Stay ConnectedFull Time is The Athletic’s dedicated podcast for the U.S. women’s national team, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the larger world of international women’s soccer. Three times a week, join Meg Linehan, Tamerra Griffin and Jillian Sakovits as they tackle the culture, context, and conversations about the sport here in America and beyond, with help from fellow writers, guests and insiders from all corners of the game.
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Copyright: © 2020 - The Athletic
Welcome to the new Full Time Review hosted by Jillian Sakovits.
Your Monday morning rundown, looking back at the weekend’s action on the pitch and the top stories from the NWSL and beyond. All in under 20 minutes.
On the show this week, Jillian talks about the biggest storylines from the opening weekend of the new NWSL season. Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga kick off the 2025 MVP race in some style, while the Chicago Stars break records for the wrong reasons.
PLUS: Sonia Bompastor wins her first trophy with Chelsea and Meg Linehan stops by the show to talk about NWSL Boston's big news.
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Articles referenced on the show:
Manchester City and life after Gareth Taylor: A dismissal, a week of change and a cup final lost
Gotham FC forward Mak Whitham, 14, becomes youngest player in NWSL history
Everything you need to know about the 2025 NWSL season
Chelsea’s new Bompastor era claims first trophy but familiar face Bright ‘sets the tone’
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUEST: Meg Linehan
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the first edition of Full Time Focus, a new Friday podcast hosted by Jillian Sakovits that gets you ready for the weekend’s action while also catching you up on the key women’s soccer news that developed during the week.
On the show this week: Jillian has the latest on Mal Swanson and some NWSL opening day history, then Jeff Rueter joins to talk about his data-driven analysis of 14 players to watch in the 2025 season.
After that, attention shifts to England and a truly chaotic week ahead of the Women's League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City. Charlotte Harpur hops on the podcast to help unpack the fallout for City following the shock decision to sack head coach Gareth Taylor just days before that match. Charlotte also has some warming anecdotes from half an hour spent in the company of former NWSL MVP turned Manchester City player Kerolin.
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Articles mentioned on the show:
NWSL players to watch: Key performers for every team in 2025
Manchester City part ways with head coach Gareth Taylor
Manchester City captain Alex Greenwood ‘shocked’ by Gareth Taylor exit
What does Manchester City’s Kerolin Nicoli want? The Ballon d’Or
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUEST: Jeff Rueter, Charlotte Harpur
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week's Full Time is the second episode in a two-part 2025 NWSL Season Preview.
Co-hosts Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin are back together and joined by Evan Davis, of the Expected Own Goals podcast and Equalizer Soccer, to preview the seven teams in what the podcast is calling the 'NWSL West'.
How are Angel City FC, Bay FC, Houston Dash, Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave, Seattle Reign, and Utah Royals all approaching the new regular season? Everything you need to know is in this roundtable.
Later on, Meg is joined by Melanie Anzidei to review the Amazon documentary 'For The Win', which created a behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 NWSL playoffs. How did the filmmakers succeed and fall short in the creation of the documentary? And what does its target audience tell us about the league's goals?
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Articles mentioned on the show:
Bay FC coaching staff faces formal NWSL review amid reports of ‘toxic’ environment
NWSL’s new docuseries focuses on players’ competitiveness and passion on the field
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HOSTS: Meg Linehan
GUESTS: Evan Davis, Melanie Anzidei
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
_______________
Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the new Full Time Review hosted by Jillian Sakovits.
Your Monday morning rundown, looking back at the weekend’s action on the pitch and the top stories from the NWSL and beyond. All in under 20 minutes.
On the show this week, Jillian unpacks Friday’s penalty shootout drama in the NWSL Challenge Cup between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit, what happened over in Europe during the English and French domestic cups, before then finally checking in with Meg Linehan to get the latest on a formal review by the NWSL into allegations of a “toxic” coaching environment at Bay FC.
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Articles mentioned on the show:
Bay FC coaching staff faces formal NWSL review amid reports of ‘toxic’ environment
Washington Spirit get redemption with 2025 Challenge Cup win over Orlando Pride
Manchester United have March deadline to trigger Marc Skinner contract option
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUEST: Meg Linehan
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
_______________
Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week's Full Time is the first in a two-part 2025 NWSL Season Preview.
Meg Linehan is joined by former NWSL player-turned-broadcaster Jill Loydon and staff writer at USA Today's Pro Soccer Wire Jason Anderson to analyze the seven teams in what the podcast is calling the 'NWSL East'.
How are Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC, KC Current, NC Courage, Chicago Stars, and Racing Louisville all shaping up before the start of the regular season? Everything you need to know is in this roundtable.
Meg and Jason also preview the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup, which will see the Pride take on the Spirit in a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship. They will be trying to answer some questions about what that trophy means for both the teams involved and the league as a whole.
PLUS: Meg has the weekly headlines from around the world. From a Goal of the Year contender in LigaMX Femenil to the official delay of the FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
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Articles mentioned on the show:
USWNT’s Sophia Wilson announces pregnancy
FIFA Women’s Club World Cup delay and new Champions Cup explained
Lizbeth Ovalle’s adapted ‘scorpion kick’ – the most startling goal of 2025
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HOST: Meg Linehan
GUESTS: Jason Anderson, Jill Loydon
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Myka Rodriguez
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In August 2023, on the pitch in Sydney, Australia, Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso's life changed. But not in the way it should have.In a moment that became more widely known as "The Kiss" former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales, grabbed Hermoso's face and planted a kiss on her lips.
It became front page news around the world.In February 2025, Rubiales went on trial for one count of sexual assault and one of coercion. If he was found guilty of both counts, the prosecution was asking for a two and a half year prison sentence.In the end, following a two week trial, Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault but not guilty of coercion.
So, how did we get to this ruling?
Meg Linehan guides you through the full story, with the help of The Athletic's Spanish reporters, from the pitch in Sydney, to the hills of south Spain, over to the court room of Madrid. And ultimately ask one question, se acabó? Is it over?
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Credits
Host: Meg Linehan.
Contributors: Dermot Corrigan, Guillermo Rai, Laia Cervello and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero.
Producer: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
Executive Producers: Abi Paterson and Emily Olsen
Featuring footage from: ABC News, Sky Sports, Al Jazeera, The Independent, Sky News, France 24 English, Fox, Jenni Hermoso Instagram, RFEF
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Full Time, Meg Linehan and Jeff Rueter break down the USWNT's SheBelieves Cup performance, including the 2-1 defeat to Japan. Is it time to push the panic button? Or do we need to lean into Emma Hayes' call for patience and development?
In addition to picking the bones on the first defeat for the USA under Hayes, Meg and Jeff give their takes on USA newcomers, give lots of flowers to Japan, and debate the state of the USA midfield.
After all that, Angel City FC sporting director Mark Parsons then joins the show for an exclusive interview to talk about his vision for the Los Angeles NWSL club, as well as the latest on their head coaching vacancy.
PLUS: Meg and Jeff close out the show by getting their fashion on. Yes, over a dozen new NWSL kits have been released, and it's time to have some fun unpacking the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Articles mentioned on the show:
Why USWNT’s loss to Japan in SheBelieves Cup could be a ‘good thing’ for Emma Hayes’ team
2025 NWSL jerseys: What the teams say about the new releases and our favorites
Japan unseats USWNT in SheBelieves Cup, ending 5-year tournament winning streak
Angel City narrows coaching search to 4 candidates, sporting director says
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HOSTS: Meg Linehan, Jeff Rueter
GUESTS: Melanie Anzidei, Megan Feringa
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Myka Rodriguez
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Special guest Becky Sauerbrunn joins host Meg Linehan totalk all things USWNT, the SheBelieves Cup, and her post-career transition to broadcasting with TNT Sports, as well as her podcasting with Sam Mewis. The conversation also dips into being on the other side of the media divide, USWNT leadership, and what Sauerbrunn's latest books and TV recommendations are.
Later on in the show, The Athletic's Melanie Anzidei joinsMeg to report on the ground from Houston, Texas, where the SheBelieves Cup kicks off. What is the atmosphere like in camp? How is Emma Hayes and her experimental team approaching these matches? And, could the three visiting nations be in more of a 'win-now' headspace?
PLUS: Meg gets you caught up on all the Luis Rubiales trial, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw's powerful statement, and other international and NWSL news from another busy week in women's soccer.
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Articles mentioned on the show:
Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault and fined €10,000 for kissing Jenni Hermoso at World Cup
Chloe Kelly on Arsenal, England and what happens next: ‘I’m ready to learn and be happy again’
USWNT names to watch during the SheBelieves Cup. Plus, Khadija Shaw’s powerful moment
2025 NWSL Competition Manual: What’s New
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HOST: Meg Linehan
GUESTS: Becky Sauerbrunn, Melanie Anzidei
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Emma Hayes has anew strategic vision for the U.S. women's national team, called 'The WNT Way'.
Host Meg Linehan is joined by The Athletic's Jeff Rueter to discuss how the new blueprint is attempting to revolutionize the existing approach to women's soccer in terms of anatomy, psychology, coaching and tactics.
The duo also break down the latest USWNT roster for the upcoming 2025 SheBelieves Cup, the importance of a returning Cat Macario, and who are the new faces to watch.
PLUS: Meg and Jeff open the show by examining how the NWSLPA and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman are responding to the latest government efforts to ban trans athletes.
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HOSTS: Meg Linehan, Jeff Rueter
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com
Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime
Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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