Full Time: A show about women's soccer

29 games down, 1 to go. The longest NWSL regular season ever is reaching its climax, and two teams, Gotham FC and the San Diego Wave, are left duking it out for top spot in the standings and the chance to lift the NWSL Shield.

So, on the show today, we’re going to be debating what winning the NWSL Shield really means. Should the regular season title mean more than a Championship? How do we increase the value of this trophy? And what would winning it mean to the two clubs left chasing the glory?

...

On Monday, Alexia Putellas was crowned the best player in the world, as she claimed her third Women’s Ballon d’Or trophy.

But what does the Ballon d’Or really tell us about who the best player in the world is? What is the point of this award? Is it really just an exercise in marketing? Or can it truly be a gauge of success and value on the pitch?

On this episode of Full Time, Theo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin to debate the biggest...

This week, reports from The Athletic learned that the cities of Chicago and Portland are returning to the table to place bids to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which is expected to be hosted in the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica.

So, on this episode of Full Time, Theo Lloyd-Hughes, Tamerra Griffin, and Meg Linehan debate the case for those two cities to host. What makes a good host city? And what lessons will FIFA and U.S. Soccer have learned from the 2026 men’s World Cup when it comes to making their pick...

On Monday, the England women’s national team announced that head coach Sarina Wiegman had signed a two-year contract extension, through the end of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2029 tournament. So, what does Wiegman’s contract extension mean for Wiegman, the Lionesses, and the rest of global women’s soccer?

On this episode of Full Time, Theo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by The Athletic’s Megan Feringa to unpack Wiegman’s new contract extension as well as all the latest from the English Women’s Super League, including how the teams lower in the table can bridge ‘The Gap’ on thos...

This week, the Full Time podcast is wondering: Is there such a thing as the biggest game in the NWSL calendar?

And if so, right now, is that marquee matchup between Washington Spirit and Gotham FC?

Well, with the two teams facing off on Saturday at Audi Field – in a rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship – what better time to debate what it means to see these two go head-to-head and unpack why this week’s regular season match has so much on the line. How are these squads looking heading out of the intern...

On this episode of Full Time, host Tamerra Griffin is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Melanie Anzidei to discuss the recent friendlies between the U.S. women’s national team and Spain, which finished 2-0 to the European visitors and then 2-2.

Is the USA midfield still a problem? Where did Emma Hayes get her team selection right and wrong? Do these results make Spain favorites to next year’s World Cup? Fresh from Audi Field and Subaru Park, our panel breaks down all the lessons learned.

PLUS: On Wednesday, U.S. S...

This week marked the finale of the fourth season of ‘Ted Lasso’. This was the first season of the incredibly popular Apple TV show that centered around women’s soccer. So, on this week’s Full Time, the podcast wonders: Did ‘Ted Lasso’ do women’s soccer justice?

Host Theo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Asli Pelit, as well as writer Steph Yang to unpack what worked and what didn’t about this high-profile televised comedy that broadcast women’s soccer to millions of homes around the world.

PLUS: Theo and Meg g...

Are Arsenal in crisis? And, what does the future hold for head coach Renée Slegers?

On this episode of Full Time, Theo Lloyd-Hughes and The Athletic’s Megan Feringa break down a testing week for Arsenal and their beleaguered head coach that finished with a 4-2 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. After another poor start to a WSL season, the Gunners find themselves 10th in the table and 10 points adrift of the league leaders. Yet again, a long-awaited title chase feels over before it ever really began.

PLUS: What is still at...

Five years ago, the NWSL was facing a reckoning over systemic abuse within women’s soccer. With play halted and protests from players and fans across the country, no one was sure if the league would survive.

Five years on, the league barely resembles the NWSL of the past. But how did we get here? And how did the NWSL players save their league and shape its future?

On this special episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan to trace the developments in the league sinc...

Ashley Sanchez is back with the U.S. women’s national team. The North Carolina Courage star was among 26 players USWNT coach Emma Hayes named to her roster for a crucial pair of friendlies against reigning World Cup champion Spain on Oct. 10 and 13.

On this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Melanie Anzidei to unpack the USA’s roster to face off against Spain, as well as Hayes’s press conference on Tuesday. Where will Sanchez fit into the team? Who are the first-time call-ups, and was it w...

