SoccerWise - Questions Around Alyssa Thompson Move To Chelsea, Utah Rebuilding & Chicago's New Home

Episode Date: September 4, 2025

Jordan is back from a two week vacation and what a crucial time to return. After a year of earth shattering transfers we might have the biggest one yet with the reports around Alyssa Thompson leaving for Chelsea. David & Jordan talk about what this tells us about the project in LA, and bigger picture for NWSL. Then they look at Utah's big attacking addition on top of their strong recent run of form, and Chicago's new announced stadium.8:00 Alyssa Thompson Potential Move To Chelsea24:32 Big Picture Questions Around NWSL Retaining Stars33:20 Bay FC Loan In Brooklyn Courtnall35:00 Utah Sign Lara Prašnikar To Replace Sentnor & Their Strong Run45:10 Previewing Portland v Louisville49:30 Chicago Announce New Home Stadium At Northwestern University

What is up, everybody? Welcome back to Soccer Wise, David Goss with my one and only Jordan, Angelie. It has been over two weeks since we have been back live, since we have been back together. I have missed you dearly, and I know while you were on vacation, the only thing you were thinking is I also have missed doing a live show with David. I did. I did miss it. You know, I think that's a nice thing about this job is you do. When you're not doing it, you do miss it. But I also very much enjoyed my family vacation because that's what you've got to do. Just live in the moment.

I picture it as like the pure like Netflix TV. I've just been watching the summer I turned pretty. Have you seen it? I haven't, but it feels like everybody's watched it except for me. well that's why I watched it because it felt like everyone had watched it except for me and so I just picture your weeks in South Carolina on the beach of like soft serve ice cream and like bumper cars and being at the beach and all these like classic traditions where it's like we got to do the thing this day this is the day we do the marshmallow thing yeah there are a lot of traditions that we like to hit up I am a little bummed I feel like this is the one thing that they don't have there is like they need like a smoothie or like an assayee bowl place,

you know, because in the summer when you're at the beach and it's hot, like you just, that's what you want. It's something like that. Or they do have some ice cream places, but there's not like a, there's not one that really like hits, you know, like a beach. Like it hits the, it just hits great. But yes, there was a lot of the beaches there are very wide. And so you can ride your bikes on the actual beach.

So there was a lot of beach bike riding. So it's basically a TV show, yeah. Yeah, and I just love, I love it there. There are so many things that we get to do. But if anybody is listening and they live in Kiowa Island and they want to start a business, I'm saying, Osai Bowls would crush it there. I thought you were about to say we're building a women's soccer team in Kiowa Island. Well, we might be.

That's our thought, sponsored by the Asaibol company. maybe one day maybe one day all right uh i'm in favor of building a team in a place a vacation place that we want to live so that we can then that's the thing we do yeah you know it sounds like a great way to live why don't we just why haven't we thought of this before i i thought of it one time when i was in portugal and at the beach and we went to a soccer game and it was just like i was talking to one fan and they're like yeah the fans are normally 50% british people on vacation for a week who are like it's only eight bucks and you get to drink a beer in the stadium and the other half are like real fans of the team who live here and I was like oh interesting I could just market this

to the British people who want to come to a beach and drink seriously yeah I think I have a new live goal let's just do that um if that does end up happening and we were to lose you we have some great committee members that we enjoyed our time with shout out once again to Casey white who joined us last week and Haley Carter uh if you haven't listened to that interview go back and do so. Haley is one of the best. She's a lawyer who is really good at what she does as the sporting director of Orlando Pride,

and she tells you things. We did this interview. She's explaining how she moved the salary cap around to bring in Ovaille, and I'm like waiting to figure out how to ask the question to get the detail, and I'm like, oh, she's just saying it. I don't need to, there's no follow-up question.

I don't do anything here. And it was really, really awesome to listen to. It came out, we did the interview after Barbara Banda was put on the injury list. So we talk a little bit about that as well as in general, the Ovalier move, what NWSL looks like in the global atmosphere of new transfers, which is going to be a large portion of the topic today because the reports are that Alyssa Thompson is leaving NWSL and heading to England to play for Chelsea, one of the bright stars of the league of the world of the U.S. women's national team. And this would be a massive move. So we will talk about that coming up in just a moment. Utah has made a big signing in their quest to replace Ali Settnor, which I thought was going to be the biggest midseason move that we were going to talk about. And I thought that broke my brain a few weeks ago.

And this is now a whole new level of things. And then Chicago making another big signing as well, Ivan Chacon, coming on as well as announcing a new home stadium for the 2026 season. so a lot off the field and a lot on the field for us to talk about coming out what was an odd weekend for friday night games one game on saturday and sunday and then a labor day evening game for angel city partially that was because of the nwsl team's participation in concaf competition so concaf w action returning yesterday gotham got a two zero victory and orlando got a victory and in that luana made her return after being sent out or held out because of cancer. So she recovered and been able to come back on the field. And Jordan, it was one of those bigger than sports. Like, I have chills thinking about it now after watching it yesterday. She ran on the field well too early, too.

She was like so excited to get back. And it wasn't just that. It was the way her teammates welcomed her and have cheered her on throughout this whole thing. You know, for a year straight, they wore those eight, those bracelet sweatbands with the number eight on it. They have been helping her fight the good fight for a long time. And Marta's in the stands videotaping Luana. Literally like a parent at a high school game. It was so, it was so precious. And to see her back out on the field, I can, you know, I've had many injuries so I know what that feels like, but I can only imagine the joy that that would bring after something like that, a cancer

diagnosis where you're fighting for your life and you get to do something that, you know, at times you're like, I don't know if I'll ever get to do this again. And she got to and gets to experience and always have that moment with her, her teammates. So I hope it is one of many, many more to come. And yeah, it's just so good to see her healthy and playing again. Yeah, it was a really great moment. And as you said, we hope to see more and more of her. And she helped her team to a three zero win. over a la Hualense of Costa Rica, Washington will play later tonight. So we won't be talking about that one.

