20230622 Raven - The Women's Game Launch

This is a special issue of the Raven to mark the fact the Women’s World Cup 2023 is just 28 days away. Yesterday, the 23 who will represent our nation were announced. The squad who will head to Australia/New Zealand hell bent on the Threepeat and going back-to-back-to-back. An incredible sentence to type and one we should never take for granted.

We are marking this moment in a slew of ways we wanted to bring to your attention. Our goal is to celebrate this tournament in general, and the United States journey in particular, in an all-in style known only to Jack Grealish.

I. 🗣️ Subscribe to our new newsletter: The Women’s Game 🗣️

Designed to enhance your viewing pleasure as a fan by intelligently, accessibly, and quickly getting you up to speed on all you need to know to revel in the day’s World Cup play. We will cover every storyline, every match-up, every adrenaline-surging Marta pump-up speech.

Subscribe now, here, and please, there is no better way to spread the word than by you sharing this with your football-loving friends.

PS. Keep reading below… for a chance to win a signed copy of Gods of Soccer when you subscribe.

II. Listen to our USWNT Roster Release Pod Special 🇺🇸🏆 Presented by Allstate

I had the honor and joy of speaking to US Women’s National Team Coach, Vlatko Andonovski who broke down the decisions behind the 23 names on the final roster position by position. We talked about the irreplaceability of Becky Sauerbrunn and the great Horan inheriting the captaincy, Vlatko’s high expectations for Sophia Smith and her ability to embrace and thrive under pressure, and the way he divides his squad into “warriors” and “artists.” Above all, his key message was how ready he feels this squad is. Key quote: “We wish the World Cup started tomorrow.”

Listen to this podcast here.

It includes as a coda, analysis of this squad from two-time World Cup winner Julie Foudy. (I asked Julie who is going to win. I did not love her honesty.)

III. We capped off the day with a really inspiring conversation with Crystal Dunn which will come out next week. I can’t wait for you to watch it. I first filmed with Crystal with her family in Long Island ahead of the 2019 World Cup. It is a really beautiful piece in which her Mum sobbed as Crystal relived the pain of missing out on 2015’s World Cup roster. So much life has happened to Crystal since then. She has become a World Cup winner. A mother. A true veteran leader of this squad. It is impossible to listen to this interview without feeling better about your own life by listening to Crystal talk about hers.

IV. Here’s some more recent podcasts that will prepare you for a World Cup of Wonder 🇺🇸🏆

1. Sophia Smith talks about just how intimidating it was to break into the USWNT as a teenager, her innate goal-scoring ability, and what she sees when she gets in front of goal.

2. Trinity Rodman talks about what it was like to turn pro as a teenager, her natural goalscoring instincts, and her quite remarkable TikTok.

3. Alex Morgan talks about how motherhood has changed her approach to football and what she plans to do post-football.

4. Naomi Girma talks about her early days playing pick up football, her collegiate career at Stanford, and what she hopes to learn about herself in New Zealand.

V. Today we film with Becky Sauerbrunn. Now and forever. The People’s Captain. 🙌🇺🇸💙

Let me know what questions you have for her.

VI. Win a signed copy of Gods of Soccer 🍻

Celebrate the launch of The Women’s Game newsletter with a chance to win a copy of Gods of Soccer, a book chock-full of incredible women footballers. A book that includes the likes of human goal-machine Alex Morgan, and Briana Scurry, a trailblazer who paved a path for young African-American football players to follow.

By subscribing to The Women’s Game newsletter, you’ll be automatically entered to win one of five signed copies of Gods of Soccer. As long as you subscribe, you’re entered to win. We are so excited for the start of this edition of the Women’s World Cup and The Women’s Game newsletter will keep you updated on all the storylines and news to come out of it. We can’t wait to make more footballing memories with you this summer.

That is it for today. We will be announcing more, much more to come as we lean into this tournament of tournaments with all our might. We cannot wait to commune with you and make great memories together.

Back with our regularly scheduled Raven tomorrow morning.

Big Love.

Courage,

Go! Go! USA!

ROG