In today's episode, LDG is joined by Tampa Bay Sun FC defender Brooke Hendrix!

From childhood memories that instilled an enduring love of the game to dealing with the unknowns of post-graduation trial periods and having played for clubs like the Dutch powerhouse AFC Ajax, the United States, and making her way from there to Glasgow City, Brooke tells the story of perseverance needed to construct a career when the road ahead seemed uncertain. We talk about what the experiences meant for Brooke's mindset development, but also how playing in countries as diverse as Italy, England, and Australia, including winning an A-League championship with Melbourne Victory, impacted her skills and character on and off the field.

Finally, we talk to Brooke about the current state of the women's footballing landscape, the differences between the NWSL and WSL, and the importance of being one of the founders of the new league in USL Super League. At the moment, she is a part of Tampa Bay Sun FC and explains what made her want to join the club, the challenges of the transitional year, and how to establish chemistry among a constantly changing team trying to make it to playoffs. In closing, Brooke talks about her aspirations for the rest of the year, along with a rapid-fire segment that reveals the personality behind the player.

Thank you 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!

In today's episode, LDG is joined by Racing Louisville FC goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer!

Jordyn walks us down memory lane to her earliest memory playing soccer before moving on to share how her success at Wisconsin, earning Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors twice and first-team All-American honors, helped prepare her for the professional ranks.

Jordyn talks about her experience going on loan to the A-League and playing alongside world-class players, which helped her grow confidence in the pros ahead of returning to Racing. Coming off an incredible year in Australia, Jordyn was ready to return to Racing to compete for the number 1 spot, but suffered a season ending injury, and she shares how that struggle made the return to the pitch (and claim of Racing's number 1 goalkeeper spot) that much more special.

Lastly, Jordyn unpacks her star season and the team making the playoffs for the first time in the cub's history, how she prepares so successfully to stop penalty kicks from the opposition, why she re-signed with Racing, how preseason this year went, + so much more!

Thank you 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!

ICYMI, here are some of our recent episodes you should bookmark for later!

1. Ep. 177: Why the NWSL Is More Unpredictable Than Ever And Top Teams Are Paying for It (LDG's NWSL Matchday 4.5 Recap)
2. We recently interviewed Club América Femenil and Mexico WNT Defender Karina Rodriguez. It was such a great conversation, I was honored to work with such a big club, so be sure to check it out!

In this week's episode, LDG discusses the reasons behind the return of the NWSL's vast unpredictability and why the league's stalwart super teams are beginning to face the consequences of it in a longer season with a more condensed schedule against higher-quality opposition.

As the balance shifts among the league's teams and even the best-performing clubs experience inconsistency, tune in to find out LDG's unraveling of what's really behind the chaos and whether this is beneficial for the league as a whole, as he shares the tangible impacts of the High Impact Rule and longer yet condensed schedule on the pitch.

Finally, LDG looks at matchday (4.5?) and shares everything you need to know from the latest round of play, but also the overarching storylines that will carry into the return of play after the upcoming international break.

Lastly, he looks at a few of the league's established teams who are experiencing early-season struggles and asks whether this is just bad luck or if bigger problems lie ahead, and also shines a light on clubs that have performed well this year, perhaps above the expectations he had set in his NWSL preview episode.

Thank you 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!