NWSL IS BACK! | WEEK 1 PREVIEW | Attacking Third (soccer 3/12)

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Everyone, what is up?

Happy NWSL 2026 season because, ready or not, it is here.

Welcome into attacking third presented by Tylenol, the official pain reliever of the NWSL.

We have a hefty, hefty episode for you all today.

And of course, I couldn't do it alone alongside Sandra Herrera and Jordan, Angelie and Lisa

Carlin.

We're doing week one preview of the NWSL.

We're doing team previews for Denver and Boston.

Yes, we did wait until the very last minute together as much information about these teams

as possible.

And we just concluded international breaks.

We're going to round that up and kind of put a bow on the international window.

So thanks for hanging with us.

If you're live with us on YouTube, thank you 11 a.m. is when we go live, join us, join

the conversation in the chat like this video and let us know what games you're excited

for in match day one of NWSL.

If you're listening as a pot or watching on Galazzo, thank you.

It is so good to have you with us and it's also good to have Jordan, Angelie with us.

Jordy, welcome.

How are you?

Good, I always love seeing you guys this face.

So excited to be here.

Good morning to everybody that's watching and guys, I am pumped like, I feel like the excitement

is growing because this is going to be the biggest and baddest NWSL season yet, isn't

it?

I was selling y'all off camera.

I'm like, goodness, we're doing, we're queuing up all of the preview content this week

and there's a similar theme that I keep fixating on the fact that it's going to be the first

ever 30 match schedule for these teams and I'm like, yeah, that's a lot of games, so

a lot of games.

A lot of games.

Are we are doing previews and predictions in this one?

There's a lot of unknowns.

So take these things with a little bit of a grain of salt, my friends.

But with the start of an NWSL season comes a lot of fun things, including the reactions

that we're going to get from players and there are always a couple players that just

make some fabulous reactions on the pitch.

And now we have rough cams happening this year in the NWSL and there are always players

that are made into memes or made into jokes.

Who do you guys think is going to be the first NWSL player to become a meme this season?

There's some good ones.

Okay, off the top of my head, the first three players I can think of, I think two you'll

be like, oh, yeah.

And then the third might be sneaky.

Trinity Rodman, you know, her, she always has good reactions, Marta, like going up to

the ref, having a good chat with them.

I think that was caught last year when the ref cam was enabled in one game.

And then my third is going to be Savannah McCaskill.

Ooh.

Yeah.

Awesome.

I think she has some really funny facial expressions.

She has some good reactions after things go her way or don't go her way or whatever it

may be.

She did that last year a lot in San Diego.

So with this Gotham team who's going to have a lot of pieces for her to work with, I kind

of feel like it'll be McCaskill.

That's a good one.

That's a good one.

It's a child.

I don't, you know, I think it's like immediately like your head goes to Marta.

I mean, we had a sneak peak of the rough cam last year instant instant memeification

of the legend.

So I think you're just like, yeah, the go, the go in many ways, including memes.

But I do wonder if like, you know, you could maybe think even throw someone like Emily

Sana in the mix could be someone, you know, like, but I'm also like, wouldn't it be

cool to see like one of like a real, maybe a calm, cool headed player kind of get posted.

Like I want to see someone who's typically known for just like their calm demeanor, getting

like, memified on the ref cam.

Like what a, I don't know, what if like Vanessa Di Bernardo finally like makes her way

back to the pitch and all the sudden she boom, rough cam, they would just break me up.

I just think she's like a little too level headed.

But I'm with you.

You guys gave some really good shout.

I think that we got some feisty Italians in this, especially Jarelli at bay.

And I think it's going to be a physical game.

And I just know that we're going to get some good looks from Christiana Jarelli with

bass.

So that's who I'm putting some money on.

Yeah.

Exactly.

I always think you two look alike, especially when you have the curly hair.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

I love that.

That's just a teaser.

Well, let us know what players you think are going to become memes in this opening weekend

of NWSL guys because we are here.

The NWSL season is starting.

It's the first to feature 16 teams.

It's a balance schedule.

So each team is going to face their opponent home and away, meaning it is a 30 game season.

There's a lot of matches that is a lot.

And of course, right here on attacking third, we will be previewing every single match week

on Thursdays, 11 a.m. on YouTube.

And then recapping them following the final whistle on Sunday nights.

So you know where you can find us right back here on YouTube and then immediately in your

podcast feed.

Let's talk week one.

Let's preview some games because guys, there are some big ones.

We start with a rematch of the 2025 semi final game between Washington spirit and Portland

Thorns.

It kicks off Friday night at 8 p.m. Eastern.

It is Trinity Rotman about and Sophia Wilson.

It is the semi final rematch.

There's also some big news coming out of this game already midfielder for Washington spirit

Andy Sullivan.

She's been removed from the SEI list for Washington following that ACL recovery who took her out

the entirety of 2025.

Tara Rudd for Washington is formerly Tara McDonne.

Don't get confused.

You get it wrong.

And of course, the historic signing of Trinity Rodman back at Washington.

Sophia Wilson is off the maternity list leave.

I mean, talk about a way to start the season, Jordan.

Talk about what season.

What are you possibly watching for?

There's a lot in this battle.

Take a breath after that, Lisa.

That was a lot of stuff.

You just gave us a good job there.

The first thing I wrote down is, is this Andy Sullivan coming back for the spirit because

this team, yes, there were some departures in Corriba Thune leaving, but really the Washington

spirit stayed together as a group.

And there aren't too many changes within this team, whereas we can't say the same thing

for other teams in NWSL.

And I just think Andy Sullivan, and I don't know.

We don't know if she'll, if she can play 90 minutes yet or not, but her ability to hold

down the midfield, deny counterattacks, deny space for a team going the opposite direction.

We'll unlock Hal Hershfeldt, which we saw when those two played together during Hal's

rookie season.

And Lacey Santos, it'll just be different in the midfield for this squad.

And I think that will be such a key for the spirit.

So I'm, that's on the spirit side, right?

Sandra, I'll maybe let you go on the, the thorn side, but that's one of the things that

I'm really looking forward to is how Andy Sullivan plays in Audra and Gonzalez's system

because she has not done that yet.

That's such a good show because I couldn't help also, but sort of notice that they've

got Rebecca Bernal kind of permanently listed it in that midfield category.

So I'm very, finally, we all wanted it so badly, right?

I'm very curious to sort of see year two of Bernal with the spirit and how they're going

to utilize her and in the areas in which they want her to operate.

But I don't want to be captain obvious here.

And how can we not note so Wilson coming off the SEI list for the thorns?

And then we're all going to get a shot of at least double espresso in some capacity with

this game.

Of course, of course, I've got my eyes on that matchup.

You know, what, what is it going to look like really for, for both players, they're both

coming back in 2026 from very different times away from the pitch a little bit.

We saw Robin have to kind of navigate the ups and downs of her back injury.

