magicJack Advances to Semifinals

In a very strong performance, magicJack defeated the Boston Breakers 3-1 on Wednesday evening to advance to the WPS semifinal on Saturday. magicJack will meet the Philadelphia Independence in Chester, Pennsylvania.

There were no surprises in the magicJack lineup for the match. Tony DiCicco elected to start Taryn Hemmings instead of Stephanie Cox on the back line, with Amy LePeilbet playing left back.

magicJack came out of the blocks fast, putting pressure on the Breakers' net from the opening whistle. Sophie Schmidt's shot from 25 yards sailed over the crossbar in just the second minute of action.

magicJack broke on top just a few minutes later. Sarah Huffman hit a cross from the far right side. The ball curved away from Boston goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, eluding her and finding a wide open Abby Wambach just eight yards out on the back post. She easily finished into the open net and magicJack was up 1-0 in just the sixth minute.

magicJack continued to pressure the Breakers' defense. Shannon Boxx put one just over the crossbar from 20 yards in the 8th minute. Later, Christen Press' shot from 18 yards was deflected wide by Naeher.

Boston's first good chance came in the 29th minute as Amy LePeilbet's pass found Lauren Cheney cutting across the box, but her shot went just wide of the left post.

Both teams suffered injuries in the first half. Meghan Klingenberg took an awkward fall landing on her arm in the 15th minute. She came off with what appeared to be an arm or wrist injury and was replaced by Elli Reed. Tina Ellertson suffered a hamstring injury later in the half. It was while Ellertson was off the field that Boston evened the score.

LePeilbet took a free kick from 40 yards out, sending it to the center of the penalty area. magicJack managed to head the ball clear but not out. Leslie Osborne nodded the ball back to the center where Keelin Winters volleyed it one-time inside the right post from nine yards out to tie the score. Ellertson was quickly subbed out for Lydia Vandenbergh after the goal.

magicJack nearly retook the lead in the 37th minute as Megan Rapinoe's shot from the left side beat Naeher, but struck the left post and was cleared by Boston. Just a minute later, Rapinoe had another chance as Huffman sent a pass to Press who headed it to Rapinoe, but her shot rolled just wide of the right post.

Boston had a good opportunity right before intermission, with another LePeilbet free kick into the penalty area. But Winters couldn't quite get into position to head the ball on goal and her attempt sailed well wide of the net. The match was tied at the half.

magicJack started the second half right where they left off as Rapinoe sent Press through the Boston defense, but her shot hooked just wide of the right post. But in the 56th minute, things began to fall apart for the Breakers.

Huffman received the ball just to the right edge of the penalty area and made a one-on-one move against Hemmings. Hemmings reached out her right foot and tripped the magicJack midfielder. A penalty was awarded and Abby Wambach scored her second goal of the match, with Naeher guessing wrong, to make it 2-1 for the home team.

Press had another chance just a minute later, but she skied a shot over the bar on a good opportunity from 18 yards out. Rapinoe set up Huffman just minutes later, but her shot also went well over the bar.

magicJack put the game away in the 61st minute as Press was making a run into the right side of the penalty area. She cut back on Hemmings and with Naeher bearing down on her, she hit a beautiful cross that caught Rapinoe in stride and USWNT midfielder headed the ball into the net from six yards to make it 3-1.

With their backs against the wall, the Breakers attempted to insert some offense into the match. Hobbled Kelly Smith came in for Hemmings in the 69th minute. Nikki Marshall subbed in for Aya Sameshima in the 79th minute. For awhile after Smith came in, Boston appeared to be dangerous and Smith definitely gave them a temporary spark, but the English striker is not nearly 100% healthy and her abilities were limited.

