Futbol W: NWSL Recap + POTW Picks + Paul Green Joins + Champions League is back + Top 10 Goals

24:40Paul Green:Yeah, I mean, I think there's an argument for it. They've clicked the timing of Allie Centner coming in. I think that took a little bit of time for her to fully adjust, and she certainly had some struggles, I think, in the opening few games. But the past month or two now for her, I mean, obviously three straight games with a penalty converted, but we've seen her working on the decision-making, bringing players into the game around her. She's hit a couple of golosos as well from distance, certainly tried a few. So I think that that timing has worked. I wonder how much there's a little bit of an interim manager bump because we've seen this team in particular get that before as well and then didn't carry it on after that.

25:19Paul Green:So, you know, I think that there's there's some sort of rejuvenation there and some galvanizing the group. And then, yeah, I think Centner coming in and being a focal point that they didn't have before, bringing players in around her. And then they've gotten the best out of, you know, Sarah Gordon on recovery defending Giselle Thompson in multiple positions. They pushed her up higher more recently, and she's gotten more into the attack, even more than she was as a fullback. So I think a lot of things have started to gel for them. Yeah, because Jan Stutter was out of the game there for a little bit, and they still managed to get the results back, Allie.

25:55So Ali Sentinel being an important piece here for Angel City. It's been her and it's been a domino effect around her for Angel City, you think? Yeah, for sure. I think she's affected the team in such a positive way. I think she makes players better around her and I think she's risen the standard within the team. But I think this comes down to belief, mentality and just the form. They're finally turning these performances into points and they're getting points where they really need it. And unfortunately, I think the game would have been a lot different. Right. If Utah didn't have two red cards, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

26:28But when that happens, you have to take advantage of it. And for L.A. to be able to do that at Utah, to be able to complete the task, was to get three points, and now they climbed up the table. And look where they're at now, sixth place, I think. And, you know, they're in a really good position. They have to keep fighting. Every team now, you know, it's not going to get easier. Every team now has to get points to be able to stay above that line. And once you're above that line, I think the psychology around that, you know, it shifts a little bit because you're like, oh, it doesn't mean you breathe, but you have more confidence.

27:00You have more ability to want to, you know, fight and continue to, you know, put out these confident performances that they have. And I think that that game was complete for L.A. And I think we just need to see more of that.

27:13Paul Green:Mayora, too, I should say. I want to add Mayora. Yes. If she can get consistent, stay healthy, I think she can be a special player. Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree. I think Claire Emsley has been great for Angel City as well. And just like the different positions that she's had to kind of come back to have Giselle go up front. I know we talked to Allie Riley about that here a couple weeks ago. But I want to talk about Kansas City current and taking advantage of what Allie just mentioned, Jeff, here. The psychology of it, right? Kansas City is a team that is used to playing. Used to playing, yeah.

27:44Used to winning. Yeah. And we expect them to always be up top. How concerned should they be about this slide and kind of seeing eighth place a little bit, eighth or ninth place a little too close for comfort? They should be.

27:59Paul Green:They should be because Angel City is red hot, as we said, and now they've got Denver coming to town in Kansas City, where they haven't lost in a couple years at home, right, in the regular season anyway. But a Denver team that is in basically a six-point game, if they can get a result here fully back into the playoff picture put kansas city i mean kansas city was in danger of dropping out of the playoffs the playoff line this weekend so that's well below expectations for them and yeah i think that they have struggled in in spurts this season they had that early season dip that three game losing streak on the road where everybody said what's going on here is this the answer they sort of were able to right the ship and i think they've they've hit some struggles again here where they've just and the recurring stuff we've talked about the defensive set pieces that hasn't changed or has recurred that that was fixed previously so I think they should be very worried because it's it's not good enough and maybe this is a season where they finish seventh eighth I mean if they miss the playoffs there's there's a lot of head rolling I think right but seventh eighth maybe they go win a championship and do the opposite of what happened to them last year maybe that salvages the season but right now they've been short of expectations.

29:12I do agree. I wouldn't panic because of the quality. There's so much quality in the Kansas City team. But I'd absolutely be concerned. I think there's teams who are above them and right below them, pushing them to have to win and get points, who are playing with so much more freedom. And you mentioned that, who are playing just, they look like they're having fun, they're happier, and they're more cohesive and have this identity. I think Kansas City, it's now about collecting points. You have to now win games and to solidify your position within the playoff push. And I don't know if I'm as confident now looking at other teams who are wanting it more, who are fighting a little bit harder, who have more of a game plan and the willingness to want to have complete performances like an LA team we saw this weekend.

