WPS Weekly

July 14, 2009 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release

Wednesday, July 8 Saint Louis Athletica 1, Los Angeles Sol 0

Sunday, July 12 Sky Blue FC 2, Boston Breakers 1 Chicago Red Stars 3, FC Gold Pride 1

WPS Week 16 In Week 16, Saint Louis Athletica showed that they have championship aspirations with a 1-0 victory over league-leading Los Angeles Sol. The victory by Saint Louis solidified their hold on the second position in the WPS Standings and kept Los Angeles from clinching the regular season title. The magic number for LA to win the regular season remains at four, meaning any combination of points by Los Angeles or failure by Saint Louis to achieve maximum points in any game would lower that number.

The rest of the playoff picture became even more crowded in Week 16, as four teams in positions 3-6 are separated by just two points with only the top four teams making the WPS Playoffs. The Chicago Red Stars won for the second straight game to move into fifth-place - just one point out of playoff position - while Sky Blue FC moved to 3-0 on the season against the Boston Breakers and pulled even with their Northeast rivals into a tie for third-place.

Saint Louis Athletica 1, Los Angeles Sol 0 Saint Louis midfielder Amanda Cinalli scored on a one-timer off a great touchline run by Eniola Aluko in the 11th minute and the Athletica were helped by some brilliant goalkeeping from Hope Solo to defeat Los Angeles, 1-0, as they moved five points clear of third -place in the WPS Standings. The Athletica win ended the Sol's 11-game unbeaten streak, 4-game winning streak and handed Los Angeles their first home defeat on the season. The loss prevented Los Angeles from clinching the WPS Regular Season title in the Sol's final home game, in what might turn out to be a preview of the WPS Championship on August 22. Los Angeles finished 2-1-1 against the Athletica in their four match-ups this year.

Sky Blue FC 2, Boston Breakers 1 Sky Blue FC must have Boston's number. The New Jersey-side defeated their Northeast rivals by one goal for the third time this season and pulled even in a pivotal game in the race for the playoffs. First half goals by Natasha Kai and Rosana were the difference after Boston put a late one in the back of the net on a nice goal from Jennifer Nobis in stoppage time. Sky Blue FC has clinched the season series against Boston and any head-to-head tiebreak. Both teams have important weeks with Wednesday and Sunday games. Sky Blue faces sixth-place Washington and fifth-place Chicago, while Boston takes on Chicago and last-placed FC Gold Pride.

Chicago Red Stars 3, FC Gold Pride 1 Cristiane recorded the first hat trick in Women's Professional Soccer history Sunday, leading the Chicago Red Stars to a 3-1 win over FC Gold Pride in front of 5,127 at Toyota Park. The Brazilian sensation doubled her goal-scoring production for the season to six goals, including the first penalty kick goal in Red Stars franchise history in the 31st minute. Cristiane struck again in first-half stoppage time, taking a feed from Megan Rapinoe and dancing around goalie Nicole Barnhart before taking a shot that deflected off defender Erika and slowly trickled into the net, giving Chicago a 2-0 halftime advantage.

FC Gold Pride cut the lead in half in the 64th minute on a penalty kick by Tiffeny Milbrett. But momentum swung back to the Red Stars seconds later when Cristiane fired a rocket past an outstretched Milbrett and in to the upper left corner for the final 3-1 margin.

Line Up Notables Boston Breakers: Jennie Nobis fired her second goal of the year in stoppage time of the second half of the Sky Blue FC game. The game was just her second start of the WPS season, but the goal was not enough to help the Breakers topple Sky Blue as two first half goals by Natasha Kai and Rosana defeated the Breakers 2-1. The Breakers are now tied for third in the WPS standings with Sky Blue. Brazilian forward Fabiana started and debuted in her first game of the year. Kelly Smith sat out the game with knee problems.

Chicago Red Stars: The Red Stars forward, Cristiane, became the first player in WPS history to score a hat-trick. Cristiane's three goals rocketed the Red Stars to their second straight win and moved them into fifth place in the WPS standings. After sitting out last week's match due to yellow card accumulation, Red Stars midfielder Chioma Igwe saw time against the Pride, subbing in for Megan Rapinoe in the 68th minute.

