Category: soccer

soccer

AmWoSo (W-League, WPSL) Power Rankings and playoff picture: July 16

Posted on by Beau Dure

It’s playoff time, and we’ve already seen some good teams’ seasons end — the W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks, New Jersey Wildcats and Colorado Rush; the WPSL’s Beach FC and Maryland Capitols.

The WPSL Elite has one more week of the regular season, but the four pro teams are already in the playoffs. The regular-season title may come down to a Sunday showdown between the two teams tied for first — Western New York and Boston — playing in Rochester. But Chicago, three points, back, has a game in hand. Fourth-place New York will finish with three games in seven days after yesterday’s game at Philadelphia was rained out.

1. Pali Blues (13-0-1, W-League Western; Last Week: 1) – roster
Won 1-0 over Seattle in preview of Western playoff. Surprisingly didn’t rest many players — Sarah Huffman, Sasha Andrews and Whitney Engen all played 90.

2. Boston Breakers (10-3-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 3) – roster
Beat Philadelphia 2-0. Reminder: One of their losses (to Western New York) is on a technicality over player registration.

3. Western New York Flash (9-1-3, WPSL Elite; LW: 4) – roster
Routed FC Indiana 5-0 and had a big 2-1 win at Chicago. Turning the corner?

4. Chicago Red Stars (9-3-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 2) – roster
Lost to the surging Western New York Flash.

5. New York Fury (7-3-1, WPSL Elite; LW: 5) – roster
Busy week ahead after Sunday rainout.

6. Seattle Sounders Women (10-3-1, W-League Western; LW: 6) – roster
Won first two games on California swing before dropping decision to Pali.

7. D.C. United Women (11-0-1, W-League Atlantic; LW: 7) – roster
No trouble with Virginia Beach in regular-season finale. They’ll meet again in East semifinals; the Piranhas are the only team to take a point off them this year.

8. New England Mutiny (4-5-3, WPSL Elite; LW: 8) – roster
Injury problems were a factor in draw with Chesapeake that ended faint playoff hopes.

9. Charlotte Lady Eagles (8-1-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 11) – roster
Got early goal and held on to eliminate defending champion Atlanta Silverbacks.

10. Long Island Rough Riders (9-3-0, W-League Northeast; LW: 12) – roster
Strong finish in tough division.

11. Ottawa Fury (10-2-0, W-League Central; LW: 9) – roster
Meaningless game but still puzzling to see them lose finale to Quebec City.

12. Atlanta Silverbacks (8-1-3, W-League Southeast; LW: 10) – roster
Tough to drop them out of the top 12 even if they’re not going to the playoffs. Blame the W-League’s quirky playoff system — if they took the top runner-up in the Eastern Conference, the Silverbacks would be playoff-bound.

Bubbling under: Quebec City Amiral (top seed in W-League Central playoffs), FC Dallas (top seed in WPSL Big Sky South), Salt Lake United (top seed in WPSL Big Sky North; U.S. Women’s Cup semifinalist), New York Athletic Club (top seed from WPSL Northeast Atlantic-Mid), Aztec MA (top seed from WPSL Northeast Atlantic-North), Gulf Coast Texans (top seed from WPSL Southeast)

W-LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
all times Eastern

Eastern (D.C. United Women hosting)
Saturday – semifinals
Long Island vs. Charlotte, 3:30 p.m.
Virginia Beach vs. DCU Women, 6 p.m.
Sunday
Final, 4 p.m.

Central (Quebec City Amiral hosting)
Saturday – semifinals
Hamilton vs. Quebec City, 1 p.m.
Laval vs. Toronto, 4 p.m.
Sunday
Final, 1 p.m.

Western
Final – Sunday (at Cal State Fullerton; doubleheader with USL Pro’s LA Blues vs. Guatemala’s CSD Municipal)
Seattle at Pali Blues, 4 p.m.

Conference winners plus Ottawa advance to final four July 27 and 29 at Ottawa

WPSL

West

* Pacific South (one berth): San Diego SeaLions got it.

* Pacific North (one berth): California Storm took the berth with a 3-1 win over North Bay FC Wave and a 3-3 draw between fellow contenders West Coast Wildkats and Bay Area Breeze.

* Northwest (one berth): Spokane Shine also got everything to line up, beating Emerald City 1-0 Friday, routing Oregon Rush 6-0 and seeing Emerald City draw Issaquah 1-1 in the finale Sunday.

* Big Sky North (one berth): Salt Lake United drew with both Phoenix teams in Phoenix to clinch the berth.

Playoffs (San Diego hosting)
Saturday – semifinals
Spokane vs. San Diego, 8 p.m. ET
Salt Lake vs. California, 10:30 p.m. ET
Sunday
Final, 7 p.m. ET

Midwest

* Big Sky South (three berths): FC Dallas (12-1-0, +52 goal differential) clinched first place ahead of the only club to beat them, Oklahoma Football Club. American Eagles Soccer Club took third ahead of Houston South Select.

* Midwest (no berths): FC Milwaukee Nationals won all five games.

Playoffs
American Eagles at Oklahoma FC, 8;30 p.m. ET Thursday
AE-Oklahoma winner at FC Dallas, Saturday 

Southeast

* Sunshine (four berths): Tampa Bay Hellenic finally shed points, drawing Team Boca Blast 0-0, but clinched first place and home field throughout the divisional playoffs. Florida Sol FC took second, followed by Team Boca Blast and South Florida Strikers.

* Southeast (one berth): Gulf Coast Texans scored 31 and conceded 3 in seven games.

Playoffs
tba

Northeast

Playoffs already underway (home teams listed first in results):

First round – Sunday
New England Mutiny Reserves 1-0 FC Bucks
Maryland Capitols FC 0-2 Syracuse Lady Knights

Semifinals – Wednesday
New England at Aztec MA, 7 p.m. ET
Syracuse at New York Athletic Club, 8 p.m. ET

 

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soccer

The W-League and WPSL playoff picture, weekend update

Posted on by Beau Dure

Thanks to the WPSL for a release confirming the playoff situation throughout its many regional divisions. Using that, I’ll update what I ran with the power rankings on Tuesday:

W-LEAGUE

West: Pali Blues, Seattle Sounders Women. This weekend’s game is interesting but meaningless; next week’s game is winner-take-all.

Central: The first-place Ottawa Fury will host the league semis and final, so they get a bye past the divisional rounds. The second-place team gets to host the divisional playoffs, so that race is rather important. The four teams themselves are set.
20 Quebec City Amiral – vs. Rochester (Fri), at Ottawa (Sun)
19 Toronto Lady Lynx – at Hamilton (Sun)
18 Laval Comets – vs. Rochester (Sat)
14 Hamilton FC Rage – vs. Toronto (Sun)

Eastern-Atlantic: D.C. United Women will host the East playoffs. The runner-up also is in the playoffs, and a game that was postponed and rescheduled to Sunday should make the difference:
18 Virginia Beach Piranhas – vs. D.C. (Sat), at Fredericksburg (Sun)
17 Fredericksburg Impact – at Northern Virginia (Sat), vs. Virginia Beach (Sun)

Eastern-Southeast: One game for the playoff spot:
27 Atlanta Silverbacks – at Charlotte (Sat)
26 Charlotte Lady Eagles – vs. Atlanta (Sat)

Eastern-Northeast: North Jersey eliminated New Jersey with a 1-1 draw on Wednesday. The Wildcats have 21 points, but either Long Island or New Jersey will end up with more than 24.
24 Long Island Rough Riders – vs. North Jersey (Sat)
23 North Jersey Valkyries – at Long Island (Sat)

WPSL ELITE

New England’s longshot playoff bid ended with a 3-3 draw to Chesapeake. The four pro teams — Boston, Chicago, Western New York and New York — are in the playoffs.

WPSL

WEST

* Pacific South (one berth): San Diego SeaLions got it.

* Pacific North (one berth): Still a mess heading into final weekend –
15 North Bay FC Wave – at Bay Area (Fri), at Cal Storm (Sat)
15 California Storm – vs. North Bay (Sat), only one game left
13 West Coast Wildkatz  – at Cent Cal (Sat), at Bay Area (Sun)
12 Bay Area Breeze – vs. North Bay (Fri), vs. West Coast (Sun)
12 Central California Heat – vs. West Coast (Sat), at San Francisco (Sun)

* Northwest (one berth): Actually an update from Wednesday night: Issaquah Soccer Club drew 1-1 with Emerald City FC, leaving a messy playoff race.
18 Issaquah – vs. Emerald City (Sun)
14 Emerald City – at Spokane (Fri), at Issaquah (Sun)
14 Spokane Shine – vs. Emerald City (Fri), vs. Oregon Rush (Sat)
Oregon is 0-9-0  (-47 goal difference in nine games).

