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.