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Learn more at vertexinck.com. Hello, hello, and welcome to the Total Soccer Show.

My name is Taylor Rockwell, and on today's episode, we're talking MLS playoffs, a thing that everyone loves universally and no one has any issues with.

Joe Lowry, you said before we started recording that you think this format is perfect, and I thank you for that.

No, that was actually Goss who said that. So just to set the record straight. I've really enjoyed the playoffs so far. I think they've been awesome. Goals falling out of everybody's pockets along the way. These games have been good. They've had good energy. I have really, really enjoyed the beginning of this postseason. There we go. So Joe's on board, joining us as a man who agrees that a play in best of three international

break, single elimination format is the ideal way to watch soccer. It's David Goss. Hello, David.

As a New York Jew who was raised on sports talk radio, the highest form of love is hate.

So in my mind, you're right that everyone loves the format.

There we go.

And view behind the curtain, we've got Joe wearing a gray sweatshirt, which feels appropriate for the way some people are approaching the playoffs.

And then we've got Goss and a Continental Tires shirt, Everon brand, sir. Also, can you see that I have a goatee right now? I shaved it for a costume on Saturday night. And I keep forgetting I have it. And every time I look in the mirror, I go, who's that creep? Joe leaned all the way in to suggest that he, too, is struggling to see this goatee. What is the costume for, Mr. Goss?

It was a murder mystery party, and I was assigned to be a specific WNYC NPR host, not like generic NPR host.

I was assigned Brian Lair specifically. Shout out to the legend. Shout out to DeGod.

That is the most New York City costume party shenanigan I can ever imagine. Oh, my word. It was amazing. It was a murder mystery party about the rats are and rats. And I was in character, brought a microphone, did a bunch of interviews, put together a really good episode. So if you can donate at the top of the hour, we have a matching sponsor at 15%. We'll have a tote bag in the bag for you in the mail for you as well. Please support your local NPR. Joe, you heard Gase Rat Tsar, right? That wasn't just me? I heard that. Okay. I understood it as much. I know what that's about. Yeah. Do you know that New York was only rated the third radiest city in America? Chicago and L.A. are worst. Suck it. Chicago. Suck it, L.A. I'm going to be honest, that's unfathomable to me. That cannot be true. That's what the thing said. So you got to trust the thing that I read on the internet. The thing on the internet. Wow, we are off to a flying start where we're only the third radiest city is high praise for New York. Thank you for that, Mr. Goss. We are going to talk about New York later on, or I guess I should say New Jersey. But right now, we're going to start off with the Philadelphia Union with a three to one win over the New England Revolution.

Actually, before we do that, we should maybe continue the conversation we were having a little bit before we started recording about this format.

We've seen it play out a little bit more. We've had the play in games. We've had the first of the best of two, best of three playoff format. How are we feeling about this one? Do we like what we're

seeing so far? It's been somewhat contentious, and I think that's putting it lightly. Joe, go ahead.

A lot of folks out there, I think, have had a lot of problems with the playoff format. I think a lot

of that stems from how it came about, right? This is Apple wanting more inventory ahead of making a long-term deal

...