Speaker 1: Welcome to a good Game with Sarah Spain, where we
Speaker 1: are rejoicing that WNBA sponsor Google has finally adjusted the
Speaker 1: WNBA standings so they aren't divided by conference.
Speaker 2: WNBA conference is me nothing, Okay, Commissioner's Cup standings, but
Speaker 2: that's it.
Speaker 1: Shout out to producer Alex for noticing and posting about
Speaker 1: it back in twenty twenty four, and Sports Viz Queen
Speaker 1: Alison Gaile for making it happen better late than never.
Speaker 1: It's Thursday, August sixth and on today's show, North Carolina
Speaker 1: Courage and Canadian national team goalie Caylin Sheridan joins us
Speaker 1: to talk about what really happened during her final few
Speaker 1: months at the San Diego Wave, how the Courage welcomed
Speaker 1: her to the squad and made her feel valued, what
Speaker 1: the Courage need to do to stay in the playoff hunt,
Speaker 1: and how Team Canada is preparing for major upcoming international competitions.
Speaker 2: In the wake of the twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1: Drone Gate, plus former stars returned to the field, the screen,
Speaker 1: and the court, a debut for one Hooper, and New
Speaker 1: York hopes to find new heights. It's all coming up
Speaker 1: right after this Welcome back, slaces. Here's what you need
Speaker 1: to know today. Starting with soccer, the NWSL twenty twenty
Speaker 1: seven season schedule is now official and last week's league
Speaker 1: was accurate. The season will start earlier than usual with
Speaker 1: the Challenge Cup on February sixth. The game between the
Speaker 1: previous season shield winner and championship winner returns to its
Speaker 1: preseason slot after twenty twenty six's game was played mid season.
Speaker 1: The regular season kicks off on February eleventh. In a
Speaker 1: press release, the league said the season opener in Los
Speaker 1: Angeles is strategically placed to coincide with Super Bowl weekend
Speaker 1: and maximize the league's visibility during one of the biggest
Speaker 1: moments on the American sports calendar. And of course, the
Speaker 1: season is starting extra early because there will be a
Speaker 1: nearly two month pause to accommodate the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Speaker 1: Each team will still play thirty regular season games, with
Speaker 1: the final regular season games aka Decision Day on October thirty.
Speaker 1: FIRSTSL League Commissioner Jessica Berman held a mid season press
Speaker 1: conference on Wednesday, and among other things, Berman announced the
Speaker 1: launch of NWSL Foundation, a nonprofit quote to advance the
Speaker 1: health and longevity of women athletes by supporting women's health
Speaker 1: research and convening and coordinating the women's Athletic Health Research ecosystem.
Speaker 2: End quote.
Speaker 1: That's according to a job description now seeking applicants for
Speaker 1: the executive director of the new org currently listed on
Speaker 1: the league website. If you're looking for more info and
Speaker 1: want to apply. Berman also touched on the league's policy
Speaker 1: for trans athletes. When asked about the absence of one
Speaker 1: by a reporter, she reiterated the NWSL's line of quote,
Speaker 1: our policy is our practice, and she added that quote,
Speaker 1: every player who plays in this league has been determined
Speaker 1: to be eligible, and we're continuing to apply that on
Speaker 1: a consistent basis end quote.
Speaker 2: We've talked about this on the show before.
Speaker 1: It feels like right now, in this moment, continuing to
Speaker 1: be inclusive without putting that policy in black and white
Speaker 1: might actually be the best thing for the NWSL. So
Speaker 1: I understand the policy is our practice line more and more.
Speaker 1: The commissioner also confirmed that a second league division is
Speaker 1: still actively under consideration, but offered no update on the
Speaker 1: timeline or structure.
Speaker 2: More Soccer.
Speaker 1: Former US women's national team star Tobin Heath has signed
Speaker 1: a contract with the Portland Thorns.
Speaker 2: All right, don't get too excited. The deal is just
Speaker 2: a symbolic one.
Speaker 1: The Thorns announced on Tuesday that Heath signed a one
Speaker 1: day contract with the club so she can officially retire
Speaker 1: as a member of the team where she established herself
Speaker 1: as a club icon over seven seasons. Heath represented the
Speaker 1: Rose City from twenty thirteen to twenty twenty, helping the
Speaker 1: Thorns lift two NWSL championships in twenty thirteen and twenty seventeen.
Speaker 1: She actually announced her retirement last summer, a few years
Speaker 1: after suffering what turned out to be a career ending
Speaker 1: knee injury during game for her NWSL club, the Seattle Rain.
Speaker 1: The Thorns will host an on field pre match ceremony
Speaker 1: to recognize Heath at Providence Park on Saturday, August twenty second,
Speaker 1: when the Thorns played Denver sum At FC to another
Speaker 1: former US women's national team legend friend of the Show,
Speaker 1: Meghan Rappino, is starring in a new documentary called Rappino
Speaker 1: from production company Story Syndicate. A post from the company
Speaker 1: on Instagram reads, in part quote, through unflinching intimacy, we
Speaker 1: share Repino's rise from world champion to outspoken icon, revealing
Speaker 1: the profound personal cost and inner transformation behind every battle
Speaker 1: she chose to wage.
Speaker 2: End quote.
Speaker 1: The world premiere of the doc will be at the
Speaker 1: Toronto Film Festival in September. Keep in the legend theme going,
Speaker 1: but this one is Unretired tennis goat Serena Williams is
Speaker 1: stepping back onto the court to play doubles with her
Speaker 1: sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open next week. Organizers announced
Speaker 1: on Monday the pair had received a wildcard entry into
Speaker 1: the doubles field. This will mark the first time the
Speaker 1: sisters have played a doubles match together since twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1: They were supposed to make their return to the court
Speaker 1: at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but had to withdraw after
Speaker 1: Serena sustained a knee injury in an earlier singles match.
