SoccerWise - NWSL Soccerwise | Utah’s streak broken! Braces, Fireworks and A New Home for Gotham FC

Episode Date: July 8, 2026

Jordan Angeli is joined by Jill Loyden this week while David Gass is still out on First Touch ’26 duty. NWSL returned to action with a bang over the weekend as 27 goals were scored across eight games. Chicago pulls off the upset and ends the 10 game unbeaten streak of the Utah Royals. Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez bag braces as they push their respective teams to victory. San Diego plays the kids and Gotham announces their new home at Etihad Park. Previews for games including the second leg of the Cascadia Rivalry in Seattle. 00:19 - Talking the USMNT loss to Belgium 04:16 - Gotham FC announces full-time move to Etihad Park in 2028 09:46 - Transfer News 11:26 - KC Current announces CPKC Stadium Expansion Plans 12:15 - Angel City defeats Orlando Pride 2-019:36 - Chicago upsets Utah Royals 3-2 and break Utah’s 10-game unbeaten run24:03 - Boston Legacy and Bay FC come to a 2-2 Draw 25:51 - San Diego defeats Gotham FC 2-0 and praise for young GK Luisa Agudelo 33:43 - The impact of Dudinha’s injury on San Diego 36:10 - Trinity Rodman with a brace as Washington defeats Houston 2-037:30 - Ashley Sanchez with her own brace as NC Courage defeat Seattle 3-138:49 - Previewing Washington Spirit at NC Courage this weekend with Becker The Dog 41:55 - Cascadia Rivalry, Second Leg in Seattle 46:19 - Close

Welcome everybody to Soccer Wise. I'm your host, Jordan Angeley. It still feels kind of weird to say that with David Goss, still doing everything World Cup over at First Touch Daily. And I am joined once again by Jill Lloyden. Jill. How you doing? You know, I would have been better if we got that dub last night.

I wore my jersey just because I was like, I got to support them. Yeah, me too. I feel very conflicted about the whole thing. like if we would have went down, I would have at least loved like a little bit of a better performance from us. But I think it's a great learning lesson moving forward because, you know, we just, I don't think we were ready to meet the moment. Yeah. That's what it felt like to me. Yeah. And we just didn't handle the pressure well. And I think honestly, everything that happened with Balligan was like, in my opinion, a distraction. And it kind of felt like I just dropped off my

older son this morning at soccer practice. And he's like with the five and six year olds. And he's clearly, first of all, he's like a giant. So he's bigger than everyone else. And you could just tell that he wasn't really like trying his best because he was like like maybe just a little bit more developed than everyone else. Like kids were still still picking up the ball with their hands. Right. And so I said to my wife, I was like, you know, maybe I'll just ask the director if you can move up. And she said, you will not. You will not intervene on his behalf. You will not meddle something that is not your business.

And she said, and it's up to him. Like he has to advocate for himself. And, you know, he needs to dominate his group. And you just can't swoop in and meddle. And I did feel like, you know, that that happened with the men's team. And I do feel like it ultimately was just a little bit of distraction for us. Yeah, a distraction for everyone. I think mostly what I'm.

sad about with that is like the talk stopped about this team and it was on something else. And so I feel like this team, what they did and really how they performed minus, you know, even in this game, I thought that there were after the hydration break at the start of the second half, like there were times where they actually looked really aggressive and looked like we had seen them all tournament. So it's really outside of 60 minutes maybe where it felt like they really made every single person proud in this country. And I hope that's what everybody takes away. I hope they take away the feeling of supporting something bigger than yourself and buying into, man, I'm really proud of

this group and how they represented such a variety of people coming together from all across the country, all across the world with different ties to the United States. And they just really made me proud with how aggressive and on the front foot they were for the majority of the tournament. So I hope we can remember that. And we don't really remember how hard that was last night in moments. But yeah, really proud of this group. And it stinks to feel this way again after what felt like. I think we all were like, oh, my gosh, we can make it.

We can make it passed the round of 16. This team can do it. And the moment just proved to be difficult. And a good reminder that when the pressure is on, it is hard. It changes things unlike anything else. And you could kind of see that with how timid they were in that first part of the game. So yeah, go U.S. men's national team. Proud of you guys.

And what a tournament this has been. Yeah, it's been so enjoyable. And like I was saying, like it's a good learning lesson, you know, you don't know. It's like new level, new devil in terms of how much pressure you experience. And you really don't become, you know, acclimating. it with that until you get there. And hopefully this is a great lesson for everybody. Yep. Yep. Well, um, good job, guys. We'll, we'll cheer for you again through as we get ready for the next World Cup. But there's a lot to happen between them, especially the women's World Cup next year.

