WSW spoke with Alyssa and Katie prior to the 2010 WPS Draft.
You can find the Q and A interview(s) here -- Give and Go: Penn State Katie Schoepfer and Alyssa Naeher at Goal.com
Showing posts with label WPS 2010 Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WPS 2010 Draft. Show all posts
January 15, 2010
WPS Draft - 2nd Round Recap
The 2nd round of the WPS draft has now concluded. A recap....
12. Gold Pride-Becky Edwards, defensive mid, Florida State....Wow, they waited and still got her. No big surprise with Gold Pride taking her.
13. Philadelphia-Malorie Rutledge, MF, LSU....A solid midfielder, but I didn't think she would go quite this high. I also thought Philly would go for a scorer.
14. Los Angeles-Michelle Enyeart, F, Portland...A great player who would have been in the top 5 or 6 pick if she had been healthy. With all their selections, LA could take a chance that the wait for her to recover from the ACL injury would be worth it.
15. Chicago-Jessica McDonald, F, North Carolina.....The first non-senior taken in the draft. Surprised me because I frankly didn't know she had declared for the draft.
16. Boston-Jordan Angeli, D, Santa Clara....No surprise here at all. Angeli should pair well with Amy LePeilbet on the Breakers' back line.
17. Saint Louis-Kristina Larsen, MF, UCLA....A bit of a surprise here after the acquisition of Tarpley. I thought they might look for a defender here. Still, Larsen was UCLA's leading scorer in 2008 and scored 9 goals in 2009. She's got a good, hard shot.
18. Washington-Carly Dobratz, MF, Washington State.
19. Saint Louis-Ashlyn Harris, GK, UNC....Harris takes Loyden's place as Solo's backup.
20. FC Gold Pride-Kaley Fountain, F/D, Wake Forest....A versatile player is a good value at the 20th pick.
12. Gold Pride-Becky Edwards, defensive mid, Florida State....Wow, they waited and still got her. No big surprise with Gold Pride taking her.
13. Philadelphia-Malorie Rutledge, MF, LSU....A solid midfielder, but I didn't think she would go quite this high. I also thought Philly would go for a scorer.
14. Los Angeles-Michelle Enyeart, F, Portland...A great player who would have been in the top 5 or 6 pick if she had been healthy. With all their selections, LA could take a chance that the wait for her to recover from the ACL injury would be worth it.
15. Chicago-Jessica McDonald, F, North Carolina.....The first non-senior taken in the draft. Surprised me because I frankly didn't know she had declared for the draft.
16. Boston-Jordan Angeli, D, Santa Clara....No surprise here at all. Angeli should pair well with Amy LePeilbet on the Breakers' back line.
17. Saint Louis-Kristina Larsen, MF, UCLA....A bit of a surprise here after the acquisition of Tarpley. I thought they might look for a defender here. Still, Larsen was UCLA's leading scorer in 2008 and scored 9 goals in 2009. She's got a good, hard shot.
18. Washington-Carly Dobratz, MF, Washington State.
19. Saint Louis-Ashlyn Harris, GK, UNC....Harris takes Loyden's place as Solo's backup.
20. FC Gold Pride-Kaley Fountain, F/D, Wake Forest....A versatile player is a good value at the 20th pick.
Erin Guthrie speaks with WSW prior to 2010 WPS Draft
Photo Credit: Tom Ciszek, Rutgers Athletics
2009 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, Erin Guthrie, a captain at Rutgers this past fall, answered several questions via email prior to the 2010 WPS Draft.
Q. How much did Karina LeBlanc mean to your development?
I owe so much to Karina for my overall development at Rutgers during these past 4 years. I am a completely different keeper now than I was as a freshman. All around Karina developed my technical abilities, confidence and tactics and honestly without her training and motivation pushing me everyday I would not have accomplished what I did at Rutgers as well as help Rutgers soccer accomplish all we did as well.
Q. Are you satisfied with how the team finished this season?
I am very proud of how the team performed under all the adversity we faced with injuries this year. Being that it was my last collegiate game I did not want it to end and obviously wanted us to go further even though we put up a great fight. I believe our team accomplished a lot and I do think we had the potential to go even further.
Q. And from an individual standpoint, are you happy with your performance?
For the most part I'm never totally satisfied with how I do. Whenever we lose or give up a goal I feel as though there were things I could have done to prevent it. In general I feel pretty happy with how I performed in my college career.
Q. Are you looking forward to the WPS Draft?
I am looking forward to the draft and hopefully I will have good news come January 15th.
Q. What have you done between the end of your collegiate career and the WPS Draft to prepare for a potential professional career?
Since the season ended I have worked to stay fit as well as continued to strength train. I have also trained with Paul Blodgett once a week to keep my technical game sharp in hopes of having a career in the WPS.
Q. Do you have a favorite save from the season?
I would have to say my favorite save from the season was in the West Virginia game. There was a cross that went to a player on West Virgina who was on the 6 yard line and she redirected it in the opposite direction so I dove back and grabbed it on the goal line. It was my favorite save because we had been working on situations with crosses just like that in practice for awhile.
Q. And a favorite clean sheet?
A favorite clean sheet from this year would be the South Florida game. We tied 0-0 in South Florida. We had just come from the freezing rain in Marquette a day earlier. We were dead tired in the heat as a team so to give up no goals in circumstances like that spoke measures of the Rutgers team.
Q. Can you give us a preview of how the Rutgers women's team will do in 2010?
2010 is going to be a great year for Rutgers Women's Soccer. The talent that the team will have is going to be some of the best and I am predicting a memorable season for them. Returning Gina DeMaio is huge for the team who had to red shirt this year for a knee injury is huge for Rutgers.
Photo Credit: Tom Ciszek, Rutgers Athletics
January 14, 2010
A Final Preview of the WPS Draft
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Labels: Ali Riley, Brittany Taylor, Casey Nogueira, Kelley O'Hara, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Whitney Engen, WPS 2010 Draft
Labels: Ali Riley, Brittany Taylor, Casey Nogueira, Kelley O'Hara, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Whitney Engen, WPS 2010 Draft
A year ago, I sat in an overcrowded room at America's Center in Saint Louis and watched as WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci announced Amy Rodriguez as the 1st selection in the 2009 WPS Draft. It was an exciting day to be sure and a landmark day in the history of the league. Tomorrow, the drama will be in Philadelphia for the 2010 WPS draft.
Looking back at my mock draft from last year, I wasn't very accurate. My 2009 mock draft was as follows:
1. Boston-Amy Rodriguez (everyone got this one right).
2. Chicago-Carrie Dew (Chicago chose Megan Rapinoe instead. Dew was drafted in the 2nd round by FC Gold Pride).
3. FC Gold Pride-Megan Rapinoe (With Rapinoe gone, FCGP selected Tina DiMartino. I had DiMartino pegged for Washington at the 8th pick).
4. Sky Blue FC-Yael Averbuch (my 2nd correct pick in the 1st round).
5. Los Angeles-Kerri Hanks (LA took Hanks' teammate Brittany Bock instead).
6. Saint Louis-Brittany Bock (I had the 5th and 6th picks switched).
7. Washington-Nikki Krzysik (Washington chose Allie Long who I thought would be picked in the 2nd round. Krzysik was picked at no. 13 by Chicago).
I am hoping I will do better this year, but I'm not counting on it. There are a lot of question marks, primarily what Boston will do at number two. Then there is always the possibility of a trade or two. So here is my final pre-draft analysis of the 1st round:
1. Atlanta Beat-Tobin Heath, MF, North Carolina
Atlanta desperately needs defenders and this is their only selection in the first two rounds. Still, it's hard to see them passing on Heath, pretty much the consensus as the most talented player in this year's draft. I think she is the type of player who will have immediate impact and will make the players around her better. There are other possibilities, although they are probably long shots. Atlanta could take Kelley O'Hara who is from the Atlanta area or they could trade down to pick up some additional picks in the opening rounds. Still, I think it's Heath.
2. Boston Breakers-Lauren Cheney, F, UCLA
Here is where things get complicated, because Boston could go a lot of different directions. They also need defenders to go with LePeilbet and Scott. The best available center back is Whitney Engen of North Carolina. But like the 1st pick, Cheney may be too good to pass up. She's a strong forward who can get a shot off in tight space. Cheney strikes me as being very composed and she has a lot of national team experience. She is equally adept at passing or scoring. Boston could take Engen or even possibly Kelley O'Hara, but I think they take Cheney.
3. FC Gold Pride-Kelley O'Hara, F, Stanford
Gold Pride was the lowest scoring team in the league last year and O'Hara could give them a boost on offense. I think she would pair very well with Sinclair. She's fast and tenacious. O'Hara has big time scoring ability (26 in her senior year at Stanford). I don't think this pick can go any other way, unless either Atlanta or Boston pulls a surprise.
4. Chicago Red Stars-Casey Nogueira, F, North Carolina
The Red Stars also had trouble scoring last year and could stand to add a forward, but the signing of Cristiane and Asllani may change their thinking. Also, if Boston would opt for Engen, then Cheney or O'Hara could fall to this position. Nogueira is one of the greatest clutch players in women's soccer. But she has been inconsistent and at times, a bit of an enigma. The potential is there for her to be a star, but she might be a risky selection. However, she could be the kind of player that Emma Hayes could bring off the bench late in the game to make a difference.
5. Los Angeles Sol-Whitney Engen, D, North Carolina
With Franko and Falk gone, the Sol need to solidify their central defense and Engen could be the answer. By many accounts, she is far and away the best defender in this year's draft. She is a very solid defender, who is one of the toughest tacklers in college soccer. I still think there is a chance that Los Angeles packages some of their picks to move up. They have 6 of the first 25 selections.
