August 14, 2025 • 43 mins
Best-selling author and journalist Wayne Coffey joins Sarah to preview the start of college soccer season, discuss who he thinks might compete with reigning champion North Carolina for the title, how the college footy landscape has changed in recent years, and why it’s much easier to be an Olympic reporter than an Olympic father (USWNT standout Sam Coffey is his daughter!). Plus, our new favorite hatchling, one WNBA team locks up a spot in the playoffs, and GOAT tales that left us wanting more.
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The NCAA D1 soccer schedule is here
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And the United Soccer Coaches poll is here
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Cora Hall’s story on Ruby Whitehorn is here
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Check out Barbie’s new Venus Williams doll here
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we might
have to give up on setting the record for most
podcast downloads. In fact, Saylor Swift on New Heights might
have taken down the whole podcast spear Can you break
a streaming service? Does iHeart still exist? Can you hear us?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Is this thing on?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's Thursday, August fourteenth, And on today's show, we'll be
talking to best selling author, longtime journalist, and proud dad
Wayne Coffee about the biggest storylines to follow as the
NCAA College soccer season gets started, how the college soccer
landscape has changed in recent years, and what it's like
watching one of his daughter's report on his other daughter
making her Olympic debut. Plus our new favorite hatchling clinching
(00:43):
while resting, and goat tails that left us wanting more.
It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices.
Here's what you need to know today.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
With soccer.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
The NCAA Division One college soccer season starts today with
three hundred and ten teams in action, and here's a
list of all one hundred and fifty five games. Just kidding,
but we will link to the full schedule in the
show notes, and we're guessing there's a team playing near you,
so go out and support him. Heading into the season,
the United Soccer Coaches Poll has the defending champs, the
(01:21):
North Carolina Tar Heels, ranked number one in the nation,
followed by number two Notre Dame, number three Florida State,
number four Duke, and number five Southern California. Full rankings
are linked in the show notes. And we'll have plenty
more on what to expect this season with Wayne Coffee
in just a bit more soccer, this time in the NWSL.
The Chicago Color Neutral Stars announced the hiring of Martin
(01:44):
Hugren as the club's new head coach on Wednesday. Hugran
won't join the Stars till January, as he plans to
close out the season at his current post head coach
of Swedish team Hammerbye until then. Anders Jakobsen, who has
worked with Huchrun for more than a decade, will service
Chicago's head coach for the conclusion of the twenty twenty
five season before transitioning to working as Huggland's first assistant
(02:05):
next year. In a press release, the Stars said that
Hugland and Jakobsen's hiring comes following an extensive process that
included more than sixty candidates dating back to April when
the club fired previous head coach Lauren Donaldson. Hugren, in
addition to his club experience, was also the head coach
of the Norwegian national team for six years from twenty
sixteen to twenty twenty two, which included an appearance in
(02:27):
the quarterfinals of the twenty nineteen Women's World Cup. The
Color Neutral Stars have been blowing through coaches, so here's
hoping that Hugland sticks around long enough for me to
find out whether I'm saying his name correctly. To the WNBA,
the Minnesota Links are officially playoff bound. The team may
still have twelve regular season games to play, but on
Tuesday night, they mathematically clinched a spot thanks to their
(02:49):
twenty seven and five record, making it official with the
loss from the sixth place Indiana Fever.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
They just got to sit home and watch as a
postseason birth was assured. So we got one spot locked
up for now, while another seven remain up for grabs
between now and the end of the WNBA regular season
on September eleventh.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Also something to keep an eye on.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
As the end of the season approaches, with the Lynx's
de Fisa Collier missing significant time to an ankle injury,
sure feels like the WNBA MVP is very much up
for grabs. The Las Vegas Aces Asia Wilson's been putting
up numbers, the Phoenix Mercuries Elisa Thomas is racking up
triple doubles, and what about a dark course in the
Indiana Fever's Kelsey Mitchell, who's leading the league in total
(03:30):
points scored more. WNBA our suspicions about the mysterious egg
outside the Chase Center were confirmed. The Golden State Valkyries
unveiled their team's mascot on Monday during halftime of their
seventy five to fifty seven win over the Connecticut Sun.
Her name Violet the Raven, wrote the Valkyries about the
violet colored, feathered, bespectacled bird quote. Ravens are commonly known
(03:54):
as Valkyrie's helpful and savvy counterparts in Norse mythology. Collecting
information from her day billy flights, Violet brings crucial knowledge
back for the leaders of Balhalla to use in battle.
Ravens are considered guardians of good fortune shape shifting to
trick and defeat any enemies of Balhalla.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Also an interesting note about those glasses that Violet wears,
they wrote, quote because she is near sighted, she sports
gold glasses, helping her achieve the excellent eyesight that Ravens
are known to have.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
More on those glasses and the newest mascot in the game.
In a little bit to tennis. Ahead of next week's
US Open, Venus Williams has been awarded a wildcard to
compete in women's singles at the tournament. It'll be William's
first Grand Slam event in two years and continues her
recent return to the court. Last month, she played her
first tournament in sixteen months at the DC Open, making
(04:44):
it to the second round after losing in the first round.
The Cincinnati Opened last week, she said she feels like
she's in great shape. Quote Now I can work on
power and speed instead of trying to just make sure
I'm not hurt going into the tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
End quote. Also, speaking of Venus, she's.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Getting honored with a bar arbi which will be released
on Friday. The new Venus Williams doll will wear the
same uniform Venus war when she won Wimbledon in two
thousand and seven. We'll link to a photo and more
details in the show notes. And if you're a collector
snapping up those PWHL barbies and Venus barbies and all
the other sporty barbies, shoot us a photo. We'd love
to see your collection. To college hoops and a developing story.
(05:20):
Tennessee basketball player Ruby Whitehorn was charged with aggravated burglary
and domestic assault after she was arrested last Friday. According
to court records obtained by the Knox News, the rising
senior was arrested after she got into a physical altercation
outside a woman's residence and proceeded to kick in the
door to the residence. Per the report, the woman provided
cell phone video of Whitehorn entering her house and fighting
(05:42):
with her. In a press release, Whitehorn's attorney said she
plans to plead not guilty, saying quote, our firm's investigation
has also revealed that the factual allegations contained in the
warrants are not accurate and are contradicted by eyewitness accounts.
Ruby Whitehorn looks forward to having this matter resolved in
the very near future.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
We'll link to the latest story on this incident from
Knox News reporter Cora Hall in the show notes, Finally,
an update on a story we discussed last week. US
sprinter Shkerri Richardson has apologized to her boyfriend Christian Coleman
in a post on social media after she allegedly assaulted
Coleman during a dispute at the Seattle Tacoma Airport. Richardson
was arrested and spent eighteen hours in jail, but the
(06:22):
charges against her were dropped after Coleman declined to pursue them.
On Instagram earlier this week, Richardson wrote, quote, I apologize
to Christian. He came into my life and gave me
more than a relationship, but a greater understanding of unconditional
love from what I've experienced in my past. Due to
my past trauma and pain, I was blind and blocked
off to not only receive it but give it. I
(06:42):
love him and to him. I can't apologize enough. End quote.
All right, Slice, As you might have figured out by
now if you listen to the show regularly, that I'm
a bit of a mascot girly. I even dressed as
Ellie the Elephant for Halloween last year, so you know,
we can't let a new mascot hatch and not talk
about it. Time for another edition of Give Me a Minute,
(07:03):
Alex Misha, get in here. The Bird's the word, Let's
get into it. First thoughts, very cute mascot. I liked
the concept. We had a feeling the Bird would somehow
be about the Valkyrie sort of journey through the air
to bring these wounded warriors to Valhalla and obviously in
their case, ball Halla. I dig it I first was
(07:23):
a little confused, and in fact, one of the friends
of the show, who I has not given me permission
to say her name, but she traveled to this game
and did not enjoy.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The fact that Violet the Bird was being.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Taught how to shoot a layup by an NBA player
that was in attendance at the game. She was like,
why is this a helpless little girl bird who doesn't
know how to play basketball? But in reading the release
that the team put out, she literally hatched. So the
point of all of her first day activities were they
taught her how to dance, they taught her how to
do a layup, they welcomed her to the world. They
(07:56):
apparently realized she was nearsighted and gave her some glasses.
So all right, if we're talking about Violet being a
true baby, little hatchling that needs to learn about the world,
I'm okay with that. I don't need her to emerge,
you know, and be a literal warrior type of bird.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
She can grow into that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
As for the glasses, my first thought was why why
did we give this bird glasses?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
What's the point?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And then my brain immediately went to the obvious reason,
which is probably money. And my guess is that there
will be some sort of sponsor tie into the glasses
that gets revealed very soon. They didn't want to do
it right away because then everyone would be like, oh,
they totally sold out, So they're waiting a little while
to be like sponsored by you know, whatever vision, the
Bay Area's number one provider of glasses or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It is also interesting giveaways.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
You know that they got like the Ellie brain and
stuff at Liberty Games that people buy the hats and
stuff that have the Elli braid on them. You know,
there's me a bunch of kids that want to be
rocking those violet gold glasses with some feathers or something.
