Podcasts about lumen field

On Friday's Daily Puck Drop,   Jason “Puck” Puckett,  Jim Moore and Chris Egan are back for the PME Show discussing why Jim is in a mail room at the golf course he works at, new Seahawks owner admitting he's a Steelers fan, why the M's didn't pursue Eugenio Suarez and Friday's The Barge as the M's, Dave “Softy” Mahler and tracking devices find themselves on The Barge! Last Word with Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times joins Puck to discuss roster cutdown day coming up on Sunday and who's in and who's out?   Plus, should Seahawks fans be worried about comments made from the new ownership group on the status of Lumen Field?“Hey, What the Puck!”    John Schneider, best in the biz (1:00)  The PME Show with Chris Egan and Jim Moore (49:16) Last Word with Bob Condotta ( 1:09:00) “Hey, What the Puck!?”  

Bob and Lefko are joined by cohost of MLB Network’s Intentional Talk Ryan Dempster to get his thoughts on why the final month of the season matters the most for the Mariners, Kade Anderson’s debut, and the current state of pitching in today’s MLB, they break down what the Seahawks extension of Leonard Williams means for the future of the team, they discuss what will happen to Lumen Field under the Khosla family, and they bring you the biggest stories around the MLB, including Geno Suarez being waived by the Reds. 

