UCLA's Head Coach Margueritte Aozasa Talks Big Ten Transition, Roster Challenges, and Coaching Youth

In this episode of The Big Life, we are thrilled to welcome Margueritte Aozasa, the head women's soccer coach at UCLA. She shares her insights on joining the Big Ten Conference, the challenges of dealing with injuries, and, of course, adapting to the Midwest's weather!

We also discuss the latest Big Ten soccer updates, including Michigan State's recent performances and the impact of the U-20 World Cup on team rosters. Plus, we highlight Penn State's Kaitlyn MacBean's outstanding weekend performance.

Don't miss Margueritte's thoughts on the future of recruiting with the new roster cap and the end of the NWSL draft. Tune in to hear about UCLA's "revenge tour" and their quest for the treble this season!

As always, follow Girl Soccer Network on Instagram, stay updated with Sam and Jordyn's journeys on social media, and reach out to us with any questions. 

Thank you to our sponsor, IDA Sports. IDA Sports shares GSN's commitment to empowering women in soccer by providing them with the specialized gear they deserve. The company's cleats are designed to address the unique needs and preferences of female athletes, aligning perfectly with the mission of "The BIG LIFE" podcast.    Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.  Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's GSN Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes.  Find Jordyn and Sam on their Insta's @sam.cary @jordyn_wickes Follow us on Instagram (@girlssoccernetwork) Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet Subscribe to our YouTube channel @girlssoccernetwork6137

Episode Transcript

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Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Big Life. Jordan, this episode,
I have been getting hounded to get this guest on this episode.
I am so, so thankful to finally have head women's soccer coach of UCLA on the pod.
But we have a lot of things to get to first before we get to this incredible

(01:33):
interview, including big moments this week in the big life.
Jordan, there's a lot going on. I feel like I don't even know what's happening
at halftimes. How are you?
What big moments happened to you? How was your weekend?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm good, you know, hanging in there.
Michigan State was ranked number four going into the week, so that was really

(01:56):
exciting for us to kind of see and do and still recognize the fact that,
Wow, that's amazing to have. The rankings really mean nothing.
They're based on a team that no longer exists.
And we talk about this from last year. And really, it's only used to kind of
market and get people at games.
And we've had an amazing turnout at DeMartin for the past couple weeks here.

(02:16):
It's been so amazing to see kind of how the sport has grown within our school
and, you know, even nationally, just the growth of women's sports and women's soccer specifically.
So that's been really, really exciting from a Michigan State standpoint.
We unfortunately had a tough week. We suffered a tie to Xavier in the last minute
where they had a PK tying up the game.
Literally, I think it was like 55 seconds left in the game and PK was called

(02:40):
for a handball in the box and they ended up tying it 2-2.
So we are, you know, going forward from there with them being obviously a very, very talented team.
I don't think it's an undeserved tie by any means.
You know, Xavier's a very, very good school and program hub or anything that
happens in the last minute like that. It's just absolutely devastating.
So learning and growing from there, moving forward into another week of games at home.

(03:03):
Absolutely. I mean, sounds like a big thing. I know I had the box for pulled
up and I saw that last minute PK and I was like, oof, gotta,
gotta ask Jordan about the emotions for that one.
Yeah, that one's, that one's tough. I think it, we were down one, nothing.
We tied it up. Then we went up and you're going and finishing the game out,
you know, going to corners,

(03:24):
trying to kill time like prepping for that win it's
you know once you see under a minute you kind of feel like you have
it in the bag you feel like you're guaranteed that win and to
have that PK called and they had to go to VAR for it I didn't see the handball
initially so I was like oh like we're setting up for a corner kick right now
like it's fine everything's fine and they ended up calling the handball in the

(03:45):
box and it was just the deflation after that it's hard it's hard to to regroup and And I think you just,
everyone kind of goes home, takes the night and you focus again the next day from here.
And I'm sure we'll have a really hard training session tomorrow as we prep for
the next week and you just learn and grow from it.
There's nothing you can really do. It sucks, but it happens.

(04:06):
That's the sport that we chose to play for some reason, you know? I know it is.
It's one of those like weird things where it's such a low scoring sport that
one single moment like that can lead to a change in result even in the last minute of a game.
So tough, but happens.
Absolutely. And with other big moments happening in the Big Ten,
there are some other big upsets and big moments that came about,

(04:28):
such as number three, UCLA suffering their first loss of the season.
They had five wins going in and they lost to Pepperdine 1-0 on their Sunday afternoon.
So big loss for UCLA as they build that resume. Obviously, they have so much
more intact to them. They had a big win against BYU earlier this week.
So nothing too bad to come for them, but I know that they always are striving

(04:51):
for that perfection and that perfect non-conference especially.
So that was tough for them, I'm sure.
Yeah, nobody ever wants to lose. UCLA is one of the powerhouses,
and I'm sure they're looking to make a statement in their first season as a Big Ten.
So tough one to see. As you'll mention in the interview we have here,
they suffered some injuries and thinning rosters.
So it'll be interesting to see how much of an impact that played in the game

(05:12):
and how they kind of regroup and move forward from it.
Absolutely. And to kind of keep the arrow turning down, we got some negative
news coming out of the Big Ten.
We've talked about them a lot. I almost feel bad for the amount that they seem to come up.
But the Michigan Wolverines, we projected that they were going to go 0-4 in their first games.
We talked about it week one. They said they had a hard lineup.

(05:34):
Well, they have gone 0-5 after losing to Ball State this Sunday,
now making them the 18th team in the Big Ten and to go completely winless throughout
the entire month of August.
If you are on the Michigan Wolverines team, what do you now do?
You've dug yourself a hole. How do you go forward from here?

(05:55):
Yeah, I think this is kind of their make or break point.
They're going to either need to come together as a team, as a collective,
figure it out and try to pull themselves out of this hole, or you call it a season.
They can go one of two ways here. You can either just put your head down and
be like, we're never going to be good enough.
And you start getting that animosity towards each other for what's not being

(06:18):
done, animosity between the players and the coaching staff.
And things will continue to get worse if they go that direction.
Or you can use this as a like, look, it's been a terrible preseason.
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Let's just all come together, figure it out. We need to work harder, do more. Like.
Be a collective, and move forward as a team and give our best foot forward from here.

