SoccerWise - NWSL Soccerwise | Vlatko Andonovski Out in KC, Playoff Race Heats Up

Episode Date: September 8, 2026

Jordan Angeli and Jill Loyden are back to breakdown a wild, long weekend in the NWSL. They dive into Vlatko Andonovski’s departure from Kansas City and Jameese Joseph’s move to Utah to Ashley Sanchez’s historic run and Denver’s statement win over Gotham. The race for the playoffs is tighter than ever as they recap the weekend’s biggest results and look ahead to another huge slate of games with playoff positioning on the line.0:00 Intro3:22 Vlatko & KC Part Ways11:18 Jameese Joseph to Utah22:46 Denver Stuns Gotham26:19 The Ashley Sanchez Show31:46 Orland’s First Win Under Yolanda Thomas38:20 Four Huge NWSL Games This WeekendFor the sharpest coverage of American soccer, we’ve got you covered:https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq

Welcome everybody to soccer-wise. Looks a little different this week. Our head poncho, David Goss, is actually down in Peru. I think he was going to do the Inca Trail, Jill, which is so cool going up to Machapichu. But it is Jordan Angelie alongside Jill Lloyden, your other two favorite people. So Jill, thanks for joining me today. Oh, you know, this is my favorite time of the year. It's like Christmas. Like, you're just anticipating the end of the season. Yes. There is a lot of of the anticipation for sure. Especially right now, it's so much teams just clogged up in the middle of the pack right now. It really could be like each week, every game is so important. All the people that you're expecting to win in these games are not winning. And then the people that are winning, you're like, okay, are you going to make a push for a playoff spot?

I feel like there has been times where we're like, all right, these six are set. And there's no way they're not making playoffs. And now we're scratching our heads. Be like, this is a weird, this is a weird year in NWSL. And maybe it's because it's off of back-to-back years where it has been two very dominant teams. And we're used to maybe skewing a little bit to their dominance and talking so much about their dominance that we miss the like clogged table aspect of it as well. But this year, it doesn't feel like there's a real dominant team. And everybody, it feels like so many teams have a chance, which is pretty fun.

If you're a viewer, I love, you know, I agree with you. And the thing that I think I'm enjoying the most about this season is it's been a challenge for me to just personally, it's been a challenge to enjoy the game in different ways in terms of, you know, I think for a long time. Like, you know, we played for the U.S. And so there was one way to play. And it was like the dominant way. It was like you own the ball. You press and you basically impose. your will on everyone else, right? And I think what I'm really starting to appreciate about the game is there's

so many different ways to play it, even if you are the dominant team, even if you do have, you know, the better players on paper, you can still play like underdog football and you can still figure out ways to control the game in different ways. It doesn't necessarily have to be just with the ball. There's other ways to control games as well. And I think that we're seeing teams. be malleable and also flexible, but just also just so many different ways that can be any team on any day, which I think has been really fun. Yeah, it has been so much fun. And to watch, it feels like NWSL evolve in that way too, right? To bring in all these different, I think it's players, I think it's coaches. I think it's the willingness to adapt from those players and

coaches, too, to try to find something that works. When you're saying that, I think of that Utah result over the weekend, right? This Utah team is a very, like, we're going to impose our will on you. And Boston's like, all right, we're just going to go around it. And you know, and you maybe wouldn't expect that from Boston being a team that actually really does value the ball a lot, but they score goals from quick transitions off of that one. So a lot to talk about over the weekend and some really big news to hit before we get to those games because I think we got to start off, Jill.

with Vlako and Ninovsky and Kansas City current parting ways. If you thought it was shocking at the end of last year when Vlako and Anovsky stepped away from the head coaching job for the current, well, you're going to be even more shocked when you hear this news that these two parted ways. And the press release, Jill, was, yeah, you're shaking your head because it was, to me, felt a little petty. Yeah. And rude for all that Vlako Andanovski has done with that team, that organization, this, this league, he has been a builder of this league. And to not give him any sort of kudos for all the things that he's done, I was really disappointed in that.

Not the right fit. I mean, that's tough. I mean, he basically built that from the ground up, like with players and his ability to have. these fantastic relationships, his ability to spot talent, scout talent, make that talent better. I mean, we, we've seen players on the cusp of, like, breaking out, like a Lola Banta. Who was Lola Banta before Vlako Andanovsky, right? And then he sees this talent, has these great relationships, and really helps people break through. And, like, now every person knows who Lola Banta is.