30:09So we will see. I'm not as concerned because of the quality once again, but we'll see if there needs to be a panic after this upcoming weekend. Yeah, and WSL is an interesting animal, I want to call it, because it's a very long season, but then it kind of just creeps up on you. Five games left, Jeff. When we talk about the race for those final playoff spots, who's in who's out I mean Seattle hasn't done terribly as well since they came back from break but still dropping points Denver Summit we know we've been impressed with as of late but who are you who are you knocking out who doesn't make it uh well I know we were back and forth

30:54Paul Green:about Seattle the other week and you sold me a little bit I feel like maybe I was too harsh on the rain now they've dipped below the line yeah I mean I still I like the identity we're talking about that word and what Denver has been able to put together. They're going into Kansas City. I mean, it's a place where nobody has been able to get a three-point result, but if they could do that, what that would mean in the standings, what that would mean emotionally, and have them right back in the mix, bump Kansas City. I do like the Summit. Five games, even if they were to lose this game in Kansas City, I think they're not out of the picture.

31:29Paul Green:Angel City certainly has the momentum, As Ali said, 9v11. Maybe we can't make too much of that, but three points is three points at this stage. So, yeah, Denver, Angel City. I'm not writing off Kansas City. I fully agree with you. The talent is abundantly clear. One of the most talented teams. It's like a see-it-to-believe-it-stone-of-Kansas City. In the front six there. But, yeah, I think, you know, you look at that game for Kansas City against San Diego, and both teams wanted to play their games, and San Diego certainly prevailed with keeping the ball versus Kansas City's high press. I mean, the Kenza Dali interview at halftime where she said they're just waiting for us to make a mistake.

32:04It was like, it's not going to work.

32:06Paul Green:Right. And it didn't. And I think that that is, you know, there's Kansas City against top quality teams in that moment. So, yeah, I think Angel City has the momentum. Denver, I still like on the identity front. And Seattle has carved out an identity, even if it can be very ugly at times. Yeah, I agree. I think Denver will get there. I really believe that. I do think LA is playing some of the best football we've seen them play all season now, and you need to be playing your best football now in order to get points and get into this playoff push. I don't really care about how you get there. I think you just need to be able to put performances together and get points and get in.

32:47I think that Seattle has still that opportunity in the way that they've been, you know, just mentally. The mentality of the team has been incredible to watch because they just they're young. They're really talented. Maddie's up front. Yeah, the front line. But then I do agree. Kansas City, they have such quality up front. But now it doesn't matter the talent on paper. It matters the talent on how you're performing on the field. So players and teams have to be playing their best right now. And these are the moments that the best teams are going to separate themselves. Yeah, that's why every week, especially at this point in the season, is just so important.

33:27I want to remind you what's coming up here. Week 23. Yes, 23 of the NWSL season starting on Friday with three matches. Allie, you'll be there for Gotham against Chicago. Saturday, Casey Curran facing Denver Summit. And as we mentioned, Sunday, Bay FC versus Orlando Pride, 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. The last game, Utah Royals versus North Carolina Courage. Fear, that one's going to be real chippy as well. 7 p.m. on Roku Sports. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes.

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35:23Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Trustpilot rating as of June 1st, 2025. A lot of great games to look forward to this weekend, but we're going to stick to the past here a little bit because we, of course, have to talk about our players of the week. No surprise to see all of these names, of course, on our screen. But we always like to keep everyone guessing, especially when it comes to Jeff's pick. Is it going to be a hipster pick this week?

35:53Paul Green:I was tempted. From the same team, there is another very worthwhile pick that we talked about in the highlights, Kimmy Ascanio. But San Diego Wave, if you want to help me out, Kennedy Wesley, for me, defender love here. And not just because she scored a goal. I want to make that clear. We don't just care about defenders because they scored goals. Of course that was beneficial. Oh, what? This is a team. We don't just care about them. Oh, right, right, right. Yeah. But the defensive work that San Diego did, led by Wesley, you know, shout out to Mimi Van Zanten as well as we saw in the highlights.

36:23Paul Green:But Temo Schoenga, as an example,.02xg. I mean, how many times has Temo Schoenga been rendered a non-factor in a game? This San Diego defense kept Kansas City in check, and they stuck to their game plan, as we talked about, to be able to play out of the back. Everything that started offensively for San Diego started at the feet of Sandra Ponyos trying to break that press, and Kennedy Wesley was a big part of that. So defensively, offensively, both sides of the ball really led the team. One of the most consistent players, I think, that we've seen all season across NWSL, especially with San Diego.

36:56and she has that really great characteristic as well. This is someone who creates plays, who loves to attack, and who also clearly loves to score. So, Allie, do you like Jeff's pick? Yeah, I really like Jeff's pick, and it's not just because, you know, she scored this weekend like he mentioned and also because she's a defender. I think she really deserves it. You said it. Consistency, composure. She's always in the right position, which makes her job a little bit easier because as a defender, if you're not in the right position, you're making a job very difficult for yourself. But she is one of the main reasons why San Diego have been really difficult to break down.

37:27So well done to her and great job this weekend getting a goal. Let's get to your pick, Allie. Yes, my pick. I think people might think this is pretty biased, but no. Someone had to pick her. Jordan Dudley, incredible weekend for her at North Carolina with Gotham scoring the brace. But that wasn't the only reason why I chose her. Yes. Did she score two goals? But it was the moments that she scored. At the beginning of the game, she led Gotham there. And then at the end of the game to finish off, because it did get really tight. It was a bit chippy, but she held her confidence and her composure throughout.

