WEBVTT - NWSL TITLE TIME! 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:02.400 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:05.880 Kansas City, ready for a big winner and a trophy presentation. 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.200 Give us tears, give us hugs, give us confetti, give 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:09.840 us joy. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:14.000 Just keep the camera off the losing NWSL team tomorrow. 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:15.880 We hate a sad face as much as we love 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:16.640 a happy one. 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:19.439 It's Friday, November twenty third, and on today's show, we'll 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:22.840 get you ready for the NWSL Championship Game, a battle 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.360 of the best as the top ranked Orlando Pride and 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:28.320 second seed Washington Spirit duel for the title. 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:29.520 We got your preview. 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:31.440 We got a flashback to our chat with two of 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:34.199 the Pride's best, plus the very first edition of a 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:37.280 new segment Take it Back that sends us to twenty 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:40.320 sixteen for a Western New York flash moment of greatness, 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:43.440 and we'll talk Turkey Time TV and give shouts to 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:46.400 a vegan island in a barbecue sea. It's all coming 0:00:46.479 --> 0:01:03.160 up right after this welcome back slices. Mish has your 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.440 need to know today, Take it away, Misha. 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:12.000 Thanks Sarah. In NWSL Championship News, it all comes down 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:15.440 to tomorrow, the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit play in 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.960 the league finals Saturday at eight pm Eastern on CBS 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:22.679 and streaming on Paramount Plus. All the flights are landing 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:25.880 in Kansas City. Both teams are holding their final training sessions, 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:29.360 and the festivities are poppin'. I actually landed here Wednesday 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:31.840 night and got my first look at CPKC Stadium as 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.360 I headed to my hotel, and let me tell y'all, 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.760 the location on the river is gorgeous. There was a 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.600 brilliant pink light emanating throughout the stadium. I cannot wait 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.160 to see what it looks like full of fans. We'll 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.440 have more on the final here in a bit. More 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:50.840 in WSL News Awards season continues. Congratulations are in order 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:53.840 for the Washington Spirits Corbathun, who won Midfielder of the 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.000 Year on Thursday. That's after winning Rookie of the Year 0:01:57.040 --> 0:02:00.360 on Tuesday, which she won even though she only played 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:03.280 in seventeen of the team's twenty six games. She's so 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.400 wild for that. And let's not forget Pethunes tenn asists 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:09.359 were tops in the league in the regular season two 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:14.480 and that she tied Tobin Hee's single season record for assists. Incredible, 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:18.200 so stuck to watch her play next season? 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:20.519 Did I mention I love living in the DMV. 0:02:21.400 --> 0:02:25.560 Also congratulations to Gotham FCS and Caterine Berger, the twenty 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:29.600 twenty four Goalkeeper of the Year. Berger only conceded sixteen 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:32.800 goals in the regular season, earned eight clean sheets, and 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:35.480 saved eighty point four to nine percent of opponents shots 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:39.440 on goal nuts. The German international is the first European 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:43.080 player to win that award, and cheers to Defender of 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:46.120 the Year Emily SAMs of the Orlando Pride. She became 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.200 the first player from the Pride to win that award. 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.640 SAMs was second in the NWSL in recoveries this year 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:54.080 and leads the team in possessions in the defensive third, 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.760 clearances and blocks. She notched an eighty eight point one 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:00.760 to eight percent passing accuracy, which which was the best 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:04.840 among Pride defenders in last but not least big props 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.240 to BFC's Jen Beatty. She's the recipient of this year's 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:12.080 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, which celebrates players community involvement. She 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:14.760 was nominated for her outstanding work within the breast cancer 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:17.840 community in the Bay Area and previously in the United Kingdom. 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:21.079 After her own early diagnosis with the disease in twenty twenty. 0:03:21.840 --> 0:03:25.760 In college faki Yeah I Said It, or Field Hockey News, 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:29.200 the twenty twenty four NCAA Semifinals are today. 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:30.880 First up Friend of the Show. 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.760 In North Carolina, head coach Aaron Matson's number one ranked 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:36.640 Our Heels take on number four ranked Saint Joseph's at 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:41.120 twelve pm Eastern, then number two ranked Northwestern faces UMass 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.080 at three pm Eastern. Both contests will be available to 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:47.920 stream on ESPN Plus. In College Soccer News, the second 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.200 round of the College Cup gets underway today. The remaining 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:53.200 field of thirty two teams will be chopped down to 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.040 just sixteen by day's end. You can catch all those 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.280 games on ESPN Plus starting at two pm Eastern. In 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.000 WNBA News, the Los Angeles Sparks have found their new leader. 