FC Gold Pride: 1999 World Cup standout Tiffeny Milbrett earned her third goal of the season after converting a penalty kick off a Megan Rapinoe foul. Fellow 99' teammate Brandi Chastain entered the game in the 47th minute for her fifth game of the year. Pride midfielder Kristen Graczyk had to leave the game after she was clipped in the face by a Lindsay Tarpley cleat. She required stitches and Tarpley received a yellow card.

Los Angeles Sol: The Los Angeles Sol was held scoreless for the first time in six games and Marta was shutout for the first time in five games as the Saint Louis Athletica defeated the Sol 1-0. Midfielder Lyndsey Patterson, acquired as a free agent to play for the Sol, competed in her first game for the Sol, clocking 12 minutes in the game when she checked in for midfielder McCall Zerboni in the 78th minute.

Saint Louis Athletica: Hope Solo stuffed the Los Angeles Sol with four momentous saves, earning the Athletica goalkeeper her sixth shutout of the year. Kia McNeill started her first game on the bench all season, subbing into the game for Angie Woznuk in the 76th minute. The last time McNeill didn't start a game was when she was serving her one game suspension.

Sky Blue FC: Natasha Kai netted her third goal of the year joining fellow Americans Abby Wambach (WSH), Lindsay Tarpley(CHI), Kristine Lilly(BOS), and Tiffeny Milbrett(BAY). Her goal along with a goal from Rosana helped lift Sky Blue over the Breakers 2-1 and into a tie for third place with the Boston squad.

Washington Freedom: Bye Week.

Quotables From Notables A few words from players and coaches...

"We created multiple opportunities and it's our job to score; we should have put them away," said Los Angeles Sol midfielder Shannon Boxx about their first loss in ten games to the Saint Louis Athletica.

"We went into this game hoping to build on some momentum in our play from the result last week. The atmosphere of the locker room and what we have been doing in training has been great," said Red Stars head coach Emma Hayes. "Tonight, we went out and I don't think it was our best game. But, we showed what you do when your best players do their very best things."

"We have to win to be honest. We just got to keep winning and if that doesn't motivate you then you probably shouldn't be playing the sport," said Red Stars forward Megan Rapinoe

"We came out strong with our first time playing on turf. We wanted to score early and stay composed; we knew the goals would come. We got one in the 24th or 25th minute. Two goals in the first (half)." Said Sky Blue forward Natasha Kai. "We knew they were going to come out hard in the second half. They got one in stoppage time, but we held off. That's what it's going to take to win games. We fought hard as a team and the people who came off the bench did a great job."

"I don't think we played horrible. We didn't capitalize on our chances early like Sky Blue did. I think we had more chances than they did." Said Breakers forward Jennie Nobis. "Capitalization is what is missing and obviously not going down early. It's frustrating, but it could change very soon. So many teams are close. We have to regroup (and start) thinking forward."

"I thought it was an exciting game for the fans, it could have been 6-6 or 7-7," said FC Gold Pride head coach Albertin Montoya on the Pride's 3-1 loss to the Red Stars.

WPS Player of the Week: Week 16 For the second straight week, a Chicago player has won WPS's Player of the Week honors. Red Stars forward Cristiane has been selected WPS's Player of the Week for Week 16 after scoring the league's first hat trick in the Red Stars' 3-1 victory Sunday over FC Gold Pride.

The Brazilian forward doubled her output for the season, converting a penalty kick in the 31st minute, finishing a feed from Megan Rapinoe in first-half stoppage and firing to the upper-left corner in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Week 15 winner Lindsay Tarpley. The win pushed Chicago (4-6-5) into fifth place, just one point out of the playoff zone.

Cristiane's partner up front for Brazil's national team, Los Angeles forward Marta, was WPS Player of the Week in Weeks 5 and 14.

WPS's Player of the Week award is selected by a panel of writers with the North American Soccer Reporters.

WPS Players of the Week Week 1: Aya Miyama (Los Angeles Sol) Week 2: Marta (Los Angeles Sol) Week 3: Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers) Week 4: Aly Wagner (Los Angeles Sol) Week 5: Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom) Week 6: Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom) Week 7: Lori Chalupny (Saint Louis Athletica) Week 8: Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride) Week 9: Jillian Loyden (Saint Louis Athletica) Week 10: Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol) Week 11: Camille Abily (Los Angeles Sol) Week 12: Eniola Aluko (Saint Louis Athletica) Week 13: Erin McLeod (Washington Freedom) Week 14: Marta (Los Angeles Sol) Week 15: Lindsay Tarpley (Chicago Red Stars) Week 16: Cristiane (Chicago Red Stars)

Note: Weeks 1-2 selected by The Soccer Magazine; weeks 3-9 selected by North American Soccer Reporters panel.

