Battery Reloaded: Hartford Thrills, Miami Spills

Welcome to the Can Crew podcast. I am Granite. I am joined of course by Ryan. How are you doing, Ryan?

I'm doing fantastic. Gr. How are you this fine evening?

I'm doing well. Earlier this evening I was wrestling computer problems, technical problems. And then you were wrestling technical problems. Fun, fun day at work for you, if anything. You used to have a job. Other people might not.

Yep. I hope I still do. We'll keep it going.

You hope? Well, you've always got the. The full time position here too. Doesn't pay much, but you know how that goes.

Yes.

So what else? Any. Any news on the. Your team?

Actually, I am doing a beach run tomorrow at Folly Beach, 9am with the team. Be a lot of fun. Last year we did it three times. I think this year I have it definitely scheduled twice. And then it leading up to Tampa because we have Tampa Labor Day weekend, which is going to be an amazing tournament and opportunity for these boys.

So where are you going to be at Folly.

4Th Street.

Oh, cool. Okay. Sometimes my wife and I get up early and go out there and just kind of do some walking, a little bit of jogging.

Yeah. So the boys will be running between, I want to say about 3rd and 12th Street. So they'll run a mile and then turn around, run right back. But they'll do like the rope run. So it's like four of them holding a rope running together.

Cool. Good, good, good. That's always a good thing. It builds up a lot of just endurance changes things up. Also builds up the lower parts of the legs and ankles. You don't have to work your feet more than it's all bound up inside of a soccer root. So I think it's a good way to get a good workout and hopefully have some fun.

Yeah, that's.

Go ahead.

No, I was going to say just that's one thing I've noticed or recognized as a coach or as a new incoming coach is that growing up in Central Virginia, having more mountainous areas and playing more in the mountains and then having the beach also as well, realizing that there's different climates, different types of attributes that you use to take care of yourself, especially your feet, and then realizing that when I moved down here, not a lot of teams utilize what types of opportunities and bonuses that they have here compared to other teams. So try to try to definitely take advantage of that while I can.

Yeah. You know, we got one big hill here, it's called the Cooper River Bridge. And then you got the beaches and sand does wonderful things for trying to run fast and trying to work out with that lower body. And plus if you get too hot, you get cool off in the ocean and maybe do some little beach ball out there, Brazilian style.

Oh, you got spike ball set up for afterwards. I got the pole, so then I'll go and goal. But like, I'll be in like the shallow end of water, so then like, it's actually fun for me to dive.

If I sh. My bullhorn. Can I yell at you? Only. Only encouragement.

I don't see why not.

Okay, cool. Yeah. Talking about different altitudes, latitudes, longitudes. So. Club World cup, the heat is killing everyone. I mean, welcome to America. Welcome to America.

A lot of these and I'm very surprised by Atletico Madrid being one of the main teams that are complaining the most when it comes to the weather and stuff because they're out playing in la, but I don't know, you tell me. I haven't been to Madrid, but I would assume, like Madrid gets fairly warm.

Yeah, but I don't think, like we get here, I mean, but also, you know, if they think it's hot in la, they need to come on back here to South Carolina, North Carolina south and see what he's about. They'll feel it, but, you know, it's just. You think that's going to be a wake up call for a World Cup? Teams, they're going to like, oh, we got to change things, right?

I mean, I always think it's been the back of the mind of a lot of these Central American teams who play against the U.S. and you know, the U.S. drags teams. You look at our past record, you know, we'll raise teams out in Chicago or go play them in a snowy, blizzarding Colorado or something. You know, we, we tend to do that. But when it comes to the World cup and it being in the summertime and how the US is, you know, the US doesn't really have any cold spots in the, in the summertime, I think they're going to get exposed. A lot of teams, especially for the heat, I don't think it's going to be as hot as Qatar and they're not going to have like all the restrictions and stuff. But I definitely still do see them having like the water breaks and the players gasping and, you know, that kind of drama. I, I still see that being there.

Yeah. And they need to keep them hydrated. There's no sense getting anybody, you know.

Since they're mainly playing in the NFL stadiums. What if they had like, you know, what the Dolphins have for their team? It's like the fan with the water misters and everything like that.

Yeah, the swamp swamps. Swamp coolers.

Used to call them swamp coolers. I think that's what it's called. Yeah.

Yeah. The only thing it did for me was just make it the humidity from 99 to 99.9%. But yeah, it does feel. That does feel a little bit better. But still, when you. But when, when are you going to use them? When you're out there playing, it's not like, you know, NFL, you can go, oh, I'm in for one play. Then I'm over there with a swamp cooler, you know? Yeah, maybe. Maybe we institute sub on the fly. I don't know. That way you can go over and get cool off, come back in. Maybe it's not a starting 11. It's like a starting 15. And you just. You can play their 15. There's only 11. Yeah, that's a good idea. I mean, that's what we do at the at Our little co ed league is so on the fly. I go out there for like two minutes and I go like, oh, Lord, this my office life. Kicking my butt out here in the heat. Then I go over and swamp cool for a little bit. So they should try it.

