8/1 Angel City FC at Seattle Reign FC
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
And I've had that same
stance since I was eight.
When you have allergies, sometimes
there's not enough mocos to come out.
They're just there.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: if there's
not enough, you know what, I'm gonna
send you the electronic, uh, nose suction
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Ew.
No, no, I hate those.
Those are So no medi pots?
No.
Like the suction things?
Oh, no, no, no.
A baby
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I mean,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: M.A.
goes, I mean, okay.
Okay.
Okay.
We're almost there.
You ready?
Okay, go.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: 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
fully loaded antihistamine, co-host
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I am full of histamines actually.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Oh, full of histamines.
Well,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Well, technically I'm neutralized
'cause like I take allergy.
Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: balanced.
You have a balanced histamine.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I take daily allergy pills and I'm
doing like immunology allergy shots
and I got my allergy shot today,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
So she's all set.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
You know it's bad when your allergist
is yeah, just take two of like over
the counter 24 hours or tech 'cause.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
but go ahead and do two.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
No, like legit.
They were like, yeah, you
can't breathe right now.
And I'm like, yeah, I know.
But now I'm back down to one.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: don't you
have a giant tree over your house too?
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
I'm not allergic to that.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: You're
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I'm not.
I'm not allergic to that.
No trees with the exception
of California Oaks and pines.
ha.
and sycamores, I'm, that's about it.
I'm basically allergic to outside though.
So like a severe grass.
Allergies.
I break out in hives in 30
seconds, so don't, no thanks.
That's also part of the why I
didn't play soccer honestly.
I was like, this sucks 'cause I
was just so itchy all the time.
But anyway.
Hi guys.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Hi everyone.
this is our match preview for our first
match back into the regular season.
We're gonna be playing the Seattle
Reign up in Seattle at Lumen
Field on Friday, August 1st.
The match is going to be at 7:30pm.
It will be broadcast on
Paramount Plus and NWSL Plus.
So if you don't have Paramount
paid streaming, then it should
be on NWSL Plus for free.
Usually they only, all games are on NWSL
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
At least for the replays.
Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: for
the replays internationally.
So if you know your VPN
stuff internationally, it's
available to everyone for free.
but when they list, it usually
means that it'll live on for free.
So there you go.
NWSL plus, paramount Plus.
and it will also be on iHeartRadio
if you're gonna not be able to watch
it and listen to Isaac and Tracey.
They are awesome.
We'll always sing their praises and, it
makes you feel like you're right there.
Like you traveled all
the way up to Seattle for
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
It is true.
It's fantastic listening to them.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
and with that, a quick reminder,
we have a watch party coming up
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yay.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Me Sports Bar in Long Beach.
It's gonna be hosted by Casual Sea
and a show of our own, again, show
of our own is a, women's sports
memorabilia, kind of trade show.
it's gonna be a trade night, so
I think they're gonna be focusing
more on like cards and stuff, but
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: I
have all these, if you're watching video,
I have all these are just my duplicates.
So if you want cards, if you
need cards, if you wanna trade,
sees, I got stuff for trades.
These you can haves.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I will say
that there was a slightly unofficial,
we'll call it like the pre show of our own
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Oh,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
at our very first one,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
and there might be a special,
giveaways and maybe Parkside.
It's gonna hook us up.
It's in the works right now.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
that's news to me.
there you go.
See, even
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I know.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I will
say, I was saying that I, there was
like a kind of mini pre-show of our
at our last, our first watch party.
And the fun thing is that
there's the cards trade, right?
And then there's, because people
are collecting and there's so many
extras, there's also free cards.
Like we were walking around,
I was walking around the
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Free cards.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: we
were walking around the tables
and handing out like free trading
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: to people
just so they can be like, did you know
that women's soccer has Here you go.
so it was really fun.
So come down if you can, you don't
have to, but r SVP for free, at
watch party dot casual fc.com,
it's the quickest way to take you
to the long ass Eventbrite link.
The RSVP is really only for,
us having a general headcount.
honestly, like I said, it's free.
You don't have to go, you don't
have the RSVP, but just show up.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: if you do RSVP,
then we know how many tables to hold.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Just a reminder, it's not this
weekend, it's next weekend.
It's August 9th when we play San Diego.
In San Diego.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yes.
So if you can't make it down to San Diego,
don't drive as far and just go to Long
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Why not?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah, why not?
And then, last little thing before
I let Angela Lu on everything
else, I did hear that Permutation
Primo is going to be coming soon,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
lives,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: He lives,
he's coming around in September.
He's picking, starting to pick up stats,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Ooh,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Just, he's coming.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
That's very exciting.
So in the world of Angel
City, we have more news.
We had another signing a couple hours
after this last episode went live.
So we have another center back
now, which is super exciting.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: which was
one of the comment, like on one of
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
like we said it too.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I cut
that whole like, beginning update
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: like a
video and it was like on TikTok or
whatever, and one of the comments
was like, and you forgot Sarah.
And I'm like, no, it just got
announced the day after we recorded.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
So we've got another, a new center back.
She wasn't dressed for the friendly,
but she probably got here like
the day before, so whatever.
super curious how she's gonna
fit in the lineup, what her
back line's gonna look like.
I'll get into that in a little bit.
Claire's pregnant guys, so
we were like LOL, upper leg.
What does that mean?
But yeah, I'm super happy for her.
She, they showed her up on
the big screen at the game.
She flashed us a belly bump.
They're having a boy.
I'm just, I'm happy for her.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: leg.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: but
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I just,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I made an off-color joke that
I will not repeat on the air
because that's rude, but it was,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: But she
like, congratulations to Claire.
that's amazing.
