Flash Edges Independence

The Western New York Flash remained unbeaten by defeating the Philadelphia Independence 2-1 in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The Flash maintained their eight point lead over magicJack and now have a 11 point advantage over Philadelphia in the standings.

For the first time this season, however, the Flash fell behind in a match. Philadelphia took the lead in the 9th minute on what appeared to be a harmless looking shot. The Independence moved the ball across the field to Megan Rapinoe on the right side of the field. She struck a shot on a tough angle from the right wing, which went over Ashlyn Harris' head and under the crossbar inside the back post. It was a perfectly placed shot and a stunned Harris was unable to move on the play.

So for the first time this season, the Flash trailed, but it was only for all of five minutes as they quickly responded. Ali Riley hit a well-placed cross from the left wing and McCall Zerboni challenged for the ball as Nicole Barnhart went up to punch the ball out. The ball rebounded to a wide open Becky Edwards who headed into the now empty net.

The Flash took the lead just a few minutes later, as Marta took a corner kick from the left side. The corner went short to Zerboni and as she attempted to dribble toward the net, she was tripped up by Independence defender Nikki Krzysik and a penalty was awarded. Marta put the penalty lower right as Barnhart guessed wrong and the Flash led 2-1 at the 21 minute mark.

That was the only scoring of the first half and as it turned out, the game. Nicole Barnhart made several good saves later in the match. But Philadelphia came close to tying the match in the 65th minute as Tina DiMartino sent a cross in from the right side and it found the head of Tasha Kai. Kai headed the ball down with the ball bouncing high and toward the goal, but Harris was able to time her leap and tip the ball over the bar.

Play got a little physical later in the match and a little chippy at times, but nothing of much consequence. Flash defender Ali Riley came up limping a couple of times during the match, but finished the match. Gina Lewandowski got a rare start as Candace Chapman was out with an injury.

The Flash improved to 6-0-1, good for 19 points and first place. Philadelphia fell to 2-2-2, still in 3rd place with 8 points. The Flash will head home to face Sky Blue on Friday in Rochester. Philadelphia plays at home on Saturday against Atlanta.

WPS Standings (as of May 29, 2011)
(1) Western New York 6-0-1, 19 pts; (2) magicJack 4-1-0, 11 pts; (3) Philadelphia 2-2-2, 8 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 2-3-1, 7 pts; (5) Boston 2-5-1, 7 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-6-1, 4 pts.

WPS Sunday: Western New York at Philadelphia

Western New York Flash at Philadelphia Independence (6 pm eastern, Sunday)
Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Independence (2-1-2)
Coach: Paul Riley
Roster:
Goalkeepers: N. Barnhart, V. Henderson.
Defenders: K. McNeill, N. Krzysik, L. Robinson, H. Magnusdottir, E. Johnson.
Midfielders: L. Lindsey, M. Rapinoe, T. DiMartino, S. Farrelly, J. Buczkowski, J. Lohman.
Forwards: T. Kai, A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, L. del Rio, D. Adams.
Not active: A. Falk (injured), R. Jones, L. Barnes, L. Fowlkes, V. Boquete, G. DiMartino.

Western New York Flash (5-0-1)
Coach: Aaran Lines
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Harris, B. Cameron.
Defenders: W. Engen, A. Riley, K. Wilson, G. Lewandowski.
Midfielders: C. Seger, Y. Averbuch, B. Edwards, B. Bock, M. Zerboni, Maurine, B. Goebel.
Forwards: Marta, A. Morgan, C. Sinclair, G. Davidson.
Not active: C. Chapman (injured), A. Bowers, K. Brandao, A. Sahlen, K. Fountain.

Western New York shrugged off the challenge of magicJack a week ago. This week's challenger, the Philadelphia Independence, could offer some pretty stiff competition however.

While the Flash have been the dominant team in WPS so far, they have not been nearly as potent on the road, where they have posted a narrow win over Boston and a tie in Atlanta. So when Marta and company travel to Chester, Pennsylvania to face the third place Independence, they had better not take the task lightly.

This will only be Philadelphia's second home match of the year. After starting slowly, the Independence have reeled off seven points in their last three contests and look to keep pace with second place magicJack.

Philadelphia has a strong offense and have yet to be shut out this season. Tasha Kai and Tina DiMartino have two goals each this season and striker Amy Rodriguez is always a threat with her speed. The Independence have a deep and talented midfield, led by USWNT players Lori Lindsey and Megan Rapinoe.

Defense might potentially be Philadelphia's weak point and they have given up more than a goal per game. Nicole Barnhart is the Independence starter in the net.

If Philly's offense is strong, Western New York's is nearly unstoppable. Just six games into the season and the Flash already have five players with two or more goals. Christine Sinclair leads the Flash with four goals, Caroline Seger has three, and McCall Zerboni, Alex Morgan, and Marta have two each. About the best way to stop WNY is to not allow their midfielders to link up with their talented front line, but there is just so much speed to contend with, that is not an easy task to accomplish.

Defensively, the Flash may be missing Candace Chapman, who is listed as injured. If that is the case, Gina Lewandowski may be asked to step into center back as a starter tonight. The Flash won last week without the globetrotting Ali Riley, who should return for this match.

Ashlyn Harris came up with a couple of big saves on Ella Masar last week and has posted two shutouts so far in the 2011 campaign.

This match should be a stern test on the road for the league leading Flash. A victory here cements their hold on first place, with two home matches upcoming.

Blank's Late Goal Lifts Sky Blue

Carolyn Blank scored her second career goal in the 88th minute to break a 1-1 tie and give Sky Blue a win over the Boston Breakers.

The game, which was delayed at the start by storms, was a back-and-forth affair with both teams creating chances. Boston's Kelly Smith hit the crossbar twice in the opening minutes of the match, but neither team was able to score in the first half.

The Breakers did open the scoring early in the 2nd half. Sky Blue keeper Jen Branam was able to make a diving stop on Smith, but Kelley O'Hara knocked home the rebound to give Boston a temporary advantage in the 50th minute.

Sky Blue struck back just eight minutes later and it was two substitutions that did the work. Swedish international Therese Sjögran, who reported in at the intermission, set up Eniola Aluko, who was able to finish past Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to tie the score at one each. Aluko had entered the game midway through the first half after Adriana had suffered an injury.

O'Hara nearly got her second of the evening, as she had Branam in a one-on-one situation, but the Sky Blue keeper made an excellent save to keep the match tied.

Sjögran notched her second assist of the match as she sent the ball to Blank, who was waiting at the top of the box and the former West Virginia star put it in the net to give Sky Blue their first lead in the 88th minute.

Sky Blue remains unbeaten at home and improves to 2-3-1. They are now tied with the Breakers for fourth place, with two matches in hand. Boston falls to 2-5-1.

Next weekend, Sky Blue travels to Rochester to face Western New York for the second time this season. The Flash won the first match by a 3-1 margin. Boston hosts magicJack next Sunday, a team they lost to in their only meeting in Boca Raton.

Wambach's Hat Trick Leads magicJack

Abby Wambach scored three goals and Sarah Huffman added another as magicJack easily defeated Atlanta 4-0 on Saturday evening. It was Wambach's first ever WPS hat trick.

The victory keeps magicJack in second place in WPS. Going into today's action, they trail Western New York by five points and have a three point advantage on third place Philadelphia.

Wambach opened the scoring in just the 8th minute of action as she caught Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher off her line and chipped over her head and into the net. Huffman's goal followed just a few minutes later and Atlanta was never in the match afterwards.

Wambach added goals in the 67th and 89th minute to make the final tally 4-0. Hope Solo recorded the shutout in goal for magicJack.

MagicJack ups their record to 4-1-0, good for 11 points (after subtracting the point they were penalized earlier in the season). Atlanta suffered their fifth loss in a row, scoring just one goal in those five matches. They are now 1-6-1.

Both teams return to action next weekend. The Beat must travel to Philadelphia for the final game in their current road stretch. MagicJack will also be on the road, at Boston, on Sunday.

Note: The point total which was originally listed by the author as 12 points and record which was originally listed as 4-0-1 for magicJack should read 11 points and 4-1-0. It has been corrected. This new math is killing me.

WPS Saturday: May 28

Atlanta Beat at magicJack (7 pm eastern, Saturday)
FAU Soccer Field, Boca Raton, Florida

magicJack (3-1-0, 8 pts)
Coach: Christie Rampone
Roster:
Goalkeepers: H. Solo, B. Maron.
Defenders: M. Dalmy, T. Ellertson, B. Sauerbrunn, N. Marshall, L. Vandenbergh.
Midfielders: S. Boxx (questionable), S. Huffman, M. Schnur, K. White, O. Davis.
Forwards: A. Wambach, E. Masar, C. Press, L. De Vanna, R. Moros, J. Rasmussen.
Not active: C. Rampone (injured), L. Tarpley (injured), J. Loyden, A. DaCosta, M. Klingenberg, S. Schmidt.

Atlanta Beat (1-5-1, 4 pts)
Coach: James Galanis
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Lipsher, A. Whitworth.
Defenders: C. Whitehill, K. Dowling, K. Reynolds, A. Marquez, J. Sitch.
Midfielders: L. Chalupny, C. Lloyd, M. Jesolva, B. D'Agostino, K. Wright, A. Salem.
Forwards: M. Lenczyk, K. Parker, L. Patterson.
Not active: H. Mitts (injured), K. Fraine, C. Flanagan, I. Trotter, K. Bethke, L. Sesselmann.

Coach James Galanis is hoping that the addition of Julianne Sitch and Kelly Parker to the roster will breathe new life into the Beat. They are currently on a four-game losing streak, being outscored over that time by a 10-1 margin. This will be the second of three consecutive road contests for the Beat.

Parker has played on winners just about everywhere she has been over the past few years. In 2008, she scored four goals on a FC Indiana team that finished second to Pali Blues in the W-League finals. In 2009, she played for the WPS champion Sky Blue FC. In 2010, she helped lead the Buffalo Flash to the W-League title. While this will be a bit of a different story, it is always good to have players that know how to win on your team.

The Beat have to find a way to score more goals. They've scored just once in that four-game losing streak and have only five goals all season. The Atlanta defense has been all too porous as of late. Obviously, this is a bad combination.

Last weekend, magicJack suffered their first loss of the season in a tough battle with Western New York. This match is important for several reasons. First of all, magicJack needs to win to stay somewhere within reach of the Flash and also to stay in second place. Second, this will be magicJack's last home match until July 27. They play their next six on the road.

In spite of the loss last week, magicJack held their own following an opening 20 minute onslaught by the Flash. Back at the friendly confines of FAU Soccer Stadium, they will try to regain their winning form.

Outside of Ella Masar, magicJack got very little offense out of their forwards last week. Abby Wambach, Christen Press, and Lisa De Vanna were held totally in check, while Masar was able to fight and claw her way to several scoring chances, but unable to find the net with any of them.

Injuries continue to be a problem for magicJack. Christie Rampone is still out with an injury and Lindsay Tarpley is lost for the season. To add to that, Shannon Boxx came up hobbled after last week's contest and is listed as questionable for this match.

While their three-back set didn't work very well against the Flash, it should net better results against the struggling Beat offense. Atlanta does have some speed which must be contended with in Parker, Meghan Lenczyk, and Lyndsey Patterson. But it is the midfield that is the focal point of the Beat's offense with Lori Chalupny and Carli Lloyd.

With both teams coming off shutout losses, they should be hungry for a victory and one would hope that would lead to attacking soccer this weekend. However, a narrower field could squeeze off some of the space needed to attack from the wings. It will be interesting to see how Parker and Sitch fit in with their new team and how magicJack rebounds from their first loss of the season.

Boston Breakers at Sky Blue FC (7 pm eastern, Saturday)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, New Jersey.

Sky Blue FC (1-3-1, 4 pts)
Coach: Jim Gabarra
Roster:
Goalkeepers: J. Branam, K. Bardsley.
Defenders: B. Taylor, K. Fletcher, A. Asante, C. Dew, M. Wenino.
Midfielders: H. O'Reilly, T. Heath, T. Sjögran, A. Long, C. Blank, A. Kerr, A. Mautz.
Forwards: L. Kalmari, E. Aluko, Adriana, C. Nogueira.
Not active: L. Johnson (injured), D. Johnson (questionable), K. Arnold, E. Guthrie, J. Clark.

Boston Breakers (2-4-1, 7 pts)
Coach: Tony DiCicco
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Naeher, A. Phillips.
Defenders: R. Buehler, A. LePeilbet, A. Scott, S. Cox, K. Moore, L. Bogus.
Midfielders: L. Osborne, K. Winters, N. Cross, K. Schoepfer.
Forwards: K. Smith, L. Cheney, K. O'Hara, K. Dallstream.
Not active: K. Davis (injured), N. Washington (injured), J. Angeli (injured), I. Dieke, L. Blayney, E. Reed, T. Hemmings, C. Zimmeck.

The injury bug continues to bite the Breakers. First it was Jordan Angeli and Kelsey Davis with significant injures and out for the season. Then it was Kelley O'Hara and Amy LePeilbet slowed with injuries. Now, O'Hara and LePeilbet are back, but Nikki Washington suffered an ankle sprain against Philadelphia last weekend and will miss this week's match.

While injuries have certainly been a big part of the problem, the Breakers' offense has been largely missing in action this season. Who would have thought with the attacking weapons that this team has, that Kasey Moore would be the leading goal scorer with two goals after seven matches. Not to take anything away from Moore who puts a lot of pace on her shots, but there should be more scoring from this group.

Admittedly, the Breakers' schedule has been rough, with five of their seven games coming against the league's top three teams, but those are exactly the teams Boston will have to beat if anything is to become of this season. And one can't exactly argue with where the Breakers are in the standings, given that both of their wins are against the two teams below them, while they are just 0-4-1 against the top three.

Kelly Smith, Lauren Cheney, and O'Hara form a dangerous triumvirate, but they will have to step it up if Boston is going to make any noise this season. The Breakers will soon be losing players to national team call-ups, so it is incumbent upon them to start producing some victories now.

Sky Blue finally got their first win last weekend against Atlanta. While their record is not very good, they are 1-0-1 at home this season, with this being just their third home match.

Sky Blue has also suffered quite a few injuries this season, but they are starting to get healthy with the return of Kendall Fletcher to their lineup. They are coming off of a very strong effort against the Beat and will be looking to build upon that momentum.

Laura Kalmari has been one of Sky Blue's most consistent scorers over the past two seasons. She opened the scoring last weekend, getting a goal off of a Casey Nogueira corner kick. Spanish import Adriana has continued to impress since her arrival and Sky Blue's offense has shown new life in the past two matches. Throw in Heather O'Reilly and very potent New Jersey midfield and they could turn things around.

This is a very big match position-wise. Sky Blue could move into a fourth place tie with Boston with a win and would have two games in hand. Boston could stretch their lead over Sky Blue to six points and possibly vault into second place with a victory if things fall right for them. At one time, Sky Blue was dominant in the series between the two teams, but that has been changing over the last few matches.

Beat Trade for Sitch and Parker

The Atlanta Beat have completed a deal with Western New York that will bring Kelly Parker and Julianne Sitch to their roster. In return, the Flash get a first and second round selection in the 2012 draft.

It was pretty obvious from the scoring woes that the Beat have gone through lately that they needed to add offense and Parker could certainly give them a boost. She can play forward, attacking mid, or on the wing and has 13 caps for the Canadian National Team. She has scored one goal for Canada and recently played 45 minutes in a 2-1 victory over Switzerland.

Parker has also played on two championship club teams the past two years, in 2009 for Sky Blue in WPS and in 2010 for the Buffalo Flash of the W-League. She has two career WPS assists and was a top scorer in the W-League.

Sitch is a defensive specialist that can play on the back line or the midfield. She is a veteran of three WPS teams, Sky Blue in 2009, the Chicago Red Stars in 2010, and the Flash in 2011. Before her WPS career, Sitch was a mainstay in the W-League, playing for several teams over the past decade. She scored one goal for Sky Blue in the 2009 season.

This will be the third different WPS team that Parker and Sitch have been teammates on. They were also teammates for FC Indiana in 2008. That team also included current Beat player Lauren Sesselmann.

Western New York Shuts Out magicJack

The Western New York Flash have solidified their hold on first place, defeating magicJack by a 3-0 score. The Flash got goals from Becky Edwards and Caroline Seger, plus Seger later converted a penalty to account for the final score.

The first half was played at a frenetic pace, with scoring chances seemingly coming by the minute. MagicJack's decision to go with a three-back defense appeared to be a mistake, as Western New York owned the first 20 minutes of the match. The Flash put an onslaught on the magicJack goal with only great goalkeeping by Hope Solo keeping her team in the match.

The Flash got on the board just over one minute into the match. Kandace Wilson sent a beautiful pass through to Marta who dribbled in on goal. Solo came out to make a stop on Marta 10 yards from the goal. The rebound went to Christine Sinclair who drilled one off the crossbar, followed by another rebound by Becky Edwards that deflected off a magicJack defender and into the net.

In the 17th minute, Solo stopped Alex Morgan from point blank range. Just a minute later, Solo dove to save a Christine Sinclair shot, only to have the ball deflected off the crossbar by her own defender. She then scrambled to grab the ball before anymore damage could be done. And then it was Solo again stopping Morgan twice from inside 10 yards in the 19th minute. The Flash could have easily held a three or four goal advantage at that point, but it was still 1-0.

It was about that time that the momentum changed and magicJack started to put pressure on. In the 21st minute, Shannon Boxx blistered a shot off the crossbar, followed by a Meghan Schnur shot that sailed just over the bar.

In the 28th minute, Ashlyn Harris made a great diving punch save on Ella Masar. A few minutes later, it was Harris robbing Masar yet again on a lunging save on Masar's shot from 12 yards. Although she did not score, Masar would be a thorn in the Flashes' side all night long.

With magicJack knocking on the door and coming on strong, Caroline Seger scored against the run of play to make it 2-0 very late in the first half. Dribbling inside the box toward the right side and with everyone expecting her to pass, she suddenly turned and hit a low shot through Megan Schnur's legs that Hope Solo probably never saw and into the left side of the net. Western New York weathered a late push to keep the score at 2-0 in their favor at the half.

After such an action-packed first half, it was almost predictable that the second half couldn't keep up that pace and both teams seemed to settle into the game after the intermission.

The first really good chance of the second half came in the 59th minute as Sinclair hit a volley from just outside the penalty area, with Solo again coming up with the big save on a dive to her right.

Yael Averbuch entered the game in the 2nd half, seeing her first action since the opener for Western New York.

MagicJack nearly cut the lead in half in the 83rd minute as Ella Masar's shot from six yards went just over the bar and the unlucky Masar was again denied a goal.

Western New York finished the scoring in the 84th minute. Marta and Tina Ellertson, who had been battling all night, fought for a ball going into the box, both running at full speed. Ellertson reached out her arm in an attempt to slow Marta and shield her from the ball with the Flash striker going down and a penalty was awarded. Caroline Seger converted the penalty, as the ball went just beyond the fingertips of Solo, as the magicJack keeper had guessed correctly.

There were a few anxious moments among the Flash faithful and soccer fans in general, as Marta appeared to turn an ankle and was walking quite gingerly after she was able to get up. However, she stayed on and appeared to be running without discomfort later in the match.

Ashlyn Harris got the shutout in goal for the Flash. They raise their record to 5-0-1, with 16 points. They are now eight points clear of second place magicJack, who fell to 3-1-0, with 8 points. Western New York travels to Philadelphia next weekend, while magicJack returns home to host Atlanta.

It was announced by WPS that magicJack owner Dan Borislow has been fined $10,000 and has been suspended from serving in any technical capacity for magicJack for two games, effective immediately, for "public statements that are derogatory and not in the best interests of the league."

Boston and Philly Battle to a 1-1 Tie

The Philadelphia Independence and Boston Breakers fought to a 1-1 tie on Sunday afternoon. Philadelphia holds on to third place in WPS.

The game went scoreless for nearly all of the first half, until Tasha Kai scored for Philadelphia in the 44th minute, her second goal of the season.

After the break, it didn't take long for the Breakers to pull even. Keelin Winters put the initial header on frame with Nicole Barnhart barely keeping it out of the goal, but Lauren Cheney was there to finish off the rebound with a header of her own to tie the score.

On the injury front, Nikki Washington was forced to leave the game early in the first half. We will update her status as information becomes available.

Philadelphia's record goes to 2-1-2. They host league leading Western New York next Sunday. Boston is now 2-4-1 and they travel to New Jersey to face Sky Blue next Saturday in a battle for 4th place.

All-time great Kristine Lilly was honored at halftime, retiring her number 13 for the Breakers, a first in WPS.

Rivalry Renewed: Philadelphia at Boston

Philadelphia Independence at Boston Breakers (4 pm eastern, Sunday)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Boston Breakers (2-4-0, 6 pts)
Coach: Tony DiCicco
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Naeher, A. Phillips.
Defenders: A. LePeilbet (probable), R. Buehler, A. Scott, S. Cox, I. Dieke (questionable), K. Moore.
Midfielders: L. Osborne, K. Winters, N. Washington, N. Cross, K. Schoepfer, L. Blayney.
Forwards: K. Smith, L. Cheney, K. O'Hara, K. Dallstream.
Not active: J. Angeli (injured), K. Davis (injured), E. Reed, C. Zimmeck, T. Hemmings.

Philadelphia Independence (2-1-1, 7 pts)
Coach: Paul Riley
Roster:
Goalkeepers: N. Barnhart, V. Henderson.
Defenders: E. Johnson, N. Krzysik, H. Magnusdottir, L. Robinson.
Midfielders: L. Lindsey, M. Rapinoe, C. DiMartino, S. Farrelly, J. Buczkowski, J. Lohman.
Forwards: T. Kai, A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, L. del Rio.
Not active: K. McNeill (suspended-RC), A. Falk (injured), L. Fowlkes (injured), V. Boquete, D. Adams, L. Barnes, G. DiMartino, R. Jones.

The last time these two teams met in Boston, Danesha Adams scored an overtime goal to send Philadelphia into the WPS Finals. Adams is not active for this match, but the Breakers and the Independence will renew their rivalry on Sunday afternoon. To add a bit of spice to this match, these two teams sit next to each other at third and fourth place on the WPS table.

The Breakers have gotten off to a slow start, much like last year in many ways. They are now at two wins and four losses, as the season moves into its second third for Boston. For the time being, they are in possession of the fourth and final playoff position.

Boston enters the game with several players nursing injuries. Amy LePeilbet, Kelley O'Hara, and Ifeoma Dieke have all been hobbled as of late, adding to the Breakers' woes. The fact that they have several national team players on their roster complicates matters further, as many may not be able to go a full 90 minutes and may not even start the match. But the Breakers have rarely had their full roster available this season anyway and only Leslie Osborne, Keelin Winters, and Alyssa Naeher have played in all six matches.

After scoring four goals in their season opener, the Breakers have scored just four since. The leading goal scorer for Boston is the unlikely offensive threat, defender Kasey Moore, with two goals. Kelly Smith does have a goal and three assists, but Lauren Cheney is yet to score. This offense must get untracked if the Breakers are to be successful.

Philadelphia pulled out a hard-earned victory last week, being a player short and a goal down at the half. They hope to ride the momentum of that triumph into Boston this weekend. The Independence have many weapons, including Amy Rodriguez, Tasha Kai, Tina DiMartino, Lianne Sanderson, and Laura del Rio.

The one place Philly is hurting is on defense. Allison Falk is still out with an injury, as is Lauren Fowlkes. Kia McNeill's red card against Atlanta last week means she is not available for this match either, leaving the Independence razor thin on defense. The question is whether or not Boston will be able to exploit this vulnerability.

Both teams have strong goalkeeping, with Alyssa Naeher for Boston and USWNT keeper Nicole Barnhart for Philadelphia, with Val Henderson backing up Barnhart. If you go purely on momentum, Philly should have the edge, but it was about this time last year when Boston started to turn things around. The winner of this match could vault all the way into second place, if combined with a magicJack loss.

The Clash of the Titans? magicJack at Western New York

magicJack at Western New York Flash (7 pm eastern, Sunday)
Sahlen Stadium, Rochester, New York.

Western New York Flash (4-0-1, 13 pts)
Coach: Aaran Lines
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Harris, B. Cameron.
Defenders: C. Chapman, W. Engen, A. Riley, K. Wilson, G. Lewandowski, K. Brandao.
Midfielders: C. Seger, Y. Averbuch, B. Bock, B. Edwards, M. Zerboni, B. Goebel.
Forwards: Marta, C. Sinclair, A. Morgan, G. Davisson, K. Parker.
Not active: K. Fountain (injured), Maurine, A. Bowers, A. Sahlen, J. Sitch.

magicJack (3-0-0, 8 pts)
Coach (interim?): Christie Rampone
Roster:
Goalkeepers: H. Solo, J. Loyden.
Defenders: B. Sauerbrunn, M. Dalmy, T. Ellertson, M. Schnur, N. Marshall.
Midfielders: S. Boxx, S. Huffman, M. Klingenberg, R. Moros.
Forwards: A. Wambach, E. Masar, C. Press, L. De Vanna, J. Rasmussen.
Not active: L. Tarpley (injured), C. Rampone (injured), B. Maron, K. White, A. DaCosta, O. Davis, L. Vandenberg, S. Schmidt.

In what might be one of the most eagerly anticipated regular season matches in WPS history, magicJack travels to Rochester to face Western New York on Sunday evening. This match has enough electricity surrounding it to light up Sahlen Stadium.

First, there is the home team. An expansion team, the Flash have never been confused with the normal vision of what an expansion team is supposed to be. They signed a great many players off from last year's championship team, brought in a few other high profile free agents, added a nice mix of players from the W-League Flash (league champions no less), and then drafted perhaps the most popular player from the current USWNT.

Between Marta, Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan, and the rest of the Flash, there is a lot to cheer about. They have sprinted out to a 4-0-1 start and right now, are probably odds on favorites to win it all.

Then, there is magicJack, the erstwhile Washington Freedom. Dan Borislow bought the team, moved them to Boca Raton, and since the season has started, has been surrounded in controversy. Their first home game was played on a very narrow field, opposing teams did not have access to game films, and then there was something about sponsorship signs and banners around FAU Stadium. Oh, and magicJack may not have an official coach now. Supposedly, former Sky Blue star and coach Christie Rampone will get the honors on Sunday, since she is not active to play due to injury.

The league first docked magicJack a draft choice, then later another draft choice, plus a point in the standings, which explains why magicJack has only eight points in spite of three victories. The league was not amused by someone they deemed to be breaking their rules. Not to mention, Dan usually speaks his mind. All this has the makings of a John Wayne movie and Dan is riding into town wearing the black hat.

But somewhat overshadowed by all this, magicJack has a darn good soccer team, unbeaten in three matches, all of which were played at home. This will be their first venture into enemy territory and there is much speculation as to what will happen when they meet the Flash on Sunday night. It should be an interesting match to be sure and hopefully, the on field match will be every bit as exciting as expected.

Added to all the excitement of this match is the fact that one of Rochester's biggest home town heroes is returning. Abby Wambach, one of the greatest scorers in USWNT history, will be making her first WPS appearance in Rochester, albeit with the visiting team. You can't argue with 117 career goals for the United States.

Other than talented, the first word that comes to mind when talking about the Flash is speed. They've got it and magicJack is going to have to defend against it. Not only is magicJack loaded with speed up front with Marta, Morgan, Sinclair, Kelly Parker, and Gemma Davison, they have two of the fastest outside backs in the league in Kandace Wilson and Ali Riley. With the field at Sahlen Stadium being a bit wider than magicJack is used to, this could be a problem for them.

magicJack has experience on their side. Between Wambach, Shannon Boxx, Hope Solo, and Tina Ellertson, they have one of the most experienced squads around. They don't quite have the speed of WNY, but do have scoring threats. Wambach, Ella Masar, and Christen Press also make a formidable trio up front and then there's Lisa De Vanna, the Australian speedster who has had a bit of controversy of her own as of late, being dismissed from the Australian National Team before a recent friendly.

Injuries will definitely affect this match. Lindsay Tarpley is lost for the season and Rampone will miss this match. Also, Western New York will get a boost from the return of Yael Averbuch, who had spent much of her time away from the team in her pursuit of a spot on the USWNT.

Another factor will be that many of these players are returning from national team duty last week and for some, this will be their third match in a week. Chances are, many of these players may not start, so we may not see the full force of what these two teams are capable of.

While the Flash will still be in first place, win, lose, or draw, the winner of this match can really lay claim to temporary supremacy in WPS. At least, until the next time they play, that is.

International Results May 19-21

May 19
Norway 5 (Thorsnes 3, Pedersen 2), Finland 1 (Rantanen)

May 20
Mexico 4 (Garza 2, Dominguez 2), Costa Rica 1 (K. Venegas)
China 1 (Ma Jun), New Zealand 0

May 21
Germany 2 (Kulig-pk, Okoyino da Mbabi), Korea DPR 0

Sky Blue Shuts Out Beat 3-0

Sky Blue finally got their first win of the season and they did it in convincing fashion by shutting out the Atlanta Beat 3-0. SBFC lifts their record to 1-3-1, while Atlanta falls to 1-5-1. Most of the national team players for both teams were rested in the first half, due to a very heavy schedule during the past week.

Laura Kalmari scored a first half goal off of a Casey Nogueira corner kick. Allie Long converted a penalty after being pulled down in the box to give Sky Blue a 2-0 lead. Heather O'Reilly completed the scoring on a goal assisted by Eni Aluko.

Jen Branam earned the shutout for Sky Blue, who will host the Boston Breakers next Saturday evening. For Atlanta, the road doesn't get any easier as they travel to Boca Raton to face magicJack next Saturday.

WPS Saturday: Atlanta at Sky Blue

Atlanta Beat at Sky Blue FC (7 pm eastern, Saturday)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, New Jersey

Sky Blue FC (0-3-1)
Coach: Jim Gabarra
Roster:
Goalkeepers: K. Bardsley, J. Branam.
Defenders: A. Asante, B. Taylor, C. Dew, K. Fletcher, M. Wenino, D. Johnson (questionable).
Midfielders: A. Long, T. Heath, H. O'Reilly, T. Sjögran, C. Blank, A. Kerr, A. Mautz.
Forwards: E. Aluko, L. Kalmari, C. Nogueira, Adriana.
Not active: K. Arnold, E. Guthrie, L. Johnson (injured), J. Clark.

Atlanta Beat (1-4-1)
Coach: James Galanis
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Lipsher, A. Whitworth.
Defenders: K. Dowling, C. Whitehill, K. Reynolds, A. Marquez, H. Mitts (injured).
Midfielders: L. Chalupny, C. Lloyd, I. Trotter, M. Jesolva, B. D'Agostino.
Forwards: M. Lenczyk, L. Patterson, K. Bethke, L. Sesselmann.
Not active: K. Fraine, C. Flanagan, K. Wright, A. Salem.

In a battle between the 5th and 6th place teams in WPS, Atlanta travels to New Jersey to meet Sky Blue. Both teams will be looking to turn things around, as the Beat are in the midst of a three game losing streak and Sky Blue is still searching for their first victory.

The Atlanta Beat had to be disappointed in last week's result. Up a goal and a player after 45 minutes, they were outplayed in the second half and fell to Philadelphia. Now they start a three game road trip and Coach James Galanis will be looking to recapture some of that early season magic.

The Beat made two roster moves during the week, waiving both Kristina Larsen and Vendula Strnadova. The release of Larsen was particularly surprising, given that she had started three matches and accounted for nearly a third of teams shots through six games, looking to be one of the Beat's few offensive threats.

Indeed, scoring has been a problem for Atlanta. They've scored just once in their three game losing streak, last week's goal by Lori Chalupny with a player advantage. It has been Atlanta's midfield that has provided most of their scoring with both Chalupny and Carli Lloyd scoring two goals apiece. So far, the only forward that has cracked the scorer's book is Meghan Lenczyk.

Defensively, the Beat were sturdy early in the season, but have been not as strong since. Goalkeeper Alli Lipsher looked human last week after a great early season run and she was certainly a good part responsible for Atlanta's early success.

If you look at Sky Blue's roster, they look like they ought to be better. All of their matches have been close, with only the match against Western New York having a spread of more than one goal.

There is some good news on the Sky Blue front. Adriana made an instant impact in her first action for New Jersey, scoring a goal in 25 minutes of action against WNY. The Spanish striker could very well be the answer to some of SBFC's scoring woes. The other good news is that Kendall Fletcher may be fit to play after battling injury for a few weeks.

Sky Blue is in very good hands with regards to goalkeeping, as the tandem of Karen Bardsley and Jen Branam is solid. With the exception of the game against the Flash, Sky Blue has played reasonably well defensively, but they are still looking for their first shutout.

Sky Blue seems to be best offensively when Brittany Taylor is able to get forward into the attack. After scoring two goals in the first half of their opener, Sky Blue's attack hasn't been the same since.

The midfield is the biggest strength for New Jersey, but they need to get more offense out of this talented group of players. With three national team players plus Allie Long, they should be controlling the middle of the field more than they have been. Sky Blue also needs to get Eni Aluko untracked. The speedy English striker is on a four-match drought to start the season.

The Beat won the previous meeting between these two teams at home, but they appear to be overmatched when on the road. Sky Blue is playing just their second home game, having earned their only point at Yurcak. If either of these teams are going to make a push for the playoffs, this match would be a good place to start.

US Defeats Japan 2-0 in Rematch

The result was the same as four days earlier, but it was much better performance out of the USWNT tonight as they defeated Japan by a 2-0 margin in Cary, North Carolina.

Pia Sundhage went with the exact same lineup as she did Saturday and early on, the game appeared much the same as well. Japan put high pressure on the United States' defense early on and this created a bit faster tempo. The Japanese had the better of possession for the first 20 minutes of the match, but the American defense was solid and Japan was unable to get a good scoring chance.

The United States appeared to grow stronger as the first half progressed and once again, they were able to strike first in the 28th minute of the match. Shannon Boxx sent a long cross-field pass to Heather O'Reilly who gained possession on the right side near the end line. O'Reilly was able to beat a defender to the outside and sent a beautiful cross back to an open Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished, in spite of Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori getting her hand on it, and the United States led 1-0.

Sundhage made one halftime substitution, sending in Amy LePeilbet at left back for Stephanie Cox. LePeilbet had been nursing an injury and did not appear in Saturday's match. The United States turned up the pressure in the second half, creating chance after chance.

Two more substitutions were forthcoming in the 60th minute as Alex Morgan and Lori Lindsey entered the match for Rodriguez and Boxx. Boxx had one of her best all around performances in this match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the mix, as Carli Lloyd sent a long ball over the top of the Japanese back line. Morgan timed her run perfectly and was able to beat Kaihori to the ball tipping it past her. Morgan gained control just outside the six-yard box on the left side, but took a bit long to set up her shot as defender Azusa Iwashimizu made a great sliding save just before the ball reached the goal.

Three minutes later, it was the Lloyd-Morgan connection again, this time with Lloyd sending a beautiful ball through to Morgan who got within eight yards of the goal. This time it was Kaihori making a great save to rob Morgan.

The Americans kept knocking on the door and it finally opened in the 69th minute. Lloyd sent a ball wide right to O'Reilly, who this time cut inside with the ball. She hit a well-placed strike from 15 yards out just inside the left post to put the US up by a 2-0 score.

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo got her sternest test in the 81st minute as Karina Maruyama hit a solid strike that appeared to be heading just under the crossbar as a leaping Solo tipped the ball over the net.

The match ended in a well-earned US victory. Their next match will be June 5, in what will be a rematch of the Concacaf semifinal where Mexico stunned the US and nearly put American World Cup hopes on the ropes.

Other World Cup teams in action today:
Mexico 3 (Morales, Perez, Cuellar), Costa Rica 0
France 1 (Bussaglia, pk), Scotland 1 (Ross)
Canada 2 (own goal, Julien), Switzerland 1 (Crnogorcevic)

England Wins World Cup Warm-Up Over Sweden

Hope Powell's England squad has knocked off another high ranking team in defeating Sweden by a 2-0 margin. Jill Scott scored early in the second half and Karen Carney later added a penalty to boost England to the victory.

Both teams were playing without key players. For England, Fara Williams and Faye White were both sidelined with injuries. Meanwhile, Sweden was without Stina Segerstrom, who suffered a severe injury and will miss the World Cup, as well as Sara Larsson and Nilla Fischer, who were also nursing injuries.

USWNT Adds Engen and Farrelly to Roster

Pia Sundhage has called Whitney Engen and Sinead Farrelly up for the final friendly against Japan. Engen was added to provide much needed depth for the US back line, with Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, and Amy LePeilbet all trying to heal from injuries. Farrelly was added after the devastating injury to Lindsay Tarpley in Saturday's match against Japan.

A former star at North Carolina, Engen is now a starter for the Western New York Flash after playing her rookie season for the Chicago Red Stars. Engen has missed just four minutes of action in 29 WPS matches.

Farrelly is a rookie midfielder for the Philadelphia Independence, starting in her first WPS season for coach Paul Riley. The former Virginia star was the second overall pick in the January draft.

Western New York Opens Up Five Point Lead

The combination of a Western New York victory and a one point penalty against magicJack means that the Flash now have a five point lead in WPS. Philadelphia, by virtue of their victory over Atlanta, moves into third place, with Boston now in fourth.

WPS Standings as of May 15
(1) Western New York (4-0-1, 13 pts); (2) magicJack (3-0-0, 8 pts**); (3) Philadelphia (2-1-1, 7 pts); (4) Boston (2-4-0, 6 pts); (5) Atlanta (1-4-1, 4 pts); (6) Sky Blue FC (0-3-1, 1 pt).

**magicJack has been assessed a one point penalty for violations.

Short-Handed Independence Defeats Beat

Down a player and a goal heading into the second half, the Philadelphia Independence managed to come from behind to defeat the Atlanta Beat 2-1. The victory vaults Philadelphia into third place behind Western New York and magicJack.

The game did not start off well for Philadelphia. In the 13th minute, Atlanta striker Meghan Lenczyk got a half step on Independence defender Kia McNeill while trying to run onto the ball. McNeill grabbed Lenczyk's left arm to slow her just outside the Philly penalty area and with nothing between Lenczyk and the goal except keeper Val Henderson, referee Ted Unkel pulled out the red card on McNeill.

Atlanta nearly struck in the 28th minute, with Keeley Dowling and Lenczyk executing a nice give-and-go play. Dowling came charging right down the middle and struck a shot that was kept out of the net only by Val Henderson's save.

The Beat did strike in first half stoppage. The play started with Lenczyk heading the ball out to the right wing to Megan Jesolva. Jesolva passed the ball into the box to Lenczyk, who turned and centered the ball perfectly for Lori Chalupny. Chalupny's strike from 10 yards was true and into the right side of the net past Henderson to put Atlanta up 1-0.

While things looked bleak for the Independence, it didn't take them long to even the score. India Trotter was whistled for a foul on Tasha Kai just outside the Beat penalty area. Lianne Sanderson's free kick from 25 yards was a low shot that deflected slightly off the wall, forcing Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher to dive for the ball. She stopped the ball fairly comfortably, but was unable to control it and Estelle Johnson came in from the left side to knock it home and tie the match at one.

Philadelphia grabbed the lead in the 73rd minute. Tina DiMartino sent a nicely weighted ball through for Kai. Kai crossed the ball to the left side of the penalty area for Joanna Lohman. Lohman found herself well marked and smartly touched the ball back to the center where Laura del Rio found herself all alone. del Rio's left-footed shot found the left side of the net to put the Independence on top 2-1.

Philadelphia lifts their record to 2-1-1, while Atlanta falls to 1-4-1. It was a tough loss for the Beat who now face three road matches in a row starting with a visit to New Jersey to face Sky Blue next Saturday. The Independence travel to Boston to face the Breakers next Sunday.

US Takes First Match Against Japan

The United States Women's National Team has won the first of two friendlies with Japan by a score of 2-0. Abby Wambach led the way with a goal and an assist.

The United States started slowly as they struggled with Japanese pressure on the ball. Japan was able to create a few half chances early in the contest, including a long, speedy run by Shinobu Ohno in the 23rd minute, which looked dangerous but did not end in a goal.

The United States' attack began to show signs of life in the 25th minute as Carli Lloyd hit a brilliant back heel pass to Stephanie Cox, who in turn sent the ball through to Wambach. Her shot from 12 yards on the left side gave Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori trouble, but the US was unable to pounce on the rebound and the Japanese eventually cleared.

The USWNT finally broke through in the 29th minute. Ali Krieger placed a 40-yard free kick well into the box, where Wambach soared easily above the Japanese defenders and headed the ball in with good pace to put the United States up 1-0. It was the first goal for Wambach since the Concacaf tournament last fall.

The United States doubled their lead in the 37th minute. Heather O'Reilly dribbled in before sending the ball wide to Wambach. She hit a perfect cross into an onrushing Amy Rodriguez who's shot hit the inside of the right post before spinning across the line for the goal.

The US played a fairly strong second half, but were unable to add to their lead and the match finished in a 2-0 victory. Hope Solo, who played her first full match for the USWNT since last summer, earned the shutout.

The victory did not come without a price, however, as Lindsay Tarpley tore her ACL late in the second half and will unfortunately miss the World Cup. It was a tough blow for Tarpley who had suffered a serious injury to end the 2009 WPS season as well.

On the positive side, Wambach looked as good as ever after spending much of the winter and spring bothered by a heel injury. She was a dominant factor in this win for the US.

The two teams will meet again in Cary, North Carolina on Wednesday evening.

Other scores involving World Cup bound teams:
May 12 - Australia 3 (Foord, Simon, Khamis), New Zealand 0
May 14 - Brazil 3 (Aline Pelligrino, Marta, Rosana), Chile 0
May 15 - Australia 2 (Cannuli, McCallum), New Zealand 1 (Wilkinson)
May 15 - Ghana 2, Nigeria 1

De Vanna Withdrawn from Squad for Friendly

According to the Football Australia website, Matilda's striker Lisa De Vanna was withdrawn from the squad before a friendly with New Zealand due to "a breach in team rules." No word yet on how this affects her status for the upcoming World Cup in Germany.

This follows the loss of Kate Gill who recently suffered a severe injury while playing for Swedish club Linkopings two weeks ago.

De Vanna had missed considerable time with the Matildas due to a serious injury she suffered while playing for Australia in the Asian Cup in May, 2010.

Philadelphia Independence at Atlanta Beat

Philadelphia Independence at Atlanta Beat (6 pm eastern, Sunday)
FSU Stadium Soccer, Kennesaw, Georgia

Atlanta Beat (1-3-1)
Coach: James Galanis
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Lipsher, A. Whitworth.
Defenders: K. Dowling, C. Whitehill, K. Reynolds, A. Marquez, C. Flanagan.
Midfielders: L. Chalupny, I. Trotter, K. Wright, M. Jesolva, B. D'Agostino, A. Salem, V. Strnadova.
Forwards: K. Larsen, M. Lenczyk, L. Patterson, K. Bethke.
Not active: C. Lloyd, H. Mitts, L. Sesselmann, K. Fraine.

Philadelphia Independence (1-1-1)
Coach: Paul Riley
Roster:
Goalkeepers: V. Henderson, R. Jones.
Defenders: K. McNeill, E. Johnson, N. Krzysik, L. Robinson, H. Magnusdottir, L. Barnes.
Midfielders: C. DiMartino, S. Farrelly, J. Buczkowski, J. Lohman.
Forwards: T. Kai, L. Sanderson, L. del Rio, D. Adams, G. DiMartino.
Not active: N. Barnhart, A. Rodriguez, L. Lindsey, M. Rapinoe, A. Falk (injured), V. Boquete, L. Fowlkes,

Atlanta and Philadelphia are tied in 4th place with four points apiece, but Atlanta has played two more games, so Philadelphia has the edge. Both teams will be missing players because of national team duty, although Philadelphia will be missing more. This will be the first meeting between these two teams this year.

Even without Amy Rodriguez, Philadelphia has plenty of scoring options in their arsenal. With Tasha Kai and Lianne Sanderson, the Independence should still be able to pressure Atlanta's defense. Atlanta will have to contend with Philly's speed.

Philadelphia will also be missing two quality midfielders in Lori Lindsey and Megan Rapinoe, but they still have Tina DiMartino, Sinead Farrelly, and Jen Buczkowski. And while number one keeper Nicole Barnhart is away, Philadelphia is still in good hands with last year's starter, Val Henderson.

Atlanta will only be missing Carli Lloyd and Heather Mitts, but they don't have quite the depth Philadelphia has either. Lloyd has been their best offensive weapon this year and she will be missed.

Lori Chalupny, Cat Whitehill, and some of the other veterans have played well while some of the younger players continue to develop. Perhaps the brightest spot on the team has been the goalkeeping of Alli Lipsher.

Atlanta has shown the ability to hang tough, even when they appear to be overmatched. They have also played well at home for the most part. This will be an important match for them, because they start a three game road trip after this match.

Both teams are looking to move into third place with a victory. The game will be nationally televised on FSC.

USWNT Takes on Japan in Columbus

The United States will meet Japan in a friendly today in Columbus, Ohio. The match is scheduled for 6:30 eastern time.

Both teams are beginning their final preparations for the World Cup which will be played in Germany starting June 26. Of course, Japan is still reeling from the devastating earthquakes, tsunami, and their aftermatch. A moment of silence will be observed to honor the victims of the disasters.

These two teams last met at this year's Algarve Cup in March. The United States came away from that game with a 2-1 victory on goals by Megan Rapinoe and Amy Rodriguez.

With the announcement of the team's roster earlier this week, Pia Sundhage's attention must now turn to preparing that team for the upcoming World Cup. Injuries must certainly be on her mind now. Defenders Christie Rampone and Heather Mitts are both battling injuries. Likewise, Japanese goalkeeper Nozomi Yamago is injured and will not appear in either of the two friendlies against the US.

Twenty of the 21 members of the USWNT play in WPS. Three members of the Japanese squad are also former WPS players...Homare Sawa, Aya Miyama, and Karina Maruyama.

The two teams will meet again on Wednesday in Cary, North Carolina.

Zerboni Leads Flash Past Breakers

McCall Zerboni scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Western New York Flash remained unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the Boston Breakers on Friday evening.

For the former UCLA Bruin, it was her first two WPS goals. Zerboni played for the Los Angeles Sol in 2009 and Atlanta Beat last year.

Both teams were playing without several starters because of national team duty. The Flash struck first on a goal by Brittany Bock in the 10th minute and Zerboni increased the lead to 2-0 in the 25th. Liz Bogus cut the lead in half before the intermission.

Zerboni scored her second of the night in the 69th minute. Kasey Moore finished the scoring, converting a penalty in the 80th minute. Despite several late chances, the Breakers were unable to break through for a draw.

Western New York continues to lead WPS with a 4-0-1 record, five points ahead of 2nd place magicJack. Boston slips to 2-4-0 at the one-third point in their season, barely maintaining hold of third place.

Boston returns home to face Philadelphia next Sunday. In a much anticipated match, Western New York hosts second place magicJack next Sunday.

magicJack Penalized Point by WPS

Per the weekly press release from WPS Communications, magicJack has been penalized a point in the standings "for repeated non-compliance with league standards."

According to the release:

"As an escalated penalty for continuing non-compliance with league standards in Week 5, magicJack has lost one (1) point in the 2011 WPS Standings and the team’s right to its third round draft pick in the 2012 WPS Draft.

As an escalated penalty for continuing non-compliance with league standards in Week 4, magicJack has lost the team’s right to its final (fourth) round draft pick in the 2012 WPS Draft."

magicJack's record remains at 3-0-0, but they will only have eight points, instead of nine.

For excellent in-depth coverage of the story, check out Jeff Kassouf's story at The Equalizer and Jenna Pel's coverage at All White Kit.

WPS Friday Night - Boston at Western New York

Boston Breakers at Western New York Flash (7:30 pm eastern, Friday)
Sahlen Stadium, Rochester, New York.

Western New York Flash (3-0-1)
Coach: Aaran Lines
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Harris, B. Cameron, A. Bowers
Defenders: W. Engen, K. Wilson, G. Lewandowski, K. Brandao, A. Sahlen.
Midfielders: B. Edwards, Y. Averbuch, B. Bock, M. Zerboni, B. Goebel, J. Sitch.
Forwards: G. Davison, K. Parker.
Not active: C. Chapman, A. Morgan, A. Riley, C. Seger, C. Sinclair, Marta, Maurine, K. Fountain (injured).

Boston Breakers (2-3-0)
Coach: Tony DiCicco
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Naeher, K. Davis.
Defenders: I. Dieke, K. Moore, E. Reed.
Midfielders: L. Osborne, K. Winters, N. Cross, L. Bogus, K. Schoepfer, L. Blayney.
Forwards: T. Hemmings, N. Washington, K. Dallstream, C. Zimmeck.
Not active: R. Buehler, L. Cheney, S. Cox, A. LePeilbet, A. Scott, K. Smith, K. O'Hara (injured), J. Angeli (injured), A. Phillips.

Depth matters. At least it certainly does this week. With a number of players away on national team duty, WPS teams will reach deep into their rosters to put eleven players on the pitch this weekend. The first contest of a light schedule is Friday night's battle between the Western New York Flash and the Boston Breakers.

This is a critical game for Boston. They enter this match with more losses than wins. To make matters worse, they will be missing their entire back line and three of their best offensive players to boot.

As far as the defense goes, Boston will have veterans Ifeoma Dieke and Kasey Moore to fill in. We will also likely see young defender Elli Reed out of Portland.

This is a chance for some of Boston's younger players to make an impression and players like Nikki Washington, Kiersten Dallstream, Taryn Hemmings, and Katie Schoepfer will get a chance to step up. The midfield is the area where the Breakers are most intact with Leslie Osborne and Keelin Winters leading the way there.

Western New York will also be missing a few defenders, but will have starters Whitney Engen and Kandace Wilson. Gina Lewandowski will likely fill one of the other defensive positions.

In the midfield, WNY will miss the services of Caroline Seger, but they do get Yael Averbuch back which will certainly be a boost. And with Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan, and Marta all gone, it will be up to Gemma Davison and Kelly Parker to provide offense for the Flash.

The two goalkeepers will both be present, which could signal a low scoring match. Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris are two of the best young keepers in this country.

One thing that national team call-ups do give us is the opportunity to watch other players develop and show their skills. It will be interesting to see if these players rise to the occasion.

Sundhage Names US Squad for World Cup

The 2011 United States World Cup team was unveiled today and there were no surprises at all. Coach Pia Sundhage named three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders, and four forwards to the team.

Thirteen of the eighteen players from the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal team were named, with the exceptions being Aly Wagner, Angela Hucles, Kate Markgraf (all of whom have since retired), Lori Chalupny (who has not been medically cleared to play for the national team), and Tasha Kai.

All are WPS players with the exception of Ali Krieger, who plays professionally in Germany. The United States will undoubtedly be among the oldest and most experienced teams at the World Cup.

The United States have three friendlies scheduled before heading to Germany. They face Japan on May 14 and May 18 and later take on regional rival Mexico on June 5. The USWNT opens their World Cup schedule on Tuesday, June 28 against North Korea.

Goalkeepers (3): Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden, Hope Solo.
Defenders (7): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ali Krieger, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn.
Midfielders (7): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley.
Forwards (4): Lauren Cheney, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach.

magicJack Remains Unbeaten; Philly Defeats Breakers

magicJack 2, Atlanta Beat 0

Rookie Christen Press scored her first WPS goal and Ella Masar added another as magicJack won their third straight by a 2-0 margin over Atlanta in Boca Raton.

Press, who led all scorers in college with 26 goals in 2010, scored her first professional goal with magicJack. Her goal came in the 64th minute, after Ella Masar had opened the scoring in the 24th minute. The Stanford alum was the number four overall selection in the January draft. Masar's goal was her second of the season.

Hope Solo earned the shutout for magicJack, who outshot Atlanta by a 12-2 margin. This was the second shutout of the season for magicJack.

magicJack has a bye week before heading to Rochester to play the league's other unbeaten team, Western New York, on May 22 in what should be an interesting matchup. Atlanta, whose record fell to 1-3-1, will return home to face Philadelphia next Sunday.

Philadelphia Independence 2, Boston Breakers 0

The Independence played an all-round solid match in defeating the Breakers 2-0 tonight in Chester, Pennsylvania. It was the first home match and the first victory of the season for Philadelphia.

Both goalkeepers were sharp early on. In the 17th minute, Tina DiMartino found Tasha Kai alone on the left side, but Breakers' keeper Alyssa Naeher slid out to stop Kai's shot.

Later in the half, Kelly Smith was able to control a loose ball at the 18 and after a quick touch to the left, unleashed a wicked shot in tight space that Nicole Barnhart was just barely able to tip over the crossbar. Later, Smith nearly sent Alex Scott through, but a sliding Barnhart was able to thwart that effort.

Philadelphia finally broke through in the 41st minute on a great effort by Tasha Kai. Leigh Ann Robinson sent a long ball out of the back to start the play. Kai was able to fend off Boston defender Ifeoma Dieke to get her shot off past Naeher. The ball hit the right post, rebounding in front of the net. Kai hustled to the ball and finished with a diving header, just ahead of Dieke, to put the Independence up 1-0.

Philadelphia continued to pressure into the second half. Tina DiMartino made a long run from the right sideline to the top of the box, before finding Amy Rodriguez on the left side. Rodriguez struck a low shot that Naeher made a terrific save on, only to have Lianne Sanderson find the rebound and knock it home from an extreme angle on the far side of the net.

From that point forward, the Independence controlled the match. Boston's players looked more and more weary as the match wore on, perhaps a by product of having several USWNT players on their team who had just concluded a vigorous training camp in Florida.

For her part, Naeher tried to keep her team in the match, making several nice saves in the second half. She twice disappointed Laura del Rio with nice saves and stopped Sinead Farrelly on yet another. Naeher dodged a bullet in the 81st minute as Lori Lindsey's blast from 22 yards sailed over the net.

Philadelphia's defense was strong throughout the match and were able to keep the Boston attack in check. Their midfield did an excellent job of controlling the field and linking with forwards Kai, Rodriguez, and del Rio.

The Independence earned a well-deserved victory for their performance and evened their record at 1-1-1. They are now tied for 4th place with four points. Boston dropped to 2-3-0 and sit in 3rd place for the moment.

Philadelphia travels to Atlanta to meet the Beat next Sunday. Boston travels to Rochester to face league leading Western New York on Friday night.

WPS Standings
(1)Western New York (3-0-1, 10 pts); (2)magicJack (3-0-0, 9 pts); (3)Boston (2-3-0, 6 pts); (4)Philadelphia (1-1-1, 4 pts); (5)Atlanta (1-3-1, 4 pts); (6)Sky Blue FC (0-3-1, 1 pt).

WPS Weekend Matches - May 8

The Boston Breakers and Philadelphia Independence renew their rivalry, while magicJack tries to stay unbeaten against Atlanta.

Atlanta Beat at magicJack (4 pm eastern, Sunday)
FAU Soccer Field, Boca Raton, Florida.

magicJack (2-0-0, 6 pts)
Coach: Mike Lyons
Roster:
Goalkeepers: H. Solo, J. Loyden.
Defenders: M. Dalmy, C. Rampone, T. Ellertson, B. Sauerbrunn, M. Schnur, N. Marshall.
Midfielders: S. Boxx, S. Huffman, L. Tarpley, M. Klingenberg, K. White.
Forwards: A. Wambach, E. Masar, C. Press, J. Rasmussen, R. Moros.
Not Active: S. Schmidt, A. DaCosta, O. Davis, L. De Vanna, B. Maron, L. Vandenberg.

Atlanta Beat (1-2-1, 4 pts)
Coach: James Galanis
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Lipsher, A. Whitworth.
Defenders: C. Whitehill, K. Dowling, K. Reynolds, H. Mitts, A. Marquez.
Midfielders: C. Lloyd, L. Chalupny, M. Jesolva, I. Trotter, K. Wright.
Forwards: K. Larsen, L. Sesselmann, K. Bethke, L. Patterson.
Not Active: A. Salem, B. D'Agostino, K. Fraine, C. Flanagan, V. Strnadova, M. Lenczyk.

magicJack is looking for a third straight win at home, while Atlanta is looking to rebound from last week's 3-0 loss at the hands of WNY.

Hope Solo will be facing the Atlanta Beat for the first time in her WPS career. She has a veteran defense in front of her and they have surrendered just one goal in two matches.

Abby Wambach had a goal and an assist against Philadelphia a week ago, but the other goal scorer from that match, Lisa De Vanna, is not active for this match. Wambach will be joined up front by Ella Masar, who scored in magicJack's opener.

The talented magicJack midfield, led by Shannon Boxx and Lindsay Tarpley, will hope to keep Lori Chalupny and Carli Lloyd in check for this match.

For Atlanta, the midfield is the key. They have scored three of the Beat's four goals so far this season. Generally, it is Lloyd and Chalupny that must be on the attack if Atlanta is to score. At forward, Kristina Larsen is among the league leaders in shots and she will be hoping that one will find the back of the net in this contest.

For the first time in WPS, Cat Whitehill will be trying to stop Wambach, not assist her and this matchup should be one of the more interesting of the day. Alli Lipsher continues her fine play in goal in spite of last week's loss.

magicJack needs to win to stay close to Western New York, a team they will meet in Rochester in two weeks. And although it's still early in the season, Atlanta would like to maintain their hold on the fourth and final playoff spot.

Boston Breakers at Philadelphia Independence (6 pm easter, Sunday)
Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Independence (0-1-1, 1 pt)
Coach: Paul Riley
Roster:
Goalkeepers: N. Barnhart, V. Henderson.
Defenders: K. McNeill, H. Magnusdottir, L. Robinson, E. Johnson, N. Krzysik.
Midfielders: L. Lindsey, C. DiMartino, M. Rapinoe, S. Farrelly, J. Buczkowski, J. Lohman.
Forwards: A. Rodriguez, T. Kai, L. del Rio, L. Sanderson, D. Adams.
Not active: A. Falk (injured), V. Boquete, L. Barnes, G. DiMartino, L. Fowlkes, R. Jones.

Boston Breakers (2-2-0, 6 pts)
Coach: Tony DiCicco
Roster:
Goalkeepers: A. Naeher, K. Davis.
Defenders: A. Scott, S. Cox, A. LePeilbet, R. Buehler, I. Dieke, L. Bogus.
Midfielders: L. Osborne, K. Winters, K. O'Hara, N. Cross.
Forwards: K. Smith, L. Cheney, T. Hemmings, K. Dallstream.
Questionable: K. Moore.
Not active: J. Angeli (injured), N. Washington, L. Blayney, A. Phillips, E. Reed, K. Schoepfer, C. Zimmeck.

For the Independence, this will be their home opener since their April 16th meeting with magicJack was postponed. It will be their first match in their new home at Widener University. This marks a rematch of last year's semifinal, a game won by Philadelphia on a disputed goal by Danesha Adams.

It will be interesting to see if Tony DiCicco continues his experiment of moving Alex Scott to a striker position and using Kelly Smith to control the midfield. Last week, this seemed to work well, especially after Smith pushed forward more in the second half of the match.

Boston has a strong defense and has given up just a goal per game on average. Alyssa Naeher is the Breakers' keeper. USWNT center backs Amy LePeilbet and Rachel Buehler are in front of Naeher.

Philadelphia is still looking for their first victory. They have a lot of talented offensive players including Amy Rodriguez, Tasha Kai, Megan Rapinoe, Tina DiMartino, and Lianne Sanderson.

Philly's defense will need to throttle Smith and Lauren Cheney to win this match. Frida Magnusdottir is always a threat to attack if she's playing outside back. National team goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart guards the net for the Independence.

Boston needs this game to stay within reach of WNY, while Philadelphia needs to get untracked before too much space develops between themselves and the pack at the top.

Marta Leads Flash to Victory

Five-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta scored one goal and assisted on two others as the Western New York Flash defeated Sky Blue FC 3-1 in Friday night action at Sahlen Stadium in Rochester.

Marta's assists came on first half goals by Alex Morgan and Caroline Seger. The Flash took a 2-0 lead into the second half.

Seeing her first action of the season, second half substitution Adriana made an immediate impact, cutting the lead in half in the 66th minute.

Coach Jim Gabarra thought his team played better in the second half, but that they still need to improve. “Their speed is difficult to deal with," said Gabarra. "I think the second half we did much better and put a little scare into them. We gave away a couple chances to Marta and I think collectively we need to do a little better.”

Marta scored in the 77th minute to restore the Flashes' two goal lead and that wrapped up the scoring for the match.

“We were effective early on, that is what I talked about with the players and that helped us get ahead of the game," said Flash coach Aaran Lines. "Marta was just magical tonight.”

Western New York was able to win in spite of the absence of WPS leading scorer Christine Sinclair who was not active for the match. Gina Lewandowski and Maurine were activated for the first time, but neither saw action. The Flash outshot Sky Blue by an 11-5 margin.

Western New York improved their record to 3-0-1 to give them a first place total of 10 points. Sky Blue dropped to 0-3-1 and are still searching for their first victory.

Western New York now hosts Boston next Friday. The Flash have already defeated the Breakers once this season. Meanwhile, Sky Blue gets next weekend off before returning to action on May 21 against the Atlanta Beat at home.

WPS Friday Night - Sky Blue FC at Western New York Flash

Sky Blue FC at Western New York Flash (7:30 pm eastern, Friday)
Sahlen Stadium, Rochester, New York.

Western New York Flash (2-0-1)
Coach: Aaran Lines
Tentative Roster:
Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris, Brittany Cameron.
Defenders: Ali Riley, Whitney Engen, Candace Chapman, Kandace Wilson, Julianne Sitch.
Midfielders: Caroline Seger, Becky Edwards, Brittany Bock, Beverly Goebel, McCall Zerboni.
Forwards: Marta, Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan, Gemma Davison, Kelly Parker, Kaley Fountain.

Sky Blue FC (0-2-1)
Coach: Jim Gabarra
Tentative Roster:
Goalkeepers: Jen Branam, Karen Bardsley.
Defenders: Carrie Dew, Anita Asante, Danielle Johnson, Brittany Taylor, Kendall Fletcher.
Midfielders: Carolyn Blank, Tobin Heath, Heather O'Reilly, Allie Long, Theresa Sjögran, Angie Kerr.
Forwards: Eniola Aluko, Laura Kalmari, Casey Nogueira.

In the first Friday match of the season, the unbeaten Western New York Flash will host winless Sky Blue FC at Sahlen Stadium.

The Flash head into the match in sole possession of first place with seven points, just one point ahead of Boston and magicJack. They will hope to continue their offensive success this week against Sky Blue. Christine Sinclair, fresh off of WPS Player of the Week honors, leads the league in scoring with four goals and has scored in each of the Flashes' three matches.

The Flash were equally impressive defensively last weekend, with Ashlyn Harris posting her first shutout of the season against Atlanta. Harris is vying to become the third goalkeeper for the USWNT team heading to Germany in June.

Sky Blue, on the other hand, are in a horrendous scoring drought, now spanning five halves of soccer. Their only goals this season came in the first half of their season opener and coach Jim Gabarra must find an answer quickly.

Sky Blue had some success in that opener when defender Brittany Taylor was able to get forward to threaten Philly's flanks and one would think that might be part of the solution. They also need to get Eni Aluko, Laura Kalmari, and Casey Nogueira untracked...and to cut down on their offside calls. They were whistled for that six times in last week's loss to Boston.

SBFC has a fine group of midfielders, including USWNT players Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly, Swedish National Team veteran Therese Sjögran, plus Allie Long and Carolyn Blank. This is one area where Sky Blue must press WNY, since the Flash normally go with a three forward formation and depend on their outside defenders to provide offense. It will be incumbent upon O'Reilly, Sjögran, and Long to keep Kandace Wilson and Ali Riley in check before they become a problem for Sky Blue's outside defense.

Sky Blue really needs to turn things around. If they can get some points out of this match, they have next week off before playing two consecutive home matches in late May. Western New York would like to continue the success they had against the Beat last weekend and the scoring which has come very easily so far this season.

UPDATE: The WPS roster report came out after the above story was posted. The following are players not rostered for tonight's match between Western New York and Sky Blue per the WPS Roster Report:

Not active:
Sky Blue - Kendall Fletcher (injury), Lindsey Johnson (injury), Kristin Arnold, Michelle Wenino, Erin Guthrie, Alyssa Mautz, Jennie Clark.

Western New York - Alex Sahlen (injury), Kaley Fountain (injury), Christine Sinclair, Yael Averbuch.

Flash, magicJack Remain Unbeaten

magicJack 2, Philadelphia Independence 1

magicJack took their second match in a row with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia struck first on a goal by Tina DiMartino in the 8th minute. magicJack was able to tie the match on a goal by Abby Wambach in the 25th minute.

Nicole Barnhart temporarily kept the match tied, saving a penalty kick by Wambach late in the first half.

Lisa De Vanna became the game's hero, scoring only a minute after she had come on as a second half substitution in the 75th minute.

Hope Solo made her first start since her shoulder surgery and got the victory in goal.

magicJack keeps their record unblemished at 2-0-0 and will host Atlanta next Sunday. Philadelphia returns home to play Boston, also on Sunday.

Western New York Flash 3, Atlanta Beat 0

It was different week for these two teams, as the Flash were able to come home an easy 3-0 victor over Atlanta.

Atlanta stayed close in the first half, much like a week ago, but just weren't able to generate much offense. Christine Sinclair opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, scoring on a rebound.

Sinclair secured her brace in the 59th minute, a goal set up by Marta. She was unable to get a hat trick, but her sub, Alex Morgan, did complete the scoring with a goal in the 73rd minute, with the assist credited to Kelly Parker.

The victory leaves Western New York atop the WPS table with 7 points, although they have played a game more than magicJack. They return to action next Friday at home against Sky Blue. Atlanta, who dropped to 1-2-1, travels to Florida to meet magicJack on Sunday.

Boston Breakers 1, Sky Blue FC 0

Boston was able to return to the win column, evening their record with a 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC at Cambridge on Sunday. Defender Rachel Buehler scored the game's only goal in 53rd minute.

Coach Tony DiCicco made a change in his lineup, moving Alex Scott, normally a right back for the Breakers, up to striker for the match.

The first half was a fairly evenly played affair, with perhaps the slightest of edges in passing and buildup to the orange-clad Sky Blue. Heather O'Reilly was especially active and dangerous throughout the half.

It was O'Reilly who nearly put SBFC up in the 30th minute. Eniola Aluko crossed from the right side and it was touched across by a sliding Allie Long to O'Reilly who was closing in on the left post. Alyssa Naeher made a nice save on O'Reilly's shot from the edge of the six yard box.

Boston took the initiative after the intermission. After yet another O'Reilly attempt on net was saved by Naeher as the half opened, Boston seemed to be in control of the match thereafter.

In the 52nd minute, Boston earned a free kick from about 30 yards out toward the right sideline. Kelly Smith hit a well-placed ball that came loose in the box, with a sliding Rachel Buehler sending it into the net from eight yards out.

Boston followed that with multiple chances throughout the second half. Lauren Cheney's shot from the 18 brushed the top of the post and over in the 58th minute.

Sky Blue's best chance in the 61st minute as Carrie Dew caught Naeher off her line a bit and very nearly headed the ball over the Breakers' keeper, with only a nice leap and tip sending the ball over the bar.

In the 67th minute, Boston appeared almost too unselfish as two passes in the box ended with Keelin Winters' shot going wide. Just a couple minutes later, Kelley O'Hara and Winters had a two-on-one break, but Jen Branam was able to slide across to grab Winters' effort on net.

The Breakers were unable to stretch their lead, but had a sizeable advantage in play in the second half. Kelly Smith did a nice job of controlling the flow of the match in the final 45 minutes.

While Boston played a solid second half, Sky Blue struggled. After SBFC's passing was sharp for much of the first half, they looked sloppy at times in the second half and the few chances they did generate were often snuffed out by offside calls. They looked to be lacking patience following Buehler's goal.

Boston levels their record at 2-2-0, while Sky Blue remains winless at 0-2-1. Sky Blue's scoreless streak has now gone to 234 minutes with their last goal coming in the first half of their season opener.

The Breakers travel to Philadelphia to meet the Independence next Sunday, while Sky Blue continues their road trip with a visit to Rochester to face Western New York on Friday evening.