Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're going
Speaker 1: to spend all weekend looking for leaked picks from Taylor
Speaker 1: Swift's wedding and we're not even ashamed to admit it.
Speaker 1: It's Friday, July third, and on today's show, Utah Royals
Speaker 1: players Mandy McGlenn and Chloe Lacasse join us to discuss
Speaker 1: Utah's strong start to the season. The team's focus heading
Speaker 1: out of the NWSL's nearly month long break and playing
Speaker 1: for their respective national teams, plus a long wait is
Speaker 1: nearly over, getting their start in Chicago and backflipping into
Speaker 1: the Good Game Hall of Fame. It's all coming up
Speaker 1: right after this. Welcome Backslaics, Happy Friday. Here's what you
Speaker 1: need to know today.
Speaker 2: Let's start with soccer.
Speaker 1: Because the NWSL regular season resumes tonight after a four
Speaker 1: week break to accommodate a women's FIFA window and scheduling
Speaker 1: conflicts with the men's World Cup. All sixteen teams are
Speaker 1: back in action this weekend. That includes three matches to night,
Speaker 1: beginning with the Washington Spirit hosting the Houston Dash.
Speaker 2: The Spirit are unbeaten.
Speaker 1: In their last six meetings against the Dash and will
Speaker 1: be looking to make it seven. Also tonight, the Denver
Speaker 1: Summit hosts the Kansas City Current. But for those of
Speaker 1: you on Lindsay Heap's watch, even though she's back on
Speaker 1: American soil, she actually isn't eligible to suit up for
Speaker 1: the Summit until the transfer window officially opens on July fourteenth.
Speaker 1: Same goes for Austin national Sam Kerr, who signed with
Speaker 1: Gotham during the break. Other storylines to watch for this
Speaker 1: weekend include Ali sent Nor making her Angel City debut
Speaker 1: against the Orlando Pride tonight, and on Sunday, Lily Reel
Speaker 1: making her debut at.
Speaker 2: The Boston Legacy.
Speaker 1: And our eyes will be on the Portland Thorns, who
Speaker 1: will look to continue their home unbeaten season when they
Speaker 1: host Racing Louisville, and will keep an eye on the
Speaker 1: Portland Thorns, who will look to continue their home unbeaten
Speaker 1: season when they host Racing Louisville. More soccer, It's playoff
Speaker 1: time for show side the Minnesota Aurora FC. Now you
Speaker 1: remember season one of Good Game. We encouraged a bunch
Speaker 1: of slices to support the community owned Aurora by grabbing
Speaker 1: a slice of the squad. Well our investment continues to
Speaker 1: pay off. After a twelve oh to oh regular season
Speaker 1: and a fifth straight Heartland Division title, our squad secured
Speaker 1: the number one seed in the Central Conference for the
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six USLW League playoffs. Aurora is going to
Speaker 1: take on Union Macombe today in the Central Conference Semifinals,
Speaker 1: a three point thirty eastern start at Hi Mark Stadium
Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh. If they win, they're off to the Central
Speaker 1: Conference Championship on Sunday, where a birth.
Speaker 2: In the National Semifinals would be on the line.
Speaker 1: Those semifinals will be Friday July tenth, followed by the
Speaker 1: USLW League Championship on Friday July seventeenth.
Speaker 2: Here's to a deep run for our team.
Speaker 1: And while we're on the topic of the Aurora, friend
Speaker 1: of the show Frankie de la Cretaw wrote a nice
Speaker 1: piece about the team and other show fave, the Portland Cherrybombs,
Speaker 1: sharing how both teams are leaning into inclusive values to
Speaker 1: attract fans. We're so proud to be a part of
Speaker 1: what the Aurora stand for. We'll link to the story
Speaker 1: in the show notes to the WNBA, where all Star
Speaker 1: game starters have been announced. Paige Beckers, Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart,
Speaker 1: Olivia Miles, and Caitlin Clark lead the list of ten
Speaker 1: players selected by fans, current WNBA players, and media. Stewart
Speaker 1: and Wilson are both eight time All Stars, while Miles,
Speaker 1: Kelsey Mitchell, Jessica Shephard, and Gabby Williams are all first
Speaker 1: time All Star Starters also voted as starters Aliah Boston
Speaker 1: and Natasha Howard. The twelve reserves will be announced next
Speaker 1: Tuesday as part of the league's thirtieth season celebration. WNBA
Speaker 1: legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will be honorary gms
Speaker 1: and will draft their respective rosters from the pool of
Speaker 1: twenty two All Stars now. Interestingly, the WNBA press release
Speaker 1: about these starters also includes a voting breakdown of how
Speaker 1: each player was ranked by the fans, media, and their
Speaker 1: fellow players. Among the guards, Beckers was voted first by
Speaker 1: the fans and first by her fellow players, and second
Speaker 1: by the media, but the most disparate ranking went to
Speaker 1: Caitlin Clark. She was ranked second among guards by fans,
Speaker 1: third by the media, and eleventh by her fellow players. Meantime,
Speaker 1: Asia Wilson was the highest ranked front court player, receiving
Speaker 1: the most votes from players and second.
Speaker 2: Most from fans and media. More WNBA.
Speaker 1: This weekend's slate of contest begins tonight with the newly
Speaker 1: crowned Commissioner Cup champions, the New York Liberty hosting the
Speaker 1: league leading Minnesota Lynx. There's no official word on the
Speaker 1: status of Nefisi Callier and Dorky Juhas, who both returned
Speaker 1: to practice this week for the Links after missing the
Speaker 1: start of the season to injuries, but it's still likely
Speaker 1: too early for either of them to make a return
Speaker 1: to competition. On Saturday, an Independence Day matchup between the
Speaker 1: Atlanta dream and the Golden State Valkyries in a Town.
