The Freedom fall 1-0 to the Sol

In somewhat unsurprising news, the Freedom lost to the league-leading Sol, courtesy of a Marta goal in the 91st minute. Perhaps more surprising is that the team did not deserve to lose the game. What was that? Yes, you heard me. The Freedom played...well. The performance was a big improvement over the last few games and the team were unlucky not to take any points at all against the Sol. The lineup feature the return of perennial favorite ALEX SINGER at right back. This means that Sonia Bompastor was moved back up to the midfield. She stayed mostly on the leftside. Sarah Senty came into the defense as well, and Ali Krieger was pushed up. Wambach and De Vanna started up top, and Allie Long was back on the bench.

The atmosphere, firstly was nuts. Probably the best I've seen. Lots and lots of Marta fans in their Brazil jerseys and everyone was singing and cheering.

The game started off pretty well. The Freedom were possessing the ball from the back. Each time Marta got the ball, she was virtually stymied by Singer and the defense. The first real chance came when Erin McLeod flapped at a cross (she actually made a mistake?) and the ball was headed back across the goalmouth only to be acrobatically cleared off the line by the impressive Becky Sauerbrunn. The Freedom settled into the game. Abby Wambach had a shot saved by LeBlanc and in the 35th minute, Cat Whitehill struck a beautiful free kick from the left side that beat LeBlanc but was kept out tantalizingly by the right post. Very unlucky, it was a lovely free kick. Soon after, Homare Sawa headed a Sonia Bompastor corner narrowly over. The first half didn't have many more opportunities. Lots of runs from LDV as usual. Her speed is honestly blinding. She must be the fastest player in the league, even with the ball at her feet.

At halftime, Steffi Jones and David Vanole were inducted into the Hall Of Freedom. The second half started and I was rather optimistic. I was thinking we could get a good result here. However, in the second half, the Sol started to take control. McCall Zerboni was particularly impressive and enjoyed some freedom, no pun intended, as the midfield and defense focused on the Sol trifecta of Miyama, Boxx and Abily, as well as Marta. However, the game was stalled. Abby Wambach had been looking dangerous with the ball and as she charged into the box (again, no puns intended), she collided with newly acquired Sol defender Christie Shaner. Now, I'm sure most of you have seen this, but I was literally 2 feet behind it. I think I almost cried. I could hear it, I could hear her screaming. Abby was fine, and it was a 50/50 challenge, no intent, but Shaner's lower right leg was floppy and destroyed. She left the game in an ambulance. The good news is that she successfully underwent surgery in DC yesterday, so lets send our thoughts and best wishes to her for a speedy recovery!

Marta was showing off some tricks in front of all the Marta maniacs but she really did not make much headway. The defense played her very well. Moros came in to try and give the Freedom an attacking edge. Wambach and De Vanna did get forward a lot with the ball, but nothing really ever came of it. The Freedom did manage to get a goal from a corner, but Cat Whitehill, the scorer, was called offsides.

The decision, regrettably was correct and the game stayed 0-0.  LDV also had a chance, beating LeBlanc to the ball, but she was steered so wide and could only win a corner. With about 8 minutes left, plus excessive stoppage time, Allie Long made her return from injury, which was nice to see, but she came in for Lisa De Vanna, who had been having another great game and was really a thorn in the Sol backside. Lori Lindsey chipped a ball into the box for Long, who had made a great run, but Allie's shot went over the bar. Nine minutes were added, and after the first minute, Marta was running at the Freedom defense, and no one got close enough as she blasted a left footed shot into the far side of the goal past McLeod for a 1-0 Sol lead. Gutted, after they had contained her so well, there was still time for the Freedom. They had a few chances, most notably a Wambach layoff for Lori Lindsey. LoLi, typically so clutch, lashed at her shot and it went wide. The Freedom could not find the equalizer and, perhaps unfairly, lost the game. 

So another loss. Sitting dangerously close to dropping out of playoff contention. But lets look at the positives. A great performance on both ends. Defensively, we managed to sew up Marta and company for 90 minutes. Offensively, many chances were created, but once again, we are having problems finishing those chances. Let's take a closer look...

1. McLeod did not have much to do, for the first time in a long time. This was due to the fantastic defensive performances. Singer, praise Gabarra, was back in the lineup and her speed was a huge asset in containing Marta and Miyama. She was immense. Cat Whitehill and Becky Sauerbrunn were also momentus. Becky's clearance off the line was amazing, and Cat gets involved in the attack. Sarah Senty was actually left a little isolated sometimes, but she did a good job. Overall, the Freedom defense gets an A. I wish it could have been an A+, but they did allow a goal. The one time they gave Marta space, she punished them. But she did give them credit in the end.

2. The midfield did manage to contend with the Sol powerhouse midfielders. Abily was rendered rather useless, actually and McZ was their best midfielder. Homare Sawa has been impressing me more and more. She gets more involved going forward, but her defensive workrate has improved. Lori Lindsey also does a great job getting back, but she is also such a keen passer of the ball. I do think she needs to take more shots though. Sonia Bompastor was actually less effective then I hoped she would be, but she seemed to be playing out wide rather than in the middle. Her crosses are great and on the ball, she is a genius, but I think the middle of the park is the best for her, so she is always involved. We need her to be involved. Ali Krieger, I hate to say, was the weakest of the midfielders today. With that said, she didn't do a bad job. She got back and helped out the defense a lot, but wasn't involved in any real pertinent or memorable attacks.

3. This had to be one of the best games Abby Wambach has had so far. She did not score, but was a constant threat, running at players with the ball, making smart runs off the ball, and setting up her teammates. Her workrate was high and overall, I think she played very well. LDV also had a great game. She is so, so, so fast. Honestly, it's scary. When she gets the ball, she can really tear through defenses. No one can catch her. For some reason though, our forwards, as great as they are on the ball, cannot seem to get in good scoring positions themselves. Abby is most dangerous when she is in the box, but she is mostly coming in from the wings. LDV I don't think is an out and out striker and her chances are best taken when she is closer to goal. Rebecca Moros didn't really have an influence on the game going forward, and Allie Long back from injury missed a few good chances. If the team can get their finishing touch back, we will once again be a contender.

The Freedom are still in 4th, but are only a point ahead of Sky Blue FC, who also have a game in hand. That means, in one game, the Freedom could drop out of the 4th spot. Funnily enough, the Freedom next take on Sky Blue in New Jersey. This could be the race for 4th place. This game will be huge and the Freedom must get a win.

I hope everyone enjoyed the game. Again, I'd like to wish Shaner the best. And let me know what you guys think. How did the lineup changes influence the game? What can the Freedom do to start scoring again?  Thanks, everyone! Also, you can check out the rest of the photos on my profile and on Facebook!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

PS: Some fun videos. Cat, Sonia and Bri got mic'd for a practice for "Freedom Reigns." Cat is so funny.

And the highlights...