And now, could we see the emergence of a super mom in Sofia Wilson?

We hear so often from players returning from pregnancy, how they are a different player

and many of their opinions, they're almost better players and that's kind of a scary thought

to think about when you're thinking about that with soap Wilson.

And can I just put a little note in there, Jen Cooper note for this.

I'll see if you guys can answer this trivia question.

So if one of those two score because Sofia Wilson and Andy Sullivan both coming back from

maternity leave, they would join two other players who have scored in their first game

back from maternity leave.

Who are they?

Crystal Dunn, right?

Nope.

Nope.

Close.

Like you're right there.

Right area.

Right area of like generation or like generation, yeah, generation, no, I don't think she

did.

Wait, repeat the question.

Okay.

Since April 2017, there's not been a player that has said April 2017.

Sorry, yeah, I didn't add that, that, that's a helpful hint, isn't it?

Yeah.

Two players that scored in their game back from maternity leave.

Um, Vesconcellos?

I don't know.

So prior to Twitter names, think national team, US national team names.

Ooh.

Okay.

We gave you Crystal Dunn, Alex Morgan and then I go, I got, sorry, sorry, sorry.

And just McDonald.

Sydney LaRue.

Look Amy Rue.

That's one.

Those are two there.

Sandra's got both of them.

I'm just thinking of you like a big family, see you.

Amy Rodgers is like, there you go.

But the note was just for Sophia Wilson, but do it.

You guys, any Sullivan could do it too.

Yeah, Andy Sullivan could do it.

Wow, that's awesome.

Yeah, that's a fun fact.

I liked that one.

How do you think we'll see?

So for this weekend.

I think if you have this player on your roster

and she is off SEI, she's available.

I think you can see her this weekend.

Oh, I don't imagine we see her from the start,

but that's just my thought.

I think we see her for about 30 minutes.

Yeah, that in 30 minutes is enough

for so few else and to do damage.

Talking about maternity leave, Aubrey Kingsbury,

the goalkeeper for Washington spirit

has announced her pregnancy.

Congratulations to her and her growing family.

But that means she is not going to be in goal

for Washington spirit, which leaves some question marks.

Could it be Sandy McIver,

who has just started both of Scotland's

World Cup qualifying matches?

She earned two shutouts with them during the international break.

Jordan, do you think that's who we could see in goal

or what defensively is Washington gonna do?

I think that's the most logical next step for them.

McIver played in one game last year.

It seemed to be just like a rotation

to give her some minutes at the beginning of the season.

And so we have seen her play in NWSL, but just one game.

So no matter who plays in goal for the spirit,

it's gonna look different.

Aubrey Kingsbury is top in this league, right?

She's one of the best that has played in NWSL.

And so to not have her in the goal

with her shot-stopping ability, but also her leadership.

Like that's one of the things that I am curious about

how this spirit team kind of functions this year

because guys, they are salivating for hardware.

They want it bad.

And it's gonna have to be right in the goal.

Like their defense is good, but there's gonna be times

where you're gonna call on that goalkeeper

to make the games saving save.

And we just don't know.

I think it's a little unknown how McIver will play

in NWSL over a full season.

We'll see Friday night is when this game kicks off.

There's also a bit of question marks around

the Portland goalkeeper situation.

Bella Bakesby, she has suffered an ACL injury,

Mackenzie Arnold is still with Australia

for World Cup qualifiers and the Women Asians Cup,

Morgan Messner.

Is she gonna make her NWSL regular season debut?

Like what's happening there, Sandra,

do you have anything for us?

I wish I had the intel, honestly,

because I mean, if the only intel we have

is that one player is out and one player

is still not still busy with internationals,

it's kind of maybe trending in one specific direction.

But I do think for the thorns,

that's gonna be part of the messaging

that they need to send in their game one.

It's like, what do they have to do to come away

with some points against the spirit?

And I think they need to try to flex a little bit

of some of that defensive muscle.

Maybe they could view that as a bit of an X factor

that the spirit might not know what to expect

from their keeper or their backline.

We need to see Rainer Reyes maybe pick up a little bit

where she left off last year,

kind of taking on a lot of those responsibilities,

really kind of leading in a lot of ways sometimes

in certain games on the pitch for the thorns.

So I think it's gonna be crucial for them.

They're gonna have to, yes,

everyone's gonna be really excited about Sof Wilson,

but I think the thorns have an opportunity here.

They're gonna have to flex some of that defensive muscle.

Yeah, and I wonder how they set up

because they do have now with some of the acquisitions

they've gotten options in the defensive line.

And Marie Mueller is back.

So I love that this player's back off of SEI.

She was excellent in her season a couple of years ago

before that ACL.

And I think with her, you also have M.A. Vignola.

Can you push Vignola up a little bit higher?

Or do you play like who's playing center back?

High at Obey's or even Jade and Perry?

Did she feel more comfortable in her second year?

There are some good options for them in the back line

and they're gonna have to be good.

They're gonna have to play really well

in order to stop the spirit.

And that's a test for new coach too

in Robert Viyaham because he came in late in the off season

to try to rally this group.

I think Sofie Wilson does give them a really big internal boost

and confidence going forward,

but there's still a lot of question marks to be seen.

But this is a good one.

Washington spirit Portland Thorns Friday night.

Let's book in this weekend and talk about Orlando Pride.

Again, Seattle Rain.

This matches Sunday afternoon of 4 p.m. Eastern kickoff.

It is a 2025 quarter final matchup.

And remember, do you remember back to last year decision day?

It was a one-one draw between Orlando and Seattle.

Then they met in the quarter finals

and it was a two-nil win to Orlando.

So this is their third straight meeting

to start this season.

And there is also some news that has dropped this morning.

Seattle Rain Forward Jordan Heitema has posted a farewell

across her social media pages to Seattle.

It's not public where she's going yet.

Stay tuned, but now they don't have her going for it

in this starting lineup.

This is a very interesting matchup,

Sandra between Orlando and Seattle.

Who has the edge?

Who has the edge in the first game of the year

between two teams who often had some interesting games

against each other and then later stayed to the season?

I've been some folks might say interesting.

Some folks might even use the word boring or long or struggling.

So I'm very curious to see the newer-ish versions

of both of these sides.

What is Orlando going to look like without a Barbara Bandit?

She's starting this season on that SCI.

We saw the rosters dropping yesterday.

We'll probably see more of them dropping today.

But Bandit is listed on that roster as an SCI despite all

of her good vibes out of media days

and that she wants to be ready for the start of this season.

And then you have the rain side, which I think a lot of us

are really excited to potentially

to see what a full season of me

official with the Seattle Rain can do.

And I also just think we're maybe going to get

and look like no disrespect to the great Claudia Dickey.

But that is what 2025 gave us out of the Seattle Rain.

We saw how incredible Claudia Dickey is in goal.

