Croix Bethune Lily Yohannes Alex Morgan Not On USWNT Olympics Roster + Predictions + Spain Preview

Will Emma Hayes Regret That Decision?
Croix Bethune Lily Yohannes Alex Morgan Not On USWNT Olympics Roster
2024 Paris Olympics Predictions
USWNT vs Spain Preview

Find INTO THE CHANNEL on:
X/TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ITC_Pod
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/intothechannelpod
THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@intothechannelpod
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@intothechannel
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/24oUNPqWhHyPR9ox8JFjig?si=963a9acfb6774dfc
APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-channel/id1716497139

[Music] [Applause] [Music] okay welcome to into the channel podcast primier about women’s football before we hit the pitch if you enjoy the show or love women’s football as much as your boys do what a day to come kick it with us we do this every single week sometimes twice a week subscribe follow YouTube Spotify Apple podcast wherever you like to watch or listen links to Twitter X Instagram Tik Tok threads all of our socials all available in the show notes of this episode I am your host Dino Des and as always I am joined by my co-host Mr Grant angle what is up man I’m feeling fantastic buddy it’s a big day in the news I’m just I’m I’m ready to get into it big day as you alluded to very very excited to get into it I think we’re going to try to cover this pretty much from as many angles as we can some ITC oldies but goodies we’ll dust some of those off got some new new stuff we’re just new ways to kind of parse uh the 18 that we got and do a little bit of a look ahead to next month’s big tournament in Paris if only we had some sort of tasty beverage that could just kind of Grease the wheels a little bit to scoot us into the next part of the show wow what an interesting thought that is my good man I think it is time to get to the football glad you’re prepared as well that’s a good sound nicely done well cheers cheers to you sir let’s talk some football all right where do you want to start let’s talk about the snubs so I think there’s a couple names maybe some surprise about not being included on the roster there was it’s a big one for your boys at the ITC one Supernova one Lily ohanas not included in the final 18 not included in the set of alternates how’d you feel about that not great buddy I think she played her way from her Club form to even the the limited time that we saw with her on the roster a player who’s capable of being like a number six or a number eight or even maybe moving up and playing kind of like a number 10 or you know on the wing in the Midfield just a multi-talented midfielder like that who you know you can trust to oftentimes make good decisions especially when passing the ball and who has the physicality to to play some defense as she’s shown in the Champions League I think that is a versatile midfielder that you would want on your roster I honestly I understand that she is a young player and that she hasn’t had a ton of run with this squad I think she was she’s a worthy addition I mean seeing what she did in that second Korea match after you know you were pining for can can we get 15 can we get 20 minutes for Lily and then she just detonates on that whole that whole game it’s not the most common occurrence 20 minutes and you’re the player of the match and then also the story the next day and not because you’re a teenager you’re the story because you were the best best player on the field the most impactful player on the field definitely definitely hurt um I think we’ll get into it a little bit later on the show what that means for the actual football because I think a lot of woso Twitter is just sort of like oh well that would have been cool to kind of have the Christian ler on the Dream Team kind of feel to it but to me this was not that this is like a real footballer who I wonder if her skill set will be missing a little bit in this tournament I I hope not but I kind of feel like there is a world where we’re sort of looking around uh maybe in the semifinals or in the final we’re like I wonder if johannas would have made a made a difference here in this one but again we’re gonna have to see what what it looks like when we get there totally agree so let’s think about this cuz uh you know I think I’ve shared on this podcast I met din know we worked at a startup together what like 10 a little more than 10 years ago now I know Dino personally as a as a talented marketing executive and a business person so let’s think about this from like an organizational decision here what’s our like range of things that could have taken place inside of US soccer when they’re making this call so I think on the one extreme it is possible that johanes was outright not selected that Emma Hayes and her decision makers either decided it’s not quite her time yet um it could be because of like we talked about a lack of run with the other players on the squad it could be maybe they thought the positional need was not there and they needed to fill other spots it could be that they just raid 19 field players 16 on the main roster and three alternates ahead of her and thought that she was not one of those 19 best field players to be on the squad or you have the opposite end of the spectrum there that maybe Johannes had reasons to turn down an opportunity perhaps Lily was not yet ready to commit to possibly cap tying herself to the United States so maybe she turned down an invitation to be a part of that 18 player roster or maybe she was offered the opportunity to be an alternate and she didn’t think that would be the best fit for her development there are range of things that that could have happened when when this decision was made I’m glad you brought that up specifically so I did a little bit of reporting reached out to somebody uh in Lily’s camp and got a little bit of Intel for you so I was able to confirm that Lily was selected as one of the alternates but not picked for the 18 player roster when you hear that there’s obviously a decision to make I think we all know that Lily yannes is as a non-cap tied player she is eligible to have the future of her International Football played either here for the states or for the Netherlands now got another uh piece of pretty tasty Intel here so when asked if Lily would have played had she been selected to the 18 the answer to that question was maybe when asked you know with the Euro qualifiers coming up will Lily test the waters with the Dutch the answer to that also maybe so I think reading between the lines there I think maybe there could have been potentially some disappointment around not making the 18 especially after you know that performance against South Korea and ultimately you know her Club form as well pretty much all year I don’t think anybody that has watched all of these these players play in their domestic leagues in these big time tournaments uh or in some of these us WT warm-ups would have you know blinked twice at Lily making the squad based on what we saw so yeah I gotta imagine there was some disappointment there I’m I know that your boys here at the ITC definitely disappointed and yeah I think we just have to kind of play the waiting game and see what it means for their play on the field yeah I mean look at you you got sources you got information as we’ve we’ve pointed out the ITC is a journalist Enterprise I would not blame any player who has the opportunity to look at two of the world’s best programs to try to make an informed decision unless they were blown away by an opportunity and I I will say let’s take a look at what Emma Hayes had said at her press conference quote Lily was a consideration for this roster but yes at this moment Lily has not made a decision about her future I really do hope she will be part of our future but at this moment she was not ready to make that decision end quote so from some of your reporting I think again this is a tale as old as time when it comes to International Football rosters