WPS Weekly

June 15, 2010 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release


Week 9 action saw FC Gold Pride pull further ahead in the league standings while the battle for the second and third spots remains tighter than ever. The weekend's games provided exciting action as 11 goals were scored, highlighted by two multi-goal performances from Brazilian internationals Marta (FC Gold Pride) and Cristiane (Chicago Red Stars).

In the first match of the weekend, the Chicago Red Stars traveled to the Maryland SoccerPlex to take on the second-place Washington Freedom. The first half was eventful, as the Freedom scored two first half goals to take an early lead. Freedom forward Abby Wambach got the Freedom on the board first as she scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season. Freedom midfielder Homare Sawa quickly followed Wambach's lead, as she scored her third goal of the season just minutes later off of a free kick from Sonia Bompastor. Chicago fought back, however, before the half as Red Star forward Cristiane pulled the team within one with her second goal of 2010. Chicago found the equalizer in the closing minutes of the match, thanks to another Cristiane goal. It was the first multi-goal game for Cristiane so far this season. With the 2-2 draw, Washington earned one point, bringing their total to 15. The draw increased Chicago's unbeaten streak to three, while their total of nine points places them fifth in league standings.

On Sunday, June 13, Sky Blue FC hit the road to take on the Boston Breakers at Harvard Stadium. The Breakers, who were coming off of a bye week, found the back of the net first as defender Jordan Angeli scored her first career goal in the 14th minute to give Boston the early lead. Just minutes into the second half, forward Tasha Kai broke through the Boston defense and slotted home the equalizer. It appeared the game would end in a 1-1 tie, but Boston was called for a foul in the penalty box in stoppage time, resulting in a Sky Blue FC penalty kick. Sky Blue midfielder Rosana stepped up and calmly slotted home the game-winner, earning her team three crucial points on the road.

The FSC Game of the Week featured first-place FC Gold Pride taking on the expansion squad Philadelphia Independence at John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, Pa. The Pride proved to be an offensive machine once again, as forward Christine Sinclair found the back of the net before the first half ended giving the Pride the early lead. Marta would follow suit, as she slotted home her fifth goal of the season just five minutes into the second half. The newest member of the Philadelphia Independence, midfielder Tina DiMartino, got the Independence on the board with a nice strike in the 82nd minute off a cross, cutting the Pride's lead to one goal. The one goal difference didn't last long, as Marta scored her sixth goal of the season in the 90th minute to ensure the Pride three points on the road. With the 3-1 win, Marta became the league's leading goal-scorer, with six goals, while FC Gold Pride increased their league-leading point total to 19. The loss pushed Philadelphia into a third-place tie with Sky Blue FC, each with 14 points.

Saturday
Washington Freedom 2, Chicago Red Stars 2

Sunday
Sky Blue FC 2, Boston Breakers 1
FC Gold Pride 3, Philadelphia Independence 1


League Leaders
Goals
Marta (FC Gold Pride) 6
Eniola Aluko (Atlanta Beat) 4
Laura Kalmari (Sky Blue FC) 4
Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride) 4
Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom) 4

Assists
Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom) 7
Shannon Boxx (FC Gold Pride) 4
Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom) 4
Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence) 4

Saves
Karen Bardsley (Sky Blue FC) 54
Erin McLeod (Washington Freedom) 41
Jillian Loyden (Chicago Red Stars) 32
Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride) 29
Hope Solo (Atlanta Beat) 29


FC Gold Pride's Marta is WPS's Week 9 Player of the Week
Brazilian superstar Marta is Women's Professional Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 9 after leading first-place FC Gold Pride to a 3-1 victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Independence in a top-of-the-table showdown.

The four-time reigning FIFA World Player of the Year set up Christine Sinclair for one goal and scored two more as her Bay Area-based club improved to 6-2-1 and increased its lead in the standings to four points.

Marta, WPS's MVP and scoring champion in the inaugural season, also was selected Player of the Week in Week 6. She's a four-time winner of the honor, capturing it twice last year, when she played for the Los Angeles Sol. She is the first player to capture the honor twice in the 2010 WPS season.

Marta's goals were her league-leading fifth and sixth of the season. She has 16 goals in WPS, the all-time mark.

Week 1: Eniola Aluko (Saint Louis Athletica)
Week 2: Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)
Week 3: Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence)
Week 4: Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom)
Week 5: Karen Bardsley (Sky Blue FC)
Week 6: Marta (FC Gold Pride)
Week 7: Kosovare Asllani (Chicago Red Stars)
Week 8: Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)
Week 9: Marta (FC Gold Pride)



2010 WPS All-Star Game Starters & Reserves Announced
Following almost three weeks of fan voting, as well as player, media and coach balloting, WPS is set to announce the starting 22 players, as well as the two captains and coaches, for the 2010 WPS All-Star Game presented by U.S. Coast Guard Reserve on Wednesday.