38:05She created opportunities. She loves to get in behind. She makes the defenders always have to guess where she is at all times, which is so difficult for any team to play against her. and the way that she scored at the beginning of the game, the end of the game was brilliant for me just to solidify this win and the moment that they had. I would be shocked if she doesn't win Rookie of the Year, but we could also even make arguments. I'm not saying that she's like a strong candidate for MVP, but she's truly been so important here for Gotham. So not that far off, Jeff, but not surprised to see Jordan Dudley on her board.

38:40Paul Green:No, and I actually keep thinking about Rookie of the Year because I think it's going to be fascinating. A cat raider who has the pure numbers on a team that struggled. And then you have Jordan Dudley, who's maybe numbers in a goals and assists don't jump off the page. Obviously, the brace helps, but has integrated into a starting role in the best team in the league. So I think there's a really interesting sort of dichotomy there between the two. Yeah, absolutely. So Jordan Dudley, Kennedy Wesley, it's on to me now, Jeff. I'm going to ask for you to help me out, please. It has to be Sophia Wilson, right?

39:09Somebody had to mention her as well. And it's not that somebody has to just because it's Sophia Wilson, but because her performance obviously this weekend was brilliant yet again. She's had an amazing season, but also her numbers. She just keeps stacking up her records. In her 100th game play to scored her 57th goal, her 11th PK. So she's already surpassed Christine Sinclair's, of course, PK record. So she does it all. And I love the interview after the game. Hey, it was your 100th game. And she said, really? I mean, I think on some level she knew, right? But it's so great to see Sophia Wilson play at this level, be that leader that everybody expects from her.

39:51And it's so great when we have these kind of preseason talks about players like Sophia Wilson and see her just thriving. So here's my pick, Ali. You like it? I really like it. And you know what? This weekend, they needed that win. And she showed up in the biggest moments, but she always does. she makes the game unpredictable. She's so creative up top. It's just her speed, her 1v1 ability. Just to be able to, on that highlight, to look up and pick players out, not just hit a ball across in a hopeful pass, but to be able to pick players out and put it in positions where they can be successful is incredible.

40:24And that just shows her experience and her leadership. So yeah, she had a wonderful weekend. So I'm glad you chose her. Jeff, thoughts?

40:31Paul Green:Yeah. I mean, I think she's been amazing this year. I mean, coming back and the way she sort of hasn't missed a beat, as we've talked about throughout the season. Again, against Orlando, I mean, she's been on fire, and I think the U.S. will be happy about that too. Absolutely. Of course, I'm sure Emma Hayes just smiling ear to ear seeing Gigi's mom have so much success this season as well. So here are our Players of the Week, Sophia Wilson, Jordan Dudley, and Kennedy Wesley. Looking forward to all of these players, possibly in the playoffs. We'll, of course, get into that in just a little bit.

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42:27I trust my medical emergency kit, and I can save you$45 right now. Visit urgentcarekit.com slash sports, promo code sports. That's urgentcarekit.com slash sports, promo code sports. BFC has a new chief football officer in town. Paul Green will lead the club's sporting operations, which include roster strategy and technical staff. Now, Green had a similar position with Chelsea, you know when they had that really dominant run in WSL and Europe in general well that's the guy in charge now here for Bay he will report to Kay Causington Bay Collective CEO so you could say the grass is greener in the Bay now with Paul Green who joins us now Paul thank you so much for taking the time the first question here as your new role as CFO what is your day-to-day gonna start to look like or already looks like?

43:20Yeah, no, I've been at the training center today on day one. So yeah, just looking at the team and getting, you know, in with Emma and the coaching team and really meeting everyone, meeting all the players. I know quite a lot of them already and I've tried to sign a couple of them in the past. So yeah, just been getting straight into the work today and yeah, really excited to be here and it was great to meet everyone this morning. What are those couple of players that you tried to sign in the past, Paul? Of course I have to ask. I certainly couldn't comment on that, could I? But, yeah, we've got a lot of talented players here, so I think you could probably maybe guess one or two, but I can't go on record of saying who they are.

44:03I'll venture a guess in my brain. And, Paul, like you mentioned, you're jumping right into the swing of things, but how much input will you have in shaping Bay's identity alongside building and helping Emma build that roster around her as well? Yeah, I think it's clear we need to improve the roster a little bit and make a few changes naturally as we look to try and get up the table and try and build a championship winning team, which is the ultimate aim for everyone here. And, you know, I wouldn't have come here unless I really believed that we could do it. So, yeah, of course, that will bring some change, But it's exciting and it's now my job to really work with Emma and tap into my connections and network that I've built up over 20 years to try and attract the best talent in the world to Bay as well as develop some of the best talent as well.

45:01Paul Green:Well, Paul, you just said it needs to improve in different areas. Where does this team need to improve the most if we can get into some of the X's and O's? And when do you think we'll start to see your stamp on the recruitment? Is it as early as before the roster freeze here? Is it winter transfer window? What will that look like? I think it's adding some experience. I think we've got a real talented group of young players at the squad. and I think it's just about adding a few more experienced players that can go straight into the team. I think that will be a key area just to help those players.