6. Sky Blue FC-Brittany Taylor, D, Connecticut
Rampone's pregnancy and Asante's injury make center back more of a priority than it ordinarily would have been for Sky Blue. In 2009, Taylor played for Sky Blue's affiliate, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues and that connection could well be a factor here. That aside, Taylor is a talented center back who was recently called up for the US National Team camp. This seems like the perfect fit.
7. Washington-Ali Riley, D, Stanford
This selection is a tough one to gauge. Washington needs to shore up it's defense which gave up a league high 32 goals last season. Riley would give them an outside left back who plays solid defensively, but can also be dangerous making forward runs up the flank. She has international experience with New Zealand. The other direction Washington might go is for a defensive mid and Becky Edwards. I could see either being a possibility, but Riley's two-way ability gives her the edge.
8. Los Angeles-Nikki Washington, MF/F, North Carolina
If it hadn't been for her injury last fall, Washington very well could have been in the top 5. She can be extremely dangerous from the right side. I feel she is one of the most exciting midfielders in college soccer. Injuries always leave a big question mark, but Los Angeles has plenty of selections and Washington is well worth the gamble.
9. Los Angeles-Kaley Fountain, F/D, Wake Forest
This is probably my biggest long shot. I just love her versatility and I think she could be another Brittany Bock, who played several different positions for LA last year. She scored 11 goals and 10 assists last year at Wake, but has also played a lot of defender over her career.
10. FC Gold Pride-Becky Edwards, D/MF, Florida State
Defensive midfielder is one of Gold Pride's biggest needs and Edwards is the top player at that position. She is a top notch college defender, who has good vision and distributes well. She spent most of her college career on the back line, but moved up to defensive mid as a senior.
11. Boston-Nikki Marshall, F/D, Colorado
Marshall is very good offensive player from Colorado, but she may well fit into Boston's back line picture. She started all 6 games at the 2008 U-20 World Cup as a center back. The coach of that team was none other than Tony DiCicco. I can see them being reunited tomorrow.
My 2nd round:
12. FC Gold Pride-Kelsey Davis, GK, Portland.....A tough call between Davis or Naeher. Very athletic keeper in the mold of Hope Solo. Extensive junior national team experience. Career goals against under 0.45 at Portland.
13. Philadelphia Independence-Katie Schoepfer, F, Penn State.....Philly needs a scorer and Schoepfer will provide that. Scored 9 goals in just 6 games for U-23 team in 2009. A good target forward.
14. Los Angeles Sol-Gina DiMartino, MF/F, Boston College.....The Sol get their 2nd DiMartino in a week. Like her sister Tina, great with the ball at her feet and an excellent passer.
15. Chicago Red Stars-Alyssa Naeher, GK, Penn State.....The Red Stars need a backup for Jonsson. Starting keeper for the 2008 U-20 World Cup champions. Decent size and excellent agility. Just called up to USWNT camp.
16. Boston Breakers-Ashlyn Harris, GK, North Carolina.....Boston also needs a keeper and they get Harris. Aggressive keeper who shut out 5 opponents in 6 NCAA tournament games in 2009.
17. Saint Louis Athletica-Kristi Eveland, D, North Carolina.....Barcellos addresses playoff weakness against Sky Blue by getting a solid right back. Great speed and size and can be a weapon on corners with her heading ability.
18. Washington Freedom-Carolyn Blank, MF, West Virginia.....A tough, aggressive defensive mid that will enable the Freedom to move Homare Sawa into the attack where she can be most effective.
19. Saint Louis Athletica-Kiersten Dallstream, F, Washington State.....Athletica adds an offensive threat to team with Aluko and Edlund. Scored 13 goals and 7 assists in 2009. Versatile...played outside defender with 2008 U-20 team.
20. FC Gold Pride-Kat Reynolds, D/F, Santa Clara.....Gold Pride also gets a versatile player who can play several positions. Adds depth defensively for FCGP.
Good luck to all players, coaches, general managers, and fans at tomorrow's draft.
Looking back at my mock draft from last year, I wasn't very accurate. My 2009 mock draft was as follows:
1. Boston-Amy Rodriguez (everyone got this one right).
2. Chicago-Carrie Dew (Chicago chose Megan Rapinoe instead. Dew was drafted in the 2nd round by FC Gold Pride).
3. FC Gold Pride-Megan Rapinoe (With Rapinoe gone, FCGP selected Tina DiMartino. I had DiMartino pegged for Washington at the 8th pick).
4. Sky Blue FC-Yael Averbuch (my 2nd correct pick in the 1st round).
5. Los Angeles-Kerri Hanks (LA took Hanks' teammate Brittany Bock instead).
6. Saint Louis-Brittany Bock (I had the 5th and 6th picks switched).
7. Washington-Nikki Krzysik (Washington chose Allie Long who I thought would be picked in the 2nd round. Krzysik was picked at no. 13 by Chicago).
I am hoping I will do better this year, but I'm not counting on it. There are a lot of question marks, primarily what Boston will do at number two. Then there is always the possibility of a trade or two. So here is my final pre-draft analysis of the 1st round:
1. Atlanta Beat-Tobin Heath, MF, North Carolina
Atlanta desperately needs defenders and this is their only selection in the first two rounds. Still, it's hard to see them passing on Heath, pretty much the consensus as the most talented player in this year's draft. I think she is the type of player who will have immediate impact and will make the players around her better. There are other possibilities, although they are probably long shots. Atlanta could take Kelley O'Hara who is from the Atlanta area or they could trade down to pick up some additional picks in the opening rounds. Still, I think it's Heath.
2. Boston Breakers-Lauren Cheney, F, UCLA
Here is where things get complicated, because Boston could go a lot of different directions. They also need defenders to go with LePeilbet and Scott. The best available center back is Whitney Engen of North Carolina. But like the 1st pick, Cheney may be too good to pass up. She's a strong forward who can get a shot off in tight space. Cheney strikes me as being very composed and she has a lot of national team experience. She is equally adept at passing or scoring. Boston could take Engen or even possibly Kelley O'Hara, but I think they take Cheney.
3. FC Gold Pride-Kelley O'Hara, F, Stanford
Gold Pride was the lowest scoring team in the league last year and O'Hara could give them a boost on offense. I think she would pair very well with Sinclair. She's fast and tenacious. O'Hara has big time scoring ability (26 in her senior year at Stanford). I don't think this pick can go any other way, unless either Atlanta or Boston pulls a surprise.
4. Chicago Red Stars-Casey Nogueira, F, North Carolina
The Red Stars also had trouble scoring last year and could stand to add a forward, but the signing of Cristiane and Asllani may change their thinking. Also, if Boston would opt for Engen, then Cheney or O'Hara could fall to this position. Nogueira is one of the greatest clutch players in women's soccer. But she has been inconsistent and at times, a bit of an enigma. The potential is there for her to be a star, but she might be a risky selection. However, she could be the kind of player that Emma Hayes could bring off the bench late in the game to make a difference.
5. Los Angeles Sol-Whitney Engen, D, North Carolina
With Franko and Falk gone, the Sol need to solidify their central defense and Engen could be the answer. By many accounts, she is far and away the best defender in this year's draft. She is a very solid defender, who is one of the toughest tacklers in college soccer. I still think there is a chance that Los Angeles packages some of their picks to move up. They have 6 of the first 25 selections.
6. Sky Blue FC-Brittany Taylor, D, Connecticut
Rampone's pregnancy and Asante's injury make center back more of a priority than it ordinarily would have been for Sky Blue. In 2009, Taylor played for Sky Blue's affiliate, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues and that connection could well be a factor here. That aside, Taylor is a talented center back who was recently called up for the US National Team camp. This seems like the perfect fit.
7. Washington-Ali Riley, D, Stanford
This selection is a tough one to gauge. Washington needs to shore up it's defense which gave up a league high 32 goals last season. Riley would give them an outside left back who plays solid defensively, but can also be dangerous making forward runs up the flank. She has international experience with New Zealand. The other direction Washington might go is for a defensive mid and Becky Edwards. I could see either being a possibility, but Riley's two-way ability gives her the edge.
8. Los Angeles-Nikki Washington, MF/F, North Carolina
If it hadn't been for her injury last fall, Washington very well could have been in the top 5. She can be extremely dangerous from the right side. I feel she is one of the most exciting midfielders in college soccer. Injuries always leave a big question mark, but Los Angeles has plenty of selections and Washington is well worth the gamble.
9. Los Angeles-Kaley Fountain, F/D, Wake Forest
This is probably my biggest long shot. I just love her versatility and I think she could be another Brittany Bock, who played several different positions for LA last year. She scored 11 goals and 10 assists last year at Wake, but has also played a lot of defender over her career.
10. FC Gold Pride-Becky Edwards, D/MF, Florida State
Defensive midfielder is one of Gold Pride's biggest needs and Edwards is the top player at that position. She is a top notch college defender, who has good vision and distributes well. She spent most of her college career on the back line, but moved up to defensive mid as a senior.
11. Boston-Nikki Marshall, F/D, Colorado
Marshall is very good offensive player from Colorado, but she may well fit into Boston's back line picture. She started all 6 games at the 2008 U-20 World Cup as a center back. The coach of that team was none other than Tony DiCicco. I can see them being reunited tomorrow.
My 2nd round:
12. FC Gold Pride-Kelsey Davis, GK, Portland.....A tough call between Davis or Naeher. Very athletic keeper in the mold of Hope Solo. Extensive junior national team experience. Career goals against under 0.45 at Portland.
13. Philadelphia Independence-Katie Schoepfer, F, Penn State.....Philly needs a scorer and Schoepfer will provide that. Scored 9 goals in just 6 games for U-23 team in 2009. A good target forward.
14. Los Angeles Sol-Gina DiMartino, MF/F, Boston College.....The Sol get their 2nd DiMartino in a week. Like her sister Tina, great with the ball at her feet and an excellent passer.
15. Chicago Red Stars-Alyssa Naeher, GK, Penn State.....The Red Stars need a backup for Jonsson. Starting keeper for the 2008 U-20 World Cup champions. Decent size and excellent agility. Just called up to USWNT camp.
