US Advances on Miracle Finish

One could only call this a game for the ages. It had a bit of everything, good and bad. There was compelling drama and cheap theatrics. There were great goals and own goals. There were great saves and questionable calls. There were great plays and red cards. There was magic and despair. In the end, Abby Wambach's improbable goal in the 122nd minute forced the match to penalties, with the United States prevailing 5-3 to advance to the 2011 World Cup semifinals.

The United States looked all but dead after Rachel Buehler was sent off and Marta's penalty kick tied the match in the 67th minute. Things looked even worse for the US after Marta's beautiful goal in the first overtime. And as time ticked into stoppage of the second overtime, things looked bleak indeed. But this script had a surprise ending, one that was truly unbelievable.

It wasn't always the prettiest of games. Certainly the referee crew had a very rough day at the office as several calls came into question, a couple of which had a direct effect on the outcome of the match. To be fair, the players didn't make their job any easier with overly dramatic theatrics, seemingly fake injuries, and incessant complaining, from both sides at times.

Kleiton Lima made no real changes in his lineup, keeping Daiane at center back over Renata Costa. Pia Sundhage made only one subtle change, switching the center backs and moving Christie Rampone to the left side with Amy LePeilbet, while moving Rachel Buehler to right center back.

It was almost a precursor of weird things to come that the United States would strike first at the 1:16 mark of the game on an own goal. Rampone sent a long ball to the left corner, with Shannon Boxx chasing it down just before it got to the end line. She hit a low cross into the six, which deflected off Daiane and past Brazilian keeper Andreia into the net. The US had the early lead.

The United States played well in the opening 20 minutes of the match and created a few chances. Rampone sent a long free kick forward with Abby Wambach getting her head on it, but Andreia was able to deflect the ball wide. LePeilbet hit a drive from 25 yards in the 17th minute, but the ball flew just wide of the left post.

However, as play wore on, the United States began to have difficulty stringing passes together. Meanwhile, Brazil was starting to get into their game. Marta placed a right side corner kick toward the back post and over Hope Solo's head, but Aline headed the ball just wide in the 22nd minute.

Just one minute later, Brazil broke out of their own end on a counterattack and Marta nearly had a clean breakaway. Luckily for the US, it was a speedy Rampone giving chase and she was able to stay close to harass Marta just enough. She forced Marta to the left side of the box and the Brazilian striker shot over the crossbar. Just four minutes later, Marta played the ball square to Formiga just outside the 18, but Formiga's shot from dead straight on also cleared the crossbar.

Brazil continued to pressure later in the half. A hard 25-yard shot from Cristiane right up the middle was smothered by Solo in the 36th minute. An Amy Rodriguez turnover in her own end led to a Rosana cross from the right side that landed on top of the crossbar and bounced over. Clearly, Brazil was now controlling play, but the United States went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Yellow cards were the order of the day. Both Carli Lloyd for the United States and Aline for Brazil picked up yellows for fouls and Marta received one for complaining to the referee. Four were handed out to both teams before this match was over.

Pia Sundhage made her first substitution in the 54th minute, sending Megan Rapinoe in for Lauren Cheney. Nearly 70 minutes later, Rapinoe would have a major impact on this match.

Brazil continued to pressure in the 2nd half. Cristiane shot from 25 yards on the right wing with Solo making the save. The ball rolled away briefly, but Solo scrambled to cover up before danger arrived. A minute later, Fabiana was dangerous on the right side of the box, but Solo cut off and grabbed her cross before it could become trouble.

The United States came very close in the 63rd minute. Rapinoe's free kick was from 35 yards out on the left wing found Lloyd who headed the ball off the upper left corner of the crossbar.

Controversy came in the 66th minute. Marta had possession on the left side of the US penalty area, with both Christie Rampone and Rachel Buehler in front of her. She half-volleyed the ball over the heads of the American defenders. She then raced stride for stride with Buehler to the ball which was headed toward the six. Both players had their arms fully extended, Buehler's right and Marta's left. As they neared the ball, both of Marta's legs flew three feet in the air and the whistle was blown.

The referee was in a very tough position to see and there was certainly contact, but both players were using their arms on the play. Buehler may have briefly grabbed Marta's jersey as both jostled. However, Marta sold it well and on this day at least, the referee was buying. Buehler was sent off and Brazil awarded a penalty. Marta was jeered for the rest of the game by many in the crowd, with even many of the neutral fans appearing to turn against her.

More controversy followed with the ensuing penalty. Cristiane stepped up to take the kick and Solo made a brilliant diving save to keep the US in front. But hold on a minute, maybe not. It appeared that the ref had ruled that another American player had barely stepped into the box as Cristiane had struck her kick, encroachment if you will. It is play that happens all the time and it is rule that is rarely enforced and a call that is rarely made.

Brazil was awarded a retry and Marta made no mistake on the second kick, beating Solo and tying the match at one. The United States now faced the prospects of playing Brazil down a player for the rest of the match in a tie game.

But if anything, the calls seem to steel the American's resolve and they actually started playing better than they had earlier in the match. Sundhage was hoping that Alex Morgan could provide the US with the spark she had in November's qualifying playoff against Italy, sending her in for Rodriguez in the 72nd minute. Lima, who substitutes minimally, sent Francielle in for Rosana in the 85th minute.

The US had one final chance in regulation as Heather O'Reilly crossed from the right side. The ball came to Lloyd, but it was bouncing and the US midfielder failed to make a connection. Overtime it would be.

Brazil didn't take long into the first overtime to grab the lead. They had possession along the left sideline to start the play. Maurine worked a short little give-and-go with Erika, with Maurine getting the ball in the left corner. She crossed to the six, where Marta hit a left-footed swinging shot over her shoulder, sending the ball over Solo's head, bouncing into the right post and then into the goal.

Once again, though, there was some controversy. It appeared that Maurine had put herself in an offside position before she received the return pass from Erika. However, the call wasn't made and nothing could take away from the brilliance of Marta's strike on the play. It was Marta's 14th career World Cup goal, tying her with Birgit Prinz. Brazil now had a 2-1 lead and were a player up with just 28 minutes to kill.

The United States nearly tied the match in the 98th minute. Shannon Boxx blocked a Brazilian clearance with the ball coming to Wambach on the right side of the penalty area. She hit a low driven shot headed for the inside of the left post, but Andreia made a great diving save to keep her team a goal up.

In the 101st minute, Marta's cross from the right side gave Solo trouble, but the American keeper was able to reach up and punch the ball out at the last second. The first overtime was over and the US was down to their final 15 minutes.

What appeared to be a bit of play acting caused even more controversy. Brazilian defender Erika got bumped in the back in the 114th minute. She then took several steps and decided to kneel down on the turf with an apparent injury.

Play was stopped for over a minute and a half, while she was attended to. She was taken off on a stretcher, but once the stretcher cleared the field of play, she bounced right up, jogged around to the sideline and was ready to come back in. The referee was clearly incensed by this bit of theatrics and promptly carded the Brazilian defender upon her return to the game.

