Marta Signs With The WNY Flash

Hello all! A huge transfer took place recently within the WPS, and that's the fact that Marta has signed with the newcomer team, the WNY Flash. This honestly was a big surprise, but then if you really think about it, it wasn't really. The WNY Flash has been crafting and building a talented and threatening squad, that while it hasn't played any games yet, could undoubtedly rival any veteran team's squad. The Flash is going to be the team to beat in its inaugural season, and that's saying something. Marta will be pairing up with former FCGP strike partner Sinclair. Both formed a deadly team on FCGP and will likely do so again. Its good to see Marta returning as she is a talented player. Abd since the WPS is the best Women's league around, Marta belongs here.

Denise

Four Nations Tournament: Down To The Wire

Hello all! Some updating needs to be done. I've been really busy lately, so I'll make this post short and to the point. The last game of the Tournament is early this coming morning. Sweden plays Canada at 2:35 am ET, while the USA plays China at 5:35 am ET. Every team in the tournament currently has 3 points and equal goal differential. It is likely that there will be a tie breaker situation. Here's how the tie break will be worked out: Goal Differential, then Goals For, then Head-To-Head results. After the USA beat Canada and after China beat Sweden, everyone in the table has equal points. Its going to be a tight but exciting finish!

See you soon!

Denise

Four Nations Tournament Begins: A Great Start For Canada, A Not-So-Great Start For The USA

Yesterday, or rather early today, marked the beginning of the 2011 Four Nations Tournament. Yesterday's fixtures were USA vs. Sweden and Canada vs. China. Let's start off with the first fixture that kicked us off (and it qualifies for my bad news first policy):

USA vs. Sweden- The first match of the day which kicked off at 2:35am ET started well for the USA as they went up 1-0 courtesy of a Carli Lloyd header off a Rapinoe corner kick in the 11th minute. However, Sweden equalized 5 minutes later in the 16th off a goal from Segerstrom. The game stayed level until the 61st minute when Asllani gave Sweden the lead. Even after 30 minutes, the USA could still not equalize. Sweden went on to grab 3 points, while the USA walked away with 0 points, and a loss to start off 2011. Definitely not the greatest way to start the Year, but maybe it's good to get these losses out of the way now. What better time to make mistakes than early on, when you can learn from them?

Canada vs. China- The second match started out great for the host team, but like the USA vs. Sweden match, the team that scores first doesn't always win. China went up by 2 goals after You Jia scored a brace. However, Canada would answer with 2 of their own to equalize when Chapman and Tancredi scored one each. Then, Canada pushed even harder, winning the game 3-2, sealing the deal with Sinclair's game-winning goal. Canada showed resilience and great form, possibly the best they've ever shown in a long time.

That's our match review for today. Canada and Sweden are off to good starts in this competition, but as we've seen in our first 2 games, the team that has a good start doesn't always win. There are still 2 more games to be played, and someone can come from behind.

See you again on Sunday when these teams play again! It'll be USA vs. Canada and China vs. Sweden.

Denise

Daily News

I know things have been a tad slow around here, but finally some news has surfaced! Let's talk transfers and preseason!

Transfers: In transfer news, the Freedom finally has announced a signing, and will likely announce more this week and next. Recently, the Freedom landed a new defender, who is one of the most well known in the WPS. Yep, the Freedom has nabbed Christie Rampone. This is an excellent acquisition, especially with the loss of Cat Whitehill. It's good to have a great leader and experienced veteran, one who led Sky Blue to their '09 Championship mind you, in back for the Freedom. Also, it has been rumored that Lindsay Tarpley will be signing with the Freedom as well. Also in transfer news, the Western NY Flash signed free agent Becky Edwards.


Pre-Season: In other league news, it was announced that Sky Blue FC will travel to Turkey for part of their Pre-Season. They will compete against other top teams in leagues around the World. This is an excellent opportunity to represent the league overseas, and to help introduce it to an outside audience.

I'd like to conclude this post by reminding you that the full league schedule will be released in February. Also, don't forget that the Four Nations Tournament will start on the 21st!

See you all soon,

Denise

2011 WPS Draft

The 2011 Draft was today, and it was a success!


The WPS Draft was today, and I have to say, by the looks of it, 2011 is going to be an exciting year. Let's get right down to business and name the picks!

Western NY Flash- Alex Morgan, Reed, Augustin

Washington Freedom- Klingenberg, Press, Davis, Da Costa, Fraine

Breakers- Winters, Palmer, Sheeleigh,

Beat- Wright, Lencyzk, Bowers, Taylor

Philly- Farrely, Stoltenberg, Barnes, D'Agostino, Rynier

Sky Bluey- Mautz, Alkek

Apologies if I butchered anyone's name! I'm not very familiar with the youth and college players, however I recognize some from the USWNT and some from the Final Four which took place a little while ago. There are some good players out there, and the season will be exciting! In the Draft, I think the Flash and the Freedom walked away with some top players, in Morgan, Augustin, Klingenberg and Press. Great players picked up by them! The Flash is looking even stronger, and they picked up some really excellent youth players. The Flash hasn't even seen a minute of action of their inaugural season mind you, and they are already looking to be a huge threat. The Freedom has some key players re-signed (Wambach, McLeod) but they mentioned at the Draft that they will be announcing more Free Agents they have re-signed very soon. It was nice to see Brianna Scurry as the GM for the Freedom, and its now official that Mike Lyons, who worked with Christie Rampone in 2009 when Sky Blue won the Championship, will be the head coach of the Freedom. That's all folks, the 2011 WPS draft was a success! Also, almost forgot to mention, the WPS ball was unveiled as well! It looks great and its decription sounds very promising, its a traditional 24 patch ball that is said to brave all elements. Here's a picture of it:


Pretty nice design, huh? Can't wait to see the players kicking that around! The ball is supposed to have a smoother flight pattern and is said to be able to withstand all the elements.

That concludes our post on the 2011 WPS Draft! In other news, the USWNT has headed to China before the Four Nations tournament! Sundhage recently released her roster of 23 players that she will be taking with her. Here's the list (borrowed from ussoccer.com as always!):

GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Ashlyn Harris (Western New York Flash)

DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (out of contract), Christie Rampone (out of contract) Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Yael Averbuch (Western New York Flash), Shannon Boxx (out of contract), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Meghan Klingenberg (North Carolina), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Kelley O’Hara (Boston Breakers), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley (out of contract)

FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (California), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)

Now, these games will not be on TV, but there might be a place where we can watch the games. You might be able to catch matches here:

http://www.sopcast.com/download/

A friend of mine sent me that link. She was able to catch matches played in China through that website, which is a free downloadable site which features online broadcasts of channels. Since the games are frequently televised in China, we might be able to catch them on an online broadcast. Hoping for all the best on this one! The games are very early. I know the schedule for the USWNT's matches. Here it is:

USA vs. Sweden- 2:35am ET
USA vs. Canada- 6:05am ET
USA vs. China- 5:35am ET

Hopefully we can watch those! If not, you can always follow via matchtracker or twitter. If I find anything the day of, I'll post it here. See you all soon!

Denise

No Surprises

Yesterday the FIFA Gala took place. Many coaches, teams, and players were honored for their accomplishments and moments in 2010. However, it would be an understatement to say the event was predictable. As usual, the same people walked away with awards. Marta won her 5th in a row yesterday. Silvia Neid won for coach of the Year. Also, the U-17 Women's Haiti team got the Fair Play Award.

Let me first start with my take on Marta winning it once again. The following is a combo of comments I made on Facebook, while discussing the event with other fans:

"Marta is great, but FIFA fails to realize the other talent that's out there. Wambach and Sinclair, 2 of the other original 10 nominees, are just as talented. Sure maybe they don't run around doing fancy maneuvers, but they score a lot, assist a lot, often carrying teams, making huge impacts for both club and country. You'd have to be insane to tell me that they didn't deserve to be up there. No one is that stupendous that they should win 5 TIMES. I don't care who you are. Marta is not godly, no one is. There is plenty of talent in the Womens game, so there is no excuse to focus on one person repeatedly."

"I don't think anyone should win in succession. Nobody, not in the Mens or Womens game, unless you did something so spectacular or unprecedented. Marta didn't do anything so amazing that she should be getting it so much. I think her winning it this much is putting out the wrong message. Its saying "Marta is the only one worth winning the award, everyone is way behind." but the point is there are plenty of talented players who can hang with her. I still stand by the fact that it should have been Wambach and Sinclair up there with Marta. Anyone who says their year with club and country was anything but prolific and outstanding, needs glasses. Out of this years nominees, Marta did deserve it, granted however that the wrong nominees were up there with her."


That's my opinion in regards to that. Now here's what I have to say about the other nominees and the coach award:

For some reason, FIFA seemed to be very German friendly with the Women's game this time around, more so than usual (and there's usually at least one German up for an award). Maybe they're doing it to support the Germans, especially before the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup, or maybe they just like Germans. Either way, FIFA put up 2 German Coaches and players. Seems a little overwhelming with the amount. You mean to tell me you couldn't put Carolina Morace up there, the Canada Coach? She's been turning the Canadians around, making them technically stronger and is actually turning them into a stronger, more skilled squad. Why? Because she taught them. She deserved to at least be a finalist. And another thing. I hate to be arrogant, but why did Silvia Neid win it over Sundhage, when the USA won every match against Germany in 2010? I know it shouldn't be contingent on this fact, but technically, we had her number. Still, I think made an evident impact with her team. With Sundhage and Neid, both are excellent coaches, who do however, coach already excellent teams. Morace really changed Canada around and made them stronger. That's partly why they won the CONCACAF Gold Cup. I don't know how they decided on Neid, but then again, how they decide anything within that organization, from World Players to technology in games, is a mystery to me and plenty others. Back to the German nominees. I'm not questioning the talent of Prinz or Bajramaj, but they simply did not deserve to be up there, not this year. As someone I know on Facebook said: " If Abby Wambach or Kelly Smith were German, they'd have won the trophy by now."

Well, another year, another time FIFA gets it wrong. However, the candidates did not get awarded for no reason. My main complaint is that even though the winners did deserve it, there were many others who were well worthy of winning as well. I just feel that FIFA awards it too many times to the wrong person. Even worse, sometimes the nominees that deserve it never make it to finalist. The whole system is a little crooked, and is designed to award only based on a certain criteria. The following is what I said in response to someone on Facebook yet again:

"FIFA should look at records like goals and assists, sure, that is an important part of the game, however they should look at other qualities of a great player. You have to look at leadership and like you said, how they inspire their teammates. What about the enthusiasm with which they play? I mean, Wambach was leading her team, and inspiring them to play hard too, what with her taking bad hits just because she cares so much about the team and the win. She'll take a beating for the team. When she got a hard hit to the head against Mexico in the Gold Cup Semis, and got staples, she was still raring to go and help her teammates. That's a real trooper right there, and she showed tons of heart. She has the stats of a great player, but it's the way that she plays with enthusiasm, passion, and leadership, inspiring those around her, that makes her one of the best. This is constantly being ignored by FIFA, and it's a shame that players who are even statistically close to Marta are cast into the shadows still. If Wambach doesn't get a FIFA WPOTY, or at least a finalist spot by the end of her career, then FIFA is officially crooked. They don't know how to value players that might not be as marketable for them, but who may still be as talented, or even more talented in a number of ways, than the current Marta monopoly.

That pretty much sums up my rant for the day! Hope you guys enjoyed. See you all again quite soon, especially with the Draft in a few days!


Denise

FIFA Gala Tomorrow

As most of you probably know (us Women's soccer fans are a knowledgable group), the FIFA Gala is tomorrow. That means that the winners of the FIFA World Player of the Year Award will be announced, as will the winners of the World Coach of the Year Award. Once again, here are the nominees for each category:

FIFA Women's World Player of The Year:
Birgit Prinz
Fatmire Bajramaj
Am I forgetting someone...?


FIFA Women's World Coach of the Year:
Pia Sundhage
Silvia Neid
Maren Meinert


The whole presentation, including press conferences before the announcement of the winners, will all be on fifa.com. Here is a description of what you can watch tomorrow (borrowed from FIFA.com):

Women's Press Conference:

The event will kick off at 14.00 CET (8 am ET for us in the USA) with a press conference involving nominees for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football awards. Fatmire Bajramaj, Marta, Birgit Prinz, Pia Sundhage and Silvia Neid (editor’s note: Maren Meinert cannot attend) will share their thoughts on being shortlisted for their respective prizes, reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup™. You can watch this press conference live on FIFA.com.

Interviews before the Gala:

Between 16.30 and 18.00, Zurich’s lucky inhabitants and any fans having made the trip to the eastern Swiss town will be able to get a glimpse of the stars on show as a red carpet is unfurled in front of the city’s Kongresshaus. It will be a unique opportunity for a close-up look at the players, coaches, former icons and previous award winners present, and once again FIFA.com will be on hand to conduct interviews and bring you a taste of the building atmosphere.


Announcement of the Winners:

At 19.00 the stage will finally be set for the main course – the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala, which will be streamed live on FIFA.com.


That's how the day will be going. For us located on the East Coast of the USA, we gotta wake up early. For the people on the West Coast, it's probably more of a stay up all night thing! For those of you in Europe, it's in the evening, which is nice. However for us in the USA, since it happens in our morning/afternoon, we have more time to argue and complain about the decisions, because really, when does FIFA ever get anything right?

For the full article on what you can watch and catch on live stream, go to this link:

http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/news/newsid=1360028/index.html

Now as for my prediction, you know what I say. Marta is going to win for the 5th time, whether we like it or not. Do I think she deserves it 5 times? No. Do I think she's that much better than everyone else that she should be getting it for the 5th time? Not at all. Marta is good, but she's not some untouchable godly force in the Women's game that everyone fluffs her up to be, saying things like "only player good enough to singlehandedly raise the competition in WPS" (or something along the lines of that) and "The best player in the Women's game." There are definitely players in Marta's league. I still stand by my opinion that Wambach and Sinclair are just as good, if not better than her. But, we all know how FIFA is. They will pick Marta again. However, I don't feel Prinz or Bajramaj deserve it either. FIFA just plain screwed up once again. How Wambach and Sinclair weren't finalists is completely beyond me. Both of their individual accolades for club and country were better than Prinz and Bajramaj. It should be them up there with Marta. But once again, this is FIFA. As for coaches, I'm a biased USWNT fan so of course I want Sundhage. However, if you look at her records/accolades, she has done a great job coaching the team. The USWNT has only just had their first loss since the 2008 Olympics in the Gold Cup. While much of this success is due to the team's talent and ability, a lot if it can be credited toward the coach. Silvia Neid has done well for Germany, who is on form lately, and Maren Meinert led the German U-20's to victory in the U-20 World Cup.

We'll see what happens tomorrow!

Denise

Things Continue To Get Worse With The Freedom

If you thought things couldn't get any worse with the Freedom (recently renamed "MagicTalk SC"), well you were dead wrong. For a club whose name is Magic Talk SC, you wouldn't think there would be a lack of news. But alas, there isn't much talking going on in regards to Magic Talk SC. Mr. Borislow couldn't have picked a more ironic name. It was recently stated on the Washington Freedom's Facebook page that there was going to be a "big announcement", yet no such announcement has been made. The fans have been waiting for some news, but there hasn't been any. For an owner who owns the magic jack phone business, there doesn't seem to be much communication. In fact, the whole big announcement seems like a lie conjured to appease the angry fans. Many season ticket holders, who want refunds on the home games they paid for (the half that will be played in Florida), don't seem to be having any luck with him either. The Washington Freedom's WPS page is desolate, with the same articles regarding renewing and buying season tickets that have been up since the club was in financial trouble. As if the total lack of communication and name/location change wasn't bad enough, it was recently released that Kristi Eveland, Jill Gilbeau, and Christie Welsh were waived. So, not only are the fans left in the dark with no news, but we are continuing to lose more players due to the utterly negligent and irresponsible management that has been plaguing the Freedom's organization. Nobody knows what this guy is going to do next. It's looking more and more like the Freedom will be permanently moved to Florida, as he has made no efforts to rent/lease the SoccerPlex. While he is busy turning the club into one big marketing project, we're losing players in the process. Mr. Borislow has no idea what he's doing. He has no respect for the Freedom, or it's history, and with the power the league has granted him (due to their desperacy to not lose his money) he has the freedom (no pun intended) to completely uproot the team, and change it's name, all to suit his marketing project. The worst part is, no one has a say anymore. The Freedom is no longer a team, it's just a group of players who will be treated as marketing stooges, and the team will just become one big walking advertisement, and there is nothing the players, fans, or league can do about it. We will continue to lose players because this guy does not know how to manage a team. He says we will
bring home the Championship, but what does that even mean anymore? At this rate, the Freedom won't have a home, or at least just one place they can call home anyway. And, how will we win a championship, when we have no more players? The point is, this guy does not care. He does not care about the fans, the players, or the team's history. The point is he only cares about promoting his business. And if that means treating the fans, players, and the team as a whole like crap, then so be it. He'll make whatever changes he wants, because he has power. This league does not want to lose his money, so he has been given absolute power. He doesn't care about this team or it's long standing history, it means nothing to him. He's going to use his power to make the team a marketing project, and he'll do so by treating the team like a worthless toy, with which he can use to do whatever he wants. That's all he cares about. And when he's done having his fun, he'll run off and leave the club in complete shambles. As far as I'm concerned, this club has gone to the dogs, in terms of the management. I still love the team and the players, and it would be utterly unfair to blame them, or have bitterness towards them for any of this. They have no say, and they have no control. I'm willing to bet they're not supportive of the way this guy treats this club, but they can't do anything about it. I will still support the Freedom. I refuse to acknowledge anything this guy has done however. He may have changed the name, but this team will always be the freedom. I do not agree with how this guy came in and saved the Freedom, only to disrespect their history and turn them into a big advertisement to satisfy his agenda to promote his business. At this point, the fans are just expecting more bad news. I bet the players will have to pose with magic jacks for team pictures. This whole thing has turned into one big joke and the manager is making a mockery of the team. At this point, I'm not sure things could get worse.

I wish the best of luck to everyone who has to suffer from the terrible management. As a fan, I feel like we don't matter anymore. I feel sorry for the players who have no choice but to go along with the Borislow regime. I hope things get better. Instead of satisfying his marketing agenda, maybe Mr. Borislow should start acting like a responsible manager and get us some players and staff.


Denise

Hold On To Your Hats

When the WNT blog said 2011 was going to be a huge year, they meant it. The hectic and busy schedule is about to begin, for many teams around the globe. All of the teams worldwide will be keeping very busy, all in preparation for this year's pinnacle event: the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup. Let's take a look at some upcoming games and events, shall we?

USWNT Training Camp- This will be taking place from January 8th to 13th, and will serve as preparation for the Four Nations Tournament, another event on our list. Once again, here's the roster (borrowed from ussoccer.com):

GOALKEEPERS (5): Nicole Barnhart (Out of Contract), Ashlyn Harris (Western New York Flash), Jill Loyden (Out of Contract), Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers), Hope Solo (Out of Contract)
DEFENDERS (5): Stephanie Cox (Out of Contract), Whitney Engen (Western New York Flash), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom), Meghan Schnur (Out of Contract), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Jordan Angeli (Boston Breakers), Yael Averbuch (Out of Contract), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Meghan Klingenberg (North Carolina), Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Joanna Lohman (Philadelphia Independence), Kristie Mewis (Boston College), Kelley O’Hara (Boston Breakers), Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (Out of Contract), Lindsay Tarpley (Out of Contract)
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (California), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)

A couple of veterans have been given extra time off, which is why you don't see them there, unless that player is Lilly. She's not there because she retired. To read about this in more depth, visit my earlier post on the training camp itself.


Four Nations Tournament- An annual competition hosted by China. This year, they've invited the USA, Canada, and Sweden. Each team will play each other and at the end, the team with the most points wins. The competition takes place from January 21st to 25th. Here's a list of the games:


Jan 21st:
USA vs. Sweden
China vs. Canada

Jan 23rd:
USA vs.Canada
Sweden vs. China

Jan 25th:
USA vs. China
Canada vs. Sweden

So far, nothing has been mentioned as far as televising goes. As of now, looks like it's just us and some good ol' match tracker.


International Friendlies- Other teams will be getting down to business to, and have not wasted any time scheduling friendlies to feel out possible opponents, and to get in some good training and experience before the World Cup. Here are some upcoming friendlies:

England vs. Norway (January 21st)

USA vs. Japan, Sweden vs. Iceland (March 2nd)

USA vs. Norway, Sweden vs. Denmark (March 4th)

USA vs. Finland (March 7th)

I know some of these might be a long ways away, but they're really not when you think about it. Throw in some training camps, some other possible friendlies, WPS events, and an Algarve Cup in late February, and you realize it's going to be pretty busy! Can't wait for it though. Who wouldn't love an abundance of Womens soccer? A nutcase, maybe.

See you again soon!

Denise

Poking Some Fun

Hey Freedom fans! Want to get a good laugh about our current situation? Check out this picture my friend Anthony made, inspired by the very same one (caption and all) that was featured in my earlier post:




Hope you enjoyed!

Denise

Borislow Given The "Freedom" To Make Changes

Dan Borislow, current owner of the Washington Freedom, has been granted permission by the league to go through with some radical changes in regards to the team. However, the impact of these changes might cause more harm than expected.



It was recently released in the Washington Post, that Dan Borislow, current owner of the Washington Freedom, was granted approval by the WPS, in regards to his request to split home games between Maryland/DC, and Southern Florida. Borislow, who owns the MagicJack business, hails from Florida, and shortly after he bought the Freedom, made it known that he had some pretty big changes in mind. Looks like the league has approved both. Earlier today, WPS released the schedule for the first 2 game weeks. One of the games listed is "Philadelphia Independence vs. Washington Freedom/ Magic Talk SC." That in itself was disheartening, to see that the league approved him to change the name of one of the teams with the longest standing history. But it got worse as the day moved on. Later, the Washington Post published an article online stating that the league had in fact granted him permission to split the Freedom's (or should I say Magic Talk FC's) home games between the Maryland Soccerplex, and some stadium in Southern Florida. While this does not affect me, since I am a Freedom fan who resides in NY, I still find this unfair to the fans, especially those living in DC/Maryland, and also to the team. The Washington Freedom has been around for 10 years, and has survived the WUSA, and are one of 3 remaining teams from that era. To let some owner come in and make a complete mockery out of the team, using it as his little advertising stint, is just a complete disgrace. Its a shame this has to happen for the team's 10th year anniversary too. I think the league is too afraid to lose him as an investor, so they will satisfy his every itch and whim. The point is, the league is desperate, and they don't want to lose him, so instead they will appease his demands, because they wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes and possibly lose an investor. He knows he can do whatever he wants, and by creating these changes, he's also creating anger and unhappiness among the fans. Many other teams in the league have been working to sign players. Instead, our team has done nothing but lose them. We've lost Whitehill, Long, the list goes on. While everyone else in moving forward, our team is taking 2 steps back. We have an owner who is too busy doing whatever he pleases with the team. He's neglecting the important factors; we need more staff, we still are in need of a head coach, and we need to re-sign players or get new ones. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised of Borislow makes a statement tomorrow, declaring himself head coach. This guy may have saved the team from folding, but all he's done is made changes that have left the team somewhat in shambles. Instead of doing his job, getting players, making important decisions for the team's future, he's recklessly changing the name and location, treating the team like a toy with which he can do what he wants. He's making a complete mockery of everything. The fans have no say, the league apparently doesn't either. At this rate, who knows what changes he'll make next? With the power the league has granted him, he's sure to abuse it, as he already has made a point of doing. The team and staff is being neglected, and the whole thing's becoming a three ring circus. I don't even know if you could call the Freedom a team anymore. The whole situation is turning into a disaster, and is essentially harming and destroying the team. There hasn't even been any news on the Washington Freedom's page on the WPS website. Don't be surprised if this upcoming season, you see a scene like this:



Abby Wambach walks away sadly, as medics crouch over the remains of the Freedom, trying to revive the broken and neglected club.


This is certainly what it might turn out to be in the future.


With this 3rd year upon us, it's a bad time to have an irresponsible owner running rampant. We're coming to our landmark year. The WUSA folded in their 3rd year, which was also a World Cup year. Now, in the present day, WPS is hitting it's 3rd season, also in a World Cup year. The whole scenario is highly reminiscent of the WUSA. I'm not one of the pessimists who are writing the WPS off, but I am going to be realistic. We've had a team fold after the 2010 season, and one suspended operations. The league has hit a rough spot. However, I feel it doesn't bode well that the league is so dependent on investors, that they literally cannot put their foot down and deny whims that could possibly destroy teams. The WPS is shaky. But, I think they can make it through. Hopefully the World Cup will bring more attention and fans to the Women's game, and in turn, to the WPS. I am still a supporter of the Freedom, and even though their name and location has changed, to me, they will always be The Washington Freedom.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hope the WPS makes it through their 3rd year unscathed. There are great athletes, role models, and teams within this league, and to lose them, and to lose the chance to watch them play, and get excited about games and rivalries, would be extremely sad. The fans and players love this league, and deserve to have it stick around. I hope it finds it's way through the rough patches.

We'll see how it goes. The Draft is the 14th, and the full league schedule will be released in February.

Until next time,

Denise

Join Just Another Soccer Fan on Facebook

You're favorite blog now has a page on Facebook! Yep, that's right people, you can now join the Just Another Soccer Fan blog's page on the web's most popular social networking site. If you have a Facebook, just type in "Just Another Soccer Fan" in the search bar, and it should come up, with the famous WPS logo that you always see at the top, as the profile picture. I wanted to make sure I let all of you readers know. On the page, I'll put links to posts, Women's soccer news, etc. Also, the page allows me to do some fun things, like start up discussions, post little things and updates here and there, so it should be pretty fun to expand the blog's capabilities on Facebook! I really hope to see you there!

All the best,

Denise

A Legend Retires

Today, Kristine Lilly, aged 39, has announced her retirement from professional soccer. It's sad to see such an influential and passionate player leave the game, but she decided that it was the right time to go. Kristine Lilly who had an outstanding career, leaves behind quite the legacy. She's done so much for the sport, and was often times overlooked, living in the shadows so to speak of her fellow teammates Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm. Lilly's accomplishments speak for themselves; she has 130 goals (second all time in Women's soccer history) and also has 352 Caps to her name (World Record of appearances for a national team, for either men or women), which earned her the nickname"The Queen of Caps." Kristine Lilly was a great inspiration to many players; she always gave it her all on the field and was what you would call a "workhorse" up until the very end of her career. Lilly's last goal came in the USWNT's match against Germany on May 22nd, 2010. But, little did I know it'd be the last time we'd see her net one. I was taken by surprise upon hearing the news, since I thought Lilly, the famed number 13, would be sticking around for her swan song in the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup, which would be her 6th appearance in the competition. It seems like a lot of players have decided to retire in recent years. Take Markgraf last year, Hucles too, now Lilly. I wish them all the best. That leaves us now with 2 remaining 99ers: Milbrett and Rampone.

WPS Draft- January 14

Hello! Have to say, things have been a little slow here on the blog, with both posts and views, which is probably due to the holidays, and also the lack of transfer and league news. So, I decided to write a short post about the Draft. As most of you likely know, the draft will be held on January 14, in Maryland. As for us fans, we will be able to watch the Draft live on womensprosoccer.com, with a webcast starting at 1pm ET. The WPS website gave an overview of which players, according to their respective positions, would be highly sought after in the draft. I don't know much about many of the players, but I recognized some names after seeing them play in the Final Four college cup. News has been rather slow, and I'm willing to bet that it's because many teams have been occupying themselves with the Draft, which will be here in only 10 days. After the Draft, I bet we'll start to see some more trades, transfers, and signings. But, right now, Everyone's focus is on the WPS Draft. I'm curious to see which teams the players go to, and I'm curious to see how each of them will fit into their respective teams.

Until then,

Denise

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! Just wanted to wish all the fellow Women's soccer fans and readers a happy and prosperous New Year! 2010 gave us some great Women's soccer action, and all us fans (and players, if you're out there reading!) have experienced great joy for our teams when they triumphed, but also great sadness when they suffered losses. Either way, it granted us great experiences and drew us closer to our teams and strengthened our love for the Women's game. I'm thankful to have discovered and fallen in love with the sport, and 2010 was just another great year experiencing and enjoying the feast of soccer these great athletes put on. The more I watch the sport, the better it gets. I guarantee you that 2011 will be even better! We have a World Cup coming up, and it's sure to be an exciting competition. Also, the 2011 WPS season is sure to be great. My wish for 2011 is for Women's soccer to continue to grow, improve, and gain more recognition and support, for the WPS to continue to survive and prosper, for the Women's World Cup to be an absolutely awesome and thrilling competition, and for USA to lift the trophy!

To the future of the Women's game and to your health and happiness,

Denise