Sweden Takes 3rd Place

Playing one player down for the last 22 minutes and stoppage, Sweden managed to pull out a 2-1 victory over France to give them third place in the 2011 World Cup. Marie Hammarstrom became the hero with a stunning strike in the 82nd minute.

Both teams entered this third place match minus one of their star players. Marie-Laure Delie for France and Caroline Seger for Sweden were both out of this match because of injuries. Sweden started Nilla Fischer in the midfield for Seger. France went with Eugenie LeSommer for Delie. And in yet another shuffling of the French back line, Bruno Bini started Corine Franco at right back and put Wendie Renard in at center back.

Sweden appeared to break through in just the fifth minute. Linda Forsberg hit a forceful header through with Lotta Schelin getting behind the defense and scoring, but offsides was the ruling in what was a very close call. Sweden again came close in the 14th minute, with Charlotte Rohlin heading a corner kick, but right at Berangere Sapowicz.

France's first real chance was in the 23rd minute, with LeSommer getting through with some room on the right side of the box, but her low shot was lacking pace and directly at Hedvig Lindahl.

Sweden did take the lead in the 29th minute. Sara Larsson sent a brilliant long ball out of the back, splitting the central defenders with Schelin running onto it. Schelin used the outside of her right foot to touch it past a charging Sapowicz and into the goal.

Sapowicz was injured on the play as her foot got tangled with Schelin's after the shot and she landed very awkwardly on her ankle. Celine Deville had to replace Sapowicz and Louisa Necib, who had received a knock in the knee earlier came off in favor of Elodie Thomis. France were down a goal and had lost two more players to injury.

France came back with a couple of chances. Gaetane Thiney shot high and wide to the right from 14 yards in the 33rd minute. France came very close in the 36th minute with Thiney touching the ball to Elise Bussaglia, whose drive from 22 yards hit the right post squarely and bounced away.

Sweden had a couple of chances of their own in the closing minutes of the half. Rohlin once again came close on a header off of a corner kick, with this one going just inches over the crossbar. As the final seconds ticked off, Therese Sjogran found Schelin open on the right side. She dribbled into the penalty area to within eight yards, but her shot was right at Deville's head and the French keeper pushed it away.

France did get the tying goal early in the 2nd half. In the 56th minute, Thiney turned on a defender and pushed the ball ahead to Thomis. Her right-footed shot from 20 yards was well placed inside the left post and it beat Lindahl to tie the score at one.

Sweden made their first substitution in the 62nd minute, sending in Marie Hammarstrom for Linda Forsberg. It would prove to be a fortuitous decision for Thomas Dennerby.

The action went end-to-end in the next few minutes. Lisa Dahlqvist sent Josefine Oqvist in alone on the left side. But with Deville coming out to cut off the angle, Oqvist's shot hooked just a bit and the ball bounced off the right post and away. At the other end, Thomis was able to get within six yards to take a shot from a bad angle, but Lindahl made the save on that shot. The ensuing corner kick saw Thomis putting the ball just wide of the post.

Things got very chippy in the 68th minute. With Oqvist approaching the penalty area from the right side, she and Sonia Bompastor collided. It appeared that Bompastor tried to kick Oqvist as both were falling to the ground. Oqvist retaliated by kicking Bompastor and as often happens, only the second offense was caught by the referee and Oqvist was sent off.

Sweden made another substitution as Nilla Fischer went down with an injury and Linda Sembrandt was sent in.

In the 82nd minute, Schelin and Laura Georges were chasing the ball on the side of the penalty area, with the ball appearing to go of Schelin last. However, Sweden was awarded a corner on the play and that decision proved important.

Sjogran took the corner and it was headed away by France, but Hammarstrom recovered the ball about 25 yards from the goal. She first volleyed the ball over LeSommer's head, then touched the ball back to the left to get by Bompastor. She then released a bullet of a strike that found the upper left corner of the goal, beating Deville and putting Sweden back ahead by a 2-1 margin. It was certainly one of the best goals of the tournament.

Now down a goal, France subbed in Caroline Pizzala for Franco in the 84th minute. France's best chance came as the game entered the fourth minute of stoppage time. LeSommer sent the ball behind the Swedish defense to Thomis, but Lindahl dove out and beat the French striker to the ball before she could get a shot off.

Sweden was able to finish the match with a 2-1 victory. Interestingly enough, it was the third time that a red card has been shown in this tournament, and in each case, the team playing a man down came back to score a goal. France's Laura Georges scored after Sapowicz had been redcarded against Germany to cut the lead to 3-2 in what proved to be a losing effort. Abby Wambach scored the game-tying goal against Brazil in the quarterfinals after Rachel Buehler had been sent off. Hammarstrom scored the winning goal in this match after Oqvist had been sent off.

For Sweden, it was second time they have finished third at the World Cup, the first being in 1991. Their highest finish was their second place effort in the 2003 World Cup. The fourth place finish was the highest ever by France.

USA to the Finals

It was a gloomy, misty day in Moenchengladbach, but the United States saw blue skies to final as they defeated France 3-1 in FIFA World Cup semifinal action on Wednesday. It was not nearly so dramatic as Sunday's quarterfinal, but it was surely in doubt most of the way. However, this team seems to find a way to win.

The only change for US coach Pia Sundhage was replacing the suspended Rachel Buehler with Becky Sauerbrunn. French coach Bruno Bini decided to use Ophelie Meilleroux in the left center back position, one that has been somewhat of a revolving door for France in this World Cup.

The first chance for France in this match came in eighth minute as Hope Solo was forced to tip a Louisa Necib drive over the net from 22 yards out. Solo, who was making her 100th appearance for the United States, would have quite a busy day in goal for the US as she faced 25 French shots, eight of which were on goal.

As in their match with Brazil, the United States was able to get on the board early. In the 9th minute, the US worked the ball around to the left, with Carli Lloyd backheeling a pass forward to Heather O'Reilly. O'Reilly, who rarely finds herself on that side of the field, was able to get a step on French defender Laura Georges and crossed the ball toward the six. Lauren Cheney was making a near post run for the Americans and she was able to change the direction of the ball just enough to deflect it past Berangere Sapowicz and inside the right post to put the US up 1-0.

In the 24th minute, Carli Lloyd was able to get her head on a Cheney corner kick, but put it a couple of feet wide of the post. Overall, the first 25 minutes were pretty even play between the two sides, but France began to dominate as play approached the half hour mark.

In the 27th minute, Elise Bussaglia hit a hard, low shot from 30 yards, but Solo smothered it. Over the next few minutes, France put heavy pressure on the United States, taking control of the match.

France came very close in the 30th minute as Necib set up Gaetane Thiney on the left side of the penalty area, but Solo came out and deflected the ball wide with her right arm. Just three minutes later, Sandrine Soubeyrand played a short free kick to Sonia Bompastor who struck a beautiful shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball hooked away from Solo, but unfortunately for France, it struck the corner of the goal post and bounced away.

