WPS Weekend Games-June 27 & 28

It's funny how you find out about things sometimes. As I routinely do on Friday evenings before finishing my preview of the weekend games, I was checking the roster report on the WPS website to see what players were listed as injured. I'm browsing through the list and all of a sudden something just popped out at me. "Unavailable...Kerri Hanks (traded to Sky Blue FC), Francielle (traded to Sky Blue FC)...Sarah Walsh (traded to Saint Louis Athletica)." WOW!

The full trade is Kerri Hanks, Francielle, and the negotiating rights to Renata Costa for Sarah Walsh, the negotiating rights to Ester, and a conditional draft pick (conditional 1st or 2nd round pick depending on if Sky Blue can sign Renata Costa by December 1st). I can certainly see why Athletica would want Walsh. They have had trouble scoring and Walsh gives them the element of speed to give them a double threat with Eniola Aluko. However, Walsh has been injured for the last month with a hamstring injury. Kerri Hanks finally scored her first goal on Wednesday. Francielle had not been seeing much playing time recently, but she is the youngest player in the league, so that was surprising, too. In any case, this could be a blockbuster deal. None of the players can play this weekend as the deal was completed too late to be processed in time. But in any event, this trade added a little excitement to the weekend of soccer.

There is a light schedule this weekend with only two games slated, but the playoff race, like the weather, is heating up. After recapturing 2nd place with back-to-back victories, Boston gets the weekend off, as does 3rd place Washington. Saint Louis travels to New Jersey to take on Sky Blue FC in a battle for 4th place. Meanwhile, Chicago tries to find an answer to their scoring problems in Los Angeles.

Chicago Red Stars at Los Angeles Sol

At this point, it's very hard to see the Sol not winning the regular season title. They have 31 points, are 13 points ahead of everyone else, and chances are only one or two other teams will even get to 30 points by the end of the season. However, they have hit a few speed bumps lately, getting outplayed in two of their last three games. As good teams do, they still managed to capture 7 points in those three games, but I'm sure they were not happy with their play over that stretch. Chicago just needs to find a way to score, having hit the net just twice in the last 758 minutes of soccer. That's two goals in over 12 hours of soccer, if you're keeping track.

One thing that could be a factor in the Saturday morning contest is just how much Wednesday night's game in St. Louis took out of the Sol. They were outplayed on an extremely hot evening and were barely hanging on in the end. Considering the plane flight home, they really have less than 48 hours to recuperate before meeting the Red Stars at 10 am, LA time.

Although Marta and Camille Abily have done most of the scoring, the Sol are finding other sources of offense. Brittany Bock now has two goals. Han Duan made a brilliant play to score the first goal against Athletica. But I think the Sol relied a little too much on Karina LeBlanc's dazzling performance in goal for Abner Rogers' taste. LeBlanc has been the best keeper in the league to this point, but the clean sheets have been harder to come by lately. Their defense looked vulnerable at times and they allowed way too many good chances in that last game. Martina Franko did not make the trip to St. Louis, but she will be available for Saturday. Abily and Marta are now 1-2 in scoring with 7 and 6 goals respectively.

On the other hand, Chicago has scored just 8 goals all year, with four of them coming in one game. Emma Hayes has tried a variety of combinations in an attempt to get some offense, but so far she's come up empty. Only one Red Star has scored since April, that being Cristiane. And while the offense has been struggling, the Red Stars have just been riddled with injuries. Ella Masar, Ifeoma Dieke, and Carli Lloyd have missed a number of games and then Marian Dalmy got injured against Boston and she is out. In my opinion, Chicago ought to have one of the best midfields in the league, but they haven't been showing it on the pitch. Neither Karen Carney nor Megan Rapinoe has produced much lately and Lloyd has been in a season long slump. Keeper Caroline Jönsson has faced more shots than any other goalie, but she has managed to keep the Red Stars in most of their games.

The Red Stars have eight games left to get it turned around. In spite of everything, they are just three points out of a playoff spot and could move up to 5th place by the end of the weekend. After this game, Los Angeles will only have five games left and they will have plenty of opportunities to rest players for the playoffs. The two teams tied in their first meeting this year. If ever a team was vulnerable to an upset, I would think this would be the time for the Sol.

Saint Louis Athletica at Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue is a team trending upward. Since Kelly Lindsey took over as head coach, they have gone 2-1-1 and they have a chance to move into 4th place with a victory over Saint Louis. Athletica has squandered its games in hand and now are in the precarious predicament of losing their hold on the 4th and final playoff spot. While none of the traded players will participate in this game, it will be interesting to see how the trade affects each team mentally.

Sky Blue is coming off a week and a half hiatus, which should leave them well rested. Rosana scored the game winning goal in SBFC's last game against Chicago and with Walsh traded, she will be an even bigger part of Jersey's offense. Sky Blue has been playing better since Kelly Lindsey has taken over as head coach and this improvement also coincides with Yael Averbuch's insertion into the starting lineup. However, the problem all year for New Jersey has been scoring and they have scored just once in their last 3 games.

On defense, Sky Blue has given up more than one goal on only two occasions. The only other team that has done better is Los Angeles. Jen Branam has gotten most of the starts in the net, although Karen Bardsley started the last game against Saint Louis. The back line of Asante, Rampone, Dowling, Schnur have been solid. Dowling, who missed the first game in Saint Louis, gives them added strength on corners, with her great leaping ability.

Likewise, Saint Louis has had problems scoring. Kerri Hanks finally got her first goal, but now she is gone. The only consistent scorer has been Eniola Aluko, who has three goals and assisted on Hanks goal against the Sol. Amanda Cinalli has been a welcome addition to the Athletica midfield and she scored the only goal in the first meeting between these two teams. Set pieces have been a major problem for Saint Louis. Against LA, they attempted 12 corner kicks, with none of them producing anything close to a good scoring chance. Kendall Fletcher did a nice job marking Marta for most of the game Wednesday and I wonder if Natasha Kai might be her assignment on Sunday. The defense is usually solid, led by Tina Ellertson and Kia McNeill, but it seems like they have one or two breakdowns every game which have proven to be costly.

Sky Blue is the more rested team in this match. A victory for Athletica would give them some breathing room over the bottom teams in the league. A Sky Blue victory puts them in 4th place and remember that they don't have to face Los Angeles the rest of the season, which should certainly be in their favor. It should definitely be a low scoring match, given the two teams' histories. The game will be televised on FSC at 6pm eastern time on Sunday.

Sky Blue and Athletica Make Major Trade

Sky Blue FC has traded Sarah Walsh, the rights to Ester, and a conditional draft pick to Saint Louis Athletica for Kerri Hanks, Francielle, and the rights to Renata Costa.

None of the players will be allowed to play this weekend as the trade happened to late to be processed by US Soccer.

Match Report-Los Angeles 2, Saint Louis 1

Saint Louis dominated play, outshot Los Angeles 25-12, outcornered them 12-2, but in the only statistic that really matters, they fell to the Sol by the score of 2-1. Second half goals by Han Duan and Marta gave LA a 2-0 lead and then they held on for dear life to gain the three points. Karina LeBlanc was the difference, making 8 saves to give the victory to the Sol. Los Angeles is now 13 points clear of 2nd place Boston, who defeated Washington 1-0 in Wednesday night's other contest. Meanwhile, Athletica is clinging to the 4th and final playoff spot with 14 points.

The first half started with the Sol getting the first real chance of the game 5 minutes in. An Aya Miyama free kick from about 25 yards out got through to Shannon Boxx in front of the goal, with Athletica apparently thinking she was offsides. However, the ball somehow got through Boxx into the waiting arms of Saint Louis keeper Hope Solo. It was one of the few chances LA would have all night.

At about the 10 minute mark, Lori Chalupny hit a shot that LeBlanc made a diving save on. Several more chances followed, with shots going either wide or handled by LeBlanc. In the 28th minute, Amanda Cinalli set up Chalupny whose header was low to the left corner, but LeBlanc again slid to her right to make the save. In the 34th minute, LeBlanc made another nice save on Eniola Aluko's shot. The first half ended scoreless.

Early in the 2nd half, LA coach Abner Rogers made what was probably the key substitution of the match, sending in Han Duan and it quickly paid dividends. Han got the ball just outside the box, flipped the ball over the Athletica defender, outraced her to the ball, and finished with a shot in the upper right hand corner of the net to give the Sol a 1-0 lead. It was a great individual effort by the Chinese striker.

If Athletica's pressure in the 1st half was intense, they turned it up a notch after that goal. The chances were coming almost every minute at one point. The best of the chances was in the 62nd minute as Angie Woznuk struck a free kick which found Chalupny who hit a hard shot that LeBlanc made a great save on. Aluko was just late to get to the rebound. This was followed over the next 5 minutes with shots from a Melissa Tancredi header (saved by LeBlanc), a hard shot from Woznuk (just wide), a Christie Welsh shot (blocked at the defense), another Tancredi shot (saved by LeBlanc), and another Welsh shot (high and wide).

But as has happened so often this year, a quick counterattack and a Marta goal got the Sol out of trouble. Marta appeared to finish with a flick from the outside of her foot past Hope Solo to put the Sol up 2-0. The goal seemed to temporarily dishearten Saint Louis and Los Angeles controlled the next five minutes.

Coach Jorge Barcellos decided he had to go all out in the offensive end, subbing in forwards Kerri Hanks and Ashlee Pistorius. The Hanks substitution paid off with a goal. In the 80th minute, Hanks received the ball just outside the box and dropped a pass to Aluko, who struck a nice through ball to Hanks. Hanks made no mistake in blasting home the shot, bringing Athletica to within one goal. It was Hanks' first goal of the season.

Saint Louis continued to put pressure on for the final 10 minutes. Pistorius manoeuvered for a shot, but struck it well wide. A long ball into the box saw Hanks go up with LeBlanc in an attempt for a header, with the ball getting through LeBlanc's hands, only for the Sol's defense to clear it away. Another shot by Athletica was briefly fumbled by the Sol's keeper, but she recovered just in time to hold on. In stoppage, a Stephanie Logterman cross into the penalty area saw an Athletica player nearly get ran over, but there was no call and the Sol once again cleared. It was the last good chance of the match.

After the game, Barcellos was quoted as saying "we missed a goal almost from inside the goal", which was an apt description of Athletica's finishing and frustration. Finishing has been a problem for Saint Louis all season and it was never more evident than in this game. Set pieces were wasted by Athletica all night, whether it was a couple of corners going behind the net or sailing long of their target.

For the Sol, LeBlanc saved the day with several great stops. Han Duan's brilliant effort gave the Sol their first goal and Marta sealed the deal with the Sol's second goal. Allison Falk headed quite a few of Athletica's many corner kicks clear. Give coach Abner Rogers a big thumbs up for making a key substitution with Han at a pivitol point in the game.

For Athletica, several players played well in spite of the disappointing result. Woznuk easily had her best game of the year. Hanks finally got her first goal, lifting the weight of the world off of her shoulders. Christie Welsh was dangerous, getting off seven shots for the match and constantly putting pressure on LeBlanc. Kendall Fletcher and Kia McNeill did a great job of shutting down Marta and company in the 1st half. But as has been the case too often this year, just one or two mistakes by the defense cost them dearly.

Both teams return to action this weekend. Los Angeles doesn't have much time to recover from the heat and exhaustion in Saint Louis as they return home to face Chicago in a Saturday afternoon match. Athletica travels to New Jersey to face Sky Blue FC in the FSC game of the week on Sunday evening.

WPS Draft Revisited-Washington Freedom

For the fifth installment on the WPS Draft, we'll take a look at the Washington Freedom.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#7)-Allie Long, North Carolina; 2nd round (#8)-Alex Singer, Virginia; 4th round (#22)-Jill Gilbeau, Texas; 4th round (#23)-Parrissa Eyorokon, Purdue; 5th round (#35)-Briana Scurry, Massachusetts; 6th round (#36)-Rebecca Moros, Duke; 7th round (#49)-Sarah Senty, Virginia; 8th round (#50)-Kati Jo Spisak, Texas A & M; 9th round (#63)-Claire Zimmeck, William & Mary; 10th round (#64)-Christen Karniski, Illinois

Strategy
Well, let's see now. Alex Singer, Rebecca Moros, Sarah Senty, Kati Jo Spisak...all Washington Freedom 2007-08. Jill Gilbeau and Christen Karniski...both Washington Freedom 2008. Do we detect a pattern here? Yes, Jim Gabarra is definitely loyal to his former W-League players. Most of the draftees were young with five of them playing college soccer in 2008. The Freedom also seemed partial to ACC players, choosing four. They were one of the two teams to choose two goalkeepers in the draft, which turned out to be a good idea, given McLeod's visa problems. The Freedom also made a minor trade.

Trade
Washington traded their 3rd round pick (#21) to Saint Louis for Joanna Lohman and Athletica's 4th round pick (#23). The trade ended up being Elise Weber for Lohman and Parrissa Eyorokon. Eyorokon started the season injured and Lohman has seen minimal action, while Weber is now starting for Saint Louis. Lohman has strong ties to the Washington area, so it almost seemed like a trade of convenience for both teams.

Current WPS Status
For the Washington Freedom, 9 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, with the 10th, Claire Zimmeck making the squad and playing, but recently being waived.

Full time starters (3)-Long, Singer, Gilbeau.
Part time starters & other full roster players (5)-Eyorokon, Scurry, Moros, Senty, Spisak.
Developmental (1)-Karniski.
Released (1)-Zimmeck.

Note that Gilbeau will likely be a sub for the rest of the season, now that Ali Krieger has joined the team. Moros has been starting more lately. Scurry and Spisak shared the starting position in goal before the arrival of McLeod. Technically, Spisak is a developmental player, but she has either been the starter or the backup for most of the season.

What They've Done (through 11 games)
Long-11 G, 11 GS, 844 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 23 shots, 8 SOG
Singer-10 G, 9 GS, 793 Min, 1 shot, 1 SOG
Gilbeau-11 G, 6 GS, 661 Min, 2 assists, 2 points, 4 shots, 2 SOG
Eyorokon-2 G, 21 Min
Moros-10 G, 5 GS, 560 Min, 2 goals, 4 points, 11 shots, 6 SOG
Senty-1 G, 26 Min
Zimmeck-4 G, 1 GS, 63 Min
Karniski has not played.

Scurry-3 G, 3 GS, 270 Min, 11 saves, 2.00 GA
Spisak-2 G, 2 GS, 180 Min, 9 saves, 3.00 GA

Total Offensive Output-49 G, 32 GS, 2968 Min, 3 goals, 2 assists, 8 points, 39 shots, 17 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-5 G, 5 GS, 450 Min, 20 saves, 2.40 GA.

G=Games; GS=Games Started; Min=Minutes; SOG=Shots on Goal; GA=Goals Against Average.

The Players

Allie Long-The former UNC star was probably the closest thing to a surprise pick in the 1st round and even she wasn't much of a surprise. I had her going early in the 2nd round. Long has started every game for the Washington Freedom, playing both as an attacking midfielder and a forward. Early in the season, it didn't seem to me that she had a high work rate or that she was particularly aggressive, perhaps because she seems to run effortlessly. However, in recent games, she's been far more active and I thought she played one of her best matches against Athletica last weekend. Her lone goal of the season came against FC Gold Pride, but she has taken 23 shots which is among the highest shot totals of anyone in the draft. She has good height and with a little aggressiveness and experience, could become a good target forward. If she continues to improve and works hard, she can become a versatile attacking player.

Alex Singer-20 seconds into the opening game, Singer had the ball at her feet, with Marta on her back. About two seconds later, she was frantically racing after Marta after being dispossessed. Welcome to the WPS, Alex Singer. Actually, Singer recovered on that play and went on to play a fairly decent game. Later in the season, she has taken a couple of knocks, a hard elbow to the head courtesy of Christine Latham and a collision with Ally Wagner that left her with a concussion. Overall, Singer has played a solid outside back, playing the first game on the right side, but she has spent most of the time on the left. She has excellent speed, although she did get beat by Alex Scott in a game against Boston. Her ball skills are good. Comparing her to fellow Freedom draft pick, Jill Gilbeau, I would say that Singer is better defensively, while Gilbeau is better going forward. Singer is a steady performer, a good pick and would have started every game so far if it had not been for the injury.

Jill Gilbeau-Gilbeau was drafted early in the 4th round, shortly after her former Longhorn teammate, Stephanie Logterman. Gilbeau has started just over half of the Freedom's games, playing outside right back for the most part, although she actually subbed in as a forward recently. As a defender, she is very good going forward on overlapping runs and she has hit several nice, accurate serves from the right wing. She has a couple of assists for the season. Defensively, she has played pretty well, but had a tough game against Gold Pride, getting beat by runs to the back post twice in that game. Gilbeau is certainly a nice weapon to have on the back line and if she continues to improve her defense, she could be a very good player in this league.

Parrissa Eyorokon-She missed several games early on with an injury and has seen just 21 minutes of action so far. At Purdue, Eyorokon was a terrific offensive player, scoring 27 career goals for the Boilermakers and being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2007.

Briana Scurry-When the Freedom made this pick, I thought it was a smart choice. However, Scurry did not get off to a good start for Washington and hasn't started since early in the season. In her case, it was probably a combination of bad luck (the Allison Falk goal in the opener) and below par play. She is certainly not the keeper she was 10 years ago. Her leg strength is not very good and her kicks rarely make it near the midfield line. In Scurry's defense, she had not seen a lot of action leading up to camp. I still think she could make a good backup keeper, but her days as a starter may be over.

Rebecca Moros-If there is one player who symbolizes the Freedom, it would be Moros. She is an overachiever, who works hard all the time. Moros isn't going to beat you with her one-on-one skills, but she's darn sure going to make you work your butt off to beat her. It was that work ethic that led to her scoring the winning goal in the Freedom's 1-0 victory over Saint Louis, blocking a clearing effort, collecting the ball, and putting it over the keeper's head. She can play both midfield and forward. Moros distributes well and is a very accurate passer. She will chase defenders ceaselessly, attempting to force them into a mistake. She has two goals for the year. This was a great 6th round pick by the Freedom.

Sarah Senty-Senty recently joined the team after finishing up her studies at the University of Virginia. She has played in just one game to this point.

Kati Jo Spisak-Spisak is the tallest player in the league at 6-2. She started two games for the Freedom, winning one and tying one, but she has a lackluster goals against of 3.00. This was certainly not all her fault, however. She moves well side to side, but will occasionally give up a rebound that she probably shouldn't. Her height is a definite advantage on balls in the air.

Claire Zimmeck-She started the season opener against the Sol, but got very few touches in that game and saw only 20 more minutes of action in 3 matches after that. She was recently waived by Washington. The former William & Mary captain scored 57 goals in her college career.

Christen Karniski-The former University of Illinois defender made the Freedom as a developmental player and has yet to see any action.

Summary
Any time all ten of your draft picks have made the squad at one time or another, you've had a pretty good draft. Long, Singer, and Gilbeau were solid picks and have contributed quite well to the Freedom. Moros was a gem in the 6th round. Scurry and Spisak haven't quite panned out as well as the Freedom would have hoped, but McLeod was probably going to be their number one keeper anyhow and either of those two could make a decent backup. It's really too early to know about their other picks since we haven't seen much of them, Eyorokon because of injury, Senty because of school, and Karniski being developmental. Zimmeck was cut, but she wasn't a bad pick and she accomplished more than most of the other 9th round picks.

This was a pretty good draft and could be a very good one, if the players at the top continue to improve and the later round selections get some playing time. They are the only team in the league that all ten are either still on the roster or contributed to the team at some point. There are good points and bad points to being so single minded with respect to drafting so many players from the W-League version of the Freedom. But there is certainly something to be said for bringing in players that you are confident of their work ethic and that already know the system. Over the next couple of years, we'll find out if this was just a good draft or even better.