So my bet is not that they were like, let's
make kids out there with glasses feel good.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
By having a bespectacled mascot. I bet there's money in
that game. Other than that, I'm curious to see what
her vibe is.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
They have her dancing, which is very Ellie coded, but
not in any way sexual way. She is not bringing
that Ellie fears sort of vibes with some sass. She's
definitely bringing I just hatched vibes. So I'm curious to
see if this mascot will always be for the kids,
which I'm told is usually what mascots are for. But
(09:33):
as whatever version of adult Disney person is for mascots,
that's what I am, and I want them to be
for me. So I just need to see if Vie
as they call her, can bring it for me and
not just the kiddos.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Alex, I mean, I love everything about this, but I
want to do a little group brainstorm. Can we think
of any other pro sports mascot that wears glasses.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
There's probably some sort of like a at some point
that's got like the goggles on.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
That's just a wild guess.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I just think it's brilliant. I think of ways that
you can unite a fan base and hand out a
very simple object to make everyone have this unifying thing,
and little glasses without glass of them so so fun.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
And also a great way to get your entire audience
to be simultaneously clowning the officials. They all put their
violet glasses on and be like terrible wild cry.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I wanted to point out though, there was a very
funny line I thought in the press release about quote
collecting information from her daily flights, Violet brings crucial knowledge
back for the leaders of Balhalla to use in battle
end quote, And my initial thought was, oh my god,
another drone gate. They have replaced the drone with a bird.
(10:54):
She's going to be spying on team practices, just like
the Canadian national team. And I know, different sport, different
level of competition, And I was like, is this too soon?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Feels a little too soon?
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Okay, I hope they don't use Vie to to do
some elite by the spy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Isn't there a person spy? Isn't that a TV show
for kids or something? Again meish, not my wheelhouse. Okay.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Anyways, uh, I do love this mascot. Violet has already
stolen my heart. I don't know why you were initially
confused about the glasses Sarah as a bad vision Battie.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I feel very seen by Violet. I know there's a lot.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Of people who feel exactly the same way. I was
a big glasses goggle wearing kid. So I really think
this is gonna you know, it's gonna unite some people
who feel a little bit left out. Sometimes in the
world of elite athletes who've got, you know, twenty twenty
vision and can do everything perfectly.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Some of us can't see.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah. No, I mean I'm supposed to wear my glasses
every day, I just choose not to. I just prefer
to be mostly blind because they adore me and I
hate my context. But you did just give me an
idea of a little nice play between Ali Chagray and Violet.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Whenever the Atlanta dream are visiting the Valks.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
We could see a little spectacles off between those two.
Before we wrap on this mascot thing, I do want
to share something that I never had a chance to
after WNBA All Star, which is to say that Benny
the Bull has always had my heart. Like I truly
believe Benny the Bull can get it, and I think
that's a weird thing to say for someone who's not
actually a furry but something about Benny the Bull and
(12:29):
the pop Tart guy, which is the same dude, you know,
I just there's some there, and I met Buckets, the
mascot for the Las Vegas Aces at the All Star Weekend.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Y'all Buckets can get it.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Buckets has some crazy swagger, gold chain, those jack rabbit ears.
I'm just saying, whoever's inside Buckets has some wild swag,
and props to that human female, male, non binary whoever
is up in Buckets costume.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
And I don't know if I can ever follow you there,
ever in this lifetime be able to follow you. But
you know what, I respect it because it's you. It's yours,
it's yours.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I defy you to watch several minutes of Buckets doing
his thing and tell me that you're not like.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Oh God, damn, someone in there's got something going on.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
You're telling me Buckets as a gender that is also many.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Buckets the mascot. I believe it is a man.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I believe the mascot is a man, but the vibes
are non gender specific.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
And someone tells.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Me those years would get you, mesh, I think those
years would get anybody.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
I don't know what that thing is that tells you that.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
And like Kasha Buckets spells their name with a dollar
signed they do which win in my book?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Yeah, well I've made it weird, all right? Moving on,
we gotta take a break. When we come back. Some
soccer talk with Wayne Coffee. He caught up with them on.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Wednesday, joining us now.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
He's a best selling author and journalist who did a
long stint as the principal sports enterprise and feature writer
for the New York Daily News. He's the author or
co author of thirty books, including the New York Times
bestseller The Boys of Winter, which producer Alex says was
the very first sports book she ever bought. Also noteworthy
athlete memoirs, including Briana Scurri's My Greatest Save in Carly
Lloyd's When Nobody Was Watching. A graduate at Binghamton University.
(14:38):
He's a fan of red lentils and kindness, and he
particularly likes the sports writer Alex Coffee, who happens to
be his daughter, and the TV reporter Sean Coffee, who
happens to be his son. Oh and one of his
other kid happens to be an Olympic gold medalist and
the captain of the Portland Thorns. Sam Coffee, what a legacy.
It's Wayne Coffee.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Hi Wayne, Hi Sarah. Great to be with you and
thanks for giving my giving my kids a shout. They
deserve it.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
How could I not? What an incredible trio.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Before we get into the NCAA soccer season, I want
to talk about those talented kids. We got a TV reporter,
a sports writer, a pro athlete. I have to ask,
because my parents are not super into sports, and I
found my way into playing and now working in sports.
How organic was the love of sports and interest in
sports for your kids or was there some urging on
your part?
Speaker 5 (15:28):
It's an interesting question. I mean it was all organic, really,
We're I have loved sports my whole life. I played,
and when the kids were little, I coached in you know,
little league, soccer, basketball, you name it, and they all played.
And we live in a little town called Sleepy Hollow,
about thirty miles north of the city, and there's this
(15:49):
big sort of community green, big green space that is
just like a field, and it was very much our
kids feel dreams and we'd go out there and we'd
play various sports and it just sort of it took
root from there. It was, Yeah, they're great memories, but yeah,
(16:10):
these guys, all three of them, are just crushing it.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
So I have to ask, after years and years of
watching and reporting on sports, how different is it watching
your own child play in something like the Olympics.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
The nerves we can start with nerve racking and then
go from there. I covered twelve Olympics, Sarah, and and
I'm here to report that it's much easier to be
an Olympic reporter than it is to be an Olympic father.
Not that I would change it for anything, but it's
a good thing. They weren't taking my blood pressure or
(16:44):
pulse during the Olympics because I was, you know, just
not just on the on the edge of my seat.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I was.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
It was a thrill. But I remember years ago hearing
Calvin Hill, the Hall of Fame football player, talk about
how watching Grant play at Duke was more nerve racking
for him than playing in a Super Bowl or an
NFC title game or anything else he ever did as
an athlete. And if Calvin were here, I'd say, you
(17:12):
are right.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
On, Well, how nice for you and all of us.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That they won it all, that certainly makes all the
nerves worthwhile. Last question for you about your kids, because
I know that your daughter Alex took a break from
her normal beat of baseball to write about Sam competing
at the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
What's that moment like.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Just watching your journalistic efforts be passed down to another
generation and to see her write about her own sister.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
Yeah, it's surreal in a word. And Alex is just
a wonderful storyteller. You know, I knew she would she
would write it and write it beautifully, and she did.
She's now you covered the Phillies for a three years,
I think for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and now she's just
doing full time enterprise with an occasional column thrown in,
and she's I read her like early on, I remember
(18:01):
like she'd send me a story, and I would I
would probably be a little too heavy handed with my
edit and should say in a very loving daughterly way,
that this is my story, it's not yours, and I'm
interested in your two cents, but no more than those
two cents. And I mean, she's really got her own voice,
(18:22):
and she's decades ahead of where her where her father
was at that age, or maybe ever even at this age.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
You have covered so many different things, so many sports,
so many teams, so many athletes.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
But you come very highly recommended.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
From our preferred soccer reporter, Meg Linahan as the go
to guy for NC DOUBLEA soccer, which somehow remarkably gets
underway on Thursday, over one hundred and fifty games on
the slate.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
So let's talk about it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
One of those first games, North Carolina versus Tennessee. Last year,
North Carolina won it's twenty third title, the winningest program
in NC DOUBLEA soccer history, but it was the first
title for UNC in a decade. I assume that they're
coming in as the favorites this year.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
They sure are. In fact, the United Soccer Coaches just
released their preseason poll in North Carolina, to the surprise
of No one sits number one. But what's interesting even
beyond that, Sarah, is that last year, people may recall
that all four teams in the College Cup Soccer's final four,
(19:26):
if you will, all four teams were from the ACC
which is mind boggling in itself. And now in the
preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. Seven of the top eight
teams are from the ACC Conference. I mean, it's just
it's crazy that it's a gauntlet. That schedule is just
there's no rest and no hiding.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Yeah, and it feels like UNC got even better. They
got the transfer Shalah Bradley from Rutgers. She was number
twelve on last year's list of top one hundred freshmen
and got all Big Ten honors in her freshman year.
So they bring in some new talent, but also a
second year under Damon Nahas. And this is the guy
who took over the reins for Antson Dorrance. Anson Dorance
(20:10):
was there forever and ever the all time leader in
Division one NCAA championships with a single team in any sport,
twenty two titles, and right before last season started it
was August when he stepped down, which was kind of surprising.
But Damon Nahas steps in and does I guess what
you'd hope for your new coach takes them all the.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Way to the title.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
So can we expect more of Nahas's style this season
as opposed to a continuation of what Anton Dorrance had employed,
or do you think that there's not a lot of
difference in what we're going to see style wise.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I mean, you can't argue with success. And it's also
inconceivable that Damon Nahas would have bigger shoes to fill
than Anton Dorance's, who was only spent forty three years
on the coaching sidelines for UNC men and women by
the way back back in the day. But I think
they've got a rate formula going and they've also got
(21:02):
the mac Herman Trophy winner Kate Fossi's back, so you know,
not only they have the transfer Bradley, but they're and
you know, one of the best midfielders in the country
in Tessa Della Rose. So yeah, I mean they're they
are loaded for sure. And it's it's a really interesting
time in women's college soccer, Sarah, because with the onset
(21:24):
of the nil era and also a transfer portal that
is it's not just a revolving door, it's like a
high speed revolving door. I mean, there were hundreds of
players who changed teams this year. The University of Oregon,
who had a really poor year last year, they got
themselves a new coach, Tracy Joyner from UC Davis. They
(21:46):
have fourteen transfers on that team, and they have six
from UC Davis who went with their old coach to Eugene, Oregon.
So and I mean that's an extreme example, but there
are plenty of top'll that have six or eight or
nine transfers.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yeah, and soccer in particular is a sport where you
can just not fit the style or the format of
the coach, and once you fall out of favor and
you don't see minutes in your future, you're often ready
to go somewhere else. So that kind of movement is
sort of to be expected going forward. Let's talk about
who else might be in the mix for the title
(22:25):
this year, whether because they got better in the offseason
or because they're building off success of last year.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Who do you see competing with UNC.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
Well, I think Notre Dame is right there. Nate Norman
has done a tremendous job with that program and they
have one of the top scores in the country. Is
the Angle who's back. I mean, she's really a dynamic
forward and they're just they're really loaded, and I think
you know they will be right there. And the other
you can never count out Florida State either, and they
(22:55):
have been arguably over the last decade, the most dominant
program in the spot. And you know that their coach,
Brian Penske is he's I'm sure he's really pretty sick
and tired of hearing about last year's NCAA tournament when
they very uncharacteristically went out in the second round against Vanderbilt.
And he's when I spoke to Brian a while ago,
(23:18):
he was talking about players leaving early, like, for example,
he had Jordan Bug was one of his prize recruit
and she went the Seattle Rain invited her to a
training camp and they liked her so much that they
signed her and she never even went to Florida State.
Hate when that happens if you're a college coach. But
Brian was thrilled that three of his top players Jordan Dudley,
(23:43):
Heather Gilchrist and maybe Van Zanten all decided to return
and not go to the end of USL. And they
had offers, they had chances to go, and they returned,
And Brian said, I almost felt like I should put
out a press relief to announce that they're staying. You know,
the big news is always oh so and so is
(24:04):
turning pro or here's another here's another teenager who's going
right to the league. But he was able to convince
these players to stay and they're going to be right
there in the mix too.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
I'm sure that's an interesting concept because it's true we
always see the big press releases around transfers around, you know, graduations,
around heading to the pros. But there's something to be
said for the ability of a coach to hang on
to the players that create that core for their success
and to create an environment in a place that they
want to stick around. Before we get to the changing
(24:41):
landscape of college soccer, I do want to get to
a couple more teams that are expected to be sort
of in the mix.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
You look at a USC team.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
They ended their season in a dramatic quarter final penalty
kick shootout. They come back hungry for more, and they
had some playersans for out, and they had some players
graduate and go on to the pros. But they also
got four big gets in the off season, a defender
from Northwestern and Tanna Scharnstein, a midfielder from Mississippi State,
(25:11):
in Anez Simas, a midfielder from Columbia and Sophia Cavaleri,
and then a forward from Stanford Omaali pianum. So when
you're bringing in a new set of players like that
after this so close the season before, do you expect
them to come out similar and look similar or do
they have to adjust to this new set of transfers
(25:33):
coming in and play a different style this year.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
I think there's always a period of adjustment. But they
have a very strong culture there at USC and I
think for their first year in the Big Ten, they
really made a statement, as did U s LA. It's
still like it's mind spinning to think that these schools
are in a Big ten, or maybe we should call
(25:56):
it the Big eighteen because that's what it is now.
Banning for coast to coast.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I call it a big joke, Wayne, is what I
call it.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
But yeah, I mean the travel is just insane.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Unrealistic and bad for the environment and incomprehensible when aligning
with a schedule as an actual student athlete.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
But maybe that's the podcast for another time.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Yes it is. Yeah, they don't want that. We don't
want their student athletes to miss any class time. But
you know, meanwhile, you're gonna go three thousand miles to
play the soccer game because well, I think money might
have had a little something to do, but that is
another podcast, Yes.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Isn't it?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Always Let's talk quickly about Stanford. One of the fascinating
things that's kind of cool to see in women's and
c DOAA soccer is that there are very long tenured coaches.
People stick around for a long time. There is patience
in finding success and in continued success. Head coach of
Stanford Paul Ratcliffe, most successful coach in Stanford history. He's
(26:56):
entering his twenty third season with the Cardinal. They made
it to the semis of last year's tournament. They ended
up falling to Wake Forest. What do you see out
of Stanford this year?
Speaker 5 (27:06):
They're always tremendous and they have one of the top
midfielders in the country and Miyabuta and I would never
count them out at all. And what Paul Radcliffe has
built there and the amount of talent that has come
through there. I remember when Sam was playing at Penn State,
they Stanford visited and that was a team that had
(27:27):
Katerina Macario and Tierna Davidson and then Sophia Smith. You
just go up and down and oh yeah, and Naomi Germa.
It's it's crazy, but I think They're going to be
formidable and have one of the best chances of anyone
to go to go deep into the tournament.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Are there any teams that you think are making a
move toward being a part of the annual conversation? Programs
that have invested, whether it's in a high profile coach
or maybe in the nil game, they've been.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Able to get more talent.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is there a program in the last few years or
you think in the coming year that will have to
start putting in the bunch with some of the annual faves.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
Yeah, it's an interesting question. People don't necessarily think of
TCU as a soccer power, and I'm not sure why
that is, because they should. They're tremendous every just about
every season. Their ninth and the preseason Coach's Poll, and
they had they brought in some great transfers and they're
(28:25):
just really strong and again kind of under the radar.
And the other another team that's really on a rapid
rise is Michigan State. They have really come up in
a big way over the last few years. So I
think they're going to be a force in the Big
ten And would I would be remiss if I didn't
(28:45):
mention one of my favorite programs because my daughter went there.
Penn State under Erica Dombach, another very experienced coach and
just a wonderful coach who year in year out, they
have been to now I believe it's six straight Sweet
sixteens every NCAA tournament for the last eighteen years. And
not only not only that, but they they're not only
(29:08):
consistently good, but they just players go there and they
get better. They stay usually and they get better. And
it was life changing for Sam to go to Penn State.
And I think it's no coincidence that you see Penn
State players all over the NWSL. Carrie Abello and Corey
(29:29):
Dyke in Orlando, and Kaylee Reels in Utah. Kate Weisner
is with the Washington Spirit, Ellie Wheeler, who's been a
starter at Kansas City the best team in the league
this year right from day one. So's they do a
great job. And I think it's interesting, Sarah, when you
think about how the game is changing. I mean, one
(29:50):
of the biggest pivots really in the last few years
is the increasing tendency for players to just skip college
and and go right to the pros. I wrote a
story for the Athletic in the spring about Riley Jackson,
who's now, you know, a real fixture, a great young
midfielder for the North Carolina Courage. She was about to
(30:12):
you know, step foot on the Duke campus. She's one
of the biggest recruits in the country. She was the
National Player of the Year as a sophomore coming out
of Georgia and she went right to the pros. But
my larger point is that it's not for everyone. You know,
there's a lot of a lot of players who will,
you know, think I'm going to make this jump, I'm
going to be a big social media sensation, and you know,
(30:36):
you're going to be the youngest youngest player ever to
do this and do that, and we're seeing it more
and more, and I think we will continue to see it.
But it's as college coaches will will tell you that
for the Trinity Rodmans of the world, maybe that'll work out,
and it has for others like Riley Jackson or Emery
Adamas with Seattle, but it's not the best move for everyone.
(30:59):
I don't think. I think there are some players who
need time to develop to the mature, to grow into
their game.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yeah, I think there's of course pros and cons. There's
the benefit of playing alongside elite players, getting great training,
having the ability to learn from the best of the best.
But at the same time, if you're not getting a
lot of game action, or if you're pushed into game
action without having the soccer IQ or the mental fortitude
(31:27):
or maturity to handle those game situations, you might benefit
more from making your way up through a collegiate program
and learning how to face the biggest stressors and the
highest profile matches and all those other things, not to
mention just developing as a human being and as a
person so that you can handle the stresses later and
the balances of being a professional athlete as an adult.
(31:48):
I wonder if you think it's changed the college landscape
much now that it is not a necessary pipeline to
the pros. Has it affected other than just some players
not using it as a pipeline. Has it changed the game,
the recruiting, anything else that players aren't really required to
go before declaring for the draft, which now no longer exists.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
I think it's changed. It's changed things tremendously. I mean,
you you know, you put all this time and energy
and money into into recruiting someone and then right before
it's time to sign, you know, they can get like
scooped up by the pros like Jordan bugged it. Another
good example of that is US women's national team in
Kansas City, current midfielder Claire Hutton. She's from this small Bethlehem,
(32:33):
New York and kind of you know, a small town kid,
but absolutely wonderful player. One of the very best and
hottest recruits in the country. She was she was about
to go to North Carolina and she just she had
an opportunity and she went for it, and she's it
works worked out spectacularly for Claire. I mean, she's she's
a locked and starter. She's on the national team now.
(32:55):
But yeah, I think we're we're seeing more and more
that even if players come to go to college, it
was almost unheard of, even five or six years ago
for players to leave college early. Like when Tierna Davidson
decided to leave Stamford I believe it was twenty nineteen,
people were shocked, like, you just don't do this, You're
(33:16):
leaving early. And now we see Michelle Cooper left Duke
after two years, and Ali Sentner left UNC after a
couple of years. And Penn State had a player last
year as a freshman, Katie Scott, who stayed, who was
one of their very very top recruits, and a kid
(33:37):
with deep family ties to Penn State, aunts and uncles
and siblings who went there, and she's from Pennsylvania and
she was She played I think not even ten games
with Penn State and then signed with the Kansas City
Current and now she's on loan to Racing Louisville. But again,
it just seems like the ground is ever shifting. Even
(34:00):
if you get a recruit now it's not a four
year per deal in many cases. If their kids someone
has a breakout season, then in a lot of cases,
they're gone. That's why it's so remarkable that k FOSSi
returned and Jordan Dudley too at Florida State. These are
huge talents and will I think show every side of
being great pros, but they wanted to finish their college careers.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
I have a friend who went to college in Florida
and they had a pool at every dorm, so that's
probably part of it too. I don't know how many
NWSL facilities have a pool yet.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Well it's getting for sure. I mean you know, I
remember covering the league and its infancy, and you know
people who would come, players would come out of top
programs and that turned pro quote unquote, and then everything
would be worse, the facilities, the training staff, and the
weight rooms.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Yeah, I feel like the nil of it all has
also probably changed the space, especially with so many players
making last minute decisions, whether that's to go pro or
go somewhere else in that and kind of force coaches
into making last minute moves or having to replace someone
that they were counting on arriving.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
What have you heard about that aspect of things.
Speaker 5 (35:08):
It's really I'm not sure if epidemic is the right word, Sarah,
but it's it's close to that. I spoke with a
coach the other day and I and I said to him, so,
tell me, have you ever had a recruit who was, like,
you know, basically signed and sealed and ready to come
to your school and you lost because of money? He said,
all the time, all the time, like the rich. This
(35:28):
coach really believes that with NIL, the rich are just
going to get richer. I mean they're gonna be and
there's going to be less parody in the sport, and
that the you know, the very top teams with the
with the biggest budgets, especially with if they have big
football money behind them, they're just gonna they're going to
come along and just and buy players. Another coach that
(35:51):
I spoke to said this, use those exact words. They're
just coming in and buying players. It becomes a financial transaction.
And you know, that's a real slippery slope because developing
as a player is it's a process, and it's not
just about who's offering you the most money, what's the
best culture for you, what's the best playing style, and
(36:14):
who are the coaches who you know are going to
going to be there. I took you know, one of
the most respected coaches in the country, Jerry Smith, who's
been at Santa Clara for thirty nine years. He told
me that when I interviewed him for another story, he said,
we went from being like overregulated to the wild wild
West in the span of a couple of years. And
(36:35):
the transfer portal is just is going crazy. And now
with nil and players just really literally getting purchase and
poached right out from under some programs, it just means
like the mid majors and maybe the less marquee conferences
are going to have a harder and harder time competing.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Okay, have one last question for you. I'm just curious.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I was on the website for NCAA Soccer and I
saw that next year, the Women's College Cup the final
four will be held alongside the men's the same weekend
at WAKEMD Soccer Park. Up until now and continuing through
this year, it has always been held the week before.
What does that mean for the women's tournament and what
will that maybe help her change?
Speaker 5 (37:19):
The coaches push for a longer season and a longer
run up in the preseason, and then the season is
going to be two weeks longer and there. I spoke
the other day with Laurie Walker Hawk of Ohio State,
and she was one of the prime movers behind this initiative,
and she thinks it's just going to be nothing but
(37:39):
good for the players and the player's health and well
being having an extra couple of weeks. In college women's
college soccer, it has been almost a given that you
would play two games every weekend, sometimes like on a
Friday to Sunday turnaround, which is crazy. And now with
(37:59):
the expanded schedule, there's going to be far fewer two
game weekends. It's just nothing but good for the players.
So that will be a very positive thing. And I
think just extending the season a week and having the
College Cup and the same weekend with the men's it'll
just go a little bit one week deeper into December,
and I think it's all to the good and kind
(38:20):
of showcasing the game.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Yeah, and there's potential sometimes for there to be more resources,
more excitement, etc. At men's championship weekends, and so now
the women can benefit from some of that infrastructure or
some of the investment that might go into place that
weekend by being there at the same time competing at
the same time.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Wayne, thank you so much for your insight.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
This was a lot of fun and God is really
excited for the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
So we appreciate the time, my pleasure.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Thanks for having me, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Thanks again to Wayne for taking the time. We got
to take another break when we come back. We invite
you to join us at the pitch.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Welcome back slices.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
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. Go watch a college
soccer game this season. As we mentioned at the top
of the show, there are a lot of teams playing
across the country, so check out your local college or
university schedule and pick up some tickets to a game.
Bring the whole family or a batch of friends, and
send us a pick when you do. We always love
(39:24):
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.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Two oh four fifty seventy and slices.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I have to tell you I've spent the last couple
days going through all my emails from back in January
till now. That's how behind I was, so I've really
enjoyed reading what a lot of you had to say.
Some of them I was catching up with in real time,
but the ones that I miss I responded to. And
there's actually a lot of stuff that y'all have suggested
for guests or otherwise that we've been incorporating and some
(39:53):
that I missed that we are definitely going to respond
to on the show. So that's coming up in a
future Big Citrus, keep them coming. We always love to
hear from you, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
It's easy.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
Watch Tarasei on Prime Video, rating three out of three
episodes that just left me wanting more.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Review.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Diana Tarassi might be one of the lesser covered superstars
in all of sports history. She's got a gigantic, hilarious personality,
but she mostly preferred to talk her shit on the
court and with friends, family, and teammates, as opposed to
in interviews, podcasts, or in commercial campaigns. So watching the
new Tarasi documentary and learning about her family, her upbringing,
(40:35):
her love story, and more was outstanding. I just wanted
more episodes. Three was not enough. There were some truly
standout moments, though, including a robbery at gunpoint that her
family faced in Argentina which sent them back to the
States where her basketball prowess could be better cultivated, and
you have to wonder what might have happened if she'd
(40:55):
never come back to cut her teeth in US high
school hoops, and aau also dinnouncing that she'd play the
rest of her season in Russia for free after the
murder of her team's beloved owner, which inspired the rest
of the roster to stick around, win it all and
help recoup financial losses suffered by his widow. There was
a real leadership moment from her, her mom's funny reaction
to Gino Orima's incessant recruiting.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I can't remember how many times she said I hate.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Him about Gino Oriema, and then her mom's very touching
an emotional reaction to Diana moving across the country to
go to Yukon. There was just a lot of stuff
in there that really rounded out who Diana is as
a person and a player, whether that's family time with
her wife Penny and their kids, or even her reaction
to being benched for the gold medal game of the
final Olympics she played in. It's just a real juicy
(41:41):
three episodes that left me again wanting more. But I
do think it's a must watch, especially for new WNBA fans,
whether it's the super physical play that Diana had to
adjust to as a rookie in the league or the
sacrifices that she and other players had to make playing
at home for much less money than abroad to try
to help build the WAB and create opportunities for girls
(42:01):
coming up. I just think you'll really appreciate what you're
watching now. In the w way more if you know
who helped make the league what it is today, and
obviously Die is one of those players, so well worth
your time. Check it out now it's your turn, rate
and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Wayne,
Good game, Violet. The raven cue contacts. How have we
(42:23):
not invented contacts that don't dry my eyes out yet?
