OK, welcome to the first ever in person edition of Into the Channel.

Let's fucking go.

I'm your host, Dean of the Suspense and as always, I am joined by my Co host, Mr.

Grant Angle.

What's up man?

I'm.

Feeling fantastic buddy.

It's good to be here in person with You Beautiful, sunny San Jose, CA.

I think I'm ready to talk about the NWSL Championship.

Cannot wait to get into it.

So obviously it's been a week for your boy.

I mean, I, I put myself, you know, through quite a grind.

We had the NWSL awards, which were, that was quite an event lens day, media day Yesterday I put up some interviews that I had got to talk to some of the players.

And then today we got to catch some of the practices, a couple of pressers, one with each team after the fact.

I don't know.

What were your biggest takeaways from today?

I mean, I think the question is, I don't mean to do the live producing here.

I think the question is where do I want to get started?

Where do you want to get started?

Excellent question.

Let's.

Start with some in person beverages.

Let's go, man.

Can you see I'm already I'm already off my game here.

You know what?

It's all right.

You know, we're on a neutral site and I'm already making excuses as well.

Cheers to you.

Cheers to you.

There we go in person.

It's finally.

Been done, cheers to you buddy.

Yeah, for those at home, it's been years since Grant and I have hung out in person.

But yeah, it should be a great weekend and definitely excited to get into it.

The place where we get started because it's been the conversation of the week.

Trinity Rodman, her health, will she play?

How much will she play?

How much will she be able to contribute?

You got to see a snippet of her today in practice.

What'd you see?

All right, so during media availability, anybody who's roughly familiar with this, we got 15 minutes to watch them at the very beginning of training.

I don't think it was a coincidence that we mostly saw stretching from Washington Spirit.

So with that in mind, though, after seeing Trinity Rodman stretch with her teammates for 15 minutes, I am the world's foremost expert in Trinity Rodman's health.

I can tell you the chatter was she was moving more gingerly than her teammates.

She had one of those big kind of right knee braces.

That's like somewhat sleeve, somewhat brace leaves the knee exposed.

She was look, I mean, she's she's moving a little slower than her teammates.

The stretches were a little more careful.

I would say she was stretching with Terra Mickey own.

There were some stretches where they would kind of like have the band around each of their legs, the same band around each leg and then they would kind of bump into each other.

You could tell Tara, Mickey own was taking it real easy on that drill, easier compared to the other team mates.

So it's an issue.

It's it's an injury issue.

She's coming back for the final.

She's going to gut through it.

This is why the the players play.

I think it it bears watching.

Definitely bears watching.

I think we're going to see.

I'm I'm very curious to see that Washington attack a who lines up one one of the biggest things that was the thing that blew me away this week talking to GIF Monday a little bit about the chemistry that her and Rose quasi have developed.

Her first thing that she said is Rose and I can't communicate verbally.

She she speaks French, I speak English.

I, I tried to talk to Rose at media day.

Can confirm.

Rose is not talking to you, not not talking any English, which makes it all the more incredible what they've been able to do now.

I think Rodman is a good enough player that, you know, can kind of kind of slot in, in and around anything that's going on and be additive.

But do you think Washington needs a contribution from Rodman?

So if Rodman doesn't play, do they have enough to get the job done?

It's going to be close.

I think anytime you have one of the 5 best wingers in the world, at worst you would really like, you would certainly really like a contribution from them in the biggest spot.

Think of how Rodman played in the Olympics where she was the absolute game wrecker against great teams like Germany.

So do they need it to win?

I think I'm 60% there.

They can win without a major contribution from her, but damn it would make things a hell of a lot easier if she does contribute.

Yeah, no doubt.

And I think I want to talk a little bit too about the vibes.

You know, you got to see a little bit.

I've been here a couple days.

I'm obviously based here in the base, so I got a little bit of a head start.

But I asked Kingsbury and Tara McEwen about it at the presser because the vibes at the Challenge Cup were icy, like icy.

And I don't know if that was a UNR rod, this effect.

And after they won, it was a little bit, you know, a little bit of, you know, the release valve got, you know, kind of like undone there.

But I was a little shocked to show up this week and just see every single player in the absolute highest of spirits.

And I don't know if it's a confidence thing or if it's a hey, this is the end of the season thing or, I don't know, a last dance kind of thing.

But they seem incredibly confident.

I don't want to say, you know, they don't they don't seem cocky.

But on the flip side, got them.

You know what, raise my antenna, Roosevelt, you asked her a great question at the presser, used the phrase icing on the cake.

