NWSL TITLE TIME!

Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in Kansas City, ready for a big winner and a trophy presentation.

Give us tears, give us hugs, give us confetti, give us joy.

Just keep the camera off the losing NWSL team tomorrow.

We hate a sad face as much as we love a happy one.

It's Friday, November twenty third, and on today's show, we'll get you ready for the NWSL Championship Game, a battle of the best as the top ranked Orlando Pride and second seed Washington Spirit duel for the title.

We got your preview.

We got a flashback to our chat with two of the Pride's best, plus the very first edition of a new segment Take it Back that sends us to twenty sixteen for a Western New York flash moment of greatness, and we'll talk Turkey Time TV and give shouts to a vegan island in a barbecue sea. It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices. Mish has your need to know today, Take it away, Misha.

Thanks Sarah. In NWSL Championship News, it all comes down to tomorrow, the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit play in the league finals Saturday at eight pm Eastern on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus. All the flights are landing in Kansas City. Both teams are holding their final training sessions, and the festivities are poppin'. I actually landed here Wednesday night and got my first look at CPKC Stadium as I headed to my hotel, and let me tell y'all,

Did I mention I love living in the DMV.

Also congratulations to Gotham FCS and Caterine Berger, the twenty twenty four Goalkeeper of the Year. Berger only conceded sixteen goals in the regular season, earned eight clean sheets, and saved eighty point four to nine percent of opponents shots on goal nuts. The German international is the first European player to win that award, and cheers to Defender of the Year Emily SAMs of the Orlando Pride. She became the first player from the Pride to win that award.

First up Friend of the Show.

In North Carolina, head coach Aaron Matson's number one ranked Our Heels take on number four ranked Saint Joseph's at twelve pm Eastern, then number two ranked Northwestern faces UMass at three pm Eastern. Both contests will be available to stream on ESPN Plus. In College Soccer News, the second round of the College Cup gets underway today. The remaining field of thirty two teams will be chopped down to just sixteen by day's end. You can catch all those

Now. We'll drop that link below too.

In college basketball news, it's official, y'all. Gino Oriema is now the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, surpassing Stanford Legendara Vanderveer's all time wins record. His number two ranked Yukon Huskies sealed the deal Wednesday night with an eighty five forty one win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Gamble Pavilion. Oriema now has one thy two hundred and seventeen wins in counting since taking over in nineteen eighty five, and for those keeping track. I was negative twelve years old

To her signature.

Look, we'll link to their postgames shenanigans in the show notes. Also, I want to say congrats to red shirt junior guard Azy Fudd on suiting up in her first game this season after sitting out for a year with a knee injury. Nothing feels sweeter than those first few minutes of game action after working so hard to get back on the court.

Notes, thanks me. All right?

It all comes down to this, folks. The NWSL season started back on March sixteenth. We were all so much younger then. Who could have guessed that the Orlando Pride perennial also rans would almost run the table en route to the NWSL shield at a spot in the final And in our wildest dreams, could we have imagined a

But fellow rookie.

Hel hirschfeldt she scored in the Spirit semi final win. She has been huge all season long. And of course the Spirit have Trinity Rodman, who was a rookie the last time the team won it all in twenty twenty one. And I'll tell you I was at that championship then as an owner of the Chicago Red Stars, and I will admit that I was cursing Rodman under my breath for most of the game. She was a dog, impossible

This should be a good one.

We got to take a quick break when we come back. It's an Orlando Pride interview readucks. Back in September, I talked to defenders Emily Sam's and Kylie Strum about taking pride in their back line and their expectations for the rest of the season. Spoiler alert manifesting works because tomorrow Orlando will compete in the club's first ever NWSL final. To get you ready, we decided to revisit that conversation. It's coming up right after this.

Welcome back.

As I mentioned before the break, here's a chunk of that interview with Emily and Kylie from September.

Joining us today.

We've got a defender for the top of the table, Orlando Pride of the NWSL. She won gold with Team USA and Paris and was a national champion with her Florida Seminoles.

A twin.

She loves Dakota, a guy, not a state. She's got cat's name Linguini and Rigatoni, and she got married in February, but her wedding's in December. It's Emily Sam's what's up, Emily what's up?

