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
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
A 31-year-old striker with a year left on her contract moving for what could turn into a $1 million transfer fee? If you think the middling chance quality was mostly her teammates' fault, then Ludmila could be worth it!
January 13, 2026 at 5:50 PM
A 31-year-old striker with a year left on her contract moving for what could turn into a $1 million transfer fee? If you think the middling chance quality was mostly her teammates' fault, then Ludmila could be worth it!
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
Here are the four big-ticket central midfield transfers of the last 12 months. Geyoro's sticks out like a sore thumb.
![In June 2019, Princess Haya bint Hussein, the 45-year-old wife of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, reportedly fled from the royal family to Germany seeking political asylum, for an undisclosed reason.[65] In July 2019, The Telegraph reported Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum was fighting a divorce case in London. This is the third case in recent years of a close relative of Sheikh Mohammed escaping the royal family. Two of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters from another wife, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum and Shamsa Al Maktoum, attempted an escape, with the former fleeing due to alleged abuse and house arrest at the royal palace.[66]
After being last seen in a 16 February 2021 leaked video where Princess Latifa claimed of being held hostage by her father and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a photo of her surfaced online in May 2021 from a shopping mall with two women. Sources later claimed that the women who posted regarding the night out with the princess were "paid" to do so. A total of three photographs emerged on social media showing Latifa at a restaurant called Bice Mare, as per the location tagged on social media. The United Nations human rights office had been demanding proof of her life from the UAE rulers since her disappearance and surfacing of the February 2021 video. According to the Dubai's law a husband is also permitted to beat his children and wife.[67][68]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x7ssuugjasr2tszqtc3lubxy/bafkreicule6wq3lujhm4ibxii3f6ewpfm7dhgyetmihhoink5yg2ymskae@jpeg)
![Dubai's Role in Facilitating Corruption and Global Illicit Financial Flows, a 2020 report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated: "Part of what underpins Dubai's prosperity is a steady stream of illicit proceeds borne from corruption and crime...Meanwhile, both Emirati leaders and the international community continue to turn a blind eye to the problematic behaviours, administrative loopholes, and weak enforcement practices that make Dubai a globally attractive destination for dirty money."[33]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x7ssuugjasr2tszqtc3lubxy/bafkreidkwpt53cw6ifuwjaketihmqnecb2lp6u7t44ttke2rbm3pbyxntu@jpeg)
![Since 2011, the UAE government has increasingly carried out forced disappearances.[96][97][98][99][100][101] Many foreign nationals and Emirati citizens have been arrested and abducted by the state, the UAE government denies these people are being held (to conceal their whereabouts), placing these people outside the protection of the law.[95][98][102] According to Human Rights Watch, the reports of forced disappearance and torture in the UAE are of grave concern.[96]
The Arab Organisation of Human Rights has obtained testimonies from many defendants, for its report on "Forced Disappearance and Torture in the UAE", who reported that they had been kidnapped, tortured and abused in detention centres.[98][102] The report included 16 different methods of torture including severe beatings, threats with electrocution and denying access to medical care.[98][102]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x7ssuugjasr2tszqtc3lubxy/bafkreie6ychbo5wqqh2wtjt7sl6wdubfmb4usqybnlxqylomsgbul3ni6y@jpeg)
Some fun things Dubai and its ruler, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, have been involved in over the years (thread):
![Both Federal and Emirate law prohibit homosexuality and cross-dressing with punishment ranging from imprisonment, floggings,[79] fines, deportation, chemical castration,[80][81] forced psychological treatments,[82] honor killings,[83] vigilante executions,[84][85] beatings,[86][87] forced anal examinations,[88] forced hormone injections,[89] and torture.[86][90]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x7ssuugjasr2tszqtc3lubxy/bafkreibs2fpuz2wwcvkacftup5yzowwxjjzvwpavkfhq5r7hs5iupp3gke@jpeg)
December 29, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Some fun things Dubai and its ruler, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, have been involved in over the years (thread):
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
www.worldsportssummit.org
December 29, 2025 at 9:22 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
www.worldsportssummit.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 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...
First up, the Ballon d'Or voters.
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 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...
First up, the Ballon d'Or voters.
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
As one of our Patreon members just put it, "This sounds like the allocation money rule and designated player rule got married and had a baby"
December 11, 2025 at 4:49 AM
As one of our Patreon members just put it, "This sounds like the allocation money rule and designated player rule got married and had a baby"
We love data, but we also love stupid nonsense. On this month's edition of xOG After Dark, available only to our high-tier subscribers, we made a holiday bracket. Let the madness begin.
