Tag: nwsl

soccer

Washington Spirit vs. Western NY Flash: Dan Borislow was wrong

Posted on by Beau Dure

Those of you who recall WPS may remember that Dan Borislow was an immense supporter of U.S. national team players. Other players, not so much. The idea of fans cheering for anyone other than Abby Wambach almost struck him as repugnant.

I never asked Borislow how much WPS he watched before buying the team formerly known as the Washington Freedom. He would have seen ample evidence that fans can embrace players who aren’t the U.S. stars. Washington’s crowd favorites included those who had put down roots with the organization (Rebecca Moros) and those from overseas (Sonia Bompastor).

Tonight proved the point once again. The fans turned up and screamed for Abby. By the end, they were also screaming for the home team, which got a late penalty kick and another 1-1 draw.

Make no mistake — Abby Wambach gave a complete demonstration of why she’s a star, and I don’t just mean the time she intimidated the experienced international referee Kari Seitz into blowing a whistle on a questionable call. (No such luck when she sprinted 80 yards, the fastest Wambach sprint I’ve ever seen, to complain about the PK call in the Spirit’s favor. Strange thing to do when you’re not even the captain.)

Wambach won balls in the air, as you’d expect. Someone a couple of seats away from me marveled at her accuracy and precision. Put the ball near her head, and she’ll flick it to a teammate in a good spot. I’m not sure TV does any justice to this remarkable skill.

She had her chances, too. One clanged off the crossbar. Another produced a jaw-dropping save from national teammate Ashlyn Harris. (Note to self: We forgot to ask Harris about that play in postgame, so remember to ask her some other time how the hell she managed to keep that ball out.)

So let’s spare a thought for Washington’s Tori Huster, who has drawn the most difficult and thankless job in women’s soccer aside from explaining it to Sepp Blatter. The midfielder had never played center back before preseason. Tonight, she spent 90 minutes going up against Abby Wambach. And she deflected praise for keeping Wambach scoreless on the season: “I know that I have the girls around me that will cover me.”

Wambach did get an assist, as Ashlyn Harris confirmed. A long Flash free kick floated into the box, and Wambach ever so slightly nudged it with her head. Sam Kerr was equal parts lucky and good, knocking it in as Harris scrambled to cover the post.

That was in the 85th minute. Shortly thereafter, the Spirit got a call in their favor, as Jasmyne Spencer fell in the box. Some Twitsters say dive. The Flash folks in the postgame interview wondered if the ball was too far away from Spencer. Come on — she’s Jasmyne Spencer. If the ball’s on the playing surface, she can get to it.

Adrianna Franch, the terrific young Flash goalkeeper, guessed correctly. But Diana Matheson placed it perfectly.

And the crowd went wild.

That’s a crowd of 4,569, packed into the Soccerplex stands and grass. The beer garden was full. The hill under the beer garden was full. And maybe a few fans showed up knowing no one but Abby Wambach, then learned to love some of the home team’s players.

Matheson continues to be one of the best players on the field, looking dangerous whenever she gets the ball. Ali Krieger gets forward to join the attack, then returns for timely defensive interventions. Lori Lindsey was an effective midfield general tonight.

Both teams will be better by summer. Good plays alternated with miscommunications. The young Spirit attack had an off night, though Stephanie Ochs had an entertaining battle all evening with right back/team president Alex Sahlen. Harris spoke frankly about her need to keep yelling to keep her young teammates dialed in. (If Harris switched to MMA and fought Ronda Rousey, I think Rousey would get her in an armbar, only to relinquish it in fear of Harris’s wrath.)

But this was a great night. The fans came out in strong numbers and got a dramatic, entertaining game.

Just one thing marred the evening. Around the 90th minute, a hard-struck ball nailed Wambach in the head. She slowly got up and kept playing hard all through stoppage time, but at the final whistle, she needed help. Diagnosing head injuries from afar is a stupid and pointless thing to do, but we can only hope she heals fully and quickly.

The Flash were the first team to play the Spirit in the Soccerplex, and they’ll be the first team to play here twice, returning in June. Maybe Wambach will get some time to spend with the fans then. And maybe the fans will know more of their Spirit team, which is proving to be more resilient and dangerous than the preseason prognosticators imagined.

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soccer

Washington Spirit at Boston Breakers: See, that wasn’t so bad

Posted on by Beau Dure

You all almost had me convinced. All the last-place predictions. All the caterwauling over the preseason results. Put the Washington Spirit in last place and use the Sharpie, everyone said.

That same Spirit team led most of the way Sunday in its NWSL debut on the trampolining turf of Dilboy Stadium, the Boston Breakers’ packed home ground. And Tiffany McCarty’s goal wasn’t even the Spirit’s best shot of the night — she didn’t make clean contact on her header off Ingrid Wells’ cross, but it found its way into the net. Diana Matheson rattled the crossbar on a shot that goalkeeper Ashley Phillips just managed to deflect. Phillips came up big on a Stephanie Ochs effort as well.

That’s not quite the same Spirit team that lost two preseason games. Matheson sparked the attack from various points on the field, shooting from long range and finding the sneaky Lori Lindsey in the box for a golden opportunity. Fellow Canadian Robin Gayle marshaled the defense and played a solid game at center back. Ali Krieger matched Boston’s speedsters stride for stride and made a couple of last-ditch saving tackles. Ashlyn Harris made a series of big saves as the Spirit protected its lead late, and she bravely came out to collect under heavy pressure from Sydney Leroux.

Harris was down for a bit, but Leroux has the gnarly reminder of what happened then and elsewhere in the game …

And then there’s the refrain we’ll hear quite often this season — The Kids Are Alright. Ochs and McCarty challenged the experienced Boston backs. Julia Roberts was composed alongside Lindsey at holding mid. Wells, who was quiet much of the preseason, was an offensive sparkplug who set up the game’s lone goal.

Boston’s Cat Whitehill said after the game it was unfair to write off the Spirit based on preseason results. She was expecting a tough game and she got it.

For the Breakers’ part, Boston’s fans should enjoy their trips to Dilboy, aside from the occasional cold and the blinding glare that makes visors and sunglasses mandatory first-half equipment. The Breakers have solid veterans in many positions on the field. Heather O’Reilly is always entertaining on the wing. Kyah Simon is an enthusiastic shooter.

Then there’s Leroux, who always seemed to be the most likely scorer for Boston and finally tied it near the end with a classy finish from a difficult angle. The sellout crowd got its reward, and 1-1 was a fair result.

I may follow up with some quotes when I don’t have a dawn wake-up call to get back home. But the moral of tonight’s story is this:

Forget preseason. It’s on now.

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soccer

NWSL preseason wrap: Keep calm and carry on

Posted on by Beau Dure
The Maryland Soccerplex's Field of Dreams. My cell phone camera can't do justice to this beautiful field.
The Maryland Soccerplex’s Field of Dreams. My cell phone camera can’t do justice to this beautiful field.

In May 1996, one team had established itself as the doormat of a new league. Its big-name allocations turned out to be out of shape and disinterested. Its defense was horrible. The team started 1-6.

The league itself had a front office that kept a lot of central control, with a lot of personnel decisions falling into the hands of its deputy commissioner, Sunil Gulati. National team players were the stars, but they missed much of that first preseason, and teams were barely acquainted with each other.

Major League Soccer turned out to be OK. Gulati lost his job but is now president of U.S. Soccer, which has taken a direct role in launching the National Women’s Soccer League.

That team? Well, they won the U.S. Open Cup. And MLS Cup. And the next MLS Cup. And the 1998 CONCACAF Champions Cup. And the 1999 MLS Cup. It’s D.C. United.

So that’s a roundabout way of saying it’s a little absurd to break out Seth Davis’s Sharpie and write down any team in last place in the NWSL’s debut season.

I’m sure I’m developing a rep as a Washington Spirit apologist, and it’s fine to apply all the standard disclaimers because I’m writing a book about the team. That said, a few facts bear repeating:

1. No team has played anything like the murderers’ row of preseason games the Spirit endured. Five games, all against top-class NCAA competition. Three of them in a week with a limited number of players available. By comparison, Portland, Sky Blue and Boston have been virtually invisible, with one or two preseason games. So we’ve had plenty of chances to dissect the diluted Spirit’s apparent weaknesses, while we know virtually nothing about the rest of the teams. (See the unofficial crowd-sourced tracking of preseason games at BigSoccer.)

2. Few teams have had a chance to play with their full rosters. The U.S. and Canadian national teams have been busy. Mexico has had some idiosyncrasies in clearing its players to play (something that deserves a more substantial investigation).

3. As we saw with many MLS teams in Year 1, we’re going to wait a while for some players to come back from Europe. And some teams may have midseason overhauls.

Add all of this together, and there’s no reason to assume the 2013 Washington Spirit will resemble the 2011 Atlanta Beat. (Which, incidentally, won all five preseason games — then one out of 18 in the regular season.)

And it’s only fair to apply such caution to the league as a whole. MLS had more than two years to prepare after winning its sanction in late 1993. The NWSL is throwing everything together as we go, and they’re doing so with low budgets.

History tells us to be patient. And history tells us things can be different when the federation(s) is(/are) working hand in hand with a new league from the outset.

So call me Pollyanna if you like, both about the Spirit and the league. I think cynicism is too easy, and it’s unfair to pile the dirt on teams and leagues that have yet to complete a regular-season game, much less a season. If you do so, may the ghost of Juan Berthy Suarez haunt you forever.

(Shameless sort-of plug: Google Books has posted parts of my MLS book, including a few bits about the disjointed opening game.)

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soccer

Washington Spirit vs. Virginia: Battle of field goals

Posted on by Beau Dure

Perhaps women’s soccer fans should focus on the positive from the Washington Spirit’s 6-3 loss Saturday night at the Maryland Soccerplex: The University of Virginia has a terrific offense with dynamic attackers who can bring Steve Swanson’s vision of possession soccer to life. They’re much more fun to watch than the typical college team.

That said, the Washington Spirit can’t be too happy to concede six goals to a college team. A 5-2 halftime deficit isn’t something to dismiss with ease.

Coach Mike Jorden, how did you stay so calm in the first half? “Benadryl,” he quipped.

A formation change and some renewed commitment stemmed the damage, and the Spirit outplayed Virginia in the second half. Virginia was lucky not to concede a couple more as ex-Maryland attacker Jasmyne Spencer entered the game and buzzed around the Cavaliers’ box, scoring once and being unlucky not to get a PK call.

The Spirit offense didn’t play badly. Caroline Miller, facing her teammates of a few months ago, was effective as the sole front-runner when she actually saw the ball. She fed Tiffany McCarty for one of her two first-half goals. Stephanie Ochs set up the other.

The problems were on the rest of the field, where Virginia’s Makenzy Doniak simply shredded the Spirit’s center backs for two first-half goals.

Still short-handed through national team absences (Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Robyn Gayle) and injuries (Candace Chapman), the Spirit’s defense still bore little resemblance to the defense that will take the field for its NWSL opener in eight days. Midfielder Tori Huster was finally relieved of her preseason fill-in center back duty in the starting lineup, but she was pushed back to the back line as the Spirit tried to stop the bleeding.

“I’ve been changing positions a lot over the last couple of years,” Huster said. “It’s hard to transition right there mid-game. It still wasn’t good when I went into the back line, and that needs to be better.”

Virginia coach Steve Swanson understood the situation but was pleased with the Cavs’ opportunism.

“Obviously, they don’t have their full team,” Swanson said. “But credit to our team for creating the chances we did and finishing some really nice goals.”

At halftime, the Spirit finally put a stop to the defensive meltdown. Jorden switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a straight 4-4-2. Lori Lindsey, by far the veteran of the young Spirit team, took a more attacking role. She set up Miller for a good chance that Churchill O’Connell stopped, and she’ll be kicking herself after missing a solo opportunity.

“We tried to play a bit more direct in the second half,” Jorden said. “In the first few minutes it could’ve been 5-4.”

For Swanson, the changes provided an opportunity to learn more about his team.

“We hadn’t been tested too much defensively (in spring games) until tonight,” Swanson said.

Swanson isn’t reading too much into the fact that his team put up six goals against a team that shut out North Carolina.

“I learned a long time ago not to read too much into things like that,” Swanson said.

And Jorden knows what to work on.

“I think we are a dangerous team. It’s just putting a back line together and winning more 50-50 balls.”

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soccer

Washington Spirit vs. Maryland Terrapins: Forget about it

Posted on by Beau Dure

On paper, it doesn’t look good for a pro team to lose to a college team. Particularly one that isn’t renowned as a national title contender (though that could change this year). Particularly when other NWSL teams are mopping the field with their college opponents.

But we have to repeat that the Washington Spirit that lost 2-0 at Maryland tonight is not the Washington Spirit team that will take the field in 10 days or two months. The Spirit dressed 15 players, then scratched Tiffany McCarty, who joined Colleen Williams, Kika Toulouse, Danielle Hubka and Candace Chapman as injury absentees. Holly King is back in college in Florida for another few weeks, and four players are away with the USA and Canada.

Not that the Spirit were particularly pleased after this encounter. Grumpiness spread over many of the players — aside from all the Maryland alumni posing for pictures with their former teammates.

Quick aside about that: Maryland has some passionate soccer fans who don’t seem to realize who played for their team last fall or two years ago. They yelled for the current players by name and argued with the officials. Sure, the game had no PA announcer to give the names of the players and rev up the voice for the Terp alumni. But I spoke with a group of fans who didn’t know the names Domenica Hodak or Jasmyne Spencer in the first place.

Spencer barely knew her teammates’ names, having just joined the team at the pregame meal. She got a good long run at forward and posed a few problems for her former defense, but the Spirit attackers weren’t quite in sync. Individually, many of them played well — Caroline Miller came close to settling some old ACC scores singlehandedly, and Stephanie Ochs was solid on the wing and in the middle. The chemistry wasn’t quite there, which is bound to happen to a team that just brought in a forward three hours ago. And as solid a worker as Spencer is, a 5-1 forward may not be the best target for an aerial cross. They’ll need to rework that alignment.

Surely some of the issues will pass. It’s easy to see how the missing players will fill important holes:

– Maryland got most of its chances on counterattacks. They easily could’ve won 4-0. But will the Spirit give up those chances when Ali Krieger and Robyn Gayle (and Candace Chapman, if healthy, and possibly Kika Toulouse) are at the back? Probably not.

– The Spirit had a lot of possession but lacked that incisive pass. Enter Diana Matheson, now busy with Canada.

– McCarty was the driving force behind the Spirit’s win over UNC. She also wasn’t on the field for this game.

So what do we know from this game, one of three games the Spirit will play in seven days with 14-16 players? Not much. About as much as we know from Major League Soccer’s preseason, which is generally an audition period, or Major League Baseball spring training, which is basically a feeding frenzy for shady collectibles dealers.

Some of the players on the field tonight won’t last past Monday’s roster cuts. Others will be typical rookies with moments of brilliance and a few growing pains. In the end, the Spirit will forget about this game — just as Maryland’s fans who attended tonight have apparently forgotten Spencer, Hodak, Skyy Anderson and Olivia Wagner. (Spencer took it in good humor. Might have a chance to post quotes tomorrow.)

As for the opening game April 14, I think everyone has two requests. Warmer and less windy.

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soccer

Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Free subs!

Posted on by Beau Dure
mccartyJ
Tiffany McCarty set up one goal and scored the other.

So I went to an NWSL preseason game and a college game broke out!

A sizable portion of the Maryland Soccerplex crowd wore Carolina blue and broke into a “TAR! … HEELS! …” chant, despite the efforts of Washington uber-fan Stewart Small to interject “SPIRIT!!” The teams played with college substitution rules. For a while, North Carolina’s players outhustled their opponents to every ball and dominated play.

Then Tiffany McCarty broke down the left flank and centered for Carolina killer Caroline Miller, who lashed home the rebound of her own shot, and the professionals restored order against the mighty college dynasty.

“That girl (Miller) has scored against us consistently,” UNC’s legendary coach Anson Dorrance said of the former Virginia player.

Then Dorrance remembered McCarty from her Florida State days. “Actually the other girl was an absolute thorn in our side for four years.”

McCarty was the player of the game. She didn’t officially get an assist on Miller’s 27th-minute goal because Miller’s initial effort was saved. But she was indeed the “absolute thorn” Dorrance remembered from ACC play, and she doubled the Spirit lead in the 47th minute on a superb breakaway.

Stephanie Ochs, usually the target player in the Spirit’s three-pronged attack, sprang McCarty up the middle of the field. McCarty held off a challenge and made substitute keeper Bre Heaberlin guess before calmly finishing as she has so many times in Spirit practice so far.

Carolina managed little the rest of the way.

In the pressbox and on Twitter, we all had a few laughs about playing the game under college substitution rules at Dorrance’s insistence. He was far from apologetic afterwards. “We’re trying to develop our team for next fall,” Dorrance said.

Why not use spring games to develop players for pro play and international play? “The sort of player that ends up on the national team is not subbed out,” he said.

And he had one of those players in Kealia Ohai, Heaberlin’s teammate on the U.S. Under-20 team and the lone scorer in the World Championship final. Plenty of Carolina players could match the Spirit’s speed in a foot race. Ohai was one of the few who could match the actual speed of play, where one- and two-touch play is the norm. “In college, it’s three,” Ohai said.

In the long run, the substitution issue didn’t matter. The typical pro game doesn’t include a change on the fly when a player leaves with a bloody nose — Dorrance couldn’t cite regulations but chalked up to a ref with a brain — but the revolving door at the sideline didn’t affect too drastically.

If anything, the waves of subs provided a good test for the thin Washington team, which had several players on national team duty (UNC was similarly missing Crystal Dunn) and several others injured. Carolina pressed Washington early, beating the Spirit players to the ball and keeping the Spirit stuck in their own end of the field much of the first half-hour. Exhausted UNC midfielder Brooke Elby seemed relieved to see a substitute replacing her in the 28th minute.

“There are going to be some teams that are going to run and gun,” Washington’s elder stateswoman Lori Lindsey said. “They were a good test for us in terms of athleticism.”

The Spirit eventually responded to the high tempo, and coach Mike Jorden let a couple of his own players take a break and return.

“They came out the first 15 minutes and really took it to us,” Spirit coach Mike Jorden said. “As the game went on, we played better.”

Notes:

– Missing Spirit players, national team duty: GK Ashlyn Harris, D Ali Krieger, D Robyn Gayle, M Diana Matheson. Missing due to nagging injuries: D Candace Chapman, M Colleen Williams, F Megan Mischler, D Kika Toulouse. That left Washington with 16 players dressed.

– The absences also left Washington with a makeshift center-back pairing of Tori Huster and Casey Berrier, the latter of whom just arrived in camp after being waived by Kansas City. Berrier struggled at first, with Domenica Hodak racing over to stop a breakaway in her area, but she picked up the pace as the game went on and stayed in for nearly 60 minutes.

– Dorrance didn’t understand the question when I asked for reaction to the closing of Pepper’s Pizza, which is almost as much of a Chapel Hill institution as he is. His players did. “We’re really sad about that,” Ohai said.

Other game reports (will add links as they come in — feel free to add in comments):

– Official Spirit site

– All White Kit

– Equalizer Soccer

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soccer

Washington Spirit preseason roster

Posted on by Beau Dure
No, it's not Hat Day at the Spirit camp. It's about 30 degrees and blustery.
No, it’s not Hat Day at the Spirit camp. It’s about 30 degrees and blustery.

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.

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NWSL supplemental draft: Who arrrre these people?

Posted on by Beau Dure

In case you followed along on Twitter but didn’t place some of the names (it helped that the W-League and other organizations congratulated their alumni as they were drafted, and it also helps that Wikipedia was in a frenzy today) …

And still, these player histories are not comprehensive. If you know something not mentioned here, please say so in the comments.

The year by their college name is their senior season, not their graduation date.

Quick note on WPS drafts: 2008 had a general draft for players who were not allocated. That was one of two drafts before the league started play. The 2009 draft still included non-college players — Briana Scurry and Brandi Chastain were among the selections.

Players in italic are players whose 2013 participation is in doubt. Teams retain their rights through the 2013 season.

FIRST ROUND

1. Washington: Stephanie Ochs, F, San Diego 2011. WPS draft: 2012, first round (third overall). Given the update on Camille Levin (overseas) from my last post, that accounts for everyone in the 2012 first round. 2012 team: Western New York (WPSL Elite).

2. Seattle: Nikki Krzysik, D, Virginia 2008. WPS draft: 2009, second round. Started with Chicago in WPS, moved to Philadelphia and became a defensive cornerstone. 2011 WPS Best XI. 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

3. Boston: Joanna Lohman, M, Penn State 2003. WPS draft: 2008 general, fourth round. Played for Washington and Philadelphia in WPS; also did some time overseas. Reuniting the JoLi Academy crew with Lianne Sanderson already a Breaker. 2012 team: D.C. United Women (W-League).

4. Chicago: Lindsay Tarpley, F, North Carolina 2005. WPS original allocation. Former national team player with some injury concerns in the past. The only Chicago draft pick who didn’t play for Red Stars last season, but she started her WPS career there before moving to St. Louis, Boston and magicJack. 2012 team: Missed season (pregnancy).

5. Sky Blue: Katy Frierson, M, Auburn 2011. WPS draft: 2012, second round. Also played with Atlanta Silverbacks at some point. 2012 team: Western New York (WPSL Elite).

6. Kansas City: Courtney Jones, F, North Carolina 2011. WPS draft: 2012, second round. 2012 team: Boston (WPSL Elite).

7. Western New York: Estelle Johnson, D, Kansas 2009. WPS draft: 2010, third round. Two seasons with Philadelphia (WPS). Currently an assistant coach with Avila University in Colorado. 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite)

8. Portland: Tina Ellertson, D, Washington 2004. WPS original allocation. Played for Saint Louis, Atlanta and magicJack. Longtime friend and teammate of Hope Solo. Former national team player and outstanding marking back. Just one problem: She says she’s not playing this year. Pro Soccer Talk’s Richard Farley says Portland is optimistic about getting Ellertson and fourth-round pick Marian Dalmy. 2012 team: FC Salmon Creek Nemesis 99. OK, she was the coach.

(Still on the board: Goalkeepers, Tasha Kai, Casey Nogueira … unless they’ve all signed elsewhere already.)

SECOND ROUND

1. Washington: Tori Huster, M, Florida State 2011. WPS draft: 2012, second round. Also the first pick in that second round. 2012 teams: Western New York (WPSL Elite) / Newcastle (Australia).

2. Seattle: Lauren Barnes, D, UCLA 2010. WPS draft: 2011, third round. Played for Philadelphia. Assistant coach at UC Riverside in 2012. 2012 team: Beach FC (WPSL)

3. Boston: Katie Schoepfer, F, Penn State 2009. WPS draft: 2010, third round. Played a few games for Sky Blue, then moved to Boston in 2011 and will play for the Breakers in a third league. 2012 team: Boston (WPSL Elite).

4. Chicago: Lauren Fowlkes, D, Notre Dame 2010. WPS draft: 2011, first round (fifth overall). Also formerly Pali Blues. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

5. Sky Blue: Brittany Cameron, GK, San Diego 2008. WPS draft: 2009, eighth round. Played in WPS with Los Angeles, Gold Pride and Western New York. 2012 team: Western New York (WPSL Elite).

6. Kansas City: Bianca Henninger, GK, Santa Clara 2011. WPS draft: 2012, third round. Given the hype around her for years, it’s stunning to see her taken this low. Could be a steal, especially if Nicole Barnhart needs to miss some time. Third-round pick in 2012 WPS draft. 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

7. Western New York: Angela Salem, D, Francis Marion 2009. WPS draft: not selected. Worked her way from small school to WPS, playing a little bit with Sky Blue in 2010 and a little bit more with Atlanta the next year. 2012 teams:  Western New York (WPSL Elite) / Newcastle (Australia).

8. Portland: Angie Kerr, M, Portland 2007. Formerly Angie Woznuk. WPS draft: 2008 general, third round. Has some U.S. national team experience. 2012 team: unknown

THIRD ROUND

1. Washington: Jordan Angeli, M/D, Santa Clara 2009. WPS draft: 2010, second round. Played for Boston in WPS. Has had a few injury problems but has tweeted that she’s excited to be joining the Spirit and working toward a return. 2012 team: None

2. Seattle: Laura Heyboer, F, Michigan 2011. WPS draft: 2012, fourth round. 2012 club: Western New York (WPSL Elite).

3. Boston: Bianca D’Agostino, M, Wake Forest 2010. WPS draft: 2011, third round. Also played for Penn State. Played for Atlanta in her WPS season. 2012 team: Boston (WPSL Elite).

4. Chicago: Michelle Wenino, D, Colorado 2008. Whirlwind three years with Chicago, Freiburg (Germany), Pali Blues and Sky Blue. Also does sales and finance for GQ Formalwear. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

5. Sky Blue: CoCo Goodson, D, UC Irvine 2011. WPS draft: 2012, second round. 2012 team: FC Twente (Netherlands).

6. Kansas City: Merritt Mathias, F, Texas A&M 2011. Started college at North Carolina. Not picked in WPS draft. 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

7. Western New York: Kim Yokers, M, Cal-Berkeley 2003. Played with FC Gold Pride in WPS, 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

8. Portland: Michele Weissenhofer, F, Notre Dame 2009. WPS draft: 2010, fourth round. Played in Germany with Essen-Schonebeck. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

FOURTH ROUND

1. Washington: Tasha Kai, F, Hawaii 2005. PWow! Longtime national team player gets picked this late? Are they taking a chance that she’s interested in playing? Played for Sky Blue and Philadelphia. 2012 team: As far as I can find, none.

2. Seattle: Liz Bogus, F, Arizona State 2005. WPS draft: 2008 general, third round. Played a lot of places, including Pali Blues, before stints with Los Angeles and Boston in WPS. 2012 team: Pali Blues (W-League).

3. Boston: Jasmyne Spencer, F, Maryland 2011. WPS draft: 2012, fourth round. Short but speedy and effective scorer. 2012 teams: New York (WPSL Elite)/Brondby (Denmark).

4. Chicago: Jackie Santacaterina, D, Illinois 2009. WPS draft: 2010, seventh round. Went to Chicago in the WPSL instead, and she’s still there. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

5. Sky Blue: Meghan Lenczyk, F, Virginia 2010. WPS draft: 2011, third round. Played for Atlanta. 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

6. Kansas City: Casey (Nogueira) Loyd, M, North Carolina 2009. WPS draft: 2010, first round (eighth overall). Played for Chicago and Sky Blue. Longtime U.S. youth international star seems to have dropped off the map, and there’s some concern that she might not play. Married FC Dallas’ Zach Loyd — maybe Sporting KC can trade for him so she’ll play? 2012 team: FC Dallas (WPSL).

7. Western New York: Val Henderson, GK, UCLA (NCAA). WPS draft: 2009, fifth round. Played for Los Angeles and Philadelphia in WPS and had signed with Atlanta for 2012. Also played in Sweden. Assistant coach at San Jose State and traveled to Singapore for coaching exchange. If she’s planning to play, it’s incredible that she was still on the board this late. 2012 team: Bay Area Breeze (WPSL).

