Julie Foudy on Motherhood, Affecting Change, and The Three Clap

Summary

Podcast Summary: BFFR with Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley Episode: Julie Foudy on Motherhood, Affecting Change, and The Three Clap
Release Date: May 27, 2025

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of BFFR, hosts Sydney Leroux and Ali Riley welcome the legendary Julie Foudy, a two-time World Cup champion and influential figure in women's soccer. The episode delves deep into Julie's illustrious career, her transition into motherhood, her role in advocating for change in sports, and the heartwarming tradition of "The Three Clap."

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Revisiting Julie Foudy's Legacy

Sydney begins by highlighting Julie Foudy's monumental achievements:

“Julie won two World Cups, one in '91, one in '99.”
– Sydney Leroux [00:02]

Julie humorously downplays her accolades:

“But who's counting?”
– Julie Foudy [00:09]

The hosts reminisce about Julie's influence, ensuring listeners understand the depth of her impact on and off the field.

---

Behind-the-Scenes Stories and Personal Insights

The conversation takes a personal turn as Alexis “Ally” Riley shares a lighthearted yet relatable anecdote about a minor injury:

“I just did a little something to my calf... [02:30]”
– Julie Foudy

Julie speaks highly of Sydney's remarkable pain tolerance, recounting instances of playing through severe injuries:

“You have played with broken ribs... [03:05]”
– Sydney Leroux

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The Three Clap Tradition

A significant portion of the episode centers around "The Three Clap," a beloved tradition among the trio:

“Hearts over injuries.” – Julie Foudy [07:54]

Julie encourages Sydney to embrace the tradition, leading to a playful attempt that results in injuries, highlighting the camaraderie and humor that define their friendship.

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Impact on Women's Soccer and Cultural Shifts

Julie reflects on the pivotal moment when the 1999 U.S. Women's National Team won the World Cup and its long-term effects on women's sports:

“We thought that it would spark the next revolution of women's sports, but I think really the revolution is what we're seeing now.”
– Julie Foudy [15:26]

Sydney adds:

“It's like we've compressed it into this... it feels like that moment did change everything.”
– Sydney Leroux [16:34]

They discuss the delayed but significant cultural shift towards greater recognition and investment in women's soccer, crediting the groundwork laid by Julie and her teammates.

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Behind the Scenes: Celebrations and Memories

The hosts nostalgically recount their post-victory celebrations, painting a vivid picture of the exuberant yet chaotic moments following their triumph:

“We rented out the Ritz Carlton Pasadena... [20:38]”
– Ally Riley

Julie shares memories of celebrating in clubs and the aftermath of their victories, emphasizing the blend of joy and exhaustion that comes with such monumental achievements.

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Diversity and Evolution of the National Team

Julie and Ali discuss the evolution of the U.S. Women's National Team, highlighting increased diversity and its positive impact:

“I love the diversity of the team... it's amazing.”
– Ally Riley [22:53]

They underscore the importance of representation and how it inspires young girls from various backgrounds to pursue soccer.

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Navigating Motherhood and Coaching

Shifting focus, Julie opens up about her journey into motherhood and the challenges it brings, both personally and within the context of professional sports. She shares heartfelt insights into balancing family life with her passion for soccer and advocacy.

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Addressing Mental Health and Tragedy

A poignant segment covers Julie's involvement in the "Save the Katie Myers" story, addressing mental health issues within collegiate sports:

“Katie Meyer was a former player and captain who died by suicide in 2022... [30:23]”
– Ally Riley

Julie discusses the emotional toll of reporting on Katie's tragic story and the subsequent legislative changes aimed at preventing such tragedies in the future.

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Integrating Women's Health into Professional Training

The conversation also touches on the importance of recognizing and accommodating women's health needs in professional sports, particularly concerning menstrual cycles and their impact on athletic performance:

“We've really looked at women's cycles in sport specifically... [44:39]”
– Sydney Leroux

Julie elaborates on how their team has begun to incorporate menstrual health into training regimens, advocating for more research and support in this area.

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Celebrating Wins and Overcoming Losses

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts and Julie celebrate recent victories and reflect on overcoming challenges:

“The biggest dub I think that we've ever had is that our girl Savvy is home.”
– Julie Foudy [38:23]

They express gratitude for the supportive soccer community and the resilience that defines their journey.

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Conclusion and Affirmation

As the episode wraps up, Julie participates in "The Three Clap," symbolizing unity and strength despite the playful mishaps:

“Three. Clap on three.”
– Julie Foudy [36:48]

The hosts close with a powerful affirmation, reinforcing their pride and accomplishments:

“I am proud of who I am and what I've accomplished.”
– Julie Foudy [47:20]

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Notable Quotes

• Julie Foudy on Resilience:
  “We kept saying, this is the time to promote it and to sell it and to get into know different cities and let's do a tour afterwards.”
  – Julie Foudy [18:59]

• Ali Riley on Parenting and Sports:
  “What are you going to do now with this platform, with this win, with our moment?”
  – Ali Riley [24:34]

• Sydney Leroux on Community:
  “You know, that's why I started playing soccer. It's why I'm still playing soccer. Holding on for dear. Because this is a community and it's a family.”
  – Sydney Leroux [39:07]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of BFFR masterfully intertwines personal anecdotes, professional insights, and heartfelt discussions about the evolution of women's soccer. Julie Foudy's participation brings depth and inspiration, making it a must-listen for fans and aspiring athletes alike. Her candidness about motherhood, mental health, and advocating for change underscores the enduring impact of her legacy.

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• Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major platforms.

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Transcript

[Ally]

What the hell is going on, Sid?

