WPS Weekend Preview - July 31 and August 1

FC Gold Pride looks to clinch a playoff slot with a victory this weekend. But while Gold Pride and Philadelphia appear to have 1st and 2nd place under control, only three points separate the remaining five teams as we head into the last month and a half of the season.

Washington Freedom (4-7-5, 17 pts) at Boston Breakers (5-6-4, 19 pts)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA – July 31 (7 pm ET)

Rosters:
Washington: GK-A. Harris, M. McCray; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros, K. Eveland, B. Bock; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long, S. Huffman, B. Goebel; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: E. McLeod (knee), M. Abegg, J. Gilbeau, A. Singer , C. Miskel, B. Klein.

Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips; D-A. LePeilbet, I. Dieke, A. Scott, S. Cox, K. Moore; MF-L. Tarpley, L. Osborne, K. Lilly, J. Angeli, C. Igwe; F-K. Smith, Fabiana (questionable-knee), L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: L. Bogus (hamstring), N. Cross, A. Lipsher, S. Walsh (knee).

Previous Meetings (2010):
Boston 2 @ Washington 1
Boston 0 @ Washington 0
Washington 1 @ Boston 2
Boston leads the all-time series at 4-1-2.

What To Look For: This is a matchup between two teams going in opposite directions. Boston has made up 10 points on the Freedom in just the last four weeks. The Breakers should come into this match as a confident group, having won four of their last five. They also hold a fairly hefty edge in the head-to-head series against Washington. The amazing stat in this series is that for all the offense the Freedom have shown against other teams, they have not scored more than a single goal in any of the seven matches they have faced Boston.

The Freedom need to find a way to score in this match. Abby Wambach is the obvious target, but she must get help from players such as Lene Mykjåland and Allie Long. Nikki Marshall has been a welcome addition to the offense. Both Homare Sawa and Sonia Bompastor have augmented the offense, but will Freedom coach Jim Gabarra put Bompastor on the back line or in the midfield for this match?

The Breaker defense can be scored upon. While they boast a solid back line, led by USWNT center back Amy LePeilbet, they have not shut out an opponent in their last eight. Still, the Breakers have the capability of shutting down other teams. Midfielder Leslie Osborne has been a major factor in Boston’s success.

Offensively, the Breakers have suddenly found their way. After managing just 7 goals in their first 10 games, they have been on a scoring spree, knocking home 11 goals in their past five. It’s no surprise that Kelly Smith leads Boston in scoring and she sliced her way through Chicago’s defense for two goals last weekend.

The surprise has been midfielder Jordan Angeli, a 2nd round selection in the January draft. Her four goals are second only to Smith for the Breakers. Lindsay Tarpley may not score a lot of goals herself, but there is no doubt that she has given Boston’s offense a lift since coming over from Saint Louis.

Washington has given up 12 goals in the last four matches and will face the rest of the season without starting keeper Erin McLeod. Ashlyn Harris surrendered three to Atlanta in her debut, though to be fair, the Freedom defense was much to blame for that. The change that took Cat Whitehill out of the lineup didn’t seem to work very well. It will be interesting to see what the Freedom’s back line will look like for this contest.

Winless in over two months, the Freedom need a victory just to get their confidence back. They also need to protect their young keeper better than they did in the Atlanta contest. For the first time in a long time, the Breakers are a team to be reckoned with. However, they need to earn as many points as possible now with a schedule that finishes with four matches on the road.

FC Gold Pride (12-3-1, 37 pts) at Atlanta Beat (4-7-4, 16 pts)
KSU Stadium, Kennesaw, GA – August 1 (5 pm ET, 2 pm PT)

Rosters:
Gold Pride: GK-N. Barnhart, B. Cameron; D-R. Buehler, C. Chapman, A. Riley, K. Wilson, C. Dew; MF-S. Boxx, C. Abily, B. Edwards, K. Graczyk; F-Marta, C. Sinclair, K. O’Hara, T. Milbrett, K. Bosio.
Not Active: K. Fountain, E. Guthrie, R. Tantillo, K. Yokers.

Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, K. McNeill, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin; MF-J. Rasmussen, A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, L. Chalupny, A. Kerr, M. Zerboni, C. Blank, R. Nolin; F-M. Ocampo, E. Aluko, R. Bachmann, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: L. Sesselmann, M. Lofton-Malachi.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 1 @ FC Gold Pride 2
FC Gold Pride 4 @ Atlanta 0

What To Look For: The last time these two teams met, it was a disaster for Atlanta. Kia McNeill took a red card, the Beat were destroyed 4-0, and it could have been worse, given the number of breakaways Gold Pride was given by a very porous defense.

A lot has changed since then. Atlanta is now sporting a three-game winning streak and is within two points of a playoff position. They have a fairly impressive 4-2-3 record since the influx of former Athletica players and some of their original players are really starting to play well.

While Atlanta is battling for a playoff slot, Gold Pride can clinch one this weekend with a victory. Bay Area is on their second five-game winning streak of the season and averaging three goals a game during that streak. The only way to beat FCGP appears to be by shutting them out, a very tall task indeed. Gold Pride was shut out in each of their three losses.

With Marta and Christine Sinclair scoring goals in droves, this Gold Pride team is hard to stop. There is not a defender in this league, nor probably in the world, that has the speed to keep up with Marta. It will take a strong team effort by Atlanta to shut her down. Kelley O’Hara, another potent offensive threat, should be back after suffering an illness that prevented her from playing for a few matches and Gold Pride doesn’t lose anything when they put ageless Tiffeny Milbrett up front.

Marta usually strikes up the middle and that is an area where Atlanta is strong with McNeill and Tina Ellertson. Hope Solo has given the Beat a major boost, earning three shutouts since her arrival in Atlanta. Atlanta seems to have adopted the gritty approach that many of their players had while playing for Athletica.

But while former Athletica’s players have been a major reason for the Beat’s turnaround, a couple of players that were there from the start have been a big part of it as well. Johanna Rasmussen has been playing great soccer for the Beat and her goal on Wednesday night against Washington was a beauty. Monica Ocampo scored two in that match, splitting the Freedom defense in the 2nd half. Eni Aluko, if she plays, could give Gold Pride’s defense all they can handle.

Gold Pride will counter the Beat by being strong up the middle (Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, Becky Edwards, and Shannon Boxx) and very fast on the outside (Ali Riley and Kandace Wilson). Barnhart is having a very good campaign for Gold Pride with a sparkling 0.86 goals against average.

This match will be a good measure of Atlanta’s progress. They are only four weeks removed from the thrashing that Gold Pride gave them last time. Let’s see how far they have come. For Gold Pride, it could be the first of many celebrations to come if they win the match and clinch a playoff spot.

Chicago Red Stars (4-8-5, 17 pts) at Sky Blue FC (5-7-3, 18 pts)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ – August 1 (7 pm ET, 6 pm CT)

Roster:
Chicago: GK-J. Loyden, M. Burke; D-K. Markgraf, W. Engen, M. Dalmy, N. Spilger, A. Asante, L. Vandenbergh; MF-Formiga, K. Carney (probable-ankle), K. Chapman, M. Rapinoe, J. Sitch, N. Washington; F-Cristiane, E. Masar, C. Nogueira.
Not Active: K. Asllani (hamstring), J. McDonald (knee), E. Weber, S. Reiser, A. Whitworth.

Sky Blue: GK-J. Branam, S. Myers; D-C. Rampone, D. Koster, B. Taylor, M. Schnur, K. Dowling, K. Fletcher, D. Johnson; MF-H. O’Reilly, Y. Averbuch, L. Kalmari, K. White, I. Trotter, A. Salem; F-Rosana, N. Kai, P. Panico.
Not Active: K. Dallstream (ankle), C. Lloyd (ankle), K. Schoepfer.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Chicago 0 @ Sky Blue FC 1
Sky Blue FC 1 @ Chicago 0
Sky Blue FC 0 @ Chicago 2
Sky Blue FC leads the all-time series at 5-1-1.

What To Look For: Both teams are on three-game losing streaks and both could good do with a good kick in the butt for their play lately. The Red Stars and Sky Blue had playoff spots staring them in the face in early July, but have been unable to do anything since. SBFC hasn’t won a home game since defeating these Red Stars in the season opener.

Sky Blue will welcome back three key players this weekend. Natasha Kai and Laura Kalmari should be back from injuries. The return of Sky Blue’s two leading scorers gives the New Jersey side hope of turning around an offense that has managed to score just a single goal over their last four games, which I might add, was scored by defender Brittany Taylor.

But the most welcome sight for Sky Blue fans will be the return of goalkeeper Jen Branam, who helped lead this team to the championship last season. Branam was injured before the start of the 2010 season. Although giving up too many shots at times, Sky Blue’s defense has been reasonably solid, save a couple of lackluster efforts against Philadelphia.

Chicago has been outscored 7-1 in their last three matches and they managed just a single shot on goal in their last contest on Wednesday night. Kosovare Asllani has been listed as unavailable for this match due to a hamstring injury, leaving it to Cristiane, Ella Masar, and Casey Nogueira to get this team’s offense going.

The Red Stars are at their best when controlling play through their midfield with Karen Carney being their best threat from the wing. We’re still waiting on better things from Megan Rapinoe and veteran Formiga.

The Red Star defense, once their strongest unit, has fallen on hard times. They have been a step slow the past couple of games and their opponents have taken advantage to create great opportunities. Goalkeeper Jill Loyden, an all-star early in the season, needs to start coming up with big saves to keep her team in games.

In spite of how bad they have played in the last three matches, Chicago can rejoin the top four with a victory. Meanwhile, Sky Blue needs to win this match to maintain their hold on fourth place.

Expansion Night! Beat Make It Three in a Row; Philly Wins Easily

I guess now that we are two thirds of the way through their opening season, we shouldn't be calling them expansion teams anymore. Both Atlanta and Philadelphia posted wins over established teams in midweek WPS action.

Philadelphia Independence 3, Chicago Red Stars 0

Amy Rodriguez almost single-handedly destroyed the Red Stars, scoring two goals and adding an assist, as Philadelphia defeated Chicago 3-0 in West Chester tonight. Make that 11 goals now for the speedy forward out of USC, who appears to be on a mission this season after a rather disappointing rookie campaign in 2009.