Thank you?

That was crazy.

Also joining her a defender for the Orlando Pride. She's played in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Spain, and she's a.

Proud bu alum.

She was on the most recent NWSL Best eleven for the month of August. She's just a quiet gal who likes to read books and watch Jeopardy, but says she turns into a monster on the field.

It's Kylie Strom.

Hey, guys, ladies, it is great to have you, and we are really excited to shine a spotlight on this defense for the Pride. I get why we have so many conversations about the goal scorers like Barbara Banda and Marta, but we got to talk about the lockdown that's been happening with the Pride of late. You shut out your opponents in four straight matches. You set a new club

So let's just start there.

Emily, what's the secret, Like, what's been the secret to this incredible defensive stretch?

Oh gosh, I would say, although we're talking to two defenders right now, it's definitely a team effort. Yeah, even just like the midfielders from to the forwards, everyone's included in our defending and I think that's what helps make it so successful. And of course having players like Marta and Barbara on offense, I think changes teams to their behaviors and makes them play maybe a little bit more defensively, which makes them makes our job easier.

That's such a defensive player's answer to just differt. That's why I never could have played defense. I'm way too much about myself. I'm like, give me the goals. Meanwhile, you're just spreading the love.

But it's true.

It's incredibly complete team and that's what's made it so impressive to watch. And that goes back to the goalkeeping.

To Emily.

Anna Moorhouse tied in NWSL single season record the other day in your nil nil draw with Case. That was her eleventh clean sheet of the seas And so tell me about playing with Anna and your communication back there.

Yeah, Anna's great. I mean, she's obviously has a big presence and like, for example, end of the game, we have a corner, like we have full confidence that she's going to come out grab the ball and just like secure the win for us, or you know, get the shut out for us. So it's been great, and part of what makes it so great is that we can communicate in practice, like get it all out there. Like

Yeah, Kylie, is there something in particular that the defense has worked on or prioritized of late or is this just a team clicking in the final stretch.

Honestly, I think it's just kind of like a mentality, you know. I think our coach Sam Hines, he was a defender in his career, and yeah, we just take a lot of pride in our defending. I think we have like such good camaraderie from front back, and I think like the defensive unit is super tight and like we all have a common goal. So yeah, hopefully we can keep it going.

Well. Twenty one games unbeaten. That's the most in league history. There's only a few weeks left in the regular season, so how much pressure is there to try to go an entire season without a loss?

Kiley honestly, like, like it's not a main goal for us, Like we've broken a lot of records and all that stuff, but it's never once been a goal for us. I mean, we want to win the Shield, we want to win a championship. I mean, we want to go to playoffs, which we've accomplished already, but we just want to keep playing like our best games ever game. So that's kind of the motivation here. No pressure with any of like going undefeated and stuff. So we're just we're just going with it.

Is it like a Jinks mentality, like you don't even talk about it or is it like mentioned we.

Don't even talk about it on it Like I think sometimes we look at each other, like we tell the story a lot, Like in the beginning of the year, but like preseason times, we were going through our schedule and kind of like predicting, like you know, how many points we would have and which games we would win maybe like draw, lose, whatever, and we gave ourselves like a ridiculous amount of points like crazy, and we're like, afterwards we went through We're like, guys, this probably is

Call that manifesting. Right, you just put it out there, like here's all the points.

That we want and then you just made it happen. That's awesome.

Let's talk about Marta FIFA World Player of the Year six times, first football or of any gender to score five different World Cups, first of any gender to score five straight Olympic games, Like, Kylie, what's it like playing with an all time great like that You've had a couple of years with her.

It's unbelievable, Like every single day we step out on the field with her as like such a privilege and an honor. She is hands down the greatest of all time, Like no debate, and the fact that she's like still doing these things that she's doing like at her age, like she's like getting better if that's even possible. Yeah, it's it's just like such an honor and a privilege to be her teammate.

I remember talking to some of my Chicago Red Stars players at an end of season event, and I ask the question, like, is there a player that you got out in the field and you have trouble just playing with or against because a little bit of you is like kind of freaking out a little And I feel like that would be the case with Marta. Did you feel that way when you were in your first couple of practices together.

