SoccerWise - NWSL Final Game, Playoff Race, Season Awards + USWNT Recap

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

It all comes down to this is it the final countdown or the  day of consequence, or decision day in NWSL… Jordan & David debate what this final day should be called. Then they dig into everything left or play for from the final playoff spot to the huge standing swings that are possible. After that they go through the post season awards to set the stage of what the finalist pools could look like. And of course they talk USWNT & Brazil’s big win in England.7:45 Recap Of International Week From WAFCON Qualifying To Brazil’s Big Win14:20 USWNT Playing At CPKC Stadium And Future Midfield24:25 Renaming NWSL’s Final Game Day27:10 What To Play For On Sunday30:00 KC-SD Preview35:10 Preview Of Louisville & Courage’s Final Game And Playoff Hopes47:00 Orlando vs Seattle For Home Field Playoff Game52:10 Portland Vs Houston Preview58:30 NWSL Postseason Awards Finalists

Hey, everybody, welcome back to soccer-wise. I got the pump-up song in my ears. The theme song is ready and rocking. David Goss and Jordan, Angeli, back in the flesh. Although, Jordan, I realized we pre-recorded the interview with Kristen Hamill, So last show, you were on. I was. You were not away for anyone else.

You're just away for me. Yeah, I think you told the world the secret behind soccer wise. Sometimes it's pre-recorded. I know. I really ruined that one for everyone involved. I'm sorry, it's like a classic. You're not supposed to tell the kids all the secrets that exist. Right.

I ruined it for everyone, and I'm sorry. But it was a great interview. So if you haven't listened yet, you can go back to last show. Kristen Hamilton on the verge of retirement finishing a long and illustrious career in which she has won four NWSL Shields which is tied for most and she did it

with three different clubs and could be on the verge of winning her third NWSL championship with Casey Currant sat down with us so you can go listen to that one and then Megan Klingenberg as well we chatted with big picture this would be her fourth cup yeah I think it would be four and four

she has four shield she won with Western New York she went twice with North Carolina and if they win it, it'll be four. Now you're making me nervous. I know. Now I'm making myself nervous. The scary part was I said it all in the show. I wrote it all down, everything.

Oh. So, yeah. Right. Flash two in North Carolina and then this would be four. Yes. She only has three shields. Yeah, but she just won another one. She has four shields.

Yeah. She won three at North Carolina, but only two championships at North Carolina. There you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. One championship in Western New York. By the way, I brought up Western New York in an interview that I was doing because one of Kristen's answers in the story that you're told, triggered something, an interview that someone was interviewing me, and someone on the call was a Buffalo base Western New York fan as a child, and she said she would drive to Rochester at be at Salon Stadium. Wow.

Yeah. Dedicated. I like those kind of fans. Also, sidebar, we haven't discussed this yet. What's going on in Sweden with a Boston Breakers bar? I don't know. You know what's so funny. So Haley Carter, the GM of Orlando, just tagged me in a post on Instagram. And it's this bar in Sweden.

Actually, she told me the name. So I should shout out this bar. And weirdly enough, I don't remember where I've seen this before. I feel like another friend of mine sent this to me. Or they were at this bar and I was like, wait, that's me. on the wall. Like, they didn't know it was me. And I said, why am I on the wall in this weird bar?

Okay, the bar is called O'Leary's in Stockholm next to the three arena. I don't even know what that means. I've never been to Stockholm. So I'm not sure. I've also never been. Yeah, but I, there's not just one. There's like multiple. So this is me up here in that weird picture.

Oh, and you're down on the bottom. And I'm down here at the bottom. baby Jordan. Yeah. I'm like, why am I? And I'm in this starting 11 photo, but you can't really see it. I mean, clearly someone who is associated to this bar was a season ticket holder, because there's a sign in there that says non-breaker season ticket holders are

reserved parking for breakers fans. There's a lot of Boston Bruin stuff. I'm looking at photos now of their, like, so maybe it's a Boston bar. Yeah, I don't know, but we need more information. and also do I get royalties or something? Like, do I, do I get? Maybe you get a free drink if you end up in Stockholm, which doesn't sound like a bad place to be.

No, it doesn't. It doesn't. You also came up on Megan Klingerberg, who I just mentioned, who I co-host the U.S. soccer podcast with, did a sit-down interview with a listener, and she brought up the Boston Breakers as well, and you got name dropped in that interview. I did.

Yeah. So you've been, she told some story of Tony DeCicchio, putting the cone in the wrong place for 180s to, what's the sprint thing that you're going to do? Oh, 120s? Yeah, and no one could make it because he had left it too far past midfield. Oh my gosh, I forgot about that. We were like, are we, is there something wrong with us? Yeah, and she said when Christine Lilly yelled at him, she realized like this is how

this is how dynamics could be. Yeah, oh my gosh, that makes me teary-eyed. Tony was the best. R-I-P. I know. Yeah. Yeah, what a great story to tell. And I'm glad she said that because I need to listen to that. Because I totally forgot about that. And I was like, I know I'm not the fittest of these people, nor the fastest. Like, Christine Lilly could whoop us all. And if she's not making it, then something's wrong. So you've been in my life this whole two weeks without you actually being here.

And I was in your favorite place in the world. And you were in my favorite place in the world. You were in Lisbon, Porte, What did you think? Loved it. Yeah. Loved it. What a cool city. A lot of hills. I am very thankful that I can walk a long ways and have some mobility in my body because I can't imagine if you don't have that going to that city.

It'd be so difficult. But also, when it rains there, it's slippery. Oh, my gosh. I saw this poor old lady fall. And I thought I was going to cry in the middle of this. street because it's like all would you call it cobblestone i don't know what the stone is yeah it is the most slippery thing on the oh my gosh a little bit of rain and you're like i'm gone so but i loved it was great food the people were so nice and everybody speaks english and it's just like a wandering

town you just like go wander does it make you question philippa pital of like why would you leave this to go coach a team at Jolette Stadium and Boston, Massachusetts. We should interview her and ask her. And be like, what are you? Because if she has any friends at Benfica who are looking to hire someone in my case that has no discernible skills and in your case has discernible skills, we could go and be a part of it. And my dream now is to help run a team in Portugal.

Yeah. I will say my one regret is I'm just not a good planner. and I should have stayed one extra day to actually go to a Benfica game. Like, who am I? I just was like, oh, just give me two days, not even thinking what days of the week it was. And I left Saturday morning, and there was a home game for Benfica Saturday night. So failure on my part, but it was a great trip. Great trip.

But if you're not a planner, sometimes things work out because the first time I went to Portugal, I went for a friend's bachelor party on the way to the World Cup in 2018. Wow. And we didn't know that Portugal was hosting a. friendly against like I think Algeria. Whoa. The day we landed and we went to the ticket window and they're like we only have like most expensive tickets and I was like okay well we're only here once and they were like

$40 because it's like they do like spending protections and we sat behind the bench for the Portuguese men's national team. So sometimes not planning works out well for you because the surprises of life can be really really fruitful. Oh, my gosh. So I like to think, you know, there's the positive and negative. Yeah, true. Of all of that.

We are coming out of an international break. So there is a lot of international news going on around the world. We had women's AFCON final qualifying. Malawi has qualified. So we will see Temwa Shawinga in Morocco, who

I found out, because I did a video last week, that Morocco is hosting three straight women's Afcon finals, five straight women's U-17 World Cup finals over the next five years, which is... That's weird. It is weird. And wild, but Morocco seems to be the place to be. Yeah. So...

I mean, not weird that it's Morocco, just weird that they did it in the same place all those years. I think this is the new initiative because I think the men's are all... It's five straight in Qatar because it's, I don't know, this is how FIFA likes to distribute resources and whatever. I think the theory is that then no one will miss age

gaps, because it used to be every years. And if you were born in the middle, you weren't one of them. And I think FIFA has decided, like, this is a way for them to help federations get more players seen and force federations to be more active. And maybe if it's in one spot, they can, like, commit to the infrastructure. And then, okay. Yeah. So that's the theory around it. I don't know if it works. I don't know if it's true. Are they doing any math on this? My guess would be no. But this is all speculation from the outside. And then we had Nations League in Europe, so we now know that Spain will be playing against Germany in the Nations League final. Those will be in the next two upcoming windows,

a nice little matchup for two teams that have been in some big time games. But for Berger and some of these German players, they have not gotten a big win in a final in a very long time for a federation that has big expectations. And obviously Spain have been there a lot and have some great history and a World Cup win. So that is going to be a really, really fun match. up to watch. South American World Cup qualifying is in full swing. I believe Columbia sits atop the standings right now, and the U.S. Women's National team has played two of the three friendlies of the window so far. But before we get there, Brazil, as Copa America Feminol winners, went to England, who were the Euro winners, and played in a friendly, and Brazil got the

two one win, and it was two NWSL players, Bia and Doudinia, who got the goals in the two one win. Jordan, I think this is one of those moments where we all watch Copa America Feminol this summer. And some of the games, the level was super high. Some of the games, it felt like the gap is still really big across South America. But then it's hard to, like, put that all into context of the wider global game of like, where do these teams sit? And for Brazil, who will be hosting the 2027 Women's World Cup, this feels like as big a moment as you could possibly get. And I think we have to give credit to Arthur Elias and what he's been able to do with this Brazilian team. I think since he's started with them, they are on this upward trajectory of being solid defensively, which we haven't, it's always been like one thing or the other for Brazil, right?

Usually it's like really good attacking style football, but they lack that defensively. And then Pia Sunhajua is there, and it was like a little bit more defensive and they didn't have the flare going forward. And I do think now Arthur Elias has been able to combine the two and really get the most out of this group, which is. important. And I loved seeing Bia and Doudinia. Dogenia, there we go. You tried it. I didn't know that. Yeah, well, you know, it's hard when you're calling her goals in NWSL. You want to say her name, right? So Degina score. And it also gives you, did you catch her goal? Like, she is so right footed. Yeah. She's like, all right. She's been playing on the left. I'm over here. I'm over here on the left, but I'm going to still topo get here with my right foot. I mean, she has scored, I think, in three straight games in NWSL. So she's still dangerous.

from that side. Totally. But yeah, I think not only was that huge for Brazil, but also I think to showcase the talent in NWSL on that international stage against a team like England, I was, I don't know, it made me really happy that those were the players that were the successful ones or found the back of the net and got on the score sheet.

Angelina, start in center mid and Ludmila also in that starting lineup. and Tarcyon as well, and it's one of those where I think, you know, this is one of those areas that NWSL can be a leader in, like be the bridge between South America and Europe. I think there's already been these huge steps over the last three years for the best players coming out of Africa to make a difference in NWSL, and Schoinga and Banda are the leaders of that. And of course, there's a long history with Marta playing in NWSL, but I think you're seeing like a lot of the players from Columbia now coming, and I would expect to continue to to see that as the programs are built up in Argentina and Ecuador to be even stronger,

but Brazil's going to be at the forefront of that. And I think you also see, like, how quickly players can adapt. Duginia, like, hadn't left Brazil before and now comes, and it's already a difference maker in NWSL. And, of course, Boston Legacy have gone in that direction with their first big international signing, and it makes a lot of sense. So I think a lot of excitement for everyone around this game, except for England fans, who they can do their own thing and figure it out.

We have NWSL Decision Day, of course, around the corner coming up this weekend. So we'll dig into that in just a moment. But first, the U.S. women's national team is playing tonight, kind of like around when this episode will come out. So we're not going to talk about that. And we're not going to talk too much about the two games against Portugal. I guess Portuguese Federation said, we'll play you, but Jordan has to come in the other direction

as like a time share loan situation. So Jordan went that way. Portugal came this way. It was a 2-1 win for Portugal at Subaru Park in Philadelphia in the first game come from behind for the Portuguese and then a 3-1 win for the U.S. in Connecticut. Alex Morgan, her legacy game and testimonial and all of that in the first game. And then a listener back in her home state of Connecticut, which is really, really cool, hence the interview with Megan Kleinerberg in that second game.

And now there's third game coming up first. not game-specific, but this next game is going to be at CPKC Stadium. It's the first ever women's soccer-specific stadium in the world. Jordan, I think it's pretty cool that the U.S. has gone out and made sure that they play a game here and sort of bring the show to town. I'm excited to see this because CPKC Stadium has set a new standard of what it's like to be a fan base in NWSL. And, you know, for a long time, and I'm not discrediting Portland because I think you guys have continue to level, like, be the standard.

But because it's so intimate there at CPKC, it is just ruckus and loud and intimidating. And I love that. And I am excited that the U.S. Women's National team get to experience that because I can only imagine those fans supporting their country and what that's going to be like. It'll be a different game.

You know, I think maybe not as challenging as the games against Portugal. but it's going to be loud and going to be such a fun stadium to be able to see our national team play in. So I'm looking forward to this. And it feels a little bit, Goss, like the start of what's next because now teams are starting to build their own stadiums, right? And this is what we want to see is the U.S. women playing in these types of venues that are meant for them. And they play in on a regular basis and now they get to play for their national team there. Yeah, it's obviously an advantage for the players who play in NWSL to, you know, you know the facility, you know the setup. It's obviously an advantage because of the way this crowd interacts with teams and pushes you on.

But I also think there's a place or role for this U.S. Women's Nationals. I mean, Emma Hayes has talked about this time and again of like bigger than just playing on the field. And I think I don't want to use the term rewarding because I don't know that that's the right phrase. but, like, if you build it, they will come type thing of, like, you know, Casey Curran put their money where their mouth was. They built this building. The fans have shown up. The team has been in Bolden. And there's no bigger sports team than the U.S. women's national team.

And sort of, like, bring that there and sort of anoint it as, like, this is a world-class facility that can host the highest level of games. And it's a reward for the market. Like, it's a reward to fans being a soccer community. I did an interview with a local news station. about this game, and they asked me, like, Casey's going to host 2026 as a World Cup host. Do you think they'll be in line for 2031? It's like 100%, but they should be in line for knockout games. They should be in line for a semifinal because they are a soccer market.

They are a women's soccer market. But you have to reward that, I think, as it goes along, to keep that energy going. And, like, last year they host the NWSL championship in their first year. This year they win a trophy, but also, like, the U.S. comes. maybe they host some she believes cup or something like that going forward just to continue to make sure that is, you know, a factor and really, really special that they built the building. So that's going to be really, really cool. Obviously, we don't know everything about this camp because we don't know the game. The loss in the first game, a little bit of stress for people.

The two set piece goals, just exactly how it would happen that they would lose a game. They're leading one zero on Alex Morgan's tribute game and all of that stuff. I think they lost every single game that Alex Morgan was, like, in San Diego, I think they lost. San Diego lost as well. Both of her games, her retirement game and her ceremony game. I think they lost that one this year. There was a funny video. Poor girl.

I was out somewhere when Kelly O'Hara retired. And like Alex Morgan and a few other former players were with Kelly in the box watching the game. And Kelly's like, they might actually win. And they were all like, no, you never win your tribute game. Like they all were talking about it. You're like, wow, these are a lot of people. Maybe Ali Krieger was there where you're like, these are a lot of people who have been honored at a lot of things.

But also, that's the experience they've had. And yes, Alex Morgan maybe is cursed a little bit and hopefully. She only wins on the field. She only wins on the field and has won a lot of things on the field. And maybe it's a little bit less lucky watching from the side. And then the 3-1 come from behind victory or sorry, 3-1 victory in the second game. Both games are goal in the opening minute, Rose Lavelle and Olivia Moultrie, Moultrie with two goals, Sam Coffey with the third in the 3-1 win in Connecticut.

I guess the one big question I have coming out of this, and I think, you know, Emma Hayes has talked about the stages they're in, and now they're entering the, like, we are not finding everything out. We're starting to solidify with about 18 to 20 months to go till the World Cup. In the first game, we saw Lindsay Heaps, Sam Coffey, Rose LaVelle, in a central midfield. The second game was more of a 4-4-2. We had Lily Johannes in midfield alongside Claire Hutton. We had Moultrie sort of coming off the wing, but is a central midfielder by trade a lot of times with Portland, and both performed at a high level.

Both sets, and you get the win in the second game. I don't think you can be fully result dependent in all of this. And I guess I'm wondering, with where it stands right now, you probably have enough time to make a decision and flip everything and say, like, okay, we're going to lean into these young players. this is the midfield, and they're getting the bulk of the minutes going forward. They're getting the opportunity. You don't have to.

But, like, you have enough time to do it. And I guess the question is, like, what are the parts of this team that Emma Hayes is sitting around looking at and saying, like, if I want to make this change, I should make it now? So I have enough lead time. And is it worth making any big changes like that going forward? What do you think? Like, do you think that that would be the right move to do? I'm torn Because I think

No I guess the big answer would be no I guess I'm a human being who always falls on balance So I would say Yes I think Lily Johannes is good enough and can be in there I think Claire Hutton is good enough can be in there So is Sam Coffey, so is Lindsay Heaps So is Rose Lovell when healthy And I don't know that you have to do a drastic move

I guess you're looking at things right now She has to figure out goalkeeper she has to figure out centerback and the front three has options but if triple espresso is not going to be fully available for the World Cup there's questions there and I don't know that you need to flip the midfield unnecessarily but there is a chance that the three or four players we are naming are the three or four best center mids on the planet over the next 12 years right and at some point they have to be given the keys to the car and it has to be built around them one of the things I like the most about the U.S. women's national team over the years is it really has seemed like there is these two, you know, almost like two quality. The starting 11 and the second 11 could be two of the best teams in the world. And I think with what you're saying is a little bit of that, how lucky are we that we have depth in that position that this, what is deemed the second 11 or the second starting group in the midfield with Hutton, Johannes, and Moltery right now

could very well be the starters in two years. But if they are not starting, you would want those other three in there. And so I feel like you don't have to flip it. You just let it naturally find its way, knowing that you have the depth of six quality midfielders. And six midfielders, I would say for a majority of them, they can play multiple spots in the midfield, right? So you're not, you're not pigeon, Rose, you're a little bit pigeonholed. Claire Hutton would be the other one maybe. And you're a pigeonholed, more of a defensive player. But I can play with anyone.

Yeah, I just think that there's real benefits to that, to what we just saw, is to say, all right, well, this midfield, because you can't, you can't maybe blame the midfielers were given up to to set piece goals, right? It is more of like, okay, what are we creating? And you know that midfield can create. So I think, if anything, I don't think, all right, let's flip the whole thing and go with these young people.

I think, wow, what a benefit that for 18 months, you get these six who really can work off of each other, find multiple partnerships that work within that group, and know that you have debt. depth, know that you have experience, and know that you have youth and you have legs. Yeah. And it will be fascinating to watch if Lily Johannes becomes a starter at Leone alongside heaps.

Yeah. Which I don't think it's going to take long. I think she will. Right. And if it's effective, then that probably is your plug and play going forward for the national team. Still a ton to be excited about. Even coming out of the loss, I felt like they created chances.

They were dangerous. They were open. It's not going to fall every single time. and this is a team, I think, showed that they're capable, though, of dealing with it. They conceded, you know, right after scoring against Portugal in the second game. They come back, they get the third, they get the second goal. Moultry puts them in the lead going to halftime, like all that stuff. So I think a lot of positives.

But let's get into the big story for us, which is NWSL decision day coming up. The final countdown. We have the final game of the regular season coming up on Sunday in NWSL, two different time windows, mainly one time window and everything to play for from the last playoff spot to every single standing spot between three and basically nine in between but first i have a little bit of an issue which is i think decision day is a bad name major league soccer has used it as well i don't think it's a good name there either i don't like the idea of both leagues having the same name i know me neither i like the concept of the idea of everyone playing at the same time on the final weekend and they're

being like this big one window and I like a wraparound show popping you in between and I love those moments where it's like wait what if one more goal is scored at bay now all of a sudden this team that was eliminated last week is actually in first place and like all the craziness that can happen so I put out an appeal on blue sky via Morgan our incredible social media admin who put out and said besides decision day what would be good names for this day so we got a couple answers. Mark Natesel on Blue Sky said the final countdown and had your song. Well, I had just posted too earlier today. I'm on an ESPN game with Mark Donaldson and he posted the lineup. And sorry, the ESPN lineup, the back-to-back games. And I felt like the immediate song that came

to my mind was the final countdown. So I'm, I like that that was also mentioned by Mark because there you go um i think it's a good one the final countdown okay that's the number one joe jazzed says the name seemed to get darker as you laid them out because we put a couple options out there so to stay on trend nwsl doomsday or d day yeah i'm not as big a fan yeah it's too aggressive one of the founders of minnesota rora i have the scarf behind me said last chance day which is fitting which is fitting for me and then our next one from someone named barry shafer Blue Sky says it kind of has an end of year school notation finals day like taking your finals which for me would also be last chance day because normally I crammed at the last minute

and I needed X grade or X score to get my grade up so that's another option as well we also got day of consequence very intense wow yeah um you You know, none of them are really sticking, Gus. I think that's why it's hard, and they probably just use Decision Day because I don't know. One of the complaints about Decision Day was it's as if you're deciding, oh, I'll go to the playoffs or I won't. Yeah. Which isn't exactly the concept. You don't really get to make the decision.

Yeah, I don't know that we land on a perfect one. I don't mind the final countdown. I'm here for it. I would be open to any more suggestions so you can ski it at us on Blue Sky at SoccerWise HQ, myself, Empire Gos. Jordan as well is on there, active user on the socials or comments on any of our Instagram posts going forward. I will say we did get a sad one at the end, which is Scarves Up FC says the annual Louisville Heartbreak Dead. No. Is it going to be, is it going to change this year, Goss?

now tell me yes or no i think no i know i know and i've been on the train the entire time but we went through the standing so that we could set the stage for everyone and we did that thing where we kept saying like well if north carolina does this and then when if north carolina is this for some reason now it's stuck in my head and part of that is because we're going to talk a little end-of-season awards as well and there's some names for north carolina in there so let's set this stage for everyone to know for tiebreakers goal differential is first wins are second and goals scored are third that is incredibly important because the gap between Orlando pride in third and Gotham in seventh is a three point gap so every team in there can jump

over each other or under each other or around each other or with whichever direction and then the big story is the final playoff spot, which is a two-field race. It is racing Louisville on 34 points in eighth place, the final playoff spot, and North Carolina Courage on 32 points right now, the last team out of the playoffs. So if North Carolina wins and Louisville drops the result at all, North Carolina is into the playoffs, that is the biggest story of the weekend, Jordan, did you have an answer to the question? If they drop points at all, right? Because if Louisville ties and North Carolina wins, North Carolina will have a better goal differential than Louisville. Right. Do I have an answer on is Louisville making it in?

Yeah. You know what? I'm going to say yes. Louisville's going to do it. They're going to do it. I believe in it and I love it and it is great. Come on Louisville. On the three through seven gap, Orlando is right now 39 points in third place. Seattle, one point behind them. San Diego and Portland tied each one point behind Seattle. And then Gotham, one more point behind them all in seventh place. So Gotham cannot get up to third because Seattle plays Orlando head to head. But Gotham can get as high as fourth and a home playoff game.

