Inside LAFC | Episode 222 - International Break

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Welcome to Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster, live every Monday, 1230 Pacific Time on LAFC YouTube, LAFC Facebook, and LAFC X. X. I am Max Bretos.
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There is Benny Failhaber.
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No game this week.
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It's this mega international break, which is also a good thing, Benny, because if there was a game and it was, for instance, played in LA, it would have been unbearable.
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We are in a horrific heat wave.
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103, 105 degrees.
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Yeah, I'm hearing all the youth soccer games are getting canceled.
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Yeah, it is pretty, pretty gnarly.
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So there's a lot of stuff going on with regards to what is happening here.
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So it's good.
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I think everyone needed a chance to...
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you know, just reset things.
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And we will talk about the players on international duty.
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And by and large, it's been really good experience for everyone who has taken off.
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We will detail all of that.
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Last Monday, we were on here.
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Please like the video and subscribe the channel as we continue to grow our audience.
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We appreciate everything, everything you guys do to make this show such a delightful Monday tradition.
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And,
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We will have your comments and your questions.
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We will read those as well.
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Last week, we were on the air when the news happened that Mark Dos Santos and LAFC parted ways earlier or later last week.
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The announcement that Xavi Tamarit, who was on the staff, has been bumped up to the interim head coach.
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So we were going to discuss that.
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The staff, as far as we know, remains in place.
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We'll be right back.
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with Enric Duran, who has been a longstanding member of LAFC.
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Andy Rose, who like Xavi, came over at the beginning of this season.
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Okanikolov, who is the goalkeeper coach that will remain intact for the final six games of this season.
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And then we'll see where it goes from there.
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The game coming up on Saturday, a big one as they're back at BMO Stadium.
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There'll be two games at BMO Stadium in the upcoming week.
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And you can only imagine, like, right into the frying pan for Chavi here as LAFC look to get this season back on track.
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Everything there in front of them, qualifying for CONCACAF Champions Cup, as well as potentially making a playoff run, and who knows where that goes.
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We will get to that, but...
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Just the idea of the interim head coach.
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This is a tough spot, and this is normally how it operates.
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I think there are some outliers, Benny, where once –
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you part ways with your head coach that maybe you go outside of the beltway to find somebody, but that's rare.
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It's usually an interim, and then you get hopefully a new coach bump, but you've been with clubs that this thing has happened.
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How have you seen that process, and what is the best way for it to go as smoothly and hopefully as effectively as possible?
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Well, we spoke about it a little bit last week in terms of the new head coach bump, and I think
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That'll motivate some players to not only turn up for games, but training itself.
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It becomes a little bit more competitive, a little bit more earning your spot, so to speak.
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And of course, there's going to be some positions that even so with the new coach are probably locked in to specific starters.
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And we can all name what guys those those are to be.
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But there will be, you know, fighting spots in certain positions and maybe positionally speaking, we might see a little bit of a different idea.
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So I think all those things will benefit the team that was obviously not trending in the right direction towards the back end of the season.
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In terms of, you know, Chavi being...
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name the interim coach obviously makes a lot of sense to come from in-house you you mentioned it it's rare I think especially at this point of the season when there's six games left until the postseason to go outside of the organization and try and find someone that's going to be a perfect fit for such a short period of time usually that doesn't bode well for the the cohesion with the team and the coach and also there's not many coaches that are you know in
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ready to come into, you know, the last two months of the season plus.
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So I think it makes a lot of sense.
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Hopefully Xavi has a really good connection with the players and the rest of the staff.
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I think can he give some different ideas that we haven't seen prior to with Mark DeSantos, especially in the attacking third of the field?
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I think that's where we've been lacking just creativity and dynamism of the runs off the ball, the movement.
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we've been relying a lot on two players to score our goals.
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And I think we need to expand that a little bit more, have other guys partake in the movement, in the goal scoring, in the assist department.
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And obviously within that, if you combine that with the strength of this team, which is the resiliency in the back, then it becomes a very potent team in the playoffs.
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So it'd be great to see this kind of,
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click right away in the last six games, six games get a good, you know, momentum boost into the playoffs and then anything could happen in the MLS playoffs.
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Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster.
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There's Benny Failhaber.
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I am Max Bretos.
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Like the video, subscribe to the channel.
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And again, every Monday, just one quick note, we will be recording live a little later in the day next week.
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probably aiming for five o'clock Pacific time.
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So make a note of that.
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We will get the information out when it's all firmed up.
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But yes, there might be some little, a couple of bumps here with regards to our live time.
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And again, we're always looking to find the best time to serve everyone.
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so that they can come in live and get their comments in, which everyone is doing.
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Craig, good evening.
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Toc Toc, talking about the heat.
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Yeah, this weekend felt like I was back in Arizona.
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Arizona's where the USA beat Mexico.
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That was a fun game.
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We could probably talk about that a little bit later.
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Afternoon, gents.
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Everyone talking about the players coming back, and that's a big storyline here.
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We'll talk about what they've done on international duty, but again,
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This was not a traditional week with regards to coaches and player dynamic.
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Dekug mentioning Sun isn't like Blanc.
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Someone asked if Sun is still in Korea.
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There is a game, yeah, against Uzbekistan tomorrow, Korea time.
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They played four games.
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They were in different cities in Korea, but Sonny did not have to leave Korea, which I think is a really good thing.
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And he's been effective.
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We'll get into the details of that.
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And the Dukug saying, Son isn't like Bwonga, who can take three flights from Africa, jog from LAX to BMO and still put in a 90...
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plus minutes.
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That's not an exaggeration, by the way.
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He actually did that.
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I don't think there's anybody that's like that.
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There isn't.
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It's not Sonny or anybody else for that matter.
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It's one of one in terms of what Bwonga can do physically.
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We're not making this up.
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And I spoke to Denny before he left, and he was excited because he got to go to his hometown of Paris before going to Morocco, and then they played Niger.
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And I believe Denny's international window is over.
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So I think he might take a couple days off.
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I don't know if he's back.
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They are training with the smaller group, without the internationals, who will start coming back.
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Most, if all, have games tomorrow.
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So you figure there's big international travel ahead of them, that they will trickle in at the back end of the week.
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And Xavi, who has been training with these guys, will get them for just a couple days ahead of the Vancouver game.
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All of this has been planned.
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And again, this is a good time to make the, I guess, to make the coaching change because you have a week to get everyone settled in and Chavi can, he'll, he'll, in all likelihood, address the media here at some point and, yeah.
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alert the players.
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Obviously, these guys were off on international duty when the Marco Santos news happened so that they get this information, they can absorb it and prepare for a new life with new leadership, but not too much of a shock to the system as we addressed by having a familiar face there and that staff still in place.
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We weren't sure who was going to get the nod with regards to the job.
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It was Xavi who we're going to get into some of the details about, um,
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what it's going to look like here and why he got that job.
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And I can confirm that Xavi and John Thornton will address the media on Thursday, so stay tuned to the LAFC channels.
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I will be down there training as well to break it all in and throw some of my humdinger questions towards Xavi.
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Before we get into his details, Benny, let's talk about –
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what needs to happen here.
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And with regards to the player pool, it is optimistic.
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Again, it might be naive to think that everything's going to click into place
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For this Vancouver game, it's at home, which is great news.
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This is a very good Whitecaps team.
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On the bright side, the international players are performing well.
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Well, someone mentioned Leo Volta.
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We'll talk about what he's done.
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You've got to be really excited to see him in his first LAFC game.
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Again, he's on loan, so he's on the clock.
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And with regards to the interim coach, you have this.
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Six game, rest of 2026.
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You have the sprint season at the end of 27.
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We don't know what's going to happen there.
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It might be the interim coach taking there.
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And then if it goes well, perhaps the first full season in 27, 28, or then you go to a coach.
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We don't know.
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But there really are three distinct parts of the upcoming LAFC season.
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And that could include Xavi Tamaric, who has great credentials.
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But let's talk about a positive return of international players.
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How does that look like?
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The fact that this was a team that didn't have a full boat.
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Injuries are still there.
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There are some loose ends with injuries.
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Timothy Tillman, who's had some time to recuperate.