WPS Midweek Games & Notes-June 24

The top four teams are in action Wednesday night in the WPS. Washington will be at Boston with 2nd place at stake. Saint Louis will host Los Angeles in the third meeting between those two teams.

Washington Freedom at Boston Breakers

When these two teams last met, it was a rugged affair with Christine Latham of Boston being suspended for an elbow to the head of Alex Singer, Joanna Lohman also being suspended for an elbow, and Breakers' coach Tony DiCicco being fined for post game comments about the officiating. Now the two teams are fighting for 2nd place, with Washington having a 16-15 edge in points going into this match.

The Freedom are on a roll, going 4-1-3 over their last eight games. Their only losses for the season have been twice to Los Angeles and once to this Breakers team they will meet Wednesday evening. The Freedom, who were the last team to post a shutout, have now posted two in a row thanks to Erin McLeod. McLeod was the main reason that Washington got anything out of the Saint Louis game over the weekend, let alone a victory. That and a tremendous effort from Rebecca Moros on the goal. The duo of Abby Wambach and Lisa DeVanna give the Freedom a nice combo of strength and speed up front. I'm more impressed with DeVanna every time I watch her. She just never quits. The Freedom's defense is a little suspect, although the addition of Ali Krieger certainly helps. Sonia Bompastor has also started on the back line for the last couple of games, but that may be more because of Alex Singer's injury than anything else.

Boston had been struggling, but the 2-0 victory over Chicago has gotten them back on track. And the big news for Breakers fans is that Amy Rodriguez has finally scored a goal. With Kelly Smith's lingering injuries, Boston desperately needed scoring from someone else and got it from the former USC star. The Breakers have made a keeper switch of their own, now going with Allison Lipsher in goal instead of Kristin Luckenbill. Alex Scott is perhaps the best attacking defender in the WPS. Amy LePeilbet anchors the center of the defense. Several Breakers' players are listed as questionable for the game including Sue Weber, Kasey Moore, and Candace Chapman.

For most of the season, 2nd place has been bad luck. Every team that takes over that position seems to fall on hard times. This is the 4th game in 11 days for Boston and they've had one less day of rest coming into this game. The Freedom, on the other hand, had very harsh weather conditions in their victory over Saint Louis. Wambach had to come out of the that game early with a hamstring problem and is listed as questionable. Smith's knee appears to be holding up and she is listed as probable for the match. Boston holds the edge in the season series so far with a win and a tie.

Los Angeles Sol at Saint Louis Athletica

League leading Los Angeles travels to St. Louis to face 4th place Athletica on Wednesday night. The Sol are 12 points clear now and it looks like they will be able to take a summer vacation starting in early July with very few games left and 1st place nearly wrapped up. Saint Louis needs to get something out of this game, facing four straight road contests starting Sunday.

Athletica's scoring woes continued Saturday, being shut out by the Freedom. Saint Louis has scored just 8 goals this season, with one being directly off of a corner kick and another being an own goal against Chicago. Since Daniela has been out, Eniola Aluko has been virtually the whole offense for Athletica, save for one goal by Amanda Cinalli. There is no reason to think that will change this match, as Los Angeles easily handled Athletica the last time the two teams met. The addition of Cinalli and Stephanie Logterman to the lineup has helped certainly, but the scoring problem persists. Hope Solo has now posted 4 shutouts, second only to the keeper at the opposite end of the field Wednesday, Karina LeBlanc. Unfortunately, Saint Louis has made a few mistakes on defense and they have been killers, costing them several points in the standings.

Los Angeles heads into the game, knowing that the rest of their season will pretty much be a preparation for the championship match. After visiting Saint Louis on Wednesday and hosting Chicago over the weekend, the Sol will have only 5 games remaining to play in the last month and a half of the season. The Sol are led by Marta and Camille Abily on offense. Abily has 7 goals (two on penalties) and Marta has five. The rest of the Sol's offense has been fairly quiet. But when you have shut out 10 of 13 opponents, you don't need to score an awful lot. Karina LeBlanc has been perfect 9 times this season, far and away the leader in clean sheets. She has a solid back line in front of her, led by Stephanie Cox, one of steadiest performers in the WPS. Then there's Brittany Bock and the question with her is not whether she will be in the lineup, but what position she will be playing. The Sol will be playing without Martina Franko and McCall Zerboni who are both listed as out with an illness.

I honestly can't see a way for Athletica to win this game, unless they come with a magical formula for scoring goals. Los Angeles comes in as a confident team that knows that usually one goal is enough to win. It would almost be a victory for Saint Louis if they could force a tie. Los Angeles leads the season series with a win and a tie.

Midweek Notes

Now that Amy Rodriguez has scored, that leaves only Christina DiMartino, Yael Averbuch and Kerri Hanks out of the "Super Seven" WPS draft picks that haven't scored a goal yet. Brittany Bock has two goals, with Rodriguez, Megan Rapinoe, and Allie Long with one apiece. Hanks does have one assist.

All but one of Athletica's matches have been shutouts for either one team or both. The only non-shutout they have played was the 3-3 tie against the Freedom in Washington.

Washington now has six different players that have scored two or more goals, Lisa DeVanna, Sonia Bompastor, Abby Wambach, Lori Lindsey, Cat Whitehill, and Rebecca Moros.

The Chicago Red Stars have now scored only two goals in their last 750+ minutes of soccer, with both goals being scored by Cristiane. The Red Stars have been shut out in 5 of their 6 home games.

In yet another quirk in a very quirky schedule, FC Gold Pride has two weeks between their Sunday loss to the Sol and their next game against Saint Louis, but they then have 8 matches in just over a month.

Only two of Sky Blue FC's matches have been decided by more than one goal. They have had three ties and 6 one goal decisions. They lost their season opener to Los Angeles by a score of 2-0 and defeated Chicago in May by a 2-0 score. By my count, 67.5% of the league's matches have been ties or one goal decisions.

With well over half of the season gone, we still have not had one come from behind victory. Only two teams have made up two goal deficits, FC Gold Pride (who ended up losing the game to the Freedom anyway) and Washington (who earned a tie against Athletica).

Match Report-Freedom 1, Athletica 0

The Washington Freedom defeated Saint Louis Athletica 1-0 in a grueling game, played in intense heat in St. Louis. Rebecca Moros blocked a clearing effort by Kia McNeill, the ball came to her feet and she lifted a shot that went over Hope Solo, hit the crossbar and fell straight down and across the goal line in the 83rd minute. The shot appeared to have a lot of spin on it. The goal went against the run of play in the 2nd half, which was mostly dominated by Saint Louis.

The first half started with Athletica putting pressure on in the opening minutes of the game. Saint Louis got off 4 shots in the opening 8 minutes, but all were saved by Erin McLeod or wide of the net, with none being particularly dangerous.

In the 9th minute, the Freedom turned the tables. Hope Solo first punched out a dangerous cross, then made a leaping save to her right to deflect the ball to the corner and then grabbed another dangerous cross, all in the space of about 15 seconds. It was probably the best chance that Washington would have until the game winner. Washington did have an edge in play for the remainder of the first half. Allie Long was very active in the first half and had several attempts on goal with one going just over the crossbar.

Late in the half, Athletica started to gain the momentum back. Christie Welsh hit a hard low shot that McLeod made a diving save on in the 37th minute. A minute later, Athletica wasted a chance on a free kick that was poorly struck by Lori Chalupny.

The heat was so brutal that two players didn't make it through the first half. Elise Weber came off at the 26 minute mark, replaced by Melissa Tancredi, seeing her first action in quite awhile because of an injury. The big surprise was Abby Wambach coming off in the 40th minute in favor of Jill Gilbeau.

The 2nd half started much the same as the first, with Athletica putting heavy pressure on the Freedom goal. Two corner kicks both produced headers that came very close to being goals. The first was by Christie Welsh whose shot either hit the crossbar or was deflected out by McLeod's hand (it was hard to tell from my angle). The second was by Tancredi whose header hit the bar only to deflect wide. Welsh was replaced by Kerri Hanks at the 55 minute mark. Shortly thereafter, DeDycker subbed in for Long for the Freedom.

Both teams traded harmless chances midway through the 2nd half. But in the 69th minute, Athletica almost got on the board with a free kick. The kick taken by Woznuk was headed out, but Lori Chalupny volleyed it and it was deflected just wide of the goal to the right. Another free kick by Woznuk a few minutes later appeared dangerous, but Athletica was unable to get a good shot off. Sara Larsson subbed in for Amanda Cinalli in the 80th minute.

It was at that point that fate fell the Freedom's way and Moros scored her goal. Athletica wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet though. A minute later, Chalupny whistled one just over the bar. A couple minutes after that, Athletica had a nice build up as Chalupny passed to Tancredi on the right side who crossed to an onrushing Eniola Aluko. McLeod came sliding out and just got the ball with her foot, dashing Aluko's chance for the equalizer. Just before stoppage, Athletica again had the ball in the Freedom's penalty area. McLeod came out to try to cut off the ball, but Hanks managed to get control to the side of the penalty area, with McLeod a good 12 yards or so out of the goal. However, it took Hanks too long to cross the ball and Cat Whitehill recovered to clear the ball out of danger. Athletica had one more chance in stoppage, but Chalupny's blistering shot went just wide to the right.

The woman of the match for the Freedom had to be McLeod who saved the day for them on more than one occasion. As mentioned earlier, Allie Long was quite active and had a good game, as was Lisa DeVanna who seemed to have endless energy on a brutally hot day. Also credit the Freedom's defense for bottling up Aluko for most of the first half.

For Athletica, Lori Chalupny was a force on the offensive end but just couldn't get any of her numerous shots into the net. Hope Solo played a solid game and I'm not sure you could fault her on what was a fairly unlucky goal. Melissa Tancredi came in early and did a pretty nice job at right back and really the defense played pretty well as a unit, except for the goal.

The official shot totals were 12-11 for Athletica, but my notes showed quite a few more. The win vaulted the Freedom into 2nd place, with Athletica falling to 3rd place, pending the outcome of tomorrow's games.