President Obama Mentions WPS in Speech During a visit to the White House by the Columbus Crew on Monday, July 13 to honor the team's 2008 MLS Cup title, President Barack Obama, who has two soccer-playing daughters, referenced Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) during his speech about soccer.

Said President Obama: "We appreciate also the clinic that the Columbus Crew is going to put on for young people here in D.C. today, which teaches them not just skills but also how to live healthy and active lives. And thanks to that example -- an example set by the Crew and by players across MLS and Women's Professional Soccer, as well -- I'm confident that American soccer will remain something to be excited about for years to come."

Gareth O'Sullivan Named as Head Coach of Atlanta Beat Atlanta Beat General Manager Shawn McGee announced Gareth O'Sullivan as the first Head Coach of the Atlanta Beat, who will begin play in 2010.

A native of Ballina, Ireland, O'Sullivan is a nationally-respected coach with proven success at the youth, college and professional levels. Most recently, he served as coach to Afturelding and KR in the Icelandic Premier League. Prior to his years in Iceland, O'Sullivan coached collegiately in the United States. From 1997 to 2003, he led Christian Brothers University (Memphis, TN) women's soccer team to five Gulf South Conference titles, en route to capturing the university's first ever NCAA Division II National Championship in 2002.

O'Sullivan also enjoyed several years coaching in Georgia, where he launched the University of West Georgia women's soccer program in 2004. He added to his collection of Conference Coach of the Year awards in 2005 and was involved with developing soccer throughout the state.

"I am honored to have been selected as the first Head Coach of the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer." said O'Sullivan. "It is exciting to be part of the league and to be working for a visionary like T. Fitz Johnson. My focus is simply to win Championships for Fitz and for the great fans of Atlanta, a place where I have spent much of my adult life. Atlanta is a hotbed for sport of soccer and I believe that with my experience in both collegiate and international soccer, along with the great coaching staff we have put together, we can craft a team that will not only be competitive on the field, but also will be exciting to watch."

"The Atlanta Beat is working hard each day to be the best women's soccer team in the world both on and off the field. We have conducted a world-wide search for a Head Coach and believe that we have selected someone who will win Championships, as well as be a great ambassador in the community for the sport of soccer," stated Johnson. "Gareth has extensive knowledge of the collegiate and international soccer player. Having coached at all levels, he has been successful in identifying and developing players into great collegiate and pro players. In addition, he has spent many years in the area and knows Georgia soccer well. He is the perfect choice to lead the Atlanta Beat."

To complete his coaching staff, O'Sullivan has added former Atlanta Beat fan-favorite and NCAA All-American from the University of North Carolina, Leslie Marcus (formerly Leslie Gaston) as his Assistant Coach. Rounding out the Atlanta Beat coaching team, will be Georgia ODP and Kennesaw State University's goalkeeper coach, Russ Stroud.

Roster Freeze Date is Wednesday, July 15 All WPS player contracts were guaranteed as of July 1 for the rest of the season and the roster freeze date for the 18-player roster is at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific on Wednesday, July 15. Movement and transactions among developmental players is still allowed.

Los Angeles Sol's Marta Nominated for ESPY The current and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta has been nominated in the category of Best Female International Athlete. She will be competing against Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice and Russian tennis player Dinara Safina. The 2009 ESPYs will be taped Wednesday, July 15 from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles and televised Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Goals by the Numbers Top Scorers - Los Angeles Sol's Marta (9), Los Angeles Sol's Camille Abily (8), Chicago Red Stars's Cristiane (6)

Goals by Team - Los Angeles Sol (24), Washington Freedom (18), Boston Breakers (15), Saint Louis Athletica (13), Chicago Red Stars (13), FC Gold Pride (12), Sky Blue FC (11),

Total Goals - 106 goals scored since WPS Inaugural Match on March 29, 2009 with an average of 2.08 goals per game.

