Nos Audietis

Start - 18:00: Overcoming youth soccer setbacks and walking on at UNLV // Growing up in Federal Way with west coast hip hop

18:00 - 33:40: Going undrafted and battling for a spot in the MLS // Finding the will to keep the dream alive

34:40 - 47:50: Settling into his niche with the Sounders // Winning the Supporters Shield // Taking pride in representing his hometown club

47:50 - End: Playing indoor with the Tacoma Stars // Living life as “a marathon” like Nipsey Hussle says // Staying on the grind in retirement

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Recorded on the evening before the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament, we try to preview OL Reign's first match in the tournament, go over highlights from a virtual meeting the club held for season ticket members, and are graced by the podcast debut of Nikita Taparia, as we talk about the club's new kits.

HOSTS

Susie Rantz (@SusieRants)

Jacob Cristobal (@jacobcristobal)

Steve Voght (@voght)

Tim Foss (@timostlundfoss)

Nikita Taparia (@kryptobanana)

CREDITS

Album artwork: Amy Camber

Music: “Sunglasses” by Loyalty Freak Music

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We are one week away from OL Reign heading to Utah to take part in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. One of the club's newest players, Adrienne Jordan will be looking to feature in the month-long tournament, so it's time to get to know her in a revealing & honest discussion about why she plays, strives to become the best player she can, and what she sees in the progress of the Black Lives Matter movement thus far.

HOSTS

Susie Rantz (@SusieRants)

Jacob Cristobal (@jacobcristobal)

Steve Voght (@voght)

CREDITS

Album artwork: Amy Camber

Music: “Sunglasses” by Loyalty Freak Music

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The Sounder at Heart podcast is back to discuss the MLS is Back tournament.

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There were plenty of times when it seemed like the 2020 season was completely lost, but last week MLS announced that their long-rumored summer tournament would happen. On Thursday, they even released the draw. So, yeah, this is really happening.

Aaron and Jeremiah spend most of the first segment discussing the pros and cons of going forward with the tournament. While both still have significant reservations, they also admit that they’ll almost certainly be very interested in watching it. Live soccer, after all, beats no soccer.

As usual, they also take question from readers. Enjoy.

 

This week's music: Perry Como - "Seattle", "RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia", "Your Journey Begins" - OurMusicBox (Jay Man) (CC BY 4.0)

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you’re looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

It may not be a traditional season, but in the extraordinary times we are in, the NWSL will be playing games in 2020. So let's talk about the 2020 Challenge Cup.

HOSTS

Susie Rantz (@SusieRants)

Jacob Cristobal (@jacobcristobal)

Steve Voght (@voght)

Tim Foss (@timostlundfoss)

CREDITS

Album artwork: Amy Camber

Music: “Sunglasses” by Loyalty Freak Music

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Spencer Richey came up in the Seattle soccer scene just before the Seattle Sounders launched their academy. The goalkeeper played for Crossfire then moved to the United States residency program in Bradenton before coming back to Seattle to play for the University of Washington.

His time there coincided with the Huskies’ hiring of Jamie Clark and their subsequent rise to national prominence.

During his five years with UW — he added a year due to a medical red shirt — he helped the Huskies become one of the top college programs in the United States before getting drafted by the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Richey spent a couple years with the Whitecaps — even getting a MLS start — before going on loan to FC Cincinnati in the USL. He played well enough to make the jump with them to MLS and despite FCC bringing in a foreign goalkeeper to be the presumed starter, Richey would end up making 19 starts last year and opened this year as the starter again.

We caught up with Richey on Thursday in his Cincinnati home and talked about his rise up the American soccer ladder, his continued fondness for Seattle and his outlook for 2020.

 

This week's music: Perry Como - "Seattle", "RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia", "Your Journey Begins" - OurMusicBox (Jay Man) (CC BY 4.0)

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you’re looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

Time has lost all meaning so it’s perfectly understandable that you might have missed that this was supposed to be the week that the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers met for the first time this year. You may have even noticed that the two teams’ websites have been doing all sorts of content about it, including an oral history of their first-ever meeting of the all-MLS era.

We figured that was a reasonably good excuse to invite our good friend Richard Farley back onto the show. We talked about that game, what it meant for the rivalry and, oddly enough, a lot about the Michael Jordan documentary. It was fun.

Later in the show, Jeremiah and Aaron expressed some deep skepticism over the plan to bring all 26 teams to Orlando for some sort of tournament.

This week's music: Perry Como - "Seattle", "RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia", "Your Journey Begins" - OurMusicBox (Jay Man) (CC BY 4.0)

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you’re looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

 

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We sat down with former Sounders keeper Michael Gspurning to discuss his favorite music and globetrotting career. From playing top-flight soccer in the U.S., Greece, and Austria to coaching in the Bundesliga, Gspurning’s journey is as impressive and expansive as any we’ve had on the show.

The fan-favorite breaks down how a German post-punk band gave him confidence as a youth player, the delights and frights of Greece’s Super League 1, what makes MLS a one-of-a-kind league, and the historic rise of his current club, Union Berlin.

Beyond telling insane stories such as fans throwing darts at him in Greece and Union Berlin’s connection to Stasi police protests in East Gemany, Gspurning offers sage advice to young and old alike on how to always make the most of life. Give the episode a listen and maybe, like us, you’ll have a new Bundesliga team to root for when German soccer starts up again this weekend.

Timestamps:

Start-18:00: Importance of Falco to Austrian music // Breaking into professional soccer as a teenager

18:00-33:30: Finding confidence as a pro // Raining darts, cell phones, and beer bottles on the pitch // Beaches and warm hospitality in Greece

34:30-50:00: Becoming a Sounder with the help of "Pumped Up Kids" // Super League Greece versus M.L.S. // Learning the definition of "playoff monkey"

50:00-End: Coaching at Union Berlin // Life at a "rebel club" // A historic promotion push

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