Yeah, you definitely should.

Or just line up trash cans full of ice and water. Just dunk people in. Just jump in, jump back out. So let's talk about another amazing football team. Charles, Battery. We'll talk about two matches. This shouldn't take as long tonight. We've had a long week. Patrick's not with us because Patrick is.

A Papa Patty, the papa there.

So I keep pinging him. Hey, hey, hey, you want to record? And he's like, I'm still can't. I can't wake up. I'm asleep. I don't know what I am. So I keep. I keep telling him, enjoy it. Enjoy it, you know, because you're kind of. How far are you into this, Thomas?

We just celebrated six months with Thomas.

Yeah. So you, you've. You've kind of gone through the first couple weeks of getting no sleep and life is hell and everything, and it's still probably lots.

Oh, I still recorded. I still recorded. I want you guys to go back and look at the times stamps.

Oh, Patrick, if you're listening, I think the gauntlet has Been thrown. No, he did tell me. He said. He said he's gonna jump on with us after Saturday, the next.

No, I just messed with them. I just mess it with it. I'm pretty. No, because Thomas was born in December, so you know we're in the off season.

Yeah, you'd have to add that in. Let's see.

Now.

I feel bad that you should feel bad. See how I'm sticking up for you, Patrick. But anyways. Well, the only way you can make up for it, Ryan, is buy me beer tomorrow at the. The match. Okay, I'll then put.

There we go. Speaking of which, I got pretty Julian tomorrow at the match.

With who?

I gotta. I gotta. I gotta find somebody. I gotta somehow get a job with the Battery. It's the goal tomorrow. Always thinking, Always thinking.

But.

So these two.

So let's talk about Hartford.

Yeah, let's talk about Hartford.

Hartford. Yep.

You know, if I'm not mistaken, I believe someone predicted the correct score. You did phenomenal. And that was me. I corrected. I got correct the score and nd scoring. But my third prediction was it caused it a score, and it was actually Landry who scored. And it was a spectacular goal by Landry. You know, I'm still waiting on a concert to break through, but, man, did loud Landry. Landry deliver in that game.

It was a. The keeper didn't even know what went past him. That's pretty interesting. MD's goal was pretty good. Danced around the box. I love it. Weftry scored. Look, laying in the boxes. Couple green jerseys. Like, he just broke all their ankles while he was weaving through. That was kind of fun. He's just so powerful. I. And I always think that. But then you see, like, that he's just. They're pushing him and he's dribbling, you know, at slow kind of pace, and they're just beating on him and he's holding them up and knocking them down and not even budging. I don't think it hit me how strong MD was or still is, of course, until watching that about, like, third time, I was like, man, this guy's a beast. He is a beast. You don't see him on the ground.

He has great. He has great core balance. Like, his balance and the way he's able to turn his frame and everything on certain plays. It's. You know, that's. That's what stands out to me, and that's what I like about him the most and appreciate him the most, too. And it's all due to hard work at the same time, Right? Repetition.

Exactly. Yeah.

Constantly going through it.

So we, we. I don't say we escaped that one. That was pretty easy rolling. I was kind of worried that we. They come back. But also the other thing that convinced me was you're all, you're always harping on. We always let one go through. We always let one go through. I think I looked up a stat earlier and we're averaging 1.1 goals given up a match.

Yep. So we average one goal a game now.

So let's flip to Miami and again we give up one goal, man. So you tell me as a keeper, because I was a little disappointed in what. How we gave it up.

Can you walk me through it again?

Can is the picture. Yeah. So the picture comes up, somebody's got the ball a little bit outside the 18 yard box, kind of chips it up over Smoothios, halfway through the six yard box from the goal and just lobs over his outstretched hand into the back of the goal. At what point do you go back on your line and not let that happen to you? I think that was the bigger, the bigger question I had. Cause it just looked like it was something that shouldn't have happened and it did.

It's just poor Joel not committing fully. He jumped in my head. The way I looked at it, he. There could have been like two or three different things. Could have jumped early and that's how it easily got out of his reach and his extension because the ball was curling outwards a bit. Two, he was off his line and hesitated. And three, fully, just fully commit to it. Because when you have to go after it, you have to make sure you, you, you hit it. Unless that goal is going to happen, making the decision there to stay on your line at the same time is very, very difficult because again then taking a direct shot on a, you know, 12 foot goal inside your six yard box or eight foot goal in, inside your 12 yard box. So it's, it's difficult to say. It's all about judgment. And if you can get there, fantastic. You make the save. You look great, but everyone's going to immediately move on to the next play. Once.