So now everybody can just turn their attention to that because the women have to qualify at the end of the year. And then that World Cup will be in Brazil. But NWSO got back this weekend with, I would say, rightfully so some fireworks. Yeah, I didn't feel that way. Fourth of July weekend. Before we get into that, let's talk about a little news that is happening. Today, dropped this morning on Tuesday morning. Gotham is to play at the Etihad Field in Queens, starting in 2028. This is huge for the Gotham organization. They said Etihad Park connects the club to more than three million additional people with just a 75-minute commute. It's going to feature a locker room specific for Gotham,

which I think is really cool in the grand scheme of things. This is New York City FC's brand new stadium. That will open next year in 2027, but it's unknown if this Gotham team will play any games there next season. They definitely will play at the start of 2028. Jill, you are very connected with this Gotham organization. You played for them. You coach for them.

How big of a moment is this for a team who has set a, set the standard on the field, but off the field has continued to strive. This feels like a momentous moment. Yeah. When we were at the Challenge Cup, I just kind of was like looking out at, you know, all the staff that Gotham had and, you know, some of the top players in the world. And I just stood there in all for a second. And it was like very emotional time knowing where we came from playing in the

W League back in the day in like 2008 or something. That's like when SkyBlue started. And to see the maturation of this club over time, to see the investment in this club over time. And it has been a long, arduous process. And now they're reaping all the benefits of it. And it feel like every season, it's just the bar keeps getting reset higher and higher and higher.

And I feel that Gotham is an outlier right now, along with like a couple of other clubs, right, that have really put their ambitions out there and really state it, like, what they expect to do every single season. And every single year, they continue to strive after that. And you can see the investment put into that. And it only makes our league better because everyone else has to keep up with that. Like, you know, Kansas City, an incredible field, right? An incredible stadium and incredible training grounds. And now, everyone else has to have that standard as well. And you see, you know, Gotham creating their own training, their own training grounds and redoing what Red Bull had there and now moving into

a stadium that's going to be easily accessible for so many more people to go and watch their games. It just is becoming so attractive for players to want to go there. And it's no surprise that some of the best talent is wanting to play Gotham because of the resources, because of the coaching staff and the depth of their knowledge. And you see it not only in their wins, but they're individuals as well and how their individuals have developed over time and now going on to different clubs

and doing great things. Yeah, this Gotham squad over the last, I don't know, four or five years, really I think a lot of credit goes to Yale, Averbush West, and it does seem like she, as a former player, came into that role in the front office and said it has to be better.

And then it is, constantly just snowballed from there. And this is, I think, a 25 or 26,000 seat stadium, similar to where they're at Sports Illustrated right now. But you would imagine with what they're doing on the field, with it being more accessible, this would be, this can be one of the toughest places to play in NWS. So I can't, I can't wait. I look forward to it. Just seeing the pictures of what this stadium is going to look like is one, incredible. and to know that NWSL teams are going to be able to play there in just a short amount of time. Yeah, you're right.

It just takes a moment for players like us who remember what it was like when we first started to think, we always knew like this is what, not we deserve, but this is what pro sports, the standard of pro sports should be. And we're getting to the standard of pro sports. and it is now affecting every single club across the league and Gotham stepping up big. And this is going to, this can be huge. Remember when you played, like, I think back to some of my best games that I ever had. And they were at Providence Park.

Like, they just were because of the atmosphere and the buzz that was generated. And I feel like that could be something that also elevates this Gotham. team, right? Like you had their game this weekend and all the talent that they have, it's time. Like, it's time to start putting some more goals in. It's starting to start entertaining more of a crowd. And it's going to be a lot easier for them to get up, you know, for these games when they're in New York City and people want to go and support them. They best be scoring some more goals if that might people come to games because they won't be coming back. And I think before we get into that because I do feel like this weekend's games, I hope made a lot of fans say I want to

come back to games. And we'll talk about that in a second. Just a couple more updates. Houston, last week, at the beginning of the week, we actually missed this. They signed an attacking midfielder Milana Ivanovich. This is a really creative, front-footed, I would say, attacking winger. Fabrice Katras said she can play on either side. She's not quite ready to play yet, still going through some of the visa issues. But that will be a good, interesting signing for this Houston team who needs more umph in attack. And then I think a big one, Utah Royals outside back, Yanni Thompson announces her move to London City lionesses. That came out of nowhere a little bit, Jill, and it was really abrupt. I felt bummed when I saw this, really bummed. Yeah, I'm really

bummed. I think actually she was probably one of their more important players because of the positions that she took up and a lot of other people more space. But her connection with Manny McGlynn, I think, was really productive. You would see the right winger like Delser slide inside and drag the fullback with her. And then Thompson is acting as if another winger and overloading the opponent's back line. And then they use Manny McGlynn's range of pass instantly now. The, the, the, the, the royals have like entered into the final third with like one singular pass and one single dribble. So they're certainly going to miss her attacking production on that right hand side. And I remember at the end of last year when Utah started their run, it was Yanni Thompson

with I think back-to-back goals that kind of ignited that and her ability to get into the attack quickly. So we'll see. We'll talk a little bit more about this Utah Royals team in the next segment and one more thing to add because we were talking about Gotham. You mentioned Kansas City and I do think it's important to talk about this Kansas City current team talked about or they just got approved for expansion of CPKC Stadium to 18,000 people. Jill, you've been there. Have you been there for a game? I haven't. I will be there next week. Okay, there you go. So you're going to feel what it's like at CPKC when that place is bumping. Now add what, 6,000 more people to it. That is, it is already home field advantage for the current when they are by the river,

but this is going to be another level. Just, you know, another cherry on top of what's going on in NWSL and the limits and the, I would say the ceilings they're breaking with just continuing to build over the entire league. So, all right, let's, you get, you ready to get to the weekend? Let's do it. Deep breath for this one because my goodness, WSL is back, baby, and it was back with a bang. 27 goals scored over the weekend. Late drama, big players showing up and stepping up in moments, and that's exactly what we want to see.

I think at first we want to start with, you were in Los Angeles for this Angel City Orlando game. I think this is one of the big results of the weekend, Angel City, getting back on the right side of the score sheet. with a two to nothing win over Orlando. What did you notice different about this team? Interim head coach, you're going to have to help me with this one, because I haven't talked about him yet with the name.

Leif. Goner Smeyrood. Yeah, exactly what she said. We're just going to go with that. New interim head coach and Angel City, new player up front. They looked like themselves maybe again. Yeah. I think this was a win for Angel City, but a bigger loss for Orlando.

Like they really didn't even look competitive until the 75th minute. Angel City had Orlando under the thumb the entire first half. I thought they had one good, decent opportunity from Luana out of the midfield in the first 10 minutes hit the post. And after that, it was, you know, no goal mouth action for the rest of the first half. I thought Emily Sams was really, really good in this game, her ability to distribute from the back. And look, Angel City was smart. They didn't take any risk through the midfield. They just went over each time.

They've got Svenis Jan started up front that they can look to get in vertically behind. And if the ball falls into the pocket because the first ball wasn't one, they had noose and sentinor in the pocket trying to scrap for second balls. And Ari Borg just resupporting from behind and trying to press forward. And they sustained possession in their attacking third. I thought it was a really good game plan. At times, Sam's was looking for Yon's stuff. She was also looking for the opposite side in Endo as well as Sentinel or the opposite pocket,

which was just a good way to progress through Orlando's defense and attack with more space. And then once they establish their possession higher up, they counterpress, they sustain and prolong their attacks. And that's how they got their first goal. And then the second goal was just really careless from Orlando. And I think from the entirety of the game, Seb Hinds is going to be the most upset about that because it was another set piece that they conceded from. And it was their own attacking throw-in.

And they were in full control of the ball. Ball goes back to To Hafa, and she tries to avoid the pressure of Yon-Sotter, gets her pocket-picked, and then some poor goalkeeping for Morehouse in the end. So I think the question is, is like, what can this Orlando team be without Banda? Because they got hemmed into their defensive third. They're a more conservative defensive team, and then they couldn't break through the counterpress to retain possession and create any kind of sustained attack in their attack. attacking half. And for so long this season, it has been one out ball and we're good. And whether that was,

you know, turning over opponents deep and passing into a Marta back to Angelina to get Banda in behind or just simply one long ball in behind. That's been the game plan. And without that, it was crickets. Which is interesting to me, Jill, because this was the same case last year when Banda went out. And it felt like this team was searching for answers, and they have still yet to find answers without Banda. And what's, I don't know if you have any more insight, if they gave you insight on to Banda's the length of the injury, but it doesn't feel like it's an imminent return for her. And they're kind of being a little bit like there's not really any news about what the injury was. And so I think they're trying to protect this team a little bit and trying to allow them to not

think so much about that Banda injury and when she's going to get back. But to me, if you're not going to have that bite in the attack, you have to have it defensively. And one of the things that set this Orlando team apart for so many years, actually, from when they, when they turned themselves around and they had that incredible season in 2024, it was their defensive presence. It was their, they didn't give up a goal in the last 15 minutes of any game until, what, 24th game of the season, they had a bite about them that said, like, we're not going to get broken down. And if you're not going to have the attack bite, you got to have the defensive bite. And right now it feels like they're lacking a little bit of both.