Cloe Lacasse is having one of the best seasons of her career. The Utah Royals forward co-leads the NWSL in assists, with 10, and could break the league record in the same statistic if she sets up one more goal. She also has seven goals, making her one of the league’s top goal contributors. The Canadian’s form has begged the question: Is Lacasse underrated?

On this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits and The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin sit down for an interview with Lacasse to learn about her journey to Utah, what she thinks...

10 days after mutually parting ways with the Kansas City Current, Vlatko Andonovski is back in the NWSL.

In a dramatic turn of events, the former USWNT head coach is now the Chief Soccer Officer for the Chicago Stars. So, on this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin to discuss whether Andonovski can make Midwestern magic happen yet again and turn the worst team in the NWSL into a contender. Can Andonovski revive the Chicago Stars?

PLUS: The latest top stories from the...

How long does the average head coach last in the NWSL? Why do we see so much turnover at the head coaching position? What are the causes, and what are the solutions (if we need them)?

On this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin for a deep dive into coaching turnover in the NWSL. The trio unpacks all the data from coaching turnover over the last five years in the NWSL, examining the trends behind the revolving door as well as trying to understand wh...

Cat Macario’s debut season in San Diego is over before it ever really began. Wave FC announced on Monday that the U.S. women’s national team attacker would be placed on the season-ending injury list after undergoing knee surgery. So, how did we get here, and what does it mean for Macario, the Wave and the USWNT?

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei and Tamerra Griffin to discuss a big news week in the NWSL, where, alongside Macario’s injury, we saw the Houston Dash fire head coach Fabrice Gautrat...

After 18 months away, Jenna Nighswonger is back in the NWSL and back in her home state of California. So, why has she joined Bay FC, what excites her about head coach Emma Coates, and how is life back in the league where she was a league Champion and Rookie of the Year three years ago? On this episode of Full Time, Nighswonger sits down with The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin to catch up on life and soccer after returning to the U.S .from Arsenal this summer.

_______________

HOST: Jillian Sakovits, Tamerra Griffin

GUEST: Je...

This week, the Kansas City Current announced that the team would be mutually parting ways with Sporting Director Vlatko Andonovski.

The bombshell news came just 10 months after Andonovski led the Current to a record-breaking NWSL Shield win as head coach, then swiftly restructured his role in Kansas City, moving him from the dugout to head of the front office on the sporting side.

On this week’s Full Time, Jillian Sakovits, Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan will be trying to make sense of what this divorce means for the Current an...

A Ballon d’Or winner, in Bromley? Yes! You are hearing that correctly.

The Athletic’s Charlotte Harpur takes you inside Alexia Putellas’s debut in the English Women’s Super League, a curious and historic night in Southeast London for big-spending London City Lionesses and owner Michele Kang. The pod also breaks down how London City overcame Manchester United on the pitch in the first match under United’s new head coach, Eva Olid. And, how is Kang trying to balance the books and the WSL’s new spending rules?

PLUS: All the top mome...

This week, The Athletic confirmed with sources that United States women’s national team midfielder Rose Lavelle has re-signed with Gotham FC through the 2029 season. The story was first reported by ESPN.

So, why did Lavelle choose to stay with Gotham? And what does it mean for the USWNT?

PLUS: Are we seeing the greatest Golden Boot race in NWSL history? Host Theo Lloyd-Hughes and The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei break down the Lavelle contract news as well as how all the top scorers in the league match up and who their picks to w...

The English Women's Super League is back and bigger than ever. Expanded to 14 teams for the 2026-27 season, this week’s Full Time podcast previews the new season’s title contenders, relegation battlers, new players to watch, and biggest narratives to know before it all kicks off.

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by a panel of writers from The Athletic, featuring Tamerra Griffin and Megan Feringa. Can Manchester City repeat for the first time in their history? Are a strengthened Arsenal the top pick to win a first WSL title since 2019? How much spotlight will Alexia Pute...

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin to debate what it would take for Ashley Sanchez to return to the USWNT. Sanchez leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 15 goals but hasn’t played for the national team since October 2024.

PLUS: The pod reacts to Seb Hines getting sacked as the head coach of the Orlando Pride on Monday, while also breaking down all the top moments from the NWSL weekend, including Jaedyn Shaw’s accidental goal of the season nominee. Asli Pelit also hops on the show to talk about her articl...

