The third season of Off the Ball is here, with host Ali Riley in a new location with some new teammates set to join the show.

The first two seasons featured Riley in Orlando with teammates from the Pride. This season, however, Riley will be stationed in Los Angeles, where she was traded to Angel City FC during the offseason.

“Being in LA now at home, having these new teammates on this exciting expansion team, I think it’s going to be such a fun season, fun locations, very unique challenges,” Riley said. “We’ve definitely leveled up with all the challenges, and it’s such a cool way for people to get to know this club and these awesome players, my teammates.”

Riley says she’s learned a lot through the first two seasons of the show, be it the art of goalkeeping or new weightlifting exercises. But the most important — and the most fun — part has been learning more about her teammates.

“I think our interviews, even though they’re fun, it’s also really intimate to have two colleagues, two friends, sit down like this,” she said. “People are genuinely interested in women’s sports and women athletes, and there is absolutely space for this and a desire to see this. Just seeing the growth of the brand of Just Women’s Sports itself makes me really proud to be a part of it, and just seeing the support coming from all over the world.”

Past interviews include Alex Morgan — who also made the move to California with San Diego Wave FC — and Sydney Leroux.

The show gives the players a different medium in which to show who they are to the world. With a series of interesting questions and exciting challenges, players are challenged in new ways.

This season will continue to introduce new players to fans everywhere, with “outside of the box” thinking resulting in unique challenges and new locations. Additionally, with more experience under her belt, Riley says she feels more comfortable than ever.

“I think these episodes will be surprising, in terms of some of the challenges,” she said. “Also, I think it’s just really cool to have the support of the club and get to know maybe not just players but some other important people featured as well.”

Ali Riley has been traded from the Orlando Pride to Angel City FC. In return, the Pride will receive $15,000 in allocation money and Angel City’s natural 2023 third round draft pick.

Riley was left unprotected in the expansion draft, but Angel City ultimately went with Claire Emsile from Orlando with their expansion second pick.

Riley has been with the Pride since 2020, making 20 appearances for the club. Prior to that, she spent significant time overseas with Swedish League champion FC Rosengard, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

She has also been a member of the New Zealand national team since 2007, making 140 appearances and tallying one goal.

The move back to Los Angeles will be a homecoming for Riley, who was born and grew up in the area before attending Stanford University.

Last season she made her way into the starting right back position for the Pride, recording 1,556 minutes in 20 appearances. She ended the regular season with 39 clearances, five blocks and 19 interceptions.

She’ll join a defensive group in Angel City that includes Mary Alice Vignola and Sarah Gorden.

Alex Morgan is ready for her daughter Charlie to hit the soccer pitch. The Orlando Pride forward sat down with Ali Riley for the season premiere of Off the Ball, telling Riley she is looking forward to shuttling Charlie to and from soccer practice.

When asked about her favorite memories from her own childhood, Morgan cites all the sports she played.

“Growing up… [my favorite part was] just having soccer games and all different sports. Going from basketball practice to soccer practice and having our parents shuttle us around.

“I’m excited for that.”

When it comes to following in her soccer footsteps, however, Morgan is taking a no-pressure approach to Charlie’s career.

“I think Charlie’s going to be really into all different sports, and so I’m looking forward to just being mom on the sidelines and not too serious.”

Watch the latest installment of Off the Ball for more on Morgan’s life as a new mom and her journey returning to the field.

You can learn more about Alex Morgan’s return to play after giving birth to daughter Charlie by listening to her appearance on the Just Women’s Sports podcast.

Off the Ball is back and kicking Season 2 off with a bang.

Ali Riley sat down with Orlando Pride teammate Alex Morgan in her Florida home to get a behind-the-scenes look into life off the pitch as a new mother to daughter Charlie.

While Morgan always intended to return to soccer after giving birth, that doesn’t mean that getting back on the field was a seamless experience. The star forward joined the Tottenham Hotspurs for a short stint in November 2020, a remarkable six months after giving birth to baby Charlie.

“I think the hardest part was just not really having a set program,” Morgan says. “You know when you have an injury, you have a set this week you’re going to be running, and this week you’re going to be cutting and doing ball work — [returning after giving birth] wasn’t like that.”