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Hopefully he's ready to go.
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We saw Ryan Porches come back.
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We saw Sergi Palencia come back.
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We have the guys that were brought in the summer market.
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Sergio Vasquez play in the game against Dallas.
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Looked well.
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Now he's had a couple more weeks to train.
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We will have Volta come in here.
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Igor Jesus has recuperated.
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He is training.
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So it's positive with regards to all of that.
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But that's a lot to absorb, right?
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But how do you think...
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the team looks at this and these players knowing that really for the first time in a few weeks, yes, you have a new coach in place, but you will have close to a full roster.
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Yeah.
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of a fully loaded team, which is something LAFC just hasn't had since right after the World Cup.
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I mean, this has been injuries, all sorts of departures with regards to this team.
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Yeah, Max, I think when you look at it, it's a really good time for the coaching change, right?
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If you're going to make a coaching change, this makes a lot of sense.
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And again, I think that Thornton and Co. probably...
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had this date in mind in terms of kind of making a decision one way or another.
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Are we going to, you know, stick with Mark for the rest of the season?
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Or is this the moment where we make a change because of what you just said?
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So yourself one, there's players and this is, you know, something that you couldn't have necessarily planned for, but players that are coming back from injury.
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We saw a few of those come back.
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in this last two weeks that Mark was in charge.
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And there's a few more coming back now.
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And then there's a few more that have been signed and now are going to be available to play after this international break.
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And then the most important part for me, if you look at it as a coach now, you want to have this two weeks to train your team.
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And even more so, that first week without the superstar, so to speak, right?
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You don't have the big-name players yet.
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Yeah.
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you get to build a little bit of, I wouldn't say culture, cause you're not going to build a new culture in that organization, but you're going to get to teach as a coach, what you want out of the, the, the core of the players, right?
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So you have out of the, you know, 25 to 30 players, you have about 20 of them there right now.
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And so the ability to kind of, okay, these are my ideas.
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This is how we want to play defensively.
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How are we going to be organized?
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How are we going to attack the movements that we want to get into the,
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attacking third and towards the box.
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And again, I'm looking at it from my frame of mind of what I would be doing in these weeks.
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And that's trying to get the macro ideas down on paper so guys can understand.
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And then you bring your Sonnies, your Denny's, et cetera, Leo Valta, a new player on the team, and some of these guys that are coming back from injury.
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And now you can start putting those top, top end players in those areas to be successful.
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And hopefully now the team can kind of
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guide them in the direction that you're trying to coach this team.
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And so it's great to have that two weeks.
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It's like a tiny little mini preseason of sorts.
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And hopefully you get to see that new coach bump against the best team in the West, in Vancouver at home, which will, in many ways, if you get a good result,
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you know, it's like the, the, the concept, the proof of concept, right.
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For all the players, Hey man, this is, these are the new ideas.
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It's working.
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We won, we beat the best team.
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And now let's, let's go get it at the end of the season.
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So that's, that's the hope.
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But I do think that it comes in a perfect time for that little two week period of training where you don't have games.
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You can focus on your, on your coaching ideas and hopefully start implementing them this Saturday.
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Yeah.
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I don't have an update on Tylon Hulbert, but that's another player that is going to be immersed into this roster here.
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And I mean, as tricky as the immigration and the visas have been, you'd have to think after two weeks, he's got to be at the very least very close or embedded.
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I don't have that information, but we'll have that here very soon.
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This is Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster live every Monday, 1230 Pacific time on LAFC YouTube, Facebook.
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and X, like the video, subscribe to the channel.
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We're going to build a grandstand finish here.
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And I see people coming up there with regards to what Xavi can possibly do.
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But I'm going to go through his credentials.
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It's pretty interesting because on the surface, this is a guy, no real head coaching experience, which actually I wanted to ask you this before I get into that, Benny.
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As an international player, you've had that experience with the U.S. men's national team away from your clubs.
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How much communication do you have?
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It's...
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Keeping in mind that this is a unique circumstance where all these players know that they have this small group of games to save this season and get it going and hit the ground running.
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Is it hands off completely between club and country or how much interaction does that happen, especially with a unique circumstance like this?
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I think different teams do it in different ways.
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I do think for the most part, for the most part, it is a little bit hands-off.
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Sonny's with the South Korean team.
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He's doing his thing.
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He's breaking records in terms of goal scoring.
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He's focused on his country.
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I don't think, you know, Thornton or Chavi is calling him and being like, hey, I'm the new coach.
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These are my ideas.
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You know, I'm excited to work with.
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I don't think that's happening.
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I could be wrong.
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Right.
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There could be some sort of connection there to at least, you know, get everybody kind of aligned and on the same page.
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But I think these guys are professionals, especially a guy like Sonny or Denny Belonga, these guys that are, you know, partaking in these international games.
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And again, there's other guys that are playing with the Canadian national team.
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I don't know if there was anybody called in through the US team, but these guys are consummate professionals.
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And so they know what's going on.
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If they haven't been reached out to by a coach or somebody within the staff, they've talked to some of the players.
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Hey, how's the coaching going?
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Like, you know, how's the training going?
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What are some of the ideas that are different than before?
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So I think they're somewhat aware of what to expect when they come back.
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But I do think it's a little bit hands-off and correctly so, right?
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It's not a moment to get them thinking about too many things.
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Right now they're with their countries, their international teams, and let them go and do well in those settings and then come back ready to fight for those six games.
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But there's no doubt, Max, that once they do come back,
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I think there are conversations that are held in terms of like, hey guys, difficult time period for the club.
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Obviously a lot of personal connections with Mark DeSantos over the years, not only for the head coaching job that he had this year, but for the numerous years that he had as an assistant coach in that organization.
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So there's the personal aspect of it and getting over that hump and now into the professional mindset of like, hey, we got six games.
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We want to try and get a home playoff game.
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We want to finish the season the right way.
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We all know that backpedaling into the playoffs is not the way that any team is going to win an MLS Cup here in MLS.
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And so we want to make sure that we get.
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our front foot forward and get some points where we think we can earn them and get into the playoffs in the right way.
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So I do think that conversation will be had once everybody's in camp.
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Top four is the goal.
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It's not far-fetched they can get it.
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I mean, if they beat Vancouver, then Vancouver has a game on Tuesday in Chicago.
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If they lose that, then all of a sudden, higher is in play.
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But one step at a time, they're currently in sixth.
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You look to get a couple wins for the last six or at home, and then you're in business.
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Top four is obviously a great target and opens the door and hopefully allows you to compete for those CONCACAF Champions Cup spots, of which they're not as many as because Major League Soccer did not perform as well in League's Cup.
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This is Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster.
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Let's get to know Xavi Tamarit.
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He is a Spaniard from, I believe, the Valencia area, where Valencia is...
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is where they created the paella, which is a delightful.
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I had some paella not too long ago.
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I mean, I was in Spain.
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You were in Valencia area.
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I was very close to Valencia.
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We landed in Valencia and we were two hours from Valencia.
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So I'm assuming it's still the area where paella is common.
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Fantastic paella we had over there one time.
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Very filling, comfort food.
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I had some in Madrid, and they said, you have it in Valencia.
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Madrid, I don't know, it's like a two-hour train ride from Valencia, so I mean, same ingredients, but I don't want to be the ugly American while visiting Spain.
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But this is what John Thorne had to say.
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Xavi brings a wealth of experience at highest levels of the game and a clear understanding of our players, their strengths, and what this group needs now.
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I think all very accurate points.
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There are three things to stick out.
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what he brings to the table, his familiarity with the players, and what they need at this very moment, which is a unique circumstances.
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He is an author of many books about methodology and performance and tactics, which I think is also pretty interesting about this coach who's been an assistant specifically under Mauricio Pellegrino, who is an Argentine legendary defender and has had chances to coach
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not only at Valencia in Spain, Alaves, Cadiz, also coached at England briefly with Southampton.
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I believe they were in the EFL championship at the time.
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And then in Argentina and Chile, Independiente Vélez U de Chile, and then Lanús, where Pellegrino still is,
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And with Xavi under Pellegrino at Lanús in 2025, they won the Copa Sudamericana, which is a big deal because Brazilian clubs have been winning everything.
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And Lanús slipped in there.
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So this was probably his crowning achievement.
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And it was recent, which I think is really good with regards then to what he is doing.
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This is a guy who probably had ideas of being a head coach.
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And that's probably why he came to LAFC, which he did ahead of the 2026 season.
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Everything suggests he's a very impressive guy, cosmopolitan guy.
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Maybe at the beginning of a year, if they said Xavi Tamarit was taking over, you'd go, he doesn't have head coaching experience, but this guy, that resume is very, very good.
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And a guy who is young at 44, relatively speaking in the coaching ranks,
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getting this chance.
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I would imagine there was conversations as we touched on who would take the job and they see something that Chavi has.
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What is what the makeup of a guy who obviously is going to make things comfortable, but may be able to bring in some ideas with his time as an author, author and his time immersed in football, which is exciting.
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So when I see that Benny, I go, all right,
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This is not your run-of-the-mill type of guy, a guy who we've seen international coaches come to Major League Soccer and want to test the waters here because there's great opportunities.
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And Xavi Tamarit is here.
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I would imagine he joined to being an assistant with the full-on idea of at some point being up for a head coaching job.
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Now he's got the interim job.
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This is a great opportunity.
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Just basically what we've heard of and that kind of profile of coaches –
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What comes to mind when you think of a guy like this?
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Look, I know very little of Chavi, right?
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I've seen him on the sidelines many times.
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I've seen him be vocal, which I like.
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I think he seems to be very confident with the relationships that he's built within the players already in half a season.
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And he's got a great opportunity in front of him.
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And what I will say is, you know, from what we've heard,
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the two leading candidates to become the interim with Javi and Andy Rose.
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And look, Andy, I do know Andy played in this league.
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He's been an assistant coach for numerous years.
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He understands this league.
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And let me tell you, it is, it is not under, it cannot be overstated how important it is to understand this league when you are going to be a coach.
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And so if you had a check Mark for the two coaches, right, you would give that to Andy Rose.
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So,
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John Thornton and Co. must see something very special, I think, in Xavi, right?
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The ability for him to utilize the experience that he's had in many different places all over the world.
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I would assume also that one of the things that was missing from this team in the Mark DeSantis era was...
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possession, creativity, final third, a little bit of dominance as a team, control of the game.
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And so you would imagine that Xavi is able to bring some of these ideas to the team.
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So I'm very excited to watch this.
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You know, he's a Spanish guy and we, you know, Spain are...
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Best team in the world.
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They have some of the best.
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Invest in Spain.
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So look, it doesn't mean that every Spanish coach has the same ideas as what we see in the Spanish national team.
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But if he has some of those ideas, that would be lovely to bring to LAFC.
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And for us to kind of enjoy a little bit of a different style of play than we've seen with this.
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more reactive LAFC, right?
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Counterattacking LAFC.
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I think that's what the fans want to see.
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I also think that's what, you know, the front office and the staff want to see in terms of dominance a little bit more.
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You know, when you go back to like the Bob Bradley days, even when I played on the team that first year and,
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I think the second year was ultimately the best team I've ever seen LAFC had.
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It was just total dominance with the ball.
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And I think you want to try and get back to that a little bit more.
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Let's see if he can start pushing us in that direction in terms of what team we want to be in the future.
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Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster.
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Like the video, subscribe to the channel.
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We appreciate you joining us.
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No game this week, but we will be into it.
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Three game week next week.
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And I think the Andy Rose dynamic is important because it's got to be collaborative.
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And you said Andy Rose has that MLS experience, which Xavi doesn't.
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That is a shortcoming.
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No doubt about it.
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I know we talk about these international coaches.
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Someone said Tata Martino is the best coach.
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There have been a lot of international coaches.
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I'd say Jesper Sorensen in Vancouver is another good one.
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Pascal Janssen.
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Ronnie Dyla, when he took over New York City, won an MLS Cup.
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He even said Mascherano last year, right?
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Javier Mascherano.
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And there's been some international coaches that have not done well.
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The Swedish.
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Many.
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Many.
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There has been.
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Maroon Hullet, I mean, way back in the day, the Swedish player, the coach who took over St. Louis, who name escapes me, he didn't make it through a season.
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So you just don't know.
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We've seen this.
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All this is great from Taktaka.
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I want to see this guy in action and make my own conclusions.
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We're on board, man.
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We don't know.
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We've got to see what it looks like.
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We've got to see how the players react.
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We will find that out on Saturday.
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And I hear Fluffhead, Max, what is your burner Reddit handle?
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Do not have any burners.
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I'm an open book.
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And I'm not really on Reddit.
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I read Reddit.
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I don't have a Reddit account.
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I probably should.
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And then he follows up, I'll be in New York City for the match.
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It's like impossible to tell where to buy a ticket on a baseball map, just so you know.
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LAFC Vancouver Saturday, LAFC Austin Wednesday, next Saturday, they take on New York City.
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I believe it would be Yankee Stadium.
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The Yankees are in action.
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So you have a bit of a dilemma there because it's the baseball playoffs, which we talked way too much about in last week's show.
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So we don't know either.
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So we've got to find out here with regards to what it will look like.
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But
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We can only be optimistic for a variety of reasons.
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You have the new coach bounce, which often works, at least in small degree.
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You have the six retaining internationals, all of which have played really well on this international break.
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We will give you those details here in a minute.
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It's really extraordinary.
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We've got a healthy group.
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Yeah.
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Should be ready to go.
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And everything seems well in place.
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Now you've got to execute.
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You have four of six games.
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It's not perfect.
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LAFC have less games than everyone that they are catching.
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For some reason, things don't go well against Vancouver.
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You now have Seattle breathing down your neck behind you in seventh, so you don't want to drop any further.
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It's all about getting forward.
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So, I mean, these three games, and particularly these two games at home, you've got to show something at the very least.
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Whether you get six points, which would be perfect, you can't just say you're going to get it, but that is theirs.
398
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Oh, it's going to be at the Mets stadium.
399
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That makes sense because the Mets are not in the playoffs.
400
00:26:50.871 --> 00:26:59.038
Uh, so that could help LAFC too, because it's not their home site with regards to what New York city regularly plays.
401
00:26:59.098 --> 00:27:06.083
So, um, that'll be at city field producer, Sarah giving us, she's quality control all the way.
402
00:27:06.403 --> 00:27:08.785
So that is what we have with Xavi Tamarit.
403
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Let's talk about the players a little bit.
404
00:27:11.387 --> 00:27:11.607
Yeah.
405
00:27:11.647 --> 00:27:13.228
Dodgers, Dodgers lost last night.
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Guardians play here in a little bit.
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I'm not optimistic.
408
00:27:16.451 --> 00:27:17.652
They look terrible in game one.
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Let's go over the six players.
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I do want to say Jude Terry was with the under-19s.
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I don't have the details, but they beat Norway this morning.
412
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They're in Marbella.
413
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Everyone's in Spain.
414
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So I do like the Spanish connection as much as we can.
415
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We can also look at Sergi Palencia and Ilie Sanchez, Enrique Duran.
416
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LAC has done well with the Spanish contingent.
417
00:27:42.123 --> 00:27:45.725
So let's talk about the Gola Palooza.
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that we saw with black and gold players on International Week.
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Sung Young Min scoring on two goals.
420
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They've played three games.
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Let's start with him.
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Scored against Ecuador, which they won.
423
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All these games were in Korea.
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They lost to Uruguay.
425
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He scored.
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Then he started all three games.
427
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This was on October the 2nd.
428
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They tied Venezuela, and then they'll play Uzbekistan on October the 6th.
429
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Of note, Sonny's two goals mean he has 58 international goals for South Korea, which ties Cha Boomkun, who played in the mid-70s to the late 80s.
430
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Uh, so if he could potentially go ahead, I don't know if he starts four games.
431
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That's a lot of tread on the tires for Sonny, but there's a new manager there.
432
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He looks happy to be in Korea.
433
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Uh, the, the, the Korean kids winning the Asian cup.
434
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So good stuff with regards to that.
435
00:28:37.370 --> 00:28:39.192
We don't know, but, uh, uh,
436
00:28:40.052 --> 00:28:41.253
It's going to be a long trip back.
437
00:28:41.454 --> 00:28:42.995
I think he can handle it okay.
438
00:28:43.456 --> 00:28:49.182
But the videos I've seen about Sonny, Benny, would suggest that he's a really good place.
439
00:28:49.723 --> 00:28:50.684
Just maybe needed.
440
00:28:50.764 --> 00:28:54.608
I mean, it was disappointing the way he left LAFC because they were so close.
441
00:28:55.349 --> 00:28:59.571
specifically the San Jose game where he played well and they got the late equalizer.
442
00:28:59.591 --> 00:29:03.853
That's not the way you want to go on a jet to leave your club, but now it's been a couple of weeks.
443
00:29:04.254 --> 00:29:09.456
I think with the international break, couldn't have gone much better specifically for Sun Heung-min.
444
00:29:09.856 --> 00:29:10.016
Yeah.
445
00:29:10.056 --> 00:29:13.458
He's scoring every game, starting every game looks happy.
446
00:29:13.498 --> 00:29:16.680
Like you said, and look, I think there's,
447
00:29:17.501 --> 00:29:24.028
You know, there's been his season's been, I think if you look in stats, pretty good, but up and down in terms.
448
00:29:24.088 --> 00:29:26.130
I think if you ask him a little bit up and down.
449
00:29:26.150 --> 00:29:26.351
Right.
450
00:29:26.411 --> 00:29:30.135
And as many of the assists as he was getting in the beginning of the year, he couldn't get a goal.
451
00:29:30.675 --> 00:29:37.583
And then once after the World Cup, which was also, you know, not great for Korea and himself, he comes back and then he starts scoring every game.
452
00:29:38.485 --> 00:29:43.307
And now obviously the results have subsided in terms of LAFC and winning.
453
00:29:43.367 --> 00:29:45.368
And so it's been a lot of up and down.
454
00:29:45.408 --> 00:29:53.912
I think that he'll see this as almost like a fresh start for himself coming back after doing really well with his international team, scoring goals.
455
00:29:54.252 --> 00:29:59.475
And now he wants to prove a point, get back in there with maybe some fresh blood, some fresh ideas.
456
00:30:00.126 --> 00:30:01.587
and finish the season the right way.
457
00:30:01.607 --> 00:30:04.429
So I think he'll come back flying, literally.
458
00:30:04.969 --> 00:30:06.230
Yeah, I think so too.
459
00:30:06.310 --> 00:30:12.713
And this is, I mean, it's been a struggle for him, but I think certainly the San Jose game, we saw what he can do.
460
00:30:12.774 --> 00:30:16.456
He was really, really maybe the best performance that he has had since.
461
00:30:16.936 --> 00:30:25.581
So I think that is, I'm very excited to see maybe the grandstand finish here for Sun Hyuk-Min as he gets back here.
462
00:30:25.601 --> 00:30:26.422
Yeah.
463
00:30:27.382 --> 00:30:32.363
Denny Buanga got to go to Paris, spend some time at home, then off to Morocco.
464
00:30:32.403 --> 00:30:32.923
They lost.
465
00:30:33.444 --> 00:30:35.084
Morocco's ranked sixth in the world.
466
00:30:35.804 --> 00:30:37.445
There is no shame in that.
467
00:30:37.825 --> 00:30:38.825
Then they beat Niger.
468
00:30:38.865 --> 00:30:42.946
This was part of African Cup of Nations qualifications, so Gabon wants to get in there.
469
00:30:43.506 --> 00:30:44.126
He scored.
470
00:30:44.146 --> 00:30:45.787
That was Tuesday, September 29th.
471
00:30:45.827 --> 00:30:46.947
That's all the games they've had.
472
00:30:47.467 --> 00:30:51.428
So I would imagine we'd get Denny back a little sooner, but I don't think we have to worry about him.
473
00:30:51.468 --> 00:30:55.589
He could land 10 minutes before a game and still give you a brace and still give you a brace.
474
00:30:55.769 --> 00:30:56.209
In a game.
475
00:30:56.269 --> 00:30:57.390
But Denny Buonga.
476
00:30:58.191 --> 00:30:58.491
Listen.
477
00:30:59.231 --> 00:31:01.433
Denny Buonga has been here a lot longer than Sonjukman.
478
00:31:01.473 --> 00:31:03.574
He's had a long relationship with Marco Santos.
479
00:31:03.834 --> 00:31:05.395
And everything that goes into that.
480
00:31:06.076 --> 00:31:06.916
It's a little different.
481
00:31:06.976 --> 00:31:08.077
But he is professional.
482
00:31:08.317 --> 00:31:09.158
He loves this club.
483
00:31:09.678 --> 00:31:11.860
And I think scoring a goal.
484
00:31:11.900 --> 00:31:15.262
I don't think it's as magnificent of a window.
485
00:31:15.602 --> 00:31:16.463
As we see with.
486
00:31:17.123 --> 00:31:21.604
Sun Hyung-min with the records and all the things he's done, but they did their business.
487
00:31:21.704 --> 00:31:22.965
They weren't going to beat Morocco.
488
00:31:23.465 --> 00:31:24.725
They got the win over Niger.
489
00:31:25.125 --> 00:31:25.806
He's going to come back.
490
00:31:25.866 --> 00:31:26.226
Okay.
491
00:31:26.326 --> 00:31:28.366
Afghan qualification is moving right along.
492
00:31:28.606 --> 00:31:29.767
I got a goal in my bag too.
493
00:31:29.927 --> 00:31:30.067
Right.
494
00:31:30.087 --> 00:31:31.647
I don't think there's much to talk about Denny.
495
00:31:31.767 --> 00:31:33.428
Denny is like you said, he's a machine.
496
00:31:34.821 --> 00:31:37.623
I almost don't think it matters who the coach is with Danny Bwonga.
497
00:31:37.663 --> 00:31:43.306
He's going to give you exactly what he gives you, the intensity, the drive, taking people on.
498
00:31:43.446 --> 00:31:44.426
He's going to get goals.
499
00:31:44.466 --> 00:31:45.487
He's going to get assists.
500
00:31:45.507 --> 00:31:46.868
He's going to put people under pressure.
501
00:31:47.788 --> 00:31:51.050
You're going to get that version of him regardless of who the manager is.
502
00:31:51.550 --> 00:31:55.512
So we move along and let's talk about the guy everyone's talking about juice.
503
00:31:55.532 --> 00:31:57.513
Three, two, three vault up baller.
504
00:31:58.454 --> 00:32:02.476
And I followed the finish social media handles and I,
505
00:32:04.001 --> 00:32:06.022
You've got to be really excited.
506
00:32:06.182 --> 00:32:08.964
And again, Leo Volta is on loan.
507
00:32:09.284 --> 00:32:14.908
He's going to be on the clock to see that he can perform well and be a part of LAFC.
508
00:32:14.928 --> 00:32:17.389
And hopefully he is happy here as well.
509
00:32:17.929 --> 00:32:23.413
And hopefully he's not experiencing this crazy heat, which by the time he is back, it'll be a little bit better.
510
00:32:23.433 --> 00:32:27.475
Yeah, the Finnish don't have this kind of heat, even in the dead of summer, right?
511
00:32:27.735 --> 00:32:30.417
The only heat they have in Finland is when they're in a sauna.
512
00:32:30.977 --> 00:32:35.825
Which I've heard that Helsinki is abundant with saunas with regards to that.
513
00:32:36.225 --> 00:32:38.609
I saw someone mentioning Tylon in LA.
514
00:32:38.749 --> 00:32:41.013
I don't know, but I would imagine he has to be here.
515
00:32:41.794 --> 00:32:43.416
And they'll see if he can get him going.
516
00:32:43.436 --> 00:32:44.438
But he's a little bit behind.
517
00:32:44.518 --> 00:32:45.780
Volta was on the bench.
518
00:32:46.508 --> 00:32:48.309
for the San Jose game, did not play.
519
00:32:48.969 --> 00:32:49.549
He scored.
520
00:32:50.210 --> 00:32:51.490
Okay, they have three games.
