WPS Weekly

July 27, 2010 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release

The two teams at the top of the WPS table put even more distance on the other five in Week 15 as Bay Area's FC Gold Pride won its fifth-straight game to go a perfect 5-0 in the month of July, while second-place Philadelphia Independence continued its dominance of regional rival Sky Blue FC on Saturday with a victory at home.

Both teams won by 4-1 scorelines as FC Gold Pride took apart the Washington Freedom in front of a strong crowd of 4,809 fans at the Maryland SoccerPlex. FC Gold Pride was paced by two goals from Marta and Tiffeny Milbrett. It's the second-time FC Gold Pride has won five straight games this season and the Bay Area side will be going for an all-time WPS record sixth-straight win Sunday against the Atlanta Beat where they were 4-0 victors earlier this year on July 4th weekend. Combined with a win during the week, FC Gold Pride now have a 13 point advantage on second-place Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Independence were led by three assists from Caroline Seger, who matched her teammate Lori Lindsay with the WPS single game record for assists, and helped her team to a second consecutive 4-1 win over Sky Blue FC. The Independence also won 2-1 earlier in the season for a perfect 3-0 record against their rivals just up the New Jersey Turnpike. The Independence are now 5 points clear of third place.

And the Boston Breakers won for the fourth time in five outings in Week 15, moving into third place in the standings to reach their best placing in the WPS standings since Week 3 after the Breakers opened the season with a win and a tie in the first two weeks. Kelly Smith led the Breakers with two goals in their 3-1 victory in Chicago.

Wednesday

Atlanta 1, Chicago 0

FC Gold Pride 2, Boston 1

Saturday

Philadelphia 4, Sky Blue FC 1

FC Gold Pride 4, Washington 1

Sunday

Boston 3, Chicago 1

League Leaders

Goals

Marta (FC Gold Pride) 13

Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia) 9

Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride) 8

Eniola Aluko (Atlanta Beat) 6

Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers) 6

Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom) 6

Assists

Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride) 7

Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom) 7

Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence) 5

Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom) 4

Shannon Boxx (FC Gold Pride) 4

Caroline Seger (Philadelphia Independence) 4

Saves

Erin McLeod (Washington Freedom) 68

Hope Solo (Atlanta Beat) 63

Karen Bardsley (Sky Blue FC) 56

Jillian Loyden (Chicago Red Stars) 49

Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride) 48

Philadelphia's Seger is WPS's Week 15 Player of the Week

Swedish midfielder Caroline Seger is Women's Professional Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 15 after leading second-place Philadelphia Independence in a 4-1 romp Saturday over Sky Blue FC to end a two-game losing streak.

Seger tied teammate Lori Lindsey for the WPS record for assists in a game with three, setting up two goals by Amy Rodriguez and another by Joanna Lohman. Philadelphia had a 2-0 lead by the seventh minute, with both goals coming from Seger feeds.

The win solidified second place for the Independence (7-5-3), which trails first-place FC Gold Pride by 13 points but is ahead of the third-place Boston Breakers by five points.

This is the fifth time a Philadelphia player has been honored this season. Lori Lindsey won in Week 3, Rodriguez in Weeks 8 and 11, and Danesha Adams in Week 10.

The WPS Player of Week is selected by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters.

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)

Week 10: Danesha Adams (Philadelphia Independence)

Week 11: Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)

Week 12: Marta (FC Gold Pride)

Week 13: Ella Masar (Chicago Red Stars)

Week 14: Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride)

Week 15: Caroline Seger (Philadelphia Independence)

WPS Goal Scoring Continues to Go Up

With 18 goals over five games in Week 15 for an average of 3.6 goals per game, the WPS average goals per game for this season continues to climb and is now at an all-time WPS high of 2.45 goals per game. That is up from 2.14 in the 2009 Inaugural Season and higher than the 2.27 goals per game average during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.

The goal hot streak around the league in Week 15 included two 4-1 score lines this weekend and a three goal outburst from Boston.

Race for Assist Leader Heats Up

The race for the PUMA Golden Boot isn't the only exciting scoring race up for grabs. The race to be the league leader in assists has heated up with FC Gold Pride's Christine Sinclair notted at seven assists with Abby Wambach who has led the league since the first weeks of the season. Close on the heels of Sinclair and Wambach is Lori Lindsey, who earlier set the record for assists in one game with three in April, only to be matched by teammate Caroline Seger this past week.

PUMA® Mixes Up Its Signature Red with Project Pink

Sportlifestyle brand launches breast cancer awareness and fundraising initiative in partnership with WPS teams

Westford, MA (July 26, 2010) - We don't know about you, but our football fever has yet to subside. On the heels of the biggest soccer event in the world, sportlifestyle brand PUMA® is excited to announce a new initiative that links women's soccer with a well-deserving cause: launching this month, PUMA's Project Pink will strive to raise awareness - and funds - in support of the fight against breast cancer. In conjunction with their partnership with Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), PUMA will outfit some of the best female players in the world in special Project Pink kits for five WPS matches. The brand has also created a range of Project Pink merchandise that will be available for purchase beginning this summer and continuing through Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Profits from the sale of PUMA's Project Pink gear will be donated to a nonprofit committed to breast cancer awareness or research; the beneficiary will be named as the result of a national online voting campaign.

"Giving back is an integral part of our brand DNA at PUMA which comes to life through our Project Pink program with Women's Professional Soccer," explained Tara McRae, senior director of marketing for PUMA North America. "Project Pink has resonated with the players, the fans, and our company. There's a lot of personal passion driving this program forward, and we're looking forward to finally taking it public and getting consumers involved."

It's not all about us, though. In true PUMA fashion, with an eye on both engaging and empowering the female soccer community, the brand is giving consumers a voice. Launching July 31, PUMA is hosting a forum at wps.pumafootball.com/projectpink that invites interaction with the Project Pink initiative. The site allows for the nomination of breast cancer charities with nonprofit status; supporters can then log on to vote for the winner, who will ultimately receive a donation consisting of 100% of the profits from the sale of PUMA Project Pink product. The nomination period will open on August 7; voting will begin on September 13. The crowd favorite will be announced and the donation made in late October.

WPS teams including the Boston Breakers, Washington Freedom, FC Gold Pride, Philadelphia Independence, and Sky Blue FC have joined with PUMA to rally behind Project Pink, designating matches in July and August to help raise awareness for the cause. Players from each home team will sport special Project Pink kits developed by PUMA, and PUMA's Project Pink match ball will be utilized throughout each game. Project Pink-themed activities will also be hosted in pre-game Fanzones and throughout the matches. WPS teams the Atlanta Beat and Chicago Red Stars will also support Project Pink with events later in the season.

Project Pink game dates are as follows:

July 31 at Harvard Stadium Boston Breakers v. Washington Freedom

August 7 at Pioneer Stadium FC Gold Pride v. Chicago Red Stars

August 8 at John A. Farrell Stadium Philadelphia Independence v. Boston Breakers

August 11 at Yurcak Field Sky Blue FC v. Washington Freedom

August 28 at Maryland SoccerPlex Washington Freedom v. Sky Blue FC

PUMA athlete and Philadelphia Independence goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc will be serving, along with fellow players and PUMA athletes Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers) and Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), as a spokeswoman for the Project Pink cause. "As a woman in sports, I always support promoting an active, healthy lifestyle," LeBlanc explained. "Plus, a number of my close friends and family have been affected by breast cancer. I'm out here doing what I love, and any chance I have to be a part of a project like this to show my passion for what I do and link with a good cause is a no-brainer."

In line with the first match, PUMA's new range of Project Pink merchandise is set to debut on July 26 on shop.puma.com and at select PUMA Stores and other retail partners. It will also be sold at participating stadiums during WPS games throughout the season. Allowing soccer fans and novice athletes to show their support alongside their favorite players, PUMA's Project Pink replica jersey, tee-shirts in pink and white, trainer and (mini) skill ball, and gym sack will all be available for purchase.

In an effort to drive additional awareness to the cause, the brand will be using the Twitter hash tag #projectpink when communicating updates about Project Pink and will also encourage fans creating content to do the same. For every tweet using the hash tag from July 31 through October 18, PUMA will donate an additional $1 to the Project Pink cause, up to a maximum of $25,000. PUMA will count one tweet using the hash tag per user per day.

PUMA became an official founding partner of WPS and an official sponsor of all WPS franchises in December 2008. The multi-year partnership makes PUMA the official sport and lifestyle apparel, footwear and equipment supplier of WPS, including the official WPS Match Ball; PUMA is also the official supplier of PUMA WPS Fanwear. PUMA's roster of WPS athletes includes four-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta, as well as Natasha Kai, Leslie Osborne, Amy Rodriguez, Karina LeBlanc, and Alex Scott.

