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 Jixon. Rhode Island
FC hold the best of the West to a draw, securing
one point against Orange County Soccer Club in
a night that had goals for, goals against, and
of course, rain at Centerville Bank Stadium.
Was this as good of a game as we deserved? And
was this, more importantly, a pressure test for
some midweek action as the boys in amber and
blue head all the way to California to take on
the Sacramento Republic? We're going to figure
that out. We're going to break down the game.
We're going to preview the next one here. It's
a double show week because World Cup is going
to be on a pause, and the only thing you should
be watching tomorrow is Rhode Island FC. First
and foremost, though, got to check in with the
co -host with the most Mr. Jason Carey. Jason,
how are you doing, my friend? Uh, doing all right,
trying to get over the, uh, the, uh, stinging
exit there that was, uh, last night's, uh, USA
match. Um, kind of a bit of a reality check for
us. I think there was a lot of hype around the
team and, uh, I mean, the, the tournament overall,
with the exception of maybe a few issues at the
beginning, Guinea was going really well and the
USA was doing well. I mean, the other host nations
were to a certain extent as well. And it all
kind of came crashing down here in the, uh, the
round of 16. I don't really believe in karma
or jinxes, but in this case, I think that there
was a, whether or not he actually did it, there
was some political intervention, someone claim
or at least claim that they did. And I think
it brads some kind of maybe bad karma to the
team. I've watched this Belgium team play a lot
and they were clueless in the, in the group stages.
They look abysmal. Completely different team.
Completely different than what we saw. And they
showed up with a chip on their shoulder like
they had something to prove. And it didn't help
that we also shot ourselves in the foot with
a really lot of poor defensive errors, but that
was not a performance from them that, you know,
we should have lost maybe 2 -1, right? It shouldn't
have been. an absolute thrashing. A lot of people
online complaining about the fact that we lost
as both the host nation and not advancing past
the round of 16 something again we have not done
since 2002 when we made it to the quarterfinals.
You could argue well we still made it through
one knockout round because of the expanded format.
but i don't think there was a lot of american
fans that thought we could go all the way i think
maybe in the back of our minds you know those
dark recesses where we don't speak those parts
out loud we keep them quiet in ourselves maybe
we believe maybe we're like This team's good
enough to compete. And then it all came crashing
down. Like you said, it wasn't just a loss. It
was a complete collapse from the U .S. men's
national team side, not the game that we wanted
to exit and bow out of the tournament. And I
think to your point, if it had been a closer
game, whether it was a 2 -1, a 1 -0 loss, a 0
-0 that went to penalties and they just didn't
go our way, some... better answers as to the
future of the squad the future of soccer in this
country but instead when you're on the highest
pedestal and the nation's eyes are upon you it's
like they just didn't show up to this game it
was disjointed disconnected it was disappointing
i said that last night to a couple people at
high motor it just felt like They never woke
up and realized that they had to play the biggest
game of their lives. And, you know, I've heard
pundits talk about they didn't have fight, they
didn't have tenacity. It just felt like to me.
that they didn't realize that they had to play
soccer that day because I was by the end of the
game with about 30 minutes to go the people that
were sitting at my table we started playing a
game of can America string together more than
three passes before they get dispossessed off
the ball and guess what Jason they never did
it again for almost 30 minutes it was trying
to move the ball as fast as forward as possible
and then it would just get shut down by a Belgian
side that definitely had something to play for
and ironically from Belgium They didn't start
Lukaku or De Bruyne. Lukaku does amazing damage
at the end just to put like the cherry on top
of that defeat and it is what it is. So I'm gonna
ask you this question because we're gonna reminisce
just for a little bit before we get in to all
of the Rhode Island of Sea action. Was this a
worse game when we talk US versus Belgium in
World Cup? Was this a worse performance than
the 2014 result and do we owe Chris Wandelowski
an apology? I'm not going to go as far as to
say we owe Chris Wandelowski an apology, because
I do not care for the San Jose earthquakes at
all. However, I do think that this was a worse
performance. I think when we go and look back
to that game, we took it to 120 minutes. Remember,
that game had fight in it. And that's just what
was missing from this game. There wasn't that
like claw back into the game. Felt like there
was a few moments where we are maybe going to
get back into it. One of those moments is kind
of right before Matt Freecy forgot how to kick
a ball. He just wanted to kick the ground as
hard as he could. It's not that he forgot the
ball. He hates the ground that he was standing
on. He was just spamming fake shot and just and
it's completely missed. But before that it kind
of felt like there was a little bit of like fight
in the team to get back in and that maybe just
killed the spark in them. I would rather them
to see them even if there is no hope to kind
of continue to go for it. And it just kind of
felt like hopeless long balls and that they just
really couldn't string anything together. Yeah,
I think after the freeze mistake, I think that's
kind of took the wind out of the sails. Maybe
the team still thinking there was a possibility
after Tillman had scored in that free kick. I'll
tell you this right now, you talk about fight
and who would have brought it had they been substituted
on. We saw Burrhalter, we saw Raynaud to a certain
extent really trying to like change the attitude
on the pitch. You know who would have been the
dog you needed in that fight? Diego Luna. Oh,
absolutely. That's that's all there is to it
at this point. So I didn't see Christian Roldan
I think even play in the tournament. He was like
injured. Again, my point to it. So I also want
to say I don't know if this is a hot take, but
I think that after this tournament, I think Polisic
is a fraud. I don't I'm not really impressed
with him. I don't think he's at the levels of
Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey like we have
elevated him to. I think he's a perfectly mid
-range player that can augment a team. Like a
Jermaine Jones was never gonna be the star of
the show, had some sensational moments, but he
was never leading that locker room. He was never,
the hope was on his shoulders. There's talent
there, but I don't think he is Mr. or Captain
America by any sense of the matter. I don't think
he has that dog in him. Apparently after the
the game the interview he's like well now we
get to rest for the upcoming season. I was like
You play for the badge in front not the name
on the back. Hence the Diego Luna comment Look,
we'll see what happens with this roster They'll
go into gold cup here in the year to come and
we'll see how they do in concrete calf time Jason
right now looking at the quarterfinal lineup.
There are no concrete calf teams left There's
only one calf team one cotton ball team left
the rest of this. This is back to the UEFA show
Do we dare put any predictions in as to who might
go all the way at this point? Or is there, is
there a team that we're rooting for now that
the U S is out? Um, I mean, probably, probably
Norway, just the Vikings, cause that's fun. It'd
be a fun storyline. Um, realistically, I still
think this is France's tournament until proven
otherwise. Maybe some people based upon a game
that happened earlier today might think that,
you know, Certain organization wants a certain
South American team to win but the script is
in all right Argentina's gonna win the whole
thing just because that's what Egypt is telling
everyone it's not the fact that Egypt Let in
three goals uncontested and unanswered. It's
because the script writers for FIFA want Argentina
to win the entirety of that game. Think what
you want about it, but all you had to do is stop
one of those goals from going in and you could
have still been at least talking a different
story if it had gone all the way to extra time
plus pens. But listen, hashtag not a World Cup
soccer show. I think Norway is the right fit.
We'll have to see how they do against England.
We got to get into this Rhode Island of Sea conversation
and let's talk about league standings. Obviously
Rhode Island of Sea come off of a 1 -1 draw.
We earn a point. So Jason, that should mean For
all intents and purposes, we've moved up the
table, right? We're no longer in 9th, right?
Well, we still find ourselves kind of in the
basement there, never ending 9th place. RFC now
back to a perfectly balanced 4 -4 -4 record.
16 points here after that 1 -1 draw. I guess
the silver line is you could say that was a first
place team in the West. But we're still two to
three games behind most teams. So, I'd say a
draw isn't the worst result, especially maybe
considering the opponents. Maybe we'll talk a
little bit, unpack that a little bit more later,
but there's still plenty of game time for us
to kind of claw some points back and move up
that table. So, we've drawn against Orange County
at home. We've now drawn against Tampa Bay at
home. Definitely contenders to make things difficult
for teams at the top of the table. Speaking about
Sacramento as our next opponents. Meanwhile,
they also sit on a 4 -4 -4 record. Weirdly enough,
though, in the Western Conference, that's only
good enough to get you tenth. So, you know, you
talked about Silver Linings a second ago. Maybe
that's the Eastern Silver Lining, despite the
fact that we have an extra team in our conference
this season. This game screams big midweek opportunity,
I should say. Both of these teams, a win could
get them back over the playoff line and get some
of those... you know, casual eyes and concerns
on where the performance of these individual
teams are. But this is also going to be a question
because it is midweek action for Rhode Island
FC. It is a team in Sacramento that probably
should be higher up the table, but it's not.
Again, you could say the same thing. And it's
going to be a curiosity as these two teams have.
They're the only teams, by the way, in the Western
Conference and Eastern Conference that have seen
each other every single year. Oddly enough last
year and the year before that Sacramento has
come and played at home in Rhode Island three
times So it's one of those weird things where
we've seen them in two home games of the season
And then we got them in that the Jaeger Meister
tournament play where we don't like to talk about
that match But as far as Western Conference teams
go, we've we've had a lot of looks at Sacramento
We just never have gone to Sacramento to ply
our trade there a very interesting match ahead
on that But we're going to go to our first break
because we have tons to break down tonight. And
when we return, we're going to look at how Rhode
Island of Sea set themselves up for success against
Orange County last weekend on the 4th of July.
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
needs, large or small, visit sproutcoworking
.com. Powering 990 WBOB. That's sprout coworking
.com. Now let's get back to the raising anchor
soccer ship on 990 WBOB with Matt intricate and
Jason here. All right, taking a quick look at
how Kano set up here for the match. As always,
we've got Koke Vegas and net here. Uh, back four
of Nick's Gardena, Creafy, yow, Grant Stoneman
and Frank no Darcy. holding midfielders here
of Clay Holstad and Hugo Baccarac, with your
attacking midfielders being Jojea Quisera, Amos
Shapiro -Thompson, and Augustine Piteira -Rigas.
with JJ Williams up top as that lone striker.
Looking back at the predictions we made on this
game, only one that we really got wrong. We weren't
sure about Grant Stoneman versus Frank D 'Odarse.
We've seen limited success from that pair so
far this season. Grant Stoneman gets the nod
to the start, makes his 150th USL regular season
appearance. So what a milestone, what a feather
to put in your hat there. Frakener and I say
back out wide, we had predicted maybe Al Dyer
had earned a way back into this starting lineup.
Not the case here. But one other interesting
thing that we saw on the night, got to talk about
it. Djurjeik Wazera, no longer the inverted winger,
but instead playing back on the left like we
had seen for extended Periods in this game now,
of course one of Kano's favorite tricks is to
you know Swap his wingers and flip them throughout
the game to kind of Disorient defenders and cause
some chaos going into the final third but Predominantly
saw jr. Jake was there on the left this night
Didn't really see him and didn't have an impact
feeling him out on the right thoughts on what
we were thinking that was all about Yeah, I was
it was interesting to see him kind of move back
over there especially where we've seen him have
some success while playing on the right and being
able to kind of, you know, contribute a lot of
goals here this season with something we haven't
seen him do as much in the past. I wonder if
that comes down to to pity, right? Is this Conno
trying to get more out of pity by like kind of
testing where he, what his best position is on
the field? You know, we saw Amos Shapiro Thompson
come back into the fold and he kind of has made
that center attacking midfielder position, his
old, his own as kind of like the, the tipping
point of the, with the two holding midthrows
behind him there. And so we're kind of playing
around with the wings to find what's that best
combination. I think for Quesaro, we've seen
that it potentially is the right there, but he
played in the left in the first seasons. So.