Outside of just, obviously, the celebration part, but, like, her play is so important and integral to the way that the Kansas City current play. Izzy Rodriguez, like there's been a resurgence for Rocky Rodriguez even, you know, like all these players. And I think the outpouring of love from the players on social media, it just goes to show how much they appreciate him and love him. And I'm going to be really sad if he doesn't find a home in the NWSL because I think he's one of the greatest managers in women's soccer in our country,

like whether it's, you know, the national team or obviously. that that didn't work out how to had everyone planned. But a big part of our national team success is his contributions to players in the league. And, you know, rising tide raises all ships. And when one team is the outlier in terms of how good they are, everyone else has to adapt and get better as well. And so in so many ways, he has really helped our country and women's football in our country. And yeah, I really hope you land somewhere in the end of his own. You mentioned the players outpouring. Claire Hutton said, Blacko, you deserve all the flowers. for Michelle Cooper, she basically listed every single accolade that he helped them set.

And for Lo Labanta, she said, you set a standard for staff and players. The records we broke are now the expectations for this club. And all the players, what they're outpouring and their support for him really shows you his true character. And just on a personal level, you know, Jill, you and I have gotten to know Black Kowiananovsky and have the privilege. And I will say privilege of being able to talk with him and hear his story. Sometimes he gets into these stories and it is just a joy to hear him tell the stories, but also his love for this game, his love for the people around him, I kind of get emotional because my career didn't go how I thought it was going to be.

And when I was at Washington, he was doing everything he could to get me traded to Kansas City. And the way he talked about me as a player who, you know, I felt really broken and he still saw something in me. And, you know, that makes me emotional because people like that who believe in you, even when things don't seem to be going your way, are really, really special people. And so it's sad. It's really sad for me. And I'm sure all the players feel that way, too. He's still, to this day, will tell me, like, man, I wish I got to coach you. And that's a really special thing to have from a person who's really gotten to do so much. So, yeah, just bummed for him. But you mentioned it, Jill. And sorry about the emotions, you guys. That's just

kind of who, kind of who I am. You mentioned that you hope he lands on his feet. And I feel like, ooh, if you're some of these clubs right now, Chicago, Columbus, Atlanta, where do you think a good landing spot for him would be? If that is something that, I mean, we're just, we're just speculating here. Like, we have no idea if he even wants to pursue this, but it does feel like there are options right now in a plethora of ways that there haven't been in a while. Yeah, I think I love sports. I love football, obviously, but I love sports in general, and I can appreciate a talented player. I can appreciate, you know, Simone Biles and her talent in the gym space, right? But what I love about athletes is they marry the performance and the

character piece and Blacko has that right and people want that people want to be around that people that is a magnet to a lot of people's hearts right and anywhere he goes he's going to be able to draw some the best talented players in the world I personally would love to see him in Chicago because that that organization needs a facelift and more than a facelift yeah it needs like a full demolition ground up tear down the studs everything, renovation. Kind of like what Kansas City was like when he got there. Exactly.

It took the words out of my mouth. And I think that if anything could help that organization, it could be a person like him because, first of all, you know he's going to bring in a great coach. If he's going to be a sporting director role, if he was a coach, there was going to be a great coach in any organization

that Blacko is in, whether it's himself or someone else. and players want to improve. Players want to enjoy them experience. Players want to be treated well. Chicago is a great place. I mean, people love that city. Yeah.

And there's, I'm sure, plethora of reasons that you would want to go there if Black O'Andanofsky is the one in charge. And I think that that is something that would be a smart piece of business to pay whatever price tag is on him to completely try. transform that club. It's interesting that you think Chicago, because I think that that is the bigger

of the challenges. Yeah. Compared to the other ones. And Blackco has never backed away from a challenge. He has been a coach that has stepped up into big shoes, like going in to be the national team coach with all the expectations on your back. He's like, all right, I can do this, you know? And he has not, going into Kansas City, he has stepped up and said, all right, I believe that we can turn this around and We can do great things regardless of where a club is. So I do think Chicago, but I think it would be fun, too, to watch him build from scratch and watch him work in a Columbus or in an Atlanta and launch a team from the jump the way that you would imagine him to be able to do.

