Latest / The BIG LIFE / UCLA's Head Coach Margueritte Aozasa Talks Big Ten Transition, Roster Challenges, and Coaching Youth

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UCLA's Head Coach Margueritte Aozasa Talks Big Ten Transition, Roster Challenges, and Coaching Youth · The BIG LIFE

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Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Big Life. Jordan, this episode,
1:20
I have been getting hounded to get this guest on this episode.
1:24
I am so, so thankful to finally have head women's soccer coach of UCLA on the pod.
1:30
But we have a lot of things to get to first before we get to this incredible
1:33
interview, including big moments this week in the big life.
1:39
Jordan, there's a lot going on. I feel like I don't even know what's happening
1:44
at halftimes. How are you?
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What big moments happened to you? How was your weekend?
1:49
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm good, you know, hanging in there.
1:53
Michigan State was ranked number four going into the week, so that was really
1:56
exciting for us to kind of see and do and still recognize the fact that,
2:01
Wow, that's amazing to have. The rankings really mean nothing.
2:05
They're based on a team that no longer exists.
2:07
And we talk about this from last year. And really, it's only used to kind of
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market and get people at games.
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And we've had an amazing turnout at DeMartin for the past couple weeks here.
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It's been so amazing to see kind of how the sport has grown within our school
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and, you know, even nationally, just the growth of women's sports and women's soccer specifically.
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So that's been really, really exciting from a Michigan State standpoint.
2:27
We unfortunately had a tough week. We suffered a tie to Xavier in the last minute
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where they had a PK tying up the game.
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Literally, I think it was like 55 seconds left in the game and PK was called
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for a handball in the box and they ended up tying it 2-2.
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So we are, you know, going forward from there with them being obviously a very, very talented team.
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I don't think it's an undeserved tie by any means.
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You know, Xavier's a very, very good school and program hub or anything that
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happens in the last minute like that. It's just absolutely devastating.
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So learning and growing from there, moving forward into another week of games at home.
3:03
Absolutely. I mean, sounds like a big thing. I know I had the box for pulled
3:07
up and I saw that last minute PK and I was like, oof, gotta,
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gotta ask Jordan about the emotions for that one.
3:13
Yeah, that one's, that one's tough. I think it, we were down one, nothing.
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We tied it up. Then we went up and you're going and finishing the game out,
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you know, going to corners,
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trying to kill time like prepping for that win it's
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you know once you see under a minute you kind of feel like you have
3:30
it in the bag you feel like you're guaranteed that win and to
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have that PK called and they had to go to VAR for it I didn't see the handball
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initially so I was like oh like we're setting up for a corner kick right now
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like it's fine everything's fine and they ended up calling the handball in the
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box and it was just the deflation after that it's hard it's hard to to regroup and And I think you just,
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everyone kind of goes home, takes the night and you focus again the next day from here.
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And I'm sure we'll have a really hard training session tomorrow as we prep for
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the next week and you just learn and grow from it.
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There's nothing you can really do. It sucks, but it happens.
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That's the sport that we chose to play for some reason, you know? I know it is.
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It's one of those like weird things where it's such a low scoring sport that
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one single moment like that can lead to a change in result even in the last minute of a game.
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So tough, but happens.
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Absolutely. And with other big moments happening in the Big Ten,
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there are some other big upsets and big moments that came about,
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such as number three, UCLA suffering their first loss of the season.
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They had five wins going in and they lost to Pepperdine 1-0 on their Sunday afternoon.
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So big loss for UCLA as they build that resume. Obviously, they have so much
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more intact to them. They had a big win against BYU earlier this week.
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So nothing too bad to come for them, but I know that they always are striving
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for that perfection and that perfect non-conference especially.
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So that was tough for them, I'm sure.
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Yeah, nobody ever wants to lose. UCLA is one of the powerhouses,
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and I'm sure they're looking to make a statement in their first season as a Big Ten.
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So tough one to see. As you'll mention in the interview we have here,
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they suffered some injuries and thinning rosters.
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So it'll be interesting to see how much of an impact that played in the game
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and how they kind of regroup and move forward from it.
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Absolutely. And to kind of keep the arrow turning down, we got some negative
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news coming out of the Big Ten.
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We've talked about them a lot. I almost feel bad for the amount that they seem to come up.
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But the Michigan Wolverines, we projected that they were going to go 0-4 in their first games.
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We talked about it week one. They said they had a hard lineup.
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Well, they have gone 0-5 after losing to Ball State this Sunday,
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now making them the 18th team in the Big Ten and to go completely winless throughout
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the entire month of August.
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If you are on the Michigan Wolverines team, what do you now do?
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You've dug yourself a hole. How do you go forward from here?
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Yeah, I think this is kind of their make or break point.
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They're going to either need to come together as a team, as a collective,
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figure it out and try to pull themselves out of this hole, or you call it a season.
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They can go one of two ways here. You can either just put your head down and
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be like, we're never going to be good enough.
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And you start getting that animosity towards each other for what's not being
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done, animosity between the players and the coaching staff.
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And things will continue to get worse if they go that direction.
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Or you can use this as a like, look, it's been a terrible preseason.
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Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
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Let's just all come together, figure it out. We need to work harder, do more. Like.
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Be a collective, and move forward as a team and give our best foot forward from here.
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And you can win a lot of games. They're a talented team. They still have a talented roster.
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It comes down to a lot of these results just between, and I don't know them
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specifically, but in Big Ten in general, who's willing to do more?
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Who's willing to work harder in these little moments? If they come together
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and they decide that's going to be them, they will still be able to have some success this season.
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But unfortunately, I think it's one of two ways where they're going to find
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themselves in the bottom at the end of this, or they can still have time for a turnaround.
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Yeah, I think one of the interesting things is, frankly, it reminds me of an
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Iowa team that I've been a part of. My sophomore year, Iowa goes 0-7-1.
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What we didn't then see is we won the Big Ten tournament that year and made
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it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
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It's a decisive point like that to continue believing and continue having that faith.
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And one of the amazing things about
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the way our schedule is built is their season's not over five games in.
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We talk a lot about at-large bids, NCAA tournament bids, and yeah,
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their resume isn't looking great, but guess what?
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If they win the Big Ten tournament, nothing matters, and they're in.
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And so I think that there's been a couple unfortunate starts through non-conference so far.
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There's no real extreme powerhouses that are just bulldozing their way through.
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There maybe wasn't last year even, I kind of remember talking about it.
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I think because of that, it's going to turn all eyes on Big Ten conference play,
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which for those of you who don't know, this is the last week of non-conference
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and conference will start next week.