Quickest Goal in League Play: 2nd minute of play, Eniola Aluko - Saint Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC (6/28/09), Kelly Smith - Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol (5/2/09)

Quickest back-to-back goals by one team: 2 goals in 3 minutes - 42 minute, 45 minute - from Marta in Los Angeles Sol vs. Sky Blue FC match (4/5/09)

Most Goals in One Game by one team: 4, Los Angeles Sol 4-0 Chicago Red Stars (6/27/09), Washington Freedom 4-3 FC Gold Pride (4/26/09), and Chicago Red Stars 4-0 Boston Breakers (4/25/09)

Most Goals in One Game by both teams: 7, Washington Freedom 4-3 FC Gold Pride (4/26/09)

Most Goals in a Game by a player: 3, Cristiane (Chicago Red Stars - 7/12/09); 2, Marta (Los Angeles Sol - 6/27/09, 4/5/09), Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom - 4/26/09), Daniela (Saint Louis Athletica - 5/3/09), Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom - 5/3/09), Camille Abily (Los Angeles Sol - 6/7/09)

Scoring Remains Key to Success In Week 16, all three teams that scored first won their games continuing an amazing run of success this season for teams that open the scoring. Teams that score first are now an impressive 38-1-7 this season (out of 51 total games). WPS has had 5 scoreless ties this season.

Official Box Scores Reviewed With the use of video review, WPS Communications has reviewed stats for the first half of the season through July 5th and made some clarifications listed below:

5/2 Boston (2nd minute) - remove Kelly Schmedes' assist. Video review indicates that it was a bad clearance from the defender that went to Kelly Smith, not a pass.

5/3 Saint Louis (41st minute) - add an assist for Eniola Aluko. WPS uses a continuous possession guideline for assists, and Aluko fed the ball to Daniela, so the assist will be credited.

7/5 Los Angeles (91st minute) - add assist on Marta's goal for Aya Miyama.

The Weekly Forecast Wednesday, July 15

Boston Breakers vs. Chicago Red Stars (7pm ET) Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA Two teams going in different directions meet in a pivotal weekday match-up. Boston has dropped two in a row by one goal to Sky Blue FC the past two weeks, while Chicago has a two-game winning streak for the first time this year with wins over Washington and FC Gold Pride, putting them right into the thick of the playoff hunt. Boston and Chicago are 1-1 against each other this season with Chicago having the edge on goal differential thanks to their 4-0 drubbing of Boston in April. Kelly Smith didn't play in that came, nor will she play in Wednesday match-up as she and teammate Alex Scott have headed to England for national team friendlies against Iceland and Denmark. A Chicago win or tie would give the Red Stars the season series and allow them to leapfrog the Breakers in the standings, while a Boston victory would give the Breakers the edge on the head-to-head tiebreak. Boston continues to struggle with its chemistry up front, especially as Kelly Smith has been out with knee problems and now national team duty. One bright spot has been Jennifer Nobis, who had four shots on goal Sunday and notched a goal in stoppage time. Chicago is coming off the heels of their best offensive performance since late April, as Cristiane scored a hat trick against FC Gold Pride. Boston's most-recent two-game skid was followed by a tie and two victories, so it's best not to count out Tony DiCicco's veteran side.

Sky Blue FC vs. Washington Freedom (7pm ET) Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ Coming off a pair of wins against Boston, Sky Blue FC are now a cumulative 5-0-1 against Boston and the Chicago Red Stars, but only 0-6-2 against the rest of the WPS, including 2-1 loss to Washington on Memorial Weekend when Sky Blue FC Head Coach Kelly Lindsey first took over the reins in New Jersey. But after starting the season slowly, Lindsey's side now has three wins in its past four games and Sky Blue FC has put itself in prime position for a playoff run. The Sky Blue FC resurgence can be attributed to some opportune plays by veterans Natasha Kai and Heather O'Reilly along with a stingy and organized defense in front of fast-rising keeper Jenni Branam. The Washington Freedom, meanwhile had a bye in Week 16 and dropped into sixth place in the WPS Standings, two points out of a playoff position. Jim Gabarra's side has not won a game since June 20 and has dropped three in a row for the first time this season. After scoring often early in the campaign, the Freedom have not had a multi-goal game since May 31. But their results often belie their playmaking and possession ability; their July 5th clash against Los Angeles might have been one of Washington's best games on the year were it not for a lack of scoring and a stoppage-time goal by the Sol that handed the Freedom a heart-breaking loss.