[Sydney LaRue]

Julie foudy. Julie won two World Cups. One in 91, one in 99.

[Julie Foudy]

But who's counting?

[Sydney LaRue]

Who's counting?

[Ally]

Three clapp on three.

[Sydney LaRue]

One, two, three.

[Julie Foudy]

Hello. Welcome to another episode of BFFR.

[Sydney LaRue]

Welcome back to all of you and welcome back to my co host, Sydney Larue. Had a bit of an excused absence last week.

[Julie Foudy]

Just a little one.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. Well, before we get into it, because.

[Julie Foudy]

We'Re gonna get into it, may we.

[Sydney LaRue]

Remind you to follow the show on socials at BFFR show. Subscribe to the show on YouTube and, and follow us on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

[Julie Foudy]

Obviously, we don't care where you're watching and listening, as long as you're watching and listening to us, period.

[Sydney LaRue]

If you haven't already, please rate and review the show.

[Julie Foudy]

Five stars only, per usual.

[Sydney LaRue]

Duh. It helps people find us and we definitely want to be found. You can also call us at 833-txt-BFFR.

[Julie Foudy]

That's 1-833-898-2337.

[Sydney LaRue]

And might I just add, we're getting amazing messages and I get the messages. No, this is not my phone number. So don't call this number and think that I'm going to answer the phone. But I hear all the messages. So if that excites you, pause this right now and give us a call. If that makes you really nervous, you can also email us at feedbackffrshow.

[Julie Foudy]

We love hearing from you. Your question or comment might end up on the show.

[Sydney LaRue]

Exactly. So now that that's done, Sid, kick us off with an affirmation for our besties and testies.

[Julie Foudy]

I am proud of who I am and what I've accomplished.

[Sydney LaRue]

That was a really good one.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, that was necessary this week.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, exactly.

[Julie Foudy]

So let's get into it.

[Sydney LaRue]

Sid, what happened? What are we looking at? I told them it was a minor thing that happened at training. I wasn't lying. I was manifesting.

[Julie Foudy]

Well, what is it? To me, it was minor for the first 15 seconds.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

But yeah, I just did a little something to my calf. But honestly, everyone's like, are you dissociating? Because I'm not losing my mind and I feel like in a really positive, like, space, like I haven't like, you know, like, shit happens and like, let's keep going. I guess we've. I've been doing this for long enough. Come back from worse things, like, bring it.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, speaking of worse injuries, you have a crazy, extremely high pain tolerance.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I do.

[Sydney LaRue]

You have played with broken ribs. Breathing just.

[Julie Foudy]

I was like, because you can't like get a full breath. But we were winning and I didn't know if like we were, you know.

[Sydney LaRue]

Even the referee was very concerned for your well being.

[Julie Foudy]

Are you okay? And I was like.

[Sydney LaRue]

And we just came back from a well, it's probably still broken, the broken finger. Sid would complain about her finger every day, but just be like, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. And then said, I was just trying to like spray sunscreen and I couldn't even use my finger. And I'm like, sid, you just need to ask someone about it. Yeah, it was broken. Very broken.

[Julie Foudy]

Snapped in half, actually.

[Sydney LaRue]

Got a cast. Didn't like the cast. So then what did you do?

[Julie Foudy]

So not even 24 hours later, I went on TikTok and I searched how to remove a cast at home.

[Sydney LaRue]

You searched this on TikTok?

[Julie Foudy]

On TikTok, yeah. But that's where I get most of my, you know, quick search and someone's going to give me an answer. So I did what they said and I soaked it in hot water for like 30 minutes. This is before I'm going into training because I like, I cannot do this. You had like the whole. You only had. I only had my thumb and I'm like, it's just a finger. I've been going around. So I soaked it in hot water and tried to cut it with just, just some just I think hair scissors. And it didn't work. So I came in, it was soaked like absolutely soaking wet inside. So I had to get it removed. And then I was supposed to wear a splint. And I'm like, how am I supposed to remember that?

[Sydney LaRue]

The finger's still broken.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, it's actually really ugly, but it still doesn't spray.

[Sydney LaRue]

So Sid, the scooter's back. You may remember the scooter from scootering around BMO in 2022. The scooter is back, but it's a little bit rusty. So Sid was called me and I hear this guy grunting in the background and I'm like scared to ask what, what's happening? Like someone is grunting in the background and Sid says, oh, I have a valet membership at the mall. So my car is here and the valet is trying to put the rusty scooter into my trunk, but he can't get the handlebars down.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, it's tough, it's tough.

[Sydney LaRue]

Had a few questions after that, mostly, how long have you had the membership? Because I think you've had it longer than you have had a calf injury.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes, I have. Yes. Well, it's like you go. You pull up, they wash your car. It's genius, actually. So I'm like, it's worth it. It's worth the membership. Thank you, Topanga.

[Sydney LaRue]

So that is very, very useful and worth it if you go to the mall as often as Sydney. Well, we are back and better than ever because we have an iconic guest joining us today.

[Julie Foudy]

Icon.

[Sydney LaRue]

Icon. We have Talked about the 99ers every episode, I'm pretty sure every episode, because they changed our sport forever. They changed the game. They've continued to make waves as owners, coaches, authors, storytellers, leaders in the community. And one of those, of course, is the one and only Julie Foudy.

[Julie Foudy]

She is also a part of Angel City.

[Sydney LaRue]

She sure is. And a soccer mom.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Sydney LaRue]

Julie won two World Cups, one in 91, one in 99, two Olympic gold medals in 96 and 2004.

[Julie Foudy]

But who's counting?

