Casual FC

Mario: Welcome to Casual fc,
an Angel City Match preview and

Footy therapy Pod, featuring two
podcast certified footy therapists.

I'm your host Mario Salazar,
with my one year older, one year

wiser one year around the sun.

More co-host Angela Morales.

Angela (2): Yay.

It's almost my birthday.

Mario: Happy

Angela (2): drops the day before
my birthday, so this is a fun week.

Mario: We used to at one, at my old,
place because we were in a big, kind

of open office area and it was loud
as shit, no matter what you did.

there was a core group of people
that were like very extroverted that

we, we liked to have a lot of fun.

And then there was a big group of
people that didn't really care, but,

Angela (2): with engineers and artists
who like vary widely on that spectrum.

Mario: Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

and so, whenever we had someone's
birthday, we would queue up, the

Happy Birthday song by Stevie Wonder.

Angela (2): The good one,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): the

Mario: And then, and then we would
wait for them, for wait for them to

walk in and then We'd hit play on
someone's like iMac and it'd be like,

happy birthday is the best thing.

Angela (2): That's

Mario: We'd make it like
a big deal for a minute.

And then it was very funny
'cause it was just like, all

right, and I am back to work.

Angela (2): It's okay, bye.

See you later.

Mario: You got your piece of
cake, now go back to work.

all right.

Well today we are definitely in the
emotional juice pouch territory.

Angela (2): Yeah, big time.

Mario: We are, this is our match
preview of the upcoming match against

the Washington Spirit, which is
going to be on Friday, May 2nd.

It's already May,

Angela (2): Technically

Mario: not yet.

It's good.

Angela (2): gonna gonna, you're welcome.

Mario: I am just gonna put
like the gif right there.

Angela (2): Just, just Ramen noodle hair.

Boom.

Mario: And everybody will like, you
know how there's, there's certain

pictures that you can just hear.

Angela (2): Yeah.

You

Mario: Yeah.

Yeah.

You hear That's a definitely one.

So, okay.

Friday the second, we, angel
City will be traveling to Audi

Field, which I believe they just
stayed on the East Coast, I mean,

Angela (2): think

Mario: yeah.

Angela (2): what was the point?

That's,

Mario: Yeah, why fly back from
Orlando and then fly back to, they

just stayed on the East Coast, so
they're probably over there anyways.

it's going to be at 5:00 PM here.

in LA it's gonna be on Amazon Prime
streaming for the TV broadcast, and

then it's gonna be on iHeartRadio
as always with Isaac and Tracy, who.

Just make you feel like you're
there no matter where we're playing.

So it's awesome.

there is an official watch party
that's going to be held by ACFC.

It's going to be at 33
Taps West Hollywood.

That's on the Santa Monica
Boulevard in West Hollywood.

And it's going to start at 4:00 PM They
usually start about an hour before.

Again, this is a Friday match
that you know, unless you're

in West Hollywood already.

That's gonna be a hard one to make if
you're looking for a watch party, but

I'm pretty sure most other places will.

I'd be showing it.

I wonder if some of the SGS
might be doing something again.

It's just another Friday away match that.

Yeah.

I mean the, the bright side of
the schedule is that we didn't

get as many Friday games at home.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: I think we got two, maybe three,

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: remember really off the
top of my head, but we did get a

pretty favorable schedule at home.

Traveling though, that's
been a different story.

So.

There you go.

we'll, you know, get to a couple
things about scores, a couple recaps

that we, you know, we are gonna have
to talk about and get into our footy

therapy session, and then preview.

But first, let's get to our chaos award.

Angela (2): Yeah, so if you watch any of
the games this weekend, there was roughly

a bazillion goals scored collectively.

Multiple, like three, two games.

Three.

Three.

there were goals.

I will say, if not for
goals, there were fouls.

And the Chaos award definitely
goes to the Portland Louisville

match with a new NWSL record, a 41
fouls called throughout the game.

The first card wasn't called, like
they didn't card anybody until the

89th minute or something like that.

Mario: How do you have a game with that
many fouls and you haven't carded anyone?

Angela (2): I have no idea.

And then, oh, shoot, who was it?

They got a red card.

oh, Ari.

Ari Borges got a red card
after the game or 90 plus.

Like the game is essentially over.

She's on the sidelines
and she gets carded.

Mario: It was for descent, right?

It was for talking back.

Yeah.

Angela (2): Which, and now there's like
shit talking between the two teams.

just a lot going on and we've
talked a lot about refereeing in

the league and how it's just poor.

So I don't disagree.

Really.

I didn't get a chance to watch the game.

I definitely wanna watch the replay
because that alone, 41 goal or 41?

41 goals, 41 fouls is

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): because it's either
was the game that chippy.

it was, why was nobody getting carded?

If the game wasn't that chippy
and you just wanna be the

main character, what the hell?

Mario: So there, there are very much
games that get chippy that, that

Angela (2): bes.

Mario: exactly the job of the
ref is to manage the game,

Angela (2): Yep.

Mario: not to direct the game.

And sometimes by them not doing
shit, it's directing the game.

Angela (2): the game.

Yeah.

Mario: But the whole point of them
being there is like when people

are getting a little chippy,
it's okay, calm that shit down.

Let's play.

Angela (2): Hey,

Mario: You know?

Angela (2): hey.

Chill out for a second.

Mario: Yeah.

And the reason there are 41 and the
it, it broke a record, one doesn't

reflect good on you as a ref.

Like it means you did a piss poor job.

Angela (2): it means you
weren't controlling the game.

And frankly, like if I'm a
referee, regardless of sport, I

don't want you to know my name.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): I do not want bystanders,
people in the stands normies, who

aren't on the pitch to know who I am.

wanna be that good at my job.

Mario: Yeah.

And then, and then two, the reason
you had that many fouls is 'cause you

didn't, the whole point of being able
to give someone a card, a warning.

Is to be like, okay, that's enough.

Calm your shit where, but you didn't
give anybody anything till the 80

whatever minute, the 90th minute.

Angela (2): you might as well
just fight at that point.

Mario: Yeah.

So that is definitely one to put on the
replay once it actually goes on NWSL.

Plus, if you log on, I believe
they should all be up by tomorrow.

Angela (2): I think

Mario: by Tuesday.

We're recording on Monday.

They will be up during this week at
some point, so you can go back and

watch that Portland Louisville match.

so with that, here are the roundup and
of the, the scores around the league,

also heads up for the next couple weeks.

There's probably going to be a little bit
of weirdness when you hear the roundups

or when you look at the standings because
the matches are gonna be a little uneven.

there were, there was.

One single match.

Right?

One extra match.

Yeah.

Gotham in Portland paid, played
midweek and they played on the weekend.

Angela (2): Mm-hmm.

Mario: after our match, and I think we, we
even announced it while we were recording

our last episode, Gotham got trounced by
Portland four to one in that midweek game.

then we have Houston
getting a win, over Utah.

Then we have, Gotham coming back and
winning three to nothing over the spirit.

We have North Carolina giving Kansas
City their first loss three to two.

Angela (2): Absolutely.

Effing nuts.

Because North Carolina had one,
like it was a whole thing, and then

they just were like, oh, BT dubs.

Nah, don't trip.

Mario: So there we go.

No one I.

No one, no one is undefeated anymore.

Angela (2): Nope.

Mario: the, the rain is over
and now we get to all be play

like normies, like normal teams.

Angela (2): more chaos for this league.

Mario: San Diego beat,
Chicago, three to nothing.

Bay and Seattle, tide one to one, and
then Portland in their second match, tied

three to three with racing Louisville.

So, and.

Please go watch that.

We're gonna go watch that
match at some point this week,

just to kind of see the chaos.

Angela (2): I might watch it on my
birthday actually, 'cause I'm not working.

I took Thursday and Friday off
work because it's my birthday.

Mario: Yeah, so you can make, so
you can make it to 33 taps, because

Angela (2): but here's the thing.

Mario: if you leave at 11 o'clock

Angela (2): no, because, my mom
surprised me and got me tickets

to see Beyonce on my birthday.

Mario: Ooh.

Angela (2): going to a rodeo on
Thursday night and I'm spending

Friday recovering and going to Costco.

So

yeah, we have big plans over here,

so my ass will be sat on the
couch being like, oh my God, I'm

so tired on Friday for the game.

But speaking of, we played the
pride we played in Orlando.

Spoiler alert, we lost three
to two after being up for Three

quarters of the game, it's fine.

Marta scored, Barbara
Banda scored, then M.A.

had the worst luck of an own
goal, but in the first half, Riley

Tiernan scored another goal that was
fricking nuts, and it was amazing.

It was so great.

And

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): Katie Zelem scored
her first NWSL goal in the 44th

minute, and it was fantastic.

And then in the Discord,
if you were there and.

For those who weren't, I feel so
bad for you because we've started

a new trend called Legs Up for
Zem, and all it is is putting your

legs up in the air and sending a
picture to the rest of the discord.

was

Mario: Why it's best not to ask.

Like I, I didn't ask.

I just went yeah, sure.

Who cares?

yeah.

Legs up.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Legs up for Zm.

Sometimes you just have to go with it.

I don't know.

Eva started it and then we had a great

Mario: And just caught on.

Everybody started posting pictures.

Angela (2): thing you know,
just socks in the air.

Feet in the air legs.

Mario: It was so silly.

Angela (2): the damn it.

This game was

Mario: we were on such a high, okay, I so.

My very first note is that Mario
saw the first half on the train,

and then everything looked good.

so I was on my way home and I
took the train on Friday, so

I was watching it on my phone.

Surprisingly it looked pretty good for,
you know, just traveling on my phone,

yeah, traveling on the Metro link.

and it was going great.

You know, we were having fun.

I was able to like, like watching
it and then I'd get all these

discord pings and then I'd go answer
and then get back to the game.

And it was, it was, it
was a fun first half.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Everybody's had a great time.

Mario: Everybody had a great time.

And it just so happened to line up
that halftime was about the time

that I got to my, to my station.

Angela (2): Oh,

Mario: So when that happened, I got
picked up, by, you know, my wife and

kids and like we went to go have dinner.

And so I didn't get to watch the
second half and I was just like, I

was like, yeah, we're doing great.

Two to nothing we're doing,
we're they're doing shit.

Yes.

And then all of a
sudden, bing, bing, bing.

I'm like, ah.

Angela (2): That's either good
or bad and it was just bad.

So the moral of the story is,
one, we need to sub earlier.

Two, we need to keep people
playing in their effing positions.

Three, stop doing stop doing weird shit.

Like I keep saying, let's get weird.

And there's a difference between
let's get weird and doing weird shit.

'cause let's get weird is Hey,
we've never tried this before.

Nothing's working.

Maybe you know, you throw spaghetti
at the walls, maybe it'll stick.

In the, let's not

Mario: How many Italian people just
got mad at you right now for that?

Angela (2): mean that's kind of how you
can test if pasta is done, if you throw

it against tile, but that's different.

but like the doing weird shit is
playing people outta their position

and making really wild subs and
then deciding to park the bus

Mario: That.

Angela (2): a team.

Like I was typing up notes
tonight and I looked at Eva and

I said That game had dosa vibes.

Mario: Oh.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: You went.

You went men's football.

Angela (2): I did.

I made a men's football
reference, so what happens.

Look what you did, not you, Sam.

Look what he did.

It has the vibe of oh, ho,
ho, we want two, nothing.

You know, my God, this
just had bad vibes because.

It was just so good.

Ri Tiernan, easily rookie of the year
candidate in my eyes right now, like she's

having a hell of a start to the season.

She's playing so well.

You start Katie Zelem,

Mario: Finally.

Angela (2): experienced season midfielder.

Oh my God.

Look what happens.

then you have Alana Kennedy,
who hope she's okay.

I hope her eyeball's okay.

That woman has gotten hit in the
face more times than any other

player in any sport at this point.

It's

Mario: It's,

Angela (2): all the time.

Mario: it's how, like,
how, like how is that?

Angela (2): It's because she's tall.

Mario: But you would think because
she's tall, she wouldn't necessarily

get hit in the face so much.

Angela (2): are short so
they don't come up as high.

So when she's coming down,
they're going up and does this and

Mario: Yeah,

Angela (2): into her face

Mario: she just got, she got
like a full elbow to the, to

the eye socket, and I was just.

Angela (2): like she subs out,
everything falls apart essentially.

then we make weird ass subs.

And it's so unfortunate
those players dug deep.

We talked about this a lot in the discord
of what does it mean to dig deep for

a team or who's got that dog in them?

That kind of thing.

This team dug deep to, to show up
and to show out against Orlando.

King essentially shut down Barbara Banda
the entire first 70 minutes of the game.

Mario: Yeah,

Angela (2): that's insane.

She

Mario: look.

Angela (2): She wasn't open.

She was always marked like
it was so wonderful to see.

And then we got out coached again
because Seb Hines essentially used

this as a masterclass of this is what
happens when you're the reigning champs.

You're dropped a game barely, you know,
you can win this game down 10 goals.

So why don't you like, why
don't you see what happens?

They started half or They had what, 1,
2, 3, I think three or four of their

regular starters sat the whole first half.

So we made subs in, whatever the hell
kind of way that was, and they made subs

to become the regular Orlando Pride.

And then you bring in Carson
fricking Pickett and the Carson

Pickett to Barbara Banda.

A connection be illegal and it is
mean for every team that faces them.

Mario: She, she ran down that, she ran
down that ball so quickly and stopped

it right on that line, and then just

Angela (2): Mm-hmm.

Mario: lobbed just a sail in there.

And

Angela (2): Yeah, but that's the thing.

got a masterclass on how to get out
coached for the second week in a row.

Mario: this is,

Angela (2): all.

That's it.

Mario: and looking back at the.

And what do you think looking back
at the, at the goals that happened?

'cause I had to watch the, the,
the replay and the highlights.

well, low lights, but, those
goals again in another, I, I

feel, I feel bad for Angelina.

She, she we're all root.

Angela (2): save.

Oh

Mario: We're all, we're
all rooting for her.

She's doing fucking amazing.

And then she keeps getting
put in these super hard,

Angela (2): Mm-hmm.

Mario: un like unfair positions
where it's yeah, of course if she was

able to stop all of those, they'd be
freaking saves of the week type thing.

But like that, that cross and, and.

Banda's, hit just header straight.

Like

Angela (2): a

Mario: you weren't gonna stop that.

Right.

Angela (2): and I think I said it, I
expected this to be a draw or a loss.

I was gonna be excited if we won.

Absolutely.

Happy if we, if we got a
came back with a point.

Mario: the, but the fact that the,
like the Marta go came at 71 and then

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: including, and, and
then this is including them

celebrating and then resetting.

S and then five minutes later
we get the, the Bandai goal.

I'm just like, those were the two things.

Angela (2): they jinxed
us on the broadcast.

'cause they said, yeah, the last
time these two played here, was about

the same time that Marcha scored

Mario: I swear, I, I swear everybody
sync the iHeartRadio broadcast

because honestly, I don't like
the, the TV broadcasters, they're,

Angela (2): Mike Watts and

Mario: I.

Angela (2): the majority of them.

And we have an amazing
broadcasting staff, for iHeart and.

Everything that the NWSL has
done to build out the pre-game,

the post-game, all of that.

I'm not talking shit on it regardless,
because we actually have it and I will

not, I will not disrespect anyone in

Mario: The

Angela (2): Plus, Kelly O'Hara was on the
in, like on the broadcast this weekend.

I'm not mad.

Mario: the last two games, I just
felt that the whole time, the.

Yeah, the broadcasters were like
underhand shitting on Angel City

the entire time, and it's just

Angela (2): it to you.

There's plenty of reason to,

Mario: look, but I
don't want to hear that.

I wanna hear,

Angela (2): but that's what happens.

On a national broadcast,

Mario: yeah, I know that

Angela (2): two big market teams.

Mario: I.

Angela (2): Nope.

That's what happens.

That's, that's how it is.

the, the interesting thing, and the
part that I'm trying to like remind

myself and remind other people too,
is that sports are incredibly cyclical

Orlando was bottom of the league for
forever, literally until last season.

And they have built this and like they
have been through countless lineups

of World Cup winners, Olympians.

everything ever winners and that they
couldn't put it together, and then all of

a sudden last season rolls around, lights
out, and so it's, it's the reason why

people hate the Yankees because 20, 30
years ago, they were the Dodgers of today.

It's why people hate the Dodgers
because in 10, 15, 20 years

it's gonna be another team.

why Orlando is so good now, and
they weren't for the last decade.

Like our time will come, we just all
want it to be right now because please.

But.

remember that And it, the hard
part is being from this city,

we're used to teams that win.

