Ep. 140 - Turning Up the Heat

Radio Cascadia is a weekly podcast covering soccer in the Pacific Northwest with a focus on MLS clubs Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. The show is an authoritative steward of the Cascadian perspective, representing the most passionate, unified and unique fan bases in the country. Their passion is well justified, not only by the clubs' nearly fifty years of shared history but also thanks to rampant success in the MLS era. Since 2011 (the first year all three clubs had made the switch over to the top flight from the USL), Cascadian MLS sides have won a combined total of five major trophies. Additional honors in that time frame include two CONCACAF Champions League semifinal appearances, three consecutive MLS Cup berths, and six consecutive Western Conference Championship appearances. The latter two statistics above are active streaks, and clubs in Cascadia have just over a month of preseason left to prepare for their chance to continue these streaks on the stage of the 2018 MLS campaign.  This week on Ep. 140 of RC, host Jackson Felts of Seattle's Sports Radio 950 KJR is joined by Sounders 2 announcer Andrew Harvey, MLSsoccer.com's Ari Liljenwall and RC founder Steven Agen as they dissect the busiest week of 2018 so far. Five new players have joined Cascadian rosters since the last release, and there's even a first preseason match to review! Michael McColl of AFTN.ca calls in to give his take on the leadership situation in the Whitecaps' locker room, and the extent to which Kei Kamara can fill the void. We spotlight Vancouver's other new striker as well; Venezuelan Anthony Blondell looks poised for a breakout season. Group analysis of Whitecaps boss Carl Robinson's ambitions for the season closes out the segment.  Matt Hoffman of Stumptown Footy reveals his favorite Timbers kit design as they released their new away strip for 2018 this week. The group pays due respect to the sweet gold accents on the new shirt, but most of the segment is devoted to analysis of the four new signings by the club in the span of only a few days.  Sounders have finally made a splash with their brand new chunk of discretionary Targeted Allocation Money, bringing in versatile Norwegian midfielder Magnus Eikrom on a free transfer. The news broke just in time for the group to develop opinions on where he'll fit in Seattle's attacking scheme in 2018. Elsewhere in the segment, Andrew Harvey gives his scouting report on new Homegrown Player Handwalla Bwana, who recorded a goal and an assist in Sounders' preseason victory over Club Tijuana's U-20 side on Sunday.  Find our shows every Tuesday at radiocascadia.libsyn.com and tell us what you think on Twitter by tweeting to @Radio_Cascadia. Check us out on iTunes and now Soundcloud as well, where each episode is available in team-specific segments!   Playlist: 00:00 - Introduction: Miami MLS expansion, Crew update 07:45 - Vancouver Whitecaps: Robbo's ambition, Kei Kamara's leadership, Anthony Blondell's journey 27:45 - Portland Timbers: Four new faces, away kit revealed, 2018 Captain picks 47:05 - Seattle Sounders: First look at new TAM midfielder Magnus Eikstrom, Bwana stars in 3-1 preseason win