SoccerWise - USWNT Roster, KC Bittersweet Victory + Gotham & Portland Head To Mexico

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

Emma Hayes has announced her latest roster, and as usual it is full of surprises. This one casts a wide net from experienced players like Lo LaBonta to the up and comers like Olivia Moultrie. Jordan & David are here to break it all down and give their thoughts on the up and coming u23 roster as well. They then talk through the Pyrrhic victory for KC down in Orlando and how it will affect them going forward. They also look at some of the other big results from the weekend including Gotham & Portland's performances heading into the CONCACAF W Semifinals tonight. 5:30 USWNT Roster Reactions16:45 US u23 Roster Heading To Germany25:00 KC-Orlando Reaction31:30 2025 Shield Race Assessment35:30 KC Injury Concerns42:00 Gotham & Portland Form Heading To Mexico For CONCACAF W55:00 NWSL Weekend Preview Soccerwise Live 2pm ET Every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on Youtube/Twitch/Twitter

What's up everybody? Welcome back to Soccer Wise, David Goss and Jordan Angeley with you for a loaded Wednesday afternoon show. Jordan is already celebrating the goals, kissing the crest, repping the logo. Soccer Wise in your face. And why we love to do the show live, Jordan is, right? As I hit play, you said Angel City just signed someone. Exactly. Well, we got to be on top of it, guys. And that's why we do the show once a week so we can report all the things that happen when they happen.

And thank you, Angel City, for giving us a little heads up. Do we have a name on any of this? Yes. Angel City has signed Iceland Women's National Team Forward. Are you ready for this? Just remember it's always sons and daughters. Yeah well, Jahn's daughter is the last name. It's the first name.

Svendis? Svendis Jahn's daughter? Hell yeah. Two and a half year contract through 27. Love that. Go Iceland. Okay, well, we've got that. We also, I just tried to type the name in on the fly to get a quick Google, and seven daughters came up on Google, which is probably the correct translation of that name. The same week that Vanessa Gillis finally signed permanently now with Bayern Munich.

Yes. Which is fascinating in that Bayern Munich's coach is now coming over to Angel City. I know, I'm bummed about that. I was ready for Gilles to come back to NWSL. She seemed very committed to not coming back to NWSL. It seems to be a running trend over the last three years. So congratulations to her. Obviously an awesome place to fall. Would have been a really nice ad for Angel City.

Now they add a little bit to the front line. They were shut out this weekend, but they do have two US women's national team forwards on their roster. Or do they? That will be the conversation coming up. That is what you call a professional teaser. Emma Hayes just dropped her latest roster for the Friendlies coming up in about three weeks against China and Jamaica in Minnesota and St. Louis.

That right there is a mad libs of international soccer that you could throw together if you wanted to. So we're going to talk all about that as well as I think what we're more excited about, which is this U23 roster, being the nerds who just went through the whole rookie rankings and everything. So we will dig into that. And then we're going to go through the big results and the big moments. Of course, from the weekend, Kansas City beating Orlando, the injury concerns for them now, though, coming out of that game.

Some of the other big results. We have actually two games tonight. So CONCACAF Women's Championship, CONCACAF W Champions Cup is coming up. The semi-finals are a double header and they are both in Monterey hosted by Tigris. So the opening game is Gotham against Club America and then the second game is Portland playing against the host Tigris. The teams will then all remain in Mexico and they will play on Saturday once again in a doubleheader of a third place match and the final. I think the third place match has value because maybe if there is the Women's Club World

Cup and maybe if enough teams get in, that could affect either your coefficient or maybe you qualify because of that. Not a huge fan of third place games. I think we play enough soccer. I don't know that we need another one that's like specifically not leading to the thing that's the whole point, which is winning championships and going further. But we'll talk about that in our weekend preview as well, Jordan. A lot to do. Yeah, we got a lot happening this week. This is a fully loaded show, gosh.

And so therefore I want to start with this. Have you been to Iceland? No, but I have wanted to go. Yeah, me too. I, um, my big kick now is I, when I'm doing things, I throw on YouTube videos in the background on my TV and they're pretty much all travel videos and a lot of them are like 50 places to go and all of that. How do you not get distracted by that? I do.

I get less distracted by that than the 87 other distractions I could have around me. True. So at least it's not like 15 second Instagram story hits where I'm like, I want to go there. Yeah. I want to go there. Where's that? There's a lot of stars on my map now because of all of that. And I've been to a couple too, which is always exciting. But Iceland, not one of them. I know, I want to go there. Now after learning about this, I see why because it's like 13 different things in one, like waterfalls, hiking, beaches, volcanoes.

The blue lagoon, pretty horses, like wild horses with long hair. What? Yeah, all of it sounds cool. And you could go on 13 trips to do it or you could go to the one or you could just go to Colorado. Or you could just come here. I mean, yeah. Absolutely.

Those are all the options. But maybe after Angel City wins a championship, we'll go do a special about their newest Iceland signing and us breaking the news here on this show. Breaking being a loose term because we were told it and it was publicly told and then we were just the first to talk about it. I don't have the scoops. I don't have the scoops like Tommy. No, none of us have the scoops. I know. I'm working on a whole hall of fame of scoops for Tom. If you enjoy our MLS show as well. Yeah. But let's dig in to all things North American women's soccer and we'll start with the national team. So as I said,

we got the latest roster from Emma Hayes. It is always exciting to get a roster. And I think Emma has a interesting flair about the way she puts these together. So we end up getting what is a 24 player roster. I won't read through all of the names, but you have some returning big names and then you have some opportunities for players who have not been in before. Jordan, when you heard this roster, when you looked at the names,

what stood out to you first? What was your first reaction? My first reaction, Goss, was the newcomers, the players that have never gotten caps before. There's three of them. And to me, that's the biggest news out of this camp. We have been told that Emma Hayes is going to continue to bring players in who are in top form.

And I like that we're seeing that. So Claudia Dickey, Lo Labonta, and Carrie Abello all get called in. And I all think, I think for all of them it feels right Doesn't it? I I actually just had Seattle this last weekend and got to talk to Lori heart Laura Harvey about Claudia Dickey and she said she when she was in Laura was in with the group in That camp in January and she said Or she was around them. She said, there is no reason,

Claudia, that you shouldn't be in that group. You are the most athletic of the players. You're the most consistent. But the thing that she wanted Claudia to be better at is the weird nerdy goalkeeping things. That's what she said. The Jolloid and stuff? Yes. And the instance that happened a couple of games ago when they played Houston and she came out and she actually covered her goal first and came out and denied Yasmine Ryan, that was one of the things. Covering your goal in 1 v 1 situations, the little nuances of goalkeeping

that you can't be good at just because you're athletic. You have to train at them. And Laura Harvey challenged Claudia Dickey to say, hey, if you work on these things, you will be there. And I like that just a few months later, here's Claudia Dickey in the mix. Because if you look at all of the goalkeepers in NWSL right now, Goss, inconsistency is the number one thing that is trying them. And I think it's because we've talked about this, there has never been an open goalkeeping spot in American soccer with the US women's national team.