Morgan says she had to listen to her own body day-to-day as she worked to return to the field in time for the Olympics.

“As far as the National Team and Orlando Pride, I feel like it was unchartered territory.”

Watch the full Off the Ball episode for more on Morgan’s return to the pitch. You can also listen to a bonus episode of the Just Women’s Sports podcast, where Morgan goes into detail about her time training while pregnant and after becoming a mom.

Ali Riley is more than just an award-winning defender. The Orlando Pride star is also an expert interviewer, eager experimenter, and, according to Marta, the best teammate. The New Zealand captain is also the host of Just Women’s Sports’ Off the Ball, a digital series which takes viewers behind the scenes with some of soccer’s biggest stars.

In season 1 of the series, Riley chatted with some of NWSL’s biggest names about their lives on and off the pitch. With season 2 around the corner, we’re looking back at the best highlights and hijinks from Off the Ball so far.

Ali Krieger: super mom

Ali Krieger joined Ali Riley in the Orlando Pride locker room to chat about her experience juggling being a new mom to baby Sloane with her role as a professional athlete. The Pride defender revealed to Riley that becoming a mom had made a huge impact on the way she approached progress and advocacy in sport.

“I hope that women get paid what they deserve,” Krieger said. “That’s super important for me as a mom, to continue to fight for equality and to continue to fight for what we deserve.”

Riley also got a swaddling lesson from her teammate, as the Off the Ball host volunteered to have herself wrapped up in a blanket in a must-see season finale spectacle.

In the zone with Erin McLeod

Erin McLeod started her sit down with a deep breathing exercise that nearly lulled Riley into a meditative state.

The veteran Canadian goalkeeper is known for her mindful approach to life on and off the pitch, including in her art practice. McLeod likens her “state of flow” in art to being “in the zone” on the soccer field. After talking about her work, Riley decided to put McLeod’s skills as an artist to the test, as the pair drew portraits of each other without looking at the canvas. Chaos, predictably, ensued.

Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir: Icelandic footballer, American Idol

Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir, affectionately known as Gunny, stopped by Off the Ball to chat with Riley about her formative love for rap music and basketball, with the Iceland native having spent part of her childhood in Philadelphia.

“I wanted to be the next Eminem, yet the next Allen Iverson,” Gunny says.

Although that dream didn’t exactly pan out, the Icelandic soccer star did show off her pipes, nailing a TikTok singing challenge with Riley.

Erika Tymrak on coming out of retirment

During their chat, Erika Tymrak gave Riley a behind-the-scenes look into her career-changing decision to come out of retirement after a year away from soccer.

“I honestly didn’t plan on coming back,” Tymrak said, but she “kept on getting signs” that she needed to return.

Eventually, Tymrak not only returned but doubled down on her professional training, changing her diet and exercise routine. A former dancer, Tymrak also took Riley to the studio for a lesson on the dance floor, testing Riley’s hand-eye coordination.

Toni Pressley gives Ali a makeover

Toni Pressley, an original member of the Orlando Pride, linked up with Riley in the team’s locker room for a conversation on vegan cooking, the power of crystals, and her Harry Styles obsession.

Riley then challenged Pressley to a blindfolded makeover that ended in a surprising new look.

Marta shows she’s more than just the GOAT

The one and only Marta Vieira da Silva sat down with Riley in April, kicking off season 1 with a bang.

Considered one of the greatest footballers to ever take the pitch, Marta revealed she is also a Guinness World Record holder, a vegan grill master, and a musical genius–is there anything she can’t do?

The secret to Marta’s success, she says, is her competitive spirit. “When I play, I play like with all of my heart, like I give everything. I be so angry when I lose, I be so happy when I win.”

Marta also showed her musical prowess, playing three different instruments in Riley’s exclusive locker-room shower concert.

New Zealand national team coach Tom Sermanni had some choice words for the Orlando Pride and North Carolina Courage this weekend.

Sermanni called out the NWSL teams after they denied the release of New Zealand internationals Ali Riley and Abby Erceg ahead of the Olympics.

