Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're going to need somebody to add the curb your Enthusiasm music to that zoom in on Kim Mulky's face from LSU Kentucky.
The other day. It's Tuesday, February twenty fifth, and on today's.
Show, we'll be chatting with Sky and Silves of Shade Butter FC about their podcast origin story, how to make sure black and brown players feel safe and welcome in the soccer space, what to expect from this NWSL season, and early takeaways from the She Believes Cup, plus at All Star Trade, a twenty one year returned to the top, and back to back moments of trans joy. It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today. Let's start with the WNBA,
where we've got news of a major trade. The Washington Mystics are trading two time All Star Aeriel Atkins to the Chicago Sky in exchange for the number three pick in the twenty twenty five WNBA Draft. The Mystics also received the rights to swap first round picks with Chicago in the twenty time twenty seven WNBA Draft. As well as the Sky's second round pick in twenty twenty seven. This is the first major move we've seen the mystics new front office make since general manager Jamila Weideman and
head coach Sidney Johnson were hired in December. Maybe they heard us talking about all the crickets we were hearing from the Mystics. Either way, Atkins was drafted to the Sticks out of Texas in twenty eighteen and was a member of the squad that won a championship a year later. There are now no more members of that Mystics title team left on the roster. Meish, Mystics are your squad? What's your reaction in three words or less?
My fucking chest?
Honestly, I as a sky fan, super psite for Ariel, but also a little bit concerned, but how much we're giving up to college hoops where we've got lots of movement in the AP rankings and for the third time in three weeks, a different team in the number one spot. The team this week Texas, marking the Longhorns first time at the top of the AP women's basketball rankings list in twenty one years.
And if you're shocked by them making it to the top this year.
I guess you don't listen to our show enough because Friend of the Show and Around the Horn producer Josh Bard dropped this bit of knowledge very early in the season.
The team that I am most I would take interested in that I don't here talked about at the time the Texas Longhorns. I really liked Madison book On the way she played last year. I'm super excited to see her back.
If this were Around the Horn, you'd get a couple points, Josh, But this is our show, so we'll just give you a little salute. Elsewhere in the rankings, Notre Dame, previously in the top spot, dropped to number three after losing to NC State on Sunday one oh four to ninety five in double overtime that marked the end of the Irish's nineteen game winning streak. NC State moved up four
spots to number nine after that upset. UCLA, which held the top spot in the rankings for twelve weeks earlier this season but had dropped to number three, moved up one spot to number two after barely defeating unranked iOS sixty seven sixty five. Another highlight from the weekend included number seven LSU defeating Kentucky sixty five fifty eight despite the Wildcats Georgia Amore slicing through the d and making a sweet pass to Clara Strack for a bucket that
had Kim Moulke making a face we will never forget. Lord, Please never let me be on the receiving end of that face for any reason.
To soccer and the She Believes Cup.
Sunday saw the US women's national team top Australia two to one in Glendale, Arizona, behind a goal from Lynn Biandolo formerly Lynn Williams in the very first minute of the game and a second half tally from Michelle Cooper, her first international goal.
Now EMA has made a bit of program history in this one.
She sent out a brand new eleven for the match, swapping out all eleven players who started the win over Columbia. It was just the sixth time in seven hundred and fifty eight all time matches and the first time since two thousand that the US women's national team starting lineup featured eleven changes in back to back outings. The US will face Japan for the She Believes Cup trophy on Wednesday. That'll be at snap Dragon Stadium in San Diego. We'll talk a little more, she believes cup later in the
show with Silves in Sky to Tennis. We mentioned last week that Venus Williams was expected to play in her first WTA tournament in a year, the BNP Paribus Open in Indian Wells, California, after she was granted a wildcard for the event. Well not playing anymore or maybe not ever. During a speaking engagement in Denmark over the weekend, Williams told the crowd she wouldn't be playing in the event. Take a listen to what she said via audio captured by The Tennis Weekly podcast.
Yeah. Actually I found the announcement super amusing because I.
Don't know, people seem to be happy.
So I was like, maybe I just want to go with it.
I'm not sure not going, I'm going. I'm like, I'm going to be like in overseas, I'm not going to be here. So I watched it out here.
Thank you.
I just got to play her texting today too. Can you play doubles?
Uh?
Yeah, yep.
We sounded happy Venus because we were because we wanted to see you play again. Hilarious about someone texting her, Yeah, you want to have pop in on.
No, I'm not going to be there to.
The PWHL where we've got a battle between the top two teams tonight, the top ranked Montreal Victoire hosting the Toronto Scepters for what should be a good battle. When these two teams met last month, it went to a shootout, with Montreal going on to nab the win. Now, if Toronto pulls out the w in regulation, they'll move to the top of the standings, a huge turnaround after a rough start to the season. That game gets underway at seven thirty Eastern. We'll link to tune in info in
the show. Notes to Track and Field. US Indoor Nationals were this past weekend, and friend of the show Nicki Hilts ran away with both the fifteen hundred meters and three thousand meter titles. In doing so, they became the first American to win five consecutive fifteen hundred meter national titles,
a record that includes both indoor and outdoor nationals. With the results, Hilts qualified for the upcoming Indoor World Champs in Nanjing, China, but the twenty twenty four Olympians said they'll skip that competition to focus on the outdoor season. Hilts dedicated their wins to the trans community, writing on Instagram quote, as a national champion of a country so hyper fixated on hurting trans people at the moment, I want to dedicate these winds to the trans community. I
couldn't be more proud to be non binary. Knowing I'm a part of such a beautiful community of trans and queer resistance fills me with so much pride and gives me strength on the start line. May this weekend be proof that we exist. We aren't going anywhere, and nobody can ban trans joy end quote. Way to go, Niki. We're taking so much joy from your winds too, especially when you cross the finish line.
Muggin for the cameras. We love that, all right. We got to take a quick break when we come back.
We caught it with Sky and Silves from Shade butter FC yesterday. Dot Combo is next to stick around slices. It's time for another group chat where we take the tea from the text and we put it on the airwaves. Joining us from Shaye butter FC. She's an engineer from Southwest Atlanta who grew up playing soccer at the YMCA and in high school and continued to be a fan of soccer as a viewer, but didn't see too many
folks who look like her. She cares about amplifying the voices of marginalized folks, especially black women, and wants to help build community to dismantle the barriers that made it hard for her to flourish in soccer when she was younger.
It's sky what's up, Sky Up?
You've got the whole buyout?
Oh, that's right.
Joining her, She's a higher education professional who lives in the Pacific Northwest.
She was raised in Central Virginia.
She's a child of the ninety nine ers, and her goal is to give a voice to those that often go unheard in the game and to infuse soccer in the States with the culture it has often excluded.
It's Silves, what's up selves?
That's so nice? Thank you? What's up?
Yeah?
We got the Shade butter FC crew here.
And I want to start by asking, like, how did you decide to create this podcast s? Guy?
What was the impetus for it? Well?
I think me and Silves met virtually online in twenty twenty, is that right?
Soils?
Yeah?
Oh good?
Pandemic in Pandemic, and I know for me at the time, you know, I had just gotten back into like paying attention to soccer. I used to watch it ridiculously and like you said, like you pointed out and reading my bio. Uh, I didn't fall in love with the game until I got to college and I saw the game with people who look like me, and I could see the culture
and the vibes. So you know, I was getting back into it pandemic stuck at home online all the time, and I ran and cross paths with Sells, and I know, you know, around the time we interacted, we were like, oh, this should potentially start a podcast, but we didn't know what that looked like. And then Lo and Behol we would talk have takes online back and forth. And then Grego from Florida Culture United, he saw us interacting and he like hopped in our dms and.
Was like, do y'all know each other?
Y'all just started podcast And so that's how it got started.
Shout out to a meddling man.
Yeah, I's yeah, and so suggested you know, we had talked about we could potentially do it this like put stuff together. We happed on a few shows and then we worked it out and then eventually the Farest podcast.
Okay, so selves, how long did you guys do the podcast before you met in person?
The first time was the first time we met the Seattle Courtly game.
Yeah in person?
Yeah, yeah, Seattle. We went to that doubleheader, So maybe we started in April. So that was like August.
Oh, that's not bad people who literally are at it for a couple of years before they they end up in the same place selves, What did you think was missing in the space, Like, obviously during the whole twenty twenty lockdown, it didn't take much to get people to feel like content was needed from their mouths, but I think you guys probably had a little.