Saturday, July 18

Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica (5 pm ET) RFK Stadium, Washington D.C. The million dollar question in this late-season clash, is which team will miss its national team stars more? Washington will be without forward Abby Wambach, defender Cat Whitehill and goalkeeper Erin McLeod, while Saint Louis will miss the services of netminder Hope Solo, playmaker Lori Chalupny and English international Eniola Aluko as national team games scheduled this weekend include several top WPS stars in the line-ups for the U.S., Canada, Sweden and England. These two teams have played each other close on both prior occasions; the Freedom getting a late 3-3 tie at Maryland SoccerPlex in early May and following that with a narrow1-0 victory in late June at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, MO. The Freedom are a solid 2-0 at RFK Stadium and look to finish the year undefeated in the last of their three doubleheaders with DC United. Saint Louis is 5-2-1 on the road, however, and brings one of the league's best road records into Washington. The Athletica have distanced themselvess from the rest of the pack with a run of excellent soccer of late and a 1-0 upset of league-leading Los Angeles in their last outing -- but a loss to Washington and a win by teams elsewhere around the league would bring Saint Louis right back into striking distance of the middle of the table.

Sunday, July 19

Sky Blue FC vs. Chicago Red Stars (4:30 pm ET - FSC) Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ With a 5-0-1 record against Chicago and Boston in league-play, Sky Blue FC will look to continue their dominance against these two teams with their second of a two-game homestand Sunday against Chicago. Sky Blue FC should find their record on Fox Soccer Channel's national television games comforting. The New Jersey-side are an impressive 3-1-1 during WPS Sunday on FSC broadcasts including 2-1 winners over Boston this past weekend at Harvard Stadium. Sky Blue FC will be missing the services of Heather O'Reilly and Christie Rampone but forward Natasha Kai was not called up for national team duty and she will look to make a statement to U.S. National Team coach Pia Sundhage with her continued energy on the Sky Blue FC front line. Chicago counters with the offensive firepower of Cristiane, who joined the league's top three in scoring in the course of just 90-minutes this past weekend with an impressive hat trick against FC Gold Pride. But the absence of creative midfielder Megan Rapinoe will hurt as she has assisted on two of Cristiane's five goals during the run of play (her sixth was from the penalty spot). Both teams were desperate for wins the past two weeks and got them - so whichever team feels greater desperation might be the team that comes out on top.

FC Gold Pride vs. Boston Breakers (8 pm ET) Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, CA Without a victory since May 16 and without a multi-goal game since April 26, FC Gold Pride comes limping into Buck Shaw Stadium looking to put a stop to their three-game losing streak and get back into the playoff hunt. It's not that FC Gold Pride hasn't played attractive soccer. Albertin Montoya's team has been creative and even flashy at times. In this weekend's 3-1 loss to Chicago, the Bay Area side outshot the Red Stars 16-14 and had several clear shots on goal which they simply didn't convert. The same was true in its game two weeks ago against Saint Louis. It's been this lack of execution combined with some occasional defensive miscues that have put the Pride's season on the brink. One more loss would guarantee FC Gold of a losing season. But also limping into Buck Shaw are Tony DiCicco's Boston Breakers, who let an opportunity to pull away from the middle of the pack get away by losing two consecutive one-goal decisions to Sky Blue FC prior to their Wednesday night match-up with Chicago. And they will have a makeshift roster as the Breakers will be missing an astounding seven players to national team duty on the weekend: Angela Hucles, Amy Rodriguez, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Candace Chapman, Alex Scott and Kelly Smith. Look for several reserve players to start and asked to contribute from the opening whistle.

Off Los Angeles Sol are off in Week 17

On TV The WPS Sunday on FSC match between Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars will air on the Fox Soccer Channel on Sunday, July 19 at 4:30 pm ET.

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Women's Professional Soccer Stories from July 14, 2009

• WPS Weekly - WPS
• Cristiane Named WPS Player of the Week - Chicago Stars FC
• Red Stars Look For Third Straight Win at Boston Wednesday - Chicago Stars FC

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