Silver linings for the USWNT, England’s red-card controversy, plus special guests JJ and Kealia Watt

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:03)
This podcast is presented by State Farm, a proud supporter of women's soccer and all women's sports. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:15)
I'd like to hear who each of you thinks will win. And no cheating, it'll be a count of three, you'll both hit at the same time.
And if you disagree, that's the end of your relationship.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:29)
From Apple News, I'm Rebecca Lowe.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:31)
And I'm Brendan Hunt. And this is After the Whistle.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:34)
He's happy. He's back.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:36)
Happy as a stretch.

**Rebecca Lowe** (0:37)
On today's pod, my cheeky Lionesses are through to the quarterfinal, but not without some controversy. And a few days on, we have plenty more thoughts, shock, about USA's results.

**Brendan Hunt** (0:50)
We're going to talk about the difference between controversy and controversy. And we'll be joined by newly minted Premier League minority owners and football-soccer power couple, JJ and Kealia Watt. And reminder, there will be adult language.
Here we are, Rebecca, two days after the US loss, I'm feeling better-ish, trying to move on. But you know, it'll take some time. We're at the end of the round of 16, down to a final eight. Lots of aftermath from the US still to be discussed, and we will get to that, but should we start with your sweet, sweet English babies?

**Rebecca Lowe** (1:31)
Let's please get into it. Now, first of all, we scraped through, scraped through. We thought Sweden scraped through by a millimeter. My cheeky Lionesses, extra cheeky. Brendan reaching the quarterfinals. Nigeria hit the bar multiple times, and their expected goals figure was much more than England's. And they just out fought us everywhere. They shackled Lauren Hempen and Russo up top. They struggled. We had no midfield to speak of in terms of fight. It was very unexpected, I would say, from England.
That's before we get to Lauren James, which we will. Nigeria were the better team, quite frankly.
In a funny way, when Lauren James went off, it became harder, as it so often does, Brendan. We know that in football. When somebody gets sent off, sometimes playing against 10 men weirdly becomes harder than playing against 11 And actually that's what the Nigeria coach said afterwards. It became harder.
England had a penalty claim on Rachel Daly for a push. The referee gave the pen, then went to the screen, changed her mind. I wasn't screaming and shouting. I thought it was soft. I want there to be contact in this game. Yeah, so I'm fine with that.
But really, there wasn't a huge amount to talk about. So we've got to talk about the red card. A few minutes to go in the game.
Lauren James had been pretty inconsistent. She'd had moments of brilliance and moments of real Lauren James-ness in the first 87 or whatever it was minutes.
But she drifted in and out of the game. And that is often the case, Brendan, when you're a young player. And that is actually pretty much, I think, why she didn't make the England squad last summer for the Euros, because she's just not yet consistent enough. She's 21 years of age.
But this is the thing, the stamp. I mean, what is it with England and their best players and moments at major tournaments? World Cups, I should say. 1998, I was on a plane going to Greece with my 14 best girlfriends for a Zakynthos holiday after school. And in those days in 1998, of course, when you're on a plane, ain't no way you know what's happening in an England game until you land to find out that David Beckham had flicked out at Diego Simeone and got sent off and with him went our hopes of winning the World Cup. Because of course in 1998, just like every other World Cup, we thought we were going to win it. 2006, thought we were going to win that one too. Germany, Wayne Rooney, stamping on Ricardo Carvalho. Off he went and off went England's chances of winning that World Cup with the quote unquote golden generation.

**Brendan Hunt** (4:01)
What part of Ricardo Carvalho did he stamp on? I'm trying to remember.

**Rebecca Lowe** (4:05)
I think it was the Crown Jewels.

**Brendan Hunt** (4:09)
Probably a red card. That's probably a red card then.

**Rebecca Lowe** (4:14)
He was 20, Rooney was 20, Beckham was 23, Lauren James is 21
Oh, of course she has to take blame. She's 21, she's not 31, she's 21 She shouldn't have done it. She knows that she's come out and she's apologized afterwards.
But I do think that Serena Wiegman maybe is slightly culpable by leaving her on the pitch. She had had a very frustrating game. There were moments not long before the red card, Brendan, where she was getting a bit snappy in challenges. And I've been at so many games when you're like, okay, all right, the manager's got to take her off or him off because you know it's coming and you kind of knew it was coming and then it came. And of course she's got the red card. So that's one game she misses, but FIFA have the restriction to give her a three game ban, which will see her out for the rest of the tournament if England were to make the final. So definitely one, maybe two, maybe three. So I think the manager needs to take a little bit of flack on that one.