Bit more intention with what you wanted to create that there was something missing. What was it?
I think us right, just the the culture, the culture of sports that I grew up around. I you know, went to a probably black high school. I didn't have soccer, we didn't have money, so it was very much much considered an affluent sport. It's not something that we did. And so when I looked around, I just didn't see a lot of people that looked like me. And like you said, it not my bio. I'm a child of the ninety nine ers, right, like the summer of ninety
nine in general changed my life. Between that and Serena winning her first major, you know, it was sort of like you could be it as a teenager. But sincerely, we didn't see a lot of players that looked like us, and if we did, they were very much pigeonholed into pace and power to a phrase to get to used a lot, and just sort of acknowledge for their athleticism and not their intelligence. And there was just so few that there wasn't a diversity of opinion, and people couldn't
see these different talents. And you know, I knew working with younger people. I had worked with student athletes, I had worked with young lack women who played soccer, and just sort of seeing what was missing from the explanation of their game and what it meant to them and us. The rhythm of us, the movement of us, how we talk about sports, all of it was just missing, and so we wanted to bring that to the game if we could.
Yeah, I mean, it feels very clear that the way we talk about sports with predominantly black athletes is very different than sports with predominantly white athletes across the men's and women's space. You talk about pace and power in a sport like baseball, it's always a very different way you talk about the white players and the black players.
In a sport like football.
The white guys that are fast are always like scrappy, Yes, scrappy and surprisingly athletic a Belichick receiver, right, Yeah, So you know sky with more players of color in US soccer, from the US one's national team to the NWSL, do you feel like the soccer culture has changed with the changing rosters or if it hasn't, what work still needs to be done to reflect the diversity that now exists that maybe wasn't there when you were growing up.
I think it still has a long way to go.
While you know there's now more exposure in the syst that you have stuff on TV, but you still have to pay for TV. I think we as a country miss the reality that soccer's bason can unity and culture, and so it's still coming from a place of affluence, and the barriers of access help have effectively impacted what the infrastructure is, whether it's media, whether it's how people are protected to like even how people ingested, right, you know, going to all I'm always reminded of a couple of things.
When we went to championships, that NWSL championship games, people are always like, you know.
Why are you supporting?
Why are you why do you have a podcast for a white sport, a predominantly rich white people sport. And then you know there's this when you have that, when you've had like this barrier of access for hundreds of years, people have like this like visceral reaction of like I'm not gonna touch that sport because it's not for me,
including white people. And so it's like, I think a big part of this is, you know, how do we make it more accessible, How do we get people empowered to feel connected to the game, and how are we welcoming the cultures different people and even get into the mindset of soccer's gonna look different when everybody can access it and touch it.
So in that vein, I think we still have a long way to go.
There has to be we can't like not have conversations about growing the game and just have it based in feminism and dismantling sexism. I mean, we got to talk about whit supremacy, and then coming back to racism, because that's all in the grains of the sport, right, and that's impacted everything in the process. So we still have a long way to go in terms of like making it welcoming so that people feel included. You know, are you, even as a team, marketing the players, I mean not
beyond the players, but are you marketing the fans? Are you marketing to the different people in the communities you playing, particularly as a lot of NWSL teams playing in either pronominally black cities are largely black cities. Are you connecting with those different communities and cultures For people who aren't connected to the game, what are you doing to try to get them connected to people who look like them and feel in love the game?
To get them connected?
That's how I got fell in love with the game, you know, And so that those aspects in terms of like including culture and race and being real about those conversations and not just patting ourselves on the back because we got a deal or renown on TV taking those next steps. But then also as we're having more people of color, more black players, more brown players on teams, what are we doing to help them and protect them?
Because a lot of the sport is still predominantly white, right, And are people being real about, you know, doing the work and make sure they're being real about their unconscious and conscious biases. Are they having the conversations and being welcoming or are people having to coast which I fumbled their way through the game that just exists.
So yeah, yeah, I mean I think obviously that goes beyond just like media coverage or things like that. It also goes to leadership, right, And we've seen some teams that seem to be aware of that from the jump. Like I thought Angel City did a really nice job before they had a single player on their roster, they already had supporters groups for different backgrounds in Los Angeles, understanding that they might reach out differently to the Latin community.
