Kickin' Back

Jeff Kassouf recaps and analyzes all 50 picks (and many trades) in the agonizingly long 2022 NWSL Draft, which saw San Diego Wave FC select Naomi Girma No. 1 overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Kassouf recaps and analyzes the NWSL Expansion Draft for Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC, as well as the trades which surrounded the event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Abby Dahlkemper is the first player in San Diego Wave FC history. She joins Kickin' Back exclusively to talk about the move, and where she feels she is in her career and life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Executive board member of the Girls Academy and former Houston Dash goalkeeper Haley Carter discusses the sea change in the NWSL this year, the coaching pipeline, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carli Lloyd discusses the finality of her retirement, how she views her career in retrospect, and what the USWNT needs to do to stay at the top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shireen Ahmed discusses her reporting on Canada women's national team players demanding accountability from their federation, as well as her wider reporting on abuse in sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bethany Balcer is the leading scorer is the NWSL right now. She was undrafted in 2019 out of the NAIA, but went on to win Rookie of the Year. She tells the story of her journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kristen Edmonds was cut from pro rosters out of college. She was told she wasn't good enough to play in the NWSL. Now, she's wrapping up her eighth season in the league. Edmonds details her journey, which now takes her to Kansas City, and her plans for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's soccer writer Sophie Lawson joins the pod to discuss the new the current landscape in Europe, plus getting involved in covering the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Concacaf head of women's football Karina LeBlanc discusses the region's new competitions and long-term plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Major NWSL news has been dropping daily. Jeff Kassouf takes fan questions to provide insight on his reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canada won its first Olympic gold medal, forcing Sweden to settle for silver again. Jeff Kassouf provides perspective on each team's journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The USWNT won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Jeff Kassouf puts the third-place finish in perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Kassouf analyzes the USWNT's loss to Canada in the Olympic semifinals, and the U.S.' underwhelming tournament.a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The USWNT advanced to the Tokyo Olympics semifinals by ousting the Netherlands in a penalty shootout. The drama included some surprising lineup twists and Alyssa Naeher denying three spot kicks. Jeff Kassouf breaks it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Kassouf analyzes the USWNT's scoreless draw with Australia and why it played out that way, and previews the Olympic quarterfinals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Kassouf recaps a wild matchday 2 at the Olympics, including the USWNT getting back on track and goals galore across the board. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Kassouf analyzes Matchday 1 results at the Olympics, including Sweden's 3-0 thrashing of the USWNT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN personality and Chicago Red Stars investor Sarah Spain discusses why she got involved in the NWSL, how she balances her different roles, and how the league is covered in the wider media ecosystem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lori Lindsey discusses the USWNT's Olympic roster and tournament outlook, plus her broadcasting career. She also shares some NWSL predictions.

NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke sheds light on collective bargaining negotiations with the NWSL, sharing players' positions on everything from free agency, to minimum salaries, scheduling issues and collaborating with the USWNTPA. And yes, she discusses the Olivia Moultrie case.

CBS Sports writer Sandra Herrera joins Kickin' Back to talk about her coverage of the NWSL, the latest happenings in the league, and why there needs to be more respect for Liga MX Femenil and the quality of players from Mexico.

Alana Cook helped PSG win its first French league title and end Lyon's 14-year run. Two days later, her permanent transfer to OL Reign was announced. Alana joins Kickin' Back from USWNT camp, where she is fighting for a spot in the Olympics. She discusses her journey and what's ahead.

The NWSL has its first full, official set of trading cards in 2021 thanks to Parkside Collectibles. Matt Peek is COO and co-founder of Parkside. He walks us through the process of creating the cards and working with the league, which rare cards to look out for, and what's next in product development.

Danielle Slaton joins Kickin' Back to discuss her role as one of NBC's Tokyo Olympics soccer analysts, how here TV presence is shaped by her playing days, the USWNT roster, and her love for Santa Clara.

Suzy Wrack, The Guardian's ace women's soccer writer, joins the pod to discuss being at the UEFA Women's Champions League final, her approach to covering the sport, and the state of the game in England.

