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WPS Previews: Week Nine
Women's Professional Soccer kicks off this weekend minus 23 starters. But six of seven teams will play regardless, relying on their bench players.
May 22, 2009 9:56:38 PM
Six of seven Women’s Professional Soccer teams will take the field this weekend. And this time, they’ll be missing a few starters. Due to national team commitments, the clubs will rely on their benches a lot more than usual. Six players have reported to Canadian National Team camp. While the U.S. roster boasts 17 of 21 players who belong to WPS clubs. But for a league that boasts deep rosters, that shouldn’t be a problem. The Boston Breakers have they bye week. But the six other teams will take the pitch, starting Saturday.
Washington Freedom vs. Sky Blue FC, Saturday May 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium, Washington DC – doubleheader with D.C. United vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
The Washington Freedom is one of the hottest teams in WPS. Their record (1-2-3, 6 points) may not show it, but opponents know the Freedom can score goals. They lead the league with 10 goals forced. Unfortunately they also lead the league with the most goals allowed with 13. But regardless, the Freedom earned a draw last week and are currently sitting in fifth place.
Offensively three players have two goals each for the Freedom - Sonia Bompastor, Lori Lindsey and Abby Wambach. Wambach will be with the U.S. women… but the other two will be available for Saturday’s match. The Freedom players have taken 98 shots with 48 of them on goal. They’re lethal. Defensively, they’ve been through two goalkeepers. Erin McLeod made her debut last weekend, earning a 1-1 draw. Lucky for Freedom fans, McLeod will stay put for this weekend’s match.
Sky Blue FC (1-3-2, 5 points) is still struggling at the bottom of the league. While statistically they don’t look to be too much different than the Freedom, they still have some work to do. Defensively, Sky Blue has been relatively solid. Goalkeepers Jenni Branam and Karen Bardsley have split time in the net, allowing five goals, and posting two shutouts, while making 20 saves. But offensively they’ve struggled. Three players have scored for Sky Blue FC – Natasha Kai, Heather O’Reilly and Sarah Walsh. And this weekend only Walsh will suit up. Although Kai might see playing time – she left last Friday’s game with a quadriceps contusion. Don’t think Sky Blue hasn’t created opportunities. The club has taken 73 shots, including 31 on goal.
Washington has home-field advantage. And well, they’re a bit more put together than Sky Blue FC. Expect the Freedom to hold strong.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Saturday May 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
Chicago (2-2-2, 8 points) lost its last two games – its first two losses. The team is more than ready to get back in the win column. Saint Louis (1-2-2, 5 points) earned its first win two weeks ago, and then had a week off. But Athletica will be putting on a show on Saturday as well.
The Red Stars boast one of the top defenses in the league. They’ve allowed just four goals in six games. And goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson, who will be available Saturday, has forced three shutouts, while making 30 saves. The defensive line will be relatively intact for Saturday’s match. Offense is another story. But quite honestly, it may be time for some rookies to step up for Chicago. The club has taken 66 shots, with 28 on target. But out of those, they’ve netted just six goals. They’ll need to step it up a bit against Athletica.
Saint Louis will be missing their goalkeeper Hope Solo and two top scorers – Daniela (out with injury) and Lori Chalupny for Saturday’s match. Solo and Chalupny will be with the U.S. women. But they still have a powerful team. The Red Stars can’t count out anyone. Athletica’s players have combined for 67 shots (only 28 by the two missing players). But just like Chicago, Athletica has struggled in the final third. Defensively, Solo is the only keeper to see action for Saint Louis. She’s allowed six goals, while making 23 saves and collecting two shutouts.
The first and only time these teams met – April 4th, the Red Stars earned a 1-0 victory in Saint Louis. Chicago’s last home game for almost a month is Saturday. Expect them not to go down without a fight.
FC Gold Pride vs. Los Angeles Sol, Sunday May 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET, Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
In a match billed by WPS as “Battle of the Samba Queens,” FC Gold Pride and Los Angeles Sol meet on Sunday for the second time this season. The first game ended with a 1-0 Sol victory courtesy of a Marta goal, and a shutout for the LA defense as FC Gold Pride were unable to get on the scoreboard. Both teams will have lineup adjustments to make this time around as several players from each are called away to national team duty for a USA vs. Canada friendly.