Then the mothers bringing their kids to the game community, right, And they did a really smart job of finding those spaces before they ever had a game. And then there's other teams where it feels like they're really not understanding the potential for growth, the opportunity to bring in a new fan.
They figure if they're not there yet.
I remember being with the Red Stars and asking like, do we have any intentional outreach for the Latin community in Chicago, and they would show statistics and say that there was a high percentage of those fans that went to Chicago Fire games and were MLS fans, but weren't fans of the women's side, and they chalked it up to a cultural opinion about women versus men in sport. And it felt like such a cop out to say we can't go get them or find a way to appeal to them.
They just aren't interested. It felt like every possible excuse for like why aren't there any women here? Oh, they don't want these jobs?
And it's like, wait a minute, hold on, let's see where this pipeline slash outreach is failing. So Silves, does it feel like it's easy for y'all, particularly because this is such an intentional part of what you do in your podcast and your social commentary to look at different teams across the NWSL and say like they get it or they're not even trying.
Yes, right, I So everything I've done sort of outside of this space, lets me talk about the space in a different way. I'm coming. I'm coming from sort of a social sciences and educators perspective. I've worked with young black students for over a decade, so this is the age group. There's so many young players coming and I'm like, those are the kids I've worked with all the time, and I say kids, I'm sorry, young adults, but I feel older every day because the players are getting younger.
But yeah, I think you can definitely pinpoint. I think to your point, I am in Los Angeles, but I think they've done very well in terms of reaching out to those diverse communities, and it's consistent and it takes you know, work and building around that and building you know, positions around that, understanding from the top down, this is what you want, this is the buy and you want. And I will say that for them, they've done a
really good job. I think there's a handful of teams I see DC you really kind of step it up in the past year or two and really doing fan outreach and trying to be more intentional and diverse. I think they had like an HBCU ban Night, like those kind of things that really I think are easy wins. And I think for a lot of the teams, they're in those markets where you can find those easy wins. We went to Kansas City, obviously for a championship weekend,
and look at all the black history there. Right, we got to go to the you know, for me, one of the highlights of my life. I got to go to the Negro League Baseball Museum. I'm a baseball girl at heart, and so really going there and just kind of geeking out. But having all of those things be connected to this event, I think moments like that are a really good chance for teams and the league itself, right.
I think the league has work to do, right. I think when you talk about both of the reports that came out, both the Gates report and then the combined report with the League and the PA, racism, particularly anti black racism, was a point of emphasis in those reports and how it's not being handled well, and part of that is reaching out to those communities. Being inclusive. Soccer is for everyone, or football if you want to do it though, way, it's for everyone. Right, It's not supposed
to be an exclusive sport. It's supposed to be an inclusive sport. And so what are we doing day in and day out, team to team, but also across the league and across even our federation, what are we doing to make sure that that's the case. And I still think there's way more work to be done. But you know, shouting out those teams. I know, the Courage just did a shout out to our teammate. Even Eve did a
piece for Black History Month. And so even looking at those easy wins, right, what are teams doing around Heritage Months things of that nature, kind of getting the easy wins while also working hard to build community with all the different people in your city.
All right, let's talk about some of this NWSL news as we're approaching this season before we dig in, we do probably need to draw some lines in the stand about where our allegiances lie. I'm always gonna have a soft spot for Chicago, any Chicago teams. So the Red Stars slash the Stars with the rebrand, and then I'm part of the Angel City Impact Fund and have really connected with their ownership group and a lot of the folks that work over there.
So Angel City is always a little bit of a side piece.
Uh what n w s L teams are we are we riding for or do we claim any allegiance to Silves?
I'm a Seattle rain fan, Okay, Sky, I'm a fan Free agent. Okay, don't.
Merch give me.
I will be an influencer Angel City. I mean too of my favorite players play Christian Press and Sydney Room. But then also I do I do have affinity for Lando, Yeah.
Secretly love you guys.
Also do a lot of like international conversation, which on our show, I mean, we're trying to cover every single sport, so we can't also go chasing these players around Europe. This wine pissed at them leaving. I'm happy for them, but I'm like, stop going somewhere. I'm not gonna watch you over there.
I don't have time.