“It’s unprofessional, unethical and shows a complete lack of respect for the players and New Zealand football. In fact, it reeks of discrimination,” Sermanni told ESPN.

Riley and Erceg are the only Tokyo-bound athletes from Orlando and North Carolina to leave after the clubs’ weekend matches. North Carolina’s Debinha and Orlando’s Marta, playing for Brazil in Tokyo, were absent from their teams’ rosters this weekend.

“These athletes are all going to the same major tournament and those clubs have released every single Olympic athlete except for the New Zealanders,” Sermanni said.

The Pride responded to Sermanni’s comments on Saturday.

“The release date of each player is evaluated on an individual basis, factoring the respective national team’s request, the FIFA required release date, the decisions made by other teams in the National Women’s Soccer League as well as the input of the player,” a team spokesperson said. “Claims of discrimination in this matter are simply unfounded.”

Riley and Erceg are set to arrive in Japan on Monday, only two days before the country’s warm-up game against Great Britain.

Last January, 2x NWSL champion Erika Tymrak found herself burnt out from soccer and wanting to focus on her mental health. So she stepped away from the game with no plans to return and moved to Venice. 

However, a couple months into retirement, Tymrak kept finding little signs that pointed to her wanting to play again. She decided to make her return, this time focusing on prioritizing her mental health, which included changing her eating habits and placing more emphasis on recovery.

The midfielder sat down with teammate Ali Riley to discuss the journey back from retirement as well as the story behind the Tymrak family’s last name in the latest episode of Off the Ball.

This week’s challenge included the difficult task of teaching Ali how to dance the ballet, from which she conveniently learned how to do the running man.

Catch the full episode below! You can also find previous episodes here.

The second episode of Off the Ball with Ali Riley has officially dropped.

Ali sits down with her teammate and cooking partner, Toni Pressley, to discuss their hopes and dreams for 2021, what it means to be part of the Orlando Pride, and what the transition was like from college to the pros.

The two then do a blind makeup challenge and discuss Harry Styles. Check it out below and subscribe!

The first episode of Off the Ball with Ali Riley is officially here.

Ali sits down with teammate, friend, and soccer GOAT Marta Vieira da Silva to discuss her legendary career, what keeps her motivated, and what it’s like to be a vegan grill master.

Then, Marta shows off her musical chops, as the pair bust out a song you may or may not recognize. Check it out below, and smash that subscribe button!

Ali Riley is an American soccer player who plays defense for Swedish club Rosengård on loan from the Orlando Pride of the NWSL. As a collegiate athlete, Riley captained the Stanford soccer team to two NCAA semifinals and one final. Internationally, Riley captains the New Zealand women’s national soccer team. Below, Just Women’s Sports talks with Riley and Malmö Clothing Company founder Emilio Bernard about the soccer star’s new collaboration in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. 

You can shop Ali Riley’s Malmö collection here. 

This collaboration is significant for so many reasons, one of which is the fact that it only furthers your connection to the city of Malmö. Can you explain what the city has come to mean to you over the years?

It’s become my home. I feel so lucky to have left my first home in California and come to a country I knew nothing about, and just be welcomed with open arms to a club and a community. This city really does celebrate diversity. Of course, there is always room to grow. I think spreading love and embracing our differences is so important right now. Malmö has done a great job of celebrating women and our cause is all about celebrating strong women and inspiring young girls. We stand for really important things, one of them is supporting and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

Part of this collaboration, for me, is realizing that I was welcomed as a foreigner into this country and this city with open arms, and I want that for everyone. I will be giving my percent of the profits to RFSL [The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights] Newcomers Foundation, which helps anyone in the LGBTQ+ community who is seeking asylum in Sweden. The foundation helps them with legal issues and gives them a community to meet other people. I thought it was the least I could do to use my privilege to help other people.

Have you ever done a collaboration like this before?

No, actually, I don’t even think I’ve ever designed anything. This graphic with the rainbow embroidery just came to mind and Malmö Clothing Company was so helpful. They made it so easy for me to just pick out what style I like, what colors, what materials and what graphic. They helped me bring it to life and it’s all made with love here in Malmö.

You spoke to the significance of the collaboration, but what does it mean to you to be partnering with a local company?

I love supporting local brands, local restaurants and local bars. I think it is so important to support our city and our community. With Malmö Clothing Company, the clothing is not only local, but it is also organic and they make sure to use Fair Trade and certified factories. There are so many choices out there for clothing and for food, and with those choices, we can actually make a difference. So, why not lead by example? I also love working with a local company because it’s showing pride in our city, and I love Malmö. When you’re biking or training and you see someone walk by with a Malmö Clothing Company hat, it gives you such a cool sense of pride and community.

You said that you had never really designed anything before, but have you always had a visual sense or was this a completely new adventure for you?

This is completely new. It’s funny because I wear what’s comfortable, and I wear a lot of active wear. I don’t give that much thought to what I wear. Ever since I arrived in Sweden, I have had to wear a lot more clothing and I made this decision that when I buy clothes like t-shirts and sweatshirts from now on, I’m only going to buy clothes that mean something. I decided this at the beginning of 2020 and I started being on the lookout for clothes that supported a cause or were made with recycled materials, things like that. It is really important to me to support good causes, so when this collaboration fell into my lap, I just thought it was so perfect. Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris were inspirations for me because they had a collaboration with a company all about being an ally, and they designed this shirt that said, “Love whoever the fuck you want.” I love that.

Can you describe your collection for us? 

We have sweatshirts, t-shirts and a hat, so far. I’m not going to give myself too much credit, but the color palette for the particular sweatshirt that I chose is so nice. We kept the t-shirts more basic, so that the rainbow letters pop out more. I originally designed the collection with spring colors, but now that we are moving into fall, there will be another selection and hopefully we can introduce even more colors. I want to do a tote bag, too. Just to have as many people as possible representing Malmö the city, the clothing company and the pride collection.

You spoke a little bit about how you’re donating a percentage of the profits to the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights. Why was it important to you to both highlight that organization and the cause it represents? 

Going to the PULSE Memorial in Orlando had a really profound effect on me. I know that there’s discrimination and hate crimes and homophobia out there, but to see it firsthand and to think that people so close to me experienced that kind of discrimination when we are all human, really affected me. There are so many people close to me who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community — people who I love who inspire me. I thought it was so important to support those people, celebrate love, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and bring awareness. Also, putting your money where your mouth is is important. While spreading awareness is one part of being an ally, making a donation and investing money into programs is also an important part of it. More than just saying that I’m an ally and that I support and love my friends, it is important to actually show it.

When you go to the Malmö Clothing Company website, your collection is right on the homepage. Did you see that? 

I know, it’s so cool. My two friends and my Mom were my models. One of my friends was born and raised around Malmö in Sweden. The other girl is from Scotland and we’ve played together for many years here. And then my Mom just happened to be in Sweden at the time. While I haven’t had to experience any discrimination from my sexuality, I think it’s really cool that my mom is supportive of this campaign and this collaboration. We’ve talked about it, and I know that she would love me and support me no matter what. And, I think it’s cool for an older generation to be part of this collaboration, as well.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

They do ship to the US and, once again, all of my profits are going to the RFSL Newcomers Foundation. I am so thankful that Malmö Clothing Company gave me this opportunity to use my platform to make a difference. It makes me wonder, what more we can do as players. We are in this space now where we do have a bigger following as female athletes, so how can we use it? I think it is our responsibility to make the world a better place.

MALMÖ CLOTHING COMPANY FOUNDER EMILIO BERNARD:

 

Can you give us a quick introduction to Malmö Clothing Company?

I grew up in Oxnard, California, but I quickly left, went to school and started living in the Bay Area. I met my partner when I was living in the Bay Area and she was from Sweden. She basically said, “Runaway with me. I’ll take you to this awesome place called Sweden.” I came out here the first time in 2013 and basically never left. When I first moved, I had no vision for what I wanted to do, so I just did a little bit of everything. I quickly figured out that I was actually really into graphic design. I found some work with graphic design in the music industry and then I started a design studio with a friend. We did that for about five years, but I’ve always been very interested in printing processes and printing techniques.