16. Boston Breakers-Ashlyn Harris, GK, North Carolina.....Boston also needs a keeper and they get Harris. Aggressive keeper who shut out 5 opponents in 6 NCAA tournament games in 2009.
17. Saint Louis Athletica-Kristi Eveland, D, North Carolina.....Barcellos addresses playoff weakness against Sky Blue by getting a solid right back. Great speed and size and can be a weapon on corners with her heading ability.
18. Washington Freedom-Carolyn Blank, MF, West Virginia.....A tough, aggressive defensive mid that will enable the Freedom to move Homare Sawa into the attack where she can be most effective.
19. Saint Louis Athletica-Kiersten Dallstream, F, Washington State.....Athletica adds an offensive threat to team with Aluko and Edlund. Scored 13 goals and 7 assists in 2009. Versatile...played outside defender with 2008 U-20 team.
20. FC Gold Pride-Kat Reynolds, D/F, Santa Clara.....Gold Pride also gets a versatile player who can play several positions. Adds depth defensively for FCGP.
Good luck to all players, coaches, general managers, and fans at tomorrow's draft.
January 10, 2010
GM for a Day - It's Harder Than It Looks
I was contacted on Friday by WPS Director of Communications & Broadcast Relations, Robert Penner, about taking part in a WPS mock draft that was being held on Twitter by the good folks over at Bleacher Report. I happily, although somewhat warily, accepted. Participating in a mock draft always leaves one open to criticism for those who want to second guess the second guessers.
First, I want to thank Rob for contacting me and everyone over at Bleacher Report for allowing me to participate. It was challenging, but fun. The results of the draft are on this link. They have done a nice job providing info and a short bio on each of the selections that were made. Please check it out.
I was chosen to play the part of Ilisa Kessler, the GM for FC Gold Pride. I also want to thank Ilisa, who was kind enough to respond to my tweet and email for advice.
I kind of thought it might be interesting to go through my thought process as the mock GM. I had already made a pretty good list of who I thought the top players at each position were and Todd Civin at Bleacher Report provided me with some additional statistical information to help. I had already assessed FC Gold Pride's needs in a series I have been doing for Women's Soccer Weekly. My assessment is that they need a forward/scorer, a defensive midfielder, an outside back preferably on the left side, and a backup keeper. I tweeted Ilisa asking for advice and luckily for me, she was thinking along the same general lines as I was.
So before the draft, I'm thinking I'm probably going to get Kelley O'Hara or Lauren Cheney with the 3rd pick. My guess was O'Hara would be the one available. Here is the draft progressed:
1st Round
Atlanta-Tobin Heath, MF, North Carolina (No surprise here).
Boston-Kelley O'Hara, F, Stanford (That caught me off guard. I had thought they would either go for Cheney or Engen. I was still going to get one of the two forwards I had targeted).
FC Gold Pride-Lauren Cheney, F, UCLA (I expected O'Hara, but I still got Cheney and I'm happy. My next target for the 10th pick is Becky Edwards, defensive midfielder/defender from Florida State. It's my feeling that she is the best holding midfielder in the draft).
Chicago-Whitney Engen, D, North Carolina.
Los Angeles-Kara Lang, MF, UCLA.
Sky Blue-Casey Nogueira, F, North Carolina.
Washington-Becky Edwards, D/MF, Florida State (Okay, I have to go to plan B now. I don't see another pure defensive mid that I value that highly, so my next target is the outside defender).
Los Angeles-Nikki Washington, MF, North Carolina.
Los Angeles-Gina DiMartino, F/MF, Boston College.
FC Gold Pride-Ali Riley, D, Stanford (I consider Riley to be an excellent outside back that is good both defensively and offensively. Additionally, she is one of the few top outside backs that plays the left side. I've now accomplished two objectives and am very happy with the way things are going, in spite of not getting Edwards).
Boston-Michelle Enyeart, F, Portland.
2nd Round
(Okay, I'm up again. Now I have a tough decision to make. Again, I don't see an available defensive mid that I value quite this high in the draft. However, my other need is goalkeeper and none have been taken yet. There are at least 3 or 4 that I would be plenty happy with. So what do I do here?)
FC Gold Pride-Alyssa Naeher, GK, Penn State (I decided to go ahead and get the keeper. I kind of figured that once one had been chosen, there might be a run on keepers and I didn't want to take that chance. I would have been happy with Naeher, Kelsey Davis, Ashlyn Harris, or even Kristin Olsen. In the end, it was pretty much a coin flip for me between Naeher and Davis and I chose Naeher).
Philadelphia-Ashlyn Harris, GK, North Carolina (At this point, I'm thinking here comes the run on keepers and maybe it was a good idea to use the number 12 pick for one. As it turned out, it didn't really happen, but I was still happy with my choice).
Los Angeles-Jill Hutchinson, F, Wake Forest.
Chicago-Kate Megna, MF, UW-Milwaukee (Now I'm starting to think about the defensive mid for the 20th selection. My target for this pick is now Carolyn Blank of West Virginia, who I consider the best defensive mid left on the board).
Boston-Brittany Taylor, D, Connecticut (I'm extremely surprised she fell this far. I was thinking top 10, maybe top 8).
Saint Louis-Katie Schoepfer, F, Penn State (Again surprised she fell this far. I had her as the 4th forward on my board behind O'Hara, Cheney, and Nogueira and considering Enyeart's injury).
Washington-Kristi Eveland, D, North Carolina (Had she played the left side instead of the right, I would have strongly considered her when I made the selection at no. 10).
Saint Louis-Emily Pallotta, MF, Boston University.
FC Gold Pride-Carolyn Blank, MF, West Virginia (I got my player. A very tough and tenacious defender. Since we're only going 3 rounds in the mock draft, I'm through for the day).
3rd round
Atlanta-Dea Cook, D, UCLA.
Los Angeles-Mick Imgram, MF, Tennessee.
Atlanta-Kristin Olsen, GK, USC.
Chicago-Erin Guthrie, GK, Rutgers.
Boston-Jessica Fuccello, F, Pennsylvania.
Sky Blue-Kelly Henderson, D, Boston College (Another player I thought would go earlier).
Washington-Nikki Marshall, F/D, Colorado (Also a good value for the 3rd round).
Saint Louis-Carly Dobratz, MF, Washington State.
Sky Blue-Sylvia Kowalski, MF, Canisius.
That concluded the draft. I was stunned that a few players weren't chosen like Kelsey Davis, Kaley Fountain, Kiersten Dallstream, Kat Reynolds, and Jordan Angeli. I also wasn't sure about the WPS international status of Kara Lang and Sylvia Kowalski, both of whom are Canadian. Michelle Enyeart's injury is the only thing that prevented me from considering her in the first round.
If I had to do this in real life, I would die of stress within a week. It was even a bit nerve-racking doing this on a mock level. The unpredicatability of the process calls for a Plan A, B, C, and maybe even Plan D. And that is only the start of the fun. Then you have to worry about the business end of it...contracts, budgets to sign the players, etc. Then there are the uncontrollables like injuries. Make no mistake, a general manager's job is not easy. And of course there's us, the second guessers...the analysts...the woulda, shoulda, couldas.
Good luck to all teams and general managers on Friday!
First, I want to thank Rob for contacting me and everyone over at Bleacher Report for allowing me to participate. It was challenging, but fun. The results of the draft are on this link. They have done a nice job providing info and a short bio on each of the selections that were made. Please check it out.
I was chosen to play the part of Ilisa Kessler, the GM for FC Gold Pride. I also want to thank Ilisa, who was kind enough to respond to my tweet and email for advice.
I kind of thought it might be interesting to go through my thought process as the mock GM. I had already made a pretty good list of who I thought the top players at each position were and Todd Civin at Bleacher Report provided me with some additional statistical information to help. I had already assessed FC Gold Pride's needs in a series I have been doing for Women's Soccer Weekly. My assessment is that they need a forward/scorer, a defensive midfielder, an outside back preferably on the left side, and a backup keeper. I tweeted Ilisa asking for advice and luckily for me, she was thinking along the same general lines as I was.
So before the draft, I'm thinking I'm probably going to get Kelley O'Hara or Lauren Cheney with the 3rd pick. My guess was O'Hara would be the one available. Here is the draft progressed:
1st Round
Atlanta-Tobin Heath, MF, North Carolina (No surprise here).
Boston-Kelley O'Hara, F, Stanford (That caught me off guard. I had thought they would either go for Cheney or Engen. I was still going to get one of the two forwards I had targeted).
FC Gold Pride-Lauren Cheney, F, UCLA (I expected O'Hara, but I still got Cheney and I'm happy. My next target for the 10th pick is Becky Edwards, defensive midfielder/defender from Florida State. It's my feeling that she is the best holding midfielder in the draft).
Chicago-Whitney Engen, D, North Carolina.
Los Angeles-Kara Lang, MF, UCLA.
Sky Blue-Casey Nogueira, F, North Carolina.
Washington-Becky Edwards, D/MF, Florida State (Okay, I have to go to plan B now. I don't see another pure defensive mid that I value that highly, so my next target is the outside defender).
Los Angeles-Nikki Washington, MF, North Carolina.
Los Angeles-Gina DiMartino, F/MF, Boston College.
FC Gold Pride-Ali Riley, D, Stanford (I consider Riley to be an excellent outside back that is good both defensively and offensively. Additionally, she is one of the few top outside backs that plays the left side. I've now accomplished two objectives and am very happy with the way things are going, in spite of not getting Edwards).
Boston-Michelle Enyeart, F, Portland.
2nd Round
(Okay, I'm up again. Now I have a tough decision to make. Again, I don't see an available defensive mid that I value quite this high in the draft. However, my other need is goalkeeper and none have been taken yet. There are at least 3 or 4 that I would be plenty happy with. So what do I do here?)
FC Gold Pride-Alyssa Naeher, GK, Penn State (I decided to go ahead and get the keeper. I kind of figured that once one had been chosen, there might be a run on keepers and I didn't want to take that chance. I would have been happy with Naeher, Kelsey Davis, Ashlyn Harris, or even Kristin Olsen. In the end, it was pretty much a coin flip for me between Naeher and Davis and I chose Naeher).
Philadelphia-Ashlyn Harris, GK, North Carolina (At this point, I'm thinking here comes the run on keepers and maybe it was a good idea to use the number 12 pick for one. As it turned out, it didn't really happen, but I was still happy with my choice).
Los Angeles-Jill Hutchinson, F, Wake Forest.
Chicago-Kate Megna, MF, UW-Milwaukee (Now I'm starting to think about the defensive mid for the 20th selection. My target for this pick is now Carolyn Blank of West Virginia, who I consider the best defensive mid left on the board).
Boston-Brittany Taylor, D, Connecticut (I'm extremely surprised she fell this far. I was thinking top 10, maybe top 8).
Saint Louis-Katie Schoepfer, F, Penn State (Again surprised she fell this far. I had her as the 4th forward on my board behind O'Hara, Cheney, and Nogueira and considering Enyeart's injury).
Washington-Kristi Eveland, D, North Carolina (Had she played the left side instead of the right, I would have strongly considered her when I made the selection at no. 10).
Saint Louis-Emily Pallotta, MF, Boston University.
FC Gold Pride-Carolyn Blank, MF, West Virginia (I got my player. A very tough and tenacious defender. Since we're only going 3 rounds in the mock draft, I'm through for the day).
3rd round
Atlanta-Dea Cook, D, UCLA.
Los Angeles-Mick Imgram, MF, Tennessee.
Atlanta-Kristin Olsen, GK, USC.
Chicago-Erin Guthrie, GK, Rutgers.
Boston-Jessica Fuccello, F, Pennsylvania.
Sky Blue-Kelly Henderson, D, Boston College (Another player I thought would go earlier).
Washington-Nikki Marshall, F/D, Colorado (Also a good value for the 3rd round).
Saint Louis-Carly Dobratz, MF, Washington State.
Sky Blue-Sylvia Kowalski, MF, Canisius.
That concluded the draft. I was stunned that a few players weren't chosen like Kelsey Davis, Kaley Fountain, Kiersten Dallstream, Kat Reynolds, and Jordan Angeli. I also wasn't sure about the WPS international status of Kara Lang and Sylvia Kowalski, both of whom are Canadian. Michelle Enyeart's injury is the only thing that prevented me from considering her in the first round.
If I had to do this in real life, I would die of stress within a week. It was even a bit nerve-racking doing this on a mock level. The unpredicatability of the process calls for a Plan A, B, C, and maybe even Plan D. And that is only the start of the fun. Then you have to worry about the business end of it...contracts, budgets to sign the players, etc. Then there are the uncontrollables like injuries. Make no mistake, a general manager's job is not easy. And of course there's us, the second guessers...the analysts...the woulda, shoulda, couldas.
Good luck to all teams and general managers on Friday!
January 9, 2010
Los Angeles and Boston Complete A Deal
Per the WPS official website:
Jan. 8, 2010: The Los Angeles Sol traded the rights to an international discovery player and its seventh round pick (65th overall) in the 2010 WPS Draft to the Boston Breakers for its third round pick (25th overall) in the 2010 WPS Draft.
Unconfirmed at this point is the international discovery player, but it appears to be Laura Del Rio. The league no longer releases specific information on transactions involving discovery players, leaving the individual teams to do so at their discretion.
If it is true, this would be at least the 3rd different WPS team to have had the international discovery rights to Del Rio. Previously, the Chicago Red Stars had named her as an international discovery player in October, 2008. Los Angeles had named her as a discovery player in June of 2009. Neither team was able to sign her or work out a loan deal with her team. Del Rio is currently playing for FFC Frankfurt of the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany. She has 6 goals for the German club this season.
Jan. 8, 2010: The Los Angeles Sol traded the rights to an international discovery player and its seventh round pick (65th overall) in the 2010 WPS Draft to the Boston Breakers for its third round pick (25th overall) in the 2010 WPS Draft.
Unconfirmed at this point is the international discovery player, but it appears to be Laura Del Rio. The league no longer releases specific information on transactions involving discovery players, leaving the individual teams to do so at their discretion.
If it is true, this would be at least the 3rd different WPS team to have had the international discovery rights to Del Rio. Previously, the Chicago Red Stars had named her as an international discovery player in October, 2008. Los Angeles had named her as a discovery player in June of 2009. Neither team was able to sign her or work out a loan deal with her team. Del Rio is currently playing for FFC Frankfurt of the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany. She has 6 goals for the German club this season.
January 8, 2010
WPS Mock Draft on Twitter
BleacherReport.com will be holding an online WPS mock draft on Saturday, January 9th at 3 pm eastern time. For those wanting to follow the draft, go to Twitter.com/br_wps to follow the action.