But you have like a favorite footballer, either domestically or an internationally sky.
I'm a fan, free agent, Okay, find it Manchester United when they act right, Okay, and then uh T Gris.
Of League of Mickey Feminil okay, and.
Any players in those teams that are like your standouts, or just any player internationally that you're like, Okay, I'll make some time to go watch that, even if it's just highlights.
Jackie Olvy of Tigris, I mean, come to Angel City, come to Los Angeles.
Well, it's tough to recruit when you're an alleged free agent. But if you want to keep switching back and forth, we'll allow it. Uh Soaps, what about you internationally.
I'm just laughing because you're experiencing this guy. We all experience right now. Internationally, I'm a I'm a I'm a blue cotels the up, the cheels and goodness. I mean, so many international players that I love. I don't know. I always have a soft spot for Lauren James, so I think, okay for me, she's up there. I'm a big fan of Katoto at least for now.
PSG.
Yeah, so I could talk about international players all day. But I'm a very happy Chelsea fan because we got Naomi Germa, so.
I know, right, and I hate even thinking about Naomi playing over there where I can't watch Sky. You do Shaey Butter superlatives on your show. We're gonna do a slightly different version here with the superlatives of the NWSL off season. So I'm springing these on you so you
could take a second to think about it. But I want to know, off the top of your dome, best player move, like the move that you think served the player, best and best team move in terms of acquisition or trade or coaching higher.
What will be me Slti's talked about this before. Will be a sneaky good acquisition is Yasmine Ryan in Houston. I think people forget in the she's won two championships, all right, Uh, she was a really important player, whether it be a Gotham or the be at Portland. So her now and that team in Houston, I mean they went from being what is happening to Houston.
They're making moves.
Yes, it's nice to see.
I think Yasmy Ryan will be pretty dope. And I mean even as you've seen in the national team yesterday, in the game before, like how she plays, I think she's been madly underrated, so to see her rocket Sean will be pretty dope.
So you've got a player move or team move that you particularly like.
It's been a super interesting off season. I think the league's gone really international, so there's a lot of players that you're like, huh, that could work right, you know, see what they're trying to do. Having said that, I think the really big move I'm really interested to see what Jayden Shall looks like in North Carolina. I think her and Ashley Sanchez hooking up is going to be
super interesting. I like to call it saucy. I think there's gonna be a lot of sauce there, and you know, maybe have talked to them recently and so just seeing what they're you know, cooking up or what they're excited to cook up with one another. But yeah, I think that that was a really big move. You still have a really young player developing and you know, trying to push herself in a in a system where they possess quite a bit, and so really trying to see how
they'll use her. Yeah, I'm really excited about that one.
I would say an obvious move that's gonna get my praise. My praise is going to be, of course, Kansas City reopping Tim Wachawenga. Just making tem Will feel good and making tem will want to stay there and resign, that's an obvious one. You all were at NWSL media days, Silves you just mentioned maybe getting a chance to talk
to some players tease some of that content. Y'all put out some videos and coverage, Like what are some of the things that you learned or talked to players about from those those.
Couple of days in LA.
Yeah, it was really cool. It was in WSL's first media day, so it's two days in Los Angeles. They kept it in Los Angeles, which is really nice. This is not so long after the fires had done most of their damage, so it was nice to have that support and stuff have them come in. We did everything.
We did everything from you know, Commissioner Berman gave us about an hour, which is very rare for her, so we were able to ask some questions, not all obviously, but yeah, we got to interview some of the players we talked about, like Ashley Sanchez, like Jade and Shaw. We got the exclusive on the Thompson's extending, so they kind of had to sit on that, but that was really cool. It's always nice to interview them. Got some answers about some some new looks maybe from Cherni Raman
and Jade and Shaw and let's see. Alie Watt's always a really fun interview. I think she has a very good, good and healthy perspective on sort of where she is, where she wants to improve. She always fun, she wants to make you laugh. The surprise person for me was Alyssa Malanson. She's just very good, very good rapport with the media, and she gave us some information about the other sport that she played or that she participated in
when she was little and maybe with someone famous. So well, wait and drop that.
That's a hell of a tease. Look at you not giving us the good stuff. You said you have to come over to shape outter APC to get that sky. Are there any players you're most excited to see this NWSL season, Whether that's because they're sort of up and coming and you think this is gonna be another big.