Speaker 1: The Dreams stumbled into their Thursday night matchup with the
Speaker 1: Mystics on a three game skid, including losing back to
Speaker 1: back contests to that Golden State team on June twenty
Speaker 1: fourth and twenty sixth, so can the Vals hand them
Speaker 1: a third straight l in less than two weeks to Tennis,
Speaker 1: the third round of the Wimbledon Women's singles tournament gets
Speaker 1: underway today with Coco Goff, Jessica Bagoula, and Naomio Osaka
Speaker 1: all on the schedule, so we mentioned yesterday that the
Speaker 1: first round doubles match featuring Serena and Venus Williams was
Speaker 1: in doubt after Serena tweaked Tornee playing in the singles
Speaker 1: tournament on Tuesday, while that doubles match, initially scheduled for Thursday,
Speaker 1: was actually moved to today, but as of this recording
Speaker 1: still unclear if Serena will take the court. More tennis,
Speaker 1: the WTA announced on Wednesday that this year's WTA Finals
Speaker 1: will be moving from Riod, Saudi Arabia to Indian Wells, California.
Speaker 1: Riod has been the host of the WTA Finals for
Speaker 1: the last two years, a partnership that drew criticism due
Speaker 1: to Saudi Arabia's human rights record, and Riod was initially
Speaker 1: supposed to host again this year, but in a statement
Speaker 1: issued on Wednesday, the WTA said the organization requested to
Speaker 1: move the tournament before the end of the three year deal.
Speaker 1: Per the statement, the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation mutually
Speaker 1: agreed on the change. In a separate release, the WTA
Speaker 1: announced that Indian Wells, which already hosts the WTA one
Speaker 1: thousand tournament, every March will be used for this year's
Speaker 1: finals competition. Finally, Slace's Team Good Game is about to
Speaker 1: start our annual summer hiatus ahead of the launch of season.
Speaker 2: Three on Monday, July twentieth.
Speaker 1: While we still have a bunch of episodes coming your
Speaker 1: way over the next two weeks, they won't include The
Speaker 1: Need to Know, So here are a few more events
Speaker 1: to keep tabs on in our absence. The Amundi Avion Championship,
Speaker 1: one of the five LPGA Majors, tease off at the
Speaker 1: Avon Resort Golf Club and Avon Lea, Band France on
Speaker 1: July ninth, with a nine point one million dollar.
Speaker 2: Perse on the line.
Speaker 1: The Athletes Unlimited Softball League regular season continues through July twentieth,
Speaker 1: with the postseason schedule to get underwan July twenty third,
Speaker 1: and the top three teams will make those playoffs, with
Speaker 1: the Talons, Cascade, and Blaze currently holding those spots. Women's
Speaker 1: Elite rugby is also in full swing, with the regular
Speaker 1: season running through July twenty sixth.
Speaker 2: There are also a.
Speaker 1: Few women's the Cross League games on the schedule, including
Speaker 1: this Sunday's All Star Game, as well as games hosted
Speaker 1: in Chicago next weekend and Fairfield, Connecticut, the following weekend.
Speaker 1: As always got to send our thanks to incredible super
Speaker 1: Slice Joey Maldonado for his excellent women's sports schedule, which
Speaker 1: will help you keep up with everything going on while
Speaker 1: we're on break.
Speaker 2: We'll link to it in the show notes.
Speaker 1: All right, sliceas want to give a big shout out
Speaker 1: to friend of the show and fellow Love San Francisco
Speaker 1: owner Alicia Montano. It was confirmed last week that Montano
Speaker 1: will officially be awarded an Olympic bronze medal in the
Speaker 1: eight hundred meter track event from the twenty twelve London Games.
Speaker 1: In the fourteen years since that Olympic final, three athletes,
Speaker 1: all from Russia, including the original gold and bronze medalist,
Speaker 1: have been stripped of their results due to anti doping violations.
Speaker 1: South Africa's Castor Semenya was upgraded from silver to gold
Speaker 1: all the way back in twenty seventeen, but it took
Speaker 1: far longer for the case involving the original bronze medalist
Speaker 1: to be charged and then it was appealed. In a
Speaker 1: post on Instagram, Montano said she will receive her long
Speaker 1: awaited medal during a ceremony at the twenty twenty eight
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Olympics, writing quote, more work to be done
Speaker 1: to ensure it's done right, but for now, we celebrate
Speaker 1: one victory at a time.
Speaker 2: End quote.
Speaker 1: We hate how long you've had to wait for this moment, Alicia,
Speaker 1: and we hate that you still mourn the fact that
Speaker 1: your one hundred year old grandmother, who watched your race
Speaker 1: from the hospital, never got to see your finish upgraded.
Speaker 1: But we're still so excited to finally see you receive
Speaker 1: your medal in front of the rest of your family
Speaker 1: and friends.
Speaker 2: All Right, we got to take.
Speaker 1: A break when we come back. Floating the Provo River
Speaker 1: with the Utah Royals. Mandy McGlenn and Chloe Lacasse joining
Speaker 1: us now. She's a goalkeeper for the Utah Royals of
Speaker 1: the NWSL and the US women's national team. She previously
Speaker 1: played for Gotham FC, helping the team to the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three NWSL title. A Jacksonville, Florida native, she played
Speaker 1: her college soccer for Virginia Tech, where she was a
Speaker 1: back to back All acc first teamer. In her first
Speaker 1: season with the Royals in twenty twenty four, she earned
Speaker 1: a nomination for NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year. She got
Speaker 1: her first senior national team call up October twenty fifth
Speaker 1: of twenty twenty four and her first cap October thirtieth,
Speaker 1: a clean sheet against Argentina. She forces her family to
Speaker 1: watch her learn how to play guitar on FaceTime.
Speaker 2: It's man McGlynn. Hi, Mandy, Hi, thanks for joining.
Speaker 1: At the end there no, it sounds like a joy
Speaker 1: to watch you play. Here comes the Sun fifteen straight times,
Speaker 1: missing with the notes.
Speaker 3: They hate it every time, but it's fun for me.
Speaker 1: Yep also joining us. She's a forward for the Utah
Speaker 1: Royals and the Canadian national team. A Sudbury, Ontario native,
Speaker 1: she started playing soccer at age five. Played her college
Speaker 1: footy for Iowa, where she was the school's top score
Speaker 1: during all four seasons there and finished tied for the
Speaker 1: school record with one hundred and twelve points, second all
Speaker 1: time with forty three goals, tied for first and shots,
Speaker 1: and second in game winning goals and assists. After playing
Speaker 1: in Toronto, Iceland and Portugal, she signed with Arsenal of
Speaker 1: the Women Super League and then joined the Royals in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty four. She made her debut for the Canada
Speaker 1: national team in twenty twenty one, but also has Icelandic citizenship.
Speaker 2: She's a black belt in taekwondo. It's Chloe Lacasa. Hi, Chloe, Hi,
Speaker 2: how's it going?
Speaker 4: Thanks for having me?
Speaker 2: Are you a black belt forever?
Speaker 5: Like? Yeah, I'm got in a while, David still count
Speaker 5: I like to think that it does.
Speaker 1: Yes, okay, good, I love that. Let's talk about the
Speaker 1: FIFA break because y'all are just coming off of it.
Speaker 1: What was the highlight of your time off, Mandy.
Speaker 6: I went to Spain with my whole family and we
Speaker 6: visited my partner's family, so that was really amazing.
Speaker 3: And yeah, that was probably my highlight. I saw Harry
Speaker 3: Styles twice, so that was sick, big, big, big fan.
Speaker 1: I have a friend who went to his show in
Speaker 1: London and said it was a literal life changing experience
Speaker 1: for her, Like before and after before those Styles.
Speaker 3: It was really great. I would have to agree.
Speaker 2: I need to go, Chloe. What was the highlight for you?
Speaker 5: Definitely chill time with the fam. I was planning on
Speaker 5: just painting a room and it became demolition zone. But
Speaker 5: we did renovate the room and we're good to go.
Speaker 2: You did it yourself with hammers and everything.
Speaker 5: Well, my partner was involved, and unfortunately he's the reason
Speaker 5: for the demolition.
Speaker 4: It was just supposed to be painting. But we're working
Speaker 4: on her handyman skills right now.
Speaker 2: Hilarious. Oh my god.
Speaker 1: Okay, Well, we're returning to play in such an excellent
Speaker 1: spot second on the NWSL table.
Speaker 2: This is a surprise for many.
Speaker 1: Mandy, you had to owe and two start to the
Speaker 1: season and then ten game unbeaten streaks. So were there
Speaker 1: just regular growing pains to start the season or was
Speaker 1: there some sort of come to Jesus moment revelation that
Speaker 1: happened after game two that really got you going.
Speaker 6: I think we just needed to stick to what we
Speaker 6: wanted to do and accomplish. And yeah, it was just
Speaker 6: getting the feel for the first couple games. You know,
Speaker 6: we had some injuries to start with as well, so
Speaker 6: I think once we the whole squad got healthy and
Speaker 6: we started, you know, really knocking out the game plan consecutively,
Speaker 6: like that's when you saw us reach our flow state.
Speaker 3: And it's been.
Speaker 6: Really really fun to play in witness review and learn from.
Speaker 3: So that's kind of the point that we're at right now.
Speaker 2: It's funny.
Speaker 1: Flow State has been a through line all week with
Speaker 1: so many of our guests, and it is a feeling
Speaker 1: that you get in.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I love that that's how you described it, because it
Speaker 1: is different than just oh, things are kind of clicking
Speaker 1: for us. It's like, oh, we're all moving as kind
Speaker 1: of a unit, which is really fun to see.
Speaker 2: What's gone right in your opinion, Chloe.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Mandy definitely covered the bases.
Speaker 5: But I think the togetherness of the group has been
Speaker 5: our strength, truthfully, and I think we're really figuring out
Speaker 5: what we want as individuals and kind of playing off
Speaker 5: each other's strengths in that way. And yeah, and we've
Speaker 5: just simplified the game and we're strong group and we're
Speaker 5: highlighting individuals, but it also it's the collective that's been
Speaker 5: our real superpower I think this season.
Speaker 1: Speaking of individual goals, you are tied for the team
Speaker 1: lead with four goals, also ties your career high in Utah.
Speaker 1: You also have a career high three assists through twelve matches.
Speaker 1: So where's the chemistry working for you in terms of
Speaker 1: the team success, but also you managing to keep showing up.
Speaker 2: In the box score.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean kind of what I said previously. I
Speaker 5: think we've just done a great job of working the collective,
Speaker 5: and we have I think we mentioned that this week
Speaker 5: we have eight different goal scorers, which I mean, it's
Speaker 5: hard to defend when you really don't know who it's
Speaker 5: going to be right at the end of the day.
Speaker 5: So we're highlighting individual strengths. But like I said, the
Speaker 5: collective has been a priority, and we've been really showcasing
Speaker 5: that each and every match.
Speaker 4: I think.
Speaker 1: The league is gonna look a little different after this
Speaker 1: month long break. Among the many moves, Alli's sent Noor
Speaker 1: now with Angel City, Lily Reel is in Boston, Sam
Speaker 1: Kurr is back when the NWSL with got them, Lindsay
Speaker 1: Heaps is in with the Summit. This second half is
Speaker 1: going to be a whole new BALLGAMEU pun intended. So
Speaker 1: how do you keep momentum going after your great start.
Speaker 6: Mandy, Yeah, the focus is always going to be on us.
Speaker 6: We always, you know, work out our processes for the
Speaker 6: week and how we can work on you know, utah,
Speaker 6: and we're not going to focus on you know, outward
Speaker 6: things right the noise around us, just executing our process goals.
Speaker 6: One step at a time has been so important for
Speaker 6: this team and just putting one foot in front of
Speaker 6: the other.
Speaker 3: So yeah, bring on Lindsay, bring on Curve. Well, we're
Speaker 3: going to focus on Utah Royals.
Speaker 1: I have to start a second stat line for backflips
Speaker 1: in the league again, and we were without for so long.
Speaker 1: I think she still got it in her. I hope
Speaker 1: so not against y'all. Of course, we don't want any
Speaker 1: of those usually follow goals totally. We'll hope for that
Speaker 1: against other teams. Chloe, how long into this FIFA break
Speaker 1: did you start practicing again regularly and has it come
Speaker 1: up in any of those practices and game plans that
Speaker 1: there are these new strategic kind of things to look
Speaker 1: out for in terms of stars moving or arriving.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I think, like Mandy said, we're just focusing on us
Speaker 5: right now. I think the first half of the season
Speaker 5: we really kind of honed in on what we want
Speaker 5: to be and what our identity is going forward, and
Speaker 5: we're just going to kind of keep working on that
Speaker 5: and strengthening it.
Speaker 4: And that's I think we have. We focusing on us.
Speaker 5: However, mention on the five second throw ins and on
Speaker 5: those types of refereeing things that we have focused on.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we'll allow the refs to steal focused but
Speaker 1: maybe not stars from other teams. All right, Uh, Mandy,
Speaker 1: a finger injury sidelined you at the part of the
Speaker 1: season and you were out for a pretty long stretch there.
Speaker 1: How did you stay connected to the team and stay
Speaker 1: ready so that when you got back and you felt
Speaker 1: like you were part of that collective.
Speaker 6: Yeah, luckily with a finger injury, like, I can still
Speaker 6: be a soccer player, just not a goalkeeper. So staying
Speaker 6: on top of my footwork was a priority and that
Speaker 6: can be involved in a lot of drills with the team,
Speaker 6: So that connection came there.
Speaker 3: And just staying you know, uplifting.
Speaker 6: In the in the locker room before games, still having
Speaker 6: that like loud presence that goalkeepers have.
Speaker 2: So that was goalkeepers.
Speaker 1: Maybe y'all are kind of weird and off to yourself,
Speaker 1: so you're one of the ones that's.
Speaker 2: In the mix.
Speaker 3: I'm in the mix. I'm dancing.
Speaker 6: I mean, I think all of our goalkeepers here in
Speaker 6: the mix. So that's really fun. And yeah, so just
Speaker 6: staying connected in that way and just yeah, for being
Speaker 6: involved in all the meetings, asking a lot of questions
Speaker 6: and so it was just an easy transition for when
Speaker 6: I came back.
Speaker 1: Speaking of being out of the game, you are part
Speaker 1: of some very serious NWSL lore. Neelie Martin's championship game
Speaker 1: goalie stint for those who don't remember, in the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three NWSL Championship, Mandy was sent off for handling
Speaker 1: the ball outside the penalty box in the seventh minute
Speaker 1: of second half stoppage time with the team up two
Speaker 1: to one trying to hang on for the title, and
Speaker 1: Neelie Martin had to go into net for the last
Speaker 1: moments of the game with the championship on the line.
Speaker 2: Take us back to that moment.
Speaker 1: What were you feeling and thinking and how grateful were
Speaker 1: you that maybe Neely didn't have to show.
Speaker 2: Off to watch of her keeping seals.
Speaker 6: Well, it's funny, is like she's my roommate, best friend,
Speaker 6: and like she always put on my gloves and I
Speaker 6: always hit the ball at her. So I was like,
Speaker 6: she's got this when the moment happened. But the moment
Speaker 6: in itself, I was like I have to do something
Speaker 6: here like and then after it happened, I was like,
Speaker 6: I need a practice heading the ball outside the box.
Speaker 6: Cause I can't do that anymore. But it was honestly
Speaker 6: the craziest experience.
Speaker 3: Of my life.
Speaker 6: I yeah, I'm so grateful. And Neelie didn't have to
Speaker 6: make a save. She went the right way though, So
Speaker 6: very proud of her. And I was in the locker
Speaker 6: room like by myself and just hearing tears. I had
Speaker 6: no idea if they had scored, if they tied, it like,
Speaker 6: no idea. So but it was finally my goalkeeper coach
Speaker 6: that came in. It was like, you want us a game,
Speaker 6: and I was like, I don't know about that.
Speaker 3: I put it in a little rocky situation. But so
Speaker 3: it was so crazy, really really fun.
Speaker 2: It's fun because you won, it's fun.
Speaker 3: Because of you want and now it's a good story
Speaker 3: to tell.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good trivia for you know.
Speaker 1: Gotham defender Neelye Martin was in goal for their NWSL
Speaker 1: title winning Yeah. Chloe, let's talk national team because you
Speaker 1: made your return to the Canada national team in February
Speaker 1: after missing some time to a torne acl How did
Speaker 1: it feel to have worked your way back to getting
Speaker 1: to wear that national team kid again?
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was definitely. It was a great moment.
Speaker 5: The national team did a great job though throughout my
Speaker 5: injury to stay connected. We had a coaching staff shift
Speaker 5: as well, so there was a lot of i'll say
Speaker 5: turbulence in there at that time. But yeah, the coaching staff,
Speaker 5: the new ones that they brought into a great job
Speaker 5: and keeping myself connected with the group and kind of
Speaker 5: seeing which direction that they want to take as well, right,
Speaker 5: because it was a complete shift in staff, So yeah,
Speaker 5: it was It's always a privilege to get to wear
Speaker 5: the badge, especially cause it's Canada Day today. Shout out
Speaker 5: to that, Yes, but yeah, I was happy to be
Speaker 5: back with.
Speaker 4: The girls as well.
Speaker 2: And so far, so good.
Speaker 5: We're on the right track and we got the qualifiers
Speaker 5: coming up. Mandy's going to be an enemy real soon.
Speaker 5: But yeah, no, the group is in a good place
Speaker 5: and we're looking forward to what's to come.
Speaker 1: I should say, Happy Canada Day. We're recording this on Wednesday.
Speaker 1: We did happen to run an interview with the Toronto
Speaker 1: Tempo GM today and everyone was like, well done, you
Speaker 1: running this.
Speaker 2: On Canada Day and I was like, oh, yep, we
Speaker 2: definitely knew that and did that with intention.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the change in staff, you were there under
Speaker 1: Bev Priestman at the You know, you were part of
Speaker 1: the team that got caught up in the drone scandal
Speaker 1: in the twenty twenty four Olympics. Things are very different now,
Speaker 1: whole new look. How different does it feel for you
Speaker 1: under coach Casey Stony.
Speaker 5: I think it was so important to build trust with
Speaker 5: Casey and I think she's done a great job with
Speaker 5: the group and making sure that we feel like we're
Speaker 5: in a safe place, because truthfully, it was very rocky
Speaker 5: after those Olympic Games.
Speaker 4: And it took a bit of time, and that was
Speaker 4: a big part of it.
