Episode 223: Amanda Evans, Gisele Thompson, Angela Hucles Mangano

Coach Amanda Evans, chair of United Soccer Coaches and founder of MomsWhoCoach, shares invaluable insights on the upcoming United Soccer Coaches Convention in January 2024.

Plus, hear from Angel City FC’s newest defender Gisele Thompson addressing the media after her signing. We also hear from Angel City GM Angela Hucles Mangano talk about the exciting young star, what the addition means to the team, and more.

Don't miss these engaging conversations on leadership, coaching, and breaking barriers in the beautiful game!

Time Stamps:
Amanda Evans - 6’
Gisele Thompson - 44’
Angela Hucles Mangano - 48’

Episode Links:
Visit United Soccer Coaches Convention at https://unitedsoccercoachesconvention.org/

Join United Soccer Coaches - https://form.jotform.com/80245641719155

More WWFShow Links:
Follow Women’s World Football Show on Facebook, Instagram, and our blog at wwfshowblog.com.

Listen to Women’s World Football Show on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Spreaker, TuneIn Radio, Google Play, Castbox, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and direct from our website at www.WWFShow.com.

Original Broadcast Date: December 24, 2023

Women’s World Football Show is hosted, written, edited, and produced by Patty La Bella.

Additional assistance for this episode by Amanda Evans and Lisa Goldberg (Angel City FC).

Women’s World Football Show website design and theme music by Patricia La Bella

Women’s World Football Show® is a registered trademark and its audio and logo cannot be used without expressed written authorization.

Episode Transcript

(00:11):
Everybody. Welcome to another exciting episodeof Women's World Football Show, Episode two
twenty three. I'm your host,Patti Labella. I'm so glad that you're
here. I hope that you're doingwell. You're finishing up the holidays.
I'm ready to embark on a newyear. Can't wait. You know,
year's gone by so fast. Iknow we say that every year, but
it just seems like this year waslike exceptionally fast, and so looking forward

(00:33):
to twenty twenty four. And asyou can tell, we have a new
format to the show, eliminating thatdry open and going straight into the show.
I have some other changes going on, but we'll get into that as
the new year approaches. I wantedto just kind of pop in here and
do one last show before the endof the year because there's some interesting information

(00:54):
coming out, and I also havea great interview to share with you with
a coach, Amanda Evans. Ijust spoke with her the other We're really
excited about the upcoming United Soccer CoachesConvention happening in Anaheim this year. Usually
it's in the Midwest, or ithas been for the past few years,
and haven't had a chance to getout there, but they're han't. It
really in my backyard, so there'sno excuse for me not to be there.

(01:17):
And So if you are going tothe United Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim
on January tenth through the fourteenth,but also coincides with the NWSL College Draft,
I hope you stop by our table. We'll be in the convention center.
I'll have some giveaways, some merchto give away, and we'd love
to meet with you and talk withyou. I can't wait. It's going

(01:38):
to be so much fun. Andso the first time I've been to the
convention, I've heard so many greatthings about it over the years that for
me to be able to go experienceit firsthand, I'm just so excited.
And I know a lot of youout there have experienced it firsthands and you
know what I'm talking about. Butfor those who are kind of considering,
if you're in the area in southernCalifornia and that's something that appeals to you

(02:00):
or something that you've been wanting togo to, now's the time to go.
And again, we'll be talking toAmanda in a few minutes and kind
of pick her brain a little biton what to expect and all the activities
they have there in the sessions andthe workshops and some other great goodies that
she'll tell us about. I can'twait. They got a great lineup of

(02:20):
guests as well. We'll be talkingmore about the convention on the next episode,
but on this one, I justkind of wanted to pop in,
get you some news updates and ohand also we'll be hearing from the newest
defender at Angel City, the youngJosel Thompson. I was fortunate enough to
sit in on a press conference recentlyby Angel City. Angela Hucles Mangano was
there as well, so I gotto ask her a few questions and just
interesting, interesting time. As wehead into the eleventh season of the NWSL,

(02:46):
remember all those years ago when wewere like so anxious and gun shy.
We're like, oh, let's nothype up the leagues too much.
You know, we've been disappointed beforethe eleventh season. Now I think we
can and I mean so many changesin the league over the years. It's
talk about times time warp. That'sgone by so fast. It just seems

(03:06):
like just yesterday. But so muchhas happened with the NWSL, so much
growth, and that's what this isall about, right, helping to grow
the game. So before we getinto these soundbites and my interview with Amanda
Evans, I wanted to update youon some breaking news, I guess as
we head into the end of twentytwenty three, just a few since we're
talking about NWSL, just give yousome updates on the NWSL because there's been

(03:30):
some pretty interesting news coming out fromthe league. Washington Spirit owner Michelle Kinge
had did you hear about this?She acquired the London City Lioness's London City
you know, the only fully independentwomen's only football club in England's top two
professional women's leagues. The Lionesses,of course compete in the Barkleys Women's Championship
League. And the timing follows arecent announcement that the Barkleys Women's Super League

(03:55):
and Barkley's Women's Championship League will moveto a new governance structure called the New
co with club owned model and awayfrom FA control by the time I think
of by the time of twenty twentyfour to twenty five season, we'll see
that control shift away from FA.Interesting right earlier this year king signed I

(04:16):
mean if that wasn't enough. MichelleKing signed in agreement with OL Group to
take the helm of the eight timeChampions League winning OL Feminine in France.
She's also the majority owner of theWashington Spirit as we know from the NWSL.
So very interesting that she's creating thislittle mini women's soccer empire. And

(04:36):
the thing I like about Michelle Kingand her group is that they and they
reiterate this over and over again,that they, you know, as they
get into these ownership groups and buyingteams, are taking over teams, they
are actually very respectful of the team'shistories. So they're retaining their own identities.

(04:57):
You know, they're respecting the heritagethere and the community and supporter basis,
so they're not going into making bigchanges. They're keeping them as is.
But I mean, I don't know, just very interesting and we'll see
how that plays out over the nextfew years. The Houston Dash, I
don't know if you've heard about thisone. This is a good one.
They re signed veteran forward Maria Sanchezto a new deal, keeping her with

(05:18):
the Dash through twenty twenty six,with a mutual option for twenty twenty seven.
It's also notable to mention that MariaSanchez has signed the richest contract in
NWSL history, agreeing to a fouryear, one point five million dollar deal
to stay with the Houston Dash andthat dollar amount doesn't come from NWSL,
that comes from the Wall Street Journaland Equalizer reported on that it's pretty cool.