And we will get to all of that as Concaf competition continues. And we've got another big weekend of NWSL action coming up. But last weekend did finish, as I said, on Monday night with the, I don't know, traditional labor to a California clash between Angel City and Bay FC. Angel City with a 2-1 win over Bay. That makes it back-to-back victories for Angel City. city and a win over their rival for the first time since Bay has entered the league. So you're thinking, great, everything is going well.

But of course, the big news was that Alyssa Thompson was unavailable for the game, quote unquote, excused on the availability report and was not on the field with her team. And it came out that the reports are that she is working on a move to go join Chelsea in the WSL and not play for Angel City anymore. Now, reminder, last week we talked about Alana Kennedy and Katie Zellem, both leaving for the London City lionesses. I think Alana Kennedy, a huge loss for this team with the way that she has played. And the reports coming out of England right now around Alyssa Thompson is an account

on blue sky from Tom Gary, who said the update is Alyssa Thompson's understood to have said goodbye to her Angel City teammates, is determined to join Chelsea before the deadline. two clubs are still trying to thrash out a deal, both Angel City and NWSL are working hard to keep her. Jordan, this comes out of nowhere. It is a ground-shifting move in a year that has had multiples. As we talked about with Haley Carter last year, the transfer record has been broken three times already. And I don't know that Alyssa Thompson will be a record-breaking transfer. I'm just guessing that she will be. Either way. This player of this magnitude, leaving Angel City to go to England is a huge deal for this club.

And this move, I think, changes the light in which everyone looks at them and what's going on in L.A. It's hard for Angel City to retain players. And that's the strange thing, because if you look at Angel City and their value and all the eyeballs that are on them, you would think, man, this has got to be the best place to play. play in the league, right, with the number of fans that they have. But why, why are players leaving? I think that's one of my first thoughts with those two that you had just mentioned now with potentially Alyssa Thompson leaving. One of the biggest questions for Angel City is like, why hasn't it worked yet? Why haven't they been, you know, with everything externally looking really great on the field, why haven't they been the It Club? Why hasn't it been a city filled with

stars on the field and things that really work out in their benefit. So, yeah, I think that's a question to me. Like, why are three really experienced internationals? I guess Alyssa Thompson, I wouldn't throw her in as really experienced international, but experienced international. Why are they leaving the club? And it's difficult because this is, especially Alyssa Thompson, this is one of the players on an international.

level, which international soccer touches something different that NWSL does. Like, people know who she is. Yeah. And she has become one of the faces, especially with the injuries to other players. I should, the injury to Rodman earlier, but then the maternity leave for Smith and Swanson, you know, a lot of eyeballs are then on Alyssa Thompson. And she has risen to the occasion and had the best year of her career so far. And you just, you want to see, you know, now I, I, I.

I flutter between this duality of like, I want to see her continue to do that here in NWSL. And as the league continues to get eyeballs, I want her to be the star, right? But then I think of me and what I would think of as a player is, you don't know how long your career is going to be. And you don't know what opportunities you're going to get or when you're going to get them.

And so you have to pick them, you know, choose what's best for you in the moment that it's given to you. And right now, I could see why there is an allure of going to Chelsea for Alyssa Thompson and you know playing against even gosh let's just not even talk about the team she'll play in in Champions League or even a few of the team she'll play in WSL because the competition is not comparable to here in America but think about how much better she's going to get training with that group every single week you know she's going to have to beat Lucy bronze every day in training in 1B1 drills she's going to have to go up against some really good

defenders and that is going to elevate her game so I think she probably thinks about that. How can I get better in the lead up to 2027? So it's this like funky duality because here at soccer wise, what do we love? We love American soccer, right? We love NWSL. And I don't want her to leave, but also at the same time, I'm like, girl, go live your life and do things that you want to do. And this is probably one of them. Yeah, there's a few ways to look at this. I want to touch on one of the ones you mentioned at the beginning, which is Angel City's inability to retain players right now and this is a warning sign if this is something that's going to happen if elissa thompson is leaving a player who forego the opportunity to play at stanford because she

wanted to play for her hometown team and a player who was the cornerstone addition for the first ever roster for this team the number one draft pick in 2023 this team is built around her she has played in 63 of 67 available games has 15 goals and 20 assists and you mentioned behind triple espresso she is not just the face of the league she's the face of the national team we had the conversation coming out of the last set of friendlies is she good enough now to be an MVP in nws l and be the best player on a winning team and we both felt she was she's 20 why what is the rush for her to go without having won anything they've only been in the playoffs one time since she's been there and all of that points the eyes at the club being unable to retain this

player and make this player feel that she can continue to get better at the rate she should be and that she can be in the right spot because everything points to the fact that she wants to be there her sister has joined the team she gets to start every day with her sister on the same team in front of an incredible crowd one of the best in the world at bank of cal or sorry bMO now play in her hometown city, which is not a small town, by the way. Right. Like it's Los Angeles. She could be the face of L.A.

And she's turning all of that down potentially. Again, we still don't know that it's happening to go to Chelsea. And I think it's worrying for Angel City. And I think it's worrying for the league as well. And we'll get to that. And I don't want to be too. I feel like we go back. I go back and forth every week, whether the league is at its strongest point or at its weakest point.

But right now, you can't avoid the Angel City conversation. And I said it with Alana Kennedy last week. But Lana Kennedy has stepped in and been a massive for this team, stepped in on a one-year deal, and now is choosing to move back across the world. Neither plays close to Australia. Like, that feels like a soccer decision. And Angel City now, if you include the interim manager, it's four coaches in four years. It's one playoff appearance.

