The Equalizer Podcast

This wasn't how we expected to celebrate Episode No. 100, but this is our world right now. The U.S. women's national team won the SheBelieves Cup and protested the U.S. Soccer Federation at the same time. Carlos Cordeiro stepped down the next day, and U.S. Soccer has canceled upcoming games due to the COVID-19 outbreak. And what will happen with the National Women's Soccer League season? Dan Lauletta and John Halloran talk a little soccer, and Kelsey Trainor joins to discuss the ongoing equal pay legal battle.

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We're in the middle of the SheBelieves Cup and that means a whole lot of United States women's national team analysis. Jeff Kassouf and Dan Lauletta come to you from Red Bull Arena (until they get abruptly kicked out) with thoughts on the U.S.' first two games — including the quality of each opponent.

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Lisa Baird is the new commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League, and she brings an extensive marketing background from her days at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the NFL, among other organizations.

This week, Chelsey Bush, John Halloran and Dan Lauletta discuss first impressions of Baird, why the NWSL is in need of both direction and a face of the league, and what sort of operational challenges Baird will face. The EQZ crew also discusses the impending Becky Sauerbrunn trade, the NWSL schedule and U-20 World Cup qualifying. As ever, they take your questions in segment three.

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The National Women's Soccer League released the list of 2020 federation players (those paid by U.S. Soccer or Canada Soccer), and while there were few changes to speak of, the list is never short on intrigue for the window it gives us into some of the politics and processes of U.S. Soccer, in particular.

This week, Dan Lauletta, Chelsey Bush and John Halloran discuss those decisions, as well as Vlatko Andonovski's 26-player SheBelieves Cup camp roster. What does it tell us about some of the fringe players hoping for Olympic roster spots?

In segment three, they discuss the ongoing question around who is even running the NWSL right now, and they answer your questions as always.

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This week, attorney and writer Kelsey Trainor joins Dan Lauletta and Chelsey Bush to discuss where the United States women's national team's lawsuit stands right now and what's ahead. Kelsey takes your questions from social media and explains the latest in this ongoing saga between the World Cup champions and the United States Soccer Federation.

She expands upon some of her thoughts from previous EQZ articles she has written, including where things are right now in the discovery process, as well as why the U.S. men's team's statement in support of the women likely has some ulterior motives to it.

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Who is the most irreplaceable player on the United States women's national team? And which player who isn't seen as a regular starter should be? The truth is, the U.S. is so deep that there are many correct answers to most questions.

This week, Chelsey Bush and Dan Lauletta debate all that in the context of another U.S. triumph in a Concacaf tournament, this time in Olympic qualifying. After booking their tickets to Tokyo, the Americans defeated Canada in the final, 3-0. We look at that game and debate some of the finer points of lineups and tactical choices.

Of course, in segment three, we let you weigh in with comments and questions!

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Tori Huster has played for the Washington Spirit since the team's first kick of a ball in the National Women's Soccer League in 2013. She's among a very rare group of players — particularly those not on the U.S. national team — to have stayed with the same club throughout the entirety of the NWSL.

Huster recently joined EQZ founder Jeff Kassouf to discuss her journey through the ups and downs of the club, her career and why she utilizes a sports psychologist, and what she's working on as president of the NWSL Players Association. They get into some big-picture topics toward the end of the pod.

As always, you can listen to The Equalizer Podcast wherever you like to enjoy your audio. Find us at the link below, rate, review and subscribe. The Equalizer Podcast is released weekly, in addition to some special podcast like this one with Huster and other interviews from Podcast Row, including ones with Laura Harvey and Alyse LaHue.

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Concacaf Olympic qualifying thus far has been as predictable as you could have imagined. Dan Lauletta, John Halloran and Rachael Kriger analyze the United States' games thus far and whether there's any shot at all that a team other than Canada and the U.S. will qualify for the Olympics out of this region.

In segment two, they discuss Christine Sinclair finally setting the all-time international scoring record with her 185th goal, breaking Abby Wambach's old mark. Dan makes his case that Sinclair might be the best all-around player in the sport's history, while John points out that it depends when you've seen her over the past two decades. Rachael opines on whether Sinclair's record will ever be broken, and why Sinclair remains so underappreciated.

Finally, we bring you the FBref.com Stat of the Week in segment three, and answer your pressing questions on qualifying, to the National Women's Soccer League and everything else.

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Sky Blue FC has undergone an immense makeover on and off the field. A year after their top two National Women's Soccer League draft picks declined to play for them, they were the talk of the league on 2020 draft day, acquiring United States international Mallory Pugh via trade. Off the field, Sky Blue's move to Red Bull Arena fully ushers in a new, more professional era for the team. General manager Alyse LaHue has been at the forefront of this overhaul. She joined EQZ founder Jeff Kassouf on Podcast Row in Baltimore to discuss the club's transformation.

We talk a lot about allocation money in the middle of this episode. Here's more information on the initial announcement of allocation money, with further details that EQZ reported coming out of the draft in Baltimore. The NWSL will now start sharing the amount of allocation money involved in trades; Sky Blue netted $80,000 from the Chicago Red Stars in related draft-day trades.

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This is an economics podcast now. This week, Dan, Chelsey, and John break down what we thought we knew about NWSL allocation money, what we know now, and how that could equally rev the league up and spell disaster for a certain number of teams. Assets! Fees! Long-term appreciation!

They also talk through the Olympic Qualifying USWNT roster, and answer your questions.

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