45:36In terms of how quickly that will happen, I think it will be more realistic to look at that for next season. There's still things to play for this year for sure, but I think bringing in anybody before the roster freeze will be challenging, so I think it will be more looking ahead to the 2027 season. And Paul, how important is it in developing young players and building a sustainable pipeline? We obviously know you have so much experience at that and your expertise, but can you just help us have a better understanding just that developmental process that you're looking forward to? Yeah, I think it's always about getting the right balance of a mix of senior players and younger players.

46:21And I think also with the PDR rule, you know, that's an exciting rule that we want to get the best talent in the Bay Area. We want to get the best talent from around America. Also open it up to overseas as well. I think it's always around, yeah, getting that right blend. And we'll be working hard behind the scenes now to put everything in place that we need to make sure the roster is in the best place possible going into next season. And to look at really challenging in the future.

46:51Paul Green:Paul, you helped build sustained success at Chelsea alongside Emma Hayes, who we know well here. I know you got asked this a lot, the comparison of England to U.S. You got asked this yesterday at your press conference, but the salary cap that we've talked about, some of the different intricacies, how much and how quickly does that blueprint translate to the NWSL and to Bay FC, given all those differences? Yeah, it's obviously a salary cap league, so it's very different to the WSL, where it's not as stringent. But, you know, Chelsea didn't always have a lot of money. So, you know, I have been used to working with more constraints.

47:29And I think it's about really drawing on that network of people that I spoke about previously to make sure that we know of players becoming available and piecing that puzzle together, which is the salary cap, to make sure we've got a really competitive squad. And I'm really confident with my network and contacts that, yeah, we can get the squad into a place We want it to be ahead of next year and looking at attacking the playoffs and attacking top four and looking to challenge. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think we could win. Now, timelines on that, I won't put any timelines on it for sure.

48:05It's a building project, similar in some ways to when I first joined Chelsea. And I'll be looking to use that experience with this build. But, yeah, I think it's a really exciting time to join the club and the future is really bright. Yeah, it seems like you're hopping on at the right time here, Paul, with the investment here to build new facilities, with the investment that you're talking about, with the investment of seeing you now at the club. But what do you want to see from this new club? We know you just got here, but what is the ultimate goal for Paul Green and Bay FC? It's to win. That's the ultimate aim.

48:45I wouldn't be moving my family across the world if I didn't think this squad and this team in the future could be capable of winning. So, yeah, it's about creating the right culture, the right identity, really building on the strong playing principles that Emma's embedded this season. And it's about attracting the world-class players to the club, developing players we've already got, and really looking to drive standards forwards every day to make sure that we're constantly improving towards our ultimate ambition, which is to be a championship-winning team. And, Paul, I'm sure you'll agree with me, and I'll close on this.

49:25I've had the opportunity to talk to Emma several times this season in our coaches' meetings before Bay FC games. I could talk to her all day. So happy to hear that you're excited. to work with her. And I'm sure everybody's happy to see you there at Bay FC. Paul, thank you so much again for your time. We appreciate it. We wish you, of course, all the success at Bay. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much to Paul. That success at Bay was a pun unintended, but it actually came out pretty great. Bay FC here at Bay as well on ESPN against Orlando Pride Sunday 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, on ESPN Deportes, and, of course, on the ESPN app as part of our Women's Sports Sundays.

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51:15Welcome to the start of the UEFA Women's Championship.

51:23Oh, what a majestic finish. An excellent stunning.

51:40So excited to have the Women's Champions League back. Let's take a look at the last six Women's Champions League winners. No surprise here. Barcelona won it last season. The surprise was in 2025 when they lost 1-0 to Champions Arsenal back-to-back titles in 23 and 24. And I mean, it's pretty much Barcelona all over the place. So will it change this season? Of course, that is one of the many looming questions that we will ask, obviously looking ahead to what we're going to see this season in the Women's Champions League. So we do have four very big questions for the Champions League. Ali, I'm going to start with you.

52:25Can the new look Barca go back to back? Of course they can. I think they absolutely can. They've lost experience, but sometimes, you know, a refresh comes exactly at the right moment. They still have that world-class core, but now you're giving the younger players bigger opportunities to perform. So my question would be, you know, can these younger players really step up in these moments and really perform well? And because of their development program and because we see, you know, Barcelona players even starting for the Spain national team, some of their youngest players have that quality and that ability to really perform well at this stage.

53:05So I can't imagine that they're, you know, not going to thrive once again. I mean, they won four times in the last six years. It's wild. And they've been runner-up multiple times as well within that time. So, yes, they absolutely can do it. Yeah, it's one of those teams where it's unless we're proven otherwise, we're going to assume that Barcelona is going to win. But here's another question for you, Allie. In terms of the Americans that we're also going to be following here in the Champions League, which one could have a bigger impact? Well, as of right now, if you've been watching the WSO and, you know, lead-up games, some of the warm-up games, I would say Alyssa Thompson because she's more impactful at the moment with Chelsea.