Speaker 1: Venus also earned a singles main draw wild card into
Speaker 1: the event. Competition starts a week from today on August thirteenth,
Speaker 1: to hoops. Anissamorro played her first game for the Toronto
Speaker 1: Tempo on Tuesday night, after being traded from the Connecticut's
Speaker 1: on last week. The Tempo lost to the Golden State
Speaker 1: Valkyries ninety two eighty one, but Marrow put up eight
Speaker 1: points and got five rebounds, playing sixteen minutes off the bench.
Speaker 1: She also picked up a flagrant one foul in the
Speaker 1: third quarter, her first of the season, when she elbowed
Speaker 1: Kaylea Thornton in the neck and jaw area during a
Speaker 1: spin move. More w few games to put on your
Speaker 1: calendar tonight. First up, at seven pm Eastern, the Las
Speaker 1: Vegas Aces travel to Gainbridge to take on the Indiana Fever.
Speaker 1: Then at nine pm Eastern and the La Sparks are
Speaker 1: on the road to play the Minnesota Links. Finally catch
Speaker 1: the expansion teams going head to head in Portland when
Speaker 1: the Fire hosts the Toronto Tempo at ten pm Eastern.
Speaker 1: Even More w we told you at the start of
Speaker 1: the week about the pregame on court conversation between Minnesota
Speaker 1: Links head coach Cheryl Reeve and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
Speaker 1: As a reminder, Reeves showed up to that game wearing
Speaker 1: a trans Kids Belonged T shirt, and Cunningham had inspired
Speaker 1: several pregame rallies at recent Fever games after recently advocating
Speaker 1: for the exclusion of trans athletes and girls and women's sports.
Speaker 1: We heard coach Reeves take on the conversation. Now Cunningham
Speaker 1: is sharing her side. Here's what she said Wednesday morning.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you know, she just came up, and you know,
Speaker 3: I respect her for coming up in person. I think
Speaker 3: a lot of people high behind screens and love that
Speaker 3: type of thing. She had stories about her point of view,
Speaker 3: and I had stories about my point of view, and
Speaker 3: we left with love and respect, and I think that's
Speaker 3: what it's all about.
Speaker 1: In case you missed it, Cunningham post for photos with
Speaker 1: anti transcrifter and one time fifth place swimmer Riley Gaines
Speaker 1: before that game against the Links. We'll see if Gaines
Speaker 1: or other Cunningham supporters continue the practice of gathering at
Speaker 1: tonight's game in Indianapolis to the Women's Professional Baseball League.
Speaker 1: The first full week of games are underway at the
Speaker 1: league's inaugural season home field, Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. Tonight,
Speaker 1: the New York Heights and the San Francisco Fire Bells
Speaker 1: meet for the first time at seven thirty pm Eastern.
Speaker 1: New York will be looking for their first franchise win
Speaker 1: after losing to LA in the season opener. Saan Fran,
Speaker 1: on the other hand, is coming off a win after
Speaker 1: beating the Boston Hunters eleven to three earlier this week.
Speaker 1: If you're in the States, you can watch tonight's game
Speaker 1: on ESPN Select or the Scripts Sports Network, and folks
Speaker 1: outside the US can watch on YouTube. Thanks to loyal
Speaker 1: Maple Bacon Slice Marcus Sisson for lending us know that yes,
Speaker 1: up in Canada, you'll be able to get those games
Speaker 1: on YouTube. We're going to take a break when we
Speaker 1: come back from San Diego, California to carry North Carolina.
Speaker 1: We take a journey with Kayln Sheridan and just to
Speaker 1: set the scene of where Caylen's mind was when we spoke.
Speaker 1: We chatted a few days after the nc Courage lost
Speaker 1: to the Utah Royals last week, their third straight loss.
Speaker 1: But since then, Sheridan squad got back in the win
Speaker 1: column with a resounding five mil defeat of the Orlando Pride,
Speaker 1: and the Courage just played the Denver Summit last night.
Speaker 1: But we're recording this before the final whistle. Okay back in.
Speaker 4: A second.
Speaker 2: Joining us now.
Speaker 1: She's a goalie for the NWSL's North Carolina Courage and
Speaker 1: the Canada National Team. A Pickering, Ontario native, she played
Speaker 1: her college soccer at Clemson. A twenty twenty gold medalist
Speaker 1: with Team Canada, twenty twenty two Goalkeeper of the Year
Speaker 1: with the San Diego Wave. Mom to Skyla Ray, she
Speaker 1: once turned up to a Team Canada dinner dressed head
Speaker 1: to toe as Buddy the Elf and I once talked
Speaker 1: shit to her from behind the goal at Soldier Field
Speaker 1: and all it did was make her even better.
Speaker 2: It's Kaylen Sheridan.
Speaker 5: Hi, Kaylin, Hi, thank you so much for having me
Speaker 5: and bringing back Buddy.
Speaker 1: Well, I actually want to start there because I have
Speaker 1: watched that video so many times.
Speaker 2: You were not just in full character.
Speaker 1: You embodied Buddy the Elf right down to the absurd
Speaker 1: escalator behavior. So I'm wondering if this was a one
Speaker 1: off or if we were to dive into your camera reel.
Speaker 1: Are there videos and photos of you in other ridiculous costumes.
Speaker 5: Well, then we did Gringe the next year, so there's
Speaker 5: definitely a couple costume videos. Buddy the Elf was such
Speaker 5: a hit, so we decided to go for something else.