521
00:32:51.530 --> 00:32:54.672
They play Belarus tomorrow away.
522
00:32:54.692 --> 00:32:56.453
So that's a long trip back.
523
00:32:57.073 --> 00:33:00.174
September 26th, they beat San Marino 7-0.
524
00:33:00.254 --> 00:33:01.015
He scored twice.
525
00:33:01.255 --> 00:33:01.495
All right.
526
00:33:02.055 --> 00:33:05.697
September 29th, played Belarus at home, scoreless.
527
00:33:05.717 --> 00:33:06.317
He started.
528
00:33:06.917 --> 00:33:07.838
And then he started again.
529
00:33:07.858 --> 00:33:07.978
And...
530
00:33:08.798 --> 00:33:12.102
As they beat Albania, who's a pretty up-and-coming team in Europe, 2-1.
531
00:33:12.142 --> 00:33:13.143
He scored both goals.
532
00:33:13.543 --> 00:33:14.945
He's also wearing the tent shirt.
533
00:33:15.365 --> 00:33:17.467
The Finnish fans are singing songs about him.
534
00:33:18.028 --> 00:33:20.591
He's coming here with a ton of confidence.
535
00:33:21.231 --> 00:33:24.295
Of all of the internationals, this is the one that gets me most excited.
536
00:33:24.335 --> 00:33:25.976
I don't know how they're going to play him.
537
00:33:26.852 --> 00:33:35.558
I would imagine he doesn't start against Vancouver, but he will play, and he could be a very dangerous player off the bench with a different profile who could come from the midfield as well.
538
00:33:35.778 --> 00:33:36.758
I am very excited.
539
00:33:36.878 --> 00:33:38.900
I see the comment section is very excited as well.
540
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:42.602
Yeah, I'm excited as well, but tempered.
541
00:33:43.195 --> 00:33:44.135
I really am.
542
00:33:44.235 --> 00:33:49.977
And I want to emphasize this, and maybe this is just my personality, because it truly is the hope that kills sometimes, Max.
543
00:33:50.017 --> 00:33:57.598
So I think we're all hopeful that what he'll bring is a little bit more of that attacking midfield flair.
544
00:33:57.658 --> 00:34:07.901
The connectivity to the forwards, the passing ability, the ability to get into the box himself sometimes for crosses and getting goals and maybe even some shots from outside the box.
545
00:34:08.681 --> 00:34:18.470
in these three games that he's played for the Finnish team in this window, nine goals total for the team.
546
00:34:18.710 --> 00:34:20.612
He's had four of them plus one assist.
547
00:34:21.132 --> 00:34:24.175
So over 50% of the goals he's contributed for.
548
00:34:24.235 --> 00:34:31.561
So regardless if you're playing against San Marino or anybody else, he's been the main guy for that team.
549
00:34:31.601 --> 00:34:33.563
And so hopefully he comes in with some,
550
00:34:34.043 --> 00:34:59.075
confidence and with and I've seen this before right we talked about it I think last time maybe a couple episodes ago where the the best mid-season signing of all time for me was Nico Ladero not only because of the amazing player that he was but he turned a Seattle Sounders that was very close to last place if not last place and they became MLS Cup champions and you know
551
00:34:59.428 --> 00:35:02.069
He was an enormous part of that.
552
00:35:02.189 --> 00:35:02.389
Right.
553
00:35:02.409 --> 00:35:07.892
And so I'm not saying that Leo Valta is going to be able to do the same thing because you do have some other integral pieces.
554
00:35:08.252 --> 00:35:15.875
But maybe he could be a little bit of that glue that kind of brings things together and the attack becomes a little bit more cohesive than we've seen up until now.
555
00:35:17.035 --> 00:35:17.796
I'm very hopeful.
556
00:35:18.416 --> 00:35:19.197
but tempered as well.
557
00:35:19.217 --> 00:35:20.978
I don't think one guy is going to fix everything.
558
00:35:21.018 --> 00:35:26.202
It's got to be, it's got to be everybody, you know, picking up the pieces, doing their jobs.
559
00:35:26.302 --> 00:35:30.825
And now you have some, someone that comes in and is a little bit of a game changer in, in what we need.
560
00:35:31.466 --> 00:35:37.290
And we will see here on inside LAFC podcast presented by ticket master live every Monday, 1230 Pacific time.
561
00:35:37.791 --> 00:35:39.032
We will be on later next week.
562
00:35:39.052 --> 00:35:39.732
We're looking at 5.
563
00:35:39.772 --> 00:35:40.773
PM Pacific time.
564
00:35:40.833 --> 00:35:47.678
So mark your calendars, like the video, subscribe to the channel and leave your comments and questions as we lay off
565
00:35:47.698 --> 00:35:47.998
Volta.
566
00:35:48.018 --> 00:35:50.400
We also have Sergio Vasquez who's been training all week.
567
00:35:51.040 --> 00:35:53.462
I think I'm very excited about that.
568
00:35:53.542 --> 00:35:56.544
And now we'll see about Tylon and then all the new faces will be in place.
569
00:35:56.644 --> 00:36:00.146
Igor Jesus, two good weeks uninterrupted training.
570
00:36:01.087 --> 00:36:03.248
I think the LAFC, I can't wait to see the LAFC bench.
571
00:36:03.348 --> 00:36:05.090
I think they're going to have a lot of pop on that.
572
00:36:06.170 --> 00:36:07.191
I'm nervous about this one.
573
00:36:07.231 --> 00:36:08.692
You should be nervous about this one.
574
00:36:09.072 --> 00:36:11.614
And then the follow-up, I don't know if this is a Ted Lasso-ism.
575
00:36:12.014 --> 00:36:17.478
We've got about as much chances against Vancouver as a possum crossing six lanes of traffic, but I believe in that possum.
576
00:36:18.603 --> 00:36:22.646
They're very, you know, resourceful critics.
577
00:36:22.826 --> 00:36:24.707
LAFC are just playing dead right now.
578
00:36:25.008 --> 00:36:29.251
They're playing dead, and then they're going to wake up and be careful, right?
579
00:36:29.651 --> 00:36:32.033
You don't want to play a revitalized LAFC in the playoffs.
580
00:36:32.053 --> 00:36:32.993
I can tell you that right now.
581
00:36:33.433 --> 00:36:33.914
Not at all.
582
00:36:34.014 --> 00:36:35.595
Okay, let's continue through all of this.
583
00:36:35.635 --> 00:36:42.640
The final two players, Canada, Jacob Schaffelberg, Matthew Schoenier, both started September 26th.
584
00:36:42.700 --> 00:36:43.721
Canada beat Chile.
585
00:36:44.121 --> 00:36:46.683
Chile and Peru doing this North American tour, man.
586
00:36:46.703 --> 00:36:47.964
South American soccer, man.
587
00:36:48.921 --> 00:36:51.944
Well, you're talking about the two weakest South Americans.
588
00:36:52.845 --> 00:36:54.127
It's not an.
589
00:36:54.367 --> 00:36:56.930
It's the two that finish at the bottom of the top of the ball.
590
00:36:57.834 --> 00:36:59.094
No, Venezuela was above them.
591
00:36:59.114 --> 00:37:00.094
Bolivia was above them.
592
00:37:00.114 --> 00:37:01.695
So you're talking about the two weakest teams.
593
00:37:01.755 --> 00:37:03.455
Brazil, what's going on?
594
00:37:03.655 --> 00:37:04.575
What's going on with Vinny?
595
00:37:04.895 --> 00:37:07.696
I hear you, but you're talking about the two weakest teams still.
596
00:37:08.296 --> 00:37:11.136
And, yeah, I mean, I didn't get to watch both games.
597
00:37:11.316 --> 00:37:15.837
Again, I was in Spain, but I did watch some of that U.S. game against, who was it?
598
00:37:15.857 --> 00:37:16.637
I think it was Peru.
599
00:37:17.217 --> 00:37:20.778
And there were some iffy moments until, you know, they turned the screws a little bit.
600
00:37:20.818 --> 00:37:25.599
But, again, two of the weaker teams in South America right now.
601
00:37:26.170 --> 00:37:27.691
So, okay, they beat Chile.