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:05.920 The franchise named Lynn Roberts as its new head coach 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:08.520 on Tuesday. She was the head honcho at Utah for 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:10.920 the past nine seasons and earned PAC twelve Coach of 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:13.200 the Year honors in twenty twenty three. She's the second 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:15.080 college coach to leave their post for the pros in 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:18.200 the past couple weeks, after Florida Gulf Coast. Carl Smesco 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:20.080 was announced as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:24.359 on November thirteenth. Roberts enters a potentially promising situation. The 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:26.840 Sparks now have the second overall pick in the twenty 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.400 twenty five draft. They'll also return Rakia Jackson, the small 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:32.800 forward who made the All Rookie Team in twenty twenty four, 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.839 and Cameron Brink, the center who finished second in blocks 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.760 per game despite missing twenty five contests, was the torn 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:43.080 acl in her rookie campaign. More WNBA, could the Cleveland 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:46.320 Rockers be making a comeback. The Rock Entertainment Group, which 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:49.279 is tied into the mnba's Cavaliers, is looking to submit 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.760 a bid to bring an expansion team to Cleveland. The 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:54.680 league's already added three teams in the next two seasons, 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:58.520 the Golden State, Valkyries, Portland and Toronto, which will bring 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:01.600 the total number of squads to fifth teen. W Commissioner 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:04.279 Kathy Engelbert has stated that the league wants to add 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.719 a sixteenth team by the twenty twenty eight season. This 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.360 could be a renaissance for the pro women's hoops franchise 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.760 in the city. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:15.240 WNBA's original teams in nineteen ninety seven before folding in 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:19.440 two thousand and three. More basketball news, Unrivaled released all 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.000 six of its club rosters on Wednesday via a fun 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.919 and super creative video on YouTube. In it, each of 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.320 the league's coaches discussed the talents and strengths of the 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.360 field of players helped construct the rosters, and then were 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:33.480 told which basketball club they'd be leading in that order. 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:36.479 We'll link to the video in the show notes. Reminder, 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:40.440 Unrivaled tips off on January seventeenth. Tickets are available to 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.320 folks who subscribe to the league's newsletter. 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.640 Now. We'll drop that link below too. 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:49.320 In college basketball news, it's official, y'all. Gino Oriema is 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:53.160 now the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, surpassing Stanford 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:56.920 Legendara Vanderveer's all time wins record. His number two ranked 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.599 Yukon Huskies sealed the deal Wednesday night with an eighty 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:02.880 five forty one win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Gamble Pavilion. 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.360 Oriema now has one thy two hundred and seventeen wins 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:09.479 in counting since taking over in nineteen eighty five, and 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:12.440 for those keeping track. I was negative twelve years old 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.040 back then. Associate head coach Chris Day has been part 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.919 of Yukon's success from the start too. Together, she and 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:22.560 Oriama have led Yukon to eleven national titles, twenty three 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:26.640 Final four appearances, and six undefeated records in forty seasons. 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.560 Oh and the team had some fud celebrating daily. They 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:33.200 donned blonde wigs in the postgame presser and in the 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.040 locker room, paying homage. 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:35.320 To her signature. 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:39.080 Look, we'll link to their postgames shenanigans in the show notes. Also, 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:41.599 I want to say congrats to red shirt junior guard 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:44.039 Azy Fudd on suiting up in her first game this 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:46.719 season after sitting out for a year with a knee injury. 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:49.640 Nothing feels sweeter than those first few minutes of game 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.920 action after working so hard to get back on the court. 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:57.120 In some more college hoops news, USC sophomore sensation Juju 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:00.480 Watkins docuseriies titled On the Rise Juju Wi f. Hawkins 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:04.080 drops this Saturday at three pm Eastern on NBC, right 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:06.919 before USC squares off with Notre Dame at four also 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.200 on NBC. The series explores Juju's connection to her family 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.400 and to the Southern LA community she grew up in 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:14.560 and how both play a role in the success she's 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.040 seen on and off the hardwood. I want to give 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:19.440 a big old shout out to the homie and fellow 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.400 DMV Melanie Page, who helped bring that story to the screen. 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:26.040 We really can't retire from this. If you know, you know, 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:28.480 if you don't peep the show. 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:32.600 Notes, thanks me. All right? 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.080 It all comes down to this, folks. The NWSL season 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:39.360 started back on March sixteenth. We were all so much 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:42.280 younger then. Who could have guessed that the Orlando Pride 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:45.840 perennial also rans would almost run the table en route 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:48.160 to the NWSL shield at a spot in the final 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.080 And in our wildest dreams, could we have imagined a 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.600 Marta for all the marbles opportunity? And what about the 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:58.000 Washington Spirit and the Cape clad Michelle King coolly dropping 0:07:58.040 --> 0:07:59.840 thirty mili on the growth of girls and women's soccer 0:07:59.880 --> 0:08:02.120 just a few days before her team takes the field 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:05.800 looking for a second title. That is baller shit. This 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.240 one to two matchup of powerhouse teams that have been 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:10.320 in the top tier of the league all season long 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:12.840 