(05:43):
I mean, not bad for akid from rural Idaho, right,
So well done, Maria. Somedepartures from the NWSL notable departures coming into
twenty twenty four New Jersey, NewYork Gotham FC announced that the club and
US women's soccer team midfielder Christy Mwizhave mutually agreed to part ways and Mewas

(06:04):
is exploring other opportunities. You kindof expect her to go overseas, don't
you. Another notable departure, RacingLouisville agreed to transfer forward then being Goatlana
to Mexican club Tigras in exchange fora fee. The six figure transfer fee
is the second highest in nw CELLhistory for a player departing for a league

(06:27):
for a foreign club, and thelargest transfer fee in racing history. So
interesting. I got some big moneytransfers and signings happening. And speaking of
new signings. The couple of newcoaches have entered the league too. Speaking
of the Houston Dash, they justhired Francisco fran Alonso and he'll join the
team as the head coach. TheSpaniard comes to Houston after being at the

(06:49):
helm of Celtic FC women who competein the Scottish Women's Premier League, and
under fran Alonzo's leadership, Celtic wontwo Scottish Cup titles in twenty twenty two
and twenty twenty three, plus aScottish Premier League Cup in twenty twenty one,
so be interesting to see what hecan do with Houston Dash. The
Chicago Red Starks also named a newhead coach. Lauren Donaldson, the former

(07:11):
head coach of Jamaican women's national team, led the Reggae Girls, of course,
on that historic Women's World Cup runas Jamaica became the first Kribbean nation
to advance to the Round of sixteen. So some good coaching pedigrees coming into
the league and be excited to seewhat happens there. Speaking of coaches,
that leads us to our featured interview. I'm so excited to share this with

(07:33):
you because, like I was,saying we are going to the United Soccer
Coaches Convention in Anaheim that takes placeat the Anaheim Convention Center from January tenth
to the fourteenth. Of course,the NWSL College Draft takes place on the
twelfth there, so at the sametime, very exciting. I've been to
the draft in the past, andI know, just just by going to

(07:54):
the draft, it's so much funbecause even if you're just a fan and
you just want to go, yourun into so many people, like there's
so many big name people, andyou know, especially a lot of coaches
for sure. You know, yousee a lot of players, you see
a lot of young college players thatyou might be following. It's just a
lot of fun and people are verynice and friendly, and you know,
if you say hey and take aselfie, there more than accommodating. So

(08:16):
it's very fun. And I waslooking at the floor pion of the United
Soccer Coaches Convention and it's huge.They've got all kinds of vendors there,
and I mean, if you're anup and coming coach, or you have
aspirations to become a coach, oryou are a coach now, I mean,
there's just so much to do andso many things to see. I
just can't wait to experience it.And like I said, we'll be there.

(08:37):
I'm going to try to maybe dosome on site interviews there. But
as a newbie, as somebody comingin for the first time, I don't
know what to expect. So that'swhy I'm so happy to introduce our next
guest, Amanda Evans, because she'svery intricate. Not only is she a
coach, I mean she and herhusband have been coaching for many years.
They've coached all over the country,but Amanda is also the chair of United

(09:01):
Soccer Coaches and she's very involved inputting together this convention. So there's nobody
better I could think of to talkto than Amanda Evans. A little bit
of background on Amanda in case youdon't know her. She is the United
Soccer Coaches Women's Coaches Community Chair.She co founded an organization called Moms Who

(09:22):
Coach, and she's part of acoaching team. Like I said, her
and her husband they've been coaching togetherfor eighteen years. And like a lot
of great coaches, she was oncea player. She played collegiately at Hawaiian
Pacific University Salt Lake Community College andthen she actually played semi pro at Utah
Sparta. So she has her PremierDiploma and Director of Coaches Diploma through United

(09:46):
Soccer Coaches and she currently resides inVirginia, where I caught up with her
for this interview. So please welcome. I'm so excited to introduce you to
coach Amanda Evans. Hi, Amanda, thank you so much for coming on
the show to talk about the upcomingUnited Soccer Coaches Convention coming to Anaheim on
January tenth through the fourteenth, twentytwenty four. It will be the first

(10:07):
time I'm there, so I'm superexcited and super excited to talk to you.
And of course you're very involved inthe convention and at United Soccer Coaches.
Plus you've coached all over the countryand just really an honor to have
you here. So thanks for comingon. No, thank you so much
to the Women's World Football Show andfor having me you. We are so
excited to promote all of the amazingthings that are happening, you know,

(10:28):
this January throughout the year, andso we're excited to tell you all about
it. Well I'm interested to knowbecause like I said, you know you've
had, you have this very longcareer as a coach. You know,
it's a very stressful occupation. Youknow, it's very busy occupation. But
you've also worked at United Soccer Coachesand in the capacity of chair, right,

(10:50):
tell us a little bit about thatrole, what that involves, and
what inspired you to take on totake that on? Sure. So I
think one thing to know is thatUnited Soccer Coaches has multiple coaches communities and
these are all opportunities for coaches toconnect and to you know, be part
of a community. All of thecommunity chairs are all volunteeering their time to

(11:15):
promote and support coaches in these communities. And you know, with the group
that I work with as the chairof the Women's Coaches Community, I also
have five amazing vice chairs and allof us volunteer to be able to kind
of connect and support the women's game. So that doesn't just mean women.
We also support, you know,and work with men that are coaching females.

