Casual FC

Mario: Hey guys, we're on video.

Angela: Hi everyone, and welcome to
Casual FC, an Angel City Preview Pod.

I'm your host, Angela Morales,
with my Oh no, I don't have

adjectives in my brain right now.

My super great, wonderful, mega
cool, awesome co host, Mario

Mario: Yay!

Hello, everyone.

When we're recording this right now, the
lighting in my room is so crappy that

like, when I smile, all I see is teeth.

I'm like, haha!

Angela: It doesn't normally look like
that, so I don't know what is happening.

Yeah, it's not usually that dark.

Mario: Maybe I'm usually closer
to the screen and then it

like, it gives me a soft light.

Angela: A nice soft glow.

Mario: Yeah.

all right.

Well, we're back.

Angela: We're

Mario: We, it's been a while.

This is our match preview for
the match against the San Diego

Wave on Saturday, August 24th.

The Angels are gonna be driving
down to Snappy at for a 1 p.

m.

Angela: us

Mario: p.

m.

This is

Angela: a night game.

But especially at Snapdragon.

Please.

Mario: I don't understand why
the games have been at 1 o'clock

down there, but it is what it is.

Angela: does.

Mario: So Bring your sunscreen.

This is year number three.

You should know.

Just bring your sunscreen.

The match will be broadcast on CBS
and Paramount Plus As well as, that's

what I was trying to say, iHeartRadio.

So go listen to Isaac and Tracey, the
homies, and give them all the love because

they just make you feel like you're there.

But better yet, if you're not
going to make it down to San

Diego, come to our watch party.

We're just going to kick it off
with, come to the watch party.

Angela: yeah, come hang out with
us in Long Beach, we'll be at new,

the greatest, the best new place
basically in Long Beach, in LA County

even, I would go so far as saying.

We'll be at Watch Me Sports Bar

Mario: Oh,

Angela: at noon to kick off our
very first Casual FC Watch Party.

Please come.

Tell everybody you know,

Mario: please.

Angela: to make this a
true Angel City Watch Bar.

there will be two

Mario: Yes,

Angela: City FC official sponsored
watch parties, but come hang out.

Mario: but like we're not gonna talk of
we're not gonna talk about those today.

Angela: one time we

Mario: you can take a Yeah.

The one time I won't like, straight up
say where the Watch Party is because

you know what, there's a better one.

Angela: It's

Mario: and yeah, WatchMe is now an
official bar for ACFC so come down let's

make it known that it's an ACFC bar and
don't don't make us be there by ourselves

Angela: Yeah, we want to make

Mario: that's like my greatest fear

Angela: than us, our significant
others, our family, and like, close,

Mario: yeah

Angela: So

Mario: yeah

Angela: just come have fun.

You know you don't want to drive
all the way down to San Diego.

Long

Mario: nah

Angela: great food.

WatchMe has fantastic food.

They've got Cocktails.

They've got mocktails.

They've got all kinds of stuff.

Their menu is very good.

I'm very excited to have
their wedge salad again.

honestly, it's so good.

this summer has me as a, salad
connoisseur between wedge salads,

cucumbers, and watermelon.

It's all I want to eat.

So trust me, it's a damn good salad.

Mario: Alright, and you can
make it if I'm going to make it.

I'm traveling from the Valley down
to Long Beach, so you know my, mine

is already a trek to get down there,
but I am getting down there, so

Angela: Definitely.

And if you need help taking the
Metro, hit me up, let me know, I

will get you from anywhere Metro LA
will take you down to Long Beach.

I am well versed, for those who don't
know, I was in a very serious car accident

20 years ago next week, the day before
Tuesday, if we're dropping this on

Wednesday like normal, then yesterday.

It'll be 20 years since my
crazy car accident on the 91.

And, I am a public transit mega user.

So if anybody needs help
with that, hit us up.

I got you.

And

Mario: yep,

Angela: if you need to know anything more
about WatchMe, go listen to the episode we

recorded with Jax, one of the co owners.

She is

Mario: it's so great.

Angela: One of the best
people I've ever met.

She's so much fun.

She's so genuine.

She loves what she does.

Go listen to it if you haven't already.

It's a good time.

Mario: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

so we are coming back from a little
bit of a break, and by break a week

. And not even 'cause we're recording.

We're recording this episode,
because of schedules.

We're recording this on a Friday.

Normally we record the week
of the match on a Monday, but.

We were trying to take a break because
we went all out for Olympics coverage.

we did an episode to
preview every single group.

And then we did an episode after
every single round, and tried

to get it out like the next day.

And it was just, it was insane for

Angela: a

Mario: us.

Yeah.

So

Angela: And

Mario: we're back.

Angela: didn't do an
episode for The Friendly.

We needed a minute.