* Big Sky North (one berth): Salt Lake United (18 pts.), which is also in the Women’s Cup (see below), is a 99% certainty. They’re six ahead of Utah Starzz and would win a head-to-head tiebreaker. For head-to-head purposes, consider these scores from earlier in the season: Salt Lake United 3-1 Phoenix U23, Salt Lake United 11-1 Phoenix Del Sol. Now the curious part — the Phoenix teams from the same club will play each other, with the result worth double.

So here are the teams still mathematically alive:
18 Salt Lake United – at Phoenix Del Sol (Fri), at Phoenix U23 (Sat)
6 Phoenix Del Sol – vs. Salt Lake (Fri), vs. Utah (Sat), vs. U23 (Sun)
6 Phoenix U23 – vs. Utah (Fri), vs. Salt Lake (Sat), vs. Del Sol (Sun)

MIDWEST

* Big Sky South (four berths): We have updates. First thing to know — teams are playing 13-game schedules.
30 FC Dallas – at Fort Worth (Fri), vs. TFC (Sun)
26 Oklahoma Football Club – at Tulsa (Fri), vs. TFC (Sat)
23 American Eagles Soccer Club – vs. Houston Aces (Sat), just one game left
19 Houston South Select – at Tulsa Spirit (Sat), at Arkansas Comets (Sun)
19 Tulsa Spirit – vs. Oklahoma (Fri), vs. Houston South (Sat)

* Midwest (no berths): FC Milwaukee Nationals won all five games.

SOUTHEAST

* Sunshine (four berths): Tampa Bay Hellenic has run the table so far and clinched first place. The battle is just for seeding and home field — the higher seed will host each game of the semis and final.
18 Tampa Bay Hellenic – vs. Boca Blast (Sat), vs. South Florida (Sun)
10 Florida Sol FC – at South Florida (Sat), vs. Boca Blast (Sun)
8 Team Boca Blast – at Tampa Bay (Sat), at Florida Sol (Sun)
5 South Florida Strikers – vs. Florida Sol (Sat), at Tampa Bay (Sun)

* Southeast (one berth): Gulf Coast Texans scored 31 and conceded 3 in seven games.

NORTHEAST

The playoffs start this week. Teams:

* Northeast Atlantic-North (two berths): Aztec MA , New England Mutiny Reserves

* Northeast Atlantic-Mid (two berths): New York Athletic Club (also in Women’s Cup semis), Syracuse Lady Knights

* Northeast Atlantic-South (two berths): Maryland Capitols FC, FC Bucks

Aztec and NYAC get byes and will host semifinals in the middle of next week. The other four play this weekend.

– Syracuse at Maryland, 3 p.m. ET Sunday
– FC Bucks at New England, tba

U.S. WOMEN’S CUP

Incidentally, here’s the U.S. Women’s Cup schedule (clicked on spreadsheet from USASA site – http://www.usasa.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::85000 L3/ E 105 315483)

Friday, July 20, 10:30 a.m. CT
– Turbo D’Feeters (TX) vs. Chicago Red Stars, Toyota Park turf field
– New York Athletic Club vs. Salt Lake United, Argo High School turf field

Sunday, July 22, noon CT
– Final, Toyota Park game field

(Toyota Park and Argo High School are about two miles apart in the Chicago suburbs.)

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basketball, medal projections, olympic sports, soccer

2012 medal projection update: Ball sports

Posted on by Beau Dure

See the original post for projections from 16 months ago; read on for the latest (which may not have changed much):

BASKETBALL

The only major international event played since the last World Championships were the men’s and women’s European tournaments. The top four men: Spain, France, Russia, Macedonia. Women: Russia, Turkey, France, Czech Republic.

FIBA also compiles rankings that reflect all the various zonal tournaments. Top men: USA, Spain, Argentina, Greece, Lithuania, big gap. Top women: USA (by a mile), Australia/Russia (tie), giant gap, Czech Republic, Spain.