The Lakers have 17 championships.

The Dodgers have eight World series.

Like the Kings have multiple Stanley cups.

The sparks have multiple,
WNBA championships.

We have and that's why I'm
going into collegiate sports.

We run shit in this city.

So like it's really hard watching
this team, but we all have to remember

those teams aren't always good.

The McCourts existed.

The weird part between 1999 and,
or like I would say like 2000, 2001

and 2006 was awful for the WNBA.

there's so many patches of time that
are terrible for teams and terrible for

leagues and, and all this kind of stuff.

The NWSL has been through it.

They're still going through it.

Technically, angel City just
came in at a time where.

We have so much and still need so
much more in ways that are intangible

and very difficult to comprehend.

But that's, that's where I'm at.

And I love my team and I love my city
and I'm still really effing mad about

how this game ended I don't think M.A.

should feel bad for that own goal.

I don't think Angelina should have
feel any kind of way about this game

because she played hell of a game.

you're just dealing with Martone and
Barbara Banda, and good luck with that.

Or

Mario: Two.

Two unfortunate games in
a row with an unfortunate.

Angela (2): And this is the

Mario: Own goals.

Angela (2): our last season.

In the beginning,

Mario: Well with, well with all
of that, we still had our little

footage therapy session, and am
glad to say that at this point.

We love the discourse and the banter that
has happened during our like little post

match footy therapy sessions of both on,
on the platforms that we're on, that we

kind of have to now select just to kind
of be able to get through this, you know,

without spending two hours on a podcast.

So, we're just gonna go through
and a lot of, a lot of this.

Angela (2): the same thing.

Mario: Yeah, a lot of the
sentiments are the same.

So, I think we're just gonna go, the,
the prompt was, so that just happened.

I mean, I did put a post up,
previous, previous to this

that said was this a like.

What the hell was that?

Crusty the clown emoji or gif and a,
series of unfortunate events type gif

and I think the majority said series
of unfortunate events, which after

watching the the replay, I'm like, okay.

Yeah.

so, max came in with on the Discord,
I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

We fought hard and honestly
we played very well.

All things considered
against the mighty pride.

I feel bad for M.A.

She was playing her ass off those
last 10 minutes of regulation.

Sam lady threw darts at a fucking board.

That second half started it right?

But fuck, we are rebuilding.

And this is overall the best.

We've looked as a team.

The not winning is from a lack
of experience losing, Alana

Kennedy was such a massive impact.

Toughest in the biz.

Just disappointing at this.

just disappointing that this
would actually be such an

easy problem for us to solve.

I'm going to watch Toy
Story two to feel better.

Angela (2): It's a good one to watch.

Mario: Don't watch three.

Three.

No, no.

I personally do four As the
three's not allowed anymore.

Four's cute.

Angela (2): depressing.

I.

Mario: The four is cute.

It's different.

It's definitely not.

It's for a new, group audience.

It's for the, you know, it's like
for my kids, you know, they're,

they're for them to connect with
the kid, with the characters.

Did you see that Tom Hanks, posted up?

He, in the real recording booth that
he's recording for Choice 35 now.

Angela (2): Oh, wow.

I saw a toy story.

Your first one, premier at El Capitan.

When they did a lot, like in the.

Extended part of El Capitan.

They did a Toy story

Mario: They did, they, they did
the whole interactive thing.

Yeah.

Angela (2): cool.

There was Green Army men
walking around like candy.

It was, oh, it was so cool.

Mario: Yep, yep.

I remember that.

I.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: it's where Jimmy
Kimmel is now, right?

Or like at least the line for them.

Okay.

Either way.

Cassandra, in four years, we've never
figured out how to close out games.

Three different coaches,
lots of different players.

Is it a lack of key dog mentality?

Syd has it, but few on this team do or.

It gets ruined by personnel changes.

Give me one person that
has half the passion.

Marta has, or you're gonna have
to help me with these acronyms.

Angela (2): Okay, so it's ha o, which
is Heather O'Reilly, and KOH is Kelly

O'Hara, but does not, it's, you don't
say that as a word the way you do.

Ha o Julie Ertz is the next one.

Mario: Okay, so.

Angela (2): And then the next word
that's capitalized is now, but that's

just now like the, like right now.

Mario: Just the, just the word now.

Angela (2): the

Mario: Okay.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: So yes, with all those players,
we need it now, not in two to three

years when someone grows into that role.

And,

Angela (2): Yep.

Mario: yeah, I mean, we, we, the veteran
presence in the locker room is there.

I.

Angela (2): And it's there on the pitch,
half the time our vets are on the bench.

So how are they gonna do that?

Mario: So honest question
about that though.

Like that?

No, I think I answered it
my own self in my head.

I was gonna say that dog mentality
or that like veteran leadership is,

if it's there day in, day out in the
locker room, wouldn't some of that.

Kind of really show itself.

And it has, I think it has, but I think
there's also a, a, follow me into battle

type leadership that that is missing.

Angela (2): like we talked about this in
the Discord too, the way that I think.

Half the fan base even would follow
Ali Riley into war like, Syd or

Christen Press, or at this point
Katie Zelem on like a, vengeance

or like revenge tour just being
like, let her play, Alana Kennedy.

there's players that just hit
different for a variety of reasons.

Kelly O'Hara for me is one of
those players, like she's just been

that girl of just like digs deep.

we'll fight if needed sonnet.

like you, you, the, you look at the
national team and it's full of those

players because duh, every single one
of them has to be one of those players.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): But as it spreads out through
the league, they're all over the place.

They just look different and
they don't always look the way

you think they're gonna look.

Sometimes it's the quiet
person that just steps up.

Like the way Claire kind of took
over goal scoring last season.