Mario: Yes, we don't know what's gonna
happen in that friendly because we are

recording right before it, all we know is,
to jump ahead a little, CP's back, she'll

be back at BMO for the first time, and
hopefully we get to see her on the pitch,

but you guys will know before we do.

Angela: Absolutely.

So, in this little break, we had a
little bit of Olympic recovery because,

I don't know about you, but that just
about consumed my brain for two weeks

Mario: Yep.

Angela: way.

I'm better for it.

All of us are better for it.

There was so much true
showing of the Olympic spirit.

Like just thinking about it, I'm
like, Ooh, the one thing I want

to talk about is going to make me
cry, so I'm not going to do it.

But just there's so much good that's
come out of this, these games, so

much scandal and not just Canadian
soccer scandal, like genuine scandal,

gymnastics scandal, boxing scandal,

Mario: Scandal

Angela: scandal, like the
most scandalous Olympics.

but the cool thing is, the,
so we play, Angel City and San

Diego plays on Saturday the 24th.

On the 28th, the Paralympics
kickoff on Peacock.

You already have the subscription.

You already got the login.

Mario: yep, and if you only,

Angela: sports.

Mario: and if you only paid for a month,
hey you've got it for a couple days, it's

probably going to want you to be like,
pay for another month because watching the

Paralympics is going to be pretty awesome,

Angela: email addresses.

If you are a

Mario: get that,

Angela: younger, you've got seven,

Mario: yeah, get that VPN going,
yeah, I think I have Four.

I was trying to log into something
recently and I was just like,

clicking on the like saved passwords
and then it brought up a whole

list and I was like, holy crap.

I still have these emails

Angela: right?

Mario: they haven't been deleted yet.

Angela: they haven't been
automatically shut down.

I think I can still log into a Hotmail,
like my very first email account,

Mario: Whoa.

Angela: rockstar material 34 at hotmail.

com.

You're welcome.

Oh

Mario: My first email was an MSN email.

Yeah.

I think it came with like my Netscape.

Whatever.

Angela: yeah.

Mario: Alright, also,

Angela: millennial nostalgia moment.

Oh.

Mario: Alright, also, the USL Super
League, the other women's league that,

for some unknown reason, is also a
Tier 1, Division 1, soccer league

here in the US, has started too.

They've kicked off their inaugural season,
I haven't looked into it just yet, but

more soccer, what can you go wrong with?

And honestly, the more eyes that
are on just kind of sports in

general, the better it's going to be.

the WSL

Angela: well.

Mario: England.

Yeah.

Angela: and does well.

Cause eventually what will happen is
most likely what happened with the ABL

and the WNBA is they just got absorbed
and one went away and a league expanded

a little bit and players got absorbed,
that kind of thing, which is a shame

in some ways, but also cool in others
because it means that one league is

so strong, it can just absorb it.

So we'll

Mario: My, my, my secret hope is that,
the NWSL, that women's soccer will

be the first one to implement ProRal.

Angela: Ooh.

Mario: That eventually,

Angela: ready for that?

Mario: you don't know, you don't know
how many, like, How many, football

fans that I've talked to and explained
what pro rel means and the number one

thing I always tell them, I'm like,
okay, you know how bad the Browns

have sucked for so long, right?

Imagine they just were never there because
they sucked that bad, they were gone.

Angela: What if they
just But the hard part

Mario: yeah.

Angela: there are other issues
that come with relegation.

Funding, sponsorships, all kinds of stuff.

So like a

Mario: Yeah,

Angela: folded couple months back.

I don't know.

Yeah.

We're,

Mario: But I think,

Angela: on shutting women's teams down.

So that's the one thing
where I'm nervous about that.

Mario: yeah, although I do think that a
pro rel situation, if you want the drama

in those, final, moments of the season,
you're gonna have fun and excitement at

the beginning of the season, everybody's
all excited, you're gonna have fun.

Excitement during, getting up to
those playoffs and stuff like that.

But the fun excitement that you get
from the English, or from, every

other league that has ProRel is,
Okay, you're looking at both the top

and the bottom of that stack, right?

the bottom ones are even more
exciting because you're like,

Oh, what's gonna happen?

And then, I think if they play it
upright, and Essentially create

a spectacle out of it, right?

If they make it a spectacle and make
it make it like the, who's going

to be the champion is a big thing.

And you can, I think you can,
even in a pro rel, you can

still have your, playoffs.

Because what's going to happen is that
you're going to have, you're going

to have that, that relegation match.

That's right.

Before the playoff kick.

So that's like your playoff,
kickoff match, right?

You're gonna have the excitement
of who's about to go down, right?

Who's about to get kicked
out of the top league.

That, gets all resolved.

Holy mother, San Diego
just got kicked out.

Angela: I

Mario: and then you go into the playoffs.

Angela: my worry.

My worry is that Angel City
is not consistent enough.

As it stands in this moment, currently,
as we are recording, to not give

Mario: know what?

Angela: attack every season.

