Major League Soccer & Walmart Present Men in Blazers Live in Seattle featuring Marcus Trufant, Paul Rothrock, Brian Schmetzer, and more

19:59Jimmy McAlister:What's its role in the rich sporting tapestry of this city?

20:03Paul Rothrock:Well, I think it fits right in, man. It's one of those things, Like, it starts, of course, with the energy of the city and the type of support that the fans show to his teams, right? People are still pissing and moaning about the Sonics, right? So that's really what it is, man. When these teams come here, we put our arms around any team, of course, that is here in Seattle. So the same is for the Sounders, man. There's a huge soccer, just crazy following out here, right? Like, I know people, they talk about the Seahawks and the 12, but the Sounders are right there, man. And so that just goes to show you that this city, there's really enough to go around for everybody, man.

20:57Paul Rothrock:And that's really the thing. So the Sounders are doing their thing, man. And, of course, I love them. still trying to figure it out, man. I got a young daughter that's played soccer too, man, and I love the foundation of the sport, man. It's great.

21:13Jimmy McAlister:God bless your daughter, the future of this city, the future of this nation. You're a beautiful human being. To me, you are. When people chant, watching you play, when people do chant, come on, Seattle, fight and win, it's your spirit, Marcus Truefan, that you showed on the field here, game in, game out, that they're cheering for. Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for your Seattle Seahawks legend, Mr Marcus Tufant!

21:54Jimmy McAlister:God, he smells so good. And after that hug, I smelled pretty amazing also. But it's time to dive deeper into the football story. Like any single football story, any great story, the only place you can start, right, is right at the beginning. I think there's no human being better to be our guide than your first ever Sounders homegrown player signed out of high school in 1976 from John F. Kennedy High School and became Rookie of the Year after staring down Pele in the NASL final. Seattle, please be upstanding for one of your own, a legend, Mr. Jimmy McAllister!

22:56we've got to put this microphone down

23:01Jimmy McAlister:Jimmy it's so good to be with you you're an incredible icon to all who know the history of the game born 1957 in a little town called Seattle Washington and I'm fascinated 1960s it was a different world out here this was a town built on aerospace on timber on agriculture back then this was long before tech it was long before anyone had heard of the word frappuccino So what was soccer in this place when you were a kid? When I started, it basically started in CYO, Catholic Youth Organization. I went to a place called Our Lady Guadalupe, and there was a bunch of priests that were from other countries, and we picked up the game.

23:45Jimmy McAlister:Washington State Youth Soccer started about five or six years after that. And unfortunately or fortunately, I went to the men's league when I was 14, and all the men's league clubs were Hungarian, English, Scottish. and after that, the youth soccer started up and it became very big in the state. And you learned the game at John F. Kennedy High School. This is incredible. Graduating, you were essentially LeBron James before LeBron James, right out of high school. In came the mighty Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League. Look at you. God, you were beautiful. By the way, does that seem like a long time ago or does that seem like two minutes ago in your life?

24:24Jimmy McAlister:That was a long time ago. But I enjoyed every minute of it. It was so long ago that, and maybe Brian can talk about this, my first wages was$800 a month. So that could tell you how long ago it was. That's genuinely, that's a long time. That was DP money back then, baby. I got to tell you. Yeah, that's right, yeah. But you were 18 years old. Seattle had just become the first NASL team to sell out a stadium. You were a teenager. You were playing at Memorial Stadium in front of crowds, over 20 ,000 on average. 58 ,000 people watched this man in the kingdom. By the way, you were mad for football, Seattle, before really anyone even knew you could be mad for football.

25:07And I need to know, Jimmy, how do you understand it all, what you live?

25:11Jimmy McAlister:What were the biblical roots of football in this city? What was the source? Why was Seattle so soccer mad right at the outset? that? You know, the junior program blossomed. There was great coaches in our area like Mike Ryan, Brian Spencer's dad. I can tell you when I first started with the Sounders, we were an English Scottish type team and the center back and I played left back. The center back was a guy named Davey Gillett and he was a Scottish guy and I played with him for two years and I never understood one word he ever said. So he'd give me instruction. I didn't know what the hell he was saying.

25:45Jimmy McAlister:So I was like, once I figured out what he was saying, my career kind of went downhill. But anyway, But it was a lot of fun, and it still is watching the kids play in this market. It's outstanding. You were telling you tactical things on the field, but he was just telling you how much he hated the English. Yeah, I don't know what they were saying, but, you know, I just went around it. I got to play with Jeff Hurst, got to play with Bobby Moore. Seattle had some great and still has great players playing for them. I will tell you this, the proudest I am, Seattle Sounders is the greatest franchise in North American history, period.

26:23Jimmy McAlister:And what Brian has done is taken it to a whole other level. Him and Adrian, Hanauer, the owner, it's just been unbelievable winning trophies and playing local kids. I mean, we're playing in the Leagues Cup, and he's starting local kids, which is outstanding for me. It is incredible. I agree with everything you're saying, and I also think if they call themselves the Sockeyes, could have been even better. It's the only thing I'd change. But it is incredible. They were good when you played. You reached the 1977 NASL final, which was called, I crap you not, the soccer ball. We need to bring that one back, by the way.

27:07Jimmy McAlister:Tell us who you had to play against in that game, Jimmy Mack. Well, that team had a guy named Franz Beckenbauer who played in the back, Carlos Umberto from Brazil, Pele, Giorgio Canaglia up front. I mean, it was a team of superstars and quite honestly with me, I thought we should have won the game, but you know how it goes. We didn't, but it made soccer history. And it was the start of a great love affair with the fans and the Seattle Sounders. It was just, it was a great time. Can I ask you when you, this is almost like the foreshadowing of what you went through in the league's cup, what this man lived in that soccer bowl final.

27:44Jimmy McAlister:when you are on the field charging up to Pele are you like oh my god this is me from from you know Seattle I'm like a teenager and this is the man who won three world cups or after a while do you just say oh it's just another player I've got a smothering cover you know I really don't know if I was smart enough to be that worried about it you know I mean I didn't know what we were in for Yeah, it was a bit intimidating at times, but the veterans of the group kind of kept us in. We had a coach named Jimmy Gabriel that was unbelievable. Everton legend. At Everton legend, and he didn't have any fear ever.

28:23Jimmy McAlister:And it kind of put that into the players. So we went out, and we knew we were underdogs. We knew we didn't have the superstars. We didn't have Pele, Beckenbauer, but we competed, lost the game in the end 2-1, but it was a great game. and at the end of the game the general manager let us keep our uniforms so that was kind of cool and i got pele's jersey so that's uh that's the best where is it now jimmy it's in a bank vault in west seattle i used to let my kid wear it outside to play and somebody told me you better not do that it might be worth something so there you go you can pass it off to the collectors as pele sweat yeah um By the way, this was Pelé's last ever professional game.

29:05Jimmy McAlister:I have his last ever professional jersey. Yep. I'll just tell you, in life, after you've been marked by Jimmy Mack, that is when you realize it's time to hang up your boots. I can tell you a funny story, Rog. We had some Brazilian guys here for the track and field championships in Oregon, and they asked if they could come down and interview, and it was three people that came from the track and field from Brazil to interview me about the jersey. and there was a guy that was a talent that was a young lad and an older guy and when we took the jersey out of the vault the guy almost had a heart attack and he asked me if he could touch it and it looked like a biblical experience for this guy and you don't know how big some of these stars are when when when a guy comes into Seattle like Pele or just happened in the Leagues Cup when Messi comes in.

29:55Jimmy McAlister:You really don't know how big of a deal that is. That is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. And we beat them 3-1, which is awesome.

30:09Jimmy McAlister:I mean, ultimately, you've got the footballing shroud of Turin just stuffed into some bank vault in West Seattle. But I want to finish by saying you've seen football in this nation down the decades. Can you talk about the future? You're wearing the Seattle World Cup. I think it's technically called a gilet. I own one of those also, but I wear it with no shirt underneath because it's such a beautiful garment. The World Cup is coming here in 253 days, people. And I want to know, can you talk about the pride that you feel as a man that has given his life to growing football in this city of Seattle to see the biggest competition in the world about to land in your hometown?

30:53Jimmy McAlister:You're about to show this stunning city off to the world. When I tell you that, what does it make you feel, Jimmy? Well, first off, we should have been involved in the last World Cup was in the United States. For reasons that we don't need to talk about, we didn't get a venue, which was a joke, because we're one of the best soccer cities in the United States, by far. I think that, you know, when you hear this stuff about the World Cup and what we're going to do politically and what city. This is a great city to have the World Cup. We will come out. We'll support the clubs. The United States is going to play here, and that's a huge, huge thing for us, right?

31:32Jimmy McAlister:The city is ready. We have a great city, a lot of things to do. If you're going to come to the World Cup, you need to come to Seattle. Jimmy, I've got to tell you, I think Seattle is going to win the World Cup. I want to be candid. I do, I do, I do. When the world sees your city and feels your city and lives your city, Seattle is going to win the World Cup in many ways. I really mean it. And, Jimmy, I just want to say to you, on behalf of all of us who love the game in this nation, the growth of the game in the United States, I think we all owe you an enormous debt of thanks for the pioneering life that you've lived.

32:09Jimmy McAlister:So, ladies and gents, let's hear it for Mr. Jimmy McCallum. Thank you very much.

32:31Jimmy McAlister:Oh, ladies and gentlemen, let's do it again. Jimmy McAllister.

32:39Jimmy McAlister:So the year after Jimmy left, Seattle signed another homegrown player, straight from high school. and I just say no man has defined the game in this city I think more than this human being I've used this word already a couple of times tonight he's almost defined it left a biblical patriarchal impression on this town in this country to be candid in the past half century one time he was a construction worker so that he could break into coaching became a kinetic midfielder and attacking force transformed himself first into an assistant and then a head coach, a man so tactically adept he could make into Miami go spitting mad.

33:23Jimmy McAlister:Few have done more to build this club into what it's become than him. So let's hear it for your head coach of your Seattle Sounders, Mr. Brian Schmetzer!

34:04Thank you. Thank you.

34:10Jimmy McAlister:Honestly, I don't believe in the royal family, but Brian's Factor is like the one king that I truly believe in.

34:21Jimmy McAlister:I mean that sincerely. Your story is so unbelievably profound, I think, to me and so many people who love this game. 1970s, your family founded Schmetzer's Sport House. Love it. My German's a little rusty, but I think it means Schmetzer's Sporthouse in English. Lake City Way, right? Yeah, born and raised in Lake City. Always be selling. Let me just say, it was Seattle's largest sports goods store. And I think from my trips here, I know that it was like a hub that really, the pulsating orb of football, all of you who loved football back in the day, that was where you brought your stuff, right? You grew up watching the Sounders in the Kingdom, the Memorial Stadium too, and then you signed for them.

35:11Jimmy McAlister:You were a 17-year-old, fresh out of Nathan Hale High in 1980. Look at him.

35:18Rog Bennett:Look a lot younger then. Huh? Look a lot younger then. Look at those legs.

35:25Jimmy McAlister:From the inside. I mean, you've lived it. Can you tell us why? I mean, I was going to say why this region is so soccer mad, but I just say why these people are so soccer mad. How do you understand it? Because it's amazing. Well, rainier beer.

35:43Rog Bennett:Look, Jimmy said it best. I mean, he was playing in men's leagues around the city when he was 14, 15 years old. I remember watching my dad down at Interplay play for Germania, playing against the Scots, playing against the Polish. Soccer has a really long history here in this city because a lot of immigrants came here because it's a beautiful place to live.

36:05Jimmy McAlister:It is a beautiful place to live. It is one of the most beautiful. And it's here where your life has been almost a perfect mapping of the story of football in this city, really in this nation. And ASL folds. You played, you coached on two local indoor teams. Then you started to coach youth teams. Emerald City Soccer Club. Yeah. Two national championships. as a head coach of your USL sounders. And this is incredible. You were still working construction part-time to make ends meet in those years. I mean, soccer was still very much in the sporting shadows. In those moments, if we'd all teleported back and said, Brian, don't worry.

36:49Jimmy McAlister:One day you'll be managing a trophy-winning team in front of a crowd of 70 ,000. No. What would you have said to me?

36:59Rog Bennett:I would have said you're nuts. I mean, look, the way it happened was, you know, Adrian Hanauer called me out of the blue. He called me up, and he introduced himself. Hey, Brian, I'm Adrian Hanauer. And I'm like going, well, who's this guy? I mean, you know. And I told him I'd meet him for coffee at Tully's up next to St. Joe's because I had to drop my kids off at school. And Adrian was a few minutes late, so I'm sitting there talking, and there was another gentleman that came, and it was Neil Farnsworth, one of the owners. and I knew they wanted to talk something more than just soccer camps, because my dad also used to do soccer camps for little kids.

37:34Rog Bennett:We used to do that. We used to do whatever we could to make a living, because the money wasn't quite there yet. So, you know, when Adrian stepped in the room, they started asking me questions about, well, what would you do, and how would you do this, and all of that. So it was just a random meeting. Whatever I said at that coffee, I must have said something correct, because he hired me the next day.

38:01Jimmy McAlister:always take the random coffee by the way what he said to hanauer was there's this kid called messy you don't know who he is yet but i've got the perfect tactical plan to shut him down in the future

38:17i think i told him i hate to lose because he's a hate to lose guy too so i said i hate losing

38:23Rog Bennett:More than you like winning? Yeah, I hate losing.

38:25Jimmy McAlister:That's the secret to winning, is to hate losing. Well, sometimes, yeah. The non-loser wins it all. I do want to know, we've talked about this Seattle fan base. You get to lead your team out to 30 ,000, 40 ,000 of these on the regs. It is one of the most historically passionate fan bases in this nation. I like to believe that Seattle is like, you hear, I don't know if there's any doctors here, medical human beings. But I do know, I was reading about this on the plane, there's human beings who are already born without wisdom teeth and without appendix. They're like highly evolved people. And in about, stay with me here.

39:07Rog Bennett:Yeah, I'm going to try and stay with you.

39:11Jimmy McAlister:In a couple of hundred years, no one will have appendix or wisdom teeth, but these are just the first, you know, the advanced pioneers. I like to believe that the whole of America will follow Seattle's example and love the game like this city loves its football, Brian.

39:30Rog Bennett:Well, no one likes us.

39:37Rog Bennett:I know that. Do you really believe that? Well, that's what they sing. I love it. I mean, look, you guys are absolutely great. I mean, there's nothing better than me and Tommy Dutra walking out. I got my cup of coffee in my hand. Okay, let's stop with that, though. That's kind of awkward sometimes. Okay. No, it's, look, I can tell you a couple stories. I mean, look, when we, in 2022, my brothers were there with their wives and everything, and you guys were in Occidental Square, and they had the big celebrations and everything. My brothers had to turn around because they were so nervous. They were packed in so tight.

40:19Rog Bennett:There were so many people, you know, for the march of the match. The other day, I mean, 70 ,000 people to watch, you know, Paul and Jackson and everybody, everybody, Christian, Alex, to watch them play against Messi. You guys were all there. It's like a family affair.

40:39Jimmy McAlister:I think you've just nailed it. It's like a family affair. And let's get to that moment, to the present day. because after seven years as an assistant to the legendary Siggy Schmidt.

40:51Rog Bennett:God rest his soul. Great man.

40:56Jimmy McAlister:When you racked up U.S. Open Cups, you then inherited the head coaching gig. You led the team to... How many MLS Cups in your first five years? Well, four appearances, two victories. God bless. You became first MLS team to win CONCACAF Champions Cup in over two decades. The only... The only team to win. That's what you're answering there, is it? How many teams in the MLS have won the... Just one, baby. Just one. And then the last trophy left on your dartboard was the League's Cup. I like to believe they do keep inventing trophies just to piss you off. But I want to relive your journey to that this season, because to me it's an example of all that's good about American football.

41:41Jimmy McAlister:So let's live this story, shall we? your first four league cup games mexican opposition 7-0 over cruz azul

41:54Jimmy McAlister:this is amazing all the goals coming in the second half was that the game great coaching yeah excellent coaching is that the game plan we'll work the body and then the second half the legs will go i knew i had de la vega on the bench by the way can we just savour the seventh and final goal yeah

42:38Jimmy McAlister:by the way i looked at that goal i'm sure you all did and thought the same thing great coaching

42:45Rog Bennett:excellent coaching

42:50Jimmy McAlister:if he could do that goal a hundred times take that shot a hundred times how many would go in?

42:56Rog Bennett:one he tried at training today true story true story we're having a little you know 10v10 towards the end three blocks tactics today everything he's running things ball sure as s*** ball comes across here We see Pedro lining up. He's looking at the ball. He's going to hit it. Not even close. Not even close.

43:21Jimmy McAlister:Man saving it for game day. You don't use it in practice. Great, thank you. You face up to Santos Laguna. Club Tijuana. Puebla. All gone. And then you topple Marco Reus. in LA Galaxy 2-0 in the semifinals. And I don't know if you know this, Seattle, but in the final, you faced into Miami. Who, I've got to say, Messi and his Machados have been tearing up the tournament, hell-bent on glory. Going into this game, I did love this. The Guardian called you, quote, one of the best coaches the country has ever produced. The Guardian. And they said he does not get his due, quote, because you look like a middle school teacher.

44:19Yeah.

44:20Jimmy McAlister:Which is both beautiful and it's a little bit backhanded. Serious question, though. Do you feel Seattle doesn't get its due? In a way, constantly, you're constantly underestimated. partly because you've been doing it well for so long.

44:40Rog Bennett:Well, what I would love to have is maybe a little bit more attention. I mean, Jimmy, again, started it. You know, Mark Peterson, Jeff Stock, Jeff Durgan, Jimmy. And then through the 90s, Chance Fry, myself, Dick McCormick, Billy Crook, Leighton O 'Brien, Taylor Graham, who's in the back room, Billy Sleeth. There were so many good players from this area, so many players that came here from different parts of the world to play for the Sounders and then made a home here. And so, yeah, I'd like those guys to be recognized for the talented players they are, but the good human beings they are. And what they deliver back to the city and back to the club and back to everybody that they meet.

45:22Rog Bennett:That's that to me what I'm really proud about. I mean, it's football.

45:27Jimmy McAlister:It is football isn't its best when it transcends football. and before this game you came out with a classic quote of your own you said Messi is arguably the best player the world's ever seen but we have Paul Rothrock

45:47Jimmy McAlister:Paul Rothrock, 26 year old homegrown kid battled his way up from the lower leagues won a starting spot on the left wing here simple question, why did you pick Rothrock?

46:01Rog Bennett:Can I tell a story about the quote, or do I just have to tell you why he made the squad?

46:07Jimmy McAlister:I think we'd like the former, right? A story. It's story time with Brian Schmatz. Take it away.

46:14Rog Bennett:Okay. So we were down in L.A., and we had a hard game against the Galaxy. It was tricky, you know, because we just beat them before 4-0. We had to go down there, do it again. It's never easy. Okay. but after the game after the game well maybe this year was a little easier

46:37anyway

46:37Rog Bennett:so we're all giddy on the way back the coaches were all happy we're starting to plan how we're going to play against Messi what are the tactics all that sort of stuff and yeah we're going to play against Messi and Biscuits and the biter and everything it's like we're excited we are excited And so I get up the next morning. We land at like 2 o 'clock in the morning. We get up the next morning. I'm sitting with my wife, Christine. She has her tea. I have my coffee. And I'm like going, sweetie, sweetie, we're going to play against Messi, the best player in the world. And we're going to play against Alba and Busquets and Suarez.

47:15Rog Bennett:And she's like going, you sound like a fanboy. You need to start talking about our boys. You need to start talking about our boys.

47:30Rog Bennett:So, sure as s***, the next day, a reporter asked me, he says, well, what do you think about playing against Messi, greatest player in the world? And I said, well, yeah, they got Messi, but we got Paul Rothrock, we got Jackson Reagan, we got Andrew Thomas, we got our squad. And it was because my wife was in my head.

47:55Jimmy McAlister:True story. Let's hear it for Christine, can we hear it?

48:03Jimmy McAlister:By the way, I relate to that story more than I can ever know. My wife, Vanessa, writes all my scripts. Christine also told you to say, Luis Suarez is not going to run by anybody because Yemar is faster, your dizzying Colombian international centre-back. Look at him. I loved all of this. You were so cool for the cameras. Be honest, emotionally on the inside, how is preparing tactically for that team, you know, Messi, Alba, Busquets? Some of the greatest players ever, yeah. The bite-up, as Christine would call him. How do you build a system to stop Messi and then, you know, a feat very few teams can manage, shut them down?