So we'll see. We'll see what happens. But more than anything, Laco, just thank you. Thank you for everything that you've done in this league. And thank you for one of the best seasons we've ever seen, one of the most exciting brands of football we've ever seen in moments. And just thank you for just being so kind to everybody and treating us with a lot of respect when we get to chat with you.

So we wish you all the best with whatever comes next. And we hope it's big things. All right. So there is a lot of other. news that was happening. The deadline for the the deadline for the trade window was the transfer window was last night. So we were recording this on Tuesday, September 8th, the transfer window just closed. There is still, you can still trade within clubs in NWS. I don't think roster freeze happens until October, I want to say. Yeah, mid-October, I think. Yeah. So there still could be

movement within teams until then. But we saw a couple of really big moves before this transfer window closed. One, Annamore House was loaned to Manchester City. And this is, I think, interesting in a couple of ways. It has been difficult for this Orlando Pride team over the last few months. You guys talked about last week, Sub Hines, departing the club. And just a little bit of the rocky road that they have had over the last few weeks with a lot of that pressure being on Anna Morehouse and goal. And she finds herself back in England playing for Manchester City. Now, Jill, I haven't dug into this enough. And I don't know the goalkeeping lineup for Manchester City. But this is a massive move for her in front of a World Cup next year. Is she going to be the number

one at City, I think they have multiple high class goalkeepers. And it feels like a head scratcher for me for a player who wants to be on that English national team next season. You know, I think they have actually, Man City has one of the best goalkeepers in the Super League in Yamashita, who was fantastic for them last year. I don't know if they've experienced injuries. Kiar Keating was there as well. I haven't checked their roster to see if there was an injury or if if keeping left, but I don't see Morehouse going there to be the number one. I think that this was a move that we don't know. We don't know if it was in the works before Morchet took over.

We don't know if Morchay got the job and then Morehouse wanted to leave and go back. We have no idea at all speculation, but I don't really foresee her going over there to be the number one unless there was a injury or a last minute departure. Yeah. And so it feels just a little strange to me for Morehouse because the World Cup is next year. And if you want to be one of those goalkeepers on the English team, I would imagine that's part of this decision in some regards. Our producer Douglas is saying that Keeney is at Liverpool now. So we'll see. We'll see what happens with Morehouse, but that does leave this Orlando team's goalkeeping union a little less deep. But we'll talk about more she and how she's been doing when we get to the last weekend's matches in a little bit.

So that's a big move from NWSL out to the WSL, which just started last weekend. And then one of the other big moves. So we're talking big money here, Jill, is Jemise Joseph. listed as excused absence for Chicago's game on Sunday was traded to the Utah Royals for I believe the number was $750,000. Whoa, Mama, that's a lot of dough. I do think the Royals potentially had some money that was going to expire at the end of the year, so maybe they could boost that number and get it to where Chicago felt good with

it. It's great, it's great work for both of these teams. I think for Chicago, that's a lot of money. you hope that they use that to bolster a team that is in desperate need of some positivity right now. But for Jamis Joseph and for this Utah Royals team, Joe, what does this add to what they're doing? And do you like this move? I love this move. I think that I'm really high on James Joseph.

I think she is a fantastic player that doesn't get enough support at, you know, the Chicago stars, and I think we have to show a lot of grace for anybody who is playing in Chicago because not many people look great there right now, and it's been a really difficult few seasons, so many different coaches, so many different voices, so many different instructions. But there's a player in there. And I think she is a very direct, can be an expressive winger off of the dribble, can be great in transition, good in isolation. Defensively, she can put in a shift.

She's really gritty. and we saw that under Ella Masser specifically contributing on the defensive side of the ball. And she can really help you to have a little bit more depth in those positions out wide. I mean, Jimmy Kumross is getting the best from his wide players at the moment. And Chloe the cast, who has, I don't, off the top of my head, I think she has like 10. 10 assists. 10 assists. I think she has 10 assists, yeah. A plethora of goal contributions.

And even a player like Paige Cronin, who was kind of like, a journey woman in this league. I mean, she looks fantastic in their system. They have a clear identity system and strategy. And I think Jamies is going to be able to help that Utah team. 10 assists and seven goals for Chloe Lacass. It's been quite the year for her. And it does speak to, it kind of goes back to what you were just talking about, Joe,

with Vacco Maninovsky and players wanting to improve. And it does feel like there has been some stagnation in Chicago. because it has been a merry-go-round. And that's not an exaggeration, a merry-go-round of coaches for them, six coaches in the last handful of years. It has been in-and-out. There's no real, even with the coaches that they've brought in, there's no real common thread on how they want to play.