So

Mario: I,

Angela: years, then I'll start

Mario: give it like a
five year grace period.

Angela: yeah, actively supporting, ProRel.

Mario: I've thought about this before,
even with like the MLS, because

there's too many damn teams in the MLS.

there's 30, they're probably gonna
add 40 by the end of the decade.

it's dumb.

And I'm like, exactly.

I'm like, yeah, just do it.

Be like, okay, it's going
to be announced like 2030.

We're going to, we're moving to ProRel.

So your record up until then, the
combined record is what you're going to,

Angela: Mhm.

Mario: is going to determine who moves
into the lower and who stays on the top.

and it gives you the incentive.

I hate it in like baseball, in Basketball
in just any other sport where you're

just like you're the crappiest team
and you're like, yeah our players are

still getting paid millions and they'll
still get paid millions next season.

It's just But then they have no invest
like they like have no investment.

They don't want to actually be there.

They don't care

Angela: Yeah.

Yeah.

Mario: So

Angela: the drive to win and that need to
fight for it kind of changes if there's

like guaranteed bazillions of dollars.

Mario: At the top you have the
drive to win at the bottom you

have the drive to survive, you know

Angela: yeah,

Mario: So,

Angela: fair.

Mario: okay,

Angela: I'll

Mario: alright,

Angela: But there's so much

Mario: USL's,

Angela: guys.

Mario: oh yeah, the WSL in England
is going to be starting up in late

September, so just, it's going to be
all over the place, again, it's going

to be great, and the Summer Tournament,
That we were so invested in, but now

we don't care, is going to finalize
the summer tournament in October.

all kinds of fun, funny stuff
that's happening everywhere.

Angela: Definitely.

So quick little recap of the Chaos Award.

The last one we gave out was to a
stupid amount of bass, thanks to a rave.

Mario: I might have to add a
little snippet of the rave.

Angela: and

then to add to that, we've
got the Olympic break.

There's a whole bunch of trades, signings.

And then, as more teams are calling it,
Mutual Partings of the Way, and it has

been a very interesting summer like today,
it's Friday, the, what day is it, 16th,

Mario: So we are halfway.

It's the 16th.

We're halfway through or just past halfway
through the Summer transfer window.

So and we've only got one Transfer

Angela: yeah, and Carson Pickett went
back to Orlando as of this morning,

Mario: Yeah

Angela: deal.

There's rumors as to why it gets into
relationship stuff, which I'm not

gonna talk about because it's none
of my business, but it's holy crap.

that was a big breaking news in and
Eva's text conversation this morning.

It was, oh my god, Gordson
Pickett's back in Orlando,

which I think is better for her.

And I said it earlier this season,
I think Orlando's gonna take it.

Because they have better defense
than Kansas City does at the moment.

But

Mario: Okay,

Angela: Marta did not get a gold medal.

I'm still mad about it, I want
her to win a championship.

Just, that's it.

Let her have it.

Mario: okay Hypothetical

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: If it came down to Marta getting
her medal or us going on a crazy ass run,

not medal, to get her championship and
us going on a crazy ass run to win that

championship, which one are you going for?

Angela: That's a coin flip for me

Mario: miracle, we just went
untweeted again for 15 games,

Angela: just

Mario: we make it all the way
through the end of the season.

Yeah, exactly.

Angela: that's a very good
question because I love my team.

I love Angel City.

Mario: We are homers here.

Angela: Yeah, big time, but
like, Orlando's hittin Like,

they're on the come up right now.

And I think coming off of the Olympics,

is gonna, is going to,
put teams on notice.

And there's a lot of Vindication, I
think, that's gonna come out of the

players from those two national teams.

Be for a variety of reasons.

And I have a feeling
they're gonna go on a tear.

But,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: what happens.

I just hope everybody stays healthy.

I know, Oh shoot, what's her name?

Who plays for, she's the other
Zombian player that came in.

Oh shoot, I forgot her

Mario: they came into,

Angela: But she's out

Mario: they came into Orlando.

Oh.

So

Angela: But she hasn't played too

Mario: she got, yeah,

Angela: Yeah.

But

Mario: she got the, the press
treatment or the, Sydney treatment.

Sydney came in and then went
right back out when she got here.

Angela: with Syd

Mario: Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Angela: doctors and her.

It wasn't like it was
hidden, it was unknown.

This one happened,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: the break.

we'll see what happens.

you alluded to it, but
we did get a transfer in.

We've got Katie Zellum coming in from,
Manchester United, which is exciting.

We'll

Mario: Manchester.

Angela: But, there is of another
signing, maybe two, but really

been confirmed on our end.

We haven't been able to, to get
any intel from anybody we know.

it's a

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: but we got two weeks
to figure this shit out.

So fingers crossed,

Mario: Yeah.

Yeah.

I will remind everybody.

Angela: no, I just

Mario: You don't wanna, what?