Speaker 5: So I don't know, maybe I'll have to do it
Speaker 5: again this year. Yeah, obviously those two are so iconic
Speaker 5: and they're funny and I feel related to them.
Speaker 4: In a way.
Speaker 2: Can we do a Jack Skellington.
Speaker 4: Oh boy, that sounds like pressure.
Speaker 2: What was the impetus for this?
Speaker 4: Like?
Speaker 2: Why were you dressed up for this team dinner?
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh.
Speaker 5: Well, usually camp kind of falls right before Christmas, right
Speaker 5: at the beginning of the month of December, and we
Speaker 5: always have like a fun opportunity to have like a
Speaker 5: quote unquote Christmas dinner together in camp, and we have
Speaker 5: like a fun gift game and you know, just something
Speaker 5: to bring the team together in camp. And we always
Speaker 5: were like ugly sweaters and I was like, this is
Speaker 5: kind of getting boring for me, Like I'm just over
Speaker 5: the ugly sweater thing. But you know, I really relate
Speaker 5: to Buddy the Elf and I understand him, and I
Speaker 5: just feel like we need to bring him out and
Speaker 5: have a little fun with it. And we were at
Speaker 5: home in Vancouver that year, I think so just made
Speaker 5: it a little bit easier.
Speaker 4: And yeah, the girls loved it. It was just such
Speaker 4: a hit.
Speaker 1: I mean, you really committed, which I appreciate as someone
Speaker 1: who wears a lot of costumes and really commits.
Speaker 2: I really appreciate it.
Speaker 5: Okay, well, then I'm going to need some suggestions from you,
Speaker 5: and I have plenty and.
Speaker 1: Help because Okay, I have an annual Christmas party and
Speaker 1: it used to be ugly sweater and then I was like,
Speaker 1: this is boring.
Speaker 2: So then I started to expand We're on to.
Speaker 1: Like thirteen Thannuel, So I've got a whole bevy of
Speaker 1: costume opportunities to share with you.
Speaker 4: We's got a separate closet of Christmas costumes.
Speaker 1: Yes, this year, I actually dressed as a nutcracker and
Speaker 1: I made my husband be a giant nut and I
Speaker 1: made the costume myself, So that's iconic. Yeah, Okay, let's
Speaker 1: get to the real stuff, because we got to talk
Speaker 1: some soccer. Your North Carolina courage. Middle of the table.
Speaker 1: We're talking to in a bit of a slide. So
Speaker 1: what would you say has gone wrong the last couple matches?
Speaker 2: In your opinion?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think we're in a bit of a down
Speaker 5: right now, but we were on a high before and
Speaker 5: I think we can get back there. I do think
Speaker 5: that last week's performance was probably one of the strongest
Speaker 5: we've had, even than the result didn't show that, it
Speaker 5: really gave us a lot of confidence and a lot
Speaker 5: of pride in how we've been building as a team
Speaker 5: in the direction that we're going. And I think it's
Speaker 5: just one maybe getting a little luck quote unquote luck
Speaker 5: maybe from support that somebody in the middle in a
Speaker 5: different color might be able.
Speaker 4: To help us with.
Speaker 5: And I think also just a little bit of that
Speaker 5: last little bit of finishing touch in the box, both
Speaker 5: on the defensive and offensive sides, Like we just need
Speaker 5: to lock it down a little bit more and behind
Speaker 5: and be more ruthless, and then finishing wise, we just
Speaker 5: need to we need to score some goals and get
Speaker 5: our front players feeling that confidence.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what would you say you need to improve upon
Speaker 1: to get back on the right track that you were
Speaker 1: feeling before.
Speaker 5: I think we just need a little bit of momentum
Speaker 5: in our way. I think honestly, when we start to
Speaker 5: feel like something's going well, you can kind of see
Speaker 5: a shift in our group and everything kind of starts
Speaker 5: to fall into place for us. So I think I
Speaker 5: need to bring that in a way in the back
Speaker 5: and I think we need to see some goals going
Speaker 5: in and just feel that, Okay, we're still in this
Speaker 5: moment where we kind of prove to ourselves that we
Speaker 5: were there because the performance, like I said last week,
Speaker 5: the girls were so incredible and the intensity was there,
Speaker 5: and it's just that those last little bits that need
Speaker 5: to fall into place for us. And it's a pretty
Speaker 5: young and pretty new team in a way, so those
Speaker 5: things will come together.
Speaker 1: Is there someone on the team, or maybe more than
Speaker 1: one person that are kind of like the hype girls,
Speaker 1: the ones that you rely on to get that energy
Speaker 1: up and to remind people like we got this and
Speaker 1: then kind of try to ride that wave.
Speaker 4: We kind of shared that role.
Speaker 5: I think I have my moments of hype, and especially
Speaker 5: when my back lines doing something great, I love to
Speaker 5: give them all the flowers and really give them any
Speaker 5: confidence that I can. I know Ali Schlegel is good
Speaker 5: at that. She's a positive and she reinforces those positive
Speaker 5: behaviors as much as she can, and she just has
Speaker 5: that kind of aura about her. But I think everybody
Speaker 5: kind of has their moments. I know Danny kind of
Speaker 5: keeps that left side positive, keeps it the vibes going.
Speaker 5: So I think everybody kind of just finds their own moment,
Speaker 5: finds the opportunity when they're feeling maybe a little bit
Speaker 5: more confident where they can pass it off. And that's
Speaker 5: really the important piece of being in a team. You
Speaker 5: can't always rely on one person for everything. It's really
Speaker 5: helpful when you have a bunch of.