It has always had a number one. And now that there's not a number one, you can feel the pressure that these goalkeepers have to try to win that spot. And pressure is a privilege and it's a good thing, but it also exposes your weaknesses. And I think we're seeing some weaknesses in these players. How do they adapt to them is the big question.

But for Claudia Dickey, I think she's been pretty consistent with her feet, with her crossing ability, probably the best in the league. And now as she works on those nerdy goalkeeping things, she is starting to round out her game. And it's a good time for her to be brought in and and see if she's she can be tested against either China or Jamaica. It also I think comes with the context of there is this U-23 roster that Jordan Silkowitz and Angelina Anderson are on. And I do think Jordan Silkowitz is someone else who's performed at a high level where I think could be in this convo because there's that other camp. You could understand then that Dickey gets this call in.

I think it's totally fair to say that she's been one of the top performers. And one of the things I've talked about many times, like I want to see the players who are playing at the positions of need at best in the league. And I think Cariabello goes into this conversation as well, get opportunities. And it's not just, well, are you a national team player? Because that doesn't mean anything until you get call-ups and I think NWSL is a good enough league that if you're performing at a high level there against your competition, that shows that you deserve the opportunity. Manny McClain's interesting.

She's had a lot, you talk about that pressure and the inconsistencies, it's been really bad at times. This year clearly has attributes that Emma Hayes wants in the camp. And so I think that's understandable that she keeps getting called in. I think Anna Morehouse still deserves opportunities with the way she has played in NWSL. That would be to me the biggest- Well, she's with the England, to the England national team.

Sorry, not Anna Morehouse, Casey Murphy. Casey Murphy. Wow. Okay, cool. Now that we're in goalkeeper talk, everything blends into one. Casey Murphy, I think has played at a high enough level so far this year and I think does some of the things you're looking for from Amanda McGlynn, which is ability with the ball at your feet, ability to play out. But I think we're talking about all players that are in the same

class, right? And you're going to hopefully give opportunities across the board as the year goes along and figure out who fits into the group at their best. And you had mentioned in that mix players playing well in their position and Cariabello is that player. I think she's been consistent, not just this season, but over the last year and a half for Orlando and Outside back is a circled double circled This is a position of need Emma Hayes has talked about it time and time again So I I'm interested to see how a bellow does in this system. It feels like

Outside back that Laura heart now I'm getting them confused. We're all confused. Oh my gosh. Outside back that Emma Hayes would love to have in her system. She is tactically dynamic. She can play centrally for like, if need be, right? She can pop into the central pocket. She could play as a midfielder. She could play as a winger. And so that has also been one of the emphasis that we have seen of Emma Hayes is Players that can play in multiple positions Let's do the last newcomer and then we'll talk about that a little more with I think the Giselle Thompson couple Which is Lola Bonta. I think it was the most exciting part of this roster for everyone. It is overdue

I was talking to someone I could understand she didn't get pushed in in the gap between the two Headcoaches when it was like we don't really know what we are right now And you're talking about a player who at that point had led her team to an NWSL championship game that they didn't really have a business Being in and she was scoring goals out of midfield and covering ground and doing work defensively But the way she has fit into this new generation, by the way, I got a KC Currence. Oh yeah. Shout out to KC on that one. Has moved into the way KC has developed.

She can play in a low block. She can play in a high pressing system and she connects the game. And I'm really excited to see her get opportunities in this group. And I think it once again shows that everyone's getting watched and everyone has a shot. And it seems weird that the door has been closed on some players, but they did get their chance like a Casey Krueger. But this I think was the most exciting part of this roster when it came out. Lola Wanto is like a fine wine to me, right?

She just keeps getting better and better and better. And I think with that consistency that she's shown, she's actually developed into a really good leader. And that is now on display in this Kansas City team. And I think that it felt inevitable to us, you know, maybe we were thinking, oh, is this ever really gonna happen? But it feels like a player like

that who has such bravado, right? She has this presence about her that everybody wants to be on her team. You don't want to play against her. That is going to pay off, whether it never made it to the national team or if it did. And this is what's happening now. And she gets the call up. I think the way that she's playing, she is so happy. Like she looks happy when she's playing. She just commands attention. She dictates how the game is played and it is perfect. I agree with you, but it feels to me, it almost is perfect timing to come in now

that a few more players have come in and out of these rosters and you're starting to settle in on maybe what the midfield looks like. Now you can bring in a piece like this who is very adaptable, who can play with a lot of different players and she can just be herself. And I think everybody hopes that, right? Lo, just go in there and do you and be the leader and be the destroyer and ball progressor and all the things that she does well, that this will

really set her up for success. So I'm so excited for Lo that she gets this opportunity. And as it's gone, Gus, we're going to see all these players because that is what Emma Hayes has been doing. And you said like it felt inevitable, but at the same time, she's one of the faces of NWSL. And yet I think I had accepted that she wouldn't get this chance. And I look at the league right now and there are, I mean, we talk about Vanessa DiBonnardo on the show all the time, another player. It just, it feels like it's not going to happen. And we've talked on the show about the CBA previously and how it didn't create opportunity to try new players you talk about Sam stop and maybe her injury came at the wrong time But again another player who's now deep into her prime high performer not getting an opportunity

you think about Ryan Williams as well like it just felt like we kind of had this list of These are winning NWSL players These are players that are the reason their teams win not just on winning teams That just weren't gonna get called in and you know, the last generation maybe held on too long and they didn't get their chance and now the next generation. I mean, I was texting with someone about Tarem McKeown coming in and I was like, you have to take advantage of this camp because we just did a show about five centerbacks, 22 year old and younger centerbacks who are coming. And so I think that's what one of the things that's really special to see LeBonte get this chance.

And hopefully that opens the door for a Sam stop going forward or Ryan Williams. And maybe guys, this is just what we're gonna see. Like now with this new setup with the new CBA, but also with the baseline of what NWSL is and players getting to play. Yeah, like Ryan Williams is a great example. She has been working to be a starter for years and years.