If people didn't know, now they certainly do.

It earned her consistent US Women's National Team call-ups

her performance last year in Seattle.

But you have to score to get points in this league.

And we did not see it.

Jordan Heidema and the Seattle Rain scene,

which is probably why we're seeing a farewell post.

And there just wasn't enough time, really, I think,

for me official to get acclimated.

And maybe just maybe the system that they were

turning out at that time, which played to Dickey's strengths,

wasn't quite what we were going to see be something

that was so fruitful for somebody like official,

even somebody like a Mondesier.

I want to see those two players play more together.

And just really kind of use some of that explosiveness

and change things up for the rain.

Let's see some more dynamic play from this team.

And I hope we get to see it in 2020.

They want to be on the ball.

Those two players, like, me official

wants the ball at her feet.

And Seattle just didn't do that at all last year.

They have to change.

But also, I do believe that Laura Harvey

looked at what she had and said, OK, we

have to make it work with the pieces I have.

And me official, you might just have to figure it out.

And she struggled.

She didn't figure it out last year.

She struggled with the injuries.

And she didn't have any goal contributions.

She only had four starts.

This has to be the year for me official.

It has to be.

Yes, because I feel like you're reading my notes, Lisa.

These are all the things that I wrote down as well.

This Seattle team under Laura Harvey

with her experience in this league,

we don't really know what they're going to look like.

Because she has had teams that play be beautiful football.

And she's also had teams last year

who just defend and defend and defend and really have no attack.

So what are we going to get?

And I'm hopeful with this lineup,

you guys have mentioned some of the players.

But I'm also thinking about players behind them,

like if they revert back to a 4-3-3, which I think they

can with the players that they have.

You have Curry and Wertha as outside backs.

Those two, in and of themselves,

can join the attack and be super effective.

And then in the midfield, this could

be a midfield of Meza, Menti and Fishlock.

Ooh, to me, those are ball-playing players.

You want to play through them.

So can they say, OK, last year, Harvey

talked a lot about saying, this is back to the basics.

We are building a foundation so we can build off of it.

I hope it was a foundation.

And it was really good when it comes to the defensive work.

But now what's the next step?

And I think it's being more brave playing through the midfield,

finding those players to their feet,

including more players up in the attack,

because they have the ball a little bit more.

That's my hope for Seattle, because otherwise,

I don't see them scoring very many goals.

And I kind of see it being the same as it was last year.

So unfortunately, Laura Harvey liked

being under the radar last year.

I don't know if they will be.

I think a lot of our balls are going to be on this Seattle team.

Should we ask Chatchy VT what they're going to play this year?

Come on, just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

I love you, Laura.

I love you, Laura.

Yeah, I had good points, Jordan.

And also with Jordan Bug playing in that center back row,

she grew so much.

And McClernan.

McClernan could play us just a left back now,

or a left center back, because she had such a solid season.

I think her confidence has jumped so much.

Yeah, those are the hopes for the Seattle squad.

Absolutely.

Let's do that.

I guess I was like, we're all turned in Seattle's way, is it?

I do.

I was going to say what we're writing Orlando off.

I mean, they had some big losses this season

with players that left.

I think once Banda comes back, it's almost like a bull

waiting in the waiting in the gates to be released.

She's going to just be all over the place in this game.

But I think that with Orlando, we might see differences this year

and how they're going to play because of all the changes

that had taken place.

What does their defensive structure look like without Emily Sam's,

who has really been the backbone and the healthy backbone

of their defensive line and building out

and how she switches the point of attack.

And even without Ali Brasier, up top, formerly Ali Watt,

I think that's a really big loss for Orlando

that they're going to feel early on in this season

as they're getting adjusted and teams are ready to hit them,

just like the Seattle side.

Yeah, I think Angelina's got to have a big game for this team

and hopefully she's wearing a go.

I also think of Jackie O'Brien.

Again, these are players who are also coming off

of longer international breaks as well.

I'm not too sure how they'll be looking

or feeling for the pride.

But maybe it's in one of those new acquisitions.

Maybe it's Hayley Mace.

Maybe it's Hayley Mace who maybe takes a little bit

of that responsibility on.

I am very curious to see Mace with the Orlando pride side

going up against the Seattle rain team

that Mace kind of struggled with with the current.

Like the current had long stretches of their matches

against the Seattle where they struggled a lot

to kind of break things down and kind of figure out the rain.

So maybe Mace will be one of those keys

and put into a lock for the rain

and hopefully find a breakthrough for Orlando pride.

Yeah, the pride definitely won.

I would just say with everything I just said about Seattle,

I don't know if they're going to win this game.

That's my hopes for their season, right?

I hope that they can start to build some

of those things in, layer them in.

But I think this is, I think Millie said it in the chat.

Like this probably could be a zero, zero draw.

It's the beginning of the season.

Like you just don't know,

but I do feel like under subhines.

Like this pride team has really had some pride

in who they are.

Like they don't, they go out there

and it's a new team over these last few years.

So they are going to come out

and we don't know what the backline is going to look like

with their center backs.

They have options, Hannah Anderson,

Half-I-L-E, Shavoshi, even Corey Dyke

can play in the center of that center back.

So we'll see how they build out of it.

But I think that they have to figure out a way

if we go from what Seattle did last year,

they played in a lower block system, right?

Had numbers behind the ball.

Orlando was not good at breaking down teams

when they sat in a lower block.

Did they adapt to that over this season?

Did they find a way to unlock using players like OVA, Marta,

even runs out of the midfield with McCutchen?

I think those are going to be proved to be important

in this game if they find a win.

And they're at home, right?

Right.

Goal scoring McCutchen.

Ah, yeah, it is in Orlando.

This matches in Orlando.

Some other notable matches of this weekend

that you guys have your eyes on.

I'm really excited for the Sunday nightcap

that we're going live right after Angel City, Chicago.

I am so intrigued to see how Alex Strauss

and Angel City roll out this year.

I think we could get something entirely different

than we saw even at the end of last year

with the pieces he has brought in

and how he wants to play and knowing how much,

really how disappointed he was

in not being able to play the style he wanted

last year for Strauss.

He wants the ball.

He wants to possess it.

He wants to use the players like Giselle Thompson

on the outside.

And I think having Emily Sam's in that center record

was really going to help him play his style.

You're nodding along with that one during your match.

Another one to fly.

Angel City, Chicago.

Yeah, that was for me too, for all the things that you said.

But also on the other side, Martin, Hogan,

new head coach of the stars.

A lot of good chatter about him in the preseason

and what he's been able to do with this team from players.

And so I'm excited to see that in how it translate,

how they've built from what they did in last year

with tighter connections, being closer to each other

on the field, playing through the lines.

To me, this is going to be a really intriguing matchup

from with two teams who really, I would say,

have higher expectations this year

than they've had in a long time.

I like that prediction.

