You're listening to Raising Anchor on 990 WBOB.
Welcome to the Raising Anchor Soccer Show with
Matt Entrickett and Jason Carey. Your home for
news, analysis, and everything Rhode Island FC.
Each week, they take you inside the locker room,
inside the tactics, and inside the storyline
shaping RIFC. Here's Matt and Jixit. Rhode Island
FC head to Segre Field to take on Loudoun United
in championship action on the weekend. Can Kano
and the gang find a way to grab three points
and earn their first ever win against this Virginia
side or will history repeat itself? And we've
got World Cup action, all of that in between
and so much more. Joining me first and foremost,
of course, is co -host Mr. Jason Carey. Jason,
how is it going, my friend? I am doing fantastic.
The World Cup in America and Canada, Mexico is
here and I am so ready for it. But on top of
that, I also get the honor of welcoming back
a very good friend of the show. One of the best
voices providing analysis and play by play for
action in the championship here, the one and
only Ryan Davis. Welcome back, Ryan. Thanks guys.
Back in your friendly confines of the raising
anchor show. Love it. Ryan, it's so good to have
you back on the show. You are one of the most
requested guests we have every season. I don't
know if it's because of the accuracy of your
analytics and the stories you tell, or if it's
just that smooth, smooth voice that you have.
But it's so great to have you back. We talked
earlier in the season and I was shocked when
we were trying to get you on for a certain particular
match and you had educated us that... You've
grown, you have evolved in the coverage that
you provide. Originally a Rowdies broadcaster,
now moving past that, covering USL at a larger
capacity. I mean, we heard you on several Rhode
Island FC games earlier this season. Your voice
is now being quickly cemented as one of the name
stakes here in USL Championship. How did you
get from Rowdies coverage now to the broader
ecosystem? Well, first of all, I want to take
full credit for the Rowdies being unbeaten this
season. As soon as I leave the club, they go
unbeaten. So you're welcome, Rowdies fans. It's
all me. I'll take a bow. But I've always, first
of all, the Rowdies are like a family to me.
It was incredible to learn broadcasting in that
family setting, working with Drew Felios, who's
an absolute master. But I always, when there
were weekends that I was available, I would actually
do some games in USL. whether it's a West Coast
game or whatever. But this year, being a Freyjaunt,
I've committed to doing USL every single weekend,
different matches. This weekend, I have Charleston
versus Tulsa. So Ted Lasso will be coming around
this weekend. It should be fun. So anyway, that's
my match this weekend. And loving the fact that
I get to see everyone rather than just who comes
into Allang. So it's really a joy. and especially
to cover Rhode Island at least three times already
this season. It's been a blast. If you need any
Logan Dorsey notes for the FC Tulsa game this
weekend, let us know. We are happy to provide
the cheat sheet, the cliff notes on his departure
from Rhode Island now to FC. I think that'll
be the first game then that gets the coverage
will be potentially if he makes the starting.
11 or probably more likely the 18 -man roster.
It's so great to have you. I guess I'll ask quickly
because we have so much to do in this show and
we are in a tight timeline. We're already late
and we've got World Cup coverage because people
are waiting to get to that South Korea Chesney
game really quickly here. So I'll ask you from
the standpoint of covering the games. From Rhode
Island's perspective, from the rest of the USL
championship, has anything changed for you as
you've started to branch out into the broader
USL ecosystem? I get to work with a lot more
commentators, but people that I've worked before
in the past, but I get to work with them on a
more regular basis, which is always fun. And
I get a chance to talk to so many other coaches
before every game. Like tomorrow, I have two
coaches calls, the Charleston call and then the
Tulsa call. and you get to just talk to these
guys and ask them just about everything and hear
their insights. So, yes, it was great being in
Tampa and great hearing that insight. But now
I get to talk to other teams, a lot more teams,
and I get to make fun of them. We'll have to
share notes at the end of the season and ask
you off the cuff how great Kano is in his interviews
ahead of these broadcasts because I'm not complaining,
but Kano is a tough nut to crack when it comes
to getting. He's got a high level soccer IQ,
but it is tough sometimes to get that extracted
knowledge out of him, depending on the way I
ask questions. So Ryan, very curious on how you
approach Kano Smith, but we got to keep going.
Got to get into World Cup because it would be
crazy if we didn't at least open the show with
that. Obviously we have the Mexico versus South
Africa game today. It was a goal affair for the
Mexico side as they win very Very easily, it
felt like at times. More of a red card affair.
And then many red cards coming from both South
Africa and Mexico with three red cards on this.
Want to get your overall impression of the opening
statement that this game meant to this World
Cup. Obviously, we have so much skin in the game
with this being nationally close to our hearts.
Ryan, we'll start with you. How did you feel
about the game and what was the statement meant?
What's been the impression? What's been the appetite
of people you've talked to as this open cup is
or is this World Cup has started? Mexico, Mexico,
Mexico. This is their third World Cup they are
hosting. And boy do they know how to host a party.
The Azteca Stadium was bouncing. I mean, they
would just rock us in Azteca Stadium. So as the
world tuned in, they saw a party, they saw a
gathering, they saw intensity. And then the Mexican
national team picked up on that energy. Poor
South Africa. They felt the nerves. they felt
all the eyes on them and they felt that crowd
just sort of crunching in like only Azteca can
so it was uh it was all Mexico and what I did
take away and everyone has to pay attention to
this the line has dropped for red cards so things
that may be a yellow or sometimes the referee
be hesitant to give that second yellow to send
the player off gone red card I mean, so the players
have to adjust, which is a good thing. Yeah.
The ref really was very strict there. I didn't
agree with that second red card for South Africa
at all. Yeah, that one was tough. Yeah, I agree.
I thought the Mexican player actually instigated
him as he was trying to run through the Mexican,
um, through his body into him and he just reacted
angrily. But, um, I think both of them would
have had to been reprimanded, not just see South
African. Yeah, I think that one was the softest
the final one was very much a needless challenge
You're up to nil you do not need to body someone
that close to the box Yeah, it's just that's
that's soccer IQ right there You should know
better than to do that try and try and push them
away as far as you can towards the corner flag
It was fantastic to see Mexican reception to
the game like it's so amazing. It's difficult
to tell where we're at Because we have not had
any games yet here in America. We have one more
game tonight, but you know So Jason, since America
is going last in this right, Canada gets to host
their first game tomorrow before America versus
Paraguay. Do you think that America will now
be behind the eight, Paul, of like we've seen
the Mexican opening act. We've seen the Mexican
delivery of this. Canada, of course, will be
next tomorrow. But like, will all eyes be on
America to rise to the occasion or has Mexico
already left them in the dust just just on opening
ceremonies alone? They definitely set the standard.
So at this point, USA needs to turn up. I saw
the other night that first opening match is still
not sold out. So we will see. Hopefully the hype
starts to catch up to people. And, you know,
from last minute, some tickets will drop and
people turn up. I mean, I'm, I'm super looking
forward to it. Like I said, it's just, it's hard
to tell what the reception here is yet because
I don't think it's fully hit us just yet. Ryan,
if you had to rate this, what would you score
this Mexican opening event compared to all the
tournaments you've watched since you've been
consuming soccer? On average, an opening game
is usually very, very, let's say, cautious because
nobody wants to lose. It's almost like a cup
final where it's very, very cagey. However, this
one was a lot more open. Thank you to the Mexicans.
And I think this is a 9 .5 out of 10, just with
the raucous atmosphere and how Mexico played
to the stage. And they absolutely showed up and
it was a great game. It was fun. It was sort
of end to end. Mexico could have scored three
or four. I shouldn't say that South Africa had
many chances, but Mexico definitely took the
show. I think everyone would agree. I mean, South
Africa's best chances came from 30. plus yards
outside of the box. So I agree. My first World
Cup was always my favorite Germany, Costa Rica.
You can't you can't hate on a four to thriller
in Alliance field Germany somewhere. Yeah. uh
but it's going to be exciting nevertheless and
so to that point we got to get through some of
the business side of this we've got to mention
the watch parties as Rhode Island FC is hosting
several watch parties on June 14th June 19th
and June 27th of course there's it's on the screen
for those who that watch on the video or you'll
consume it on the podcast later but basically
if you want to go to any of the guild hosted
events in Patucket. Make sure you get the free
ticket link. This is a ticketed event. They will
turn you away. So go in and get those tickets
before they run out. And I would be remiss, Jason,
if I didn't also mention that even though Bill
Burr will be at Centerville Bank Stadium having
his comedy night right as the USA Paraguay game
is kicking off. There's two things that I need
to tell everyone right now. If you're a season
ticket member, you already know this. There's
a 50 % off ticket link for the comedy event.
If you don't have access to that ticket link,
find a season ticket member friend. Find us.
We will help you out. Get that ticket so that
you can go to Bill Burr. And then this is unofficial,
but I have it on good standing that the game
will be put on immediately at the conclusion
of that comedy show. So if you're worried that
it's right in the midst of the USA game, if you
want to do both, if you love Bill Burr, if you
want to go out for an exciting night, you'll
be able to catch both. I'm curious how many Scots
has the Tartan army has invaded Providence already.
We've seen many pictures of it so far. I'm curious
how will follow Bill Burr and go and watch his
show, but it's exciting to see nevertheless.
Ryan, are you a Bill Burr fan? I am a Bill Burr
fan. I think he's absolutely funny. And a quick
story on the Scots coming across my very, very
good friend. She's a flight attendant and she
was on the flight coming from Scotland to Canada.
200 Scots coming across Rokas. The plane was
bobbing up and down as it flew across the Atlantic
to come to Canada. They're ready and they're
making the whole stretch. So they start in Canada.
They come down to the US, go wherever the Canada
is or the games they want to see and then come
back up. Yeah, there's going to be a lot of tartan
army presence over the next two weeks as they
have two games at Boston Stadium. But hashtag
not a World Cup show people are here tonight
to listen to Rhode Island FC and all things usl
championship That's why we brought the big dog
in ryan davis want to quickly get through this
team of the round winners in pranks cup action
Clay holstead gets named to team of the round
and frank nodarse gets honors on the bench Jason
first and foremost, we'll start with you vibes
on how these two players entered into that selection
Great to see them getting some nominations there.
Clay did have a great game Uh, he worked really
hard there in midfield. He pressed up there and
kind of, you know, was able to catch that ball,
get himself a goal. And then we saw Frank get
a return to a center back position after he's
been kind of pushed out wide RB to, I won't follow
that narrative anymore. He's LCB to till the
day I died. And you know, honestly, he had a
great game. He kind of looked like he didn't
skip a beat. after having not been in that position
for a while. Ryan, I mean, the standard bearer,
you get a goal, you make the major contributions,
you have solid defensive actions and a clean
sheet. Is it anything other than par for the
course for these two players to get named to
team of the round? I want to talk about Clay
Ho's start real quick. Marcelo Bielsa, who's
the coach for Uruguay, Pep Guardiola is a disciple
of Bielsa's teachings, just like Pochettino.
And he said the most valuable player on the field
is what they call a two -way midfielder. You
can get back. He can break plays up and while
breaking the play up has the ability now to create
an attack or have that decisive pass to break
lines and create a chance. Clay Holstad is a
two -way midfielder, so he's a gem for Rhode
Island. And I'm so glad he got his props this
week. All I'm hearing is if Pep was sticking
with Man City, Clay Holstad would be getting
recruited and signed for the Premier side. in
any moment in time. Let's get into this head
-to -head record really quickly. Want to start
talking about the Loudoun match overall. Obviously,
this is not a team that we have seen or done
things well against. Jason, the floor is yours
to commiserate the lack of success against this
Loudoun United side. Yeah, so the matches against
Loudoun, we've not seen a lot of success. There's
been one win for Loudoun where Abdelif Aboukura,
you know, Some would say the loud and Salah,
you know, he kind of put the boots to us, went
up to nil first half. They're kind of cooked
us there, but you know, that, that game was a
bit feisty. We saw some red cards there, Learman
and Harvo both being ejected, but we played each
other four times. All other three matches have
been nil nil draws. Not exactly barn burners.
It feels like under Ryan Martin, just something
about our tactics. We both kind of canceled each
other out and they're very cagey matches. It
was the elbow tweed patches on the jacket and
the golf hat. Ryan Martin just had too much style
on the night for Kano's monotone vibes. Ryan,
we've talked at length. This is a boogie. This
is a boogeyman team for us, surprisingly so much.
So I didn't realize that we haven't even scored
against Loudon in the entire history of Rhode
Island FC's career as a club. What are your thoughts
when you look at a lineup where one team has
seen so little success against another one? Well,
I'll give you my thoughts after seeing two goals
being scored in four matches between two teams.
Let's all get our pillows and blankets out and
watch this game so we can all fall asleep very
comfortably halfway through this match. But I
tell you what, it's, and this Loudon team is
very pragmatic. Coach Limbric, fantastic guy
from New Zealand. He coached in Wales, did a
great job with the team over there, got his recognition,
came over here and he builds like Cano from the
bottom up. So they play five at the back with
three centre backs, two wing backs, and they
play two holding midfielders. They push Akinyuri
sometimes, big strong guy in midfield, sometimes
to help out break up plays. So they take care
of business defensively. They've conceded 17
only because they've conceded like seven goals
in the last three matches before that. I mean,
they were really hard to score on Loud United.
