Boston Breakers Can Clinch Playoff Berth This Weekend – With Help

The Boston Breakers can clinch a playoff berth this weekend as they return home to face northeast nemesis Sky Blue FC in WPS action Saturday at 7 p.m. (ET) at Harvard Stadium. A Boston win and a Washington loss on Sunday would clinch a playoff spot for the Breakers.

Sky Blue FC (6-7-4, 22 points) have been a thorn in the Breakers (7-6-3, 24 points) side this season, having won all three previous meetings. Two of those victories stalled Boston’s momentum as the Breakers had come into those matches on three-match unbeaten runs.

In fact, taking away the two losses to Sky Blue FC on July 4 and 12, the Breakers have won four straight and are unbeaten in five matches. This fourth and final meeting has added importance as the teams are separated by just two points in the standings and each occupy the final two playoff spots.

Last week’s win put the Breakers back in second place temporarily, but St. Louis Athletica regained that spot with a mid-week 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC. A win on Saturday would put the Breakers back in second with a one-point lead over Athletica, pending St. Louis’ match Sunday versus FC Gold Pride.

The Los Angeles Sol clinched the regular season title last night, meaning teams are now playing to host the Super Semifinal (August 18 or 19) as the second seed.

WPS Roundup

Standings

Team	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	+/-
z- Sol	11	2	5	38	24	6	18
Athletica	8	6	2	26	14	13	1
Breakers	7	6	3	24	17	16	1
Sky Blue FC	6	7	4	22	16	17	-1
Freedom	5	6	5	20	23	26	-3
Red Stars	4	8	5	17	13	19	-6
FC Gold Pride	3	9	4	13	12	22	-10

z- = Clinched WPS Regular Season title
y- = Clinched playoff berth

Breakers can clinch playoff spot this weekend with a win on Saturday and Washington Freedom loss on Sunday.  

Scores

Date	Home Team	Away Team	Score
Wed., 7/22	St. Louis Athletica	Sky Blue FC	1:0	Recap
Thu., 7/23	FC Gold Pride	Los Angeles Sol	0:0	Recap

What Else is Happening in the Women's Professional Soccer League?

Get Your Heather Mitts Bobblehead on July 25 Saturday's Breakers home game against Sky Blue FC is Heather Mitts Bobblehead Night! The first 1,000 fans in the stadium will receive a free limited edition Heather Mitts bobblehead. Gates at Harvard Stadium open at 6 p.m. and kickoff is at 7 p.m. for this key late-season matchup.

Vote Early, Vote Often for WPS All-Star Game Voting for the 2009 WPS All-Star Team began last Friday. Fans can vote up to twenty-five times using the online ballot on the Women's Professional Soccer website. The vote will end at 8pm ET on July 31. The 2009 WPS All-Star Game featuring the WPS All-Stars against Swedish league champions Umea IK is being played at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, MO, on Sunday, August 30th with kick-off scheduled for 5:30pm ET/4:30pm CT. The game will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel and regionally on select Fox Sports Net affiliates (check local listings) with coverage starting at 5:00 p.m. ET with a half-hour pre-game show prior to kick-off. A total of 18 WPS players will take part in the WPS All-Star Game with the Starting XI players selected through voting and the other seven chosen by the WPS Commissioner and the All-Star Game Head Coach. Players voted on to the Starting XI who are not available to play in the WPS All-Star Game will be replaced by the next-highest vote-getters at that position. The Starting XI will be made up of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards.

Photo Credit: David Silverman | DSPics.com

The above article was excerpted from a press release by the Boston Breakers and utilized by What's News as part of an agreement between the WPS and the Bleacher Report.

What's News is the alternate profile of Todd Civin, a freelance writer. He can be reached at [e-mail] for comment or hire.