Sol vs. Breakers Game Notes
May 8, 2009 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Los Angeles Sol News Release
SOL (3-1-1) vs. BREAKERS (3-2-0)
HEAD COACHES: Los Angeles - Abner Rogers Boston - Tony DiCicco
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Los Angeles - M Shannon Boxx, M Aly Wagner, M Marta Boston - F Kelly Smith, F Amy Rodriguez, M Kristine Lilly
2009 RECORD VS. BOSTON: 0-1
LOS ANGELES SOL VS. BOSTON BREAKERS Today's game marks the second meeting between the Los Angeles Sol and the Boston Breakers. The Sol lost to the Breakers 2-1 last Saturday at Harvard Stadium in Allston, MA. The Sol are looking to rebound from their first lost of the season.
LAST GAME RECAP The Los Angeles Sol suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Boston Breakers last Saturday night at Harvard Stadium. Breaker's midfielder Kelly Smith opened the scoring for the Breakers in the second minute with midfielder Kristine Lilly adding another goal in the 55th minute. Los Angeles rookie defender Brittany Bock trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the 63rd minute, but the Sol were unable to find the back of the net for the remainder of the game.
TODAY'S LOS ANGELES SOL INJURY REPORT None
NOTE TO MEDIA: The team name Los Angeles Sol should be pronounced like "Soul" or "Sole" not "Saul."
2009 LOS ANGELES SOL Numerical Roster
No. Name Position Height Hometown College/Last Team 0 Brittany Cameron GK 5'8" Dublin, CA University of San Diego 1 Val Henderson GK 5'7" Orinda, CA UCLA 3 Allison Falk D 6'0" Danville, CA Stanford 4 Aly Wagner M 5'5" San Jose, CA Santa Clara University 5 Greer Barnes D 5'7" Rye, NY West Virginia 6 McCall Zerboni M 5'4" San Clemente, CA UCLA 7 Shannon Boxx M 5'8" Redondo Beach, CA Notre Dame 8 Aya Miyama M 5'2" Chiba, Japan Okayama Yunogo Belle 9 Han Duan F 5'7" Dalian, China Dalian Football Club, Liaoning 10 Marta F 5'4" Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil Umea IK 11 Brittany Bock D 5'7" Naperville, IL Notre Dame 12 Lisa Sari M 5'7" Longview, WA University of Portland 14 Stephanie Cox D 5'6" Elk Grove, CA University of Portland 17 Liz Bogus M 5'6" Provo, UT Arizona State 18 Katie Larkin M 5'5" Draper, UT BYU 19 Martina Franko D 5'8" Squamish, BC, Canada Colorado College 20 Camille Abily M 5'6" Rennes, France Olympique Lyonnais 21 Johanna Frisk D 5'7" Bjorklinge, Sweden Umea IK 22 Manya Makoski M 5'4" Trumbull, CT Arizona State 23 Karina LeBlanc GK 5'9" Maple Ridge, BC Nebraska University
2009 BOSTON BREAKERS Numerical Roster
No. Name Position Height Hometown College/Last Team 1 Kristin Luckenbill GK 5'9" Paoli, Pa. FC Indiana 2 Heather Mitts D 5'5" Cincinnati, Ohio U.S. National Team 3 Kelly Schmedes F 5'6" Odessa, Texas Charlotte Eagles 4 Stacy Bishop M 5'8" Land O' Lakes, Fla. Tampa Bay Hellenic 5 Maggie Tomecka M 6'0" Shrewsbury, Mass. SoccerPlus Conn. 6 Amy LePeilbet D 5'6" Crystal Lake, Ill. Pali Blues 7 Christine Latham F 5'8" Calgary, Alberta Atlanta Silverbacks 8 Amy Rodriguez F 5'4" Lake Forest, Calif. U. of Southern California 9 Candace Chapman D/M 5'7" Ajax, Ontario Vancouver Whitecaps 10 Kelly Smith F/M 5'6" Watford, England Arsenal Ladies FC 13 Kristine Lilly M/F 5'4" Wilton, Conn. U.S. National Team 14 Abby Crumpton F/D 5'7" Rochester Hills, Mich. Charlotte Lady Eagles 15 Fabiana F 5'7" Brazil Corinthians (Brazil) 16 Angela Hucles M/F 5'7" Virginia Beach, Va. U.S. National Team 17 Kasey Moore D 5'8" Mission Viejo, Calif. University of Texas 18 Allison Lipsher GK 5'9" Honolulu, Hawaii Ajax America 19 Jennifer Nobis F 5'7" Quincy, Ill. Umeå Södra FF (Sweden) 20 Sue Weber D 5'4" Islip, N.Y. Long Island Rough Riders 22 Alex Scott D 5'4" England Arsenal Ladies FC 23 Ariel Harris D 5'6" Holly Springs, N.C. Univ. of North Carolina 24 Ashley Phillips GK 5'8" Peabody, Mass. Atlanta Silverbacks 25 Nancy Augustyniak Goffi D 5'5" Peachtree City, Ga. Arizona Rush LOS ANGELES SOL NEWS & NOTES
Duty Calls U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has named Los Angeles Sol midfielder Shannon Boxx and defender Brittany Bock to the 21-player roster that will face Japan on May 20 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (7:30 p.m. CT) and on May 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. For more information, please visit www.ussoccer.com.
Sol Trade Fletcher And Welsh To Saint Louis The Los Angeles Sol traded defender Kendall Fletcher, forward Christie Welsh and a 2011 second-round draft pick to the Saint Louis Athletica. In return, the Sol received a conditional 2010 first-round draft pick and a 2011 first-round draft pick. The conditional 2010 first-round draft pick becomes a 2010 second-round draft pick if the Athletica fail to finish the season as one of the top five teams in the WPS.
Mother's Day Guarantee The Los Angeles Sol is guaranteeing all fans in attendance today a free ticket to the club's June 3 home game against the Chicago Red Stars, if the Sol win. "Our players will be working as hard as they can for the win, just like they do every game," said Los Angeles Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo. "We are excited about the opportunity to potentially reward our fans for Mother's Day."
Sol Lends A Hand The Los Angeles Sol are raising funds for the family of one of the innocent victims in the recent shootings at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Hugo Bustamante, a hospital pharmacist at the time of the tragedy, was a coach with the Under-10 Cypress Cyclones and a father of two young children, one of which plays for the AYSO Region 154 team.
In early March, the team lost in the Section 11 finals against the Huntington Park American Eagles - giving the Eagles a chance in play in a state tournament in Davis, California. However, the Eagles knew even before the game that, win or lose, they would not be able to make the trip to Davis due to financial constraints. Then, something miraculous happened - the Cyclones (who lost the game) were so impressed with the graciousness of the victors, decided they were going to start a fundraising effort to give the Eagles the chance to play in Davis after all.
The Sol, along with KIIS FM Host Ryan Seacrest, who became aware of the efforts thru an e-mail he received from one of the team's coaches, together provided the Eagles with transportation and hotel accommodations in Davis. In addition, the Sol hosted both the Cyclones and the Eagles at the WPS Inaugural Match on March 29 at The Home Depot Center.
Now, as Bustamante's family and friends mourn his loss, the Los Angeles Sol together with the entire Southern California soccer community, have joined forces to fundraise for the Hugo Bustamante Family Fund - to benefit his two young children. The Sol will donate $15 from every $20 ticket purchased in the Cypress Cyclones section at today's game to the fund as well as host a pre-game silent auction, a raffle and much more. For information on the tribute to Hugo Bustamante, please visit www.losangelessol.com/hugo.
Los Angeles Sol Team Statistics
WPS Leaders (thru games as of 5/3/09)
HISTORY OF THE LOS ANGELES SOL
Why Sol? Sol is the Latin translation for Dun, the modern word for "sun" in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Los Angeles is renowned for its sunny climate and rich heritage. By naming the team the Sol, both the cultural tradition and the history of Los Angeles are honored.
