Casual FC

Christen Press is Back! Angel City FC & Olympic Knockouts Preview

Join Angela Morales and Mario Salazar in this special catch-up episode of Casual FC as they discuss the highly anticipated return of Christen Press after over 700 days and what it means for Angel City FC. They also dive into the ongoing Olympic knockout stages, sharing insights on upcoming quarterfinal matches and their predictions. From backyard movie nights to the Olympics' latest highlights, this episode is packed with excitement and detailed discussions you won't want to miss!

00:00 Welcome to Casual FC: Angel City Preview
00:55 Backyard Movie Nights and Tech Talk
02:13 Special Catch-Up Episode: Shenanisode 2.0
03:45 Christen Press: The Return
16:39 Olympic Knockouts and Group Stage Recap
19:24 Michelle Kang's Generous Contribution to US Rugby
25:34 The Emma Era: A New Dawn
26:30 Struggles with Team Loyalty
27:46 The Korbin Albert Controversy
29:06 Balancing Excitement and Disappointment
38:21 Olympic Fever: Other Sports to Watch
39:59 Quarterfinals Preview
47:07 Community Engagement and Support
49:05 Closing Remarks and Gratitude
★ Support this podcast ★

What is Casual FC?

From causal and seasoned fans to fresh new fans to the game, Casual FC is your Angel City FC podcast previewing all upcoming matches, highlighting what to look for as the casual football fan.

Angela: My friends, she's back.

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Casual
FC, an Angel City preview pod.

I'm your host, Angela Morales, with my
co host, tech support extraordinaire, dad

of the year, sets up backyard screenings
of films for his family, Mario salazar.

Mario: The backyard screenings have
been like, I've wanted a projector in

our house for so long, yet apartment
we've been in isn't just set up right

for a projector, and then our house
isn't set up right for a projector.

I have our TV on one of
those big, extendable arms.

pull the tv like three
feet from the wall so i

Angela: Right.

Mario: it and so that we can
comfortably watch it like it's

because it's in a weird corner of

Angela: Mm

Mario: but we've been doing movie
nights every now and then um the only

downside to the little projector that
i have is that it takes a lot of wires

a lot of stuff to set it up you It
takes 20 minutes on its own just to

connect everything and get it going.

Angela: When you've got a six year old and
a three year old, time is of the essence.

Mario: oh yeah, I'm definitely setting
that up while is like taking care

of the attention span over there.

But I have been looking into getting
something a little bit more to set

up, which means more movie nights.

Angela: Yay.

That's exciting.

That's exciting.

Backyard movie nights
are in my future as well.

And I'm very excited.

Mario: Oh yeah,

Angela: all right, guys.

Yeah.

So we're doing a little special
catch up episode because a

lot of stuff has happened.

We just had our shenana sewed.

This is like shenanisode 2.

0 and also Olympic knockouts.

Mario: Quarter finals, yeah.

Um, I think I posted up the
definition of shenanizodes.

and I posted up a little poll and
basically both, answers on the

poll are like, yes, we like it.

There's because we like shenan
like shenanisodes so much

that it's going to be a thing.

And I think we're just
gonna call, any kind of

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: loopy ones shenanisodes.

yeah.

Yeah.

We've

Angela: Yeah.

Put

Mario: so far, a gold star.

Yeah.

Angela: the 2.

0 version of the bingo card.

Me crying in shenanisodes.

All right, everyone's, or, yeah,
big, the world of soccer is changing

and it's starting to right itself.

The earth is healing.

We're like, we're getting some good stuff

Mario: it

Angela: happening,

Mario: that we are recording this
episode Wednesday, which normally

our recording schedule is we
record Monday, release Wednesday.

we are recording this on Wednesday because
of the Olympics, yet we all just got the

news that everybody's been waiting for.

yeah.

Angela, I will give you the honors.

Angela: Thank you.

My friends, she's back.

For the first time in over 700
days, THE, like THE Kristen

Press is off the SCI list.

I'm not going to say
she's playing Thursday.

I'm not going to say any of that because
I don't know, but she is available.

Mario: She will

Angela: And

Mario: That will,

Angela: genuinely,

Mario: own.

Angela: yeah, like that is so much
that means she's willing to, she's

like ready and willing to take contact.

She feels good because yes, she was
cleared medically, but Mentally,

that is a big freaking deal.

More than I can, verbally explain.

Mario: And just to temper anything that

we here at Casual FC would
like to temper everybody's

expectations on CP coming back.

Angela: Yes.

Mario: that she's back.

Will she be doing any type
of significant minutes?

Most likely not.

Angela: it'll be a build up, for sure.

Mario: it'll be like, if she does
see the pitch tomorrow, which

she is available, according to
what Angel City released, and by

Angela: And her.

Mario: okay, so when this episode
releases yesterday, if she was available

yesterday, really I think it would be
like, it'll be like an 85th minute sub.

Angela: Yeah.

It'll just be the last few minutes.

Get her some live contact,
some real, get the jitters out.

Mario: when there's like
some stoppage time left.

that's what it would be.

Angela: there's, oh, wait,
there's, oh, there is stoppage.

Mario: actually,

Angela: But no extras.

Should probably be like
80, 75th, 80th minute.

Mario: yeah, there will be stoppage,

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: if she comes in, she is eligible
for penalty kicks if it goes to

Angela: I trust that shit.

okay, You're just newer to the, the vibes.

That's all.

Kristen Press is an assassin.

There is a clip that we'll have
to find and repost of, I believe

it's Sebi Salazar, saying,
Kristen Press, what have you done?

And it is one of the best calls of a goal.

It's the best call of a soccer game.

She's so graceful on the pitch.

She's so tactical.

She's so precise.

She's nasty.

And she's

Mario: tie.

Angela: I do yoga and I meditate.

Like she's so it's the perfect
dichotomy of an athlete.

So graceful, so pristine,
so Zen, so chill.

Good luck.

Good effing luck.

Like the way she talks about Tobin.

There's been a lot in the
Kristen Press news feed lately.

Her and Tobin have, actually said, they've
confirmed when they started dating is

when everybody thought they started
dating because they're all googly eyed

over each other, which is really cute.

the Prieth fans are going bonkers.

The internet is ablaze.

It is a time.

What a time to be alive, my friends.

I'm not on the, Oh my God, I've never
seen anything better in my life train of

Kristin Press because I have I believe it.

Like it's not one of those Oh my
God, like women's soccer is so great.

yeah, I know.

But it's I'm

Mario: I,

Angela: a, I'm not a stan.

I'm a fan.

I'm a big fan.

She's fantastic.

She's a great leader.

She's just.

I'm so excited that she's healthy enough
to play, just in general, because I

don't know how much longer, we'd never
know how much longer a player has,

and it's so frickin wonderful to have
her get the joy of the game back, get

her health back, get her knees health
back, get the ability to compete back.

it is what's the word I'm looking for?

Devastating.

To have the conversation with yourself of,
do I walk away from my sport right now?

Sometimes it happens when you're
young, sometimes it happens in college,

high school, everywhere in between,
sometimes as a pro, and it's devastating.

It's a horrible conversation you have
to have with yourself every once in a

while, and it's, I don't recommend it.

Zero out of ten, no stars.

She's had to do this multiple times
through this recovery and to get it back.

this is the dream.

This is what everybody was
hoping for Sam Mewis as well.

But this is also, Sammy's injury,
CP's injury, because it was a

build up of multiple things.

This is reminiscent of a previous
chapter of the NWSL and team treatment

and player treatment and all the things.

And I got a lot to say about
that, but I'm really friggin

excited that she's, Thank you.

Physically capable of playing again.

And for those who don't really know her
before Angel City, I am so excited for

you to watch this like amazing player
who's never, at least on the national

team level, was never really utilized
the way you think she would be utilized.

A lot of times she was a super sub.

She was a game changer coming in, in the
second half or playing the first half

coming out and coming out at halftime.

She was always like interchangeable.

But I don't think she was
actually utilized to the

capacity she should have been.

So get ready for tactical genius, scary

Mario: I,

Angela: scorer, Chris Impress.

Maybe we get some goals.

I could talk about this for a while.

Mario: I'm interested to see

What's gonna happen, how quickly she
gets into the system, like I know

she's been training with the system
basically, but it's also been, let's

get weird season and this might
be part of let's get weird, like

Angela: it absolutely is.

Absolutely.

Mario: just remember that this is
technically her last year of her contract.

at

Angela: It's not her last year.

Mario: At the end of her
season, she's out of contract.

I'm just stating the facts.

I am.

Angela: I know, I don't think
she's walking away from the

game after this recovery.

This is one of those, I'll finish out the
season, we'll figure out what's going on.

But I think she signs like a
one year extension, at least.

Mario: Okay, I'm gonna,
I'm gonna ask you this.

Angela: oh.

Mario: With our recent
conversations offline about.

salary caps and about space
on the team and the fact that

she is now off, officially off
the SEI means her salary hits.

Her full

Angela: Right.

Mario: the team salary cap, could affect
the potential of two player spots that

we had moving forward after Paige and
Mandy, but would you pay her the same or

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: more for a one year extension?

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: At the detriment
of possibly not getting

Angela: Yes, because I think
it's already factored in.

Because we gave up Paige,
Mandy, and Clarice.

So I think it's already, I think it's
already mathematically figured out.

Mario: Okay.

Okay.

Angela: about it.

Mario: I know that when it comes to player
salaries and things like that, being on

the MLS side of things, there's always the
conversation of like, when you have a, a

DP, a designated player, which is, player,
that you can pay above the salary cap.

you just,

Angela: There's like a fine or whatever.

Mario: the, no, there's no fine.