WPS Weekend Games-June 20 & 21

The one constant in the WPS has been Los Angeles in 1st place. The one ever changing element of this league has been 2nd place. First, it was FC Gold Pride and Chicago. After they found themselves in 2nd place in early April, Gold Pride lost two in a row and hasn't been the same since. Chicago maintained their hold on 2nd place through their fourth game and then proceeded to not score for nearly 400 minutes. Next, it was Boston's turn at 2nd place. Since taking over 2nd place with a victory over the Sol on May 2nd, they haven't won a game. Then it was Washington's turn. The Freedom grabbed 2nd on the last weekend in May and followed that with a loss and a tie. So now it's Saint Louis' turn. Will they flop like the teams before them or will they solidify their hold by defeating 3rd place Washington? We'll find out on Saturday afternoon at Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.

Washington Freedom at Saint Louis Athletica

The first battle between these two teams in Germantown, Maryland was one of the most physical matches of the season. Daniela suffered a serious injury and in the aftermath of that game, Commissioner Antonucci decided she had had enough of the rough play and suspended Kia McNeill of Saint Louis and Abby Wambach of Washington. At that point, neither team was playing particularly well. This is the first time they've met since and now they are fighting for 2nd place. Well, hopefully not literally fighting. Interestingly enough, both teams have lost only one game since mid-April, both to the Sol in Los Angeles.

Both teams have new players that could make a difference since the last time they met. The Freedom have added goalkeeper Erin McLeod and defender Ali Krieger to their lineup. Athletica has added Kendall Fletcher, Christie Welsh, Stephanie Logterman, and Amanda Cinalli to theirs. All six of these players are expected to start on Saturday.

Saint Louis is still having trouble scoring, but Welsh and Cinalli have improved an offense that was basically Eniola Aluko vs. the world. It is essential that Athletica control possession in this game and score first. Their formula for winning has been scoring early and then holding on. Saint Louis will have to decide who gets the task of trying to stop Wambach, a player that can create havoc in the box just from her size and strength. They will also need to keep track of Sonia Bompastor, the player where much of the Freedom's offense starts. They must also worry about speedy Lisa DeVanna, who has been coming on as of late. It will be Tina Ellertson, McNeill, and Fletcher guarding the center of the defense. Saint Louis cannot afford to give up set pieces in their own end. Washington is the most dangerous team in the league in the air and on set pieces. Lori Chalupny, who has been pretty silent lately, must be very active this match.

For Washington, they have to shut down Aluko, whether that means starting Bompastor on the back line or having somebody shadow her for the entire game. The Freedom have the most versatile offense in the league. They score often on headers and have had eight different players score for the year. On three occasions, they have scored 3 or more goals in a game. DeVanna has added the speed factor that was lacking early in the year. McLeod gives them a goalkeeper that can make the big save when needed and the addition of Krieger should help the offense and defense.

I expect that this game will be called closely by the referee, meaning more set pieces which is an advantage for the Freedom. The heat could be a factor as this match will be played in the middle of the afternoon with temperatures approaching 90 degrees. It will be interesting to see if two players that have been pretty quiet, Angie Woznuk for Athletica and Homare Sawa for the Freedom, will have an impact on this game. Both keepers will have to be on their game, but I suspect that Hope Solo will be the busier of the two. It should be a very entertaining contest.

Boston Breakers at Chicago Red Stars

The last time these two teams met at Toyota Park, Chicago won the most lopsided game of the year, 4-0. Boston should be looking for some measure of revenge when the two teams meet on Sunday afternoon.

A little over a month ago, the Breakers looked to be the only team that could challenge Los Angeles for the top of the table. But after earning only 3 points in their last 5 games, Boston finds themselves in a struggle just to make the playoffs. The goal scoring went dry about the time Kelly Smith started having knee issues. They have scored only 3 goals in those five games. If you would have said two months ago that Jenny Nobis would have played one fourth the minutes of Amy Rodriguez, but had outscored her 1-0, everyone would have laughed. It's not so funny now. It's time for someone else on Boston to step up besides Smith and Kristine Lilly. Christine Latham and Angela Hucles have only added one goal apiece. Coach Tony DiCicco has also made a change in goal, where Allison Lipsher got her first start of the season on Wednesday against Gold Pride. The Breakers are in a grueling stretch of 4 games in 11 days, so DiCicco will have to substitute carefully.

Chicago is finally getting close to a healthy squad. They have lost Ella Masar for at least a month, but Carli Lloyd and Ifeoma Dieke are getting over injuries. Dieke is key for Chicago's defensive center. She is a fast, experienced center back who doesn't make a lot of mistakes. For Lloyd, coming back from injury could be a blessing. She was fairly ineffective early in the year and this could give her a new start. The Red Stars have scored two goals in their last 7 games, both by Cristiane. Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney have got to become more effective offensively. Perhaps the answer is less one-on-one and more passing. Danesha Adams could be part of the solution. Lindsay Tarpley started the season on fire, but started the last game on the bench. Caroline Jönsson and the defense are playing well enough and deserve a better fate than they have gotten.

Both of these teams need to turn things around in a hurry. Fatigue could be a factor in this game as well, with the forecast for a warm day in Chicago and both teams coming off short rest, having played on Wednesday evening. In my opinion, Chicago needs to score early to take the pressure off, while Boston needs to do likewise, since it is uncertain how long Kelly Smith can go in this match. Both teams need this game badly.

FC Gold Pride at Los Angeles Sol

These teams have met twice in preseason and twice in the regular season, with the Sol winning by shutout every time. Gold Pride is another team that has been struggling to score with just 4 goals in their last 6 games. Meanwhile, Los Angeles just seems to be waltzing to the title.

Since the Sol have only been scored on in three games, a goal against them would be a moral victory. The only Bay Area player that has scored over the 6 game slump has been Christine Sinclair, who has now scored in each of the last four matches she has played in. The Canadian forward is the main reason that Gold Pride is still in the playoff hunt at all. Where is the rest of the offense? Added to their problems is that their biggest offensive threat from the back line, Kandace Wilson, is out for the season. On defense against the Sol, Gold Pride will have to make the choice that every team must make. Do you concentrate on stopping Marta, which gives LA's other talented players more space, or do you hope for the best with Marta and play your normal defense? To this point in the season, only Boston seems to have figured out the answer.

You have to wonder if the Sol might be a bit overconfident. They went into Jersey last Saturday and got outplayed by the hosts, barely managing a tie. Right now, their worst enemy might be themselves. No problem for Karina LeBlanc, however, as she just keeps piling on the shutouts. She now has eight for the year. The back line is solid, too, with Cox, Franko, Falk and Sanchez (or Bock). Adding to the defensive effort will be the return of Manya Makoski who has missed the last two games. Brittany Bock is probably the most versatile player in the WPS at this point. Camille Abily is one of the most talented midfielders in the game and then of course, there's Marta. Against Los Angeles, you must beware of set pieces and most especially of their counterattack, which is when they are most dangerous.

To win this game, Gold Pride will have to use its strengths, short passing and maintaining possession. Their defense can't afford mistakes and their midfielders must be ready to drop back quickly to help the back line and to head off counterattacks. Los Angeles should win if they play team soccer and don't get careless.

WPS Draft Revisited-Sky Blue FC

This is the fourth installment on the 2009 WPS Draft, looking at Sky Blue FC.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#4)-Yael Averbuch, North Carolina; 2nd round (#11)-Meghan Schnur, Connecticut; 3rd round (#18)-Karen Bardsley, Cal State-Fullerton; 4th round (#25)-Christie Shaner, Notre Dame; 5th round (#32)-Julianne Sitch, DePaul; 6th round (#39)-Jen Buczkowski, Notre Dame; 7th round (#46)-Zhang Ouying, China; 8th round (#53)-Mary Therese McDonnell, Illinois; 9th round (#60)-Mele French, Oregon; 10th round (#67)-Fanta Cooper, UW-Milwaukee.

Strategy
With talented attacking players like Natasha Kai, Sarah Walsh, Rosana, Heather O'Reilly, Kelly Parker, and Kacey White already on their roster, Sky Blue concentrated on defenders and midfielders. They apparently weren't impressed much by younger players, as they took only one college senior, Yael Averbuch. They were the only WPS team to pick less than three college seniors. Sky Blue went heavily with players with American club experience, especially W-League veterans. Most of the players chosen played college and club soccer in the east and midwest, most notably the Chicago area. Maybe this is not so surprising, given that then assistant coach, now interim head coach, Kelly Lindsey went to Notre Dame.

Current WPS Status
For Sky Blue FC, 7 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, 3 were released.

Full time starters (3)-Averbuch, Schnur, Sitch
Part time starters and other full roster players (2)-Bardsley, Buczkowski
Developmental (2)-Shaner, French
Released (3)-Zhang, McDonnell, Cooper

Note McDonnell was later picked up by Chicago as a developmental player.

What They've Done (thru 10 games)
Averbuch-9 G, 5 GS, 504 Min, 9 shots, 3 SOG
Schnur-10 G, 10 GS, 900 Min, 2 assists, 2 points, 3 shots
Shaner-2 G, 40 Min
Sitch-9 G, 8 GS, 714 Min, 9 shots, 4 SOG
Buczkowski-6 G, 4 GS, 342 Min, 1 shot
French-1 G, 11 Min

Bardsley-3 G, 3 GS, 225 Min, 6 saves, 0.5 shutouts, 0.80 GA

Total Offensive Output-37 G, 27 GS, 2511 Min, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 22 shots, 7 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-3 G, 3 GS, 225 Min, 6 saves, 0.5 shutouts, 0.80 GA.

G=Games; GS=Games Started; Min=Minutes; SOG=Shots on Goal; GA=Goals Against Average.

