Los Angeles-St. Louis: A Play by Play (and Other Miscellany)

T-120 to kickoff: As Max Baer said before he went to meet his maker, "Oh God, here I go!" This is the last of the Sol home games, and the third-to-last game of the regular season. A victory against St. Louis Athletica will give Los Angeles the regular season title and the right to host the WPS Championship Game on August 22.

T-67: National Anthem Warmup.

T-55: Athletica begins warmups.

T-45: Here come the Sol for their warmups.

T-44: The USA men defeated Granada 4-0 on Independence Day and will be facing Honduras today in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

T-43: Funny how things worked out. Instead of typing this report from Radio 2, it's Radio 1. I had to wait 10 minutes for the bloody janitor to get his arse up to the press box. Hello, could you have already opened up these rooms beforehand? Come on now!

T-41: I caught up on sleep after staffing and going on a shopping spree at Anime Expo 2009 in Downtown  Los Angeles.

T-40: Did anyone check out that Michael Jackson tribute? That was made of EPIC WIN, I tell you.

T-37: Our match official is Margaret Domka. The linesmen are Marlene Duffy and Colin Arblaster, and our fourth official is Israel Fernandez.

T-35: The lineups.

LOS ANGELES SOL

Manager: Abner Rogers
Colors: Navy blue tops, shorts, socks
Formation: 4-4-2

23 LeBlanc

22 Makoski ---- 14 Cox ---- 11 Bock ---- 18 Larkin

7 Boxx (C) ---- 20 Abily ---- 8 Miyama ---- 6 Zerboni

9 Han Duan ---- 10 Marta

Substitutes:
1 Henderson
2 Sanchez
4 Wagner
12 Sari
17 Bogus
21 Frisk
16 Patterson

Marta leads all WPS scorers with nine goals, while Camille Abily has eight to her credit.

ST. LOUIS ATHLETICA

Manager: Jorge Barcellos
Colors: White tops, green shorts, white socks
Formation 4-5-1

1 Solo

3 Logterman ---- 4 Larsson ---- 8 Ellertson ---- 12 Weber

11 Woznuk ---- 7 Stoia ---- 15 Cinalli ---- 17 Chalupny (C) ---- 24 Fletcher

9 Aluko

Substitutes:
13 Loyden
19 Cross
6 McNeill
14 Tancredi
23 Welsh

Kendall Fletcher was with the Sol early this season before being traded. Aluko is a strong scoring threat, with four goals to her credit.

T-20: Both teams head back to the change rooms for final debriefings. I didn't have enough sleep while compiling the Power Rankings this week. This is why I love being able to moderate blog posts and edit entries. As the band Snap! alluded, "I Got The Power!"

T-16: Here comes the Tunnel Team one last time this home campaign while the Sol drumline bangs in the distance. I am playing Corona's "Rhythm of the Night" on iTunes.

T-15: A note to you reading this on WPS Fans Corner, if there are any factual errors (and these things do happen every now and then), I request that you send me a PM on my profile. I moderate my blog, and I fancy you would only be wasting your time if you point out the mistakes as comments.

T-13: We got ourselves a very long Tunnel Team today. How about that.

T-12: Here's Sunny T. Shark, holding the Sol's flag. I already have a similar version on my desktop.

T-2: National anthem by Lindsay Ridgeway.

KICKOFF: 12:07 PM

1' - And here we go. Here comes Marta, and the first attack cleared off by Solo for a corner. Miyama to take. That missed. Here's another one.

2' - And that corner by Marta was off. A goal kick for St. Louis. Martina Franko will be out for the rest of the season due to maternity leave.

3' - Solo scoops up that one. Here comes Woznuk. Athletica reset, Sol clear.

4' - Well, the Sol are wearing navy, so, the Village People's...ah, nevermind.

5' - Foul on Katie Larkin. Almost, Marta.

6' - Here's Miyama. St. Louis and LA are in a possession battle as Abily is shaken up.

7' - Marta couldn't find anyone there. St. Louis on the counter. Ellertson's shot is blocked.

8' - Captain Shannon Boxx to Marta, but she is rounded up by the Athletica defenders.

9' - Karina LeBlanc resets. Athletica are back on the counter, looking to grab the early lead and take some of the shine off the Sol.

10' - Los Angeles with the first offsides of the game.

11' - GOAL! St. Louis Athletica
No. 15 Amanda Cinalli Assist: No. 9 Eniola Aluko
That's only the third goal given up by the Sol this year at home. Cinalli took advantage of a blown defensive assignment by the Sol and slotted it into the net.

12' - Well this is sure going to fire up the crowd. But the Sol have been down before. Something needs to be done. Corner kick for LA.

13' - And that was not a good corner. They need to do something about not being able to deliver on these set pieces. Someone has to be open.

14' - Goal kick Athletica. St. Louis and LA return to the ball movement battle.

18' - Got a chance to meet with our good friend Robert Penner.

19' - This is good marking by St. Louis. Great save by Solo. The USA national team keeper, cooling the engines for Athletica.

21' - Too long a pass for Han Duan. Good idea for McCall Zerboni, but no one helping in the middle.

22' - Han was marked by three defenders and couldn't get it to Abily on that phase.

23' - Tina Ellertson is jostling out Marta on defense. LeBlanc gets that one.

24' - Offsides St. Louis.

25' - Athletica bides their time with the ball, and here they come. The LA defense is there to take it away.

28' - Some fancy footwork from Cinalli, but LeBlanc is there to grab that one.

29' - Boxx was trying to find Marta. That sure didn't go well. A Zerboni opportunity goes wide.

30' - Offsides for LA. Abner Rogers and Hubert Busby discuss the next play. A big opportunity there for Marta, and Solo saves it. She wants her sixth clean sheet, does Hope Solo...

32' - Good interception by Athletica to clear the danger away. Here comes the Sol counterattack...and there goes the Sol counterattack. Goal kick for St. Louis.

34' - Good stuff from Manya Makoski to dispossess Eniola Aluko.

35' - High shot from Cinalli. Goes over the bar.

36' - I hate that spinning Ronald McDonald head. It makes me think that Michael Jackson is not dead. Hey that rhymes. Owww!

37' - Have mercy, Miss Percy, is the Sol motivated to score this half? Get something done, for Chrissakes! And where the heck was Larkin passing that to?

38' - Rogers, Busby and Powell discuss plans to give the ladies their own rhetorical comeuppance at the half.

40' - They will need it, too. The last thing the fans need is St. Louis dealing Los Angeles their only defeat at home.

41' - Ellertson has done her part defensively. And once again, solid marking from St. Louis.

42' - That header was off. That header was going nowhere. And that header will result in an Athletica goal kick.

43' - Solo had to come off her line to make that save.

44' - Here comes Athletica...that shot by Woznuk went over the crossbar.

45' - Even Katie Larkin's passing has gone south. Things are looking tenuous. One minute of stoppage time, says Fernandez.

HALFTIME

Los Angeles Sol 0

St. Louis Athletica 1
Cinalli 11'

For the first time this season, the Sol find themselves behind, to the disapproval of the home crowd. One brat says, "We want a McFlurry!" Not gonna happen.

If the result stands, don't be surprised to see these two duking it out for the championship on August 22.

SECOND HALF START: 1:11 P.M.

46' - The second half starts.

Substitution Los Angeles Sol
IN 4 Aly Wagner
OUT 14 Katie Larkin

Substitution Los Angeles Sol
IN 17 Liz Bogus
OUT 9 Han Duan

And LA gets off to a fast start. Solo does work early with the save.

47' - Shot for LA goes wide.

48' - Solo going off her line again.

49' - Free kick for Los Angeles. Marta's shot blocked, and Solo makes a save but gets knocked in the process inside the box.

50' - High shot from Woznuk.

51' - Aluko is shaken up. Counter from Sol is intercepted by Athletica.

52' - And it's back to the ball movement battle.

54' - Goal kick for St. Louis after Los Angeles squanders a chance to equalize. Sol now reverting to roughhouse tactics.

56' - Athletica is doing a sensational job containing the Sol offense.

57' - A corner for LA. Solo punches it out of danger.

58' - Corner for Los Angeles. Sooner or later, they need to put one in.

59' - And again, their efforts are foiled.

60' - Domka hasn't dished out any cards yet. Wouldn't you know it.

61' - St. Louis has seven in the box. That shot missed. And another wasted effort. Boy, I can't say anything but wasteful, wasteful, wasteful.

62' - Miyama was wide open. Can't believe she didn't do it. And another save by Hope Solo. She has been impressive this game.

63' - This has to be Solo's strongest performance this season. I mean, her five clean sheets have been nothing short of textbook, but this one would go down as her best yet.

64' - The Sol have to be rueing the wasted chances they had this match, as well as giving up the passes to Athletica. That shot by Woznuk could have made it 2-0.

65' - Marta and Aya Miyama, what the heck, both of you!? Transition...and you couldn't get it done. I should be tearing my hair out after seeing that performance.

68' - Now what could this be? Ugh. A yellow card to Marta?  Things are going from bad to worse for LA.

71' - And Marta continues to be marked. I cannot believe how things are starting to unravel here for the home side. For the first time since the Washington game in which Sonia Bompastor scored, the Los Angeles Sol are looking at getting their first defeat at the Home Depot Center.

72' - LeBlanc scoops that up.

74' - Here comes Aluko...it's a corner. Barcellos clamoring for a penalty or a card, but he's not gonna get it. Hey buddy, you're already leading, shouldn't that be enough for you?

75' - Corner for Athletica.

Substitution St. Louis Athletica
IN 6 Kia McNeill
OUT 15 Amanda Cinalli

76' - Fletcher is there to intercept that long pass.

77' - Substitution Los Angeles Sol
IN 16 Lyndsey Patterson
OUT 6 McCall Zerboni

Substitution St. Louis Athletica
IN 14 Melissa Tancredi
OUT 11 Angie Woznuk

78' - No foul, says Domka. Play on.

79' - And Ellertson continues to mark Marta's every move. If the Sol drop this game, the magic number remains three, but if Boston loses this weekend, Los Angeles will still clinch.

81' - Free kick LA. Yellow card to McNeill.

82' - Solo grabs that one.

84' - Another sensational defensive display from Barcellos's club.

86' - Can the Sol even salvage a draw on this corner? They have to get something going, and that was not a good shot from Boxx. Shooting has been off. Passing has been off. They can't capitalize on corners out of a wet paper bag.

This has been the story today for LA.

88' - St. Louis again marking the living daylights out of Los Angeles. Somewhere deep in the annals of Abner Rogers' mental playbook, he's going to need to make some changes heading into their next game against FC Gold Pride. He can't be pleased with this.

89' - Solo again! She is my player of the match today.

90' - Offsides Los Angeles.

Substitution St. Louis Athletica
IN 19 Nikki Cross
OUT 9 Eniola Aluko

Three minutes of stoppage time added.

91' + 2' - And we are seeing some roughhouse tactics to close out this one.

FINAL

LOS ANGELES SOL 0

ST. LOUIS ATHLETICA 1
Cinalli 11'

That's a wrap. And this 2009 Los Angeles Sol home season closes with a whimper, not a bang.

I'm putting even money on these two teams meeting for the championship.
Who's with me?