USA to the Finals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

United States 3, Colombia 0

United States dominated Colombia for most of 90 minutes, taking their second Group C match with a 3-0 victory and it really could have been much more. The Americans took 27 shots, nine of which were on goal and nearly all were dangerous.

The victory means that the United States have qualified for the quarterfinals, with only first and second place in Group C to be decided. The US will meet Sweden on Wednesday to settle that.

Both teams made changes to their starting lineups. Lori Lindsey started for Shannon Boxx in the midfield to give the veteran a bit of rest. Meanwhile, Colombian coach Ricardo Rozo elected not to start his young star Yoreli Rincon who had struggled in their first match.

The first chance came in just the third minute. Lauren Cheney played a ball into the left side of the box, but Amy Rodriguez's shot from a bad angle was saved by Sandra Sepulveda.

Just four minutes later, Heather O'Reilly's cross from the right side found Abby Wambach on the left side of the box. Wambach's shot was saved by Sepulveda and the rebound went to a wide open Rodriguez who skied the ball over the crossbar. Sepulveda injured her hand on the save on Wambach and the injury may have cost her later in the match.

Rodriguez had yet another chance in the 10th minute as a well-weighted ball from Lori Lindsey sent her in alone on the left side, but Sepulveda cut off the angle and Rodriguez fired wide.

A poor touch on a clearance led to the United States' first goal in the 13th minute. Heather O'Reilly picked up the loose ball and hammered a shot into the left side netting from 25 yards out. That goal had to take some of the pressure off of the USWNT.

A corner almost led to another goal, but Wambach's header went wide left in the 21st minute. That was followed by Rodriguez's curling shot from 20 yards that was saved by Sepulveda. In the 31st, another cross by O'Reilly from the right side found Wambach wide open, but her header went well over the bar. In the 36th minute, Sepulveda saved Lauren Cheney's blast from 12 yards. Chance after chance and the US still only led by one.

Colombia had very few chances in the first half, but they did put the ball into the net once. In the closing minute of the half, Diana Ospina put the ball through to Katerin Castro, who slipped the ball past Hope Solo, but Castro was well offside on the play.

Megan Rapinoe came on as a halftime substitution for Rodriguez and instantly brought energy and a goal to the US. A throw-in came to Cheney with her back to the net, about 30 yards out. She turned on her defender and slipped a pass just inside the penalty area to Rapinoe. Rapinoe worked her away along the top of the box toward the middle and drove the ball into the upper left corner of the net.

In the 57th minute, Carli Lloyd made it 3-0 on a long-range bomb from 28 yards that Sepulveda appeared to have saved, but it went off her hands into the goal. One had to wonder if the earlier injury might have been a factor there.

The United States continued to pile on the chances, but scored no more goals. Rapinoe rattled the crossbar in the 68th minute, just missing her second goal. In the 80th minute, Wambach blocked Sepulveda's attempted clearance and the ball squarely hit the right post, but stayed out of the goal.

Colombia appeared to have a golden opportunity in the 85th minute, but Orianica Velasquez took a bit too much time and the US defense was able to recover. It must be said that Velasquez had some very good moments as a second half substitute.

The two things the US didn't want in the closing minutes were injuries or yellow cards. Unfortunately, they got both. Heather O'Reilly came off in the 62nd minute and it was unclear what the nature of her injury was, but she was obviously in some discomfort as she was examined on the sideline.

Abby Wambach received a yellow card in the 84th minute as her foot caught Sepulveda in the side as the Colombian keeper was making a save.

Hope Solo posted her fifth straight World Cup shutout, making only four saves for the match.

The United States and Sweden have qualified for the quarterfinals. The order will be determined by the match between the two on Wednesday. In the event of a tie, the United States would win the group based on goal differential. Colombia will face Korea DPR in the other Group C match on Wednesday.

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.

US Defeats Japan 2-0 in Rematch

The result was the same as four days earlier, but it was much better performance out of the USWNT tonight as they defeated Japan by a 2-0 margin in Cary, North Carolina.

