Kev: Realis. Yeah.

Bright: to me looks like this gauntlet of games i is something that that could derail us. Well

Kev: Well, I mean, was it was it always gonna be we're never losing again? Like you can't go into the mine it's nice, like it feels that way, but you know eventually at some point in time we're probably gonna lose again. And this run kind of sets up for it, you know, just with the amount of games that you're shoved into such a short window. you are gonna have to get some guys in for some some rest, in terms of Resting your normal starters, so yeah, you know, that loss

Bright: Yep. I agree.

Kev: might be creeping out there, maybe on decision day. Not not until then. Not until then.

Bright: Yeah, well if we make it all the way to decision day without a loss, I'd be pretty pretty happy with that. But that's the thing. When you look at the schedule,

Kev: Be pretty awesome.

Bright: LA, I I wanna beat LA and it's a beatable game, beatable team. They're in ninth place.

Kev: Yeah. Now this is this would be the twentieth. So we've got nineteen MLS wins or not wins, but wins draws. that's the streak going on right now. Is that right?

Bright: As far as our our current unbeaten streak, it's it's so funny because I've kind of like stopped keeping track because it's so tough. And everywhere you're looking, it's a different it's a different number because it's seventeen MLS, nineteen. So yes, we're at nineteen

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: matches unbeaten across all competitions currently. So yeah.

Kev: All competitions. Okay. I I think I saw somewhere that the record was twenty. So this would be

Bright: Yeah, it's funny because It it seems to vary and of course it's the same deal. It's like unbeaten across all competitions, MLS total unbeaten records, one season. There's a couple that I I stretched over a couple of seasons. So it's not actually

Kev: Yeah. Gone on two now.

Bright: as clear cut of an answer. And I'm sure if if I did a little bit more research I could find exactly what that is. But yeah, we are we are getting close here to the record. And I think right now there's only one team of all of international soccer that has a better run than we do currently. So Yeah, I can't remember who it is off the top of my head, but

Kev: I I want it. I want to go to twenty.

Bright: yeah, of course. And

Kev: And yet just because I'll be at the game.

Bright: Well that that's part of it, right? You wanna you wanna beat Klaus and we'll get into that storyline. you wanna beat Vancouver. to to keep pace with them and have an opportunity at the top spot in the the West. If if the playoffs started today, we'd be playing Seattle. And that makes me a little bit nervous. We lost to them twice already this year. Now granted that was earlier in the year before we're in the form that we're in now. We have different players. So it's not apples to apples, but nevertheless. Minnesota away, like you say, you want to you want to beat them, their

Kev: Like

Bright: bottom of the barrel team. And then you have

Kev: But it's still away.

Bright: Then you have the US Open Cup final, and that's I feel like that's a must win game. I know that's that's tough. you're yeah.

Kev: I mean you're going for it. You're we don't have any harder as a team you know, as a organization, so that's like that's your biggest game yet. Yeah.

Bright: Yeah. So you have to go for it. So now I'm like, those are the next four games, there's not a game in that stretch where I'm like, if we don't win that game, I wouldn't be heartbroken. I want to win all four of those games. So Yeah.

Kev: Totally get it. Hey you got the schedule up. What time is the game for on Halloween? Do you know?

Bright: Well, they they've moved it because right now on my actual schedule that they sent out, it says to be determined. And then they had it posted

Kev: You didn't.

Bright: for like seven thirty. And then I think somebody caught that and we're like, it's Halloween. We can't do a seven thirty game time. And so then they changed

Kev: That's it.

Bright: it. They changed it I I'm pretty sure to two PM. I'm not a hundred percent sure

Kev: Okay.

Bright: if that's two PM Eastern or or two PM our time. so it'll be now we yeah, I have the Halloween party Friday night. Assuming you guys will be there and then you and I will

Kev: Mm-hmm. Yep.

Bright: go to the game Saturday day and then we'll be home home in time to go trick or treating with with the kiddo. So that yeah.