We react and take calls following Seattle's Matchday 20 Cascadia clash with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Lumen Field.Subscribe to the NEW Lobbing Scorchers Blog: www.lobbingscorchers.comFollow Lobbing Scorchers:YouTubeInstagramBlueskyTikTokFacebookAri LiljenwallNoah RiffeSPONSORSQED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74' for 25% off across the site.Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We react and take calls following Seattle's Matchday 20 Cascadia clash with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Lumen Field. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don’t miss this massive channel shift! Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this episode of the Ultimate Partner Podcast, host Vince Menzione sits down with Alexandra Zagury, Corporate Vice President of Channels at Microsoft, to explore ecosystem shifts, partner-led growth, and AI transformation. https://youtu.be/9jrSGX5bM90 Key Takeaways Microsoft’s telemetry and propensity data offer unprecedented insights that many partners are currently failing to unlock. Partners must evolve past basic licensing models and build comprehensive managed service stacks across the entire customer lifecycle. Establishing an AI Center of Excellence on the Microsoft platform is critical for capturing future market share and technical intensity. The modern tech ecosystem demands a shift from product-led growth to true partner-led growth driven by multi-partner collaboration. Renewal engines targeting 110% to 125% retention require an always-on motion starting well in advance of contract expiration. Investing in sales readiness and precision velocity training ensures that end sellers can effectively articulate the value of the Microsoft platform. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags Microsoft, telemetry, Hyperscalers, channel, small medium enterprise, telcos, hosters, SSPs, Cisco, CSP, agentic GTM, propensity data, SPX, PUPP, cloud descent, MSPs, managed XDR, Agent 365, skilling, co-sell, renewals, flywheel, AI Center of Excellence, enterprise Transcript Alexandra Zagury Audio Podcast [00:00:00] Alexandra Zagury: One of the things that I think is the best kept secret at Microsoft is the telemetry that we offer our partners. [00:00:08] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. [00:00:22] Vince Menzione: I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology. Partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:41] Vince Menzione: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. Let’s [00:00:46] Guest: start. [00:00:50] Vince Menzione: I am thrilled because I get to have a leader that is somewhat new in role and is the corporate vice president of channels for Microsoft. And so Alex is here to, is joining us for the first time at Ultimate Partner. I’m thrilled to have you. Thank, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Welcome, welcome. [00:01:14] Vince Menzione: Thank you. Thank you. You and I are gonna be in the center seat in the middle. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. We wanna. So I am thrilled. Um, you’re relatively new in your role at Microsoft. [00:01:24] Alexandra Zagury: Seven months. [00:01:25] Vince Menzione: Seven months, [00:01:26] Alexandra Zagury: yes. [00:01:26] Vince Menzione: Wow. That’s a, that’s a crazy. So take us through, ’cause for those who don’t know you, but a little bit of an introduction, your title, your role, CVP, and uh, your remit. [00:01:37] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about that and what your organization is focused in, in your mission. Yeah. [00:01:41] Alexandra Zagury: So hi everybody. Really exciting to be here. Thanks for the invitation, Vince. I always love to be with partners and with the channel. So my, I came to Microsoft to lead a new role, which we call Global Channel Sales, and it was part of the strategy of Microsoft to really bet on the growth in small, medium enterprise. [00:02:04] Alexandra Zagury: With the channel partner led growth. So my remit is really to lead our managed partners, but also to lead the strategy when it comes to the channel. Very specifically looking at the telcos, the distributors, the hosters. The sis and, uh, the SSPs of course. And, and so my role can be summarized in one word growth, and that’s what we do every single day is map our ambition to your ambition and figure out how we actually conquer this age of ai. [00:02:40] Vince Menzione: It’s a pretty big role. It’s a pretty, you know, I forgot about hosts ’cause we don’t, we don’t talk about them as much these days in the cloud. [00:02:48] Alexandra Zagury: Still a lot [00:02:48] Vince Menzione: of opportunity. You’ve got, and you’ve got all the telcos as well, which are pretty significant organizations, right? Lumen Field, just around the corner. [00:02:56] Vince Menzione: Mm-hmm. Right up the. Right up, I said across the river, but it’s across the pond in Seattle. And, uh, what does that look like from an organization perspective in terms of dollars? Are you allowed to disclose numbers? [00:03:08] Alexandra Zagury: No, we [00:03:08] Vince Menzione: don’t talk numbers. Okay. And, but you have a long career in this type of environment, in this role. [00:03:15] Vince Menzione: 10 years at Cisco, right? [00:03:17] Alexandra Zagury: Mm-hmm. [00:03:17] Vince Menzione: Tell us a little bit more about your background, [00:03:18] Alexandra Zagury: please. Yeah, sure. Um, well I started out as a, a sales leader. Uh, actually I started out in banking, if you wanna go all the way back. Um, but I fell in love with the channel actually, when I was at Yahoo, believe it or not. Wow. [00:03:32] Alexandra Zagury: Because it was the first interact sales model that I had the privilege to operate in, and I really understood. Stood the power of going through a channel. And then I was at Blackberry where I, I, I also, um, well had various sales leadership roles, but our model was all through, was all through the channel. [00:03:51] Alexandra Zagury: Yes. Um, some startups and then help [00:03:54] Vince Menzione: in those days too, right? [00:03:55] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah. It was all sps and I learned from Jim Balze the channel fundamentals. So, um, and then ended up, of course, at Cisco the last. Nearly 11 years, which I think is also one of the greatest channel companies. Yes. And really has thrived in a partner, partner led growth, and in a partner led model. [00:04:12] Alexandra Zagury: And so when, when Microsoft called, I mean, this was just the opportunity of a lifetime. To lead the channel during an era where we’re all getting disrupted, we’re all having to blueprint new systems, new ways of working, where go to market is getting identified, and we’re all having to figure out how to become customer zero ourselves, but then also how to go to market. [00:04:36] Alexandra Zagury: With, with agents. And so this was the, the most exciting time that I could think of to join the Microsoft ecosystem and really take us to the next level. [00:04:44] Vince Menzione: Well, your background is perfect for this. I, I, Rodney Clark is a friend, has been a guest on the podcast and in, in the studio, and I think of Cisco is the quintessential channel company. [00:04:56] Vince Menzione: Like when I think about how channel got created and how it worked well, it was always Cisco that did it. So give us like your perspective now, like seven plus months and like how does this feel like you’ve You’ve got a big remit and, uh, various, uh, routes to market. We’ll call them, uh, channels to market. [00:05:14] Vince Menzione: So take us through a little bit of that, like Yeah, sure. [00:05:16] Alexandra Zagury: Describe [00:05:16] Vince Menzione: the transition, what it’s been like [00:05:18] Alexandra Zagury: for you. So one of the things we’re focused on is supporting the channel through the transformation, and we look at it in a couple of lenses. The first lens is really helping the channel become customer zero. [00:05:29] Alexandra Zagury: We really believe that the partners that invest in. Actually identifying their own processes and their own go go to market are the channels, are are the partners that it can actually win because if you are using it, you’re gonna be able to sell it. The second layer is all about technical intensity, and I’m very passionate about this because I see it from two lenses. [00:05:51] Alexandra Zagury: One is. I would like each and every of our partners to lead in building an AI Center of Excellence based on the Microsoft platform. It is a unique opportunity. I can give you lots of numbers, right? We’ve all heard about the trillions of agents that are gonna be here by 2030. We’ve all heard about the tam. [00:06:12] Alexandra Zagury: I mean, our TAM is going from 777. Million to over a billion, uh, to over a trillion. I, it’s, the numbers are just enormous, insane, right? Over half a billion of customers in our base that are using, that are, that are based already on the Microsoft platform. So all the goodness of our IU IQ platform can be unlocked with all the services that the partners can build. [00:06:36] Alexandra Zagury: So investing in that technical skilling and building those practices are gonna be, is gonna be essential. The third part. The third pillar is all about ag agentic, GTM. So once you’re actually using, uh, the Microsoft platform, you’re gonna have to reimagine all your business’s pro processes, your sales processes, and the more that you are integrated into how we do, how we do things. [00:07:00] Alexandra Zagury: One of the things that I think is the best kept secret at Microsoft is the telemetry that we offer our partners. Yeah. I mean, it’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen the quality of propensity data. And now I’m gonna give you the ABCs, which is please, A SPX, which is where we get all our copilot data, PUPP, which is our proposal upsell, uh, planner, right, cloud descent, where you can actually get your next action directly to your sellers. [00:07:27] Alexandra Zagury: There is just so much goodness that we give, which is part of our, our investment in partners. Which takes me to the fourth pillar, and that is all about value alignment and one of the things that I’m very focused and I bring with me from, from Cisco and the work that I did with MSPs is really thinking through what is that value exchange between us and the partner. [00:07:49] Alexandra Zagury: I believe that I’m in the business of earning your trust. Earning your preference. And, and, and we do that by really mapping that value alignment. So not just, one of the things that the whole industry has copied from Microsoft is really looking at our incentives across the customer lifecycle. Yes. So really mapping the value alignment across the customer lifecycle, not just at the point of the deal. [00:08:13] Alexandra Zagury: ’cause that was the whole purpose of CSP. That’s right. The investments we make in tele telemetry, the investments we make in our go-to-market assets and having those bi-directional feedback loops so that we can be continuously improving. So those are sort of the things that I’m thinking about every day. [00:08:29] Alexandra Zagury: There’s a couple of others as we lead and support you in this transformation. ’cause I think of my job as to supporting and driving growth with you so that we have that joint ambition. But also supporting the transformation that both of us are on this journey. [00:08:44] Vince Menzione: And Microsoft was the first with Jay McBain was with us yesterday, and we talked, we’ve talked about this before, but you were the first company to take and look, get rid of the old metal systems, right? [00:08:55] Vince Menzione: The bronze, silver, gold, mm-hmm. And move to basically a point system for partners so that they can come at it from a kind of a global perspective on how they drive success. What was, um, what did you learn about this partner community, your first months that you didn’t expect? [00:09:12] Alexandra Zagury: Can I say something controversial? [00:09:14] Vince Menzione: Absolutely. Okay. [00:09:14] Alexandra Zagury: I love, [00:09:14] Vince Menzione: we love controversial, [00:09:15] Alexandra Zagury: so I think one of the things that I was surprised was that I didn’t see all the partners really unlocking the value of CSP. Yeah. What do I mean by that? When Microsoft moved to the Point System, and I was on the other side, really, I was so jealous of CSP when I was running managed services. [00:09:34] Alexandra Zagury: Here’s an offer that is for partners, for Partner that gives you that initial. Guarantee in terms of the margin that helps you throughout the customer life cycle with all the incentives and, and programs that we have. And I didn’t see, I mean there are some partners, but I was surprised not seeing more partners really building their value stack and their services across the lifecycle. [00:09:59] Alexandra Zagury: And I think there’s such a great opportunity now to do that. That was one of the most surprising things I thought. Oh my gosh, there must be so many, so many services stack, so many people really unlocking, unlocking that, that value. That was a, that was a little bit surprising. [00:10:14] Vince Menzione: Why? Why do you suppose, why do you suppose that was happening? [00:10:17] Alexandra Zagury: I think some of the things that we were listening here, there’s some, sometimes complexity. There are things that we still have to. Get better on, and I’m one of the first ones to say that like our partner experience, we have, um, you know, a lot of focus right now on partner center and ensuring that we’re identifying it. [00:10:36] Alexandra Zagury: I don’t know if I can say it, but, you know, one of the things that we’re looking at is replicating internally. We have Agent J. That supports our sellers through the sales process. Nice. We’re looking at having something similar for our partners. Very cool. Getting some claps there. So, yeah, so, uh, I think, you know, that I, some, there are some lockers that we, we have to acknowledge a lot of them are operational and comes with being a 50-year-old company. [00:11:02] Vince Menzione: I, I’ll give you my perspective too. I wanna get your thoughts on this. ’cause I got to, I’ve gotten to know this MSP community, which is a, you mentioned managed services and that, um, I think that some of them, well, I think Microsoft is leaning in, in a much bigger way. Um, we had Jose on stage yesterday and just the, the energy around the room, there he is, he’s back here. [00:11:23] Vince Menzione: The energy in the room around the MSP community is palpable and it maybe it wasn’t there a few years ago. Maybe some people got off the bus, so to speak, like they weren’t really paying attention mm-hmm. To all the change and all the investments. That you men, you’re mentioning or being made to support this, would you, what would you say about that? [00:11:42] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah, I’d say that that that is correct, but I’d also say that what I learned, you know, leading MSP at Cisco was that. All the stars have to be aligned, right? And if one thing is not right, if you don’t have product market fit, if you, if you, if you don’t have a good way to, uh, consolidate your offer, if you don’t have that investment in practice development, like there’s a series of things that we need to get right. [00:12:07] Alexandra Zagury: And I think Jose and I spent a lot of time thinking through those things and we’re, we’re ready to, to welcome the community and specifically around security. I mean, that was the second thing that I was really surprised because I lost so many deals on the other side to Microsoft, and I was like, and then I come on this side and I’m like, there’s all this opportunity everywhere. [00:12:28] Alexandra Zagury: I look underneath this chair, this opportunity, and I’m like, why are people not going after it? There is the opportunity to build managed XDR solutions, the opportunity to reinvent the song. There’s, there’s just so much opportunity and I think people get so stuck in the. Just thinking of it from a licensing model and not thinking it from the, the full on end-to-end value that you can then unlock through the best licensing model on the planet. [00:12:55] Alexandra Zagury: And so, look, we’re here, we’re, we’re ready to talk to all of you and, and really figure this out ’cause we are gonna place really bet big bets next year on ensuring that we’re growing with the MSP community. [00:13:08] Vince Menzione: So what are you personally focused on in changing Microsoft to drive this. [00:13:13] Alexandra Zagury: Well, uh, I don’t know. [00:13:14] Alexandra Zagury: Changing is a, is a, is a big word. Well, I like evolution, change, [00:13:17] Vince Menzione: evolution, evolving. [00:13:18] Alexandra Zagury: You know, I [00:13:19] Vince Menzione: transition. [00:13:21] Alexandra Zagury: I think there is, there is a couple of things that I’ll say that one of the things that I, I’m really focused on right now, the first one is skilling. We’re at a time of such transformation. That investing in skilling, and if you