Men: The USA and Spain are clearly the front-runners. After that, the picks are more difficult. France has Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and two other NBA-affiliated players, though Joakim Noah is out injured. Great Britain has two players who passed briefly through Duke — Luol Deng and Eric Boateng. But you can’t always judge by the number of NBA or former college players. Lithuania has a lot of Euroleague experience (as well as some players U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski will know from ACC play), and Russia is built around several players from perennial power CSKA Moscow.

France (ranked 12th) may be underrated, especially when you consider that France qualified for the Olympics ahead of fourth-ranked Greece. Then Nigeria knocked out Greece in the last-chance Olympic tournament, qualifying along with Russia and Lithuania.

Brazil (#13) is certainly underrated. They finished second at the Americas qualifying tournament behind host Argentina (the USA did not participate), and they usually give the USA a tough game. Argentina beat Brazil in the neutral setting of the 2010 Worlds. But on paper, Brazil’s roster is stronger, and the history is solid.

So we’re not changing. USA, Spain, Brazil

Women: A U.S. loss would be a shocker. Australia has three straight silver medals, and the Opals return roughly half of their 2008 squad, including world-class star Lauren Jackson, though several WNBA players have moved on.

Russia was far from unbeatable in the European qualifying tournament last year, barely getting past Slovakia in the opener and losing a group-stage game to Lithuania. Belarus beat them in the next round, and Britain got within three points. They woke up and stomped everyone in the knockout stages, and no one else has given any reason to doubt the rankings, the original projection or the 2008 finish. USA, Australia, Russia

Read on …

Continue reading →

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soccer

AmWoSo (W-League, WPSL) Power Rankings: July 10 — Playoffs??!!

Posted on by Beau Dure

By this time next week, we may know all our playoff teams. Instead of an “Also considered” this week, we’re going to look at the playoff races.

The big results this week: New England’s (controversial?) win over Boston, Atlanta’s draw at VSI Tampa.

1. Pali Blues (12-0-1, W-League Western; Last Week: 1) – roster
5-0 and 2-0 over the visiting Colorado teams. Last up in regular season: Sunday showdown with Seattle.

2. Chicago Red Stars (9-2-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 3) – roster
Slight struggle to beat Philadelphia 1-0. Remaining schedule is tough: Home vs. Western New York, then at New England and at New York.

3. Boston Breakers (9-3-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 2) – roster
Took care of business against Chesapeake 3-1 and seemed to be in control the next day against New England before conceding two very late goals and losing 2-1. Reminder: One of their losses (to Western New York) is on a technicality over player registration.

4. Western New York Flash (7-1-3, WPSL Elite; LW: 4) – roster
Beat Chesapeake 4-0. They haven’t played a pro team since June 13; Chicago and Boston await in their last two.

5. New York Fury (7-3-1, WPSL Elite; LW: 5) – roster
Practically clinched a playoff spot with 4-0 win over New England.

6. Seattle Sounders Women (8-2-1, W-League Western; LW: 6) – roster
No trouble with Victoria in home finale. The last week features a five-day, three-game California swing ending at Pali.

7. D.C. United Women (10-0-1, W-League Atlantic; LW: 7) – roster
Trounced Dayton 4-1 to clinch home field in the divisional playoffs.

8. New England Mutiny (4-5-2, WPSL Elite; LW: 9) – roster
The 4-0 loss at New York was deflating, but with two late goals vs. Boston, the Mutiny became the first amateur team to beat the pros in the Elite.

9. Ottawa Fury (10-1-0, W-League Central; LW: 10) – roster
3-2 over Laval; 1-0 over Toronto. Clinched first place in Central even though they have bye to Final Four as hosts.

10. Atlanta Silverbacks (8-0-3, W-League Southeast; LW: 8) – roster
Draw on Florida road trip leaves team needing a result this weekend in Charlotte.

11. Charlotte Lady Eagles (8-1-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 12) – roster
Held off Central SC Cobras 2-1 to set up showdown with Silverbacks.

12. Long Island Rough Riders (7-3-0, W-League Northeast; LW: NR) – roster
After two 1-0 wins over New York, the Rough Riders left a little less doubt in the teams’ third meeting of the season, winning 6-2 on Sunday.

Read on for the playoff picture:

Continue reading →

5
soccer

Sauerbrunn’s sendoff, Sullivan’s smashing debut and a JoLi party

Posted on by Beau Dure

Scenes from D.C. United Women’s home regular-season finale at the Maryland SoccerPlex, in which DCU beat Dayton 4-1 and clinched home field for the W-League East playoffs:

1. Becky Sauerbrunn, the one-time “iron woman” of WPS who had played every minute for the Plex-residing Washington Freedom through 2009 and 2010, played her fourth and final game with D.C. United Women this season. She seemed to be cursed in her previous games. DCU Women needed a late goal to beat Dayton 3-2 in May, and Virginia Beach handed DCU its only tie in June. This time, DCU dominated the first half but only got one goal to show for it, then went in level at 1-1 when Dayton scrambled in an equalizer in stoppage time. But the curse was broken in a big way.

Here, she talks about her season, prospects for pro women’s soccer going forward, MLS involvement in women’s soccer, and Lauren Cheney’s non-British pregame music selection. Seriously — no Knights of Cydonia?

2. The DCU roster got even better this week with the addition of U.S. Under-17 player Andi Sullivan. The Bethesda SC player just finished her season in the ECNL, and to put it mildly, she didn’t seem intimidated facing older opposition in the W-League. She created several chances down the right wing, including one for herself when she sliced into the middle and ripped a shot just wide, and she scored from a holding midfield slot later in the game.

3. DCU teammates Joanna Lohman and Lianne Sanderson are continuing their work with JoLi Academy, with plans to return to India in January. Sanderson scored the game’s first goal. Here, Lohman talks about the Academy and her “shot” during the game.

Dayton — starting a murderous five-day, four-game swing through the sauna of Northern Virginia — defended well through the first half and managed to scramble the ball into the goal on one of its few chances. But once a team like DCU gets rolling, it’s very hard to stop.

Atlanta had drawn with VSI Tampa Flames earlier in the evening, which meant DCU’s win clinched home field for the Eastern playoffs.

The results also saved the W-League from an absurd situation.

In the current W-League playoff format, the three division winners in the East make the playoffs. The division winner with the best record is the top seed. The wild-card team is the team that finished second in the division with the top seed. So it could be in a second-place team’s best interest to make sure the first-place team has the best record.

This hypothetical problem so nearly became reality. Had Atlanta run the table — not that winning at Charlotte next weekend will be easy — the Silverbacks would’ve finished up their season this coming Saturday around 7:30 p.m. with 32 points. DCU has 31. So Virginia Beach, the second-place team behind DCU in the Atlantic, would have to hope DCU won its final game or at least drew and earned a tie-breaking edge.

The problem with that? DCU’s finale is at 8 p.m. Saturday … at Virginia Beach. So if Atlanta had won out, Virginia Beach would have entered its season finale at home knowing that a win or possibly even a draw would eliminate it from the playoffs. Lose, and the Piranhas would be in.

Crisis averted, but clearly, this playoff format can’t stand next year.

Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that. Virginia Beach can focus on keeping second place and a playoff spot — the Piranhas’ Sunday game with third-place Fredericksburg has been postponed. And DCU can prep for the playoffs.

1
soccer

AmWoSo (W-League, WPSL) Power Rankings: July 3

Posted on by Beau Dure

Not much action this week outside the top three. The big results were in the Boston-Chicago game and on Seattle’s road swing through Colorado.

1. Pali Blues (10-0-1, W-League Western; Last Week: 1) – roster
Survived challenge from Vancouver, winning 2-1. Colorado teams visit this week.

2. Boston Breakers (8-2-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 3) – roster
Won the big showdown with Chicago 1-0.

3. Chicago Red Stars (8-2-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 2) – roster
Lost at Boston.

4. Western New York Flash (6-1-3, WPSL Elite; LW: 4) – roster
In the midst of a long break.

5. New York Fury (6-3-1, WPSL Elite; LW: 5) – roster
Squeaked past ASA Chesapeake Charge 1-0.

6. Seattle Sounders Women (7-2-1, W-League Western; LW: 6) – roster
Split games on Colorado trip, losing 1-0 to Rapids and beating Rush 4-1.

7. D.C. United Women (9-0-1, W-League Atlantic; LW: 7) – roster
Clinched division title and remained in lead for home-field with wins over Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg.

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (7-0-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 8) – roster
Idle. Must make the grueling two-game, two-day Florida swing this week.

9. New England Mutiny (3-4-2, WPSL Elite; LW: 9) – roster
Idle last week; must make its playoff charge this week.

10. Ottawa Fury (8-1-0, W-League Central; LW: 12) – roster
Avenged sole loss with 3-0 win over Hamilton.

11. Colorado Rush (5-3-1, W-League Western; LW: 10) – roster
Lost to Sounders 4-1.

12. Charlotte Lady Eagles (7-1-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 11) – roster
Idle

ALSO CONSIDERED (alphabetical order)

Beach Futbol Club (3-1-0, WPSL Pacific South) – roster
Idle — will finish six-game regular season with two games Saturday and Sunday.

FC Dallas (8-0-0, WPSL Big Sky South) – roster
Stunner – lost 4-2 at Oklahoma Football Club.

Laval Comets (5-2-2, W-League Central) – roster
Lost 1-0 to Quebec

Long Island Rough Riders (7-3-0, W-League Northeast) – roster
Won 6-0 over New Jersey Rangers. (Not Wildcats.)

New Jersey Wildcats (5-2-2, W-League Northeast) – roster
Won 3-1 over New York. Will likely have to catch Rough Riders and win division to make playoffs. Won’t play again until playing three in four days July 11-14.

San Diego SeaLions (5-0-0, WPSL Pacific South) – roster
Idle — will face Beach FC on Sunday with division at stake.

Toronto Lady Lynx (5-3-1, W-League Central) – roster
Idle

Virginia Beach Piranhas (4-2-3, W-League Atlantic) – roster
Idle

GAMES TO WATCH (times Eastern and possibly incorrect)

Tuesday, July 3
WPSL Elite: New England Mutiny at New York Fury; 7 p.m.; Hofstra Univ.

Saturday, July 7
WPSL Elite: Boston Breakers at New England Mutiny; 6 p.m.; East Longmeadow, Mass.

Sunday, July 8
W-League Atlantic: Virginia Beach Piranhas at Fredericksburg Impact, 5 p.m.; Fredericksburg, Va. (possible playoff berth on the line)

0
soccer

The elephant in the women’s soccer room: NCAA

Posted on by Beau Dure

NY Fury coach Paul Riley, who led the Philadelphia Independence to two runner-up finishes in WPS, has a few thoughts about the future of the game, and it differs a bit from the Peter Wilt plan — more money, more months in the season:

The money issue is really just a question of what owners are willing to put on the table. If it’s $1.5 million per team, great. If it’s closer to the $300,000 at the low end of Wilt’s range, then that’s what it is.

The more interesting question here is the length of the season. Riley may be overstating things a bit — is Marta really going to get nine months of playing time this season between a 22-game Swedish season and the chronically undersupported Brazilian women’s team? But he’s right that these condensed summer seasons aren’t leaving much time to develop teams … or players.

Riley, like many others in the women’s soccer community, want everyone to get together and talk about it. USSF. USL. WPSL.

NCAA?

When it comes to length of the season, college soccer is the problem. A lot of this country’s top players are still in school. And the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, has pushed its season earlier and earlier into August while cutting the spring season.

That’s a problem — primarily for college players. They could get a compressed four-month college season and perhaps two months to play with a W-League or WPSL team in the summer. That’s a lot of downtime, then a lot of games in a short time — a good recipe for injuries.

Is it a problem for a future elite league? Directly, maybe not. For leagues below Division I — including the regular WPSL and W-League — it’s a problem because college players can’t play for pro teams. The WPSL Elite experiment of having amateur (college players allowed) and pro (NCAA? Stay away!) teams is intriguing. But that means the season’s length is beholden to colleges who won’t release their players until exams are complete and will demand their return in early August.

(This is a problem for men’s soccer, too. Suppose a PDL team made the U.S. Open Cup semifinals in August. Who could play?)

So I’ll toss out a trial balloon here, based on far less research and information than Peter’s plan:

1. Have a national league for full-time pros that splits its season between the fall and spring. Set the championship for late April.

2. Also enter those pro teams in summer regional leagues like the W-League or WPSL. (The leagues could still come together for a national playoff at the end of summer.) With national team call-ups, the pro teams would likely be weakened and would need to call in other players.

3. The pro teams would establish firm roots with youth programs. That would also give them extra players to call in for summer play — we might need an NCAA/amateurism expert to weigh in, but MLS academy kids have been able to compete in MLS reserve league games without sacrificing their college eligibility. So we could see someone like Morgan Andrews “play up” with these teams for the summer. (Current college players, no — they would play for summer-only teams in these regional leagues.)

The other side of the coin — get the NCAA to back off a bit. Beef up the spring season and let them start the fall season a couple of weeks later.

That’s the balloon. Take your shots …

2
soccer

AmWoSo (W-League, WPSL) Power Rankings: June 25

Posted on by Beau Dure

We got upsets. And we’ve got teams in the W-League Western fighting for those two playoff spots.

In the East, the strange thing about the format is that the second-place team from the top seed’s division will advance. That means the Charlotte Lady Eagles and Virginia Beach Piranhas might have actually hurt themselves by getting draws with leaders Atlanta and D.C. United, who are battling for that top spot.

The Central is still a logjam, but four teams plus Ottawa will make it. Ottawa’s hosting the Final Four.

1. Pali Blues (9-0-1, W-League Western; Last Week: 1) – roster
Took the biggest win of the W-League season: 2-0 at Seattle, though Sounders lacked U.S. stars. Followed up with 4-0 win at Victoria. Then finally lost perfect record with 0-0 draw at Vancouver. Last four games are at home, and a playoff berth is all but assured.

2. Chicago Red Stars (8-1-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 2) – roster
No trouble on the Mid-Atlantic road swing — 3-1 at Chesapeake, 4-1 at Philadelphia after conceding early lead.

3. Boston Breakers (7-2-0, WPSL Elite; LW: 3) – roster
Took care of business with two home wins — 4-2 over feisty New England, 2-0 over New York.

4. Western New York Flash (6-1-3, WPSL Elite; LW: 4) – roster
Beat Philadelphia 2-0; held to 3-3 draw at New England.

5. New York Fury (5-3-1, WPSL Elite; LW: 5) – roster
Lost 2-0 at Boston.

6. Seattle Sounders Women (6-1-1, W-League Western; LW: 6) – roster
Lost 0-2 vs. Pali without national team stars. Got them back and demolished Santa Clarita 4-0 with two goals from Sydney Leroux and one from Alex Morgan. Will need to hold off Colorado Rush for playoff berth.

7. D.C. United Women (7-0-1, W-League Atlantic; LW: 7) – roster
Won 5-0 vs. Fredericksburg, knocking the Impact out of consideration for the rankings. Drew 1-1 vs. Virginia Beach Piranhas in a game that could be described as “physical.” Still nearly clinched first place in Atlantic.

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (7-0-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 8) – roster
Beat Charlotte 1-0 to take control of division; held 2-2 the next day at Central SC. Tied with Charlotte atop division, with a game in hand.

9. New England Mutiny (3-4-2, WPSL Elite; LW: 9) – roster
The class of the WPSL Elite’s amateur teams broke through with 3-3 draw vs. Western New York, with Morgan Andrews and Kate Haworth clearly ready for top-level league soccer. Lost 4-2 vs. Boston.

10. Colorado Rush (5-2-1, W-League Western; LW: 11) – roster
Made strong claim for playoff contention — won 2-1 in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park showdown with Colorado Rapids Women; beat LA Strikers 2-1. California swing July 4-8 will be crucial.

11. Charlotte Lady Eagles (7-1-2, W-League Southeast; LW: 12) – roster
Lost 0-1 at Atlanta.

12. Ottawa Fury (7-1-0, W-League Central; LW: NR) – roster
Beat former division leader Laval 2-1, routed London 10-0 and took full command of Central with 1-0 win at Toronto.

ALSO CONSIDERED (alphabetical order)

Beach Futbol Club (3-1-0, WPSL Pacific South) – roster
Beat LA Vikings 6-0.

FC Dallas (8-0-0, WPSL Big Sky South) – roster
Beat Tulsa Spirit 3-0.

Laval Comets (5-1-2, W-League Central) – roster
Lost 1-2 at Ottawa Fury. Beat Hamilton 1-0 to remain firmly in playoff positions.

Long Island Rough Riders (6-3-0, W-League Northeast) – roster
Won 1-0 at North Jersey Valkyries. Lost 2-1 at New Jersey Wildcats, failing to put away division rival.

New Jersey Wildcats (4-2-2, W-League Northeast) – roster
Stayed in race with big 2-1 win over Long Island. Still four points back with four points to play, and second place almost certainly won’t do it.

San Diego SeaLions (5-0-0, WPSL Pacific South) – roster
Won 1-0 at Ajax America. Just one more game listed on schedule — a July 8 visit from Beach FC.

Santa Clarita Blue Heat (3-4-2, W-League Western; LW: 10) – roster
Won 4-2 at Victoria Highlanders, then lost 0-2 at resurgent Vancouver, then crushed by star-laden Seattle team 4-0. Last five are at home, so playoffs aren’t out of question.

Toronto Lady Lynx (5-3-1, W-League Central) – roster
Won 1-0 at London Gryphons; lost 1-0 vs. Ottawa.

Virginia Beach Piranhas (4-2-3, W-League Atlantic) – roster
New to the rankings after winning 1-0 vs. Northern Virginia Majestics and drawing 1-1 at runaway leaders D.C. United Women.

GAMES TO WATCH (times Eastern and possibly incorrect)

Saturday, June 30
WPSL Elite: Chicago Red Stars at Boston Breakers, 6 p.m.;  Somerville, Mass.
W-League Western: Seattle Sounders Women at Colorado Rapids Women, 6:30 p.m.; Commerce City, Colo.

Sunday, July 1
W-League Western: Seattle Sounders Women at Colorado Rush, 3 p.m.; Highlands Ranch, Colo.

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mma, olympic sports, soccer, track and field

TV viewing for the next two weeks

Posted on by Beau Dure

How am I supposed to get any work done?

(All times Eastern)

Thursday, June 21
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 quarterfinal, Czech Republic-Portugal (ESPN)
10 p.m.: Olympic trials, diving (NBC Sports Network)

Friday, June 22
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 quarterfinal, Germany-Greece (ESPN)
5 p.m.: UFC, prelims (Facebook)
6 p.m.: UFC, prelims (Fuel)
8 p.m.: Bellator, light heavyweight quarterfinals (MTV2)
9 p.m.: UFC, Maynard-Guida (FX)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC Sports Network)
11 p.m.: Olympic trials, diving (NBC Sports Network)

Saturday, June 23
1:30 p.m.: Field hockey, U.S. women vs. Argentina (NBC Sports Network)
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 quarterfinal, Spain-France (ESPN)
4 p.m.: Olympic trials, diving (NBC)
5 p.m.: Soccer, U.S. women’s soccer special (ESPN)
7 p.m.: UFC, prelims (Facebook)
8 p.m.: UFC, prelims (FX)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC)
10 p.m.: UFC 147, Silva-Franklin II (pay-per-view)

Sunday, June 24
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 quarterfinal, England-Italy (ESPN)
3 p.m.: Olympic trials, diving (NBC)
5 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Portland-Seattle (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC)
7 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, New York-D.C. United (NBC Sports Network)

Monday, June 25
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC Sports Network)

Tuesday, June 26
7:30 p.m.: Soccer, U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals (various online streams)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)

Wednesday, June 27
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 semifinal (ESPN)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)

Thursday, June 28
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 semifinal (ESPN)
5:30 p.m.: Olympic trials, gymnastics (NBC Sports Network)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC Sports Network)

Friday, June 29
6 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC Sports Network)
8 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Sporting KC-Chicago (NBC Sports Network)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, gymnastics (NBC)

Saturday, June 30
2 p.m.: Soccer, U.S. women vs. Canada (NBC)
4 p.m.: Olympic trials, gymnastics (NBC)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC)
10 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, San Jose-Los Angeles (ESPN2)

Sunday, July 1
2:30 p.m.: Soccer, Euro 2012 final (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Olympic trials, track and field (NBC)
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)
9 p.m.: Olympic trials, gymnastics (NBC)

Monday, July 2
8 p.m.: Olympic trials, swimming (NBC)

Saturday, July 7
7 p.m.: UFC, prelims (Facebook, tentative)
8 p.m.: UFC, prelims (FX, tentative)
10 p.m.: UFC 148, Silva-Sonnen II (pay-per-view)
11 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Seattle-Colorado (NBC Sports Network)

Sunday, July 8
3 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Chicago-Los Angeles (ESPN)
6 p.m.: Water polo, U.S. women vs. China (NBC Sports Network)

Have I forgotten anything?

Yes! Tour de France starts June 30. And we’ll have some web streams for women’s soccer, USL and NASL.

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