As an added note, I have been asked to take part in the mock draft and will be playing the part of the FC Gold Pride GM. I'm sure I won't do as well as the real general manager of FC Gold Pride, Ilisa Kessler, but I'm going to try my best. She's already had a pretty good week in trading for Camille Abily, so I'll try not to ruin it for her.
When the draft is completed, I will post a link to the final results.
As an added note, I have been asked to take part in the mock draft and will be playing the part of the FC Gold Pride GM. I'm sure I won't do as well as the real general manager of FC Gold Pride, Ilisa Kessler, but I'm going to try my best. She's already had a pretty good week in trading for Camille Abily, so I'll try not to ruin it for her.
When the draft is completed, I will post a link to the final results.
WPS Surpasses 200,000 Followers on Twitter
League to Provide Behind the Scenes 2010 WPS Draft Coverage on Twitter.com/womensprosoccer
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 8, 2009) – Women’s Professional Soccer, since its inception a strong proponent of social media as a powerful fan-engagement platform, surpassed 200,000 Twitter followers on its Twitter.com/womensprosoccer account last week to start the New Year. The benchmark continues the impressive growth that WPS has seen in its social media platforms. Recently, WPS was listed in USA Today Snapshots® stat of the day in the December 3 sports section as fifth among sports leagues for Twitter followers behind the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL.
“We are proud of the growth of our social media initiatives and continue to use it as an important and efficient medium to engage with our fan base in meaningful, compelling ways,” said Head of New Media Karyn Lush. “We expect to have more in store for the 2010 season for WPS fans.”
For the 2010 WPS Draft, WPS will offer immediate behind-the-scenes draft news and a variety of updates by posting TwitPic and TwitVid to its account. “We don’t have the benefit of live television coverage that other leagues might at the draft,” said Lush. “So this is a great way for fans to get immediate results, interviews, color and reactions from draft day.”
WPS was an early adopter of Twitter and became one of the first leagues to integrate it as a medium to deliver news when WPS announced the allocation of the U.S. National Team players to its teams via Twitter in September 2008. The league then used Twitter for fans to follow the 2009 WPS Draft in real-time. In March 2009, the league integrated Twitter with sideline “tweets” coming from select players on the gameday roster during its WPS Inaugural Match on March 29, 2009 and continued to use Twitter during games on a trial basis throughout the season.
WPS incorporates other social media platforms as well, and will integrate its Fan Corner into the 2010 WPS Draft. The league will run a unique giveaway promotion in which the first person to correctly predict all 11 names of the first round draft picks with correct teams will win a prize. Contestants must enter by submitting a comment on the Fan Corner at fancorner.womensprosoccer.com. The contest will be promoted on WPS’s Facebook account at facebook.com/womensprosoccer.
Via WPS Press Release
October 7, 2009
Independence Trade for Falk and Henderson
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Labels: Allison Falk, Los Angeles Sol, Philadelphia Independence, Val Henderson, WPS 2010 Draft
Labels: Allison Falk, Los Angeles Sol, Philadelphia Independence, Val Henderson, WPS 2010 Draft
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.
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.
September 29, 2009
Breakers Trade A-Rod to Independence for Draft Picks
The Boston Breakers have announced that they have traded last year's number one overall draft pick, Amy Rodriguez, and the 5th pick overall in the 2010 draft to the Philadelphia Independence for two 1st round draft picks in the 2010 draft in January. The picks would be the 2nd and 11th picks overall in the draft.
Rodriguez had already won a gold medal in the Olympics when she was drafted by Boston in January of 2009. However, the highly touted forward out of USC produced just 1 goal in 17 matches for the Breakers. She played just 61 minutes in the Breakers' final 6 matches and often times seemed not to be on the same page with Breakers' head coach Tony DiCicco. Rodriguez wasn't on the traveling roster of the team on the Breakers' final road trip of the season.
The two draft picks represent both of Philadelphia's first round picks for 2010. Both Atlanta and Philadelphia were given an extra pick at the end of the 1st round because of their expansion team status. The trade is somewhat surprising in that Philadelphia will host the draft and one might have thought they would have wanted to make a big splash at the draft. They now have the 5th pick and 13th pick overall in that draft.
Rodriguez had already won a gold medal in the Olympics when she was drafted by Boston in January of 2009. However, the highly touted forward out of USC produced just 1 goal in 17 matches for the Breakers. She played just 61 minutes in the Breakers' final 6 matches and often times seemed not to be on the same page with Breakers' head coach Tony DiCicco. Rodriguez wasn't on the traveling roster of the team on the Breakers' final road trip of the season.
The two draft picks represent both of Philadelphia's first round picks for 2010. Both Atlanta and Philadelphia were given an extra pick at the end of the 1st round because of their expansion team status. The trade is somewhat surprising in that Philadelphia will host the draft and one might have thought they would have wanted to make a big splash at the draft. They now have the 5th pick and 13th pick overall in that draft.
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