(06:42):
And you can win a lot of games. They're a talented team. They still have a talented roster.
It comes down to a lot of these results just between, and I don't know them
specifically, but in Big Ten in general, who's willing to do more?
Who's willing to work harder in these little moments? If they come together
and they decide that's going to be them, they will still be able to have some success this season.
But unfortunately, I think it's one of two ways where they're going to find

(07:05):
themselves in the bottom at the end of this, or they can still have time for a turnaround.
Yeah, I think one of the interesting things is, frankly, it reminds me of an
Iowa team that I've been a part of. My sophomore year, Iowa goes 0-7-1.
What we didn't then see is we won the Big Ten tournament that year and made
it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
It's a decisive point like that to continue believing and continue having that faith.

(07:27):
And one of the amazing things about
the way our schedule is built is their season's not over five games in.
We talk a lot about at-large bids, NCAA tournament bids, and yeah,
their resume isn't looking great, but guess what?
If they win the Big Ten tournament, nothing matters, and they're in.
And so I think that there's been a couple unfortunate starts through non-conference so far.

(07:49):
There's no real extreme powerhouses that are just bulldozing their way through.
There maybe wasn't last year even, I kind of remember talking about it.
I think because of that, it's going to turn all eyes on Big Ten conference play,
which for those of you who don't know, this is the last week of non-conference
and conference will start next week.
And I think that that's going to make Big Ten play, winning that Big Ten title,

(08:11):
getting crucial Big Ten wins and finding your way into and winning the Big Ten
tournament a bigger deal for a lot
of teams because the resumes from non-conference haven't been as strong.
Yeah, exactly. And speaking of some of this non-conference play or even looking
at teams as a whole, we have kind of a unique situation with a U20 World Cup happening.

(08:31):
I know we're missing one of our players and I think a few other schools are with.
Your rosters just being a little bit different. Key players are gone right now
and key players on some of the teams we're playing against are gone right now.
I know Notre Dame, who just played and beat Michigan, is still missing a few
players to that U-20 World Cup.
To see how they should be coming back here within the next few weeks for a conference

(08:53):
play, to see how that kind of impacts things and changes those roster sizes
and just overall talent and depth of a roster.
Roster absolutely so the u20 world
cup actually kicks off this week september
2nd is usa youth national team's first game and
we did the math for you we know you didn't want to do the math it's fair so
big 10 players playing in the u20 world cup for all countries not just usa and

(09:18):
i thought that this was a really interesting list to pull up because like you
said i think rosters have been hit hard whether that's with injury which seems
to be absolutely abundant this year or with this World Cup roster.
And it's leaving people in places that they didn't expect to be,
whether that be younger players getting minutes that weren't necessarily projected
and predicted and the ability for them to develop.

(09:38):
And all of a sudden, now you're a starter and you have to figure it out.
I feel like it's kind of caught people off guard, but USC has four players playing
in the U-20 World Cup. UCLA has three.
Wisconsin has two. And then Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State,
and Penn State all have one. So there is plenty of Big Ten representation in
the U-20 World Cup, and that definitely is going to have an impact on some rosters.

(10:01):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It'll be interesting to see when they come back and
the return of how that impacts things and changes things.
Because right now, I think everyone, like you said, there's an injury bug going around UCLA.
And our interview has mentioned it, that they're struggling right now.
I know we've had a few devastating injuries of our own.
And I think this is kind of the most I've seen in my time here year of just

(10:22):
some really, really devastating and unfortunate injuries this early in the season.
And it's definitely going to impact the way teams handle things going forward.
So hopefully it's out of everyone's system. You hate to see it,
no matter who it is, even, you know, against your competitors,
you never want to see a season ending injury.
And they unfortunately are quite abundant right now.
No, absolutely. And I think, I don't know, we talk about it.

(10:45):
I remember even having this conversation last year, this time.
I don't know for sure. I'm not a sports scientist. I'm I'm not in everyone's
body, but I think one of the main reason we see so many injuries in non-conference
play is just the shortened preseason.
When you only have 10 days to get ready to play games, you're not tactically,
physically, mentally, emotionally ready for all of this.
And that extreme just jump into it. That lack of transition phase,

(11:09):
I feel like really can impact players and you can come in in shape.
You can come in ready, but I think every soccer
player can agree that there's no such thing as 90 game minute 28 game season
shape it's just a different animal and when you're not able to do that unfortunately
we see the body kind of react with injuries and so many different things in
so many situations yeah yeah absolutely i don't know i don't know the answer to this i don't i think.

(11:35):
There's a lot of factors that go into it. One, unfortunately,
that the woman's body is just more prone to this type of injury, specifically ACL.
You do have one of the shortest precincts of all of NCAA sports with so many legislation changes.
That is when I would love to see them kind of step in and fix is a new schedule
for women's soccer or soccer as a whole in that way. And I think a lot of it

(11:57):
is just like there is not enough science.
A lot of the data and a lot of the science they have done previously was on men.
And they're just starting now to get some answers on the woman's body into why this is happening.
So hopefully someone will figure it out and we'll be able to see a change within
the next few years here. But for now, it is just absolutely devastating to see.
But a little bit of positive news. We're not all negative melodies on this podcast.

(12:20):
We don't only bring the bad news. We do have to shout out Penn State player
Kaitlyn McBean, who had a huge weekend of herself.
We have Penn State winning both their games. They beat West Virginia 3-1.
And in a rematch of the Sweet 16 game last year that Penn State won in overtime,
Penn State beat SLU, St. Louis University, 2-1.

