The USA soccer legend and her bodacious and hilarious younger brother continue their trip down memory lane and weigh in on the current state of the beautiful game, beginning with a spirited debate about the merits (or lack thereof) of VAR, and culminating with a scathing indictment of the NWSL players whose disregard of COVID-19 precautions imperiled the current Challenge Cup. At episode’s end (with Chad signing off in his Scottish Footie Announcer’s voice), it’s once again established that Brandi’s mentorship helped shape Natalie into the assertive young adult who now co-hosts a podcast, and that Chad’s influence on Mike (or is it the other way around?) has not always been wholesome in nature.
Brandi describes VAR (Video Assistant Referee) as the “bane of my existence,” while Chad sticks up for soccer’s version of replay. This leads to a discussion of the 2000 Olympic final, when the USA scored a miraculous, last-second goal to force overtime against Norway, only to give up a disputed game-winner. Brandi and Chad have some fun discussing the hideous bust that accompanied her 2018 induction into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. She talks about her successful stint on “Chopped,” as well as Chad’s skills in the kitchen--with quick guest appearances from Chad’s daughters Harper and Brooklyn, and Brandi’s son Jaden. Finally, we discuss the struggle for women to establish a professional soccer foothold in the US, and how the recent recklessness of some NWSL players rubbed Brandi the wrong way.