Summary: Anto and Nico are back for another show to take a look from the midway point of the conference finals to examine who has the upper hand, the battles the lurk ahead for all of the teams in the final four of MLS Playoffs and what the unexpected early exit for Seattle and Sigi Schmid might just mean for a club thought to be championship worthy this season after having acquired Clint Dempsey during the summer window. Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake do appear to hold an advantage at first glance, but the deeper we look into the factors and match ups that matter, each series could turn on a single mistake as both Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers do possess the kinds of characteristics which could send them to the Finals. In the case of the Dynamo this is all about mentality and experience under Dominic Kinnear who knows what it takes to win these kinds of games at the end of a season. For first year coach Caleb Porter, this is a team who can score goals in bunches and press an opponent under the pressure of its own remarkable atmosphere at Jeld-Wen Field, a very pragmatic team that has surely found creative ways to take points from losing positions most of this season. In segment two we take a look at some new TV ratings data that has surfaced with respect to Major League Soccer and the findings seem to confirm what many have expected all along - the MLS in its 18th season continues to solidify itself with its core audience, but has yet to find its niche in television and may yet need to find a way to crossover to the mainstream with superstars and event worthy matches to drive an even more compelling product for television. This goes for not only the national broadcasts where the productions are clearly as good and polished as any sport in the marketplace, but for some reason fail to drive the type of numbers in terms of ratings. Are we know at a crossroads in Major League Soccer where the salary caps and player development resources need to be explored even further and does the league need to prime the pump again for more star attraction and event worthy players? The early return is that, yes, MLS needs to take its product to another level if its goal of being a top world league by 2022 has the potential to be fulfilled. In segment three, we have a very special and personal message that hopes to drive some awareness around a condition that is barely recognized in the public domain, but its effects have hit one of our own and we felt it time to raise some awareness around Infantile Spasms (IS) and tell the story of Super Luca and what our listeners can do to help.