[Sydney LaRue]

Who's counting in 97? She was both the first American and first woman to win the FIFA Fair Play Award for advocacy against child labor in sports equipment manufacturing. She's a pretty big deal.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, she is.

[Sydney LaRue]

She was inducted into the National Soccer hall of fame in 2007. And since her retirement from playing, she's continued to elevate soccer as an analyst, reporter, podcast host.

[Julie Foudy]

Everything. She does it all.

[Sydney LaRue]

Everything. And if you come to an Angel.

[Julie Foudy]

City game, you might be able to see her do the three class.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yes. So it is time for a quick break, but after that, Julie Foudy will be our guest on the BFFR show.

[Julie Foudy]

So you better stay here.

[Sydney LaRue]

Welcome to the show, Julie Foudy. I almost feel like you have to do three classes.

[Julie Foudy]

Do the three class, Julie.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. That's your. That's your biggest claim to fame.

[Ally]

Yeah, my biggest claim to fame. Wait, what the hell is going on, Sid? What do I see? I gotta put my glasses on for this. I see a big boot.

[Julie Foudy]

Would you like a story time? What?

[Ally]

What is going on?

[Julie Foudy]

I was supposed to get my first minutes coming up, and that Monday I decided, you know what? Why not just tear the calf? So. Tore my calf. We were shooting. I, like, planted really weird, and I just popped. And, like, I heard it. The coach heard it. And then I was like, yeah, there's no way that I just did that, so I'm just going to carry on. And so I finished off the wrap, and then I went to step down, and I was like, yeah, I just tore my Calf.

[Sydney LaRue]

Here we are.

[Julie Foudy]

Here we are.

[Sydney LaRue]

But nothing would stop her from being on this interview with you, Julie Foddy.

[Ally]

Oh, I'm so sorry. God.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, you know. Yeah.

[Ally]

Locker sucks.

[Julie Foudy]

I know.

[Sydney LaRue]

It's terrible. Why do we do it? No, we're saving ourselves for the second half of the season. Okay, 100. We'll see you at BMO.

[Ally]

That's the strategy.

[Julie Foudy]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Ally]

Oh, shoot. You too.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Ally]

I'm going to give you a big virtual hug.

[Sydney LaRue]

Thank you. The tables are finally turned because how many interviews have we had to do with Julie Foudy coming in from New Zealand? You need to talk to Julie Foudy. What's your plan to play against the U.S. julie Foudy wants to know. And now we get to ask you about your life and your legacy.

[Ally]

Bring it. I'm really thrilled you guys have this podcast too, because you two are funny and it's not just Sid.

[Sydney LaRue]

I know. Thank you, Julie.

[Julie Foudy]

I tell her she's funny.

[Ally]

You're funny too. Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Thank you.

[Ally]

You are.

[Julie Foudy]

Well, I know I'm funny, but Allie's funny.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. Well, Julie, you obviously inspired countless young girls as a soccer player. Your legacy is infinite. Everything we, we have done, everything that will continue to happen, there will always be some kind of connection back to the 99ers because that is how big of an impact you made. But you've continued to do so much in women's sports, in women's soccer, in this space, with your life since retiring, what's been your favorite way to stay connected to women's soccer? You're even a soccer mom yourself.

[Julie Foudy]

Yep.

[Ally]

I know. Gosh, that, that like takes 20 years off my life.

[Julie Foudy]

Do you feel the same amount of stress watching them as you did when you went into a game? And it might be even worse when.

[Ally]

They'Re like going through recruiting and it's like I literally said to my, so Izzy's off to go play at Oregon next.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I saw that. Congratulations, Izzy.

[Ally]

Yeah. Yay, Izzy. But like, it's so friggin stressful. And I said to my, my, my second child, my son, my 16 year old, I said, you're gonna have to quit youth sports. We're done.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Are you a cussier?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

How are you on the sideline.

[Ally]

In Houston? In stereo. What are you like? Truthfully, I'm actually, I'm actually very calm. I, I try and not be that parent.

[Sydney LaRue]

I mean, I see how excited you are at the Angel City games, but I, I, to be fair, I haven't seen you cussing Us out on the jumbo John?

[Julie Foudy]

Not yet.

[Ally]

No. I only am drinking beers at Angel City games because I finally get. Just relax and have fun. I. Yeah, I'm. I'm oddly calm. I am. I really am. Because it's like there's so much chaos on the sidelines, as we know. I'm like, I don't even. That they don't need to hear. Yeah, parents. And you know the number one thing kids always say, right, that they want the advice they want to give their parents is they would like them to shut up. And so I'm like, I'm gonna listen to that.

[Julie Foudy]

Do your kids listen to you? Specifically Izzy going into college and being a soccer player?

[Ally]

No, no, no, I.

[Julie Foudy]

Perfect.

[Ally]

No, perfect.

[Sydney LaRue]

Why would I want Advice from Sydney LaRue and Julie Bowy?

[Julie Foudy]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Ally]

Why?

[Julie Foudy]

We've never done anything.

[Ally]

No, actually, actually. And Sid, this is something that. This is going to happen to you. At one point, you know, we would give Izzy this advice afterwards. Like, hey, you know, maybe positionally you think about like being a little higher or a little deeper or what? You know, nothing like, you should play better or you should. It would just be like, hey, tactically, you know, maybe play on the half turn a little more or stuff like that. And. And at one point, like her freshman year in high school, she was like, no more advice.

[Julie Foudy]

We were like, oh, yeah, you say it really sweet. I'm like, trashes get forward. I used to not say anything. Remember in the beginning, I never said anything.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, when he was 2.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Ally]

And that's good, though. I've seen the video.