That's what that was like.

Fine, I'll just do it myself.

If I can get the ball, I
will get it in the net.

That kind of thing of just like

resilience of just screw this
shit, I'm gonna do it anyway.

And it's there.

And I, I don't think that
we're lacking in it genuinely.

I just think a lot of times the
people that have it aren't playing.

the people that are, that do have
it being smothered by defense.

You know, like it's the kind of thing
you can only do so much if you're never

getting the ball, or you can only do so
much you're, you're, like essentially

taken outta the game by the other team,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): offense or defense.

there's only so much you can do.

Mario: Yeah.

Okay.

Well

Angela (2): have all

Mario: that,

Angela (2): but as an offensive player.

But then if you never
got the ball, like cool,

Mario: yeah, we, yeah, we just
need, we need to have that presence

there and the presence is there.

We just need it where it needs to be

Angela (2): Mm-hmm.

Mario: Sam, you're fucking it up man.

If you wanna stay on the ro on
the, the roster, you're, you're,

Angela (2): he doesn't, but

Mario: yeah.

Angela (2): I don't wanna get into
coach speculating because there's too

much bullshit that goes into that.

And it's like we have the coach,
whatever his name is, Strauss coming in.

I'll believe it when I see it because.

I, I don't trust anything with this team,

so like I can't get my hopes up too
high, but I think at least part of the

way, we are setting ourselves up for
success the second half of the season.

But I just wish he could get
here now, if he wants to come

a month early, that'd be dope.

Happy birthday to me.

Mario: I mean, you guys already
won, the, the Budesliga, so I mean,

Angela (2): Yeah, just leave.

Mario: you practically won it, so
yeah, you just be like, autopilot.

You guys, you guys got this.

All right.

So Ethan, came in with his haiku, which is
the, uh, ugh, ugh, ugh, hope, joy, dashed

sub earlier grief to own goal games.

Yeah.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: all right.

And then we had a couple of,
IG comments that, came in.

Trent first half was lovely.

Second half made me consider
getting a heart monitor.

Angela (2): Trent has funny comments.

I will say

Mario: and then, Carisa coaching
Mistakes took out Thompson and

Riley two, early two to zero.

the score of death in football.

It.

I, yeah.

Yeah.

The, the most dangerous one is
a two to one score line, but

two to zero is really close.

It's really close.

Second,

Angela (2): it's almost like taunting.

Mario: it's a false sense of
security because it's the fault.

No.

Okay.

So maybe it is the, the, the worst one
because two to zero is a false insecurity.

A two to one is dangerously
close to losing the game, so

Angela (2): defense up and you
can kind of shut it down, but

Mario: yeah.

Angela (2): is oh, cool,
we're up to nothing.

Mario: Yeah.

Liz and Sam came with, first
half was electric from our girls.

then I started to relax
and the hurricane hit.

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: So, and then Vero was our last one.

What in the coaches
sub decisions was that?

Lots of exclamation points, lots of
question marks with a face palm emoji.

Angela (2): Yep.

Mario: Ah.

Angela (2): So that's where we are.

Mario: Yeah, that's where we're at.

So with all of that, it is what it is.

We move on.

We're a ninth place.

That's it.

Let's go.

Angela (2): so this weekend we are
taking on the Washington spirit at Audi.

Audi out, oh my gosh.

Audi Field in DC.

So a lot to talk about
with Angel City right now.

I think we all know that and our kind
of like processing a whiplash feeling

given how the season started at home.

Even how the season started away
and then whatever the hell has

happened in the last two weeks.

it was touched on in what folks had to
say in the Discord and on Instagram.

we need to figure out
how to close out games.

see glimpses of it, of oh, we're
down a goal, whatever, who cares?

And we, we tie it up
or we win or whatever.

but this has been an issue, the
entirety of Angel City, of are

we giving up so many late goals?

think they said on the broadcast six or
seven of the goals scored against us was

score were scored after the 60th minute.

Yeah.

Mario: Geez.

for those of you not watching
my head just drooped.

'cause I didn't know that stat.

I'm just like,

Angela (2): like

Mario: geez.

Angela (2): or in the second half, like
some wild stat and it was just like neat.

Cool.

I love this.

the

Mario: When your team, when your team
has the stats of like the, the bad

ones of the, this is how you lose
games this often, it's just God, it.

Angela (2): Yeah.

It's thanks.

Cool.

We know you don't have to say it
out loud, but the other biggest

thing with that, so like closing
out games, but how do we defend as

an entire team throughout the game?

Because the second Alana
Kennedy got hurt and had to come

out, our midfield fell apart.

And that's no shade to Madison
Hammond because I don't think she was

expecting to play and or like it's very
difficult to come in at that point.

'cause it's not a normal sub window.

It's in like a, a stressful situation.

Mario: Yeah, it wasn't, I, I
wouldn't think that there was

like a whole lot of warmup time, a
whole lot of like this is the plan.

Normally even when you're warming up,
there's like warming up to keep you ready

and then there's warming up a little bit
more because they know that the game plan

is you're gonna go in in about 15 minutes.

Angela (2): Right.

Mario: and I think neither of
those were true at that point.

Angela (2): not at all.

but to defend as an entire
team, it takes everyone, right?

Like from start to finish,
the team has to be on the same

defensive page in order to win.

Because that's how you're gonna
end up winning a championship.

At some point, you have to
shut the other team down.

Eva reminded me of a really good
quote from Kristy Pierce that was

like, if we score, we might win, but
if they don't score, we can't lose.

And that's what we had for
70 minutes of the damn game.

We had beautiful defense.

We had beautiful like locking
of locking down of players and

it was just like, oh my God.

this is what we've been, this
is what we've been waiting for.

