Atlanta & Philadelphia Pick First Players

The dust has settled on the WPS Expansion Draft and the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence have added the first group of players to their rosters. Atlanta chose FC Gold Pride defender, Leigh Ann Robinson, as their first pick. Philadelphia followed with Washington Freedom midfielder, Lori Lindsey.

Although both teams could select up to 9 players, neither went that far. Atlanta passed after 6 selections and Philadelphia passed after only 7 picks. This was somewhat surprising to me, given the fact that all of the players available were good enough to make the rosters of established teams in 2009. Each current team lost only two players, with the exception of Gold Pride, which lost only one. Only one international player was chosen, Sara Larsson from Saint Louis Athletica and the Swedish National Team. Both teams leaned heavily on defense, with 6 defenders being chosen.

The Selections:
1. Atlanta-Leigh Ann Robinson, FC Gold Pride, outside defender
2. Philadelphia-Lori Lindsey, Washington Freedom, midfielder
3. Philadelphia-Jen Buczkowski, Sky Blue FC, midfielder/defender
4. Atlanta-Amanda Cinalli, Saint Louis Athletica, attacking midfielder
5. Philadelphia-Nikki Krzysik, Chicago Red Starts, central defender
6. Atlanta-Katie Larkin, Los Angeles Sol, attacking midfielder/forward/outside defender
7. Philadelphia-Sue Weber, Boston Breakers, central defender
8. Atlanta-Sharolta Nonen, Los Angeles Sol, defender
9. Philadelphia-Sarah Senty, Washington Freedom, defender
10. Atlanta-Sara Larsson, Saint Louis Athletica, defender
11. Philadelphia-Danesha Adams, Chicago Red Stars, forward
12. Atlanta-Noelle Keselica, Sky Blue FC, forward
13. Philadelphia-Kelly Schmedes, Boston Breakers, attacking midfielder/forward

Biggest Surprises

The first surprise is that neither team took their full allotment of 9 players. One of the problems was probably that several of the unprotected players were internationals and with the international draft coming next week, Atlanta and Philadelphia were hesitant to use up those potential spots in this draft. Still, I've got to believe there were a couple more players available that would have helped these two teams.

There were three big surprises to me as far as unprotected players go. Lori Lindsey has just been called up for the USWNT camp and is one of the most solid midfielders in the league. Amanda Cinalli missed the first 8 games of the season due to injury, but scored two goals and added an assist for a team that struggled offensively much of the year. Sue Weber is a solid defender, who also battled injury problems for much of the season.

The other big surprise for me was that there were no goalkeepers chosen. That indicates that many teams protected two keepers. Although we don't know exactly what happened, there are two possibilities. Either most teams protected two or there was one other player available that the expansion teams wanted more and then the backup keepers were protected with the two additional protected spots. In any case, with the likes of Henderson, Loyden, Bardsley, and Whitworth as backups, I would have expected Atlanta and Philadelphia to come out of this draft with a solid keeper. Now they will have to look elsewhere to fill that position.

Atlanta Beat

Leigh Ann Robinson (23 years old, San Diego, outside defender)-Robinson was originally drafted in the 6th round (40th pick overall) of the January draft by FC Gold Pride. She started 15 games for FCGP, more than any other player in the January draft taken after the 2nd round. Robinson scored one goal, a game winner against Sky Blue in May. She possesses good speed and does well going forward from her outside defender position. Defensively, she was good, but could show some improvement. She's still very young and could become a very good player.

Amanda Cinalli (23 years old, Notre Dame, attacking midfielder)-Cinalli was taken in the 4th round of the October draft in 2008. She starred at Notre Dame where she had over 30 goals and 30 assists for her career. She's also been a mainstay on the US U-23 team. With the possible exception of Lindsey, she may have been the most talented player taken in this draft. Cinalli started every game in which she was healthy enough to play. She has very good ball skills and can score. Her two goals were both game winners, against Sky Blue and Los Angeles. Occasionally, she tries to make too many moves in traffic, but I think she has the chance to become one of the top attacking mids in WPS.