look at our skilling model, it has four pillars. [00:13:37] Alexandra Zagury: The first pillar we’re best in class, in which is certification specializations, and making sure that our ecosystem is certified to go to market. The second one, which we call project ready. It’s sort of how we help you, uh, technically skill the folks that sit in your practices. And there’s more work to do there, and there’s more that you can learn about how we can actually help you. [00:13:59] Alexandra Zagury: And then the middle part I’m obsessed with right now, which is sales ready and tech sales ready. So it is ensuring, because AI is new for everybody. Yes. It’s a muscle, it is a proposition that you have to sell it’s value that you’re selling. I, I love what the gentleman from Lenovo was talking about. It’s, it’s that CSB always on motion. [00:14:21] Alexandra Zagury: Yes. And so really getting very crisp to the end seller at the, at the reseller. For example, at the end, seller at the partner about why Microsoft. Why now, how do I sell and how do I win? And giving them the assets, the competitive battle cards, the, the, the ability to end objection handling all these. Great, we have them. [00:14:45] Alexandra Zagury: I mean, the amount of content we have, but it’s about doing it at what I call precision velocity. [00:14:51] Vince Menzione: Precision [00:14:51] Alexandra Zagury: velocity, right? Which is this concept of how do we get very precise at a persona level. So that we get the velocity of impact. And so I’m, I’m very obsessed with that right now. And there’s two other things I’m very obsessed with, right? [00:15:04] Alexandra Zagury: The other one is this practice building, ensuring that we are together building these AI centers of excellence, um, especially for all our managed partners. This is something that I’ve put on, uh, every single PDM in our org is gonna, is gonna be talking about that. And then the third one is one that I find super interesting, which I think all of us. [00:15:25] Alexandra Zagury: Have a lot of work to do, which is partner to partner. [00:15:29] Vince Menzione: Yes. [00:15:29] Alexandra Zagury: If we look at a customer outcome, thank you. A customer outcome is built of many partners, right? There’s so many different touch points. I think some folks talk about seven partners in, in a customer outcome, and so how do we actually. Use agents, use agent solutions to suddenly unlock this opportunity because most of the time you’ll see an SSP with an si, maybe an ISV in the middle of a transaction to deliver on that customer outcome. [00:16:04] Alexandra Zagury: Yes. So what can we Microsoft do? And I’d love ideas, right? I haven’t cracked this. I don’t think the industry has completely cracked this. It’s more of a, a science than, than, well, more of an art than it is a science today. So that’s the third thing that I, I, I’d love to really improve and, and get better at. [00:16:20] Vince Menzione: I wish you got to see my slide earlier. ’cause I had the seven seats. I had this, I had the seven partners surrounding the customer. Customer is able to make their decisions now because with their cloud commitments [00:16:31] Alexandra Zagury: mm-hmm. [00:16:32] Vince Menzione: They’re in the, they’re in the seat where it used to be. I would rely on the partner to tell me what to do. [00:16:38] Vince Menzione: I, I’m cobbling together the best solution for my organization. Based on the trusted partners, to your point, those seven seats, and that’s partner to partner action. And Jay McBain was here yesterday and he took us through a great example. It’s AstraZeneca, that Microsoft won AWS, thought they were gonna win the deal, and then there were Microsoft partners in involved. [00:17:00] Vince Menzione: And the, the decision was made in December, but the deal didn’t happen until July. And that whole process was because all these different partners showed up. And influence the decision and the solution areas for that customer. [00:17:12] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah, that’s the best example of PLG partner led growth in action, which I think, again, that is the other thing that I’m super excited about is that actually p proving in the AI era that it’s about PLG as partner led growth, not the other PLGI. [00:17:31] Vince Menzione: I love that. I love that. Instead of product led growth, it’s partner led growth. So I understand there’s three layers that you’re very interested in that you want, you were gonna take us through today. Okay. Do you know about this, [00:17:44] Alexandra Zagury: the layers [00:17:45] Vince Menzione: of we have, uh, copilot chat. Oh, yes. 365 and, and agents. [00:17:49] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah. [00:17:50] Vince Menzione: From a product perspective, I thought maybe, [00:17:51] Alexandra Zagury: yeah, sure. [00:17:52] Alexandra Zagury: This is, I mean. This is the, uh, advantage of choosing the market Microsoft platform. Yeah, so as you look, look at it, there’s, there’s definitely different options, but when you look at Microsoft, what’s really, really interesting is that we have all the, all the layers. There’s no AI without data, and we’ve got that data foundation. [00:18:15] Alexandra Zagury: We also have the intelligence data foundation, right? Then we’ve got the, the layer of actually building those AI agents, and then the last layer that we have is actually the experience or the application layer. So when you look at our platform is a completely integrated platform with the different choices. [00:18:35] Alexandra Zagury: We are not behold, beholden to one LLM or another LLM. You’re actually able to bring your data and, and bring the LLM that you want to deliver on the, on the outcomes that you need. And I think that is very, very unique about our proposition. Yeah, I [00:18:50] Vince Menzione: agree. [00:18:50] Alexandra Zagury: But the other thing that is unique, it’s the most exciting product out there. [00:18:55] Alexandra Zagury: Agent 3, 6 5, our own oh oh seven. It really is a differentiated proposition that every single partner can build services around. Starting with your advisory services, tell me customer, what is it that you are thinking of? Then you actually move on to thinking about security because again, just like there’s no AI without data, you have to start with that data foundation. [00:19:24] Alexandra Zagury: There’s no AI without security and no security without ai. And so really thinking through how, uh, agent 3, 6, 5, I love it. I get these claps once a, I love, love really thinking about how Agent 3, 6 5 really unlocks, not only. A security budget, but an observability budget because you can do both. You are talking to both, uh, folks at the customer, right? [00:19:47] Alexandra Zagury: You can actually start talking about how you’re gonna actually govern all of these agents, manage all of these agents, but also there’s the observability layer, which is gonna tell you what actually can you do? How can you actually deliver on the outcomes that we all want from ai, which is productivity. [00:20:05] Alexandra Zagury: Experience and efficiency and all the other things. So I think this is the biggest opportunity this channel has ever seen, and every single partner is gonna have to make a choice on what platform they’re gonna lead with, and we believe it should be ours because it is completely integrated across these three layers with our very own oh oh seven. [00:20:30] Vince Menzione: I wanna get your perspective, but it feels like many of these partners in the MSP community are stuck at that CSP level. We were having this conversation about getting through that, coaching ’em through it. What would your be your perspective on that? [00:20:44] Alexandra Zagury: Um, I’d say, uh, use this moment to unlock that opportunity. [00:20:50] Alexandra Zagury: First off, invest in your skills. Get your, get your team skilled and, uh, on Microsoft, build your center of excellence. Map out your strategy where actually you’re gonna monetize and use all the different assets that we have. And if you are being really, um, I mean, most of them are serviced through a distributor. [00:21:12] Alexandra Zagury: Make your distributor accountable for supporting you in packaging the offers and giving you the, uh, information that you need in terms of skilling. And then in terms of co-selling, again, distributor has a lot of tools that can help you understand how to unlock the co unlock, the co-selling opportunity with Microsoft. [00:21:35] Alexandra Zagury: I think that’s another really big competitive advantage that Microsoft has. When, uh, Microsoft changed what it started by, by, by changing its strategy. I think clarity is kindness. We were very, very clear that where we want, we wanted partners, of course, to play an enterprise with a services stack, but we were very clear that we were betting on a partner led growth in small, medium enterprise, right? [00:22:03] Alexandra Zagury: And so we’ve built our whole operating system. Around that. And so I think it’s really about finding the information that you know you want, planning your strategy, getting skilled and go to market with us. Our co-sell Advantage is very, very unique. It is one of the only companies that has the sales teams completely aligned because CSP is our hero motion. [00:22:29] Vince Menzione: So being with a customer through the journey on CSP, but also renewals are a big component of growth. Talk to us about that. [00:22:36] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah. Renewals are, uh, a machine and an engine that is just absolutely beautiful. It’s your [00:22:42] Vince Menzione: flywheel. [00:22:43] Alexandra Zagury: It is your flywheel. Um, and it is the gift that keeps on giving. We, of course, have a very focused, um, and in fact, one of the things that I’ve done since. [00:22:52] Alexandra Zagury: Uh, since we’ve started, it started a very focused motion in terms of looking at our renewals. We have very specific targets. We, we like to see a renewal at 110% at the moment of renewal. And then we like to see a motion, t plus three, T plus six. That gets us to that a hundred and and 25%. But what we’ve also found out is that this needs to be an always on motion. [00:23:18] Alexandra Zagury: So one of the things that we’re doing is using this concept of precision velocity becoming very rigorous. ’cause we have all the data. Yeah. In terms of what is that next action, and really looking at starting that renewal process, we see that the partners that are able to reach the targets are the ones that start at T minus. [00:23:36] Alexandra Zagury: Six, maybe T minus three, you’re cutting it, but T minus six. And really building that constant motion, getting out in front Yeah. With the customer is really important. And then of course, we now even have these amazing go back motions, uh, with, with our partners where we actually, after the renewal, we go and. [00:23:56] Alexandra Zagury: The renewal was not at the target. We just constantly keep on going. Uh, going back with the, with the partners and we’ve unlocked a, a bevy of data. We, our operating model, we call it the pods, where the PDM sits at the center and orchestrates it with all the different roles that we have. And so we now have a very systematized moment, uh, motion of how to do the renewals. [00:24:18] Vince Menzione: So for the partners in the room, what’s one investment that they should make and what should every partner in the room do differently? Going into, uh, July 1st. [00:24:27] Alexandra Zagury: Well, I think the first thing, remember, CSP is our hero motion, so really for, uh, real, really focused on that. But the one investment, can I say two? [00:24:38] Vince Menzione: Please, please. [00:24:38] Alexandra Zagury: Your time. The, the first one is skilling, right? This is the time. [00:24:43] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:24:43] Alexandra Zagury: Technical intensity is super, super important, and really making those investments in skilling not only from a practice perspective, your your, your technical practice, uh, teams, but also from a sales readiness perspective. [00:24:59] Alexandra Zagury: This is a new muscle. It’s we’re all learning how to truly sell outcomes, and so getting your sales teams ready. Is is really important. And then the second one very tied to that is building your AI Center of Excellence based on the Microsoft platform. Because as we go into FY 27, you will see that the partners that prefer and grow with us are the ones that will see the investment come to them. [00:25:28] Vince Menzione: So I want to use the term front. I I, I’ve been avoiding the term frontier firm, but I think it is super critical. Everything I’ve heard today, like you need to be customer zero. You need to get in train, advance on it and go build against it. [00:25:41] Alexandra Zagury: Absolutely. Well, if you had, let me a third, I would’ve said customer zero. [00:25:46] Vince Menzione: You have it? Alright. We have less than a minute. Would you be okay if we ask for like maybe one question? Yeah, absolutely. We’ll do like one, maybe two. So good to have you by the way. Thank you, Vince. So nice to have you here. [00:26:04] Vince Menzione: I think we did such a good job. Oh, here we go. Here’s, here’s fun. A mic is coming your way. [00:26:20] Vince Menzione: Thank you. Here we go. Okay. [00:26:22] Guest: So we’ve been very keen on, um, skilling our people, and I still find it very hard to get all of the information out of Partner Center to get a complete global view. Are you and your team thinking about maybe having an MCP server access and having a real portal working with that data? [00:26:41] Alexandra Zagury: You just touched on one of our areas of improvement. Absolutely. In fact, um, thank you for, stay tuned for holding us accountable to that. That is definitely one of the things that we’re working on is how to integrate skilling hub into partner center. Right. As most of you will know, there are it Qs, and so that’s one of the things that we are definitely prioritizing, but thank you for holding me accountable to that one. [00:27:09] Vince Menzione: Awesome. [00:27:13] Vince Menzione: We have one more back here, David. I see. We wanna see how fast they can move that microphone across the room. Relay system here. The relay team. There we go. [00:27:25] Guest: That was excellent, Alexander. Thank you. And welcome. [00:27:28] Alexandra Zagury: Thank you. [00:27:29] Guest: Can you point to a specific example? ’cause I think it’s so critical what you highlighted just the skill piece and the customer outcomes piece. [00:27:35] Guest: Right. Can you point to a specific example of a story that you really love that highlights, uh, customers lighting it up with ROI. [00:27:44] Alexandra Zagury: Yeah, I think, you know, we’re, we’re, we’re a platform, so I just saw a win wire. Like at Microsoft, we get these win wires all the time about how an SSB actually won a, a deal against one of these big AI only companies. [00:28:00] Alexandra Zagury: And it was really about selling the full platform, right? Yeah. Because if, if you, if you put a full platform against an LLM proposition, I mean, the full platform really stacks up because it’s completely integrated. It’s not behemoth to one, you’re not making a bet on one company. And it really highlighted our mantra around trust and intelligence. [00:28:24] Alexandra Zagury: The customer was able to see, they, they were an M 365 customer, so all their iq, all their intelligence was already there. They knew that they, there were guardrails against it. They had a problem with shadow ai and by actually standardizing on copilot and going on that journey from copilot paid to agents, they sue the, they saw the full, uh, value proposition. [00:28:49] Alexandra Zagury: And so we won that deal and it was one of the. First E seven deals that we won, so it was great. [00:28:55] Vince Menzione: Fantastic. Great. Congratulations. [00:28:57] Alexandra Zagury: Thank you [00:28:58] Vince Menzione: Alex. I am so honored and thrilled that you got, you chose us to be your I I would say the first big Yeah, absolutely. Presentation in front of the partner community. [00:29:07] Vince Menzione: I’m so excited to have you. [00:29:08] Alexandra Zagury: Thank you [00:29:09] Vince Menzione: guys, and hopefully many more times ahead with us. [00:29:10] Alexandra Zagury: Absolutely. Invite me at anytime. [00:29:12] Vince Menzione: Okay. Well, thank you [00:29:13] Alexandra Zagury: so much. [00:29:14] Vince Menzione: Thank you. So great [00:29:15] Alexandra Zagury: to have you. Thank [00:29:16] Vince Menzione: you so much. Thanks for listening to The Ultimate Partner Podcast. If today’s conversation resonated, share it with a partner leader in your network. [00:29:26] Vince Menzione: Subscribe where you listen, and head over to the ultimate partner.com. For show notes related content and the resources for this episode. And if you haven’t already, now’s the time to register for the Ultimate Partner Live Event in Reston, Virginia, October 26th through October 28th. Until next time, keep showing up in the rooms that matter because being in the room changes everything.