So Rhode Island, it's the sun, one nil either
way. It looks to be one of those scenarios. We're
gonna figure that out as we unpack both the Rhode
Island FC side of things as well as the loud
inside I can tell both of you right now Everything
is leaning towards me of the opinion that I wish
we had had these guys in the home opener when
they were injury -plagued To the level they were
back then But we're gonna find out all of that
and so much more after we unpack this Rhode Island
of seaside here in a second We got to go to break
don't go anywhere. It's the raising anchor soccer
show Thank you for listening to tonight's broadcast
powered by Sprout Coworking. For all your business
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.com. Powering 990 WBOB, that's sproutcoworking
.com. Now let's get back to the Raising Anchor
Soccer Show on 990 WBOB with Matt Entrickett
and Jason Carey. All right, back here on the
Raising Anchor Soccer Show with our guest Ryan
Davis. from USL Broadcast and Analytics. He is
our lead pundit on the night. So we're going
to start things off with your impressions. You've
covered several games for Rhode Island FC this
season. Obviously you have to keep track of the
entire Eastern Conference, Western Conference
at a whole. Ryan, what's your overall take so
far looking at how Rhode Island FC has performed
so far this season? Well, Chris Zerup going back
out to the right hand side, at least he played
on the right for a couple of games that I covered
him. I think it's a great move for him to So
when he gets the ball, he can now look inside
with his left foot and now create room or passes
for people. They can runs. I mean, Alfonso is
just fun though. The Brazilian. He's so much
fun. Um, he has that MLS predegree and you can
see it when he's on the ball and JJ Williams,
his story continues. Talk about emotional leader
and the leader on the field, five goals, two
assists. He really not only the goals and the
assists, but he provides such an outlet. for
Alfonso for whole start because era so they could
play the ball into him and then run off of him
so that's such a big a big tool that he can use
but also his pressing so that has come a long
way in the last two years JJ Williams was not
very good at his pressing game he totally rectified
that and now he's a force in this league I can't
deny any of those things. And we want to kind
of get into a special segment here with you on
the show of all people, because I feel like we
get to kind of put a thumbs up or a thumbs down,
a yay or a nay, if you will, on some critical
questions that both pundits as well as fans have
been asking of this team as we've watched them
through the first almost half of the season now.
So I'm going to open things up here and ask the
very first question. Jason, we'll start this
round with you. Is RFC a top four team in the
Eastern Conference? They can be, but they need
to seize their own destiny. We see here in the
Eastern Conference, teams like Charleston and
Louisville are not the same teams. Outside of
Tampa Bay, who was just running away with the
league, there's a lot of parity here in the East
Coast. So if you just string a few wins together,
you can get into a good position. Ryan, do you
agree with that or disagree? I'm going to disagree
on this one. You're 10 games in now. You have
a very good idea of where your team stands. Of
course, injuries to other teammates, to other
teams can change the league, but I don't think
that dramatically. I think you've got a good
look at Rhode Island and I think they can get
into maybe the sixth spot, the fifth spot. I
tell you what, Detroit looks really good. Louisville
is always a cog in the Eastern Conference and
the Rowdies are off in the horizon somewhere.
We can't see them anymore. So they're long gone.
So I think in the 11, I mean, you guys found
out that the last much, they're a tough team
to break that one nil. I think it was one nil.
Yeah, that was one nil. They are a tough team
to break down Charleston battery. They toasted
the town in the East for the last two years.
So to break into that top four or five is going
to be really hard for Rhode Island. I'm not worried
about. of clubs like Indy is it's to me it's
it's the and I'm not worried about Charleston
the Indy I feel like got a fluke goal against
us for me it's the it's the pinnacles of Detroit
I think Detroit's a team that we sometimes struggle
through Pittsburgh if they get their momentum
behind them I I don't I don't want to say from
a counterpoint that I disagree I I do think to
both points that if they can get the right things
better that they could be. But I also think there's
some steep opposition in front of them. And Brian,
to your point, I don't know if Tampa is going
to lose a single game up until the playoffs at
this point. So we just need to be ready for that.
Yeah. Juggernaut. And they started, they had
poor recruiting for the last two years before.
And new coach comes in, they did the right thing.
He came in halfway through the season. He saw
what he needed to see. And then in the off season,
now it's his turn. He gets to bring in the players
that he wants. And boy did the new owners support
his wants. The whole different whole I mean,
the locker room was cleared out. Whole different
mentality came in. Lewis Hilton is one of the
heroes left behind and he's a strong character
in the locker room and on the field. And this
team has just gelled their workman like team,
pressing wise, and they finished the conversion
rate is so good. It's so good. Loudness is one
of the worst in the league, by the way. So you
guys are going to go up against that. But I'm
going to be spoiler conversion rates. Unbelievable.
Listen, this isn't the Dom Kashiado show and
if anyone has been paying attention to all the
good he did at Union Omaha Back in the USL one
time you've been missing out Next question here.
Rhode Island FC has already gone through their
toughest stretch of their schedule We got asked
this a couple weeks ago Jason by a listener.
I'm gonna start this one off I would argue that
we have not yet experienced the toughest moment
in the schedule. In fact, I believe looking at
what we have remaining I think the last 30 days
of the calendar are going to be the toughest
for Rhode Island. You look at it and we've got
Indy returning to to Centreville Bank Stadium,
Brooklyn. OK, no one's really sure about that
yet. Obviously, we've done some damage to them.
But then in the final week of championship regular
season, we've got Detroit. We've got a midweek
matchup of Loudon getting that game where we
had to make it up from the home opener. And then
we've got Pittsburgh. So in in seven days, we've
got detroit loud in pittsburgh and then guess
what we get to end the season away to heartford
I think that's going to be the the white knuckle
part of the season the squeaky bum time if you
will and to piggyback off that real quick, uh
pittsburgh that is fan appreciation day, which
is Absolutely diabolical because we are terrible
against pittsburgh So I don't know if they think
that fans appreciate football terrorism and they're
expecting a nil nil draw because we cannot score
against that game. So we've only scored one goal
against Pittsburgh in the history. It was in
Jägermeister. Right. So Ryan, just in case you
don't know this, for fan appreciation games,
we have now scored collectively all time in two
fan appreciation games. We've scored 13 goals.
I don't know if we're going to continue that
in this third outing of a fan appreciation match
against Pittsburgh. Quick insight on Pittsburgh.
I covered them last week when they played Charleston.
They play in a 4 -4 -2 but the four in the midfield
come together like a diamond so they move like
a group so they allow you to go to the side as
you pass your halfway line and then they try
to pin you to the to the sidelines so then you
have to recycle the ball again and then they
come back across here so the quicker they can
change that point of attack from the left to
the right that's where you'll catch Pittsburgh
trying to shuffle across. And that's when you
could use that space. But as soon as the ball
comes inside the whole stud, it's going to be
a rough house. They don't hold back. We'll save
that and forward it to Kano. And since you said
it, he'll listen. We just have to figure out
if it's Pittsburgh Riverhounds that are a nemesis
or if it's Eric Dick, because right now all signs
point to that it's the keeper in the sticks in
Eric Dick. All right. Last question before we
get into Rhode Island's preview. Will JJ Williams
surpass his all -time season goal record in USL
championship of 13 goals while with Tampa Bay?
Right now, if you compare this guys... Looking
back to that record season with Tampa, he was
at six goals already by week 13, but that had
a hat trick fueled in between it. And then if
you look at the tail end of the season, only
scored twice in his final 10 games of the season.
Do we see JJ Williams elevate beyond his best
ever record in the championship? Ryan, we'll
start with you. I say yes. I see the people playing
behind him, the service that he has coming in
from the sides. or to his feet for him to run
onto. I think he has enough quality behind him
to create enough chances for him to convert.