In the 38th minute, Christie Rampone made a rare forward run on the right side and crossed to Abby Wambach, who rose for the header just outside the back post. Wambach's header went all the way across the goal mouth and wide of the right post. The half ended with the US clinging to a 1-0 lead.

Bini surprisingly sent Eugenie LeSommer in for Marie-Laure Delie at the half. Delie is probably the most dangerous attacking player for France.

Not a minute into the second half, France had a golden opportunity. Necib sent Thiney into the left side of the penalty area. Thiney appeared to have space, but with US defender Ali Krieger bearing down on her and Solo charging out, she took a bit too long and was never able to really get a shot off.

But it wasn't long before France did pull even. In 55th minute, Bussaglia switched the point of attack to the left side. Bompastor sent a cross into the penalty area from 30 yards out. With Thiney making a near post run, Solo was uncertain whether to go for the ball or play a potential Thiney header. She elected to stay with Thiney. As it turned out, Thiney rose for the header, but didn't make contact and the ball continued on inside the right post to tie the score at one. It was the first goal for Bompastor in this World Cup.

With the game now even and with the US being outplayed, it began to look like Sunday's game was taking its toll on the tired US squad. Camille Abily followed the goal with a shot over the crossbar in the 57th minute. In the 66th minute, Solo made a turnover on an attempted clearance, but LeSommer mishit her shot from 18 yards.

Sundhage made two substitutions early in the half, sending Alex Morgan in for Amy Rodriguez in the 57th minute and Megan Rapinoe in for Carli Lloyd in the 65th minute. It was a rare moment to see Lloyd subbed out since she nearly always plays the full match.

But just when you thought that this United States team might not have anything left, they came alive. A free kick in the 70th minute nearly gave them the go ahead goal. Rapinoe's low drive from 35 yards gave Sapowicz all kinds of trouble. The ball bounced a few feet away with Morgan charging toward the net. Sapowicz was able to block Morgan's shot and as it turned out, Morgan had been whistled offside, although that was very close as well.

Bini made his second substitution, sending in speedy Elodie Thomis for Soubeyrand in the 78th minute. It was clear that Bini was going for the win.

In the 79th minute, the US won a corner kick on the right side. Cheney's kick went to the back post, just a few feet off the goal line. Abby Wambach had gotten past Laure LePailleur and was uncontested for her header. With Sapowicz arriving late, Wambach headed the ball down and into the net from close in and the United States were back in the lead.

France tried to battle back. In the 81st minute, LePailleur sent a cross toward LeSommer on the left side of the box, but her diving attempt at the header went well wide.

The United States sealed the match in the 82nd minute. Rapinoe was able to touch the ball past the French defense to Morgan. She gained possession on the left side of the penalty area. With Sapowicz charging out and from a very tough angle, Morgan chipped the ball toward the goal. Sapowicz may have barely gotten her fingertips on the ball, but not enough to change the flight of the ball. Morgan's chip found the right side netting and it was 3-1 for the US.

France never really had a good scoring chance afterwards. Sapowicz later made a great save on Morgan that prevented the scoreline from getting any worse. For the French team, it had to be a disappointment, because they had played so well for the first 75 minutes of the match. But in the end, the United States had persevered yet again.

So now, it is on to the finals for the United States. The United States have never lost their final match in the World Cup, twice winning it and three times winning the third place match. It will be their first appearance in the finals since 1999, when they won as the host nation in penalties over China.

France Advances to Semis on Penalty Kicks

France and England battled through 120 minutes of tough soccer, without settling a winner. And after all of the nailbiting anxiety of 120 minutes, the penalty kick faceoff offered even more drama. But in the end, France prevailed by a 5-4 margin on penalties and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in their history.

Elise Bussaglia became the French hero, scoring in the 88th minute to draw France even, when it looked like time would run out on them. Late substitute Eugenie LeSommer knocked home what proved to be the winning penalty kick as English captain Faye White would hit England's final kick off the crossbar, in a heartbreaking finish for the veteran English defender.

One would have to say that the better team won this match as France were certainly more dominant for much of the game. However, one had to feel for an English team that was only minutes from wrapping up the match in regulation and led on penalties 3-2 with only two kicks per team left.

By the time the overtime came around, Kelly Smith was barely able to walk, let alone run. Fara Williams was hobbled as well and Ellen White had run herself nearly into the ground. Karen Bardsley appeared to injure her shoulder, although it did not appear to affect the game in any way.

While France held an advantage in play throughout most of the game, it was England that had a chance just seconds into the match. Karen Carney played a perfect ball through to Smith, who dribbled around French keeper Celine Deville. But Smith's attempt from a bad angle was blocked by Laura Georges and France had averted early disaster.

In the 25th minute, Marie-Laure Delie sent the ball to Gaetane Thiney who struck a beautiful volley that was heading inside the right post, but Bardsley made a diving save to keep France off the board. Bardsley nearly got caught off her line in the 37th minute and Louisa Necib's free kick from 35 was headed on target. Bardsley had started forward and had to back up in quite a hurry to tip the ball over the bar.

France continued to create chance after chance, with Necib putting a shot over the bar, Sandrine Soubeyrand shooting wide, and Bardsley making a leaping catch of a corner kick at the back post. Camille Abily also had two attempts that missed their target in the first half.

Meanwhile, England rarely threatened after the chance in the opening seconds. The first half ended scoreless.

The second half continued the same pattern as France consistently pressured and outplayed the English. Delie had a chance from 14 yards on the right side and put it just high and wide of upper right corner of the net. Thiney sent one right at Bardsley just minutes later.

England finally came close in the 54th minute. Rachel Unitt sent a cross from the left wing and Jill Scott's header went just outside the left post. It may have been a sign of things to come for England.

In the 59th minute, Rachel Yankey sent the ball up the left side to Scott, who cut between French defenders Laure LePailleur and Sabrina Viguier to the middle. With open space in front of her, she dribbled to just outside the top of the box and seeing Deville off her line, drilled a shot over the keeper's head, giving England a 1-0 lead.

Play got a little contentious in the 64th minute as Sonia Bompastor took what quite frankly appeared to be a dive while fighting with Kelly Smith for the ball. Smith took exception to Bompastor's acting abilities and after conversing with one another with faces about two inches apart, Smith gave Bompastor a shove. Things settled down and soccer continued.

France continued to offer most of the offense in the match as Delie put one over the crossbar from 15 yards out on the right side. In the 69th minute, Elodie Thomis crossed one from the right wing and it appeared that Bompastor might be perfectly placed on her back post run, but Smith was able to touch the ball away at the last possible second. Bompastor later put her free kick from 22 yards off the wall and over the goal.

France nearly equalized in the 76th minute as a long ball was sent out of the French backfield to Thomis who had a step on the defense. She dribbled to within 12 yards at a steep angle, but Bardsley was able to push her shot away and England were able to block the rebound and clear the ball out of trouble.