We react and take calls following the Seattle Sounders' Leagues Cup 2026 Phase One finale vs. CD Guadalajara at Lumen Field. **Subscribe to the NEW Lobbing Scorchers Blog: www.lobbingscorchers.com** **Follow Lobbing Scorchers:** - YouTube - Instagram - Bluesky - TikTok - Facebook - Ari Liljenwall - Noah Riffe **SPONSORS** QED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code 'LS74' for 25% off across the site. Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase! Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you! Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media. Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more. **Contact:** lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com

Keely Dunning breaks down the Reign's 2-2 draw with Angel City FC at Lumen Field, where Sally Menti and Mia Fishel each turned in a goal-and-assist performance in a wild two-minute second-half burst. Fishel's finish — a curling strike into the top corner — was her third goal of the season and has her heating up at just the right time. Keely also digs into why the midfield has looked locked down the last few matches, and what the good vibes in the locker room mean as Seattle keeps its eyes on the playoff line. Tune in for the full recap and a look ahead to what's next for the Reign.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on Sounders Weekly, Jackson Felts chats with Taylor Twellman from Apple TV about the state of Seattle and the United States Men's National Team, then Ari Liljenwall talks about the Sounders and his independent media work for Lobbing Scorchers, then Michael McColl discusses the future of the Whitecaps in Vancouver ahead of Sunday's derby at Lumen Field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salk leads off the show comparing the end of Scott Servais’ tenure at Manager of the Mariners and Dan Wilson’s current situation, and tells you why the outcome might be different this time around. He talk about the Seahawks Roster, tonight’s upcoming Hard Knocks episode, and more in Need To Know. And The Hawkblogger, Brian Nemhauser joins the show to talk about the Seahawks practice at Lumen Field, the top performers through the first few weeks of camp, some roster gymnastics, and much more.