is honestly a gift to footy fans, and we thank 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:14.640 the footy gods for this one. So let's take a 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:16.720 quick look at this matchup that we've got. These two 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.800 teams had major go ups in twenty twenty four, just 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:23.000 two seasons ago, the Spirit finished eleventh in the league 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:26.520 with just three wins and Orlando was in tenth, winning 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:30.760 just five times. Last year an improvement, but both still 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.199 on the outside looking and the Spirit finished in eighth place, 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:36.400 the Pride in seventh, both just missing out on the playoffs, 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:40.160 which hadn't yet expanded beyond six teams. This year, they 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:43.040 both shot to the top, with the Pride adding electric 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.600 scorer Barbara Banda, who had sixteen goals in the regular season, 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.560 second best in the league. And of course, they were 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.480 buoyed by the legendary Marta, who, at thirty eight years old, 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.200 somehow had her best individual campaign since twenty seventeen. She 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:59.600 had eleven goals and an assist. Now all Marta holds 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.120 it down for the the Olds and the Pride. The 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.120 Spirit have relied on a bunch of young stars making 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:09.000 waves in their debut seasons, six rookies contributing, to be exact, 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:11.439 so rookie of the year. Friend of the show, Corey Besoon, 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:14.120 led the way all season. Of course, she unfortunately got 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:16.599 injured and will still be sidelined for tomorrow's championship. 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:17.880 But fellow rookie. 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.199 Hel hirschfeldt she scored in the Spirit semi final win. 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:22.840 She has been huge all season long. And of course 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:25.439 the Spirit have Trinity Rodman, who was a rookie the 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:27.400 last time the team won it all in twenty twenty one. 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.920 And I'll tell you I was at that championship then 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.320 as an owner of the Chicago Red Stars, and I 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:34.440 will admit that I was cursing Rodman under my breath 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:38.199 for most of the game. She was a dog, impossible 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:42.400 to guard, terribly tricky and so aggressive. The player that 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:44.640 you love on your team and hate to see on 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:47.040 the other side. So no doubt she'll look to come 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.680 up big in the title game. As for the team's 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:52.679 meetings this season, Orlando prevailed in both of them. They 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.120 won the first three to two in April out in DC. 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:57.719 Then again in October they won two nil on their 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.400 home field to clinch the NWSL shield. The question is, 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.760 of course, can they claim the ultimate hardware or is 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:06.719 the third time the charm for the Spirit in their 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:07.720 third meeting this season. 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.400 This should be a good one. 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:14.400 We got to take a quick break when we come back. 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:18.080 It's an Orlando Pride interview readucks. Back in September, I 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.920 talked to defenders Emily Sam's and Kylie Strum about taking 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:23.480 pride in their back line and their expectations for the 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.680 rest of the season. Spoiler alert manifesting works because tomorrow 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:31.520 Orlando will compete in the club's first ever NWSL final. 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:34.360 To get you ready, we decided to revisit that conversation. 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:35.880 It's coming up right after this. 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:43.840 Welcome back. 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:45.920 As I mentioned before the break, here's a chunk of 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:49.000 that interview with Emily and Kylie from September. 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:51.440 Joining us today. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.360 We've got a defender for the top of the table, 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.319 Orlando Pride of the NWSL. She won gold with Team 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:58.600 USA and Paris and was a national champion with her 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.120 Florida Seminoles. 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:00.440 A twin. 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.520 She loves Dakota, a guy, not a state. She's got 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.440 cat's name Linguini and Rigatoni, and she got married in February, 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:09.480 but her wedding's in December. It's Emily Sam's what's up, 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:11.079 Emily what's up? 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:11.719 Thank you? 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:12.720 That was crazy. 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.079 Also joining her a defender for the Orlando Pride. She's 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:19.679 played in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Spain, and she's a. 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:20.640 Proud bu alum. 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:23.120 She was on the most recent NWSL Best eleven for 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.320 the month of August. She's just a quiet gal who 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:27.199 likes to read books and watch Jeopardy, but says she 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:28.839 turns into a monster on the field. 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:30.360 It's Kylie Strom. 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:33.720 Hey, guys, ladies, it is great to have you, and 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:35.840 we are really excited to shine a spotlight on this 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:38.840 defense for the Pride. I get why we have so 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.720 many conversations about the goal scorers like Barbara Banda and Marta, 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:45.400 but we got to talk about the lockdown that's been 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:48.000 happening with the Pride of late. You shut out your 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.840 opponents in four straight matches. You set a new club 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.719 record for longest clean sheet streak. You've also set a 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.800 new club record for regular season minutes played without conceding 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:00.080 four hundred and eleven consecutive minutes without giving up a go. 