Hello,

Hello,

Hello, everyone and welcome to the Total Soccer Show.

My name is Joe Lowry, and today I'm joined by the one, the only Taylor Rockwell.

Taylor, it is so great to talk to you.

How are you?

I'm good, man.

It's nice to hear you do the introduction. It's the first time in a while that I've been on the receiving end of a hello and welcome. And it's good to hear. It's been good to hear you and Ryan both doing it. I'm very grateful for all that you all have done to keep the show going and for me being able to not focus on soccer, but instead on trying to find meager amounts of sleep over the last three weeks or so. It is weird a little bit for me to be doing that intro with you here, but I appreciate you letting me and Ryan take the reins a little bit over the last few weeks. How has the whole parenting thing been going? Because I think that's something that I've been wondering about, and I know that all the listeners are wondering that too. It's been good. Like, I'm not even, I'm trying to find, like, a clever way to answer. And I'll just say it's been, it's been fun in a frightening, stressful, 39-hour delivery sort of way. But it's been, like, since she showed up, it's sort of, it's like a snap to it sort of thing.

There's a lot, like, it's definitely focused me a bit more, even while the lack of sleep has made me even more ADD than I already am. But it is definitely one of those, like, military efficiency things. Like, I've got 10 minutes to do the dishes before she wakes back up. So it's kind of streamlined things. That said, we are pushed back about an

hour and 15 minutes in our recording process because of a baby refusing to sleep. So there are still

some wrinkles to be ironed out for sure. I mean, I think it is fair that Reverex comes first and in

Margaret as well. I think that's an appropriate priority rankings. So yeah, don't feel bad about

that. That's important stuff. It's been odd to like sort of be like my usual rotation. I don't know if you do this, but like I have that sort of absent minded thing with the smartphone of like checking Reddit, checking Twitter, probably checking Instagram, checking email, like in that sort of rotation. And to be doing way less of that or to have soccer way less on my mind, it's sort of odd to then be like, oh, that's still happening.

Or like you see those stories kind of filter through here and there. But for the most part, my eye has been pretty firmly not on the soccer.

Good pronunciation of her name, by the way. Revereign Nahir is how you say that one. Yeah, it's definitely been on her. It's nice to be back, though. It is exciting to spend the morning reading in preparation for some list or questions we're going to be getting to and sort of, I think having not taken this long of a break from the show since moving to Turkey, it was nice. And then simultaneously, as like, kind of is the case with most vacations near the end a little bit, like right i got to get back to it now get a little antsy so it's good to have the nerves eased but also to not have to do the hello and welcome i appreciate you doing that well if it gives you any sense of comfort after being away from the soccer world for a little bit sam allardyce is now the manager of westbrom the Premier League, so really things haven't changed a whole lot since you've been away. Things are pretty much the same as they've ever been. The crew are MLS champions, man. That's pretty incredible. That was one that did not, that I did not miss. It was crazy to be in Columbus when we were doing the World Cup comedy tour at a time when it seemed very likely that that team was not going to still be in that city.

And we met all that we met all those people who were so passionate and cared so much.

And it really, that was one of the few soccer stories that like did penetrate the bubble a little bit just because I was so happy for the wonderful people of Columbus for the the team as well, and everything they were able to accomplish in a very strange MLS season. How was that for you? How have been the playoffs been? How was the crew's eventual championship? I mean, the crew were so good in MLS Cup. They played Seattle 1-3-0. I talked about it with Sam's stage school yesterday. Yeah, you did. They were dominant in that game, and in a way that I honestly didn't expect. And just, it just has been a crazy Major League Soccer season for literally everyone involved from the beginning of the season. And then two weeks in or two games in, things get shut down. And there's a month, month, two month, three month long break. And then it's MLS is back, and then games are coming thick and fast for the rest of the season. The whole entire year was bonkers, as it has been for everyone. But yeah, it was a great ending to the year with that game on Saturday. I tremendously enjoyed watching it. You know, you know, Taylor, I think sometimes when I'm watching so many games, and I bet this happens to you too, maybe even listeners out there if they watch a lot of soccer, sometimes it gets to be work and it stops being fun. Yeah. But watching that game on Saturday was fun. And it reminded me of just how awesome soccer is and how much I enjoy it. And so I really couldn't have asked personally for a better end to the season. Oh, that's really great, man.

That's, it's, that does connect sort of for me with like the, the positive things I heard about parenting, about how even when there are the moments when she won't stop crying for half an hour and you don't know what else to do, there will then be the kind of corresponding moment that reminds you that like, oh, she, she's worth it. It's pretty great. And it seems like maybe that's what Columbus winning was for you.

Sometimes, yeah, I'm with you.

It can be a little bit.

But when you've gained... that reminds you that like, oh, she's worth it. It's pretty great. And it seems like maybe that's what Columbus winning was for you.

Sometimes, yeah, I'm with you.

...