Soccer 101 STL: A St. Louis City SC Podcast

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Welcome to Soccer 101 STL, the safe space for Saint Louis to learn about soccer. Join Moon Valjean and Matthew Rocchio for a weekly conversation to help educate you about the game of soccer, MLS and St. Louis CITY SC with some help from our friends in the game.

  1. 10/24/2024

    Intro to the 2024/2025 Offseason: CITY talks, Expansion List Projection & Hack’s Future

    Rocc & Moon are back to kick-off the offseason by recapping the last couple of games to close out the season, celebrate playoff soccer that is happening in STL & dive into a lot of new information to start off the offseason: 00:11 - Open up about some end-of-season disappointment from a BAD loss against Minnesota as CITY leaves us all with a bad taste in our mouths... 3:10 - Lets get into our first offseason discussion of the winter: Is CB the biggest and most obvious issue on CITY's roster? 5:41 - Next up is the positioning on offense as Klauss had some candor and Cello+Cedi made their thoughts known as well 8:26 - Moon admits he's *confused* by Klauss and we try to figure out, "Why?" ((12:56 - Rocchio has the quicket mea culpa in podcast history as it takes him less than 10 minutes to realize he was wrong)) 16:51 - Lets talk about this expansion draft and CITY's potential protection list, including the BIG NAME both Rocc & Moon have left off their list... 23:36 - Moon has an issue with the idea that CITY's offense wasn't a problem in the second half 29:05 - Lutz was clear about the need for a new CB--but he mentioned a need for speed--which position will that come from? 32:21 - Is John Hackworth the Head Coach of STL CITY SC in 2025? 37:30 - Shoutout to CITY2 for a playoff win--how important is that success for the future of CITY? 39:22 - The Euros on the team HATE flying (and training?) in the US... 40:30 - A very long discussion as the MLS is considering a huge change to the format of the entire league 54:20 - Is the MLS starting to pass other large leagues around the world? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 3m

  2. 09/30/2024

    Back-to-back Wins, The Klauss Conversation & Testing CITY's Defense

    Moon & Rocc are back following back-to-back victories for CITY against the bottom of the Western Conference, including a big rivalry victory & the official end to our playoff hopes: 0:13 - Back-to-back wins means we have something to be positive about! 3:15 - How does a rivalry win feel without any playoff expectations connected to it? 6:10 - Moon has Rocc explain xG (succeeds in the explanation, fails in not being a huge nerd) 7:50 - How fans can--and should--use numbers like xG to inform themselves on what's happening 10:06 - We dive into the big conversation on Klauss that took over parts of the broadcast & postgame discussion 14:45 - Rocc presented his argument as to why Klauss is an effective striker despite the lack of goals 17:26 - This is about the future of city in 2025 & Hackworth's system 19:16 - Teuchert is the perfect comb for Klauss & how that affects the analysis of Klauss 21:16 - Moon's conclusion on Klauss & the big questions for the future at the position 23:00 - What is Klauss just isn't a true/pure #9? 25:47 - Looking forward to the two games coming up this week 26:25 - What changes could we see this week because of the congestion & injuries? 27:45 - CITY might not be in the race, but Hackworth still is... 28:55 - Thoughts on Totland's return to the starting lineup versus Sporting Kansas 31:16 - Can CITY handle LAFC's counter-attack? 34:46 - Moon helps explain two key principles for Hack's plan on Wednesday, "rest defense" & "defending in advance", plus some helpful tips from a father 36:45 - Why Rocc's biggest thing to watch for on CITY's defense will be how they handle *numbers* See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    39 min

  3. 09/20/2024

    That Game Might Have Broken Us, Strategy vs. Mentality, Changes Coming in San Jose

    Moon & Rocc are back without much hope following CITY's playoff hopes being dashed with a 3-1 thumping at CITYPARK against Minnesota United: 0:13 - CITY Fals 3-1 & we feel defeated as well 2:30 - This game felt a lot like almost every every big CITY loss this season... 4:33 - Hey MLS, why are you forcing us to spend more time talking about missed calls? 10:10 - Do replays like the situation from Saturday hurt the experience of going to a game? 12:36 - Questions from Saturday's lineup/formation 13:50 - Getting the plan directly from the man who drew it up... 16:20 - Did the scheme or the team fail on Saturday? 18:00 - Moon just wants to see MORE 20:30 - and Moon is gonna show us how you do that... 22:36 - You shouldn't be smiling when you're losing! 25:00 - A lot of fans feel this way...but lets have some perspective... 27:30 - Mentality vs. Strategy and why one matters more in game-to-game analysis 29:40 - Moon tries to tell us all that there were underdog Man U teams... 32:40 - Moon wants to see more demand, but from where exactly? 34:00 - Rocchio feels like he's taking crazy pills when it comes to this effort discussion... 36:40 - Is CITY more talented than Minnesota? Does that factor into Saturday's issues? 38:30 - Rocc wants to keep this discussion on tactics, Moons wants to talk effort 40:45 - Thoughts going in San Jose tomorrow, lineup calls, a chance for Alm? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    44 min

  4. 09/13/2024

    Another Disappointing Draw, Defense/Possession: Which Should You Worry About More & A Must-Win vs. Minnesota