It's, I think a lot of the things,
especially in the CBA, that over the
number of years and the iterations of
the CBA and how they're going to help,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: moms.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
it allows the players to be moms like
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
and keep their careers,
which is a big frigging deal.
Watch any interview Sid has
done on that over the years.
Talk to Sarah Gorden, like there are.
Big reasons why this is a big deal,
that it's quote unquote allowed and
it's never not been allowed, but
you mostly just didn't really have
a job afterwards, which is stupid.
But, yeah, I'm so happy for her.
She looked adorable.
She looked so happy.
she hated being on the big
screen, which was even better.
And, Ali Riley and Giselle were sitting on
either side of her and they're just like,
ah, just so happy screaming savvy was
there, it was nice to see everybody like
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: imagine the
tiny little, accent that the baby's gonna
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I know.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
little Scottish.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Little Scottish English hybrid accent
and then depending on where, because
they, I'm assuming she's gonna be
back home with her husband 'cause
they're working like long distance.
So we'll see.
I'm just happy for them, that's all.
that's not even the Chaos Award.
Chaos award.
Yeah.
This is celebratory hooray.
I'm so happy for you.
this week's Chaos award,
we had a friendly.
It was the center ref who's named
Ivan, who's now on the official
referee list, for making himself
the main character of the game.
only closely followed up by the east side
line ref for missing at least two balls
that were like completely outta bounds.
'cause we like, we both sit on the west
side and my coworker is there with me.
'cause we had hung out all day and
he came to the game with us and you
could see like the white line, the
space, the ball from where we sit.
and what, yeah, there was a lot
of, questionable activity going
on by the red shirts on Saturday.
At one point, one of the guys
that sits in front of us was
like, Ivan, get it together.
And Evil was like, Ooh,
his full government name.
And like the, our whole section
started banding together again.
So it was, it's good and bad when
that happens because it's really fun,
but it's very, what's the right word?
Aggressive, I think.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: it can
go into a mob mentality very easily,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
And like everybody in our, in 2 27 is
very like tongue in cheek about it too.
Like
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
we all toe the line, we all are
like, oh my God, get your life.
get it together.
But overall, it was a very
interesting experience.
Two yellow cards in the
first half for the Ascent.
They're a better team than
they play like they're scrappy.
In a really good way, but also
they pushed a lot from behind and
they were very like, aggressive
in a way they didn't need to be.
I'm like, you're good.
Why are you playing the borderline dirty?
Like that kind of thing.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I didn't as, as
we'll talk about, I didn't go to the game.
I had, some family, thing.
So I ended up, doing that instead.
gave my tickets to a really nice
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: that
I just met like the day before
and I was just like, Hey, do you
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
You guys want some extra, do
you wanna go to another game?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and but just to
clarify for anyone who, this might be the
first episode or this is the first time
you hear us talking about refs, the list.
Is not a bad list, not that kind of list.
The list is just, we've been keeping
track of some, refs that might need
a little bit more experience and we,
there's a little grade, each one of them.
So once we get the match, when all
the stuff is announced for the match
and we see the ref, that's funny.
'cause I've never wanted to look at
who the ref is going to be at this
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: but the
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: now,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: has made that a
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: So I
look at the ref and then we're
like, oh God, we got Trevor.
Or
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: there's a
handful of them that have made the list.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
There are multiple people across
the Angel City fan base who do keep
track of the different referees.
some of them are also listeners
and have hooked us up with
their info and their research.
So it's always appreciated.
'cause we gotta know, we gotta know if
it's, if like it's the kind of thing like,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: you need to
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
is Chesky gonna be there?
Do we have to like Yeah, exactly.
Do we have to mentally prepare?
To want to throw myself onto
the pitch and be like, stop it.
Or am I just gonna watch
soccer mind my business?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
in the worst way possible.
It's mentally preparing for
the shit calls that are gonna
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yes.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: So
can at least, if it's Ivan again
or if it's a Trevor, you're
just like, oh, God damn Trevor.
and I think I, a part of me
hopes and feels that the
team already knows this too.
So list or
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I know.
you don't touch anybody,
don't breathe wrong.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
go as hard as you want.
They're not gonna
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
exactly.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
But also watch your back.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Somebody might die, who knows.
but yeah, to kinda get us back in
the swing of things, The last game
that we played before the break.
So we played Kansas City.
In Kansas City, right?
Or was it at home?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I was, oh, home.
I don't
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I don't remember.
Oh my God.
you have a good reason not to remember.
I know.
We're both pulling out
our phones right now too.
Yeah, dude.
it was at Kansas City.
'cause that's the
barbecue day for my work.
'cause we were watching the
game with half my coworkers.
So we're playing in Kansas City.
We ended up losing one,
nothing, which sucks.
But this was the first time
of the season that Kansas City
hadn't scored in the first half.
We held them to the 69th minute,
which is the longest they've
gone without a goal this season.
So I take that as a win because
they're insane this season.
They're bonkers and they're
spreading out the scoring like crazy.
they're a very good team, so I was very
like, I wanted us to win or at least go to
a draw and bring a point home, but as much
as I would've loved to win, I'm very glad
we held it where we did, and it was even
still, that goal was just like, oh dang.
Alright.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
Kansas City is, clear
in a way in first place
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: points.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: second
place Orlando at 25, so that's a huge
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Kansas City has been on a
terror after last season.
They're like, oh, no.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and they
have a plus 19 goal differential.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: She
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
us holding them that long
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
is a big deal.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: is a big deal.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
the loss is also a big deal.
we need, we are desperate for points at
this point, at like we're at the halfway
point, we can't be dropping points
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Not so much anymore,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
but over the course of the last month,
we've had two friendlies a week and a
half ago it was against Bay FC up in
the Bay, very little advertisement.