It's, there, there's a max, there's a
minimum and a maximum of like salary

that a player Anything above that max is,
has to be paid down by the team, right?

so you can max out your salary cap
and have the money go above that, but

you have to pay down their salary,
basically, to get them to the max amount.

Angela: interesting.

Mario: it's a weird, funny
Monopoly money thing.

but, that's for, and you're
only allowed three players.

To do that with the dps
on, in, on the MLS side.

But then a lot of times those dps are the
big names that people are bringing in.

it's the Carlos Villa.

It's the, messy, it's, LATAN.

Angela: They're making the exemption
because they know regardless they're

gonna have to pay out of Their behinds.

Mario: But then

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: are done, the
question always comes back.

Are they worth that DP money?

Angela: Yeah.

Honestly, I think Kristen is.

Mario: I am one of those that
you just called out at the

Angela: Exactly.

Mario: not, have not

Angela: You should see the video of this.

Of me looking at Mario stop it.

Mario: stop asking your question.

Your question is not valid.

Angela: Your question is wrong.

No, and I think it's one of those
things where we're, she's seen, we're

closer to the twilight of her career.

She's won, everything possible kind of
thing, and, not quite, but, she's been,

she's a, Olympic medalist, a two time
World Cup champion, what else you want?

NWSL?

whatever.

But, at the same time, I would also
want to come back and win everything.

And the thing I think too with
salary cap for someone like

her, she has endorsements.

She has, national team money.

She has national team equality money.

there's been a, she's coming from
a different place than a lot of the

stalwarts of the NWSL, like they're
getting checks from the Federation

to like still for the payment.

The equal pay stuff and
all of that kind of thing.

So

I'm also, that's another
conversation for a different episode.

Nevermind.

I'm not going to say that because we don't
have enough information to talk about it.

but I feel like there's going to be
other settlements that come out soon

that end up getting certain players more
money and lawsuits and things like that.

Take that as you will.

Yeah.

Mario: I do want to state that I'm excited

Angela: As you should be.

Mario: back.

it's, it, I'm not, I know I play devil's
advocate here of asking and I think a lot

of it is really just I want to know more.

And,

Angela: It's curiosity.

It's not oh, do you really think that?

yeah.

Mario: It's not me being like, is
she going to live up to the hype?

She's overhyped.

no.

I understand that she is
who she is for a reason.

I just haven't lived through
that amazingness or through

the highlights, right?

I don't, I

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: through the, What's
the word you always use when

we're talking about, the lore?

I

Angela: The lore.

Yeah.

Mario: CP, so I'm excited to see her back.

and

Angela: give you something to look
for in her style of play that like.

is something Eva and I are trying to
translate into drumming because it's

like such a cool technical thing that
she does is that when she's looking to

score and she's navigating towards the
goal most players you see the buildup

you see the change in their body their
stature changes when they go to plant to

kick the ball like you know it's coming
she does it in stride so you don't see

like The backswing of her leg, you don't
see the transition there, it's just like

Silent Assassin of just like, juggle, and
then she's just shooting the ball at you,

and it's what the hell just happened?

It's a really cool, graceful thing,
I've watched one of the goals she scored

for Angel City, I think I've watched
it probably 50 times, trying to figure

out how to make this translate into
other body parts, because it's so fluid.

And it's something that she practiced
so that you have such strength coming

from no backswing, no momentum.

And that way you can do it in stride.

You can do it from a standstill,
what have you, just bam.

It's very cool.

if I can find any clips, if, and
when she starts scoring again, we'll

make sure to talk about it again, but

Mario: Okay.

Angela: that's the wrap on the CP stuff.

Cause that's all the
info we have right now

Mario: Yeah.

We're basically going
off with, she's back.

that's

Angela: and vibes.

Mario: This whole like 15 minute
thing has been about she's back.

that's all we have and that

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: of that.

all right.

Back to what this episode
actually is about.

Is, it is, we're tired.

We had

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: both of us.

and now we're recording
really late at night.

yeah.

Group stages are officially over.

it was a wild ending, this,

Angela: li just.

Mario: just today, the matches were

Angela: Today was so much.

Mario: lots of movement up and
down, but we have our final lineup.

The qualifying teams that have made out
of the groups, we had Colombia, France,

Spain, USA, Germany, Japan, Brazil,
and Canada, and Brazil and Canada were

the ones that were just like, everybody
was like, what the hell is going on?

Angela: Yeah, it was a lot.

Mario: yeah, but those
are the qualifying teams.

like everything else has
been, that's been going on.

Check out the NBC Olympic website for
any of the TV broadcast schedules.

and matches are going to be in, on
Telemundo and Universo in Spanish.

Maybe, I think there was like
a drop off in broadcasting at

that, after the group stages, but

Angela: Yeah, I think it's
cut back a little bit.

Mario: Yeah, and then the USA Network
will be carrying the English matches.

All matches are still going to be
available live on the Peacock app, so

really, honestly, just watch it there.

Angela: Yep, for live and replay.

Mario: yep, the quarterfinal matches are
going to be Saturday, August 3rd, at 6 a.

m.

local time.

So 6 a.

m.

will be the USA versus Japan match.

So everybody, rise and shine.

We've got that going on.

And, actually I just posted up that,
Watch Me, the Watch Me Sports Bar

Angela: Yeah, watch me.

It's gonna be open.

Mario: They're gonna be opening
up early for this, so if you're in

the Long Beach area, go to one of
our new favorite official, Watch

Angela: feel like we could
say it's the casual FC, like

the official casual FC bar,

Mario: Hangout

Angela: even though it's
far away from both of us.

Like for me, it's watch me in 33
taps because 33 taps is doing a

great job with women's sports.

But yeah, it's watch me all the way.

Mario: I'm sure, though, Angel City
probably do something in 33 tabs, they did

for this last match, but, for today, but,

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: 6 a.

m., USA vs.

Japan, 8 a.

m., Spain vs.

Colombia, 10 a.

m.,

Angela: that's going to be bonkers.

Mario: 10 a.

m., Canada vs.

Germany, and the 12 noon game
will be France and Brazil.

Brazil barely made it in.

Unfortunately, the Matildas are out.

yeah.

all So

Angela: Australia's getting
rocked this Olympics.

They're getting CONCACAF'd in every sport.

Rugby, CONCACAF'd.

Soccer, CONCACAF'd.

Just,

Mario: Okay.

Angela: it's insane.

Mario: quick, can we talk about okay,
we're getting into what has happened

in the, in, in the Olympics so far, but

Angela: So much.

Mario: one of the coolest things that
just popped up was Michelle Kang.

Angela: Dude.

Mario: four million dollars to the U.

S.

Rugby women's

Angela: Yeah, so she is giving them
a million dollars a year from now

until the 2028 Olympics here in LA.

to help fund coaching,
players, training facilities.

She's giving them access to her new,
innovation house, which is like to

help innovate the science behind female
athletics and like the women's body and

like making sure that they have access
to top notch care, top notch science.

Like this is bonkers.

And the thing is that the woman
who worked for the national

team, I think her name is Dawn.

Shoot.

I don't have my phone on me either.

So she is a sports scientist and she
focuses specifically on female athletes

and women's bodies and how like during
your menstrual cycle in different phases

your body is different so you can't lift
heavy or you can't you're not going to be

as fast you're not going to have as much
strength like all these different things

and really dialing into how hormones
impact our production as athletes.

So they're going to have access to that.

I have a feeling USA Rugby is
going to be bleeping great,

Mario: I am

Angela: and I'm so excited.

Mario: they won the bronze and

Angela: Australia, CONCACAF, that game.

Mario: They came and so I'm excited and
the fact that Dude, Michelle Kang is

just, she's freaking Just, she's just an
awesome woman, an awesome human being.

Angela: I said in our discord
she uses her superpower for good

and her superpower is money.

Unlimited funds,

Mario: you know what, that's, what else
are you gonna, sometimes people are

just too rich for their own damn good,

Angela: yeah,

Mario: hell are you gonna do
with, billions of dollars, what,

Angela: hoard it.

Mario: why,

Angela: all these, power.

Let's not go down that rabbit hole, I
have big feelings about it right now.

Mario: we just talked
about, SpyGate with Canada.

They did make it out of the groups, even
though they were deducted six points.

They basically would have won group.

They swept the group.

Angela: They swept the group.

Mario: no matter what, but because of

Angela: Vanessa Gilles
said not on my watch.

And then a whole bunch
of cuss words in French.

Mario: more for every
single other team except for

Angela: Yeah.

Honest to God.

Mario: but they pulled it off.

they came behind from that six point
deficit and won and made it through.

it was win or go home in this last match.

there was no way for them to
not advance without a win.

Angela: Yeah.

have feelings about it,
but can't change it.

Mario: Yeah, Kenji, yeah, we, and we
talked all about all the feelings, in the

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: So if you want to go back, listen
to, Shinada, we talk about Spikey a little

bit more in depth, but yes, that happened.

Also Japan had an insane win over Brazil,
two to one, dying minutes of the match,

Angela: That was in
their first game, right?

Mario: No, it was the second game.

Angela: Oh, second game.

Yeah.

Mario: second game.

The one that was on Sunday.

Or Saturday, or whatever.

The one on the weekend.

and then, just Barbara Banda.

Scoring, goals.

Angela: Bilion.

. You hit it here folks.

Mario: You're welcome.

Angela: Yeah, we worked on that one.

'cause it, it was a billion A zombie.

Bazillion.

A zombie Bazillion Zo bilion
is what we settled on.

I think it's the best option.

Ugh,

Mario: yeah, and a potential
career ending, it sounds worse

than it is, but a potential
career ending red card for Marta.

She had a high boot, essentially,

Angela: it was like a
very explicit red card.

Mario: It was a dangerous play.

It was just a

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: play.

lucky that she essentially missed.

full on studs to the
face, for the, player, but

yeah, they, she got a straight red, tears,
you can see Marta was just distraught,

Angela: distraught.

Mario: was complete, was sent off,
Brazil is making it towards the

next round, but they will be facing
the whole team, home team France,

and Marta will not be playing.

if

Angela: hope they win.

Mario: So, if they lose, that
has, that's the end of Marta's

Olympic run this time and she's
basically said like this is the end,

Angela: This is it.

the end of her international career.

Mario: but, if they move on, then she
gets to come back in, in the semis,

Angela: please upset France.

I don't know if it's an upset.

Please just win Brazil.

I'm putting this out in the universe
because I feel like such important

players deserve a proper send off.

She, maybe they meddle, I don't know,
but I feel like Marta deserves to

play one more game, I'm just saying.

I think most of WOSO
internet agrees, if not all.

do we all agree the red card was bad?

Yes.

Is that how she should go out?

Absolutely not.

And now the big dun.

Mario: now we're at the U.

S., and there are of emotions,
and we want to be able to give a

little bit of space for all of them.

the U.

S.

swept.

They won all of their matches, nine
points, def not defiantly, definitively.

Won that group.

It is Oh it did surprise it.

the thing is that it was the unknown.

It was

Angela: what's gonna happen?

Mario: the Emma era was a
complete unknown, right?

Like we knew that she's
an amazing, manager.

We knew that things were shaping up and
players were feeling more confident.

There was a little bit of hesitation
when it came to those friendlies, right?

But there was a lot of
positives coming out of those.

And then we come here and we sweep.

So

it was a surprise in the best way.

it was a definite, back the fear of the U.

S.

women's team.

And

Angela: we're intimidating again.

Mario: And gives us a little bit more, a
better footing in, in the hope department

as we move forward into the knockouts.

Angela: Yeah, from a soccer
standpoint, like a, like the actual

game that's being played, hell yeah.

Yeah, I just want to put out there
that Out of those three games,

I watched a total of 20 minutes.

40.

I watched a half.

Because I realized it's really difficult
for me to cheer for this team right now.

Really freaking difficult.

And it was like explicitly shown to me
today just how freaking difficult it is.

the Women's National Soccer Team.

has been known for decades, as a team that
stands up for a lot of different things.

Equality, rights, equal pay, equal access,
equal opportunity, inclusion, diversity.

You put, You name it, if it means that
it's going to better a community in a

really good way, that's going to help
multiple people across all different

aspects of life, they've stood on it.

They've had to play through a whole
bunch of bullshit, a whole bunch

of bureaucracy and red tape and
garbage and all kinds of stuff.

And it's really difficult to
look at a team that doesn't

stand on business like that.

And coming off the heels of the Corbin
Albert of it all, which we talked about

in the groups episode with Leslie,
it pissed me off even more today.

I wanted to be so excited
for a million reasons.

And I was like, I hate this.

this sucks.

I don't want to cheer for this team.

It's not that I don't want us to win.

I just don't care.

And it's because our coach is
saying, oh, don't worry, just come

around, she'll, just come around
to Corbin, she didn't do anything

wrong, it's okay, she made a mistake.

It's not a fucking mistake.

It's not a difference of opinion,
regardless of what players on the team

have said in interviews with Vanity Fair.

A difference of opinion is I like bananas.

I don't like bananas.

It's not, I don't think that your
entire community should have rights.

I don't think your entire
community should exist.

And as Kristen and Tobin said on their
podcast, she violated the code of conduct.

Why is she there?

Why?

Like base level, you
violated the team's rules.

Why are you there?

People have been kicked
off the team for less.

And

I want to be excited for this team.

They're so good.

And the hard part is that it feels
like we traded very much needed

diversity because that team was
real white for a real long time.

And I don't want to discount that
change was needed for a variety of

reasons, but we traded ethnic diversity.

For lack of inclusion and the lack of,

integrity,

Samuels brought it up on her show.

this was a public thing that happened.

It should be addressed publicly as well.

yeah, learn behind the
scenes, but show up.

Oh, wow.

You wore the pride numbers.

Congratulations.

I don't care.

You even said word one
and your apology was shit.

You are a whole ass
adult in the public eye.

expect to get booed.

Because no one in this community
that you physically, physically

did, you made actions.

Yes, there's social media and people
are going to be like, it's just

social media, it doesn't matter.

but, homophobia,
transphobia, it kills people.

It kills people on the internet.

And, Nah, I will not come around because
this immediately impacts my community.

And now I'm crying because I'm pissed,
but you can't expect a community of fans

who have been involved with the team
for decades and seen the team stand up

for this community, stand up for people.

And just tell them to come around
in an era where we are being

actively discriminated against.