Year of growth, or maybe just one of your fabs.
Hmm, let's see.
Let's see.
I mean, as a not Angel City fan, I would like to see what's going to happen, just because I thought they've had a roster, they just needed better coaching. So what does it look like when you have a system where they can just cook right? And even in the little preseason game, I could see a little bit what they're doing and I'm like, okay, so what does the starting lineup look like? And how's that going to cook people to death? Or you know, in the case of what does it look like for Orlando now did
nobody surprise? What does it look like for Washington DC? The spirit in Kansas City? What does it look like when everybody is not surprised. I think a wild card is Utah because they now are at and like you know, Ali sendinor and Uh Danaka are on the same team. They are falling in this tournament. Yep, we gotta deal with that as a as a league. So I mean those those teams, I guess, yeah.
For sure, yeah, Utah, Like I'm not I'm sorry to you, Utah, but I forget you exist all the time, and I hope that this year that changes. That's like a dick thing to say, but like I'm always like, oh yeah, Utah, Like I just we'll see if this is the difference you mentioned. They've got some some some players that can really bring it. I mean bangers wise too. Ali sentiner like there was some statistic that five of her six international goals have all been uh have all been bangers.
Like she just she can she can shoot from anywhere.
No, she can't shoot from inside the box.
Okay, so she can she can only shoot from outside. Yeah, there we go, speaking of silves.
At the time we're recording, this US women's national team sits second out of the four team in the she believes Cup. Japan's in the top spot because a goal differential the US is one. I think six out of ten of these She Believes Cups. But Japan is looking real good. This is the big head to head happening on Wednesday. Who do you think might come up big? And who do you think is gonna win that match?
Japan doesn't have to win that match like we have to win that match, So I'm very interested to see how this young core performs in a must win situation. I'm not gonna lie to you. I think Japan's gonna take it.
Yes, I wouldn't be surprised a part, because it does feel like this is.
Not to dog the She Believes Cup, But it's not the most important thing for the US woman's national team right now.
It's finding out what these young stars can do. It's understanding that the Triple Espresso is out. It's getting used to a new keeper.
After the Elissainae or Rain that felt safe and secure and warm and snugly, and now we have to get used to her not being back there. Yeah, I mean it feels like, of course they always want to win, and when they're out there, they're going to go for a win. But Emma Hayes is looking to see a lot like who plays well together and what it looks like with these young folks. Sky y'all mentioned on your show that she seems to be very intentional about keeping
the pressure off of Lily Johannes. She's sort of pushing people off of the high praise that even after that first match against Columbia looked like she was deserving of. Do you think that's just Emma reading something about Lily and what she needs at this stage.
I'm not sure she needs to start on if we're winning, she needs to start on Wednesday. So uh yeah, I guess she's trying to, like, you know, timper expectation is trying to take her along. But man, she look like she'd been out there for years the best midfielder, and like in this case, particularly playing Japan, I was just thinking, like, how I see the game is I can lay your things. I mean, I guess fight rec memory, but I can see things. I'm discerned about our back line in midfield
against Japan. I mean, even Colombia experience it really quickly right where it was like boom boom boom, where it's like, oh no, we're now multiple goals. Uh that could happen to us, particularly if you know Japan, they start slipping into different channels.
Andami Grommer's not back there.
Uh And like you know, Lily would help a long way because I'm the I think they struggled on the yesterday with like the midfield, it was all over the place.
I would bring her in.
I mean, you want to see if people could ball? Yeah, I mean sometimes you have a young fema, a feenom who you let go and prosper. And in this case, I understand trying to protect her, but she's ready. She's been She's been in professional for a couple of years in professional. Yeah, and she's also been in Champions League. So and she and I mean she was throwing grown woman, so her cook. But I get trying to protect her in the process, but that's probably part of it.
Did you just quietly try to drop real quick? I guess I have a photographic memory? Uh?
Yes, I mean I do.
I've had where else where else are we using that? Give me?
I mean an engineer, I'm an engineer, so like that's how I got through school. I mean, but how I see the game because people will go you know, what do you think games will look like and I'm like, and I can recall different games from the past and layer them and then I know, I remember when I guess it was Leon playing uh Barcelona that year, so if you remember that one in the Champions League and I.