Agreed. I mean, listen, Kylin DeDanner is a key piece that they're missing. Not just from her defensive, you know, support on the back line, but her mentality, her grit. Having Cariobello back is going to be really big because she kind of has the, that same bit of tenacity, that competitive edge that I feel like Orlando's been missing. But listen, like you reflect back in 24. This was an Orlando team that sat in midblock. We're patient, patient, patient, one long ball, Banda runs in, they get a goal. And then they can rely on that strong defensive presence, right?

Yes. If they get another goal because the opponent is trying to press for their own goal, great. If not, they were happy to just defend one-0 lead. Last year, teams were like, okay, why didn't anyone conform and try to adopt their defensive structure to take away the space and behind? Right. So that's what they did last year. And we saw an evolution of Orlando last season. They became a very cross-centric team, even when they did have Banda. Right? They bring in OVA and they recognize we need to produce more from the wings. And then Banda gets hurt. And then that same mentality of becoming a cross-centriced.

team was what they carried them into the second part of the season. Was it always something that was very productive? No, there were games where they got shelled. Like, I'm just thinking back to that Chicago game, right? But the rotations out wide and then the service to bring it back into, even when they played Seattle in the playoffs, like rotations out wide, clear out the middle, create space, interchange centrally with McCutche and getting into the final third, it was successful for them.

I mean, they took Gothen down to the wire and nearly made it into a championship back-to-back years. This year, that wasn't what occurred the other night without Banda. And it was the first game without her. And they had been, she's just like, you know, break glass in case of emergency type player, where I feel like they were trying to fuse the 24 and their 25 game plans. And then they would get frustrated. And like, hey, there's marriage between. Yeah, there's merit in playing Banda behind.

So, yeah, hopefully they get it together for this weekend against Kansas City. Yeah, big, big game coming up this weekend. So for Angel City, they looked much better. Sveniz Jan's daughter had a really good game in that one. Good to have her back. And we'll see. I think it's just still to be determined with Ali Sentinor in this squad. But good to get the first win after the summer break.

The other big win of the weekend, Jill, was this Chicago team, taken down Utah, breaking a 10 game unbeaten run for the Utah Royals. And I don't know. I didn't, looking into this weekend, I didn't think Chicago had it in them. And I kind of feel like they played with a little bit of that. Like, everybody's counting us out and we have to find a way to find a result. Any big takeaways before I kind of get into some of my thoughts on this one? It's incredible the amount of confidence that this team has when Mouse Watson points.

plays. Right? Just one singular player can change the complete complexion. And I think more than ever, both on the men's side and the women side, we're seeing that. Like even in the World Cup, Norway knows who to set up. Argentina knows who to set up. France knows who to set up, right? And you have that one player that can completely change the game.

I know that's very American of me to say, but it does feel that way is that teams are just prioritizing the entire game plan around. on how can we set up that one single player to be the difference maker? And I think we're also seeing on the women's side, without bandit, without shiwenga in the beginning of the season for Kansas City. And now having Mao Swanson back, like,

makes a difference. Yeah, just such a gravitational pull to Swanson. And so she opens up space for other players. More players step to her in moments when she has the ball. So then maybe a winger on that, it doesn't end up being a goal, but in the second half,

players flood to her in the center of the field. then she pushes it out wide and it's a really good attacking opportunity for Chicago. I would say the Swanson effect is very much playing into this Chicago team feeling confident on the ball. But also, I got to give props to Jordan Hidem up because this is exactly what we have talked about for a long time is her being a in the box threatening type of player. She gets a goal off of really a second wave of a set piece. And then the second one is a set piece too. but she's just what I notice about her movement throughout this game is she continued to keep herself alive in the box. And this is what you need from a number nine. In this, in the first part of the

game plan for the like this first half of the season for Chicago, she would have to come back. And not that she's not going to come back in times and connect the lines and be a little bit more of a creator. But this team, I think with the addition of Swanson, they're going to get into the attacking third a lot more through either a long switch of play or an isolation with Swanson. And she has to be in the box. Yes, both of these goals come off a set piece. But I think that's the type of confidence that you see and you need from a number nine to know, okay, now I'm scoring goals. And the first goal was, I mean, the ball played in kind of makes it easier for Haidema. But there's times where Haidema's not there. And she gets herself there. So I think, kudos to her for getting two goals in this one.

maybe the biggest conversation with this Utah team is, they break the 10 game unbeaten run, Joe, but depth is the biggest factor in this league, in my opinion. And when this Utah team is healthy, when they have Cronin, when they have Real, when they have Tanaka, now they're not going to have Thompson the rest of the season. Those other players will get back.