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
(42:43):
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and
Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones. Production assistance
from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we might
have to give up on setting the record for most
podcast downloads. In fact, Saylor Swift on New Heights might
have taken down the whole podcast spear Can you break
a streaming service? Does iHeart still exist? Can you hear us?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Is this thing on?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's Thursday, August fourteenth, And on today's show, we'll be
talking to best selling author, longtime journalist, and proud dad
Wayne Coffee about the biggest storylines to follow as the
NCAA College soccer season gets started, how the college soccer
landscape has changed in recent years, and what it's like
watching one of his daughter's report on his other daughter
making her Olympic debut. Plus our new favorite hatchling clinching
(00:43):
while resting, and goat tails that left us wanting more.
It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices.
Here's what you need to know today.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
With soccer.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
The NCAA Division One college soccer season starts today with
three hundred and ten teams in action, and here's a
list of all one hundred and fifty five games. Just kidding,
but we will link to the full schedule in the
show notes, and we're guessing there's a team playing near you,
so go out and support him. Heading into the season,
the United Soccer Coaches Poll has the defending champs, the
(01:21):
North Carolina Tar Heels, ranked number one in the nation,
followed by number two Notre Dame, number three Florida State,
number four Duke, and number five Southern California. Full rankings
are linked in the show notes. And we'll have plenty
more on what to expect this season with Wayne Coffee
in just a bit more soccer, this time in the NWSL.
The Chicago Color Neutral Stars announced the hiring of Martin
(01:44):
Hugren as the club's new head coach on Wednesday. Hugran
won't join the Stars till January, as he plans to
close out the season at his current post head coach
of Swedish team Hammerbye until then. Anders Jakobsen, who has
worked with Huchrun for more than a decade, will service
Chicago's head coach for the conclusion of the twenty twenty
five season before transitioning to working as Huggland's first assistant
(02:05):
next year. In a press release, the Stars said that
Hugland and Jakobsen's hiring comes following an extensive process that
included more than sixty candidates dating back to April when
the club fired previous head coach Lauren Donaldson. Hugren, in
addition to his club experience, was also the head coach
of the Norwegian national team for six years from twenty
sixteen to twenty twenty two, which included an appearance in
(02:27):
the quarterfinals of the twenty nineteen Women's World Cup. The
Color Neutral Stars have been blowing through coaches, so here's
hoping that Hugland sticks around long enough for me to
find out whether I'm saying his name correctly. To the WNBA,
the Minnesota Links are officially playoff bound. The team may
still have twelve regular season games to play, but on
Tuesday night, they mathematically clinched a spot thanks to their
(02:49):
twenty seven and five record, making it official with the
loss from the sixth place Indiana Fever.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
They just got to sit home and watch as a
postseason birth was assured. So we got one spot locked
up for now, while another seven remain up for grabs
between now and the end of the WNBA regular season
on September eleventh.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Also something to keep an eye on.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
As the end of the season approaches, with the Lynx's
de Fisa Collier missing significant time to an ankle injury,
sure feels like the WNBA MVP is very much up
for grabs. The Las Vegas Aces Asia Wilson's been putting
up numbers, the Phoenix Mercuries Elisa Thomas is racking up
triple doubles, and what about a dark course in the
Indiana Fever's Kelsey Mitchell, who's leading the league in total
(03:30):
points scored more. WNBA our suspicions about the mysterious egg
outside the Chase Center were confirmed. The Golden State Valkyries
unveiled their team's mascot on Monday during halftime of their
seventy five to fifty seven win over the Connecticut Sun.
Her name Violet the Raven, wrote the Valkyries about the
violet colored, feathered, bespectacled bird quote. Ravens are commonly known
(03:54):
as Valkyrie's helpful and savvy counterparts in Norse mythology. Collecting
information from her day billy flights, Violet brings crucial knowledge
back for the leaders of Balhalla to use in battle.
Ravens are considered guardians of good fortune shape shifting to
trick and defeat any enemies of Balhalla.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Also an interesting note about those glasses that Violet wears,
they wrote, quote because she is near sighted, she sports
gold glasses, helping her achieve the excellent eyesight that Ravens
are known to have.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
More on those glasses and the newest mascot in the game.
In a little bit to tennis. Ahead of next week's
US Open, Venus Williams has been awarded a wildcard to
compete in women's singles at the tournament. It'll be William's
first Grand Slam event in two years and continues her
recent return to the court. Last month, she played her
first tournament in sixteen months at the DC Open, making
(04:44):
it to the second round after losing in the first round.
The Cincinnati Opened last week, she said she feels like
she's in great shape. Quote Now I can work on
power and speed instead of trying to just make sure
I'm not hurt going into the tournament.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
End quote. Also, speaking of Venus, she's.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Getting honored with a bar arbi which will be released
on Friday. The new Venus Williams doll will wear the
same uniform Venus war when she won Wimbledon in two
thousand and seven. We'll link to a photo and more
details in the show notes. And if you're a collector
snapping up those PWHL barbies and Venus barbies and all
the other sporty barbies, shoot us a photo. We'd love
to see your collection. To college hoops and a developing story.
(05:20):
Tennessee basketball player Ruby Whitehorn was charged with aggravated burglary
and domestic assault after she was arrested last Friday. According
to court records obtained by the Knox News, the rising
senior was arrested after she got into a physical altercation
outside a woman's residence and proceeded to kick in the
door to the residence. Per the report, the woman provided
cell phone video of Whitehorn entering her house and fighting
(05:42):
with her. In a press release, Whitehorn's attorney said she
plans to plead not guilty, saying quote, our firm's investigation
has also revealed that the factual allegations contained in the
warrants are not accurate and are contradicted by eyewitness accounts.
Ruby Whitehorn looks forward to having this matter resolved in
the very near future.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
We'll link to the latest story on this incident from
Knox News reporter Cora Hall in the show notes, Finally,
an update on a story we discussed last week. US
sprinter Shkerri Richardson has apologized to her boyfriend Christian Coleman
in a post on social media after she allegedly assaulted
Coleman during a dispute at the Seattle Tacoma Airport. Richardson
was arrested and spent eighteen hours in jail, but the
(06:22):
charges against her were dropped after Coleman declined to pursue them.
On Instagram earlier this week, Richardson wrote, quote, I apologize
to Christian. He came into my life and gave me
more than a relationship, but a greater understanding of unconditional
love from what I've experienced in my past. Due to
my past trauma and pain, I was blind and blocked
off to not only receive it but give it. I
(06:42):
love him and to him. I can't apologize enough. End quote.
All right, Slice, As you might have figured out by
now if you listen to the show regularly, that I'm
a bit of a mascot girly. I even dressed as
Ellie the Elephant for Halloween last year, so you know,
we can't let a new mascot hatch and not talk
about it. Time for another edition of Give Me a Minute,
(07:03):
Alex Misha, get in here. The Bird's the word, Let's
get into it. First thoughts, very cute mascot. I liked
the concept. We had a feeling the Bird would somehow
be about the Valkyrie sort of journey through the air
to bring these wounded warriors to Valhalla and obviously in
their case, ball Halla. I dig it I first was
(07:23):
a little confused, and in fact, one of the friends
of the show, who I has not given me permission
to say her name, but she traveled to this game
and did not enjoy.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The fact that Violet the Bird was being.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Taught how to shoot a layup by an NBA player
that was in attendance at the game. She was like,
why is this a helpless little girl bird who doesn't
know how to play basketball? But in reading the release
that the team put out, she literally hatched. So the
point of all of her first day activities were they
taught her how to dance, they taught her how to
do a layup, they welcomed her to the world. They
(07:56):
apparently realized she was nearsighted and gave her some glasses.
So all right, if we're talking about Violet being a
true baby, little hatchling that needs to learn about the world,
I'm okay with that. I don't need her to emerge,
you know, and be a literal warrior type of bird.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
She can grow into that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
As for the glasses, my first thought was why why
did we give this bird glasses?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
What's the point?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And then my brain immediately went to the obvious reason,
which is probably money. And my guess is that there
will be some sort of sponsor tie into the glasses
that gets revealed very soon. They didn't want to do
it right away because then everyone would be like, oh,
they totally sold out, So they're waiting a little while
to be like sponsored by you know, whatever vision, the
Bay Area's number one provider of glasses or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It is also interesting giveaways.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
You know that they got like the Ellie brain and
stuff at Liberty Games that people buy the hats and
stuff that have the Elli braid on them. You know,
there's me a bunch of kids that want to be
rocking those violet gold glasses with some feathers or something.
