Mario: All right.
Welcome to Casual FC, an Angel City
match preview and footy therapy pod.
Blah, blah, blah.
Welcome to Casual FC, an Angel City
match preview and footy therapy pod
featuring two certified podcast footy
therapist, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
Angela: To what?
Mario: Damn, you take a
week off and you're likeâ¦
All right.
Angela: What's it like
carrying an episode by yourself, Mario?
Mario: Welcome to Casual FC,
an Angel City match preview and
footy therapy pod featuring two
certified podcast footy therapists.
I'm your host, Mario Salazar,
with my regular-sized, host,
co-host here, Angela Morales.
She is not going to be huge on your
screen because she's the only one talking.
We are both here today on a
muggy, somewhat cool, somewhat
soupy day after the rains in LA.
happy El Niño,
Angela: Yep.
Happy Climate Change Has
Officially Ruined Everything
Mario: Wee.
Angela: Yeah, it's Labor Day, guys.
happy Hopefully most of
you had the day off work.
Happy good job for unions.
Happy good job for labor rights.
hope everybody is chilling and relaxing,
and we have so much to talk about.
much
Mario: A lot has happened even just today.
so we are taking advantage of the day off.
We are, as you can see,
recording during the daylight.
normally it's like harsh, overhead
lights or whatever we have in our house.
But, yeah, we're recording during
the day because it's a holiday and we
both have the day off, and this leaves
us free for the rest of the week.
So
Angela: honestly.
I'mâ¦
Mario: it
Angela: So really quick,
Mario: Yeah, no, go ahead
Angela: phone, it's because I'm just
refreshing more soccer shenanigans.
It's
Mario: Okay
Angela: on Monday morning.
Two things have already been announced,
one of them at 9:00 this morning.
Mario: And as someone has mentioned also,
the, we got reminded on the Discord that
today is the last day of, the transfer
window, which means we might be seeing
some announcements today, possibly
tomorrow, about things that are moving.
And, as Angela has always mentioned,
things happen, but the league has
to approve them to be announced.
So w- we may not know f-
till later on this week.
hopefully we get some news
about some incoming players
that we've been waiting for.
But, not that we know who these
incoming players might be, just
anyone, please, we need help.
Angela: Just one person
Mario: All right.
besides all of that, this is our
match preview, of our match, our
first match against the Denver
Summit, Friday, September 11th at BMO.
So we're gonna be playing at home.
It's gonna be a 7:00 PM matchup,
mainly 'cause it's a Friday.
get your, get yourself there early or as
early as you can, getting out of work,
and trying to beat the traffic into BMO.
Public transit is always the best
option, especially on a Friday.
If you can make your way to one of
the train stations along the Expo line
Angela: Yep.
Mario: make your way down there,
it's smooth, it's easy, it's amazing.
I recommend it fully.
it's going to be broadcast
on the, NWSL+ app.
So if you have a login,
it's going to be free.
log in and watch it from there.
There is a t- a TV app on most of the
streaming apps and stuff like that,
so you can log in through there too.
as always, listen to the match
on iHeartRadio with Isaac and
Tracy, and it's also going to
be in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM.
And there is a theme night.
It is Black Excellence Night.
It's celebrating the Black players,
staff, and leaders who shaped,
ACFC, the league, the game in LA.
Just it's a celebration, and
it's joyful, and have fun, be
safe, do, do all the fun things.
we, as fans, I know there's been a lot
of discourse, n- not necessarily this one
event, but there's been a lot of discourse
about, recognition and events when they
fall during, during the calendar year.
Looking at you, was it
Washington Spirit, right?
That just fucked everybody over.
and it's great to see, for all the
footballing decisions that have been
made with Angel City, we can count
on them act- being really good to the
community and really good to, the fans in
that way of recognizing and supporting.
I'm really excited.
It's also collectible pin night
number four, so if you've been
trying to collect all of the pins,
this is the fourth one of five.
again, it's going to be a gate
giveaway, and it's very limited.
It's the first 5,000, people, so
it kinda gets you there early.
they've been aligning these on a
lot of the matches that are kinda
happening midweek or, on a weekday.
It's an incentive to get you there early.
yeah, if you're collecting them, make
sure you're there to try to get them.