FC Gold Pride (3-3-1) are sitting in third on the league table with ten points, one point behind second place Boston. FCGP have not been able to find much consistency yet this season, posting an equal number of wins and losses, but they are fresh off a 1-0 win against Chicago Red Stars last week. Gold Pride’s last home match saw them earn a 1-0 victory over Sky Blue FC on May 3rd.
National team call-ups mean FC Gold Pride will have to replace forward Christine Sinclair (Canada), defender Rachael Buehler (USA), and starting goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart (USA). Sinclair scored the only goal of the match in last week’s win, and leads her team with 22 total shots, so FCGP will have to look elsewhere for firepower. Forwards Tiffany Weimer and Tiffeny Milbrett are tied with 12 shots each this season, and they, along with Eriko Arakawa, will likely lead FCGP’s attack.
In goal, Barnhart has played every minute of Gold Pride’s seven games, even finishing out a match in which her nose was broken. She has tallied 27 saves, two shutouts, and allowed in eight goals. Backup goalkeeper Allison Whitworth will likely get the start Sunday. She will have a big test in her first professional outing, facing not just the league’s first place team, but three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta. The Brazilian is tied with Boston’s Kelly Smith as top goal scorer in the league.
The Los Angeles Sol (4-1-2) continue to sit atop the league table, tallying fourteen points after seven matches. While they haven’t yet lost at home, their away form is mixed, with a win, a loss, and a draw. The last match they played was at home against Sky Blue FC, and they came away with a 1-0 victory. The Sol’s last away game resulted in a 1-2 loss to the Boston Breakers, and it was the only game in which LA conceded goals this season.
Sol will also be without a few key players, including Shannon Boxx (USA), Brittany Bock (USA), and Martina Franko (Canada). Most notably, Los Angeles will be missing starting goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. LeBlanc has performed tremendously for her team, only allowing a league low two goals and keeping six clean sheets. In her place, Val Hendrickson is expected to make her first career start. The pressure to emulate LeBlanc’s form and keep a clean sheet will be immense.
The LA attack is largely unhindered by the national team call-ups. Marta has notched four goals this season, with a total of twelve shots. Teammate Aya Miyama has two assists, and leads the Sol with sixteen shots. Han Duan equals Marta with twelve shots, and has one assist.
As a team, the Sol have scored seven goals so far, and will likely look to exploit the untested goalkeeper to increase that statistic. FC Gold Pride will probably be of a similar mindset.
The “Battle of the Samba Queens,” so-called because of the Brazilians stars likely to feature, is a tough one to predict. With LA looking to solidify their league lead, and Gold Pride hoping to challenge the leaders, each will come on strong and it may well be a high scoring match at both ends.
Goal.com
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com's women's soccer section.
Washington Freedom vs. Sky Blue FC, Saturday May 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium, Washington DC – doubleheader with D.C. United vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
The Washington Freedom is one of the hottest teams in WPS. Their record (1-2-3, 6 points) may not show it, but opponents know the Freedom can score goals. They lead the league with 10 goals forced. Unfortunately they also lead the league with the most goals allowed with 13. But regardless, the Freedom earned a draw last week and are currently sitting in fifth place.
Offensively three players have two goals each for the Freedom - Sonia Bompastor, Lori Lindsey and Abby Wambach. Wambach will be with the U.S. women… but the other two will be available for Saturday’s match. The Freedom players have taken 98 shots with 48 of them on goal. They’re lethal. Defensively, they’ve been through two goalkeepers. Erin McLeod made her debut last weekend, earning a 1-1 draw. Lucky for Freedom fans, McLeod will stay put for this weekend’s match.
Sky Blue FC (1-3-2, 5 points) is still struggling at the bottom of the league. While statistically they don’t look to be too much different than the Freedom, they still have some work to do. Defensively, Sky Blue has been relatively solid. Goalkeepers Jenni Branam and Karen Bardsley have split time in the net, allowing five goals, and posting two shutouts, while making 20 saves. But offensively they’ve struggled. Three players have scored for Sky Blue FC – Natasha Kai, Heather O’Reilly and Sarah Walsh. And this weekend only Walsh will suit up. Although Kai might see playing time – she left last Friday’s game with a quadriceps contusion. Don’t think Sky Blue hasn’t created opportunities. The club has taken 73 shots, including 31 on goal.
Washington has home-field advantage. And well, they’re a bit more put together than Sky Blue FC. Expect the Freedom to hold strong.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Saturday May 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
Chicago (2-2-2, 8 points) lost its last two games – its first two losses. The team is more than ready to get back in the win column. Saint Louis (1-2-2, 5 points) earned its first win two weeks ago, and then had a week off. But Athletica will be putting on a show on Saturday as well.