(12:42):
And out of all five goals scored by Penn State, Kaitlyn McBean scored five goals.
So that says a lot about the powerhouse forward going in and making a statement
of her own, really kind of taking the scoring initiative from the team.
But it's going to be interesting.
You know, I think you and I both know scouting reports are big and you can be extremely talented.
We saw Eleanor Dale do it last year and make a massive impact in that scoring

(13:03):
number and that scoring regard.
But also, you're going to need some other people to step up.
So it's going to be very interesting to see how Penn State really rallies with
that offense, at least this weekend, being completely around McBean.
Absolutely. As you mentioned it, I think, well, this is an incredible feat for her.
It'll be really interesting to see what she does next week with a target on
her back now, especially in those scouting reports like her,

(13:24):
her name, her number, her jersey is going to be called.
And you'll definitely see, I think, a lot more attention being put on her from
a defensive point to kind of maintain that because five goals.
I mean, that's against two very good opponents. I was like, and that's the thing.
We're not talking about opponents Penn State beat 8-0. It is.
They scored five goals and she scored five goals against two top teams.

(13:45):
So I saw that and I was completely blown away.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, she'll be an exciting player to watch for sure. Absolutely.
Well, Jordan, so many big moments in the big life, but we have a big interview to get to.
And once again, I was so, so honored to have head coach of UCLA on the phone,
on the call, giving us all the answers.
And I think we asked her some questions that she may be, Jordan put her in the hot seat a little bit.

(14:08):
So we're so, so thankful for her time. And without further ado,
let's get to this interview.
We are so incredibly lucky to have an incredible guest on this episode of The Big Life.
After serving as the assistant coach at Stanford, she got her first head coaching
position at UCLA in December of 2021.

(14:29):
And in that first year, she wins the NCAA national title and now is looking
to lead the UCLA Bruins through her first season in the Big Ten Carpets.
Please welcome and bring us on Marguerite Awosasa.
Thank you for joining us this morning. Yeah, thank you. Thank you both for having me. Of course.
So I'm going to hit it from the start. There's so many things we're so excited

(14:51):
to get into with you about, but you are the head coach of one of the most famous
soccer brands, and well-known college soccer programs in the country.
And now you're in the start of a 2024 season, six games in.
So far, how are we feeling about the season and the group that we have this year?
So our season, it's only six games in, but this season so far has already felt a little long.

(15:13):
As you guys know, you have your ups and downs, and we've had a lot of ups and
downs already just in the first month.
We've had some great moments, of course. We had our first loss yesterday,
so I was like, oh boy, of course this is when I come on the show.
But it was a well-fought loss, nothing to be ashamed about.
But we've had our fair share of injuries so far.

(15:33):
We've had just a lot of unpredictable things happen that we are just kind of
like riding that wave a little bit, hoping to get some reinforcements back through,
you know, in the next couple of weeks to help us out.
Because I thought we had a larger roster to start with.
And all of a sudden we're a little thin.
But so far, so good. Nothing terrible.

(15:53):
Absolutely. So taking all that and with this, of course, being your first year
in the Big Ten, what were your initial reactions to joining the Big Ten conference
and kind of expectations for it? Yeah, so I like probably everybody found out on Twitter.
In fact, like on a call with a recruits family. So it was our whole staff on

(16:13):
a Zoom call with a recruits family.
And they like their faces changed first. And they were like,
wait, did you guys just see this? UCLA is joining the Big Ten.
And I was like, oh, yeah.
Maybe, like, you know, haven't heard.
And then all of a sudden I get a text or like an email from our department that

(16:36):
was, you know, head coaches meeting urgent 10 a.m. something.
And I was like, well, looks like it could be real because we have a head coaches
meeting in an hour. And so that was a giant surprise to us.
But at that time, obviously, there was a lot more uncertainty.
I think UCLA did a wonderful job of spending then two years essentially planning to join the Big Ten.

(16:58):
And so I felt very confident as that process went on. There was just so much
thorough planning, so much thought put into how that transition was going to happen. in.
In a weird way, though, it was the first domino to fall.
Once USC and UCLA left the Pac-12, then all of a sudden, you know,
like a lot of that other conference realignment happened.
So in that way, it was a little weird just to kind of be at the forefront of all that change.

(17:23):
But in a way, I'm also proud of UCLA for the stance that they took,
for the approach that they took.
And I feel like now we're in a really good position in terms of where college sports is going.
Absolutely. It's interesting. I saw some stats the other day about like what
sports have been impacting the most with four new teams joining the Big Ten
and where is the shifts going to change and the typical conference champions and stuff like that.

(17:46):
And one of the most discussed sports was women's soccer, bringing in so many
talented programs, UCLA, USC, a Washington team that's been very good in the
past, you know, so many exciting things happening.
So with the Big 10 already being deep last year having nine teams go to the
NCAA tournament what was it like for you now realizing that that's the conference
you'll be competing in and playing in yeah.

(18:09):
Like you alluded to, Big Ten has always been known for its, like the great teams
are great, of course, but at the same time, there's just a lot of depth within
the conference and a lot of competitiveness.
You don't see a lot of like big blowouts or anything like that.
There's not a lot of teams that are historically haven't gotten results.
Like it felt like every year there could be someone different that's going to emerge in the Big Ten.

(18:32):
For instance, like on Nebraska last year, Sam, as you know, Iowa,
never an easy game as I learned my very first game ever ever as a head coach.
And so we were very excited to join a conference where every single game is
going to be competitive as a coach.
And yeah, as a coach, I've never coached in any other conference other than the Pac-12.
And as much as I loved it, of course, it did start to become like I could name

(18:54):
every team, even if they like the players were wearing blank jerseys and turned around.
I think I could name every single kid in the Pac-12 just from being there since 2015.
And so I'm excited just for the novelty of playing different teams.
And I do feel like just the strength of the conference overall is going to help
to prepare us as we hopefully head into playoffs.
Yeah, you alluded to the preparation going into preparing to be in the Big Ten,

(19:18):
but also some of the shock and how you found out.
Did you feel prepared to join this conference? And if so, what were some of
the changes you have to make when differing from a normal style of the Pac-12
versus the Big Ten and moving forward?
Yeah, so, well, I'm sure you guys probably know, especially in the last two

(19:39):
years, defensive set pieces has never been our strength.
And I was hoping I could come on here and never having not conceded a defensive set piece.
Unfortunately, yesterday we got scored on, on a free kick, of course,
but we only have given up one goal this year.
And although the only one was defensive set piece, we feel like we've made a
lot of good ground in that.
And so like, we know that the style is just a little more combative,

(20:01):
a little more physical, physically demanding, I guess you could say set pieces
that much more important.
We also so far this year have scored on a set piece. So I feel very like we're
in a very good place compared to years past on how we're handling that.
But those are the types of things that we have been talking about as a group.
Also, just that like competitiveness, you know, like you have to be ready day

(20:23):
in, day out to go into games where we don't know necessarily what teams are
going to throw at us because just like we haven't played a lot of those teams,
they haven't played us either.
So going into the Pac-12, like we knew typically, okay, OK, if just say,
for instance, ASU typically plays
this way, but when we have played them historically, they play this way.
We don't have that experience now. We don't have that history now.

(20:46):
And so we just have to be adaptable. We have to be flexible.
We have to be kind of ready for anything. And we've talked a lot about that as a group.
Yeah, I actually, you and I have talked before. Luckily, I've had the chance
of having a couple conversations with you.
And there's one story I'd love for you to maybe retell. And I was going to say,
I've had the honor of playing UCLA twice now in my college soccer career,

(21:06):
once before you were the coach.
And then in your first game as a head coach, Iowa flew out to UCLA and played that game.
And you said one of the first changes you had to make when coming into a head
coaching spot at UCLA was defense. Can you talk a bit about that transition,
especially playing against a heavily gridded defense central Big Ten conference?
Yeah. So when I first came into UCLA, obviously I had been at Stanford,

(21:30):
so I knew the team quite well, at least in terms of personnel,
in terms of style, whatever, whatever, whatever.
And so in my first couple weeks, we did a scrimmage and it was like three 20-minute
periods, maybe not even that much.
And the score between the two groups of 11, I think was like seven to six.
And all the team that this most concerning part is
that the team was very excited because they had scored 13 goals and

(21:53):
I was so shocked I was like oh no this is terrible like
we let in 13 goals in one hour like this
is not good like we need to reframe and
so we spent you know so much of our
first six months together as a group defending and just
kind of relearning those concepts of zonal defending kind of
how to sit in the mid block how to understand those rotations

(22:15):
whatever it is um now thankfully we
have a much better just basis of understanding in terms of
defending and and even going and coming away from the
loss yesterday i still feel pretty confident as to how we've been
defending as as a team but i am excited going into the big 10 like just to see
those different defensive tactics to see kind of the pride that the big 10 teams

(22:35):
take in defending sometimes on the west coast it's like the attacking side is
much more important than the defending side so you'll see a lot of games like
five to three or something like that
And, you know, we've always been a program that really tries to limit chances
and takes a lot of pride in limiting chances.
So I'm curious to see how games go when, for instance, like in Indiana last

(22:55):
year, didn't concede very many goals at all.
They may not have scored that many and ended up with quite a few ties,
but they took a lot of pride in how they defended.
So it will be very interesting to see kind of who, which team is willing to
open up a little bit and attack.
We talked about kind of the changes that are happening that are impacting us
right now with you guys joining the Big Ten, but there's also a lot of changes

(23:18):
that are happening in the future.
You mentioned you've had a lot of injuries this year that has maybe impacted
the depth of your roster.
With roster caps happening next year of 28, how do you think this will impact
and what's your preparation going forward for next year with it?
Yeah, I think unfortunately, it's going to impact so many student athletes,
of course, at UCLA and really everywhere in the country.

(23:41):
I think like, we've obviously been given the number 28, but the national average of teams is above that.
So most teams, I think, are going to have those hard conversations.
Conversations, like I really was hopeful that the NCAA might give us a year
or two to kind of get our roster down to that number as opposed to just like
a hard stop. Okay, by August next year, this is what it has to be.

(24:04):
Unfortunately, that was not the case. And so, yeah, we're going to have to have
a couple hard conversations.
At the same time, though, I feel hopeful that our players are well prepared
that if they do want to continue at UCLA as a typical student,
they will have that opportunity, of course.
But if they'd like to go pursue a career elsewhere, I'm hopeful coming from
a program like UCLA, there'll be open doors for them somewhere.

(24:26):
And that's just like, quite honestly, that's just a privilege we have.
And we're very aware that that's a privilege we have and that that's not the case for everybody.
And but it's just a really tough thing as a head coach that's never,
you know, it's like we were operating under parameters we didn't know we had.
Now, all of a sudden, we have to do it.
And so it's put all of us, I think, in a really difficult position and we're

(24:48):
going to try to handle it as compassionately and carefully as we can.
Absolutely. I know, obviously, it's something that is happening more and more
with, I feel like I've seen on my social media, girls having to commit,
you know, rosters and recruiting changes.
How do you think the roster cap and the differences with funding and stuff like
that will also impact recruiting in your ability to find future Bruins going

(25:09):
forward? Yeah, again, there's so many unknowns.
Even with the roster cap, I find it very fascinating.
They're wanting to kind of apply a professional model without a lot of the professional
or the things that a professional model has, for instance, like a season ending
injury list, a 10 day contract,
anything like that we obviously don't have access to.

(25:31):
So I'm really curious if there will be any stipulations or anything that we
can kind of work within an active roster, non-active roster,
or if a player comes in in the fall and is not on your active roster,
can you add them in the winter as soon as season is over?
We don't know any of the answers to those questions.
In terms of funding, we also don't know a lot of those answers either.

(25:53):
I think we'll have more answers come January. January and so recruiting this
this class has been really difficult because everyone's just,
in some way playing with monopoly money like nobody really
knows what anyone has and so any conversation we've had has always been with
the recruits for 25 for 20 any of these players right now has just been look

(26:14):
there's a lot of things that we just don't know and this is how we're going
to operate for the time being but as soon as information comes in if it changes
anything will be very proactive in letting you know.
But it's been very interesting because I'm typically a coach that only likes
to offer things I know I have for sure.
And right now I don't know anything for sure. And so it's been a lot of theoretical conversations.
Yeah. I mean, as a player going through it and watching it just happen,

(26:37):
like it's one thing for us on our side.
And I think watching my coach deal with it now too, like
you have so much sympathy for the recruiting process and how
how it's changed when you guys have to do all this knowing nothing like
you still have to recruit kids you still have to fill
a roster you still have to prepare for next season even
though you have no idea what it may look like so I

(26:57):
have a lot of sympathy for it I can't imagine how hard
it must be from a coaching perspective to have to figure and navigate all
of this with so many unknowns and it constantly is changing
every day I feel like I see something on Twitter where it's like NCAA is
considering this or that or this to implement and you just
you have no idea when it's going to happen yeah yeah no
it doesn't feel like this is what I signed up for at

(27:18):
all but here we are and I think as a
staff we try to just be as like I said compassionate transparent
whatever it is so there's been a lot of
conversations where I've literally just said look like we don't know for sure
and if things changes we will be the first ones to tell you but yeah it has
been really difficult and I feel for everyone kind of going through the process
and like you said you feel for the coaches I especially feel for the players

(27:40):
the ones that are currently on rosters that are are left with uncertainty right
now, the ones that are going through this right now,
layer recruits in the 2025 class that.
What happened was because no one has a lot of information in some ways,
this process is going a lot slower than other, other years have gone.
And so then it's just kind of put everybody in this weird holding pattern that,

(28:01):
that quite honestly, no one's very comfortable with.
So I feel for the families, I feel for the players, for my fellow coaches, I feel for them too.
I'm like, if any of us aspired to be a GM, this is great training,
but most of us didn't. So now here we are doing a job that we didn't really
sign up for, but that's okay. We're going to make the most of it.
So while we're kind of on the topic of recruiting, one of the biggest audiences

(28:25):
of our podcast tends to be young soccer players and parents,
especially trying to get information about college soccer.
So while I have a coach like yours time, I would be completely remiss to say,
when you're on that sideline, recruiting a player, I feel like the number one
question Jordan, I get asked is, how do you make a college notice you?
How do you stand out? What do you do?

(28:46):
For you as a recruiter? what kinds
of things do you look for in the players that want to strive to be
where they are yeah so there's always
rules about what i can say in terms of us specifically but
i can talk very openly about what coaches look for in
general and every program is going to be different so i
think programs one are looking for fit and that's why it's so

(29:07):
hard because like what i would look for in a player could
be completely different than what jeff looks for at michigan state and
what dave looks for at iowa like because you want players to come
in and even if they're not quite there and they have to
adjust you want kind of their natural tendencies to very
much fit what you're trying to do so like our
one of our closest like our friends on the

(29:27):
sideline is Arkansas but you couldn't choose a team that plays more differently
than UCLA than Arkansas so we laugh that if we end up on the same sideline we're
like there's no way we're looking at the same kid because there's no way like
a kid that fits Arkansas is going to fit UCLA the same amount out,
you know? And so that I think is really key.
So in a weird way, what I'm saying is we don't know exactly what every coach

(29:49):
is looking for because they're looking for kids that are going to seamlessly
transition into their program.
The other thing though, is I feel competitiveness and communication,
like that leadership ability, that...
We don't typically, I think coaches don't want kids that are shying away from big moments, right?
Because at the end of the day, a lot of our job is predicated on the success

(30:09):
we have on the field. And unfortunately we're not playing.
So it's, you know, the performance of these players.
And so you want kids that are just as competitive as we are and that understand
like these wins and losses matter that they're, you know, sliding to block shots
or whatever it is. And they have that that kind of passion.
And in a weird way, I think sometimes that is lost at the youth level for whatever

(30:31):
reason. We don't see it very often.
So when you see that passion, when you see that competitiveness, it very much stands out.
And that's often when we go on sidelines, that's the kind of the talk of the
town where it's like, oh, that kid gets it. That kid's competitive. That kid understands.
That kid has that passion, that competitiveness, whatever. So those things I

(30:52):
think are really important.
But like I said, at the end of the day, it's fit in the program.
And do you fit a role that the program needs, whether that's positionally or
not? Or do you fit a role in terms of personality?
Are they going to come in and be happy and kind of be able to be themselves
in a way that's really productive? update.
Yeah, absolutely. With so many unknowns, we do know that there's a roster cap of 28.

(31:13):
And you mentioned you want a kid that transitioned kind of seamlessly into your program.
I'm wondering if these rule changes affect the way you recruit in terms of potential.
Like if you see a kid who maybe won't have an impact right away,
but two, three years down the line could be huge for your program.
Are you still looking to recruit them the same? Or with these roster caps,
are you looking for someone who can make an immediate impact regardless of up

(31:34):
the potential down the future?
Yeah, Jordan, you asked the hard questions, man. But no, I think we said it
before, but I do think the roster cap in a way limits opportunities.
Because now kind of taking chances on those kids, it becomes a little riskier.
And so we just have to see. I'm sure it'll be different year by year,
kind of what our flexibility is in that scenario.

(31:56):
But what we've realized is all of a sudden versatility feels a lot more valuable
than it did six months ago.
Because really like the way that we kind of look at it, if you have 28 on a
roster, you probably have three goalkeepers.
And then you have 25 field players, that's two per position plus five kind of
like wild cards, if you will, right?
And so those five wild cards, quote unquote, for them to be able to play two

(32:21):
or three positions is all of a sudden super valuable.
Whereas in the past, maybe that was not the case. And so that has changed a
little bit in how we look at players.
But yeah, I do think the ones that, you know, we do have in the past,
at least looked at kids where it's like, look,
as a junior, your senior that kid could be really great for us they're not quite there
yet and now that is a much harder conversation because

(32:43):
it's just a much bigger risk to take because then
if you know that they're not going to be as capable on
the field in their first two years then in some way you're playing with 27 you
know and it's like are you willing to do that the other piece
that i find very difficult is the 28 is a really hard
number in the sense of like it doesn't
take into account the flexibility we've always had in our

(33:05):
rosters meaning like this year we've had one or
two season ending injuries okay well that means those kids are
coming back so then that puts us in a really hard position if you
recruit to 28 every year you're not taking into account a player or two that
may come back a player or two that may enter the portal that could really help
you all these things and so we contemplate do we try to only hold 27 so that

(33:27):
we have an open spot just in case you know and so it's just all these things
that i think coaches around the country are trying trying to figure out.
But I will stand by, unfortunately, I think it's the ones that are going to
feel it, of course, are the student athletes.
And while we're throwing all these wildcard unknown questions at you to answer
all of the last questions in women's soccer right now, here's one more for you.

