Expected Own Goals

The influx of high-level talent from the top European leagues to the NWSL this winter has been unprecedented for the past offseasons. What's driving it? Will the Seattle Reign's new Welsh signings get them over the top? Will Jen Beattie's arrival from Arsenal shake up Bay FC's defender depth chart? Will Evan keep putting extra stank on his European name pronunciations? Tune in to find out! The fellas also preview the Champions League knockout stages, and the significance of so many smaller clubs making it to the quarterfinals! 

The Portland Thorns get Jessie Fleming from Chelsea! Chicago Red Stars get Maximiliane Rall from Bayern Munich! The Seattle Reign pick up Ji So-yun from South Korea! Bay FC gets Deyna Castellanos from Manchester City and maaayyyyyybe Asisat Oshoala from Barcelona?!!? Angel City nab Rocky Rodriguez and Messiah Bright! Racing Louisville scoop up Taylor (Kornieck) Flint from San Diego Wave! Eric and Evan relive all of the transaction madness from the last couple weeks, and figure out who's up and who's down in the hot stove sweepstakes.

Meghan Klingenberg re-signed with the Thorns right after we finished recording but the point stands: what's going on in the Rose City? The Red Stars and Racing Louisville are trying to improve their rosters, Angel City is going all in on high schoolers with Casey Phair, and the Kansas City Current are embracing chaos by trading Cece Kizer for Nichelle Prince. Eric and Evan step back and look at where things stand after another dizzying week of signings and trades. 

We're back, gang! After a long and cleansing winter break, Eric and Evan have returned to pick apart all of the trades and signings that happened over the holidays. Then, they dig into the NWSL Draft. Which teams won? Which teams blew it? Which teams are ready to keep wheeling and dealing? Evan brings on WoSo Independent's Chris Henderson to get into the nitty-gritty of using data to evaluate college talent, and why No. 1 overall pick Ally Sentnor is gonna be a big deal. 

We just couldn't stay away! In what we're PRETTY SURE is our final episode of 2023, Eric and Evan break down the NWSL free agent signings of Savannah McCaskill, Sarah Gorden, and Marisa Viggiano to the San Diego Wave, Angel City FC, and Racing Louisville. We also tease Mallory Swanson's and Casey Krueger's likely destinations (hint: it's Chicago and Washington), and what major needs remain for every team in January. Happy New Year, y'all!

Holy smokes Batman, the hot stove is on fire!

The Gotham-mobile looks to be gaining four new wheels (Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, Tierna Davidson, and Crystal Dunn!!!)... while the rest of the league flail like a bunch of Jokers at ballet. Is Gotham on the cusp of transforming the balance of power in the NWSL? Evan and Eric plié / analyze / gasp for air.

Yes, we know why you're here. We'll be covering the bombshell signings Gotham FC has made of Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett, but until then, Eric and Evan review the NWSL Expansion Draft, parse the trades that have already been made, game out where free agents might land, and touch on the North London and Northern England derbies. Then, we talk to Sports Reference president Sean Forman about the launch of Stathead on FBRef.

What do you do when you're playing in front of a record 59,000 fans at the Emirates? Smash your crosstown rivals, that's what. Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 on Sunday, proving that they are legit title challengers in the WSL this year. Eric and Evan peel apart Emma Hayes's questionable roster choices, Jonas Eidevall's flawless game plan, and if there was anything the Blues could take from this game. London, baby! 

Art by Eli Elbogen

(If you enjoyed — or at least tolerated — our XMAS movie ramble follow us on Letterboxd @ericmmorgan and @Evan_Davis)

The Emma Hayes is now (sorta) officially upon us! USWNT interim head coach rolled out some young, experimental lineups against China, and a lot of it looked good! What does it mean? Who knows! Eric and Evan dig into the nitty-gritty of it all, plus touch on England/Team GB's Nations League and Olympics crashouts, and honor the international retirement of Christine Sinclair. Season's greetings, folks!

"A Very xOwnGoals xMas" Spotify Playlist for your season's pleasure

Lads, it's Tottenham. Bunny Shaw and Manchester City absolutely wrecked Spurs in the WSL, and proved just how far the North London side still has to go to crack the top four. Earlier in the week, Sam Kerr did something similar to Paris FC, and Chelsea exposed the French upstarts as less the hipster's choice and more the minnow riding their luck in the Champions League.