Maybe this is an opportunity to try and get out
more of pity. Is pity doing enough? You know,
I know we talked about this, I think a few episodes
ago with the break, it's hard to like just immediately
go back and recall it. But we know that, you
know, pity might not be the player that's going
to be a 10 and 10, you know, midfielder attacking
midfielder. He he may only get single digits
in one category. He may not score a single goal
this season and only be from the assist side
of things. Is this is he doing enough? that we've
seen to demonstrate, because we've had cases
about, you know, Leo Afonso, should he be starting
over pity? You know, Amos Shapiro Thompson, I
think, has solidified a spot in the starting
11. Is pity doing enough at this point in your
impressions? I don't know. It's hard to say with
him. I feel like he doesn't have bad games per
se, but I feel like the expectations were that
he would bring goals and assists. There's not
really getting that out of them. I think we are
getting Better numbers from Leo as he's coming
off the bench So I maybe we could Try something
similar with Augustine. I don't know. But then
who do you who do you put back out there? I mean
do you try and just throw Sanchez up there make
him play a winger It's it's kind of a interesting
problem for a Kano to kind of figure out like
what is his best position and how can we get
the best out of them. It'll be something we have
to watch as the injuries are starting to pile
up. We'll talk about that in the preview here
in a bit. Getting back to the roster that was
selected for game day, getting back into the
Frank Nardarse versus Aldair Sanchez component
of it. Look at some of the overlying stats, you
know, It's hard to qualify one player versus
the other. I think both of them provide a couple
of different things. There's a willingness to
dribble and duel on that left side and there
is a solid defensive composure. I think Aldair
offers more from the crossing game. I think he's
a little bit more accurate with getting the ball
into the mixer, but I think Sanchez. Excuse me,
I think Nodar Seh brings a little bit more stability
to the back line and his presence in set piece
offense and set piece defending has not been
ignored or missed. It has been a key component
of some of the recent success. Knowing that and
now kind of seeing it looks like it's Nodar Seh's
spot to lose now, is this a case where Kano Smith
is leaning more towards that stability that Nodar
Seh brings in the set piece part of it and the
management there of the game? Or is it something
where all day or Sanchez's game needs to evolve
to the next level expectation? Because if we
know one thing about Kano when you're not doing
what he wants to see get done, it gets hard to
suddenly find starts. I'm looking at you, you
know, Gabby Alves. I'm looking at you, Steven
Turnbull. Like, how do those moments happen to
where Sanchez can find his way back into that
starting 11? It's hard to say. I also wonder,
too, in regards to. The way that Kano looks at
this team defensively. We know that he really
wants to be like, I have a solid defense and
I know that we, we have, but also that there
are times when the season we've looked a little
shaky and I don't know, maybe that's him kind
of, like you said, relying on no Darcy for that
solidity of stability, whereas Sanchez is a left
back, but he also is kind of bit more of an attacking
left back, if you will. The Sanchez need to start
trying more bikes more often because clearly
that's what Frank's been trying to do to wow
the crowd lately. I don't know how maybe maybe
we just need to see a little bit more flair from
Sanchez's game for him to kind of sneak his way
back in. He's that brilliant street baller, but
also it's a long season, right? We've got three
games this week. I mean, we could very well see
Sanchez start tomorrow. and then just kind of
get some rotation. I know that the guys are rested,
but at the same time, you don't want to have
them come off of rest and immediately run them
right into the ground. Agreed. Who are your heroes
and Zeros in the match? Hero's going to be AST.
I wasn't sure where he'd fit into this lineup,
but he's really made himself a first choice and
just consistently playing super well. Zero's
going to be Tim Ream. He really had a poor performance.
I can't believe that he didn't. Oh wait, we're
not talking about that game, are we? I see what
you did there. Uh, my heroes for the game got
to be who go back Iraq with the lone goal, but
just also his attacking prowess on the night
and multiple looks at net from range, uh, multiple
set piece attempts, uh, really provided a lot
of spark when the game was kind of dying off
on the wings. Um, you know, Orange County was
compact. They stayed they stayed very defensively
Deep and you know, it was hard to find those
opportunities even though there was a ton of
shots Jason which we'll talk about here in a
second Hugo's got to be the man of the match
for me or at least my hero The zero has got to
be the rain. I'm when we looked at the weather
and did the last show It was 80 degrees. There
was no rain within like 38 hour corridor on either
side and then by the time it's game day I'm suddenly
seeing warnings that the rain is 10 30 p .m.
Now it's 8 p .m. We got to stop getting washed
out at Centerville Bank Stadium. I'm not complaining
about it for me, but fans are not going to show
up. The stadium continues to get rain like this.
It's something's got to be done. I don't know
if it's afternoon games. It wouldn't help today.
It's been raining all day, but like, man, I'm
getting sick and tired of the rain. Yeah, I really
need to get some more people in there. It just
worked. We're cursed this year. I don't know
what it is. Absolutely. So let's start things
off now with Kano's opening statement. We'll
listen to what he had to say about the game and
then kind of reflect and open it up with our
own. So here's Coach Kano Smith on the performance
against Orange County Soccer Club. Good teams,
two pretty evenly matched. Wasn't much between
the teams. I think they had a period in the first
half where they were 10 to 15 minutes where they
were superior. Then after the water break, I
thought we were, we went in halftime with momentum.
We came out of halftime with momentum. Obviously,
we scored, had enough corner kicks, had enough
set pieces. Probably not enough in open play
to be dangerous, but I think we still had some.
But I don't think they caused us many problems.
I think they had good possession, but we're really
dangerous with it. But yeah, then the kid, Sela,
I thought he was probably the best player on
the field tonight. And he had one moment and
decided the game. I can't disagree with anything
Connor just said I do want to quickly call out
the hydration breaks It was warm enough. I guess
to warrant I'm not sure what the USL handbook
determines is like What's the necessary temperature
or humidity that you would have to do? Hydration,
you know positive dehydration But it was kind
of weird to see considering how much chatter
that that has gotten and then the first game
during the World Cup That's at home at Sonoma
Bank Stadium there's a hydration break. Do you
think this is something that's going to start
living within you? Cause if the USO could do
one thing right now, it's make more money. Are
we getting a hydration breaks in the USO? I really
hope not. It's hydration breaks are our thing
that have been around, but like you said it,
there's usually some sort of criteria. I don't
know exactly what that criteria criteria is,
but it's never been more than like 30 seconds
to a minute. So to see this kind of sneak into
the game. Not a fan agreed getting into the actual
match again I have to go I have to agree with
Kano here This game did not feel like Orange
County was ever in the driver's seat. Yes. They
did have the lion chair possession But when you
look at how much Rhode Island was trying to dominate
their will on this match, it just never really
felt like Orange County was in this game for
anything other than a draw and was just happy
to walk away with a point at that. You know,
I look at the shots, total shots, 24 total shots
for Rhode Island of C, just three on target there.
We've talked about the clinicalness. We've talked
about the need to finish in these opportunities.
44 touches in the opposition box. Jason, they
only found the ball nine times in Rhode Island
FC's box. This just did not feel like they were
tested. They did not feel like they were put
to task by this number one team in the Western
Conference. And again, I know that they're coming.
They're playing away. They're not playing at
their own home stadium in Championship Park,
but it just felt like Orange County's job on
the night was to recycle possession, try to keep
the ball away from Rhode Island FC as much as
possible, and then just lock down whenever Rhode
Island looked at their goal mouth. And that's
all there was to it. Yeah. I mean, even with
all that possession you talk about, they barely
went for it with along with those nine touches.
They only had two shots on target. I mean, with
Well, one on target, sorry, two shots and one
on target. So with that, they got one goal. I
mean, part of that, I think the other one hit
the woodwork on that deflection. But yeah, I
hear what you're saying. Yeah. So it's just maybe
a bit of luck on their side, considering how
much RAFC dominated the game. It wasn't able
to convert there. Just 85 passes in Rhode Island
FC's own half for the entirety of that game considering.
Orange County by trade, 238 passes in their own
half. Rhode Island should have won this game.
