00:00Let's pinpoint ACFC. We're going to a little touch on them a little bit later in the episode,
00:04but I think it's very important to talk about their game this weekend.
00:07They were able to grab another three points, putting them in ninth in the standings right now,
00:12and they just need to reach that eighth, you know, marking to get in the playoffs.
00:16So this is really exciting time for them.
00:18Finally, they seem to be hitting up right at the moment where they need it.
00:21For me, they were kind of a lost cause at this point, Camila.
00:24The results were not with them, and, you know, on the other side, we had San Diego Wave that is keep going up,
00:31winning games, getting in the top places, and at the same time, Orlando con Marta,
00:38Mimero Gallo is going downhill. Talk to me about that a little bit.
00:41Yes, they actually took another loss this weekend. That's a second loss in a row.
00:47I mean, Gotham has a lot of really talented players.
00:50You have Esther Gonzalez, who just came from the Euros.
00:53You have Rose Lavelle, who is a prominent U.S. women's national team player.
00:57And, you know, also Orlando Pride has been suffering some serious injuries.
01:01We saw one of their star forwards, Barbara Banda.
01:03She suffered a season-ending injury, unfortunately.
01:08A terrible news for Orlando because Banda was a record-setting player that was about to explode in this league.
01:15Nick, I know that you follow the connection between European and American soccer very closely,
01:21and we've seen some crazy news this week.
01:24Camila, can you please brief my good friend Nick about what's going down between ACFC and no other than Chelsea
01:31that keeps dashing money where the men or the women, money, money, money, money.
01:35Yep, they are on a roll.
01:36Okay, Nick, listen to this.
01:38Chelsea was in the talks works with ACFC to take the one and only Alyssa Thompson.
01:43I mean, she is one of, if not the most prominent young player, you know, in the women's side of football.
01:50And this is, you know, this is, if you're an ACFC fan like myself, this shook you.
01:53This broke my heart.
01:55Literally, this is one of my favorite young players.
01:58And, yeah, I mean, today they actually just announced that they have reached a verbal commitment with Alyssa Thompson to go to Chelsea.
02:06That tells us a lot.
02:07It tells us, okay, Chelsea as a team specifically has a lot of money to make it rain.
02:11Yes, on the men's side, on the women's side, all over the place.
02:14But we got some hints there in terms of finances, and it's looking good on that side as well.
02:19I mean, you have this new partnership, A, with Disney+, broadcasting this.
02:23That means more reach, more money for broadcasting, and just more visibility all out.
02:27That's something we always want to see.
02:29You have the Europa League that's going to be happening side by side with the women's UEFA.
02:32So, no matter how you look at it, it's good news in the bigger picture.
02:36You see your beloved players leave your team.
02:40That's always going to hurt.
02:41But we see a shift.
02:43We're seeing a really big shift in the right direction.
02:45And this year's tournament, I think, and I'm talking about UEFA, is going to be absolutely amazing.
02:50Eyes are all on the big squads.
02:52And I want to get your guys' opinion on this.
02:54I'm looking at Arsenal.
02:55Arsenal's looking absolutely amazing.
02:57I'm very excited to see how they fare.
03:00Barcelona, they're hungry, having lost.
03:01Last time to Arsenal.
03:03I think they have something to prove.
03:05Lyon, I think the all-time champions.
03:07I don't think anyone has more titles than them.
03:09I think they're up there as well.
03:10PSG, Juve, maybe the same teams as on the men's side, dominating here on the women's.
03:14But it's going to be absolutely an amazing tournament to watch.
03:18And one of the realities that we will continue to see is these transfers that happen from these
03:23giant behemoths in the European world, that they have an amazing salary cap, where we were just talking,
03:30that is not a reality for the National Women's Soccer League.
03:33Touch on that, Camilla, please.
03:34Yes.
03:34Okay, so if we look at the WSL, which is on the European side of women's soccer, their salary caps are the same, 40%.
03:42But you have to remember, for a huge club like Chelsea, that includes the whole franchise as a whole.
03:48So that includes the men's side as well.
03:50Meaning that they are able to just offer these big-time players like Alyssa Thompson so much more money than the NWSL.
03:57Which, you know, begs the question, like, will the NWSL be able to keep up with these mega clubs?
04:03I mean, give it two, five years.
04:04I don't know.
04:05I don't know what their path is going to look like, honestly, if they can't make a change.
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