WPS Weekend Matches-August 1st & 2nd

There are three matches on the schedule for this weekend, with two of them having playoff implications. The Breakers-Athletica match and the Freedom-FC Gold Pride match could reshuffle the deck as far as the playoffs go. Meanwhile, Los Angeles visits Chicago in a match that has no bearing on the playoffs.

The Playoff Picture

Heading into this weekend's action, Saint Louis is in 2nd place with 27 points and has 3 games left. Washington is in 3rd place with 26 points, Boston is in 4th place with 25 points, and Sky Blue FC is in 5th with 23 points. Washington, Boston, and Sky Blue each have two games left.

Saint Louis-Athletica clinches a playoff berth with a win over Boston and/or a Washington loss to FC Gold Pride. They would also clinch a playoff berth with a tie against Boston if Washington also ties Gold Pride. Athletica clinches 2nd place with a victory over Boston and a Washington loss to Gold Pride. They clinch 3rd place and a home playoff game with a victory over Boston combined with a Washington tie or win against Gold Pride.

Washington-The Freedom can clinch a playoff berth with a victory over FC Gold Pride and a Saint Louis victory over Boston.

Boston-The Breakers can clinch a playoff spot with a victory over Saint Louis and a Washington tie or loss against FC Gold Pride.

None of the four teams competing for the final playoff berths, including idle Sky Blue FC, can be eliminated this weekend.

Washington Freedom at FC Gold Pride

The Freedom continued their strong playoff push by defeating Boston 1-0 on Wednesday. Washington has now won three games in a row. They travel west to meet FC Gold Pride on Saturday afternoon. FC Gold Pride has shown improvement in their last couple of games, gaining ties against the top two teams, Los Angeles and Saint Louis.

Washington is getting hot at the right time, as is their big scorer, Abby Wambach. She has scored 3 goals in her last two matches. Lisa DeVanna, who has 5 goals and 4 assists herself, assisted on Wambach's goal against Boston. Sonia Bompastor, the 3rd of the Freedom's big three, started at midfield and I would expect that is where she will be starting Saturday. The Freedom started Cat Whitehill, Becky Sauerbrunn, Jill Gilbeau, and Ali Krieger on defense in their last match, but it will be interesting to see if Coach Jim Gabarra might opt for Alex Singer in this contest. Erin McLeod, who has a 1.33 goals against average, will handle the goalkeeping duties for the Freedom.

FC Gold Pride has shown a lot of character in their last two matches, holding the Sol to a scoreless tie and scoring in the 87th minute to tie Athletica. But they still haven't won a match since May 16th against Chicago. Formiga was limping heavily after last Sunday's match and my fears were confirmed when she was listed as "unavailable" for this contest on the WPS roster report. Christine Sinclair was once again the FCGP goal scorer against Saint Louis. She is now tied for 3rd in the league in scoring. Gold Pride is still trying to find someone to complement her up front. Gold Pride's defense has shown some resolve, giving up just two goals in their last 3 matches. They start Leigh Ann Robinson, Kristen Graczyk, Carrie Dew, and Rachel Buehler across the back line with Nicole Barnhart in goal.

Washington has won the two previous meetings between these teams, scoring 7 goals in the process. With only a single match with Sky Blue remaining after this one, the Freedom need to get as many points here as possible. Look for the Freedom to pressure from the start and try to get a quick lead.

Boston Breakers at Saint Louis Athletica

Boston suffered two losses on Wednesday night. First, they lost to the Freedom which dropped the Breakers to 4th place. Second, Alex Scott picked up a red card early in that match and will miss Saturday's contest with Saint Louis as well. In addition to Scott, coach Tony DiCicco is also suspended for this match for his postgame comments about the officiating in Wednesday's match. Saint Louis comes into this match with 4 wins and a tie in their last 6 matches, but they are still smarting from last Sunday's match when they were within minutes of clinching a playoff berth. They will get another shot at ensuring themselves a spot in the playoffs against the Breakers on Saturday evening.

Although this match is important for both teams, it is more critical for Boston. If Boston loses, they may no longer have control over their own destiny with respect to making the playoffs. Kelly Smith subbed in the 2nd half against the Freedom, but due to the importance of this match, I look for her to start this one. She leads the Breakers in goals with 5, followed by Kristine Lilly with 3. However, Boston has been getting scoring from other sources lately, including Jenny Nobis, Kelly Schmedes, and Angela Hucles.

Boston's defense has been outstanding lately and they haven't given up an even strength goal in their last 4 games. However, with Scott suspended and Sue Weber injured, the Breakers are razor thin on defense. Look for the back line to be Nancy Goffi, Heather Mitts, Amy LePeilbet, and Candace Chapman for this match. Allison Lipsher has been one of the top keepers in the WPS since taking over as starter and she has posted 5 shutouts in roughly half a season.

Saint Louis can only kick themselves for letting one get away last weekend. Now they have to face a tough, desperate Boston squad with 2nd and possibly even 3rd place on the line. Athletica's defense has also been solid, giving up just two goals over their last 5 matches. Hope Solo, second only to Karina LeBlanc in shutouts and goals against, will start in goal for Athletica. The defense is led by Tina Ellertson and Kia McNeill. Lori Chalupny, who is one of the top defenders internationally, is one of the best midfielders in WPS. Eniola Aluko is Athletica's leading scorer, but Niki Cross netted her first of the season against Gold Pride last weekend. Amanda Cinalli adds offensive punch from her attacking mid position.

Saint Louis must pressure Boston's defense early on and try to get an early lead. Athletica has been woefully outscored late in matches, so they need to have a lead heading into the final minutes of the match. Boston must deal with the loss of Scott, who is not only a top defender, but a serious offensive threat going forward. If Smith is able to start, it should offset the loss of Scott somewhat. I expect a low scoring contest. There will probably not be many more important regular season matches than this.

Los Angeles Sol at Chicago Red Stars

The Los Angeles Sol would like to get some momentum heading into the playoffs. They have a loss and a tie in their last two outings. It's been quite awhile since they've gone two consecutive matches without a win. For Chicago, who is out of playoff contention, the 2010 season starts now. They must sort out where to go from here and what needs to be done in the off season to improve their team.

Los Angeles is in a holding pattern, waiting to see who they will face in the WPS Championship game 3 weeks from Saturday. They haven't looked particularly sharp lately and have only played one match in the last three weeks. But they do still have the top two scorers in the league, Marta and Camille Abily, the WPS assists leader, Aya Miyama, and the top goalkeeper in the league, Karina LeBlanc, so things are still looking pretty good. LeBlanc leads all starting keepers with a 0.35 goals against average. Their defense is also strong led by Stephanie Cox and Allison Falk, and they have added Sharolta Nonen to replace Martina Franko. The Sol's midfield just keeps getting stronger, especially since it appears that Aly Wagner is finally close to being 100% healthy.

It has been a frustrating season on many levels for the Red Stars. Early on, they appeared to be a top contender, someone that could challenge the Sol for 1st place. But injuries on defense, inconsistent midfield play (most notably by Carli Lloyd), two red cards, an additional suspension due to yellow card accumulation, and several long scoring droughts have made for a rough campaign. Chicago is just 2-9-3 over their last 14. Cristiane has been one of the bright spots, scoring 6 goals, good for third best in the WPS. Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney both scored their 2nd goals in their last contest vs. Washington. Chicago's defense is led by Ifeoma Dieke and Marian Dalmy, with Caroline Jönsson in goal.

Los Angeles has a win and a tie in the two previous meetings against Chicago. Both teams have one match left after this one. The Red Stars finish at Saint Louis on Wednesday, while the Sol travel to Boston next Sunday. The Sol-Red Star contest will be played at Toyota Park on Sunday, a nationally televised match on FSC.

DiCicco Suspended

As mentioned above, Boston coach Tony DiCicco was suspended for comments about the officiating following Wednesday's match against the Washington Freedom. He will miss Saturday's match against Saint Louis Athletica.

DiCicco issued an apology for his actions stating that his comments were "wrong" and he agreed that referee Jose Rivero "was justified issuing the red card". In addition to his suspension, he has been fined $1000 and must perform 6 hours of community service to the sport of soccer.

Lindsey Resigns at Sky Blue, Rampone Named Interim Coach

Sky Blue FC has announced the resignation of Kelly Lindsey as head coach. Lindsey was named as head coach after Ian Sawyers resigned in May. Lindsey took over a Sky Blue team that was at the bottom of the table and molded them into a playoff contender. When Lindsey took over, Sky Blue was 1-3-2 and tied for last place. Their record during her 12 games as head coach was 5-4-3.

Christie Rampone will take over as interim head coach. Rampone is coming back from surgery that was performed just two weeks ago. She is a long time member of US Women's National Team and has appeared in 12 games for Sky Blue this year. She is also the team captain for SBFC.

Sky Blue has just two games left in their regular season, at home against FC Gold Pride on August 5th and at Washington on August 8th. SBFC's playoff hopes looked promising, but a loss to Saint Louis and a tie against Boston, coupled with a Washington Freedom 3 game winning streak has reduced their chances. They presently sit in 5th place. They trail 4th place Boston by 2 points and 3rd place Washington by 3 points.

No official explanation was given for Lindsey's resignation.

WPS Midweek Match & Notes-July 29th

Boston Breakers at Washington Freedom

There is only one match scheduled for Wednesday, but it's one that will affect the playoff hopes of all four teams fighting for the last three playoff berths. The 3rd place Boston Breakers travel to Washington to meet the 4th place Freedom in an all important WPS contest. As it stands, Saint Louis is in 2nd place with 27 points, followed by Boston with 25, and Washington and Sky Blue with 23 each. Everybody has three games left with the exception of Sky Blue, which has only two games remaining. There are a couple more matches between contenders coming up. On Saturday, the Breakers will visit Saint Louis to take on Athletica. On the final weekend of the season, Washington will host Sky Blue FC.

The Breakers head into this match having posted 3 consecutive shutouts, all with Allison Lipsher in goal. They are 2-0-1 in those three games. On defense for Boston, it appears that Sue Weber will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. That means that either Nancy Goffi or Candace Chapman will start at one of the center back spots along side of Amy LePeilbet, with Alex Scott and Heather Mitts handling the outside of the defense.