Rodriguez scored both of her goals before the intermission and then assisted on Caroline Seger's goal early in the 2nd half to put the match away. It was Seger's first WPS goal. Val Henderson posted the shutout for Philadelphia, as Chicago managed just a single shot on frame.

The only downside to the evening for Philadelphia was a red card ejection to Holmfridur Magnusdottir very late in the match. Magnusdottir will miss at least one contest.

The victory puts Philadelphia eight points clear of third place Boston. The Red Stars are still just a single point out of fourth place, but have played more games than every other team in the league.

Atlanta Beat 3, Washington Freedom 2

In a match that went back and forth throughout, Atlanta made it three wins in a row with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Freedom. Monica Ocampo starred, scoring the tying goal in the 67th minute, followed by the game winning goal in the 88th minute.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the first half, with Johanna Rasmussen scoring on an unassisted goal in the 20th minute. It was Rasmussen's third goal of the season.

The score stayed that way until late in the 1st half. Nikki Marshall scored the tying goal assisted by Homare Sawa in the 41st minute. The Freedom could have grabbed the lead before halftime, but Sonia Bompastor sent a penalty kick over the bar and the score remained tied at one going into the break.

Washington struck first in the second half, with Abby Wambach setting up Sarah Huffman, a second half substitution. Huffman finished to put the Freedom up 2-1. But the lead was only to last a couple of minutes, as Ocampo tied the score shortly thereafter, leading to her game-winner late in the match.

Freedom coach Jim Gabarra started Ashlyn Harris in net for the injured Erin McLeod. Gabarra made several changes to his lineup, moving Bompastor to the back line, starting Kristi Eveland, while leaving veteran Cat Whitehill on the bench. Nikki Marshall, who played defender most of the early part of the season, has shown the ability to score since being moved forward.

Meanwhile, neither Eni Aluko nor Ramona Bachmann played for the Beat. Ocampo and Mami Yamaguchi started up front for coach Gareth O'Sullivan and Atlanta.

While still in 7th place, Atlanta has moved to within a point of Chicago and Washington with games in hand against both teams. The Freedom suffered their fourth straight loss and are now winless in their last nine matches.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-1, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (8-5-3, 27 pts); 3) Boston (5-6-4, 19 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (5-7-3, 18 pts); 5) Washington (4-7-5, 17 pts); 6) Chicago (4-8-5, 17 pts); 7) Atlanta (4-7-4, 16 pts).

WPS Midweek Preview - July 28

Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington will enter Wednesday night’s action on the outside looking in as far as playoffs position goes, while Philadelphia looks to open up some space between them and the rest of the field chasing Gold Pride.

Chicago Red Stars (4-7-5, 17 pts) at Philadelphia Independence (7-5-3, 24 pts)
John A. Ferrell Stadium, West Chester, PA – July 28 (7 pm ET, 6 pm PT)

Rosters:
Chicago: GK-J. Loyden, A. Whitworth; D-K. Markgraf, W. Engen, M. Dalmy, N. Spilger, A. Asante; MF-Formiga, K. Carney, M. Rapinoe, J. Sitch, N. Washington; F-Cristiane, E. Masar, K. Asllani, C. Nogueira.
Not Active: K. Chapman (national team), J. McDonald (knee), E. Weber, L. Vandenbergh, M. Burke, S. Reiser.

Philadelphia: GK-K. LeBlanc, V. Henderson; D-A. Falk, N. Krzysik, H. Magnusdottir, S.Larsson, S. Senty, E. Johnson; MF-L. Lindsey, C. Seger, T. DiMartino, J. Lohman, J.Buczkowski; F-A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, D. Adams, L. Patterson, K. Maruyama.
Not Active: H. Mitts (quad), G. DiMartino, R. Jones.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Philadelphia 1 @ Chicago 0.

What To Look For: These two teams have only met once before and this will be the first time Chicago has ventured into Philadelphia, but the Red Stars and the Independence will get mighty familiar with each other over the next month. They face off against one another three times over the next five weeks, starting with this matchup on Wednesday night.

Of the four English players on these teams’ rosters, only Katie Chapman has been called up for the English National Team, so the other three (Karen Carney, Anita Asante, and Lianne Sanderson) should be available for action.

The Red Stars have had trouble all season long at the beginning of matches and they must avoid a five minute disaster like the one they had on Sunday. They were torched for three quick goals by the Breakers and never had much of a chance after that. In Philadelphia, they face a team of fast forwards, so the defensive effort must be stronger in this match. Captain Kate Markgraf, Jill Loyden, and the rest of Chicago’s back line must show the fortitude they did earlier as one of the league’s best defenses.

Scoring has been a main concern for Chicago, being shut out eight times, with no player having more than four goals for the season. Ella Masar has seen the most success lately, but Kosovare Asllani scored Chicago’s only goal against Boston on Sunday.

The Independence have been tough on their home turf, going 5-2-1 at home. They got back on track with a big 4-1 victory against Sky Blue over the weekend. Amy Rodriguez continued her scoring rampage, adding two more in that match. Only Marta has more than her total of nine.

Both Caroline Seger and Lori Lindsey have taken turns at setting up their teammates from the midfield. Seger was named WPS Player of the Week for her three assist effort against Sky Blue. Veteran Joanna Lohman has been a surprising scoring contributor with three goals after seeing little playing time in 2009.

While the offense has been clicking for Philadelphia, their defense has not earned a shutout since the last time they faced Chicago in mid-May. In a league where four goal games are the exception rather than the rule, they need to start winning a few games with their defense.

Time is running out for the Red Stars, who will only have six matches left after this week. They must earn points at every opportunity. For the Independence, the playoffs are within in reach. All they need to do is seal the deal.

Washington Freedom (4-6-5, 17 pts) at Atlanta Beat (3-7-4, 13 pts)
KSU Stadium, Kennesaw, GA – July 28 (7:30 pm ET)

Rosters:
Washington: GK-A. Harris, M. McCray; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros, K. Eveland, B. Bock; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long, S. Huffman, B. Goebel; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: E. McLeod (knee), M. Abegg, J. Gilbeau, A. Singer , C. Miskel, B. Klein.

Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, K. McNeill, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin; MF-A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, L. Chalupny, A. Kerr, J. Rasmussen, M. Zerboni, C. Blank, R. Nolin; F-R. Bachmann, M. Ocampo, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: E. Aluko (national team), L. Sesselmann, M. Lofton-Malachi.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 1 @ Washington 3
Washington 2 @ Atlanta 0

What To Look For: Two of Washington’s four wins have come against the expansion Beat. Both teams will be without key performers. Erin McLeod suffered what very well might be a season-ending injury in the Freedom’s match against Gold Pride on Saturday. And with England facing Turkey on Thursday, it is highly likely that we will not see Eniola Aluko on Wednesday night.

Without McLeod, Washington will likely turn to rookie Ashlyn Harris. Ironically, Harris last faced a WPS opponent in an early April exhibition match against Atlanta while a member of Saint Louis Athletica. On that occasion, she gave up two first half goals. She will have to be better on Wednesday night. Her microscopic goals against average while at UNC indicates the potential is there.

Washington has not won a game since May and has only scored four goals in their last five matches. They are led by Abby Wambach (6 goals) and Lene Mykjåland (4 goals). The Freedom will also welcome back Allie Long, who missed the Gold Pride match due to injury. Homare Sawa and Sonia Bompastor lend support in the midfield.

The Freedom have given up nine goals in their last three matches, but in fairness, seven of those were in the two matches with Gold Pride. Facing Atlanta, who will be without their best scorer, should be a much easier task for Washington. Cat Whitehill will be happy to get back to her traditional defender role after finishing the last few minutes of Saturday’s game as the Freedom goalkeeper.

For the first time ever, I can say that the Atlanta Beat enter a game with a two-game winning streak. All three of the Beat’s wins have been by 1-0 margins and they have scored more than one goal just once. So it is incumbent upon the defense to shut down the Freedom. With Tina Ellertson and Kia McNeill in the middle, they have a fast, physical presence on the back line.

Without Aluko, Atlanta must look to other players for scoring. Ramona Bachmann should be returning from the U-20 championships, which could help. Johanna Rasmussen, Mami Yamaguchi, and Aya Miyama have the skills to set their teammates up, but someone has to finish. The return of Lori Chalupny from her recent struggles with a back injury should help as well.

Washington needs to turn things around in a hurry and doing that without McLeod will be a challenge. A victory over the upstart Beat moves them into third place. Meanwhile, what once appeared to be an impossibility might be within reach for Atlanta. They are presently just five points out of 4th place and have a game or two in hand against the rest of the league. The Freedom will be their first hurdle and a quite sizeable one at that.

WPS Weekend Wrap - Offense Rules the Day

It was a goal scorers weekend in WPS as four different players scored two goals apiece led by some familiar names, Marta and Amy Rodriguez. Gold Pride moved even closer to clinching the regular season title, the Independence solidified their hold on 2nd place, and Boston regained their momentum to seize 3rd place.

FC Gold Pride 4, Washington Freedom 1

Gold Pride broke open a close game late for their fifth consecutive win, a 4-1 triumph over the Freedom at Boyds, Maryland. The victory tied Gold Pride’s own record of five straight and it was also the fifth straight game they have scored two or more goals, also a record. Marta and Tiffeny Milbrett each scored two, while Christine Sinclair was credited with three assists in the match.

The match was still in doubt until the 84th minute with Gold Pride clinging to a slim 2-1 lead when Marta got in alone on Freedom keeper Erin McLeod. Marta scored to make it 3-1 and McLeod was injured on the play. This left Cat Whitehill to take over in goal, since the Freedom were out of substitutions, and Milbrett was able to add a late tally for the 4-1 final.

Marta now leads WPS with 13 goals this season. Abby Wambach scored the lone goal for the Freedom who are now winless in their last eight matches.

Philadelphia Independence 4, Sky Blue FC 1

The Independence continued their dominance over nearby rival Sky Blue, winning their third straight in the border war series by a 4-1 margin. Amy Rodriguez scored twice, increasing her season’s total to 9. Joanna Lohman and Holmfridur Magnusdottir added one goal each. Caroline Seger assisted on three of the four goals. Rookie Brittany Taylor scored the only Sky Blue goal, her first ever in WPS.

Philadelphia was able to get two goals in the first 10 minutes and led 3-0 at the break. They have now defeated Sky Blue all three times they have met by an aggregate 10-3 goal margin.