The coolest thing about Marta is like she'll never make you feel like she's, you know, the greatest of all time, Like she doesn't act like it or anything. Like she's so humble, She's just like another person you meet her, she's I'm like, oh, I'm kind of like, oh Marta, Like.

Yeah, I know, that's like Madonna. Okay, yeah, yeah.

Has she taught you anything or is there anything that stands out from your years playing with her that that she's taught you?

Oh? I mean I've learned so much from her, you know, just her like being a captain and the way she leads is one of the most inspiring things. Uh. She's so passionate about everything that she does, like every single training, like she's she's not there to just like show up and you know, do her job, like she wants to win. So I think she just showed me, like what it what it takes to be a winner.

Yeah, Emily, it's just her first year, but it feels like Barbara Banda is a legend in the making in the same way.

What makes her so special?

Yeah, I think she's a world class player. She's so hard to defend. You know, there's time where I go again, she're in practice and she's making me better, and I hope I'm making her better. But she's obviously she has her speed, and but she's good with like back to goalplay and like to connect with as the nine. So she's got like both of those aspects she's so good at like just a little flick ons and to get behind the back line, and of course her speed, Like she's just so good.

Yeah, it feels like you have this incredible torch passing happening. And I'm certainly not pushing Marda out, but like to have the greatest of all time and then have this player that in such a short amount of time has sort of taken this league by storm. It feels very promising for the future of this team, and that's really nice.

To see.

I think I don't mean this in a condescending way, but there are certain teams that go through such struggles that it's hard not to root for them when they start to find success, and the Prideer are kind of one of those teams, like best in the league right now. But things haven't always been so sunny in Orlando. The team has missed the postseason for the last five regular seasons. They've missed the postseason in all but one of the

Yeah, it's it's been a roller coaster to say the least. So to kind of finally see everything coming together is like the best feeling in the world. I think like one of the strengths of this team and something that makes us really special is just the bond and like the culture that we have amongst the girls. It's something that I've never experienced on any other team, and I've been a part of like some really good teams, but something that we have is just really special and kind of unexplainable.

Yeah, how did you deal with it when the team was sort of the butt of jokes? I mean we had Ali Riley and said LaRue and I was talking to sid about her time there, and how literally people would be like, Oh, if you play too badly, you're gonna end up with the Pride. Like being a team that's sort of the butt of the joke is hard.

How did you handle that nobody wanted to come to the Pride, Like I remember there was like before one of the seasons, there was like this meme I wonder if I could find it, and it was literally like like you know, Pride Potential starting eleven and it was like Marta and then like the rest was like a rock and.

Yeah.

Like but like we're like, oh wow, yeah, so we were down bad, but we climbed our way out of it. You know. I think we made a lot of good changes from you know, like front office standpoints and stuff, and people have just really invested in the culture of this team and took it really seriously. So it's pretty incredible how drastic of a turnaround it took in a rather short amount of time.

Yeah, Emily, it's just your second season. With the team. It's the only NWSL squad you've been a part of. But I wonder how much the team staff, coaches, anybody talks about those past seasons or previous struggles.

This year.

Yeah, I was just thinking. I feel like one of the main messages from SEB last year was just like changing the narrative of Orlando. So yeah, people would come to Orlando and be like, Okay, easy three points. Like SEB would always just hammer that message into us, and he's like, we have to change the narrative. We have to make it a nightmare for teams to come here

What message do you have for the fans of the Pride. I know there's been time to, you know, react to the success you're having and it's hard to demand this huge outpouring for a team that has struggled in the past, but I'd like to see Orlando get behind a squad that's doing unprecedented things. Kylie, what would you say to fans to try to get them to come out and see what y'all are doing?

Yeah, we have some of the best players in the world. Marta Barbara Like, there's literally nothing more you could ask for. You know, we're flying right now. So yeah, we have great fans. Our environment this year especially has been like so great, and yeah, it'd be nice if one day we could sell out enter Inco and keep this going.

How about you, Emily, Yeah, I would say the same.