(33:48):
Last week, it was announced that the CBA has changed the NWSL now officially
to getting rid of the NWSL draft as a program notorious for sending players you're a professional,
how do you feel like the impact will be for college players now looking to continue
their career with there being no draft?
Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that. Because like you said,

(34:09):
most of our players aspire to play at the pro level.
My concerns with the draft have always been, you know, you get players drafted
to places that they're not too keen on going.
And so that was really tough. And I've talked to players and they feel like,
look, this is a huge moment in my life.
And I feel like I don't have a lot of say in it. And so, of course, like I'm against that.
I'm hopeful now that with just kind of the blanket free agency,

(34:32):
players have a lot more say in where they end up.
I'd be curious to see how it affects the number of players that are brought into the league.
But at the same time, I think the draft was kind of misconception anyway,
because if you get drafted, it doesn't mean you're in the league anyway.
It just kind of means you are going on trial with that team in kind of a fancier
way, a more formal like, yeah, a more formal way, I guess you could say.

(34:55):
So the number of players from the draft that were
getting signed it was a low number anyway so that number
might not change i am excited that
it kind of that free market stance just
propels teams to be more marketable and to be more desirable in some ways and
so i'm hopeful that it'll encourage the league to continue to get better because

(35:18):
you know it's like if you have top three players in the country coming out of
college in some weird way they're all going to want to go to the same three teams.
And so if you're not one of those three teams, then you're going to have to
get creative in ways to attract players.
So I'm interested to see how that goes. But I know our players,
I think, are happy about it because at least they feel like they have a little

(35:38):
more power in that conversation.
And they don't feel like they're going to end up somewhere that they really
didn't feel comfortable going.
So we've talked a lot about the success UCLA has had now, but going a little
bit back into kind of your career and how you got this job and this position,
how do you feel that like you were an ECNL head coach for 10 years before then

(35:59):
going to Stanford and then now being at UCLA,
how do you feel like that's impacted the way you coach and does it give you
a kind of a heads up on some of the coaches after being so involved in ECNL programs?
Yeah. So I love my youth coaching career.
That brings a smile to my face always. And right now it's really fun because

(36:21):
a lot of the players that I coached are still in college, so they're juniors and seniors.
And so already this season, we've played a good handful of kids that I've coached.
I have a couple on my team right now that were in our club.
So I just love that part of my life and I miss it sometimes.
I don't miss the long days, I will say, but I I definitely miss that type of coaching.

(36:41):
In terms of how it has affected me from the youth development side,
like my staff, we love the development side of what we do.
Like that part just like brings me so much joy to watch the player evolve from
the time that they come into our program at 17, 18 years old to when they're
leaving our program as a senior or whatever it is, like to see how their game has changed.
That part I just love, like breaking down the game in a way that kind of a younger

(37:06):
player understands is a passion of mine too.
And then the connections that we have. I loved my time as a coach in the youth
game because it's a lot of good people.
It's a lot of really good people in the youth game.
And so some of my closest friends are still in the youth realm.
My like mentor of all mentors, he just left the youth realm.

(37:27):
Now he coaches at Bay FC, but he still has a lot of influence in kind of the
Bay Area youth soccer scene.
And so I just love that. And I will always say my time as a head coach in ECNL
prepared me just as much as my time as an assistant coach in the college game
to be a head coach now, because regardless of the level that you're coaching,
you're going to be a head coach.
As a head coach, you're the one making the decisions. And quite honestly,

(37:49):
in clubs, sometimes those decisions are just as hard, if not harder, than what I'm doing.
Because at least in college level, it's pretty clear that we're trying to win on game day.
In the youth side, you're trying to win on game day. You're trying to play all
the players. You're trying to play the kid that drove two hours to your team.
You're trying to, like, all these things you're trying to balance at once.
That sometimes the decision-making process is a lot more convoluted at the youth level than what we do.

(38:14):
So I loved my time. I think it really helped me develop as a coach,
developed as a manager, all those things.
And then, of course, at Stanford, the thing I took most from that is how to
coach players that are striving for excellence every single day.
How do you coach a kid who aspires to be on the national team?
How do you coach a kid who aspires to be on the pro level?
And anything less than that is a disappointment. How do you do that?

(38:35):
How do you coach Katarina Macario when I'm like, you are 100 times the player
I will ever be with your eyes closed. So how do I like find a way to connect
and push you in a way that you are receptive to?
And so that was really special. And I'm getting that experience still at UCLA.
But at least I feel confident in doing that, having been at Stanford.
All right. We've talked about endless times, the highs and lows on this podcast.

(38:59):
So I hate to bring up some old salt in the room, but 2023 did not end the way
I'm sure anyone would have hoped or liked at UCLA. you like?
How do you take that disappointment and bring it into this year?
Yeah, it's that was the like one moment I was like, man, I wish I was an assistant still.
And I can just nod quietly and whatever it is.

(39:20):
I was like, Oh, man, I have to talk now. Okay, great.
But the message was, like you said, like, of course, it's disappointing, but that's the game.
Like, we don't play a game. We don't play baseball where you play 150 games a season.
And typically, the better teams end up on top just because the set of data is
so much bigger than ours. Like, that's not what happens.
We go into a tournament and yes, you have to qualify and it's only 64 teams,

(39:43):
but there's 350 teams that are trying to qualify for that tournament every year.
Like, in no other sport, really, is there a 64-team tournament,
obviously, other than in basketball where it's like a single elimination so we
just kind of put in perspective all those things of like
hey this is soccer like you can go 22
shots to two and lose one zero like that's

(40:04):
the sport we play like and with the lows you get the highs and what we said
also is like we were in a situation just one year ago where the odds of us winning
were just as small if not smaller of the odds of us losing today like we literally
experienced both sides of this spectrum so we need to just have perspective.
And what we said too, is like, if we've been doing our job as a staff,

(40:25):
then in a few days, you're going to wake up and love the game still.
Like, and so that's what we just kept saying, like, this sucks.
This is terrible. Everyone hates losing.
Everyone hates losing like that, especially, but if we've done our jobs and
we've done our jobs in this program, then in like, we say after two or three
days of darkness, you're going to wake up happy again.
And you're going to be wake up excited and motivated and ready to come back.