(11:37):
So it's really all about the womencoaches community and bringing us together,
connecting us, helping us, supportingeach other. And you know, there's
a lot of different capacities than whatthat looks like and I think it's kind
of always evolving and changing to theneeds of the membership and what we can
do to support you know, allthe women in the game. Well,
we appreciate all the work that youdo, especiallyvolunteering. You know that that's

(12:01):
not easy. And a lot ofour listeners are in the game, whether
they have kids playing or coaching themselves. So I think everybody can kind of
relate to that and appreciate all thework that you guys put in. There's
a lot of hype around the upcomingUnited Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim this year
for the for first time attendees likemyself, Can you tell us what we

(12:22):
can expect like when we walk intothat exhibition hall. Sure, I mean
before you even get into the exhibitionhall, you're going to walk in and
you're just gonna be like, wow, this is awesome. That's the best
way I can describe it. Youknow, my very first convention was oh
back in like twenty ten, andI just remember the amazing experience that I

(12:43):
had. And so in terms ofyou know, the buzz around the convention
and and you know what to expect, Honestly, everything that you can think
of the best way that I liketo describe it to first time attendees.
In fact, I have a friendthat I with in California and he's going
to be coming for the first timeand I told him, I said,

(13:05):
just think about how much you lovethe game. How much and what you
love about the game, right,It's about the people, It's about the
connections. It's about you know,making athletes better and developing those athletes,
and you know, on and offthe field, just all of the reasons
that you love the game so much. And now just imagine being in a
room with thousands of people that feelthe exact same way. It is just

(13:26):
so exciting, and the energy thereis just awesome. It's nothing that you
can ever get from, you know, an online session or watching videos like
you just it's just an amazing environment. And you'll see that when you're there.
I could feel the excitement from you. I'm like getting excited. Well,
I was looking at the floor planand then also like the guest list,

(13:48):
and I was getting super excited.So I can't just imagine walking into
something like that. I honestly lookforward to it every year and there you
know, there's been times when I'vebeen at institutions that have supported me going
and helped me pay and there's otheryears when I've had to pay out of
my own pocket to go, andno matter what, it's always been worth
it. I've never regretted going,even you know, when it was in

(14:09):
some of the Chicago winters. Butuh so the fact that is n Anaheim
is even more excited because it tendsto be one of the warmer conventions and
so that's always you know, veryexciting as well. And so we're we're
really excited too because, like yousaid, it's not in California that often,
so it's just an amazing opportunity toconnect the West coast to you know,

(14:31):
some of the past conventions, andso so I'm really excited. I
originally was living in California before Icame here to Virginia, so certainly excited
to see a lot of my coachingfriends, but also just to connect you
know, that part of the countryand to get the coaches in California involved
and connected to all the coaches onyou know, the South and the Midwest

(14:52):
and the East and everywhere, andso it's just a it's just a really
great opportunity and exciting time for allof us to get together. And a
fun fact, the last time thatthe convention was in California, my now
nine year old son was a newbornstrap to me for most of the convention.
So oh, time goes by sofast. Don't get me started about

(15:15):
that. Amanda Times marching on.I think one of the big draws of
the convention always been I think forthe convention are the sessions and the speakers
that you have. They're some ofthe best coaches. Like I said,
I was looking at the guest list, and you know, coaches like we
know like Becky Burley and Laura Harveyand We're and so many more, so
many, so many awesome coaches.There are there any particular sessions or discussions

(15:39):
that you're most excited about? Yes, there are a lot. So in
the past, when I've been preparingfor the convention, I don't really look
at the schedule until right before Igo. But because of my new role,
I've been involved with that schedule formonths now and I have just been
getting more and more excited about allof the speakers and everyone coming, and
so some of the particular things thatI'm most excited about is our women's community

(16:04):
this year is actually offering a diplomafor the first time, so it's going
to be called the Women's Game.And there's actually going to be ten sessions
associated with the Women's Game, includingfour field sessions. So we are super
super excited to present this this year. And with that, Sierra Curdidas,

(16:25):
one of our vice chairs, hasreally kind of been heading it up and
coordinating with you know, all ofthese different entities from psychology to game day
models. We're gonna have an nwslGM panel. We're going to have of
moms who coach panel, so it'llbe coaching successful coaching moms from all different
levels. So there's just gonna bea lot of buzzz around this new diploma,

(16:48):
and it's an opportunity for people tocome and not only you know,
receive a diploma to build their resume, but increase their education, increase their
connection and support you know, withinthe women's game. So this is something
that's new that we are super excitedabout. So that that is what I
would say, you know, whenyou come to the convention, make sure
you you look at that diploma andyou get to as many as you can,

(17:10):
and then you know, all ofour coaching communities also have sessions that
I've been looking ahead on and I'mreally excited about those as well. So
you can actually there's a tab onthe app where you can actually click Coaching
Communities and it'll bring up all thesessions from all of our different coaches communities,
so you can kind of connect withthe community that you feel, you
know, you fit in with bestand then some so you don't have to

(17:34):
you know, be Native American togo to the Native American session. You
know you can. You can goin and support and get connected with everyone.
So so we're really excited here inthe women's community about this diploma and
you know getting out all of thosesessions. There's gonna be multiple sessions a
day for that diploma. So thatis so cool. And we'll have all
of the links in on our shownotes, and I know the app,

(17:56):
like you mentioned as well, i'llbe helpful because, like you said,
like there's so many people say,well, why do I want to go
to the convention? What's in itfor me? Well, there's probably something
in there for you, whether youknow it or not. Yeah, And
I mean that's that's the thing.It's you know, somebody might say,
well, why would I go tothe convention? But anyone who's been would

(18:17):
say, why wouldn't you go?I mean you have not only do you
have you know, diplomas and differentthings that you can get to enhance your
resume and your skill set, butyou also have you know, like we
have the Women's Social and that's whereyou can come get a free drink,
network, get to know people,get connected. We also have you know,

(18:37):
all of these different events like ourWomen's Breakfast. Thanks to Women's in
Soccer, they sponsor our Women's Breakfastevery year where we have the Award of
Excellence. It's one of the largestevents you know, at the convention.
So we're really excited about that.And so even if you're not involved in
the women's community, there's just somuch. You go to the exhibit hall,
You've never been in a room withso many vendors and exhibitors. They're

(18:59):
all for the game. They're allfor soccer, and some of them are
new and innovative inventions and ways youknow to read the game or you know,
tools and others are you know,ones that you've been using for years
and you get to you know,maybe get a discount or you know,
get to know a vendor and thingslike that and so, and then even
just walking down the hall after youenter, there's all the podcasts and different

(19:22):
areas where you know, you havethe newsrooms and all of that. Plus
you have the NWSL draft that's goingto be on Friday, and so there's
just there's so much going on andthere's something for everyone, and there are
new things that you've probably never eventhought about that are going to present themselves
to you that you get to experience. I think another really big thing is
if you go to the convention,you have other ideas, other things that

(19:44):
we can do to make it better. Let us know, you know,
tell us we always want to,you know, see what's next and see
what we can do to continue tosupport the women's game. Is there a
focus, a main focus? Doyou think are a specific topic? Do
you think that that's more elevated thisthis convention than in years past? You
know, I think sometimes when whenyou go to the convention afterwards, maybe

(20:10):
you kind of see like, oh, there were a lot of sessions on
this or that. You know,in looking at the current schedule, there
wasn't anything particular that popped out askind of the theme this year. But
you know, I will say inpast conventions, for example, Wow,
there were a lot of sessions onpsychology and you know this new generation and
things like that. So you know, depending on you know, I think

(20:30):
what you find when you're looking atthe sessions and what you want to do,
I think you'll find a theme thatyou want to find, you know,
within those sessions to to better yourability within the game. What do
you hope that attendees? What doyou hope that they take away from attending
this convention? So it's not myhope, it's like my guarantee. Write

(20:53):
that down, Amanda. I.I you know, I have gone to
many conventions and I hear to youthat you will leave inspired. You will
leave inspired to be a better you, to be a better coach, to
be more connected. Every year Igo, it just re emphasizes why I

(21:14):
love my job and my career andwhat I do. And it's hard sometimes
as a coach. You know,we're on an island. We we're busy,
we're busy with our teams, we'rebusy with what we're doing, and
so sometimes we forget to connect witheach other. And this opportunity really just
inspires you to take something home withyou that's gonna make you better. And
sometimes it's inspirational because you go toa field session and they're doing stuff that

(21:38):
you're doing, so you're inspired thathey, okay, like I'm doing the
right things. And so there's somany different facets to that inspiration piece.
But I will tell you the Women'sBreakfast, you know, prior to me
even being involved with the women's community, has always been one of my favorite
events at the convention. Admittedly,I'm a little nervous this year because I

(22:00):
am the master of ceremonies for itfor the first time. I told my
vice chair and they said, justso you guys know, in the last
ten years for the Women's Breakfast thatI have gone to, I have yet
to get through one without crying.So as the NC, I am warning
you now I will be crying.But no, it's just you know,

(22:22):
honestly, everyone that comes is goingto leave inspired, inspired to continue doing
what you're doing and to make yourexperience in this profession and this game and
those around you better. I loveto the aspect of the thing I'm looking
forward to, like you said,like just talking to other people, finding
out what other people are doing kindof find out what's on tap for twenty
twenty four is fun, yeah,and so kind of jumping into that,

(22:45):
there are some other things that arehappening from our women's group that we're really
excited to talk about. So lastyear in Philadelphia was actually the first time
that we had nursing stations at theconvention, and so we were really really
excited about that, and since then, our Moms who Coach group, well
it's kind of been a battle reallyfor years to try to get but thanks

(23:07):
to the WEGS organization, this year, for the first time in history,
we will be offering complimentary childcare atthe convention and so we are just ecstatic
about this opportunity. Grateful to WEGSfor helping us to pull that off in
the national office to pull it together. And actually registration for the childcare just

(23:30):
opened up this week and so thosepeople who want it, we want them
to get in and sign up,hopefully before the first of the year,
so that we can you know,fill those spots and give everyone those needs
that they have with their families.That's so great. I love to hear
that. You know, when whenYoland and I started the Moms Who coached
group about three years ago. Myreason for it was simply, I just

(23:56):
need someone to call when I youlike witting, because it's hard sometimes.
And it turned into this, let'sget nursing stations, let's get childcare,
let's create norms for athletic directors andclub directors so that they know how to
handle mothers, and all of thesegreat amazing ideas and all I wanted selfishly

(24:18):
with someone to call, right andso so I think that's one of the
things I learned is that when weas women get together and we want to
make the game and the world aroundus better, that so many people have
so many great ideas, and whenwe work together and we collaborate, things
get done. And it's just beenvery inspiring to watch over the past year.

(24:40):
Everybody wins, right, exactly,And I think that's all we want,
right. We want that community,and we want that camaraderie, I
guess, and like you said,and at the same time, it builds
something really cool. We talked aboutyour impressive coaching career. How has your
experience as a collegiate coach. Imean you kind of touched on a little
bit, but how is that kindof influenced your work at United Soccer Coaches,

(25:02):
especially when, like you said,like advocating for other female coaches and
their needs. Yeah, so,you know, I think it's a mixture.
I kind of joke that, youknow, three years ago, nobody
knew I existed, even though I'vealways been coaching, I've always been here,
and I think a lot of womenfeel that way. You know.
We we have a lot of womenwith a lot of experience in the coaching

(25:25):
world that don't necessarily get connected orinvolved in that way. So there are
so many inspiring people around us everyday that we need to acknowledge and see.
But in terms of my collegiate coachingexperience, it's an up and down
road of different you know, Juniorcollege and D three, and it's been

(25:48):
a great adventure. I've had theopportunity to live in all different parts of
the country to coach some really unexpectedgroups, you know. I went from
an environmental school in northern Wisconsin toCompton College in Compton, California, and
so so a lot of different experienceshave have just allowed me really to work
with so many different groups and culturesand that's kind of what has shaped I

(26:10):
think me as a person and acoach and now in this new chair position,
and you know, I've had someamazing experiences with administration and things like
that, but I've also had somereally negative ones. There's been times when
I've been the only female in theathletic the partner. I mean, the
reality is we are in a situationwhere we are in a male dominated industry.
Sometimes that has some problems and forme, unfortunately, I've crossed some

(26:36):
of those and so it allows meto be able to support and advocate for
women in another way because I myselfhave experienced a lot of different things.
So I think that's you know,one of the I guess advantages of having
some negative experiences is that I getto use it, you know, And
I think all of us need tohave that mentality. When we have a
negative experience in our life, thatis an opportunity for us to share that

(27:02):
experience and to help others to nothave that experience, and that's kind of
our responsibility. So for me,some of those experiences have led me to
where I am now. In fact, guarantee they have because back when I
started the Mom's Coach group with Yolanda, it started because I actually left the
coaching profession because of the challenges Ifaced as a mom at you know,

