Expect the unexpected I guess! Chicago won their first match of the 2022 Challenge Cup 3-1, in a performance against the Houston Dash that showcased tweaks in defense, Mal Pugh in great form, and the ongoing puzzle that is NWSL penalties. We also talk a bit about what to expect on Friday in Chicago's second match against the Kansas City Current…

We couldn't leave you hanging. Chicago has their first Challenge Cup game on Sunday, March 20 against the Houston Dash, so we sat down to do a check-in on vibes, read some tea leaves on new faces on the roster, and set reasonable expectations for a season that we won't know much about until it happens…

Meg Linehan of The Athletic joins Jason to answer the question "What is the Challenge Cup?" Spirit news, predictions, shoe talk, and an injury update from Meg are all part of the chat! Articles referenced: Jason on the regular season scheduleJason on the Spirit's new kitsKelyn Soong at the Washington City Paper on Kris Ward Find out more at https:/…

Episode Notes Washington Spirit legend and NWSLPA president Tori Huster comes on the show to guide Jason through all things NWSL CBA after the players and league reached a landmark agreement just before the start of preseason. We talked over the process of getting the CBA done, and went over how the ways the NWSLPA's demands will benefit players go…

We came back for the new year, and promptly so did Yuki Nagasato. Blessed. We sat down to chat philosophical preferences on Chicago's upcoming coaching hire, an active trade season, and the return of club legend Nagasato, whose return both highlights and could possibly assuage some foundational concerns surrounding the Red Stars this year.…

It's 2022 and we are back! at it! We talk Chicago's approach to the 2022 College Draft, Sarah Luebbert staying in Mexico, development, scouting, assets, and one very cool piece of local tv coverage news.

Chicago didn't do much this week, but that's never stopped us from talking soccer, so why start now! The expansion draft welcoming in the California teams happened on Thursday evening, and we sat down to talk relative value, hindsight, kindnesses, and backstage players. We also talked a bit about the nicest story of the week (not soccer) and what t…

We're off the map, babes. The Chicago Red Stars made a series of trades, signed a series of players, sent a series of tweets and much more this week. So we're here to talk about it. On how the team got here, team legends, acceptable returns, and what on earth happens going forward.

Lori Lindsey joins the show this week to talk about the Spirit's NWSL Championship victory on a micro and macro level, plus we dig into the trade that sent Tegan McGrady to San Diego, Lori's experience playing for Kris Ward with the Spirit, and more! If you're interested in that merch I talked about near the end of the show, here's the link I was v…

Was probably always gonna be a long one. We sat down after some days away to talk about the 2021 Championship experience, the week that followed, our own feelings and frustrations, where things are at, and where they are going for the Red Stars.

Sandra and Claire from Southside Trap are on the show to talk us through what the Spirit can expect from the Red Stars in the NWSL final. Plus, there's a ghost, because that's just a normal Plex Weather thing to happen. Follow Sandra on Twitter, and check out her work with CBS (including Attacking Third, which has been providing great NWSL content …

?????????? Chicago is going back to the NWSL Championship after a massive win against the Portland Thorns in the 2021 Semifinals. We talk being thrilled and a little bit scared, choices, sleeper holds, and why we think Chicago can do it this time.

After being delayed briefly by production problems and then for months by Bad News, the Plex Weather episode that is actually entirely about cicadas is here! 25% of the Spirit's roster — Aubrey Bledsoe, Tori Huster, Anna Heilferty, Andi Sullivan, Jordan DiBiasi, Ashley Sanchez, Paige Nielsen, and then Jordan DiBiasi again — talked to Jason about Br…

Have we got a show for you. This week, Sandra and Claire sat down in Claire's living room to talk transparency, getting your GD COVID SHOT, and also Tierna Davidson getting a well deserved call up to visit Australia with the USWNT. We then dig into Chicago's very good win against Gotham FC in their home quarterfinal, and what to expect as they roll…

Andi Sullivan is back on the show to talk about the Spirit's first playoff win since 2016, Sunday's semifinal against OL Reign, and much more! If you have the means and want to help out with Set The Expectation, check out their site for ways to get involved! Plex Weather twitter: @PlexWeatherJason's twitter: @JasonDCsoccer Find out more at https://…

The Red Stars clinched fourth in the 2021 NWSL table and a home playoff game last week, and we are here! to! talk! about it! We sit down to chat tiebreakers, celebrating the things that look easy, what it's taken, what it's going to take, and who is going to need to step up to make sure Chicago makes it to another semifinal.…

Plex Weather is back, just as the Spirit are back in the playoffs! Jason is joined by NWSL Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch to talk goalscoring, the NWSLPA, baking, and to help preview the Spirit's playoff game (did we already discuss the playoffs? The Spirit are in the playoffs!) against the NC Courage. Before that, a quick discussion of the latest…

We're so bad at math. This week, we sat down to preview Chicago's regular season finale against the Orlando Pride, chat tie breaks, ties, possible not ties, maybe wins, perhaps losses, and everything in between that will determine the Red Stars playoff destiny (we make a hard prediction, if that's your sort of thing). Should hopefully be a good wee…

What a weeeeeeeeek! The Red Stars get clutch wins over the Orlando Pride and Kansas City, all but clinching a path towards the the end of a long regular season journey that has glimpses of the postseason. We sat down to talk defense, pragmatism, execution, set pieces, identity, and jobs done. We also talked about the way the Chicago Sky snatched th…

Chicago has been thrown into a busy week, and with a loss to OL Reign on Sunday, they pretty much have to win out in order to feel good about the postseason. But on Sunday, the emotions weren't really about the game. We sat down to talk bangers, postgame statements, how we're feeling, how we think the team is feeling, and what happens next. We also…

We recorded this on Wednesday. Please only listen if you want to. Not a good week, but here it is. Sat down to talk Chicago's very good win against the Portland Thorns, roles, soccer ideas, ball winning, execution, and how the Red Stars can control their own destiny in a big matchup against the Orlando Pride.…

Episode Notes We're back, and with a real game to talk about! But first, still more turmoil, with the Spirit's workplace culture, the Spirit Squadron's protest, the official news of a second forfeit, and a suspension all on the docket in the first segment. Then, Cindy Lara joins the show to help preview KC NWSL, who the Spirit will get to play in a…

NWSL games are back, and so are we! Southside Trap sits down to discuss the two USWNT friendlies against Paraguay, and how Mallory Pugh, Tierna Davidson, and Casey Krueger kicked ass. We also talk through their next assignment, another important league game against the NWSL-leading Portland Thorns - their first after the disastrous regular season o…

Another week, another game the Chicago Red Stars did not lose!! We sat down to chat defensive transition, a clogged attacking midfield, set pieces that kinda feel like team goals, call ups (recorded before Mal Pugh got three USWNT assists on Thursday night), and asked for feedback for our international break State of the League episode…

Episode Notes The Athletic's Steph Yang joins the show to talk about the Spirit's postponed game & the appointment of Ben Olsen as club president. Follow Steph on Twitter @thrace and find her work covering NWSL at The Athletic. Here's her latest, which also coincidentally uses the word "turmoil" because...well, it's a good word for the Spirit right…

Sooooo many things to talk about in the world of women's soccer, but we're here to talk about the Red Stars! We get into expansion draft rules, cool call-ups, injuries, recovery, 0-0 draws, fixing old problems and not causing new ones, and Chicago's next must-win against the Houston Dash* *lol we‘re dumb, Chicago’s played two games against Houston,…

Episode Notes As promised, here are all the relevant articles brought up in this episode, which are must-reads: Molly's reporting at the Washington Post on the abuse allegations against Richie Burke (content warning: verbal/emotional abuse) and her piece written with Steven Goff on the Spirit's ongoing ownership struggle. Kelsey McKinney's piece on…

This season, Chicago's won some games, and they've lost some games, and they've tied some games. Now it's time to get a streak going before they run out of time. Southside Trap sits down to talk goals, trips, stadiums, fans, and what it's going to take for the team to stop treading water and start feeling like a factor in this year's NWSL season…

Chicago's stuck in something of a cycle, and so are we. This week Southside Trap sat down to talk rain, injuries, lineups, running, kicking, tackling, and whether this game was unlucky or not. We also prep for Cup Dub, and talk what might be in store for the Red Stars this week (...a challenge).

The vibe is off. This week, Southside Trap talks through: conference calls, investigations, left backs, playing direct, shaking things up, and getting shaken up. We also talk through Chicago's 2-0 loss to the Orlando Pride, and preview their next game against the North Carolina Courage.

Gold medals are for posers, bronze medals are for artists. The USWNT won bronze this week, coronating Casey Krueger, Tierna Davidson, Alyssa Naeher and Julie Ertz as first time Olympic medalists. Southside Trap is here to talk through the bubbly vibes of the Olympic tournament, how far Red Stars'ing can get a team, and what to take away from the US…

The Olympics are half over and the Chicago Red Stars involved have done exceptionally well, and we're here to talk about it! This week we talk hanging in there, important performances, medal contention, seeing old friends, and also the Red Stars 2-1 loss to Gotham FC. Then we break down a preview of the Red Stars next match against the Washington S…

Well hell yeah, Chicago is on a three-game win streak, and we've never been more excited to break down a game. We talk formations, defense, the wings, the three-step process to scoring a goal with your name on it, Chicago's attacking strategy, and a team that might be in big trouble (surprise, it's actually the Reign). Then we preview the Red Stars…

Alternate title of ep: How we learned to stop worrying and love the Own Goal. Chicago defeated the Houston Dash 2-1 without registering a shot on goal last weekend, and we're here to get! into! it! We talk refs, fouls, tactics, points, and whether or not Chicago can keep getting away with this (they can!) We then preview the team's next game, at ho…

Episode Notes I referred at least once to this piece from B&RU that I co-wrote with André Carlisle, so let's start there. 0:00 - 9:05: Intro + thoughts on the NC win9:06 - 29:15: Paige Nielsen interview29:16 - 40:10: Preview of Sunday's game against Gotham + Outro Find out more at https://plex-weather.pinecast.co…

This is a collab actual years in the making: We had to bring Bria on to talk about Casey Krueger possibly playing in the Olympics. We discuss Krueger's journey, our relationship to it, frustrations with systems that don't value the athletes that they rely on, how to maneuver through fandom without getting hurt, (a little bit on the Atlanta Dream, w…

Episode Notes Plex Weather is back! After some scheduling issues and work on a future episode, the show is back with an "incomplete" episode featuring just Jason. Here's everything discussed: Kumi Yokoyama coming out as transgender (here's their interview with Yuki Nagasato) The Spirit waiving Natalie Jacobs, and adding Taylor Aylmer and Morgan Gof…

Another busy week done in the NWSL, so now it's time to...recap the game that Rory Dames called the most disappointing in his time with the club? Chicago fell 3-0 to Racing Louisville in a game that featured old friends, lots of weather, some of the same old problems and some new ones. We then talk through what would make Friday's game against Wash…

The 2021 USWNT Olympic Roster has finally dropped and we are...happy sad? This week we ponder how you can't change the past, how things can be marginally better in the present, and all of our hopes and dreams about the future. We also discuss a ROUGH midweek match against OL Reign, and try to answer all your very good questions about What This All …

Chicago drew the Washington Spirit 1-1 on Saturday night in the Juneteenth tailgate afterparty and we're here to talk through all of it. We get into lineups, formations, a weird and kind of sloppy game, and a couple of goals. We then preview Chicago's quick turnaround to play OL Reign on Tuesday night.…

Episode Notes Jason gets some help to preview tomorrow's Spirit game against the Red Stars, with Washington's #10 Ashley Sanchez speaking from the Spirit side (2:06-21:29) & Claire Watkins of Southside Trap bringing some Chicago perspective (21:50-46:15) Find out more at https://plex-weather.pinecast.co…

Back at it with the an interview long overdue...we talked to Chicago co-owner and ESPN contributor Sarah Spain! We talk the current sports media landscape, having hands in both men's and women's sports spaces, accountability, contributing to a winning culture, what makes Chicago tailgates superior, and much much more.…

Chicago got what felt like a definitive win of the early season at home on Saturday against the North Carolina Courage, and we're here to break it down for you. Southside Trap sat down this week to talk effort, defense, goals, defense, anticipating runs, defense, and also a little extra conversation about defense. Enjoy.…

Episode Notes 0:00-16:03 - Reviewing both of the Spirit's wins last week (for more on those games, Jason wrote portions of this article about the win over OL Reign, and this one about the Dash game) 16:04-38:50 - Interview with Julia Poe of the Orlando Sentinel 17:45 - Cold brew spill Find out more at https://plex-weather.pinecast.co…

Chicago suffered their second loss of the 2021 regular season on Saturday night, and Southside Trap sat down this week to talk about what went well (quite a bit!), and what could've been better. We talk the resurgence of Mallory Pugh, the midfield holding together, a Krueger classic, the ebbs and flows of three-match weeks and a real puzzler of a m…

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Chicago got their first win of 2021 on Wednesday, and we wanted to give the first dub of the year its moment to shine before the team rounds out their road trip in Houston on Saturday. We talk saves, fouls, cards, goals, and how Chicago has gotten pretty good at spoiling debut home openers. We also preview their next match against a fr…

Chicago got to loosen up a little bit this past Saturday night, so we decided to join them. This week Southside Trap got together after work to have a drink and talk vibes. We go through pre-game parties, seeing friends, defensive changes, yelling and pointing, and also Chicago's 0-0 draw with Gotham FC. You'll also hear postgame quotes from Sarah …

Episode Notes 0:00 - 14:56: Look back at Louisville, Segra Field discussion, and USWNT call-ups14:57 - 41:46: Interview with Jordan DiBiasi Find out more at https://plex-weather.pinecast.co

Maybe everything will be fine!!! But before that happens, Southside Trap sat down this week to talk through the most lopsided loss in Chicago Red Stars history, a 5-0 beatdown at the hands of the Portland Thorns. Time to talk roster, tactics, individual performances, culture, leadership, and what happens next.…