And I was like, I'm not sure if Gotham is really feeling like they're at at the same level.

Obviously they feel like they can win.

They they think they can win.

They're going to show up to win.

But I wonder if there's some resignation there.

It's an interesting point.

I was surprised that she used the term icing on the cake.

I mean, basically the the context of my question was you're a World Cup winner.

She has a goal in a World Cup final that her team won.

You got Jess Carter, European champion, champion.

We've talked about burgers, big game pedigree, Emily Sonnets in there.

There's a World Cup winner.

And you know, she it's not like Lavelle like dodged the question, but it was like, yeah, look, we get ready for the big games.

And she really did hammer home the point that a final is the culmination of all the moments within that ecosystem of a single season, which I did think could make a made a lot of sense.

But I do I, you know, and obviously when the press conference, I don't have the ability to ask the follow up right there.

It would have been a goofy follow up to ask, but they finished eighth.

They made it to the final.

What's the cake if if winning the title is the icing is is just making it to the final the the actual cake that she's referring to?

It's, I mean, I don't know if it was, I mean it from an outsider point of view, it's probably getting on track, you know, like, you know, since the title, it's been a soul.

It's a whole been a whole rigmarole of like, you know, doing an undoing to get all the way back to this point feels like it's been a whole, you know, it's funny, like in literal 360 to get back to where they are.

And obviously there's been so much turnover.

You know, it's a great question.

And I think the other thing I wanted to hit, I asked that Jade and Shaw that question a few moments before and she mentioned the first 5-10 minutes of the match, you know, and before we were having lunch earlier, you brought up Mitch Purse, who I think is another player to watch who probably would be putting it mildly.

I'm going to be watching Mitch Purse very closely because that's a big game player.

It's a big championship, you know, like level type, I'm going to perform type player.

But Jaden Shaw used the phrasing the first 5-10 minutes of the match.

And I think doing a temperature check on how the spirits looking and feeling and moving, you know, through the stadium and, and through everything that's going on, I wouldn't be surprised if Gotham has really keyed in on that first 5-10 minutes.

Midge Burse, Jaden Shaw, Rose, Lavelle, I'm not sure.

Whoever, whoever ends up being Astaire, whoever ends up being like, however, whatever the setup ends up being, I think they've identified that first 5-10 minutes as a potential turning point.

And you have two super veteran teams.

A1 NIL lead in a match like this.

Massive.

I think it's a great point.

And it definitely raised the antenna when Shaw brought that up.

Makes me think about, you know, the what, what are the first 5-10 minutes of the second-half look like, too?

Like if you kind of, you know, segment the match like that and we talked about it.

I mean, you know, with with Bernal, with Hirschfeld, with Morgan, you got to you got to create a little bit of magic to beat that defense, especially with Kingsbury back there.

I mean, obviously you could say something similar about Gotham's defense with Sonic Carter and on Katrin Berger.

But yeah, it might.

It definitely felt like Shaw honed in on the idea of a quick start.

But I will say when you do have Quasi playing the way she's playing Monday, Bethune, Rodman, Cantore, if you score in the 1st 5 minutes, to borrow a phrase from two people we very much admire, specifically Raj Bennett from Men and Blazers, you might score too early.

And then you might, you know, the other team might get back at it.

Absolutely.

I mean, you know, Gotham does.

I, I would it, it's an interesting point because I would favor Gotham in a situation where they did score early and they could sit back and use some of that guile.

You know, like if it's up and down and it's, you know, nil, nil and it's both teams trying to grab something.

It's almost like 2 boxers and you're, you're, you're the one with less power and you're exchanging punches, right?

Like it's not a situation you want to be in.

So that could follow, you know, in terms of like Gotham's logic.

Hey, let's let's score early because that is our road map for winning.

We lock in defensively.

I mean, try beating on Katrin Berger in a get in a big match.

I mean, I think, you know, I, I just speak to our media day.

I mean, you could see how it is that she's able to do what she's able to do.

Like her level of, you know, locked in this.

And I and I asked a few of the Gotham players this at media day because I was really curious.

My question was, do you feel like this team has reached their potential or are you is there still another level to go with one game left and and is that going to work out?

I'll say most of the players, most of the Gotham players didn't really engage with it on Katrin Berger was like, yeah, there's another level.

You know, like life is about improvement and that's what I'm about.

And it's like I should, I think she said specifically, I hope there's another level, which I thought was awesome.

But I, I, I think that is probably the recipe for Gotham.