53:49She's, you know, one of the best players in their front line. She's, her ability to score goals, to create, to get in behind. She has all the pace in the world. We see it with the U.S. Women's National Team and we now, you know, the second week in a row in WSL, or third week in a row, excuse me, with WSL. We saw it last season as well when she joined Chelsea. So I do think that she's going to have a bigger impact because she's been playing more. Naomi, I hope she can get more minutes. We need her to get more minutes. She deserves to get more minutes because she is one of the best defenders in the world.

54:24So I'm hopeful that that will continue. I know that they do a lot of rotations there, especially when you play more than 60 games a season within Champions League and club. so I'm you know I'm hopeful that she'll get more minutes but as of right now the way we see it Alyssa Thompson is affecting directly yeah hopefully Naomi Gurma you know avoids all of the injuries that we know that she has struggled with pretty much since her arrival here at Chelsea so Alyssa Thompson obviously will be following her Lily Johannes as well Jeff and it's interesting to see this squad right in her era post Lindsay Heaps is Lily Johannes playing in the deepest squad in the world?

55:06Paul Green:Debatable. I would go back to Barcelona as well, even with the departures. I think that, as Ali said, with the pipeline that they've been able to create, I mean, they keep bringing players in. And yes, Alexi Puteas, among others that we've seen depart. But you look at this roster of Barcelona still, and Carolina's come in, so an addition there as well. I think that Barcelona has the depth, even if it doesn't jump off in some ways, it certainly does jump off the page, I think. But, you know, you can look at Lyon, I think, and say yes of course Lyon has that as well but I do think you look at Barcelona and they've established themselves as a team that is able to interchange pieces in a way that Lyon can and I think we've talked about Moussi de Mornay maybe being in the best player in the world conversation so those players are are there in Lyon and I think it's a great place for for Lillianas to be especially making the move from Ajax but I think if you're talking depth and you're talking and reliability and who's going to be there at the end.

56:03Paul Green:If we're coming back to who's going to be there, I think Barcelona still. Yeah, I mean, no surprise. And maybe we'll see Lily Johannes back in the final as well. We know Lindsay Heaps was so close to getting her goal too. The group chat was lit that day. But the group chat was also lit today talking about that Manchester City game and especially Sam Coffey. So I'll ask you here, Jeff, how important can Coffey be with someone like Bunny Shaw? Well, she can be very important for Manchester City. I mean, this is a team, we talk about depth. I mean, even in midfield here, you look at Kofi, Hasegawa, two players that I think we saw today were not on the same page and probably a product of not playing together enough.

56:42Paul Green:So, you know, Kofi should and can be a big piece of this Manchester City team. Of course, Shaw, we already know her quality in a totally different position. But, yeah, I think for Kofi, another, these are big moves for Americans to go over there. It's a big move for her. She's talked about it. obviously she dealt with some minor injuries and now back into the fold here. First taste of Champions League and you know it was a rough first half for Manchester City and I think you know for her as well if we're being honest but I think she'll probably be the first one to tell you that having spoken with her and sort of seeing the self-assessment that she'll provide to you immediately after a match.

57:20Paul Green:So you know I think she'll get better from there and still I mean we saw it in Portland we've seen it with the U.S. has the potential to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and is playing alongside some of them already as well so she'll develop there yeah she's very comfortable carrying that pressure she's very comfortable looking at herself in the mirror knowing exactly what she needs to tell herself to kind of improve so hopefully we'll see that obviously from sam coffey from all the americans who are looking to have a big impact here on the women's champions league how did that first half look for manchester city well why don't we just go ahead and take a look at some of the action that we saw barry munich facing Manchester City.

57:57We're going to take this into the 11th minute. Always a great atmosphere that we're seeing around the Women's Champions League. Julia Gwynn here opening up the scoring. What a great play here for Bayern and taking care of business, Allie. Yeah, I thought this was such a great start for Bayern. They really put Man City on their heels at the very beginning of this game. And well done from the outside back to get forward and get herself in a position to score a goal. 28th minute. It was Bayern again, but an own goal for Manchester City there, Jeff.

58:28Paul Green:Yeah, really awkward one. I mean, tries to play with the wrong foot, face and goal, and then obviously into her own net. Yeah, not great there for Kirsten Kasparic for the own goal. 45th minute, though. It was all Manchester City there, Ali. Everything was going in their favor now. Yeah, it really was. I mean, it took a while to get there, but even with the flair on the field from the stands. But Beth Mead was able to finish this shot from Bunny Shaw. Somewhat of a rebound. And here, once again, you see this foul. Unfortunate decision from Byron because all you have to do is just keep her wide.

59:04But, yes, foul by the goalkeeper. Yeah, just lost complete control, obviously, up front. But Bunny Shaw saw her penalty saved there by Mamutovic. Jeff, quite the stop.