Speaker 4: Leaders in a way. Danny Weatherhole, yeah, Danny Weatherhole, yeah, Yeah.
Speaker 2: What's gone well this season?
Speaker 1: Because you are in the middle, you are in fighting
Speaker 1: contention for a playoff spot, Like, what are you guys
Speaker 1: doing well?
Speaker 5: I do think that when you know things having gone
Speaker 5: well for us, we have found a way to kind
Speaker 5: of adjust in training and come back and we go
Speaker 5: into the next game and we've we've fixed the thing
Speaker 5: that maybe we weren't doing so well before.
Speaker 4: So there's a big learning curve.
Speaker 5: But I think the time between each not really mistake
Speaker 5: but thing that we want to fix, the time has
Speaker 5: gotten smaller and smaller to when we see the result
Speaker 5: of and we see the production of it on the field.
Speaker 5: And we have had some incredible individual performances. I think
Speaker 5: Ashley Sanchez has been on fire. I mean she at
Speaker 5: the beginning of the year just decided to make sure
Speaker 5: that everybody remembered her name and put her in the
Speaker 5: contention and remind Emma you know that she's there and
Speaker 5: ready to fight.
Speaker 1: Emma Hayes and the US women's national team trying to
Speaker 1: catch the eye ahead of some pretty big international events
Speaker 1: coming up.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean it's massive, and I think she's kind
Speaker 5: of been out for a little while, and I'm really
Speaker 5: proud to see how hard she's been working, and you know,
Speaker 5: just meeting her in the last six months, seven months
Speaker 5: and then seeing the amount of work that's gone into
Speaker 5: it and everything that she's doing to fight and keep
Speaker 5: herself in like top form, it's really impressive and you know,
Speaker 5: it's really cool to see. So individual performances like that
Speaker 5: have definitely helped, and I think that we'll continue to
Speaker 5: see the team evolve in the direction we want to go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Ashley Sanchez currently third in the Golden Boot race,
Speaker 1: so she is absolutely keeping her name in people's mouths
Speaker 1: and minds as this second half releague that's going.
Speaker 2: What's coach mack Linde, Like, what's his style?
Speaker 4: He's it's hard to explain. He's kind of an enigma.
Speaker 5: He kind of has this like tough exterior, like this
Speaker 5: kind of broody, dark kind of guy, but he's such
Speaker 5: a teddy bear and he's just like so supportive and
Speaker 5: wants the best for his players, wants to support his
Speaker 5: players and and help anybody really in the in the
Speaker 5: group improve and succeed. I do think that he holds
Speaker 5: us to a high standard and he's not gonna, you know,
Speaker 5: let us get away with anything. So, you know, within
Speaker 5: this last three weeks, he's definitely been getting onto us
Speaker 5: and pushing us and making sure that we continue to
Speaker 5: you know, put our foot down and you know, hit
Speaker 5: the gas a bit and put some more effort in,
Speaker 5: more intensity in. But he also knows how to communicate
Speaker 5: with us, which I really appreciate, and I think that's
Speaker 5: gone a long way within the group. It's a hard
Speaker 5: job to be a head coach, and I wouldn't want
Speaker 5: to do it right now. It's not within my purview.
Speaker 2: Maybe later.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it does.
Speaker 5: Require some skill and some ability to both be like
Speaker 5: intelligent and smart within the game and a really good
Speaker 5: people person who is able to communicate and not just
Speaker 5: explain your theories in your mind, but kind of communicate
Speaker 5: in a way that's supportive but also makes people want
Speaker 5: to run through a brick wall for you. And that's
Speaker 5: really really hard to find both. I feel like I've
Speaker 5: had coaches who are brilliant and cannot communicate, and I've
Speaker 5: had coaches who are great communicators, but maybe we're just
Speaker 5: they need some support on the soccer side, and I
Speaker 5: do think that he has both and it's really cool
Speaker 5: to see and be a part of.
Speaker 4: And you know, he does make you want to work
Speaker 4: for him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always found the coaches that I liked best
Speaker 1: were the ones that I was not worried about making
Speaker 1: mad so much as I was worried about disappointing. I
Speaker 1: wanted to do well to make them proud more so
Speaker 1: than I wanted to avoid their wrath.
Speaker 2: And there's that fine line there, you know.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think athletes are always like, if you're mad
Speaker 5: at me, I can just run through mad like no problem.
Speaker 5: But when you really respect somebody and you trust their
Speaker 5: opinion in their insight, you want to do everything to
Speaker 5: make them proud.
Speaker 4: It's it's kind of like a father figure, like.
Speaker 2: A totally or mother figure. On the rare account, we
Speaker 2: have women.
Speaker 4: Coaches exactly, We're getting there, man, It's.
Speaker 1: Kind of I know, I want to know how often
Speaker 1: you're looking at the table, because you know there is
Speaker 1: a hard line there you're in or you're out. And
Speaker 1: when you're in the middle of the pack, like y'all
Speaker 1: are how much do you think like, okay, three games slide,
Speaker 1: like we got to get back up, or we can't
Speaker 1: let this keep happening, or we're going to slide below
Speaker 1: Like how much are you at actually watching that or
Speaker 1: does that not happen until further down the line.
Speaker 4: I think it's different for everyone.
Speaker 5: I think the coaches are definitely watching it, and some
Speaker 5: of the players are watching it. I personally will check
Speaker 5: in every once in a while and try not to
Speaker 5: let it affect my training and my mindset in that
Speaker 5: because I think that's kind of a nerve wracking thing.