It kicks off this weekend.

So of course, we couldn't leave you

without our own big predictions.

There will be an article out on cbsports.com

that gives you every single A3 talents predictions

for the year.

It drops tomorrow.

So tune into that.

Keep your receipts and troll us all season long

for when we are wrong about these.

Let's hit them with our predictions.

Sandra, I'm starting with you.

Championship winner in 2026.

I'm going spirit.

I'm going spirit.

I think last year, I think I might have had them

in the mix for either a shield or championship too.

But they are just that kind of team.

They're just that team that are going

to find themselves as contenders.

And you can't knock this many times and not come away with one.

They're walking away with something.

I don't know if it's going to be a shield winning season

with a new 30 match schedule.

But I do think there's enough from majoring in Gonzalez

and the squad to squeak out that championship win.

So I'm going spirit.

I don't want to pick.

I really struggled with this.

I'm going to just go kind of wild.

We're going to see back to back champs.

I think Gotham wins it again.

The depth of this squad, they've got a lot of players

that can play a lot of minutes.

And they're going to need it.

And I think that they could go back to back.

Because once they get in the playoffs, you just...

You know what I'm going?

You don't know what's going to happen.

I am going Kansas City current for the reasons

that they are so desperate.

So desperate to win a championship

that I think they are going to put all their eggs

in the playoffs basket.

I don't even think they're going to care

about where they finish and the standings at the end.

They just want to make it.

And then they'll get to the championship and win it.

For my shield winners, I'm going Washington spirit.

I think they're so built for a long season.

I think the biggest question mark is the goalkeeper position.

But I'm going Washington spirit as my shield winners.

Sandra, who do you have?

I'm looking at Ross or Sue and I like Gotham's.

I like everything they're building.

I think Gotham has what it takes to take on the extra matches

and come out on top.

Gotham for shield winners for me.

I like this flip flop, Sandra.

I got spirit as the shield.

For all the reasons at least I said.

Guys, this is so juicy.

Okay, MVP, Jordan.

Who is your MVP?

Oh, well, she loves a spotlight.

There's a whole new rule now because of her.

So I'm going to Trinity Rodman.

If this spirit team is going to do all these big things,

she will be the MVP because of the amount of goals and assists

and flair that she brings.

Everybody's going to want to watch Trinity Rodman.

I hope it's her.

I love that shout.

I am going with her former teammate, Crobat Thune.

I think the pickup for Kansas City is such a big deal.

And she had an excellent rookie year

becoming rookie of the year with her assists

and a little bit of a slump.

Due to some injuries in her second year

and this is a third year, a new team

and a chance for Kansas City to make a statement.

And they have to do that with an MVP player, Crobat Thune.

I think it's going to take a little while,

but I think this player is a lot closer than folks anticipate.

I think Barbara Banda's going to make a run for MVP this year.

I think she was making a run for MVP last year.

But unfortunately, that season got cut short.

And I'm hopeful that she comes back

and absolutely smokes a competition.

Wow, Barbara Banda for MVP.

Does that mean she's your golden boot?

Sandra, who do you have scoring the most goals?

I'm just going to go completely the opposite way

and just say that I like when Golden Boot and MVP

don't always align.

So I hope it's different.

And I want to see it.

I believe in big fish.

I want to see it.

Nice.

Not a stranger.

Not a stranger.

Not a stranger to winning the Golden Boot.

Not a stranger to scoring goals and winning a golden boot.

I want to see me official have a big, big season.

And with Tim Lachuinga having probably a slower start

to this season, I think maybe somebody can finally

chase this player.

And I would love it to be me official.

I do wonder if going off a last year, for example,

if those goals start dropping, because this

is going to be year three for Shuinga and the league.

So a lot more footage and a lot more familiarity.

See if she hasn't gotten any slower.

Let me just stop.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

There's going to still be clips.

But I don't know.

I don't know if those extra four games of 30 game season

is going to mean that Shuinga is going to get even more goals.

When is she coming back?

Yeah, I think all of them were very hard.

This one is the hardest, I think,

because there's so many unknowns in the league.

This year has to have like some of these teams are playing.

And so there's some big names.

Like who's to say Amanda Gutierrez isn't going

to be the Golden Boot, right?

But we just don't know how Boston is going to play.

And will they feed her enough?

Will she get in spots where she can score goals?

So I went, I struggled with this.

I had so many players down.

I went a stair.

That's a good one.

That's a pretty good shout.

I also kind of, I struggled with this one.

And I wanted to pick someone out of the box because it's

more fun to do that.

And I think this move is going to help this player.

And I'm going Lujmila with San Diego.

I thought of her too.

I like it.

I like it.

I think that she's just going to go off.

And I don't think they have a lot of other goal scores.

And they have a lot of people that can set up Lujmila.

So I'm going with her.

Guys, this is so fun.

It was so difficult.

There's a full article dropping on CBSWords.com Friday, March 13th,

with every single A3 members predictions for the season,

including championship shield, MVP Goldboot,

but so much more as well, rookie of the year.

So tune into that and drop us your predictions.

Let us know in the chat in the comments who you are picking

to win in 2026.

We're going to take a quick break and we'll

be right back.

We're talking expansion sides next.

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Hey, everyone.

Welcome back to attacking third presented by Tylenol,

the official pain reliever of the NWSL,

and which expansion team is going to need the most Tylenol

this season?

That is the segment we are talking about,

because we are previewing Denver and Boston,

and it is not easy to be an expansion team in the NWSL,

with 16 teams, 30 matches.

Let's talk about it.

Of course, we have the wonderful Jordan Angelie with us,

and she is a founder of Denver Summit of FC,

to a little disclaimer out there for everyone.

Let's talk Denver.

They have their head coach, Nick Cushing,

in this off season.

Pretty much every move was a notable move,

because they had to build an entire roster,

some big names that they brought in,

Goldkeeper, Abby Smith, Janine Sonis.

Io, okay, Ali, Breeze, or Lindsay,

heaps, Ava, Katano, Kaylee, Kurtz,

a lot of big players that have been brought in, Jordan.

You're not, and you're excited about it.

I mean, these are some big names.

Lindsay heaps being probably the biggest on the slip.

She's, well, she's not set to join until the summer,

but this is a roster that is built with experience,

a lot of championship experience down the spine.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, it is.

And one of the things that we've learned over the past few years,

not just in NWSL, but also in MLS,

is like, how do you build an expansion team?

And it has to do with this duality of really experienced NWSL

players alongside some big splashes.

And I think heaps and, okay, are those big splashes

for this summit team?

And when you look at some of these players that they brought in,

the spine is where they tried to build a lot of the depth.

So yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely, she thinks.

That spine is crazy.