In the midfield, Angela Hucles and Kristine Lilly will be two of the starters. The big question is the status of Kelly Smith's gimpy knee. She's listed as "questionable", but with so much on the line for this match, you can bet she'll be playing if she's able. Maggie Tomecka, a starter at midfield in the Breakers' last game, is listed as "questionable" as well. As for attackers, Kelly Schmedes, Jennifer Nobis, and Fabiana were Tony DiCicco's choices last time out. However, Christine Latham is another option. First round draft pick Amy Rodriguez appears to have fallen out of favor. She subbed in during the 2nd half of Saturday's match against Sky Blue, only to be replaced after seeing only 15 minutes of action.

Washington also comes into this game with a 2-0-1 record over their last 3 matches. On Sunday, they managed a 3-2 come from behind victory over Chicago. Allie Long was the hero in that match, scoring the game winner in the 89th minute. Abby Wambach, who scored two goals against the Red Stars, will start at one forward spot, along with Lisa DeVanna. Both Wambach and DeVanna have 5 goals for the season. Rebecca Moros or Long will probably start as either a third forward or as an attacking midfielder.

Homare Sawa and Lori Lindsey have been steady and will be starting in their normal midfield capacities and Sonia Bompastor, who can play several positions, will likely be the other midfielder. On defense, the Freedom have Cat Whitehill and Becky Sauerbrunn at center backs. Neither Sauerbrunn nor Sawa has missed a minute of action all season. The outside starters will probably be Alex Singer and Ali Krieger if she's healthy, or possibly Jill Gilbeau. Erin McLeod, who has three shutouts to her credit, will be in goal for the Freedom.

Obviously, one of the keys to this match will be if, and how far, Kelly Smith can go. If she's able to play, Washington will be forced to spend a lot of defensive resources to keep her in check. The Breakers will be trying to extend an impressive streak of 323 minutes without giving up a goal, but they will have to do so against the powerful Freedom offense, with Wambach, DeVanna, and Bompastor. The Freedom can move up to 3rd place with a victory. The Breakers could finish the evening anywhere from 2nd to 4th place depending on the outcome. Considering what's at stake for these two teams, this could be one of the best matches of the year.

Midweek Notes

Washington's 3-2 victory over Chicago was the league's second ever come from behind victory. The Red Stars led 1-0 early in that contest. The first come from behind win also involved these two teams, but it was the Red Stars doing the honors to defeat the Freedom 2-1 back on July 1.

Several countries are represented among the top 9 goal scorers in the league. Only two Americans have cracked the list, Abby Wambach and Natasha Kai. Likewise, there are two Brazilians, Marta and Cristiane, and two Brits, Kelly Smith and Eniola Aluko. The other three players are Camille Abily (France), Christine Sinclair (Canada), and Lisa DeVanna (Australia). Sonia Bompastor of France and Aya Miyama of Japan are tied for the lead in assists with 6 each.

Allie Long, who scored her 2nd goal of the season against Chicago over the weekend, is the youngest player to have scored a goal in the WPS. She was 21 years, 256 days when she scored her first goal against FC Gold Pride. Long edges out Karen Carney, who was 21 years, 267 days when she scored that same weekend against Boston. The only other player to have scored a goal before she turned 22 is Elise Weber of Athletica, who turned 22 on Sunday.

Luke Thompson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Daniela participated in a 60 minute intersquad scrimmage yesterday. Daniela suffered severe knee and leg injuries in the May 3rd match at Washington. The talented Brazilian midfielder scored two goals in that match before being injured.

Boston Breakers-Goalkeeper Allison Lipsher has 5 shutouts in just 8 starts...The Breakers' last 6 goals have been scored by six different players-Kelly Schmedes, Angela Hucles, Jennifer Nobis, Christine Latham, Kristine Lilly, and Amy Rodriguez...The only team that has scored on the Breakers in their last 7 matches has been Sky Blue FC.

Chicago Red Stars-The Red Stars were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to Washington on Sunday...Karen Carney and Megan Rapinoe both scored for the first time since April in that contest against the Freedom...Heather Garriock, who has seen action in just 4 matches due to injury, earned her first assist of the season against the Freedom.

FC Gold Pride-In spite of a solid effort against Athletica, Bay Area was eliminated from the playoff race over the weekend...Christine Sinclair scored the game tying goal against Saint Louis with Tina DiMartino earning her first assist of the season...Brandi Chastain, who just turned 41, started her second consecutive game for Gold Pride.

Los Angeles Sol-Marta (9 goals) and Camille Abily (8 goals) are probably the only two players in the league with a legitimate shot at scoring 10 goals for the season...The Sol have been shut out in their last two matches...Newly signed Sharolta Nonen started and played the full 90 minutes in the Sol's last match against FC Gold Pride.

Saint Louis Athletica-While Eniola Aluko has dominated scoring for Athletica, five different players have scored in their last 6 contests-Aluko, Amanda Cinalli, Elise Weber, Lori Chalupny, and Niki Cross...Kendall Fletcher now has 3 assists on the season, second only to Aluko who has 4...Athletica has been outscored 8-2 in the final 15 minutes of matches plus stoppage (a big thank you to my friend Austin for that statistic).

Sky Blue FC-Anita Asante picked up her 4th yellow card against Boston and will be suspended for SBFC's next match against FC Gold Pride on August 5th...Sky Blue has picked up 20 of their 23 total points against Boston and Chicago, earning only 3 ties against the rest of the league...Jen Branam picked up her 6th shutout of the season against the Breakers on Saturday.

Washington Freedom-The Freedom have scored 26 goals this season, more than any other team in the league...Abby Wambach joined Marta as being the only WPS players to have scored 2 goals in a game twice this season...Washington has only scored one goal total in their last three home games.

WPS Playoff Picture-And Then There Were 5

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the playoff picture in the WPS is still not very clear. Five teams are left with a chance, including Los Angeles which has clinched the regular season championship and will host the final. Chicago and Gold Pride were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. That leaves four other teams vying for the last three spots. The only thing that is completely certain is that a Boston victory over Washington on Wednesday would clinch a playoff spot for both Boston and Saint Louis. The interesting thing is that one of the teams eliminated, FC Gold Pride, will influence on that playoff race greatly since they still have games left with Washington, Sky Blue, and Saint Louis. Here's a look at the remaining schedule and each team's chances.

Saint Louis (27 points; Aug. 1 Boston; Aug. 5 Chicago; Aug. 9 at FCGP)-Athletica was within minutes of clinching a playoff spot at home on Sunday night, but a late goal left them disappointed. While they're still in good position, it's no sure thing yet. As mentioned above, a Boston victory over Washington would clinch Saint Louis a playoff spot. But if that doesn't happen, Athletica may still need to get a point or two on their own. They host the Breakers next Saturday in what could be a battle for 2nd place and potentially a preview of a playoff game. Their last two games are against teams that have been eliminated, but as Gold Pride proved their last two games, that isn't necessarily an easy task. Athletica has won the tiebreaker over Sky Blue, but lost the tiebreaker to Washington. I'd still put their chances at about 95%.

Boston (25 points; Jul. 29 at Washington; Aug. 1 at Saint Louis; Aug. 9 Los Angeles)-They can clinch a playoff spot with a victory over Washington, but anything less than that, and it's still up in the air. They have the toughest schedule remaining by far, playing two of their fellow contenders on the road and then hosting Los Angeles on the final day of the season. Their two point margin over Washington and Sky Blue is pretty slim. They have the tiebreaker over Washington, but have lost the tiebreaker to Sky Blue. I would say that their chances are about 80%.

Washington (23 points; Jul. 29 Boston; Aug. 1 at FCGP; Aug. 8 Sky Blue FC)-They have the advantage of playing two of their rivals at home, but their home field advantage hasn't been all that big at 3-2-4. With their three competitors all tying over the weekend, they picked up points on everyone. The game coming up on Wednesday against the Breakers is huge, not only for those two teams, but for Saint Louis and Sky Blue as well. The Freedom is presently tied with Sky Blue, but they have a game in hand. Washington has won the tiebreaker over Saint Louis, but has lost the tiebreaker to Boston. I would put the Freedom's chances at about 85%.

Sky Blue FC (23 points; Aug. 5 FCGP; Aug. 8 at Washington)-They are the only team left that doesn't have complete control over their own destination with respect to making the playoffs. Conceivably, they could win both remaining games, and still lose out in a 3-way tiebreaker with Saint Louis and Washington. Sky Blue has only two games remaining, while the other teams have three. They have a week and a half to rest up for their next game against Gold Pride. SBFC has clinched the tiebreaker over Boston, but has lost the tiebreaker to Athletica. Their margin for error at this point is nearly zero. I'm putting their playoff chances at about 40%.

And Then There Were 5-Part 2

With injuries and national team call ups, there are now only five players remaining that have played every minute of their team's games. They are Kristine Lilly (Boston), Caroline Jönsson (Chicago), Aya Miyama (Los Angeles), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington), and Homare Sawa (Washington).

Weekend Round Up

Boston 0, Sky Blue 0-The two playoff contenders battled to a scoreless draw in Boston on Saturday.

Washington 3, Chicago 2-Abby Wambach scored twice and Allie Long scored the game winner in the 89th minute in a crucial victory for the Freedom. Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney scored goals for Chicago.

Saint Louis 1, FC Gold Pride 1-Saint Louis took the lead on a 1st half goal by Niki Cross and were within minutes of clinching a playoff berth, but Christine Sinclair scored her 6th goal of the season to tie the match in the 87th minute.

WPS Weekend Matches-July 25th & 26th

The Los Angeles Sol have clinched the regular season title with their scoreless tie against FC Gold Pride, but three other playoff berths are still available and all three weekend games will have an impact on the playoff chase.

Sky Blue FC at Boston Breakers

Sky Blue will visit Harvard Stadium to take on the Boston Breakers on Saturday evening. It will be the final regular season meeting between the two. Sky Blue has won the three previous meetings. This is an extremely important match for both teams. Boston needs this match to keep pace with Saint Louis for 2nd place, while a loss could put them on shaky ground, especially with Sky Blue owning the tiebreaker between the two. Sky Blue could move into 3rd place with a win, but a loss could see them fall into 5th place by the end of the weekend and at least temporarily out of a playoff position. Boston is one of the league's best home teams with a 4-2-2 record, while Sky Blue has struggled on the road at 2-5-1.

Sky Blue is coming off of a tough 1-0 loss at Saint Louis, but don't blame Jen Branam. She played very well in the loss and has a 1.03 goals against average for the season. Christie Rampone will be out because of recent surgery, but Anita Asante has returned from England to anchor the center of SBFC's defense. Keeley Dowling and Meghan Schnur ably handle the outside, although Dowling could slide to center back to replace Rampone. Sky Blue is solid through the midfield with an improving Yael Averbuch, and veterans Heather O'Reilly, Collette McCallum, Kelly Parker, and Rosana, who has three goals for the campaign.

On Wednesday, Sky Blue was shut out for the first time in 7 games, but the offense has vastly improved over the first half of the season. The bad news is that according to the WPS roster report, Natasha Kai, who has been battling a shoulder injury, is listed as "unavailable" for this match. Kai leads SBFC with 5 goals. Kacey White has been coming on as of late and Sky Blue now has Kerri Hanks coming off the bench.

For Boston, the change in goalkeepers to Allison Lipsher seems to have paid off. Lipsher has one of the best goals against averages in the WPS at 0.55. After missing half of their starters last week due to call ups, the Breakers should be mostly intact for this contest. Sue Weber will be unavailable, so the defense should line up with Amy LePeilbet and Candace Chapman in the middle, with stalwarts Alex Scott and Heather Mitts on the outside. The midfield has a world of talent with Angela Hucles and the Breakers' two leading goal scorers, Kelly Smith and Kristine Lilly. Boston uses a variety of forwards with Amy Rodriguez, Christine Latham, Jenny Nobis, and Kelly Schmedes. When they have their full squad, Boston has a very deep bench.

As even as these teams match up, it's hard to believe that Sky Blue could sweep the season series. If Kai is indeed missing, it will be an uphill battle for Sky Blue. Kelly Smith is also listed as "questionable" for Boston and her status could be key to this game as well. Boston will have the home advantage, especially on the turf field. Both of these teams have a game left with the 5th place Freedom. Those games plus this matchup on Saturday could very well make or break their seasons.

Washington Freedom at Chicago Red Stars

A loss in this game eliminates Chicago from playoff contention and a loss by the Freedom puts them in a precarious, although less dire, position as well. With both teams fighting for their playoff lives, this Sunday afternoon contest ought to be quite interesting. The Red Stars own a slight advantage in the season series with a win and two ties.

Caroline Jönsson was absolutely spectacular early in the season, but she has been more human lately. She hasn't posted a shutout since mid-June. Part of the problem is that Chicago is giving opponents too many good opportunities. A defense that has spent much of the summer recovering from injuries is now healthy and seems to have settled with Dieke and Oakes in the middle and Dalmy and Spilger or possibly Östberg on the outside, depending on whether Emma Hayes chooses to use the veteran Swedish player at defense or midfield.

The talented midfield of Karen Carney, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Brittany Klein all have two things in common...they've each scored one goal and all of those goals came in the same game against Boston back in April. That's a long drought for such a talented group. On offense, it has been Cristiane, Cristiane, Cristiane, with a little help from Lindsay Tarpley, who has netted 2 of her 3 goals against the Freedom. Ella Masar and Danesha Adams provide depth.

Washington must win to keep control of their own destiny. After squeezing by last week's contest with 4th string keeper Nicci Wright finishing the game, Erin McLeod will return to the nets for the Freedom. The question for Freedom fans is always where will coach Jim Gabarra start Sonia Bompastor. If she starts on the back line, she will be outside with Ali Krieger opposite her and Cat Whitehill and Becky Sauerbrunn in the middle. If Bompastor plays the midfield, the Alex Singer would likely slide into the other outside back position. Lori Lindsey and Homare Sawa are the constants in the midfield for the Freedom. Sawa scored her first goal against Athletica last week which turned out to be the game winner. Up front, Abby Wambach, fresh off of her 100th national team goal, will be one starter with speedy Lisa DeVanna at another. Rebecca Moros will be in support.

Chicago has played pretty well against Washington, noting that they finished the two tie games a player short due to red cards. The Red Stars have no room for error, while the Freedom can ill afford a loss here. I'm looking for a very close and very physical battle in this match.

FC Gold Pride at Saint Louis Athletica

This match pits 2nd place Athletica against last place FC Gold Pride. As far as playoffs go, Gold Pride is still alive on paper only. Meanwhile Saint Louis, with a little help from either Chicago or Boston, could clinch a playoff spot on Sunday evening.

Saint Louis comes into this match winning 4 of their last 5, largely on the shoulders of great goalkeeping, solid defense, and Eniola Aluko. Aluko has had a part in 10 of Athletica's 14 goals this year. She has 5 goals, 4 assists, and forced an own goal. Niki Cross has gotten the last two starts as Aluko's forward mate, although Sarah Walsh and Christie Welsh provide other options up front. The heart and soul of this team is captain Lori Chalupny. She will be at one midfield spot, with Amanda Cinalli, Angie Woznuk, and Kendall Fletcher rounding out the midfield. Defensively, Tina Ellertson is the leader in the center of the back line. Joining her will be Sara Larsson, Kia McNeill, and probably Elise Weber or Stephanie Logterman.

It has been a disappointing year for Gold Pride. They haven't won since the middle of May, going 0-6-3 since then. They've only scored one goal in their last five games, that coming on a penalty kick by Tiffeny Milbrett. And Christine Sinclair is the only Bay Area player to have scored a non-penalty goal since May 3rd. Sinclair will be back from national team duty and she leads the Gold Pride offense with 5 goals. Tiffeny Milbrett is the team's second leading scorer with three. Albertin Montoya has constantly juggled his lineup, partially because of injuries, partially because of ineffective play, and partially just to find the right combination.

Leslie Osborne and Rachel Buehler will also be returning from national team duty and their leadership should help. Joining Buehler on the back line will be Carrie Dew, Leigh Ann Robinson, and Kristen Graczyk. Gold Pride showed on Thursday that they aren't going to give in easily. They forced regular season champion, Los Angeles Sol, to a scoreless tie.

This matchup will feature two of the most talented strikers in the league in Aluko and Sinclair. Saint Louis has won both of the previous two meetings by 1-0 scores, with Chalupny being the goal scorer in each. At this point, Gold Pride is playing for pride, while most of the pressure should be on Saint Louis.

Match Report-Saint Louis 1, Sky Blue FC 0

Eniola Aluko picked a defender's pocket at the top of the box, then dribbled around Sky Blue keeper Jen Branam and sent the ball into the net giving Athletica a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute, which is how the game would end. Jillian Loyden made a heartstopping save grabbing the ball off of Kacey White's foot in stoppage time to preserve the victory for Saint Louis. The victory puts Athletica back into 2nd place, just 2 points ahead of Boston.

For Saint Louis, it moved them one step closer to a playoff berth. A victory on Sunday against FC Gold Pride, combined with a Sky Blue tie or loss to Boston or a Washington loss to Chicago would put them in the playoffs. Sky Blue still has their destiny in their own hands, but they must fend off 5th place Washington.

Loyden, making just her 3rd start for Saint Louis, was brilliant in goal, save for one very nearly embarrassing and disastrous play. She earned her 2nd shutout, making seven saves in the process. For her part, Jen Branam was equally brilliant for most of the evening, making 4 saves.

Early in the match, Athletica dominated possession and chances. Branam made some fairly easy saves early on, but was tested more severely in the 18th minute when Aluko hit a low shot from inside the penalty area to Branam's left. Branam dove to make the save.

Loyden's otherwise strong performance nearly hit a speed bump in the 22nd minute. She moved to her left post to catch a seemingly harmless shot. Just as she was ready to reach for the ball, her feet slid out from under her and she barely got a hand on it to send the ball just wide of the goal. On the ensuing corner kick, the ball came loose in front of the Athletica goal, with Elise Weber clearing it from about two yards from the line.

Athletica continued to pressure the Sky Blue goal, but Branam was up to the task. Niki Cross hit a low shot from about 22 yards out that Branam dove and covered nicely. A minute later, Lori Chalupny sent in a nice cross from the left, that Amanda Cinalli's sliding attempt just missed connecting on. Just a few minutes later, it was Cinalli again, as she received a pass from Aluko and found herself with a chance from about 12 yards, but she sent it just over the bar.

In the 36th minute, Keeley Dowling attempted a bicycle kick, but she didn't get much on it and Loyden made the easy save. The best chance for Sky Blue, however, came in the closing minutes of the 1st half. Natasha Kai got a step on the defender and dribbled into the penalty area. Loyden came out to cut off the angle and Kai sent a shot just over the crossbar. The half ended in a scoreless tie.

Unlike Saturday's game against the Freedom, Athletica forwards pressed Sky Blue's defenders throughout the game. It finally paid off in the opening minutes of the 2nd half, as Aluko stole the ball from a Sky Blue defender and calmly dribbled around Branam to give Athletica the lead. For Aluko, it was her 5th goal of the season.

The teams traded good chances throughout the 2nd half and there were quite a few of them. Sky Blue came close to equalizing several times. In the 58th minute, Yael Averbuch unleased a long shot from the left side, that either glanced off the post or Loyden barely got her hand on. About 10 minutes later, Natasha Kai was running onto a ball in the Athletica penalty area, that Loyden just dove out and grabbed off Kai's foot.

The momentum then swung back to Saint Louis. In the 72nd minute, Lori Chalupny made a nice turn on a defender to get herself clear for a shot from about 14 yards out. Branam came out, cut down the angle, and blocked the shot, robbing Chalupny and Athletica of a 2nd goal. In the 77th minute, Chalupny struck a corner that Angie Woznuk hit a glancing header toward the far post. A charging Sara Larsson was just late getting to the ball and it rolled just wide. Three minutes later, Aluko hit a nice shot from the left side that had Branam beat high to the far post, but it just missed by inches.

Sky Blue wasn't through yet. In the 88th minute, there was a scrum in front of the Athletica net, but Loyden was able to grab the ball out of the air for the save. But the biggest save for Loyden came in stoppage. A Sky Blue attacking player was coming in alone on Loyden. I originally had thought it was Noelle Keselica from my viewpoint over 100 yards away, however I was later corrected that it was Kacey White. White appeared to be nearly around Loyden, but at the last second Loyden reached out with a hand and grabbed the ball away from White's feet to save the day and the game for Athletica.

For the match, Sky Blue outshot Athletica 14-11, although the chances were fairly even overall. Sky Blue was playing without several players for this game. Heather O'Reilly (USA) and Kelly Parker (Canada) were playing in the US-Canada friendly in South Carolina. Anita Asante was in England facing off against Denmark in a friendly for her country. Christie Rampone had emergency surgery just a few days ago. For Athletica, Lori Chalupny was scheduled to be playing in the US-Canada match, but returned to Saint Louis because of the death of her grandfather, whose funeral was today.