It was like a public scrimmage Yeah.
Slash season ticket holder event.
for the Bay FC fans.
Like we said, Jun scored,
we ended up in a draw.
They didn't publicize it.
Like they didn't not publicize
it, the televise it, so
it's kinda just in the air.
But then we had the friendly at home
against the Carolina Ascent from
gain, gain bridge Super league, and
we won four two and it was bonkers.
Like I said, there were two yellow cards
in the first half for the Ascent one.
I don't know how it was only a
yellow and not a straight red
because this girl palmed Jun endo's
head and just shoved her forward.
I
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: this
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
don't.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: posted up a po,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
No, that wasn't that.
No, that was later.
And there was no call on that.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Jesus.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
So she full on, got shoved from behind in
the back of the head and did a somersault
and they're like, oh, yellow card.
I'm like,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: No.
That's a straight
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
that's a straight, that
should be a straight red.
You purposefully came into
contact with her head.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
but either way, any contact to
the neck or head, any physical
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: a red
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Not for Ivan.
And then there was a possible,
at least from our angle, it
looked like a possible dog.
So in the second half, that was a no call.
There was a lot, like I said, very
big main character energy from the
referees, but it was an insane game.
We all collectively as a fan
base learned what, so you've got.
A goal scored.
You have a brace when a player
scores two and then you have a hat
trick when a player scores three.
We learned what happens
when a player scores four.
It's called a hall, which yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Thompson.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Alyssa Thompson with the first
hall, she had her First Hat trick,
second Hat Trick in Team History.
And the other one was Messiah
Bright Inner Friendly.
in the first, what, seven minutes
of the game or something like that.
it was so ridiculous.
each goal was ridiculous in its own way.
One was a pk, like there was so much.
I told Eva, this game feels
like Stefan from SNL, where it's
like, this game has everything.
We have pks, we have yellow cards,
we have, it was like that everything
that could happen did happen in a way.
So that was wild.
But the best part about the whole
thing was that we looked really
good and not everything is like.
Figured out yet.
Not everything, there were some missed
passes or oh, I thought you were gonna be
there or make the cut, that kind of thing.
But everyone looked like they knew
what the point was and everyone looked
like they were on the same page.
Like we've talked before, like
we've always been in the same book.
Some people have been in different
chapters, different pages.
We were all on the same page on
Saturday and it was, oh, it's spicy.
It's, I'm so excited.
I'm,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I, from all
the updates we were getting on Discord,
I really do wish that I was there.
it sounded like a really fun match.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
could see like the vision of the team.
I think honestly, for the
first time since we started,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, I all of our ex exhibition
matches have been really good.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: it's
just bringing, carrying that
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: But
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I feel like this time it's
actually gonna happen though.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
this time it'll stick well.
So with that, we did do our, footy therapy
because it was a friendly and because it
wasn't televised or broadcast anywhere.
I, actually I do think it was broadcast
somewhere, but you have to sign up for
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, it was like on the as sense
YouTube and then somewhere else as well.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Oh, was it on there?
Oh, okay.
I didn't see that.
angel City posted up something about
if you wanna listen or watch the game
or something like that, you had to sign
up for some app and I was like, Nope.
No thank you.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
many of those
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
yeah, I've already got five to
even just watch you guys in the
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I know.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
we, but either way.
post it up just a quick little, almost
like a let's get back into things.
what's your footy therapy?
And I left it open-ended.
I also wrote something about, Alyssa
Thompson's Hall, left it open-ended
mainly because it was like, whatever
you wanna talk about really, if
you wanna talk about the game or
if you wanna talk about whatever.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Jeff
came in with, Alyssa Thompson is
feasting, good to see experimentation.
And a lot of players get minutes.
I'm hopeful.
Which it sounds like
that's like the sentiment
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, it's, I feel like all of
us, it's a hell of a drug, I'll
tell you that much hope, man.
What's that?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and then
Vero said, sitting in front of Angela
and Eva is the best footy therapy
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Honestly, like she and her mom got there
and we were like, I miss you so much.
Even though I text her like
all the, we talk all the time,
but still it's it's different.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: each other in
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: when you get to
see each other and you're there, and then
now you're collectively yelling at Ivan.
and then, Cassandra, did us the
favor commenting on everywhere.
so her first comment on Instagram
was, my therapy is swooping in,
giving a one liner on the casual lift
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
and then piecing out,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Hold on.
I gotta find it.
'cause it was amazing.
She said four goals is a hall,
two lesbians is a U-Haul.
Thank you.
And goodnight.
I laughed so hard like in the
car with Eva and I was like, we
did rent a U-Haul to move her to,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Okay.
that was her other comment in
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: But then she
did come back with something she said, Def
gonna have, definitely gonna have to look.
As a start of something,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: lost time,
the long break was perfect to get
players and start developing chemistry.
So I agree.
it's one of those things, as we
mentioned in our, mid-season report
card, that hopefully this international
break was the time that, Strauss
needed to be able to really start
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: what his
vision is and how the play should be.
And, and like he mentioned, get all
the skeletons outta the closet and
just clear everything out and be
like, look, this is what we gotta do.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and it sounds
like it's going in that way again.
Are we expecting like magic and
fireworks on day one when we start
playing like another NWSL team?
Maybe not, but
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
But it'd be cool.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: It'd be cool
or do we see things where it's oh, okay,
things are working, things are gelling.
Like the back line has solidified
the midfield, knows how to move the
ball around now a little bit more
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Like things
like that we can count as, improvements.