URSULA'S TOP STORIES: Mayor Wilson Asks City’s Inspector General to Review Public Information Response Following Bite of Seattle Shooting; Interim police chief to address Bite of Seattle shooting response at city council; A ride home could have been the difference between life and death in Rainier Beach shooting, documents reveal - JILLIAN RAFTERY-LIVE; Gov. Ferguson suspends some state laws to help people impacted by wildfires // WA childhood vaccine rules not changing, state health leaders say  // Seahawks buyer Vinod Khosla chimes in on discussion of grass at Lumen Field

Brock and Salk react to this past weekend’s Mariners 50 Seasons Celebration and discuss Alvin Davis’ speech about the make-up of the organization. They talk more about the Mariners lack of offense this past weekend, Seahawks practice in Lumen Field, and more in Need To Know. They try and figure out what the Mariners do moving forward and what could possibly spark this team into a winning streak. And Brock talks about the most dominant Seahawk in training camp so far, a tweak to the NFL calendar, and more in Blue-88.

Brock and Salk discuss the possibility of the Seahawks signing former Lions CB Terrion Arnold, who is battling some recent legal troubles. They talk about the M’s brutal offensive showing over the weekend against the Ray’s, the Mariners 50 Season Celebration, and more in Need To Know. And The Hawkblogger, Brian Nemhauser joins the show to talk about the Seahawks practice at Lumen Field, the top performers through the first few weeks of camp, some roster gymnastics, and much more.

Bump and Stacy are joined by Seahawks reporter John Boyle to get his thoughts on training camp and this year’s Lumen Field Scrimmage, they answer your questions about Terrion Arnold’s visit and the first Seahawks preseason game in Four Down Territory, they hear how Rick Rizzs reacted when he learned he would be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in The Timeline, and they discuss which parts of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning formula is most sustainable, and what’s most likely to regress in 2026. 

We react and take calls following the Seattle Sounders' Leagues Cup 2026 Phase One matchup vs. Querétaro FC at Lumen Field.Subscribe to the NEW Lobbing Scorchers Blog: www.lobbingscorchers.comFollow Lobbing Scorchers: YouTube Instagram Bluesky TikTok Facebook Ari Liljenwall Noah RiffeSPONSORSQED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74' for 25% off across the site.Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com#ST

Suarez Scores, Fishlock is Back & We're Ready for Lumen Field — Seattle Reign FC PreviewComing to you from both coasts! We recap Angel City's 1-1 draw in Kansas City — Taylor Suarez's first NWSL goal, Sveindís's scary injury, and a game that felt... well, fine. Then we break down Sunday's road trip to Lumen Field: why Mia Fishel and Jess Fishlock are must-watch threats, why Ary Borges is our midfield hero, and how we're managing a very thin roster. Let's get these three points.

As the final minutes ticked away in a disappointing 4-1 loss to Belgium on July 6 that knocked the U.S. men's national team out of the World Cup, Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong made a direct plea to his television audience of 30 million Americans. “If you've enjoyed what you're seeing, well, support your local team,” Strong said from Seattle's Lumen Field, packed with a sellout crowd of 66,925—more than double the average attendance of 31,000 across the Seattle Sounders' first six Major League Soccer games this season at the same stadium. “This doesn't have to be the last soccer you watch for the last four years. It's a beautiful sport.” Often an afterthought both among top-tier global soccer leagues and in the U.S. professional sports scene, MLS has long viewed this summer's World Cup on U.S. soil as an inflection point for a new phase of growth, with help from Lionel Messi, the biggest star in the league's history. On Sunday, the 39-year-old superstar will lead Argentina into the World Cup final against Spain while seeking to lock up the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. On Wednesday, Messi's Inter Miami will restart its season after MLS's seven-week World Cup break. By Hank Tucker, Forbes Staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the final minutes ticked away in a disappointing 4-1 loss to Belgium on July 6 that knocked the U.S. men's national team out of the World Cup, Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong made a direct plea to his television audience of 30 million Americans. “If you've enjoyed what you're seeing, well, support your local team,” Strong said from Seattle's Lumen Field, packed with a sellout crowd of 66,925—more than double the average attendance of 31,000 across the Seattle Sounders' first six Major League Soccer games this season at the same stadium. “This doesn't have to be the last soccer you watch for the last four years. It's a beautiful sport.” Often an afterthought both among top-tier global soccer leagues and in the U.S. professional sports scene, MLS has long viewed this summer's World Cup on U.S. soil as an inflection point for a new phase of growth, with help from Lionel Messi, the biggest star in the league's history. On Sunday, the 39-year-old superstar will lead Argentina into the World Cup final against Spain while seeking to lock up the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. On Wednesday, Messi's Inter Miami will restart its season after MLS's seven-week World Cup break. By Hank Tucker, Forbes Staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain chat with Mike Florio about the new Seahawks ownership family, the Devon Witherspoon contract situation, Kansas City getting a new stadium, and Aaron Donald, then they discuss grass at Lumen Field and the Mariners loss today to lose the Reds series before reacting to Fun with Audio clips.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A heat wave hit Seattle, Tukwila has made camping on city-owned property a misdemeanor, and new public restrooms installed next to Lumen Field ahead of the World Cup are being relocated. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaron joins Jeremiah to spend yet more time talking about the horrific loss to the Timbers, a 1-5 boat race around Lumen Field. The guys make a plea to the Sounders leadership that this defeat serves as a wakeup call to the organization as a whole or else there might be a genuine fan revolt.Sponsor