[Julie Foudy]

He's very good. Well, free kick specialist for sure.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a lot of pressure.

[Ally]

Didn't he do the Ronaldo? I think I saw on one video.

[Julie Foudy]

He's good. Loves it. Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Obsessed with Ronaldo. His jersey, his full kits that he wears all the time. He's been wearing them for so many years now. And they're getting smaller.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

And smaller.

[Julie Foudy]

And he still wears them. The shorts are about this thing.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yes. The one inch inseam.

[Ally]

It's so old school. I love it. It's going old school.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, Sid. Sid claims to have not had the channel in Canada when. When you won the 99 World Cup.

[Julie Foudy]

But I will say that the 99ers are iconic, obviously. You know, I know about them, Julie. First of all, the 99ers, when I was like growing up, we obviously heard of the U.S. women's National Team. And that is how I changed countries because I said I wanted to Play on the best team in the world.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And then I was called Judas by Canada.

[Ally]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Julie Foudy]

That was a tough one.

[Ally]

Yeah, I think I called that game.

[Julie Foudy]

Did you?

[Ally]

And it was. Yeah, I remember that. It was Vancouver.

[Julie Foudy]

It was.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, right.

[Ally]

And it was packed. Packed house. And you scored. Right.

[Julie Foudy]

Of course there were songs.

[Ally]

Yeah. And I remember. I remember that was a lively game.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Oh, man, it was.

[Ally]

And we are so happy you did switch over.

[Julie Foudy]

You know what? So am I. I love my Canadians, though.

[Sydney LaRue]

You know, we obviously talk about the 99 World cup so much and that amazing victory and all the moments that came afterwards, but did you know at that moment what you had just done? Did you know that the world had shifted? Did you know that that was the moment that sparked the next era of women's sports? Could you feel it?

[Ally]

You know, what's so interesting is we thought that it would spark the next revolution of women's sports, but I think really the revolution is what we're seeing now. So it was kind of like, you know, Brandi takes her top off, gets naked, and there's all this attention, and then you're like, wait, get on the bus. Come on, everyone. You know the movie. Remember when the. Will Ferrell's like, we're streaking.

[Sydney LaRue]

We're streaking in the quad. Everybody's doing it.

[Ally]

No one's behind you. And you're like, wait, where is everyone? Come on. So, yeah, I think it took a lot longer than we thought. I mean, obviously it had its impact and its effect, but I think we naively thought, oh, my gosh, this is going to be the cultural revolution we've needed for women's sports. And people will see, you know, what they're missing, and they'll see the value of women, and they'll see the value of investing in it.

[Sydney LaRue]

And.

[Ally]

And as we know, it took another 20, 25 years for that to happen, which is fantastic. Took too damn long. But, I mean. And we're still just scratching the surface, but, yeah, I think it's hard in the moment to see, you know, the impact. I still think it's. When you're in it, it's hard to see the impact because you're not seeing it from an outsider's view. So. But I am. I'm incredibly proud of, you know, us pushing, us soccer and FIFA in particular, to say, hey, we're going to do this in a. In a bigger space, in a bigger venue, and do it actually nationally, not just on the east coast as they wanted, in small venues.

[Julie Foudy]

You're right. It is hard to see like the progress when you're in it, but like, everyone looks at the 99ers and that is where we came from.

[Ally]

Ah, that's nice.

[Sydney LaRue]

And it's, it's funny because you say it took another 20 years, but looking back now, it's like we've compressed it into this. The 99ers won and it changed everything for women's sports. But I, without taking away all the fight that happened between then and now, it is nice that it feels like that moment did change everything.

[Julie Foudy]

The celebration tour, you were willing to walk away right then and there.

[Ally]

We had said to U.S. soccer for a long time, leading into the World cup, knowing it was going to be, you know, in the United States and a big deal, like, hey, what do we have planned for after? Like, we know that we have to do this celebration tour. Where are we going? What are we doing? And. And they're like, well, nothing very on brand at the time, right? Like, what do you mean nothing? Like you're going to have this huge World cup. And then it's just like, yeah, good job, you're done. I make this. And we kept saying, this is the time to promote it and to sell it and to get into know different cities and let's do a tour afterwards. And I think the only thing that Hank Steinbrescher was telling us about, who was the head of U.S. soccer at the time, was they were contemplating if we should take a tour to Africa. And I was like, you have got to be kidding me. Like, yes, Africa needs help in getting women's soccer popular. But like, we are sitting on this gold mine of this World Cup. Why wouldn't you do something here? So we decided that we were going to do our own thing if they weren't going to do it. And so we found a little loophole in our contract where we could do an indoor tour. Mia, because her brother Garrett at the time had had cancer, was doing these indoor tours that we were helping her with to be a fundraiser and awareness for Garrett. And so we thought, well, we could do indoor tours. They can't control us in that. And we can bring our own sponsors on because that's a space again, they can't control. And we just don't call ourselves the national team. We just call Team USA or whatever. And so we ended up crushing it with this indoor tour that we full page ad. The day after we won, we announced and US Soccer tried to sue us.

[Sydney LaRue]

We've seen that before on Brand.

[Julie Foudy]

On brand, on Brand.

