things are bad, lets woso

Until I get my shit together on a regular basis some of this may be a tad disjointed, and for that I am sorry. My goal was to have reflections on Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show and five thoughts on the USWNT’s SheBelieves squad for you to read. But, for reasons, it has been yet another week of hair on fire in the ol’ 9-to-5, which transforms my brain into scrambled eggs, which is not a good place to write from.

One of my primary goals this year is finding a process that helps me write faster and more succinctly. If you know of any tricks besides internally berating yourself (tried that, didn’t work) please send them my way.

However, I’m close with both and will plop them in your inboxes once they’re done. Hopefully they’re worth a minimal wait. But you will still find good stuff below, including all the woso you should/could watch this weekend/week (and why), an important episode of Diaspora United, Andi Sullivan’s pregnancy announcement, a reminder that moose real big, and more.

upcoming matches for your eyeballs

today

First things first, this is a scrap between two historical powerhouses who have both had odd starts to their seasons. As a result Rayadas are 6th and Tigers 7th, which is so not a portion of the table either are familiar with or happy about. Also, this will be Rayadas center back Rebeca Bernal’s final match before heading to the NWSL. There are widespread rumors that she’s joining the Spirit (/cackles at sky), but they’ve yet to announce anything.

However, there have already been multiple tearful farewell moments in Mexico, with Bernal clutching the badge after scoring in her last match and tearing up in her pre-match presser ahead of tonight’s rivalry scrap with Tigres. If Bernal scores we’re going to get an all-time celly, and it would be a perfect going away present.

saturday, february 15

Normally I wouldn’t bother telling you to watch a match like this, as Montpellier are consistently mid-table and PSG are a hot mess but a hot mess who can usually handily beat anyone in the French domestic league except Lyon. While Montpellier are still squarely mid-table, familiar face Ify Onumonu has been over there cuttin up. She has six goals and one assist in twelve starts, and currently PSG are being a hotter mess than usual.

Paris FC are a point ahead of them on the table, and so far in 2025 they’ve drawn 0-0 with Fleury [5th], lost to Lyon, eked by Strasbourg [11th] 2-1, and lost a friendly match against Braga earlier this week. Montpellier shouldn’t beat them, but could, and that would be funny to watch.

sunday, february 16

Spurs have disappointed me this season, which is a wild thing for a Chelsea fan to admit, I know. They had flashes of being a fun and interesting technical side last season, but this season either teams have caught on or the losses of Grace Clinton and Celine Bizet are having a profound impact. Anyway, it’s a North London Derby, Arsenal should win, and also they need to win, they’re three points behind Manchester United and a loss would see them fall to fourth if Manchester City beats Liverpool.

Despite recent all-too-predictable results I remain fully Frauen Bundesliga-pilled. Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt have separated themselves from everyone else at the table by three points, but Frankfurt has a much tougher test this weekend with Wolfsburg. Munich play Werder Bremen, who aren’t having a horrid season at all, and just beat Bayer Leverkuen this week in the Pokal. But the last time they played Bayern they lost 4-0 despite Munich going down to 10 players in the 51st minute with the score only 1-0. Oof.

This weekend will be a true test of my future allegiance to the Frauen Bundesliga. I need chaos to keep my intrigue at its peak, but if results go chalk this weekend Bayern Munich could be sitting at the top with a three point cushion over Wolfsburg. Same as it ever was. Ho, and also, hum.

thursday, february 20

Emma Hayes has already permeated the ethos of suffering throughout U.S. Soccer, why else would they schedule such brutal opponents in a tournament they’re supposed to win every year? Japan, Australia and Colombia are an intense stretch of games to endure in a week. If you saw these teams in an Olympic or World Cup group you’d throw your phone and start sweating a little. But that’s going to make the games fun and more interesting than they used to be, and also I’m not entirely sure this USWNT squad will or should be favorites.

things to know…

This has nothin to do with nothin, but moose are so much bigger than you think. I dunno, consider this a public service announcement.

This sucks, a lot. People are being targeted and having their careers and lives ruined by illogical and unscientific nonsense. If you haven’t listened to TESTED please do, it’s a six episode series that chronicles the history, bad science, and real human impact of these measures. Also, someone slide the series to Emma Hayes, for reasons.

In more uplifting news, Andi Sullivan announced to her team that she was pregnant and the Spirit recorded and posted her teammates’ reactions. You’ll need to watch this video a minimum of ten times to focus on each one, but it will be time well spent.

more #content you might be into

Diaspora United: Love and light to Bunny and Daniela (+USWNT SBC chat)
🍎Apple | 🟢Spotify

Courtney & André review the USWNT squad and spotlight key questions for each position group. Then [CW/TW, 46:01] we discuss the abuse of Bunny Shaw, Sam Kerr’s not guilty verdict, and Mapi León.

your goodbye gif

She’s right.