602
00:37:27.771 --> 00:37:29.312
They beat Peru 2-0.
603
00:37:30.453 --> 00:37:33.295
Schaffelberg scoring both goals on October the 3rd.
604
00:37:33.936 --> 00:37:37.739
Schoenier coming off the bench in the Peru game after he started versus Chile.
605
00:37:38.319 --> 00:37:43.944
And now they have a game tomorrow against the United States, which we'll all be watching.
606
00:37:44.969 --> 00:37:46.110
at Allianz Field in Minnesota.
607
00:37:46.130 --> 00:37:53.096
So good news, both Mathieu and Jacob will be coming here on a relatively short trip.
608
00:37:53.437 --> 00:37:58.882
And I would think Jacob has the inside track based on this performance.
609
00:37:59.062 --> 00:37:59.782
I mean, Canada's
610
00:38:01.025 --> 00:38:02.826
Canada's moving forward.
611
00:38:02.926 --> 00:38:04.566
We'll see what happens in that USA game.
612
00:38:05.187 --> 00:38:11.389
I would imagine Jacob would be on the inside track to start with Denny and Sonny in that Vancouver game.
613
00:38:11.409 --> 00:38:13.330
That would be the ideal trio.
614
00:38:13.930 --> 00:38:14.530
We shall see.
615
00:38:14.750 --> 00:38:17.812
But Schaffelberg, certainly, they have to look at this.
616
00:38:17.872 --> 00:38:21.273
I mean, the coaches have to go, hey, man, these guys are scoring goals.
617
00:38:21.433 --> 00:38:25.875
They're looking at their performances in a big way or small way before they come back to the club.
618
00:38:26.235 --> 00:38:26.495
Definitely.
619
00:38:26.535 --> 00:38:27.235
I mean, I would be.
620
00:38:27.555 --> 00:38:29.116
So you want guys that are...
621
00:38:30.357 --> 00:38:34.760
confident, have momentum, bring some of that momentum to the team, right?
622
00:38:34.780 --> 00:38:35.380
It's infectious.
623
00:38:35.420 --> 00:38:36.501
All those things are infectious.
624
00:38:36.541 --> 00:38:49.891
And so, yeah, I think that we have to find a way to work Schaffelberg into the game, into the plans a little bit more because not only is he doing well with his national team, but we've seen him be so successful in MLS play.
625
00:38:49.971 --> 00:38:52.854
And we haven't seen the best of him, I think, in recent weeks.
626
00:38:52.894 --> 00:38:55.916
So he's one guy that I want to see a little bit more from.
627
00:38:56.756 --> 00:38:58.478
And then obviously some new guys that are coming in.
628
00:38:58.958 --> 00:39:02.780
And how do we marry all that together with the two superstars up top?
629
00:39:03.660 --> 00:39:04.441
Max is rolling.
630
00:39:04.541 --> 00:39:05.201
I don't know, man.
631
00:39:05.221 --> 00:39:09.083
I don't know if it's my best show, but we're doing the most of it because we can't talk about any games.
632
00:39:09.563 --> 00:39:10.004
It's hard.
633
00:39:10.624 --> 00:39:11.685
But we're doing the best.
634
00:39:11.705 --> 00:39:12.865
There's still a lot to talk about.
635
00:39:12.885 --> 00:39:17.247
I mean, with the coaching, the international break, this international break was a monster.
636
00:39:17.868 --> 00:39:18.588
It's too long.
637
00:39:18.808 --> 00:39:20.649
But we move on.
638
00:39:21.109 --> 00:39:22.490
Go Possum.
639
00:39:22.630 --> 00:39:24.071
That's fair, Benny, about your take.
640
00:39:24.091 --> 00:39:25.672
I think some about these international players.
641
00:39:25.912 --> 00:39:26.632
El Chipote.
642
00:39:26.672 --> 00:39:27.593
Move Tillman forward.
643
00:39:28.233 --> 00:39:29.393
Wonderful combination with Denny.
644
00:39:29.413 --> 00:39:30.394
He makes plenty of goals.
645
00:39:31.074 --> 00:39:32.034
He plays a false nine.
646
00:39:32.054 --> 00:39:33.895
We'll see if Timmy is healthy.
647
00:39:34.855 --> 00:39:36.376
Max, give us the exclusive.
648
00:39:36.436 --> 00:39:38.617
What does the rare Hello Kitty look like?
649
00:39:38.957 --> 00:39:39.897
I do not know.
650
00:39:40.717 --> 00:39:45.239
But the Saturday game against Vancouver is Noche LAFC night.
651
00:39:46.345 --> 00:39:53.292
The game against Austin next Wednesday on the 14th is Hello Kitty night, which of course is one of the biggest nights on the calendar.
652
00:39:53.433 --> 00:39:55.675
A lot of people go bonkers.
653
00:39:55.695 --> 00:39:58.158
We told you about Jude Terry playing with the under-19s.
654
00:39:58.798 --> 00:40:00.840
I'm excited about Jude Terry as well.
655
00:40:01.241 --> 00:40:04.504
Because really quickly, Benny, we've seen these young American players.
656
00:40:05.785 --> 00:40:08.126
Kevin Sullivan scoring this goal against Mexico.
657
00:40:08.406 --> 00:40:10.627
Julian Hall scoring goals in three straight games.
658
00:40:10.887 --> 00:40:13.067
We saw Neil Pierre, all these players come in here.
659
00:40:13.867 --> 00:40:16.608
Audrey Mameti, who plays as a deep line midfielder.
660
00:40:16.928 --> 00:40:19.649
You know, Jude Terry is like one peg or so behind him.
661
00:40:20.489 --> 00:40:23.810
So we have, we are plugged into that youth movement.
662
00:40:23.970 --> 00:40:28.472
It's going to be tough for Jude to get playing times, but who knows under a new coach, maybe Jude Terry fits it.
663
00:40:29.192 --> 00:40:33.013
I know Jude has that profile and continuing to get the experience to be
664
00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:43.648
close on that level of those, maybe not Kevin Sullivan and Mamedi and, and perhaps Julian Hall, but close to that level of the young American profile coming up.
665
00:40:43.668 --> 00:40:45.009
So we got that going for us too.
666
00:40:45.409 --> 00:40:45.750
Yeah.
667
00:40:45.850 --> 00:40:51.415
The only thing missing from Jude Terry and the guys that you talked about is playing time at the NLS level, right?
668
00:40:51.435 --> 00:40:53.777
Jude, Jude has gotten spurts here and there.
669
00:40:53.817 --> 00:40:54.738
He's coming off the bench.
670
00:40:54.778 --> 00:40:58.261
He's had some, some spot starts, undoubted,
671
00:40:58.680 --> 00:40:59.021
talent.
672
00:41:00.262 --> 00:41:04.868
And I'll be the first to say that the first time I watched him in MLS Next Pro, I already saw that.
673
00:41:05.588 --> 00:41:12.857
And he's only grown, you know, throughout those these last 12 to 18 months where he's gotten more and more time in MLS.
674
00:41:12.877 --> 00:41:15.761
But I do think that he's he's going to get more opportunities.
675
00:41:15.821 --> 00:41:17.703
And look at at the end of the day now.
676
00:41:19.329 --> 00:41:23.017
in football worldwide, kids are playing at an earlier age, right?
677
00:41:23.037 --> 00:41:24.701
You're not waiting until they're 22, 23.
678
00:41:24.721 --> 00:41:26.945
They're playing at 19, 18.
679
00:41:26.965 --> 00:41:29.952
And so I think Jude is right there on the precipice of becoming –
680
00:41:30.379 --> 00:41:32.240
potentially a full-on starter.
681
00:41:32.280 --> 00:41:37.661
Maybe we see a little bit more of him starting in the sprint season next year, depending on what it looks like.
682
00:41:37.701 --> 00:41:38.781
I think you can count on that.
683
00:41:38.982 --> 00:41:39.702
I think you can count on that.
684
00:41:39.722 --> 00:41:42.303
I think it just depends on how the whole midfield shakes up.
685
00:41:42.343 --> 00:41:53.026
I don't see him as probably, probably, I don't see him as an integral starting piece for the rest of this season, but he'll find moments to get in there, maybe spot start, maybe come in off the bench.