Janine Sonis has played soccer all over the world. She has won an Olympic Gold medal with Canada. But there was nothing quite like when the opportunity arose to come home and launch the NWSL in Denver, especially with one of the most important coaches of her career.

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by Sonis to talk about why she made the move to join the Denver Summit in their inaugural NWSL season and what it has been like to finally be playing soccer at home. The interview also touches on...

On this week’s Full Time, hosts Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan, and Tamerra Griffin are talking all things Portland, the importance of infrastructure, and the future of women’s sports.

Last week, the Bhathal family, owners of both the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and the WNBA’s Portland Fire, opened a new first-of-its-kind training center that will house both teams. Coinciding with that grand opening was a conference called Epicenter that brought together some of the biggest names in women’s sports.

So, what do all these big infrastructure moves mean, what makes the Rose C...

Marie-Louise Eta made waves when she became the first woman to lead a men’s soccer team in Europe’s top 5 leagues, after she took charge of Union Berlin in Germany’s Bundesliga as an interim first in 2024 and then again for an extended period of time in 2026. Now, she has been tasked with leading the women’s team in their second-ever Frauen-Bundesliga season.

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Megan Feringa, fresh from four days in Berlin with Eta and Union, where she learned all about the club, their unique history, and why the pla...

On this episode of Full Time Focus, we’re talking about the USA roster for the upcoming 2026 U-20 World Cup in Poland, which was released this week.

Host Jillian Sakovits sat down with Bay FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller to talk about what it means for her to be selected, what her role on the team is, her love of learning under Bay head coach Emma Coates, and how she is learning to let go of the pressure.

PLUS: Tamerra Griffin joined the show to go deeper into this USA roster, the future stars to...

On this week’s Full Time, hosts Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan, and Tamerra Griffin unpack the past, present, and future of relocation in the NWSL.

A lot of this conversation has been sparked by noise around Racing Louisville and how owners across the league have to keep up with rising expansion fees, revenues, and operating costs. How has being an owner in the NWSL changed in a short space of time? Asli Pelit joins the panel to add her expertise from the financial side of soccer and her candid conversations with owners in the league.

...

The 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations is in the books. On Sunday night, Cameroon defeated Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat, Morocco, to lift their first-ever continental trophy.

While the finale proved one game too many for the Chawinga sisters' Cinderella Story, this WAFCON felt different. How has Temwa Chawinga helped to bring more Americans to WAFCON? And what does it mean to have the forward risen to elite sporting superstar status in Kansas City?

Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by PJ Green of the KC Star to break down ‘The Temw...

Ashley Sanchez has been one of the best players of the 2026 NWSL season. In a career year for the 27-year-old North Carolina Courage attacker, the conversation is turning to whether it is time for a return to the U.S. women’s national team.

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by Sanchez to talk all about her incredible 2026. From what new head coach Mak Lind has brought to North Carolina, to how she has refined her game on the pitch, and enjoyed major life changes off of it. She also unpacks what it...

On this week’s Full Time, hosts Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan, and Tamerra Griffin dive into the emerging world of web-based women’s soccer mini-games. The pod talks to the people behind viral soccer mini-games ‘Road to 75’, ‘Immaculate Footy', as well as someone who helped develop Fantasy NWSL.

What does it take to launch a mini-game? How do they work, and in what ways do they educate fans on women’s soccer data and history? Can these games shape the culture and the fandom of the sport?

______________

HOSTS: Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan, Tam...

The Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga and Malawi are heading to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

In a thriller on Sunday night, Malawi – the lowest-ranked team at the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations – came from behind to defeat Ghana 2-1 in the quarterfinals in Casablanca, Morocco.

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin to unpack Malawi’s incredible run to the semifinals and what it means for the nation and their players to reach a first World Cup. Will powerhouse Nigeria miss a...

On Wednesday, at a press conference in New York City, NWSL commissioner Jess Berman officially unveiled the league’s 2027 calendar outline. In what will be the NWSL’s historic 15th season, the league will have its earliest-ever kickoff on February 11, the same week as the Super Bowl.

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei and Asli Pelit to break down what we learned from the NWSL’s midseason press conference, how the league went about deciding the best way to allow for a lengthy break during the 2027 Women’s...

