Kyndra sits down with fellow broadcaster Tyler Terens to talk Loons, MLS, and the upcoming slate of international soccer. Then, Dayne St. Clair hops in to talk about how the 2024 season has looked from between the posts.
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[Music] as the official healthc care provider of Minnesota United Al health is dedicated to delivering PRL care for our loons but our partnership goes much deeper than what happens on the field from our shared support of Youth focused nonprofits like roots for the home team to empowering adaptive athletes of the M UFC Power Soccer Team Alina health and Minnesota United are committed to making our communities all together better learn more at alinah health.org loons [Music] hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of sound of the loose presented by alen health and this time I get to be joined by the gentleman that I have seen way too much of this season way too much of and and normally the only time we’re on a screen together is a zoom call with a coach um or a player but now we’re on a zoom call and on the screen here to do sound of the loons it’s my broadcast partner Tyler Terrence thanks for taking time out of your busy golf schedule to join me today yeah no I appreciate it you know I was wondering when I was going to get the invite onto this podcast uh similar to when I was going to get the invit to your invite your house after we’ done about 17 Minnesota games already this year um but you know as expected at this point it was a little bit late but I got the invite nonetheless so I’m glad to be here well everybody else turned me down this week so uh but I do appreciate I mean you even decided not to golf today just to come on I’m just gonna I’m I know that’s not the real truth but I’m GNA throw it to that I’m gonna well let’s roll with that let’s roll with that we’ll roll with that we’ll roll with that um but yeah you and I just got back from St Louis um wait is that where we were yeah it was St Louis right Louis I literally had to think about that for a second we’re heading to Chicago um for a game on Wednesday um Chicago against Orlando city and then back here to Minnesota on the weekend so we’re gonna sort of just you know talk about the league recap what’s going on we’ll dive a little bit into Minnesota United because it’s good to get somebody else’s perspective because I’ve been in and around this team for a long time now much like you had um been around Chicago and maybe your your view starts to get a little skewed because you’re just like so in it so it’s always good to get a subjective outside view but first and formost foremost um how are you enjoying the season um it’s been good you know it’s it it kind of you and I have talked about this it kind of like felt like an extension of last season it didn’t really feel like a new year um just because of how long the MLS season is and I think that you know when we talk to family and friends like I don’t think anybody realizes just how long this season is it’s it’s definitely longer than baseball and then you throw leagues Cup in there that adds another month in um but no it’s been great and um you know there’s been so many story lines this year and you know I’ve been lucky enough to do so many I I give you a lot of crap for coming to Minnesota a lot but like I genuinely mean this like I I’ve been there so much now that I’m starting to get all of the hype you know I lived in Chicago for three years and then like when you hear of Big Time Midwest cities um you don’t really hear Cincinnati which is where I live now but that’s okay just from a sheer like size standpoint but I’ve been really lucky to experienced alons a lot this year experienced the Twin Cities in general um and I think that like I’m starting to see some really good stuff out out of the club and then also just really a lot of good western conference soccer as well I think that you and I have talked a lot about um How the West is so tight and there’s probably like 12 teams that are in the mix all to get to the playoffs let alone challenge for the Western Conference title and then the East is just so topheavy so like we’ve seen a lot of really good games regardless of who Minnesota is playing and then when we see the East um you know it’s different because it’s jam-packed towards the mid to the bottom of the table not necessarily towards the top um but this season has been good so far it’s been a lot of fun and I guess it’s been fun working with you I don’t know jury’s still out yeah jury’s still out exactly I get it um you can’t see too many bad things now that I had you to my house so you gotta you gotta be like stop I was just eating some of the chocolate things that you brought over we still have some you’re welcome yeah and you were trying to make take those home on a flight back with me to Cincinnati I was I was those won’t get confiscated yeah um but you know speaking of the West and the East because I feel like last year everybody felt and maybe this has been a couple years going now that the East has been better top to bottom um and correct me if I’m wrong but I’m always so inundated with the West having come from Minnesota United that I was maybe a little bit biased because that’s just who I see more closely whereas I do feel like this year it’s kind of flipped the script and it maybe even started going that way last season am I wrong on that um no you’re not wrong I’ve always been more of a fan of the way Western Conference teams will play and I don’t know what it is because I I actually just because I’m a total dork with this stuff I went back and looked at like Western and Eastern Conference NBA and MLS teams because I feel like in the west the NBA gets the like connotation of being wild wild west and scoring a lot of points and not playing any defense and I kind of feel the same way sometimes in soccer with major league soccer so like I kind of went back there was no correlation after after my study but I felt like the West has always been more attractive because the more expansive they want to go after games the East has always been for whatever reason just a little bit more like you know hunkered down try to grind out points um but Columbus has changed that obviously Miami has changed that Cincinnati has changed that but when you look down the line I mean Philadelphia has been underperforming this year for the most part but I think that Jim Cur and Company will will come good on that but then like red bulls and their style charlot’s been grinding out results Toronto’s been a surprise this year under John Herdman so like I’ve always been more of a fan the way that the West plays but I agree with you I think that it’s started to switch from an overall standpoint but it’s difficult to to turn your nose up at the likes of what Philly have done for the past several years um what nycfc have done up until last year I mean those two teams basically BR in the Eastern Conference Final Three or straight um and then also what Cincinnati has built what Columbus has built and obviously Miami um for these few years that they’ll have Messi and the barcel boys but yeah I mean I’m with you I think that the West is like van Vancouver is in seventh place and I could see Vancouver getting to a Western Conference Final Houston is in eighth place if they do well in the summer transfer window and actually get a striker because as you and I have covered that team a lot they just exist without a striker and they somehow won a trophy last year and got to a Conference Final and then the LA teams are fantastic and Minnesota’s wrote you know what what they’ve been doing in RSL is I I think the best team in the conference right now but not by a lot so there’s a lot to be excited by and then the two Cascadia teams Seattle and Portland are in ninth and 10th Place respectively so like there’s just more depth in the west to be fair and not for nothing the two worst teams in the league by far are in the Eastern Conference in Chicago and New England so I’m just going to throw that in there as well yeah I don’t know if I P I would have pegged that with New England going in I don’t know why I didn’t because they were such a mess last year but maybe I just thought the quality of Carlos heel and they were in second place when Bruce well that’s the but that but that was when he left you know and then they just looked and then they still had to like pick up the pieces and you know we we talk about coaches that are on the hot seat and some people were mentioning New England I’m like you can’t really do that to Caleb Porter yet like it’s his first year and he got thrown into an absolute dumpster fire like I just feel like you need a little time you know so um but yeah I’ve always kind of viewed the Eastern Conference as maybe a little bit more like blue collar y then maybe the Western Conference and that’s not a negative by any means but um but yeah it’s been fun and and then sometimes you go into these games like I mean not to like you know pull back the curtain on my research here but like I hadn’t like deep dived into Orlando city and we’ve got them against Chicago like I had we got I got back from St Louis and I’m like Memorial Day weekend what like no like I’ve got to like literally sit down and really hone in on Orlando City because it’s one thing to know their results and like their roster and it’s another thing to like really study in and because I didn’t cover the Eastern Conference prior you know to when I was with Minnesota United I don’t even know if I had Orlando City once last year so um and I’ve always really respected Oscar perea as a coach so it was just like there’s certain games we get all of a sudden that I’m like oh shoot like I know what their results are and I kind of see what everybody’s doing every week but if you really want to know how they’re playing and what they’re doing um you know it takes a little time because people are like you do for your job how do you do that what do you mean you have a board like what do that look like I’m like you know so it’s it’s always uh a little bit a little bit different um when you you know if you ever go to career day or something people are like oh that’s awesome oh you don’t just roll out of bed and and start talking for yeah no no not not usually I try not to do that I try to come somewhat prepared um so let’s talk about Minnesota United because I know that’s what a lot of people that are going to be listening to this and watching this want to know about and get your perspective on this club and I was even just listening to the extratime podcast was taking my dog for a walk and I was like okay I’m gonna listen to Michael boxall was on um with Andrew weeb and just kind of getting you know sometimes it’s good too for a player like Michael boxel to talk to somebody else and hear their perspective and the question some else asks him because I’ve talked to him so many different times what is your take on this Minnesota United Team before Eric Ramsey came at the you know during the preseason you know we could talk about um just cam uh nolles Cameron nolles and what he did and and now that you’ve seen him a few times what’s your take I mean from the get-go it’s been a breath of fresh air for everybody right anybody you talk to with Alon staff members Communications people players breath of fresh air in terms of the style of play and actually being able to be on the front foot and and go for games right so right off the bat I think everybody was excited but that could be in a in a less than Ideal World it could be simply as new as a as a as a new coach bump right because that’s just what it is it’s a it’s a new style A change is as good as a vacation as good as a rest and so like this could have been something where for the first couple of games it’s nice it’s different um the guys were receptive to it and they rattled off a couple winds and it could have all gone South um however what I think that we’re seeing and I think we started to see the fruits of of Eric Ramsay’s tactical labors was the the Charlotte game switching to a three back on the road and executing a game plan and I think that was a signal to the Loon fans that like he’s got them bought in where he can change where he can change the system and you know you and I will sometimes talk about formations and you know we need to get it into our producers for graphic purposes and everybody gets hung up on that but the cliche that’s coming out of coach’s mouth now is that like it’s about principles and philosophies it’s not about formations that the formation yes is going to dictate how we set up and what it looks like as soon as we kick off but like they’re still playing the same way it’s still Eric Ramsey’s Club it’s still the Minnesota United of 2024 but I think on a more important level it’s like okay they were able to execute these little tweaks kvin Ariaga being slid into a right back position and for me there’s been there there’s two huge players that I think are not getting their flowers Mickey topus and and Joseph Rosales I think Mickey topus has been nothing short of outstanding I can’t remember where he’s put a wrong foot this season so far and if he did he recovers V it or somebody cleans it up it was his second yellow card in the last game we did yes and the that was only that was the only wrong foot but the yeah but but you and I and and everybody that I talked to who watched that game didn’t noticed or didn’t even see that he had gotten a yellow card after the scuffle I know I know but I’m just saying like if he made a stupid mistake that was like literally it this season AG agreed um and then Joseph Rosalez is as far as the western conference goes of teams that we’ve seen so far and who have we not seen Colorado Dallas San Jose so far in the west he might be he might Vancouver and Vancouver he might be the most versatile player that we’ve seen so far in the Western Conference this year and potentially an MLs his ability to cut inside when he’s playing as either a fullback or a wing back his ability to really just stretch the opponent on top of the fact that like we’ve seen him chase down some of the fastest players in MLS and we joked about it on the broadcast um when who who did he chase down Juan David mosera I don’t know somebody ridiculous on the right hand side and like this dude is a baller his feet are incredible so between those two and then Michael boxall’s done what he’s done the entire time and I think he loves playing next to the likes of of Mickey and um and Joe and and Devon padelford and whoever might be back there but like Eric talks about it all the time we hear them talk about it um on on wrapup on the countdown show on 360 this is the collective for Minnesota United it is nothing more than that it’s nothing less than that and sure Robin L’s going to have the majority of the goals and assists in the whole thing but like for me those two players and on top of the fact that like Eric Ramsey from day one has taken what Cameron nolles started to lay the foundations of and then got the guys to buy in for his philosophy and his mentality which I think was kind of close to what Cameron was doing um when I think that kind of trickled on from khed