It's zero playoff wins. Like, off the field, everything has been right. On the field, none of it has been right. From the outside, it feels like Mark Parsons. and Struz are two people respected in the field, right, respected in the league, respected globally in Germany and a big league in Byron Munich and all of that, that should make sense. And so I think for this now to come on the back end of they finally got the manager in place, they have finally started to settle. Riley Tiernan is an incredible fine for them. Kennedy

Fuller is one of the best young players in the league. There's a lot I could put down and say this is all moving in the right direction. But the fact that Alyssa Thompson is just choosing to leave makes all of that sort of shadowed. Yeah, well, and it finally felt like they got the players on this team. Yonstadter, they just got Yon's daughter. Giselle Thompson looks like she could be one of the brightest outside backs that we've seen in a long time coming out of the United States. So the pieces are in play and then you lose potentially one of the biggest players in the

league. That's the difficult part when you think about all these things. and it's a hard it's a hard thing to think about because gosh if we were presented the same situation that she might have been presented right you're playing the same your job is the exact same here you're getting paid x amount here you're probably getting paid four times the amount yeah it's hard it's hard to say no to the four times because again you don't know what's going to happen in your career you don't know how long it's going to be and you want to pack in as much as you can pack in and could she have done

maybe made this move in a few years after a championship in L.A.? Absolutely. But does she feel like, and does Emma Hayes, who coached at Chelsea for a long time, 100% a factor in this, think that Alyssa Thompson will be what she needs to be with the experience as a young player playing international teams in Champions League experiences, international players, I talked about this yesterday. Like she's going to face all these players that she is hopefully going to face in the World Cup in two years. And it won't be a new thing.

She's going to be like, oh, I know Lucy Browns and I know her weakness. I know this player and I know their weakness from Spain. I know this player and I know their weakness. And that is information as a player that you can see on video. But until you're going one v1 and you get that little bit of confidence going past them, like you can't replicate. that. And so I think that has something to do with it as well. And I will say, I think Emma Hayes being a factor in this is not Emma Hayes saying you have to go because no, she has proven she values players performing well in NWSL. But I think the thing that alarms me here is the fact that a team

thought they could call and get in where, you know, Michelle Cooper could probably be making more if she went over to England. But she's going to win a championship or maybe two this year. And she's going to raise her level of her game in training and like she wants to be in kansas city and they've built an atmosphere for her to stay in and you could throw all of triple espresso on this and we'll probably talk about trinity rodman coming up in a little bit like you could throw other players on this list where it's like they could potentially make more money in europe and they haven't gone and i think the opening that existed is the worrying sign that people in the global soccer atmosphere think there was an opportunity to pry a player

away from their hometown team because things have not been good enough in Angel City as a sporting structure. And then it actually ending up working. It's hard to say what this means for the club, I think, off the field. On the field, they got a 2-1 win without her. You know, they're a team that has struggled to score goals their entire time in NWSL, as I mentioned, 15 goals, 20 assists for Alyssa Thompson, only getting better and better. We saw M.A. Vinaola in more of an attacking role in this game sort of filling in. We've seen Chazelle Thompson earlier in the year also play in a similar role. And obviously, Jan's daughter, who you mentioned, has stepped into the absence of Claire

Emsley, who is out for the rest of the season on maternity leave, who was the second best attacking player in this team. And so I think you look at an Angel City squad for the rest of this year with Evelyn Shore coming in and Hodge starting to gain minutes that's probably defensive based and trying to win games one zero to one. They have been like they were so good at the beginning of the year scoring goals. I mean, they've scored 24 goals on the season. It's not like they're in in the lower half of goal scoring in NWSL. I thought actually their goal, their ability to score goals was one of the best things about them under Sam Lady as an interim manager. But it was a defensive piece. And now you've seen Strauss come in, a European, you know, Scandinavian mind who is

going to say, hey, we got to figure this out defensively. And they've gotten a lot better at their defensive structure. So yes, I think they will have to rely on that. But I don't, I don't feel like they aren't able to compete. Like this is an Angel City team. When you look at them across the roster, they should make the playoffs. They should. And I know, even if it is M.A. Vignola playing as a left winger, they have the ability to utilize the players that they have in various structures to get the best out of them. And I think with Fuller, with Tiernan, they have the combination to get goals and to be creative in the way that they do that. It doesn't always have to be direct one like Tiernan just showed us that she could, or route one like

Tiernan showed us. But they can utilize their high defensive presence to keep pressure on teams, regain high, and have numbers to finish inside the box. So I think it will be maybe, you know, most likely less goals of without Alyssa Thompson, average wise, goals per game. But I think that because they have been swaying towards reliance on their defensive structure, it will continue to trend in that direction. They have scored four goals in five games since the international break has returned to start August. But to your point, they have only conceded one goal in the last three games.

Right. As you said, the start of the year, they were high pressure, open games. They were going to score. They were going to give up goals. The game in Orlando, that was absurd. Then the game in Washington, right after that, that was absurd. They conceded three goals in the last 15 minutes, but went to Orlando and took a three-zero a lead. That was one team. They have shifted their identity since coming out of this international

break. And whether this was known or not, that identity shift actually now works in their favor in losing Alyssa Thompson to condense games, to make games smaller margins. It is, I think, interesting to in the one hand say, like, this is a backbreaking loss. And Elizabeth Thompson is one of the best players in the world and one of the best attackers. And also, yeah, you could see a world that Angel City can find a way into the playoffs. I think a lot of that goes to Riley Tiernan scored her eighth goal of the season. So she is now the all-time single-season goal-scoring leader in Angel City history. That is a huge compliment to her in the rookie year she's had.

It is also another sign of how bad it's been for Angel City on the field pretty much since day one as an organization. She has three goals behind Diana Ordonez for the rookie record. which is 11 goals in a season and led to the 2-1 win over Bay. And as you mentioned, this one, Route 1, Tiernan, able to beat Hubley sort of along the end line and then comes back in field and then cuts back to her left foot. She, her combination of strength and speed and her willingness to be two-footed. So she often will come in off the left side. And when defenders sell out to try and close down her right foot,

she'll cut back in fine space with her left foot. it has caused her to be unstoppable the way she has been so far this year. Well, she needed that goal, too, because she hadn't scored in a while. And what a goal it was, I think when I look back at all of her goals that she has scored, there's a few that really stick out, one at the top of the box, or she's dribbling around a couple of players. But this has to be the best that she has scored. She had four players chasing her at one point.

And it is. It's the combination of, you know, I think, I think long term, she's a target forward, right? She, and one of the things I loved about this game, Goss, is she looked a little bit more central. Like, she looked like she wasn't chasing and coming back too much to help connect. She was more on the front line or on the back line, trying to stretch the back line or hold the ball up in moments. But she has that target mentality with the skill set of an attacking midfielder. Because the poise that she showed on that dribble and the cutback, yes, you have to be strong. You have to be speedy to get past those players.

But then you also have to have the confidence in yourself to read what's happening in front of you to cut back against the grain and let all the players fly one direction as you go the opposite. I really, I think she has a really nice combination of a lot of different skill sets that has allowed her to transfer into NWSL from college and just hit the ground absolutely running. It has been a godsend for this team because they have lacked a finisher. And that's the frustration of Alyssa Thompson maybe not seeing the brighter light at the end of the tunnel, which makes you wonder sort of what's going on on the inside for a team now that has won back-to-back games and is getting this type of production. They're going to need a lot of support from everyone going forward. Before we move on, I want to talk NWSL big picture. You know, we were on with Haley Carter last week as she just finished the record transfer global. globally for Lisbeth Ovayi, bringing her in for somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million.

And then the feeling is sort of, okay, NWSL can keep up with these numbers after a offseason previously where Naomi German leaves for the record transfer. And there are a lot of conversations around Trinney Rodman and her future. And I think it is fair to be worried about this. I mean, we both plainly said, like, Giselle Thompson can make more money playing in Europe. Lisa. Sorry. That is the third. How many times have I done that?

Too many. Okay. But hey, it happens to me when I'm calling games too. That's why I like. But like it shouldn't be so easy for us to say that. Like this is arguably the best league in the world. It is a country where sports athletes make money at a level that no, right, baseball players in the U.S.

make the largest of any contracts. And then it goes basketball. And then it goes football. soccer players globally don't really normally impede on that while the w nba is not making as much as it could and that's another conversation like the money is clearly there in the sport there needs to be at a minimum a mechanism to keep high profile players and i've said it so many times the 2026 world cup in our time zone in brazil with a u.s team going in that's the Olympic gold medal holder and a Canada team that won the previous gold medal so the two teams in this time zone

are going to be playing in primetime TV throughout in the biggest tournament in ice country that most people associate with the game and then that's going to be followed by the LA Olympics and I think there has to be a conversation inside the league of like how can we help keep these players and it used to be maybe a detriment of like can we prop the league up on these players

and force them on teams but like there's got to be a mechanism to re-sign a player who's your local player who you've drafted and help develop, and however that looks like going forward. Like, right, there has to be a mechanism for Riley Tiernan to be re-signed with Angel City in a way that makes sense because it shouldn't just be you develop and then if you want to make money, you have to go to Europe. It's what we've seen, you know, anybody still still in its infancy, Gus. And one of the biggest things that, you know, drive all those other sports that you were just saying are TV deals, right?

Media deals. And I think there has been such a growth over the last few years. because it is accessible to people, not just here in the United States with the media deal that we have, but also internationally. So people can watch these games. So yeah, that needs to continue to grow. But one of the biggest things that, you know, you and I follow MLS very closely, the biggest things that changed MLS was the DP rule, right? This ability to bring in players and it not count against your salary cap. And that brought this league, I mean, how many different players?

You have David Beckham, Javinco, Lucas Zelryon when he was at Columbus and they won Messi now. Like, it is so many players that you could go down the list of they impacted this league really positively. And so is that a thought? I'm sure it is a thought in these, you know, the Board of Governors meetings. Like, how do we retain these players? because once Germa left, I know that was a thought from everybody. Like, we can't let these players leave. And we talk to coaches and players all the time.

The competition you get in this league, every single game, you don't know if you're going to win or lose. Utah just beat Portland, which we're going to talk about. You can't go into a game like you can in the WSL, like you can in Spain, like you can in Germany, and think, is it going to be 9 to 0 or is it going to be 11 to 0? You know, there are games like that abroad. That is, there's not games like that here.

Yeah. And so we have to hold on to that, but also say, all right, what's the next step? What's the next level for this league? And I think it's very much something that has to be looked at now, now, now, because of what you said, because the time is now with not just the World Cup, the men's World Cup being here and eyeballs being on soccer in general, right? Because that's going to be big, but also the Women's World Cup in 27, being. in our time zone and an opportunity to see American players play, but all of the players play in this league across whatever team that they represent. And I think, you know, there's the one side of things, which is we just came out of a summer

where all of these huge international tournaments, teams were stocked with NWSL players. So like global talent is here. Right. The league is not struggling. And it is that 1%. MLS is on the flip side opposite issue, which is it's disproportionate. Zelleriazza makes $12 million, the rest of the roster makes four, and the team's not good enough, and like that's their problem.

NWSL has the opposite issue, which is, like you said, the floor is super high, the rosters are good, they're competitive, and you just have to figure out a way at least to keep players. And that's to me where it's like, okay, if you don't want to create a mechanism to go Bon Madi shopping and go Sam Kerr shopping and whatever else you want to do and have each team get one player. If you don't want that for some reason, if some of the owners don't want that, fine. But there should be a way to keep a player who's already there that wants to remain a part of the team. Like a Rodman, like a Thompson. Yeah. And that's the big worry right now for most people is Trini Rodman signed the most expensive deal in NWSL history in 2022, a four-year deal that

ends this year. And everyone thought that would be the name we'd be talking. about in terms of this sky is falling you need a new rule how do you keep her in the league Alyssa Thompson maybe beat her to the punch which may be good for Washington because it might force through a rule fast enough that Michelle Kang can find the way because you know she will to pay Trinney Rodman what she wants or deserves to keep her in Washington and if not I think the Trinney Rodman deal you could understand like she's already won right she's been to two finals she's won a championship like you've been there okay you're ready for a new challenge fine and i think that's where the elissa thompson one's really hard to explain away

because it's our hometown team they haven't won anything yet she's still clearly getting better so it's not impeding her and yet she also looks like is walking away and heading to england i will just say to credit nwsl they changed the league a couple years two years ago last year when they included more international roster spots right it went to seven spots they understood that the league was the game was growing off the heels of the 23 World Cup and they said we have to have space and that changes league we get a showingo we get a banda we you know we get now gift Monday and in these players that are doing really good jobs because there's more international spots so I think that the league is going to be recognizing what's going on it's like to your point how

quickly can you right make this something that is a reality and keep some of these really good American players here in our league. And it is something that has to be dealt with on the ownership level. You've got a new owner who just acquired Angel City. You've got two new clubs coming in with new ownership groups. So that is an ever-moving factor as well that you have to include. Owen Spangler in the chat here, Live says, how does this compare to Orlando losing Adriana or North Carolina losing Caroline?

