3rd Degree the Podcast #344

[00:00:00] Speaker A: If someone could also cut that audio about Buzz wanting it hard and all that, then. Magic. [00:00:06] Speaker B: Absolutely magic. [00:00:09] Speaker C: Yeah. Third Degree, the Third Degree Ned Podcast. Third Degree, the Third Degree Nep Podcast. Third Degree, the Third Degree Ned Podcast. [00:00:30] Speaker B: Third degree, Third degree. [00:00:32] Speaker C: Never care. Well, hello there, DFW soccer curious person. You. Welcome to another brand new year of third degree, the podcast. And yes, he is. Here it is. Dan Crook. Howdy, Dan. [00:00:50] Speaker A: Whoa. What's going on? [00:00:52] Speaker C: Is this the episode you debut your. [00:00:57] Speaker B: Your. [00:00:58] Speaker C: Your cover song you were talking about performing on the podcast? [00:01:04] Speaker A: I have no idea what you're talking about, so. [00:01:05] Speaker C: No, I'm gonna go. I think you were going to cover Tears for Fear's Mad World. I thought you. You were gonna sing that on the podcast. Is that. Nah, that's not you. [00:01:16] Speaker B: I'd be here for that. [00:01:17] Speaker A: Yeah, maybe Buzz said it. [00:01:19] Speaker C: No, no, no, I. Dan, I think. I think you volunteered to do it one time. [00:01:24] Speaker A: That is not a song I would pick if I was not. [00:01:27] Speaker C: Okay, all right. What was the song you said you'd sing on the podcast? [00:01:30] Speaker A: I never did. [00:01:33] Speaker C: Okay. [00:01:35] Speaker B: Buzz, don't you remember him? Queen. [00:01:37] Speaker C: Yeah, maybe it was dancing. [00:01:38] Speaker A: Hey, Abba. [00:01:40] Speaker B: Oh, no. [00:01:40] Speaker C: Really? Culture Club. [00:01:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Karma Chameleon. Let's go. [00:01:45] Speaker A: No. [00:01:45] Speaker B: Do you really want to hurt me? For sure. Yeah. Yeah, it's definitely. Do you want. [00:01:48] Speaker C: I mean, yeah, if you wanted to sing that, I'd sing along with you. [00:01:53] Speaker A: You are more than welcome to start and I will just watch. [00:01:56] Speaker B: Half the audience, by the way, does not know who that is. Culture Club. That's fine. [00:02:00] Speaker C: Stop it. Yeah. Well, all right. Well, it's good to see again, Dan. Thanks for joining us. And of course, that is your hero and my hero, everybody's hero. Editor, founder of thirddegree.net and the original soccer influencer himself, Buzz Carrick. Come in, Buzz. [00:02:16] Speaker B: Gentlemen, I wanted to thank you for being here for season eight of this podcast. [00:02:20] Speaker C: Season oo, sir. [00:02:22] Speaker B: Oo. Yeah. Season oo and the 29th year of third degrees, coverage of FC Dallas, and now other things. But that's where we started. [00:02:31] Speaker C: I don't know how to say 29 in Spanish. Is it Bente Nueva? [00:02:36] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. Yeah, there you go. [00:02:38] Speaker C: That sounds right. [00:02:39] Speaker B: Yeah, that's pretty close. I mean, what do I know? But yeah, that's pretty close. [00:02:43] Speaker C: I like how reaffirming you were in your. But you don't actually know if I said it right or not. Buzz, I don't know if you happen to get a chance to listen to the radio show the Kick around on. [00:02:58] Speaker B: Saturday, but the show started. [00:03:02] Speaker C: Burn fans would love this because I don't even remember how this got started, but Andy and I ended up spending most of the opening going back and forth on Dallas Burn bobbleheads. [00:03:16] Speaker B: Oh, wow. That's a deep topic. [00:03:18] Speaker C: Well, it was. I don't remember how it got started, but he brought up the fact that Jason Christ had a bobblehead. I have one. Yes. It's in my garage. And. And the question came up, I don't remember if he asked it or I asked it, which was, wait a second. Was Jason Christ the only Dallas Burn player to get a bobblehead? And we thought about this for quite a while and he actually ended it saying he thought it was because Hugo Sanchez didn't get one, Graziani didn't get one, Damian didn't. You know, none of the other big name players didn't get one until Andy's dad texted him listening to the show and said, I'm sorry, son. Oscar Perea. [00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:09] Speaker C: Got a Dallas Burn bobblehead. [00:04:10] Speaker B: I have the Oscar Praya Burn bobblehead. And it's even a signed one. And here's the dumb part, is that they had him sign the box and not the figure. So I have a signed box with an unopened. With an Oscar. [00:04:24] Speaker C: I think. You know what I think? I think that's the same thing with my Jason Chris 1. I think Jason Christ signed the box and not the bobblehead. [00:04:31] Speaker B: Do you have the Freddy versus Jason Freddie Ado. Jason Christ double bobblehead. Freddie versus Jason. Do you have. [00:04:37] Speaker C: No. Oh, that was now. Oh, that would have been burned too. Or was that FC Dallas? [00:04:42] Speaker B: I believe it was the Burn because it was. It was the whole. [00:04:45] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:04:46] Speaker B: Freddie versus Jason going D.C. united with Freddie. Adieu. [00:04:49] Speaker C: No, do you have that? [00:04:50] Speaker B: It was like. I'm pretty sure I do in a box somewhere. It was two of them attached together. [00:04:54] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [00:04:55] Speaker B: Freddie versus Jason. I'll have to see if I can find my box of bobbleheads. But that was definitely a thing that Freddy versus Jason won. [00:05:00] Speaker C: Yeah, Andy's right. [00:05:02] Speaker B: Movie. You remember the Freddy. [00:05:03] Speaker C: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Well, Andy's right. Everybody gets a bobblehead in 2025. But back then it was really rare that MLS players got that kind of honor to get a bobblehead. And I. It didn't dawn on me. I thought for. I mean, for a good bit there, I thought maybe Jason was the only actual Burn player. Obviously several FC Dallas players have gotten over the years. [00:05:24] Speaker B: Originally they only team. So, like, I have a Valderrama One from Colorado and I. I have a crew one. I don't remember who it was. [00:05:31] Speaker C: You mean Tampa? [00:05:33] Speaker B: No. Didn't Colorado. Didn't Vala play for the Colorado Rapids for, like, five minutes for, like, one season? I swear, it's a Colorado, Val. Maybe I'm wrong about that. And then I have. I have somebody with the crew, and I have the. I think I have the Freddy vs. Jason one. So, like, there were. There were a couple around the league that you could get on ebay or whatever. [00:05:52] Speaker C: So, Dan, are bobbleheads uniquely American, or did you have them over there, too, in England? [00:05:58] Speaker A: No, no. They're an absolute American thing. And, yep, Buzz is right. Colorado Rapids. [00:06:03] Speaker C: Oh, okay. So do English people think bobbleheads are the dumbest thing possible? Because I think a lot of Americans think bobbleheads are really stupid. [00:06:13] Speaker A: I'm not sure a lot of English people know what a bobblehead would be, really. [00:06:19] Speaker C: So when you got here and you saw bobblehead, you didn't know what it was? [00:06:22] Speaker A: I might have heard a reference on a TV show or something. I don't remember. That was a long, long time ago. [00:06:29] Speaker C: But you wouldn't. You don't collect them now or anything, do you. Do you even have a bobblehead somewhere in the household? [00:06:36] Speaker A: Oscar Pereira, one from 2016 when he was the coach. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I think they did it right after he retired and came back as coach. They did it with, like, a player figure to honor him coming back or something like that. [00:06:49] Speaker A: Because they did a coach one as well. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Did they? Okay. [00:06:53] Speaker A: Yeah, that's the one I've got. [00:06:54] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:06:55] Speaker C: How many? How many burns? Well, I guess we know there's two burn ones now. The third, because I guess you could count the Jason Freddy one. How many total burn/FC Dallas bobbleheads have there been? [00:07:09] Speaker B: If there's more than that? I don't remember. I mean, like, somewhere there's a box where I have about 10 different MLS bobbleheads in them. I can't rem. [00:07:15] Speaker C: How many do you think you have? All of them, Buzz? [00:07:17] Speaker B: No, no, I don't think I do. I just think I have a, you know, a handful of them. I don't remember how many. I mean, there's probably been lots of them now, but, you know, there's somewhere. [00:07:24] Speaker C: In the box with one spectacularly nerdy person in the universe that has every single MLS bobblehead ever made. They've collected all of them. [00:07:35] Speaker B: Well, for a while, I tried to get a copy of every single MLS media guide. I know I had Those for, like, a bit. I think I've given them all away now. [00:07:42] Speaker C: I don't think I've told you this story, Buzz, but once a year I go through my attic clean out process, and I run into my original, like, 98, 99, 2002 collection of media guides. And I go, I really need to give these to Buzz because he's the one that wants them all. But now I'm finding out you don't want them anymore. [00:08:02] Speaker B: Well, I, you know, it's, you know, trimmed out in life. So I think I have one each of the burn ones until they quit doing them somewhere. But then I got rid of. I had duplicates of a lot of them. I gave them to fans, you know, because when I was working, I was working a lot of TV for MLS in the