    Moon & Rocc are back following another disappointing draw that puts the playoffs further out of reach, dive into the topics from the week & take a look at a must-win game that appears to be very winnable: Moon's run of positivity lasted exactly one (1) entire episode Disappointment from dropping two points in a very winnable game in New England The many positives (and a slight negative) from Hartel, Teuchert & Becher Why the blame for poor defensive play can't all rest on the four players in the backline Whether or not CITY is "ruthless" Is the offense getting the a point where it has an edge? Defense vs. Possession/Control: Another example of why this question is complicated & connected What full team defending should look like Klauss being impressed with the additions now that they've played together an incredible shout out from Klauss to the city of STL, the fans, ownership, coaches, etc. If Moon's coaches ever used a physical notes to communicate a formation change during a sub Why the youth game in STL was so different when Moon was coming up Minnesota United being a must-win game when you look at the schedule/standings Expecting this offense--with a Klauss start--to carry the team this weekend Other lineup thoughts vs. MUFC See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    38 min

  5. 09/05/2024

    The New-look CITY Defense, Training Competitions Heat Up & High Expectations in NE

    Moon & Rocc are back for a big episode after CITY's big win over the LA Galaxy this past weekend, one of the more quiet weeks of training since July & some big expectations for a very winnable (but still very much AWAY) match... Moon has declared this an All-Positives episode! Rocc immediately tries to throw him off with some points about CITY being dominated at times, on paper, by the Galaxy The difference between CITY giving up possession in June vs. doing it now with this lineup, system How the different formations helped create CITY's offense in the 1st half How Nerwinski's usage during the game is a perfect example of CITY's full game Moon starting to finally see the cohesiveness from the backline that he's been BEGGING for Why the opening kickoff was one of the biggest takeaways from the game The 4 positions that are creating 'tough' battles for CITY in training Why the fullback depth is one of the most interesting aspects of CITY right now How good it feels to be having a discussion about depth after where CITY was a couple months ago Whether Rocc expects to see similar formational changes against New England How CITY can continue building on their success of "killing games" Why CITY fans need to forget the word "conservative" when talking about how this team will ever play Seeing the offense build-up and attack from the right side for maybe the first time...ever? The Tim Parker reunion Early lineup & score predictions Did Moon stay positive the entire show or was Rocc able to knock him off? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    40 min

  6. 08/29/2024

    Heartbreak in Portland, CITY's Ability to 'Control' & Do They Have a Chance to Slow Down LA?

    Moon & Rocc are back to talk about another week of CITY news & notes following the restart of the MLS league schedule, CITY letting multiple 2-goal leads slip away in Portland, more discussions around the CITY defense, if the fundamentals are the biggest issue and the hopes for a big matchup against the Galaxy on Sunday: The disappointment is PALPABLE after a draw in Portland Where this draw puts them in their run to a playoff spot More offensive positivity, same defensive problems... Could we see some defensive changes after we saw them give up three leads? Can't believe we're having this conversation with Totland of all players... Some questions around the FK that broke CITY in Portland Is this possession conversation...pointless? CITY doesn't need to win possession, but the ball control in Portland was unacceptable Injury update as Klauss MIGHT get some time on Sunday, Alm+Nilsson still need time Thanks to Jen for the notes from training! Galaxy and CITY have gone VERY different directions since that 3-3 draw in the Spring Rocchio doesn't see how CITY slows down this Galaxy attack Has CITY become a better possession/control team since Hackworth took over? Some fans want to see them 'park the bus' with a lead--but we will ever see this team make that call? A little tactical change that CITY pulled out to utilize Kessler, Lowen & Hartel in new ways Is this the game we see CITY use the new depth on defense to play with a 3/5-man backline? How we would deploy the team with that formation We saw SOME defensive development (before it fell apart), will we see more this weekend? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    39 min

  7. 08/21/2024

    Leagues Cup Reactions, The Good & Bad from the Summer Window & Are You Still Thinking About Playoffs?

    Moon & Rocc are back after a couple of busy weeks away to dive in on all the happening during August for CITY including a run through the Leagues Cup, big surprises from new additions, some moves that made the CITY unhappy & a big league restart coming up: How are we feeling after the departure of players like Tim Parker & Anthony Markanich? What was your initial reaction to the Parker trade? Reactions to the reporting + Parker's comments on CITY's contract negotiations Moon breaks down what he wants to see from the defense Rocchio tries to put all the blame for bad defense on the outside on the scheme/coaching Could CITY possibly be ignoring a crucial aspect of defending in their training? Did CITY potentially HURT Anthony Markanich's growth as a fullback? Did you react poorly to the return of Niko to the MLS? Good news! People are getting healthy again! Bad news! Why did this take so damn long?! Diving into the injury report & why Klauss & Alm aren't options for this weekend Expectations for this weekend's matchup in Portland Breaking down the rest of the schedule into the next FIVE games + the last FOUR Are you still leaving hope for the playoffs? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    50 min

  8. 08/01/2024

    Why We're Supporting the Boycott, A New-Look Attack & CITY Already Advances

    Moon & Rocc are back following a rare CITY win to break down the new addition finally getting onto the field & diving into a big topic off the field: Moon has an email from a listener and needs to clear up some confusion Why we're supporting the SG's boycott of the Leagues Cup game BUT also why we're still covering and talking about those games Rocc breaks down his view of the MLS' huge mistake in alienating supporting groups with the US Open Cup decision-making The biggest takeaways from a 2-1 win against Dallas in the 1st game of the group stage What we thought from an extended look at Cedi & a first-time look at Hartel & Becher How Becher's press was the biggest part of the new players that jumped out to Rocc If the defensive improvements were enough going forward CITY already has advanced to the Round of 32 -- what does more games mean? Injury and training updates from earlier in the week What we expect to see on Sunday night against Juarez See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    33 min
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Welcome to Soccer 101 STL, the safe space for Saint Louis to learn about soccer. Join Moon Valjean and Matthew Rocchio for a weekly conversation to help educate you about the game of soccer, MLS and St. Louis CITY SC with some help from our friends in the game.

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