Everyone else could fall anywhere between third and sixth in the standings, or sorry, and seventh in the standings because Gotham could literally jump every other team. So the way the day plays out, you mentioned the double header, Kansas City host San Diego at 3 p.m. Eastern time. It is the only game in that time window. And then every other team plays at 5 p.m. Eastern time across the continent, all of the big games, and we will go through all of them one by one. It does mean that San Diego gets to sort of set the tone a little bit. They don't know exactly what they need to do, but everyone else is going to be watching. And, of course, Kansas City has nothing to play for in all of this, Jordan.

What do you expect to see in that game? Well, I expect people to tune in because that is my game on ESPN. And so you better be listening, people. Lock in. Lock in. It only is a doubleheader if you watch the first game. Yeah, I will be locked in. We will be there.

It is interesting. And I think the big news in NWS, is Temu Shuenga is out with an injury, right? When out in that Houston game, it looks like she was very upset, super uncomfortable, couldn't walk herself off the field, got taken to the locker room in a wheelchair. We do not know the extent of this groin injury, but we know it's a groin injury.

And I would think if you're Vla Konovsky, you're thinking, all right, I got to protect our most important players. in this next game and all season long really not all season since they've clinched the shield they have and even really a little bit before that they've started rotating players and making sure people are fit and have the ability to start games or know their role off the bench and I would imagine Kansas City shuffles a little bit and you'll you'll maybe see like maybe it's not low Labanta starting right maybe Bia's not starting up front because Bia's injury history and she's coming back from international duty.

I would imagine this Kansas City team is not going to look like what they're going to look like the first game of the playoffs. That being said, they don't lose at home. Yeah. And this San Diego team just came off their best game in NWSL history, six to one victory against Chicago at home, scoring goals again. And from multiple different players, I think they're going to feel like this could be a really good,

game for them with playoff like this could be this could be the matchup that we see um in the second game of in the semifinal yeah so i i feel like this is going to be really interesting how kansas city plays but for san diego i think they have a lot more to play for wanting to play at home in that first like be in control of their destiny but how do you break kansas city down i think that's the biggest question. It will be fascinating because I think you would say, okay, this is one where you can understand the game states. Like San Diego is going to have the ball.

Casey is going to try and counter. That counter is less dangerous without showinga. And if it's not showinga, does Casey have a lineup in there where maybe there is more possession? Is Ali Sentinor coming inside from the wing? Michelle Cooper also comfortable if you want to pull inside and play on the ball a little bit more. And so then does that throw things off where now San Diego's against the ball, which isn't where they're comfortable? And is Casey take the game away from them that way? Or

is it players who maybe aren't as familiar with each other in terms of a starting lineup because you are rotating? And then Casey's kind of stumbling and figuring it out on the fly. And I think for San Diego, it all comes down to that first goal. Like they can get that first goal. They get the wind in their sales. If Casey's like, all right, like this isn't for us. today and you know and then everyone sitting at home watching while they warm up being like oh san diego's winning in kC like now we have to go out in that result now that changes a lot of stuff um i i think this is a winnable game for san diego in a way that as you said no team is able to do at cb kc stadium and it's like a one-off opening in saying that there is a culture to

this kansas city team right now and it's been the case all year which is players have gone out and other players have stepped up. Yeah. And they have the depth to do it very easily. They have the options to do it. And there's a lot of players on the, you could say the backside, Michelle Prince, all these players who are like, if I get a shot, I need to play at a high level because I need to get back into the team or I need to

be first option going into the playoffs. And there's a lot of talent there that can do that for this team. Even that. Like, do you even start Michelle Cooper in this game? Yeah. The benefit of Cooper, Setnor, Hutton, and maybe giving them minutes, we don't know how much they'll play tonight, but they're in Kansas City already. They're already home and they don't have travel anywhere, which is a real benefit for Blackcoe and his decision making come Sunday. But I don't know what to expect, really.

I think they're going to rely on their defensive presence and make sure they're, they continue to be hard to break down and not give up a lot of goals. but this could either be San Diego winning or I feel like it could be a draw. Yeah, I think that's absolutely fair. If it was a draw, at the time of it happening, San Diego would bump up to fourth in the standings with Seattle looking to chase them. Let's go through the rest of the 5 p.m. games now. Let's do it in two blocks. Let's start with the playoff race.

And then we'll go to that race inside of the standings. It is Louisville in eighth place, two points ahead in Northern. Carolina, reminder. They are hosting Bay, and it is North Carolina in ninth place, two points behind hosting Gotham. So both teams are at home. It is a very different set of matchups between the two teams. North Carolina has officially announced that it's going to be their second sellout of the season. So it is going to be a big atmosphere and it is going to be a playoff game, as they have been over the last three for this North Carolina team. And as I said, if Louisville drops points at all.

So if they tie, they move to 35 points. North Carolina passes them with a win. If they lose, North Carolina jumps them with a win. There is no other scenario that North Carolina can catch up and get into the playoffs without getting a victory. So it starts there with North Carolina. Are they capable of beating Gotham at home in this final game? We don't 100% know what Gotham team we will see in all of this.

But the possibility exists for Gotham that they could fall into eighth place. and the possibility exists that they could jump up to fourth place and be home team. So on the one hand, you're going to CPKC Stadium for your first game. You're guaranteed away every single game of the playoffs. On the other hand, you are a hosting, maybe a Seattle, maybe a San Diego. You get to host a playoff game, and then you could potentially be in line for a second round at CPKC Stadium. What do you make of this one in advance from afar? North Carolina, Gotham.

Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be, it's going to be the hardest game that North Carolina plays all year, I think. Because Gotham, I feel like we're on this really good trajectory and then had a couple of bumps in the road and feel like they need to get back. Like, just what you said, there's so much to play for for them. The fact that they could be playing at Sports Illustrated Stadium in a playoff game, I think is enough for the veterans on that team. like a Jess Carter, like a burger and a sonnet to provide the right energy for this group to say, all right, we have to go and take care of business here. So for North Carolina, really how they've gone all year, it depends on Monaca.

How good can Monaca be? How much can she integrate the players around her? How much space can she find? How savvy and cheeky can she be on the ball to help create going forward? because when they've been successful, it's all been at her feet and her finding the game and creating the game around her. North Carolina has not beat a playoff team since they beat Orlando on September 19th. In that run, they've lost 2-1 to Seattle, 3-1 to Louisville, head-to-head, and then Drew 1-1 against Washington.

In their last game, they beat Bay 4-1, a team that is eliminated and, in theory now, has to do them a favor in the game against Louisville. And I think you said it, like Monaca is the whole story for this team. It's probably why they're in this spot because she is too much the sole story for this team. Linnehan's been a really good ad, stretches the field in a different way, pullbacks as well for Monaca making late runs. I think creates some more space and spreads things out a little bit for this Bay team.

But this feels like a tough matchup to me because you look at a Gotham team that can be dangerous in possession and out of possession. And there's a lot of direct players for this Gotham team that can kill North Carolina. I'll just say maybe one of the best, like, positives for North Carolina going into this is not often do you have, I mean, international breaks are wild. And when you come back from them, you don't know, you don't know who you're going to get, right?

Are players available even after the travel that they have? So because North Carolina doesn't have as many international players, I think maybe there's a cohesion about them that might be different than this Gotham team because we don't know what to expect. Like, is Rose going to be able to play? Will Sonnet? I mean, Sonnet will probably play.

But it's just more to think about for the Gotham team than it is for North Carolina. Yeah, Jaden Shaw, Sonnet, and Lily Real all started the second game for the U.S. And Sonet play has started both games, Roosevelt, starting in that first game. So a lot of minutes extra on those players that a lot of the North Carolina players do not have, but also they're playing for the national team because they're really good.