(27:26):
one of the D three schools Iwas at, and so I actually left
the profession moved to California after gettingpregnant with my second child. It was
maybe two months into that when Irealized I made a huge mistake and I'd
love the game and I'd love coachingand I'm not gonna let something like that
keep me from doing what I love. And so I worked my way back

(27:48):
into it, and you know,gratefully, Compton College gave me that opportunity.
And so, you know, allof the ups and downs that I've
had in my career have allowed meto really be able to advocate and support
and connect with women of the game. And that's, you know, a
great blessing for me and something thatI take a lot of pride in.
And you know, regardless of thepositive negative that I've gone through as a

(28:10):
coach, I've been grateful to knowone that every program we've been at we've
made better. And I say webecause my husband has been my assistant coach
for eighteen years. We are trulya team. We are best friends,
and it's been a great journey forus. It's taken us all around the
country and we're excited to, youknow, see where our next adventure is.

(28:30):
Lately, my favorite quote my dadbrought to my attention. Actually,
so it's a you'g bear a quoteand it's when you come to a fork
in the road, take it.And that has definitely been our motto and
it has it has afforded us justan amazing, amazing opportunities everywhere we've been.

(28:51):
Do you find that during the yearwhen you are just doing the job
of just coaching and you know,dealing with all all the ups and downs,
do you feel like with your roleas the chair, is that always
something in the back of your headlike, oh, I have to take
note of this, this is somethingthat we can address, or this is
something that we can change. Findthat that's kind of the shan I'm a
woman every day, so yes,I think about it every day. No,

(29:18):
to answer that question, I do. I do think that I know
that as female in my profession,I have always thought about things I would
like to see being different or changeor get better. Now I'm just in
a position where I have a platformto be able to help promote those things

(29:40):
that other women are also looking for. To be honest, I am a
human being like everyone else listening tothis. You know, I am a
full time coach. I have twodogs, four children on the age of
twelve, a husband who's amazing,but you know husbands are and he's awesome.

(30:00):
But you know, all of theroller coaster rides of thirty to forty
players that I am supporting on adaily basis, I think anyone that coaches
would say, it's just something thatyou get sucked into and you just there's
nothing else like it. No,there's no other career. But you can

(30:22):
connect with people in the way thatyou get to connect with players as a
coach, or now as a chairconnecting with other coaches, or within coaching
education, all these different things.There's just no other career that lets you
connect on that level. And Iknow because I was a teacher for ten
years. You know, I loveteaching, but as a teacher, I
never was able to connect the waythat I do as a coach. And

(30:45):
you know, as a college coachespecially, I love being a college coach
because I love being able to seethat player at sixteen, seventeen years old
and recruit them and bring them,you know, into our family and our
and watched them literally in those fouror five years just become these amazing women.

(31:07):
And you know, we get tofacilitate and see that process, and
like, what an amazing blessing thatis to be able to do that.
And so for me, that's whatreally drives all of us. And I
kind of joke because I graduated fromthe University of You Talk, I was
the only ironically, I was theonly graduate in my class with the Exercise

(31:29):
Sports Science Teaching PE major. Iwas the only one that did not have
aspirations to be a coach. Iwas like, I don't want to be
a coach. I want to teach. I'm going to school to be a
teacher. But I was, youknow, people were like, I'm going
to be a football coach. I'mgoing to do this and that, and
I'm like, no, I wantto teach. And then I walked into
a high school because my playing yearswere kind of slowing down, and I
walked into local high school said youknow, hey, I just want to
be involved in the game. Willyou have me? And he hired me

(31:52):
to be the JB coach and Ijust I just sucked me in. You
know, it just stucked me inand I haven't been able to shake it
sense. And so you know,I'm grateful to the people before me that
got me to where I am.But ultimately, this game and this environment
and this culture is addictive. Andbecause it's addictive, it's also very emotionally

(32:15):
draining. And so you, asa coach and as someone involved, you
have to find that balance. Andthat's what the community is here for.
We're here to help you stay motivated, stay inspired, and find that balance.
If I'm a budding coach right now, I want to talk to you
even more. I mean I wantto go to that convention right now and
talk to you because any any school, any program would be lucky to have

(32:37):
you, and not just the knowledge, but the enthusiasm that you bring too
as well. It's just like,oh yeah, so if I'm a young
coach, I want to be aroundthis person. No, I really appreciate
that, and I think I thinkthat's the biggest thing. You know,
people think that because I'm a collegecoach, I make a ton of money,
and so I'm not coaching basketball orfootball, you know, And so
a year ago I was a fulltime college coach and we were getting help

(33:00):
with our groceries because financially I couldn'tsupport my family of six. So,
you know, that's just the realities. Coaching takes a lot out of you
in every aspect of your life,but it's worth it. Every day it's
worth it, and the convention helpsremind you of that. Our community helps
remind you of that. It givesyou that support when you need, you
know, that pick me up,but also just knowing that we're all people,

(33:22):
we have all gone through it.When you have your ups, we're
there to you know, celebrate you, and when you have your downs,
we're there to pick you up.And we need you just as much as
you need us. Well, letme ask you this, well last question
for you, since we're a women'ssoccer podcast, obviously you're a female coach
on the frontlines for so many years, so to speak. I'm looking to

(33:43):
the future. Are there any changesour initiatives that you like to see happen
within United Soccer Coaches that could possiblyhelp make an impact on women coaches in
the sport, not just to helpget more women into coaching, but to
also help support them once they're there. Are there any changes or things that
you would like to see happen.Yeah, so definitely if you're at the
convention, come to the Women's CoachesCommunity open door meeting because there myself and

(34:08):
the five vice chairs will be kindof talking about some of the things we've
done this year, but also someof the things we're working on. And
then that way, if you wantto get involved, you can do that.
If you can't come to the convention, you can still get involved by
joining the link that I know you'llsend out to everyone. But some of
the things that you know, I'dlike to see, we definitely want to
see more female presenters. That issomething that we are always looking to do

(34:30):
and promote, you know, bothfield and lectures, So we definitely want
to continue to see more female presentersand be involved in that. We really
hope that the childcare is really successfulthis year so that it sends a message
that this is something that we needand so that's why we really want people
to fill those so that we cancontinue to promote to have something like that

