Latest / The BIG LIFE / Celebrating Wins and Navigating the Journey that is Women's Soccer; Deep Dive with Chicago Red Star's Assistant Coach Ella Masar

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Celebrating Wins and Navigating the Journey that is Women's Soccer; Deep Dive with Chicago Red Star's Assistant Coach Ella Masar · The BIG LIFE

0:04
Hi, everyone, and welcome back. We are here with The Big Life.
0:08
I'm going to stop doing an episode count.
0:09
I have no idea at this point, but it is summertime.
0:12
The sun is out in both Michigan and in Sweden. We're doing well. Jordan, how are you?
0:18
I'm good. Sun is definitely out. We took a little trip, me and my roommates,
0:23
down to Holland, Michigan, and I got burnt. I am toasty.
0:27
I was I was going to say, I'm not going to lie. I don't want to call you out,
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but you're looking a little red on the screen.
0:33
Yeah, a little tomato-y. And then I had to go to Lyft today,
0:36
and I've never been more humbled.
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Like the 45-pound bar on my chest, I was like, I can't do it.
0:41
Like tears were nearly down there. I was like, I just spurned.
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Spurned like a tomato. Not doing well there.
0:48
Are there a lot of girls on your team back in Michigan already starting to do
0:51
training together? Or how many do you have back right now?
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We don't really have anyone. one i'm pretty much the
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only one here back full time on our team people will come and go occasionally
1:01
but our report date isn't until i don't even know like a couple days after fourth
1:06
of july whatever that start of the week is and then everyone will be back for
1:09
team trainings awesome and that's a bit different than last year right so how's
1:13
the team adjusting to that or am i wrong,
1:15
no it's about the same yeah after fourth of july come back up i'm just crazy
1:19
you know don't don't Acknowledge me.
1:21
We didn't have any cool international trips like Iowa did this year. That's crazy.
1:26
I was like, guys, where's the stop in Sweden? You're going to go to Iceland.
1:30
You don't want to just come all the way to Europe? We just had to stop there.
1:33
Apparently, they didn't want to hang out with me, but I guess that's fair. Fair enough.
1:38
There's been some pretty cool stuff happening in Sweden. I heard one Miss Sam
1:41
Carey may or may not have scored a goal.
1:44
I know the shock in your voice was the shock in mine too when it happened.
1:49
I had to take out a page of Jordan Winkes' book and become dominant in my aerial game.
1:54
Apparently, it's taken me long enough to start being able to do it.
1:59
No, it was really cool. Honestly, I think the moment that we had as a group
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and with the group will go down
2:07
as one of my favorite moments of my soccer career at the end of the day.
2:10
So a little bit of backstory on the game. This is like this game has been talked
2:14
about as soon as I came to Sweden. It was the Norshipping-Lindshipping game.
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So Lindshipping is a town 30 minutes from Norshipping.
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So we live in the same region.
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So basically the same state. So like this derby means everything.
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And because this is Norshipping's second year in the Damalsvanskin,
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this will be the third time they've played each other in the Damalsvanskin.
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And last year they lost and tied. So they've never beaten this team.
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And this team got third place in the league last year so
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they're a very good team with a bunch of very talented players and
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so yeah I really didn't know what I was getting myself into
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except that as a derby game I think there was over 5,000 like 5,500 fans that
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filled the stadium for the game so most biggest crowd that I had ever played
2:59
in front of and European football crowd man it's crazy like they're screaming
3:03
the whole game they're chanting the whole game the crowd was absolutely electric
3:06
to be able to play in front of.
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So to do that. And then, yeah, I found myself.
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The cool thing about the group is we have a lot of very good people in the air
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and they've chosen me as one of them, which is pretty cool because that's just
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a place I've never really been.
3:19
And in my career, I've always been the one taking the set pieces, frankly.
3:23
So we have the three heavy hitters in the air. And so most people,
3:27
you know, man, mark them and forget about the American on the back post.
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And I came close to scoring in the first half and I was like,
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I, this defender is not marking me well, like I can do something here.
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And one of my best friends here takes the corner kicks. And I went up to her
3:39
halftime and I was like, hit me on the back post. Like I can get this in.
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And sure enough, in the 49th minute, so right after half, she sends a perfect
3:47
ball. And I got over on top of my defender and put one in the back of the net.
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And I think just like that moment celebrating, it was the first goal that North
3:54
shipping had ever scored on Lynn shipping.
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We ended up winning the game, won nothing in the Derby game.
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It was such a moment to see
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how much women's football can mean to this town and the
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impact of women's football so i mean i
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won't lie it's going into international break so we
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had you know basically a weekend off of games we didn't play for another two
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weeks so the team afterwards like we're celebrating this like this is big and
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we went you know downtown to go get restaurant go to a restaurant and you know
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kind of get a couple drinks whatever and you would walk downtown and And people
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were stopping me and I wasn't wearing anything nor shipping.
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There's no way of like identifying myself besides probably hearing my voice.
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And they're like, oh my God, you're the American. Oh my God.
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Like the Derby queen is here. And I was like, what?
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And like that became my nickname, the Derby queen.
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We get to the bar, there's people out wearing our jerseys.
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I've never seen a random stranger in a Sam Carey jersey until that moment.
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And you're at the bar and everyone's coming up to our table and,
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you know, buying us drinks and celebrating and clapping and giving us hugs.
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And just, it was a truly moment. Like I felt, frankly, I felt like a celebrity.
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I felt, you know, like how we treat male athletes in the U.S.
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I've never gotten that feeling before.
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And to just see how much this meant. and like I was walking around town.
