SBNation.com User Blog: Lauren Barker

Sky Blue FC 2, Seattle 0: De Vanna, Adams Score as Sky Blue Tops The Reign

Lauren Barker — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:51:06 -0000

Sky Blue FC took on the Seattle Reign on Saturday night at Yurcak Field in New Jersey, the first meeting between the two teams in NWSL's short history. Sky Blue was looking for a win four days after grabbing a late lead and then giving up an even later equalizer against Chicago. Seattle, meanwhile, came to New Jersey winless in its first four, with only one point on the season - an opening weekend draw with the Red Stars. Kelley O'Hara returned to the starting lineup for Sky Blue and her presence seemed to be just the lift the Jersey side needed. Danesha Adams and Lisa De Vanna both scored for Sky Blue in the first half and Brittany Cameron kept the clean sheet to preserve the win and send Sky Blue into second on the table.

Just three minutes in O'Hara made her presence felt, sending a low shot just wide of goal. The Sky Blue striker/occasional defender missed the first half of Wednesday's match due to a calf strain, but on Saturday O'Hara was back at full strength and it showed. A more cohesive offense kept the Reign on its toes for much of the half. O'Hara had another shot go wide in the 9th minute, as Seattle struggled to get out of its own half.

In the 16th minute, the Reign's continuing dfficulty with clearing the ball was nearly disastrous. De Vanna's attempt at a shot from just about the six deflected to a nearby Sophie Schmidt, but her close range effort was too soft and caused little trouble for Seattle keeper Michelle Betos.

The disastrous defending wasn't all on Seattle though. Sky Blue goalkeeper Brittany Cameron made a few curios choices, and her indecisiveness nearly cost gifted Seattle two goals in the first frame. The first came in the in the 19th, when Cameron came well off her line to leave an open net for Kiersten Dallstream. Dallstream though held the ball for just a second too long, giving both Cameron and Christie Rampone time to recover.

Sky Blue's pressure relented slightly as the half wore on, but it was still the home side that broke through first. At the half hour mark Danesha Adams collected a deflection from a Chrisite Rampone free kick near the top of the box and sent a shot back past Betos and in. The 30th minute goal was the first of the season for Adams, and the first of the season for any Sky Blue forward.

Five minutes late Sky Blue doubled the lead, this time on a goal from De Vanna. The Australian striker, who also tallied her first of the season, stripped the ball from Seattle's Kate Deines and was in alone on Betos, slotting her shot past the Seattle keeper in the 35th minute.

Seattle nearly cut Sky Blue's lead in half just before the break. In the 45th minute Cameron again came well off her line, but was again indecisive in just how far she wanted to challenge the oncoming Jess Fishlock. Fishlock beat Cameron and had only the open goal in front of her, but fired her shot wide, slipping as she shot.

Seattle returned from the break with an increased focus, but the Reign still couldn't break through. The visiting side finally got its best chance of the match in the 68th minute, but Cameron was able to make a point blank save on a close-range shot from Dallstream.

Sophie Schmidt, who has a goal in each of the last three matches for Sky Blue, looked to make it four in four, first sending a 71st minute header over the bar and then sending another wide in the 77th minute.

Seattle got one more chance as time wore down, but Taylor Lytle was able to head the 87th minute chance off the line to preserve the clean sheet.

For Cameron, it was her second clean sheet in five matches. The win, combined with a Boston draw and FC Kansas City suffering its first lost of the season, put Sky Blue FC into second on the table, even on points with the first place Portland Thorns, who have played one fewer game - the Thorns play Chicago Sunday night. Sky Blue will face the Thorns on Thusday night in Portland, the first in a two game Northwestern road trip, which will also include a visit to Seattle three days later. Sky Blue doesn't return to Yurcak Field until June 1st, taking on the Boston Breakers for the first time this season.

Sky Blue FC-Seattle Preview: Three Questions as the Struggling Reign Come to Town

Lauren Barker — Sat, 11 May 2013 06:43:53 -0000

1. Where does the offense come from? Sky Blue has gotten some offense from a slightly unexpected place so far this season. The leading scorer isn't one of the target strikers, not Lisa De Vanna or Danesha Adams or Kelley O'Hara or even Monica Ocampo. It's been Sophie Schmidt, the Canadian midfielder, who's been Sky Blue's offensive powerhouse. Schmidt has three goals in four games, good for a tie for second in the league with fellow Canadian international and Washington Spirit midfielder Diana Matheson and Mexican international and FC Kansas City striker Renae Cuellar. Boston's Sydney Leroux leads the league with four goals on the season. Schmidt was responsible for Sky Blue's only goal on Wednesday night against Chicago, deflecting a Kendall Johnson cross past Red Stars' keeper and Canadian WNT teammate Erin McLeod to give Sky Blue the [very] temporary lead. Sky Blue's forward corps, on the other hand, has combined for a grand total of zero goals so far this season. It's not for lack of trying though. Only four players have more shots on goal this season than De Vanna, and Adams and O'Hara aren't far behind - all three are in the top ten in shots - it's just that not many have been quality chances. On Wednesday, with O'Hara held out of the first half due to a calf strain, Jim Gabarra fielded a forward line of Ocampo, De Vanna and Adams, and the trio never seemed to be quite on the same page. Ocampo tried to do too much, losing the ball to defenders over and over, Adams started shooting from ridiculous distances, crosses rolled back and forth in front of the goal with no one on the other end, everyone made runs that no one who had the ball seemed to notice them making. There is potential among the forward line, and O'Hara's presence in the second half seemed to give the Sky Blue offense a little more cohesiveness, and while some of the poor chances may have been due to a very wet field, much of the work was undone by some subpar finishing and a lack of communication. There have been moments where it's worked - Schmidt's goal against the Washington Spirit came from a smart ball from De Vanna - but Sky Blue will need to be on the same page more consistently, even against a Seattle team that's struggled so far this season, or Saturday could produce yet another disappointing result.

2. Because we have to talk about Jess Fishlock... The Seattle midfielder and Welsh international has turned a lot of heads in NWSL so far this season, but has it been for the right reasons? Fishlock leads the league in yellow cards with three, and is in the top three in the fouls committed category. She earned Player of the Week honors in week two for her performance against Portland, and while Fishlock did score Seattle's only goal in the 2-1 loss, most of the attention seemed to be a result of her hardnosed play. If Sky Blue can do enough to frustrate a Seattle side still looking for its first win and struggling to score goals, there's a lot of potential for some dangerous set piece opportunities. Those chances go up even more when you add Kaylyn Kyle to the mix. There's also a potential for the same thing to go the other way, and O'Hara, well, she isn't exactly the anti-Jess Fishlock. At the very least, look for some interesting midfield battles.

3. What about the defense? Seattle is hardly an offensive powerhouse. The bottom of the table Reign have netted just two goals on the season and don't have much in the way of target strikers. But Chicago doesn't either, and the Red Stars managed to cause plenty of trouble for Sky Blue on Wednesday. Most of that trouble came on the right side, home of Australian international Caitlin Foord. Chicago spent the majority of its attacking time on Foord's side, and was able to find plenty of defensive holes. The 18 year-old Foord showed some potential as an outside back who can get forward - she made a brilliant run from midfield to the six yard box, nutmegging a Chicago defender on the way, before nailing the underside of the crossbar with her shot - but as a defender, Foord still seems to be struggling with the speed of play in NWSL. The Western NY Flash was able to exploit Foord the same way a week ago. Gabarra does have the option of using O'Hara as an outside back, the position she plays with the UWSNT, but Sky Blue's offense, while maybe not producing a ton of goals, is far more dangerous with O'Hara as a part of it. On Wednesday, Foord did look more comfortable as the match went on, shutting down Chicago's Ella Masar on a second half breakaway, but Foord will have to keep that consistency, or the Reign could very well give Sky Blue some serious trouble.

Sky Blue FC-Western NY Flash Preview: Three Questions For the Battle of the Hometown Heroes

Lauren Barker — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:33:57 -0000

Sky Blue FC kicks off its inaugural NWSL campaign with a visit from the Western NY Flash on Sunday night at Yurcak Field in New Jersey. The Flash, fresh off three consecutive titles in three different leagues, finally has the player they've always wanted in Abby Wambach. Sky Blue FC has a hometown hero of its own as center back Christie Rampone returns to the Blue and Orange, plus a new look offense that's faster and more aggressive than ever before. But will that be enough to take on one of the best strikers in the world, or will Wambach and Co. spoil Sky Blue's home debut?

1. Has Brittany Cameron been kept in a secure room, packaged in bubble wrap? The Sky Blue FC goalkeeping curse is real, and it's already claimed one goalkeeper this season. U.S. National Team allocatee and Vineland, NJ native Jill Loyden broke her hand while training with the USWNT earlier this year. Goalkeeping curse aside, the real question is how Cameron will stack up as a starter. A veteran of WPS and WPSL Elite, Cameron has been to four championship games in four seasons, with three different teams, in two different leagues, winning three titles. But she was on the field for just one of those matches, last season's WPSL Elite championship, when she claimed the title as a member of the Flash. Before that, Cameron was the Flash's backup when they won the WPS title in 2011. And before that, she was the backup when FC Gold Pride won it in 2010. And before that, the third stringer for the L.A. Sol, who lost the 2009 title game to Sky Blue FC. Cameron has trained with some of the best strikers in the world - Marta was a member of three of those four teams - but she's never really been tested as a long-term starter professionally. As a two-year member of the Flash, Cameron knows something of the opponent - and striker (and former Sky Blue player - it's all very complicated!) Adriana, but now she'll have to deal with Abby Wambach, and Samantha Kerr too. And with a Sky Blue back line that's not exactly the picture of experience, Cameron could have a busy day and a chance to prove herself very early in the season.

2. And about that defense... The Flash has Abby Wambach. This is not a secret. Wambach is also one of the best strikers in the world, which is also not a secret. And because of all these non-secrets, it would be very easy for a young, relatively inexperienced defense to fall into the trap of Wambach Tunnel Vision. One-time Sky Blue FC captain and player coach Christie Rampone returns to her hometown club to anchor the back line, but she'll be surrounded by a mix of internationals without any considerable professional experience and recent college grads, without any professional experience considerable or otherwise. Australian international Caitlin Foord has some experience playing in that country's W-League, and has a dozen caps for Australia under her belt, but she's still only 18 and making the jump to an American pro league, which, if WPS was any indication, is a very different thing. There's also Canadian international Melanie Booth, a veteran of this continent's W-League, but Booth too never made the jump to WPS and has played for Canada only sporadically. But back to Wambach. The 2012 World Player of the Year has a history of becoming frustrated and ultimately virtually invisible when too much of the defensive focus gets pulled toward her. But too much focus on Wambach, if Sky Blue works too hard to take her out of the game, it will be at the risk of leaving the very crafty Adriana with a ton of room to work, which could be real trouble for Sky Blue. Of course, Jim Gabarra has the option of adding a little experience to that back line with Kelley O'Hara, but if preseason is any indication, the Sky Blue coach would rather have O'Hara scoring goals than trying to prevent them.

3. Sky Blue has an offense that will certainly produce yellow cards, but can they manufacture some goals too? Sky Blue FC is not a team that is, historically speaking, very good at scoring goals. The good news? Western NY isn't particularly deep in either the goalkeeping or defense departments. Adriana Franch, who's made a few appearances in net for the U.S. U-23's, was picked up by the Flash in first round of the college draft in January. Western NY's other keeper is the equally inexperienced Pamela Tajonar, who has ties to the team trough a stint with the W-League version of the Flash in 2010 and made a pair of appearances for Swedish side LdB Malmo in 2011. If Sky Blue can manage to get some half-decent shots off, the Flash could have a problem. Australian international Lisa De Vanna will be Sky Blue's not-so-secret weapon, and could cause all kinds of trouble for a Flash defense that's also not particularly experienced. The Flash have former Sky Blue captain and perennial member of the WPS All-Underrated Team Brittany Taylor anchoring the back line, but between the very fast De Vanna and Kelley O'Hara, who's already netted two goals in a preseason game against Boston, and without much support, Taylor will have her hands full.

USA vs. Iceland Preview: It's Algarve Cup time

Lauren Barker — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:38:30 -0000

The United States Women's National Team will take on Iceland on Wednesday at Municipal Stadium in Albufeira, Portugal to open its 2013 Algarve Cup campaign. The U.S. finished third in last year's tournament, topping Sweden 4-0 on the strength of an Alex Morgan hat trick. Iceland finished sixth in 2012, losing 3-1 to Denmark in the fifth place match. The U.S. and Iceland last met in the 2011 Algarve cup final, with the U.S. taking home the top spot in the tournament with a 4-2 win.

In addition to Iceland, the U.S. will face China and as well former head coach Pia Sundhage's Sweden team for the first time since Sundhage left the USWNT last fall, in Group B. Group A consists of Denmark, Germany, Norway and Japan, and the top three teams from each group will meet in the final, third, and fifth place matches next week. A third group, made up of Hungary, host Portugal, Mexico and Wales will compete for seventh through twelfth places. The fourth place team with the better record from Group A or B will take on the winner of Group C in the seventh place match, while the second place finisher in group C takes on the other fourth place team from Group A or B in the ninth place match. The bottom two teams from Group C, who are the only ones left if you've followed The World's Most Complicated Word Problem/Tournament Seeding, play for 11th and 12th place.

The USWNT and Iceland have met twelve times, the three most recent of those matches all in the Algarve, and the U.S. is 11-0-1 all time against Iceland, scoring 35 goals and allowing just six. Iceland hasn't played a match since October, when they defeated Ukraine in a two-leg playoff for a spot in the 2013 Euros. The U.S. meanwhile, is coming off a pair of friendlies against Scotland last month, and the 23-player roster Tom Sermanni is bringing to Portugal isn't much of a departure from the squad that appeared in those matches.

One notable omission is Hope Solo, who is out with a wrist injury. Sermanni will bring Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden and the still-uncapped Ashlyn Harris to Portugal. Harris has been to the Algarve twice before, but never saw the field under Sundhage. This could change under Sermanni, who was handing out first caps like Halloween candy in his first two matches in charge. And speaking of first caps, while Sermanni relied heavily on the Scotland roster for his Algarve Cup squad, he did make one addition, forward Lindsey Horan. The 18-year-old striker decided to forego college soccer to sign with PSG in France, where she has 10 goals in 13 appearances. Horan will add more depth to an already deep striker corps.

Of course, strikers are hardly the problem for the USWNT. In addition to Horan, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Christen Press and Abby Wambach should all see time in Portugal. With 153 career goals, Wambach is just 5 shy of Mia Hamm's all-time record of 158, but Iceland's physical game could limit Wambach's impact. In particular, WPS fans may remember Hólmfríður Magnúsdóttir, once of the Philadelphia Independence and many crushing tackles. The Iceland midfielder also has 30 goals for her country. The U.S. will have to rely heavily on the speed of Morgan in particular for offense, and Leroux should be a good weapon off the bench after a less than impressive run as a starter against Scotland. Press, who was impressive in her first two caps, will have more of a test against a more physical Iceland side, but club experience both in WPS and Sweden should help in that department.

One of two real questions for the U.S. though, is if that attack will have any link to the rest of the team. The disjointedness that often plagues the U.S. midfield is something Iceland will surely take advantage of, and while Sermanni has been willing to tinker, don't expect a total overhaul just yet. We could see Yael Averbuch though, who unlike Lloyd and her penchant for trying to do it all, understands the role of a playmaker, something that could prove valuable against a team that will certainly stop anyone that tries to just dribble through all of everything.

The other question is the U.S. defense, which remains a work in progress. The return of Ali Krieger certainly helped, but there's still a big something lacking in the organization department, and that something probably isn't going to be fixed against Iceland. In addition to Krieger, Sermanni has a few options in relative newcomer Whitney Engen and actual newcomer Crystal Dunn, as well as usual suspects Christie Rampone, Rachel Buehler, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn, so expect some tinkering here too, especially with six subs allowed in each match.

The match kicks off at 9 a.m. eastern and is available on Pay-Per-View through Integrated Sports. Fox Soccer will re-air the match at 9 a.m. eastern on Thursday.