59:18Paul Green:It's too saveable, though, the height, the location. um bunny shaw's obviously a top forward and that just that wasn't a great pk yeah not a pk by the book by any means but man city is still able to equalize here with carlota wamser yes well done by her she comes into the game and immediately affects the game so well byron tries to go towards the other end and gets a slight chance yes that should have been a winner but wasn't able to get in the back of the net yeah shoulda woulda coulda Bayern Munich will face Benfica next who also had a great game today against Juventus but we're gonna take a look at Arsenal versus Kug there in the Women's Champions League apologies if I'm not pronouncing that correctly I doubt I am 92nd minute though it's Selena Cerce drawing another lot of penalties around the globe Jeff yeah I mean uh it's it's a PK you know and it's a welcome to the Champions League moment and Arsenal with the early opportunity here against Kui.

1:00:20Paul Green:Kansas City of the East, maybe. Kansas City of the East. Mariana Caldente taking care of business. No surprise there, Ali. No, she's obviously their first choice, and that's the reason why. She puts a ball in the back of the net, gets them on the table. That was exactly what she's doing. Real Madrid versus PSG here. Ariana Caruso's cross there, finds Felicia Schroeder, taps it in for the goal. Ali what a way to get started yeah brilliant beautiful cross to be able to get in between these two defenders to make sure the ball goes in the back of the net well done to get started on the right foot yeah what a great play here but Schroeder missing this opportunity of 1v1 Jeff touch just got away from her pushes it wide but golden opportunity yeah another one another opportunity here for her but goes just wide they're trying every which way Ali I mean And Caicedo, what a beautiful ball.

1:01:13Such a selfless pass instead of shooting it to give it to a player who's in a better position but couldn't put the ball in the back net. Then on the other end here, a foul was created. And unfortunately, they caused this PK. Yeah, that's tough there. Laetitia Morissaint there inside the box. Penalty, Sakina Karshawe converting the penalty, Jeff.

1:01:37Paul Green:Yeah, 1-1. Cover your eyes, kids, on the Schroeder reaction. She knows that game could have been out of reach by that point. Absolutely. Want to remind you what's coming up here on Wednesday. Leuven versus Roma, Servet versus Lyonese, Chelsea versus Oshiovin, and Barcelona versus Paris FC. You can catch all the action on ESPN Deportes and, of course, the ESPN app. We've been having a lot of fun with those.

1:02:09All right, we're still taking it worldwide. The world premiere of EA Sports FC 27 hit New York City last week. And of course, the cover star is Kylian Mbappé. Of course, players talk ratings, rivals, life in the game. He is a cover star, but there were several NWSL stars in attendance, including players from the Washington Spirit squad. Alexis Nunes caught up with some of them. Isn't it still a little bit surreal to kind of play and see yourself in a game? It's so fun. I used to play that game a lot. I was saying I played it growing up on my Nintendo DS. It's really cool now to be in the game myself, but I feel like that's where I got introduced to so many different teams and so many different players.

1:02:58So I think for them to be solid and for all of us to be in that is really, really special. Yeah, also what's really special is just now how well the women's games and players are represented in these games Because I'm sure of course growing up when I had it it had none Probably you had limited ones and now it's just so great to kind of see exactly how much the game has evolved Yeah, I mean I think it's crazy to think of like when I first turned pro like back in 2017 Like how much growth the game has had and I think with that being said it's like it still has like so much more untapped potential, I think.

1:03:32And I think we're starting to see that in women's soccer. I think it's a really exciting time. If you could choose any player, just one player though, to be your one pick for your ultimate team, it could be man or woman, it could be past or present. Like if you wanted to throw in a Pelé, you could. Who would it be and why?

1:03:54Okay, I'm thinking of like Little Rose back playing on a Nintendo DS. and like I would have killed to have the US from the national team on it and I would have killed to have Mia Hamm. Well I have to ask you because if you were going to have a crossover from our kind of football to American football and you had to choose what are your teammates now that you think would make a solid NFL player, who would it be, why? And what position? Oh that's a great question actually. Thank you. I'd maybe say Deb. We did actually speak about this in the changing room. Deb Abiudan, she's like really aggressive in midfield and is always making tackles and we said she'd be an unbelievable linebacker.

1:04:34Because it's just like wherever the ball goes, she flies towards it and she always wins it. So I think Deb would be really good at making those tackles. But we do have to talk about a certain number that EA has given your shooting. 34. Now let's talk about that. We could call people out if we need to. Are we just accepting that in the true English way where you're polite and you say, you know what, I'll take it? Or should we flip some tables? Should we protest right now? Because I'm ready to protest for you. Thank you. I appreciate that. I would give myself higher than 34. In training, I score quite often.

1:05:10But in games, I don't have too many goals to show for myself, so I can't complain too much. There's other stats that I'm more upset about on my card, to be honest. Oh, like what? Tell us. Passing. What did they give you? 71. That should be that should be higher. We think it's a 90 90 that's I'm not that cocky 80s I would say but my dribbling I think is too high like they can bring dribbling down and give me more passing All right, that would be my changes bring out your cards your stack cards I could get better. That is what I wanted to talk about. That is what I want to talk about now Left back I I bet your finest pardon.

