Carolina Ascent midfielder Shea Groom sits down to discuss life in the Gainbridge Super League!

NWSL Champion and veteran midfielder Shea Groom joins the podcast to share insider insights from her eleven top-flight professional seasons. Discover how her recent transition to Carolina Ascent FC is shaping her veteran leadership role in a new league landscape and uncover her proven strategies for locker room culture, tactical execution, and maintaining a competitive edge at the highest levels of women's soccer.'

She shares her initial reaction hearing about a second professional women’s soccer league coming to the United States, what specifically made the Carolina Ascent the right fit, winning the inaugural NWSL Challenge Cup title in the COVID-19 bubble with a very special Houston Dash group.

Shea also talks about how she has seen the women’s soccer landscape evolve since her rookie season and what stands out most when you compare the American women’s soccer landscape, NWSL and USL included, then versus where it is today and how both the high's of trophies and lows of injuries taught her resilience, leadership, and maintaining confidence through adversity.

Additionally, Shea elaborates on how her team's identity continues to develop, playing in front of the avid Carolina fanbase, how she has stepped into a more prominent leadership/mentorship role of her younger teammates in Carolina, her time in NCAA women's college soccer with Texas Tech, and so much more!

Thank you all for listening! Remember to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, on Instagram (@the_womens_soccer_podcast) and Bluesky (@thewomenssoccerpod.bsky.social). In addition, leave a 5-star review and tell all your friends about our show!

Vancouver Rise FC defender Jaylyn Wright sits down to discuss life in Canada's Northern Super League!

Jaylyn breaks down what it means to be part of Vancouver's professional women's soccer roster, the intense competition across the league, and how the Canadian soccer landscape is shifting for the next generation of athletes.

She shares her initial reaction hearing about a professional women’s soccer league coming to Canada, what specifically made the Vancouver Rise the right fit, winning the inaugural Northern Super League title and Diana B. Matheson Cup.

She also talks about how she looks back upon that final retrospectively, how preseason went with lots of new faces, how the group is continuing to build continuity ahead of reaching the club’s ambitious goals and stepping into a vital role within the Rise system early in her professional career.

Additionally, Jaylyn elaborates on how her team's identity continues to develop, playing in front of the avid Vancouver fanbase, areas in her game she is aiming to build upon in her second season with the Rise, her time in NCAA women's college soccer, and so much more!

Thank you all for listening! Remember to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, on Instagram (@the_womens_soccer_podcast) and Bluesky (@thewomenssoccerpod.bsky.social). In addition, leave a 5-star review and tell all your friends about our show!

Angel City FC just made three moves that can’t really be understood in isolation: the $850,000 signing of Ally Sentnor, the departure of rising midfielder Kennedy Fuller, and the dismissal of head coach Alexander Straus.

On paper, they look like separate stories, but in reality they point to the same shift in urgency expressed top down at Angel City.

In this episode, LDG breaks down how Angel City’s decisions reveal a club recalibrating its entire timeline. From investing heavily in elite young talent, to moving on from a long-term prospect, to parting ways with a coach brought in to build a sustainable project, each move raises the same question: has Angel City stopped waiting for its future and started demanding results now?

He digs into what the Sentnor transfer really signals about valuation and ambition in the modern NWSL, why the Kennedy Fuller trade is less about “losing a player” and more about competing timelines, and whether Alexander Straus was a victim of poor results or a changing organizational identity.

Zooming out, this isn’t just a story about one club. It’s about a league entering a new era, where investment is rising, patience is shrinking, and every decision carries immediate pressure to deliver. Did Angel City just accelerated into contention or abandoned a plan before it had time to work?

listen in to hear my thoughts, I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you all for listening! Remember to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, on Instagram (@the_womens_soccer_podcast) and Bluesky (@thewomenssoccerpod.bsky.social). In addition, leave a 5-star review and tell all your friends about our show!