They absolutely should have. And I think a couple
of things come from this. I think we talked about
the importance of could they continue that momentum
out of the Loudoun game or would this break stifle
some of that? And I think we saw it. I wouldn't
say necessarily that the players were tired,
but I think that there's a mentality going into
these moments, these matches that just didn't
quite settle in in this game and that's why we
saw it because it felt like so many times. if
they took the extra pass, if they just lifted
their head and took the extra touch, that a ball
could have found its way past an Orange County
defender. Instead, it was, and we've seen this
before, it was it was impatience. It was hurry.
It was send it in without waiting for the player
to find the channel to connect with the ball
on the cross or the secondary recovery or the
deflection. We just never seem to be in the right
place to take advantage of goals that we've seen
success from this season. And unfortunately,
it does not come to pass as the match. ends up
one to one. Want to talk about what Kano said
about the extended break and the momentum of
the team. Yeah, just keep doing what they're
doing. I think it was important for them to rest
and recover and relax. Like it's been a difficult
six months, not more difficult than anybody else,
but it's pro sports. It's difficult. So it was
good for them to get away and relax. But I thought
they came back in pretty good shape. You could
see a little bit of fatigue tonight, but honestly
it wasn't, it was more just get away. Recover
mentally Anything you disagree about that you
we asked ourselves, you know was did this time
off create rust? Did it slow these players down?
Was this physical fatigue or was this probably
maybe like a mental lapse in just getting things
done at home? I think it's just a probably a
little bit of mental lapse less rust if you will
if you're Doing something we can week out. It
kind of builds that routine you take a few weeks
off Maybe you need a, you know, an extra game
or two to get back into a groove. If you will,
I think considering the way that this, this game
could have gone very differently against the
top, you know, place opponent can't hate it too
much, but definitely felt like you said that
RFC really had a good opportunity to win this
game. And maybe had this been a continuation
from after the Loudon game without such a long
break. Maybe we would have found a second goal
there to get away with all three points. You
know, one of the things I do want to talk about
as well in this game and just to bring it up
now, and it's not the same story that people
always hear from us, but I want to talk about
the refereeing experience here for a moment.
One of the things that surprised me about Orange
County's defense and the way that they wanted
to play the game was the amount of fouls that
were committed or interpreted. by the referee.
We've heard this story to a certain extent in
the past about referees controlling the game,
about referees inserting themselves into the
narrative. But I got to tell you, man, after
watching the World Cup and there's been such
a emphasis on letting the play continue, letting
the game flow, a almost kind of restriction or
rescinding of cards and fouls that we would see
at all levels of the game across the world. It
felt like the mandate this time around with FIFA
has been, let the boys play. It's been really
difficult to watch that last game and go from,
you know, hacks and slashes and, you know, bruises
and shoves that historically have been fouls
around the planet, not getting called, right?
Just seeing that, that, that, you know, You know
dudes coming together fighting and battling for
the ball and now it's like the wind blows over
an Orange County player They flop to the ground
and a foul has been committed a murder has been
committed if you will 22 fouls from Rhode Island
FC side just 12 from Orange County It reminds
me of the early days of this club when we we
asked Kano you know is there a physicality problem
in this league it felt like we went right back
to that and i don't know if it was jc griggs
i started searching like where does he come from
spoiler alert everyone he's a referee that was
born and raised in southern california but also
like is this just i've i've now seen what it
should look like from a pace and a flow in world
cup action and i just have to re i have to reset
my own expectations here in usl play I think
it's a little bit of column A, a little bit of
column B. There's definitely a reset of expectations
that these are lower division refs. They're not
going to, unfortunately, be nearly as good as
what we're getting to experience here in the
World Cup. But also at the same time, we've seen
the other side of the coin too, right? We've
seen games where they're just beating up on JJ
and there's just nothing being called. So it's,
how do we find that happy middle ground? Maybe
with the World Cup here, maybe we'll get a few
more soccer fans and it'll just kind of, it'll
be a slow burn. We'll kind of keep building it
up, but it's definitely, definitely frustrating.
I noticed it too with the refs compared to what
we've been experiencing. So getting back to this
draw, you know, Rhode Island have seen now unbeaten
in their last three games across all competitions.
Also now holding a six win. five draws and one
loss record through 12 games across all competitions
at Centerville Bank Stadium. The only loss coming
from that Birmingham Legion game because you
can't remember, you can't count the Revolution
Open Cup match because it wasn't a home game.
But otherwise, this team still flying high. Want
to ask, was this the momentum? that you build
upon or was this just a stop in time and the
performance still needs to also reset as they
take it to Sacramento here in a bit. You could
definitely build on this momentum. You know,
look at it as we got a point against a top place
team in the West. Same way as we got a point
against Tampa Bay. It's you know, we didn't lose.
We scored a goal. So I think there's definitely
a lot that can be built upon here. I think if
we. Go out to Sacramento and have a bad time.
Well, then maybe you think okay Maybe was that
just a blip and we kind of need a little bit
more time to get back into a groove Asked Connor
how he felt about playing the best in the West
and here's what he had to say about that Possibly.
I don't know if that's the first of how many
Western conference teams have we played against?
But you say they standard Bear in the West or
totally in the league? Yeah, who else would be
playing in the West? I don't know. I wouldn't.
Have we played anybody else? I can't think of
us playing anybody else. Yeah, yeah. I mean,
yeah, for me, they're better than Lexington.
I mean, Sacramento, they're going to be difficult,
too. But yeah, clearly, clearly the top of the
West for a reason. Yeah. So, you know, he he
agrees that they are the top of the West for
a reason Didn't really want to commit whether
or not they were a good team that he saw and
I think he wanted to mind his P's and Q's on
that one as you know If that is the best like
the Western Conference shouldn't be too terrifying,
but nevertheless, you know I still think that
Rhode Island really ran through Orange County
want to talk about the goal from Hugo Bacharach
in the 51st minute Amos Shapiro Thompson taking
the corner kick finding who go back on the in
-swinger. You know, we talk about set pieces
and it was abysmal last season. It was depressing
to see Rhode Island FC attempt set piece offense
and sometimes set piece defense. I don't think
we can say that anymore here with this Rhode
Island FC side. Now, I think when you go across
all competitions, I think fans have been treated
to what, six chickens? filet chicken sandwiches
now. Uh, you know, the fans want chicken and
Kano Smith and company are delivering this season.
You gotta love what happens with Hugo Bacharach
connecting on that goal with Amish Shapiro Thompson.
Yeah, it was great to see, uh, that was actually
Hugo Bacharach second professional goal for Rhode
Island FC and a second straight game with a goal
contribution. And those Amish Shapiro's third
assist of the season across all competitions.
and his assisted goals and back -to -back home
games. Yeah, I talked to Kano about the importance
of a player like Hugo Backwreck on this team.