Val Henderson got the victory in goal for the Independence. The win stretches Philly’s hold on 2nd place giving them a five point lead on 3rd place Boston.

Boston Breakers 3, Chicago Red Stars 1

The Breakers scored three goals in lightning quick fashion in the first half and coasted to a 3-1 victory over the Red Stars. Kelly Smith got a brace, with ex-Red Star Ifeoma Dieke adding the third Boston goal. It was good day for former Chicago players as Lindsay Tarpley earned an assist on the second goal by Smith. The Breakers scored in the 9th, 12th, and 14th minute to put the game away early.

Chicago got their only goal late from Kosovare Asllani. Every Red Star goal this season, save for an own goal, has been scored by a forward.

On the bright side, Nikki Washington saw her first WPS action for the Red Stars in the 2nd half. The former UNC star was injured last fall and has been out of action ever since. After being drafted first by Los Angeles, then by Sky Blue in the LA dispersal draft, she was traded to Saint Louis only to see them fold as well. Chicago then signed her, making it her fourth team without ever playing a minute until Sunday.

Boston moves into sole possession of 3rd place with the victory. They have won four of their last five matches. Chicago finds themselves out of a playoff spot for the moment, just a single point behind 4th place Sky Blue.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-1, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (7-5-3, 24 pts); 3) Boston (5-6-4, 19 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (5-7-3, 18 pts); 5) Washington (4-6-5, 17 pts); 5) Chicago (4-7-5, 17 pts); 7) Atlanta (3-7-4, 13 pts)

WPS Weekend Preview - July 24 and 25

The only sure thing is that Gold Pride will be in first place and Atlanta in 7th place come Sunday night. The rest of the positions could change considerably over the next 48 hours. (Note that active rosters are based on the WPS roster report and are tentative).

FC Gold Pride (11-3-1, 34 pts) at Washington Freedom (4-5-5, 17 pts)
Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds, MD – July 24 (7 pm ET, 4 pm PT)

Rosters:
Gold Pride: GK-N. Barnhart, B. Cameron; D-R. Buehler, C. Chapman, A. Riley, C. Dew, K. Wilson; MF-S. Boxx, C. Abily, B. Edwards, K. Graczyk; F-Marta, C. Sinclair, T. Milbrett, K. Bosio.
Not Active: K. O’Hara (illness), K. Fountain, E. Guthrie, R. Tantillo, K. Yokers.

Washington: GK-E. McLeod, A. Harris; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros, K. Eveland, B. Bock, A. Singer, M. Abegg; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long (questionable-knee), S. Huffman, B. Goebel, J. Gilbeau; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: M. McCray, C. Miskel, B. Klein.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Washington 1 @ Gold Pride 1
Washington 2 @ Gold Pride 3
The all-time series is tied at 2-2-1.

What To Look For: When these two teams last met two weeks ago, it looked like a cakewalk for Gold Pride for most of the match and ended with them clinging for dear life to a one goal lead. This will be the first time Gold Pride will travel to Washington this season, with Gold Pride’s only trip ever to the SoccerPlex ending in a 3-1 Freedom win last season.

We should see a lot of offense in this match. Gold Pride has the league’s two best goal scorers in Marta (11) and Christine Sinclair (8). That’s 19 of their 26 goals coming from just two players. But everyone in the league knows this and they still can’t stop them. The Freedom are not known for their defense, but they have four shutouts this season. However, Washington’s back line is also not the speediest group in the league and Marta can outrun even the best of defenses. Erin McLeod will have to be on top of her game in this one.

In the midfield, it will be an excellent matchup, featuring two French stars, Sonia Bompastor for the Freedom and Camille Abily for Gold Pride. While Abily has been bothered by injuries and has had a fairly quiet season, Bompastor is having another good season with a goal and four assists. Shannon Boxx tips the midfield scales in Gold Pride’s favor.

One thing that will be different from the last time these teams met is the presence of Abby Wambach. With five goals and seven assists, there is no doubt that Washington is not the same team without her. It will be up to Rachel Buehler, Candace Chapman, and defensive mid Becky Edwards to try to stop her.

Washington is one team that I feel has the firepower to stay with Gold Pride and this time, the Freedom have them on their home field. I’m seeing a lot of things out of Gold Pride this year, that I saw last season out of Los Angeles. A fairly dominating regular season led by two dominant scorers, leading to a double digit lead in points. And perhaps a bit of over-confidence. Late in the 2009 season, the Sol faltered. We haven’t seen that yet from Gold Pride. This game could tell us a lot about Gold Pride’s character, and Washington’s as well.

Sky Blue FC (5-6-3, 18 pts) at Philadelphia Independence (6-5-3, 21 pts)
John A. Farrell Stadium, West Chester, PA – July 24 (7 pm ET)

Rosters:
Sky Blue: GK-K. Luckenbill, J. Branam; D-C. Rampone, D. Koster, B. Taylor, M. Schnur, K. Dowling, K. Fletcher; MF-H. O’Reilly, Y. Averbuch, K. White, I. Trotter, A. Salem; F-Rosana, P. Panico, K. Dallstream.
Not Active: T. Kai (chest pains), L. Kalmari (ankle), C. Lloyd (ankle), S. Myers, D. Johnson.

Philadelphia: GK-K. LeBlanc, V. Henderson; D-A. Falk, N. Krzysik, H. Magnusdottir, S. Senty, E. Johnson; MF-L. Lindsey, C. Seger, T. DiMartino, J. Lohman, J.Buczkowski; F-A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, D. Adams, L. Patterson, K. Maruyama.
Not Active: S. Larsson (groin), H. Mitts (quad), G. DiMartino, R. Jones.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Sky Blue 1 @ Philadelphia 2
Philadelphia 4 @ Sky Blue 1

What To Look For: Although they presently occupy 2nd and 3rd place in the WPS standings, both teams are struggling with two game losing streaks.

Sky Blue has not scored in their last three matches and with both Natasha Kai and Laura Kalmari listed as being out (per WPS roster report), it doesn’t bode well for this match. Sky Blue has only scored 9 goals, not counting penalties and an own goal. Kai and Kalmari have seven of the nine. That leaves it to Rosana, Heather O’Reilly, and Patrizia Panico to get the Sky Blue offense going. Their Independence defensive counterparts are also missing two key players in Sara Larsson and Heather Mitts, which means it may not come that easy for whomever patrols the Independence goal, Val Henderson or Karina LeBlanc.

The midfield battle will be a good one with Lori Lindsey, Tina DiMartino, and Caroline Seger for Philadelphia and Yael Averbuch and O’Reilly for Sky Blue. Lindsey has been a key factor in Philly’s success this season.

Leading scorer Amy Rodriguez returns for the Independence after scoring one for the USWNT last week. She has seven goals for the season. It will be Philadelphia’s speed up front against Sky Blue’s experience. One fairly inexperienced player that has helped the Sky Blue defense is rookie Brittany Taylor, one of the few constants this season on Sky Blue’s back line.

In the latest chapter of the coaching-go-round that is Sky Blue, this will be the debut of Rick Stainton at the helm. Luckily, this Sky Blue team tends to be a resilient bunch. Both teams are in good position to make the playoffs, but both are listing badly at the moment. This match will give one team the opportunity to right their ship, while the losing team might end up sinking.

Boston Breakers (4-6-4, 16 pts) at Chicago Red Stars (4-6-5, 17 pts)
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL – July 25 (4 pm ET, 3 pm CT)

Roster:
Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips; D-A. LePeilbet (probable-ankle), I. Dieke, A. Scott, S. Cox, K. Moore; MF-K. Smith, L. Osborne, K. Lilly, J. Angeli; F-L. Tarpley, L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: L. Bogus (hamstring), Fabiana (knee), C. Igwe, A. Lipsher, S. Walsh (knee).

Chicago: GK-J. Loyden, A. Whitworth; D-K. Markgraf, W. Engen, M. Dalmy, N. Spilger, A. Asante, L. Vandenbergh; MF-Formiga, K. Carney, K. Chapman, M. Rapinoe, J. Sitch, N. Washington; F-Cristiane, E. Masar, K. Asllani, C. Nogueira, J. McDonald (probable-knee).
Not Active: E. Weber, J. Santacaterina, M. Burke.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Chicago 2 @ Boston 0
Chicago 2 @ Boston 1
Chicago leads the all-time series at 3-2-0.

What To Look For: Both teams wasted an opportunity to move up in the standings on Wednesday night, making this match all the more crucial. Chicago has won both games between the two teams this season, with both previous meetings being in Boston.

The Breakers had won three straight going into Wednesday’s match against Gold Pride and they managed to play the league leaders pretty evenly, although falling by a 2-1 margin. One thing Boston has been doing lately that they weren’t earlier in the season is scoring. They’ve put nine goals in the net over the past five matches.

Unfortunately, they will be missing Liz Bogus, who was having a nice run until she came out of the game injured on Wednesday night. According to the roster report, also missing is the only Breaker to have scored against the Red Stars this season, Fabiana. Boston still has some nice weapons, especially Kelly Smith and Kristine Lilly. Young Jordan Angeli has come out of nowhere to post four goals this season, something that Boston sorely needed.

Boston will be facing a tough Red Star defense with veteran Kate Markgraf and rookie Whitney Engen leading the way. Keeper Jill Loyden is giving up less than a goal a game for Chicago. Marian Dalmy is a steady defender that will get forward into the offense when the opportunity arises.

The Red Stars rely on offense by committee out of their four forwards. You can never be sure which ones will start, which ones will finish, and which ones will score, but you can bet that all four will probably play. Ella Masar has four goals to lead the way, followed by Cristiane with three, Casey Nogueira with two, and Kosovare Asllani with one. No other scorers need apply in the Red Star offense. In spite of not lighting up the scoreboard, Karen Carney is a strong contributor to the Red Star attack, while Katie Chapman and Formiga have been steady.

The Breakers' defense is led by Amy LePeilbet, with Alex Scott, Ifeoma Dieke, and Stephanie Cox along side. Alyssa Naeher is in goal for Boston. It’s been a long time since the Breakers have shut anybody out, going all the way back to a scoreless draw on Memorial Day weekend against Sky Blue. The Breaker defense needs a shutout performance in this match.

Boston is a point behind Chicago, but has a game in hand. Both teams desperately need the three points that are up for grabs in this match. Either of these teams could finish the weekend anywhere from third place to sixth place in the standings.