Yes. I'd have to agree. I, at this point, it
looks like he is, you know, unstoppable. So as
long as he stays healthy, I'm all bar for him
getting double digits and Getting well past beyond
that 13 goal mark. The only reason he wouldn't
get 13 goals is because Joe Jack was there Goes
on an absolute tear and gets like 22 and gets
golden boot for the season other than that I
don't see how he doesn't getting into this Rhode
Island FC side of things from an availability
report We still have CJ Williams and Amity joke
Listed as questionable probably close to returning
as I've not heard any major Injury related news
to these two players. So it's probably at a status
of game by game at this point But because of
World Cup we are not doing media sessions with
this team right now So we only can go off of
what was listed last week Jason when I look at
the starting 11 out of this I've got us returning
to a little bit of what we already know and that
of course is Koke Vegas in that because Koke
Vegas will never not be in net this season with
the back four of Nick Scardina, Kareefa Yow.
I've got Frank D 'Arcy continuing to fill in
for Omidy Joop and Aldair Sanchez returning to
that left back side. The double pivot in the
center defensive midfielder of Clay Holstead
and Hugo Baccarac. That front midfield three
of Jojea Quisera back out on the right returning
from international duty. I've got Augustine Rodriguez
Pitti coming into the cam roll. We'll talk about
that in a second. Leo Alfonso getting back out
to the left wing and of course, JJ Williams,
because there's no other option right now other
than JJ Williams. He's both too hot and there's
no one behind him to fill in for that role. Jason,
we're going to start with you because I think
you're going to be the disagree or if anything's
wrong with this predicted 11. What say you, my
friend? Yeah, I think we actually need to acknowledge
how good Amish Shapiro Thompson has been. He
is leading the team in big chance creation. So
it would seem that the gap isn't as wide as maybe
some of us have seen in comparing it to pity.
And I'll admit even myself, I had to go back
and realize like, Oh, maybe I haven't been getting
him as enough credit as he deserves. And from
what I've seen of loud in this year, the midfield
has been pretty open the way that they like to
play there with their wing backs. The one concert
there would be the battle against Polu Akinode.
He has been a monster in the midfield there just
absolutely causing terror against teams. His
defensive stats have been in some of the best
of the league, so that could be some concern
going forward. Ryan, how do you agree with that
starting 11? Is there something you'd like to
tweak or adjust that you think we might see on
the weekend? No, I love it. Petty Rodriguez,
the Argentine. I think when he gets comfortable,
and I know this is him still trying to feel his
way out, he has two assists this season already.
But I think when he starts to get the ball in
the back of the net, it's going to take a lot
of pressure off of players, even takes takes
pressure off of J .J. Williams with that, with
that goal supports. And I think Rodriguez owes
you guys some goals. And I think he's going to
get some. Brian, is that a pity Rodriguez Argentine
Argentinian jersey you have on? I'm sure that
must be for pity, even though he hasn't made
it into the national team just yet, right? Well,
it's an Argentine shirt. Let's just go with that.
Argentine shit. Three stars, by the way. Three
stars. Do you have a name on the back of it?
I will leave it at that. Okay. Okay. So listen
quick. I'm an Argentine fanatic. My first World
Cup, 1986. I know I'm going to date myself, but
I was swept up like somebody else. I was 12 years
old. I was swept up like so many other fans by
Diego Maradona. Never looked back. It was amazing
just to see him play. And of course, I followed
him in Napoli. I went to Napoli last summer and
to visit his, you know, his shrine and so on.
It is absolutely incredible. I got a chance to
go to Napoli myself. I didn't get to catch a
game. I did get AS Roma's final match of the
season, but did not get to see a Napoli match,
but Maradona is... God in Italy like you think
he's a god in Argentina. He is a god in at least
that part of Italy. Yeah Jason who's our X factor
on this match? We saw the lineup Who do we think's
gonna do the most damage allowed? Oh, it's got
to be JJ I think it's it's gonna come down to
the service to get to him But because of the
way he started the season he will get the credit
But I think JJ is gonna do some damage to their
back line Brian. Who do you got? Guys I think
you see they're gonna be a 1 -nil It's going
to be in Loudon. So. All right, I take it back.
1 -1 draw. 1 -1 draw away. Getting a point in
Loudon, who are very stingy. I think you will
do well to get a point out there. But you have
an X factor. At least there's goals. I'll take
that. Is there a player that will? OK, of course,
the Argentine. He owes Rhode Island some goals,
and I think he's going to start delivering. I
need that. I want that more than anything else.
I think the battle will be determined on the
wings. I watched three or four of the last games
of Loudon. It seems like they're in transition.
Not entirely sure if it's a Prinks Cup situation.
We're going to talk about that in a second after
the break. But they do like to favor the wings
and they haven't had a lot of their key players
back in yet. So a lot of the talent goes wide.
I think what we will see is more of a defensive
performance. And I think we're going to have
to rise to the occasion in Scardina and Sanchez.
I think they're going to have to show up in a
big way. And maybe it's not the glamorous, get
assists, get goal, you know, get goal contributions.
Maybe it's more of the defensive work that we
see there. But we do have to go to break. And
when we return, we're going to cover everything
Loudon United with the expert in Ryan Davis.
Don't go anywhere. It's the Raising Anchor soccer
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page. Now, let's get back to the Raising Anchor
Soccer Show on 990 WBOB with Matt Entrickett
and Jason Carey. Back here with the raising anchor
soccer show and we are blessed tonight with Trinidad
and Tobago specialist Ryan Davis Gotta start
talking about this loud United side. It feels
disgusting to have to do it considering they've
been the proverbial bogeyman for Rhode Island
FC, but it's a completely changed team since
the last time we saw them as Ryan Martin has
departed to greener pastures or Western pastures
in the Oakland roots and taking a sizable number
of players along with him, he literally took
his ball and went away to Oakland. Jason, how
do we feel about this new team with Martin departed?
Yeah, like Ryan mentioned Anthony limbrick here.
He's he's got some pedigree here from from the
Welsh Premier League played with TNS there and
actually won a championship with them a little
bit of the other, you know, kind of experience
there with Woking Grimsby Town and Harpill United.
Definitely a kind of a big change there. Like
Ryan said, they're very kind of a build from
the back kind of coach. Yeah. No, gentlemen,
like to talk just to limbrick CV for a second
here. One of the comparisons I hear all the time
about the USL Championship in particular is that
it falls somewhere between League One and League
Two, depending on the money spent and the tactical
resume, if you will. Knowing Limerick has basically
only tasted National League, a stint in League
Two, and then, of course, that Welsh Premier
League title. Is this a indication of a coach
getting himself promoted to a higher level of
competition than he's ever experienced? Or is
he right in the pocket of where he should be?
