Minus one press conference of 2024. We are excited to be back. I'm gonna close this door quick. It is an extra special. We as well as many of you heard, Sam Eis will be inducted as our first member of the newly formed Courage Ring of Honor. Sam is with us all weekend participating in some fun activities, pre postgame. We've got a good group in the room. We've got some folks on Zoom as well. We'll start with folks in the room. Then I'll go to people on Zoom. If you do have questions online and ask that you use the raise your hand button so I can call on you. But Sam, we're gonna start with this, first of all. Welcome. And the, the obvious question, what does this weekend mean to you and being inducted into the Courage Ring of Honor? Uh um Well, thank you so much for having me. I like keep over using the word honor because I'm honored. And then it's like also in the title of why I'm here, which is so silly. I need to get a thesaurus. But um it's so incredible to be here. I feel so at home here and so welcome here already. We had, I got to have dinner last night with the staff and the players and to just see that everybody came out to kind of celebrate the start of the season, but also to celebrate this moment for me, um was really, really like, I, I'm like, just so grateful and it was so heartfelt um being back in the triangle area is so amazing and I have so many favorite spots that I'm excited to visit and see all my friends that I used to play with. So, um I'm really just blown away and like, so grateful and humble that the courage is doing this for me and I feel like this is the best place I ever played. So I'm just really happy to be back as you get to look at it a few years removed and kind of see, you know, the locker rooms updates the field updates, the player update. Just what have you seen about the growth of this organization since you left it a couple of years ago? Yeah, I think that the courage has grown with the league. Um I think of course the stadium has always been beautiful. The training fields have always been beautiful, but the locker room looks different. It looks incredible. I'm really excited for the girls that, um, they get to have that. I think that that even just seeing how many staff were out of training is so different, so much more support than when I was here. Um And I'm so happy for the girls. I think something I've been talking to Sean a lot. Um Since being here and I think something that really means so much to me is he keeps saying how the group that was here when I was here, that our legacy is what has allowed this to keep growing and continue and that the culture that was created within the team years ago remains. Um And it's not really something I've thought that much about like legacy and what I've left behind, but being back here in North Carolina is the first time I've like, really felt that um and that like, it means a lot to me that you all brought me here, that I've been able to see the growth and um the new players wearing the crest that means so much to me. And um it's just like incredible. It's been an incredible experience so far. That's awesome. We'll turn it over to questions. Um I said, welcome that thank you. Um Now that you've kind of stepped away from the field and you're kind of on our side of, we know what is that? Some of the, the thoughts and experiences that you're bringing from that over into the media side? Yeah, I think first and foremost, I wanna give players the space to tell their stories on their terms, I think um with like media training and sometimes as a player, you can maybe get your words twisted a little bit and I really want to allow players to feel safe and comfortable, um, talking about even difficult subjects and not feel like I'm trying to get something out of them. Um I'm certainly still learning how to do that. It's a huge challenge. Um, but I think that just my experience and the fact that I've been where they've been, um I hope can lend itself to continued good relationships and I think I do have, um, like, it's such an asset that I'm still really close friends with a lot of players that people want to hear from. Um And I just want to support my friends and teammates. I wanna give the listeners something interesting to, to think about and, and people that they want to hear from, I wanna enable that. Um So I'm trying my best, I'm learning a lot and I feel really, really supported at the women's game and at men and Blazers, um who have just put a lot of trust in me to try and start this thing. So, um hopefully it's going well. Was this a transition that was kind of in the works for a little while or just something that you've always kind of wanted to do? It's so funny. I never thought I would do this. I was an English major in college and I guess that kind of is making sense now that I think about this as journalism. Um But when Lynn Williams and I started our first podcast at just women's sports. I never, I just kind of was like, sure we'll try it, we agreed to do six episodes and then it turned into kind of a bigger thing. Um And then I think being injured for so long gave me time and space and forced me to be like, well, if I can't play, what am I gonna do? Um And the opportunity was there. Um It is really exciting. I love