You look at Abby Smith, she's a two-time NWSL champion,

Jordan Baggett, Carson Pickett, Champion,

Shield, and Champion Winner, Jeanine Sonis,

NWSL Champion, Kayleigh Kurtz,

record-setting Iron Woman with North Carolina,

Nick Cushing, also an incredible coach,

Jen Bede, our own from A3, has talked about him and said,

how to this day, Nick Cushing is still one of the best

coaches Jen Bede has had.

So we don't know a lot about this team,

but we decide we take a shot at it.

And we're going to give you our projected 11 for Denver.

And this is our wish list, 11, we're going to say.

In goal, we have Abby Smith starting across the back line,

Carson Pickett, Ava Gatino, Kayleigh Kurtz, and I-O, OK,

then in the midfielder.

This one was a little trickier.

Emma Reagan, who is the Canadian international.

She's going to be the sixth.

You have all just watched her with She Believes Cup.

She played in that sixth role.

Lindsay Heaps, of course, is in that midfielder group

when she comes.

And then it's Unama Cormick, who is the FSU national champion.

She's a rookie.

I think she's going to have a pretty big year with Denver

across the front line, Janine Sonis, Garcia, and then Ali

Brazier.

This is what we have for our starting lineup, Sandra.

Do you approve?

I approve, because I held make it.

So I love this starting lineup.

I'm here for it.

I'm curious what Jordan thinks.

And honestly, Elise, I don't know.

I think it felt kind of difficult to make this one,

just because of some of the talent

that we've been rattling off here.

I mean, I think if there's a, if I had a pick one player

that I'm just absolutely amped about for the summit,

it's 100% I.O.

Like, she is going to be such a spark plug, I think,

for this team.

And a lot of folks, I think, probably

got that fresh introduction to her.

If they weren't familiar with her before,

during those January camps with the USW and T,

I got plenty of people already yelling at me

for not mentioning her in the rookies to watch.

But jokes on you, you do not know ball,

because she does not qualify as a rookie in the end of USL.

She will qualify as a newcomer, but not as a rookie,

because she actually played professionally with Butchuka

in the mixed female.

So I'm very, very excited to see her kind of plug in and play,

because you know what, she's not going

to have a problem with any of that altitude or mountains.

She had a play in those conditions in Mexico.

So she's going to be rare to go.

What do you think of the lineup, Jordan?

Yeah, just a note on her.

She's the biggest transfer fee for an American coming back

into NWSL.

So huge pick up there.

I would say, yes, of course, everybody wants heaps to play,

but she's got some more games to play

before she gets into this, the starting 11.

I think one of the benefits of these tournaments,

these preseason tournaments, I don't know if you guys

happen to catch the San Diego Wave Summit stream on YouTube.

But I got to watch a little bit of that.

And that was really helpful to see how this team

would shape up to me when I'm looking at this.

I like it, but I would say two players

that I would look to maybe from that game

that would potentially crack into this

is Tosh Plint as a 10 in that 10 spot,

really operating in the pockets.

And then Natalie means looked really good in that game.

Had a goal and an assist in the first half

against San Diego, outside back, left back,

can just bomb up and down.

And what it looked like in that game

was the connection between her and Sonis was already on point.

And so I would just, I would be curious to see

if she's potentially going to be a starter for summit.

Yeah, that's a really good shout.

There's also Megan Reed, who could slot into this backline.

A lot of depth, a lot of experience,

a lot of really talented players.

Sandra and I, we had the pleasure of speaking

with Denver Defender, Eva Gatino.

Take a listen to what she had to say.

Obviously, these types of things are so tricky.

And I don't honestly think or not talked about enough

as like for us soccer players,

like these decisions that we make

that impact our careers so much.

But for me, I just, the competitiveness of the NWSL,

first of all, was super exciting for me.

I love the idea of a challenge weekend and week out.

And also, I really just wanted to be a part of growing something.

And like putting forth like that work

to really build something incredible

with a group of girls, a group of women

who like also want to be there,

also want to be a part of growing something.

So it was just all super exciting for me

and it was an opportunity I couldn't say no to.

So I mean, I think one thing that the US just does

such an amazing job of is not only the commercial side,

but like the fan base and playing in front of like,

committed, proud fans.

It truly makes such a difference as a player.

And I just had a lot of FOMO from it and like seeing like

what the NWSL was doing for their teams

and how the fans showed up for their teams.

I just was like, I want to be a part of that.

I do.

I think what you can expect is a hungry team,

a team that wants to prove something,

and a team that's just not going to let up.

And who I think we really want to become a team

who just enjoys the chaos and enjoys the grind.

Because I think if you like kind of like our adverse to it,

you're not going to, you're not going to do as good as you could.

But if you just embrace it and like live in it,

I think that, I think that we could be really, really good.

And I think that's what something you can expect from us is.

And for fans, they're going to be happy to hear that from Eva.

I thought it was so funny how she was like,

I just had FOMO.

Everyone was like, we were having fun playing in the States.

I wanted to do it.

Yeah, I mean, that's an honest answer.

Yeah, I love it.

You can't listen to the full interview with Eva.

It is on our podcast feed and on YouTube.

All right, for Denver, what are our expectations for this team?

They take on Bay in their first match this upcoming weekend.

And I think it is going to be a really big test for them.

Bay is also in a bit of a rebuild in what they're doing this year

with a new coach and a lot of new players

and really almost starting over.

And that has been a theme of expansion teams in the NWSL.

And for Denver, I think the biggest test is going to be

can they maintain all that consistency,

not just through this year, but over the next several years.

I have high hopes for this team because of a lot of the reasons

we already said they have brought in champions.

NWSL experienced veterans and champions

that know how to win and know how to compete for a long season.

Maybe not 30 games, but 26 games.

They understand what it takes.

They understand the highs and the lows

that come with a really long NWSL season

and how to maintain that plus Denver

has the secret weapon of their altitude.

Eva talked a little bit about that with us.

I think this is going to be a team that

competes for a playoff position towards the end of the year,

which has not been done by a lot of expansion teams

coming into the NWSL.

I have high expectations for this team too.

So I'm glad we got one of the founders on here.

So that you can lobby for these expectations back to the team.

And I think this is the perfect match

to get your inaugural season started.

I mean, no disrespect to BFC, but they are also a team

that are finding themselves building again,

even though they are not too far from move

from being an expansion side themselves, new coach, new players.

They're going to be figuring out new things.

So I think they are heavily injured right now

on the defensive side of things.

So there's opportunities here for Denver to take a look at

and kind of expose and maybe kind of show us

a bit of who we expect them to be.

So hopefully it's a good game.

Yeah, I feel like this every single like every two years, right?

We have to predict the expectations.

But I think with this Denver squad, there's

high expectations because they have made a splash

and they're spending what they are

willing to put into this league, how much money

they built, they used to build this club.

And that's ambition, right?

That is saying, hey, we want to win a championship.

And so I think that onlookers should have high expectations

because of that.

And this is a championship city.