And was this the right decision for Loudon to
bring a coach like Limbrick on? Ryan, we'll start
with you. I think this is exactly where he's
supposed to be. He's going to learn. He's going
to get his bumps and bruises along the way. And
he's learning really quickly how much transition
there is in the USL championship. How quickly
teams go from defense to attack. So I think that's
why they try to slow things down and manage that
pace just a little bit. But they like to play
through the middle. I mean they have Murphy who's
fantastic on the ball. He's their orchestrator.
They try to get the ball to Pedro Santos to his
feet. Pedro Santos is very old. He's very old.
So they have to try to get the ball to his laces
rather than in front of him. And I mean Richie
Amann, he's very skillful. He comes in from the
left -hand side. He comes left the center and
he can off balance defenders. He's one of those
players that can be an X factor. If the game
is really deadlocked, he can take on a player
or two and create some space for somebody else.
Never trust a player that goes by the first name
of Richie, in my opinion. But I leave it at that.
Jason, do you agree with Brian's statements or
do you want to offer a different set of opinions
there? No, I think. From what we've seen, you
know, we also been a kind of slow start to the
season. So we can't like judge them too much
in that regards. He did well with the Welsh premier
league team TNS there, although maybe not a lot
with harder pool. He had a big task at hand,
right? 16 players leave the club. So just seven
players remain post -Martin. It's crazy. When
we continue to be spoiled by Rhode Island FC
retaining 16 players or more every single season,
we have not yet seen the levels of what I would
consider average USL championship turnover. All
of our listeners need to understand you're spoiled
and enjoy it while it lasts. That's all I'm going
to say. To be fair, he did keep seven pretty
good players here in Pedro Santos, Kwame Awa,
Jacob Erlinson, Lucas Piras, Quimio Artones.
Boyle Akinyode and, you know, Loudon's one and
only Salah in Abdelif Abakura. So I think he
got himself a pretty good starting hand there.
Ryan, how do you grade this rebuild? I mean,
a lot of clubs had to turn over the entire roster,
but they didn't also have to turn over the head
office, the technical team. How do you grade
this from an observer and watching these games
unfold in front of you? Very good. You always
look at the spine. Ethan Bandre in goal. He's
very good. Mazel Faro. Good defender as well.
Then you have Murphy. Excellent player. You have
Pedro Santos. And then you move, you have Aman
as well. So, and then of course, Akinyuri. So
that spine for Loudon is very secure. And then
outside, well, you have a lot of runners, a lot
of engines, if you will, on the outside. But
the players in the middle are actually very,
very adept, very technical. I think I have to
give them an A plus as well considering what
they were working with obviously also you have
to look limbrick did not come in with more than
just a handful of weeks really to shape the destiny
for loud in the season you get Thor Ulferson
as the striker coming in he's a he's an Iceland
test and he's up the league. You get Elvis Amo
on depth at this point. Obviously, he's probably
more towards the twilight of his career, but
what a depth player to get. A lot of teams can't
say that. And then defensively, Ezra Armstrong
from North Carolina. I know he hasn't played
a game yet, but we saw how good he was in getting
North Carolina to playoffs last season. Pacific,
Nairobi, like he's amazing. You get Richie Ahman
on loan from DC United. And of course, James
Murphy in that midfield. I hate to say this last
name, everybody, but you also get Jack Panayiotu
on loan from the Revolution. And what I don't
see fans, they know a thing or two about Panayiotu.
I anticipate he will be sensational not only
in this match, but in the many months and games
ahead for Loudon. But it's not been all sunshine
and roses for Loudon so far. Looking at the form
in their last five, two, one and two across their
last five in all competitions, including pranks,
you know, Their recent form has been topsy -turvy
is the best way I could say it if you're looking
not just championship. They get absolutely mauled
by Sebastian LeJet and Monterey Bay FC in a 4
-1 just drubbing. They then rally in a 2 -0 victory
against their Virginia rivals and the Richmond
Kickers in pranks action. But then they get spanked
just last night against Greenville Triumph in
a 3 -1 loss. I don't know what to make of this
team, Jason. The more I see the inconsistency,
the more we'll talk probably about the injuries
and what's been plaguing this group, the gelling.
It feels like I really wish the home opener had
happened because I feel like that might have
been a guaranteed three points. I mean, yeah,
beyond the leadership, the injuries, this team
is struggling to kind of solidify its identity
on the pitch. Just one win from the first nine
matches this season, and that was against the
NPSL team in the Open Cup. Their only other two
wins come from Brooklyn FC and that USL prank
won Prinks Cup victory, but they lost to the
Kickers earlier season and Open Cup sitting on
a negative five goal differential that they have
the fourth lowest scoring offense in the Eastern
Conference right now. Things have really not
turned a corner for them yet. And Ryan, you've
been saying that since the beginning of the show,
the offense is in serious lack right now. I think
we know why, but They're not doing all so well
when it comes to what's going on down in Sagra
field. Scored only 12 goals in 10 matches. I
mean, that's tough. What happens when you don't
score? Everything has to be perfect at the back.
No mistakes can be made. As soon as they make
a mistake, you go down a goal. You've been struggling
to score goals. So everybody's like humming and
hiring. So and so everything gets really, really
tight when when goals aren't flowing. When the
ball gets in the back of the net, everybody feels
good. Everybody gets confident, but when you're
either 0 -0 or down 1 -0, it's really hard to
go uphill for long periods of time. So goals,
as we all know, change matches. But I don't think
this Loudon team, we talked about the spine,
which is great. They don't have enough of a roster
to compete Pring's Cup and USL Jap Egypt. So
they start to struggle when they have to play
in two different tournaments as the season goes
on. And it has been a tough week for Loudon,
now three games in seven days. Talking about
that, not to hamstring them in a pun with this
availability report. Got to talk about the players
that we know are out. Ezra Armstrong and Aidan
O 'Connor continue to be out. They've been injured
since the preseason or even beyond. But the big
question, which we thought we'd be talking about
in reporting, would be Jordan Farr signing back
with Loudon United to augment their goalkeeping
core. he gets an injury against this Greenville
Triumph side in Prinks Cup action removed basically
at the halftime in mid -week action. So we have
him listed as questionable, you know, and beyond
those injuries. And Ryan, if you know more as
an insider, please feel free to expand. But like
beyond just the injuries themselves, we also
know that Mazza Furo... Christian Torres, and
then of course Abdullatif Awakura and Jacob Erlinson
all returning from injuries that have basically
kept them out of a majority of the season. They're
all just right now starting to get minutes. None
of them have played a full game this entire season.