And now she's a starter. And now she is consistent in her ability to impact a game as a starter. Well, we weren't getting that before. So it was hard to break into these situations. And I see it not that there won't be opportunities for these players going forward who are very

consistent impact players in NWSL. But it should be hard to break into this team. It should be really hard. And I think because the game is is getting better and players are progressing and they're upping the level, it's going to get harder and harder to be in every single camp, which is going to do what? Just make everybody better because you're going to have to compete harder. And it also then gives the obvious credence of why Emma Hayes has pushed these other national teams, these future camps, where the teams train together or this U-23 camp that we have coming up. So with this U23 group, they are going to go to Germany and play Germany's U23s twice in Stuttgart, I believe. We have the full roster that came

out, which I was unaware of until earlier today. So I was ready to start throwing. I was going to build a roster. You guys, Goss is going to just have us like, okay, let's say who we think should be on this team. Yep. And it's a lot of the players we talked about last week in our rookie convo. And I think a lot of the players that would have been in the young player convo, because as we said, I think the Rookie of the Year award is going to start to shift post-draft with younger signings.

But you've got Jordan Bug in here. You've got Lily Reel, who you'd expect. You've got Kennedy Wesley. Corbin Albert, Jayden Shaw are sort of the headline ones that come from what you'd say the full national team coming into this. Riley Tiernan who of course has already set records for goal scoring, McKenna Morris, Jasmine Joseph, Kaia Hanks, my official which is really exciting coming off the knee surgery, Maddie Dillene, Sarah Shipansky, Samantha Meza which I think is a massive one because this is the other

part of this is you're trying to convince some dual nationals that they are part of your program, that you are watching them. One of the names that I saw talked about but is not on this list is Gia Corley, who many people would like to see be a part of the US set up. She's probably on that Germany squad. She is probably on that Germany squad, if not on that German first team. And that's part of what the US is fighting and battling against which I think is great is There's enough talent and there are now other options for players to go play for national teams that have bigger set I will just say Gia said she is not convinced as to who she wants to play for yet when we talked to her earlier

this year, so and She has been you could argue a top 25 performer in the league right? Top 25 for sure easy. I was doing across all positions not just in one position. Yeah but even that. Yeah. She's been so good and San Diego has been really good and I feel like has a lot of the fluidity in some of their movements that Emma Hayes wants in the national team so anyways this U23 roster is really exciting, and let's not get stuck on Gia Corley. We could do the Gia Corley thing. I think everyone wouldn't mind, but yes. I'm really interested in this group, and I think the thoughts go straight to

Jayden Shaw, Corbin Albert. I like this. I like that these two are on this roster because you see potential in these two to be leaders of the US Women's National Team for years and years and years to come. I think that is pretty safe to say, right? Like Corbin Albert has had her time with the US Women's National Team. She's been a consistent starter on and off, right? Like started multiple games and maybe coming up off the bench. So she has had a role within this group. Same with Jayden Shaw, had kind of come onto the scene fast and furious and made her, made it obvious that she can play with this team. Now you say go play with these players that are your age and figure out a way to lead this team. Figure out to be the

player on this group which has a lot of good players but you're gonna be, you're gonna be the glue that holds them together. You out to be the player on this group, which has a lot of good players, but you're gonna be the glue that holds them together. You're gonna be the experienced players playing in international competitions at a high level. I think this is a really smart move when it comes to the longevity of these players' careers. And I think people were shocked that they were on that and maybe like, what's wrong?

I'm actually like, I think this is a really smart play. I think it's definitely case by case. Like I have said and my example here is we also have a U20 roster that got announced for U20 World Cup qualifying. Kennedy Fuller is on that roster. I don't, Kennedy Fuller is one of the best players on the field for Angel City and Enversa. I don't need her to play in a U20 camp. I understand the life experience, so I'm fine with that, right? Like that's really cool. I understand connecting to players your age, representing your country, and I understand for the US program wanting to win things. That to me though is she should at least be in this U23 camp, if not even being called into this first team camp, or I would say I'd rather have her playing Angel City games

and training with that group maybe. But for Jane and Sean- That's so funny, because I feel the opposite. I know you do. But you've also played in U20 World Cup, which is a ton of experience that I've never had. And I think if you don't have Kennedy Fuller in that camp, then nobody sees where the bar is set.

Like Lauren Holliday, Lauren Chaney, was in our 20 camps alongside US camps. So she would train with us some days and train with it. And to watch her train, we were like, that's the standard. Yeah. Amy Rodriguez, that's the standard. And so we all know. But that was a different time. Okay, yes, yes. That's true. We were playing pro. Like she was not going to get high level training and play outside of that where... We were playing in college. So yes, that it was a different time. So I get what you're saying as a pro. But yeah,

but you're saying having that standard center having a leader there there is a ton of value in taking a player and saying pressures on your shoulders. Can you lead? And I think players learn a lot about themselves. I fully agree with this. And I'll say this for Jade and Shaw specifically. I think it's gonna be great to put Jade and Shaw on the field with, I was trying to do math in my head, 21 other players that you are saying these are future Champions League and Championship players, and for her to see that she's better.

And like straight up. Totally, especially right now. In the run she's in and the experience she's going through to remind her that you are two or three years younger than most of these players and you are the best player on the field. Like it's okay, right? You're 20 and to then change her experience.

Speaking up in the locker room, do you learn a little bit about yourself? Do you start to see what triggers other players? So then maybe that changes the way you see things, the way you train. Yes, there's a ton of experience in all of that that has a lot of value. I think it is case by case though. Like I think having Olivia Moultrie come into the first team is the right move because she's

pushing and she's ready. And I think she does some of that in Portland with the way that club is set up, how young they are and all of that. So I think all of that's super exciting. I love having a space for like a Riley Jackson to get a call in. Like you're not gonna get into the first team right now, but you're playing every week at your age

and you're playing well. Riley Tiernan. A hundred percent. Like that's a tough spot to break into at the senior level after only playing what? 11 pro games. How many of it? Nine.

Nine, right. But you're showing that you can play at that level and you have that opportunity. And as I said, a player like Meza, who I think has a future, but would not be surprised if Mexico came and said like, oh, we think so too, let's show you tomorrow, like come start for us in midfield.