Speaker 5: It's the same thing as a results If you let
Speaker 5: results kind of dictate how you train and how you perform,
Speaker 5: it doesn't always work for the best. And I think
Speaker 5: I've found that in my career it's better for me
Speaker 5: to focus on the process and focus on the day
Speaker 5: in and day out of training and how to improve
Speaker 5: and how to make my performances better rather than just
Speaker 5: results driven. I'm more productive and I'm more efficient at,
Speaker 5: you know, being better every day, So personally, I don't
Speaker 5: check it as much I have checked it within the
Speaker 5: past week though, So I think towards the end of
Speaker 5: the season, when things start to get real close, real tight,
Speaker 5: and you know you're pushing for those last few games
Speaker 5: to see with where you are within the lines and
Speaker 5: where you are within the top eight, you're looking at
Speaker 5: it every game, every you know, you're watching it as
Speaker 5: you're watching other games. You're seeing the live changing of it.
Speaker 5: So I think towards the end, I definitely start to
Speaker 5: look at it more.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think in England they call it squeaky bomb time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so the end of the season squeaky bomb time.
Speaker 1: You know, the Courage are your third stop in the
Speaker 1: NWSL after Skyblue Slash got them in the Wave, and
Speaker 1: I remember in January we were talking about the release
Speaker 1: that you and the Wave mutually agreed to terminate your contract,
Speaker 1: but you commented after the announcement that you were sad
Speaker 1: to see the chapter come to a close sooner than expected.
Speaker 1: And your wife Dominique also posted on social about the
Speaker 1: stresses of things like just breaking a lease and finding
Speaker 1: a new home and trying to keep doctor's appointments because
Speaker 1: y'all had a newborn, so obviously the breakup was maybe
Speaker 1: more unexpected than the press release would indicate what happened.
Speaker 2: What happened there, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5: It was a little bit more abrupt than originally maybe
Speaker 5: I had in mind and planned for. I definitely I
Speaker 5: still had a year on my contract there, and I
Speaker 5: think I went into the end of the year meetings
Speaker 5: feeling like that was where I was going to finish
Speaker 5: at least that contract spell and then you know, look
Speaker 5: into other options. But the club told me they wanted
Speaker 5: to go in a different direction on the last day
Speaker 5: of the year, and that you know, wouldn't necessarily, without
Speaker 5: so many words, be in my hands to fight for anymore.
Speaker 4: And I didn't appreciate the.
Speaker 5: Way that it was all you know, handled and dealt
Speaker 5: with throughout the last maybe four months of being there,
Speaker 5: and not that I didn't really see this coming and
Speaker 5: really understand why in the moment especially, I was having
Speaker 5: this conversation when nothing had really led me to believe
Speaker 5: that this was going to be.
Speaker 4: The direction that was happening.
Speaker 5: So, you know, leaving that conversation, I think it was
Speaker 5: just their way of guiding me towards the door in
Speaker 5: my own way, and I had to make the best
Speaker 5: decision for myself and my family, and you know, I
Speaker 5: don't think I was going to be treated in the
Speaker 5: best way having felt like that coming out of that conversation,
Speaker 5: So that wasn't going to be the best place for
Speaker 5: me and mentally and emotionally, and especially having people relying
Speaker 5: on me at home to be a good version of myself.
Speaker 5: So I had to make a really hard decision to
Speaker 5: find somewhere else that I felt respected and valued really
Speaker 5: and you had that people that had confidence in me
Speaker 5: and people that really respected me, because I left feeling
Speaker 5: without that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the value thing's huge.
Speaker 1: I've been somewhere before where technically I can hang on,
Speaker 1: but it's like, do you want to be somewhere where
Speaker 1: you're no longer a priority and a value or do
Speaker 1: you want to find a place that's going to see
Speaker 1: you that way. I think the collective bargaining agreement was
Speaker 1: in place by then, right where you had to give
Speaker 1: your consent. I did to like ending the contract, or
Speaker 1: that's correct, figuring out what was next. So the consent
Speaker 1: came from your realizing that it was better to be
Speaker 1: somewhere else, not because you wanted to leave.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I didn't want to leave in all honesty. Originally
Speaker 5: that was not what I thought was going to be
Speaker 5: the future for me. But towards the end of that conversation,
Speaker 5: I realized that I needed to leave and I needed
Speaker 5: to go somewhere where I was going to feel a
Speaker 5: lot more respect and a lot more value.
Speaker 1: Yeah, message was received. So how's it been adjusting to
Speaker 1: North Carolina?
Speaker 4: No, it's been great.
Speaker 5: I definitely got all of those things right off the bat,
Speaker 5: and they have been nothing but supportive, especially to my family,
Speaker 5: which was a huge shift for me and one of
Speaker 5: the biggest things that I was looking for coming from
Speaker 5: an environment like that where I just didn't feel that,
Speaker 5: and then coming into here where everything was just how
Speaker 5: can we support your four month old child and your
Speaker 5: wife and the move and everything, And you know, when
Speaker 5: we don't have the resources this maybe most men's clubs
Speaker 5: would have.
Speaker 4: That's massive.
Speaker 5: It makes you feel more secure and more and more supported,
Speaker 5: And if I can take like ten percent of that
Speaker 5: stress away off the field, it just makes me more
Speaker 5: able to fulfill all the things that I want to
Speaker 5: do on the field.
Speaker 1: Was that shift in the feeling from the wave to
Speaker 1: the courage more or about resources or about an attitude
Speaker 1: about the fact that you had a kid and that
Speaker 1: you needed to prioritize family at times.
Speaker 4: Resources definitely wasn't the thing originally.