Kev: Yep, that's the key, right? It's just with two young kids, you get it, like you need to be home to trick or treat and it's gotta be somewhere around five thirty. You know, getting home.

Bright: Yeah, it'll it'll make for a a fun weekend, that's for sure.

Kev: yeah. Luckily luckily we've got really easy costumes to get the girls into this year, so it's not like the wife's gonna need I see the

Bright: There you go.

Kev: wife, but my wife is gonna need help.

Bright: Yeah, there you go. All right. So should we get into the the Red Bull's recap, if you will, before we preview the galaxy? And I was even thinking, I was like

Kev: Let's do it because we're we're cutting up on on my time to have to exit eventually, right? So let's get it going.

Bright: W yeah, for sure. I mean So this this Red Bulls game, like you said, you weren't able to watch the game. I was out of town and luckily my dinner, I had dinner with clients as well, but it didn't start until eight PM. So I was like, since it's an

Kev: Mm-hmm.

Bright: East Coast game, it starts at six thirty. So I was able to watch pretty much the whole well, definitely the whole first half, and then about ten or fifteen minutes into the second half before I had to to duck out, and then I just shut down. Like phone was in my pocket and I stayed out, so then we had some drinks after the game. All that stuff. well after dinner,

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: and so I didn't get back to the room, I don't think, until like midnight. And I was like, and I had an early morning the next morning too, but I'm like, all right, I'm gonna watch the rest of this game because at that point it was still only one nothing. Navarro gets the only the early goal, and it was a great goal. ball into Wallem, Wallum headball across the box, Navarro headball to get the to get the goal. And these are the types of goals that we we were. not scoring in other seasons earlier this season and these are the the goals that you want to see that professionals should be able to execute and so it was awesome to see that and and Wallum his stock is way up we have I mean we have to address that elephant in the room. I think he has nine assists leads the team in assists now And those nine assists have come in I think it's like the last nine games or something like that. So all of a sudden he's become this this assist monster and we gotta give him credit for that.

Kev: Just fitting fitting better with the players up top, I guess, and the players around him certainly could be it. I think when we were kinda down on him. I mean, he was, I think, having a bad stretch at the time. And we said he just needed some time to to get his game together.

Bright: Yeah.

Kev: Apparently he didn't need the time on the bench because he's figured it out with the shuffle of players in. And yeah. I kinda saw some of the player ratings from the match and he was At the top. So hats off to Wall and

Bright: Yeah, I've got the Google player ratings right here. Yeah, the Wallem they had him at a six seven, Totland at a seven three, Durkin at a six eight, but then we had Polvera seven two, Fallu Fall seven five, Navarro seven nine Right. So overall pretty good. All of those players in the in the green. So good good games from from all of those players. And yeah, I mean, Wallem, Wallem, whatever, but doing good. Navarro gets another goal. But yeah, like it was still only one nothing. we didn't have this in the books or

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: anything. So I got back to the room, was able to watch the the second half of the game, and there were definitely some some nervous points, like I thought the Red Bulls overall did a pretty good job. And I did not feel comfortable until really we scored the goal number two. And then eventually we get goal number three. And we'll talk about those. But when you look at the stats, like overall they were pretty even. We did have more shots, and we did have more shots on goal. So we 50% of our shots were on target versus only 30% of theirs. So conversion rate was better. Obviously, we scored a couple of goals. All right, but we had a little bit more possession, but over. overall it was pretty pretty even but they they had chances we had a couple of breakdowns we needed a couple of of saves and block shots and things like that so but this is where the subs coming in off the bench contributed and you could see that late where they had energy they made something happen and I think that's important Betcher comes in gets another one of these goals where The ball gets thrown out and it was just took one quick opportunity and buries it. There was no two touches, no dribbling, just ball squirts out, he buries it. Yeah, and we've been talking about that and and how he's been doing that. Just turnaround shots and one

Kev: He's been confident. He's definitely confident right now.

Bright: yeah, yeah, for sure. And then I love seeing Ostruck comes in and and gets the the late goal that a hundred percent

Kev: Legal, yeah.

Bright: seals it. So I feel like he's kind of been another player that has has been left out of the lineup and I know he had injury issues and has pretty much his whole career with City. But when he is healthy, you can see he comes in, he fits in the lineup, he can score, he can he can he can play ball with the squad. So I think he's gonna be an important stretch down this stretch, if you will. Yep, yep, yep.

Kev: Yep. Important player down the stretch. Totally get it. Totally

Bright: Yeah.

Kev: with ya.

Bright: So so now after this win, we already talked about Wallem, right? So so his stock is is way up. So like I said, team leading, nine assists. All nine have come across his n last nine matches. Crazy. Totland, his stock is Well,

Kev: I'm ex I'm expecting another one by the way on Saturday, so

Bright: let's let's hope so. We'll keep it rolling. I know we're the We're the podcast known to as the Wallem haters, but we might we might just have to eat our words on on Wallem if obviously he's gotten together and if he keeps it going. And then with his partner Totland, between the two of them, they've combined for seventeen goal contributions over our last ten matches across all competitions. Yeah, I mean, yes, love it. Well, when you're scoring, you're gonna get those numbers, that's for sure.

Kev: We're scoring. Yeah. It feels good. You're gonna get some, but yeah.

Bright: Yeah, but they might now be the two most underrated

Kev: Coming from the wing.

Bright: players on the squad in the league. I don't know.

Kev: Certainly on this run. I think you could call it that great. A lot of action coming in from the wing, a lot of good play ins and that's often.

Bright: Yeah. Navarro, we know his stock is is up. I I mean that's

Kev: Is okay.

Bright: that yeah, he's he's alright. I mean,

Kev: Okay.

Bright: five MLS appearances, you can't even really count, and that's for City. You can't even really count that first one coming in late. So he has really four starts, five goals. he's he's scoring Almost every game I know he's gotten a couple of braces and and he had that one game without a goal, but I mean, come on. Five goals, four starts. you have to think he's gonna score again. It almost feels like he's gonna score every match.

Kev: Know. I was I did, I think, throw down two bets in this game. I couldn't find any goal scorers for whatever reason. might have jumped on too early. but I did put first goal of the game at 11 minutes. I thought we were gonna get one early. I just didn't realize it was gonna be that early. I think that was the only bet I threw down. But I was looking at like how the first goal was gonna happen. you know, shot, free kick, headball. I was kind of looking at headball and I was like, no, no, no, no, no. just don't don't lay that bet down. You don't need to lose that money. And sure enough, early goal headball. I can't believe it.

Bright: Mm. Well I I don't since

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: You didn't listen to the the last episode, but I was telling Duds. I couldn't bet on this game because I was out of the country. But the the last game I when I took the family, was it that game? Yeah, it was no no, it was just it was just my wife and I. So different game. so the last home game, but I bet on Matan to get two assists, and it was paying thirty to one and he got two assists. so that was

Kev: I love

Bright: that was a really nice win. for me plus I had a couple of other bets. So be on the lookout

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: for that 'cause he's been his game was only okay against the Red Bulls, right? but Overall he's he's an assist monster too. Wallum, Totland

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: assists. Betcher, his stock is continuing to be on the rise, right? He's got nine goals now, ten across all competitions. He also has five assists. He's got goals in three straight city matches. that includes the open cup play. and they have him right now at eleven point three four expected goals. versus his nine league goals. So we know we were saying, especially at the beginning of the season, he wasn't converting those chances that he had. Well now he has. So he's closed that gap because that that expected goals to real goals number was much much wider. So he started to close that gap now, which is which

Kev: Yeah. He was in a bad spot at the time.

Bright: is great. And then lastly I'll I'll say this Fallout Fall, his stock is up here with two back to back games. you know, this is this is the best

Kev: So I'd get

Bright: Back

Kev: one of those.