It's a good question. I think Adriana probably, although Haley Carter mentioned the, the timing of that was really poor for them. Obviously not as significant of a piece in their attack. But I think, like, the injury to Caroline is a decent comp of, like, changes the way you play, and it's the absence of that player. It's not a replacement and a change of style. Like, it is just the pure absence now of this huge impact player

that everyone's game plan defensively against you was built around. And what's difficult, too, if this happens for, you know, that injury was kind of the same boat because it happened late in the season. here for Angel City if they do sell Lisa Thompson well they're going to get a good amount of money but they can't spend that this year they can't add to their roster

to make their team better this year and replace a player who is kind of replaceable but at least add a like component to their roster because of the window being closed yeah it is

fascinating times for sure just one thing to point out for Bay FC on the flip side of this 2-1 loss at Angel City. So now it's back-to-back losses in California for them. They made a move to bring in Brooklyn Cortnell on loan from North Carolina. I think a big one because they play right now. They've been playing three centerbacks. Abby Dalkemper has been on the injured list.

It is a back injury that she had surgery on. She had, it felt like at the end of last year, beginning of this year, gotten fully back to one of the best centerbacks in the world. world. So I think just a really worrying sign from the outside, but an interesting way for Bay FC to try and figure out the next step. You've got a West Coast base player coming out of college who somehow ended up on the East Coast of North Carolina, hasn't played very much, but had a huge ceiling coming out of college and an opportunity maybe to get some minutes here for this Bay FC team. North Carolina also traded for Peyton, Linnehan, and then signed her to a new deal.

reminder free agents like trinity rodman their contract as of the middle of this year which was the end of june beginning of july means that they can sign pre contracts with other teams and i think we're seeing this level of players that plan to move uh getting quote unquote traded so that they can get to the next team immediately sign the deal they were going to sign and the current team can get something for them not exactly like the alley wot deal because that one is unique in that Denver is an expansion team, but something similar that we saw there as well. Let's move on to a team that knows about big trades. Utah, of course, trading Ali Centaur away to Kansas City earlier in the summer,

and they have found their replacement, not like for like, but the big piece of their attack. Lara Prasnachar has signed a 27-year-old Slovenian international center forward coming out of four years with eintrack frankfort prasnikar had four has 48 goals in 88 international appearances in europe and in the bundesliga had 44 goals and a hundred and twenty two appearances so for this utah team jordan we kind of wondered where would they go where would they look they choose to go international which has really been the story for them since their first little regime of control in the first four months or whatever they were last year of this team

and they go out and get a pretty proven attacking player to sort of lead things from the front. I'm not going to lie to you, Goss. Slovenian international soccer is, I'm not quite caught up on it. I'm not quite caught up on it. But the numbers impress me with what she can do and that she's a two-footed center forward.

This, and she has a presence. This Utah team, actually after the break, with shockingly everybody pretty much healthy yeah they look like a new team but that's because you have threats you have the ability to keep the ball a little longer so robinot your spanish outside back is not doing shuttle sprints up and down the the sideline and she actually can keep the ball and get up the field and amani dorsi has looked really good as a right back Paige Monaghan is healthy. Like this trend of, you know, what Jimmy Coonrott has told us, and I said this in their game,

is he has said, I want to see what my team looks like when they're healthy because I haven't had a full roster to choose from. And there are some good pieces here. Is it the best team in the league right now? No. But I think if you have a solid center forward, which Solerzano has shown us, if you have target play that Tanaka, Monaghan, others can play off of, that there is enough IQ in this group to make things happen.

That goal that Paige Monaghan scores is because Soleranos work off of her. She creates space for Monaghan. And so I think the one big issue with Solerzano coming from League of Emekis is her goal scoring has not transferred. Could that be the same thing for Prasnikar? Of course. But I think her presence and the size of her and just the experience of playing against German international centerbacks in the Bundesliga will really adapt. She'll adapt well to NWSL when she'll be able to play.

I'm not quite sure on that. But I think it's a good look. And it also, to have somebody so big like that centrally, gives Manaka, gosh, Monaca and Tanaka. Come on now. It's hard. Gives Tanaka some more space. And I think Tanaka needs to get on the ball more.

And that might be a nice way for her to play. a nice presence for her to play off of. Yeah, it's a team that, I think one of the things you feel when you watch them, and this is something I feel with Chicago a bit without Mal Swanson, is like there's not an outlet and there is nothing easy. And so as two teams that, you know, but let's talk Utah specific, that now coming out of the summer break has clearly based themselves on let's be compact defensively, let's have clean lines, let's keep the ball out of our own net,

and we'll figure out things on the other. side, like there is not this outlet you look at with Angel City and Riley Tiernan where sometimes it's a hopeful ball from the back line into the channel and now of a sudden she's attacking defenders, you can breathe, you can push your lines up, maybe you're playing in the attacking half for a couple of minutes after that, or maybe you get a goal. Yeah. Like it makes the whole game easier. There isn't that moment right now for Utah.

So I think that is a great point of like having that central presence. And then can you find the right connection to make it work? work for everyone around them. I will say the little I've watched, it feels like at Untrack Frankfurt, Parasnikaar played in sort of like a 4-3-1-2 with two up top. If that's the case,

is it a situation where Sorosano is still starting alongside her and you're playing with two more natural wingers is, is Tanaka one of those wingers? Is Chloe Lacasse one of those winners? Like maybe that makes life easier for everyone where the wide players don't feel like they have to be goal scores. They can get to the end line, get their head down and put crosses in,

which maybe is a little bit more effective. Like I think even when you watch this Portland game this weekend, two one win for Utah, by the way. First road victory of the year. They've been very good since coming back from international break. Most of that has been. Also, I love it was their first road victory, but it's only their second victory. I know. It is. We talked about it on the broadcast. I was like, well, hard to get a road victory when you've only won one game. Yes. That is very, very true. But it felt like so much of the attack, the final play ended on Breckins Mazingo. And it's like, can you still have to fashion a chance?