Both teams played extremely well and both Loyden and Branam were exceptional in the nets. Aluko was dangerous throughout the match. Kendall Fletcher kept up her fine defensive work as she blanketed Rosana for much of the match. Chalupny's presence and play was clearly a difference maker for Saint Louis. Athletica's defense was solid for much of the match, except for that last anxious moment when Sky Blue nearly tied the game.

For Sky Blue, Natasha Kai and Kacey White both did a nice job of putting the pressure on Saint Louis. Yael Averbuch played very well in the midfield. There is no doubt that SBFC missed having Rampone and Asante in the middle of their defense.

Sky Blue returns to action on Saturday as they travel to Boston to play the Breakers in another match with major playoff implications. Saint Louis hosts FC Gold Pride on Sunday evening, with a potential chance to clinch a playoff berth with a victory and other events falling their way.

WPS Midweek Matches & Notes-July 22nd & 23rd

Two weekday games are on the schedule in the WPS, with one having important playoff implications and the other likely to be a clinching celebration.

Sky Blue FC at Saint Louis Athletica

The hottest team in the WPS, Sky Blue, travels to Saint Louis to take on Athletica in a Wednesday evening contest. This match will likely have a major impact on the playoff race. Athletica sits in 3rd place, just a single point ahead of 4th place Sky Blue. The winner of this game will pass Boston to move into 2nd place, if only temporarily.

Sky Blue is 3-0-1 in their last four games and have risen from last place just a month ago to being in position to secure a playoff berth. The latest hero for Sky Blue was ex-Athletica striker, Kerri Hanks, who scored in the 90th minute to defeat Chicago 1-0. This will be the first time that the players involved in that trade will be facing their old teams, Francielle and Hanks for Sky Blue and Sarah Walsh for Athletica. Both Francielle and Walsh saw their first action with their new teams over the weekend.

Sky Blue will be missing a lot of key players in Christie Rampone, Anita Asante, Heather O'Reilly, and Kelly Parker. In their victory over Chicago, New Jersey started Jen Buczkowski and Katie Hooker on the back line with regulars Meghan Schnur and Keeley Dowling. Although SBFC will definitely miss O'Reilly, they still have a lot of firepower in Natasha Kai, Rosana, and Kacey White. Jen Branam will start in goal for Sky Blue.

Saint Louis will be missing goalkeeper Hope Solo and Melissa Tancredi for this game. Jillian Loyden will get the start in goal. She has played well giving up just one goal on a deflected shot. It will be interesting to see who starts on the back line for Athletica. Tina Ellertson is a given, but the other three will come from Sara Larsson, Kia McNeill, Elise Weber, and Stephanie Logterman.

It's scoring that was the problem for Saint Louis on Saturday. After a couple of chances early, Athletica's offense was non-existent in the 2nd half against the Freedom. Eniola Aluko is one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. Niki Cross was the surprise starter at the other forward position, but other options for this match include Walsh and Christie Welsh. Amanda Cinalli has been suffering from an arm injury, but she is listed as "probable" for Wednesday. Kendall Fletcher will probably get to shadow Kai for the match. The status of Lori Chalupny is not 100% certain as she has returned to Saint Louis from the USWNT because of a death in the family.

The winner of this contest will be in great shape for the playoffs. The loser will have to battle with Washington for 4th place. It's essential for Athletica to attack the center of the Sky Blue defense in the absence of Rampone and Asante. Sky Blue has a lot of speed and it will be interesting to see if Kai can find a hole in Athletica's defense. This game should have a playoff-like atmosphere to it.

Los Angeles Sol at FC Gold Pride

With Los Angeles nearly having 1st place wrapped up and Gold Pride nearly eliminated from the playoff picture, this may turn into a celebration game for the Sol. FCGP will be trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a victory. They will meet on Thursday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Los Angeles has had a long time to think about their last game, a 1-0 loss to Athletica. They will be looking to return to form agasint Gold Pride, a team they have dominated in three previous outings. Offense is usually not a problem for the Sol. They have the league's two top goal scorers in Marta and Camille Abily and the WPS assists leader, Aya Miyama. Han Duan and Aly Wagner add even more scoring ability to a potent LA squad.

With the USWNT in action on Wednesday, many players may be able to make it back in time for this match on Thursday, but their availability is uncertain. This would include Karina LeBlanc, Shannon Boxx, and Stephanie Cox for the Sol. But when you have a versatile player like Brittany Bock that can fill in anywhere on the field, missing players aren't as big of a problem.

FC Gold Pride are 10 points out of a playoff spot with just 5 games remaining. Even the most ardent optimist would have to admit things look bleak. They've lost all three previous meetings with the Sol by a combined score of 5-0, so it's almost essential that Christine Sinclair returns from her duties on the Canadian National Team to play in this game. Sinclair has been the only Gold Pride player to consistently provide offense. They have scored only one goal over their last four games.

If back from national team duty, Nicole Barnhart will likely start in goal, although backup Allison Whitworth has performed well in her two appearances. Rachel Buehler and Leslie Osborne will also be with the US team and are listed as "unavailable" for now.

Gold Pride would love to delay the Sol's celebration. A victory would move them in range of 6th place Chicago. A tie will clinch 1st for LA, but it could already be in the books, depending on what Saint Louis does the night before.

Midweek Notes

Boston-The Breakers added Stacy Bishop and Erika Sutton as "short term players" for last Sunday's match against Gold Pride...Boston occupies 2nd place for the moment, but will likely lose that position to either Saint Louis or Sky Blue, depending on the outcome of that game...Four of the Breakers last 5 games have been decided by a 1-0 score.

Chicago-The Red Stars have just three games remaining and probably must run the table to have a shot at the playoffs...Heather Garriock returned to action for the first time since May 23rd in Sunday's game against Sky Blue... Chicago has now been shut out a league leading 10 times.

FC Gold Pride-FCGP has not scored more than one goal in a match since April 26th when they scored three, only to lose to Washington...Tiffeny Milbrett joined Kristine Lilly as the only two American players to have converted penalty kicks in the WPS...Gold Pride has not scored any goal other than a penalty since June 17th.

Los Angeles-Neither Aya Miyama nor Stephanie Cox have missed a minute of action for the Sol this year...The Sol have been shut out 4 times this season, three of which ended in scoreless ties...The Sol lead the league in home attendance with an average of 6298.

Saint Louis-Athletica has had more 1-0 decisions than any other team with 8. They are 5-3 in those matches...Eniola Aluko leads Athletica with 4 goals and is their only player to have scored more than two...Aluko leads the team in goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, crosses, and offsides.

Sky Blue FC-Sky Blue is still unbeaten against Boston and Chicago at 6-0-1. They have one match left against the Breakers...Kerri Hanks became the first player in league history to score goals for two different teams...After having one of the weakest offenses early in the season, Sky Blue has now scored in 6 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the WPS.

Washington-Abby Wambach scored her 100th international goal against Canada on Sunday in her home town of Rochester...The Freedom have used four different keepers this year after Nicci Wright was forced into action last Saturday...The Freedom have scored 3 or more goals four times and have given up 3 or more goals 5 times.

WPS-The Homestretch

We're down to the last three weeks of the regular season and the race for 2nd through 4th places have tightened considerably. Most of the contending teams have four games left, except Saint Louis which has five. Let's look at the playoff chances for each team.

Los Angeles-They're going to finish first, no doubt about it. They need just one point or a tie or loss by Saint Louis and it's a done deal. In a nutshell...37 points, 3 games remaining (at FCGP, at Chicago, at Boston). They will clinch 1st by the end of this week.

Boston-The Breakers have moved into 2nd place on the strength of two 1-0 victories over the bottom two teams last week. The schedule gets a lot tougher from here on out. In fact, Boston may have the hardest schedule of all of the contenders. Their next game is at home against their nemesis, Sky Blue, next Saturday. Then the Breakers face two road contests against fellow contenders, Washington and Saint Louis. They finish up at home against Los Angeles. At 24 points, they have a 4 point cushion over 5th place, but their schedule is very difficult. They are the only one of the contending teams which still has to play the Sol. In a nutshell...24 points, 4 games remaining (SBFC, at Washington, at Saint Louis, Los Angeles). They have the inside track for 2nd place, but a tough schedule could make this a close call. I would put their chances at a playoff spot at about 85% right now.

Saint Louis-There's no way to sugarcoat this, they simply shot themselves in the foot with an uninspired effort on Saturday. They could have been playing Wednesday with a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Instead, they will be trying to fend off red hot Sky Blue. The one thing going in their favor is the schedule. They are the only one of the contenders that has 5 games left. They have two games against bottom dwelling Gold Pride and a home game against Chicago. But they would like to go into those games in a position of strength and not make them must win games. A victory over Sky Blue on Wednesday would put them on the verge of a playoff spot. In a nutshell...23 points, 5 games remaining (SBFC, FCGP, Boston, Chicago, at FCGP). More games and an easier schedule give them a pretty good chance, in spite of Saturday's effort. I'd put them at about 90%.

Sky Blue FC-They are the hottest team in the league with a 3-0-1 record over their last 4 games, but their schedule the rest of the way is not easy. They play each of the other three contenders and all of those are on the road. Their 2-4-1 road record doesn't exactly inspire confidence in them getting the job done. This week will make or break them. They travel to Saint Louis on Wednesday and then to Boston on Saturday. Two victories would put them in 2nd place. Two losses and they will be battling Washington and maybe others for 4th place. If tiebreakers come into play, they have won the season series over Boston, but lost the season series to Saint Louis. After this weekend, they get 10 days off before their final two games. In a nutshell...22 points, 4 games remaining (at Saint Louis, at Boston, FCGP, at Washington). They are going to have to be road warriors to do it. The game at Washington on the final weekend could be for a playoff spot. They are playing well, but I would put their chances at 60% given their schedule.

Washington-The victory over Saint Louis on Saturday got them right back in it. They have the advantage of playing two of the other contenders at home, Boston and Sky Blue. Their two road games are against Chicago and Gold Pride. Outside of Athletica, they have the most advantageous schedule, but they start in a hole, trailing Boston by 4, Saint Louis by 3, and Sky Blue by 2. One would think it will take 8 or 9 points out of their final four games for the Freedom to make the playoffs, especially since the three teams in front of them all play each other, meaning that someone is going to get points in each of those games. In a nutshell...20 points, 4 games remaining (at Chicago, Boston, at FCGP, SBFC). They start from behind, but their schedule works in their favor. As long as they stay close to Sky Blue, they can go into that last game with a chance. I would put them at just above 50-50 right now.

Chicago-It looked like they were going to make one final run at the playoffs, but the 1-0 loss to Sky Blue has almost finished them. They have just three games left and they have to win all three to have a chance and then pray for help elsewhere. Their schedule isn't very favorable either, with games against Washington, Saint Louis, and LA. In a nutshell...17 points, 3 games remaining (Washington, Los Angeles, at Saint Louis). It would take a miracle. I would put their chances at virtually nil, less than 1%.

FC Gold Pride-They still have 5 games left, but they have so much ground to make up, it will be nearly impossible for them to have a chance. They would have to win all 5 games and get help. Considering they haven't won a game since mid-May, I would say it's over. In a nutshell...12 points, 5 games remaining (Los Angeles, at Saint Louis, Washington, at SBFC, Saint Louis). They need an even bigger miracle than Chicago's. Too small of a chance to even measure.

WPS Weekend Matches-July 18th and 19th

It's down to crunch time for WPS teams looking to secure a playoff spot. Three teams that presently hold those playoff spots will be trying to defend them against three teams that are on the outside looking in. All teams will be missing players due to national team call ups.

Saint Louis Athletica at Washington Freedom

At one time, Washington looked to be a sure bet to make the playoffs. But they have secured only one point over their last four matches and now sit 2 points behind 4th place Sky Blue. Saint Louis is the hottest team in the WPS with 3 wins in a row. The two teams will meet Saturday afternoon at RFK Stadium.

Washington has given Saint Louis fits in their two previous matches. In the first match, Athletica held a 3-1 lead into the 79th minute only to give up two late goals to settle for a tie. In the second meeting in St. Louis, Athletica appeared to have the edge in play, but a late goal by Rebecca Moros gave Washington the 1-0 victory. With both Erin McLeod and Hope Solo being called up, this game will feature two backup keepers in Jillian Loyden for Athletica and Kati Jo Spisak for the Freedom. Loyden posted a shutout in her only previous start against Chicago. Spisak has a win and a tie to her credit, but gave up three goals in each game.

The Freedom will be without Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill, and McLeod. With Wambach out, Lisa DeVanna, Allie Long and Moros will be counted on to pressure Athletica's defense. Washington exploded for 4 goals on Wednesday against Sky Blue with DeVanna scoring two of them. As always, Sonia Bompastor will be a key player for the Freedom. She notched a goal and an assist in Wednesday's game and is now 2nd in the WPS in assists. The Freedom will sorely miss McLeod and Whitehill on the defensive end.

Saint Louis enters this match having won their last four road games. Athletica will be without Solo, Lori Chalupny, and Melissa Tancredi. However, Saint Louis actually gains a player on the offensive end as newly acquired Sarah Walsh looks to be over her injury and should see some action on Saturday, likely as a 2nd half substitution. She will join talented Eniola Aluko and powerful Christie Welsh as the Athletica forwards. Kendall Fletcher has done a fine job marking some of the best attacking players in the league at defensive midfield. Tina Ellertson offers speed and experience on the back line.

One thing that will not be lacking in this match is speed. Between DeVanna, Aluko, and Walsh, you have three of the fastest players in the league. Saint Louis will be trying to accomplish something that not even Los Angeles has done to this point. If they defeat Washington, they will be the first team to win in each of the 7 WPS cities. The Freedom need this game more than Athletica at this point, so they aren't likely to make it easy. Will the backup keepers be the key to this game or will it be one of those blue collar players like Moros that decides the game?

Chicago Red Stars at Sky Blue FC

This will be the fourth and final regular season meeting between these two teams. Sky Blue has won two of those matches, with the third ending in a scoreless draw. Chicago desperately needs a win in this match, as they will be down to just three games remaining after Sunday. SBFC is now hanging on to 4th place at 19 points, just two points behind 3rd place Boston.

Chicago will be without the services of Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsey Tarpley, and probably Karen Carney for this match. For the Red Stars, Cristiane has done almost all of the scoring over the last two and a half months. She has 6 goals for the season. Other than that, the scoring has been sparse as they suffered their 9th shutout of the season against Boston on Wednesday. The Red Star defense should be healthy and intact for this game. Marion Dalmy and Ifeoma Dieke are both over earlier injuries and are a welcome sight on the Red Star back line. Except for an occasional hiccup, their defense has been their strength. Caroline Jonsson has been strong in goal, although she hasn't posted a shutout in over a month.

Sky Blue is on a nice run right now. They are undefeated in their last three matches with the tie against the Freedom on Wednesday. But for the first time all year, their defense got blitzed for 4 goals. Part of the reason for that was probably that they were missing Anita Asante who was with the English National Team. She will likely miss this contest, too, as will Christie Rampone, Kelly Parker, Heather O'Reilly, and backup keeper Karen Bardsley. The problem for New Jersey is how to replace their two central defenders. Kacey White and Natasha Kai both scored twice on Wednesday and will be ready to challenge Chicago's defense on Sunday, as will Rosana. Jen Branam will be in goal for Sky Blue.

Both teams will be missing a lot of quality players. There are two question for me about this match. First, will Chicago be able to exploit the center of the Sky Blue defense? Second, with so many players missing, who will win the battle of the midfield? Both teams really need to win this game.

Boston Breakers at FC Gold Pride

With their victory Wednesday, the Breakers are in 3rd place, just two points behind Saint Louis. Gold Pride, on the other hand, sit at the bottom of the table with 12 points and have now lost touch with the pack. Surprisingly though, Bay Area presently holds the edge in the season series with a win and a tie.

Boston took a big step forward in their quest for the playoffs with their 1-0 shutout of Chicago on Wednesday. The Breakers have a tough schedule left with road games at Washington and Saint Louis and home games against Sky Blue and Los Angeles. Three points against Gold Pride would look pretty good to them. But the Breakers will be missing a lot of players for this game including Amy LePeilbet, Amy Rodriguez, Heather Mitts, Angela Hucles, Candace Chapman, and possibly Kelly Smith and Alex Scott as well. Boston will be without over half of their starters and barely have enough players to field a traveling squad. This means players like Jenny Nobis, Christine Latham and Kelly Schmedes are going to have to step it up for this match. One key element that will be present is Kristine Lilly with 3 goals and 2 assists for the season. Allison Lipsher, who posted her 3rd shutout on Wednesday, will be in goal.

For Gold Pride, the time is now. They have just 12 points and are 5 points out of 6th place. They must win this game. They will be missing Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Leslie Osborne for this match. But the biggest shoes to fill will be those of Christine Sinclair, who is the only Bay Area player to score the last two months, except for a penalty kick by Tiffeny Milbrett. In fact, the PK by Milbrett is the only goal Gold Pride has scored in their last three games. FCGP puzzles me more than any other team, as they appear to have a number of talented players, especially in the midfield. Formiga and Eriko Arakawa could be key to getting this offense jump started. Like the Freedom, they will be without their keeper and a key defender for this game. Allison Whitworth gets her 2nd start of the year in goal.

This is absolutely a must win game for Gold Pride if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. Boston could finish the weekend anywhere from 2nd to 4th place, depending on what they do in this game. The Breakers will be severely restricted on substitutions with so many players missing. Bench strength could definitely be the key to this game.

WPS All-Star Voting

Fan voting for the WPS All-Star game has begun. The following link will get you to the All-Star ballot:

http://www.womensprosoccer.com/AllStars

Fans can vote for a goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 2 forwards. The fan vote will account for 25% toward the first 11 players. Coaches, players, and media will also account for 25% each. The final 7 roster spots will be decided by the commissioner and the head coach for the all-stars. Fan voting continues through July 31.

The All-Star game will be held in St. Louis on August 30. The WPS All-Star team will take on Swedish club Umea IK.

China win 4-nations tournament

China won a 4-Nations tournament in Netherlands this week, beating host Netherlands, South Africa and Switzerland.

Netherlands finished second , South Africa third and Switzerland fourth.

Iceland win 2-0 against England

Iceland won surprisingly 2-0 against England in a friendly in Colchester on Thursday.

Iceland play Denmark in England on Sunday and England meet Denmark on July 22.

Canada Calls Up 24 For Friendlies vs. US

Canadian women's national coach Carolina Morace has called up 24 players to compete in the upcoming friendlies against the US on July 19th and 22nd. Six of those players are on WPS rosters:

Boston-Candace Chapman
FC Gold Pride-Christine Sinclair
Los Angeles-Karina LeBlanc
Saint Louis-Melissa Tancredi
Sky Blue FC-Kelly Parker
Washington-Erin McLeod

The July 19th game will be played in Rochester, New York and the July 22nd game will be played at Charleston, South Carolina.

WPS Midweek Matches & Notes-July 15th

Two very important matches are scheduled for Wednesday, involving the teams that reside in 3rd through 6th place in the standings. Right now, only two points separate these four teams. Boston and Sky Blue FC are tied for 3rd with 18 points, Chicago has 17, and Washington has 16. The results of these two games could really scramble the playoff picture.

Chicago Red Stars at Boston Breakers

Over the last two weeks, the fortunes of these two teams have changed dramatically. Boston was breezing along in 2nd place and then lost two straight to Sky Blue. Now they are in danger of falling out of the top four, meaning they would be on the outside looking in as far as playoffs go. Chicago, on the other hand, was nearly being counted out. Two consecutive wins have them right back in it.

Make no mistake, Chicago still has their work cut out for them. While they are just a point behind Boston and Sky Blue, they have one less game remaining than those two teams, so they must make the most of the games left. All of a sudden, the Red Stars, or is that Red Star, is scoring goals. Cristiane has scored 6 of Chicago's last 7 goals, including three against FC Gold Pride on Sunday night. It was the first hat trick in league history. Lindsay Tarpley is the Red Stars' 2nd leading scorer with 3 goals.

Boston will likely be missing their leading scorer, Kelly Smith, as the English National Team will be in action on Thursday. Karen Carney of Chicago and Alex Scott of Boston have also been called up. The Breakers had been playing solid defense before giving up 2 goals to Sky Blue on Sunday. Allison Lipsher has allowed less than a goal a game since taking over as the starter. In the last match against Chicago, Kristine Lilly had a goal and an assist and Amy Rodriguez scored her first goal as Boston defeated Chicago 2-0.

This game is important for another reason. The season series between these two teams is tied at one apiece. The winner of this game will take that all important tiebreaker. By losing to Sky Blue, Boston has already lost that season series, so they can ill afford to lose another. Chicago is looking to build on the momentum of their consecutive victories.

Washington Freedom at Sky Blue FC

Like the other matchup, this is a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions. Sky Blue has won two straight, while Washington has lost three straight. The Freedom won the only previous meeting between the two teams by a score of 2-1.

