Expected Own Goals

NWSL Preview Week Concludes with the San Diego Wave + Gotham FC!

​​We did it. NWSL Season Preview Week concludes with last year’s champions and Shield winners, who square off tonight in the NWSL Challenge Cup. The Wave added a genuine playmaker in Savannah McCaskill, but otherwise remain largely unchanged from their table-topping campaign. Will McCaskill and USWNT phenom Jaedyn Shaw be enough to keep Casey Stoney’s offense sparking? Meanwhile, Gotham signed four gálacticos and maintained a remarkable amount of depth. They’re the favorites to win it all again, but can Juan Carlos Amorós make this group start gelling quickly together? 
Click here to read ASA's written preview of today's teams
 
Art by Eli Elbogen
Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs
 

NWSL Preview Week: Portland Thorns + North Carolina Courage, with Arianna Cascone

​​The day has arrived! Arianna “Doc” Cascone makes her xOG début as we head into the homestretch of NWSL Season Preview Week. First up, Eric and Evan consider another team whose offseason was influenced by ownership transition. The Thorns replaced Crystal Dunn with Jessie Fleming (lol) and blended veteran re-signings with some young and untested internationals on the backline (hmmm). Even if they’re a touch leaky, will they score enough goals to still win? Then, Arianna comes on to break down the Courage, and whether Ashley Sanchez is a bright enough spark to help them score goals in Kerolin’s absence. 
Click here to read ASA's written preview of today's teams, one of which was written by Arianna herself!Check out Arianna’s work at BackheeledArt by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Preview Week: Angel City + Seattle Reign, with Susie Rantz

Another two-episode day here at xOG for NWSL Season Preview Week. We’re heading out to the best coast to talk about two playoff teams at a crossroads. Angel City seems to be tightening budgets as the bill comes due for their previous offseason work. Will now-permanent head coach Becki Tweed be able to recapture the magic of their playoff run, with Messiah Bright and Rocky Rodríguez in tow? Then, Eric and Evan welcome Reign reporter Susie Rantz to unpack how the still-not-closed sale of the Reign has affected their offseason, and whether there is enough spark in the roster to get to the postseason for the eighth time in the club’s 11-year history.
Click here to read ASA's written preview of today's teams (both written by Evan!)Check out Susie’s work at Ride of the ValkyriesArt by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Season Preview Week: Orlando Pride + Washington Spirit, with André Carlisle

**RECORDED BEFORE SIMONE CHARLEY’S AND RAFAELLE’S INJURY ANNOUNCEMENTS**
 
​​In part two of today’s entries in xOG’s NWSL Season Preview Week, Eric and Evan dive into the fetid swamps of two teams making big moves but also not completely certain of their futures. Pride GM Haley Carter made a big, late splash in signing Barbra Banda. Orlando will score goals, but will they be able to do much else? Is there a Marta succession plan? Will Adriana be their only hope? Then, writer, analyst, podcaster and all-around bon vivant André Carlisle dives deep into the Washington Spirit, and how incoming head coach Jonatan Giráldez will bring his Barcelona DNA to a team that barely managed 46% possession last season.
Click here to read ASA's written preview of today's teamsCheck out André’s work at the Beyond the Vaudevillian Cane newsletter, and the Diaspora United and HEY SPIRITS podcastsArt by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Preview Week: Racing Louisville + Houston Dash, with Theo Lloyd-Hughes

Our second episode today heads down south for the next edition of NWSL Season Preview Week. Louisville has a clear recruitment strategy—buy low on young internationals—but are hoping for a clear stylistic identity with new head coach Bev Yanez. The Dash are doing something similar with Fran Alonso and players like Cece Kizer and rookie Avery Patterson. Dash reporter and Squad Depth podcast host Theo Lloyd-Hughes breaks down Alonso’s approach to making the Dash a playoff contender. This is a good one, folks!
Click here to read ASA's written preview of today's teamsCheck out Theo’s work at the Squad Depth newsletter and podcastArt by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Preview Week: Chicago Red Stars + Kansas City Current

It’s a two-episode day on xOG as we roll along with NWSL Season Preview Week and continue to enjoy our new partnership with American Soccer Analysis! Eric and Evan dig into two teams undergoing massive change. The Chicago Red Stars have new owners, a new GM, and a new head coach, as they begin their long but hopeful rebuild. The Current hired Vlatko Andonovski as their head coach, and want to make a splash in their new stadium. Will any of it work for these two midwest stalwarts?
Click here to check out ASA's written preview of today's teams! Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

NWSL Preview Week Begins with Utah Royals and Bay FC! Plus, We've Partnered with American Soccer Analysis!

This is a really exciting day. In addition to launch NWSL Season Preview Week--an entire week of content previewing all 14 teams--we are thrilled to announce that we've partnered with American Soccer Analysis to be their women's soccer content partner! If you've already subscribed to us on our feed, no need to do anything; episodes will show up every Tuesday morning as before. If you're coming to us from following ASA Show, welcome! Eric and Evan love talking about the NWSL, the USWNT, and global women's football through the same lens as Kieran and the gang: data, tactics, and the nitty-gritty of the beautiful game. Hope you enjoy the show, and kick back as Kieran joins us for our first two previews, of the Utah Royals and Bay FC. 
Click here to check out ASA's written preview of today's teams! Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

W Gold Cup Final Recap: The Future of the USWNT Looks...Bright?

The USWNT are your inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup champions! A war of attrition broke out between Brazil's hyper-direct 3-4-3 system and the US's defensively resolute 4-2-3-1. Lindsey Horan's end-of-the-first half header won the game, but what now for the US as it heads toward the SheBelieves Cup and the Olympics? Is this hyperdefensive approach perhaps the new style that was promised? Is it simply the first step in a long evolution? Eric and Evan debate what Twila Kilgore and the players achieved.
Plus, we have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT about the show! Art by Eli Elbogen 

Gold Cup Recap: Brazil Dances Its Way to the Final, the USWNT Swims There

The CONCACAF W Gold Cup final is set! Brazil used the experimentation of the tournament to find the right players in the right shape to dominate México. The USWNT and Canada were dragged through Waterworld in a game that should never have been played. Where did Pedro López get his tactics wrong? How much praise should Alyssa Naeher really be getting for her shootout heroics? Can the US stop Debinha and company? Eric and Evan put on their galoshes and go singin' in the rain! Plus, the boys analyze Orlando's surprise landmark signing of Zambian star Barbra Banda!Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

Gold Cup Quarterfinal Recap: The USWNT Plays the Hits, But the Record's Scratched

The USWNT is through to the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinals, but my oh my, was it trench warfare against Colombia in the quarterfinals! Goals from Lindsey Horan, Jenna Nighswonger, and Jaedyn Shaw made the scoreline comfortable; flying elbows and hip checks from the likes of Linda Caicedo and Catalina Usme made the actual game anything but. Eric and Evan break down the headline-grabbing performances from Alyssa Naeher and Alex Morgan, get postgame reactions from Sam Coffey and Twila Kilgore, and preview their semifinal tussle with old rivals Canada in San Diego this week. Thin end of the wedge here, folks! Art by Eli ElbogenMusic by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs