Equal Time Soccer

Newly Minnesotan Dani Foxhoven came on the show to talk about her 3 NWSL Championships, using her platform off the field, her time coaching both college and with the youth national teams, and the return of The Internet Said It.

Matt continued his never ending pitch for people to buy Under The Lights and In The Dark (https://bookshop.org/books/under-the-lights-and-in-the-dark-untold-stories-of-women-s-soccer/9781785783197) and Dani pitched her soccer clinics at 9th Street Soccer and Coffee (https://www.ninthstreetmpls.com/)

Matt sits down with new Gopher Soccer Head Coach Erin Chastain to ask about her initial conversations with staff/players, how she'll approach this first season, what she'll take from previous coaching stints into this new role in new home state of Minnesota, and a return of segments "The Internet Said It" and Listener Questions!

Lauren Roberts started her career as a promising holding midfielder for the Gophers but was forced to retire due to medical reasons. Now, she's a student assistant on the coaching staff. Matt talked to Lauren about making that transition, how her relationships with coaches changed, whether she'd want to coach long-term, and a few listener questions that led to #breaking news to Lauren's mom about her getting cat (that her mom is allergic to).

Matt sat down with Tom McGinnis, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Gopher Athletics, about the Gopher Head Coach search -- including Tom's role in chairing the hiring committee, how he'll balance candidates with connections to the U vs those who are new to Minnesota, and the timeline they're shooting for.

Matt does his last annual show with WPSL President Sean Jones as he hands off the beat to Mark, moving forward. Mark and Matt ask him about league growth, what made the MN Thunder Academy a good fit for the Minnesota market, rebounding from the year off during COVID, and more!

We talk to South Dakota State alums Annie Williams and Maggie Smither about playing in Iceland, settling in to their new towns, finding the right agents, ferrying from the little island to the big island, and more!

With the NWSL Challenge Cup and 2021 Season about to kick off on April 9th, Matt and Maya Hayes (former NWSL pro) talk to Chicago and Kansas City supporters about why Minnesotans should follow their teams. First up is Lauren Las and Christian Castro from Chicago Local 135 and then around 30 minutes Danielle Russell and Anna Fowler from KC Blue Crew start, with an unexpected crash by former Gopher coach and now KC NWSL coach Alli Lipsher around 40 minutes.

We sit down with Gopher Soccer Head Coach Stefanie Golan to talk about her more nimble lineup this season, turning shots into true opportunities, coming back to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium to finish the year, and the format for Big Ten Wildcard Weekend.

Maddie Castro played four years on the Gopher Soccer team (2015-2018 seasons) and this year she's been providing analysis and color commentary for Gopher broadcasts alongside Matt on BTN Plus. We chat with Maddie about what it's like to follow the team as an alum, where the Gophers have improved most over last year, where there's still room to grow, a look at some of the biggest lineup changes this year, and a ton of listener questions including how eating cake is like doing a fitness test.

Matt talks to Gopher Soccer stars Katie Koker and Megan Plaschko fresh off their wins as Defensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Week in the Big Ten. They talk about scream dancing out the nerves before the Nebraska game, building confidence game to game, how they landed at the U, and some rapid fire non-soccer questions to close.