Thursday, December 30, 2010

Another Interesting Move

Hello everybody! Hope you all have been having a great holiday season! I myself have been keeping busy, but also enjoying some quiet time together with family and friends. Isn't that the best way to do it? Well, I decided to stop by and let you know that another great player has found a new home! Most of you probably know, since I'm a little late on the news, but it's a trade/transfer, which means I'm gonna write about it! So onto the news: Megan Rapinoe is going to be playing for the Philadelphia Independence in 2011. Rapinoe is an excellent middie who has the ability to weave around defenders, and has a cheeky style of play. Rapinoe is well-known for her flair and flashy moves which spice up her game and are a joy to see, especially when she embarrasses her opponents. The move to the Independence will definitely boost the team. Rapinoe will strengthen the midfield, and will definitely help the attacking efforts with her skillful ball movement and accurate passing and crossing. Also, her and Lori Lindsey should form a deadly middie tandem. Rapinoe will likely replace Seger, who was traded to the Flash. The Independence, who had an excellent run last year, are looking even stronger, and I think Rapinoe will make the squad even better.

I'll be back again soon to write about some upcoming friendlies, and the Four Nations Tournament. See you all soon, and I hope you enjoy your New Year's celebration! Here's wishing you all a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Denise

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

USWNT January Camp

Hello everyone! As you all probably know, the USWNT took December off, after they qualified for the Women's World Cup in late November. However, in January the USWNT will begin preparing and training for Germany 2011, and it will start with a training camp which is to be held from January 8-13. Sundhage recently released the roster of players. Here's the squad who will be training in January:


GOALKEEPERS: Barnhart, Harris, Loyden, Naeher, Solo
DEFENDERS: Cox, Engen, Sauerbrunn, Schnur, Taylor
MIDDIES: Angeli, Averbuch, Heath, Klingenberg, Lilly, Lindsey, Lohman, Mewis, O'Hara, Osborne, Rapinoe, Tarpley
FORWARDS: Cheney, Leroux, Morgan, Rodriguez

Wondering why some key players are missing? That's because Sundhage decided to give 8 veterans some time off. Boxx, Buehler, LePeilbet, Lloyd, Mitts, O'Reilly, Rampone, and Wambach are all going to be given extra time off. However, even with some key players missing, this squad of 26 players offers experience, talent, and youth. Its also great to see a few newcomers get a chance to train with the USWNT.

This camp is designed to have the players get in some good practice and training before the Four Nations tournament, which takes place in late January. Joining the USA in the tournament, are the hosts China, and other invited guests Canada and Sweden.

I'm looking forward to that! Hopefully the USWNT has a successful and productive training camp, and gets well prepared for the Four Nations tournament!

Until next time,

Denise

Transfers, Trades, and Signings

The Western NY Flash have definitely been the most busy during the off season, constructing their squad, which is already looking strong, but other teams have been picking up players as well. Here's some of the recent news:

Cat Whitehill- Experienced defender and veteran player Cat whitehill will no longer be calling the Washington Freedom her home. She will be moving to the Atlanta Beat and will be playign with them for the 2011 season. There's a good chance that Whitehill and Solo, who are both teammates on the USWNT, will be combining to secure the defense for the Beat.

Carli Lloyd- Lloyd, a veteran midfielder for the USWNT, will be moving to the Beat come 2011, as she leaves Sky Blue FC.

Kia McNeill, Leigh Ann Robinson, Estelle Johnson- Both McNeill and Robinson, who played with the Beat in 2010, will be leaving to play with the Philly Independence for the 2011 season. Johnson, who was already a member of the Indy, will be returning.

Natasha Kai- The Philly Independence just signed forward Natasha Kai, who played with Sky Blue FC for 2 seasons. Kai, a talented player who has a nose for goal, hasn't had highlight years with sky Blue in the past few seasons, so maybe going to the Philly Indy will help her find her rhythm again.

Stephanie Cox- The Boston Breakers re-signed Cox as part of their strong defense. She will be rejoining the Breakers for her 2nd season.

That's the latest in terms of the WPS off season. Be sure to check back again soon, as the off season is really heating up with tons of signings and trades!

Denise

Western NY Flash Wasting No Time In The Off Season

The Western NY Flash, the newcomer to the WPS, will be playing their first ever season in 2011 after their establishment towards the end of WPS's 2010 year, and they already look promising. The Western NY flash have wasted no time in gathering talented players and constructing what is looking to be a well-rounded, powerful squad. Both the Independence and the Beat, after their establishment, landed some good players, but the Flash are seriously go-getters. So far, they've taken advantage of every opportunity, and have not wasted any time in landing big players to begin constructing a strong and skilled squad for their inaugural 2011 season. So far, the team has done a tremendous job in building a squad, and have done well to take advantage of the abundance of great players in the Free agency market. The folding of FCGP and the suspending of operations for Chicago were not good news by any stretch of the imagination, but it resulted in many talented players becoming Free agents, and the Flash have not slacked one bit in the way of landing them. Let's take a look at who I think are some of the Flash's key players:

Christine Sinclair- She will surely be leading the offense for Western NY. Sinclair led the league last year with 9 assists, and she also tallied 9 goals. She had a quite prolific year, working well in a partnership with Marta. Sinclair is a complete striker, who has a real nose for goal. She plays the role of goal-scorer and play maker as well. Sinclair, one of the original 10 nominees for the 2010 WPOTY, is one of the best strikers in the women's game. I personally think this could be the Flash's biggest acquisition during the off season. With Sinclair alone, the offense is already threatening, now, if you get a good strike partner for her? You will have a lethal offense, as it was proven when her and Marta formed a deadly tandem on FCGP last year.


Ashlyn Harris- A young and talented GK. Harris stepped in midway through the 2010 WPS season to take over for Erin McLeod, who suffered an ACL injury. Harris is very talented for her age, and has the ability to keep any team in the game. She displayed tons of skill and leadership after taking over McLeod, and she did a great job of filling in for her. She proved that she deserved to be starting, so its great that she moved to the flash, where she could start and put her GK abilities to good use. As a new team, the Flash is going to want to have a secure defense, and Harris is definitely the one to get the job done. She's an up-and-coming keeper who already has a ton of talent and will only get better. She is sure to secure the Flash next season between the pipes.


Caroline Seger- A talented midfielder who is a great distributor of the ball. Seger had a great run with the Independence last year, and was instrumental in their rather successful season and play-off run. On Philly, Seger and Lori Lindsey formed a dangerous tandem of center middies, and the combination could cut defenses and offer great opportunities for the offense. Caroline Seger, who was one of the original 10 nominees in the 2010 WPOTY, will surely be the midfield center piece which the Flash will likely build around. Seger is going to be a critical and crucial part of the Flash's midfield.


Ali Riley- Riley, who was the Rookie of the Year for 2010, is a young and skilled player. She proved to be a crucial part of FCGP's solid defense. Riley did an excellent job defending the flanks and overall stopping opposing teams in their tracks. With Harris in goal and with Riley there to bolster the defense, the Flash is already showing signs of being rock-steady in back. Pair her up with other strong defenders, and you've got yourself quite a brick wall.

The Flash have done a great job of signing some strong key players, but they've signed plenty of players who are going to combine with the key players to make a strong squad. Here's some of the recent acquisitions:

McCall Zerboni
Brittany Cameron
Candace Chapman
Yael Averbuch
Whitney Engen
Brittany Bock
Candace Wilson

The Flash show no signs of slowing down, and have already begun constructing quite a talented looking team. It also seems there is a great mix of youth and experience on the squad as well. As for me, I haven't seen them play and
I'm already a fan. The Freedom is and will always be my number one, but I think the Flash will now occupy my second-favorite-team spot, which was once held by FCGP. I'm happy with all of the signings the Flash has made. I'm happy to know that this new team will be a strong one, and will have the ability to be a title contender. They're efforts have made the off season exciting and interesting. I like a lot of the players the Flash has signed, and I'm really excited to see how they combine, and how they play come 2011. I'll report any more information on trades and signings, as I'm sure at this rate, the Flash will definitely keep working hard to form their squad!

See you again soon!

Denise

Friday, December 17, 2010

Reaching 3,000 Views

Hello everyone! Once again, another milestone has been reached! I've recently reached 3,000 views, and have already started to exceed it. As you know by now, everytime I get another 1,000 views, I write a post about it.

Well as I always say, Thanks for reading! This is to all of my readers, from all around the world, whether you read casually or check in here often, every view counts! Like I've said before, I love the women's game, and writing about it is a lot of fun. I love reporting all the news, reviewing games, and giving my take on the events in the world of women's soccer, and sharing it with fellow fans is great! You guys make my the time and effort I spend on the blog rewarding. Thanks again for reading, following, commenting, and for being a fellow women's soccer fan!


Hope you continue to read and enjoy Just another Soccer Fan!


Denise

Monday, December 13, 2010

Tons of News in WPS

Hey everyone, sorry for the complete lack of posting as of late. There's been tons of news but I haven't kept up! I'm here now though to report some awesome and some not-so-awesome news.


First let's start with the bad. You already know my policy on bad news first, good news last. Here we go.

Chicago Red Stars- The Chicago Red Stars just announced that they will be suspending operations, and will not participate in the 2011 season. However, they will try to make a comeback for 2012. They simply could not meet the deadline, and felt they did not have enough funds or investors to be able to participate in 2011. Like I said, this is only a suspending of operations. The team does have intentions of returning for the 2012 season. While it sucks that the Red Stars will not be competing this upcoming year, this makes the Free Agency a lot more interesting, with players like Rapinoe, Carney, Masar, Loyden, LeBlanc, etc. up for grabs. However, some of these players might have to end up playing overseas, since the WPS teams can only have so many players on their rosters.


Free Agency Heating Up- There has been quite the big moves and transfers happening in the past week or so. Here they are:

Western NY Flash- The Flash are not slacking at all when it comes to landing talented players. The Flash nabbed Harris recently, but landed quite a "big fish" if you will, when they grabbed Canadian legend and one of the 10 original FIFA World Player of the Year nominees, Christine Sinclair. Sinclair is a World Class striker and a legend for Canada, scoring over 100 goals for her country, and who has had 2 excellent season in WPS. In 2010, she led the league in assists with 9. Sinclair is one of the best strikers in the women's game today, and can be a playmaker or a deadly threat in front of goal. That so far is probably the biggest move in this Free agency period. Also, the Flash landed Rookie of the Year Ali Riley, who had a great year with the Pride, and they have also landed Kandace Wilson and Brittany Bock. The Flash have not wasted any time, and have already begun constructing what is looking to be a talented and powerful squad.

Boston Breakers-The Breakers have been doing well in the way of Free Agents too, as they have landed USWNT defender Rachel Buehler, talented young striker Kelley O'Hara, and also landed forward Nikki Washington. These are some pretty smart acquisitions, since Boston could always use an offensive spark (O'Hara is probably just what the doctor ordered, and pairing her up with Smith and Cheney should be promising) while Buehler and LePeilbet, teammates on the USWNT, will likely form the same rock-steady tandem that they do on their national side.


Sky Blue and Atlanta Beat- Sky Blue and Atlanta have worked together to make a few deals. Eniola Aluko, Angie Kerr, and Tobin Heath are all headed to Sky Blue. Atlanta gave these players up in exchange for 2011 Draft picks.


That's pretty much it for now everyone. I'll be sure to report on more stuff as it comes in! See you all soon!

Denise

Monday, December 6, 2010

FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Award Finalists Announced

Today, the Finalists for the WPOTY were announced, and I'm going to be dead honest and say I wasn't too happy with them. Here are the Finalists:

Marta
Birgit Prinz
Fatmire Bajramaj

It seems like a lot of you enjoyed my post on the original 10 nominees, and I know that one was strongly opinionated, so I can guarantee you this post is going to be just as opinionated.

Let me just start off by saying that when I saw the list, I was shocked. The first name I saw was Marta. Was that really a surprise? Of course not, everybody and their mother knows that Marta was going to make the finalists, I mean, this IS Marta we're talking about. Hell, she'll probably win the whole damn thing, AGAIN. As much as I don't think she should win it again, she deserved to be on the list. She did well for her team in the CONMEBOL Sudamericano Femenino, scoring 9 goals, and did well in WPS, scoring 19 goals as the top scorer. Then I saw Prinz next in line. I thought to myself "Well, it didn't seem like she had a stellar year with her country, and I don't know much about her club stats, but I'm gonna guess that they were not bad. I kind of like Prinz, so I'm not really complaining." But then I saw Bajramaj and thought "What is that all about?" But, then a friend of mine told me she did well for Turbine Potsdam, her Frauen-Bundesliga club. A lot of people are unhappy with the Prinz nomination, agreeing with my first thought of her "Great player, but not a highlight year for her at all." I was rather annoyed after reading this list. Needless to say, FIFA never ceases to amaze me with their strange choices. I for one think Abby Wambach, of all people, should have been on this list. She had a prolific WPS year, notching 13 goals and 8 assists, and scored 16 goals for the USWNT, 8 coming in the Gold Cup. There's no way someone like her should have been left off that list, especially with those numbers. What does she have to do, juggle and ride a unicycle while heading goals in? Even Sinclair, along with Wambach, heavily impacted her National and club team. To ignore both of them is a complete farce. Like I always say, Marta does not deserve 5 POTY Awards in a row. That's ridiculous. Here's what I said to a friend on facebook regarding the nominees:

"I'm still hoping FIFA announces the Prinz and Bajramaj nominations were part of an early April Fool's joke and that Abby and Sinclair are the actual nominations."

That pretty much sums it up right there. Who do I think will win? Well, I bet its going to be Marta. If its Prinz, that would be ridiculous, because it seems like she had an average year compared to some of the other 10 nominees. Bajramaj, I don't even know much about her. She seems to have done well for her club but not her country. If this was done right, they'd have taken club and country stats and impact into account. But, this is FIFA we're talking about. My final verdict is that Marta wins it all for the 5th damn time in a row. Why? Because FIFA picks the usuals, the favorites, and overall does things ass-backwards, or half-assed. Good job FIFA, first you give the 2022 bid to Qatar, and now you screw up the Women's POTY finalists! Good job guys.

Denise

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

WPS Free Agency and Western NY Franchise

There's some events to mention regarding WPS! And they're good ones, I promise.



Hello everyone! Some goings-on have been happening in the WPS! So far, there's been some Free-Agency moves (finally!), and the Western NY franchise has announced some important information, so let's talk about it:

Ashlyn Harris- Harris, the young keeper who took over for McLeod in July of the WPS season (and did an outstanding job, I might add), will be making saves for Western NY next year. The brand new WPS team should be happy that they jumped on Harris, they've got a great keeper on their hands. As a Freedom fan, I'm going to miss her, but I can't wait to see what she does for Western NY! Good luck to her!

Allie Long- Long has been signed by Sky Blue FC, whose head coach is now Jim Gabarra (The Freedom's former coach). Long is a good middie and Sky Blue FC will definitely benefit from her presence!


Western NY- The Western NY franchise announced their official name and logo. Its going to be the Flash, as was their previous W-league name, the "Buffalo Flash." Instead, they're dropping the Buffalo part, to make their official name the "Western NY Flash." Cool name!

That's all on the WPS news for now, but expect to see some big transfers soon. There's no way big names like Sinclair, Marta, Boxx, Buehler, Kai, Lloyd, etc are going to stay in no-man's land for too long. Expect to see them and many other big players get swiped up sooner rather than later.

See you again soon,

Denise

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Big News

Hey everyone, I know I've been a bit behind, but lately I've been busy with a lot of different stuff. Here's some quick updates:


USWNT- The USA qualified for Germany 2011, and was the last team to do so when they beat Italy 1-0 in Chicago. A-Rod's goal lifted the USA to a 2-0 aggregate, and helped them clinch the 16th and final berth.


Germany 2011 Women's World Cup Draw- Earlier today, the groups were drawn for the WWC. Here are the groups:

Group A- Germany
Canada
Nigeria
France

Group B- Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
England

Group C- USA
North Korea
Colombia
Sweden

Group D- Brazil
Australia
Norway
Equatorial Guinea

These groups are looking pretty good, and by the looks of it, I bet we're in for a fantastic World Cup!


The official dates and venues were released as well, as long as the design of the official match ball. It was recently announced that over 350,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament. In the near future, I'll be giving reviews on each group, and I'll also cover the progress and news of the WWC more in depth.

See you again soon!

Denise

Friday, November 26, 2010

I Need A Favor

Hello guys! As you might know, I don't get ESPN3.com, so I won't be able to watch the game. I'll be sentenced once again to the torture that is known as match tracker. For those of you who live in Europe/Southeast Asia, the USWNT-Italy game is going to be broadcasted in your region. I'm asking you guys a favor. If any of you can post the game on justin.tv, I'd be eternally grateful! Please, from one fan to another, you know how much it sucks to not be able to see your favorite team! So if you live in Europe or Southeast Asia and you get the game (99% chance you do) and know how to use justin.tv, I'd really love it if you could post it on the site! If you guys can do it, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance if you can do this for me and many other fans! If you did it, or are going to do it, it'd be great if you could leave me a comment so that I'll know. Thanks again!

Good luck to both teams tomorrow! But since I'm a hardcore USWNT fan, I say the BEST of luck to them! Come on ladies!

Denise

Spotting The Nike Maestri

As a soccer fan, I really appreciate and enjoy a great soccer game. And sometimes, I find it fun to check out what new cleats the players are sporting. When it comes to cleats, I love crazy, bright, and vivid colors. Nice shades of blue, green, red and yellow always catch my eye, and if I was a professional (or, if I had the money of a professional) I'd be sure to get a pair of those myself. In the past I've taken to red, blue, and green F50's, and also the crazy-colored Nike Mercurials, which ranged anywhere from blue and lime green, to red and even violet. But recently, I've taken to the Nike Maestri, and in particular, the blue ones (I always seem to gravitate towards blue, since it is my favorite color). Here's a picture of them:



Nice cleats, right? I spotted these recently during the Women's Gold Cup, and some of my favorite USWNT players were wearing them.

Abby Wambach, the USWNT's star striker, can be seen wearing a pair of blue Nike Maestri's, and likely scoring with them on her feet. Good taste in cleats, Abby!


Carli Lloyd delivers up passes and assists, and can be seen doing so with some nice blue Nike Maestri's!


Even Goal Keepers need good cleats! Ashlyn Harris makes some diving saves with her Maestri's!


Seems like a lot of the USWNT players are wearing the Blue Nike Maestri's. Nice kicks, guys!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Cleat Watch post! You can see many of the USWNT stars sporting the Nike Maestri's tomorrow, when they play Italy in Toyota Park, down in Chicagoland! If you can't make it to the game, like me, watch all the action on ESPN3.com. And, if you can't get ESPN3 (like me) then I'll see you guys on match tracker! The action starts at 1pm CT, meaning 2pm ET. Still disgusted that neither ESPN or FSC have taken the responsibility to cover this important game, but I will be on match tracker, cheering from home. Hope you all join me, as the final World Cup berth is decided!

Denise

Some Info You Might Want To Know

Hello everyone! Here to do some updating. Let's get started!

WPS- There's been a lot of talk regarding Free Agents. No one has really been signed yet, but the Western NY franchise has announced its first 6 players. They'll be anouncing their official name and logo soon as well. As for Free Agents, no one is expected to be signed until beginning of December, since the USWNT-Italy game is in the forefront right now. But, expect to see teams negotiating with players like Marta, Sinclair, Kai, Buehler, O'Hara, Lloyd, etc!


Germany 2011 is almost set- Women's World Cup Qualifiers are just about done! South America's regional competition is over, which means 2 more teams have joined the Elite. Those teams are Brazil and Colombia. All that leaves to be decided is the 16th and final berth. That berth will be decided tomorrow, when the USWNT and Italy play for the 2nd and final time in the UEFA-CONCACAF Play-off.


USWNT vs. Italy- Tomorrow is the big game everyone. This is the game that will decide the final World Cup berth. It all comes down to this. After tomorrow, we'll know each and every team who is headed for Germany in 2011. The game is at 1pm Central time, which means it will be on at 2pm ET. The game is taking place in Chicago, USA, but despite that fact, ESPN and FSC have refused to televise the game. Although, 75 other countries worldwide have recognized the extreme importance of this game, and they will be televising it. Thanks a heap ESPN and FSC, you're both pathetic. Cannot believe our WNT, who is #1 in the world, plays a do-or-die WWCQ in this country, and they can't even get the game on TV. Such Bull. ESPN3.com is great and all, but some people cannot receive the program. And in all honesty, a game of this magnitude and level of importance should be on TV in the first place. Period.


That's all for today everyone. I'll be sure to cover the results of tomorrow's match (I'm already anxious and excited!) and then after that, its on to the World Cup Group Draw, this Monday. See you all soon!

Denise

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello! Just here to say, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and happy one! Let us be thankful for our blessings, one of which is the gift of women's soccer of course! For my foreign fellow fans, I wish you a great day as well!

All the best,

Denise

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Lack Of Posts

Hey guys, just want to apologize for the lack of posting as of late. I've just been kind of busy, between pre-holiday stuff and also running the Women's Soccer Coverage group on facebook. We've been working hard to get ESPN to air the upcoming USWNT-Italy WWCQ, and the group has been writing them a lot! If you haven't already joined the cause, then join now! Join the facebook group, and if you can't, then write to ESPN and request the game and more coverage! You'll find the links to both in my previous post. As for the latest news, I know I'm a bit behind, but I'll catch up very soon. Expect some updates regarding the USWNT, WPS, and WWCQs in the next few days.

See you very soon!

Denise

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

ATTENTION TO ALL FANS!

Hello everyone! Well, me and a few friends decided that it was time to start taking matters into our own hands. We ended up creating a Group on Facebook, so if any of you have ever heard of it and actually have an account (hehehe, who doesn't nowadays?) then please join! Below is a link to the Group:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_179240932089919

If that doesn't work for you, enter this into the Facebook search bar: Help Get Women's Soccer the Coverage it Deserves

If you think the humble, genuine, and hard-working players we love deserve more coverage, and if you think the teams we're passionate about deserve some attention and respect, then this is the group for you!

That's all there is to it! Its time for the fans to unite, and for our voices to be heard. We can make a difference if everyone pulls together in a collective effort. We're some of the most loyal sports fans in the world, and there are plenty of us. If all of us join forces and start taking positive action, we can make a change and finally start to make a difference when it comes to women's soccer. These teams and players deserve the coverage. Time to do something about it!

Hope to see you all there!

Denise

Monday, November 22, 2010

ATTENTION USWNT FANS!

Hey guys, sorry I've been late on posting, I have a post the first USWNT-Italy game in the works right now. But, I have something very important to ask each and every one of you.

For some of us, we cannot receive ESPN 3. I'm one of those people; my cable provider or whatever simply does not work with it. So, I could not watch the game this past Saturday, and was sentenced to the torture known as match tracker. Many fans had the same problem. Lots of us, even those who could receive ESPN 3, are hoping that ESPN pulls the same thing they did with the Costa Rica game, and televises the 2nd USWNT-Italy game, sort of spontaneously. Well, hoping isn't enough for me. To all of you USWNT fans out there, and even to those of you who love other teams, but want the coverage of women's soccer to improve, we should stop waiting around and hoping and should do something! One person isn't enough, we need a lot. So, I decided to contact ESPN today and complain about the serious lack of coverage. I wrote them a small response (they only allowed 1,000 characters but I could have easily written double or triple that), and told them exactly what I thought, and asked them to air the 2nd game. If enough of us ask/complain, maybe they will listen and actually put the game on! As for myself, I'm going to send a response every day up until Saturday. If you'd like to join me, I appreciate it, and I'm sure the USWNT would too. If there is a high enough response and demand, they will probably listen. So seriously, step up and help get us some coverage! Is it fair that the MNT gets cameras to South Africa and everywhere around the globe for FRIENDLIES, while our USWNT is trying to qualify for a World Cup and can't get TV coverage over in Italy, and hell, not even HERE in the USA? NO! Its not fair! So come on guys, make your voices heard! Please join me in this cause! The USWNT deserves the coverage, especially now, during these extremely important games!

Here's the link so that YOU can make your voice heard. Every fan's opinion counts.

http://espn.go.com/espn/contact?lang=EN&country=united%20states


Thanks a lot everyone. I hope you will write them. Do it for the USWNT!


Let's give them no choice but to listen!

Denise

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

WPS: The Good News and the Bad News

Hello everyone! As I said yesterday, WPS would be releasing information on their finalized teams for 2011, in particular, regarding the futures of both the Washington Freedom and FC Gold Pride. Well, as in almost every story, there is some good news and some bad news. I'm the kind of person who wants to hear the bad news first, so here we go:

The Bad News- Unfortunately, FC Gold Pride, the league's regular season Champions, and also the 2010 WPS Champions, will not be returning. They couldn't find the support or money they needed to keep the team afloat, and as a result, they will not be returning to the WPS in 2011. It sucks, because I liked FC Gold Pride a lot, they were always one of my favorite teams, ever since the first time I saw them on TV in 2009. Although, its fair to say that I love every team in WPS. Really, it just sucks to see anyone go. The coolest thing about WPS fans is that they are just that, fans of the entire league and all of its teams. Although we all may have ou favorite teams, we love every single team that's in the league. And, I think I speak for everyone when I say it really sucks to see a team go. No matter what team is your favorite, you still love the other teams, and its players, because you probably know them from somewhere else. That's what makes this league so fantastic. There may be rivlaries and we may have a favorite, but at the end of the day we have an attachment to all of the players and teams. R.I.P FC gold Pride. You will be greatly missed.


The Good News- The good news is that, the Washington Freedom on the other hand, will be returning in 2011! I was so happy to hear that the league was able to salvage at least one of our beloved teams, and since the Washington Freedom is my proclaimed "favorite", I was super happy to hear that they'll be returning. Congratulations to the Freedom! The fans and players fought hard together to keep the Freedom in for 2011, and it worked. So happy to know they are returning.


Other News (I think its good news for the most part)- The Free agency period opens up at midnight. That means teams will be working to re-sign their players whose contracts have ended, but that also means teams will be looking to land some new acquisitions. Since FC gold Pride has just folded, their players will be listed as Free agents. World Class players like Marta, Sinclair, Barnhart, etc will be finding new homes. Its going to be super fun to see where these players go, and it will also be fun to see where other free agents will end up! This Free agency period is going to be pretty exciting. Imagine Sinclair going to the Freedom, or Sky Blue FC? Or what if marta goes to the Beat? Any outcome will be exciting and will make the fans anticipate the 2011 season even more. Also, the chicago Red Stars are looking for investors. They have been given until December 15th to do so. I hope they hang in there too. We were able to keep the Freedom, let's make sure the Red Stars return as well! And for one last bit of news, the Western NY franchise will be selecting their 6 players now, since the Expansion Draft was postponed/cancelled. They will announce their picks later this week.


The WPS, as a young league, is going to suffer casualties. Its just something that's going to happen. It was unfortunate and sad to lose the LA Sol, the St. Louis Athletica, and now FC gold Pride. Those teams may be gone, but we'll never forget them! We're moving forward, and they will not have folded in vain. Here's to the future of WPS, a successful 2011 season, to moving forward, and to hoping that we don't lose anymore teams!

Keep your eyes peeled for free agency moves! This is the part of the off-season that's exciting and fun, becuase you never know what big moves will be made, and you never know which players will end up where! I'm looking forward to this Free agency period, and I'm excited to see where the Free agents will end up. As always, I'll post about any moves on here.

See you soon!

Denise

Monday, November 15, 2010

Best of U.S. Soccer Awards

Fan nominations are open! So, why not nominate your very own Just Another soccer Fan for best blog?


Hey everyone! Well, if you're a fan of U.S. Soccer (which our beloved USWNT is a part of!) then you know all about the "Best of U.S. Soccer Awards". The 2010 edition is the 9th annual edition of the competition, and right now, fans can give in nominations for certain categories. Wanna nominate, but you're not signed up for ussoccer.com? Then simply register with them. All it will cost you is 5 minutes of your time. Fans can nominate a bar, specialty store, a costume, and a blog. Now, all of you reading this love Just Another Soccer Fan, right? Of course you do! Haha, I'm just kidding, but, if you happen to be nominating for those categories, then nominate Just Another Soccer Fan for best blog! That is, of course, if you really think it deserves the nomination. But, if you love Just Another Soccer Fan (which you should, because it kicks ass!) then you should nominate it. I'd really appreciate it. I'm just going on a long shot here, but if my blog shows up with enough nominations, then it will make the finals and you guys will be able to vote for your very own favorite blog: Just Another Soccer Fan! I work hard and put a lot of effort into writing, and I love doing it, and I appreciate the amount of views and readers I have. If I get enough nominations, maybe the blog will actually make the finals list and will get more recognition, and then more people will read, and then that means I'll be spreading the word and sharing the love of the Women's game with more people, which is great. But yes, just asking all you readers and followers to nominate Just Another Soccer Fan in the 2010 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards. All the big blogs are of course going to get recognized, but what if Just Another Soccer Fan made it up there with the rest? Wouldn't it be cool to have this blog listed with the likes of the MNT blog and the WNT blog? I think it would! It would be a great honor, so if you decide to nominate JASF, I greatly appreciate it.

Happy nominating!

Denise

Some Updates For You

Hey everyone, haven't been on here in a few days, but I'm here now to update you all on some news that's worthy of mentioning in the Women's Soccer World. Let's start, because we have a few things to talk about:


2010 African Women's Football Championship- The CAF regional qualifiers have finished, and a Champion has been named. As I mentioned in an earlier post, both Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, who were named the finalists of the tournament, automatically clinched a berth in the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup. The tournament concluded yesterday, with South Africa beating Cameroon 2-0 for 3rd place, and with Nigeria beating Equatorial Guinea 4-2 to be named Champion of Africa. Congratulations to Nigeria, who with this win, clinched their 8th title in the African region. Now that the CAF region has finished qualifying, that leaves only 1 more confederation to finish, which is CONMEBOL, aka South America.


2010 Sudamericano Femenino- The CONMEBOL regional qualifiers, which are set to end the 21st of this month, are currently in the 2nd stage. In the final group, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia are vying to be named one of the 2 finalists. I'll keep you all posted as the tournament progresses.


WPS- This is a big week for the league. This week marks the deadline for both the Washington Freedom and FC Gold Pride to have an investor and their deposit for the 2011 season. By the end of the week, the futures of both teams will be decided. Once again, I'm hoping all the best for both teams, and I hope that both have found an investor and have done everything they could to make sure the teams stay alive for the 2011 season. Also coming up is the Free Agency period. We're hitting Mid-November right about now, so teams will probably start negotiating with Free Agents, either trying to re-sign their current players, or maybe trying to land another player. If either the Freedom or Gold Pride fold, or if both fold, then there will be a lot of players who will have to be dispersed. And, it will set loose 3 FIFA World Player of the Year nominees (Wambach, Sinclair, and Marta), and I'm sure plenty of teams will be licking their chops waiting to land at least one of those 3. Let's hope there won't have to be any dispersal drafts though. The WPS website will likely announce the fate of both teams in the mid-late week. Also, if you have a little thing called facebook, be sure to join the Group called "Get Ellen DeGeneres to support Women's Soccer!". Here's the link just in case: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121812224538638#!/group.php?gid=121812224538638

Now I'm sure many of you know the Ellen DeGeneres show. This group's objective is to get Ellen to get some WPS or USWNT athletes on her show, to help provide awareness of the league, and also to get Ellen to help support the WPS! Its a great idea, and you all should join if you have facebook, which I think almost everyone does these days! But seriously, how awesome would it be if the USWNT/WPS players could be on the Ellen show? I think it'd be pretty cool.


USWNT- The USWNT traveled to Italy yesterday, and will now have 5 full days to prepare for the upcoming match against the Italians which will take place on the 20th. The roster has been announced, and I have borrowed it from womensprosoccer.com so that you could see it here:


GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Ashlyn Harris (Washington Freedom), Jill Loyden (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (FC Gold Pride), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Ali Krieger (FFC Frankfurt), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Philadelphia Independence), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Shannon Boxx (FC Gold Pride), Tina DiMartino (Philadelphia Independence), Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsay Tarpley (Boston Breakers)

FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan (California), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)


Pia Sundhage has decided to take all 20 players that she took with her to Cancun to Italy, and has added 4 others, to make a full roster of 24 players. The new players added are Tarpley, Osborne, DiMartino, and Harris. Sundhage will choose 18 players to put on the USA's uniform in the match against Italy in Padova.

Here's some awesome news. You might already know this, but both the games are going to be on ESPN3.com. Awesome right? It may not be TV, but hell, as long as I get to see the game, I am certainly not complaining. I'll take getting to watch the USWNT with my own eyes over matchtracker any day. So yes, us fans will be able to watch our USWNT play Italy while in Padova and while in Chicago. Now, the match held in Italy on the 20th will be aired on ESPN3.com at 4:30pm in Italy, but here in the USA, the match will be aired on ESPN3.com at 10:30am ET. Feel bad for those of you on the West Coast, that means you guys have to wake up at 7:30am! Hey, anything for the USWNT, right? Right! That should be fun. The Chicago match, held here in the States on the 27th, will be aired at 1pm Central time, which means 2pm ET most likely. Can't wait for both of those games! Only 5 days!


Women's World Cup Train Ad- Well, since I commute regularly to NYC, I have to take the train, in particular the LIRR. As I was on the way home, my eyes were wandering around the train, when I thought I saw the Germany 2011 logo. And, I sure did. There was actually a Women's World Cup ad on the train, 4 of them that I counted (I'm sure there were more though, only was able to check the first half of the train). It was a Germany Travel ad, but it was based around the Women's World Cup. This was the picture on the ad:




Below this picture it said "On the ball with the beautiful game" and under it it had the Germany 2011 logo:




I thought that was pretty cool that first of all, they're putting up ads of the competition, and secondly, that they're doing so this early. Good job Germany Travel!

Well, that's all for now! I'll be back soon with all sorts of updates, probably news on the whole Freedom/Gold Pride debacle, the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and news of the USWNT.

See you again soon!

Denise

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Attention All USWNT Fans!

The USWNT needs our support!


Hello everyone, especially all of you USWNT fans! As you guys all know, our beloved USWNT suffered quite a hard loss in the Semifinals of the Gold Cup to Mexico. Since we were not named one of the finalists, we did not automatically qualify for Germany 2011, and now our road to the World Cup is going to be a much longer one. Our future regarding the competition is uncertain at this point, but I, like many other fans, have full confidence in them and know they can deliver on the task at hand. As many of you know, there is going to be a UEFA-CONCACAF Home-And-Away series to be played between the USWNT who is 3rd in CONCACAF, and Italy, who is 5th in UEFA. The first leg is going to be played in Padova, Italy. The second leg is going to be played here in the United States. It will be played in Bridgeview, Illinois. Ring a bell? Yep, it will be staged in Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Red Stars of the WPS.


Here's my message to all of you. For those of you USWNT fans in Italy (if you're out there, I'm talking to you!) then please try and get to the game. The Europeans love their soccer, and I assume that Italy will have a ton of fans doing exactly what the Mexico home crowd did. So, if any of you USWNT fans hailing/living in Italy are there, I'm sure it would really boost the team's morale. If you're one of those crazy fans from the U.S. who has the funds and time to go travel to Italy and support them, then hats off to you, and by all means get over there and support 'em! But, here's what I'm asking everyone else. For those of you that live in the United States (I know you're out there, most of my blog views--in fact 1,642 of them--are from my fellow Americans!) then please try to get to the game. I understand the USA is a big country, and if you don't live near, its definitely hard to travel there and it might not be possible for some of you, but I'm targeting those who live in or near the Chicago area. Even if its an hour or 2 hour drive away. And for those crazy fans that travel across the seas for their team, once again, hats off to you, and I'm sure you'll be heading down there. Unfortunately, I cannot go. I know you must be thinking "Well, you're blabbing on about how we should all go, but what about you?" And well, the truth is, I can't make it and it sucks. It kills me that I can't go, so I'm telling the people who live close to go, because if I were them and I lived close and had that opportunity, you could bet your ass I'd be there getting behind our USWNT. But unfortunately I can't. I don't have my own car, I live in NY, I have no funds to go, and it sucks. I know other fans who would go with me, but they're all in states far from mine. If I had the money and the transportation, hell I'd fly across the country, and even the world, to go see them. But I can't, and since I can't take advantage of that, I'm telling everyone else here to. Listen up people, this is our USWNT. They need our support more than ever before. Like I said in an earlier post, its great and very important to come out and support the team when they're doing great, but they really need us to come out to support and cheer them on now. The stakes are high and they need the fans behind them. There is a World Cup berth on the line. We need to do everything we can to support them, and make sure our USWNT gets into Germany 2011. It wouldn't be a Women's World Cup without them.


As of right now, tickets are available through ussoccer.com and also through womensprosoccer.com.

Come on guys, the USWNT needs us now more than ever! Let's get behind them and make sure they make it to Germany 2011!

Denise

On The Road To Germany: 4 Teams Join The Elite

Four more teams, 2 each from the CONCACAF and CAF confederations, have joined the other teams who have qualified for the Women's World Cup. That leaves us with only 3 more berths to be decided.

Hello everyone and Happy Veteran's Day! The qualifying for the Women's World Cup has been underway for quite some time, and is coming to a close soon. Four more teams have qualified and will be joining the Elite in Germany come 2011. It also means that there are only 3 berths left to be clinched in the competition. First let's mention our qualified teams:

Hailing from the CONCACAF region, both Canada and Mexico have qualified. If you have been following the Gold Cup, you would know all about this of course. Canada, who faced Costa Rica in the Semifinal, won 4-0, and having been named a finalist, automatically qualified for Germany 2011. They would go on to become Champions of the region as well. Mexico faced the USA in their Semifinal, and pulled off the upset, dubbed "The Calamity in Cancun", in order to be named a finalist, and therefore received an automatic qualification for the Women's World Cup.

Hailing from the CAF region, both Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea won their Semifinals, and having both been named finalists, will qualify for Germany 2011. Nigeria won their Semifinal against Cameroon 5-1, while Equatorial Guniea won theirs against South Africa 3-1.


That leaves us with 3 berths remaining. Only 3 more teams will be able to join the Elite in the most important competition in the game of Soccer: The World Cup. Two of these berths will be clinched by South American teams, as the finalists of the CONMEBOL Sudamericano Femenino will automatically clinch a berth. The Sudamericano Femenino will finish on November 21st, and by then we'll know who from CONMEBOL will join the rest. The final berth will be decided by the UEFA-CONCACAF Play-off. Both Italy and the USA will be facing off in a home-and-away series in order to decide who is going to Germany in 2011, and who is staying home. The first leg will be played in Padova, Italy, with the 2nd leg being played in Bridgeview, Illinois of the United States, at the Chicago Red Stars' home: Toyota Park. The winner will be decided on the goal aggregate at the end of both matches.


The first step of the Road to Germany is almost complete! We now wait to find out which 3 teams will join the rest next summer.

We'll find out soon enough,

Denise

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Some Miscellany For Ya

Hello all! Now that Gold Cup is over, its time to catch up on some stuff that has taken somewhat of a backseat. Let's start!


WPS- Aside from the recent Freedom/Gold Pride scare, not much off-season news has surfaced. There have been no trades to speak of, and due to the folding scare, the Expansion Draft has been postponed. There will likely be a break of this news drought come mid-November or so, when the free agency period is underway. Teams will likely report who is returning, and will most likely report new players they've landed. Also, mid-November is a crucial time for the Freedom and Gold Pride, as the 15th is the deadline for them to have an investor, and for said investor to put down a deposit for the 2011 season. If the Freedom/Gold Pride do not find investors, they will have no choice but to fold. Best of luck to both. Really hope they stick around.

CONMEBOL Sudamericano Femenino- The competition started back on Nov. 2, and so far, both Argentina and Brazil are leading both Group A & B respectively. I'll post more info as the tournament progresses.


CAF African Women's Championship- This competition which started on Oct. 31, is already into the Semifinal stages. On November 11th, Nigeria will face Cameroon, and in the other Semifinal, South Africa will face Equitorial Guinea. The winners advance to the Final, and will also automatically qualify for Germany 2011.

UEFA-CONCACAF play-off- After beating Costa Rica to be named 3rd place in the CONCACAF region, the USA is scheduled to face UEFA's awaiting 5th place team Italy in the play-off for the final berth in Germany 2011. It will be a 2 game series, each team hosting one of the matches. The matches will take place on November 20th and 27th, with the first leg being held in Padova, Italy, and the second leg being held in Bridgeview, Illinois, at Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Red Stars, here in the States.


Women's World Cup Group Draw- On November 29th, after all qualifying is finished, FIFA will determine the groups for Germany 2011, by doing the draw. On that day we'll find out which teams will be facing each other in the Group Stage of the WWC.


That's all for updates and news for now!

See you soon,

Denise

Reaching 2,000 Views

Hey everyone! Here to mention that I've reached 2,000+ views here on the blog! I do a post every time I hit another 1,000 views, so here's the 2nd installment in the history of Just Another Soccer Fan!


As I did with the first one, I'd like to thank all of you readers out there! Doesn't matter what country you hail from, I appreciate each and every view. Women's Soccer is my passion, and I love writing about it. Thanks for being fellow fans and for reading, it really makes writing on Just Another Soccer Fan a rewarding experience.

So, whether you are a casual reader or a regular, I'd like to say thanks for stopping by, commenting, and for joining me in the love of the women's game!

Your fellow fan,

Denise

The Women's Gold Cup Comes To A Close

The Gold Cup comes to a close today. Its been a good one!


Hey everyone. Know I haven't been on here in a bit, but I'm back and ready to talk about the Gold Cup! Let's discuss today's games:


USA vs. Costa Rica- This was a must win game for either side if they wanted to keep thei World Cup qualifying hopes alive. After its devastating loss to Mexico, the game dubbed as "The Calamity in Cancun", the USA began to re-think things and seriously analyze their situation. The road to qualifying was no longer going to be simple or easy. With this loss, the USA had to regroup and focus on them qualifying, which from that point forward was uncertain. The United States came in focused, realizing that the task at hand was a do-or-die situation. If the USA lost, they would not qualify for Germany 2011. The USA won the game 3-0, with a goal from Cheney to start the action, and 2 beautiful goals from Wambach to seal the deal and ensure that the USA would still be alive and kicking for a qualifying chance. With this win, the USA keeps their hopes alive and moves on to face Italy, the 5th place team in Europe. They will play a 2 game series, one home and one away, and the team with the aggregate in their favor, will qualify for Germany 2011. This is the first time the USA has had to qualify in the more desperate "Wild Card" method. The loss shook the United States and shocked many fans, but the loss, I believe was a blessing in disguise. This can be a turning point for the United States. They no longer have the berth handed to them, and fighting for it will humble them and make them realize that you gotta play every game like its a do-or-die. You can't slack. This loss will teach them an important lesson. It lit a much needed fire under their asses, so now they will focus and turn this loss into motivation and determination to fight and get into the World Cup. As Julie Foudy said "They might look back on that a year later and say 'You know, that was what changed everything for us'" and I couldn't agree more with her. This loss could be a turning point for the USA, and a positive one. I'm hoping and praying that the USWNT makes it to the WWC, and I will be rooting for them and supporting them the whole way, as will many of my fellow fans. After all, what's a WWC without the USWNT? This is not the time for the fans to be kicking them when they're down. Now's the time when our support matters most. Its great to support them when they're winning and doing well. But it really matters when they're down and they need to get back up. The USA is on a mission to qualify for the WWC, and its gonna take a lot to stop them, and the fans will have to be a force to back them up. Here's to the USWNT, and to them being in Germany 2011!


