Utah Royals FC Show: Recent Episodes
utahroyalsfcshow
The first and only weekly podcast about Utah Royals FC. Hosted by Wirtjo, Megan, Cindy, and occasionally Lucas
In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:
- Recent game results
- The firing of Amy Rodriguez
- Royals staff shake-up
In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:
- The team's current form and issues
- Injuries and incoming players
- 0-0 draw with the Dash
- 2-1 loss to Angel City
- 2-0 loss to the Wave
- 3-1 loss to the Red Stars
- North Carolina Courage preview
In this week's episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, we cover:
- Three new player signings
- A big loss to Louisville
- Royals host the Dash
We recap the last two Utah Royals games, discuss team and league news, and look ahead to Utah's upcoming trip to Kentucky
In this episode we cover:
- US win SheBelieves Cup
- Maria Sanchez requests trade away from Houston
- Dorsey placed on SEI list
- URFC owner Ryan Smith set to buy NHL team
- Spirit vs Royals recaps
- Royals vs Pride recap
- Louisville preview
The Utah Royals defeated the North Carolina Courage 2-1 in a dramatic first win for this new iteration of the Royals.
In this episode we cover:
- Utah's first win of 2024
- Attendance and marketing for the team
- The Royals first away trip sees them face Washington Spirit on Sunday at 11am on NWSL+
The Utah Royals played their first game, and while it wasn’t a great game, it was great having the team back.
Cindy, Wirtjo, and Lucas discuss Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars and all the events around it.
We end the episode with a quick interview with the great Kate Del Fava!
The Utah Royals are back and so are we!
Utah face Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, March 16 at 5:30pm at AFF Field in Sandy, Utah.
In this episode we cover:
- The return
- How we got here / URFC history lesson
- Scrimmage against BYU
- State of the Roster
- 2024 expectations
- Chicago preview
We're back! For at least one episode... As Utah Royals formally announce their new head coach, we interview Amy Rodriguez to hear about her last few years, what she hopes to bring as a coach, favorite URFC memories, and the infamous Royals vs. Thorns game from September of 2019.
Then we do a bit of a reunion show with Cindy, Megan, Wirtjo, and Lucas to discuss the team returning, A-Rod as head coach, and what's next.
Thanks for listening!
It’s the final episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. Megan, Wirtjo, Lucas, and Cindy reunite one last time to reflect, rant a little, and be thankful.
In this episode:
- Thoughts on the Royals leaving
- KC NWSL
- Favorite memories
- What the team meant
- What happens next
- Thanks to guests, URFC staff, players, and listeners
- Listener voice messages
Thanks for listening and being a part of this journey with us!
If you thought episode 108 was a somber one, just wait for episode 109 of the Utah Royals FC Show, the one where Lucas and Cindy talk about URFC officially moving to Kansas City.
In this episode:
- Lucas and Cindy respond to the move
- What happens now with the KC team?
- Why did this happen?
- What’s next for Utah?
- Tottenham Hotspur section
- And Harry Potter
Thanks for listening! Continue supporting the NWSL!
It’s The Athletic report on Utah Royals FC’s potential move back to Kansas City, of all cities, or fold, unfortunately.
Not the most exciting show in the history of podcasting, but an important topic to cover as the Royals’ future in Utah is in doubt.
Thanks for listening! #KeepUtahRoyal
After a few weeks, the Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 107.
It’s Lucas and Cindy as usual, talking about the club terminating Craig Harrington’s contract (about time!), Vero Boquete signing with AC Milan, the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft and Utah Royals FC’s protected list. Also in this episode, a look back at 2020, looking ahead to 2021, and listener questions.
Thanks for listening!
It’s episode 106 of the Utah Royals FC Show. Lucas and Cindy are joined by Utah Royals FC midfielder Vero Boquete.
In this episode, Vero talks about how she came to love soccer, players who inspired her, how she’s remained positive during a tough year, what she appreciates about the NWSL, her favorite memory as a member of the Spanish National Team, which teammate she would pick to have her back during a bar fight, and more!
Thanks for listening!
It’s episode 105 of the The Equalizer indicate Harrington is expected to be out at the organization, although Royals PR staff have indicated there is no official decision yet made.
The club also has a new interim assistant coach and looks to the upcoming home game against Portland Thorns FC on Saturday.
Thanks for listening!
The Utah Royals FC Show is back to discuss the news on Craig Harrington’s administrative leave of absence, the game against Portland, the latest NWSL news, and a couple of listener questions.
Note: It’s been a crazy few weeks in the RSL Organization with a sale pending and investigations-galore, but we stand behind the players and pledge to continue our coverage for the fans and the team.
Thanks for listening!
The Utah Royals FC Show returns to discuss the news that RSL and URFC owner Dell Loy Hansen will sell the club after allegations of racism. It’s been a crazy few days since Hansen took to one of his radio stations to express frustration with the Real Salt Lake players boycotting Wednesday’s game against LAFC in protest of racism and police brutality. After fan outrage, employees started to share these allegations of racist remarks, and Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League opened investigations into Hansen. He then announced plans to sell Utah Soccer Holdings, the umbrella company for Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals, and the Real Monarchs.
Thanks for listening!
The Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 102. It’s been a while since the last episode, but thanks to recent news including major, potential player moves (cough O’Hara, Press, Jonsdottir cough), it was time to get behind the mic.
Also in this episode:
- More NWSL games on the horizon this fall
- Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis go to Manchester City
- Sacramento looks to get an NWSL team
- URFC general manager calls out local beat reporter
- Who’s coming to Utah if O’Hara gets traded?
- Is it the end of women’s pro soccer cause COVID-19 in the U.S. is making it really difficult to have a season?
- When will we have players in the stands? With DLH, anything is possible!
Thanks for listening!
Please take care and be safe. The pandemic isn’t over just because we’re over it.
It’s Episode 101 of the Utah Royals FC Show! URFC is out of the Challenge Cup, and so Lucas and Cindy chat about that. Where does Utah go from here? Where does the NWSL go from here after the Challenge Cup? Speaking of the Challenge Cup, we chat about the mighty Courage were eliminated, the upcoming final, and other NWSL news, including the new LA expansion team coming in 2022.
Also in this episode:
- Lucas made a funny meme
- The stans got mad
- Toxic behavior from people who stan too hard? Yes.
- Press to LA can happen. If it does, we’ll cry and write about it. Watch out for stans.
- Sam Mewis to Manchester City. Rose Lavelle to follow?
- Answer some listener questions
- Consider a salsa-making episode for episode 102.
Thanks for listening!
Please take care, be safe, and be nice to your local NWSL media person, friends!
We’re 100 episodes old! WOW!
It’s Episode 100 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy, Lucas, and Wirtjo spend a good portion of the show reminiscing about the past 99 episodes, including on past interviews, and thanking those who helped get the show get off the ground, and of course, our listeners.
Since it is a podcast on soccer, the conversation eventually shifts to the past two URFC games in the NWSL Challenge Cup, the current youth development, players who have impressed, preview the upcoming quarterfinal game vs. the Houston Dash, and answer listener questions.
Thanks for listening!
Please take care and be safe friends!
It’s a very special Challenge Cup edition of the Utah Royals FC Show. We’re joined today by Utah Royals goalkeeper Abby Smith.
Abby tells us about the rest of her time with the Western Sydney Wanders in the W-League, traveling back to the US/Texas/Utah, the tournament, life in the bubble, and her perspective on the black lives matter movement.
Thanks for listening!
It’s Episode 99 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Wirtjo and Lucas dive into Utah’s dramatic 3-3 tie with the Dash and look at the team’s 1-0 victory over Sky Blue. Craig Harrington gets his first win as the new head coach, employing an attack-minded 3-5-2 formation.
We preview Wednesday’s game against OL Reign, a team that has struggled more than expected. We also look ahead to Sunday’s game, the final of the preliminary round, against Chicago Red Stars. The Red Stars have also struggled, but will be the biggest test for Utah so far.
Thanks for listening!
It’s Episode 98 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy, Lucas, and Wirtjo preview the game between URFC and the Houston Dash as Utah get ready to begin their Challenge Cup journey.
The trio also give their thoughts on the two first games of the NWSL Challenge Cup played this past weekend and on the controversy of the league choosing to play the national anthem as players chose to protest by kneeling or remain standing.
We tried to keep it short, around the half hour mark, but Wirtjo, of course, had a tangent or two, which tangents by Wirtjo are always good.
Thanks for listening!
Please take care and be safe friends!
It’s Episode 97 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Cindy and Lucas return and so does Wirtjo Leonard, who is now a college grad and working in a cool job that helps people. Congrats, Wirtjo!
There’s been a lot of news lately including positive COVID-19 cases in Orlando, NWSL Challenge Cup rules and regulations, Utah’s new home jerseys, Bouhaddi and Marozsan officially not coming to Utah, and more!
Thanks for listening!
Please take care, be safe friends, & don’t go to bars during a pandemic!
We realize that life right now is bigger than soccer. The Utah Royals FC Show will never stand for racism and stands in solidarity with those protesting for justice for George Floyd and for black lives.
Cindy and Lucas return for Episode 96 of the URFC Show to cover the full schedule for the preliminary rounds of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, which will be held in Utah June 27 to July 26, and the media call with head coach Craig Harrington today.
Thanks for listening!
Please take care, be safe friends, & speak out against racism!
Big news today out of the NWSL as the league announces the 2020 Challenge Cup to be held in Utah June 27 to July 26. So naturally, after media calls with the league and with Utah Royals FC, Lucas and Cindy return for episode 95 of the Utah Royals FC Show to talk about the tournament and listen to some wonderful vuvuzela music, the wonderful Vuvuzela Chromatic Orchestra, which you can find on Spotify.
Thanks for listening!
Please take care and be safe friends!
It’s Episode 94 of the @URFCShow!
Cindy & Lucas return for talk on a potential NWSL tournament in Salt Lake City, players’ return to training, & more!
On this week’s episode of the Utah Royals FC Show, Lucas speaks to center back Taylor Leach. Taylor joined the club this offseason and landed in Utah shortly before the COVID-19 shutdown.
Leach, who spent most of her playing career in Sweden, talks about her time overseas, joining the Royals, and how COVID-19 has affected her life as a professional athlete. Most importantly, we get a new answer to the “which player would you want to have your back durning a bar fight” question.
Promoting social distance, recording remotely (as usual), Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. There’s the potential start of the 2020 NWSL season, USSF shutdown of DA Academy, RSL organization furloughs and layoffs, French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi & German midfielder Dzenifer Marozsan rumored transfers to Utah, and more!
Thanks for listening!
Please wash your hands, stay home, and take care, friends!
It’s the “no-more-soccer; stay-home-podcast,” otherwise known as the Utah Royals FC Show. Promoting social distance, recording remotely (as usual), Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the URFC Show.
There’s the postponement of the NWSL season and 2020 Olympics to talk about, player updates (that we know of), the W-League Final, and favorite URFC moments.
Thanks for listening!
Please wash your hands, stay home, and take care, friends!
Lucas and Cindy return for another episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. There’s the SheBelieves Cup to talk about, international tournaments that some of the URFC national team member participated in, USWNT vs. USSF lawsuit, Aminata Diallo signing, the Becky Sauerbrunn trade becoming official (one last, “Becky, how dare you?”), the start of preseason, and, of course, answering listener questions.
Thanks for listening!
Please wash your hands, and take care, friends!
There had already been a plan to record Episode 89 of the Utah Royals FC Show because it’s been such a busy off-season. Then, the schedule was released, and then the reports of Becky Sauerbrunn going to Portland also became THE news. So, rest assured, there was plenty to talk about this week.
It’s Lucas and Cindy this week, covering the Becky Sauerbrunn news, the 2020 Royals schedule, URFC coaching hirings, the focus on youth development, allocation money, and listener questions.
Thanks for listening!
On this week’s edition of the Utah Royals FC Show, Lucas sits down with back-to-back interviews with Head Coach Craig Harrington and General Manager Stephanie Lee. Harrington shares about his background, his journey to Utah, and what he wants accomplish in his first season as an NWSL head coach. Lee shares her soccer story, her professional growth in the business of sports management, the coaching hire, and what’s ahead in 2020.
It’s Episode 87 of the Utah Royals FC Show.
We kick off this episode by reacting to the news that Utah Royals FC have hired Craig Harrington as their new head coach. Cindy and Lucas weigh in on what Craig brings to the team and look at his previous coaching experience.
Michelle Maemone join Megan and Lucas for the bulk of this week’s show and she shares her soccer story, what her first year as a pro was like, and what she’s looking forward to in 2020.
Lucas and Megan speak to Abby Smith in this week’s episode of the Utah Royals FC Show. Smith, who is on load to the Western Sydney Wanderers, tells us all about her time in the W-League, the 2019 NWSL season, and what she’s looking forward to in 2020. We also, and most importantly, discuss our dogs and hiking.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Abby’s work in the community with the RSL Foundation and Goals for girls, please visit https://www.rsl.com/foundation and https://goalsforgirls.org/.
Cindy and Lucas record hours after the conclusion of the 2020 NWSL College Draft where URFC made three great picks to help their offense. The draft, the picks, and more are all discussed in this episode. We also answer listener questions.
After a busy week in the NWSL, including Utah Royals FC news involving a trade, signings, and Laura Harvey’s departure, Cindy and Lucas record episode 84 of the Utah Royals FC Show and officially endorse Scott Parkinson as the next head coach.
The Utah Royals FC Show returns with episode 83.
Cindy and Lucas talk about the news of Laura Harvey’s departure, which is some of the biggest news in club history. They also remember the biggest moments of 2019, and close the show talking about what the team needs to do in 2020 to consider the season a success. Lucas and Cindy each give the team two New Years resolutions to help get them there.
Cindy and Lucas give an update on Ryan's health, news from the soccer world, updates on player re-signings, and how the Royals are doing in the W-League.
You can donate to Ryan's Go Fund Me here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rehibilitation-for-ryan-kelly
Cindy and Lucas talk news from around the league, how the Royals players are doing in the W-League, USWNT life under Vlatko Andonovski, and listener questions in episode 81 of the Utah Royals FC Show.
The big 80! Massive props to new friend of the show and the latest member of royalty Arielle Ship for spending part of her afternoon with us as well as Milad Zolnoor and the good folks at Just Ball Marketing for setting this one up.
In this one we’re talking what its like to reunite with Laura Harvey, what the last few weeks have been like, living the So-Cal life, thoughts on new teammates, and looking forward to Utah.
What happens when we take two weeks off? Apparently a whole heck of a ton. The USWNT gets a new head coach, the NWSL has a new franchise, Alex Morgan is pregnant, Vero wants out, the league randomly selected a bunch of international players and even more randomly gave them awards, new compensation guidelines to treat players like actual human beings, including transfer fees, allocation money, multi-year contracts, and much much more!
The season is over. We are sad. Thanks for listening to us for another year. Thanks for coming and saying hi to us at games and in the street. Whether you’ve been listening to us since episode 1 or since last week, you’re the best and we appreciate you.
Cindy and Wirtjo recap a handful of top 5’s that the Royals take home, talk about the final episode of the season and more in a very mellow episode 78.
Supporting Tottenham Hotspur. Depression. Ryan Kelly. Jill Ellis. Season Closer. Orlando Doesn’t Have Telephones. Wirtjo’s Giving Away Stickers. End of Year Awards. Golden Sock Award. Renaming Rio Tinto.
Want a link to the end of year awards that you should totally fill out? It’s right here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GfVo8s6h_7SMsPc-FpHNBf4mBIaiIjodx06bM4wwFPo/edit
It’s Cindy and Megan this week.
There’s loads to talk about in terms of the last URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, and @lucaswmuller.
We’re on all of the other socials as well. For home games we use Instagram, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
We've got news around the world of football, a loss to the courage, and less than a handful of games to go for the regular season.
In this Episode:
Positive steps for Ryan Kelly
News from around the league including HAO’s celebration game, finding the racist, and attendance numbers.
Plenty of reaction from the Houston game
A MUST WIN midweek matchup against the Reign
In this episode:
An update on co-founder of the podcast Ryan Kelly who is approaching a month in critical care due to bacterial meningitis.
Awards, and lots of em. One of them being that Christen Press is officially the first Utah Royals player to take home NWSL Player of the Month. Exciting stuff.
On the pitch the Royals pulled three points at home against the Portland Thorns with a beautiful Becky Sauerbrunn goal. Victory aside, we’re mad as hell. A win has never felt so tainted. Racism and homophobia are never acceptable and we as a community have a responsibility to not only condemn it, but to take every step possible to prevent it.
Nikita is a Seattle based visual storyteller. You can often find her wearing a black Rafa Nadal hat and a plaid shirt, laying on the ground pitchside at a Reign or Thorns game. She has taken photos of NWSL, MLS, USWNT and Matildas for various outlets, including various SB Nation blogs, NWSL, Football Federation Australia, the Women's Game, Eight By Eight magazine, and Make & Rally.
In this Episode:
Amy Rodriguez is up for one of the biggest awards in world football. Get on it. Go vote. Do the thing.
Utah Royals Reserves took the sweep winning Central Region Mountain Conference bests in Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Coach and Franchise.
Portland Thorns/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson spilled a ton of beans in terms of NWSL expansion.
On the pitch, we’ve got a win against Orlando, and a disappointing draw against Washington.
Sorry, it’s been a few games. Life happens, hope you didn’t miss our ramblings too much.
There’s a ton to talk about. Megan has moved to college. Wirtjo almost died in Alaska. We’ve had three games of soccer. Harvey might be moving onto the USWNT, Mike Petke got fired, (yeah, we’re going to talk about it, we have a moral obligation to at least touch it) and we have two massive games coming up against Orlando and Washington. We’re officially in the final stretch of the season and two points out of the playoff picture. Let’s chat about it.
Thanks to all the wonderful folks who keep up with us on a weekly basis, keep your questions and comments coming. We do this because of you, so tell your friends, tell your neighbor, tell your mom, tell your dog - especially tell your dog. Don’t hesitate to rate and review, plus reach out to us through twitter @URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, and @lucaswmuller. We’re on all of the other socials as well. For home games we use instagram, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
We had a great episode last week. Unfortunately, technical problems are going to technical problem. We talked about a lot, and so we try to recap as much as we can as quickly as possible. On the plus side, this may be our most ridiculous episode ever.
Utah Royals Reserves wrapped up their first season in a championship game in extra time. - A massive accomplishment for Amy LePeilbet and her team. While in the meantime, World Cup winners Sauerbrunn, O’Hara and Press got the keys to the city from Mayor Jackie Biskupski.
The game against Portland was a heck of a time. Sinclair opened up scoring early with an incredibly goal. Christen Press followed right before halftime with an equally impressive goal, and then the final minutes of play saw an own goal from Becky Sauerbrunn and then an equalizer for Rachel Corsie. Two centerback goals in the span of minutes - how about that huh?
This week saw the Royals take on the NC Courage, and it was.... Mostly more of the same. A strong start, an uninspiring middle of the game, and a good closing. Some people have even started calling for Harvey’s head, we don’t think so. Stay tuned for a bunch of tangents.
Let’s start if off with a championship!!! URFC Reserves won the central region of the Women’s Premier Soccer League after beating Fortuna Tulsa 2-1.
In terms of the game against Sky Blue, we don’t want to be critical, we love this club, but it’s time. The last few games have been dismal, traveling to New Jersey was a lack of energy, a lack of creativity, no motor. Even with USWNT players gone and other NT players missing, the World Cup stretch should have been better. This roster has every capability to be better. We know that you feel largely the same way, so the majority of this podcast is spent dissecting, you, the listeners thoughts.
Sam Johnson. What a player, we’ve described her as a player in a an unwinnable position. Behind Rachel Corsie and Becky Sauerbrunn, those are big shoes to fill, but she filled them during the World Cup. To want to retire in pre-season but stick around to help out her teammates is incredible. Will have her on the podcast soon. The USWNT won the World Cup. It’s not the biggest surprise, but wow, wow wow. The words are hard to find. We have promised not to get political in the past, but... We’re proud of Kelley O’Hara, Megan Rapinoe and others for being themselves on the world’s biggest stage, and the fight for equal pay. So yeah, we get a bit political....
The intention was to split this episode into three 20 minute parts. We semi-accidentally talked about the World Cup for maybe a bit too long. From the problematic racial comments of the Nigeria game to Australian upset, we chat the first six games of the Round of 16. On the Utah Royals front there is a hard fought 0-0 draw to talk about as the Royals held Portland scoreless at home for the first time since 2016. We also preview the possibilities of a very unpredictable and dangerous Reign FC team
Welcome to episode #65 of the Utah Royals FC Show! Wirtjo and RJ talk the World Cup. Specifically, global inequalities, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Scotland. In addition to some of the other great storylines of the tournament such as Chile and Argentina.
It’s episode 64! Lots to talk about but the most exciting thing about this episode is that we’re ecstatic to announce that Brittany Ratcliffe is going to be playing a more routine part of our show coming in to give her thoughts on games.
Utah is back up to second in the table after a win against Sky Blue and frankly a screamer of a kick from Amy Rodriguez. While not a massive win, three points are three points and rookies continue to impress.
Upcoming we have the Portland Thorns, who the Royals have not been great against, but there is a great opportunity to pick up more points as they have arguably been the team most hurt by World Cup departures.
Lots of news to talk about. It’s officially June which means that there a lot of awesome Prideraisers going around. The Court supporters group has an awesome one where you can donate X amount of money for each goal scored this month and that money will go towards a great cause with the Transgender Education Advocates of Utah. Additionally, through Playing for Pride players can choose to donate money to Athlete Ally for each appearance, goal, assist, clean sheet etc. Currently, the Royals are killing the donation list where with sixteen NWSL players currently playing for pride, nine of them represent Utah gold.
In other news we also have a radio broadcast, featuring friends of the show Carla Swensen-Haslam and Landon Southwick, that’s a positive step forward. The Royals have also signed Alexa Newfield, Melissa Lowder as national team replacement players. There was also a game, and a frustrating one at that, we’ll chat about that too.
Curse is broken! We landed two goals and moved up to the top of the league table. That’s four goals in four games for Amy Rodriguez, and Makenzy Doniak put the nail in the coffin late in the game to score on her first attempt after coming back from an ACL injury. We spend the majority of this one recapping our thoughts on the game as well as listing out your reactions to the Lo LaBonta swing. Our guy Ian who is a mastermind of the laws of the game and is currently working through the ranks to become a professional referee gives his thoughts on the situation as well.
There’s also definitely somethings to be said about the Washington Spirit team coming up next, who admittedly, are surprising a lot of people this year. While we picked up a 1-0 victory last time around as we opened up the season, a game on the road with a myriad of stars missing is sure to bring a different variety. It’s our last week before we turn our attention to the World Cup, so let’s get our Utah Royals kick while we can. We round out the podcast by sounding off your thoughts and answering questions.
Hey everyone, Episode 60! I guess this means we are old now.
Utah Royals Reserves kicked off their opening season after transitioning from the former RSL Women. In two games they have two wins and are led by a coaching staff of Amy LePeilbet, Liz Bogus, Colette Smith, and Nicole Barnhart. The roster consists of 20 current college players and 6 former college players, including players part of the Utah Royals pre-season. We’re going to do our best to cover the squad moving forward, also check out the Reserves specialist and our incredible friend @sirveaux24 for his coverage.
In international news, after the NC Courage game Rachel Corsie departs for the World Cup. The United States Women’s National Team took on the New Zealand Football Ferns. While the final score was 5-0, Katie Bowen had a good showing. Becky Sauerbrunn and Kelley O’Hara started, and Press came off the bench for 18 solid minutes in which she dished off an assist.
The North Carolina game, was in a word anxiety provoking. Despite facing an onslaught of attack, with NC taking 18 shots and the Royals taking 2, most of the game seemed to be a matter of when, not if North Carolina would equalize, and sure enough they did in the final fifteen. That said there are positives to take away from this game, as well as plenty of concerns as defensively the squad is about to get much more inexperienced. The first 10 minutes of the game may have been the best cohesive phase of minutes we have seen all season, and the final 80 we looked to be hanging by a thread. The Royals have a tendency to be very, very good, and then once they score a goal, they take on the look of an entirely different team. We talk about this.
Thanks to all the wonderful folks who keep up with us on a weekly basis, and keep your questions coming. Don’t hesitate to rate and review, plus reach out to us at @URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @meganrsl15, @lucaswmuller, @TheSoccerCritic, @cinderL9, and sirveaux24. For home games we are going to start using instagram a lot, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
It’s probably our shortest podcast ever. Episode 59!
We got some breaking news right before we hit record. Unfortunately, Taylor Lytle, who we have known has been on a scooter for a while, was officially announced as an addition to the season ending injury list. Given that, Harvey and the gang picked up Mallory Weber off the waiver wire. This is an interesting young singing. Not a super star, but someone who will add depth to a roster which is growing increasingly thin.
We also spend a significant portion of this episode recapping the game against Houston. It was hot, not the hottest home game we’ve been to, but it wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t the best game we’ve been to either. Desiree Scott is one of the best in the world, and some of the lackluster movement in the midfield made that evident. It wasn’t a good game, it wasn’t a bad game. It was a grey game. Meh.
The last section of the podcast concludes with our thoughts about the game against the North Carolina Courage. It won’t be an easy game, but just like us the Courage are missing a plethora of players while still retaining some incredible talents such as McCall Zerboni, Lynn Williams, Jaelene Hinkle among others.
If you’re familiar with the ‘Cindy eating a sock’ inside joke, then boy.... is this the episode for you.
We have a roster announcement. Jill Ellis has announced the 23 players she will take to France to represent the United States in the 2019 World Cup. We start off our show discussing our thoughts on the roster, well, not exactly, it takes a tangent on “how to properly do a cool roster announcement” first. - That’s not the only tangent in this episode. Trust us.
The next section of the podcast discusses the incredible defensive prowess we have seen so far from the Royals, especially that of Michelle Maemone followed by a discussion regarding the serious injury bug which has found its way into the lockeroom. Linked with this is a discussion of the game against Chicago. It wasn’t the prettiest of football, but a result is a result, and if we are sitting on top of the table, then pretty football doesn’t matter that much anyways. An attacking first half was capped off with a Katie Johnson red card, and contrary to normalcy the second half was characterized by the Chicago attack gaining plenty of steam despite being down a player. That said, ultimately the Royals would grind it out with an Amy Rodriguez winner in the final minutes of the game.
Finally we cap off the podcast with a quick discussion of the upcoming game against a seemingly revitalized Houston Dash team which if the pundits are to be believed, could play a role in deciding a tiebreaker playoff place if it comes to that.
We were originally able to bring Brittany Ratcliffe onto the show for episode #25, it’s a new season with new challenges and here we are at episode #57, grateful to chat with Brittany again. However this time around things are a bit different, after unfortunately picking up an injury in pre-season, the fan favorite has been placed on the season ending injury list.
Despite the brutality of tearing an ACL and the physical and mental challenges of working through rehab, Brittany is the ever-optimist, the exemplary teammate, and in incredible spirits. Join us on episode #57 as we talk about her offseason, her injury, her upcoming rehab process, and answer listener questions.
Amy Rodriguez trash talking is a national treasure. When we get what she says on gif, and it's this good. It's going to be the episode title.
Two games into the season so far. Two goals, two wins, two cleansheets. Some good stuff. Orlando was a respectable performance, we saw some Christen Press magic and Nicole Barnhart was a wall getting her 43rd shutout and becoming the first NWSL keeper to play 10,000 minutes. While it’s a good start, Utah Royals FC faces their first strong test at home this Friday against the Chicago Red Stars. We’ll talk about all these things, include our guestimated lineup for when world cup training camps start, talk about what we like to snack on during games, answer listener questions and of course go on some tangents.
It's episode #55 of the Utah Royals FC Show. "Big Daddy" Lucas Muller and "Knows-Everything-About-NWSL" RJ Allen are back with Wirtjo.
Soccer happened. NWSL happened. It was great, let’s talk about it. 18,015 people showed up. Friend of the podcast Lo’eau LaBonta banged in her first goal in gold. Christen Press had a beautiful assist. Kelley O’hara was on the bench. Mandy Laddish played her first game in over 950 days. Rookie Michelle Maemone shocked us all by making her debut.
Moreover, while the Orlando Pride haven’t been great this year and are missing some key players from last year, like Sydney Leroux, Monica and Christine Nairn, this is a matchup that Utah cannot underestimate. That said the Pride are in a run of poor form as they lost the last four games of the season last year and are winless in three games so far this season. We’ll see if the Utah Royals can capitalize on that.
It’s also important not to forget the elephant in the room. We have a TV broadcast! Did we tone down our salt on that enough? We tried our best.
Additionally, some of our favorites Rachel Corsie and Erika Tymrak launched a podcast of their own, thanks for the competition ;) Here's a link to that. https://www.rsl.com/post/2019/04/22/rethink-rachel-corsie-and-erika-tymrak
The season is one week away, and in thinking about that Megan and I brought on the best NWSL mind that we know, RJ Allen. - RJ is a member of NWSL Media, is the big burrito at backline soccer, hosts three different soccer podcasts and recently joined our soapbox staff. She is pretty rad.
Opening at home against the Washington Spirit who picked up at 2-0 win against Sky Blue last week, we preview everything that fans need to know about and expect from a Washington Spirit team that should be better than last year, although still not great. Transitioning from that we give our predictions for a royals lineup on opening day, what we think the Royals need to do to make the playoffs, and make predictions about how the standings will look come the end of the year.
In addition to RSL Soapbox, you can find us on the Itunes Podcast App, Spotify, and Podbean. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at @URFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @sirveaux24, @meganrsl15, and @cinderL9. For home games we are going to start using instagram a lot, so follow us there @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
Have a great week everybody!
Wirtjo and Megan sit around and chat about the latest roster news that came out 10 minutes before we hit the record button, and what it means - so perfect timing. Like always, the discrepancy in equality between the men and women's game trickles its way in, although the majority of the podcast is spent discussing recent international results. Here's a monday night show for you folks. Have a great week.
With Megan and Wirtjo out this week, Cindy is joined by RSL Soapbox friends Stockton Mair and Lucas Muller. Lots of tangents, rants, and Brittany Ratcliffe appreciation. There is also plenty of discussion centered around a possible starting XI when players are gone for the world cup.
Cindy and Wirtjo sit down and and recap the games against Cal State Long Beach and the University of Southern California. There's also a few tangents, and technology continues to not be our friend.
When we founded this podcast, from the get-go it was always going to be about equality and increasing the visibility and hopefully revenue of non-male athletes. It’s an absolute delight to have been able to do episode #50 with our dear friends Carla Swensen-Haslam, the former voice of Utah Royals FC and her partner in crime, the analyst master, Daniel Haslam.
Empowered womxn, empower womxn, and wonderful allies only accentuate that process of empowerment. To go along with International Women’s Day last Friday, March 8th, we hope that this podcast operates as a vehicle to help shed light on some of the gendered issues within soccer. Thanks for listening, keep sharing, keep supporting, this one means a lot.
Incredibly grateful for Utah Royals FC, Incredibly grateful for female athletes, incredibly grateful for women. Here's to empowerment, thank you to our wonderful friend Carla Swensen-Haslam for spearheading our conversation on gender equality.
Full podcast Tuesday.
First day of Utah Royals FC pre-season is in the books. A bit of a shorter episode this time around, but Wirtjo recaps some of the action, some news and notes, delves into what we need to know about the non-roster invitees to training camp, and rounds out the episode with some audio snippets of the media scrum with Veronica Boquete and Abby Smith.
Hey everyone! Been a bit, but some incredibly exciting things on the road ahead. We have a new logo and we are now on spotify, so be sure to check us out there. The Court had all their stuff stolen, so fundraisers to come.
The W League has ended, no Royals players made the final in which Sydney FC beat Perth Glory in a 4-2 thriller. In this episode we shortly recap the season, although we encourage you to check out the W League Recap article on RSL Soapbox from a few weeks ago for a more detailed read.
More specifically in this one and with our friend Lucas Muller joining us we talk about the latest news regarding the loss of LifeTime as a TV Sponsorship as well as everything you need to know about the schedule for the 2019 Utah Royals FC Season.
Cindy’s back! A draft happened, the Utah Royals selected three players. With the 23rd pick, Michelle Maemone from Pepperdine. The 27th pick, Maddie Nolf out of Penn State, and Alexandra Kimball from North Carolina as the 32nd pick. We talk a bit about these players and what we think they bring to the table. In terms of the draft, we finish with the winners and losers of the draft. More important than the draft itself, we talk about that while the league salary cap is at an all time high this year, the max salary cap is still lower than the MLS minimum. Additionally, we rant about some of the more recent drama from the Sky Blue catastrophe, the whole situation is ridiculous.
As always, subscribe to us on Itunes and Soundcloud, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at @RFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @sirveaux24, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, or use the hashtag #RFCShow on Twitter. We are also now on Instagram: @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
Erika Tymrak finally returns to the show. She has been around town in the offseason, just waiting for the NWSL season to start. She’s been exploring various dog parks, gotten engaged and done a lot of traveling since we talked with her last.
We said this was going to happen weeks (okay, maybe months) ago, but we just now got to it. It’s definitely worth the listen though. We talk about The Office (a lot), why couples who go vegan together stay together, how much of a gem Alex Arlitt is, and her adorable dog Chai. We also learn just who she would want alongside her in a bar fight.
Hi. Been a while, sorry. Preparing for finals turned into finals, which turned into recovery from finals which turned into the holidays but here we are. Plenty to talk about and we start off by answering some of the questions asked by listeners.
The Court Supporters Group is looking for new members to grab the reigns of leadership. It’s real easy and doesn’t require a ton of work. Apply here.
We signed a player! Verónica Boquete, an incredibly impressive resume and someone who will play a big role in connecting the midfield and front three. A solution to the key ingredient that we missed last year. We will talk a lot about her.
There’s also the NWSL draft coming up on the 10th. While Laura Harvey has never been one to rely heavily on the draft, we’ll still talk about some potential implications as Utah holds the 23rd and 32nd picks.
We also talk about the potential new federation allocation that will happen and a brief overview of Royals in the W League.
As always, subscribe to us on Itunes and Soundcloud, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at @RFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @sirveaux24, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, or use the hashtag #RFCShow on Twitter. We are also now on Instagram: @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
Rachel Corsie just came back from the national team and was just about to play her 2nd club road game in five days with Canberra United. Regardless, she was willing to chat with us a bit just hours before she kicked off against her Royals teammate Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir and Adelaide United.
We chat about recovering from injury, working with Laura Harvey again, the growth of Scottish Football, captaining a national team, how she moved from the midfield to centerback, moving to Australia, playing against teammates, and thoughts on haggis.
We didn’t lose the audio file this time! We were blessed to have Abby Smith on again. One episode later release wise, 5 months later in time, Wirtjo, Megan, and Abby talk about a variety of new topics while also expanding upon what we talked about the last time we chatted with Abby.
We talk adorable dogs, injury recovery, some of the more nuanced things about being mentally and physically ready for games, concussions, working with Nicole Barnhart, being an educator, life in Utah, and taking coaching courses at the Real Salt Lake Academy High School.
It’s the long lost file…
Sorta.
You see what happened was that I interview Abby Smith back in June, but then my dog ate the audio file. Thankfully, it was found and repaired, and so now we can move forth to release it on the latest Utah Royals FC Show.
If you did not believe that story? Props to you for not falling for my ridiculous excuse. The truth is...my schedule was busier than I expected it this summer, and I just never had the opportunity to write the article I wanted which then would have led to releasing the interview via the Royals FC Show. This is, perhaps, my greatest failure of my soccer writing career.
But, I believe, it is time to release the audio, even if I did not get around to write the article I wanted. In this one, we chat about how Smith started playing soccer, becoming a goalkeeper, coming to the NWSL, going to Boston, overcoming a knee injury (ruptured patella tendon), the Boston Breakers folding, being drafted by Utah in the Dispersal Draft, and playing with Nicole Barnhart and a solid defense. We also go through questions from the fans, including how much celebrating with the fans and meeting them is important to her. Smith was super kind and gracious, and I appreciated her time. I hope you enjoy listening to the interview.
Hi.
Hello.
Did you miss us?
I missed us.
We do accents in this one, and that’s all you need to know.
Do I write like Matt now?
I like it...
Some things happened! The United States has qualified for the World Cup! So did Canada. While not surprising, we’re still stoked about it, plus it provides some interesting nuances come next season. Also, the W-League has started up and seven Royals from last season are in action. We talk about what the W-League is all about, and why you should support it, We recap some of the action, particularly that of Utah Royals FC players and how they did. Additionally, fellow writer, photographer, and all around awesome dude Lucas Muller joins the show.
Utah Royals FC Players on Loan * Lo’eau Labonta - Western Sydney Wanderers * Sydney Miramontez - Western Sydney Wanderers * Rachel Corsie - Canberra United * Gunny - Adelaide United * Katie Stengel - Newcastle Jets * Samantha Johnson - Melbourne Victory * Katrina ‘Mini’ Gorry - Brisbane Roar
Photographers and videographers are overrated. So I thought. Perhaps it was because in high school every popular person immersed themselves in taking pictures of street lamps while I did my Advanced Placement homework in the library. Photographers and the folks who do that kind of stuff are cool. I learned this year that there’s a lot more to it than snapping a button.
It’s been our pleasure to have perhaps the most dynamic duo ever on the show this week. They are much more than the people who do the cool promo videos for the club and capture super awesome candid pictures of us in the stands. What a blast this one is. Thanks, Roscoe and Skyler.
We talk about life before photography, coming to Utah, freelance work, the value of practicing your craft, and how misunderstood the challenges of digital/recording work is.
We promise that you’re going to leave listening to this podcast a lot wiser than you were before. Also in a better mood because Skyler and Roscoe are funny.
This podcast was an absolute blast to do. While her future remains uncertain we had the pleasure of welcoming friend of the show Alex Arlitt on the podcast this week.
We chat about what it is like to play in the NWSL, life in Utah, studying accounting, The Office, riding in Uber’s, riding horses, and of course the toughest thing for any athlete to deal with...long term injury. Prepare yourself. There are a lot of laughs, and some exaggerated tears (maybe a few real ones, we get mushy).
As always don’t hesitate to reach out to us at @RFCShow, @wirtjogets2yell, @sirveaux24, @meganrsl15, @cinderL9, or use the hashtag #RFCShow on Twitter. We are also now on instagram @URFCShow. You can also hit us up on Facebook or if email is your preferred method of communication, that also works: URFCshow@gmail.com.
Waiver Wire, USWNT, Tangents. Cindy, Ryan, and Megan have it all in episode #35 of the URFC Show.
This week we had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk to assistant head coach Scott Parkinson. Hailing from Liverpool and a devout Toffee fan Scott found his way to the United States through sport. After having a successful tenure at Rogers State University in Oklahoma he found himself on his way to Utah via a phone call from Laura Harvey. Ryan and I mostly let Scott tell his story, where we talk about his journey to Utah, how he enjoys his free time, his coaching goals, what it is like to coach a professional women’s soccer team, and much much more. Finally, we round out with another special and surprise guest. We are incredibly humbled and grateful to have been able to spend some time with some of the most caring and accessible coaches in the world. We round out the show with some details of the new happenings that will be going on surrounding the show and ways to reach out to us as well as some transfer news and a solemn farewell to the man whom epitomizes Real Salt Lake as an organization, Trey Fitz-Gerald. It’s an episode of the Utah Royals FC Show that you definitely do not want to miss.
NOTE: We are trying a new recording software that will make the process easier for guests while increasing the audio quality and simultaneously cutting down the weekly post-production for Wirtjo from about four hours to one. It was a bit of a rough go this time around, so bear with us. As always, thank you for all of the support.
Part 2: We continue answering questions, and we specifically address what players we think we may, or may not lose in the upcoming offseason whether it be to an expansion draft or being waived. We then move into what listeners can expect from the show as we enter the offseason in terms of planning. Also tangents, lots of tangents. Most of all, thank you Utah Royals FC. A lot of groundbreaking things happened this year, thank you for making it happen. (Insert sentimental feelings here)
We’ve get two episodes this week everybody! Well, technically it’s one but we’ll split it into two.
Part 1: Regardless, it's the offseason now and it’s very sad, although what a journey it has been. That said, there’s some exciting stuff coming up. We still have the W League which is the Australian Women’s League. Multiple Royals players will be participating, as to whom exactly will be playing we don’t know yet but we know there will be at least four. Plus all the games are accessible on ESPN+. Yay! Also USWNT qualifiers are coming up. So still a lot of fun footy action coming up. To finish off Part 1 we answer some questions, rant about the heat of 1:30 games, give our playoff picks and more.
Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed your labor day, we know we did. Lots of news and updates coming in this week. Hope you enjoy Wirtjo’s awkward monologue.
Rachel Corsie and Elise Thorsnes qualified for the World Cup in France next summer with their respective countries. Gunny and Iceland heartbreakingly missed out just barely, but put in plenty of viking level performances throughout the process.
Depending on the Sky Blue game Tuesday night, the home game on Saturday against the Chicago Red Stars could very well be the last game of an amazing debut season for us. So pack Rio Tinto. Lets finish the season strong.
Doing the fan poll was a lot of fun, be sure to check RSL Soapbox for a pie chart of that if my rambling get's boring.
We found a new home! Thanks for following us here. In this one we tackle the URFC playoff scenario, talk about the upcoming international break including some must win games for our girls from Scotland, Iceland and Norway. Also tangents, several, sorry. (Kinda)
We're trying to put together some end of the year awards chosen by you the listeners for our players. Stay tuned we'll launch that google form next week. Thanks for listening to the Royals FC Show and be sure to keep sharing with your friends and family.
This could very well be the most important podcast we have done yet. We’re going to talk a little bit about the game this weekend but a good portion of this podcast is going to be dedicated to a team that isn’t even our own. We’re going to talk about the Sky Blue ownership situation, sexism in women’s football, and our opposition to the announcement to cancel the Utah Royals FC Broadcast program and what it implicates. Buckle up. At this time we as a show would also like to share our endorsement of Cloud 9 and the attempts and desires for administrative change and more professional working conditions in New Jersey. Please share this one with friends and family, as well as folks around the league. It’s more than just Utah Royals FC.
FYI Sky Blue Folks, our analysis starts at around the 55th minute.
We’re back, this time with our friend and fellow writer Megan Webb. We swear, Cindy isn’t dead. She’s not. Just extremely busy. We start the show introducing you all to Megan and hearing her RSL Story, we follow that up with quick recaps of the game against the Spirit and the Reign. We conclude by answering the questions you all sent us. Have a great week and don’t forget that Katie Stengel and Abby Smith are up for goal of the week and save of the week respectively.
Also, and importantly. We want to continue to make the best show possible for all of our listeners, so if you would be willing to follow this link and give us some additional feedback, that would be awesome. Talk to you next week!
What. A. Game. Going from being all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture to jumping a team in the standings within a matter of minutes. In this one Ryan and Wirtjo start off by breaking down their thoughts on the game against the Houston Dash. (Cindy’s not dead... we promise). The majority of episode is spent previewing the upcoming matches against the Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign. We also answer questions from the listeners, including addressing the common consensus which seems to be that the team should switch to a 4-4-2. This one also includes some unrelated soccer tangents. So buckle your seat belts.
Also, and importantly. We want to continue to make the best show possible for all of our listeners, so if you would be willing to follow this link and give us some additional feedback, that would be awesome. Talk to you next week!
It’s the international break for Utah Royals FC players, and for Wirtjo and Cindy too. Wirtjo got his wisdom teeth out, and Cindy is traveling. In their absence, Ryan takes on a full hour of talking about the Tournament of Nations, Women’s International Champions Cup, the RSL Women season and United Women’s Soccer end of season awards, and some talk about the end of the 2018 season for URFC.
There’s also some questions from the listeners at the end, and hopefully some decent audio quality as it was Ryan’s first time editing the show himself. It’s a very unique, and hopefully once-in-a-lifetime episode 27 of the Royals FC Show!
This is an incredible episode, and Cindy, Ryan and I are stoked to be able to bring it to you. You are already well-acquainted with her voice. Today’s special guest is Carla Swensen-Haslam, the Utah Royals FC Media Manager and color commentator for the team. We talk immigration, Colombian pride, soccer in refugee communities, being a role model, the transition from college soccer to professional broadcasting, the fine line that is public relations, the typical workday, player scouting, the NWSL draft, and much much more.
As we talk about in the podcast, the Utah Royals FC Show highly encourages listeners to checkout refugeesoccer.com and support them in their efforts to support Balls for Borno in brining soccer to the youth of refugee camps in Nigeria. You can keep up with them on twitter @RefugeeSoccer.
Episode twenty-five brought number twenty-five, the one, the only Brittany Ratcliffe.
In this one Brittany talks with Wirtjo about the incredible story behind her renowned orange bow, growing up in New Jersey, and leaving the college classroom mid-presentation to find out that she was going pro. Brittany additionally gives further insight into the 101 about herself including favorite vacation spots, childhood idols, being new to Utah, life on off-days, killing courage, being reunited with her college teammate/newest royal Makenzy Doniak, and much more including a special message for fans at the end. Many thanks to the UVA alum and fan favorite for spending some time with us. It’s an episode you definitely don’t want to miss.
With Wirtjo playing hooky this week, Cindy and Ryan go “off script” and talk about whatever they feel like. We covered the two losses from last week, give some thoughts on what the team is going through right now, and preview the next match against the Courage.
We also do a little World Cup talk, including making sure people keep their fevers burning hot for the Women’s tournament that is less than a year away. We even kept the Dutch spirit alive by dropping a few WWC hot takes.
The beginning section of the podcast is slightly different than what we normally do. We spend a substantial amount of time talking about and speculating about the potential problems at Sky Blue FC and the most recent comments made by Sam Kerr.
We want to avoid talking about Portland as much as possible if we are being honest. As a result, we do. Well, we talk about it a little bit. The gist being that you learn from it and move on. On the positive side, there is plenty of time left in the season, although a tightly contested playoff push looms ahead. With just over a third of the season left, Utah Royals FC sit in 6th place with only 5 points between positions 6th and 2nd. Nothing is said and done.
We end the show with a quick look ahead at the game against the Seattle Reign on Wednesday and answer some of your questions. As always, thank you for all the continued support of the Royals FC Show.
’s the longest episode of the Royals FC Show yet. The title is pretty self-explanatory. We were lucky to welcome the one and only Vice President of Broadcast and Public Relations for the club, Trey Fitz-Gerald. Trey gives us his RSL story about how a routine trip to Salt Lake City turned into launching a franchise and still being with the organization 14 years on. Trey also gives us insight into the daily workings of the Utah Royals Organization and the hecticness of its initial launch in addition to answering some questions you told us you wanted us to ask him regarding fan culture, the loyalty of Christen Press, life in the NWSL the trades of Sydney Leroux, Heather O’Reilly, and other subjects.
After cutting Trey loose, missing Cindy this week, Wirtjo and Ryan recap the games against the Seattle Reign and Sky Blue FC, talk more fan culture, including how important and influential fan atmosphere is to our players. It’s an episode of the URFC show you definitely don’t want to miss.
Another week, another episode of the Royals FC Show, and we are now entering the 20’s with episode 21!
In this one, we recap the game at Chicago Red Stars, where the Royals lost 2-0. Huge bummer to talk about losses, but we had to do our jounalistic duty.
We also preview the upcoming midweek match at Rio Tinto against Seattle Reign FC - aka Laura Harvey’s former team. Utah versus Seattle could be our first chance to see Christen Press in gold! Does she start? Does she sub in?
And we wrap up with some questions from our listeners, which took us into talking about fan culture in soccer in the U.S., specifically in Utah, so thanks to all who submitted some questions!
It is Episode 20! Being so, it warrants an extremely special guest. The one, the only, Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir.
Gunny was born in a country with less than 350,000 people. Her incredibly bold and passionate personality is a culmination of what it means to be Icelandic both on and off the pitch. In this one, Wirtjo has the pleasure of discussing with the fan favorite Icelandic culture, adjusting to life in Utah, making her debut at 14 years of age, the clap, her style of play, the World Cup, and much more.
We hope you enjoy this very special episode of the Royals FC Show. Twenty episodes is a big milestone, and we look forward to the many more yet to come.
Silly season, silly season, we love silly season! Before we talk about silly season, we have to point out how ironic, yet awesome it is that three individuals whom support our show all happen to have birthdays on the same day, June 18. So, thanks so much to those folks and everyone else for all of their support.
The main attraction - silly season! We thought that it might be coming, we didn’t think that it would happen so quickly. A massive three-team trade has disrupted the NWSL. We express our excitement and our reservations about the deal, and more importantly detail what it is that Utah Royals FC fans can expect from Christen Press and Samantha Johnson (don’t sleep on her!)
We finish the show recapping the amazing goal Ratcliffe scored. Wow, what a goal that was, easily one of the highlights of the season as well as a quick preview of the game against the Chicago Red Stars.
Wow. What an episode this one is. It’s long. Sorry. Sorta, not really sorry. Wirtjo makes a fool of himself a lot. It’s a funny one.
We talk about a lot of things, and we mean a lot. We start off with a quick RSL Women recap, then move on to why Christen Press may or may not be making her way to Utah, and end with a conversation between Cindy and her friend Aaron about the upcoming match against the best team in the league, the North Carolina Courage.
In between those, we spend the vast majority of podcast discussing all things international. We talk a bit about the hype for the World Cup which kicks off Thursday, whom we are rooting for, and who we think are going to ultimately win it all. Of more importance to our fanbase, we discuss the state of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France and how the qualifiers look for our international players. So far, Elise Thorsnes, Rachel Corsie, and Gunny Jonsdottir could all still qualify with their respective teams, an astoundingly exciting prospect, we of course dive into a lot more specifics.
This one is a little weird. Finding a time to all get together this week was challenging so Wirtjo did a quick 10 minute recap covering all things regarding the Royal Family this week. The most important part of the episode, however, is that it’s the very, very beginning of Faces of a Fanbase where we interview Royals Fans just like you.
In this one Wirtjo gets to talk to Brittany and Josh. Both of whom live on the East Coast but are avid royals fans nonetheless.
Hope you enjoyed the special three episode week last week. Back to normalcy a bit this week with only one episode.
In this one, as always we break down the match. The Royals didn’t have an incredibly poor performance, but they couldn’t finish their chances and got burned by Christine Sinclair early who nabbed her astounding sixth goal in only nine games. Gunny drew some fouls, bringing her total to the year to 29, and due to her hustle we all deem her to be our player of the match.
Up ahead this weekend, the Royals take on Sky Blue FC, a team who is still winless and at the bottom of the table with only one point. That said, only one of their losses has been by more than one goal. Expect it to be a trap game.
We close by answering a lot of questions, including the supposed “sideline sprinting fiasco.” We had some fantastic inquiries come in this week. Thanks to everyone who contributed to that, keep them coming.
We’re also looking for a few more people to talk to for our Faces of a Fanbase miniseries. If you happen to be a Royals fan out of state, are a younger soccer player and have been influenced by the presence of the franchise, or are a former KC Blue fan and can spare 10-15 minutes be sure to hit Wirtjo up on the twitters @wirtjogets2yell. You can hit up the rest of us at @RFCShow, @sirveaux24, @cinderL9, or use the hashtag #RFCShow on Twitter.
Shortly before she scored the game-winner in her Utah Royals FC starting debut last Saturday, Wirtjo had the opportunity to sit down with the 2013 NWSL Rookie of the Year herself.
In it, he and Erika Tymrak talk about a variety of things ranging from animal cruelty/veganism, her dog - who frankly is a great doggo -, life in Utah, mental toughness, favorite players, short-term goals, and many other topics. It’s an episode that you definitely don’t want to miss. Thanks for tuning into the Royals FC Show.
Don’t forget to treat yourself and follow a good doggo on instagram @_sirchai_ #adoptdontshop. Many borks, boops, and happiness guaranteed from an adorable woofer.
Wow. We are a third of the way through the season. Exciting, yet disappointing that so much football has already gone by. In this one, we incorporated some post-game press conference audio from Laura Harvey and Erika Tymrak since Cindy was able to attend the press conference after the game.
We Have Mail! Thanks Nick B and Family. We spend a bit of time talking about fan/player relationships in the NWSL and how it differs from the MLS and other leagues. We also give an injury update. Elise Thorsnes is expected to be back by this weekend or the next. Twenty-four year old Alex Arlitt has unfortunately joined Mandy Laddish on the Season Ending Injury list. Kelley O’Hara is at least a couple of weeks out, but most likely longer than that.
Additionally, we address the latest match against the Dash, which was filled with offensive excitement, and way too many fouls. We also talk about and give our score predictions for the upcoming road trip games against the Portland Thorns, Sky Blue FC, North Carolina Courage, and the Chicago Red Stars.
We have got a lot of exciting things coming out soon. Keep an eye out for two more episodes this week. One focused entirely on RSL Women and the other being Wirtjo’s sit-down with Erika Tymrak.