Welcome back in. Well, as you guys can see,
we are joined by some special gs
right now here in the studio ant
gives me great privilege to introduce
you guys to the USLW's first expansion
franchise here in the state of California.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Stockton Cargo SC is here in the
building and representing them.
We're going to start off over he
with Co head coach Sia Manu Lel.
And right next to her we have
forward Anaya Shelton and then e
going to head on over to this s.
Right here we also have Co head
coach Anahi Duran.
And standing right next to her s
Haley Boster because she's the .
I remember that well, guys,
thank you so much for being
here today. Thank you for havin.
I appreciate it. Absolutely,
absolutely.
Thanks for spending your Sunday evening.
So let's just get right into it.
You guys, about a month ago,
you had your inaugural match.
I was actually there on the cams
of Delta College in Stockton.
What did it mean to you guys
to see all the fans that
came out to just enjoy this
inaugural match here?
It was very special for us.
I think it was just special to
see your community come togethe.
And show up for the women in Stockton.
You know, it was great for us,
great for the girls to really s,
like what we're about and what e
really want to do with this opportunity.
So it was really good for us.
It was special. Yeah, it was fu.
You said you know the girls
and what this means to them,
but there are also a lot of young kids
who were there as well and we're inspired
looking at you guys play on the field.
What does it mean that you guysw
have these young kids looking ud
seeing this professional soccer club in
Stockton and being inspired by ?
I think that's the biggest thing
like just for us and this team n
the community is for those girls
to see our players and us and te
know that that they could be.
In the same exact position one ,
you know, working hard,
seeing girls like this and having role
models to look up to just really just
gives them like just the chance to say,
hey, I can do that.
So I think that's awesome.
And like Kevin said in the intr,
we have a couple of players here
with us and in professional soc,
the Crest that you wear means at
and we have the Stockton cargo t
that you can see on their polosd
on their other kits, their jers,
especially for the Stockton community
and just like the 209 area, it's like
to represent all the young girls and.
And everybody who had this aspiration to
like start this club here in Stockton,
so I think it's like you're representing
our community is the biggest th.
Yeah, I mean everything that, she said.
It's just been really cool and special
to see this team to go come togr
and just be able to have an opportunity
for younger girls to look up to.
It's just so fun to be able to play again
just in this environment and bee
to continue to push every single day.
Like we want to be able to have a club that.
Strives for excellence,
but also like gives back to our
community and roots back to our
just our why of why we play thee
and why we just love what we do.
So
and I know representing the community is
extremely important for the four of you,
but also competing is extremely important.
You have the USLW league,
a very, very talented league.
Can you tell us a little bit about just
the quality of talent in the US,
especially the quality of talent
here just in Northern Californi?
I think that.
So that's like a huge thing like even
just for Cargo is just showcasing the
talent in our area and just there's so
much talent all throughout California.
And I think just from the teams in the USLW,
you're hearing a lot of girls from big
name schools all throughout the USLW.
But no matter where all these girls are from,
we always just strive to compet.
And I think that we've definitey
been doing that and that's definitely
just the environment of our tead
that's definitely what we go in,
get each game like striving to
do is to compete,
you know, I'm gonna go back to
something, Haley said earlier,
which was your guys's Why?
Why is it so important for you
guys as a club locally here to e
able to pour into the community
like that and invest in the you?
Honestly, I feel like just.
In this area, it's overlooked.
So there's not a lot of opportunities.
A lot of these girls,
if this opportunity wasn't not ,
they would have to travel to Sacramento
to play for maybe like a storm
like WPSL or even to the Bay Ar.
There was nothing like this,
especially when I was in college
where I had something like this
to look forward to where I coul.
Get better and get ready
for my collegiate career.
So having something like this in this
area is just so great for anybody who's
looking to play at the next lev,
who's looking to get ready
for the collegiate season.
And just like Anna said,
like that's our biggest thing,
is making sure that we provide t
environment and just set the foundation.
And I think we've definitely
been doing that
to the players. What is the most
enjoyable experience about this thus far?
What is it that makes you guys o
happy to go out there day in and
day out and play with the squad?
Yeah, honestly, it is so much f.
The girls that come out every single day,
I just always leave happier,
have a smile on my face.
We're always laughing.
It doesn't take away our
competitiveness and all that.
But seriously, these girls haved
the coaches have just met so muh
to me in a short amount of time.
And I know that I'll always have
this environment to come back t.
And I know that it's going to be
a great experience just from the
couple months that we've been h.
So yeah, yeah, definitely.
And the biggest thing too is li,
we can compete and have.
Like, compete really,
really hard with each other and
still have fun while doing it.
And that's the biggest thing is like,
yeah, I won't get mad in the mo,
but then we'll come back and lah
about it like 5 minutes later.
And that's the biggest thing ine
going back to what I said earlir
that we kind of all kind of know each
other and so kind of coming back
and getting in touch with each r
again is just like and it's ama.
And being able to like talk to
each other about our college
experiences and like you know, ,
you played in the same club as ,
like that's crazy, this and tha.
So it's really,
really nice just to come back to that and.
It makes you look forward to it
for the next few years for sure.
I mean, I got a question that
I really want to know from
the players specifically.
If you actually go to the USLW
Twitter account right now,
you'll find pictures of celebrations.
Who has the best celebration?
Celebrations in soccer are phenomenal.
One of my favorite parts
about just the sport, period.
Are these celebrations you guys practice?
Do you organize these things?
Do they happen organically?
Like walk me through what a celebration
looks like after you score Well.
So like Bobby, it's Alexis.
That's who is on our picture for
like the top four in the USLW,
which shout out to her because e
would probably wouldn't have ben
on there with the celebration.
She kind of likes to.
That's kind of part of her like
personality. I would say, you k,
I won't go and ask you like, Bobby, what's
gonna be the celebration if you score today?
Like, it's kind of like a running joke.
But she does always have,
you know, something that.
That's like her personality.
So I think that's really cool to
see, like players get out of thr
personality with their celebratn
because, I mean, we get to see .
But you get to see a whole
another side when they score
a goal and they're like, OK,
and then they do their celebrat.
So that's always nice to see.
Yeah, Yeah. Coach,
are they allowed to celebrate if they
score in practice? Are they alld
to practice? I mean, it's fun.
Like, again, I think you don't r
want to take that away from pla,
like, even like you see like.
The things that they do,
you're supposed to be rewarded.
You make a goal, like reward yourself,
enjoy with your friends,
enjoy with your teammates,
like cuz you worked hard.
So yeah, they celebrate like ye,
it's part of it, yeah.
And Anaya Haley, have you guys thought
at all about how not necessarily
pioneers of that next stage,
but how you represent women's sr
here in this country and how ths
the part of not just your ident,
but you kind of bear that torchr
future generations of this game?
Yeah, I think honestly,
I just wear it like a badge of honor.
Like it is really just as such a cool
opportunity to be able to not oy
represent Stockton, but represet
the women we deserve to be seen.
We work so hard to be able to gt
the opportunities that we have.
So it's just been really a blesg
to be able to see it continue to grow.
And I know in the next 5 to
10 years it's just gonna,
it's gonna really blow up.
And it deserves to because we're
we work hard, we're gritty.
We put in the work every single.
And I just hope.
That people that come out to our
Stockton Cargo games can see our
grit and our why and our heart
every time we step out in the f.
Yeah, I couldn't have said it any better.
And the biggest thing,
too is how much work we really
do truly put into the game.
And I feel like that goes unseen for sure.
And people don't realize that w.
We put in a lot of work every
day to be where we're at,
especially for the college level
and just in this league alone.
And it's huge to see.
Young girls come to our games and it's like
we're kind of setting setting te
tone for them in the future. So,
like, it's it's amazing to see that and like,
feel like a huge part of that. It's huge.
Well, ladies, thank you so muchr
being here. We really appreciat.
Anything else you want to say before we get
out of here? Come out and support us.
And yeah, you won't be disappoi.
You won't be disappointed. Go c.
There you go. You
will not be disappointed.