The game will be played June 30 at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm ET with a pre-game show starting at 7:30pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel live from the stadium.

The two captains will come from the highest overall vote totals among players, with the highest vote-getter being named captain of the Home team (green) along with the head coach whose team is second in the WPS standings, while the player with the second-highest vote total will be captain of the Away team (white) and will be paired with the coach whose WPS team is atop the WPS standings.

Team captains and their coaches will select the starting teams at a special pick-em event for fans on June 28 in Atlanta. The reserve players for the WPS All-Star Game will be announced later.


2010 WPS All-Star Starters (by position)
Goalkeepers (2)
Karen Bardsley, Sky Blue FC
Hope Solo, Atlanta Beat

Defenders (6)
Rachel Buehler, FC Gold Pride
Tina Ellertson, Atlanta Beat
Allison Falk, Philadelphia Independence
Amy LePeilbet, Boston Breakers
Brittany Taylor, Sky Blue FC
Cat Whitehill, Washington Freedom

Midfielders (8)
Sonia Bompastor, Washington Freedom
Shannon Boxx, FC Gold Pride
Lori Chalupny, Atlanta Beat
Kristine Lilly, Boston Breakers
Lori Lindsey, Philadelphia Independence
Aya Miyama, Atlanta Beat
Heather O'Reilly, Sky Blue FC
Kelly Smith, Boston Breakers

Forwards (6)
Eniola Aluko, Atlanta Beat
Ramona Bachmann, Atlanta Beat
Lauren Cheney, Boston Breakers
Marta, FC Gold Pride
Christine Sinclair, FC Gold Pride
Abby Wambach, Washington Freedom

2010 WPS All-Star Reserves (alphabetical by team)
Angie Kerr, M (Atlanta Beat)
Alex Scott, D (Boston Breakers)
Cristiane, F (Chicago Red Stars)
Karen Carney, M (Chicago Red Stars)
Jillian Loyden, GK (Chicago Red Stars)
Kate Markgraf, D (Chicago Red Stars)
Kelley O'Hara, F (FC Gold Pride)
Caroline Seger, M (Philadelphia Independence)
Amy Rodriguez, F (Philadelphia Independence)
Tasha Kai, F (Sky Blue FC)
Laura Kalmari, M (Sky Blue FC)
Christie Rampone, D (Sky Blue FC)
Erin McLeod, GK (Washington Freedom)
Becky Sauerbrunn, D (Washington Freedom)


WPS Camps Announce Player Appearances for Summer 2010
Cities across the U.S. to Feature WPS Stars throughout June, July and August

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 15, 2010) - Women's Professional Soccer today announced its summer player appearances for WPS Camps on Tuesday with special focus given to feature hometown stars at camps in their local markets. Designed to provide a dynamic and challenging environment for the female player at any age, WPS Camps offers four unique programs, each built upon the premise that campers will be exposed to world-class training methods and exercises during their experience. Each camp runs one week in partnership with a local club in a host market and features a unique curriculum written in part by WPS Coaches and approved by the WPS Camps Technical Committee.

Appearances by WPS players provide campers the opportunity to learn about the pros from the pros, including exclusive training sessions and Q&As with WPS stars. Sixteen locations have been signed up for the 2010 WPS Camps summer season with appearances from players such as 2010 WPS All-Stars Allison Falk (Philadelphia Independence) and Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), and 2009 WPS Champion Keeley Dowling (Sky Blue FC). Twelve of 16 players making appearances are second-year WPS veterans, two are Olympic gold medalists and seven players have been part of the pool for their respective National Teams over the years.

More information can be found at www.WPSCamps.com.