And this is what he had to say about that. Yeah,
Hugo's physical, his size, he's good at breaking
stuff up. But yeah, he's, I mean, so many of
them are key. But yeah, I think you can tell
by the minutes played since he's been back and
been healthy how much we value him. So not much
to say about the six five six six midfielder
But I do it did have a conversation with Hugo
we can share that in a second But getting back
into the set piece part here wanted to ask Conno
what the significance of? The set piece strategy
had become this season and this is what he had
to add about that He saw it as an area that we
needed to improve so that was from all of us
from for me the coaching staff the players like
we we needed to be more effective in those situations
and as you can see games when you cannot generate
a lot from open play set pieces are so important
but you see them all over the world so it was
an area that we needed to get better and it started
started with me and trickles down to the players.
I like the answer. It's accountability on him
first and foremost before the players were now
seeing that success. So having said that, you
know, we get the initial goal in the 51st minute.
Unfortunately, Osamani Silla equalizes in the
67th for Orange County. He's going out far wide
on a recovery for a second ball. He just does
enough body movement to get to Joe J as left
takes the in swinger shot for himself. Scardina
is leaning the wrong way and Koke is obviously
protecting near post there for the shot and it
just finds the gap right between them. It was
a good goal. I have to give credit. It's not
like it's not like the US men's national team
where we were just giving up goals because of
sloppy mistakes. That being said, we can't find
a way to get back into the game and score another
goal despite multiple looks at net. Leo Afonso
with some chances, Pity with some chances, JJ
with some chances. I think the biggest one came
in the final seconds of the game. Amos Shapiro
-Thompson on a breakaway. skirts the skirts Rondo
and as the goalkeeper for Orange County and slots
went across and it's four inches if it's four
inches closer to the right that ball is in and
Amish Shapiro Thompson is a hero he's already
a hero but he's a real hero you guys start building
the statue what is missing from Rhode Island
FC at this point to not win that game outright
because it feels like they should have yeah I
agree with you on the goal I think that's one
of those you look at and there's really not a
lot you could do about that that's where you
need to go out and just score another um and
we tried and tried and tried but I think that's
just a bit of the rust if you will from not playing
you know competitive matches if you will for
the for like two feels like three weeks however
long that was felt like forever it was forever
um yeah I wouldn't be too concerned unless we
continue on putting up 20 shots and only getting
one goal Well, we shall see as we head to Sacramento.
It is the farthest travel that we have to do
this season as they have already headed out to
take on this action tomorrow on Wednesday. We've
got to go to break and when we return we will
break down everything going on for what I know
see ahead of this midweek game all here on the
raising anchor soccer show. Fans, as the weather
becomes more and more unpredictable, be sure
to check out 990 WBOB's weather page for all
your temperatures, storm, and travel info. Stay
prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store
with the 990 WBOB weather page. Now, let's get
back to the raising anchor soccer ship on 990
WBOB with Matt Entrickett and Jason Carey. Breaking
down our FC's head -to -head record with Sacramento.
We played two regular season matches against
them and one USL Cup match. First meeting was
back in Bern. That was that 2 -2 draw that saw
Jack P kind of arrive on to the stadium and we
kind of felt like, oh, maybe something is finally
building here. He was the chosen one. He was
the chosen one. We saw an attack from the team
that we hadn't really seen previously and kind
of Didn't hit the ground running right away after
that as of course we all know that he had he
left again But it was it was a glimpse of hope
there following year saw our FC meetup with Sacramento
twice Once in a two nil loss in the regular season
and the second where they knocked us out on penalties
after a nil -nil draw on the Jaeger -Meister
Cup. I still will never forget that Jaeger -Meister
game because I brought friends out from work
and said, hey, this is the new exciting thing
to do in the city, inside the town, inside the
state. And when it went to nil -nil, I was like,
it's OK. This was a bulletproof plan because
no matter what, you'll see electricity, you'll
see sparks in that penalty shootout. I totally
forgot that it's still possible to never convert
a goal in a penalty shootout. Sometimes you get
those terribly wrong and then of course in that
regular season lost to nil cool will in the chat
reminding us of the row row Messy esque goal
that he had before he retired and hung up the
boots forever. This is a team that You have to
admit like right now they have our number in
the sense of at least the head -to -head record
We've talked at length about how Fantastic. This
team has been in as a contender in the West and
every time we've met with them, these these have
been hard fought battles. Even if the results
don't go our way. It'll be really curious to
see how Sacramento looks now in this new version
of themselves under Neil Collins, but we're not
on the Sacramento part just yet. We got a talk
shop Rhode Island FC and fans buckle up because
you are not going to like what I'm about to say
next. As far as the availability report goes
at this time, we still have CJ Williams marked
as questionable. We asked in the post game if
CJ Williams and Omidy Jope would be available
anytime soon. CJ Williams was almost game to
game. Omidy Jope was probably a couple more weeks
out. Talk with Omidy directly out and about around
the stadium. He's itching to get back in. So
it's probably one of those precautionary wait
and like wait and see moments because they don't
want to rush whatever that nagging injury is
to Omidy. So Omidy will not be available. And
then based on what we saw from last weekend's
availability report, Jamin Gogo -Peters also
listed as questionable and Zach Harivow remaining
questionable until we know more. The big one
though, unfortunately, and I think a lot of people
saw this that attended the game or watched the
match, Clay Holstead going down after taking
a knock. Early or I should say midway through
the first half got back up continued to play
on went down again Struggling as it was getting
into the final minutes of the first half comes
out as a substitute in the halftime, saw Clay
Holstead in a immobilizer boot, knew that he
was going to go get some x -rays and some recovery
research done on him, but for all intent and
purpose, it did not look good as he was limping
out of the stadium. I can imagine right now he
did not make the trip down or over to Sacramento,
so he will not be available for this match. What
we have to wait and see now, Jason, is we have
to come to terms with how long could this injury
possibly be? Is this just a bruise, a contusion?
Is this a fracture? Is this a break? Is this
something more in the ligature? We don't know
anything yet, but we could see Clay holstered
out for as little as maybe two weeks or it could
be, you know, three to four months. So everyone
should be just hoping and ready to see Clay holstered
back as soon as possible. But as of right now,
he will not be available for that Wednesday match.
