At last, everyone who has been selected at some point by the Washington Spirit has been at a session at the Maryland Soccerplex this month. (Well, except for Natasha Kai, Jordan Angeli, Alina Garciamendez and Teresa Worbis, all of whom are in various states of injury rehab, school or maybe both.)
At today’s media day, we were handed an actual preseason roster with numbers and everything. The list:
#1 Ashlyn Harris – USWNT goalkeeper arrived in training today but will soon head back over to Germany, where she had been playing pro ball, for national team games.
#2 Colleen Williams – Strong U.S. U23 forward. Many teams will regret letting her slip to the fourth round of the college draft.
#3 Kika Toulouse – Free agent signing from Virginia via Sweden. Grew up in the area and played for Northern Virginia clubs.
#4 Domenica Hodak – Rookie defender from Maryland wasn’t drafted.
#5 Candace Chapman – Why a defensive anchor of the last two WPS champions wasn’t a Canadian allocation is beyond me.
#6 Lori Lindsey – Made a radio appearance with Caroline Miller last week but wasn’t able to report to camp until Wednesday, missing out on her birthday cake. U.S. national team allocation but not getting call-ups right now. She played her way onto the national team with good performances at the Soccerplex once before.
#7 Megan Mischler – Supplemental draft pick from West Virginia via Sweden.
#8 Diana Matheson – Small but impactful Canadian midfielder trained for the first time today.
#9 Ingrid Wells – Free agent from Georgetown – also via Sweden, also small but skilled. Pitchside Report blogger.
#10 Caroline Miller – Second-round draft pick from Virginia. Hat trick in first training session.
#11 Ali Krieger – Came into practice on Wednesday, then immediately left for appearance coinciding with men’s national team game in Denver. Soon after that, she’ll be back with the nationals.
#12 Olivia Wagner – Maryland rookie punched in lone goal in scrimmage against Penn State.
#13 Julia Roberts – Virginia rookie went undrafted. That was what we in the business call a “mistake.” Strong on the ball.
#14 Tiffany McCarty – U.S. U23 forward and first-round draft pick has knocked in a few goals in training. Good mix of athleticism and skill.
#15 Robyn Gayle – Canadian defender arrived at training today.
#16 Danielle Hubka – Yet another Maryland rookie. It’s as if they’re trying to counterbalance the Virginia contingent.
#17 Hayley Siegel – Santa Clara alum has local ties — played for D.C. United Women last year and is an assistant coach at Georgetown.
#18 Chantel Jones – Goalkeeper from Virginia via Iceland looked sharp in Penn State scrimmage.
#19 Skyy Anderson – Also from Maryland, but she’s a year out of school. Defender.
#22 Stephanie Ochs – Athletic U23 forward was the third pick in 2012 WPS draft and the third pick in the 2013 NWSL supplemental draft.
#23 Tori Huster – Second-round supplemental pick from Florida State via Western New York, where she played with Ochs, is the easiest player to spot from a distance. (Look for the reddish hair.)
#24 Diana Weigel – You’d never guess from her unassuming personality, but the William & Mary defender who played with D.C. United Women last season is also a DJ. And a skilled outside back.
They list a blank space by #25. They skipped #20 and #21. Anyone else?
http://twitter.com/hollyking10/status/314907713811402752
Ah. King was here for the tryout, so she has at least attended one session with the coaching staff this month.
That’s still only 23. Kai, Angeli, Garciamendez, and Worbis might make it to the Soccerplex this spring, but they’re not expected in preseason.
Three players from the Penn State scrimmage — Heather Cooke, Ari Calderon and Alex Brandt — are no longer in camp. Calderon and Brandt have schoolwork to finish. With the Spirit entering a reserve team in the W-League, a couple of those players and maybe others who appeared at the tryout could resurface in a few weeks.
And I’ll bury the lead for those who don’t already know: One of my projects this year is an ebook on the Spirit. I’ll publish it right after the season ends. Haven’t decided yet how to incorporate the video and photos I’m shooting, except as documentary evidence that some of their players were aiming at me during one of the drills. They know who they are.
It’s a great team to follow — young, athletic, freewheeling, and fun. The constant drives up 270 will be worth it.
Diana Weigel was one of my favorites for the DCU Women last year. She just doesn’t quit on a play. She is all over people on defense.
Can’t wait to see Ashlyn Harris play. This girl can do some amazing saves.
Just sat down and compared your list with the roster handed out at Sunday’s game. (And where were you for that, Beau?) Here are the differences:
– No Hodak
– No Wagner
– Holly King added as #20
At least one person at Zetaboards misread this post and thought I said Harris was going back to her CLUB in Germany. Frankly, I could’ve been clearer. In any case — no, she’ll be back with the Spirit after national team duty.