So every single coach is asking different things. And if you're a player, you're trying to drink out of a fire hose. And we actually had this conversation briefly, briefly when we heard this Jimmy's Joseph news was dropping. We had it in our little kitchen down at Vista. You were about to call the Orlando game. I was about to call the late night Seattle game. And I was like, I don't know.

I don't know about this. And I think you make a really good point is it's difficult to perform when everything around you feels like it's just like Chicago's running through mud right now. And they're just trying to get out of the quick sand. And I think the thing that is hard for me when I watch Chicago, And specifically, Jemis Joseph, I think there's times where she can spark and attack in ways that we have normally seen her spark and attack. And she hasn't. That little bit of, okay, we lost the ball.

Can I get you transition quick and utilize my pace in that moment to regain the ball or create a turnover? Those things that seem to come easy when the going is easy are not quite there when the going has been tough. But the grace, I think, is maybe extending a little bit of that right now. she clearly has the ability and has shown that not only in NWSL, but also with her call-ups to the national team. I'm just curious that this is a pretty stacked front line for Utah. And maybe that is what Kunats wants, is he wants some competition in there and maybe some variability

because he has been playing Delser out wide on the right. Right now, Paige Cronin can play out on the right. Now Jemis Joseph, you have Chloe LaCasse. if you want two stretch wingers, you now have that in Lacasse and Joseph, right? Different players than a Delzer or a Cronin in that regard or even a Brecken Mazingo. But it's a good move for Utah. And it has been a little bit of a rocky run. Utah was kind of climbing, climbing, climbing, and now up and down as of recently.

So maybe this gives them that little boost to win games that they need to win, like, the one over the weekend that they ended up losing. I also think when it comes to Jemise is like for Chicago there hasn't been a goal scoring threat. There hasn't been a goal scoring threat in the striker position. And so anytime that she gets the ball in transition, opponents know that they don't have a goal scoring threat right in Chicago. So they can. Yeah, they can just collapse more numbers onto her and take more risk and try to win the ball off of her. Because who is Jemis going to play it to? Even though she has that in her back pocket, I mean, there was times last year where she would

connecting with Lujmila. Even Ali Schlegel, I thought she connected with well. And obviously when Mal's in the game, that's the player that she has great combination with. And we saw that last week against. Yeah. That was like one of my favorite goals to watch. Me too. Because, yeah, because Mal's like, yeah, Mow's like dribbling down the field.

I think it was against racing. And then she just like passes the ball to Jemise and she points. She says shoot it. Yeah. And she's like conducting. the entire thing from their own half. I just, I love that. But yeah, I'm excited to see what she can do with that. And obviously, other people see the talent that she has as well. Like, she's been in with the U-23s and, um, yep. And she's a wonderful human being. So very, very coachable, very,

very easy to give instruction to. And she's like super hungry to learn and grow and get better. So I'm very excited for her. Love that inside knowledge from Jill Lloyd. And you always know a little bit more about these players. So I like it. I like it. Well, that'll be interesting to see how she fits into Utah and see if she can help Utah press during these last few games of the season. The last little bit of news that we have is the Ball and Door list has dropped. And there are three players from NWSL on it, which I feel like is a good step in the right direction because a lot of the times it is not the case here. Barbara Banda, Temwishuenga, and Roosevelt all make that first short list there for the ball on door. Feels good. Do you feel like there's any snuffs? Like anybody that should be

on that list? That isn't from this last year? Because it's basically like a calendar year from now, right? Yeah. I don't know. Maybe I'm just out there and maybe I'm just like a sonnet stand. But I just think that Emily Sondon is one of the best centerbacks in the world. And unfortunately, injured right now, but her contributions last year to Gotham, one of the better defensive teams this year at Gotham, like, I just, I just surprised that we didn't see her name on the list. I like that. I like that. She was my defender of the year at the beginning of the year when we were predicting things and just bummed that that happened. So wishing her the best and hope that recovery is start off good and is going well. All right, that's a lot of news. We just

talked about news for 22 minutes, Jill. And we haven't really got any of the other transfers out of happen. And there are some rumors about other things going on. So maybe we'll start with one of the teams. We won't dig too much into this game. But I think the biggest result over the weekend has to be the Denver, Denver Summit versus the Gotham game, where the summit beat Gotham three to nothing. They shut out the raining shield holders right now. The team in, sorry, not rain. the team that's in first place. They score three goals on AKB. I have not been able,

both Jill and I were on calls that were right before or on games that were right after this game. So we have not been able to watch this game in full. But when you talk about the goals were great. Olivia Thomas utilizing, I think just you know what I like about some of these rookies that we've been able to see? And I would put Michaela Johnson.