Speaker 5: I think there are some clubs that don't have the
Speaker 5: resources that other clubs have, and I think maybe Carolina
Speaker 5: doesn't have as many as some of the bigger clubs,
Speaker 5: but they have the people willing to go out of
Speaker 5: their way and put you first and make sure you're
Speaker 5: taken care of, and ultimately, that's all you can ask for.
Speaker 5: And I have never felt a lack of in that
Speaker 5: kind of situation. So it was massive just to feel
Speaker 5: that support and that want to help you mentality, want
Speaker 5: to make you better, want to make take something off
Speaker 5: your plate so that you can be better when we
Speaker 5: need you. And that's just huge, just the feeling of
Speaker 5: that coming into a club that, especially when you're new,
Speaker 5: you're like, I just want to show up, I want
Speaker 5: to be the best, but I need to take care
Speaker 5: of my family, need to take care of myself, my health,
Speaker 5: my physical abilities, and so just to take a little
Speaker 5: bit away from that so I could get to know
Speaker 5: all the players better, make sure I was present at
Speaker 5: training and not having to worry about getting home to
Speaker 5: set anything up.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there are so many more moms in the NWSL
Speaker 1: than there used to be. There are Like have you
Speaker 1: been able to take advice from like an og like
Speaker 1: Alex Morgan who helped prove it could be done?
Speaker 4: Oh? Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 5: I mean before we had Sky, I was asking Alex
Speaker 5: all the questions and watching her and learning from her,
Speaker 5: And she's just been such a pioneer in the space
Speaker 5: and she's made it possible. She's one of the people
Speaker 5: that's made it possible for all of us to be
Speaker 5: able to do it now. And I didn't really see
Speaker 5: that growing up. I didn't think this was going to
Speaker 5: be a thing, you know, being able to have your
Speaker 5: career at the highest level and be a mom. That
Speaker 5: was like you had to you had to wait. There
Speaker 5: was no and when I was growing up, let alone,
Speaker 5: the fact that you could be a professional soccer player,
Speaker 5: that was already far fetched. So I think just watching
Speaker 5: her and watching other athletes and women just go through
Speaker 5: their professional careers and choose to become moms and be
Speaker 5: phenomenal athletes after becoming moms, it's mind blowing and it's
Speaker 5: just giving me the confidence and respect to allow myself
Speaker 5: to be able to do that, and I think that's massive,
Speaker 5: and I'm so proud of all of the moms in
Speaker 5: the league, and like they're just such badass superstars.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, not having to wait or cut your career short
Speaker 1: because you're like, I gotta start now, and I got
Speaker 1: to end this in order to start that.
Speaker 2: What's the best part of being a mom? Oh?
Speaker 4: Man?
Speaker 5: I mean, I think within it's all amazing. It's the
Speaker 5: best thing I've ever done, for sure.
Speaker 4: And I didn't even.
Speaker 5: Do all the hard work I did the bear but
Speaker 5: for me an honest, I watched the hard ware happen.
Speaker 5: But yeah, just like day in and day out, seeing
Speaker 5: her smile and like making her laugh is the best
Speaker 5: moment of my day. And you know, after the game,
Speaker 5: like we're talking about this three game slump, we're in
Speaker 5: a little bit. Going to her after the game it
Speaker 5: changes me even just a little bit from what I
Speaker 5: was before, where I would be like I got to
Speaker 5: go into a dark room and I got to make
Speaker 5: myself feel even worse, and you know, just look at
Speaker 5: all the problems in my in my life. I look
Speaker 5: at her and I'm like, she doesn't even know I
Speaker 5: played a soccer game. She doesn't care, and you know
Speaker 5: we're gonna do it again next week. It just kind
Speaker 5: of brings me back to reality a little bit, and
Speaker 5: I think it allows me to have a bit of
Speaker 5: more mental strength than I ever had.
Speaker 1: Totally perspective for sure. What's the toughest part of being
Speaker 1: a mom?
Speaker 5: I think at the beginning it was not sleeping as
Speaker 5: much and still trying to drain and like like have
Speaker 5: the best you know, physical ability, which little sleep. That
Speaker 5: was really tough, and just like show up every day
Speaker 5: as the best version and try to like prove that
Speaker 5: I could be great regardless of what was going on
Speaker 5: at home, not make anybody guess you know, Yeah, that
Speaker 5: was tough, but I wouldn't trade it.
Speaker 1: So you make the move to NC. What stands out
Speaker 1: to you about the Courage franchise. How is it different
Speaker 1: from New York or San Diego, especially with the recent
Speaker 1: push toward game day experience and you know, record attendance.
Speaker 1: There's really been a resurgence in the last year or
Speaker 1: so in terms of fans and everything else around there.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think they're really trying to revamp and rebuild
Speaker 5: what they had in the past, with like a winning
Speaker 5: mentality and a really big community involvement. I think that's
Speaker 5: kind of gone a little bit awry in recent years.
Speaker 5: But a lot of new people coming in, a lot
Speaker 5: of shift in not just the game day experience, but
Speaker 5: the way that we play and the style the play
Speaker 5: that we have in the players that we have, and
Speaker 5: it's really exciting.
Speaker 4: It's more my style.
Speaker 5: It's more in possession and being on the ball and
Speaker 5: being smart with the ball, which is really exciting for
Speaker 5: me and I want to be a part of a
Speaker 5: team like that. There's differences and there's similarities. I do
Speaker 5: think it gives me kind of a little bit of
Speaker 5: flashback to the first year at San Diego, just like
Speaker 5: getting a bunch of new people together and new coaches
Speaker 5: and new everything and trying to build from nothing originally.
