Los Angeles vs. Chicago: A Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany)

T-15 minutes to kickoff: Hello everyone at Bleacher Report. Reporting here from my little one-man press box in West Long Beach to provide my insights on today's match.

As I look back on a quarter-century of being here, I also look back on what has been a magnificent season for the WPS Regular Season champions, the Los Angeles Sol. Today, they face the Chicago Red Stars at Toyota Park.

It will be a matter of pride for the Red Stars, under manager Emma Hayes. Already out of the playoff race, this final home game will be seen as a salute to a season that showed promise, but fell short of expectations in the end.

Take a look at the lineups...

LOS ANGELES SOL

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

23 LeBlanc

22 Makoski ---- 19 Nonen ---- 3 Falk ---- 14 Cox

6 Zerboni ---- 7 Boxx (C) ---- 8 Miyama ---- 4 Wagner

11 Bock ---- 10 Marta

Substitutes:

17 Bogus
20 Abily
9 Duan
18 Larkin
1 Henderson

CHICAGO RED STARS

Manager: Emma Hayes
Colors: Light blue tops, white shorts, light blue socks
Formation: 4-1-3-2

1 Jonnson

2 Dalmy ---- 24 Oakes ---- 13 Spilger ---- 18 Ostberg

6 Klein

14 Carney (C) ---- 10 Lloyd ---- 8 Rapinoe

11 Cristiane ---- 5 Tarpley

Substitutes:

7 Garriock
9 Adams
4 Dieke
3 Masar
23 Krzysik
12 Igwe
21 Vandenbergh

T-9: We have some fans at Studio City's Fox and Hound watching the match at Toyota Park on the tellies. Hello to you guys as well.

T-8: The Red Stars will be looking to shut down Marta, and Cristiane will be looking to upstars her fellow teammate with As Canarinhas.

T-7: LA have not been in form the past two contests, with a loss to St. Louis Athletica (who will host the Super Semi) and a draw with FC Gold Pride. Let's see if this 4-0 beatdown translate to some sensational plays from the visitors here in Bridgeview.

FIRST HALF START: 3:07 PM

1' - Here we go! Warning corner from Aya Miyama to start this contest.

2' - We got the drummers on loan from Section 8 providing background music. Here's McCall Zerboni, but no one open to tap home the pass.

3' - Oh man, and a dangerous ball from Marta. The Sol are coming after the Red Stars early. They want to silence those drums!

4' - Now here's Chicago. Megan Rapinoe could not get a good shot. Oh dear. Actually, if that counts as a shot I'm gonna be surprised. That's the epitome of how this year has been for Emma Hayes's club.

LeBlanc was beat, too. Here's the first corner for Chicago. Sharolta Nonen clears it.

5' - Corner number two for the Red Stars.

6' - Allison Falk could not clear that, and here's another corner for the Red Stars. Too long for Jill Oakes.

7' - Camille Abily is not going to be available for the Championship Game due to national team duty. First save for LeBlanc from Cristiane.

8' - Good tackling. Some questionable play by Marta on Jill Oakes, and our match referee, the lovely Kari Seitz, blows the whistle for a Chicago goal kick.

9' - Here comes LA again, and we have our first offsides of the match.

10' - That shot by Marta was not even close. The Sol need to work on their accuracy here.

11' - Offsides on Cristiane. Signs heralding Brittany Bock's return.

12' - Not a good shot from captain Shannon Boxx.

13' - Too much thinking from Marta, but Oakes's marking prevented that chance from being realized.

14' - Rapinoe, Lloyd and Ostberg reset. This is Cristiane, Manya Makoski marking her.

15' - Here's Brittany Klein, but her finishing went south.

16' - Jonsson had to come off her line for that clearance.

17' - Aly Wagner's chance well over the crossbar. That percussion throbs and throbs.

18' - Here's another corner for Chicago. Abner Rogers is a Tottenham Hotspur fan. Watch out, Arsenal fans!. LeBlanc's got that one. I have to say the percussion here is more consistent than the ones at Buck Shaw Stadium.

21' - Ball movement battle. Good defense in the box for Chicago. Marta should have done better. It's a corner.

22' - Abner Rogers has to be shaking his head, if not groan on the side. Here comes the Red Stars.

24' - GOAL! Chicago Red Stars # 10 Carli Lloyd Assist: 5 Lindsay Tarpley
And this is not what Los Angeles needs. But this was an exceptional play in the transition for Tarpley.

25' - The last thing Los Angeles wants is to let the floodgates open early.

26' - Only the second goal of the season for Lloyd. Where has this been all year?

28' - Chicago winning the possession battle. LeBlanc with another save on Rapinoe.

29' - Here's Stephanie Cox. The Sol offensive met by the Red Stars defense. Here comes Chicago.

30' - This is where the Sol will miss the likes of Camille Abily with the Women's Euro 2009.

31' - Los Angeles will need to find someone who can fill her shoes during this point in the season.

33' - Another missed chance for Marta, but Oakes clears that one. A corner for LA.

34' - Fourth corner of the game for the Sol. All these set piece opportunities have been stopped. Wagner should have done better on that shot.

35' - Jonsson has cleared that header. Another scream of frustration escapes my lungs as Aya Miyama wasted that chance.

37' - And here comes Chicago again. Tarpley misses that one. LeBlanc was beat.

39' - Foul on the Red Stars, and a yellow to Natalie Spilger.

40' - Another solid save from Caroline Jonsson. This has been the story, along with the Carli Lloyd score. That show for Karen Carney missed.

41' - Shannon Boxx back on the defensive, bails out the Sol, and the counter-attack puts the Red Stars on the toes.

42' - These angle shots have not been looking quite nice for both sides. Can't be pleased with that pass by McCall Zerboni if you bleed blue and gold.

43' - Another agonizing chance wasted by Marta. Gotta cool the nerves, hot shot.

44' - Abner Rogers is going to have to talk to this team. Now it's the Sol with a dry spell.

45' - One more corner this half for the Red Stars. Nothing doing.

Halftime

Chicago Red Stars 1
24' Carli Lloyd

Los Angeles Sol 0

If I was Abner Rogers, I'm telling my players, "Look, I know you have won the title, but please do not let the horses back in. Get the job done. This is not gonna look good when we host the Championship game. I've told you this throughout the season.

Hubert, Neil and I have been telling you the fundamentals all year: precise ball control, textbook passes and finishing, counter-attack and set pieces. What I am seeing so far is a performance unworthy of a championship club. Step it up. Your season depends on it."

SECOND HALF START: 4:09 PM

46' - Well, the Sol have been down before; can they wake up and come back this half? Early opportunity for Aly Wagner saved. Here comes Chicago.

47' - GOAL! Chicago Red Stars #5 Lindsay Tarpley Assist: #6 Brittany Klein
This is not what Abner Rogers was looking for at the beginning of the second half. The Red Star faithful are enjoying this. But the Sol fans can't be too enthused with this result.

49' - The Sol is 0-2-1 when trailing this season. And it doesn't look like they will be sneaking up on anyone.

52' - Wagner cannot find anyone, and it's a goal kick for Chicago.

53' - Another Miyama cross going south.

54' - Why hasn't Caroline Jonsson been making these types of stops the entire season. I mean, you'd think that Chicago would be in the hunt with that stop on Marta.

55' - This has to be frustrating for the visitors. And if you are cheering for Athletica, the Freedom or Sky Blue, take note.

57' - Actually, from this point forward, I will not be obligated to use Sky Blue FC's name in its entirety. If I choose to use just Sky Blue, I will.

It's out of convenience. You don't like it? Tough.

58' - And where is the help? No one on the receiving end of the crosses.

59' - Unacceptable and uninspiring play from the Sol. Here comes a substitution.

60' - Substitution Chicago Red Stars:

IN 23 Nikki Krzysik
OUT 2 Marian Dalmy

61' - The Sol seem to be treating this like a dead-rubber contest. I cannot see the mentality that has paced them to the top of the ladder.

62' - A shot by Chicago just goes over the top crossbar.

63' - Yellow to Nikki Krzysik.

63' - Substitution Chicago Red Stars:

IN 7 Heather Garriock
OUT 5 Lindsay Tarpley

64' - A corner for Los Angeles.

65' - Joke of a performance from Los Angeles. They are just giving this match to the Red Stars.

66' - Howler of a shot from Marta, missing the post AGAIN.

68' - Substitution Chicago Red Stars:

IN 3 Ella Masar
OUT 8 Megan Rapinoe

69' - That shot by Brittany Bock is the epitome of how this game has been for the Sol.

70' - A substitution will be coming for the Sol...times two.

71' - Substitutions Los Angeles Sol:

IN
9 Han Duan
17 Liz Bogus
OUT
19 Sharolta Nonen
6 McCall Zerboni

72' - 19 shots for the Sol...and no goals. The coaching staff will be addressing this.

73' - Here comes Chicago...great deflection off a chance for Cristiane, and Karina LeBlanc clears.

74' - Substitution Los Angeles Sol:

IN 18 Katie Larkin
OUT 4 Aly Wagner

75' - Corner kick by Miyama cleared. Chicago has been solid defensively today.

76' - Boxx's shot over the bar.

77' - Another clearance for LeBlanc. Here's another Red Stars corner.

78' - If this was the birthday present I was expecting from the Sol, I would have to throw it in the trash, because I wouldn't even want to touch it.

79' - Bock is cramping. Offsides Chicago. All signs are pointing to the first victory of the season for Chicago over Los Angeles.

80' - Albeit in terms of the playoff picture it comes too little, too late.

81' - I know the Sol faithful at the WPS Fans Corner will be venting over this. If this was an experiment by the Sol manager...

82' - I am making this phone call, "Dr. Rogers, the experiment today at Toyota Park was an abject failure."

84' - The Red Stars have been rock-solid in the box today. I am impressed, but again I wonder why we haven't seen this all year.

85' - Defensive solidification and the ongoing hunt for the next Camille Abily will be on the agenda when they face Boston. Another save for Karina LeBlanc.

88' - And another save for Jonsson. She is gunning for her fifth shutout of the season.

89' - GOAL! Los Angeles Sol #9 Han Duan Assist: #7 Shannon Boxx
Well, LA is not going to win this game, but this might give them some confidence heading into the final tune-up at Soldiers Field (a.k.a. Harvard Stadium) next week.

90' - Two minutes of stoppage time to be added.

90' + 2' - GOAL! Chicago Red Stars #11 Cristiane Assist #3 Ella Masar
7th goal of the season for Cristiane. And this is just rubbing salt to the wounds. Karina LeBlanc, bless her heart, she must the sickest goalkeeper in the Windy City right now.

90' + 2' - That should be it. And if you are a Sol supporter, please raise your hand if this was the worst perfomance we have seen from this team this year. If your hand is up, you are correct.

FINAL

CHICAGO RED STARS 3
24' Lloyd
47' Tarpley
90 + 2' Cristiane

LOS ANGELES SOL 1
89' Han Duan

I'm putting my money on Tokyo winning the 2016 Olympics. I knew that when Chicago was selected as the bid city we were in trouble, but this defeat just confirms that we are going to be screwed once more.