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I still will walk around town and I have people stop me. Oh my God,
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you're the one that scored against Lynn Shipping. You're the American.
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My name was trending on Twitter in North Shipping.
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So like just little things, like it was just such a surreal moment to see what
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women's football can be.
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And for me, you know, basically leaving Sweden and I'll talk about it in this
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week's episode and taking the leap of faith and frankly betting on myself and
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taking that chance on myself.
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It was a moment where I was like, holy shit, this paid off. and this is worth
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it. And yeah, it's definitely the pinnacle of my soccer career.
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Oh, my God. That is so incredible. And I love hearing that because a lot of
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times there's kind of a misconception and there's levels to pro soccer, right?
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Like anything else. But when you come from a Big Ten, a well-funded program
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in school and things like that, sometimes it can feel like a step down going to the pro level.
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But to see like everyone wearing your jersey
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and going out and knowing you by your name like you don't get that in
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college soccer like that's that's an upgrade like that
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is amazing and that's what pro life and being a pro
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athlete should feel like and should look like and thanks for
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representing us americans well over there in sweden i've had a couple people
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tell me i broke the american stereotype for them so i'm happy to do that and
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yeah it's crazy even like the knowledge of women's football that they have in
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sweden even at a certain point i was they had a men's game a couple of days
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later and I was walking to go to the men's game.
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And I mean, I live five feet away from the arena. Like I see it from my patio.
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And I think by the time I left my apartment to the time I got to my seat,
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I had over seven people stop me and just, oh my God, you're Sam Carrier.
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What a big win on Saturday or all this stuff.
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And one guy stopped me and he's like, I am so happy I finally get to meet you.
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I was like, oh, like, thank you.
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Like, and he's like, no, I've been wanting to like tell you,
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you remind me so much of an American footballer that I used to watch.
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And he's like, do you know American football history?
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And I was like, yeah. And he's like, you remind me of Michelle Akers.
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And that's someone that I looked up to for ages, captain, throughout the early
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days of the US Women's National Team.
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And he's like, just the heart and the soul that you put on the field.
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We can all see how much you care and all the energy you bring.
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And we love you in this town.
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But why does a random Swedish man know no history of the U S women's national
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team, probably more than I would even say some people listen to this podcast.
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Don't know who Michelle Aker is.
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And so to be able to like, see how much these people and like Swedes and Europeans
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are invested in the women's game. It was just a really eyeopening experience for me.
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Yeah. Yeah. That is, I'm so proud. Congratulations. Like that's so incredible.
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How was the husband? I can imagine.
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That was like part of the joke was like, okay, we like needed to have a camera
7:57
on Sam when she scored, but we also needed to have the camera on Trey.
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I think Trey was going a little crazy. They have all like our family and like
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a sweet box in the sweet style box in the stadium when we play.
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And he apparently was going quite nuts up there. So it was, it was definitely a proud husband moment.
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Oh, so cute. What an amazing, amazing time over in Sweden. I'm a little jealous
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here. Like it's summertime.
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I'm here just in Michigan hanging out like no games, nothing really happening.
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And here you are living up the big life. What can we say? It's the big life.
8:29
And speaking of, we have an absolutely incredible guest that I'm honestly beyond
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honored to have had on this podcast.
8:37
Jordan, unfortunately, wasn't able to join us for the interview,
8:40
but this interview with Ella Masser is truly one of my favorites that we've done on this podcast.
8:45
The way that she talks so openly about her journey, both in the highs and the
8:50
lows, and the way that her journey from the Big Ten has taken her to the now
8:54
assistant coach of the Chicago Red Stars,
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I think it's one that every footballer and every story can get something out of.
9:01
She's had so many different experiences as a player in college, as a pro, as a coach.
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And I think there's a lot to relate to.
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And I think the best thing we talk about is we talk about European versus playing
9:13
overseas as a professional.
9:14
We talk about the experiences and the change of women's sports,
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seeing the NWSL from the very beginning to where it's at now.
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And we talked about the highs and lows and that brought with some of the issues
9:25
that have happened in the NWSL over the last couple of years.
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And so truly an amazing guest.
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Ella, we are so, so thankful for having you on and spending an hour of your
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time with me. I was trying not to fangirl while talking to you.
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So without further ado, everyone, Ella Masser.
9:40
All right, Sakarisas, and we are here with the one and only Ella Masser,
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assistant coach of the Chicago Red Stars, and honestly, such a remarkable story
9:49
that I loved getting to look into this week.
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Originated in Urbana, Illinois, from the Big Ten, University of Illinois.
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Ella, thank you so much for coming on with us today.
9:59
Anytime, Sam. I'm happy to be here. Awesome. Well, let's get right into it.
10:04
First of all, I'm happy to meet you again. We had
10:07
a brief interaction we were just joking off about off air
10:10
so it's nice to actually get to know more of your story
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and how you got to be everywhere where you are today so i mentioned yeah i don't
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know we've we've actually met twice oh and the first one actually it was at
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the convention as well but i was with rade and mother walk yes and that was
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i think it was the day before,
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or the morning of and i was like rade i'm like is that sam and he's like yeah
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and you know you have this structure.
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And I was like, oh, she's going to go draft. So I immediately went back into
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our draft room in Chicago.
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I was like, guys, I just walked by Sam Carey. Her mom was great.
10:45
Very kind human beings. Let's look into it again.
10:48
And then unfortunately, I mean, good for Louisville. Bev got you.
10:51
But I know we had a brief interaction. Just stay patient. But,
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I think our paths will cross again, maybe one day, even if it's me coming to
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Sweden. But it was, you have the Iowa, you know, the central,
11:02
the Bourne, the Midwest.
