Ah, it's Valentine's Day in Cascadia.
There's no love lost in the region on the holiday this year as Fredy Montero's rumored shock loan move to Vancouver makes waves throughout the league. The former Sounders DP forward left MLS for Portugal after 2013 as the all-time leading goal scorer in Seattle, and now it looks like the Cascade King may be back to win a few more derbies. This time it's in Rain City white and blue, though, and that brings an almost absurd amount of drama to this move. You just couldn't make this one up.
In case that wasn't enough, Vancouver and Portland are set to contest their Simple Invitational finale against each other in a preseason tie that has already seen matches fall apart and careers altered in its history. Will this ill-fated fixture draw the excitement it has in years past? Will both rosters make it out unscathed?
Before we get to all of the lover's spats here in Cascadia, Ep. 98 starts with a 20 minute-long discussion on the Video Assisted Referees (VARs) system that MLS will experiment with this season.
On a more serious note Peter Czimmermann, President and Secretary of the Vancouver Southsiders supporters group, joins the show for the first time since Ep. 12 (Oct. 10, 2014) to discuss his organization's new travel decision in relation to the executive order on immigration recently signed in the United States.
It's a fitting week for 2017 soccer to heat up. Skip Valentine's Day dinner with your boo and get your fix of passion in this remarkably apt edition of Radio Cascadia!
PLAYLIST:
0:00:00 - Hawkeye & Human Error: VARs debate
0:21:30 - Wow, Fredy Montero to VWFC?
0:47:00 - Peter Czimmermann, President of Vancouver Southsiders, on SG's travel boycott
1:02:00 - Timbers host Simple Invitational, fans get first look at Blanco
1:25:00 - Is Dempsey back now? + Retro jersey leak