Like the growth even from last year to this year has been awesome. You know, we're starting to fill out the upper part of the stadium, or not fill out, but starting to get people there. So I just want to keep that going. Like, huge shout out to the fans that have been with us, you know, through the hard times and through last year, and that have been here every game this year. So bring your friends, bring your friends, friends, bring your parents, whatever you like.

Let's fill it.

Bring your enemies.

Yeah, yes, exactly, literally anybody.

And let's The last thing I want to ask you to is to tell me something about your team that most of the fans wouldn't know.

I feel like there's been such incredible coverage of the.

Soccer, but I don't really know a lot of the members of your team as well as some other teams. So give me some good stuff, Kylie. What's something like and team inside joke or somebody on the team that's always like singing or or in charge of the music in the lockerom more dancing or doing tik toxic.

What are some of the characters.

Of your team that we shih get an. I don't even know where to start. Like I feel like we have a really fun team. Yeah, Like I mean Laro uh loto cat. She's she's a special one. Uh. She's bringing all the pregame vibes in the locker room. She's getting everybody going. She's like so important to this team. Oh God, like there's so many.

What about you, Emily, Yeah, I would say as far as like tiktoks, like mac cron gets her little squad and like Ali Limos, they like love making their tiktoks so on the field and they yeah, they provide all that content for like all the field tiktoks, which is kind of fun. And they try to like pull some of this in. Like me and Kyler are like, no, you gotta go ahead, but yeah, they rope some people in somehow. Uh.

Yeah, it's so funny because like we have some you know, like Ali Limos, like she's so young and like I feel like an old grandma, but like at the same time, like she's one of my favorite people. Like we just like get along so well, and she just is teaching me nonsense.

And with all the like international players and especially all the Brazilians, are we mixing it up? Are we getting like some Boston Nova and some samba music and stuff in there, or is it are there little clicks of like all the international players and then all the Americans are hanging over here.

I would say, like in the locker room, it's funny because we'll be like playing like you know, rap music or you know Drake whatever. Like I can't even tell you who the new rappers are.

I don't listen to that crap.

But they'll that'll be playing the locker room, and I know, like come, they'll like come a time where like Marta and someone's like, Okay, we're like tired of this, and then they'll like go over and put their Brazilian playlist on, and then everyone's like, hey, it's a little nice vibe, like let's go. Yeah. I feel like they get yeah, they get fed up and they're like we're changing the vibe.

Then em comes in and puts like I don't know, like journey On or something like amazing.

I feel like we've we've got like a movie in the making here, sort of like a bring it On style, but like not enemies. It's just the warring factors of the locker room Bosonova rap going back and forth, or we can get some pretty fire remixes. To be honest, if you just put them together and you combine forces. Well, thank you to so much for joining us. Was so great to talk to you. Congratulations on the success you're having. It has been really fun to watch.

Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you, Sarah, I appreciate it.

Well, you heard Kylie. We want to win the shield check. We want to win a championship. We'll see you.

Got to tune into the NWSL final tomorrow at eight pm Eastern on CBS or Paramount Plus.

We have to take another break when we.

Come back the debut of a new segment, Welcome Back Slices. Today, we're introducing a new segment inspired by all of you in the survey we sent out a few weeks ago. A whole lot of folks requested a sort of on this Day or women's sports her Story segment, and we're nothing if not accommodating.

So it's time for the very first edition of Take it Back.

In honor of the upcoming NWSL championship, were taken it Back to twenty sixteen, when the NWSL title game was decided on penalties. It would end up being the final NWSL season for the Western New York Flash, as the franchise rights were sold to the owners of North Carolina FC. The team was moved to carry North Carolina and then rebranded as the North Carolina Courage. Now they didn't know it then, but the Flash were about to exit the

What a gamer.

With thirty seconds left in stoppage time of extra time, Lynn Williams beat two defenders to score on a header and even things up again penalty kicks with the title on the line was how this one was decided, and the Flash came out on top thanks to three big saves from Sabrina D'Angelo. So Western New York finished their brief NWSL run on top, and the core of that team headed to North Carolina to help the Courage start its dynastic NWSL run, winning three straight shields and making

Good Game with Sarah Spain is.

An iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep 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 Rudder, Britney Martinez,