Three minutes stoppage were added, one would guess primarily for Erika's "injury" time. With time running out, it appeared the Americans would be heading home. But the United States had one final shot left in them.

The US gained possession deep in their own end and were able to get the ball forward to Lloyd just shy of the center line. Lloyd was able to work her away across the field and sent a soft pass on the left side to Rapinoe. Rapinoe touched the ball forward until she was about 35 yards out on the left wing. She hit the ball with her left foot, sending it toward the penalty area.

In what could only be called the immaculate cross, Rapinoe's serve flew toward the right corner of the six-yard box, where Wambach was moving in toward the Brazilian goal. With both sweeper back Daiane and goalkeeper Andreia leaping out to intercept, Wambach rose to head the ball. The two Brazilians arrived late and Wambach drilled the ball perfectly inside the right post. The US had miraculously tied the match in the 122nd minute.

The final seconds ticked away and the match was headed to penalties. Penalties are almost always a dicey affair, even if one team appears to have the advantage at keeper. This one would put Hope Solo and Andreia in the spotlight.

Shannon Boxx stepped up to take the first kick for the United States. Andreia took nearly two full steps forward as Boxx approached the ball. She made a good save, but Boxx was correctly awarded a rekick. Boxx converted her second attempt perfectly, and it had to be, because Andreia guessed right and nearly got there. In fact, Andreia guessed correctly on the next two kicks as well, one by Lloyd and one by Wambach, but each one was dead perfect.

Meanwhile, Cristiane and Marta had taken the first two attempts for Brazil and had easily converted their kicks as Solo guessed wrong on both occasions. The Americans led 3-2 as Daiane stepped up to take the third try for Brazil.

Daiane appeared to hit the ball well, going for the right side as her two teammates had previously. But she elevated the ball just a little so that it was about three feet off the ground by the time it got to Solo. This time Solo guessed right and fully extended, punched the ball clear of the goal and the US held the advantage.

Megan Rapinoe went lower left corner with the fourth US try and this time Andreia guessed wrong. The United States were now up 4-2. Young Francielle stepped up next for Brazil. It appeared that Solo had stepped out toward Francielle as the Brazilian took the ball from the referee, perhaps in an effort to psych her out. Solo and Francielle had been teammates in 2009 on Saint Louis Athletica and the two knew each other from there. Francielle did not rattle in the least, calmly placing her shot in the lower right corner to bring Brazil within one at 4-3.

It was all up to Ali Krieger, the one US player who had played much of her professional career in Germany. Krieger stepped up and hit a low bouncing shot inside the left post, out of the reach of Andreia. Krieger had converted and the United States had made one of the most improbable comebacks in soccer history.

Likely, much will be made of the calls that were made and weren't made in the match, most likely by backers of both sides. There are surely some things that need sorting out there.

Brazilian defender Daiane certainly had a rough day, between the own goal, the final US goal, and the missed penalty. To be fair, she played very well otherwise and quite frankly, the Brazilian team as a whole failed to finish off the match when they had the chance, so one could hardly place the blame on any one player.

The United States has now reached every semifinal in Women's World Cup history. They will now face a very tough French team who went through the ordeal of overtime and penalties just 24 hours earlier. The US will have to do so without the services of their starting center back Rachel Buehler, since she will be forced to miss that match on suspension. One wonders if they can lift themselves back up after this emotionally draining day.

But at least until Wednesday, they can believe that miracles can happen, especially when you believe in yourself.

Group C Preview: United States

United States (#1)
Region: Concacaf
Coach: Pia Sundhage
How They Qualified: Finished 3rd in Concacaf Region Qualifying, then defeated Italy in playoff.
Prior Cups:
2007: 3rd Place
2003: 3rd Place
1999: Champions
1995: 3rd Place
1991: Champions
Returnees from 2007 WWC: (8) Barnhart, Solo, Cox, Rampone, Boxx, Lloyd, O’Reilly, Wambach.

Roster (Average Age: 27.71)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Nicole Barnhart	GK	Philadelphia Indep.	29	39/0
Jillian Loyden	GK	magicJack	26	1/0
Hope Solo	GK	magicJack	29	94/0
Rachel Buehler	DF	Boston Breakers	25	58/1
Stephanie Cox	DF	Boston Breakers	25	73/0
Alex Krieger	DF	None	26	17/0
Amy LePeilbet	DF	Boston Breakers	29	48/0
Heather Mitts	DF	Atlanta Beat	33	115/2
Christie Rampone	DF	magicJack	36	234/4
Becky Sauerbrunn	DF	magicJack	26	10/0
Shannon Boxx	MF	magicJack	33	145/22
Tobin Heath	MF	Sky Blue FC	23	27/2
Lori Lindsey	MF	Philadelphia Indep.	31	21/0
Carli Lloyd	MF	Atlanta Beat	28	110/27
Kelley O’Hara	MF	Boston Breakers	22	5/0
Heather O’Reilly	MF	Sky Blue FC	26	143/29
Megan Rapinoe	MF	magicJack	25	30/10
Lauren Cheney	FW	Boston Breakers	23	41/13
Alex Morgan	FW	WNY Flash	22	18/7
Amy Rodriguez	FW	Philadelphia Indep.	24	64/17
Abby Wambach	FW	magicJack	31	156/118

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/5/11	Mexico	Friendly	W 1-0
5/18/11	Japan	Friendly	W 2-0
5/14/11	Japan	Friendly	W 2-0
4/2/11	England	Friendly	L 1-2
3/9/11	Iceland	Algarve	W 4-2
3/7/11	Finland	Algarve	W 4-0
3/4/11	Norway	Algarve	W 2-0
3/2/11	Japan	Algarve	W 2-1
1/25/11	China	Four Nations	W 2-0
1/23/11	Canada	Four Nations	W 2-1
1/21/11	Sweden	Four Nations	L 1-2
11/27/10	Italy	World Cup Playoff	W 1-0
11/20/10	Italy	World Cup Playoff	W 1-0
11/8/10	Costa Rica	Concacaf	W 3-0
11/5/10	Mexico	Concacaf	L 1-2
11/1/10	Costa Rica	Concacaf	W 4-0
10/30/10	Guatemala	Concacaf	W 9-0
10/28/10	Haiti	Concacaf	W 5-0
10/6/10	China	Friendly	T 1-1
10/2/10	China	Friendly	W 2-1
7/17/10	Sweden	Friendly	W 3-0
7/13/10	Sweden	Friendly	T 1-1
5/22/10	Germany	Friendly	W 4-0

They are the number team in the world according to FIFA rankings. They have won the World Cup twice in their history and finished third three times. They might be the most experienced team at the World Cup. They are definitely the oldest team at the World Cup and it’s not even close. They are the United States.

And they have been criticized recently as too old, too slow, too this, too that. Some of the criticism is valid, some a little over-the-top. Whether this will give them a chip-on-the-shoulder, it’s us against the world mentality for this Cup, I don’t know.