Is Trinity Rodman overrated? Do the U.S. women’s national team need to be playing in more competitive tournaments? Should more NWSL teams follow the Utah Royals and give head coaches more time?

This week’s Full Time is a Summer Mailbag special, where hosts Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin answer listener questions on everything and anything about the global women’s game. From 2027 World Cup roster conundrums to picking WAFCON 5-a-side teams and everything in between.

______________

HOSTS: Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan, Tamerra Griffin

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd...

Hot off the heels of the 2026 men’s World Cup – FIFA president Gianni Infantino unveiled a proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to private investors. After widespread condemnation from the public and FIFA member associations, the proposal has been scrapped.

Now the question is: Can Infantino hold onto his grip on the FIFA presidency? What is next for FIFA? And, what did this all mean for the women’s game?

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Megan Feringa to take the listener inside the week...

With the second-ever Northern Super League season underway, the NSL has recently announced that it would be adding its first expansion team. Co-founded by Canadian soccer legend Desiree Scott, Winnipeg is set to become the NSL’s seventh team in 2027.

So, what have been the major wins for the NSL after 18 months? What are their plans for growth? And, how vital is the relationship between the league and the Canadian women’s national team?

On this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by Scott to talk about her experience playing in the...

This week on Full Time, we’re talking: All-Star Games.

Fresh from the WNBA wrapping up its All-Star Game in Chicago, IL, this past weekend and the MLS All-Star Game that takes place in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, it got us thinking: When or will the NWSL have an All-Star Game?

Jillian Sakovits, Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin debate everything about what an NWSL All-Star Game could and should look like. From who All-Star Games are really for, to how the league could possibly squeeze it into a busy calendar. 

______________

Now that every team in the NWSL has played at least 15 games, the league is officially at the halfway point. So, on this episode of Full Time, Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei to break down who is leading the 2026 NWSL MVP race at midseason. Melanie ranks her top 10 players at the halfway point and who is poised to take the award come November.

PLUS: The pod breaks down the best moments from the NWSL weekend. From Morgan Weaver’s return to soccer after 651 days away to Sofia Cantore’s stunning strike that ke...

On a special Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) episode of Full Time, Malawi forward and two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga joins the talk with Tamerra Griffin about how she’s feeling ahead of her first continental tournament and what it would mean to qualify for her and Malawi’s first-ever World Cup.

PLUS: Washington Spirit sporting director James Hocken also joins the pod to explain how NWSL teams prepare their rosters to lose stars during midseason international tournaments, such as WAFCON. Also, after the Spirit signed three African players this summer, he gives his though...

This summer, Tori Penso became the first American woman to be a head referee at a men’s World Cup match. That piece of soccer history followed on from her taking the women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, three years ago. Along with her assistants, Brooke Mayo and Kathrin Nesbitt, Penso has been blazing a trail for women referees in the men’s and women’s games. So, what is it like to referee at a World Cup?

On this episode of Full Time, hosts Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin are joined by Penso to take...

After 104 matches in 39 days, the 2026 Men’s World Cup is officially in the books. Up next - less than one year away - the countdown to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil has now officially begun.

On this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Melanie Anzidei to discuss what lessons are to be learned from the 2026 Men’s World Cup, what impact this summer will have on the women’s game, and how the NWSL can keep the momentum going all the way into Brazil 2027.

P...

The USL W League national final between Vermont Green FC and Salmon Bay FC is this Saturday evening. What is the significance of this matchup in the broader American soccer landscape?

Hosts Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin discuss the developmental value of this pre-professional league and the opportunities grassroots soccer clubs offer players and coaches. Then, Meg and Tamerra are joined by Vermont head coach Abby Carchio and Salmon Bay head coach Malia Arrant to preview the championship match – which could feature an appearance by former Seattle Reign great Lauren “Lu” Barnes.

_______________

HOSTS...

As the women’s soccer world prepares for its first-ever NWSL match in the Big Apple, Wednesday’s ‘Queens Classic’ between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit, it’s time to zoom out and look at the big picture of what is going on between the league and the largest – and arguably most influential – city in the United States. What does it mean for Gotham and the NWSL to move into NYC?

Hosts Jillian Sakovits and Meg Linehan talk to Gotham owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett about how they created their marquee matchup in NYC the same week as the me...