Boston and Chicago Waste Chance To Move Up

Both Boston and Chicago squandered their opportunity to move into 3rd place, while Gold Pride moves closer to clinching and Atlanta goes back-to-back.

FC Gold Pride 2, Boston 1

For the third straight time this year, Gold Pride defeated the Breakers by a one goal margin, winning 2-1 on the road Wednesday night.

After spotting Boston a 1-0 lead on yet another goal by rookie Jordan Angeli, Gold Pride struck twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half on goals by Christine Sinclair and Marta. It was Marta's 11th goal of the season, breaking her own WPS single season record for goals in just her 15th match of the season.

For Gold Pride, it was their first come-from-behind victory this year and their second ever. They now hold a 13 point advantage over 2nd place Philadelphia. Boston could have moved into 3rd place, but remain at 16 points, good for 6th place.

Atlanta 1, Chicago 0

The Atlanta Beat shut out the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 on Wednesday evening for their first back-to-back victories ever. Eniola Aluko scored the lone goal of the match for the second consecutive time, giving her six goals for the season.

Casey Nogueira came close to getting tying goal in the 72nd minute, hitting the crossbar, but the Beat were able to withstand the Red Stars' 2nd half pressure to hang on for the win.

Hope Solo earned the shutout for the Beat. Atlanta has now shut out the Red Stars three times, twice by Hope Solo and once by Brett Maron.

Atlanta moves to within three points of 6th place Boston at 13 points, while Chicago remains tied for 4th place with 17 points.

Sinclair Wins Player of the Week

FC Gold Pride forward, Christine Sinclair, won Player of the Week honors for Week 14. The Canadian star scored both goals in Gold Pride's 2-0 victory over 2nd place Philadelphia on Saturday night. The goals were her 6th and 7th of the season.

Sinclair became the 2nd Gold Pride player to win the honor this year. Marta has won Player of the Week on three different occasions during the 2010 season.

U-20 USWNT Defeat South Korea at U-20 World Cup

Per Twitter account @UCLAAthletics:

"W. Soccer: U.S. posts 1-0 victory over South Korea at U-20 Women's World Cup to win Group D. UCLA's Sydney Leroux scored the game winner."

WPS Midweek Preview - July 21

FC Gold Pride (10-3-1, 31 pts) at Boston Breakers (4-5-4, 16 pts)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA – July 21 (7 pm ET, 4 pm PT)

Rosters:
Gold Pride: GK-N. Barnhart, B. Cameron; D-R. Buehler, C. Chapman, A. Riley, C. Dew, K. Wilson; MF-S. Boxx, C. Abily, B. Edwards, K. Graczyk, K. Yokers; F-Marta, C. Sinclair, T. Milbrett, K. Bosio.
Not Active: K. O’Hara (illness), K. Fountain, E. Guthrie, R. Tantillo.

Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips; D-I. Dieke, A. Scott, S. Cox, K. Moore, C. Igwe; MF-K. Smith, L. Osborne, K. Lilly, Fabiana, J. Angeli, L. Bogus; F-L. Tarpley, L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: A. LePeilbet (ankle), A. Lipsher, S. Walsh (knee).

Previous Meetings (2010):
Gold Pride 2 @ Boston 1
Boston 0 @ Gold Pride 1
Gold Pride leads the all-time series by 3-1-1.

What To Look For: This game features the two hottest teams in WPS, both entering the match on three game winning streaks. Gold Pride has taken the two previous games this season.

The most interesting matchup should be Gold Pride’s high powered offensive front with Marta and Christine Sinclair going against Boston’s back line of Ifeoma Dieke, Alex Scott, Stephanie Cox, and Kasey Moore. Marta and Sinclair have combined for 17 goals, more than Boston’s team total. Look for Leslie Osborne to play a big part in the Breakers’ defensive effort. Missing will be two key elements. Kelley O’Hara for Gold Pride and Amy LePeilbet for Boston are listed as out for this match.

Sometimes, it appears that Gold Pride’s strategy is to throw so much offense at the other team that their opponent cannot go on the offensive themselves. Their speed is likely to be a factor in this match and with LePeilbet out, Boston is without their best defender. A strong midfield effort will be necessary by Boston to keep Ali Riley and Kandace Wilson from getting forward on the outside and into the attack. It should be a great midfield battle and Shannon Boxx is likely to be key there.

The Breakers, on the other hand, have been getting a lot of goals from unlikely sources during this three game run. Liz Bogus and Jordan Angeli have been instrumental in Boston’s resurgence. Kelly Smith and Lauren Cheney are still the “go-to” scorers for Boston, but spreading the offense around gives opponents more to worry about.

Gold Pride may have a slight edge at keeper with veteran Nicole Barnhart, who is having a quality season. Boston rookie Alyssa Naeher is still looking for her first shutout, but she could potentially be one of the best young goalies in the game.

This series has a history of being close, with every game decided by a goal or less. The Breakers have come from behind to win the last three, but that is not likely to happen against the league’s top team. The first goal of this match will be all important.

Chicago Red Stars (4-5-5, 17 pts) at Atlanta Beat (2-7-4, 10 pts)
KSU Stadium, Kennesaw, GA – July 21 (7:30 pm ET, 6:30 pm CT)

Rosters:
Chicago: GK-J. Loyden, A. Whitworth; D-K. Markgraf, W. Engen, M. Dalmy, N. Spilger, A. Asante; MF-Formiga, K. Carney, K. Chapman, M. Rapinoe, J. Sitch; F-Cristiane, E. Masar, K. Asllani, C. Nogueira, J. McDonald (probable-knee).
Not Active: E. Weber, L. Vandenbergh, J. Santacaterina, M. Burke, N. Washington (knee).

Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, K. McNeill, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin, L. Sesselmann; MF-A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, A. Kerr, J. Rasmussen, M. Zerboni, C. Blank, R. Nolin; F-E. Aluko, M. Ocampo, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: L. Chalupny (back), R. Bachmann (Swiss U-20), M. Lofton-Malachi.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 0 @ Chicago 0
Chicago 0 @ Atlanta 1
Atlanta 1 @ Chicago 1

What To Look For: The Red Stars are on a four game unbeaten streak and have battled their way into playoff contention. Surprisingly, one team they haven’t solved is Atlanta. The Beat have earned five of their season total of ten points against Chicago. The Red Stars have managed just one goal against the Beat, a team that has been known to struggle defensively.

Chicago gets nearly all of their scoring from their four forwards. Cristiane, Ella Masar, Kosovare Asllani, and Casey Nogueira have combined for 10 goals. Masar has been a pleasant surprise, leading the Red Stars with four goals. Chicago usually outshoots their opponents and the Beat will have to withstand a lot of pressure if they are to win this match.

In spite of not scoring, Karen Carney is having a strong year in the midfield. Megan Rapinoe’s performance has been uneven at times, probably due to her earlier illness, but a goal for the USWNT last week should help her confidence.

Atlanta’s best defender, Tina Ellertson, has been banged up a lot lately, but her speed is essential to the Beat’s back line. Kia McNeill will be back from suspension and her presence should help as well. Hope Solo has posted two shutouts since joing the Beat.

Eniola Aluko got her first goal for the Beat on Sunday and Atlanta seems to be doing a better job of getting the ball to her in a position where she can do something with it. Monica Ocampo might be able to play in this match and her return would be welcome. Atlanta has a talented midfield as well with Rasmussen, Yamaguchi, and Miyama, although they will be missing the injured Lori Chalupny.

But Atlanta will be facing one of the best defensive teams in WPS. Marian Dalmy, Kate Markgraf, Whitney Engen, and Natalie Spilger form a sometimes impenetrable wall in front of Jill Loyden, who is a having a very good season as well.

One thing Atlanta has going for it is that they know they have had success against the Red Stars. Their problem has been consistency (and injuries), playing a promising game followed by a lackluster effort. After a long wait, the Red Stars finally appear to be coming together and have the playoffs in their sight. A win on Wednesday evening could go a long way in getting them there.

Miettinen Out at Sky Blue; Stainton Becomes 5th Head Coach

Sky Blue head coach Pauliina Miettinen and assistant coach Anne Parnila have been relieved of their positions with the New Jersey club. Assistant coach Rick Stainton was named as Sky Blue's fifth head coach.

From the Sky Blue press release: “We respect Pauliina a great deal and appreciate the effort she put forth for our organization,” Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone stated. “Her hard work and passion for the team and the game were never in question. Sometimes, a situation simply does not work out. That is part of the learning process involved when it comes to professional sports. We have to be resilient, as well as continue to adapt and grow.”

Stainton has experience coaching at all levels from high school through professional, including positions with Caldwell College, Rider University, and Seton Hall. He also served as goalkeeper coach for the New Jersey Wildcats of the W-League.

Under Miettinen, Sky Blue was in 3rd place with a 5-6-3 record and 18 points, but they have struggled lately, having been shut out in three consecutive matches. Just three weeks ago, Sky Blue had beaten Gold Pride on the road to move within five points of the league lead.

Ironically, Sky Blue had the exact same record after 14 matches last season and went on to win the championship. However, expectations were much higher this season after last season's accomplishments.

Injuries have plagued Sky Blue, losing both goalkeepers, including Jen Branam before the season even started and Karen Bardsley during All-Star training. Natasha Kai and Meghan Schnur have been hurt off and on throughout the season and Christie Rampone missed most of the first half of the season on maternity leave.

The dismissal of Miettinen means that there is currently no woman head coach in WPS. Emma Hayes had been dismissed earlier in the season as coach of the Chicago Red Stars.

Sky Blue travels to Philadelphia to play the Independence next Saturday in a battle for 2nd place.

WPS Weekend Wrap - Gold Pride Opens Up Lead, While Playoff Race Tightens

In a weekend that saw FC Gold Pride's lead stretched to 10 points, the league race for the other three playoffs spots tightened considerably. Only five points separates second place from sixth, with only two points difference between Sky Blue, Washington, Chicago, and Boston. Only two teams have more wins than losses now. Meanwhile, Atlanta's road victory in New Jersey gives them some hope.

FC Gold Pride 2, Philadelphia Independence 0

Christine Sinclair's brace was the only scoring, as Gold Pride won 2-0 in a match between the league's top two teams. Sinclair scored the first just before halftime and added a second in the 80th minute. The goals were assisted by Sola Gulbrandsen and Camille Abily, making it an international sweep of the scoring honors. Brittany Cameron earned her first WPS shutout in her second start of the season. Gold Pride outshot Philadelphia by a 15-4 margin.

