2011 Western New York Flash Preview

Western New York Flash
Coach: Aaran Lines (1st year)
2010 Record: Expansion Team
Home Stadium: Sahlen Stadium (Rochester, NY)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Ashleigh Bowers(R), Brittany Cameron, Ashlyn Harris.
Defenders (8): Kim Brandão, Candace Chapman, Whitney Engen, Gina Lewandowski, Ali Riley, Alexandra Sahlen, Julianne Sitch, Kandace Wilson.
Midfielders (6): Yael Averbuch, Brittany Bock, Becky Edwards, Beverly Goebel, Caroline Seger, McCall Zerboni.
Forwards (6): Gemma Davison, Kaley Fountain, Marta, Alex Morgan(R), Kelly Parker, Christine Sinclair.
(R) denotes true rookie.
Probable World Cup players: Harris, Chapman, Riley, Averbuch, Seger, Marta, Morgan, Sinclair.

The new kids in the league are likely to make a lot of noise. Considering they have seven players off of the 2010 champion Gold Pride team, plus four others from the 2010 W-League champion Buffalo Flash, it won’t be much of a surprise if this team is playing for a championship come August.

It doesn’t hurt that the Flash signed Marta, the world’s best player five years running, Christine Sinclair, Canada’s all-time leading scorer, and on top of that, drafted Alex Morgan, one of USWNT’s rising stars. This team shouldn’t have any problem scoring goals, except possibly during World Cup time. In fact, the only positions which might be short on depth are goalkeeper and midfield.

Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris started 2010 in Saint Louis as the backup to Hope Solo. She finished the season as the Washington Freedom’s starter, earning four shutouts on her way to 1.11 goals against average. Two of those shutouts down the stretch came against two of the most explosive offenses in WPS, Gold Pride and Philadelphia. Harris, who is vying for the third goalkeeper’s spot on the USWNT, is finally gaining some recognition as a top goalkeeper.

Backing up Harris will be Brittany Cameron, who started three games last season for Gold Pride, and Ashleigh Bowers, a rookie out of Niagara. Cameron is certainly a capable goalkeeper who just hasn’t gotten much action because she has had quality keepers in front of her. Bowers posted a 0.63 goals against average during her senior year, giving up more than one goal on only two occasions.

Defenders: The Flash have three quarters of Gold Pride’s starting back line, including rookie of the year Ali Riley. Riley is an excellent two-way player, solid at defending and a threat with her speed on overlapping runs. Kandace Wilson is another speedster at the right back position. There isn’t likely to be a more dangerous duo at outside back anywhere in this league. The third former Gold Pride defender is Candace Chapman, a starter for the Canadian National Team.

Western New York also signed Whitney Engen, who was one of the league’s best young defenders with Chicago last season. They added Kim Brandão, a member of the Portuguese National Team and of the W-League Flash. And they brought in center back Gina Lewandowski, a four-year veteran of the Frauen Bundesliga for FFC Frankfurt. Adding depth is the Alexandra Sahlen, who also happens to be the team president, and Julianne Sitch a veteran of both the W-League and WPS, who played for the 2009 champion Sky Blue FC.

Midfielders: For midfielders, it appears almost as though the Flash grabbed a player from each of the other teams in the league. They got Yael Averbuch from Sky Blue, Caroline Seger from Philadelphia, McCall Zerboni from Atlanta, Becky Edwards from Gold Pride, and Beverly Goebel and Brittany Bock from the Freedom.

Seger, captain of the Swedish National Team, is the team’s most experienced and accomplished midfielder. She had a strong season with Philadelphia in 2010, scoring one goal and adding five assists. Joining her is Averbuch, a defensive midfielder who has a cannon of a shot. Averbuch was a first round draft pick in 2009 and spent the last two seasons with Sky Blue.

Becky Edwards is another solid defensive midfielder, whose strong rookie season was overshadowed by her more well known teammates in 2010. After a promising rookie season in 2009, Brittany Bock struggled through an injury-filled season last year. She can play multiple positions which will add versatility to the Flash. Rounding out the midfield cast is Beverly Goebel, who scored one goal in 16 appearances for the Freedom in 2010, and McCall Zerboni, who was a starter for the Beat last year.

Forwards: With three world class forwards on this team and plenty of depth, this should be the strongest offense in the league. There isn’t much more that can be said about Marta that hasn’t already been said. She has been the best female player in the world for a long time now and she is still just 25 years old. She is fast, talented, and determined, nearly impossible to stop one-on-one.