48:48Jimmy McAlister:How stressful is it, really?

48:50Rog Bennett:Well, I don't know if it was stressful for us. obviously again on the plane ride back we started talking about it and it wasn't about how we stop Messi it was about how we were going to limit him that's that that was the main point that we were trying to talk about because we didn't want to put Christian or Obed to man mark Messi pops up in different spots so we said okay as a collective which was one of our calling cards for this year being a collective and winning together as a group and then we decided that you know we're a little younger than them. And so in our transition moments, in our transition moments, because we knew we were going to get some, that we had to be lethal in our transition moments.

49:29Rog Bennett:And, you know, that one sequence where we get out and Jesus gets the ball and there's Alex and, you know, young Osase de Rosario. I mean, it was a textbook transition moment where we made them pay and that started us off on a good way.

49:46Rog Bennett:Tactics worked.

49:48Jimmy McAlister:Do you sleep well the night before big games?

49:51Rog Bennett:Yeah, I do. I do. I sleep well. Enough wine. Do you dream football dreams the night before big games? Look, when I was playing, there might have been some times where you dream of scoring the winning goal in a World Cup or, you know, in a backyard playing against my brothers. You know, I got to kick their a**. There were certain things that I would think about, but really it's my drive to work from, you know, Seattle down to Tukwila. It's 26 minutes, and so for that 26 minutes, I'm thinking about, okay, what am I going to tell Christian today? What am I going to talk to Steph about? How am I going to, you know, what's the meeting going to be like?

50:29Rog Bennett:What are we going to talk about? What are the tactics for our next opponent, the dreaded timbers.

50:39Yeah.

50:41Rog Bennett:That, actually, we enjoy thinking about ways to beat the timbers.

50:48Jimmy McAlister:Don't drag me into that crap. I will say, though, the answer to the 26-minute drive, what am I going to tell all these players? The answer is, just put Christine on loudspeaker and hold it up. What is my wife going to say to the Roldham brothers? But you mentioned these guys, and it is an amazing trait. Another thing I marvel at from the outside about your city, Paul Rothrock is one of, I think, is it 14 current Sounders players who are either Washington natives or came through college here. I mean, the roots run so deep for football in this city. You are, in a way, like the athletic Bilbao of MLS.

51:30Jimmy McAlister:I mean you think about Basques and Washington State it's very similar what is here and it's very beautiful what is Seattle doing that is so bloody right we obsess in America about two words everyone who cares about football those two words are youth development you appear to have the secret here Brian what recipe are you not sharing with the rest of us well look there's there's been

51:54Rog Bennett:a lot of great players, and I have to give credit to Wade Weber, Henry, you know, Darren Sawatsky actually started the academy way back when, when Ziggy was still around. There's been a lot of people that have helped pitch in. I think some of that is kind of within the culture of our squad, of our team, starting back in 74, because the young players understand what they have to do if they want to play for the first team. That's a given. At age 14, 15, 16 years old, they already know because Wade's done a good job. The messaging, you have to work. You have to, you know, be a good student. You have to be a good, smart soccer player.

52:33Rog Bennett:You have to be able to think through adversity because adversity is going to hit you all the time. You just don't know when, and you have to be ready for it. So it's all of those little things, the messaging. And then, you know, for me, when we started playing kids like Danny Leyva and Obed and all those guys, it was like, you know, if they're good enough, they're going to play. I mean, that's just it. I mean, I had a roster in 2016. We had so many veteran players. I mean, Hurt Gomez and all the guys that were on my bench. Those are just bench players. I mean, we had all this great players that had a lot of experience in the world, and the team has kind of morphed out of that, and we're playing more young kids because they can play.

53:16Rog Bennett:They're good enough.

53:22Jimmy McAlister:I just realized all the older guys who played for the Sounders now work with me at Men in Blazers. It means essentially in 10 years time, Paul Rothrock's going to have a show on our network and I can't wait for that. He'd be good too. By the way, he would be quite bloody good. Brian Schmetzer is Paul Rothrock's agent. I don't want to jump too far ahead. because I've already spoiler alerted that your boys did do the business. You know, I did, up top, I said the thing I took away from it all was that classic tradition beats new fad every single time. But I do know that you are about to drop a banner, October 11th, that celebrates this League Cup victory at your beautiful Lumenfield Stadium, right?

54:09Rog Bennett:We are going to. This is a coup for the show. we'd love to announce that on October 11th against RSL we will drop the League's Cup banner to match

54:27Rog Bennett:to pay tribute to the excellent run of form everybody on the squad all year long but it's going to hang with the two MLS Cup trophies all the banners, everything else that's up there all of the good things, the Open Cup and all that sort of stuff We do have a proud tradition. We are a winning club. And I loved what Jimmy said. We're the best club in this nation by far.

54:55Jimmy McAlister:He almost said we're the best club in this city by far by accident. And you all would have clapped and agreed either way. I mean, it is beautiful. And I wonder, you're a very humble man. You don't like to say nice things about yourself. You don't like me to say nice things to your face at all. It's very awkward for both of us when I try. But you've dropped banners before. You're about to drop this banner. It really is an epic moment. It was. It was an epic achievement, a remarkable one. We're going to dive into it in just one second. But what would you experience when you stare up at that October the 11th and see it unfold for the first time emotionally?

55:33Jimmy McAlister:What is the lesson you will take from this journey yourself?

55:37Rog Bennett:Well, again, it's just the personal pride that I have in the city, being born and raised in Lake City. It's... There you go. Nathan Hale High School, 1980. But, no, I've always said that the club is the relationship between the fans and the players. That's the basis of our club. It started in 1974, Memorial Stadium. You know, the players did the lap of honor around each game. They handed out the carnations. They just, there was a connection. We did so many appearances when I was a young player. We'd go out to schools and elementary schools, do clinics. Guys would go show up in grocery stores and sign autographs.

56:20Rog Bennett:It was just a lot of touch points between the fans and the players. And that has just grown into something that is so beautiful. It's so organic. It's so great. It's what makes these guys work harder in games. When there's 70 ,000, when there's 30 ,000, when there's 5 ,000 at Starfire, we can feel you guys. We feel everything that you guys put out there in the universe, and it makes those guys play better. And that's what I'm fiercely proud of.

56:54Jimmy McAlister:Brian Schmetzer, I want you to know, you are a giant of the game in this nation. You really are, even though you don't like me to say it to your face. So I'm just going to say it very quickly. and then say, Seattle, please be upstanding for your incredible manager, Mr. Brian Schmetzer! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

57:36Thank you.

