WPS Weekly July 21, 2009: It's What's Happening in the WPS

Los Angeles Sol on the Brink of WPS Regular Season Crown

The Los Angeles Sol were idle in Week 17 of WPS, but a loss by the St. Louis Athletica to Washington on Saturday put the Sol just one point away from clinching the WPS regular season title and the right to host the WPS Championship on Aug. 22 at the Home Depot Center.

That means a loss or tie by St. Louis on Wednesday would give Los Angeles the regular season crown. If St. Louis wins, then a tie or win by Los Angeles on Thursday would clinch the title.

The only way St. Louis could pass Los Angeles’ point total is if the Sol go 0-3 and St. Louis finishes 5-0 down the stretch. St. Louis plays at home to Sky Blue FC on Wednesday and Los Angeles, which has only lost two games all year, plays at FC Gold Pride on Thursday.

Three 1-0 results on the weekend further muddled the playoff picture. Boston took over second place in the WPS standings from St. Louis, and positions two through five in the table are now separated by just four points.

The Chicago Red Stars and FC Gold Pride both lost 1-0 on Sunday, dealing major blows to both teams’ WPS Playoff hopes. Chicago has only three games remaining, including one game against Los Angeles, and finds itself five points back from a playoff position.

A loss by Chicago on Sunday would officially eliminate the Red Stars from playoff contention.

FC Gold Pride is assured of a losing season and is all but mathematically eliminated. The Bay Area side could be officially eliminated based on a few scenarios this week. Six points from two games would still keep the Pride’s slim playoff hopes alive for another week at least, and a win over the Athletica is a must to stay alive.

Washington Freedom 1, Saint Louis Athletica 0

Homare Sawa scored her first goal of the season, as the Washington Freedom (5-6-5) picked up a vital 1-0 win over St. Louis Athletica (7-6-2) on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium.

Sawa made a run down the right side of the 18-yard box in the 74th minute, and her low, deflected shot scooted past Athletica goalkeeper Jillian Loyden at the near post.

With the win, the Freedom stayed in the hunt for the final playoff spot, just two points back of fourth-place Sky Blue FC, who were 1-0 winners over Chicago on Sunday.

Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago Red Stars 0

Since joining Sky Blue FC (6-6-4) in a trade just over three weeks ago, former Notre Dame standout Kerri Hanks has been waiting for her chance to make an impact with her new team. She did just that Sunday, making a potential season-changing play with a dramatic stoppage-time goal against Chicago (4-8-5) that gave her team a 1-0 victory over the Red Stars at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J., and provided a major boost to their playoff hopes.

The stunning strike in the 91st minute by Hanks lifted Sky Blue FC's record to .500 for the first time this season. Sky Blue FC currently sits in the final playoff position, two points ahead of the Washington Freedom. Chicago dropped to sixth place.

Boston Breakers 1, FC Gold Pride 0

Missing seven players to U.S. National Team duty, the Boston Breakers (7-6-3) got an early goal from Kelly Schmedes and hung on in the second half to notch a crucial win on the road in Santa Clara, Calif., and move into second in the WPS standings ahead of the St. Louis Athletica, who have one game in hand.

The loss all but mathematically eliminated the FC Gold Pride (3-9-3) from the WPS Playoffs.

Line Up Notables

Chicago Red Stars

On Sunday, the Red Stars became the second team in WPS, along with the Boston Breakers, to fall to Sky Blue FC three times.

Chicago entered Sunday’s match shorthanded without the starting services of Lindsay Tarpley, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Karen Carney due to national team call-ups.

After being quiet the majority part of the season due to injury, forward Danesha Adams, saw her first good chances on net and her second start this season.

Boston Breakers

In an effort to boost the Breakers' energy level, head coach Tony DiCicco inserted Mary-Frances Monroe and Maggie Tomecka into the starting 11 last Wednesday for the first time each.

A sparse Boston team entered Sunday’s match without seven starters and saw Kelly Schmedes score her first goal this season to boost her team 1-0 over FC Gold Pride.

Boston signed two short-term players just for Sunday’s match: Midfielder Stacy Bishop, who was released earlier this season by the Breakers, and Erika Sutton.

FC Gold Pride

In a loss Sunday against the Boston Breakers, FC Gold Pride neared the Chicago Red Stars’ record nine consecutive games without a win by tallying their eighth straight match without earning three points.

Greer Barnes, a developmental player formerly released by the Los Angeles Sol, made her first appearance with the Pride and played a full 90 minutes.

Backup goalkeeper Allison Whitworth stepped in for the start the second time this season, as first string ‘keeper Nicole Barnhart was out on national team duty.

Saint Louis Athletica

The Player of the Week in Week 9, Jillian Loyden, started on the goal line for the second time this season, as regular starter Hope Solo was out with the U.S. National Team.

Athletica head coach Jorge Barcellos mixed up his frontline Saturday and added defender Niki Cross into the offense, who had three good chances in the match.

Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue’s frontline power duo of Kacey White and Natasha Kai continued on their rising streak as threats to WPS backlines by tallying two goals each in a 4-4 tie against the Washington Freedom Wednesday.

Kerri Hanks, acquired from the Saint Louis Athletica in a trade, posted her second goal of the season Sunday, but her first with the New Jersey club, lifting Sky Blue FC in extra-time to a 1-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars.

Washington Freedom

Just weeks after moving Homare Sawa into a more offensive-minded midfield role, she scored the late game-winner in a 1-0 victory over the Saint Louis Athletica Saturday.

The Freedom’s goalkeeping reserves were affected by injury and national team call-ups, forcing the team to sign Nicci Wright, the team’s retired goalkeeping coach, to a two-day contract. Wright finished Saturday’s shutout against the Athletica after goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak left the match with a quad injury in the 64th minute.

Joanna Lohman, waived by the Freedom in late June, entered Saturday’s match in the second half after being brought on as a developmental player the same week.

Quotables From Notables

A few words from players and coaches

“I think they are doing really well right now and they are peaking at the right time and really starting to gel and come together, so I think the next two or three weeks will be exciting for them to pull it together going into the playoffs and see if we can earn a spot,” said Sky Blue FC head coach Kelly Lindsey.

“It’s so different when you’re out of it…it’s more of a mental issue,” Washington Freedom goalkeeper coach Nicci Wright said of her abrupt return from retirement. “I retired for a reason, because I wanted to coach. There’s a feeling of relief when [the ball] makes it into your hands…[you] get that first save and you’re kinda like, I’m fine, I’m OK.”

“Near the end of the game, they weren’t able to put on any pressure and get any clear chances,” said Washington Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra. “Defensively we were solid; it was nice to have a coach back there organizing things.”

“We stress how important it is to go out there and get the first goal show some energy, excitement and desire to compete, and try to make things happen.” said FC Gold Pride head coach Albertin Montoya. “I think we lacked that in the first half. In the second half we started to create chances, hit the post twice and started getting in behind the defense, we were pressing them. As it happens so often we had one breakdown in the back.  We have to give Boston credit, they took advantage of that and put the ball in the back of the net.  At the end of the day, it was similar to some of the losses in the past whether we have our national team players or not, it’s that one breakdown.”

“I think we are a team that needs to just keep fighting to the very end,” said FC Gold Pride forward Tiffeny Milbrett. “Regardless, we need to button up our defense, button up our midfield, we need to score goals from our forwards, or even from our midfield; we just have to do everything.”

“I don't believe that (Sky Blue FC) tested me all that much; they had a number of good opportunities and could have scored more than one goal today,” said Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson. “I was able to come out and cut down the angle a couple times, make them shoot outside; that has to count for something.”

WPS Player of the Week: Week 16

Sky Blue FC forward Natasha Kai has been selected WPS's Player of the Week for Week 17 after leading the New Jersey club to a victory and a tie to remain in fourth place and in position for the final Women's Professional Soccer playoff berth.

The Hawaii-born forward scored her fourth and fifth goals of the campaign, in the fifth and 86th minutes, as Sky Blue FC (6-6-4) collected a 4-4 draw with the visiting Washington Freedom last Wednesday night. Her second strike provided a 4-3 lead that was wiped away after she departed in the 87th minute.

On Sunday, Kai led Sky Blue FC with a consistent attack and totaled six shots, coming oh-so-close to scoring three goals, in a 1-0 thriller Sunday over visiting Chicago.

Kai is the first Sky Blue FC player honored as Player of the Week, and all seven teams have now had at least one POW award winner. This makes Kai an automatic nomination for the July WPS Player of the Month Award.

WPS's Player of the Week award is selected by a panel of writers with the North American Soccer Reporters.

WPS Players of the Week

Week 1: Aya Miyama (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 2: Marta (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 3: Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers)
Week 4: Aly Wagner (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 5: Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)
Week 6: Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom)
Week 7: Lori Chalupny (Saint Louis Athletica)
Week 8: Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride)
Week 9: Jillian Loyden (Saint Louis Athletica)
Week 10: Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 11: Camille Abily (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 12: Eniola Aluko (Saint Louis Athletica)
Week 13: Erin McLeod (Washington Freedom)
Week 14: Marta (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 15: Lindsay Tarpley (Chicago Red Stars)
Week 16: Cristiane (Chicago Red Stars)
Week 17: Natasha Kai (Sky Blue FC)

Note: Weeks 1-2 selected by The Soccer Magazine; weeks 3-9 selected by North American Soccer Reporters panel.

Goals by the Numbers

Top Scorers: Los Angeles Sol’s Marta (9), Los Angeles Sol’s Camille Abily (8),  Chicago Red Star’s Cristiane (6)

Goals by Team: Los Angeles Sol (24), Washington Freedom (23), Boston Breakers (17), Sky Blue FC (16), Chicago Red Stars (13), Saint Louis Athletica (13), FC Gold Pride (12)

Total Goals: 118 goals scored since WPS Inaugural Match on March 29, 2009 with an average of 2.12 goals per game.

Quickest Goal in League Play: 2nd minute of play, Eniola Aluko – Saint Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC (6/28/09), Kelly Smith – Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol (5/2/09)

Quickest back-to-back goals by one team: 2 goals in 3 minutes – 42 minute, 45 minute – from Marta in Los Angeles Sol vs. Sky Blue FC match (4/5/09)

Quickest back-to-back goals by both teams: 2 goals in 58 seconds – 46 minute, 47 minute – from Kacey White (NJ) and Lisa De Vanna(WSH) in Sky Blue FC vs. Washington Freedom match (7/15/09)

Most Goals in One Game by one team: 4, Los Angeles Sol 4-0 Chicago Red Stars (6/27/09), Washington Freedom 4-3 FC Gold Pride (4/26/09), Chicago Red Stars 4-0 Boston Breakers (4/25/09), and Sky Blue FC 4-4 Washington Freedom (7/15/09)

Most Goals in One Game by both teams: 8, Sky Blue FC 4-4 Washington Freedom (7/15/09)

Most Goals in a Game by a player: 3, Cristiane (Chicago Red Stars vs. FC Gold Pride – 7/12/09)

Penalty Kick Rates: 60% success rate, 6 out of 10 attempted

Longest Scoring Drought: 451 minutes, Chicago Red Stars

Scoring First Remains Key to Success

In Week 17, four of five teams that scored first won their games (all by 1-0 scores), continuing an amazing run of success this season for teams that open the scoring.

Teams that score first are now an impressive 42-1-8 this season (out of 56 total games).

WPS has had 5 scoreless ties this season.

One: The Magic Number

One goal makes a lot of difference in WPS match play. Twenty-eight of the 56 games (50 percent) played in WPS have been decided by just one goal.

Since the beginning of the season, 19 matches, or 34 percent, of the games played have ended in a 1-0 result. Just in the last week, four games ended with a 1-0 final score.

If you factor in ties, then 73 percent of games have gone down to the wire, decided by one goal or less. Only 27 percent have been decided by two goals or more.

Final Score Differentials
Games   Tie       By 1     By 2    By 3   By 4
56         13        28        13        0        2

Note: 50 percent won by 1, 23 percent won by 2, 0 percent won by 3, 4 percent won by 4, and 23 percent result in a tie

WPS Weekly: Tuesday, July 14

League Standings

Team                           GP      W L T         GF    GA  Points
Los Angeles Sol              17    11-2-4          24      6    37
Boston Breakers             16      7-6-3          17    16    24
Saint Louis Athletica       15      7-6-2          13    13    23
Sky Blue FC                  16      6-6-4          16    16    22
Washington Freedom      16      5-6-5          23    26    20
Chicago Red Stars         17      4-8-5          13    19    17
FC Gold Pride                15      3-9-3          12    22    12

Wednesday, July 15

Sky Blue FC 4, Washington Freedom 4
Boston Breakers 1, Chicago Red Stars 0

Saturday, July 18

Washington Freedom 1, Saint Louis Athletica 0

Sunday, July 19

Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago Red Stars 0
Boston Breakers 1, FC Gold Pride 0

The Weekly Forecast

Wednesday, July 22

St. Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC (8 p.m. ET)
Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, Fenton, MO

A huge game with playoff implications for both teams, although Sky Blue FC might come in with just a bit more desperation in hopes of putting some distance on fifth-place Washington Freedom in the quest for the final playoff spot.

