The Voice of Freedom

WPS Season Wrap Up

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:19 -0500

Well, it's been a great inaugural season. At least for us viewers and fans, it has been nice to have women's soccer back in the "big times," if you will. There has been some turbulence, ending least of all with a report that many of the clubs have lost millions of dollars, and the low attendance for the championship. Despite this, there have been many upsides. A pro league for women, featuring many national team stars of past, present and future, as well as internationals that received deserved exposure and acclaim.

The league was always great with the fans, especially the Freedom. They went after grass roots, suburban soccer and I would say they were a success. The average attendance was between 4,000 and 5,000, but I know that every single person at the Plex had a great time every time. So let's start by recapping.

The Freedom started off rocky and lost the first ever game in LA. A turning point was the thrilling win at FC Gold Pride. Sonia Bompastor proved herself to be one of the world's best players, and as Abby Wambach struggled on her return from injury, the Freedom began pulling results together and reached second in the league, behind the rampant LA Sol and Marta. The St. Louis Athletica started slow but charged up the table, while the opposite happened for Boston and Chicago. The Freedom started to falter, but Abby Wambach regained her form, as her and Lisa De Vanna clicked to provide lots of goals. The Freedom, with Erin McLeod in goal, improved their defense and ended up with the third seed, before losing at home to eventual champions, Sky Blue. Sky Blue defeated the Freedom, Hope Solo and the Athletica, before beating the LA Sol at the Home Depot Center to claim the inaugural championship trophy under the guidance of player coach Christie Rampone and MVP Heather O'Reilly.

Speaking of MVP's, voting for the end of the season awards feature a few Freedom players. Stay tuned for the results! And speaking of Christie Rampone, the superwoman is 3 months pregnant! She will miss national camp, as will Tarpley who is out with a torn ACL.

Three Freedom players were called into camp. Wambach, Whitehill and LORI LINDSEY. I'm very happy about that. Although her form dipped towards the end, she had a great season. I would like to see Becky Sauerbrunn called up as well-I think she was great.

And checking in on Euros...England lost, but France won, Sonia converted a PK! Go Sonia! Glad she is with the Freedom!

Also, let's dissect the final. What went wrong for the Sol? What is YOUR opinion on Allison Falk's red card early in the match? A game chaning decision, for sure. I think it was incorrect. I think Kai goes to ground quite easily. I don't think Falk was the final defender and I think the contact was minimal and incedental.

More end of season questions for you all...

-What is your favorite Freedom moment/memory?

-Who is the Freedom MVP?

-Your favorite goal?

-How can the Freedom improve next year?

-How can the league improve next year?

-Who would you like to see join the Freedom? College players, internationals and trade ideas all welcome.

-For myself, what can I do to make these updates and recaps better?

Finally, there will be draft news coming up sometime soon, so stay tuned. I hope you guys enjoyed the season as much as I did! I am very excited to see what next season has in store. If you would like to keep in touch, please Tweet or Facebook me, or message me here.

Thanks again, Gil and Alondra for the opportunity! I have had so much fun!

-Robyn

Freedom KO'd By Sky Blue

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:44:49 -0500

So playoffs at the Plex. Supposed to be a fortress, right? How would the team do without Bompastor? Well, on a hot hot hot and muggy day in Boyds, the Freedom fell to Sky Blue FC 2-1, thanks to a Francielle goal in the 85th minute. So that means Sky Blue face St. Louis Athletica this Wednesday, and the season is over for the Freedom.

So here is a brief recap of the game, which was shown on Comcast Sports Net and tape delayed on Fox Soccer Channel. Sky Blue, despite having Natasha Kai on the bench, started the stronger of the two teams with something to prove. McLeod made a couple of good saves to keep the first half scoreless. The Freedom seemed a little sloppy and the first touches and passes were off. However, they managed to pick it up during the second half, when Alex Singer was inserted for Jill Gilbeau. The game changed when Natasha Kai came on about 10 minutes into the second half. Almost immediately, she scored a goal that really deflated the crowd. Kacey White served in a ball, and Cat Whitehill let it bounce. Natasha Kai nipped in behind and put the ball into the far corner of the net past an onrushing McLeod. The Freedom pushed for the equalizer, but most of the passes were sloppy. Lisa De Vanna did a lot of hard running, and Ali Krieger missed a sitter. Finally, in the 78th minute, Branam came out for a long ball and collided with Wambach and Lisa De Vanna was able to collect the ball and score to tie the game. However, Francielle would score as the defenders left her too much space to shoot from distance. McLeod perhaps should have done better, as she got her fingers to the ball but not enough to tip it around. With lots of stoppage time, the Freedom could not find an equalizer.

