A Few Things To Think About Going Into Week 8...Along With a Few Predictions.

Hey everyone, this is a little bit of a new kind of post segment. As I said once before, I don't usually like to predict matches because I'm usually wrong, but then again, I'm going to give myself some credit and say that sometimes I'm right. Its even harder to predict the outcome of matches in the WPS, as any team can beat any other at any time. Sure you have the teams that are favorites and those that are the underdogs, but this league is pretty much up in the air as far as predictions go. A perfect example was FC Gold Pride losing to Chicago this past weekend. Anyway, I figured I'd take the plunge and give my instincts a shot. Maybe I'll get 1 or 2 right. Plus, I'll give some info and tidbits that should be taken into consideration going into each match. Here we go! Let's start the betting, shall we? Just kidding.


First match up for analysis and prediction:
Washington Freedom vs. FC Gold Pride- This is bound to be an exciting game, as both teams will be fighting for first place. FCGP will be defending their place atop the standings, while Washington is going to try to take it over. There are actually a few little factoids and tidbits that make this game even more interesting. In WPS history, whenever these teams have met, it has always been a high-scoring game. The lowest score between these 2 yielded 4 goals in a match, and the highest score between these 2 teams yielded 7 goals in a match. I would expect a ton of goals to be scored once again, as history is likely to repeat, especially with the players who'll be in the match. Star strikers Abby Wambach, Christine Sinclair, and Marta will all be playing. Each have 3 goals to their name in the campaign. These powerful offensive forces will all be vying to give their team the edge in one of the most entertaining and anticipated matches so far this season. Based on Week 7's games, I'd have to say that Washington Freedom is looking best out of everyone so far. FCGP in my opinion are right there with them. Even though they lost one game to Chicago, it doesn't mean they're gonna down to everyone easily, in fact, I think they are going to come out swinging against Washington. But, I'm going to say the Washington Freedom will take this one. I'm thinking it'll be a hard fought match from both teams, but I'm going to give the Freedom the edge because they seem a little stronger.

Next match we'll pick apart and analyze:
Sky Blue FC vs. Philadelphia Independence- This match will also be involving a battle for sole rights to a spot in the standings. Sky Blue and Philly are both tied with 11 points, and whoever wins will gain sole ownership of 3rd place for the moment, and the other will descend to 4th place. This is a hard one to call, as is any WPS match like I said. Sky Blue would seem likely losers in this match, taking into consideration their goal-scoring problems and sub-par form. I'm surprised to see Sky Blue FC this far up in the table actually, because they haven't been playing like a team who would be fighting for 3rd. Philadelphia on the other hand has been playing excellently. They were undefeated for the longest period of time this season, and have conveyed great form thus far. Philly means business, and they will take no prisoners. They're out to prove themselves, and to me they've already established themselves as quite a threat in this league. This is not the expansion team you want to take lightly. If anybody in this league underestimates an expansion team, they will find that they're making a big mistake. As for this match, I think Philly is on fire, and they're determined to keep fighting and winning. Sky Blue's rather weak presence as of late will not stand a chance against Philly's strong will. Sky Blue are capable of pulling some surprises from their sleeves, but something tells me that Philly isn't a fan of magic tricks, and won't be interested in a magic show on Sunday. I say Philly walks away with the win, and with sole rights to 3rd place.


And now, for the last match to analyze:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Atlanta Beat- Believe it or not, this is a hard one to call. Right from the get go, one would say Atlanta is for sure going to lose this match. But with the acquisitions they just got, that can start to turn around fast. Even still, if Solo, Aluko, Chalupny, and Ellertson don't play, Atlanta reminds me of Chicago, fighting hard, and not necessarily playing badly despite losing games. Chicago is under new management as far as coaches go, as Hayes has been sacked and replaced by McDermott. Chicago won their first game under her management. Did she make an immediate impact on the team, or was it just coincidence? Maybe she did have something to do with the win, but Chicago seem like they have a great team waiting to come out, and I'm not too surprised that they pulled together against FCGP, as they held their own against teams like St. Louis earlier in the season. But they need to start scoring more and holding teams better from this point forward. They fight with a lot of heart, now all they need to do is keep winning, and stay up in the standings. If they do, they might just surpass Boston who has had some serious scoring problems as well. Atlanta on the other hand, has shown a lot of fight as well. They just cannot seem to score however. They have some talented players, especially in young striker Bachmann who is fearless in 1 v 1's, yet still they just can't put them away. I'm going to say Chicago takes this win, but I think its going to be a hard match to fight for both sides. I give Chicago the edge since they're coming off a big win and have momentum.

That's all for my predictions and team analyzing. Feel free to post your own comments and predictions.

Enjoy!

Denise