I have been to maybe one
of the matches thatâ¦
Actually physically been to one of
the matches with the pin giveaway,
which means I just, I failed.
someone on the Discord gave me one of
the pins at the beginning, and then
I have one, and I'm missing the rest.
And I'm like, "All right.
I might have to,
Angela: Do you
Mario: them later."
Angela: three at my house, by the way?
Mario: Oh.
Yes.
Okay, so maybe I might be close.
I might be close.
Angela: you are.
There's only been three.
You have
Mario: Okay, then yes.
Angela: you have three.
Yeah.
Mario: It makes it, I, it just makes
it feel that because of my schedule
and because of being able to go to
the games whenever I can, it never
really lines up when it has to,
or, I get to the game, right before
kickoff, like right around kickoff.
So I'm, if it's a 5,000 gift
give- if a 5,000 quantity
giveaway, I'm not gonna get it.
Angela: No
Mario: but yeah.
Okay.
We are completely moving Chaos Award
Angela: Yeah.
Mario: to the top
Angela: Yep
Mario: because today, this
morning has been insane.
Angela: So last week it was announced,
I didn't talk about it when it
was just me because it was just
me and I needed oh my God, father.
Seb Hines is out in Orlando, which I'm
Mario: Which is insane.
he just won them a trophy
Angela: Just won them a
trophy, and here's the thing.
Last seasonâ¦
so we get Emily Sams.
did they p- who did theyâ¦
Whomst did they pick up in return?
They lost multiple
players in their midfield.
They lost Carson Pickett, they
lost Emily Sams, they lost somebody
else whose name I just lost.
But there have been multiple players
that have been dispersed to other teams.
They weren't exactly refilled well,
and then there's been injuries,
like Barbara Banda's been out.
and then WAFCON happened, so
Barbara Banda was out more.
Jackie Oviet.
Like every- nothing has
been consistent for Orlando.
And Seb getting let go, pushed out,
fired, whatever you wanna say, isâ¦
I,
Mario: It's w-
Angela: so
Mario: it's wild
Angela: It's so similar to Alex Straus
and Angel City in this sense, because it's
obviously when half your team is hurt,
there's international tournaments, there's
other reasons for people being out.
hello?
you're doing the best you can with what
you have, and it's not always going to be
great because that's just circumstance.
Plus, the owner of the Orlando
Pride and Orlando City,
whatever the boys team is, like
Mario: Yeah
Angela: Orlando Pride, the owner, like
the original owner just retired and
she was very integral in the success of
both teams, the building of both teams.
Haley Carter has left.
Like this is a complete and
utter shift for Orlando.
Like their front office has been
gutted similar to a couple seasons
ago when Michelle Kang fully took
over in Washington, most of their
front office was let go and replaced
and moved around and everything.
Similar things are happening in
Orlando and it sucks team, like the
players, it sucks for the fans, for
people who are no longer working.
it's just
there's
Mario: any, restruct-
any restructuring sucks.
Any restructuring sucks because it, it's
a few people high up making decisions
that affect so many people below them
Angela: Yeah.
And a lot of time they don't
understand what those jobs are.
Ticket
Mario: looking at, they're
looking at line items.
Yeah
Angela: yeah, they're looking at
money, they're looking at line items,
looking at head count, and all of that
is to make that bottom line smaller,
but that's not how sports work.
it's so counterintuitive,
but that's Orlando.
Mario: That, so that was the first,
that was the first thing that happened
Angela: Yeah,
Mario: Bless, yeah
Angela: I wake up, check my phone, 'cause
LOL, that's just what I do in the morning,
to find out that Vlatko Andonovski is
out as sporting director in Kansas City
And
Mario: It-- what?
Angela: it's a mutual termination.
Basically quit so you don't get fired,
basically that his vision wasn't what
the team wanted, and I'm like, isn't
that his role to be the decision?
but if you go back to the Ali Centner
trade, the Claire Hutton trade, he was
not exactly advised in that or, part of
that decision-making, and that's weird.
Coaching, hiring decisions,
he wasn't part of that.
Mario: Yeah.
Angela: Make it make sense to me.
You have one of the greatest club coaches,
an insanely valuable, player development
coach, and you just say, "Pfft, it's
Mario: All of that is still sounding
very familiar to Angel City fans
Angela: Yeah, so that's, that was 9:00.