So my bet is not that they were like, let's
make kids out there with glasses feel good.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
By having a bespectacled mascot. I bet there's money in
that game. Other than that, I'm curious to see what
her vibe is.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
They have her dancing, which is very Ellie coded, but
not in any way sexual way. She is not bringing
that Ellie fears sort of vibes with some sass. She's
definitely bringing I just hatched vibes. So I'm curious to
see if this mascot will always be for the kids,
which I'm told is usually what mascots are for. But
(09:33):
as whatever version of adult Disney person is for mascots,
that's what I am, and I want them to be
for me. So I just need to see if Vie
as they call her, can bring it for me and
not just the kiddos.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Alex, I mean, I love everything about this, but I
want to do a little group brainstorm. Can we think
of any other pro sports mascot that wears glasses.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
There's probably some sort of like a at some point
that's got like the goggles on.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
That's just a wild guess.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I just think it's brilliant. I think of ways that
you can unite a fan base and hand out a
very simple object to make everyone have this unifying thing,
and little glasses without glass of them so so fun.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
And also a great way to get your entire audience
to be simultaneously clowning the officials. They all put their
violet glasses on and be like terrible wild cry.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I wanted to point out though, there was a very
funny line I thought in the press release about quote
collecting information from her daily flights, Violet brings crucial knowledge
back for the leaders of Balhalla to use in battle
end quote, And my initial thought was, oh my god,
another drone gate. They have replaced the drone with a bird.
(10:54):
She's going to be spying on team practices, just like
the Canadian national team. And I know, different sport, different
level of competition, And I was like, is this too soon?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Feels a little too soon?
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Okay, I hope they don't use Vie to to do
some elite by the spy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Isn't there a person spy? Isn't that a TV show
for kids or something? Again meish, not my wheelhouse. Okay.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Anyways, uh, I do love this mascot. Violet has already
stolen my heart. I don't know why you were initially
confused about the glasses Sarah as a bad vision Battie.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I feel very seen by Violet. I know there's a lot.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Of people who feel exactly the same way. I was
a big glasses goggle wearing kid. So I really think
this is gonna you know, it's gonna unite some people
who feel a little bit left out. Sometimes in the
world of elite athletes who've got, you know, twenty twenty
vision and can do everything perfectly.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Some of us can't see.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah. No, I mean I'm supposed to wear my glasses
every day, I just choose not to. I just prefer
to be mostly blind because they adore me and I
hate my context. But you did just give me an
idea of a little nice play between Ali Chagray and Violet.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Whenever the Atlanta dream are visiting the Valks.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
We could see a little spectacles off between those two.
Before we wrap on this mascot thing, I do want
to share something that I never had a chance to
after WNBA All Star, which is to say that Benny
the Bull has always had my heart. Like I truly
believe Benny the Bull can get it, and I think
that's a weird thing to say for someone who's not
actually a furry but something about Benny the Bull and
(12:29):
the pop Tart guy, which is the same dude, you know,
I just there's some there, and I met Buckets, the
mascot for the Las Vegas Aces at the All Star Weekend.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Y'all Buckets can get it.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Buckets has some crazy swagger, gold chain, those jack rabbit ears.
I'm just saying, whoever's inside Buckets has some wild swag,
and props to that human female, male, non binary whoever
is up in Buckets costume.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
And I don't know if I can ever follow you there,
ever in this lifetime be able to follow you. But
you know what, I respect it because it's you. It's yours,
it's yours.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I defy you to watch several minutes of Buckets doing
his thing and tell me that you're not like.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Oh God, damn, someone in there's got something going on.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
You're telling me Buckets as a gender that is also many.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Buckets the mascot. I believe it is a man.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I believe the mascot is a man, but the vibes
are non gender specific.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
And someone tells.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Me those years would get you, mesh, I think those
years would get anybody.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
I don't know what that thing is that tells you that.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
And like Kasha Buckets spells their name with a dollar
signed they do which win in my book?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Yeah, well I've made it weird, all right? Moving on,
we gotta take a break. When we come back. Some
soccer talk with Wayne Coffee. He caught up with them on.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Wednesday, joining us now.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
He's a best selling author and journalist who did a
long stint as the principal sports enterprise and feature writer
for the New York Daily News. He's the author or
co author of thirty books, including the New York Times
bestseller The Boys of Winter, which producer Alex says was
the very first sports book she ever bought. Also noteworthy
athlete memoirs, including Briana Scurri's My Greatest Save in Carly
Lloyd's When Nobody Was Watching. A graduate at Binghamton University.
(14:38):
He's a fan of red lentils and kindness, and he
particularly likes the sports writer Alex Coffee, who happens to
be his daughter, and the TV reporter Sean Coffee, who
happens to be his son. Oh and one of his
other kid happens to be an Olympic gold medalist and
the captain of the Portland Thorns. Sam Coffee, what a legacy.
It's Wayne Coffee.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Hi Wayne, Hi Sarah. Great to be with you and
thanks for giving my giving my kids a shout. They
deserve it.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
How could I not? What an incredible trio.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Before we get into the NCAA soccer season, I want
to talk about those talented kids. We got a TV reporter,
a sports writer, a pro athlete. I have to ask,
because my parents are not super into sports, and I
found my way into playing and now working in sports.
How organic was the love of sports and interest in
sports for your kids or was there some urging on
your part?
Speaker 5 (15:28):
It's an interesting question. I mean it was all organic, really,
We're I have loved sports my whole life. I played,
and when the kids were little, I coached in you know,
little league, soccer, basketball, you name it, and they all played.
And we live in a little town called Sleepy Hollow,
about thirty miles north of the city, and there's this
(15:49):
big sort of community green, big green space that is
just like a field, and it was very much our
kids feel dreams and we'd go out there and we'd
play various sports and it just sort of it took
root from there. It was, Yeah, they're great memories, but yeah,
(16:10):
these guys, all three of them, are just crushing it.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
So I have to ask, after years and years of
watching and reporting on sports, how different is it watching
your own child play in something like the Olympics.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
The nerves we can start with nerve racking and then
go from there. I covered twelve Olympics, Sarah, and and
I'm here to report that it's much easier to be
an Olympic reporter than it is to be an Olympic father.
Not that I would change it for anything, but it's
a good thing. They weren't taking my blood pressure or
(16:44):
pulse during the Olympics because I was, you know, just
not just on the on the edge of my seat.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I was.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
It was a thrill. But I remember years ago hearing
Calvin Hill, the Hall of Fame football player, talk about
how watching Grant play at Duke was more nerve racking
for him than playing in a Super Bowl or an
NFC title game or anything else he ever did as
an athlete. And if Calvin were here, I'd say, you
(17:12):
are right.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
On, Well, how nice for you and all of us.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That they won it all, that certainly makes all the
nerves worthwhile. Last question for you about your kids, because
I know that your daughter Alex took a break from
her normal beat of baseball to write about Sam competing
at the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
What's that moment like.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Just watching your journalistic efforts be passed down to another
generation and to see her write about her own sister.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
Yeah, it's surreal in a word. And Alex is just
a wonderful storyteller. You know, I knew she would she
would write it and write it beautifully, and she did.
She's now you covered the Phillies for a three years,
I think for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and now she's just
doing full time enterprise with an occasional column thrown in,
and she's I read her like early on, I remember
(18:01):
like she'd send me a story, and I would I
would probably be a little too heavy handed with my
edit and should say in a very loving daughterly way,
that this is my story, it's not yours, and I'm
interested in your two cents, but no more than those
two cents. And I mean, she's really got her own voice,
(18:22):
and she's decades ahead of where her where her father
was at that age, or maybe ever even at this age.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
You have covered so many different things, so many sports,
so many teams, so many athletes.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
But you come very highly recommended.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
From our preferred soccer reporter, Meg Linahan as the go
to guy for NC DOUBLEA soccer, which somehow remarkably gets
underway on Thursday, over one hundred and fifty games on
the slate.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
So let's talk about it.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
One of those first games, North Carolina versus Tennessee. Last year,
North Carolina won it's twenty third title, the winningest program
in NC DOUBLEA soccer history, but it was the first
title for UNC in a decade. I assume that they're
coming in as the favorites this year.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
They sure are. In fact, the United Soccer Coaches just
released their preseason poll in North Carolina, to the surprise
of No one sits number one. But what's interesting even
beyond that, Sarah, is that last year, people may recall
that all four teams in the College Cup Soccer's final four,
(19:26):
if you will, all four teams were from the ACC
which is mind boggling in itself. And now in the
preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. Seven of the top eight
teams are from the ACC Conference. I mean, it's just
it's crazy that it's a gauntlet. That schedule is just
there's no rest and no hiding.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Yeah, and it feels like UNC got even better. They
got the transfer Shalah Bradley from Rutgers. She was number
twelve on last year's list of top one hundred freshmen
and got all Big Ten honors in her freshman year.
So they bring in some new talent, but also a
second year under Damon Nahas. And this is the guy
who took over the reins for Antson Dorrance. Anson Dorance
(20:10):
was there forever and ever the all time leader in
Division one NCAA championships with a single team in any sport,
twenty two titles, and right before last season started it
was August when he stepped down, which was kind of surprising.