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and World Cup Champion Shannon Boxx has become a fierce advocate for Lupus awareness, having won multiple medals with the U.S. women's national team while navigating her diagnosis. She discusses her journey with Lupus, her passion for equitable youth development, her playing career for club and country, diversity (or lack thereof) on the USWNT and much more on this week's episode of Kickin' Back

Steph Cox initially retired with an Olympic gold medal and a decorated career. After a few years of coaching, she decided to get back on the field with the Reign and she remains an integral part of that team at age 35. She discusses the comeback, her love for coaching and decorated career on the latest Kickin' Back.

You are going to want to listen to every second of what Midge Purce has to say, but in case you want a specific topic, here are some time stamps:6:00 — Gotham FC as the NWSL villain10:15 — Speaking at the White House on Equal Pay day, and the fight for equity19:25 — Black Women's Player Collective's foundation and goals26:00 — Shaping the future of Harvard and  the wild road from Ivy League to USWNT34:00 — Forward or defender? Chasing the Olympic dream and NWSL trophies

Dr. Colleen Hacker, David Copeland-Smith and Ashlee Fontes-Comber join Jeff Kassouf on Podcast Row at the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Convention. Dr. Hacker discusses her decades of experience as a mental skills coach and performance psychologist at the highest levels of international sport. Then, Beast Mode Soccer and My Soccer Training app founder David Copeland-Smith sheds light on the rise of individual training, and United Soccer Coaches vice president Ashlee Fontes-Comber discusses investment in women's soccer.

With the chaos of 2020 behind her, NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird joins Kickin' Back to recap a successful but challenging year, and teases what’s ahead for the league, including expansion strategies, the relationship with U.S. Soccer, and a league rebrand ahead of the 10th-anniversary season.

You can thank Esmeralda Negron for the ability to watch live European women's soccer on TV each weekend in the United States. She co-founded Atalanta Media with Hannah Brown, together founding a company which is redefining the value of women's soccer media rights. Negron joins Kickin' Back to discuss jumping into a startup, the future valuation of women's soccer, and how her successful playing and coaching career led her to this role.

What's it like to be a full-time women's soccer reporter? Very few people can actually answer that. Meg Linehan is The Athletic's women's soccer reporter who breaks news and tells in-depth stories across the sport. She joins this episode of Kickin' Back to discuss the job, from the long hours to the nuance of managing relationships, why paywalls exist, and what future coverage of the sport might look like. Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan and find her articles here. Click here to listen to her podcast, Full Time.

Lauren Barnes — better known by most as "Lu" — played professionally in three different countries in 2020 despite the global pandemic. She is a Reign franchise original since the inception of the NWSL in 2013, and one of the most consistent defenders in league history. She joins the pod to discuss her career and her especially wild 2020, which included a championship in Australia and Champions League qualification in Sweden.

You know Heather O'Reilly as the fierce competitor who won Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title with the United States women's national team. Now, Heather is a mom, a coach at UNC, a TV broadcaster and an entrepreneur. 'HAO' joins the pod to talk about life after soccer, her new view on life as a mom, learning from her old coach in new ways, and even some crazy high school memories.

Vero Boquete is a pioneer in Spanish women's football. She outlines why she has no regrets over sacrificing her own international career to stand up for the next generation of players, and shares stories of being the only girl in her town who played soccer growing up. Now, there is a stadium named after her there, and she just signed with AC Milan, making Italy the eighth country she has played in professionally.

Kelly Simmons is the director of the women's professional game for the FA. She joins Kickin' Back to discuss the professionalization of women's club soccer in England, the rapid growth and internationalization which followed, and the ongoing balancing act which next year will see a homegrown player quota introduced.

Vlatko Andonovski went from an unknown to the head coach of the two-time defending World Cup champion United States women's national team in a matter of seven years. He joins Kickin' Back to share his coaching journey, including learning the women's game from scratch and some hard lessons along the way. Andonovski also shares his thoughts on the first U.S. training camp in over seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kristie Mewis is in the form of her life for the Houston Dash, which earned her a return to United States national team camp. Kristie shares her journey of falling out of favor with the U.S. -- her last cap was over six years ago -- to being traded multiple times in the NWSL and finding herself after her ACL injury in Houston. Her revival is among the best on-field stories in a weird 2020.

If you watch women's soccer on TV in the United States, you've heard Jenn Hildreth call a game. The longtime play-by-play voice of the National Women's Soccer League — among many other competitions — joins Kickin' Back to discuss how different it is announcing games remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and how that might shape the future of sports broadcasting, plus her favorite memories from covering the NWSL and the now defunct WPS.

Lesle Gallimore is the commissioner of the newly formed Girls Academy, and elite youth league which was formed after U.S. Soccer dissolved the Development Academy. Gallimore is a longtime coach and has a vision for a unified approach to youth soccer and one which eventually incorporates support from the professional ranks. She shares her visionary plans on the latest Kickin' Back.

This week, Jess Fishlock joins Kickin' Back to discuss her experience at the NWSL Challenge Cup, the uncertainty of the future, and the circumstances that led to her current loan with the WSL club Reading.

Aly Wagner joins the Kickin' Back podcast to discuss her career broadcasting soccer, the big stories and tactical trends we saw at the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, and the future evolution of women's soccer.

United States women's national team legends Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm join the Kickin' Back podcast to discuss why they are investing in the new National Women's Soccer League team in Los Angeles, which will begin play in 2022. Foudy and Hamm discuss their vision for the team, why they are so optimistic about the state of the league, and how quickly they were able to get 12 other former U.S. players on board with investing. Read more about the new LA team here.

Shea Groom joins the Kickin' Back podcast to discuss her arrival at the Houston Dash at a time when she needed a fresh start. Shea discusses why she plays with a chip on her shoulder and how that influences her tough but creative style of play, plus why the entire new-look Dash team has embraced that identity.

Unexpected house guests, a Peloton bike, and exceptional cooking: these are the quarantine stories of roommates Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams, who are teammates on the North Carolina Courage and U.S. women's national team. Williams and Mewis are also player representatives on the NWSLPA and USWNTPA, respectively. They discuss their roles in making the NWSL Challenge Cup happen and in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Former United States international goalkeeper and World Cup champion Saskia Webber joins Kickin' Back to talk about what the sport was like in the '90s, including her experiences as game-changer in 1999 and the mixed-emotions she had as an alternate at the 1996 Olympics. She also discusses the U.S.' ability to produce great goalkeepers, and women's soccer's ongoing fight for equality.

Nicole Hercules is the chair of the United Soccer Coaches Black Coaches Advocacy Group, the first woman to hold the role. Nicole and I discuss the need for more Black coaches across all levels of soccer, the need for those hiring to better educate themselves on diversity, and how her group is working toward change. Nicole also shares her experiences in bringing soccer training to Black communities.

Houston Dash forward Jamia Fields joins the Kickin' Back pod to discuss racism and being a Black player in the National Women's Soccer League. Jamia and Dash teammates recently participated in a protest in downtown Houston, the hometown of George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. Jamia shares that now, at age 26, she is just starting to have conversations about race outside of her family.

NWSL Players Association co-executive director Yael Averbuch West joins the podcast to discuss racial inequality in the world, and how NWSL players are using their platforms to speak out against racism. Yael and Jeff have a self-reflective conversation about their roles in combating racism. Yael also speaks about the players' ability to secure guaranteed pay for the NWSL Challenge Cup during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the health challenges which made her step away from the pro game (but why she'll never use the word "retired").

Beverly Yanez retired from professional soccer in early 2020 after a decade of playing at the highest level. She was drafted by the Washington Freedom in 2010, won a WPS title with the Western New York Flash in 2011, and then went to play in Japan after WPS folded. She had a week to sign that contract, drive across the U.S., get married and get to Japan. Beverly details that story and how playing for INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan changed her career and her outlook on life. She returned to the U.S. in 2014 and played for the Reign in the National Women's Soccer League for six seasons. Now, she's exploring her new passion for coaching the next generation.