So let's see what went wrong...

1. The absence of Bompastor clearly had an affect. Maybe LA were smart in not playing Abily, but we couldn't afford to not play Bomp. However, I don't know if we know how to play without her and what an impact she actually had. The possession in the midfield was lacking, and Sawa and Lindsey were overrun, with Lori being more sloppy than usual.

2. Sky Blue played with a lot of width. The Freedom, especially in the second half, seemed so condensed in the middle of the park.

3. It was hot. An excuse, I guess, but our game became really sloppy and slow. It was hard for the players to get going.

4. There isn't enough of an attacking threat from the bench. Putting on Alex Singer didn't do much for us going forward, and Allie Long did not get involved. Maybe if the Freedom had gotten her more involved, it could have been different. Sarah Huffman, in her first and last game of the season, didn't have enough time to make an impact. We had no impact from the bench, so when our players got tired, we didn't have anyone to go to. Sky Blue had Kai and Francielle, who both scored, as well as Kelly Parker.

5. Cat Whitehill made a mistake. She is human, yes, but I didn't expect it from someone of her calibre. As much as I know, you aren't supposed to let the ball drop, otherwise someone could nick in when your back is turned waiting for the ball, which is what happened. I recall this happening to Nemanja Vidic against Liverpool last year and Torres burned him.

6. Speaking of mistakes, the Freedom didn't learn from last week. They gave Rosana too much space last time, and this time, they let Francielle have time on the ball to prepare and shoot and no one closed her down.

7. Sky Blue came out with something to prove. Coming from a winning position, it must have been hard for the Freedom to alter their game from last week, but Sky Blue came in, had changed their game plan and prepared for something new. Revenge is a powerful motivator and this was just their day. The Freedom didn't really look in it.

Despite this, I would like to say a big thank you to the Freedom organization. It has been really an awesome season and I have had such a good time covering the games. Honestly, at the beginning of the season, I didn't think the WPS would be as much of a success as it is, nor did I think I would become so attached. But I am, it really drew me in. The players are fantastic and I hope the squad can stay together. They are all so awesome, the staff is great, the atmosphere is great. I would also like to thank Gil, Alondra and everyone who set me up here at OleOle.com. Thanks so much for the opportunity! I have loved it!

Now, we just get to watch the rest of the postseason unfold!

Great season, Freedom! And thanks!

-Robyn

Playoffs at the Plex-Freedom/SBFC Rematch!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:23:57 -0500

So a week has gone by, the Freedom are touring the White House today, and Sky Blue FC will once again make the shortish trip down south to come and play against the Washington Freedom at the Maryland SoccerPlex tomorrow (Saturday) at 4 PM EST. Each team will be without one if its stars, and we will wait to see how they handle the forced changes. The Freedom have not lost against Sky Blue, with 2 wins (2-1,3-1) and 1 draw in New Jersey (the wild 4-4). This is a good omen, but the Freedom cannot go in overconfident! This is the playoffs; anything can happen and Sky Blue FC may just be the hungriest team out there.

The Freedom will be without MVP candidate Sonia Bompastor, who is with France at the 2009 Euros. Looking to replace her will be Ali Krieger or Allie Long. I am confident that both of these players can do a job. It is possible that Krieger and Gilbeau will take the spots, with one at right back and one in the midfield, or Allie Long will step into a playmaking roll. Either way, I think the strength in depth is good, with other players like Lohman ready for more defensive duties, and Sarah Huffman, available after injury.

Sky Blue FC will be without star centre back Anita Asante, who will be with England at the Euros. Without her speed and physical presence, she may be more tough to replace. Sky Blue will be up against the best forward tandem in the league of Abby Wambach and Lisa De Vanna. The pair have 14 goals and 10 assists between them on the season and they really clicked in the last game. I don't know if the Sky Blue defense minus Asante will be able to aptly cope with De Vanna's speed. Wambach and De Vanna will once again have to click. Rebecca Moros needs to have another good game, but hopefully work on her finishing. If Allie Long plays, she will add another dimension to the attack.

With that said, the Freedom once again need to handle Rosana in the middle of the park. Homare Sawa and Lori Lindsey should do a job on her. And the defense needs to handle a hungry Natasha Kai. Sky Blue has not lost when Kai has scored (although they drew against the Freedom when Kai scored 2) so keeping her away from goal is a must. The Freedom have been very productive offensively against Sky Blue, scoring 9 goals. The Freedom actually lead the league in goals scored and goals against (both 32) so Erin McLeod must have a big game. The SoccerPlex however has been a bit of a sanctuary, where the Freedom have only allowed 10 goals.

With that said, home advantage could be key here and the Freedom need as many fans as possible coming out to support the team. They have really been ramping up their promotional and community activities of late to make sure they have all the fan support. Wear your Freedom blue or any Freedom t shirts to the game! Be loud, cheer for the Freedom and usher them to a win!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

The Freedom are IN!

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:07:55 -0500

The Freedom are in the playoffs, ladies and gents! I would first like to apologise for this delayed recap. I attended the Real Madrid game on Sunday so I was out all day, and my birthday was yesterday so I did not update. But better late than never, I suppose.

So as I said, the Freedom have nabbed a spot in the playoffs thanks to a 3-1 win over Sky Blue FC at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday. Coupled with LA's win against Boston, the Freedom took the 3rd seed, which means a home playoff game scheduled for this Saturday at the Plex at 4 PM. SPREAD THE WORD! Sky Blue will be back in town looking for revenge, so it is important that the Freedom get all the fan support they can to send them to St. Louis! More on that later this week. Now for the recap.

The Freedom started off on the front foot, with Rebecca Moros and Lisa De Vanna causing problems with their pace. Rebecca Moros had a good chance that was headed over the bar, but her hustle provided the opening goal in the 19th minute. After good work from the middle of the field, Moros raced onto the ball, reaching it before it went over the touchline, and sending over a perfect cross for Abby Wambach to finish. Lisa De Vanna continued to cause trouble for the defenders, as her and Abby linked up often. As the Freedom were content with their lead for the first half, Sky Blue started creeping back into the game. Kacey White missed a sitter and Erin McLeod produced a stunning save from Rosana in the final minutes of the half.

In the second half, the Freedom were cooking early and Lisa De Vanna and Wambach were involved. De Vanna went on a run and fed Wambach for her second of the match and 8th of the season. In the 53rd minute, however, Rosana scored a special goal out of nowhere to cut the lead to 2-1. The Freedom responded swiftly, 5 minutes later. Abby Wambach sent a ball to Lisa De Vanna for the Australian to finish. The two goal lead was restored, 3-1. Later, Becky Sauerbrunn managed to clear another shot off the line, this time with her head. Rosana also hit a free kick narrowly over, but Sky Blue could not respond, and the Freedom's possession from back to front killed off the game. Sky Blue may have tallied more shots, but only the one that counted. In the final minutes, Allie Long replaced Sonia Bompastor, in her final game this season, to a standing ovation, which was a really nice gesture from coach Jim Gabarra. Afterwards, Bompastor, Wambach and Whitehill were presented with honors for being voted onto the All Star team. I tried in vain to find Bompastor, but I was sadly unsuccessful.

This was a very complete game from the Freedom. Erin McLeod played well and made another outstanding save. The back 4 also had a great game. Sarah Senty is looking more comfortable and Ali Krieger played well, despite being knocked around a few times. The two centre backs have to be one of the best pairings. Becky made another great save off the line and she must be one of the most underrated players. She has played every minute this season, along with Homare Sawa. Sawa also had a great game. She hustled, made a lot of defensive plays and held the ball well under pressure, distributing very well. Lori Lindsey was a little erratic at times with her passing, but still did well. Jill GIlbeau replaced her in the 72nd minute. Rebecca Moros maybe should have done better with a few chances, but she really hustled and had a lot of energy and pace about her. She also tracked back well. Sonia, Sonia, Sonia. She will certainly be missed. Not an outstanding game, some good free kicks, some good crosses and runs, but she just makes the team better. Abby Wambach won WPS Player Of The Week and is now tied for second for goals (behind Marta who has 10, and level with Camille Abily). She was a constant threat, not just with her physical presence, but with her runs and passing. Lisa De Vanna might have been the best player on the pitch. She is scary fast yes, but she can turn so quickly and easily. Some good tricks and footwork thrown in, good passes and a great connection with Wambach that could prove ever so dangerous in the playoffs.

So, we will meet Sky Blue again. I will have more on what too look out for. But for now, here is the link to the highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4zhedcOVeI

Also, the Freedom are starting their promo campaign through twitter and facebook. For twitter, type in the first initial, last name, underscore, dc (example: Asinger_dc). For facebook, just search their names and friend away. They are doing trivia to win playoff tickets as well as providing information and a way to connect with fans. I think its a great idea, so get to friending!

As always, comments are appreciated!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

Final Home Game, Against Sky Blue

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 10:19:02 -0500

Well here it is. The final game of the regular season is at home, at the Maryland SoccerPlex, against Sky Blue FC. This is a potential winner takes all game. If the Freedom win or tie, they are in the postseason. With loss, they would be relying on the LA Sol to take care of the Boston Breakers. The WPS website has been kind enough to verify the post season picture and you can take a look at it here: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/general/090726-playoffs.aspx

Basically, the rundown is, there are 9 different possibilites, with the Freedom making the postseason in all but two (7 out of 9). So their destiny really is in their own hands. A home game should help to ease the nerves and hopefully close out the regular season with a win to guarantee playoffs. It is better to rely on self than on others.

Sky Blue, however, are a dangerous team. Now coached by interim player/manager Christie Rampone, they have a dangerous attack fronted by Natasha Kai, who has been coming on strong after a rough start to the season and despite shoulder injuries. Kacey White and Heather O'Reilly are also strong players, but I believe the lynchpin is the Brazilian Rosana. Not as high profile as Marta or Cristiane, but Rosana has been at the heart of almost everything good for Sky Blue. She has a fantastic touch, she scores goals and she gets assists. So in my opinion, she is the one we need to watch out for.

Tonight, the Freedom will look to slow down Kai and company. The back four need to be alert, and the midfield, with the return of the starters certainly, should help to track the movement of Kai and Rosana. Homare Sawa will be key tonight as she looks to continue her impressive run. Lisa De Vanna has terrorised Sky Blue and will hopefully continue to do so with her blistering pace.

In other news, the W League team lost to Pali Blues last night 2-1. Some poor defending, and most of the great college players had returned to school, so it was a bit of a bummer, but it was nice to see them get to the final and hopefully this bodes well for the Freedom organization.

Also, on Twitter, Mark Washo posted a picture of Sonia Bompastor and Jim Gabarra negotiating terms in his office and he stated that Sonia will return for 2010. I don't know if this was ever in doubt, but boy am I excited to hear this. Sonia was named an all star starter but will miss the game as she will be appearing at the Euros. Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill were named to the squad, but surprisingly, no Lisa De Vanna. You can see the full squad on the WPS website.

So, I will see you all tonight! Come and say hi to me; I will wear my RYAN GIGGS jersey!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

A 3-2 Loss In The Bay Area

Mon, 3 Aug 2009 07:52:35 -0500

So maybe I should be away all the time? The Freedom might have picked up maxmimum points and ran away with the league! No? Well, the Freedom had a "win and in" situation against FC Gold Pride, the league's last placed team who snapped a ten game winless streak. And they didn't manage to win. Was it the pressure? Or was it a repentant FC Gold Pride side that is better than the results they have previously accumulated? So here is the recap, and then a quick to do list for our crucial game against Sky Blue next weekend. Also, don't forget to vote for your All Stars.

Some starting line up changes, with Lisa De Vanna and Lori Lindsey dropping to the bench. Allie Long still on the bench, and no Singer in the starting line up. FC Gold Pride struck first, with Kim Yokers. The Freedom responded with two goals in the first half, looking good. The first game in the 17th minute, when they were some confusion on MatchTracker over who actually scored off the assist from Jill Gilbeau. In the end, it rightfully was attributed to Homare Sawa for her second goal of the season. The second goal was also scored by Sawa from distance in the 37th minute to give the Freedom the lead going into halftime. There were lots of chances and lots of intensity. In the second half, Gold Pride forward Tiffeny Milbrett. Then, late on, Gold Pride perhaps exacted revenge for the Redstars, scoring a pretty late winner, in the 83rd minute through the Brazilian Adriane.

Interesting thing, considering the lineup changes and the comment Albertin Montoya, the FCGP coach made after the game. He said the Freedom, although scoring two goal, were not dangerous and were mostly contained. Well, it seems to me that maybe Gabarra and the Freedom possibly took this as a gimme game. Now, I know what you are saying, no one actually does that, and I am sure they didn't set out to do so. But maybe just maybe they expected to come in and win and qualify for playoffs. Either that, or they expected the opposite-to go into the final game playing for a post season slot. Were De Vanna and Lindsey injured, tired or being saved? Your call here. (Funny enough, two big names for FCGP didn't start either-Osborne and Barnhart). Gabarra says they ran out of gas. Maybe the last few intense games were too much to handle, so some players needed a break and this result was a result of that "hangover."

On a positive note, two goals for Homare Sawa. She has really been picking up her play and now she is finally scoring goals! If we can keep her in form, but also keep Abby scoring, they can be a dangerous combination, especially with the assistance of Lisa De Vanna.

Also, despite having Erin McLeod who is fantastic, the Freedom back line still lets in a lot of goals. Now, I'm not sure if it is entirely the fault of the back 5, or if the midfielders need to help cover, but this leakage of goals is dangerous and maybe the back and midfield must play more contained.

The big issue will clearly be the loss of Sonia Bompastor. I might cry. Maybe the starting lineup switch was destined to see if we have cover for her during the post season (don't count your chickens...) with Lohmann and Gilbeau. Apparently, Sarah Huffman is supposed to also be available, but unless she plays this coming week, I wouldn't count on it. There are also Rebecca Moros and Allie Long, who started in the center of midfield, to cover.

So thanks to an Athletica win, who clinched, over Boston, who didn't, the Freedom stay in third. One point ahead of the Breakers and 3 ahead of Sky Blue, who play Gold Pride (rejuvinated?) and US in the coming week. So theoretically, they could be tied with us on points by the team this crucial match up rolls around next week. This should make for some compelling action! I'm very excited!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

What A Week! (I'm Back For Good!)

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 07:14:59 -0500

Wow! So I get back from my little boat and the glorious beaches of Bermuda, where I was disconnected with life, and I find out that the Freedom has won both of their games and picked up maximum points! These games were against 2 teams the Freedom were yet to beat, and because of the results, the Freedom charged up to 3rd in the table with two games remaining. Some potentially good news for our playoff cause-Boston will be missing DiCicco and Alex Scott, while Sky Blue went through yet another coaching change! The Freedom play FC Gold Pride, who are already mathematically eliminated, today, and FC Sky Blue at home next week! I will actually be there! YES! Anyways, I will give a little recap of what I missed, information gathered from highlights and such that I have seen. If you guys have any input on the two games, as well as the upcoming 2, let me hear it!

The first game was against the Chicago Redstars, who had been playing well of late. The last time the teams played, Chicago recorded a 2-1 come from behind win. This time the Freedom came out victorious, eliminating the Redstars from the post season. Abby Wambach had a host of early chances, most notable off the crossbar in the 11th minute, but the Redstars took the lead through a nifty Megan Rapinoe goal in the 15th minute. In the 35th minute, Abby finally took her chance. She easily beat Ifeoma Dieke, and slotted the ball past Jonsson. In the second half, Lisa De Vanna assisted Wambach, the 100 goal woman, on her second goal of the match to give the Freedom the 2-1 lead. Karen Carney tied it up in the 70th by hitting a long range shot. The Freedom had some chances to take the game, before Allie Long stepped up to be the hero. In the 89th minute, Allie Long made mincemeat of the Chicago defense, running through them and smashing home the gamewinner. This team, the Freedom recorded a come from behind victory! Well done Allie Long, and Abby for getting her groove back with two goals! Abby said, “I’m proud that we could come in here, fight back from a goal down and get the win.”