Speaker 5: There was a lot of healing that had to be
Speaker 5: done when it came to coaching staff and players. But
Speaker 5: now now we're in a good place. We've turned the
Speaker 5: page and we're just looking forward.
Speaker 4: We're not looking back anymore.
Speaker 2: I do have to say, y'all are lucky.
Speaker 1: You're Canadian and our vibes and feelings about you are
Speaker 1: so positive. It almost felt weird to be mad about it,
Speaker 1: even though if it had been literally almost any other country,
Speaker 1: we would have been so pissed about the drones and
Speaker 1: presuming so much worse was going, like, oh, they're all
Speaker 1: in out.
Speaker 2: And we were like, oh, they're nice Canadians. Hey, they
Speaker 2: probably didn't.
Speaker 1: Know anything, right like you guys really had earned so
Speaker 1: much goodwill beforehand that I think it passed more quickly
Speaker 1: than had it been maybe some other squads. So glad
Speaker 1: to see fresh slate and really all the players from
Speaker 1: that team that are that are coming together.
Speaker 2: Mandy, let's talk about the national team for you.
Speaker 1: Because the battle for the US starting keeper, the replacement
Speaker 1: of long time star a listener, it's stressful for everyone involved.
Speaker 2: It's exciting, but it's stressful.
Speaker 1: How do you handle the pressure of competing for that
Speaker 1: gig and whether you read the stories about who's got
Speaker 1: the lead and who's in the running and all of that.
Speaker 6: For me, I had to kind of adopt the principle
Speaker 6: that we have here of just like focusing on ourselves.
Speaker 6: So it's just like, yeah, I can't put too much
Speaker 6: pressure on expectations or outcomes or opportunities.
Speaker 3: I can just go to camp and do my job.
Speaker 6: And the job is keep the ball of the net,
Speaker 6: don't lose the ball with your feet, and.
Speaker 3: Do your best and have fun.
Speaker 6: So I think I did a lot of work mentally
Speaker 6: because it's just a lot of eyes, a lot of opinions.
Speaker 6: So doing a lot of work mentally with our sports
Speaker 6: psychologist has been really great for you know, my well
Speaker 6: being and and to be being able to handle this position.
Speaker 1: You've spoken in the past about the importance of addressing
Speaker 1: mental health seeking counsel with the therapist or just a
Speaker 1: trusted friend, and how you like that the national team
Speaker 1: calls it mental fitness another muscle to work out. So
Speaker 1: can you share some of the ways you think Emma
Speaker 1: Hayes and that staff at the national team really help
Speaker 1: players stay on top of their mental health.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I really like we do like group meetings and
Speaker 6: it's just kind of like talking about like the areas
Speaker 6: of the game where it's not just technical soccer or
Speaker 6: tactical soccer. It's about you know, how do you survive
Speaker 6: under pressure, how do you thrive? And like what are
Speaker 6: things that you can notice about yourself And so yeah,
Speaker 6: we just all kind of like do a lot of
Speaker 6: reflection and just start preparing our brains. Okay, like we're
Speaker 6: going to be in Brazil during the World Cup. This
Speaker 6: is how the game is like in Brazil. How can
Speaker 6: you handle this? So it's definitely putting our brains in
Speaker 6: that environment before we're actually there, and I think that
Speaker 6: really helps our like mental fitness and this of like, Okay,
Speaker 6: we are preparing for this, you know, a year in advance,
Speaker 6: and you know mentally before we even get on the field.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you've been there before. Quite literally there.
Speaker 1: I loved getting the inside look at Emma's speech when
Speaker 1: y'all were not the home team and not the favorite
Speaker 1: team for that first game in Brazil and her saying like, Hey,
Speaker 1: this is how it's going to be. You're not always
Speaker 1: going to be beloved, and like take it all in,
Speaker 1: feel it, know it so that next time you're like,
Speaker 1: we've been here before, We're good.
Speaker 2: Yeah. She just seems like a.
Speaker 1: Really singular voice and someone that I'm really excited to
Speaker 1: keep learning how she's leading that team, you know, Chloe.
Speaker 2: When I've had.
Speaker 1: Softball players on the show, one of the things we
Speaker 1: talk about is how hard it is to play a
Speaker 1: sport where failure is the norm. Right. If you're hitting
Speaker 1: you know, three out of ten balls, that's great, that's
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame level.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: So as a forward and as someone who wants to
Speaker 1: see on the sheet the success of what you've done,
Speaker 1: how do you handle you know, maybe a drought between goals.
Speaker 2: How do you stay mentally ready for the next game.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think in the attacking positions in general, there's
Speaker 5: always someone who has something to say. You could have
Speaker 5: the best game of your life in your mind, but
Speaker 5: someone's going to think it's the worst. I think that's
Speaker 5: also one of the big differences I think about playing
Speaker 5: in Europe and playing in the States.
Speaker 4: I think in the States people are a.
Speaker 5: Lot more optimistic, They're a lot more positive, whereas sometimes
Speaker 5: I think out in Europe it's a little bit more
Speaker 5: narrowed and you can get targeted in a.
Speaker 4: Lot of moments.
Speaker 5: But for me, it's definitely just about contributing. And that
Speaker 5: doesn't have to be a goal or in assist. But
Speaker 5: there's so many different ways contribute. Can have high pressure,
Speaker 5: you could be defending, you could be all over the place, right,
Speaker 5: But yeah, it's about contribution and I know what that
Speaker 5: looks like for me, and I know when I can
Speaker 5: walk off that pitch happy.
Speaker 4: And I think it's about.
Speaker 5: Identity, right, and you have to know what kind of
Speaker 5: fills your cup out on the pitch and what's going
Speaker 5: to help your team get the w at the end
Speaker 5: of the day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know one interesting thing.
Speaker 1: My former colleague at ed ESPN, Rachel Epstein, has just
Speaker 1: taken over as chief marketing officer for the NWSL, and
Speaker 1: we were talking about storytelling in the league and how
Speaker 1: the American audience receives soccer. The things we talked about
Speaker 1: was how it's a little bit harder to know what
Speaker 1: happened in a game and know what kind of players
Speaker 1: you're watching, how elite they really are when you don't
Speaker 1: have well, she had forty five points and eleven rebounds
Speaker 1: and three blocks. It's a more cerebral game. It's a
Speaker 1: game that requires understanding. So if you put on your
Speaker 1: marketing hat, what would you tell people about your Utah
Speaker 1: Royals team, Chloe and what they should be watching for.
Speaker 1: Who's really amazing at this thing that they should keep
Speaker 1: an eye out for, Like, how can you make us
Speaker 1: a better viewer of your team?
Speaker 5: I think if I'm going to give a shout out
Speaker 5: to someone right now, it's going to be Nuria. I
Speaker 5: think she's very underrated, and I think she does all
Speaker 5: the little things right and I think she's been excelling
Speaker 5: with this group. She's been so important for us. But
Speaker 5: because she's a little bit quiet. People don't really put
Speaker 5: a spotlight on her.
Speaker 4: Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 5: But I'll give it to her because I think she's
Speaker 5: done an excellent job and she's a great player. But
Speaker 5: I think, yeah, like I said, the collective of this
Speaker 5: group is definitely a strength.
Speaker 4: We're high pressing team.
Speaker 5: Our back line has also done a fantastic job, so
Speaker 5: shout out to you guys, Mandy. But yeah, I think
Speaker 5: we're able to work in tight spaces very well, which
Speaker 5: is a little bit unorthodox in moments with the NWSL.
Speaker 4: But I think we're a.
Speaker 5: Good blend of being able to play in tight spaces
Speaker 5: and also being able to expose teams if they have
Speaker 5: high back lines. So we're a little bit of everything
Speaker 5: right now.
Speaker 2: Mandy, What about you make us better at watching the
Speaker 2: Utah Royals.
Speaker 3: I mean, we love to convert chances into goals.
Speaker 6: I mean, that's our whole thing is scoring goals, and
Speaker 6: we've gotten better at it in the last couple of games.
Speaker 3: So and we're finding.
Speaker 6: Different ways to do it, as Chloe said, with eight
Speaker 6: different goal scorers. So it's not just the typical cutbacks
Speaker 6: or off set piece its. It's a little bit of everything.
Speaker 6: So we're definitely a creative team with a lot of
Speaker 6: flexibility and adaptability to put the.
Speaker 3: Ball in the back of the net.
Speaker 6: And I think we can do that because, like Chloe said,
Speaker 6: like we can press high because we've got great defenders
Speaker 6: in the back and we want to keep the ball.
Speaker 3: So I would say, come watch Utah for some good
Speaker 3: cerebral cerebral soccer.
Speaker 2: I love that.
Speaker 1: I love that as a keeper too. You went straight
Speaker 1: for offense. That's unusual. Usually i'd be like hearing all
Speaker 1: about Kate del Favin, who's doing work in the back.
Speaker 2: So do you want to give any props to the focus?
Speaker 2: I think it's back there.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 6: I couldn't do like my job with all my back floor.
Speaker 6: I mean, kid's constantly sliding into every position on the
Speaker 6: field doing slide ridiculous slide tackles. Cale's so smart in
Speaker 6: her positioning. She breaks up a lot of play for
Speaker 6: US Nuria. Like you said, her one B one defending
Speaker 6: has been incredible this year. And Yannie Thompson is like
Speaker 6: another ford on the on on our on our team.
Speaker 6: So I'm so happy with our back four and they're
Speaker 6: making my job really easy right now. So also watch
Speaker 6: for some great defending.
Speaker 2: Yes, love it. Love it.
Speaker 1: As a keeper, do you do training specifically focused on
Speaker 1: your vision, like training your brain to see the ball
Speaker 1: any differently than maybe the field players do.
Speaker 6: I do blaze pod work, which is like light reflective
Speaker 6: work with speed and different colors. I think it is
Speaker 6: really fast, fascinating and it helps my you know, hand
Speaker 6: eye coronation as well as yeah, just visualizing seeing something
Speaker 6: different very quickly, so I don't translating it to the field.
Speaker 6: It's just quick hand eye coronation, but also like depth
Speaker 6: perception and you.
Speaker 3: Know, yeah, that's kind of what I work on with
Speaker 3: my eyes.
Speaker 1: Utah sometimes feels like it's a little island, and I
Speaker 1: think that's part of the reason why during COVID that's
Speaker 1: where the competition was.
Speaker 2: It's like nestled in this little mountain area a bar.
Speaker 3: I remember that. That was crazy.
Speaker 2: It was beautiful. Yeah, I mean it was beautiful. It
Speaker 2: was a great setting for it.
Speaker 1: But I also do feel like and like no offense
Speaker 1: to y'all and being second in the table is really
Speaker 1: helping with this. But sometimes when I'm thinking about NWSL teams,
Speaker 1: I'm like, what's the one I'm forgetting And it's it's utall,
Speaker 1: but I think it's just partly the location.
Speaker 2: On the map and all of that.
Speaker 1: So tell us about the vibes, Chloe, Like, for those
Speaker 1: of us who haven't made it to a game there,
Speaker 1: who haven't made the track because it's not in a
Speaker 1: big city, that maybe we're already visiting and then checking
Speaker 1: the calendar for a game, Like, what are the vibes
Speaker 1: in Utah? What are the team activities? What does everyone
Speaker 1: do when they're not out on the pitch.
Speaker 5: I mean, honestly, all my friends that have come visited,
Speaker 5: they've also been surprised because, like you said, they didn't
Speaker 5: know much about Utah. So it's definitely somewhere I think
Speaker 5: people really under rate in the States, and it's a
Speaker 5: gem that people should absolutely visit. So what better thing
Speaker 5: to do than come to Utah Royals game. Plus the
Speaker 5: stadium setting is incredible when the sun is setting. Sometimes
Speaker 5: when I'm on the pitch. Don't tell anybody, Okay, we're
Speaker 5: telling everybody right now, but I do tend to just
Speaker 5: kind of look at the sunset towards mountains and it's
Speaker 5: kind of like, wow, Okay, this is beautiful, but yeah, no,
Speaker 5: there's great things to do if you're an outdoorsy person, hiking,
Speaker 5: you could even go fly fishing. We have some some
Speaker 5: players that go and try that out. Yeah, I think
Speaker 5: if you like the outdoors and smaller city vibes, it's
Speaker 5: a good time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it seems like a good fit for a Canadian.