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And I think that that's going to make Big Ten play, winning that Big Ten title,
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getting crucial Big Ten wins and finding your way into and winning the Big Ten
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tournament a bigger deal for a lot
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of teams because the resumes from non-conference haven't been as strong.
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Yeah, exactly. And speaking of some of this non-conference play or even looking
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at teams as a whole, we have kind of a unique situation with a U20 World Cup happening.
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I know we're missing one of our players and I think a few other schools are with.
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Your rosters just being a little bit different. Key players are gone right now
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and key players on some of the teams we're playing against are gone right now.
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I know Notre Dame, who just played and beat Michigan, is still missing a few
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players to that U-20 World Cup.
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To see how they should be coming back here within the next few weeks for a conference
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play, to see how that kind of impacts things and changes those roster sizes
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and just overall talent and depth of a roster.
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Roster absolutely so the u20 world
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cup actually kicks off this week september
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2nd is usa youth national team's first game and
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we did the math for you we know you didn't want to do the math it's fair so
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big 10 players playing in the u20 world cup for all countries not just usa and
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i thought that this was a really interesting list to pull up because like you
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said i think rosters have been hit hard whether that's with injury which seems
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to be absolutely abundant this year or with this World Cup roster.
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And it's leaving people in places that they didn't expect to be,
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whether that be younger players getting minutes that weren't necessarily projected
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and predicted and the ability for them to develop.
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And all of a sudden, now you're a starter and you have to figure it out.
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I feel like it's kind of caught people off guard, but USC has four players playing
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in the U-20 World Cup. UCLA has three.
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Wisconsin has two. And then Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State,
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and Penn State all have one. So there is plenty of Big Ten representation in
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the U-20 World Cup, and that definitely is going to have an impact on some rosters.
10:01
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It'll be interesting to see when they come back and
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the return of how that impacts things and changes things.
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Because right now, I think everyone, like you said, there's an injury bug going around UCLA.
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And our interview has mentioned it, that they're struggling right now.
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I know we've had a few devastating injuries of our own.
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And I think this is kind of the most I've seen in my time here year of just
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some really, really devastating and unfortunate injuries this early in the season.
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And it's definitely going to impact the way teams handle things going forward.
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So hopefully it's out of everyone's system. You hate to see it,
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no matter who it is, even, you know, against your competitors,
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you never want to see a season ending injury.
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And they unfortunately are quite abundant right now.
10:41
No, absolutely. And I think, I don't know, we talk about it.
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I remember even having this conversation last year, this time.
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I don't know for sure. I'm not a sports scientist. I'm I'm not in everyone's
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body, but I think one of the main reason we see so many injuries in non-conference
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play is just the shortened preseason.
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When you only have 10 days to get ready to play games, you're not tactically,
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physically, mentally, emotionally ready for all of this.
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And that extreme just jump into it. That lack of transition phase,
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I feel like really can impact players and you can come in in shape.
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You can come in ready, but I think every soccer
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player can agree that there's no such thing as 90 game minute 28 game season
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shape it's just a different animal and when you're not able to do that unfortunately
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we see the body kind of react with injuries and so many different things in
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so many situations yeah yeah absolutely i don't know i don't know the answer to this i don't i think.
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There's a lot of factors that go into it. One, unfortunately,
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that the woman's body is just more prone to this type of injury, specifically ACL.
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You do have one of the shortest precincts of all of NCAA sports with so many legislation changes.
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That is when I would love to see them kind of step in and fix is a new schedule
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for women's soccer or soccer as a whole in that way. And I think a lot of it
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is just like there is not enough science.
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A lot of the data and a lot of the science they have done previously was on men.
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And they're just starting now to get some answers on the woman's body into why this is happening.
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So hopefully someone will figure it out and we'll be able to see a change within
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the next few years here. But for now, it is just absolutely devastating to see.
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But a little bit of positive news. We're not all negative melodies on this podcast.
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We don't only bring the bad news. We do have to shout out Penn State player
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Kaitlyn McBean, who had a huge weekend of herself.
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We have Penn State winning both their games. They beat West Virginia 3-1.
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And in a rematch of the Sweet 16 game last year that Penn State won in overtime,
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Penn State beat SLU, St. Louis University, 2-1.
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And out of all five goals scored by Penn State, Kaitlyn McBean scored five goals.
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So that says a lot about the powerhouse forward going in and making a statement
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of her own, really kind of taking the scoring initiative from the team.
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But it's going to be interesting.
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You know, I think you and I both know scouting reports are big and you can be extremely talented.
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We saw Eleanor Dale do it last year and make a massive impact in that scoring
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number and that scoring regard.
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But also, you're going to need some other people to step up.
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So it's going to be very interesting to see how Penn State really rallies with
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that offense, at least this weekend, being completely around McBean.
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Absolutely. As you mentioned it, I think, well, this is an incredible feat for her.
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It'll be really interesting to see what she does next week with a target on
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her back now, especially in those scouting reports like her,
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her name, her number, her jersey is going to be called.
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And you'll definitely see, I think, a lot more attention being put on her from
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a defensive point to kind of maintain that because five goals.
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I mean, that's against two very good opponents. I was like, and that's the thing.
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We're not talking about opponents Penn State beat 8-0. It is.
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They scored five goals and she scored five goals against two top teams.
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So I saw that and I was completely blown away.
13:48
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, she'll be an exciting player to watch for sure. Absolutely.
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Well, Jordan, so many big moments in the big life, but we have a big interview to get to.
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And once again, I was so, so honored to have head coach of UCLA on the phone,
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on the call, giving us all the answers.
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And I think we asked her some questions that she may be, Jordan put her in the hot seat a little bit.
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So we're so, so thankful for her time. And without further ado,
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let's get to this interview.
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We are so incredibly lucky to have an incredible guest on this episode of The Big Life.
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After serving as the assistant coach at Stanford, she got her first head coaching
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position at UCLA in December of 2021.
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And in that first year, she wins the NCAA national title and now is looking
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to lead the UCLA Bruins through her first season in the Big Ten Carpets.
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Please welcome and bring us on Marguerite Awosasa.
14:42
Thank you for joining us this morning. Yeah, thank you. Thank you both for having me. Of course.
14:47
So I'm going to hit it from the start. There's so many things we're so excited
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to get into with you about, but you are the head coach of one of the most famous
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soccer brands, and well-known college soccer programs in the country.
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And now you're in the start of a 2024 season, six games in.
15:03
So far, how are we feeling about the season and the group that we have this year?
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So our season, it's only six games in, but this season so far has already felt a little long.
