3rd Degree the Podcast

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, your hosts - Peter Welpton, Dan Crooke, and Buzz Carrick - have to deal with a bunch of losers. FC Dallas were losers (twice), North Texas SC were losers, and Dallas Trinity were losers... nope check that, sorry, Trinity tied... but in a playoff race, a tie might as well be a loss.  The struggle was real for FC Dallas vs Minnesota, why exactly was that? Then the team rotated a ton at Seattle Sounders, not a bad idea since FCD has won there once in its entire existence and that was 15 years ago.  Thankfully there are couple positives from the both games, here and there. But this is what this team is. Up next are the MetroStars...opps, Red Bulls.  North Texas SC continues to struggle without the FCD pieces: Caleb Swann, Ricky Louis, and Nick Simmonds. Edu Nys is a baller though. Biggar and Starnes are holding it down in the back.  And Dallas Trinity again struggeled at Brooklyn, although at least they got a point this time in the porring rain. Three games left, it's going to be tough. Music by Pappy Check.

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, Dan Crooke is back!  The jovial Englishman joins Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick to break down the latest FC Dallas... um... breakdown. It's not like Los Toros lost, but they need to be piling up wins in this first part of the season, not ties. So there's lots of FCD talk: FCD switched off, Valiente & Musa excel, Oz doing too much, bad miss on offside, Johansson injured, Cappis better... now is it time for Moreno to start against Minnesota? Plus, there's news about ticket pricing for the next three seasons, and Peter contemplates buying the front of the kit sponsorship of FCD. Dallas Trinity out-soccered the tar out of Carolina Ascent... and lost. But goodness was it some beautiful play. Now, the Golden Girls are barely holding on to 4th and have to go to Brooklyn, where they lost 3-0 two weeks back.  North Texas SC got a shootout win on the road in Portland with a standout performance from keeper Eryk Dymora and league-leading scorer Édouard Nys. Music by Pappy Check.

Once again this week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, Dan Crooke is missing. Your hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick - soldier on without him. Last week was a triple "great win" podcast; this week, not so much.  FC Dallas pulled the chute against St Louis City with multiple poor performances and an overall lack of dawg-ness. Out of charter? Perhaps. But a bad showing, no matter how you slice it. Were there any good performances? Yes, a couple. Now, FCD gets ready for LA Galaxy with multiple questions lingering.  And Dallas Trinity was even worse, with a terrible showing on the crazy narrow field in Brooklyn. Now Trinity has to face 3rd place Carolina, with the Lexi Missimo problem still in full effect. 5 games remain, can the Golden Girls hold on to 4th place and the last playoff spot? And North Texas SC didn't do much better, getting a home tie against the team they stopped on the road a week ago. It didn't help that FCD took 3 of NTSC's best players to cover for possible issues in the FCD squad. That happens with the reserve team player *before* the first team. Never a good idea.  Music by Pappy Check.

It's a triple victory pod on this week's 3rd Degree the Podcast, so your hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick - have plenty of joy to spread around. First, it was a comprehensive win for FC Dallas over DC. Just about every phase was quality. The Parrington, Urhoghide, Ramiro... Moreno off the bench. So much good on display (and a couple of small hiccups). The dudes are all moving in a positive direction. St Louis is up next, and then it gets a little tougher again for a bit.  North Texas SC stomped Sportin KC II and plays them again on Friday. NTSC is using an older team this year, but there is some FCD talent that needs playing, so that's ok.  Dallas Trinity also enjoyed a comfortable win, 3-1 over the Zephyr. Trinity controlled possession, which makes them look good. Missimo was better, Stainbrook again. Solid defense. New buy Jasmine Hamid looks bright and useful off the bench and on the right. Everything is looking good in DFW soccer.  Music by Pappy Check.

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, Dan Crooke is back to rejoin your other two hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick. As FC Dallas had the week off, the Trio looks ahead to the game at DC United and going against old friends Lucas Bartlett and Brandon Servania. Santiago Moreno is official at FCD. How does he fit in? Could he play this weekend? What tactics might Coach Quill roll out? Seems like a good time for an FCD temperature check.  Dallas Trinity has Tampa Sun on Tuesday, missing a couple of pieces on the back line, and your hosts felt the need to revisit the Missimo problem.  North Texas SC is off for a 2nd week, this time due to the Dallas Cup, as some players will go down to join the U18 for the Super Group. Atletico Dallas is also taking part in the tourney for the first time. And Rodeo SC launched their brand, Dan Crooke was on hand for the vibe check. Music by Pappy Check.