Angela: I don't want, I
don't want the season to end.

I want to at least have one more game.

That's it.

Just at least get us into the playoffs.

Mario: I will mention and remind
everybody that the, even though the

transfer window does close, August 30th,
it only means the ability to transfer

someone that already has a contract.

So usually someone from either,
does it count inter interleague?

It might count interleague, but

Angela: interleague contracts.

Mario: and specifically,
international contracts.

if a player is on a contract,
so we're like, there's a

transfer fee and all that stuff.

That's what has to happen
during this window.

If it's an international player
who's out of contract, so we

don't have to deal with the club,

Angela: Yeah.

If they're

Mario: can come in whenever.

Angela: out of contract,
yeah, that can happen

Mario: Yeah, they can come in
up until the roster freeze.

So you know, don't get your hopes up
completely if the nothing happens.

Although I will.

Angela: my

Mario: like I need,

Angela: player, but there's been
no rumors of where she's going.

She hasn't signed yet.

And

Mario: like two weeks ago.

Angela: I think we all did.

Mario: Like it's.

As soon as the window opened, they
should have just said look, here are

the three signings we were done with,
we worked, we don't even want to wait

till the end of the month, here you go.

Angela: stressed.

Mario: yeah, and I think on Reddit I was
reading and someone was like, oh, they

probably, if they do have anything to
announce, they were probably holding it

back to give CP her moment to come back.

I'm like, okay, fair, but also
we've been waiting three years for

Angela: Yeah,

Her game back in BMO, we all scratch
the itch, everybody's good to go.

But speaking of games, Summer Cup end?

Yeah, tell me about that.

Tell us about the standings.

what's going

Mario: summer,

Angela: give people a refresher.

Mario: okay, so quick refresher.

We ended up the, season, we ended
up the regular season, with a

game against Gotham at home.

We lost two to one, don't really want
to talk about it again, stupid amounts

of base going on that entire match.

And then this summer cup happened that we.

Didn't care about, but we totally
cared about because we were going on

a tear and we were learning things
and we were like, we were fluid.

We were doing great.

And then we get to this last match,
we got weird and it was awesome.

And then we get to this last match
and then we reverted back to in

season ball and went to shit and

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: we lost.

Um, yeah.

Yeah.

Angela: I told you, you
can't sleep on Gotham.

Mario: Yeah, so Gotham put us in
a bad mood at the end of the break

and then put us in a bad mood at the
end of this summer cup run for us.

Angela: But

Mario: yeah, forget them.

we don't have to,

Angela: so

Mario: yes,

Angela: on

Mario: Gotham 2.

0 out there.

but with that being said, we are.

starting a new, we're looking
at this with fresh eyes.

We're coming back to the name of
NWSL, second half of the season.

Really, it's like the
last third of the season.

But, to recap, where we're at, , we're
currently in 11th place, still tied

on 15 points with the San Diego wave.

they're in 10th place
because of gold differential.

We have a, they have a negative five.

We have a negative 10 in the
gold differential department.

our.

Win loss draw record for the
regular season so far has been a

4 9 3, so four wins, nine draw,
nine losses and three draws.

So yeah, not, we've been talking
about it, not the retweeted.

magic that we had at
the end of last season.

and we were hoping, we're hoping
that the getting weird during this

summer cup is really what's going to
turn this around and get us going.

the thing that kept us In a relatively
safe spot, as we were coming up those

last couple of matches has been that
everybody from like eighth place down just

kept losing or kept trying, kept tying.

Angela: There,

Mario: kept everybody pretty much,
no, there was no real big changes.

on the bright side of all of that, beyond
that is the fact that there's only three

points between us and the playoff line.

so it's.

It's feasible, for us to
get into the playoffs.

let's just keep the hope.

And, with the fact that I just said
that we're tied on 15 points with

the San Diego Wave that makes this
next matchup that we're about to

talk about an honest six point match.

this is going to be a huge
result for either side.

And it's not like either
side has been doing great.

So we need this.

We need this win.

Angela: Yeah.

So with that, there's a whole
bunch of stuff to talk about.

Not even player wise, just as I
put in my notes, there's some weird

ass shit going down in San Diego.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: that said, I hope all of the
players and front office employees

that aren't involved in all the
hot trash that's happening down

there, I hope they're doing okay.

Because regardless, you're impacted
by your workplace being in a

big sense of upheaval right now
and like massive shenanigans.

And I can't imagine that things
are great going to work right now.

It seems, I'm assuming given
that I've worked in very volatile

situations before, unfortunately,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: When light is shown on
people behaving badly, it usually

gets worse before it gets better.

So I'm having this, I have this gut
feeling that it's not so great right now

Mario: Yeah, everybody's watching,
walking on eggshells, like it's, you

don't want to get the wrong person,
yeah, the wrong person unfortunately

getting irked the wrong way.

You're just like, look, this shouldn't
be the environment we need to be in, but

apparently that's what it's going to be,

Angela: the regular folks, like
the normies that are just like,

I'm just here to do my job.

I hope they're doing okay.

I hope the players are fine.

kind of thing.

But

Mario: Yeah,

Angela: yeah, news broke today,

Mario: yes, today, right?

Yeah.

Angela: today, something
like that, that, the, for.

Angelino's, the Landon Donovan is
now the interim coach of San Diego.

In my notes, I literally wrote, okay,
Jill, and that's no offense to him,

but this is also how I feel about if
you're a Laker fan, JJ Redick, you're

bringing in someone who has little
to no experience in this realm, this

level, with this population of people.

Yes, they were professional players.

So there is that experience,
but like in WOSO,

Mario: okay, it, yes, not in WOSO, yep,

Angela: I genuinely have
nothing against Landon Donovan.

He's just, I walked by him one time.

That's it.

I, I, I don't really watch men's soccer.

It's whatever, but my issue, this is
like my issue across women's sports,

is bringing in men who have no history
the women's side of the game, because

it is very different in basketball and
soccer, just about in every sport where

there's like comparable leagues and being
like, they coach this like youth league.

He had a podcast, whatever.

now you can coach his team because
Ari Chambers says this very well.

Women's sports is not a stepping stone.

It's not there.

to your career off of to
then go coach for the men.

nah.

And that's what this

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: This also feels very, not
like what's nepotism when it's

like your buddies where it's not
like you're not related, but it's

there's a word for it, but I can't

Mario: code?

Angela: now.

It's like the good old boy network, but in
this case there's men and women involved.

so Paul Buckle, who was the interim
Diego coach after they removed

Casey Stoney, which still nobody
understands why nobody likes it.

It's the very odd decision.

But we're

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: I think, finding out why.

he took over for Casey.

was a former coach who coached
with at the San Diego Loyal,

who got demolished by the MLS

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: because they needed to
have a San Diego team, which as you

said, there's way too many teams,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: but then gutted a wonderful
fan base for a team whose logo looks

like a Ford F 150 logo, but in, in
private discussions before this.

Both with Eva and with Mario, I literally
have called them the San Diego Ford F 150s

because that's what their logo looks like.

it's it's,

Mario: There's a lot of There's a lot of,

Angela: boring frat boy of Oh, here's
my like blue shirt and blue pants.

Cause I'm a boy.

that's what it feels like.

so stereotypical.

Mario: There's a lot of chrome accents
on the logo itself, which is like, why?

Angela: It legit looks
like a car logo, right?

Mario: Yeah, it,

Angela: so many people have
been like, what is this?

Mario: it, someone went happy with the,
the metallic swatches in Photoshop,

just to, ooh, give that a little shine.

so yeah, I mean, it is what it is.

I think I have, I don't know anything
beyond the fact that Landon is,

Angela: Probably fine.

Mario: a fine, he's a well, he's a very
well known, very well received, very,

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: he's a big name, he's a

Angela: Yeah, he's American men's

Mario: Soccer Royalty,

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: yeah, for both National and MLS.

Angela: yeah, I don't want it to

Mario: But, I agree with, I,

Angela: but I don't
get why you would pick.

him to come in.

Mario: No, I agree with you.

I agree with you in that, I, he is
coming into this without any, as far as

we know, and we did a really top level
cursory, like Wikipedia check basically.

But from that top level check, it
doesn't seem like there's anything.

On that kind of WOSO development,
like really being part of the

community or the league or anything
like that, that he was a part of.

And it's just Oh, Hey,
you've got a cool name.

and people know you, let's
put you into this spot.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: do well.

he might very well do completely fine.

He might be

Angela: very stacked team of players.

you have the world's best defender in
Naomi Gurma who covered all of France and

most of Europe during this Olympic Games.

You've got Morgan and the
leadership of Alex Morgan.

there's world class players on San Diego,
but I did in a text message to a couple

friends Angel City should have Kobe
Jones like sub head coach for this game

they have to fight on the sidelines.

just duke it out or they have to
kick PKs to see who wins the game.

Like, why not at this point?

I was also really proud

Mario: teammate against teammate.

Angela: men's soccer players,

Mario: they are,

Angela: They're

Mario: they are L.

A.

legends.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: L.

A.

legends and, and, we know Kobe.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: he's part of the,

Angela: both

Mario: part of the crew.

Angela: good stewards

Mario: he's part of the right side.

Yeah,

Angela: Also, this is probably I think
it is, but I think it's hysterical.

Mario: it's just silly.

all right,

Angela: scissors competition to see
who, I don't know, something like just.

It's already freaking weird, okay,
I very much feel like, okay Jill,

that's a decision, but it very much
feels like somebody who's in trouble

is trying to assert their dominance
and said, I'm picking this person.

