Expected Own Goals

The Orlando Pride are preparing to play the biggest game club history on Saturday, the culmination of a process that began more than two years ago. Team vice president and GM Haley Carter came on to talk about the journey the team has taken under her and Seb Hines's leadership, what philosophy they apply to every decision, and what the 2024 Pride represent, win or lose on Saturday. This was a good'un!

Well there you have it! The Washington Spirit will play the Orlando Pride at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday for the NWSL Championship. The semifinals that got them there were scintillating contests, filled with drama, individual heroics, and masterful team play. How did the Spirit and Pride get past Gotham and the Current? 

The top four go in as favorites, and the top four leave as semifinalists. There were no upsets in the NWSL quarterfinals, as Orlando, Washington, Gotham, and Kansas City all moved on. Some games were unprecedented blowouts, like the Pride's demolition of the Red Stars (0:57). Others were tighter affair than anticipated, as the Current's defeat of the Courage proved to be (12:49). The final two match-ups were dreary, attritional affairs until they very much weren't, as the Spirit got past a resilient Bay FC (22:42) and Gotham pipped the Thorns at the death (34:49). 

The NWSL playoffs start tonight, and so we decided to take our most recent bonus episode out from behind the paywall. Coach and NWSL commentator Jill Loyden joined the guys to talk about the art and science of goalkeeping, and which keepers might make a significant difference in the quarterfinals. 

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In Part 2 of our NWSL quarterfinals preview, we take a look at Sunday's doubleheader. According to one projection model, Bay FC actually have a decent chance to upset the Washington Spirit. Will their new-look midfield and Racheal Kundananji's heroics puncture Washington's injury-riddled squad? 

The playoffs are set! The top four finished the season strong and look like they'll make it to the semifinals with ease. Or will they? The guys preview all four quarterfinal matchups, and wonder where we could see upsets. Do Bay FC have what it takes to get past an injury- and suspension-rattled Washington Spirit? Could the Portland Thorns put some payback on Gotham FC after last year's playoff defeat? Do the Chicago Red Stars have any hope at all? And is the Kansas City Current's match against the North Carolina Courage really as close as the seeding would suggest?

The USWNT played a couple friendlies against Iceland, walloped them 6-2 across both games, and got four new players their first caps. That's about all there is to report! The guys go pebble hunting to find something to analyze in the most meaningless games of the year. 

Then, they break down their picks for the NWSL awards slate. Most of these are no-brainers, but they make a case for some down-ballot candidates, followed by an in-depth discussion of how to approach Defender of the Year. 

We're taking one of our bonus episodes out from behind the table to give you a little taste of what great content you can find on our Patreon! For only $6/month, you get four episodes like these, each and every month. Plus, you get access to our Discord server, as well as our YouTube livestreams, which we're firing up again for the postseason. 

In this episode, we talked to Our Fútbol co-host Amelia Lopez about the Liga MX Femenil Apertura, and what fans should expect from team like Tigres and América once the Liguilla kicks off in November. 

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Racing Louisville grabbed all three points against the Portland Thorns thanks to a late corner header from Taylor Flint. Their playoff hopes are still alive, but is it too little too late? The guys cap off the episode with this playoff six-pointer (41:20). Before that, they run through playoff scenarios for the top four (1:01), ruminate on the two dead rubber matches between Angel City and the Utah Royals (20:40), as well as the Seattle Reign and Houston Dash (27:48). Some quick lamentations for the San Diego Wave in their pasting by the Kansas City Current (26:16) and some chuckles about the Washington Spirit-Chicago Red Stars grudge match (32:53). Bay FC are now the dark horse of the playoff field after their convincing defeat of the North Carolina Courage (35:01). And we close with everything that has to happen for Portland, Louisville, and Bay FC to get into the postseason (46:48). 

The Chicago Red Stars own one of the worst xG differentials in league history. Only the Utah Royals have played worse in total this season. But Chicago just clinched a playoff berth, and look poised to finish the year in sixth place on a mere 1.3 points per game. No team since 2018 has finished sixth or higher with so few points.