in that category, even though she's not a rookie. I'm trying to think of another player that probably fits this. I think Dudley fits this in moments too is there's a real just like, try to stop me mentality about them. Like I don't really, I don't really know who you are as a defender and I don't really care. I'm going to go after you and you're going to have to stop me. And I think this Thomas goal was exactly that where she ends up meging Emily Sonet, or sorry, Emily Sonet, Tierna Davidson, with the shot. there. We had a son-it on my mind after we were talking about that. And so really good goals from Denver and a massive result at home for a team who is pushing for one of those playoff spots.

It feels like Denver's really started to come on as of late that Lindsay Heaps has added a psychological burst to this team or more belief. And Janine Sonis obviously has been phenomenal for Denver. season long and her goal contributions from left back position, which feels like a very relevant position sometimes. But yes, and to your point to add on Olivia Thomas is, I was on her TST team last year, and this seems really silly, but I don't think I've faced a shot as hard as hers in my career. Like her and probably like Lauren Cheney, and maybe Megan Rapino's like deception, but

like her pace that she can hit a ball, like it breaks your neck because you're like looking back to get in the back of the back of the back of the right it's not even hitting your hand so you're like yeah it's not a coincidence that she scores in back to back games because she's a player that needs that little bit of confidence and yeah and i said it after she scored the first goal was like okay like there's a there and we're going to see a lot more from her now so yeah i think she's important too on that Denver team to add like a vertical threat on the on the back line because they have so many players that are good in front of teams not wide that you have that little vertical threat now you've got more ability to play in the pocket as well, get more runners in the box to get on

the end of crosses. I think that she adds an important element to the Denver summit. Yeah. And there does seem to be some variability and a belief in this group. Expansion is difficult, and we've talked about that. I think we saw Boston have a little bit of a bump and start to find themselves a few weeks ago. Now they're trying to find their way again, but you start to see these teams come together at this point of the year. You've finally played a couple handfuls of games together, and you understand what each player wants and how to get the most out of each other.

And I think we're seeing that right now with the summit. Big result for them, three to nothing against Gotham. One of the other big wins was this North Carolina win against Chicago. And we won't dive into it too deeply because poor Chicago. because poor Chicago. It is hard to watch. Times are tough. Times are tough.

But the thing I want to chat about for North Carolina is the Sanchez show. Ashley Sanchez, with her first ever career hat trick, her sixth multi, or her fifth multi-goal game this year, she's had, no, she's had five braces and now her first hat trick. She never had a multi-game goal game before this season. She had 19 goals in her past seasons in NWSL. She has 18 goals this year. She is now the American with the most ever goals in one season. And at the beginning of the year, when Mackland told us that she was going to score 20 goals, everybody said, okay, all right.

But man, he believed in her. And that belief, you know, I spoke about it earlier with vodka, that belief for Sanchez has unlocked the potential we've all known was there, Jill. It has been a joy to watch her and to see her in this position where she can absolutely thrive. And she puts a hat trick and one of the goals she scored with her head. I know. What a guest. Yeah, I mean, she's unplayable at the moment. Everything just looks so effortless and full.

of grace and poise. And I just admire so much about like a resurgence in a career after she's been in this league for so long and like toward the back half of her career probably now as a professional. And just seeing her thrive has been just such a joy to watch. And she's a threat on the field no matter where the ball is. I think I don't know the answer to this, but I would love to know where the assists have come from because we've seen Kailen Sheridan provide an assist. We've seen Ryan Williams provide an assist, Riley Jackson provide an assist. And no matter where the ball is on the field, she's creating some kind of goal scoring threat from that situation, whether she's getting behind defenses. And I really, one of the things I love so much about her is

that when she picks up the ball out wide, her teammates know how to collaborate with her to create the space that she needs to get into. But anytime she has this like uncanny way of moving her body to receive facing forward and she dribbles, she dribbles with her like chest up and she dribbles diagonally at opponents. And it gives her a full range of outcomes. Like she can go to the end line and cut it across. She can go inside and look to score. And like as opponents, you know it's coming, right?

Like defenders are trying so hard to force her to the end line. And she's still adamant about coming inside and EJ's presence next to her to occupy the centerbacks and give her more time to get her shot into the back post or through legs or cut back to the near post. I mean, it's just it is it's fun. It looks like they're out on the playground, like playing, you know, combinations through mannequins and just scoring goals for fun. And like, it's much much. ringing the bell to come in and they're like, no, we're still out here playing. We need more goals. Four is not enough. We need six. We'll be in after the lights come on, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's been really fun. It is must watch right now with Sanchez. And we, a couple of things.

We got to talk with her at half time. And I asked, like, how do you get yourself in more, more goal-scoring situation? She's like, right now I'm kind of the dummy. And Erica Meg is picking up the ball. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay with being the dummy. And I loved that unselfishness for her, too, because I think Erica Meg provides that for her. Those two have now, gosh, it doesn't feel like it's taken that long for Erica Meg to really, like, graft her way into this team and really be like that key linchpin in the middle that helps them create because everybody was like, what's going to happen without Monaca? Well, wow, they found an incredible player in Erica meg.

I love the combination that those two have where they pull space and occupy the space for them, or pull players to then create space for one another. And then to your point about the assist, in this game specifically, it was Ocifor who created on the first one, but I don't think anybody will get the assist because it was a shot deflection that then Sanchez put in. Then she had a penalty, and then it was Williams, who provided the last assist for Sanchez.

this team has really it's not the test that you probably would want defensively because they have some key players out, Macy Bell out with that shoulder injury, Natalie Jacobs still out with a head injury, which was such a bummer when those two were together in the back line. And everybody else that was healthy for this team, you were thinking, man, watch out. North Carolina is going to be hard to be. And I still think they will be, but this will be an interesting next match. And we'll get to that in a little bit to see how they play this next weekend. A couple other big results.

Angel City beats racing Louisville in what was a difficult game to watch until the very end. And then Angel City, of course, Evelyn Shores scores a brace as an outside back. Go ahead, girl. They figure that one out. I love it. I love that. That was such a massive win there, too, for Angel City, as they're just floating in and around that playoff spot,

knowing that those are points that they have to pick up. One more quick note, Seattle beats San Diego, one to nothing. San Diego was down a player for 77 minutes. Jill, I was on the call for this one. San Diego did not change the way that they played. They looked so good. It was just that final piece really couldn't challenge Claudia Dickey like you would want to,

but they were very close to getting, that one-to-one draw. But Seattle pulls it off, and those are the type of wins that Seattle has been having where they're not playing the best and they're figuring out a way to win. And that makes you smell a playoff team, absolutely. And then the last one is a game that you were on. Orlando beat Houston 3 to 1. Yolanda Thomas first win for her.

And it was an emphatic win. And you were on the call for this one. Did Orlando look like they got a little boost from this? Or did they look back to themselves? What was your takeaway from Orlando? I think that they would have won this game if Seb was there or Yolanda was there, but there was a lot of enthusiasm and there was a lot of optimism from the staff, from the players. You know, we kept showing the sidelines and Yolanda Thomas excited, you know, on the sideline,

bring a lot of energy, good vibes. The vibes seem really good. But I do believe that even if Seb Hines was there, they still would have handled Houston. I didn't think Houston provided much attacking threat. I thought there were some really awkward decisions made in the back line with Paige Nielsen playing at right back and Avery Patterson moving to the left side. And, you know, if you're going to put Paige Nielsen in the back line against any team,

it would be against Orlando to deal with, you know, the influence of Banda. I mean, Paige Nielsen's been there, done that, got the T-shirt many times, And I did think that was a weird decision. Fabrice didn't give us any insight on why. And I really don't understand why he would do that. But he has his reasons. And I don't, I think that Barbara Banda made Hammondon very uncomfortable. Clinky was uncomfortable with dealing with Banda.

And that's one of Banda skill sets, like one of her positive upsides, is she induces and incites chaos. and hasty decisions. And we saw Clinky commit the foul against Summer Gates to draw the pen. And Orlando looked back to their old selves. And when Yolanda Thomas got the job, we talked about it last week on the podcast, is how are they going to play? And it was to a T how this Orlando team can play. They high press from static ball situations to try to condense all the lines and keep players closer to Banda in transition.