(40:46):
And that's the the experience that we had. Within a week, our players were like,
so when do we get to start again?
Like, let's go, you know, and they had that excitement and that enjoyment. So it was really tough.
I was like, none of us are sleeping tonight. We all know that.
Like, what do we want to do? Anyone want to go see a movie or something?
Like, it was really tough. But I think we found our way through it. And credit to the group.

(41:07):
They had a wonderful offseason and came in this season prepared to do some damage.
And, you know, they're calling it the revenge tour. So we'll see.
Oh it makes me a little nervous now you got your red short going don't worry
don't worry well maybe because we don't play michigan state unless we play in
playoffs so we'll see we'll see.
So with all that and your revenge tour coming, what are you looking forward

(41:29):
to the most being in this Big Ten season now for the first time?
Yeah, I think I mentioned it before. As a coaching staff, we're just excited
to play different teams.
I think it's going to expose us in different ways that we maybe haven't been in the past.
It's going to force us to be more well-rounded, better prepared,
all these things when you go into playing teams that you haven't played as traditionally.

(41:49):
So I'm excited for that. Of course, so excited to see the Midwest.
I've not seen the Midwest very much. So we're going to see how that is.
Our girls are very excited to experience fall. We don't have fall, really.
So changing the colors of the leaves, we're excited for that.

(42:10):
I'm not so excited for some of the colder weather
perhaps but I will say the Big Ten scheduling was fairly kind
to us that we shouldn't see too too
much knock on wood who knows a lot of our players have never seen like a thunderstorm
so if we hit that that could be really exciting for us this is the framing that
we're doing but I'm also my experience so far with the coaches the coaches have

(42:31):
all been incredibly welcoming they've been incredibly kind and so I'm excited
to kind of build some of those relationships.
I would say some of my closest friends in the coaching world obviously are in
what was the Pac-12, just because we've played against each other so often.
I was laughing with the head coach at Cal, his name's Neil, because I think
in my entire college career, both as a player and a coach, we've played them

(42:52):
at least one time every year.
So I was like, Neil, this will be the first time since 2008 that we don't see
each other in the fall. And it was like a very emotional moment.
So I'm excited to build some of those relationships with the big 10,
with those coaches and, and just experience kind of a different part of the game.
I've also never coached in a conference tournament. So this is brand new for
me in terms of approach, everything. Our players have never played in a conference tournament.

(43:16):
They really want to go for what they're deeming the treble. So conference tournament,
conference title and national title.
They think we're man city out there trying to do something crazy like that.
So just that, that opportunity is exciting for us.
And also just like, can we do what we do on the West Coast? Can we do it in
the Big Ten? And I think that's the giant question mark.
And all I can say is that we're going to try. We're going to try to play just

(43:38):
how we did. We're not going to make huge, giant adjustments.
Obviously, we will on game day just based on the team we're playing.
But stylistically, identity-wise, I think you're going to see the same UCLA.
I love that. All right. Did you have to get any more cold-weather gear than
normal to prep for this Midwest season? You know what's very concerning?
And I shouldn't even share this publicly, but you know, it's very concerning

(44:01):
to me is that it, it, as of yesterday, it was still August and we had players
on our team asking for gloves.
Oh no. Oh no. Because you know, you know, six o'clock in LA can get a little chilly.
That's like our, we're at the pool. I mean, like we're in our bathing suits
in that weather. Like it is.

(44:22):
Yeah. Like a normal person. Okay. So we had to, we are, yeah,
we've had to order some new gear.
That's so, I didn't even think of that. Like, I mean, I grew up in the Midwest
and Ohio Ohio's the same thing as Michigan, pretty much Midwest is the Midwest,
like having to come here and do that training and to deal with some of the weather

(44:44):
adversity that you maybe haven't had to in the past.
Like what's the mental prep for that other than ordering some more gloves, apparently?
Yeah, no, our kids are going to have gloves. They're going to have long sleeve.
We said, whatever you need, we're going to have it. Okay. Whatever helps you play better.
You need me to like warm up your feet before you find whatever,
whatever you need, because we're going to figure that out.
But it's just like getting them used to adversity, getting them used,

(45:06):
like having the mindset of look, like you can play in this, you're going to be just fine.
And we had a season two in 2022. We went and we played at Utah.
I don't know what it is about me, but like every time I go to Utah,
it snows. And I'm like, it's, it's October. Like it's not supposed to snow.
And we've played in snow in October, like three times in my career.
But we have a player from Hawaii and she'd never ever seen snow so that

(45:29):
was a really big thing for her life experience
is happening yes yes and she was so cute
she's like look look I'm in the snow you know so we're gonna see if we make
it to the big 10 tournament Minnesota in November we're gonna see how that is
it's gonna be great and that's the mindset we're taking but yeah we'll see even for us coaches.

(45:54):
We'll see how we do, but the players are on the field and Marguerite is bundled
up like three hats, gloves, a sleeping bag for sure.
Whatever is needed, boots, whatever.
I love it. I love it. All right. One last question for you. You're calling it the triple.
UCLA will win the triple this year. If what happens, what is making UCLA special this year?

(46:19):
This year, obviously, we need to get our reinforcements back and add some,
like, the roster itself has so much depth, but we haven't been able to see it quite yet.
Credit, though, goes to the players right now that have been called upon to
play probably more minutes than maybe they expected to.
And honestly, they're doing a fantastic job. Like, credit goes to them.
And I have so much respect for my players that have stepped up in ways that

(46:42):
I wouldn't have even thought to ask them.
And they're doing it, and they're finding ways to be successful. but this year
and I've said it a million times we have a really special combination of
like very talented senior leadership and a
really young and then like the other
part of the team is very young and excited and equally as talented and so if
we can kind of find that right combination if we can empower the younger players

(47:05):
while still relying on our veterans then I think we'll have a lot of success
I look forward to hopefully seeing you guys in the tournament yeah me too me
too I got I'm going to record it, ready to go.
We're going to live stream my live reactions to Marguerite in a sleeping bag and Jordan up top.
I'm going to have my sleeves rolled up and I know you guys are going to come
in like nothing. Warm up, just no jackets.