All of it is weird.
lot of the decisions that have
been made public and responses that
have been made public are weird.
And then just before we s- started
recording, like five, 10 minutes, it was
announced that Jamiese Josephs, who's
been sometimes playing for Chicago, which
is a whole different can of worms that I
cannot dissect right now, is being traded
to Utah, who is currently in second place.
And she is, my God, it's for
an insane three, o- paid out
over a three-year transfer fee.
And like Utah's coming for the cup.
Utah is not playing around.
So fingers crossed they can get a new
jersey sponsor so it's not, fascism
FC because the players deserve better
And maybe I'll be excited for them
in the greater scheme of soccer
because they're a very fun team
to watch, but, I don't like it
Mario: Yeah.
Angela: a fan of fascism, my bad.
Mario: Yeah
Angela: Kool-Aid
But yeah, big news in soccer.
And again, I'm checking
my phone while I'm talking
Mario: 'Cause there's probably
gonna, there's probably gonna be more
Angela: something
Mario: time we're done with this
Angela: yeah, a lot of Chicago fans
are very upset with Jimmy Josephs,
especially our friends over at Gal Pal.
both Emily and Leslie
are like, "Excuse me?
What?"
Yeah, she'sâ¦
And it-- the exchange is $750,000 in
interleague transfer funds, and it's
over a three-year payout, is wild.
Good for her.
But damn, what a morning it's been for
WoSo
Mario: yeah, and just caveat
with all of that, transfer funds
don't go to the player, right?
They go to the team.
But the valuation is the
important thing, right?
It's like you're worth that much
and to get you over that quickly.
So hopefully this also means that
whenever it comes to, renegotiating
or re- re-upping or anything like
that, you're getting that bag.
But, yeah, it's an insane morning.
Angela: And while we're recording, I have
FIBA World Cup on for women's basketball.
United States is about to
tip off against Czechia.
So like isâ¦
God, I love, I h- I love
super sports weekends.
I love them so much
Mario: This is-- I think we need to
do one of those, you know the guy
on social media that does, like,
all the sketching of sports Yeah.
He does, he did, he does one of the,
the super sports, week or month where
it's, basketball, football, baseball,
But it is focused on the boys.
I think there needs to be-- he needs to
do one that's this is, yeah, the, the
WoSo, mega month or mega week of events
Angela: Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Absolutely
Mario: We're gonna tag him
on this and be like, "Do it.
Do it now."
Angela: Do a WoSo wants your
cool graph paper drawings 'cause
Mario: Yes.
Angela: shit.
I can't do it.
I can't draw for shit, so please,
artists, show us your wares
Mario: all right.
So we had what feels like
the longest road trip
Angela: 13 days, two whole weeks, three
Mario: And the sad part is
that it's not an anomaly.
It's gonna happen again.
but
Angela: Yep
Mario: we ended the road
trip on a high note.
We ended the road trip
Angela: well.
Mario: very well.
Angela: well
Mario: it was a little bit, it
remind me on the road trip, we had,
Angela: So we start in North
Caro- or yeah, we start in
Mario: Yeah, we started in North Carolina
Angela: We lose because of Ashley Sanchez.
That's it.
That's all
Mario: just it.
just that's it.
That's the headline
Angela: to Boston.
We throw the hammer down five to two.
We fly to Louisville.
roughly one bazillion degrees.
It was like 97 at kickoff.
we throw the hammer down two-nothing,
walk away and say, "Told you
weren't gonna beat us again."
Mario: bap
Angela: Ba-ba.
A little Evelyn Shores brace.
Mario: Praise
Angela: brace.
Love that for us.
Prisca had a brace.
Everybody's getting braces in ways
that we like, not injuries, and so I
Mario: Yeah.
Angela: I
love it so much
Mario: still getting a bunch
of shots from outside the box,
which is a good and bad thing.
I heard one analysis of it being like,
it's great that we're getting all of
these goals from outside the box, but
it also means that there's kind of a
lack or, a breakdown of being able to
do anything effectively within the box.
So it's like we can't quite figure that
part out yet, so just lob it from outside.
But they've been bangers
and they've been working, so
Angela: in, it's, that's okay.
And, the thing was this last
weekend with, the game in, against
Racing, they had five back, and
that was stifling us in that way.
So if any of-- if Evelyn
Shores has to shoot a rocket
from mid- the midline, okay.
