With Jared off in Vegas doing what people do in Vegas, I called up a friend of the show and knowledgeable soccer guy Miriti Murungi of Nutmeg Radio to sit in as guest host.
It was a great idea in concept. If Skype had cooperated, I suspect it would have been a near-perfect show. But since Skype didn't cooperate, we had to fight through a bit of a technical mess to bring you this week's episode.
After starting the show solo, unaware that Miriti had dropped off, I start with thoughts on RSL's performance in Mexico. Miriti's connection comes back, and we move through the various aspects of an MLS team on the verge of a continental championship. We ask how big the disappointment would be if RSL doesn't finish the job on Wednesday. We wonder about who will step into Kyle Beckerman's shoes. We bat around the merits of the "all for one" movement behind the Utahans and whether MLS will ever move away from it.
The second segment starts with a wrapup of the RSL chat before we move into the rising star of Juan Agudelo. JA's wonder strike against United on Thursday is worth some reflection, and brings up the discussion of Agudelo as a prospect, how he should be "handled" and whether we're all getting ahead of ourselves.
Miriti disappears again, but we're obligated to talk about Brian Mullan's horrendous tackled on Steve Zakuani from the Rapids-Sounders match on Saturday, so I move the segment in that direction. Mullan should be punished severely, and Miriti returns just in time to take the discussion wider, into how MLS refs are managing games. There's no officiating style in the world that would have prevented Mullan from losing his cool and making the ugly challenge he did. That doesn't mean, of course, that MLS refereeing doesn't need to get better.
Claudio Reyna unveiled his first coaching curriculum for players 5-12 last week, so we review some parts of the plan. Reyna is saying the right things and laying out a solid plan, but it's on coaches to implement it. It will be a generation before we see the effects.
We close segment two with a few emails. Both revolve around USMNT player coming to MLS.
The show closes with a nod to Herculez Gomez's form and his chances to get into the Gold Cup team this summer. Here's his latest goal from Saturday.
Thanks for listening. Make sure you like and comment at the Facebook page and hit us up on Twitter.
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