And so I think that's where you get all of this sort of works together and makes a lot of sense. One note, I think Yasmin Ryan, they said, was injured so not available for that first team. So maybe would have been called into this. But otherwise this this U23 team's a lot of fun. It's a lot of the players we talked about last week. Sarah Sapansky we mentioned in our rookie convo. Lily Real, another one that we mentioned in our rookie convo. So a lot of players that have a bright future and you get them in the camp, you get data on them. They get to learn a little bit the way things work in US soccer before maybe they get called into a full national team camp. And there's lots of the like shock

value of, oh, this is how they do things here. Like you get to sort of develop players into that whole experience. As I said, the games are against China and Jamaica in Minnesota and St. Louis. That is coming in the first week of June. So of course we'll have your coverage here at Soccer Wise. Let's dive back in. Why am I just thinking it's a Midwest sway, y'all. You know that Nelly song?

You don't know that Nelly song? No, I know a lot of Nelly songs too and I don't know that one. Well, maybe I sang it wrong but that's all I can think of when you're saying Minnesota and St. Louis. Like we're just staying in the Midwest. The St. Lilligans. Yeah. Let's talk about a little Midwest in Kansas City and we'll talk a little Florida in Orlando.

Kansas City going to Orlando, getting the 1-0 win. I convinced you that this would be a high-scoring explosive open. Yep, you did. And I cursed it and it was wrong and I apologize to everyone involved for that. You're accepted, I guess. But it was, yeah. But it was tense. It was intense.

It was physical. I think you saw these two teams at a very similar level, but maybe at a notch above the rest of the league right now. It was more open than the last. I mean, not that I take the playoffs out that last time they played in Orlando in the zero zero draw, but I felt like both teams, even in it being open, were more conservative than we have seen them all season long. Would you agree with that? Yes.

And I was a little shocked watching it. Again, this was, I think, the first game that I watched of the weekend. So this is what, like, over a week ago. On the heels of, like, I was supposed to call a game and my game got moved to the next day. So I'm like, what do I do now? I have to prep, but also should I watch this game? So, um, I, the, the big thing I noticed in that, like multitasking was Orlando's defensive shape and they were sitting in a more of a five back, like a five, two, three, really right. With, um, Marta or a five, three, two,

I would say with Marta and Banda up there because there was no winger. That's what I noticed. No watt to stretch. So when the ball got to Banda, it was like, we know what we're going to do. Take out Banda, take out Marta. And that's all the attackers that were going to be around her. I don't know. I just felt like Orlando could have been a little bit more brave in the way that they set up at home. Because if you're going to lose, like lose, go play your game. Go play with the players that are your best players. I think Chalufia should have started.

I think she's done enough in the games that she's played in to earn a start. And now you have a little one, two punch with her and Banda in the speed and behind. You're crying out for that extra piece. Yes. Whatever it is. Yes. And now you have a little one two punch with her and Banda in the speed and behind out for that extra piece. Whatever it is. Yes. So I was actually pretty shocked at how conservative Orlando started the game with the players that they they had out there in their shape.

So the thing that's hard is I think they started their best 11 players available. The question is just how does that fit together, right? We've seen over the start of the season, we've seen Angelina play out wide, we've seen McCutchen play out wide. None of that's like, that's not naturally where they play. Some of that's holding positioning the most part they drift in. So then you see a team where if you don't have Aliwad to start and you are still missing whatever that other option is and if you're not gonna go with what You said then like this is kind of your best group to put out there And play to some of your strengths and quite honestly, I thought Kansas City was the better team in the first half

I thought they pushed the game I thought they had half chances But if the Dana controls that ball a little bit better and realizes the the press coming from Schwinga, this might be zero zero. Did you see Seb's reaction after that goal? No. Oh, yeah. He's like, gosh, like he was a visceral reaction. I said on Monday's show too, of like, it was an out of normals moment. Totally. Like Nadana has Bia sealed, understands the spacing of the field. There is one player on the planet who both tries to get to that ball and then physically is able to do that.

And that's Schwinga. And that's what happens in this high level game. And typically, in games like this, that's the difference. It's a half chance. A half chance, because that's what it is. That was not a full fledged like, oh, Kansas City created something beautiful and here's the opportunity.

It was like, I'm gonna work harder than you and I'm gonna figure out a way to get to this ball and anticipate that you're not gonna make the correct play. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think in that right, outright, you could say Orlando set up the way they wanted to, the game state went not how they wanted to, because I think you're right. I think at home there should be more responsibility to push the game.

You're also now in danger of a situation, and I know it's early in the year, but like if you meet later on, is it happening in Kansas City? Have you sort of like seeded that opportunity to be in the driver's seat to host the games, which was so huge in the postseason last year and was such a big part of how they were able to beat Kansas City in the semifinal and get to the final. So I think a lot of that, I think it's fair to be frustrated or upset. And I think for the fans, you could be, they are a team right now that just doesn't seem to have a lot of answers in the attack And like you said it is straightforward for defensive teams

It's not easy taking Martin band out of the game is not easy But it's possible right now because you don't have the other elements to hurt them and you can throw numbers I mean Marta is triple teamed every time Excuse me every time she drops in to touch the ball in this game Especially you had Levante and Hutton right around her and then whichever wing back was on that side teamed every time, excuse me, every time she drops in to touch the ball. In this game, especially you had Labonta and Hutton right around her and then whichever wingback was on that side because I felt Casey was playing and I don't know if this was reactive or purposeful, but it felt like to me Wheeler was a right wing back. And so you kind of had a five in

the back for them as well, which worked because of Dubinia's movement out of midfield. And Dabinha becoming a right winger, center forward and attacking mid all at the same time. And Bea and Shewinga being fine with swapping. And I think the first 10 minutes, Bea is out wide right for a lot of it because she likes to pick up the ball with a little bit of space.

Then she's playing center forward, obviously on the goal. She's helping create. Shewinga is making runs across the field. Like there's so much movement in that that you can kind of afford to maybe add an extra defender out there and not really risk losing the ability to attack. Yeah, no, that's a good point. And I think it is.