St. Louis has already captured the season series between these two with a pair of one-goal victories in June and has a game in hand in the standings.

For St. Louis, it’s the start of a four-game homestand, where the Athletica have fared poorly with just two wins compared to their 5-3-1 road record.

Sky Blue is on the road for two straight games this week and will need continued strong performances by Kacey White, Natasha Kai and Kerri Hanks to break through the speedy St. Louis backline and put the ball in the back of the net.

Thursday, July 23

FC Gold Pride vs. Los Angeles Sol (10 p.m. ET)
Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Depending on Wednesday’s outcome between St. Louis and Sky Blue FC, the Los Angeles Sol will either go into this game at Buck Shaw Stadium as the WPS Regular Season Champions or will need to capture at least one point to clinch the title themselves and earn the right to host the WPS Championship at the Home Depot Center on Aug. 22.

Los Angeles has owned their northern California rivals this season with a 3-0 record and a 5-0 goal differential, but two of those games were very competitive, with FC Gold Pride having their chances on numerous occasions.

A win keeps FC Gold Pride’s slim playoff hopes alive, but a loss or tie means they could be eliminated officially over the rest of the weekend, pending other outcomes.

Saturday, July 25

Boston Breakers vs. Sky Blue FC (7 p.m. ET)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA

Perhaps no team has frustrated another team in the league more than Sky Blue FC has against the Boston Breakers.

The northeast rivals have played three times previously. And each time, Boston has come into the Sky Blue FC matchups ahead in the standings and with a three-game unbeaten streak, and each game Sky Blue FC has taken it to the Breakers with solid play and efficient defense. Only a late stoppage-time goal by Jennifer Nobis in the game July 12 at Harvard Stadium has even put Boston on the board, as Sky Blue FC holds a 5-1 edge in goals.

This time, Boston comes in with a two-game winning streak—important victories marked by savvy, veteran play from the Breakers, yet underwhelming play in their shaky second half performances, having been outshot by a whopping 22-3 combined against FC Gold Pride and Chicago Red Stars in the second halves.

A win by Boston would give them a WPS first: The first team to beat all six other WPS teams in the league. St. Louis had the chance to do that against Washington last week but came up short, while Los Angeles has yet to defeat Boston and plays the Breakers in the final game of the year on Aug. 9.


Sunday, July 26

Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Freedom (4 pm ET – WEB)
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

A loss by Chicago officially eliminates the Red Stars from playoff contention, while a victory by the Freedom will allow Washington to keep pace with the fourth and final WPS playoff position. A tie helps neither team much this late in the season.

Chicago’s 2-1 victory over Washington on July 1 was the first time in WPS history that a team came back from a goal down to win a game and ignited a two-game winning streak in early July that put the Chicago Red Stars back in playoff contention.

But two narrow 1-0 defeats, including a heartbreaking stoppage time loss to Sky Blue FC on Sunday, have put the Red Stars’ season on the brink—and they’ll need help elsewhere in the standings.

A win by Chicago would give the Red Stars the edge in the season series with Washington, while a win by Washington would square the head-to-head series at 1-1-2, but would give the Freedom the season tiebreak edge based on goal differential or away goals scored depending on the final scoreline.

Saint Louis Athletica vs. FC Gold Pride (6 p.m. ET – FSC)
Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, Fenton, MO

This is the second of a four-game homestand for Saint Louis, and the first national television game for WPS from Missouri, as the Athletica make their first and only home appearance on Fox Soccer Channel in the regular season.

The Athletica own a pair of narrow 1-0 decisions thus far in the season against FC Gold Pride, and the two will meet again on August 9th in the WPS Regular Season finale at Buck Shaw Stadium.

It’s a must-win for FC Gold Pride to keep any sort of playoff hopes alive, depending on the outcome of other games over the weekend.

On TV

The WPS Sunday on FSC match between the Saint Louis Athletica and FC Gold Pride will air on the Fox Soccer Channel on Sunday, July 26 at 6 p.m. ET.

WPS Weekly is published each week by the Women's Professional Soccer League public relations office and is excerpted by What's News of the Bleacher Report. What's News is the alternate profile of Todd Civin and is used to post press releases of the WPS, the AHL and the CanAm Baseball league. Todd Civin is a freelance writer for the Bleacher Report. Todd can be contacted for comment or hire at [e-mail]. His stories can be reprinted only with permission by writing to Todd at this address. Todd is also a supporter of A Glove of Their Own—the award winning children's story that is capturing the heart of the nation. Visit www.agloveoftheirown.com for details.