you know I think that there was sort of like a mandate there that he in terms of how they wanted to play how they wanted to play yes the Cameron and then but everybody was buying in and excited about it but that’s difficult that’s difficult to see as a fan and that’s even difficult to see as commentators whether or not that’s actually where like the sporting director decides the way that they want to play and then you go out and get a coach who fits that or the other way around um but I I agreed like the whole thing before you know pre Adrien Heath pre or pre um Eric Ramsey and pre khid like this was a totally different club and the fact that it’s been turned around in this like this is so sort of like the FC Cincinnati of the West right now and it wasn’t as dire in Minnesota in terms of back to back to back Wooden Spoons but that’s the way that I’m looking at it in terms of a facelift for a club from a sporting director and a coaching standpoint and having instantaneous success yeah and I think too when um I think that you know that Charlotte game was like a total Revelation because I don’t think anybody expected them to play that way and that’s that formation come out in that way and I think it everybody off guard and the fact that they did it so like flawlessly and then got such an impressive win um I think that was like really the moment that probably turned a lot of people’s heads that if they maybe hadn’t noticed yet like what Minnesota was all about and um we’ve asked Eric Ramsey about not just that game but other games where he’s tweaked it a little bit and changed and like um but he again he goes back every time to the principles and saying it’s not about the formation and oh the formation is not really that different and kinar moving to a center back role was was probably the biggest tweak of that just because that’s a position he hadn’t played which I thought was actually genius because it just allows kvin to focus on like one thing and that’s defending rather than having to be like scatterbrained all over the place and have to you know choose too many options and then I’m with Yan Rosales but I think a huge piece of it too is just and I you know I don’t know if I’ve said this before in another podcast I don’t know if it’s just being a woman like I more like I key in more on body language and emotions and like confidence and how someone makes you feel and how that then affects the way you do something whether it’s playing a sport or whether it’s broadcasting or whether whatever it is that you do in your in your life and I think that these guys have such a they have been instilled with confidence and you talk about the young players and getting opportunities and just because they have a bad moment or a bad game or whatever you know like there’s there’s this confidence that’s built and um a true belief in the academy guys and the twos and participating like they believe like there’s a true pathway so um I think it’s been fun to watch and and even somebody like Franco frap which you know even last year he didn’t play a ton and um he always kind of had this a little bit of a a toe you know and he wasn’t playing or would he’ get taken off the field and now he comes like I just feel like he’s totally bought into what this group is doing and what’s being asked of him and and a other huge piece of it is communication just having things communicated to you properly you know like this is what my expectations are for you this is why I’m making this decision this is why you’re not starting this is what you need to do to start like just the conversations that are being had I think um makes a big difference with players um and so anyways and you and I have been to a couple training sessions and whatnot and we’ll have Minnesota again on on uh Saturday um against SP in Kansas City which will be another great test but I think um they are at lafc tomorrow night on Wednesday um so that’ll be a good one that’ll be a good one for them I think uh to kind of continue on I mean and when they do lose or they or not even when they lose but when they get a result or they get a draw it’s also like somewhat refreshing to just like hear that okay yeah we like that is not how I wanted to get that point or no that’s not like that’s not the the level we want to be at I’m not happy with how we finished that game even though we got the three points like whatever it is I feel like the expectation and the standard is just higher um hear the interviews and stuff like that yeah okay so I kind of feel like we I’m gonna I’m I feel like now we’ve like spent all this time talking about Minnesota United that we need to talk a little bit and we talked about the wrestle League which is great um to kind of go over it but if you had to if I had to put you on the spot right now and you had to tell me who the top four are in the Western Conference comeing to the end of the season would you even be able to do it with the way this looks with way this who do you think it will be um you’re talking about just finishing in the top four top four in the Western Conference I mean if you think you know who’s going to win the West you can give me an order but I think it’s exactly as you see it not in order but those will be those will be the four teams okay um I think the Galaxy I think that their talent we haven’t seen the best of the Galaxy yet they have seven draws and that’s for a team that’s super expansive and likes to go after the game I think Greg vany is like licking his chops at the fact that like he’s got a summer transfer window I don’t know how much cap space and how much room they have to to make some Acquisitions and stuff like that but lafc I mean oliv Jus is coming in I don’t really need to say anything more than that and then and I’m not saying that RSL and Minnesota are going to start to play poorly but you might see both La teams start to rip up this Western Conference and perhaps finish in number one and number two I like the Galaxy to get to MLS cup from day one um and I that that was that was a correct prediction I think at this point in the season in the East and I know you’re probably going to ask me about in a second I was wrong about Atlanta um I thought that they were going to have a stellar season but but such as not the case but yeah I think that the the top four in the west RSL Minnesota and the two La teams I think that that’s what it’s going to look like not in that order but those will be the top four teams when it’s all said and done I kind of feel like a lot of people would have gotten this the top four wrong in the East if whatever they predicted at the beginning of the season I mean I I just think the East has been kind of a a conundrum I mean maybe outside of nycfc though I don’t know I true Columbus snuck back in there because when they were in conquer champions cup heavy they were out out of it um I don’t know if I would have pegged Toronto to be as good as they are you know I know Herdman like is you know but that was such a mess last year I was like yeah I did their game the the second game after the um vaping incident and like I interviewed Bob Bradley before the game for Apple TV and the whole vibe at the club was just just talk about body language and like you know going out and doing your job and they played a disgusting nil-nil draw against the Chicago Fire of all teams uh who we have on on Wednesday night but yeah that was that was a mess but John Herman he’s a really interesting dude and and I know we haven’t gotten to talk to him but I interviewed him for Sirius xmfc um earlier in the season he’s a really really interesting guy