If it goes in, I don't really care.
that's, I think, the thing a lot of people
forget is yeah, we were able to score,
but we didn't score till the second half.
That defense was holding so strong.
Jordan Bloomer had a hell of a game.
There was one-- like, we should have
had three goals on a, on this one
possession, but it was just like shot
in, she deflects it, we rebound it.
Shot in, she deflects it, we rebound it.
it gets bounced around a little bit.
Eve and I were talking
about it during the game.
There's a part of that conversation
that's lost, and sometimes goalies
have great games, and sometimes the,
the back line has an amazing game.
And yeah, you might win, but they
played so well, we were lucky to win.
And I think were, like, on the verge
of having a lucky win until we secured
that second goal, and then once that
was in, it was like, "Oh, okay, that
Mario: Yeah.
Angela: we
Mario: Yeah
Angela: and were able to adjust
to that five back and pull them up
and move them around enough to open
up shots for a variety of players.
Because shots were the ones that went in,
but she wasn't the only one attempting.
It was just we would get into the box,
and it's so packed already with defenders
that it's like, "Oh, shit, pull it back.
Mario: yeah
Angela: try different ways, and if it
goes in, and it finally did, and it's
wonderful, and I love that for me, 'cause
we were in eighth place for 24 hours.
Mario: Yep, we were above the
playoff line for 24 hours,
Angela: And
Mario: we were the only match.
Angela: I'm
Mario: Yes.
the, I, I will say that both the last
two matches, so the, the Denverâ¦
No, not the Den- the Boston match and,
this last match, I had to listen to most
of it, which not mad at listening to
Isak and Tracy for most of that match.
honestly, some of the best
calls I've heard in a long time,
mainly because they're positive
calls as we're going through it.
but it was amazing to hear because,
we were just out and about.
We couldn'tâ¦
I was, listening, on my phone, listening
in the car or whatever, but amazing.
And it is just like you can hear even
from Isak and Tracy's, conversations
and play-by-play how things are
working better, how things are
connecting better or smoother.
There was a lot more about Angel
City possession and a lot more, like,
connecting passes rather than like,
Shores has the ball and then loses it.
Gorden has z- spectacular
save but loses it, but da, and
loses it, da, and loses it,
Angela: Dispossess.
Dispossess.
Not so much of that.
Mario: no.
But yeah.
So overall, long road
trip, doom and gloom.
Started with a little bit of doom
and gloom, not very positive, right?
a lot of us were just like, "Holy
crap, if this is gonna be how a
13 long day road trip is going
to be like, it's gonna suck."
But they brought it.
Angela: We
Mario: We're staying alive
and it's been amazing.
we've got a match at home, two matches at
home, and then go on a road trip again.
again, like as we say, the home
matches are insanely important to win.
you've gotta have that.
And to everybody listening, to
everybody that you're about to
share this with to listen, bring it.
Be the 12th player.
Be the reason that in like the first
season, teams were surprised and
scared and not necessarily fully
comfortable playing here because
it was so loud, it was so raucous,
it was, the support was there.
It was 20,000 fans on average.
let's bring that back
Angela: Yeah.
Let's have a good, loud,
raucous BMO, if you will.
Mario: yeah.
All right, we ended up in a good spot.
We were the only match on, Saturday,
and then there was, like, a
whole slew of matches on Sunday.
So roundup of the league scores again,
Boston ended up beating Utah 2-1.
KC also beat Bay FC 2-1.
We beat, Racing 2-0.
Denver actually beat Gotham 3-0, which
Angela: Bruh.
Bruh
Ah.
Mario: No.
Angela: Rose is still out.
Gotham's struggling.
Sonnet's out for the
foreseeable future, so
Mario: Yeah.
North Carolina had a six to
nothing win over Chicago.
Angela: Yeah.
Mario: That's
Angela: a brace.
She has 15 goal- or 18
goals on the season now.
I say Ashley Hatch?
Oh my God, no.
Ashley Sanchez.
Ashley Sanchez had Hattie, and now
she has 18 goals on the season.
It'sâ¦
She is insane.
She is on a hell of a tear, and I love it
Mario: the Washington Spirit,
won over Portland two to one.
Angela: That, quick, that game,
that is the first time the
Spirit has won in Providence Park
Mario: Oh, really?