that the truth is a little squishy uh in terms of the way third parties like us can kind of determine what’s happened I think Emma Hayes chose her words very carefully in that press conference on purpose and um needless to say I trust the reporting of you and the into the channel podcast in general enal so I just leave that there in terms of what I think the most truthful telling of of what happened is but I will just say this regardless of the end reason why Johannes is not on this roster here is what needs to happen you have a teenager with a skill level intelligence physical skills that your Federation has a responsibility to present with a real plan as how that player is going to fit into your future you should do that for any top prospect let alone a top prospect who has the opportunity to go play for another footballing Power who you might see in the World Cup just like you saw the Dutch in this past World Cup uh just like you’ve played the Dutch in a World Cup Final in 2019 so this is a decision that could reverberate in World Cups for the foreseeable future you can see how how tournaments or just matches especially can turn on one play one one stroke of Brilliance and you know Johannes is the type of player who is capable of providing that moment of Brilliance she’s already doing it in big matches at 16 so I don’t want to go too high on the soap box here but if I was a member of US soccer I would do what I had to do to say here is a vision for how we see a great young Talent with you not only just thriving in our system But continuing to build on the skills that you already have here’s the program here’s the vision here’s what we’re going to do and I don’t think it’s out of bounds for Emma Hayes to make some kind of assurances and they’re not even really difficult assurances to make Lily if you continue to play as well as you’re playing in in your Club form you have a spot on our roster is that like would that be a crazy promise to make I don’t think so I mean if she was you know selected as an alternate for this this was a World Cup then obviously she’s in if she if we understand she’s in that pool of three or four or five alternates right the part that really bugs me I mean we as a Duo as a show Discover lannes at the at the at the front end of uh our Champions League coverage and I think it was just sort of like a hey this is cool did you know that there was a player like an American player on on on this Ajax team yeah to go from that to watch her Champions League Journey watched what she’s done in her domestic League watch what she did I think she was on the she believes roster didn’t didn’t see the field then you get the first South Korea match no minutes there second South Korea match absolute detonation MH Emma Hayes and this Federation couldn’t have been in a better position like things could not have gone better right like it’s an explosion she’s sort of like running the internet like you know for for those two three days and then we kind of dropped the ball felt like we had the inside track we being in the United States United States had the inside track no longer have the inside track it feels a little bit like a tossup feels a little bit like a missed opportunity and that’s before we even think about there’s an actual tournament to be played with at least one Behemoth out there that’s going to keep me up a couple nights between now and the end of July so all in all it’s hard not to look at this as not a missed opportunity yeah totally agree even when we started covering the Women’s Champions League starting at the group stage uh we started covering it closely we always are careful not to Heap a ton of pressure on a 16-year-old person but the potential consequences of missing out on a player like this could could really be punitive for the for the Federation and the team as a whole so I think you’re right I think they lost the inside track and now I mean the players they just have to put their head down and focus on the football I don’t think that was ever going to be a problem but I think if you’re if you’re walking around in the front offices of the Federation you you better figure out a way to make this right yeah I believe that I want to scoot ahead to my second snub probably our second snub I feel comfortable saying that yeah arguably the the best player WSL this season a really strong case could be made Cay Bon doesn’t make the final 18 makes it on as an alternate what was your first thought when you saw that bit of news I went back to the same saying and I say it every time I feel like Club form has to matter in these decisions I get that that number 10 spot is a little crowded with heran and LVL Macario you could play Shaw there also I also get that bethon is an uncapped player and and was an alternate in the last set of friendlies so you know I think I think the decision to play Savannah Dello in the last World Cup as a previously uncapped player I think she had three caps when she played in the when she started in the World Cup yeah I could understand why that would be tricky but what’s a team that you can think of that you could drop Croy beun in and she wouldn’t find a way to be successful doesn’t exist to me it doesn’t exist I mean um obviously they’re different players we just talked about getting dropped into that Korea match with just as few caps like and she doesn’t even play in this domestic League you know so she’s meeting a lot of these people maybe but to think about Cay Bon and you know we’ll kind of kind of go unit by unit here but when you think about the midfielders it really must have come down to Corbin Albert Rose lville Kat marcario Lily ohannes C bethon I think it the the choice ended up being three of these five now I gotta say you know we did we did some uh some brainstorming about what like a lily ohannes Cy bethon Midfield would have looked like how Unstoppable that might have been it’s looking like we might end up with neither if uh if corbon stays in the alternate pool and as I thought about you know this team I gotta say I I am a little bit worried when you look at that Midfield about a potential lack of creativity maybe a lack of playmaking setting aside Sam coffee who’s going to be I think in a more defensive position you’ve got 19-year-old Jaden Shaw 13 nwsl appearances three goals one assist so she’s cooled off a little bit from that super hot usw andt start Corbin Albert 27 appearances for PSG and all comps zero assists Lindsay heran three assists 22 appearances Rose lvll she’s a genius Creator we know that zero assist in 10 nwsl appearances for Gotham C marcario probably the only player in kind of like assist form you know so she had 12 appearances for Chelsea all competitions six assists across those 12 so recent form she’s been able to distribute playmake create goals from her position on the field now I think when we play these more disciplined higher IQ football countries in this tournament that Midfield without a bethon without a yanis you know maybe it’s not Rose’s day maybe that she’s dealing with like a little a little calf strain God forbid Lindsay heran I think she has obviously her strengths you know an amazing player with regard to what she does well but you don’t really think of her as that pinging the ball like just that offensive creative genius right you know to essentially just be able to manufacture a goal with her mind so I don’t know man like am I am I losing it a little bit with regards to just kind of like processing this news and you know dealing with some of the disappointment or do you think there’s any validity to you know is our Midfield going to be creative enough against those absolute Giants in that tournament it’s a great question I think it’s a super valid question I think you wonder what Jenna nicewonger is going to be able to bring from the defense I think you get some creativity there I think depending on where you play Crystal Dunn Crystal Dunn has an ability to whether she’s playing at right back or right wing or on the left like close your eyes and just do a circle and then point to a spot on a football field you could play Crystal dun there I think Dunn has an amazing ability to get people to Ping the ball around I think she has that chemistry with with heran that kind of makes heran go okay yeah one to right here like this is like where’re where we can play fast we can make quick decisions but I think overall I think your point is correct that this Midfield with a lack of creation a team like Spain that is so smart and so organized in defense a team like France who has Wendy Renard and Sakina khawi and Alisa de Dale MAA they’ll smother you they can figure out where the ball will go if you are not playing with like an effervescence and a level of creativity and so when you go against those world powers I think you might be in a little bit of trouble we talked about more in in reference to Barcelona which is Loosely almost the same team as the Spanish national team close we talked about their ability to not only take away like the first P like the first outlet but like the second outlet and most of the times the third outlet they were really going to make they were only going to get beat by some non-traditional runs or passes that were a little bit tough to see or like a you know it’s like almost like a quarterback where they make you go through all the reads and the only thing that they leave you with is like the full back in the flat then you you throw it to him it knocks off his face mask and then you got to punt one more snub maybe borderline snub got to be mentioned the great Alex Morgan quick salute to Alex Morgan obviously us WT Legend probably on the Mount Rushmore greatest American players of all time that’s an easy argument to make for sure tremendous career but glad she didn’t make the team okay okay I think the for the form hasn’t quite been there you know we saw a little bit of a rocky World Cup last summer and seen some moments seen some flashes but you know we’ve talked about the roster limit a ton so I wasn’t too disappointed I’ll say we’re also loaded you know in those attacking spots we’re going to go unit by unit kind of like dive in there but just wanted to give Alex Mor a quick shout out got to but like you said one of the greatest players in the history of the program that’s a hard Mount Rushmore to crack by the way but like you said said she has an absolute legitimate argument to crack it I think that says that says it all right there like you said we’re going to talk about each unit but the named forwards Crystal Dunn Trinity Rodman Jaden Shaw Sophia Smith mallerie Swanson in 2024 who do you who do you take Alex Morgan over in that group I don’t think there’s a player yeah I wouldn’t say not a player not not considering current form yeah you could look at Crystal done but to your earlier point so versatile player anywhere and I think you think about about the roster limitations that’s an incredibly Valuable Player type to include so yeah tough to make an argument for any of those players uh giving up that spot for Alex Morgan let’s hear from the Legend herself as she posted on Twitter quote today I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage this will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense Pride any time I put on the crest in less than a month I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country lfg end quote classy response from her it does it’s the right response from her she’s a leader uh in the squad we’ve talked about that for a while it’s who she is like you said salute to Alex Morgan forever a legend she’ll get her retirement tour she’ll get her last matches uh with the US Women’s National Team wherever they come and people will come out and they’ll sell out that stadium and they’ll celebrate her as they should 100% well deserved and super classy you know wouldn’t expect anything less from The Legend let’s go unit by unit I want to go back to front talk a little bit about who’s in who’s not in what we think that unit’s going to be capable of producing and maybe where what some of the shortcomings might be something to keep an eye on uh I think it’s going to give us a good chance to to really kind of talk through who made that final list let’s start with the goalkeepers so we have alistaire of the Chicago Red stars and Casey Murphy of the North Carolina courage M part for the course is the US Women’s National team playing football yes is alistaire healthy yes Alysa nir is goalkeeper one Casey Murphy is an excellent goalkeeper Jane Campbell is an excellent goalkeeper uh and she is listed on the alternates I think you could make an argument maybe for Campbell over Murphy depending on on who you like and what style you like but this is sewn up from Jump Street you watch Alyssa n Play She’s the starting goalkeeper for the US Women’s National Team and you never know when you might need to go into penalties in a tournament so gotta have her on the roster yep and you already know if we do go to penalties we’re already up one- nothing because pretty much n’s gonna n’s gonna blast one in in addition to denying two three maybe four who knows let’s have a little fun with the roster so let’s also kind of pick a starting unit as we go so you already mentioned goalkeeper listen Aire she’s penciled in penned in sharped in however you want to do that as our keeper so let’s talk Defenders all right left back I don’t think there’s any real difficult decision here I think it’s Jenna nicewonger I’m going to go ahead and try to get the nickname off uh think car I think uh nice swonger is from Huntington Beach California what do you think about the nickname California Carmona if Ola Carmona was born in California in the United States I believe that player would be Jenna nicewonger so I’m gonna put nicewonger starting at left back I like that uh she’s also a Florida State seol so maybe she could be a seol labaer oh there you go have some fun here if we’re talking Defenders if we’re talking US Women’s National Team I’ve got the Sharpie here on Deck there we go I’m going to go Naomi GMA I don’t even know really what else we need to say here tremendous Defender tremendous passer tremendous settler down of things when things are getting a little too heated so gma’s got to be in that starting lineup I can’t imagine there would be a scenario where you wouldn’t start GMA outside of injury absolute lock glad to see her on the team I don’t think there was ever going to be any doubt about that um so we’ve got two spots sewn up yeah absolutely let’s think about about gma’s Center back partner who I think is looked really good next to GMA in certain situations uh I already selected uh Jenna nicewonger from Gotham FC let’s just double up TIA Davidson also from Gotham FC and has proved herself to be an intelligent partner with GMA in the center back position I think if you’re playing four in the back I feel like it’s settled and personally I wanted to say Davidson to do the Gotham Synergy from the two picks that I have I think the next player that you might name not spoil it might play for a club that you care about in some ways absolutely right um and that is my Gunners Emily Fox right back I mean she’s rock solid as well and also pretty Dynamic offensively you know she gets up the field really really quickly really smart player physically I think she’s kind of like a sneaky great athlete too oh yeah kind of like when you watch her turn the heat down turn the volume down on uh on some of the attacks that she faces just a cool player to have out there in this type of tournament so I’m glad she made it so we will pencil those in Fox GMA Davidson nicewonger as our ITC starting for couple of their names to hit um we recorded that preview show I think a couple months back that uh Olympic roster draft that we did so we had Sonet on our list Casey Krueger we did not have on our list that was one of the two that we missed what do we need to know about Krueger and Sonet we’ll say it again Club form matters I think Casey Krueger has just been absolute Dynamite for Washington this year she was listed in that episode anybody wants to go back and and check the tapes I think that’s one of our most watched uh episodes if I remember correctly Casey Krueger was one of my first Cuts she was one of one of the toughest cuts that I had because I love her versatility uh she started that play in the spirits last match against Gotham where where she is just sprinting up field to get the ball over to bethon to eventually lead to the goal Krueger has great instincts great physicality and she can get up the field for you when you need from the right back spot and her age and maturity I am less worried about because we have such a deep Defender roster I think that she should be just fine and she is well deserved in this position she’s one of these players that Advan stage I think we’re okay saying that but she can still fly she can still absolutely cook uh when she sees something so ultimately you know if she could still you know Scorch Defenders like that and make the right plays make the right passes I I don’t think age is really any kind of factor here she’s also kind of like Rock Solid healthwise so I think that was a great call getting her on and I think it’s safe to say her play I don’t want to say that maybe it elevated but she’s been playing at a very very high level since our Olympic show so I think if we if we would have run that back I think it’s probably a different conversation I think we had Eva gtino in that spot who was probably having a moment but yeah Casey Krueger one of those first names that we called out for our our toughest Cuts yep any Defenders that you were surprised not to see on the list you know obviously Sam stab got a little bit of run in some of these warm-up type matches Abby doer I think was Loosely kind of in the conversation as well yep any surprises there I think it came down to stab and Krueger likely just because Emily sonnet’s versatility where you could play her at defensive mid or Center back if you need I think sonnet was probably a lock her experience her leadership so I think it was probably between stab and and Krueger and I think maybe there’s a little bit of duplication between what stab can give you and what Davidson can give you and that may have been the tiebreaker you could just station Krueger out there at right back and you’ll be a okay so I think that’s probably the nod but it doesn’t take anything away from what Sam stab has been able to accomplish this season great run she’ll have another look at the national team the next time they’re picking I’m I’m certain of it yeah super welld deserved too yeah I think we landed on the right uh six Defenders let’s shift gears to the Midfield so we talked a little bit about that when we talked about our couple biggest Nubs uh Lilly cun let’s pick our starters here so kick us off with who you think needs to be sharpied in to this US Women’s National Team Midfield I know you got your Sharpie over there but you know I keep one on Deck myself Sam coffee in the defensive Midfield has to be there the creativity the chemistry with Lindsay heran that we’ve seen uh the chemistry frankly with GMA that we’ve seen she’s a player that can play physical can get forward when you need but is really just going to be a defensive stalwart back there Nob brainer for me makes sense I’m gonna take the easy Road here and give and leave you with the hard pick give me Lindsay heran in the Midfield uh we talked about that haran coffee pairing and them just going straight Bulldog on on these teams just harassing and let’s win the ball back ASAP I kind of like that that new spot for Lindsay heran like a little little deeper little bit more aggressive B more defensive get the ball up field to some of those more uh you know dynamic Runners and players I think haran’s probably pencil in as a starter as well on my end yeah for sure I I think she might be stronger than pencil I think she’ll I think she’ll wear the captain’s armband when you send her out there I mean and when heran comes off you give the arm band to GMA okay can we agree on on this we’re likely to play a 4231 yes so we have our four Defenders we have coffee who will be one of the defensive midfielders and then you have heran are you envisioning heran as the other defensive midfielder I actually am yeah I love that we obviously watched a ton of Leon this year Champions League where she was the most dangerous was kind of in the Midfield more in defensive postures just making it difficult winning balls back you know moving the ball up field um she obviously had her moments where you know she’s more in attacking spaces but she can do that where other midfielders can’t necess neily do that she’s so good yep so I think you just want to utilize that and especially if they’re if we’re going 4 2 31 that makes a ton of sense pair her up a same coffee a little bit deeper and that pairing looked great in that first matchup against uh South Korea U understanding the level of competition there but I think you’re spoton if you play heran a little deeper she can get forward on on set pieces Corner kicks things like that she can also help kind of Drive the offense kind of help create some space for your attacking players up there when needed I think that’ll suit her just fine okay so let’s think about our our three across so this will be an easy pick for me on the left wing uh you play Sophia Smith there no no doubt about it no doubt about it my MVP pick she’s definitely in that top two or three uh MVP conversation at NWS she’s absolutely cooking scored another goal for Portland from distance she’s obviously racking up assists left and right this season I am definitely envisioning a different Sophie Smith this tournament than we saw in the World Cup um Smith might be the player that looks the most different from the World Cup I think I went put little half a take chip on that oo nice I’ll go on the right side little bit of a cheat here as well dust off the old Sharpie here pop the top and uh we’ll go little Trinity Rodman and uh I think she’s an absolute lock in that spot yeah I mean what’s not to like I’ve loved her chemistry with Emily Fox on that right hand side also now you just have two you talk about Fox’s physicality which is such a great Point by you I I know we talked about it when I was over there and I watched Arsenal take on Manchester City and Emily Fox was just engaged in a wrestling match with Lauren hemp for 70 minutes while she was on the field you’re going to get that from Fox and now you put Rodman on that right side when fox makes those forward runs and she’s trying to create some mismatches and create some player advantages up there Rodman will just Sprint back on defense if you need her to Rodman’s service into into the attacking penalty area her smart and her kind of ability to like pull back and then kick it back to Fox who then can play it to heran and you can kind of reset from there you’re totally right Rodman is a no-brainer so let me ask you this for our number 10 for the the the center attacking midfielder here are we doing who we would put in or who we believe Emma Hayes is going to put in that spot let’s go who we would put in I’m Still A Jaden Shaw True Believer I know she’s young I just feel like she’s been put in in a tricky situation at times with the San Diego wave obviously with the addition of Maria Sanchez the wave have have been able to put Shaw a little more centrally she needs more time she’s a dynamic player she’s a brilliant player she has great Pace she can pass will she be the absolute Central Hub of your offense probably not but when you have haran in that position and you have Smith and Rodman on the ends and you have nicewonger contributing to that I still just count me as like I said A Jaden Shaw True Believer put her at number 10 let her cook and let’s let’s see how she does I like it and I appreciate you taking the tougher the tougher challenge of that number 10 spot see who’s goingon to go there U all right so Shaw’s in R 11 and then Up Front Gotta Go M Swanson I think um she’s just having an unbelievable year her A++ is as good or better than anybody else’s A++ like when she’s on and she’s making a play or making plays plural I mean she’s just a Marvel to watch and I I think um she just can hit Heights that you know you just don’t see other players hit so I think she’s got to be there as well we actually landed on the exact 11 that I had written in my handy dandy notebook which also doubles as the ITC record book excellent let’s talk about a couple of those players actually we didn’t mention a couple in the Midfield um so I want to rewind back a little bit roosevel Corbin Albert what do you see as their roles on the team and obviously we hit the snubs already I don’t know if we have any extra any snubs above and beyond we already did but anything to note with regard to what you’re expecting from a lavel or Corbin Albert I think you nailed it earlier when you talked about lvll I think if you’re in a group stage match and you need to play lvll at number 10 instead of Jaden Shaw if Shaw gives you a really tough 90 let me just couch it by saying this the reason I asked is this who we’re putting in or who we think Emma Hayes is going to put in is because I’m pretty sure cat marcario is going to play in that number 10 roll I mean if we’re just being honest with ourselves and and you brought up her assist numbers Kat marcario is a player I I do not mean any shade to her in in any way I just I am in the tank for Jaden Shaw I think her speed and her intelligence is fantastic and I want to see her develop more and how are you going to develop her more play her in the big spots and let her cook but I do think Macario will be there and if marcario needs some rest you could absolutely play LVL in that number 10 spot but where I most likely see LVL is a Super Sub in the second half to give you 30 minutes to give you 25 minutes if she needs to if things are going really South she can give you 45 you just bring her in after the half so you know I think that kind of rotation of Shaw marcario LVL I think that’s what we’re probably in for in the center of the field that makes a lot of sense I could definitely see marcario starting obviously the Chelsea connection there has got to be strong with her and Emma haes Switching gears back to the forwards the one player left that is on the roster didn’t make our starting 11 but obviously I’m sure he’s going to see a ton of the field Crystal done you talked about her a little bit earlier what do you think her role is going to be on this squad it could be really interesting when you are playing some teams that are just going to be you know play that European style of football they’re going to be real physical with Trinity Rodman and you know I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Crystal Dunn play some rightwing in this setup I wouldn’t be surprised if if you have some players getting physical with Jenna nicewonger you could play Crystal Dunn at left back also I think you could play Crystal Crystal dun if you want to set up in a more traditional 433 or even a 343 depending on what the situation calls for you could play Crystal dun at right midfield if you need to so the pivot Points of dun and sonnet’s versatility and frankly alongside with with Macario and Shaw of like okay where are you going to be in the attack or do we need to float you a little further back in the field and kind of have a more of a defensive posture it’s an easy bet to say we see Crystal dun play both at the forward spot and as a defender in this tournament wow yeah I think she’s just had an extremely valuable piece that 18 players really just does make it interesting because it’s like you really have to be thinking through all these different scenarios you mentioned something that’s kind of been knocking around my head since you said it when you were talking about Jaden Shaw maybe not necessarily being a central Hub of the offense offense Central Hub of the offense you look that up in the dictionary picture of cro Bon true with regard to like that type of uh of persona does this us roster have that profile of a player Central Hub of the offense it’s the person you always kind of look for obviously Lil johanes has that profile Cory Bon also has that profile it does kind of feel like the roster that’s been put together is maybe missing that maybe that is a little bit of a hint as to what kind of style we want to play we talked about like the Orlando Pride last week where it just felt like okay they’ve got eight players that are going forward and the goal can come from any combination of any two or any three or maybe one if there’s like a turnover in a bad spot it does feel like the way that this roster is constructed is a little bit along those lines like let’s get smart fast physical attacking players that can make quick decisions like you were talking about haran and done earlier that can just run ping the ball fire the ball and like we’ll live with 18 20 23 24 Shots and maybe possession H I don’t know is that such such a big deal it doesn’t feel like uh with this roster that sort of European possession style that we’re talking to lean serson about too it doesn’t feel like this is the exact roster for that type of vision I think you’re totally right man I think without bethon I think it’s harder to play that kind of style but I I always kind of jokingly point out that you and I have not yet been signed to a coaching staff so I I do think perhaps go out on a Lim on this one Emma Hayes knows a little bit more about football than us and maybe she would just look at both of us and say that’s what I have cat marcario for that’s why I signed her to Chelsea Football Club that’s who she is and that’s what she’s going to prove to everybody so if I could just kind of go off on on my own like mini topic here in terms of the player I’m most excited to see how they’re used number one with a bullet is cat marcario because I think that Emma Hayes has a vision for her her that we do not yet see and now it is a matter of did we not see her in that Vision because we want to see a player more of the profile of bethon fill that void or and I know this is would sound crazy everybody who watches the show perhaps that M Hayes knows better than us yeah I’m not ready to say that just yet can’t be no um I mean that could very well be the case let’s just suppose Shaw and marcario sure I think over the last 12 months for the US wom National team wearing that Jersey Shaw has been a more impactful player does that mean she’s a better player who knows does that mean she’s going to be played better in the Olympics who knows but I think marcario we’re still kind of waiting to see it post injury yes for this us team right so I think we’re all hoping to see it and to your point maybe no better Coach no better manager than Emma Hayes to construct a scenario a situation where marcario can actually shine and really be you know a real Lynch pin for this team because now if you’ve got her in that spot and you’ve got her vision you got Smith you’ve got Rodman you got Swanson you know maybe other players kind of streaking through a nice swong or a fox who likes to they both like to kind of creep up that could be the recipe and I think you know to your point absolutely on the board super duper live that mem ha has got some stuff up her sleeve so folks can please chime in and correct me if I’m wrong but I believe gab marcario returned from injury I believe it was the March 3D match against Leicester City where she scored a goal in the 18 minutes that she played in that match looks like she appeared in another one two three four five six seven matches in League Play in that time in those seven matches that she played in she had the one goal in the first match she returned and five assists uh in the WSL uh a tough league so it was one goal five assists and four matches started in a total of eight matches played 358 total minutes so she was able to make a pretty quick impact upon her return there in the WSL but I think you’re right I think what Hayes is banking on here is this is just the tip of the iceberg she’s not even all the way back yet the date you come back is not the date you’re in your full Prime again no way so I think she’s she’s very clearly counting on that that’s what makes me so excited to see how it looks when she’s on the field 100% I think I agree with you Emma Hayes got something up her sleeve I think I agree with you that Emma haes will start Macario in that number 10 spot and give her those three attacking players to pick out I want to fast forward here I know it’s early I know we only got this uh this roster news a few hours ago it’s been a crazy day at uh one of our ITC headquarters satellite offices Florida Division nice I want to make some predictions I want to do a little look ahead sure you I want to look at the field this is early I understand way way way too early but I want to start projecting forward again against some of these big in the tournament and kind of see how we feel my first question we’ll just kind of cut right to the chase Spain can this team beat them has this team been constructed in such a way that you feel confident that this team can get past a Spain I don’t think there’s a team in the world that I would say I feel confident who can get past Spain in a semi-final or a final they’re the best team in the world they won the World Cup they beat the lionesses in that World Cup final I wish it was a little closer in that final we played him well I mean I’m just going full Wei here I think people who watch this podcast know I an England supporter I thought the lionesses were going to win the win the world cup from the start of the tournament we had a great team we have a great manager and we went up against Spain and it’s just like God what do you do against this team they’re just so smart they’re physical they’re more skilled than you are they have a great goalkeeper they have the best the single best player in the world they might have the third and fourth and the fifth best player in the world also I think it would be crazy to feel confident that any team could beat them but is it on the board that’s why they play the games I gotta say this was a weird feeling and you know I always like to try to keep it really real I’m not here to just throw out takes willy-nilly you know just for the clicks or the views or the the watch hours I’m not really you know playing that game of course but I got to say no Johannes no bethon made me less enthusiastic about challenging Spain just flat out like those players their ability to receive the ball pivot make a smart pass make a quick pass make a long pass and put it on the money those are the skills that you need against the Spain because like we talked about they’ll take away your first Outlet they’ll take away your second outlet and most of the time they’ve got to beat on the third Outlet so you you’ve got to be crisp with regard to your Precision your decision- making and really like your ball skills loose touch like they will gobble that up like immediately instantaneously that Ball’s gone we obviously covered the World Cup last summer so we were familiar well we got familiar with these players but obviously like a full Champions League cycle I just want to name some dudes or dudets that play for the Spanish the Spanish national team so it made the news today batri she returned to the Spanish national team almost two years after first declaring herself unavailable with the whole sort of Spanish Football Federation foolishness that was going on there you know obviously they they’ve done a lot of work to kind of try to clean things up still a lot of work to do for sure but she’s back and she’ll be joining selo itana bti Olga Carmona Mara Cente onab Irene Peres Alexia PES Jenny hermoso katako Esther Gonzalez Albert Rondo ATA de Castillo from a Madrid Teresa aera Claudia zornosa Leia codina Evana Andres Jesus they there’s a lot of good players man there’s a lot of great players I didn’t I wasn’t counting maybe we’ll just do the dings in the edit but I feel like I named 18 players right they’re just like 18 allst stars God that they’ve got and the key is they play the same brand of football they’re all in the same wavelength they all know what they’re doing there’s a chemistry and a Synergy and a synchronicity to their game that you look at this us roster I kind of feel like things have to break the US’s way for them to kind of take home the gold medal here even with this super stacked 18 that Ma’s put together I mean you list off those players I I just don’t know how anybody’s going to be able to beat him and I I I realized like you know no team is Invincible but we saw the way France looked against Spain in the Nations League final and France you could rattle off their roster too just like you rattle off the names on team USA’s roster and they’re stacked and they couldn’t do anything against Spain in that Nations League final everything was way wide they couldn’t get anybody into any kind of space where they were really threatening on goal and they were just suffocated throughout the match I think you know Spanish football you think about a level of creativity and you think about the passing but just you have such an organized defense back there and an organized defense that not only shuts you down but when you talk about they have the ability to take away all of your Outlets somehow they’re able to take away all of your outlets and then they always have one outlet that you’re like oh no over there you can’t and you can’t get to it and they turn defense into offense so quickly I am very very very interested to see how they line up uh in their group stage matches and it’s not going to be easy for Spain as great of a team as they are as an overwhelming favorite as I believe they are in their group they have Japan Brazil and Nigeria none of those three teams are going to make it easy on them none of them are going to let them off the hook they’re going to play physical Japan is going to be extremely organized we saw Japan blast Spain four to nil in their only loss in the in the 2023 World Cup yeah so you know Spain is going to be way up for that match I mean we are just in for an all-tim and now we’re looking at Spain how much of an all-timer are you are you going to be like the Spanish men’s team that won that 2008 Euro the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euro can you put yourself in that Stratosphere they can see it I know they can feel that they can do it it’s just a matter of getting it done I think I agree with that last I checked the US is actually the betting favorite so they’re at sitting at plus 175 Spain’s at plus 200 France plus 450 Japan to your point being a tough Squad they’re the fourth lowest odds plus 750 to win this tournament so Spain’s have their work cut out for them but to your point they are the best team in the world it’s so funny because we got Spain France in the Nations League final we got Barcelona Leon in the Champions League final m in both of those matches the French sides couldn’t hold the ball yeah and they had wild attacking players you know you look at France cascarino deani Coto you look at Leon the same cascarino deani and then who did they have dour in the middle and agara in the Midfield they had you know Bosa running up the left so like they had real real attacking options Barcelona and Spain however you want to look at it made them look like the JV team right there was a level of surprise with the Nations league and then there was a bigger level of surprise when we saw the almost exact same outcome in the Champions League final so the last thing I’ll say about the Spanish side is you’re not going to beat them on pure physicality you’re not just going to be able to kick it over the top run onto it or Trinity Robin’s just not going to be able to run past whoever they’ve got there Baer or Carmon whoever because they’re so small smart that they’ll just take away your angle right they’ll just say hey I’m not going to give you the edge I’m going to take away the sideline I’m gonna Force you back inside and perz is gonna step up yep you know or B is gonna step up or carmone is gonna step up or any of those Midfield players that that love to mix it up defensively as well so it’s going to be interesting to see uh Emma Hayes