Last Second Goal Lifts Philly over Shorthanded Sky Blue

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule:
Wednesday, August 10
Western New York at magicJack

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

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

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

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

Flash and magicJack Post Victories

magicJack 3, Sky Blue FC 2

MagicJack took over sole possession of third place by defeating Sky Blue 3-2 tonight in Boca Raton. Abby Wambach scored twice and Megan Rapinoe got the game winner for magicJack.

Wambach opened the scoring in the 5th minute, assisted by Marian Dalmy. The hosts went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

The floodgates opened in the second half, as both teams scored twice. Eni Aluko scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Heather O'Reilly in the 56th minute to tie the match for Sky Blue.

Wambach again gave magicJack the lead in the 77th minute, with the assist this time coming from Canadian National Team midfielder Sophie Schmidt. It was Wambach's 7th goal of the season.

Once again, Aluko was able to draw Sky Blue even as she scored in the 84th minute to tie the match at two, with Adriana assisting.

But midseason acquisition Megan Rapinoe scored the game winner in the 86th minute on an assist from Matilda's star Lisa De Vanna.

Jill Loyden got the victory in goal for magicJack, while Karen Bardsley took the loss for Sky Blue.

MagicJack improves to 7-6-2, good for 22 points after their point deduction suffered earlier in the campaign. They need just one more point to secure a playoff position. They will face the Breakers in Boston on Saturday evening.

Sky Blue falls to 5-7-4 and 19 points to their credit. They are still clinging to the fourth and final playoff berth, just three points ahead of Boston. Sky Blue travels to Philadelphia to play the Independence on Sunday, before facing the Breakers in their final regular season match in what could be a do or die game.

Western New York Flash 2, Boston Breakers 1

The Flash were able to pull even with league leading Philadelphia on Wednesday night, by defeating the Boston Breakers 2-1 at Sahlen Stadium. Christine Sinclair and Becky Edwards were able to net first half goals and then the Flash were able to withstand a Boston comeback to hold on for the victory.

Sinclair scored the game's first goal on an assist from Marta in the 21st minute. The tally pushes Sinclair's league-leading total to 10 goals.

The Flash made it 2-0 just seven minutes later. Becky Edwards headed in an Ali Riley cross and Western New York appeared to be on their way to victory.

Boston had other ideas, however, as they cut the lead in half in the opening minutes of the second half. Rookie Keelin Winters scored her third goal of the season, assisted by Kelley O'Hara to put the Breakers right back in the match.

Kelly Smith nearly tied the match in the 54th minute, but her shot from 30 yards hit the crossbar with Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris barely getting her hand on it. From then on, Western New York was able to hold on to capture three points.

The match saw two key Breakers players return to action. The aforementioned Smith came on at halftime, seeing her first action since the World Cup quarterfinals in Germany. Lauren Cheney made her first start since her ankle injury in the World Cup final for the United States.

Western New York is now in prime position to win the WPS regular season crown. They are tied with Philadelphia at 33 points and have a game in hand. They will face cellar dwelling Atlanta on Saturday at KSU Stadium.

Boston's situation is desperate at 4-8-4, but they do still control their own destiny. They will face magicJack in Cambridge on Saturday, before finishing the season at home against Sky Blue FC.

WPS STANDINGS
(1) Western New York 10-2-3, 33 pts; (1) Philadelphia 10-3-3, 33 pts; (3) magicJack 7-6-2, 22 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 5-7-4, 19 pts; (5) Boston 4-8-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-11-4, 7 pts.

Group B Preview: England

England (#10)
Region: UEFA
Coach: Hope Powell
How They Qualified: Won UEFA Group Stage, then defeated Switzerland in playoff.
Prior Cups:
2007: Lost in Quarterfinals
2003: DNQ
1999: DNQ
1995: Lost in Quarterfinals
1991: DNQ
Returnees from 2007 WWC: (13) Brown, A. Scott, Stoney, F. White, Williams, Aluko, K. Smith, Yankey, Asante, J. Scott, Chamberlain, Carney, Unitt.

Roster (Average Age: 26.56)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Karen Bardsley	GK	Sky Blue FC	26	13/0
Rachel Brown	GK	Everton	30	73/0
Siobhan Chamberlain	GK	Bristol Academy	27	18/0
Sophie Bradley	DF	Lincoln Ladies	21	5/0
Claire Rafferty	DF	Chelsea	22	4/0
Alex Scott	DF	Boston Breakers	26	77/12
Casey Stoney	DF	Lincoln Ladies	29	74/4
Dunia Susi	DF	Birmingham City	23	13/0
Rachel Unitt	DF	Everton	29	89/7
Faye White	DF	Arsenal	33	99/13
Anite Asante	MF	Sky Blue FC	26	49/1
Laura Bassett	MF	Birmingham City	27	19/0
Stephanie Houghton	MF	Arsenal	23	16/1
Jill Scott	MF	Everton	24	45/6
Fara Williams	MF	Everton	27	92/34
Eniola Aluko	FW	Sky Blue FC	24	55/11
Karen Carney	FW	Birmingham City	23	60/11
Jessica Clarke	FW	Lincoln Ladies	22	25/6
Kelly Smith	FW	Boston Breakers	32	104/43
Ellen White	FW	Arsenal	22	14/5
Rachel Yankey	FW	Arsenal	31	109/14

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
5/17/11	Sweden	Friendly	W 2-0
4/2/11	USA	Friendly	W 2-1
3/9/11	Korea Republic	Cyprus	W 2-0
3/7/11	Canada	Cyprus	L 0-2
3/4/11	Scotland	Cyprus	L 0-2
3/2/11	Italy	Cyprus	W 2-0
10/21/10	New Zealand	Peace Cup	T 0-0
10/19/10	Korea Republic	Peace Cup	T 0-0
9/16/10	Switzerland	UEFA Playoff	W 3-2
9/12/10	Switzerland	UEFA Playoff	W 2-0
8/21/10	Austria	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 4-0
7/29/10	Turkey	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 3-0
6/19/10	Spain	UEFA WC Qualifier	T 2-2
5/20/10	Malta	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 6-0
4/1/10	Spain	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 1-0

Hope Powell’s squad may have the best chance ever for England to advance far into the tournament. They have twice reached the quarterfinals, including 2007, when they were beaten by the US 3-0. They are a very experienced, with 13 players returning from that team.

But which team will show up in Germany, the team that just defeated Sweden and the United States in back-to-back friendlies or the team that played two scoreless ties at the Peace Cup and lost to Canada and Scotland at the Cyprus Cup?

One of the players from the 2007 team, Fara Williams, did not get a chance to play in that quarterfinal match. She received two yellow cards and was forced to sit and watch from the side. Williams is a true organizer for the English team, excellent at possession and pin point on free kicks. She will surely be hungry for this World Cup.

The English have a multitude of scoring options. Kelly Smith, a perennial Player of the Year candidate, is their main target. She just recently passed the 100 cap milestone in her career and has scored 43 goals. She is tough and healthy after suffering through some injuries in 2009 and early 2010.

As for who will be her striking partner, that’s anybody’s guess. Eni Aluko looked to be the odds on favorite after the 2009 Euros in which she played brilliantly. However, she has scored just twice in her last 11 appearances for England. Karen Carney usually plays more of a wing and has been injured for the early part of 2011. Rachel Yankey is the experienced veteran and scored against the US in that recent friendly. Then there are young talents like Ellen White and Jess Clarke to be considered.

