WPS Weekend Wrap

Philadelphia Edges Atlanta 1-0

The Independence were able to improve their record to 8-2-3 by shutting out the Atlanta Beat 1-0 at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. Veronica Boquete scored the lone goal of the contest in the 71st minute on an assist from Sinead Farrelly. It was Boquete's third goal of the season.

Philadelphia outshot Atlanta by a 15-8 margin for the match. The Independence put seven of those shots on frame.

Val Henderson earned her fourth shutout of the season, tying her with Alyssa Naeher for the league lead in that category.

With the victory, Philadelphia has now won six matches in a row, which is a WPS record. Their unbeaten streak is now at seven, but is a long way from Gold Pride's record of 13 regular season matches in 2010.

Philadelphia travels to New Jersey to face Sky Blue next Saturday. Atlanta will host magicJack next Saturday.

Western New York 2, Sky Blue FC 0

After a scoreless first half, the Flash took advantage of a Sky Blue own goal to give them the lead and they went on to defeat Sky Blue 2-0 in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Flash had a good scoring opportunity in the 11th minute as a through ball found Christine Sinclair in alone on Branam, but she came out and made a great save.

Casey Nogueira sent a through ball to Adriana in the 37th minute. She came in alone on Ashlyn Harris who made a great diving save to keep the game scoreless.

The game remained scoreless until the 81st minute. Kandace Wilson attempted a cross from the right side. The ball went to the middle of the penalty area, where Sky Blue defender Carrie Dew attempted to clear. Instead, she deflected the ball over Jen Branam and into the net for an own goal in a tough bit of luck.

Western New York put the game away in the 86th minute. A cross from the left side went through to Sinclair on the right side of the box. She chipped it back to the middle where Beverly Goebel was making a run. Goebel one-timed it into the net from eight yards to make it 2-0.

Ashlyn Harris earned the shutout for Western New York, who are now 7-2-2. They return home to play magicJack on Wednesday. Sky Blue falls to 3-5-4 and remain in 5th place. They will host Philadelphia next Saturday.

WPS Standings
(1) Philadelphia 8-2-3, 27 pts; (2) Western New York 7-2-2, 23 pts; (3) magicJack 5-4-1, 15 pts; (3) Boston 4-5-3, 15 pts; (5) Sky Blue FC 3-5-4, 13 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-10-3, 6 pts.

Philadelphia Closes in on WNY with 3-1 Victory

The Philadelphia Independence were only able to match half of last week's output, but it was more than enough as they defeated magicJack 3-1. The depleted magicJack squad only had 13 players active for the match.

Kia McNeill opened the scoring in the 29th minute. A corner kick opportunity led to the goal, with Danesha Adams getting the assist. It was McNeill's first WPS goal.

Veronica Boquete doubled the lead just six minutes later. Tina DiMartino sent Boquete through and Phiadelphia had equaled their halftime lead of a week ago.

Tasha Kai scored her fourth goal of the season just after the start of the second half, on a header after Joanna Lohman had sent in a cross.

Christen Press got magicJack on the scoreboard in the 56th minute, but that was all magicJack was to get. Val Henderson gets the victory in goal for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia raises their record to 5-2-3, good for 18 points and second place behind Western New York. magicJack falls to 5-4-0 and they remain in 3rd place at the halfway point in their season. The Independence now have a short break before facing Sky Blue in a midweek match on July 6. magicJack's next match is also against Sky Blue on July 9.

WPS Standings at the World Cup Break:
(1) Western New York 6-1-2, 20 pts; (2) Philadelphia 5-2-3, 18 pts; (3) magicJack 5-4-0, 14 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 3-3-3, 12 pts; (5) Boston 3-5-3, 12 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-8-3, 6 pts.

Lopsided Win for Independence

The Philadelphia Independence moved into second place and wrote their name to the record books as well, taking a 6-0 decision over magicJack. Danesha Adams scored twice and Tasha Kai, Lianne Sanderson, Veronica Boquete, and Frida Magnusdottir each added a goal.

The six goals ties a record set by FC Gold Pride in 2010, who scored six times against the Atlanta Beat on August 28. The six goal margin breaks the old record of five, also set in the same match by Gold Pride.

The Independence struck for two goals in the opening half and held that lead into the 70th minute. Then they scored four times in the final 20 minutes. magicJack goalkeeper Brett Maron was redcarded late in the contest and they finished playing ten.

Val Henderson posted her third shutout of the season for Philadelphia and the Independence has now held their opponents scoreless for 337 consecutive minutes.

Philadelphia improves their record to 4-2-3, reaching the midway point in their schedule with 15 points. It moves them one point ahead of magicJack, who is now 5-3-0, good for 14 points after subtracting their penalty. The two teams will meet again next Saturday in a makeup for the match postponed because of weather back in April.

Adams Goal Lifts Independence over Flash

Danesha Adams' goal in the 90th minute gave the Philadelphia Independence a 1-0 victory over a shocked Western New York Flash.

It looked for all the world that this match was destined to end in a scoreless tie, but Lianne Sanderson hit a well-placed cross from the left wing to an inexplicably wide open Adams, who calmly headed the ball into the right side of the goal past Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris. The Flash seemingly fell asleep as they had several defenders back, but nobody marked Adams on the play.

Adams, who had seen only 40 minutes of action for Philadelphia this season, came on in the 64th minute of the contest for a hobbled Tasha Kai. It was Adams who got the winning goal in last year's WPS semifinal match against Boston, but she has seen less action this season after Philly acquired Kai and Laura del Rio.

With several players missing for both sides, not many scoring chances were created during the match. Neither side were able to make the final pass or hit a proper shot to score. Only seven shots were placed on frame for the entire match.