and he’s one of those guys that you want to talk to and you’ll want to run for him and lo and behold Lorenzo in and Federico berneski when they’re healthy they want to run for him he’s got he had berneski playing as a wing back in a couple of games and emptying the tank running like seven or eight kilometers and you’re just like all right John herban might actually be a really really good coach and not just a flash in the pan with the Canadian national team yeah I mean and Bernardi wasn’t even scoring in those games he was just doing a lot of running he didn’t start scoring until lately you know so he was just like doing a lot more defending than he was attacking um in some of those games but and then I just want to hit on um you know this is like another crazy I feel like every year every summer I’m like oh it’s a summer of soccer summer of soccer summer of soccer you know all the big tournaments going on and and some are related to I’m last like leagues cup and some aren’t you know or we have a World Cup or whatever it might be going on what do you what do you think about um specifically uh Copa America and the MLS players that have been called in like do you think when you look at Canada there I I’m not sure what to make of Canada I love Jesse Marsh I think he’s a fabulous hire I think he’s going to be great for the Canadian Men’s National Team team Dane stclair is clearly one of the players that got called in this might be the first year ever I think that or first time ever that Dane’s been called in and he’s like legit fighting the for the number one spot yeah um you know because even when Kraig pole broke his leg and he didn’t go to the World Cup I think DNE was still that number three you know at that moment in time so um when you look at what Canada is and the the emls players that got called in which they have quite a few um and then also Dane St Clair in that mix what do you see from from Canada and this cobal America I I I’m as curious as everybody else is because they have a lot of talent and I love the way that they played at the World Cup which was Reckless abandon and that’s just my personality and who I am at my core so I love that play the play the way that you’re gonna play regardless of who the opponent is um and they got killed for it and that and that’s a lesson learned for them and that was in the John Herdman era but now you know when Jesse Marsh was close to getting the US job and and from what I heard it there was a lot of different things that went into it and you heard that Jessie didn’t really get treated all that well but above all else like his style is a very unique one and it’s closer to John herbman than it is to Greg berhalter that’s for damn Shore so when you look at the likes of like Alfonso Davies um and Derek Cornelius and ton Buchanan and you know these guys who are playing abroad and are on really good European teams mixed with the likes of Richie Lara Kamal Miller B stclair Jonathan Osorio um Mater like ish K who’s who’s at Watford and you know hasn’t made a ton of appearances but it’s still like he was lights out under willford na at Montreal um this is a group that could definitely do some damage the question is what is it going to look like stylistically and how quickly will the guys be able to buy in because you and I hear all the time about how difficult it is to be a national team coach because you get the guys into Camp what like seven or eight times throughout the of the year in January Camp is typically for your B Team anyway so it’s called seven and it’s difficult to implement a style and tactics but these guys have been playing together for a while the Stephanos stakos of the world like I think Canada you know based upon where they finish in the group and then who they draw in The Knockout round like I could there’s no reason from a talent standpoint why they can’t get to um a quarterfinal but again it’s just a matter of like Jesse Marsha’s style is a demanding one and if I’m I’m very curious for him to see if he’ll tweak it and and adjust it based upon the fact that it’s tournament football and not 38 games playing in the Premier League like you know and I know he didn’t even get that long with leads but but something along those lines so this is a good team uh and they were the best team in World Cup qualifiers Kendra heading into 2020 that’s what I’m saying I loved how they looked when they qualified I didn’t love as much like how it turned out in the world cup but I do love how they looked in the in the in the qualifiers and they clearly had a ton of confidence and then then obviously you make a coaching change and whatnot but I think the bigger question will be like how much should they sort of give into the pressure of being on in essentially home soil having the cop America you know here and the pressure of being a new head coach in Jesse March I know he’s been there done that and handled pressure you know I mean coaching over in Europe is no easy task especially being American coaching in Europe and then what he did with the Red Bulls but you have such a short time or I’m going to ask Dane um when he’s coming up in the next segment is how much communication have you had with Jesse March you and I saw Dane right after the announcement was made and they basically just had like one group call because it was so new but I wonder is is Jesse Mar sending these guys information video of how he wants them to play are they having calls because their time is so short they have this June Camp they have a couple friendlies and then oh by the way you open cop America against Argentina you know like so there’s no amount of there’s no amount of packets or tactical information that they could send them to properly prepare you for Argentina with a new head coach there’s there’s nothing that he could send them yeah it’s it’s going to be tough but then you know you look at their second game they’re playing against Peru who’s always a tough out but not nearly as strong as they have been in the past um and then their third game is against Chile who’s another good team not the Chile of the past that we remember with Alexis Sanchez and everything like that but um tough It’s Copa America this isn’t Gold Cup it’s not Nations League this is Copa America every game is going to to be difficult for the most part so I I’m I’m fascinated and not for nothing Kindra but like the the South American teams are going to get so much love everywhere that they go for the most and obviously they do a good job of picking cities that are incredibly diverse that have heavy populations of those teams that are playing there like between the United States Argentina Mexico um the brazils uh the ugu like those teams are the ones that are like Canada is going to be an afterthought for most have toate their own their own sort of um support and their own confidence just based upon what’s going on in their Camp not based upon anything else because I I don’t know if Canada Men’s National Team travels well in Copa America but we’re about to find out all right then us Greg Balter second round um you know does his does his uh uh employment depend on how he does in this Copo America do you think he’ll get to the the 2026 World Cup regardless and then also any MLS players that weren’t included on this roster that you thought would have been the three MLS players included are Sean Johnson miles Robinson and Timothy Tillman um no I don’t think that there’s anybody that’s been left off that deserves to be there I mean all the guys that play abroad now are so good and it’s really difficult to to like who are they gonna take the place