You guys, Denver, every team here, minus the Rockies,

have one championship.

So there, I think if you play sports here,

you have to expect that you have that weight

on your shoulder to win.

So there are high expectations for this team.

What you said, Sandra, I think, is going

to be important is how much pressure they

can put on this backline of Bay.

Because from the start of last year to this start of this year,

there is not one of the same players on that backline.

Unfortunately, Alyssa Malons on Tori, CL,

went on SEI just, I think that was announced yesterday.

So can they make this backline uncomfortable with the way

they press with the way they sit

and make them be expansive a little bit?

That's going to be key.

A lot of changes, a lot of excitement to come.

So that's Denver, BFC, that match happening Saturday

in this opening weekend.

Let's look at Boston, our other expansion team coming

into the NWSL this year.

They are Boston Legacy FC.

Their coach is Felipe Pal.

And this off season, same as Denver.

Every move was a big move because they

had to build an entire roster.

But the biggest names, goalkeeper, Casey Murphy

coming into this team, Bianca St. George, Ellis Stevens,

players in the front line, Josephine Hasbo,

Barb Olivieri, and Michelle Prince.

These are a lot of names that a lot of people know.

But if you look through the roster,

there are a lot of internationals, a lot of players.

Almost half of the roster that has never played in NWSL

before, and these names that I've just listed

are the ones that have played a lot,

including Michelle Prince, a Canadian international forward,

and NWSL veteran who has so much experience.

And Sandra and I got to chat with Prince, take the listen

to what Michelle had to say about the start of the year

for Boston.

I'm not the loudest person in the room.

Like, raw, raw person, but I feel like I

bring a sense of calmness, and I lead in that way.

And I'm able, and I show up for my teammates,

try to show up for my teammates every day the best I can.

And so I think just having that experience in this league,

knowing that it's a long year, that there's

going to be ups and downs, just trying

to be that sense of calm and that sense of direction

for a less experienced team.

And by the team, that has so much to offer this year.

Michelle, you mentioned wanting that opportunity

to sort of build something new.

And you're doing that in Boston.

It's a pretty iconic city.

And NWSL wants to find itself in a plethora of cities,

like ones that are maybe smaller markets

to ones that are really, really iconic in Boston,

with such a historical presence.

I've got plenty of iconic landmarks.

I know the team was spotted at Fenway earlier this preseason.

How's it been like exploring the city for you?

What have you sort of been able to take in?

Oh my gosh, yes.

It's such an exciting city to be able to be a part of.

The biggest thing I heard when I got signed here

was it is a big sport city.

And the fans will let you know if you're doing good or bad.

And so I think that's exciting.

You want to show up for your fans.

You want to play well for them and get results.

And I think we're going to be a team, though,

that is exciting to watch.

So I think that the fans are going to be

have fun watching a split.

It's going to be creative.

It's going to be different.

We're going to be on the ball a lot.

So I think the fans will love to see that.

And just there's something that actually, like,

I found out after signing with Boston, which I knew.

But I didn't really put it together until later was that.

In 2003, the World Cup was, and there was a World Cup game

in Foxboro.

My parents actually drove me and my sisters down

from Toronto to watch the game.

But Canada was playing against Sweden or something.

And I, like, it's actually a full circle moment

being able to play at Gillette.

I watched, I was eight years old, and I watched half

I'm aging myself, because probably more than half

of my team was not alive at this point.

So truly aging myself.

But yeah, like, it's crazy that full circle, like I'm playing

my first year at a new team at Foxboro at a stadium

that I watched the World Cup team at.

So I'm really, like, there's so much history in Boston

with sports.

And, you know, I was able to be a part of that as a fan

like 20 years ago.

And now I get to be in the stadium and be the second woman

soccer team here.

And, yeah, I get to do something really exciting.

So I'm really excited about that.

Filipe a little bit.

And some of the things that she's integrated a little bit

for you all or this preseason.

And I'm just curious.

And for you, in your experience, you

are one of the more seasoned players on this team.

And so like sometimes when you're working

with a new coach who's also new to the NWSL,

sometimes it offers that new perspective.

And it could be refreshing.

Maybe what are some things that you're already picking up

from the coaching staff looking to add to your game?

For sure, I think that's actually like the first couple

weeks of preseason.

And, you know, Filipe style of coaching

and play is very different than maybe some stuff

that I've been used to.

And at first, you're like a little hesitant, like,

so, you know, dive.

And I think that's just naturally, you're like,

this is not what I'm used to.

This is not like the things I know.

And I think something that she's really

implementing is, guys, I know that I'm different.

I know that I coach different.

I know things are maybe not how U.S. are used to,

but just trust the process.

It's like, if you trust the process,

we're going to get somewhere here

and this is going to be a special team.

And I think that that's what everyone has done is truly

just like, okay, like, buy into what we're doing here.

And we'll see something great.

And I think, like, you need everyone you surely do.

Because if there's one person who's not, he's like,

ah, like, no, I'm not liking it.

It's going to drive the team in the wrong direction.

And so I think we've all just been like, okay,

embraces and, and yeah, we've had so far.

It's been a great preseason.

And hopefully that carries through into the season.

But I think that's because everyone is just trusting

this process.

And yeah, just like the way that she loves football,

she wants to be on the ball.

She wants to be creative.

She allows us to be and encourages us to mix mistakes.

And so I think it just allows to have a comfortable environment

where people are growing and pushing themselves.

So fun to hear from Michelle.

She talked about how close this team was, how,

what, they're singing Happy Birthday, Sandra,

and seven different languages with the group.

Go listen to the full conversation we had with Michelle.

It's on our podcast page and across our YouTube pages.

But with Denver, we did our starting lineup.

We also did it for Boston.

Much harder, at least in my opinion, Sandra,

take us through who you think is going to be

in the projected lineup for Boston.

All right, let's start up some.

We've got Alan Gutierrez and Prince leading the attack.

We've got Kanye Oliveri Stevens in the middle.

Hernandez, Caravale, Kaka, and Arroajo

and Murphy for the back five.

There's four defenders and the goalkeeper.

I gotta say, it was difficult to kind of crack through this,

but I kind of like what we settled on.

And I hope that Gutierrez has a bit of a breakout season

for Boston.

I think we're underestimating that concept

of the unfamiliarity around an international striker

for that first season in NWSL.

And maybe Boston is hoping they get some of that trending luck

their way.

How are other opposing defenses supposed

to kind of contain this player?

She was a leading goal scorer for Brazil

during that Copa America Feminina.

So she's no stranger to scoring goals,

especially when they count.

And a lot of international players in the mix,

what is Coach?

Philippa got cooking here with all these players.

That's a lot of different styles,

a lot of different personalities,

a lot of different experiences to all get on the same page.

And maybe just maybe that is going to be the thing

that gets them through the same language

that they're all going to have in common is that playbook.

So hopefully it comes to life for them.