The most potent offense in the league for the first half of the season has become surprisingly quiet as of late. Washington has managed to score just two goals in their last five games. A trio of Washington players are tied for the team lead with 3 goals...Abby Wambach, Sonia Bompastor, and Lisa DeVanna. Keeper Erin McLeod has only given up four goals in her last five games and has kept the Freedom in virtually every game.

Sky Blue has been a team on the move, winning their last two and 3 of their last 4. US National Team striker Natasha Kai and Brazilian Rosana have led the way with three goals for the season. Sky Blue has one of the league's best back lines, but they will be missing English defender Anita Asante for this match. Jenni Branam is now 3rd in the league with 4 shutouts.

Washington has had 10 days off to prepare for this game. They should be a well rested squad. Sky Blue is riding the momentum of consecutive victories over Boston into this game. Both goalkeepers are playing well. This should be an interesting match. The key could be how well the Freedom are able to attack Sky Blue's shorthanded defense.

Midweek Notes

Both the Chicago Red Stars and Sky Blue FC recorded their first ever back to back victories after posting wins on Sunday. That leaves FC Gold Pride as the only team that has not won at least two in a row at some point.

Boston-Going into tonight’s game with Chicago, Boston has one game left against each of the other six teams in the WPS…..Fabiana saw her first action of the year against Sky Blue last Sunday…..Kelly Smith leads the league in fouls suffered with 36. She is also among the leaders in fouls committed with 26.

Chicago-Caroline Jönsson has faced 81 shots on goal for the season, which leads the WPS. Jönsson is also the only goalkeeper that has played every minute of every game…..With her hat trick, Cristiane now has six goals, good enough for third best in the league.

FC Gold Pride-FCGP is 0-5-2 over their last 7 games and have been outscored over that time by a margin of 13-4. They have not won a game since Kandace Wilson went down with an injury…..Tiffeny Milbrett converted a penalty kick against the Red Stars for her 3rd goal of the season.

Los Angeles-The Sol have signed defender Sharolta Nonen, a veteran of the Canadian National Team. Nonen played at the University of Nebraska in college…..Aya Miyama leads the WPS with 5 assists…..Los Angeles has only three games remaining, all on the road. Their next match is against FC Gold Pride on July 23rd.

Saint Louis-Eniola Aluko picked up an assist in the May 3rd match against the Freedom after it was reviewed by the league. She is the only player other than Marta to be in the top 6 in both goals and assists…..Athletica have started 19 different players this year. Sarah Walsh is likely to become the 20th as soon as she is fit.

Sky Blue FC-Sky Blue’s five victories for the season have come against just two teams. They have beaten Boston three times and Chicago twice. They are 5-0-1 against those two teams and 0-6-2 against everyone else…..Only Anita Asante and Meghan Schnur have started every game for SBFC. Asante will miss tonight’s game as she will be with the English National Team.

Washington-The Freedom will be trying to avoid their 4th loss in a row on Wednesday. No WPS team has ever lost four in a row…..Washington announced that they have waived Madison Keller. Keller had been with the team since the start of the season on the developmental roster, but had not seen any action.

Myanmar , Vietnam and Thailand qualify for AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2010.

Myanmar won group A beating Chinese Taipei and Jordan.

Thailand won group B beating Uzbekistan and Iran

Vietnam won group C beating Hong Kong and Kyrgyzstan.

Myanmar , Thailand and Vietnam will join North and South Korea, Australia , China and Japan in AFC Women’s Asian Cup finals in 2010.

AFC decided today to let Chengdu in China be the host of finals next year.

Asian Cup finals will also be qualifiers for World Cup in 2011 in Germany. Three teams from Asia will qualify for World Cup.

WPS Weekend Matches-July 12th

There are only two matches on this weekend's WPS schedule, both on Sunday. Sky Blue FC travels to Boston in a rematch of last weekend's match, while FC Gold Pride ventures into Toyota Park to face the Chicago Red Stars. Pretty much every game from here on out will have playoff ramifications.

Sky Blue FC at Boston Breakers

When these two teams met up last week, Sky Blue was badly in need of a victory to get back into the hunt for the playoffs. They got it by shutting out the Breakers 1-0. Another victory this weekend moves them into a tie for 3rd which would be their highest position of the year. Boston presently holds down 3rd place and needs a win to stay on the heels of 2nd place Athletica.

Jenni Branam has three shutouts in the last four games for Sky Blue, including one against the Breakers last Saturday. The back line for New Jersey is a strong, consistent group. All have over 1000 minutes played for the season, except Christie Rampone, who was injured for a few games early on. Englishwoman Anita Asante has been rock solid in the middle along with Rampone. Sky Blue has given up less than one goal per game on average.

Sky Blue has had trouble scoring, but last week marked the first time all year that they have scored in 3 consecutive matches, so maybe things are starting to change. Also significant is the fact that their last 5 goals have been scored by five different players, Kacey White, Natasha Kai, Rosana, Julianne Sitch, and Heather O'Reilly. Kai has been bothered by injuries throughout the season, but when healthy, she is as dangerous as anyone not named Marta. O'Reilly scored the only goal in last week's match directly off of a corner kick and she has probably been the best player offensively for Sky Blue.

Boston had a three game unbeaten streak stopped by Sky Blue and find themselves in the thick of a messy playoff race, just 2 points ahead of Washington and 3 ahead of New Jersey. The Breakers also have a strong defense and like Sky Blue, one of their top defenders is from England, Alex Scott. Add to that USWNT players Amy LePeilbet and Heather Mitts and veteran Sue Weber. Allison Lipsher has been fine in goal since taking over the starter's role in late June.

The Breakers leading scorer has been Kelly Smith, but she hasn't recorded a goal since the end of May. Like Sky Blue, Boston has had a variety of scorers with their last 6 coming from different players, including Scott, Smith, Amy Rodriguez, Christine Latham, Jenny Nobis, and Kristine Lilly. Joining Lilly and Smith at midfield will be Angela Hucles and Sophia Mundy.

Boston could get some separation from the pack with a victory, which would put them five points clear of 4th place Washington. Sky Blue is looking to have an inside position for the playoffs heading into the final four weeks of action. SBFC has won both of the previous two meetings.

FC Gold Pride at Chicago Red Stars

After going winless for 9 games, one victory has put the Red Stars back into the playoff chase and they are now in 6th place. The combination of a victory over FCGP and a Sky Blue loss would vault them into 4th position. FC Gold Pride occupies the bottom of the table and needs a victory to keep their playoff hopes realistic. The two teams will meet at Toyota Park on Sunday.

FC Gold Pride has been as high as 3rd place in the middle of May, but they have earned just 2 points in their last six matches. Scoring has been a major problem for Bay Area and they have been shut out in 4 of their last 8. Basically, it's been Christine Sinclair or nothing. With a call up for the Canadian National Team looming next week for Sinclair, FCGP needs to find another source of offense quickly. Sinclair has scored five goals, good enough for third best in the WPS. Behind her, only Tiffeny Milbrett has scored more than one. Midfield should be one of Gold Pride's strengths and they do possess well, but have not contributed much offensively.

Defensively, Gold Pride has been okay, but inconsistent. They have started Nicole Barnhart in every match except one and have recorded only two shutouts for the season, tied with the Freedom for the lowest in the league. Rachel Buehler is Gold Pride's best defender.

For Chicago, last week's victory over the Freedom had to be relief as did the two goals they scored. It marked only the second time all season that the Red Stars goal output had exceeded one. Similar to Gold Pride, Chicago has only had two players providing most of the offense, Cristiane and Lindsay Tarpley. Megan Rapinoe and Brittany Klein each have a goal and two assists to their credit. English midfielder Karen Carney has been noticeably quiet since early in the year.

The Red Stars' defense has been plagued by injuries for most of the season. Still, defense and goalkeeping have been the positives for this Chicago team, up until a couple of shaky games against Boston and Los Angeles. Caroline Jönsson hasn't missed a minute in goal for the Red Stars. With Marian Dalmy getting healthy, Chicago should be at full strength on the back line now. She joins Ifeoma Dieke, Jill Oakes, and Natalie Spilger. One thing to note is that Frida Östberg is listed as being out for this game with a "family commitment."

This match should see two desperate teams who both need a victory with the number of games remaining rapidly dwindling. The loser of this match will have an uphill task ahead to make up ground the rest of the way. Gold Pride leads the season series with a win and a tie.

Second Place Curse Broken

With Athletica's 1-0 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday, the 2nd place curse has officially been broken. The loss prevented Los Angeles from wrapping up the regular season championship for now. The next opportunity for the Sol to clinch first place will be on July 23rd when they meet FC Gold Pride, although Saint Louis would need to win at least one of their next two games to stay mathematically alive. Amanda Cinalli scored the only goal of the match on a nice feed from Eniola Aluko, while Hope Solo made four saves to shut out LA.

Six WPS Players Are Called Up for English National Team

English National Team coach Hope Powell has called up six WPS players for upcoming friendlies against Iceland on July 16th and Denmark on July 22nd. Those players are Kelly Smith and Alex Scott of Boston, Anita Asante and Karen Bardsley of Sky Blue FC, Eniola Aluko of Saint Louis, and Karen Carney of Chicago. With the exception of Bardsley, the rest of the players all start for their WPS teams.

Duke University Incoming Freshmen Callie Simpkins And Erin Koballa Are Set To Participate In The 2009 Clash Of The Carolina’s Contest

Via Duke University Athletics

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University incoming freshmen Callie Simpkins and Erin Koballa are set to participate in the 2009 Clash of the Carolina’s contest, which will be played on Saturday, July 11 at the Blackbaud Stadium in Daniel Island, S.C., at 3:00 p.m.

Koballa, who is a native of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., and attended New Hanover H.S., was a NCSCA All-State selection in 2007 and 2008 and is the reigning three-time Wilmington Star News Player of the Year. She scored 30 goals and had 15 assists as a senior.

A product of Concord, N.C., Simpkins attended Northwest Cabarrus H.S., where she was a top 100 recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com. As a senior, she scored 27 goals and earned All-Conference, All-Region and All-State.

The contest has the top senior soccer players from both North Carolina and South Carolina go up against each other.

WPS Draft Revisited-Saint Louis Athletica

For the final installment on the 2009 WPS draft, we'll examine Saint Louis Athletica.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#6)-Kerri Hanks, Notre Dame; 2nd round (#9)-Kia McNeill, Boston College; 3rd round (#20)-Stephanie Logterman, Texas; 3rd round (#21)-Elise Weber, Notre Dame; 5th round (#34)-Niki Cross, Connecticut; 6th round (#37)-Jillian Loyden, Villanova; 7th round (#48)-Lisa Stoia, West Virginia; 8th round (#51)-Megan Kerns, Florida; 9th round (#62)-Sheree Gray, Penn State; 10th round (#65)-Lydia Vandenbergh, Clemson.