It seems like injuries have plagued this team
and like I don't want to use the injury bug as
an excuse for Loudon's performance or their standings,
but Ryan you almost would it would be irresponsible
to not say that this is a chief component into
what's been going on in Loudoun. Yeah, they had
a great nil -nil draw away to Detroit, I believe,
a couple of hours, let's say about just over
a week ago. Then they traveled to Monterey across
the country and Monterey just made a coaching
change. They were chomping at the bit. No matter
who came through that door that day on the field,
the Crispin Kelp were going to maul them. And
it so happened to be Loudoun. to be the team
to show up that night. I got a chance to call
that game. Monterrey looked fantastic. Now going
into the Prince Cup now, we start talking about
the roster being stretched. Players now coming
back from injury. You're not going to play them
a lot of minutes. You're not going to play them
on the Saturday and the Wednesday. So the struggle
in the Prince Cup. I think this Loudon team though,
because they're focusing of course on the championship,
like you should, they're going to use their best
players on Saturday. And they should be pretty
competitive. I mean, we all know that Monterey
Bay's secret sauce was that Becky G showed up
for Sebastian LeJet and, you know, motivated
him to help assist Monterey Bay on the win on
the night. I thought it was Kelpie. It might
have been Kelpie, too. He's a good mascot. But
then, you know, with these injuries aside, with
some of the strategy that Limerick has had to
deploy in getting the most miles out of this
team through these three matches, Jason, how
do we think Loudon might show up on this match
on the weekend? Yeah, with Jordan far out, we
think Ethan Bantry is going to be there in net.
I think they'll have a back line here of Pacific
in Goberari, Noah Adnan. Asel Esengwe, Jacob
Erlinson, Kwa Awa, with a midfield there, kind
of Jack Paniotou, James Murphy, Bolu Akinode,
and Richie Ammon, with Thor Ulfarsson up top.
So when I look at this lineup, you know, we have
both of the wing backs in Nijeronabe and Oahu
as the kind of deployed fullbacks. We haven't
seen Limerick use either one of these players
since that Detroit match. So it feels like he's
been resting them to get the most out of them
into the championship side of things. You know,
I think maybe in... And Ryan, we're going to
look to you here in a second. There could be
some center back chess here with Erlandson only
getting 45 minutes. Maybe he's not match fit
yet enough to play it. Obviously, Akinyode is
a natural center back. So if you needed to kind
of drop him back deeper, there's probably some
midfield reserves like Lucas that could come
into that role. Obviously, this is all waiting
to see. But the one I want to talk the most about
is Panayotu on the right wing of this deployment.
Now, we saw him centrally in the two pranks games
we watched, but we also know that the Rebs want
to see him as a right midfielder. That's where
they usually play him when he's back playing
for his home team. We experimented with that
ourselves in Rhode Island FC. Never saw success
when Panayotu was out on the far right side.
If anything, I feel like Loudon should be taking
notes from Hartford when they saw him playing
in a more central role. He's a creator and he
does the most damage when he's playing centrally.
Thoughts on this lineup construction as we have
it, Ryan? Well, Paniat too, like you said, if
he's good technically, you want him in the middle
of the park, directing traffic and playing in
tight spaces. Because if he gets through the
tight spaces, then there's space ahead of him.
If he does not have that trickery or engine on
the outsides, Like I said, if his game is more
set to be more technical and playing in 10 yard
spaces, 10 yard radiuses, then definitely he
needs to slide into the middle of the park or
such a let's call it an inside right and allow
younger Barry to come around the right hand side
to provide that with as if he can stay disciplined
and stay in that right inside right section for
this loading team. Ryan, who do you have as your
X Factor in terms of a player from this Loudon
side that can do the most damage to Rhode Island
FC on the weekend? Thor Ulferson. Five goals
out of the 12, and guess what? He doesn't need
anything fantastic to score. Like JJ Williams,
Nyong 'e Berry can get down the line, cross one
in, he rises above us, center back, nudge it
in the corner of the goal, 1 -0. I would go with
Bolu Akinori. I think if he can boss that midfield,
I think he can cause us problems and kind of
negate our ability to attack. I've got richie
almond there's something about his game right
now. He is clicking on all cylinders He's making
a case to get back to DC United as fast as possible
And he's been doing a lot of the heavy lifting
in the midfield Absent of some of these injuries
that we haven't seen and of course, you know
We have all these other players that probably
will get substitution minutes and it would be
It would be almost, again, irresponsible to not
consider a certain player in Abukura who, if
he gets a chance, he did some major damage to
us last time we saw him. So I would not be surprised
there at all. We've got to go to our final break.
And when we get back, we're going to cover the
major storylines that should shape out for this
match here on the weekend. Don't go anywhere.
It's the Raising Anchor Soccer Show. Now let's
get back to the Raising Anchor Soccer Show on
990 WBOB with Matt Entrickett and Jason Carey.
All right back here on the raising anchor soccer
show with Ryan Davis and Ryan We're gonna start
this off with a loud in question Is this the
toughest week of their season not because of
the Prinks Cup, you know schedule makeup But
the fact it's three games in seven days and they
still are Pretty much unfit with a lot of injured
players returning and trying to get minutes and
they have Rhode Island FC coming to town So this
is definitely the toughest toughest stretch of
the season. So yeah, I think I think Because
of the amount of gains and so little time and
the other factor of players a group of players
coming back from injury It's so hard for the
coaching staff to pick and choose and a lot the
right amount of time for these players Sometimes
you sacrifice quality just to give the players
the amount of time that they need to get better
And I think loudness going through that stretch
where they would like these players to be on
the pitch for long periods of time to raise equality
But they just can't do it just yet. Jason, we're
at NFC. This is the Boogeyman in Loudon. Again,
no goals have ever been scored against this club.
Is this the moment in time? Is this team hot
enough? Is this team at the right level of maturity
and seasoned veteran ship that this is the moment
where this all comes undone? We see a goal against
Loudon and maybe we even see three points. I
think if any time to get that like kind of Boogeyman
off our back, this would be the time. Maybe this
is going to be more of the test of was it Ryan
Martin or is it was just something about Loudon
itself that kind of rubs us the wrong way. But
considering the long week that they've had all
the injuries, I think this is a very good opportunity
for RFC to finally get a win over Loudon. Brian,
do you believe that this is Rhode Island FC's
time or will history repeat itself? Well, looking
at the two wins, two losses, one draw. in the
last five matches. Don't give me the PTSD, Ryan.
I know. I'm just going through the thoughts in
my mind. I think. Yeah, I think this has to be
right. You're 10 games in. You're 10 games in.
You have to be able to. This is when I always
see any broadcast. There comes a time in the
season where you stick your cleats into the ground
and you said, I'm not going to be pushed back
any further. This is it. And the dressing room
has to take that stand. saying we will we will
not lose if we drop points that's fine but this
is a we're sticking the clits in the ground right
here and they're not going to budge us anymore
and i think it's it's arriving to that time where
the group has to take that stand it's a memphis
901 moment it's ryan this is the memphis 901
moment for us so famously Rhode Island in the
year one we had some bad outcomes against Memphis
901 where we were up 2 -0 and they equalized
with two goals and like three minutes after a
coca Vegas red card and we said enough's enough
and it changed the entire trajectory of the season
so yeah you can you can have that for your broadcast
notes at a later game that you cover with Rhode
Island this might whenever the Memphis 901 moment
happens then that's wherever it has. Hopefully
it's this night. I want to ask you then the question
back to Loudon here for a second. If Jordan Farr
is in fact injured, all eyes on Bondre, and what
does that say about a keeper that has been trying
to hold on the fort through some very elusive
challenges? gets basically sidelined by an upgrade
and then that upgrade immediately gets defaulted
back to the bench or worse. What should his mindset
be? On top of that, they had another goalkeeper
who was recalled to Colorado Rapids, right? So
there's definitely been some kind of flux in
that goalkeeping position. I wonder what that's
doing to Bondre's head there. Yeah, that was
Adam Baudry. He's a US youth national keeper.