(34:52):
more permanent going into future conventions.You know. The other thing that I,
you know, have mention that Iwould really like to see and I
actually spoke about this with our coaches, with our coaches communities is I'd like
to see a new diploma next yearthat we're going to be working on,
and it's going to be a diversitybased in diploma, you know, coaching

(35:14):
and diversity, something involving that wherewe can get all of the coaches communities
to collaborate and connect with each otherso that we can all support each other.
And so, you know, there'sa lot of really nice things,
but honestly, the convention is oneof the best places for us to get
new ideas and initiatives for the nextyear. So if you're coming to the
convention, you know, bring thoseideas, bring your passions, bring the

(35:37):
initiatives that you want to see andbring them to us, show us that
and if you want to get involved, we will find a place for you
to get involved so that you canpush those things and help support more coaches
and make those changes. And sowe are we are really excited about the
future of United Soccer Coaches and thefuture of our women's group and the conventions

(35:59):
to follow, and so we arereally really excited to get to this year's
convention and get the ball rolling forfor all the stuff we have going forward.
Yes, so excited. I'm tellingyou, Amanda, I can't wait
for the convention, of course,and we encourage everyone to get their tickets
and attend if they can. Don'tforget your sun's screen. If you're coming
to Anna, I'm in January.Well, and if you are a calif

(36:22):
like let's say you live in Californiaand you're like, you know what,
I just can't afford it. You, there are still opening. You can
sign up to be a volunteer.You if you go in and you'd volunteer
for one of the shifts, youget a free one day pass for another
day that you can come back andgo to the convention. So there is
no excuse. If you live inCalifornia, if you want to come,

(36:42):
you can make that happen. Andthen also just remember to track me down
when you're there, you know,introduce yourself to me. That's what it's
That's what it's for. Come tothe women's social, grab a drink,
meet new people. If you're shy, don't let that keep you from experiencing
everything that the convention has to offer. Spend times when I've gone to the
convention completely by myself without knowing anyone, and it was always a great experience

(37:05):
because I took the time to introducemyself and get to know people. So
don't hesitate. Bring all of yourlove for the game and we will use
it to our advantage. Awesome.Thank you, Amanda. Thank you so
much for all the work that youdo to put into this convention, not
just at the convention, but yeararound with the United Soccer Coaches and we
appreciate you taking the time to comeon and chat with us, and we

(37:28):
appreciate you for all the work thatyou do so super fun and informative.
Thanks Amanda for coming by. Yeah, thanks again, and thanks to all
of your listeners. Just listening,guys, means that you are committed to
this just as much as all ofus are, and so keep up the
great work wherever you are. Whata great way to end a conversation,
right, I mean, I can'twait to see Amanda, especially at that

(37:50):
women's breakfast Master of Ceremonies. Ifshe's half as enthusiastic as she was in
that conversation, it's going to beepic. It's really gonna be tears.
I know that, but for real, like I wasn't going to get a
ticket to that to the breakfast becauseI was like, you know, I
got to go by myself. Youknow, that's always uncomfortable. But I
like when she said, you know, don't worry if you come by yourself.

(38:12):
I mean it's almost like she wasreading my mind. She was like,
I'm like, are you talking tome, Amanda, Because that's why
I didn't want to go. Idon't want to sit there by myself.
I'm awkward anyway, you know.But put me on a table with a
bunch of people. I don't know, you know, I'm like, ah,
but I don't know. She mademe feel really comfortable, like,
Okay, there are going to beother people there by themselves, you know,
just strike up a conversation, introduceyourself to somebody. And just from

(38:32):
my own experience interviewing you know somany coaches over the years. The one
thing I know about talking to coaches, they're great conversationalists. You can as
evident by that interview. You couldask a coach one thing and they'll go
on and on and they'll tell youthey'll answer your question and ten things and
ten other things that you were thinkingabout. I mean, so great.

(38:55):
I love talking to coaches because youlike, with a player, especially a
young player, you never know whatyou're going to get, right, But
with a coach, I think youalways know you're always going to get a
lot of information. They're excited,they're enthusiastic, They're doing this for the
love of the game, nothing else. And so when they have an audience
or when they, you know,converse with somebody who is very interested in

(39:16):
what they do or their their careersor you know, their job, they
give you everything. They put itall out there. So, uh,
if you're like me, and I'mone of those people who I am an
introvert, and I know it's hardto believe, but I am an introvert
when I'm out there talking. Ittakes a lot for me to step out
of my comfort zone and introduce myselfto people. But Amanda just put me

(39:38):
at ease. I think, youknow, I think I'm gonna be okay
there at the breakfast. And Ihope that you if you're if that was
one thing that kind of kept youfrom coming to the breakfast, I hope
that you listen to Amanda and say, come on, let's go, let's
all be by ourselves together. Butyou know, I also love talking to
Amanda because I love that she sharedher journey. I mean, you know,

(39:59):
I just love he in people's journeysand it reminds us that journeys are
different, even for coaches, right, So I mean, thank you Amanda
for sharing that story with us becauseof how how she became a coach and
coming from teaching and then to coaching, you know, it kind of reminds
us that, yes, there aredifferent avenues to become a coach. So
if you are on a coach's journeyand it doesn't seem to be going the

(40:22):
way that you planned it, oryou know, the things that you're doing
is not coinciding with somebody else thatyou know as a coach, everybody's journey
is different, and hearing amanda story, I think just reminds us of that.
So thanks again to Amanda Evans forcoming on. And like you said,
I'll have all those links on theshow notes. In the meantime,
if you want to check out,you know, all of the exhibitors and

(40:45):
the experience and the presenters and howto register and all those things, go
to United Soccer Coaches Convention dot organd I'll have that link on our show
notes as well. So then thatway you can get it all. It's
a register and get your tickets tothe breakfast and all that good. So
hope to see you there. Gosay hi to Amanda. I know she's
gonna love to see you guys,and say hi to me too. We'll

(41:06):
be there, like I said,giving away march and talking to people,
so it'll be fun. Hey,we'll take a break right now, and
when we come back, we'll hearfrom the newest defender at Angel City FC,
Jasell Thompson, as well as theGM there, Angela Huclz Mangano.
So'll be back after this short break, all right. I kinda calm down