USA vs. Scotland: Some good, some not so good in Tom Sermanni's first two matches

Lauren Barker — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:35:43 -0000

New year, new coach, and even a few new faces in the lineup. The United States Women's National Team kicked off 2013 with a pair of wins, 4-1 on Saturday and 3-1 on Wednesday, against Scotland. New head coach Tom Sermanni wasn't afraid to dive deep into the USWNT player pool, handing out four first caps and bringing back a handful of players not seen in a U.S. jersey since the team was wearing those weird nurse's outfit kits.

The Good: First caps for everyone! Christen Press, Kristie Mewis and Julie Johnston all earned their first caps on Saturday. Crystal Dunn got hers in Wednesday's match. Press was the most, well, impressive, starting the match in Jacksonville and netting two goals in her debut and another in the second match. On Saturday Press scored in the 13th and 32nd minutes, the first goal a hard shot from the 18 off a failed Scotland clearance and the second a header from a long Tobin Heath cross which found Press open at the back post. The 24 year-old added her third career goal on Wednesday, picking up a Shannon Boxx through ball just three minutes after entering the match, and putting a shot easily past Scotland keeper Gemma Fay.

More Good: Ali Krieger returned to the lineup for the first time since an ACL injury in January of 2012. Krieger played all 90 minutes in her return, and moved well on the flanks in both matches, a positive for a team that's been lacking mobile outside backs. Also returning was Yael Averbuch, who last played for the U.S. in 2011 before apparently falling out of favor with Pia Sundhage. Averbuch came on in the 66th minute on Saturday and while she certainly showed a little rust, she also showed herself as a solid option as a playmaker. Averbuch rang a 35-yard free kick off the crossbar in the 76th minute and earned an assist on Sydney Leroux's 89th minute goal, with a long ball that looped over the Scotland defense for the speedy Leroux to collect and put past Fay. Whitney Engen also returned to the lineup, going 90 on Wednesday night alongside Rachel Buehler in the center of the U.S. defense. Engen had a few shaky moments, including a misplayed ball that nearly resulted in an own goal, but she was also making just her third appearance for the USWNT.

The Not So Good: Abby Wambach was mostly invisible on Wednesday. Honored for her 200th cap before the match, Wambach did little in the way of threatening the Scotland defense. Sure, she scored the 153rd goal of her career and is now just five behind the record set by Mia Hamm, but aside from that diving header in 51st minute, Wambach was mostly a non-factor. Perhaps it was that Alex Morgan was missing on Wednesday. Morgan went down with an ankle injury just before halftime in Saturday's match. U.S. Soccer says she's fine, and was held out on Wednesday only as a precaution. Morgan and Wambach have become a dangerous scoring threat together, one pulling defenders and wrong-footing keepers to leave the other one open has become the M.O. of the U.S.'s offense over the past year, and Morgan's absence - and the absence of all those assists - left the rest of the attack obviously disjointed.

The Also Not Good: Sydney Leroux earned her first start on Wednesday night, and never looked quite right. Leroux did have that assist on Morgan's goal, but otherwise didn't look quite ready to make the transition from super sub to starter. The U.S. in general seemed unable -and unwilling - to do anything with all of the space Scotland was giving up in front of goal. Megan Rapinoe scored in the 21st minute with a curling outside of the foot shot, but had all the time in the world to settle the ball and set the thing up just a few yards from goal, but the U.S. otherwise mostly failed to take advantage of being in front of goal with all the time in the world.

The Really Not Good: The defense looked all kinds of disjointed too. Chalk it up to Sermanni's tinkering, or rust, but on Wednesday in particular, the defense and midfield often seemed asleep at the wheel. Rachel Buehler and Hope Solo both seemed to be off in dreamland on Suzanne Grant's 81st minute goal, Engen had that aforementioned near-own goal, and most notably the U.S. had the same problems with clearing the ball that have plagued the team since the World Cup. The midfield allowed Scotland too much space, and the whole thing seemed disconnected from the start. If not for Scotland's poor finishing and unwillingness to take the chances given to them, the score likely wouldn't have been quite as one-sided.

All in all, the U.S. managed to put up seven goals, and allowed just two. And while there are problems - particularly in the continually revolving door of defenders - Sermanni used a pair of mid-February friendlies in a year without any major competition exactly the right way. The new coach used 24 of the 29 players he called into camp, a welcome departure from the unchanging USWNT lineups so prevalent under Pia Sundhage. Sermanni's side will have a bigger test in next month's Algarve Cup, where they're scheduled take on China, Iceland and Sundhage's Sweden side in group play. Germany, Japan, Norway and Denmark make up the other group, and the winner of each will meet in the final. A third group, not in contention for the title, includes host Portugal, Mexico, Wales and Hungary.

USA vs. Scotland preview: Tom Sermanni time starts now

Lauren Barker — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 19:29:08 -0000

The Tom Sermanni era will officially kick off Saturday afternoon, when the U.S. Women's National Team takes on Sermanni's native Scotland in a friendly at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The match will be the first for the team with Sermanni at the helm, and the first since completing the Fan Tribute Tour in December. The USWNT has been in camp in Jacksonville since last weekend and will face Scotland again on February 13th in Nashville, before heading to Portugal for the Algarve Cup in early March.

Sermanni's 18-player roster for the match, much like the group of 29 he called up for the camp, relies heavily on names made familiar during the reign of Pia Sundhage, but also gives the nod a couple up-and-comers. Three uncapped players are on Sermanni's game day roster; defender Julie Johnston, midfielder Kristie Mewis and Forward Christen Press.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo will miss the match with a minor calf strain, making Nicole Barnhart the obvious choice in goal. Barnhart made three appearances as a second half sub during the Fan Tribute Tour, but hasn't started in nearly a year. Her last start came on March 7, 2012, when she earned a clean sheet as the U.S. topped Sweden 4-0 in the third place match of the Algarve Cup.

The USWNT's back four will be the thing to watch, as the team begins life - at least for a little while - without Amy LePeilbet, who's due to miss considerable time to have ACL surgery. The team will also be without Rachel Buehler for the match. The good news, Ali Krieger is back. Krieger, who tore her ACL during the first match of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in January of 2012, had been playing with now-former club team FFC Frankfurt in Germany, but hasn't suited up for the USWNT since the injury. Johnston, who won the Bronze Ball in the 2012 U-20 World Cup, could earn her first cap alongside Christie Rampone in the center of the defense. Sermanni's time at the helm of the Australia WNT was full of first caps for young players, and a match against the 23rd-ranked Scotland could be the perfect opportunity for some long-awaited new blood in the USWNT lineup.

Speaking of new blood, the midfield probably won't have any. Megan Rapinoe will miss the match after arriving late to camp due to club commitments with Olympique Lyon in France, but otherwise, expect all the usual suspects, at least in the first half. Yael Averbuch, who hasn't played for the USWNT since January of 2011 offers an option for Sermanni off the bench.

The USWNT will also be without the pregnant Amy Rodriguez, but Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach have been doing just fine without her. The uncapped Press was a teammate of Wambach's at magicJack in WPS, and has been playing in Sweden since the league's demise. Press was the Damallsvenskan's second-highest scorer in 2012, but commitments in Sweden and a certain Swedish coach have kept her mostly out of the USWNT picture, although she was an alternate for the 2012 Olympics. Press should get a chance to prove herself against Scotland, and Sermanni also has Sydney Leroux. For now though, the focus will be on Wambach, whose 152 career goals leave her just six shy of the record of 158 set by Mia Hamm.

The USWNT has played Scotland just once before, and 8-2 win in Columbus, Ohio, in 2002. Wambach and Hamm both had hat tricks in that match. Scotland last played in October of 2012, losing to Spain in a playoff match for the 2013 Euros. Midfielder Kim Little was a member of the Great Britain side that competed at the 2012 Olympics and has 26 goals for Scotland. All of the players on the Scotland squad for the match against the U.S. play in Europe. Other than Little, Scotland's most notable scoring threats will be Jane Ross and Suzanne Grant. Defender Ifeoma Dieke, who played for Chicago Red Stars and Boston Breakers in WPS isn't on the roster for match due to injury.

The absence of two Amys: Rodriguez and LePeilbet sidelined for months

Lauren Barker — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:34:22 -0000

Over the final three years of Pia Sundhage's time at the helm of the United States, there were many - maybe too many - constants; Abby Wambach scores goals, Carli Lloyd passes to the other team (but did you know she scored the winner in the 2008 gold medal match?), lots of clapping, to name a few. But the two most glaring of these constants were things the opposite of constant.

One was Amy Rodriguez, a starting striker whose play, particularly her ability to score goals, was anything but regular. The other was the U.S. backline as a revolving door, always containing some familiar parts but very much looking like those parts had been selected by Sundhage pulling the lever on some slot machine-like device with the faces of a dozen or so players where the sevens and cherries would be if this machine was in a Vegas casino instead of an office in Chicago.

Inconsistency aside though, Rodriguez seemed to keep reappearing. As did Amy LePeilbet, whose face started popping up regularly on Sundhage's little machine in 2009. But now, as the USWNT heads into its first camp under new head coach Tom Sermanni, Amys LePeilbet and Rodriguez will both be absent. Rodriguez is pregnant with her first child, while LePeilbet has a torn ACL. But with Rodriguez slowly sliding down the striker depth chart and LePeilbet part of a defensive corps whose numbers continue to grow; will the USWNT really miss them?

Well, as for Amy Rodriguez - probably not. Rodriguez never quite lived up to her billing, netting just 26 goals in 102 appearances. A regular starter under Sundhage, Rodriguez frequently used her speed to get into dangerous positions, but often had trouble converting anything but field goals. And at first, Rodriguez' job never seemed to be under any kind of threat during the Sundhage era. Sundhage was notoriously steadfast in her lineups and camp rosters - keeping the USWNT striker pool dangerously shallow for much of her time at the helm. But then came Alex Morgan, and as much as Sundhage tried to ignore the rise of the one they call Baby Horse, Morgan couldn't be ignored forever. For as long as Sundhage kept her as "super-sub," Morgan kept proving that Alex Morgan Time needed to be longer than those final 15 minutes. Rodriguez meanwhile, spent her time frustrating, grabbing a few goofy rebounds and goals from inside the six. Eventually, it had to happen. Morgan took her place alongside Wambach in the XI; Rodriguez became the second half sub. But A-Rod continued to fade away. After Morgan came Sydney Leroux, and now there is no more Pia.

Now there is Tom Sermanni, a guy who made a name for himself as the head coach of the Australia WNT, and has a reputation for giving younger players a shot on the full team. Sermanni's first camp roster, perhaps not surprisingly, gives a nod to that mentality, but still relies heavily on the names Sundhage made us remember. The forwards on Sermanni's list for Jacksonville aren't all that surprising; Leroux, Morgan, Wambach, and the still unproven Christen Press. With Rodriguez now absent, Sermanni has added recent first pick in the NWSL draft Zakiya Bywaters to the camp. And that's the problem for A-Rod. Rodriguez was already sliding down the depth chart before Sermanni, her starting spot rightfully claimed by Morgan, Morgan's super-sub role claimed by Leroux. Now there is Press, Bywaters, Sermanni's penchant for youth. By the time Rodriguez is ready to come back (she's reportedly due in August) she may have already been left behind.

The answer on LePeilbet on the other hand, is more complicated. Where Rodriguez is a forward who often couldn't score goals while playing at the position of forward, LePeilbet is a center back who often couldn't defend while playing the position of outside back. Despite earning her first cap in 2004, LePeilbet didn't become a regular until late 2009. LePeilbet had impressed Sundhage with her play for WPS's Boston Breakers and with Christie Rampone injured and then on maternity leave at the end of 2009, LePeilbet was the obvious choice. She slotted in seamlessly alongside Rachel Buehler in the center of the defense, but when Rampone returned to the starting lineup in October of 2010, Sundhage got the magic slot machine, and things got complicated.

Sundhage was determined to keep Rampone, Buehler and LePeilbet, all center backs, in the starting eleven. And so the grand experiment of Buehler or LePeilbet at outside back began. When Becky Sauerbrunn got added to the mix, well, then things got really complicated. Injuries, retirements, club commitments and players falling out of favor allowed Sundhage to keep the experiment going. And it never quite worked out for LePeilbet. A two-time WPS Defender of the Year winner, LePeilbet was one of the game's best and most consistent center backs. But on the outside? LePeilbet never quite looked comfortable. Fish out of water, left to flounder, other marine animal metaphors.

So will the USWNT miss LePeilbet? Right now, probably not. Sure, with 84 caps LePeilbet is something of a veteran presence, but she and Buehler sort of made each other excess parts. Rampone's still around after 276 caps and Buehler and her 98 appearances is a more than fine option alongside the longtime captain. Ali Krieger is in her first camp since an ACL injury of her own a year ago. Sauerbrunn turned down the Unshakeable Consistency sleeves, but she's wearing the Unshakeable Consistency hat, and it fits like a glove. Converted outside back Kelley O'Hara is slowly shedding whatever marine animal metaphors she brought to the position, Heather Mitts took back that whole thing about retiring, and Sermanni has added Whitney Engen, Julie Johnston and Crystal Dunn to the list of usual suspects for the Jacksonville camp.

The question is whether LePeilbet, like Rodriguez, will get left behind when she's ready to come back. Where Rodriguez' contribution was easy to assess in numbers - and yes, there are other factors, but Morgan and Leroux have proven their worth here too, often pulling defenders away from Wambach or vice-versa - LePeilbet's contributions can't be calculated in quite the same way. Sure, there are goals against and shots allowed, but it's a less tangible thing than a forward who either scores goals or doesn't. Much of what LePeilbet's future will be depends on Rampone, who's 37 and still two years away from the next major tournament, and of course, on Sermanni, and just how much youth he's willing to bring in.

USWNT vs. China Preview: The Tribute Tour finally rolls into the station

Lauren Barker — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 17:45:43 -0000

The U.S. Women's National Team will close out 2012 and the Fan Tribute Tour with three matches against China, starting on Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit before heading to Houston on December 12th and finishing up on December 15th in Boca Raton, Florida. The two teams last met in May, when the U.S. topped China 4-1 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on the strength of an Alex Morgan brace, a goal from Abby Wambach and a China own goal.

The U.S. has been rolling through this tour, the only real challenge coming in a pair of matches against Germany that both ended in draws. The rest of the opposition - Costa Rica, Australia and the Republic of Ireland - has been made up of teams well into the double-digits of the FIFA Rankings, Australia the only exception at ninth. China is no different. Currently sitting at 17th in the world, this China side is a far cry from the powerhouse sides of the late nineties. It was China that took the U.S. all the way to penalties in that famous 1999 Women's World Cup final, but it was definitely not this China, which failed to even qualify for the most recent Women's World Cup. But despite all that, the U.S.'s recent matches with China haven't always been easy exactly.

Unlike the Ireland side that the U.S. rolled over a few weeks ago, China is organized and known for playing a more technical game. In the entire of history of the two teams meeting, dating back to the first time in 1986, the U.S. has beaten China by more than two goals just five times in the 46 matches played. Before the 4-1 win in May, the U.S. topped China 2-0 in China in the 2011 Four Nations Tournament. And before that? Before that was October 6, 2010. Before that was the night Alex Morgan Time was born. On that night, also a friendly, also at PPL Park, China's Ma Jun scored in the 37th minute and the visitors kept the U.S. from doing much of anything to get back into the game. But then, in the 71st minute, Alex Morgan, still in college and the team's youngest player, entered, earing what was then just her third cap. And twelve minutes later, with the U.S. and the 2,505 people in attendance staring down the very real possibility of the end of the USWNT's since 2004-domestic unbeaten streak, Alex Morgan did what Alex Morgan now does regularly. In the 83rd minute, Morgan got on the end of an Abby Wambach header and sent the ball sailing past China keeper Zhang Yanru for the equalizer. It was Morgan's first international goal. Two years later, Morgan is a regular starter, with 38 goals in 55 appearances.