Whether or not they're the best
person for the role, who knows?

Mario: yeah, it is interim.

Hopefully they are looking
elsewhere and not just making the

this is interim for now and then
we're just making it official.

yeah, So we'll see what
happens down there.

But with all of that being said,

Miss Press is back.

Angela: she is

Mario: again, because again, we're,
I'm saying possibly as in that we

didn't see the, we're recording this
before the waters match, so I don't

know if she's, back, on the field
with BMO or at BMO or anything, but

we'll see what happens down there.

Yes, and.

it's exciting.

It's, I, we got a flood on the Discord.

We got a flood of Christen Press,
highlight videos for a lot of us casuals

to watch, and we, fully enjoying them.

I'm excited, and I'm looking forward
to getting to see more of what she's

doing, and learning more about her, I'm,
I think we had this conversation when

we were talking with, with Pandemonium,
too, because of the age gap that we

had between, between, everybody that
was, like, recording, and we were

just talking about, we each have

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: Yeah, we're just

Angela: so old.

Mario: but we each have a different in
point who are your national team players?

Who are your NWSL players?

And so for me, my in point with
Christen Press is Angel City.

it, it hasn't been

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: previous to that,

Angela: poorly used as a sub
by Jill Ellis, Christen Press.

Was she a super sub?

Absolutely.

Was she a game changer?

100%.

Should she have probably
started some games?

Yes.

Anyway.

I'm very excited.

I'm very excited to see her play in BMO

Mario: but she's back.

She's back.

Angela: she's back

Mario: Yeah,

Angela: it's for four minutes
or 24 minutes or 44 minutes.

any is good and I'm very excited.

San Diego, I'm not, I thought
about this a lot today.

I was, when I was putting, notes together.

I don't really know, Who and what
and where is going to happen?

Because I feel like they're still going to
be resting their international folks with

the exception of maybe Kaitlyn Sheridan.

Who, that's somebody whose opinion
on the Canadian situation I

want to hear from as a keeper.

her game plan isn't
necessarily as impacted.

Mario: yeah.

Angela: It is, but not as much, or
in different ways, I should say.

But I'd be very curious to have
an off the record conversation,

just be like, tell me everything.

like I said, I like chisme, I like
gossip, I just don't like my own drama.

I don't want, I don't want it for
me, but when other people have it,

if they want to share, please do.

but, I almost said staffing,
but like player movement wise,

Sierra Ang left to go to France.

They just recently signed
Delphine Cascarino from France.

So they got one, they got rid
of one person to go to France,

got another one from France.

will be a midfielder or forward
depending on where they put her.

Number 69 because that's her cities.

I was trying

Mario: am I ? Am I 12 yet?

Angela: She said it's because
it's a number of her city, which

I'm curious what that means.

I don't know if it's like a postal
code or something like that.

Mario: I've heard that before
with French cities, yeah.

Yeah.

Angela: Yeah, so I don't know
what that means, like how to

correlate it to American postal
stuff, or like city nomenclature.

But, she's number 69.

You'll see her most likely.

I don't know if she's in training
yet, because they just announced

it today, yesterday, so.

she is coming back off of an ACL
tear, so I'll be very curious

to see how much she's played.

if there's rest she needs to
move off of, something like that.

But, Angel City.

I'm very excited to talk about our team
right now, I'm very, I feel, I'm hopeful.

I'm hopeful because we had rest, we
had relaxation, we had recovery, most

importantly, and I think we're due.

We're due for a big one.

So I hope this is it,

we talked about her a little bit earlier,
Katie Zellum was Came across the pond,

was warmly welcomed at Tom Bradley
Terminal by so many of our supporter

Mario: Yep.

Angela: members.

It was really cool and you could
tell she was genuinely surprised.

oh my god, kind of thing coming off
the plane with her like 18 suitcases

of I just moved to a new country.

very gracious, very excited to play
for the team, which is always good.

She's played for Liverpool.

is it Juventus or how
do you pronounce this?

I don't know.

Mario: you uve, you ventus.

Angela: Juventus.

Spanish

Mario: the J is

Angela: yeah, but it's Italian.

It's just confusing.

Mario: J is silent, so
it's more the U, Uvendis.

You draw

Angela: experience.

She scored 40 goals across 10
seasons of playing with those teams.

She was in the English team system.

She has a few caps for the senior team.

So she's definitely paid her dues,
done her time, established herself

as a professional soccer player.

She is very crafty I had to look her up
because I rarely watch overseas sports

because I don't like to get up early

that's a sacrifice I have to
make, but she is apparently very

Mario: the line at sports
for early warnings.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Angela: But hey, good things came
from the 2020 2021 Tokyo Games.

And yeah, as that's how Eva and
I wound up getting together.

For those who don't know, I don't remember
if I've told that part of the story.

But yeah, shenanigans.

but no, Katie's Elm is, it's,
She is good off both feet.

