RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Women’s Professional Soccer News & Notes
Sky Blue FC gets another head coach, while WPS announces the playoff schedule.
Jul 31, 2009 2:49:34 AM
More Drama in New Jersey
Sky Blue FC captain Christie Rampone has a new title to add to her name – Inerim Player/Coach for Sky Blue. Rampone stepped in as coach after Kelly Lindsey suddenly resigned. Rampone becomes the third coach of the New Jersey club.
"We are grateful to Christie for stepping up," said Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone. "She has been a tremendous leader and support to the players thus far, and a strong asset to management. We have every confidence both she and Mike will not only fill a void, but do a great job."
While no one is saying what exactly happened yet. It appeared that Lindsey surprised everyone with the announcement. Lindsey stepped in as head coach after Ian Sawyers was replaced on May 28th. Lindsey led the club to a 5-3-3 record and helped the club make a run for the playoffs.
Sawyer earned a 1-4-2 record during his time as head coach. He reportedly left the club due to philosophical differences.
Lindsey was named head coach on June 19th and was expected to finish out the season. She resigned from the club with just two regular season matches remaining. Sky Blue FC could also play three post-season matches if they make the playoffs.
"We are actually quite shocked. We gave Kelly a great opportunity as Head Coach and she was making progress,” Marrone said. “We are disappointed that she chose to leave the team ten days prior to the end of the regular season, with two remaining games and Sky Blue FC in playoff contention."
Rampone has played in 12 matches for Sky Blue, logging 999 minutes. A U.S. defender as well, she’s seen action in 216 games and posted four goals, while playing in three World Cups and Olympics. While with the U.S. Women’s National Team in mid-July, Rampone underwent emergency abdominal surgery. She is hoping to be back for Sky Blue’s August 5th home match vs. FC Gold Pride.
The 34-year-old Rampone becomes the first WPS player/coach and will take over immediately and will be joined by Mike Lyons. Lyons has coached at the high-school, college and semi-professional levels. The duo’s first shot at coaching will be Wednesday, August 5th when Sky Blue hosts FC Gold Pride.
"I am excited to be able to help my team,” Rampone said. “The team has strong character and the organization has shown a strong commitment to the players, which made this an easy decision for me. What's more, the players have shown great strength and fight throughout the season. We all hope to finish the year strong and carry our momentum into the 2010 season."
Post-season Schedule Announced
With the Los Angeles Sol recently winning the title of regular-season WPS champion, the WPS championship time and location has been set.
The post-season kicks off with the WPS First Round on Saturday, August 15th at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Super Semifinal takes place Wednesday, August 22nd at 7:00 p.m. ET. Both locations have yet to be determined.
The Los Angeles Sol will host the championship Saturday, August 22nd at the Home Depot Center at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Sol will have a bye for the first two rounds.
The inaugural season will wrap up on Sunday, August 30th with the WPS All-Star game. The All-Stars will host Umea IK, Swedish Champions. The clubs will take the pitch at 5:00 p.m. ET on the 30th. Voting is currently underway for the All-Stars.
Goal.com
For more on Women’s Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com’s women’s soccer page.
Sky Blue FC captain Christie Rampone has a new title to add to her name – Inerim Player/Coach for Sky Blue. Rampone stepped in as coach after Kelly Lindsey suddenly resigned. Rampone becomes the third coach of the New Jersey club.
"We are grateful to Christie for stepping up," said Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone. "She has been a tremendous leader and support to the players thus far, and a strong asset to management. We have every confidence both she and Mike will not only fill a void, but do a great job."
While no one is saying what exactly happened yet. It appeared that Lindsey surprised everyone with the announcement. Lindsey stepped in as head coach after Ian Sawyers was replaced on May 28th. Lindsey led the club to a 5-3-3 record and helped the club make a run for the playoffs.
Sawyer earned a 1-4-2 record during his time as head coach. He reportedly left the club due to philosophical differences.
Lindsey was named head coach on June 19th and was expected to finish out the season. She resigned from the club with just two regular season matches remaining. Sky Blue FC could also play three post-season matches if they make the playoffs.
"We are actually quite shocked. We gave Kelly a great opportunity as Head Coach and she was making progress,” Marrone said. “We are disappointed that she chose to leave the team ten days prior to the end of the regular season, with two remaining games and Sky Blue FC in playoff contention."
Rampone has played in 12 matches for Sky Blue, logging 999 minutes. A U.S. defender as well, she’s seen action in 216 games and posted four goals, while playing in three World Cups and Olympics. While with the U.S. Women’s National Team in mid-July, Rampone underwent emergency abdominal surgery. She is hoping to be back for Sky Blue’s August 5th home match vs. FC Gold Pride.
The 34-year-old Rampone becomes the first WPS player/coach and will take over immediately and will be joined by Mike Lyons. Lyons has coached at the high-school, college and semi-professional levels. The duo’s first shot at coaching will be Wednesday, August 5th when Sky Blue hosts FC Gold Pride.
"I am excited to be able to help my team,” Rampone said. “The team has strong character and the organization has shown a strong commitment to the players, which made this an easy decision for me. What's more, the players have shown great strength and fight throughout the season. We all hope to finish the year strong and carry our momentum into the 2010 season."
Post-season Schedule Announced
With the Los Angeles Sol recently winning the title of regular-season WPS champion, the WPS championship time and location has been set.
The post-season kicks off with the WPS First Round on Saturday, August 15th at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Super Semifinal takes place Wednesday, August 22nd at 7:00 p.m. ET. Both locations have yet to be determined.
The Los Angeles Sol will host the championship Saturday, August 22nd at the Home Depot Center at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Sol will have a bye for the first two rounds.
The inaugural season will wrap up on Sunday, August 30th with the WPS All-Star game. The All-Stars will host Umea IK, Swedish Champions. The clubs will take the pitch at 5:00 p.m. ET on the 30th. Voting is currently underway for the All-Stars.
Goal.com
For more on Women’s Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com’s women’s soccer page.
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
1 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
DEMPSEY'S DIARY: Playing in the World Cup was the ultimate dream
In his latest diary entry for Goal.com, the U.S. international and Fulham midfielder talks about playing in his first World Cup despite a back injury and what it meant to score.
-
ROGERS: Capello resigns as coach, but the villain is FA chairman Bernstein
Capello and John Terry are far from blameless in the England saga, but the real culprit is the FA chairman.
-
LABIDOU: Is MLS falling behind? The league's new younger direction
With high-profile players like Nicolas Anelka and Luca Toni rejecting MLS for other developing leagues, is the league falling behind its competition?
-
ROSANO: Mexican soccer needs to address referee treatment
Nick Rosano argues that Mexico's continued officiating problems may have less to do with referees themselves and more to do with how they are treated by the federation.
-
VERTELNEY: MLS owners take to Twitter to spread their team's word
"Any time you tweet, it's a mini press conference," says Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson.
Advertisement
Advertisement