Philadelphia had an early scare when Val Henderson missed a back pass from Nikki Krzysik, but it only cost the Independence a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Marta placed a nice pass into the penalty area for Yael Averbuch, but her shot rolled just wide.

The Independence had very few opportunities in the opening half. Late in the half, an Estelle Johnson cross hit the top of the crossbar, but Harris appeared to have it covered in any case.

Kia McNeill drew the unenviable task of marking Marta for most of the match and was able to keep the Brazilian striker in check, as the two had a rather spirited battle for most of the evening. McNeill was able to limit Marta's chances and when she did gain opportunities, McNeill usually was able to force her to her less-lethal right foot.

Marta's best chance came in the 56th minute as she was able to cut to the right side of the box just past McNeill, but Henderson came out to grab the ball before she could get a shot off.

Tasha Kai came up lame after a collision for a head ball in the 57th minute and appeared to hurt her right ankle. She continued on for five minutes, before leaving the match.

A little later, Frida Magnusdottir took advantage of a Flash turnover and let go of a hard shot from the right side of the box. Her attempt went just wide, with Harris grabbing the shot as it was already past the end line.

With the game apparently heading for a tie, Philadelphia was able to force a turnover in the midfield and it was time for Adams' heroics.

Val Henderson earned her second shutout in three starts for Philadelphia.

Western New York suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 6-1-2, but still in possession of first place. They are now on a four week hiatus while the World Cup is being played.

Philadelphia improves to 3-2-3 and leapfrogs Boston into third place. They now trail second place magicJack by three points, a team they will now face twice in a row. They host magicJack in a regularly scheduled match next Saturday and then make up the April 16th match that was postponed on June 25.

WPS Standings
(1) Western New York 6-1-2, 20 pts; (2) magicJack 5-2-0, 14 pts; (3) Philadelphia 3-2-3, 12 pts; (4) Boston 3-5-2, 11 pts; (5) Sky Blue FC 2-3-3, 9 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-7-2, 5 pts.

2011 Philadelphia Independence Preview

Philadelphia Independence
Coach: Paul Riley (2nd year)
2010 Record: 10-10-4 (3rd place, finished runner-up in playoffs)
Home Stadium: Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium (Chester, Pennsylvania)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (2): Nicole Barnhart, Val Henderson.
Defenders (6): Lauren Barnes(R), Allison Falk, Estelle Johnson, Nikki Krzysik, Kia McNeill, Leigh Ann Robinson.
Midfielders (7): Jen Buczkowski, Christina DiMartino, Sinead Farrelly(R), Lauren Fowlkes(R), Lori Lindsey, Joanna Lohman, Megan Rapinoe.
Forwards (8): Danesha Adams, Veronica Boquete, Laura del Rio, Gina DiMartino, Tasha Kai, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, Amy Rodriguez, Lianne Sanderson.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Barnhart, Lindsey, Rapinoe, Rodriguez.

Like Boston, Philadelphia returns most of their roster from last season, 13 players in all. They only lost three players that saw appreciable playing time…Caroline Seger, Heather Mitts, and Sara Larsson. And they have made some additions that should impact the team, including two USWNT players, Megan Rapinoe and Nicole Barnhart. In addition to Rapinoe, the Independence brought in three exciting offensive options with Tasha Kai, Veronica Boquete, and Laura del Rio.

Another positive for this team is that they will be less affected by the World Cup than most of the rest of the league, losing in all likelihood only four players. With the depth they have added, they are probably positioned as well as any team heading into a season that will certainly be somewhat disrupted by the World Cup.

Goalkeepers: The Independence face the 2011 season with both starting goalkeepers from the 2010 championship game. What more can you say? Nicole Barnhart has been a fixture on the USWNT for years, playing in Hope Solo’s shadow. But between her brilliant season with Gold Pride last year and getting several starts on the national team due to Solo’s shoulder surgery, she has come into her own as a strong keeper. Last season, she posted a 0.77 goals against average with eight shutouts.

Val Henderson started the 2010 season battling for the number one spot with Karina LeBlanc, but by the end of the season, she had won the job and started all three playoff matches. Yes, Philly got blitzed by four Gold Pride goals in the final, but Henderson did a very capable job up until then. Only a temporary situation I’m sure, but the Independence have just two goalkeepers on their roster, a situation that must change when Barnhart is away on national team duties.

Defenders: With veterans Mitts and Larsson no longer on the team, Philadelphia acquired Leigh Ann Robinson and Kia McNeill from Atlanta and drafted Lauren Barnes out of UCLA. They will join returning players Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, and Estelle Johnson.

The trio of McNeill, Falk, and Krzysik in the middle give Philly a very physical central backfield. McNeill and Falk are both good in the air. Falk can be a weapon on set pieces in the offensive third as well. Rookie Lauren Barnes adds depth. Robinson and Johnson could be the starters outside. Johnson had a strong rookie season for the Independence in 2010.

I imagine Paul Riley would like to see Robinson get forward, something she did quite well at times with Gold Pride in 2009, but was unable to do as much last season with Atlanta. The other outside option is Frida Magnusdottir, a fast, aggressive player that seems to be at home anywhere on the field and is listed as a forward.

Midfielders: Philly’s biggest loss in the offseason was probably Caroline Seger, the excellent Swedish midfielder that is now with Western New York. However, don’t feel too bad for the Independence. They added USWNT winger Megan Rapinoe and two promising draft selections, Sinead Farrelly and Lauren Fowlkes.

Farrelly is a talented young player out of the University of Virginia. She is known for having great vision and is excellent at distributing the ball. Oh, and she can score as well, with 30 goals in her career with the Cavaliers. Fowlkes, a Notre Dame alum, has good size at 5-10 and can play defensive mid or center back.