early days, and so I would get one every game. And so I started. I started leaving the truck and handing them to kids and stuff. [00:08:22] Speaker C: The media guides back in the day, they were awesome. They were so great. [00:08:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. They're not as good as old Major League baseball ones, but there's how hard. [00:08:31] Speaker C: Chris Ward used to work on that thing. [00:08:34] Speaker B: Yeah, they still have one. It's just digital. [00:08:36] Speaker C: It's all digital. Yeah, it sucks. [00:08:38] Speaker B: Yeah. I had to help them a lot with their US Open cup version part of it, but they've gotten better about it. [00:08:46] Speaker C: We need a Dan Crook bobblehead. Yeah, see, look, he's shaking his head like a bobble right there on the screen. Wait, are you. Are you shaking your head? No. Are you bobbleheaded? [00:08:56] Speaker A: I'm doing neither. [00:09:00] Speaker C: I think Dan is annoyed by this line of conversation. [00:09:03] Speaker A: Confused. I know what Steve feels like when we talk about kits. [00:09:09] Speaker C: So Dan is anti bobblehead and media guide, Apparently. [00:09:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:13] Speaker A: Dan is bobblehead apathetic. [00:09:16] Speaker C: Okay. Would you like to talk kit stuff just to make you happy again? [00:09:20] Speaker A: Nah, nah, we're in the moment now. There's nothing to talk. Yeah, there is. [00:09:24] Speaker C: Did you see the New England away kit got leaked today? [00:09:29] Speaker A: That's bloody awful in it. [00:09:31] Speaker C: You hate it. Oh, you don't? [00:09:32] Speaker B: I think it's awesome. [00:09:34] Speaker C: We like it. Yeah. Do you not like it because you don't like how the way the red turns out? It's too pinkish? Or do you just not like a red, blue, red kit? [00:09:42] Speaker A: It just doesn't look good. [00:09:44] Speaker B: Oh, I like it. [00:09:45] Speaker A: Not a fan. I did. [00:09:47] Speaker C: What don't you like about it? I'm gonna. I'm gonna push you on this. This is an audible format, weird square. [00:09:53] Speaker A: Color, and I don't know, they've got this weird, like, graffiti, not quite something watermark on it. [00:10:04] Speaker B: It just. [00:10:04] Speaker A: I don't know, it looks. It looks like a train in top. [00:10:08] Speaker C: Okay, I could see that criticism. But. But just fundamentally, the idea of England wearing red. Blue. Red is not a problem for you. [00:10:15] Speaker A: As a secondary kid has been the majority of England's away kits for the past 25 years. [00:10:21] Speaker C: Okay. [00:10:22] Speaker B: All right. [00:10:22] Speaker C: Just wanted to establish that. [00:10:24] Speaker A: Okay. I did, funny enough, see the Adidas Authentics for the World cup for the first time in the flesh today. And it's going to be the style that is used for MLS in 2026. And I will say they're very nice. [00:10:40] Speaker C: Interesting. [00:10:41] Speaker A: That's it. That's it. Just very nice. [00:10:43] Speaker C: Which ones did you see? [00:10:44] Speaker A: I saw Argentina. [00:10:47] Speaker C: Okay. [00:10:47] Speaker A: So, yeah, with the. The holographic logos and everything. Fabrics really nice and light. The new climber core. [00:10:53] Speaker C: Plus there's a JD's sportswear store up in north park now, and they've got a whole bunch of the Adidas World Cup. [00:11:00] Speaker A: Everything they had when I went in there was replica. [00:11:04] Speaker C: Yeah, these were all replicas that I saw. Correct. [00:11:06] Speaker A: This was at Dick's House of Sport. They had two authentics and a ton of replicas. [00:11:12] Speaker C: Okay, all right, well, maybe we'll save a little more kit talk for later in this episode. All right, Buzz. Well, let's move into the world of football Club Dallas, which largely had not had much happen since our last episode, and then today occurred. Now, am I to understand that today is actually a noted day on the FC Dallas calendar as well? It is now as homegrown signing day. This is an annual event, apparently. [00:11:49] Speaker B: I've never heard of it. [00:11:50] Speaker C: Since when? Can somebody tell us this year? [00:11:53] Speaker B: Maybe. [00:11:56] Speaker C: This is the first inaugural FC Dallas Homegrown signing day. [00:12:01] Speaker B: Well, the thing is, is, like, there have been many times in the past where they didn't have homegrowns every year, but now, because they have these hybrid contracts, they're basically anticipating that they're going to have somebody go from North Texas to MLS homegrown deal every single season is, I guess, what they're counting on. So, like, three of the ones today were foregone conclusions. We've known since they signed their contracts two years ago that they were on this season. They were going to become homegrowns. So it's a little bit anticlimactic for those three guys, especially because those three guys will not be. I don't anticipate playing for FC Dallas at all. They're going to end up Being, you know, they're 17, 18 years old, they're going to be this off roster, kind of homegrown status. [00:12:42] Speaker C: So why sign them to that kind of deal if they're unlikely to ever play for the Square Club? [00:12:46] Speaker B: You remember back in the day when they signed Paxton and Jesus and Brian Reynolds, those good dudes, stood around, did nothing for three years, but you still want to sign them when they're 15, 16, 17 years old. So you sign them to these longer term hybrid deals that have these, the first couple of seasons are with North Texas and then they become a homegrown, you know, and you're hoping by the time they're turning 18, 19 and 20, they're starting to move into the play. Like Diego Garcia, who's now 20, is a homegrown. So we should hopefully see more of him this season as he's now 20. So you want to sign him and lock him up, but you don't want to have them eaten up roster on Seattle. Does that make sense? So it's to solve this problem of having four or five homegrowns taking up roster spots and not doing anything. Like Paxton didn't do squat between 16 and 19. You stood there, so I don't want that. So the fourth guy, however, is interesting because that's Slade Starnes, who's the SMU senior center back, All American, Herman Trophy semifinalist, ACC tournament mvp, led SMU to their first ever ACC title in the regular season and in the, in the tournament. You know, he's a guy. [00:13:52] Speaker C: Last name, by the way. [00:13:53] Speaker B: Yeah, he's got, he's got a pro, he's got a pro body. When you see him, he'll remind you physically of Matt Hedges. He's 6, has that same sort of lanky but wiry strong. He was captain of the academy, great leader, captain at Furman, captain at smu. When he transferred, you know, for one season they made him captain anyway, so he's a player that excites me because he's 22, going on 23, he's a college senior. So this is a guy that could have been drafted or would have been drafted probably high in the first round if he wasn't a homegrown. But Dallas snapped him up. So he's going to be in the rotation, I would imagine. I imagine he'll be ahead of Alvaro Augusto right away because he's much more experienced and I'm hoping by the end of the season you'll see him getting those opportunities that are right at the beginning of the season. They'll go to Lawless, Biblicar and Abiaga. I'm hoping by the end of the season he's going to be getting those spots. He's not gonna be a starter this year, but I think he'll be in the first team rotation. If he's as good as I think he is. I mean, I've been tracking this kid a long time. So this is the, you know, of all the center backs they let go to college, this is the one that matured and progressed. Is not ready to be a professional. [00:14:56] Speaker C: Center back the way you said. That's kind of creepy. Buzz. I've been tracking him for a long time. [00:15:02] Speaker B: Well, I have. I mean, stalking a young man. Yeah, well, that's what I do. You know, he true. He came up from. He came up from ECNL to the academy sort of late. He was a little bit of a late bloomer and then became a real leader. And he's got a knack for scoring goals with his head like he. Every season in the academy and in college you would have three, four, five goals from a header off of set pieces. He can get up, he can dominate in the air defensively and offensively. I think if, if his career progresses like I expect he could move into a kind of. Maybe not as good as Matt Hedges. Matt Hedges was league defender of the year. That's pretty high. But you know, certainly in enough compared to some of the other center backs that they've signed out of college that end up not panning out at all. So I think he's going to be a good piece. He's the piece that's most exciting in terms of the next two or three seasons as opposed to some of these other kids, which I think one or two of them. You may never make it to the first team pool. [00:15:55] Speaker C: It does feel like that after however many years. How many years have they been signing homegrowns now? [00:16:00] Speaker B: I mean you can go all the way back to like Kellen Acosta and. [00:16:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:07] Speaker B: Yeah, yoloa. And the forward Reuben Luna. Thank you. Shortly after they found the program within a couple of seasons. Moises Hernandez, who ended up playing like 16 year career, not all of it in MLS, but he played forever. You know, those are the earliest first guys. [00:16:24] Speaker C: It. I mean, I. My emotions about this are conflicted because a part of it is. I'm. I think it's cool that this has become such a regular, normal thing that it's