The Busy Year Continues

Its the famous soccer ball! You know what that means right? Combo Post!



Well, there has been a lot going on this year. Have to say, I thought that happenings were going to be scarce after WPS. But, there's been plenty of things to talk about. Between Women's World Cup qualifiers, friendlies, and WPS off-season events, things have not been the least bit boring in the Women's Soccer World. And the best part is, its never-ending. There's always new stuff coming up to look forward to. A lot of it is also thanks to the fact that this is the year before WWC, meaning lots of qualifying and friendlies. So, onto business here. We've got a few things to cover today.


LeBlanc's Move- Canadian GK Karina LeBlanc will be playing for the Chicago Red Stars come the 2011 season. The Independence traded her in exchange for draft picks in one of the upcoming WPS drafts. This will be the 2nd consecutive season where LeBlanc has switched teams during the off-season. She's a great GK, and I think that maybe this was a good move for her. Paul Riley began using Val Henderson over LeBlanc towards the end of 2010. Both are great keepers, and this will give both the start they deserve on their respective teams. Although, LeBlanc is going to have to compete for playing time with Jill Loyden, the current 2nd string GK for the USWNT. Good luck to LeBlanc on the Red Stars! I think this is first trade for the WPS off-season so far.


Markgraf Retires- Kate Markgraf, a long time player for the USWNT, has decided to retire from professional soccer. The 34 year old veteran, who played in the famous 1999 World Cup, ended her career with 201 caps, an accomplishment only a few players have achieved. She missed the inaugural WPS season with a pregnancy, but she came back in 2010 to play for the Red Stars, and was also called up to the USWNT again in July after her absence. But, unfortunately, she decided this was the end of the road for her career. That leaves us with only 3 of the '99 veterans remaining: Rampone, Milbrett, and Lilly. Thanks Markgraf for everything you've done for the Red Stars, the USWNT, and women's soccer in general!


USWNT Roster Announced- Yesterday, the roster of players that Sundhage chose to bring to qualifying in Mexcio was released. Here it is (borrowed it from ussoccer.com, as usual):

GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), 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 (7): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Shannon Boxx (FC Gold Pride), Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red Stars)

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

Not a lot of surprises here really. The same people we've seen in the past few friendlies will be making their way to Mexico. I'm personally happy with everyone that's on the list. The squad is a great combination of experience, but also youth too. There's strength in every single category. I think we've got a great squad going in. The players are currently taking their week off before they depart for Mexico on the 19th. The team's first match will be against Haiti, on October 28th.


That's pretty much it for now everyone. Don't forget, there's a huge string of friendlies happening this month, from the 17th - the 28th. When those are done, the remaining qualifiers start! There's no time to catch your breath before the next event starts, but I'm certainly not complaining! For us fans, this is women's soccer heaven right now.

Remember, catch the upcoming friendlies starting the 17th. I'll be posting the scores on here. And, I might even fish around the internet for a webcast. If I find anything that works, I might post a link to the stream for you guys. Chances are I won't find anything though, so I'll just check the scores and keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by, and don't be afraid to leave a comment or something!

See you again pretty soon!

Denise