Speaker 5: But at least there's a foundation now and I do
Speaker 5: feel like we're steps ahead of where we had been
Speaker 5: back then, but very similar where we're getting on the
Speaker 5: same page. There's a lot of excitement. There's a lot
Speaker 5: of talent in the room, Like some of these girls
Speaker 5: are absolutely unbelievable on the ball, and just getting their
Speaker 5: confidence up to show that and to be great day
Speaker 5: and day out, and I think there's just so much
Speaker 5: excitement for a lot of where their careers are going.
Speaker 4: At least for me, I have the coaches that are too.
Speaker 1: A lot of off season talk about changes to the
Speaker 1: league and an effort to retain talent in the league,
Speaker 1: a lot of talk about the high Impact Player rule.
Speaker 1: Have you noticed many changes either as a results of
Speaker 1: hip and the way rosters are being made, or the
Speaker 1: way people are talking about it, whether player to player,
Speaker 1: or a shift in the vibes of the league as
Speaker 1: a result of that off season push.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's necessary.
Speaker 5: We need to push, We need to make the league
Speaker 5: needs to be focused on that and figuring out where
Speaker 5: it can be better in retaining like great talent and
Speaker 5: bringing in new talent.
Speaker 4: I think that's massive.
Speaker 5: I'm not a huge supporter of the hip rule. I
Speaker 5: do think that the league needs to spread that wealth.
Speaker 5: Like some players, especially even in the hip rule, like
Speaker 5: they deserve more than what that is allowing them, Like
Speaker 5: they are bringing so much more to the table. But
Speaker 5: it's also then limiting so many players who bring that
Speaker 5: already and who don't fall in the category because the
Speaker 5: categories are a little subjective and they I think we're
Speaker 5: missing out on allowing big players or or not big
Speaker 5: players to become big players because of these rules that
Speaker 5: are set in place. And I think you look around
Speaker 5: at other leagues and they don't have that, and they're
Speaker 5: able to bring in big talent and there's more movement
Speaker 5: of talent within their leagues because of it. And I
Speaker 5: think we're already lucky because there's such a big pool
Speaker 5: already to.
Speaker 4: Kind of hold it in.
Speaker 5: But if we want to grow as a league, if
Speaker 5: we want to remain the best, if we want to
Speaker 5: challenge these top leagues and really make players question more
Speaker 5: deeply where their values is, we can't have limits on that.
Speaker 5: It's going to require the league to take a big,
Speaker 5: hard look and some clubs to take a deep look
Speaker 5: if they're ready to do that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it seems odd to me that the gms of
Speaker 1: teams wouldn't be the ones to decide how to distribute money,
Speaker 1: would instead come down to the subjective categorization of those
Speaker 1: players by the league itself, And I know and understand that.
Speaker 1: I think the main reason is the league doesn't want
Speaker 1: to continue expanding the salary cap year after year. But
Speaker 1: if that money is available and to be spent being
Speaker 1: able to decide how you distribute it should be the
Speaker 1: choice of.
Speaker 2: The teams in my opinion.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1: Really quick before I let you go, we're about a
Speaker 1: year away from the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Speaker 2: What are the vibes around Team Canada?
Speaker 1: New coach, bit of a reset after Drone Gates, So
Speaker 1: you're in two situations that are sort of in fresh
Speaker 1: reset mode.
Speaker 2: What's it feel like up North.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think there's a lot of excitement around the
Speaker 5: team now and we did go through a bit of
Speaker 5: a transition period. I think last year we would call
Speaker 5: our transition period between the mishafs of the past and
Speaker 5: the excitement looks of the future, and I think this
Speaker 5: year now it's about really refining all those things, especially
Speaker 5: going into qualifying. The intensity is definitely shift in the
Speaker 5: last month or so, and just the drive from everyone
Speaker 5: and the competitiveness is going to be massive going into
Speaker 5: all these tournaments, and I think we're just really excited again.
Speaker 5: It's one of those very similar for me because I
Speaker 5: feel like there's a lot of talent. It's just how
Speaker 5: we manage it and how we kind of funnel it
Speaker 5: to the best direction, so that we're all going together
Speaker 5: and we're all functioning on full cylinders all at the
Speaker 5: same time. That's going to be the key going into
Speaker 5: not just qualifying, but then going into twenty seven and
Speaker 5: all the things that are coming our way.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it feels like because you're Canada, we kind of
Speaker 1: took it easy on you on the whole drone gate thing.
Speaker 1: Like if it had been a country that we're used
Speaker 1: to hating, we would have been like all those cheaters and.
Speaker 2: We're like, oh, it's Canada. They can have done it
Speaker 2: on purpose.
Speaker 1: But I do feel like now y'all might have a
Speaker 1: little chip on your shoulder, like wanting to prove, hey,
Speaker 1: we don't need to do that to be successful, and
Speaker 1: whatever ideas you have about us, like don't have them.
Speaker 2: We're fine.
Speaker 1: We weren't involved in Like there's going to be an
Speaker 1: interesting I think sort of slightly different view of the
Speaker 1: team than in previous years after all that went down.
Speaker 1: But again, you guys, you guys earned a lot of
Speaker 1: goodwill just by being awesome for so long and being
Speaker 1: kind and nice that we're like, we'll let it slide
Speaker 1: a little bit more than somebody else. But I'm interested
Speaker 1: to see how, if at all, that impacts people's.