Both teams were missing several players. Gold Pride was without Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, and Kelley O'Hara. The Independence were missing their two best offensive players in Amy Rodriguez and Lori Lindsey. Additionally, Philly was without defender Heather Mitts.

Gold Pride now has 31 points and a 10 point lead over Philadelphia. They travel to Boston to take on the Breakers, winners of three straight, on Wednesday. Philadelphia returns home to battle Sky Blue next Saturday, a match between the 2nd and 3rd place teams.

Boston Breakers 2, Washington Freedom 1

For the third straight match, Boston came from behind for the win, this time for a 2-1 victory over the Freedom.

Nikki Marshall opened the scoring for the Freedom in just the 2nd minute of the game on an assist from Sarah Huffman. After scoring her first WPS goal in the closing seconds of last week's game against Gold Pride, it didn't take long for Marshall to get her 2nd.

Liz Bogus tied the score midway through the 1st half on a goal assisted by Kelly Smith. For Bogus, it was her 2nd goal in as many weeks.

Rookie Jordan Angeli scored the game winner in the 74th minute, assisted by Lindsay Tarpley. It was Angeli's 3rd of the season. Angeli scored 7 goals in her senior season at Santa Clara after missing the two previous seasons due to injuries.

Boston has now moved to within a point of 4th place Washington and Chicago, and within two of 3rd place Sky Blue. They have a game in hand on all three of those teams. They will host 1st place Gold Pride on Wednesday night. Washington, now winless in their last seven, will return home to play Gold Pride next Saturday.

Atlanta Beat 1, Sky Blue FC 0

Atlanta won for only the second time this year, picking up their first ever road victory, by a 1-0 score. Eniola Aluko scored her first goal for the Beat in the 7th minute and the visitors made it hold up. It was Aluko's 5th goal of the season. The goal was set up on a through ball by Angie Kerr.

Sky Blue put on a lot of pressure in the 2nd half and came close to equalizing as a Patrizia Panico shot hit the crossbar. However goalkeeper Hope Solo, coming off of a USWNT shutout of Sweden, was able to preserve the shutout for Atlanta.

Atlanta has now made it to double digits with 10 points, but they are still seven points behind 4th place. They will host the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday night. Sky Blue makes the short trip to Philadelphia for a match on Saturday. For the moment, they are still clinging to 3rd place, but that could change before they play next.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (10-3-1, 31 pts); 2) Philadelphia (6-5-3, 21 pts); 3) Sky Blue (5-6-3, 18 pts); 4) Chicago (4-5-5, 17 pts); 4) Washington (4-5-5, 17 pts); 6) Boston (4-5-4, 16 pts); 7) Atlanta (2-7-4, 10 pts).

US Tops Sweden 3-0

The United States Women's Team shut out Sweden 3-0 in the second of two friendlies between the two teams in Hartford. Abby Wambach scored twice to lead the US to victory after the first match ended in a tie last week.

Although the US had the better of play for most of the 1st half, it wasn't until the 33rd minute when they got on the scoreboard. A Shannon Boxx blast from 15 yards out was parried on an excellent save by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, but Megan Rapinoe was there to knock home the rebound.

Just before halftime, the United States made it 2-0. Lori Lindsey's well placed corner kick found Abby Wambach about 10 yards out. Wambach outjumped three Swedish defenders, placing her header in the lower right, between Lindahl and another defender.

As in Tuesday's match, Sweden played a much stronger 2nd half. However, the outcome was sealed as another Wambach header found the back of the net, this time assisted on a long cross by Rachel Buehler.

Sweden's game seemed to pick up with the entry of Jessica Landstrom and Kosovare Asllani, both 2nd half substitutions. An Asllani shot came close, hitting the side netting, and another opportunity went just wide as Hope Solo was just able to tip a loose ball wide off of a rebound.

Sweden was playing without several of their top players for the match, including Lotta Schelin, who did not make the trip to the US, and Sara Larsson and Caroline Seger, both of whom were released by Coach Thomas Dennerby to play for the Philadelphia Independence on Saturday night. Both sides experimented freely with different formations and younger players.

The United States has not lost an international match since losing to Sweden in the final of the 2009 Algarve Cup, a match that went to penalties. The tie on Tuesday was the only game the US has not won over that time. The US does not have any other matches scheduled at this time, although it is highly likely that more games will be played following the end of the WPS schedule. Sweden has two World Cup qualifiers ahead in August, against Wales and the Czech Republic.

WPS Weekend Preview - July 17 and 18

Philadelphia Independence (6-4-3, 21 pts) at FC Gold Pride (9-3-1, 28 pts)
Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, CA – July 17 (10 pm ET, 7 pm PT)

Rosters:
Philadelphia: GK-K. LeBlanc, V. Henderson; D-A. Falk, S. Larsson, N. Krzysik, S. Senty, E. Johnson; MF-C. Seger, T. DiMartino, J. Lohman, J.Buczkowski, H. Magnusdottir; F-L. Sanderson, D. Adams, L. Patterson, K. Maruyama.
Not Active-A. Rodriguez (USWNT), L. Lindsey (USWNT), H. Mitts (USWNT), G. DiMartino, R. Jones.

Gold Pride: GK-B. Cameron, E. Guthrie; D-C. Chapman, A. Riley, C. Dew, K. Wilson, K. Fountain; MF-C. Abily, B. Edwards, S. Gulbrandsen, K. Graczyk, K. Yokers, R. Tantillo; F-Marta, C. Sinclair, T. Milbrett, K. Bosio.
Not Active: N. Barnhart (USWNT), R. Buehler (USWNT), S. Boxx (USWNT), K. O’Hara (USWNT).

Previous Meeting (2010):
Gold Pride 3 @ Philadelphia 1

What To Look For: This is a battle between number one and number two, unfortunately with both teams missing several players due to national team duty. However, according to the Independence website, both Caroline Seger and Sara Larsson have been released by the Swedish National Team to play in this one.

Still, Philadelphia will be severely handicapped without their best scorer, Amy Rodriguez, and their best playmaker, Lori Lindsey. They do have Lianne Sanderson, who is developing into a first rate striker in her own right. Both Danesha Adams and Lyndsey Patterson have had success this season, giving Philadelphia depth upfront. Without Lindsey, it will be up to Seger and Magnusdottir to set up chances for Philly. They will be going against one of the fastest defensive groups in the league. Ali Riley and Kandace Wilson have the speed to start lethal counterattacks. Gold Pride will miss the defensive presence of both Rachel Buehler and Shannon Boxx, however.

While Gold Pride will be missing Kelley O’Hara, they still have Marta, Christine Sinclair, and Tiffeny Milbrett, so don’t expect them to miss a beat offensively. Marta has been scoring in bunches and I don’t think there is anybody on the Philadelphia defense fast enough to stay with her. Gulbrandsen will be playing her last match for Gold Pride after scoring a goal last week. Camille Abily is also an offensive threat from the midfield, but has been slowed by injuries most of the season. The Independence defense has given up a lot of goals as of late.

Philadelphia does appear to have the edge in goalkeeping with Karina LeBlanc, but Brittany Cameron played reasonably well in her debut last weekend.

The Independence really need to possess the ball well in this match, keeping the ball away from Marta and Sinclair as much as possible. They will also need to track back quickly to prevent counterattacks and be wary of overlapping runs from Riley and Wilson. Gold Pride has speed and talent, and that’s a tough combination to beat. But they can be prone to letdowns, or perhaps overconfidence, much as they were in the last 15 minutes of the Freedom match last weekend, when they surrendered two goals and almost gave up a couple others.

Washington Freedom (4-4-5, 17 pts) at Boston Breakers (3-5-4, 13 pts)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA – July 18 (5 pm ET), FSC Game of the Week

Rosters:
Washington: GK-E. McLeod, A. Harris; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros, K. Eveland, B. Bock; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long, S. Huffman, B. Klein, B. Goebel, C. Miskel; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: M. McCray, M. Abegg, J. Gilbeau, A. Singer.

Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips, A. Lipsher; D-I. Dieke, A. Scott, S. Cox, A. LePeilbet (questionable-ankle) K. Moore, C. Igwe; MF-K. Smith, L. Osborne, K. Lilly, Fabiana, J. Angeli, L. Bogus; F-L. Tarpley, L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: T. Weimer, A. Lipsher, S. Walsh (knee).

Previous Meetings (2010):
Boston 2 @ Washington 1
Boston 0 @ Washington 0
Boston leads the all-time series at 3-1-2.

What To Look For: Note that both teams will be heavily affected by the USWNT match on Saturday. While it will not be a problem getting from Hartford to Boston for the match, playing in the heat on Saturday should severely limit playing time or availability for several players, so the rosters listed above are not definite. In addition, Boston defender Amy LePeilbet injured her ankle while playing for the USWNT on Tuesday.

Although there are still nearly two months left in the season, this match has playoff implications. Boston trails Washington by just four points with the Breakers having a game in hand. The Breakers should also be brimming with confidence, coming off two come-from-behind victories in a row. Washington has been struggling a bit, with no wins and four ties in their last six matches. The Freedom nearly staged a dramatic comeback last weekend against Gold Pride, only to lack luck and a possible call or two in the closing minutes.

The high scoring Freedom offense has been held in check by the Breaker defense the last two seasons. In six matches against Boston, Washington has managed just four goals total and have never scored more than one in any game. And with top scorer Abby Wambach likely to be limited due to playing the night before, the Freedom might have trouble cracking Boston’s defensive wall. Lene Mykjåland will be the Freedom’s most dangerous threat if Wambach isn’t able to go. Nikki Marshall looked great at forward against Gold Pride and one wonders whether the Freedom would consider moving her permanently from the back line. Sonia Bompastor and Homare Sawa should give the Breakers a lot to worry about in the midfield.

Boston will miss LePeilbet if she is out, but Alex Scott and Ifeoma Dieke provide excellent coverage on the defensive end. Leslie Osborne has been coming on and Jordan Angeli has surprisingly provided Boston with an offensive boost and two goals in the midfield.

While Lauren Cheney will be a question mark because of national team duty, the Breakers’ leading scorer, Kelly Smith, has scored two goals in previous meetings with the Freedom. She enters the match with three yellows and must be cautious about getting a fourth.

Washington had a lot of problems with Gold Pride’s speed last weekend and must rebound from that performance. Erin McLeod had an uncharacteristically shaky outing after shutting out her two previous opponents.

With so much on the line in this match, it will be interesting to see how much the USWNT players are able to contribute. Boston seems to have the Freedom’s number in this series and a win puts them in the thick of playoff contention. Washington, presently tied for 4th with Chicago, could use some breathing room.

Atlanta Beat (1-7-4, 7 pts) at Sky Blue FC (5-5-3, 18 pts)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ – July 18 (7 pm ET)

Rosters:
Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin, L. Sesselmann; MF-A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, A. Kerr, J. Rasmussen, M. Zerboni, C. Blank, R. Nolin; F-E. Aluko, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: L. Chalupny (back), R. Bachmann (Swiss U-20), K. McNeill (suspension), M. Ocampo (knee), M. Lofton-Malachi.

Sky Blue: GK-K. Luckenbill, S. Myers; D-D. Koster, B. Taylor, M. Schnur (questionable-ankle), K. Dowling, K. Fletcher, D. Johnson; MF-Y. Averbuch, K. White, L. Kalmari, I. Trotter, A. Salem; F-Rosana, T. Kai, P. Panico, K. Dallstream.
Not Active: C. Lloyd (ankle), J. Branam (stomach), D. Johnson, K. Schoepfer.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Sky Blue 1 @ Atlanta 0

What To Look For: Both teams are struggling, although Sky Blue is still in 3rd place for the moment. However, the defending champions have been shut out their last two matches and have been outshot in nearly every match. It's pretty amazing that they have managed a decent record, given that statistic plus the many injuries they have suffered. Atlanta has also been decimated by injuries this season and they have rarely put the same lineup on the pitch two games in a row.

Like the other Sunday match, the availability of USWNT players is a question mark. Atlanta is also without Ramona Bachmann, who is in Germany for the U-20 World Cup, Lori Chalupny and Monica Ocampo, who are injured, and Kia McNeill, who will be serving the final game of her three game suspension.

Sky Blue have shut out 6 of their 13 opponents, but have been shut out themselves four times. Laura Kalmari is their leading scorer, with oft-injured Natasha Kai being the biggest threat upfront. Surprisingly, Kacey White and Yael Averbuch, who was a sensation in last year’s playoffs, have been very quiet offensively.

Atlanta has had a lot of problems defensively. Just when they seemed to be turning the corner, they were sliced and diced for four goals by Gold Pride and another three by Boston. The Breaker match was particularly alarming, given that three were scored in a five minute space and all three should have been stopped fairly easily with solid defensive play. It should help if Hope Solo is able to start on Sunday.

Offensively, Atlanta needs to get Eniola Aluko untracked. She has yet to score for the Beat after scoring four early in the season for Saint Louis. The absence of Bachmann, Ocampo, and Chalupny will really hurt Atlanta, but Johanna Rasmussen has been playing well of late. Yamaguchi and Miyama need to work some of their magic to jumpstart Atlanta’s offense.

Sky Blue gives up a lot of shots, nearly 20 per game. But this week they are facing a team that has had trouble finding the net. Brittany Taylor is having a great rookie campaign and she is alongside many solid veteran defenders. Kristin Luckenbill has a shutout in two starts.

In spite of their struggles, Sky Blue is much better positioned this year than they were last year at this time and we all know how they finished 2009. Atlanta has had a fairly typical season for such a young squad, beset by injuries. The influx of talent from Athletica has helped, but there is still a lack of cohesiveness in the squad. The playoffs are a distant dream at this point. They just need to learn to compete for 90 minutes every match.

U-20 World Cup Group C: Mexico 3-3 Japan [Quotes]

Roberto Medina, Mexico coach
We were full of energy in the first half. We worked hard and we got our reward up front. The whole team applied themselves really well, from the goalkeeper, who stopped everything, through to the forwards, who scored three goals in just 45 minutes. Our tempo dropped in the second half and Japan went on the attack. They needed a bit of luck to pull level and the own goal gave them all the encouragement they needed to go for the equaliser. In the end I think it was the right result.

Norio Sasaki, Japan coach
They went straight on the attack and that took us a little bit by surprise. We were a little fortunate to pull level but I think this is going to be a very tight group. Coming from behind to get a result like this is great for our morale though. At half-time I just tried to calm the players down, and little by little and goal by goal they managed to do it. They are a great group and a great team.

First Matches of 2010 U-20 Women's World Cup are in the books, plus USA Roster

The first matches are in and supporters have been treated to some great matches so far as well as some fantstic individual performances (looking at you Ji-So Yun).

Any thoughts so far? I am going to try and provide some more coverage as the tournament progresses.

Here is the USA Roster by the way.

U.S. Under-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Oklahoma State; Salina, Kan.), Bryane Heaberlin (Clearwater Chargers; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara; Los Gatos, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Crystal Dunn (UNC; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Kendall Johnson (Portland; Portland, Ore.), Meg Morris (UNC; Montclair, N.J.), Mollie Pathman (Duke; Durham, N.C.), Toni Pressley (Florida State; Melbourne, Fla.), Rachel Quon (Stanford; Lake Forrest, Ill.)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Amber Brooks (UNC; New Hope, Pa.), Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA; Las Vegas, Nev.), Kristie Mewis (Boston College; Hanson, Mass.), Samantha Mewis (Scorpions SC; Hanson, Mass.), Christine Nairn (Penn State; Bowie, Md.), Teresa Noyola (Stanford; Palo Alto, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (UCLA; Centreville, Va.), Casey Short (Florida State; Naperville, Ill.)

FORWARDS (4): Vicki DiMartino (Boston College; Massapequa, N.Y.), Maya Hayes (Penn State; West Orange, N.J.), Sydney Leroux (UCLA; Phoenix, Ariz.), Courtney Verloo (Stanford; Tualatin, Ore.)

Maria Ruiz joins Zvezda 2005

Maria Ruiz, 26-year-old forward who competed with RCD Espanyol in Spain last season has joined Russian champions Zvezda 2005.

Prior to Espanyol, Ruiz played in the USA with FC Indiana and Buffalo Flash.

The striker will now rejoin her former FC Indiana boss Shek Borkowski in Russia.

Ruiz's most successful spell was in 2007-2008 when she helped FC Indiana to American league and cup titles.

WPS Midweek Notes - July 14

Masar Wins WPS Player of the Week

Ella Masar was honored as WPS Player of the Week. Masar scored the tying goal against the Atlanta Beat on Wednesday and scored the winning goal against Sky Blue on Saturday night. They were her 3rd and 4th goals of the season. After not scoring in her first 26 WPS matches, she has now scored four goals in her last four.

Masar's goals enabled Chicago to climb into a 4th place tie with the Washington Freedom. Masar, a University of Illinois alum, was drafted by Chicago in October of 2008.

Around the League

Atlanta Beat - Johanna Rasmussen scored her 2nd goal of the season on Sunday, tying her with Tina Ellertson for the team lead.....After shutting out their first two opponents in June, the Beat have given up 10 goals in their last four games.

Boston Breakers - Rookie Jordan Angeli scored her 2nd goal against Atlanta last weekend.....The Breakers have won their last two games coming from behind, the first two games they have ever won where their opponent scored first.

Chicago Red Stars - Both Jill Loyden and Kate Markgraf missed their first action of the year while on national team duty, leaving Marian Dalmy as the only Red Star to have played every minute this season.....In their history, the Red Stars have only lost one game in which they have scored, owning a 9-1-6 record in games where they put at least one in the net.

FC Gold Pride - Marta has now scored 20 WPS career goals. The next closest is Abby Wambach with 13.....Gold Pride continues to be dominant at home, going 6-1-3 in their last ten home matches.

Philadelphia Independence - Amy Rodriguez now has seven goals this season. Only three players have ever scored more in one WPS season, Marta, Abby Wambach, and Camille Abily.....Philadelphia has increased its consecutive game scoring streak to 12 matches.

Sky Blue FC - Rookie Brittany Taylor is now the only Sky Blue player to have played every minute this season.....Sky Blue was shut out in consecutive games for the first time this year against Washington and Chicago last week.

Washington Freedom - Two players, Abby Wambach and Sonia Bompastor, have 11 of the Freedom's 14 assists this season.....Washington is on a six game winless streak, going 0-2-4 over that time.

US - Sweden Tie in Omaha

The USWNT played to a 1-1 draw against Sweden in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday night in the first of two friendlies between the two teams. The other will be played in Hartford on Saturday.

The United States dominated the first 25 minutes with pinpoint passing and possession. They were unable to convert several promising opportunities, the best of which was Abby Wambach getting behind the Swedish defense only to have goalkeeper Sofia Lundgren charge out to make a sliding save.

As the half wore on, Sweden gained confidence. They almost got on the board in the 28th minute as a cross bounced over the heads of Amy LePeilbet of the US and Jessica Landstrom of Sweden right to Linda Forsberg, who nearly tipped the ball by US keeper Nicole Barnhart. Barnhart, who started in place of Hope Solo for this match, barely got a piece of the ball deflecting it wide of the net.

The US finally broke through in the 44th minute. Shannon Boxx forced a turnover in the midfield. The US worked the ball to Wambach who put a perfect ball through to Amy Rodriguez who beat the defender and Lundgren to the ball. She was able to chip the ball just over the diving Lundgren.

Abby Wambach nearly made it 2-0, scoring in the 49th minute. However the play was whistled offsides, although replays show that the call may have been in error.

In the 58th minute, Amy Rodriguez hit the crossbar with her header, again nearly putting the US up by two goals. In the counterattack, Forsberg was able to get behind the US defense on a nicely placed long ball from Stina Segerström. She dribbled in on Barnhart and finished with a shot over the diving keeper to tie the score at one.

Sweden played a strong 2nd half and exposed some rather sloppy play at times on the part of the US. They were playing without their best striker, Lotta Schelin for the match. US coach, Pia Sundhage, continues to experiment with different lineups and combinations in advance of World Cup qualifying this fall.

Weekend Wrap Up - Gold Pride Opens Up Lead

This weekend's action saw FC Gold Pride open up a 7 point margin between themselves and 2nd place Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the race for the 3rd and 4th playoff spots has tightened considerably, while Atlanta appears to cemented their hold on the bottom position. All this on a weekend when many players were missing on national team duty.

FC Gold Pride 3, Washington 2

Gold Pride opened up a comfortable 3-0 lead and then held on for the victory at Pioneer Stadium. Marta added to her league leading goal total by two and she has now matched her 2009 total of ten.

Gold Pride got on the board first on a very questionable penalty call. Christine Sinclair was battling with Beverly Goebel for the ball in the Freedom penalty area, when it appeared that Sinclair nudged Goebel to the ground and then proceeded to trip over Goebel after doing so. The worst that can be said of Goebel on the play is that she allowed Sinclair to outmuscle her, but other than that, she did nothing foul worthy. Marta easily converted the penalty to put Gold Pride up 1-0.

Perhaps in part because of that call and in part the lack of a call when Sonia Bompastor was shoved to the ground while heading toward the Gold Pride goal just minutes later, Jim Gabarra was not happy and was promptly asked to leave the premises by the head referee. The half ended in a 1-0 lead for FCGP.

Gold Pride dominated possession for much of this match. It finally paid off in the 65th minute as Sinclair crossed the ball to Marta, who settled, manoeuvred around Erin McLeod, and guided the ball into the net.

In the 71st minute, Gold Pride stretched it out to 3-0 as Camille Abily crossed the ball to the back post and Sola Gulbrandsen headed it home past McLeod. Gulbrandsen, who will returning to Norway after next week's game, scored her first WPS goal.

Despite creating more chances, Gold Pride also got a little sloppy defensively in the final 12 minutes of the match. Washington got on the board as Brittany Bock placed a nice cross to Lene Mykjåland who volleyed it perfectly past Pride keeper Brittany Cameron.

Washington continued to knock on the door. Nikki Marshall got behind the defense on a long ball by Bompastor, but her shot went wide as there appeared to be quite a bit of contact from defender Carrie Dew. Just minutes later, Marshall again got behind the defense again, only to have her arm grabbed by Dew just outside the penalty area, her shot going just wide and no call being made.

Marshall was finally able to score one as Gold Pride defenders Kandace Wilson and Candace Chapman collided with each other. She made her way to the penalty area and finished lower left to cut the lead to 3-2. Unfortunately for the Freedom, it was too little, too late.

Gold Pride now has a seven point lead. They will host 2nd place Philadelphia next weekend. The Freedom travels to Boston for their next match.

Boston 3, Atlanta 1

Atlanta scored first, but Boston fought back with three quick goals to open the 2nd half and they cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Beat. The win kept the Breakers from falling into a tie for last place and put them somewhat back into playoff contention.

Atlanta scored the only first half goal with Johanna Rasmussen getting her second goal in as many games, this one assisted by Eniola Aluko. Atlanta went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

It didn't take long for the Breakers to assert themselves in the 2nd half, scoring in the 49th, 53rd, and 54th minute before the Beat knew what hit them. Jordan Angeli got her 2nd goal of the season on an assist from Leslie Osborne to tie the game. Then Kelly Smith and Liz Bogus scored nearly back-to-back to give the Breakers a two goal margin. For Bogus it was her first WPS goal and it came just a couple weeks after she was moved from full-roster status to developmental status.

It was the first Breakers home victory since July 15, 2009 and their first consecutive victories this season.

The Breakers remain in 6th place, but with Washington losing, they move to within four points of a playoff spot. They will host Washington next weekend. Atlanta continues to struggle, as they travel to New Jersey to face Sky Blue in their next match.

Chicago 2, Sky Blue FC 0

The Red Stars dominated this match, outshooting the defending champs by a 23-7 margin. Allison Whitworth got the shutout in her first action for the Red Stars.

Ella Masar got the Red Stars on the board late in the 1st half with well hit and well placed shot past Kristin Luckenbill. The goal was assisted by Natalie Spilger. Masar has now scored four goals in her last four games and is the leading scorer for Chicago.

Just as the 2nd half started, a Red Star cross into the box was deflected past Luckenbill for a 2-0 margin. It was unclear as to whether Kosovare Asllani or Sky Blue defender Daphne Koster had struck the ball last. It was recorded as an own goal, but it will probably be reviewed by the league later in the week.

Sky Blue was able to muster very little offense in this one and they are especially thin at forward right now.

Sky Blue holds on to 3rd place, but only by a point over Chicago and Washington. They host Atlanta next. Chicago, who is now unbeaten in their last four, have a bye next weekend and return to action the following Wednesday at Atlanta.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (9-3-1, 28 pts); 2) Philadelphia (6-4-3, 21 pts); 3) Sky Blue FC (5-5-3, 18 pts); 4) Washington (4-4-5, 17 pts); 4) Chicago (4-5-5, 17 pts); 6) Boston (3-5-4, 13 pts); 7) Atlanta (1-7-4, 7 pts).

Amy Rodriguez Named Player of the Month for June

Philadelphia striker, Amy Rodriguez, has been named the WPS Player of the Month for June. Rodriguez scored five goals and added two assists for the month in leading the Independence to a 3-1-1 record in June and 2nd place in the standings. In a large part due to Rodriguez, Philadelphia has scored in 12 consecutive games, which is a WPS record.

Rodriguez, who is a member of the USWNT, was obtained from the Boston Breakers in an offseason trade. She also won Player of the Week honors twice during the month of June.

WPS Weekend Preview - July 10 and 11

Sky Blue FC (5-4-3, 18 pts) at Chicago Red Stars (3-5-5, 14 pts)
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL – July 10 (7 pm ET, 6 pm CT)

Rosters:
Sky Blue: GK-K. Luckenbill, S. Myers; D-D. Koster, B. Taylor, K. Dowling, K. Fletcher, D. Johnson; MF-Y. Averbuch, K. White, L. Kalmari, I. Trotter, A. Salem; F-Rosana, T. Kai, P. Panico, K. Dallstream.
Not Active: C. Rampone (USWNT), H. O’Reilly (USWNT), M. Schnur (USWNT), C. Lloyd (ankle), J. Branam (stomach).

Chicago: GK-A. Whitworth, M. Burke; D-W. Engen, M. Dalmy, N. Spilger, E. Weber, A. Asante, L. Vandenbergh; MF-Formiga, K. Carney, K. Chapman, J. Sitch, J. Santacaterina; F-Cristiane, E. Masar, K. Asllani, C. Nogueira, J. McDonald.
Not Active: K. Markgraf (USWNT), M. Rapinoe (USWNT), J. Loyden (USWNT), N. Washington (knee).

Previous Meeting (2010):
Chicago 0 @ Sky Blue 1
Sky Blue 1 @ Chicago 0
Sky Blue leads the all-time series with 5 wins and a tie.

What To Look For: These teams have met six times in their history and Sky Blue has absolutely dominated the results. Not only have the Red Stars never beaten New Jersey, they've never scored against them. That’s no goals in 540 minutes for those keeping track.

Both teams will have backup keepers in the net, Whitworth for Chicago because of Loyden’s national team duty and Luckenbill for Sky Blue because of the injury to Bardsley. For the Red Stars, this will be the first time in their history they have ever used a backup keeper. Jonsson started every game last season and Loyden had started every game to this point in 2010. Whitworth was Atlanta’s starter early in the season before she gave way to Maron and Solo. Luckenbill is coming off of a shutout against Washington on Wednesday night in only her 2nd start for New Jersey.

Chicago’s problem has been scoring. They have had only four goal scorers this season, all forwards. It’s a good group of forwards, but at times they have had trouble finishing. Cristiane, Masar, Asllani, and Nogueira provide the scoring, while Karen Carney and Katie Chapman provide the primary support in the midfield. They will be going against a tough Sky Blue defense that will be missing two starters in Rampone and Schnur. Rookie Brittany Taylor has been very dependable and Daphne Koster is an experienced, rugged defender. Yael Averbuch supports at holding midfielder. This should be an interesting matchup, given Chicago leads the league in shots attempted, while Sky Blue has surrendered nearly 18 shots per game, the most in WPS.

When Sky Blue is on offense, they can have a variety of different looks , depending on who is starting up front. Last match, it was Rosana that started at forward, with Kai subbing in later in the match. Italian import Patrizia Panico adds yet another dimension to the Sky Blue attack. She saw her first action for New Jersey on Wednesday. Sky Blue will be missing a key part of their offense in O’Reilly, but Laura Kalmari is their leading scorer and Kacey White is very good from the wing. Chicago leads WPS in team defense, but their captain, Kate Markgraf will be gone. Whitney Engen is having a strong rookie season and Natalie Spilger will be back from her suspension. Marian Dalmy provides offense on the right side from the back.

With so many players missing on national team duty, it could change the chemistry of this matchup, but the Red Stars will need to get over the psychological block of not having scored against Sky Blue. The Red Stars trail 3rd place Sky Blue by just four points, so this is an important game for both teams.

Washington Freedom (4-3-5, 17 pts) at FC Gold Pride (8-3-1, 25 pts)
Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, CA – July 11 (6 pm ET, 3 pm PT)

Rosters:
Washington: GK-E. McLeod, A. Harris; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros (probable-foot), A. Singer, K. Eveland, B. Bock; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, B. Klein, B. Goebel, C. Miskel; F-L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: A. Wambach (USWNT), S. Huffman (USWNT), A. Long (USWNT), M. McCray, M. Abegg, J. Gilbeau.

Gold Pride: GK-B. Cameron, E. Guthrie; D-C. Chapman, A. Riley, C. Dew, K. Wilson, K. Fountain; MF-C. Abily, B. Edwards, S. Gulbrandsen, K. Graczyk, K. Yokers, R. Tantillo; F-Marta, C. Sinclair, T. Milbrett, K. Bosio.
Not Active: N. Barnhart (USWNT), R. Buehler (USWNT), S. Boxx (USWNT), K. O’Hara (USWNT).

Previous Meetings (2010):
Washington 1 @ FC Gold Pride 1
Washington leads the all-time series at 2-1-1.

What To Look For: Washington may be one team that has the firepower to stay with Gold Pride, but they will be missing their big gun, Abby Wambach. The previous meeting in 2010 ended in a 1-1 draw. Washington’s only win on the road was in Atlanta, while Gold Pride’s only loss at home was two weeks ago to Sky Blue. Strangely enough, the Freedom are coming off of consecutive scoreless ties.

Washington should have the edge in goal with Erin McLeod patrolling the nets for the Freedom. Brittany Cameron is poised to get her first WPS start this weekend. She had a great college career at San Diego, but is untested in WPS action.

Fortunate for Cameron, she will not be facing Wambach. Washington’s attacking weapons are greatly reduced this match without her and Allie Long, who received her first USWNT call up. That leaves Lene Mykjåland and veteran reserve Christie Welsh as the most likely strike team. As in 2009, Sonia Bompastor is among the lead leaders in assists with four. Homare Sawa has three goals to her credit from the midfield. As for Gold Pride, they will be without defensive leader Rachel Buehler. Gold Pride has allowed more than one goal only twice this season, but they lost both matches.

Offensively, Gold Pride will be missing a potent scorer in Kelley O’Hara, but the Pride have a much deeper front line with Marta, Christine Sinclair, and Tiffeny Milbrett. They will feel the loss of Shannon Boxx in the middle however. Solveig Gulbrandsen, who will soon be returning to Norway, should see playing time in this one and give the American crowd one more chance to see her midfield skills. Washington does have the luxury of having its defense relatively intact for this match, which should help, but very few teams have been able to contain Gold Pride.

Washington is in a precarious position, in 4th place, just three points ahead of Chicago. With six of their next eight matches on the road, they need to get some points to keep that cushion. Gold Pride would like to extend their lead of four points on Philadelphia.

Atlanta Beat (1-6-4, 7 pts) at Boston Breakers (2-5-4, 10 pts)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA – July 11 (6 pm ET)

Roster:
Atlanta: GK-B. Maron, M. Lofton-Malachi; D-T. Ellertson, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin, L. Sesselmann; MF-A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, A. Kerr, J. Rasmussen, M. Zerboni, C. Blank, R. Nolin; F-E. Aluko, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: L. Chalupny (back), H. Solo (USWNT), R. Bachmann (Swiss U-20), K. McNeill (suspension), M. Ocampo (knee).

Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips, A. Lipsher; D-I. Dieke, A. Scott, K. Moore, C. Igwe; MF-K. Smith, L. Osborne, Fabiana, J. Angeli, L. Bogus; F-L. Tarpley, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: L. Cheney (USWNT), K. Lilly (USWNT), S. Cox (USWNT), A. LePeilbet (USWNT), S. Walsh (knee).

Previous Meetings:
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

What To Look For: This will be the first ever meeting between these two teams and both are heading into the game with severely depleted rosters. Boston is coming off of a big victory over Philadelphia and hopes to build from that win. Atlanta tied Chicago on the road and have earned points in four of their last five matches.

Atlanta will miss Hope Solo, who is away on national team duty, but Brett Maron has proven herself as a capable goalkeeper, earning a shutout in her last start against Chicago in June. Alyssa Naeher has taken over in goal for Boston.

Offensively, Atlanta will be without Ramona Bachmann and Monica Ocampo. Last game, Mami Yamaguchi played more forward to support Eniola Aluko. Aluko has four goals to her credit, but has yet to put one in for the Beat. Johanna Rasmussen played one of her best games against Chicago on Wednesday and Atlanta needs for her to be a major factor in this game as well. Aya Miyama is good at setting up teammates, both from set pieces and in the run of play. Atlanta will be facing a Breakers’ defense that will be missing two key members due to national team duty, Amy LePeilbet and Stephanie Cox. This could make Boston a bit vulnerable defensively, but Atlanta hasn’t exactly been a scoring machine.

Boston will be missing Lauren Cheney at forward, meaning that Lindsey Tarpley and Laura Del Rio should see action together. Kelly Smith is the big offensive weapon for the Breakers. She has three goals heading into Sunday’s match. Tina Ellertson might be back to defend for Atlanta after missing a game after she was hit in the face in the match against Gold Pride, but Kia McNeill will be serving the second of a three game suspension.

Both of these teams have had trouble scoring. Atlanta is still showing signs of growing pains. Their defense was cut to shreds by Gold Pride a week ago and their passing was aimless at times against Chicago on Wednesday. Atlanta needs three points here are they will be playing the role of spoiler for the rest of the season. The Breakers need to win to get back into playoff contention.

WPS Midweek Matches- July 7

Washington Freedom (4-3-4, 16 pts) at Sky Blue FC (5-4-2, 17 pts)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ - July 7 (7 pm ET)

Rosters:
Washington: GK-E. McLeod, A. Harris (questionable-toe); D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, R. Moros (probable-foot), K. Eveland; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long, S. Huffman, B. Goebel, B. Klein; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, C. Welsh.
Not Active: B. Bock, M. Abegg, J. Gilbeau, M. McCray, C. Miskel, A. Singer.

Sky Blue FC: GK-K. Luckenbill, S. Myers; D-C. Rampone, D. Koster, B. Taylor, K. Fletcher, K. Dowling, D. Johnson; MF-H. O'Reilly, Rosana, K. White, Y. Averbuch, A. Salem; F-T. Kai, L. Kalmari, K. Dallstream, I. Trotter, P. Panico.
Not Active: J. Branam (stomach), C. Lloyd (ankle), M. Schnur (ankle), K. Bardsley (clavicle).

Previous Meetings (2009):
Sky Blue 1 @ Washington 2
Washington 4 @ Sky Blue 4
Sky Blue 1 @ Washington 3
Sky Blue 2 @ Washington 1 (playoffs)

What To Look For: This is the first meeting of the season between these two rivals and the only two remaining playoff teams from 2009. There were no shutouts in this series last season and Sky Blue won only once, most importantly in the playoffs.

Sky Blue was dealt a harsh blow when Karen Bardsley was injured while training for the All-Star Game. That leaves Kristin Luckenbill as their keeper and she surrendered four in her only start this year against Philadelphia. Sky Blue is coming off of a shutout victory over Gold Pride, but it's always a tough transition when keepers change. Sky Blue's back line is solid, but they have given up a lot of shots this season. Sky Blue doesn't score a lot, but they haven't been shut out in their last four. Kalmari, Kai, Rosana, and O'Reilly lead the way, but Patrizia Panico could make her American debut in this one.

Washington's goalkeeping is in the capable hands of Erin McLeod, an All-Star selection. Defensively, the Freedom have some good, but not particularly speedy, backs. They are led by Cat Whitehill, a dangerous player on set pieces. In the midfield, Sonia Bompastor is the leader, but she was under the weather over the weekend and only played a half in the Freedom's scoreless draw with the Red Stars. Homare Sawa and Sarah Huffman are having good seasons as well. Abby Wambach and Lene Mykjåland pair up at forward.

The Freedom have only earned three ties in their last four matches. They blew two goal leads in the two games leading up to the scoreless tie against Chicago. They have the advantage of going against a seldom used keeper, but Luckenbill did reasonably well in two starts against the Freedom last season, giving up only one goal in each. Sky Blue seems almost cursed with injuries this season, in stark contrast to their storybook finish of last season when everything went their way. I would look for the Freedom to test Luckenbill early and often. Meanwhile, Sky Blue must generate some offense to keep the pressure off a defense that has faced nearly 18 shots per match.

Although we're only at midseason, this is an important matchup between the 3rd and 4th place teams. A loss by either could see Chicago breathing down their necks for the last playoff spot.

Atlanta Beat (1-6-3, 6 pts) at Chicago Red Stars (3-5-4, 13 pts)
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL - July 7 (8:30 pm ET, 7:30 pm CT)

Rosters:
Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin, L. Sesselmann; MF-L. Chalupny, M. Yamaguchi, A. Miyama, A. Kerr, J. Rasmussen, C. Blank, M. Zerboni, R. Nolin; F-E. Aluko, A. Cinalli
Not Active: K. McNeill (red card suspension), R. Bachmann (groin), T. Ellertson (concussion), M. Ocampo (knee), M. Lofton-Malachi.

Chicago: GK-J. Loyden, A. Whitworth; D-K. Markgraf, W. Engen, M. Dalmy, A. Asante, E. Weber, L. Vandenbergh; MF-K. Carney, K. Chapman, M. Rapinoe, Formiga, J. Sitch; F-Cristiane, K. Asllani, E. Masar, C. Nogueira, J. McDonald.
Not Active: N. Spilger (accum of yellow cards), N. Washington (knee), J. Santacaterina, M. Burke.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 0 @ Chicago 0
Chicago 0 @ Atlanta 1

What To Look For: Just when it appeared that the Beat were rounding into a competitive team, they suffered through perhaps their most embarrassing game in their young history. They were scorched 4-0 by Gold Pride in a game that saw them loose both central defenders, one to injury and the other to red card. Gold Pride repeatedly got behind Atlanta's defense subjecting goalkeeper Hope Solo to a shooting gallery.

This week will probably determine whether the Beat have even a remote chance for a playoff spot. They face the two teams immediately in front of them on the table, Chicago and Boston. And at least for the Chicago match, they will have to do it without McNeill, Ellertson, Bachmann, and Ocampo. But on the bright side, they have earned four of their six points, including their only victory, against this Red Stars side.

The Beat will be forced to put a piecemeal defense on the field, with Leigh Ann Robinson and Stacy Bishop being the stalwarts of the group. One might wonder if Coach O'Sullivan will drop Carolyn Blank to fullback for this one. Atlanta has an extremely talented midfield led by the Japanese duo of Yamaguchi and Miyama. But they will have to help out on the defense in this one, especially facing a Red Star squad that managed 23 shots against the Freedom just days ago. With Bachmann out, Aluko is the only sure threat at forward and it wouldn't surprise me to see a 4-5-1 formation from Atlanta, with Yamaguchi shading forward from the midfield.

The Red Stars have earned points in 5 of their last 6, with the exception being a road match against this Atlanta team. Chicago boasts a strong defensive unit led by goalie Jill Loyden and defender Kate Markgraf. Offense has been the problem for the Red Stars. They do not have any goals by anyone other than a forward this season. The total midfield contribution to the offense through 12 contests is a mere four assists. The blame should not entirely be placed on the midfield, however, as the quality of finishing has left much to be desired. The Red Stars have the talent certainly, with Cristiane, Asllani, Masar, and Nogueira at forward, to score a lot of goals, but they must get quality shots on frame.

McNeill's suspension and Atlanta's injuries couldn't have come at a worse time. The Beat needs this game desperately. Chicago could put themselves right in the middle of the playoff chase with a win here. This is their first home game in over a month and the home crowd should help them. Will Atlanta get their second win or will Chicago avenge an earlier loss to the expansion Beat?