of exactly exactly and I think that we saw the last of that with the World Cup roster in 2022 when we had some guys that maybe shouldn’t have not shouldn’t have been there but you could see the level was a significant drop off um but as far as the as far as Greg’s job and everything like that I mean I’m hearing all the same stuff you’re hearing he doesn’t get out of the group stage there’s going to be a lot of conversations to be had um but my my thing is and this is the point that I’ve been trying to make is like okay well what’s the goal yeah he keeps his job if he gets out of the group stage how how how long are we going to go on like that where the only goal for the men team is to get out of the group stage and that is the measure of success whether it’s well yeah but I don’t you think they’re they’re just saying keeps his job until 2026 like not like this isn’t like indefinitely but what do you what do you what do you gain by firing him and then you’re starting over from scratch heading into the biggest world cup for the United States since 94 when they hosted it last right you know what I’m saying I know there’s a there’s a there’s a pretty good German coach who’s looking for a job who just left Liverpool who’s available and not for nothing he’s not going to be unemployed for too long he said he’s never going to coach in England England again but that doesn’t mean that there’s not 10 countries and 50 clubs who would love to employ him so if Greg Flames out I throw the bag at Jurgen klopp and say go ahead and especially the relationship that he has with gioa with Christian psic having been at brucia Dortmund like I’m not saying I want Greg to get fired so that juren Klo can come in but what I’m saying is is like there are other options out there and we as a federation made a conscious decision to ignore every possible POS option out there and roll with the same guy that we had been rolling with for a while we had an option to say Greg thank you for your service getting us back to the World Cup putting us back on the on the global stage and we decided to roll with him and yeah but I I mean that’s that’s a different thing than saying we ignored every other option like saying they chose to go again with Greg balder and saying they ignored every other option I think those two those two are the same thing in my mind you’re you’re I don’t I think that’s ignoring them they they did like a full-fledged interview process like I don’t I know I I’ve heard some other stuff from your sources and I don’t know how accurate they are so I’m just gonna leave it there okay how about this what kind of results United States get a Copa and then and then we’ll wrap it up um I think we get out of the group stage and lose in the round of 16 and Greg keeps his job probably yeah that’ll be what what happens if they get out of the group stage and then he gets fired I well that I’m just saying because that’s been like the the measuring stick I know I I think his job is 100% safe if he gets out of the group stage if he doesn’t I think it’s very much 5050 if not going the other way um but again what is our standard as as the Men’s National Team what is our standard because for the women’s side I know where the standard is it’s when World Cups are bust and that’s the way that it should be for the men’s side as well I know it’s a totally different entity game but like we need to up our standards as the men’s team like it’s much easier to have that standard when you’ve already already won multiple World Cups agreed hey we got got third place in the world cup back in men’s has the men’s has a ways to go but I’m all I know is I’m looking forward to it we’ve got a lot going on this summer of course the MLS season continues I can’t believe we’re already at match day 17 um coming up midweek it’s technically the halfway point of the regular season with 34 games but then leagues up there in the middle and Copa America and it’s like I feel like before you know it it’s going to be September and we’ll still have two months of the Season left but it’ll feel like we’re back into fall so so yeah it’ll be good it’ll be busy and I want we we’ll have you on again maybe like two-thirds of the way through the season or some point during leagues cup because we have a minnesot night leagues Cup game yes uh I believe we do yes we do I believe we do I believe we do we we’ll have to take another Gander at the schedule so well thank you for joining me uh enjoy tonight I hope it’s on time and hopefully you don’t have to connect just to get to Chicago I mean it seems like you got to connect everywhere to get out of Cincinnati I’ll tell you what living in Cincinnati and trying to get to Kansas City in St Louis I never thought it would be so difficult but here we are but U thanks for having me Kindra a blast all right thanks Tyler talk to you soon I’ll see you tomorrow all right everybody segment number two Dane s Clair coming up right after this as the the official healthc care provider of Minnesota United Alina health is responsible for keeping our loons ready for game day with industry leading sports medicine and Orthopedic care but our awardwinning care does not stop there because true well-being requires good physical and mental health the mental health Team at Alina is also there for you with a variety of programs and services featuring more than 300 mental health professionals a line of Mental Health Services helps Ure you stay at the top of your game talk to your healthc care provider or call the mental health and addiction connection line 8866603 0016 for any Mental Health Service question or concern 24 hours a day 7 days a week all right everybody welcome back back to segment number two of sound of the Loom presented by Elina health and now I get to be joined by goalkeeper Dane stclair who has been kind enough to join us on the road in Los Angeles busy week for you guys going straight from Colorado to Los Angeles how are you Dane how has your uh lovely trip to Los Angeles been yeah it’s been weird because normally I mean we come out two days earlier so everyone’s like so used to today being the game day but uh having two train sessions been been nice and definitely a lot easier than going back to Minnesota after Denver and then coming back out here so I think uh having the extra days been nice and and the weather’s been good so just a climatizing into that as well nice well and I know it’s always tricky when you do the West Coast trips but it’s like you’re already halfway there heading to Colorado then you have to you know you’re trying to adjust to the altitude and then you’re going the rest of the way to Los Angeles just to have that a couple extra um days and time to adjust a little bit rather than making that trip back home so when you guys left um Colorado I wanted to talk about that result really quick because first of all the season has been actually you characterized it how has the how’s has the season been in your mind I was going to say what I thought but you tell me what you think from a result standpoint how how would you gauge the season yeah I think it’s been positive of course uh there was a lot of Chaos in the offseason and even to start the season of a lot of uncertainty so I think uh the players have have done a great job as well as Eric um really getting us to to buy into the system and I think obviously the last game we didn’t necessarily Play The Way We wanted to but to be able to still get points on the board is is something that definitely valuable you’ve had um you talk about the chaos you talk about the change maybe the uncertainty heading into preseason you and I have talked about that before on pre previous podcasts you know with the interim and the interim to the interim and then the head coach and a new sporting director but also a new goalkeeping coach for you what has that been like for you having Cristiano as uh stepping in from did he come from the second team or the academy uh he was from the academy yeah um so how has that been for you just a total adjustment I’m assuming I mean nobody’s really quite like steuart Kerr so how has Christiano been for you yeah for sure I think uh he’s been excellent I think uh his dedication uh day and day out I think is really uh positive and shown it through and I think uh he wants it just as bad as as I do um if if not even more at times and I think uh his passion really shows and I think uh obviously the South American style is a lot different in the English style so uh just being able to adjust that and kind of uh learn a couple new things and he’s really been really excellent and really hope to to continue work working with him uh in in the future well that’s what’s crazy is we talk about the adjustment that you guys have gone through as players but even for some of these coaches the adjustment and the kind of fly by the cidar pants Christiano being one of them having come up from the gold you know the academy and then even we talked about Cameron nolles and you talk about um you know Fernando Ai and you talk about all these guys that have just been like all hands on deck some of them stayed with the first team some of them went back down to the twos um or to the academy but just sort of the rotation does that sort of unify solidify a team like what would you say um Galvanize a group when you kind of have to go through things like this together yeah I think um it’s Sports it’s it’s you gotta you got to take your opportunity whenever it comes no matter how it comes no one asks you how you how it comes or when it comes but uh when you do get it you’ve uh really got to take it and I think uh Cristiano especially has has been someone that’s really grasped it and I think uh the goalkeeping and and the defense for for the most part have done a good job if you look at the statistics and things like that and I know that he’s been a big part of that um so looking forward to kind of hopefully continue to work with him in the future okay so you talk about just taking your opportunity when it comes Copo America Canada Men’s National Team I asked you briefly about it when I saw you at training a couple weeks ago because I think the Jesse Marsh announcement had like just come about what since then has been the communication with Jesse Marsh I just had Tyler Terren on my broadcast partner in the previous segment and we were kind of talking about the cop America and like Greg burh halter and Jessie March and Canada the US like what what the expectations are like how how how challenging is it going to be going into a a major tournament with a new head coach with the limited amount of time that you guys have together it’s hard enough when you have the same head coach from previous but now to have a new one yeah for sure I think uh even looking at the the two friendlies we have against Netherlands and France so definitely aren’t easy competition but I think uh it’s going to be nice I think the European guys are starting a few days earlier than the MLS guys that have been joining up there so uh just to be able to get on the on the ground with him of course so we’ve all had our own conversations and kind of get a better understanding once we’re really in the camp and immersed and kind of see what his expectations are and the way that we’re going to apply this this new style of playing just uh I think buying in is going to be the the biggest thing but uh the games are going to be there at the certain date so it’s just about how quickly can we adapt to and uh adjust to to the new style in the way that that things are are going to be moving so when you see a um a roster come out obviously you knew ahead of time that you were going to be called in before like all of us get to hear about it but you you maybe see yourself like second on that depth chart is this the highest you’ve been on that depth chart or you know because of just the movement of the pieces I know going into the 2022 World Cup you know then crpo roke his leg and then it was like I mean what a ride for you and an experience but do you view yourself as like oh no I’m not number two I’m working for that that starting role like what what is mentality yeah I definitely definitely wouldn’t say that I’m number two on the draft chart I think uh even going into the last Camp uh talking with Morrow and the way that they they kind of viewed things at the time it was that Max was going to play that game but it wasn’t necessarily that I’m necess say the number two so just been working hard this season and I think uh obviously with the with the coaching change now everything can can can flip on its head so my mentality just been to have the best that I can do and be able to kind of control and I think uh I know Max obviously very well and we’re both going to compete uh with each other and kind of push for that number one spot because we definitely both want it but I also know that um whoever the coach uh decides to play that the next person will support them as well what does that look like for you when you talk about improving like what is a what is a goalkeeper like what is your training regimen whether it’s in the offseason whether you’re getting ready for the um for the national team whether you’re looking to come you know when you’re coming back to Minnesota United what does that look like for you when you’re like okay at the end of the season I’m going to evaluate this is what these are the things that I need to work on this is what I’m going to come back stronger in these areas what is that for you yeah for sure I think uh in my position first and foremost it’s a reactive position so it’s really hard to determine really that what you’re going to be asked upon per game because we’re not controlling that many actions it’s more so reacting to to different things defensively at least but I think uh it’s understanding the game model that the coach wants to play I think that’s kind of the biggest one for me is because I could say I want to pass the ball short every time but if Eric wants me to kick the ball long every time like you have to follow in in in into the game plan so I think uh first and foremost is is the knowledge of what the expectations are um from the coach and and the style of play that we’re going to play and then I think yeah it’s looking internally okay can I be more explosive can I be more aggressive on un certain decisions or how how’s my relationship with the guys that are playing in front of me where we understand each other and we know in certain moments if box he’s running against a guy in a breakway he’s probably gonna catch him because of his Pace versus somebody else you know what I mean so I think it’s just you’re not gonna list somebody who’s slow you’re like ah so it’s just uh understanding um who who you’re playing with and their strengths and how can we all uh work together to cover up our weaknesses but also to to enhance our strengths as well so that people aren’t even talking about our weaknesses okay so that’s actually a good question I know I I want to talk to you more about cop America and in the national team but just on that and and even switching from the national team to your club team when you’re playing with a different set of players but you have had in we