Speaker 1: A lot more open space than the rest of America.
Speaker 1: Y'all are used to that up there in America's hat.
Speaker 4: It's very on brand, yeah for Canadians.
Speaker 2: Mandy sell Us on Utah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a beautiful place. The chloy I think you
Speaker 3: hit the nail on the head.
Speaker 6: One of our favorite team activities in the summertime is
Speaker 6: floating down the Provo River, So you get on like
Speaker 6: a little mountain stream and you just float on down.
Speaker 6: Summer is definitely really fun here. Definitely a lot of lakes,
Speaker 6: paddle boarding, great outdoor walks when the smoke isn't bad.
Speaker 6: And yeah, I think it's just a yeah. Like you said,
Speaker 6: a hidden gym is perfect. And you know, our stadium
Speaker 6: is beautiful. You have the mountains in the background. They
Speaker 6: turned pink during the sunset and sometimes have the white
Speaker 6: caps on them.
Speaker 3: So it definitely has surprised me too.
Speaker 6: I didn't think I was going to end up in
Speaker 6: Utah being a Florida girl, And here I am in
Speaker 6: my late life and you know, taking my dog out
Speaker 6: on trail walks. So yeah, it's definitely a really beautiful
Speaker 6: place to live.
Speaker 2: Good sell good, cell y'all. I bought it. I bought it.
Speaker 1: Okay, we need to do a Royals Superlatives speed round Mandy,
Speaker 1: who's the best dancer on the team?
Speaker 3: DJ?
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: Let's use full names though, so that if people don't
Speaker 1: have them all memorized. So, Mandy, who's the best dancer
Speaker 1: on the team?
Speaker 3: Daria Jackson?
Speaker 2: You don't know her name? How do you expect us
Speaker 2: to the car?
Speaker 6: DJ?
Speaker 3: I just don't want to misurround it?
Speaker 2: Hilarious?
Speaker 1: Okay, Chloe does a GK okay DJ the GK Chloe,
Speaker 1: who's the best answer?
Speaker 5: I'll give Mandy contention and I'll probably say Tatum Malaso.
Speaker 1: Yes, I have seen Tatum dance at Kayla Sharple's wedding.
Speaker 2: She's got moves y. Who's the best dressed Chloe.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna say Mina Tanaka.
Speaker 3: Mandy, I'm gonna say Breckin Mazingo.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's one for me to look up. I don't
Speaker 1: know her fits man. Who's most likely to pick the
Speaker 1: locker room playlist?
Speaker 3: Mea Justice?
Speaker 2: That's another another keeper Chloe, same.
Speaker 4: Answer, Yeah, same answer.
Speaker 2: What kind of tunes does me A rock?
Speaker 3: All of them?
Speaker 4: Mm hmm and very loud?
Speaker 2: We love that?
Speaker 1: Yeah, very loud, spoken like one of the two thirty
Speaker 1: year olds on the team.
Speaker 2: It's too loud in here. I'm okay, Chloe.
Speaker 1: Who's the most likely to piss off coach Jimmy Coon
Speaker 1: wrightes uh?
Speaker 5: I think on a Tata stuff on some toes, but
Speaker 5: in the best way.
Speaker 1: Who do you think, Mandy? I think I'm going to
Speaker 1: back that, okay, Anna. And who's Jimmy's favorite?
Speaker 2: Mandy?
Speaker 3: I'll say he loves Mina?
Speaker 2: Yeah, what do you say?
Speaker 3: Everyone loves Mina?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I love it? Okay. Last question for you.
Speaker 1: In a couple of weeks on the show, we're doing
Speaker 1: our first good game of Sara Spain Movie Club and
Speaker 1: we're rewatching Bend It like Beckham, So is this a
Speaker 1: film that was part of your childhood soccer careers and
Speaker 1: do you have any memory.
Speaker 2: Of whether you liked it or how you felt about it?
Speaker 6: Mandy yeah, I remember watching it. It's so long ago.
Speaker 6: I honestly don't remember the plot, but I remember liking it.
Speaker 6: And yeah, she kicked this crazy shot that bent and
Speaker 6: she scolorn just like Beckham.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Chloe, yeah, I'd say I do remember it, and
Speaker 1: I definitely wanted to bend it like Beckham.
Speaker 4: So here we are. It's iconic, and.
Speaker 2: Here we are.
Speaker 1: It's iconic, and you've fulfilled your your dream of being
Speaker 1: just like Beckham. It was so fun to chat with y'all.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited to watch the second half in. Congrats
Speaker 1: on the success so far.
Speaker 4: Thank you, appreciate it, Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Mandy and Chloe for hanging out, and
Speaker 1: don't forget. You can now watch full length Good Game
Speaker 1: interviews on the Iheartwomen's Sports YouTube channel. We have to
Speaker 1: take another break. When we come back, get out the engraver.
Speaker 1: We've got a new plaque to make.
Speaker 2: Welcome backslashs.
Speaker 1: It's time to induct a new member into the Good
Speaker 1: Game Hall of Fame. Ah, Yes, the Good Game Hall
Speaker 1: of Fame, where we celebrate women's sports lore, the kind
Speaker 1: of legendary stories we should all know by heart, just
Speaker 1: like we know the stories of men's sports. We all
Speaker 1: remember the old Sports illustrated Sid finch April fools prank,
Speaker 1: a profile of a completely made up pitching prospect, and
Speaker 1: we all had a good laugh at the Mets expense
Speaker 1: this week when Bobby Benia Day popped up again, the
Speaker 1: day every year twenty eleven through twenty thirty five that
Speaker 1: the Mets pay now sixty three year old Bobby Banio
Speaker 1: one point one nine million dollars as part of a
Speaker 1: deferred salary settlement gone very very wrong. Well, we should
Speaker 1: know great lore in women's sports too, and we've got
Speaker 1: some catching up to do. So many great stories passed
Speaker 1: and present yet untold. So grab another plaque and find
Speaker 1: a good place on the wall, because today we've got
Speaker 1: another inductee, Sam Kerr's Backflips. In honor of the legendary
Speaker 1: Australian strikers return to the NWSL, we offer her trademark
Speaker 1: backflip celebration a place in our hall. Kerr taught herself
Speaker 1: how to do a round off backflip as a nine
Speaker 1: year old back in Perth, starting downhill on a grassy
Speaker 1: knoll to give herself a little help from gravity. She
Speaker 1: told sam UIs on a recent episode of the Women's
Speaker 1: Game podcast that she thinks her first in game backflip
Speaker 1: was at the Asian Cup as a precocious sixteen year old.
