Expected Own Goals

Use the code "UPGRADE" to get a discount on a new or upgraded Patreon membership!!!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! The NWSL's summer transfer window is in full swing, and we've already seen some massive moves. Sam Kerr is coming to Gotham! Manaka Matsukubo is going to Chelsea! Most importantly, Angel City ship...

Use the code "UPGRADE" to get a discount on a new Patreon membership (or to bump up to our Cultured No. 10 tier) to get more great bonus content like this! Complete NWSL salary data is not public, but there are some indicators to give us rough ideas of how much each club is spending on player payroll these days. We dive into all 16 clubs' financial situations—who is spending wisely, who has room t...

Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get more bonus content like this! Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Emma Hayes wanted the USWNT to experience the cauldron of playing Brazil in Brazil, and boy did she get her wish. A split decision across two games in front of nearly 90,000 total fans taught us a lot about wher...

Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get more bonus content like this! Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Now that the first third of the NWSL season is in the books—and teams are taking the next month off from competition—we thought it was a great time to take stock of what's happened, and to try and figure out which...

Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get more bonus content like this! Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! It wasn't the most scintillating of affairs, but the San Diego Wave and Orlando Pride showed us who they really were over the weekend, as Orlando eked out a 1-0 victory on the road at Snapdragon Stadium. Is containing...

Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get more bonus content like this! Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! On this week's whiparound, we muse over every game getting a goal or a red card before the 20th minute. A vibe shift was afoot! Mostly bad games resulted. Houston and Chicago snatched one, while Seattle can breathe a sig...

⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get more bonus content like this! Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! We're dropping the paywall on Patreon this week to bring you our preview of the UEFA Women's Champions League final! Barcelona and Lyonnes square off in Oslo for Europe's crown. Can Jonatan Giráldez find a way past Alex...

Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! ⁠⁠Join our Patreon⁠⁠ for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content! The North Carolina Courage thrashed the Chicago Stars at home. On the one hand, Mallory Swanson is back! On the other hand, the Courage look like the real deal. The guys talk through Chicago's woes, and what makes the Courage so s...

Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! ⁠Join our Patreon⁠ for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content! The Portland Thorns and Angel City delivered a snoozer, while the San Diego Wave and Washington Spirit played each other tight. Are Utah officially good? Are Louisville officially bad? The guys unpack all the weekend's games. Like & s...

Get our limited-edition scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join our Patreon for only $6/month to get exclusive bonus content! Racing Louisville got an emphatic, desperately needed three points at home against the Portland Thorns, who at times looked shambolic. But just how superior were Racing? What can we say is the good and the bad of the Thorns right now? The...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! This NWSL weekend offered a lot of games where nothing happened, except the rare moments where it all happened. Kansas City Current got well against the Chicago Stars, the Seattle Reign failed in their anti-football campaign vs. the Wa...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! RIP High Impact Player rule, we hardly knew ye! According to a report from Flo Lloyd Hughes, the NWSL is doing away with the HIP rule as we once knew it, and will reportedly allow each team to spend that $1 million on whomever they lik...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join ⁠⁠⁠our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! The first of two NWSL expansion derbies this year brought a wild contest with incredible attacking force from the Boston Legacy. What did the Denver Summit bring? A bit of finishing luck. Yet, Boston couldn't find a winner until the absolu...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join ⁠⁠our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! The weather affected a few matches this weekend, but whereas Houston and Seattle had no pulse, Orlando and Washington thought they were in the Crank 2 remake. Meanwhile, Racing Louisville were ground down by Gotham FC, the Portland Thorns ran...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join ⁠our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! This week's featured match drills down on two of the league's titans whose fortunes are careening in different directions. The 4-0 scoreline suggests the Washington ran riot over the Kansas City Current, but it's a bit more complicated than that....

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join our Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get exclusive bonus content and discounts on merch! On today's NWSL whiparound, we examine why so many results didn't match the performances, from Chicago's and Louisville's absurd wins to San Diego looking less like a 3-goal monster in the second half against Denver. Gotham, meanwhile, did exactly wha...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! The NWSL is getting its 18th team in the worst way possible. Columbus will join the league in 2028 via owners of the Crew paying a $205 million expansion fee and bilking the Columbus taxpayer of $25 million to build a training facility on top...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! The final of the USWNT's cold, unpleasant friendlies against Japan concluded on a high, with a close-to-A-team squad taking down the Nadeshiko 3-0 in Commerce City, Colorado. Was Japan held back by altitude and sub-optimal personnel choices? Is R...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! Emma Hayes rotated heavily when the USWNT headed up to Seattle on a cold, rainy, windy Tuesday evening, and lost 1-0 to a Japan who just looked better, especially without the ball. What are the lessons here? What should we expect in Colorado on Frida...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! The U.S. women's national team got past Japan 2-1 on a cold, wet Saturday in San Jose, and this might portend a lot for the World Cup knockout stage in 14 months' time. The guys try to determine what looked good, what needed work, and whether Emma Hayes...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! The NWSL is taking three weeks off, so the guys decide to see where things stand with every club. Is Kansas City maybe not as bad as they seem? Is Haley McCutcheon working as an attacking midfielder? What's good about the Boston Legacy? All that and much mor...

Buy our scarves and more merch ⁠⁠at the xOG store⁠⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠⁠use the code "XOGNEW2"⁠⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! The three-game week so early in the NWSL season did a number on many teams, especially ones that traveled. After the guys round up the weekend's slate—including Eric being pitchside for the Denver Summit's record-breaking home opener—they dig into the top-of-the...

Get ⁠exclusive xOG merch⁠ now! Join Patreon and ⁠use the code "XOGNEW1"⁠ to get 50% off an annual membership! Wait, WHAT?!? The Portland Thorns beat the Seattle Reign 2-0 in their Cascadia Rivalry home opener, but did it playing with only nine players for 40 whole minutes. This is unprecedented for a number of reasons. After whipping around the rest of the league (where wind, red cards, and a host...

Get exclusive xOG merch now! Join Patreon and use the code "XOGNEW1" to get 50% off an annual membership! After months of rumors, speculation, and journalistic teases, Catarina Macario has finally made the move to the NWSL, joining her hometown San Diego Wave for a record-breaking five-year, $8 million contract. How does she help the Wave? What is still left to be done for San Diego to remain a co...

Buy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠official xOG merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for as little as $6/month to get bonus episodes and the main feed ad-free! Two Championship titles in three years. Are Gotham on their way to a dynasty? Maybe, if they can win the big one without squeaking into the playoffs. Jenna Tonelli of Sports Illustrated joins the guys...