When Houston won the ball, they sat back and they were very, selective of when they decided to instigate the press. They sat back. They defended their box really well, numbers behind the ball. And I think the move of OVAe into the center of the pitch is really helpful for them because when they brought OVAe to this team, it was an Orlando team that was trying to evolve, right? It was trying to be more than just transitional. They wanted to have more possession. They wanted to add being able to break down low blocks and force teams into their defensive third. But the thing is, is that when you bring in a player with like a Valle, she's not necessarily a great transitional player, you need possession, you need to hem in your

opponents, you need to counterpress, you need to have a good rest defense structure, right? And I just don't think they ever had the centerbacks to be able to manage that this season with Emily Sam's gone. You need players that can manage those situations in underloaded situations, stepping aggressive and sweeping in behind and have the athleticism to run back in defense. those counterattack situations, but I just don't think they had. And now you put her in the middle, and now she can thread those through balls from in transition moments, and they can utilize her skill set a little bit better because that's what they're going to have to rely on.

They're going to have to rely on being good in transition, running at players off of the dribble, committing players, playing in behind. And I think they executed their game panfallously. Yeah. I had Orlando a couple of weeks ago when they played, they beat Washington on the road. And before the game, I did a little package on Ovae playing centrally and how she's popping up now so much more. And when you bring a player like that in, I think it was, gosh, the price for her was close to 900,000, right, to bring her into this league. And you want that player on the ball. And you

want to get her as integrated into the mix as possible. And I do feel like that has helped them look like they can transition a little bit more, get her more involved. And at times, too, like not demand so much out of her to track back as a winger. And so she isn't a little bit more of a fortuitous place when they do win the ball and go forward. Another player, I would say, that they're missing in the centerback situation. And those things is Nadanner. They've really missed Nadano. And we talked to Sev Hines a couple weeks ago, and he said she's getting closer.

and closer. And it has been, you know, you and I have the privilege of talking to these players, and it has been killing her that she hasn't been able to get out there and help this team. And, you know, she just has so much bite to her that she is itching to get back out there. So we'll see when that return is for her. But it's a big win for this Orlando team, a team that is still trying to get themselves closer and closer to the playoff line. And we'll see what happens next because we got a big weekend ahead. But before that, I think I'm going to let you go, Jill, and I'm just going to talk about the weekend games, if that's cool.

All right. Well, hold it down first, both, Jordan. Thanks so much, Jill. I'm looking forward to it. What games are you on this weekend? Do you even know yet? I do. I have San Diego, North Carolina, which I'm so excited for.

I think that's going to be such a good match. And hopefully we will see the return of Nat Jacobs. I literally have no idea. I just hope for that so much. Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, you get out of here. I'm going to, I'm going to finish this one up, wrap it up for us. Thank you so much for your time, Jill. As always, it's such a privilege to get to chat with you. All right. It's always so nice to have Jill Lloyden with us. And I'm going to preview what's coming up this weekend in NWSL. We are getting closer and closer to Decision Day, November 1st, where we're going to see, it feels like right now, which teams are going to have play. off spots, number one. But number two, who's going to have that home playoff seat? I think that's really the interesting thing that is going to be decided on

Decision Day because it feels like Utah, San Diego, even this Washington Spirit team with a big win over the weekend are bouncing up and down between those first four places. So we'll see what happens. But as Jill just said, she's on that San Diego North Carolina game. And this is going to be a really interesting game. I think San Diego disappointed in not getting at least something out of the game over the weekend against Seattle. They played, you know, sometimes when a team goes down, a player, you think, I'm not going to watch the rest of the game. Go watch this game if you haven't because San Diego was so brave in the way that they played.

They played a 4-3-2-2-1-4-2-3 with Ascanyo and Dali centrally. And I thought they were two of the best midfielder's in all weekend that I had seen. Unfortunately, their team lost. But the way Dali and Asconio now both back healthy, I think they're going to make it difficult for this North Carolina midfield because their movement off the ball, Asconio's ability to win the ball back and help them go quickly. And really what San Diego has found recently is they found a goal threat again. They have the ability with Luchmila out wide to start.

stretch the back line, which I think will be a little bit challenging for North Carolina, since they like to send their fullbacks high, can Luchmila utilize that space and behind? And then it's been Trinity buyers who has been on fire for this San Diego team. So that's going to be the test for North Carolina's backline in the other direction, is how will this San Diego team be able to defend Ashley Sanchez without Kiki Van Zent? Van Zent with a red card over the weekend. That's why they were down to 10 players. And the question is, who will play as that outside right back?