Aaron joins Jeremiah to spend yet more time talking about the horrific loss to the Timbers, a 1-5 boat race around Lumen Field. The guys make a plea to the Sounders leadership that this defeat serves as a wakeup call to the organization as a whole or else there might be a genuine fan revolt.Sponsor

The Know Your Rival series rolls on to the team most Seahawks fans admittedly care the least about beating - the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona finished 3-14 last year, lost 14 of their final 15 games, and ran a defense that gave up more than 6,000 yards. So what did the Bidwills actually do about it? They fired Jonathan Gannon (now coaching in Green Bay), handed the keys to first-time head coach Mike LaFleur, spent the #3 overall pick on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and for some unknown reason decided to reach on a third-round quarterback nobody wanted. It's hard not to view their offseason as anything but a disaster. They're carrying $73 million in dead money, low-balling Jacoby Brissett after he started 15 games for backup pay, and now their own director of college scouting is suspended for leaking insider information and betting on football games. Could all this disfunction ultimately lead the team to land Arch Manning with the first pick? We break down exactly how close to zero that chance really is. In the second half of the show, we've got some real Seahawks news. Our team has officially been sold, and we go through everything we know about the new ownership group. Plus we get into the backup quarterback battle that is "making news," Julian Love's push for real grass at Lumen Field and what it would take to get there. Finally, we close a Do Better call outs for the Cardinals Ring of Honor embarrassment and recognize Grey Zabel for two separate points in a recent interview this past week. Join our Sea Hawkers Podcast Pickem League - free prizes for weekly winners. Support the show Get in the Flock! Visit GetInTheFlock.com Or visit our website for other ways to support the show Subscribe via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | TuneIn | RSS Follow us on: Facebook | Twitter Listen on our free app for Android, iOS, Kindle or Windows Phone/PC Call or text: 253-235-9041 Find Sea Hawkers clubs around the world at SeaHawkers.org Music from the show by The 12 Train, download each track at ReverbNation

The Seattle Sounders are coming off arguably the worst performance in club history, and for an occasion this unprecedented, we're devoting the entire show to processing the fallout. After entering the World Cup break at 7-3-3, Seattle returned to a 5-1 annihilation by the Portland Timbers in front of more than 35,000 fans at Lumen Field. On this episode we'll break down every angle of the historic collapse. Was it an inexplicable outlier or an x-ray of deeper problems? How much responsibility belongs to Brian Schmetzer and Craig Waibel, and what does the result say about Seattle's roster construction, ownership spending and veteran leadership? We'll also examine Jordan Morris' complicated DP situation, the decision to send Snyder Brunell and Paul Rothrock to face the media, and where the Sounders go from here.Follow Lobbing Scorchers: YouTube Instagram Bluesky TikTok Facebook Ari Liljenwall Noah Riffe Niko MorenoSPONSORSQED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74' for 25% off across the site.Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!Full Pull Wines - Founded in 2009, they the best boutique wines of the world to members, with special focus on our home, the Pacific Northwest.MLS Store - New year, new gear! The 2026 MLS jerseys are here, and MLSStore is the ultimate destination for every fan. Every purchase helps support our show!Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com#KO

We react and take calls following Seattle's Cascadia derby against the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field as the Major League Soccer season resumes.Follow Lobbing Scorchers: YouTube Instagram Bluesky TikTok Facebook Ari Liljenwall Noah Riffe Niko MorenoSPONSORSQED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74' for 25% off across the site.Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!Full Pull Wines - Founded in 2009, they the best boutique wines of the world to members, with special focus on our home, the Pacific Northwest.MLS Store - New year, new gear! The 2026 MLS jerseys are here, and MLSStore is the ultimate destination for every fan. Every purchase helps support our show!Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com#ST

Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field, the Seattle Reign beat the Portland Thorns 2-0. On the KJR broadcast, Jackson Felts, Stephanie Verdoia, and Kwame Appiah called the victory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salk reads your late night Mariners texts after a brutal sweep from the Marlins. He goes into more detail on the Mariners loss, potential suitors for the Seahawks sale, and more in Need To Know. And Gee Scott joins the show for his weekly segment to talk about his upcoming trip for a family reunion, his experience MC’ing at Lumen Field for the World Cup, what Salk is like outside of the office, and much, much more.

BRAD EVANS (World Cup Broadcast) Brad spent Monday at Lumen Field cheering on team USA and he wants his money back. What happened to this team? Is Belgium just better? What does he think about Christian Pulisic and the way he played? What about the remaining teams? Who will win it all? :30- ABC's of the Mariners X is for Excuses- there are a lot of excuses being thrown around for why Dan Wilson struggles to manage this team. Y is for Yandi: Yandi Diaz is the blueprint of the Rays Z is for Zany: yeah, the AL looks zany, but it's not as bad as what you think. :45- Two names have emerged as the front-runners to own the Seahawks; what do we know about them?

BRAD EVANS (World Cup Broadcast) Brad spent Monday at Lumen Field cheering on team USA and he wants his money back. What happened to this team? Is Belgium just better? What does he think about Christian Pulisic and the way he played? What about the remaining teams? Who will win it all? :30- ABC's of the Mariners X is for Excuses- there are a lot of excuses being thrown around for why Dan Wilson struggles to manage this team. Y is for Yandi: Yandi Diaz is the blueprint of the Rays Z is for Zany: yeah, the AL looks zany, but it's not as bad as what you think. :45- Two names have emerged as the front-runners to own the Seahawks; what do we know about them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brock and Salk answer listener questions in Here’s The Thing. They talk about last night’s brutal loss for the Mariners, Big Cat getting finally getting national recognition, and more in Need To Know. And Gee Scott joins the show for his weekly segment to talk about his upcoming trip for a family reunion, his experience MC’ing at Lumen Field for the World Cup, what Salk is like outside of the office, and much, much more.

