Athletica Acquires Welsh and Fletcher

Yesterday, WPS announced that the LA Sol had traded Christie Welsh and Kendall Fletcher to St. Louis Athletica in exchange for a conditional 2010 first-round draft pick* and a 2011 first-round draft pick.

Obviously with the injury to Daniela, Athletica had little choice in the matter. They needed a forward...and they needed it now. With the addition of Welsh, I really believe Athletica can make a solid run for the playoffs despite its current standing in the league. Welsh is a player that I've been following since her freshman year at Penn State. The first time I saw her play (while visiting my former teammate and PSU goalie Emily Oleksiuk) I realized what a workhorse Welsh was. She may seem somewhat low-key on the field -- at times you don't even see the work she is doing off the ball--but when an opportunity presents itself in front of the net, you better believe Welsh will convert.

Now, Kendall Fletcher, on the other hand, will be a great contribution to Athletica's back line. Fine by me if she takes over for McNeill. Yes, if you can't tell I'm still bitter about McNeill's shenanigans from her last performance! In all seriousness, Fletcher is a talent that will gel well with this team and a player Coach Barcellos should be thrilled to have on his roster.

Overall, I'm happy with the trade because it gives me hope for the future of St. Louis. Welsh and Fletcher weren't getting any minutes with LA Sol. Now, they have an opportunity to shine.

Saint Louis Athletica faces FC Gold Pride tonight at Ralph Korte Stadium on the Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville campus. Follow the game on MatchTracker.

*(The conditional 2010 first-round draft pick becomes a 2010 second-round draft pick if Athletica fail to finish the season as one of the top five teams in the WPS.)

WPS Weekend Recap

I didn't think it was possible, but indeed it is. I am even more psyched for the remainder of the WPS season! This past weekend we saw some of the most exciting soccer yet -- we had 11 goals, 2 saved penalty kicks and the opportunity to watch two games, instead of just one. (Thank you Chicago!)

Los Angeles Sol vs. St. Louis Athletica, 0-0

Alright, as many of you know I have two teams in this league that I support -- The Chicago Red Stars and St. Louis Athletica. I really felt like this week would be the week for St. Louie. Marta would be missing from the Sol's lineup (as would Camille Abily and Han Duan - all on national team duty), so this was the perfect time for Athletica to take out the no.1 team in the league.

The game started out pretty evenly fought, with St. Louis racking up 7 shots in the 1st half, LA 5. It was during the 2nd half when things really started to get exciting. In the 73rd minute, St. Louis defender Tina Ellertson, on a late slide tackle, took down Sol's Katie Larkin in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Aly Wagner took the kick for the Sol, but was denied by goalkeeper Hope Solo. (Hello, of course it was denied. Solo is the best keeper in the world. Sorry Jonsson fans!)

St. Louis continued to dominate, outshooting the Sol 10-3 in the 2nd half. In the 83rd minute, St. Louis had a chance to secure a win when Sol defender Allison Falk committed a handball in the box. Athletica midfielder Lori Chalupny took the penalty, but shot right down the middle and into the hands of LA keeper Karina LeBlanc. I mean if you have a free shot on goal, why not shoot right at the goalie? No disrespect to Chaloopa, I'm just frustrated that they remain scoreless after 3 games.

It's like a broken record with Athletica. They seem to outplay their opponents, yet can't find the net. I'd like to give my opinion on what's going on with the team, but I have yet to see them play. Luckily St. Louis will be on FSC next Sunday when they take on Washington (a team who, by the way, has been on Fox Soccer Channel 3 of the 5 weeks! What's up with that?)

Chicago Red Stars vs Boston Breakers, 4-0

During preseason I predicted that the Red Stars were going to take this league by storm. How could they not? They have the talent, and they have the magic that is Emma Hayes. It may have taken them a few games to get going, but this weekend the Red Stars found their groove and showed everyone why they are the team to beat.

Coming into the game, the Boston Breakers were ranked 2nd in the league. They also had the league's co-scoring leader in Kelly Smith. It was going to be a hard-fought game -- or so we thought. In the 21st minute Carli Lloyd opened up scoring for Chicago off a set piece from 25 yards out. (That's right, to all those critics who gave Lloyd a hard time, step off. She is back!) Then 20 minutes later, Chicago's Brittany Klein found Megan Rapinoe running into the box. Rapinoe received the ball, cut to her left and shot the ball into the upper left corner of the net. GOOOOAL! Three minutes later, teammate Karen Carney mimicked Rapinoe's shot, almost to a tee, and tallied the 3rd goal for the Red Stars. At halftime they broke out in song..."Anything you can do, I can do better..." (Ok, not really, but it's a fun mental image, no?)

When the 2nd half started, all were suprised to see that Smith was not in the game for the Breakers. Apparently Coach DiCicco didn't want to risk an injury to Smith if the game was that far gone for his team. In the 51st minute, Brittany Klein sealed the deal for the Red Stars by putting one in the back of the net. 4 goals against and no Smith -- it's a wrap for Boston.

The Red Stars were phenomenal. Coach Hayes has been trying all season to dominate in the final third and Saturday night they finally did it. Her team was aggressive in the attack, but also strong on defense allowing no goals against. LA watch out...Chicago is nippin' at your heals for that #1 spot.

For highlights of the Red Stars/Breakers game, click here.

FC Gold Pride vs. Washington Freedom, 4-3

In this season's most exciting game to-date we saw Abby Wambach return to scoring glory and we had Tiffany Weimer show us just how bright the future of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team really is. Wambach came into the match with the most shots on goal of anyone in WPS, but had failed to actually score. Well, that was the case...until the 18th minute when Wambach, off a free kick from Cat Whitehill, redirected the ball into the back of the net off her good ol' noggin. FC Gold Pride countered 12 minutes later when Tiffeny Milbrett scooped up a great ball from Tiffany Weimer and chipped a ball over the head of Freedom keeper KJ Spisak. The teams went into the half tied 1-1, but the score wouldn't stay that way for long.

In the 51st minute, Wambach took the ball down the left side of the field and served the most beautiful cross in front of the net. Freedom midfielder Lori Lindsay, who timed her run perfectly, effortlessly got a head on the ball and guided it past FCGP keeper Nicole Barnhart. Lindsey returned the favor minutes later and slotted in a well-placed ball through the Pride's defense for teammate Allie Long who finished strong. However, Gold Pride wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. FC Gold Pride answered with goals from Tiffany Weimer and Christine Sinclair to even things up at 3-3 in the 83rd minute.

Just when fans thought this game would end in a tie, things came full circle. In the 90th minute, with only seconds left, Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill finished the game just like they started it...connecting for a goal. With this win, the Freedom move up to 5th place, just below FC Gold Pride.

For highlights of the game, click here.

Highlights from SBFC - Sol Game

We finally have some footage from Sunday's game against Sky Blue FC and LA Sol, including Marta's two first-half goals.



(Video provided by LASOLFAN at the WPS Fancorner)

PreGame Pics of SBFC/LA Sol

This past Sunday, Sky Blue FC hosted the LA Sol at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ. Below are pictures from the pregame festivities. Enjoy:

California Teams Take Sunday

Los Angeles Sol 2, Sky Blue FC 0
For more info, check out my blog on OleOle.
I'll post some pics from today's game tomorrow. (had Twitterberry and camera issues today)

FC Gold Pride 2, Boston Breakers 1
I only saw the last few minutes, but what I will say is I REALLY enjoy watching Kelly Smith. She is tough as nails, and when the game is on the line she does everything in her power to get her team back on top. Did anyone see that foul in the 2nd half where she was practically bear-hugging a Gold Pride player to prevent her from getting to the ball? Haha. Love it.

As for as Milbrett's last-minute, game-winning goal. People say it's about being in the right place at the right time. I agree, but if you can't finish, it doesn't matter when and where you are. Way to be Millie!

Sol Outshines Freedom

In the first ever Women's Professional Soccer match, home team Los Angeles Sol defeated opponent Washington Freedom, 2-0, in front of a 14,832-person crowd in Carson, California.

Though Washington Freedom had the first shot of the game, it was the Los Angeles Sol that gained the early lead with a goal in the 6th minute. Off a great set piece by midfielder Aya Miyama, Sol defender Allison Falk was able to beat goalkeeper Briana Scurry midair and get a head on the ball to finish. I am confident the Scurry-of-old would have been able to break up that play easily, since the ball was actually in her hands, but a case of butterfingers surfaced and Falk jumped at the opportunity... literally. To quote WPS Fox Soccer commentators Mark Rogondino and Jenn Hildreth (who happen to be former keepers), "When in doubt, punch it out."

Throughout the first half, and much of the game, the Washington Freedom seemed to be slow on the attack and had very little movement off the ball. Freedom star player Abby Wambach only touched the ball a handful of times in the first 45 minutes. There were numerous times in the game when Wambach was the lone red shirt in a sea of Sol blue. She lacked support from her midfield and fellow forwards.

The best opportunity for the Freedom came in the 24th minute when Sonia Bompastor served a great ball to Wambach, who after a quick touch, blasted the ball toward charging Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. LeBlanc, who deflected the ball off her right leg, was later named player of the game by LA Sol General Manager, Charlie Naimo (via Twitter) for that very stop.

In the second half, Marta and her Sol-mates continued to dominate, however the Freedom seemed to come out of its shell...sorta. In the 49th minute, Freedom defender Cat Whitehill (the free kick specialist) served a great ball into the box. It caused so much chaos that four players went down, including LeBlanc. This left the net WIDE OPEN for Freedom's Lisa De Vanna, however her shot went over the crossbar. Doh!

The Freedom defense, anchored by Whitehill, was fairly solid throughout the game, however, Marta did catch them offguard on several occasions with fast-paced, creative runs and perfect through-passes. In the 87th minute, Marta proved to be too much of a challenge for Whitehill's warriors. During a Sol counter attack, started by Brittany Bock, Marta sent a beautiful ball to attacking Sol midfielder Camille Abily. Abily was able to draw Scurry out of the net just enough to easily chip the ball over her head and into the back of the net. Needless to say, that goal was the nail in the coffin for the Freedom.

The Los Angeles Sol will travel to Bridgewater, NJ on April 5 to face Sky Blue FC, while the Washington Freedom will take advantage of its week off to scrimmage the University of Virginia on April 4.

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Starting Lineups:

LA: 23-Karina LeBlanc (GK), 2- Kendall Fletcher (18-Katie Larkin, 46), 3-Allison Falk, 7-Shannon Boxx (Captain), 14-Stephanie Cox, 8-Aya Miyama, 11-Brittany Bock, 20-Camille Abily, 22-Manya Makoski, 9-Han Duan (13-Christie Welsh, 84), 10-Marta.

WSH: 1-Briana Scurry (GK), 4-Cat Whitehill, 11-Emily Janss, 21-Alex Singer, 22-Becky Sauerbrunn, 6-Lori Lindsey (3-Jill Gilbeau, 72), 8-Sonia Bompastor, 9-Allie Long, 10-Homare Sawa, 20-Abby Wambach (Captain), 25-Claire Zimmeck (17-Lisa De Vanna, 43).

Goals: Falk (6'), Abily (87')

For more stats on the game, visit the WPS Matchtracker.

Milly Released?

So a rumor has surfaced on the WPS Fan site that former US WNT player Tiffeny Milbrett has been released from the FC Gold Pride.

The rumor is based on the fact that Milly's name is no longer on the Gold Pride's online roster. (To be honest, I'm not sure if it ever actually was.)

The Gold Pride has a preseason game tonight against the LA Sol so we shall see...

(For Gold's sake, let's hope the rumor is wrong!)