It was like a revelation and then
it just disintegrated in our hands.

It felt like sand just ugh.

Mario: It just went through your fingers.

Angela (2): but Alyssa and Ri Tiernan
have shown such good, like off ball.

Play and defense, like Alyssa's
running, I would say coast to coast,

but like box to box every game.

Playing

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): offense, you know, streaking
down the sidelines to get the ball.

Not, they're not like, they're not
the type of attackers that just

watch the ball and wait for it.

And granted that's, for some players,
that's their role is to hang back and

wait for the ball to come to them.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): If that's what they want
their role to be for Alyssa and Ri like,

they're like, no, play defense too.

that's the kind of thing like the
more of that we get from everyone, the

better we'll be at finishing games.

Mario: Yeah, that's, that's my worry of
her being so good at what she does and

being able to run essentially box to box.

Is that, yeah.

Is that like It's working now.

Eventually it's gonna
catch up and if we can't.

We can't figure out that system to,

Angela (2): it's gonna catch up?

Like conditioning wise,

Mario: Yeah.

Just conditioning wise, like you,

I, I don't know, maybe it's
my, my old ass of I can barely

walk right now with without.

Angela (2): when you've been training
at that level and you continue to

train at that level, your body,
your muscle memory is at that level.

Mario: I totally get it.

Yeah, no, I'm just, I'm worried.

I'm worried that like it
feels that out at some point.

She's the one kind of
doing the most Right.

And then.

Angela (2): She got that dog in
her, like that chest x-ray with

the pits, like that's Alyssa.

But that, that's the thing.

Like she knows in order to win the game,
she's seen it on the national level.

She's seen it in every team.

She's played on where she's won, she's,
she's watched it on every team that we've

played against defense wins championships.

Like it's, it's why I
love defense so much.

You can score a million points, but
if the other team scores 1,000,001

too bad, so sad, you go home.

But that's the thing, like if we can
show up whistle to whistle, we got

something we're showing up like whistle
to halftime whistle and then halftime

whistle to like 70 minutes, which is
an improvement from the last few years.

But some of that is not the
player's fault just saying.

But I want Angelina to get clean sheets.

I just want some defense.

And granted, like again, I'm not, I'm
not saying shit in a bad light about M.A.

about Sarah Gorden, about Savvy
King, about Gisele, about.

Any of our back line, frankly,
because they've been subbed in,

subbed out, like weird and weird
combinations the last couple weeks too.

So I think that's thrown stuff off.

There's a lot to talk about that
we need to kind of tighten up.

I said last week is our midfield arm.

Midfield looked great until, lawns
got hurt, but we still looked okay.

But the height is what
we were really missing.

It was her height, but we
have stuff to talk about.

Yeah.

We also need a player that can.

the win it for themselves, kind of vibe.

But you know, we have a world
class attacker just chilling on

the bench for reasons unknown.

She's done it for the US national team.

She's done it for Chicago.

Will somebody please free
her and let her do it in la?

Mario: Wait, what's the term?

Individual moments of brilliance.

Yeah.

Angela (2): Yes.

Like that term is coined
for Christen Press.

Just let her out, let
her free, let her run.

We set it with Alyssa, like when
we were like, oh, she has the ips.

Let her run, let her free, let her go.

Just let her fly.

Let let it happen.

Let it cook.

Like just, is she in jail?

Can I pay the bail?

something damn, just as a pick me up even.

But I digress.

I was trying to move on and then I
remembered something else I wanted to say.

So.

There we are, the Washington Spirit.

They're known to win.

They're really good.

They've been good in the past.

They're good right now.

Three players I wanted to talk
about today are Casey Krueger.

She has consistently been one
of the best defenders in the

league for the last decade.

She is so fun to watch.

She's so good.

I hate when my team plays against her.

I miss her on the national team.

Casey Kruger, man, what?

for me, she's one of those players.

I'm like, man, I get to watch her play.

that's a gift to watch her play.

Mario: I think, I think we're gonna have
to, I think we're gonna have to go back

and put together the, like the Dream
death squad for, for Angela of all the

players that she's I love her, but damn
I hate it when they play against us.

Angela (2): every, every
Left back, right back.

that's it.

Sarah Gorden, Kelly O'Hara.

Sonnet.

Kres.

I got a list.

and they're all retiring and or on
the verge of retirement and I hate it.

But no, Casey Krueger, she is so fast.

She plays similarly to Gisele.

Similar for Angel City fans the
sense of she's a defender, but

she'll shoot up the wing and she'll
cause issues for you offensively.

But she's also like a brick wall of
a person in the same way that Ali

Krieger was in the same with that I was.

And if you run into her good
luck, it's gonna hurt real bad.

She's not gonna go anywhere
and kinda look at you, take

the ball and go the other way.

So she, she's just great to
watch and I'm so happy that

invited her to the team and her son.

Like it was really cute the whole
package they did last season, know.

her and her son and, and her
being a mom in the league.

And they did so much to, to get them
there and make sure that she had support

and it was just, they're doing right
by moms in the league in Washington.

They're doing right by women
right now in Washington.

But the only thing in Washington,
that's doing right by women right now.

But I digress.

This will happens when I'm tired,
like true Angela Snark comes out.

But another player is Gift Monday.

Who?

Easily coolest name in the league.

Coolest name.

Mario: I mean, you can't,
you can't argue with that.

It's just, it's just cool, I mean, yeah.

Angela (2): it's cool.

for any of you who have listened
to the World Cup episodes,

the, what is it called?

The Olympic episodes,
you'll hear me screaming.

About the Nigerian Super Falcons
and how much I love them.

if I'm not cheering for the US I'm
usually cheering for Nigeria just because

their team is so good and so cool.