In 75th minute, Kelley O'Hara's shot from 22 yards was on frame, but easily handled by Jill Loyden. After that, Boston looked exhausted and really offered no significant threat.

magicJack outshot Boston 17-8 and led in shots on goal by an 8-2 margin. It was fairly dominating performance by the women from south Florida, who had been one of the toughest home teams in the league during the regular season.

magicJack will now travel to Philadelphia where they will meet the second place Independence at PPL Park in Chester at 4 pm on Saturday.

magicJack 3, Boston Breakers 1

mJ-Abby Wambach (Sarah Huffman) 6'
Bos-Keelin Winters (Leslie Osborne) 31'
mJ-Abby Wambach pk 57'
mJ-Megan Rapinoe (Christen Press) 61'

magicJack-Jill Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Christie Rampone, Tina Ellertson (Lydia Vandenbergh 33), Becky Sauerbrunn, Shannon Boxx, Sophie Schmidt (Omolyn Davis 86), Megan Rapinoe, Sarah Huffman (Nikki Washington 86), Abby Wambach, Christen Press.

Boston-Alyssa Naeher, Alex Scott, Rachel Buehler, Taryn Hemmings (Kelly Smith 69), Amy LePeilbet, Leslie Osborne, Keelin Winters, Meghan Klingenberg (Elli Reed 16), Aya Sameshima (Nikki Marshall 79), Lauren Cheney, Kelley O'Hara.

YC-Buehler (Bos) 17, Hemmings (Bos) 35, Winters (Bos) 81.
Shots-magicJack 17, Boston 8.
SOG-magicJack 8, Boston 2.

2011 Boston Breakers Preview

Boston Breakers
Coach: Tony DiCicco (3rd year)
2010 Record: 10-8-6 (2nd place)
Home Stadium: Harvard Stadium (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Kelsey Davis, Alyssa Naeher, Ashley Phillips.
Defenders (7): Liz Bogus, Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ifeoma Dieke, Amy LePeilbet, Kasey Moore, Alex Scott.
Midfielders (8): Jordan Angeli, Leah Blayney, Niki Cross, Leslie Osborne, Elli Reed(R), Katie Schoepfer, Nikki Washington, Keelin Winters(R).
Forwards (5): Lauren Cheney, Taryn Hemmings, Kelley O’Hara, Kelly Smith, Claire Zimmeck.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Buehler, Cox, LePeilbet, Scott, Cheney, O’Hara, and Smith.

Boston returns 14 players from last season’s 2nd place finish (regular season) and that continuity should help them early on. The Breakers also picked up two highly regarded players from Gold Pride’s championship team, Rachel Buehler and Kelley O’Hara.

The Breakers finished very strong in 2010, 9-3-2 over their last 14 matches with two of the losses coming against FC Gold Pride. An overtime loss to Philadelphia meant that the season ended in disappointment, but the team made a lot of progress during the season and looks to be a contender for the title this season.

Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher is the number one keeper and she did a fine job over the final two thirds of the 2010 season. She posted a 1.17 goals against average and three shutouts. Heading into this season with a year’s experience under her belt, she should be even better.

There is an outside chance Naeher could be selected to the USWNT for the World Cup, although it looks as though Ashlyn Harris will get the third goalkeeper’s spot right now. Boston’s backup keepers are Ashley Phillips, who was the Breakers starter early last season and Kelsey Davis, who spent time with the Red Stars last season and has been a regular on national junior teams.

Defenders: This could be the best defense in WPS, although a couple of other sides could put up good arguments. The starters are national team players all, with Alex Scott and Stephanie Cox on the outside and Rachel Buehler and Amy LePeilbet on the inside. Buehler comes over from Gold Pride, a team that she helped make the best defensive unit last year. LePeilbet is a two-time defensive player of the year in WPS. Scott, a starter with the English National Team, is one the best offensive outside backs in soccer. Cox is a consistent performer, who rarely makes mistakes.

The problem is that they are so good, they will all be in Germany in June and July, meaning the Breakers lose their entire back line for a good part of the season. Ifeoma Dieke can certainly step right in. She is a member of the Scottish National Team and has excellent speed. Kasey Moore is a two-year veteran of the Breakers, so she is familiar with their system. Liz Bogus is listed as a defender, although her natural position is either attacking mid or forward, so the back line will be rather new to her.

Boston will have to move some of their listed midfielders to play back line. The most likely candidates are Niki Cross, Elli Reed, or Jordan Angeli, all of whom have extensive experience at playing back line. Reed was excellent at outside back for Portland while in college and is one of two rookies to make the squad.

Midfielders: Probably the area that has seen the most changes for Boston is in the midfield. With the retirement of Kristine Lilly, Leslie Osborne will be the experienced leadership in this group. Osborne is a top notch defensive player, and like teammate Rachel Buehler, can be one of the toughest tacklers in the league.

Jordan Angeli is another returnee and was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2010 season. After becoming a starter a third of the way into the season, she scored seven goals, second most on the team. She is a solid defender as well. Nikki Washington is another midfielder that can score. An excellent attacking player from the wing, the former UNC star has been slowed by injuries since 2009.

Another Portland alum, Keelin Winters, will also compete for a starting role at midfield. Winters is a hard worker and has great soccer intelligence. Leah Blayney has played club soccer both in the US and in her native Australia.

Forwards: The forward tandem of Kelly Smith and Lauren Cheney should give opponents all sorts of problems. Smith, who might possibly be the best women’s player in the world not named Marta, is a tough, talented veteran who always seems to make good decisions. She has scored 17 goals over two seasons in WPS while playing through injuries.

Cheney is a strong, young USWNT player. She is at her best receiving the ball with her back to the goal and is always a threat to turn a defender and get off a lethal shot. She can also get a shot off in traffic, a skill not many players have. In addition, Boston picked up Kelley O’Hara, also a member of the USWNT. O’Hara has very good speed and can find the gaps in opposing defenses.

Again, the problem is that many of the forwards will be headed to the World Cup. The other forwards all have limited WPS experience. Taryn Hemmings, Claire Zimmeck, and Katie Schoepfer have seen some WPS action and will be counted on heavily during the other’s absences. Washington might also be a candidate to move up to forward.

Outlook: The only two things standing in the way of this team and a championship are the 2011 World Cup and the other top teams in WPS. Boston will be hit hard by World Cup losses, which could force them down the standings a bit. Other teams will be going through the same thing, but no other team stands to lose both its entire back line and its top three forwards. Really, only Western New York comes close to losing that much talent.

But in any case, Boston should be a playoff team and then it’s just a matter if they can beat the other top teams in the league in a pressure situation. The added speed that O’Hara and Washington will give to this team will help. Certainly, continuity is a plus for the Breakers, having the same coach, the same system, and the same core group of players. If the midfield can come into its own and if Naeher can continue to improve in goal, the sky’s the limit for this team.

Boston Breakers 2010 - Improvement Everywhere

Coach: Tony DiCicco
2009 Record: 7-9-4 (5th place)
Postseason: Out of the playoffs.

Returnees (9): Fabiana, Amy LePeilbet, Kristine Lilly, Allison Lipsher, Kasey Moore, Ashley Phillips, Alex Scott, Kelly Smith, Maggie Tomecka.
Draft Choices (4): Lauren Cheney, Alyssa Naeher, Jordan Angeli, Taryn Hemmings.
LA Dispersal Draft (1): Stephanie Cox.
International Signings ( 2): Laura Del Rio, Sarah Walsh.
Free Agents (6): Liz Bogus, Leslie Osborne, Tiffany Weimer, Chioma Igwe, Analisa Marquez, Claire Zimmeck.

If you’re a Boston fan, you certainly can’t accuse Breakers’ management of standing still. After a disappointing 5th place finish and missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, the Breakers made a lot of moves designed to make this team a playoff contender. They started by trading Amy Rodriguez to Philadelphia to move up in the draft. With the two picks they got from Philly, they selected Lauren Cheney and Alyssa Naeher. They were aggressive in the domestic market, signing several free agents including Leslie Osborne (Gold Pride), Tiffany Weimer (Gold Pride), Chioma Igwe (Chicago), and Liz Bogus (Los Angeles). They also added two international forwards in Laura Del Rio and Sarah Walsh.

But maybe the most fortuitous move happened as a result of the LA dispersal draft. Just when it looked like the Breakers might be a little thin on defense, they were able to obtain Stephanie Cox. Indeed, the Breakers may have improved themselves across the board more than any other team in WPS.

Goalkeeping-Boston returns starting goalkeeper, Allison Lipsher, from their 2009 team. Lipsher took over starting duties midway through the season and posted 5 shutouts over the last 11 matches of the season. She is certainly capable of handling the starting duties, but Boston drafted insurance in the person of Alyssa Naeher of Penn State. Less than two years ago, Naeher led the US U-20 team to the world championship in Chile, giving up just one goal in 5 starts. Now, at just 21 years old, she will challenge Lipsher for the starting position. It gives Breakers’ coach Tony DiCicco a pleasant problem. Ashley Phillips returns as the developmental keeper.

Defenders-Boston held opponents to only a goal a game last season and the Breakers have two of the top back line players in WPS in English international Alex Scott and USWNT defender Amy LePeilbet. Scott proved to be one of the top offensive backs in the league in 2009 and LePeilbet’s center back play is as solid as it comes. Boston did lose three key players from last year in Heather Mitts, Sue Weber, and Candace Chapman. But what looked like a problem was largely solved as the Breakers were able to obtain USWNT defender Stephanie Cox in the dispersal draft. Cox is one of the most underrated backs in WPS. She quietly and efficiently gets the job done and can play inside or outside.

Boston will probably move Kasey Moore to the back line after she spent much of last year playing defensive midfielder. The Breakers also added Santa Clara defender, Jordan Angeli, with a 2nd round selection in January. Likely Moore and Angeli will compete for the 4th spot on the back line. With 3 of their 4 backs having extensive international experience, it’s a safe bet that this will be one of the top defensive units in the league.

Midfielders-The Breakers have a couple of soccer legends in the midfield with Kelly Smith and Kristine Lilly. The only question on Smith is whether Coach Tony DiCicco will position her as a forward or midfielder. In the end, it probably doesn’t matter because Smith is one of the world’s most dangerous offensive players, no matter what position she plays. Even battling persistent knee problems, she still managed to rack up 6 goals and 2 assists in 2009. Meanwhile, Lilly has just added to her mind-boggling USWNT cap total. Now in her 4th decade with the US National Team, she shows no signs of slowing down. Last year, she scored 3 goals and added 3 assists for the Breakers.

The loss of USWNT midfielder Angela Hucles to retirement was certainly a blow to Boston. The big addition for the Breakers at midfield is Leslie Osborne, obtained as a free agent from Gold Pride. A tough defender, Osborne should solidify the Breakers’ middle. Additionally, Boston returns Maggie Tomecka, who made last year’s team as a free agent and came on strong at the end of the year. Young Brazilian attacking mid, Fabiana, was a consistent starter down the stretch, but had no points to show for her efforts. The Breakers signed former Red Star Chioma Igwe for depth at both midfielder and defender. Indeed, depth may be the only concern with this group…that and a recurrence of Smith’s knee problems.

Forwards-The Breakers scored only four goals in their last 8 games in 2009. As a result, they did a complete overhaul of their front. Moving up in the draft enabled Boston to draft Lauren Cheney. Cheney led UCLA to the NCAA semifinals last fall, but more notably, she has already scored 5 goals for the USWNT in 2010. Cheney is excellent at making a turn with a defender on her back. And unlike some goal scorers, Cheney also does a good job of setting up teammates.

The second major addition was that of Laura Del Rio, a striker from the Spanish National Team. Last year, she scored 18 goals in just 11 games for FC Indiana of the W-League. Del Rio gives Boston a nice 1-2 punch. A second international, Sarah Walsh, scored just one goal in WPS last season while splitting time between Sky Blue and Saint Louis. However, leg injuries slowed her and she appeared to be rounding into form by the time she hit the Aussie W-League in the fall. Another free agent signing, Tiffany Weimer, has great ball skills and is one of the more creative players in the league. Further depth includes veteran Liz Bogus, draft pick Taryn Hemmings, and former Freedom striker Claire Zimmeck.

Summary-In spite of being shut out 3 straight games, Boston held the 4th playoff spot with just 30 minutes to go in the 2009 season. The fact that it slipped away from them means that the first order of business is rebuilding the Breakers’ confidence. A healthy Kelly Smith and the addition of several talented players should go a long way in doing that.

The Breakers have improved themselves in every area, from goalkeeper to forward. The additions of Naeher, Cox, Osborne, Del Rio, Weimer, and most especially, Lauren Cheney, leads me to believe that this team could compete for the title. My main concern is depth at defense and midfield. If the Breakers can escape the hangover of last year’s finish and stay relatively healthy, they should be able to challenge any team in WPS.

Boston Breakers-The Offseason So Far

In the 3rd installment on WPS teams in the offseason, we'll look at the Boston Breakers.

When Last We Left Them...

The Breakers finished in 5th place with 25 points, just a point behind 4th place Sky Blue and out of the playoffs. Like Gold Pride and Chicago, they played very well early in the season and after defeating Los Angeles on May 2, they looked like they would challenge the Sol for 1st place. However, a May/June slump sent them back in the pack. Still, with just two weeks to go in the season, they were in good shape for the playoffs at 7-6-4. They never got another point, falling to LA in a must win match on the final day of the season as the Sol netted two 2nd half goals to defeat Boston 2-1.

The Breakers boasted a solid defense, but scored only 18 goals. Leading scorer Kelly Smith had injury issues, but still managed a fine season in spite of rarely being 100% physically. Boston only scored more than one goal on 3 occasions and not at all after June 21. Their midseason goalkeeper change to Allison Lipsher made their defense even stronger, but scoring just one goal total in their last four games doomed their playoff chances.

Roster Moves

If you could choose one word to describe the Breakers' offseason it would be eventful. Although they still have a core from last year's team, their 2010 roster will be quite different from that of 2009. Gone are Angela Hucles (retired), Heather Mitts (free agent), Amy Rodriguez (trade), Kelly Schmedes (expansion), Sue Weber (expansion), and Candace Chapman (free agent). That's two of their 3 USWNT allocations, the number one choice in the 2009 draft, and three other key players from their 2009 roster. Add to that Sophia Mundy, who was recently signed by Atlanta and Nancy Augustyniak Goffi, who reportedly has retired and we're talking about over one-third of the team' starts for last season.

The trade of Rodriguez was not a surprise as there appeared to be some friction between her and head coach Tony DiCicco for much of the season. She played only 61 minutes over the final 6 games of the year and it was a foregone conclusion that she would not be back with Boston in 2010. Boston traded Rodriguez and their 1st round pick to Philadelphia for the number 2 and 11 picks in the 2010 draft. The trade should work out well for both parties with Boston gaining a high draft choice and Rodriguez getting a chance for a new start.

Likewise, Heather Mitts signing with Philly was no surprise. However, the retirement of Angela Hucles caught a lot of people off guard. Hucles is just 31 years old and had helped lead the US to an Olympic Gold Medal just a year earlier.

Boston quickly moved to fill some of those gaps by signing Tiffany Weimer and Leslie Osborne, two of the more coveted available free agents. Both spent their 2009 seasons with FC Gold Pride. Osborne, an USWNT allocation herself, started 18 games for FCGP and was a stalwart at midfield. She is a hard tackling defensive mid who should help strengthen the Breakers' center. Osborne has 61 caps and 3 goals for the US National Team.

Weimer, started last season in fine fashion, scoring a goal and adding 3 assists in her first four games. But she rarely started after midseason and Gold Pride waived their option on her for 2010. She is a highly creative forward and should help the Breakers' offense in 2010. The Breakers also signed Erika Sutton, a Florida State alum, who saw action in one match for Boston as a short term player due to roster depletion as a result of national team call ups. There is also a strong likelihood that Brazilian forward Fabiana could be back with the Breakers in 2010.

Current Roster

Goalkeepers (1)-Allison Lipsher.
Defenders (3)-Amy LePeilbet, Alex Scott, Erika Sutton.
Midfielders (6)-Kristine Lilly (MF/F), Mary-Frances Monroe, Kasey Moore, Leslie Osborne, Kelly Smith, Maggie Tomecka.
Forwards (3)-Christine Latham, Jennifer Nobis, Tiffany Weimer.

Additions-Osborne, Sutton, and Weimer.
Subtractions-Amy Rodriguez (traded to Philadelphia), Sue Weber (drafted by Philadelphia), Kelly Schmedes (drafted by Philadelphia), Angela Hucles (retired), Heather Mitts (signed by Philadelphia), Candace Chapman (signed by Gold Pride), Sophia Mundy (signed by Atlanta), Nancy Augustyniak Goffi (retired).

Other Free Agents from 2009 roster-Abby Crumpton, Fabiana, Kristin Luckenbill, Ashley Phillips.

Internationals-Scott, Smith, and Latham with 2 slots open (Fabiana is likely to be one of them).
Draft Picks (in first 3 rounds)-Nos. 2, 11, 16, and 25.


Needs to Address

Even though they had trouble scoring in 2009, the Breakers' number one need has to be defense. They have two of the world's best in Scott and LePeilbet, but they lost 42 of the team's 80 defensive starts with Mitts, Goffi, Chapman, and Weber. With the number 2 pick in the draft, it would appear to point to Whitney Engen, North Carolina's all-everything defender. Engen is a four year starter for the Tar Heels and the consensus best defender in the coming draft. After playing two years at forward for UNC, she made the transition to defense look easy.

Scoring is still a need, even if Fabiana is on board for the 2010 season. The foursome of Fabiana, Latham, Nobis, and Weimer only scored a total of 5 goals last season. Kelly Smith led the team in scoring with 6 goals, but injuries and call ups limited her late season output. Kristine Lilly will be back and is still an amazing player, but another scorer would certainly be in order for Boston.

As with several teams, Boston also needs to address the backup keeper situation. As stated earlier, there will be several keepers available in the draft and last year's developmental keeper Ashley Phillips could still be in the picture.

The Breakers must do better in this year's draft. They possess 3 of the top 16 picks. Out of their 2009 draft class, only Jenny Nobis and Kasey Moore are still with the team. Boston has a lot of talented players to build around with Smith, Scott, Lilly, LePeilbet, and Osborne, but they must still fill in the gaps around that talent. Perhaps fittingly, the Breakers' 2010 home opener will be against Philadelphia. Mitts, Rodriguez, Schmedes, and Weber will return to Boston to play against their old team.

WPS Teams Announce Player Transactions

With September 30 being a deadline to exercise options or re-sign players for the 2010 season, all WPS teams released lists of which players would be under contract for 2010 and which players would become free agents.

There are several big names among those who are now free agents. Among them, 15 of the 34 international players from the 2009 season and several US National Team players. Notable among the international players who became free agents are WPS All-Stars Formiga and Cristiane. Among the US National Team players who will be free agents are Carli Lloyd, Leslie Osborne, Aly Wagner, and Heather Mitts. This could make for a very interesting offseason for the young league.

A complete list of transactions can be found at the WPS website.