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, Dan Crooke was supposed to be around, but his computer blew up and your hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick - had to muddle through without their affable Brit. Thankfully, the crazy 4-3 FC Dallas win over Houston gave them plenty to talk about, even with FCD having next week off. Logan Farrington was amazing, Peter Musa came to the rescue after the 5-minute meltdown started by Michael "Goldfish" Collodi, the 3-4-3 tactics are fascinating, the Changes Quill made worked, and now Dallas looks to be adding Santiago Moreno.  On the other side of town, Dallas Trinity got taken down hard by the best team in the Super League, Sporting JAX. It's time to talk about the elephant in the room, Lexi Missimo.  North Texas SC saw its second-youngest debut in club history by Benji Flowers. Is FCD going to fumble this one, too? Atletico Dallas is launching an academy tier for youth, Rodeo SC has its logo debut this week, and McKinney Chupacabras hired two-time MLS Coach of the Year, Frank Yallop.  And you should check out the awesome story of the 1984 Sting team that won the World Championship for the US of A.  Music by Pappy Check.

Dan Crooke showed up as questionable on this week's injury report and then failed the game time test, so your hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick - had to go on without their Lutonian this week. FC Dallas took on perhaps the best in MLS, San Diego FC, granted a well-rotated version. Despite going down 3-1, your hoops didn't give up and fought back with their new 3-4-3 and a high press. Petar Musa had a hat trick to earn MLS Player of the Matchday. Nolan Norris fared well, and Kacik was a high-pressure machine. Houston Dynamo is up next, will we see this new shape and tactic?  Dallas Trinity grabbed a point on the road at DC Power, thanks to false-9 Bethany Bos. They then went and added a new center back, US U23 Sydney Cheesman, and look ahead to Lexington Sporting Club on Wednesday to kick off 4 straight at the Cotton Bowl. North Texas SC played in some really poor conditions, falling to Austin FC 1-0 after getting a first-half red card.  Plus, the new USMNT kits are out.  Music by Pappy Check.

It's a super fat episode this week on 3rd Degree the Podcast. Your hosts - Peter Welpton, Dan Crooke, and Buzz Carrick - have plenty to talk about. First, how often is a loss considered a good performance? Well, this one in LA was. FCD did a good job containing the high-flying Hollywood FC. The switchfoot wingbacks were a bit odd, but the midfield trio was much improved. Michal Collodi was the man of the match with a standout showing. Although unfinished, FCD's League Cup slate is looking more complete. Peter Musa got a call-up. And now San Diego comes to town.  Balata and Wisner got Team of the Month, and Graciie Brian retired. Then Dallas Trinity stole a massive road win via Buzz's favorite new player, Heather Stainbrook. Now Trinity gets DC Power before getting a 4-game home stand.  North Texas SC added Matt Hedges to the staff, then proceeded to stop Rapids 2. NTSC's new star Edu Nys had a hattrick.   Rodeo SC has its logo release party on March 27th. The FIFA fan fest looks great, and both Frisco and Mansfield are hosting World Cup teams.  Music by Pappy Check.

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, your hosts - Peter Welpton, Dan Crooke, and Buzz Carrick - attempt to be more entertaining than the FC Dallas game against Nashville. Neither team generated much offense, making for a snoozer. In FC Dallas favor, they were attempting to lock down the game and keep it scoreless. It's early in the season, but questions abound. Is it time to bench Kamungo? How close is Valiente to being a starter? Should FCD sell Kaick? Any judgment on Johansson?  Up next, LAFC on the road. Ouch. One of the best in the league, that's going to be a seriously tough assignment.  Dallas Trinity beat Houston Dash 1-0 in front og 6k. Carolina Kelly with the game winner. Are there any takeaways with a tough assignment of their own this weekend at Lexington SC?    North Texas SC kicked off the season missing a few pieces and came away from Salt Lake with a tie. But really, Los Toritos should have won and let it slip with a late equalizer.  Plus, Rodeo SC added a youth club partnership.  Music by Pappy Check.

This week on 3rd Degree the Podcast, your hosts - Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick - have to muddle through with half a Dan Crooke. But thankfully, Dennis McGowan was around to pick up Crooke's spare and finish the show. FC Dallas opened the season with a solid performance against Toronto FC to grab three home points. Farrington and Musa were lighting it up, the midfield played well, the wingbacks showed something, Collodi was solid, and the back line was shaky... all as expected. The kits look amazing, the TIFO was strong, and the 24-hour tailgate was a smash. Nashville SC is up next. Plus, the crew says so long to the great Paxton Pomykal.  Dallas Trinity fell on the road at Carolina, and your hosts dig into what's not going well. The Trinity have their big friendly with the Houston Dash up next. Try not to look ahead to Lexington, ladies. And North Texas SC gets going this weekend.  Music by Pappy Check.