That, in parallel, worked with an idea that whenever my friends would come visit me in Malmö, there was never anything that they could take home that was a representation of the city. You see cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, and you can’t look five meters down the road without seeing somebody wearing some Los Angeles script t-shirt or some SF Giants stuff. There is that pride here in Malmö too, but nobody was really capturing it and having fun with it. So, I started Malmö Clothing Company about three years ago. The city has been super receptive. People see the effort, they see that it’s genuine and they see that it’s sustainable. It’s been a slow growth over three years, but our stuff is all over town now.

Where did the idea for the collaboration with Ali come from?

It’s interesting because she came into the shop and I was working that day along with my colleague. We were both chit-chatting and Ali came in with all this energy, which is not very Swedish at all. Swedish culture is usually very reserved. We started talking and we realized that we were both from California. I recognized her, but I couldn’t remember how until she left the shop and posted on Instagram about us. I messaged her back like, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Are you interested in doing a collaboration?”

For a while, I had been wanting to reach out to the athletic community, especially FC Rosengård, because they have so much positive energy within their organization. For us, it was the perfect collaboration. She was all in and it was surprisingly easy to make it all work.

Ali mentioned that the design for the collection came to her right away. How did you ensure that the collection would fit both her taste and her ideas as well as the company’s brand?

We have a pretty simple minimalist brand. We try not to do too much. We also have a really good garment supplier. I basically try to only work with them because they have some of the highest standards in the business. They have all of the best certifications in terms of sustainability, and ethics. I pretty much gave her the catalog and said, “Go for it.” She chose something that I had never considered, so it was a bit of a gamble. Ali is our target customer, though. She’s the kind of person that we want to wear and buy our clothing and she’s also bringing a totally new perspective. That was all the convincing I needed, and it’s been super popular. Everybody who comes in says, “Damn, it’s so nice. It feels really high quality and it’s super comfortable.” So, yeah, it’s a 10 out of 10.

You mentioned that you hadn’t yet done anything to celebrate Pride. Why was it important for you to make a collection celebrating the LGBTQ+ community?

There’s a couple of reasons. The most obvious one is that Malmö and Copenhagen were chosen as the International Pride cities for this year, but it got postponed to next year. At the same time, the history of Malmö is quite interesting. Just on a quick note, Malmö is a very, very diverse city — 50 percent of the people who live here are not from here, which is quite rare for a Swedish city. It’s definitely an inclusive city in a lot of ways, and that’s now built into the fabric of the culture of Malmö itself. So I think that’s an important characteristic that needs to be promoted and celebrated. There’s also the whole micro-community aspect where we want to celebrate those communities. Yes, we are all one big community, but there are also smaller communities that we can lift up and shine a spotlight on.

You will have to promote the collection again next year when they do all of the Pride celebrations!

Exactly. This is just the warm-up collection.

How did Ali’s role as a professional athlete play into the collection? 

Obviously, her platform is important because she has a megaphone she can use. When we, as a brand, come up with something, we have — I don’t even want to call it a megaphone. It’s more of a piece of folded paper that we talk through. It only has so much reach. We feel like the message with this collection needed to be propped up on a higher platform and she is the perfect person to do that. Ali actually uses her platform to push out good causes more than just her professional accomplishments. There are more components of her life that have weight to them other than her professional soccer playing skills. I think it was a good mix.

Ali mentioned that it was important for her to work with a company that had international shipping so that her family and friends from home could be a part of it and to keep spreading the message.  

It’s funny to think that there are people out there in Texas and New Jersey and Florida rocking a Malmö sweatshirt with a little rainbow on it. I reckon that when people see it and they see the rainbow, they’re like, “Yep, that’s positive vibes right there.”

Is there anything else that you wanted to add?

Just one. Malmö gets a pretty bad rap in Swedish media, but people fail to highlight a lot of the great things happening in the city. There are so many small businesses and start-ups that are out here working on women’s health, health accessibility, education accessibility and more. So many good things come out of Malmö that just get swept under the rug. I think it’s important to highlight when something fun like this comes out. It’s great for the city and it’s good to push back with a little bit of positivity.