Canada vs. Mexico- A well played game from both sides, however the Canadians dominated I think. It was a back-and-forth game, with plenty of chances for each side, and as usual the Mexican crowd was a force, more so than ever. However, Canada shut them out as they did back in the Group stage, and it paid off. In the 2nd half, a scramble in the box for Canada resulted in a PK. At some point, after the ball went loose in the 18 after much scrambling, a player for Canada kicked it, and as it was soaring in, a Mexican player blatantly blocked the ball with her hand, preventing it from going in. She was pulled aside and shown a red, and a penalty was awarded to Canada. Sinclair stood at the spot, concentrated, then slotted a perfect shot that deposited into the bottom left.


Sinclair celebrates after converting the penalty into a goal. Her goal would win the game for Canada, and they would be named Champions of the Gold Cup.


The score of 1-0 would stand, and Canada went on to win the Women's Gold Cup. The celebration was fun to watch, and since I like Canada, I was really happy for them. I think they deserved it 100%. Although, as I watched them celebrate, I found myself slightly jealous. Slightly jealous that the USA was not guaranteed a berth in Germany in 2011, that they could not breathe that sigh of relief like Canada and Mexico, and jealous that I could not see my USWNT on that podium lifting the trophy. But, Congrats to Canada! You guys deserved it!


Golden Boot- Golden Boot goes to Wambach! With 8 goals on the tournament, and fantastic goals at that, Wambach is the top goal scorer of the Women's Gold Cup. Good job Wambach, you truly deserve it (and more...like a FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Award.) Wambach scored 8 important goals for her team (notching a hat-trick in the mix), and endured a harsh head injury in the Semifinal that required her to get staples on the sideline, yet she was still raring to get back on the field. That's a World Class player right there, and a trooper. That's why you gotta love Wambach. Congrats to Abby for getting the Golden Boot!

And, that's all she wrote! The Gold Cup comes to a close, with Canada as the Champions (for the 2nd time in history), Mexico as the runner-ups, and with the USA in 3rd place, facing a do-or-die situation that requires them to not have losing as an option, in order for them to qualify for Germany 2011. Canada and Mexico qualify automatically as finalists, while the USA has an uphill battle ahead of them. Its been a fun and entertaining competition, full of some surprises as well.

See you all again soon! I'm behind on my coverage of the CONMEBOL and CAF WWCQs. I'll be sure to cover that real soon for all of you!

Until then,

Denise

Saturday, November 6, 2010

CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup: Final Is Set

Semifinals are over, and the Final is set, along with the 3rd place game.



Hello everyone. Going to be honest with you right now. I'm not going to be writing this post tonight. It will come later tomorrow. I'm utterly disgusted right now, and a little sick to say the least. I will still update you however. Here's today's matches:

Canada vs. Costa Rica- Canada won 4-0. I'm happy for Canada since I like them a lot. Goal information and match information to come later today.


USA vs. Mexico- For me and many other USWNT fans, this was the game from hell. Mexico won 2-1. I've got a whole rant on this, and I am giving one warning. If you are a Mexico fan, steer clear of this page. Its not going to be pretty. More match info and recap + my personal opinion and rant later today, most likely. I'm just too disgusted to talk about it now. But, just wanna say this: I ain't disgusted at the USWNT. They deserved to win. I still love 'em 100% and I have faith in them, and I'm supporting them 100%. Us fans have their backs, especially after a tough loss, when they need it most. I just need to let my anger and disgust subside after a night's rest. More on this game to follow.


That's all for now my friends. Sorry if this is not a great update. But, I'll have more for you later today probably. Good night.

Denise

Thursday, November 4, 2010

FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Nominees

I present to you the 2010 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year nominees! I made this picture myself. It took a while but it came out nice!

As some of you might already know, FIFA released a list of 10 nominees for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Award (for short we'll call it the FWWPOTY or just POTY)

Here is the official list, borrowed from the USWNT Blog:

Camille Abily (France), Fatmire Bajramaj (Germany), So Yun Ji (Korea Republic), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Caroline Seger (Sweden), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (USA), Abby Wambach (USA).

I'll write my own little summary on each player:

Abby Wambach- Wambach, first and foremost, is a true team leader. She's always directing her teammates, communicating on the field, and is the one to rely on where you're in a tough situation. She's the one who will get the goal the team needs, the dramatic equalizer, or the late-minute winner. A clutch player with all around great balls skills, and a physical style of play that I love to watch. She'll muscle anyone off the ball and put it into the back of the net. She'll score any way possible that doesn't involve hands; both her left and right foot, and with something for which she's very well-known-- a header. Her 115 goals speak for themselves. But, Wambach is just as selfless as she is skilled, a player who truly cares about the success of the team. If she sees a better opportunity for a teammate rather than herself, she'll pass it off. She'll sacrifice her own personal accomplishments for the benefit of the team; a quality of a mature and respectable player, which is exactly what she is. Wambach is just as much a play-maker as she is a goal scorer, and is great at one-touch passing, through balls, crosses, and has excellent vision which is why she's so great at scoring goals and making assists. One of my most favorite players, if not my all-time favorite. Wambach for sure deserves the Award just as much if not more than Marta.

Christine Sinclair- Sinclair is an excellent player, one who has scored 104 goals for her country. Sinclair is a player with great ball skills, accuracy, and will score some of the nicest goals you'll ever see. Also, she'll display some of the funniest and most entertaining goal celebrations you'll ever see! On a more serious note, Sinclair is a great goal scorer and is also an incredible play-maker. She led the WPS with 9 assists, and that just goes to show you how much of a selfless player she is. Sinclair is as modest as they come, and will sometimes not take as much credit as she deserves. Sinclair, on FC Gold Pride, is undoubtedly one of the team's top strikers, however she lives in the shadows of Marta. Sinclair is sometimes underrated, since Marta had most of the goals on the WPS team, however Sinclair was instrumental in many of the team's goals, and being modest and shy, never took much of the credit. Sinclair is a down-to-earth player who works hard and plays for the team, and is sometimes overlooked. She deserves the Award just as much as Marta, if not more.



Birgit Prinz- Prinz is a striker who's been around the block a few times in the Women's game, and has experience and skill. She's won the POTY Award before, and its no surprise that she was nominated again. A key player for Germany in any competition or game, Prinz is a dangerous presence who will score as soon as you give her the chance. As a tall player, standing at 5'11, Prinz is a presence in the air, and is also a player who will muscle anyone off the ball. A great goal scorer with 126 goals for her country, Prinz is a player to be reckoned with. Do not let her age fool you; at 33, Birgit Prinz is still kickin'.


Marta Viera da Silva- Marta is a talented, young player who can score goals, run circles around opposing players, and has the speed to beat most anyone in a foot race. Marta exhibits what I like to call "Marta Magic", which is Brazilian flair and fancy footwork on the ball. Marta can be a great play-maker when she wants to be, however sometimes I witness some rather greedy moments from the striker. I have nothing against Marta, but although she is a great player, I personally think she gets way more attention than she should, and 4 POTY awards is pushing it. Marta is an excellent and entertaining player to behold, no doubt, but what about the other players who can do the same that she does, sometimes scoring in contexts many overlook? Just because they can't throw down the Brazilian fancy moves doesn't mean they aren't entertaining. Many people are instantly captivated by the "Marta Magic", proclaiming her the best as soon as they are victimized by the sight of it. But, there is much more to soccer than dancing around a ball. There are plenty of other players who score just as much, if not more, than Marta, and certainly, many of the people on this list are more selfless. But, you cannot deny that Marta is definitely a great player, and fully deserves to be nominated.


Caroline Seger- Seger is a midfielder with great vision, is a great distributor of the ball, and is an aggressive player who will hustle and fight for possession. At first, I didn't care much for her, especially after she smacked Huffman in the well-known red card foul in WPS this past season. However, when watching her play, both her and Lori Lindsey make a dangerous tandem of center midfielders. Seger, much like her teammate Lindsey, can dish out a through pass that can cut through defenses, and can win a ball after fighting relentlessly for it. Seger can distribute the ball well via either a short pass or a through one, and she's great at doling out both. Seger will often be called for fouls, especially since her aggressive tackling and fighting for the ball will often result with a player on the floor. Sometimes we focus so much on strikers, but when you take a close look at these midfielders, especially the central middies who are the rocks of the whole midfield, you realize how important a role they play. It would be a lie to say Seger did not play an important part in Philly's overall successful WPS 2010 season.

Hope Solo- One of, if not THE best Goalkeeper in the Women's game. Sometimes keepers will look good stats-wise when their defense is excellent. This is not the case for Solo. Even when her defense is on point, Solo will still come up with the fantastic saves should the opponents break through. Solo is the kind of keeper any team would feel safe to have between the pipes. Often times on the Atlanta Beat, Solo was hung out to dry, however, the saves she made were some of the best in the league. If Atlanta had a better defense, Solo would have earned herself many a cleansheet. She's one of the most athletic and agile keepers you'll find, pulling off insane saves many people wouldn't even believe to be possible. Solo is a one of a kind keeper who fully deserves the nomination.


Kelly Smith- A midfielder who can change the game with the flick of a short pass, or a well-delivered through ball. Smith is one of the greatest midfielders in the WPS, and probably the World. Kelly Smith played a huge role in the Boston Breakers' season, and when she wasn't delivering on-the-money passes, she was scoring a goal here and there. Smith comes through for her teams no matter who she plays for, or where she plays. Whether its for England or the Boston Breakers, she's constantly using her great vision and ball skills to maneuver around opposing players, distribute passes to her teammates on the attacking effort, and to score goals for her team. Kelly Smith is the kind of midfielder any one would want to have.


Camille Abily- A player who this year seemed to experience a slight slump, but is nonetheless a talented midfielder. In 2009, both Abily and Marta formed a lethal scoring duo. If it didn't come from Marta, it was likely coming from Abily. Abily is the kind of player who can deliver an assist, and can also score a goal.


Fatmire Bajramaj- A young, talented midfielder from Germany. Since I don't really follow the Frauen-Bundesliga, and since I haven't seen her play much for Germany, I really don't know much about her. I know that she's highly regarded as a skilled youth player for Germany, and is also well-respected in the Frauen-Bundesliga, and on the Germany Women's National Team.


Ji So-Yun- Another player that I don't know much about. A talented youth player with some nice accolades to her name, that at age 19 has the potential to be an excellent player in the Women's game.


Now that I've written about each player, I'm going to be writing about who I think should/will win it, and my personal take on the entire POTY business. Enjoy! But remember, what I'm about to start saying is strongly opinionated, so keep that in mind. Rememeber, if you wanna argue, make a point, or agree, you can say it all in the comments at the end of the post.


Now that I've given my personal thoughts on each player, I'm going to evaluate each on whether or not I think they have a chance (in a FIFA perspective) of winning the Award.

Abby Wambach- She's just too talented to ignore. As a true legend in the Women's game who is currently active and playing, she will likely be one of the 3 finalists announced on December 6th. She has heavily impacted every team she's played for this year, in many ways, so if she's not on the list, its a farce.

Christine Sinclair- Also a tremendously talented player who deserves the spotlight much more often than its shone on her. Sinclair is modest, selfless, and skilled, and its about time FIFA awarded someone like her. However, I guarantee you she will be overlooked and overshadowed again, unfortunately. I think she should be one of the finalists though.


Birgit Prinz- An excellent and experienced player who has already won the Award 3 times before. I'm not keeping up on her Frauen-Bundesliga campaign, and she might be doing well. However, I don't think this has been a highlight year for the striker, and although she is great, I doubt she will be announced as a finalist.


Marta- The day Marta is not nominated will be the day the World ends. Marta is likely the most well-known and popular player in the Women's game, and she certainly gets the most media attention. She is a skilled and talented player, and her flair and fancy footwork definitely contribute to the gaining of media attention. Marta has already won the Award 4 times, and while I think its unfair to other players, and that its getting stale, I'm afraid everyone will vote overwhelmingly for the "Brazilian Magician". Everyone knows Marta, and usually, when everyone knows your name, you get an Award.

Hope Solo- As a GK, you are not likely to win an Award. Keepers save their teams on countless occasions, and are just as instrumental in victory as any other position. Unfortunately, FIFA doesn't agree enough to make one POTY.


Caroline Seger- Let's face it. If you're not a striker, you are probably not winning the POTY. As good as middies are, and as much as they're overlooked, they don't win awards very often, and its likely that its not going to change this year. Middies have a tremendous impact on the game, but everyone is looking at the goals, not the pass that made that goal possible. She's a great central middie, but unfortunately, her position on the field limits her award-winning chances.


Kelly Smith- Same goes for Smith. She's a midfielder, and since the Award is given only to strikers who score tons of goals, she probably won't even make the finalist list. The position of midfielder is essential in a game, but FIFA always gives the Award to the position which has the most obvious and statistically measured impact on the game, although middies have just as much impact as strikers do. She's a talented midfielder who can change a game, but the chances of her winning are slim.


Camille Abily- She may be a good player, but 2010 was certainly not a highlight year. Abily went through a slump after moving to FC Gold Pride, and seemed to have a hard time connecting with her teammates. She was a force to be reckoned with in 2009, but not so much in 2010 I don't think. Pair a slump together with the fact that you're a middie, and you've got yourself a double whammy. I don't think she'll even make the finalist list.

Fatmire Bajramaj- I don't know much about her, but I seriously doubt she will make the final list, especially being a middie, and a young one at that. Its just not gonna happen.

Ji So-Yun- She may be a talented youth, but FIFA is not gonna give the award to a player who is in the youth stage of their career.




The following is what I wrote on facebook in response to a friend's comment:

''If Marta gets the Women's World Player of the Year Award for the FIFTH time, I am going to jump off a cliff. There are plenty of other people on that list who are just as good, if not better than her. People like Kelly Smith and Seger will never get it, b/c they're middies, sort of like how Xavi will never win a PoTY award b/c he's in the shadows of Messi. Marta runs around and puts on a show and gives you the Brazilian flash, and yes, she is great at it, and she scores goals, but that's not ALL that's out there. There are players like Wambach who can stay calm in a tough situation and lead her team to victory. She got a crap load of goals this year too (13), and had 8 assists! Come on, you mean to tell me Marta is better than Wambach? What does she really have that Wambach doesn't? More media attention? Wambach is a more complete player in my opinion, and therefore should win the award. What about Sinclair, who constantly spends her time in Marta's shadow? Marta's goals were the result of Sinclair's perfectly placed assists...9 of them in fact. Sinclair is modest to a fault and is an ultimate team player, just like Wambach, and they desreve the award just as much, if not more than the Brazilian sensation. Solo is a GK, and she will never get an award that she deserves as well. The WPOTY award is really unfair. It glorifies goal scorers and FIFA favorites, and pushes hardworking GK's, middies, defenders (more than anyone) and some strikers who aren't "flashy" enough, or who don't get as much media attention, into the shadows. Marta is an excellent player, but she gets way too much attention. Its like C. ronaldo and Messi. Good players, sure, but they get way too much attention, and it isn't fair to the players who work just as hard, if not harder, and are probably much better and do much more for their team. The WPOTY is usually just a farce, and FIFA favorites win it. Either that, or FIFA, who don't know jack squat, will pick the player with the most attractive stastistics or the most flair and charisma and media attention. In my opinion, Wambach, Sinclair, and plenty other people on the list deserve that award. Every year, the same few people are nominated, but its just a formality. Everyone knows who its going to be. They should just save everyone the suspense and announce it, we all know who its going to be anyway, on the men's and women's side. The point is, its time for a fresh face in the women's game. By awarding Marta for the 5th time, you're saying "yes, women's soccer doesn't have much to offer in the way of talent. Marta is much better and is a league above everyone else on this list", which is so far from the truth it ain't even funny. Putting in a fresh face shows the world that the women's game is developing, and that women's soccer is much more than just Marta, and that the women's game has just as much talent and skill that can be found in a very wide array of players. Its not just Marta, and her flair and "magic". There are tons of other players, who are not even listed on the WPOTY list, who I believe have just as much talent as skill as she does. Wambach, Sinclair, Smith, Seger, Prinz, Rapinoe, Lindsey, Bompastor, I could go on forever. There is much more to the women's game, and there are many more styles and talnted players than just Marta. Its time for a fresh face. Marta does not deserve the award THAT much more than anyone else on the list, so to say it isn't a close race is a lie. When truly comparing these players, and throwing media attention and favoritism and flair out the window, you'll start to see that maybe Marta doesn't automatically deserve it after all. Marta isn't that much better than everyone else that she deserves it 5 times in a row, winning overwhelmingly over everyone else. To me, if Marta wins the award 5 times in a row, its FIFA saying that there is no one who can compete/compare with her, and that's the biggest lie I have ever heard. Everyone on that list can compete with Marta, but FIFA is gonna pull the same crap and give it to the big Media attention suck. I get so annoyed when I see her getting all the attention and winning every god damned award possible. During WPS, why don't they just give her Defender of the year and GK of the year, just because she's so damn great? To give Marta 5 WPOTY awards is to say no one is at the calibre of Marta, but everyone on that FIFA list is on her same level if not above. So FIFA, wake up and open your eyes and realize that there is just as much talent in plenty other players in the Women's game. Time for a fresh face, this Marta crap is getting old. Pick someone else who deserves it. Shouldn't be too hard since everyone on that list deserves it just as much, so Marta shouldn't be winning by a landslide, and if she does its pathetic. Just please pick someone else. Stop giving it to the player who merely gets more media attention. You're making Marta the C.Ronaldo and Messi of women's soccer. I can't stand those types of players, they ruin the sport. They do the same thing some other players do, yet the other guys don't get the same amount of attention which they probably deserve way more than the media figurehead. Time for a new face who probably deserves it more. FIFA officials or whoever the hell votes within the FIFA Organization, probably don't pay much attention to the women's game anyway. And quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't pay much attention to the men's game either. Everyone knows who's going to win. Last year everyone knew it was going to be Messi and Marta. Its always predictable. Everyone who wins is typically a heavy goalscorer who gets a ton of media attention. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other players who do the same thing they do, just as good if not better than they do, and they're thrust into the shadows, because FIFA picks the media figureheads. There is always going to be one posterchild. I just wish they didn't start doing it with the women's game, it ruins it. And if you ask me, they should have awards designated for each position. One POTY is limiting and unfair.''

Well, hope you enjoyed this rant and post on the WPOTY.

If you wanna share your opinion, feel free!

Remember to catch the Women's Gold Cup Semifinals live tomorrow (Nov. 5th) on concaf.com! Canada vs. Costa Rica - 7pm ET, USA vs. Mexico- 10pm ET.

Until then,

Denise

Women's Gold Cup: Semifinal Match-Ups Set

We have our Semifinal match-ups!


Hey everyone! Both Group A and B have finished up play. Let's take a look at the last matches of Group A:

Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guyana- Trinidad and Tobago won this one 4-1. Guyana's goal came from El-Masri, while T & T's goals came from Cordner, Belgrave, Edwards, and Mascall. I missed the game, but this match will have no bearing on the knock-out stages, since this game was for 3rd place of the group, with none of these teams advancing further.


Canada vs. Mexico- This one I was able to see. Canada won 3-0 against the hosts of the tournament. Goals for Canada came from Candace Chapman, Belanger, and Filigno. The performances put on by both teams were excellent and entertaining.

Canada celebrates one of their 3 goals against tournament host Mexico. With this win, Canada advances to the Semifinals and will face Costa Rica. Mexico, on the other hand, will go on to face the United States.



This match, in my opinion, was one of the best of the tournament so far. The Mexican home crowd, which reached almost 9,000 fans, made their presence known for sure. But, the Canadians did a good job of shutting them out and and playing their game. Canada played a great passing game and didn't give away possession too often, not an easy task during a rain storm with a wet pitch. With this win, Canada grabbed 1st place in Group A, and will be facing Costa Rica in the Semifinals, while Mexico, who clinched 2nd place, will have to face the United States.



Here's how the Groups finished:

Group A: 1st: Canada 9 points
2nd: Mexico 6 points
3rd: Trinidad and Tobago 3 points
4th: Guyana 0 points



Group B: 1st: United States 9 points
2nd: Costa Rica 6 points
3rd: Haiti 3 points
4th: Guatemala 0 points


The USA, Costa Rica, Canada, and Mexico advance to the Semifinals. Each team is seeded into their respective Semifinal based on their rank in their Group. Here are the Semifinals:

Canada vs. Costa Rica (November 5th)- 7pm ET

United States vs. Mexico (November 5th)- 10pm ET

The winners of the Semifinals will advance to the Final, but more importantly, they will secure a berth in the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup. The losers will compete in the 3rd place game, in which the winner will play Italy, the 5th place UEFA team, for the final World Cup berth.

see you soon,

Denise

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

There's Hope

Hello everyone! As you all have probably found out by now, there has been a huge amount of talk and speculation regarding the future of 2 WPS teams: The Washington Freedom and FC Gold Pride. On Halloween, and on the following day, multiple sources stated that both teams had already officially folded. In light of these claims, and of the many questions from frantic fans (myself included), womensprosoccer.com-the WPS's official website-came out today and released a league statement. It said that the WPS is working together with the teams to find investors, in order to ensure (or at least to try to ensure) that each team returns in 2011. There is a certain deadline that has to be met, and the teams and the league itself are not giving up. Because of this current situation, the Expansion Draft, scheduled for November 4th, will be postponed, and the free-agency period will be held sometime in mid-November.

The good news though, is that there's still hope! Our Freedom and Gold Pride are still alive, and they're hanging in there! I'm wishing all the best to the league and its teams, and I hope things work out and that they find investors. Women's Soccer is a World Class sport, and the WPS is a World Class league, and its an absolute shame that it does not get the respect, recognition, and support that it deserves.

Hope everything works out. The core group of players, staff, and fans that make this league what it is are eager to know the outcome. Here's to seeing our Freedom and Gold Pride return in 2011, and for many years more!

Stay tuned,

Denise

Monday, November 1, 2010

Women's Gold Cup Day 5: Place Holders Finalized As Group B Finishes Its Games

Gold Cup Day 5 finishes up, as Group B finishes up play. The USA took 1st place in Group B, as they won over Costa Rica 4-0, who took 2nd place.


Gold Cup Day 5 was just as exciting and entertaining as the past few days of the competition! Today, the place holders in Group B were finalized, as the Group finished up all of its games. Both the USA and Costa Rica will be moving on to the Semifinals. Here is a breakdown on today's matches:

Haiti vs. Guatemala- Haiti won this match 1-0 on a goal by Saintilmond. I got to see some of the 2nd half of the match. Lots of chances on goal, but none were finished. Haiti leaves the competition as 3rd place in the Group, while Guatemala leaves the competition in 4th place.


USA vs. Costa Rica- This game was a pretty fun one to watch. However, it was a much tougher game for the United States than its previous match-ups. The USA won 4-0 against Costa Rica, with goals from Wambach (penalty), Cheney, Averbuch, and Morgan.


The USWNT celebrates after Wambach puts a penalty away in the 32nd minute. This goal kick-started the action for the USWNT. Wambach is currently the tournament's top scorer, with 6 goals.


The beginning of the match was rather hectic for the USWNT, as Costa Rica had 2 or 3 great chances that were clear on goal. Luckily for the USA, Costa Rica failed to capitalize on each attempt. The USWNT had a difficult time keeping possession in the first 20 or so minutes, losing the ball frequently and not making any threats on goal. However, after that, the USWNT began to establish a rhythm and keep possession. Pia Sundhage opted to exchange Lloyd for Lori Lindsey, who came into the match and really did a great job. She was on her game today, and her presence definitely changed things for the better in the USWNT's midfield. I personally think Lindsey's entrance into the game was key in the United States' establishment of rhythm and their success from that point forward. In the 31st minute, Cheney was chopped down from behind in the box, and an unquestionable penalty was awarded to the USA. Wambach calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner, the shot's path not even threatened by the Costa Rica Keeper who began to dive right. The USA was up 1-0, and now momentum was in their favor. Halftime came and went. The 2nd half began, and the United States by this point had the rhythm down, controlling possession, and therefore controlling the game. Cheney would score after many chances just slipped out of her grasp. She capitalized on a rebound that came off a corner kick to make it 2-0 for the USA. Later, Averbuch would score a beautiful free kick from about 25 yards out to make it 3-0. She rocketed a shot that went high and straight over the head of the Keeper. Later, Alex Morgan would finish up the night for the United States, scoring from close range amidst a scramble in the 18. This made it 4-0 for the USA, meaning they would go on to grab first place in Group B.


So, The USA and Costa Rica were seeded into their respective Semifinals, and await to find out their Group A opponents.


Tomorrow, Group A finishes up play. Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago will face off for 3rd place of the Group, while Canada and Mexico will duke it out for 1st place in Group A. After tomorrow, all of the Semifinalists will be seeded into their respective matches, and will know who they'll be facing.


I'm pretty sure Guyana vs. Trinidad & Tobago is first up at 7pm tomorrow, and that Canada vs. Mexico is at 9:30pm. Catch it on concacaf.com's live stream!


Until then,

Denise