00:00We're excited right now to welcome in Esme Morgan from the Washington Spirit ahead of their playoff matchup this Sunday
00:083 o'clock against Portland. Esme, what's up? How are you doing?
00:12I'm good, thank you. How are you?
00:13Doing well.
00:14Doing great. How excited are you for the playoffs?
00:19Very much looking forward to it. I think obviously the last couple of years we've had good runs to get
00:24to the championship.
00:25And to be honest, some of my favorite memories of football have been the playoff party field with the amazing
00:31atmosphere that our fans create.
00:33So hoping we can have some more of those moments this season too.
00:38I was out there at the last game when you all clinched and you had a lot of fans out
00:42there. It was very exciting.
00:43How much do the fans out there push you all?
00:47They're amazing. Like we have the best fans in the league, I'm sure.
00:51I feel that when we go to away games that nowhere competes with Rowdy Audi.
00:55So the atmosphere and the noise that they bring to our games and the energy that they feel for us
01:02is really, really special.
01:04We try to pass that back to them with our performances and have it as like a two-way streak,
01:09making strong tackles, being aggressive on the pitch
01:12and trying to play in an exciting way that also gives them the excitement that they then spread back to
01:17us.
01:18So I feel like we've got a really special community at Audi and hopefully we can feel that again this
01:23weekend and beyond.
01:25For sure.
01:26You know, I think those spirit crowds are generally awesome.
01:31It's a lot of fun to go to games.
01:32I've taken my daughters.
01:33I've gone with Brian.
01:35It's just, it is a special place.
01:37I think the stadium's cool, but the crowd gets into it in a really cool way.
01:43I don't know this, but, you know, you guys had a strong regular season.
01:48You finished third place, 17-9-4.
01:51But there's also, the last two seasons, the spirit has gotten to the title game and been on the short
01:57end of that stick.
01:58Do you feel any, I don't know if pressure is the right word, excitement about another chance at breaking through
02:05and getting that title going into the playoffs?
02:08Yeah, I think definitely more excitement going into it, like the opportunity to right the wrongs of the last two
02:15years
02:15and hopefully go one further.
02:17I think especially it being at Audi Field, that's an extra motivation for us to be able to compete in
02:23that championship game
02:24in front of our own fans, our home fans.
02:28And so, yeah, I think it's more excitement than anything.
02:31I mean, every year there's a pressure that we put on ourselves because we want to be successful
02:36and we want to get to those games.
02:37But I think now that we're in the position where we've made it to the playoffs,
02:41there's just a real motivation and determination to make sure we take it week by week
02:47and are successful in this quarterfinal first and then we see what comes after that.
02:52What is it you all feel you have to do well in this game coming up by this weekend
02:57to make sure you get to the next round?
03:00I think doing the basics right first and foremost being the team that puts in the most effort
03:06and fights for every loose ball, being strong in the tackle, being aggressive in our press
03:10and then trying to be controlled on the ball, just doing the things that have got us to this stage.
03:15But with that extra little bit of fight and desire that, as I said before,
03:20will give our fans the energy to then help us through the game
03:22when there will undoubtedly be difficult moments because Portland are a good team.
03:28So just laying the foundation with our mentality
03:30and then allowing the wind that we have to shine through.
03:35I'm curious, Esme, you reached kind of the summit, I think it was last summer,
03:41in the European Cup, playing with the English national team, being able to win the European Cup
03:46and understanding how massive that is on a global scale
03:50and being part of a championship team like that.
03:55Does any of that experience kind of come into play going into the NWSL playoffs?
04:02Yeah, I think, first of all, it gives you an extra hunger when you experience win.
04:07And it's a really addictive feeling, and you want to feel it again, and I want to feel it.
04:11I don't want to try this group because we have to discuss it a lot.
04:16Oh, we're losing you a little bit there.
04:21Ryan, you want to check that out?
04:23Okay, we lost Esme there.
04:24Obviously, a big, big game Sunday, 3 o'clock at Audi Field.
04:30I wanted to go, but I'm going to be at work, man.
04:32Yeah, Sunday's tricky for us.
04:35That said, dude, so I pulled up Esme's Instagram page.
04:41Beach, I don't know enough about the Red Arrows.
04:45The Royal Air Force, the British Air Force, has the Red Arrows.
04:52It strikes me as something similar to our Blue Angels, perhaps.
04:56She flew with them.
04:58Look at that.
04:58So she's a pilot.
05:00I don't know if she was.
05:01Or did she just get on the plane?
05:03I don't know that, but either way, dude, I mean, you're up in a jet doing flips and stuff.
05:09The guy asked me if I know somebody that wanted to fly with the Blue Angels.
05:11I told him JB Finley would love it.
05:13I would love to try.
05:14I would love to try.
05:16I may regret it afterwards.
05:17I might barf, but I would love to try.
05:19Sometimes you come out the other end, too, Jay.
05:23You know, the other thing that I wanted to ask Esme, apparently she's a huge Jags fan.
05:29Yeah.
05:29And I wonder if that's because Jacksonville keeps playing in London.
05:32Could be.
05:33Could be.
05:33But apparently she's a big Trevor Lawrence fan.
05:35Maybe she went to Clemson.
05:37Esme, are you there?
05:42Esme, are you there?
05:43Yeah.
05:44I'm here, if you can hear me.
05:46I got you.
05:46I don't know if you guys...
05:47You're talking about your affinity for the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence.
05:51Yes, I love the Jags.
05:53My dad introduced me to the NFL like 10 years ago, honestly.
05:57And I got the Madden mobile game on my phone, and it asked me to choose a team.
06:02And I didn't have a good reason to support any team, but my favorite color is teal.
06:06So I chose the Jags.
06:09That's awesome.
06:10Did you...
06:11I mean, they play twice a year in London every year.
06:13Did you get to go to a game?
06:15Yeah, I've been to two games, actually.
06:18Maybe five or six years ago, and then I went last year as well to their game at Wembley.
06:22But it was just kind of a happy coincidence that they are one of the teams that plays in London.
06:27Like, when I chose them, I didn't know that at all.
06:30That's awesome.
06:30But yeah, happy coincidence, and I'm excited to see them for the first time today in the U.S.
06:35Aren't they playing up in Baltimore?
06:37Tonight.
06:37Are you going tonight?
06:38Are you going to the game?
06:39Yeah, I've got tickets to the game, so very excited.
06:43That's fun.
06:43But it's funny.
06:45Cool, cool.
06:45Two of my best friends have become, like, massive Liverpool fans, but they picked them...
06:51Oh, okay.
06:51They picked them way back when because they liked that they had Carlsberg on their jerseys.
06:55Like, when it's an international thing, you kind of just pick for whatever.
06:59You pick for whatever, yeah.
07:01Yeah, the most random reasons are the best ones.
07:04Absolutely.
07:04The other thing I have to ask you about, I'm looking at your Instagram, and you flew with the red
07:10arrows,
07:11which strikes me as, like, a similar thing to the Blue Angels here in the U.S.
07:16Yeah.
07:16Are you a pilot by training?
07:19Like, how did this...
07:20Or do you just fly with them?
07:22No, I flew in the back seat of the one.
07:25I was with the captain, Red One, and he flew me around.
07:29We did a few spins and loops and stuff, and it was very, very exciting.
07:33It did give me a thirst to want to learn to fly, to be honest, but...
07:36Was it a little scary?
07:37Not just yet.
07:38There was one moment after we did some spins where I started to feel a bit sick,
07:42and then I was scared because I was like, I don't want to be sick in his plane.
07:46But then we, like, leveled out a little bit, and I felt better again.
07:51But it was just so much fun.
07:52It was such a thrill, yeah.
07:53That's really cool.
07:54That's cool.
07:55I like that.
07:56JP's going to be doing it next with the Blue Angels.
07:58I'd love to try.
07:59I've got an inside scoop.
08:01He just doesn't know this.
08:02We'll see how that goes.
08:05Esme, thank you so much for the time.
08:06Good luck this weekend, and good luck in the playoffs.
08:09Thank you very much.
08:11Esme Morgan from the Washington Spirit.
08:14You can give her a follow on Instagram at esme.morgan, E-S-M-E.morgan.
08:19I wasn't going to bring this up with Esme.
08:22The NWSL Championship game is going to be held at Audi Field this year.
08:25It's always at a neutral site.
08:27Now, the Spirit have been in the title game the last two years.
08:30They've lost in the title game, but it's been, I think once it was in Kansas City,
08:33I think once it was in L.A., they can get to the title game again,
08:36and it's a home game.
08:38With that crowd, pretty darn interesting.
08:40Oh, yeah.
08:41Oh, yeah.