The U.S.'s relative struggles against China could very well make an appearance in these matches too. It's the end of a very long year for the USWNT, one that will finish with a total of 32 matches played, the most since the 36 played in 2008, and with the final three coming in a span of just a week. China meanwhile, is coming off three straight wins in the second preliminary round of qualifying for the 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup, beating Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Australia to finish at the top of the group and qualify for next summer's four-team final. Most notable was the win against Australia, where the Chinese topped the Matildas 2-1 to eliminate them from the tournament in what was Tom Sermanni's last match in charge. China has qualified for every edition of the tournament since 2005 and finished as runner-up to Japan in 2010.
Beyond a history of close matches between the two sides, the U.S. comes into these games chasing a bit of history, too. The U.S. needs 14 more goals to equal the most scored in calendar year - 124 in 2008. And Abby Wambach is just ten goals shy of tying Mia Hamm's record of 158. Of course, it seems unlikely that either record will be broken before the end of 2012 and against a team that's fairly strong defensively, but stranger things have happened.

In short, don't expect the goal-fest that some of the other matches on the Tribute Tour have been. Neither keeper should be especially busy with most of the play stalling in the midfield. Of course, China could sneak something by a complacent U.S. defense, Jill Ellis could do something crazy as her time at the helm winds down, Morgan could score five goals, and Wambach could break Hamm's record, which knows? Not any of us, because unless you're at Ford Field when things kickoff at 1:30 ET, you won't be able to see this non-televised, non-streamed super-secret soccer game.

USWNT 2, Ireland 0: As long as we are still celebrating, Alex Morgan will continue scoring goals

Lauren Barker — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 05:19:41 -0000

For the second time in four days the U.S. Women's National Team defeated the Republic of Ireland. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe both netted first half goals as the team continued to roll through its post-Olympic Fan Tribute Tour with a 2-0 win on Saturday night at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Morgan got the scoring started, tallying her 28th goal of 2012, in the first minute. The U.S. put the pressure on from the opening whistle and capitalized when Ireland failed to clear, as Shannon Boxx slotted a perfectly-timed ball through for Morgan, who sent her left-footed shot sailing past keeper Emma Byrne and into the far corner. Morgan, who scored a hat trick in Wednesday's 5-0 win, now has 38 career goals - in just 55 appearances.

The U.S. continued to pressure Ireland, but couldn't produce much in the way of quality chances until the 38th minute, when Rapinoe doubled the lead. After bringing the ball to the end line Morgan sent a pass back toward the penalty spot for Rapinoe, whose shot deflected off an Ireland player on its way past Byrne and into the net. In addition to Morgan's 28 goals this year, the pass to Rapinoe was good for her 19th assist of 2012.

The second half produced few chances for Ireland as the U.S. continued to pepper the opposing goal with shots. The 33 year-old Byrne had a stellar game in net for Ireland, keeping the scoreline respectable despite more than a few defensive lapses. The longtime Arsenal Ladies keeper stopped everything that came her way in the second frame, giving the U.S. just one decent chance through the final 45. A miscommunication between Byrne and Megan Campbell in the 82nd minute left a Lauren Cheney cross rolling across the goal line before being cleared by Louise Quinn.

The U.S. had one more chance just before full time to give the crowd of 11,570 something to cheer about, but Carli Lloyd sent her free kick deflecting off the Ireland wall and wide of the goal, leaving things to end 2-0. The USWNT now has 110 goals in 2012, the fourth most in team history. One more would tie the 111 goals scored in 1999. The record for goals in calendar year is 124, set in 2000 when the team played 41 matches.

The USWNT will finish out the Fan Tribute Tour with a three game set against China, beginning on December 8th at Ford Field in Detroit. The two sides will meet again at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on December 12th before finally wrapping up 2012 on the 15th of December in Boca Raton, Florida.

USA vs. Ireland preview: The USWNT celebration heads to Portland

Lauren Barker — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:27:00 -0000

The United States Women will take on Ireland on Wednesday night at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Oregon. It's the first of two friendlies the two sides will play - the second is on December 1st in Glendale, Arizona - as the U.S. continues its post-Olympic celebration tour. The first match will air live on Fox Soccer at 10 p.m. ET.

Because we're still on the celebration tour and because Jill Ellis is still technically in charge - new head coach Tom Sermanni doesn't officially take over until January 1st - don't expect any changes.

Ellis might continue the slight tinkering in the back line, as she did in the team's last match against Germany. The USWNT's back four has been a work in progress since, well, it's been a long time. Maternity leaves, retirements, injuries, players playing out of position and so on, and Ellis has continued the tradition of throwing people into the revolving door. Against Germany Becky Sauerbrunn got the start and went the full 90. There was also something about Sydney Leroux spending 16 minutes as an outside back after Heather Mitts somehow injured herself while kicking a German player in the head. Ellis could repeat one of these scenarios - which one depends mostly on your confidence in Mitts, and how hard Ellis wants to troll a bunch of screaming pre-teens/people in Portland, because Portland, soccer.

But even with all the usual suspects, there's still potential for some interesting moments. The USWNT's 8-0-0 record against Ireland leaves this game prime for the kind of sleepy performance that leaves the team's eight-year domestic unbeaten streak in serious peril until Alex Morgan scores a goal in the 89th minute. There's also Abby Wambach, who, with 148 career goals, is quickly closing in on Mia Hamm's all-time record of 158.

The USWNT does have a few things going for it that might just cure that sleepiness though. Portland's reputation as a soccer city promises a solid crowd and a few players have connections to the Northwest - Megan Rapinoe played in Portland collegiately, Wambach recently bought a house there, and Hope Solo is from Seattle and played collegiately in Washington State. Solo, Rapinoe, Morgan and Leroux all also played for the Sounders Women last season.

In the eight previous meeting between the two sides, the USWNT has scored 30 goals and allowed just one. The last time the two sides met was a trio of games in 2008's post-gold medal tour, which the U.S. won by a combined score of 5-0. That series featured goals from four different players, including a pair from Tasha Kai, one from Lori Chalupny, the first and only goal of Kate Markgraf's 201 game career - which came on a PK , and one from Heather O'Reilly. O'Reilly is the only player still active with the USWNT [Insert "Free Lori Chalupny!"-related comment here].

And that this too is a celebration tour is not the only similarity between these games and the ones four years ago. Then, the players were finishing up a busy 2008, with a brand new "we're not going to make the same mistakes we made last time" professional league on the horizon. Four years later, the players are finishing up a busy 2012 with a brand new "we're not going to make the same mistakes we made last time or the time before that, like, we're not even going to tell you the league's name this time, plus now we have the backing of U.S. Soccer! And Canada! And Mexico!" professional league on the horizon. And of those games in 2008, two of the three were in WPS markets, Chicago and New Jersey, and the third was in Philadelphia, which got a WPS team in 2010. This time around? Portland will field a team in the new league.

Let the kids play: Tom Sermanni and the future of the USWNT

Lauren Barker — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:42:15 -0000

In the end, it wasn't who we thought. Not fan favorite Paul Riley, not old standby Tony DiCicco, not obvious successor Randy Waldrum. In the end, Pia Sundhage's replacement was a Scot, coming by way of Australia. On October 30th, U.S. Soccer officially named Tom Sermanni the new head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team.

Sermanni is no stranger to the American game, or at least coaching in America. The 58-year-old Glasgow-native spent two seasons as an assistant with the WUSA's San Jose CyberRays before being named head coach of the NY Power for what would be the league's final season. The bread on this WUSA sandwich was the Australia Women's National Team, which Sermanni coached from 1994 to 1997 and then again from 2004 until he took the job with the USWNT.

Sermanni comes into a team riding the high of [another] Olympic gold, and a popularity not seen in these parts since the days of Mia and Brandi. It's a big change from the team that Sundhage inherited at the beginning of 2008. Then the USWNT was hanging on at the edge of whatever comes after obscurity, an embarrassing World Cup crash-and-burn in 2007 overshadowed by embarrassing behavior from just about everyone, the goalkeeper who publicly called out the coach to the players who publicly called out that goalkeeper. Sundhage inherited this broken thing and bit-by-bit built it back into something to be mostly proud of once again.

The team Tom Sermanni inherits now is a very different one. Even in whatever crash-and-burn this World Cup's ending was, came not despair and infighting, but something else. Bruised but not broken, coming home as runners-up and heroes all the same, embraced, hope and Hope, even as the bottom was falling out on this country's latest try at a league. And whatever bit of despair there was coming back from Germany as second best immediately gave way to [unfortunate rhyme ahead] a new quest. Olympic gold, the second with Sundhage at the helm, coming home again as heroes and this time winners too. But with all the sold-out stadiums and dances with stars comes something else; there is the inevitable march of time and age, and it is coming quickly here.

This is where Sermanni's time in Australia becomes so important. Not for the titles the Matildas won - there aren't many - but because of what this coach built in his time down under. As many of the U.S.'s top players push 30 and beyond, it's not far off to wonder what comes next. The legacy Sermanni leaves behind in Australia, beyond a decent moustache and that Scottish brogue, is youth. The team that Sermanni brought to the 2011 World Cup featured just three players over the age of 25. The U.S. squad currently celebrating Olympic gold? Twelve of the 18 players are over 25, eight are 30 or older. The next major tournament, the 2015 World Cup, is still three years away.

Look at a USWNT roster over the past five years - it doesn't matter which one, or what year, not really. They are, mostly - save an injury or the odd retirement or some craaaaaaazy moment of calling up one of the kids that really never lasted - always the same.

But they can't stay the same forever, and soon the U.S. heads into the next cycle, World Cup qualification that gets marginally easier because of 2015's expanded field, but hey remember how things went last time in qualifying, because they did not go well. At all. And in all of that the rest of the world will continue catching up, bringing in their youth, a methodical integration into senior sides, while the U.S. has stayed stagnant for so long. In a pair of recent friendlies with the U.S. Germany brought a squad full of youth, five players from its U-20 World Cup side. The team Sermanni brought to take on the U.S. in two friendlies in September, also frighteningly young, like 17 and 18 year-olds young.

And that's what Sermanni is going to be tasked with over these next few years, bringing in the youth while still keeping the U.S. an elite side. Sundhage wasn't the best at it, for better or for worse. Even in so many meaningless friendlies - this current tour, which is a celebration and fans want to see the band play all the hits, notwithstanding - there wasn't much. No new call-ups, no chances for the up-and-comers to get a shot. There are some, Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux, but never enough. No methodical integration, no slow build for the future.

It used to be that way here too, teenagers thrown in, feet to the fire, Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm left to sink or swim as kids. Sundhage though, never put that into practice, took the chance to let some U-17's or 20's or 23's get a shot with senior side. And so Sermanni's test will not be about wins and losses, not yet anyway. It will be about whether he can do what Sundhage never did. Buck the system and sometimes the big names, take the chances, build for the future. But if there's anyone who knows that, knows how to do that, this is the guy.

Abby Wambach scores again, this time in a 2-2 draw with Germany

Lauren Barker — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:12:17 -0000

It was the same story, but wetter, and with double the goals. In a rematch of Saturday's 1-1 draw between the United States and Germany, the two sides again finished even, this time in East Hartford, Connecticut, and this time with a 2-2 final score. Abby Wambach and Tobin Heath scored for the U.S., while Dzenifer Marozsan had a brace for the visitors in front of the 18,870 people that packed Rentschler Field despite the heavy rain.

Both sides traded shaky defensive moments in the early going, with Shannon Boxx almost scoring for the U.S. in the 10th minute. Boxx got on the end of a Megan Rapinoe corner kick but sent her header just wide of the back post.

After Boxx's chance Germany began to pressure more, finding holes in the U.S. defense and sending a few shots wide. The U.S. meanwhile, wasn't able to get much going past midfield.

Momentum shifted again through the final 15 minutes of the half, with the U.S. starting to get the better of the chances. In the 31st minute Wambach took a low shot that German keeper Nadine Angerer was able to stretch and reach.

The U.S. finally broke the deadlock a minute before the halftime break, with Abby Wambach netting the 148th goal of her career to give the home side the 1-0 lead. A low shot from Alex Morgan was deflected by a German defender and came right to Wambach, who was able to head the ball past the wrong-footed Angerer. Wambach is now just ten goals off the all-time record of 158 held by Mia Hamm.

The U.S.'s lead didn't last long though. With a persistent rain falling through much of the pre-game and first half, the field conditions were less than ideal when play resumed for the second frame. Just three minutes in, Germany equalized courtesy of Dzenifer Marozsan. Christie Rampone slipped while trying to make a routine clearance and lost the ball to the German forward, who took a few touches before easily beating Solo to knot things at one.

The U.S. nearly took the lead back on a similar play to the one Marozsan scored on. In the 59th minute Wambach got on the end of a misplayed German clearance and tried to chip Angerer, but the close-range shot went right into the keeper's hands.

The game looked destined to end with the same 1-1 score line that the two sides played to on Saturday night, with each team unable to build many worthwhile chances. But Alex Morgan had other plans. Just like on Wambach's first half tally - as well as the one the U.S. scored on Saturday - it was a Morgan cross pulling Angerer out of position that led to the goal. This time Morgan brought the ball to the end line before firing a cross back through the box. Tobin Heath was waiting unmarked near the 18 and fired a shot back towards goal, giving the U.S. the lead for the second time. Heath's 67th minute strike was her fourth goal of the year, and just the seventh of her career.

Down by a goal, and with the rain letting up and time running out, Germany started applying more pressure to U.S. That pressure paid off in the 85th minute, when Linda Bresonik was able to split the U.S. defense and feed Marozsan, who fired a hard shot from well beyond the 18 past Solo and into the side netting.

Both sides looked for the winner, but the last five minutes were without another goal, leaving things to end just as they did on Saturday, with the score this time knotted at two instead of one.

The win extends the USWNT's unbeaten streak to 18 games, with the team last losing to Japan at the Algarve Cup in March. The Fan Celebration Tour continues against the Republic of Ireland on November 28th at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon.

Abby Wambach scores, the USWNT draws 1-1 with Germany

Lauren Barker — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 03:51:34 -0000

The Post-Pia Era has officially begun. While there's still no one officially at the helm of the USWNT, interim head coach Jill Ellis captained the ship for Saturday night's match against Germany at Toyota Park. The U.S. did enough and the Germans came alive too late as the two sides played to a 1-1 draw. Abby Wambach tallied one for the Americans and Anja Mittag equalized 12 minutes later in a match where both teams never really found their footing.

The United States came out firing in front of the sell-out crowd of 19,422 in Bridgeview, Illinois. While the Germans may have looked to be a tough test on paper, the side didn't seem quite ready at the start, with Wambach giving the home side the lead in just the second minute. Alex Morgan sent a ball rolling across the goalmouth that at first looked more low shot than cross , fooling German keeper Nadine Angerer and pulling her out of position. That left Wambach open at the back post to easily net her 22nd goal of 2012. It was also career goal number 147 for Wambach, putting her just 11 goals behind Mia Hamm's top of the all-time list record of 158. For Morgan, it was her team-leading 16th assist.

It didn't take long for Germany to equalize though. In the 14th minute Anja Mittag brought things even, receiving a ball from Simone Laudher and winning the footrace with Kelley O'Hara before chipping Hope Solo for the score.

With things level at one, Germany kept the pressure on, nearly getting the go ahead goal in the 25th minute. Linda Bresonik sent a cross to a wide open Laudher, but the German midfielder put her shot just inches wide. It would be the last good chance Germany had in the half.

Both teams scrapped through the midfield for the remainder of the frame, with Germany content to sit back and the U.S. neither able to crack the German defense or willing to take a chance from distance. The Americans did get one more chance as the half wore down, with Lauren Cheney's 45th minute volley hitting the outside of the post and sending the match into the break knotted at one.

Play resumed for the second half with a few substitutions for both sides, including Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly for Cheney and Megan Rapinoe in the midfield. The personnel changes did little to actually change the game though, with both sides continuing to play mostly through the midfield and neither pressing for much of anything offensively.

The U.S. and Germany did trade chances early in the half, but both were more the result of shaky defenses and gaffe-filled clearance attempts than any real offensive work. Germany did force Solo into one Big Hope Solo Moment in the 64th minute. Kim Kulig threaded a ball between two U.S. defenders for Mittag, but Solo went down and blocked what would have been the German striker's second of the night.

The pace continued to slow as the half wore on, as both teams continued to struggle to get anything going beyond the midfield. During the last quarter of an hour though, Germany brought on striker Alexandra Popp. The 21 year-old striker had an almost Alex Morgan Time effect on the game, bringing some energy to an otherwise lethargic outing. In the 86th minute she sent a diving header just wide and continued to threaten as time ticked down. The U.S. tried to counter with Sydney Leroux, but she seemed just a step off of the few balls launched for her to run onto. Ultimately, both sides seemed content with the 1-1 draw.