I know the fan base wants
bigger improvements faster.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: But
I, I don't think we have a good sample
set yet to declare that we haven't
gotten there because it's very possible
that we could, because in a friendly,
like this year one, trying everything
for the first time in live action two,
not necessarily starting your starters
to give them a little bit more rest.
And then you're also
looking at new players.
So there's so many different
things you're doing in a
friendly, but also trying to win.
So yeah, like you're not necessarily
starting all of your starters or
starting them in a way, or they're not
necessarily playing in a way that is
going to be what like league play is.
So there's a lot, and this man
seems very calculated in that sense.
Like he knows why people
are going in when they are.
And I had our whole section
laughing because in the 63rd minute
we made substitutions, everyone.
63 Christen Press came in.
We didn't get her at 82.
We didn't get her at 88
or 89 or 90 plus seven.
We got her at 63.
A Miracle True Blue Spectacle.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: J Anthony
came in with, I like the pieces.
I don't think they're
together on the right.
On the right way yet our fullback
situation is fine, two on each
side, and our CB situation will
improve because by the time we play
Orlando, we will have four capable
CBS to choose from center backs.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: so yeah, I,
it's, I think he's right on the money.
It's look, the pieces, like we've said,
the pieces are It might not be on the
right, but that's the whole point of
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
We also don't know.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: experiment.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, we got to see Elva in
chores also, which was dope.
She looks great and she's very much a.
Attacking, wing back.
So she was moving the ball up.
Like it's gonna be very
fun with like her and M.A.
if they're starting, or if that's who
subs in for each other on one side.
Giselle, when she's healthy again.
Me, Abby, we looked so good.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
And talking about mbi.
Scott came in with fun to
see new faces in the lineup.
Endo looked great.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Ugh.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Mariah was amazing.
So scrappy and hardworking,
no dumb turnovers.
Tiernan and Endo seemed to
have a good chemistry and
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
to see that build.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah, I think
everybody is at, in some percentage
of hopeful on the hopeful spectrum.
You don't doubt.
There's some people that are still in
the, why do we have so many young players?
Or Why do we
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I don't blame them,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I get it.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: but I
think the, so not silver lining, the
asterisk on that, on us getting so
many new young players is that we have,
we're starting to build and we have
the system now for that development.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: So
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: we,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: we are now
building, we're a team to try to form
something with what we have at the moment,
but we're also looking at the next couple
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and looking
at how that's going to develop.
And I think that is what's
different number of years
that the team has been around.
Is that the past couple of years,
very much startup energy, very much
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
throw spaghetti at a wall
and see what happens.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
fast, break, things like
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
that type of mentality, which
in this system doesn't work,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
to have a plan.
Like a plan.
Plan,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
And now we do have a plan.
We have, and then we have people in
positions to start building that,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I think
that's the big difference on all of this.
So look at all, all of these new
young players as the opportunity
moving forward in the future and
understand that the soccer IQ that
Strauss is bringing is going to improve
or improve our team at the moment.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
And the cool thing is, Eva and I were
talking about it on the way home.
Like we have such a good mix of players
right now in the like tenure of it all.
We have insane veterans.
you have World Cup champions,
you have Olympic medalists, you
have international camp captains.
You have mid-career veterans as well.
So you have folks that have been in
the league for a while, have played in
different places, have that experience.
We have international stars, international
stalwarts on their teams and people who
have made history in different ways.
So there's a lot of different types
of soccer iq, there's different types
of leadership like Kennedy Fuller
made a weird pass backwards and that's
what gave up the first goal to the
ascent in the opening two minutes.
It felt I think it was like the second
minute and you saw the 18-year-old come
out for a hot second in that moment.
And the first thing that happened,
the goal went in, the next thing was
Angelina had her arm around her and was
like coaching her through that moment.
And you could see it, like that's gonna,
that's gonna stay in your head for a game.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
But you also saw.
Someone who's in their second
year right along with you, but has
age, has like college experience,
international experience right there.
Having your back like
that says so much to me.
And it was such a visible display of
really good leadership in the moment
to be like, okay, forget that happened.
Like just don't, who cares?
And it was even exceptionally a lot better
when then we scored four goals and, but
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
When you can easily forget
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
yeah, it's oh, okay, that happened,
But it was a one of those moments where
it was a learning moment for everyone.
The other team came out very attack
driven, very much like we wanna
score, which yeah, I would too.
But there was a mistake made and then we
recovered from it and you saw, you could
see it in her body language even from
far away that it was like it, her head.
Oh shit, I did that.
But it's like it happens to the
very best players in the world.
It's gonna happen to you.
It's gonna happen to everybody
at some point, in some way.
It was just really nice and to know
that's the type of comradery and
leadership and everything that we have
on the team right now, I'm very happy
with where we're at and where we can go.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
all of that to say we are super excited,
with what's going on and what the
potential can be, not only for this
year, but for the coming years too.
It sounds like we're.
Building up in the right
direction with the right now.
so with that, let's check the standings as
we restart this second half of the season.
We are just outside of the playoff.
playoffs is one through eight.
We are currently tied for 10th,
which sounds way better than
saying we're in 11th place.
but we are technically tied for
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yes.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: And if we, as
we've been talking about all of this, if
we keep connecting or keep playing or we
do well in these friendlies, if we can
find a way to carry over that momentum
from the friendlies and that energy,
we can definitely carry that on and
definitely make it into the postseason.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
For sure.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
essentially we've played half the season,
so we've already faced everybody once,
now we start over again and now is where
all of these matches really truly count.
And I'm really excited to see where we go.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
Yep.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
With that said, let's get into it.
Let's talk about the Reign,
let's talk about this matchup.
'cause it's a lot.
the histamines are histamine
and now my nose is running.