Yeah.

Oh, what's happened to your camera?

I'm just having fun with my camera over here.

Here's all the squ.

Hello. Hello, Hello. But while you were talking, I was, I was pushing buttons and I should never push buttons.

But yeah, it's all about judgment call. Because if the keeper makes the save, end of the day everyone's gonna be like, great moves on to the Next play, if he makes the mistake, gives up the goal, everyone's going to harp on how poor it was.

Yeah.

To me, you know, that type of play that happened for that goal, that happens every game. That is that play that cost us the 10 loss to Miami. That play alone is why I continued for the Battery to allow a goal, a game against us that I don't know how else. You know, that was clear as day. And that's. That was the best example of. Of why I still choose that. And that's like for Pat and him, because Pat's always asking me why I do it, but I don't like to. I don't want to. I want to choose us to go and get shut out. So I love doing it and I have done it before. But this Miami game, though, was the one to definitely get the clean sheet. It was frustrating to see how on the attacking end we couldn't be successful. Just getting good shots off clean shots, getting clean opportunities and not getting so frustrated and wound up up front. I felt like we got really tight and wound up up front and for no reason.

MD was. Yeah, go ahead. MD was awesome. I mean, he was. He was off a little bit. He had some chances and I hate saying we were just unlucky, but I think Malloy had a free kick, went off the bar a little bit.

That was a great kick.

Yeah. So sometimes we just don't have. The good thing is that who lost tonight was Louisville.

Louisville.

Yep.

Lost tonight in a stunner. They lose 2 to 1 to North Carolina FC and an 18 year old homegrown boy from North Carolina made his debut and scores the game winner tonight. So grads to him. Nice North Carolina way to represent. And this is great for the Battery as we take on Phoenix tomorrow. The Battery go out and win this. We are now equal with Louisville at the top of the table again.

Yeah, but Phoenix is on a roll, right? They're. They are truly Phoenix Rising right now. This is also a rematch from last year. So it's. We really just need to beat their ass tomorrow.

We've. We've, you know, we've played Phoenix Rising three times in our history. You know, we've tied them all three times and then the one time we've lost them in pens and it's time.

To stop doing that. We just need to win. We need to win big. We need to somehow unlock whatever. Let's go back to the Miami game real quick because I was interested in sometimes big teams. We play against other big teams and we Win or we draw or we win and then we seem to struggle against the smaller teams, the teams lower on the table. And I thought there was more into that. And I look back at our like no, we just, we've only lost a couple as against the mid table teams and above. Miami wasn't like at the bottom like I kind of thought they were. But it seems like we do struggle. It seems like. I don't know if it's. We just switch off, but it didn't seem like it. And it wasn't like Miami was just doing a low block. The whole match encountered and struck on us. They didn't go to low block until, until after they scored their goal. Now what we did do is were we not playing a 53 back system? Yeah, yeah. Because it gets your theory, doesn't it? I just had to get you to admit that. But anyways it happens, right? I'd rather, if we're going to lose a match, I'd rather lose it away than lose it in front of home fans. So hopefully it builds up. Boys, they're going to come in Saturday night and just ready to rip Bart the Phoenix, see little feathers flying everywhere.

Stuff like that, you know too. And that's another fact that you got to realize too with these bigger clubs going against, you know, smaller clubs, as you'd say, the atmosphere, the weather, climate, everything's a factor. Especially when you're in these summer months, whether you're playing in Orange County, California, you're going down and playing in Miami or you're going up and playing it in Louisville or Rhode Island. Now, now that we have Rhode island, it's, it's all going to be a bit different. A lot of change. You're going to feel different when you come off the flight and that plays. That's an impact right there. Like a massive impact for a lot of these players. And how we usually and typically go down to play against Miami doesn't typically fare us on the right side. Now last year was a different result. We did win two to one. I call that game again with the Nick McKinnon goal and I even called it when I left Edmonds ost. This is when I, I upsetted you a bit. But I said that we were going to score in the 82nd or 4th minute was Ford. You know that game we just had. We had the special players though to do it. We had the name marks and this year that we do have them. I feel like everyone's going on lockdown and we're panicking as a Team. We're not having just the team be cohesive like we did the last six games. I feel like now we're in a bit of a panic up front and we need to remember who we are and not lose that identity of we're a team, not individuals. Does that make sense? Because even though Nick was. We were a team with Nick, Nick wasn't just by himself and he knew that. He always, he always gave thanks to the team last year, or at least it felt like that. At least he portrayed it like that to the fans because I mean the fans love Nick for always doing that.

And I think Cal and and MD been playing well together.

I think they have too.