Bill White, the United States Ambassador to Belgium, joins Sid to discuss Belgium's national team beating Team USA in last night's 2026 World Cup knockout round of 16 match, marking a meek ending to a monthlong surge for the U.S., as Belgium dominated the Americans -- and silenced a once-raucous crowd at Lumen Field -- in last night's 4-1 defeat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday edition of Sid & Friends in the Morning, Sid recaps Belgium's national team beating Team USA in last night's 2026 World Cup knockout round of 16 match, marking a meek ending to a monthlong surge for the U.S., as Belgium dominated the Americans -- and silenced a once-raucous crowd at Lumen Field -- in last night's 4-1 defeat. In other news of the day, the family of Charlie Kirk and his widow Erika came face-to-face in court for the first time with the US conservative activist's alleged killer - Tyler Robinson - as prosecutors in Utah laid out their evidence for the murder case against Robinson yesterday, a recent poll shows Bruce Blakeman - the Nassau County executive - trailing incumbent Kathy Hochul by just 6 points in the governor's race, President Trump arrived at the Turkey-held NATO summit with fresh frustration toward several European allies over their responses to the U.S.-led operations against Iran, and The View co-host Sunny Hostin repeated her assertion from 2021 that she feels uncomfortable or unsafe while visiting neighborhoods where homes are flying the American flag. Bill White, Bo Dietl, Bruce Blakeman, Donna Rotunno & Keith Sonderling join Sid on this Tuesday installment of Sid & Friends in the Morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Messi Effect | BONUS | Tuesday, July 7, 2026USA falls 4-1 to Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle — the worst performance of the USMNT's tournament. Full game story: De Ketelaere's early opener, Tillman's brief equalizer on a free kick, Belgium's instant 2-1 answer two minutes later that broke momentum, Vanaken's 57th-minute dagger, Lukaku's stoppage-time fourth. Jamie Rudd's frustrated reaction, Zlatan's reality check quote, and what this means for American soccer's future.Subscribe and follow The Messi Effect for daily 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage.AI was used for news gathering and production assistance.#WorldCup2026 #FIFAWorldCup #MessiEffect #USMNT #USAvsBelgium #Balogun #RoundOf16 #AmericasWorldCup #WorldCupPodcast #Soccer #Football #CalorogaSharkMedia

The US performance in last night's game was straight up disappointing. Was the moment too big? Is Belgium just better? Are we actually closing that soccer gap? We get input from the listeners on last night's round of 16 loss and more. :30- It's trade season! Will there even be someone available at the deadline who would fit with this team and where would you put them? Chuck has a trade idea that might actually make sense. Would Spencer Steer be just what this team needs? :45- Taylor and Travis' guest list was extensive, so why didn't we get an invite? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BRAD EVANS (World Cup broadcast) There were some very impressive games this weekend- was the England-Mexico match one of the bets ever? Is Jude Bellingham the best player in this tournament? Spain and Portugal play each other today; what's this rivalry like and how do these teams matchup? What does Brad thing of the Flo Balogun red card drama? Should he have been given the card? Should he play? What are the keys to the US getting the round of 16 win tonight? :30- ABC's of the Mariners - L is for Laz's: Laz Montes has been called up to Tacoma & Laz Diaz is retiring along with 6 other terrible umpires… - M is for Minimum: we have a 1st place team and got the minimum number of all-star players. - N is for Next: what is next for this organization? :45- we close up this Monday show with one last thing! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had hoped we would be celebrating... it's the best moments of the Tuesday show!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RYON HEALY (Mariners TV) What stands out most to Ryon about the Mariners most recent success? What's going on with all of the pitching changes and indecisions? What does Woo struggle so much on the road and dominate at home? Can he fix it? The Mariners have one all-star, could they still get one more and if so, who? How does a clubhouse deal with someone like Randy? Does the team have all the components it needs? Did Chuck just blow Ryon's mind? :30- JACKSON FELTS (World Cup Broadcast crew) What went wrong with Team USA last night? Who is to blame? Is Christian Pulisic the star we thought he was? With all of the success of the World Cup here in North America- what kind of a grade does US soccer get after this? :45- We close out the show with one last thing! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DANNY JACKSON (World Cup Broadcast crew) What stands out most about that 4-1 US loss last night? How much of the blame should lay on Pochettino? Should Balogun have been used differently? What happened to Christian Pulisic? He was a non-factor in the game, does the US need an actual superstar? Does this undo all of the progress that US soccer has made? With the Balogun situation, should something have been done differently? Was the ball dropped somewhere? All three host countries are out of the tournament, but what a showing! :30- ABC's of the Mariners - O is for Overthinking - P is for Playoffs- let's just daydream a bit… - Q is for Quote Me- if that's our playoff roster, then look out! :45- Shane Wright is still on the Kraken roster, but for how much longer and what can the Kraken actually get for him? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US got dominated by Belgium. No, it didn't come down to one kick or one bounce, it came down to the fact that the US was simply not good enough. We know we aren't the soccer people- but Christian Pulisic was supposed to at least be good, right? :30- We're down with O.P.Q. - Did Aaron Rodgers take a shot at Mike McCarthy? - Oh Jayden… you had to know this was coming. - Caleb Williams will be on the cover of Madden- do we wish the curse upon him? :45- The Mariners are in Florida for the last 6 games before the all-star game, so we start with a preview of the Marlins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Messi Effect | Episode 33 | Monday, July 6, 2026USA vs Belgium Round of 16 preview from Lumen Field in Seattle. The full Balogun red card story: his 64th-minute dismissal vs Bosnia, FIFA's stunning reversal of the suspension after political pressure, Belgium's furious reaction accusing FIFA of caving. Plus: Norway stuns Brazil 2-1 (Haaland 90'), England edges Mexico 3-2 (Bellingham scores), and what the USMNT needs to do to advance past Belgium and make history on home soil.Subscribe and follow The Messi Effect for daily 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage.AI was used for news gathering and production assistance.#WorldCup2026 #FIFAWorldCup #MessiEffect #USMNT #USAvsBelgium #Balogun #TrumpFIFA #RoundOf16 #AmericasWorldCup #WorldCupPodcast #Soccer #Football #CalorogaSharkMedia

Chuck is a lot like FIFA, that's what we always say… The Balogun red card/rescission/appeal is sure getting messy. :30- It's time for the Baseball Brunch starring Mitch Garver and Emerson Hancock, well the entire pitching staff really. :45- Chuck's astute soccer observation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines and MATT (STRETCH) JOHNSON joins the show. What does Stretch think of the World Cup games so far? This Balogun red card situation got more screwy over the weekend, what happened? Should he play? Should we feel bad? :30- Yes, the Mariners are playing better, but there are still some things that are really annoying Chuck! From the All-star voting process to the piggyback and forth, he's gotta get this stuff off his chest! :45- Can Shane Wright ever going to play for the Kraken again? The word is out that Wright wants out, can the Kraken get anything for the young player now? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lobbing Scorchers, Ari Liljenwall and Noah Riffe get ready for the biggest match Seattle has hosted at this World Cup so far: the USMNT returning to Lumen Field for a Round of 16 rematch with Belgium and a place in the quarterfinals on the line. But how much does losing Folarin Balogun to a non-appealable red card suspension actually hurt the American attack? And is Belgium the beatable opponent everyone is making them out to be after nearly dropping their group stage match to Senegal? Lobbing Scorchers digs into the state of the USMNT attack heading into Belgium. Can Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic and company carry the load without Balogun leading the line? Should the US roll with Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright as the replacement striker? And are fans and pundits fairly reassessing Belgium, or are we overcorrecting because the USMNT finally showed it could handle some adversity against Bosnia? Ari and Noah round out the show with a Yellow Card or Red Card game reviewing the tournament's most questionable moments so far, including Iran's ongoing World Cup issues, cooling breaks, New York hosting the final, the USA Country Roads goal celebration, pitch invaders holding crypto gambling ads, and the new automated offsides system. Plus Canada grinding out a late winner over South Africa, Messi chasing records that could make this the greatest individual World Cup run ever, Paraguay stunning Germany on penalties in maybe the funniest result of the tournament, and predictions on the favorites and dark horses left in the field.Follow Lobbing Scorchers: YouTube Instagram Bluesky TikTok Facebook Ari Liljenwall Noah Riffe Niko MorenoSPONSORSQED Coffee - a Seattle based roaster, coffee shop and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74' for 25% off across the site.Haxan Ferments - Specializing in unique, small-batch fermented hot sauces and vinegars, Haxan Ferments is handcrafted in Georgetown and made with the best local ingredients from across the Pacific Northwest. Use Code LS for a FREE Hot Sauce w/ purchase!Podium Edmonds - Located at 114 4th Ave N, just off Main Street in the heart of Downtown Edmonds, come shop and explore the best menswear in the Pacific Northwest. Tell them Lobbing Scorchers sent you!Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.Contact: lobbingscorchers@justoncemedia.com

Mariners writer Luke Arkins joins the show to talk about everything that the Mariners have been doing well recently, what he’s seeing from Cal Raleigh this season, and much more. Bump talks about the reputation of Lumen Field, One Man’s Trash Being another’s Treasure, and more in Four Down Territory. They give some perspective on the rest of the American League and talk about why the Mariners still have a chance to go far in the playoffs. And they round out the show by telling you What you Need to Know.

