The day has come: Emma Hayes is now the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team. The side demolished South Korea for a combined scoreline of 7-0. Sam Staab and Lily Yohannes each earned their first caps. The law firm of Smith, Swanson, and Rodman served papers to their opponents over and over again. Alex Morgan--well, she was present. What did we learn about how Hayes wants the team to play? Eric and Evan uncover all the tactical nuggets across the two friendlies, then project the USWNT's l...
Jun 06, 2024•49 min•Ep. 74
The international break has flipped our schedule this week, so for this week's early bonus episode, we bring you a great conversation Evan had with Our Futbol co-host Adriana Terrazas to break down the recent Clausura final and all the storylines from Liga MX Femenil this season. Team by team, we look at how C.D. Guadalajara ("Chivas") came up frustratingly short (11:20). C.F. Pachuca (17:01) won the transfer window heading into the Clausura. Why did they look so limp once they got into the Ligu...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 73
Barcelona capped off their third Champions League title in four years by taking down their final boss, Lyon, to have no more rivals for best team in the world. How dominant were they in the game, though? Did Lyon actually knock them off their axis for a brief moment? Eric and Evan debate the merits of each team's performance (00:45). Then, veteran NWSL play-by-play announcer Mike Watts comes on (21:05) to talk about the wild times of calling Sky Blue FC games in 2014, the exciting opportunities ...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 72
Week 10! Two teams. Two massive victories. Two bright futures ahead? Eric and Evan ponder the meaning of Houston's staggering 3-0 home win over North Carolina and examine the implications of Racing Louisville's 1-0 away result in Chicago. H-town madness? Kentucky fried conquest? We're curious too. Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 28, 2024•42 min•Ep. 71
It's the premiere episode of our new Thursday bonus episode series, where we explore other tactical and analytical corners of the global women's football landscape! To kick things off, Evan and Eric bring on Athletic columnist and Counter Pressed co-host Jessy Parker Humphreys to go swimming in how the 23-24 WSL season shook out. Chelsea (1:32) won their fifth consecutive title, but did they underperform? Manchester City (6:21) came so close and fell so frustratingly short once again, but they m...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 70
Another week, another brutal Utah Royals loss. Though the scoreline was a mere 1-0 defeat on the road to the North Carolina Courage, the expansion side was under siege pretty much from minute one. Eric and Evan use the Royals' performance to figure out just how badly the season has gone for the club, and what bright spots may be on the horizon. Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 21, 2024•44 min•Ep. 69
More transparency! More accountability! More Own Goals! Kieran guest stars as the Grim Reaper in Evan and Eric's Own Goal Bogus Journey! Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 17, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 68
We here at Expected Own Goals are about transparency and accountability. That's why, at the point in the season when xG stabilizes and becomes sticky, we've decided to go back and cop to our best and worst own goals from our preseason predictions. Kieran's back to face the music along with Eric and Evan. Be sure to tune in later this week for Part II, where the gang digs into the players that have surprised and disappointed them the most! Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Son...
May 14, 2024•53 min•Ep. 67
We've been putting it off all season, but after a tough loss to the Washington Spirit and an emphatic win against Bay FC, we can put it off no longer: we must discuss the fourth-place Chicago Red Stars. Eric and Evan were joined by Lesley Ryder of Gal Pal Sports to dissect the Laura Ricketts-Lorne Donaldson era of the team, if their early-season success is sticky or a mirage, and who will step up to score besides Mallory Swanson. Rep the 3-1-2, or the 7-7-3, or the 4-6-4, or whatever else people...
May 07, 2024•40 min•Ep. 66
Is Orlando the best team in the NWSL right now? They just might be. An emphatic 3-2 victory over the Washington Spirit on the road cemented what could be a hyper-organized defense with Barbra Banda as the tip of the spear. Other teams, attack at your own peril. Evan and Eric dig into what made Banda so special, as well as what the future might hold for the Spirit--and Ashley Hatch--once Leicy Santos and Jonatan Giráldez arrive in June. (tl;dr they'll be fine.) Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin D...
Apr 30, 2024•29 min•Ep. 65
The NWSL spring trade deadline has come and gone, and somehow, both the Houston Dash and Angel City made some significant moves. Eric and Evan brought Kieran Doyle-Davis on to get into all of the gobsmacking behavior by both teams in moving some major players. Then, they dig into Angel City's victory over the North Carolina Courage, and how a team with 62% possession and who topped the home side on xG 2.1 - 0.5 managed to still leave Los Angeles without a result. Plus, we'll hear from Angel City...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
We last checked in on the Kansas City Current in Week 1. What a difference a month makes! They're sitting atop the table on 10 points, have a potential superstar in Temwa Chawinga, and got a road point against Evan and Eric's preseason title favorite, Gotham FC. But is Chawinga the real deal? Were Juan Carlos Amorós's tactics too clever by half? Who looks like the better bet to keep succeeding in the weeks to come? Dive in, baby! Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs Learn ...
Apr 16, 2024•31 min•Ep. 63
The USWNT is SheBelieves Cup champion once again. Woo...hoo? The Twila Kilgore era comes to a close on a second penalty shootout win over Canada in a month, and leaves us wondering: what did Kilgore do well? What did she miss on? Is the team in better shape now than it was back in August? Furthermore, who is in pole position for each Olympics roster spot? Eric and Evan answer all these questions and more! (Evan may or may not sing at the end of the episode. Fair warning.) Art by Eli Elbogen Musi...
Apr 11, 2024•33 min•Ep. 62
No fewer than three NWSL games were decided in the final moments of stoppage time last weekend, but each were decided in different ways. San Diego survived its battle of attrition through well timed bravery, while Portland's overwhelming attacking talent finally breached Louisville's walls. Bay FC and the Houston Dash fully embraced their stubborn, attack-loving identities and the Dash tripped into victory. Eric and Evan ponder how these teams all managed a late result, hear from Bay FC head coa...
Apr 02, 2024•38 min•Ep. 61
A jam-packed, wackadoo weekend unfolded in the NWSL, with golazos and refereeing madness and everything in between. Eric, Evan and Arianna drill down on the Washington Spirit's 2-1 victory over Bay FC. Are Bay's tactics naïve? Has their depth been exposed? Is Croix Bethune the resurrection and the life? 1) Maybe 2) Probably 3) Get on your knees and pray. Art by Eli Elbogen Music by Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 26, 2024•42 min•Ep. 60
The greatest league in the world has returned, and boy was it a doozy! From first-minute penalties in Seattle, to the Naeher-aissance denying Utah their first-ever win in front of a "sold out" crowd, to 17-year-old Kennedy Fuller making as many headlines as Bay FC goalscorer Asisat Oshoala, there were narratives galore. But Eric, Evan, and Arianna can only focus on one thing: the Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns opening CPKC Stadium with nine goals, tying the NWSL single-game record. Did ...
Mar 19, 2024•51 min•Ep. 59