[Ally]

We were like, wait, what? We told you we were going to do this. We've sent you letters. We've told you you were going to do nothing. And we had sent letters and really documented it and said, okay, since you're doing nothing, this is what we're doing. Never heard anything. So, yeah, needless to say, we. We pulled a little coup there, and that was fantastic. And again, it just, you know, for the first time, it was like, and this is something that this generation and you all are so good at, which I have so much respect for, is like, if people say, no, we're not going to do it, you guys go, okay, then we'll build it ourselves. Right? Okay. We'll start our own company. We'll start our own merch line. Right? Whatever it is, we're going to go build it. And for our generation, that was a huge deal to say kind of a double fu. And we're going to do it ourselves. And I'm really proud because it did show us soccer. Like, you're. You're not tapping into all this value. Like, that's. That's the thing. Like, we can all agree there's money sitting on the table that you're leaving. Let's go. Move it. And so that really woke them up.

[Julie Foudy]

How was the night after you guys won? Did you guys have the time of your life?

[Sydney LaRue]

Give us the tea. This is what we really want to know.

[Julie Foudy]

Give us the.

[Sydney LaRue]

Did brandy take her shirt off again?

[Ally]

Like, was there more naked all the time? Literally, when she took her shirt off in the game, I was like, here we go again. God. Yeah, we had. I think we had. We rented out the ritz carlton Pasadena. Or was it four seasons? I think it's a ritz. Is there ritz in Pasadena? Right?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we don't know.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay. The ballroom. Nice.

[Ally]

Yeah, we rented out the ballroom, and it was like, all your friends and family. It was a huge party. Literally before the final, I was, like, ironing my outfit, and Brandy was my roommate. She's like, what are you doing?

[Julie Foudy]

You already knew.

[Ally]

I'm ironing my outfit for post game celebrations. She's like, you're insane. But, yeah, it was. It was fun. I mean, and especially because, again, like, that. That whole month of build up and. And the number of people watching was something that, you know, no one thought we could do. And so to be finally successful in. In convincing u. S. Soccer and that, like, they should pay attention to this, brought us a ton of joy. We were like, yes, finally. Even though it took another 25 years.

[Julie Foudy]

How was. How was the next morning?

[Ally]

Just fine. Little orange juice, little Gatorade.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, perfect. The next morning for us wasn't too good in 2015.

[Ally]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, I. I think I remember.

[Julie Foudy]

You remember that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a struggle. Canada.

[Ally]

Where was that? No, but where I. Yeah, but where in Vancouver was like at a Nike house or what was it?

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, no, it was like some club.

[Ally]

I don't. I missed that part then.

[Julie Foudy]

But you were there.

[Ally]

Weren't you a big clubber now?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, well, we weren't either, but that night we were.

[Sydney LaRue]

Weren't you in the DJ booth or something?

[Julie Foudy]

No, I wasn't in the DJ booth, but we had like six o' clock in the morning, like morning tv, and we were just like, oh, yeah, some of us had the shakes. Some of us thought we were gonna. Yeah, I was gonna. It's not, you know, it's a good time, though. It's a good time. You. You deserve the celebration.

[Ally]

Did we say yes to this morning show?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. What do you think has changed the most from the 99ers to now with the US Women's National Team?

[Ally]

I love the diversity of the team, which. Right. Like, you look around even walking tournaments now, Right. Like, it's so white and it was so middle class and. And still we have a lot of hurdles to get over, but, like, to see, was it the Olympic team, that over half the team was black or brown. Right. And I'm like, this is amazing. So to have finally some diversity for young girls to see, I think is huge. I think the depth of the group in terms of. And you guys see it with Angel City, I mean, these, like, what, 15 year olds, 16 year olds. I'm like, hell, I heard you guys talking about that the other day.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, they're. They're amazing. Different world, different life, different language.

[Ally]

Well, and like that just, you know, these younger kids are so acclimated so much faster with, you know, social media brought up.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, you didn't have that.

[Ally]

Yeah. But I. I do love that the thread that will always remain the same with the National Team is that it's not just about winning. Right. It's about winning. And there's more to it. There's winning and changing the culture, winning and inspiring these young girls to play. Like, we've been so cognizant of that piece of it, as female athletes so often are. And I love that that thread has run through every generation of the national.

[Julie Foudy]

Team and I think women's sports in general.

[Ally]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Julie Foudy]

Not Just about, like, winning. It's about, we want more because we deserve it.

[Sydney LaRue]

And when we do win, it's a big fu to a lot of people. And it's also, what are we going to do now with this platform, with this win, with our moment? We shine the spotlight on others. We use it to do good, to make positive change, to continue to fight for even more.

[Ally]

Is there. And it's out of necessity, too, right? Like, yes, they've had to fight and they've had. Like, this is how we've grown up. So I think it is just a part of who we are as female athletes. It's what I always say. It's the. It's the greatest part, which is why there's such loyalty, I think, to when you see, you know, women's sports fans, because of that side of it as well, that they're more than just athletes. They care deeply.

[Sydney LaRue]

Is there a current or recent women's national team player that you think would have fit right in with the 99ers?

[Ally]

Current or recent? That would have fit right in? Well, Sid would have. I mean, come on.

[Julie Foudy]

100%. I'm a fighter. Let's fight.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Ally]

You want a piece of meat?

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ally]

We're gonna do this tour whether you want us to or not. You're not going to Africa. Let's see. Of the. What about of the current team? That's a great question. I've actually never thought that. Oh, you know who's very old school? Who? Totally. I see his 99er. Sam, coffee.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, I agree with that. I really agree with that.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Ally]

Oh, yeah. He is an old school soul.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, she is.

[Ally]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

The sweetest girl, too.

[Ally]

Yeah. Like, she gets it like that Jen, that, you know, like, she's. She's. She's impressive. I love Sam.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, so do we.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, you. You talked about social media, and we noticed your daughter's social media, her Instagram and some of the comments. You like to really get in there. And again, I know this will be Sid eventually, but Izzy, when she announced her graduation and, you know, getting ready for Oregon and you commented.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Is it going to be weird if we are there every weekend?

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Is that your plan to. To go up every weekend?

[Ally]

We're like.

[Sydney LaRue]

Because it will be weird, Julie.

[Ally]

Is it gonna be weird if we're, like, on the balcony in our robes with a coffee right next door and be like, good morning. She's like, a little.

[Sydney LaRue]

A little three clap before. Before a test.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Wake her up.

[Sydney LaRue]

She's in the auditorium with all the kids. I mean, I'd be stoked if you were there.

[Ally]

She. Yeah, my. I had to talk my husband down from, like, he's like, let's get a house. I was like, no, let's not.

[Julie Foudy]

I would do that. We're moving now.

[Ally]

I was like, no, no, no. Give her some time. Oh, I know. It's such.

[Julie Foudy]

Are you.

[Ally]

Such a hard shift, though? Like, being, you know, you're a little girl all of a sudden, you're like, okay, you're off and you want to fly. So, yeah, you're like, okay, go get it.

[Julie Foudy]

But, like, part of say, yeah, exactly. Like, are you. Are you sat. Like, what is the feeling of, like, seeing your daughter, like, leave and.

[Ally]

Oh, yeah, it's. I keep saying to her, you're going to be fine. I'm gonna be fine. And then I turn around, I'm like, oh, God. Yeah, it's hard. It's hard. And. But, like, that. The other thing is, it's like. And I think, you know, she's going through all her senior activities with high school and graduation and, you know, the last brunch and senior awards. And so it hits them hard, too, because it's the last of everything. But then I also think, like, you do want to miss it, of course, because it's high school and you want those great memories, but you also want your kid to just thrive and be independent and do her thing. And so, as much as it's so sad, it's, like, so refreshing, too, because she didn't want to stay in California. She wanted to try a different state. Right? And she still is on the west coast, but, like, it's gonna be different. It's gonna be a different vibe. It's like, I'm like, get out of Orange County.

[Julie Foudy]

Y.

[Ally]

Try something else than Orange County. Like, you gotta see and live and do something else.

[Julie Foudy]

So she could have gone to USC if she wanted to experience something different.

[Ally]

That was not allowed.

[Julie Foudy]

Thank you.

[Ally]

I. Yeah. And I. And I mean. And she's going to the Big Ten. It's going to be hard. Like, it's all good challenge. And she was ready for that. She actually said, you know, staying in California feels too comfortable, and I'm ready for the challenge. I'm like, yes. So she will be great. I will be great. We will be fine. Everything is fine.

[Julie Foudy]

Julie, obviously, you are a huge part of women's soccer, a Stanford alum, a soccer mom. And I would just, you know, love to understand and, like, kind of see how the story that came out on ESPN about a week ago, two weeks ago, how you were able to, like, navigate that. And it's the Save the Katie Myers story and a little bit about, like, you know, mental health and, you know, you have a daughter, and, I mean, none of us can even imagine the pain that her parents went through. But can you just, like, walk us through a little bit of that story?

[Ally]

Oh, gosh, yeah. That one was a hard one. Hardest story I've ever done. So Katie Meyer was a former player and captain who played at Stanford who died by suicide in 2022. And I just remember at the time because she was such a force of personality. She was a presence. And. And I didn't know Katie well. I had met her, of course, through Stanford and calling, you know, the national championship that they won in 2019, and knew of her big personality. And so for all of us in the Stanford community, and I think anyone who knew Katie, it came as a huge shock when we found out that she died by suicide. And I, of course, had a lot of questions. And so after doing a lot of digging, and I took a year before asking her parents because I knew they were grieving. And, you know, you just can't imagine. It's every parent's nightmare, right, to get that call and. And said, hey, you know, I'd really like to tell Katie Meyer's story and your story and really shine a light on how amazing she was as a human being. And. And they. They were. I mean, talk about an inspiration to see Gina and Steve, her parents, in this process of grieving your daughter daily. And, you know, this is a process that started two years ago, so we spent two years with them doing this story, and I'm. I'm incredibly grateful that they were willing to. To trust us and share it with us, because what they had to do was relive a lot of it as well. Right. You're asking them to go back to this day, this moment, the. You know, these memories. And so it was. It was incredibly hard on them. It's hard on. On. On. On a lot of people. And so for them to share as much as they did and be willing to trust us to tell her story was amazing. And it was hard for me as a Stanford alum. Right. Because we pointed out that there were things that, I think in Stanford actually, with their own investigation before Katie actually took her life, found that their process, their disciplinary process was flawed. I won't give away too much of the story, but it gets into a lot of that, and it really should have Been like a three part series. There's so much that we could still tell about Katie and her life. But the most important thing we wanted to get across is how amazing she was and Katie was and how. How Gina and Steve have taken that pain and turned it into purpose and really have. They've passed Katie Meyer's law. There's a bill that's passed to try and prevent this from happening, this tragedy happening to other families. But it just, it. It eats you every day. You're like, man, that's a hard one. That was a hard one to tell.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. I just really wanted to thank you also, as a. As a Stanford alum, it's. It is really hard to criticize or look into the institutions that we love. I mean, we feel. We feel it about women's soccer at the nwsl. But having you on that story and doing that project, I think, yeah, it's helping get it out there to more people with your profile and just the way you tell a. The relationship you had with the parents obviously was so close and so trusting and, yeah, it's really, really tough. But having them changed, change the law now and just the consideration for other student athletes so that this hopefully can stop happening. It was very, very powerful. So thank you so much for being part of that.