In the next game, the Freedom took on the Boston Breakers at home. It was Abby Wambach night to celebrate her 100 goals for the United States Womens National Team. The Breakers were riding a streak of 3 shutouts. Early action saw defender Alex Scott sent off in the 5th minute for a studs up tackle on Sonia Bompastor. Abby Wambach scored her third goal in two games, on a pass from Lisa De Vanna, as she muscled Heather Mitts, who I must say was getting beaten a lot, out of the way to beat Boston keeper Allie Lipsher and end the shutout streak at 396 minutes (a far cry from Edwin Van Der Sar's 1,311!). Erin McLeod made another great save against Kelly Smith in the final minutes to preserve the win and the shutout. Kelly Smith must hate her. The Freedom, perhaps, should have done a little more with an 85 minute woman advantage, but they got the win and the three points took them above Boston into third on 26 points. Gabarra and Wambach weren't entirely pleased with the performance either, but this: 3 points.

So that was that. 6 points. 3rd place. 2 games left. The Freedom were lead by their captain fantastic Abby Wambach, who notched two goals to take her tally to 6 for the season. She was named WPS player of the week! Allie Long stepped up, and Lisa De Vanna and Sonia Bompastor notched some assists. There is a stats counter now up on the WPS website. Sonia leads the league in assists with 6, LDV has 4. Abby and LDV both feature on the top scorers chart, while Erin McLeod has a 1.33 goals allowed average in 12 games, pretty high for someone who didn't feature as much as the others. And a fun stat, 4 ejections (all) have come against the Freedom! This stat makes me giggle a bit. Frida Ostberg of Chicago, Carriew Dew of Gold Pride, Karen Carney of Chicago and now Alex Scott of Boston. Abby and Sonia are both up there for fouls committed, but have even more fouls agsinst (26 to 36). Sauerbrunn and Sawa are two of the league leaders in minutes played. Stalwarts. Finally, Abby is the clear leader in shots and shots on goal! Well, how about that.

Also, the post season schedule is up. First round is August 15th, round two is August 19th, with the championship match being played at the Home Depot Center featuring the LA Sol on August 22nd. The All Star game concludes the season on August 30th. Voting is open now. Remember that, sadly, the Europeans (Bompastor!) will miss all of the post season stuff.

Okay, some info on the upcoming game. I know Alex Singer was taken out of the previous game quite early, but I know nothing of an injury. The Freedom are ready to sweep the series, after playing two exciting games. The first was the thrilling 4-3 win, and the other was the comfortable 3-1 home win. Back at Buck Shaw, the Freedom will be hoping to take the series and solidify the postseason. A win would clinch. Christine Sinclair is obviously their player to watch, and Tina DiMartino if she plays. Gold Pride has always been playing well, yet they have just faltered.

I will have a post game recap tomorrow! Until then...glad to be back!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

PS-All highlights are up on YouTube.

Another Trip Away

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:51:59 -0500

So, I am leaving for Bermuda today, and I will be back next Thursday. Sadly, I am going to miss two games. The first of the two games is at Chicago this weekend. This is 5th place versus 6th place. If we can get a win here, it will give us a great chance of qualifying for the post season (granted, we need other results). The second game is against Boston, who are in third and are still not a lock for qualifying.

Overall, the Freedom have allowed the most goals, but have also scored a ton. On away trips, we have scored 12 goals in 8 games and will be needing that firepower. Out of 3 games, the Freedom hae not mustered a win against the Redstars, drawing twice and then losing after leading in Chicago. The team hasn't beaten Boston either, but will be looking to spring an upset in order to leap into playoff contention.

All of the national players are back in contention, and we will be looking to Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill for leadership. Sonia Bompastor was back on the scoresheet last week and Lisa De Vanna has continued her impressive run. Homare Sawa also finally broke her duck and will be looking to continue her strong performances. KJ Spisak has a pulled quad and Ali Krieger has back spasms, but I do not know of their playing statuses.

So, I will be off on a boat, able to read comments and post comments, but not entire blogs! So I will see you next Thursday for a recap!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

A Brief Return

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:47:45 -0500

So I am back from North Carolina, but only briefly, as we are heading to Bermuda on Saturday. So I will do a quick recap of what I missed, but I am hoping YOU all can really tell me what went down. Out of two games and a possible 6 points, we had picked up 4 and find ourselves barely out of playoff contention. Every game is a must win if we want to have a post season.