(41:37):
after hearing from Amanda. She pumpedme up there. She got me all
excited about that convention. Okay,so let's switch gears now. Angel City
FC, as you know, signedthis young defender named Jasell Thompson, who
happens to be Alisa Thompson's sister,younger sister of course. And I was
fortunate to sit on a press conferenceafter she's signed and with GM of Angel

(42:00):
City Angelia UCLAs Mangano and talk tothem a little bit because it was big
news, right, I mean,Jaselle had a chance to go to Stanford,
she was kind of mulling it over. It was between Stanford and Angel
City. Can you imagine being eighteenyears old and having that let's see Angel
City Stanford to have such problems,right, But she did sign with Angel

(42:25):
City. She sat in it.We sat in on a press conference and
if you don't know Jiselle, shealso previously played for the us U twenty
and U seventeen us on's national teams. Jessel Thompson is one of the first
high school athletes to have a name, image and likeness deal with Nike,
as does her older sister Melissa.So great future ahead of her and you

(42:50):
think, wow, she must haveso much pressure on her. You know,
she's she's these young players, she'ssigning this big pro contract and all
eyes are on her. When youhear her in this press conference, you're
going to think, Wow, she'sgot so much confidence. Where does this
kid come from? Because she's justcool as a cucumber and she doesn't seem
stressed out. She does admit that. You know, that decision to forego

(43:15):
Stanford and sign a pro contract wasn'ttaken lightly. It was her decision.
It was a hard decision, butshe made it, and in this press
conference she talks a little bit aboutthat. What we're going to do is
I'm going to play Giselle's soundbites.First, I did remove the media questions
just for ease of listening. Butjust to remind you, this is a

(43:37):
press conference setting, it's not anexclusive interview. Reporters were in the room
asking questions to Giselle, Gizelle wasanswering them, and of course I just
edited out the questions just for easeof listening. So let's listen to the
young defender addressing the media for thefirst time. Jasell Thompson. It was
really important for me to also likehave that support system because my family is

(44:01):
really important to like be close withthem, and you know, also times
my sister was a great opportunity toexperience all of this. No, it
was definitely a decision that I hadto make for myself. You know,
like my parents didn't care whether Iwent to college or if I went pro.
It was all on me, butthey supported any decision that I made.

(44:21):
And you know, seeing Alyssa gothrough the process of going pro,
I think it also helped me geta little more comfortable in choosing my decision.
I don't think there was like acertain point that I was really like,
oh, I want to skip Stamford. It was kind of overall like
I had to think about like thepros and cons of you know, both

(44:42):
Stanford and going to Angel City.And I didn't really know, like right
when the eighteen year old rule cameout, I didn't really know about it.
Like my parents had to tell me, you know, all these things
had to tap it in order forme to like sign, So it was
a really hard decisions. So hidyou saw, congratulations on your signing.

(45:05):
That's very exciting. What are someof the expectations that you have on yourself
this season and what are you hopingto learn or improve upon at Angel City.
Definitely just trying to be the bestplayer that I can and trying to
be, you know, a crucialplayer in the whole team, so maybe
trying to get a starting spot,and also you know, I'm also going

(45:27):
to try to fight for a RookiePlayer of the Year, So just having
higher expectations for myself. Yeah,I think every training was always competition.
It was always like super challenging forme. So I think every player was
just pushing me, and you know, they weren't going easy on me,
even as like a young player.They were always pushing me, so trying

(45:50):
to get my mindset stronger. Idon't think there was a specific moment,
but during the trainings and you know, we had some like scrimmages that I've
played with them in. I thinkI carried myself pretty well in those situations.
Yeah, I learned a lot.I think it's I learned like what

(46:14):
to expect during her like her proseason. I think when she went into
it, she didn't know what toexpect, so it was a law on
her and she put a lot ofpressure on herself. So I think,
you know, having some you know, there's always going to be downfalls and
failures, so not always like beingso hard on myself and using those as

(46:35):
learning experiences. Cool as a cucumber, right, I mean Rookie of the
Year she said it. She's like, I'm gonna be ricky, I'm gonna
shoot for Rookie of the Year.I mean I don't know that. I
think that would put more pressure onyou, but she, you know,
that's her goals, and she's avery driven as you can tell. And
I think that that was probably oneof the reasons why Angel City signed her,

(46:57):
you know why. They took aliking to her, and she trained
with the team and so they gotto look at her, they saw her
around the other players. There wassomething they saw that they liked enough to
sign her, sign her away fromStanford and Angela hucles Mangano of course a
long time friend of the show.She's been on our show more than a
few times, more than a moretimes than she'd like to admit, probably,

(47:19):
But she also sat in on thatpress conference and I did leave the
questions in from the media members onlybecause they were asking questions that I thought
were interesting and it was kind ofhard to kind of edit those out without
you, you know, without knowingthe context behind it. So again,
this is not an exclusive interview.This is a press conference setting. Reporters
are asking questions, Angela's very graciouslyanswering them, and so we left Again,

(47:45):
I left that questions in just sothat you can get context to what
what Angela is addressing or what she'sreferring to when she's answering her questions.
So pretty interesting. So let's hearfrom GM of angel CITYFC, Angela heucles
Mangano and Angela. If I mayask a question to you, is there
a different process in helping these playersnavigate pro career like the non college players,

(48:08):
I guess, and the college players. Is there something that the team
does differently as far as like helpingthem navigate that pro career. Yeah.
I think it's a great question too, because and I don't even think it's
just you eighteen. I do thinkthat there's like probably an age maybe you
twenty twenty one, twenty three andbelow versus above and dependent upon how much

(48:31):
experience you know, each player hasthat probably segments out on more of that
transitional component of becoming a pro.And we are we are being intentional about
how we're going to do some differentthings this year specifically just given that we
do have some younger players now,so you know that's going to be both

(48:53):
for our players technically and on thefield, as well as off the field
development aspects on like you know,what it's like to be a professional,
as well as for the families andparents of those individuals. Do you see
a difference when when a college playercomes in than when you have like a
high school player come in. Ithink it's just unique to the individual.