I want to talk about Washington, though.

Adrian Gonzalez, the depressor today used the term dangerous to describe Gotham's attack.

That kind of, you know, got me thinking about how aggressive Washington might be.

Will they be.

We talked about Bernal and Mccune getting up field, getting up and back colossi, you know, as a as a full back.

How aggressive do you think Washington's going to be?

And then what do you think?

What do you think they're thinking that that their recipe is for victory?

Thinking about all of the mind games and the tactics and everything that goes into this.

So if it is apparent early in the match that Gotham isn't going to go full attack, press hard, run forward, try to get a stare into some space.

In that press conference, Tara Mickey own pointed out specifically in response to one of my questions was that a stare is great at winning the ball in the air, even though she, even if she is a little, you know, diminutive height wise.

I thought that was interesting that she specifically called out a stare skill at winning aerial balls.

If you're Washington, OK, if they're going to if Gotham's going to run at us, how quickly can we go from either Bernal or Mickey own up to Hirschfeld or up to Bethune and then try to unlock on the counter?

And, you know, we know we have that.

We know they have that in their game.

You think about colossi and Monday too.

Can you just get the ball forward?

I mean, I feel like every time we talk about this, we just have to have to list every player.

What if you get the ball to Cantoria, right?

Like she could tell me.

And then by the way, Trinity Rodman is one of the best in the world on the wing doing that.

So I, you know, Geraldes and Amaros, they both skew maybe a wee bit conservative.

Maybe Amaros more than a little bit conservative in in some of his game planning.

So we we might be in for a no, no, you take the ball.

No, no, no.

You take the ball from both sides of the team as both sides kind of look for the counter.

So that probably sets us up for, you know, it's tough to say because Washington does feel like a team with the upper hand.

But in those matches where the chances are fewer and further between, little cagier, a little trickier.

Does Gotham have, like, those special moment type players?

I asked Jaden Shaw specifically about the free kick in Orlando.

What's going through your mind?

How do you do that?

What was it?

Yeah.

I wanted to know as much as possible about that free kick.

I don't think I'll ever forget it.

It was just such a soul, soul question for your boy.

But does Gotham have like, are they better equipped for a match that's nil, Nil in the 80s when you know, there's a chance every 10 minutes.

You look at rows, you look at Jaden Shaw, you look at Astaire, who probably just needs, you know, we, we talked about that stat earlier this year, how efficient she is, how few box touches she needs to get goals and shots on target.

I don't know, man, if if I'm watching that now all of a sudden, maybe I'm, I'm thinking maybe we crank up the aggressiveness to make sure that we're not in that position.

I think it's a fairpoint.

I mean, it's such a tough question.

I mean, you know, any time you have two teams in a final like this, and I know like the regular season plays a huge part in the seeding and who even qualifies for like a cup like this.

But these are, you know, these are two absolutely loaded teams.

And as you try to do the calculus of who has more players, who can produce a super special moment, feels kind of like a push.

I mean, it's really, really close without.

Rodman's for sure.

Yes, and I think, I think I still lean Washington spirit to answer your question.

Yeah, I, I think I do as well just because I feel like they're going to be able to make it their kind of game versus a nil, nil game.

But if it's nil, nil at halftime and you know, you look at the shot chart and 5 to 4 Gotham's probably high fiving in the dressing room if it's that kind of match up, because to your earlier point, who's getting the ball up field?

I I keep thinking about that corner last week, Hirsch felt one action and Kiwasi's off and it's a two on two.

And you know, you get the the Kiwasi GIF Monday connection, which I asked GIF Monday about.

And in a in an amazing moment, she admitted to me that even though the chemistry she called the the chemistry had divine connection.

I love it, which was beautiful.

And then she also mentioned that they can't communicate verbally because Rose Quasi doesn't only speaks French, not English and GIF Money doesn't speak French.

There you go and they don't need it.

I mean, they speak the same.

They speak a similar type of football to them.

And I think Gonzalez has done a good job with that.

I think the players kind of spoke to that like obviously Geraldus has like a part in that, right?

Like instilling that culture.

He gets hired, he brings Gonzalez with them, but they they have a connectivity in that team, which was, again, I'll mention it, everybody take a drink for how many times I've mentioned this match when they came out of the international break and they what I thought really took it to Portland Thorns.

And I was just looking at at their their chemistry as a as a side.

I was like, oh boy, they're going to get they're going to be really hard to beat.

And here they are in the final.

Yeah, no doubt.