The Players

Yael Averbuch-It was no surprise that Sky Blue would take the New Jersey native with the 4th pick in the draft. But it had to be a little odd for the former UNC star to be spending most of the early season on the bench, given she started 105 consecutive games for the Tar Heels. The change in coaches seems to have made a lot of difference. Under Ian Sawyers, she was averaging just 33 minutes/game. Since Kelly Lindsey has taken over, Averbuch has played every minute of the last 4 games. Averbuch's height gives her a distinct advantage in the air. She distributes the ball well from her midfield position. She has a strong shot and is dangerous anywhere in the attacking third. Averbuch has extensive experience with the US Junior National teams, so she is used to international caliber play.

Meghan Schnur-Out of the 70 players taken in the January draft, she is the only one to have played every minute of every game for her team. Schnur is a poised defender, who holds her ground and is rarely out of position. From her outside left back position, she guards the flank well and has helped Sky Blue's defense become 2nd best in the league. She doesn't go forward as much as many outside backs in the league, but she can contribute offensively as she demonstrated with her two assists against Chicago. Schnur is one of the best defensive players to come out of the draft and should help Sky Blue for many years.

Karen Bardsley-The CS-Fullerton keeper has started three games for Sky Blue. She's given up just 2 goals in the two and a half games she has played. Bardsley played very well under intense pressure in the 1st half of Chicago game in April. She also made a great save against Athletica, keeping her team in the game late in that contest. When in traffic, Bardsley plays safety first, preferring to punch the ball out rather than risk grabbing it out of the air. She has nice height and anticipates well. For the moment, it appears she is backup to Jen Branam, but Sky Blue doesn't lose anything having her in goal.

Christie Shaner-Shaner has seen brief action in two games. The former Notre Dame and W-League star played center back against the Red Stars and also saw action against the Freedom. Shaner adds depth to the defense.

Julianne Sitch-This W-League veteran is a tough competitor. She started and played the full 90 minutes in Sky Blue's first 7 games, but has seen less playing time lately. She can play either outside defender or holding midfielder. She is an agressive tackler as her three yellow cards would attest. Sitch is not afraid to go forward from either the back or from midfield and chooses her opportunities well. From her midfield position, she does a nice job of supporting the back line. As a defender, she can be occasionally beaten by speed to the outside, but marks well for the most part and is steady on the back line. Sitch was a very solid pick in the 5th round.

Jen Buczkowski-The Notre Dame grad has seen action at midfield for Sky Blue, starting 4 games for the Jersey side. Like Sitch, Buczkowski is a W-League veteran, spending four seasons with the Chicago Gaels before being drafted by SBFC. She is a solid midfielder, who defends well. She drops back well to help the back line. She does not go forward very often in the offense. Buczkowski is not going to blow you way, but she quietly and effectively gets the job done.

Mele French-French is a story in perseverance. Her promising college career at Oregon was cuts short by a series of concussions. However, last year she re-emerged playing for W-League champions, Pali Blues. French has seen brief action in one game so far.

Later Additions-In addition to the players above, Sky Blue also signed Jen Branam and Lauren Sesselmann, both of whom were drafted by Chicago. Branam has been the starting keeper for much of the season for Sky Blue. She is the shortest starting keeper in the league, but is extremely quick and aggressive. Branam has an extremely powerful right leg and can easily kick the ball two thirds of the field. However, she will also occasionally mishit a punt into danger. She has made a lot of great saves, but made a glaring mistake against Boston, letting a low cross get through her for an easy goal. Other than that, her play has been sound.

Purdue grad Lauren Sesselmann was drafted by Chicago, then released, but was recently added to Sky Blue's roster as a developmental player. She has not seen any action yet.

Summary
Like Chicago, Sky Blue did well at the top of the draft, but not very good at the bottom. It was a bit puzzling that their 1st round pick, Averbuch, saw very little action early in the season, but lately she has been a key player in Sky Blue's resurgence over the last 4 or 5 games. Schnur is a solid defender and underrated as far as I'm concerned. Bardsley has done a fine job when in goal, although she hasn't played a lot. Sitch was a great pick in the 5th round. Buczkowski has contributed well for a 6th round pick. Veterans Shaner and French haven't played much to this point.

With the exception of Los Angeles, who is loaded with talent, Sky Blue has gotten less starts out of their draft than any other team. They also haven't gotten any scoring, save for Schnur's two assists, but that's largely because they drafted heavily on the defensive side. One problem I see is that because they didn't draft a lot of young players, I don't know how much improvement you are going to see out of most of their draft. There are certainly a lot of solid contributors in this group, but outside of possibly Averbuch and Schnur, I don't think any of the other players could develop into stars.

Damallsvenskan 2009: The Midway Point

By: Jocasta -- Damallsvenskan Soapbox

At this point, the top team (Umeå) and bottom teams (last year's newcomers Kristianstad and this year's newly-promoted Piteå and Stattena) come as no surprise. The order of teams in the middle, however, is a little unexpected, with for instance none of the Stockholm teams (AIK, Djurgården, and Hammarby) in the top half of the table. Every team, even Umeå, has lost a game at this point.

Let's start at the top. The facts that coach Andree Jeglertz was lured away to Allsvenskan (Djurgården's men's side), and that some player named Marta was lured away to WPS (Los Angeles Sol) does not seem to have slowed the team down much—perhaps they win by fewer goals than last year, but the outcome is the same. Umeå's single defeat came at the hands of Sunnanå, a team that Umeå historically has had trouble with, for some reason; they also tied Piteå, in the last game of the last round. Umeå now has 28 points, leading the field by 2 points.

The first small surprise of the 2009 season is the team currently in second place with 26 points, Kopparbergs/Göteborg. K/G opened the season by defeating LdB, and then went on to defeat Linköping in their second game. They've looked quite good in the games I've been able to see, and two of its young forwards are at (Linnea Liljegärd) or near (Sara Lindén) the top of the league for goals and assists.

Third-place Linköping FC (23 points) lost a couple key players from last year, including Daniela (WPS's St Louis Athletica). They are quite a strong team, but have had a little trouble playing at that high level consistently.

The second surprise in the table comes in the 4th place, KIF Örebro(22 points). Örebro is a team without any really well-known Swedish players, but they are solid throughout, and have some top players from Finland. They are also well-coached by Richard Holmlund, who used to be at Umeå.

LdB Malmö (19 points) are probably this year's under-performers, if comparing pre-season hype to mid-season place in the table. They currently sit 5th, with 1 ties and 4 losses. LdB did give Umeå a bit of a fight, in a well-played game that was televised. They can score a lot against weaker teams, scoring 25 goals in three weeks against Kristianstad, Piteå, and Stattena, and Djurgården.

Sixth-place Sunnanå (19 points) has the other sleeper team this year, along with Örebro. The return of former national team defender Hannah Marklund heralded what has been a quite good season for them. Any year in which they defeat Umeå has to be considered already a success, and being in the top half of the table is a nice bonus.

The bottom half of the table starts with all the teams from Stockholm,with Djurgården, Hammarby, and AIK in 7th, 8th, and 9th place. Djurgården and AIK both lost key players from last year and have been struggling. Djurgården lost both of its German internationals, keeper Nadine Angerer and midfielder/defender Ariane Hingst, who went back to Germany and now play for 1. FFC Frankfurt. AIK's Australian internationals Lisa DeVanna and Kathryn Gill went in quite different directions, with Gill heading up north to play for Sunnanå, and DeVanna heading west for WPS (Washington Freedom). The third Stockholm team, Hammarby, has much the same team and is faring much as they always do.

At the very bottom of the table, there are currently three teams vying for 10th place in the league, which is a big deal because the last two teams are relegated to a lower division. Of the three, Piteå (10th) is probably feeling the best about itself, as they have just come off a shock draw against Umeå, in a game that they were winning until the last five minutes. The bad performance of Kristianstad (11th) is probably the most surprising of the three, as they managed to stay in the top league last year, starting their season with a shock 2-1 defeat of Djurgården. Twelfth-place Stattena has had just an awful time, with a goal differential of -40.

Games are scheduled to continue through early July, with Round 16 being played at the end of July, then the league goes on hiatus forthe European Championships in August and September. The season will then resume in late September, and end in early November.

Go to the Swedish FA's site (http://svenskfotboll.se/damallsvenskan/) to see the complete table.

WPS Midweek Games & Notes

Three teams start the 2nd half of their season on Wednesday night, while the Boston Breakers wrap up the first half of theirs. With only 5 points separating 2nd place from last, almost every game from here on will impact the playoff race.

FC Gold Pride at Boston Breakers

Both of these teams are in need of the three points at stake in this game. FC Gold Pride has only gotten one point in their last three games, while Boston has only salvaged 2 points in their last four. The Breakers haven't won a game since beating the Sol back on May 2nd. These two teams first met in each team's opener, with FCGP coming out on top, 2-1.

Christine Sinclair has scored in each of the last three matches she has played for Gold Pride. The problem is that she is the only Bay Area player to score since early May. Gold Pride is a team that builds well, controls possession, but then doesn't seem to finish. They have a number of gifted offensive players, but they have to start putting the ball in the net. In the first meeting between the two teams, it was Eriko Arakawa and Tiffeny Milbrett scoring the goals, but Arakawa hasn't produced one since. Defensively, they have given up 14 goals, ranked 2nd worst in the WPS, but to be fair, 10 of those goals have come at the hands of the Sol and the Freedom. Carrie Dew will be back from her one game suspension for a double yellow card against Washington and that should help.

Boston went from having the inside track to grab 2nd place to scrambling to maintain a playoff spot, by losing their last two games. The Breakers will have Christine Latham back from suspension and that will give another weapon to a team that has been struggling on offense. Kelly Smith is the league's 2nd leading scorer with 5 goals, but outside of her and Kristine Lilly, no one else has done much scoring for Boston. Defensively, Canadian Candace Chapman got her first start over the weekend against Athletica. Outside back Alex Scott is one of the best in the league and has a goal to her credit. Boston is in the middle of a very busy schedule, playing 4 games in just 11 days.