Yeah, I like this starting lineup.

It is difficult because a lot of these players,

I think when I counted 13 of the players for Boston,

have never played in NWSL before.

So there is a lot of unknown to what they're going to look like.

But I would make one, personally, I would make one move.

I would say Anna Carich, who played in that World 7 tournament,

Lisa, you and I got to watch her.

I think she starts as a six for this team.

And then I think that then pushes Olivier or Stevens

into the front line for Alan.

And that would kind of be the one move that I see

that kind of solidifies the team.

She has a lot of experience playing abroad

and can't hold down some of the expectations for this group

in their opening game at Foxboro.

I love that note there from Prince.

So that's going to be so cool for her.

And with the Gotham team who is going to come at them.

And so her stability, I think, will add to this group.

But I, do we know is Amanda want to be,

I know they've called her Guti, like she

want to just be Amanda, is it Gutiara's?

We need to figure out what that is going to be.

But I, she can score goals from just about any situation.

Great area Lee, good with the ball

to find the back shoulder of a defender.

So I'm with you Sandra.

I think she's going to score a lot of goals.

Yeah.

I think she's going to be very difficult to play against.

And I think a lot of NWSL teams are not

going to be ready for what Gutiara's can do.

Albacanio, I also believe she's on loan right now.

So unavailable.

This was like our wish list starting lineup

because she won't be back for a little bit.

But there is a lot of good players.

I think Annie Carch is a good one to throw in there.

I think just Fin Hasvo is also a player that we can see.

Get significant minutes with Boston.

There's a lot of experience too on this Boston side.

It just depends kind of how it breaks down.

But they have to take on Gotham, guys, in this opening game,

which both of you had in your predicted.

They're going to make it all the way to the end.

Jordan, do you foresee any, like,

how do you foresee this game going, Boston and Gotham?

You just can't underestimate a new team with the energy

that they're going to have.

And so I do think Boston at home.

Yeah.

I do think that Boston, it'll be important

how they manage that energy, how compact they are

in moments to deny Gotham any kind of momentum.

But I think what we just heard from Princeton,

actually one of the things I wrote down

is like, what is their style going to be like?

I think they could have a really unique style.

There is a lot of energy.

There's diverse players.

So how does that stylistically work?

If it clicks, I think it's going to be hard for teams

to manage because they're not going to have seen this before.

That's what I think.

Portuguese coach, first ever Portuguese coach in the league.

But it also could go the other way, where it doesn't mesh.

And if things go wrong, how do all of that diverse group,

how do they come together and regroup?

I think that's going to be an important thing

because I do know that they've had translator ear buds

that they've been wearing during trainings

to make sure they're all on the same page.

Well, you don't wear those in the game.

So how do you manage that when things go away?

Yeah, who takes charge, who takes leadership

and kind of brings things in.

I can almost guarantee that things aren't going to go

perfectly their way in this.

Look for it.

Yeah, that is the beauty of this sport.

So how do they adjust, how do they adapt?

This is a great point, Jordan.

NWSL guys, it all kicks off this weekend.

You can watch the expansion teams and your raining champs,

got them, they all kick off.

Stick with us with A3.

We're going to wrap up this show with some international

conversation.

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces, TGL playoffs are here.

First, Atlanta Drive starts their repeat run

against Los Angeles Golf Club.

Then, Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tigers Jupiter

links face off in their playoff debuts.

Who will advance?

Keep up its playoffs.

Tune in Tuesday, March 17th at 6.30 p.m. and 9.

p.m. only on ESPN and the ESPN app.

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MUSIC

Hi, everyone.

Welcome back to attacking third.

The international break is over.

So we're going to a little roundup, a little in case you missed it.

There is still one competition that is going on.

That is the Women's Asian Cup.

It takes place right now in Australia.

The final set for March 21st.

And this upcoming weekend are the quarter finals.

Right now, China and Japan, they

lead the group stage, both with three wins.

Each South Korea and Australia are behind China and Japan

with two wins and a draw.

A lot to come out of this tournament.

China are the reigning champs.

They could potentially repeat.

Or we could have a new champion.

There's still a lot to come out of this Women's Asian Cup.

Again, the final set for March 21st.

But the biggest news out of this competition

comes following Iran's group stage games,

because at least five members of the Iranian Women's National

team did not return with the team after being knocked out

of the tournament due to concerns about their safety

upon returning home.

Instead, it was local police officers in Australia

who transported those players from a hotel

to a safe location after they made

a silent request.

And this comes after the opening match of the tournament

when the Iranian Women's National team players

did not sing the national anthem.

They then did sing the next two group stage games

that they played in.

But this all started just two days after US and Israel's joint

military operation started, which then led TV

to brand the players as wartime traders.

That's the Iranian state media calling the players

wartime traders, which then led to them asking for asylum.

It is a really tough, difficult situation

Jordan that these players are dealing with

and that they have to deal with on top of just trying

to play and compete in World Cup mall fires.

It's really hard for us in the safety of our homes here

to speak what it would feel like to be one of these players.

But I think in general, our consensus as a group

is like we want everybody to feel safe

and be protected.

And so hard to know what went into this decision

for those players.

But for them, it's nice, I think, for us

as a soccer community knowing that they're safe

and they did what they felt was right for them.

And yeah, we just pray that they are protected

and feel like they have found safety.

Yeah, I can't say anything else.

I think when you see this situation unfolding,

because it keeps unfolding in front of us,

there might be another update when we're done

sort of reacting to this.

But I think the human side of things,

the instinct is to just immediately have a sense of fear

for the player safety and just the genuine want

for them to continue to have that safety

and those protections moving forward.

So all of my best thoughts are with them.

I can't imagine being in that situation

and finding yourself having to make

those types of choices or decisions.

It's absolutely heartbreaking.

Out of the Women's African Cup of Nations,

it is Wafcon that has been post-poned.

It was set to kick off next week, March 17th

and then the Confederation of African Football Post-Pony Event

to July and August due to unexpected logistical

and organizational challenges.

That's just 12 days before the opening match.

Talk about word salad, unexpected logistical

and organizational challenges.

South Africa's head coach Desiree Ellis

came out asking very squarely,

would this be happening with the men game,

with the men's game?

Other players are speaking out about it, Sandra.

It's really disappointing that Wafcon was post-poned

after all these teams, the players had made preparations

to prepare for these World Cup qualifiers.

Lisa, I wish it was a word salad.

I wish it was barely that.

The Federation put out a measly statement.

It offered no actual context.

It cited discussions that took place

between the Federation and its partners

and that they said, you know what,

after those discussions,

we decided that it was best to go ahead and post-pone this.

But don't worry, we're still preparing

and it's really going to be successful.

And everybody is just supposed to accept that

and believe that.

But this postponement is just, it's a gut punch.

It is absolutely a gut punch to Africa women's football.