So this makes predicting the starting 11, I think
a little bit harder than usual. Already depleted
in that midfield. What do you got Jason? Yeah,
so we're obviously gonna have koke vegas and
net here Uh, we're thinking the back four is
going to remain pretty much the same there with
nix gardena carifa yow grant stoneman frank nodarse
With no clay. I think in that amish chapiro thompson
will kind of sit there next to ugo vacarac in
the holding midfielder position. We'll see Joe
J. Quisera, Augustine Rodriguez, and Leo Alfonso
as you're attacking midfielders with JJ Williams
up top. I think at this point, not knowing the
status of Zach Harivow and whether or not he's
ready to be reinserted into this roster. Midfield
was kind of always going to be one of the smallest
places in the squad this year. We lost what we
lost Maxi Rodriguez. We lost Marky Barra. We
lost more midfielders than we gained when it
came time for preseason and into regular season
play. Now with so many possibly laid up. I think
there's no other answer to this other than you
either drop Amos Shapiro Thompson down to be
the double pivot and partner with Hugo or you
leave Hugo as the independent individualistic
number six and you bring a double pivot more
forward towards the eight position or like a
pair of double tens. Either way, whether it's
Amos dropping back or staying up, I think this
forces Augustine back into the middle and we
see Leo Afonso out on the wing. I can't see this
go. I mean, you could put Noah if you saw him
in for one of those two positions, but I think
no matter what, if we're going with who's in
the best shape, who's ready to take on this this
match on Wednesday, that's got to be it. It's
just where you move that pivot at this point,
right? Yeah, like we'll most likely see Noah
in busy, but I just don't see them as starting
caliber just yet. Is there an argument that Noah's
tucked into the middle and Leo still rides the
bench? It's possible. I guess it depends on where
we see Or where coach I guess should say sees
Leo Alfonso I think we played him in enough games
on that in that position and I think he's Done.
Well, he's just not converted enough chances.
So I miss the sitter Well, it wasn't a sinner,
but he missed probably one of the best looks
at goal on the weekend, at least trying to get
Rhode Islanders back up above Orange County.
So I agree. I think he's done enough to be in
the start, but I think he's got a lot more that
he needs to do. He needs to he needs to put more
in the tank and show us that he can be a little
bit more clinical when it comes to these matches
ahead. So having said that, then looking at with
this depleted roster going in against Sacramento.
You know, we talk about who are the x -factor
players here. I think it's just anyone who's
healthy at this point is the x -factor. So let's
talk more about the duels. The most interesting
one for me right now, Sacramento's Arturo Rodriguez
versus either Hugo Baccarac or if we do a double
pivot in the back with the sixes. I think this
is what's going to control and dictate both the
tempo and who controls this matchup. Rodriguez
of Sacramento's metronome really just setting
pace, setting fluidity, setting transition out
of the back for Sacramento Republic. He also
has the ability defensively to close down passing
lanes as they then take on the opponent's attack.
I guess the question here for you is... When
you have a player like Arturo Rodriguez, we just
talked a second ago, do you do the deeper double
pivot or the more forward one? Does your answer
change because you have a player like Arturo
Rodriguez in the middle? I don't think so. I
think this is one of those situations where we
have to kind of trust our own individual players
to kind of do what's required of them. I think
he is a player that you need to be aware of.
But at the same time, I also don't think he I
don't look at him as a quote unquote world beater
where we need to put a game plan around him.
Just kind of keep an eye on him if you will.
And then the other duel that I'm the most interested
in is it's whoever will play on that left side
in terms of was it Joe J. Cozera? Is it Leo Afonso?
I don't know if you saw him, but who's taking
on Jack Gur? on that right wing back side. Jacker,
one of the best players in the championship.
You know, there's a reason Sacramento has locked
him down for probably the better part of a decade.
I know the contract's not that long, but humor
me here. Meanwhile, Jojea, one of the best wingers
that are in the league right now, but we didn't
see him on the left in the last game. Is this
an opportunity? Do you want your best winger
to be dueling? their best wing back and full
back, or do you keep intentionally, do you keep
Joe Jaya on the other side now just so that he
doesn't have to run into Jack Gurr on the night?
Yeah, it's interesting. I think considering what
Kano likes to continue his experiments for, I
think we might see Joe Jaya out on the right
again. Also, realistically, we know that while
he can contribute defensively. It's never been
his strong suit. I mean, he was part of the reason
that goal happened from Silla in Orange County.
Yeah. So in that regards, I think you'd be counting
on the Darcy or even maybe if we see a reappearance
of Sanchez there to do his best along with potentially
Leo Alfonso, or even if we see someone like Noah
end up starting, have them kind of combat against
Jack or their Do we think then that there's a
call here in this match for Aldair Sanchez? I
feel like I'm like an apologist slash Homer at
this point for him, because I do want to see
him find his way back into the starting 11. But
then also you have to remember he comes from
Sacramento Republic. It's the only place that
he's ever spent time outside of Rhode Island
in championship action. It's that that club is
the club that gave him the ability to play at
the professional level to begin with. And if
there's one player who's practiced, who's scrimmaged,
who's done five aside more against a player like
Jacker, it's got to be a left back like all day
or Sanchez. Is there a case that he sees the
pitch on the night? Because we've seen Cano do
these 40 chess moves before by bringing legacy
players against their former teams. I'll remind
you of Mark Gibara in last year's Eastern Conference
final against the Riverhounds. Do we see a case
for Sanchez on the night to start? I think that
is a very good case. He'd be very well experienced
with the system. He'd played with Jack Gur there
for how long he's been there. I think there's
a really good possibility that we could see him.
It's just... with how long we've done this. It's
so hard to guess what Kyle wants to do. And it
feels like he's all, you know, like he said,
he's doing 40 chess and we're always, you know,
a step or two behind him. As we always will be.
Before we go to our next break, want to ask you,
I, you know, we talked about momentum from Orange
County, but let's talk about the fact this is
a midweek match. It's the farthest travel. of
the club's entire season going coast to coast
here, and then they got to come back home for
some Prinks Tire Cup action against Brooklyn.
We've talked at length a couple of times when
midweek games happen about how does a coach like
Kano Smith stack the deck one direction or the
other? Which game is the more important one to
go out and win? I don't think that's really the
case here because we most likely are already
out of Pring's tire action. So really the more
important game of the week is this midweek game
against Sacramento where you can get some points
and claw back up the table. But it's also so
far away and you're so roster depleted. Does
that have anything to do with how coach selects
this roster here on the week? I think so. I don't
think he will admit it, but I think the reality,
like you said, Is unfortunately with how tight
the point spread is in the Prinks Cup. And us
unfortunately losing that hearts of pine game.