And I will scream by
African soccer every day.

But give Monday actually captained the
2019 U 20 Nigerian national team, and they

won their first gold medal since 2007 in
the African Games with her on the team.

Like she's a menace.

She scored her first goal.

during her first start, which was last
two, wait, not this last weekend, to

the weekend before they played Orlando.

So like she's fir gets
her first start in league.

She scores, they win.

that's it.

Just do one goal.

Boop, be prepared.

She will probably hurt our
feelings in some way or another.

Somebody's gonna get their feelings hurt.

It's gonna be Angel City fans.

Because of Gift Monday.

thank you for your cool name.

Thank you for all the work you
do for the Nigerian soccer team.

Please just sit down.

don't.

Essentially, thank you.

I wanna watch you play really
well, but not, not Friday.

It's almost, it's the
day after my birthday.

please.

So but not least, the,

Mario: Oh,

Angela (2): the.

Coolest, like the best dressed of the very
last NWSL draft, Croy Bethune fashion,

Mario: from last year.

Angela (2): yeah, a phenom,
fashion mogul, supermodel, like

coolest person on the planet.

Like the, the cool factor
that she has is insane.

But she got hurt towards the end of
last season, but she's back y'all.

I'm so excited.

But also again, why do

Mario: Hey, what.

Angela (2): back the week?

Before you play my team, you get
just enough minutes to get the rest

out and then just hurt my feelings.

Even with her, her SEI, last season,
she was the rookie of the year.

That's insane.

Truly,

truly bonkers.

Mario: she was doing some
things that were insane.

Just again, phenom is, is the, the word.

And, and it was horrible to hear
that she got injured and she was out.

but.

Just, yeah, like you said, just the fact
that with what she did with the, the

season that she had, she was like pretty
much rookie of the year right there

Angela (2): like.

even without two, two or
three months of the season.

It was still, nobody
touched those numbers.

It was like, oh no.

so having her back is good for the league.

It's good for obviously the
spirit, bad for my future

feelings, but I'll be okay I guess.

with Angel City, we've got
two fun ones to talk about.

The first is Savvy King.

So the BFFR podcast dropped officially
today, Monday the 28th with Ali Riley.

And I almost said Syd Colson, 'cause my
brain is starting to shift to the WNBA.

Oh my God.

Syd Rou.

my two favorite Sydneys, frankly, but
they talked about how now the players that

girls have looked up to their whole lives.

Syd was talking about how
she met a woman in Target.

oh my gosh, my daughter's going to
the u whatever, world championship.

She's looked up to her whole career.

She loves you, blah, blah, blah.

Oh, what's her name?

Savvy.

Cool, cool, cool.

Fast forward.

That was Savvy King,
like how dope is that?

So yay for being old enough
to, have somebody look up to

you for their whole career.

But we actually have the opportunity,
and I talk about that a lot, about how,

most of us didn't grow up with women
to look up to in the sports we played.

You heard stories about women who played,
but like you didn't get to see them play.

'cause why would that be on tv?

Weird, whatever.

Savvy King had a breakout
game this last weekend.

Even with the result, even with
everything that happened, she was

able to shut down Barbara Banda
essentially three quarters of the game.

Like she had her marked so well.

Whoever did scouting on Barbara
Banda for Savvy and for Sarah was.

Immaculate.

Like good on ya.

Fantastic coverage.

we just need her to keep, you
know, solidifying the back line and

keeping that chemistry building.

Sorry, my nose is really itchy.

but yeah, it, she's getting there
and it, it's really fun to see

her kind of come into her own.

We were laughing.

dunno if it was this game or no,
it was the game at home against,

what team did we play at home?

It was the last home game.

Mario: Gotham.

Angela (2): Yes.

It was Gotham that was the hat gate.

Yeah.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela (2): So we were joking in our
seats that Savvy had gotten her hair done,

but her hair was Sarah's Ponytail braids
with like loose, but it's like that.

Then Sarah was back to her
beautiful, Barbie ponytail we're

like, oh wait, that's Sarah.

No, that's savvy.

No.

what is happening?

but

Mario: how I got it.

That's how I got it wrong.

When, when,

Angela (2): yeah.

Oh, and the

Mario: yeah.

In the, in the Discord.

I was like, oh, Sarah got beat.

And I was like, no, that's savvy.

I was like, damns

Angela (2): Yeah.

But the, the thing to me that
really stuck in my head with that is

that they play very similarly too.

They're starting to be so
cohesive that it's oh, you

don't know which one is which.

honestly, I, I would get lost like on TV
if something was buffering or whatever.

I was like at a diagonal.

I'm like, who is that?

Or have my glasses on.

It's really what it is.

But you can see her gaining more and more
confidence week after week, and she's

really kind of starting to step into
her own, get in her groove, and it's.

Honestly, she's one of our
best pickups in the off season.

I'm so happy to have her here.

I hope she stays.

Please stay, please.

Mario: I hope, I hope
most of this roster stays.

We're building a good roster right now.

It's just a matter of

Angela (2): I think it's gonna depend on
how the second half of the season goes.

Mario: yes,

yes.

Angela (2): so.

And my second player that
I wanted to talk about was.

Or is one of Eva's favorite players?

It's Alana Kennedy because she
deserves to be talked about in a

really positive light after getting
her face wrecked again this weekend.

Like she just recovered from a black eye
from the April International window, and

homegirl busted her eyebrow like she had.

She probably ended up
getting stitches like.

A whole thing.

I hope she's okay.

I hope she's not concussed.

hope the swelling's gone down.