So sorry guys.
I'm be sniffling a lot,
but I'm not crying.
Just FYI.
I wanna make that very well known.
I'm excited for soccer, but
I'm not weepy about it yet.
Okay.
So the thing with Seattle, for those of
you who don't know any team coached by
Laura Harvey is a team to prepare for.
She's insanely good at developing
players, developing schemes, taking
care of teams, growing teams.
She was in the US soccer pipeline for a
while, developing players at the, I think
she was the U 23 coach for a hot minute.
she's very good at locker room culture
on the field, stuff like, she's just
a soccer bReign and she's lovely
and she's funny and it works out.
she's been in the league, I wanna say all
but two seasons or something like that.
She's, I.
Very, very tenured in the league as well.
She understands both international
and NWSL play, so I don't wanna
say she's unstoppable, but
she's very good from the top.
So now I'm excited to have a
coach that can like, go head to
head with another coach like that
of oh, soccer bReigns are big.
We like this.
this is, like we've said before, this
is gonna be our first real test with
Strauss at the helm, because I feel
like the transfer has been finalized.
it's not like we're in Sam Lady 2.0.
It's no, we're done.
Clean slate.
Here we go.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
He may be around, but he is no longer, he
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
he's on the bench.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: say.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Yeah.
so genuinely, like with this
new lineup, I cannot wait.
I'm so excited to see, to take what
we saw on Saturday and see what we
see this coming Friday, and just
really, enjoy the game, honestly, like
primetime TV for sure in this household.
But I'm also very curious about
our defensive midfielders and our
back line and who's gonna be where,
because Alana Kennedy started in
the back line on Saturday, but she
was also playing up in the midfield.
So I'm curious.
I just, I knows, who knows.
We'll see.
But the very, very exciting thing,
I keep saying very exciting, but
I'm just excited, sorry, not sorry.
Truly, we look like we're flying again.
And Mario, I think you said this last
episode or either last episode or the.
One right before the end of the first
half of the season of if we can get
back to looking like we're having
fun and looking like we're flying
up the pitch, we're gonna be fine.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Everyone was played so free on Saturday
and they were loose and I was like, ah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Yeah.
that's when they look the freest, it's
look like when they have the most fun
and, it's a cliche, people are like, if
you're having fun with what you do, then
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: a job.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
it didn't look forced.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: and yeah.
If it, yeah, if it, if you get to
that point where it doesn't look
forced and where you're having fun
and things are starting, when you can
fly, it means you're starting to gel.
You're know, you're starting
to anticipate, you're starting
to read your teammates.
When you don't have that speed,
it's because you're being a little
hesitant and because you're, not
quite sure what you need to do
until the last minute or too late.
So I am happy to hear that they were
just, that they were flying and they
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: 'cause
that's, I think that's in my
head, that's how it translates.
It's if they're flying, even if there
were mistakes, even if there were missed
balls or misconnections, things like that.
in my head, them being able to move
at kind of full speed means that
there already thinking in sync and,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
maybe it just didn't connect
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: but at least
the thing was second nature versus
it being a stutter step type thing.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, exactly.
And there's a difference between
a missed pass because somebody was
like two steps behind versus not
knowing it was gonna go there at all.
if you just overshot it a little bit or
you thought you had the right angle but
you didn't like, that's different then.
just not passing it to
anyone, which has happened,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
things happen.
But let's talk about the Reign.
Let's talk about three
very specific players,
partially because I
like all of them a lot.
So at number one, end
goal is Claudia Dickey.
She, if you have paid attention to the
national team, she has gotten called up.
She played against Ireland.
it wasn't her direct quote, but Emma
Hayes described her as being so calm.
It's almost concerning.
It's a kind of thing.
Like she doesn't get nervous,
she doesn't get shaken the
way, like even just pre-game.
She's yeah, cool.
Like neat.
her first start was against us.
And she maybe got her
shit rocked a little bit.
I think we won that game like four to two.
It was like some, one of the higher
scoring games We've had two to one, no,
three to one maybe, but we scored decent.
and she's essentially been
lights out ever since.
And I'm happy for her except I hope
we can, make her have a bad night.
And given the fact that we're, I
don't wanna say we're uns scoutable
because that's not true, but we're, we
don't know who's gonna be where yet.
We don't know what the, like normal
lineup is anymore, so that'll be exciting.
But she's a very good keeper, like
we said about Kalyn Sheridan, the
goal gets smaller, like it, she takes
up a lot of space in, in the goal.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah, I mean
we're fans of a lot of players in the
league and that's one of the reasons
why we're doing what we're doing is
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: play amazing
players on every team that we play.
Because they all have amazing players.
Do we like them?
Yes.
are they great?
And do they do amazing things?
Yes.
Do we want them to do any
of that while they're here?
No.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: No.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: we are there?
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Not against us, against everybody else.
Sure.
But chill out for one night,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: learn about
these players 'cause they're amazing.
But then yeah, we wish
you not the best game.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
honestly, have a bad day.
But yeah, Claudia Dickey,
she'll be in gold.
I think their kits are pink.
They're, but I don't know what
they're, if they, what their alternate
keeper kits are, but they look cool.
That's all.
and then we have Lynn Biyendolo,
formerly known as Lynn Williams.
My love for Lynn at one point.
She and Ally Krieger were like
the fastest people in soccer.
They could run as fast as horses.
They're just, Lynn is insane now
she's legs sleeve, Lynn, 'cause
she's been wearing since her injury.
She's been wearing like a leg
sleeve, like Asia Wilson, one sleeve.
I think they have a picture together.
Actually, it makes me really
happy from the Olympics.