While Rapinoe has struggled at times in her WPS career, she is a solid performer on the USWNT. Hopefully, coach Paul Riley’s system will bring out the best in her. With returnees like the always solid Lori Lindsey and the highly skilled Tina DiMartino, this could be one of the best midfields in the league. For depth, add veterans Joanna Lohman and Jen Buczkowski, both of whom were full-time starters on last year’s team and this is a quite impressive group.

Forwards: One problem for Coach Riley is going to be getting playing time for all the options he has at forward. He has the leading scorer from last year, Amy Rodriguez, who had 12 goals and 6 assists. After a disappointing rookie season, Rodriguez showed what she could do last season. With her speed and now with added experience on timing her runs, there is no reason to think she won’t have another good season this year.

Riley also has Tasha Kai, who led Sky Blue in goals two years running. And perhaps this year, she will be injury-free, something that has plagued her over the last two years. Riley has raved about her performance in preseason. Philly also returns English striker Lianne Sanderson, who showed flashes of her talent last year scoring five goals.

Two Spanish forwards, Laura del Rio and Veronica Boquete also join the team. Boquete is extremely fast, having a strong season with Buffalo in the W-League, before having a stellar, if short, stint with the Chicago Red Stars. Del Rio is a veteran who knows how to score, but has yet to make a big impact in WPS. Add Danesha Adams, who probably scored the biggest goal in Independence history against Boston in overtime, sending them to the finals, and DiMartino sister number two, Gina.

Outlook: This team really has everything it needs to compete for the title. They have speed, talent, skill, and no one is going to push this team around. The speed this team has up front will give opponents all sorts of trouble.

One would think that last year’s runner-up finish would make Philadelphia favorites, with Gold Pride no longer around. But this league is very tough at the top and winning a championship will not be easy. Even with last year’s phenomenal success, the Independence only finished the regular season with an even 10-10-4 mark.

You have to like that this team kept its nucleus together and made some nice additions. They will not be hurt by the World Cup as much as either Western New York or Boston, who stand to lose twice as many players, or even Sky Blue which will likely lose six. But when it comes down to it, the other teams will have most of their roster come playoff time, so the Independence will still have to beat the best to climb to the top.

The Independence should have an exciting attack, with plenty of options, and they should be able to match last year’s strength in the midfield. It may come down to how well this team can defend. While their back line is solid, it does not have all the national team players that grace a few of the other defenses around the league. But if they can play solid team defense, this team should do quite well.

Gold Pride Wins WPS Championship 4-0

FC Gold Pride left no doubts as to who the better team was on Sunday, easily defeating the Philadelphia Independence 4-0. The championship game proved almost anticlimactic given the suspense and intensity of the first two playoff matches. A very weary looking Independence team proved no match for the regular season champions from the Bay Area.

Gold Pride got on the board first in the 16th minute. In what appeared to be pinball more than soccer, Independence goalkeeper Val Henderson made two point blank saves on Marta, followed by another save on Tiffeny Milbrett, only to have the following rebound go to Camille Abily who touched to Sinclair who tapped it in from inside the six.

One of the few chances of the first half for Philadelphia came in the 25th minute. Nikki Krzysik placed a free kick to 18 which was headed forward by Caroline Seger. Lianne Sanderson went up for the header, but Nicole Barnhart was able to outjump her for the save. Frida Magnusdottir was later able to get off a shot from distance which was easily saved by Barnhart, but the chances were few and far between for the Independence.

Gold Pride made it 2-0 in the 29th minute. Marta pushed the ball ahead to Kandace Wilson who was able to outfight Allison Falk to win the ball. She was able to finish from the right side of the box past Henderson to double the lead.

Gold Pride dominated possession as well as the scoreboard in the first half. Philadelphia offered very little defensive pressure to Gold Pride's back line, seemingly content to let Gold Pride gain the midfield uncontested, perhaps in an effort to conserve energy. Indeed, the Independence looked to be a very tired group on both the second and third goals surrendered, the result of playing 240 minutes of soccer in the past seven days and with only two days of rest between Thursday's late semifinal and Sunday morning's final.

Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Philadelphia attempted to press forward more in the 2nd half, but to no avail. Gold Pride had two chances in the first five minutes of the second half. A Shannon Boxx shot was saved by Henderson and a Camille Abily effort went just wide right.

Finally in the 53rd minute, Marta made her way up the left side to the endline and crossed to Sinclair, who finished into an open net to make it 3-0. For Sinclair, it was her second goal of the game and her sixth of the season against Philadelphia. From that point forward it was just a matter of playing out the match.

Val Henderson, in spite of the four goals surrendered, played a strong match. In addition to her saves in the 1st half, she took a ball right off the foot of Marta that looked to be a sure goal. She later took a shot off her face from close in. Later she made a diving save on Tiffeny Milbrett's hard shot.

Philadelphia threatened a few times in the latter stages of the match. Danesha Adams once again provided a 2nd half spark for the Independence. She had Philly's best scoring opportunity getting a 1-on-1 chance against Barnhart from eight yards only to slice it wide right.

With the game well in hand and in stoppage, Marta added to the margin by finishing on a Kandace Wilson cross to make the final tally 4-0.

FC Gold Pride put the finishing touches on its worst to first story in resounding fashion. They have not lost a match since June. Christine Sinclair was named Player of the Game by the Fox broadcast team for her two goals, but Marta was named the game's MVP. Nicole Barnhart got the shutout in goal. Albertin Montoya had his team ready to play and they spread Philadelphia very effectively throughout the early stages of the match.

Perhaps it was a little much to ask Philadelphia to play 120 minutes late on Thursday night, fly cross country and then play what was basically a Sunday morning match for the championship. Still, it was a great effort for the Independence to make it that far and a fine season for an expansion team under coach Paul Riley.

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.

