{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6818801871c041c8cc75b143/69982905435569254b89a8fd?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Getting to know three 2026 NWSL rookies","description":"<p>The start of the <strong>2026 NWSL season</strong> is just three weeks away! So, now is a great time to get to know some of the <strong>new faces in the league. </strong>On this episode of <strong>Full Time,</strong> host <strong>Jillian Sakovits </strong>is joined by<strong> </strong>three exciting rookies preparing for their first professional seasons. </p><p><br></p><p>First up, highly-rated centerback <strong>Elise Evans</strong> opened up about her family connections to <strong>Stanford</strong>, stepping into <strong>Naomi Girma’s</strong> shoes and why she chose to sign for the <strong>Chicago Stars. </strong>Then, <strong>Utah Royals </strong>outside back <strong>Kameron Simmonds</strong> hops on the show to talk about her transition from being a forward to a defender while winning a national championship at <strong>Florida State</strong> as well as her history-making memories from the 2023 World Cup with Jamaica. The final rookie interview of the show is with <strong>Maja Lardner</strong>, a forward for <strong>Racing Louisville. Lardner</strong> reveals a big goal for 2026 and how she’ll fit into head coach Bev Yanez’s system.</p><p><br></p><p>_______________</p><p>HOST: Jillian Sakovits</p><p>GUESTS: Elise Evans, Kameron Simmonds, Maja Lardner</p><p>PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes</p><p>VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin</p><p>EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen</p><p>_______________</p><p><strong>Referenced on the show:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/brazil-jamaica-france-panama-live-updates-womens-world-cup-2023/DXyb94QctJ1x/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How Jamaica eliminated Brazil from the 2023 Women’s World Cup</a></p><p><a href=\"https://podfollow.com/full-time-with-meg-linehan/episode/b2c6ee91ff746fe5e622f768b5779e7c687de771/view\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bev Yanez on her coaching journey &amp; Racing Louisville's date with destiny</a></p><p>_______________</p><p>Get in touch:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:fulltime@theathletic.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠</a></p><p>Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime</p><p>Subscribe to our <strong>Youtube</strong> channel: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@theathleticfulltime\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here</a></p><p>Subscribe to the <strong>Full Time newsletter </strong><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/newsletters/full-time/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">⁠⁠here⁠⁠</a></p><p>Visit the <strong>Yahoo Women's Sports hub</strong> <a href=\"https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">⁠⁠here</a></p><p>Take <strong>The Athletic's 2026 Listener Survey</strong> <a href=\"https://www.honesty-box.com/flowlive1.html?folder=athletic-comb-25&amp;resp=av&amp;origin=false\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here</a></p>","author_name":"The Athletic"}