On a global scale, PUMA Football's portfolio includes five European National Teams, including Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic, 2010 FIFA World Cup™ contenders Uruguay, and 13 African soccer Federations including the current CAF African Cup of Nations™ holders Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. PUMA also sponsors men's soccer players including Jay Demerit, Brian Ching, Heath Pearce, Dwayne De Rosario, Matt Reis, and Kasey Keller.

For more information about Project Pink and PUMA's partnership with WPS, visit wps.pumafootball.com.

WPS Week 16 Preview

Wednesday, July 28

Philadelphia Independence vs. Chicago Red Stars (7pm ET)

John A. Farrell Stadium, West Chester, PA

- This will only be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Philadelphia won the first match on May 15th, 1-0, the final game for Chicago Head Coach Emma Hayes before her dismissal by the Red Stars.

- Philadelphia's Amy Rodriguez scored two goals against Sky Blue FC over the weekend to put her back into sole possessions of second place on the WPS scoring list behind Marta.

- The Independence currently hold a five point lead for the second playoff spot over Boston with the Chicago Red Stars only one point back of the final spot in the WPS playoffs.

- Red Stars' goalkeeper Jillian Loyden is third in WPS rankings for Goals Against Average with an 1.00 average through 15 games played.

- Caroline Seger was Week 15 Player of the Week, pacing her Philadelphia team with three assists.

- Chicago is winless, going 0-2-2 against the two 2010 expansion teams so far this season.

Wednesday, July 28

Atlanta Beat vs. Washington Freedom (7:30pm ET)

KSU Soccer Stadium, Kennesaw, GA

- This will be the third time the two squads have taken to the pitch against one another. The Freedom lead the series 2-0 with wins at the Maryland SoccerPlex and at KSU Soccer Stadium.

- Ashlyn Harris will be in goal for the Washington Freedom following the injury to Erin McLeod.

- This is a match-up between the league's two worst defensive teams. Atlanta also ranks last in offense, while Washington is third in the league with a 1.4 goals per game average.

- The Beat are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in their history, and Washington will be trying to earn their first win since May 30th. The Freedom have lost three straight and are winless in their last 8 games dating back to May 30.

- Atlanta's Eniola Aluko is the league's fourth-highest scorer this season and is responsible for both game winning goals last week for Atlanta's two victories.

Saturday, July 31

Boston Breakers vs. Washington Freedom (6pm ET)

Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA

- The Breakers lead the season series after three games this season 2-0-1.

- Boston jumped from out of the playoff picture to third place in the WPS standings following last week's win over Chicago.

- Washington's Abby Wambach is tied atop the league in assists with 7, and has also scored six goals for the Freedom this season.

- Boston has won four of their last five matches with their offense coming alive scoring an average of 2.2 goals per game.

- Washington sits one point behind the final playoff spot with 17 points on the season.

Sunday, August 1

Atlanta Beat vs. FC Gold Pride (5pm ET - FSC)

KSU Soccer Stadium, Kennesaw, GA

- WPS leaders FC Gold Pride have dominated the action against Atlanta so far this season winning both games by a combined score of 6-1.

- FC Gold Pride closed out the month of July by winning all five of their games, tying their own WPS record for most consecutive victories.

- Marta leads the WPS leading team offense with 13 goals of her own, four more than the next closest on the list (Amy Rodriguez of Philadelphia).

- Since acquiring Hope Solo in free agency during the season, the Beat are giving up 1.25 goals per game, a quarter lower than before her arrival.

- During the last two meetings between Marta and Hope Solo (including the 2010 WPS All-Star Game) Marta has put the ball passed Solo four times.

Sunday, August 1

Sky Blue FC vs. Chicago Red Stars (7pm ET)

Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ

- This will be the fourth meeting this season in the closely matched series. Sky Blue currently leads the series 2-1 with both wins coming via 1-0 tallies and a 2-0 loss in early July.

- An important game in the playoff standings, Chicago sits only one point behind Sky Blue for the coveted fourth WPS playoff spot.

- Sky Blue is winless in their four previous match-ups going 0-3-1 coming into this weekend's games.

- The Red Stars bring the second best team defense in to the game with only a 0.94 goals against average.

- Since losing Karen Bardsley to injury, Sky Blue FC has given up 1.75 goals per game. 0.85 more per game than when she was in goal.

Women's Professional Soccer Stories from July 27, 2010

• Chicago Red Stars Take on Philly to Open 3-Game Road Trip - Chicago Stars FC
• WPS Weekly - WPS
• Chicago Red Stars Add Reiser as Developmental Player - Chicago Stars FC

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.