not a big deal anymore. But it also kind of sucks that it's not a big deal Anymore. [00:16:39] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you know what I mean. I know what you mean. It's because that they. They want to. In an effort by the league to get the best players to come through their. Their system, their next pro system and not go to college, they've loosened the reins for the clubs in terms of how you can sign them to these hybrid deals and progress them through your second team and eventually to your first team and carry more than. More of them than you would have room for. Used to be that they had to take roster spots like we talked about earlier in the show, like you. If you were going to sign them, they damn well better be ready because they're going to eat 3, 4 of your roster spots. Well, that's no longer the case. So now you can stockpile them. [00:17:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:18] Speaker B: You know, maybe. Maybe sign something that might turn out to be a late bloomer, you know, or maybe take a. Take. Take a chance on one, you know, that you might. Before it would have gone to college. You know, that way you can try and keep Wes McKenna. I did not let him go to class. [00:17:35] Speaker C: Well, that's interesting. So I guess in an off season, you got to manufacture a big day. And that was today. [00:17:43] Speaker B: Yeah, why not, right? Yeah. [00:17:47] Speaker C: So is there one main takeaway from today's announcement that you would like the pod listener to carry with them? [00:17:55] Speaker B: Yeah, just that only one of those players matters right now. Okay. The other three, you know, are years away from helping. So, you know, they're teenagers. You know, they're not. They're not important in the context today. [00:18:11] Speaker C: Am I reading correctly that one of these players is somehow adorned with the name Kaka? [00:18:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Cock escapen. Yeah, he's Brazilian. And so his. That's. That is a sort of an Americanized nickname, probably from the great Brazilian player of that same name. I would imagine. His name is not spelled like that or pronounced. His real name is not spelled like that. But Scaven. Yeah. Is. His dad is in the pro game as a scout slash finder. You know, he came to Dallas Academy from Inter Miami. [00:18:43] Speaker C: So as a man now, man who once was a boy who was burdened with the name Peter, I feel for any young man who is having to carry around the first name Kaka. [00:18:58] Speaker B: Well, I imagine in the. The soccer world that he's from the Brazilian world, in the world of which his kids are playing in, that doesn't come up. [00:19:04] Speaker C: Yeah, Frisco Heritage. That ain't the same thing, Buzz. [00:19:08] Speaker B: Well, he may not go by that name at Frisco Heritage. [00:19:10] Speaker C: Oh, okay. [00:19:11] Speaker B: For all I know. [00:19:12] Speaker C: Oh, you don't think so? [00:19:14] Speaker B: I don't know. That's his soccer name. [00:19:16] Speaker C: But what's his. What is his real first name? Do we know? [00:19:20] Speaker B: I don't know how to pronounce. Yeah, I don't know how to pronounce it. It's spelled. [00:19:25] Speaker C: It's shitty. [00:19:27] Speaker B: No, it's a Brazilian name. Hold on a second. [00:19:35] Speaker C: Your name is actually Dog. [00:19:38] Speaker B: No, stop it. I'm looking. I. I put it in the discord here. Hold on a second. [00:19:48] Speaker C: It's like Kenny or something like that, Right? [00:19:50] Speaker B: C, A, U, A. But the second A has that little Brazilian thing on. [00:19:55] Speaker C: Something like that. [00:19:55] Speaker B: I mean, I don't. I don't know. I'm not Brazilian. I can't speak Portuguese. [00:19:58] Speaker C: So this is when we need Andy Swift. [00:20:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:01] Speaker C: Our trilinguist. [00:20:02] Speaker B: How to pronounce that. I don't know how to pronounce it. [00:20:04] Speaker A: So, you know, says Kaua. [00:20:08] Speaker B: There you go. So. [00:20:09] Speaker C: Interesting. Well, we're still arguing about Kaik and. And the numerous pronunciations of Kaik's name, so. [00:20:17] Speaker B: Oh, no, no. We were saying it right. Because when I was like, hey, how come you guys are. Have this one thing in your PR stuff? And then the recording of him is completely different. He goes, yeah, we screwed that up. The recording is correct. Well, all right. [00:20:30] Speaker A: Brazilians also have multiple pronunciations for just about everything. Yeah, it's like when you had. Like when you had a Felipe Millionaro and you'd have Brazilian people that called him Philippe. Felipe or Felipe. Yeah, I mean, they're all Brazilian. They're all correct. [00:20:52] Speaker C: All right, well, a big day. I suppose we qualify. It is officially a big day. We'll look forward to January 5, 2027, when FC Dallas Homegrown Signing Day comes back around for year two. [00:21:07] Speaker B: Yeah, there already are some. There are. They already have players that will come onto that contract, I believe Sam said, I will elevate at that date to homegrown, if that means anything to you. [00:21:20] Speaker C: He'll emerge from his academy cocoon. [00:21:23] Speaker B: Well, from his North Texas cocoon. His North Texas cocoon. [00:21:28] Speaker C: All right. Anything else? I guess, you know, because, man, we were mentioning this. You and I were talking about how we are so close to the start of camp. And then I saw a couple of the media guys chatting up the fact that. That teams participating in Leagues cup are already having to get together because the league cup stuff is happening so quickly and around the corner. [00:21:52] Speaker B: You mean Con Caf or con. [00:21:54] Speaker C: Yeah, whatever the. Yeah, whichever one. Sorry. [00:21:56] Speaker B: Because FC Dallas is in leagues cup and they're not doing squad. [00:21:58] Speaker C: No, I'm sorry, I got that backwards. Yeah, the other tournament. [00:22:02] Speaker B: Yeah, the FC Dallas has physicals this weekend, you know, and they'll start training I guess basically next Monday, you know, assuming that there's not like an off day for some reason on Monday or whatever. So yeah, they're gonna enter and there's six weeks of camp and the season starts. So, you know, one of the things I'll run later this week is sort of a check in on, you know, what the roster looks like as camp is opening and have they filled all the holes that we've been talking about for the last since, you know, October when they got eliminated. But I thought it was interesting because I was looking at that today. I was doing that format today and I've noticed that like at least in my mind this is about as concrete a starting 11 entering camp. [00:22:43] Speaker A: As I. [00:22:44] Speaker B: Could think of in a while. You know, they're playing a 3 5, 2 for two very specific reasons. One was the defensive shutdown and also it gets boosted and Farrington on the field. So like those two guys are locks, right? Moose of Farrington. What are the chances of like a Deedson or an Anderson Julio or a Sarver is going to knock one of those two dudes out of the lineup? Basically zero. So those two guys are locks. The 10 is going to be, we hope, a DP signing. If they sign that guy, that's a lock. Cap is a lock. We've been hearing for a year. They think Pamuko is a lock to start in the midfield. Right. Maybe that's a spot where that might not be a lock because these injury problems, but it's pretty. It's put the lock in their mind. Camungo at left back, he's not going to lose his spot to 18 year old Josh Torcado. Irigine is a lock. Shaq Moore is a lock. At center back, probably Nolan Norris is a lock. The new signing arrived. Wing back Johansson's a lock. He's not going to start over. Giovanni J. Zeus or Newman, a college guy that's had an ACL blowout all year and Giovanni played in two years. Poss is one of the sorry Collodes won the goalkeeper job. So really there's just goalkeepers possibly in contention. Clodi and Pus. I don't think Noel Norris is in contention. I think he's going to walk in a starter and then is Pamico the guy or not? That's it. There's maybe three spots that are open and really it's probably not really. None of those three are probably maybe just goalie because you know are they going to play Abubakar or Ibiago over Norris? [00:24:09] Speaker C: You know who are your three center mids in this lineup? [00:24:12] Speaker B: Cap is a lock. The new DP10 signing that we telling everybody is coming is a lock. Right. And then pamical because they keep telling us, right. Pamigal's a star problem star. He's getting paid one $1.4 million. The salary says he's a starter. You know, are you going to drop Cabis or. Cabis is the coach's guy. He's the, he's the coach's captain. Right. You know they, they talk about how much they love Ramiro, but Romero doesn't start in the middle when last year he started out a wing back all the time. So like to me there's, there's maybe three but maybe even no positions that aren't in lock going into the season. And I don't remember the last time that happened a long time ago. Been a while. [00:24:49] Speaker C: Dan. Working under the premise that Buzz is correct and that this starting 11 appears to be largely locked, where would the Dano Meter of excitement be on the 2026 FC Dallas season? [00:25:02] Speaker A: Oh. Oh, wow. That would involve me being excited about the. [00:25:08] Speaker C: Anything in life. [00:25:11] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fair. [00:25:14] Speaker C: Absolutely. Anything at all. [00:25:17] Speaker A: I don't know. I can't get excited about it