Substitutions will certainly be one of the most talked about aspects of this match. Bruno Bini elected to replace Louisa Necib, who had perhaps been France's best player in the tournament, with Sandrine Bretigny in the 79th minute.

But Hope Powell's decision to replace both outside backs in the 81st minute will surely attract some scrutiny. Apparently she was concerned about the toll that French pressure had taken on the English defense and wanted to get fresh legs in to kill the final ten minutes. But she brought on two relatively inexperienced players to replace two solid veterans, bringing in Steph Houghton and Claire Rafferty for Alex Scott and Rachel Unitt. Later in the match, with Smith and Williams in pain and struggling to continue, I'm sure Powell would like to have had one of those subs back. Powell later made a very solid substitution, putting in Anita Asante for Rachel Yankey.

The substitutions nearly proved fatal in the 85th minute as Thomis got behind the left side of the English defense and in on Bardsley from the right side. Thomis attempted to go near post, but Bardsley punched the ball wide. England had temporarily dodged a bullet.

But just when it appeared that England might survive, Sonia Bompastor hit a serve into the English penalty area. The ball landed at about the penalty spot with Delie and two English defenders fighting for the ball. Delie was just able to push the ball back to Elise Bussaglia who teed up a shot from 22 yards. She could not have hit it more perfectly, as her solid strike hit the high off the inside of the left post and behind Bardsley, who had no chance on the shot. France had drawn level with just a few minutes remaining in regulation time.

It appeared that it would take a miracle for England to make it through the overtime with Smith barely able to walk, Williams limping, and Ellen White nearly gassed from continual running over 90 minutes. Bardsley and Faye White also were injured, but somehow continued on as England tried to hang on for all they were worth.

But in spite of all that, England had the best scoring opportunity of the first overtime. Smith flicked a ball onto Ellen White who was through on the right side, but her shot sailed just wide of the net.

France then dominated the second overtime, sending shot after shot at Bardsley, but somehow couldn't score. Eugenie LeSommer, who subbed in to start the second overtime period, was particularly dangerous in the final 15 minutes, sending a shot over the crossbar in the 116th minute. But LeSommer's time had not quite come yet.

England managed to make it through the 2nd overtime and forced the game to penalty kicks, where their rapidly tiring team had a better chance.

France opened the penalties, sending Camille Abily to shoot first. Her shot was hit to the left side, but did not have great pace. Bardsley guessed right and made the save. The next five attempts were converted, with Smith, Carney, and Stoney scoring for England and Bussaglia and Thiney converting for France. In the 4th round, Sonia Bompastor placed hers perfectly into the left side drawing France even 3-3, but with England having a shot in hand.

Second half substitute Claire Rafferty stepped up to take the fourth try for England and put her low shot wide of the right post. Things were now even with one kick left for each side.

LeSommer was up next for the French and placed her shot lower right, easily beating Bardsley who had guessed wrong. Next up for England was England's captain Faye White. White hit a hard shot which caromed of the top of the crossbar and over. For France, it was a thrilling victory and a berth in the semifinals. For England, it was a heartbreaking defeat in a match that they were so closed to winning.

France will now play the winner of the Brazil-United States match on Wednesday. Except for their defeat by the Germans, the French have been dominant in their other matches and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with as the World Cup heads into its final week of action.

Group A Preview: France

France (#7)
Region: UEFA
Coach: Bruno Bini
How They Qualified: Won UEFA Group Stage, then defeated Italy in playoff.
Prior Cups:
2007: DNQ
2003: Group Stage
1999: DNQ
1995: DNQ
1991: DNQ

Roster (Average Age: 26.41)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Celine Deville	GK	Montpellier	29	41/0
Laetitia Phillippe	GK	Montpellier	20	1/0
Berangere Sapowicz	GK	Paris St. Germain	28	16/0
Sonia Bompastor	DF	FCF Lyon	31	126/15
Laura Georges	DF	FCF Lyon	26	96/2
Laure LePailleur	DF	Paris St. Germain	26	26/2
Ophelie Meilleroux	DF	Montpellier	27	42/0
Corine Petit-Franco	DF	FCF Lyon	27	45/8
Wendie Renard	DF	FCF Lyon	20	5/0
Sabrina Viguier	DF	FCF Lyon	30	84/1
Camille Abily	MF	FCF Lyon	26	73/18
Laure Boulleau	MF	Paris St. Germain	24	12/0
Elise Bussaglia	MF	Paris St. Germain	25	79/18
Louisa Necib	MF	FCF Lyon	24	56/9
Caroline Pizzala	MF	Paris St. Germain	23	13/0
Sandrine Soubeyrand	MF	Juvisy	37	159/18
Sandrine Bretigny	FW	FCF Lyon	26	17/8
Marie-Laure Delie	FW	Montpellier	23	18/16
Eugenie Le Sommer	FW	FCF Lyon	22	32/9
Gaetane Thiney	FW	Juvisy	25	46/19
Elodie Thomis	FW	FCF Lyon	24	50/14

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/18/11	Belgium	Friendly	W 7-0
6/15/11	Belgium	Friendly	W 2-1
5/18/11	Scotland	Friendly	T 1-1
3/9/11	Scotland	Cyprus	W 3-0
3/7/11	New Zealand	Cyprus	W 5-2
3/4/11	Holland	Cyprus	L 1-2
3/2/11	Switzerland	Cyprus	W 2-0
11/19/10	Poland	Friendly	W 5-0
9/15/10	Italy	UEFA Playoff	W 3-2
9/11/10	Italy	UEFA Playoff	T 0-0
8/25/10	Serbia	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 7-0
8/21/10	Iceland	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 1-0
6/23/10	Estonia	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 6-0
6/20/10	Croatia	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 3-0
5/5/10	Switzerland	Friendly	W 2-0

The French team is known for their technical skills. It will take every ounce of technical skill and then some to advance out of what might be the toughest group at the World Cup. Germany might be the best in the world right now, Canada is a very tough side, and Nigeria has the ability to upset any team that takes them too lightly.

The French have not been as busy as some of the other teams entering the World Cup. Outside of the Cyprus Cup, they have played only a handful of matches since they qualified last September. They’ve only faced one other team that will be at this World Cup in the last 20 months, that being New Zealand. One has to wonder if they have faced enough top competition to prepare them for what they will be facing in Germany.

Most of the French team is in their mid-20’s and in their prime. This includes players like Camille Abily, Gaetane Thiney, Louisa Necib, Laura Georges, Corine Franco, Ophelie Meilleroux, Elodie Thomis, and Elise Bussaglia. They are used to playing together, all coming from four teams in the French league. This team has the ability to make some noise in this tournament.

Sandrine Soubeyrand is the elder statewoman of French soccer. At age 37, she has 160 caps to her credit, making her debut in 1997. She is one of five players on this team that were on the French 2003 World Cup squad, the only other time France has made it this far.

Another one of those five is former WPS star Sonia Bompastor. Fans here in the states will remember her displaying her talent for the Washington Freedom. She was one of the best all-around players in the league in her two years here.