The United States appeared to reach their pinnacle in May of 2010 when they easily defeated Germany by a 4-0 margin in Cleveland, Ohio. Truth be told, they haven’t looked nearly so dominating since. Their long unbeaten streak extended into November, when it looked like they were cruising to another easy qualification for yet another World Cup. And then, the unthinkable happened. They lost to Mexico.

For a short time, there was a possibility that they would not even qualify. They went on to defeat Costa Rica in the Concacaf third place match and then defeated Italy twice by 1-0 to become the 16th and final qualifier for the 2011 World Cup.

This year has brought mixed results. They won the Four Nations and the Algarve Cup, defeating Canada, Japan, and Norway in the process. However, they also dropped a match to Sweden at the Four Nations and were outplayed in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of England in April. So where will they finish in Germany?

One good sign is the return of Hope Solo, arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. Shoulder surgery last fall put this World Cup in doubt, but she appeared to be 100% in recent friendlies. She’s only been scored upon in one game out of her last 13 appearances dating back to early 2009.

Abby Wambach is the focal point of the US attack. One of the best target forwards in the world, she has no peers in the air. Joining her at forward will be the relatively young trio of Amy Rodriguez, Lauren Cheney, and Alex Morgan. Morgan has become the “supersub” of the United States, scoring several important goals late in contests.

The midfield is very experienced with Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Heather O’Reilly, and Megan Rapinoe. They did receive a blow when Lindsay Tarpley went down with an injury just a month before the World Cup. It is the central midfield that will be one of the keys for the United States. Lloyd and Boxx need to be at the top of their game if the United States are to have a good tournament. They have started nearly every game over the last several years when they have been healthy.

Defense may be the biggest question mark. First, there are the injuries. Christie Rampone, Amy LePeilbet, and Heather Mitts have all been nursing injuries this year, with Mitts just barely making fitness under the deadline for Germany. Second, there is age. This is a fairly old group and they have been exposed in some matches recently, certainly in the loss to Mexico in November. Finally, there is left back, where Pia Sunhage has tried several players. Right now, it appears she will opt for either center back LePeilbet or natural outside back Stephanie Cox.

This will be a critical World Cup for the future of this team. A bad showing may signal a changing of the guard and the need for a substantial turnover in personnel. A good tournament would prove that Sundhage’s quiet confidence in her team was more than warranted.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained at www.fifa.com and www.ussoccer.com.

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)

2011 magicJack Preview

magicJack
Coach: Mike Lyons (1st year)
2010 Record: 8-9-7 (4th place)
Home Stadium: FAU Soccer Field (Boca Raton, FL)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Jillian Loyden, Brett Maron, Hope Solo.
Defenders (6): Marian Dalmy, Tina Ellertson, Nikki Marshall, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Meghan Schnur.
Midfielders (8): Shannon Boxx, Amanda DaCosta(R), Omolyn Davis(R), Sarah Huffman, Meghan Klingenberg(R), Sophie Schmidt(R), Lindsay Tarpley, Kacey White.
Forwards (6): Lisa De Vanna, Ella Masar, Rebecca Moros, Christen Press(R), Johanna Rasmussen, Abby Wambach.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Solo, Rampone, Boxx, Schmidt, Tarpley, De Vanna, Wambach, and possibly Sauerbrunn.

Pretty much everything is new with this team…ownership, location, general manager, coach, name, and most of the team. If it weren’t for Freedom veterans like Abby Wambach, Sarah Huffman, and Becky Sauerbrunn, one could almost call this a completely new franchise.

Lost in all of the changes and confusion of the offseason is that magicJack has put together quite a solid team. They are reasonably strong at every position and have actually added a number of offensive players that should make them even more dangerous. Add Lindsay Tarpley, Kacey White, Ella Masar, Christen Press, and Johanna Rasmussen to an already solid offense with Abby Wambach and Lisa De Vanna and you have the makings of a very potent attack.

Even though this team has four rookies, it is a largely veteran team. But this team will be missing a lot of key players during the World Cup and continuity could be a problem. Even so, magicJack appears to have players to step in at every position and still be competitive.

Goalkeepers: Once magicJack brought Hope Solo into the fold, it really just becomes a question of how many games will she be able to play for her new team. Still recovering from shoulder surgery, she just made her first game appearance against England last weekend. It is a bit of a quandary from a USWNT point of view. She needs the game action, but how much can she risk the shoulder for the time being?

Last season was a year of distractions, between Athletica folding, tweetgate, and the surgery. But absent all of that, when Solo is on top of her game, there isn’t a better goalkeeper in the world. Backing her up will be two keepers that are used to that role. Jill Loyden, last year’s Red Star starter, backed Solo up in Saint Louis during 2009. Brett Maron was Solo’s backup in Atlanta. Both have experience as a starter, with Loyden being called up for national team duty on occasion.

Defenders: There won’t be many teams that can boast the veteran back line that magicJack will field coming into the 2011 season. Marshall is probably the only one you couldn’t call a seasoned veteran and the only one that hasn’t appeared on the senior national team. But what a rookie season she had. Overlooked when it came to rookie of the year voting, she made an impact both on defense and at striker.

The other five defenders are all experienced. Christie Rampone brings her 234 national team caps to magicJack after captaining (and sometimes coaching) Sky Blue for two seasons. A great leader on and off the field, Rampone is a professional in every sense of the word. Becky Sauerbrunn, also a candidate for the WC team, is the only other returnee. She has not missed a minute of action in two WPS seasons, the only player that can say that.

Three more defenders were brought in as free agents and all are excellent players. Marian Dalmy was a strong right back, with good height and the ability to make overlapping runs. Meghan Schnur played left back for Sky Blue and is very solid. Veteran Tina Ellertson joins her Washington Huskie teammate Solo with magicJack. Ellertson is a two-time WPS All-Star, is good in the air and has great speed, especially for a center back.

Midfielders: Here you have your classic blend of experience and youth, long-time national team players like Shannon Boxx and Lindsay Tarpley with young college talent like Klingenberg and Schmidt. The only returning player in the group is Sarah Huffman.

Boxx and Tarpley have combined for 265 caps on the USWNT. Boxx has been the starter at defensive mid for the USWNT for several years. She is strong in the air and has become more of an offensive threat since WPS has started. Tarpley is one of the most intelligent players on the field. Whether playing midfield or forward, she is always looking for the best option and is very unselfish.

The other two veterans on the team, Sarah Huffman and Kacey White, have both had short stints on the national team. Huffman is a consistent, hard-working midfielder, and has been with this franchise back to its W-League days. To me, White has always been underrated. She has good speed, attacks well from the outside and usually serves the ball into her forwards with accuracy.

The rookies on this team are quite intriguing as well. It’s really hard to call Sophie Schmidt a rookie. After all, she does have 58 caps with the Canadian National Team. Ultimately, Schmidt may be the best midfielder this team has. Meghan Klingenberg also has national team experience, both on the junior and senior levels. There is a possibility that Klingenberg may move to outside back for magicJack. Jamaican Omolyn Davis has a lot of talent, which hopefully coach Mike Lyons will be able to harness, while Amanda DaCosta had an excellent career at Florida State and looks to move up to the next level.