Kiki Pickett has been injured. They ended up putting in Brooklyn Cortinol, a centerback to play right back in this last game. But Kiki Van Zanton, for me right now, is rookie of the year. And to not have her in this game where North Carolina is so heavy on the way that they play, not just in the channel on the left side, but also in the half space with Erica Meg, and that combination between her and Sanchez, it's going to be a handful. for this San Diego team defensively. Another game that we're looking forward to here on soccer wise over the weekend in NWSL

is Angel City taking on Denver. Now, this is a real six-pointer when you're talking about the implications of the standings. Angel City right now sitting in ninth on 32 points and Denver Summit right below them with 30 points in 10th. These are points that have to be one to create separation if you're Angel City, but also to jump into that ninth spot if you're Denver. And as we talked about earlier, Denver really finding their flow. A lot of it has to do with, I think the focal point, the tenacity, the vision of Lindsay Heaps centrally to help this team. But you're seeing the best again of Custler and getting her in centralized positions. But I think it helps. And it can't be

understated the work of Yamamoto and how crafty she is outside on the wing for this team. Her ability to go 1 v1, to connect with the midfield, she has really provided a big spark for the summit. So they're going against an Angel City team who found a result, but it was two goals from an outside back in the last game. They have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this year, but have lacked what you would expect from this team. when it comes to some of the offensive firepower. So that one in L.A. over the weekend and then Seattle Bay, another one of those games that if you're Seattle, you have to get points here.

Seattle is sitting in eighth right now. Bay, who had to scan down the standings for that one. Bay are sitting in 15th. It's a real difficult season for this Bay FC team. But this would be a game that they are going to have circled because Seattle came to Bay just a few weeks ago. And it was a last minute goal off the bench from Jess Fishlock that Seattle beat Bay at home. So I think Bay is going to look to return the favor. Can they find a little bit of spark in their attack? Just resign Jarelli to another year contract. So she's going to be

with the team, but they haven't found the best out of her yet. So what's Bay going to look like in this one? Can they break down what has been a really good defensive unit for Seattle over the weekend? We'll see. All right. And the last game we're going to chat about, we have to chat about this game because it has been now perennially over these last couple of years, one of the most thrilling, I think, games that we get in NWSL schedule. It's Kansas City current hosting the Orlando Pride.

That game is 6 p.m. on Friday. You can watch it on Prime. Well, 6 p.m. because I'm in Denver. That is not true. It's an 8 p.m. game on prime Eastern time. I have to adapt my mountain time all the time. And this game will be really interesting because Barbara Banda is back and you can see that her impact with this team, she gets her first ever penalty. Jill just talked a lot about how the pride are utilizing OVAe. And I think for this game in particular, how does Oviah operate against Kansas City's midfielders? because those midfielers can really stifle you.

They want you to play into the midfield this Kansas City team. They are saying, all right, go ahead, play in here. And one of the things that Kansas City does so well is when you play that insizing pass centrally, they jump the pass and they go in the opposite direction quickly. And Kansas City at home, we know the record. Everybody knows it. But we also just saw Portland lose over the weekend at home when they've had a really good home record too.

will this be the game with Orlando feeling good after a really massive win at home will they be able to come to Kansas City and just at least test this current team? I think for the current it's going to be about those first 10 minutes setting the tone, getting the first goal, making it difficult for Orlando because if Kansas City can get the first goal and sit back a little bit and not be as expansive as expansive as they have to be and make Orlando step out a little bit, there will, there are, vulnerabilities there in the backline for Orlando in transition that they can expose. So that will be another really good game in NWSL over the weekend. So many games to be watched. And gosh, most teams on 23 games, there's a couple of teams still with eight games to play. So a lot of points still on the table for those teams, not only chasing a playoff spot, but chasing some seating in the playoffs. Coming up in just a few short weeks. So you're going to want to tune into the these matches. Just want to thank you guys for tuning into Soccer Wise for hanging out with us

for about an hour of your time. Enjoyed chatting with you guys. Thanks to Jill Lloyden. Thanks to Douglas, our producer. And thank you to you guys for listening. We'll be back next week for another edition of Soccer Wise.