we ask boxel all the time about the center back pairings and he’s had like a gazillion of them but it’s the same for you as far as who’s in front of you how much does that change the way you played not just who’s in front of you but the pairing in front of you the formation in front of you um how much does that change do you like it with three five in the back do you prefer four or does it depend on who’s there like what what’s your take from a goalkeeping perspective yeah I’m I’m I’m comfortable I think as long as the the ideas are clear of what the expectations are from each position and I think uh obviously we’ve tried to be a lot more compact this year which is I think helped us defensively because there’s so many good players in this league that are so so good playing in the pockets and finding that pass but if there’s no real space for them to operate or the guys close enough that I can c for somebody else that maybe made a mistake or or the wrong decision in that moment I think has has uh helped us to defend as a a unit versus just like that you guys are the Defenders so you guys defend by your guys s and you guys figure it out um so I feel comfortable in in any of the situations I think obviously I played three at the back before the national team before playing with Minnesota three at the back so I was something I was kind of comfortable sliding sliding into but uh of course growing up we played a lot of for the back and obviously under aging we played a lot of for the back so comfortable in in both systems for sure you’re not as old as me where we played with a stopper and a sweeper like a diamond before you’ve probably seen when I play when I played center back when I was younger I actually play I was I was the stopper so yeah are you really yeah oh that’s awesome um so have you ever come off your line and you’re like oh crap I really should have stayed or like once like but you got to go no matter what what or like how about the when you headed the ball against Portland like what what was that what is that feeling for you as a goalie I always feel like that’s got to be like just a terrifying moment where you have to decide yeah I think uh the margin for us is is is a split second and I think um you just have to be confident and if you decide to go you got to really fully commit to it and I think uh on that play I made the decision where I was going to go and of course being outside your box with with in that kind of situation is definitely not an ideal situation where you want to see yourself in too many times but I think the mindset is just to be able to make a make a play and I think uh that was kind of my mindset I know in that situation most people are either going to try to not it past you or above you and I think uh just uh making making try I’m trying to stay as big as possible obviously was able to to block and go from that but it’s definitely not a situation I want to find myself in into often and I know uh but uh something it’s just like whatever decision you do make you got to go in with the with with the the full conviction of it so what did Will trap reward you with after that I hope I hope it was something nice nothing yet but I’m sure that uh I might make a make a play and he he’ll have my back in a different day and so uh nothing yet but he definitely he definitely did thank was very thankful for it for sure I know I saw him like watching it as it was you know unfolding after the ball turned over and I was like oh man that’s that’s you hope it all comes full circle right that’s the goal what’s better like when you quiet in a away crowd or the home Roar at Alan field like when you make a save like which one is better I always think about that like is it better to just like shut the opponent’s crowd up or do it feel better when like you come up with a big save and and I allons and it just goes crazy I would say probably at allons especially because it it can be such a momentum shift it can bring the fans into the game and then all of a sudden you know what I mean the the attack Mar start to go where you start to feel that that confidence or that boost where it’s like on the road sometimes it’s like you survived that play but like you could know that okay like sometimes even if you make a great save they might cheer because they’re like that’s a big chance and then they start to get the momentum so I think uh obviously the the the fans play such a crucial role in our sport especially at at aliens I think they’re they’re amazing and I think uh they’ve definitely uh given us momentum at times I even think about something as simple as everone waving the flags on a corner versus you start to feel that pressure of of the thing that there’s an expectation that um it is we’re going to be able to kind of create a good chance off of it when you look at um how the season is gone and um getting some more results at home but also the the um the vibe and kind of the energy at least from what my perspective and I’m not clearly there every day or inside the locker room but that the expectation for real is higher you know like even when you guys get a result it’s like not necessarily satisfied if if the game plan wasn’t executed just right or always knowing that there’s some things that you can tweak or you know we won a game but I’m not happy with how we won the game like we need to do this this and this better does that does that um jive with how you guys feel on the inside that my perspective of what it seems like on the outside yeah definitely I think um as competitors you always want to be at your best you know what I mean but I think uh it’s also important to to kind of we’re we’re we’re in a competitive business where if you play great every game but you lose every game every like not going to be happy you know what I mean so I think uh it is trying to find that balance of obviously playing well but the results do matter for us too so I think um and there’s going to be days where I think like Colorado where we don’t play great but we’re able to to get some something out of the game to to kind of push us forward and then there’s probably going to be games where we play great and we think that we deserve three points and and we don’t get them as well so I think uh it goes hand inand but I think the expectation is just always wanting to get better and to improve and and understanding that it’s not strictly results based in terms of we want to there’s a bigger picture to it as well you know what I mean yep and then also when you look at um from your position on the field what is like maybe the best thing that you’ve seen this season because you have like such an incredible vantage point of like I was just thinking about that through ball the other day that Robin played to to sang bin right or like if something happens in front of you like can you think of something where you’re like like you’re from your spot you’re just watching it you’re like wow that was sick or like you see something happening developing do you ever have those moments I think there’s there’s probably two I think of I think of uh bong’s goal on the road um away to to to to to win um against Orlando uh because it starts off a goal kick you see Jordan go for the flick then Tanny gets it plays it through and it’s like you feel connected to the play and scoring so late there of course after conceding a late goal for them to tie and to be able to kind of continue the three points especially uh for playing playing for cam at that point in time where it was already we knew what the future was going to be I think was a big one and then the other one I think was uh the Columbus tanny’s goal um because I was at like the halfway line because we’re pushing off off the long throw you know what I mean so I’m I’m very high at the pitch and it was nice to kind of be a part of the celebration in in in that moment and I know how big the the goal meant for him as well and just to see him kind of gain The Confidence from that game and continue on to the season that he’s he’s having right now I think has been really nice to to to see um and then also I would assume that you know kind of like from one player that’s been loaned out to another maybe against what your expectation was for you in that moment of time but then to come back and just like light it up much like you did right and you went on loan maybe not your first choice at the moment but you come back and you absolutely like just take hold of the starting position and don’t let it go I mean tanny’s kind of done much the same so I’m sure that’s nice to see from another young player um what’s your sort of impression um or your overall thoughts or maybe um a feeling since Eric Ramsey has taken over on now that you’ve had more time with him as the head coach that you can glean from him his personality his style like what’s your interpretation of it yeah I think uh first and foremost he’s he he won the Players over and I think uh he’s been very calm and cool and collected in terms of he’s never too high or too low and I think uh that expectation of of not just results based but but building on each game and of course not having a preseason as a coach is not a situation that you want to be in at all because you’re trying to apply certain certain things and I think also he’s done a great job of of looking at the roster and how he can get the best out of certain players because he didn’t bring any of these players in so he kind of was just given them so I think uh obviously in the summer I’m I’m sure that he probably has his eyes on a few players that he wants to bring in um but I think he’s done done a great job in terms of winning us over and really building on each game and I think uh having clear concise plans but also having the same principles of of the way we’re going to play regardless of the formation or or things that we have and just a clear clear game plan going to to every game of execution when you say he’s won the Players over he’s got you guys to buy in h what does that mean what does that look like how do how does he do that yeah I think uh first and foremost its results I think uh obviously if you if you have a certain game plan in the game plan works in allows us to get results so I think uh one that and then two when you’re putting guys in in positions or situations where they feel very comfortable like I look at Joe obviously started playing left back kind of recently but of course he played left mid a little bit for us last year so can we find a hybrid for him in the system where he kind of does both and offensively gets the ball in good spots where he feels comfortable I think that gives him a lot of confidence you know what I mean and then uh just obviously for different players and just finding that confidence and having that belief of okay hey we’re going to rotate guys and Off the Bench I think that you can come and be an impact and you look at how many times our subs this year have have come on and not just ran but like have actually came come and impacted the game and I think obviously that rotation does obviously help with uh some of the the confidence in the squad where I know okay if I’m doing well in training or I get a little 30 minute cam or 15 minutes if I do well I have a potential to to to start the next game as well and I think uh that competition for for places in the squad is definitely something that you want to have you tell derky to stop trying to get on camera I see him just lingering back there he’s just trying to get more and more attention um okay how about this did you did you have any idea that Rosales was that fast I mean I mean holy cow like he never gets beat on a run back like it’s insane how many and then he’s doing it like the 90th minute like I’m actually shocked I like I like to think that it’s because he hears me yelling at him so that gives him the extra little boost there where he knows he needs to needs to make it to this to the spot but yeah he definitely uh his Pace from from when he first joined was was obviously something that we knew but obviously he came as a center midfielder at first so it’s not very often that you really do hit your max speed like that in the system that we were playing at the time how many times do you have to yell at kvin in a game when he’s playing Center back um I yell at everyone probably equally the same and I think sometimes it’s just making sure that we’re staying switched on and and and we’re getting that momentum and guys are yelling at me and I think the especially some of the away Crowds Are even at allons if the only way to hear each other is to yell at each other because sometimes it is so loud on the field so I think uh it’s definitely no no hard feelings or anything like that but sometimes just the the most effective way for us for us to communicate especially with the the distances between us sometimes well I don’t mean that as a negative I just know I I just remember when kin when he plays midfield he wants to do like everything all the time so I kind of like you know him playing Center back keeps him a little bit more like he only has to think about sort of doing one thing otherwise he’s always trying to like go everywhere do everything and he’s like stretched everywhere so I didn’t know if you just had to kind of keep him like focused on the fact that he’s Center back and he’s not a center midfielder so he’s got to stay home a little bit as he gets all riled up in there um lastly what are you most looking forward to in Copa America yeah I think um for me it’s the opportunity to to win the position and I think obviously the World Cup is is two years away so I think uh not having qualifiers is is this is probably the biggest tournament that we’re going to play in before that of course next year we have the Gold Cup but to be able to kind of gain some of the experience against some of these South American teams and uh other cona teams as well I think for me it’s it’s the opportunity to go and uh play in this spot and I think uh obviously that that’s definitely my goal going into the tournament awesome well thank you Dane I appreciate you taking the time enjoy uh Los Angeles good luck I know this we’re oh actually lastly are the timo’s going to win tonight we’re recording this on a Tuesday hopefully hopefully and I think uh I got I got I got faith in them you know what I mean so game five tickets I don’t even know when game five is but I think game five is Thursday when we get back so we’ll see hopefully they can give us some free tickets you know what I mean so yeah a little little plug on the podcast if they win if they win game four tonight although I’m not I am not feeling as good about it as I did to start the series but uh yeah that was my last question I just wanted a prediction on that cuz I know you’ve been to a few T Wolves game you and uh derky in your time there so um thanks for taking the time today Dane I really appreciate it and you guys got a busy schedule enjoy Los Angeles good luck in LA and we’ll see you back here on Saturday sounds good thank you very much all right thanks everybody thanks everybody for joining me for another episode of sound of the loons presented by Elina Health we’ll see you all again next week [Music]