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As you guys know, you have your ups and downs, and we've had a lot of ups and
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downs already just in the first month.
15:20
We've had some great moments, of course. We had our first loss yesterday,
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so I was like, oh boy, of course this is when I come on the show.
15:26
But it was a well-fought loss, nothing to be ashamed about.
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But we've had our fair share of injuries so far.
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We've had just a lot of unpredictable things happen that we are just kind of
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like riding that wave a little bit, hoping to get some reinforcements back through,
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you know, in the next couple of weeks to help us out.
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Because I thought we had a larger roster to start with.
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And all of a sudden we're a little thin.
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But so far, so good. Nothing terrible.
15:53
Absolutely. So taking all that and with this, of course, being your first year
15:58
in the Big Ten, what were your initial reactions to joining the Big Ten conference
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and kind of expectations for it? Yeah, so I like probably everybody found out on Twitter.
16:08
In fact, like on a call with a recruits family. So it was our whole staff on
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a Zoom call with a recruits family.
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And they like their faces changed first. And they were like,
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wait, did you guys just see this? UCLA is joining the Big Ten.
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And I was like, oh, yeah.
16:27
Maybe, like, you know, haven't heard.
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And then all of a sudden I get a text or like an email from our department that
16:36
was, you know, head coaches meeting urgent 10 a.m. something.
16:40
And I was like, well, looks like it could be real because we have a head coaches
16:44
meeting in an hour. And so that was a giant surprise to us.
16:47
But at that time, obviously, there was a lot more uncertainty.
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I think UCLA did a wonderful job of spending then two years essentially planning to join the Big Ten.
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And so I felt very confident as that process went on. There was just so much
17:03
thorough planning, so much thought put into how that transition was going to happen. in.
17:07
In a weird way, though, it was the first domino to fall.
17:10
Once USC and UCLA left the Pac-12, then all of a sudden, you know,
17:14
like a lot of that other conference realignment happened.
17:17
So in that way, it was a little weird just to kind of be at the forefront of all that change.
17:23
But in a way, I'm also proud of UCLA for the stance that they took,
17:27
for the approach that they took.
17:28
And I feel like now we're in a really good position in terms of where college sports is going.
17:33
Absolutely. It's interesting. I saw some stats the other day about like what
17:37
sports have been impacting the most with four new teams joining the Big Ten
17:41
and where is the shifts going to change and the typical conference champions and stuff like that.
17:46
And one of the most discussed sports was women's soccer, bringing in so many
17:50
talented programs, UCLA, USC, a Washington team that's been very good in the
17:54
past, you know, so many exciting things happening.
17:56
So with the Big 10 already being deep last year having nine teams go to the
18:01
NCAA tournament what was it like for you now realizing that that's the conference
18:06
you'll be competing in and playing in yeah.
18:09
Like you alluded to, Big Ten has always been known for its, like the great teams
18:14
are great, of course, but at the same time, there's just a lot of depth within
18:19
the conference and a lot of competitiveness.
18:20
You don't see a lot of like big blowouts or anything like that.
18:24
There's not a lot of teams that are historically haven't gotten results.
18:28
Like it felt like every year there could be someone different that's going to emerge in the Big Ten.
18:32
For instance, like on Nebraska last year, Sam, as you know, Iowa,
18:35
never an easy game as I learned my very first game ever ever as a head coach.
18:39
And so we were very excited to join a conference where every single game is
18:43
going to be competitive as a coach.
18:46
And yeah, as a coach, I've never coached in any other conference other than the Pac-12.
18:50
And as much as I loved it, of course, it did start to become like I could name
18:54
every team, even if they like the players were wearing blank jerseys and turned around.
18:58
I think I could name every single kid in the Pac-12 just from being there since 2015.
19:03
And so I'm excited just for the novelty of playing different teams.
19:06
And I do feel like just the strength of the conference overall is going to help
19:10
to prepare us as we hopefully head into playoffs.
19:13
Yeah, you alluded to the preparation going into preparing to be in the Big Ten,
19:18
but also some of the shock and how you found out.
19:20
Did you feel prepared to join this conference? And if so, what were some of
19:25
the changes you have to make when differing from a normal style of the Pac-12
19:30
versus the Big Ten and moving forward?
19:33
Yeah, so, well, I'm sure you guys probably know, especially in the last two
19:39
years, defensive set pieces has never been our strength.
19:42
And I was hoping I could come on here and never having not conceded a defensive set piece.
19:46
Unfortunately, yesterday we got scored on, on a free kick, of course,
19:48
but we only have given up one goal this year.
19:51
And although the only one was defensive set piece, we feel like we've made a
19:55
lot of good ground in that.
19:57
And so like, we know that the style is just a little more combative,
20:01
a little more physical, physically demanding, I guess you could say set pieces
20:06
that much more important.
20:08
We also so far this year have scored on a set piece. So I feel very like we're
20:11
in a very good place compared to years past on how we're handling that.
20:15
But those are the types of things that we have been talking about as a group.
20:19
Also, just that like competitiveness, you know, like you have to be ready day
20:23
in, day out to go into games where we don't know necessarily what teams are
20:27
going to throw at us because just like we haven't played a lot of those teams,
20:30
they haven't played us either.
20:32
So going into the Pac-12, like we knew typically, okay, OK, if just say,
20:37
for instance, ASU typically plays
20:39
this way, but when we have played them historically, they play this way.
20:42
We don't have that experience now. We don't have that history now.
20:46
And so we just have to be adaptable. We have to be flexible.
20:49
We have to be kind of ready for anything. And we've talked a lot about that as a group.
20:53
Yeah, I actually, you and I have talked before. Luckily, I've had the chance
20:57
of having a couple conversations with you.
20:59
And there's one story I'd love for you to maybe retell. And I was going to say,
21:03
I've had the honor of playing UCLA twice now in my college soccer career,
21:06
once before you were the coach.
21:08
And then in your first game as a head coach, Iowa flew out to UCLA and played that game.
21:13
And you said one of the first changes you had to make when coming into a head
21:17
coaching spot at UCLA was defense. Can you talk a bit about that transition,
21:21
especially playing against a heavily gridded defense central Big Ten conference?
21:26
Yeah. So when I first came into UCLA, obviously I had been at Stanford,
21:30
so I knew the team quite well, at least in terms of personnel,
21:33
in terms of style, whatever, whatever, whatever.
21:35
And so in my first couple weeks, we did a scrimmage and it was like three 20-minute
21:40
periods, maybe not even that much.
21:43
And the score between the two groups of 11, I think was like seven to six.
21:47
And all the team that this most concerning part is
21:50
that the team was very excited because they had scored 13 goals and
21:53
I was so shocked I was like oh no this is terrible like
21:57
we let in 13 goals in one hour like this
22:00
is not good like we need to reframe and
22:03
so we spent you know so much of our
22:06
first six months together as a group defending and just
22:08
kind of relearning those concepts of zonal defending kind of
22:12
how to sit in the mid block how to understand those rotations
22:15
whatever it is um now thankfully we
22:17
have a much better just basis of understanding in terms of
22:20
defending and and even going and coming away from the
22:23
loss yesterday i still feel pretty confident as to how we've been
22:26
defending as as a team but i am excited going into the big 10 like just to see
22:31
those different defensive tactics to see kind of the pride that the big 10 teams
22:35
take in defending sometimes on the west coast it's like the attacking side is
22:39
much more important than the defending side so you'll see a lot of games like
22:42
five to three or something like that
22:45
And, you know, we've always been a program that really tries to limit chances
22:48
and takes a lot of pride in limiting chances.
22:50
So I'm curious to see how games go when, for instance, like in Indiana last
22:55
year, didn't concede very many goals at all.
22:58
They may not have scored that many and ended up with quite a few ties,
23:00
but they took a lot of pride in how they defended.
23:03
So it will be very interesting to see kind of who, which team is willing to
23:09
open up a little bit and attack.
23:10
We talked about kind of the changes that are happening that are impacting us
23:14
right now with you guys joining the Big Ten, but there's also a lot of changes
23:18
that are happening in the future.
23:19
You mentioned you've had a lot of injuries this year that has maybe impacted
23:22
the depth of your roster.
23:24
With roster caps happening next year of 28, how do you think this will impact
23:29
and what's your preparation going forward for next year with it?
23:32
Yeah, I think unfortunately, it's going to impact so many student athletes,
23:37
of course, at UCLA and really everywhere in the country.
23:41
I think like, we've obviously been given the number 28, but the national average of teams is above that.
23:48
So most teams, I think, are going to have those hard conversations.
23:52
Conversations, like I really was hopeful that the NCAA might give us a year
23:57
or two to kind of get our roster down to that number as opposed to just like
24:01
a hard stop. Okay, by August next year, this is what it has to be.
24:04
Unfortunately, that was not the case. And so, yeah, we're going to have to have
24:07
a couple hard conversations.
24:09
At the same time, though, I feel hopeful that our players are well prepared
24:14
that if they do want to continue at UCLA as a typical student,
24:17
they will have that opportunity, of course.
24:19
But if they'd like to go pursue a career elsewhere, I'm hopeful coming from
24:23
a program like UCLA, there'll be open doors for them somewhere.
24:26
And that's just like, quite honestly, that's just a privilege we have.
24:30
And we're very aware that that's a privilege we have and that that's not the case for everybody.
24:35
And but it's just a really tough thing as a head coach that's never,
24:38
you know, it's like we were operating under parameters we didn't know we had.
24:42
Now, all of a sudden, we have to do it.
24:44
And so it's put all of us, I think, in a really difficult position and we're
24:48
going to try to handle it as compassionately and carefully as we can.
24:51
Absolutely. I know, obviously, it's something that is happening more and more
24:55
with, I feel like I've seen on my social media, girls having to commit,
24:58
you know, rosters and recruiting changes.
25:00
How do you think the roster cap and the differences with funding and stuff like
25:04
that will also impact recruiting in your ability to find future Bruins going
25:09
forward? Yeah, again, there's so many unknowns.
25:12
Even with the roster cap, I find it very fascinating.
25:15
They're wanting to kind of apply a professional model without a lot of the professional
25:21
or the things that a professional model has, for instance, like a season ending
25:25
injury list, a 10 day contract,
25:28
anything like that we obviously don't have access to.
25:31
So I'm really curious if there will be any stipulations or anything that we
25:36
can kind of work within an active roster, non-active roster,
25:39
or if a player comes in in the fall and is not on your active roster,
25:43
can you add them in the winter as soon as season is over?
25:45
We don't know any of the answers to those questions.
25:49
In terms of funding, we also don't know a lot of those answers either.
25:53
I think we'll have more answers come January. January and so recruiting this
25:57
this class has been really difficult because everyone's just,
26:01
in some way playing with monopoly money like nobody really
26:04
knows what anyone has and so any conversation we've had has always been with
26:09
the recruits for 25 for 20 any of these players right now has just been look
26:14
there's a lot of things that we just don't know and this is how we're going
26:17
to operate for the time being but as soon as information comes in if it changes
26:20
anything will be very proactive in letting you know.
26:22
But it's been very interesting because I'm typically a coach that only likes
26:27
to offer things I know I have for sure.
26:29
And right now I don't know anything for sure. And so it's been a lot of theoretical conversations.
26:33
Yeah. I mean, as a player going through it and watching it just happen,
26:37
like it's one thing for us on our side.
26:40
And I think watching my coach deal with it now too, like
26:42
you have so much sympathy for the recruiting process and how
26:45
how it's changed when you guys have to do all this knowing nothing like
26:48
you still have to recruit kids you still have to fill
26:51
a roster you still have to prepare for next season even
26:54
though you have no idea what it may look like so I
26:57
have a lot of sympathy for it I can't imagine how hard
27:00
it must be from a coaching perspective to have to figure and navigate all
27:03
of this with so many unknowns and it constantly is changing
27:06
every day I feel like I see something on Twitter where it's like NCAA is
27:09
considering this or that or this to implement and you just
27:12
you have no idea when it's going to happen yeah yeah no
27:15
it doesn't feel like this is what I signed up for at
27:18
all but here we are and I think as a
27:21
staff we try to just be as like I said compassionate transparent
27:24
whatever it is so there's been a lot of
27:26
conversations where I've literally just said look like we don't know for sure
27:30
and if things changes we will be the first ones to tell you but yeah it has
27:34
been really difficult and I feel for everyone kind of going through the process
27:37
and like you said you feel for the coaches I especially feel for the players
27:40
the ones that are currently on rosters that are are left with uncertainty right
27:43
now, the ones that are going through this right now,
27:45
layer recruits in the 2025 class that.
27:50
What happened was because no one has a lot of information in some ways,
27:53
this process is going a lot slower than other, other years have gone.
27:57
And so then it's just kind of put everybody in this weird holding pattern that,
28:01
that quite honestly, no one's very comfortable with.
28:03
So I feel for the families, I feel for the players, for my fellow coaches, I feel for them too.