Angela: ever.
First time they have
won in Providence Park.
Insane, and it was a great game
Mario: Remember everyone, matches are
available on NWSL+ a couple days after.
So if you wanna go watch any of
these, you should be able to see them
on NWSL+ for free within, after a
couple days of the broadcast, right?
It all depends on the usage rights
from each individual place, but they
will all eventually go to NWSL+.
So you wanna hit up some of these
great match-ups, you can always
w- re-watch them from there.
Orlando beat Houston 3-1, and
then finishing off the weekend,
we had Seattle being, beating, San
Diego one to nothing, which bumped
us down into ninth place again
Angela: because San Diego was
playing a player down 80 minutes.
They had a red card in the 13th
Mario: had a redâ¦
What?
Angela: and that goal came 10 minutes
later and that was it for the whole game.
Mario: Oh.
Angela: Yep.
didn't
Mario: All right
Angela: to get the red,
but thanks San Diego.
Ugh
Mario: When we need you to do stuff,
Angela: I
Mario: come on.
All right
Angela: But we are now officially
in permutation Primo season.
Pam, pam.
air horn
Mario: This is my time to shine.
for people that have listened, to the
podcast, for a while now, thank you.
anybody that's new, Permutation Primo
comes out around this time, around
the last, third-ish of, the season to
start looking at what our chances are.
he's had his work cut out for him most
years because permutations get insane.
Angela: Yeah
Mario: and I'd I would like to finally
introduce, it went live last week,
and I've had some great feedback.
nwslplayoffpicture.com
is the next evolution of the
Permutation Primo spreadsheet.
I literally built a spreadsheet
over the last three years that has
insane amount of formulas, insane
amount of, breaking down scores.
It was a whole thing where you can choose,
the outcome of all the remaining matches
and see how, what that does to the table.
It was very rudimentary.
It was, like, on Google Sheets,
but, you can play around with it.
I was constantly fixing, formulas
and doing all this other stuff.
It was my happy place of just, being
able to hyper-focus on something.
And,
Angela: And
Mario: got it in me, I got it
in me to make it a website.
So this is for everyone.
anyone, any fan, any team can go to
this website now and check out the
standings, check out the odds of the
teams making in, making the playoffs.
do your own predictions of what
can happen the rest of the season.
and then do your own
Permutation Primo, download.
But to give you what is going
to happen with Angel City, we
are currently in ninth place.
Like we said, we were in
eighth for, a split second.
we only have eight more matches
in the season, so we're in about
the last quarter of the season.
technically it's, point 26, but, whatever.
We're in the last quarter of the season.
we still have, now say it
with me, one game in hand.
Woo.
Air horn.
Again, those we haven't done the best
with the games in, that we've had.
but this weekend was great.
Our, point where we're going to match
up with everybody is going to be our
midweek game next week on the 16th.
That's when everybody in the league is
equal on matches played, and we have a
true picture of where everybody lands.
But for our match coming up this,
Friday on the 11th, our permutations for
this week, it's we can go into eighth
place if we win and Seattle draws.
Seattle will be playing Bay FC,
so that could get interesting.
if we straight win, we're in ninth place.
We still have that spot.
We're still on the bubble.
If we draw, luckily, we've made enough
of a gap with some of the wins that we've
had that we will still be in ninth place,
and we'll still be safe and on the bubble.
But that just makes the gap between
everybody below us that much closer.
And then with a loss, w- we
actually just straight drop down.
Angela: we are playing the 10th
place team and we're just gonna flip
Mario: You're just gonna flip-flop.
that's what we've got.
It's a pretty simple one this week.
It's gonna get a lot more
complicated as we keep going if
we don't rack up the wins, right?
The easiest thing to
do is rack up the wins.
if you go check out
nwslplayoffpicture.com,
you'll definitely see the, landing
page is the s- current standings
with playoff odds and kind of the
min/max of points and stuff like that.
you'll see that a lot of, the teams right
around the playoff line are on the bubble.
Everybody that's on the bubble is, one
or two games away from flip-flopping.
Everyone that's in danger
is, like you in danger, girl.
but
Angela: Minus 40 Chicago.
That's just so
Mario: yes.
Angela: It's so demoralizing
Mario: But this was also built for all us
delusional fans out there that no matter
what, you think the odds are, knowing
that you're not mathematically eliminated.
