With the holidays and vacation keeping Matt and David from their customary spots in the ETR lineup, Andrew turns to super sub Calen Carr to pick up the slack after an intense MLS weekend that saw Seattle solidify their hold on a playoff spot, D.C. United continue their rapid climb up the Eastern Conference table and Colorado keep pace with their Supporters' Shield dreams. The red line will dictate the rest of the season as teams fight to stay alive or for seeding. Alphonso Davies and the Vancouver Whitecaps are out of the race, but Andrew and Calen can't help but rave about the 15-year-old who is turning heads in British Columbia. He's the truth. So is Dax McCarty, whose return may have solved the Red Bulls' issues.

The latest US national team roster dropped over the weekend, and the guys applaud Jurgen Klinsmann for making timely choices from a deep pool. In bigger US national team news, former manager Bob Bradley became the first American to coach an EPL on Monday morning when Swansea City hired the one-time World Cup boss.

In the mailbag, Calen reveals why this week is bigger than most, and one listener hopes/wishes/prays for Lionel Messi to ATL UTD.