interviewing players. Um It's become a passion of mine. I, I think that I, I get some fulfillment out of it, not dissimilar that I got from playing. Um I don't really know what it exactly is about it. I'm still trying to figure that out, but I do really love it and I, I think in part my injury and that kind of extra time I had to prepare and had to, I had to start thinking, what am I gonna do next? So I have found myself here. I'm just really grateful for the opportunity. Welcome to the other side. Thank you. Uh So it sounds like you were really enjoying the general side of it. What else are you looking to explore now that you are, you know, free from the game day life of a routine? Good question. I, I think it's so funny before I started this job. I had like, kind of a lot of time on my hands. I was rehabbing my knee. Um, but then I'd kind of get home from rehab at, like, noon or one and be kind of be like, what am I gonna do? So, I, like, took a pottery class. I took drum lessons. I was, like, doing all these, like, hobbies and now that I'm, like, working, I'm, like, working as my hobby. Like, I need to try to, it's a transition. I need to kind of try to find that balance. I think as a player, soccer is everything. You're always traveling, you're always watching games, doing film training, recovering. And I think I've just kind of brought that in, like, where I'm 100% all the time. So, um, I haven't had that much time for hobbies yet, but I do love watching games. I love talking to players. Um, so I hope that I can figure out the balance and keep doing like, the good parts of, of all of it. Now that you're, uh, interviewing, what would you ask yourself about your career? Uh, I've never thought of that before. Like, you, you know, you wish you'd be asked, like you're here this weekend and, you know, we're asking about your legacy and memories here. Is there anything? I wish, I wish I could talk about this? I wish someone asked me about this. Yeah, I think it's interesting. Like now as being on this side of it. I might look at my own career and my own story, of course, I would have wanted to ask about the sister situation, what was it? But I got asked that all the time. I loved so much talking about that. Um But it's not like nobody ever asked me about it. I think that was like the number one storyline. Um I do think that something that's been like really interesting for me even being here now is thinking about the role that injuries play for players for the rest of their life. Um I think that I have really struggled with what's gonna be like a lifelong injury. Um And I feel more educated now in knowing maybe years ago that I could have talked about it or I could have expressed that I need more support. Um But something that I would like to ask players now that I maybe never got asked is how do you balance this idea of you're in peak physical condition here and now? But injuries are they can be like per permanent part of your life. And I don't know that I ever thought that um until I started realizing the situation that my knee was in. Um that was a really interesting question though and I'm, that was the first thing that came into my mind, but I am fascinated by that question. I think I know you now with your Yeah, I mean, I think in some ways, I kind of had to, like, rip the band aid off. Like I was, like, lingering around for like two years and everybody saying that I talked to told me I should retire. Um, but I, like, couldn't accept it for a long time. And so I think that announcing it in conjunction with announcing like a new role that I was gonna be in and I had a little retirement party. I think it definitely helped to turn a page. But like, I'm out here watching training at the field and it's sunny and we're on the grass and I'm like, I would do anything to play if, if it was physically an option I would play. Um, and it, so I'm sad even now that it's not physically an option for me and I, like, wish that it was, I'd love to be on the courage Sam. Um, on that note, ho how are you feeling? Obviously you're not on the injury report anymore. But how do you feel physically these days? Yeah, I'm ok. I think like, through my rehab, I got to a really good spot where I could, like, even run a little bit, which I didn't know would be in the cards. But I think it's like a long term kind of balance where I'm not gonna start regularly going for runs and kind of pounding on my cartilage again because I, I'm kind of on borrowed time. I'm, um, I have some like donor transplant tissue in my knee that won't last forever. So I don't wanna get a knee replacement. I'm only 31 but I probably will have to, someday traveling and walking a lot can be sore and painful. I think my knee is like a little bit swollen right now. Um But overall, I feel really fortunate that the level of physical activity that I can do is good, um, in uh, in a lot of ways, like I, I am grateful. Um, as I'm like gritting through my teeth saying that I'm grateful because I know I should be, um, but it is really hard, like if I could just play I would, my knee is just not in the shape to be playing professional soccer. Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things that why people like you so much is because you're so honest and open about this kind of thing. Um, so for you, have you found something, some other physical activity that's less intense that you can do that you can kind of, you know, channel that energy. Yeah, I've been swimming. Um, so I have a couple of friends in Boston that I went to UCL A with and, um, they're big swimmers. He played water polo at UCL A and they, after my knee surgery, they like started inviting me to go swimming with them and now we go all the time. Um, I swim on my own like two or three times a week. I love it so much and it feels so good in my joints. It doesn't hurt my knee at all. And I've gotten like, obsessed with it. Like, I'm like, how many yards am I going? And what time? And, um, so I found that kind of competitive and like pushing myself through swimming, which has been amazing and it's something I can do forever without like hurting my knee, which is nice. Thank you. That, uh, two questions. One, what is the one spot you're excited to go back to now that you're back? I know. Well, it was Juba at the coffee shop and I already went this morning, which I love. Um, I'm, I've been very excited to hang out with my friend Mary and she recommended a place for dinner tonight that we're gonna go with my parents, but I can't pronounce it at the time. Like Cio La Terraza, it's in North Hills or something. Um, but, uh, maybe try some barbecue while we're here. What else? Um, I used to go walk on the quad of NC State all the time and I, it's so pretty there. I love it and I would bring my dog. Um, but I'm also just really excited to be back here at Wake Med. Like I spent all my time here, um, on all these fields, like it feels like running fitness and in the locker room. So, um, I'm really excited to be back here too. Uh And second question you mentioned, like you do, you still love watching soccer? You know, the journal? I know. What are the leagues are you getting into so that, you know, you could perfect your game and even more than it already is. Yeah, I've been watching the WSL a lot, the women's Super League in England. Um It's so cool because the, my men and Blazers, my company um on our Google calendars, we like have all the games from like everywhere coming up. So I was so busy during Gold Cup watching all the international games. I've loved watching the games in England. Um I know the Champions League is starting back up in the maybe next Wednesday. Um So it's been really fun to watch all those games. I wanna watch Spain more. I wanna watch France more. Um It's always easy to watch Lindsay Horan at Leon. So um even like getting into the German League, I know we have some plans to do some maybe a special show about the Mexican League. So I wanna watch everything. I there's not enough time in the day, plug it right back in. We do have one question via Zoom from Tyler. Tyler. Go ahead. Hey, Sam, I'm sure fans are super excited to have you back right now. I was just wanted to ask, do you have plans to be back later on in the season as well? Um Nothing's booked yet. But I it's been made very clear to me that I'm welcome here anytime. So I plan on taking that. Literally, I'd love to come back to some games. Um I'd love it here in North Carolina. It's like so beautiful and green and I love being on the team, the girls, like, even though I ha didn't play with a lot of them have been so gracious and like nice and welcoming to me. So I would love to come back. I think that would be awesome. Awesome, thanks. All right, before we let you go, Sam, just gotta ask you what would be the piece of advice if you looked at that courage team tonight or tomorrow after the game. What's your message to the next generation of women's soccer players? Yeah, I kind of touched on this. We had dinner last night and I, like, awkwardly stood up and made a speech and it was like, so unplanned. But I think something I've been thinking a lot about is how my time here was like, really the prime of my career, but I didn't realize that. And obviously I assumed I would have like, I was 2627 and I was like, I have 10 more years. There's no way this is the prime. Like I kept thinking about the next thing like, well, I have camp and I have the World Cup and I have to go to Man City and then we have the Olympics and I never, I mean, I, I obviously I like enjoyed and I felt like I was present here while I was here. But if I could just tell that version of myself, like, this is gonna be the days you'll look back on as what were so special to you and like the best days of your career, the prime, I think I would have like, appreciated it more. And so when I look at these young girls who are like 24 and like running around so fast and so healthy and I'm so happy for them. I'm just like, I hope that if this is the prime of their career that they like, know can know that somehow and I really appreciate that because I would do anything to just like train one more time and like play one more game. Um It feels like what you say to like a senior in high school, like, enjoy it. It's the best days of your life. Um So it's basically that it's not that original but to try to just be present and enjoy what they're doing. It's great. Any other questions from the room? Sam Lewis. Great to have you here. Thanks everybody. Oh, I sweat in your top though.