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.

Last Second Goal Lifts Philly over Shorthanded Sky Blue

Lianne Sanderson scored in stoppage time to give Philadelphia a 2-1 victory over Sky Blue FC on Sunday. It was the third goal of the season for the English striker, who came into the match as a substitute in the 77th minute of action. The victory brings the Independence level with Western New York, but the Flash still have the inside track for first place with two games remaining to Philly's one.

Sky Blue played a player down for almost the entire second half as Carrie Dew picked up a second yellow card for taking down Danesha Adams early in the second half. She had picked up her first in the opening minutes of the first half.

Philadelphia came out buzzing and put good pressure on the Sky Blue goal in the opening minutes of the match. Veronica Boquete's free kick from 24 yards was heading just under the crossbar, but Jen Branam managed to tip the ball over the net in the 2nd minute. On the ensuing corner kick, Boquete started back in the center circle and found herself wide open as she charged toward the penalty area unmarked. But her shot from just outside the box went over the crossbar.

The Independence broke on top in the 17th minute. Leigh Ann Robinson sent a beautiful long ball up the center of the field for Tasha Kai. The ball had spin on it and took a hop to the right. Kai took time to measure it and then placed a beautiful shot in the upper left side over Branam to make it 1-0.

Sky Blue tried to pull even just three minutes later, but Eni Aluko's shot from a tough angle was saved by Nicole Barnhart. However, four minutes later, Tobin Heath made a run up the center of the field. Drawing the defense toward her, she pushed a nice little through pass to Aluko, who finished with her right foot past Barnhart and into the right side of the net to tie the score.

Branam made a nice save on Boquete a few minutes later as Kai's header hit the Spanish striker in stride. Boquete's blast from 20 yards was saved by the agile Branam. In the 41st minute, Adams laid the ball off for Tina DiMartino, whose shot from 22 yards was also saved by Branam.

Sky Blue nearly took the lead just before intermission. A Heather O'Reilly cross went over the head of several players to bounce right to Brittany Taylor. She flicked a header just wide of the left post.

Dew picked up her second yellow card of the match as she slid late into Adams who was dribbling up the center of the field. It did appear that Dew attempted to put on the brakes, but it was too late and Adams went tumbling over the Sky Blue defender and referee Ted Unkel pulled out the yellow and dismissed Dew from the match.

Sky Blue caught a bit of a break in the 67th minute, as Amy Rodriguez chipped a shot over a diving Branam into the right post. With Branam laying on the ground, the ball bounced right back into her lap.

Philadelphia continued to pressure as the half wore on. Laura del Rio hit a hard shot from 15 yards, but Kendall Fletcher headed it clear. In the 77th minute, Branam made a nice save on Rodriguez' shot inside the near post. Branam later made two big saves in one-on-one situations with del Rio to keep the game level at one.

But just when it appeared that Sky Blue might hang on for the tie, one that would have clinched a playoff berth for them, Philadelphia got the game winner. Amy Rodriguez nodded a header forward from the edge of the eighteen. The ball appeared to deflect slightly off of Tobin Heath's head to the front of the goal where three Philly players were waiting against one defender and Branam. Joanna Lohman was able to touch the ball past Branam to Sanderson who finished just before a lunging Kendall Fletcher could get there and the Independence had scored the winner.

For Sky Blue and especially for Jen Branam, it was a harsh result. They needed just a tie to clinch a playoff berth, but were denied in the closing moments. Branam certainly made several great saves to keep her team even until that last second goal. They now face a one game do-or-die contest in Boston next week, still needing only a tie to advance to the playoffs.

Philadelphia's record goes to 11-3-3, good for 36 points and tied with Western New York. They have clinched second place and still have an outside shot at the top position, but the Flash have the inside track with an additional match remaining. The Independence close the season next Sunday in Boca Raton against third place magicJack.

Note: Philadelphia is a perfect 9-0-0 with Veronica Boquete in the starting lineup.

Correction: It was Danielle Johnson, not Kendall Fletcher, who was the last defender trying to block the shot on the game winning goal.

WPS Standings
(1) Western New York 11-2-3, 36 pts; (1) Philadelphia 11-3-3, 36 pts; (3) magicJack 8-6-2, 25 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 5-8-4, 19 pts; (5) Boston 4-9-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-12-4, 7 pts.

Schedule:
Wednesday, August 10
Western New York at magicJack

Sunday, August 14
Philadelphia at magicJack
Sky Blue FC at Boston
Atlanta at Western New York

Playoff Scenarios:
Sky Blue needs a tie or win against Boston to clinch 4th place. Boston needs to win in order to clinch 4th place.

Philadelphia and Western New York are tied for 1st place, with Philadelphia owning the tiebreaker at this point. Western New York has a game in hand.

magicJack has clinched 3rd place and will host the first round of the playoffs.

Independence Regain 1st Place with Victory over Beat

Veronica Boquete scored her fifth goal of the season and it proved to be the game winner as the Philadelphia Independence defeated the Atlanta Beat 1-0 in Chester on Sunday. A crowd of 4162 saw the Independence regain sole possession of first place with a three point lead on Western New York.

In the first half of action, Atlanta appeared to be the more dangerous club. In the 25th minute, Lori Chalupny got around Kia McNeill to go in one-on-one against Nicole Barnhart from the left side of the box. Barnhart did a great job of cutting down the angle and then deflected Chalupny's shot wide.

But if the Beat held their own in the first half, the second half was all Philadelphia. Just a couple of minutes into the half, Nikki Krzysik sent Tina DiMartino in alone on a breakaway, but with Atlanta keeper Allison Whitworth coming out, she place her shot just wide of the left post. In the 56th minute, an Amy Rodriguez cross found the head of Tasha Kai, but Whitworth made a diving save on the shot headed just inside the left post.

Boquete finally put Philly up 1-0 on a great individual effort. Rodriguez nodded a header forward to Boquete, who cut toward the right side of the penalty area with Kat Reynolds on her shoulder. Whitworth made a very good save on Boquete's first effort, but the Spanish striker was able to outfight Reynolds for the rebound and put it in the back of the net.

Whitworth was able to keep the game close in spite of the Independence having several 1 v. 1 opportunities against her in the second half. She stopped Boquete with a big save in the 74th minute.

Atlanta had few chances in the second half, but Lori Chalupny's one-timer from 18 yards forced Barnhart to dive near post to block the ball away in the 76th minute.

Philadelphia followed with several more chances in the last 10 minutes. Whitworth stopped one-on-one chances from Kai, Lianne Sanderson, and Boquete in the closing minutes of the match.

Veronica Boquete once again proved to be the difference maker for Philadelphia. The Independence raised their league-leading record to 10-3-3, now three points ahead of Western New York. However, they have just two games remaining, while the Flash have four. Philly hosts Sky Blue next Sunday.

In spite of strong games from Allison Whitworth and Lori Chalupny, the Beat suffered their sixth straight shutout and are now winless in their last 14 matches. Their record stands at 1-11-4 and their two remaining matches are against Western New York.

WPS Standings
(1) Philadelphia 10-3-3, 33 pts; (2) Western New York 9-2-3, 30 pts; (3) Sky Blue FC 5-6-4, 19 pts; (4) magicJack 6-6-2, 19 pts; (5) Boston 4-7-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-11-4, 7 pts.