Was like, like, no, I sure don't.
I had to say that game last year. I don't want to.
No, no, not that one but the year before.
But basically, yeah, I had said, I think Leon wins because of they had the game plan for when in the i c C. Portland played uh not not Bad Houston played Barcelona and they n W selled them. And I was like, if they use that game plan, they're probably gonna mess around and win.
It's sure enough. They won that game. And and the reason I had.
Said is because I saw the struggles they had against Houston at the time, where they were like Jeklin Hode. They'd possessed and then they'd be like, we just go go play direct, switch it up. But it caused Barcelona problems and that's basically what they did that year they one.
So I mean it comes in ways like that, but it's helpful in terms of recall of variety of things, particularly when we talk a build a community, you know, being aware of you know, things that have happened to me in the past, but then other people.
So yeah, but other than that, I use that as an engineer.
All right, let's put that to the test.
We're gonna see this rematch of Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup coming up on March seventh, that's ahead of the start of the regular season rematch of the championship game.
What do you expect from the rematch based on.
What you saw in the title game, either one of us, well, I don't know, Skuy's got that layering mechanism's good on top of the images in her brain from the last matchup, and then swap out the trades, and.
I mean it's preseason, so I gotta be mindful like you still is. I don't know if Kroy is now clear to play, because I think if.
Yeah, expected back, although I don't know if we've gotten the you know, for sure opening day March seventh.
And then I mean even DC got added players, and then well then oh wait, but then on the flip side, Orlando added players, so I don't know, it could be all all out brawl playing It could be like a total. It could be very much preseason y, like give me ten to eight score line me no defense. It could be very much like that, just sauce sauce sauce, or could be a defensive.
Yeah, usually with Orlando with that, with that defense, they're going to keep it pretty tight. But yeah, let's talk about Kroy bathunemselves, because gosh, we just love watching her.
The style is insane and she's a fun interview really really just likable person.
She got to sit and watch her team through the playoffs, and sometimes that can help you get to watch and really come back into it with a different perspective. Do you think that she comes back even stronger somehow, even though she missed that time, because she's now both approaching.
The game from within and being able to have that outside perspective.
Oh absolutely, I think so. Again, we've talked about this and maybe you know, we bring this back to one of the reasons we start this show is because I liken the idea of the black midfielder to the black quarterback, right, this idea that these positions of intelligence cannot be played by us, And I think Kroy very much shatters that. She's not the only one, obviously, but I just think she's so incredibly intelligent. She has the ability to anticipate.
I've gotten to speak with her former college coach a couple of times, and you know, he mentioned she was a point guard, right, and so her ability. There's one goal she scored maybe against San Diego I can't remember last year, when the ball at the FLEC's back. She's so able to read the path of the ball, get
on in it either she assistter scores that goal. And I think being able to sit on the sidelines and watch that honestly, as your midfield kind of gets depleted, like they had a lot of injuries toward the end of the year, at adding Narumi to that midfield to really be able to hold that space right Obviously, is Andy Sullivan is both injured in now pregnant.
Congragn to her.
Andy's a really good seat to Congrats to her. But yeah, I think she'll come back stronger. I don't think it's an injury that will take a ton of time for her to get sort of reacclimated. When she's able to go back into the lineup, and now she has these weapons right that she didn't really get to play with ESSI sentos. I guess they'll officially announced Bernal at some point, but she'll have Bernald at the back, who's also kind of a playmaker. That's in her back positioner she can
push up. Obviously, you still have you know, Trinity Huntman, one of the best players in the world up top, and they'll get starbacks. You have a lot of goal scorers, she has a lot of opportunities to distribute the ball. And the truth is it didn't look all that hard for her in her rookie year, right, she pretty much swept the awards she could sweep. And so now you're giving her time to rest, to observe from the sideline, to have those conversations with her coaching staff and other players,
to develop those relationships and training when she's back. So yeah, I think she's actually more scary, and I think she wants to actually break that record and not just be tied with Tovein. So I think she's coming back hungry. Yeah, I don't, and I don't think Toven would mind that. Actually, I think that's quite a big chord with the advance.
So, yeah, we heard you guys drop some merch, So tell us what the folks can get out there and how they can get some sky.