So he went back to Colorado, but like you said,
It plays so much in your confidence and center
back position and the goalkeeper position are
very, very similar. They really, it's all about
being confident. I always talk about goalkeepers
being like the pitcher in baseball. They're standing
in the middle of the, on the mound all by themselves,
all the pressures on them. They're the last player.
If the ball gets past them, it's a goal. So they're
kind of, it's all about confidence and feeling
good about yourself going into the match. And
I think Ethan Boundary just has to be professional
at this point to try and dig himself out of this
hole, which he didn't create. All right. And
then Jason, getting into this, we always talk
about Rhode Island FC alumni doing damage to
the squad. Jack Paniotou has, if any player has
a bone to pick, it's a player that was recalled
from loan and then never used when he was brought
back to the team. He played for Hartford. We
didn't see him at that time with Hartford. If
there's a player that's ever wanted to score
against us more, I can't imagine it's anyone
other than Jack Panagiotou. Maybe, but I would
also argue that when he came back to us, we were
in a significantly different position. And I'd
say, to be fair, coach gave him some opportunities,
but he just really couldn't couldn't shine. Maybe
it's because not the right position. Like you
said, he really didn't play against us against
in Hartford Athletic last year. I don't know
if he's really going to do the damage to us that
I would think maybe some other alumni's might.
Do you, Ryan, subscribe to the idea that alumni
just have the secret sauce, the key to unlock
the door and do damage to their former teams?
Yeah, they often know the setup. At least if
the group or the coaching staff has been there
before and he's paid for that coaching staff,
he'll understand what they're trying to do within
about five minutes of the game when he sees the
formation and he starts to see them either bill
out at the back or go long outside, he would
start to figure things out. So, yes, I do believe
that he will cue in his coach and tell them these
are the two things they're going to try to do
against us. World Cup reporter Caleb Pongratz
does not want Jack Panayot to slander. It's not
slander to say that he could do some damage to
us Caleb So you got to stay with the program?
Gentlemen, this is the question for both teams
Jason for RFC Ryan. I'm gonna ask you to answer
for Loudon It's the last game for Rhode Island
in the 21 day break. I'm not clear on Loudon's
time off I think because of a buy Rhode Island
has an extended streak here, but how important
is a win for both these organizations right now
when you look at table standing perspectives,
momentum, and the fact that while we're not at
the true halfway mark in terms of games played,
we are kind of at the halfway month of calendar
timing. I think this is huge for Rhode Island
because they want to be the team in the discussion
in the East. They want to be at that table where
they are part of the best teams of the East,
the Charleston batteries, Pittsburgh River Hounds.
Loudon and Tampa Bay Rowdies. So I think because
of the expectations, it's bigger for Rhode Island
to get a victory this weekend. Loudon, remember,
Loudon comes from that DC United feeder team.
Yes, they have pride in what they're doing right
now, but they're kind of playing with a little
bit of house money because of all the changes
that were made in the off season. I think more
pressure on the group that Rhode Island has that's
been there for so long and the expectations are
higher than Loudon. Yeah, nobody considers them
the DC United feeder team anymore. They're the
Virginia Dream Academy program now at this point.
So they've changed ownership and entire ecosystems.
Jason, Rhode Island FC, we heard Clay Holtz in
the press conference last week talk about how
even a prinks game that might not matter towards
the final result, it's all about momentum and
stacking wins. Should we see anything less from
this Rhode Island FC camp? I wouldn't say that
the team absolutely needs the wind going into
the break, but a result I think is important.
I don't think they want to go into it. Losing
a draw. Obviously no one wants that, but at least
they didn't lose. I think they'll have a nice
long break there to kind of recharge. This team
historically has. played better in the second
half of the season. So even if results don't
go our way, I wouldn't write anything off for
the rest of this team season. Plays better in
the second half of the season, plays better in
the second half of games. We're just a second
half kind of group. Looking at the key takeaways,
specifically to Rhode Island FC now, we don't
want to hear anything about Loud and Ryan. Just
keep that thought to yourself. How does Rhode
Island get their first win against this club
in club history? We'll start with you. I think
I'm playing through the middle with Holstad and
company and Baccarat and then eventually gonna
have to go outside to Alfonso or Quisiro. So
yeah I think Clay Holstad is going to begin with
him and I think it's going to end with him as
he arrives late into the box to tap one in from
the penalty spot as the ball is squared back
from Quisiro one nil Rhode Island and you guys
are off to the races. So Clay Holstad the X factor
beginning and ending the move. I think he has
a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Basic type
of guy that can deliver. I mean, that sounds
like the dream, right? I think it's going to
be important for RFC to shut down Loudon's wing
play. So like you said, I think Skardina and
Sanchez, they're going to have a big task at
hand, but I tend to agree with Ryan. I think
if they can win that midfield battle, they can
get past Bolo Akinyole. I think this is kind
of the opportunity for RFC to finally get some
points here against Loudon. And I think they
just need to continue to kind of be direct, continue
to put up shots, even if it is to a certain extent
quality over quantity. We've seen if they get
enough shots under the belt, eventually one of
them is going to go in. Yeah, I think one of
the big challenges looking again at Loudon's
recent tactics and style of play is they abandon
a lot of the space in the midfield in their opponents
half like they they they will tighten up and
play compact and defensively in that double pivot
but there's a lot of room depending on how they've
progressed in their own attack on on either the
counters or just building into the game there's
a lot of space for Rhode Island to occupy and
play into and I think that that's going to be
the key they have to learn they have to be able
to exploit that space whether it's in transition
or in build We've talked now, and this is going
to be a continuing storyline, that they fail
spectacularly at defeating the low block, right?
Like playing through and finding goals against
teams that start to just compact in and play
the turtle game. I don't know if this is the
game to showcase that, but I do think that Rhode
Island can take advantage of that in that midfield
space. And if they can command that, I think
they've got a good shot at it. but also I think
we're going to get very few chances with a back
five. If we've already seen the low block be
a problem for Rhode Island, it's going to be
even more extension, or accentuated, excuse me,
here on the night. So I think that they're going
to have to take their chances and transition
more, and they're going to probably get just
a handful. So that clinicalness, whether it's
JJ or Afonso, or maybe even Quasera. You know,
the guy is red hot. Both Quasar and Williams
are red hot right now. Seeing one of them continue
to stay on the scoreboard would not hurt my feelings
in any way, shape or form. So I think that's
where they can take advantage of this of this
group. But what are the refs looking like? Do
we have to complain? We usually ask our pundits.