For Germany, it was hardly the dominating performance one might expect from a team coming off a successful run through Euro qualifying and a side that has something to prove after an early World Cup exit and missing out on the Olympics. The U.S. did what the U.S. always seems to do in the first part of these two part friendlies, slow things down and just play safe. It was perhaps especially evident as reality sets in that the Sundhage era is really over, and without a permanent coach yet named. The team seemed to be running on autopilot for long stretches and never took advantage of the space Germany allowed them.

The two sides will meet again Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut on Tuesday. That match is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.

USA vs. Germany, round one preview: Doing it without Pia

Lauren Barker — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 03:59:33 -0000

The U.S. Women will take on Germany in the first of a pair of friendlies on Saturday at Toyota Park in Chicago (6:30 ET, Fox Soccer). The match marks the first time the top two ranked teams in the world will face off in more than two years. It was way back in May of 2010 when the two last met, with the U.S. trouncing the Germans 4-0 in Cleveland, a game otherwise known as "The Last Time the USWNT Looked Truly Confident and Dominating." Since then, well, there was that whole almost not qualifying for the World Cup episode and more than a few performances that span a distance from Olympic Gold to last-gasp miracles to field goals don't win World Cups to a little shaky to disappointing and sad to "what the heck happened to that team that beat Germany 4-0 in Cleveland!?".

In the 2011 World Cup, host country, favorite and twice-reigning champion Germany saw its three-peat dreams come crashing down 108 minutes into the quarterfinal against Japan. The U.S. heart-attacked its way all the way to the final, but that dream too died at the feet of the Japanese, sailing into goalposts and over crossbars all the way to second place. The U.S. found some redemption in Olympic gold a year later, the Germans didn't even qualify for the games, because UEFA's brilliant Olympic Qualifying is let's just to take the two best-finishing European teams from the World Cup and send them to London.

And so, this Saturday at Toyota Park, The World Cup-slash-Olympic Final That Never Actually Happened Because, Hey, Japan, Where Did You Come From?, Part I, will be played.

Expect the U.S. to look mostly the same as usual, because it's the USWNT, and because with the post-Pia Sundhage era officially underway, it's hard to imagine interim head coach Jill Ellis doing anything even slightly crazy. Don't be fooled by Germany's World Cup crash and burn though, this is still the number two team in the world for a reason, and a side that will provide more of a challenge than either Costa Rica or Australia did. Against Australia in particular, there was an obvious disconnect between just about everyone, leaving the usual stars mostly invisible for long stretches. The defense was too-often burned by a quick counter-attack, the midfield unable to generate, the forwards with few good chances. Germany on the other hand, is fresh off a dominating performance in qualifiers for the 2013 Euros, and is 10-0 in 2012, outscoring opponents 48-3.

The U.S.'s defensive woes in particular could be problematic against a much more organized and experienced German side. Hope Solo will obviously be backstopping the whole thing, with Christie Rampone and Rachel Buehler in the middle and Kelley O'Hara and Amy LePeilbet on the outside. Because LePeilbet always falls somewhere between getting a tattoo and getting run over by a train on the Comfortability-at-Outside-Back scale and O'Hara is still prone to the mistakes that come with youth and inexperience, Germany should have little trouble getting service to a striker corps that includes Alexandra Popp, Anja Mittag and Celia Okoyino da Mbabi. Popp has 19 goals in 29 caps, while Okoyino da Mbabi has 35 in 70 caps. The USWNT's bizarre inability to clear balls from inside the six could make for some interesting moments, too.

The midfield will look like the midfield always does, Rapinoe and O'Reilly on the outside, Lloyd and Boxx in the middle. As the Sundhage era was nearing its end, O'Reilly was often swapped for Tobin Heath, but with a domestic unbeaten streak that stretches back to 2004 on the line, limiting things to just one midfielder who dribbles and dribbles and dribbles forever and into people who are wearing the other team's shirt is probably wise. The German midfield is a solid and bruising one, and brings a ton of experience in Simone Laudehr, Melanie Behringer, Kim Kulig, Linda Bresonik and Viola Odebrecht. The U.S. will be forced into plenty of shots from distance, expect Lloyd and O'Reilly in particular to launch a few from beyond the 18.

Offensively, Germany certainly knows of Abby Wambach by now, so expect her to be tightly marked anywhere near the goal. Same goes for Alex Morgan, and both struggled with this problem, especially in the early going, against Australia. The U.S. will have to be more creative than Rapinoe to Wambach or just relying on the speed of Morgan to find some offense. Unlike the Australia, which allowed the U.S. five unanswered goals to cap a comeback 6-2 victory, Germany brings an incredibly experienced goalkeeper in Nadine Angerer. With 109 caps, Angerer is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world for good reason. The shakiness that plagued the Maltidas' 17-year-old keeper Brianna Davey certainly won't be an issue for the veteran Angerer.

The USWNT has a penchant for stepping up in big moments and against big teams, so the Chicago edition of U.S.-Germany should be an entertaining one. The U.S. has that aforementioned unbeaten streak on the line both sides have a little something to prove. For Germany, it's a reminder that it's still one of the world's top teams, despite the early World Cup exit and Olympic absence. For the U.S., it's moving past the Sundhage era, showing that this team still deserves that top ranking. These may be friendlies and "celebration games," but they're ones that carry a lot of weight.

The post-clapping and jumping era starts now.

The Pia Sundhage Replacement Sweepstakes: Three candidates for USWNT manager

Lauren Barker — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:19:04 -0000

Now that we've all clapped Pia Sundhage off for the final time, another chapter is approaching for the U.S. Women's National Team. U.S. Soccer has already tapped Jill Ellis to take over on an interim basis, but she's made clear she has no intention of pursuing the permanent head coach job. Interviews for the position are ongoing, but with the next major tournament nearly three years away, now is as good a time as any to find the right person who the job.

Of the 30 or so people who reportedly inquired about the job, three names have been tossed around a lot lately - Paul Riley, Randy Waldrum and Tony DiCicco. So, who are these potential replacements?

Paul Riley
Born: 1961
Nationality: England
Currently: Head Coach, NY Fury (WPSL Elite)
Previously: CW Post, Long Island Rough Riders, Long Island Fury (WPSL), Philadelphia Independence (WPS)

Two Things

1. Paul Riley has magic powers. Most notably, he got Amy Rodriguez to score goals. That A-Rod has just 25 goals, because field goals don't count in this kind of football, in 96 caps is a statistic not lost on anyone who follows the USWNT. But when Rodriguez played for Riley's Philadelphia Independence in WPS? Seventeen goals in 37 appearances. Granted, it's still not a great average, but considering Rodriguez scored just once in 17 games with the Boston Breakers, it's something.

And A-Rod isn't the only one to receive the magic Paul Riley confidence boost. Just about everyone else who came through Philly seemed to flourish under the Liverpool native. Riley brought the Independence all the way to the WPS final as an expansion side in 2010 before falling to FC Gold Pride. A year later the Indys were back in the championship, losing to the Western NY Flash on penalty kicks.

Even without capturing a WPS title, that he brought two teams comprised almost wholly of WPS's spare parts all the way to the edge of the Promised Land is pretty impressive. Those Philly teams were about tactics, technical, gritty, a little gutsy, not particularly flashy, and they bought into what their coach was selling 100 percent. Of course, Paul Riley's Philadelphia sides were built by Paul Riley, and the USWNT, that's a whole other thing.

2. Paul Riley speaks his mind. There was no one in WPS who was more quotable in a post-match mixed zone than Riley. Whether it was cracking a joke about lightning delays, sneaking a curse word or two or three into an answer, or hilariously mispronouncing his own players' names, Riley always had something interesting to say. More than once "Baguette" was the star of the show for Philadelphia, but this French bread was actually a Spanish midfielder named Vero Boquete.

Never afraid of a little honesty, Paul Riley Shares His Thoughts didn't stop at the mixed zone. There was the time he called out Sundhage in Philly Soccer News

[Rodriguez] is just dead as a doornail right now. She needs help. Pia just absolutely destroyed her, sad to say. We did everything to help Pia out this year, but she did nothing to help WPS out this year. Nothing.

But hey, who hasn't heard the ol' "animosity for your incredibly well-respected predecessor is always the thing that gets you the job" adage? And might it be nice to have a coach who actually acknowledges that it wasn't the best game, when, you know, it wasn't?

Closing Argument

Riley has a knack for taking some weird combination of things that don't work and making them work really well. Like say, the USWNT's back line. He's also got a ton of personality, quite like Pia Sundhage, except not like Pia Sundhage at all, because Pia Sundhage lacked the ability to be anything but jolly. He also might not sing to the team. Or maybe he would. I have no idea how much Bob Dylan he knows.

He has good tactical sense and favors a more technical build-from-the-back game than Sundhage, which is great and fun to watch, except the center of the U.S. midfield is a strange, strange place. Riley could probably do some impressive things with a team that's already really good, but the players would have to buy into Riley's system, which might be a tough sell for some of the vets.

The biggest question though is whether he really fits into U.S. Soccer's world. Riley has talked in the past about players who should be starting for the USWNT, players who aren't even in the player pool. His tell-it-like-it-is approach is so opposite the silver lining we've been living in, his dapper suits a far cry from swishy Swooshy pants, names not the ones we're used to. If we're talking on field he's the guy. If we want refreshing roster changes then hire this man. Ultimately though, the whole Paul Riley package may be a little too far outside the Federation's comfort zone.

Randy Waldrum
Born: 1956
Nationality: American
Currently: Head Coach, University of Notre Dame Women, U.S. Under-23 Women
Previously: Austin College, Texas Wesleyan, University of Tulsa, and Baylor

Two Things

1. If there was some sort of official line of succession, Waldrum's gig at the helm of the U-23's basically makes him Speaker of the House. Jill Ellis, assistant coach/current interim head coach/Vice President for our purposes, doesn't want the job permanently. Mr. Speaker, are you there?

Waldrum has only had the U-23 job since January, and team's only played a handful of matches with him in charge, compiling a so-so record of 3-2-1. More importantly though, may be that the position gives Waldrum a direct connection to the pipeline for the full team. While many of the names we've come to know and love/hate/hate-love have expressed interest in playing the 2015 World Cup in Canada, a few could be trading in that FIFA Credential for a Life Alert soon. But really, with more than a few of the senior side's stars pushing 30 and beyond and a major tournament still three years away, some turnover is bound to happen soon.

Waldrum's also been in the college game for about as long as some of the older players have been alive, which is another good pipeline. That is especially true with a pro league nothing more than rumors and rumblings from Sunil Gulati and one oddly-timed press release at this point. Waldrum is familiar with the next generation, which given the current player pool, makes him the logical choice for a long-term coach, if nothing else.

2. Randy Waldrum can win. From 1999 to 2011 Waldrum compiled a 263-44-14 record at Notre Dame. The Irish are 10-3-2 so far this season, and have won two national championships under Waldrum, in 2004 and 2010. The team has made appearances in the College Cup in eight of Waldrum's 13 years as head coach. Of the current USWNT, only Shannon Boxx played under Waldrum, but he's coached against plenty of them. Take 2010, when Waldrum's Notre Dame shut down Olympic alternate Christen Press en route the national championship.

Closing Argument

Waldrum is a guy who's going to play U.S. Soccer's game. He's a part of the program already and has his hand on the pulse of the up-and-comers. He's a safe choice, and the logical, status quo one.

Tony DiCicco
Born: 1948
Nationality: American
Currently: ESPN Soccer Analyst/Person Who Looks Almost Orange Enough on TV To Be The Much Older Lost Jersey Shore Cast Member/Max Bretos and Bob Ley Interrupter
Previously: U. S. Women, U. S. U-20 Women, Boston Breakers (WPS)

Two Things

1. Tony DiCicco has been a part of the only two U.S. teams that have won a World Cup. DiCicco was the goalkeeper coach when the USWNT won the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 and in 1999 he was the head coach when the team topped China on penalties for a second title. DiCicco also won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and coached the U.S. to victory in the 2008 U-20 World Cup. From 1994 to 1999 he compiled a record of 103-8-8.

His tenure with the Boston Breakers of WPS didn't go quite as well, though. His WPS side failed to make the playoffs in 2009, finished second on the table in 2010 before being knocked out in the semi-final, and squeaked into the post-season only to be eliminated in the first round in 2011. The team went 22-26-14 all-time under DiCicco, and he often frustrated Boston supporters as the Breakers went through long slumps, including a nine-game winless run to start the 2010 season.

DiCicco is plenty familiar with most of the player pool, having either coached or played against them at some point. Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Amy Rodriguez, Rachel Buehler, Lauren Cheney, Stephanie Cox, Meghan Klingenberg, Kelley O'Hara, and Person-We-All-Want-Back-in-the-USWNT-Picture-Who's-Not-Named-Lori-Chalupny Leslie Osborne all played for DiCicco's Breakers.

2. DiCicco has been here before. But does he really want to go back? DiCicco stepped down from the Breakers following the 2011 season, telling The Equalizer that it was "mostly a personal decision" about wanting to spend more time with his wife at their home in Connecticut. That is not where the Home Depot Center, the 2015 World Cup or the 2016 Olympics are. It is however, where ESPN is located.

Closing Argument

Things are very different from the last time DiCicco captained this ship, both within the culture of the USWNT and how much the rest of the world has caught up. DiCicco seems like a pretty unlikely choice, but if there is one thing we know about the USWNT it is that familiar names are too often favorite names.

Let's All Clap And Jump Up And Down One More Time: Saying Goodbye To Pia Sundhage

Lauren Barker — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:08:49 -0000

Five years, ninety-one wins, six draws, ten losses. Two Olympic gold medals. World Cup runner-up. Numbers that fly past impressive and land somewhere between gaudy and obscene. Even without soccer's biggest prize, Pia Sundhage's time at the helm of the United States Women's National Team is unrivaled. And with a 6-2 win against Australia at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado on Wednesday night, it's also, with a tear-dampened exclamation point, over. Numbers fixed in time, now until forever.

Sundhage came from Sweden - by way of an assistant coaching job with China - salt and pepper haired, guitar wielding, hands ready to clap, a fist ready to pump. Rolling into town - and a team in some kind of turmoil - at the tail end of 2007. The U.S. women had just returned from a third place finish at the Women's World Cup in China, a 4-1 win over Norway to capture the bronze that would always be overshadowed by how they'd gotten there in the first place - a 4-0 drubbing courtesy of Brazil, itself surrounded in all kinds of controversy, from the wrongfully red-carded Shannon Boxx on the field, to the Hope Solo/Briana Scurry goalkeeping mess and everything after off it.

Greg Ryan, Sundhage's predecessor, may have driven this ship into an iceberg, but the new coach wasn't about to let it sink. Sundhage led to the way to a long fence-mending, bringing Solo back into the fold on the simple principle that if the U.S. wanted to win, they needed the best goalkeeper, and that person was Solo. It was easy, in the way that everything with Sundhage seemed easy.

When Abby Wambach broke her leg in a pre-Olympic friendly against Brazil, no worries. Even after the U.S. dropped the opening match of those 2008 games and it looked like the team would really be in trouble without its star striker, Pia remained Pia though, confident and clapping - always clapping - right in doubt's face. There is a gold medal from those Olympics as proof.

Sundhage's easiness though, wasn't always, well, easy. It was at times baffling, frustrating. In 2010 the rest of the world was starting to catch up and the U.S. was slipping. It was only a matter of time. Before the moment, there were hints. Trouble against Sweden and China in a pair of friendlies in July and October respectively, both games that put the domestic unbeaten streak that stretches back to 2004 in serious peril. There was just enough in Omaha and there was the birth of Alex Morgan Time in Philadelphia, but there were cracks. And in the face of it Sundhage remained unchanged.

Sundhage wanted Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet and the newly-returned-from-maternity-leave Christie Rampone - all center backs - in the eleven. And so she put them there, leaving LePeilbet to flounder as an outside back. She was determined to not let us forget Carli Lloyd, despite consistency only in passing to the opponent. Sundhage stuck with Amy Rodriguez, looking more place kicker than striker all the way. This was Pia, dead set on cramming her starting eleven into whatever was at hand, despite the opponent, despite performance, despite evidence that it was time to do something else. It is more difficult to see through rose-colored glasses, especially in Mexico, at night.

Before Morgan in Padua, before Wambach in Dresden, before Krieger sinks the PK and Solo saves one, before Leroux scores five, before Wambach counts how long McLeod holds the ball, before Tancredi stomps on Lloyd's head, before Morgan scores in stoppage, before Lloyd nets two, before the anthem plays and there are gold medals around necks, before selling out stadia across the country, came Mexico in Mexico. Came the moment that nearly destroyed Sundhage's legacy before it had really been built.

In the semi-final of CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying, a berth in the big show on the line, Sundhage's team lost. Suddenly doubt about how a team that was struggling would fare against the Germanys and Brazils of the world turned into full-blown panic about whether they'd even get the chance. It was the culmination of frustration, what happens when you stick with what you know, unbending in the face of everything telling you to be flexible.

Even a two-leg playoff against Italy, escaped by the skin of the teeth and the original Alex Morgan stoppage time miracle, couldn't teach Pia a lesson. She was going to get this square peg to fit into the round hole if it was the last thing she did. She'd go all the way to east London, to lose to England for the first time in more than two decades - because losing to Mexico for the first time ever, because the threat of not qualifying for a World Cup for the first time ever - wasn't enough. Yes, this was a team that could frustrate. This was, unmistakably, Pia Sundhage's team.

But for all the frustration was everything after; saluting the troops and singing ‘Born in the U.S.A.' in Sinsheim, the red card, the twice-taken PK, the "near-miracle here in Dresden." This team came back to U.S. as World Cup runners-up and heroes and rock stars all the same. This team, unmistakably, Pia Sundhage's team.

Sold-out victory tour, rolling through Olympic qualifying. Going down by two against France, coming back three times against Canada, another stoppage time strike for the ages, Olympic gold again. Thrilling and expected all at once, square peg now somehow in round hole, undoubtedly Pia's team.

There were just 2,505 people in the stands that night in Philadelphia, the night in 2010 that Alex Morgan Time was born. Two years later, 18,589 people came to say goodbye to the coach who made it possible. And probably, they weren't there for Pia. They were there for Pinoe, Abby, Hope, HAO, Carli, Boxxy, KO, Pearcie, Sauers, Syd, the Buehldozer, Cheney, Tobs and Baby Horse. They were there for this team. But this team is, without question, Pia Sundhage's team.

Pia gave us Ali Krieger, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux, Abby's 100th and Solo's return. She made it okay to celebrate with a song, to do snow angels, to be a little bit silly, to clap for the 18th goal like it's the first. Pia sang to us, scared us, nearly killed us, and made us believe. And she told us, answering a question to which this wasn't the answer, that she "just loved soccer so much.

Two hundred and eighty-five goals, 100 of them in 2012 alone, and Pia cheered each one, clapping and jumping, no doubt. She never needed to tell us she loved this game, we saw, we felt it. We knew. One hundred and seven games. Heart-attack-inducing, heartbreaking, scary, exciting, frustrating, beautiful, ugly. Pia gave us 91 wins, six draws, ten losses, two Olympic golds, and a World Cup final.

Pia Sundhage gave us all of that. Well, she gave us the team that did that - but this was, after all, Pia Sundhage's team. No question.

Sky Blue FC Selects Five In 2012 WPS Draft

Lauren Barker — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:04:09 -0000

Women's Professional Soccer held its draft on Friday at the NSCAA Convention in Kansas City. Without an expansion team for 2012 to steal away the first pick, 2011's bottom of the table finisher Atlanta Beat grabbed UCLA striker at Sydney Leroux at number one. Sky Blue FC finished fifth in 2011, one spot on the table - but a full 12 points - above the Beat, and thus had the second pick. The New Jersey side also picked at four, nine, 15 and 19, giving the team five of the 23 total picks.

Unlike 2011 where Alex Morgan was the obvious choice to go first, 2012 featured a stronger overall draft class and a lot more uncertainty about who would go at number one. Well, maybe not that much uncertainty - Atlanta scored a league-worst seven goals last season and will enter the 2012 campaign riding a 757 minute goalless streak, so a quality striker was kind of important. The Beat wasn't the only team that went offensive through the first round though, five of the seven picks were forwards, including Sky Blue's first.

And now, all of Sky Blue FC's 2012 draft picks...

Melissa Henderson, F, Notre Dame (2nd overall): Sky Blue's current roster isn't exactly overflowing with offense at the moment, with former occasional Western NY Flash striker Gemma Davison and new-to-WPS Dutch striker Manon Melis the only confirmed firepower so far. Add to that the departures of Adriana and Allie Long to Western NY, Heather O'Reilly's decision to ship up to Boston, and the current free agent status of the rest of 2011's offense and, well, a forward seems even smarter. Not to mention the fact that Melis could miss some time while the Netherlands participates in qualifiers for the 2013 Euros, or that Sky Blue's two previous attempts with Dutch players have gone badly. Henderson netted 70 goals and one national championship while at Notre Dame. She'll need some of that goal scoring prowess, and could be called on to play a big role in her rookie season, especially considering just about every Sky Blue striker ever has fallen victim to either some kind of strange injury problem or suffered a serious case of malaise.

Camille Levin, D, Stanford (4th overall): Because there is seemingly nothing that the Atlanta Beat love more than trading away draft picks, Sky Blue ended up with what was originally the Beat's pick, which was originally magicJack's but it's all very complicated, in exchange for the 10th pick this year and Sky Blue's first round selection in 2013. Levin was one of just two non-forwards who went in the first round (2011 MAC Hermann winner and Levin's Stanford teammate midfielder Teresa Noyola went to Western NY at seven). Sky Blue's defender situation is almost as complicated as the pick's provenance. Candace Chapman, Becky Sauerbrunn, Anita Asante and Nikki Marshall are all on board for 2012, which is a pretty solid backline. Except Chapman is a member of the Canada national team, Sauerbrunn plays for the US, Asante is an England international and there's this thing called the Olympics happening this summer and the women's tournament, unlike the men's, features the senior national teams. Which leaves Nikki Marshall - and Carrie Dew if this bit of news from her alma mater is accurate - as the only ones sure to be around during the Olympics. Levin was all over the field in Stanford's 2011 national championship victory over Duke and can play just about anywhere, which is good news for a Sky Blue side that will be hit hard by international call-ups. More good news for the Levin-Sky Blue relationship: the last first round pick Sky Blue FC made? Brittany Taylor, another defender, who went sixth overall in 2010 and has played every minute of every game since.

Ingrid Wells, M, Georgetown (9th overall): One of the day's stranger selections. On its face, this is a pick that seems brilliant. Wells tallied 31 goals and 46 assists at Georgetown. She's a midfielder, which Sky Blue desperately needs. And she's from New Jersey and Sky Blue FC loves signing local players maybe even more than Atlanta loves trading draft picks. A brilliant move by Jim Gabarra and a steal of a pick all the way down at number nine. Except that Ingrid Wells already signed a contract to play with Koparbergs/Goteborg FC...in Sweden. According to Sky Blue FC's press release, the team will "own her rights for the next year." So, if she gets homesick or whatever...

Jillian Mastroianni, GK, Boston College (15th overall): After the two biggest goalkeeper prospects went undrafted through the first two rounds, Philadelphia opened round three with Santa Clara keeper Bianca Henninger. Sky Blue followed suit, using the very next pick on Mastroianni, who, at the very least, now earns the honor of being the eleventh keeper to be associated with the team. The tenth is Karina LeBlanc, who Sky Blue picked up earlier in the offseason to replace the main goalkeeping tandem of now-retired Jenni Branam and Sweden-bound Karen Bardsley. LeBlanc is a member of the Canadian National Team, so she'll likely be headed for London this summer, leaving a very big hole in a very important position. Mastroianni picked up 44 clean sheets during her time in Boston and now suddenly seems on the fast track to a starting job in the pros.

Laura Heyboer, F, Michigan State (19th overall): Sky Blue's final pick, and it's another forward. Heyboer is Michigan State's all-time leading scorer, with 57 goals and 25 assists. Sky Blue seems to have a knack for finding good utility players in the later rounds. A year ago the team grabbed Alyssa Mautz at 16 - she made the squad and made a handful of appearances, scoring one goal and spending all the rest of her 236 minutes very nearly scoring another. Heyboer could easily fill the same kind of utility striker role and when all the other strikers fall into some kind of weird funk or pick up some kind of wacky injury.

Drafting a player who's already signed with a team in Sweden aside, a solid, smart draft from Sky Blue. The loss of the last original Sky Blue players in O'Reilly, Branam and Bardsley certainly hurts, but Jim Gabarra and company did well to fill at least some of those holes, most notably with a strong goalkeeper and striker, plus one very good defender. There are still a ton of free agents, including some very big names, floating around - and of course a lot of questions about whether some of those players, who also happen to be US National Teamers, will commit to WPS teams with the Olympics looming. But tasked with building a team virtually from scratch, Gabarra has, on paper at least, done well so far.

All 23 picks in the 2012 draft can be found on the WPS site.

Sky Blue FC Season Recap: Part Three - The Players

Lauren Barker — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:24:51 -0000

Parts One and Two broke down the how, why and when it all went wrong for Sky Blue FC - and now in Part Three, the who. There were some that impressed, some that fell short, and a few that never really got a shot to show their stuff. Plus, a new coach that actually stuck around.

Jim Gabarra: First year at the helm of a team not called Washington Freedom was also his first without a playoff appearance. Not a total loss - Gabarra built a team that was capable of some of the league's most attractive soccer. Finished the season with five wins - tied with Kelly Lindsey (2009) and Pauliina Miettinen (2010) for the title of winningest coach in franchise history. Sky Blue's 24 goals this season and a five game unbeaten streak that stretched from May 21st to June 22 are both franchise records. Bonus points for being the first coach in club history to make it a full season. No small feat when you consider he was the sixth person to attempt it.

Goalkeepers

Jenni Branam: Back healthy a year after a broken kneecap delayed the start of her season and another injury brought a premature end to it. Neither Branam nor Karen Bardsley started off in a particularly convincing fashion, but Branam eventually earned the number one spot. Turned in a vintage performance against Philadelphia at the end of the season to keep things close. Her penchant for forays well outside the 18 wasn't quite as pronounced as in years past, but enough of the sweeper-keeper style remained to give the defense in front of her the ability to get forward. Finished 2011 with 15 appearances, five wins, a league best five clean sheets and a 1.47 goals-against average. The 30 year old retired at the end of the season and hangs up her gloves with a 13-15-8 regular season record, including 12 clean sheets, and a 3-0 playoff record including two more shutouts and a Championship ring from 2009.

Karen Bardsley: Made just three starts a year after a broken collarbone ended her breakout season - and none of them went particularly well. Splitting time between Sky Blue FC and her job as England's number one, Bardsley may have had a star-turn in the World Cup, but she never really found her groove in WPS, finishing the season 0-3-0.

Erin Guthrie and Kristin Arnold: Neither saw any game minutes. A year after six different keepers found themselves associated with Sky Blue at various points in the season, and four of them saw significant time, well... maybe some bonus points for their services not being required.

Defenders

Anita Asante: Another solid season from the England International. Sky Blue was able to compensate well enough when she was gone during the World Cup, but her return gave the Sky Blue defense another dimension. An injury-related absence through the last three games of the season left an obvious hole that Sky Blue couldn't overcome.

Carrie Dew: Like Asante, Dew's impact is perhaps best defined by how obvious it was when she wasn't on the field. Without Asante Sky Blue got by, in large part because the always-solid Dew was still around to hold down the fort. Played every minute until a pair of questionable yellow cards in the penultimate match ended her season a game early. Sky Blue without Asante and Dew? Defensive disaster.

Brittany Taylor: Started the season - her second as a professional - as Sky Blue's captain. Work rate, and the fact that she's now played every minute for two straight seasons, says something. Some of Sky Blue's most dangerous moments were when Taylor and Kendall Fletcher were able to get forward. Was the one consistent piece in a back line that was anything but in both personnel and quality.

Petra Hogewoning: Inconclusive. Played just 34 minutes, which came in Sky Blue's final game of the season, and that was a disaster. In fairness, the goals 14 seconds and 18 minutes in were hardly entirely Hogewoning's fault. Then again, after Daphne Koster in 2010, maybe Dutch defenders and Sky Blue FC just shouldn't be a thing.

Kendall Fletcher: Like the rest of Sky Blue's defense - solid, sturdy, not flashy. Brought experience on the outside and was threatening going forward, scoring one goal on the season.

Sheree Gray: Inconclusive. Officially joined the team on June 30th to help fill in in Asante's World Cup related absence but made just one start in three appearances before an injury ended her season.

Danielle Johnson: Did well as a utility player, filling in for the injured Fletcher early in the season and Asante at the end.

Michelle Wenino: Inconclusive. Played only 38 minutes over three games. Scored one goal to complete a comeback from 2-0 down against magicJack for a 2-2 draw.

Lindsey Johnson: Sidelined due to injury.

Jennie Clark: Inconclusive. Played 102 minutes in two appearances including one start.

Midfielders

Carolyn Blank: Deceptively tough. Scored one goal in 17 appearances, 16 as a starter. Essential link between the defense and offense.

Allie Long: Deserving wearer of the ten shirt. Won player of the week in week one for her work as a playmaker and was a key part of one of the league's best midfields. Scored three goals and started all 18 games, playing all but 45 minutes of the season. Her vision and link with Therese Sjogran, Adriana and just about all of Sky Blue's 75 midfielders/forwards made for some of the season's most attractive stuff. If only anyone could finish...

Therese Sjogran: The second Swede's the charm? A year after the Jessica Landstrom experiment ended with wholly unproductive results in the middle of the season, Sjogran's contributions were the opposite. Good vision and better execution, see: her team-leading six assists, a number also good for third in the league - just two behind league-leader Christine Sinclair. Bonus points for sticking around until the last possible second - Sjogran had to be subbed off in the 80th minute of Sky Blue's June 12th game... to head to the airport to join Sweden in Germany for the World Cup.

Angie Kerr: Crowded out of a very crowded midfield. Valuable as a late-game sub. Struggled with an injury towards the end of the season.

Tobin Heath: Moments of brilliance, but still looking to find her footing in WPS. 2010's number one draft pick missed almost all of her rookie campaign in Atlanta due to illness and injury and US Women's National Team duty limited her minutes in 2011.

Heather O'Reilly: Always just working. Tallied one goal and one assist in eleven appearances during a disjointed season that saw her split time between Sky Blue and the US Women's National Team. Took over as captain after the World Cup. Created all kinds of trouble on the flanks for opposing teams and was an integral part of a midfield that could baffle opponents with constant movement and quick pace.

Alyssa Mautz: Just one of Sky Blue's two 2011 draft picks and the only one that made the team. Two starts in five appearances, netting one goal. Seemed to be in dangerous positions for just about all of her 236 minutes.

Forwards

Laura Kalmari: Just like in 2010, decent start but disappeared towards the end. Tallied just two goals in 14 appearances.

Casey Nogueira: Perhaps the most frustrating player in WPS. Capable of some fantastic stuff, including three of the league's best goals of the season - a long bending free kick, a curling outside of the right foot corner kick goal, and a Juan Agudelo/Thierry Henry-style volley to herself around a defender. Led the team with five goals and when she felt like playing it was incredibly fun to watch, but Nogueira's work rate and effort often left something to be desired.

Eniola Aluko: Speaking of frustrating... Came as one-third of a "blockbuster" deal with Atlanta, but turned out mostly as just a bust. Was supposed to be the target striker and did put herself in good positions, but couldn't hit the goal if it was twice the usual size early on. Returned from England's World Cup run and got hot, with three goals in two games as Sky Blue made a late push. Four total goals for the season as it all fell just short.

Adriana: Played a good chunk of her 15 appearances with some kind of full arm brace/cast contraption after an elbow injury and still managed three goals and three assists. Not exactly the breakout season that fellow Spaniard Veronica Boquete had for Philadelphia, but definite potential. Played a little deeper and added yet another dimension to an attack that begs the question: what could have been if only they'd all had a little more time together?

