Soccerish

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Lori Goes to Ref School is a three-act deep dive into the decisions that shape matches — the ones fans debate, players argue, and TV analysts replay endlessly.

Across Grade School → Junior High School → High School, Christina Unkel walks Lori Lindsey through real match scenarios, the laws behind them, and the gray areas where football and refereeing collide.

Act I covers early-career lessons — including a Marta–Heather Mitts moment Christina never shared publicly until now.

Act II breaks down deliberate handball, continuation fouls, and the ethics of a goal scored through broken nets.

Act III goes all in on VAR: why some decisions take so long, what the officials are actually checking, how football understanding informs interpretation, and why referee development in the U.S. still requires patience.

This is the referee classroom the audience has been asking for — honest, detailed, and rooted in what actually happens on the field and in the booth.

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Christina and Lori pop back in with a holiday hello — same outfits, no Christmas sweaters, full honesty. They talk about holiday traditions (or not having them), Guatemalan vs. every-other-kind-of tamales, homemade rolls, red vines, and why Lori doesn’t own a single ugly sweater.

They share:

• why Lori’s “tradition” is… not having one
• Christina’s Noche Buena ritual
• the great tamales debate
• favorite holiday foods (yes, dessert counts)
• New Year’s resolutions (or “time sweeps”)
• Christina’s challenge: do one new thing every week
• a reminder that Boxing Day football is the real holiday

A short, festive drop-in from the Soccerish crew — Happy Holidays!

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What makes someone choose the loneliest position on the field? In this Soccerish Special, we dive into The Goalkeeper’s Story — a journey from backyard dreams to the highest levels of the game.

• Tony Meola remembers the mullet era and how the role has transformed.
• Jill Loyden and Christina Unkel unpack the pressures young keepers face and the bravery the position demands.
• Jenny Nguyen brings humor and honesty about what it means to “dream big” in goal.
• Ann-Katrin Berger shares her philosophy on playing high, her iconic one-handed save at the Euros, and her fight through thyroid cancer — including the tattoos and sign language she uses to honor her sister.
• Danny Higginbotham explains how footwork has become as important as shot-stopping in today’s game.

Across acts — Who’d Be a Goalkeeper, Look No Hands, and A Goalkeeper’s Story — this special weaves technical evolution with human resilience. It’s about gloves, grit, and the courage to stand in hard places.

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Soccerish Presents | Women Who Lead is a special compilation featuring the voices of coaches who’ve shaped the NWSL at its highest levels.

You’ll hear:

• Bev Yanez, 2025 Coach of the Year, on balancing leadership, family, and staff trust.
• Laura Harvey, a three-time Coach of the Year, reflecting on authenticity, therapy, evolving with her players — plus her unexpected admission about TikTok dancing and why The Summer I Turned Pretty absolutely does not pass the Harvey test.
• Freya Coombe, who’s lived both the highs of being hired as a head coach and the lows of being fired, sharing lessons in resilience and tactical growth.

Together, they speak intimately to Christina Unkel and Lori Lindsey about hardship, coping, caring, bonding, and success. They reveal what the game means to them, how they manage the relentless demands of coaching, and how they lead with authenticity and vision.

This special isn’t just about soccer — it’s about leadership, vulnerability, and the human side of the NWSL.

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From boat parades to Euro finals, Christina and Lori lived soccer at full speed this year.

In our season finale, they reflect — not with a grand “state of the game,” but a personal one: the moments that surprised them, the stories that stuck, and what they learned from being inside soccer’s biggest stages.

They share:

• calling the Euros and the NWSL Championship
• the rise of Bev Yanez — and why it mattered
• Laura Harvey’s infamous AI moment
• Lori’s childhood mission to become Tony Meola
• Christina’s whirlwind of boat parades, contracts, and financials
• why the MLS Cup not having a neutral site caught them off guard
• what fans quietly tell them about how (and why) they listen
• how they navigated the blur of 2024
• where they hope Soccerish goes next
• and yes, Lori reacts to Christina’s “Chilly Willy” triathlon

Plus: a first look at our December/January special series — Goalkeepers - The Last Defender, Women Who Lead, Soccerish One-ish, and Lori Goes to Ref School.