Speaker 2: Soon it became her go.
Speaker 1: To goal celebration, and she's now flipped her way through
Speaker 1: games with the AUSSI national team, the Western New York Flash,
Speaker 1: Sky Blue FC, and the Chicago then Red Stars of
Speaker 1: the NWSL, and more recently Chelsea of the Women's Super League.
Speaker 2: Now that she's back with the NWSL, might we see
Speaker 2: it again?
Speaker 1: By the way, speaking of her return to the league,
Speaker 1: despite seven years away, she's still the NWSL's all time
Speaker 1: leading scorer in the regular season with seventy seven tallies. Now,
Speaker 1: it's been a few years since we've seen the signature move,
Speaker 1: and at one point Kerr did say it might be
Speaker 1: retired now that she's in her thirties. But if there's
Speaker 1: ever a time to bring it back, it's in her
Speaker 1: debut for Got the FC, which is expected to be
Speaker 1: on July fifteenth at City Field for the Queen's Classic
Speaker 1: in front of a crowd that could reach over forty thousand.
Speaker 1: So here's hoping she's practicing those backflips as we speak.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Good Game Hall of Fame, Sam Kerr.
Speaker 1: If you don't object, we'd like to install the plaque
Speaker 1: upside down in honor of your epic signature move.
Speaker 2: Slices.
Speaker 1: As I mentioned earlier, we'll be taking our annual summer
Speaker 1: hiatus during the next two weeks ahead of the launch
Speaker 1: of season three.
Speaker 2: Yes, season three.
Speaker 1: On Monday, July twentieth, but we still have a bunch
Speaker 1: of new content come in your way, including the debut
Speaker 1: of The Big Citrus and Chill Movie Club, so be
Speaker 1: sure to reach watch Bend It like Beckham before that
Speaker 1: episode drops later this month. In another episode, we'll be
Speaker 1: breaking some big news about a team starting play in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven, and in another app, we'll be giving
Speaker 1: you a behind the scenes look at how our show
Speaker 1: is made, including responding to some of your questions and
Speaker 1: feedback from the listener survey. As always, we are so
Speaker 1: happy whenever we hear from you, whether that's via the
Speaker 1: listener survey, which is still up, or by email at
Speaker 1: Good Game at wondermediaetwork dot com or voicemail at eight
Speaker 1: seven two two four fifty seventy. We'll be back on
Speaker 1: July twentieth with a fresh and we're sure quite long
Speaker 1: need to know, plus plenty of new guests, ideas, and
Speaker 1: segments for year three of our little pod. Thank you
Speaker 1: so much for listening, commenting, supporting, and loving our show.
Speaker 1: And if you want some slice work during the break,
Speaker 1: your good game play of the hiatus is to share
Speaker 1: a few of your favorite episodes with someone who might
Speaker 1: not know about our show yet. If you love it,
Speaker 1: share it. We'd really appreciate it. And speaking to Slice work.
Speaker 1: A final shout out to super Slice Aaron raw who's
Speaker 1: doing so well with her many many intentions, including taking
Speaker 1: a pickleball and having a blast with her daughters, and
Speaker 1: super Slice Amanda Vallo, who signed up for a one
Speaker 1: oh one intro to stand up class at a local
Speaker 1: comedy club.
Speaker 2: I can speak for all a big Citris when I
Speaker 2: say we're.
Speaker 1: Hoping to use our hiatus to check off some of
Speaker 1: those intentions we haven't gotten to yet. Before we let
Speaker 1: you go, I have to tell you like I always do,
Speaker 1: to subscribe, rate, and review. It's super helpful to the show,
Speaker 1: and it's super easy watch data telling the story we
Speaker 1: already know. Rating one hundred percent confidence. When evangelizing for
Speaker 1: women's sports if the numbers are on your side. Review
Speaker 1: Genius Sports, which acquired Sports Innovation Lab last year, has
Speaker 1: released the Latest Fan Project, a long running series of
Speaker 1: reports on the commercial value of women's sports fandom. The
Speaker 1: latest edition, the fifth in the Sports Innovation Lab series,
Speaker 1: focuses on how women's sports culture feeds commerce.
Speaker 2: Couple big takeaways.
Speaker 1: Women's sports fans are three times more likely than men's
Speaker 1: sports fans to buy from player created brands, so backing
Speaker 1: female athlete entrepreneurs is a good bet. Fans of women's
Speaker 1: sports are two point six times more likely to attend
Speaker 1: concerts and festivals than general sports fans, so they're spending
Speaker 1: at lots of in person events and can be found
Speaker 1: and served at those events. And only seven percent of
Speaker 1: women's sports fans follow teams because they live nearby, compared
Speaker 1: to thirty percent of men's sports fans. That means women's
Speaker 1: sports teams present a national, sometimes global brand opportunity, not.
Speaker 2: Just a local one.
Speaker 1: The numbers in these fan projects could mean the difference
Speaker 1: if you're pitching a brand or sponsor, suggesting a partnership,
Speaker 1: or trying to get your company on board with women's sports.
Speaker 1: So if you're in the space use the data slices.
Speaker 1: We'll link to the collection of reports in the show notes.
Speaker 1: Now it's your turn, rate and review. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: See you next week. Good game, Mandy, Good game, Chloe.
Speaker 1: You the cheaters that deprived Elesia of a metal in
Speaker 1: real time? Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iheartwomen's
Speaker 1: sports production in part ownership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 1: You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2: Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzi
Speaker 2: and Bianca Hillier.
Speaker 1: Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan
Speaker 1: and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rudder, Lucy Jones,
Speaker 1: Britney Martinez, and Gianna Palmer. Production assistant from Avery Loftus
Speaker 1: and I'm your Host Sarah Spain