Sky Blue FC Season Recap: Part Two

Lauren Barker — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:40:20 -0000

Previously in Sky Blue FC's season... The team was riding a five game unbeaten streak and a playoff spot was comfortably in reach as WPS took a break for the Group Stage of the World Cup.

Coming back from the time off, Sky Blue FC looked to keep up the momentum - and did, almost. Facing Philadelphia when play resumed Sky Blue lost to the Independence in a wild 4-3 game. But then - a comeback 2-2 draw with a depleted magicJack side. And Sky Blue's first home loss of the season - 2-0 to Western NY in a match that kicked off just minutes after the US lost to Japan on penalties in the World Cup Final.

With just six games to play and all the internationals back at home, Sky Blue found its way again, baffling Philadelphia in a 2-0 win that showed a team on the field that really was as good as the one paper. Then off to Florida to top a now-full strength magicJack by the same score and Sky Blue was suddenly in a battle for third place with magicJack - comfortably clear of the struggling Boston Breakers below. But that win against magicJack - Sky Blue's fifth victory of the season - was the last points the New Jersey side would see.

Sky Blue FC finished the season with four straight losses, starting with a 4-1 drubbing in the home finale against Western NY on the day that Jenni Branam announced her plans to retire and in front of the largest crowd at Yurcak since the end of the 2009 season. Adding injury to insult, Sky Blue had to finish with ten as Anita Asante went down hurt in the game's waning minutes and never returned - for the rest of the season. Then it was back to Florida, a 3-2 loss after Sky Blue twice came back before giving up the winner in the 86th. But Boston continued to struggle too, and so with two games remaining Sky Blue was still very much in control of its own destiny despite the dip in form.

Needing just a draw and the point that came with it to secure a postseason spot and knock the Breakers out with a game still to play, Sky Blue FC headed back to Philadelphia. Sky Blue had never earned a single point in the state of Pennsylvania, but they'd also scored at least twice in each of the three previous meetings with the Independence this season. Philadelphia took the lead but Aluko equalized seven minutes later and Sky Blue FC seemed playoff bound. Even after Carrie Dew was ejected for a questionable second yellow card at the beginning of the second half, the ten-woman Sky Blue still seemed on pace to earn the point. But then Philadelphia's Lianne Sanderson scored in stoppage time. Branam, who'd played a game that seemed to be in spite of her impending retirement, was furious. Someone had been offside or she'd been fouled on the play, or... something. Something like the following weekend's game in Boston - the final match of the regular season - had suddenly gone from a meaningless one to a winner-take-all, loser-clean-out-your-lockers one.

The postseason fates of Sky Blue FC and Boston Breakers are forever intertwined. In 2009 it was a Breakers loss to LA on the final day that snuck Sky Blue into the playoffs. In 2010, the two met at Yurcak on the final day, this time Sky Blue needing the win to have postseason hope. The game ended 0-0. Now the two were meeting again on the final day. A draw or Sky Blue win sent the Jersey team back to the postseason. A Sky Blue loss put the Breakers through. Boston's Lauren Cheney scored fourteen seconds into the match.

Sky Blue was in serious defensive trouble - already without the injured Asante, the team was now also without the automatically suspended Dew. Sheree Gray, who'd replaced Asante during the World Cup, was also injured and Gabarra was forced to go with Petra Hogewoning, a Dutch defender who'd never played a single minute in WPS. Cheney scored again in the 18th. Gabarra replaced Hogewoning with Casey Nogueira looking for some offense, but Sky Blue couldn't even put much on frame as the clock ticked up to 90 and Boston ultimately took the 2-0 win to the postseason. Three days later the Breakers were eliminated by magicJack 3-1 in the First Round.

For Sky Blue FC it was another season with a familiar story: start with promise, watch it slip away, finish just short, wonder what could have been. But hey, Sky Blue netted a club record 24 goals and Gabarra became the first coach in team history to make it an entire season. So, there's that.

Sky Blue FC Season Recap: Part One

Lauren Barker — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:53:07 -0000

In 2009 Sky Blue FC made a miraculous run to the inaugural WPS Championship - sneaking into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season and embarking on a cross-country road trip, knocking off the Washington Freedom, St. Louis Athletica and LA Sol, all sides Sky Blue had never beaten and all in the span of just eight days en route to the title. That the team was by then on its third coach of the season, Christie Rampone, who also happened to be the captain and central defender - and that following the match Rampone informed teammates that she was pregnant - only made the whole thing more remarkable. Since then Sky Blue has fielded teams that were, on paper at least, better than the one that won that Championship in 2009. And since then Sky Blue FC hasn't made the playoffs.

In 2010 Tasha Kai scored six minutes into the season opener, and then it all went wrong. Carli Lloyd broke her ankle three games in. Kai often found herself relegated to the bench. Rampone missed the beginning of the season on maternity leave. Anita Asante was traded to St. Louis. Meghan Schnur was in and out of the lineup with an injury. Jenni Branam broke her kneecap in a preseason game. Karen Bardsley put in a star-making performance in Branam's place - earning an All-Star starting nod for her troubles - and broke her collarbone in an All-Star training session. Kristin Luckenbill took over in goal, retiring when Branam returned. Branam got hurt again, requiring goalkeeper number four, Meghann Burke, to finish the season between the posts.

Finnish coach Pauliina Miettinen was brought on with Sky Blue hoping to put an end to the coaching carousel that hung over the team through the first year. But Miettinen's style never quite fit. A 624-minute home run-of-play scoring drought sent Sky Blue sliding down the table and Miettinen was sacked with ten games to play. Rick Stainton took over but Sky Blue never found its footing again, finishing fifth - three points outside the playoffs - and scoring only 20 goals through the 24 game season.

This season Heather O'Reilly, Branam and Bardsley remained from the Championship winning side. Brittany Taylor, who played every minute of 2010 as a rookie, took over the captaincy with Rampone's departure. A trade brought England striker Eniola Aluko, 2010 number one pick Tobin Heath and midfielder Angie Kerr from Atlanta in exchange for 2011 draft picks. Defender Carrie Dew came from 2010 Champion FC Gold Pride and Asante returned after a 2010 that also included spells in Chicago and Washington DC after the initial trade to St. Louis. Casey Nogueira from Chicago, Carolyn Blank from Atlanta and Allie Long from Washington joined O'Reilly, Heath, Kerr and Therese Sjogran - on loan from LdB FC Malmo in her native Sweden - in the midfield. Spain's Adriana signed on as Aluko's strike partner and both Branam and Bardsley returned healthy. And Sky Blue hired another new head coach, Jim Gabarra, who'd recently left the Washington Freedom after a ten-year stint that included the WUSA, W-League and WPS versions of that team, to finally, for real this time, bring stability to a job that was the very definition of unstable.

Like every team Sky Blue would have to deal with the revolving door that the Women's World Cup brought, losing Sjogran, Aluko, Bardsley, Asante, O'Reilly and Heath - but the team Gabarra assembled was deep enough to compensate. On paper at least.

Sky Blue spent part of the preseason in Turkey, finishing as runner-up to LdB Malmo in the four-team tournament. The 2011 WPS season officially kicked off against Kai's new team, the Philadelphia Independence. Sky Blue FC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half and the Gabarra era seemed to be off to a solid start. The team was scoring goals and beyond that, playing a quick, flowing and entertaining brand of possession soccer - something not exactly commonplace at Yurcak Field, or not for the side in blue and orange, anyway. But the second half was a different story. Philadelphia got within one and then a 90th minute deflection gave the visitors the equalizer. Sky Blue headed out for a three game road trip, with stops in Atlanta, Boston and Western NY, and returned with a grand total of zero points. Among those three losses: a 1-0 defeat to Atlanta - the Beat's only win of the entire season.

But the pair of home games that followed righted the ship - a 3-0 win over Atlanta, the largest margin of victory in Sky Blue FC history, and a win over Boston. In three home games Sky Blue had managed seven goals - one better than the six the team scored through all eleven home games in 2010. The two wins kicked off a five game unbeaten streak - another franchise record - that included a comeback draw in Western NY that featured a ridiculous Nogueira goal, a draw with Boston and another win over Atlanta. That concluded the pre-World Cup part of the season and WPS took a two-week break during the Group Stage.

All this was happening as the World Cup bound internationals bounced back and forth between club and country. O'Reilly and Heath - like all the US WPS players - spent weekdays training with the US Women's National Team in Florida and flew back to be with their club teams on the weekends, eventually leaving for Germany in early June. Sjogran and the England contingent of Bardsley, Aluko and Asante also left to be with their national sides.

Coming in Part Two: The post-World Cup part of the season and a tightening playoff race loomed on the other side of the break. Would Sky Blue FC be able to keep the momentum going?

Sky Blue FC's Playoff Dream Dies With 2-0 Loss To Boston Breakers

Lauren Barker — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:37:38 -0000

Sunday night's match between the Boston Breakers and Sky Blue FC wasn't technically a playoff match, but it might as well have been. With the final postseason spot at stake Sky Blue traveled to Boston to take on the Breakers in the final match of the regular season. Three points ahead of the Breakers coming into the match, Sky Blue needed just a draw to secure the final postseason berth. For Boston, the match was a must-win - any other result would send the Breakers into the offseason.

Both teams came into the match at Harvard Stadium struggling, with Sky Blue winless in four and the Breakers winless in five, but Boston wasted little time breaking out of their slump. Lauren Cheney scored just 14 seconds into the match and added another in the 18th minute, putting the visitors into a 2-0 hole before the half-hour mark. Sky Blue FC picked up the pressure, but couldn't find the back of the net, leaving Cheney's pair of goals to send the Breakers into the postseason. It is the second consecutive playoff appearance for Boston and the second consecutive playoff-less season for Sky Blue FC.

From the kickoff, Keelin Winters received the ball and sent a cross to Cheney who volleyed a shot past Jenni Branam to give Boston a 1-0 less than a minute in. Cheney's goal came just 14 seconds into the match, the fastest goal in league history. A stunned Sky Blue FC tried to respond, but it was Boston that maintained the better of the pressure. The Breakers doubled their lead, again through Cheney, in the 18th minute. It was again a rookie with the assist, this time Meghan Klingenberg, who found Cheney in the box. The U.S. National Team striker received the ball and took a touch past Branam before putting the ball into the net for her second of the night and third of the season. For Branam, it was her final professional appearance. The 30 year-old three-year Sky Blue FC keeper and one-time U.S. International announced her retirement last month.

Head Coach Jim Gabarra tried to spark the Sky Blue FC offense, bringing in Casey Nogueira in place of defender Petra Hogewoning in the 34th minute, but the visitors remained unable to muster an attack. Hogewoning signed with Sky Blue in early July, but the Dutch defender hadn't made an appearance with the team before Sunday night. With both of Sky Blue's central defenders unavailable - Anita Asante due to an injury and Carrie Dew because of a one-game suspension for a pair of yellow cards last weekend - Gabarra had little choice but to use the inexperienced Hogewoning. "We knew we needed to play a defender in the back and we brought Petra in, an experienced international defender, but she hadn't played in the league and at this pace and intensity," said Gabarra after the match, explaining his team's defensive troubles. "Plus we had Brittany Taylor out of position - she's normally our right back. To have a player sent off for two very questionable cards and then have your other central defender out due to injury it's going to be tough against any team in this league."

Sky Blue tried to press forward but the Breakers had little trouble holding off the visitors, taking the 2-0 lead into halftime. Sky Blue again upped the pressure on the other side of the break, but the attack continued to be disjointed, with many shots never even making it to Breakers keeper Alyssa Naeher.

Boston nearly added to its lead just past the hour mark, first with Branam tipping a shot from Winters over the bar in the 61st minute and then with a desperate scramble in the box following the subsequent corner a minute later. Sky Blue FC was finally able to clear and started to get the better of the possession, but the New Jersey side still couldn't put much on frame.

Striker Adriana replaced defender Danielle Johnson in the 62nd minute and Sky Blue sent everyone forward with time running out in the must-win game. Kendall Fletcher and Brittany Taylor were left to play what was essentially a two-back, with even Branam venturing past the halfway line at points. That pressure nearly paid off in the 70th minute as Eniola Aluko was in alone on Naeher, but the England striker sent a harmless header right at the Breakers keeper.

In the 89th minute Nogueira got one final opportunity to keep things close for Sky Blue, but sent her shot wide. Referee Kari Seitz blew the final whistle minutes later, leaving the 4,289 at Harvard Stadium to cheer their side's 2-0 win, and more importantly, the Breakers officially booking a ticket to the postseason. Boston will now take on third place magicJack at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida on Wednesday night in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of that match will face the Philadelphia Independence in the semifinal on Saturday at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Gabarra acknowledged that the early goals put Sky Blue in a hole, but also that he believed his side could come back. "To give up two goals early in the first half was always going to be an uphill challenge, but we felt like we could score, we just didn't score today," the coach said. "The bottom line is we were not good enough in the back to start."

"It was a real good win and it shows the pride in the team and the Breakers organization that we didn't want to go out with a loss at home. It's going to be tough to go on the road and win games but I like where we are right now," said Breakers Head Coach Tony DiCicco. "I'm real pleased with the effort."

Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers Preview: Now It's Win Or Go Home Time

Lauren Barker — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:58:22 -0000

Sky Blue FC will take on the Boston Breakers on Sunday afternoon at Harvard Stadium in Boston in the final regular season game for both teams. Sky Blue and Boston are currently fourth and fifth on the table respectively, but just three points separate the two, making Sunday’s match the decider for who gets the final playoff spot. The winner will go on to the postseason, facing third place magicJack in Florida on Wednesday night while the season will be over for the loser. A draw would put Sky Blue FC through.

Boston has somehow managed to become a worse team since the return of its World Cup players, going winless since Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Stephanie Cox, Lauren Cheney, Kelley O’Hara, Alex Scott, Kelly Smith and Aya Sameshima rejoined the team. The Breakers head into Sunday without a win in their last five – the last four in that run all losses. Sky Blue FC though hasn’t fared much better recently - the New Jersey side has now dropped three straight. Despite the dip in form Sky Blue still had the chance to secure the final playoff spot and eliminate Boston last weekend against Philadelphia, but a stoppage time goal from the Independence’s Lianne Sanderson destroyed that dream.

The loss in Philadelphia cost Sky Blue FC more than just a sure trip to the postseason. The team also lost defender Carrie Dew, who was ejected after picking up questionable yellow cards at the beginning of each half and will now miss the Boston match serving a one game suspension. Dew’s absence Sunday will add more trouble to an already troubled back line. Sheree Gray, who filled in while Anita Asante was away with England at the World Cup, is unavailable due to an injury. And Asante has missed the last two matches after suffering an injury of her own late in Sky Blue’s game against Western NY on July 30th. Asante is listed only as probable for Sunday, but with Dew out of the picture Jim Gabarra doesn’t have many other options. One of the few choices Gabarra does have is Dutch defender Petra Hogewoning, who joined the team at the beginning of July but has yet to make an appearance. Danielle Johnson will likely fill in for Dew, but if Asante also can’t play Hogewoning’s debut could very well come on Sunday.

The big question is: will Boston be able to take advantage of the cobbled together back line? The Breakers have been shut out in five of their last eight matches and have managed just one goal in the last four. Smith is still listed as questionable as she continues to recover from her World Cup-related injuries and Cheney and O’Hara are only probable for Sunday. Boston will also have to solve Sky Blue goalkeeper Jenni Branam, who hardly looked like a player set to retire at season’s end last weekend in Philadelphia.

Offensively, Sky Blue is slightly better off than Boston, having already scored a franchise record 24 goals this season. English striker Eniola Aluko, who scored just once pre-World Cup and continued to struggle upon returning from Germany, finally found her scoring boots – to the tune of three goals in the past two games. Aluko’s return to form makes her a good running mate for Adriana, and with finally a full week between games Gabarra has a full roster of midfielders to compliment that forward duo. So full that Laura Kalmari and Angie Kerr aren’t even on the traveling roster and Gabarra still has Casey Nogueira, Heather O’Reilly, Tobin Heath, Allie Long, Carolyn Blank and Therese Sjogran to choose from. Sky Blue’s rotating/shifting midfielders and forwards and close quarters passing could be trouble for a Boston defense that’s been a revolving door all season and now will change yet again as Cox is listed as unavailable.