Adams OT Goal Nets Win for Independence

It didn't quite take 120 minutes for the winning goal as in Sunday's match, but Danesha Adams overtime goal gave Philadelphia a 2-1 Super Semifinal victory over the Boston Breakers, sending the Independence to the west coast for a final's date with FC Gold Pride. The goal, which came in the 103rd minute, was somewhat controversial and left the Breakers complaining about the lack of a call on the play.

With the end of the 1st overtime approaching, Tina DiMartino dribbled from the right wing toward the box and crossed the ball to the far post. Danesha Adams gained some separation from Amy LePeilbet and rose for a header just at the left post and maybe two yards off the line. The ball went off Adams downward, inside the post, and just over the line. There was some question as to whether the ball had touched Adam's hand or not, but veteran referee Kari Seitz did not wave off the goal. Several replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball hit Adams hand or whether it went off her head. For their part, the Breakers signalled almost immediately for a hand ball, but to no avail.

The first half of the game was played at a fast pace, leaving one wondering whether either team would have the energy for an overtime. The Independence got the first good chance of the match as Frida Magnusdottir took a free kick from 30 yards out. Magnusdottir struck a bullet which was bending away from Breaker goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and toward the left corner of the net. Naeher completely layed out to catch the ball cleanly with a great save.

Boston then seemed to control possession for awhile, gaining two chances, with a Fabiana shot over the bar and a Kristine Lilly volley that Val Henderson was barely able to get her hand on to deflect wide.

The Breakers were the first to strike. Lianne Sanderson lost possession to Jordan Angeli at midfield in what appeared to be heavy contact. Kristine Lilly then sent a long ball up to Lauren Cheney. Cheney caught Henderson well off her line and chipped it perfectly from 22 yards, with the ball grazing the bottom of the crossbar and going into the net.

Boston's lead lasted all of seven minutes as the Independence quickly drew even. Amy Rodriguez hustled to gain possession inside Boston's half and passed the ball to Tina DiMartino. DiMartino sent it back to Rodriguez who found an open Caroline Seger charging in from the right side. Seger's low shot to the far post beat Naeher to tie the score. It appeared that Naeher had to hesitate, wary of DiMartino who was making a run at the near post.

After the break, Rodriguez had two chances at an open net, putting both wide. In the first, she caught Naeher out of the box, but her diving shot rolled just wide of the goal. On the second, she touched the ball past Naeher, but was unable to get her shot on frame from a bad angle.

Jen Buczkowski picked up her fourth yellow card of the year against Boston for taking down Kelly Smith in the 68th minute. Both teams seem to tire toward the end of the 2nd half.

The Breakers were to come close twice in the closing minutes of the 2nd half. First, Cheney was able to get off a shot from the side of the box, which Henderson parried safely away. In the 89th minute, LePeilbet sent a long ball forward to Kelly Smith. Smith made a brilliant first touch to bring the ball to her left foot, but her blast from 20 yards went just over the crossbar and the score remained 1-1 after regulation time.

The Independence seem to gain a second wind with the start of the overtime. They nearly scored in the 102nd minute, with DiMartino crossing the ball to Adams whose shot from eight yards went over the crossbar. But it was only a minute later that the two paired up for what would be the game winning goal. Adams had been a second half substitution by Paul Riley.

The Breakers did not go quietly. Midway through the 2nd overtime, a scramble in front of the net was temporarily cleared by Philadelphia, but Kasey Moore was able to win possession for Boston. She saw Henderson a bit off her line and launched a shot from 30 yards that hit the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Alex Scott, who was all alone in the box, about 12 yards out with only Henderson between her and the goal. A bouncing ball and tired legs did Scott in as she nearly fanned on her shot and the Independence were able to recover in time to clear the ball out of trouble. It would be the last good opportunity that the Breakers would have.

Philadelphia was able to kill the remaining time to put away the 2-1 victory. Several players on both teams had excellent games. Although she missed some opportunities to score, Amy Rodriguez worked tirelessly throughout the match and her hustle led to the first goal. Tina DiMartino seemed to be everywhere, among several great efforts from the Independence midfielders. Alyssa Naeher's great save early on was the best of the match. Veteran Kristine Lilly had a strong match as well.

The shots ended up nearly even with the Independence having the slight edge at 18-17. The Breakers had a heavy advantage in corners at 8-2 and a slight one in shots on goal at 8-6.

Philadelphia will now travel to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, California to face FC Gold Pride. The 2010 WPS Championship presented by Citi will be played at 2:30 Eastern, 11:30 Pacific on Sunday, September 26. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

WPS Super Semifinal - Boston vs. Philadelphia

Philadelphia Independence (10-10-4) at Boston Breakers (10-8-6)
Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium, Cambridge, MA – September 23 (8 pm ET)

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

Boston: GK-Alyssa Naeher, Ashley Phillips; D-Amy LePeilbet, Ifeoma Dieke, Alex Scott, Stephanie Cox, Kasey Moore, Taryn Hemmings; MF-Kristine Lilly, Jordan Angeli, Lindsay Tarpley, Liz Bogus, Chioma Igwe; F-Kelly Smith, Lauren Cheney, Laura del Rio, Fabiana.

Previous Meetings (2010)
April 18 – Philadelphia 1 @ Boston 1
July 4 – Boston 2 @ Philadelphia 1
August 8 – Boston 2 @ Philadelphia 2
August 29 – Boston 2 @ Philadelphia 1

Boston is 5-6-1 at home with a 21-17 edge in goals.
Philadelphia is 3-8-2 on the road being outscored 13-20.

Top Performers in Series
Philadelphia: Magnusdottir (2 goals), Rodriguez (1 goal), Falk (1 goal), Lohman (1 goal), Sanderson (1 assist), Lindsey (1 assist), Seger (1 assist), LeBlanc (4 games, 1.75 goals against).