It's a lot to handle when you're playing Kansas City in the way that they move off the ball, the numbers they get forward quickly and how effectively they can do that. So all those rotations that you just mentioned, like try to deal with that, you know, try to figure that out. So I get having an extra number there and you want, um, well, Yane on the field, right? You want to have a Kary O'Bello on the field, all these players that you want to utilize them and attack without giving up anything defensively. So I understand it. I do. I understand the thought process behind it. But I just feel like with the run that they're on,

which hasn't been, you know, they haven't been informed. Yeah. If you're going to lose, lose at least the way that you want to play. Therefore, you can figure out where your weaknesses are against the best team in the league. But that's that's how I would approach it. And the run is if I'm accurate, I believe it's four of the last five. They have not won. Yes. And winless in the last three. Yeah. This is a team that won the double last year. This is a team that went undefeated for 23 games. Like what is this now? And not just like what's this run but like what's the convo in this group about what the regular season this year means to them? Basically saying if the shield is out of reach and maybe it's too

early to say. Yeah I don't think it is. Yeah. Okay so then that's the answer. Yeah right. They're coming back in and saying like we have to turn this around now because we have to push for this. Who's going to... Kansas City maybe is the only team that is going to be... that you're chasing, right? Because Washington hasn't shown that they're consistent enough to take the shield. I just don't think the shield... the way that NWSL is going this year, and I kind of... I don't know, after four games, I was like, maybe my theory isn't right. But expansion happens and things kind of like make the table a little bit more expansive

than it has been, right? From top to bottom, there's more points between teams. And then the teams in that year figure out who they are in that expansion year. Then the next year, I feel like we see more consistency. We see more tactical adaptability. Like I think teams are tactically switching up how they're playing depending more than we've probably ever seen in NWSL. So now we're in this this season before expansion. I think next year it's going to be a little wild again and the table is going to

be more spread out. But this year it feels to me like it's going to be a little bit more of a race for the shield because I don't think anybody is. Unbeatable and that brings us to Kansas City. Like now with what is going on with them, with these injuries that they acquired in this game, it is, it's brutal. And I think that now they're thinking, okay, how do we adapt to this? It is wild because this happened to them last year. They just lost Orlando, right?

They came out of that Orlando game. They lost Robinson. Bia obviously had a long-term injury that hampered them for a large part of the season. So now you come in, you get the win. It feels like for lack of a better term the Wicked Witch is dead right they've overcome this this ghost to them which was Orlando especially in Orlando now you're on the road in one direction Alana Cook goes down non-contact injury um Dibinha goes down taken off right after getting called back to the Brazil national team and then Xhwinga ends up coming out in the 89th minute. So coming out of the game,

the only confirmation I would say we got from Vlako was that Shewinga has been, and we've seen her out of the team recently, dealing with something muscular that that was what popped up. It wasn't something new, but it's something that clearly they don't have fully fixed and they're going to have to keep working on, which probably then limits Herman. It's going forward. and they're going to have to keep working on which probably then limits Herman it's going forward. We got some reports out of Kansas City from someone named Thad Bell who I don't know but I think writes for the Kansas City Soccer Journal that said injury news is Alana Cook has a long-term injury trying to determine the extent. Dabina not quite long-term but probably not back until after the summer and Temwa still being recruited still being evaluated. The positive side is Michelle Cooper's expected

to see some time in the next game. It's like a dagger. On that US Women's National Team list. So you are talking about, I think a player in Alana Cook, who is a huge part of the defensive turnaround this year. Cause they can defend not with numbers and they have been good defensively.

And her organization, her ability to play out of the back and I think the confidence that the players in front of her have that she'll clean Up mistakes has helped them a ton Dabina who maybe is MVP right now of the league and then showing is obviously I think the best player in the league and that's like a whole nother monster Which I think we shouldn't talk about because it sounds like she's at least gonna be For now day to day and in and out and whatever but those two injuries like you just said goes from one hour you're saying you know at 9 30 on friday night you're saying this is kansas city's league to win and everyone's chasing them to now the door is back open oh it just hurts and

you you talked about all those things with Alana Cook. But I think the one thing that maybe you didn't mention that is worth mentioning is there has been now consistency in this back line, especially with Sharples, Cook, and Lorena behind them. And that Sharples-Cook combination started last year. And it just helped. There is something about a center back partnership

that if you get it right, it makes everybody at ease around you. And I think they got it right. And do I feel like Gabby Robinson could step in and be that player? Yes, but she's not back from her ACL, right? So that's Elizabeth Ball will be the likely sub like replacement there. But it feels that feels really difficult because Kansas City has been great defensively. And how does that change now with just a different partnership as you start to work that out? When do you step? What is a line that you like to hold? Those are all the things that you're thinking about every single second of a game. And when you get a good center center back partnership, it starts to come easy and you just can read each other without ever having to say anything. So I think that's difficult but the Dabinha thing just really, it hurts my soul because she was.

I was saying she could be MVP this year and she was playing at a clip that we haven't seen her play at since I would say before her ACL. And last year, she was in and out with different little injuries. And at the beginning of the year, she played more minutes every single game than she had at all in last year. She wasn't playing 90 minutes.

She wasn't playing 85 minutes. She wasn't getting that consistent long run in games. And she had her step back. She has a great partnership with Bia. I think her understanding of what DiBernardo wants to do because DiBernardo is so cerebral, those two worked off each other really well. Oh, that just, oh, it's a gut punch and I'm so sad for her. And it was one of those things where like, when she ends up in Kansas City,

you're like, this is crazy. This is the MVP. But she hadn't been that physically. And there are always question marks with stuff like that of like, if you'll ever get back. And she did. She did. And now you're talking about a team where Shewinga is MVP. She's an MVP. You got experience. LeBonce is going to call the national team. so much positive. Now, Kansas City is probably one of the teams, the rare teams that can cover for some of us. Right? We picked Vanessa DiBonnardo as our preseason midfielder of the year. No, you mean I did.

Yeah, I was just being nice on that one. But this might actually end up opening the door to a possibility like that. Denise O'Sullivan, by the way, is the front runner for that award, which I hope we said in the segment, but I don't remember. I know we said, we did say her at some point because we didn't do a best 11, did we? No, so we must've said her. We must've said her.

It would be dangerous if we did a best 11 because what the hell do we know? Going into the season as is clear. We should do that, that would be hilarious. Yeah, just doing terrible guesses into the season. As a clear. We should do that. That would be hilarious. Yeah, just doing terrible guesses into the open. So you have DiBernardo coming in. Michelle Cooper coming back is massive because she's been out for a while.

So you've been covering that right wing position. Michelle Cooper also has now shown her flexibility. So you could still probably rotate. You know, you could get B out of the team sometimes if you need to. DiBernardo could play out wide. You have Michelle Prince who could play out wide. Like, this is one of the few teams that could cover for some of this. I think the question becomes the ceiling. How long can you cover for most of this? The defending is definitely going

to take a step back. And then, like, it's harder to manage Schwinga's minutes if Dabinha is not there. Yeah. Because you don't have someone who can carry the game. I would also think they will have to adapt to how quickly they want to go forward. Yes, you still have Michelle Cooper coming back from injury. You probably still have Schwinga for a number of minutes,

but with the players that you have then, can you be a little less like we win the ball and we are like going so you can get more players into the attack because the players that you have are a little bit more combination driven than like, we're going to beat you with two passes and just outrun you. Because it has been very direct at times for Kansas City with the players that they have. And last year they I think that's what they handled wrong in the second half of the year, which was as the injuries came, they relied more on showing over the top.

