Thorns GM Jeff Agoos held a press conference today.
Agoos starts with the usual generic “I’m so excited, we’re all excited for the home opener” (it comes about 8 minutes into a 17 minute presser, so you have to wait for it or swipe ahead…). Then the floor opens for questions. Here’s the questions asked (to the degree I can make them out – the press miking was pretty muffled), Agoos’ answers, and my comments:
Q1. (didn’t catch name of questioner): Something about the multiple player injuries.
A1.“We’re here to compete…” Goal is playoffs, injuries or no. We have a lot a players who will have the chance to step up. We have ambitious goals…and the club is ready to meet that challenge.
Comment: Pure coachspeak boilerplate. Nothing we don’t know, but mostly because of poorly phrased, vague question. You want real answers? Ask for names he sees as their replacements! Is Torpey this season’s Muller? Is it Daiane over Perry, Perry over Daiane, Hiatt over both? Who’s LW instead of Weaver? Spaanstra? Turner? Tordin? Hanks? Who’s this season’s Wilson? Turner? Castellanos? Both? And how? Instead the softball gets you nothing but…
…squid ink.
Q2a. (from the KPTV reporter): Partnership with Ring includes plans to honor Oregon firefighters (sent to LA?), how did that come up, what’s the plan?
A2. Part of club charity outreach, community giveback, excited about it.
Q2b. (KPTV followup): Specifics of firefighter promotion?
A2b. Says ops people will followup with details.
Comment: You gotta be shitting me. You pay for this, KPTV? Fucking ridiculous.
Q3. New year, starting from scratch, what’s your message to the fans?
A3. Believe. In team, in “ambitious spirit”, support “most successful” tradition in the league, new owners Bhathals with clear and ambitious vision, want to deliver. Big training center plan what Thorns, RAJ are all about.
Comment: Softball not quite as worthless as the firefighters question, but…no, this really is pretty worthless unless you think he’s gonna just flat out admit “Well, without Sophia we’re pretty much fucked, so we’re just gonna focus on experimenting with reserves and the youngs and not worry about points or playoffs.” You really think he’s gonna say that..? Why even bother when you know you’re gonna get mouth noises?
Q4. (I think this is Nguyen from Stumptown): You’ve got Angus and Lucy Rushton now, big analytical move, how have they helped you with the boba(?) and the women’s soccer side?
A4. They’re incredibly supportive (Angus is 3x dad, yay!) big help all around.
Comment Not necessarily a bad topic, but another softball Goose ducked easily. Here’s my suggestion as to how you could do this differently to get actual information:
Q4Alternative. “I saw this diagram prepared by the American Soccer Analysis site after the Kansas City match (show the following on screen):
Since they were hired this winter to do analysis, have you asked to Angus and Lucy to look at it, and maybe explain to you and Rob how that happened, why it was a problem, and how to improve that spacing in the midfield and forwards for tomorrow? That seems an important analysis for them to help with, wouldn’t you say?”
I don’t know if he’d answer it…but even his evasion might tell you something.
Q5. (Stumptown again): You’ve signed Hanks, Tordin, best prospects in college soccer, plus international slots, how excited are you about moves?
A5. Very excited, youngest team in the league, commitment to bringing in and developing young talent, fantastic technical staff asked to deliver development, long-term project, retain them going forward.
Comment: Instead, how about asking “how does Rob plan to use these great young players? Starters? Subs? What position(s) does he see them nailing down?” Asking him how excited he is about the rooks is like asking him if he’s excited about having fun.
Q6. (KGW reporter): How do you fill void of Wilson during ML? How do you build a top squad without her?
A6. We loves us some Sophia (i.e. we “celebrate” her, “see her as a full person”, we’re supportive of her pregnancy), she’ll be there cheering tomorrow. Also lost other irreplaceable players like Sauerbrunn, Sinc. We believe players there today have opportunity to step up, opens door for forwards (name-checks Hanks, Tordin, Spaanstra, and Linnehan) and others to step up, fill void.
Comment: This is actually pretty good but the format (“how do you…”) give Goose way too much room to dodge. Ask him WHO fills the void? Ask him does Gale see Wilson’s replacement as a player, tactics, a combination of players and tactics and, specifically, who and what? Instead since he doesn’t have to either provide specifics or dodge specifics, he just emits a cloud of…
Q7. (KGW again?) What was your first conversation with Rob (Gale) like and what did you talk about this coming year.
A7. First was Zoom in January. Rob is a positive person, positive w staff, team, we’re very excited about what he brings to the organization. This is his first full preseason, will let him “thrive” w “market”, players. Expect incredible things, really positive outcomes.
Comment: Nice try, but 1) he’s not going to give you specifics here, so again the squid ink is expected, and 2) should have been a followup on preseason – club had the option to begin training in January, didn’t take it, started only ten days/two weeks out from first game in Indio, had only three preseason matches and a scrimmage, then got dunked on in KC looking like a pickup team.
Q8. (Stumptown again?) Players on last year of contracts, how big a priority are players like Coffey and Wilson?
A8. We’re always looking at options to extend contracts, (name-checks numerous FO people), long-term planning, just beginning.
Comment: Of course he’s “always looking at options”, but what else is he going to say? Just more ink, so why even ask this, or ask it this way?
And that was it.
I get it. Journalism has become all about “access”, and journos who push too hard find they lose access to Agoos and everyone else in the FO. It’s easier (and less risky) to ask these softball questions.
But, honestly..?
How much worse would this have been had no one been there at all? Look back through the Q&A. Is there anything in there you learned? Anything you didn’t know, or couldn’t guess?
I don’t expect team spokespeople to give you the truth with the bark on it. They’re there to make the organization look good. But if you dig, and ask the tough questions, and follow up the evasions (or outright lies)? You might just learn something.
But, hey. I got canned from the Stumptown gig seven years ago, so what do I know..?
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