An American-based goalkeeper, Karen Bardsley, now appears to be their number one keeper. She has started six of their last seven matches, while Rachel Brown had received the lion’s share of the starts before that.

Perhaps the most suspect part of their lineup might be their back line, where Faye White has also been nursing an injury as of late. The English defense is experienced with Alex Scott, Rachel Unitt, and Casey Stoney. While their defense has been better lately, they did give up 14 goals in six games at their last major competition, the 2009 Euros. Goal differential could be very important in this tournament and their defense had better be more defiant than that.

England did appear to get a favorable draw and should be the odds on favorite to advance and possibly win the group. Japan will likely be their stiffest competition and they did not look sharp in a pair of recent matches against the United States. Mexico is relatively inexperienced team and New Zealand, while improving, should not be a problem for England if they play well. However, it must be said that New Zealand played a well-earned tie against England last fall.

If this team plays well and puts it all together, they could make a run deep into this tournament, perhaps all the way to the finals. This might be their best chance yet to place among the top teams in the world.

Note: Some information in this article was obtained from www.fifa.com and www.thefa.com.

Blank's Late Goal Lifts Sky Blue

Carolyn Blank scored her second career goal in the 88th minute to break a 1-1 tie and give Sky Blue a win over the Boston Breakers.

The game, which was delayed at the start by storms, was a back-and-forth affair with both teams creating chances. Boston's Kelly Smith hit the crossbar twice in the opening minutes of the match, but neither team was able to score in the first half.

The Breakers did open the scoring early in the 2nd half. Sky Blue keeper Jen Branam was able to make a diving stop on Smith, but Kelley O'Hara knocked home the rebound to give Boston a temporary advantage in the 50th minute.

Sky Blue struck back just eight minutes later and it was two substitutions that did the work. Swedish international Therese Sjögran, who reported in at the intermission, set up Eniola Aluko, who was able to finish past Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to tie the score at one each. Aluko had entered the game midway through the first half after Adriana had suffered an injury.

O'Hara nearly got her second of the evening, as she had Branam in a one-on-one situation, but the Sky Blue keeper made an excellent save to keep the match tied.

Sjögran notched her second assist of the match as she sent the ball to Blank, who was waiting at the top of the box and the former West Virginia star put it in the net to give Sky Blue their first lead in the 88th minute.

Sky Blue remains unbeaten at home and improves to 2-3-1. They are now tied with the Breakers for fourth place, with two matches in hand. Boston falls to 2-5-1.

Next weekend, Sky Blue travels to Rochester to face Western New York for the second time this season. The Flash won the first match by a 3-1 margin. Boston hosts magicJack next Sunday, a team they lost to in their only meeting in Boca Raton.

Sky Blue Shuts Out Beat 3-0

Sky Blue finally got their first win of the season and they did it in convincing fashion by shutting out the Atlanta Beat 3-0. SBFC lifts their record to 1-3-1, while Atlanta falls to 1-5-1. Most of the national team players for both teams were rested in the first half, due to a very heavy schedule during the past week.

Laura Kalmari scored a first half goal off of a Casey Nogueira corner kick. Allie Long converted a penalty after being pulled down in the box to give Sky Blue a 2-0 lead. Heather O'Reilly completed the scoring on a goal assisted by Eni Aluko.

Jen Branam earned the shutout for Sky Blue, who will host the Boston Breakers next Saturday evening. For Atlanta, the road doesn't get any easier as they travel to Boca Raton to face magicJack next Saturday.

2011 Sky Blue FC Preview

Sky Blue FC
Coach: Jim Gabarra (1st year at Sky Blue, 3rd year in WPS)
2010 Record: 7-10-7 (5th place)
Home Stadium: Yurcak Field (Piscataway, NJ)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (4): Kristin Arnold(R), Karen Bardsley, Jenni Branam, Erin Guthrie.
Defenders (8): Anita Asante, Kiersten Dallstream, Carrie Dew, Kendall Fletcher, Danielle Johnson, Lindsey Johnson(R), Brittany Taylor, Michelle Wenino.
Midfielders (7): Carolyn Blank, Tobin Heath, Angie Kerr, Allie Long, Alyssa Mautz(R), Heather O’Reilly, Therese Sjögran.
Forwards (4): Eniola Aluko, Laura Kalmari, Andrea Martin Santamaria, Casey Nogueira.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Bardsley, Asante, Heath, O’Reilly, Sjögran, Aluko.

High expectations often lead to disappointment and that’s what happened last season with Sky Blue. The defending champions failed to make the playoffs, falling to 5th place. To be sure, injuries had a lot to do with their lackluster season. Perhaps because of last year’s finish, Sky Blue had a substantial turnover on their roster in the offseason. Only eight players return from 2010 and only two players from the midfield forward.

One problem Sky Blue has had for both seasons was scoring goals. They hope to have rectified this offensive shortage with a blockbuster trade and several free agent signings. The trade that brought Eni Aluko, Tobin Heath, and Angie Kerr from Atlanta should pay dividends for a team that scored just 20 goals in 24 matches during the 2010 season, tied for the lowest total in WPS.

Jim Gabarra comes over from Washington for his third year as a WPS coach. He has a lot of talent on this Sky Blue team. The trick will be getting them to play as a cohesive unit, especially early in the season. The preseason tournament in Turkey should help in that regard.

Goalkeepers: Sky Blue had a rash of injuries last season and no position was harder hit than goalkeeper. SBFC lost not one, but two starters to injury. Both Karen Bardsley and Jen Branam are back for a third season with Sky Blue.

Bardsley’s stock continues to rise, both because of her brilliant start in 2010 and her more frequent starts with the English National Team. She was the keeper of choice when Hope Powell’s Lions faced the US in a recent friendly. Bardsley recorded five shutouts before she was injured while training for the WPS All-Star match last June. She has a huge advantage over Branam in height and now, in international experience.

Branam, on the other hand, led Sky Blue to the 2009 championship. While she is one of the shortest keepers in the league, she is also one of the most aggressive, often fearless while traveling well out of the penalty area to thwart potential threats. She will certainly see a lot of action when Bardsley travels to Germany with her English teammates. Rookie Kristin Arnold and Erin Guthrie, who spent 2010 as Gold Pride’s third goalkeeper, will battle for the third spot on Sky Blue.

Defenders: Gone are starters Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone, Daphne Koster, and Keeley Dowling, losses that would cripple most teams. Still, Sky Blue returns four defenders from 2010, plus Anita Asante who returns to New Jersey after making three stops in between. Her experience should pay off on what is otherwise a fairly youthful back line.

Probably the most prominent among the returning players is Brittany Taylor, who had a strong rookie season in 2010. Taylor showed an ability to defend one-on-one against some of the best strikers the league had to offer. Kendall Fletcher, Danielle Johnson, and Kiersten Dallstream also return. Fletcher can also play defensive mid, a position she looked very good at while in Saint Louis. Dallstream has great speed and can also play striker.

Rounding out the defensive group are Carrie Dew, picked up from Gold Pride, Lindsey Johnson, and Michelle Wenino. The question is can this squad can stand up to the pressure they are likely to face against the best attacking teams in this league.

