What. A. Game. The Orlando Pride are your NWSL champions, the first Shield-Championship winners in five years. Their 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit at CPKC Stadium was a grubby, terse affair, with fouls galore and a controversial bit of magic from Barbra Banda. Marta finally claims her first U.S. trophy, and despite coming out on the losing side, Washington has a lot to look forward to. The guys break it all down from every angle.  Don't forget to subscribe to our Patreon, and get...

The Washington Spirit have made it to the NWSL Championship, despite massive injuries to key players in the back end of the season. Can they keep this momentum going, or will the Orlando Pride stop them in their tracks? André Carlisle of Hey Spirits, Diaspora United and Beyond the Vaudevillian Cane returns to reflect on the Spirit season that was, and what lies in store for Trinity Rodman & co. in Kansas City on Saturday.  Follow André on Bluesky P.S. We kept the audio a little bit raw...

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! Subscribe to our Patreon and get all of our exclusive bonus content for only $6/month! Art...

This isn’t a tabloid

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. Each semifinal 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?  We will be in Kansas City for the NWSL Championship! Come join us at Johnny's Tavern P&L in Kansas City on Friday night and have a drink with us.  Don't...

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...

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 Portland Thorns are all good vibes right now, having won two of their final three games, including an emphatic victory in Christine Sinclair's final game at Providence Park. But are those vibes...

Donald Trump would ban the best of 3

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...

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.  Join our Patreon for only $6/month to get all of our exclusive bonus content! Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs

Playoffs, they’re here!

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...

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. Only four other teams have ever finished sixth or higher with that points total. Can it really just be luck? Is their low-volume, high-efficiency attack and defense sustainable once they face better teams in the postseason? The guys...

The boys poured out the good stuff and got into awards voting as they decide the actual ASA awards ballot in real time.

We have got some things to cover, here! The guys get into the news of Angel City's fines and suspensions for salary cap violations, the firing of former Houston Dash head coach Fran Alonso, the absurdity of the Chicago Red Stars conceding at least three xG for the second time in three weeks, Bay FC's four-minute meltdown, and the Orlando Pride's historic Shield win.  Then, it's on to the main events. Portland has been one of the worst teams in the NWSL since the end of the Olympics break....

A scrappy 1-0 victory on the road to the Seattle Reign may not look like much, but Bay FC are creeping closer and closer to a playoff berth, only a few months removed from looking like one of the worst teams in the NWSL. The guys dig into all of the ways the team has managed to improve since early June, from trusting new players to Albertin Montoya reimagining the team's tactical vision. It's wild.  Still not a member of our Patreon? Sign up today for only $6/month to get all of our...

Ben, Harrison, and Kieran talk the latest MLS playoff odds to descend from the Heavens above (Matthias’ laptop), and some unsung heroes from the 22U22 nominee pool.

Oh, did you forget that the Current can gut your favorite team like a fish? After a few games of sputtering defensive performance, KC's new back line is locked in and Temwa Chawinga is, well, Temwa Chawinga. Their 3-0 battering of the Washington Spirit was a bit lucky, but was also a scary proposition for any team that will face Kansas City in the playoffs. The guys break it all down.  Plus, xG shenanigans with the San Diego Wave! Officiating questions with Angel City and the Portland...

We've got two games to cover this week! One was the matchup of the weekend on paper, but fizzled out to a 0-0 draw between the Pride and Current. The other ended up with significant playoff implications, as the Red Stars snatched a 1-0 road win against the Thorns and shored up their postseason odds, while Portland continued their freefall. What can they do to right the ship? Is Chicago's season-long overperformance about to pay off?  Subscribe to our Patreon for only $6/month and get all of...

Ben, Harrison, and Kieran talk about the Boca era in Atlanta and how they would go about rebuilding the team who invented soccer. No trivia, but we hear from Caleb Porter.

Alex Morgan has retired. As yet another titan of the sport walks into the sunset, the guys reflect on what Morgan's career truly meant beyond the goals and trophies.  Then, after rounding up NWSL results across the weekend, they dive into Bay's 1-0 defeat of Racing Louisville. Have Abby Dahlkemper and Penelope Hocking helped Bay find the answers? Is Albertin Montoya finally getting the team to play like he envisioned? How much does this result and performance portend for Louisville's playoff...

The Orlando Pride continued their unbeaten streak on Sunday, taking down Gotham FC 2-0 after a monsoon nearly flooded Inter&Co Stadium. Gotham was unable to gain any separation from its peers in the top 4. But does it portend anything serious? Eric and Evan talk to Gotham reporter Jenna Tonelli about Gotham's performance, the magic of Ella Stevens, and how dangerous Gotham will be come playoff time.  Sign up for our Patreon for only $6/month! Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's...

Harrison gets fired up about the MLSPA, Ben thinks Columbus is the best MLS team of all time, and Kieran asks some trivia.

Jonatan Giráldez has officially entered the NWSL chat. The Washington Spirit took down the Kansas City Current 4-1, and for a brief second, one had to wonder if the wheels were coming off of the most dominant squad in the league. This game had everything. Six defenders to handle Debinha and Chawinga! Otherworldly finishing from Trinity Rodman! A new center back pairing falling out of a clown car! Adrianna Franch living up to her new reputation! It's all here, and the guys break it all down....