American Soccer Analysis

NOT A PATREON MEMBER? ⁠⁠⁠Use the code "XOG"⁠⁠⁠ to get a year's subscription for 50% off!!! With the year coming to a close, it's time to reflect on the best players of the 2025 NWSL season. The guys draft players into their respective best XIs, bicker and argue all the way, and then try to synthesize both into the Official xOG Best XI. Agree with their choices? Disagree? Sound off! Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠⁠

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NOT A PATREON MEMBER? ⁠Use the code "XOG"⁠ to get a year's subscription for 50% off!!!The NWSL offseason is officially in full swing. Teams have given roster updates, and extensions/re-signings are being announced along with significant deals like Ally Schlegel's to North Caroli—oh, who are we kidding? There is only one story in the league right now, and it's one that will affect every other deal for the rest of the offseason no matter how it ends. Trinity Rodman was ready to re-sign with the Washington Spirit, until the league rejected the terms of the deal. The players union is now appealing the decision. How did we get here? Does the league have any defensible case? Should the union lose, what does that mean for the future of free agency in the NWSL, and of its ability to attract and retain top talent from all over the world? This story is nowhere close to done, so strap in!Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠

NOT A PATREON MEMBER? ⁠Use the code "XOG"⁠ to get a year's subscription for 50% off!!! The U.S. women's national team took down Italy 5-0 on aggregate across a window that saw the 26th and 27th players get their first caps under Emma Hayes, an all-time record for a U.S. head coach. What has 2025 meant for the USWNT, and how has it set themselves up for the next phase of their World Cup preparations?The guys also do a quick news roundup from the past two weeks, including the Rob Gale firing, the Hailie Mace and Jess Fishlock signings, and other bits and bobs. Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠⁠

Fly Bats, fly! Gotham FC won their second NWSL title on Saturday, squeaking past the Washington Spirit 1-0 on a miracle goal from Rose Lavelle in the second half. Did the Spirit deserve to lose? Did Gotham deserve to win? What ultimately separated the two sides, how should they view their seasons as a whole? Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content, including the show ad-free! Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠⁠

The moment has finally come! In the now-most-played fixture in NWSL—and in what may now finally be called a true rivalry—the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC face each other in San Jose for all the marbles. The guys hung out at each team's training to figure out who has the edge. The projections make Gotham slight favorites, so why do our guts tell us the Spirit have the advantage? They try to make sense of it all. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content, including the show ad-free! Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠

It was more than 90 minutes of dross, capped by a moment of magic: 2023 NWSL champs Gotham FC squeaked past 2024 champs Orlando Pride thanks to Jaedyn Shaw's free kick wizardry and little else. Neither team played well. How much does that inform Orlando's offseason outlook? How can Gotham find the juice to get past a peaking Washington Spirit in the Championship game? The guys muse over all of it. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content, including the show ad-free! Like & subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page and watch the first volume of our Anatomy of series!Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eli Elbogen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Devin Drobka's Bell Dance Songs⁠⁠