until there's some. Until pre season's back, it's hard for me to even get a draw. And oh yeah, I'm looking forward to it all day one of pre season. First time I go to preseason training, I'm like, yep, I'm in. I'm sold. Now what's the Peter meter doing? [00:25:39] Speaker C: I'm. I'm not excited. I'm sorry, I, I mean I'm, I'm, I'm. I mean I shouldn't say I'm not excited. I'm running about historically consistent at MLS preseason, which is I'm glad there's another season coming and I appreciate the fact that Dallas is playing again, but there's nothing in particular about this particular 11 or the roster or the player selection or, or anything about it that has me enthusiastic about this team's chances of winning or being a real competitor this year. Now you reveal that this DP10 signing is a Amaro Diaz type. [00:26:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:20] Speaker C: Kind of a revelatory, ball playing, creative wizard kind of player. Okay. Now my attitude is going to change about it, but right now it's essentially in many ways the same team they had last year and that team wasn't very good. [00:26:35] Speaker B: Oh yeah, well, it's got a lot better in the back half. But you're right, like this team was. [00:26:40] Speaker C: Not very good, Buzz. I mean it's like, it's like you went from really shitty to okay, just good enough to get into the playoff, squeak into the playoffs. That's not good. My, my bar of expectation after 30 years is set way higher than squeak into the playoffs. And I'm not going to apologize for that either. [00:27:00] Speaker B: As you say, the, it all, the level of excitement, the level of hope, it all hinges on this DP10. I mean this is the quarterback, this is the point guard. This is like everything, like their ability. Because you're right, like we talk about all the time, if you stand pat, you're going to get passed. So like their version of not standing pat is confirming that Shaq Moore is in the middle and bringing in a wing back who may or may not be an upgrade over what they used to have at right wing back. Other than that is palm call healthy. That's going to go a long way between making us excited or not. And then the new dp. The new DP is literally the whole thing. Without the new dp, you're the exact same team last year. You'll start going to make the playoffs with a new dp. I think you can make some more strides. Yeah, it's gotta be real though. [00:27:43] Speaker C: But the part of it that I'm also concerned about is the fact that it does appear they're sticking with the three man back line. And if they do that, tactically it's tough for you to put a system on the field that maximizes this type of player. Hence the problems they were having with Acosta last year. [00:28:02] Speaker B: Well, I think a lot of those problems with Acosta were, you know, but by my nature somehow how he was as a player, he always wanted to come back and, and look for the ball and try and build up through the middle and all that kind of stuff. And listening to talk the other day and again, like you can't ever take him at face value, but you know, he was talking about the kind of prime of profile they want isn't like a classic stand in the middle Valderrama string puller. He was talking about a guy that can go inside outside and attacks aggressively on the run with the ball at his feet. Like almost describing like more of a false nine, like underneath winger kind of thing more than he was like a actual pure 10. And if you look at the Eights we're talking about. The cap is theoretically the cap is palm call scenario and even Romero when he's in there and Kaik for that matter, all those guys can pass a little bit. You know, Palm club will make a huge difference in terms of their ability to pass in there if he can stay healthy. That's the thing for me is they're hanging a lot on that palm of goal being healthy problem because the midfield gets super, super pedestrian without him. You know, even if you get a really great 10, you know it's gonna. It's because if you don't, you're looking at Delgado, the Delgado, Ramiro Delgado, Caillou Campus. That's what makes you kind of nervous for like, oh, this is not going to be any better. But you know, a cabbage Palm call new DP10 makes me kind of excited for what possibly could happen pending the fact that I don't trust the pomgle southeast. [00:29:28] Speaker C: Yeah, that would be interesting. It would also depend on how that lays out formation wise with three in the back. Is it a three? Four, two, one, Is it a three? You know, I, that's what I'm curious about, how they're going to play that. [00:29:43] Speaker B: Yeah, we'll have to see in the spring that. My, my thinking was they'll end up with sort of the same thing they had last year to a certain extent, which is the side, this, you know, this five back really where Kamingo was releasing and the back three was sort of shifting left a lot. And we talked about how Shock Moore would slide over and almost become like a left back, if you will, in those sort of scenarios. But then they went out and gotten Johansson, who is a, you know, set their league record for goal contributions, goals and assists as a wing back and had these huge numbers. So like, okay, maybe they're going to alternate releasing and going forward. So I think there's a lot to be said with that midfield. You know what basically will become a four across being Bernie Kappis, Pam and Johansen. Maybe. That's a pretty offensive group. So it'll be, it'll be fascinating to watch. Peter, as you say, like how that tactic. Because you know, tactics no longer like you just write down 3, 5, 2. It doesn't really work that way anymore. Now everything is really fluid and things flex and then when, when is a guy releasing, when is the guy not. Somebody was talking about like inverted wing backs to me the other day about how maybe they won't be going forward, maybe they'll be coming underneath, you know, so like we'll see how it all plays out. That's what spring training is for. And that's gonna be fascinating over the next six weeks. If we get access to watch some of the games like a Scrimmages are on tv by the way, they, they are playing RSL and Bromby again over there in Algrave in January. So we'll hopefully we'll get some of those games streamed and we'll kind of see what's going on with this Back three, back five, how it all is working. Hopefully we'll get to see a new DP10 because you guys know as well as anybody those new big foreign signings often show up at the, at the European camp because they can get in there and train without causing all kind of visa issues. By trying to come here and train without a visa and all that stuff, you can get in trouble for that. [00:31:29] Speaker C: And when is, when is that run? [00:31:31] Speaker B: I don't know when they're going exactly, but it's probably going to be, you know, end of January into the beginning of February. Usually they go for like two, two and a half weeks. Those two games are January 26th and January 30th against Bronbie and RSL that are on the schedule of the website. That's how we know there exists. [00:31:48] Speaker C: And now that Jesus and Legit both are no longer with the team, can they go back to the nightclub? Is it. Is the team safe to return to the nightclub? [00:31:58] Speaker B: Well, it was never the team. It was a problem. It was personal. It was for a problem. I know, I know. [00:32:04] Speaker C: But now, you know, maybe they feel like the troublemakers or I don't know. [00:32:10] Speaker B: That anybody else has a significant other of, of such hope high profile that it would matter that they went to the club or not. [00:32:15] Speaker C: Well, Jesus didn't at the time either. [00:32:18] Speaker B: Bobby Ryan got in trouble at a club once in La Manga Tell this. [00:32:23] Speaker C: Is old burn story. [00:32:24] Speaker B: I'm not familiar with hope. That's a public story. Let me just say like do you remember the, the time I went over there with them and they were doing that pink shirt of punishment when something would go wrong. [00:32:36] Speaker C: Yes. [00:32:36] Speaker B: One morning where Bobby Ryan was wearing it a little worse for wear looking and I was like probably what happened. And there was a whole story with that. And I don't want to have. Because he got in trouble, some relatively stern trouble. Yeah. [00:32:48] Speaker C: For that one he had to wear the cut off shirt. [00:32:52] Speaker B: Yeah. It did involve some karaoke standing on a piano. I remember that part of it would be a pretty, pretty Much so. [00:32:59] Speaker C: Very funny. [00:33:00] Speaker B: They got worse from there. [00:33:03] Speaker C: All right, and I'm just going to ask again. What's the latest on the new shirt reveal kit? Reveal? [00:33:11] Speaker A: I haven't had any time. [00:33:13] Speaker C: Do you. All right, hold on. I'm going to ask you the same. I'm going to ask. I've asked Buzz this question directly. Buzz, do you know who the 10 they're looking to sign is? [00:33:22] Speaker B: And you just say, no, I don't know. But this is. I told you that, like, somebody that I know that does know told me that I would love it, so. But, you know, they may not know me well enough to have said that. [00:33:35] Speaker C: So now I'm going to turn and look at Dan on this video web and go, Dan, do you know what the new FC Dallas home kit looks like? You just can't tell us. In other words, have you seen it in some shape or form and you know what it looks like? You just can't tell us? [00:33:54] Speaker A: I do not know exactly what it looks like. [00:33:58] Speaker C: What percentage of. How much you. Do you think you know? [00:34:05] Speaker A: 