And then tomorrow game day, which for Gift Monday means it's Gold Day.

Oh God.

That's best quote everybody, please.

I mean, I'm sure you already have, but if you have not had a chance yet, please watch the media day video that Dino put together from his great questions.

Hit us with the Gift Monday quote please, to your recollection.

So so yeah, I basically just asked her, you know, what is it like to be in that kind of zone?

You know, like, how do you get prepared?

And she was just like, you know, some, some game days I wake up and I'm not really fully feeling myself.

And I kind of, you know, kind of paraphrasing, you've got to kind of shake it off.

And then, you know, just reminds herself that, you know what, it's game.

Game day is goal day basically.

And I was just like, where can I, I, I want to put that in an ITCT shirt of some sort of just because I just want to, I want to live that.

I mean, honestly, I want to go back.

I'm going to do this next week because I'm in full like game analysis mode.

But, and maybe it's because I'm an older guy at this point in my life, but I love asking about mindset, you know, like teasing out that wisdom, understanding, like the mentality and like, you know, just kind of like process and all that kind of stuff.

And some of the things that I got just absolute brilliance from the like you mentioned gift Monday on Kutchenberger, Jess Carter, like you just get a window into like Lacey Santos, how they see and think about competing and reaching the pinnacle of their potential.

And it's just so inspiring and so moving to hear, you know, these players talk about I'm getting I'm getting a little like, you know, moved recounting it.

It's just a very, very cool opportunity for us to be out of here.

But what I'm going to do is I'm going to go back, pull some of those quotes because I definitely want to share them on a future episode.

Just awesome moments, things that I'm I'm not going to forget even though in the moment I've I've forgotten them.

It's a whirlwind out here.

Look, I mean, your boys are covering the the final first time in person.

A little bit of slack.

Well, yeah, we'll get the quotes up.

They had a lot of great things to say.

Oh yeah, All right, man.

Should we get to predictions?

I think.

We're there.

I'm.

Going to kick it to you or unless you I can, I'm happy to go first.

I feel pretty.

I'm pretty, I feel pretty solidified and and where I'm at.

Yeah, go ahead then, please, after you.

OK.

I talked about this quite a bit with regards to Kansas City current the year of the two NIL, you know, and I think the recipe that that Kansas City was using breakthrough at the end of the first half, at some point in the first half and then just choke the life out of the game.

I feel like you look at those defenders on Washington, Bernal, Hirschfeld, McKeon, you know, even Wiesner had an unbelievable game last week.

Hirschfeld back there supporting.

I just feel like they have the ability to, you know, just choke the life out of the game if they can get the lead.

The big question is can they get the lead?

And I think that's basically where my prediction is hinged upon.

You know, I I, you know, there's been talk about Trinity Rodman.

How many minutes can she go?

And I feel like if I'm Adrian Gonzalez, I'm probably being like I I'd like to start Trinity Rodman, please.

And then you whenever she however, however many minutes we get or whenever we want to make the call, we make the call.

But it could be that it could be a a goal in the 1st 10 minutes.

And now all of a sudden the, the the the stack of chips that Gotham was staring at it just tripled in size.

So I think my prediction give me two nil to the Washington Spirit Player of the match, Rose Kowosi.

OK, love it.

I, I think it works.

Now there are only two of us, so it makes it less tricky.

But we're going to do the thing.

We're going to do the media thing where the graphic across the bottom is all the same team and everybody goes, oh, so you're all on this team, huh?

But look, I mean.

Everybody's picking the Cowboys.

Exactly.

So I, I got to do it.

I mean, you know, I've been talking about how much I love the way the Washington Spirit plays football, maybe somewhat to their chagrin, after they beat Seattle Rain FC.

And I kept asking their Play Rain players and Laura Harvey like man, Washington's really good Hon And.

They're just like aha.

Yeah, cool.

Thanks for the questions.

But.

I am going to go with I'm going to go with one Nil Washington spirit and I'm going to say the goal comes from Kroy Bethune sometime between the 60th and the 70th, 75th minute.

So that that second round of the second-half, so to speak, I think she produces a moment of magic.

And I mean, as I've said on this program, I consider myself the world's foremost Croy Bethune stockholder.

You can't give me this opportunity with her in the final, the NWS championship.

Pardon me to to solidify that.

I I had a great time talking to Hal Hirschfeld this week at media day.

Can I tack on Hal Hirschfeld threw ball up the center of the park to set Kroy up to kind of like, you know, blow the top off the game.

Game-winning assist to to great friend of the ball Hal Hirschfeld.

That's what we were talking about.

I mean, you know, if if Gotham is going to press, you know, maybe you have, you know, an attack where it's it's purse and it's a stare.

It doesn't pan out.

The ball gets to Hirschfeld.

She plays it up through Bethune.

We've seen, we've seen Bethune on the break in multiple different spots.

We've seen her shoot from distance.

I think it's on the board.

You mentioned Mitch Purse, Shout out to Gretchen too.

Great for the pot as well.

Mitch Purse.

I think if I had a 10th of a take chip to rewind back a couple years for us, I might put it on Mitch Purse making a big impact in this match because we talked about those first 5-10 minutes being like potential, you know, smash and grab territory.

What a what a player like.

I mean, Gotham kind of has a, a, a, a great setup between Perce and Jaden Shaw.

You can you can see something like that flipping the game over after a a Washington spirit side has got maybe earned the first 3-4 chances of the match.

So I would definitely pay very close attention to Mitch Perce, very close attention to Jaden Shaw because I think it can definitely flip my prediction.

And I just want to make sure you hit that before we got out here.

I mean, that's the thing with these two teams is that, like, how many times have I keep going?

Yeah, How many times have I talked about Rose Lavelle being one of my favorite footballers who's ever lived?

And like, if we're sitting there in the 37th minute and Lavelle gets downhill and scores a goal, then I'm just going to be like, Oh yeah, sure, that like, of course that happened.

Yeah, I was so glad you got a question into Rose, which excellent question by the way.

Great answer.

You're going to chop those up to get those onto the YouTube and to our various channels of.

Course.

Is there anything else, Mr.

Grand Angle?

Obviously we'll be at the final.

We'll be at the Championship tomorrow.

I'm not sure when we're going to pod.

We'll figure, we'll figure figure that part out later, but we'll we'll definitely have a post game pod at some point before drive time on Monday morning.

I like it.

I think we can aspire to that, but is there anything else you want to hit in our official NWSL Championship preview before we call it an episode?

I don't know if this, you know, we're going to make the decision is this video, is this is this audio only?

It's video.

OK, It's video, so non football related.

I'm sitting in the in the lower chair.

You're a son of a bitch for having me sit in the lower chair.

You're already an inch and a half taller than me and now I'm sitting in the lower chair.

Dino's not ten inches taller than me, just to be clear.

He's.

6 foot three I'm six.

1 1/2 Don't forget my half.

Confirm.

I can confirm this.

And so all right, it's fine.

I think it's just the way the seating worked out.

I just want to make sure for the record, as an old man who you know, may be a little sensitive about his height, 61 and a half, I look tiny compared to you in this, this seating.

Setup.

Well, you got me out here looking like JJ Redick with this tiny mic.

We keep it moving.

That's fair.

You know what?

It's a working progress First first live pod.

Yeah.

So just to be clear, nothing else you want to hit before we got here?

No, I think that's it.

Yeah, that that that about doesn't.

All right, thank you for watching, listening, hanging out with your boys.

If you want to support the show, patreon.com session to the channel, Great way to do that.

ITC merch, great way to do that.

Even better way to do that.

Some might say, follow us on socials, subscribe to the channels.

If you're out here in the Bay, if you're going to be at the final, I'll be in some ITC gear.

I'm going to bring my ITC gear at tomorrow.

I want to be easily, easily recognizable.

You'll be able to Fact Check Grant's height tomorrow.

If you're in the building and you run into your boys.

Happy to see you, happy to say hello.

But yeah, with that said, I think, I think we did it.

I think we completed this preview, man.

I appreciate you bro.

I appreciate you.

And yeah, if you want to Fact Check the height, you know, I guess I shouldn't be too sensitive about my height being taller than six, but don't try me out there.

You don't want that.

But yeah, if ready.

Usually.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, for anybody who is out here, I think our pal Gretchen might be around Michael Cocaine, friend of the show.

Oh.

Let's go contentful please.

I really hope the the ITC hoodie reached great friend of the pod.

Let's go.

So yeah, let us know.

Hit us, you know, drop in the comments, hit us up in the DMS on Blue Sky, whatever you want to do.

We'd love to say hello to any of our Internet bouts out there.

You gonna see him next time?

Oh shit, yeah, you did toss it up to me.

See again, work in progress.

So yeah, maybe for some of you, not only will we see you next time, we'll see you at the match.

But thank you everybody for supporting the show and we will see you all.

Next time.