Yeah, exactly. It can be very useful in their games. Jalen Howell, having a great year, I think she's going to be part of our conversation about the awards coming up in a little bit. We're sort of going to set the fields as we see them. And obviously, Mitch Purriss has come back and really found her feet over the last few weeks. And this feels like a good matchup for her, which is if you push your fullbacks hot, and if North Carolina has to pressure and starts to step in,

your first outlet can be down the right wing for Mitch Purriss, who's so good at beating the first defender, who's really good at picking up her head and making the right decision whether it's a pass or a shot on that second play. And those are the types of goals at North Carolina that teams tend to score when they're able to get wins in carry North Carolina. And that feels like an option for this team. I mentioned then that North Carolina is looking for Bay to do them a favor.

Louisville hosting Bay. Louisville controls their own destiny. They have finished ninth every single year. They've played in NWSL. You've heard it a million times. That was the joke about this final day of the season. If they can finish eighth, they will make the postseason for the first time ever. It's been an up and down run to get here for this Louisville team.

There have been stretches where it feels like there's no way, there's no chance they won't make it to this point. There's no chance that they're not going to make it in. And then all of a sudden, quickly, they'll lose two games in a row. So they've drawn their last two, two, two against Gotham, one one against Chicago. They won the two games before that. The big three one win over North Carolina, a victory over Angel City, and they lost to Utah, who a lot of teams have in the second half of the year. But as a team trying to make it into the postseason for the first time ever, the Chicago and Utah results are the two that really, really stand out. The Utah result was difficult because it was on the heels of the incident with Savannah de mello and so they had to they stayed

on the road is I think just a really emotional game and you could tell that they were all just so drained so you know I almost I almost excuse that one because as a human being I can't imagine going through that but what's difficult for Louisville is during that run before that happened they were they were cooking like they were probably one of the teams that you didn't want to play against and so can they get a little bit of that back i think they showed we know who they are and teams know who they are the bay are going to know that this is going to be a dog fight especially in louisville right for a team who is desperate to make it into the playoffs for their first time in club history so is is bay up for the fight i think is going to be number one

and can they limit you louisville this louisville team goss is one of the they create the most in the league. They're not accurate with their chances. But they create the most big chances. They have, I think they're top maybe one or two in the league when it comes to shots. So they shoot a lot, which creates extra second opportunities for them. It's going to be a tough task for Bay against Louisville. And I think with everything that we've seen from Louisville, I have a feeling this is going to be a big win for them on at home on the last day. So one of the questions for Louisville from a lineup point of view is continuing to figure out what is the replacement for Savannah de Mello and how they want to set up. They can play the same three-person midfield and just go somewhat like for like change, but that doesn't fully exist for them.

Or they can go to up top and make it more of a four-four-two. Weber and Fisher have both started. Bolser has been around as well. So you could play two up front and play a flint and a Borges in central midfield who I think are as good as any two-way midfielder's in the league. But you take away a little bit of attacking support from that central area. You also leave the door open to potentially getting overrun at times in central midfield. They're not having that extra support. But at the same time, you get a second number high, which is a second player on the end of crosses,

which is a second player to help lead the press. It's a second option for knockdowns and second balls and all of that. And we've seen in some of these games, especially the North Carolina game, when they force a turnover, two players in and around the box who are already there means that that first pass can be into a goal scoring area, which is where we saw Fisher get that big goal. What do you think the decision is for Bev Yanez? What would you do? Feels to me like Bev Yanez has been pretty set on. This is how we're going to play. And it might not be the ideal way that she wants to.

to play as a head coach, but she understands her group and she wants to put them in the best position. So I think it's still going to be a four through three. I think O'Kane will continue to play as that attacking midfielder because not because of her final pass, but because of her work rate, her tenacity off the ball, what she gives them. And then Haas has been really good. And I don't think maybe given enough credit as a rookie in this league, a left-footed player a lot better at one-v-one situation. So she wants to get at a defender in a one-v-one situation. whereas Emma Sears on the other side on the right side wants the ball in behind and just to run and wants an outlet in that direction. So I think they have this nice, they've been trying to figure it out, but this nice balance on can we play in defeat and allow Sonis now on the left side to join Haas when she's in those situations with the ball at her feet.

And then it takes a little bit less pressure off of Lauren Malay coming back from that injury, but also she can add at times to the attack. but stay back and defend and that almost be her number one priority. So there is a little bit more stability and like a three back for Louisville in the build. So I like the pieces that they have right now. I don't think O'Kane and I like Weber up top. I think Fisher can give you a little extra and maybe if they are losing, you go to a two up front and that gives you a little bit more attacking. I'm sure that's something that the coaching staff is thinking about,

how we can get more numbers in the box, but I like for their style, I think O'Kane has fit in really well and given them something different. Yeah. I think, I agree with you. I think it opens up Borges and Flint even more to be involved and find the game and whatnot. Well, she presses and she creates turnovers. And so then often it's Borges or Flint who are picking the ball up and then becoming the distributors, which is exactly what you want. And play that killer pass. and which can break teams, which I think is huge. Also, you're probably getting a three-person midfield from Bay. So you match those numbers.

Huff coming inside as well. You don't want to get overloaded in those areas. Based off the last game we saw from Bay, it feels like if you can come out strong and put them under pressure, this is a Bay team that's going to sort of collapse on itself. And so for Louisville, whatever it is, whatever your most dangerous lineup is. I think you want it out there from the start.

Get the crowd behind you. Get the crowd into it. This should be the best crowd in Louisville's history. This is, again, a playoff game. You get a chance to host. There's no chance. Well, most likely there's no chance you're hosting. After this one, I wouldn't want to say anything definitive at this point with the way

the standings go. But there should be no opportunity to jump up into fourth. And this is your huge chance to like finally make history, finally break through. Yeah. and make it to the postseason. Those are, I think, the two biggest games to watch. That is the playoff race, a chance to get in. In this gap from 3 to 7, the next game to watch,

the most important one there is Orlando, Seattle. They're the only two teams in this that play against each other. Orlando, as I said, sitting right now in third on 39 points. Seattle, one point behind in 4th on 38, but both could be passed by any of the three teams below them. And so you're playing for a chance to get third. But I think you're even more playing for to make sure you don't drop down and have to go on the road in the first round.

Orlando will host this game against Seattle. It is a big matchup, a long trip for Seattle to make on the final weekend of the season without knowing where you're going to go the following weekend, which is really, really tough. And it feels like Orlando has found their feet a little bit over the last few games going into the national break. And there's a lot of reasons for that. but I think the biggest one is just Marta. Marta sort of like accepting the fact that without Banda, she has to go back to being the best player on the field at all times if they're going to win.

But the support system is there. Like the central midfield, the centerback, the goalkeeper, you're the best defensive team in the league still as an identity, I think. You have Ovalier as an option. You have Alley Wat causing danger. It's not like four years ago where it's like Marta or nothing. But the responsibility, you know, a lot of these. make-or-break moments, it feels like falls on her shoulders,

and she seems willing to accept that responsibility once again in her career. I think of two things right away is one. This is not going to be an open game. Seattle's going to sit back with numbers, and they're going to hope to get to, like, the 75th minute, and then they might get a little bit more expansive and hope they can get maybe two opportunities and score one of them. That has been the story of Seattle's year.

They have just been really solid, defensively. So for Orlando, this has been their biggest difficulty this year is how do they break teams down when they are lower on the field? And so you're exactly right, Goss. Marta has to be excellent. And Ovaya has to provide the spark that she can provide in tighter spaces. And so can you draw fouls in and around the box? Because if you do that, you've got two of the best left-footed players in the league, potentially two of the best left-footed players in the world, right on the field able to take those set pieces in and around the box so can you draw fouls can you be aggressive in the way that you dribble in and around the box to get set pieces in dangerous

spots but they've got to be able to break down Seattle's numbers and it's got to be quick movement and movement off the ball unselfish runs the speed of play that Orlando plays is going to be really important and I I feel like that's how the game's going to look it's going to be Seattle really really deep Which also makes me think because of what you said, if Seattle doesn't win or they don't get a point, there's a chance they're on the road. And most of those road games would, I guess it just depends. Do you pack for two weeks and just think maybe we're on the road? You're thinking was Casey is first, Washington is second locked in.