Midfielders: Only Heather O’Reilly returns in the midfield for Sky Blue. Still only 26 years old, it seems as though O’Reilly has been on the national scene forever, earning 141 caps for the USWNT. She has scored three goals and eight assists over two WPS campaigns.

While the rest of the midfield has changed, it is certainly not lacking in talent. Sky Blue was able to secure a loan agreement for Therese Sjögran, a veteran of the Damallsvenskan and the Swedish National Team. Her all around play, leadership, and experience may well be what this team needs. She will be joined in the middle by the number one overall pick in the 2010 draft, Tobin Heath. Heath missed most of 2010 with injuries, but 2011 seems to be starting out on the right foot with her making several national team appearances.

Another key addition to Sky Blue is former Freedom attacking mid Allie Long. Long has four career WPS goals and has matured as a player a great deal from the 21-year old that took the field for the Freedom in 2009. Two refugees from the Beat, Carolyn Blank and Angie Kerr, also join SBFC. Blank showed potential at defensive mid last season. Kerr, once a national team player, generally plays outside and passes the ball with great accuracy. Rookie Alyssa Mautz out of Texas A & M also joins the team and has a great deal of offensive potential.

Forwards: It’s not surprising, given Sky Blue’s difficulty in putting the ball in the net, that the team decided to go in another direction for 2011. The only returning forward is Laura Kalmari, who tied for the team lead in goals with five. One of the things I like best about Kalmari is that she always seems to put herself in good position to receive passes and score goals, which is sometimes one of the hardest things for a forward to learn. She already appears to be in midseason form, scoring a hat track against Rutgers in a recent exhibition game.

The biggest addition at forward is English striker Eniola Aluko. Aluko was virtually gifted to Sky Blue by Atlanta, the team with whom she finished 2010. Aluko has an impressive track record, 15 goals in two WPS seasons and 11 goals for England. She is very fast, sometimes too fast for AR’s in my opinion. She will lead the WPS in offside calls, but she is one of the league’s most exciting players.

The other two additions to Sky Blue have international experience as well. Spanish striker Adriana joins SBFC, coming off of an excellent run in UEFA World Cup qualifying. She scored 16 goals in just eight qualifying matches, including one against England last June. The other forward is Casey Nogueira, who spent her rookie season with Chicago. There has never been much doubt about Nogueira’s talent, only her consistency. She had a knack for scoring big goals on the college level and added a spark for the Red Stars a few times last season.

Outlook: One of the things that has to improve this season is scoring. Twenty goals in 24 matches, with two being penalties and another being an own goal, is just not enough. Sky Blue brought in the players to correct that problem. With Sjögran and Heath controlling the middle and more attacking options available, this team should score some goals. Aluko has great speed and her presence alone, should occupy opposing defenses.

The other problem for Sky Blue is protecting their own goal. While Bardsley and Branam are both capable keepers, they will not survive the onslaught of shots that Sky Blue faced last season for very long. Game in, game out for a good part of the 2010 season, Sky Blue was outshot two to one, often worse. With the defensive turnover that this team is facing, one wonders if they can protect Bardsley and Branam enough to give the offense a chance to win games.

Sky Blue is a team that must control possession and the midfield in order to be successful, which of course is true of most teams. The tendency with a speed burner like Aluko is to play kick and run long ball tactics, but I think Gabarra will keep his team from falling into that trap. The key will be how quickly Sky Blue can become familiar with one another before we see a sharp, crisp passing game that they need, especially since the team will lose much of its midfield to the World Cup.

Biggest Off-Season Player Moves in WPS

I have just written an article for the WPS website about the biggest off-season player moves.

My list of top off-season moves are (not necessarily in any order):

1) Marta, Western New York Flash
2) Christine Sinclair, Western New York Flash
3) Ali Riley and Kandace Wilson, Western New York Flash
4) Rachel Buehler, Boston Breakers
5) Eniola Aluko, Tobin Heath, Angie Kerr trade, Sky Blue FC
6) Therese Sjögran, Sky Blue FC
7) Christie Rampone, Washington Freedom
8) Caroline Seger, Western New York Flash
9) Shannon Boxx, Washington Freedom
10) Johanna Rasmussen & 3rd overall pick in 2011 draft, Washington Freedom

Please check it out, along with all the latest WPS news, interviews, and information at http://www.womensprosoccer.com/.

Sky Blue Obtains Aluko, Kerr, and Heath from Beat

Sky Blue FC completed a blockbuster trade sending two draft picks and future considerations to the Atlanta Beat for Eniola Aluko, Tobin Heath, and Angie Kerr. Atlanta received the number four and number eight selections in the 2011 draft and unnamed future considerations.

Aluko has been one of the top offensive players in WPS over the past two seasons. She scored nine goals in 2010, splitting time between Atlanta and Saint Louis, after scoring six in the 2009 campaign for Athletica. She is also a top forward for the English national team. She will turn 24 in February.

Heath was the number one overall draft selection in 2010, but played just three games before suffering a season-ending injury. Before that, she was a star for perennial college power North Carolina, helping them to three national championships. Heath was also a gold medalist in the 2008 Olympics for the USWNT.

Kerr, formerly Angie Woznuk, has also spent time with the USWNT. She was drafted by Saint Louis in the 2008 general draft and played all of 2009 for Athletica, before being traded to Atlanta before the 2010 season. She played in 22 games for Atlanta last season, starting 19 of them. She scored one goal and posted three assists. Before that, Kerr was a top college player at Portland.

This trade follows several other moves by Sky Blue FC. They've just finished signing Allie Long (formerly with the Washington Freedom), Carolyn Blank (formerly with Saint Louis Athletica and Atlanta Beat), and Anita Asante (originally with Sky Blue, but formerly with Saint Louis Athletica, Chicago Red Stars, and Washington Freedom).

WPS Midweek Notes - August 25

Aluko Wins Player of the Week

Atlanta forward Eniola Aluko has won the WPS Player of the Week for the second time this year and the third time in her career. Aluko scored the third goal in Atlanta’s 3-2 victory over the Boston Breakers. Aluko’s goal was her eighth of the season. She had earlier been credited with the second goal of the game, but after review it was awarded to Aya Miyama.

Aluko became the second player of the Atlanta Beat to win the honor. Hope Solo was Player of the Week in Week 16. Aluko also became the third player to win the honor more than once in 2010. Both Amy Rodriguez and Marta have won three times each during the season.

Playoff Update

Now that FC Gold Pride has secured the first seed in the approaching WPS playoffs, the battle continues for the other three berths.

Philadelphia has the inside track for the second seed. They are presently five points clear of the 3rd place Boston Breakers, who they will host on Sunday. A victory over the Breakers would come close to locking up second place, but a loss means they will no longer control their own destiny as far as that position goes. The Independence are still lacking a point of clinching a playoff berth.

Boston’s margin over Washington and Sky Blue shrunk to four points last weekend. A loss this weekend to Philly and they will likely have one of those two teams breathing down their necks as the Freedom and SBFC face one another this week as well.

The Sky Blue/Washington match in Maryland will probably go a long way in deciding the fourth and final playoff berth. Sky Blue has a game in hand, so a victory would put them in a very strong position.