Yahoo Sport’s Jordan Shusterman joins the show to talk about the good things the Mariners have been doing recently, their obvious trade deadline needs, and much more. Bump talks about Lumen Field’s return to glory, a potential breakout player for the Hawks this season, and much more in Four Down Territory. They talk about NBA team psychologists, Bobby Bonilla Day, and more in The Timeline. And they discuss what the Mariners need to do to start slugging better if Cal Raleigh isn’t hitting well.

RUNDOWN Mitch and Scott catch up after Scott's softball tournament weekend, debate whether a hole-in-one on an executive course should really count, and work through another round of birthday trivia featuring Pistol Pete Maravich, Clyde Drexler, Kurt Warner, Meryl Streep, Kris Kristofferson, Cyndi Lauper, and Barenaked Ladies founder Steven Page. The Mariners limp toward the halfway point battling injuries, an offense that continues to struggle against left-handed pitching, and lingering questions about the piggyback pitching experiment. Mitch, Joe, and Brady discuss Dom Canzone's emergence as an everyday player, Logan Gilbert's recent dominance, the club's ability to stay afloat despite mounting absences, and what lies ahead against Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Stretch joins Mitch to explain why this year's World Cup feels different despite being hosted in the United States, recounting three decades of World Cup adventures with his brother while breaking down Team USA's unexpected success. The conversation covers Seattle's electric atmosphere, the Americans' path through the knockout rounds, and why a potential Round of 16 match at Lumen Field could become one of the biggest sporting events in Seattle history. Bob Harig joins Mitch from Shinnecock Hills to break down Wyndham Clark's controversial victory, why golf fans have been slow to embrace him, and Scottie Scheffler's frustrating near-miss at the career Grand Slam. They also discuss Joaquin Niemann's costly penalty, Tiger Woods' uncertain future, Phil Mickelson's complicated legacy, and why Shinnecock remains one of the most polarizing U.S. Open venues in golf.   GUESTS   Brady Farkas | Host, Refuse to Lose podcast Joe Doyle | MLB analyst, Over-Slot Matt Stretch Johnson | Former Sounders broadcaster and longtime World Cup traveler Bob Harig | Golf writer and author of "Tiger vs. Jack: Golf's Greatest Debate"   TABLE OF CONTENTS   0:00 | Hole-in-one controversies, Birthday Trivia, and a Mariners Injury Crisis. 18:52 | Mariners No-Table: Injuries Mount as the Mariners Search for Answers. 34:39 | Matt Stretch Johnson: World Cup Fever hits Seattle as Team USA Makes a Surprising Run. 1:00:02 | Bob Harig: Wyndham Clark Silences the Haters with a Second U.S. Open Title. 1:18:46 | Other Stuff: Cade Horton dominance in Double-A, Jazz Chisholm Jr. foul ball injury, Knicks players reportedly abstaining from sex during championship run, Argentina-Algeria fan brawl in Times Square, Jacob Misiorowski's "rough" outing, Floyd Mayweather lawsuits and bad-check allegations, Shohei Ohtani welcomes second child, Arizona woman arrested after speeding to get home for Love Island. HEADLINES: Drag queen Patty Gonia sued by Patagonia over trademark infringement, McDonald's manager serves allegedly licked fries to ex-girlfriend, British couple investigated for having sex on a Ferris wheel, Robert Fripp surprised hospital shaved his scrotum during heart attack treatment RIPs: Aldon Smith, Lance Rentzel, Gene Shalit, Tom Dreesen, Gene Bess, James Burrows, Walter Parazaider

NBA Draft: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer walk into the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23 in Brooklyn, and Big Ben and K Winn have bold takes.  We break down the #1 pick debate between Dybantsa and Peterson, K Winn drops his Jazz hot take on Cameron Boozer at #2 while Big Ben says Utah will trade up to draft AJ Dybantsa at #1. Team USA beat Australia 2-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle to punch their ticket to the knockout stage without Christian Pulisic, and the debates are wide open: can USA win the World Cup? Do you ride chalk with Argentina, France, and Spain, or does the new format make this World Cup genuinely anyone's tournament? Get caught up and fired up in exactly half an hour. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow at bigbenkwinn_ on all platforms.   CHAPTERS: 0:00 Team USA Beats Australia Without Pulisic 8:25 World Cup Debate: Chalk (Argentina France Spain) vs the Field 14:48 2026 NBA Draft Preview: AJ Dybantsa at #1 19:10 Jazz Take Cameron Boozer at #2 21:37 Unfied Theory of Cares 30:25 Movie Theater Popcorn  

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team will face off against Australia in Seattle tomorrow for its second match of the World Cup. Excitement and expectations abound for Team USA after its thrilling 4-1 victory over Paraguay in its opener last Friday.    While this isn’t the first time the U.S. has hosted the World Cup, it’s the first time our nation is co-hosting it with venues in the Pacific Northwest. Portland-based sports writer Tyson Alger is covering three of those games in our region, including Friday’s match at Lumen Field.   It’s the first time that Alger is covering the World Cup after more than a decade’s experience of writing about college football. Alger writes about the Portland Timbers in his Substack publication, “The I-5 Corridor,” while also reporting on University of Oregon athletics for Lookout Eugene-Springfield. He joins us to talk about making the leap from covering college football to World Cup soccer, and the storylines he’s pursuing on the sport’s biggest stage.  

MLB Networks Jon Morosi joins the show to talk about the Mariners position depth being tested, potential trade deadline pieces, why we are seeing more oblique injuries in the MLB, and his excitement for the upcoming World Cup. // Take Two: Colt Emerson out of the lineup again due to back spasms, Cole Young leads off and is playing short. Miles Mastrobuoni is at 2nd and batting 8th. Seahawks announced their training camp schedule today…it begins on July 25th and runs through August 13th and the Seahawks will have their Football Fest at Lumen Field on Saturday, August 8th. 

Hotel workers near Lumen Field could go on strike, Mayor Wilson is no longer boycotting Starbucks, and Seattle delays its plan to reduce pickleball courts. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. And make sure to join us this Saturday for a live taping of Seattle Now where Patricia Murphy will interview King County Executive Girmay Zahilay at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival. Get tickets here. Use promo code SEATTLENOW to access a 20% discount. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week… Thousands of Seattle residents are lining up to volunteer during the World Cup. An iconic local karaoke spot is re-opening its doors. And why does Lumen Field just say "Field" right now? Simply Seattle’s Danny Ball and Asian Verified founder Michael Wong are here to break down the week. And make sure to join us this Saturday for a live taping of Seattle Now where Patricia Murphy will interview King County Executive Girmay Zahilay at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival. Get tickets here. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.