Bright: line that I think people really wanted to see, right? Polvera, Bumgardle, fall. and then you have then you have the opportunity of bringing in an Orasco or McNaughton off the bench, or somebody gets in trouble, or or you need to move Polvera up to the center mid. You could bring in possibly both of those guys. You could drop Totlin back, even. Like, there's all kinds of options, I think, with that, with that back line. So so I love seeing Fall get the start.

Kev: I remember I think when I saw the lineup I texted you and I was like, This is a winning lineup. it just as I look on on my computer screen at this line, it looks I just I don't know if I can make any changes and then I just think about Betcher. I'm like, where am I putting Betcher right now in his hot streak? How can you get him in there?

Bright: Well yeah, and and I think what I Yeah, agreed.

Kev: 'Cause I love the lineup as it sits. Like I I think this is my starting lineup.

Bright: Yes. So that I guess that becomes the big question against LA with Betcher being on the streak. The only thing is is if you you could still shuffle some guys and play Betcher up top with Navarro, and we've seen that at least once or twice, I think, since Navarro's joined the the the squad. But I think that still remains an option. I think now, again, as we said, with this gauntlet of games, you might need a little bit more betcher on the bench time and and bringing him in later in game. So we'll just have to see how you know, how DeMay plays that and And again, same with Hulsa and Sangbin, Matan, if he needs a break, you you can play Betcher up top. So right.

Kev: A lot of opportunity, a lot of combinations you can put together, right? And put together a strong squad. So Yep, I'm with ya.

Bright: Yeah. Yeah. So y you're right. It's exciting. But Yeah, so th we started talking about it already, like the squad coming into LA. This this is an important matchup, I think, right? So we we have that chance where coming into this weekend, we in theory I don't know if we can overtake Vancouver over by the weekend, because even if they lose and we win, they're gonna be ahead of us in goal differential. Unless unless they do that that tiebreaker or the the fact that we beat but certainly by this time next week, where if we get the win, Vancouver gets the loss, and then we were playing Vancouver. I mean, this this is an opportunity for us to to be right back up at the the top of the table. So you can't sleep on LA. Their their form is a little bit better. They've collected 10 points from five September matches. So they're three, one and one in the month of September. And they closed out the month with back to back consecutive, right? comeback wins. Three-two comeback wins. So against Minnesota, which we know is not a great team, and Colorado, which is a an okay team. Marco Rus has seven goals, nine assists. So a lot of opportunity there. Now they did play a friendly against Cruz Azul on Sunday, I think. So just to help keep them inform while while they were on the international break.

Kev: Mm-hmm.

Bright: so so there is that. But they they've got some dangerous guys and the thing is is that Klaus is scoring again, right? So

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: so that's something you have to you have to watch out for. And that's that's the big storyline, right? Has to be. Klaus back in St. Louis.

Kev: Yep. You know, there's there's a chance I heard that they're gonna sit

Bright: Yeah. I don't see any scenario where that happens. If he's healthy, he he's gonna be playing. And to I was always a big Klaus fan. Even when he was going through his scoring droughts, I felt like he brought so much creativity that we didn't have in seasons two and three. He was the only one that brought creativity. He was a good hold up man, he's a big guy, and so when you needed to just

Kev: That that that was I think

Bright: Yeah. Kick the ball up top.

Kev: something that we missed after we we let him go, right? Was just that ability to hold on to the ball, let the rest of the team catch up and then be able to turn on some offense instead of it after it.

Bright: Right. And now now you have Navarro that that can fill that that role. So

Kev: Can do that. Yeah.

Bright: I think I think he'll probably get the standing O, right? Like the fans

Kev: Mm-hmm.

Bright: will be happy to see him. I don't obviously I don't

Kev: As long as he doesn't score.

Bright: I don't want him to score, but do you think he scores? That's the question. Do you think he gets the goal and what's your score prediction for Sunday night?

Kev: boy. I'll go two one, because that's a pretty safe bet. And it will It will be Klaus. I

Bright: Yep.