Chicago would need a near miracle to make the playoffs. Only a Washington/Sky Blue tie would keep them alive. Atlanta, with four games remaining still clings to some hope. They have matches left against both Washington and Sky Blue, two matches that they must win to have a chance. The Beat’s remaining schedule is challenging, so gaining a playoff position will not be easy.

Around the League

Atlanta Beat – Eniola Aluko and Johanna Rasmussen are now tied for the team lead in goals with four apiece…..Playing in her 38th career match, Aya Miyama scored her first career WPS goal on Saturday against Boston…..Former Athletica players have now scored exactly half of the Beat’s goals for 2010.

Boston Breakers – Kelly Smith is one of only four players to have scored ten goals in a WPS season…..Lindsay Tarpley has scored goals with three different franchises…..Boston has now scored in 11 consecutive games, just one shy of the record set earlier this season by Philadelphia. The Breakers will attempt to tie the record against the Independence on Sunday.

Chicago Red Stars – With her two goals on Sunday, Ella Masar broke the Red Stars’ single season scoring mark with eight goals. Cristiane scored seven in the 2009 season…..With just two matches remaining, Chicago defender Marian Dalmy has played every minute of the 2010 season. Caroline Jönsson played every minute of the 2009 season for the Red Stars…..Sunday marked only the second time in team history that Chicago had scored two or more goals and lost. The other time was last August against Washington.

FC Gold Pride – Marta now has 25 career goals in WPS, seven more than the Abby Wambach who has the next highest total…..Nicole Barnhart’s seven shutouts lead WPS in that category…..With a 13-3-4 record and 43 points, Gold Pride eclipsed the Los Angeles Sol’s 20-game total of 41 points in the 2009 season.

Philadelphia Independence – Joanna Lohman is the only Independence player to have appeared in all 21 matches for the Independence…..Philadelphia has three players with five or more assists, Lori Lindsey, Amy Rodriguez, and Caroline Seger…..Three of the six players to have received red cards this season are Independence players.

Sky Blue FC – Yael Averbuch’s blistering volley, certainly one of the best strikes of the season, proved to be her first WPS goal on Sunday…..Jen Branam’s shutout against Philadelphia was her first since the 2009 WPS Championship Game…..Sky Blue became only the second team to defeat both Gold Pride and Philadelphia this season. The now defunct Saint Louis Athletica accomplished that feat in early May.

Washington Freedom – With just three games left in the 2010 regular season, Abby Wambach is just two assists shy of becoming the first player to record double digit goals and assists in the same WPS season…..In her past four matches, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris has surrendered just one goal, that being an own goal…..After a five game losing streak and a 10-game winless streak, Washington is now unbeaten in their last four matches.

Beat Defeat Breakers To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

The Atlanta Beat built up a three goal lead and then held on to defeat the Boston Breakers by a 3-2 margin in a game played in New Britain, Connecticut before over 4000 fans. Lori Chalupny scored the opener in the first half and second half substitution Eniola Aluko scored twice to lead the Beat.

Boston made a late charge with goals from Lindsay Tarpley and Kristine Lilly in the closing minutes, but it was too little too late for the Breakers.

Atlanta moves to 5-10-5 and 20 points. They are now five points out of the fourth and final playoff berth. They will face Gold Pride at home next weekend. Despite the loss, the Breakers scored in their 11th consecutive game, just one short of a WPS record. They fall to 8-7-5, but remain in 3rd place. The Breakers, who will play their last four matches on the road, will travel to Philadelphia next week in a battle for playoff position.

WPS Weekend Wrap - August 1

Atlanta Plays Gold Pride to 0-0 Tie at Home

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chicago Moves into 4th Place with 2-1 Victory

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

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

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

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

Boston and Chicago Waste Chance To Move Up

Both Boston and Chicago squandered their opportunity to move into 3rd place, while Gold Pride moves closer to clinching and Atlanta goes back-to-back.

FC Gold Pride 2, Boston 1

For the third straight time this year, Gold Pride defeated the Breakers by a one goal margin, winning 2-1 on the road Wednesday night.

After spotting Boston a 1-0 lead on yet another goal by rookie Jordan Angeli, Gold Pride struck twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half on goals by Christine Sinclair and Marta. It was Marta's 11th goal of the season, breaking her own WPS single season record for goals in just her 15th match of the season.

For Gold Pride, it was their first come-from-behind victory this year and their second ever. They now hold a 13 point advantage over 2nd place Philadelphia. Boston could have moved into 3rd place, but remain at 16 points, good for 6th place.

Atlanta 1, Chicago 0

The Atlanta Beat shut out the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 on Wednesday evening for their first back-to-back victories ever. Eniola Aluko scored the lone goal of the match for the second consecutive time, giving her six goals for the season.

Casey Nogueira came close to getting tying goal in the 72nd minute, hitting the crossbar, but the Beat were able to withstand the Red Stars' 2nd half pressure to hang on for the win.

Hope Solo earned the shutout for the Beat. Atlanta has now shut out the Red Stars three times, twice by Hope Solo and once by Brett Maron.

Atlanta moves to within three points of 6th place Boston at 13 points, while Chicago remains tied for 4th place with 17 points.

Sinclair Wins Player of the Week

FC Gold Pride forward, Christine Sinclair, won Player of the Week honors for Week 14. The Canadian star scored both goals in Gold Pride's 2-0 victory over 2nd place Philadelphia on Saturday night. The goals were her 6th and 7th of the season.

Sinclair became the 2nd Gold Pride player to win the honor this year. Marta has won Player of the Week on three different occasions during the 2010 season.

WPS Weekend Wrap - Gold Pride Opens Up Lead, While Playoff Race Tightens

In a weekend that saw FC Gold Pride's lead stretched to 10 points, the league race for the other three playoffs spots tightened considerably. Only five points separates second place from sixth, with only two points difference between Sky Blue, Washington, Chicago, and Boston. Only two teams have more wins than losses now. Meanwhile, Atlanta's road victory in New Jersey gives them some hope.

FC Gold Pride 2, Philadelphia Independence 0

Christine Sinclair's brace was the only scoring, as Gold Pride won 2-0 in a match between the league's top two teams. Sinclair scored the first just before halftime and added a second in the 80th minute. The goals were assisted by Sola Gulbrandsen and Camille Abily, making it an international sweep of the scoring honors. Brittany Cameron earned her first WPS shutout in her second start of the season. Gold Pride outshot Philadelphia by a 15-4 margin.

Both teams were missing several players. Gold Pride was without Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, and Kelley O'Hara. The Independence were missing their two best offensive players in Amy Rodriguez and Lori Lindsey. Additionally, Philly was without defender Heather Mitts.

Gold Pride now has 31 points and a 10 point lead over Philadelphia. They travel to Boston to take on the Breakers, winners of three straight, on Wednesday. Philadelphia returns home to battle Sky Blue next Saturday, a match between the 2nd and 3rd place teams.

Boston Breakers 2, Washington Freedom 1

For the third straight match, Boston came from behind for the win, this time for a 2-1 victory over the Freedom.

Nikki Marshall opened the scoring for the Freedom in just the 2nd minute of the game on an assist from Sarah Huffman. After scoring her first WPS goal in the closing seconds of last week's game against Gold Pride, it didn't take long for Marshall to get her 2nd.

