North Carolina Courage's Jaelene Hinkle (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
THIS IS EPISODE 440 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Jaelene Hinkle plays professional soccer for the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She was selected seventh overall in the 2015 NWSL Draft by the Western New York Flash.
Playing the defender position, Hinkle starred in high school at Valor Christian in Highlands Ranch, Colo., where she was a Parade High School All-American and named first-team all-state.
She has played the last five seasons in the NWSL, the first two with Western New York and the last three with North Carolina, which has won three consecutive NWSL Shields (best regular-season record) and the past two NWSL championships.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Hinkle about her journey to pro soccer, winning the NWSL title again in 2019, where her journey with Christ began, and facing scrutiny for standing up for her faith.
"If you live for people's acceptance, you'll die from their rejection." – @lecrae
Kirk Cousins in 2026 with the Raiders. (AP Photo/John Locher)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING KIRK COUSINS
Kirk Cousins is preparing for his 15th NFL season after signing a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler was originally a fourth-round pick in 2012 by the Washington Redskins, spent six seasons in Washington, then six with Minnesota and two with Atlanta before joining Las Vegas in March.
Today on the podcast, Kirk joins Matt Forte to discuss his new home in Las Vegas, the decision to join the Raiders, being a steward of his football career, prayer in his life, and being a dad to two boys.
U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Team USA got off to a strong start in the 2026 World Cup with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in the opening game of group-stage play Friday. And in the process, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese did something no one had ever done before — becoming the first active Major League Soccer goalie to make a World Cup start for the U.S.
It was the latest attribute in what’s been a gradual climb to the top levels of his profession for the New York City FC goalkeeper.
“It was a great night for sure,” Freese told MLSsoccer.com postgame in Los Angeles. “I had a great view for what was happening in front of me. The guys up top and in the midfield, everyone was vibing well and connecting really well. I think it was super evident everyone was on the same page, just the flicks and the one-touch, two-touch passing was crisp and really good. So a great first step.”
Not only was it his first World Cup start, but with the U.S. serving as a tournament co-host, he got to do it in front of American fans — a sold out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I always try to keep my eyes down, so that I don’t get amazed too much and out of my own focus, thinking about a crowd and stuff like that,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “But today, walking out onto the field — I had gotten some texts from a few mentors that said, ‘Make sure you take a moment to take it in,’ because they know I otherwise I wouldn’t. And so I did. Just looked up, and it was a breathtaking sight.”
The 27-year-old Freese studied economics and computer science at Harvard before turning pro following his sophomore season to sign with the Philadelphia Union — his hometown team — ahead of the 2019 MLS season. There, he started 13 matches over four years before being traded to NYCFC ahead of the 2023 season. He won the starting job a year later and emerged as one of the league’s rising goalkeeping stars.
He earned his first invitation to a national team camp in January 2025, where he was behind Matt Turner, the 2022 World Cup starter, as well as others. Manager Mauricio Pochettino selected Freese for the 2025 Gold Cup, and over the past year he’s started 15 of 18 matches, with Turner handling the other three.
Freese was only tested with two shots on goal the whole game against Paraguay, and allowed just the one second-half goal. He’ll look to keep the momentum heading into the U.S. men’s national team’s second group-stage game, Friday against Australia, which defeated Turkiye 2-0 on Saturday.
“I like to take everything very steady, and never get too high, never get too low,” Freese told MLSsoccer.com. “But from a group perspective, I think a focus is on cohesion and the chemistry that we’re building, and I think you could see that on the field tonight.”
A big part of what helps keep Freese grounded is his faith in God.
“I always remind myself God’s got me,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “God’s looking over me and watching over me. … And I think this is a very big way faith has motivated me as well as guided my career and my soccer journey — is the fact that God’s given me so many opportunities in general. But to focus on soccer, God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career.”
Faith has been a part of his life as long as he can remember. As a child, he attended Catholic mass in his youth soccer team’s jersey because he had games right afterward. As an adult, that rhythm of going to mass and doing Bible studies never really stopped.
But he can look back to earlier in his career to see where his faith began to blossom and become as strong as it is now.
He didn’t see the field much during his first season with the Philadelphia Union in 2019, then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire 2020 season. He used that time as an opportunity to rediscover his love for soccer and made a plan to come out of the pandemic a better player.
“I’ve learned so much about failure, so much about success, so much about teamwork and selflessness, and a will to compete and a will to suffer,” Freese told Sports Spectrum. “And I think all the failures, successes — everything I just mentioned — that’s been created by God. And so in that way, it’s indirectly teaching me about so many things off the field and I’m super grateful for that.”
Others have seen the growth as well, including Andy Young, who serves as the team chaplain for both the Union and the USMNT.
“I’ve seen his identity become more deeply rooted in who he is as a son of God rather than simply as a soccer player,” Young told Sports Spectrum for a Summer 2026 magazine feature on Freese. “Out of that, he’s developed a genuine desire to bless others, to be a light, and to share the message of Jesus with the people around him.”
Freese participates in Bible studies with both his club and national teammates and said despite being a busy athlete, he knows how important it is to prioritize his time in Scripture. This year, he’s been going through the Bible in a Year plan with Father Mike Schmitz.
“There’s just this kind of automatic connection that you make when you talk about deep subjects like faith and the Bible on a weekly basis with a teammate,” Freese told Sports Spectrum. “You’re going to trust him a little bit more on the field, or at the very least you’re going to care more about them. You’re going to be very invested in their success.
“I’m invested in all of my teammates’ success, but there’s a little bit that just kind of happens subconsciously when you make that deeper connection through faith.”
The U.S. and Australia kick off at 3 p.m. ET Friday in Seattle on FOX.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY SCOTT LINEBRINK & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING MASON MILLER
Mason Miller is the stud closer for the San Diego Padres. He was originally selected by the Oakland A’s in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft after a college career at Division-III Waynesburg University and one year at Division-I Gardner Webb. He made his MLB debut in April 2023, and in 2024 was named to the American League All-Star team. In July 2025 he was traded to the Padres, and in 2026 he was named to Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster.
Today on the podcast, Mason Miller joins Jason Romano and Scott Linebrink to talk about throwing 104 mph, his newfound stardom, finding identity outside of baseball, growing in his faith, what “Jesus Won” means to him, and the experience of being traded in 2025 from the Athletics to the Padres.
