Back again, just barely. Between Jared nearly recreating the Donner Party in the California mountains before blowing in just in time for the show and our podcast host giving me trouble getting the episode posted, it's actually a bit of a miracle everything is as it should be.
We start with Jared's mountain adventure. Apparently Southern Californians are soft on shoveling snow. An odd turn has us talking about the 1987 Ackroyd/Hanks classic "Dragnet" and Dabney Coleman's lisp before we launch into the new MLS playoff structure. Much to talk about there, including how much of this is Garber's doing, why the League bounces between one and two games in playoff matchups, and whether the new system gives the top seeds an advantage. Closing out the discussion, Jared brings up the fact that we still don't know where MLS Cup will be this year, which leads to both of us proffering a guess.
Segment two starts with a weird mention of Larry Hagman and Jared walking around his house nude before we move into a remembrance of La Guerra Fria ten years after the event. The birth of Dos a Cero. McBride's golf ball. Josh Wolff's greatest day. The day that gave Rodius bragging rights over Mexicans in SoCal.
From the heights of La Guerra Fria at Crew Stadium to a bit of a low and last week's CONCACAF Champions League match. Jared and I bat around why Crew-RSL was such a dud in the first go 'round and what we think will happen this week in the return leg. There's the notion that MLS is "lucky" that these teams are facing off in the quarterfinals, though I'm not sure it's entirely luck.
We then move on to the interview MLS commish Don Garber did with Brian Straus of AOL Fanhouse last week. The Don dishes on the playoffs, his "soccer guy" credentials, and much more. Jared and I turn Garber into a martyr before we find our heads and frame the Commissioner's stewardship of the League in a more accurate light. We answer the question of whether or not the new playoff format "prioritizes the regular season" (bet you can guess our answers) and give Garber credit for putting lipstick on a pig. We get into a discussion of Hans Backe's Supporters Shield comments, Garber's thoughts on them, and how the Shield might become the predominant trophy without MLS actively pushing it ahead of MLS Cup. If we (meaning the fans) all woke up tomorrow and decided the Supporters Shield was more important, would it be? How can fans express that they want the Shield to mean more without hurting their team in the playoffs?
To close out part two we move quickly through Donovan backing Beckham (and why he did), Mo Edu scoring for Rangers in Europe, and Michael Bradley's lack of playing time at Villa.
Break.
Final segment is quick hits on I AM PLAYR (check out the trailer, H/T to SF) our American Soccer Show fantasy league* and the end of the unfortunate end of the twofootedtackle podcast.
Thanks for listening, talk to you next week. Send us emails, and like us on Facebook.
*We're running the league through ESPN Soccernet's new MLS fantasy game "FC Manager." The group is "American Soccer Show" and the password is "theginge". Go create your team - with enough interest, we might be able to scrounge up a prize or two.
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