The Mixxed Zone

In episode #345 of the Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper chats about the dawn of NWSL’s second decade as well as the continuing struggles of the Canadian WNT for equal treatment by their federation.

In the first segment, Jen talks with Equalizer Soccer founder and editor Jeff Kassouf about a variety of NWSL topics as the pro league is about to enter its second decade of play.

Then Jen talks with TSN producer Meaghen Johnson to get an overview of everything’s that happened this year with the Canadian team and Canada Soccer, including the recent hearings, and an idea of what’s going to happen next.

In this week’s Jensplaining segment, Jen reviews the February FIFA Women’s World Cup playoffs and where the three playoff winners end up in this summer’s group stage.

 

Shipping soon —  the 2022 Keeper Notes Almanac, the 400-page comprehensive guide to the first 10 seasons of NWSL. The latest edition is due to ship by March 20, 2023. The almanac features a complete player registry, stat leaders by season, color photos

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone feedback to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

 

In episode #344 of the Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper covers the the January NWSL Draft, the recent USWNT friendlies in New Zealand and the state of women’s soccer (football) in the U.K. since the 2021 EURO tournament.

In the first chat, Jen and NWSL broadcaster/former player Jordan Angeli take a look back at the 2023 NWSL Draft, held in Philadelphia in early January. Angeli discusses how she researches potential draft picks and how the growth of the league has changed the overall draft pool. Jen and Jordan also talk about the two USWNT friendlies in January.

Then Jen catches up with U.K.-based reporter Rich Laverty about what has changed (and what hasn’t changed yet) for women’s football in England since the Lionesses won the EURO at home last summer. J

In this week’s Jensplaining segment, Jen reviews what means to be drafted in NWSL — and what your options are when you’re not.

 

Now available for pre-order —  the 2022 Keeper Notes Almanac, the 400-page comprehensive guide to the first 10 seasons of NWSL. The latest edition is due to ship by March 20, 2023. The almanac features a complete player registry, stat leaders by season, color photos

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone feedback to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

 

In episode #343 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper offers up super-sized episode after a long hiatus, Looking back and looking forward at the state of American woso, she chats with former USWNT captain Julie Foudy and EqualizerSoccer.com reporter Dan Lauletta.

In the first chat, Jen and Dan focus on the “year that was” for the NWSL, discussing both highlights and lowlights. They also look ahead to what’s on the horizon for the league in 2023.

Then Jen chats with USWNT veteran and ESPN broadcaster Julie Foudy about the latest book about the US women’s national team. “Pride of Nation” was written by Gwendolyn Oxenham and features comprehensive stats for all decades of the team as well as many great photos. Jen & Julie also talk about the challenge ahead for the team — defending their Women’s World Cup title next summer.

In this week’s Jensplaining segment, Jen covers the format of the upcoming playoff tournament in New Zealand to determine the final three teams for next summer’s Women’s World Cup. The one-week event in late February will see 10 teams compete for those three spots.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone feedback to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. The next edition is Keeper Notes has also published an almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #342 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper has a soccer “stat chat” with Tony Maza of StatsPerform (and also @NWSLanalitica on Twitter). She also discusses the Houston Dash’s early season success with Theo Lloyd-Hughes of Striker Texas.

Tony sheds light on several soccer stat concepts in the first chat, particularly when an assist is not an assist and just what does “expected goals” mean?

After the stat chat, Jen and Theo take a look back at the first eight games of the Houston Dash regular season. They also talk about the club’s future following the announcement of new interim head coach Juan Carlos Amoros.

In this week’s Jensplaining segment, Jen reviews the recent IFAB announcement about the 5-substitute rule and potentially expanded World Cup rosters.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone feedback to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #341 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper talks about the stars of Gotham FC with New York City-based freelance soccer reporter Jenna Tonelli.

The New Jersey club brought in a lot of veteran NWSL players for the 2022 season, and it’s the potential impact of these stars of Gotham FC that is the focus of this episode. Those stars include Kristie Mewis, Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger and Michelle Betos

Jen and Jenna also briefly discuss the growth of the women’s Serie A in Italy, as well as the Italian women’s national team.

Note that there is no “Jensplaining” segment in this episode, but it should return in the next episode.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone feedback to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

 

 

 

In episode #340 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper talks NWSL Season 10 with Paramount+ broadcast announcer Lisa Roman. Roman is also co-host of the CBS Sporst NWSL podcast called “The Attacking Third.”