But when they have them, they can compete. When they don't, the depth of this team, it's hard to get as much out of them as some of the depths of like a spirit or other teams in in this league who can bring players off the bench that should be starting in this league. I think that's why it was so important for Jimmy Coomrots in his game plan early on in the season to stockpile as many points as possible before the summer because one of the things I think that was really productive for them was their press and how good they were in transition. And now it's a summer and it's as hot as the intercourse.

of the earth. So can they press for that long? And if they don't have that depth, do they have to kind of change their game plan? Because they don't have the ability to bring on quality substitutes that can impact change or close out a game. I do think Delzer is looking maybe as lively as we've ever seen her in NWSL. So really a player that they'll need to continue to step up if they get themselves back on the right side of winning here. I had the Boston game on Sunday. And this Boston team is, I don't understand them, to be honest, Jill. I don't, I don't understand. I am trying to analyze this game in the middle of the game. And I'm like, what are they doing? Conrobaalie is a right-sided centerback out of the three centerbacks.

And there's time she's on the left side. Like, how do you analyze that as someone who's trying to pick and figure out what's going on? But the thing that I have noticed is. about the team. And we knew it from the beginning because they have the most fouls, the most yellow cards, all those things. They're going to fight. And they have now gained nine points from a losing position. We can't not talk about them now because of what they've been able to do. I think they're still trying to figure out what's going on up top between Isata Trierre and Amanda Gutierrez and how those two work the best together. The biggest thing that I saw in this game,

I thought it looked even better when they brought Nijemba on, which is more of a player who wants to stretch the back line. But if they're going to play with two up front, those two have to have a duality in the way that they play. If one checks, one needs to stretch or they need to find the space that the other one is creating and they need to occupy that, it still feels like they are stretching for answers in that area.

But as it goes for results over the weekend, super impressed with Boston and how being down twice, they find a way to come back and secure some point. So I had to give them a little bit of love. The last game I think we're going to chat about for this weekend, for last weekend is Sandy, go Gotham. Toted to be like the big game of the weekend, right? Two of the best teams in NDA Bissell, right now, two of the best teams when it comes to possession. But this game

left us longing for a long time of goals, Jill. I know that this is the hardest thing to do in NWSL. But let's just speak about Gotham for a second. This Gotham team at times, do they I'm just going to keep it simple. Do they overcomplicate things when it gets to the final third? Like, why a team with Rose Lavelle, Astaire, Jaden Shaw, I would even go farther back than that. Girl Wrighton on the back line, Jalen Howell, who's added to the attack and can score goals. Why do they not score more goals? You know, I'm curious about the same thing. I think I have to go back and kind of diagnose some more of the issues over the course of the

whole season, but I think sometimes they just get caught trying to walk the ball in the back of the net. And instead of like peppering the opposition with some more opportunities, like they legitimately want to just easily get into the half space, not easily, but find ways through, you know, dizzying opposition with their movements, the rotations, the rondos out wide, they want to get into the half space and just use the inside of their foot to target pass across and use the inside of their foot to one touch slide it passed a goalkeeper. And sometimes I think, and I think that that's a defensive measure. I think that that's a, it's, it's not necessarily the ease and attack, but it's the defensive way to insulate themselves and not get transitioning countered on. And I see both sides of

the coin. I just think that in order for this game plan to be effective, they need to be able to break down oppositions more often and have a higher volume of opportunities because they're just playing it to the wire so close. And it's a high wire act. Sometimes you're going to fall and it's not going to come across, you know. So I think Sam Kerr will certainly help with that. Hopefully for Gotham. Well, when you're talking about just peppering the goal or shooting shots, this would have been the perfect game to do that. Luis Agadello gets, her first start in NWSL, 19 year old coming over from Deportiva Cali in the off season, gets her first start in NWSL against the reigning champions and really looked pretty comfortable

back there. I will say, you know, I'm not a goalkeeper expert, you are. And I don't know if, I don't think you've been able to watch this game back to the way that you would want to. But a little unconventional on the things that she does in moments, just her full. work at times the way she block shots and doesn't give up rebounds but doesn't hold it. And so she oftentimes like pops it right in front of her. And if there are, if there is a team who follows shots and would be a little bit more aggressive in the way that their position inside the box, I think they, this Gotham team could have gotten goals off of rebounds like that.