Both teams have made the playoffs once, with Boston finishing third last season and Sky Blue sneaking in in the fourth spot in 2009. The Breakers were eliminated by Philadelphia in the semi-final last season after an extra time goal from Danesha Adams. Sky Blue didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2010, needing a win against Boston on the final day of the season to have a shot at the postseason, but neither team could manage a single goal in a 0-0 draw. In 2009 Sky Blue only made the playoffs because the Breakers lost on the final day of the regular season to the LA Sol. Sky Blue went on to beat Washington, St. Louis and LA to claim the inaugural title. Gabarra has never missed the playoffs, bringing Washington to the postseason in both 2009 and 2010. A win Sunday would be Gabarra’s sixth, making him the winningest coach in team history.

Philadelphia Independence Defeats Sky Blue FC 2-1 On Stoppage Time Goal

Lauren Barker — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:47:44 -0000

With the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on the line, Sky Blue FC closed out the season series with the Philadelphia Independence Sunday night in Chester, PA. Because the Boston Breakers lost on Saturday, the New Jersey side needed just a draw to secure the final postseason spot and eliminate Boston from playoff contention. But Sky Blue FC is a team that doesn't like to do things the easy way - or the safe way - and knowing the postseason is a sure thing with a game still remaining? What fun would that be? And so, after playing almost the entire second half down a player and still managing to hold on to a 1-1 score line, Sky Blue gave up the equalizer in stoppage time.

Former Sky Blue FC striker Tasha Kai gave the Independence an early lead before the visitors equalized seven minutes later on a goal from Eniola Aluko. Sky Blue defender Carrie Dew was sent off early in the second frame for her second yellow card of the night, but the ten-woman Sky Blue managed to hold on. Almost. Jenni Branam put in a classic performance in net for Sky Blue, making several point-blank saves, but ultimately the Independence attack was too much. Lianne Sanderson netted the game-winner for Philadelphia in stoppage time, giving the home side the 2-1 win and keeping them at the top of the table. The loss keeps Sky Blue FC winless, and point-less, in two seasons when playing away at Philadelphia.

In the second minute Carrie Dew was called for a foul and booked after Tasha Kai went down as the two battled just above the 18. Jenni Branam made the first of several stellar saves on the ensuing free kick, tipping Danesha Adam's shot over the bar. Philadelphia controlled the play through the first quarter hour, as Sky Blue continued to show signs of just how much the team missed the injured Anita Asante in the center of the defense.

In the 17th minute Kai gave the Independence the lead, putting her ninth of the season past Branam. After a Sky Blue turnover, Leigh Ann Robinson played a long ball from the back for Kai to run onto. The ball took an awkward hop on the turf, sending it seemingly out of Kai's reach, but the Hawaiian striker stayed with it and fired a rocket off the bounce and past a diving Branam. Four of Kai's nine goals this season have come against her former team.

Philadelphia's lead didn't last long though, as Eniola Aluko equalized just seven minutes later. In the 24th minute Tobin Heath dribbled through the midfield before slipping a ball through a seam in the Independence defense for Aluko who was able to put it past Nicole Barnhart. It was the first-ever WPS point for Heath, who spent an injury and illness plagued rookie campaign with Atlanta last season and has seen limited time this year due to World Cup duty with the U.S. For Aluko, it's her third goal in two games and fourth of the season. The two teams headed into the break tied at one.

The second frame started in very much the same way as the first. In the 49th minute Referee Ted Unkel again whistled Dew for a foul, and again pulled out a yellow card. Dew had gone in for a challenge on Danesha Adams and made contact with Adams' foot, sending both players to the ground. Already missing Asante and without a lot of other defensive options, Dew's questionable sending-off left a huge hole in the Sky Blue FC back line. The red card was teh first in Sky Blue FC history. Heath moved back to try to fill in for Dew, and Gabarra eventually brought in midfielder Carolyn Blank in the 55th minute in place of striker Adriana to create more of a defensive presence, but Philadelphia started exposing the gaps as the game wore on.

The Independence started pressing forward, sending several balls whistling across the Sky Blue goal. Fortunately for Sky Blue, no one from the home side was able to get on the end of most of them. Amy Rodriguez had one of Philadelphia's best chances in the 67th minute, sending a shot rifling off the inside of the post. Branam had gone down trying to make the save, but the rebound somehow landed directly in the hands of the Sky Blue keeper who was still on the ground. Sky Blue too tried to push forward, but Aluko and Casey Nogueira were quickly shut down each time and left with few options with the team down a player.

Philadelphia's attack got more aggressive as the match wore on, with Sky Blue FC trying to hold on for the draw. Sky Blue FC recently announced that Branam would retire at the end of this season, but the thirty-year-old keeper hardly looked like a player in the twilight of her career. Two of Branam's 11 saves came in the last five minutes, stopping Laura del Rio point-blank in the 85th and 90th minutes.

In stoppage time, Philadelphia was finally able to break through. Sky Blue was unable to clear and despite Branam seemingly getting a hand on a deflection the ball came loose for Sanderson to send into the net. With the Independence up 2-1, Unkel would blow the final whistle a short time later.

With the loss, next Sunday's regular season finale at Boston becomes the deciding factor in who finishes fourth and secures the final playoff berth and whose season ends right then. Sky Blue and Boston have a history of the final day of the season deciding things. In 2009 Sky Blue FC lost its final regular season match against the Washington Freedom, leaving the result of the next day's Boston Breakers-LA Sol match to decide the fourth spot. A Boston loss and Sky Blue was in, a Boston win and the Breakers would head to the postseason. The Breakers lost after a questionable PK called by who else - Ted Unkel, and Sky Blue FC got a second life. Sky Blue of course went on to win three road games in eight days to secure the inaugural Championship. In 2010 Boston and Sky Blue faced each other on the final day of the regular season in New Jersey, again with the playoffs on the line. The Breakers had already secured a spot in the postseason, but Sky Blue needed a win - and a Washington Freedom loss in its match happening simultaneously - to have a chance to repeat the heroics of 2009. The Freedom ultimately won, making the result of the Sky Blue Boston match irrelevant, but Sky Blue never gave itself a chance anyway, not mustering a single goal in a dull 0-0 draw.

This time around, the now winless in three Sky Blue FC will face a winless in five Boston Breakers. Both teams have struggled defensively, and Sky Blue will now have to take on the Breakers without Dew, who receives an automatic suspension for the ejection.

Sky Blue FC vs. Philadelphia Independence Preview

Lauren Barker — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:45:20 -0000

Sky Blue FC will take on the Philadelphia Independence on Sunday at 6pm at Leslie Quick Stadium at Widener University in Chester, PA. The two teams have met three previous times this season - a draw and one win for each. Most recently Sky Blue beat Philadelphia 2-0 two weeks ago in New Jersey. Philadelphia has already clinched a home playoff game and is now just battling with Western NY for the regular season title. Sky Blue FC is currently in fourth and still fighting to cement a spot in the postseason. The team is currently three points ahead of Boston for the final berth. Both the Independence and Sky Blue will have one game remaining after Sunday.

Philadelphia is coming off a 1-0 win over Atlanta last weekend, the Independence's second straight victory. Sky Blue suffered a 3-2 loss to magicJack on Wednesday, the New Jersey team's second straight defeat. In two years Sky Blue has never beaten the Independence on the road, either at Philadelphia's old home at West Chester University or this season at Widener. In fact, the New Jersey side has never earned a single point in the Keystone State.

Nicole Barnhart has taken over for Val Henderson in the Philadelphia goal since the loss in New Jersey. Barnhart was Hope Solo's backup at the World Cup and hasn't allowed a goal since returning from Germany. The Sky Blue attack will certainly test Barnhart more than Atlanta did last weekend - Sky Blue has scored at least two goals in each of the three previous meetings this season. Opposite Barnhart, Jenni Branam will likely return between the posts for Sky Blue. Karen Bardsley got the start against magicJack on Wednesday, but looked incredibly shaky, particularly on magicJack's game winner.

That goal, a header from Megan Rapinoe, was hardly entirely Bardsley's fault though. Carolyn Blank started things with a poor clearance and the entire Sky Blue defense seemed to fall asleep as Rapinoe was allowed to get on the end of a Lisa De Vanna cross. Danielle Johnson filled in for the injured Anita Asante against magicJack, but Johnson doesn't have the same poise Asante does. The last time Sky Blue faced Philadelphia Asante was key in Sky Blue's ability to shut down the Independence attack. Granted, the Independence didn't have Vero for that match are were forced into a more direct game that caused little trouble for Sky B

lue, but Philadelphia didn't exactly show up without any offensive threats either. The real problem for Paul Riley's side is that Tasha Kai and Amy Rodriguez have both been quiet lately. Vero has been Philadelphia's lone goal scorer in each of the team's last two wins. Sky Blue will have to figure out how to shut down Vero without leaving Kai or Rodriguez open - despite the recent drop in form both are still plenty dangerous and Kai in particular seems to play with an extra spark when facing her former team. That task becomes much more difficult if Sky Blue is without Asante, who's still listed as questionable after picking up an injury last weekend. Dutch defender Petra Hogewoning is available and could make her debut for Sky Blue FC if Asante isn't 100 percent.

Jim Gabarra will also have to continue to solve the midfield/forward puzzle. Gabarra has rotated players in and out of the lineup during a long span of two-game weeks with varying results. Casey Nogueria provided a spark off the bench last week, but has been quiet over the past two games. Eniola Aluko was ineffective after returning from the World Cup, but came alive after being pulled from the starting eleven on Wednesday. Aluko came off the bench and scored twice in the loss to magicJack, her first goals since May. The brace could get her out of Gabarra's doghouse, but Aluko's speed would cause more trouble for Philadelphia off the bench. Nogueira has been a problem for the Independence in previous contests, scoring both of Sky Blue's goals in the recent 2-0 win. She too has been relegated to sub-duty lately though. Adriana is a sure thing up top, leaving who her running mate will be as the only real offensive question. In addition to Aluko and Nogueira, Laura Kalmari is also available.

The match in Philadelphia will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer. A Sky Blue win or draw combined with a Boston Breakers loss to magicJack would secure a playoff spot for Sky Blue FC and eliminate Boston from playoff contention. Any other result will make next weekend's Boston-Sky Blue season finale the deciding factor for the postseason.

Sky Blue FC Drops Second Straight With 3-2 Loss To MagicJack

Lauren Barker — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:33:25 -0000

Sky Blue FC striker Eniola Aluko finally broke out of her scoring slump on Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough for the New Jersey side to top magicJack. Playing at magicJack's home field at Florida Atlantic University for the second time in as many weeks, Sky Blue FC needed a win to remain in the third spot on the table. Despite coming from behind twice, Sky Blue was ultimately unable to hold off the magicJack attack, giving up the game winner with just four minutes to play. The loss puts magicJack in third, three points ahead of Sky Blue, who now occupy the fourth and final playoff spot.

Despite all the off-field crazy currently swirling around magicJack, the Florida team was able to come up with a 3-2 win over visiting Sky Blue FC. Abby Wambach netted a brace and Megan Rapinoe added the third for the home side. Aluko, who came in as a second half sub, scored both of Sky Blue's goals - her first (and second) since May 28th. It was the second straight win for magicJack and second straight loss for Sky Blue.

MagicJack player/coach Abby Wambach opened the scoring for the home side just five minutes in, receiving a ball from Marian Dalmy and beating the Sky Blue defense before firing a shot past Karen Bardsley. It was just the third appearance - and first since returning from the World Cup where she played all four games for England - for Bardsley. Jenni Branam had the night off after giving up four goals against Western NY last weekend. The loss drops Bardsley to 0-3 on the season. MagicJack would take the 1-0 lead into halftime.

Aluko replaced Laura Kalmari to start the second frame and immediately had an impact. The England striker got on the end of a ball from Heather O'Reilly and was able to speed past her defender and send a shot past magicJack keeper Jillian Loyden for the equalizer. The 56th minute goal was Aluko's second of the season. Things would remain even for nearly 20 minutes before Wambach found the back of the net for the second time, sending a ball over Bardsley's head in the the 77th minute to give magicJack the lead once again. Sophie Schmidt had the assist on Wambach's second goal.

MagicJack's second lead lasted just seven minutes before Aluko pulled Sky Blue even once again. Collecting a pass from Adriana, Aluko beat Loyden to bring things level at two in the 84th. Things didn't stay that way for long though, as Rapinoe netted the game-winner two minutes later. The 86th minute tally was Rapinoe's second goal of the season and first as a member of magicJack. Rapinoe's only other goal this season came when she was a member of the Independence, netting Philadelphia's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Western NY on May 29th.

MagicJack now sits in third place, three points ahead of Sky Blue FC and with a game in hand. Sky Blue now has just two matches remaining, this Sunday in Philadelphia and next Sunday's season finale in Boston. The Breakers did do Sky Blue a favor on Wednesday night, losing 2-1 to Western NY. The loss keeps the Breakers in fifth, three points behind Sky Blue.

Sky Blue FC Vs. MagicJack Preview

Lauren Barker — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:50:26 -0000

Sky Blue FC will once again travel to Florida to take on magicJack on Wednesday night, the New Jersey team’s second trip south in as many weeks. Sky Blue topped magicJack 2-0 last Wednesday on an own goal from Abby Wambach and a goal from Allie Long. This match will close out the season series between the two teams and is crucial for both as the season winds down. Sky Blue and magicJack are currently tied on points, but Sky Blue has played one more game. With the two teams so close on the table playoff position may come down to tiebreakers, the first two of which are head-to-head results and head-to-head goal differential, so a positive result is important for both sides. Currently Sky Blue leads the series with a 1-0-1 record and plus-two goal difference.

A big 4-0 win over Boston on Saturday broke a six-game winless run for magicJack. Rookie striker Christen Press netted a hat trick and Abby Wambach had the other goal for magicJack as the team broke out of a two-game scoring drought. Jillian Loyden earned the clean sheet. The biggest news to come out of Florida this week was that magicJack signed Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. LeBlanc played for Philadelphia last season and Los Angeles in 2009. Traded to Chicago after the 2010 season, LeBlanc was left teamless when the Red Stars suspended operations before this season, and decided to focus on training with Canada ahead of the World Cup. With Hope Solo absent as she continues to recover from World Cup-related injuries, Loyden, who went to the World Cup as the number three keeper on the US National Team, has become magicJack’s number one. LeBlanc could immediately challenge Loyden for the starting spot, although disrupting a defense that only recently found its footing could be a risky move for magicJack this late in the season.

Coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss to Western New York on Saturday, Sky Blue will have to pick up the pieces quickly as they now have to contend with magicJack’s recently reinvigorated front line. Center back Anita Asante is listed as questionable after picking up a knock at the end of Saturday’s game. With Sheree Gray injured and none of Danielle Johnson, Petra Hogewoning or the rest of Sky Blue’s utility defenders on the traveling roster, Jim Gabarra will be left to either play a three back or go with a possibly injured Asante. Not exactly the best prospect for facing a team that includes Lisa De Vanna and Ella Masar in addition to Wambach and Press. Sky Blue keeper Jenni Branam will also have to put her lackluster performance on the weekend behind her. Playing on the narrow field at Florida Atlantic University and facing an offense that relies heavily on an over-the-top game, Branam will have to be careful with how far she comes out – Western NY’s fourth goal came when Alex Morgan chipped Branam from long-range after the Sky Blue keeper adventured well off her line.

In the midfield and forward lines, Gabarra has done as good a job as possible to rest players with so many games in such a short amount of time. Wednesday’s match will be the fourth in two weeks for both teams and Gabarra has utilized just about every available midfielder over that time. Gabarra rested Therese Sjögran in the second half on Saturday and also subbed out Heather O’Reilly and Carolyn Blank, so Sky Blue’s engine should have slightly fresher legs for Wednesday.

The big question for Sky Blue FC is in the attack. Casey Nogueira has been used to provide a second half spark as of late, despite the fact that she leads the team in goals. With Eniola Aluko continuing her run of ineffectiveness, why Nogueira is still relegated to the bench remains something of a mystery. Aluko has scored just once this season, and was largely invisible on Saturday. Nogueira caused problems for magicJack the last time the two teams met, while Aluko hasn’t been causing trouble for anyone in quite a while. Still, Aluko’s speed makes her the likely choice for Wednesday, as Sky Blue faces a magicJack side notorious for playing a three back.

After Wednesday, Sky Blue FC has just two matches left, in Philadelphia this Sunday and at Boston next weekend. Currently, the New Jersey side sits in third on the table, which would put them back in the playoffs after missing out on the postseason in 2010. Gabarra does have a little bit of unfortunate history working against him – none of Sky Blue’s five previous coaches has ever won more than five games, which happens to be exactly how many wins the team has so far this season. But Gabarra has already lasted a record 15 games and is on pace to become the team’s first coach to complete the previously impossible task of making it a whole season, so perhaps the elusive sixth win isn’t entirely out of the question.

Western New York Flash Top Sky Blue FC 4-1

Lauren Barker — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:54:51 -0000

Sky Blue goalkeeper Jenni Branam was honored before the match as the team announced that Branam would be retiring at the end of the 2011 season. Sky Blue FC also announced that they would retire Branam’s number 23 jersey. Branam, one of just three Sky Blue players to play all three WPS seasons with the team - Heather O’Reilly and Karen Bardsley are the other two – was instrumental in Sky Blue’s run to the 2009 championship, playing all three matches injured after a big collision with Abby Wambach in the first round. Branam missed most of last season as she broke her kneecap in preseason and returned to the team late in the season only to suffer another injury that would end her season. Things hardly went right for the 30 year-old Branam on Saturday though as she faced the league’s best offense. McCall Zerboni, Marta, Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan all scored for the Flash. Adriana netted the lone goal for Sky Blue.

Facing a Sky Blue side playing its third match in a week, the Flash got its first opportunity less than a minute into the match as Sinclair rang a shot off the post. The visitors continued to control things and Sky Blue defender Carrie Dew had to clear another Flash shot off the line in the 22nd minute. Dew’s heroics provided a spark for Sky Blue though, as the home side scored just seconds later. Against the run of play, Sky Blue headed back up field, where Therese Shoran played a square ball to Adriana in front of goal. The Spanish striker redirected Sjögran’s pass past Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris to give Sky Blue the 1-0 lead. Adriana’s goal was the 21st for Sky Blue this season, breaking the record of 20 the team set in 2010’s 24 game season. Sky Blue managed just 19 goals in 2009.

Unfortunately for Sky Blue, the spark was only temporary as the Flash continued press for the equalizer. In the 29th minute McCall Zerboni was allowed to dribble through the box before taking what looked like a harmless shot right at Branam. But Zerboni’s shot snuck between Branam and the near post, to bring things level at one. The Flash then doubled the lead six minutes later. In the 35th minute Marta received the ball from ex-Sky Blue midfielder Yael Averbuch and cut around her defender before firing a shot that sailed past an outstretched Branam to give the Flash the 2-1 lead. "Sky Blue have come off their third game in seven days so we knew that coming into it," said Flash Head Coach Aaran Lines. "Coming off a confident two wins, so it was our intention to take it to them early knowing that it was their third in seven."

Western NY looked to add to that lead as a shot rang off the crossbar in the 36th minute. Two minutes after that, as the crowd at Yurcak was giving injured Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand – who was in attendance - a standing ovation, the Flash struck again. A free kick from Candace Chapman sailed into the box where Sinclair was able to head it past Branam to put Western NY up 3-1. Sinclair’s 38th minute goal was her league-leading ninth of the season. The Canadian striker has played just 11 matches this season due to the World Cup.

After halftime the pace slowed considerably, with both sides making a flurry of substitutions. Jim Gabarra brought Tobin Heath on for Sjögran to start the second frame and replaced Carolyn Blank with Casey Nogueira in the 57th minute as Sky Blue looked to cut the deficit. Lines brought on midfielder Caroline Seeger in place of Averbuch in the 56th minute, the first action for Seger since a calf injury she sustained playing for Sweden at the World Cup. In the 67th Lines took out Sinclair in favor of U.S. striker Alex Morgan, who received cheers from the crowd as she entered the match. The biggest cheer however, went to Sky Blue captain Heather O’Reilly, who exited to applause in the 70th minute as Laura Kalmari came on. Sky Blue’s attempts to add more offense were for naught however – and cost the team as Anita Asante went down with an injury late in the match.

With Sky Blue FC missing a defender, Western NY had plenty of room for Beverly Goebel, who came on for Marta in the 80th minute, to play a ball to Morgan for the Flash’s fourth goal. In second half stoppage, Morgan received Goebel’s pass and sent a long chip floating over the head of Branam and into the net. Referee Kari Seitz, also just back from World Cup duty as an official, blew the final whistle moments later, the Flash taking the 4-1 win.

"It’s a team game, everybody makes mistakes and unfortunately for the goalkeeper when they make them people want to look and point at those, but there’s got to be better pressure on the ball to deny the serve," Gabarra said after the game. "On Sinclair’s goal someone’s got to challenge her, you can’t just stay on the ground. Zerboni’s goal, that happened at midfield. We had her double teamed and just let them out way too easy and maybe that’s fatigue or lack of focus but it’s a shame. There’s not much left in your gas tank as a team."

The match was Gabarra’s 15th at the helm, making him the longest-tenured coach in Sky Blue FC history. In 2009 Ian Sawyers made it just six matches before being replaced by Kelly Lindsey. Lindsey unexpectedly quit 11 games later and Christie Rampone took over as player-coach for the final three. Pauliina Miettinen made it the previous high 14 games in 2010 before getting the axe and Rick Stainton took over for the final ten.

Sky Blue will continue the lots of games in very little time trend, as the team will now head back to Florida for the second match with magicJack in as many weeks. After taking on magicJack on Wednesday, Sky Blue FC will finish out the regular season with stops in Philadelphia and Boston. Even with the loss, Sky Blue FC remains in third place, but magicJack won Saturday night’s other game 4-0 over Boston on a Christen Press hat trick, leaving the two now even on points. MagicJack has a game in hand, but Sky Blue holds the tiebreaker with a 1-0-1 record over the Florida club. The top four teams in WPS make the playoffs, with the regular season winner getting a bye into the championship.

Sky Blue FC vs. Western NY Flash Preview

Lauren Barker — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:53:07 -0000

Sky Blue FC will face the Western NY Flash at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, NJ on Saturday night. The match is Sky Blue’s final regular season home game – the team will finish out the campaign on a three game road trip. The two teams have met three previous times, a draw and two wins for Western New York. The Flash are the only team to beat Sky Blue FC at Yurcak – a game two weeks ago that saw Western NY take the lead on a Sky Blue own goal before Beverly Goebel doubled it late. Both teams were without major components of their lineups for that one – but Marta, Alex Morgan and Caroline Seger are back in service for the Flash and Heather O’Reilly, Tobin Heath and Therese Sjögran have returned for the home side.

Sky Blue FC is coming off two consecutive 2-0 wins, knocking off both Philadelphia and magicJack by that score. The match with Western NY will be Sky Blue’s third in eight days as the team looks to hold onto third place and the right to host a playoff game. Currently, Sky Blue FC is just three points ahead of fourth place Boston Breakers and fifth place magicJack. Western NY is currently in second, just three points behind league-leaders Philadelphia.

Western NY will bring a full compliment of really good strikers to New Jersey this time, with Marta and Christine Sinclair the likely starters up top. Marta hasn’t looked like herself for much of the season, and the back and forth caused by the World Cup didn’t help, but the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year is still plenty dangerous. Sinclair on the other hand, has put herself right in the middle of the MVP conversation - the Canadian international currently leads the league in goals (8) and assists (6) despite playing in just ten games. Alex Morgan is also an attacking option for Western NY, and Flash Head Coach Aaran Lines has been using the rookie striker much the way Pia Sundhage uses her for the U.S., as a second half sub whose speed and goal scoring prowess can cause all kinds of trouble for the tired legs of opposing defenses. The Flash could also be with the services of midfielder and captain Caroline Seger for the first time since the World Cup. The Swedish international sustained a calf injury during the tournament and her absence from the Flash midfield has been obvious. Seger is very much the Flash’s engine and although the team has continued to win without her, it’s been through a much more disjointed style than when she’s around. If Seger can play, her presence will bring some flow back to the Flash.

Sky Blue’s attack has come into its own lately, too. The return of O’Reilly, Sjögran and Heath added another dimension to an already strong midfield. Jim Gabarra has remained steadfast in using Eniola Aluko as a strike partner for Adriana, despite Aluko’s inability to score. Instead, the English international has become something of a decoy, with speed and smart runs that could create something. Casey Nogueira doesn’t seem to be quite out of the doghouse for some lazy performances a few weeks ago, but sub-duty has done wonders for her. Nogueira came off the bench and scored twice last weekend, and was a problem for magicJack as sub on Wednesday. With so many games in so few days, Nogueira could once again come off the bench against the Flash. Her ability to score from just about anywhere could prove to be the difference-maker. Now with two games back together, the entire forward/midfield unit should be firing on all cylinders against the Flash. Gabarra will likely employ an O’Reilly-Allie Long-Sjögran-Carolyn Blank midfield again, with the four plus Adriana rotating through the middle of the park. Adriana and O’Reilly in particular showed signs of not playing together much last weekend, but the little communication problems should be worked out by now, bringing the same close-quarters passing that was a problem for Philadelphia, but without all the nearly running into each other. Laura Kalmari is another attacking option for Sky Blue and after limited minutes the past few games, Gabarra could turn to her if Aluko continues her ineffective streak.

The midfield may not have quite as much freedom as the past two games though, as both of Western NY’s outside backs are extremely active. Ali Riley in particular loves to get forward, which could keep O’Reilly occupied. Long and Blank will have to deal with Seger – or Beverly Goebel/Yael Averbuch in the middle. Philadelphia’s Sinead Farrelly kept Long plenty busy last weekend, to the point where Long was largely unable to work as an attacking option.

Much like the Philadelphia game, this one will be mostly a midfield battle, but the Sky Blue defense can’t fall asleep either. The Independence relied heavily on an over-the-top game to try to break though the clog in the middle, but Sky Blue’s back four did well to clean up pretty much everything. Western NY has the option of a similar game, so the Sky Blue backs need to be careful to not get caught too far up. Jenni Branam loves to come way off her line, leaving the defense free to play pretty high and the Flash will exploit that if given the opportunity, with the pace of Marta (and Morgan) and Sinclair’s vision. New signing Petra Hogewoning is available as another defensive option, but against Western NY may not be the best time for her debut, as cohesiveness will be crucial.

Sky Blue FC Claims Sole Possession Of Third Place With 2-0 Win Over MagicJack

Lauren Barker — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:14:14 -0000

Sky Blue FC headed to Boca Raton, Florida to take on magicJack on Wednesday night, in the first of two consecutive midweek contests between the two teams. Sky Blue FC and magicJack went into the match tied on points for the third spot on the Women's Professional Soccer table with less than a month remaining in the season. Ninety minutes later Sky Blue FC had the third spot all to itself care of a 2-0 win over the Florida side.

The win, Sky Blue's second straight, comes on the New Jersey team's first-ever visit to Florida Atlantic. Allie Long put the visitors up early and a magicJack own goal doubled the lead in the second half. The loss is magicJack's first at home this season and brings the teams winless streak to six games.

Jim Gabarra used the same lineup that topped Philadelphia 2-0 on Saturday for Wednesday night's match, pairing Eniola Aluko and Adriana up top and bringing Casey Nogueira off the bench to provide a second half spark. Jenni Branam made 13 saves to earn her league-leading fifth clean sheet of the season.

Allie Long gave Sky Blue FC the lead just 15 minutes in, receiving a ball from Heather O'Reilly and sending it past magicJack keeper Jillian Loyden. Therese Sjögran started the play after Sky Blue earned a corner kick. O'Reilly settled Sjögran's service to set up the shot for Long. The goal is Long's third of the season, but her first in the run of play - the other two were both scored on penalty kicks.

Sky Blue's lead was doubled in the 68th minute, again from a corner kick. This time however, it was a magicJack player that put the ball into the net. Casey Nogueira's service sailed across the goalmouth and magicJack's Abby Wambach deflected the ball past Loyden and into her own net as she tried to clear. Nogueira, who entered the match just six minutes earlier in place of Eniola Aluko, scored directly from a corner kick earlier this season.

The two goal lead was all Sky Blue FC needed as magicJack was unable to convert any of its chances. Wambach, in her second official game as magicJack player-coach, brought on forwards Lisa De Vanna and Christen Press in the second half to try and spark the home side's attack, but Branam was solid in net. Megan Rapinoe made her debut for the Florida team, coming in to start the second half, and Shannon Boxx returned to the magicJack lineup, going the full 90.

The two teams will meet again next Wednesday as Sky Blue travels back to Florida Atlantic to kick off a three game road trip to close out the regular season. Before that though, Sky Blue will return home to Yurcak Field one more time - taking on Marta, Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan and the Western NY Flash in the home finale this Saturday.

Sky Blue FC vs. MagicJack Preview

Lauren Barker — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:54:53 -0000

Sky Blue FC travels to Florida to take on magicJack on Wednesday night at 7 PM at Florida Atlantic University. The two teams, along with Boston Breakers, currently sit tied in points for third on the table. Sky Blue FC and magicJack have met just once before, a game that saw magicJack take an early 2-0 lead before Sky Blue FC answered back with two goals 56 seconds apart to force a 2-2 draw. This is the first time Sky Blue will play at Florida Atlantic.

Coming off a 2-0 win over league-leaders Philadelphia on Saturday, the New Jersey team should be feeling pretty confident heading into Wednesday’s contest. The rotating cast of characters working as midfielders and forwards caused trouble for the Independence on Saturday, and should do well in the narrow confines of magicJack’s home field. The close-quarters passing will be a sharp contrast to a magicJack team that recently re-gained the services of most of its World Cup players and relies heavily on a quartet of target forwards in Abby Wambach, Lisa De Vanna, Christen Press and Ella Masar.

For magicJack, Wednesday’s match is the team’s third in eight days – this after a large chunk of the roster returned from the World Cup final little more than a week ago. Wambach took over as player-coach last week after owner/sometimes coach Dan Borislow was suspended by the league for the remainder of the season after players filed a grievance against him. Wambach reportedly deviated from Borislow’s three-back system last weekend in Atlanta, playing with four defenders, but a return to the smaller FAU could also bring the return of the three-back. All of magicJack’s World Cup players, with the exception of goalkeeper Hope Solo, are listed as available for the first time since the tournament ended, and Wednesday could see the debut of midfielder Megan Rapinoe. Jillian Loyden will be in goal with Solo absent. Former Sky Blue captain Christie Rampone will face her old team for the first time as she anchors the magicJack defense in front of Loyden.

MagicJack will is winless in its last five, but still stands as the only team unbeaten at home this season. Loyden looked shaky in her return to WPS action two weeks ago, and the revolving door lineup could take its toll on the team as Rapinoe and the return of Shannon Boxx could once again shake up the lineup.

Sky Blue is playing its second game in five days, but that may actually be a benefit for the New Jersey side. On Saturday against Philadelphia the midfield was extremely crowded, partly by design and partly because Heather O'Reilly and Therese Sjögran have seen only limited time with Adriana in front of them due to the World Cup. With one game - and a few more days of training together - now uder their belt, the Sky Blue attack should be able to function as a more cohesive unit.

Casey Nogueira, who was relegated to sub-duty after a few disappointing games, came in as a second-half sub last weekend and scored both Sky Blue FC goals. Bringing in the fresh legs of a player like Nogueira or Tobin Heath may be a good strategy for Jim Gabarra again on Wednesday as his side faces a team playing on very little rest. Laura Kalmari didn't play at all on Saturday, giving Gabarra yet another attacking option for Wednesday.

Defensively, Anita Asante seems to have settled back in alongside Carrie Dew. De Vanna is deceptively quick, but the pair did well to shut down a similarly speedy attack last weekend. Asante is familiar with the magicJack attack though. Last season she was a teammate of Masar's in Chicago and of Wambach's and De Vanna's in Washington - a team, and two players, that Gabarra coached for two seasons.