Both teams have one player who has done most of the scoring, Sinclair for Gold Pride and Smith for Boston. Both teams have experienced goalies that have the distinction of giving up the most goals in the league, Barnhart for Gold Pride and Luckenbill for the Breakers. Both teams have 11 points, although Boston has a game in hand. Both teams got off to good starts, but have been struggling as of late. When they take the field on Wednesday evening, each team might look across the field and think they are looking in a mirror.

Chicago Red Stars at Sky Blue FC

This matchup features two teams that have strong defenses, both giving up less than a goal a game. The problem is that these two teams are at the bottom of the WPS when it comes to scoring. It will be a Carli Lloyd homecoming when she takes the field at Yurcak Field at Rutgers University.

Lloyd is coming off of an injury that she suffered in training for the USWNT. She missed three games because of the injury, but entered the Washington game as a sub over the weekend. The Red Stars will be without talented wing player, Karen Carney, who is suspended for her red card against the Freedom. Chicago is another team that needs to jump start their offense, with Cristiane being the only Red Star player that has scored a goal since April. Caroline Jönsson has been steady and strong in goal and the Red Stars' back line has experience with Dalmy, Spilger, Oakes, and Östberg. Chicago has had more than their share of injuries, but with Lloyd back and hopefully Ifeoma Dieke as well, they will be closer to full strength than they have been in quite awhile.

Speaking of scoring problems, Sky Blue FC has been shut out six times this year, more than any other team in the league. SBFC has been missing a dangerous striker in Sarah Walsh, one of the speediest attacking players in the league. Natasha Kai has scored two goals for Sky Blue and it seems that Heather O'Reilly has done everything but put the ball in the net lately. I really like Sky Blue's midfield, but they have to start contributing more to the scoring. The defensive unit of Asante, Rampone, Schnur, and Dowling is excellent. Unlike the Red Stars, SBFC has split time between two keepers, with Jen Branam getting most of the action.

With the exception of the goalkeeping situation, we are again looking at mirror images in many ways. Both teams play solid defense, but have trouble scoring. Both teams have had a lot of injuries to key players. This will be the 3rd game of four between the two teams, with Sky Blue holding the edge with a win and a tie. Chicago has somewhat steadied the ship with three consecutive ties on the road and they are the only team in the league that is unbeaten on the road. This looks to be a defensive struggle and one goal might be enough to take three points.

Midweek Notes

Not surprisingly, Los Angeles has the best record on FSC telecast games, with 3 wins in 3 games. But can you guess who has the 2nd best record? It's Sky Blue FC with a 2-0-1 record on FSC. That's right, Sky Blue has 7 of their 9 points on FSC games. Saint Louis is also unbeaten at 1-0-1 in just two televised games. And the worst record belongs to...the Boston Breakers who have an outstandingly bad television record on FSC of 0-3-1. The bad news for the Breakers is that FSC added the August 9th game against LA to their television schedule.

Another stat for television games is that they tend to be higher scoring than the average game. Games televised by FSC have averaged 2.83 goals combined for both teams, while the league average is just 2.10 goals. Ten of the 19 times a team has scored two or more goals have been on FSC and 5 of the 8 times a team has scored three or more goals have been on FSC. Of course, one of the major reasons for this is that Washington has appeared 6 times and the Freedom have the highest scoring offense and the most porous defense in the league.

In last Sunday's FSC game against Boston, Athletica keeper Hope Solo clearly took two steps outside of the penalty box with ball in hand. The amazing thing is that not only was Solo confused by the markings on the field, but neither the referee, nor the AR's, nor either team caught it. FSC play-by-play announcer, Mark Rogondino, was apparently one of the few people in the stadium that did notice it. The Breakers play their home games at Harvard Stadium, which is primarily marked for football, but also has markings for several other sports. The soccer lines at Harvard are yellow, while most of the other lines are white. However, they are not painted very brightly and even watching on television can test one's ocular abilities.

Eniola Aluko won Player of the Week honors for her goal against Boston. It was the only goal scored in WPS play last weekend. For Aluko, it was her 3rd goal of the season, this one assisted by a brilliant long through ball from Kendall Fletcher.

WPS Draft Revisited-Chicago Red Stars

For the third installment on the 2009 WPS Draft, we'll take a look at the Chicago Red Stars.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#2)-Megan Rapinoe, Portland; 2nd round (#13)-Nikki Krzysik, Virginia; 2nd round (#14 from Boston)-Brittany Klein, Santa Clara; 3rd round (#16)-Natalie Spilger, Stanford; 4th round (#27)-Jen Branam, North Carolina; 4th round (#28 from Boston)-Chioma Igwe, Santa Clara; 5th round (#30)-Stacey Tullock, Arizona State; 7th round (#44)-Lauren Sesselmann, Purdue; 8th round (#55)-Kat Tarr, Missouri; 9th round (#58)-Jessica O'Rourke, North Carolina State.

Strategy
Chicago appeared to have a great defense in the making, but by the time draft day came around, they knew that they had lost Kate Markgraf for the season. The Red Stars went with college seniors in the first two picks. They picked Natalie Spilger in the 3rd round, the oldest player taken in the first 25 picks, followed by a veteran goalkeeper, Jen Branam. After taking Rapinoe with the 2nd overall pick, they made a number of picks to address the defensive unit and defensive midfield with Krzysik, Klein, Spilger, Igwe, and Tarr. They also made the major trade of the day which is discussed below. By making that trade, they had possession of 6 picks in the first four rounds.

The Trade
Chicago was involved in the biggest draft day trade. They traded the rights to international player Alex Scott and their picks in the 6th and 10th rounds (#41 and #69) to Boston for the Breakers' 2nd and 4th round picks (#14 and #28). Both teams would probably have selected different players had they kept those picks, but the trade ended up being Alex Scott, Kelly Schmedes, and Stacy Bishop for Brittany Klein and Chioma Igwe. Although all four draft picks, especially Klein, have contributed to their teams, Scott is still the primary player in that trade. She would be considered for all-league honors if the season were to end today. Because of that, I think you would have to say the Breakers got the better of the deal, although I think both teams would sincerely tell you that they are happy with what they got out of the trade.

Current WPS Status
For the Chicago Red Stars, 5 of their 10 draft picks are still on their roster, 5 were released, 2 of which are now on other WPS rosters.

Full time starters (4)-Rapinoe, Krzysik, Klein, Igwe.
Part time starters & other full roster players (1)-Spilger.
Released (5)-Branam, Tullock, Sesselmann, Tarr, O'Rourke.

Note that Spilger has recently taken over a starting position, while Krzysik has not started the last three games. Branam and Sesselmann are now on Sky Blue's roster.

What They've Done
Rapinoe-9 G, 9 GS, 687 Min, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points, 19 shots, 2 SOG
Krzysik-9 G, 7 GS, 608 Min
Klein-10 G, 10 GS, 810 Min, 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 points, 3 shots, 2 SOG
Spilger-7 G, 4 GS, 372 Min
Igwe-9 G, 7 GS, 613 Min, 2 shots, 1 SOG

Total Offensive Output-44 G, 37 GS, 3090 Min, 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 7 Points, 24 Shots, 5 SOG.

G=Games; GS=Games Started; Min=Minutes; SOG=Shots on Goal.

The Players

Megan Rapinoe-Her name may have been mispronounced on draft day, but people that follow women's soccer knew that Rapinoe was a special player. I thought she might go to Gold Pride since her hometown is Redding, California, but Chicago nabbed her before FCGP got the chance. Things haven't been easy for Rapinoe, who suffered two serious knee injuries at Portland. In spite of that, she has persevered and is one of the rising stars on the USWNT. She is a great one-on-one player and scored her only WPS goal on such a move, finishing with a left footed shot against Boston. She can get off a shot in extremely tight space and can bend it about any way she wants. Rapinoe can be deadly accurate with her shot, as she proved for the US at the Algarve Cup and recently in a friendly against Canada, although this hasn't been the case in her WPS play. The goals haven't come easily so far in Chicago, but this is one player I would put money on for the future.

Nikki Krzysik-She started at center back for the Red Stars' first 7 games. More recently, she has lost her starting spot as Emma Hayes has opted for more experienced defenders in Natalie Spilger and Jill Oakes. Krzysik is a tough defender, who is strong and sure on headers. Her confidence benefitted by having Dalmy and Dieke on her sides and Jönsson behind her. She does not possess blazing speed and like many young American defenders, she can have trouble with fast attacking players at this level. Because of this, she will need to rely on good positioning and anticipation. Krzysik has given Chicago some solid minutes on the back line and should continue to contribute, in spite of the reduction in playing time.

Brittany Klein-Klein is not the most imposing player on the pitch, but she is certainly one of the most tenacious. She contributed strongly to Chicago's early defensive success. Klein played a great defensive game in the opener, helping to shut down Saint Louis. She followed that by having a great offensive game with a goal and two assists against Boston. She can play either defensive mid or can attack from central midfield. She makes extremely effective tackles from seemingly awkward defensive positions. Klein does a lot of the tough work in the middle of the field that sometimes goes unnoticed. She has started all 10 Red Star games to this point.

Natalie Spilger-The Stanford alum was the oldest player taken in the first 3 rounds. Spilger has played both the center and outside on defense for the Red Stars. She has been receiving more playing time recently after playing only 34 minutes in the first 6 games and has now earned the starting position at center back. Spilger is a steady player, who brings international club experience to the Red Stars. She is very sound at clearing the ball out of danger. She has really helped Chicago defense get through their past few games without Ifeoma Dieke.

Chioma Igwe-The Santa Clara product was a nice pick late in the 4th round. Igwe played more midfield in college, but most of her early WPS action was on the back line at outside left back. Lately, she has moved back to midfield. She shows great anticipation, often stepping in front of opposition passes. Igwe uses her body well to shield off defenders. When playing outside back, she tends not to go forward as much as her teammate Marian Dalmy does on the right side. There have been a few times that she seemed to underestimate her opponent's speed, but overall, she has played well.