00:00 Ish-ing around & Thanksgiving reset

01:30 World Cup draw + MLS Cup — Miami–Vancouver, Messi/Alba/Busquets, neutral-site debate

05:00 Personal reflections — Bev Yanez, Laura Harvey & AI, Tony Meola childhood, Rochester Rhinos confusion

08:30 Season recap & the future of Soccerish storytelling

11:00 Grassroots voices — Jenny Nguyen’s Sports Bra, Club Eleven on the road

13:00 Highlights — Euros, NWSL Championship, on-air chemistry

16:00 Life inside the game — boat parade, contracts, stress, boundaries, triathlon

23:30 A shifting year — calendars, parity, expansion across U.S. soccer

27:30 Listener habits & the power of untold stories

32:00 Looking ahead — 2026 plans, World 7, and our specials preview

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This Thanksgiving special opens with the biggest story in American women’s soccer: the Trinity Rodman decision. Christina explains the business realities — the salary cap, the DP conversation, and how league structures affect player movement — while Lori breaks down what it feels like to face a choice like this during a championship run.

They also revisit the key tactical moment from the NWSL Final: Hal Hershfelt’s injury and the delayed substitution. Lori explains how Washington’s hesitation shifted momentum to Gotham and influenced the winning goal.

From there, Christina and Lori look ahead to the MLS semifinals — San Diego’s stunning expansion-year surge, Inter Miami’s form, and what Messi’s output means at this stage of the season. They close with the USWNT’s upcoming camp under Emma Hayes and what she’ll prioritize in the final window of the year.

And yes, it’s Thanksgiving — so Lori is “bringing the vibes,” Christina is grateful for finally getting her hair cut, and both hosts take a moment to reflect on gratitude, rest, and the massive three-year runway ahead: the Women’s World Cup, Men’s World Cup, and the LA Olympics.

Happy Thanksgiving — and buckle up, buttercups.

Chapters (mm:ss)

00:00 Cold open — “Millions of hats” and Christina’s first haircut in a year

00:34 Thanksgiving intro — What Christina and Lori are grateful for

01:44 “Illuminated year” — Lori on work, balance, and unstructured time

02:15 Friendsgiving plans — Lori brings “the vibes”

02:52 Vibes era — Women’s sports and CBS Championship atmosphere

03:46 Record breaker — Most-watched NWSL match ever

04:29 “We have arrived” — San Diego → KC → San Jose

05:29 The catwalk — Stadium setup and matchday design

05:55 Trinity Rodman — The crossroads

06:40 Player reality — Compartmentalizing during a championship run

07:34 “Generational talent” — Why Lori hopes Rodman stays

08:58 Equal pay to star power — How we got here

09:45 Super League vs NWSL — Parity and the DC Power offer

10:52 Should NWSL adopt a DP rule?

12:26 Salary cap realities

13:40 Locker room dynamics

15:00 Players Association — Protecting parity

17:19 The league is evolving

19:07 Wild West window — Prospects and overseas movement

20:10 Why internationals want to come

20:41 Melting pot future

21:04 Hal Hershfeld injury — The turning point

22:49 The delayed sub — Momentum shifts

23:48 The “gingerly step” — Goal sequence breakdown

24:27 Coaching lessons

24:54 MLS playoffs — Miami and Vancouver–San Diego

25:18 Expansion shock — San Diego hosting a semi

26:07 Messi in form

26:54 Rising expansions

27:08 USWNT — Emma Hayes’ final camp of the year

27:38 Roster management

28:50 Italy preview

29:32 Holiday sign-off — “Buckle up”

29:52 Thanksgiving close

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This week on Soccerish, Christina and Lori are joined by former USMNT striker, CBS analyst, and “Call It What You Want” podcast host Charlie Davies for a fast, honest look at a pivotal moment in American soccer.