70, maybe. [00:34:06] Speaker C: Okay. [00:34:07] Speaker A: All right. [00:34:08] Speaker C: Are we going to like it? [00:34:09] Speaker A: I have a guess. [00:34:10] Speaker C: Are we going to like it? [00:34:14] Speaker A: That's an even tougher question. I don't know. I mean, we keep getting told it's. It's the best one so far. Yeah. [00:34:21] Speaker B: Better than the burn one. [00:34:23] Speaker C: But based on the 70%, you know. You know what Buzz and I like, Dan, this isn't a secret. We've been prattling on about this for 800 episodes. [00:34:34] Speaker A: I. Yeah, I. I mean, I think so. [00:34:37] Speaker C: Okay. [00:34:38] Speaker A: All right. [00:34:38] Speaker C: I'm just trying to get enthusiastic. See, look, I'm trying to get enthusiastic about the season. I want you to be enthusiastic, Dan, that. [00:34:46] Speaker A: That I. I'm English. I am incapable of enthusiasm. [00:34:54] Speaker B: As. [00:34:54] Speaker A: As the joke goes, you lot say, have a nice day. We can't even guarantee the next 15 minutes. [00:35:03] Speaker B: By the way, Peter, this is only episode 344. There are not 800 episodes. All right? [00:35:07] Speaker C: It just feels like 800 episodes. [00:35:09] Speaker B: Well, we've been talking about that jersey for 20 years that we want, so. [00:35:14] Speaker C: All right, very good. All right, FC Dallas talk. Going once. Going twice. All right, we are done with FC Dallas talk. Let's move to little FC Dallas North Texas. Anything there? Other than that it sounds like they exploded their roster officially. [00:35:34] Speaker B: Well, they. They. They've announced the moves that I told everybody about back in October. They were all correct. [00:35:40] Speaker C: All right, so I wasn't missing because I saw this happen online today, and my first thought was, didn't buzz Already announce all this back before Halloween. [00:35:51] Speaker B: Yeah. I reported, quote, unquote. Yeah. And they said they wouldn't do anything until in the season. The reason is because those contracts are until December 31st. And then the office was closed. So now they've done it. The one. The one little nugget that was in there was that Isaiah Kakush signed a new deal. Like, because he. That's interesting. Because he was under contract for 2026. They did an option and they signed him to a new deal. And I found out from my sources it's a hybrid deal. So he's a future homegrown, exciting player. [00:36:20] Speaker C: He blew another kick ass name, by the way. [00:36:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Kakush. Yeah. [00:36:24] Speaker C: Yes. [00:36:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Everybody just calls him Kush as far as I know, which is awesome. And he. He blew out his ACL in the last season. And it's interesting because his option would have run out for this next year right when he was getting healthy. So they obviously were like, no, we're not letting that happen. And they've done a hybrid deal on him, so he'll be a homegrown in a couple years. Very talented player. I'm quite interested in that guy. [00:36:47] Speaker C: Need to meet the Koosh. [00:36:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Cool kid. You like him? Yeah. [00:36:52] Speaker C: What'd you say, Dan? [00:36:53] Speaker A: That sounded a little bit off. It was the tone in your voice more than anything. [00:36:59] Speaker B: Did it have a funk to it there? [00:37:00] Speaker A: The coos might have had a funk, yeah. [00:37:04] Speaker C: Buzz was the one that was tracking players. [00:37:07] Speaker B: Yeah. I definitely track players from about 14 on. [00:37:12] Speaker C: Daddy, who's this man following me? All my games. [00:37:16] Speaker A: And now we're all on a watch list. [00:37:17] Speaker B: Don't kid yourself. If you go to an academy game starting at about age 13 or 14, there's not just one person, there's about 20 people scouting every game. Yeah, I'm sure there is not. I. I do not stand out in that field of people. I actually draw a line much older than most of those idiots. [00:37:32] Speaker C: It's a. But it's a business, man. [00:37:34] Speaker B: It is. Yep. [00:37:36] Speaker C: Okay. So any. Any other little FC Dallas talk we want to get into? Have they. When is the stadium officially open? [00:37:45] Speaker B: A little later this spring. Their season schedule is not out yet. [00:37:48] Speaker C: So will we. Do we assume they're just going to play a bunch of away games until the stadium opens? [00:37:53] Speaker B: We don't assume they are. They are. [00:37:55] Speaker C: Oh, okay. [00:37:56] Speaker B: I asked when camp starts, even though their season starts later than FC Dallas's. I asked when it starts. They only have like six players, so I think all those six guys are going to be out there with FC Dallas because most of them are, you know, future FC Dallas signings are already upside out signs anyway. So they're all be at FC Dallas camp. I get. I'm assuming this week. So that's. That they're going to kind of circumvent the rules in a way. That way. Okay. [00:38:19] Speaker C: Excuse me, sleepy. Let's see on the run sheet it just says Atletico Dallas, question mark. Question mark. Is there nothing to talk about? Buzzer. Are you gonna break news? [00:38:33] Speaker A: No, no. [00:38:34] Speaker B: This. I was. I wrote that down trying to think if there was any news. There just hasn't been anything since that the announcement of the bar that they're doing and the and all and the field that they're a little field which is all super cool and then their reserve team that they bought but they haven't done anything since then, you know, holidays or whatever. So like I just didn't have anything to put, you know, they're still on the run sheet. I just didn't scratch them out. I guess I should have. But no news there. [00:38:58] Speaker C: Very good. [00:38:59] Speaker B: I. I do anticipate that this quarter that they will announce a coach sometime in the next two to three months. I know that's a big window, but. [00:39:06] Speaker C: You made me laugh out loud when you retweeted the Wilfred Nancy news about getting fired from Celtic and you said Atletico Dallas should give him a call. Call. Well, that's just ridiculous. [00:39:18] Speaker B: Why not? Ain't big. [00:39:21] Speaker C: There's a guy that was just managing in the Scottish Premier League is going to step down to usl1.mls. [00:39:28] Speaker B: Every MLS job is full. [00:39:30] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't, I don't think he left MLS to go to Europe to come back to the United States to manage a USL1 team in the after. [00:39:37] Speaker B: Five games or whatever. Who's going to start them in Europe? [00:39:40] Speaker C: Well, maybe that is an indication that he's not smart about his job selection and so maybe he would do that. [00:39:45] Speaker B: Not saying that that's not completely true. That that was a terrible choice to have made a system coach who needs time to implement his system. I'm not saying that's not 100% true. But like all the MLS jobs are full. I'm just saying that like if you think you're going to be a Division 1 club in this new league and maybe he'd like to challenge. I don't know if he got even. [00:40:03] Speaker C: If he got a scratch of the 10 million amorin got today for getting sacked early. Wilford Nancy made the right choice choice to go take the five Weeks of Celtic for be or whatever. [00:40:15] Speaker B: Call and ask. You never know. [00:40:17] Speaker C: Caleb Porter was getting that job. [00:40:20] Speaker B: Who knows? I just said that Caleb Porter knows Brian Cocker, their director of soccer, that's all. [00:40:24] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what. Oh, I predicted that was my conjecture. [00:40:26] Speaker B: That he would be the guy since if he was going to be available. And he is available. So. Yeah. Yeah. He and Corcoran are buddies from their days on the U17 USU17 team. Team. That was the only reason I made that suggestion. And then I suggested Hugo Sanchez would be a great hire as well. Oh, I like the great u. S. National team midfielder who coaches in El Salvador. [00:40:49] Speaker C: You mean Ugo Perez? [00:40:50] Speaker B: I'm sorry, yes. I'm sorry. Hugo Perez. Not Hugo Sanchez. They can't get Hugo Sanchez. Hugo Perez is who I meant. I may edit that whole thing because now I sound like an ass that I got the wrong. [00:41:00] Speaker C: So confused. [00:41:02] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. That's awful. I brain fart. [00:41:05] Speaker C: Well, I sound stupid because I agreed with you. Oh, that was a great idea. Then I thought about it. I was like, wait a second, you. [00:41:11] Speaker B: Mean who goes Perez, former national midfielder, should include you in it was not a fact. [00:41:17] Speaker C: Yeah, that's. That's what triggered me was I don't remember. Such as going to El Salvador. [00:41:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Or playing for the United States. [00:41:24] Speaker C: Or playing for the United States. I remember when he played in the cotton bowl and bicycle kicked on day one, but there you go. [00:41:30] Speaker B: All right. [00:41:32] Speaker C: We spent a lot of time last week contemplating the fate of Trinity and their poor attendance numbers and kind of the fractured state of their schedule. And yet their season is about to pick back up and they've got a game on the calendar that isn't even a league game. They're playing Houston. [00:41:52] Speaker B: Yeah. This is like. [00:41:53] Speaker C: Is this like a preseason mid season friendly? Is that what this is? [00:41:56] Speaker B: Yes, because they have like a. They have their winter break, you