Jen and Lisa review the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup and the recent off-field drama leading up to the start of NWSL Season 10. They also discuss which NWSL players are making a case for one of the 20 spots on the USWNT roster for this summer’s Concacaf W Championship. That event will serve as qualifying for both the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand, and also the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Note that there is no “Jensplaining” segment in this episode, but it will return in the next episode.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone comments to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone podcast:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #339 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper discusses a wide range of woso topics, including the USWNT settlement, the U-20 Conacacaf championship and NWSL in SoCal.

In the first chat, Jen hears from lawyer Kelsey Trainor about what’s next for the USWNT following the conditional settlement of their lawsuit vs. US Soccer. They also discuss the progress made by the first-ever NWSL collective bargaining agreement.

The second segment features former USWNT player and current NWSL broadcaster Kacey White about calling the recent Concacaf U-20 games. White also shares memories of her time with the U-20 USWNT, as well as the last wosopro game in SoCal before Angel City’s home opener on March 19.

This week’s “Jensplaining” segment reviews the format and brief history of the biennial U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone comments to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #338 of the Mixxed Zone, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper chats with Challenge Cup analyst Lisa Roman about the impending annual NWSL tourney. Jen also discusses last month’s Concacaf qualifiers with “Futbol Ace” Ana de Souza.

In the first segment, Jen and Lisa review the new format of the Challenge Cup and highlight a few of the teams who could surprise fans on the field. They also discuss the recent announcement of Jessica Berman as the new NWSL commissioner. For more coverage the Challenge Cup, be sure to check out the podcast co-hosted by Lisa Roman – Attacking Third.

The second segment features thoughts on the top Concacaf teams in February qualifying, namely Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Jen and Ana also talk about Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic’s squads.

This week’s “Jensplaining” segment explains how to watch the upcoming Challenge Cup based on your location, and how to follow the standings.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone comments to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer (primarily NWSL, USWNT and Concacaf) since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac! The 400-page comprehensive guide includes the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021) and the Challenge Cup . You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac is available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #337, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper has two conversations about WoSo Firsts – the first CBA for NWSL players and the Philippines women’s national team clinching their first Women’s World Cup berth.

First, Jen talks with Houston Dash defender and NWSLPA team rep Katie Naughton about the 18-month journey to finalize the league’s first collective bargaining agreement with non-USWNT players. Naughton shares some of the challenges of the process and which other team reps were leaders in getting the historic deal done.

Then Jen chats with Joana Michaelson, the former Philippines WNT striker and Seattle Reign FC training player (2013-15), about the the progress the “Malditas” have made over the last decade, including hiring former Australia WNT head coach Alen Stajcic and ultimately qualifying for the 2023 World Cup with a PK shootout victory over Chinese Taipei.

This week’s “Jensplaining” segment discusses the breakdown of 2023 World Cup berths by confederation and the format of the first-ever 10-team playoff tournaent to decide the final three teams for next year’s big event.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone comments to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac, the 400-page comprehensive guide to the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021). You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac will be available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.

In episode #336, Jen “The Keeper” Cooper talks both NWSL and Liga MX Femenil with two longtime NWSL reporters.

First, Jen chats with Jason Anderson of BlackAndRedUnited.com to get an update on the Washington Spirit ownership situation. The NWSL Board of Governors recently approved Michele Kang’s acquisition of additional shares.

Then Jen talks with Chicago-based Sandra Herrera of CBS Sports to discuss how the growth of Liga MX Femenil benefits NWSL. They also discuss why first-round draft pick Mia Fishel would consider signing for perennial Liga MX Femenil champion Tigres.

This week’s “Jensplaining” segment reviews contract options and international slots for NWSL rosters.

Got a question or comment for the Jensplainer? Email your question or general Mixxed Zone comments to [email protected].

 

Check out the sponsors of The Mixxed Zone:

* The Beautiful Game Network

* Phoenix on Westheimer in Houston

 

ABOUT KEEPER NOTES

Founded by Jen Cooper, Keeper Notes has been spreading the love for the beautiful game since 2002 in Houston and beyond. The Mixxed Zone women’s soccer podcast has been covering women’s soccer since 2014. Check out more of the Keeper’s great content as well as the invaluable “WoSopedia” page at KeeperNotes.com. You can also follow Keeper Notes on Twitter and Instagram.

And be sure to check out the latest edition of the Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac, the 400-page comprehensive guide to the first nine seasons of NWSL (2013-2021). You can’t get this info all in one place anywhere else! The almanac will be available in both PDF and print format. Keeper Notes has also published its first-ever almanac of all the NWSL championship finals.