Philadelphia Takes Over First; Sky Blue Moves into Third

Philadelphia Independence 1, Boston Breakers 0

Veronica Boquete's goal in the 83rd minute broke a scoreless tie and sent Philadelphia to a 1-0 victory over the Boston Breakers in Cambridge. The win moves the Independence into first place in WPS.

The goal was Boquete's fourth of the season. Laura del Rio, who had just come in as a late substitution, assisted on Boquete's goal.

Several national team players were getting their first start since returning from Germany. Amy LePeilbet, Rachel Buehler, and Stephanie Cox all saw their first action since the 2011 World Cup concluded. Aya Sameshima of the World Cup champion Japanese team made her first ever start for Boston as a midfielder.

For Philadelphia, Nicole Barnhart and Amy Rodriguez were in the starting lineup. Paul Riley decided to start Barnhart over Val Henderson and it paid off with a shutout for his team.

Philadelphia raises their record to 9-3-3, good for 30 points and a three point cushion over second place Western New York. However, the Independence have just three games remaining, while the Flash have five. Philadelphia will return to action on Sunday, at home against the Atlanta Beat.

Boston falls to 4-6-4 and are now tied for fourth place with magicJack. The Breakers presently have the edge in goal differential if it comes down to a tiebreaker. Next up for the Breakers is a Saturday clash against magicJack in Boca Raton.

Sky Blue FC 2, magicJack 0

Sky Blue took over sole possession of third place with a 2-0 victory over magicJack on Wednesday night. Midfielder Allie Long scored a first half goal to put Sky Blue in the lead and the New Jersey eleven used an own goal by Abby Wambach to seal the victory. It was the first road victory for Sky Blue this season and the first home loss for magicJack.

The first goal was set up by Therese Sjogran corner kick, with Long finishing in the 15th minute. It was Long's third goal of the season, with the first two came via penalty kick.

Sky Blue's second goal was also from a corner kick, this time in the second half. It was Casey Nogueira sending the ball into the penalty area, with Wambach's attempted clearance going into her own net.

MagicJack outshot Sky Blue by an overwhelming 27-6 margin, but the New Jersey team was able to secure the victory. Jen Branam recorded 13 saves in the shutout, her fifth of the season.

As in the night's other contest, a few national team players were seeing their first action since the World Cup. Shannon Boxx made her first start for magicJack since returning from Germany, while Megan Rapinoe was a second half substitution.

Sky Blue improves to 5-5-4 overall. They now have 19 points and are three points clear of both magicJack and the Boston Breakers for third place. They return home to play their last regular season home match on Saturday evening against the Western New York Flash.

MagicJack drops to 5-6-2. They are now winless in their last six outings. With the one point penalty assessed earlier in the season, they have just 16 points and are now tied for the fourth and final playoff spot with the Boston Breakers, a team they will face in a Saturday showdown at Florida Atlantic University.

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.

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).

Philly and Sky Blue Play to a 2-2 Draw

Tina DiMartino's goal in stoppage helped the Philadelphia Independence overcome an early deficit and tie Sky Blue 2-2 in a match played at Yurcak Field in Piscataway.

Early on, it was all Sky Blue as the home side put together a solid first half and dominated possession. Philadelphia did have the first scoring chance of the match 13 minutes in. Lianne Sanderson crossed the ball from the right side with Kai closing fast on the back post. Kai, was able to get her foot on it, but the pass was a bit to hot to get solid control and Kai's touch went over the net from the six.

For the remainder of the 1st half, Sky Blue did a nice job of controlling the tempo of the game, stringing together several passes at a time. In the 18th minute, Allie Long found Brittany Taylor alone on the right side. Taylor took one touch to control and then hit a low cross with pace as Laura Kalmari got inside the defender and finished lower right from inside the six. It was an excellent sequence from the 2009 champions.

Sky Blue made it 2-0 in the 37th minute. Casey Nogueira curled a free kick from 25 yards just over the head over Nicole Barnhart and into the upper left corner of the net. The half ended with Sky Blue apparently in full control and a 2-0 lead.

Coach Paul Riley inserted Amy Rodriguez into the lineup to start the second half and Philly seemed to pick up the pace as the match wore on.

It was Rodriguez who cut the Sky Blue lead in half at the 56 minute mark. Lianne Sanderson did a nice job of keeping possession at the half line and sent a beautiful ball up the right sideline to Tasha Kai. Kai quickly released a pass to the middle to Rodriguez who had beaten the defense and calmly dribbled into the box and touched the ball into the lower left side of the net as an onrushing Jen Branam was unable to do anything to stop it.

More substitutions followed with Lori Lindsey entering the game for the Independence and Danielle Johnson and Tobin Heath entering the match for Sky Blue.

Casey Nogueira nearly increased the lead back to two, as she ripped a shot from the top of the box, but Barnhart made the save of the match, diving to push the ball wide of the goal.

Both teams made one final substitution with a hobbled Kendall Fletcher coming off in favor of Angie Kerr and Laura del Rio entered the match for Estelle Johnson. As it turned out, del Rio would play a part in the tying goal.

The sequence started with a free kick from the left sideline for Philadelphia, as Amy Rodriguez was able to draw a foul. The free kick taken by Lindsey was nearly headed in by Kai, as Allie Long was able to stop the ball just a yard short of the goal. Sky Blue was able to clear the ball out of bounds.

However, on the ensuing throw in, Sinead Farrelly gained possession in the box and tried to dribble toward the middle. Farrelly was taken down, with no call being made, but the ball deflected right to del Rio who touched it back to DiMartino. DiMartino hit it solidly from 12 yards and the ball deflected off Anita Asante's foot, over a diving Jen Branam, and into the net.

Sky Blue had a late chance on a corner kick, but in spite of Philadelphia struggling briefly to clear, SBFC was unable to score.

Philadelphia hosts magicJack next Saturday, while Sky Blue travels to Atlanta.

2011 Philadelphia Independence Preview

Philadelphia Independence
Coach: Paul Riley (2nd year)
2010 Record: 10-10-4 (3rd place, finished runner-up in playoffs)
Home Stadium: Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium (Chester, Pennsylvania)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (2): Nicole Barnhart, Val Henderson.
Defenders (6): Lauren Barnes(R), Allison Falk, Estelle Johnson, Nikki Krzysik, Kia McNeill, Leigh Ann Robinson.
Midfielders (7): Jen Buczkowski, Christina DiMartino, Sinead Farrelly(R), Lauren Fowlkes(R), Lori Lindsey, Joanna Lohman, Megan Rapinoe.
Forwards (8): Danesha Adams, Veronica Boquete, Laura del Rio, Gina DiMartino, Tasha Kai, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, Amy Rodriguez, Lianne Sanderson.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Barnhart, Lindsey, Rapinoe, Rodriguez.

Like Boston, Philadelphia returns most of their roster from last season, 13 players in all. They only lost three players that saw appreciable playing time…Caroline Seger, Heather Mitts, and Sara Larsson. And they have made some additions that should impact the team, including two USWNT players, Megan Rapinoe and Nicole Barnhart. In addition to Rapinoe, the Independence brought in three exciting offensive options with Tasha Kai, Veronica Boquete, and Laura del Rio.

Another positive for this team is that they will be less affected by the World Cup than most of the rest of the league, losing in all likelihood only four players. With the depth they have added, they are probably positioned as well as any team heading into a season that will certainly be somewhat disrupted by the World Cup.

Goalkeepers: The Independence face the 2011 season with both starting goalkeepers from the 2010 championship game. What more can you say? Nicole Barnhart has been a fixture on the USWNT for years, playing in Hope Solo’s shadow. But between her brilliant season with Gold Pride last year and getting several starts on the national team due to Solo’s shoulder surgery, she has come into her own as a strong keeper. Last season, she posted a 0.77 goals against average with eight shutouts.

Val Henderson started the 2010 season battling for the number one spot with Karina LeBlanc, but by the end of the season, she had won the job and started all three playoff matches. Yes, Philly got blitzed by four Gold Pride goals in the final, but Henderson did a very capable job up until then. Only a temporary situation I’m sure, but the Independence have just two goalkeepers on their roster, a situation that must change when Barnhart is away on national team duties.

Defenders: With veterans Mitts and Larsson no longer on the team, Philadelphia acquired Leigh Ann Robinson and Kia McNeill from Atlanta and drafted Lauren Barnes out of UCLA. They will join returning players Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, and Estelle Johnson.

The trio of McNeill, Falk, and Krzysik in the middle give Philly a very physical central backfield. McNeill and Falk are both good in the air. Falk can be a weapon on set pieces in the offensive third as well. Rookie Lauren Barnes adds depth. Robinson and Johnson could be the starters outside. Johnson had a strong rookie season for the Independence in 2010.

I imagine Paul Riley would like to see Robinson get forward, something she did quite well at times with Gold Pride in 2009, but was unable to do as much last season with Atlanta. The other outside option is Frida Magnusdottir, a fast, aggressive player that seems to be at home anywhere on the field and is listed as a forward.

Midfielders: Philly’s biggest loss in the offseason was probably Caroline Seger, the excellent Swedish midfielder that is now with Western New York. However, don’t feel too bad for the Independence. They added USWNT winger Megan Rapinoe and two promising draft selections, Sinead Farrelly and Lauren Fowlkes.

Farrelly is a talented young player out of the University of Virginia. She is known for having great vision and is excellent at distributing the ball. Oh, and she can score as well, with 30 goals in her career with the Cavaliers. Fowlkes, a Notre Dame alum, has good size at 5-10 and can play defensive mid or center back.

While Rapinoe has struggled at times in her WPS career, she is a solid performer on the USWNT. Hopefully, coach Paul Riley’s system will bring out the best in her. With returnees like the always solid Lori Lindsey and the highly skilled Tina DiMartino, this could be one of the best midfields in the league. For depth, add veterans Joanna Lohman and Jen Buczkowski, both of whom were full-time starters on last year’s team and this is a quite impressive group.

Forwards: One problem for Coach Riley is going to be getting playing time for all the options he has at forward. He has the leading scorer from last year, Amy Rodriguez, who had 12 goals and 6 assists. After a disappointing rookie season, Rodriguez showed what she could do last season. With her speed and now with added experience on timing her runs, there is no reason to think she won’t have another good season this year.

Riley also has Tasha Kai, who led Sky Blue in goals two years running. And perhaps this year, she will be injury-free, something that has plagued her over the last two years. Riley has raved about her performance in preseason. Philly also returns English striker Lianne Sanderson, who showed flashes of her talent last year scoring five goals.

Two Spanish forwards, Laura del Rio and Veronica Boquete also join the team. Boquete is extremely fast, having a strong season with Buffalo in the W-League, before having a stellar, if short, stint with the Chicago Red Stars. Del Rio is a veteran who knows how to score, but has yet to make a big impact in WPS. Add Danesha Adams, who probably scored the biggest goal in Independence history against Boston in overtime, sending them to the finals, and DiMartino sister number two, Gina.

Outlook: This team really has everything it needs to compete for the title. They have speed, talent, skill, and no one is going to push this team around. The speed this team has up front will give opponents all sorts of trouble.

One would think that last year’s runner-up finish would make Philadelphia favorites, with Gold Pride no longer around. But this league is very tough at the top and winning a championship will not be easy. Even with last year’s phenomenal success, the Independence only finished the regular season with an even 10-10-4 mark.

You have to like that this team kept its nucleus together and made some nice additions. They will not be hurt by the World Cup as much as either Western New York or Boston, who stand to lose twice as many players, or even Sky Blue which will likely lose six. But when it comes down to it, the other teams will have most of their roster come playoff time, so the Independence will still have to beat the best to climb to the top.

The Independence should have an exciting attack, with plenty of options, and they should be able to match last year’s strength in the midfield. It may come down to how well this team can defend. While their back line is solid, it does not have all the national team players that grace a few of the other defenses around the league. But if they can play solid team defense, this team should do quite well.

Canada Edges Mexico 1-0 in Concacaf Final; US To Play Italy

Christine Sinclair's penalty kick early in the 2nd half turned out to be the game winner as Canada defeated Mexico 1-0 in the Concacaf final in Cancun, Mexico. In spite of a brave effort by the home team and great support from their home crowd, the Mexican side were unable to repeat their magic from Friday night's victory over the US in the semifinals.

The hero of Friday night, Veronica Perez, was ejected for an intentional hand ball in the box, which led to the penalty kick. The Canadians, who had held the better of play to that point, were able to control possession for much of 2nd half with the player advantage, allowing only a couple of chances for Mexico in the closing stages of the match.

Karina LeBlanc, who played last season for the Philadelphia Independence, earned the shutout for the Canadians. Canada was able to blank Mexico for the second time in the tournament, having defeated them 3-0 in the group stage less than a week earlier. Canada outscored their opponents by a 17-0 for their five matches in the tournament.

Both Canada and Mexico will advance to the 2011 World Cup which will be played in Germany next June and July.

US 3, Costa Rica 0

It wasn't necessarily pretty, but the USWNT was able to get the job done in a must win situation, defeating Costa Rica 3-0. Abby Wambach's brace was the highlight of the match for the US.

US coach Pia Sundhage inserted Lori Lindsey, Ali Krieger, and Lauren Cheney into the lineup for this match following Friday night's disappointing effort.

Cheney put her team up 1-0 in the opening stanza, on a deflected shot that eluded Costa Rican goalkeeper, Dinnia Diaz. Lori Lindsey had possession on the left side of the box and passed back across the middle to Cheney, who was able to work her way free for the shot from 15 yards. Diaz appeared to have the shot covered, but it deflected off the inside of a defender's legs and went behind Diaz who was moving in the opposite direction.

Abby Wambach made it 2-0 on the goal of the match. Lori Lindsey sent the ball from 35 yards out into the penalty area. Wambach slipped behind the defense and volleyed the ball beautifully into the left corner of the net.

At the start of the 2nd half, Costa Rica nearly cut the lead to one. A breakdown in the US defense saw Monica Malvassi get in alone on Nicole Barnhart, but her weak shot hit the left post and was cleared easily. On the counterattack, Cheney pushed the ball out to Abby Wambach, who had gotten clear at the extreme right side of the penalty area. Wambach sent the ball low past Diaz inside the far post to make it 3-0.

The US will now face Italy in a home-and-home playoff for the final World Cup berth. The US will travel to Padua (Padova), Italy for a November 20 match. The Italians will then travel to Chicago to face the US at Toyota Park on November 27.

Some information for this story was obtained through the Official Concacaf Website.

Gold Pride Wins WPS Championship 4-0

FC Gold Pride left no doubts as to who the better team was on Sunday, easily defeating the Philadelphia Independence 4-0. The championship game proved almost anticlimactic given the suspense and intensity of the first two playoff matches. A very weary looking Independence team proved no match for the regular season champions from the Bay Area.

Gold Pride got on the board first in the 16th minute. In what appeared to be pinball more than soccer, Independence goalkeeper Val Henderson made two point blank saves on Marta, followed by another save on Tiffeny Milbrett, only to have the following rebound go to Camille Abily who touched to Sinclair who tapped it in from inside the six.

One of the few chances of the first half for Philadelphia came in the 25th minute. Nikki Krzysik placed a free kick to 18 which was headed forward by Caroline Seger. Lianne Sanderson went up for the header, but Nicole Barnhart was able to outjump her for the save. Frida Magnusdottir was later able to get off a shot from distance which was easily saved by Barnhart, but the chances were few and far between for the Independence.

Gold Pride made it 2-0 in the 29th minute. Marta pushed the ball ahead to Kandace Wilson who was able to outfight Allison Falk to win the ball. She was able to finish from the right side of the box past Henderson to double the lead.

Gold Pride dominated possession as well as the scoreboard in the first half. Philadelphia offered very little defensive pressure to Gold Pride's back line, seemingly content to let Gold Pride gain the midfield uncontested, perhaps in an effort to conserve energy. Indeed, the Independence looked to be a very tired group on both the second and third goals surrendered, the result of playing 240 minutes of soccer in the past seven days and with only two days of rest between Thursday's late semifinal and Sunday morning's final.

Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Philadelphia attempted to press forward more in the 2nd half, but to no avail. Gold Pride had two chances in the first five minutes of the second half. A Shannon Boxx shot was saved by Henderson and a Camille Abily effort went just wide right.

Finally in the 53rd minute, Marta made her way up the left side to the endline and crossed to Sinclair, who finished into an open net to make it 3-0. For Sinclair, it was her second goal of the game and her sixth of the season against Philadelphia. From that point forward it was just a matter of playing out the match.

Val Henderson, in spite of the four goals surrendered, played a strong match. In addition to her saves in the 1st half, she took a ball right off the foot of Marta that looked to be a sure goal. She later took a shot off her face from close in. Later she made a diving save on Tiffeny Milbrett's hard shot.

Philadelphia threatened a few times in the latter stages of the match. Danesha Adams once again provided a 2nd half spark for the Independence. She had Philly's best scoring opportunity getting a 1-on-1 chance against Barnhart from eight yards only to slice it wide right.

With the game well in hand and in stoppage, Marta added to the margin by finishing on a Kandace Wilson cross to make the final tally 4-0.

FC Gold Pride put the finishing touches on its worst to first story in resounding fashion. They have not lost a match since June. Christine Sinclair was named Player of the Game by the Fox broadcast team for her two goals, but Marta was named the game's MVP. Nicole Barnhart got the shutout in goal. Albertin Montoya had his team ready to play and they spread Philadelphia very effectively throughout the early stages of the match.

Perhaps it was a little much to ask Philadelphia to play 120 minutes late on Thursday night, fly cross country and then play what was basically a Sunday morning match for the championship. Still, it was a great effort for the Independence to make it that far and a fine season for an expansion team under coach Paul Riley.

WPS Championship - FC Gold Pride vs. Philadelphia

Philadelphia Independence (10-10-4) at FC Gold Pride (16-3-5)
Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, CA – September 26 (2:30 pm ET, 1:30 pm CT, 11:30 am PT)

Probable Rosters:
Philadelphia: GK-Val Henderson, Karina LeBlanc; D-Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Heather Mitts, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, Sara Larsson, Estelle Johnson, Sarah Senty; MF-Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Tina DiMartino, Jen Buczkowski, Kelly Henderson; F-Amy Rodriguez, Lianne Sanderson, Danesha Adams, Lyndsey Patterson.

FC Gold Pride: GK-Nicole Barnhart, Brittany Cameron; D-Rachel Buehler, Candace Chapman, Ali Riley, Kandace Wilson, Kristen Graczyk, Niki Cross; MF-Shannon Boxx, Becky Edwards, Camille Abily, Carrie Dew, Kimberly Yokers; F-Marta, Christine Sinclair, Kelley O’Hara, Tiffeny Milbrett, Kiki Bosio.

Previous Meetings (2010)
June13 – FC Gold Pride 3 @ Philadelphia 1
July 17 – Philadelphia 0 @ FC Gold Pride 2
September 11 – Philadelphia 1 @ FC Gold Pride 4

FC Gold Pride is 8-1-3 at home with a 20-8 edge in goals.
Philadelphia is 3-8-2 on the road being outscored 13-20 in the regular season, 1-0 on the road in the playoffs.

Top Performers in Series
Philadelphia: DiMartino (1 goal), Sanderson ( 1 goal), Lindsey (1 assist), Patterson (1 assist), Henderson (2 games, 3.00 goals against, LeBlanc (1 game, 3.00 goal against).

FC Gold Pride: Marta (3 goals, 4 assists), Sinclair (4 goals, 1assist), O’Hara (2 goals, 1 assist), Boxx (1 assist), Abily (1 assist), Gulbrandsen (1 assist), Barnhart (2 games, 1.06 goals against), Cameron (1 game, 1 shutout, 0.00 goals against).

Matchups:
Goalkeepers
Val Henderson vs. Nicole Barnhart

You can’t argue much with the results that Henderson has given Philadelphia, just one goal allowed in 240 minutes of playoff soccer. She wasn't tested much in game one and at times, she looked a little unsure in the match against Boston, but overall she has been solid. She is likely to be tested a great deal more by Gold Pride. Henderson faced them twice during the season, giving up two goals in the first and then four in the final match of the regular season. I guess there is still an outside chance that Riley might go with LeBlanc, who is more experienced and started last year’s championship match, but that’s not likely given Henderson’s record so far in the playoffs.

Barnhart, was the WPS Goalkeeper of the Year, with a sparkling 0.77 goals against average and eight shutouts to her credit. She also has USWNT experience, which could help in a match of this importance. She gave up a goal in each of her two starts against the Independence this year. Strangely enough, it was Brittany Cameron who earned the only shutout for FCGP against Philly this season.

Barnhart is experienced and had a great season. Give credit to Henderson for what she’s accomplished so far, but the edge goes to Gold Pride here.

Defenders
Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Frida Magnusdottir, and Estelle Johnson (or Heather Mitts) vs. Rachel Buehler, Candace Chapman, Ali Riley, and Kandace Wilson.

The Independence defense has done the job so far, but they have had loads of trouble stopping Gold Pride’s attack this season. The most disturbing thing about Thursday’s match was how easily Fabiana was able to get around the Philadelphia defense on several occasions. They can’t have those kind of lapses in this match. Frida Magnusdottir, perhaps Philly’s most versatile weapon, must be careful not to get caught upfield lest the back line gets exposed by the Gold Pride counterattack. Overall, Falk and Krzysik have been solid and the rookie Estelle Johnson has been surprisingly strong, but in this match, they will have to rise to a whole new level to stop the best offense in the league.

Rachel Buehler had an outstanding season in 2010. She leads a Gold Pride back line that has greatly improved over the course of the season. Chapman was a key free agent signee and helped to solidify the defense. Riley and Wilson give Gold Pride two of the most dangerous and perhaps the two fastest outside backs in the league. The Independence midfielders will have to watch flank runs by those two, which could open up the middle for Boxx and Abily.

Again, Philadelphia has done an admirable job to this point. But they haven’t stopped Gold Pride all season and they can’t match their speed. I have to give the edge to Buehler and FCGP.

Midfielders
Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Tina DiMartino, and Jen Buczkowski vs.
Shannon Boxx, Camille Abily, Becky Edwards.

There’s only one player that can say that she’s played every minute of every playoff game ever played in WPS. That’s Jen Buczkowski, who is hoping to be on her second championship team in a row. The Independence midfield has been tough as nails in the playoffs. Lindsey and Seger form the veteran core of perhaps the best midfield in WPS. Tina DiMartino has been impressive, both during the regular season and the postseason. She assisted on both game winners in the playoffs. DiMartino was literally all over the field on Thursday night.

The Gold Pride midfield is strong as well, starting with the great veteran leadership of Shannon Boxx. There is probably not a more respected player in the league and rightfully so. At her best, she can control the pace and flow of the game from her midfield position. She’s a strong defender and gets into the attack very well when opportunities arise. Boxx and Abily combined for 11 assists, although not quite as many as the Lindsey/Seger duo, still quite impressive. Becky Edwards turned in an impressive rookie season, in spite of being overshadowed in a strong rookie class. I think her performance has often been unfairly overlooked this season.

We’ll find out just how much stamina the Independence have in this match. Coming off 240 minutes of soccer in less than a week, they will have to cover a quicker Gold Pride team that has the weapons to spread the field very effectively. I absolutely love Philly’s midfield, but it would be hard to understate the importance of Boxx in this match. I would say that the midfields are as even as they can get, with maybe an infinitesimal edge to the Independence.

Forwards
Amy Rodriguez and Lianne Sanderson vs. Marta, Christine Sinclair, and Kelley O’Hara (or Tiffeny Milbrett).

In spite of not scoring, I thought Rodriguez had a heck of a game against Boston. On Philly’s first goal, she ran down a ball in the midfield, quickly got the ball to DiMartino and then had great vision to find Seger alone on the right side, earning an assist. On another play she worked against the defense until she saw an opening, sending a nice ball through to Seger, whose first touch was a little heavy. Throughout the match, she was dangerous. But she has not had much success against Gold Pride this season. She missed one match while on the USWNT and in the other two, she did not figure in the scoring.

Sanderson needs to be more dangerous in this match than she was against Boston. It appeared that she was playing kind of a half midfielder/half forward position on Thursday. Since the Independence midfield will have to hang back farther to defend against Gold Pride’s many weapons, Sanderson may become Rodriguez’s primary support in this match. Controversy or not, Danesha Adam’s play on the winning goal was still exceptional. Look for her to be a factor late in this match as well, especially if the Independence can stay close.

Meanwhile, Gold Pride’s forwards have simply destroyed Philadelphia this season. Marta, Sinclair, and O’Hara have combined for nine goals and six assists in just three matches. Not much more can be said about Marta that hasn’t already been said. She is the best player in the world, perhaps the fastest player in the world, and certainly as determined as they come. She has figured in seven of the nine goals that Gold Pride has scored against the Independence in 2010. I honestly don’t think Philly’s back line has enough speed to stay with her for an entire match.

And if Marta wasn’t enough to deal with, then there’s Sinclair who scored four goals against Philly, including at least one in each game. There’s O’Hara, one of the most exciting young forwards in the league with two goals to her credit against Sunday’s opponent. And on top of that, there’s the crafty veteran, Tiffeny Milbrett, to cause opposing defenses even more problems. Add to that Kiki Bosio and her flip throws and you have the best offense in WPS.

Rodriguez has truly become a top notch forward this season. But Gold Pride’s forwards are fast, talented, and there are just too many weapons there to stop. The edge has to go to Gold Pride here.

Coaching
Paul Riley vs. Albertin Montoya

I think Riley has done a magnificent job coaching his team to two overtime victories. After a sluggish finish to the regular season, his team has come out and played two strong matches.

Many have discounted Montoya’s coaching performance, saying that any team that has Marta should win. While there is some truth to the fact that Marta has had a great effect on Gold Pride’s success, Montoya has had a lot to do with it as well. This will be his first playoff match, so it will be interesting to see how he matches up against Riley in a tactical chess match.

Call it dead even.

Intangibles
Gold Pride has been aces at home, going 8-1-3 over the course of the season. The only negative is that they were inexplicably blanked three times at home, all of those in Pioneer Stadium. Philadelphia has not been a good road team, but they beat the odds on Thursday night in Boston. In the two contests they played in northern California this year, they were beaten twice and neither game was really that close.

As far as playing three games in a week, I think that works both ways. It will certainly hurt that Philadelphia has had to play 240 minutes of soccer to get here. But there is something to be said for having two games of playoff experience under your belt. The two week layoff may also hurt a Gold Pride team that was clicking quite nicely at the end of the season. All you have to do is look at 2009 and the Sky Blue/LA Sol matchup.

Slight edge to Gold Pride for the home field advantage and in light of Philly’s game and travel fatigue.

My Prediction
It’s hard to see Gold Pride losing this match, but the same was said about the Los Angeles Sol last season. Surely though, Marta and Boxx remember last year’s game and will make sure that it doesn’t happen again. In the three regular season matches, there was no scoring in the first 39 minutes of any of the games. Gold Pride scored at the end of the first half in each of those matches. Philadelphia cannot afford a lapse in concentration toward the end of the half.

I think the first goal in this match will be critical. Having played so much soccer, it will be much harder for the Independence to come from behind in this one. They need to follow Sky Blue’s blueprint in last year’s championship. After the early goal and Falk’s subsequent red card, the Sol seemed almost in a daze for nearly 25 minutes before reality and urgency settled in. Gold Pride is a highly confident bunch and feeling the sting of an early goal, especially against a team that they handled so easily in three previous meetings, might throw a shock into them.

But putting one on the board before Marta and company do the same is easier said than done. Gold Pride has throttled Rodriguez, while their speedy forwards have ripped the Independence defense. Unless Paul Riley has a few more tricks up his sleeve, I see it…
FC Gold Pride 3, Philadelphia Independence 1.

WPS Award Winners Announced

WPS has announced the winners of their year-end awards. Five of the awards are voted on by media, fans, players, and coaches. The Golden Boot goes to the leading goal scorer. Finally, the Citi Sportswoman of the Year is voted on by only players and coaches. Here are the winners of those awards:

Michelle Akers Player of the Year - Marta, FC Gold Pride

MedImmune Defender of the Year - Amy LePeilbet, Boston Breakers

Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year - Nicole Barnhart, FC Gold Pride

WPS Rookie of the Year - Ali Riley, FC Gold Pride

WPS Coach of the Year - Paul Riley, Philadelphia Independence.

Citi Sportswoman of the Year - Natalie Spilger, Chicago Red Stars

PUMA Golden Boot - Marta, FC Gold Pride

Congratulations to all of the awardees!

WPS Awards - Who I Voted For and Why.....Part 1

The WPS Year-End Awards will be announced soon, so I thought I would do a two-part series on who I voted for and why. Every category had a number of good candidates and a couple of the awards were exceedingly hard to decide. So, without further ado, this is who I voted for in each category:

WPS Coach of the Year - Paul Riley, Philadelphia Indpendence

Nothing against Jim Gabarra, but to me, this came down to Riley, Tony DiCicco, and Albertin Montoya. I thought that both DiCicco and Montoya had more talent to work with than Riley. I also think that heading into the season, both Boston and Gold Pride had superstars in Kelly Smith and Marta, where Philadelphia really did not.

I was very impressed with how Riley brought together a group of spare parts (no offense to the Independence players intended) and had them playing competitive soccer from day one, something that is difficult with an expansion team. Players seemed to reach their potential for Philadelphia and I believe Riley needs to be given credit for a lot of that. I know critics are going to cite the four consecutive losses at the end of the season, but the expansion Independence still finished in 3rd place, just a scant two points behind established Boston.

Tony DiCicco did an admirable job in turning around a Breakers team that appeared to be headed nowhere in May. The Breakers made some acquisitions and DiCicco tweaked his lineup and things turned around in a hurry. But Boston entered the season with a strong veteran lineup and didn't have to deal with the handicap of expansion that Riley did.

One comment that I've heard far too much is that any team that has Marta should win, thus discounting Montoya's efforts with Gold Pride. Marta is a big difference maker to be sure, but it shouldn't detract from the job Montoya did, starting three rookies and leading FCGP from last place in 2009 to first this season.

Jim Gabarra has to be given credit for the Freedom's surge at the end of the season, picking up 14 points in the final 7 matches. But the Freedom had a dismal two months in June and July, so it was hard to see picking him over Riley.

MedImmune Defender of the Year - Rachel Buehler, FC Gold Pride

This is always a tough category to vote on. Defense is much more of a team effort than individual effort. There are no statistics to easily quantify a defender's performance and one really needs to watch them over a full schedule to appreciate what they do for a team, game in and game out. All four of the nominees are team leaders and solid defenders, but on my vote, I had Rachel Buehler edging out Amy LePeilbet.

Rachel Buehler is an exceptional defender and is known for her hard tackles. She captained a defense that went from 2nd worst to best in just one year. Of Gold Pride's regular starting back line, only Kandace Wilson had played with Buehler at all last year and then for only part of the season. I think Buehler has to be given a lot of credit for the group's cohesiveness given the small amount of time they had played together. I also rarely saw Buehler make a mistake.

Amy LePeilbet is often called the best defender in the league and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she won this award. She is talented, consistent, and always gives top effort. It was a very hard decision, but I gave Buehler the nod over LePeilbet by the slightest of margins.

Both Allison Falk and Tina Ellertson are excellent defenders. Both are good in the air, keeping their respective teams out of trouble on set pieces. Falk is a threat at both ends of the field on headers. Ellertson makes many tackles that most defenders wouldn't even attempt and has perhaps the best closing speed of any defender in WPS. I thought both were hurt by the fact that their teams could be very inconsistent defensively. I would love to have them on my team, but I just couldn't vote for either over Buehler for 2010.

Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year - Nicole Barnhart, FC Gold Pride

Nicole Barnhart, often overshadowed by her USWNT teammate Hope Solo, had a great season in goal for FC Gold Pride. She led the league in shutouts with eight and in goals against average at 0.77 per game. She only gave up as many as two goals three times this season. I thought her consistency from start to finish of the 2010 season lifted her above the other candidates.

Karen Bardsley, stepping in for the injured Jen Branam, did a phenomenol job early in the season. She earned five shutouts before the All-Star break. Unfortunately, she suffered a season-ending injury in training for that game and missed the rest of the season. In spite of the great half season she had and my very high respect for her accomplishments, I couldn't choose her over Barnhart's season-long excellence.

I still regard Hope Solo as the beat keeper in the league, but again, it was hard to choose her over Barnhart in 2010. Controversy aside, there is no other goalkeeper that I would want in goal for a penalty kick or a breakaway and she kept the Beat in many a game that they had no business being in. But she suffered from Atlanta's inconsistent defensive efforts and there were just too many multi-goal games.

Jill Loyden is a solid young keeper who will only improve as she gains confidence and experience. Like Solo, she posted six shutouts. But again, it was hard to see choosing her over Barnhart in this particular season.

Tomorrow, part two of WPS Awards - Who I Voted For and Why.

Scoreless Again - Gold Pride 0, Washington 0

For the third straight match, FC Gold Pride played to a scoreless draw, this time at home against the Washington Freedom. It was the first time that any WPS team has played to three consecutive scoreless draws.

Nicole Barnhart for Gold Pride and Ashlyn Harris for the Freedom earned the shutouts. It was Barnhart's seventh of the season, dropping her league leading goals against average to 0.71. Harris has now posted shutouts in two of her last three outings with the only goal in the third being an own goal. Gold Pride outshot Washington 13 to 7 for the match.

For a team that averaged three goals a game in the month of July, the offensive powerhouse that was FC Gold Pride has been slowed by the heat of August. While Gold Pride appears to be cruising to a WPS regular season title, they have now been shut out six times this season. They will take the field next at Toyota Park against the Red Stars, a side that blanked them the last two times the teams have met.

Gold Pride's record goes to 12-3-4, good for 40 points and a nine point lead on the Independence, pending the outcome of Philly's match today against Atlanta. Washington moves to 5-8-7 and 22 points, which puts them in a 4th place tie with Sky Blue, but SBFC has two games in hand. The Freedom will host Chicago on Thursday.

WPS Weekend Wrap - August 1

Atlanta Plays Gold Pride to 0-0 Tie at Home

In what may have been one of the more entertaining scoreless ties you'll ever see, the Atlanta Beat stopped FC Gold Pride's five game winning streak. Both teams are probably thinking that the game should have been theirs. Atlanta wasted several great opportunities while at the other end, Hope Solo made some sparkling saves and may have been saved by the crossbar on one occasion.

The Beat came out with a lot of energy and took it to Gold Pride early on. Eniola Aluko had two golden opportunities in the first half, with Nicole Barnhart saving one and the other being shot wide. The best chance was a two player break with Aluko in control of the ball on the right side. With Lori Chalupny open in the middle, Aluko elected to try to beat Barnhart near post, but the Bay Area goalkeeper was up to the task.

Atlanta had two more great chances in the 2nd half, one that Monica Ocampo sent over the net and another that Ramona Bachmann was unable to get on target from the six yard box, with the ball rolling just inches wide.

Gold Pride had opportunities as well. Kelley O'Hara cut back on Aya Miyama and was able to get a blistering right-footed shot off from 18 yards, but Solo made a diving save to her left to keep the match level.

In the 89th minute, Christine Sinclair nearly got the winner as she redirected a cross about eight yards directly in front of the goal. The ball was past a leaping Hope Solo, but hit the top of the crossbar.

It was only Gold Pride's second tie of the season, leaving them at 12-3-2, good for 38 points. The tie leaves them needing just a single point to clinch a playoff spot. Atlanta, unbeaten in their last four, moved into a tie for 6th place with Washington. They now find themselves just three points out of 4th place.

Chicago Moves into 4th Place with 2-1 Victory

Goals by Ella Masar and Karen Carney lifted the Red Stars to a 2-1 victory over Sky Blue in New Jersey. It was Masar's 5th goal this season, but the first of the year for Carney. Chicago moves into 4th place by virtue of the victory, two points ahead of Sky Blue and three points ahead of Atlanta and Washington.

Sky Blue's goal was scored by Brittany Taylor. She has scored in the last two games and is the only Sky Blue player to have scored since June.

Chicago moves to 5-8-5, with 20 points. Their hold on fourth is precarious as every other team has at least one or two games in hand with respect to the Red Stars. They will travel to the opposite coast to face league leading Gold Pride next weekend. Sky Blue dropped their fourth straight match and are at 5-8-3. They will travel to Atlanta for their next match.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-2, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (8-5-3, 27 pts); 3) Boston (6-6-4, 22 pts); 4) Chicago (5-8-5, 20 pts); 5) Sky Blue FC (5-8-3, 18 pts); 6) Atlanta (4-7-5, 17 pts); 6) Washington (4-8-5, 17 pts).

WPS Friday Night - FC Gold Pride at Boston

This is a rare WPS Friday night contest, matching up 1st place FC Gold Pride with the Boston Breakers at Harvard Stadium. Rosters are tentative.

FC Gold Pride at Boston Breakers – May 14 (7:30 pm ET, 4:30 pm PT)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA.

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

Boston: GK-A. Phillips, A. Naeher, A. Lipsher; D-A. LePeilbet, K. Moore, A. Scott, S. Cox, J. Angeli; MF-L. Osborne, K. Lilly, Fabiana (probable-quad), C. Igwe, L. Bogus; F-K. Smith, L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: S. Walsh (knee), M. Enyeart (knee), M. Tomecka (ankle), C. Zimmeck (foot), A. Marquez.

Previous Meetings (2009):
Boston 1 @ FC Gold Pride 2
FC Gold Pride 1 @ Boston 1
Boston 1 @ FC Gold Pride 0

What to Look For: FCGP rides a four game winning streak into this contest and will break a record if they can record a 5th. Gold Pride will be missing two key elements of their offense due to injuries, O’Hara and Abily. Barnhart has consecutive shutouts for the first time in her WPS career. While Sinclair and O’Hara have had good seasons so far, Marta has been relatively quiet with just 1 goal. Boston has been shutout in consecutive matches and needs to jumpstart their offense. They are winless since their opener, the only match in their last 14 in which they have scored more than one goal. Phillips earned her first career shutout last weekend and she has a solid defense in front of her with the quartet of LePeilbet, Scott, Cox, and Moore. Smith has two goals for Boston, exactly half of their season total. Last year's series between these two teams was very even.
Storylines: Gold Pride will be going after the record for consecutive wins. However, they have been outscored by an aggregate 2-1 in their two roads games and one has to wonder if the long road trips they must endure will have an effect on them. Boston’s home field advantage that we saw in early 2009 appears to have disappeared with only 2 points to show for their last 4 home games.

The previews for the other WPS weekend games will appear later in the week.

FC Gold Pride 2010 - Offseason Changes Make FCGP a Contender

Coach: Albertin Montoya
2009 Record: 4-10-6 (7th place)
Postseason: Out of the playoffs.

Returnees (8): Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, Carrie Dew, Kristin Graczyk, Tiffeny Milbrett, Christine Sinclair, Kandace Wilson, Kim Yokers.
Draft Choices (6): Kelley O’Hara, Ali Riley, Becky Edwards, Kaley Fountain, Erin Guthrie, Ashley Bowyer.
LA Dispersal Draft (2): Marta, Kiki Bosio.
International Signings ( 1): Solveig Gulbrandsen.
Free Agents (3): Brittany Cameron, Candace Chapman, Rosie Tantillo.
Trades (1): Camille Abily.

After finishing last in 2009, Gold Pride was very aggressive in the offseason. Even before Marta joined the team, they had signed Solveig Gulbrandsen and Candace Chapman and traded for Camille Abily. They appear to have had the best draft of any team in the league, selecting quality players in areas of need. But no matter what else happened, the addition of Marta makes Gold Pride a contender.

Exactly two thirds of LA’s 2009 offense now make their home in the Bay Area. Marta scored 10 goals and Abily scored 8 in '09. Add to that Christine Sinclair’s 6 goals in WPS, Solveig Gulbrandsen 6 goals with Stabæk in the Toppserien, and Kelley O’Hara’s 26 goals on the college level for Stanford and we should see a scoring juggernaut this season from FCGP. But like many teams, there are question marks. Gold Pride gave up a lot of goals last season and it is yet to be seen whether newcomers Chapman, Ali Riley, and Becky Edwards can improve the defense enough to push Gold Pride to the top.

Goalkeeping-Bay Area returns starter and USWNT team goalkeeper, Nicole Barnhart. Barnhart posted a 1.44 GAA and 2 shutouts in 2009. With a better team in front of her, expect that to improve in 2010. Brittany Cameron spent 2009 as LA’s developmental keeper behind Karina LeBlanc and Val Henderson. She should get a better chance for action in 2010. Rutger’s Erin Guthrie, one of the top college prospects at goalkeeper, joins Gold Pride as their developmental keeper.

Defenders-Last year’s Gold Pride gave up 28 goals, the 2nd worst total in WPS. That has to improve. Leigh Ann Robinson is gone, but Bay Area will get a boost with the return of Kandace Wilson, a big part of FCGP’s early success before injury ended her season. Gold Pride also added two more players, Candace Chapman through free agency and Ali Riley through the draft. Chapman is a member of the Canadian National team and played for Boston last season. Riley had a stellar career at Stanford and is perhaps the best two-way outside back coming out of college. If Wilson and Riley start on the outside, opposing teams are going to have to contend with a lot of speed coming out of the back.

In the middle, USWNT defender Rachel Buehler leads the way. Buehler is solid defensively and known for her hard tackling. Kristen Graczyk also returns on defense. She is the only Gold Pride player to play in all 20 matches last season. Except for a couple of tough breaks, Carrie Dew had pretty good season at back last season and should continue to improve. Kaley Fountain, out of Wake Forest, will add depth on defense and can play forward as well. This defense should be improved from a year ago, but the question is how much.

Midfielders-No team revamped their midfield for 2010 more than FC Gold Pride. The two major additions are Camille Abily, obtained in a trade from Los Angeles, and Solveig Gulbrandsen, a longtime veteran of the Norwegian National Team. Abily’s eight goals were second only to LA teammate Marta’s league-leading total of 10 last season. Abily had an uncanny ability to find open space between defenders enabling her unleash her dangerous shot. Gulbrandsen comes over to the states with a distinguished career for Norway, where she ranks among the leaders in caps and goals scored. She has played in 15 World Cup and 9 Olympic matches over her career.

Past those two players, it gets a little more uncertain. Kim Yokers is one returnee in the midfield. She scored one goal in limited playing time in ’09. Gold Pride drafted top defensive midfielder Becky Edwards out of Florida State and later added Ashley Bowyer of Ohio State, who made the team as a developmental player. Ageless Tiffeny Milbrett can play attacking mid or forward. Milbrett proved she could still put it in the back of the net with 4 goals last season. Linking with Gold Pride’s talented forwards could be the key to the season. Expect Gulbrandsen to shoulder a lot of that load.

Forwards-At last year’s All-Star game in St. Louis, we saw the Marta-Sinclair connection for the first time and the two worked well together with Marta assisting on Sinclair’s first goal in that match. Sinclair’s talent was showcased in that game, giving a clinic in perfectly timed runs and scoring two goals. Marta is the best player in women’s soccer. A 4-time FIFA Player of the Year, she is not only talented, but her speed and determination make her very hard to stop. She also has the most lethal left foot in women’s soccer.

Even before Gold Pride secured Marta, they already had the makings of a great front line combo after drafting Kelley O’Hara out of Stanford. O’Hara, with teammate Riley, helped lead Stanford to the NCAA final before falling to perennial power UNC. Santa Clara’s Kiki Bosio and free agent Rosie Tantillo help add depth to this talented group of forwards. Bosio had 3 goals and 7 assists for the Broncos last season.

Summary-Last season, Bay Area had only two players (Sinclair and Milbrett) to score more than one goal over the course of the season. In fact, between May 3 and August 1 (a total of 12 matches), the only player that scored on anything other than a penalty kick was Sinclair. We won’t be seeing that kind of drought this year. My guess is Gold Pride will have 6 or 7 players with two or more goals this season.

That leads us to the midfield and defense. No organization did a better job at trying to fill their needs than FCGP. But will the midfield be deep enough and will the defense be good enough for Gold Pride to earn a title? No matter how many changes a team makes, it still isn’t easy to go from last to first in just one season. I’ve always said that any team that Marta is on will be a contender, but only time will tell whether Gold Pride’s other improvements will be enough to win it all.

Kicking in a Winter Wonderland - USWNT 1, Mexico 0

Playing in a snowstorm in Rio Tinto Stadium, the USWNT defeated Mexico 1-0 in an international friendly played this evening. Abby Wambach scored the 2nd half goal in the 60th minute on a low cross from Shannon Boxx. The play started with Kristine Lilly making a nice touch to free Boxx on the left side of the penalty area. She drew the goalkeeper to the near post and sent the ball across to a charging Wambach who easily finished. It was Wambach's 105th international goal. Perhaps even more amusing was the goal celebration, which saw Wambach, Boxx, and teammates doing snow angels before a courageous Sandy, Utah crowd.

Snow accumulated over most of the field, although the penalties areas were somewhat cleared before each half. The US outshot Mexico 20-4 for the match in very difficult playing conditions. The game saw Brittany Taylor and Alex Morgan pick up their first caps, and Kelley O'Hara her second after debuting on Sunday in the US 3-0 victory over Mexico. Nicole Barnhart got the shutout for the US.

Athletica Hangs On For First Victory

It seemed a long time coming, but Saint Louis Athletica finally notched their first victory in team history as they defeated FC Gold Pride 1-0 before a crowd of over 3800 at Korte Stadium on the campus of SIU-Edwardsville.

The winning goal was scored early in the contest at approximately the 16 minute mark on a corner kick by Lori Chalupny. Chalupny's left-footed in-swinging corner to the far post eluded Nicole Barnhart and went cleanly into the net giving Athletica a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. The goal seemed to catch both players and fans off guard as there was almost a delayed reaction to it.

The victory did not come without a few anxious moments for Saint Louis, most notably on a play just before stoppage in the 2nd half. Hope Solo came out to intercept a ball in heavy traffic, but she was unable to grab it cleanly. In the ensuing scramble, Christine Sinclair was able to get a shot off that Solo, who was trying to make her way back to the net, was able to snare out of the air to preserve the win.

The game was fairly evenly played in the 1st half, with Athletica having slightly more possession and a healthy edge in shots on goal and corners. Early on, Barnhart went down after a collision in front of her net for what we later found out was a fractured nose. In spite of that, Nicole was able to continue and played very well the rest of the match.

Saint Louis did have a few dangerous chances later in the half, but as has been too often the case this season, their shots were not well placed and Barnhart handled them without incident. Bay Area's best chance of the half came in the 34th minute as Sinclair got clear for a shot at the top of the box that went just wide to Solo's left. A minute later, it was Athletica's Eniola Aluko chipping a cross from the side of the box that went just high and wide of the Gold Pride net.

At half time, Coach Albertin Montoya subbed Tiffeny Milbrett in for Tiffany Weimer, who had an uncharacteristically quiet first half. The 2nd half started much as the first with Chalupny's shot in the 48th minute being easily saved by Barnhart.

It was at that point that Gold Pride started to assert themselves, as their skill players took charge. Over the next 25 minutes, they dominated play with Saint Louis rarely able to get it out of their own half of the field. In the 54th minute, Solo raced out and just beat a charging Sinclair to the ball in front of the Athletica net. A few minutes later, Leslie Osborne launched a shot from long range that was saved by Solo. At about the 75 minute mark, Gold Pride had three consecutive corner kicks that they weren't able to do anything with. This was followed by a hard shot from Eriko Arakawa that Solo made a nice stop on. A minute later, another Gold Pride effort, this one by DiMartino, sailed just over the net. Arakawa, Milbrett, and Formiga played exceptionally well over this stretch. However, Saint Louis was able to weather the storm and hang on for the victory.

Melissa Tancredi suffered a leg injury early in the 2nd half. The stretcher was brought out, but she got up and tried to walk it off, only to go to the ground again a few minutes later. At that point, Coach Jorge Barcellos replaced Tancredi with Niki Cross. The injury to Tancredi did not appear to be serious, but she did have a fairly pronounced limp after the game.

For his other two substitutions, Barcellos used his new acquisitions from LA, Kendall Fletcher and Christie Welsh. Welsh played very well in the closing minutes of the game, showing some nifty ball handling at times and was arguably Athletica's best offensive threat in the 2nd half. Fletcher subbed for Sara Larsson, who was playing her first game at defensive midfielder instead of her normal central defender role. This was Larsson's first game back after sitting out two games with an injury. Saint Louis' defense was solid throughout the match.

Coach Montoya's 2nd half substitution of Milbrett was instrumental in changing the momentum of the game in Gold Pride's favor, as they outshot Saint Louis 8-1 in the final 45 minutes. His other 2nd half substitutions were Erika and Leigh Ann Robinson, who had scored the game winner against Sky Blue a week ago. The Gold Pride defense also played well and they were able to keep Athletica's scoring chances to a minimum. Rachel Buehler was a standout in that capacity. Christina DiMartino was very active and played well for long stretches during both halves. Kandace Wilson made some nice runs from the back, but was unable to get any serious scoring chances. Montoya had to be happy with how well his team played in the 2nd half, even if there was disappointment in not being able to find the net.

Coach Barcellos was obviously both joyous and relieved as he came over to greet fans with hugs and handshakes following the victory. It has certainly been a tough year for Barcellos, who has had to juggle his lineup due to numerous injuries and whose team started the season playing well, but had little to show for it. Athletica's victory moves them into a tie for 5th place with Washington, just two points behind 4th place FC Gold Pride, who maintains their hold on the last playoff spot.