So all of the things on that website boil
down to being mathematically eliminated.
That's why Chicago is
still in the running.
Angela: 'Cause
Mario: in danger, but technically,
they're still in the running.
They still, in some weird, version of
the universe where they win out every
single match from now on out, there
is a very slight possibility that
they could make eighth place, right?
that's where we have been most of
the years that I've been doing this.
So they're still mathematically alive,
so they're not eliminated just yet.
But this table will update as soon
as teams start becoming, eliminated,
once teams start clinching, once teams
start getting home field advantage,
which is the top four, and then when
a team wins the Supporters' Shield.
it'll all update there.
I'm really proud of it.
I'm really excited.
I've justâ¦
I've also been completely hyper-focused
on it, so you might see changes
d- from day to day when you're
going on it, if you check it out.
and let us know what you think.
I'm always open to feedback.
I'd love to hear what you guys think.
I've shown my wife it, who's not totally
a soccer fan, and so there's been
things that she's like, "I don't get
what you're trying to tell me here."
And I'm like, "You're right.
It makes sense to me.
I'm the one staring at this, but
it does not make sense to you."
So I've already reordered
a couple of things.
We've fixed a couple of explanations.
So I've gone on pretty long
about, the website and Permutation
Primo, but that's what we got.
we can move into eighth place,
and let's try to get that.
Angela: Let's do it
Mario: Let's do it.
All right.
So in order to get to eighth
place, we need a win, and with
that win comes our first-ever
match against the Denver Summit.
Now, I've said this to multiple
people who have messaged us,
the NWSL schedule has
never been an even one.
It's always ended up being
lopsided, where, we play a team
twice before even the half, before
the, breakp- the halfway point.
Angela: It was Portland, Orlando,
Kansas City, and another team.
Bay FC, I think.
Or no, Bay FC is coming up.
there
was like four teams we don't see
anymore for the rest of the season
Mario: And then there's teams like
Boston and, and Denver here that we have
not seen at all until, these matches.
okay, h- why?
I don't know.
come on.
Yeah, but even at that, it's
like, come on, you canâ¦
We can probably figure out a
better, more balanced schedule.
But either way, we're at a point where
there are only a few matches left.
There's only a handful of
teams that we haven't finished
out seeing any, twice yet.
these two teams that we haven't
even seen at all until now.
So we don't know what we're getting into,
but what do we have looking forward?
W-
Angela: scout, which
is actually super beneficial because
We haven't played Denver.
We've only seen them, and the thing
is that coming into this game, we
don't know how we're gonna match up.
as fans, as talking heads in this
world, I don't know what we're gonna
look like matching up against Denver.
I've never seen it, duh.
But a very international team
with lots of big experience.
You've got a couple women's national
team, like US national team players,
Canadian national team, English
national team, Germany, and Japan.
So that's a lot, and one of
them is Lindsey Heaps,
which is a big deal.
The other one is Ginny Ensonis,
who I'm gonna talk about in a
second 'cause having a season.
this team is really starting to
figure themselves out and get
into a groove, and that's what
this push is that they're doing.
They've been flopping between
10 and 13th, 14th place.
They've just been discombobulated.
They had some weird injuries
in the beginning of the season,
lots of really early cards.
So there's been this funky what is
happening thing, but that makes sense.
It's their first season.
They don't know each other like that yet.
the team itself is still
figuring themselves out.
But it's going to be a very
good test for us as well.
One of the biggest, like, unspoken things,
and it- it's talked about when you're
playing in Denver and in Utah at altitude,
but altitude adjustment also benefits when
you are playing at sea level or playing
not at 15,000 feet because their bodies
have adjusted their oxygen absorbance, and
this is like big sports body nerd right
here coming out, so you got permutation
Primo, and now you get weird Angela brain.
Because
they have,
Mario: we got Angela's medical analysis
Angela: Because they play at altitude,
their oxygen absorption is different.
Their bodies can bring more
oxygen in on each blood cell.
There's an abundance of oxygen in
their body, which means they have
better oxygen which means more stamina.
So basically, your body doesn't fatigue
as fast because it's oh, I get two-for-one
deals constantly in little, oxygen bubbles
floating on little red blood cells.
of bringing in two, you're bringing
in four because it doesn't absorb the
same at 14,000 feet up in the air.
Meanwhile, we're here at,
10 feet above sea level.
what's up?
We're just chilling.
Our bodies are just down here.
So they come in, and their bodies
are already working a little easier,
so it, it's, messes with how you're
able to match up with a team.
But something that is the big
brain weird stuff that I pay
attention to because I love it,
Mario: No, and it's
Angela: really does benefit
the people who do it.
Mario: And you know what?
That's, it's no joke.
we've, I've been told by many people
that whenever you end up going to, flying
to a place at altitude, like one, don't
think you can drink as heavy as you
Angela: absolutely
Mario: done before, 'cause
you're just gonna, get wiped out.
And I've seen people like
just, going to matches before.
yes, they're gonna have an advantage.
And so that makes this match even
more important in the double header
of playing Denver because this is
where we have our advantage, right?
Like they have the health s-
stamina advantage, the oxygen butâ¦
And we have to have that home field
advantage because when we go up, when we
go up to play Denver, it's gonna be tough.
A lot of teams,
a lot of teams, a lot of teams in
the boys league, tend to write off
the Denver match as a we'll be good
if we get t- a point out of it,
Angela: Yeah
Mario: most likely everyone's gonna be
gassed because at, at the end of 90,
like that team is still going toâ¦
they're gonna be tired, but
they're gonna be normal tired.
Our team's gonna be like gassed tired
Angela: basketball.
It goes for any sport that's played in the
Mario: Yeah.
For anything you have to do up
in the mountains, like yeah.
Yeah.
it's n- makes this match even more,
important knowing that we have one more
against them away and that's just gonna,
Angela: we gotta
stack points where we can
Mario: Exactly
Angela: our fans at BMO, we gotta lock in.
This last game, the last home game
we had before the big road trip,
it felt like the inaugural opener.
It was everyone was just likeâ¦
It felt like the crowd kind
of over- overhung the pitch.
Just everyone was like, "Ugh."
it was so good.
The vibes were great.
the energy was so wonderful.
that's what we need to bring on Friday.
But to talk about players on, Denver,
I'm just gonna highlight Janine
Zonas, previously Janine Beckie.
She is a Canadian national player.
She is very good and she's having
a breakout season, frankly.
I wouldâ¦
It's weird to say I would probably
have her in the running for like most
improved player because she's never bad.
It's just been like when you compared her
national team play to her club play, it
was like this is two different people.
what, what is happening?
The running joke for a lot of years
was that she should wear her Canadian
jersey underneath her club jersey so
that like she knows she can do that here.
like that kind of thing.
sheâ¦
I don't, I didn't check to see if
it's still the record, but in the
2016 Rio Games in the Olympics,
she scored the fastest Olympic
goal at the 19 second mark.
So like she has the
juice, she has the jets.
Over a few s- her s- over her tenure in
the league, she has five goals when she
played in Houston, goals for Portland,
and four goals for Louisville, and she
was on Gotham for like a millisecond.
This season aloneâ¦
So that's 12 goals over
the course of a few years.
This season alone she has nine
Nine goals that's already almostâ¦
We're at the 75%.
she's already hit that, her own record.
It- I'm like, I don't even
know how to explain this.
It's just insane.
she's having a hell of a season.
She's playing really well,
and she's captaining this team
really helping lead them to a, a
decent season as expansion team.
they're really starting to put it
together, which is great for them,
terrible for everybody else because
they have hitters on this team.
They have defenders
who are veteran people.
Megan Reid is there, Kaylie
Kurtz is there, Carson Pickett.
those three alone, no.
No, thank you.
Do notâ¦
No.
Kaylie Kurtz, I talked about
her I think last season.
She was a iron woman for, it
was like three or four straight
seasons before she got hurt.
she will run you into the ground.
Carson Pickett was acquired from Orlando,
leaving a big hole in their defense,
but being a steady presence for Denver.
And you bring in Lindsey Heaps
coming in the middle of the season.
She's been dealing with a little
bit of an injury, but she's starting
to play more, which, no, thank you.
these are all people who have experience
both in the NWSL, internationally,
and with Janine Sonneness, when
she was playing at Man City, there
was overlap when Nick Cushing, the
coach of Denver, was at Man City.
So they've overlapped as well.
So there's a, a really interesting
string of continuity through this
entire team of, I played with this
coach, this person played here, we
played on this national team together.
There's a lot of overlap, a lot
of, experience, and a lot of
reason to believe that this team
will be very good going forward.
I just want them to be terrible on Friday.
They can have a poor showing.
I will appreciate it as long
as we have a decent one.
Mario: Yeah
Angela: had the same lineup for two games.
I like it.
I like this lineup a lot.
I think we're figuring ourselves out,
and the, the identity of the team is
really starting to fit, which is dope.
we're able to adjust a
little bit more in-game.
People have been switching sides.
there's been a lot more fluidity with
our transition game, and that's been
awesome because we've been able to
get open, we've been able to score.
Like Mario said, we've been scoring out of
the box, which isn't ideal, but it's not
Mario: It's not ideal, but
when it's working, go ahead
Angela: going for it.
I'm hoping to see more more goals.
I just, I love watching our
players score in person.
it's so special because when it's at
BMO, like anybody scoring is dope.
Anybody scoring in your home field, it's
hitting a home run at a Dodger Stadium.
It's, it's score- it's a b- a
buzzer beater at Staples Center.
Like it's theseâ¦
It's your home court.
It's so important.
We do not have home field advantage
when it comes to referees.
We never have.
That's from the jump.
We have not had home field advantage
when it comes to the referees.
We cannot play like we have home
field advantage anywhere, which
means our fans help sway that.
Our fans are our 12th player.
Like with Denver, oxygen
is our 13th player.
We have like our 11, is there at
12, the referees take that away.
so we have to manage
that so that we are constantly showing
up for our team, constantly there because
we don't have home field advantage.
I saw a couple weeks back, and I need
to find it so it can be accurate,
but they were like, Angel City has
the most calls against them at home.
They're the one team that literally
does not have home field advantage
in like any sport, which is insane.
But it is what it is.
I have theories, but it doesn't
matter because I don't make the rules.
But I think this is gonna
be a very fun matchup.
It's gonna be very good.
It's gonna be a physical game because,
Denver plays physically and so do we,
but I don't think it's gonna be chippy.
I think it's justâ¦
ideally it's not gonna be chippy, but
that's again, not always in our hands.
I think it'll be a very good matchup.
Our defense is gonna have their work cut
out for us because their is very good.
Yas- Yasmin Ryan, Janine Sonis, Lindsey
Heaps, and that's just people I can
remember off the top of my head.
Costlor and another player is very good.
But Denver is good and so are we,
and it's just gonna be a battle of
who's gonna be better today, frankly.
granted that's any game, but I thinkâ¦
I'm hoping that this heat wave doesn't
suck the life out of us again, it's gonna
be in the 90s all week, super humid.
I'm hoping by Friday it chills
out and like bodies can rest.
We
Mario: Yeah
Angela: game and it won't
be a bazillion degrees.
But that's my preview of the Denver
game and I think it'll be good
Mario: Yep.
it's always good to have a home game.
It's gonna be feel good to be back.
We've got another kind of short
rest week coming up, right?
We have this, then we have Wednesday,
and then we go on a road trip.
so you know, we, like I said at the
beginning, we gotta take these chances.
That midweek game is going to
be our game in hand, match.
So yeah, gotta do the
most with what we got.
so everyone bring it.
get to BMO.
Get to BMO and be the, that 12th player.
If you gotten so this far with
us, thank you, and do us a
favor, subscribe to the show.
You probably like what
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If anything, if you checked
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come subscribe.
There's more of that.
More of the brain that put
that together, there's more.
Angela: The brain that brought
you the NWSLplayoffpicture.com
website has also brought to you
the San Andreas Cup and Casual FC.
Mario: And,
Angela: Oh, yeah
Mario: where's the sc-
where's the nwslschedule.com?
Angela: Which hopefully be announced
sooner rather than later, 'cause I got
Mario: Yep.
Angela: plan.
Oh, if you are going to the NWSL
finals, let us know because Eva and
I and our friend Yessi will be there.
So
Mario: Yep
Angela: us know if you're
going to the game in DC.
I have to look at flights
Mario: oh, put, get that Google flight
Angela: Yep.
Mario: thingy checker going.
yeah.
And, yeah, with all of that,
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Angela: Bye
Mario: Bye.