Our guest on this episode of Beyond 90 is a rookie defender for NWSL side, OL Reign.  She recently logged her professional debut, was the subject of a Men in Blazers short feature, was called a trailblazer by fellow trailblazer Billie Jean King and had a #WCW shoutout by Gabrielle Union on Twitter.  You might call that a nice week. Beyond 90 is pleased to welcome to the show #99, the first Native American player in the NWSL, Madison Hammond.

Our guest on this episode of Beyond 90 is the man in the net for the first place and playoff-bound Reno 1868 FC.  He’s on loan from New Mexico United, but has asserted himself as one of the top keepers in the Western Conference this season.  We are pleased to have the #1 for the Group A #1 team, Ben Beaury.

On this episode of Beyond 90, we're joined by the first ever player signed by San Diego Loyal SC, team captain and local boy, Sal Zizzo.

We talk about Sal's youth career, his time with the USMNT U20 side, how injuries affected his Bundelsiga tenure with Hannover 96 and how Landon Donovan coaxed him out of an easy retirement life to be the face and the captain for San Diego Loyal.

Oh, and we talked cannolis.  You better believe we talked about cannolis.  

On this episode of Beyond 90, we are joined by Coach Carrie Taylor, formerly of San Diego Loyal, and a currently a Technical Consultant for the Jamaican Women’s National Team.  The Loyalist did a great profile on Coach Taylor back in May and we invite you to listen to that to hear her full story.  Today, however, we chat about passion and purpose and what led Coach Taylor to make moves to try to serve a greater good during a global pandemic and a societal awakening on racial injustice.

The Loyalist profile on Carrie Taylor:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/925657/3851216-loyalist-carrie-taylor-v-normal

Sometimes art imitates life, and a creative comes along and conjures up a soccer team that’s so cool, it should be real.

And then sometimes life imitates art, and the fans of this creation simply will it into actual existence with their passion.

This is Saltair FC, and we were ecstatic to have Andy Muñoz as our guest on this episode of Beyond 90.  He is the producer of the RSL Show, but he’s also the founder, president, CEO, and maybe some other titles, too, for the never-defeated Saltair FC, a team that he simply made up.

Saltair FC’s story - by way of Andy - is a wonderful mashup of love for the game of soccer, art and creative expression, and some serious Back to the Future-level fan fiction by the ravenous Saltair FC supporters.

We highly encourage you to follow this wonderful creation on social media @SaltairFC and pick up their beautiful @IcarusFC kit and other outrageously cool merch at www.saltairfc.com.

@saltairfc #trytosink @andymunoz48 #fakefootball #fakefootballclubs #footballfanfiction #RSLShow #RealSaltLake #RealMonarch #IcarusFC

This episode has been edited for length.

Heads up - this episode hits briefly on the topics of addiction and sexual abuse. 

This show’s guest is one of our favorite players to watch in the USL, and he was also one of the coolest to talk to, as well.  Sebastián Velásquez is a real one.

He’s the creative #10 for the Miami FC, and has lived a full life and career in his 29 years.  We talk about his Colombian roots, his youth career in South Carolina and his early trial with Barcelona (yes, that Barcelona).  He would go on to thrive in the MLS with Real Salt Lake and has overcome hardship and tragedy to be a star in the USL with Real Monarchs, El Paso Locomotive FC and now with Miami.

We hope you enjoy this episode with Sebastián as much as we did recording it.

This episode was edited for time.

On this episode, we are joined by midfielder Distel Zola, a veteran player enjoying his first season in America and the USL Championship after building a stellar resume playing in his home country of France.  We talk about his childhood academy days in Champigny-sur-Marne and then advancing to the academy for Monaco, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and capping for Congo, the birth country of his parents.

Distel tells us how he came to arrive at El Paso and discusses some of the adjustments involved in moving to America, playing during a global pandemic and offers his perspective on the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Distel Zola and wish him all the success in his first campaign in America.

On this episode of Beyond 90, we're joined by Athletic staff writer Jeff Rueter to talk about the revamped USL Championship schedule, the potential health risks involved in return to play, the national anthem being televised in these matches and whether teams are doing enough to support Black Lives Matter and anti-racism.

We don't often break it down into specifics, but anthem talk is around 46:00 and Charlotte Independence/Dan DiMicco talk is around the 50:00 mark.  But we loved getting to know Jeff and hearing his story, so we invite you to please listen to the entire episode.

Thank you for your insights and generosity with your time, Jeff.  And subscribe to the Athletic and read his stuff.  It's always incredible.