LOS ANGELES SOL TIMELINE
February 27, 2007 - Women's Soccer Initiative Inc. (WSII) CEO Tonya Antonucci announces that AEG; John Hendricks of Freedom Soccer LLC; Jeff Cooper of St. Louis United Soccer LLC; Soccer Initiative, LLC; Jack Hanks and Brent Coralli of the Dallas Franchise Group and WGLSI, LLC have signed letters of intent to become charter members of the new women's professional league.
September 4, 2007 - WSII announced that Los Angeles would be one of seven teams in the 2009 Inaugural Season. The team will be owned by AEG and Blue Star, LLC.
January 17, 2008 - WSII announced that its league would be known as Women's Professional Soccer and unveiled the WPS Logo.
February 18, 2008 - WPS receives full Division I status from the US Soccer.
September 15, 2008 - Los Angeles names Abner Rogers its first-ever head coach.
September 16, 2008 - Los Angeles is allocated three U.S. Women's National Team players: Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox and Aly Wagner.
September 24, 2008 - Los Angeles selects four players in the first-ever WPS International Draft, including Brazilian superstar Marta, Aya Miyama from Japan, Han Duan from China, and Margret Lara Vidarsdottir from Iceland.
October 2, 2008 - Los Angeles names Charlie Naimo its first-ever general manager.
October 25, 2008 - Los Angeles announces that it will be known as the Los Angeles Sol and unveils its logo.
January 12, 2009 - On the same day that she captures her third consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year award, Marta announces that she is joining the Los Angeles Sol.
January 16, 2009 - The Los Angeles Sol selects ten players in the 2009 WPS Draft, held in St. Louis in conjunction with the annual NSCAA Coaches Convention.
March 2, 2009 - The Los Angeles Sol opens its first-ever preseason training camp at The Home Depot Center.
March 29, 2009 - In the WPS Inaugural Game, the Los Angeles Sol defeated the Washington Freedom 2-0 at The Home Depot Center.
April 5, 2009 - The Los Angeles Sol, in their first road game, defeats Sky Blue FC 2-0.
April 19, 2009 - The Los Angeles Sol defeats FC Gold Pride 1-0 at The Home Depot Center. LOS ANGELES SOL FACT SHEET
OWNERSHIP GROUP The Los Angeles Sol is co-owned and operated by Blue Star LLC and AEG. AEG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company. One of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world, AEG also owns and operates professional teams such as the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), and the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. AEG also operates two hockey franchises and a futbol club in Europe.
LEAGUE WPS is the highest level women's professional soccer league in North America. Formed in September 2007 as the result of the efforts of the Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc., WPS, which will begin play in April 2009, consisting of seven teams across the country. For more information, please visit www.womensprosoccer.com.
FOUNDED The formation of WPS (though not with that name) was announced on September 4, 2007 and it was also announced that a franchise had been awarded to Los Angeles. The WPS name and logo were unveiled January 17, 2008. The Los Angeles Sol was officially unveiled on October 26, 2008.
HOME STADIUM The Los Angeles Sol plays home games at The Home Depot Center located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California (capacity: 27,000). The Home Depot Center is a 125-acre development in featuring state-of-the-art stadiums and facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, rugby, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is also home to Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and Club Deportivo (CD) Chivas USA.
COLORS The official team colors include: Dark Blue (PMS 2747), Light Blue (PMS 3005), Yellow (PMS 116) and Black
TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets for the inaugural year of the Los Angeles Sol soccer at The Home Depot Center are already on sale. For more information or to purchase your tickets today, please call toll free at 1-877-4-SOL-TIX and www.losangelessol.com.
LOS ANGELES SOL COACHING STAFF BIOS
Head Coach Abner Rogers On September 15, 2008, Abner Rogers was named the first-ever head coach of the Los Angeles Sol. A nationally respected coach, the London-born Rogers had served as the President and Director of Coaching at the Laguna Hills Soccer Club Eclipse since 2001. Rogers can be attributed with creating the program philosophy, curriculum and guidelines, including coaches' education, which has propelled the club into national prominence. Rogers has had extensive experience directing college showcases for elite teams from the U.S., highlighting players from the ages of Under 15-Under 18. For his accomplishments at the youth level, Rogers has been awarded the California Youth Soccer Association Coach of the Year honor, twice (1995 and 2005). Rogers has helped and developed some of America's top talent in leading the Eclipse, a club that he founded and led to National Championships in 2002 and 2005. In addition, he has served as the head coach of the United States Adult Soccer Association's National Team (USASA). Prior to his success with the Eclipse and the USASA team, Rogers was the Head Coach of the Region IV Women's Olympic Development Program (ODP) team which won Gold medals at the US Soccer Festival in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002. Rogers has guided 11 players to the professional ranks, 27 to Regional teams, 18 to National teams and 5 players to World Cup competition.