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:01.960 So let's just start there. 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:04.000 Emily, what's the secret, Like, what's been the secret to 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:05.400 this incredible defensive stretch? 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:09.480 Oh gosh, I would say, although we're talking to two 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:14.480 defenders right now, it's definitely a team effort. Yeah, even 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.520 just like the midfielders from to the forwards, everyone's included 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.959 in our defending and I think that's what helps make 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.960 it so successful. And of course having players like Marta 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:28.520 and Barbara on offense, I think changes teams to their 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:32.320 behaviors and makes them play maybe a little bit more defensively, 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:34.120 which makes them makes our job easier. 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:38.719 That's such a defensive player's answer to just differt. That's 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:40.679 why I never could have played defense. I'm way too 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.360 much about myself. I'm like, give me the goals. Meanwhile, 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:44.600 you're just spreading the love. 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:45.280 But it's true. 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:49.640 It's incredibly complete team and that's what's made it so 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:52.520 impressive to watch. And that goes back to the goalkeeping. 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:53.200 To Emily. 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:56.400 Anna Moorhouse tied in NWSL single season record the other 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:58.440 day in your nil nil draw with Case. That was 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.959 her eleventh clean sheet of the seas And so tell 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.240 me about playing with Anna and your communication back there. 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:06.480 Yeah, Anna's great. I mean, she's obviously has a big 0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:09.360 presence and like, for example, end of the game, we 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:12.079 have a corner, like we have full confidence that she's 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:13.760 going to come out grab the ball and just like 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.440 secure the win for us, or you know, get the 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.480 shut out for us. So it's been great, and part 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.320 of what makes it so great is that we can 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:24.040 communicate in practice, like get it all out there. Like 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.800 she says her opinion. She's very strong opinion, which is good, 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:29.600 and I think I'm strong opinion too, So we can 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:31.320 just like swear it all out there on the field 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.000 and not you know, dance around what's going on. We'll 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:36.560 just get it all out there and come to a 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:37.200 common ground. 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.360 Yeah, Kylie, is there something in particular that the defense 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:42.680 has worked on or prioritized of late or is this 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:44.800 just a team clicking in the final stretch. 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.840 Honestly, I think it's just kind of like a mentality, 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.240 you know. I think our coach Sam Hines, he was 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:55.120 a defender in his career, and yeah, we just take 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.480 a lot of pride in our defending. I think we 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:00.840 have like such good camaraderie from front back, and I 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:04.920 think like the defensive unit is super tight and like 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.840 we all have a common goal. So yeah, hopefully we 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:08.480 can keep it going. 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:12.760 Well. Twenty one games unbeaten. That's the most in league history. 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:15.560 There's only a few weeks left in the regular season, 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:17.640 so how much pressure is there to try to go 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:19.600 an entire season without a loss? 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:24.920 Kiley honestly, like, like it's not a main goal for us, 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.040 Like we've broken a lot of records and all that stuff, 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:30.840 but it's never once been a goal for us. I mean, 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:33.080 we want to win the Shield, we want to win 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.600 a championship. I mean, we want to go to playoffs, 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:39.800 which we've accomplished already, but we just want to keep 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:44.360 playing like our best games ever game. So that's kind 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:47.320 of the motivation here. No pressure with any of like 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:51.240 going undefeated and stuff. So we're just we're just going 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:52.040 with it. 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:54.520 Is it like a Jinks mentality, like you don't even 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:58.120 talk about it or is it like mentioned we. 0:14:58.040 --> 0:14:59.640 Don't even talk about it on it Like I think 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:02.280 sometimes we look at each other, like we tell the 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:04.440 story a lot, Like in the beginning of the year, 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:08.360 but like preseason times, we were going through our schedule 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:10.760 and kind of like predicting, like you know, how many 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:12.880 points we would have and which games we would win 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:17.120 maybe like draw, lose, whatever, and we gave ourselves like 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:20.360 a ridiculous amount of points like crazy, and we're like, 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.240 afterwards we went through We're like, guys, this probably is 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:26.040 a little unrealistic, you know, like let's be real and 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:31.440 like now we're like even out performing on So yeah, 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.600 I think sometimes we're just like, wow, this is crazy 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:34.680 and we. 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:37.000 Call that manifesting. Right, you just put it out there, 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:38.080 like here's all the points. 