Forwards: Abby Wambach has been the focus of this team’s offense for the past two years and that probably won’t change. But Wambach has more weapons around her now, which may give her more room to operate in the middle. Unfortunately, nagging injury problems with her foot seem to have slowed her, although she is gamely trying to play through it. When healthy, she is the best in the world in the air and has scored well over 100 goals for the USWNT.

Lisa De Vanna’s 2010 WPS season got cut short following a broken leg in the Asian Cup. Her speed is a nice complement to Wambach’s strength. De Vanna scored six goals for the Freedom back in 2009. One player that had a strong 2010 season was Ella Masar. Masar scored eight goals for the Red Stars last year and quickly became a fan favorite.

In what could be regarded as a steal, magicJack obtained Johanna Rasmussen from Atlanta. Rasmussen was the Beat’s best player at times last year, and she can switch between forward and wing with relative ease. MagicJack also gets help from the draft in Stanford’s Christen Press. Press scored 26 goals for the Cardinal last year. Rounding out the forwards is returnee Rebecca Moros who adds versatility to the roster. Moros has played defense, midfielder, and forward for the Freedom over the past two years.

Outlook: In spite of the huge roster turnover, this team has the elements to compete for the title. They have a nice blend of youth and veterans and are strong at every position. But will this team ever be at full strength. Wambach’s injury could be a problem and she did not appear to be fully healthy in the recent match against England. Solo also made an appearance in that match, but is coming off from a long recovery from shoulder surgery. In addition, several key players will be absent during the World Cup.

You also have to wonder if some of the older veterans on the team will start to slow down. Talented as they are, Rampone is now 35, Boxx is 33, Wambach is 30, while Solo and Ellertson are fast approaching 30. And Boca Raton is not going to be the coolest spot to play summer matches. Their home advantage may not be as strong either, with the smallest seating capacity in a new home. Over the last two seasons, the Freedom had an excellent home record at 12-4-6 and a fairly dismal road record at 4-12-6.

This team is strong enough to compete. They have the talent, leadership, speed, strength, and depth necessary. But they are also going to need things to break their way, especially with respect to health and quickly developing into a cohesive unit.

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/.

WPS Championship - FC Gold Pride vs. Philadelphia

Philadelphia Independence (10-10-4) at FC Gold Pride (16-3-5)
Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, CA – September 26 (2:30 pm ET, 1:30 pm CT, 11:30 am PT)

Probable Rosters:
Philadelphia: GK-Val Henderson, Karina LeBlanc; D-Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Heather Mitts, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, Sara Larsson, Estelle Johnson, Sarah Senty; MF-Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Tina DiMartino, Jen Buczkowski, Kelly Henderson; F-Amy Rodriguez, Lianne Sanderson, Danesha Adams, Lyndsey Patterson.

FC Gold Pride: GK-Nicole Barnhart, Brittany Cameron; D-Rachel Buehler, Candace Chapman, Ali Riley, Kandace Wilson, Kristen Graczyk, Niki Cross; MF-Shannon Boxx, Becky Edwards, Camille Abily, Carrie Dew, Kimberly Yokers; F-Marta, Christine Sinclair, Kelley O’Hara, Tiffeny Milbrett, Kiki Bosio.

Previous Meetings (2010)
June13 – FC Gold Pride 3 @ Philadelphia 1
July 17 – Philadelphia 0 @ FC Gold Pride 2
September 11 – Philadelphia 1 @ FC Gold Pride 4

FC Gold Pride is 8-1-3 at home with a 20-8 edge in goals.
Philadelphia is 3-8-2 on the road being outscored 13-20 in the regular season, 1-0 on the road in the playoffs.

Top Performers in Series
Philadelphia: DiMartino (1 goal), Sanderson ( 1 goal), Lindsey (1 assist), Patterson (1 assist), Henderson (2 games, 3.00 goals against, LeBlanc (1 game, 3.00 goal against).

FC Gold Pride: Marta (3 goals, 4 assists), Sinclair (4 goals, 1assist), O’Hara (2 goals, 1 assist), Boxx (1 assist), Abily (1 assist), Gulbrandsen (1 assist), Barnhart (2 games, 1.06 goals against), Cameron (1 game, 1 shutout, 0.00 goals against).

Matchups:
Goalkeepers
Val Henderson vs. Nicole Barnhart

You can’t argue much with the results that Henderson has given Philadelphia, just one goal allowed in 240 minutes of playoff soccer. She wasn't tested much in game one and at times, she looked a little unsure in the match against Boston, but overall she has been solid. She is likely to be tested a great deal more by Gold Pride. Henderson faced them twice during the season, giving up two goals in the first and then four in the final match of the regular season. I guess there is still an outside chance that Riley might go with LeBlanc, who is more experienced and started last year’s championship match, but that’s not likely given Henderson’s record so far in the playoffs.

Barnhart, was the WPS Goalkeeper of the Year, with a sparkling 0.77 goals against average and eight shutouts to her credit. She also has USWNT experience, which could help in a match of this importance. She gave up a goal in each of her two starts against the Independence this year. Strangely enough, it was Brittany Cameron who earned the only shutout for FCGP against Philly this season.

Barnhart is experienced and had a great season. Give credit to Henderson for what she’s accomplished so far, but the edge goes to Gold Pride here.

Defenders
Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Frida Magnusdottir, and Estelle Johnson (or Heather Mitts) vs. Rachel Buehler, Candace Chapman, Ali Riley, and Kandace Wilson.

The Independence defense has done the job so far, but they have had loads of trouble stopping Gold Pride’s attack this season. The most disturbing thing about Thursday’s match was how easily Fabiana was able to get around the Philadelphia defense on several occasions. They can’t have those kind of lapses in this match. Frida Magnusdottir, perhaps Philly’s most versatile weapon, must be careful not to get caught upfield lest the back line gets exposed by the Gold Pride counterattack. Overall, Falk and Krzysik have been solid and the rookie Estelle Johnson has been surprisingly strong, but in this match, they will have to rise to a whole new level to stop the best offense in the league.

Rachel Buehler had an outstanding season in 2010. She leads a Gold Pride back line that has greatly improved over the course of the season. Chapman was a key free agent signee and helped to solidify the defense. Riley and Wilson give Gold Pride two of the most dangerous and perhaps the two fastest outside backs in the league. The Independence midfielders will have to watch flank runs by those two, which could open up the middle for Boxx and Abily.

Again, Philadelphia has done an admirable job to this point. But they haven’t stopped Gold Pride all season and they can’t match their speed. I have to give the edge to Buehler and FCGP.

Midfielders
Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Tina DiMartino, and Jen Buczkowski vs.
Shannon Boxx, Camille Abily, Becky Edwards.

There’s only one player that can say that she’s played every minute of every playoff game ever played in WPS. That’s Jen Buczkowski, who is hoping to be on her second championship team in a row. The Independence midfield has been tough as nails in the playoffs. Lindsey and Seger form the veteran core of perhaps the best midfield in WPS. Tina DiMartino has been impressive, both during the regular season and the postseason. She assisted on both game winners in the playoffs. DiMartino was literally all over the field on Thursday night.

The Gold Pride midfield is strong as well, starting with the great veteran leadership of Shannon Boxx. There is probably not a more respected player in the league and rightfully so. At her best, she can control the pace and flow of the game from her midfield position. She’s a strong defender and gets into the attack very well when opportunities arise. Boxx and Abily combined for 11 assists, although not quite as many as the Lindsey/Seger duo, still quite impressive. Becky Edwards turned in an impressive rookie season, in spite of being overshadowed in a strong rookie class. I think her performance has often been unfairly overlooked this season.

We’ll find out just how much stamina the Independence have in this match. Coming off 240 minutes of soccer in less than a week, they will have to cover a quicker Gold Pride team that has the weapons to spread the field very effectively. I absolutely love Philly’s midfield, but it would be hard to understate the importance of Boxx in this match. I would say that the midfields are as even as they can get, with maybe an infinitesimal edge to the Independence.

Forwards
Amy Rodriguez and Lianne Sanderson vs. Marta, Christine Sinclair, and Kelley O’Hara (or Tiffeny Milbrett).

In spite of not scoring, I thought Rodriguez had a heck of a game against Boston. On Philly’s first goal, she ran down a ball in the midfield, quickly got the ball to DiMartino and then had great vision to find Seger alone on the right side, earning an assist. On another play she worked against the defense until she saw an opening, sending a nice ball through to Seger, whose first touch was a little heavy. Throughout the match, she was dangerous. But she has not had much success against Gold Pride this season. She missed one match while on the USWNT and in the other two, she did not figure in the scoring.

Sanderson needs to be more dangerous in this match than she was against Boston. It appeared that she was playing kind of a half midfielder/half forward position on Thursday. Since the Independence midfield will have to hang back farther to defend against Gold Pride’s many weapons, Sanderson may become Rodriguez’s primary support in this match. Controversy or not, Danesha Adam’s play on the winning goal was still exceptional. Look for her to be a factor late in this match as well, especially if the Independence can stay close.

Meanwhile, Gold Pride’s forwards have simply destroyed Philadelphia this season. Marta, Sinclair, and O’Hara have combined for nine goals and six assists in just three matches. Not much more can be said about Marta that hasn’t already been said. She is the best player in the world, perhaps the fastest player in the world, and certainly as determined as they come. She has figured in seven of the nine goals that Gold Pride has scored against the Independence in 2010. I honestly don’t think Philly’s back line has enough speed to stay with her for an entire match.

And if Marta wasn’t enough to deal with, then there’s Sinclair who scored four goals against Philly, including at least one in each game. There’s O’Hara, one of the most exciting young forwards in the league with two goals to her credit against Sunday’s opponent. And on top of that, there’s the crafty veteran, Tiffeny Milbrett, to cause opposing defenses even more problems. Add to that Kiki Bosio and her flip throws and you have the best offense in WPS.

Rodriguez has truly become a top notch forward this season. But Gold Pride’s forwards are fast, talented, and there are just too many weapons there to stop. The edge has to go to Gold Pride here.

Coaching
Paul Riley vs. Albertin Montoya

I think Riley has done a magnificent job coaching his team to two overtime victories. After a sluggish finish to the regular season, his team has come out and played two strong matches.

Many have discounted Montoya’s coaching performance, saying that any team that has Marta should win. While there is some truth to the fact that Marta has had a great effect on Gold Pride’s success, Montoya has had a lot to do with it as well. This will be his first playoff match, so it will be interesting to see how he matches up against Riley in a tactical chess match.

Call it dead even.

Intangibles
Gold Pride has been aces at home, going 8-1-3 over the course of the season. The only negative is that they were inexplicably blanked three times at home, all of those in Pioneer Stadium. Philadelphia has not been a good road team, but they beat the odds on Thursday night in Boston. In the two contests they played in northern California this year, they were beaten twice and neither game was really that close.

As far as playing three games in a week, I think that works both ways. It will certainly hurt that Philadelphia has had to play 240 minutes of soccer to get here. But there is something to be said for having two games of playoff experience under your belt. The two week layoff may also hurt a Gold Pride team that was clicking quite nicely at the end of the season. All you have to do is look at 2009 and the Sky Blue/LA Sol matchup.

Slight edge to Gold Pride for the home field advantage and in light of Philly’s game and travel fatigue.

My Prediction
It’s hard to see Gold Pride losing this match, but the same was said about the Los Angeles Sol last season. Surely though, Marta and Boxx remember last year’s game and will make sure that it doesn’t happen again. In the three regular season matches, there was no scoring in the first 39 minutes of any of the games. Gold Pride scored at the end of the first half in each of those matches. Philadelphia cannot afford a lapse in concentration toward the end of the half.

I think the first goal in this match will be critical. Having played so much soccer, it will be much harder for the Independence to come from behind in this one. They need to follow Sky Blue’s blueprint in last year’s championship. After the early goal and Falk’s subsequent red card, the Sol seemed almost in a daze for nearly 25 minutes before reality and urgency settled in. Gold Pride is a highly confident bunch and feeling the sting of an early goal, especially against a team that they handled so easily in three previous meetings, might throw a shock into them.

But putting one on the board before Marta and company do the same is easier said than done. Gold Pride has throttled Rodriguez, while their speedy forwards have ripped the Independence defense. Unless Paul Riley has a few more tricks up his sleeve, I see it…
FC Gold Pride 3, Philadelphia Independence 1.

Gold Pride Signs Boxx

Former Saint Louis Athletica midfielder Shannon Boxx has signed with FC Gold Pride. Boxx had one goal and three assists in just 6 matches for Athletica. She will reunite with former Los Angeles teammates Marta and Camille Abily.

Another Athletica player, Carolyn Blank, the rookie holding midfielder out of West Virginia, has been rumored to be going to Atlanta, but there has still not been confirmation of that.

Clarification on WPS Roster Limits

WPS has sent out the following clarification regarding roster limits and international players:

"With Saint Louis Athletica players available as free agents starting on June 1, the league has been given approval from U.S. Soccer to increase the number of international roster spots per team from 5 to 6 players, provided that the additional sixth international is a Saint Louis Athletica free agent. This is an exception being made only for this season. The league’s roster sizes and total team compensation will remain as the status quo."

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.

Atlanta Downs Athletica 2-1 in Tulsa

The Atlanta Beat scored two first half goals and were then able to hold on for the victory in the final exhibition game of the spring. Swiss import Ramona Bachmann, had a hand in both goals, assisting on the first and scoring the second.

Atlanta had a definite edge in chances for the 1st half. The first goal came as a result of a corner kick, with Bachmann eventually getting the ball to former Athletica defender, Kia McNeill, who was able to finish to put the Beat on top. Later in the first half, Atlanta came down on a counterattack with Johanna Rasmussen crossing the ball from the left wing. In the ensuing scramble, Bachmann was able to touch the ball past Ashlyn Harris from about 2 yards out to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead. Bachmann came off with an injury after the goal, but walked off under her own power. The injury appeared to be minor, but she did not return.

Saint Louis got on the board late in the 1st half. The play started with Lori Chalupny reversing the ball from the right sideline. Eventually, Aya Miyama sent Shannon Boxx through alone and she finished lower right to cut Atlanta's lead to 2-1. There was no scoring in the 2nd half. Allison Whitworth earned the victory in goal for Atlanta. Several players were missing from both teams. For Saint Louis, Hope Solo, Daniela, and Niki Cross were not in Tulsa. Kristina Larsen was on crutches with a stress fracture in her foot. For Atlanta, Tobin Heath and Amanda Cinalli were not there, as well as Manya Makoski, who is out for the season with an injury.

Saint Louis did get some good news on the health front. Lori Chalupny played the first half after sitting out part of the spring, while suffering from symptoms related to concussions she had suffered previously. And Lindsay Tarpley saw her first action since tearing her ACL last August. Tarpley was a 2nd half substitution and played approximately 30 minutes.

Atlanta will travel to Philadelphia where they will play their season opener against the Independence on April 11. Meanwhile, Saint Louis hosts FC Gold Pride for their opener on April 11.

Kicking in a Winter Wonderland - USWNT 1, Mexico 0

Playing in a snowstorm in Rio Tinto Stadium, the USWNT defeated Mexico 1-0 in an international friendly played this evening. Abby Wambach scored the 2nd half goal in the 60th minute on a low cross from Shannon Boxx. The play started with Kristine Lilly making a nice touch to free Boxx on the left side of the penalty area. She drew the goalkeeper to the near post and sent the ball across to a charging Wambach who easily finished. It was Wambach's 105th international goal. Perhaps even more amusing was the goal celebration, which saw Wambach, Boxx, and teammates doing snow angels before a courageous Sandy, Utah crowd.

Snow accumulated over most of the field, although the penalties areas were somewhat cleared before each half. The US outshot Mexico 20-4 for the match in very difficult playing conditions. The game saw Brittany Taylor and Alex Morgan pick up their first caps, and Kelley O'Hara her second after debuting on Sunday in the US 3-0 victory over Mexico. Nicole Barnhart got the shutout for the US.

The Los Angeles Sol-An All Too Short History Part 3

Part 3-Clouds on the Horizon

By late June, Los Angeles had risen to the top of the WPS. It would be only a matter of time before they clinched the regular season title and barring an upset, the WPS Championship. But by July, things weren't going perfectly anymore. The combination of injuries, a strange schedule which saw them play only sparingly over the last two months of the season, and some less than sparkling play on the field started catching up with them. And apparently off the field, the problems were far greater.

June 29, 2009-Martina Franko is listed by the Sol as having a season-ending injury.

June 30, 2009-Los Angeles trades for Christie Shaner to help fill in for Franko. Shaner plays only 52 minutes for the Sol. In her first game for Los Angeles just 5 days later, Shaner fractures her leg in a collision with the Freedom's Abby Wambach, thus ending her season.

July, 2009-Yet another Sol defender is having injury problems. Allison Falk misses all three games in July with injuries.

July 5, 2009-Marta scores the only goal of the game in stoppage to defeat Washington 1-0. Karina LeBlanc earns her 11th shutout. It is LA's 4th consecutive victory and they run their unbeaten streak to 11 games. The Sol now lead 2nd place Athletica by a whopping 17 points and will have a chance to clinch the regular season title in their next match.

July 8, 2009-With a chance to clinch first place, the Sol suffer their first and only regular season loss at home in their final regular season home game. Los Angeles falls to Saint Louis 1-0 as Amanda Cinalli scores the game winner for Athletica.

July 13, 2009-The Sol signs Sharolta Nonen to help their beleaguered defense. Nonen, like Martina Franko, is a veteran of the Canadian National Team.

July 23, 2009-After a two week layoff, Los Angeles clinches the WPS regular season title in a scoreless tie against Gold Pride. Karina LeBlanc gets her 12th and final shutout of the season. The Sol shut out Gold Pride all four times they play them.

August 2, 2009-Falk returns to the lineup, but Los Angeles' winless streak extends to 3 games with a 3-1 loss in Chicago. After falling behind 2-0, Han Duan scores a late goal to temporarily make it close, before Cristiane puts it out of reach with a goal in stoppage time. It is only the 2nd time all season that the Sol allow more than one goal in a game.

August 4, 2009-Four Sol players are named to the WPS All-Star First XI. Karina LeBlanc, Shannon Boxx, Camille Abily, and Marta grace the first WPS All-Star team. Abily would be unable to play because of her national team commitment for France. Abner Rogers is named to coach the WPS All-Star team.

August 7, 2009-Aya Miyama is added to the WPS All-Star roster as the next highest vote getter as a replacement for players not able to play in the game.

August 9, 2009-The Sol end the regular season with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Boston, keeping the Breakers out of the playoffs. Marta scores her league best 10th goal of the season and then forces a penalty kick late on a call strongly protested by Breakers' players. Shannon Boxx converts the penalty to give Los Angeles the win. Ironically, this result puts Sky Blue, the team that would ultimately defeat them in the title game, into the playoffs.

August 22, 2009-Los Angeles hosts the first WPS Championship Game at the Home Depot Center. Playing without their 2nd leading scorer, Camille Abily, the Sol are upset by Sky Blue by a 1-0 score. Heather O'Reilly scores in the 16th minute. Then Allison Falk receives the first and only red card in Sol history for tripping Natasha Kai from behind later in the 1st half. The final is played before 7218 fans.

August 29, 2009-At the WPS Awards Banquet, Marta is presented with the PUMA Golden Boot Award and the Michelle Akers Player of the Year Award. Abner Rogers wins the Coach of the Year Award.

August 30, 2009-The WPS All-Stars defeat Umeå IK by a 4-2 margin in St. Louis. Marta gets the game tying goal and adds two assists in the contest. Abner Rogers is the winning coach.

September 15, 2009-The Sol lose Katie Larkin and Sharolta Nonen to Atlanta in the WPS Expansion Draft.

October 7, 2009-Los Angeles sends starting center back Allison Falk and backup keeper Val Henderson to Philadelphia for the 5th and 22nd selections in the 2010 draft. The Sol would later draft Nikki Washington and Kiki Bosio with those selections.

The finish of the 2009 season was a disappointment for players and fans alike, but it was always assumed that there would be a next year. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, things were not going well. The team lost what has been variously estimated between $2 and $3 million in their first season of operation. AEG had maintained that their involvement with the team was always on a temporary basis and that involvement was coming to an end. And equally unfortunate for the Sol and their fans, this was one issue that couldn't be settled on the field.

For the final part in this series, we'll look at the final months and the legacy of the Los Angeles Sol.

(Sources for some of the information in this story came from http://www.womensprosoccer.com/ and the 2009 Los Angeles Sol Media Guide)

The Los Angeles Sol-An All Too Short History Part 2

Part 2 - Rise to the Pinnacle

After winning the inaugural WPS game, Los Angeles dominated the league early on. Only in a home and home with the Boston Breakers in early May were they held in check. They had everything...scoring (Marta, Camille Abily, and Aya Miyama), defense (Karina LeBlanc and a fine back line), young talent (Brittany Bock and Allison Falk), and veteran leadership (Shannon Boxx and Aly Wagner).

April 5, 2009-Marta becomes the first player in WPS history to score twice in one game, leading the Sol to a 2-0 victory over Sky Blue FC at TD Bank Park in New Jersey.

April 16, 2009-Defender Martina Franko signs with the Sol. Franko, a veteran of the Canadian National Team, would strengthen an already solid back line.

April 19, 2009-Karina LeBlanc earns her 3rd consecutive shutout as Marta scores the only goal in LA's 1-0 win over FC Gold Pride. Aly Wagner assists on the goal.

April 25, 2009-With Marta and Camille Abily away on international duty, Los Angeles and Saint Louis battle to a scoreless tie. Wagner and Lori Chalupny are stopped on penalty kicks by Hope Solo and Karina LeBlanc, respectively. It's the first match that Los Angeles comes away with less than 3 points.

May 2, 2009-The Sol suffer their first setback, a 2-1 loss to the Breakers in Boston. After falling behind 2-0, Brittany Bock scores the only Sol goal, assisted by Aya Miyama.

May 8, 2009-Los Angeles and Saint Louis complete the first in-season trade in WPS history. The Sol send Kendall Fletcher and Christie Welsh to Athletica for a conditional draft pick in 2010 and a 1st round choice in 2011. The Sol later use the 2010 pick to select Casey Nogueira.

May 10, 2009-For the second straight week, Boston frustrates Los Angeles. The Sol have to settle for their second scoreless tie of the season. It runs LA's winless streak to 3 games, but LeBlanc earns her 5th shutout of the season.

May 15, 2009-In the league's first ever Friday night contest, Marta beats Sky Blue's offside trap and dribbles around goalkeeper Jen Branam to score the only goal in the 80th minute. Meanwhile, the Sol announce the signing of veteran Keri Sanchez and move Liz Bogus to full-roster status.

May 24, 2009-Behind a Camille Abily penalty kick and a late goal by Han Duan, LA defeats FC Gold Pride 2-0. Val Henderson gets the shutout in her only match of the season.

May 30, 2009-Los Angeles dominates Saint Louis in a 2-0 victory, with LeBlanc posting her 7th shutout. Shannon Boxx scores her first goal of the season.

June 3, 2009-In the first WPS midweek contest, the Sol tie Chicago 1-1. After falling behind on a Cristiane goal in the 88th minute, Camille Abily ties the game in the closing seconds of the match.

June 7, 2009-Camille Abily scores for the 4th consecutive game, this time hitting the back of the net twice. Brittany Bock adds a third goal to give the Sol a 3-1 victory over Washington. Abily converts her second penalty kick of the season.

June 10, 2009-Los Angeles signs Julia Schnugg as a developmental player.

June 13, 2009-The Sol play their 3rd scoreless tie of the season, this time against Sky Blue. LeBlanc gets her 8th shutout as SBFC badly outshoots LA by a 14-5 margin.

June 19, 2009-Los Angeles waives Greer Barnes and moves McCall Zerboni to full-roster status. In spite spending two and a half months on the roster, Barnes never plays for the Sol in a regular season match. She later signs with FC Gold Pride.

June 21, 2009-Los Angeles defeats Gold Pride for the third time, with LeBlanc again getting the shutout. Abily scores her league leading 7th goal, with Marta getting her 5th in the 2-0 victory.

June 22, 2009-Los Angeles signs forward Lyndsey Patterson.

June 24, 2009-The Sol win a hard fought contest in Saint Louis by a 2-1 score. Karina LeBlanc and the Sol defense survive 25 shots and 12 corner kicks to preserve the win. Goals are scored by Han Duan and Marta.

June 27, 2009-Los Angeles mauls Chicago by a 4-0 margin. In doing so, Los Angeles becomes the first team to clinch a playoff berth. Shannon Boxx scores the opening goal assisted by McCall Zerboni, her first assist of the season. Both Abily and Marta reach the 8 goal mark, with Aya Miyama assisting on two of the goals.

By the last week in June, Los Angeles has sprinted to a 10-1-4 record and have outscored their opponents by 23-5. They have a 16 point margin over 2nd place Boston and it is only a matter of time before they clinch the regular season title, which would give them an automatic berth in the WPS Championship Game at home. However, difficulties on road trips to Boston, New Jersey, and Saint Louis seem to prove they aren't invincible. Part 3 will examine clouds on the horizon as Los Angeles headed into the final two months of the season.

(Sources for some of the information in this story came from http://www.womensprosoccer.com/ and the 2009 Los Angeles Sol Media Guide)

The Los Angeles Sol - An All Too Short History

Part 1 - The Beginning

On February 4th, what was left of the Los Angeles Sol roster was dispersed and only time will tell when the WPS returns to Los Angeles, but the Sol made an indelible mark in their only WPS season. In their short one-season history on the field, they won the regular season title, set many records that will become benchmarks, and set a standard of excellence by which other teams will be measured for years to come. This is a look back at the short history of the Los Angeles Sol.

September 4, 2007-Los Angeles is announced as one of seven teams that will compete in the inaugural season of a new women's professional soccer league. The team will be owned by AEG and Blue Star, LLC.

September 15, 2008-Abner Rogers is named as the first coach of the Los Angeles WPS franchise.

September 16, 2008-Los Angeles receives its first players as Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox, and Aly Wagner are allocated from the USWNT.

September 24, 2008-Los Angeles selects Marta as their first selection (3rd overall) in the WPS International Draft. They also draft Aya Miyama, Han Duan, and Margret Lara Vidarsdottir. The following day, they would add Camille Abily as a post-draft discovery player.

October 3, 2008-Charlie Naimo is named as general manager for Los Angeles.

October 6, 2008-Los Angeles chooses Karina LeBlanc as their first selection (5th overall) in the WPS General Draft. They also select Kendall Fletcher, Christie Welsh, and Manya Makoski. All four would make the team, although Fletcher and Welsh were later traded to Saint Louis.

October 25, 2008-Los Angeles officially announces that the team would be called the Los Angeles Sol and they also unveil the team's new logo.

November 25, 2008-Los Angeles names Johanna Frisk as a post-draft discovery player.

January 12, 2009-The Sol announce the signing of three-time FIFA Player of the Year, Marta.

January 16, 2009-At the first annual WPS Draft in St. Louis, the Sol select Brittany Bock with their first selection (5th overall). In later rounds, they select Allison Falk, Katie Larkin, Greer Barnes, Valerie Henderson, Katie Hooker, McCall Zerboni, Brittany Cameron, Erica Janke, and Lisa Sari. All but Hooker and Janke would make the Sol's opening roster.

February 4, 2009-The Sol officially announce the signing of Aya Miyama.

February 19, 2009-The Sol announce the signings of Camille Abily, Han Duan, and Johanna Frisk.

March 2, 2009-The Los Angeles Sol training camp begins.

March 5, 2009-Los Angeles becomes the first team to announce an on-jersey sponsorship with Amway Global.

March 25, 2009-Los Angeles announces its opening day roster. Full-roster players are Camille Abily, Greer Barnes, Brittany Bock, Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox, Allison Falk, Kendall Fletcher, Johanna Frisk, Han Duan, Val Henderson, Katie Larkin, Karina LeBlanc, Manya Makoski, Marta, Aya Miyama, Aly Wagner, and Christie Welsh. Developmental players are Brittany Cameron, Lisa Sari, and McCall Zerboni.

March 26, 2009-The Sol add Liz Bogus, just recently released by FC Gold Pride, to their developmental roster.

March 29, 2009-The Sol defeat the Washington Freedom 2-0 before 14,832 fans in the WPS inaugural game played at the Home Depot Center. Allison Falk scores the first goal in WPS history on a header in the 6th minute. Camille Abily later adds a goal to seal the victory. Karina LeBlanc is sharp in goal and earns the shutout. The attendance would be the largest for a non-WPS/MLS doubleheader in the 2009 season.

With an immensely talented roster, the Sol were off to a great start and looked to be the team to beat in 2009. Over the next three months, the Sol were a dominant team. We'll look at that period in Part 2-Rise to the Pinnacle.

(Sources for some of the information in this story came from www.womensprosoccer.com and the 2009 Los Angeles Sol Media Guide)

Los Angeles Sol - The Offseason So Far

When Last We Left Them...

Los Angeles won the WPS regular season title with a 12-3-5 record and 41 points, well ahead of the rest of the league. By early June, they had opened up a double digit lead on the field, posting shutouts in 8 of their first 9 games. They were led by three great international players on offense, Marta, Camille Abily, and Aya Miyama. These three combined for 18 goals and 10 assists for the season. Karina LeBlanc was unbeatable in goal and a strong defense led by veteran Shannon Boxx at defensive mid kept opponents in check.

However, with not much to play for, they struggled down the stretch. A loss to Athletica in early July put their championship celebration on hold for two weeks. A scoreless tie against Gold Pride on July 23rd clinched it for them, but they appeared to be losing momentum. The Sol managed only a 1-2-1 record over their last 4 matches and then had a two week layoff before hosting the WPS Championship. They just never looked sharp in that match, surrendering an early goal to Sky Blue, followed quickly by a red card to Allison Falk. The 1-0 loss was a disappointing ending to a great season for Los Angeles.

Roster Moves

Los Angeles retained several great players from their 2009 roster, but little beyond that. At the present time, they have only 9 players signed for the 2010 season. Those players are Marta, Abily, Miyama, Boxx, LeBlanc, Brittany Bock, Stephanie Cox, Johanna Frisk, and Manya Makoski. It remains to be seen if they will re-sign any of their own free agents such as Aly Wagner or McCall Zerboni.

The Sol lost defender Sharolta Nonen and all-purpose player Katie Larkin to Atlanta in the expansion draft. Nonen, a veteran of the Canadian National Team and the WUSA Atlanta Beat, was a late season signing for Los Angeles after their defensive ranks were depleted for various reasons. She appeared in only two matches for the Sol. Larkin was a 3rd round draft choice for LA in 2009 and showed a lot of potential, but she rarely cracked the starting lineup of the talented Sol. She proved to be very versatile, even filling in at defense when needed. Larkin didn't score, but played in 14 matches and started 5.

In early October, Los Angeles traded defender Allison Falk and backup keeper Val Henderson to the Philadelphia Independence, for a 1st and a 3rd round draft pick. Falk, the Sol's 2nd round pick from 2009, started 16 games for Los Angeles and was considered to be one of the best young defenders in the league. Her absence will leave a pretty big hole in the Sol's back line. Henderson got very little chance to play because of LeBlanc's brilliance. But when she did, she sparkled with a shutout against Gold Pride in her only match. Additionally, free agent Lyndsey Patterson, who saw action in one match for LA, was signed by Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles has been very quiet, making no major acquisitions. They are in good position to make a lot of noise at the draft. They have possession of the 5th, 8th, and 9th overall picks.

Current Roster

Goalkeepers (1)-Karina LeBlanc.
Defenders (4)-Brittany Bock, Stephanie Cox, Johanna Frisk, Manya Makoski.
Midfielders (3)-Camille Abily, Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama.
Forwards (1)-Marta.

Additions- None
Subtractions- Sharolta Nonen (drafted by Atlanta), Katie Larkin (drafted by Atlanta), Allison Falk (traded to Philadelphia), Valerie Henderson (traded to Philadelphia), Lyndsey Patterson (signed by Philadelphia).

Other Free Agents from 2009 roster-Liz Bogus, Brittany Cameron, Martina Franko, Han Duan, Keri Sanchez, Lisa Sari, Julia Schnugg, Christie Shaner, Aly Wagner, and McCall Zerboni.
Internationals-Abily, Frisk, Marta, and Miyama with 1 slot open.
Draft Choices (in first 3 rounds)-Nos. 5, 8, 9, 20, and 22.

Needs to Address

Los Angeles has three things going for them. They have a lot of talent, a lot of draft picks, and some versatility. Brittany Bock can play any position on the field and Manya Makoski can play defender or midfielder. But there are still holes to fill. I would think that their first need would be defender. With Franko, Falk, and Nonen gone, they really need a center back. I'm guessing that LA will use their final international opening for a scorer, leaving the draft as the means to fill their defensive needs. Would LA possibly package a couple of their draft picks to move up to the top spot in the draft?

Los Angeles also needs a scorer and probably more than one. Brittany Bock could move up to forward. Bock and Marta seemed to have pretty good chemistry when they paired together up front, but their 5th international player will probably be the key here. Will Laura Del Rio be the missing piece of the puzzle or do they have someone else in mind?

The other needs for the Sol could probably be filled by re-signing some of their own players. Brittany Cameron, last year's developmental keeper for the Sol, could move into the backup position, although the Sol could opt for one of the top college keepers instead. And then at midfield, there is the question as to whether Aly Wagner and/or McCall Zerboni might be back to complement the already strong group of Boxx, Abily, and Miyama.

It's almost as though Los Angeles is banking on this year's draft being stronger than last year's. They've lost three talented young players from that 2009 draft in Falk, Henderson, and Larkin. In addition, they got Bock, Zerboni, Cameron, and Sari in the draft. Will their 2010 draft class be as talented as the 2009 class was? The Sol will definitely be a team to watch on draft day.

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.