WPS Week 7 Review

Wambach continues to be a strong offensive presence. She leads the league with 7 assists, and is still on form, as she scored a goal for the Freedom, upping her tally to 3 goals so far in her league campaign.


It was a good weekend for WPS, that once again brought some good match-ups, and even a few surprises.

Saturday saw 2 anticipated matches, the first being Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers; the Eastern Derby. Boston had never won a match against Sky Blue FC in the inaugural 2009 season, as they tied them once, and lost on 3 occasions. Boston would not break that record however on Saturday, as the 2 eastern teams would fight to a 0-0 deadlock. However, the score was definitely not representative of how the game was played. The match was very back-and-forth, with both teams having to defend and attack constantly. There were quite a few opportunities to score from both sides, but no one would capitalize. Bardsley made a few saves on the night, continuing with her excellent form, and still doing well once again for Sky Blue. This game also marked the return of striker Tasha Kai, who was out for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury. Having Kai back should help spur Sky Blue's offensive efforts substantially from here on in. Sky Blue will also be seeing the return of a few other injured players, such as Lloyd and Branam. Also, Rampone, who was out due to a pregnancy, will be back on the field very soon.

Boston still seems to be having trouble scoring, and Sky Blue is in that same boat. The reason this game ended the way it did, in a 0-0 tie, is because neither team could capitalize on some rather golden opportunities. Both teams had 1 on 1 chances with the opposing keeper, one time it was O'Reilly for Sky Blue, and another time it was Cheney for Boston, but neither could put it away. Although both teams had excellent chances in the opposing team's final 3rd, no one could slot one home. The reality of scoring problems has become even more evident for these teams as the season has progressed, and they have to work on it. It'll be crucial to them later on. When they play tough teams like Washington and Philadelphia, who do know how to score, that kind of problem will hurt them big time. Sky Blue is better off, as they are 4th place in the standings and are holding onto that place for dear life, as they continue to win by and inch, or tie with other teams. Boston however has started to fall down in the standings. They are in 5th place, tied with chicago Red Stars, who has been one of the sub-par teams this season. Boston better pick it up if they want to set themselves up the right way. If both teams want to stay in it, they have to start scoring goals. In soccer, you can't win unless you score goals.



The next Saturday match-up was the Chicago Red Stars vs. FC Gold Pride, and it was a big surprise. Chicago won 1-0 against FCGP, with a goal from Asllani, all the while keeping a clean sheet against FCGP who is currently the number one team in the standings. The Red Stars, who were the clear underdogs in the match, became only the second team this season to shut-out FCGP. In the 18th it looked like FCGP would get the first strike when Sinclair put the ball in the net, only to be whistled for the foul against Loyden. Later in the match, just after half-time, Asllani would put it home for the Red Stars. FCGP looked dangerous towards the end of the match, but the Red stars' defense held steady as they kept FCGP from scoring.

This was the biggest surprise of the weekend, and possibly so far this season. FCGP looked the sure winners going into this match. Their squad is a formidable one, especially in the offense. With players like Sinclair, who is always expected to score, along with Marta, and excellent player who was coming off a great match in which she scored 2 goals, they looked great going into this match. With an offense like FCGP's, any team would be expected to win, however, Chicago, who had a change of coach, beat the odds and held the Pride's offense at bay. They also did something else that was quite surprising. They scored, and won a match. There are signs of a great team in Chicago, but if they want that side of them to show face, they need to do what they did against the current best in the league. They need to score goals, and concede as little as possible, and they need to start doing it more often. Could their win be a result of having a new coach....or is it just a coincidence? Regardless of the influence of these circumstances, Chicago still won. Maybe the change in coach was a good thing. We shall see if this success is permanent or at least common. If so, the change might have been good to move Chicago forward. As for FCGP, anybody can have a bad game, and anybody can lose one, but they might want to take this as a lesson: Don't get too complacent.



The Sunday match, which was the final match of Week 8, featured Washington Freedom vs. Philadelphia Independence. The Freedom would win 2-1, but it was no easy feat. Philadelphia has been rock solid all season, holding their own, showing that even though they are a "new" expansion team, they will pull no punches, and will show that they mean business. Its exactly what they've done, as they have steadied themselves in the top of the league table, currently in 3rd place. The Independence won their first match against Washington this season, 3-1, which was a rather embarrassing defeat for the Freedom. They didn't want this loss to go unanswered, and they did exactly what they intended to do, on Sunday. Washington won against Philadelphia 2-1. The Freedom landed the first strike as Moros had a bit of a give and go with Welsh near the flank, then proceeded into the 18 yard box, where she sent it past a defender and against the far post, where it rebounded off and into the net. The next goal would come a little later, as Bompastor was fouled in the 18. The ref pointed to the spot, and Wambach stepped up to take the penalty. Wambach coolly put it away, putting it into the bottom right, as Henderson went left. The game was actually quite physical. Possession would fluctuate between opposing teams frequently during the match, and both teams would have opportunities. But, like I said, the game seemed rather physical, and it culminated towards the end of the match, around the 86th minute. Seger would challenge Huffman for the ball. Huffman put more pressure, and Seger, who was clearly frustrated, pushed Huffman off of her violently, hitting her in the face. Seger protested verbally against the referee rather violently, and exchanged words with an angered Wambach. After this, Ted Unkel issued Seger a direct red card, and she was sent off. Philly would end up scoring one goal, but it was a fluke. McLeod underestimated a ball coming in, and didn't quite get her hand around it. She dropped it, and as it went loose, Sanderson was there to take advantage of the mistake, and put it home for Philly. The score would stay 2-1, and Washington would walk away with yet another win.

This game was a tough one to call going in, as both teams were doing rather well, and haven't necessarily had problems scoring. Washington had the drive to win and get "revenge" so to speak, and did what they had to in order to get the win. It looks like Washington is one of, if not the strongest team in the league right now, up there with FC Gold Pride. Its no surprise that both these teams have heavy-hitting offense. Next week should be extremely interesting, as the top 2 teams, Washington and FCGP, will go head to head for first place. Both of these teams are home to top scorers, and these teams have a history of high-scoring games when they've met. FCGP will defend their perch atop the league standings, while Washington will be fighting to knock them down and take first place. As for Philadelphia, its one loss, they need to keep going as they have been. If they keep working hard the wins will keep coming. I'm sure they'll be working even harder now, so that when they meet Washington again, and even the other teams, they'll have gained more experience, and will be prepared to put up an even better fight.


Well, that's all for the WPS Week 7 Review! Hope you enjoyed the run down of this week's events!


Denise