And it's bullshit.

Handle it publicly.

Make a statement.

literally do anything.

I don't even care that she
scored a banger of a goal.

I don't care.

I don't want to see her on the pitch.

I guess it's America's team,
given the fact that half this

country wants all of us dead.

So whatever.

But

I'm genuinely so sad that I want
nothing to do with this team.

And it's really hard to do this
podcast and be so excited and so happy

when I'm like, somebody beat them.

I don't want to have
to watch this anymore.

And it sucks.

And I hate it.

But it's really difficult.

Being told to, to like, extend
grace for a difference of opinion

when that isn't a difference of opinion.

Mario: it's a bullshit

way of trying to justify what
was said and what was done.

It's a matter, and we've touched
on this before, we'll touch on

it again, and unfortunately we'll
probably touch on it in the future.

But, yes, she's young.

what were we all doing when we
were 20 years old, 19 years old?

Yes, it's social media.

yes, but those are all

Angela: You're an adult.

Mario: things.

Yeah,

you Look, people make mistakes, okay?

We're

Angela: Yep.

Mario: As I've heard it coming out,
I don't want to say explained because

it's trying to justify what she's doing.

It's just a perspective
given of look, she's young.

And this is how she was.

Unfortunately, this is the,
environment she grew up in, right?

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: very much a where was your
family that first week in January?

Angela: honestly.

Mario: and, look, people can change.

And I know, it's been stated also that

the, it's probably, The national
team, the US Federation, and their PR

managers and everybody else keeping
her away from the media and keeping her

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: statements or anything
like that, just because it's

look, we made a statement.

We're going to leave it alone.

The problem is

Angela: It's not something
that you can leave alone.

Mario: and

making more statements
or showing That work.

Look, you're not going in, and
believe me, I'm as pissed off to have

this be a representation, of the U.

S.

and life in general, but

do the fucking hard work, right?

One statement

is not going to fix things.

statement saying, a second statement
next week, tomorrow, yesterday,

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: isn't going to fix it.

It's gonna take work.

And who needs to do that work?

She does.

having everybody, telling everybody.

To meet her in the middle or to

What were you saying?

What was the phrase that they

Angela: To come around.

Mario: around?

That is such a fucking slap in the face.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: not at all

If someone came to your
home and fucked shit up

And they said, Oh, you just got to
come around to being okay with this.

It's no, this affects my livelihood.

This affects

me beyond this one incident.

And her actions and her comments,
whatever innocent they might have

been by a double tap on a screen, they

Angela: Had a

Mario: things.

And.

Angela: much bigger impact.

Mario: And you have,
you're wearing a crest that

is much bigger than a double
tap on your screen, right?

crest, for all the bullshit it
does represent in, in what we

live in right now, the ideal that
it represents is a double tap.

There and her being against that.

And so all in all, it's look,

Corbin, it's going to be hard.

And there is no magic one for you to
give, to make everybody feel better.

You're going to have to show the work.

Angela: And there's a reason why
number 15 was taken away from you.

And there's a reason why number
five was taken away from you.

Yeah.

Mario: I,

the different lived
experiences that we've had.

and I completely.

Empathize with everything
you're coming from.

And like we said to start off this
little segment that both things,

both emotions can exist, right?

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: we can still be excited.

We can still bleed red,
white, and blue for this team.

And we can still be pissed off.

And hold her accountable to the bullshit.

Angela: I look at the team and I
want Alyssa Nair to win gold because

she got hurt in the last Olympics.

like I look at the team and I'm
like, hell yeah, Tierna Davidson.

And the rest of the team,
I'm like, Casey Krueger?

Yeah.

I go through the older
players and I'm like, yes.

And as they get younger and
younger, what do you stand for?

Because, not to say that you should
just like ice out your teammates,

but sometimes, make the point.

But that's it.

I can't talk about this anymore.

Mario: But on a brighter note,
we breed bleed red, white, and

blue for a lot of other sports.

We've got shot, but we've got rugby,

Angela: track and field starts next week,
guys, so I'll be in a much better place.

Mario: Gym, gymnastics or the way my
daughter says it right now, gymnastics.

Angela: Oh, gym naps.

Gym nap sticks sounds great.

Mario: but she can't.

Angela: That's when you go to
the gym and you lay on the big

cushy pads and you take a nap.

that's gym nap sticks.

Mario: We, we do that thing where
we're like, okay, gym, NAS, dicks.

Okay, now say it.

Gymnastics.

Gymnastics.

Gymnastics.

I'm like

Angela: love that.

Gym nap sticks just saved
the episode, saved the night.

Mario: before she went into kindergarten,
she had a, a lot of kids have a

problem with, uh, saying yellow.

she, she said lello, and We would
do the whole sounding it out.

Yeah, lo.

And she would do, yeah, And then
we're like, all right, now say it.

And she's le lo.

And we're just like, okay,

Angela: And it's hard because
it's so freaking cute.

Like it's adorable.

Speech impediments, especially
for little kids, or like when you

haven't learned how to use your
mouth the right way to say the word.

It's adorable.

Mario: yeah.

And like it, most of these
things figure themselves out.

honestly, week one of kindergarten, for
some reason, she just automatically went

oh, yeah, look at that yellow crayon.

And we're like, what?

And

Angela: do you think you are?

Mario: were both amazed and
also heartbroken that we

would never hear Lelo anymore.

Angela: it's that meme of this was the
last time, this is the last time you

heard Lello, and you, but you didn't know.

Yeah.

Mario: all so we've got USA
and Japan, first game, 6 AM.

that's going to be

a pretty intense match.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: all of them making
it out of the groups.

it's probably going to
be a pretty good setup.

so we'll see what happens with that one.

Second match, Spain and Colombia.

What do you think?

What do you think's moving on?

Angela: I think Spain takes
it because of their I think,

okay, real quick, I think the U.

S.

is going to beat Japan.

Mario: Okay.

Angela: because they're feeling
it, they're ready to go.

because they know how to win on a
big stage and they have a little

more experience than Colombia does.

They're a lot younger.

Mario: Yeah.

Yeah,

Angela: so I think,

Mario: Colombia's last match today.

Which was against, Canada.

No, it wasn't Canada?

No.

Who was it against?

Angela: it was Canada.

I don't know.

I think so.

Mario: just blurring together.

but Columbia's

Angela: feels like World Cup again.

Mario: yeah, they showed
how young they were.

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: and I, okay, so Canada
was on the bubble, right?

Cause they were the third
place team, but because

Angela: they really weren't.

Mario: But yeah, but they
really weren't, yeah.

But because of their Columbia
actually moved down to third place.

And so they were the

Angela: Wow.

Mario: and they were just lucky that
their goal differential wasn't as bad, or

else they would have been Yeah, it gets

Angela: Yeah, the permutations, man.

Mario: yeah.

but I think, yeah, I do agree, Spain.

Spain's gonna take that one.

Canada, Germany.

Angela: Canada.

Canada is pissed.

Mario: Yeah.

playing with the Fury,

Angela: there's, yeah, this,
they are hellbent on winning.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: them out because if they win,
then we play them in the next round.

And I don't want to deal with
that because it's always us

versus Canada in the semifinals.

Like always.

Mario: I will say, and I said this briefly
in the last one, in the last episode,

but unfortunately, this entire run is
going to be Canada with an asterisk,

Angela: Yep.

Mario: It's

Angela: And it wouldn't surprise me
if they medal and it gets rescinded.

Mario: It's like the Barry
Bonds of it all, right?

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: the Barry Bonds,
home run, asterisk, it's

Angela: Yeah.

How many of those don't count?

Mario: yeah.

unfortunate for Canada, I do
think they're gonna win, but, And

France, Brazil, my brain is going
France, my heart's going Brazil.

Yeah.

Angela: a home team on their
home, homeland in, in a big, major

tournament regardless of sport.

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: Home.

Home field advantage is different.

Mario: if you're listening
to this, comment.

us know who you think is making
out of these knockout stages, or

Angela: yeah,

Mario: come on over and
join the Discord and

Angela: please.

Mario: comment there.

We also have polls going on and stuff
like that so you can just click and vote.

Angela: Yeah.

Super easy.

Super fun.

Everybody's real cool.

Mario: but yeah, that's our quick and
dirty preview for the quarterfinals.

Everything's moving so fast we can't
really do these for, go super in depth the

way we did with the group stages because

Angela: because it's too much.

Yeah, go listen to the group stages if you
need to li know more about these teams.

Mario: I'm also watching more
Olympics too, so I ain't got time

Angela: There's other sports.

there's so many things to watch.

Mario: We

Angela: Katie Ledecky's
gonna break another record.

You wanna miss that?

No?

Mario: was watching, it annoys me
that it's canoeing and it might

be the proper term, but kayaking.

I was watching

Angela: Yeah.

Oh, intense.

Mario: Did you see it?

17 year old US won bronze, and
it was like the first medal

that in 20 years that the US

Angela: Yeah.

and she was not supposed to win.

Mario: no she wasn't, she was

Angela: At all.

Mario: she was the first one to go
on the final run, which meant that

she would rank the lowest go into

Angela: It,

Mario: run.

Angela: it's, Women were getting
disqualified because they were hitting the

things that you weren't supposed to hit.

They like got swept away by the current.

Like it was, this Olympics has been
more dramatic, I think, than the

last couple, both summer and winter
when it comes to scored events.

Not even scored every event,
honestly, like women's sevens,

the rugby tournament was insane.

Everybody was like, oh yeah, it's going
to be Australia, New Zealand in the final.

Nuh uh.

No,

Mario: Yeah.

Angela: Zealand won, which
everybody was expecting anyway,

but still, like that's bonkers.