Katie Larkin (22 years old, Brigham Young, attacking mid/forward/defender)-Larkin was drafted in the 3rd round (19th pick overall) in the January draft by the Los Angeles Sol. She started only 5 games for the Sol, but that was more due to the talent on that team than it was to her ability. She possesses excellent speed. Larkin showed her versatility by filling in at outside defender when the Sol were shorthanded on the back line and handled it very well. Given the opportunity for more playing time, Larkin could blossom in Atlanta.

Sharolta Nonen (31 years old, Nebraska, defender)-Nonen is a veteran of the Canadian National Team, as well as the previous incarnation of the Atlanta Beat in the WUSA. She can boast over 60 appearances with the Canadian National Team and another positive is that she does not count against the limit on international players. Nonen played only two games for the Sol, filling in after Martina Franko had to leave the team due to pregnancy. She is a veteran and a solid defender that should anchor the back line for the Beat.

Sara Larsson (30 years old, Swedish National Team, defender)-Larsson was signed as a discovery player by Athletica. She is a member of the Swedish National Team and just finished competing in the Euros in Finland. Like Nonen, she is a veteran defender with years of international experience. She started 12 matches for Athletica, but was hampered by injuries throughout the season, which limited her playing time. She doesn't have great speed, but she should be a dependable player that can help the Beat on the back line if she stays healthy.

Noelle Keselica (25 years old, Virginia, forward)-Keselica made the Sky Blue roster as a free agent. Originally, she was designated as a developmental player, but was later promoted to the full roster. She appeared in only 5 games, logging 101 minutes for a very deep Sky Blue team. She also played 7 minutes in the WPS Championship. In addition to her WPS experience, she has played for the US junior national teams, and in the W-League and Swedish Damallsvenskan.

Philadelphia Independence

Lori Lindsey (29 years old, Virginia, midfielder)-Lindsey was drafted in the 3rd round of the October, 2008 draft. She is an excellent midfielder that makes very few mistakes. She started 18 matches for the Freedom and was a very consistent performer throughout the season. Her WPS play was strong enough to catch the eye of USWNT coach Pia Sundhage, who has called Lindsey up for the US camp later this month. Lindsey scored two goals for the Freedom, with one assist. In addition to her playing abilities, she will provide the Independence with veteran leadership on the field as well.

Jen Buczkowski (24 years old, Notre Dame, defensive midfielder/defender)-Buczkowski was drafted in the 6th round (39th pick overall) in the January draft. She is a solid midfielder, who filled in on the back line for Sky Blue in the playoffs due to Anita Asante's absence for the Euros. Buczkowski was an instrumental part of a Sky Blue defense that gave up just one goal in 3 playoff games. When playing midfield, she is a defensive specialist who rarely gets forward to shoot (she recorded only 1 shot in the regular season). She started 8 regular season games for SBFC in a very crowded and talented midfield roster for the New Jersey squad, but then started all 3 playoff matches at center back.

Nikki Krzysik (22 years old, Virginia, center defender)-Krzysik was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2nd round (13th pick overall) in the January draft. She is a physical defender who managed 5 yellow cards in just 14 matches. She gave several fine performances early in the season and started the Red Stars' first 7 games, before giving way to more experienced defenders. She could become a very good defender, but probably needs to be paired up with a speedier center back at her side.

Sue Weber (23 years old, Hofstra, center defender)-Like Lindsey, Weber was taken in the 3rd round of the October draft. She is yet another solid defender, who unfortunately was plagued by injuries for most of the season. She appeared in only 9 matches, but was the Breakers' starter at center back until injuries forced her out of the lineup. She was recently named to the Colonial Athletic Association's 25th anniversary soccer team for her play at Hofstra.

Sarah Senty (22 years old, Virginia, defender)-Senty was originally drafted in the 7th round (49th pick overall) in the January draft. She missed the first half of the season for the Freedom while she was finishing up her studies at the University of Virginia. However, she started 5 of the last 7 regular season games, as well as the playoff match for Washington. Senty was a four year starter for Virginia and is another sound back that should help the Independence become a tough defensive side.

Danesha Adams (23 years old, UCLA, forward)-Adams was drafted in the 1st round of the October draft by the Chicago Red Stars. She appeared in 12 games for the Red Stars, starting two, but she was slowed by injuries for most of the early part of the year and had to struggle to become game fit for most of the season. She didn't score, but can certainly be a powerful offensive force when healthy. She managed to get off 10 shots in limited playing time for Chicago. Adams has also been a member of the US U-23 team and has scored 6 goals for them in past seasons.

Kelly Schmedes (26 years old, Texas, attacking midfielder/forward)-Schmedes was drafted by the Boston Breakers in the 6th round (41st pick overall) of the January draft. She is a talented offensive player who scored a goal and an assist for the Breakers in 2009. Her only goal of the season was a game winner against Gold Pride in July. She has good passing skills and decent speed. Schmedes is also a hard worker who pressures opposing defenses well.

Next week, the two expansion teams will participate in the International Draft.

WPS Draft Revisited-Los Angeles Sol

On January 16, 2009, a few friends and I found our way to Room 276 at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri to watch the first ever WPS draft. I remember it being one of the coldest days of the year, but there was still an overflow crowd on hand that spilled out into the hallway. The futures of 70 players would begin that day. The league had previously completed a WNT player allocation, a 4-round international draft, and a 4-round general draft that didn't include any of the college seniors playing in 2008. The 70 players chosen that day were of different ages, many still in college, some just out of college, some veterans of the W-League and WPSL, a few with international experience, and even a few WUSA veterans.

Now five months later, nearly halfway through the inaugural WPS season, I thought it would be a good time to look back and analyze how the seven teams fared in that draft. For this installment, I'll start with the Los Angeles Sol since they are the first team to play half of their games. Over the next 3 weeks, I will go through the other six WPS teams.

Los Angeles Sol

Who They Drafted
1st round (#5)-Brittany Bock, Notre Dame; 2nd round (#10)-Allison Falk, Stanford; 3rd round (#19) Katie Larkin, Brigham Young; 4th round (#24) Greer Barnes, West Virginia; 5th round (#33) Val Henderson, UCLA; 6th round (#38) Katie Hooker, Denver; 7th round (#47) McCall Zerboni, UCLA; 8th round (#52) Brittany Cameron, San Diego; 9th round (#61) Erica Janke, Cal State-Fullerton; 10th round (#66) Lisa Sari, Portland.

Strategy
By the time Los Angeles made their first pick, they already had a number of talented USWNT and international players, especially on the offensive end. With that in mind, they concentrated on defensive players early on. They also went young...very young. Six of their 10 picks had just completed their college eligibility less than two months earlier. They selected more players from the senior class than any other team. Three more of their picks concluded their college careers in 2006 or 2007. Only Katie Hooker was older than 25. The Sol also seemed to have a preference for players who played their college soccer on the west coast. Only two of their picks, Brittany Bock and Greer Barnes, were from eastern schools.

Current WPS Status
For Los Angeles, 8 of their 10 picks are still on the roster, 2 were released.

Full time starters (2)-Bock, Falk
Part time starters & other full roster players (3)-Larkin, Henderson, Sari
Developmental players (3)-Barnes, Zerboni, Cameron
Released (2)-Hooker, Janke

What They've Done
Bock-9 G, 9 GS, 801 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 7 shots, 2 SOG
Falk-9 G, 9 GS, 810 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 3 shots, 2 SOG
Larkin-8 G, 2 GS, 308 Min, 1 shot
Sari-3 G, 1 GS, 116 Min
Zerboni-3 G, 10 Min

Henderson-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 4 Saves, 1 Shutout, 0.00 GA

Barnes and Cameron have not played.

Total Offensive Output-32 G, 21 GS, 2045 Min, 2 goals, 0 assists, 4 points, 11 shots, 4 SOG.
Total Goalkeeper Output-1 G, 1 GS, 90 Min, 4 Saves, 1 Shutout, 0.00 GA.

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

The Players
Brittany Bock-Bock may have been the best all-around player in the draft. She is certainly one of the most versatile. After spending most of her Notre Dame career as a forward/midfielder, she started the season at center back for the Sol. She is capable of playing anywhere on the field. Bock isn't the type of player that is going to wow you with any one play, but if you watch her over the course of a game, you will begin to appreciate her talent. She plays physical when necessary and isn't afraid to go up strong for a header. She scored a goal against the Boston Breakers in a losing cause. She is a solid starter for the best team in the league and good enough for Pia Sundhage to take a look at her for the US National Team.

Allison Falk-Falk will forever be remembered as the player that scored the first goal in WPS history. But it has been solid defense which has earned Falk her starting position on LA's league-leading defense. For a tall player, Falk is surprisingly agile. Her height makes her a force on corner kicks and set pieces at both ends of the field. In the games I've seen her, I've lost count of how many times she headed a dangerous cross out of trouble. As she gains strength, she will get even better. She will make an occasional mistake, the hand ball in Saint Louis and an errant header late in the 2nd Sky Blue game, but she is almost always in good position. When pressured, she generally makes the safe play. Falk could be a solid center back for years to come.

Katie Larkin-Larkin started the season as an attacking mid/wing/forward type of player, basically the position she played at Brigham Young. However, she recently showed versatility, moving to outside defender and handled the assignment quite well. Larkin could probably be starting for some teams on a regular basis, but the Sol are loaded with talented midfielders and forwards, so the fact that she is getting serious playing time indicates that she has talent.

Val Henderson-She finally got a chance to start against FC Gold Pride and looked very good. She made a couple of very nice saves and picked up right where LeBlanc left off. Henderson spent a season with Pali Blues of the W-League and has extensive international experience with the US U-23 team and her experience showed in her start for the Sol. It will be interesting to see how many players each team is allowed to protect for next year's expansion draft. If not protected, she will surely be on Philadelphia or Atlanta's radar.

Lisa Sari-Considering she was the 66th pick in the draft, Sari has contributed quite well. She started and played the full 90 as a holding midfielder against Gold Pride and also saw playing time against Saint Louis and in the first Gold Pride game.

McCall Zerboni-The former UCLA midfielder is listed as a developmental player and has seen brief action in three games, but is gradually seeing more playing time.

Greer Barnes-Barnes has yet to see any action. I honestly thought she might go in the 2nd or 3rd round. I was surprised when she didn't go until the 4th round and equally surprised when she was listed as a developmental player.

Brittany Cameron-Cameron is a developmental player and will find it hard to get playing time behind LeBlanc and Henderson. Her best chance is probably the expansion draft if Philly or Atlanta drafts her or if they would draft Henderson, thus opening up the backup spot behind LeBlanc. She had a great career at San Diego, showing improvement each season.

Summary
Los Angeles did very well at the top of the draft. Their first two picks are already solid starters and their 3rd pick, Larkin, is a key contributor. Consider this, in their opener against Washington and Abby Wambach, the Sol started two not quite 22-year-old center backs. Bock and Falk were those two players. Val Henderson was an excellent 5th round pick for a backup keeper. Sari, Zerboni, and Cameron were good picks for depth and Barnes may eventually develop. Los Angeles is among the bottom of the league in offensive output out of their draft picks, but that speaks more to the extraordinary talent they already had, rather than to the quality of the players they drafted. Overall, this was a strong draft.