But Damon Nahas steps in and does I guess what
you'd hope for your new coach takes them all the.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Way to the title.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
So can we expect more of Nahas's style this season
as opposed to a continuation of what Anton Dorrance had employed,
or do you think that there's not a lot of
difference in what we're going to see style wise.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I mean, you can't argue with success. And it's also
inconceivable that Damon Nahas would have bigger shoes to fill
than Anton Dorance's, who was only spent forty three years
on the coaching sidelines for UNC men and women by
the way back back in the day. But I think
they've got a rate formula going and they've also got
(21:02):
the mac Herman Trophy winner Kate Fossi's back, so you know,
not only they have the transfer Bradley, but they're and
you know, one of the best midfielders in the country
in Tessa Della Rose. So yeah, I mean they're they
are loaded for sure. And it's it's a really interesting
time in women's college soccer, Sarah, because with the onset
(21:24):
of the nil era and also a transfer portal that
is it's not just a revolving door, it's like a
high speed revolving door. I mean, there were hundreds of
players who changed teams this year. The University of Oregon,
who had a really poor year last year, they got
themselves a new coach, Tracy Joyner from UC Davis. They
(21:46):
have fourteen transfers on that team, and they have six
from UC Davis who went with their old coach to Eugene, Oregon.
So and I mean that's an extreme example, but there
are plenty of top'll that have six or eight or
nine transfers.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yeah, and soccer in particular is a sport where you
can just not fit the style or the format of
the coach, and once you fall out of favor and
you don't see minutes in your future, you're often ready
to go somewhere else. So that kind of movement is
sort of to be expected going forward. Let's talk about
who else might be in the mix for the title
(22:25):
this year, whether because they got better in the offseason
or because they're building off success of last year.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Who do you see competing with UNC.
Speaker 5 (22:33):
Well, I think Notre Dame is right there. Nate Norman
has done a tremendous job with that program and they
have one of the top scores in the country. Is
the Angle who's back. I mean, she's really a dynamic
forward and they're just they're really loaded, and I think
you know they will be right there. And the other
you can never count out Florida State either, and they
(22:55):
have been arguably over the last decade, the most dominant
program in the spot. And you know that their coach,
Brian Penske is he's I'm sure he's really pretty sick
and tired of hearing about last year's NCAA tournament when
they very uncharacteristically went out in the second round against Vanderbilt.
And he's when I spoke to Brian a while ago,
(23:18):
he was talking about players leaving early, like, for example,
he had Jordan Bug was one of his prize recruit
and she went the Seattle Rain invited her to a
training camp and they liked her so much that they
signed her and she never even went to Florida State.
Hate when that happens if you're a college coach. But
Brian was thrilled that three of his top players Jordan Dudley,
(23:43):
Heather Gilchrist and maybe Van Zanten all decided to return
and not go to the end of USL. And they
had offers, they had chances to go, and they returned,
And Brian said, I almost felt like I should put
out a press relief to announce that they're staying. You know,
the big news is always oh so and so is
(24:04):
turning pro or here's another here's another teenager who's going
right to the league. But he was able to convince
these players to stay and they're going to be right
there in the mix too.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
I'm sure that's an interesting concept because it's true we
always see the big press releases around transfers around, you know, graduations,
around heading to the pros. But there's something to be
said for the ability of a coach to hang on
to the players that create that core for their success
and to create an environment in a place that they
want to stick around. Before we get to the changing
(24:41):
landscape of college soccer, I do want to get to
a couple more teams that are expected to be sort
of in the mix.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
You look at a USC team.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
They ended their season in a dramatic quarter final penalty
kick shootout. They come back hungry for more, and they
had some playersans for out, and they had some players
graduate and go on to the pros. But they also
got four big gets in the off season, a defender
from Northwestern and Tanna Scharnstein, a midfielder from Mississippi State,
(25:11):
in Anez Simas, a midfielder from Columbia and Sophia Cavaleri,
and then a forward from Stanford Omaali pianum. So when
you're bringing in a new set of players like that
after this so close the season before, do you expect
them to come out similar and look similar or do
they have to adjust to this new set of transfers
(25:33):
coming in and play a different style this year.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
I think there's always a period of adjustment. But they
have a very strong culture there at USC and I
think for their first year in the Big Ten, they
really made a statement, as did U s LA. It's
still like it's mind spinning to think that these schools
are in a Big ten, or maybe we should call
(25:56):
it the Big eighteen because that's what it is now.
Banning for coast to coast.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I call it a big joke, Wayne, is what I
call it.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
But yeah, I mean the travel is just insane.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Unrealistic and bad for the environment and incomprehensible when aligning
with a schedule as an actual student athlete.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
But maybe that's the podcast for another time.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Yes it is. Yeah, they don't want that. We don't
want their student athletes to miss any class time. But
you know, meanwhile, you're gonna go three thousand miles to
play the soccer game because well, I think money might
have had a little something to do, but that is
another podcast, Yes.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Isn't it?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Always Let's talk quickly about Stanford. One of the fascinating
things that's kind of cool to see in women's and
c DOAA soccer is that there are very long tenured coaches.
People stick around for a long time. There is patience
in finding success and in continued success. Head coach of
Stanford Paul Ratcliffe, most successful coach in Stanford history. He's
(26:56):
entering his twenty third season with the Cardinal. They made
it to the semis of last year's tournament. They ended
up falling to Wake Forest. What do you see out
of Stanford this year?
Speaker 5 (27:06):
They're always tremendous and they have one of the top
midfielders in the country and Miyabuta and I would never
count them out at all. And what Paul Radcliffe has
built there and the amount of talent that has come
through there. I remember when Sam was playing at Penn State,
they Stanford visited and that was a team that had
(27:27):
Katerina Macario and Tierna Davidson and then Sophia Smith. You
just go up and down and oh yeah, and Naomi Germa.
It's it's crazy, but I think They're going to be
formidable and have one of the best chances of anyone
to go to go deep into the tournament.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Are there any teams that you think are making a
move toward being a part of the annual conversation? Programs
that have invested, whether it's in a high profile coach
or maybe in the nil game, they've been.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Able to get more talent.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is there a program in the last few years or
you think in the coming year that will have to
start putting in the bunch with some of the annual faves.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
Yeah, it's an interesting question. People don't necessarily think of
TCU as a soccer power, and I'm not sure why
that is, because they should. They're tremendous every just about
every season. Their ninth and the preseason Coach's Poll, and
they had they brought in some great transfers and they're
(28:25):
just really strong and again kind of under the radar.
And the other another team that's really on a rapid
rise is Michigan State. They have really come up in
a big way over the last few years. So I
think they're going to be a force in the Big
ten And would I would be remiss if I didn't
(28:45):
mention one of my favorite programs because my daughter went there.
Penn State under Erica Dombach, another very experienced coach and
just a wonderful coach who year in year out, they
have been to now I believe it's six straight Sweet
sixteens every NCAA tournament for the last eighteen years. And
not only not only that, but they they're not only
(29:08):
consistently good, but they just players go there and they
get better. They stay usually and they get better. And
it was life changing for Sam to go to Penn State.
And I think it's no coincidence that you see Penn
State players all over the NWSL. Carrie Abello and Corey
(29:29):
Dyke in Orlando, and Kaylee Reels in Utah. Kate Weisner
is with the Washington Spirit, Ellie Wheeler, who's been a
starter at Kansas City the best team in the league
this year right from day one. So's they do a
great job. And I think it's interesting, Sarah, when you
think about how the game is changing. I mean, one
(29:50):
of the biggest pivots really in the last few years
is the increasing tendency for players to just skip college
and and go right to the pros. I wrote a
story for the Athletic in the spring about Riley Jackson,
who's now, you know, a real fixture, a great young
midfielder for the North Carolina Courage. She was about to
(30:12):
you know, step foot on the Duke campus. She's one
of the biggest recruits in the country. She was the
National Player of the Year as a sophomore coming out
of Georgia and she went right to the pros. But
my larger point is that it's not for everyone. You know,
there's a lot of a lot of players who will,
you know, think I'm going to make this jump, I'm
going to be a big social media sensation, and you know,
(30:36):
you're going to be the youngest youngest player ever to
do this and do that, and we're seeing it more
and more, and I think we will continue to see it.
But it's as college coaches will will tell you that
for the Trinity Rodmans of the world, maybe that'll work out,
and it has for others like Riley Jackson or Emery
Adamas with Seattle, but it's not the best move for everyone.
(30:59):
I don't think. I think there are some players who
need time to develop to the mature, to grow into
their game.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yeah, I think there's of course pros and cons. There's
the benefit of playing alongside elite players, getting great training,
having the ability to learn from the best of the best.