Yeah, she was completely isolated. And unless you saw the goal against North Carolina last year and the goal against Washington, which now was similar in Orlando, but that's in this top clash on the road. If those goals didn't happen, you didn't have anyone to connect with her. And I think you're completely right. You cannot fall into that trap once again. You probably have to control games a little more. That also will help your defending.

Your rest defense is in better position. You're not as stretched. Yeah. You're not losing it in uncomfortable situations or unknown situations. You're less stressed so you can counter press quicker. All of that will probably become necessary. It is terrible that this is what we're talking about. The week of what was supposed to be the big victory.

And I wrote somewhere, Pyrrhic victory, because it's one of my favorite history terms and I'm a history nerd, because that is the essence of like a win that you then look back and you were like, what we got from this, but what we lost for it maybe wasn't worth it in the long term. Let's talk about a couple of the other games

from the weekend leading into our midweek action and then we will go into our weekend preview. If you remember Gotham and Portland played on a random Tuesday a few weeks ago. That was because now they are playing in the CONCACAFW Champions Cup this week and so they're missing their games this weekend. So minus one game coming up this weekend. Still stretched out from Friday night through Sunday. Sunday 10 p.m. Eastern time. Is that right? I think it is. The final? No, I think that's the North Carolina San Diego game. Oh yes, yes, yes. You're right. So it is a long weekend for people. I'm just reminding everyone that. But that probably is the best game people coming up

It might be called coffee at that time, but popcorn can help as well very nutritious Fiber rich snack is what I've been told. I'm working on all of my my health concerns Yeah, little cook over here who doesn't know what they are doing on This weekend coming into this Gotham lost 1-0 to San Diego on Friday night and then Portland knocked off Houston 4-1 on Friday night as well. Gotham at home, Portland on the road. So for Portland they could drive to Monterey if they have to. I assume they are not but it's possible based off the travel that they ended up with. Let's start with the Gotham game It was a really interesting group for Juan Carlos Amaros. They are struggling to score goals

I would argue they threw all their attacking pieces on the field in this one Esther and jesse and mitch purse and ella stevens all getting the start Mandy freeman being back in the team allows you to to push nealey martin back in tofield. A lot of that felt positive. And I think for the first 30 minutes of this game, they were the better team. They controlled most of the play. Then who else? Delphine Cascareño picks up the ball in the wing, drives in field. Everyone sees alarm bells going off. Everyone's pass panicking. Her pass ends up deflected into Kimi Ascanio who drills this thing into the top corner. We're like again not even on one of these groups of U20 U23 first team but is consistently starting as a teenager in NWSL and scoring goals and scoring

game winners but it was a bit against the run of play. I think Gotham's not really a team that's going to take like, okay, we felt good about the performance type stuff, especially when they're struggling to score goals. But it felt like they tried a lot of the levers that I would expect to try and get out of this run. But this is what we saw, I think last year even with Gotham when they were winning one to nothing, one to nothing, one to nothing, is they would create all these chances and they wouldn't find the back of the net. And in that first 30 minutes, if you're playing San Diego, who is a top form team right now, they're currently sitting in second place. Desserve it.

Gosh, I feel good about that preseason. I was like, I'm interested in San Diego. There you go. They're making up for Utah. Not thinking it was going to be this. Yeah, it's making it for Utah for sure. Um, if you don't punish teams when you have, you're on the front foot and they were pressing so well and it was hard for San Diego to get out. But once San Diego figured out how to just get McCaskill free,

it was Dolly's pushing a little bit higher up the field. And then it was that, that pivot play centrally define the half space, the advanced half space. It was like they could break it down every single time. It looked easy for San Diego and you can't give them that time to adapt. And Escanio actually at halftime said, the first 15 minutes we were just trying to figure out

what they were doing and where the space was. And I, this kid, man, this kid, it is so true because I was like, what is going on? San Diego, this is not what I was expecting, but they were just like, all right, we're going to not give anything up too dangerous. They did give up chances. I wouldn't say anything was like, oh my gosh, they should have scored, which is a Gotham problem.

And then it was like San Diego figured it out and they're like, we got you. And then San Diego should have scored a lot of goals and they didn it. And I think they're going to be disappointed with that. But that's the, that's the Achilles heel of Gotham is when they have teams on their heels, they do not punish them consistently. And I would say one for Escanio now playing two positions, right? Has played as a false nine.on comes into this team so now goes out wide a little bit more but i think in all of what you talked about this was a game where i think you saw the strength of mccaskill and dolly and i think the weakness for gotham which is not the finishing is not supposed to come out of midfield but the possession is not at the highest

level there in that part of the field for them and y Yasmeen Ryan, I think, did a lot of that last year. Roosevelt is obviously the difference maker and is not available. But I think you have kind of in Howell and Martin, similar players that want to pick up the ball a little bit deeper. But because there's two of them, there's not really an option further forward for them. There's a moment around the goal where Howell picks it up, comes into the pivot, picks it up, turns on the half turn, looks up field and basically waves her arm like there's nothing for me, loses the ball and either gets fouled or gives up a foul. Like understands where the contact is, but that shouldn't be happening in a pro,

like in at this point of the season in the pro environment, like you should not be looking up and saying, where are my options, right? It's supposed to be muscle memory at that point. And it's one of the things that Dolly is maybe the best that the league in, in Ligand is in that build out early passes out of that deep midfield where if you are able to find space, it doesn't matter that I'm in my own 30 yards, I'm still going to kill you. And if not, I can connect and start to move up the field. And I think you saw the difference for these two teams, right? They're both teams where you step on

the field and you say, some of the best defenders 1v1 in the league, some of the best attackers 1v1 in the league. And one team was stitched together a little bit more coherently. I think part of that goes to game plan and how the players are reacting to it. And I think Yona Siedelwald's done a really good job with that. And then I think part of that goes to that engine room and what they're comfortable with and what they can do. And I think Nealy Martin and Jaylen Howell

are both starters in NWSL. But they might both be the same position and I don't know how that ends up working out. And I'll just say, you're also playing with those two players but with two center backs as your outside backs. Yeah. And that is in the modern game a way to keep possession and advance the ball is your positioning and your availability of your outside backs. And I just I think I understand what Juan Carlos is doing but I think that you see some of the weaknesses of those players at an outside back position because typically when those two players get

the ball or when Neely Martin gets the ball, there's like five players for Gotham High. And you're not seeing that as consistently because you don't have a nice swanger. You don't have a Bernina that's starting and playing a lot who's a lot more advanced in the way that she plays. So then that tucks in potentially a winger into the pocket. I just feel like it looks a little like the puzzle pieces aren't fitting together right now for Gotham. One exciting piece I think is the clubs were required to announce their rosters for this segment of the CONCACAF W. And Rose Lavelle is on the roster that they announced is coming to Mexico. I don't know if that's a like, we don't have anyone else, so we'll put her name in.