And it's not an open, you know, tap in on the far post. And it just feels like they need overwhelming numbers to create chances to score goals. And maybe just a little bit more elite talent is able to clear some of that away. Now, Ali Sentinore wasn't that player for them this year. And I think part of that was that Sentinel, it seemed like, got so frustrated that she started shooting from distance and maybe not allowing the game to develop, now you're bringing in a player who's 27, who's captain of their national team, who leads from the front. It feels like this will just be a more natural setup. I agree. And your hope is that

this is enough of a talent lift to make this team competitive. Yeah, I think it could be because they're, you know, tracking in the right direction. This is a team who is leaking goals. They've only given up three goals they had they had a over what until that goal score that Portland goal they were over 250 minutes without giving up a goal of course yeah manny mcglin played the game of her life 11 saves in that Portland game but also it feels like they're feeding off of the confidence from each other they're not afraid to press in moments they're more compact even when they do press and things are really looking much better from Utah and a lot of that has to do with when have players to choose from. There's competition within your team. And I think that there is a way with

the players and, you know, a front line of Lacasse, I got to look at her name again, Prasnikar and Monaghan, you know, that's a pretty good front line of players that can each give you something different. And Monaghan and Lacass are, like you said, they want to get to be in line and cross the ball. So I feel like Utah is You know, I don't feel like I did last year where I thought, you know, I was convinced, you know it, Goss. I was convinced they were going to make the playoffs. And I don't feel that way this year. Do we trust another late season good Utah run?

Are you willing to open your heart again to potentially be hurt or are you closed off? I think it's not me, it's them. They it was, it was, they dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out of. but I do think they will have a good run. I don't think it'll be great. Yeah. To your point, so they've conceded three goals in the five games since the international break.

The three goals are one to Orlando in a game where Banda was still healthy. One in a one zero loss to KC, I think was the 82nd minute. Sort of against the run of play. And then a 97th minute goal to Portland in Portland in a game they won to one. So really good number. it's what you're seeing. Manny McGlynn even having to have that game was capable of it. In the first half of the year, she didn't look like herself.

She was making mistakes with the ball at her feet and was not making the saves that she was making the last two years that put her into the international pool. So a lot of it feels a lot better. And I think this is sort of a nice moment for Utah to say, we're going in the right direction and we are reinvesting in this group and we're building it now around this new identity. and it feels like for sure like maybe Tanaka is the one who starts up top in a quote unquote too and then can just drop in and find the game and float out wide, which is what last year when she had to be that false nine, she did so well, they just didn't have a target

forward then to finish off the chance of it created and the hope is that now they're able to put all of that together. Mazingo with the, no, sorry, Paige Moynihan, with the first hole in the game, Unreal Sombrera at full speed in the open field. and then the finish right off of it and it was a moment of class. And then the winner for KK. Ream, 16-year-old scoring off.

It was a shot to a rebound to a shot to a rebound and then the finish. But an unreal moment for a young player that I know talking to people in Utah that they are very, very excited about. Yeah. Yeah. And you got to be ready. When your number's called, be ready.

And that was a perfect example. If you're a goal scorer in that chaos happens, you always think the ball's going to come to you. And so I love that KK Ream was prepared for that. And her team celebrated big time with her. And we got to talk with her afterwards. And she's just like, man, this is. So what a cool thing.

She's like, I don't think it was, it wasn't that clean. But I'm like, who cares? Yeah. It'll be okay. I think my understanding is her twin brothers in the R.S. Academy. Oh, cool. Youth International as well.

So the two of them are like, two of the most. on Reims. Yeah. So shout out to the Ream family for having a pretty good week. Yeah. So far on the Portland side of things, another home loss. This one more frustrating than it would be to a KC team that is just a buzzsaw right now and capable of playing a thousand attacking players in a thousand different positions.

So it's three winless now, the draw at North Carolina and then that loss to KC in Portland now, I think it's the game of the weekend. Friday night against Louisville, they sit next to each other in the standing. both these teams have had stretches where they've looked really, really good, and then stretches where they've looked lost, and now they come up against each other, and a game that will probably look pretty big at the end of the season and the standings. Well, this could be one of the best games of the weekend,

and it's a six-pointer. Like, we're at the time of the season, right? If you can take points off of teams that are right around you and boost yourself up, you feel like it's not just a win. It's almost like a double win. And it gives you that momentum going into the next game as well. Big question for me is Portland, they did not look like themselves when Utah came and pressed. And Utah had control of the game, the way that the game was going to be played.

That's exactly what Louisville wants to do. Exactly what they want to do. So what did Portland learn from that experience? They were at home. Now they're on the road in Louisville. Louisville is without Taylor Flint, which I think really. significantly helps Portland because of yellow card accumulation. But if Louisville has been anything, they've been believers this year. And so they are not going to have any doubts that they can win

this game. It should be really interesting. But I think the way the midfield goes is the way this game goes. Louisville coming off a one-one draw with Houston. Taylor Flint had the goal in that game for this Louisville team. They do have some options because they've been forced to sort of rotate at times earlier in the season so they can bring Marissa de Gronde back in Ari Borg just got the start in the last game another option in Central Midfield

but I completely agree with you of like looking at the moments that Utah look dangerous that is where Louisville can be but the problem is the reason that worked was because Utah was able to shut off the water to Central Midfield and that

is where Portland can dominate the game and if safe coffee can get on the ball and Sigita can get on the ball by the way that maritona moment that just like comes out of nowhere unreal um so good then portland i think will start to get comfortable and can play through pressure and be dangerous because they can stretch the field on you like if you press and you don't and you're not as a unit and you don't get it right portland can kill you and that's sort of the like give and take of a game like this i do think one of the nice things for us is they're both clubs that aren't going to step away from who they are

I don't think Portland's going to go in and say we don't want any of the ball. We're too worried to get pressed. Like, we're going to see if we can get them to take it. And if we can sit in a block and Louisville, I don't think, are going to close things down because they can't. They got to go out and try and, like, push the game and make it fast. So I'm really excited for this one. This is the Friday night game this week. As we mentioned, the two teams sitting in the standings right now tied on 26 points.