57:39Jimmy McAlister:Tonight is brought to you by Walmart and Schmetzer's House of Sports. Let's get into the game itself, shall we? Seattle, are you ready to relive your glory? To do that, let's bring on our next two guests. Here's a clue. They were just the seventh sibling combo to start a game together in MLS history. born to immigrant parents from El Salvador and Guatemala. They've built a name, they've built a home, they've got beautiful new families here in Seattle. Please be upstanding for your Seattle version of Kaulo and Yaya Torre. The backbone of your team is the Brothers Roldan! CHEERING

58:44Jimmy McAlister:Let's go back to the beginning of the final. August 31st, 2025. Alex and Christian, you took the field. 69 ,314 at Lumenfield to League's Cup record. Can you just tell us in your own words, Christian, what was the Schmetzer tactical plan to shut down Lionel Messi, good enough to lead his nation to the last World Cup but not to beat Seattle Sounders? What was the plan to stop him?

59:18Brian Schmetzer:Yeah, well, you know, they're a bunch of world-class players, right? You know, the best that have ever done it, right? But we know that our strength is the collective, and it took a lot of us, you know, playing on injuries, you know, putting everything on the line, making sure we knew where every single player was. You know, it wasn't going to be one person, and I think that was the story of the final.

59:51Jimmy McAlister:Alex, you can be honest right now. We know that you won the game. But how confident were you beforehand about the plan beforehand from 1 to 10, 1 being my level of confidence to 10 like Clint Dempsey levels of swagger?

1:00:09Paul Rothrock:I think the group was pretty confident. I think we're as close to a 10 as we can be. going into a final in our home stadium with the amount of people that we had there supporting us. We were pretty confident that we were going to win that game.

1:00:25Jimmy McAlister:You told me. What was he like in the locker room before the game?

1:00:28Brian Schmetzer:Yeah, I'll show you. I'll show you. He was this.

1:00:33Brian Schmetzer:Having a little coffee.

1:00:38Brian Schmetzer:I just got the sense that we were going to win when I saw that.

1:00:46Jimmy McAlister:You are amazing, Alex. You're quite an inspirational story in your own right to be so chill sitting there ahead of playing into Miami in the League Cup final, 70 ,000, because you're 29 years of age now, but you've done the hard miles to get here. You work construction, plumbing, sheetrock. You put yourself through Seattle University up on Capitol Hill doing that.

1:01:12Jimmy McAlister:2019, your contract wasn't picked up here. And you had to earn it all over again in preseason with no guarantees. In the hardest of times. So you could even reach that day to have coffee with your brother ahead of facing into Miami and live that dream of sharing that field. How do you understand what drove you through the darkest times when football tried to spit you out?

1:01:36Paul Rothrock:Yeah, I mean, for me, ultimately it came down to two things. One, obviously having Christian on the team is, you know, it has its pros and cons.

1:01:48Paul Rothrock:having to come close to anything that he's done in his career, you know, he's obviously had an amazing career, so it was always a challenge for me to keep up, but he's also given me that support system, being on the team. And then, secondly, just my mentality, going through those challenges, through those hoops, ultimately led to me becoming the player that I am today that's, you know, never going to quit when adversity hits.

1:02:13Jimmy McAlister:when we were talking backstage and we talked about your answer you said man he didn't it wasn't just that he forced his way back into the league you said it said he came back to the same

1:02:23Brian Schmetzer:team that cut him same team that cut him and in a different position uh you know going from right mid center mid left mid not knowing where he was going to play to going to right back to becoming the the captain of el salvador i mean i'm proud of this guy

1:02:44Brian Schmetzer:And I don't say that enough, and so it's nice. This feels really nice in front of a crowd to say it. But, you know, he's done it all, right? You know, to me see that as what I thought an example. You know, it's just so satisfying to see, and all the obstacles that he went through. I mean, he's the player that he truly is today because of all these things that he's gone through.

1:03:14Jimmy McAlister:I mean, hey, man, you guys are living through what I think any of us who have a deep relationship with our brother or our sister can only dream about. You guys are taking the field together. You're fighting the fights together. You're watching it. You're laughing with each other on the field as professional footballers playing for that same team. But on the other side, when you're in that tunnel, League Cup final, wearing pink, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi, you know, 30 La Liga titles, nine Champions Leagues, two World Cups between the lot of them. What's it like in that tunnel?

1:03:54Jimmy McAlister:Like, do you feel, does it feel different? Do you feel fear?

1:03:58Brian Schmetzer:Not fear. It's just different, right? There's a different aura when Messi is walking around and you see their guys looking at him, looking for some leadership. But then you see our team also just take a glance. First time we've seen him in real life. You think that this guy's an alien. That he doesn't exist. You only see him on TV. And now we're playing against him. I mean, it was such a cool moment, but there is a different aura that he brings.

1:04:28Jimmy McAlister:I mean, it does have an aura. everyone that plays against him says that same thing when you feel that aura genuinely you're just like cool okay we're gonna smite him really be honest here you're like oh my god what have we

1:04:42Brian Schmetzer:done i mean genuinely no no honestly the opposite i was i was excited man i was thrilled right to to be able to to play in a final and then play in a final against the best to ever do it i mean And that's how you want to win a final, right? And so that was beautiful.

1:05:08Jimmy McAlister:And then you look forward and you saw, we've got poor Rothrock. And you felt like you were going into battling Game of Thrones and you had the bloody dragons. So let's talk about it. Let's relive the opening exchanges back and forth. and then on 26 minutes, one Alex rolled down, burned down the flank and unleashed this poem. Let's take a look.

1:05:33Paul Rothrock:That will be a spectacle, wonderful atmosphere at Nemo Stadium in Los Angeles. This is a joint event for the final, the final, the final. Do you have a couple?

1:05:56Jimmy McAlister:Alex.

1:06:02Jimmy McAlister:Alex, honestly, that cross could win a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Talk us through what went through your mind when you picked up the ball. How did you experience that moment?

1:06:12Paul Rothrock:I want to say that one's a little bit harder than the one you showed earlier for Pepo. But, no, it was such a great moment for me. I think that's one of the things that has helped me come back onto this team and done a good job at doing is service into the box and so luckily I put it in the right spot and you know if Di Rosario missed that that would have been brutal for all of us but no a great moment and honestly during that first half we were we were on top of him I think that that really solidified that that first half and then coming out in the second half that we were going to win that game

1:06:49Jimmy McAlister:I want to say watching this man and that midfield smother Lionel Messi were you always cognizant the whole time that that was him that guy who changed the game won eight ballon doors single handedly brought jorts back into fashion

1:07:11Jimmy McAlister:I've got someone under my pants and I know half of you do too, that's how influential he is, or does he just become another footballer once the game kicks off and you completely forget about him no no of course not

1:07:22Brian Schmetzer:yeah you're aware of him i mean i was probably dreaming of him to be honest the night before um uh but good dreams right like you know stopping him and whatnot and so it came to to we manifested it um but yeah you're you're aware of him completely right um you know he's he's walking around you're looking at him you're you're checking your shoulder you're seeing where the ball as you're looking back to see where he's at, if he's moved or not. I could have told you how many times he blinked that day because of how many times I was looking at him.

1:07:56Jimmy McAlister:Are you constantly aware that you could be posterized in any second and be seen around the world like a nutmeg, then him rolling it back to nutmeg you again, whip your shorts off. Suddenly you're wearing the jorts.

