The A-League is back, and OlanTekkers reckons anyone saying it’s dead clearly wasn’t at the Sydney Derby. The atmosphere was unreal, even if the football didn’t quite live up to it. Olan and Kat Haddad break down the opening round, the Sydney Derby stalemate, the chaos of the F3 Derby and why the derbies matter so much for the league.

Then it’s over to the Premier League and the mess at Manchester United. Is Michael Carrick really the man to turn things around, or are the problems much bigger than the manager? Later, Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Isabella Chidiac joins Olan to talk about her football journey, playing with boys growing up, earning a full US college scholarship worth $150k a year, balancing elite football with a pre-med degree, and why breaking into professional football as an international player isn’t as simple as being good enough.

She also opens up about returning to Australia, the financial realities of the women’s game, her Matildas dream and the motivation that keeps her chasing it.

In this episode: 

00:00 The A-League is back

01:45 Sydney Derby review

04:58 The F3 Derby delivers

09:50 A-League Women kicks off

10:09 What’s gone wrong at Manchester United?

16:43 Should clubs give managers more time?

18:40 Isabella joins the pod

19:16 Starting out playing with the boys

22:10 Why Isabella chose US college football

23:56 The $88k-a-year full scholarship

24:31 Life as a student athlete in America

26:24 How good is US college football?

29:17 Trying to turn pro after college

31:29 Returning to Western Sydney

32:14 The financial reality of the A-League Women

33:18 Chasing a Matildas call-up

34:54 Australia vs America

38:49 Isabella’s advice to young footballers

40:57 Dealing with rejection and staying motivated

41:45 Ronaldo vs Messi

43:30 When should Ronaldo have retired? 

44:32 Outro