The scary thing is defenses can’t just concentrate on Marta. Not when the Flash also have Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan. Sinclair has over 100 international goals for Canada and 16 career WPS goals. She is very intelligent about both the timing and shape of her runs. Morgan has come into the spotlight over the past year, becoming one of the USWNT’s best forwards and clutch goal scorers. She also has excellent speed.

England’s Gemma Davison and Canadian Kelly Parker move right from the W-League Flash to the WPS team. Davison has played club soccer in both the US and in England. She also has one cap for the English National Team and played at the junior level for England. Parker is a veteran of the Canadian National Team and played midfield for the 2009 Sky Blue championship team. She has good speed and is always a player to watch on the attack. Former Wake Forest star Kaley Fountain adds depth and can also play outside back.

Outlook: This team appears to have everything…talent, experience, and speed. They should score goals in bunches with the best group of forwards in the league and two excellent outside backs that can attack. The defense should be equally solid and has a lot of depth. The midfield does not have a lot of offensive-minded players. Averbuch and Edwards are primarily defensive mids and while Seger is skilled at setting up others with her strong passing game, she isn’t likely to score a lot herself.

My biggest worries for this team is depth in the midfield and how much they will be affected by the World Cup. They could very well lose eight starters to national team duties for a good part of the season. Obviously, this is a problem for most of the teams, but I think more for the Flash.

Making the playoffs should almost be a given for this team. Winning it all could be a bit tougher in what should be a fiercely competitive league, but this team could certainly do so.

Three USWNT Players Are Signed

'Tis the season to be jolly and free agents seem to be the gift of choice to fans for teams around WPS. Three more free agents signings have been announced, all members (or former members) of the USWNT.

The Flash have added yet another top free agent to their roster by signing midfielder Yael Averbuch. Averbuch makes the move from Sky Blue and her home state of New Jersey to the new Western New York franchise. She was originally a first round draft selection by Sky Blue in 2009 and she helped lead the team to the WPS championship in that year.

Averbuch has been a regular member of the USWNT over the past two years. She has 13 caps and one goal for the United States. The tall midfielder was a star for the University of North Carolina in college.

Another former Sky Blue player heading elsewhere is forward Tasha Kai, who will take her lethal scoring abilities down the road to Philadelphia. Kai has scored 11 WPS goals over the past two seasons, in spite of being plagued by injuries. She is considered one of the most exciting players in WPS.

Kai was a gold medalist with the 2008 US Olympic team and has 24 goals and 67 caps to her credit for the USWNT. She was a top college player at the University of Hawaii.

Meanwhile, the Boston Breakers have resigned outside defender Stephanie Cox. Cox was originally allocated to Los Angeles and she helped anchor the defense that led the Sol to the league's regular season title back in 2009. When the Sol folded, she was signed by the Boston Breakers, where she scored her first WPS goal last season.

Cox, also a gold medalist in 2008, is considered one of the most consistent defenders in the women's game. She has 64 caps with the USWNT and starred in college for the University of Portland.

The signing of Cox follows several other Breakers' signings. Earlier they added forward Kelley O'Hara, midfielder/forward Niki Washington, and defender Rachel Buehler. They have also announced the resigning of Kasey Moore.

FC Gold Pride Clinches Regular Season Title

Marta battles Katie Chapman and Lydia Vandenbergh for the ball in 1st half action. Marta scored two goals, including the game winner on a penalty kick, giving her 15 goals on the season. The match was played before over 6,000 fans at Toyota Park.

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It didn't come easy, but FC Gold Pride sewed up the WPS regular season title with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars. The victory completes a worst to first story for Gold Pride, who will now host the WPS Championship presented by Citi on September 26.

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The match was very competitive from the onset, with Gold Pride striking first. In the 8th minute, Rachel Buehler sent a long ball up the left side that speedy Ali Riley was able to run onto. Riley then dribbled straight at goalkeeper Jill Loyden, before touching a centering pass to a charging Marta who knocked it home. It was Gold Pride's first goal in four matches.

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Chicago equalized in the 18th minute. Formiga sent a ball to the left wing to Casey Nogueira, who crossed the ball into the six yard box. On what was a 50-50 ball, FCGP keeper Nicole Barnhart and Red Star striker Ella Masar collided with Masar knocking the ball just behind Barnhart and barely over the line for a goal.