1:08:11Brian Schmetzer:Absolutely, right? I mean, those are the things that he can do. And so put me in shorts, I guess. But, right, you have to be aware. You absolutely have to be aware because in one second he will change the game.

1:08:26Jimmy McAlister:Does he talk smack during the game? Do you chat to each other at all?

1:08:30Brian Schmetzer:He didn't speak to me. He was as quiet as possible to me, you know, to other players maybe. But I was focused on trying to shut him down. That's all I was doing.

1:08:43Jimmy McAlister:you're like don't look him in the eye he might call me bobo what are you looking at bobo um i've got to say this game was a bum clencher right to the end then with 10 minutes to go your dynamic winger georgie minungu cut back in the box yannick bright clattered straight through him it's a penalty for seattle Now I know Big Albert runs back, normally takes your penalties, right? Yep. He's injured. He's not on the field. So how do you decide which human being is going to take the penalty in his replacement? How does all that go down?

1:09:23Brian Schmetzer:Well, Schmetzer was pointing at me, and then I voluntold my little brother to take it.

1:09:33Brian Schmetzer:You voluntold. Yeah, I think that's a word, right? Yeah, I grab the ball and I say, hey, you're taking it. I've done that before and it worked out, so I figured it'd work out again.

1:09:52Jimmy McAlister:By the way, anybody that's got an older brother knows very much that the word voluntold very much is a word. And Alex, I'm going to get to you in one second, but what did that feel like? You were there with your brother, you know, handing in the ball. You two grew up together, played together, dreamed together. What did it feel like to hand that ball over to your kid brother, knowing that he had a chance to make a memory for you, for your team, for your family, forever?

1:10:19Brian Schmetzer:Well, it was his moment. I really felt that he was going to put it away. I had the utmost confidence in him. you know I don't know if you know this but I've only told him to go into goal against San Jose when Steph got hurt

1:10:39Brian Schmetzer:so you'll have to go onto YouTube and see his saves later but he proved me right Schmetzer wanted me you know I've got little arms you know it was just it wasn't the right fit so I've all in told Alex you know he was always a good basketball player and so So anyway, back to the story. When I'm passing him the ball, I believed that he was going to put it in the back of the net. And thankfully he did. But, you know, I have so much confidence in him. He's gone through so much that he's a stone-cold killer.

1:11:15Jimmy McAlister:I don't know if any of you have seen this moment. The ball is handed over to Alex Roldan. And he goes and does this. in the Leeds Cup final to put the Sounders up 2-0.

1:11:47Jimmy McAlister:Alex, how many times have you looked at that clip?

1:11:51Paul Rothrock:Far too many.

1:11:54Jimmy McAlister:What does it feel like when you see that now on stage weeks later?

1:12:00Paul Rothrock:You know, I'm just so happy that things worked out. And I don't know if I should give Christian credit, because if I missed that, I probably won't be on this stage. He's put me in the fire twice, and luckily I came out on top. But I'm not so sure the third time is going to work out. But no, it's a great feeling to put our team up two goals and then just have that confidence to know that we're going to close out that game. It was getting a little bit dire too with the way we were playing in that second half, early in the second half. So, yeah, just running through my veins when I see that and it's just a spectacular feeling that it's hard to explain.

1:12:39Jimmy McAlister:What do you do to clear your mind? What's the secret to a great penalty?

1:12:44Paul Rothrock:Well, the secret is that you didn't want to do it in the first place. So I think with both times that I was voluntoed, I had my mind clear because I didn't even know I was going to do it. So no, it's especially with the amount of fans that we have, you just have to blank out everything. And I think I stepped up to that moment and I just didn't have anything in my mind other than picking my spot and just going through it.

1:13:08Jimmy McAlister:You was just like you weren't even thinking about the penalty. You were just pissed off at your brother. Exactly.

1:13:15Paul Rothrock:Exactly.

1:13:16Jimmy McAlister:I do, and we're going to leave the game there for one moment we will pick it up in a second final, finally poised at 2-0 the most dangerous lead in football that's called a cliffhanger look at you booing that by the way, you did win I just want to tell you I'm going to put you out of your suspense but, I mean, Alex, you were ultimately the League Cup final MVP and it was very moving to watch you, to be candid I mean, I was saying to you upstairs The thing I love the most is when you were both with your newborn kids just on the field afterwards. That was a beautiful moment and a memory that when they're older, I look at that and I'm like, when they're older and they see their dads together in this moment with their city, the role that you've played, it's an incredibly beautiful family story.

1:14:01Jimmy McAlister:But after everything you have had to grind through, man, how did it feel to be the League's Cup MVP in a game that featured Messi, Suarez, Busquets, That's Alba Paul Rothrock.

1:14:18Paul Rothrock:It's hard to beat that guy right now, for sure. No, it's a feeling that it's so hard to describe. It's a family affair. My parents were on the field with us. Our two children, they're doing the interviews after. It's a full family affair that we get to experience. Personally, for me, I got kind of tired of seeing Christian be more successful than me. So I soaked it in as much as I could and, you know, just glad to help this city, this team, this organization get another trophy under our belt.

1:14:56Jimmy McAlister:Christian actually rationalized it away by saying he voluntold him to be league MVP. But the game had massive reverberations for you, man. Long after the final whistle, life changing, really. You went away on vacation, stories well known, you had five days off from training, you were done with football, bliss. And then it was rudely interrupted three days later when you get a phone call asking you if you were free to report for US national team duty for the first time in two long years.

1:15:30Jimmy McAlister:Take us there. Who calls you? What do you say? And what emotions do you really experience in that moment?

1:15:37Brian Schmetzer:Well, I missed the call actually from Craig Weibel, our GM, and he's like, you need to call me immediately. I'm like, oh my God, what is this, right? No contacts. So then I call him back. He's like right away, hey, the national team wants you. Where are you? You're not in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, right? Essentially, Hawaii. And I was like, no, I'm actually in Lake Chelan. He's like, can you get on a flight today? And I was like, absolutely. I was on a flight probably six hours later and head into New York. But my first answer was yes, absolutely. I'll drop anything I'm doing right now and head over there because, you know, at the end of the day, you want to get rewarded for how you're playing.

1:16:22Brian Schmetzer:And, you know, I think this year has been really, really good for me, you know, settling into the midfield position. and so just going out there my dream is to always want more and World Cup is around the corner.

1:16:39Jimmy McAlister:I mean, I don't know if you've heard Seattle 253 days but I mean, I watched that it was really a journey from exile, really I mean, you were not even on the provisional roster two years out of the team suddenly you're playing against South Korea and Japan two separate games, guys it wasn't like Trinidad and Tobago but it was your first appearance since 2023 Gold Cup and Pochettino afterwards said they hadn't thought about calling you but he'd watched the game against Miami and it changed his mind it's called it's called scouting people he said you were ready from day one even though I think you were still in your flip-flops since George he said you were aggressive in the right way which is a very Pochcro So can I ask you this?