They preview the NWSL Championship between Gotham and Washington — two very different teams with clear strengths and real questions. Can Gotham handle Washington’s physicality? Will Ann-Katrin Berger steal the spotlight again? And is Trinity Rodman healthy enough to change the match on her own?

Charlie also breaks down the USMNT’s evolving identity and why the real tests come in March against Portugal and Belgium, not in November friendlies.

And they dig into the seismic changes reshaping the domestic game:

• MLS preparing to shift to a fall–spring calendar

• USL pushing ahead with promotion and relegation

• Why these moves finally put U.S. soccer in step with the global game

Plus: the origin of Lori’s “Shut Up, Steve,” and a brief detour into her Tony Meola hair era.

Soccerish at full speed — big matches, big changes, and a national program growing up in real time.

New episodes every Thursday.

Chapters (mm:ss)

00:00 Cold open — Christina and Charlie bond over North Andover and ice cream spots

00:43 Welcome — “1-2-3 go vs 3-2-1 go” and show preview

01:32 NWSL semis — Lori on Gotham/Washington momentum and the Yellow Brick Wall

02:39 VAR chat — the razor-tight offside in Washington’s match

03:24 Gotham’s heroics — Ann-Katrin Berger’s “matrix save”

07:12 Travel panic — Christina freaks out about flights; everyone is flying into SFO

09:01 Picks — Christina leans Washington for the NWSL Championship

10:31 Gotham case — defensive strength vs. season-long inconsistency

10:56 Charlie arrives — “I finally made it to Soccerish!”

11:22 Coaching life — freezing practice, kids’ tournaments

12:11 Career intro — USMNT, Olympics, MLS clubs

14:25 Broadcasting — working with Jimmy Conrad & Tony Meola

14:57 Meola mullet lore — Lori modeled her hair after Tony

15:36 USMNT Paraguay recap — transition into Uruguay preview

16:27 Identity shift — Pochettino’s system, wide-player spacing, Balogun support

18:17 Summer 2026 — belief, injuries, and what’s needed for a run

19:25 Mentality — Charlie on the 2010 underdog mindset

20:10 Confederations Cup — Egypt win, beating Spain, belief they could win a World Cup

22:53 The belief — “We can beat the very best.”

23:11 Statement wins — why Mexico wasn’t enough

23:47 Uruguay — is it a statement win or not?

24:11 Portugal & Belgium — March matches as the real tests

25:25 Shut Up Steve — the Wake Forest backstory and what the USMNT needs

26:28 The brawl — fighting for each other as maturity

27:10 MLS shift — calendar vote and domestic impact

28:26 MLS realignment — why it finally makes sense

31:05 Weather reality — cold markets and scheduling

31:55 Right timing — MLS couldn’t do this before

32:24 Stadium economics — moving beyond NFL dependency

33:42 Fans vs cold — growth vs comfort

34:18 USL pro/rel — intent and pathways for players

36:42 Development — advice for young players and parents

38:00 Coaching kids — foundational ages 6–12

39:10 Writing — how Charlie joined The Athletic

40:20 The book — paused but coming

42:11 Topics — what he writes and why

43:05 Suggestion box — how listeners can pitch ideas

44:31 Final Q — Who wins the NWSL Championship?

45:00 Charlie’s pick — Gotham

46:18 Wrap — US vs Uruguay preview and sign-off

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Everyone wants to stop Messi. Danny Higginbotham says that’s the first mistake.

This week on Soccerish, the former Stoke City captain and current MLS Season Pass analyst joins Christina Unkel and Lori Lindsey to explain why obsessing over Messi breaks teams before kickoff — and what the real tactical challenge actually is. It’s not about stopping one genius and the game's "greatest player". It’s about denying rhythm, space, and identity to the entire team.

Danny also unpacks the myth of the “cold, rainy night in Stoke,” takes us inside Tony Pulis’s infamous training sessions, and explains why long throws and set-piece chaos are suddenly back in fashion.

Plus: what he misses most as a player, how hypnosis helped him conquer a fear of flying, and what he’s seeing in the MLS Playoffs.

