Tamerra Griffin from The Athletic joins me to discuss the African Wave in the regular season. Players like Gift Monday and Kouassi are adding the fun, swag, and baller factor to the league, currently having a blast, and hopefully to end the season with a trophy. Having adapted their game to the NWSL, but how do player get their style and players' identity from?

Tamerra helps us understand how media can humanise players as the African Wave pushes the narrative to be more global. If you stick around long enough, she also drops some nuggets and exclusives!

In this episode, we dive into the highs and lows of the NWSL regular season through the lens of the African wave shaping the league. Are clubs, in their hunt for the next Banda, Chawinga, or Kundananji, misprofiling African players and unintentionally stalling careers? We unpack that question, along with the growing pressures African players face as family breadwinners — and what support the league should be offering for life beyond football.

We also look closely at Barbra Banda’s injury and whether WAFCON, heavy travel, and scheduling demands may have contributed to it. Plus: standout performers from this season and the rising talents NWSL teams should have on their radar.

This is part one of a two-part conversation. Next up: Tamerra Griffin — journalist for The Athletic covering the women’s game worldwide and host of the weekly Full Time podcast.