Berangere Sapowicz was also on that 2003 team when she was just 20 years old. At the time, she was the goalkeeper for the U-19 team, but made only one appearance on the senior team before being named to the French World Cup team. She did not appear in any matches in that World Cup, nor for the national team over the next six years. But as qualification began in late 2009, she took over as the number one keeper and hasn’t looked back. She will be facing world class strikers in Group A such as Inka Grings and Christine Sinclair.

But with all of the veteran talent on the French team, the player to watch could well be Marie-Laure Delie. At 23, Delie made her debut with the senior French team just two years ago. She is averaging a goal every 36 minutes played since then. After two recent matches against Belgium, she has scored 11 goals in her last five matches, including three hat tricks.

This team is solid enough to advance into the quarterfinals and maybe beyond. But getting out of the group stage will be quite a task to start with. They open against Nigeria on June 26, a match in which they must post a victory if they are to have a solid chance of advancing. If France can open with two strong matches against Nigeria and Canada, they would relieve a lot of pressure that the third match against Germany could bring.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained at www.fifa.com and www.statfootofeminin.fr.

Playoff Preview - Washington Freedom at Philadelphia Independence

Washington Freedom (8-9-7) at Philadelphia Independence (10-10-4)
John A. Ferrell Stadium, West Chester, PA – September 19 (2:30 pm ET)

Probable Rosters:
Washington: GK-Ashlyn Harris, Meghan McCray; D-Cat Whitehill, Nikki Marshall, Becky Sauerbrunn, Rebecca Moros, Brittany Bock, Kristi Eveland; MF-Sonia Bompastor, Sarah Huffman, Homare Sawa, Allie Long, Anita Asante, Beverly Goebel, Jill Gilbeau; F-Abby Wambach, Lene Mykjåland, Christie Welsh.

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

Previous Meetings (2010)
April 25 – Washington 1 @ Philadelphia 3
May 30 – Philadelphia 1 @ Washington 2
June 26 – Washington 2 @ Philadelphia 3
August 4 – Philadelphia 0 @ Washington 2

Philadelphia is 7-3-2 at home with a 24-16 edge in goals.
Washington is 1-7-4 on the road being outscored 14-21.

Top Performers in Series
Washington: Wambach (4 goals, 1 assist); Mykjåland (1 goal); Moros (1 goal); De Vanna (1 goal); Bompastor (1 assist); Whitehill (1 assist); Welsh (1 assist); Harris (1 game, 1 shutout, 0.00 GAA); McLeod (2 games, 2.00 GAA)

Philadelphia: Rodriguez (3 goals); Sanderson (3 goals); Falk (1 goal); Lindsey (3 assists); Seger (1 assist); Buczkowski (1 assist); V. Henderson (3 games, 1.67 GAA); LeBlanc (1 game, 2.00 GAA).

Matchups:
Goalkeepers
Ashlyn Harris vs. Karina LeBlanc or Val Henderson

A little over a month ago, I would have given Philadelphia a heavy edge here, but Harris, the rookie out of UNC, had a spectacular month of August and has a 0.57 GAA over her last seven matches. She has posted four shutouts including one over Philadelphia, the only shutout in the series between the two teams.

My guess would be that LeBlanc would start this match, but Henderson started three of the four matches against the Freedom during the season. LeBlanc had the edge in starts this season with 14, but both keepers have identical 1.50 goals against averages. LeBlanc has the edge in experience over both Harris and Henderson, given her time with the Canadian National Team and a season with the Sol. Not to mention, she is the only one of the three that has played in a WPS playoff game before.

Harris has been the hotter goalkeeper, but LeBlanc has the experience, making it a tough call on the advantage. So I’ll call it even.

Defenders
Cat Whitehill, Nikki Marshall, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Rebecca Moros vs. Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Heather Mitts, and Holmfridur Magnusdottir (or Sara Larsson).

There is some question here about how Paul Riley will configure his defense. He could move Magnusdottir to midfield and have Larsson in the starting lineup.

Whitehill might be the veteran leader and Sauerbrunn might be the steady performer, but Nikki Marshall has been the difference maker here. She has been solid over the latter half of the season and gives the Freedom something they didn’t really have on their back line…speed. After getting torched for 15 goals over a five game span in midseason, this group came together as Marshall returned to the back line, taking what appeared to be the team’s biggest weakness and making it a strong point.

Early in the season, Philadelphia looked like a team that was going to win a lot of low scoring matches. Nearly overnight, they appeared to transform into a high-powered offensive team that would win just by outscoring their opponents. Lately, they haven’t been winning period. The Independence posted only four shutouts during the season and only one after mid-May. This is also a defense that has had trouble containing Abby Wambach.

It's a given that Whitehill is one of the best in the league on long-range free kicks, but ultimately, I think Philly has the better back line when it comes to offense. Falk can be very dangerous on set pieces and if Magnusdottir starts as an outside defender, she can give opponents fits with her flank runs. But overall, a defense’s first job is defense and I think the Freedom have the edge there.

Midfielders
Sonia Bompastor, Sarah Huffman, Allie Long, and Anita Asante or Homare Sawa vs. Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Joanna Lohman, Tina DiMartino, and Jen Buczkowski

This will be one heck of a battle between two very talented midfields. Washington has several veteran steady performers with Huffman, Asante (who may also play defender, her natural position), and Sawa. Bompastor is the quarterback and the engine that makes this team run. Maybe her stats aren’t as gaudy as her 2009 numbers, but make no mistake on her importance to the Freedom. Meanwhile, Allie Long sometimes performs under the radar and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her get a goal or make a big play in a match like this. Brittany Bock gives the Freedom depth at both midfield and defense.

Philadelphia’s midfield definitely has the statistical edge over their Freedom counterparts. Lindsey has two goals and eight assists, Seger has a goal and five assists, Lohman has five goals and DiMartino four goals. That’s a lot of offense out of a midfield. Lindsey and Seger are the heart of this midfield. Both are heavy in international experience and have excellent skills. Lohman has been one the pleasant surprises for the Independence and no one will outwork her on the pitch. DiMartino is one of the more underrated midfielders in the league. Buczkowski is primarily a defensive specialist, who had an excellent playoff run last season with Sky Blue.

I have to give Philadelphia the edge here, because of their offensive arsenal. However, don’t sell Bompastor and company short. The Freedom unit is a veteran group that does the little things to get the job done. Another area where Philadelphia needs to be wary is their tendency to take bad and unnecessary fouls. Seger, Buczkowski, and Magnusdottir have all been red carded this year and Philly was second only to Chicago in fouls committed. They cannot afford to go a player down in this match nor can they afford to give up a lot of set pieces to a Freedom team that is very adept at exploiting such opportunities. Edge to Philadelphia, but not by a lot.

Forwards
Abby Wambach and Lene Mykjåland vs. Amy Rodriguez and Lianne Sanderson.

Philadelphia often goes with a lone forward to start the match, inserting Sanderson at halftime or early in 2nd half to provide additional offense.

In both cases, the star performers for each team have stood out in this series. Rodriguez has three goals against the Freedom, while Wambach has four goals and an assist against the Independence, albeit two goals coming on penalties. What we have here are two highly skilled forwards, with totally different skill sets and games, that are often paired together on the USWNT and almost perfectly complement one another. But on this weekend, they will be on opposite sides.

Rodriguez game is speed and precision. She is one of the fastest forwards in the league and this season, she improved her runs greatly, both in timing and in the angle of the run. Wambach's game is more power, often fighting off defenders to get a shot off. And there is simply not a better player in the world when the ball is in the air. Not only are her headers normally on frame, they have more power behind them than some players can shoot with their feet. That’s not to take anything away from Wambach’s skill, because she is enormously talented, but the power game is when she is at her best.

Mykjåland has scored four goals for the Freedom this year and you can’t discount her experience internationally. The wildcard in this matchup may be young Lianne Sanderson. She scored five goals this season, but three of them were against the Freedom. Sanderson will often come off the bench, fresh and full of energy, and exploit tired defenders in the 2nd half of games. Of her three goals against the Freedom, one was in the 67th minute and the other two came in stoppage time after she had come off the bench as a 2nd half sub.

I have to give an edge to the Freedom here. Wambach has been through the wars with over 10 years of international experience. Big games are the norm for her. Washington is likely to get a number of set pieces in this match and Wambach will have opportunities. Rodriguez came into her own this year, but she has scored only one goal in her last eight matches and none in her last five. Edge to the Freedom, but beware of Sanderson late.

Coaching
Jim Gabarra vs. Paul Riley

Paul Riley was WPS Coach of the Year and has to be given a lot of credit for preparing his team and building them into a competitive side very early on. But he hasn’t been able to find the answers lately as the Independence are on a four game losing streak, being outscored 9-2 over that stretch. In his defense, Philadelphia was probably hurt more by international call ups than most teams, losing players such as Seger, Larsson, and Magnusdottir for quite a few matches.

Jim Gabarra has a lot of experience and is a capable coach. He went through a similar bad stretch in June and July, with a 0-6-4 record over a ten game winless streak. However, he has managed to right the ship just in time, with the Freedom making a nice run down the stretch to edge out Sky Blue for the final playoff berth. Give him a lot of credit for the decision to move Marshall back to defense where the need was far greater than at forward.

I’d say it’s a virtual wash here, with neither side having much of an advantage.

Intangibles
The Independence have the home field advantage in this one and in the four meetings between these two teams, the home team has won on each occasion. Philly was a stronger team at home, with one of their losses coming against regular season champs Gold Pride and the other two losses were one goal decisions against Boston. Washington has a terrible road record, with their only road victory coming in May against Atlanta.

The Freedom have one thing going for them, though, and that’s momentum. They played a lot of meaningful games down the stretch, finishing the season off at a 4-1-2 clip. They are a confident squad right now, while the Independence have been a bit listless as of late. Both teams are pretty experienced, with the one area of question possibly being young Ashlyn Harris in goal, but she has performed admirably in a number of big games during the past month.

Again, this is pretty much a wash, with Philadelphia having an edge with the home field advantage and Washington having the edge in momentum and confidence.

My Prediction
My feeling is that the Independence have had trouble scoring lately, while Washington has been in big game mode for quite some time, given their battle for the final playoff spot. Playoff games often come down to one play at the right time and with set pieces being a strong suit for the Freedom and Abby Wambach, that tilts the scales their way.
Washington Freedom 2, Philadelphia Independence 1

Philadelphia Moves Closer to a Playoff Spot

Philadelphia Independence 2, Chicago Red Stars 1

The Philadelphia Independence moved closer to clinching a playoff spot with a 2-1 road victory at Toyota Park. A Lianne Sanderson free kick from 22 yards slipped past Jill Loyden into the lower right corner of the net in the 78th minute to give the Independence the victory.

After a scoreless first half, Amy Rodriguez gave the Independence the lead in the 53rd minute, but Ella Masar answered 10 minutes later, heading in a cross by Casey Nogueira. Karina LeBlanc gained the victory in goal.

The game saw four different Red Stars earning yellow cards...Formiga, Megan Rapinoe, Natalie Spilger, and Katie Chapman. Chicago outshot Philadelphia by a 9 to 5 margin.

Both Julianne Sitch and Kate Markgraf had to leave the game because of injuries. The seriousness of those injuries is not known at this time.

Philadelphia moved to 31 points in 2nd place, five points clear of 3rd place Boston. They will entertain the Atlanta Beat at John A. Ferrell Stadium on Sunday. A victory over Atlanta combined with a Washington Freedom loss at Gold Pride would put Philadelphia in the playoffs.

Chicago remains at 21 points and now tied for 5th place with the Washington Freedom. They return to action next Thursday against the Freedom on the road.

Sky Blue FC 1, Washington Freedom 1

Late pressure and a Freedom own goal enabled Sky Blue to tie Washington 1-1 in a match played at Yurcak Field. The tie moved the New Jersey side into sole possession of 4th place. Washington remains a point behind Sky Blue.

The Freedom opened the scoring in the 65th minute on a goal by Sonia Bompastor. However, a Sky Blue offensive opportunity turned into an own goal when Freedom defender Cat Whitehill misdirected a ball past keeper Ashlyn Harris to tie the match. Sky Blue continued to pressure the Freedom, but were unable to break the tie in the closing minutes. Sky Blue outshot Washington by 13-7.

Washington travels to the opposite coast to take on league leading Gold Pride on Saturday. Sky Blue will play the Breakers at Harvard Stadium on Sunday.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-3, 39 pts); 2) Philadelphia (9-6-4, 31 pts); 3) Boston (7-6-5, 26 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (6-8-4, 22 pts); 5) Washington (5-8-6, 21 pts); 5) Chicago (5-9-6, 21 pts); 7) Atlanta (4-9-5, 17 pts).

WPS Midweek Notes - May 5

Bompastor Earns Player of the Week (corrected)

Call her Athletica killer or call her one of the best midfielders in WPS, because either one would be an apt description of Washington Freedom midfielder, Sonia Bompastor, this week’s WPS Player of the Week. Bompastor scored the first Freedom goal in their 3-1 victory over Saint Louis Athletica on Saturday at RFK stadium. The shot was a perfectly placed, perfectly struck ball from about 12 yards out that went upper right corner. She also assisted on Washington’s 2nd goal of the day by Homare Sawa via a corner kick. They were her first points of the season.

The French international has quite simply given Athletica fits, scoring 3 of her 5 career goals against them in just 4 meetings. Last season, Bompastor scored 4 goals and earned 6 assists, which tied for best in that category.

Home Sweet Home

After a month of criss-crossing the country, the Atlanta Beat finally come home to play in their new stadium on the campus of Kennesaw State University. Atlanta’s travels have taken them from Philadelphia to Washington to Bay Area and back to Philadelphia. They open their new state-of-the-art $16.5 million stadium in style this coming Sunday against defending champions Sky Blue FC on the FSC game of the week.

The grand opening for the stadium occurred on May 2, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and public festivities. The stadium seats 8300 for soccer, although it can accommodate up to 16,000 for concerts. The stadium is located just north of the city of Atlanta.

Have You Got a Minute?

All White Kit now launches the American Soccer Minute for WPS, a twice a week audio preview/predictions and results show, featuring Scott Reynolds. It’s a quick hitting minute of what to look for in upcoming WPS games and review of the previous weekend’s matches. Scott gives you a lot of information in a very condensed time frame. Please check it out at this link on All White Kit. And hey, it only takes a minute!

Atlanta Beat – Brett Maron made her first start in goal against Philadelphia last weekend, making 6 saves on 7 shots…..The Beat will be looking to light up the scoreboard after a road trip that saw them surprisingly score only 2 goals in 4 matches…..Atlanta logged over 10,000 miles of travel in their 4 game road trip which saw them travel to both coasts.

Boston Breakers – The Breakers two English internationals have had success against the Freedom, Kelly Smith with two goals and Alex Scott with a goal and an assist in the 5 previous meetings.....While many teams have had trouble defending the Washington, Boston has given up just 4 goals in 5 matches against the Freedom …..Saturday’s 2-0 loss at the hands of the Chicago Red Stars marks the first time Boston had lost a game by more than a one goal margin since losing to the Red Stars 4-0 last April.

Chicago Red Stars - Casey Nogueira scored her 2nd WPS goal last Saturday. Last season, no college draft choice had more than two for the entire season in WPS…..Jill Loyden earned her 3rd career shutout on Saturday against the Breakers…..The Red Stars have a 5-1 record in games where they have scored two or more goals.

FC Gold Pride – Christine Sinclair is tied for the league lead in goals with 3, in spite of missing a match for international duty…..Nicole Barnhart has earned three wins in goal for 2010, which matches her total for all of 2009…..Gold Pride has matched their previous best in scoring in 3 consecutive matches and look to top that mark this Saturday against the Red Stars.

Philadelphia Independence – The Independence look to break a WPS record for the longest unbeaten streak to start a season. Last season, Chicago started 2-0-2 before falling to Sky Blue in their 5th game, while Los Angeles was 3-0-1 before losing to Boston in their 5th match…..The Independence continue to give their opponents problems on set pieces, scoring 3 of their 5 goals in that fashion…..Last weekend, Lori Lindsey scored her first goal of the season after assisting on Philadelphia’s first 4 goals.

Saint Louis Athletica – Since June 1, 2009, Athletica is 0-3 vs. Washington and 9-1-4 against the rest of the league in regular season matches…..Athletica has now scored a goal in 9 consecutive matches…..Saint Louis surrendered 3 goals for the 2nd time in their history, almost a year to the day to the other time, both on the road at Washington.

Sky Blue FC – The trade of Anita Asante means that Rosana is the only international that has taken the field for Sky Blue in both seasons…..SBFC have only scored 3 goals this season, but it is an improvement over 2009 when they scored only one goal total in their first 4 matches…..Sky Blue have won both games in which Meghan Schnur has played and lost both games that she has not.

Washington Freedom – Abby Wambach now has 6 assists, which ties a WPS record for most assists in a season after only 4 games. She also now has the record for 5 regular season matches with an assist…..Washington’s last four goals have been scored by 4 different internationals, Lisa DeVanna, Sonia Bompastor, Homare Sawa, and Lene Mykjåland. The only international that hasn’t scored is goalkeeper Erin McLeod…..The Freedom are 1 of only 2 teams to have not earned a shutout this season, the other being this week’s opponent, the Boston Breakers. (Correction to above for Abby Wambach, that should read "She now has the record with 5 consecutive regular season matches with an assist." Sorry for the error...typing at 2 in the morning leads to mistakes.)

Trivia Question - FC Gold Pride and Sky Blue FC earned 6 points in the month of April. Which team holds the record for most points earned in one month and how many points did they earn?

Washington Freedom - The Offseason So Far

For the 4th installment on the WPS offseason...the Washington Freedom.

When Last We Left Them...

The Washington Freedom finished in 3rd place with 29 points and an 8-7-5 record. The 2009 Freedom could score a lot, leading the league with 32 goals. Unfortunately, they also gave up 32 goals, worst in the WPS. Abby Wambach and Lisa De Vanna were a dangerous combination of power and speed up front. Together, they scored 14 goals for the regular season, with De Vanna adding one in the playoffs. Sonia Bompastor added four goals of her own and was one of the best midfielders in the league.

But on the defensive side, there were problems. Early on, Washington gave up goals and lots of them. By midseason, the Freedom had installed Erin McLeod as their starting keeper and that seemed to temporarily solve the problem. Washington had a 6 game stretch where they gave up a total of just 3 goals. But late in the season, the defense gave up 4 goals in one game against Sky Blue and 3 in a key late season contest against Gold Pride. The Freedom then made a quick exit in the playoffs, losing at home to eventual champions Sky Blue by a 2-1 margin.

Roster Moves

The Freedom's offseason has been extremely quiet...no free agent signings, no trades, no nothing. Quiet that is, until yesterday when they announced the signing of 22 year old forward Lene Mykjåland, a member of the 2008 Norwegian Olympic Team. Mykjåland has spent the last 4 years with Rǿa of the Norwegian Toppserien. She scored 21 goals in 2009, leading the league and leading her team to a 3rd straight championship. With Wambach, De Vanna, and Mykjåland, the Freedom could threaten their 2009 mark of 32 goals.

The Freedom retained 14 players from their 2009 squad, including all four internationals (Bompastor, De Vanna, McLeod, and Homare Sawa). This also includes the scorers of 29 of their 32 goals (the 30th was an own goal by Gold Pride). Chances are, of all WPS teams, Washington's 2010 roster will change the least from 2009.

However, Washington did lose a couple of players in the expansion draft. Lori Lindsey, a key member of the Freedom midfield in 2009, was left unprotected and Philadelphia quickly took her off the board with their 1st choice. Lindsey's 2009 performance was impressive enough for US National Team coach Pia Sundhage to call her into camp. For the Freedom, she played in 19 games, scoring 2 goals and an assist.

Philadelphia also chose defender Sarah Senty in the expansion draft. Senty, a former University of Virginia star, joined the Freedom in June and started 5 games down the stretch. She also started Washington's playoff match and played the full 90 minutes.

Current Roster

Goalkeepers (2)-Erin McLeod, Briana Scurry.
Defenders (5)-Jill Gilbeau, Alex Krieger, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Singer, Cat Whitehill.
Midfielders (5)-Sonia Bompastor, Sarah Huffman, Allie Long, Rebecca Moros, Homare Sawa.
Forwards (3)-Lisa De Vanna, Lene Mykjåland, Abby Wambach.

Additions- Mykjåland
Subtractions- Lori Lindsey (drafted by Philadelphia), Sarah Senty (drafted by Philadelphia).

Other Free Agents from 2009 roster- Kristen DeDycker, Parrissa Eyorokon, Katie Forbis, Emily Janss, Christen Karniski, Joanna Lohman, Kati Jo Spisak.
Internationals-Bompastor, De Vanna, McLeod, Mykjåland, and Sawa.
Draft Picks (in first 3 rounds)-Nos. 7, 18, and 27.

Needs to Address

With Lindsey gone, Washington needs additional help in the midfield. Just how many depends on whether Freedom coach Jim Gabarra would rather use Sonia Bompastor on their back line. Sarah Huffman will be returning after missing the entire 2009 season, save for a brief appearance in the playoff match against Sky Blue. But most of their current midfielders would be considered to be offensive minded. I would think that a defensive mid would be a priority and perhaps a creative playmaking midfielder if Bompastor moves to defense permanently. I could certainly see the Freedom using 2 of their first 3 draft choices on midfielders.

After giving up 32 goals in 2009, defense also has to be a priority. While they would appear to have some strong defenders on their roster, including veteran Cat Whitehill, they did not perform particularly well as a unit last season. They yielded three or more goals 6 times in 2009. Amazingly, they managed a 1-3-2 record in those six games. In a league where 1-0 games are the norm, a solid defense is essential and Washington will seek to improve in this area.

In spite of all their scoring, Washington played a lot of close matches. When their opponents scored a lot, they scored a lot. But in the 4 matches in which they shut out their opponents, they scored only 3 goals. Four different times, the Freedom scored in the 89th minute or later to win or tie games. One thing that can be said about this team is that they keep you on the edge of your seat. Now that Mykjåland has been signed, it will be interesting to see if this team can make enough small changes in the rest of their squad to challenge for the top.

L’Athletica de Saint Louis

A fantastic French-language site has been profiling WPS and French stars Camille Abily (Los Angeles Sol) and Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom). Check it out -- WPS Francophone

Thanks to WPS Talk - Futebol Feminino for pointing us towards this site.

WPS Weekend Games-June 7

Sky Blue FC at Saint Louis Athletica

These two teams enter the game tied for last place, but both have played better as of late. Sky Blue defeated Boston last weekend, while Saint Louis has 2 wins and 2 ties over their last five games.

In between several tumbles and having her shoulder yanked back into place, Natasha Kai scored her 2nd goal of the season against the Breakers. After being blanked the first four games, Kai has two goals and an assist in her last four. Kai's normal frontline mate, Sarah Walsh, is out with an injury, but Kacey White filled in last week and added a goal of her own. SBFC has a strong midfield group led by Heather O'Reilly and Collette McCallum, with Rosana at attacking mid. Perhaps the biggest benefactor of the recent coaching change has been Yael Averbuch. Interim Coach Kelly Lindsey has started Averbuch the last two games and the team has responded well with her in the lineup.

Sky Blue has given up only a goal a game, good enough for 3rd best in the WPS. Veteran Christie Rampone heads up the defensive unit that also includes English National Team player Anita Asante. Jen Branam has played generally solid in goal since taking over as the starter, but she had a rough moment last week, badly misplaying a cross that led to an easy goal for Kelly Smith. Branam is quick, but she is also one of the shortest keepers in the league and it will be interesting to see if Athletica's lackluster offense can test her.

Saint Louis has had a lot of problems on the offensive end. The exception to that has been Eniola Aluko, one of the most exciting strikers in the league. Like Kai, Aluko scored two goals in May and played extremely well. Aside from Aluko, there hasn't been a lot to get excited about as far as goal scoring goes. Until now, Kerri Hanks has retained her starting position, but one wonders if Jorge Barcellos might be tempted to go with veteran Christie Welsh. Athletica usually does well building up with short passes through the midfield, but they can't seem to solve the final third of the field. Defensively, Tina Ellertson is having a strong campaign and she is joined by Kia McNeill on the back line.

This should be a tight game, with two very exciting forwards and two strong defenses. Hope Solo might give Athletica a slight edge. Both teams need to win the midfield and it might come down to a battle between the more offensive minded O'Reilly for Sky Blue and the more defensive minded Lori Chalupny for Saint Louis.

Washington Freedom at Los Angeles Sol

The FSC game this week will be a matchup between the league's two top teams. The Freedom's league leading offense will take on the Sol's league leading defense in Carson, California. The game features the two talented French midfielders, Camille Abily for Los Angeles and Sonia Bompastor for Washington.

Los Angeles is the only team to have shutout Washington, all the way back in the first game of the season. Since then, Washington has scored 15 goals in just 7 games. With the Freedom, it's not just one player, but several. Bompastor is coming fresh off winning Player of the Month honors and she has been a big part of the offensive explosion by the Freedom. Australian Lisa DeVanna scored three goals in May and complements Abby Wambach very well. In a league where many teams are having trouble scoring, the Freedom have even gotten three goals out of their defenders.

The early season goalkeeper problems for Washington are a distant memory now. Erin McLeod has been just the cure that the Freedom needed. Her back line is led by Cat Whitehill and a trio of young defenders, Becky Sauerbrunn, Jill Gilbeau, and Alex Singer.

The Sol's offense for the first month of the season pretty much began and ended with Marta. Their attack has become more balanced as of late, due in large part to the efforts of Abily. She has become a potent offensive weapon for Los Angeles and is part of a talented group of midfielders with Shannon Box and Aly Wagner. Wagner has been struggling with injuries, but is listed as probable for Sunday's game. Opposing defenses must still worry about Marta, which often opens up space for her teammates.

On the defensive end, the Sol just don't make a lot of mistakes and when they do, Karina LeBlanc is there. Steady Stephanie Cox might be their best defender, but two young backs, Allison Falk and Brittany Bock, are playing like veterans. And for the first time on Wednesday, Los Angeles showed that they could respond to adversity by scoring a late equalizer against Chicago.

Los Angeles shut out the Freedom in the opener, but it was Wambach's first game back from injury and they didn't have McLeod at the time. Washington is a different team now. We will see whether or not they are ready for prime time. A win means the Freedom will build on the momentum of the 3-0-2 run they have had. A win for the Sol and it basically becomes a six team battle for 2nd place.

Chicago Red Stars at FC Gold Pride

The Red Stars were close to pulling off a major upset in Los Angeles. Missing two key starters and on the road, a Cristiane goal in the 88th minute put them up 1-0. Unfortunately, that lead lasted all of two minutes as they gave up a late goal and had to settle for the tie. They continue their tour of the west coast against FC Gold Pride on Sunday night.

The good news is that Chicago finally found the net after going scoreless for 396 straight minutes. Cristiane's strike ended a long drought for the Red Stars. The tie was probably a disappointment given how close they were to sealing the game, but a point on the road against LA is a step in the right direction. They will still be without defender Ifeoma Dieke and midfielders Carli Lloyd and Heather Garriock. This will hurt them against a team like Gold Pride that prides themselves on possession.

Chicago has probably two of the most gifted attacking midfielders in the game with Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney, but sometimes they need to show more patience. Ella Masar entered the LA game very late and provided an assist on the Chicago goal. Maybe that will earn Masar a start against Gold Pride. The Red Stars managed to shut down the Sol until late and they need a similar effort from their back line this week. Natalie Spilger filled in ably for Dieke.

Gold Pride will be without two of their top defenders in Carrie Dew (suspension) and Kandace Wilson (injury) and this will surely hurt them. Defense has been a problem recently as they have given up 5 goals in their last two games. Nicole Barnhart is strong in goal and Rachel Buehler will lead the defense, but who will be on the back line with her? Bay Area's midfield is one of their strengths with Leslie Osborne, Formiga, and Eriko Arakawa.

What started out to be a strong offensive unit has become a puzzle as Gold Pride has scored just twice in their last four games. On top of that, you never know from week to week who will be starting for the Bay Area side. After a strong start, Tiffany Weimer has been relegated to part-time status as Coach Montoya has shown a preference to veteran Tiffeny Milbrett lately. Even Arakawa has started a couple of games on the bench. FCGP will miss Wilson's forward runs and speed, although Leigh Ann Robinson occasionally fills that role.

This is a huge midseason game for both teams. A win for either team will vault them into a playoff spot to start the 2nd half of the season. Both teams need to overcome the loss of key players. Chicago is coming off of a strong effort in LA, while Gold Pride is trying to rebound from a frustrating loss in DC. It should result in a very interesting and entertaining game.

Marta vs. Sonia Bompastor

Who would you take right now -- the Sol's Marta or the Freedom's Bompastor? Goal.com attempts to answer the question -- Read On -- Counterattack: Better In WPS, Marta Or Sonia Bompastor?

Observations-Athletica vs. Freedom

I was fortunate enough to be able to make the trip to Germantown, Maryland for this game. Since it was televised on FSC, I'll dispose with the normal game report and just share some observations from Sunday night's 3-3 tie between Saint Louis and Washington.

The Game

There were six goals in the game and quite frankly, several more could have been scored. It wasn't always a well played game, but it certainly was an exciting match. Athletica dominated early in the game, but then the Freedom took over and had the better of play for the rest of the 1st half and most of the 2nd half.

Obviously, the serious injury to Daniela overshadowed the result of the game. She was clearly the woman of the match for Athletica and at times, dominated at midfield. Her 2nd goal of the match was one of the best strikes of the year, a laser just inside the far post from 25-30 yards out. Unfortunately, it may well be the last we see of the talented Brazilian midfielder for the season, as it appears her injury is season ending.

Sonia Bompastor had another great effort for the Freedom. She has played consistently well this season and against Athletica, she managed to put away two headers, both of which brought her team even after they had fallen behind. The French National Team star has clearly been one of the best players in the league to this point.

Athletica had defensive lapses on several occasions, but were usually able to recover. However, it was in the air that they lost the game. All three Freedom goals were headers, surprisingly none of which came from Abby Wambach. Second half substitution, Kerri Hanks, finally made her offensive presence felt placing a nice pass through the middle which Eni Aluko finished with a low shot in the corner. As always, Aluko was dangerous and her hard work paid off with her 1st goal of the season. Tina Ellertson also had a strong game.

For the Freedom, I thought Jill Gilbeau had a nice game, earning an assist on Bompastor's first goal and making several nice overlapping runs up the right side. Lisa DeVanna scored her 1st goal of the season, a header that Hope Solo was unable to react to. The Freedom's goalkeeping adventures continued as they allowed 3 goals for the third consecutive game. Kati Jo Spisak, a St. Louis native, was very good at times and made a couple of sparkling saves. She was certainly not to blame on the 1st goal as she made a great kick save off of a Melissa Tancredi shot, before Daniela buried the rebound. However, she may have played a bit of a bad angle on Aluko's goal and on a couple occasions, she looked shaky allowing balls to elude her grasp which could have been costly.

Lineup Changes

Coach Jorge Barcellos decided to start Francielle on the outside of the backline, instead of at midfield. The 19 year old Brazilian seemed ill-suited for the new position, as she gave Bompastor too many easy runs up the left side. To his credit, Barcellos recognized this early on and switched Lori Chalupny back and moved Francielle up to her normal midfield spot. Unfortunately, Daniela's injury forced Barcellos' hand and he was forced to move Chalupny back to midfield and insert Niki Cross on the backline for the final minutes of the game. Cross is a capable defender, but she had played only 45 minutes this season and to be inserted in a pressure situation with so little playing time under her belt had to be tough. The winning header by Bompastor was made in the middle of a trio of Athletica defenders, Lisa Stoia, Elise Weber, and Cross.

Chippy Play

There have been several matches marked by physical play so far this season. This game was most certainly one of them. Athletica seemed intent on not letting Wambach have a replay of the previous game where she dominated Gold Pride in the air. There were definitely some nasty shots dished out in the 1st half by Saint Louis, most notably by Kia McNeill who received a card for one such effort. This has probably been brewing since the first match of the season, when Athletica thought Lori Chalupny was roughed up. Additionally, Wambach collided hard with Athletica keeper Hope Solo on one play.

The physical play culminated on Wambach's late challenge on Daniela which resulted in a serious injury. I'm sure there was no intent to injure Daniela, but in my opinion, it could easily have been a red card for a "serious foul play." The league really needs to reel in some of the physical play on all sides, before further injuries happen.

The Wounded

Barcellos is now in the unenviable position of trying to juggle his lineup yet again. He was already missing defender Sara Larsson and attacking midfielder Amanda Cinalli due to injuries. Now he has to deal with the loss of Daniela, arguably his best player for the last two games. Adding to his problems, Stephanie Logterman is completing her studies in Texas and Tina Ellertson came out of Sunday's game with what appeared to be a mild injury.

According to Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, two options that Athletica are exploring are a trade or a foreign signing. But with so many key players injured, do they really have anybody they can afford to trade? The only good news is that Saint Louis has a bye week after this week's match against FC Gold Pride. Hopefully, that will give Larsson and Cinalli time to heal.

Maryland SoccerPlex and the Hall of Freedom

Overall, I think the Maryland SoccerPlex is a nice facility and there was an enjoyable atmosphere at the game. The only thing I might want to add is some goal line seating on each end, thus adding maybe a couple hundred seats. The official attendance for the game was 5,149 and Freedom fans are to be commended for supporting their team in yet another evening of soggy weather.

Former USWNT players Mia Hamm and Siri Mullinix were honored by induction into the Hall of Freedom at halftime. Both players were members of the WUSA version of the Washington Freedom and led their team to the 2003 WUSA championship. Mullinix starred in goal for the Freedom and was the starting keeper for the 2000 US Olympic Team that won a silver medal. Hamm, of course, is a soccer legend. Among her accomplishments, two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004), two World Cup championships (1991, 1999), and two FIFA Player of the Year awards (2001, 2002).