Well, so we are dropping a marchlan. It's celebrating SBCUS and so we have a march lin like that's reflected around black It's not just Black history, most his Black History Year, because Black history is important all the time. And basically we have different sharts that have the colors of various ICBCUS and ICBCU organizations. Wink weink that we are showing love of proceeds of the this line will
actually support the United Negro College Fund. And so I mean for us, you know, SBC culture was a part of both of us growing up.
I grew up in Atlanta.
My mom uh worked and went to school in the Atlanta Atlanta University Center, Clark, Atlanta. But I mean, hey, I he was at Stone College nursery school growing up. But I grew up in the Atlanta HBCUs, so you know, spelling Morehouse I was. My my mom went to more House School of Medicine. I mean, you know that's been part of life and culture. And then growing up in
Atlanta predominantly black everything. I mean, it's so like those schools and the culture and everything about them are so important, and so sharing that information and helping to connect people, uh to how important those things are. And then beyond that, we also have different I guess in the theme of Black History Month type of march for our different brands, So for s Ash Butter Walk in ninety and in Florida Culture United.
So for people who don't know, HBCUs is short for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. So these are schools that were founded during essentially reconstruction before the Meryl Act. That could very much nerd out about land grant institutions, but they were founded because at the time we lived under separate but equal laws, and these were institutions of higher education founded specifically for black people, usually by some sort of Protestant religion if they weren't state run. So really
supporting that. And many of those schools have men's and or women's soccer programs as well, so really just making sure we're bringing attention to those programs. This guy said, we're both from those worlds. I grew up across the street from Virginia State University. My father was an assistant band director there for most of my life. You know, it's only retired in the past few years. So I grew up going on bus trips on weekends, you know with my father.
That's what did you play?
I was trumpet, uh French and French Heart, and then my senior year I was actually a drum major and it was all women. We were all three women, So yeah, it was really cool. So yeah, I grew up Seattle.
Scot got you in the supporter section on the drums during games.
I am such a bad, bad fan. I don't really do sgez so, but yeah, I could probably hop on and I've drummed. Yeah, I've drumped a few times at a tailgate and I can keep a rhythm, So yeah, I enjoy that. But really just that's part of the culture. We're trying to bring in sort of that camaraderie, you know, the music, the social aspect. That's the kind of thing that we are, you know, trying to bring to the sport. That's the kind of thing we grew up with and
there's no reason it can't be in this sport. But yeah, this line is to help, you know, bring awareness to that. And like Sky said, we'll be giving it to UNCF, which is the United Negro College fund, which has been around for a very very very long time. I grew up with Lou Rawls telling me mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I remember.
Yeah.
See awesome.
Well, folks can go find that merch and of course can listen to Shaye Better FC, follow you on social and follow along with the chatter about the games and everything around the culture of soccer.
Thanks so much for taking the time of chat.
Thank you so much for having us on.
Thank you, thanks again to Sky and Silves for joining us. We got to take another break see on the other side. Welcome back, slices. We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too, So here's our good game play of the day.
It's eazy.
Listen to the Shade Baughter FC podcast and follow them on social. Also check out the HBCU merch that Sky and Selbs mentioned. We'll throw links to where you can listen and purchase in our show notes. And we always love to hear from you, so hit us up on email Good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy.
We're gonna do that.
Ask us Anything episode coming up sometime soon. Be sure to get your questions in about literally anything. We might answer them, and don't forget to subscribe.
Rate and review.
It's easy watch young US women's national team fans crushing the sign game.
Rating five out of five adorable stars. Review.
Shout out to the group of girlies with the best sign at the She Believes Cup game on Sunday.
Heaps Heaps, hooray get it.
They were shouting out newly married US star Lindsay Heaps formerly known as Lindsay Horaan Heaps, Heaps, hooray.
So good.
It was a blast to see such a wide array of folks at the game, but especially seeing all the little girls in their jerseys and face paint and the girlies with that great sign.
Now it's your turn. Rate and review, give us five stars, say something nice about us.
Thanks for listening, slices, see you tomorrow. Good game, Sky, Good game selves. F cop out excuses about why women and especially women of color aren't in certain spaces. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with d Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network. Our
producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, and Grace Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain