Matchday 2 of the Olympic women's football tournament group stage DELIVERED on many levels. We talked about the USWNT's decisive 4-1 victory over Germany; Canada's wild upset over France with the cloud of (**gestures wildly at the abyss**) everything going on with their team and in their federation; Japan's late-winner to devastate Brazil; the mayhem in Australia's 6-5 victory over Zambia; and every other match on the docket.

0:00 - USWNT dominates behind Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, and more

16:00 - Australia finds a way to get past Zambia in 6-5 match with plenty of skill (and mistakes)

20:35 - Group B and third-place-team scenarios for advancing

22:30 - We talk about Canada, "taking away" medals, and the repercussions of a scandal

27:50 - Canada mounts a second-half comeback to beat France 2-1

32:15 - France, why ya gotta look aimless on offense so often?

35:50 - Colombia dominates New Zealand + how far can Colombia go? (Editorial note: Recorded before Mayra Ramirez's two-match suspension was confirmed. Or maybe it was and we just didn't see it... who knows?)

39:30 - Canada vs. Colombia should be a banger

42:25 - Spain gets past Nigeria 1-0 and clinch spot in the knockout stage

46:45 - Christy Ucheibe and general Nigeria appreciation

48:00 - Quick Zambia detour because LFG Copper Queens

51:15 - Very quick lookahead at Nigeria vs. Japan

51:50 - Japan vs. Brazil: Handball calls + "Ball don't lie" + Marta is good at passing (and everything else)

59:50 - Spain vs. Brazil in a football match: Pretty good!

102:40 - A quick note about NWSL all-time leading scorer Lynn Williams

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We watched a lot of football, and many things happened.

0:00 - USWNT beats Zambia 3-0

16:40 - USWNT vs. Germany

17:45 - Germany batters Australia

22:00 - Is there a twitter bot sending us good football takes?

24:00 - Germany's quality on display

27:45 - Spain beats Japan in battle of two favorites

39:20 - France holds on vs. tough Colombia

45:40 - Canada beats New Zealand amidst wild spying thing (this was recorded before the points deduction and coaching suspensions)

54:15 - Brazil beats Nigeria 1-0 in an evenly matched affair; Gabi Nunes laser; and both of these teams might have another gear

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Yeah, the Olympic women's football tournament has started by the time this will be published to Spotify and Apple podcasts, but now you'll have the opportunity to laugh at what predictions we immediately got wrong on Matchday 1.

In this episode, we put all 12 Olympic sides into neat little tiers based on our expectations for them.

Who can go for the gold? Who will celebrate a silver or bronze? And who will be content walking away with a participation ribbon?

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The Olympics are nearly here, so let's take a (figurative) trip to France to cover the home side for the tournament.

Our guest today is Assile Toufaily, former Lebanon Women's National Team player, PhD Candidate, and freelance football writer for Forbes. Assile is based in France and does incredible work covering Division 1 Arkema and the global women's game.

In this episode, we discuss the possibility of this being the last-best chance for some of France's legendary players to win a major tournament; France's lack of attack during Euro qualifiers; and how manager Herve Renard's search for his next job has made the news.

Would you like to stay informed on women's football, especially in France? Then you absolutely should check out Assile's work in Forbes, as well as follow her on social media:

Forbes; Twitter; Tik Tok; Instagram; The Super Subs IG

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The Olympic previews roll on, and this time we're talking about the US Women's National Team.

In this episode, we sit down with Bridie O'Toole, the founder and host of "Busy Watching Women's Soccer," the phenomenal YouTube show where Bridie breaks down film and gives in-depth tactical analysis.

We started with the incredibly unfortunate news about Cat Macario's injury and how that could affect how USA plays out of the midfield.

Then, we discussed USWNT through the context of their three upcoming Olympic opponents: Zambia, Germany, and Australia. Bridie dropped some tactical knowledge on how the USA might approach each opponent and what those opponents might try to counter the stars and stripes.

(Editorial note: This episode was recorded after the friendly vs. Mexico and before the send-off match vs. Costa Rica, but we made at least one pre-match prediction for that one, so listen closely to see if we got it right or wrong.)

We encourage you to support Bridie's work. Her videos are really thoughtful, and if you rock with us, chances are you view football in a similar way, but she'll still surprise you with great insights.

Bridie's YouTube channel

⁠Bridie's website⁠

Bridie's Patreon

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Our Olympic previews march on, and we are thrilled to welcome Júlia Belas Trindade to break down Brazil.

Júlia is an educator, researcher, PhD student, and freelance football writer for the Guardian, where she regularly contributes to the newsletter "Moving the Goalposts."

In this episode, we chat with Júlia about the evolving landscape of women's football in Brazil, the team's potential ceiling at this Olympic tournament, the key players they'll need to play well to reach that ceiling, and much more. (And, of course, you know we talked about the potential return of Kerolin.)

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Our Olympic preview coverage continues as we're joined by the great Mariam Kourabi of She Scores Bangers, who breaks down her home team of Canada.

In this episode, Mariam discusses the ups and downs the Canadian national team has gone through the past few years, with winning the 2020 Olympic Gold Medal, struggling through a disappointing 2023 World Cup, and now managing the departure of legendary players while building a new culture around talented young players.

We also got into her thoughts on Canada's chances in Group A and the tournament, more broadly.

You can -- and should -- get a wide range of football news from Mariam on twitter, and you can listen to her show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

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We continue our trek through the Olympic contenders by chatting with Peter Weis of Bulinews.

Peter has been writing about football for more than 20 years, and has covered every major women's international tournament since 2011.

In this episode, Peter talks tactics and how Germany's group of Frauen-Bundesliga stars will connect for the national team after a disappointing showing in the 2023 World Cup.

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