The Red Stars boast one of the top defenses in the league. They’ve allowed just four goals in six games. And goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson, who will be available Saturday, has forced three shutouts, while making 30 saves. The defensive line will be relatively intact for Saturday’s match. Offense is another story. But quite honestly, it may be time for some rookies to step up for Chicago. The club has taken 66 shots, with 28 on target. But out of those, they’ve netted just six goals. They’ll need to step it up a bit against Athletica.
Saint Louis will be missing their goalkeeper Hope Solo and two top scorers – Daniela (out with injury) and Lori Chalupny for Saturday’s match. Solo and Chalupny will be with the U.S. women. But they still have a powerful team. The Red Stars can’t count out anyone. Athletica’s players have combined for 67 shots (only 28 by the two missing players). But just like Chicago, Athletica has struggled in the final third. Defensively, Solo is the only keeper to see action for Saint Louis. She’s allowed six goals, while making 23 saves and collecting two shutouts.
The first and only time these teams met – April 4th, the Red Stars earned a 1-0 victory in Saint Louis. Chicago’s last home game for almost a month is Saturday. Expect them not to go down without a fight.
FC Gold Pride vs. Los Angeles Sol, Sunday May 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET, Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
In a match billed by WPS as “Battle of the Samba Queens,” FC Gold Pride and Los Angeles Sol meet on Sunday for the second time this season. The first game ended with a 1-0 Sol victory courtesy of a Marta goal, and a shutout for the LA defense as FC Gold Pride were unable to get on the scoreboard. Both teams will have lineup adjustments to make this time around as several players from each are called away to national team duty for a USA vs. Canada friendly.
FC Gold Pride (3-3-1) are sitting in third on the league table with ten points, one point behind second place Boston. FCGP have not been able to find much consistency yet this season, posting an equal number of wins and losses, but they are fresh off a 1-0 win against Chicago Red Stars last week. Gold Pride’s last home match saw them earn a 1-0 victory over Sky Blue FC on May 3rd.
National team call-ups mean FC Gold Pride will have to replace forward Christine Sinclair (Canada), defender Rachael Buehler (USA), and starting goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart (USA). Sinclair scored the only goal of the match in last week’s win, and leads her team with 22 total shots, so FCGP will have to look elsewhere for firepower. Forwards Tiffany Weimer and Tiffeny Milbrett are tied with 12 shots each this season, and they, along with Eriko Arakawa, will likely lead FCGP’s attack.
In goal, Barnhart has played every minute of Gold Pride’s seven games, even finishing out a match in which her nose was broken. She has tallied 27 saves, two shutouts, and allowed in eight goals. Backup goalkeeper Allison Whitworth will likely get the start Sunday. She will have a big test in her first professional outing, facing not just the league’s first place team, but three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta. The Brazilian is tied with Boston’s Kelly Smith as top goal scorer in the league.
The Los Angeles Sol (4-1-2) continue to sit atop the league table, tallying fourteen points after seven matches. While they haven’t yet lost at home, their away form is mixed, with a win, a loss, and a draw. The last match they played was at home against Sky Blue FC, and they came away with a 1-0 victory. The Sol’s last away game resulted in a 1-2 loss to the Boston Breakers, and it was the only game in which LA conceded goals this season.
Sol will also be without a few key players, including Shannon Boxx (USA), Brittany Bock (USA), and Martina Franko (Canada). Most notably, Los Angeles will be missing starting goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. LeBlanc has performed tremendously for her team, only allowing a league low two goals and keeping six clean sheets. In her place, Val Hendrickson is expected to make her first career start. The pressure to emulate LeBlanc’s form and keep a clean sheet will be immense.
The LA attack is largely unhindered by the national team call-ups. Marta has notched four goals this season, with a total of twelve shots. Teammate Aya Miyama has two assists, and leads the Sol with sixteen shots. Han Duan equals Marta with twelve shots, and has one assist.
As a team, the Sol have scored seven goals so far, and will likely look to exploit the untested goalkeeper to increase that statistic. FC Gold Pride will probably be of a similar mindset.
The “Battle of the Samba Queens,” so-called because of the Brazilians stars likely to feature, is a tough one to predict. With LA looking to solidify their league lead, and Gold Pride hoping to challenge the leaders, each will come on strong and it may well be a high scoring match at both ends.
Goal.com
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com's women's soccer section.
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