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Mac & Bone Show - Ashley Westwood Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We got to celebrate. win Wednesday with Westy, baby. Charlotte
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: FC fell behind early second half and then responded with
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: three goals in a row to win 3-1 over D.C.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: They got the rivalry matchup in Atlanta on Saturday. We
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: got to talk to our boy Ashley Westwood, the captain
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: of your Charlotte FC squad, fifth in the East right now. Westy, congratulations, man.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: How did that win feel? That was a hell of
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: a surge in the second half.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Good morning, fellas. Yeah, it's been, since the World Cup break,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: we've been outstanding. The last, I think it's 11 games,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: we've lost two. And one of them was the League's Cup.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: So we're in a good run of form. And like
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: I said, it's a big one against Atlanta on Saturday.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: They've just signed, I think they've just spent another 20-odd million.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: So it should be interesting.
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: When you say you guys have been hot since the
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: World Cup break, that's true. Where do you think you
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: guys have improved the most since the break?
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: I think our all-round plays have been better. Listen, before
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: the break, we started the season. We were all right,
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: but I think the gaffer wasn't happy with the way
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: we were playing. We were getting results, but it wasn't
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: nice to watch. But I think after the break, we've
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: been so much better. We've scored a lot of goals,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: so everything's clicking. Obviously, Max is coming as well and
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: looks good. He looks dangerous.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Dude, he is electric, man. Absolutely electric. Westy, how would
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you like to be a fullback isolated against that rocket ship, man?
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: I'd have a few more yellow cards, mate.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Westy, are you close to another suspension on yellow cards
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: or no? I'm one away. Oh, my God. I heard
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: that the other night. I'm like, how did this happen?
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: I feel like I blinked, Westy, and you got back
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: to one away again.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: It's what I do, mate.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: It's what I do. Oh, man. All right. We'll just
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: embrace it, baby. We'll embrace it.
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: This might be a known thing, Wessie. Are you fine
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: for the yellow cards, or how does that operate?
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Uh, no, not that I know of unless, unless Mr.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Tepper looks after me, but no, I don't, I don't
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: think we get fined.
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: Cause I was thinking that if you, if you had
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: a fine or something, we would help you out a
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: little bit.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Go fund me? Get a go fund me going?
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: I would have to do some donations.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Westy, what does the missus think about like yellow? Like
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: does she, I mean, she might like it. You're kind
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: of a bad boy on, on the field. What does
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: she think?
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: She's used to it at home. She just says, you
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: just can't keep your mouth shut.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Not surprised. She's not surprised at all. Oh, man.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: Max's wife might do yellow cards at home at some point.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd probably get some reds probably at the house.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Just get kicked right out of the house.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: That might be the best thing.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh, my God, you're killing me. All right. Ashley
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Westwood is with us, captain of Charlotte FC. We'll talk
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: about the Atlanta match coming up Saturday night down there
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: in Atlanta. So I do want to talk about the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: fact that two of those goals came on set pieces.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Is this something, Westy, and I know you're often a
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: big part of set pieces. this feels like something that
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: there could be more around the bend. Like you guys
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: got dudes, Kessler, Morrison, both fullbacks, Cleary's good at like,
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: I feel like right now you got a lot of
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: dudes that are getting minutes that, that can finish these things. Yeah.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: And listen, a lot of, a lot of credit goes to,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: we brought in, we brought in Carl, Carl Hooper from
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: the gaffer brought him in from Aston Villa. And he's been,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: since he's come here, he's been, He's just been a
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: breath of fresh air. His enthusiasm for the games and
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: set pieces are hard. It's the worst thing to do
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: in training, but he makes it fun. He's got his,
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: he's got little sayings where everyone's a striker, dominate the
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: chaos and the lads have bought into it. So it's,
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: and it's shown during the, during the games. I mean, listen, on,
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: on Saturday, we were, we weren't at our best, but listen,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: it's been, it's been a tough four weeks. I think
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: that was nine games in four weeks or something or
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: three weeks. So you need, set pieces are a big
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: part of the game now so if you're not playing
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: very well you know you're a threat from set pieces
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: and I had it at Burnley whenever there's a corner
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: the team automatically go they start to worry so you're
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: in teams heads before you even start so it's another positive.
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: I'm writing down dominate the chaos.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I might drop that on the show at some point.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: That could apply here as well. Yeah, it really could.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: It really could. I like that. That's what I do
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: at home.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: As a teammate and a player, what makes Pep Biel
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: so special to be around?
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: He's an unbelievable player, and I saw it the minute
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: he come in. This is a big statement. He reminds
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: me of David Silva, the way he gets into the
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: pockets and the way he can receive the ball, and
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: then he He's twisting and turning. Listen, he's not the biggest,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: but he moves and he protects the ball. He's a
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: top player, and I think he was surprised to give
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: him the armband when I come off on Saturday, which
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: was nice for him.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: That was good for him. Man, what a baller he is, man.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: What a baller. That finish, just so calm and cool,
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: slots it away. That was beautiful.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: We have texters that want to go golfing with Westy.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: There is another texter that wants to go drinking with Westy.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Maybe at the same time.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: I can do both very well.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Oh my God. Um, Westy, I'm glad to hear, by
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: the way, you say that even pro soccer players don't
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: like it in training or practice when you got to
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: work on like corners or free kicks. Cause I coach
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: 16 year old boys and I've coached them for a while.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: And when we get to practice in corners and free kicks,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: they start goofing off. They have looks on their face.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Like none of these things are going to work anyway.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Why are we wasting time with it? So I'm glad
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: to hear you guys act the same way. Apparently.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: I'm the worst one. I'm counting the clouds in the
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: sky and the planes flying over. So I'm just as
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: bad as a 16 year old.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Oh, so what do you think about Atlanta? I mean,
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: the road form with, with you guys, I mean, it
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: still needs to improve. I think you would say, but
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: you're better than Atlanta. What do you think about your
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: chances of getting all three points and, and, and, and
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: knowing Atlanta, what do you got to do to pull
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: that out? How do you beat this team?
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Uh, well, yeah, there's, They've spent a lot of money.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: So they've signed a... Listen, the striker, there's no doubt
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: about it, he's a top-quality striker. They've spent a lot
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: of money, so they've got a threat going forward. But
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: I think as an all-around team, I think we're... You
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: would say we're the better team. We've gone there in
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: the past and we've done very well there. And I
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: think that's down to... Listen, we put on... We get
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: about 3,000 fans that go in the top corner. And
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: when we... When we see them, it gives you an
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: extra boost. So hopefully it's the same again Saturday.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: That's awesome. That is definitely awesome. By the way, Westy,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: you talk about what Atlanta's bringing in. Well, y'all brought
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: Maxie in, and that's paying dividends. And Dean keeps talking
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: about other people. Then I heard there was a mystery
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: guy at practice that no one knows who it is.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: You got the scoop for us, baby? Give me the
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: names of a new guy or two you're getting in
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: there soon, Westy. Help me out.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: I would love to know, mate, but that's above my
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: pay grade. I think we... There's a young lad training
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: that's from... He's been released from a team in England,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: so there's a young lad coming over. I think he's
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: actually born in North Carolina, so... I think he might
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: have the American passport, but he's only on trial, so...
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: And now I saw a few reports coming out that
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: there's a mystery guy. I see that as well.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I just didn't know if it was like Erling
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Haaland was the mystery guy. I was just trying to
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: find out, you know. Not the guy with the haircut.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: I think he enjoys Charlotte. I hosted Son for the...
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: MLS All-Star. I managed to get him on Quail Hollow,
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: so he's another one that we could look at.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: There you go. Work it, man. Work your magic, Westy.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Schmooze these boys. Do some recruiting.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: I missed the selling Charlotte.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Some of these dudes just all want to go to
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Miami or L.A., Westy. You've got to convince these guys
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Charlotte is a great place, too. And I'm sure you're
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: working on it, brother. All right, man. Well, hey, we're
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: looking forward to watching Saturday night. Thanks for coming on.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Appreciate you. And behave yourself, man. No yellow cards, Westy.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: Thanks for having me. I will. I'll remember you on Saturday.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: All right, there we go. That is Ashley Westwood, who's
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: already had one suspension bone for yellow card accumulation. He's
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: working on another, and he doesn't apologize. He does not,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: nor probably should he.