[Ally]

Yeah, thanks, Al. Thank you. And. And I do. I do hope it actually. I mean, the whole idea behind this was that it would initiate change and it would, you know, it would cause universities to change and processes to change like this. This cannot keep going on like this. So I'm hopeful that there will be some more change that comes from that, for sure.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, we are glad that this is not goodbye. We get to see you all the time at BMO Stadium.

[Julie Foudy]

We love it. We love the three clap. Yes.

[Sydney LaRue]

And. And we need to bring it back.

[Julie Foudy]

You haven't done it in a while.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, I. I did it remind them how it's done.

[Ally]

Yeah, I forget. I've only done it once this year. I know I've missed a couple games because of travel and schedules, but I. You'll get it back for sure. Can I just say that, like, I know this has not been an ideal year for you all and Ali, I know you've gone through a ton as well, and Sid, you as well. And then now this injury on top of it. So I'm just giving you the biggest strength and hugs and good karma vibes coming your way because you guys deserve all of that. So I know how hard it must be to be watching from the sidelines and you guys will be back out there for sure. I can't wait for you.

[Sydney LaRue]

Well, if not, we'll be hitting you up for a job, so, you know, you're an author.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

So. But thank you so much, so, so much for being a guest on BFFR show and. And being very FFR with us.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Sydney LaRue]

About it all.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes. We love.

[Sydney LaRue]

Really appreciate you.

[Julie Foudy]

We love that. Bring us home with. With the three clock.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, bring us home. Okay.

[Ally]

But as I said, I was saying Sid and Ally, it's gotta come from the soul.

[Sydney LaRue]

Okay. Okay. Gonna blow your eardrums out.

[Julie Foudy]

I will say that when I did the three clap, I didn't do the. I just, you know.

[Sydney LaRue]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

I was a little shy.

[Sydney LaRue]

Okay, don't be shy here.

[Ally]

When you kick, though, kick is the other calf. Okay. I don't want two calves. All right.

[Julie Foudy]

Three.

[Ally]

Club on three.

[Sydney LaRue]

One, two, three.

[Ally]

Oh. Ah.

[Julie Foudy]

Whoa. See that?

[Ally]

Like, pull my hamstring.

[Sydney LaRue]

We're all injured.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I think I felt something in the hamstring.

[Sydney LaRue]

Thank you, Julie.

[Julie Foudy]

Thank you, Julie. We'll see you soon.

[Sydney LaRue]

Hello.

[Julie Foudy]

It's time for happy hour at Bar bffr, where we serve up our L's and dubs of the week and answer your burning questions.

[Ally]

Asmr.

[Sydney LaRue]

Something we are loving. I'm gonna kick us off here because Lola Banta got her first call up to the US Women's National Team. And you know what? For anyone 30 plus, flirty and thriving.

[Julie Foudy]

Stop calling us old.

[Sydney LaRue]

This is epic. Because age ain't nothing but a number until you're 37. Well, so congrats to you, Low. This is huge.

[Julie Foudy]

And.

[Sydney LaRue]

And you deserve it.

[Julie Foudy]

She does deserve it. I texted her when it came out, and I'm like, I'm so proud of you. Like, it's amazing. I mean, I played with her since she was a. A little newbie. So, yeah, it's, like, crazy to see the growth of her.

[Sydney LaRue]

So another Stanford alum. So we're on a roll today.

[Julie Foudy]

Enough.

[Sydney LaRue]

Win of the week. Give us your dub.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay. I mean, the biggest dub I think that we've ever had is that our girl Savvy is home.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And, you know, I think everyone just, like, the past, you know, it's like, makes us emotional because it's just been so emotional. But she's back home.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

When I look at you and your eyes are. I'm like, okay.

[Sydney LaRue]

I know, I know. She's recovering.

[Julie Foudy]

She's recovering. She's with her family. Her beautiful family. And I think, like, everyone involved was unbelievable. Our medical staff Was like, on it saved her life. Yeah. Our medical staff saved her life for sure.

[Sydney LaRue]

And. And just the support around the league, being up at the bay, seeing the other teams really honor her. This is a community.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Sydney LaRue]

You know, that's why I started playing soccer. It's why I'm still playing soccer. Holding on for dear. Because this is a community and it's a family. So thank you to all the support from all over the league, all over the country. And we're just really. We're really thrilled about this.

[Julie Foudy]

We're really happy that. Yeah, she's home.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. You have a quite obvious L that life served.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

This thing is huge. Oh, like, do you, like, pump it up?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, you can. Depends how feisty I want to go.

[Sydney LaRue]

Right.

[Julie Foudy]

L of the week is. I was about to get my first minutes this season, and then I was like, you know what? Let's tear the calf. Yeah, let's just tear the calf.

[Sydney LaRue]

Unrelated to your. To your injury here or mine. I did see this. I saw this on social media, and I thought it was so funny. This is going to be our trend. Okay, so this was millennials in 2025. And some of these apply so much to you, and some of these apply so much to me. Okay, so if you're a millennial in 2025. Still renting. Great. Still renting. We are still renting.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

Can't afford kids. That's me. We talked a little bit about it.

[Julie Foudy]

Might be me, too. Can't afford them.

[Sydney LaRue]

Drinking iced coffee like it's a coping mechanism. Do you. No, no, no.

[Julie Foudy]

We're not coffee drinkers.

[Sydney LaRue]

No, but what do you drink like it's coping mechanism. Your pink.

[Julie Foudy]

Now I do a peach ice. Like a peach green tea.

[Sydney LaRue]

Back pain is a personality trait. That is Sydney LaRue.