1:05:52All right, we're gonna move. Let's start with Goura then, because left back, interesting. And let's talk about the numbers here. Do we need to put in any protests officially now with EA? Should we flip some tables? I mean, I'm happy with my card. Obviously the only thing is the left back. Your passing could be better than your pace. Passing, yeah. Come on. Up, up. Yeah. What we thinking, 90? I think passing is good. I would say crossings in passing, so it goes up. Yeah, but we feel like in the 90s, but I beat Sam. Justice Figueroa, come on. Sammy, remove the left back, even though I know I'm playing left back.

1:06:32Super Sammy Kerr, I mean if we could we would put all of yours at like 100 plus, but... I'm gonna let them off the hook because I feel like my injury has hit them, but down five, I think even maybe seven points. What was that, 91 or 90? Yeah, it was in the 90s. Yeah, I've got worse being injured, supposedly, thanks. And it's a pretty cool thing now because now everyone back in Norway can play as you and probably learn about NWSL a bit more. Is it weird seeing people play as you guys? Yeah, it's a little bit weird. We also get the blame if we miss a goal and then they want to text us and tell us about it, but...

1:07:08...get better at playing the game, but... How much of a gamer are you? When I was a child, actually, like I was a gamer, I used to play Call of Duty and FIFA too. Oh, that's pretty intense. We all play. Because my brother used to play FIFA too and I had a lot of fun. So yeah, I'm excited. It's like to go back in time, so it's fun. We're going to bring out your card now and we're going to talk about the numbers. I want to know if you could change one thing, what would it be? I would change defense because I know that sometimes about striker is low because we don't recover so many balls. But I feel like for that, for that, I put in pressing and stuff like that.

1:07:57I think it's too low. So I would change defense. Yeah.

1:08:03I agree, Sofia Cantore. You do deserve a higher defense rating. She does a great job. She drops back a lot, but a lot to get into. Obviously, so fun to hear from the players and so excited to see them, obviously, in a video game, which you know what it's like. Allie, care to share your FIFA rating? Yeah. My, let's see, year 2023, I think I was 83. Okay. Happy. Yeah, it was fine. It was fine. It was probably my dribbling that was good. Shots on goal. I didn't score either. um but yeah i remember playing sega and like nintendo 64 growing up and would absolutely crush we would stay up my brother and i would stay up for hours just crushing and yeah yeah enjoying it but um then i slowly you know obviously the the game came about with the footballers and then us being a part of it i never really got into it other than playing at events

1:09:04Paul Green:okay yeah fair jeff i loved i played fifa yeah not nothing recently but yeah like college days um i mean i was you know played college ball so we would we'd play on the field we'd go to the dorm we'd play fifa um yeah no that was i mean you're bringing me back sega yeah yeah wow super nintendo i pulled out of my basement the other week just to pull that mario kart but yep you know what You had to, like, blow on it, and then you had to... Oh, yeah. You had to, like, blow on it, and then put it in. There was one level in Donkey Kong that my mom's going to laugh at, but every time we couldn't get over a certain level, we would hand the controller to Super Nintendo, hand it off to my mom, and she would just crush it, too.

1:09:47I mean, I played, obviously, now the version of FC 27 growing up as well. I haven't played it in years because I am too competitive for my own good, and I will lose a lot of friends if I start playing a game.

1:09:59Paul Green:We heard Rose say Mia Hamm. Yeah. I also have the old N64, Mia Hamm Soccer. She had her own video game on N64. Wow. Oh my gosh. I don't even know that. Yeah. Let's bring it back. Let's bring it back. I think we're good. I think we're good. All right. Switching gears here. In case you missed it, welcome to Miami Women's Champions Cup. Yes, FIFA announced that the new stadium, NU, but also a new stadium there in Miami will host the last four from the 27th to the 31st of January. It will see the semifinals, the bronze medal match and the final. No NWSL club. America Femenil will be representing Mexico.

1:10:46So pack our bags. Let's go to Miami. Yes. Can we go? Especially in January, right? I'm ready. But what are your thoughts, Allie, from seeing this, the final four, final four, we could call it, yeah, here hosted in Miami? Yeah, I think it's wonderful. I think a lot of the teams are going to be excited to go to Miami. I know I would if I were still playing. It's going to be a great atmosphere. The fans there that come to the, you know, FC Miami games are, you know, really supportive and really loud. and they're going to create such a really great atmosphere for them. And then just to be celebrated in a stadium that doesn't yet have a women's team.

1:11:29So I think that support is really incredible for us, you know, and for former players to kind of see that, that maybe Miami's in the future of women's soccer. Testing the waters. We don't know. We're testing the waters, and we're going to see, hopefully, a lot of fans come out and support. But I know the players are going to be thrilled that it's in a really beautiful city. Jeff?

1:11:51Paul Green:Yeah, no, it's exciting. I mean, I think obviously NWSL will be disappointed that it's in Miami, it's in the U.S. and there's no NWSL team. You know, it was a lot of talk that it was going to be in Florida this year. And I don't think Arsenal was too happy about that for the travel midseason. And it ended up in London and England. Yeah, I mean, Miami, it's coming back to me to 2018 International Champions Cup, North Carolina went and, you know, the big win over Leon was the big one and that was city I think was there as well yeah yeah and that was that was an empty hard rock stadium in Miami so a little bit of despite not having a team I registered the yet there Allie I don't know I don't know what kind of inside info you have but no I'm hopeful I want I want I always thought another team should be in Florida and in the south um you know maybe I don't know it just seems like a really good setup they already have you know Beckham there are kind of making the calls.

1:12:47So maybe a little support towards the women's side is in the future. I think Miami would be great. I think Dallas would be great. As someone who played soccer in Houston, play against those Dallas clubs. There's a lot, a lot of talent in Dallas. Those are the next two teams. Let's just put it out there. Miami and Dallas. Let's just manifest it out there. All right. We're going to take a look at our top ten goals of the week, some WSL to get things started. Charlton Athletic with Jody Hutton. Jeff Howe. Wow.

1:13:22Paul Green:Charlton Athletic saying, I see your payroll, London City. Yes. And take this. What a hit. And I raise you this ball, top of the goal. Let's take it to number nine, NCAA Virginia. For the Virginia native Addison, Halpern versus Miami. Yeah, beautiful take. She sees that she has space, cuts right in front of the defender and then hits it low, far to the corner. Goalkeeper just couldn't get a hand on it, but well done. Oh, that bounce is so perfect. Let's take it to La France with Jules Brand versus L 'Havre. Brand dribbling between two defenders, cuts to her left foot and just makes it pretty deaf.

1:14:08Paul Green:precise control yeah splits the defenders third defender here I mean that's those are types of goals 1v1 type of 1v3 that you dream about yes yeah 1v3 is wild let's take it to the youngsters U20 Women's World Cup Kaylee Hunter for Canada living up to her last name Allie yeah I mean just whips this just really good pace on this um the direction and just the quality outside the box too that's not easy to do well done so much power behind that hit let's take it back to ncaa cameron mcwinney for army versus american jeff how about that finish here we go back to goal heads up play awareness makes it look easy look at that army goal here we go Who would have thought?

1:15:05I mean, that's why you got to clear the line. You got to step up once the ball is played. That's what can happen. For that, defenders, let's take it back to WSL. Olivia Holt for Tottenham Alley. Yeah, incredible. Just quick touch. Obviously doesn't look like it's the easiest touch, but to keep it low after it pops up like this, to volley it. Beautiful goal. Some of the best balls there to hit that well. As a volley, let's take it back to NCAA. Lena, touche. Vanderbilt versus Texas A &M. Touche, Jeff.

1:15:41Paul Green:Touche. Took it out of my mouth. Vandy with the hit from distance. Getting over the ball like that almost. Doesn't this look a little bit like Ali Sentinel with the form? Yeah, that's a great point. That long braid as well. Well, yeah, we can definitely compare her to Ali Sentinel. Of course, that is a huge compliment for her. Let's take it to number three. She scores so nice. Got to have her twice. It's Kaylee Hunter again, Ali. She's got to hunt for the goal. Patrick Hunter. I mean, really great through ball. I don't know if that was, you know, meant to be, but well done for her to get on this, take it all the way inside the box and be able to finish after dribbling that far.

1:16:23Well done. Yeah, that was very Kristen Press. Yes, it was. On to number two. The comparisons continue. Claudia Pina, though, she is one of one, Jeff.

1:16:32Paul Green:I was going to say, Claudia Pina can just be Claudia Pina. Come on. I mean, from distance, awareness. I mean, she's doing something special every week. We said this in the spring. I think we were every week we had a Claudia Pina goal. Yeah, this is definitely a player who does not know how to score ugly, but she wasn't number one for a reason. NCAA here with Michigan State. Allie Emerson's sergeant would take it all the way? Question mark? No way. No way. Oh, Big Ten. Shout out to the Big Ten. Never thought Michigan State would be in this position. And that's like a, yeah. I mean, sometimes the toe tap finish, yes, is what you have to do.

1:17:20It's something that coaches always tell you to avoid, right? I mean, a goal's a goal. I thought she hit it with the outside of her foot. That's why I wanted to see it again. But the fact that she scored on the toe is kind of more impressive, Jeff.

1:17:33Paul Green:I mean, the long run to sustain that acceleration and beat however many defenders that was. Yeah. Give it to her. So impressive. She beat Claudia Pino. So, hey, she can hang that on her dorm room wall. Absolutely. For now, and maybe even bigger here in the future, We always love our top 10 here on football. W love so many nods that you 20 we're seeing right now. And of course, NCAA, maybe we'll have more here coming up next Monday. Thank you, producer Eric. I was going to say Tuesday, but we will be back here on Monday. Just a little schedule change. Don't worry. We will be back on our regular Tuesdays, but see you Monday night, 8 30 PM Eastern right here on ESPN plus.

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