Assistant Coach Hubert Busby On March 1, 2009, Hubert Busby was named assistant coach of the Los Angeles Sol. A former Jamaican International goalkeeper, he was most recently the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (USL-First Division) Technical Director and Academy Coach. Busby has also spent time as a player with the Toronto Lynx (PDL), Montreal Impact (USL-First Division), Ottawa Wizards (Canadian Professional Soccer League) and the Whitecaps, as well as Crystal Palace (The Championship) and Millwall in England and Caldas Sport Clube (Portuguese second division) and Telstar (Dutch second division. After retiring as a player, Busby, 39, earned his USSF "A" license spending more than 10 years coaching the women's programs at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Queens University). His first professional coaching experience was in 2003 with the Ottawa Wizards (Canadian Soccer League), and he led the Wizards to a conference title. In 2004, he was appointed as Canadian Youth Team Coach for the National Training Centre in Eastern Canada and Technical Director for the Kanata Soccer Club. In 2005, he was named the Head Coach for the Toronto Lynx, serving in that capacity for one season. After leaving the Lynx, he coached in Canada before becoming the Whitecaps FC's Technical Director and Academy coach in 2007.
Goalkeeper Coach Neil Powell On March 1, 2009, Neil Powell was named goalkeeper coach of the Los Angeles Sol. Powell comes to the Los Angeles Sol from the Laguna Hills Soccer Club Eclipse, where he has served in various capacities since 2004, most recently Director of Coaching. Powell, 34, was born in Carshalton, England and began to play soccer at a young age. He showed enough promise early in his youth and played for the Under-12 and Under-14 academy teams for English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He later spent eight years in semi-professional soccer in a variety of leagues in England before immigrating to the United States. In the USA, Powell has coached goalkeepers for both the UC-Santa Barbara men's (1999-2001) and women's (2003-2004) soccer teams as well as a variety of clubs, including the Eclipse, which he joined as assistant director of coaching in 2004 before assuming director duties last year.
LOS ANGELES SOL PLAYER CAPSULES
#20 Camille Abily Position: Midfielder Height: 5'6" Birth Date: December 5, 1984 Hometown: Rennes, France Last Club: Olympique Lyonnais Country: France Caps: 50 Goals: 8 Acquired: Rights obtained by Los Angeles following the WPS International Draft
#5 Greer Barnes Position: Defender Height: 5'7" Birth Date: November 5, 1987 Hometown: Rye, New York College: West Virginia University Last Club: West Virginia Illusion Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick of the fourth round (24th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#11 Brittany Bock Position: Midfielder/Forward Height: 5'7" Birth Date: April 11, 1987 Hometown: Naperville, Illinois College: Notre Dame Last Club: N/A Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 5th pick of the first round (5th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#17 Liz Bogus Position: Forward Height: 5'6" Birth Date: February 24, 1984 Hometown: Provo, Utah College: Arizona State University Last Club: Pali Blues Country: USA Acquired: Signed by the Los Angeles Sol as a free agent #7 Shannon Boxx Position: Midfielder Height: 5'8" Birth Date: June 29, 1977 Hometown: Redondo Beach, California College: University of Notre Dame Last Club: New York Power (WUSA) Country: USA Caps: 114 Goals: 19 Acquired: Allocated to Los Angeles by WPS
#0 Brittany Cameron Position: Goalkeeper Height: 5'8" Birth Date: December 3, 1986 Hometown: Dublin, California College: University of San Diego Last Club: Pleasanton Rage Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 2nd pick of the eight round (52nd overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#14 Stephanie Cox Position: Defender/Midfielder Height: 5'6" Birth Date: April 3, 1986 Hometown: Elk Grove, California College: University of Portland Country: USA Caps: 54 Goals: 0 Acquired: Allocated to Los Angeles by WPS
#9 Han Duan Position: Forward Height: 5'7" Birth Date: June 15, 1983 Hometown: Dalian, China Last Club: Dalian Football Club, Liaoning Country: China Caps: 115 Goals: 65 Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick of the 4th round of the WPS International Draft #3 Allison Falk Position: Defender Height: 6'0" Birth Date: March 31, 1987 Hometown: Danville, California College: Stanford Last Club: Pleasanton Rage Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick of the second round (10th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#21 Johanna Frisk Position: Defender Height: 5'7" Birth Date: March 19, 1986 Hometown: Bjorklinge, Sweden Last Club: Umea IK Country: Sweden Acquired: Rights obtained by Los Angeles following the WPS International Draft
#1 Valerie Henderson Position: Goalkeeper Height: 5'7" Birth Date: April 19, 1986 Hometown: Orinda, California College: UCLA Last Club: Pali Blues Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 5th pick of the fifth round (33rd overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#18 Katie Larkin Position: Midfielder/Forward Height: 5'5" Birth Date: March 19, 1987 Hometown: Draper, Utah College: BYU Last Club: Celtic Storm Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 5th pick of the third round (19th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#23 Karina LeBlanc Position: Goalkeeper Height: 5'9'' Birth Date: March 30, 1980 Hometown: Maple Ridge, British Columbia College: University of Nebraska Last Club: NJ Wildcats Country: Canada Caps: 65 Acquired: Selected with the 5th pick of the first round (5th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS General Draft
#22 Manya Makoski Position: Midfielder Height: 5'4" Birth Date: April 18, 1984 Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut College: Arizona State University Last Club: SoccerPlus CT Country: USA Caps: 6 Goals: 0 Acquired: Selected with the fifth pick in the third round (19th overall) in the WPS General Draft
#10 Marta Position: Forward Height: 5'4" Birth Date: February 19, 1986 Hometown: Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil Last Club: Umea IK Country: Brazil Caps: 47 Goals: 47 Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick in the first round (3rd overall) of the WPS International Draft
#8 Aya Miyama Position: Midfielder Height: 5'2" Birth Date: January 28, 1985 Hometown: Chiba, Japan Last Club: Okayama Yunogo Belle Country: Japan Caps: 68 Goals: 19 Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick of the second round (10th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS International Draft
#12 Lisa Sari Position: Midfielder Height: 5'7" Birth Date: October 18, 1984 Hometown: Longview, Washington College: University of Portland Last Club: Seattle Sounders Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 3rd pick of the tenth round (66th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft
#4 Aly Wagner Position: Midfielder Height: 5'5" Birth Date: August 10, 1980 Hometown: San Jose, California College: Santa Clara University Last Club: San Diego Spirit (WUSA) Country: USA Caps: 131 Goals: 21 Acquired: Allocated to Los Angeles by WPS
#6 McCall Zerboni Position: Midfielder Height: 5'4" Birth Date: December 13, 1986 Hometown: San Clemente, California College: UCLA Last Club: So Cal Blues Country: USA Acquired: Selected with the 5th pick of the seventh round (47th overall) by Los Angeles in the WPS Draft.
Women's Professional Soccer Stories from May 8, 2009
- Wambach, McNeill Have Seven Days to Appeal - WPS
- Sol vs. Breakers Game Notes - Los Angeles Sol
- Sol trade Fletcher and Welsh to Saint Louis Athletica - Los Angeles Sol
- WPS Announces Locations for WPS Camps - WPS
- Breakers Travel to Los Angeles With First Place on the Line - Boston Breakers
- Unbeaten Red Stars Host Sky Blue FC Sunday - Chicago Stars FC
- Sky Blue FC Looking to Break Out in Return Trip to Chicago - Sky Blue FC
- Los Angeles Sol To Lend A Hand To Family Of Victim In Long Beach Memorial Shootings - Los Angeles Sol
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