Later Additions-The Red Stars added two free agents that were draft picks for other teams. Goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson was the last player taken in the draft and after being cut by Boston, she signed as a developmental keeper for Chicago. Johnson was an All-SEC performer at Tennessee. Former Clemson defender Lydia Vandenbergh was drafted by Saint Louis in the 10th round. She made their opening roster, but was waived when Athletica traded for Fletcher and Welsh. Chicago added her shortly thereafter. Neither Johnson nor Vandenbergh has seen playing time for Chicago.

Summary
It was definitely a tale of two drafts for Chicago. The Scott trade helped the Red Stars stockpile a lot of early picks and they did very well with them. Rapinoe is on the verge of becoming a great player if she stays healthy. Klein is a solid starter. Krzysik can be a good player, even though she has lost her starting job for the moment. Spilger is a very valuable player, as is Igwe who is very versatile. But after those players, there is nothing else. Out of their last six picks, only Igwe is still with the team. No other team got less out of the lower end of the draft. Branam is now starting for Sky Blue, but to be fair, she wouldn't be playing in Chicago.

So if I were grading this draft, it would be hard to assign one grade. They drafted well early, getting five players that have started a lot of matches for them. I think that the quality they got at the top of the draft outweighs not getting anything later on, but it would be hard to call this a great draft at this point. If Rapinoe turns out to be the player I think she is and Klein, Krzysik, and Igwe continue to develop, it could be a draft that will benefit the Red Stars for a long time.

L’Athletica de Saint Louis

A fantastic French-language site has been profiling WPS and French stars Camille Abily (Los Angeles Sol) and Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom). Check it out -- WPS Francophone

Thanks to WPS Talk - Futebol Feminino for pointing us towards this site.

Damallsvenskan Round 11: The Weirdness Continues

By: Jocasta -- Damallsvenskan Soapbox

The 11th round of Damallsvenskan is now completed, which means the season is half over. My thoughts on the season so far to will follow...

On 13 June, Kristianstads DFF took their first points of the season, beating newly-promoted visitors Stattena IF 4-0. The two teams are now tied on total points for the season (3), but Stattena's really terrible goal differential (-40) and the fact that they have three ties but no wins puts them in last place at the moment. In Stockholm, AIK hosted second place- Kopparbergs/Göteborg, and lost 0-1 on a goal in the 86th minute by Sara Lindén.

On 14 June, on what *should* have been the shock of the week, LdB lost badly to Sunnanå at home 0-4, and the two teams are now tied on points but LdB has the edge in goal differential. In a Stockholm derby goalfest, Djurgården defeated Hammarby 5-2. Linköping and KIF Örebro were in 4th and 3rd places respectively, but today they played each other and Linköping's 4-0 win means that the two teams swap places in the table.

Shock of the Week: On 15 June, in the last game of the round, league-leaders Umeå did something that they don't do too often—they traveled *north* for an away game, against tenth place Piteå. And here's another thing they don't do too often: they came away with only one point. Yes, that's right, Piteå played Umeå to a 1-1 draw, and so have reduced Umeå's lead on Göteborg to two points.

At the halfway point, then, here are the rankings (go to svenskfotboll.se for more details):

Umeå IK
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Linköpings FC
KIF Örebro DFF
LdB FC Malmö
Sunnanå SK
Djurgårdens IF
Hammarby IF DFF
AIK
Piteå IF
Kristianstads IF DFF
Stattena IF

Scotland Women’s Under-15 Training Camp To Begin on July 2nd

Scotland's U-15 coach Ann-Helen Grahm has selected a 30-player squad to attend the Women’s Under-15 training camp at Toryglen Regional Football Centre, Glasgow on 2nd and 3rd July.

Player list below:

Megan Cunningham (Celtic)
Nicola Hardie (Celtic)
Hannah Reid (Hibernian)
Stephanie Briggs (Hibernian)
Corri Cairns (Falkirk)
Ainsley Douglas (Hamilton Academical)
Claire Emslie (Hibernian)
Mairead Fulton (Celtic)
Emily Gallagher (Arbroath)
Abbi Grant (Arbroath)
Rachel Halliday (Celtic)
Rebecca Harper (Aberdeen)
Siobhan Hunter (Hibernian)
Stacey Hutchison (Hibernian)
Danielle McGinley (Celtic (Tayside))
Kirstin McGuire (Celtic)
Zoe Ness (Cestria Girls)
Leigh Nicol (Celtic)
Kathryn Pender (Celtic)
Heather Richards (Motherwell)
Carolina Richardson (Motherwell)
Aimee Ridgeway (Aberdeen)
Gillian Sloey (Celtic)
Kirsty Smith (Hibernian)
Mary Clare Steele (Motherwell)
Linzi Taylor (Celtic)
Megan Walker (Hamilton Academical)
Rachel Walkingshaw (Hibernian)
Caroline Weir (Hibernian)
Cara Wilkie (Celtic)

Scotland Women’s Under-19 Training Camp To Begin on July 3rd

Scotland's U-19 coach Shelley Kerr has selected a 28-player squad to attend the Women’s Under-19 training camp at Toryglen Regional Football Centre from July 3rd thru the 5th.

Player list below:

Lee Alexander (Glasgow City)
Gemma Clark (Dundee United Sports Club)
Lucinda Cook (Celtic)
Kim Borthwick (Musselburgh Windsor)
Loren Campbell (Aberdeen)
Sarah Crilly (Hamilton Academical)
Gemma Collier (Forfar Farmington)
Rebecca Dempster (Inverness)
Nicola Docherty (Falkirk)
Lisa Evans (Glasgow City)
Sarah Ewens (Hutchison Vale)
Chloe Fitzpatrick (Aberdeen)
Tammy Harkin (Dundee United Sports Club)
Mariel Kaney (Hibernian)
Hayley Lauder (Spartans)
Louise Magilton (Rangers)
Lesley McMaster (Rangers)
Stacey McLean (Musselburgh Windsor)
Eilish McSorley (Glasgow City)
Emma Mitchell (Glasgow City)
Christie Murray (Celtic)
Laura Murray (Glasgow City)
Beth Liles (Ipswich Town)
Lisa Robertson (Hibernian)
Jenna Ross (Rangers Girls)
Rachael Small (Aberdeen)
Kimberly Thomson (Forfar Farmington)
Stacey Williamson (Dundee United Sports Club)

The team is set to face Denmark's U-19s on September 8th and 10th.

WPS Atlanta Announcement On Thur. June 18th

Read on over at Soccer City FC -- Atlanta Women's Professional Soccer Team To Make Major Announcement

Linked Up

Melissa, writer at WPS - The Offside, links WSW in this recent article.

~Thanks, Melissa.

WPS Weekend Matches-June 13 & 14

Chicago Red Stars at Washington Freedom

The Red Stars, fresh off two ties on the west coast, invade RFK Stadium to face the Washington Freedom in another WPS/MLS doubleheader on Saturday. The Freedom lost their big showdown in LA, although they temporarily were level at 1-1 in the 2nd half of that game. After that loss, they will be trying to hold on to 2nd place in the standings against Chicago.

Sonia Bompastor continues to lead Washington. After winning Player of the Month honors in May, she started off June with the Freedom's only goal in the loss to the Sol. She now has three goals added to her league leading assist total of four. Washington has now scored 16 goals, more than any other team.

The Freedom welcomed a new, but familiar, face to their camp this week. Ali Krieger, who had been competing for FFC Frankfurt in the German Women's Bundesliga, is returning to the states to finish the season with Washington. Krieger has spent time with the USWNT and was allocated to the Freedom last year, but she still had to finish up her contract in Germany. She should help bolster the Freedom's defense that is giving up 2 goals a game and has yet to post a shutout. Claire Zimmeck was waived to make room for Krieger on the active roster.

Meanwhile, Chicago has found a go-to player of their own. Brazilian striker Cristiane scored both of their goals last week, her first goals of the season. Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley, and Karen Carney join Cristiane in a talented offense that has yet to get untracked for the most part. Unfortunately, it was bad news for another of their forwards. Former University of Illinois star, Ella Masar, suffered four torn muscles in her hip against Gold Pride and will be out 4-6 weeks.

On defense, Coach Emma Hayes has been shaking up the lineup, choosing to go with veteran players Natalie Spilger and Jill Oakes over Nikki Krzysik, who was a starting center back for much of the season. Several Red Stars are recovering from injuries and as of this post, it is unknown whether Ifeoma Dieke or Carli Lloyd will be available for the game in Washington.

Last weekend's loss to the Sol had to be disappointing, but it is the only loss that the Freedom have suffered since the middle of April, so it's hardly time to panic and the addition of Krieger should help their beleaguered defense. On the other hand, Chicago took two draws on the road and need to build on those positives. If they can find some offense, they can be a dangerous team. Kickoff is at 4:30 eastern time on Saturday.

Los Angeles Sol at Sky Blue FC

Los Angeles takes their 12 point lead on the road to New Jersey where they will square off against Sky Blue FC this Saturday. Sky Blue is at the bottom of the table, but they are a mere 4 points out of 2nd place. This will be the third and final meeting of the regular season between these two teams.

Sky Blue has to be kicking themselves because they couldn't kick it in the net last week. They squandered chance after chance, including a near whiff by Collette McCallum, right in front of the Saint Louis goal. This week, they face another tough goalie in Karina LeBlanc. Having scored just 6 goals in 9 games, Sky Blue has got to find some offense. They have been missing Sarah Walsh, who has been bothered by a hamstring injury. Natasha Kai has been coming on with two goals and an assist in May and only a nice save by Hope Solo kept her from adding another. Heather O'Reilly was literally all over the field against Athletica, firing five shots for the game.

Kelly Lindsey went back to Karen Bardsley in goal against Athletica after Jen Branam had started five straight. Apparently, the keeper battle isn't over yet. Anita Asante, Meghan Schnur, and Christie Rampone lead a veteran defense that has been one of Jersey's strengths.

Los Angeles just continues to sail along. Camille Abily has been on a tear lately, scoring 5 goals in the last four games and winning Player of the Week honors. As if the Sol didn't have enough offensive weapons with Abily, Marta, and company, Brittany Bock scored her 2nd goal of the season on a nifty give and go play with Marta. At this point in the season, it appears that Los Angeles is just too fast and has too much firepower to be stopped. Just when you think you can relax against them, they quickly spring a counterattack. On Bock's goal, it took just a few seconds for a long pass from LA's own end to find her feet and the ball was in the back of the net before you could blink.