(49:16):
And you know, I think someonelike Giselle has had a lot of experiences
that most high schoolers and some collegeplayers don't have. So I think those
elements set her apart and is ahuge reason why I think this is going
to be, you know, perhapsa smoother translation for her than even you

(49:37):
know, a college player coming inafter the let's say, at the college
draft into a professional environment. ThanksPatty, Brandy, please go ahead.
It's a question for Angela, andit's actually Patty asked my question. But
Giselle mentioned setting expectations for herself andlofty goals, and how do you as
the club manage expectations for these youngerplayers. I think a lot of communication.

(50:01):
I think it's always good to knowwhat the expectations are from from both
both sides. And I think youknow that starts in pre season. I
think there is the expectation of youknow, this is a professional environment,
and so part of you know whatPatties asked, like, what does that
look like? What does that mean, especially for players who have never been
a professional before. I think there'salso ways to communicate that you absolutely have

(50:30):
goals and aspirations to to push andto acceed. I think in the conversations
we've already had with Gazelle, weknow that she's a competitor and she wants
she wants it all right. Shewants to compete, to be a national
team player. She wants to youknow, as she just said, you
know, rookie of the year,all these things. And it would be

(50:50):
a similar expectation if you know,a player isn't starting like we want that
player to want to start, right. So I think for for our younger
players who are newer to the professionalenvironment, there's always an element of you
know, this player is developing intwo right. And I think I'm very

(51:12):
vocal and I said it also insome comments last year with Alissa. The
expectation isn't for a younger player tocome in and dominate and have all the
things in year one, right,That's not the expectation. If they do
fantastic, you know, chair ontop, But there is an element of,
you know, we need to provideopportunities for these players, no matter

(51:35):
what stage, are coming into ourenvironment to develop and grow. And that's
no different with Giselle Angela. Thisone's for you. I was wondering if
you could kind of talk about whyyou're so excited to have Giselle join Angel
City and kind of what you thinkshe's going to bring to the pitch.
She's awesome. She I think isjust a great combination of young experience,

(52:00):
if if I could put it inkind of like a two word term,
and I think it's both on andoff the field, I mean, technically
speaking, and what she has interms of her ability and her upside and
attacking mindset out of the back,something that you know, we want to
have in terms of how we're lookingat our style of play and how she

(52:22):
integrates into our team system. Ithink the experience that she's had, you
know, not just uh, youknow within some of you know, the
high school and how she's dominated,but also just the youth national team experience.
She already has a level of awarenessthat an ability to read the game

(52:45):
that a lot of players just don'thave, and she also has had less
time into developing that, so therethere seems to be even some innate qualities
in her that you just can't teach. She's fun to watch, She's excited
style of play which also just fitsin so well, and I think her
ability to have had this time totrain with us to see what it's like

(53:09):
to be a pro. I thinkher mindset has already started to formulate and
develop into more of a professional mindset. So to be able to have her
coming in at this period of timewith all of those things in place,
I think it just we'll see evena faster elevation. She's very coachable as
well, so I think the timein which she can implement is also fantastic.

(53:32):
You know, this is her decisionto make, so a lot of
things that she needed to consider withthat decision, so I was happy to
take her lead on that. Wow. Exciting times, right, And that
kind of leads into the NWSL collegeDraft coming up in January January twelfth,
because one of the more exciting thingsI like about the league, especially the

(53:58):
NWSL, is this college draft becauseyou have these young players coming in from
college. They're green, they're fresh, their whole life is ahead of them.
You don't know, you know whatdirection it's going to go. And
if you're following a college player fromyour hometown or you know, your home
team or your college, your favoritecollege team, and it's just so much

(54:21):
fun to watch their their progression,just like Amanda said, Like Amanda Evan
said, like when she recruits aplayer, part of the draw seeing these
young players grow and no matter whatstage, you start following them and to
watch them grow and develop into players. Some of them don't even write.
Some of them kind of like washout after a while. But it's just
like you don't know, you don'tknow how which way it's going to go.

(54:43):
I don't expect to sell tops into wash out at any time,
as we heard from her, Soit's just great to hear from her and
these young players. I mean,I don't know, it's an exciting time,
and especially at this time in theNWSL when there's so many great things
happening. We're seeing big contracts finallycoming through or seeing big transfer fees.
We're seeing ownerships come in, We'reseeing coaches on the international level come in

(55:07):
and coach and I don't know,just so much going on and so many
great things. It's gonna be afun year. I think it's gonna be
fun January for sure, as welook into twenty twenty four, and I'm
glad that you're here still, we'restill together. That's great, that's the
best part. That's the best partis experiencing this journey together. Hey,
I really hope that you enjoyed episodetwo hundred and twenty three Women's Orld Football

(55:29):
Show. I would love to hearyour thoughts, somebody interview with coach Amanda
Evans, as well as the soundbiteswe had from Jaselle Thompson and Angela Hucles
Mangano. Feel free to email meat Patty at wwfshaw dot com. I
read all the emails and do mybest to replying and timely manner. And
if you did enjoy this episode,subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
iHeartRadio app, Google Play, tunedin, cast box, Spreaker, Stitcher,

(55:51):
WWF show dot Com, or whereveryou're listening to this right now.
And if you really really enjoy listeningto Women's Orld Football Show, one of
the best ways you can show yourappreciation, as always is to give us
a five star rating and leave areview wherever you listen. I always love
to know your thoughts and reviews arethe best ways for others to find the
show. Also, another way tohelp grow the show and grow this beautiful
game that we love is to tellyour friends and family about Women's World Football

(56:14):
Show. If you're listening on amobile device, swipe over the cover art
and you'll find the episode notes,including some details you may have missed.
For relative links from this episode,visit our show notes on wwfshow dot com,
connect with us on Facebook and Instagramat WWF show, and we're on
TikTok at WWF Show twelve. Women'sWorld Football Show is hosted, written,
edited and produced by Patti Labella.That's Me. Additional assistance for this episode

(56:37):
by coach Amanda Evans and Lisa Goldbergat Angel CITYFC. And thank you,
especially you for joining me on thisexciting journey through women's football. Remember to
stay strong, stay mindful, keeploving your heart, have a happy,
happy holidays, and we'll see younext time.