The World Cup may be winding down, but its impact on American soccer could be just beginning. This week, we ask what the tournament’s cultural momentum could mean for the NWSL and the women’s game—from converting casual viewers into lasting fans to expanding access beyond America’s expensive pay-to-play system.

We also discuss Gotham FC’s move from New Jersey to its future home at Etihad Park in Queens, the challenge of growing a club without abandoning its longtime supporters, and why the NWSL’s return provides the perfect next step for newly converted soccer fans.

Plus, we dig into the staggering disparity between the men’s and women’s World Cup prize pools, how the USWNT benefits from its shared agreement with the USMNT, the need for greater investment in women-specific sports research and equipment, and whether the men’s World Cup can help fund women’s soccer around the globe.

Along the way: Ashley Sanchez loyalty dilemmas, Marta’s apparent immortality, Norwegian anime heroes, and the accidental founding of Botland (Boston and Scotland).

Welcome to Laces Out Loud, an NWSL and women’s soccer podcast for fans who love the game, fans who are just finding their way in, and anyone who believes the women’s game deserves to be discussed with the passion and thoughtfulness it has earned.

Hosted by Alli, Pamitha, and Gurushabd, we break down the matches, celebrate the players, spotlight the stories behind the sport, and ask what it will take for the women’s game to grow with the care, investment, and energy it deserves.

Whether you’re here for the goals, the culture, the chaos, or the bigger questions shaping the game, pull up a seat and join us.

The pitch is set. The nets have been checked. Now let’s raise the game.

This week on Laces Out Loud, we’re sweating through a brutal heat wave, watching cars spontaneously combust outside Audi Field, and asking what extreme summer conditions mean for players, fans, and the future NWSL calendar.

Then we dive into one of the most exciting World Cups in recent memory — late goals, wild VAR moments, Cabo Verde magic, and the growing realization that expanding the tournament field has made the global game better, not weaker. We talk about how international soccer is reshaping American fandom, why diaspora players matter, and how this momentum could carry into the women’s game.

Back in the NWSL, San Diego makes a statement against Gotham, the Spirit stay in the mix, Emma Sears trade rumors raise big questions for Racing Louisville, and free agency storylines start to heat up with Lacey Santos, Rose Lavelle, Midge Purce, AKB, and Marta all part of the conversation.

Plus: fireworks at Angel City, Lily Yohannes sightings, Sam Kerr expectations, and why no one should ever diminish Marta by comparing her to LeBron James.