We usually ask our guests how they feel about
roughing so that they get in trouble and get
fined from USL HQ. Who are the refs on the night
for this match? Yeah, we got head ref here, Edson
Carvajal. Uh, it's in Kavani's cousin there,
uh, assistant referee Colin Ashley and, uh, Karsten
Gilwald with the fourth official being Marie
Durr. Ryan, without getting you in trouble, we've
been asking every pundit and analyst that comes
on who their favorite ref is. Do you have a favorite
ref so far in the 2026 championship season? I
don't. I, you know, I'm so old school when it
comes to this. You really can't focus on the
refs. If you're focusing on the refs, you already
lost the game. They're doing their best. The
striker is trying to do their best. The center
back is trying to do their best. It really does
come to your chance of executing. And so I really
kind of stay off of the whole ref bandwagon.
I know that's very diplomatic. I get it. But
I really do believe it comes down to the team's
execution. So I try to stay away from the refs.
Oh, one quick thing, because Lowden plays a three
at the back, the five, the two wing backs have
so much work to do. that the space is behind
the wing backs and you want to make that back
three move you can't have them stay stationary
so what you do is you attack the edges of the
back three either the right center back or the
left center back which means jj williams may
have to pull out wide and attack that space and
whole southern company have to fill that in I
think that's right. And two, with a back four,
it gives JJ, it gives Jaja and Leo, or whoever
they put on the left wing, a little bit more
freedom because they don't have as many defensive
responsibilities. So again, if the wing backs
explore up, we can capitalize and destabilize
that back three, no matter who starts on the
night. And listen, Ryan, you don't have to apologize
about the refs. We try not to bring them into
the equation. They insert themselves into the
recap of the game when we do the review show
on Mondays. We try not to make them a story,
but sometimes they just do that for themselves.
We are trying to do two things. And since we
have an official USL broadcaster on, we're trying
to pump two narratives. One, JJ gets way too
many missed calls. And it's because he's a big
guy. A lot of calls don't go his way. Exactly.
And we're trying to elevate Natalie Simon to
referee of the year. I don't know how many championship
games she's ref so far this season, but she is
our favorite ref. So we won't complain about
the ones we don't like, but we will exalt and
honor the ones we do. Stay positive. I love it.
That's all you can do. Where do we vote? There
needs to be. There needs to be a ref of the year
vote for championship. You gotta turn it over
to the fans. Yeah, 100%. I mean, it'd probably
be a negative count at that point, but it's like,
it's like golf. Keep it, keep it positive, right?
So you're not, you're not focused on the negative.
You're, you're lifting up what was great. So
then you can at least have a, like, this is the
shining beacon. This is what everyone else should
aspire to be too. Have a talk with whoever's
running and coordinating a USL operations. You're
closer to it than we are. And we'll go from there.
Yeah, I will. I'm on it. Getting to this watch
information, the game is on at 6 p .m. It's the
same time as the Morocco versus Brazil World
Cup match, so figure out your situation ahead
of time. Defiance 1636, the supporters group
is hosting watch parties for both the RFC game
at the Guild and a separate watch party for the
Morocco -Brazil game at Trinity Brew House. I
ask the president of Defiance... if there would
be both games at Trinity Brew House. And he said,
I will have my cell phone for anyone who wants
to watch it. So plan accordingly. We'll have
to find out more about that. But obviously there's
too much soccer going on with this World Cup.
It's a shame that we have to compete over these.
And of course, got to do the Bill Burr reminder.
Go watch the show. It's a half off if you're
a season ticket member. And if you can't get
that, find a friend who's a season ticket member
or reach out to us. And then allegedly. There
is a watch party for the US men's national team
right afterwards We can't even say it confirmed
because Hartford confirmed one today for a watch
party for the opening one and they got their
party canceled because FIFA stepped in and said
you can't do that because of sponsorships and
so many other things so Allegedly is the key
term in all things we talk about Ryan it is so
great to have you on this show. I I need you
on more often personally I didn't get you last
year you fill it you filled in for me How do
we get you more often on our show? And then also
where can all of our fans follow you in your
journey? How can we find out what matches you
actually covering ahead of time? Because maybe
they just want to hear your voice and soothe
them Well, maybe if I wasn't so lousy and posting
every weekend, people would know, but I'm really
lousy on putting matches on X. I think I'm going
to start doing that. You know what, Matt? You
said it. I'm going to deliver it. I'm going to
start posting the matches I'm going to call on
the weekend on X. And I'm Ryan at C -O -Y -R
on X. So at Ryan C -O -Y -R. So anyway. I love
that you still have the C -O -Y -R by the way.
Shake it. It's been so long. it's been so long
uh do we have while we have you do we have any
projected winner of the world cup that you want
to say with your chest guys this is gonna this
is expensive so we have spain we have spain and
france that's the easy ones okay spain and france
in the final you get out who wins is england
i think england's gonna get to the semi -final
i think england's gonna go to the get to the
semi -final I'm going to say that France's midfield
and back line are a little overrated and they're
focusing on all attack. So they're clearly going
to get far, but I wonder we get to the later
stages. If they're not as balanced of a team
as people think there, it's going to cause some
problems. I think Spain is a very complete team,
but I also just don't know if they have the firepower
in them. Yeah. Well, you're right. But I did,
they come in, they come in at number one and
number two, they're the favorites England is
going to get to the semis. But here comes the
dark horse around the corner. Nobody sees it
coming. The Netherlands, the best team to never
win the World Cup is going to come around through
the back door, show up in the semi -finals. Good
luck. That's it. You know why? Because they're
such a team. They're not, they don't have the
flair and the stars, but they're whoop and like,
they're going to press you till you fall dead
on the ground and they don't have any egos. I'm
sorry. Did you just say the best team that has
never won the World Cup and then you ignore Belgium?
These the the 20 the two note the 2000 and what
the dark horse for the last five World Cups?
Yeah, come on. It's the same team Belgium if
you're gonna say they're all 40 years old, but
Okay, guys, hold on 1974 lose to Germany to 178
lose to Argentina any final three one and then
lose this to Spain, 2010, 1 -0 or 2 -1 in the
extra time. Best team ever to win it. Listen,
listen, you can say best teams ever to win it,
but you can't diminish the golden generation
out of that Belgium side. And it doesn't matter
because Morocco is the dark horse. It's the real
dark horse. Oh man, this is so good. You know,
Brazil, Morocco, five time World Cup winners
against the African nation winners and last World
Cup semi -finalists. Should be a good game. We're
going to have to bring you back on closer to
the end of the World Cup and just cycle back
through this. We're going to have to do it. Yeah,
we'll talk World Cup. Ryan, it's been such a
pleasure to get to talk shop with you. What's
the next game you're covering in the championship?
Do you know it or is the schedule too far out
for you? Yeah, Charleston versus FC Tulsa. It's
going to be 8 p .m. in Charleston. Let's hope
Ted Lasso shows up and we can have some other
storylines on Saturday. Watch Rhode Island, watch
the Charleston game, and of course, continue
to watch everything World Cup. Ryan, it's been
such a pleasure to have you on. Thanks, guys.
I really, really appreciate it. Always fun coming
on. You guys do such a great, great job. Appreciate
it, Ryan. Thanks, everyone, for joining us. We'll
catch you next time. Anchors up. Anchors up.
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