obviously saw that Barcelona side up close in the backto back champions league semifinals so she got a good look at a lot of these Spanish players and obviously has finger on the pulse of uh what’s happening in Europe uh that’s I think one of the reasons why we’re so excited I know you like to kind of put your pep hat on and you know start thinking formations and you know some of these matchups and you start playing playing playing a little bit of that is there an area where you think the US might have an advantage or or somewhere on the Spain side where they could be exploited did the Spanish team announced their roster they haven’t announced their roster but you could you can see I think the 24 or 25 players that they have in Camp so of the players that I mentioned all those players that I mentioned are in Camp did you mention Mappy is Mappy Leon gonna play um I think it’s still TBD okay because buddy it might be right up the middle of the field if Mappy is not there then maybe you got a shot there and like you’ve talked about M Swanson you and I are firmly entrenched in the mallerie Swanson fan club if you can work the ball from nice swonger maybe into Macario try to create some mismatches there try to get the ball to Swanson I mean maybe you have Smith running in there and she draws some attention and she dishes it to Swanson middle of the field might be your best bet I mean but like you talked about you still got Petes in there you’re going to have Andres in there if you don’t have Mappy in there and then you know you’re going to have itana bonea lurking to take the ball off you if you’re not paying close attention and it might even be potri or Alexia back there who who can track back on defense uh or just be in the right position and take the off you but I’ll be real interested to see the potential for a Rodman Carmona matchup you got to explore that I mean Emma Hayes isn’t going to be afraid to try to go to that Trinity Rodman for damn sure is not going to be afraid to match up with anybody in the world she’ll like her chances if I had to put on the pep hat as you know I’m one to do um I would wonder where can we find joy in the middle of the field I like that yeah and I hate to kind of go back to the snub piece but with be really nice to have bth there or johanes there that you could just get the ball and you know it’s going to get pinged right right in the right direction to kind of keep it moving because we’ve talked about this in the nwsl too like the chances because of the physicality in that League the chances fizzle very very quickly I think against the Spain side it’s the same they’re just smothering and you know Lindsay heran who we had penned in borderline Sharpie into our starting lineup we saw her struggle yeah against that Barcelona side and not really be able to make an impact so it is a little scary well let me backtrack and say I think it’s going to be really really exciting if we get to see these two teams lock up that’s just some some real real championship football uh being played and I’m gonna be excited to see that hell yeah I mean there’s just between these these groups let’s just go over real quick group a Canada Colombia France New Zealand Group B Australia Germany USA Zambia Group C as we mentioned Brazil Japan Nigeria Spain bangers all up and down the Slate I mean tell me you’re not in to watch USA Zambia or USA Germany USA Australia just to be able to get the opportunity to maybe see that match up against Japan Spain France Colombia Canada this is just going to be a banger all the way throughout I think also with the quick turnarounds the short rosters I think we’re going to see upsets pretty much up and down the bracket we’re going to be surprised by which teams make it out of the group stage I would say any of those 12 teams you know minus maybe I don’t know like a New Zealand against like a Spain it kind of feels like any results is in play yeah totally fair and I it’s a great point about the quick turnaround it’s going to be very interesting to see how these managers are are rotating the squads how the substitution patterns look so while like in the traditional football calendar the Olympics is kind of looked at as an afterthought I think women’s football has done a great job of making this a massive tournament with the very best teams in the world save Great Britain but with all of the rest of the greatest teams in the world that you just have to get excited about like you said any result is possible in pretty much any of these matches absolutely all right man I think we uh thoroughly covered well actually really quick prediction this un swims national team do we medal what kind of medal is that that medal made out of is this kind of like a a Ring the Alarm type catastrophe uh with with a group stage exit what’s your official way too early prediction for this USM assass show team to beer show got to do it hey too thirsty got too excited for this uh for this tournament let’s just crack that I like I think USA I mean I guess we got to think about like where the draw ends up uh let’s do some quick quick maths here all right so USA is in group b let’s go through the thought exercise can USA win Group B with Australia Germany and Zambia yes let’s let’s put them as the winners of Group B Germany’s plus a th000 to win the tournament USA’s plus 175 that’s pretty hefty spread between those two okay so 1B in The Knockout stage is going to play the second place team in group C so who do we think is going to finish second in group C that group is Brazil Japan Nigeria and Spain I feel comfortable saying Spain is likely going to win that group mhm we like Brazil we love Japan we love the super Falcons out of Nigeria who do you got coming second place in group C I think it’s got to be Japan I mean Brazil’s got great players I think internationally they just haven’t been able to put it all the way together for whatever reason so give me Japan okay second place finishers man that is a tough draw for the USA coming out of the group man um man uh I think well quarterfinal exit I mean that would be that would be disappointing I think even though I mean you got to really think like is losing to Japan that disappointing let’s say they make it past Japan let’s say they’re able to use the physicality they’re able to win uh some set pieces and they’re able to get it through they would then play the winner of the second place team from group a and the second place team from Group B what are you thinking probably Germany I don’t know you got the copper Queens in there let’s let’s say Germany all right so that that one’s going to end up being Germany versus the second place team from group a what do you say in group a maybe Canada win or pardon me France probably wins group a at home in Paris who do you like between Canada Columbia and New Zealand I think Canada’s been coming on but um I think Colombia I think if Ramirez is right I think Colombia would have what it takes to to maybe outduel Canada take that second spot so Germany columb colia is that the yeah jeez okay Germany vers Columbia that sounds familiar oh yes these teams met in the World Cup group stage uh where Linda kaiso scored an absolute Banger in the 52nd minute and then Vegas scores in 90 plus 7 to defeat Germany so now you ask yourself do we have a Revenge game for Germany over in Europe or do we have Colombia getting the better of them once again I got to feel like 23 World Cup maybe Columbia was being overlooked a little bit cuz they just seemed to catch everybody by surprise like it was just like oh wow this they’re playing really hard and they’re playing really physical and um we weren’t quite ready for this I have to think Germany’s one of those teams kind of along with France where it’s like all right one of these you know you just look at the look at the roster they are always the dark horses right Germany and France so fully knowing that I’m still G to walk right into that trap and say I think Germany you know maybe could be a little dangerous put something together here I would have them getting past Colombia little