But I've, I've got to admit, the 19 year old confident in the way that she played got had a big save fairly early. it just got the at least got the ball in her hands. And I think that settled her down, was confident playing the ball out of the back, which if you're playing for San Diego, you have to be another layer of the way that they break down presses and break down a defense from a deep lying position.

Impressed, I would say, for the way that a 19-year-old handled herself in this game, because even though Gotham doesn't get on the board, it's not as if they didn't have chances. And I thought she made a few big saves. And pretty cool. Seeing a player like that come in and get a shutout victory in her first ever end of ESL game.

I did not see that coming in terms of playing her so early. Yeah. But I will say it either did we. We got the lineup like, I don't know, not even an hour before. And we were like, whoa, okay. Well, we got to do a little bit more work on this. because to make sure that we know who she is and all the details about her. Yeah.

But when you think about San Diego as a club, it should really come as no surprise to us that they're willing to play young players. We've seen Mel Barcanas and Kimi O'Scanio and Trinity Armstrong, all these young players come in and not necessarily be thrown in the deep end because I actually don't think that's what has occurred with these young players, but support it and set the standard, support it. and then let them go out there and explore in different minutes. And I think over time, you know, Mel Barcenas is getting minutes here.

She's getting minutes there at the end of games. And now she finally starts this game. I think with Eugenia out, she's ready to make that step into the starting lineup. I think the balance of attacking players that San Diego had on their front line was something to, that was helpful for them. They had that vertical threat, obviously, in Ludmila, Portchio, that invert it forward to create overload centrally. And then Barsanis is that neat and tidy player that can solve tight blocks.

Like Gotham like to play aggressive high line. The space is naturally and behind. So they have a vertical threat. And then if Gotham gets set and settled in their defense, they have Barsanis, who is that player that can be, you know, navigating tight little 2v1s, one B2s actually when she's overloaded and creating space where it really previously didn't exist with a low block.

So I've really enjoyed Mal Barsanis. I think she's a little bit of a wow. card. She doesn't really play with a lot of patterns. It's so unpredictable. She can wiggle away from pressure, nutmeg from impossible angles. And clearly, she's got a knack from shooting from outer space. So that kind of makes sense against a Gotham team for this wave side. It was a different game plan from the wave than we have seen because of how you mentioned the defensive presence of Gotham and how they like to just squeeze and stay really compact in the way that they defend keeping teams in in their own attacking half really gotham's own attacking half this san

nago team said okay well we're going to use luchmila which like they've never used luchmila yet this season and they were pretty direct in the way that they played one of the things that yonis i told us and i mentioned in the broadcast is he they want to layer a little bit more of this in because if you have a player like luchmila you have to be able to utilize her in a moment there's a couple of downsides for that, I think. Lujmila right now does not have the quality in front of net that she needs to have. And that is no secret, I think, to her. She's probably frustrated with her lack of goals that she's had with this group because

she had chances getting in behind that space for Gotham. So can she increase that and get a little bit better in those moments when she is wide open in space and behind? But two, if you are going to be a little bit more direct in those times, especially when they won the ball back. And then they go really two passes. It was like either through Asconio or through Dali and they find, they find Luchmila, no one on this team can keep up with her.

So if she does get to an advanced position and needs a cross, it is across to no one. Or it's not that it's not, okay, now we've gotten to the attack. I would say into the second half, it got a little bit better where she would recycle the ball and then they would get players into more attacking positions. But this is not the style of San Diego. And so how do they marry the two of saying, okay, if it is on, we will play Lujmila, but that's not going to be on all the time. So she has to make that run, but then we have to play in underneath. I, this dougenia

injury is, is so hard because they utilize their left side. so well. They like to overload the right, isolate on the left. And I don't know if it was just Porchio playing against her former team and didn't look confident on the ball in those isolations. Or you kind of just said it. She likes to invert and play inside. I don't think she's an isolation type player. So who can you pick out from your group that can play that role? I was a little shocked that Leah Godfrey maybe didn't get the shout. I don't know. know if she is the isolation type player, but she's just been so confident on the ball when she has gotten it. So could she at least isolate hold up and allow Pearl Moroni to get into the attack

a little bit better or Gia Corley then to come over? And you don't even have to isolate them. Then you can create the overload there and isolate with Barsenis on the other side. It doesn't quite look like they have figured out what they're going to do on that left side. And they have a player like Audraina Leone, I know is back healthy. Could she be that player in the channel? I'm not quite sure, but didn't feel like the answers were there yet for San Diego. They didn't use this break to, I don't know, to figure out who that player was going to be or how to adapt their game to maybe not always isolate on that side or maybe not always

because it did feel like Portillo was on an island at times when she got the ball. Yeah. Well, I do think that this San Diego team has been adaptable in the way that they want to play with personality. So it'll be interesting to see how your own side of all solves that issue. Yeah, absolutely. And he will have a chance because even though we're calling this like the half, it was the halfway point. It's really not. There are so many more games in this second part of season.