She, she's willing to take risks
to win balls back, to break

up plays, all kinds of stuff.

she's a player we need, like in skill
set, like we need somebody in the

midfield who's an attacking mid, who's
willing to just say, screw it and go.

And if you have an opening,
you have an opening.

If you can make that
pass, you make that pass.

get, weird, but also
get exciting, get risky.

What else is there to lose?

like we don't have much
to lose anymore as a team.

Let's go for it.

The interesting thing, dun, is that
she'll be wearing number four, which

for those who are longtime Angel
City fans, we have not seen number

four grace the field since the first
season it has been on loan since then.

Diva Nessa Gilles.

We're number four.

I don't know, it doesn't, Becky
says it doesn't mean anything.

Vanessa said she wanted to come
back to Angel City, but girl, win.

we'll use your number, because
we're starting to run out.

Mario: she doesn't want to
come back to Angel City.

Angela: girl,

Mario: She's just, it's,

it's the log line she needs to say,
but she doesn't want to come back.

yes.

Katie, take the number four.

Make the number four yours.

That is, you're gonna be, yeah.

It is gonna be amazing.

Angela: Yeah.

So that's Katie very
excited to see her play.

I don't think we're going to see her
during the Juarez match, but I think

we'll see her in the San Diego match.

Just because she's just starting
training like this week.

we'll see what happens.

But to the nitty gritty now, the
stuff I've been most excited about.

Christen, Mother F'n Press, number
23, inaugural signing of Angel City.

The woman a flag was made
of and flown at, the reason

a flag was flown at an LAFC game.

Like, we wanted the NWSL to come to
Los Angeles, but we really wanted

Christen F'n Press to come back home.

it's a twofold situation.

So she's back, y'all.

She's back.

She's back.

She's back.

this is what I've been waiting for
two years, three years, because

Mario said, there's so many people
who are newer to women's soccer

through Angel City that don't know
the beauty of Christen Press's game.

I'm already getting emotional.

This is so irritating.

it's because I'm tired.

This has been a very long week.

Personally, professionally, it's
just been, it's been a lot this week.

but girl's back and honestly, I would say
better than ever because she is in a much

better place coming back from this injury.

She's talked about it a lot,
how she healed herself while

healing her physical injury.

finding the love of the game back, finding
the love of herself, like finding that

part of it again, huge, very excited.

She's amazing.

She's crafty.

I spoke about it before one of the,
Summer Cup games, I think, when

it was like, she's coming back.

You have, like, when she has the
ball and she's looking to score, you

have to, you cannot take your eyes
off her because she has no wind up.

She just shoots.

does it in stride.

She does it without shifting
her body in a way that makes it

look like she's going to score.

It's just freaking cool.

There's clips in the discord.

So obviously go jump in the discord and
come hang out with us bunch of weirdos.

I love this group of people.

Honest to God, this is like the
17 new friends I didn't know I

needed because it's gotten me
through a couple of tough weeks.

So thanks.

Thanks guys.

Thanks friends.

So like I said, Christen, number 23.

A foreword, the inaugural signing of this
team, leads me to our second signing,

which is a lovely fact that's brought
up by one of the members in our discord,

who's a very good friend, but the
second signing of Angel City was at M.

A.

Vignola.

the cool, crazy, weird,
cosmic interventions

Mario: the way our first season went.

Angela: Yeah, so M.

A.

got hurt in preseason year one.

She did not come back until
very late in the season and then

was a frickin lightning bolt.

And I was like, oh, her, that's,
I like her, I want, yes, that.

More of that,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: M.

A.

is lightning in a bottle, just
so energetic, so exciting.

A winger that just will play end to end.

She's just everywhere.

Like she's here.

She's there.

She's every effing where she's M.

A.

Like honestly, that's how I see her.

but she's back from injury as well.

The game, the summer cup game,
last game we played against Gotham

was the first game that the two of
them had been on the pitch at the

same time in Angel City history.

Mario: It's insane.

It's insane to think.

Angela: hurt and three weeks later M.

A.

came back.

So I need an M.

A.

CP connection.

I will explode.

I will cry.

I will be so happy.

Please, please, soccer gods give it to me.

Mario: use what, use, use Juarez as
a, as like a, another let's get weird

session because it is a friendly
and it doesn't matter to the season.

So try shit out

Angela: go.

Yeah, this

Mario: and let's go and let's,

Angela: positive versions
of F Around and Find Out.

just, shit, see what happens,

Mario: yeah.

Angela: Just launch the
ball down the pitch.

Somebody will get it.

No, but I'm so excited for the
two of them on the pitch together.

So excited.

There's still one mystery
signing at least floating around.

Mario: Yeah.

It's,

I believe now with Katie,
we're at 25, right?

We're at 25,

Angela: 24.

Mario: players.

We're still at 24?

Angela: Yeah, because it was, got
rid of Clarice, Paige, and Mandy.

