2010 WPS Power Rankings: Week 17
This week, the Boston Breakers surge all the way to the top of the Power Rankings and have established themselves as a legit challenger to FC Gold Pride for all the marbles.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's poor form sees them relegated to the cellar as Washington snaps out of their slump.
Let's take a look.
Tony DiCicco's Boston Breakers could have done better without Philadelphia's Holmfridur Magnusdottir giving their momentum an about-face. Otherwise Kelly Smith and Company are doing the business with ease.
On Wednesday, August 4th, the Breakers faced the Atlanta Beat at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts and pitched a 2-0 shutout.
“We contained their attack, and I thought the second half we kept the ball and created a lot of chances,” DiCicco said after the match. “We probably could have gotten another goal. I’m very proud of the team; it was a good win.”
Kelly Smith single-handedly paced Boston to their seventh win of the season. It took just 40 seconds for Lindsay Tarpley to find Smith for her eights of the season.
61 minutes later, Smith again found space to sail one past the reach of Hope Solo to make it 2-0 Breakers.
"We're on a roll at the moment, it feels to good to be on a streak," Smith said after the game. "We're playing well, especially the second half, it’s probably the best performance of the season. We had some good possession and chances, we probably could have done more at the end."
Boston outshot Atlanta 11-10 and had five shots on goal.
Over the past week, Jordan Angeli was named WPS Player of the month for July.
"I couldn’t believe it, I was so excited I called my parents, and I got a little emotional," Angeli said after the match. "It’s been a great ride and I’ve had a great team that’s made it pretty easy for me to score goals, and great fans to keep me going. I can’t take all the credit. I’ve had a lot of help along the way."
Boston would need all the help they could get as the traveled to John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Independence.
Once again, the Breakers counted on the reliable foot of Smith in the 52nd minute to give Boston a well-deserved 2-2 draw with the Indies.
In the 25th minute, Lauren Cheney took a stab from distance to earn her fourth of the season, giving the Breakers an early 1-0 lead.
Boston outshot Philly 16-15, with eight shots on goal. Alyssa Naeher made six saves in the tie on Sunday night.
Next up for the Boston Breakers is a trip back to Soldiers Field to take on Sky Blue FC.
Kickoff at Harvard Stadium is scheduled for Sunday, August 15 at 6:00 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
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Albertin Montoya's FC Gold Pride seem to be running on complacency the past couple of matches. At Pioneer Stadium on the campus of Cal State East Bay in Hayward, California, the Lionesses of the East Bay (in their PUMA Project Pinks) settled for a scoreless draw with the Chicago Red Stars.
Kelley O'Hara and Christine Sinclair will rue their missed opportunities to bring three points to the Pride instead of just one.
In the 41st minute, Milbrett's delivery found O'Hara but her header was in the direction of Chicago keeper Jillian Loyden. In the 87th minute, a chance for Christine Sinclair was called back due to a foul on Shannon Boxx.
Sinclair pointed out the real reason why the Pride brought home the split.
"You can win 4-0 and the offense will get all the accolades," Sinclair said after the match, "but our defense has been rock solid all season and by getting the shut out, they're getting us a point."
At the helm of the defense was FC Gold Pride netminder Nicole Barnhart, who made five saves on Saturday. The Pride also tallied six corners.
"Every season has some ups and downs. Obviously you want to peak at the very end when you're going into playoffs and working toward a championship," said Pride Captain Rachel Buehler after the match. "Now we have things to work on and sort out before playoffs.
"It also puts pressure on the defense to make sure that we don't let up a goal and I think that's really important for us to deal with that pressure before heading into playoffs."
A home playoff game could have been guaranteed for the Pride had they won, but it will have to wait till next Saturday's match with the resurging Washington Freedom at Pioneer Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Paul Riley's Philadelphia Independence can't believe their bad luck over the course of the past week. Not only did they get ambushed by the Washington Freedom, but they settled for a draw with the Boston Breakers.
While the Indies still sit in second place, the past couple of matches should be a stern reminder that nothing should be left to chance.
On Wednesday, Philly got their comeuppance against the Freedom, losing 2-0 at the hands and feet of Abby Wambach.
It was nothing but frustration and futility for Philadelphia, who were forced to go on the defensive for a great deal of the contest.
"Today all four of our midfielders were bad on the same day unfortunately and we could just never get moving," Riley said after the match. "Amy Rodriguez didn't get good service and we didn't get good service to the front line.
"We made two catastrophic mistakes on the two set pieces and we paid the price."
Val Henderson made four saves in the defeat.
"I let the team down on my part," Henderson said following the match. "The Freedom have nothing to lose. They had to get themselves back in it. The season is by no means over."
At least not until late-September, Val.
Slinking back to John A. Farrell Stadium on the campus of West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the Indies were hoping to rebound against the Boston Breakers.
While Icelandic international Holmfridur Magnusdottir score a brace, it wasn't enough as Philadelphia settled for a 2-2 draw with Boston instead.
In the 28th minute, a free kick from Magnusdottir tied the game up at 1-1. Two minutes later, a shot from the top left corner of the 18-yard box bounced off the far post and in, giving the Independence a 2-1 lead.
The goals were the second and third of the year from Magnusdottir.
Philadelphia had 15 shots on goal but also chalked up 13 fouls. A yellow card on Magnusdottir means that she is suspended for the next match against the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.
Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Independence will then host their fellow expansion side Atlanta Beat for the last time this season on Sunday, August 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET at John A. Farrell Stadium.
Rick Stainton's Sky Blue FC were looking to get back to their winning ways, and they did it in tremendous fashion against the Atlanta Beat, winning 2-1 at Atlanta Beat/KSU Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. The win was Stainton's first as manager of the club.
“I know it sounds so cliché, but I truly mean it when I say that it’s not about me or our staff,” Stainton remarked following Wednesday's contest. “This is all about the players who are out there fighting for this team to win.
"As a coaching staff, we are just doing what we can to put them in a position to succeed. When that success comes, attribute it to the players who are putting in the work.”
Among the players who left their mark (literally and figuratively) were Laura Kalmari and Jenni Branam.
In the 44th minute, a delivery from Heather O'Reilly gave Kalmari her fifth goal of the season to make it 1-0 Sky Blue FC. The visitors benefited from an Atlanta own goal to make it 2-1.
Kalmari was a beast from the East in the net, to say the least, as she feasted on six saves against Atlanta. Sky Blue FC also tallied seven corners on Wednesday.
“We tell the players every day that all we can do is concentrate on ourselves as a team, and we shouldn’t be concerned with what other teams are doing,” Stainton added after the match. “We cannot control what other teams do, but we have complete control of the effort and performance that we put forth."
"As long as we go out there and play to the best of our ability every time we hit the field, we will be in a position for good things to happen for us.”
Up next for the defending WPS Champions is a battle with the resurging Washington Freedom on Wednesday, August 11 at Joe Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
They will then travel to Harvard Stadium to face off against the Boston Breakers on Sunday, August 15. Kickoff at Soldiers Field is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
Jim Gabarra got the reprieve he wanted, and it was badly needed.
After weeks without a win, the Washington Freedom broke through its shackles like Samson and tore down the columns of the Philadelphia Independence 2-0 at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Wednesday night.
In the seventeenth minute, Lene Mykjaland drew a penalty. Abby Wambach slotted home the ensuing conversion to make it 1-0 Freedom. The goal was Wambach's eighth of the season.
Wambach earned her ninth in the 41st minute of a set piece delivery by Cat Whitehill to make it 2-0 Washington.
Overall the Freedom outshot the Independence 14 to six with nine shots on goal. Washington also earned six corners.
"We have to play our best when it comes down to it," said a relieved Wambach after the match. "Our team made each other proud tonight. We have to come out and play hard all 90 minutes."
"It has become a recurring theme for us to sort of die in the second half and that was not the case tonight. We had a five game losing streak and we wanted to play with pride. We all had each other's backs and you could feel it."
Gabarra was similarly impressed himself by the resilience of his players.
"The bounces really went our way tonight," Gabarra said after the game. "We were ready to go out and really show that we are serious about winning and serious about playing the game."
Ashlyn Harris, who only had to make two saves the entire match, was also relieved.
"I'm very proud of everyone. All of the players made my life a lot easier tonight and I really appreciate it," Harris said after the match. "Tonight we showed a lot of grit and a lot of heart. That is why we came out with a win. I am thrilled and ready for the next game; ready to play."
That next game is against a Sky Blue FC side that looks to add another win to their column. Could this victory over Philly be the wake-up call Washington needs?
Kickoff at Joe Yurcak Field in Piscataway is scheduled for Wednesday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Freedom will then travel to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward for their last regular-season meeting with FC Gold Pride. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Omid Namazi's Chicago Red Stars will rue their wasted chance to steal three points against FC Gold Pride on Saturday at Pioneer Stadium. They left the Bay Area with nothing more than a scoreless draw and remain in fourth place by a hanging thread.
Chicago outshot FC Gold Pride eight to seven and have five of those on goal, but many of those shots missed the mark. Adding insult to futility, the Red Stars had seven offsides called against them.
It won't get any easier for Chicago, as they host a Philadelphia Independence club in need of a victory Kickoff at Toyota Park in Bridgeview is scheduled for Wednesday, August 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Well, it was fun for the Atlanta Beat to be out of the cellar while it lasted, but here they are at the bottom of the WPS Power Rankings this week with their playoff aspirations having taken a serious hit.
Old habits die hard.
It was not a week to remember if you are Gareth O'Sullivan, the Beat had no rhythm whatsoever as they sunk in the seas of futility once more.
The week of misery began when they took on the Boston Breakers at Harvard Stadium. A 2-0 defeat told the story, with the first goal scored just 40 seconds into the match.
Atlanta had 10 shots on goal but seemed to be stunned by the early salvo as they struggled to find the net at Soldiers Field.
"It’s unfortunate to give up a goal so early," Beat midfielder Lori Chalupny said after the match. "I feel like we were chasing the game from that point on. I thought we had some good moments in the first half but it wears on you after pushing to be getting a goal the whole game."
"It’s a shame because we definitely didn’t bring our best game tonight and it just doesn’t help matters when you let up a goal so early."
And it only got worse. The week from hell continued for Atlanta as they took on defending champs Sky Blue FC at Kennesaw's Beat/KSU Stadium.
Eniola Aluko score an equalizer 62 minutes into the contest, but Tina Ellertson threw away any chances for a comeback with an own goal in the 71st minute to give the Beat a 2-1 defeat.
Aluko's goal was her seventh of the season.
The Beat were not without their chances, having outshot Sky Blue FC 22 to six. But Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Jenni Branam's heroics added to what has been a frustrating season for Atlanta.
It couldn't get any more worse that this, now could it? Perhaps so.
Up next for the Atlanta Beat is another meeting with the Philadelphia Independence at John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester. Kickoff is scheduled for August 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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