We kind of dug our own grave at that point. So
that game while I think the team is still going
to go for it. we really have to rely on it's
like the remember the meme when it's like how
does scotland qualify for the world cup it's
one of those it's like well every other team
needs to lose or and or draw and get multiple
red cards so so you're saying we need gonna to
get a result to advance in the pring's tire cup
at this point it's pretty much so at that point
tomorrow's in the game or tonight depending when
you listen is becomes the quote, quote, more
important match if you will. So I think we're
going to see a stronger squad here and kind of
save the rotation for the weekend, especially
if we just came after that long break, you know,
the guys should be refreshed and ready to go
with the exception of the injuries that we got.
I just don't know how many players will even
have available for Saturday's match to rotate.
You know, I mean, think about we've got Kevin
Vang, Danny Rivera, and CJ Williams might be
available again. Connor said he was close. Maybe
Castro gets a look finally. We've been joking
about that all season, but like know if he's
on to Wayne Atkinson get starts in that match.
Our midfield mostly will have to play all three
of these games this week because of the depletion.
Unless we find out some things that Zach Harris
closer than we realized, it's just interesting.
I asked Conno how he felt about the travel and
what this would do for the guys. And here's what
coach Conno Smith said about the travel to the
West Coast. I'm not asking them to do that. The
schedule and the games are asking them to do
that. We say that to them all the time, tracking
back and running backwards. That's not me asking
you to do that. That's the game demanding that.
So the schedule and the travel is demanding that
they have to be there. So I don't think I need
to get them to that place. I think they'll get
there because it's what's demanded. So, you know,
he's saying, hey, these guys are professionals.
They know what they need to do. We're not going
to sit here and wax poetic about the fact that
this is just one of the more complicated trips
of their season. We've got to go to break. And
when we return, we're going to talk all things
Sacramento Republic, at least as we know it.
I know there's a couple experts here in the chat
to help us along the way. 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.
Back here on the Raising Anchor Soccer Show talking
about now Sacramento Republic FC, the opponents
for this midweek match as Rhode Island FC heads
to California to take them on. And listen, this
team is a tale of very fine margins in my opinion.
They are no longer the perennial champions, the
outliers, the top of the crop. when it comes
to how we consider the Western Conference. Currently,
like we said, in 10th place, although I don't
feel like that standing or position is necessarily
fair. to where they are actually at in terms
of their performance. But it's a team that isn't
really under a rebuild, but kind of is under
a rebuild when you look at the legacy of some
of their tenured players and some of their tenured
leaders. Head coach Neil Collins, not a stranger
to USL Championship, but in on his first year
as head coach with Sacramento, not necessarily
seeing the same consistency. that we've seen
out of other coaches at Sacramento Republic,
very reminiscent of what Louisville is going
through in their transition between coaches now
in the season. The key here, though, for what
I've noticed from Sacramento watching their games
and looking at where they're at is a lot of these
games are very tight affairs. Jason, a lot of
these matches are just determined by one single
goal. And, you know, maybe that's a three, two,
or maybe that's a one nil. But a lot of the times
Sacramento has been keeping these games very
close, not necessarily putting them away, not
putting them to bed, but also still in control.
Very squeaky bum time by the time you get to
those 90 minutes. This first half of the campaign,
although they only have 12 games so far, so you
could say the first third, it looks like what
Sacramento is trying to set up for as a reputation
is defense first, and then we'll figure the rest
out later. It's very reminiscent of Rhode Island's
campaign last year about, hey, we're going to
make sure no team scores against us, and we're
going to rack up the clean sheets. We'll figure
out the offense if we figure the offense out
at a later date. And so far, that consistency
just isn't there and they're attacking third.
Yeah, Collins is really emphasize organization,
compactness and really trying to limit the opponent's
quality chances there, allowing the Republic
to stay in nearly every match regardless of the
opponent. Like you said, there's such fine margins
between the amount of goals that they've scored
and let in. Um, it's improved. It's produced
a few impressive road victories against defending
champions, Colorado Springs, switchbacks, but
it also means that every mistake carries very
significance when you're playing within those
fine margins. Um, when they score first, they're
comfortable managing the game, slowing down the
tempo, forcing opponents to break down. defensive
block if you will. I mean and we've said that
about Rhode Islander C at times too when they
score first the way they set those expectations
different than when they're chasing games. I
haven't seen Sacramento chase too many times
when they have. They still have the mental discipline.
They still have the fortitude, but it is a different
approach. It's kind of like what we've seen in
the World Cup where when goals happen, it opens
up the playing of the rest of the teams, right?
Like you see Brazil suddenly go down and it's
like they wake up. Sacramento has that ability
within them, but they don't want to wake the
beast up within themselves. They just want to
play the way that they practice every single
weekend. I think we're gonna see is going to
be tested in this manner as they head up to.
Heart Health Park, they're going to face this
side that right now it's like a paper tiger where
it looks good, they have some incredible talent,
just the results haven't necessarily come their
way, but even saying that it feels kind of sacrilegious
because they've only lost four games similar
to what I don't see, that stands for the third
best defensive games, you know, or losses, I
should say, earned for the season. There's only
a couple teams that are better, and that's Tampa
Bay at three or two, excuse me, and Louisville
at three losses. Everything else has been a draw.
Otherwise, the rest of the league, they already
have five, six, seven or more losses. Talking
to you, Sporting Jacksonville with... your infinite
loss column there. Sacramento is still going
to cause Rhode Island FC problems. It's just
going to come completely from their defensive
side of things. And we've seen Rhode Island time
and time again, struggle to break down well -organized
defenses. It's why like Kano said in the last
segment, set piece goal scoring, it might be
the key unlock in this match. Absolutely. And
the reason being too here is that while they
will definitely frustrate our FC, in regards
to their defense. They really haven't clicked
when it comes to their offense. They've actually
scored the second least amount of goals in the
entire league with only 13. Only Hartford has
scored less with 10. It's really that defense
that's kind of kept them from being absolute
rock bottom at this, you know, only allowing
12 goals, one average per game there. Same as
the league leaders tampa vey routies i see ben
johnson the chat already got to the joke but
this is basically the pittsburgh river hounds
of twenty twenty five. That's what i'm here to
a certain extent but remember that the pittsburgh
river hounds also had i feel like they had a
few more goals in their locker though but. Pretty
not and not in the postseason they didn't but
nevertheless Well, so let's talk about the X
factors as we understand it and how this will
really shape up on the pitch I've got our true
Rodriguez. I know we mentioned him in the last
segment, but he really is Sacramento's engine
right now He's not necessarily the player who's
going to be doing all the finishing for Sacramento
as they have other problems on the forward line
for that But he is the player that's usually
creating the spark and starting the offense in
that transition He already has three assists
and a goal on the side and that's nothing to
scoff at. His vision, his passing range, I mean,
he's been an excellent player across the league
for a long time. He's going to be a player that
Rhode Island FC is going to have to find a way
to limit his touches and his spaces, because
if you give Arturo time, he may set the terms
for how Sacramento wants to play, and that's
not going to bode well for Rhode Island. So it's
going to be one of those things where you really
have to concentrate. on making sure that he does
not connect the defense to the attack. If he
has time to make those kinds of passes, you're
going to see something become a really big problem
for Rhode Island on the night. Yeah. And speaking
of stubborn defense, Danny Vidiello has been
one of the USL championship's most dependable
goalkeepers. Two keepers. Two keepers in two
weeks. I like that you've got this. I mean, when
you when you only let in 12 goals, I mean, he's
the foundation of their defensive identity. Um,
especially in matches that are decided by one
goal, he's actually going to be pretty much the
difference maker there. I mean, this Rhode Island
team has shown some improved finishing this year,
scoring more goals than recently. I think video
is really going to make them work for it this
weekend. He is an excellent shop stopper, commands
the penalty area and crosses. and gives sacramental
confidence when defending deep yeah i mean every
time i think okay vegas is going to win any kind
of keeper award whether it's golden glove or
any other kind of stat line i always look where
is danny vediello on that because you know he's
he's always going to be at the forefront of those
types of awards you know we don't have time for
but some honorable mentions or at least some
players to watch i think uh forester uh ahago
is going to be a big moment for them potentially.