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Gold Pride answered before the break on a corner kick. Tiffeny Milbrett's corner from the left side found Buehler in the box, who flicked a header between Loyden and a Chicago defender and into the goal to make it 2-1. It was Buehler's first goal of the season.

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Ella Masar brought the game even again in the 2nd half on a play that started with a fine effort by Formiga. The Brazilian midfielder stepped in front of a clearing pass and played the ball through to Marian Dalmy on the right side of the box. Dalmy was able to cross it perfectly to Masar, who was unmarked in front of the net. For Masar, it was her 8th goal this season.

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Just seconds afterward, Christine Sinclair broke in one-on-one against Loyden. Sinclair was able to dribble past Loyden, but defender Lydia Vandenbergh hustled back to block Sinclair's shot and save a goal.

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Fate would not be kind to the Red Stars on this day, however, as a penalty was called in the 78th minute. Rachel Buehler sent a free kick into the box for Gold Pride, with both Carrie Dew and Natalie Spilger going up to head the ball. Both missed the header, but the ball hit Spilger's outstretched arm after it passed over their heads at the very edge of the box. Marta easily buried the penalty, which turned out to be the winning goal.

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The combination of Gold Pride's victory and Philadelphia's loss gives FCGP a nine point lead and since Gold Pride has clinched the tiebreaker over the Independence, it means Gold Pride has won the regular season title. They are now 13-3-4 with 43 points. They will travel to Atlanta next week to play the Beat.

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Meanwhile, the loss has all but eliminated the Red Stars from playoff contention. The Red Stars now trail Washington and New Jersey by four points with just two games remaining. Sky Blue and the Freedom will play each other next weekend, meaning at least one if not both, will get additional points. Chicago is now 5-11-6 with 21 points.

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Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the class and hospitality that the Red Star organization has shown yours truly in my three trips to Toyota Park this season. My thanks to the Red Star organization and their fans for all they have done.

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Sky Blue FC 1, Philadelphia 0

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For the first time this year, Sky Blue was able to solve the Independence, winning a crucial match 1-0. The victory enabled Sky Blue to keep pace with the Washington Freedom in the battle for 4th place. Philadelphia was unable to take advantage of the opportunity to secure a playoff berth and must wait one more week.

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After a scoreless first half, which was temporarily halted by a rather lengthy rain delay, Sky Blue was able to get the game's only goal in the 68th minute. Yael Averbuch buried a Heather O'Reilly pass for her first goal of the season. Jen Branam recorded the shutout for Sky Blue.

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The victory puts Sky Blue at 7-9-4, tied with the Freedom at 25 points. The two teams will meet in Maryland next Saturday. Philadelphia dropped to 10-7-4, good for 34 points, still good for 2nd place. They will host Boston next Sunday.

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Standings:

1) FC Gold Pride (13-3-4, 43 pts); 2) Philadelphia (10-7-4, 34 pts); 3) Boston (8-7-5, 29 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (7-9-4, 25 pts); 4) Washington (6-8-7, 25 pts); 6) Chicago (5-11-6, 21 pts); 7) Atlanta (5-10-5, 20 pts).

Sky Blue Advances to Final with 1-0 Victory over Athletica

Perhaps, with everything that has gone on this year with Sky Blue, they have become the team of destiny. Tonight, they went into Saint Louis and came away with a 1-0 victory and will meet the Los Angeles Sol on Saturday afternoon for the WPS championship. Keeley Dowling scored the only goal of the match in the 31st minute, her first goal of the season.

Sky Blue dominated the early part of the game. Except for a couple of harmless corner kicks, Athletica mounted very little offense for the first 30 minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Sky Blue had several excellent opportunities, with only Athletica keeper Hope Solo keeping the score from being worse than it was. Solo's first big save came in the opening minutes as a Heather O'Reilly cross found Kerri Hanks alone in the 6 yard box. Hanks' shot from point blank range looked to be a sure goal, but Solo dove to her left to make an unbelievable save.

In the 14th minute, Kacey White got loose for a wide open shot from 12 yards, with Solo again making a diving save to deflect the ball wide of the net. Athletica had not played for 10 days and they appeared very flat in the early going. Meanwhile, Sky Blue was clicking, making excellent passes, nice build up, and producing quality chances.

The orange clad Sky Blue team finally broke through in the 31st minute. Yael Averbuch managed to dribble free of three Athletica defenders and nudge the ball to Keeley Dowling who had a wide open shot from 15 yards. Her shot went just inside the left post and a shot that Hope Solo had no chance on to put the Sky Blue up 1-0.

Sky Blue got the first good chance of the 2nd half as well. Rosana got free from 15 yards, but Solo came out to cut off the angle and easily blocked what could have been a dangerous shot on goal.

Athletica started pushing forward and earned a few chances as the 2nd half wore on. A Niki Cross free kick found Melissa Tancredi who's header went just wide. In the 75th minute, Lori Chalupny received a pass on the left side of the box, but shot well wide from about 12 yards. A couple of minutes later, an Athletica free kick set up Niki Cross from 25 yards. Cross had Branam beat with her low shot, but it went inches wide of the left post. Right after that, Sarah Walsh got the ball about 10 yards out with Branam charging out, but Walsh's shot went over the crossbar. A cross from Amanda Cinalli just missed finding Ashlee Pistorius' head just a couple minutes later.

Probably the best opportunity came just into stoppage as Dowling got called for tripping Chalupny just outside the penalty area, setting up a free kick from 20 yards out. Niki Cross put it just a foot over the bar. From that point on, it was just a matter of Sky Blue killing off the clock.

The shots ended up even at 13, with Sky Blue getting far better opportunities in the 1st half and Athletica getting most of the chances in the 2nd half. Both teams were playing without quality players. Athletica was missing their leading scorer, Eniola Aluko, as well as starting defender Sara Larsson. Sky Blue was without one of their top defenders, Anita Asante, and their backup keeper, Karen Bardsley.

Sky Blue, who qualified for the playoffs only after Boston lost their final match, will now go on to the championship in Carson, California. They will meet the Los Angeles Sol, the regular season champs, at 4 pm ET on Saturday.

WPS Draft Revisited-Sky Blue FC

This is the fourth installment on the 2009 WPS Draft, looking at Sky Blue FC.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#4)-Yael Averbuch, North Carolina; 2nd round (#11)-Meghan Schnur, Connecticut; 3rd round (#18)-Karen Bardsley, Cal State-Fullerton; 4th round (#25)-Christie Shaner, Notre Dame; 5th round (#32)-Julianne Sitch, DePaul; 6th round (#39)-Jen Buczkowski, Notre Dame; 7th round (#46)-Zhang Ouying, China; 8th round (#53)-Mary Therese McDonnell, Illinois; 9th round (#60)-Mele French, Oregon; 10th round (#67)-Fanta Cooper, UW-Milwaukee.

Strategy
With talented attacking players like Natasha Kai, Sarah Walsh, Rosana, Heather O'Reilly, Kelly Parker, and Kacey White already on their roster, Sky Blue concentrated on defenders and midfielders. They apparently weren't impressed much by younger players, as they took only one college senior, Yael Averbuch. They were the only WPS team to pick less than three college seniors. Sky Blue went heavily with players with American club experience, especially W-League veterans. Most of the players chosen played college and club soccer in the east and midwest, most notably the Chicago area. Maybe this is not so surprising, given that then assistant coach, now interim head coach, Kelly Lindsey went to Notre Dame.

Current WPS Status
For Sky Blue FC, 7 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, 3 were released.

Full time starters (3)-Averbuch, Schnur, Sitch
Part time starters and other full roster players (2)-Bardsley, Buczkowski
Developmental (2)-Shaner, French
Released (3)-Zhang, McDonnell, Cooper

Note McDonnell was later picked up by Chicago as a developmental player.

What They've Done (thru 10 games)
Averbuch-9 G, 5 GS, 504 Min, 9 shots, 3 SOG
Schnur-10 G, 10 GS, 900 Min, 2 assists, 2 points, 3 shots
Shaner-2 G, 40 Min
Sitch-9 G, 8 GS, 714 Min, 9 shots, 4 SOG
Buczkowski-6 G, 4 GS, 342 Min, 1 shot
French-1 G, 11 Min

Bardsley-3 G, 3 GS, 225 Min, 6 saves, 0.5 shutouts, 0.80 GA

Total Offensive Output-37 G, 27 GS, 2511 Min, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 22 shots, 7 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-3 G, 3 GS, 225 Min, 6 saves, 0.5 shutouts, 0.80 GA.

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

The Players

Yael Averbuch-It was no surprise that Sky Blue would take the New Jersey native with the 4th pick in the draft. But it had to be a little odd for the former UNC star to be spending most of the early season on the bench, given she started 105 consecutive games for the Tar Heels. The change in coaches seems to have made a lot of difference. Under Ian Sawyers, she was averaging just 33 minutes/game. Since Kelly Lindsey has taken over, Averbuch has played every minute of the last 4 games. Averbuch's height gives her a distinct advantage in the air. She distributes the ball well from her midfield position. She has a strong shot and is dangerous anywhere in the attacking third. Averbuch has extensive experience with the US Junior National teams, so she is used to international caliber play.

Meghan Schnur-Out of the 70 players taken in the January draft, she is the only one to have played every minute of every game for her team. Schnur is a poised defender, who holds her ground and is rarely out of position. From her outside left back position, she guards the flank well and has helped Sky Blue's defense become 2nd best in the league. She doesn't go forward as much as many outside backs in the league, but she can contribute offensively as she demonstrated with her two assists against Chicago. Schnur is one of the best defensive players to come out of the draft and should help Sky Blue for many years.

Karen Bardsley-The CS-Fullerton keeper has started three games for Sky Blue. She's given up just 2 goals in the two and a half games she has played. Bardsley played very well under intense pressure in the 1st half of Chicago game in April. She also made a great save against Athletica, keeping her team in the game late in that contest. When in traffic, Bardsley plays safety first, preferring to punch the ball out rather than risk grabbing it out of the air. She has nice height and anticipates well. For the moment, it appears she is backup to Jen Branam, but Sky Blue doesn't lose anything having her in goal.

Christie Shaner-Shaner has seen brief action in two games. The former Notre Dame and W-League star played center back against the Red Stars and also saw action against the Freedom. Shaner adds depth to the defense.

Julianne Sitch-This W-League veteran is a tough competitor. She started and played the full 90 minutes in Sky Blue's first 7 games, but has seen less playing time lately. She can play either outside defender or holding midfielder. She is an agressive tackler as her three yellow cards would attest. Sitch is not afraid to go forward from either the back or from midfield and chooses her opportunities well. From her midfield position, she does a nice job of supporting the back line. As a defender, she can be occasionally beaten by speed to the outside, but marks well for the most part and is steady on the back line. Sitch was a very solid pick in the 5th round.

Jen Buczkowski-The Notre Dame grad has seen action at midfield for Sky Blue, starting 4 games for the Jersey side. Like Sitch, Buczkowski is a W-League veteran, spending four seasons with the Chicago Gaels before being drafted by SBFC. She is a solid midfielder, who defends well. She drops back well to help the back line. She does not go forward very often in the offense. Buczkowski is not going to blow you way, but she quietly and effectively gets the job done.

Mele French-French is a story in perseverance. Her promising college career at Oregon was cuts short by a series of concussions. However, last year she re-emerged playing for W-League champions, Pali Blues. French has seen brief action in one game so far.

Later Additions-In addition to the players above, Sky Blue also signed Jen Branam and Lauren Sesselmann, both of whom were drafted by Chicago. Branam has been the starting keeper for much of the season for Sky Blue. She is the shortest starting keeper in the league, but is extremely quick and aggressive. Branam has an extremely powerful right leg and can easily kick the ball two thirds of the field. However, she will also occasionally mishit a punt into danger. She has made a lot of great saves, but made a glaring mistake against Boston, letting a low cross get through her for an easy goal. Other than that, her play has been sound.

Purdue grad Lauren Sesselmann was drafted by Chicago, then released, but was recently added to Sky Blue's roster as a developmental player. She has not seen any action yet.

Summary
Like Chicago, Sky Blue did well at the top of the draft, but not very good at the bottom. It was a bit puzzling that their 1st round pick, Averbuch, saw very little action early in the season, but lately she has been a key player in Sky Blue's resurgence over the last 4 or 5 games. Schnur is a solid defender and underrated as far as I'm concerned. Bardsley has done a fine job when in goal, although she hasn't played a lot. Sitch was a great pick in the 5th round. Buczkowski has contributed well for a 6th round pick. Veterans Shaner and French haven't played much to this point.

With the exception of Los Angeles, who is loaded with talent, Sky Blue has gotten less starts out of their draft than any other team. They also haven't gotten any scoring, save for Schnur's two assists, but that's largely because they drafted heavily on the defensive side. One problem I see is that because they didn't draft a lot of young players, I don't know how much improvement you are going to see out of most of their draft. There are certainly a lot of solid contributors in this group, but outside of possibly Averbuch and Schnur, I don't think any of the other players could develop into stars.