Boston: Smith (3 goals, 2 assists), Cheney (2 goals), Cox (1 goal, 1 assist), Lilly (1 goal, 1 assist), Naeher (3 games, 1.33 goals against), Phillips (1 game, 1.00 goals against).

Matchups:
Goalkeepers
Val Henderson (or Karina LeBlanc) vs. Alyssa Naeher

Coach Paul Riley surprised me a little by going with the lesser experienced Henderson over LeBlanc in the playoff opener and it paid off with Henderson earning the shutout. To be fair, she wasn’t tested all that much, but any shutout under the pressure of playoff competition is praise worthy. Interestingly, LeBlanc started all four of the meetings against the Breakers this season, so if Henderson gets the start, it will be her first action against Boston.

Alyssa Naeher has been Boston’s starting keeper for the last two-thirds of the season and she was in goal for the two Breaker wins over the Independence. Naeher posted three shutouts in her last eight starts of the season, so she has been coming on as the season progressed.

There have been no shutouts in the matches between these two teams. In the battle of the two young keepers, I see it as being pretty even.

Defenders
Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Frida Magnusdottir, and Estelle Johnson (or Heather Mitts or Sara Larsson) vs. Amy LePeilbet, Ifeoma Dieke, Alex Scott, and Stephanie Cox.

The Independence defense hadn’t posted many shutouts this season, but they played a strong match and got one when they needed it against the Freedom. However, they were facing a Freedom offense that is often heavily dependent on one player. Boston presents a whole different problem with two strong forwards and several offensive-minded midfielders. Stopping both Kelly Smith and Lauren Cheney might prove a tougher task. I expect a fairly physical confrontation between Philly’s tough back line and Boston’s forwards.

Boston’s back line couldn’t offer much more in experience. LePeilbet is the two-time WPS Defender of the Year and a mainstay on the USWNT. Cox has extensive USWNT experience as well. Scott is regarded as one of the best outside defenders in Europe and Dieke plays for the Scottish National Team. This might be the top back line in WPS.

Magnusdottir gave Boston fits in one of their matches, but even with the Independence defense coming off of a strong game against Washington, you have to give the Breakers the edge here. The experience is mind-boggling and with LePeilbet in the middle, they will be a tough team to beat.

Midfielders
Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, Tina DiMartino, and Jen Buczkowski vs.
Kristine Lilly, Jordan Angeli, and Lindsay Tarpley.

When it comes to attacking midfielders and forwards for the Boston Breakers, the line is pretty much blurred. Smith, Tarpley, Lilly, and Fabiana can be considered either when it comes to positioning. The “defensive” midfielder of the group is Angeli, but she finished as the Breakers’ second leading goal scorer for the season with seven goals. Tarpley has had a strong season coming off of a serious injury and her arrival from St. Louis along with the insertion of Angeli into the lineup sparked Boston’s turnaround. Whether considered a forward or midfielder, Lilly usually does most of her damage from the wing, where she is adept at pinpoint crosses. Boston does miss Leslie Osborne who suffered a season-ending injury toward the latter part of the campaign.

The Independence has to consider their midfield as their strength. The absence of Lohman will hurt, but Philadelphia is still loaded with Lindsey, Seger, and DiMartino. Buczkowski is a rugged defensive mid and Seger isn’t afraid to mix it up as well. But also note that Buczkowski has received three yellows against Boston, ending in one ejection. Both Lindsey and Seger are in the WPS top six in assists for 2010. This midfield helped stymie Washington in the 2nd half of their playoff match and if they could control this match anywhere as well, they just might be headed to California this weekend.

This is a really tough call on advantage. Lindsey, Seger, and DiMartino have a combined 7 goals and 13 assists, not counting DiMartino’s assist in the first round. Lilly, Tarpley, and Angeli have a combined 14 goals and 9 assists. Again, I have to call this virtually even.

Forwards
Amy Rodriguez and Lianne Sanderson vs. Kelly Smith, Lauren Cheney, and Fabiana (or Laura del Rio).

It’s the speed of Rodriguez and Sanderson against the power of Smith and Cheney. Early in the season, the talk would have been about the return of Rodriguez to Boston, the team that traded her away. But she scored 12 goals this season and has come into her own as one of the league’s premier forwards, so I think it would be a disservice to her to make much of that now.

Smith and Cheney have both had success against the Independence this season. Smith scored three goals (including a penalty) and added two assists in her four appearances against Philadelphia. Cheney notched two goals of her own. It’s much harder stopping a team with multiple weapons and Philadelphia has had trouble with such teams this year, going 0-5-2 against the Breakers and Gold Pride combined. Smith is one of the most skilled players in the world and one of the toughest as well. Cheney is one of the best young forwards in the world and has very few peers with her back to the goal.

The Independence forwards have been limited to just one goal (Rodriguez) and one assist (Sanderson) on the same goal when the teams met in July. They must make a difference in this match if Philadelphia is to win. Games like Sunday’s against the Freedom would have frustrated Rodriguez a year ago. It speaks to her maturity as a soccer player that she didn’t let a few near misses get her down and her tenacity paid off in the 120th minute of that match. Sanderson has been both a starter and a key sub for Philly. Lohman’s injury pushed her into the starting lineup against Washington, but it almost seemed like she was less of a factor in that role. I still like the speed and excitement she can bring to the team.

Both teams have other players that could make a difference. Danesha Adams could see late action for the Independence, while del Rio and Fabiana could very well be factors for the Breakers.

I have to give the edge to Smith and the Breakers at forward. Smith has a world of experience and Boston’s forwards have had a lot of success against Philadelphia. Still, it would not surprise me to see Rodriguez or Sanderson get behind Boston’s defense a couple of times in this match, which could test Naeher. The Breaker defense, while very good, is not invincible.

Coaching
Paul Riley vs. Tony DiCicco

It’s hard to argue with the success of either coach this season. Riley took an expansion team and instantly made them into playoff contenders. DiCicco took a team that looked dead in May and coached them to 2nd place in the turnaround of the season.

It’s hard to pick one over the other, so I’ll call it even.

Intangibles
The Breakers didn’t exactly have a convincing home record at 5-6-1, but they were 5-2 over their last seven home games, so you can probably throw the season’s record out the window. This will be a different field for them, however, so the advantages of knowing the playing surface from playing on it for several months is not one that the Breakers will enjoy in this match.

The Independence had a lot of problems on the road this season and lost their final three road matches of the regular season, scoring only three goals in their final six road matches. Their three road victories were all over non-playoff teams, although they did manage a tie in their only trip to Boston this year. And Philly does have a playoff game under their belt, while Thursday night’s contest will be the first ever for Boston.

Much will be made of the short rest for Philadelphia after playing on Sunday afternoon. However, this didn’t seem to faze the Independence in the least during the regular season. They played seven matches on four days of rest or less and managed an impressive 4-1-2 record in those matches. Two of the wins and the loss were on occasions where they had short rest, while their opponent had a full week or more. But none of those matches were after a long season and after a 120 minute pressure-packed match. Paul Riley will have to use his substitutions wisely.

The victory over Washington should give the Independence some momentum, but Boston has been on a long hot streak, going 10-3-2 over their last 15 matches. However, it should also be noted that the Breakers were shut out in their final two matches. I would give a slight edge in intangibles to the Breakers based on the home field, not having to travel, and longer rest. But remember Sky Blue in 2009…

My Prediction
I missed the playoff opener, not thinking it would turn into a defensive struggle and not thinking that the Indpendence could win such a game. My mistake, but I just think there are too many little things going against them here. I like Smith’s experience and Boston’s back line.
Boston Breakers 2, Philadelphia Independence 1.

Expansion Night! Beat Make It Three in a Row; Philly Wins Easily

I guess now that we are two thirds of the way through their opening season, we shouldn't be calling them expansion teams anymore. Both Atlanta and Philadelphia posted wins over established teams in midweek WPS action.

Philadelphia Independence 3, Chicago Red Stars 0

Amy Rodriguez almost single-handedly destroyed the Red Stars, scoring two goals and adding an assist, as Philadelphia defeated Chicago 3-0 in West Chester tonight. Make that 11 goals now for the speedy forward out of USC, who appears to be on a mission this season after a rather disappointing rookie campaign in 2009.

Rodriguez scored both of her goals before the intermission and then assisted on Caroline Seger's goal early in the 2nd half to put the match away. It was Seger's first WPS goal. Val Henderson posted the shutout for Philadelphia, as Chicago managed just a single shot on frame.

The only downside to the evening for Philadelphia was a red card ejection to Holmfridur Magnusdottir very late in the match. Magnusdottir will miss at least one contest.

The victory puts Philadelphia eight points clear of third place Boston. The Red Stars are still just a single point out of fourth place, but have played more games than every other team in the league.

Atlanta Beat 3, Washington Freedom 2

In a match that went back and forth throughout, Atlanta made it three wins in a row with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Freedom. Monica Ocampo starred, scoring the tying goal in the 67th minute, followed by the game winning goal in the 88th minute.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the first half, with Johanna Rasmussen scoring on an unassisted goal in the 20th minute. It was Rasmussen's third goal of the season.

The score stayed that way until late in the 1st half. Nikki Marshall scored the tying goal assisted by Homare Sawa in the 41st minute. The Freedom could have grabbed the lead before halftime, but Sonia Bompastor sent a penalty kick over the bar and the score remained tied at one going into the break.

Washington struck first in the second half, with Abby Wambach setting up Sarah Huffman, a second half substitution. Huffman finished to put the Freedom up 2-1. But the lead was only to last a couple of minutes, as Ocampo tied the score shortly thereafter, leading to her game-winner late in the match.

Freedom coach Jim Gabarra started Ashlyn Harris in net for the injured Erin McLeod. Gabarra made several changes to his lineup, moving Bompastor to the back line, starting Kristi Eveland, while leaving veteran Cat Whitehill on the bench. Nikki Marshall, who played defender most of the early part of the season, has shown the ability to score since being moved forward.

Meanwhile, neither Eni Aluko nor Ramona Bachmann played for the Beat. Ocampo and Mami Yamaguchi started up front for coach Gareth O'Sullivan and Atlanta.

While still in 7th place, Atlanta has moved to within a point of Chicago and Washington with games in hand against both teams. The Freedom suffered their fourth straight loss and are now winless in their last nine matches.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-1, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (8-5-3, 27 pts); 3) Boston (5-6-4, 19 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (5-7-3, 18 pts); 5) Washington (4-7-5, 17 pts); 6) Chicago (4-8-5, 17 pts); 7) Atlanta (4-7-4, 16 pts).

Philadelphia Independence - The Offseason So Far

Okay, in this case offseason is a bit of a misnomer. The 2010 season will be the inaugural season for Philadelphia. If you look closely, however, you could almost swear that this team resembles a team that could have been put together at the beginning of 2009.

Building the Roster

First, let's look at how the original seven teams were built. There was the USWNT allocation. Then there were three drafts...the international draft and discovery process, the general draft, and the January draft. Finally, teams supplemented their rosters by signing free agents. So who is on Philly's roster right now? One player from the original USWNT allocation, two international players (one of which played in WPS in 2009), three players from last year's general draft, and 7 players from last year's January draft. Add a free agent or two for good measure.

The Independence got the USWNT allocation in signing Heather Mitts in October. Mitts is a 10-year veteran of the US National Team and was one of the original USWNT allocations to Boston. She has logged 104 caps for the US and has been a mainstay at outside defender.

Philadelphia has signed two international players so far, Caroline Seger and Sara Larsson, both from Sweden. Seger is a talented midfielder that has played for the Swedish National Team since 2005. She has scored 9 goals over the past two seasons with Linköpings of the Damallsvenskan. Larsson is a veteran defender, also on the Swedish National Team, who spent last season with Saint Louis. She played in 15 matches for Athletica, starting 12. Philadelphia still has three international openings. Those will presumably be filled by 3 of their 4 choices from the international draft, which includes Fara Williams, Lianne Sanderson, Charlotte Rohlin, and Holmfridur Magnusdottir.

In the expansion draft, Philadelphia chose Danesha Adams, Lori Lindsey, and Sue Weber. They were the 6th, 17th, and 18th selections from the WPS General Draft conducted in October, 2008. Adams was bothered by injuries in 2009, but still appeared in 12 games for the Chicago Red Stars. Lindsey had an excellent season with the Washington Freedom, starting 18 games and scoring 2 goals from her midfield position. She has even garnered consideration for the US National Team. Weber was also hampered by injuries, but started 8 games for Boston and will be reunited with Mitts, her back line mate from the Breakers.

As mentioned, Philadelphia has acquired 7 players that were selected in the 2009 January draft, either by draft or trade. They are Amy Rodriguez (#1 choice overall), Allison Falk (#10), Nikki Krzysik (#13), Val Henderson (#33), Jen Buczkowski (#39), Kelly Schmedes (#41), and Sarah Senty (#49). It's almost as though Philadelphia had actually participated in the 2009 draft.

Out of those players, the Independence has built a solid defensive group to go along with Mitts and Weber. Perhaps the most notable is Allison Falk, who had an excellent rookie season with Los Angeles and is considered to be one of the best young defenders in the league. Krzysik (Chicago) and Senty (Washington) also started several games for their teams in 2009. After being a part-time starter in the regular season, Buczkowski filled in for Anita Asante in the playoffs and was an important part of Sky Blue's championship run. Henderson looked very good in her one appearance in goal for Los Angeles, earning a shutout.

On the offensive side, Schmedes is a hard working forward who started 10 games for Boston and scored one goal. However, the most intriguing of all may be Rodriguez. The much heralded forward out of USC entered the league with an Olympic gold medal and high expectations, but struggled in 2009. She scored only one goal for Boston, but the potential is there for a much better season in 2010 for Philadelphia. Rodriguez has 6 goals and 38 US National Team caps to her credit. Philly also added free agent forward Lyndsey Patterson to their offensive arsenal.

Current Roster

Goalkeepers (1)- Val Henderson.
Defenders (6)- Allison Falk, Nikki Krzysik, Sara Larsson, Heather Mitts, Sarah Senty, Sue Weber.
Midfielders (3)- Jen Buczkowski, Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger.
Forwards (4)- Danesha Adams, Lyndsey Patterson, Amy Rodriguez, Kelly Schmedes.

Internationals- Larsson and Seger with 3 slots open.
Draft Choices (in first 3 rounds)- No. 13.

Needs to Address

Philadelphia has a lot of talented young players with WPS experience and has sprinkled in some seasoned veterans. The price they paid for that talent was surrendering most of their choices in next week's draft. They have only one remaining selection in the first 3 rounds and need to make the most of it. Their three remaining international players could well hold the key to a successful inaugural season.

Determining what Philly's biggest needs are will depend on which of the international stars they are able to sign. If they can sign Williams and/or Magnusdottir, they should probably go after a forward in the draft. If they sign Sanderson, they need to concentrate on getting a couple of midfielders. The area in which they appear strongest is on defense and if they could add Rohlin, I would put their defensive group as one of the top units in the league.

The Independence will need to pick up another goalkeeper. While Henderson has proven herself with UCLA, Pali Blues, and with US Junior National teams, she has yet to face the constant pressure she will see from the great international forwards in WPS. She played an excellent match in her only WPS start against Gold Pride, but that was with LA's defense in front of her and against the lowest scoring team in the league. I believe Henderson will be a very good WPS goalkeeper, but drafting another to push her for the number one spot will only make her better.

There are a lot of ways to build an expansion team. Philadelphia has chosen to build through already proven players rather than through the draft. In spite of that, they have a pretty young roster. Nine of their 14 players will be 25 or under on opening day 2010. They have a nice mixture of youth and veterans. The question is how soon will they be able to develop team chemistry. If this happens quickly and they are able to make a few international signings, they may well challenge for a playoff spot in their opening campaign.

Independence Trade for Falk and Henderson

The Philadelphia Independence have completed a trade with Los Angeles, acquiring starting center back Allison Falk and backup keeper Val Henderson for the number 5 and 22 draft picks overall in the 2010 draft. This follows the trade a week ago that brought Amy Rodriguez from the Boston Breakers.

Falk, who played her college soccer at Stanford, started 16 games last season and scored the league's first goal in March. Considered by many to be one of the best young defensive players in the WPS, she was drafted by Los Angeles in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft with the 10th overall pick. Her 6-0 height made her a force on corner kicks at both ends of the field. Falk also picked up a red card in the Championship Game against Sky Blue.

Henderson played in only one match last year and earned a shutout over FC Gold Pride. She is considered to be one of the better backup keepers in the league. Henderson played her college soccer at UCLA.

The trade left Philadelphia without a first round pick in the draft. They originally had the 2nd and 11th picks overall, but traded those to Boston for Rodriguez and the 5th overall pick, which they just traded to Los Angeles. Their highest remaining pick is the 13th pick overall (2nd round, 2nd pick).

Meanwhile, the Sol appears to be stockpiling draft picks. In addition to the 5th pick overall acquired in this deal, they had previously acquired St. Louis' first round pick. They also still have their own first round selection.

WPS Draft Revisited-Los Angeles Sol

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

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

Los Angeles Sol

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barnes and Cameron have not played.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WPS Midweek Notes-May 27

Cloudy Skies at Sky Blue?

As if things weren't bad enough for the Jersey based team, getting off to a 1-4-2 start with just 5 points, Sky Blue FC is showing signs of being a dysfunctional family. The organization suspended head coach Ian Sawyers indefinitely before their game at Washington last Saturday.

In addition, Sky Blue drew only 2753 for their 2nd home game after having over 6000 for their home opener. The team has since played 5 straight road games and will return home for the first time since April 11th for their next game against the Boston Breakers.

On the surface, Sky Blue looks like a train wreck in the making. The team has only scored 4 goals in 7 games and finds itself looking up at the rest of the league from last place, now further complicated by internal turmoil. However, if you look closer at their results, maybe the situation isn't as dire as it appears.

On the positive side, SBFC has a win and a tie over Chicago and another tie against FC Gold Pride. Two of their defeats have been at the hands of 1st place Los Angeles, hardly anything to be ashamed about. Their other two losses were a 1-0 loss to Gold Pride on a goal in the 86th minute and a 2-1 loss to an improved Washington team last weekend, while playing without the likes of Christie Rampone, Heather O'Reilly, Sarah Walsh, and Kelly Parker. Not many teams are going to win missing so many quality players.

What I see is a good defensive team that is competitive in almost every game. Goal scoring has been a problem, but Natasha Kai hasn't been 100% for much of the season, first because of a concussion and then because of a quad injury. Walsh missed last week's game due to a hamstring injury.

While 1st place is a distant fantasy, a playoff spot is certainly attainable. Sky Blue trails 4th place Washington by just 4 points and we're only a third of the way through the season. I don't think we can count the Jersey team out just yet. The question is...who will be coaching them, Ian Sawyers or someone else?

Backup Keepers Stand Tall

Because of national team duties, three backup goalkeepers found themselves starting their first games over the weekend and all three were impressive. Jillian Loyden of Athletica won Player of the Week honors, while Val Henderson posted a shutout for Los Angeles and Allison Whitworth played well for Gold Pride in their loss to the Sol.

Loyden, who played her college soccer at Villanova, shut out the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday night. She made six saves for the game, stepping in for USWNT goalie Hope Solo. Early in the game, Loyden leaped to tip Cristiane's header over the crossbar. Later, she made a similar play on Karen Carney's blistering shot. She topped it off with a great kick save on Frida Östberg in the 84th minute which sealed the victory.

Henderson (UCLA) and Whitworth (Auburn) squared off against each other in the LA Sol-Gold Pride match on Sunday. Both made several nice saves. Henderson's shutout was the Sol's 7th shutout of the year. Whitworth gave up two hard luck goals, one on a penalty and the other on a near breakaway.

These performances show that the US has a number of talented young keepers that might warrant a look from US coach Pia Sundhage in the future. Loyden is the oldest of the three, but not by much, as they are all just 23 years old.

Quick Notes-Team by Team

Boston-The Breakers retained their hold on 2nd place while taking the weekend off. They return to action on Sunday against Sky Blue.....Boston defender Heather Mitts started for the US against Canada and assisted on the first goal of the game, scored by Shannon Boxx.

Chicago-The Red Stars have now gone 308 minutes without a goal. Two Red Star players did score for the US team, however. Megan Rapinoe scored on a beautiful shot just inside the post in first half stoppage time. Lindsay Tarpley scored a 2nd half goal for the US.....Heather Garriock subbed into Saturday's game only to be forced out after 11 minutes due to another injury.

FC Gold Pride-Nicole Barnhart played the second half of the US-Canada game, sharing the shutout with Hope Solo. Barnhart had seen action earlier this year for the US, shutting out Iceland in the Algarve Cup.....Defender Kandace Wilson went down with a serious injury near the end of last week's game against the Sol. It appears the injury could be season ending.....Gold Pride travels to Washington this weekend in a rematch of the highest scoring WPS game of the year. They lost a 4-3 decision to the Freedom back on April 26th.

Los Angeles-The Sol have now shut out 7 of their 8 opponents. Karina LeBlanc has earned six of those, with Val Henderson getting the other.....Camille Abily became just the 2nd player to convert a penalty. Only 2 of 6 have been converted this year. The Sol's other attempt was by Aly Wagner against Saint Louis and was stopped by Solo.....Shannon Boxx scored the opening goal against Canada on Monday.

Saint Louis-Eniola Aluko continues to shine for Athletica. She scored her 2nd goal of the season against Chicago and also forced an own goal.....The acquisition of Kendall Fletcher quickly paid dividends for Saint Louis. Fletcher started against Chicago and her pass up the left side led to Aluko's play and the own goal. She also hit the initial shot on the 2nd goal which Aluko finished on the rebound.

Sky Blue FC-Heather O'Reilly assisted on two goals in the US-Canada match.....Last week, SBFC promoted Noelle Keselica to full roster status and signed Lauren Sesselman. Sesselman played college soccer at Purdue. To make room for Sesselman, Jenny Anderson Hammond was waived.

Washington-Following their 2-1 victory over Sky Blue, the Freedom are now in fourth place, just two points behind 2nd place Boston.....Cat Whitehill became the 8th different player to score a goal for the Freedom this season.....The Freedom are still the only team that hasn't posted a shutout. Erin McLeod has started the last two games, giving up just one goal in each.....The first WPS/MLS doubleheader drew 16,089 at RFK Stadium on Saturday afternoon.