So they are tied in the standings right behind, I believe Seattle. If my head is correct, which I'm looking up. up and it is. So six and seventh right now, Portland and Louisville tied, which is Seattle's and fifth. That is just okay. It is, it makes no sense right now. Seattle is zero zero draw this weekend with San Diego, but a team that has been struggling. That is the lone Friday night game, two Saturday games this weekend, Saturday evening, North Carolina, Utah and Bay against Casey and then a loaded Sunday of games. We have San Diego against Houston to close. the night. Gotham against Angel City. Gotham, of course, playing in Concaf

Competition as well. Washington against Seattle. And the Chicago stars playing against the Orlando Pride. Where that game is, I'm not at 100% sure. Chicago announcing today that they are going to play the 2026 season at Northwestern's Martin Stadium. Their lease at Sea Geek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, where they have played for the last 10 years, finished this year and so it was always an up in the air question mark what next year would look like and now as of like a few hours ago we get official confirmation that they are moving to play at northwestern martin stadium is a temporary stadium that was built up for northwestern football team for the last two years while they built their new permanent stadium which they will be moving into

in 2026 so i assume that means that it is a sole sort of tenant situation full full for the Chicago stars. And if you've ever seen it, the stadium is right on the lake in Chicago. So a really cool background. I said I wasn't sure about this weekend because I thought I read. They were going to play Orlando there

and then go back and finish the year at Bridgeview and then move in in 2026. But you never know because I have no idea where my brain is and where I found that. Oh, I did think they were playing a game down on the waterfront. I think that's this weekend. Okay. let me you keep talking for a second i saw it in a press release the orlando and they're only

playing orlando one more time and they're playing them this weekend but i did not see a date connected to that one uh the stadium holds 12 000 people if all of the temporary stance they up i think this is um northwestern's women's soccer field which yeah it is at martin stadium this weekend yeah there you go found it wow breaking news from david goss who is that had a read of press release that was already put out, but it wasn't really clear. Well, I know that they, this was announced a long time ago, gosh, because everything went so well at Wrigley. And I think they probably did polls and which got information from people that came to that game at Wrigley last year,

that they were like, all right, would you come to more games if they were in Chicago area, like closer to downtown? They must have gotten a yes. So sweet. I like it. on the heels of the announcement of next year, you get a game against Orlando at that city. Well, so my one thing is I'm not an expert in Chicago.

I don't think Northwestern is super in Chicago, though, to a lot of people. I think that's, like, one of their problems. Like, I think they're considered kind of on the edge of the city. So I don't know that it fully fixes that problem, but it changes the problem. And sometimes a different problem is better. There you go.

The devil you don't know, maybe is better than the devil you do. is always greener so we'll see how green this grass is so i think it brings you into a different neighborhood connects you to different fans makes you a little closer because i think part of the reaction when they announced playing this one game was like uh weird that that's the place that you'd go and not back to regularly the our reports at the chicago fire are on the verge of signing a deal to build to self-finance and build their own soccer specific stadium in chicago there has not been any connection publicly that the chicago stars will be involved or a part of it or want to be involved or would want to lease it, whatever happened.

So one, that would open up Soldier Field if that's what the Chicago Stars would want to do. Two, it brings a soccer specific stadium into the city that you could be a part of if you choose to or three, you could play at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on the banks of the river. But it's going to be cool views and it will probably be really, really windy and miserable at times as well. Maybe, maybe a little bit. To do all of this, Chicago has added Yvonne Chacon, a 27-year-old Colombian international from Lovante.

The reports are that the fee is around $500,000, so a serious expense to add. Over the last season at Lovante, so 24 to 2025, scored 11 goals in 30 appearances. Before that, spent the three years previous with Valencia, struggled to get into the lineup consistently, only scored four goals over her time there. but a good full add to this team that has had clearly a ton of success in their addition of Ludmila from Spain, South American international player, maybe trying to follow that up and run that back and all of this in the context, as you have said, of not sure how much you can get this year from a player who can sign right now and get them on the field. But I think the idea is for next year and the hope is that Mal Swanson is a part of that attack as well. And I think big questions as to

how Chicago is going to even play. So these types of signings with Chacon, like there are moments where she looks like she could be a winger. There's moments where she looks like she could be a dual center forward, which I think either one of those fits alongside Lujmila.

But the thing that we don't know yet is what it's going to look like under the new manager that, I don't know his name yet, but I don't remember it. Martin Scorgin. There we go. I got to remember that.

It may rain. Scorgin. yeah we just don't know quite what that's going to look like so how are you building a roster now with that in mind this is going to be a big piece regardless Colombian international good experience abroad but that's my thought like this this team will have Swanson back they'll have Lajmila how do those three pieces if those are your three key pieces how do they all fit together along a front line is you know there's variability they they don't and i don't know when she is going to be available but chicago also lost she groom and i felt like she groom was kind of getting into a groove and a key piece for them in this like a little bit of a four four two and it just feels like hopefully chicago is trending in the right direction and continuing to get better but um yeah it's good they how long have we been asking to sign players right yeah and here here's a good

international signing, someone with experience that will hopefully elevate them up front. And we are saying this in the context of not signing players to short-term emergency contracts for two months. That doesn't count, and that's not a knock on the player. You need to create some stability. So anyone in that building knows who they're going to be playing with in five months or six months. And you can build an actual style around it. And they got a one-one draw this weekend against Washington. It's been a nice little run for them. It has been fully powered by Ludmila. And the context of like Mal Swanson's potentially the best player in the league,

potentially the most dangerous attacker in the world, like missing her was always going to make this year hard. Right. She comes back and is three quarters of herself or a half next year. You're instantly a better team. It's nice to see that the whole game plan inside the building is not assuming that that's the case. True. And like letting that happen.

But saying, okay, how can we add to that? And I think what we've seen from Ludmiel and what we know from Mal Swanson is both of them can play outside. They can play as a target center forward. They can play as a two. I think both of them like to play an open transition. So like it feels like there is starting to be a game plan there. Yeah. There's just no world in which they're not better when they get Mal Swanson back as a part of their team.

