2009 WPS Power Rankings: Final Edition

What a year. What a season. What extraordinary history.

A few years after the Women's United Soccer Association folded, Women's Professional Soccer picked up the pieces.

Seven teams from seven different cities made a commitment to rekindle the dream to develop the women's game in a country with a tradition of producing some the of the best players in the world.

The journey to this championship started on a late March afternoon in Los Angeles, and the journey ended on a late August aftenoon in Los Angeles.

We have been treated to quality goals, stops and saves, and skillful ball movement. Fans have seen new rivalries emerge, old rivalries renewed and new heroes thrust into the limelight. And everyone on the Women's Professional Soccer team on b/r, the WPS Fan Corner, and other newspapers around the world are taking notice. It is a great time to be a fan of the women's game.

And of all these teams, Sky Blue FC, the reigning WPS Champions, write their place in history by topping the final edition of this season's WPS Power Rankings.

1. SKY BLUE FC

Ladies and gentlemen of Bleacher Report and the WPS Fan Corner, taking the number one spot in the final edition of the WPS Power Rankings is the feel-good success story of the season.

A team that went through two coaching changes and renewed vigor heading into the playoffs.

A team whose coach is also the team captain, and hoists a cup with a .500 record.

A team know as the New York/New Jersey Sky Blue Football Club of Piscataway, NJ, or simply, Sky Blue FC.

And now, Mr. Tony Bennett. Music please.

"I know I'd go from rags to riches
If you would only say you care..."

Okay Tony, you can go ahead and stop now...wait a minute, he's still singing? Anyway, it was only a few months ago when Sky Blue FC was slated to finish dead last in the league.

Little did we know that Matthew 20:16 was out in full force a day ahead of schedule (unless you happen to be in Rome when it all panned out): the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

Interpretation? Sky Blue FC went from not having too high of expectations of making the playoffs to winning the WPS Championship in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the Home Depot Center on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Yes, the people in the Garden and Empire States did care about Sky Blue FC making their own piece of history. Not only did they care, but they were surprised.

And so were we.

The people who watched their battles on the ground of Joe Yurcak Field were over the moon with Jenni Branam going off her line to make four key saves, and Heather O'Reilly escaping her mark to take home the delivery from Natasha Kai in the 16th minute.

From there, the Sky Blue FC back line held firm in preserving the clean sheet. They also outshot LA 12 to eight in the contest.

Rampone also becomes the first player/manager to lead her team to victory. I told you this season was historic.

“I think the intangibles won that game for us.” said O'Reilly, who won Championship Game MVP honors. “You never wish that you go through so may ups and downs that went through this season, but I thin kin the end its character building. I just think the fibers of this team are so close and so that that nothing was going to break us.”

Once again, congratulations to Sky Blue FC in going from worst to first in the WPS Power Rankings.

"My fate is up to you..."

All right, can somebody from security get Tony off the stage already? I'm announcing some rankings here. Sorry about the sound in the background, that's just Tony getting his, how can I say it G-rated...comeuppance.

There you go. Onward to the rest of the rankings.
2. LOS ANGELES SOL

If Saturday was a great day to be from Piscataway (whoa, that rhymes), it was a bitter day to don the navy blue and gold of the Los Angeles Sol.

Perhaps the Sol were having too much fun at practice. It could be the swagger that came from winning the Regular Season Shield.

It could be Kari Seitz's implied sympathy for the underdog. Or it could be that Los Angeles was that bad in all facets of the game.

Whatever the case, Los Angeles blew a big opportunity to finish their season off in the right fashion, losing 1-0 to Sky Blue FC at the Home Depot Center in the WPS Championship Game presented by MedImmune.

Manya Makoski may be wondering why her marking talent failed her on Saturday afternoon at the Toolbox. She had the tall task of marking Heather O'Reilly, and paid the price for blowing her assignment in the 16th minute.

To add salt to the wounds of horrid defending and open space, Allison Falk was sent off for pushing Natasha Kai in the 27th minute, denying her a chance to make it 2-0.

With the defeat, Los Angeles ends their season 12-4-5.

"Home field advantage be damned for all eternity," proclaim the association football gods with their deep-voiced vitriol dripping like poisonous venom from their sharpened fangs that weekend. For this season at least.

But then again, the Sol weren't the only ones that couldn't bring out the best in themselves during the 2009 WPS Playoffs.
3. ST. LOUIS ATHLETICA

Jorge Barcellos's Athletica played the role of spoiler in the Sol's final home game. In the end, that was as close to the Championship as they would go.

In spite of Hope Solo's performance between the pipes, Keeley Dowling's first-half winner ruined a chance for a return to the Toolbox on Wednesday, losing 1-0 in the WPS Super Semifinal.

Two factors decided St. Louis's fate at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park: a slow start and horrible finishing.

Sky Blue would make Athletica pay for their lack of production outside of Solo (who made four saves in the defeat) with a well placed shot by Dowling, set up by Yael Averbuch, in the 30th minute.

Athletica had their best shot to equalize in the 77th minute. A free kick outside the penalty area for Niki Cross missed the far left post. St. Louis again were left to rue at their wasted opportunities when a volley from Sara Walsh went over the bar.

For a team whose season saw them earn a consistent record of 10-4-2 after going winless their first four matches, this loss stung.

“It was my dream to bring a championship to St. Louis,” sair Barcellos following the match. “Sometimes it doesn’t happen the way you want it to but we have to keep our head high so we can win this championship next year…which I know we can do.”

4. WASHINGTON FREEDOM

Washington finishes in the middle of our Power Rankings for the year.

Jim Gabarra's Freedom may have had their way against Sky Blue FC in the regular season. But the latter and the First Round are different beasts in themselves, as testified by a Christie Rampone-led side intent for revenge at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

A 2-1 defeat saw Washington receive its comeuppance in a match that saw the Freedom only manage 12 shots and three on goal.

And Gabarra must be wondering, "How does a player/coach outcoach someone who was won WUSA and W-League titles? Mercy, I must be getting old."

All joking aside, the Freedom's form betrayed them today.

Erin McLeod made eight saves in the losing effort, givng up second-half goals to Natasha Kai (56') and Francielle (85').

Lisa De Vanna earned her seventh goal of the season in the 79th minute in the defeat.

Sonia Bompastor's presence was sorely missed Saturday. The French international was away with the national team for the Women's Euro 2009 championship in Finland.
5. BOSTON BREAKERS

Tony DiCicco's Breakers didn't start their season on the right foot with a 2-1 defeat to FC Gold Pride, but they proceeded to win three out of the next four matches.

Boston would go on to suffer the first of three dry spells, with only three points earned from a stretch of five match between May 10 and June 17. The Breakers were able to claw their way back into contention with victories over Chicago (2-0) and Washington (1-0), but proceeded to drop two straight to Sky Blue FC.

The resiliency of Boston, led by England international Kelly Smith and captain Kristine Lilly, saw them within touching distance of the playoffs with four matches to go.

Ultimately, this was the part of the season where the lack of production doomed their hopes. A draw against Sky Blue combined with three straight defeats eliminated Boston from the postseason.

“We feel pretty bad about it,” DiCicco said on looking back on the season. “I’m proud of the team. I thought the team did a lot of good things and got better, but we just never got the goal production that I thought we would get from certain players.”

Boston will need to find another striker from beyond the wave, as Republic of Ireland's Soldier's Song implies, to boost their chances. Can they get a striker from Germany (think: Birgit Prinz) or Sweden (Hanna Ljungberg)? Or will the English pipeline do? After all, they have Smith and Alex Scott.

Whatever alternative DiCicco chooses, an international player will be a top priority in the close season.

Finally, the top draft pick in the WPS Draft, Amy Rodriguez, scored only one goal this season and was not a factor. Can she prove herself in 2010? We will find out next March.
6. CHICAGO RED STARS

Emma Hayes's Red Stars will be wondering why May and June killed the Red Stars' chances of making the postseason.

After their biggest victory of the year-a 4-0 thumping of Boston, Chicago was only able to garner three points in nine matches. Ouch.

Cristiane may have also become the first player to have tallied a hat trick and goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson may have been the first to start every regular season match between the pipes, but the Red Stars will go down in history as having the longest streak of minutes without a goal - 451.

Four hundred and fifty-one game minutes without a goal.

Defensively, Chicago can use some help. The winds of change will blow for the Women of the Windy City with center-back Kate Markgraf joining the club next season after sitting out this year on maternity leave.

The Red Stars will also look to Brittany Klein and Cristiane to make an impact on Chicago performance next season.

“Every time I think she’s going to come up against a big opponent and is she is going to struggle with her size, she has proved the doubters wrong every time,” Hayes said on Klein. “She’s been an exceptional player for us all year.”
7. FC GOLD PRIDE

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. One of the most onerous campaigns for Albertin Montoya's Lionesses of the Bay was plagued by terrible finishing and lack of team speed.

These two factors were the culprits in a season which saw them earn only four points in a 11-game stretch which lasted from May 24 through July 26.

The first game in that dry spell, a 2-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Sol, saw defender Kandace Wilson separate her left hip while fracturing its socket while being pushed by Marta.

This was where things fell apart for FC Gold Pride. Without Wilson, the team speed decreased, and the Pride paid the price for being unable to hold back the firepower from the teams above them.

Two important objectives will need to be addressed to turn the ship around for FC Gold Pride: draft players with exceptional speed and reliable accuracy when making their shots from distance, and improve on their finishing.

“If you look at our stats, I think out of the 20 games we had this season, we outshot teams either shots or shots on goal in 15 of our 20 games," explained Montoya in an interview with WPS's Dan Lauletta. "When you do that, you think more often than not you would get a result that goes your way.”

And that wraps up the Women's Professional Soccer Power Rankings for 2009. I can't wait for 2010, when we get to do it all over again. Till then, thanks for reading.