Some teams had 19 games. I can't. It was like 19 to 17 games for all the teams. So there is a, there are a lot of points. to be had in this second part of the season. I know I mentioned at the top of the weekend update is big name players showing up in big moments. I think the only other one that comes to mind is Trinity Rodman getting a brace in the waning

seconds of this game to get three points for the spirit at home. This spirit team against Houston looked by far at the better team. Houston didn't look like they. had shown up to play, which was interesting to me because even though it was a really hot game, it's not as if Houston isn't used to playing in the heat. And so that in that they couldn't kind of imprint their game plan on a spirit team in that regard of kind of their high press. And when they win the ball back, I thought the spirit controlled the tempo of this game. They sat a little bit deeper. They let Houston come out. And then they picked pick and chose the

moments that they were going to go press. And really impressed by. Adrienne Gonzalez and the way that he kind of manipulates his game plan in order to not just meet the occasion on the other side and what the opponent is probably going to present, but the elements who they have available and, yeah, some really good performances in this one for the spirit, including Trinity Rodman, with a brace. So can't not talk about that really quickly. All right. You ready to talk? Go ahead. Also, Ashley Sanchez. She had a braces for as well. Her goal scoring continue, her goal scoring form continues.

And I think that's going to be really important because we lost Monaca. We, we did. We did. I feel like I lost her, to be honest. I wrote on Chelsea's. I wrote on Chelsea's announcement, you got a good one. Yeah, seriously. I'm just like so sad about it.

Yeah. I had heard that transfer news maybe a little bit earlier. And so I was on a Monaca watch. Like, I just didn't want to believe it because we did lose her. But she's on to great things and new challenges and certainly happy for her. But North Carolina is definitely you saw struggle a little bit this weekend without her and grew into the game. But credit to Seattle, I really do want to give credit to Seattle because I think that first half is the best first half of football I've seen from them, like all season, certainly in recent memory. The way that they had a very specific game plan, they were trying to break down North Carolina certain areas.

and that game playing came to fruition in the first half. And it was a careless giveaway in the middle of the pitch that opened the door from North Carolina back into the game. And they really didn't have a response from them on. But the bright looking signs, a little bit more optimistic for the Seattle rain team in the attack this weekend. Okay, well, let's talk about that North Carolina team because they play Washington Spirit this weekend. A big matchup. And it's at North Carolina. the spirit seemed to be rolling.

And when you look at this matchup, Jill, North Carolina versus the Washington spirit, what did you see from North Carolina when things were going right that they're going to have to do against the spirit come this weekend? That's a Saturday night ion game, correct? Saturday, yes. Yeah, I think it's going to be important for them to break through the spirit's defensive line. Who is that? Is that Becker trying to chat with us? Yeah, it's Becker.

He's sad. He's out of the. It's a she, but Becker is out of the World Cup, so a little sad there. This Becker just really wants to go to the beach. She likes to beach. Well, first, I think for North Carolina, two things. They have to be able to build through the spirits' defensive lines. And we've seen Riley Jackson be a little bit higher and receiving progressive passes

rather than playing those progressive passes. So it'll be interesting to me to see her positioning. and if she drops a little bit deeper to help in the builder stays higher to receive those through passes, I think also in the midfield, they have to contend with Lacey Santos because I just think Lacey, everything flows to and through her. Like she's the spice to the sauce in Washington. And anytime she gets facing forward with time on the ball, she can play those through passes in behind for Trinity, which we saw to her first goal.

But she can also play those little clip balls into the back post, those little dink passes. She can play a good through ball. I think North Carolina will be interesting to see if they slide Jackson down to be almost like a double pivot defensively with Shinomi because Spirit like to have Cantori running back into the midfield. Lacey Santos, like just on the outside, the exterior of the opponent's midfield. So that'll be interesting match up for me.