28:08
I'm like, if any of us aspired to be a GM, this is great training,
28:11
but most of us didn't. So now here we are doing a job that we didn't really
28:16
sign up for, but that's okay. We're going to make the most of it.
28:21
So while we're kind of on the topic of recruiting, one of the biggest audiences
28:25
of our podcast tends to be young soccer players and parents,
28:28
especially trying to get information about college soccer.
28:31
So while I have a coach like yours time, I would be completely remiss to say,
28:36
when you're on that sideline, recruiting a player, I feel like the number one
28:40
question Jordan, I get asked is, how do you make a college notice you?
28:43
How do you stand out? What do you do?
28:46
For you as a recruiter? what kinds
28:49
of things do you look for in the players that want to strive to be
28:52
where they are yeah so there's always
28:55
rules about what i can say in terms of us specifically but
28:58
i can talk very openly about what coaches look for in
29:01
general and every program is going to be different so i
29:04
think programs one are looking for fit and that's why it's so
29:07
hard because like what i would look for in a player could
29:09
be completely different than what jeff looks for at michigan state and
29:12
what dave looks for at iowa like because you want players to come
29:15
in and even if they're not quite there and they have to
29:18
adjust you want kind of their natural tendencies to very
29:21
much fit what you're trying to do so like our
29:24
one of our closest like our friends on the
29:27
sideline is Arkansas but you couldn't choose a team that plays more differently
29:31
than UCLA than Arkansas so we laugh that if we end up on the same sideline we're
29:35
like there's no way we're looking at the same kid because there's no way like
29:39
a kid that fits Arkansas is going to fit UCLA the same amount out,
29:43
you know? And so that I think is really key.
29:45
So in a weird way, what I'm saying is we don't know exactly what every coach
29:49
is looking for because they're looking for kids that are going to seamlessly
29:52
transition into their program.
29:53
The other thing though, is I feel competitiveness and communication,
29:57
like that leadership ability, that...
30:00
We don't typically, I think coaches don't want kids that are shying away from big moments, right?
30:05
Because at the end of the day, a lot of our job is predicated on the success
30:09
we have on the field. And unfortunately we're not playing.
30:12
So it's, you know, the performance of these players.
30:14
And so you want kids that are just as competitive as we are and that understand
30:19
like these wins and losses matter that they're, you know, sliding to block shots
30:23
or whatever it is. And they have that that kind of passion.
30:26
And in a weird way, I think sometimes that is lost at the youth level for whatever
30:31
reason. We don't see it very often.
30:33
So when you see that passion, when you see that competitiveness, it very much stands out.
30:39
And that's often when we go on sidelines, that's the kind of the talk of the
30:43
town where it's like, oh, that kid gets it. That kid's competitive. That kid understands.
30:47
That kid has that passion, that competitiveness, whatever. So those things I
30:52
think are really important.
30:53
But like I said, at the end of the day, it's fit in the program.
30:56
And do you fit a role that the program needs, whether that's positionally or
31:00
not? Or do you fit a role in terms of personality?
31:03
Are they going to come in and be happy and kind of be able to be themselves
31:06
in a way that's really productive? update.
31:08
Yeah, absolutely. With so many unknowns, we do know that there's a roster cap of 28.
31:13
And you mentioned you want a kid that transitioned kind of seamlessly into your program.
31:17
I'm wondering if these rule changes affect the way you recruit in terms of potential.
31:21
Like if you see a kid who maybe won't have an impact right away,
31:24
but two, three years down the line could be huge for your program.
31:28
Are you still looking to recruit them the same? Or with these roster caps,
31:31
are you looking for someone who can make an immediate impact regardless of up
31:34
the potential down the future?
31:36
Yeah, Jordan, you asked the hard questions, man. But no, I think we said it
31:42
before, but I do think the roster cap in a way limits opportunities.
31:45
Because now kind of taking chances on those kids, it becomes a little riskier.
31:51
And so we just have to see. I'm sure it'll be different year by year,
31:53
kind of what our flexibility is in that scenario.
31:56
But what we've realized is all of a sudden versatility feels a lot more valuable
32:00
than it did six months ago.
32:03
Because really like the way that we kind of look at it, if you have 28 on a
32:06
roster, you probably have three goalkeepers.
32:09
And then you have 25 field players, that's two per position plus five kind of
32:13
like wild cards, if you will, right?
32:16
And so those five wild cards, quote unquote, for them to be able to play two
32:21
or three positions is all of a sudden super valuable.
32:24
Whereas in the past, maybe that was not the case. And so that has changed a
32:29
little bit in how we look at players.
32:31
But yeah, I do think the ones that, you know, we do have in the past,
32:36
at least looked at kids where it's like, look,
32:38
as a junior, your senior that kid could be really great for us they're not quite there
32:40
yet and now that is a much harder conversation because
32:43
it's just a much bigger risk to take because then
32:47
if you know that they're not going to be as capable on
32:50
the field in their first two years then in some way you're playing with 27 you
32:53
know and it's like are you willing to do that the other piece
32:56
that i find very difficult is the 28 is a really hard
32:59
number in the sense of like it doesn't
33:02
take into account the flexibility we've always had in our
33:05
rosters meaning like this year we've had one or
33:07
two season ending injuries okay well that means those kids are
33:10
coming back so then that puts us in a really hard position if you
33:14
recruit to 28 every year you're not taking into account a player or two that
33:18
may come back a player or two that may enter the portal that could really help
33:21
you all these things and so we contemplate do we try to only hold 27 so that
33:27
we have an open spot just in case you know and so it's just all these things
33:30
that i think coaches around the country are trying trying to figure out.
33:34
But I will stand by, unfortunately, I think it's the ones that are going to
33:38
feel it, of course, are the student athletes.
33:40
And while we're throwing all these wildcard unknown questions at you to answer
33:44
all of the last questions in women's soccer right now, here's one more for you.
33:48
Last week, it was announced that the CBA has changed the NWSL now officially
33:53
to getting rid of the NWSL draft as a program notorious for sending players you're a professional,
33:59
how do you feel like the impact will be for college players now looking to continue
34:03
their career with there being no draft?
34:05
Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that. Because like you said,
34:09
most of our players aspire to play at the pro level.
34:12
My concerns with the draft have always been, you know, you get players drafted
34:16
to places that they're not too keen on going.
34:19
And so that was really tough. And I've talked to players and they feel like,
34:22
look, this is a huge moment in my life.
34:24
And I feel like I don't have a lot of say in it. And so, of course, like I'm against that.
34:28
I'm hopeful now that with just kind of the blanket free agency,
34:32
players have a lot more say in where they end up.
34:35
I'd be curious to see how it affects the number of players that are brought into the league.
34:39
But at the same time, I think the draft was kind of misconception anyway,
34:45
because if you get drafted, it doesn't mean you're in the league anyway.
34:47
It just kind of means you are going on trial with that team in kind of a fancier
34:51
way, a more formal like, yeah, a more formal way, I guess you could say.
34:55
So the number of players from the draft that were
34:59
getting signed it was a low number anyway so that number
35:01
might not change i am excited that
35:05
it kind of that free market stance just
35:09
propels teams to be more marketable and to be more desirable in some ways and
35:15
so i'm hopeful that it'll encourage the league to continue to get better because
35:18
you know it's like if you have top three players in the country coming out of
35:22
college in some weird way they're all going to want to go to the same three teams.
35:25
And so if you're not one of those three teams, then you're going to have to
35:28
get creative in ways to attract players.
35:30
So I'm interested to see how that goes. But I know our players,
35:35
I think, are happy about it because at least they feel like they have a little
35:38
more power in that conversation.
35:42
And they don't feel like they're going to end up somewhere that they really
35:44
didn't feel comfortable going.
35:46
So we've talked a lot about the success UCLA has had now, but going a little
35:50
bit back into kind of your career and how you got this job and this position,
35:54
how do you feel that like you were an ECNL head coach for 10 years before then
35:59
going to Stanford and then now being at UCLA,
36:02
how do you feel like that's impacted the way you coach and does it give you
36:06
a kind of a heads up on some of the coaches after being so involved in ECNL programs?
36:11
Yeah. So I love my youth coaching career.
36:16
That brings a smile to my face always. And right now it's really fun because
36:21
a lot of the players that I coached are still in college, so they're juniors and seniors.
36:25
And so already this season, we've played a good handful of kids that I've coached.
36:29
I have a couple on my team right now that were in our club.
36:31
So I just love that part of my life and I miss it sometimes.
36:36
I don't miss the long days, I will say, but I I definitely miss that type of coaching.
36:41
In terms of how it has affected me from the youth development side,
36:45
like my staff, we love the development side of what we do.
36:48
Like that part just like brings me so much joy to watch the player evolve from
36:52
the time that they come into our program at 17, 18 years old to when they're
36:56
leaving our program as a senior or whatever it is, like to see how their game has changed.
37:00
That part I just love, like breaking down the game in a way that kind of a younger
37:06
player understands is a passion of mine too.
37:10
And then the connections that we have. I loved my time as a coach in the youth
37:14
game because it's a lot of good people.
37:16
It's a lot of really good people in the youth game.
37:18
And so some of my closest friends are still in the youth realm.
37:23
My like mentor of all mentors, he just left the youth realm.
37:27
Now he coaches at Bay FC, but he still has a lot of influence in kind of the
37:31
Bay Area youth soccer scene.
37:33
And so I just love that. And I will always say my time as a head coach in ECNL
37:37
prepared me just as much as my time as an assistant coach in the college game
37:41
to be a head coach now, because regardless of the level that you're coaching,
37:45
you're going to be a head coach.
37:46
As a head coach, you're the one making the decisions. And quite honestly,
37:49
in clubs, sometimes those decisions are just as hard, if not harder, than what I'm doing.
37:53
Because at least in college level, it's pretty clear that we're trying to win on game day.
37:57
In the youth side, you're trying to win on game day. You're trying to play all
38:01
the players. You're trying to play the kid that drove two hours to your team.
38:03
You're trying to, like, all these things you're trying to balance at once.
38:07
That sometimes the decision-making process is a lot more convoluted at the youth level than what we do.
38:14
So I loved my time. I think it really helped me develop as a coach,
38:18
developed as a manager, all those things.
38:20
And then, of course, at Stanford, the thing I took most from that is how to
38:24
coach players that are striving for excellence every single day.
38:27
How do you coach a kid who aspires to be on the national team?
38:29
How do you coach a kid who aspires to be on the pro level?
38:32
And anything less than that is a disappointment. How do you do that?
38:35
How do you coach Katarina Macario when I'm like, you are 100 times the player
38:39
I will ever be with your eyes closed. So how do I like find a way to connect
38:43
and push you in a way that you are receptive to?
38:47
And so that was really special. And I'm getting that experience still at UCLA.
38:51
But at least I feel confident in doing that, having been at Stanford.
38:55
All right. We've talked about endless times, the highs and lows on this podcast.
38:59
So I hate to bring up some old salt in the room, but 2023 did not end the way
39:04
I'm sure anyone would have hoped or liked at UCLA. you like?
39:07
How do you take that disappointment and bring it into this year?
39:12
Yeah, it's that was the like one moment I was like, man, I wish I was an assistant still.
39:16
And I can just nod quietly and whatever it is.
39:20
I was like, Oh, man, I have to talk now. Okay, great.
39:23
But the message was, like you said, like, of course, it's disappointing, but that's the game.
39:27
Like, we don't play a game. We don't play baseball where you play 150 games a season.
39:31
And typically, the better teams end up on top just because the set of data is
39:36
so much bigger than ours. Like, that's not what happens.
39:39
We go into a tournament and yes, you have to qualify and it's only 64 teams,
39:43
but there's 350 teams that are trying to qualify for that tournament every year.
39:48
Like, in no other sport, really, is there a 64-team tournament,
39:52
obviously, other than in basketball where it's like a single elimination so we
39:55
just kind of put in perspective all those things of like
39:58
hey this is soccer like you can go 22
40:01
shots to two and lose one zero like that's
40:04
the sport we play like and with the lows you get the highs and what we said
40:08
also is like we were in a situation just one year ago where the odds of us winning
40:13
were just as small if not smaller of the odds of us losing today like we literally
40:17
experienced both sides of this spectrum so we need to just have perspective.
40:22
And what we said too, is like, if we've been doing our job as a staff,
40:25
then in a few days, you're going to wake up and love the game still.
40:28
Like, and so that's what we just kept saying, like, this sucks.
40:32
This is terrible. Everyone hates losing.
40:34
Everyone hates losing like that, especially, but if we've done our jobs and
40:37
we've done our jobs in this program, then in like, we say after two or three
40:41
days of darkness, you're going to wake up happy again.
40:43
And you're going to be wake up excited and motivated and ready to come back.
40:46
And that's the the experience that we had. Within a week, our players were like,
40:50
so when do we get to start again?
40:51
Like, let's go, you know, and they had that excitement and that enjoyment. So it was really tough.
40:56
I was like, none of us are sleeping tonight. We all know that.
40:59
Like, what do we want to do? Anyone want to go see a movie or something?
41:02
Like, it was really tough. But I think we found our way through it. And credit to the group.
41:07
They had a wonderful offseason and came in this season prepared to do some damage.
41:11
And, you know, they're calling it the revenge tour. So we'll see.
41:14
Oh it makes me a little nervous now you got your red short going don't worry
41:18
don't worry well maybe because we don't play michigan state unless we play in
41:21
playoffs so we'll see we'll see.
41:25
So with all that and your revenge tour coming, what are you looking forward
41:29
to the most being in this Big Ten season now for the first time?
41:32
Yeah, I think I mentioned it before. As a coaching staff, we're just excited
41:36
to play different teams.
41:37
I think it's going to expose us in different ways that we maybe haven't been in the past.
41:42
It's going to force us to be more well-rounded, better prepared,
41:45
all these things when you go into playing teams that you haven't played as traditionally.
41:49
So I'm excited for that. Of course, so excited to see the Midwest.
41:55
I've not seen the Midwest very much. So we're going to see how that is.
41:59
Our girls are very excited to experience fall. We don't have fall, really.
42:04
So changing the colors of the leaves, we're excited for that.
42:10
I'm not so excited for some of the colder weather
42:13
perhaps but I will say the Big Ten scheduling was fairly kind
42:16
to us that we shouldn't see too too
42:19
much knock on wood who knows a lot of our players have never seen like a thunderstorm
42:23
so if we hit that that could be really exciting for us this is the framing that
42:27
we're doing but I'm also my experience so far with the coaches the coaches have
42:31
all been incredibly welcoming they've been incredibly kind and so I'm excited
42:36
to kind of build some of those relationships.
42:38
I would say some of my closest friends in the coaching world obviously are in
42:40
what was the Pac-12, just because we've played against each other so often.
42:45
I was laughing with the head coach at Cal, his name's Neil, because I think
42:48
in my entire college career, both as a player and a coach, we've played them
42:52
at least one time every year.
42:54
So I was like, Neil, this will be the first time since 2008 that we don't see
42:57
each other in the fall. And it was like a very emotional moment.
43:01
So I'm excited to build some of those relationships with the big 10,
43:04
with those coaches and, and just experience kind of a different part of the game.
43:08
I've also never coached in a conference tournament. So this is brand new for
43:12
me in terms of approach, everything. Our players have never played in a conference tournament.
43:16
They really want to go for what they're deeming the treble. So conference tournament,
43:20
conference title and national title.
43:22
They think we're man city out there trying to do something crazy like that.
43:25
So just that, that opportunity is exciting for us.
43:29
And also just like, can we do what we do on the West Coast? Can we do it in
43:33
the Big Ten? And I think that's the giant question mark.
43:35
And all I can say is that we're going to try. We're going to try to play just
43:38
how we did. We're not going to make huge, giant adjustments.
43:41
Obviously, we will on game day just based on the team we're playing.
43:44
But stylistically, identity-wise, I think you're going to see the same UCLA.
43:49
I love that. All right. Did you have to get any more cold-weather gear than
43:54
normal to prep for this Midwest season? You know what's very concerning?
43:58
And I shouldn't even share this publicly, but you know, it's very concerning
44:01
to me is that it, it, as of yesterday, it was still August and we had players
44:07
on our team asking for gloves.
44:09
Oh no. Oh no. Because you know, you know, six o'clock in LA can get a little chilly.
44:16
That's like our, we're at the pool. I mean, like we're in our bathing suits
44:20
in that weather. Like it is.
44:22
Yeah. Like a normal person. Okay. So we had to, we are, yeah,
44:28
we've had to order some new gear.
44:32
That's so, I didn't even think of that. Like, I mean, I grew up in the Midwest
44:36
and Ohio Ohio's the same thing as Michigan, pretty much Midwest is the Midwest,
44:39
like having to come here and do that training and to deal with some of the weather
44:44
adversity that you maybe haven't had to in the past.
44:46
Like what's the mental prep for that other than ordering some more gloves, apparently?
44:49
Yeah, no, our kids are going to have gloves. They're going to have long sleeve.
44:52
We said, whatever you need, we're going to have it. Okay. Whatever helps you play better.
44:56
You need me to like warm up your feet before you find whatever,
45:00
whatever you need, because we're going to figure that out.
45:03
But it's just like getting them used to adversity, getting them used,
45:06
like having the mindset of look, like you can play in this, you're going to be just fine.
45:10
And we had a season two in 2022. We went and we played at Utah.
45:14
I don't know what it is about me, but like every time I go to Utah,
45:18
it snows. And I'm like, it's, it's October. Like it's not supposed to snow.
45:21
And we've played in snow in October, like three times in my career.
45:25
But we have a player from Hawaii and she'd never ever seen snow so that
45:29
was a really big thing for her life experience
45:32
is happening yes yes and she was so cute
45:35
she's like look look I'm in the snow you know so we're gonna see if we make
45:43
it to the big 10 tournament Minnesota in November we're gonna see how that is
45:46
it's gonna be great and that's the mindset we're taking but yeah we'll see even for us coaches.
45:54
We'll see how we do, but the players are on the field and Marguerite is bundled
45:59
up like three hats, gloves, a sleeping bag for sure.
46:05
Whatever is needed, boots, whatever.
46:08
I love it. I love it. All right. One last question for you. You're calling it the triple.
46:14
UCLA will win the triple this year. If what happens, what is making UCLA special this year?
46:19
This year, obviously, we need to get our reinforcements back and add some,
46:23
like, the roster itself has so much depth, but we haven't been able to see it quite yet.
46:30
Credit, though, goes to the players right now that have been called upon to
46:33
play probably more minutes than maybe they expected to.
46:35
And honestly, they're doing a fantastic job. Like, credit goes to them.
46:39
And I have so much respect for my players that have stepped up in ways that
46:42
I wouldn't have even thought to ask them.
46:45
And they're doing it, and they're finding ways to be successful. but this year
46:48
and I've said it a million times we have a really special combination of
46:51
like very talented senior leadership and a
46:54
really young and then like the other
46:57
part of the team is very young and excited and equally as talented and so if
47:01
we can kind of find that right combination if we can empower the younger players
47:05
while still relying on our veterans then I think we'll have a lot of success
47:08
I look forward to hopefully seeing you guys in the tournament yeah me too me
47:13
too I got I'm going to record it, ready to go.
47:15
We're going to live stream my live reactions to Marguerite in a sleeping bag and Jordan up top.
47:21
I'm going to have my sleeves rolled up and I know you guys are going to come
47:24
in like nothing. Warm up, just no jackets.
47:28
Our team, though, they just laugh about it. They're like, yeah,
47:32
no, it's parka weather. I'm like, it's 60 degrees.
47:35
You'll be fine. Let's wait for that November trip. We'll see how that one goes.
47:40
It's going to be fine. We are not worried. read
47:43
incredible thank you so much for spending time out
47:46
of your morning with us i know it is answered so many questions but
47:49
also been extremely extremely grateful so i
47:52
really appreciate all the time you spent yeah thank you once again we are so
47:58
thankful for ucla coach marguerite joining us on the call and i know giving
48:04
us just some super interesting insights and all i know is i'm looking forward
48:07
to the sleeping bag going on on the sidelines of games,
48:11
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's one of those things that like, once she said it seems
48:14
so obvious, but I didn't really think about the weather implications.
48:18
Everyone was obviously looking at the travel and the effect that would have
48:22
on your body having to come to the Midwest so much.
48:25
Didn't occur to me that some of these girls have never seen fall or snow.
48:29
I think that opens a whole new door of adversity they're going to have to face.
48:33
And it'll be interesting to see how they deal with it. But I'm definitely looking
48:36
forward to some of these crazy pictures that I know are are going to come with
48:39
them all bundled up and like the Midwest girlies, like jerseys pulled up,
48:43
you know, arm sleeves out, you know, just ready to go and them all bundled. It'll be funny.
48:47
I am concerned that it's September 2nd and they're asking for gloves.
48:51
Like if they're asking for gloves already, that's just not, not a great trajectory
48:54
into what the big 10 might be able to offer.
48:58
Yeah, I think it's going to be a rude awakening towards the end of October here
49:01
when that, that big 10 tournament starts.
49:04
Well, I will be looking forward to it, but Jordan next Next week,
49:08
last week of non-conference play before we get into big statements to make before
49:12
getting ready in the Big Ten.
49:13
How are we feeling? What do we have on our two home game schedule?
49:17
I think, like I mentioned, I mean, we are coming off kind of a tough tie just
49:21
based on last minute goal scoring versus Xavier.
49:25
But looking forward, we have another two games at home.
49:28
We've been home for a minute now and it has been so nice versus Queens and then Loyola on Sunday. day.
49:34
So those should be two good games that we get to really test some of the depth
49:40
of our roster with two, several injuries now that we are suffering and trying
49:44
to figure out how to move forward and deal from there.
49:46
So it'll be, it'll be a good week, a good week at DeMartin.
49:50
We've had, like I said, some fantastic fans show out and show up for us.
49:54
So I'm excited for another week at home.
49:56
That's amazing. I am actually just getting off of a away stretch where we had
50:00
four weeks of away games in a row.
50:02
And so it's been a bit brutal. I haven't gotten to play at my stadium that's
50:06
500 feet from my apartment in a while.
50:08
So looking forward to my first home game as well, getting back into it, getting in the swing.
50:13
I can't believe I have nine games left in my professional season.
50:16
So I don't know where time has gone.
50:19
I really can't process that it's September. But yeah, nine games left in the
50:23
slate before coming home right around Thanksgiving.
50:26
So crazy that it's already come to this point that I've played 18 professional games in this league.
50:32
So just super thankful for the opportunity as always. And yeah, can't believe it.
50:37
So how long are you coming back for before returning to Sweden?
50:39
Yeah, so I will get home. I land Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
50:43
So I was super thankful when they booked my flight. I'm like,
50:46
all right, at least, you know, Thanksgiving will be great.
50:48
I'm in home in time for Black Friday, the real holiday of that weekend.
50:52
So like that's the priority I'm excited about. out
50:55
and then I'll be home until about mid-January when
50:58
I'll find my way back so I get to skip the worst months to be
51:01
in Sweden but yeah it's Sweden in winter it's
51:04
gonna be a different side of me podcasting that so that's a
51:06
whole other place I don't want to go to yet oh my
51:09
god you get to stay in your apartment too or do
51:12
you yeah I'll stay in my apartment I'll be in the same setup so super super
51:15
excited I actually finally decorated my apartment it's that's
51:18
the interesting thing about you know being a pro in these trajectories is you
51:22
never know when you can put roots down and you never know
51:24
when you can like kind of like actually settle in and start making a place comfortable
51:27
enough to feel like home so even when my family visited Sweden they're
51:30
like your apartment's sterile like we had one light
51:33
we had bare minimum none of our furniture matched it was all and so we're like
51:38
all right we're staying here we're making this place feel cozy we're making
51:40
it feel like home so we finally have actually decorated the apartment and it'll
51:44
be nice to be able to have a nice place to call home in Sweden yeah I didn't
51:47
even think about that that's that's so nice that you get to do it now but I mean that's a tough.
51:52
It's crazy. It's a part of a pro that you don't think about.
51:56
Cause I mean, if you were to decorate a house or buy a home,
51:59
even there's, I know players I've gotten situations where they buy a home and
52:02
then they get traded or then they're, you know, rosters, they get bought out or something happens.
52:06
And so it's a very interesting life that I'm not quite used to yet.
52:10
I'm still kind of figuring out the mentality of like when you're at the field
52:14
versus when you're at home and how to like keep that separation and not fixate.
52:19
Cause you don't have school to distract you anymore.
52:21
And also just like, when can you get comfortable, but not too comfortable.
52:25
And so there's a lot of different avenues that I'm definitely trying to experience
52:29
and figure out as a pro that I'm sure we'll dive into in a different episode,
52:32
but it's been, it's been interesting.
52:34
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you, I feel like you have the turnover,
52:37
right? From like you're a kid, then you get to high school.
52:40
You just started to figure out growing up a little bit, you get to college,
52:44
whole new level, whole new deal. Right.
52:46
And I feel like I've just started to figure it out and now
52:49
you're looking at you know the next phase of your life where
52:52
if you go pro it's a whole whole
52:55
new beast that you just keep having to kind of conquer here
52:57
and this feel like it's always the second you feel like you really got the hang
53:00
of it is when it you get that change oh it's now it and so yeah no it has been
53:06
interesting but excited for the week ahead excited for year two games as always
53:11
there's so many platforms to watch college soccer on and there's There's so many high,
53:15
high level games going on with this being the last week of non-conference.
53:18
I'm sure there's a couple of big showdowns that will be going on and big teams
53:22
to watch. So super excited for everything going forward.
53:26
Women's soccer in the U.S. and let's get this going. Yeah. Thanks, guys.