[Julie Foudy]

My back pain is, like, God awful. But since I tore my calf, zero back pain.

[Sydney LaRue]

Obsessed with gut health.

[Julie Foudy]

That.

[Sydney LaRue]

That's more me.

[Julie Foudy]

That's.

[Sydney LaRue]

That's more me dreaming of a soft life and stuck in survival mode.

[Julie Foudy]

I don't know when I ever had a soft life.

[Sydney LaRue]

No, but you bring it up a lot.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. Because I want it so bad. Like, I want to be soft, but I don't think I'm built for it. I'm built for survival. Survival, yes.

[Sydney LaRue]

Calling it self care, but it's just lying in bed, you know, that is.

[Julie Foudy]

That's you.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

You love to go to bed early.

[Sydney LaRue]

I love to just lie down, watch a show, and then I say, I've been doing recovery all evening.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

So I think this was. This was pretty accurate, actually.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Aside from the coffee that we don't drink.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, exactly.

[Julie Foudy]

What do we do as a coping mechanism? Send each other.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah. We don't just.

[Julie Foudy]

We talk to each other so that we can laugh.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yes, yes.

[Julie Foudy]

Laughing at each other's pain. That's always. That's always great.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, we send reels and tick tocks to each other all day.

[Julie Foudy]

All day, every day.

[Sydney LaRue]

I think we have a. A voice message for. For us.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, yeah, let's hear it.

[Sydney LaRue]

Okay.

[D]

Hi, guys. My name is Taylor. I have been a u. S. Soccer and NWSL fan for many, many, many years. And a fan of specifically Sydney larousse for many years, as I'm sure a lot of us NWSL washers are. My question for you guys is about your experience with your cycles and how they affected you during your professional years. Specifically. I'm asking that question because I had been watching the recap show. They were talking about how Don Scott formulated plans for the players based on their cycles and, like, for their eating, their training, their rest time, all that. And I thought it was very, very profound. That is my question, is your take basically on women's cycles being incorporated into soc sport? Thanks so much. Take care.

[Julie Foudy]

Bye.

[D]

Bye.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, Taylor, thank you. I think, yeah. Recently we've really looked at women's cycles in sport specifically. You see ACLs. You see a lot of injuries during your cycle. Yeah. And we have someone who comes to our training, like in the beginning of the year when we're doing all of our meetings and we talk about our cycles. Last season we all had to do the test. Yeah. We all had to track our ovulation so that we knew that we were still ovulating or that we were having a period, like a normal period. But, yeah, I mean, more to be done in this. There's a lot more to be. To be done. You know, there's so many things that go into a cycle. Like, my period is different from your period, you know, and it's like, at least we're looking into that. And at least we're like, seeing this. Like, it's not a pro. I guess it's a problem. That sucks to have a period. Why doesn't. Why don't men have it? Yeah, just give them something. Just give them something. But, yeah, I think it's really important. And obviously Ali and I are geriatric now, and so I think even to plan, like, if you want children and, you know, you're playing, Playing a women's female sport that you Know that your body is working the way that it needs to work, and if it's not, then you can get the help early instead of waiting. And that's why, I mean, you, Allie and I both froze our eggs.

[Sydney LaRue]

So, yeah, I think seeing more research is giving me a lot of hope that it can help future generations of players. But seeing the link, this is what has come up recently, which might be what you're alluding to as well, is there is a link between hormones and a menstrual cycle and ACL tears. But what are we supposed to do? Like, we. We have our menstrual cycle, so is it. Are we supposed to adapt something during that time? Like, I feel like there's still more information that I hope we can be told. And in terms of adapting training, it's been different at different clubs. How much? I think we probably could use more information if there's something we should be.

[Julie Foudy]

Eating or like, we do our morning. Like, our wellness. Yeah, our wellness. And it. You have to answer if you're on your period, what day. Yeah. Your symptoms, all that. So we do do that.

[Sydney LaRue]

I think our club is very open and probably more progressive in this space than other ones and certainly other ones that I've played for to just. It's not taboo.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

It's not stigmatized. We talk about it and if it is affecting your wellness, then we do adapt training, but it's just not out there yet for women athletes, I don't think. But we're seeing more, but we. We want answers. So it's a really good question.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. We had a teammate who could not train because her periods were so bad. And you just see how different people are, like, with their cycles, and you're like, oh, my goodness. Like, I don't have that. But, like, for someone else, it's like, debilitating.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

So we learned a lot with that and I think it's really good for, like, the young players coming up. Like, this is something that we need to talk about. Yeah, that was a great question, Taylor.

[Sydney LaRue]

Yeah, we. We will. If we find out more in this space, we will definitely keep all of you updated because. Big part of bffr.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Sydney LaRue]

But that's all we have time for today.

[Julie Foudy]

We.

[Sydney LaRue]

We covered a lot today. I think it was exciting. Emotional.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Yeah, it was emotional.

[Sydney LaRue]

An honor to have Julie Foudy on. And thank you to all of you for tuning in to another episode of the BFFR show. I'm very glad my boo boos is back.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes, I'm back.

[Sydney LaRue]

And don't forget to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever the heck you listen to your podcast.

[Julie Foudy]

We don't care where you're listening or.

[Sydney LaRue]

Watching, follow the show across all social platforms. At BFFR show, there's always bonus content. We covered so much today. It was a really amazing episode. An honor to have Julie with us. Thank you to all of you for listening to us. But don't forget, we'll be back here next Monday. Sid, close us out with our affirmation.

[Julie Foudy]

I am proud of who I am and what I've accomplished.

[Ally]

I.