Mario: Okay.

okay.

We're at 24.

So there, we have two, two more spots.

Yep.

so let's, hopefully we get the
news that we want and we don't

have to do another one of these.

I have to interrupt the recording to
be like, okay, this happened and it's

really important, so I need to say it.

But we You know what?

I take that back.

I want it to happen so I can do
that because we need the news.

We need something.

Angela: we need something,

Mario: All right, all

Angela: in the next two weeks.

I have a feeling there's going
to be news coming out real soon.

Mario: so

Angela: anyway, but

Mario: Against San Diego,
how are we looking?

And, both teams aren't looking
so hot this season, but whatever,

we're talking about this one match.

Angela: Yeah.

Our matchup though has really evened
out over the course of the last year.

From this point, the last this point last

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: to now evened out.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: we're sitting at three
wins, four draws and three losses.

So very even keeled across the

Mario: Very even, yeah.

Angela: yeah, and just a reminder,
the game against San Diego where M.

A.

scored is when the season turned around.

So I'm just saying this is a big deal.

Mario: An M.A.

Christenten connection undeTWEEDed streak?

Angela: Let me

Mario: Putting that out into the universe.

Angela: let me wear my
shirts in public again.

We have plenty of people who have them.

We all want to wear them again with pride.

Mario: Yes.

Angela: oh, I need to do laundry.

yeah.

But just a reminder, we're
having a watch party.

We are hosting a watch party at,

Mario: Yes.

Angela: Watch me sports bar in
Long Beach off PCH and 2nd, sorta.

If anybody needs directions or
help or anything, hit us up.

I've been there.

It's great.

It's wonderful.

It's going to be packed, regardless
cause it just is, which is the best

Mario: Yes.

Angela: So for anybody who's not
making the trek all the way down

to Snapdragon with a bucket of
sunscreen in their car, feel free

to just come hang out in Long Beach.

It'll be probably 20 degrees cooler.

Way cooler with people that you like.

So

Mario: Yep.

Angela: I don't know.

We'll

Mario: share our post.

if you've never shared a post
of ours at any point in this

podcast life, share this one.

Let's make sure we're all down there.

We're all watching the game with.

virtual friends with real friends like
let's get together let's have fun let's

have some drinks have some food have some
chants and it's gonna be fun it's gonna

be amazing and i can't wait to see angel
city on every single screen in there

Angela: know.

Mario: for two hours like
it's gonna be amazing

Angela: I'm excited to hang out with Jax.

I'm excited to hang out with you.

I'm excited.

I'm just freaking excited.

We're, it's just going to be fun guys.

Just come hang out.

Worst case.

case.

Best case.

Just best case we hang out.

Mario: Yeah, we get, we win.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: all So that means Saturday, August
24th, San Diego Wave versus Angel City

FC will be at Snapdragon Stadium, 1 PM.

Bring all the sunscreen in the world.

And remember to apply.

Remember to reapply.

halftime is a great time to reapply.

You need to reapply some block, people.

It's not just a one and done thing.

Especially at a 1PM game where
you're gonna be sweating like crazy.

You're gonna be under the sun.

Angela: It's

it's gross.

You're gonna have to reapply
and it's gonna be gross.

Maybe bring some baby

Mario: Uh.

Angela: wipe it down and then reapply.

Mario: Yeah, and if you can't make it
down to the stadium, and you can't make

it down to our watch party, or one of
the other watch parties that's happening,

the game will be streaming and broadcast
on CBS and Paramount Plus, and you can

always listen to the game on iHeartRadio.

So listening to Isaac and
Tracey, which we absolutely love.

If there was a way we could pipe Isaac
and Tracey's Audio, that'd be amazing.

but yes, we love them and yeah.

so yeah, That's what we're doing.

follow us if you've reached it this
far and you plan on coming, you

don't plan on coming, you like what
you hear, all of that good stuff.

hit subscribe on the pod, wherever
you're listening from, or if

you need a link, go to casualfc.

com for all of the good links.

We also have a Discord, as we've been
alluding to, so the link is in our bio.

Help us grow this casual
FC community, it'll be fun.

super casual, just fun random chats.

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Good luck.

There was a lot of good
luck that was being.

Brought for the Olympics, there was a
lot of good luck that was being brought

for the beginning of that Summer Cup.

We cannot, vouch for the strategic things
that happened in that last match, but the

vibes and the, the, the luck was there.

Angela: pedal to the metal
on the good luck train.

Mario: yep, all the way down the
snappy, we will send that good luck

with our team, and hopefully we get
a nice, decisive win with both M.

A.

on the field.

CP on the field.

The Thompson's on the field.

Syd at some point,

Angela: like we

Mario: right?

let's just put everybody in there.

Yes.

And with that, everyone, thank you
for listening and we'll see you later.

Bye.

Angela: you, bye!