But at the same time, if you're not getting a
lot of game action, or if you're pushed into game
action without having the soccer IQ or the mental fortitude
(31:27):
or maturity to handle those game situations, you might benefit
more from making your way up through a collegiate program
and learning how to face the biggest stressors and the
highest profile matches and all those other things, not to
mention just developing as a human being and as a
person so that you can handle the stresses later and
the balances of being a professional athlete as an adult.
(31:48):
I wonder if you think it's changed the college landscape
much now that it is not a necessary pipeline to
the pros. Has it affected other than just some players
not using it as a pipeline. Has it changed the game,
the recruiting, anything else that players aren't really required to
go before declaring for the draft, which now no longer exists.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
I think it's changed. It's changed things tremendously. I mean,
you you know, you put all this time and energy
and money into into recruiting someone and then right before
it's time to sign, you know, they can get like
scooped up by the pros like Jordan bugged it. Another
good example of that is US women's national team in
Kansas City, current midfielder Claire Hutton. She's from this small Bethlehem,
(32:33):
New York and kind of you know, a small town kid,
but absolutely wonderful player. One of the very best and
hottest recruits in the country. She was she was about
to go to North Carolina and she just she had
an opportunity and she went for it, and she's it
works worked out spectacularly for Claire. I mean, she's she's
a locked and starter. She's on the national team now.
(32:55):
But yeah, I think we're we're seeing more and more
that even if players come to go to college, it
was almost unheard of, even five or six years ago
for players to leave college early. Like when Tierna Davidson
decided to leave Stamford I believe it was twenty nineteen,
people were shocked, like, you just don't do this, You're
(33:16):
leaving early. And now we see Michelle Cooper left Duke
after two years, and Ali Sentner left UNC after a
couple of years. And Penn State had a player last
year as a freshman, Katie Scott, who stayed, who was
one of their very very top recruits, and a kid
(33:37):
with deep family ties to Penn State, aunts and uncles
and siblings who went there, and she's from Pennsylvania and
she was She played I think not even ten games
with Penn State and then signed with the Kansas City
Current and now she's on loan to Racing Louisville. But again,
it just seems like the ground is ever shifting. Even
(34:00):
if you get a recruit now it's not a four
year per deal in many cases. If their kids someone
has a breakout season, then in a lot of cases,
they're gone. That's why it's so remarkable that k FOSSi
returned and Jordan Dudley too at Florida State. These are
huge talents and will I think show every side of
being great pros, but they wanted to finish their college careers.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
I have a friend who went to college in Florida
and they had a pool at every dorm, so that's
probably part of it too. I don't know how many
NWSL facilities have a pool yet.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Well it's getting for sure. I mean you know, I
remember covering the league and its infancy, and you know
people who would come, players would come out of top
programs and that turned pro quote unquote, and then everything
would be worse, the facilities, the training staff, and the
weight rooms.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Yeah, I feel like the nil of it all has
also probably changed the space, especially with so many players
making last minute decisions, whether that's to go pro or
go somewhere else in that and kind of force coaches
into making last minute moves or having to replace someone
that they were counting on arriving.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
What have you heard about that aspect of things.
Speaker 5 (35:08):
It's really I'm not sure if epidemic is the right word, Sarah,
but it's it's close to that. I spoke with a
coach the other day and I and I said to him, so,
tell me, have you ever had a recruit who was, like,
you know, basically signed and sealed and ready to come
to your school and you lost because of money? He said,
all the time, all the time, like the rich. This
(35:28):
coach really believes that with NIL, the rich are just
going to get richer. I mean they're gonna be and
there's going to be less parody in the sport, and
that the you know, the very top teams with the
with the biggest budgets, especially with if they have big
football money behind them, they're just gonna they're going to
come along and just and buy players. Another coach that
(35:51):
I spoke to said this, use those exact words. They're
just coming in and buying players. It becomes a financial transaction.
And you know, that's a real slippery slope because developing
as a player is it's a process, and it's not
just about who's offering you the most money, what's the
best culture for you, what's the best playing style, and
(36:14):
who are the coaches who you know are going to
going to be there. I took you know, one of
the most respected coaches in the country, Jerry Smith, who's
been at Santa Clara for thirty nine years. He told
me that when I interviewed him for another story, he said,
we went from being like overregulated to the wild wild
West in the span of a couple of years. And
(36:35):
the transfer portal is just is going crazy. And now
with nil and players just really literally getting purchase and
poached right out from under some programs, it just means
like the mid majors and maybe the less marquee conferences
are going to have a harder and harder time competing.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Okay, have one last question for you. I'm just curious.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I was on the website for NCAA Soccer and I
saw that next year, the Women's College Cup the final
four will be held alongside the men's the same weekend
at WAKEMD Soccer Park. Up until now and continuing through
this year, it has always been held the week before.
What does that mean for the women's tournament and what
will that maybe help her change?
Speaker 5 (37:19):
The coaches push for a longer season and a longer
run up in the preseason, and then the season is
going to be two weeks longer and there. I spoke
the other day with Laurie Walker Hawk of Ohio State,
and she was one of the prime movers behind this initiative,
and she thinks it's just going to be nothing but
(37:39):
good for the players and the player's health and well
being having an extra couple of weeks. In college women's
college soccer, it has been almost a given that you
would play two games every weekend, sometimes like on a
Friday to Sunday turnaround, which is crazy. And now with
(37:59):
the expanded schedule, there's going to be far fewer two
game weekends. It's just nothing but good for the players.
So that will be a very positive thing. And I
think just extending the season a week and having the
College Cup and the same weekend with the men's it'll
just go a little bit one week deeper into December,
and I think it's all to the good and kind
(38:20):
of showcasing the game.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Yeah, and there's potential sometimes for there to be more resources,
more excitement, etc. At men's championship weekends, and so now
the women can benefit from some of that infrastructure or
some of the investment that might go into place that
weekend by being there at the same time competing at
the same time.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Wayne, thank you so much for your insight.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
This was a lot of fun and God is really
excited for the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
So we appreciate the time, my pleasure.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Thanks for having me, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Thanks again to Wayne for taking the time. We got
to take another break when we come back. We invite
you to join us at the pitch.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Welcome back slices.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
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. Go watch a college
soccer game this season. As we mentioned at the top
of the show, there are a lot of teams playing
across the country, so check out your local college or
university schedule and pick up some tickets to a game.
Bring the whole family or a batch of friends, and
send us a pick when you do. We always love
(39:24):
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.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Two oh four fifty seventy and slices.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I have to tell you I've spent the last couple
days going through all my emails from back in January
till now. That's how behind I was, so I've really
enjoyed reading what a lot of you had to say.
Some of them I was catching up with in real time,
but the ones that I miss I responded to. And
there's actually a lot of stuff that y'all have suggested
for guests or otherwise that we've been incorporating and some
(39:53):
that I missed that we are definitely going to respond
to on the show. So that's coming up in a
future Big Citrus, keep them coming. We always love to
hear from you, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
It's easy.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
Watch Tarasei on Prime Video, rating three out of three
episodes that just left me wanting more.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Review.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Diana Tarassi might be one of the lesser covered superstars
in all of sports history. She's got a gigantic, hilarious personality,
but she mostly preferred to talk her shit on the
court and with friends, family, and teammates, as opposed to
in interviews, podcasts, or in commercial campaigns. So watching the
new Tarasi documentary and learning about her family, her upbringing,
(40:35):
her love story, and more was outstanding. I just wanted
more episodes. Three was not enough. There were some truly
standout moments, though, including a robbery at gunpoint that her
family faced in Argentina which sent them back to the
States where her basketball prowess could be better cultivated, and
you have to wonder what might have happened if she'd
(40:55):
never come back to cut her teeth in US high
school hoops, and aau also dinnouncing that she'd play the
rest of her season in Russia for free after the
murder of her team's beloved owner, which inspired the rest
of the roster to stick around, win it all and
help recoup financial losses suffered by his widow. There was
a real leadership moment from her, her mom's funny reaction
to Gino Orima's incessant recruiting.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I can't remember how many times she said I hate.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Him about Gino Oriema, and then her mom's very touching
an emotional reaction to Diana moving across the country to
go to Yukon. There was just a lot of stuff
in there that really rounded out who Diana is as
a person and a player, whether that's family time with
her wife Penny and their kids, or even her reaction
to being benched for the gold medal game of the
final Olympics she played in. It's just a real juicy
(41:41):
three episodes that left me again wanting more. But I
do think it's a must watch, especially for new WNBA fans,
whether it's the super physical play that Diana had to
adjust to as a rookie in the league or the
sacrifices that she and other players had to make playing
at home for much less money than abroad to try
to help build the WAB and create opportunities for girls
(42:01):
coming up. I just think you'll really appreciate what you're
watching now. In the w way more if you know
who helped make the league what it is today, and
obviously Die is one of those players, so well worth
your time. Check it out now it's your turn, rate
and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Wayne,
Good game, Violet. The raven cue contacts. How have we
(42:23):
not invented contacts that don't dry my eyes out yet?
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
(42:43):
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and
Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones. Production assistance
from Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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