Like, obviously the whole team will travel together, but this makes her available. Or if she's that close that she could get on the field which One color sarmarose has not been super open about this specifically like Tamping down rumors, but not re report like not changing them. Just saying like nah, I don't know I don't know what that is That would be a huge lift for them, but I would love to see a Sarah Shipansky get a chance with Esther in that ten role where can she do a little bit of what I'm talking about Kenza Dali does for you of passing out of that midfield.

San Diego as you said they are second right now in the league. I think they should feel like they have a legitimate chance at this. Like to be able to now show they've rotated at center back, they've found a couple different options that center forward. Injuries are gonna be a concern because I don't know that the key pieces, like I don't know that they could cover injuries that Casey could, but I don't know that anyone can. And when you win something like a shield or whatever,

there's always injury luck. Like that's just the reality of how it works. But they are to me very clearly in that top portion of this with opportunity. On the Portland side of things, 4-1 win down in Houston. Tough run right now for Houston. I felt like the Dash should have actually felt like they played the game they wanted to, the opening half,

and they were down 3-0, which is absolutely brutal. I thought Portland were uber efficient with their chances. I think the penalty kick is a little questionable to me, but let's leave that one aside and move on because we're not the best at yelling about refereeing. But I think you saw for this Portland team, like even if they don't control the game, these young attackers have the ability to change the game for you, whether it's Tordine, whether it's Hanks, whether it's Moultrie, like all of them one v one can just create a ton of danger. And when they're all on at the same time,

this is what you get. Yeah. And you bring in a couple of different threats, right? With Tordon and with Linehan. Linehan can stretch. And I think that pass from Sam Coffey, if you're not gonna have a lot of the ball and you're not gonna have a lot,

in Houston is gonna be stretched in moments. You have to be able to expose them. And like, that is gonna be one of my favorite passes of the year, the coffee pass to Lynnahan goal. But Lynnahan just aware and can get in behind a back line. Even if the space is tight, Tordin is a fox in the box. Like this is a poacher.

She loves scoring goals and we haven't got to see that. And I think as Portland evolves- Her first touch in the box is really clean. Yeah, it is. It's tight. It's like into the space that she can exploit. Sets it up. Yep.

She I am interested to see how she fits in and if they can get her more time because typically Portland has been, you know, dominant in the channels, right? They have been able to get to the end line and create crosses. And I feel like the way that they're playing this year, it is a little bit more like tucked in wingers and they're playing a little bit more central, but you need to have a good player in the middle of the field in the box to put in those chances. And I think Torren can be that, but Portland is going to feel good. Even if they didn't control all the aspects of the game, as you said But Portland is going to feel good, even if they didn't control

all the aspects of the game, as you said, they're going to feel good going into a midweek game on the heels of that, seeing the ball going in the back of the net four times. And some of the players that haven't been on the score sheet, getting on the score sheet, now you're just creating more danger for the opponent and more players for them to have to watch. Because there's like danger for the opponent and more players for them to have to watch because there's like a little bit of Fresh new energy with Portland. I think there's that I think there's by committee. I think you start to get that feel of It's not a college team we see I'm a huge NBA fan you feel it with Oklahoma City Yeah, there are kind of a group that's having fun and they're all experiencing it together. It feels like Sam Coffey's like the perfect leader to all of this. She leads by example. She has

elevated her game. I think that goes into what we talked about with like the U23s and stuff of like I think there's the best soccer Sam Coffey's ever played while she's been challenged at her highest level because she has to fill so much of it. Took the penalty kick because of course the penalty legend, Jayden Perry, not on the field when they got one, they wanted to sub a center back on to take a PK, but you can't, excuse me. So I think, yeah, I think there's a really fun feel to what they're doing. It is where I would say this cocky calf chance is probably bigger for them.

Like can Rob Gale win a trophy? Yeah, yes. Can these players elevate to this and now all of a sudden this year is already a success and we're in May. Yeah, no, I think that's a really good point, especially with how tumultuous last year was. It was up and down, right? You had the players that everybody thought could really have a run and it just like petered out at the end.

And now this is your first full year as a head coach. This would be big for them. Yeah. They are up against, of course, the host T-Grace. So they will have the, I think, more intense crowd. Club America, though, won the Liga MX Feminaal this most recent Ligia. So I think Gotham has the bigger challenge on the field. Portland maybe has the bigger challenge off the field. And maybe, fingers crossed,

we end up with an All-NWSL final, which I think would be really cool the first ever time seeing this. It's of course has been an odd competition because it plays out across two calendar years, which ends up being two NWSL seasons. So you've got the Portland Gotham teams of last year, which got you here. Now you have the teams this year trying to get over the line. This is like CCC like Champions Cup for the men's, right? It's just- Except they changed it on the men's side. So it used to be this way and is no longer. Okay. There's no longer group stage. So now it's starts in like February and ends in June. Okay. But because you had group stage here, you had to play what, six games?

Oh yeah, in the fall. So it's spaced it out and then you go into these knockouts, which positive and negative with all of that. But I mean, the hope is you're growing the game everywhere. As FIFA announces like 97 more teams coming into things without actually properly financing them and pushing these programs and the game top down. Rant.

Yeah, always works. It's always a good idea. Let's get into our weekend preview. One of the big notes from the weekend, which I said on Monday, is Washington getting a little bit healthier. Corey Bethune got her first start. Casey Krueger played her most minutes. Hal Hirschfeld came back off the bench.

There are reports now that they are trying to sign Mauro Muno from Juventus which would be Another good ad for them. Remember last year they made these international signings in the summer We thought maybe they were signings for the future. They ended up being really big for them Washington plays on Friday night. They play against Seattle who you mentioned had the moved game Which they somehow ended up winning at Louisville. I believe it was the fourth lowest amount of passes completed for a winning team in NWSL history.

Believe that. I believe that. So that Seattle team just hanging on right now in that back five, but still able to get the results. Now a matchup on Friday night late against Washington, which I think is a fun one for with a Washington team that just also set a little bit of a record, which was the highest XG goal difference in a game. So two teams that have played outlier performances over the last week facing off against each other. For Washington, you mentioned potentially signing this Italian player, which makes me think that, and this is just me thinking,

like one of the internationals has to be on an SEI that not coming back, right? Because where are you getting all these international spots? Yeah, I will say Ule Saar is posting on Instagram and that is all the reporting you need from the DC area. Okay, well that's good news. That makes me happy. And that's who I was thinking, like is this Ule Sarr injury going to last throughout the year? So and that might be her rehabbing there. Like I don't know. That may not mean this is our brains just like clicking and trying to figure out what's going on when we don't really know what's going on. Right. But for Washington,

I think a lot of positives. I think maybe the biggest positive is coming out of that game with a point because it could have been really ugly against Utah losing at home to a Utah team who had scored what, four goals before that night and they scored three on the night. Three and one half. Three and one half.

Yeah. It's really like pretty simple plays for Washington. It just looked disheveled for them but new players in the back line, it looked like a new formation. It looked like they were back to a four back. Of course it rotates in the attack, but I just feel like for the spirit team,

Croix just adds a threat. Like that girl, she still has zip to her. Coming back from an injury, that's incredible to see how quickly she can get past a line with the ball at her foot or even off the ball. And, you know, you really start to think this is exciting with, with Croix, Lacey and, and Narumi potentially in that midfield Lacey not available right now, but like that, it would be ridiculous their ball control, their press resistance, the way that they can combine with one another and then also break lines.

I just feel like, hello, that's going to be really fun. So that's exciting. And then even Hal Hirsch felt like, how does she fit in that? How does Lacey fit in that? There's a lot of positives for Washington and they're getting results without all those players and so it feels like hopefully it's trending in the right direction and they're on results without all those players. And so it feels like, hopefully it's trending in the right direction and they're on the up and up. Yeah, the hope is that this is sort of the end of this.

But what you said about Croy is like, this is a Washington team right now that can hit you early over the top and they can try and break you down at a low block. They don't have threat in between because Trinity Rodman's unavailable. Croy brings that transition threat ability on the half turn to turn a build out into an attack quickly. Good pressing. All the things she does is what this seems missing in between right now and it

would make them much more dangerous. And so I think this is going to be a fun one on Friday night. Utah against Orlando, the other match on Friday night. So can Utah bottle some of what they got or some of the momentum? If they feel there's momentum, I don't know. Coming off a 3-3 draw where you concede in stoppage time against an Orlando team that, as we said, has struggled to find their feet. I think this is a bad matchup for Utah in like the one thing Orlando's trying to find again is Banda in transition and Banda 1v1 and Utah has a tendency to get stretched and lost a little bit while every team has over the last two weeks has been able outside of the 15 minutes that Angel City fell asleep and late in the game to at least stay with

Banda. One thing I'll just say about this game if you do not play an Ali Watt or a Chalufia on your right side against the left back for Utah, then I don't know what you're doing because that is the weakness, right? That spot for Utah is most of the goals come from that side. You need a pacey player who can go on V1, create and then distribute. And it could be like, Ali Watt should be licking her lips hoping that that's the call up she gets. On Saturday, the game start at 5pm. Three games on Saturday, Houston against Bay, Chicago against Kansas City and then Angel

City against Racing Louisville. Houston against Bay, I think an interesting one in if Houston's going to play similar to the Portland game, Bay I think has this formula coming out of the last game of Sort of five in midfield with Kundanandji alone up top There there just has not been a connection between Oshawa and Kundanandji They have both played better when the other ones not on the field and it felt like to me that opening half against Angel City Was a bit of a formula where Huffs making runs outfield, Hawking's able to stretch the field out wide, Conti comes inside and scores a goal.

Maybe that's how it all fits together best right now and that all feels like a setup where you sit in against Houston, you hit in transition and there's some openings there. Yeah, no, both these teams I think want to play. I don't know, I'm still not convinced Bay wants to play. Even though they tell me that they want to play all the time. And I know Albertine and he is, he loves the ball, but Houston is going to want to play,

right? They have shown that they want to play through the thirds. They want to build. And is that going to leave them exposed? And that's exactly what Bay wants. And the weekend ends with what we said, maybe the best game of the weekend, Sunday night at 10 PM Eastern time, San Diego against North Carolina.

North Carolina 2-0 win against Chicago. Monaco with the double. Shinomi comes off the bench, helps create one. Shaw, I think, looked more comfortable. It feels like they are now in the right direction. And this is a fun matchup of two teams who are finding themselves right now on the fly. How cute was Monaco's celebration?

It's just like jumping up. Just pure joy. Oh my gosh, I loved it. This is going to be a fun game because as I just said, both the team wants the ball. This is actually both these teams. This one, they've actually proved it. They actually do.

And one of the things I think that North Carolina has added in the last few games is they're not so stubborn in their possession that the two of the goals that they've scored the second monaca goal and then if you think back to when feely ralph scored it was two three passes and they're they're in the the balls in the back of the net and i think that that is something that they have to, they have to have that in order to balance how good they are on the ball, because that is going to be their, their like MO, right? They're going to play with the ball, but if you can't hurt teams with three passes, then you're going to, you're not going to win games in this league. You're just not, because you can't threaten, you can't pull apart a defense with even that threat and then play in the space that they create. So I'm really interested to see these two teams. When I watch these games with our games, I often

say like, and I'll tell a Sean Neha this, I'm like, I could watch your team play out of the back all day long. The way that they play under pressure is Beautiful both of these teams have similar Ideas of how to build through the thirds. They want to create a box centrally They want to use that those advanced half spaces and that's where their playmakers are. I Am excited. I'm on this game and I can't wait to see how it turns out One of the things that sticks out to me that's interesting going into is just formations. Now that North Carolina has shifted into this five in the back, San Diego has been, they have played the same way the whole time, right?

Just where are the numbers? As you go four, two, three, one, if you want to call it first, this five, two, three, you know, we talked about how dangerous McCaskill and Ken Zadale are. Can you get enough numbers around them? Does Cascorino come inside and find even more of the game in there? Or with the three centerbacks, do you end up pushing Ascanio and Cascorino out wide?

Where does Corley pop up in all of this? I think all of that's gonna be really fun to watch in this one. And I think it's gonna be the perfect capper to a weekend. I, because of this- Get the perfect capper to a weekend. I, because of this, will record my weekend recap a little bit later than normal and probably Monday morning because this game is so late. But either way, we're going to enjoy it. We're going to love watching Jordan on it as well. So thank you to all of you who were here live.

Shout out to Jackie for throwing in some notes in the chat for us. Thank you to all of you who are listening and we'll talk to you again very very soon.