Casual FC

Mario: Welcome Casual FC, an
Angel City Match preview and

footy therapy Pod pod, featuring
three certified footy therapists.

I'm your host, Mario Salazar, and again,
if you've heard the other episodes.

I am pre-recording this since I
wasn't there for the episode itself.

We have, my ever present co-host
Angela Morales and our special guest

Eva Friedman, filling in for this
episode, which is a special one.

We've done a retirement retrospective
part three, and we talked

about a lot of amazing players.

This episode is going to
be the retirement special.

For the players, sometimes only
known as CP 23, our first ever

Angel City signing Christen Press.

You'll get some amazing insights from
Angela and Eva about Christen Press

and the lore and everything about
it, but I get to say my 2 cents here.

As the casual coming into all
of this, all of these players,

most of them are brand new to me.

I don't have a lot of these
players committed to memory.

and I get to learn.

You know, about these players for the
first time, as maybe some of you guys do.

Also, it's like taking your kids to
Disneyland and then experiencing the whole

thing all over again through their eyes.

So that's what's been happening
with a lot of the players

that we've been talking about.

And CP 23 is, no different, it getting
to learn about her immense impact.

To the WoSo community at
large throughout her career.

her amazing ability to do things that are
seemingly impossible has been a delight.

It's been, it's, it's been amazing to be
able to experience those key lore moments.

For the first time, right?

It's, you always think about trying
to go and watch that movie that

blew your mind and get to see it
again without the knowledge of it.

so it's, it's been an amazing time
with, Christen Press and I am so

happy that there was an immense
push by the fans to bring her home.

There was an immense push
from the team to get her here.

and.

To have her be a forever part of
Angel City is an amazing feat.

She'll always be a.

Angel city player.

And that is one of the greatest
things, that we can claim basically.

So I am now handing over the mic to
our "Wide World Women's Sports" Angela

Morales, and our self proclaimed "human
junk drawer of soccer knowledge".

Eva Friedman, y'all are in good
hands and I'll catch you later.

Angela: All right, so grab your tissues
and emotional support, Capri Suns.

And let's go down memory lane for
a player that really only needs an

acronym, the CP 23 Christen Press.

Eva: So for additional context, for
everyone who knows and doesn't know, uh,

we're gonna read down her insane career.

from 2007 to 2010, she played at Stanford.

She had 98 caps and 71 goals.

Which like that's almost
one goal Per appearance.

Yeah.

Angela: Just under which

Eva: just

Angela: she was insane.

And we'll get into all the
records she holds in like Yeah.

All of the things in just a bit.

Eva: Yeah.

But so that's Collegiate and Pro.

She played with RIP Pale Blues
for 10 Appearances from 2009

to 2010 and scored four goals.

And then Oof.

Magic jack.

Yeah.

Oof.

Um, RIP, but in a good way.

Um, 17 appearances and eight goals.

And then she goes to Europe,
to Sweden specifically.

And plays at, oh, no,

Angela: GOPer.

Goberg and Go Goldberg

Eva: got Goldberg.

Anyway, she plays in Sweden, uh, in 2012
and has 21 appearances and 17 goals.

And then I can say this one,
she goes to Tyres so, and

plays 26 caps and has 25 goals.

Then she comes back to
the US to join the NWSL.

She is with Chicago for 2014 through 2017.

she had 60 appearances and 35
goals, which again, that's one goal.

Every other game like bonkers.

Um, then she goes back to Sweden,
to the team whose name we can't

pronounce, but really wish we could.

Um, and she, again, four
goals and eight appearances.

She just scoring machine.

Then she comes back to the NWSL, to
the Utah Royals from 2018 to 2020.

She has 10 goals in 25 appearances.

Then COVID happens.

She goes to Man United, 14
appearances and four goals.

And then she comes back home to
close out her career with US.

Angel City.

Four goals in 39 appearances.

And

Angela: that's probably the most like
disproportionate number of goals to games.

Eva: Yeah.

And given the injury

Angela: of it all.

Eva: Yeah.

There we, we lost some years in there.

Yeah.

Um, but yeah, that, and
then we get into inter that.

Yeah.

That's not even talking
about international yet.

Then she played for the
U 20, then the U 23.

She had four goals and
six appearances there.

And then for the national team,
like the big kids national

team, 155 caps and 64 goals.