First game, in New Jersey against Sky Blue. Final score was 4-4. Sounds like I missed an amazing game. Bompastor, Le Bomp, finally scored again in the 4th minute on a cross from Ali Krieger. In the 6th minute, Heather O'Reilly to Natasha Kai made the game 1-1. Dowling to Kacey White made it 2-1 at the half. A Kacey White cross ended up in the back of the net for a 3-1 lead for New Jersey. But never count out the Freedom. Bompastor found Lisa De Vanna to make it 3-2 two minutes into the second half. Wambach to De Vanna, who beat Branam, made it 3-3 in the 54th minute. Rosana found Kai in the 86th minute with what seemed to be the game winner to make it 4-3 Sky Blue. Two minutes into stoppage time, Cat Whitehill scored to give the Freedom a valuable road point after a crazy game.

The second game was at RFK against St. Louis. The Freedom were missing Erin McLeod, Cat Whitehill and Abby Wambach, while St. Louis missed Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo and Melissa Tancredi for national duty. Kati Jo Spisak started in goal. With no score leading into the second half, a funny few incidents happened. KJ hurt her quad and had to be replaced. With McLeod away, Scurry injured, goalkeeper coach Nicci Wright, who had been signed to an emergency contract, entered the game in the 64th minute. In the 74th minute, Sawa scored the game winner, her first of the season, off a deflected shot. The game finished 1-0. And Nicci Wright and KJ split the shutout after McLeod lets in 4. Weird. Also, Kreiger went off injured, but I haven't heard any recent news on her.

In national team news, Cat Whitehill played a half on Sunday as right back, and may get some more time today. Abby Wambach tallied her 100th goal of her international career in front of her hometown, which was awesome. The US play Canada tonight.

The next game for the Freedom is against Chicago, a team we have not managed to beat. In other news, All Star voting has begun. So here are some suggestions...Just remember, there are alternates, but most of the European players will be missing due to the European Championships (I think!)

GK: LeBlanc, Solo, Jonsson (McLeod missed part of the season, otherwise she would get a shout)

D: Whitehill, Asante, Alex Scott, LePeilbet, Falk, Sauerbrunn, Ellertson

M: Abily, Bompastor, Boxx, Kelly Smith, Chalupny, Rapinoe, Miyama, O'Reilly (Lori Lindsey might have gotten a shout earlier in the season)

F: Marta, De Vanna, Cristiane (late show), Aluko, Sinclair

Who else would you include? Abby Wambach, despite her low goal scoring numbers, has still be rather impressive. Kacey White and Natasha Kai have been playing well of late. Brittany Bock and Stephanie Cox have been steady for the Sol...

Let's hear your thoughts and recaps!

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn

PS-Check out all the highlights on youtube-I definitley did! Also check out Jo Lohman's crib!

An absence

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:55:42 -0500

Hello everyone, and I'm sorry to tell you that I will miss some upcoming matches. First, tomorrow, I am heading down to the Outer Banks for a little beach trip. And then, on the 25th, the family is taking the boat out to the club in Bermuda. I am going to miss the July 15th game against the resurgent Sky Blue, the July 18th double header at RFK against the Athletica and the Freedom travelling to Chicago on July 26th.

We are now entering a crucial part of the season. Picking up points from every game remaining is a must if the Freedom want to have a post season. The Freedom have dropped to 6th place after wins from Sky Blue and the Redstars, but 3rd and 4th place are really still up for contention. The match against Sky Blue will be huge because we can leap up in the table if we manage to beat them at home. Natasha Kai may not play because of injury, which is good news for us. We will also have national team members Cat Whitehill and Abby Wambach, as well as Canadian Erin McLeod. They will be unavailable for the game against St. Louis (McLeod is a maybe, I don't have information on the Canadian team, but if she isn't called up, I'll be damned).

My worry is the cover for centre back. Rebecca Moros proved she can step up in place of Wambach but I am yet to see cover for center backs. There is depth at the fullback position, but I don't know who will partner Sauerbrunn against St. Louis, who will be missing Lori Chalupny and Hope Solo.

So, once again, sorry that I won't be able to update the blog. I will be able to read and comment, but I won't be posting again until this weekend. I was hoping we could reverse roles and that YOU GUYS could tell ME what you thought of the game!

Until Sunday,

GO FREEDOM!

-Robyn