Strategy
In the first round, they chose two-time MAC Hermann Award winner Kerri Hanks. In the 2nd round, they became the first team to choose a player who was not a college senior, Kia McNeill. After Hanks, they concentrated on defense with McNeill, Logterman, Weber, Cross, and Vandenbergh. They selected a backup keeper in Jillian Loyden. Most of the players were young, with 8 of the 10 being 23 years old or younger at the time of the draft. They also made a minor trade with Washington.

Trade
Saint Louis traded their 4th round pick (#23) and Joanna Lohman to Washington for the Freedom's 3rd round pick (#21). The trade ended up being Lohman and Parrissa Eyorokon for Elise Weber. Neither Lohman, who was recently waived, nor Eyorokon has seen much action. Meanwhile, Weber has 8 starts for Athletica and has scored a goal.

Current WPS Status
For Saint Louis Athletica, 7 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, with Hanks being recently traded and Vandenbergh making the developmental roster, but being waived later on.

Full time starters (3)-McNeill, Logterman, Weber
Part time starters & other full roster players (3)-Cross, Loyden, Stoia
Developmental (1)-Gray
Traded (1)-Hanks
Released (2)-Kerns, Vandenbergh

Note that Logterman did not join the team immediately, but is now a full time starter. Weber has started a majority of Athletica's games, but now is used primarily off the bench. Stoia started Athletica's first 6 games, but only one since. Gray was originally on the full roster, but was waived and added back as a developmental player. Hanks started a majority of the games before being traded to Sky Blue FC.

What They've Done
Hanks-10 G, 6 GS, 587 Min, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points, 15 shots, 6 SOG
McNeill-13 G, 12 GS, 996 Min
Logterman-7 G, 7 GS, 630 Min, 1 shot
Weber-12 G, 8 GS, 774 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 3 shots, 1 SOG
Cross-6 G, 3 GS, 245 Min
Stoia-9 G, 7 GS, 664 Min, 3 shots, 1 SOG
Gray-4 G, 122 Min

Loyden-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 6 saves, 1 shutout, 0.00 GA

Total Offensive Output-61 G, 43 GS, 4018 Min, 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 points, 22 shots, 8 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 6 saves, 1 shutout, 0.00 GA.

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

The Players

Kerri Hanks-Hanks was recently traded to Sky Blue FC. Expectations were high for Hanks, as she was a proven goal scorer at Notre Dame with over 80 goals to her credit. However, that scoring ability didn't translate easily into the pros. Early in the season, she seemed a step slow and never seemed to be in position to put one away. She isn't fast enough to get by on pure speed and not big enough to be a power forward like an Abby Wambach. However, we saw glimpses of her ability against the Freedom, when she struck a beautiful, long through ball to set up Eni Aluko for a goal. Just before being traded, she worked a nice give and go with Aluko, burying the shot for her only goal. On other occasions, she didn't take advantage of opportunities. Because she doesn't possess great speed, she will need great anticipation to succeed. She has good, if not great, ball skills. I have heard that she is very determined and tenacious, but I only started to see that toward the end of her run in Saint Louis. If she can summon those qualities, she can still be a quality player in this league and perhaps the change in scenery will do her good.

Kia McNeill-McNeill is a strong, physical defender, who has experience with the US U-23 team as well as the Swedish Damallsvenskan. She possesses good speed and can play both center or outside. She is one of the strongest players in the WPS on headers and will not back down from anyone. She pairs well with teammate Tina Ellertson, but she seems somewhat uncomfortable when Ellertson is not along side. She will make an occasional mistake, and unfortunately in her case, they have been costly. A misdirected header led to Sonia Bompastor's tying goal in the 3-3 game against the Freedom and a blocked clearing effort led to Rebecca Moros' game winner in June. Athletica does probably gamble more on defense than any other team in the league which can lead to individual defenders getting exposed. McNeill is a very good back and could be a top notch defender if she can cut down on mistakes and be more selective as to when she displays her physicality.

Stephanie Logterman-Logterman got a late start due to her decision to finish school before joining the team, but Athletica thought she was worth the wait. She has played pretty well at the outside left back position. Logterman does like to go forward a lot, although to this point, she hasn't been particularly dangerous. She shows nice anticipation in stepping in front of opposition passes. She also possesses good passing and dribbling skills. Nonetheless, she can get a bit careless at times and she can be beat on the dribble. One must remember that she is two months behind everyone else on the learning curve, because of her late start. The fact that she has started and finished every game since joining the team says a lot about how highly Jorge Barcellos thinks of her.

Elise Weber-The second of two picks out of Notre Dame, Weber has played on both sides at outside back. She is fairly poised for a young player and does well with the ball at her feet. She will get forward on overlapping runs, but probably not as much as other backs in the WPS. She did, however, score the game winning goal against Sky Blue recently. She generally makes good decisions, but occasionally, some of her passes out of the back are not accurate and possession is surrendered. To me, she also tends to choose the long pass too much from the middle third. She defends well and should improve as she gets more playing time. Overall, Weber has been a pleasant surprise and a solid pick.

Niki Cross-Cross has seen action in six games, making three starts. She has good size and decent speed for a defender. She has added depth to Athletica's defensive corps and can play both center and outside in the back.

Jillian Loyden-Loyden has played one game, stepping in for Hope Solo against Chicago. She earned the shutout and Player of the Week honors for her efforts in that game. Loyden has surprising agility for a keeper of her size. She moves well side to side and has excellent command of the penalty area. She isn't as good at distributing the ball as Solo, but then, who is? She should get a couple more starts as Solo is likely to be called up again in July. But Loyden's future as a starter in the WPS may lie with one of the expansion teams, possibly Philadelphia, where she attended college, growing up a short distance from that area.

Lisa Stoia-At age 26, Stoia was the oldest player drafted by Athletica. She started the first 6 games at holding midfielder, but later gave way to Kendall Fletcher. Stoia is an accurate passer and her play is generally steady. She can be outrun by the swiftest strikers in the league and it appeared that she was responsible for marking Bompastor on the Freedom's game tying goal early in the year. Still, 7 starts out of a 7th round pick is excellent and she held down the defensive mid position early in the year. She adds excellent depth in the midfield for Saint Louis.

Sheree Gray-Gray saw action in Athletica's first 4 games, primarily as a defender. She played well against the Sol, but had a bad outing against Boston. She has good speed, but her lack of height can be a liability on the back line. Gray was waived to make room for Fletcher and Welsh, but added back as a developmental player.

Summary
Saint Louis has gotten a lot out of their draft picks. Seven of them have started at one time or another and five have started at least 5 games. Hanks was a bit of a disappointment, but did show improvement before being traded. Ultimately, Athletica was able to get Sarah Walsh for Hanks, which could help offensively. The next three picks have all done a nice job contributing to the back line and Athletica has gotten 30 back line starts out of this group, which is pretty amazing. McNeill can ultimately be a top center back. Weber and Logterman have done well on the outside and hopefully will continue to improve. Loyden was an excellent pick to fill the role of backup keeper. Stoia has performed well, considering how low she was taken in the draft. Cross and Gray add depth to the squad.

McNeill is probably the strongest pick of the group, but several of these players have filled roles nicely throughout the season. While there are no all-stars and certainly not a lot of scoring in their draft, Saint Louis did a decent job overall and especially well on the defensive end. The Hanks situation was frustrating, but the trade was probably best for both parties. This was a solid, if not great draft.

China beat Russia

China beat Russia 0-1 in a friendly in Russia today.

China will go to Netherlands for 4-nations tournament that start on Saturday 11. South Africa , Switzerland and Netherlands will also participate.

New Look At WSW

Hope everyone enjoys our new look.

Regards,
WSW Team

WPS Midweek Game & Notes-July 8th

Saint Louis Athletica at Los Angeles Sol

Saint Louis travels to Los Angeles to meet the Sol in an unusual midweek matinee at noon pacific time on Wednesday. A Los Angeles victory means they clinch 1st place and home field advantage for the championship match in late August. Saint Louis is looking to widen their margin over 3rd place Boston, which now stands at just two points.

Athletica is led by striker Eniola Aluko and midfielder Lori Chalupny, who scored the game winner on Sunday against FC Gold Pride. Outside of the injured Daniela, they are the only two Saint Louis players to have scored at least two goals. Finishing was a problem the last time these two teams met as Saint Louis badly outshot the Sol, only to lose by a 2-1 margin. Who will provide additional offense for Athletica? Three possibilities are veteran Christie Welsh, defender/attacker Melissa Tancredi, and attacking midfielder Amanda Cinalli, who scored in her first game with the team.

Defensively, Saint Louis had some anxious moments against Gold Pride, but Hope Solo saved them several times for her 5th shutout of the season. Tina Ellertson leads the group in front of Solo, which has generally been solid, but somewhat inconsistent. Athletica has only won one game in which their opponents have scored a goal. Kendall Fletcher will likely get the honor of trying to shadow Marta, something she did pretty well at in their last meeting.

It has been a foregone conclusion for over a month that Los Angeles was going to finish in first place, it was just a matter of when they would clinch. Well, when could come on Wednesday afternoon. Marta scored the game winner in stoppage against Washington on Sunday, her 9th of the year which leads the league. The Sol also have the league's second leading scorer, Camille Abily. And if that isn't enough, add Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, and Han Duan to that mix. It was Han who scored the go ahead goal against Athletica just two weeks ago.

On defense, Los Angeles beat the Freedom with a fairly makeshift lineup with Allison Falk and Martina Franko out. Brittany Bock and Katie Larkin were moved to the back line, joining newly acquired Christie Shaner and USWNT defender Stephanie Cox. Shaner's first game with the Sol will likely be her last of the season as she was badly injured in a collision with Abby Wambach.

As good as Solo has been in goal for Saint Louis, Karina LeBlanc has been better for Los Angeles. The Sol have surrendered just 5 goals for the season and only one in their last five games, that one being against Saint Louis. Unfortunately for Athletica, that goal was scored by Kerri Hanks who is now a member of Sky Blue.

Just about everything is going against Athletica in this one. The Sol haven't lost a home game all year. They have outscored their opponents 16-2 at the Home Depot Center. The last time the two teams played there, the Sol dominated the game and won 2-0. But Saint Louis does know they can play with the Sol now, having done so in their recent 2-1 loss. Even a tie in this match would be a huge point for Athletica. Meanwhile, the Sol would love to clinch in their final regular season home game of the year.