686
00:41:53.486 --> 00:41:56.907
But he provides something each and every time he comes on the field now.
687
00:41:57.527 --> 00:42:02.650
I've spoken to a lot of coaches and executives, and they look at that sprint season to see who can step up for that next big season.
688
00:42:02.670 --> 00:42:10.735
It doesn't mean it's a throwaway because you have 14 games to win an MLS Cup, an MLS Cup, which carries the same weight as any other one in that sprint season.
689
00:42:11.135 --> 00:42:14.216
This is Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster.
690
00:42:14.557 --> 00:42:16.858
I hope we come back looking like we did at the start of the season.
691
00:42:17.238 --> 00:42:19.780
Well, coming off breaks, start of the season, LAFC was great.
692
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:21.981
Coming back from the World Cup, LAFC was great.
693
00:42:22.161 --> 00:42:23.402
So why not now?
694
00:42:24.142 --> 00:42:31.471
Benny, if you had the, if you were the interim coach, would you impose your style of play or tweak the style of play that, that was already working?
695
00:42:31.831 --> 00:42:32.992
Yeah, it's a great question.
696
00:42:34.254 --> 00:42:36.516
And there's not, I wouldn't say there's a black and white on that.
697
00:42:36.536 --> 00:42:40.681
It's a little bit more gray, but I would, I would first look at what we do well.
698
00:42:40.881 --> 00:42:43.925
And I think we defend extremely well and, you know,
699
00:42:44.298 --> 00:43:04.665
with Javi having been there throughout all that, I think for the most part, you keep a lot of the ideas consistent with, with how we want to defend, you know, where the pressing cues are, where the triggers are, where the relationships look like in certain areas, for sure what, what I think the team needs to do and something that I'm very
700
00:43:05.284 --> 00:43:11.869
you know, strong on as a coach is the ideas that you need to implement in the attacking third.
701
00:43:11.909 --> 00:43:15.952
So one, I think you don't take away the counterattacking ability.
702
00:43:15.972 --> 00:43:21.977
When we're defending deep, you've got to have that counterattacking ability to go because that's a natural tendency for some of our players.
703
00:43:23.077 --> 00:43:25.239
But how do you create a little bit more possession?
704
00:43:25.639 --> 00:43:29.241
I think the positioning in the offensive third can be a little bit tweaked.
705
00:43:30.061 --> 00:43:35.284
I think the movement behind the back line needs to be a little tweaked and we have to start looking for certain passes.
706
00:43:35.785 --> 00:43:43.149
And then the last part for me, which I think would change a lot of our dynamic, is our pressing, our higher up the field pressing.
707
00:43:43.169 --> 00:43:46.271
Because if you press in certain moments, you can...
708
00:43:46.931 --> 00:43:51.194
generate that counterattacking moment a little bit more often as opposed to being reactive.
709
00:43:51.234 --> 00:43:53.475
And so I think we have the bodies to do it.
710
00:43:53.555 --> 00:43:54.536
I think Sonny can run.
711
00:43:54.576 --> 00:43:55.597
I think Denny can run.
712
00:43:55.617 --> 00:43:57.678
I think I know Schaffelberg can run.
713
00:43:58.098 --> 00:44:08.125
And so the ability for those front three, whoever they might be, to be able to really pressure the ball and work together as a tandem defensively, it's going to lead to better chance creation on the attack.
714
00:44:08.185 --> 00:44:08.485
And so...
715
00:44:09.427 --> 00:44:12.594
I think that's one of the things that I would try and impose with our group.
716
00:44:12.774 --> 00:44:17.746
And I'm sure Chavi will look at some of those things as well to try and get a little bit more from the attacking way of things.
717
00:44:18.744 --> 00:44:21.745
Inside LAFC podcast presented by Ticketmaster.
718
00:44:21.786 --> 00:44:29.369
Let's talk about the game on Saturday, October the 10th, LAFC and the Vancouver Whitecaps, 7.30 p.m. Pacific time.
719
00:44:29.389 --> 00:44:31.090
You can see it on Apple TV.
720
00:44:31.430 --> 00:44:33.431
Go to LAFC.com and see if you can get in the building.
721
00:44:33.491 --> 00:44:34.992
I think it's going to be rocking.
722
00:44:35.412 --> 00:44:38.654
This is where the home crowd, it's been a while since they've had a game there.
723
00:44:40.335 --> 00:44:42.916
I think it was Red Bull New York, and that was about a month ago.
724
00:44:43.696 --> 00:44:49.299
They can really fire it up and face a Vancouver team that is shorthanded too.
725
00:44:49.539 --> 00:44:54.301
They have Thomas Muller who just extended his contract, I think, for another six months.
726
00:44:54.862 --> 00:44:56.322
But they're missing a lot of key guys.
727
00:44:56.462 --> 00:45:01.165
Andres Kubas, Ralph Preso, Ryan Alumi, Eddie Ocampo.
728
00:45:01.185 --> 00:45:02.145
These are all starters.
729
00:45:02.725 --> 00:45:05.007
They are very deep, which can help them here.
730
00:45:05.327 --> 00:45:07.808
But they'll be coming off a game on Tuesday.
731
00:45:08.549 --> 00:45:09.249
in Chicago.
732
00:45:09.289 --> 00:45:13.272
So they have a weird travel dynamic and they're going to come together with their players.
733
00:45:13.312 --> 00:45:15.334
So it's not an easy one for them.
734
00:45:15.875 --> 00:45:19.618
And really, in a perfect world, they lose to Chicago or they don't get the win there.
735
00:45:19.698 --> 00:45:23.461
And then you come in here where all of a sudden you have Vancouver and say, hey, we beat you.
736
00:45:24.302 --> 00:45:25.603
You're going to feel our footsteps.
737
00:45:25.663 --> 00:45:26.824
So a lot of momentum.
738
00:45:26.844 --> 00:45:26.944
This
739
00:45:32.508 --> 00:45:35.349
I know it's a long season, but it all hangs in the balance.
740
00:45:35.449 --> 00:45:41.290
If for some reason you lose this game, you're probably going to lose touch to that top four because you're already playing more games.
741
00:45:41.350 --> 00:45:45.111
You got to get something, and a win revitalizes things.
742
00:45:45.551 --> 00:45:54.272
It's a tough spot to be in because you got this new coach and the international break, but a lot of teams are facing that as well, at least the latter part as well.
743
00:45:54.573 --> 00:45:55.133
Here's a question.
744
00:45:55.173 --> 00:46:00.874
Benny, what will it take to beat or at least tie Vancouver this weekend other than the creativity in the midfields?
745
00:46:01.783 --> 00:46:03.084
More possession, yada, yada.
746
00:46:03.104 --> 00:46:04.025
He's going on and on.
747
00:46:04.045 --> 00:46:05.567
But, I mean, what are those details?
748
00:46:05.587 --> 00:46:07.669
I mean, you kind of touched on your last answer.
749
00:46:08.189 --> 00:46:13.835
But things that are really practical that LAFC can use in their favor playing at home.
750
00:46:14.636 --> 00:46:16.498
Well, first you've got to utilize –
751
00:46:17.297 --> 00:46:18.258
the home field advantage.
752
00:46:18.859 --> 00:46:21.361
I think Vancouver is one of the best teams and taking that away.
753
00:46:21.581 --> 00:46:21.741
Right.
754
00:46:21.761 --> 00:46:24.043
I think that's one of the reasons why they're, they are where they are.
755
00:46:25.244 --> 00:46:30.208
And so the ability to be on the front foot, it's your first game under a new coach.
756
00:46:30.669 --> 00:46:31.910
The energy should be high.
757
00:46:32.410 --> 00:46:41.798
That in itself needs to at a bare minimum and, and hopefully exceed the energy that Vancouver brings into this game so that they can be on the back foot a little bit.
758
00:46:41.818 --> 00:46:42.079
And then,
759
00:46:42.639 --> 00:46:46.542
Look, with the top teams in the league, it's about details, right?
760
00:46:47.202 --> 00:46:51.825
I really do hope LAFC has a little bit more of possession and control.