Pia Sundhage went with the exact same lineup as she did Saturday and early on, the game appeared much the same as well. Japan put high pressure on the United States' defense early on and this created a bit faster tempo. The Japanese had the better of possession for the first 20 minutes of the match, but the American defense was solid and Japan was unable to get a good scoring chance.

The United States appeared to grow stronger as the first half progressed and once again, they were able to strike first in the 28th minute of the match. Shannon Boxx sent a long cross-field pass to Heather O'Reilly who gained possession on the right side near the end line. O'Reilly was able to beat a defender to the outside and sent a beautiful cross back to an open Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished, in spite of Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori getting her hand on it, and the United States led 1-0.

Sundhage made one halftime substitution, sending in Amy LePeilbet at left back for Stephanie Cox. LePeilbet had been nursing an injury and did not appear in Saturday's match. The United States turned up the pressure in the second half, creating chance after chance.

Two more substitutions were forthcoming in the 60th minute as Alex Morgan and Lori Lindsey entered the match for Rodriguez and Boxx. Boxx had one of her best all around performances in this match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the mix, as Carli Lloyd sent a long ball over the top of the Japanese back line. Morgan timed her run perfectly and was able to beat Kaihori to the ball tipping it past her. Morgan gained control just outside the six-yard box on the left side, but took a bit long to set up her shot as defender Azusa Iwashimizu made a great sliding save just before the ball reached the goal.

Three minutes later, it was the Lloyd-Morgan connection again, this time with Lloyd sending a beautiful ball through to Morgan who got within eight yards of the goal. This time it was Kaihori making a great save to rob Morgan.

The Americans kept knocking on the door and it finally opened in the 69th minute. Lloyd sent a ball wide right to O'Reilly, who this time cut inside with the ball. She hit a well-placed strike from 15 yards out just inside the left post to put the US up by a 2-0 score.

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo got her sternest test in the 81st minute as Karina Maruyama hit a solid strike that appeared to be heading just under the crossbar as a leaping Solo tipped the ball over the net.

The match ended in a well-earned US victory. Their next match will be June 5, in what will be a rematch of the Concacaf semifinal where Mexico stunned the US and nearly put American World Cup hopes on the ropes.

Other World Cup teams in action today:
Mexico 3 (Morales, Perez, Cuellar), Costa Rica 0
France 1 (Bussaglia, pk), Scotland 1 (Ross)
Canada 2 (own goal, Julien), Switzerland 1 (Crnogorcevic)

USWNT Edges China in Qualifying Warmup

The United States Women's National Team, led by goals from Megan Rapinoe and Heather O'Reilly, defeated China 2-1 on Saturday evening at KSU Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. O'Reilly also assisted on Rapinoe's goal in the a pre-qualifying warmup match for the USWNT played before 4759 fans.

Jill Loyden got her first cap in goal for the US and the victory. The United States outshot China by a 20-6 margin in the match.

Qu Shanshan scored China's only goal, with all of the scoring from both teams coming in the first half. The Chinese side did not qualify for the 2011 World Cup, finishing behind Australia, Japan, and Korea DPR in the Asian Cup held earlier this year.

The US will meet China again on Wednesday in Chester, Pennsylvania in their last game in preparation for CONCACAF qualifying which will start October 28.

Sky Blue Wins WPS Championship on Goal by O'Reilly

Sky Blue FC completed their Cinderella run to the title by defeating the Los Angeles Sol 1-0 at the Home Depot Center on Saturday. The only goal of the match was scored by Heather O'Reilly in the 16th minute. Jen Branam posted her second consecutive shutout in the playoffs to seal the win.

It's been an improbable run for New Jersey, who entered the playoffs with a losing record at 7-8-5. They had never beaten any of their three playoff opponents previously and hadn't scored a goal against Los Angeles until today.

Christie Rampone made two changes in her starting 11 for today. She started Francielle in the midfield instead of either of the veterans Collette McCallum or Kelly Parker. And more importantly, for the first time in 3 matches, she decided to start Natasha Kai rather than save her for the end of the match. Both teams were missing key players for the match, Camille Abily for Los Angeles and Anita Asante for Sky Blue.