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.760 That we want and then you just made it happen. 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:41.440 That's awesome. 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:44.200 Let's talk about Marta FIFA World Player of the Year 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.800 six times, first football or of any gender to score 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.520 five different World Cups, first of any gender to score 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:54.040 five straight Olympic games, Like, Kylie, what's it like playing 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:55.720 with an all time great like that You've had a 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:56.880 couple of years with her. 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:03.000 It's unbelievable, Like every single day we step out on 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.160 the field with her as like such a privilege and 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:09.320 an honor. She is hands down the greatest of all time, 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:13.160 Like no debate, and the fact that she's like still 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.000 doing these things that she's doing like at her age, 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:22.400 like she's like getting better if that's even possible. Yeah, 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:24.720 it's it's just like such an honor and a privilege 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:25.400 to be her teammate. 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:28.200 I remember talking to some of my Chicago Red Stars 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:31.320 players at an end of season event, and I ask 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:34.280 the question, like, is there a player that you got 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:36.280 out in the field and you have trouble just playing 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:38.240 with or against because a little bit of you is 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:40.480 like kind of freaking out a little And I feel 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:41.960 like that would be the case with Marta. Did you 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:43.720 feel that way when you were in your first couple 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:44.840 of practices together. 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:50.400 The coolest thing about Marta is like she'll never make 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.880 you feel like she's, you know, the greatest of all time, 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.640 Like she doesn't act like it or anything. Like she's 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:00.640 so humble, She's just like another person you meet her, 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:03.040 she's I'm like, oh, I'm kind of like, oh Marta, Like. 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:10.160 Yeah, I know, that's like Madonna. Okay, yeah, yeah. 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:12.760 Has she taught you anything or is there anything that 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:14.960 stands out from your years playing with her that that 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:15.560 she's taught you? 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:20.480 Oh? I mean I've learned so much from her, you know, 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.440 just her like being a captain and the way she 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:27.680 leads is one of the most inspiring things. Uh. She's 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:34.480 so passionate about everything that she does, like every single training, 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.480 like she's she's not there to just like show up 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.360 and you know, do her job, like she wants to win. 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.000 So I think she just showed me, like what it 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:44.439 what it takes to be a winner. 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.760 Yeah, Emily, it's just her first year, but it feels 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.119 like Barbara Banda is a legend in the making in 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:50.840 the same way. 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:52.200 What makes her so special? 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:56.800 Yeah, I think she's a world class player. She's so 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.920 hard to defend. You know, there's time where I go again, 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.359 she're in practice and she's making me better, and I 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:05.840 hope I'm making her better. But she's obviously she has 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.320 her speed, and but she's good with like back to 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:11.600 goalplay and like to connect with as the nine. So 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.120 she's got like both of those aspects she's so good 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:16.200 at like just a little flick ons and to get 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:18.760 behind the back line, and of course her speed, Like 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:20.000 she's just so good. 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:26.360 Yeah, it feels like you have this incredible torch passing happening. 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:28.679 And I'm certainly not pushing Marda out, but like to 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:31.159 have the greatest of all time and then have this 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:33.159 player that in such a short amount of time has 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.320 sort of taken this league by storm. It feels very 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.840 promising for the future of this team, and that's really nice. 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:40.200 To see. 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:43.000 I think I don't mean this in a condescending way, 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.560 but there are certain teams that go through such struggles 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:48.359 that it's hard not to root for them when they 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:50.439 start to find success, and the Prideer are kind of 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:52.880 one of those teams, like best in the league right now. 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:56.680 But things haven't always been so sunny in Orlando. The 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:59.440 team has missed the postseason for the last five regular seasons. 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:01.520 They've missed the postseason in all but one of the 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:05.320 seasons that the team has existed. You've already clinched a playoff, Berth. 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.639 You're playing so while, like Kylie, you've been on this 0:19:07.680 --> 0:19:10.679 team since twenty twenty one, why is this year so different? 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:16.000 Yeah, it's it's been a roller coaster to say the least. 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:21.360 So to kind of finally see everything coming together is 0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:25.439 like the best feeling in the world. I think like 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.399 one of the strengths of this team and something that 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:31.879 makes us really special is just the bond and like 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:36.440 the culture that we have amongst the girls. It's something 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:39.040 that I've never experienced on any other team, and I've 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:41.639