761
00:46:52.045 --> 00:46:54.047
I wouldn't even say possession, more control, right?
762
00:46:54.487 --> 00:46:59.850
Possession could be, if possession's in your defensive third, the other team's really in control, right?
763
00:46:59.890 --> 00:47:11.298
But if you're able to progress the ball with consistency and get into the attacking third and now push the other team to situations where you're asking questions, you're making them feel uncomfortable, then,
764
00:47:11.578 --> 00:47:13.939
That's the control that I think LAFC wants to see.
765
00:47:13.959 --> 00:47:17.261
But again, inside the boxes, that's what I want to see.
766
00:47:17.281 --> 00:47:18.922
I want to see better movement inside the box.
767
00:47:18.942 --> 00:47:20.442
I want to see more dangerous service.
768
00:47:20.983 --> 00:47:30.047
And then defensively, you want to see some of the same things that you've seen where, yes, you're limiting the opportunities that they have inside the box, but also when the ball gets served in there, which inevitably will be.
769
00:47:30.863 --> 00:47:35.364
Brian White, if he's playing, fantastic movement, one of the best players in terms of off-the-ball movement.
770
00:47:35.685 --> 00:47:37.145
You've got to make sure you're marking him.
771
00:47:37.285 --> 00:47:39.786
You've got two guys around that area.
772
00:47:39.806 --> 00:47:40.846
You can't leave him free.
773
00:47:41.827 --> 00:47:44.407
So, again, I think it's the details inside the box.
774
00:47:44.467 --> 00:47:46.148
That's going to be the go-to in this game.
775
00:47:48.885 --> 00:48:12.840
some of the comments how's training looking uh i don't know it's going to be hot man i don't want to it's not a pleasant training session because they're up in alhambra where it's deep triple digits as we're all dealing with this heat here uh it's going to be hot for a couple more days hopefully by the weekend we're we're back on track we're getting closer into fall weather we can enjoy the holiday season starting with halloween alhambra is that they were training they're training in alhambra now is that that's not where we used to train
776
00:48:13.020 --> 00:48:14.221
That's exactly where I used to train.
777
00:48:14.241 --> 00:48:15.261
Is that what it's called?
778
00:48:15.281 --> 00:48:16.421
That's not what it's called.
779
00:48:16.481 --> 00:48:18.983
Isn't Alhambra closer to like Pasadena?
780
00:48:19.643 --> 00:48:20.383
That's where you trained.
781
00:48:20.403 --> 00:48:21.484
You're close to Pasadena.
782
00:48:21.524 --> 00:48:22.944
We trained at Cal State LA.
783
00:48:23.304 --> 00:48:24.685
That's right next to Alhambra.
784
00:48:24.865 --> 00:48:25.245
Okay.
785
00:48:25.585 --> 00:48:27.466
I mean, I don't know the geography that well.
786
00:48:27.506 --> 00:48:28.647
I thought we were like East LA.
787
00:48:28.787 --> 00:48:31.728
Because you left on your scooter and took a train to Rancho Cucamonga.
788
00:48:33.558 --> 00:48:36.320
I just wanted to make sure we're still training in the same place that I same place.
789
00:48:36.660 --> 00:48:36.880
Okay.
790
00:48:36.900 --> 00:48:37.281
Same place.
791
00:48:37.321 --> 00:48:38.502
And it's really, really hot right now.
792
00:48:38.862 --> 00:48:41.465
Will Denny and Sonny be back for the game this Saturday?
793
00:48:41.605 --> 00:48:43.386
Yes, they will be back.
794
00:48:43.847 --> 00:48:49.111
And I'm excited about this because we want these games right after the world cup.
795
00:48:49.191 --> 00:48:50.813
MLS was so much stuff happening.
796
00:48:50.853 --> 00:48:51.153
It was hard.
797
00:48:51.714 --> 00:48:53.295
It's clear cut six games.
798
00:48:53.415 --> 00:48:55.117
Get after it down to business.
799
00:48:56.385 --> 00:48:57.226
Games that matter.
800
00:48:57.246 --> 00:48:59.227
It's like a super sprint season.
801
00:48:59.787 --> 00:49:01.068
It's a super sprint season.
802
00:49:01.869 --> 00:49:02.669
I'm pumped, man.
803
00:49:02.689 --> 00:49:10.315
And I think everyone, and to start it back at home, we had this long road trip, which really didn't go well and was the end of, unfortunately, for Mark Dos Santos.
804
00:49:10.995 --> 00:49:12.557
Then now you've got to lock in here.
805
00:49:12.677 --> 00:49:13.757
So there you go.
806
00:49:13.937 --> 00:49:14.558
Darn tooted.
807
00:49:14.938 --> 00:49:15.538
Darn tootin.
808
00:49:16.038 --> 00:49:16.518
There we go.
809
00:49:16.578 --> 00:49:19.979
That was, yes, Cal State LA in education.
810
00:49:20.459 --> 00:49:22.480
I know someone asked if Benny's going to be the Falconer.
811
00:49:22.500 --> 00:49:23.060
I'm sure he is.
812
00:49:23.100 --> 00:49:24.700
We have a 10-year anniversary around the corner.
813
00:49:24.720 --> 00:49:25.900
I'm sure Benny's going to be doing it.
814
00:49:26.280 --> 00:49:29.061
Everyone loves him here and everyone as well.
815
00:49:29.301 --> 00:49:31.982
I'd love to do it as long as he's still well-trained.
816
00:49:32.002 --> 00:49:33.562
I remember he was very well-trained when I used to.
817
00:49:33.582 --> 00:49:34.182
He's still well.
818
00:49:34.322 --> 00:49:35.222
She's very well-trained.
819
00:49:35.242 --> 00:49:36.043
She's well-trained.
820
00:49:36.563 --> 00:49:36.943
Okay.
821
00:49:36.963 --> 00:49:37.323
That's good.
822
00:49:37.363 --> 00:49:38.043
I just don't want to get...
823
00:49:38.383 --> 00:50:01.931
pierced right here you got a big glove right that you get to wear right exactly it's very comforting although a lot of people have had their hand in that glove a lot of people over the years but you know you just put it in there it's all right wash my hand later wash your hand later inside lafc podcast presented by ticket master we appreciate everyone joining us yeah believe that's right nate we got to believe real quickly before we leave i want to give a big shout out to julia
824
00:50:02.911 --> 00:50:24.592
uh and the whole crew that did it uh chelsea uh drew who are part of uh all the great stuff the lafc did they created a black and gold night of hope with a lot of young people that uh are have really difficult health threatening conditions they created a prom night for the second year running where they got all the accoutrement and a great day and had a great party with everyone
825
00:50:25.132 --> 00:50:25.873
It was wonderful.
826
00:50:25.933 --> 00:50:27.634
It's one of the great things LAFC does.
827
00:50:27.734 --> 00:50:28.614
Bridget as well.
828
00:50:29.014 --> 00:50:29.755
We want to thank you.
829
00:50:29.795 --> 00:50:31.796
She was there all day working so hard.
830
00:50:32.316 --> 00:50:33.577
Excellent, excellent stuff.
831
00:50:33.917 --> 00:50:36.378
Part of what makes LAFC so great.
832
00:50:36.478 --> 00:50:38.419
Well done to our team there.
833
00:50:38.519 --> 00:50:40.020
Thank you so much.
834
00:50:40.480 --> 00:50:40.780
All right.
835
00:50:41.180 --> 00:50:42.481
Got a big week coming up, Benny.
836
00:50:42.501 --> 00:50:44.662
I know next week's show is going to be very telling.
837
00:50:45.082 --> 00:50:46.123
Very telling show.
838
00:50:46.543 --> 00:50:49.805
We expect to see you all on here, and I'll see you there as well next week, Benny.
839
00:50:50.511 --> 00:50:51.032
I'm excited.
840
00:50:51.072 --> 00:50:51.533
See you guys.
841
00:50:51.954 --> 00:50:54.440
A little later than usual, so we'll stay tuned for that.
842
00:50:54.540 --> 00:50:56.304
Aiming for 5 o'clock Pacific time.
843
00:50:56.344 --> 00:50:59.511
Until we meet again, everyone, let's go black and gold.