Speaker 2: View of the team coming into the World Cup.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I think we kind of within the Olympics made that
Speaker 5: statement that it wasn't us and that it wasn't how
Speaker 5: we would like to compete or how we would see
Speaker 5: parody within tournament lifestyle, and the way that we competed
Speaker 5: after that, I think, you know, with all the sanctions
Speaker 5: and all the things that came at us that were
Speaker 5: really difficult, I'm so proud of the group and how
Speaker 5: we responded in those moments. And I think now with
Speaker 5: you know, that performance and those amazing results that we
Speaker 5: were able to achieve even given the shitty circumstances that
Speaker 5: we were in coming into the shift, now it's going
Speaker 5: to be really massive for us to step.
Speaker 4: Up and walk the walk a bit.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, and with the Northern Super League and all the
Speaker 1: development that's happening up there, we got to look out
Speaker 1: for you Canadians now to keep an eye.
Speaker 4: Forgot about us. You're sleeping on us?
Speaker 1: Yeah, uh huh, no, sleeping in Canada, especially as a
Speaker 1: place to escape to.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's why you were nice to us. Come on,
Speaker 5: that's why you're really nice to it exactly.
Speaker 1: We still leave an escape plan. Caylen, thanks so much
Speaker 1: for the time. Always great to talk to you.
Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Kaylin for taking the time and being
Speaker 1: so open and honest with us.
Speaker 2: And don't forget.
Speaker 1: You can now watch full length good Game interviews on
Speaker 1: the Iheartwomen's.
Speaker 2: Sports YouTube channel.
Speaker 1: We got to take another break when we return ranking
Speaker 1: Christmas is past.
Speaker 2: Welcome back slices.
Speaker 1: We love that you're listening, but we want you to
Speaker 1: get in the game every day too, So here's our
Speaker 1: good game play of the day. Follow Kaylen on Instagram
Speaker 1: to keep up with her NC courage and Canadian National
Speaker 1: team content, but also of course to see pics of
Speaker 1: her cutie Patuty Little One. We'll put a link to
Speaker 1: her page in the show notes, and of course we'll
Speaker 1: link to video footage of that incredible Elf costume too.
Speaker 1: We always love to hear from you, so hit us
Speaker 1: up on email Good Game at wondermedianetwork dot com or
Speaker 1: leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two o
Speaker 1: four fifty seventy, and don't forget to subscribe a rate
Speaker 1: and review. It's easy watch top three Fletch Navidad looks
Speaker 1: rating three two one review. As I mentioned in my
Speaker 1: interview with Kaylin, my husband and I throw a Christmas
Speaker 1: party slash birthday party for our dog Fletcher every year
Speaker 1: called Fletch Navidad. What began as a humble apartment party
Speaker 1: in twenty twelve celebrating Fletch's first birthday continued Fletch Lives two,
Speaker 1: Fletched two, Furious, on and on until eventually, a couple
Speaker 1: of years ago, it became a giant house party with
Speaker 1: an elaborate handcrafted tunnel of lights inspired by the movie
Speaker 1: The Night Before shout out Handyman producer Brad on that one,
Speaker 1: plus games prizes.
Speaker 2: And way too much malort google it.
Speaker 1: In the early years, Brad and I exhausted every ugly
Speaker 1: sweater option, from a Golden Girls themed May all Your
Speaker 1: Christmas Is Be White with b Arthur and Betty White
Speaker 1: on it, to Jesus in a birthday hat with the Noisemaker,
Speaker 1: to a beautiful knitted sweater with an RV and Shitter's
Speaker 1: full on it. So, since Kaylin and I both decided
Speaker 1: to upgrade our ugly sweater events into full fledged costume affairs,
Speaker 1: I thought i'd rank my top three Fletch Navidad costumes.
Speaker 1: The Nutcracker and the Homemade Nut were already invoked in
Speaker 1: the show, so we'll go with number three. Fletch Navidad
Speaker 1: eleven Electric Boogloo. We were Frank Shirley, the rich boss,
Speaker 1: cousin Eddie kidnaps in National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, and the
Speaker 1: Boss's wife. So pinstriped Pj's a giant red ribbon and
Speaker 1: a gag for Brad, white nightgown, bob haircut for a
Speaker 1: coat for me That was a fun one. Number two
Speaker 1: Fletch Navidad seven The Furry is seven Trashy Christmas. Brad's
Speaker 1: shirt featured fake tattooed arm sleeves and a fake pot
Speaker 1: belly sneaking out, and he wore a beer funnel hat
Speaker 1: that he could drink out of. I rocked a Mariah
Speaker 1: Carey inspired Missus Claus dress with a light up fascinator
Speaker 1: and a fanny pack. Uverer one Fletch Navi DoD twelve
Speaker 1: Live Fletcher die Hard. Brad was the world's largest Elf
Speaker 1: on a shelf. He's six foot five and I was
Speaker 1: Jovi from Elf Zoey Daschanelle's character in the Little Pink
Speaker 1: and Red Elf outfit the two tallest ELFs You've ever seen,
Speaker 1: and I'll tell you what, Dressing as an elf and
Speaker 1: running around a party is super fun.
Speaker 2: I highly recommend it. Now it's your turn. Y'all rate
Speaker 2: and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Good Game, Kaylin, Good Games, Serena and Venus getting up
Speaker 1: and trying again after Wimbledon didn't work out. You trying
Speaker 1: to take down a giant tunnel of handcrafted PBC pipe
Speaker 1: and lights every year and shoving it into the rafters
Speaker 1: of the garage until next Christmas rolls around. Good Game
Speaker 1: with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in
Speaker 1: partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
Speaker 1: us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers
Speaker 1: are Alex Azzi and Bianke. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,
Speaker 1: Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are
Speaker 1: Emily Rutterer, Lucy Jones, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer. Production
Speaker 1: assistants from Avery LOFTUS and I'm your host, Sarah Spain