Expected Own Goals
banner
xowngoals.com
Expected Own Goals
@xowngoals.com
EVERYONE ANALYZES WOMEN'S SPORTS

A podcast about the NWSL, USWNT, and women's soccer around the world.

Subscribe: patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals

Listen: https://spotf.fi/lbFTB10

Watch: youtube.com/@xOwnGoals

Support: https://ko-fi.com/xowngoals
Pinned
Happy new year, y'all! Here's a little taste of what's going on on our Patreon bonus feed.

Not yet a member? Subscribe for as little as $6/month! You get all the bonus episodes plus the main feed ad-free!

https:://www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
PATREON BONUS: Our Biggest Own Goals of 2025
open.spotify.com
Hot on the heels of @catabush.com's VizHub comes @paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc's game-changing college dashboard. #NWSL analysis Will never be the same again.
January 9, 2026 at 5:44 PM
🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️
"Jesse Marsch gave me a call and said 'hey, a friend of mine that I went to college with [Chris Long] is looking for a coach. He asked me for someone and I had one name: yours." -Armas (? from Taylor Kauffman @kmbc9.bsky.social)
January 9, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Here are the four big-ticket central midfield transfers of the last 12 months. Geyoro's sticks out like a sore thumb.
January 9, 2026 at 12:33 AM
As a respective 40- and 41-year-old, it pains us to even contemplate it.
I enjoyed this episode so much ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a fellow 32 year-old, I am still recovering from the guys saying LaBonta is “rapidly approaching 35” 😮🫥😭. But otherwise, it was a very fun way to close out a great year of coverage and analysis.
On the final Patreon episode of 2025, the guys run through their biggest own goals of the year, and what they learned after a long and exciting #NWSL season.

Use the code "XOG" thru December 31st to get 50% off an annual subscription!
January 6, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
André, whose newsletter you should subscribe to, showed up for 2026 with a flamethrower.

Pointed out weeks ago that a reported power struggle last spring saw NWSL's sporting director & head of marketing both depart. The chatter focused on the marketing vacuum, & it drove me quietly bonkers..
January 6, 2026 at 12:29 AM
If you're not already subscribed to André's newsletter, do so immediately. This is the best summation we've yet read on what the NWSL Commissioner stood for in 2025, and what her and her office's actions meant (and will mean) for professional women's soccer in America.
January 5, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Happy new year, y'all! Here's a little taste of what's going on on our Patreon bonus feed.

Not yet a member? Subscribe for as little as $6/month! You get all the bonus episodes plus the main feed ad-free!

https:://www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
PATREON BONUS: Our Biggest Own Goals of 2025
open.spotify.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
You could put Elaine May, Dorothy Parker and William Shakespeare in a room together and they'd never write a punchline this funny.
December 31, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Only two more days to get 50% off an annual Patreon subscription! Use the code "XOG" to get exclusive bonus content and the main feed ad-free!
Get more from Expected Own Goals on Patreon
A women's soccer podcast focusing on tactics and analytics!
www.patreon.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
Last comment on this:

This is personal for me, as it is for many. I am a queer and trans fan that found a connection to woso that never would have been possible with men’s soccer. To see the commissioner of all people go to a country where queer people are often brutalized is so disheartening.
In case anyone's curious what #NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is up to this week, she's speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, organized and funded by the crown prince of Dubai.

www.worldsportssummit.org
December 29, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Here are Berman's comments during the panel.
December 29, 2025 at 10:38 PM
In case anyone's curious what #NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is up to this week, she's speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, organized and funded by the crown prince of Dubai.

www.worldsportssummit.org
December 29, 2025 at 9:22 PM
On the final Patreon episode of 2025, the guys run through their biggest own goals of the year, and what they learned after a long and exciting #NWSL season.

Use the code "XOG" thru December 31st to get 50% off an annual subscription!
The Biggest Own Goals of 2025 | Expected Own Goals
Get more from Expected Own Goals on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
Btwn laying off media staff, or sponsors only wanting to fund retired players/huge outlet while refusing to support smaller/independent media:this will happen frequently for wcbb, woso & WNBA and NWSL. Alot of us cant afford to foot our own bilis anymore so we wont be in press conferences/events.
December 29, 2025 at 3:29 AM
On the fifth day of VizMas...
🎁 ASA VizMas Day 5! 🎄

Merry xmas eve! In celebration, I've put together the largest VizMas update yet. Say hello to the date range filter! The new selector allows you to filter every single graphic in the app by specific dates, increasing granularity + control. Excited to see what y'all do with it!
December 25, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
The ESPN FC top 50 is here and we need to talk about the sudden conflict of interest the league has created with the high-impact player rule.

With coaches and GMs weighing in on these lists, they can influence whether or not their players can get a bag.

www.espn.com/soccer/story...
December 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
On the fourth day of VizMas...
🎁 ASA VizMas Day 4! 🎄

Big changes are coming to the League tab: a reworked UI, a new chart type, and more control over what you want to see. All of the previous scatterplot variables are now available in bar chart form, with extra customization including asc/desc order + # of teams shown.

Up now!
December 24, 2025 at 6:42 AM
EMERGENCY POD!!! Happy Festivus! The #NWSL decided to release its "High Impact Player" rule on the day of the Airing of the Grievances. Perfect. The union's got a lotta problems with you people!!!

The guys marvel at what a disaster this is all becoming.
The NWSL Releases Their "High Impact Player" Rule. Um, WHAT?!?!?
YouTube video by Expected Own Goals
youtu.be
December 23, 2025 at 9:57 PM
In case you haven't seen, these are the people and methods choosing the players for the various lists that will determine the NWSL's proposed "High Impact Player" category.

First up, the Ballon d'Or voters.

www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
This is the difference between an email that takes you 72 minutes to craft and just impulsively replying “🖕🖕”
December 23, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
December 23, 2025 at 4:09 PM
“Gifting” is not Jessica Berman’s love language.
The NWSL introduces the High Impact Player rule.

Read more for the full list of criteria: bit.ly/4auEpL9
December 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Expected Own Goals
one thing that’s become very obvious about jessica berman’s nwsl is that owners would still much rather pay lawyers than players
Statement from the NWSLPA. The union is definitely not on board with the new High Impact Player Rule. #NWSL
December 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Quite the day for an angrily worded email war!
December 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM