Philadelphia Advances to Final with 2-0 Win

The Philadelphia Independence battled to a 2-0 victory over magicJack on goals by Tasha Kai and Amy Rodriguez to advance to the WPS Final. The Independence will face the Western New York Flash next Saturday for the championship.

The return to the final was accomplished in typical fashion by Philadelphia...solid defense, good goalkeeping, hard work, and some timely finishing, a team effort to be sure. Starting just two USWNT players, plus Spanish international Vero Boquete, they were able to outplay and defeat the heavily national team-laden magicJack side.

Paul Riley's starting lineup saw only a few changes from what we saw late in the season. Sinead Farrelly returned to a starter's role after sitting out the last three matches with nagging injuries. Philly started Barnhart in goal, Johnson, McNeill, Krzysik, and Robinson across the back, with Buczkowski, DiMartino, Farrelly, and Boquete in the midfield. Kai and Rodriguez were the two Independence strikers.

Abby Wambach was forced to make one change to her lineup from Wednesday. Tina Ellertson was unable to make the start due to a hamstring injury, so Lydia Vandenbergh started at left back. Their starters were Loyden in goal, Dalmy, Rampone, Sauerbrunn, and Vandenbergh in back. The midfield consisted of Boxx, Schmidt, Huffman, and Rapinoe, with Wambach and Press as the starting forwards.

Philadelphia had the first good scoring opportunity, as WPS MVP Veronica Boquete nearly caught Jill Loyden flatfooted with her shot from 20 yards, but the ball went just wide of the left post in the fifth minute. Christie Rampone earned the first booking of the match, as she was nabbed for tugging on Rodriguez' shoulder in the 12th minute.

The first half hour saw both teams working the ball up the field well, but both sides were unconvincing in the final third and there were very few good scoring opportunities. However, the final 15 minutes of the half saw end-to-end action with multiple chances.

magicJack's first good opportunity came in the 31st minute. Christen Press was able to get free to get off a shot from 28 yards, but her blast was tipped over the net by Nicole Barnhart.

Philadelphia then had a procession of chances over the next few minutes. Rodriguez' shot from the top of the box forced Loyden to slide over to make a save in the 32nd minute. Farrelly sent Kai into the right side of the box in the 34th, but the Hawaiian striker's chip over Loyden wound up on top of the netting. Next, it was Farrelly's turn but her shot from 20 yards went straight into Loyden's hands.

magicJack nearly jumped on top in the 36th minute. Marian Dalmy crossed the ball from the right side to Christen Press, who was waiting just outside the six. She turned on her defender, but her shot hit the outside of the left post. The rebound fell directly to Wambach, whose shot dribbled wide of the right post. Two minutes later, a Sarah Huffman cross gave Philly's defense problems with the ball coming to Press, whose shot from eight yards was blocked by Farrelly.

Philadelphia came right back in the 39th minute with Boquete setting up Tina DiMartino on the left side of the penalty area, but the shot from the diminutive midfielder found nothing but Loyden's hands. In the final minutes of the half, Kai sent a shot right at Loyden from 16 yards and Boquete set up Rodriguez on the right side, but her shot went just wide of the left post.

The half ended scoreless. But this was nothing new for the Independence who were shut out nine times in the first half during the regular season, but were still able to post a 5-2-2 record in those matches. Philadelphia had outscored their opponents 18-7 in the 2nd half during the season. Meanwhile, magicJack had not won a match all year when they didn't score in the opening stanza. One halftime substitution was made as Lisa De Vanna came on for Press.

It took just 24 seconds of the second half for Philadelphia to break on top. Farrelly's serve from the right side was headed by magicJack defender Marian Dalmy to the outside of the box. Kai beat Megan Rapinoe to the ball, burst into the penalty area, deked Rampone, and finished with a curling shot from 12 yards out just inside the left post to make it 1-0. It was brilliant effort by the Independence striker.

Wambach tried to even the match just three minutes later as she settled a Rampone cross in the penalty area, but her first shot was blocked by Leigh Ann Robinson and then Barnhart made perhaps the save of the match with a sprawling effort to send the ball over the crossbar on Wambach's rebound attempt.

Philadelphia made their first substitution in the 56th minute, sending Joanna Lohman in for DiMartino. In the 65th minute, Danesha Adams came on for Kai.

Wambach once again came knocking at the door at the midway point of the 2nd half. Vandenbergh sent in a cross from the left side, with Wambach's header from in close going off the crossbar after Barnhart was able to get her fingertips on the ball. Wambach made her second substitution in the 72nd minute, with Ella Masar entering the contest for Vandenbergh.

Philadelphia continued to pressure the magicJack net. In the 73rd minute, Rodriguez sent one just wide of the right post. In the 75th minute, a Lohman cross was settled by Adams in front of the goal, with her shot glancing off the crossbar.

The Independence iced the match in the 81st minute. Jen Buczkowski passed the ball to Adams, who outfought Sophie Schmidt to win possession. Adams hit Rodriguez in stride and the USWNT striker, glimpsing Loyden off her line, chipped the ball from 22 yards neatly into the upper right hand corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Both teams made their final substitutions in the closing minutes. Philadelphia sent Laura del Rio on for Rodriguez, while magicJack subbed in Nikki Washington for Sarah Huffman.

magicJack had two final chances as the final minutes ticked away. Schmidt was able to get around Barnhart to the end line just left of the goal, but with Ella Masar unmarked in front of the net, the magicJack midfielder got twisted and whiffed on the attempted cross, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play. In stoppage, Shannon Boxx' attempt from 22 yards was parried wide by Barnhart.

It was a well-deserved victory for Philadelphia. While the two scoring plays were well done, it was very good goalkeeping from Nicole Barnhart and excellent defending, especially from Kia McNeill, Jen Buczkowski, and Sinead Farrelly, that won the day. McNeill was superb in marking Wambach throughout the contest. This was a great team effort to be sure.

For magicJack, after suffering through a controversial year off the field, the players managed to rise up and give a very good account for themselves. They earned their way into the playoffs with solid play over the final few weeks and posted the franchise's first playoff victory. One has to wonder just how much playing two matches a week over the final four weeks of the season took their toll.

Philadelphia will now meet Western New York in the WPS Championship match next Saturday at 4 pm eastern time. Philadelphia is making their second consecutive trip to the final, losing last season to Gold Pride. It is obviously the first trip to the finals for the expansion Flash. The two teams met three times during the regular season, with Philadelphia winning two of the three. All were one goal matches.

Philadelphia 2, magicJack 0

Phi-Tasha Kai (unassisted) 46'
Phi-Amy Rodriguez (Danesha Adams) 81'

Philadelphia - Nicole Barnhart, Estelle Johnson, Kia McNeill, Nikki Krzysik, Leigh Ann Robinson, Jen Buczkowski, Sinead Farrelly, Tina DiMartino (Joanna Lohman 56), Veronica Boquete, Tasha Kai (Danesha Adams 63), Amy Rodriguez (Laura del Rio 85).

magicJack - Jill Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Lydia Vandenbergh (Ella Masar 72), Shannon Boxx, Sophie Schmidt, Sarah Huffman (Nikki Washington 85), Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, Christen Press (Lisa De Vanna 46).

YC - Rampone (mJ) 12, Wambach (mJ) 86.
Shots - Philadelphia 20, magicJack 17
SOG - Philadelphia 13, magicJack 9.

Philadelphia Closes in on WNY with 3-1 Victory

The Philadelphia Independence were only able to match half of last week's output, but it was more than enough as they defeated magicJack 3-1. The depleted magicJack squad only had 13 players active for the match.

Kia McNeill opened the scoring in the 29th minute. A corner kick opportunity led to the goal, with Danesha Adams getting the assist. It was McNeill's first WPS goal.

Veronica Boquete doubled the lead just six minutes later. Tina DiMartino sent Boquete through and Phiadelphia had equaled their halftime lead of a week ago.

Tasha Kai scored her fourth goal of the season just after the start of the second half, on a header after Joanna Lohman had sent in a cross.

Christen Press got magicJack on the scoreboard in the 56th minute, but that was all magicJack was to get. Val Henderson gets the victory in goal for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia raises their record to 5-2-3, good for 18 points and second place behind Western New York. magicJack falls to 5-4-0 and they remain in 3rd place at the halfway point in their season. The Independence now have a short break before facing Sky Blue in a midweek match on July 6. magicJack's next match is also against Sky Blue on July 9.

WPS Standings at the World Cup Break:
(1) Western New York 6-1-2, 20 pts; (2) Philadelphia 5-2-3, 18 pts; (3) magicJack 5-4-0, 14 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 3-3-3, 12 pts; (5) Boston 3-5-3, 12 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-8-3, 6 pts.

Adams Goal Lifts Independence over Flash

Danesha Adams' goal in the 90th minute gave the Philadelphia Independence a 1-0 victory over a shocked Western New York Flash.

It looked for all the world that this match was destined to end in a scoreless tie, but Lianne Sanderson hit a well-placed cross from the left wing to an inexplicably wide open Adams, who calmly headed the ball into the right side of the goal past Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris. The Flash seemingly fell asleep as they had several defenders back, but nobody marked Adams on the play.

Adams, who had seen only 40 minutes of action for Philadelphia this season, came on in the 64th minute of the contest for a hobbled Tasha Kai. It was Adams who got the winning goal in last year's WPS semifinal match against Boston, but she has seen less action this season after Philly acquired Kai and Laura del Rio.

With several players missing for both sides, not many scoring chances were created during the match. Neither side were able to make the final pass or hit a proper shot to score. Only seven shots were placed on frame for the entire match.

Philadelphia had an early scare when Val Henderson missed a back pass from Nikki Krzysik, but it only cost the Independence a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Marta placed a nice pass into the penalty area for Yael Averbuch, but her shot rolled just wide.

The Independence had very few opportunities in the opening half. Late in the half, an Estelle Johnson cross hit the top of the crossbar, but Harris appeared to have it covered in any case.

Kia McNeill drew the unenviable task of marking Marta for most of the match and was able to keep the Brazilian striker in check, as the two had a rather spirited battle for most of the evening. McNeill was able to limit Marta's chances and when she did gain opportunities, McNeill usually was able to force her to her less-lethal right foot.

Marta's best chance came in the 56th minute as she was able to cut to the right side of the box just past McNeill, but Henderson came out to grab the ball before she could get a shot off.

Tasha Kai came up lame after a collision for a head ball in the 57th minute and appeared to hurt her right ankle. She continued on for five minutes, before leaving the match.

A little later, Frida Magnusdottir took advantage of a Flash turnover and let go of a hard shot from the right side of the box. Her attempt went just wide, with Harris grabbing the shot as it was already past the end line.

With the game apparently heading for a tie, Philadelphia was able to force a turnover in the midfield and it was time for Adams' heroics.

Val Henderson earned her second shutout in three starts for Philadelphia.

Western New York suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 6-1-2, but still in possession of first place. They are now on a four week hiatus while the World Cup is being played.

Philadelphia improves to 3-2-3 and leapfrogs Boston into third place. They now trail second place magicJack by three points, a team they will now face twice in a row. They host magicJack in a regularly scheduled match next Saturday and then make up the April 16th match that was postponed on June 25.

WPS Standings
(1) Western New York 6-1-2, 20 pts; (2) magicJack 5-2-0, 14 pts; (3) Philadelphia 3-2-3, 12 pts; (4) Boston 3-5-2, 11 pts; (5) Sky Blue FC 2-3-3, 9 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-7-2, 5 pts.

Atlanta Signs Whitehill; Independence Ink Three to Contracts

The Atlanta Beat have signed USWNT defender Cat Whitehill to a contract. Whitehill was one of the original USWNT allocations in WPS, spending her first two seasons with the Washington Freedom.

Whitehill, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, was originally allocated to Washington in 2008. She has scored four goals and four assists in her WPS career. The former North Carolina star has 134 career caps for the USWNT, scoring 11 goals.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Independence signed a trio of young veterans to contracts, all defenders. Kia McNeill and Leigh Ann Robinson both signed with Philadelphia after spending the 2010 season with Atlanta. Estelle Johnson, a defender on last year's Independence, has also resigned with the Independence.

McNeill, known as a tough defender who is strong in the air, was originally drafted by Saint Louis in January, 2009 out of Boston College. After a solid season with Athletica, she was traded to Atlanta where she spent the entire 2010 season. She has compiled over 3000 minutes in the WPS over two seasons. McNeill will most likely play central defender, although she has played outside on occasion.

Robinson was originally drafted by FC Gold Pride in January, 2009, after a successful college run at the University of San Diego. Her only career WPS goal was a game winner against Sky Blue on May 3, 2009. She was then the first selection in the expansion draft by the Atlanta Beat. Robinson plays outside defense and will get into the attack from that position.

Johnson was a draft choice of the Los Angeles Sol in 2010 and was then selected by Philadelphia in the dispersal draft following the Sol's demise. She appeared in 13 games last season, starting 10 for the Independence. Johnson played college soccer at the University of Kansas.

Atlanta Beat 2010 - Can Youngest Team Mature Fast Enough?

Coach: Gareth O’Sullivan
2009 Record: 2010 Expansion Team

Expansion Draft (3): Leigh Ann Robinson, Amanda Cinalli, Katie Larkin.
Draft Choices (3): Tobin Heath, Blakely Mattern, Mallori Lofton-Malachi (traded then re-signed).
LA Dispersal Draft (2): Manya Makoski (IR), McCall Zerboni.
International Signings (5): Ramona Bachmann, Monica Ocampo, Johanna Rasmussen, Shelley Thompson, Mami Yamaguchi.
Free Agents (7): Stacy Bishop, Tracy Hamm, Brett Maron, Sophia Mundy, Rebecca Nolin, Marisha Schumacher-Hodge, Tracy Hamm.
Trades (3): Allison Whitworth, Kia McNeill, Angie Kerr.

While preparing to do the Atlanta preview, I was checking through their roster and something hit me, which I immediately had to recheck. If my calculations are correct, the oldest player on the Beat’s roster is Rebecca Nolin, who won’t turn 27 until the day after the season opener. Make no mistake, this is a young team and how quickly they mature and grow as a team will go a long way to indicating how successful they can be.

The inaugural version of the Atlanta Beat should also be an exciting offensive side, with a talented group of young international players. The Beat were able to sign three top players from Swedish club Umeå IK in Ramona Bachmann, Johanna Rasmussen, and Mami Yamaguchi. These three combined for 25 goals last season in the Damallsvenskan. Then Atlanta added Shelley Thompson, the leading scorer in the Frauen Bundesliga in 2004-05 with 30 goals and Monica Ocampo, a young rising star out of Mexico. For an expansion team, Atlanta will have a very good offense, but can they defend?

Goalkeeping-One of the first major moves that Atlanta made following the expansion draft was to trade for Gold Pride’s backup goalkeeper, Allison Whitworth. Whitworth performed well while stepping in for Nicole Barnhart last season. She gave up just 5 goals in 4 starts, with one of those being a penalty kick and she posted a shutout late in the season against Los Angeles. The Birmingham, Alabama native returns to play close to home for the Beat. The backup spot belongs to former Fairfield keeper Brett Maron, who saw action in 8 matches in Sweden for Kristianstads last season. Mallori Lofton-Malachi was a late addition to the roster out of South Florida and will be the developmental keeper.

Defenders-The Beat made Leigh Ann Robinson their first selection of last September’s expansion draft. The outside defender had a solid season last year for FC Gold Pride. Robinson showed the ability to get forward at times and she could develop into a top offensive threat from the back. Atlanta gave up the top selection in the LA dispersal draft for Kia McNeill and Angie Kerr. McNeill is a tall, physical defender who had a very good first season in St. Louis. Atlanta also added Blakely Mattern in the college draft. Mattern played under the radar at South Carolina, but she could develop into a good player. Tracy Hamm, Lauren Sesselmann and Rebecca Nolin were added through free agency. It appears that the Beat may use Stacy Bishop, who saw action with Boston in ‘09, on the back line.

But while Atlanta has some solid defenders, they have nowhere near the international experience found on most of the teams in WPS. This has to be a concern, especially considering the enormously talented forwards around the league. This group will have to grow into a cohesive unit in a fairly short period of time and the Beat has scheduled the busiest slate of preseason games in WPS, which should help. Whether the Beat can compete for a playoff spot may well rest with this relatively inexperienced defense.

Midfielders-There’s a lot to like about the Beat’s midfield and it starts with the face of the new franchise, Tobin Heath. Heath, who earned a gold medal before her senior season at UNC, was arguably the most talented player in college soccer last season. Atlanta didn’t pass on the chance to build their franchise around the young star. She is joined by Mami Yamaguchi, a technically adept player who is a precise passer as well. Yamaguchi was the winner of the 2007 MAC Hermann Award while at Florida State. The Beat traded for Angie (Woznuk) Kerr from Saint Louis and she has national team experience as well, although she surprisingly didn’t give Athletica a lot of offense last season.

The loss of experienced midfielder Manya Makoski hurts, but Atlanta added depth with two former Sol players, McCall Zerboni and Katie Larkin, and a former Breaker, Sophia Mundy. And although Amanda Cinalli is listed as a forward, she could return as an attacking midfielder, which is where she spent most of last season in St. Louis with 2 goals to her credit, both game winners. With this group, the Beat have a chance to control many a game in the midfield.

Forwards-At just 19 years of age, Swiss prodigy Ramona Bachmann is being proclaimed as the next Marta. I don’t know if she’ll be that good, but she’s getting there. Bachmann led Umeå with 14 goals last season. She notched a goal and an assist in just 35 minutes of action against Saint Louis in the Beat’s final exhibition game. She gives Atlanta instant offense and when teamed with fellow European forwards, Johanna Rasmussen of Denmark and Shelley Thompson of Germany, will give opposing defenses a lot to worry about.

Thompson comes to the Beat with nearly a decade of experience in Germany. Rasmussen, who had 18 assists last year with Umeå, may play wing if Coach Gareth O’Sullivan chooses to play a 4-4-2. Another forward, Monica Ocampo, scored 8 goals and 11 assists last season with W-League entry FC Indiana. The Beat are loaded with offensive talent.

Summary-After watching the trio of Bachmann, Rasmussen, and Thompson cause frequent problems for Athletica’s back line last weekend, I’m convinced that Atlanta’s offense can be as good as any team in the league. The Beat were able to defeat Saint Louis without Tobin Heath’s presence. With Yamaguchi and Heath controlling the midfield, the Beat could be a formidable offensive side.

But it is with Atlanta’s defense where my concern lies. Whitworth is an able keeper as she proved last year. However, the defense has no international experience, and outside of Robinson and McNeill, very little WPS experience. The fast, skilled forwards of WPS will surely test them early and often. The key to Atlanta’s season may well hinge on how well the defense matures as a unit.

Atlanta Downs Athletica 2-1 in Tulsa

The Atlanta Beat scored two first half goals and were then able to hold on for the victory in the final exhibition game of the spring. Swiss import Ramona Bachmann, had a hand in both goals, assisting on the first and scoring the second.

Atlanta had a definite edge in chances for the 1st half. The first goal came as a result of a corner kick, with Bachmann eventually getting the ball to former Athletica defender, Kia McNeill, who was able to finish to put the Beat on top. Later in the first half, Atlanta came down on a counterattack with Johanna Rasmussen crossing the ball from the left wing. In the ensuing scramble, Bachmann was able to touch the ball past Ashlyn Harris from about 2 yards out to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead. Bachmann came off with an injury after the goal, but walked off under her own power. The injury appeared to be minor, but she did not return.

Saint Louis got on the board late in the 1st half. The play started with Lori Chalupny reversing the ball from the right sideline. Eventually, Aya Miyama sent Shannon Boxx through alone and she finished lower right to cut Atlanta's lead to 2-1. There was no scoring in the 2nd half. Allison Whitworth earned the victory in goal for Atlanta. Several players were missing from both teams. For Saint Louis, Hope Solo, Daniela, and Niki Cross were not in Tulsa. Kristina Larsen was on crutches with a stress fracture in her foot. For Atlanta, Tobin Heath and Amanda Cinalli were not there, as well as Manya Makoski, who is out for the season with an injury.

Saint Louis did get some good news on the health front. Lori Chalupny played the first half after sitting out part of the spring, while suffering from symptoms related to concussions she had suffered previously. And Lindsay Tarpley saw her first action since tearing her ACL last August. Tarpley was a 2nd half substitution and played approximately 30 minutes.

Atlanta will travel to Philadelphia where they will play their season opener against the Independence on April 11. Meanwhile, Saint Louis hosts FC Gold Pride for their opener on April 11.

WPS Draft Revisited-Saint Louis Athletica

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Players

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WPS-Suspensions and Trades

Abby Wambach and Kia McNeill Suspended

WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci has decided to suspend both the Freedom's Abby Wambach and Athletica's Kia McNeill for one game for incidents in last week's game between the two teams. The press release is contained in this link. Antonucci evidently felt that she had to do something to curb the overly rough play in the league, thus the suspensions. The decision isn't likely to make fans of either side happy. Freedom fans thought that Athletica had roughed up Wambach throughout the game, while Athletica fans felt that Wambach's challenge of Daniela was reckless and uncalled for.

Per a decision by the commissioner and in light of the timing of the decision, she is allowing Kia McNeill to participate in this week's game and serve her suspension the following week.

By making her decision to levy suspensions, Antonucci also sets a precedent. The league's disciplinary committee had met and decided not to overrule any of the field official's decisions from the game, based on a review of the plays involved and per the strict guidelines they must work under. The commissioner decided to use her powers to independently make a decision involving play that was detrimental to the game.

Athletica Acquires Kendall Fletcher and Christie Welsh from Los Angeles

With McNeill's suspension looming and injuries to Daniela, Sara Larsson, and Amanda Cinalli, Athletica completed a trade today that brings defender Kendall Fletcher and forward Christie Welsh to Saint Louis in exchange for future draft picks, a conditional pick in 2010 and a 1st round pick in 2011.

Fletcher has surprisingly received little playing time in Los Angeles. She has played just one half of soccer for the Sol this season. She is a member of the USWNT and appeared most recently for the team in the Algarve Cup in March. She is also a former teammate of Lori Chalupny at UNC. The Sol's defensive roster got even more crowded two weeks ago when they signed Martina Franko. This move apparently made Fletcher expendable.

Christie Welsh has made nearly 40 appearances for the USWNT and has scored 20 goals for them, last appearing in 2006. For the Sol, she has appeared in 3 games, starting 2 and has not scored. She was the 2001 Hermann Award winner and an All-American at Penn State. At 5-10, she makes an excellent target forward.

To make room on the roster for their acquisitions, Athletica released defender Sheree Gray, who had appeared in all four of their games. It is unknown whether either player will be available for tomorrow's game against FC Gold Pride.