1:17:30Jimmy McAlister:Is the 2026 World Cup something that you possibly had given up on? I don't know if you ever had given up on that dream, but does it feel like it is like a dream again that's within your realm?

1:17:40Brian Schmetzer:For sure, a dream again. But there was a little bit of hope that was kind of going away every camp that I missed naturally, right? But I believe I can be there, and you have to manifest it. You have to believe it.

1:18:01Brian Schmetzer:And I'd say in anything that you do, right, you have to believe that you're going to be there. And I think that's the confidence that you need to have. And, you know, whether it happens or not, I believe it. And I have to continue to play like it.

1:18:15Jimmy McAlister:Can I just say, in their own way, both of these guys, incredible brothers, but incredible individual inspirations for life, a remarkable pair of human beings. Seattle, you've got a pair of blessings here in every regard. Let's hear it for Alex and Christian Roldan.

1:18:54Jimmy McAlister:Christian and Alex Roldan

1:19:00Jimmy McAlister:you know I've never related to a human being more when he said I dream about the World Cup but that dream is getting lesser and lesser with every day it's exactly how I feel I've been waiting for that call up for 73 years but it's not about me it's about you Seattle and it's time for our final guest of the evening it's shiny it's large it completes the set it's your League's Cup and more importantly the human being that's bringing it on he grew up in Capitol Hill came to Seattle United and then the Sounders Academy even attended Seattle's first MLS game as a fan then to a journey of perseverance and belief which is the theme of tonight in every regard through the lower leagues back home to sweet sweet Seattle he's now your Sounders forward be upstanding for primetime Paul Roth Roth!

1:20:29Jimmy McAlister:Oh, poor Rothrock. You are an incredible American story, man. Just tell you, tonight is like one person after another who has taken a long road less taken, struggled at your first club, into the reserve league. I didn't want to mention the word Toronto. Then you moved back home. You lived with your parents, just met your beautiful mum. You played on second string. Tacoma Defiance. And you did say at age 24, you were starting to think about what life might be without a professional football career. Paul, in the hardest times on that journey, when you're in that self-doubt mode, what kept you going?

1:21:11Marcus Trufant:Yeah, it's been a long journey to get here. And And I'll give a few anecdotes, but one of them was I didn't expect to be drafted. I was actually in my dorm room in my boxers when I got the call from Chris Armis, the Toronto coach, that I was going to be going to Toronto. And that was in the third round, I think. So I had to start and go to the rivals of the Sounders.

1:21:43Jimmy McAlister:and you had to put pants on

1:21:46Marcus Trufant:I also had to put pants on and then my first game with them was with the second team and I broke my hand which I seem to have a theme of doing that and I was out for that was a shortened season and I was out for almost the whole year then and then came back, did another year with them and got some first team opportunities with them but they didn't go so well I had a decent little game with them where I had like 30 minutes with their first team. They had lost like eight games in a row at that point, and I was their last resort at this point. And came in, had a pretty good showing, and then my man on the corner kick scores a goal.

1:22:31Marcus Trufant:And we lose 1-0, and I'm never invited back up. And that was kind of the end of my Toronto moment. And, you know, I had kind of a heart-to-heart with Bob Bradley where he told me, you know, you're not good enough to play in this league and here's why.

1:22:54Marcus Trufant:But to be honest, it was the best thing he could have said to me because he was right at the time. I wasn't ready. And it lit a fire in me over that offseason. And I didn't have many options at that point. and I was, yeah, like you said, I was 24, and my options were some long-shot lower leagues in Europe or coming back to live in my parents' basement on$2 ,000 a month at Tacoma Defiance, which I had said I was never going to do as an academy player, and there I was. And, yeah, look at us now, you know?

1:23:36Jimmy McAlister:Oh, my God. By the way, when he says he was in the parents' basement and the Tacoma Defiance, and he says lower leagues in Europe, he meant playing for Everton, he chose the base.

1:23:48Marcus Trufant:I would never play for Everton.

1:23:50Jimmy McAlister:I'll rather take the basement. I mean, your story is amazing. You are a tenacious man, and you have made yourself a force impossible to be denied, forced your way into the Sounders squad. And suddenly, Paul, head of the League's Cup final, your bloody coach went in front of the press and God and everybody and said the following words. Messi is arguably the best player the world's ever seen. But we have Paul Rothrock.

1:24:22Jimmy McAlister:So where were you when you first heard that? And what did it make you feel and think?

1:24:27Marcus Trufant:Yeah, I was, I had actually woken up to the news on game day, and I was sitting around at breakfast with a couple of my family, and I was like, okay, the pressure's on, Schmatz. but yeah the lead up to that game was was wild too i was definitely very nervous i think i think we all were i was speaking to our performance staff after the game they're like that was the most underprepared and underweight our team has ever been all year we were all a couple pounds underweight because we could barely get food down that day and um i guess we should play underweight more often.

1:25:06Jimmy McAlister:God bless most coaches. I wanted to take the pressure off my team and just let them focus. Schmetz actually piled the pressure onto you, Paul Rothrock. And the Sounders organisation left behind Schmetz's words. They made the announcement they give any fan who wanted to trade it into Miami Messi kit for a Seattle Paul Rothrock won free of charge. You became a Seattle phenomenon first, then a cultural sensation. It became national news. I mean, you've already kind of told us the answer. I want to know how did that make you feel?

1:25:41Marcus Trufant:I honestly didn't really understand the gravity of it. I was trying to just focus on the game that day. It was a special feeling. I saw later some photos of little Seattle kids going and trading jerseys for my jersey. That was really special because I used to be one of those kids.

1:26:07Jimmy McAlister:To the game itself, I mean, again, like you're saying, you used to be one of those kids. You were a local boy, played for the reserve team, Tacoma Defiance, as recently as 2023. What did it feel like to run at Jordi Alba past Sergio Busquets? Did it feel like you'd almost entered like an EA Sports FIFA simulation?

1:26:27Marcus Trufant:A little bit. I think, you know, this year's been a wild year. We got to go against the best team in the world earlier in the year with PSG, and I felt like we showed up for that game too.

1:26:47Marcus Trufant:And then to get to play Messi at home and some of those other guys, it was a special moment. And it was also a cool opportunity for us. You know, it forces you to play at your best. And I think in those big games, that's the best part of them, is you have to... It forces you to bring out the best version of yourself. And I felt like we as a collective did that.

1:27:15Jimmy McAlister:You did as a collective. There's also an individual moment, because it was 2-0 in the Leeds Cup final. Clock's ticking. We're nearing 90 minutes. And then poorly primetime happened.

1:27:50Jimmy McAlister:Talk to us about that. Tired legs, tired of minds. You get that ball, what goes through your head?