US Women's National Team Calls Up 21

Pia Sundhage has announced her roster for the upcoming friendlies against Canada on July 19th and 22nd. 18 of the 21 players are on WPS rosters.

Boston-Angela Hucles, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Amy Rodriguez
Chicago-Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley
FC Gold Pride-Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, Leslie Osborne
Los Angeles-Shannon Box, Stephanie Cox
Saint Louis-Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo
Sky Blue FC-Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone
Washington-Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill

The other three players on the US roster are collegians. They are Christine Nairn (Penn State), Tobin Heath (North Carolina), and Lauren Cheney (UCLA). Boxx, Rapinoe, Tarpley, and Cheney all scored in the US victory over Canada in May. Several other national teams will be having call ups, leaving WPS rosters fairly depleted for games that week. Gold Pride, Saint Louis, and Sky Blue all have two games that week, while the other four teams have one.

Midweek Notes

Heather O'Reilly scored directly off of a corner kick for the only goal in Sky Blue's 1-0 victory over Boston. It was the 2nd time this rare feat has happened this season. Lori Chalupny of Athletica scored by that method against Gold Pride back on May 9th.

Marta and Camille Abily are the top two scorers in the league with a combined 17 goals. That total is more than any other team in the league, except for Washington which has scored 18.

Boston has scored 10 of their 14 goals in the 2nd half. On the other hand, Saint Louis has scored 8 of their 12 goals in the 1st half. But their last two goals, both game winners, came after the 70th minute.

No Gold Pride player other than Christine Sinclair has scored since May 3rd. Sinclair is likely to be called up for the Canadian National Team and would miss two games if that is the case.

Lindsay Tarpley became the first Red Star player other than Cristiane to score since April. Tarpley scored the game winner against Washington after Cristiane had tied the game with her 3rd goal of the year. Tarpley also has three goals for the Red Stars, having scored in each of Chicago's first two games. It was the first come from behind victory in WPS history.

Sky Blue's Jen Branam earned her 4th shutout of the season against Boston on Saturday. Actually, Branam shared another shutout with Karen Bardsley against Chicago earlier in the season.

Washington has now lost three games in a row, scoring only one goal over that time. That ties Chicago for the longest losing streak of the year. Chicago has twice had three game losing streaks.

After 12 ties in the league's first 37 games, there have been no ties in the last 11 games. The last tie match was on June 17th when the Breakers and Gold Pride tied in Boston, 1-1.

Russia drew China

Russia drew China 0-0 today in Krasnoarmeysk . Second friendly match will be played on July 9.

WPS Weekend Games-July 4th & 5th

With a little over a month to go in the regular season, the drive for the playoffs is in full swing. While Los Angeles has the top spot all but clinched, the six remaining teams all have a chance for one of the last three playoff positions. Only 6 points separates 2nd place Boston from last place FC Gold Pride. Chicago gets the weekend off after moving into 5th place with a 2-1 victory over Washington on Wednesday.

Boston Breakers at Sky Blue FC

These two teams are going to get mighty familiar with each other over the next three weeks. Between July 4th and 25th, these two teams face each other three times, so each will have a lot to say about the other's playoff chances. In the only previous meeting, Sky Blue defeated Boston 2-1, giving Kelly Lindsey her first victory as a head coach. We'll see if either team can provide any fireworks on the 4th of July.

Lindsey has two new players with the acquistion of forward Kerri Hanks and midfielder Francielle from Saint Louis. With Walsh's exit to Athletica and Natasha Kai listed as unavailable for this game due to a shoulder injury, Hanks may get thrust into the lineup quickly. She certainly doesn't have the speed of either Walsh or Kai, but at Notre Dame, she had a knack for scoring and she scored her first WPS goal in her last game with Athletica. Sky Blue could definitely use help in that area. They are last in the league with 8 goals scored. Only Kai and Rosana have scored more than once. With Kai injured, Kacey White will be depended upon to pressure the Breakers' defense.

Sky Blue has a solid midfield with Rosana, Heather O'Reilly, Yael Averbuch, and either Kelly Parker or Collette McCallum. SBFC's defense has been its strength, giving up just 11 goals, second only to Los Angeles. Veteran defender Christie Rampone and English National Team player Anita Asante hold down the center, while Keeley Dowling and Meghan Schnur start on the outside. Keeper Jen Branam has a goals against average under 1.00 and is extremely quick in goal.

Outside of the Sol, the Breakers have been the hottest team in the league going 2-0-1 over their last three games and for the moment, are sitting in 2nd place. They should be a well rested team, having not played in 10 days. The biggest change for the Breakers has been in goal, where Allison Lipsher has taken over for Kristin Luckenbill. Lipsher has a microscopic goals against average of 0.30 in four games. Boston has a veteran back line in front of Lipsher, with Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, and Heather Mitts. The fourth starting position on defense might fall into the hands of another veteran, Nancy Augustyniak-Goffi, as both Sue Weber and Candace Chapman are listed as unavailable with injuries.

Offensively, the big news is that Amy Rodriguez has finally scored and I suspect more will follow shortly, now that the pressure is off. The Breakers have a lot of offensive options with Jenny Nobis, Kelly Schmedes, and Christine Latham. But of course, their two biggest scorers are Kelly Smith and Kristine Lilly. They have combined for 8 of the Breakers' 14 goals. Angela Hucles rounds out the midfield for Boston.

Boston has a couple of things against them in this match. They are just 2-3-1 on the road and then there is the 2nd place jinx in the WPS. Sky Blue is playing the last of four straight home games and they really need this game to keep themselves in the thick of the playoff race.

Los Angeles Sol at Washington Freedom

These two teams are meeting for the final time in the regular season, but it's the first meeting in Washington. Los Angeles won both of the previous two matches by two goal margins. This game will be nationally televised on FSC on Sunday at 6pm eastern, 3pm pacific.

After Wednesday's loss to Chicago, the Freedom are barely clinging to the final playoff spot, only two points clear of the Red Stars. No matter what happens, they will still be in at least 4th by the end of the weekend, but a victory would make things a lot more comfortable. Erin McLeod has solved the goalkeeping issue with the Freedom and has earned two shutouts since arriving on the scene. But a strange thing happened in the mean time. All of a sudden, Washington is having problems scoring and with that, trouble winning games in spite of McLeod's efforts. The team that averaged nearly two goals per game for the first half of the season has now scored just two goals in their last 4 games. They have earned just four points over their last 5 games. The Freedom have two potent weapons at forward with Abby Wambach and Lisa DeVanna. Wambach scored her third goal on Wednesday, but it was her first since April. Another key offensive player, Allie Long, is still out with a foot injury.

Moving Sonia Bompastor to the back has helped the defense, but it certainly seems to have taken the air out of the offense. Washington needs Bompastor and Ali Krieger to get forward to create some offense, but that will be a tough task against the Sol.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, is having no problems scoring, or stopping the other team for that matter. They've outscored their opponents by 23-5 for the season. In their last outing, they destroyed Chicago, getting two goals from Marta and one each from Shannon Boxx and Camille Abily. Additionally, three different players contributed assists in that match, so everyone seems to be pitching in for the Sol.

Los Angeles are led on defense by Karina LeBlanc in goal and the best back line in the league. LeBlanc had 10 shutouts to her credit. The defense will be missing Martina Franko for the remainder of the season, which might mean moving Brittany Bock back to center back to join Allison Falk and Stephanie Cox on defense. The other back position can be either Keri Sanchez, Manya Makoski, or even Katie Larkin, depending on how Abner Rogers wishes to line up. The midfield is a talented group with Boxx, Aya Miyama, and leading scorer, Camille Abily.

Outside of the Sol, every team in the league has gone through some rough patches and Washington is in one now. They need to regain their scoring touch to win this game. Los Angeles has only been shut out three times and one of those was playing without Marta and Abily. The Sol have scored 8 goals in their last three games. Will Los Angeles be able to sweep their season series with the Freedom?

Saint Louis Athletica at FC Gold Pride

Athletica begins a two game trip to the west coast against FC Gold Pride at Buck Shaw Stadium on Sunday evening. Saint Louis is in 3rd place, just one point behind Boston and one point in front of the Freedom. Gold Pride sits at the bottom of the table, but a win gets them right back into playoff contention. And the other good news for FCGP is that 5 of their remaining 8 games are at home, the most of any team in the league.

Bay Area is another team that has been offensively challenged as of late. FCGP has scored just 5 goals in their last 8 games and haven't scored more than one in any game since April. Coach Albertin Montoya has been juggling the lineup in an attempt to find more offense, but so far to no avail. Christine Sinclair has certainly done her part, scoring five goals on the season. The problem is no other player other than Sinclair has scored since Leigh Ann Robinson tallied a goal back on May 3rd. Veteran Tiffeny Milbrett is injured and early season sensation, Tiffany Weimer, has been spending a lot of time on the bench. Gold Pride's midfield is a good group with Formiga, Eriko Arakawa, Tina DiMartino, and Leslie Osborne, but they have to start contributing more in the offensive third.

Nicole Barnhart has done a decent job keeping her team in games, but she hasn't posted a shutout since mid-May against Chicago. National team starter Rachel Buehler anchors the defense. Along side are Carrie Dew, Leigh Ann Robinson, and Kristen Graczyk.

After losing two games in a row at home, Saint Louis came back with a road win at Sky Blue last weekend. There was no surprise that one of the goal scorers was Eniola Aluko. She is now 5th in the league in scoring. The big surprise was an unlikely goal from defender Elise Weber, who had just entered the game due to an injury to Tina Ellertson. After Aluko, Athletica has struggled to find offense. Right now, they are waiting for two keys to the offensive puzzle to return from injury, Daniela and newly acquired Sarah Walsh.

For Saint Louis, talk about the defense has to start with goalkeeper Hope Solo, who is 2nd in the league in shutouts with four and 3rd in saves with 53. Ellertson, who has battled nagging hamstring problems throughout the season, has been solid at center back. The other defenders are tough Kia McNeill, recent grad Stephanie Logterman, and Swedish veteran Sara Larsson. The midfield group is led by captain Lori Chalupny, who scored the only goal in Athletica's 1-0 win over Gold Pride in May.

These two teams play each other three times between now and the end of the season. FCGP should be fresh, having not played for two weeks. Gold Pride needs a victory to put themselves in reach of a playoff spot, while Saint Louis would like to distance themselves from the bottom three teams in the table.