And it's a bit of another signal.

It's another signal that the women's game

is still treated as an afterthought, you know,

and the reasons that they can cite saying

that they're logistical, but the messaging

and the way it's been delivered

is ultimately demoralizing, especially to the players

who have been prepping for a very specific time

in their year and their season.

And the players are right, you know,

it should be unsurprising that it's Nigeria's players

who are sort of leading the way

and kind of speaking out against this.

Ashley Pumptrey has spoken out against it.

Azubayde has spoken out against it.

And that's just the other sort of piece of this puzzle, right?

Women athletes find themselves once again

needing to lead the way in talking about

why something like this is disrespectful to the game.

In UEFA, they are also doing their World Cup qualifiers.

France, England, Germany, and Spain,

no surprise there remain perfect in league A competition.

Germany specifically has done a really good job defensively.

They haven't conceded a single goal so far in their two matches.

But the way that the group shake out,

we will get to see an England and Spain match up

in the group stage, which has a lot of weight on it.

The winners of the group stage

will qualify directly for the Women's World Cup in 2027 in Brazil.

The runners up and the other teams will then

go into a playoff tournament.

So England and Spain battling in the same group,

both still perfect right now.

Italy, meanwhile, after an incredible Cinderella run

last year at the Euro is making it to the semi-final,

they've been really disappointing.

A draw to Denmark, a loss to Sweden,

a bit of inconsistencies, Jordan, from a team

that we thought could maybe be a bit of a spoiler

in these World Cup qualifiers.

Yeah, gosh, Italy, come on.

They put us on this roller coaster, right?

And I feel like that's kind of been the story

of this Italian team is they've lacked consistency

because they give us this high note and we're like,

yes, here we go, push in on the world stage.

And then they're like, maybe not quite yet.

So it's going to take a lot.

But it's a bummer to see this from Italy, especially after.

I think everybody's eyes were glued to them during Euros.

But still, it's France, England, Germany, and Spain

leading the pack in UEFA World Cup qualifiers.

Conca Caff, we've also got qualifiers happening

in Conca Caff.

And the biggest news has to be Jamaica's bunny shawl

because she is back and better than ever.

She is scoring with Jamaica who has won their first two matches.

She's coming off a brace in the big win over Nicaragua

for Jamaica.

So Conca Caff qualifiers have been really fun to watch as well.

And Brazil has also played some friendly matches.

I mean, this international window was very active.

But for Brazil, they fell to Venezuela and Mexico

to one against Venezuela and one no against Mexico

being shut out by the Mexican women's national team.

What's happening here, Sandra?

What's happening with Brazil?

What's happening with Mexico in that one no game?

I mean, very good time a little bit for us.

I think it was a mix of just not great timing.

I think for Brazil, I think it's no secret that NWS

all is home to a lot of Brazilian players.

And I think maybe some of that preseason form

kind of bit them at the wrong time for some of these families

in the international windows.

With Mexico, they've got to mix the players across

different leagues.

And it was a fun, tense kind of game.

There was a missed penalty, missed opportunity for Mexico.

But incredible game for their goalkeeper and Stephanie

Barrett has kind of really keeping Brazil out of nets

and with some help from the goalpost, for sure.

So a narrow win for Mexico, but they're

going to be flying high on that, for sure.

Whereas Brazil, I think they might be kind of motivated

by this window.

I would imagine that they're going to toss this out

of the memory bank and kind of bounce right back

in the next one.

Almost concerning for Brazil to fall in two games

when they have been such a powerhouse

and such a team competing at the highest level,

even with the United States.

All right, guys, we teased it at the top of the show

that there's been some news.

And it's officially broken.

So we can talk about it now on A3 before we close out.

Jordan Heitzema has been traded from Seattle Rain

to the Chicago Stars, the Olympic gold medalist,

the Canadian International Forward.

She brings a lot of pedigree, some goal scoring

to the windy city.

It comes in exchange for $200,000 in allocation money

and $300,000 transfer fee.

So $500, $500,000, thank you, the number is hard.

Price tag for Jordan Heitzema.

And she's coming to Chicago, Sandra.

I guess so.

I guess so.

If you're asking me for the first reaction,

the first reaction is I do not get it.

I do not get it, make it make sense.

And that's going to fall on the coaching staff and the player

and the system.

There's a lot of unknown variables here.

That's a lot of money for a player

that I'm not sure that other clubs might have made that move for.

I think there is an econ or argument to be said

that the Heidema maybe didn't thrive in the type of system

that was happening over in the rain.

But I think if you look at the numbers, 70 appearances,

not a lot of goal production, not a lot of assist,

but maybe just maybe it's going to be different.

You hope that it's going to be different

with a new coach and a new system.

But it's hard for me to make sense of it, especially

when they've got a similar profile in EVO and check on.

So I'm just kind of like, well, you've got two similar forwards now.

What does it all mean?

Yeah, I kind of like that.

No competition is so good, especially for that spot.

If you're a goal scorer, you need someone breathe in down your neck

to make sure that you know your spot's going to be taken

if you don't perform.

When I'm looking at Heidema, she's played 70 games in NWSL.

10 goals, you guys.

10 goals.

That's not, I'm not.

Yeah, I can remember the number.

So thank you, Jordan.

Yeah, I am not saying that she cannot score goals

because I think she can, especially with a Swanson and a Joseph

going running the sidelines, right?

And feeding her the ball.

I think she can score goals.

But it is, it's a head scratcher for that much money.

And maybe it's a fresh new start.

She mentioned that.

And sometimes that can reinvigorate a player.

She's so young.

So can we're going to get the best out of her?

I think is going to be the key factor in this.

I'm worried that one of the hurdles that Jordan Heidema

has to overcome is that she needs to be set up

in order to score a lot of goals.

Can she create for herself?

Can she be a goal scoring threat on her own

and really take it to the opposition?

But a big move.

It is half a million dollars.

Thank you to our producer for helping

move the math there on that one.

You have a million dollars.

Right.

But then you question yourself also.

Thank you, Jordan Heidema.

The numbers really get me.

I was like 200,000, 300,000, 500,000, yeah, whatever.

Half a million dollars for Jordan Heidema from Seattle

to Chicago.

And it comes on the eve of NWSL 2026 kicking off.

It all starts this weekend with Match Day 1, which

means that Sunday night at 7 p.m.

Right after Indole City against Chicago Stars,

we will be bringing you our reactions

our analysis from Match Week 1 and our very first team

of the week for 2026.

So get out.

You're typing fingers, listeners,

because I know you have thoughts on our team of the week.

Thanks, everyone.

So much for hanging with us.

Jordan, thanks for being with us.

And everyone, we will see you on Sunday for Sandra, Jordan,

Phil, and Audrey.

I'm Lisa.

This was attacking third.

One, two, three, four.

And my final welcome.

That was it.

Thank you.

Good night.

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