Just nasty.

Yeah, absolutely nasty.

Angela: Her first appearance for the
national team at the senior level was

in 2013, and her last was in 2021.

And holy moly, there's
a lot to talk about.

Basically, she holds the all
time scoring record at Stanford.

She had a hundred, a hundred, I
can't even talk, 183 career points.

So across her four years at Stanford,
that's roughly 40 Some goals every season.

That's, it's actually 40.

It's more than 45 goals.

Yeah.

45 plus goals per season.

she had 41 assists across her career.

500 shots as well.

Eva: Wait, wait.

Angela: shots on goal?

Eva: 500 shots on goal in,

Angela: in four years.

That's, yeah.

Scoring machine.

Eva: That's nuts.

Angela: And then.

That's across her four year
career, so single season.

She also holds the record at 26
goals, 180 shots and 10 game winners.

Back in those days, the PAC
10, RIP had 10 teams one

Eva: out.

Angela: So essentially she had a, you
put it across the entirety of the Pac

10, and she had a game winner against
every single team in the conference.

Whether or not it is every
single team, it works out that

way, and I'm gonna believe it.

She ended up winning the Herman Trophy in
2010 for being one of the top collegiate

soccer players in the US that same year.

Again, RIP did the PAC conference, the
PAC 10 Player of the Year, and also

Soccer America Player of the Year.

No big deal.

No big deal.

It's just a lot.

Um.

She was drafted fourth in the WPS draft
in 2011, where she then went on to

score her first hat trick and won the
US Federation's Rookie of the Year.

'cause the WPS fell under the federation.

It was WPSS was

Eva: right before the NWS.

Yes.

Angela: And then in 2014, she
joined the NWSL, like Eva said, and

she became in that first season.

The Chicago Red Stars Golden
Boot winner after only playing

12 matches and scoring six goals.

Eva: Like she loves a
like one to two ratio.

Yeah, that's like her whole career.

Angela: Yeah, it's, it's insane.

That's bonkers.

So to kind of put it into a very quick
recap of everything, she's won as a team.

She won the 2012 Swedish Cup.

She was the runner up in the
UFA Women's Champions League.

In 20 13, 14, like that crossover.

'cause it's like winter season.

So in across the calendar year,
obviously we know the Women's World

Cup champs in 2015 and 2019, go Gays,

Eva: 10 lesbians and Alex Morgan
honestly never fails, never failed us.

Angela: 2020 Olympic all in the Olympics.

We're not talking about that because
in 2020, which is technically 2021, it

was the, they won the Olympic bronze.

Thank you to that team for
bringing Eva and I together.

And then in 20 20, 20 14 and 2018, she
was part of the team that won the Conka

Calf Women's Championship and Sheba the,
she believes America wins the tournament

every year tournament, but we don't.

She won in 20 16, 20 18, 20
20 and 2021 individually.

She, as I said, won the Herman Trophy,
the PAC 10 Player of the Year, and the

Soccer America Player of the Year in 2010.

The WPS Rookie of the Year in 2011,
the 2013 Dommel Kin Golden Boot.

Eva: That was good.

Angela: Thanks.

I practiced, nailed it very
quickly, but I practiced.

That was great.

And then in 20 15, 20 16, 20
17 and 2019, she was a member

of the NSLS Best 11, which is.

Like to do that in all, in three
consecutive years, four years.

Like it's just a lot.

That's really hard to do.

So yay Christen.

And then in 2020 she was the CONCACAF
Qualifying Tournament Best 11 and

Golden Ball winner because she scores a
billion goals and that's what she does

and that's what she's insanely good at.

and now to kind of like
talk about the bigger.

More influential things Christen
did, and that's saying a lot

like insanely influential on
the pitch, quietly influential.

Similar to Alex Morgan in that entire
generation off the pitch, because she did

a lot behind the scenes and like a, like
a lot of other players, unfortunately,

suffered a lot behind the scenes given.

The state of the league and
women's soccer as a whole.

Eva: yeah.

She, tried to blow the whistle on
Rory Dames, was ignored every time

and then was traded to a team that she
did not want to go to in retaliation

with a coach that was also abusive.

So don't fuck with Christen Press.

She just got the fuck out.

Yeah.

And she went back to Europe.

As she should.

Angela: and that's why
she was at Manu, like,

Eva: well, no, that was, um, or that was
she went back to, that was to Sweden.

Yeah.

Sweden.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sorry.

She went back to Sweden.

Um, yeah.

Uh, man was, COVID.

Angela: Oh, that's right.

COVID times.

But, um, and the Louisville trade, right.

When they got Christen and Tobin's rights?

Eva: Uh, no.

She, well, yes, because Utah got
her rights when she was in Sweden.

From Houston and then when she was with
Manu, she was acquired, her rights were

acquired with Tobins by racing Louisville.

And then Angel City swooped in Yes.

And got her.

but yeah, did a lot of unsung hero work.

and she still doesn't really
get the credit for that.

Yeah.

Like what she tried to do for Chicago,
and for her teammates and for herself.

And I mean, the thing with Rory
Dames was that he was also like kind

of the magistrate of youth soccer.

Mm-hmm.

In Chicago.

which I don't think we need
to spell out why that sucked.

Um, yeah.

But so her, you know, risking her
national team career and her NWSL career

to say something really, really big
deal, and I, I think it's safe to say

she got the, the final word on that.

Oh, for sure.

Yeah.

Which rocks.

But then you also bring into the
fact that she was one of, I mean, the

national team right now is really,
really racially diverse and it's awesome.

There are a ton of black
women playing and it's great.

in the days of Christen Press, not
so much the early days especially.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It was, you know, I mean, for a while
it was like her Shannon Box and Sid

Laue, and so the weight of that.

You know, I can't imagine, especially
then when you start thinking about like,

in 2019, what that must have been like.

Um, you know, her and Crystal
Dunn and with all of the fire

that that team was under.

Um, so she, she carried quite the
torch for quite a while and, I don't

think that the national team or the
league would be the same without her.

and even like with the
national team, like when, um.

Something happened a couple years ago
where someone posted some stuff that

was really shitty that they maybe
shouldn't have about a community

that maybe we're all a part of.

Hmm.

Angela: and, and if you've listened
to literally any episode where I

talk about the national team and
I talk about people not getting

call ups, this is that same person.

Eva: Yeah.

And, and, um, she is, she stuck her
neck out more than anyone else to

call out the federation and say like.

This player broke the code of conduct.

There is seemingly no punishment.

There is barely an apology.

What gives?

Yeah.

a lot of people kind of like

Angela: let it go.

Eva: Yeah.

Kind of like tried to shove
it under the rug and pretend

like it wasn't such a big deal.

Um, and she just like fully with
her chest was like, what, what

are we doing that's not gonna fly?

so she's never, she's never been
afraid to just like, call out

what needs to be called out.

Yeah.

and I think when you think about
like her general disposition.

As like, she's like the meditator
of women's soccer and like

she's super private and she's

Angela: more quiet, but she's, yeah.

That doesn't mean that she isn't
a force to be reckoned with.

No.

She's fierce as

Eva: hell on and off the field.

Yeah.

And again, both on and off the
field I, her contributions,

I think, are I immeasurable?

Angela: Yeah, I agree.

And the cool thing is that as
much as Christen did off the ball.

She got to do a lot of really fun stuff.

Mm-hmm.

With soccer, I mean, to talk about
her talent, we, and I've talked about

this, I think every single season
that we've had this podcast, I've

talked about her ability to fire off
a shot with like an inch of windup.

It's just in stride.

I freak out about it because it's such
a difficult thing to do and it's a

difficult thing to get your body to do and
learn how to do, and she can just do it.

In, in a way that's so easy.

It doesn't make sense.

She made the impossible possible.

Yeah, and it, it makes sense
when you think about it.

Like, yeah, you're running with the ball.

You should be able to plant on
one foot and kick with the other.

Like, duh, that's soccer.

But usually players kind of have to
stop and wind up and to kick the ball.

But she learned how to do it in
stride, so you don't know when she's

actually gonna fire the shot off.

And that was honestly the best part
because that leads us into the,

the quote of the moment soccer.

And I'll let, I'll let you tell
this one 'cause this is fun.

Eva: So,

so good.

So Sebastian Salazar amazing, incredible.

Um.

Broadcaster, um, amazing.

He, he has always been like down for
the NWSL and women's soccer in general.

great.

Love him, happy to have him.

And Christen Press scored one of her
Christen Press goals as she does,

and it looked impossible and it
didn't make sense how the ball moved.

And he just yelled, Christen
Press, what have you done?

And I don't think anything
else encapsulates her career.

Yeah.

More than that moment.

Because again, like so many of
her goals, like the ball, like

the shot comes out of nowhere.

The ball goes at like a
strange angle, like crazy.

She just something out of
nothing almost every time.

And you know, there are so many
pictures, especially from like

the national team games mm-hmm.

Where she would score.

And you'd see like players like on the
ground, like left in the dust from her

and she's just like, hands up smiling
and like, like it was no big deal.

Like yeah, I did it.

Yeah.

And, and I think like something that
we don't talk about a lot is the

joy that she played with and how
meaningful the game always felt for her.

Like as a viewer.

you know, I think about the goal that
she scored, like after her mom passed and

she just looked up to the sky and like.

Soccer.

Like it felt like it was
always really clear that the

game was more than the game.

Yeah.

With her.

And I think like when we look back on
this, like early time with women's soccer

in America, you know, she, she should
be at the top of the list of who we

bring up and talk about as a pioneer.

Angela: Absolutely.

Yeah.

And then if you were on Twitter
and you got to experience wo

so Twitter and wo, so Tumblr.

In like 2011 to 20 16, 20 17?

Yeah, I'd say 17.

A little bit into 2018.

19 with the the World Cup,
but not in the same fashion.

You got to experience a whole
different level of the national team,

which I both miss and am so glad
that we don't have access to players

like this anymore because they need
to be safe and people are crazy.

But all of this led to Dogs for Christen.

She had what?

A terrible game.

Like someone told her she had had
terrible game, something like that.

I don't remember.

It was, it

Eva: was worse than that.

It was so much worse than that.

That's right.

I forgot it was the, uh,
2016 Olympic PK Shootout.

Yep.

and she wasn't the only one who had a
not great outcome in that round of pks,

but, um, there was a lot of conversation
around what her role like from fans.

There was a big conversation about
what actually is her role on this team?

Is she being used to her potential?

Is lol similar to Angel City?

anyway, but she, um, you know, there,
there was just a big conversation

around like, and it's hard, the
context of the national team is like.

You like Christen Press was a sub,
which is insane to think about that

she would ever be like in the prime
of her career and be a sub, but that

was the national team at the time.

And so the conversation, there
was a big conversation of like,

well, why can't they play her more?

You know, she, she should be on
the field more and everything.

And so.

Then, and I mean, people
fell in love with her.

This was pre Pre?

Mm-hmm.

Actually.

Mm-hmm.

Angela: Yeah.

It was pre, pre, um,

Eva: yeah,

Angela: pre, pre.

And then

Eva: pre

Angela: pre.

For those of you who who don't
know, that's Christen Tobin's.

Ship name,

Eva: ship name.

And that's a whole other,
we don't talk about it.

'cause we're not, we don't need to.

We're don't be like that.

We're lucky that they tell us anything
about their lives, quite frankly.

but so, you know.

Christen has this PK moment and
it does not pan out the way that

we all wish it would her included.

And I think this is really what
I love about women's sports, you

know, in, in like men's sports and
like we both do this, I'm like.

All of my, I'm not even pointing a finger
out, they're all just pointing back at me.

But like you boo players, like
if they're not doing well, you're

heckling, like, you know, and that
started to change a little bit.

Like in baseball they've started
to do like standing o's for

people who aren't doing as well.

But especially at that, at that
time, you know, 2016 not happening.

And instead what women and queer
folks do is dogs for Christen.

And so.

Christen was known as a huge dog lover.

Like I know people would do a lot of
like fan edits with the quote of like,

if a dog like, don't ever apologize
for your dog, like tackling me.

If that's how I die, that's how I die.

Or like whatever

Angela: that quote was.

And this is pre Roosevelt
and Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like everyone knowing Rose loves dogs.

This is like early good
internet shenanigans where.

Yeah.

After this shootout happens, what did she
post that she's wanted or like No, people

Eva: just did it.

Yeah.

And they started, this was when Twitter
like rocked and so they started, fans

started the hashtag dogs for Christen and
were just tweeting pictures of their dogs.

Yep.

For Christen and it like you.

Obviously like it's no one
person's fault, but I can't imagine

being the final person mm-hmm.

To take the pk, like you
can keep the team alive.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

And you don't, and especially after
the 2015 win, no one's done back to

back World Cup and Olympics and I
think it's pretty clear why when you

look at how grueling it's the Yeah.

Like when you look at how much, especially
in the US' case, you know, how many games

they play and everything, but you know.

You're exhausted, you
probably feel like shit.

and then you find out that like
the world is just sending you dogs.

Yeah.

Um, and like it's, I remember being just
so moved by like the kindness of it.

Angela: I remember posting
pictures of my dog, like I, I

Eva: partook and dogs for Christen.

It was, it was just really cool
that that was our instinct.

Mm-hmm.

As like a community and a fan base.

And I remember like.

Megan Klingberg, you know,
tweeted her dogs out and said

like, not one player's fault.

'cause also, keep in mind, this
was like the 140 character limit.

So like, you know,
there wasn't a lot Yeah.

You, you didn't really get a sentence in.

For those who don't know, Twitter
used to only be 140 characters

and that included spaces.

Yep.

And punctuation, but.

So Cling tweeted out, you know, a picture
of her dog and was like, no one's fault.

Like, we win, we play and
we win and lose as a team.

But I love this.

And you know, she did like, they talked in
like a friendly on in the booth that like

she did see it and she was moved by it.

And like, I think like she.

I'm just so happy that she got to
receive so much overt love mm-hmm.

Throughout her career and respect.

But just like there's, there's
a warmth that comes to mind when

thinking about Christen Press.

she's very like, connected with herself,
the earth, you know, everything.

And I went in thinking about this,
you know, in thinking like, well, what

are we gonna remember about Christen
Press and what should we remember?

Um, I think we should remember that
she was deserving of the love that we

gave her as a fan base and a community,
both national team wise and Angel City.

Mm-hmm.

Um, she was signed by the
team because we begged for it.

Yeah.

You know, we, we wanted, wanted,
we didn't banded she come home.

We, yeah.

We wanted her to come home and so
to know it was so, unfortunately

not a perfect ending to her career.

But to know that she
got to end it at home.

Mm-hmm.

Her final goal was at BMO.

Angela: Yeah.

Eva: You know, in front of a home crowd.

And I, she, she just deserves it.

And I'm, you know, I, I'm so moved by her
saying in her retirement post, like, you

know, I choose the rest of my life now.

it's, that's big time.

Yeah.

And when thinking about, you
know, players retiring when an

injury is a huge part of it.

it's really fucking sad.

Yeah.

Um, you know, it, it's just, especially
for legends, like that's really unfair.

and so to know that she has found a
way to like, do this on her own terms,

it, I'm just really happy for her.

Yeah.

And you know, I think that her
ending in happiness and on her

terms is what she deserves.

Angela: Absolutely.

So, CP 23, forever

Eva: Love you.

Angela: Thank you.

Eva: I can't believe I forgot this.

We hit and record and
I screamed immediately.

a couple years, more than
a couple years ago now.

I think years ago, probably like it
was during the lifetime NWSL era when

the NWSL was broadcast on Lifetime.

for those who don't know, that was
a thing that happened and that was

great, but we'll talk about that
sometime else, probably, maybe.

But she did.

Christen did some sort of q and a, for
a publication that I cannot recall.

They asked her what her a AOL screen
name was, and in, in her sweet

naivety, she told us, and that
screen name was brownsuganumba9,

and sugar with the a sugar number.

I don't know the significance of nine.

I think we know Brown sugar.

but then that following week or weekend,
she scored a goal and Dalen Cuff, who

was one of the lifetime broadcast game
callers at the time, did us all the

favor of yelling into the microphone.

brownsuganumba9.

So that's all it, it was just
really important to me that

we talked about that again.

and that if you didn't know, now
you do, and your life is better now.

Okay.

Bye for real.

Bye.

Mario: And we're back.

I hope you guys really like that episode.

if you haven't, go catch the other
retirement episodes that we have,

our special on Ali Riley and our
retirement retrospective part three.

Those are all great episodes,
and to keep it short and sweet.

Go to casual fc.com,

check out all the links,
subscribe wherever you want.

leave a comment, look at our socials, buy
some merch, and we'll see you next year.

Have a great one, everyone.

Bye.