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Hi, everyone!
Let’s check in on our old friend Roberto Soldado.
Ramble of the Day
Last year, USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski described his first training session with the team as such: “The energy was amazing. At times, we actually had to tone it down because it was getting a little bit over the line, but it’s hard to manage sometimes the intensity and the energy of the players. That’s just who they are. They’re competitive. As soon as you roll the ball, they go at each other.”
I remembered this quote as I was watched this video over the weekend, which both provided some insight into the competitiveness of the players, creativity of a coaching staff, and the comedic gifts of the people behind this video.
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) October 25, 2020
When footballers stop being polite and start getting real. pic.twitter.com/PsgYVdhyab
It is obviously partly a dramatization of events, but the training footage confirms so much of it. A unique training exercise where the group plays Hungry Hungry Hippos! (I’d never thought of a real life version of this game and it sounds extremely intense.) Becky Sauerbrunn knocking poor Jaelin Howell to the ground in defense of her eggs! Players being clever in defending their eggs, like Kristie Mewis shoving them up her shirt and Midge Purce throwing on a pinny to disguise herself in this game of Hungry Hungry Hippos!
It’s a dose of light humor, told by extremely intense athletes. It feels entirely contradictory to write, but maybe there’s a version of lightness for us all.
tl;dr: The USWNT played a very competitive game of Hungry Hungry Hippos during a training session, and shared a pretty funny video about it.
Stay informed, read this: Ali Martin interviews cricketer Chris Jordan on the message of the Black Lives Matter movement and inspiring future generations for The Guardian
Links of the Day
An England women staff member, a New York City FC player, and Ronaldinho tested positive for COVID-19.
Manchester City academy player Jeremy Wisten died aged 17.
A longer read: Nick Ames interviews Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech on evolving on and off the field and recovering from Ajax’s loss to Tottenham in the Champions League semifinal for The Guardian