Sometimes it just doesn't happen, I guess. I mean that's any sport, right? Right. So my list of things. Oh, back at Hartford, happened to be at the beer garden. Saw Bobby, talked to her a little bit, saw Grant, saw Tori. So a couple new people that hadn't seen before. I thought there's only be like five or six people. Also this huge table comes in and another huge table come in. So there's probably about 15, 20 people watching the match. It was pretty good. Yeah, I did. I was not planning to be there. I just happened to be there and then realized what time it was. I went, hey, of course I got a text from my wife, said, yeah, you're watching the match, aren't you? And I said maybe. I don't know. I can't leave my people behind. Right. So that was. So I don't like the split screen TV stuff because you lose half a player, the ball goes between the thing. So you end up watching the smaller screens on the side. But. And the beer's way too expensive for. For my taste. And I have pretty expensive taste. But anyway, so. But that was. It was a good, it was a good time there in Miami. Here's my list of problems. Right here's the plus thing about Miami. Pitbull Stadium. Hell yeah, we. Yeah, we. We need a big name. You know, I can think of one or two big time people here that we can name stadium after that. It's maybe bigger than Pitbull. I don't know who could be bigger than Pitbull.

But I mean that's pretty big.

That's pretty big. I mean he is Mr. Worldwide. So you know, so that was pretty cool. I didn't realize that's what the stadium was called. And I was watching it, I was like, hey, that's Pitbull. So what was the other thing? At one point they had A ESPN had a commercial, like a picture in picture thing. And so like core of the screen was some commercial and it was loud as hell. And they kept playing behind it. I thought that was kind of silly.

Well, they're. They always. They played their. They kept replaying their kit release video too.

You know, if you're gonna advertise a product like that and it's gonna interrupt my watching a football, then I'm probably not gonna buy it. I mean.

But you're probably watching it because it's an away game.

Yes. I stopped going to a certain team here in Charleston because they. In between two. The two periods, all it was is advertisements. When it first started, they used to do polka music and traditional, you know, Canadian type stuff. I'm not saying which team it is, but for then they turned it. It was just all advertisements in the Zambon. Oh, I'm sorry. A machine that people jumped on and shot things. And I was like, this is boring as hell. I stopped. I have not been to a match since or game, whatever it's called. So don't piss me off. I will cut you all. What's the other thing? So he caused it. So the referee and I don't want to about referees. Oh, but I always about referees. He caused it. Barely tugs a jersey on the midline and he gets a yellow car. And that's when I went downhill. That referee. Now we got played by the masters of the dark arts of time wasting. And I think the referee was kind of complicit with it. But at halftime, setting up for a free kick. Dude standing in front of Torres, they both have time whistle and then laughs at Torres because the referee didn't allow the free kick to go on. And then it got worse in there. I don't think they had any ball boys on the side of the field, so the players had to like climb up in the stands to get the ball every once in a while. It wasn't that bad, but it was. It was pretty bad.

Yeah, it's pretty.

I don't. I don't think we get by with it. I remember Torres getting yellow cards for time wasting for barely kicking a ball. And these guys are launching it down the field after whistle is blown and nothing's done to him. So anyways, teach their own Phoenix rising. We talked about them kickoff 7:30 Patriots point match predictions.

Oh, and special treat after the game on Saturday, fireworks show. So make sure you stay late for the game after the game and catch the fireworks show. Now back to the game. Score predictions. Granite what you got?

I've got two one. I'm gonna cape. I'm gonna go with two one and Juan Davies got one of them coming in and I don't know who's gonna get the second one. Hopefully. Let me see. MD MD's gonna get the second one or the first one on David's second one. But either way I'm gonna go with.

A fun full packed nail biter. Three to two.

Three to two.

No, three to two.

Okay, three. Yep.

Three to two. Definitely Kyle scoring one. So I'm gonna say on that because I don't want to be fully wrong, but definitely one three two with Cal scorn.

Our Dar one of the two are gonna score, right?

Yeah, right.

Yeah, I still. That was the great. I just love the image of all the players laying in in the. In the middle of the area laying on their backs on their stomachs. It looked like he just went through their broke legs and scored a goal. So I'll be there a little bit early. Probably be over hanging out with Regiment. Bobby was saying, hey, you guys need to come over here more. So I told her, I said, we will make sure that we make our way over there. Hang out if you are new to come to the Battery Stadium. Regiment is wide open, a great group of people. They've got some beer in the kiddie pool that they'd be more than happy to maybe share with you. Got some food, stuff like that. So please come over. Don't be afraid because everybody, nobody bites. At least not too hard. And I think that's it. That's all I've got.

That's all I got.

Okay, Patrick, we'll see you.

Feel the thunder Be the f. Come up what you want. We are lovely yes if we will take but we are the battle rain.