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Absolutely. I had to talk to you for that. Thank you. And no,
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we were just talking and we'll get more into it in the air.
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But your journey took you through Sweden. So we exchanged a bit of our Swedish,
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yours being a bit more further along than myself.
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But no, I'm so, so excited to talk to you about your journey and especially
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how it took you everywhere across the world. You start native of Urbana, Illinois.
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You decide to go to the University of Illinois and play in the Big Ten.
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Can you talk a bit about what that decision was for you?
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Yeah, and I think it's actually quite important because I actually have a niece
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here in Chicago that is growing up in the Clips, the big-time powerhouses,
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and we kind of like go back and forth in my story because, you know,
11:43
being from the cornfields, you don't actually get that much access unless you're
11:47
going to be willing to drive up.
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And, you know, my parents didn't, or we didn't come from a lot.
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So I had Champaign-Urbana and I had Little Atlanta Soccer Club and we didn't travel.
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Like my niece is U15 Eclipse and she's been to Florida like six times and they're
12:01
going out to Seattle for a week. And that's a whole different world that I never experienced.
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But I also think it's actually kind of why I had the career that I did because
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I played two or three sports.
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Knock on wood, it was the reason I didn't have any injuries was because I grew up playing basketball.
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I did track and I got to train the different battle movements and I got to really train choose my path.
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And when Janet started calling, I'll never forget, she wrote a hand letter.
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I don't even know if you guys still do that or if it's allowed.
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I have no idea the state age, but she wrote a hand letter and she's like, listen, I can't.
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And then I went and met her and she's like, listen, I can't give any money,
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but I promise if you come to the school, like I'm going to give you every opportunity.
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And she's like, I can give you a recruited walk on spot.
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And again, we didn't come from a lot. So it kind of worked out financially to
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do that. And I ended up getting a full ride in my junior year,
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but I just knew when I went on campus, I don't know if you had the same thing,
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but you go on campus, you're like, oh, this is it.
12:56
And that one and the rest was history. So let's talk about about that,
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because there's a lot of girls that struggle with the college age of kind of
13:04
this process of college soccer.
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And, you know, you don't walk in and you're a starter on a full scholarship
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your first day, your freshman year.
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And if you are, you're an extremely, extremely rare minority.
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So you go from walk on to Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
13:18
Can you talk a bit about that journey throughout your college years of what that took?
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I will tell you that, you know, how you can do you guys start a lot earlier now.
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Or you did in college, but you know how you can do like the workouts with the
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team like two weeks before.
13:31
Yeah. So I'll never forget. I did cones, you know, five, 10, 15, 20, 25.
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I did it with our goalkeeper and she beat me.
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This was two weeks walking into about, or I'm going to go and,
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you know, you go from local being decent. And all of a sudden we had like a
13:46
Canadian international.
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We had like two or three people from pride clips. You have all these people
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that are kind of top of the country back then.
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And then you go in and I'm like, okay, I'm so fit. I'm ready to do this.
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And then the goalkeeper beats me.
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That's where I was coming in. Now I passed the fitness test barely, but it was just a grind.
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Like I had all the physical, but I never really honed in on my skills.
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So technically I think I could juggle the ball like 10 times,
14:09
but I had everything and I loved it. And so these players that came in,
14:13
like Gatorade Player of the Year that have been doing this since they were 12,
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you know, you could see that it was just like it's their first time away from the family.
14:20
They had a little bit more freedom and you could just see the love kind of change.
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But I don't even blame them because they've been pushed for so hard.
14:27
They've been going to all these different tournaments.
14:29
Like we talk about it now, like my niece did track instead of soccer.
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And that's like very unheard of. She's like in the youth national team pools.
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And I was like, this is great for you because you missed the game.
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At 15 years old, I'm telling my niece she misses a game.
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So there's different avenues. But for me, it was just I had everything I need athletically.
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And then I just needed to kind of hone in and really get into like,
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I'm just a footballer or a soccer player.
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And Janet guided me in a lot of stubborn mentality and luck,
14:57
to be fair. Yeah, that's awesome.
15:00
And so the fact that I can speak about Janet and you still know who she is,
15:04
is 25 years credit to her career. Well, Janet actually recruited me to the University
15:09
of Illinois back in 2016.
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And that program is incredibly well-legacy to be. So that's amazing.
15:20
So we talk about college soccer being such a foundation for what's the future
15:25
for any college athlete, whether they're going into athletics or not.
15:29
Looking back on your college career, are there any moments that stick out to
15:33
you, either good or bad that you feel like helped shape your future even more?
15:37
Wow, you're asking me to go back a lot of years here, Sam. Yeah, um...
15:42
And I think my conversations with Janet, that was always because I remember
15:46
I came in and even though I knew my place, I kind of had my ego a little bit ahead of me.
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But I was also lucky that I was a forward. So I would get my 10,
15:53
15 minutes and then the subbing, you get a little bit more time to kind of develop and adapt.
15:59
And then I tell the story, but it was it was kind of like in my sophomore year.
16:04
I'll never forget. I had to do summer school and I was training,
16:07
I think, in Chicago. They had like a W League team. So I'd get up at 6 a.m.
16:12
I don't know why I did this looking back, but like my family instilled hard
16:15
work and that kind of stuff. And I knew this was kind of like my make it or
16:18
break it. Janet had given me a full ride.
16:20
So my sophomore year going into my junior year, I get up at six.
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I would go do my run and then I'd work at the stadium, which is I don't know
16:28
if they had this in Iowa, but I was with like football boys and wrestlers.
16:31
And we'd be bolting, but it was like 15 bucks an hour. So we're laughing.
16:35
Yeah. And I would do that eight to 12. And then to keep my scholarship in the
16:38
summer, I did summer school from like 12 to three. eat. And then at three o'clock,
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four times a week, I would make two hour drive up to Chicago to train five to
16:46
seven. Then I'd come back home and I'd do it again.
16:49
And I did this, what seemed like an eternity, but in reality,
16:52
it was probably like eight weeks, maybe 12.
16:54
But I did that. And when I was playing, all these girls were coming back from,
16:57
it was like Purdue players, Penn State players.
17:00
Like it was just kind of a summer W league team. So I got that experience and.
17:05
Maybe that hard work. And it just all came in to the right timing.
17:08
But I say the story is that it was my junior year. We're playing Penn State there.
17:12
You know, we, everybody hates Penn State. It's still not the same. Yeah.
17:15
It's classic. And we're playing Penn State at home. And they,
17:19
I think they were like eighth in the country and Alyssa Nair,
17:21
funny enough, was in the goal, Allie Krieger.
17:24
And we were down, I think two zero at halftime. And we came back and I scored
17:28
either two goals or three and we won three, two.
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And we were probably like 18th, 19th in the country.
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And then of course, Paula Wilkin to the Wisconsin now comes up to Janet.
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She's like, who's the transfer kid.
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And I had been at Illinois for two years before that, you know?
17:44
So, and it was the end of my, it was like October.
17:47
So it was the ending of the games. And I just had a really good,
17:49
and that's what catapulted me into the youth national teams.
17:52
After that, I got called in your 23s and then my one famous cap.
17:56
And I say famous because it's only one cap for the U S so it's just like everything kind of lined up.
18:02
And again, I think you need luck in this career, but everything lined up to that moment.
18:06
Yeah, absolutely. So taking you back a little bit less of a journey,
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you go from this extremely decorated college athlete from such humble roots
18:15
and become a professional soccer player.
18:17
And one of the coolest things I think about your journey is it shows so many
18:22
different aspects of what a professional journey can be, especially going back
18:26
to the time that you were doing this.
18:28
You know, back in 2008, there's not a ton of professional options in the world.
18:33
So can you talk about what that first leap going from college to your rookie
18:38
professional year was kind of
18:39
like, especially having a different set of options that girls do have now?
18:45
Yeah, because I'll never forget. I used my, again, I worked after that and we
18:49
knew the rumor was that the league was coming in in 2009, but I graduated 2008.
18:54
So I had this kind of like six months kind of awkward. And back then we didn't
18:57
really have agents, but we had agents.
19:00
And my agent just happened to be Rachel Buehler's agent.
19:04
And I bought a car, went out to DC because DC was supposedly going to have a team into the league.
19:10
And Jim Gabarro was there and you had like Christy Welsh, you had Lori Lindsay,
19:13
all these, these, these players that have been somehow competing and playing
19:17
the last five or six years with no league.
19:20
And then I get a call from Norway to come over. And the funny thing about that
19:23
is that in Norway because when I played we only did six months so it's like
19:27
February March until August and then you had like August to November and that
19:32
was like a great time to lead into Norway so I played with DC which was unprofessional
19:38
like I lived with the host family,
19:40
just showed up and went and trained with all these great players but everybody
19:43
knew the league was coming and then I went over in August and funny enough I
19:47
get drafted ninth overall I'll never forget it. I'm like sitting down, we hear nothing.
19:52
And then ironically, it's Emma Hayes and Denise Reddy who are now the U.S.
19:56
National team coaches. And I got drafted ninth and that kind of just,
20:00
spiral this incredible journey. But again, we did it for six months out of the year.
20:05
I think I was, I say this story, but in 2015, when I was the captain of Houston, so I got drafted in 2009.
20:12
Now go to 2015, the WPS folded NWSL.
20:16
2015, I was making $21,000 and I was the captain of Carly Lloyd.
20:21
So like, and now I see the growth, the consistent, this incredible up and down journey.
20:26
And I can't say it enough, like hard work, stubbornness, but you have to have luck.
20:31
And I just always, whenever I thought, okay, this is my time,
20:33
I'm going to take a step back.
20:35
Something comes back and I was like, okay, I'm not, it's not done yet for whatever
20:38
reason. Yeah, absolutely. So, okay.
20:42
Jumping all over. I think one of the coolest things looking at the navigation
20:45
of the U S soccer system as it pertains to women has been the WPS folding a new league starting.
20:52
I think it was the W USA into the WPS into the NWSL.
20:57
What has it been like for you to be able, you talk about that story of rookies
21:01
now making more than your captain contract, seeing the growth that the NWSL
21:05
now has, what is that like for you as a player that's been there from the beginning?
21:09
Well, we always joke with my age is that, you know, I'm 38, but we're like,
21:13
if we're five years younger, like that's just like, that's how much of,
21:17
it seems like such a little gap, but it's actually, it's ginormous. It's massive.
21:21
So, and now, you know, the players, it's kind of full circle because now I'm
21:25
back in Chicago and I was playing at Benedictine. Now they're,
21:27
you know, they're living downtown in these high rise apartments and we get to
21:30
play and we're going to Wrigley next week.
21:32
And it's a really cool moment. Like it's inspirational.
21:35
These girls, and I say girls because of like the age gap, even though there's
21:39
still some that kind of cross paths, but I think it's inspirational.
21:43
It's exciting to be a part of that.
21:45
But I, if you look back and you said, okay, would you had this back then?
21:48
Would you change your career of going overseas and experience all this?
21:52
Absolutely not. All right. Well, that's a perfect segue for me. Thank you.
21:57
Your career took you all over the world, which is one of the coolest things
22:03
about the game of soccer is that it's such a worldly language in so many ways.
22:08
And you go to Norway, you've played in Sweden, you've played in Germany.
22:11
Can you talk a bit about your experience playing abroad?
22:15
Again, when I played, and I'm speaking like I'm 50, but we didn't do it for the money.
22:21
You can see this is my coaching badge from FIFA, like my UEFA.
22:25
And I was only in Sweden a year and a half, but I knew that if I could try to
22:29
learn a language, you never knew how that would come back.
22:32
And I think I was in Europe for such a long time, so from 2016 and in and out
22:38
with Norway until 2022, that I knew if I could just grasp a little bit,
22:42
that it will come back. And this got me that.
22:45
You know, a year and a half coming back, you get your personal number.
22:48
It allowed me to do my UFA with some of the greats of all time, Sweden.
22:51
Like that was just what we were accustomed to. And I love languages.
22:55
So, you know, I got to go Norway. I got to go Sweden. I got to go Denmark.
22:59
He moved down to Germany. And then I got to experience Spain in a different
23:02
way. But again, one year you start to understand the language.
23:07
Next year you start to speak it. And then you just get to adapt this culture
23:10
and the biggest growth of it or the coolest part. And you get to be there with your husband.
23:13
I got to be there with other Americans. And you said there's other Americans
23:17
there, but you get to learn so much about yourself because you're so removed from your comfort zone.
23:22
And that to me is any young player, I would say, you guys got to go to Europe,
23:26
go to Europe, play, understand the tactics. It's so different.
23:30
And you will a hundred percent come back. The league will be here.
23:33
It will come back a stronger player.
23:34
And maybe that's a little bit not endorsing the NWSL.
23:38
I'm very thankful for it. But I think for players that are on the fringe or
23:42
coming straight out of college, go into, go cheer up, like hats off to you, Sam, honestly.
23:48
Well, thank you. As someone who is literally sitting in the Swedish Migration
23:51
Services about 90 minutes ago, getting a personal number, that was extremely,
23:55
extremely interesting.
23:57
Coffee in the morning. Congratulations.
24:00
My gosh, that's very, but I'm telling you that number to do taxes,
24:04
like you're going to have a pension now.
24:06
I was there for a year and a half and I can still go back to Sweden when I'm
24:10
65 and I can get my pension.
24:12
It will be like three bucks, but I'm going to be doing it. You know, know there's a
24:15
lot of positive about Sweden I love it
24:17
oh my gosh and even we're going and playing Rosengarden next
24:20
week so I'm like all right I'll be in Malmo I gotta ask Ella where like the
24:23
hidden spots are in Malmo I love Malmo
24:27
it's I mean I always joke like when I went there 2016 Marta was there and Marta
24:34
would show up in her Lexus sponsored by the club and I would ride in on my bike
24:38
with like snow and my eyelashes but it was such a good time like I've had I
24:43
would go back to a mama in a heartbeat.
24:44
Like, I think it's incredible what they've done and hopefully they stay in the
24:47
league. And I think they're top of the table now, right? Yeah,
24:50
they're top of the table right now.
24:51
They're the team to beat right now. So it'll be fun going down and playing them.
24:54
But yeah, they're looking real good this year. Yeah.
24:57
So all of that being said, you talked about the tactics being a bit different
25:00
in European versus NWSL, just like the learning of football itself.
25:04
Can you go a bit more into detail about the differences that you felt as a player
25:09
kind of from overseas, also being in the NWSL?
25:13
I think like Sweden, and again, I know a little bit more about Sweden because
25:17
I did my licensing there.
25:19
And so then you really get to break down about the tactics and the systems and what they believe in.
25:23
But I think if you look at Sweden defenders from top down, I mean,
25:26
there's some of the best in the world. Magdalena Eriksson, Amanda Illestad, Lina Sembrent.
25:31
I mean, you can talk about Sager, who is still chucking along at Rosengarten.
25:34
You know, like these players are kind of the foundation because they look at
25:38
the structure when they're kids.
25:39
It's not about strength. It's not about, you know, it's about having fun,
25:44
but they're learning their very basics of like a 4-4-2 and stepping.
25:47
And so you don't have to go in and implement that as a coach.
25:50
And they grew up loving soccer. Like they watch football. They,
25:54
you know, nosh up. And if you go to Hammerby, it's like in your blood.
25:58
So and now everybody can watch women's football. And before it was just men.
26:02
So I think it's just we have probably about 15, 20 years to catch up to have the same influence.
26:07
Like young girls are coming and watching our games. Like Sarah Griffith,
26:11
you know, she shows a picture of when I was there. And she came in and that
26:14
was kind of a surreal moment.
26:15
But it's not in your blood because you have the Bears. You have the Bulls.
26:18
You have the Blackhawks.
26:20
So I just think it's what you do on a Saturday and Sunday. You bring your daughter
26:23
out to watch football and that's where we need to be and get.
26:26
And like, you know, Norrköping, I don't know how big it is, but I'm sure you
26:30
could take your bike and get anywhere in the city. Oh yeah, absolutely.
26:33
And they have a women's team and they have a men's team that play.
26:35
So it's just like, it's a pride thing that allows you to be involved in football
26:39
without knowing that you're involved in football.
26:42
Yeah, no, that's such a cool point. Right. So one of the really unique things
26:46
about your playing career is how you've seen so many different situations unfold
26:51
and evolve in the terms of politics, in terms of football, in terms of all these things.
26:56
Can you talk a bit about your experience at Magic Jack and having the confidence
27:00
to hold your ground and be the confident person you are?
27:06
I wasn't confident back then, Tim. I gotta tell you, that was probably one of
27:09
the hardest times in my career.
27:10
And you know, I was lucky. There was some greats. You had Abby,
27:13
you had Hope, you had Christy Rampone, you had Megan Rapinoe, you had Marion Domi.
27:19
And I think I learned a lot on both sides. Like I learned how to stick to my
27:23
guns because I knew that these players were being treated unfairly.
27:26
And I also knew in a way to do that, that I didn't, I wasn't Abby.
27:30
I wasn't a Kristen Press, you know, but I was someone that earned my rights.
27:33
And I had, again, I grew up in a very good environment where my dad and my mom
27:38
taught me to stick to my guns and I wanted to play and I wanted to do it the right way.
27:42
And it was just such, sometimes I say stories about it to like Nikki Marshall,
27:46
who used to play. And she's like, did that really happen?
27:49
Or Becky Salber. And she's like, I think so.
27:51
I'm like, I don't really remember because there's just so many interesting moments
27:55
that didn't seem real, but it's just, you know, like, you know what you have to do.
27:59
And at that time I thought it cost me my career, but then if you do the right thing,
28:04
you know I come home from Magic Jack I get let go
28:07
for having this conversation of what I thought was standing
28:09
up for a player now I didn't do it all in the right way by any
28:12
means but I knew what I I had to do and then I came home when I was training
28:17
here and then all of a sudden my agent calls and say hey PSG wants you or go
28:22
try out and then it was me and Allie Long sitting in Paris and you know the
28:25
career Allie Long had and it was just like this whole moment of okay I did do the right thing.
28:31
I was completely at the bottom. I thought I had nowhere to go.
28:34
I was just training with guys back here.
28:36
There was no outlook. This is my time. It was one of these moments where you talk about, I was done.
28:41
And I was angry, Sam. Like, honestly, I was angry. And it took until, when did Abby write me?
28:47
Abby wrote me, I think two years ago.
28:50
So Magic Jack was 2011. Now it's 2022. So 10, 11 years for her to write me and
28:56
say, hey, you know what? You were right.
28:58
Do you want to have this conversation, I want to apologize. And I've never really
29:01
talked about that in public, but it took that long to kind of come around and
29:05
all these kinds of movements to come around to get that, not vindication,
29:09
but to say, Hey, you know what? You did a good job.
29:11
And again, I made mistakes as well, but that was kind of the big surreal moment.
29:15
And it was just enough time had passed that I said, Abby, I really appreciate
29:19
it, but I'm good. I wish you the best.
29:21
And, and we move on because life is all about,
29:24
I don't know, this is probably more mom talk than anything, thing but you know
29:27
it's just about riding those waves absolutely absolutely so you have an amazing
29:33
playing career what is the biggest high that you felt during your professional playing career.
29:39
I think you touched on it a bit before, but I had a very unconventional pro career.
29:44
I went Captain Houston Dash, which was a great experience, but new at that point
29:49
in time for my family and where I was personally.
29:52
I was tired of going into debt to be a professional player. Came over to Sweden,
29:56
had to try out by myself, had to shut my ego down.
30:01
Came in as an outside back to Rosengard. And then somebody got injured and then
30:05
I just had luck because I had these two, like, Lika Martins.
30:08
I had Marta like I had these two players just feeding me balls and you know
30:12
broke my nose six times scoring goals like that was just my mentality and you
30:17
had a little bit of the brassness from America and then from that like my dream
30:21
was always to play for the U.S.
30:22
Which I got my one cap and then it was to be in a Champions League final like
30:26
to win it of course because if you don't do national team that's like your biggest
30:30
honor and I got that so I 32 years old which is so unconventional,
30:35
Wolfsburg calls and say, hey, do you want to come?
30:38
And then all of a sudden, six months later, I'm in Kiev and I'm playing in a
30:42
Champions League final.
30:43
And I'm a part of this, you know, one of the best clubs in the world,
30:46
Wolfsburg. And that to me was a moment of, hey, I made it.
30:52
All the ups and downs, like I'm sitting there 32-33 without a national team,
30:56
which is very unique because there's 11 national team captains and I'm sitting there on my own.
31:02
No one's supporting me really from the U.S. kind of fell off in that little
31:05
regard and then I'm here and you know Morgan Bryan's on the other team and she's
31:09
in the stands like it was just a really.
31:12
Unique moment but it was one where I said you did it kid and I say that because
31:17
I talk about like I lost my dad and all that kind of stuff and it was just it
31:21
didn't have to happen like that and it did for whatever reason and I am so thankful
31:25
that it did absolutely that's an amazing story so your
31:30
banker and you pivot was coaching always the next step in your brain.
31:35
I think because I went from recruited walk-on, full ride, drafted,
31:41
didn't make it, PSG, national team, on the bench, superstar,
31:49
no one cares.
31:51
Because I did all these different stages in my career,
31:55
I'm always convinced, and in all these different countries, like I lived in eight countries,
32:00
I want to know if it's possible wherever you
32:02
are in the world that you can get a group of women to all
32:06
believe in buy-in and whether you're Malpue or
32:09
if you're you know a kid that just came
32:12
out of college how can you guys get you all to
32:15
believe in one thing and that I haven't answered
32:17
it yet but that was kind of always why because I want you to never feel invisible
32:22
but I want to be the superstar to believe in the kid that feels invisible and
32:27
that is gave me a couple more years but that is why I knew I love coaching because
32:32
like you said you don't have to speak the language to see how much it unites the world,
32:36
and it allowed me to see the world so it's just my way of trying to give back
32:40
but adapting to american culture again compared to being in spain or sweden
32:45
or germany it's it's been tough i'll say that it's been tough what do you see the biggest changes as.
32:52
I just feel bad because of being someone from the NWSL when we were here to
32:57
see about all this turmoil these kids have gone through.
33:00
I think it's like in Europe, and we've talked about it before,
33:04
but like you want to go and I want to say, OK, Sam, where'd you come from?
33:08
What's your story? How did your parents push you? How can I help?
33:12
Because I need to understand you as a player, because maybe you say,
33:15
hey, Ella, I only respond to when people yell at me.
33:18
Well, we have to build that respect, obviously. But then I know I can be a little
33:22
bit tougher on Sam. In video sessions, I can be a little bit tougher.
33:26
And these other people that have this very broad shoulders and they seem like
33:30
they can take it, maybe they've only been battered their whole career.
33:33
And you can't do that. You have to be more, hey, how can I help?
33:38
Have more private conversations.
33:39
How can I be of service? What do you need after training? What do you need?
33:43
Do I need to send you clips? And that to me is, I love that,
33:47
figuring out that human connection.
33:49
But again, in Spain, I would go talk to the parents. I would go take a coffee with that player.
33:55
And here, because of, unfortunately, what has been broken, even as an old player,
34:01
we're still trying to fix it.
34:02
So everything has to be very tight-knit and very structured and that kind of
34:08
stuff. And it's going to take some time, but that's what I kind of have had
34:12
to take a step back and say, okay, there's a history that we're learning.
34:16
And so I can't get that close to the player yet, but I want to be.
34:19
And it takes time and it takes energy and it takes a lot of trust because unfortunately
34:24
these girls have had a lot of trust broken.
34:27
If that makes sense. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. So your coaching career first
34:32
starts in Kansas City and then brings you back this year, back to Chicago,
34:36
kind of, you know, where you all started.
34:39
What does it mean for you to be back in Chicago doing the whole thing now as
34:43
a coach versus the young girl who went to be a walk-on?
34:46
Yeah, it's definitely like a full circle. I mean, I'm, I'm lucky family wise.
34:51
I mean, Chicago will always be more like I, Kansas is a great club.
34:56
You know, they're doing everything the right way. They're really building it,
34:58
but it will never be Chicago to me because my homies here, like my family's here.
35:03
They were the club that invested in me and that's
35:06
kind of why I wanted to come back
35:09
to help build it and it was just very happy like exciting times
35:12
with Laura coming in the rickets and then all this kind of growth but for me
35:15
to play at Wrigley Field like this is what we did like this is why we did it
35:20
this is why we started in 2008 playing at Benedictine like this is kind of full
35:24
real moment and the only thing that will be sweeter is when we bring a championship
35:27
home and I and I say we because I don't know if I will be here.
35:31
I don't know if I'm not. But when Chicago brings a championship home,
35:34
then I know I will be a part of it and celebrating it in every way,
35:38
shape, and form. Absolutely.
35:40
So with all that being said, can you talk a bit about the team this year?
35:43
There's been so much excitement. You have this game at Wrigleyville next week.
35:47
So much going on within the NWSL and competition. How do you feel about the
35:51
squad you guys have right now?
35:53
I would say we're, to be candid, we're probably in like the first year of a
35:57
three or four year program, like build.
35:59
Like we did a lot of work in the off season to kind of build the base of where we want to be.
36:05
And we have every time, anytime you have, let's be real, anytime you have Mal
36:08
Swanson back, you can win a game. I mean, she's just that electric.
36:11
I've never, you know, I've coached Lynn Williams, who was just brass and hard
36:16
and could be a tight end in the NFL.
36:17
And then you have Mal who kind of just floats
36:20
but I've never seen a finisher with her her
36:23
ability you know she shows up she does your job and she's
36:27
just a great human being and Linwood as well
36:29
but it's just like the fluidity and how easy Mal makes it I've never seen that
36:34
as a as a player or as a coach so I think anytime you have that and then you
36:39
have a listed goal so you're and then you have Sam Staub who just got called
36:42
national team I'm a huge fan of Cuica I think she's never gotten and the respect that she has deserved.
36:48
Like, I think she's one of the best center backs in the world.
36:51
One of the best feet, that's for sure. Probably best at outside back,
36:54
but like our Carrie Recaro, like our middle's strong.
36:58
So if you have your middle strong, I think you can, anything's possible,
37:01
but we're still in year one.
37:04
And so it's going to be this up and down roller coaster, but we know that if
37:07
we can get in that top six to eight teams, you saw it last year,
37:12
Gotham was six. They came and they won the championship.
37:14
We were Kansas City. we were sixth and then we got into the final with Portland
37:17
my first year so that is kind of probably our focus our reality now anything
37:22
can happen but if we can get into the playoffs anything can happen and that's
37:26
kind of where I think our mentality is.
37:29
Can you talk a bit about the balance of being coach and also mom now you know
37:34
with the newborn with all that how has that balance been for you to discover?
37:39
It's, it's humbling. I mean, to be very, I mean, I keep saying candid,
37:43
but I mean, you go from, I haven't had a break in three years coaching.
37:47
You know, you want to give everything. Last year was like very intense because
37:50
we had a shift of management. We had a shift of ownership. We had a shift of coaching.
37:55
So you kind of were doing everything in the off season. So you never got to
37:58
kind of catch your breath. path.
38:00
And then you go into this where I have to take, you don't have to take,
38:03
but you're taking this maternity leave.
38:04
And you know, it's such an important time to be with your son,
38:07
which is, can't even hold his head up. And we have a four-year-old as well.
38:12
And you're trying to be this mom and show him that you want to work,
38:15
but then you take a step away from the game and you're kind of trying to find
38:17
this balance of mom or work or mom or work.