know, they're gonna do a little week or two, I don't know for sure camp. They're gonna play a warm up friendly. They played the dash last year at the same time. They're about. They're gonna. They're trying to make it like an annual thing. They gave it a name and all that stuff. Oh, so it's at the Cotton ball on the 28th. [00:42:11] Speaker C: That'll be Copa Tejas or something like that. [00:42:13] Speaker B: I don't remember what it was, you know, Texas challenge or something. Who knows? I don't know. [00:42:17] Speaker A: I thought you five showdown there. [00:42:19] Speaker B: It is. Yeah. [00:42:20] Speaker A: So what's fun is Houston's preseason Yeah. [00:42:23] Speaker B: Houston preseason, Trinity's mid season refresh. You know, it'll be fun. Be a good game because Dash should be really good. [00:42:31] Speaker C: So I got a question for you guys because I was thinking about this the other day. With MLS moving to the new calendar in 27 and giving themselves a similar break that we've seen USL SL give themselves, and we've commented on more than one occasion how this break within this new women's league really seems to just put a massive emergency break on the season in terms of interest and momentum. And. And I'm really curious if MLS is going to suffer the same sort of kind of fracture in, in anybody's enthusiasm over the season when the thing stops down for six weeks. [00:43:18] Speaker B: It'll be similar, I anticipate, to when they stop down for a World cup or for the opening rounds of a World cup, you know, except that of course, the audience then has the World cup to watch. Whereas, like. And then all of a sudden you got to come back and, you know, a month later and play. So it'll be like that. [00:43:34] Speaker C: So I guess, culturally, I'm curious. I was just trying to think, is there an American sport that has a start stop setup like this that I'm just an obvious one that I'm not even thinking about? [00:43:47] Speaker B: Not that I can think of, other than like, you know, they talk about the baseball All Star break, but it's like five days. [00:43:54] Speaker C: Yeah. That's not the same thing. [00:43:55] Speaker B: Month, you know, that's it. I mean, that I can think of. Certainly not American football, Basketball. I. I don't remember if the. Does the NBA shut down a lot for this NBA cup that they're doing? I don't think so. They keep playing the music. [00:44:08] Speaker C: No, in fact, some of the games are actually games for both things. Yeah. Some of the games are both regular season games and cup games at the same time. At least I think that's how it was in the earliest rounds. That's how it's set up, I think. [00:44:21] Speaker B: Remember when MLS did that in the Open Cup? That was dumb. [00:44:24] Speaker C: Yes. [00:44:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:25] Speaker C: Unless it's done a lot of stupid stuff. [00:44:27] Speaker B: Yeah, they have. Yeah. [00:44:29] Speaker C: I'm just, I'm curious. I don't know if it's a fair comparison because the USLSL arrives already being way off the general sports radar as it is. I'm just curious that if everybody gets all enthusiastic about a new MLS season and then it just the, you know, the brakes get hit at the beginning of January or whatever it is, and everybody's like, oh, I forgot about the MLS season. [00:44:54] Speaker B: Well, Dan, England has a, has a winter break. It's not that long. [00:44:57] Speaker C: Well, they just started doing that and then they quit doing it. Germany does it all. Yeah. [00:45:01] Speaker A: They used to have like a two month break where they switched to indoor. The NHL historically had a break for the Winter Olympics. [00:45:09] Speaker C: Okay. But that was still. That would only be once every four years. [00:45:13] Speaker B: Mexico does obviously League of mx. [00:45:14] Speaker C: Right. [00:45:15] Speaker B: As a. [00:45:15] Speaker C: Again I think it's a cultural question which is. Is you know, are we as a sports culture prepared for our, one of our major pro leagues to just stop doing everything for six weeks? That's what I'm curious about. [00:45:26] Speaker B: I, I don't, I don't know that we're going to be prepared for it, but I actually am looking forward to it because I feel like FCD certainly in the middle of summer gets burnt, gets burned out going into August. Right? [00:45:37] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:38] Speaker B: And so maybe it's in part because the season is so, you know, the season is so long. So maybe there's a, a benefit to like a little refresh mid season, a little stop down, a little camp. You know like as long as you. [00:45:51] Speaker A: Break turn into the chaos that the USL Super League winter break did last year. [00:45:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:57] Speaker A: What happened last year when Brooklyn as a club fell apart and then the league just went on its head. [00:46:04] Speaker B: I mean as long as it's not FC Dallas. That's fun. Chaos is good. We love chaos. Yeah. [00:46:10] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm curious because that's what I as I think about us sitting through another stop down for USLSL and, and the, the momentum or enthusiasm. What letter little there is. You just it. I'm curious as to how that's going to play out for MLS in 18 months time or whatever the the time frame is. All right, let's see anything else we want. We still haven't heard anything about Fort Worth. That's being slow played to the slowest degree. And I've started to see more social media content from rodeo. Like they've started to put their messaging together, imagery branding. [00:46:52] Speaker B: I have a huge rodeo FC news drop for, for you. [00:46:56] Speaker C: So it is. Since it's not FC Dallas. This isn't a Huntsman drop. Is this just a flat out rodeo. [00:47:01] Speaker B: Horse drop Was a rodeo dump. [00:47:04] Speaker C: Horse dump. Okay. [00:47:06] Speaker B: Pony dump. I don't know what. Yeah. The club Collective Rodeo Texoma, whatever has apparently parted ways with Adrian Forbes. Adrian Forbes is out. Dan's buddy from Luton, the Texoma's coach slash TD from last season is no longer apparently employed by the club. [00:47:25] Speaker C: So there they brought this dude all the way over from England and they sacked him. [00:47:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:32] Speaker C: Dan, has he been showing up to your Dallas area Luton support group meetings? [00:47:38] Speaker A: We don't have one. There's only a handful. [00:47:41] Speaker C: It seems like you should have one because one of your fellow Lutenites is in need. Danny needs your support. [00:47:47] Speaker A: I tried to figure out in the Premier League season and nobody can't say. [00:47:51] Speaker B: All right, so changing the top. Like, you know, they have a GM now for Texoma, you know, which is a summer lead team basically. And I don't know who's other than Ben Watson who's basically running the for the rodeo part, but they're back to the drawing board in terms of a coach or a GM and putting a team together. So Forbes is out. [00:48:10] Speaker A: Yay money. [00:48:12] Speaker C: It's a, it's a third. I mean it's a USL1 team. [00:48:16] Speaker B: Well, it's professional, so we care. [00:48:19] Speaker C: I know, I know. I just. [00:48:21] Speaker B: It's. [00:48:21] Speaker C: It's. It's extremely niche is what I'm saying. [00:48:25] Speaker B: That's why it's the last thing in the show. [00:48:27] Speaker A: Oh, hopefully, hopefully Phillipsy finds a good spot though. I mean, guys, guys, a quality coach, Premier League experience like, you know, deserves a little bit better than getting messed around and you know, semi pro slash pro set and. [00:48:46] Speaker C: Okay. I'm sure we'll learn more about Rodeo soccer club as their pending season draws near. I don't even. I. Are they playing in Sherman again this year? [00:49:00] Speaker B: Well, they're not coming back till next. Next year it's going to be in Salina. Remember? That's the whole. [00:49:05] Speaker C: No, I knew they were moving to Salina, but I knew that also coincided with a new stadium being constructed. So they're taking an entire season off. [00:49:13] Speaker B: Yeah, they're. They're going to play in the new fancy high school football stadium that they have there in Salina. [00:49:18] Speaker C: Yeah, but that's not. So that's not done until 27, I think. [00:49:22] Speaker B: Oh, I don't know anything about that. I know that they're. They're playing next year. They're not playing. Texoma will continue to play in Sherman this year in the USL2, but the USL1 team will not come back until next season. [00:49:33] Speaker C: Okay, got it. [00:49:35] Speaker B: Hopefully they're going to have the logo is the next thing that's supposed to come out from the them. [00:49:38] Speaker C: They're. [00:49:38] Speaker B: They're doing like a fan. Send us your logo and we'll consider it, which is kind of fun. [00:49:43] Speaker A: Oh, okay. So they just don't want to pay a design agency. [00:49:46] Speaker B: Yeah, you should get in on that dance. Do it for free. Yeah. I mean, you could get an awesome logo that way, though, man. [00:49:52] Speaker C: Vegas still T shirts. Still taking bets on the odds that the final logo has a rope in it. [00:50:00] Speaker B: Yeah. Cowboy hat, you know, maybe a br. [00:50:03] Speaker C: A bow. The font made of rope. What is that? What is that a font called Dan? The one that's rope. Is it just called font. Rope. [00:50:11] Speaker B: Font. Font. Rope. Yeah, rope. [00:50:14] Speaker A: Just corny. [00:50:15] Speaker C: Corny. [00:50:17] Speaker A: Comic sans, but fancy. [00:50:19] Speaker C: All right, and then to get back to our favorite thing, kit talk before we finish up the episode, footy headlines today also leaked the description and they kind of goofed with everybody because they put some images next to it, but none of the images match the actual written description in the article of what the new primary American or US Kit will be for the World Cup. But by all indications, Adidas has decided to give the US Red and white hoops. Hoopies. Hoop esque design. More like a flag. American flag design. How about that? In terms of red and white horizontal waves or stripes or something. [00:51:06] Speaker B: It's a tribute, in a way to the great, you know, World cup kit from 94. [00:51:11] Speaker C: 94 in the Waldos. [00:51:12] Speaker B: Yeah, from. [00:51:14] Speaker C: When were the Waldos? [00:51:15] Speaker B: Oh, eight. [00:51:17] Speaker C: Eight, I think it was. [00:51:18] Speaker B: I think so, too. [00:51:19] Speaker C: So they talk about them not being straight horizontal lines, but there being some movement. And they also talk about that the red, I think, has some sort of gradient to it, from like a maroon to more of a traditional red. I'm assuming they would wear it with navy shorts and socks. [00:51:35] Speaker B: Surely, Surely they would. [00:51:37] Speaker C: But I also thought that it's interesting because of the way FIFA is kind of a sticky, a stick stickler about light versus dark kit assignments. [00:51:47] Speaker B: Hate that. [00:51:49] Speaker C: And because if you think about their group stage two of their opponents have red as a primary color. Paraguay wears red and white stripes with navy. Excuse me, royal blue shorts. And Turkey. I'm assuming it's Turkey that's going to end up being the fourth team. They're historically a red kit or a white kit. So if the US Plays Turkey, I'm assuming that means the US Is going to have to wear what I then also assume is a navy kit. [00:52:20] Speaker B: Yeah, the all navy. Kiss the other kid pretty much always. [00:52:24] Speaker C: So I just. I think it's interesting that FIFA's letting Adidas give the US a red and white stripe because of the complications it creates in terms of the kid assignment. [00:52:36] Speaker B: I think it's awesome. It's great. We'll probably end having to wear navy all the time, but I think that kid sounds fun. [00:52:43] Speaker C: Well, it would Suck if they got a really kick ass flag kit and the US never gets to wear it. [00:52:50] Speaker B: Right. [00:52:50] Speaker C: I mean how often did they wear the denim kit? [00:52:54] Speaker B: One game, I think. Yeah, they didn't get out of the round, so. [00:52:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So. All right. [00:53:01] Speaker B: Hey, before we go, I just wanted to comment that it's an absolute bummer that Ricky Puig is out for all of 2026. Man, that sucks. All. [00:53:09] Speaker C: Well, not only that, I'm worried for the dude's career. [00:53:15] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I mean this is a, you know, palm type situation where he's had a second thing and another operation. [00:53:20] Speaker C: Well, I'm curious, is this a retear of the same of the repaired tendon? Is it a different injury in the same knee? They haven't. They've been very unspecific about the. What the injury is. [00:53:35] Speaker B: It says setback on the. On the quick Google. So it must have been something of the same knee. That leads me to believe. I just wanted to talk about what a bummer it is. Not like I had anything to add. [00:53:46] Speaker A: To it, but AP said it was an ACL reconstructive surgery again. [00:53:51] Speaker C: Yeah. So if in fact he re. He tore that and it's a. It's a reconstruction of a reconstruction that worries me for his career and I think. And I also think it's interesting that LA went ahead and just IR'd him for the season and they will almost certainly replace him with another high profile player. [00:54:11] Speaker B: Which they didn't do last time. [00:54:12] Speaker C: No, no. [00:54:13] Speaker B: But like Dallas did. [00:54:15] Speaker C: Exactly. So. And the complications that then poses for LA in 27 in terms of DP and money spending and all of that. But I guess that's a bridge you cross when you get to it. That's a good problem to have at that time. Maybe potentially. I don't know. I just. I think I'm at this point with. As much as I'm brokenhearted for the guy, you just wonder if he's done well. [00:54:41] Speaker B: That's exactly what we've been saying. The same worry we've had for PAX and Hong Kong now it's like I. We. I've not been assuming at all that he was ever gonna play. I mean he ran around last year, but that ain't the same player. You know what I mean? [00:54:53] Speaker C: No, it's like. No. [00:54:54] Speaker B: You know, just like Giovanni J. Zeus has been out for two years. We have no idea where we're getting. Even though it's not saying he's been going gang but testers for two months. [00:55:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I would, you know, and this weird part is pal McCall's situation is different than it is. [00:55:07] Speaker B: Or. [00:55:08] Speaker C: Jesus. One's a 10, you know, one's a cartilage issue, one is a tendon issue. Right. Reconstruction. So I, you know, they're all. They're all nasty knee surgeries. [00:55:19] Speaker B: Yeah. The bottom line is if you miss two years, the chance of your career continuing is not good. And so that's where we are with pamical, you know, And. And really the point is just that, like, such a beautiful player. Quig isn't. So it's. [00:55:33] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:55:33] Speaker B: 100 poosh. God damn it. [00:55:36] Speaker A: I mean, it'd be interesting to see because, you know, is it going to be one of those players that once he is eventually fit, bounces straight back, or does he require that. That kind of build up here like most players coming off an ACL? [00:55:50] Speaker C: What is he, 26, 6 now? 27. It's not like he's in his 30s. [00:55:56] Speaker B: 26. [00:55:56] Speaker C: He's 26. All right, so he'll be 27 when. [00:55:59] Speaker B: Pal Pax is 25 or whatever. [00:56:02] Speaker C: Yeah. All right, very good. [00:56:05] Speaker B: 26. Paxton turned 26 last month. My bad. [00:56:07] Speaker C: All right, well, now, Dan Buzz blocked me on kit talk by moving into his memorial for his career. I just wanted to ask Dan first if he had any hot kit talk that he wanted to bring to the table. [00:56:23] Speaker A: No. [00:56:25] Speaker C: You haven't seen a new kit that you're excited about or a design that you're into? [00:56:32] Speaker B: A lot of hot topics. [00:56:33] Speaker A: I have been kind of gone off the grid the last week. I haven't really paid attention to anything. I mean, I saw the new ball and that was about it. [00:56:43] Speaker C: What do you think of the new ball? The new MLS ball? [00:56:46] Speaker A: It's. It's adequate. [00:56:48] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:56:48] Speaker A: It's a ball. [00:56:50] Speaker C: Somebody clever put an article up that. That went back and looked at every single MLS ball in the history of the league. And I will state pretty unequivocally the Kappa traditional polka dot ball is my favorite MLS ball of all time. [00:57:08] Speaker B: I don't think I ever had a strong opinion about. [00:57:11] Speaker C: Really? [00:57:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:57:14] Speaker C: The original MLS miter ball was a great ball. [00:57:18] Speaker A: I. I had a Luton town. Or was it Maybe it was an FA Cup Wembley program that had the advert for that ball in it. [00:57:26] Speaker B: You're right. The classic Capital ball is a fantastic ball, Peter. [00:57:29] Speaker C: Now help me out, Buzz. I don't know if you will remember this. I also am of the memory that the reason why it was only the ball for the league one year is because it was an absolutely shock quality ball. I For some reason, I. Is that the ball is okay? Well, it was. It was for a short period of time. But I think I'm correct in saying that that's the ball that kept deflating on the field and they kept having to replace in the middle of games. [00:58:00] Speaker B: You might be right. I mean, they went away from capital pretty quick. Do you remember that? [00:58:04] Speaker C: Do you remember that? There was an MLS ball. I swear. Swear. And I think it was the Kappa ball that they. You know, you very rarely see a ball have to be replaced on the field because it's deflated or popped or something. And I think the capable had a defect in it or something. [00:58:20] Speaker B: There was a run where it would hit a post and it would crack the seam or whatever or hit the. [00:58:24] Speaker C: Crossbar because it was 110 degrees or whatever. The glue would melt or whatever it was. I just remember being at one of those balls. But that's the aspect. Aesthetically, that's my favorite ball. [00:58:34] Speaker B: Whenever we get to the ball talker in the league, I always have to bring up the thing that one of the things that has most surprised me about professional soccer, being out training and stuff like that, is how hard the pro players want the balls pumped up. Like, they will reject a ball to me, that is rock hard and they'll reject it as not being pumped up enough. [00:58:53] Speaker A: I think that's just players in general now because I always, always. I always grew up to be like, you know, you. You wanted that little bit of give. You didn't want to give yourself a concussion head in it. But now even. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Or help your touch, you know, even. [00:59:06] Speaker A: Like amateur games, it's like, if that thing's not a basketball, no one wants it. [00:59:11] Speaker B: Yeah. I remember asking Jason Christ, I was like, holy crap, why do you want it pumped up like this? And he's like, speed. The harder it is, the harder I can hit it. I was like, oh, okay, that makes sense. But I think it would surprise most people that think they play, you know, play soccer or amateur soccer, go out for kick arounds. Like even people that are probably pretty high level amateur players. At least back then, perhaps I found it shocking how hard they wanted it. No give at all. [00:59:38] Speaker C: There is a big difference between 9 and 15 pounds or 13 pounds of pressure. [00:59:44] Speaker B: Yeah. They want the max pressure. [00:59:46] Speaker A: If someone could also cut that audio about Buzz wanting it hard and. And all that, then magic. [00:59:52] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:59:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:59:53] Speaker B: Thanks. It's not a good episode for me. [00:59:56] Speaker A: In terms of looking at you, Scott. [00:59:58] Speaker B: The drops. [01:00:02] Speaker C: And monitoring player monitoring. [01:00:05] Speaker B: I think I said tracking, tracking, tracking players Yeah, I didn't quite step on that one as badly. [01:00:10] Speaker A: Tracking 13 year olds. [01:00:11] Speaker B: I'm liking hardballs. Yeah. No, 14. 14. Oh. [01:00:15] Speaker C: Oh. [01:00:15] Speaker B: I don't do 13. [01:00:16] Speaker C: That makes it. That makes it all better. Good for you. [01:00:18] Speaker A: So much better. [01:00:19] Speaker C: Yeah. All right, well, is there somebody that has an entire collection of MLS balls? There has to be. [01:00:29] Speaker B: I did for a long time, but I don't anymore. I have, like, the first 15 years. [01:00:33] Speaker C: The article also, unfortunately, reminded me of the year they decided to have a different colored ball for this standing MLS champion. Do you remember this when. [01:00:43] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:00:44] Speaker C: The MLS cup winner would play with a silver ball at home. [01:00:48] Speaker B: I thought that was cool. [01:00:49] Speaker C: Well, it was, except for the fact that silver isn't typically the color associated with being champions. [01:00:56] Speaker B: Yeah, fair, Fair. [01:00:59] Speaker A: That was the. [01:01:00] Speaker C: It was an Adidas ball. [01:01:02] Speaker A: Yeah, it was like. Was it the team ghost ones or the ones, like, just after it? [01:01:05] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it was one. It was the same design for the World cup. That particular year or the year prior to that. [01:01:11] Speaker A: They were trying to do the Italian thing and do the Skedado badge and all the other shit. [01:01:15] Speaker C: I think so, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was just. Yeah. So I think there was at least one, if not two seasons the MLS cup holder played with a different color ball at home. And I thought, well, that's an interesting bit. It should. It should be gold. [01:01:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that would just make sense. But then they did. They also did that weird star thing of like, oh, you have to have a silver star. Unless you've won five cups and then you can have a gold star. [01:01:37] Speaker C: And then LA just said, fuck y'. All. It now has, like, 11. [01:01:40] Speaker A: Can FC Dallas get a bronze star range? [01:01:43] Speaker C: Have you seen a Galaxy shirt lately have all the stars on it? They totally just said, I screw you guys. We're putting every star we want of different sizes and meanings and designations on our shirt. [01:01:54] Speaker B: This is where. Speaking of that idea of the stars, this is one thing that annoys me that North Texas only puts one star for their MLS next pro championship. And don't put two having. [01:02:05] Speaker A: I would like to change that. [01:02:06] Speaker B: They should put two. I don't care that one of them wasn't an MLS league. [01:02:11] Speaker A: It's not them. They've been told they're not allowed to. [01:02:13] Speaker B: I know. You got your own little equipment room. Go stick some stars on there, man. [01:02:19] Speaker A: Oh, I. I would. I would do what England used to do. I would embroider it in the color of the jersey. [01:02:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:25] Speaker A: So it's there. [01:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:27] Speaker A: Or put it in the logo. [01:02:28] Speaker C: Wait I want to make sure that I'm saying this out loud so they listen. This doesn't miss anybody. So, North Texas, holder of two championships, one for USL one and one for MLS Next pro. [01:02:41] Speaker B: Correct. [01:02:43] Speaker C: Only feature one star on their current jersey. Because MLS headquarters said you cannot put a star representing the other older league that you no longer play with on your MLS shirt. [01:02:56] Speaker B: That is correct. Yes. [01:02:58] Speaker C: What a load of horseshoe shit that is. [01:03:01] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. [01:03:02] Speaker A: I was like, vancouver should get their NASL star. [01:03:05] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, like, it's your jersey. Stick it on there. Put it somewhere else. I mean, whatever. Get on there. [01:03:12] Speaker C: If. If a. If Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal win the Canadian version of the FA cup, are they not allowed to wear a star to represent that on their shirt? [01:03:24] Speaker A: That would be weird if they did. [01:03:26] Speaker B: Well, we don't do stars for the U. S. Open cup. [01:03:28] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Fair enough. [01:03:29] Speaker B: Yeah, it would. It would. Damn. Was right. It would be Vancouver's North American NASL championship from, like 74 when that would be what they would do. And the league would say, no. I mean, that's what it would be like. Or Seattle's USL championship before usl when. Before the team was in usl, you know, that kind of thing. But, you know, it's like, I. I totally. Like, sometimes I think it's okay to buck the trend. Like, if I'm a billionaire owner, I might be like, find me whatever. I'm putting it on there. Here's a picture of me lifting the cup. I'm putting it on there. [01:04:01] Speaker C: You know, man, talk about. Talk about a way to suddenly endear your new potential season ticket base in Mansfield by telling that story publicly. That we're just going to buck whatever the league says is. We're going to put this on our shirts anyway. [01:04:16] Speaker B: We got two titles. [01:04:17] Speaker C: We're putting it on here, and you can come buy a shirt and get some season tickets to go along with it. [01:04:22] Speaker B: Exactly. [01:04:23] Speaker A: There's you. [01:04:24] Speaker C: There's you. A ticket promotion, guys. [01:04:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:04:28] Speaker C: Buy season tickets at the new Mansfield stadium and get a shirt with 2F and stars on it. [01:04:33] Speaker B: Yeah, why not? Why not? [01:04:36] Speaker C: And here's Don Garber's email address. You can tell. Stick it. All right, very good. We have prattled on and wasted enough time. Filled our hour requirement for all the advertisers and sponsors that we promised them at least an hour. [01:04:53] Speaker B: Yep. [01:04:54] Speaker C: And wasted that same amount of time in ban and Dan Crook's busy evening. Shoulder shrug from Dan. Very good. Well, Dan, it is nice to see you. Happy New Year, by the way. Dan. [01:05:06] Speaker A: Happy New year. [01:05:08] Speaker C: You look fresh in 2026, by the way. [01:05:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I see how long that lasts. [01:05:13] Speaker C: Okay, very good. And, Buzz, Happy New Year to you, too, my friend. My old and dear friend. [01:05:19] Speaker B: Yeah, Happy New Year to you. I'm happy to learn that the British celebrate the same new year. It's not like Chinese New Year. It's a different time or something. So that's cool. I learned that. [01:05:27] Speaker A: We have the same calendar. No, it's probably our calendar. [01:05:32] Speaker B: No, it's not. It's Greek. [01:05:33] Speaker C: You do. Guys. All you guys over there do a lot of stuff differently than we do it over here. We're all very suspicious of you, for sure. [01:05:41] Speaker A: Granted, the Scots also have their own. [01:05:45] Speaker C: They do, do they? [01:05:46] Speaker B: Scottish deers. That would explain a lot. [01:05:49] Speaker C: I've not heard of this. [01:05:50] Speaker B: I've not heard that either. [01:05:52] Speaker C: Is this a Celtic thing? [01:05:54] Speaker A: So they celebrate Hogman, the last day of the year, which is kind of like just seeing out the old. [01:06:00] Speaker C: Is this like, fairies and wizards and trolls and stuff? House of Dragon? [01:06:07] Speaker A: No, Boxing Day is just an old sort of. No, it's just, I don't know, Scottish people enjoying a drink. [01:06:14] Speaker B: Okay, well, I can get more with that. [01:06:17] Speaker C: All right, now I'm going to officially dismount. Thank you, Buzz. Thank you, Dan. And thank you, DFW area soccer curious types. You. We will. Yes. We will be back next week for another episode of 3rd Degree, the podcast. Just celebrate whatever you want. [01:06:36] Speaker B: The 3rd Degree. [01:06:37] Speaker C: N podcast. 3rd Degree. The 3rd degree. N podcast. [01:06:42] Speaker B: 3Rd degree. The 3rd degree. [01:06:45] Speaker C: N Podcast. [01:06:47] Speaker B: 3Rd degree. [01:06:48] Speaker C: The 3th degree n podcast. [01:07:01] Speaker B: Sam.