Sign up for (or upgrade) an annual Patreon membership this month and get 50% off!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Sign up for (or upgrade) an annual Patreon membership this month and get 50% off!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
December 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
We love data, but we also love stupid nonsense. On this month's edition of xOG After Dark, available only to our high-tier subscribers, we made a holiday bracket. Let the madness begin.
Sign up for (or upgrade) an annual Patreon membership this month and get 50% off!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Sign up for (or upgrade) an annual Patreon membership this month and get 50% off!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Here's a well-sliced demographic breakdown. The dominant category throughout the NWSL's history has been men born and raised in Europe who spent all or nearly all of their coaching careers in North America.
December 5, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Here's a well-sliced demographic breakdown. The dominant category throughout the NWSL's history has been men born and raised in Europe who spent all or nearly all of their coaching careers in North America.
We decided to specifically compare North American women to European men (ie. men born and raised in Europe with no previous women's coaching experience in North America). 2023 was a turning point for both demographics.
December 5, 2025 at 12:15 AM
We decided to specifically compare North American women to European men (ie. men born and raised in Europe with no previous women's coaching experience in North America). 2023 was a turning point for both demographics.
With the hire of Emma Coates at Bay FC (and the impending arrival of Filipa Patão with the Boston Legacy), the NWSL is turning back in the right direction with the proportion of women head coaches in the league. But we are still far behind the peak of 2022.
December 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
With the hire of Emma Coates at Bay FC (and the impending arrival of Filipa Patão with the Boston Legacy), the NWSL is turning back in the right direction with the proportion of women head coaches in the league. But we are still far behind the peak of 2022.
Wait 'til Rob Manfred tells Berman about this Ohtani fella!
December 4, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Wait 'til Rob Manfred tells Berman about this Ohtani fella!
We're doing a holiday discount for new Patreon members! Sign up for an annual membership at any tier to get 50% off! You'll get four bonus episodes each month, plus the main feed ad-free.
Just use the code "XOG" at checkout.
Here's a taste of what you'll get!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Just use the code "XOG" at checkout.
Here's a taste of what you'll get!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
December 1, 2025 at 5:02 PM
We're doing a holiday discount for new Patreon members! Sign up for an annual membership at any tier to get 50% off! You'll get four bonus episodes each month, plus the main feed ad-free.
Just use the code "XOG" at checkout.
Here's a taste of what you'll get!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Just use the code "XOG" at checkout.
Here's a taste of what you'll get!
www.patreon.com/c/xOwnGoals
Thankful for everyone in this chart, and apologies to all of them too.
November 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Thankful for everyone in this chart, and apologies to all of them too.
We decided to see how Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós' analysis of his own team before the game matched up to what happened in the #NWSL Championship. Not bad, we'd say!
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
We decided to see how Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós' analysis of his own team before the game matched up to what happened in the #NWSL Championship. Not bad, we'd say!
The guys previewed the #NWSL Championship from both teams' trainings the day before the big match, and shared their thoughts on what edges were and were not on for each team.
spotf.fi/6yCZAPo
spotf.fi/6yCZAPo
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
The guys previewed the #NWSL Championship from both teams' trainings the day before the big match, and shared their thoughts on what edges were and were not on for each team.
spotf.fi/6yCZAPo
spotf.fi/6yCZAPo
Washington Spirit interim front office heads Nathan Minion and James Hocken stopped by xOG headquarters to share how they navigated this transition season, and how they believe data should be used in the modern game.
spotf.fi/8Ly01Bg
spotf.fi/8Ly01Bg
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Washington Spirit interim front office heads Nathan Minion and James Hocken stopped by xOG headquarters to share how they navigated this transition season, and how they believe data should be used in the modern game.
spotf.fi/8Ly01Bg
spotf.fi/8Ly01Bg
Washington Spirit head coach Adrian González told us what makes for a great (and not-so-great) team performance, and what the club has learned from playing Gotham over the last two years.
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Washington Spirit head coach Adrian González told us what makes for a great (and not-so-great) team performance, and what the club has learned from playing Gotham over the last two years.
Gotham FC GM Yael Averbuch West explained to us how Jaedyn Shaw exemplifies the club's approach to players, their development, and their success.
spotf.fi/L3N5XnU
spotf.fi/L3N5XnU
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Gotham FC GM Yael Averbuch West explained to us how Jaedyn Shaw exemplifies the club's approach to players, their development, and their success.
spotf.fi/L3N5XnU
spotf.fi/L3N5XnU
Gotham FC star, USWNT legend, and #NWSL Championship MVP Rose Lavelle took us inside her process of identifying, developing, and executing high-quality chances.
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Gotham FC star, USWNT legend, and #NWSL Championship MVP Rose Lavelle took us inside her process of identifying, developing, and executing high-quality chances.