38:21
And it's a different type of guilt because you want to be there for the players,
38:24
but you have to take this time.
38:26
So I've still been watching the games and sending clips and and
38:29
being involved but it's humbling you know
38:32
it's very humbling this this world goes quick and this
38:35
in this business it goes even quicker so you're just trying to
38:37
find the balance and I'm sure it's going to be a roller coaster you know coming
38:42
back and then traveling with him and not traveling with them you miss it there's
38:46
like an ache of missing this time but at the same time there's I have such a
38:50
passion still to try to help these and so invested in the team that you just
38:54
have to go day by day and hold on to the good.
38:57
And, you know, there's going to be days that are hard and you don't understand
38:59
what's going on, but your mom will tell you and the young women that are our
39:03
parents here that you never get more than you can handle. And that's why I just keep telling myself.
39:10
So looking back on your soccer story, there's so much that's so,
39:14
I feel like any player can connect with a certain part of your story in some way.
39:19
This is a huge broad question, but looking back on the game and what it's given
39:22
you, what is one of the best things that you'll take from the game of soccer
39:25
in your experience? Oof.
39:29
I mean, because of the way my career was, my family is involved in this.
39:34
And I say my family because my best group of friends are the women that I've met on this road.
39:42
So Sada Bjork, who played in Juventus, and I met in Rosengard,
39:46
then we went to Wolfsburg.
39:47
Pernilla Harder, like Mary Erks, like these players that I had a very short encounter.
39:52
And for whatever reason, we've kept in contact for five or six years.
39:56
Like these are people that I will be spending the next 40, 50 years with because
40:01
they were there through the hardest times in my life personally.
40:05
And they just find a way to be your family. And that's something that I will,
40:09
people are like, do you miss the game? I miss the locker room.
40:13
And you'll understand that when you're done. And that's just those experiences.
40:16
They stay with you for life. And again, I had some hard times in my career and
40:20
these women stood up and fought for me and were by my side.
40:24
And even now, I know I can call them whenever I need and they'll be with me.
40:29
And that's probably something that I'll always take with me.
40:32
Well, Ella, thank you again so much for coming on and sharing your story.
40:36
It truly is a remarkable one that I'm happy and honored that I get to help tell
40:40
with Girls Soccer Network.
40:42
Is there anything that you feel like I missed or that you want to tell our audience about yourself?
40:47
I think I have one question for you. Why did you go? You get drafted.
40:51
You get a taste of NWSL. You're a kid from Iowa, kind of against that.
40:57
You get this opportunity.
40:58
And then you go to Sweden. Why?
41:00
My biggest thing was I wanted a challenge that I wanted a real opportunity to
41:07
see myself get better and have that opportunity to develop it.
41:10
And so I am so, so grateful with my time at Louisville and every,
41:13
the exposure I got there, but when North shipping called and they said they
41:17
needed a left back and that I had a really good chance of being on the field.
41:21
I know that getting minutes and
41:23
being on the field is how I'm going to get better at the end of the day.
41:25
Training's great, but I have to put myself in an environment where I'm going
41:29
to get exposed to then learn. And I knew that that would be in Sweden.
41:33
Was that hard for you to leave home to do that? Yeah, it was a 36-hour decision.
41:38
It was very quick. I'm in Louisville. I'm in Columbia with Louisville.
41:42
I am leaving Columbia to spend 12 hours in St. Louis to move to Sweden.
41:46
And so there was a lot of uncertainty about if my husband was going to be able
41:50
to join, saying goodbye to family, but it was a leap of faith that I'm more
41:54
than confident paid off.
41:56
So I think that's when you look back at my journey and everything you just said,
42:01
like you don't know why or the feeling, but it's something if you can learn
42:06
to trust your gut and to bet on yourself,
42:09
it will work out how it's always supposed to.
42:11
And that's that sums it up. Like it's just you can't explain it.
42:15
You can't talk about it. You can't say why you just look back when you're done
42:19
with your pro career and you go, okay, whatever, whatever you believe in or whatever. I was guided.
42:24
I was in the right place at the right time. And because of my hard work, it all paid off.
42:30
Absolutely. Well, dang. Okay. Like that's what I needed to hear. All right.
42:35
Like over overseas is it's such a hard journey.
42:38
It is. It's such a hard journey, a new culture, like even Sweden where everybody
42:41
speaks English, like it is.
42:43
So you said you got to stay with it three months, six months.
42:46
And you know, every game you're just putting yourself out there.
42:48
You're fighting for your team, but you're doing what's best for you.
42:51
And lucky for you, you get your husband with you. I mean, it's just going to
42:54
be a time as a young couple and And as a young American trying to find your
42:58
way, you're in exactly the right spot.
43:00
I don't know you minus this conversation, but I'm telling you,
43:03
you're doing the right thing for your career because you bet on yourself.
43:06
Thank you so much. And thank you again so much for coming on. We're so, so grateful.
43:12
Anytime. Anything for Jen, you know? All right. Once again, thank you so much,
43:17
Ella, for that podcast interview.
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I am so honestly grateful to have spent that much time with you,
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getting to hear about your story, talking about everything.
43:26
For all of our Socceristas, I really hope you got something out of that.
43:29
Give Ella a follow on social media.
43:31
Tune into the Chicago Red Stars game at Wrigley Field on June 8th,
43:36
and so much other exciting things happen in the NWSL.
43:38
As always, stay in touch with Girls Soccer Network, with Sam Carey and Jordan
43:43
Wickus on social media, and we are always here to answer questions,
43:46
stay in contact with you, and help in any way we possibly can.
43:49
Once again, thanks for everything, and soccer on.