bit of a Revenge game I like that they’ll be ready they’ll have some tape and then we’ll get a group stage rematch looks like maybe with Germany and the old USA there you go and so second time seeing each other I wouldn’t be shocked if in the first match it ended as a draw mhm you know as long as we’re going down the full prediction Rabbit Hole I think the states could get past Germany I I respect a lot of the players on the on the German national team obviously saw a lot of them in the Champions League and we’ve got to see a lot of them in frown Bundesliga for wolburg as well but I think the states could could probably get past them in a semi-final matchup so that would likely lead us to play either France or Spain in the final that okay that works for me because I wanted to make sure that I checked out that we weren’t like I mean if if something weird happens and we have to face Spain because they finish second in group C that is worst case scenario if you ask me but let say they play Spain in the final I am going to predict United States Women’s National team will be your silver medalists in the 2024 Summer Olympics I’d love to have a different take than that but I I think I also have them as The Silver I mean you look at that stretch Japan Germany Spain France or even if it’s Colombia Colombia would be tough as well y that’s just a tough road and that’s if you finish first and the group I think they do catch a break uh with regard to Spain and France going at each other but Spain just walked right over France in the Nations League final I don’t expect anything different they just seem to have their number I don’t think I would pick in our way too early predictions I don’t think I would pick pick this us team to get past Spain so I I agree with you I think silver medal is the right look here all right and that’s nothing to be ashamed of I I think at this point of the footballing journey after you kind of have the reset of the 2023 World Cup you lose some players who have just aged out of the the golden generation or at this point it’s like the second or third golden generation in the history of the US Women’s National Team I don’t think there’s any shame in a silver medal in in an Olympics that is this competitive yeah I think that would be a positive outcome and to your early point about the Japan matchup if you lose that one that’s one of those where I think the casuals be really upset but it’s it’s a real Hooper no kind of situation where it’s like ah you know Japan that’s a tough team’s good that’s a very losable game yes and I think the same with Germany as well Germany I think is actually a sneaky dangerous matchup I’m kind of glad that we’re we’re going to see that in the group stage because that’s a very technical Squad and also very explosive scoring wise but I think it is a benefit to the US that we will potentially play them twice group stage and then maybe in that knockout round that is a really great point because you actually could you could lose to Germany in the group stage very live mhm and then you you kind of get that okay now we got the speed of their team now we kind of know what to look for in The Knockout stage that could be very very interesting so even if they switch sides of the bracket where USA finishes second in group b and Germany wins the group you might still see them in the semis yeah that’s a great call by you Germany I mean Alexandria pop up top you just have a lot of smarts a lot of skill and no no shortage of toughness and physic it in that team either Yeah you mentioned Alex Pop I mean that German team a lot of good attacking talent that we also got to see a little bit in the Champions League Leia Schuler Lena oberdorf Laura fry gang Sarah dorso a defense I think if she’s if she’s on that final 18 FRS in goal backup goal Katherine Burger we’ve got to see pretty close uh nwsl so that is definitely not a team shukan nin ball in at Chelsea uh still just 23 years old that’s that’s a real Squad that’s a real Squad with real players and yomi’s a good young player hopefully we get to see her Julia Gwyn I mean yeah they got a lot of great players over there so absolutely something to be super excited about right from Jump Street and we haven’t even really got that much into the states playing the copper Queens to start the proceedings that’s GNA be exciting it’s gonna be exciting I mean I think um yeah Zambia left a lot to be desired uh in last year’s World Cup but obviously they’ve got those two sticks Dynamite up front kagi and uh and baraba uh and some other really great players as well chonda and I think they’re really growing up as a footballing nation they’ve obviously got a ton of like that they’re dealing with with their Federation back home so hopefully situation uh improves a little bit for that Squad but yeah they could be dangerous in a group stage setting where these results matter you get a bonda goal you get a kagi goal in the first 10 or 12 minutes and they’re able to just sit back and defend and and your your athletic advantage is you know not what it not what it might be against another team like a Japan MH that could get interesting as well this field is just really really exciting going to be a really great tournament all right man I think we thoroughly thoroughly now covered this uh us w&t roster announcement anything else you want to hit before we get out of here I think that’s it for the US Women’s National Team the Olympic roster quick little preview of what we’re going to do at the Olympics we got more stuff coming on the Olympics by the way we got speaking of stars speaking about a great lineup we have some absolute stars coming up to join this very program I don’t know how we’ve talked to these people into coming on to our program but apparently they’ve seen enough I mean look if lean Sanderson is coming on the show um I guess we’re certified in some way maybe I should stop acting like it’s it’s so crazy that people are coming on but I it’s hard it’s honestly hard to compute still that people like Leanne Sanderson and Chris Sharpes cam Pope a seal to filey like real footballers like real announcers have come on the show so let me just say before I ramble too much we got a lot of people coming on to help preview the Olympics talk about these squads that we’ve been discussing hell yeah very much looking forward to it it’s going to be awesome so yeah definitely make sure make sure that you’re subscribed SP another episode of into the channel thank you thank you thank you for watching listening liking subscribing chiming in following uh without you guys there’s really no show no community no fun really so I mean you really make this something that’s very rewarding very fun very enjoyable and you help Elevate the show I always kind of say that our comment section is a very high IQ space on the internet we we talk about real hoopers these are whatever the whatever the soccer equivalent of real hoopers is all of that is all up in our comment section we appreciate it to no end thank you for rocking with us if you’re an OG thank you for continuing to rock with us remember like if you liked And subscribe or follow into the channel YouTube Spotify Apple podcast or wherever you like to watch or listen links to all of our socials in our show notes and a big thank you to my co-host Mr gran go for oh wow just what an honor in Sharpie no doubt that’s why we keep the Sharpie on Deck just in case we got to jot our guy’s name down in the book here likewise buddy you know I got you know I got you penciled in in Sharpie as well written in in Sharpie as well you could maybe say that we are the Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman of the podcasting game hell yeah that’s sounds about right good speed good skill can pass back and forth can score you never know well however the podcasting game works but yeah like Dino always says thank you guys for rocking with us we appreciate you tuning into the show hit us up in the comments let us know maybe what we missed what kind of formation you would want to play and we will see you guys next time [Music]