What was the change for when with Monaca being gone? who came in for North Carolina this weekend. It was Carly Wickenheiser. Yeah. Which when you lose a player like Monaca, you can't go like for like, right? Like you can't, there's no other player on the earth that can do what Monaca can do. And so I think it has to be a little bit of divvying up the responsibilities amongst players or trying to bring in maybe two players into your roster in this next window to reconfigure the midfield without,

But yeah, it'll be interesting to see if they pick up anybody else. I know they picked up Erica Meg Parkinson, the young English talent. So it would be curious to see how she does in this midfield. Yeah, absolutely. Kudos to our producer Douglas. He's a spirit fan. He's going to be going to that game in Raleigh. So you got to be loud there, Douglas.

Make sure that you represent the Spirit Squadron. Like you have to. Yeah, interesting one, North Carolina versus the, Washington spirit. That one's on Saturday. And then on Sunday, we have Cascadia rivalry. Again, Jill, do you think it's going to be as wild as the first one? Okay, hold on. Whoa. I am blown away with, I mean, obviously racing had to play a little bit with their hands behind their backs this weekend without Taylor Flint, without Aaron Wright, on the road at Providence Park. But wow, Portland looked really good. So good. They were like, okay, well, we're not even going to

try to play through the press because we know that racing is a great team without the ball we're not doing that okay we are going to get in the space behind malay we're going to play line breaking passes into the front line and we're going to go from there and you know we highlighted it from the outset is like this portland thorn team is a great team in space like when their attackers get space well they can be really threatening right and we saw that um we saw that in sophia smith goal uh assist to rayland turner It was off of a throw-in, but Wilson drifts out wide, plays a one-time ball in behind for Raylan Turner, who's just like loitering on the back post, which was amazing. And then to their fourth goal as well, just like a little combination between Tordin and Wilson.

And then Sophia Wilson is one of the best finishers in the world. So the game plan was good. The game plan was so good. Tordon, Wilson, Turner, Moultrie. Oh, my gosh. It's one of the best attacks in NWSL. and just the way that they're clicking, and it is going to look significantly different this weekend in Seattle versus Seattle, because Seattle is not going to give them space in behind.

They are not going to stretch. They are not going to high press. They are not going to do any of the things that racing did. I don't also think that they need to get to Seattle. You don't need to get two red cards and be down to players and still win the game. We don't need it. We don't need it. Will we take it?

Yeah, of course, we will. But you don't need to do it. I still think with the compactness of Seattle's defense, how it can be in moments, and, you know, it's all game stakes in what happens in certain situations. But I am really, I still would take this front for in tight scenarios with mulchery facilitating. And then I think it's also mulchry breaking the back line. Like she's done that time and time and time again. She plays that 10, but she wants to connect in the pocket,

but she wants to get in behind the back line. And she can do it in tight spaces in the attacking third. It's a lot to handle. And the Seattle team is going to have to really be aware of the rotations with that centrally, but also just not give this Portland team the space that they want to facilitate in. Well, it'll be interesting because Seattle do like to press. I think that they're actually. one of the teams with the highest lines of confrontation in the league.

And so I think that Portland want them to press because they want, obviously they want to get into the space behind. But I think they use their wide players really cleverly in terms of like creating. No, Portland. Portland. They use their wide players really cleverly and deep. So Mueller, maybe Fleming Slice. across, the winger drops down, they just want to create a conflict for the opposition's winger, all of it with the end goal of like drawing them over there to find the spare player.

And when the spare player has time and space, getting their head up to play that longer pass, whether it's Maltry in the pocket or Wilson in behind. So it'll be curious to see if Seattle bring that line up. Yeah, because they definitely want to get pressure on like if Jaden Perry plays because she has that long diagonal. She has that long range of pass. They don't want that space in behind. But yeah, they've got to contend with the balance of their press, I think. Totally. And maybe that is something that they learned from this last game is just pick and choose the times that you do go in press Portland, because if you don't get it right, they clearly have now figured out that

option of, all right, we can beat you in these transition moments with players in the channel. It should be interesting. And Angel City's playing San Diego this weekend. There's a lot of good matchups to come a little bit of a preview of some rivalries, I would say, which all comes to ahead. I think next Wednesday when Gotham plays the Spirit at City Field and a big rivalry there. And I think that's called the, I can't remember what the name of that match is. Douglas will know, What's the name of the match in the Queens. Queens Classic.

Queens Classic. So are they getting crowns if they win? Or what's the, I don't know, is there a prize? Three points and a crown. Yeah. Yeah, it should be a really, really interesting weekend. And Becker, we hear you, and you know what? It's time to go to the beach, buddy.

It is time to go to the beach. Jill, thank you so much. It's always a joy to talk NWSL with you and really break these things down. You guys so much to come this weekend. Make sure you tune in and come back next week for another episode of Soccerwise. For Jill, I'm Jordan. That's it. We'll see you guys next week.