He is one of their strikers at the top of the
formation, hasn't scored since May, but he has
the physicality and the ball movement to where
he can be lethal. If we're going to see falls
asleep on their on their own back line, a player
like Forster could definitely punish them. And
then they also have the legendary substitute
goal score himself in Kyle Edwards from Hartford
Athletic move there. You know, Kyle Edwards is
not a player that can play more than like 40
minutes. He just doesn't have it in the tank.
You know, it's like he's like a Fabregas player,
like, you know, that a certain age, a certain
time, he just can't play more than that amount
of time. And but he's still the He still has,
I think, two, maybe three goals coming off of
only substitute appearances in the league so
far this season, and we know how lethal he was
last year for Hartford. So those are two players
that, you know, they could cause problems if
Rhode Island NFC allows them to. Yeah. One more
just to mention here, LAFC legend Mark Anthony
Kaye. How dare you? He's definitely at the end
of his career, but he's got quite a bit of experience
there. You know, excels at breaking up. opposition
attacks controlling possession or pressure depending
on how this game goes we might see him that he
tends to play more of a sub role but there's
a good possibility we'll see we'll see him sub
in as well we'll ask who's the better keeper
Danny or Koke I mean we're legally required to
say Koke but we can respect what Danny video
offers to that too. I think this is a, a good
example of comparison of when you look at, um,
when Liverpool and city dominate the primary
league, you look at Alison and Anderson, two
very good keepers. And Alison is probably is
the better shot stopper. But if you want to have
the better ball playing, you go with Anderson.
That's the exact same thing here. If your team
wants to have a goalkeeper who can hit a ball
to a dime, you know, 39 yards away with 100 %
accuracy. You pick okay every time I agree 100
% So I mean looking at this key takeaways for
this matchup What does Rhode Island FC need to
do in your opinion? To take all three points
for the first time ever both against Sacramento,
but also away at Sacramento I think it's important
here that our FC plays quickly after regaining
possessions We don't want them to let it turn
into a slow methodical match They're gonna really
want to bring the tempo down here and not allow
our FC opportunities to create chances here.
To try and force Sacramento to defend while retreating,
try to hit them on speed there, and kind of avoid
spells of long predictable possession that kind
of will lull our FC into kind of asleep there,
if you will. If we can get this game to be played
faster, to be played quicker with Sacramento
kind of retreating. I think RFC will have a good
opportunity to kind of sneak a few in. Agree.
I've got, and I feel like a broken record here,
but it's really going to be limiting Arturo Rodriguez.
Like I said earlier, everything flows to him.
Everything. He's a conduit, both forward and
backwards. He's very much the Hugo back rack
of this team right now. So making sure you stifle
him is probably the most important thing that
you have because remembering, you know, Sacramento
is wants to build through you. and you need to
make sure that Rhode Island FC is pushing them
out wide and building around you. You cannot
let a player like Arturo Rodriguez find that,
you know, dissecting pass, that through pass
that's going to unlock the back line. It would
be curtains for Rhode Island FC. Exactly. Taking
a quick look at our ref report here for this
match. We have referee Elvis Osmanovich. Doesn't
immediately ring any negative bells. So hopefully
that won't he's like ref every single Tampa Bay
match and that's all you need to worry about
assistant refs of Jeremy Hansen and Christian
clerk with fourth official Conrado Garcia Yeah,
and you know if you are watching this game reminder
that it is a 1030 Eastern time kickoff so like
those crazy late World Cup games we've been watching
you know we thought it's weird because this is
the only break in the World Cup is this one particular
day every other day up until once quarterfinals
are over then you actually have to give the players
rest. But when you think about back -to -back
days, tomorrow is the first day off of the World
Cup since the beginning of the World Cup, and
we're stacking it with another late -night game
in Rhode Island FC action. So, having said that,
a reminder, okay? Defiance will not be at the
Guild because the Guild will not be open. So
don't go to the Guild to watch this game. It
will be at High Motor instead. So come and hang
out, eat some dollar dogs with us, catch all
the action there, and if, of course, you can't...
catch the action with us, or you just don't want
to be out that late. The game will be on Nessun
Plus, ESPN Plus, or you can let Tom and Nick
serenade you on 790 to score. Jason, I'm expecting
a lot of fun out of this match. I think it's
Rhode Island's to take. They are a second half
team when it comes to their abilities. If they
can weather the storm of Sacramento, I think
they'll be good. But the final thing I got to
say about Sacramento is they are amazing at home.
11 of their 16 points have come. from Heart Health
Park. So they are doing the work at home. They've
just been struggling more on the road. So this
will be a very good test for Rhode Island FC.
Well, maybe it's time for RFC to spoil the party.
Thanks for joining us, y 'all. Can't wait to
see you soon. Have a good one. Anchors up. Anchors
up. and at Raising Anchor on Instagram. And be
sure to check out and subscribe to Spotify, iTunes,
YouTube, or wherever you listen by searching
for Raising Anchor. Make sure to check out all
of our coverage over at The Blazing Musket for
all your New England soccer coverage, including
RAFC news at theblazingmusket .com. Fans, we
thank you for listening. We ask you to be kind
and courteous to your neighbors as you leave
the show. We thank you for joining us and look
forward to seeing you again. Until then, I'm
your main man Juju, and on behalf of the Racing
Anchor crew, goodbye for now. And as always,
we are Rhode Island FC.