She's got a shiner now, but she
had to leave the game 'cause

she took an elbow to the face.

was central really to our and the
midfield and the game as a whole.

She was kind of leading the charge that
way and everything kind of fell apart.

but like we said, like partially
injury, subs suck regardless of

sport because all of a sudden
you're like, I was not prepared.

Like what just happened?

I'm not supposed to be going in right now.

this wasn't the game plan.

So you're, you're mentally trying to
like speed up, it, it takes a bit and and

Hammond ended up falling in step and she
was fine, but it was just one of those

where it was like, ugh, for a hot second.

But Alana Kennedy.

I'm curious, if she's out this week,
do we hold it together in the midfield?

Who's that presence
that that locks it down?

That studies it because
having her, Katie Zem

Kennedy Fuller start together please.

Please.

More of that, please.

That'd be great.

Mario: That that trio worked.

Just the lineup yesterday worked well.

Like it again, I, I.

Angela (2): starting lineup.

Mario: I see how the series of
unfortunate events is really

the, the answer to what happened.

It's just, you know, one domino falls
and the other one, then he shifts, he

shifts the wrong way and it's just okay,

Angela (2): Yeah.

Mario: you know.

Angela (2): But then the
last thing, because this is a

really interesting crossover.

So when Alana Kennedy was playing in
Orlando the last time she was in the NWSL.

She, they were, she was on the Pride
and they were playing the Spirit.

Aubrey Bledsoe at the time, who's
now Aubrey Kingsbury, who's still

their keeper, was, it was like her
first or second year in the league.

And Alana Kennedy essentially scored
from maybe 15 feet inside the midline,

like half field.

Mario: Jun Endo.

Angela (2): further.

Mario: Oh, further.

Angela (2): and no joke,
like maybe 15 feet from the

midline, just boop right there.

there's like a, a midfield scrum
and ball's going everywhere.

She eventually steals the ball
from somebody and just goes, okay.

Nobody, like everyone is in the midfield.

So it's just Aubrey Kingsbury
really far up the pitch and she

rockets this ball towards the goal.

Chips over like full chip and dip,
just like boop and Aubrey Kingsbury

just falls backwards, oh my God.

Like at the half.

'cause I was 10 minutes into
the game, I just watched the

clip before this five times.

'cause it's so satisfying to watch.

But Aubrey Kingsbury is like,
for real, you had to do that.

Like, why, why did you do that to me?

but.

It is just a banger, banger of a goal.

And even the call on it is so good
'cause they're like, you know, just

talking about the game, whatever.

And then it's Ken, Alana
Kennedy, and it's oh my God.

definitely go watch it.

We have the, the link to the clip
here, so we'll post it somewhere,

but it's, it's but yeah, I, again,
we can do great things as a team.

Will we be allowed to, is the question.

So we'll see what happens.

Our record with Washington, we've
won twice, we've lost four times.

We've never, we've never tied.

So I'd like another win.

it.

I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna
wish for a draw ever again.

just, just win out.

Went out, please.

Oh, and really quick, we
have a new listener who.

Is, a new coworker, Kenneth, because
we had a barbecue a couple weeks ago

at work and found out I had podcast
and he was like, oh my God, about what?

And I was like, women's soccer.

He's oh, the Timbers.

And I was like, the thorns.

And he was like, that's right.

'cause he's from Oregon.

Mario: Oh.

Angela (2): so now he listens to the
podcast this morning at our meeting.

He was like, I heard you
talking about the Orlando Pride.

And I was like, excuse

Mario: Oh.

Angela (2): Oh, so hi buddy.

What's up?

Mario: it's always good when we
get new listeners and when we

get to have fun with all of that.

That's always fun to, when
your cool coworkers get to

hear what you're doing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I've, I've shared it with
a select few, good times.

So with that next match again this
Friday, the second, it's gonna be.

May, May 2nd, ACFC
versus Washington spirit.

It's gonna be at Audi Field at
it's a 5:00 PM kickoff here in la.

You're gonna be able to t watch it
on TV streaming on Amazon Prime,

or listen to it on the radio with
iHeartRadio, Isaac and Tracy.

It's gonna be amazing.

The official, a Angel City Watch party.

It's going to be at 33
taps in West Hollywood.

honestly, just go to the, the.

Angel City website has a bar
partnership, section somewhere.

so if you're ever wondering
where to go, watch the game at

somewhere, that's going to just
automatically be Angel City friendly.

and more than likely than not be
playing the game somehow some way.

Check out that bar partner, map.

You'll be able to find places all
over the place from, you know, the

east side, west side, north, south
Ventura, San Diego, wherever it may be.

I don't know how far they go,
but you'll be able to find a good

place that's probably near you.

But there you go.

If you've been listening to us so far,
you probably like what you're hearing.

Go ahead and hit that subscribe
button if you haven't.

check out casual fc.com

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And if you have do the whole
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You've watched enough YouTube
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Follow us on all our socials
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And come join the Discord.

We, as we've been mentioning, we've
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a lot of fun silliness, lot of legs
up in the air for Zem, so you know.

Angela (2): Zem.

Mario: Yep,

Angela (2): This week

Mario: yep.

Angela (2): get another goal.

So she scores legs up,

Mario: If she scores, I
might be on the train again.

So if she scores legs up on the train,

Angela (2): please.

Oh, send that picture.

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Optimistic content for
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Angela (2): optimistic.

Mario: critically optimistic right now.

Yeah.

and it brings us good luck and what
we do is we package that up and we

send it to wherever the team is and
hopefully that gives them that nice

little boost that they need for
whatever game that they're playing.

So yeah, help us out.

So with that, we'll hopefully
see you on the Discord

and we'll talk to you guys next week.

All.

Angela (2): see ya.