It’s tactics, toughness, and a touch of therapy — Soccerish style.

00:00 Welcome — Christina introduces Danny Higginbotham, former Premier League defender & MLS analyst

02:27 Backstory — Lori recalls their delayed flight from Miami and Danny’s fear of flying

03:30 Hypnosis — how Danny beat flight anxiety and what it taught him about control

04:37 Home base — the basement games room, framed shirts & two floods

06:00 Ref chat — VAR controversy from Cincinnati vs Columbus and what analysts see differently

09:20 Pulis era — 6 a.m. bike rides, grind culture & learning to suffer for fitness

10:10 Stoke style — the long throw, set-piece chaos & why old-school weapons are back

23:45 Messi myth — “Teams try to solve the problem that is Messi… you’re wasting your time.”

25:10 Defending the unstoppable — discipline, distance & structure over fear

44:42 Game evolution — why slower tempo is bringing back box-to-box midfielders

46:20 MLS trends — set pieces, transitions & the return of the gritty team

1:08:20 Hypnosis revisited — panic, respect for anxiety & mental resilience

1:08:43 Airport habits — Christina confesses she arrives 30 minutes before take-off

1:09:22 Playoff preview — Philadelphia vs NYCFC and what to watch for

1:09:39 The joy of live sport — unpredictability and why he still loves the game

1:11:14 Final question — “Which team is the MLS Stoke City?”

1:11:30 Danny’s answer — “Philadelphia Union and Minnesota United.”

1:12:00 Wrap-up — Christina & Lori thank Danny and close with next-week’s tease

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This one hits different.

When Ann-Katrin Berger talks about signing “I love you” to her deaf sister before a match, everything stops — even Christina and Lori. The Gotham FC and Germany keeper opens up about what drives her: surviving thyroid cancer twice, staying calm when the world’s on fire, and why she listens to heartbreak songs before kick-off.

She’s, funny, self-aware, and disarmingly honest — from her tattoos to that one-handed save at the Euros that made the world gasp.

🎙 Hosts: Christina Unkel & Lori Lindsey

🏆 Guest: Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC & Germany NT

New episodes of Soccerish every Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and soccerishpodcast.com.

#Soccerish #AnnKatrinBerger #Goalkeeper #Germany #WomensFootball #Inspiration #SignLanguage #DeafCommunity

00:00 Cold open — signing “I love you” & the story behind it

01:03 Welcome — Christina introduces Germany & Gotham FC’s No. 1

02:11 Home base — Stuttgart, Mercedes & Porsche pride

02:52 Car chat — “Get her that dealership deal!”

03:55 Match prep — calm, music & pre-game rituals

05:08 Playoff mindset — Adele, Bieber & heartbreak songs

06:13 Euro 2025 save — “It felt like The Matrix”

08:45 Why the Euros hit different — pride, pressure & depth

09:43 Speed vs. space — adapting to NWSL tempo

11:19 Lori joins — U.S. style, youth systems & boxed potatoes

13:15 Adapting across leagues — Germany, France, England, U.S.

16:57 The modern keeper — footwork, risk & composure

18:03 Advice for young goalies — “Play out of goal as long as you can”

20:55 Positioning — stopping attacks before they start

21:36 The save revisited — instinct, defiance & disbelief

24:37 Off-field life — family, sister & sign language

25:03 Growing up together — learning to connect beyond sound

27:40 Empathy — “Who decides what’s normal?”

28:17 Teaching Christina & Lori — how to sign I love you 🤟

31:19 Cancer & courage — speaking out and helping others

35:08 Tattoos — compass, tree & “All we have is now”

38:15 Reflection — resilience, humor & life perspective

39:27 Playoff focus — facing Kansas City next

41:31 Knockout mindset — “You have to beat them anyway”

41:55 Closing — gratitude, humor & no beer in Germany

43:26 Wrap-up — Lori & Christina debrief, viral week recap

47:22 Weekend plans — playoff calls & Racing Louisville shout-out

47:37 Outro — follow, subscribe & thank-yous

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