(47:28):
Our team, though, they just laugh about it. They're like, yeah,
no, it's parka weather. I'm like, it's 60 degrees.
You'll be fine. Let's wait for that November trip. We'll see how that one goes.
It's going to be fine. We are not worried. read
incredible thank you so much for spending time out
of your morning with us i know it is answered so many questions but

(47:49):
also been extremely extremely grateful so i
really appreciate all the time you spent yeah thank you once again we are so
thankful for ucla coach marguerite joining us on the call and i know giving
us just some super interesting insights and all i know is i'm looking forward
to the sleeping bag going on on the sidelines of games,

(48:11):
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's one of those things that like, once she said it seems
so obvious, but I didn't really think about the weather implications.
Everyone was obviously looking at the travel and the effect that would have
on your body having to come to the Midwest so much.
Didn't occur to me that some of these girls have never seen fall or snow.
I think that opens a whole new door of adversity they're going to have to face.

(48:33):
And it'll be interesting to see how they deal with it. But I'm definitely looking
forward to some of these crazy pictures that I know are are going to come with
them all bundled up and like the Midwest girlies, like jerseys pulled up,
you know, arm sleeves out, you know, just ready to go and them all bundled. It'll be funny.
I am concerned that it's September 2nd and they're asking for gloves.
Like if they're asking for gloves already, that's just not, not a great trajectory

(48:54):
into what the big 10 might be able to offer.
Yeah, I think it's going to be a rude awakening towards the end of October here
when that, that big 10 tournament starts.
Well, I will be looking forward to it, but Jordan next Next week,
last week of non-conference play before we get into big statements to make before
getting ready in the Big Ten.
How are we feeling? What do we have on our two home game schedule?

(49:17):
I think, like I mentioned, I mean, we are coming off kind of a tough tie just
based on last minute goal scoring versus Xavier.
But looking forward, we have another two games at home.
We've been home for a minute now and it has been so nice versus Queens and then Loyola on Sunday. day.
So those should be two good games that we get to really test some of the depth

(49:40):
of our roster with two, several injuries now that we are suffering and trying
to figure out how to move forward and deal from there.
So it'll be, it'll be a good week, a good week at DeMartin.
We've had, like I said, some fantastic fans show out and show up for us.
So I'm excited for another week at home.
That's amazing. I am actually just getting off of a away stretch where we had

(50:00):
four weeks of away games in a row.
And so it's been a bit brutal. I haven't gotten to play at my stadium that's
500 feet from my apartment in a while.
So looking forward to my first home game as well, getting back into it, getting in the swing.
I can't believe I have nine games left in my professional season.
So I don't know where time has gone.
I really can't process that it's September. But yeah, nine games left in the

(50:23):
slate before coming home right around Thanksgiving.
So crazy that it's already come to this point that I've played 18 professional games in this league.
So just super thankful for the opportunity as always. And yeah, can't believe it.
So how long are you coming back for before returning to Sweden?
Yeah, so I will get home. I land Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

(50:43):
So I was super thankful when they booked my flight. I'm like,
all right, at least, you know, Thanksgiving will be great.
I'm in home in time for Black Friday, the real holiday of that weekend.
So like that's the priority I'm excited about. out
and then I'll be home until about mid-January when
I'll find my way back so I get to skip the worst months to be
in Sweden but yeah it's Sweden in winter it's

(51:04):
gonna be a different side of me podcasting that so that's a
whole other place I don't want to go to yet oh my
god you get to stay in your apartment too or do
you yeah I'll stay in my apartment I'll be in the same setup so super super
excited I actually finally decorated my apartment it's that's
the interesting thing about you know being a pro in these trajectories is you
never know when you can put roots down and you never know

(51:24):
when you can like kind of like actually settle in and start making a place comfortable
enough to feel like home so even when my family visited Sweden they're
like your apartment's sterile like we had one light
we had bare minimum none of our furniture matched it was all and so we're like
all right we're staying here we're making this place feel cozy we're making
it feel like home so we finally have actually decorated the apartment and it'll
be nice to be able to have a nice place to call home in Sweden yeah I didn't

(51:47):
even think about that that's that's so nice that you get to do it now but I mean that's a tough.
It's crazy. It's a part of a pro that you don't think about.
Cause I mean, if you were to decorate a house or buy a home,
even there's, I know players I've gotten situations where they buy a home and
then they get traded or then they're, you know, rosters, they get bought out or something happens.
And so it's a very interesting life that I'm not quite used to yet.

(52:10):
I'm still kind of figuring out the mentality of like when you're at the field
versus when you're at home and how to like keep that separation and not fixate.
Cause you don't have school to distract you anymore.
And also just like, when can you get comfortable, but not too comfortable.
And so there's a lot of different avenues that I'm definitely trying to experience
and figure out as a pro that I'm sure we'll dive into in a different episode,

(52:32):
but it's been, it's been interesting.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you, I feel like you have the turnover,
right? From like you're a kid, then you get to high school.
You just started to figure out growing up a little bit, you get to college,
whole new level, whole new deal. Right.
And I feel like I've just started to figure it out and now
you're looking at you know the next phase of your life where
if you go pro it's a whole whole

(52:55):
new beast that you just keep having to kind of conquer here
and this feel like it's always the second you feel like you really got the hang
of it is when it you get that change oh it's now it and so yeah no it has been
interesting but excited for the week ahead excited for year two games as always
there's so many platforms to watch college soccer on and there's There's so many high,

(53:15):
high level games going on with this being the last week of non-conference.
I'm sure there's a couple of big showdowns that will be going on and big teams
to watch. So super excited for everything going forward.
Women's soccer in the U.S. and let's get this going. Yeah. Thanks, guys.