If Seattle doesn't win this game, Orlando is hosting. Right. So at a minimum, the top three seeds are all East Coast, Kansas City, Midwest, and then the potential exists that Gotham could jump up over you and also host. I think you've got a hack to go. The other side, though, is if Portland or San Diego hosts, you're going home to come back. Yeah. And the fact that it's on Sunday doesn't help because those playoffs will be spread out across the weekend.

Right. If you end up a Saturday game the next week, like you get even less days. I don't know what the logistics are behind that, but I think we should find out if this ends up happening. I know. Right. We're going to have to get a Seattle interview set up so that we can figure it out. Quick. We got to do it quick, too.

As I said, that's the biggest game. That's the biggest thing to know. We've already talked about Gotham as well and their potential. So they are currently sitting in seventh. But if they win, they could jump any of the teams. They just can't jump all of them because someone between Orlando and Seattle has to get points. And with points for either team, they would move out of, out of Gotham's ability. and their touching distance.

We talked about San Diego already. They are currently sitting in fifth tied on points with Portland, and then Portland is our last team that can jump up and down. They face off against Houston, a Houston team that got hot. They got themselves back into the playoff conversation right before the international break and then tailed off at the last second. Losing to Angel City was the big results for them

that really took them out of the running for a playoffs, about even getting a victory over Kansas City, not enough for them to be able to fit back in and a Portland team that has just been up and down the map. There are weeks where I'm coming in here saying, like, this is the outside threat to win it. And there are weeks where it's like, this is an eight seed and they are going to be going on the road

and they're going to be in trouble. They beat Angel City in their last game. They lost to Orlando 1-0. They beat Bay. They lost 3-0 to Gotham and they drew San Diego 1-1. What do you make of this game? for these two teams and Portland being at home, you assume dominates possession, but Houston has moved closer to that as the season's got along.

Yeah, Houston has, I think, playing more at the end of the season as we expected them to be playing throughout the entirety of the season. But it takes a while to get habits within a group. So I think Fabrice Gattra and the Dash are going to be happy with where, not happy that they're out of the playoffs, but happy that there was progression in a style of play and and hope that they can just add to that going forward. It does seem like Houston, especially in that last game against Kansas City, played with more confidence than we've seen them. And that's on the heels of playing at Angel City where I thought they weren't, they didn't

even look like they belonged on the field. Like they just were so out of it. So I think Houston's going to feel a little bit more confident. They're going to feel like, hey, we can just go and disrupt and make it difficult for Portland. But knowing this Portland, team. And what you've just said, right, it is a young team. And they have had to learn a lot of the lessons that you learn as a young player really quickly because, you know, they're, they're leaning on players like Tordin and Turner and Moultrie, even though Moultrie is more experienced, but it feels like this group with the ups and downs has had to learn a lot of the hard lessons. And consistency has been their most difficult thing. I think that this is going to be a

really impactful game for them. They're at home. It's the last game of the season. And it feels to me like it's going to be one of those wacky Portland games where they're just like are on one, almost like what it looked like when they played Seattle, which was their best win of the season. It just gives me those kind of vibes because they've been in this like, we want to prove everybody wrong this year because you and I sat here in January or in February. season, we thought they had no chance. I said they were already 13th in the league. Yeah.

Well, they, I think we did it coming off the back of them, losing two of their biggest players to injury. Yes. After having their entire championship core from the last five years, retire, like it just didn't seem like it was set for this year. And then, you know, okay, fine. Next year, you're able to get some players back. Sophia Wilson comes back, all of that.

And they've been awesome, like, for large stretches of this season. And as you said, there's a lot of, like, prove it. And I think Olivia Moultrie is at the center of that. Yeah. And I think coming off this national team performance, like she should be coming in on a high. Sam Coffey is one of the best players in NWSL. She's one of the best players in the world. They have gone a little more experience, which I think has been a factor, right? Especially at centerback, M.A. Vanola coming in brings a little more experience as well. And that seems to be where Rob Gale has tried to find the balances. Okay, the young attacking players, you can make some mistakes higher up the field.

We were not as efficient as we can be, but there's, like, energy to our game, and there's a lot of desire to take players one-on-one and create chances. But, like, Jaden Perry has lost our starting spot, and now Vinala stepping in at fullback or wingback, whatever it ends up being, that feels like the balance that they have tried to strike. It hasn't been perfect. It hasn't worked all the time. Right. But it's one of the options that they've gone with. Yeah. I think just because Houston hasn't been super threatening in attack, that this will be.

a game where Portland will have the majority of the ball and can dictate where that game is played, right? I think that'll be interesting just to see how Houston sets up, like, at what point of confrontation they're at. Because, again, I think it's the hardest thing to do is break it down a low block. And I don't know if this Portland team with how young they are are able to do that. So maybe that's a tactic that Houston tries to throw at them. So those are the games with consequence that are left every game at 5 p.m. outside of that 3 p.m. game that Jordan Angelie will be on. So you will all be watching. There are two more games that we didn't mention. Utah hosting Washington and Chicago hosting Angel City. None of those four teams can change in a meaningful way. Their standings, Utah, Chicago, and Angel City are all already eliminated. Washington is locked in as the number two seed. They can't go up. They cannot go down. So we're not going to spend time talking about those games. If you are in those markets, Utah and Chicago, go out to a game, enjoy it.

If you're a fan and you're watching from afar, I'm sure you will enjoy that as well. I will have all of the games on the 97 screens that I'm capable of putting in one room. But it's going to be an awesome day. It is going to be a culmination. I can't say that word. So there's a good one for us of a big season. And the postseason is going to be even better because I think what you're, get from this mass is there's not a gap and home field advantage will be big but outside of the

first round casey hosting whoever falls into the eight seed i can't imagine another matchup where it's obvious who the winner is going to be going into it and i think last year we saw how tight it gets in the playoffs anyway and so it's going to be a really really fun postseason we're going to have all your coverage here at soccer wise a big part of the postseason as well is our regular season awards. We are not going to vote on our winners here, because Tom Bogart has taught me that you're not allowed to vote until the final games have been played. Because you never know what's going to happen. He is yelling at you right now. He is yelling at me in spirit at all times, but there's a decent chance when I put my phone off to Not Disturb that there is a string of text

messages yelling at me about something that I don't know about from Tom right now. Let's set the field, though. So the awards we're going to talk about are MVP, midfielder of the year, defender of the year, goalkeeper of the year, rookie of the year, and coach of the year. And I think we should talk about who is sort of in the field and in the running, and then over the next few weeks, we'll talk about who we vote for and best 11s

and all of that. For MVP, I wrote, I mean, come on. Is there any conversation that it is not the golden boot winner and the leader of the highest point scoring team, in NWSL history, Temwa Shawanga. No. I don't think there's an argument for anybody else.

I agree with you. So there will be finalists because there are always finalists in these awards, which will be the people that, you know, you have to vote one through three or whatever it is. But in the end, Temwishawanga is going to win back-to-back MVP's, which is going to be an... you think is going to be in that? I think this is actually the hardest thing. Who else is going to be in that category? Because I honestly, I feel like you could put a defender in that category. That's a possibility. I won't be shocked if Marta ends up in it after what I said and the way she played. And I think this weekend will help decide that as well. If she leads them to another victory, they went to Casey and got a win, or sorry, went to Washington and got a win off her back. She's a big name. She ends up in conversations like this. I don't know. So that means to me you'd need somebody from Washington because that would be the first three teams.

And you think Tara McKeon is the one from Washington? Rebecca Bernal. No, she missed too much of the season. Yeah, I know. I think it's got to be McKeown. Wow. I don't try and put Gabby Carl in this now. I just saw that moment in your eyes.

No, I'm not going to put Gabby Carl. Okay. No, I just, I was thinking, even with like they could Kansas City could have two two players in this oh interesting yeah it could be a it could be Michelle Cooper it could be one of their center midfielers i just don't know who else you put in that i mean esther will probably be in it but i yeah yeah i think a defender on a really good defensive team would have a better shot than ester would on the fourth place team in, you know, four goals behind Temu Shuenga.

So this is going to color the rest of the conversation we're going to have. But Monaca finishes as the league leader right now and big chances created and goals chances created. They may not make the postseason. Delphine Cascarino is still up there. Yeah. And the other obvious name that came to mind when you asked that question, which is going to be my midfielder of the year conversation, is Ken Zadali. Yeah. The problem is if San Diego.

falls to 7th or North Carolina doesn't make the playoffs or any of those players eligible or in people's minds going to get those awards. And yes, that is going to be the big conversation. Let's go through these other ones because maybe the winners of these other awards are the people who end up in this. Midfielder of the year, I just said it, Kenzadali, Manaka as well, I believe is eligible for this because of her positioning. After that, I think there's a few names you could say. The ones I put there in were Lola Banta, Sam Coffey, Jalen Howell, and Taylor Flint. Yeah. I feel like that's a really comprehensive list, and I don't think that would be, you know, I would probably put, again, depending on what happens this weekend, I would probably put Jalen Howell

one of the highest on that list just because I think this has been an excellent season for her. And this Gotham team without her is completely different than they are with her. So, yeah, but I feel like those are, I'm trying to think if there's anybody else that isn't on that list. I think Savannah McCaskill, it's unfortunate because she would have been in that list, but is out with that injury. Injuries are an issue for the Washington players. Hal Hurst felt missed the chunk of the season. Lacey Santos has not been a full-time starter.

Bernal is a big one. She would have been in there. Who, was she good? The Roomy has not been a full-time starter either, and so wouldn't be in this conversation. Denise and Sullivan. There is a space between attacking midfield and the attacker that I'm not quite sure where the actual voting will land of how it will be set up. So I don't know if Olivia Moultrie, and I don't know if Croy Bethune are eligible for this award based up. Well, Troy won it last year, so.

But I don't know. Does that change if you're positioning changes? Like, if you win the award and then the next year you play as a winger more often, does that change? But she's not playing as a winger. I'm just asking. Yeah, yeah. I guess I get what you're saying. You know what I mean?

I don't know, because when we vote every week or every month, those people that have changed are still like, if they're a forward, they're in the midfield. And I'm like, I want to vote for them, but I don't want to take a spot away from the midfielder. Like is Rebecca Bernal, let's say she had played the full year and had split time between midfield and defender. Would she be eligible on both? Is that make her ineligible on both? Those are questions we don't know yet. We're going to get the finalists. We're making this way more complicated than we need to be.

Well, that's the way it should be. You should be stressing about these things. In general, these are a lot of the names that are available. For Defender of the Year, you have mentioned Tara Mickeyone, clearly on that list. I put Kayla Sharples as well. I think the one Kansas City player that's on this list, most obviously, although Izzy Rodriguez is one of their leading chance creators for the best team in the league and probably should be mentioned. Yeah.

You have mentioned Gabby Carl, which was why I brought up the MVP conversation, but you've said as a defender of the year should be an option. Yeah, I think so. I think both of those, Rodriguez and Carl, I wouldn't be surprised if they were in this conversation because of what they've been able to contribute this year. Their consistency, just the way they've played the position has been different and interesting. And so I think they would be in there.

But again, this is, you don't often see an outside back winning defender of the year. Right. It has been very rare. So it would be rare to see it once again. I think maybe on another player, we should say, Phoebe McLernan has had a really good year. So I would put her in there. In Seattle, I told Laura Harvey this on a coach call. I was like, you guys have had, this was a couple weeks ago.

I'm like, you guys have had just like this sneaky good year. Nobody's talking about you. And you might host a playoff game. And she's like, yeah, I kind of like it that way. But I think a lot of that has to do with Thieve McLernan has been excellent for them in this role of like almost a sweeper, really, in the three, in the center of those three. So I would put her in there. It is one of those where I don't know if it will help Seattle that they have an elite defense or hurt them or hurt players getting votes because they're defensive-based team. doing a lot of defensive work, which, by the way, I miss that on midfield of the year,

Samantha Meza should be in the conversation. Oh, yeah. And it has been phenomenal this season and is another one that should be there. So I will write that one in. I put Emily Sams down as well because I think Orlando, the defensive base, is still there. And she has been available and has been a huge part of what they've built so far this year. I wouldn't be shocked if they move up the standings on this last weekend if an Emily sonnet ends up.

up in the voting here. She's been very good. And it has been a lot more movement around her than maybe was expected for this season. And they've been able to hold things together. In saying that, by the way. It is like calm but crazy. Well, the fight against Trinny Rodman is all I have set up for.

All the time. You know Gotham, Washington is going to be the second round again. And it's going to be like, we're just going to be running that clip over and over. We did, by the way, forget in the MVP voting. Esther will probably be a finalist. Yeah, I think I said that. Oh, I didn't realize that.

Yeah. Maybe I should listen more. Yeah, come on. Open your ears. Maybe a good place to start. Eminaka on that list as well. Goalkeeper of the year. Feels like this one's probably Lorena.

Yeah. It's the most obvious external reason for Kansas City's jump from good last year to all-time great. And she has been fantastic. She's been fantastic for country as well, not that that's part of this voting. She is the front runner for this one. I think there are a lot of other names that you could put in here alongside her. I sort of put the list basically from one through five in the standings of full-time

starters in here. Is there any I'm missing or are there any obvious ones that I should add? I think the one person that will really challenge Lorena is Claudia Dickey because the last time before last weekend, She had a negative 11.5 XG against differential. 11. 11. That's wild.

So she's just done a really good job of being a shot stopper. They've asked a lot of her this year. And I think she's grown exponentially with the ball at her feet, with little bits of her technique that at the beginning of the year, I remember Laura Harvey saying, like, this is the best goalkeeper in the United States. But she has to want to be the best goalkeeper in the United States. and it was a commitment that I think she wanted to see from Claudia, and it has been evident that she wants to do that.

So I would say Lorena is going to win this. Claudia Dickey, to me, is number two, and then you've got Kingsbury Burger, Morehouse. I think some of the, I don't know if I'd even put more house in there, honestly. Yeah, I think that's fair, and obviously was the big winner last year. It feels like Kingsbury, to me, no question, has to be in the final. nationalist conversation. I think Dickie as well. And then Berger, I think we'll get in there because of her profile, the way she plays so often coming off the line, making these sweeper-keeper

moments and obviously is a big name with her national team as well. These next two, our last two, rookie of the year is very interesting. There is a lot of players who have had incredible high moments. There are not a lot who have been solid at that. for the entire season. Yeah. And I think that's where I found it really hard to land on. Like, if you are picking players, whose high moments are you going to take over the other?

And I don't know, I can't get in anyone else's mind about what it looks like. So I have, what, nine players in here, eight players in here, and I would be not shocked if there are finalists who are not even on my list. Even though there's been so many really good rookie performances, I feel like this is going to be easy.

