Good Game with Sarah Spain · iHeartPodcasts

Peak Freak: An NWSL Season Preview with Jeff Kassouf

March 11, 2026·45 min·3 clips

ESPN's Jeff Kassouf reports that U.S. Women's National Team coach Emma Hayes personally attended an NWSL board meeting and told the board to stop blaming her for players leaving for Europe.

Put us in, coach. Sarah opens with full preseason energy, then admits this assignment is closer to orange slices and sideline commentary than actual minutes. No need-to-know today. The show jumps right into Sarah's Monday conversation with ESPN soccer writer Jeff Kasuf because the 2026 season kicks off this weekend and the league now has 16 teams to follow. Count them, 16. Denver Summit and Boston Legacy arrive as expansion sides, so this preview feels less like a neat table-setter and more like trying to read a depth chart while everyone is still stretching. The main thread is movement. Sarah and Jeff talk through the offseason, including players leaving for Europe and whether the league hit peak freak mode last fall while front offices watched talent head overseas. The rules get their turn, too. Jeff explains the high impact player role in plain language, keeping it tied to what fans need before games start. Then Louisville gets a proper look. Racing finally escapes the ninth-place curse, makes the playoffs, and nearly knocks out the Spirit before losing in PKs. Jeff calls them fascinating, which fits. His read is that Louisville can scare anyone in a one-off game, but the real test is whether that identity can hold up across a season, then another one after that. Bevianes matters here. Jeff sounds convinced she can keep the group motivated, especially because Racing cannot just outspend or out-attract the league's bigger draws. The DNA is blue collar. Sarah brings in the fan angle right away, pushing Louisville as a real NWSL road trip because the stadium works and the city is fun. Very Good Game. The soccer stays practical, but the feeling is lived-in fandom: playoff memory, travel pitch, and the emotional math of believing in a team that still has to fight for attention. The preview sounds busy because the league is busy. Expansion, roster churn, policy details, and playoff scars all land right before opening weekend, and the show turns that mess into something you can actually follow.

As heard by us

A plainspoken NWSL season preview built around the league's 16 teams and a busy offseason.

Sarah Spain and Jeff Kasuf keep the NWSL preview plainspoken. They walk through the league's 16 teams, including Denver Summit and Boston Legacy, then move into the offseason storylines that matter most.

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Why you'd press play

You want the NWSL map before kickoff weekend gets here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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