City Dates Partner Club Player
Delray Beach, FL June 28-July 2 Delray Beach Athletic Club Marian Dalmy (CHI)
Beaumont, TX June 28-July 2 Spindletop YSA Sophia Mundy (ATL)
Denver, CO July 5-9 Colorado Fusion Kristen Graczyk (FCGP)
Raleigh, NC July 5-9 Triangle Futbol Club Nikki Krzysik (PHI)
Kingsport, TN July 12-16 Sullivan County Soccer Assoc. Keeley Dowling (NJ)
Phoenix, AZ July 19-23 Arizona Soccer Club Kiersten Dallstream (NJ)
Reno, NV July 19-23 Nevada Elite Football Club Allison Falk (PHI)
Seattle, WA July 19-23 Highline Premier FC Lyndsey Patterson (PHI)
St. Paul, MN July 19-23 St. Croix Soccer Club Briana Scurry (WSH)
Greenville, SC July 26-30 Carolina Elite Soccer Club Lauren Cheney (BOS)
Simsbury, CT July 26-30 The Ethel Walker School Tiffany Weimer (BOS)
Waverly, IA July 26-30 Waverly Shell Rock Soccer Danielle Johnson (NJ)
Carlsbad, CA August 2-6 Carlsbad Elite Carrie Dew (FCGP)
Clearwater, FL August 2-6 Clearwater Soccer Club Natalie Spilger (CHI)
Redding, CA August 9-13 Missfits Soccer FC Ali Riley (FCGP)
Brookfield, CT August 16-20 Brookfield Soccer Club Manya Makoski (ATL)


Goals Galore
One week after WPS averaged a total of 1.66 goals per game in Week 8, WPS teams exploded for a plethora of goals in Week 9 with 11 total goals over three games for a per game average of 3.66.

It was the best goals per game average for a weekend in league play this year. FC Gold Pride scored three goals as a team for the second time this year and the first time in WPS since Washington scored three goals on May 1 at RFK Stadium. Meanwhile Washington's 2-all draw with Chicago was just the second 2-2 tie in WPS history dating back to the launch of the league last year.


Disciplinary Decisions - Media News Release List
A reminder to media that all disciplinary decisions from the WPS Disciplinary Committee are regularly posted to the league website under discipline: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/league-discipline.aspx

Beginning next week, the league office will send out disciplinary decisions to those media interested in being included on a special Disciplinary PR List. Media members must sign up for this list to receive the disciplinary decisions. To opt into that list, media members should send an email with their name and media outlet to: media@womensprosoccer.com.



WPS Week 10 Preview

Saturday, June 19
Sky Blue FC vs. Philadelphia Independence (7:00 pm ET)
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ

- This will be the second time that I-95 rivals Sky Blue FC and the Philadelphia Independence face-off this season, as Philadelphia claimed the first meeting, 2-1.
- Philadelphia forward Amy Rodriguez racked up points in the last meeting, as Rodriguez assisted on Lori Lindsey's first half goal and then scored the game-winner.
- A battle for third place, these two teams are tied for the third spot in the league standings with 14 points each.
- A win will put the respective team ahead of the Washington Freedom, who have a bye this week, for sole possession of the second-place spot. A tie will move both teams into a three-way tie with the Washington Freedom for second place.
- The Independence is coming off of their first loss at home, as three of their four wins have come at John A. Farrell Stadium. Sky Blue FC has proven to be a road team, as three of their four victories this season have come on the road.


Saturday, June 19
Atlanta Beat vs. Chicago Red Stars (7:00 pm ET)
KSU Soccer Stadium, Kennesaw, GA

- This will be the second time this season the Atlanta Beat and Chicago Red Stars face-off. The last meeting, on June 6, ended in a scoreless draw at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.
- Chicago is currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak as they have a win and two ties in their last three games. Atlanta is coming off of a bye week and is still looking for the first win in their expansion season.
- This meeting will have a completely different feel than the first, as the Red Stars have picked up new head coach, Omid Namazi, and the Atlanta Beat have acquired several new players from the Saint Louis Athletica since their last meeting.
- The Chicago Red Stars have scored three goals in their last three games while the Atlanta Beat have scored just two goals all season and have gone scoreless in the past four games.
- Red Stars will be without defender, Natalie Spilger, as she received a red card in Chicago's last game against Washington.


Saturday, June 19
FC Gold Pride vs. Boston Breakers (10:00 pm ET)
Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, CA

- This is the home opener for FC Gold Pride in their renovated and refurbished venue Pioneer Stadium at Cal State, East Bay.
- This will be the second time FC Gold Pride and the Boston Breakers face-off this season. FC Gold Pride claimed the first game with a 2-1 victory at Harvard Stadium in Boston.
- Marta scored both goals in the previous meeting and is coming off of another two-goal performance, as she scored two goals in the Pride's win over Philadelphia. Her six goals on the year rank her first in the league with most goals scored.
- FC Gold Pride rookie forward Kelley O'Hara will return to the line-up after missing last weekend's game against Philadelphia for her college graduation.
- Breakers rookie defender Jordan Angeli scored her first career goal last week in Boston's loss to Sky Blue FC.

Bye Week: Washington Freedom



Women's Professional Soccer Stories from June 15, 2010


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