Liz Bogus tied the score midway through the 1st half on a goal assisted by Kelly Smith. For Bogus, it was her 2nd goal in as many weeks.

Rookie Jordan Angeli scored the game winner in the 74th minute, assisted by Lindsay Tarpley. It was Angeli's 3rd of the season. Angeli scored 7 goals in her senior season at Santa Clara after missing the two previous seasons due to injuries.

Boston has now moved to within a point of 4th place Washington and Chicago, and within two of 3rd place Sky Blue. They have a game in hand on all three of those teams. They will host 1st place Gold Pride on Wednesday night. Washington, now winless in their last seven, will return home to play Gold Pride next Saturday.

Atlanta Beat 1, Sky Blue FC 0

Atlanta won for only the second time this year, picking up their first ever road victory, by a 1-0 score. Eniola Aluko scored her first goal for the Beat in the 7th minute and the visitors made it hold up. It was Aluko's 5th goal of the season. The goal was set up on a through ball by Angie Kerr.

Sky Blue put on a lot of pressure in the 2nd half and came close to equalizing as a Patrizia Panico shot hit the crossbar. However goalkeeper Hope Solo, coming off of a USWNT shutout of Sweden, was able to preserve the shutout for Atlanta.

Atlanta has now made it to double digits with 10 points, but they are still seven points behind 4th place. They will host the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday night. Sky Blue makes the short trip to Philadelphia for a match on Saturday. For the moment, they are still clinging to 3rd place, but that could change before they play next.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (10-3-1, 31 pts); 2) Philadelphia (6-5-3, 21 pts); 3) Sky Blue (5-6-3, 18 pts); 4) Chicago (4-5-5, 17 pts); 4) Washington (4-5-5, 17 pts); 6) Boston (4-5-4, 16 pts); 7) Atlanta (2-7-4, 10 pts).

Atlanta Beat Signs Solo, Ellertson, & Aluko

The Atlanta Beat have announced the signing of former Athletica players Hope Solo, Tina Ellertson, and Eniola Aluko.

Solo, considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in women's soccer, has a 1.33 goals against average this season, having posted one shutout. She is the starter on the USWNT and recently had a stellar game in the United States' match against Germany, which ended a 4-0 US victory.

Ellertson was a starting central defender for Athletica, although she had been a forward earlier in her career. Known for her speed and strong play on the back line, she will instantly give the Beat a presence in the middle of defense. She joins former teammate Kia McNeill on Atlanta's defense.

Eniola Aluko is currently the WPS' leading scorer with 4 goals. Last season, she tallied 6 goals and 4 assists. She has been Athletica's leading scorer both years. Aluko is one of the fastest and most exciting young players in WPS.

To make room on the roster, Tobin Heath was put on season-ending injured reserve. Heath had suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season. Lauren Sesselmann and Marisha Schumacher-Hodge have been released by Atlanta.

Weekend Wrap - Athletica & Sky Blue Battle To a Draw

Saint Louis and Sky Blue battled to a 2-2 draw at Soccer Park in Fenton. Athletica struck first when Elaine was taken down in the penalty area by Yael Averbuch. Shannon Boxx converted the penalty to give Athletica a 1-0 lead 8 minutes into the match.

In the 2nd half, Athletica controlled play early, but it was Sky Blue that struck twice. In the 57th, a Kiersten Dallstream cross was headed home by Laura Kalmari. Kalmari got her 2nd goal of the match just minutes later. Heather O'Reilly was able to get by Tina Ellertson who had slid down on the wet turf. O'Reilly sent a perfect cross to an unmarked Kalmari who volleyed it into the left corner of the net to put Sky Blue up 2-1.

Athletica kept creating chances and finally was able to knock one home. In the 85th minute, Shannon Boxx was able to win the ball and sent a perfect ball through to Eniola Aluko who calmly finished lower left to beat Karen Bardsley and tie the score.

Jessica Landström had a late chance on a header, but it was saved by Hope Solo and the match ended in a draw.

For my full recap of the game check it out at Goal.com.

In other games...

Philadelphia 1, Chicago 0

The Independence took over sole possession of 2nd place with a victory on the road in Chicago. Joanna Lohman scored 7 minutes into the 1st half and Philly's defense made the goal hold up. Karina LeBlanc earned the shutout for Philadelphia.

Washington 2, Atlanta 0

The Freedom got goals from Lene Mykjåland and Abby Wambach to defeat Atlanta 2-0. Erin McLeod got the shutout for Washington. The Beat continue to have trouble scoring, in spite of having several chances. They outshot the Freedom 21-10, but only got 7 on frame with none going in. The game also featured a hard collision between Sonia Bompastor of the Freedom and McCall Zerboni of the Beat. Zerboni was taken to the hospital as a precaution, while Bompastor later returned, bandaged with stitches.

Athletica Stops Philly's Unbeaten Streak 2-1

Lindsay Tarpley battles with Philadelphia defender Nikki Krzysik in 1st half action of Athletica's 2-1 victory over the Independence.

For Lindsay Tarpley, it's been a long road back from the ACL injury she suffered last August while preparing for Chicago's final regular season match against Saint Louis. Tonight, now wearing Athletica's green kit, Tarpley scored her first goal since that injury which helped lead Saint Louis to a 2-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Independence.

Tarpley's goal in the 60th minute gave Athletica a 2-0 lead at the time. The ball came to her on the left side of the box and she appeared to be moving toward the middle of the field to shoot. However, she deftly touched the ball back to her left giving her space from two defenders and hit a low shot that was perfectly placed just inside the right post. "This has been a long rehab for me," said Tarpley after the game. "So for me to finish a goal in a game is a big step for me in my comeback."

For Tarpley, it was her first start of the year and she played 72 minutes before giving way to Tina DiMartino. "I felt really good", added Tarpley. Her front line mate, Eniola Aluko called Tarpley "inspiring" in her comeback from injury. "She's so dedicated. I felt like I scored because she scored."

Philadelphia came into the match with a 4 game unbeaten streak and they had the first good scoring opportunity 7 minutes into the match as Amy Rodriguez broke into the right side of the box, but her low shot missed wide to the left of the goal. However, that was one of the few chances the Independence would have in the 1st half as Athletica controlled possession for much of the half.

Just a couple of minutes later, Aluko beat a defender to the 6 yard box. Her shot was parried by Karina LeBlanc to the middle, where Tarpley gained control of the ball. She got off two shots, but both were blocked by Independence defenders and the ball was eventually cleared. Tarpley got another chance in the 39th minute as Aluko found her on the left side of the box, but Tarpley's shot went high from 12 yards out. Earlier, a Lori Chalupny shot was deflected by the Philadelphia defense with the ball hitting the outside of the post and rolling harmlessly wide.

Athletica finally broke through in the 41st minute. A quick counterattack started by Hope Solo got the ball to Aluko on the right side where she had gotten behind a defender. Aluko dribbled at the defense and then sent a pass across to Tarpley who was cutting to the goal. Philadelphia defender Allison Falk was tracking back just outside the penalty area and tried to stop the pass, instead hitting the ball very hard which caught LeBlanc off guard and the ball careened past her for an own goal. For Falk, it was a bit unlucky and had she let the ball go, Tarpley would surely have had an easy one-on-one chance against LeBlanc. "Just one of those ricochets," said Philadelphia Coach Paul Riley, agreeing that Falk didn't have much choice there.

Tarpley would have yet another chance before the half ended, but again hit the shot high on a bad angle shot. Athletica held a 1-0 lead going into the break. Aluko said that the team talked at halftime about being aggressive for the 2nd half. "We can't just settle for 1-0."

Philadelphia seemed to pick up the pace as the 2nd half started. The speed of Rodriguez and halftime substitution Lianne Sanderson gave Athletica some problems in the 2nd half. A Rodriguez shot in the 51st minute was parried wide by Solo. Another promising chance in the 59th minute ended with Heather Mitts being ruled offside.

Aluko briefly went down in a collision with LeBlanc in the 54th minute and she was off the field for nearly 4 minutes while Athletica played shorthanded. However, she returned to field just in time for Tarpley's goal that put Athletica up 2-0. Coach Jorge Barcellos had praise for the work of his two forwards. "We worked this week on our forwards holding the ball and trying for better shots in front of the net." Athletica continued to pressure and create chances for the next 10 minutes after Tarpley's goal, but were unable to break through for a third goal.

Against the run of play, Philadelphia came forward on a counterattack with Lori Lindsey coming up the right wing. Lindsey sent a long cross to the edge the box which saw Amy Rodriguez clear of the Athletica defense. Rodriguez hit a hard low shot that short-hopped Solo and bounced off of her for a rebound. Lyndsey Patterson was able to beat a defender to the ball and buried a shot in the right side of the net to close the score to 2-1.

In spite of the goal, Athletica continued to control possession. Aluko just missed making it a two goal game shooting over the crossbar in the 85th. Philadelphia had one last chance with Lori Lindsey attempting to dribble through the middle, but was upended about 25 yards out and lost possession. Lindsey was given a yellow card for her vehement protests following the non-call. Athletica was able to kill the 4 minutes of stoppage and hold on to the 2-1 victory. Athletica outshot Philadelphia by a 15-8 margin for the game and held a 6-4 advantage on corner kicks.

Clearly, missing the injured Caroline Seger hurt the Independence in the midfield. "I thought we would get going, but we never did, even after we scored we just never got going," said Coach Riley. "I think going from turf to grass hurt us. Athletica were the better team and possessed the ball better than we did. We turned the ball over too quickly. I thought we tightened up on (Shannon) Boxx in the 2nd half, but Aluko was a thorn in our side all night. Now we need to get ready for Chicago next week."

Aluko called the game "a classic Athletica performance. I think the rhythm of play today was unbelievable." Tarpley credited the entire Athletica organization for supporting her through her rehab.

For the first time in WPS history, two sisters were on the field together. Athletica's Tina DiMartino replaced Tarpley in the 72nd minute. Gina DiMartino replaced Jen Buczkowski for Philadelphia 10 minutes later. For the younger sister, Gina, it was her first WPS action.

Saint Louis and Philadelphia now have identical 2-1-2 records, good for 8 points and they are currently tied for 2nd place, pending the outcome of the Sky Blue-Atlanta Beat contest on Sunday night. The Independence will travel to Chicago where they will face the Red Stars next Saturday night. Athletica will host Sky Blue next Sunday afternoon.

WPS Midweek Notes - April 14

Head over Heals

It takes a lot of different skills to play soccer. Speed, agility, endurance, concentration, and sometimes, a little gymnastical skill. Kiki Bosio of FC Gold Pride demonstrated her cartwheeling ability using the flip throw several times in Sunday’s match against Saint Louis Athletica. While it is somewhat of a novelty to fans who don’t see it very often, it can also be an effective offensive weapon. Bosio was able to throw the ball deep into Athletica’s penalty area every time and although Gold Pride was unable to convert any of the throws into goals, it did present some dangerous opportunities.

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Player of the Week

Eniola Aluko of Saint Louis Athletica was named WPS Player of the Week for the weekend of April 10-11. Aluko scored two goals to lead Athletica to a 2-0 win over FC Gold Pride. Aluko had won Player of the Week honors once previously in 2009. Aluko scored a goal in each half of Sunday’s match. It was the first two goal game in her WPS career.

Rookies

Out of the 65 players taken in the January draft, 22 are now full-roster players in the WPS and another 16 made WPS teams as developmental players. Out of those, 17 players made their debut in the opening weekend of WPS. Ten of those players started and there was at least one of the rookies in the starting lineup for each team. FC Gold Pride had three starters from their draft selections back in January.

The 10 starters were Lauren Cheney (Boston), Nikki Marshall (Washington), Carolyn Blank (Saint Louis), Tobin Heath (Atlanta), Whitney Engen (Chicago), Estelle Johnson (Philadelphia), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC), and Kelley O’Hara, Kaley Fountain, and Ali Riley (all FC Gold Pride). Not only did Gold Pride start three of their rookies, 5 of their draft selections saw action in Sunday’s match.

Lauren Cheney was the only 2010 draft choice to score a goal last weekend, but she will have the distinction of being the first player to score a 2010 regular season goal.

Long Waits

Ashley Phillips spent the entire 2009 season on the Boston Breakers roster as a developmental player. She did not play a minute for the entire season. Such is the life of a developmental keeper in WPS. After a year of waiting, Phillips finally got her chance on Saturday and earned the victory in goal for the Breakers in their 2-1 win over the Washington Freedom. Phillips was credited with 7 saves for the match.

Sarah Wagenfuhr started last year as a developmental player for Chicago, but was released after their second game, having not played. On Sunday, she started at outside back for Athletica and played 23 minutes before coming off with an injury.

Lauren Sesselman got into one game for one minute in 2009 for Sky Blue FC. She started and played the full 90 in Atlanta’s opener on Sunday. On the other side of the field Philadelphia’s Lyndsey Patterson had appeared in only one game for 12 minutes for the Los Angeles Sol in 2009. She started and played 57 minutes for the Independence.

Midweek Notes:

Atlanta - Ramona Bachmann did not make the trip to Philadelphia because of illness after scoring a goal and an assist in Atlanta’s final exhibition game in Tulsa…..Allison Whitworth picked up her 2nd career shutout in WPS. Her previous shutout against the Los Angeles Sol in 2009 also ended in a scoreless tie…..The number one overall pick in the 2010 draft, Tobin Heath, played 89 minutes in Sunday’s game.

Boston – Last season, Kelly Smith scored a goal in each of the first 4 games in which she appeared for the Breakers and she started 2010 out in the same fashion with a goal against the Freedom…..The Breakers became only the 2nd team in WPS history to start a developmental keeper in goal with Ashley Phillips on Saturday. Washington had started Kati Jo Spisak three times in 2009…..Lauren Cheney scored her first career WPS goal just 6 minutes into Saturday’s contest.

Chicago – Cristiane was credited with taking 9 shots in the Red Stars loss to Sky Blue, a total which easily leads the league…..In the continuation of a disturbing trend, Chicago has now been shut out 12 times in 21 matches over two seasons…..Kate Markgraf played the full 90 minutes after missing the 2009 season on maternity leave.

FC Gold Pride – Five of Gold Pride’s draft selections saw action on Sunday. Kelley O’Hara, Kaley Fountain, and Ali Riley started, while Becky Edwards and Kiki Bosio subbed in…..Kandace Wilson came off the bench, seeing her first regular season action since she was injured in a May 24th match against Los Angeles in 2009…..Four of Gold Pride’s 5 international players were not with the team in 2009. Camille Abily and Marta were with Los Angeles, Candace Chapman was with Boston, and Solveig Gulbrandsen did not play in WPS last season.

Philadelphia – Karina LeBlanc earned her 13th career shutout on Sunday against Atlanta…..Philadelphia had the largest attendance of the WPS opening weekend with 6,028…..Amy Rodriguez was credited with 6 shots for the Independence against Atlanta, more than in any of her appearances for the Breakers last season.

Saint Louis – Eniola Aluko became the 3rd Athletica player to score two goals in one game. The other two were Daniela and Christie Welsh…..Shannon Boxx became the first Athletica player to record two assists in one game…..Carolyn Blank was the lowest draft choice to start for a WPS team last weekend. Blank was Athletica’s 5th round selection, the 46th overall pick in the draft.

Sky Blue FC – Heather O’Reilly, who tied for SBFC’s lead in assists last season with 3, picked up her first assist on Sunday…..Karen Bardsley picked up the 2nd shutout of her career. Her first came against FC Gold Pride on August 5, 2009, when she was a last second replacement for an injured Jen Branam…..Sky Blue has now shutout the Chicago Red Stars all 5 times they have played them. They have a 4-0-1 record against the Red Stars with a 5-0 goal differential.

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Washington Freedom – Allie Long was the only non-national team player to score a goal this past weekend…..While Abby Wambach is primarily known for her goal scoring ability, she now has 6 career WPS assists, which ties her for 1st place in that category…..The Freedom have now given up multiple goals in 11 of their 22 matches in 2009-10 including the playoff game.

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Opening Week Trivia: Of the 6 returning WPS teams, only two started the same goalkeeper as they did in last year's opener. Name the goalkeepers and the teams. (Answer in the weekend preview later this week).

WPS Weekend Wrap Up

A number of universities are well represented in WPS, including UNC, Notre Dame, Portland, UCLA, Stanford, and Santa Clara. One university that has been developing a number of WPS players as of late is Florida State. Sunday's game between Saint Louis and FC Gold Pride included 3 ex-FSU stars and a former FSU assistant coach. Shown here (from left) India Trotter of Athletica, Assistant Coach Paul Rogers (Athletica's goalkeeper coach), Becky Edwards of FC Gold Pride, and Sarah Wagenfuhr of Athletica. All three players played in the match.

Athletica defender/midfielder Elaine wasn't able to play in Sunday's game because there was a delay in getting her international clearance. But that didn't stop the Brazilian National Team player from participating in another way. She joined Laclede's Army, a supporters group for Saint Louis Athletica, in their cheering section. She got into the spirit of the match by spray painting her hair green, sitting in with the group's drummers and doing her part in supporting her team from the stands. She is hoping to join her teammates on the field soon.

Boston 2, Washington 1-The Breakers got goals from Lauren Cheney and Kelly Smith to defeat the Freedom. Ashley Phillips got the victory in goal in her first WPS action. Allie Long scored the Freedom's loan goal.

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Saint Louis 2, FC Gold Pride 0-Eniola Aluko scored both goals as the Athletica won their home opener. Shannon Boxx had an excellent match, assisting on both goals. The Marta-led Gold Pride were unable to get their offense untracked. Hope Solo earned the shutout in goal.

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Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago 0-The defending champions won their home opener. Natasha Kai scored early on an assist from Heather O'Reilly and SBFC was able to hold on for the win. Karen Bardsley earned the shutout in goal. Jill Loyden gave up just the one goal in her first start for the Red Stars.

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Philadelphia 0, Atlanta 0-The Independence drew over 6000 fans for their home opener which ended in a scoreless tie. Karina LeBlanc (Philadelphia) and Allison Whitworth (Atlanta) earned shutouts. Several key players were missing from the match including Allison Falk (red card in '09 championship game) and Heather Mitts (injury) for Philly and Ramona Bachmann (illness) and Monica Ocampo (illness) for Atlanta.

Boxx and Aluko Combine To Defeat Gold Pride in Opener

Eniola Aluko is happy to have Shannon Boxx as a teammate. Aluko scored two goals, both assisted by her new teammate Boxx, to give Saint Louis Athletica a 2-0 victory over FC Gold Pride in their home opener. Aluko's brace, one on each side of the break, marked the first time she has scored two goals in a WPS game.

The lineups were Solo, Wagenfuhr, Fletcher, Ellertson, Weber, Blank, Chalupny, Boxx, DiMartino, Miyama, and Aluko for Saint Louis, playing a 4-5-1. For Gold Pride, the lineup was Barnhart, Riley, Chapman, Buehler, Fountain, Abily, Gulbrandsen, Marta, O'Hara, Milbrett, and Sinclair in a 4-3-3.

The opening 30 minutes were mainly played in the middle of the field with neither team offering more than a mild threat at a goal. Two substitutions were made early on, Niki Cross for an injured Sarah Wagenfuhr for Saint Louis and Kandace Wilson for Kaley Fountain for Gold Pride. The first good chance of the match came in the 31st minute as Lori Chalupny sent one barely over the crossbar. In the 35th minute, Christine Sinclair placed a short cross into Camille Abily at the 6 yard box with her back to the goal, but the defender held her ground and Abily was unable to turn to get a shot.

Saint Louis started to exert more pressure at that point and Athletica finally broke through in the 39th minute. Shannon Boxx sent a perfect ball through to Eniola Aluko and she was able to beat Nicole Barnhart one-on-one lower right. Saint Louis went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

The second half started with Gold Pride putting sustained pressure on for the first 3 minutes, but not getting a good shot off. From there, Athletica started to control the midfield and put forth some chances. Lori Chalupny was able to split two defenders and feed the ball to Aluko, who nearly had another goal, but the shot sailed wide.

In the 62nd minute, Athletica earned a corner. Aya Miyama sent a perfect ball into to Boxx who headed the ball down from about 8 yards out. Aluko, not taking any chances, finished it neatly past Barnhart to give Athletica a 2-0 lead. Aluko gave much credit to Boxx for both goals. "Two great assists from (Boxx), so I have a lot to thank her for my goals today."

The 2nd goal seem to deflate the Gold Pride side. They brought Becky Edwards in for Gulbrandsen a few minutes later, while Athletica relieved Tina Ellertson who was hobbled a bit with India Trotter, moving Blank to defender and Boxx back to defensive mid.

Gold Pride's best chance may have come a few minutes later. Tiffeny Milbrett got free to take a hard shot from the 18, but Hope Solo was able to leap and parry the ball, which she quickly gathered in before any Gold Pride players could get there. In the 82nd minute, Marta burst into the right side of the box, but was forced to a bad angle and was only able to earn a corner out of the opportunity. From that point on, it was only a matter of running out the clock for Athletica.

Coach Jorge Barcellos has put Shannon Boxx in more of an attacking role for Athletica, rather than her normal defensive midfield position, and she responded with two assists and a very strong performance. Boxx talked about the team's mindset for the match. "Lori Chalupny said it great right before the game. Let's show everyone what Athletica's about, and that we're strong, we're hard, we're going to come into every tackle, scratch, fight...whatever it takes to come out with a win and I think we did a great job of that today."

Of Boxx, Aluko had nothing but praise. "She brings everything you would expect, experience, she's played in big games all her life, and she's a great communicator and a great midfielder all around."

Athletica did a nice job of controlling the midfield as the game wore on and their defense was up to the task, keeping the talented offensive unit of Gold Pride off the board. Gold Pride seemed to have numbers going forward a few times, but were unable to make good use of it in the final third.

Coach Jorge Barcellos was very happy with his team's play. "All the team played very good today." He was especially proud of his midfield, who he gave much praise for keeping the pressure off of his defenders. He also sees two of his newest additions to the midfield helping out Aluko a lot. "I think (with) the support of Boxx and Miyama that Eniola will make a lot of goals with us this year."

Next week, Saint Louis travel to Chicago to meet the Red Stars in a Saturday match. FC Gold Pride returns to the bay area where they will meet defending champions Sky Blue FC in Gold Pride's home opener.

Saint Louis Athletica 2010 - Can They Take the Next Step?

Coach: Jorge Barcellos
2009 Record: 10-6-4 (2nd place)
Postseason: Lost to Sky Blue 1-0 in the semifinal.

Returnees (9): Eniola Aluko, Lori Chalupny, Niki Cross, Daniela, Tina Ellertson, Kendall Fletcher, Hope Solo, Erin Walter, Elise Weber.
Draft Choices (5): Kristina Larsen (IR), Ashlyn Harris, Veronica Perez, Carolyn Blank, Sarah Teegarden.
LA Dispersal Draft (3): Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, Tina DiMartino.
International Signings ( 2): Madelaine Edlund, Elaine.
Free Agents (3): Kati Jo Spisak, India Trotter, Sarah Wagenfuhr.
Trades (1): Lindsay Tarpley

The 2009 season got off to a devastating start for Athletica. They opened with an 0-2-2 record, culminating in the loss of one of their best players, Daniela. But Athletica made some trades, came together as a team and had the league’s best record over the final 16 games. The question is, can they take the next step and win it all in 2010.

One might think that the 2nd place team would make only a few changes, but that wasn’t the case with Athletica. They did a nearly complete makeover of their international cast, signing Madelaine Edlund and Elaine away from Umeå IK. On draft day, they traded backup keeper Jill Loyden for USWNT player Lindsay Tarpley. Then they traded Angie Kerr and Kia McNeill to move up in the dispersal draft, where they selected Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, and Tina DiMartino. Athletica now has 7 players with USWNT caps and another 6 that have caps internationally for other countries. The real concern right now is the team’s health. Lori Chalupny has been battling problems from concussions and Daniela and Tarpley are coming off serious leg injuries. Toward the end of training camp, Kristina Larsen suffered a stress fracture in her foot and will be out 12 weeks. Does Athletica have the depth to overcome injuries?

Goalkeeping-Any conversation about Athletica has to start with defense and any conversation about their defense has to start with Hope Solo. Arguably the best goalkeeper in the women’s game, Solo makes acrobatic saves on a regular basis. She earned 8 shutouts last season with a 0.82 GAA. She distributes the ball as well as any keeper and even assisted on a goal late last season. After trading Jill Loyden to Chicago, Athletica chose Ashlyn Harris out of North Carolina in the college draft. Harris posted a microscopic 0.42 GAA for NCAA champs UNC. Athletica also brought in former Freedom keeper Kati Jo Spisak, a St. Louis native, to add depth at goalkeeper.

Defenders-Only two starters return from last year’s defense. Gone are Stephanie Logtermann (retired), Kia McNeill (traded to Atlanta), and Sara Larsson (Philadelphia). The good news is that one of the returnees is Tina Ellertson, who had an all-star season in 2009. Ellertson has better closing speed than any other back in the league and she gives Athletica a calming presence in the center. Young Elise Weber performed well last season and if she can improve her passing out of the back, she could be a very good outside defender.

The addition of Shannon Boxx gives Coach Jorge Barcellos the luxury of moving Kendall Fletcher to the back line. Fletcher, who played defensive mid last season, was often given responsibility for marking the opponent’s best player. Another player who might move from midfield to defense is Elaine from Brazil. Athletica also added Carolyn Blank out of West Virginia through the draft, signed free agent Sarah Wagenfuhr (formerly Florida State and Chicago Red Stars), and picked up Niki Cross at the roster deadline. Cross spent the ’09 season with Athletica and has the versatility to play defender or forward. The major concern here is depth. Tina Ellertson may be the least replaceable player on the team outside of Hope Solo.

Midfielders-There is no team in the league with as deep and talented of a midfield as Saint Louis. Consider that former Gold Pride starter Tina DiMartino could be the team’s 6th or 7th best midfielder, once everybody is healthy. But there lies the concern. Lindsey Tarpley is recovering from ACL surgery and may not be ready for the start of the season. And with all the depth at midfield, she may play forward for Jorge Barcellos. Lori Chalupny has been plagued by symptoms from concussions and may also be a question mark. Add to those concerns, Brazilian midfielder Daniela is still recovering from her injuries suffered in 4th game of the 2009 season. It appeared that she was just coming into form, scoring the first two goals for Athletica in that game.

But thanks to the LA Sol dispersal draft, Saint Louis has depth to spare. In part due to a trade with Atlanta, Saint Louis was able to pick up both Shannon Boxx and Aya Miyama. Merry Christmas, Jorge! A great veteran player, Boxx has long been one of the top defensive midfielders in the world. She scored 3 goals and 3 assists for the 2009 Sol. Miyama, who has magician-like skills in the midfield, led the league in assists in ‘09 with 6. One of the areas in which Miyama is most proficient is on set pieces, a sore point for Athletica last season. The aforementioned Tina DiMartino is good with the ball at her feet and gives Saint Louis another weapon in their midfield arsenal. Developmental players Sarah Teegarden and Erin Walter provide further depth. If everyone is healthy, this group may have no peers.

Forwards-Saint Louis has one of the league’s best young forwards in Eniola Aluko. At the start of the ’09 season, many people in this country didn’t know her name, but they certainly know now. Aluko had 6 goals, 4 assists, and caused an own goal, meaning she had part in 11 of Athletica’s 19 goals. The problem last year was finding her a running mate upfront. The team addressed that problem by signing Madelaine Edlund, who has scored 28 goals over the past two seasons with Umeå. Edlund scored a goal in the 2009 WPS All-Star game. The team also signed India Trotter, formerly of Florida State, who they had drafted way back in the fall of 2008. Then there is the possibility of Tarpley, Kristina Larsen, or young Veronica Perez playing forward. Perez has capped for the Mexican National Team. If the team can find another scorer, it should open up space for the speedy Aluko.

Summary-Athletica now has 5 players that played for the WPS in last year’s All-Star game and another that was selected, but couldn’t compete. They have a great goalkeeper, a great midfield, one of the league’s best defenders, and one of the most exciting attacking players in WPS. The one thing that stopped them last season was lack of scoring. There were all too many 1-0 nailbiters. Without Aluko, Athletica was unable to score against Sky Blue in the semifinal.

The main concerns for this team have to be scoring, depth on defense, but most of all, team health. If this team can get healthy and get off to a better start than last season, they should challenge for 1st place.