Kev: think he scores. Yeah.

Bright: Okay. I was gonna go two one, but just to switch it up from you, I'll go three one City. And I also think Klaus gets a goal. I know Marco Rus also has that relationship with Berkey, and I don't think he's scored off of him yet. So he also I think wants to score

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: off of his friend. but I think I think Klaus gets the goal. I think he wants to score. and and I'll g yeah.

Kev: I think so too. I can just you feel that storyline making its way into the game.

Bright: Yeah. Yeah. I think so. I think they'll the obviously there's still a lot of Klaus jerseys. kits out there, City kits. So I think you'll be seeing a lot of that. I think he does get the standing ovation. I think he gets the goal. But I think City still gets the win. And I think the key to this, especially over the last two games, right? Like they were down, the galaxy was down two to one at Minnesota and down two nothing against Colorado. So I think you have

Kev: Uh-huh.

Bright: to go after the galaxy early. And we have seen that we've scored some early goals over this stretch. So I think that's I think that's something to watch out for. If we can get the early goal, get the early lead, and then just sustain, right? Not not park the bus, but keep that pressure going, keep the possession that we've been able to to again do over this stretch. And then you hope that you get that that second or that third goal at some point. And then even if the galaxy do come down and get one, you're still you're still in good shape. So that's kinda that's kinda what I'm predicting right now.

Kev: Yep. I'm with you. I think an early

Bright: And then

Kev: goal again, somewhere in that eleven to twenty minutes is gonna happen. I'll put that bet down again. yeah. yeah. Yeah, you can bring

Bright: All right. I didn't know you could make that bet, but maybe I'll look for that too. Yeah, maybe I'll look for that too.

Kev: that bet down. and then maybe a a later goal, kind of like what we saw against New York, right? Like somewhere in that eighty to ninety range, put one away and then Come away feeling like that was the the nail in the coffin, right? So

Bright: Yep, perfect. Well, right now they have the odds of the city win at fifty-eight percent. twenty-one percent for the draw, twenty-one percent for galaxy. So obviously with the form that we're in and playing at home, I'm almost surprised that that number doesn't eclipse sixty. Yeah,

Kev: Is it sixty? Yeah.

Bright: even like sixty-three percent, somewhere around that range.

Kev: that's exactly what I was thinking about. Sixty three sounds like it it would be right. So maybe some

Bright: Yeah. I think they're

Kev: some reason to bet on the win right there. If you altered your stealing.

Bright: Yeah, I think they're giving Klaus maybe d not Klaus, but the Galaxy just because they've played well in September since Klaus's return, since

Kev: And yep.

Bright: his injury. they're giving them maybe a little bit more credit than they deserve against a good city squad. And we play the galaxy well historically.

Kev: Mm-hmm.

Bright: so so let's see. Well I'm excited. Sunday matchup so in an early matchup so we'll see if the the weather holds out if the weather's nice. What is it supposed to be actually let me let me look that up.

Kev: It someday was supposed to possibly rain. It was like fifty percent chance. It's all about the storm

Bright: Yeah.

Kev: I think coming up from the Gulf, so

Bright: Yeah, right now they're saying forty four percent chance of rain and still kinda

Kev: Lower it up.

Bright: hot, so it could be kind of muggy. Eighty five degrees as the high. Now I know it'll cool down by game time and the sun this late in the season, the sun will be

Kev: It's perfect.

Bright: setting behind the stadium, so you won't have to worry about being in the sun. but if if it ends up being good weather and and there's some decently priced tickets, I might bring the whole family again, sit in the upper deck. we'll just see how the

Kev: Yep. I like it.

Bright: how the tickets price out and then you and John Boy will be at the game. So enjoy and we'll

Kev: Yeah.

Bright: we'll come back at you guys next week and hopefully we're talking about another city win as we get into this big big stretch of game. So exciting times

Kev: It's been too long since I got check out a a game, so I'm excited to get back to it and let's go get a win.

Bright: Sounds good.