The goal sequence started on a throw-in deep in LA territory. Keeley Dowling threw the ball in to Kacey White who touched it back to Dowling. Dowling sent a long high cross to about 12 yards out in the middle of the penalty area. Natasha Kai flicked a header to Heather O'Reilly who had slipped behind Manya Makoski. O'Reilly drilled the shot from about 8 yards out before Makoski or Allison Falk could reach her. Karina LeBlanc was able to get her foot on the ball, but the shot deflected just inside the post to put New Jersey up 1-0.

Down 1-0 and with no flow to their offense, things got a whole lot worse for Los Angeles 10 minutes later. Natasha Kai was making a run up the left side and then cut toward the middle at about 30 yards out. Allison Falk, who was running behind Kai, clipped her as she made her cut and was red carded for the play. The Sol were forced to play one down for the last 63 minutes of the match. It definitely changed the complexion of the game and almost immediately afterwards, LA coach Abner Rogers used his first substitution to add another defender to take Falk's place on the back line in sending Sharolta Nonen in for McCall Zerboni.

Los Angeles came close to equalizing in the 72nd minute. Marta got the ball to Shannon Boxx about 20 yards in front of the goal. Boxx turned and hit a low shot to the left corner that appeared to catch Branam off guard. Branam just barely got her hand on the ball and it rolled harmlessly over the endline for a corner.

In the 76th minute, O'Reilly nearly got in behind the Los Angeles defense, but Makoski made a great recovery to knock the ball away from her at the last second. In the 84th minute, a free kick nearly found Boxx inside the 6 yard box, but Branam was able to deflect that away. On the ensuing corner kick, Boxx hit a volley from about 18 yards at a bad angle. The shot had good pace, but was right at Branam.

The Sol's last opportunity came just into stoppage on a free kick from about 30 yards out. But Marta's shot went easily over the goal and any chance of tying the match went with it.

Heather O'Reilly was named the MVP of the championship game. Jen Branam had a spectacular run in the playoffs giving up just one goal in three matches. And Christie Rampone, who has now coached one more playoff game than regular season games, is the head coach of the WPS champions.

WPS Super Semifinal-Sky Blue FC at Saint Louis Athletica

Sky Blue FC (8-8-5) at Saint Louis (8-7-5)
Wednesday, August 19th, 6 pm CT
AB Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri

Season Series: Saint Louis took all 3 matches in the season series between the two teams.
6/7/09-Saint Louis 1, Sky Blue FC 0 (Soccer Park)
6/28/09-Saint Louis 2, Sky Blue FC 1 (Yurcak Field)
7/22/09-Saint Louis 1, Sky Blue FC 0 (Soccer Park)

Top Performers in the Series:
Saint Louis-Eniola Aluko (2 goals, 1 assist), Amanda Cinalli (1 goal), Elise Weber (1 goal), Kendall Fletcher (1 assist), Melissa Tancredi (1 assist), Hope Solo (1 shutout), Jillian Loyden (1 shutout).
Sky Blue FC-Julianne Sitch (1 goal), Jenni Branam (2 games, 1.50 goals against)

Possible Starting Lineups:
Saint Louis Athletica (Coach-Jorge Barcellos)
G-Hope Solo (0.82 GA, 8 shutouts)
D-Melissa Tancredi (2 assists)
D-Kia McNeill
D-Tina Ellertson
D-Elise Weber (1 goal)
M-Kendall Fletcher (3 assists)
M-Lori Chalupny (2 goals, 1 assist)
M-Angie Woznuk
M-Amanda Cinalli (2 goals, 1 assist)
F-Sarah Walsh (1 goal, 2 assists)
F-Christie Welsh (3 goals)
Unavailable due to Euros-Eniola Aluko (6 goals, 4 assists), Sara Larsson (starting defender)
Top Subs-Daniela, Niki Cross, Stephanie Logterman, Lisa Stoia, Erin Walter, Jillian Loyden

Sky Blue FC (Coach-Christie Rampone)
G-Jenni Branam (1.09 GA, 6 shutouts)
D-Keeley Dowling (3 assists)
D-Jen Buczkowski
D-Christie Rampone
D-Meghan Schnur (2 assists)
M-Yael Averbuch (1 assist)
M-Collette McCallum (3 assists)
M-Heather O'Reilly (2 goals, 3 assists)
M-Rosana (5 goals, 1 assist)
F-Natasha Kai (7 goals, 1 assist) or Kerri Hanks (2 goals, 1 assist)
F-Kacey White (3 goals, 1 assist)
Unavailable due to Euros: Anita Asante (starting defender), Karen Bardsley (backup keeper)
Top Subs-Kelly Parker, Julianne Sitch, Francielle, Noelle Keselica, Katie Hooker, Cori Alexander

Note: Statistics include playoff matches.

Game Analysis:
If you looked at the record between these two teams, you would get the mistaken idea that this series has been one sided. Maybe the results have been all for Athletica, but the play on the field has been about as even as possible. In all three of the previous meetings, Athletica has jumped on top, twice early in the match and once early in the 2nd half. That has been a pattern followed by Athletica most of the year when successful. Sky Blue did come back to tie their home match, only to see it slip away on an unlikely high lob shot from a bad angle by Elise Weber.

This match has a little extra drama to it, because of the trade between the two teams. Sky Blue sent Sarah Walsh to Athletica for Kerri Hanks and Francielle in a big midseason trade. Hanks scored the game winning goal in a regular season match against Chicago and Francielle was the hero over the weekend against the Freedom. Walsh has yet to hit the net for Athletica, but she has come close and does have an assist to her credit. All three players could influence the outcome of Wednesday's match. Also, this match will be greatly affected by who's missing, notably Athletica's leading scorer, Eniola Aluko, and Sky Blue's top defender, Anita Asante.

If you had to personify Sky Blue, you would say that they are the Rodney Dangerfield of the WPS. They don't get a lot of respect, but they sure know how to fight. Take round one of the playoffs for instance. After breaking on top 1-0, Washington tied the score in the 78th minute and on top of that, Jen Branam was so banged up, she didn't take free kicks for the remainder of the game. Branam hung tough and then seldom used midfielder, Francielle, hit the shot of the day from outside the penalty area to send SBFC into the Super Semifinal.

The big question for Christie Rampone is whether or not she will repeat her strategy from Saturday in which she started Hanks for Natasha Kai, in an effort to preserve her star striker for the end of the contest. Kai ended up scoring less than a minute after entering the game in the 2nd half. In an interview with Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Rampone said, "it will be a tactical decision closer to game time." If Kai doesn't start, Hanks will repeat her role and start beside Kacey White, who assisted on Kai's goal.

Both teams have excellent midfields and both are led by old North Carolina teammates, Heather O'Reilly and Lori Chalupny. Along side O'Reilly is one of Sky Blue's top scoring threats, Rosana. Yael Averbuch will handle the holding midfielder position. The other midfielder will be either Collette McCallum or Kelly Parker, both of whom will likely see a lot of action, no matter which one starts. Francielle has suddenly become a top option at midfield off the bench.

Defensively, it's Keeley Dowling, Christie Rampone, and Meghan Schnur, all of whom are solid players. Jen Buczkowski will start in place of Anita Asante. Jenni Branam is tough and quick in goal. She has posted 6 shutouts for the season and it appears she will be ready to go for Wednesday night's match, in spite of getting pretty banged up on Saturday.

For Athletica, it always starts with defense. Hope Solo has posted 8 shutouts and has given up just two goals in her last 6 matches. The back line is led by Tina Ellertson, with Kia McNeill joining her in the center and Melissa Tancredi and Elise Weber on the outside. It is also likely that Stephanie Logterman will see playing time at defender in this match.

There is no doubt the trade for Kendall Fletcher was very instrumental in Athletica being where they are today. Fletcher has 3 assists, but more importantly, she has done a fine job in shutting down some of the top offensive players in the WPS. Athletica's captain, Lori Chalupny is a world class midfielder and definitely the heart of this team. Amanda Cinalli has given Athletica another offensive weapon from the midfield and Angie Woznuk rounds out that unit. Sarah Walsh will be one starter up front and Athletica is still waiting for her to break through for her first goal. She will probably team with Christie Welsh, who went on a mini scoring run, netting three in her last two matches. Niki Cross will likely be her 2nd half replacement and has scored one herself.

Sky Blue Keys:
1) Keep Athletica off the board early. Saint Louis has outscored their opponents by a margin of 13-3 in the 1st half and has a record of 8-0-3 when scoring in the 1st half. Athletica usually comes out with a lot of energy at the start of the game.
2) Get numbers forward in the attack. Sky Blue are at their best when they get a lot of players forward and pressure opposing defenses. Unlike Athletica, Sky Blue has many scoring options with Kai, White, O'Reilly, and Rosana. Saint Louis has a strong defense, but they can occasionally be forced into making mistakes.
3) Keep the pressure off of Branam. Jen Branam is tough, but it's not certain if she's 100% after Saturday's contest. The Sky Blue defense needs to make it as easy on her as possible. Twice in that match, she had to come 30 yards out of the goal to clear the ball away from an onrushing attacker. I don't know if she will be capable of doing that again this match.

Saint Louis Athletica Keys:
1) Don't gamble too much on defense. Athletica has a very good defense, but they do sometimes gamble at the midfield. Facing a team with a lot of speed, like Sky Blue, they need to make sure that attackers don't get behind them, because of all the Athletica defenders, only Tina Ellertson has the speed to make up ground once she's beat.
2) Shoot high. Jen Branam is a terrific keeper, but she is also one of the shortest keepers in the WPS. The winning goal by Elise Weber at Yurcak Field was not an impressive shot, but it was high and out of the reach of Branam. In addition, Branam is more apt to charge out of her net than any other keeper in the league, leaving her vulnerable to a chip shot. If Athletica aims for the upper corners, they could get a goal there.
3) Finish the game off. While Athletica has played very well in the 1st half, they have all too often let games slip away late. They have given up 9 of the 15 goals against them after the 70th minute. NINE! There have been too many times when Athletica has gone into a defensive shell late in a match and had it backfire on them. It's playoff time now. There are no 2nd chances.

Summary
Both teams tend to play low scoring matches and both have strong defenses and top notch goalkeepers. These are also two of the strongest midfields in the league. Sky Blue does get more offense out of their midfield than Saint Louis. Athletica is missing their top offensive player in Eniola Aluko and one has to wonder if she can be replaced. Sky Blue has been a bit unlucky in the three times these two teams have met. Athletica has had problems at times in closing games out. The wild card could be Daniela, if she is healthy enough to see some minutes late in the match. She has a strong shot and could provide a winner if needed.

I look for another low scoring match, possibly going to overtime or penalties. If it does go to penalties, one would expect Solo and Athletica to have the advantage. But remember, in penalty kicks, it's usually on the shooter and not so much on the keeper. If that's the case, Sky Blue would appear to have far better options for their five shooters than Athletica. The loser of the match will have had a fine season and the winner has a date with the Los Angeles Sol on Saturday for the championship.

WPS Midweek Game & Notes-July 8th

Saint Louis Athletica at Los Angeles Sol

Saint Louis travels to Los Angeles to meet the Sol in an unusual midweek matinee at noon pacific time on Wednesday. A Los Angeles victory means they clinch 1st place and home field advantage for the championship match in late August. Saint Louis is looking to widen their margin over 3rd place Boston, which now stands at just two points.

Athletica is led by striker Eniola Aluko and midfielder Lori Chalupny, who scored the game winner on Sunday against FC Gold Pride. Outside of the injured Daniela, they are the only two Saint Louis players to have scored at least two goals. Finishing was a problem the last time these two teams met as Saint Louis badly outshot the Sol, only to lose by a 2-1 margin. Who will provide additional offense for Athletica? Three possibilities are veteran Christie Welsh, defender/attacker Melissa Tancredi, and attacking midfielder Amanda Cinalli, who scored in her first game with the team.

Defensively, Saint Louis had some anxious moments against Gold Pride, but Hope Solo saved them several times for her 5th shutout of the season. Tina Ellertson leads the group in front of Solo, which has generally been solid, but somewhat inconsistent. Athletica has only won one game in which their opponents have scored a goal. Kendall Fletcher will likely get the honor of trying to shadow Marta, something she did pretty well at in their last meeting.

It has been a foregone conclusion for over a month that Los Angeles was going to finish in first place, it was just a matter of when they would clinch. Well, when could come on Wednesday afternoon. Marta scored the game winner in stoppage against Washington on Sunday, her 9th of the year which leads the league. The Sol also have the league's second leading scorer, Camille Abily. And if that isn't enough, add Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, and Han Duan to that mix. It was Han who scored the go ahead goal against Athletica just two weeks ago.

On defense, Los Angeles beat the Freedom with a fairly makeshift lineup with Allison Falk and Martina Franko out. Brittany Bock and Katie Larkin were moved to the back line, joining newly acquired Christie Shaner and USWNT defender Stephanie Cox. Shaner's first game with the Sol will likely be her last of the season as she was badly injured in a collision with Abby Wambach.

As good as Solo has been in goal for Saint Louis, Karina LeBlanc has been better for Los Angeles. The Sol have surrendered just 5 goals for the season and only one in their last five games, that one being against Saint Louis. Unfortunately for Athletica, that goal was scored by Kerri Hanks who is now a member of Sky Blue.

Just about everything is going against Athletica in this one. The Sol haven't lost a home game all year. They have outscored their opponents 16-2 at the Home Depot Center. The last time the two teams played there, the Sol dominated the game and won 2-0. But Saint Louis does know they can play with the Sol now, having done so in their recent 2-1 loss. Even a tie in this match would be a huge point for Athletica. Meanwhile, the Sol would love to clinch in their final regular season home game of the year.

US Women's National Team Calls Up 21

Pia Sundhage has announced her roster for the upcoming friendlies against Canada on July 19th and 22nd. 18 of the 21 players are on WPS rosters.

Boston-Angela Hucles, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Amy Rodriguez
Chicago-Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley
FC Gold Pride-Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, Leslie Osborne
Los Angeles-Shannon Box, Stephanie Cox
Saint Louis-Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo
Sky Blue FC-Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone
Washington-Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill

The other three players on the US roster are collegians. They are Christine Nairn (Penn State), Tobin Heath (North Carolina), and Lauren Cheney (UCLA). Boxx, Rapinoe, Tarpley, and Cheney all scored in the US victory over Canada in May. Several other national teams will be having call ups, leaving WPS rosters fairly depleted for games that week. Gold Pride, Saint Louis, and Sky Blue all have two games that week, while the other four teams have one.

Midweek Notes

Heather O'Reilly scored directly off of a corner kick for the only goal in Sky Blue's 1-0 victory over Boston. It was the 2nd time this rare feat has happened this season. Lori Chalupny of Athletica scored by that method against Gold Pride back on May 9th.

Marta and Camille Abily are the top two scorers in the league with a combined 17 goals. That total is more than any other team in the league, except for Washington which has scored 18.

Boston has scored 10 of their 14 goals in the 2nd half. On the other hand, Saint Louis has scored 8 of their 12 goals in the 1st half. But their last two goals, both game winners, came after the 70th minute.

No Gold Pride player other than Christine Sinclair has scored since May 3rd. Sinclair is likely to be called up for the Canadian National Team and would miss two games if that is the case.

Lindsay Tarpley became the first Red Star player other than Cristiane to score since April. Tarpley scored the game winner against Washington after Cristiane had tied the game with her 3rd goal of the year. Tarpley also has three goals for the Red Stars, having scored in each of Chicago's first two games. It was the first come from behind victory in WPS history.

Sky Blue's Jen Branam earned her 4th shutout of the season against Boston on Saturday. Actually, Branam shared another shutout with Karen Bardsley against Chicago earlier in the season.

Washington has now lost three games in a row, scoring only one goal over that time. That ties Chicago for the longest losing streak of the year. Chicago has twice had three game losing streaks.

After 12 ties in the league's first 37 games, there have been no ties in the last 11 games. The last tie match was on June 17th when the Breakers and Gold Pride tied in Boston, 1-1.