1:27:58Marcus Trufant:Honestly, nothing was going through my head in that moment. I'll say this, though. I had a chance a little bit earlier, and I got a breakaway. We were up 1-0 at that point, and I hit it right at the goalkeeper, and everything in my head is just saying, oh, you blew it, you blew it. In Bob Bradley's voice. The little in of Bob Bradley with him. You're not good enough for this league. Yeah, and then, you know, I was proud of myself to kind of put those thoughts aside. And, you know, I just kind of kept telling myself that oftentimes the times I've scored in games, I've actually got a chance earlier that I probably should have put away and didn't.

1:28:43Marcus Trufant:And so I was just reminding myself of that. And then, you know, that ball came in the last minute. And, you know, to be frank, Alex didn't mean to pass me that ball. He told me later. And I just kind of pounced on it. Yeah, and then it was just pure elation. And I actually tried to take my shirt off. And then couldn't with my broken hand cast. So then I was just like, Kiss the badge! Kiss the badge!

1:29:18Marcus Trufant:And, yeah, you can see I can't really believe it when it first goes in.

1:29:22Jimmy McAlister:Let's take a look at this. because I do want to show the celebration again. Watch this, because this emotion... This entire organization celebrates freedom. Look at that.

1:29:40Jimmy McAlister:I watch that clip as much as I do the goal. This is like seeing a man whose emotion, that life truth in which all of your struggle, all of your dreams are being realized in that moment. you're just like I want to get this shirt off

1:29:56Jimmy McAlister:what did that feel like when you're screaming like you're at the dentist

1:30:01Marcus Trufant:my mom actually said I should send that to my orthodontist it'd be a good ad

1:30:07Jimmy McAlister:that's such a mother comment

1:30:11Marcus Trufant:but yeah I think man I think if I could capture that moment I feel like such a lucky guy to be doing it in Seattle.

1:30:29Marcus Trufant:I don't know if you mentioned this tonight, but I was coached by Jimmy McAllister. He was my coach at Seattle United for a bit, and he was the director of Seattle United. And, you know, the other day I had a wild moment where I was looking through some of my old cleats that I had in, like, you know, my Mementos box. And there's an old cleats with an autograph on them. And they have Christian Roldan's autograph.

1:31:06Jimmy McAlister:By the way, it was in Alex Roldan's handwriting.

1:31:12Marcus Trufant:And now I'm playing in a final against Messi at home with Christian. You know, it's just, yeah, it's been really incredible. It's been an incredible journey, but also I underestimated how special it would feel to be doing it at home.

1:31:35Jimmy McAlister:Messi, last question for you. I mean, I have loved being with you tonight and all of Seattle. We talked to Alex about it earlier, but both of your stories are really so emblematic of this entire city's spirit. Never say die, laugh in the face of adversity, savour every single moment of joy that you can upon which this city was really founded. When you think about this journey, you, a kid from Capitol Hill, lashing one home in the Leagues Cup final before 70 ,000 people against some of the greatest footballers ever to wear pink. I mean, what life lesson do you take from it all?

1:32:21Marcus Trufant:I think what I would take from it is, you know, what was really special about this moment was the proof of concept that I feel like we proved to everybody and that was that a collective, a strong collective, a group of people who are all pushing in the same direction can actually achieve. You know, it's like the one plus one doesn't equal two thing and I feel like we really did that. We showed Seattle and we showed the rest of the world that, you know, a group of individuals together can do some really special things as a collective and we were we did it we we did it against some of the best in the world against a superstar team and yeah I think I've been so extremely fortunate that I've had the support network that I've had I come from a big family I'm one of five and a lot of my My dad's family's here.

1:33:24Marcus Trufant:And, yeah, it's just such a strong community. And I'm surrounded by a strong community. And I would say that's what's gotten me here and gotten me through those difficult moments.

1:33:35Jimmy McAlister:One plus one equals three nil. Paul Rothwell, I do. I find you so inspiring. Your journey, your glory. Seattle, I want to end the night by making a memory for all of us. I'm going to bring our photographer, Mike, back on stage. Can I ask you all to stand up, raise your beers, celebrate this incredible bloke, your local soccer folk hero, who's become a symbol of this trophy. Bring it up for us, Paul. Hands up, Seattle! Oh, oh, oh.

1:34:27Thank you.

1:34:32Jimmy McAlister:Se acetalians, please be up Wright! for Paul Rothrock! CHEERING

1:34:50Jimmy McAlister:I love that Paul... There you go. I love that Paul was going to leave that behind. He's going to jam that one into the overhead on the plane home in a minute. Seattle, let's hear it again. Paulie Prime Time. Oh, my God, that is it. I want to end tonight's show by thanking every single one of you in Seattle for embracing us with your love tonight. You're an amazing crowd. And I want you to know your story, your city, your club is an inspiration to all of us who love the game across America. As I said earlier, football is at its best when it transcends football, and your Sounders are all of that and more.

1:35:36Jimmy McAlister:They are a team, they've said it tonight, who emphasise the collective with heart, tenacity and the support of an entire city. It honestly is like the wind beneath their wings. When you have that, everything is possible. You can deliver love and glory. I've got to say, with the World Cup coming here, I hope that everybody with the US team looks at Seattle and follows in your footsteps. and I want to end with a toast to that regard but I do want to thank everybody who's made this possible that starts with Walmart their team have powered this storytelling and my lord we need stories like this in our lives at the moment so grateful to Walmart for their investment in the game in the US which is only just beginning support everyone who's supporting the game we love in the nation we adore and don't forget to take the Walmart bag under your seat tone with you people.

1:36:30Jimmy McAlister:I also want to thank the Seattle Sounders organization from top to bottom for making this possible. They are amazing to work with. I want you to know that. I do adore Coach Schmetzer. He is an incredible human being. I said this earlier, he is a true great in the United States, does not always get his due. But I want to close with a toast to the most important part of the night, which is you, the fans. I said this at the beginning, A lot of cities lay claim to being the best footballing city in America. The world is about to come to Seattle in 253 days. And one of the joys of the anticipation of this tournament in our nation for me, it's a feeling I have in my heart, knowing that when the world's football fans flood into your city, this great city, they will know, they will learn, they will discover that this is not just a great soccer city by American standards.

1:37:29Jimmy McAlister:They'll find it to be one of the most fascinating and passionate and joyful fan bases in the entire world. I really believe... Quincy Jones described your city. He once said, Seattle is like a global gumbo. And it is. It is where cottage cheese goes with a hot dog. Where some Mix-a-Lot meshes with Brian Smetzer. when Nirvana exists side by side with Death Cab for Cutie and Stephen Fry's spirit and energy. Oh, and his colognes. You can just smell it wafting through the beautiful air. This World Cup is going to change football in America in the way we dreamt 1994 would. It was just the beginning.

1:38:10Jimmy McAlister:2026 is going to finish the job. And I believe the rest of the nation will end up being more and more like Seattle, like you. your passion, your identity that you've pioneered. And I want to thank you all for leading the way, for being Pathfinders. I do say, give me a team of 11 Seattles and we can win this bloody tournament. So never change. Keep making great memories through football, people. Big, big love. You're inspiring our nation. Courage. Thank you.

1:38:48you