But she's won four
championships in the league.
not counting all her
national team accolades.
She is the all time leading
goal scorer in the NWSL.
And then she's also third
in regular season assists.
So if there's anybody in this league who
knows how to Lynn, how to win, it's Lynn.
she's also just silly and fun.
She co-hosts podcasts with Sam s who's
her best friend, like Lynn Williams is
who I feel like everybody wants to know.
Because she's just Lynn and she's there
and she's fun and she's so damn good.
Again, please don't be on Friday.
have a bad night.
I'm not saying you deserve like
food poisoning or anything.
'cause that'd be terrible
and I don't like that.
But like maybe just have
an off night that's all.
Please
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: May.
Maybe the pitch is a little over
watered and it's a little slow or
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
something.
Just something not so great.
But yeah, when you're the all time
leading scorer and also like Lynn
is a player who I don't think people
understand is as good as she is.
Like she's somehow under like underrated.
And I'm like, but it's Lynn Bola.
Like what?
How is this a thing?
But she's number six.
She's amazing.
She's Lynn.
And then
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: least.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
but not least, I talk about her
every season because I love her.
Jess Fishlock, number 10, married
to former teammate Sierra King,
who's now coaching, I think so
in Canada, in the new league up
there, but so good, so wonderful.
She is the face of the
Welsh national team.
I will cry if I talk about the Euros.
They scored, they won like it just,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: It was their
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: it
was their first international tournament
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: goal.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
I'm so glad it happened while
Fishlock was still playing, like
she deserved to be there with them.
Anyway, that's that.
Go look up literally anything the Welsh
national team has posted about Phish.
What, like sponsors have posted.
They have a, there's
a futsal, court pitch.
I don't know what to, what it's called.
'cause it's, it not grass.
Okay.
is it,
or is that the indoor?
Yeah, I'm like, isn't it
just like tennis court?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
It could be both.
Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
but there's one that has like a huge
portrait of her painted on it currently.
Like it's amazing.
she's been with Seattle since
the inaugural season in 2013.
So she's a lifer in the league.
Also at the same time, there was a time
period where the Australian W League
was during the N Wsls off season.
So players would just go like from
the NWSL to Australia and she was a
player coach in 2017 for Melbourne
City, which is the first team in the W
league to win two consecutive titles.
I right.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Okay.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: dang.
And to be a player coach is such a
weird like thing you're playing, you're
coaching, you're like doing both.
And also at a high level, there's
a lot that goes into that.
But I hope, and we should really
all hope that she goes into coaching
after her playing career is done.
She is so smart, so like intelligent
in the same way that I want Tobin to
be talking about soccer all the time.
This is just residual.
I got emotional about
international soccer.
I'm, I don't know, just go away.
We all want Tobin to talk
about soccer forever.
'cause she talks about it in
such a way that's so informative.
It meets you where you are, but it's
also very high level at the same time.
That's how I feel about Fishlock coaching.
It's very approachable.
It's very like normal quote unquote,
but also extremely high iq, big
concepts all over the place.
she's also currently in third for the
most NWSL minutes, played over 180 games.
She's 15,305 minutes
during the regular season.
So if you include playoffs, it's a
few hundred more, which is insane.
But that's the Reign.
They're really good.
They score a lot.
I hope they don't,
that's all.
okay, so then we have Angel
City, and I'm gonna talk about
our offense, our forwards.
Three of the, 4,000.
I feel like we have right now.
There's so many people on this team.
I don't know what's gonna
happen before Friday.
We'll see.
We've got maternity leave, we've got
medical leave, we've got SCI, we've
got loans, we've got everything.
To start off, we're going to start
off with the Alyssa four goals.
Thompson, she is number 21 a forward
hailing from Studio City, from
Harvard Westlake, a storied athletic
high school in the Los Angeles area.
she's cool, she's confident
again, she's got the sauce.
She's gonna have a fricking blast because
you know who can tell her anything?
No one, nobody can tell her
nothing after Saturday because
some of those goals were weird.
Like one goal, Riley Tiernan goes
in, falls down the ball, ricochets
gets to Kennedy Fuller, she kicks it
into Riley Tiernan it 'cause she's
still on the ground in the fetal
position trying to get stepped on it.
Rico Ricochets goes over to Alyssa.
Then goes in off the keeper, like
it just was like a pinball, Like
she can, she's just a presence.
And for being what, 19, 20?
How old is she now?
Young.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: 20.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Not,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
cartilage in her
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
yes, she has cartilage in her knees,
but she's also so worldly on the pitch.
Like it's not like she's I am
barely not a teenager and don't
really know what I'm doing.
She's no.
I got this.
I have scored internationally
at this point.
like it's not scary anymore.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I
think her confidence has been
building ever since her first year
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: And
we saw that there was shakiness,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
because the World Cup, it's the World Cup.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
there was shakiness, there was some
confidence issues or just some kind of,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Stuff.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
stuff she was going through.
But, you can see clearly,
especially these last international
call ups where she's been able
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Oh, she's terrifying.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: dominate
or really show what she can do
that has informed her place out.
So there was like, there was a period LA
last year where she wasn't, scoring much.
She wasn't doing much.
but, or really the beginning of this year.
It's bled into that where like she was
just really becoming an assist queen.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Which that in itself is amazing.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: amazing.
Like she was able to place that ball, but
she wasn't doing her forward attacking
yet, but she was slowly building up to it.
Then she got the international call
up, then she blew out there and then
now it's just been like building and
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
It's awesome.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: we can get,
if we can get like just consistent
braces from her, let's just, you
don't have to go for a full hu, can go
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
But two is fine, one is great, honestly.
One as long as the other team
doesn't also score one or more.