The Sol's defense is finally looking human, giving up a goal in each of the last two games. Still, they have posted 8 shutouts in 11 games, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. LeBlanc has 7 of those shutouts. The back line is solid, although they will be without the services of sometimes defender, sometimes midfielder, Manya Makoski again this week. 36 year old Keri Sanchez started her first game last weekend.

It's really hard to see the Sol slipping at this point. Their worst enemy could be over-confidence and complacency. Sky Blue played LA very tough in their last meeting, losing 1-0 in the waning moments of that match. SBFC is home for the next four matches and they need to take advantage to make progress up the table. They'll need to finish a lot better than last week for that to happen.

Saint Louis Athletica at Boston Breakers

Athletica, 3-1-2 over their last six matches, travels to Harvard Field to meet the Boston Breakers on an FSC televised match on Sunday. The two teams are tied for 3rd place in the standings with 11 points apiece. This game could be a matchup of the two talented English strikers, Kelly Smith and Eniola Aluko, that is if they are both healthy enough to play.

My curious stat of the week involves the Breakers. They are 3-0-2 against the top teams in the league...Los Angeles, Washington, and Saint Louis. They are 0-3 against Gold Pride, Chicago, and Sky Blue. It just doesn't make a lot of sense, except that one thing in common in two of those losses was an injured Kelly Smith. It is not a certainty that she will be able to go on Sunday, although the damage to her knee was reportedly not as bad as first thought. Having scored half of the Breakers' 10 goals, she is an essential part of their offense. Kristine Lilly is the other essential ingredient in Boston's offense and she has scored twice this season. The Breakers will also be missing Christine Latham, who will be serving the 2nd of her two game suspension.

Boston has a very good back line with Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Sue Weber, and Heather Mitts. Kristin Luckenbill has started all eight games in goal for the Breakers. The team is at a strange stretch in their schedule where they have played just one match since mid-May.

Athletica has been very stingy on defense lately, shutting out three of their last four opponents, the exception being the Sol. Hope Solo will be in goal for Saint Louis, but the lineup in front of her may feature as many as five different starters from their first meeting with Boston. This includes former LA players Kendall Fletcher and Christie Welsh, as well as Amanda Cinalli and Stephanie Logterman, both of whom saw their first action last week against Sky Blue. Cinalli scored just 15 minutes into her first match and she is a welcome addition to an Athletica offense that has struggled much of the season.

Saint Louis' top offensive threat, though, is Eniola Aluko who picked up an assist on Cinalli's goal. She came out of last week's game with hamstring problems and her status for Sunday's game is not yet known. Melissa Tancredi and Daniela will be missing because of injuries. On defense, Logterman played outside back on the left side and performed well in her first match. If Smith does play for Boston, Athletica's back line will have their hands full.

Saint Louis will get to see just how much they've improved from that first game with Boston, which might have been the low point of their season. The Breakers need to find someone else to contribute on the offensive end and find consistency on the defensive end. The winner will have 3rd place all to themselves with a possibility of 2nd, pending the outcome of the Freedom game.

TTI: Global Focus

Newest installment of Tuesday Throw-Ins. I give a shout out to WPS Talk - Futebol Feminino.

Read on -- Tuesday Throw-Ins: Global Following Gaining Momentum

WPS Draft Revisited-FC Gold Pride

For the second installment on the 2009 WPS draft, we'll take a look at FC Gold Pride.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#3)-Christina DiMartino, UCLA; 2nd round (#12)-Carrie Dew, Notre Dame; 3rd round (#17)-Tiffany Weimer, Penn State; 4th round (#26)-Marisa Abegg, Stanford; 5th round (#31)-Ameera Abdullah, Florida; 6th round (#40)-Leigh Ann Robinson, San Diego; 7th round (#45)-Brandi Chastain, Santa Clara; 8th round (#54)-Allison Whitworth, Auburn; 9th round (#59)-Alissa Oldenkamp, Arizona State; 10th round (#68)-Stacie Alberico, San Jose State.

Strategy
FC Gold Pride started by taking two young players, both with extensive experience on the US Junior National Teams, with DiMartino and Dew. They followed that by taking the 2nd oldest player taken in the first three rounds and one with international club experience, Tiffany Weimer. In later rounds, they took two of the oldest players drafted, Brandi Chastain and Stacie Alberico. There doesn't seem to be any preference as to age, geographic area, or position. Although Gold Pride did pick several players from the traditional west coast powers, they also looked east for a few of their picks.

Current WPS Status
For FC Gold Pride, 7 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, 3 were released.

Full time starters (4)-DiMartino, Dew, Weimer, Robinson.
Part time starters & other full roster players (2)-Chastain, Whitworth.
Developmental players (1)-Abegg.
Released (3)-Abdullah, Oldenkamp, Alberico.

What They've Done
DiMartino-9 G, 9 GS, 774 Min, 9 shots, 4 SOG
Dew-8 G, 8 GS, 638 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 4 shots, 2 SOG
Weimer-10 G, 8 GS, 583 Min, 1 goal, 3 assists, 5 points, 14 shots, 5 SOG
Robinson-10 G, 8 GS, 705 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 3 shots, 2 SOG
Abegg-2 G, 1 GS, 126 Min
Chastain-3 G, 53 Min, 2 shots

Whitworth-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 6 saves, 2.00 GA

Total Offensive Output-42 G, 34 GS, 2879 Min, 3 goals, 3 assists, 9 points, 32 shots, 13 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 6 saves, 2.00 GA.

G=Games; GS=Games Started; Min=Minutes; SOG=Shots on Goal; GA=Goals Against Average.

The Players

Christina DiMartino-Though often overshadowed by her midfield teammates, DiMartino has played well for FC Gold Pride. In the game I saw her play in person, there were periods where she seemed to be all over the field. She maneuvers well in tight space and is good at distributing the ball. She is probably the best young player in the league with the ball at her feet. Her size prevents her from being a force in the air and she can be muscled off the ball on occasion, but her quick feet can also dispossess opponents. Her skills probably fit Gold Pride as well as any team in the league as they concentrate on passing and possession. I don't know if she will ever be a great player, but she can be very, very good.

Carrie Dew-Talk about a roller coaster season, Dew has had one. I thought she was an excellent pick at #12. She started the first game at holding midfielder and did a nice job frustrating Kelly Smith for the 1st half of that game. She followed that with a goal against Sky Blue. Then she missed nearly two full games because of injury, but seemed to be settling in after that, until.... She had a rough time of it againt the Sol, getting called on a foul and penalty, and was beaten a few times by the speedy LA attackers. Then came the double yellow card against Washington and suspension. Like Rachel Buehler and Leslie Osborne, she goes in strong on the tackle, but she needs to be more discriminating as to when she uses that talent. Dew's height and athleticism make her a natural in the air. I still think she was a solid pick and a good player. Her main position in college was center back, but she has also been used at defensive mid with Gold Pride and I wonder if that might ultimately be her better position.

Tiffany Weimer-No player burst onto the WPS scene with a bigger splash than Weimer. Her 1st half against Boston in the opener was a great half of soccer. She has excellent ball skills and can be a magician at times. About the best compliment I can pay her is that she thinks like a Brazilian, always looking to create and in fact, she did spend time with Santos. Sometimes, it seems like she attempts to do too much with the dribble, but that could be because the mids are slow in support. She had a goal and three assists in her first four games. But then, what happened? She was very quiet against Athletica and then spent a large portion of the next three games on the bench. In her last 5 games, she has attempted only 2 shots. I hope that Weimer can bounce back from this lull, because she is truly a joy to watch when she's at her best.

Marisa Abegg-Abegg started the year as a developmental player, but she saw her first action against the Freedom, followed by a start and a full 90 against Chicago due to Dew's suspension and Wilson's injury. She and former teammate Allison Falk helped to form one of the best back lines in college soccer at Stanford.

Leigh Ann Robinson-The 6th round pick has contributed nicely to Gold Pride, playing in all 10 games and starting eight. Like teammate Kandace Wilson, she can be dangerous making overlapping runs, although she doesn't quite have Wilson's blazing speed. She scored the game winning goal, coming off the bench in the 2nd Sky Blue game with a nice run and beautiful finish. It seems to me, at least at this point in her career, that she is much more comfortable going forward than defending.

Brandi Chastain-You have to take your hat off to any player that can compete in this league at age 40. She's still in top shape, although the amount of quality minutes that she can give has surely declined. She's been bothered with injuries, but has looked pretty good in the games she has played and she just missed scoring a goal on a header against Los Angeles.

Allison Whitworth-With Nicole Barnhart's call up, she got the start against the Sol, not exactly the easiest debut. She played outstanding, making several nice saves and keeping her team in the game. It was impressive that the young keeper didn't let the penalty rattle her and she actually seemed to gain confidence as the game wore on. She makes sound decisions and has good height and quickness. She could be a prime target in the expansion draft.

Summary
Gold Pride has gotten a lot out of their draft. DiMartino is already a good player and has one of the best skill sets of any young player in the league. Dew was a solid pick and with some experience, she should be a fine player for many years. Weimer could have been the steal of the draft at #17, but she needs to be more consistent. Gold Pride also did pretty well in the bottom half of the draft with Robinson and Whitworth. Abegg, given time and experience, could develop into a nice player. Quite frankly, I was shocked that Abdullah didn't make the team. The one thing I can perhaps fault this group on is their consistency.

I think perhaps the biggest problem is that, with Wilson's injury, Gold Pride is now getting absolutely zilch out of the October draft. Therefore, several of these players are being pushed into roles before they have had time to develop. I'm puzzled that they didn't keep Jill Oakes, injury or not, to give them more depth and experience on defense, which may have helped young players like Dew and Robinson. Still, it's a pretty good draft when you can get four starters out of it.