We medal in rugby.

We get our first men's gymnastics
medal in 16 years because of a

nerdy boy from Massachusetts who
can pommel, I saw a tweet that he

pommeled the F out of that horse,

Mario: as

Angela: routine, but it
was like, who are you?

I forget men's gymnastics exists.

Mario: he pulled off those glasses
and he was squinting so hard.

Angela: has a condition.

Probably not.

He has a weird eye condition thing where
it distorts his vision and he got to meet

a kid at the games who has the same issue.

It's 1 in 120, 000 people or
something like that, like some crazy

low percentage of folks have this.

Eye disorder, but no,
like big crazy things.

I just saw before we started recording
Guatemala got their first medal ever.

Mario: really

Angela: think in, in like clay shooting.

I don't know what it's actually called.

Trap shooting, something like that.

Mario: Trap.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Angela: So like a gold
medal is your first medal.

And so woman, hell yeah.

yes.

Mario: Okay.

And also I need to go back
and I need to find Snoop Dogg

commentary on whatever he's

Angela: Oh, it's so good.

Mario: because

Angela: so happy.

Mario: he is did you see okay,
last thing as we wrap all this up,

because we're just going to keep
going about the Olympics, sorry

Angela: I know it's so good.

Shenanisode.

Mario: the shenanigans ending, yeah, you
see okay, I posted up a vid a re a thing

that I thought was hilarious because it
was like, is the Olympics like Disneyland?

And it was like, they have food.

They have pin trading.

They have this.

They

Angela: It really is.

Mario: They have

Angela: Have you seen Snoop's pins?

Mario: yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

He

Angela: Yeah.

Mario: pins and it's
him blowing out the, the

Angela: Olympic rings.

Mario: It's just, that's sick.

It's awesome.

I'm

Angela: It's a beautiful pin.

Mario: yeah.

Angela: I've been on pin trading, Olympic
TikTok, rugby TikTok, like I am, my TikTok

is no longer anything it was a week ago.

It is completely just Olympics.

I'm just crying constantly.

The haka's all over the place.

it's just beautiful.

Sport, this is the epitome of sport
that just makes me cry about everything.

So with that said, close us out, Mario.

We're done here.

Mario: done for

Angela: So the Olym it's,
let's see, it's, 1045.

The Olympics are on live in 15 minutes.

So

Mario: Yes.

Angela: crazy?

Mario: If you've listened so far,
you've probably liked what you hear.

So remember to hit that subscribe
button, wherever you're listening to.

If someone sent you this episode and
you need to find yourself a good old pod

link to subscribe to, check out casualfc.

com.

pod links will be there and best
ways to support the pod, every, any,

all spectrum from free to give me my
money, share, like comment on a post.

I think that's the most we can ask
from anybody is like, just Play

Angela: Yeah,

Mario: It'll play back with you.

It'll show you cool stuff.

if you like our stuff.

help support the pod by
also buying some merch.

We have some fun, silly ideas.

A lot of those are becoming stickers.

Hopefully, I'm still working with
the vendor trying to make sure

that I get them, but we will have
new stickers for sure watch party.

How many

Angela: yay.

Mario: be a question, but
we will have new ones.

And, the final way.

If you feel so inclined, and you don't
need extra crap at your house that has

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With that being said, casualfcpod
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We started a discord that we've
been talking about throughout this

Angela: You should join it.

It's so much fun.

Mario: So check out our link
tree on our bio if you want the,

the link there, or just DM us.

We'll send you the link directly.

It doesn't matter.

Angela: There's pictures of cats and dogs.

Mario: Yes.

Angela: pets, there's toe
beans, there's dogs, there's

Mario: Haiku

Angela: free stuff.

Yeah, there's haikus,
there's, it's a good time.

Come hang out.

Mario: Alright, and lastly,
a friend about the pod.

It brings us good luck, and we
bank all that good luck and send

it off to where it's needed.

And it's been working for,

Angela: We cured Kristen
Press's knee, guys.

Mario: yeah,

Angela: that.

which, Mario, can you tell people how many
times this podcast has been downloaded?

Roughly, give or take?

Mario: we have crossed
the 7, 200 downloads mark.

Which, for us, starting this
thing on half of a whim, and

Angela: A wing and a prayer.

Mario: yeah, and, Honestly we say
this all the time and we mean it

from the bottom of our hearts.

you for listening, it means so much that
you do, and the community that's being

built up around it, like it's just,
it's fun, and it, we have day jobs.

And

Angela: Yep.

Mario: and, but, Because it's so fun,
we record this at up 11 o'clock at

night every week to do a match preview
because we have fun with it and the

community that has developed and comments
and sends us messages to read on air.

It's been amazing.

So thank you.

Thank

Angela: Thanks for making it worth it.

Mario: And here's to more episodes.

Angela: Yay.

We'll talk to you soon.

Mario: Bye.