That's fine.
no, she's just such a wonderful talent
and so much fun to watch because she's so
frigging fast and she can run box to box.
There's gonna be a lot of, oh my gods
in the next like five, 10 minutes.
So you have Alyssa, right?
And then we got to see, find us Ya's
daughter for the first time on Saturday.
I mentioned it before because
I have a normal person job.
I can't just sit and watch sports all day.
And it's frustrating 'cause
I don't work from home.
'cause if I did I'd have
a computer and also my tv.
So I did not know much about her play.
I knew there was like.
Rumblings and talk about,
Ooh, she's so good.
She's so good.
She's spicy.
And like we've talked about, like we need
somebody who can just dig in and win.
And we have that a lot in Ri Tiernan.
We have somebody who said,
no, I'll do this myself.
You get me the ball, I
will put it in the net.
do not confuse the two kind of thing.
Jan's daughter has amazing footwork.
She had a couple back heels
that were beautifully placed.
She was connecting with the ball in the
air, getting it on the ground, controlling
it on the ground, taking it from the
d you know, from the opposing team.
there was one place she got beat on.
And then the next thing you know,
she's in front of her defender, or
not in front of her defender, she's
in front of the person with the ball.
On the opposite side of the field.
Like it went from being like, oh no, I
lost the ball to I'm gonna get it back.
And that's the difference
maker in a lot of
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah, a lot of.
Alyssa being another one,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, absolutely.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
like absolutely have for some
reason no of being tired at all.
And they,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
conditioning.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
And they run box to box and,
they're not afraid to drop
into, into a defensive position
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: as
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: there's
other players that like, they lose
the ball and they're like, fuck it.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
That's somebody else's problem now.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I'm just
gonna wait up here until, until
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: ball
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
And sometimes that's your role.
like sometimes it's your role to stay
back so that when the pers their, your
other teammates get the ball back,
they have someone to pitch it to.
So there's nothing wrong with that.
I wanna make that known.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: did she
play at the same time with Riley or,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: oh, okay.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
we started
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: the
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Riley, Alyssa, SveindÃs
Jónsdóttir and Jun,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Ooh,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Mario.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: four up top.
Okay.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Insane.
it was so good.
Jun was playing like, not
just, I, it was so good.
but she, yeah.
not quite, because SveindÃs
Jónsdóttir also has height.
And height is what we've been missing.
In the front line we have Alana Kennedy.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah, that's
the only like tall person we have.
I mean beyond Angelina,
but then she's not in
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
She's not in the mix.
Yeah.
And like my coworker was
at the game on Saturday.
He's oh my gosh, she's so tall.
And we looked it up and was
like, oh, she's my height.
she's my height.
They're Alana Kennedy and SveindÃs are my
height, which like coming from basketball
world that I do, I'm not a tall person,
like I'm short to average basketball
player, women's basketball player height.
So it was just very funny.
We're like, oh my God, she's so tall.
And it's no, she's just Angela Height.
But
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
for the for, for what we have.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
yes, and for the sport still genuinely,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
she's a pest also.
Like she's very aggressive on the ball
in the similarly to Alyssa of okay,
I have the ball now I'm gonna score.
She knocked on that door probably
five or six times where it was
like, she's got, this is going
in the back of the net right now.
She hit a crossbar.
It went, like it was one of those, she
hadn't quite calibrated it yet, but.
It was amazing.
And any time the ball was deflected or it
got away from us, and every time you were
like, dang, I hope we can get the ball.
That's who got the ball.
So I'm very excited to see her in league
play matching up against folks that
haven't necessarily seen her, because
that's gonna be like, or like ace up
our sleeve for a hot second, is having
players that other teams haven't seen.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I'm excited
to see her on, on, on the first,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Yeah, it's gonna be great.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: but yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
And then last but not least, the
re the, my gosh, I can't even
talk the return of Jun Endo.
It's just so good.
I, it's like when somebody's been out.
Same with Christen Press.
When you know you're out for a couple
seasons or a season and a half,
you've reconstructed your body,
you've reestablished your game,
and now you're back on the pitch.
It's like everybody forgot.
How beautiful it is to watch you play.
We remembered that.
It was great, but then you see it live
and you're like, shit, that's great.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I
wanna say there's also a little
bit of extra like sauce in
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Oh, for sure.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
mainly because like her injury
was such an unfortunate one
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: when it
happened, she missed the World Cup.
Like
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: to play
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Or the Olympics.
The Olympics.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: the Olympics
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Olympics.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Oh, okay.
Either way she didn't get
to play for her national
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: she
got the call up and she, everybody
was excited for and yeah, the call
up happened first, I believe, and
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: like
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
four seconds later.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: she got
the ACL injury and it's just oh no.
and so yeah, like I'm, I think
everybody's been her, along with Ali
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: excited to
watch them do recuperating and recovering.
Once Jun got announced that she
was off the SEI list, it was like.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: coming back.
She's, and then now
we're finally getting her
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
she scored a banger of a goal
in that friendly against bay FC.
She looked amazing.
She was making great connections
with Riley Tiernan on Saturday.
So I'm, she's also a playmaker, so she's
not just a Jun endo who can score goals.
She is a playmaker and she will make
so much more happen in that attacking
third, and it's gonna be so good.
she's ready for her comeback.
You can tell on the pitch.
We're all ready for her comeback.
She's like the best
representative of Japan.
I feel like she's like
the Japanese queen of la.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: I, I just,
I, my wish for her is at that first
game, the first league game back at
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: that
she just gets a chance to score
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Same.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: whether
it's a fluke or whether it's
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: No,
I want it to be a banger outside the box.
I want it.
Yeah.
I want it to be revenge on VR,
just like a half a step outside
the box, rifled into the net.
It's gonna be so good.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
And it, it's really nice to see her
coming back and not being afraid because
it's super hard, like coming back.
And I've talked about it a ton
because I know what it's like to
just learn to walk again and be
like, okay, can I jump off this step?
Like just a one step up into a house.
Could I just, can I do that again?
And it's really scary because
you're supposed to trust your
body, but you have reason not to.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Oh
yeah, I went to the, I went to the
movie theater and then I was like,
I'm like, I, I'm feeling better,
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: my lungs
are feeling better and everything.
Went to the movie theater and
like in the middle, went to the
restroom, came back and I was like,
trying to hurry back to my seat.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Oof.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: was
climbing, I was going up the stairs
and my legs started giving out and I
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Oh, slow down.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: down.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Gotta
breathe, gotta put oxygen in my body.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
And when you can come back to your sport
and you play unafraid, it's different.
And it's a different type of energy
because it's almo, it's like vengeful
in a sense, in a really healthy way.
It's vengeful
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
it's no, I can do this again.
This is my job and I'm here
for it, and we're ready to go.
And after she got the, like as she put it,
when soccer turns into Mortal Kombat on
her Instagram, she got sandwiched multiple
times, pushed from behind in the head.
She got tripped.
Like all, it was like attack on Jun.
On Saturday.
In some ways it was weird,
but she took the heat and she
just got up and went with it.
So I'm hoping she wasn't
too shaken after that game.
She played a hell of a game, but like
I just picked three of our attack
that doesn't, I account for Riley
Tiernan, the return of Sid Laue.
Anybody who can score from the
midfield, like we have so much
good that's developing, that's
coming and so much to talk about.
So yeah, it's just gonna be great.
And this matchup is really interesting.
It, oh, hello Hiccups cups.
I need to breathe.
arm record against Seattle is weird.
We've got three wins, one
draw, and eight losses.
And that feels so lopsided.
But when you break it down as to where
those come from, In the Challenge
Cup, we had one draw and three
losses against them and nobody cared.
whatever we matched up had of one
game in the playoffs and that's
the year they went to the finals.
It was Pinot's last season and
we lost on one goal in the 80th
minute or something like that.
Like it wasn't, it was a hard fought game.
But then in league play, we've won
three times, lost four times, so we're
incredibly evenly matched in League Play.
Challenge Cup was whatever
playoff, it was one game.
So I don't know it like, yeah, it's weird.
But yeah, that's Game Friday,
August 1st in Seattle at Lumen
Field, seven 30 on Paramount Plus
and NWSL Plus and iHeartRadio.
And in the Discord.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah,
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: on the Discord.
It's
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
we should be home.
So there should be a, A voice chat, maybe?
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: 30.
They're most likely will chat
with some people, at least.
Definitely for the second half.
Second
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
are down, asleep by then.
And so yeah, at least I can join.
So with all of that, if, you're listening
to us still, you probably like what
you're hearing, hit the subscribe
button wherever you're listening.
if you haven't, check out casual fc.com
for all of the pod links.
we're also on YouTube, so you can
hit the subscribe, the follow the
thumbs up, do all the things on
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more interaction for some reason.
follow us on socials casual
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But we update most of them.
join us on the Discord
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It's free.
Anybody can join.
there's a link in our socials on the bio
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and if you don't see one or if you are
not bothered to do that, just send us a
DM and we'll send you the link directly.
Don't worry about that.
and it's fun and we just get to talk
about a bunch of different things.
There's so many different channels
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
So many things.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: So many things.
We were talking about the Excel,
or I posted up the Excel World
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yep.
On ESPN eight, the ocho.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
which is a thing.
It is a
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
and it's amazing.
best ways to support the pod is to
share, comment on any one of our posts,
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write the review on Apple Podcasts
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It's all about engagement and
it helps other people find, us
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So that's all great.
You can also grab merch.
at our shop we have
shop dot casual fc.com.
We have t-shirts, we have
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angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Big shout out to all the Australians
who have bought Alana Kennedy shirt
after she posted it on her snap.
all of that started happening
the day Eva and I were heading
up to the hospital, go see Mario.
And I'm like trying to troubleshoot in the
car on the, on my phone and being like.
I need every login that I thought I had,
but I don't because I haven't needed them.
it was really funny, like hearing,
hearing Mario's, like harrowing story
of the last two weeks of his life.
And I'm like, but can I
get that Shopify password?
But there's more in the pipeline.
we're merch fans.
We're fans of merch.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
we're fans of merch.
We're fans of East Bay and that's really
what we wanna wanna be the East Bay.
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Yeah.
The East Bay of Angel City.
If you're old enough to remember
that reference, thank you.
Please let us know.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: And then
if you feel so inclined, help support
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out our link on our bio or just
go to buy me a coffee.com/casual
cpod.
it's an easy way to throw us
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there's also a membership option
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So if you can do it and
it's the $1 a month or $2 a
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938: Cool.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938:
or whatever, cool.
That just makes us.
Beyond ecstatic.
Even if you send us a buck, like it's
amazing just to think about people
saying, Hey, I like what you're doing.
Keep it going.
so we appreciate any one of
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with that, tell a friend about
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We package that.
Good luck and we send it to the team.
Apparently they did really well
for this last one, so let's keep
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
Do it again.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: send,
let's send it up to Seattle with
them and with all of that, see
you guys online or, in Discord.
We have the match on Friday.
And have fun everyone.
We'll be back next
angela-guest486_1_07-28-2025_175938:
See you later.
Bye.
mario_1_07-28-2025_175938: Bye.
