Expected Own Goals

NWSL Week 8: Chicago Stars are Blind

Believe it or not, the guys were already planning on featuring the Chicago Stars' 3-2 loss at home to the Washington Spirit as their game of the week, and then Lesley Ryder published her story on the state of the Stars. Much of what Stars GM Richard Feuz said that piece was embodied by Chicago, who put up their best attacking performance at home in nearly three years, but promise little for the future.The guys whip around the league (1:45) and then dive into what the Spirit's defense is still missing, and what the Stars are now at this crucial juncture (34:07). Join our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Week 7: Parity 4evr????

The top-4 only managed to grab a single combined point over the weekend. Does this mean last year's us-and-them table is a thing of the past? Maaaayyyyybe. The guys whip around the league to figure some of this out (2:56), and then close with the Portland Thorns' 1-0 win over the Orlando Pride at Providence Park (37:59). Barbra Banda was all alone, Coffey and Hina bossed proceedings, and Olivia Moultrie is locking in. Join our Patreon for $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Week 6: Chaos League Whiparound

All games from this weekend are our featured game, because too much insanity occurred for one match to pull focus. The guys go through all of it, from Orlando's epic comeback to North Carolina's at-the-death victory to a foul-choked draw between Portland and Louisville, not to mention Gotham's beatdown of Washington, Chicago's whimper of a performance against San Diego, the kooky draw between Bay FC and Seattle, and the utter contempt for soccer that Houston vs. Utah represented. CHAPTERS
3:35 - Houston Dash
8:27 - Utah Royals
11:47 - Bay FC
15:23 - Seattle Reign
19:35 - North Carolina Courage
24:06 - Kansas City Current
26:37 - Washington Spirit
30:21 - Gotham FC
32:49 - Chicago Stars FC
34:16 - San Diego Wave
37:20 - Orlando Pride
39:40 - Angel City FC
43:45 - Racing Louisville
51:17 - Portland Thorns
 
Subscribe to our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs
 

NWSL Week 5: The Wave Go Surfing in Louisville

The whiparound, like the weekend's NWSL action, doesn't exactly quicken the guys' pulses on today's episode (00:41). But there are many important things to address with the Washington Spirit's 1-0 road win against the Orlando Pride, not least of which is the handling of Ashley Hatch's concussion (10:48). This week's featured game takes us down to Kentucky, where the Wave pasted Racing 4-1. But what was going on beneath the surface? Is San Diego a contender? Do the underlying data or the eye test (plus a soft schedule) tell the realer story of Louisville's first five games (19:07)?Subscribe to our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli Elbogen

NWSL Week 4: Gotham on Fire, North Carolina Courage Adrift

Seven games, six road victories, four of them shutouts. It was a weird weekend in the NWSL, and the guys scan the ups and downs from all of the action (1:14). Then, they peruse Gotham's 3-1 home victory over the North Carolina Courage (23:01). Each club had a starting center back missing, but only one didn't play like it. Is Gotham the sleeping giant that has finally awoken? Has North Carolina reached the end of the road with Nahas-Ball, especially since Jaedyn Shaw and Ashley Sanchez really aren't clicking? What does this result portend for the rest of Gotham's and North Carolina's seasons? Join our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

USWNT Recap: A Split Card against Brazil

One for them, one for us. The USWNT beat Brazil fairly comfortably in Trinity Rodman's return to the U.S. lineup in front of over 32,000 in Los Angeles, while an incredibly green squad went down 2-1 to the Seleção in San Jose. The guys tackle Saturday's victory first (3:05) before noting that each friendly was a mirror image of each other from a tactical and personnel perspective (7:11). This leads into figuring out who might now be at the top of the USWNT goalkeeper depth chart. (16:47) The guys then analyze Tuesday's loss, which highlighted the work still to be done by Emma Hayes and co. (35:06). They scratch their heads at the usage of Jaedyn Shaw over the past year (39:46), while trying to determine what Alana Cook's substitute appearance means for the center back depth chart (44:54). They close with an overview of news contained in the release of the new NWSL collective bargaining agreement, and whether there are big format changes coming in the next few years (46:37).Subscribe to our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Week 3: Angel City's Up, Seattle Reign are Wayyyyy Down

More draws! With even fewer goals! The guys whip around the league to gawk at some less-than-stellar matches (1:40) before diving into this week's featured contest, Angel City's 2-1 defeat of the Seattle Reign at home. We preamble a bit (17:00), and then peel back what's been suprisingly effective about Angel City's attack (19:00), before trying to understand how Seattle could be even messier than we expected (31:40). We cap it off with a discussion of what kind of a player fans can expect Christen Press to be going forward (37:43). If you're going to the USWNT- Brazil match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this weekend, hit us up! We'd love to see you and chat all things WoSo.Join our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Week 2: Clash of the Top-4 Titans

The top four all played each other this weekend, in a couple of tasty fixtures filled with drama and intrigue. After the whiparound of the league's fixtures, the guys get into the main events. (8:28) The Kansas City Current got the officiating calls to go their way and Temwa Chawinga tore the Washington Spirit's heart out at the last second. (26:52) The Orlando Pride didn't score once in open play but dispatched Gotham 2-0 in front of their home fans in New Jersey. What do we now know about these title contenders? Join our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Week 1 Power Rankings

One down, 25 to go! The first round of NWSL matches is in the books for 2025, and it was a morass of beatdowns and 1-1 draws. Who's up and who's down relative to our preseason rankings? The guys look at all seven games and figure out who has shifted since they made their initial picks. 
Join our Patreon for only $6/month (or $60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Preview Week: Gotham FC, with Jenna Tonelli

The Bats took flight across the regular season, but were felled in penalties to Washington in the NWSL playoffs. Then the rumors of behind-the-scenes discord kicked up. Then a dozen players departed. Amid all of this upheaval, do they still have the goods to be one of the best teams in the league? Jenna Tonelli of Sports Illustrated dropped by to pitch herself as Gotham's goalie, with Evan as the no. 9 in a pinch. Join our Patreon for only $6/month ($60/year) to get all of our exclusive bonus content!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs