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.

England Wins World Cup Warm-Up Over Sweden

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

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

USWNT Adds Engen and Farrelly to Roster

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

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

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

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.

Independence Draft Early, Often, and Well

After a 2010 draft that saw Philadelphia have only one selection in the first three rounds, it had to seem like Christmas to coach Paul Riley with seven selections in the 2011 WPS Draft. The Independence had four picks out of the first eleven and they made the most of their selections.

Not that Philadelphia needed a lot. They certainly had a solid roster coming into this draft. But Riley set down his goals heading into the draft as a couple of midfielders and a center back and he concentrated those positions with his selections.

With the second overall selection, Philadelphia chose midfielder Sinead Farrelly out of the University of Virginia. Widely considered to have the best overall skills in the draft, Farrelly is probably the midfielder that can step in and start from day one. She's well-rounded both offensively and defensively.

Farrelly scored 30 career goals for the Cavaliers and assisted on 22 more. She led the team in scoring in both her junior and senior seasons. Farrelly will join her former Virginia teammate, Nikki Krzysik, on the Independence.

With the fifth overall selection, Riley had to feel fortunate that Lauren Fowlkes fell right to him. Fowlkes was considered the best central defender in the draft and helped lead Notre Dame to a national title in her senior season. She has good size and is very strong in the air. In addition, she can play defensive mid if need be.

To start the second round, Philly chose forward Jennifer Stoltenberg out of Oregon. Often overshadowed in a conference with national powers UCLA and Stanford, Stoltenberg scored 33 career goals for the Ducks. She tied the school's points record in her sophomore season and then broke it in both her junior and senior years. She has good speed and versatility.

I have to admit that I found Philadelphia's pick at the 11th overall position to be a bit curious. For the second year in a row, they drafted Wake Forest defender Caitlin Farrell. Farrell apparently elected to finish her studies and not try out for the Independence last year. I'm surprised that Philly didn't just wait until after the draft and sign her as a free agent, since most of the teams were concentrating on this year's seniors, but I guess they felt that they couldn't chance it.

At 5-9, Farrell has good size and is strong in the air, both of which come in handy for a central defender. She has experience in Europe with FC Twente and on the US U-23 team.

At the 15th position, the Independence chose Lauren Barnes of UCLA. She is a very highly regarded defender, who some people thought might go in the first round of the draft. The left-footer is excellent on free kicks and a solid all around performer. She has experience on the US U-23 team as well.

Philadelphia again tapped into Wake Forest's pool of talent in choosing midfielder Bianca D'Agostino with the 18th selection. D'Agostino started her college career at Penn State before transferring to Wake. She tallied 13 career assists while at Wake Forest and is considered to be very good with the ball at her feet.

With their final selection at 23rd overall, the Independence selected midfielder Teresa Rynier out of James Madison. Perhaps most impressive about Rynier is her 53 career assists, as she hit double-digits in that category each and every season at James Madison. Her hometown is Leola, Pennsylvania, which is about 70 miles from Philadelphia.

With very few roster spots open, competition in the Independence preseason camp ought to be fierce. Give Philly high grades on this draft.

As Expected...Morgan and Farrelly Go 1-2

The two players that most people thought would go 1st and 2nd in the 2011 WPS draft were indeed the first two players taken. Western New York selected Alex Morgan of California and the USWNT, followed by Philadelphia choosing Sinead Farrelly of Virginia.

Washington traded for Atlanta's first round selection, which changed the complexion of the draft quite a bit. They chose Meghan Klingenberg of North Carolina with the 3rd overall pick, followed by Christen Press of Stanford at 4th. The consensus had been that Atlanta would choose Press at number three before the trade was made.

It was no surprise that the Independence chose Lauren Fowlkes at number five, once she slipped past the first four picks. The Boston Breakers chose midfielder Keelin Winters at six, followed by Atlanta choosing defensive midfield specialist Kylie Wright with the 7th pick and Western New York getting Portland Pilot left back Elli Reed at number eight.

Virginia, Portland, UCLA, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame each had two players selected from their programs. Surprisingly, some smaller schools were represented well, too, with players being selected from George Mason, Harvard, Niagara, James Madison, and UC-Irvine. Traditional powers North Carolina and Stanford only had one each. The Big Ten was entirely shut out of the proceedings.

Some teams went with players having local ties with at least one of their selections. Philadelphia chose local product Farrelly from Havertown and later selected James Madison midfielder Teresa Rynier from Leola, Pennsylvania. Boston selected Harvard forward Katherine Sheeleigh in the 3rd round. Western New York chose Niagara goalkeeper Ashleigh Bowers in the 4th round.

Perhaps the oddest selection, at least to me, was Philadelphia choosing Caitlin Farrell with the 11th overall pick. It was odd in that Philadelphia chose Farrell with the 58th selection in the 2010 draft. That's right, same team, same player, two different years. Not to mention, she moved up 47 spots.

One international player, Omolyn Davis, was chosen by Washington. Davis, a midfielder for George Mason, has experience with the Jamaican National Team.

Several high profile players did not enter the draft. Sophie Schmidt, who many considered to be a 1st round selection and a player from the Canadian National Team, reportedly did not enter the draft. Nor did highly regarded defender Hannah Cerrone out of Boston College. North Carolina midfielder Ali Hawkins also reportedly was not interested in playing pro soccer.

As for my mock draft....well let's just say I got the first two right and leave it at that.

Here are the players selected in the 2011 WPS Draft:

First Round
1) Western New York-Alex Morgan, F, California (Diamond Bar, California)
2) Philadelphia-Sinead Farrelly, MF, Virginia (Havertown, Pennsylvania)
3) Washington-Meghan Klingenberg, MF, North Carolina (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania)
4) Washington-Christen Press, F, Stanford (Palos Verdes Estates, California)
5) Philadelphia-Lauren Fowlkes, D, Notre Dame (Lee's Summit, Missouri)
6) Boston-Keelin Winters, MF, Portland (Englewood, Colorado)
7) Atlanta-Kylie Wright, MF, UCLA (Rancho Santa Margarita, California)
8) Western New York-Elli Reed, D, Portland (Park City, Utah)

Second Round
9) Philadelphia-Jennifer Stoltenberg, F, Oregon (Mission Viejo, California)
10) Washington-Omolyn Davis, MF, George Mason (Kingston, Jamaica)
11) Philadelphia-Caitlin Farrell, D, Wake Forest (Fort Myers, Florida)
12) Boston-Whitney Palmer, F, Oklahoma (Plano, Texas)

Third Round
13) Western New York-Rose Augustin, MF, Notre Dame (Silver Lake, Ohio)
14) Atlanta-Meghan Lenczyk, F, Virginia (McLean, Virginia)
15) Philadelphia-Lauren Barnes, D, UCLA (Upland, California)
16) Sky Blue FC-Alyssa Mautz, MF/F, Texas A&M (O'Fallon, Missouri)
17) Washington-Amanda DaCosta, MF, Florida State (Katonah, New York)
18) Philadelphia-Bianca D'Agostino, MF, Wake Forest (Longmeadow, Massachusetts)
19) Boston-Katherine Sheeleigh, F, Harvard (New Vernon, New Jersey)

Fourth Round
20) Western New York-Ashleigh Bowers, GK, Niagara (Liverpool, New York)
21) Sky Blue FC-Lauren Alkek, D, Oklahoma (Victoria, Texas)
22) Washington-Katie Fraine, GK, Florida (Titusville, Florida)
23) Philadelphia-Teresa Rynier, MF, James Madison (Leola, Pennsylvania)
24) Boston-Tanya Taylor, F, UC-Irvine (Buena Park, California)

Draft analysis coming soon...

A Whole Different Game - 2011 WPS Draft Preview

Last year, at the time of the draft, we had nine teams in WPS vying for the top players in college soccer. This year, there will only be six.

Last year, there were 64 players chosen. This year, there will be only 24.

Last year, while teams all had different needs and certainly some were in better shape than others, all of the teams were entering the draft in fairly similar situations. This year, it ranges from Philadelphia and Sky Blue, both of which have nearly full rosters already, to Boston and Western New York, who have some holes to fill but are pretty far along, to Atlanta which has a lot of work to do, to Washington which couldn't even field an indoor team at the present time.

Which I guess brings us to another point. For ease and familiarity purposes, I will refer to that particular franchise as the Washington Freedom for now.

And then there's the fact that with two more teams out of action, there are still a lot of quality free agents on the market to fill roster spots. But then again, depth will be more important this year with the World Cup pulling several players away from their teams for varying lengths of time.

This year's draft will be webcast live on the WPS website.