And so the hope is that now you have a few other attacking pieces. It's going to make Julia Grosso better. Like this team just there's no world. in which they're not but it's good to see that they're doing more work uh shout out to douglas one of our own uh in the chat who said one of the big ads here is seek geek is not on public transportation so it's impossible to get to and northwestern would be so that thanks douglas also like not the worst thing in the world to be on a college campus it's fun now the nw s season doesn't like perfectly align with people being there and we've seen sky blue try and do that in the past and

maybe be a little bit less successful, but it feels like this is a good opportunity where it's a little bit closer to the city and a big opportunity. Speaking of, before we get out of here, this week is New Jersey for our 50 states of soccer. And we already mentioned New Jersey a couple of times. It is, I thought, I guess Colorado was almost easier because it was like, okay, this is clear. These three are clearly here. And then there's really good talent. We don't know. New Jersey is like impossible. Yeah. So we mentioned Riley Ternan and I was like, oh, right, she's from New Jersey.

So the top of it. And give me an order for these four players. Carly Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Tobin Heath, Christy Pierce. And this is just. Carly's first. Okay. I think Christy Pierce might be second. Yeah.

So I think it's three gold medals and two gold cups. Yeah. It's like 300 appearances for the U.S. women's national team. Yeah, okay. I'm not complaining about that. Oh, and then Heyo and Tobin. This is just hard, too, because then I start thinking of other players.

Like, I just thought of Yale Averbush and, like, how good of a player she is. She's not even on it. Like, she's not even going to come close to making this list. Well, I had a list somewhere of, like, current players. And there's, like, 25 current N. Yeah. S.L players who are from New Jersey, which is wild. Oh, yeah, here it is.

Page Moynihan. a player we mentioned already today. Kristen McNabb, a really good player in NDAXL. Danny Colapriko, like a lot of Cook is from New Jersey. It's one of the best soccer places. Jill Lloyden is from New Jersey. So it's, yeah, it's Emma Sears. Saskia is from Princeton.

That's in New Jersey, right? Yes, that's in New Jersey. Yeah, Saskia. Emissiers is from New Brunswick. Oh, half the players are like literally from. the Brunswick area, which is ridiculous. New and old Brunswick's, or what's Brunswick? I think Brunswick is where Rutgers is in June.

Oh, yeah. So there's East and New. Okay, East and New. There's no old Brunswick. Obviously, there's East and New. Yes. Of course, there is. Obviously.

Okay, so on the men's side, then you bring in Tabramos, Tony Miola, Tim Howard, Joe Harts. Oh, my gosh. Maybe you should do a men's and a women's. but then if you split it up then it just causes controversy with other okay well if it's that if those are the players right yeah carly christie tim okay who were the other men uh Tony Mayola tab Ramos tab tab uh Giuseppe rosy don't you think tab no I do I would have tab over Tim Howard probably I would probably tab would be like for short in for me

Yeah, I didn't register his name, though. I was thinking like Tim or Tony, and I want to choose Tony, but I thank Tim Howard, you know, this, you know, the Secretary of Defense. It's hard. Yeah. And then I think it's Tobin personally, because what we're doing is we're, when we want to split hairs, we can split hairs on like what you want to watch. Yeah. I mean, Tobin was the most entertaining player. I think the United States will, I hope not ever see, but it has been the most entertaining player that we've ever seen.

So, yeah, I'll go, I'll go Tobin. Although, Heyo's, facial expressions, it'll be a, there'll be a vacancy for that. There will be, and she will probably create a seven-a-side team for TSA. She will, huh? And we'll come back and challenge. But I think Tobin, for me, is, like, the two players I talk about in this, her and Ronaldinho, or the two where it's all the fun stuff you want from soccer and it was super productive because they were so good.

Yeah. And so it's like you watch players like that and coaches will always be like, all right, but what does it lead to? What can you get? And it's like those were the two ever where it's like it led to exactly what you wanted. And it was footwork and dribbling and quality and vision and creativity and flair. And it led to goals and assists and wins and all that type of stuff. Ended up on 181 caps, 36 goals.

won championships at North Carolina, PSG, Portland Thorns, and I don't know, World Cups, yada, yada. Everywhere else she went as well, but it is arguably... Okay, I think that's a very, very strong five. Yes.

This is one where the second five, third, five, fourth five would compete with a lot of other states. Yeah. Top five, and as you said, we could split it and still have trouble. Mm-hmm. Cross men's humans.

Right. That's how good it is. And then this doesn't include like Greg Burrhalter, Peter Vermeis, Josie Altar, sort of from New Jersey, a lot of players like that. And then, I mean, you could probably do a Rutgers women's best five ever and be fairly competitive. Which is wild because Rutgers has never been that good, too. But anyways.

Players that come there like to win things, Riley Tearing in the latest of them right now. All right, this was a really fun show. We will continue to cover everything, Alyssa Thompson, and everything that's going on across all of our shows. Reminder, we have the kickback committee that Susanna Fuller hosts. That came out yesterday on both our channel at Soccer Wise, as well as on kickback committee, because I was away, and it was our USM&T spectacular episode covering all things going into these two friendlies for Mauricio Pochitino. We will be back tomorrow with Tommy Scoops. So anything that drops on Alyssa Thompson between now and then, we will probably discuss, as well as our kickback committee

happy hour that we like to do every Thursday. the evening to wrap up our states of soccer, which maybe there'll be more debate. Maybe they will reopen the five-aside against us. And maybe Tony Miela and John Harks and Heather O'Reilly and everyone else on the champs. We'll hop in to give their thoughts. I will say this, by the way. I got in trouble. Nat Bortures is from Pueblo, not Durango, and I think I can fuse them in my head when we did Colorado back in the day.

He's claiming Pueblo over Durango. Sorry. Hang on. Let me just make sure. Yeah, he's from Pueblo, Colorado, not Durango. Well. And I said he was from Durango. You should have claimed Durango. Oh, really? Is it a better place? I don't know anything about these places. Yeah, it's a little nicer. Okay. But it's a hometown. It's great. Pueblo is great. You should probably claim where he's from. Not another place that's not related to it. But that's what we do here at Soccerwise and Kickback. So thank you all for listening. Thank you all for being here. Shout out to the chat. And we'll talk to you all again very, very soon.

Thank you.