I think Riley Tiernan is just going to win it because she's scored the most goals. And for a while was not the only hope, but really, Angel Cities, Angel Cities. Ooh, that would be a name for the Last Hope. Last Hope. That is a little bit sad or desperate as well. Um, sorry. I just got diverted in my brain. Squirrel. So I, I think that Riley Ternan will probably win this because nobody has been consistently playing. I mean, you could say that for Lily Real, but I think it's been a good

season for her, but I wouldn't say like, wow, I'm, that's the best outside back that we have. Like, I don't know. Can I say something crazy? I still think Lily Real is a center back. She is a center. I think she's a center. I'm just saying. saying like it's what's interesting to me is Emma Hayes calls her into the national team and starts her at left back and I get it like she's playing there week in and week out that's her position but I don't understand how you don't see it and say well Gotham plays her there because they have two of the best centerbacks in the league and don't have other options my advantage could be this is a player who's now comfortable higher up the field comfortable

in possession but is naturally a center back and what do we need a left footed center back Yes. So I, but like it's hard to be like, I mean it was like the Crystal Dunn thing where Crystal Dunn kept getting pushed out of position and you're like Casey Krueger is one of the best left backs in the world. Like why are we playing someone out of position? Right. They're really good at soccer. And we'll be fascinated to see what Gotham does going forward in terms of like this is an asset you have. It's hard to have so much depth. You know, does Jessica Carter move positions? I don't know. Yeah. whatever it is. But sorry, I just, I'm watching the national team game and she gets closed down in spots and you're like, why is she not playing at centerback for a team that needs a centerback in this position? Her, so those two, it feels like, are probably the two most obvious ones. As you said, of like playing a lot of minutes and doing it consistently.

Sarah Shepansky, I think, is up there as well, a teammate of Lily Raal. Piatra Torden and Jaden Perry, the two. for Portland that I think will end up in this conversation, but neither of them has remained as a full-time starter the whole season. And that's where this gets harder. Sarah Weber has been pretty much a full-time starter for Louisville doesn't really have the counting stats. So you have to look at her game and say, like,

she leads the press, she's a huge part of the system, but she has not starred in her own way. Yeah, I think this is, Riley Tiernan is just going to win this. started every game. She's scored the most goals. I feel like we've had a lot. Trinity Armstrong could be in there too, right? But she hasn't been starting as of late, but started really well in this season. I think the best thing is there's a lot of young players who are having a really good impact, but nobody except for Tiernan who it really has like shown on the score sheet. Yeah. She's got some assists. Yeah, but not a time. Yeah, I think it's going to be

turn in. I think that's a pretty easy one. Okay. Do you think? I think that she will obviously be the winner. I do not know what like a top three would. Yeah, me neither. I think that'll be interesting. I think Rio will end up being number two, especially getting the call up. And some of the other names I threw in there. So Josephine Hasbo, I think just hasn't played enough games because join in the middle of the year. But like would, I think based off play would be a front runner for an award of the list and then Kaya Hanks picking up the injury early in the season. But what she showed was like, a player that would have been in a conversation like this. The last award is Coach of the Year.

Feels fairly obvious. I think Blacko is going to win this. Put together the best team in league history, jumped from fourth to first, set the points record. They shifted their entire identity from being an open attacking team to a defensive stud and still has a golden boot winner and an MVP and all the other parts of this. But there is then a need for the other finalists as well. Do you disagree with me, by the way, before we get through that one?

No, I think Black Co will win. So the other names on this list would be? Bev Yanez. Okay. I have Bev down there. Yeah. Whether they make it or not. This is why we don't vote before the final weekend.

Okay. No, I don't think so. I don't think if she doesn't make it. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. We were talking to Juan Carlos Amros before this last game, and he said something specific about this.

He was like, Black Co's going to win coach of the year, but it's really a shame because it should be Bev Yanez. From another coach. I thought that was really nice. He's like, she's just done such a good job. Oh, that was before they played Louisville. So it was two weeks ago.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So number two in the league is, Washington. Yeah. And they had Yonantan Haraldas as head coach when the season started, and they have Adrian Gonzalez as head coach when the season ends. They've been really good. They've been better the second half of the year than they were the first half of the year. A lot of that was injury-based. And some of that, I think, was the tension of a coach leaving,

announcing their leaving, still being there, and then another coach technically taking over. Adrianne Gonzalez, of course, was interim last year before Yonatan Horaldes. Aralda's join, seeing a trend with commitment specific jobs for Yonano Raldas, and then, of course, was his assistant and now takes over. Has he coached long enough and does it matter for him to be in the running for this award? So he technically coached more than half the season. Okay. Because he coached those few games where Jonathan Haraldas was still the head coach,

but told everybody that he wasn't going to be the head coach anymore, but was still coaching, but then wasn't there because his, his wife was having a baby. So I think he ended up coaching like 15 games, 16 games maybe. I think Audra and Gondalas deserves to be in this. I've been really impressed with, I think I've talked about it a couple of times, just the lineup study puts out and how they're all different, but they're very specific to the team that they're playing.

And there's real thought behind, am I starting GIF Monday or am I starting Sophia Cantore? And I like that from him. I like that, one, they have the ability to do that. But two, it's really specific to whoever they're playing. So I think that coaching and the tactics that he gets that right a lot of the time. I just, I think he will be in there, but he's not going to win. Like, Vlako is going to win.

Yeah. You know what I mean? I think he'll probably be in there. I don't know. I can't remember if it's three coaches or if it's four. Yeah. But it feels like. like to me, it'll be those three.

And depending on how San Diego does, depending on how Seattle does, I think it'll be either Jonas or Laura. Yeah, I think clearly based off this show, Yonis Inavall was a frontrunner midway through the season, that has fallen off. And I don't know that people are going to forget the second half of the season that quickly, even if they end up finishing third, although what a year it would be for San Diego. who completely flipped the roster, change of front office, change of coaching staff coming into the year, finishing third in the 2025 season would be massive.

And they might forget if they beat Kansas City on the last day. Yeah, true. You know, it's like they've ended with a 6-1 win and then a win at Kansas City. It might just, it might be enough to just push them into that conversation is what I'm saying, but yeah, I think that's another easy one. You said Laura Harvey has quietly had a great year. It's harder to win an award if you're quiet. True.

Yep. But Seattle, you know, they've become this defensive force. They went out and got big names that they have not been able to lean on as much in the attack as we expected. Congratulations to Lynn Biondolo and her family. I'm excited for the future, but not the player throughout the year that they were hoping for. Right. But Dahlene's been really good. Oh, we should probably put her in Rookie of the Year conversation.

Yes. That's probably our third finalist because she has played a lot of time. and there it is i knew there was 18 different names we could there it is we got there we got there eventually this is why we do it do what we do and you know you could say one carlos homeros has done a great job like there's a lot of conversation rob gale again we said they'd be 13th they might finish as high as third this season so this one feels like the names on this part of the list will really come down to the final game of the season the final standings and where things sit.

And then we're in it. We're like three weeks away from the NWSL championship because of how quickly it goes. It's the best time of the year. We basically have like four playoff games this weekend. Yeah. All of it happening at the same time. Then we are into the playoffs.

Four more playoffs. Three rounds of playoffs. Four games the following weekend. Two semifinals the weekend after that. And then the NWSL championship in San Jose, California, as Bay will be the host. And for the second straight year, we can guarantee that there will not be a home team

in the NWSL Championship, but we are probably in for what is going to be a really, really special game. So thank you to Jordan for you, for coming back from Portugal and being here with us for this shelf. We talked a long time. If anyone is out there with Portuguese connections

who's like, oh, I'm looking for someone to run a Portuguese soccer team or anything like that, let us know you can get after us. If you have a better name for the final game of the season in NWSL, also hit us up with that. Yeah, we need that. And if you're going to be sitting around and watching the game, games. I'll be on Blue Sky hanging out. Also, if you're not a member of our discord, join

our Patreon, get you access to our Discord. We will be in there talking the entire time as all the soccer happens. So enjoy the U.S. Women's National Team. Enjoy the final game of the weekend. We'll talk to you again. Thank you.