So first, let's look at each team and where they are now (at least with respect to personnel):

Atlanta Beat
Current Roster: GK-None; D-Keeley Dowling, Cat Whitehill, Tina Ellertson, Kat Reynolds, Lauren Sesselmann; MF-Carli Lloyd, Lori Chalupny, Johanna Rasmussen, Kristina Larsen; F-India Trotter.
Where They Draft: 3, 7, 14
What They Need: Scorers (and a lot of them); a goalkeeper: a holding midfielder; depth everywhere. They'll probably fill a forward spot with Christen Press with the 3rd pick. Uncertainty about Solo makes their goalkeeping situation a big question mark, but with so many free agent keepers, I don't know if they'll draft one. Lots of different possibilities with that 7th pick.

Boston Breakers
Current Roster: GK-Alyssa Naeher, Ashley Phillips, Kelsey Davis; D-Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ifeoma Dieke, Kasey Moore; MF-Jordan Angeli, Leslie Osborne, Liz Bogus, Nikki Washington, Kelly Smith; F-Lauren Cheney, Kelley O'Hara, Taryn Hemmings.
Where They Draft: 6, 12, 19, 24
What They Need: Depth everywhere, an attacking mid/wing, another forward. No team will likely get hit harder by the World Cup than the Breakers. They could potentially lose their entire starting back line plus their best attacking players during parts of June and July. They should be able to get a quality player at the 6th pick.

Philadelphia Independence
Current Roster: GK-Val Henderson; D-Heather Mitts, Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Frida Magnusdottir, Leigh Ann Robinson, Kia McNeill, Estelle Johnson; MF-Jen Buczkowski, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey, Tina DiMartino, Joanna Lohman; F-Amy Rodriguez, Lianne Sanderson, Tasha Kai, Danesha Adams.
Where They Draft: 2, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 23
What They Need: Midfield depth, backup keeper, defensive depth. Philadelphia has a nearly full roster and unlike last year, they are loaded with draft picks. In addition, Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer is reporting that Philly has signed Veronica Boquete and Laura del Rio. If he's right, and he usually is, then Philadelphia is loaded with attacking options. They are probably one of the few teams that can afford to use a draft choice on a goalkeeper. Farrelly will likely be their midfield choice at the 2nd pick. I think they'd like Fowlkes at the 5th, but will she still be there?

Sky Blue FC
Current Roster: GK-Karen Bardsley, Jen Branam; D-Anita Asante, Brittany Taylor, Kristi Eveland, Carrie Dew, Danielle Johnson, Kiersten Dallstream, Michelle Wenino; MF-Kendall Fletcher, Carolyn Blank, Heather O'Reilly, Tobin Heath, Angie Kerr, Allie Long; F-Eniola Aluko, Laura Kalmari, Casey Nogueira.
Where They Draft: 16, 21
What They Need: A forward and depth. Sky Blue is already sporting a crowded roster and they only have two lower picks in the draft. So barring a trade, they should make the least draft day noise.

Washington Freedom
Current Roster: GK-Erin McLeod; D-Becky Sauerbrunn, Nikki Marshall; F-Abby Wambach
Where They Draft: 4, 10, 17, 22
What They Need: What don't they need. Wambach and McLeod will miss time for the World Cup. I'm sure somewhere here, there's a plan. Let's hope it starts unfolding tomorrow at the draft.

Western New York Flash
Current Roster: GK-Ashlyn Harris, Brittany Cameron; D-Whitney Engen, Candace Chapman, Ali Riley, Kandace Wilson, Kaley Fountain, Brittany Bock; MF-Yael Averbuch, McCall Zerboni, Caroline Seger, Beverly Goebel; F-Christine Sinclair. Note that they are also rumored to have Becky Edwards, but I have yet to see definitive confirmation of that.
Where They Draft: 1, 8, 13, 20
What They Need: At least two forwards, one of which will be Alex Morgan, attacking mids, depth everywhere. They have already built a fairly solid foundation for an expansion team, but scoring is at a premium in this league, so they must go offense in this draft.

I must say that this draft, past the first three or four selections, will be very hard to predict, because we don't know what is in the works as far as free agent signees. Teams have to draft for depth this year, because of the World Cup. It also means that teams will be looking for versatile players who can possibly fill several roles.

So, with much trepidation, here are my predictions for this year's draft:

1) Western New York - Alex Morgan, F, California (There has been very little doubt that she would be the number one pick for quite some time. She already has made an impact on the USWNT and besides being a great player, she has the added attraction of being the one player in this draft that may already be a drawing card).

2) Philadelphia - Sinead Farrelly, MF, Virginia (Paul Riley has stated that he is looking to fill some midfield slots and Farrelly is considered the best midfielder in college soccer. Additionally, she is from the Philadelphia area).

3) Atlanta - Christen Press, F, Stanford (Next to Morgan, she is the highest ranking forward in a year where there is a shortage of impact players in that area. Great speed and a nose for the goal, but taking it to the next level has proven difficult for many a top college scorer).

4) Washington - Lauren Fowlkes, D/MF, Notre Dame (One of the very few players in this draft that has size and skills, which is a highly sought after commodity. I've penciled in three or four different players at this slot and I'm still not confident, because Washington could go many different directions here).

5) Philadelphia - Elli Reed, D, Portland (If Fowlkes is still available, Philly will grab her in an instant. But if she's not, Riley likes outside backs that can jump into the attack and Reed fits that bill. Lauren Barnes and Meghan Klingenberg are possibles here, too.)

6) Boston - Meghan Klingenberg, MF, North Carolina (Good skills, solid UNC pedigree and I don't think Tony DiCicco can pass her up. Lilly's retirement makes Klingenberg all the more attractive here).

7) Atlanta - Amanda DaCosta, MF, Florida State (With Heath gone, DaCosta gives Atlanta a player with solid skills and good playmaking ability).

8) Western New York - Sophie Schmidt, MF, Portland (A very good player with national team experience. Only drawbacks are that she is an international and she will be at the World Cup).

9) Philadelphia - Lauren Barnes, D, UCLA (Another solid defensive player, although a little shorter than one might like at center back).

10) Washington - Meghan Lenczyk, F, Virginia (After the top two at forward, Lenczyk has the potential to take it to the next level).

11) Philadelphia - Keelin Winters, MF, Portland (Philly adds depth at midfield with Winters. A tough, gritty player and hard worker).

12) Boston - Jessica Tsao, D, Portland (Yet another Pilot and Boston fills in much needed depth with this talented outside defender).

13) Western New York - Rose Augustin, MF, Notre Dame (WNY continues to add attacking players with Augustin. She had 11 goals and 10 assists for the national champions).

14) Atlanta - Megan Jesolva, MF, California (Could potentially be the steal of the draft if she continues to improve. U-23 experience and while she will probably not be a big scorer, she can do a lot of things well).

15) Philadelphia - Kristin Arnold, GK, Texas A&M (With so many selections, Philadelphia has the luxury of using one for a keeper and Arnold is probably the best from the college ranks).

16) Sky Blue - Danielle Toney, F, Penn State (I probably have her more highly ranked than most people, but I think the skills and potential are there).

17) Washington - Kylie Wright, MF, UCLA (Another player with U-23 experience gives the Freedom a solid midfielder).

18) Philadelphia - Ashlee Elliott, D, Florida (A center back with some experience at forward. Her height makes her an ideal target on corners and free kicks).

19) Boston - Rachel Givan, D, Boston (More depth at outside back for the Breakers).

20) Western New York - Tanya Taylor, F, UC-Irvine (11 goals and 12 assists in her senior year).

21) Sky Blue FC - Omolyn Davis, MF, George Mason (Could we see the first Jamaican player in WPS?)

22) Washington - Vendula Strnadova, MF, Memphis (A good attacking player that has played somewhat under the radar at Memphis).

23) Philadelphia - Jackie Carron, D, Michigan (First team all-Big Ten, can play defender or midfielder).

24) Boston - Lisa Kevorkian, F, Boston University (Big time offensive threat for the Terriers after spending three seasons with California).

Other Players to Watch:
Goalkeepers: Nikki Weiss, Notre Dame; Katie Fraine, Florida.
Defenders: Cassie Dickerson, Ohio State; Caitlin McDowell, Maryland; Megan Monroig, Penn State; Erica Campenelli, Texas; Kacey Richards, Connecticut.
Midfielders: Tiffany Yovino, Hofstra; Kendra Chandhoke, Portland; Bianca D'Agostino, Wake Forest; Colleen Flanagan, Virginia; Courtney Jenkins, Ohio State; Chelsea Regan, Boston College; Rachel Shipley, Texas A&M; Brittney Steinbruch, Miami (F); Alyssa Mautz, Texas A&M; Gina DeMaio, Rutgers.
Forwards: Amy Caldwell, Boston College; Whitney Hooper, Texas A&M; Brooke Knowlton, Boston College; Megan Ohai, USC; Anessa Patton, Santa Clara; Alysha Bonnick, Missouri.