8. Portland: Marian Dalmy, D, Santa Clara 2006. WPS draft: 2008 general, third round. Played for Chicago and magicJack. Another former national team player. Clearly, teams are now drafting in the hopes that some of these players will be persuaded to play now or later. Got married in early 2012. 2012 team: Can’t find one listed.

FIFTH ROUND

1. Washington: Megan Mischler, F, West Virginia 2010. Tweeted her excitement about being picked by the Spirit. Former PR assistant with Boston and fellow Our Game contributor. Also works on gameday PR for Pittsburgh Steelers. 2012 team: Hammarby (Sweden).

2. Seattle: Michelle Betos, GK, Georgia 2009. Also appears on past rosters for Atlanta Silverbacks, Boston Aztec, Apollon (Cyprus) and, most improbably, River Plate (Argentina). 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

3. Boston: Lauren Alkek, D, Oklahoma 2010. WPS draft: 2011, fourth round. Played for Bay Area Breeze in 2011. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

4. Chicago: Alyssa Mautz, M, Texas A&M 2010.  WPS draft: 2011, third round. Played for Sky Blue. Has been tweeting her excitement about the new league. 2012 team: Chicago (WPSL Elite).

5. Sky Blue: Kandace Wilson, D, Cal State Fullerton 2005. WPS draft: 2008 general, second round. Played for Ajax America and Pali Blues before WPS, then played for Gold Pride and Western New York (WPS).  Assistant coach at alma mater. 2012 team: Not found

6. Kansas City: Tina DiMartino, M, UCLA 2008. WPS draft: 2009, first round (third overall, between Megan Rapinoe and Yael Averbuch). Another former national team player, also played for Gold Pride, St. Louis and Philadelphia in WPS. How is she still available this late? Equalizer’s Dan Lauletta says she “has no intention of playing in NWSL.” 2012 team: New York (WPSL Elite).

7. Western New York: Ashley Grove, F, Maryland 2011. Trained with Paul Riley SuperGroup. 2012 team: Rochester (W-League).

8. Portland: Jessica Shufelt, F, Connecticut 2011. 2012 team: Ottawa Fury (W-League).

SIXTH ROUND

1. Washington: Heather Cooke, D, Loyola (Md) 2009. Appeared on The Real World: Las Vegas. Then she worked in the nuclear and fitness industries. And she played for the Philippines. 2012 team: FC Jax Destroyers (W-League).

2. Seattle: Kaley Fountain, D, Wake Forest 2009. WPS draft: 2010, second round. Played for Gold Pride, Atlanta and Western New York. Also did some reporting for CSN Bay Area. Tweeted that she will not be playing. 2012 team: Romney.

3. Boston: Jessica Luscinski, M, Boston University 2011. WPS draft: 2012, fourth round. Played college soccer in Boston, drafted by Boston, played WPSL Elite in Boston, playing NWSL … in Boston. 2012 team: Boston (WPSL Elite).

4. Chicago: Pass

5. Sky Blue: Allison Falk, D, Stanford 2008. WPS draft: 2009, second round. Scored first goal in WPS history for Los Angeles, then first goal in Philadelphia Independence history. WPS Defender of the Year finalist in 2010. Continued with Philly in 2011. Now an account executive at Eventbrite in the Bay Area. 2012 team: California Storm (WPSL), though no stats listed.

6. Kansas City: Casey Berrier, D, Loyola (Ill.) 2009. Retweeted the NWSL tweet of her selection. 2012 team: PK-35 (Finland).

7. Western New York: Pass

8. Portland: Pass

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NWSL ready to take its supplements

Posted on by Beau Dure

We still have a couple of vacancies in each club’s allotment of free agent signings — presumably signings that the team and league know about but have not yet officially approved, stamped, notarized, sealed with the blood of a pirate or whatever they need to do to make such things “official.” And yet we’re moving ahead with the Supplemental Draft at noon ET.

Who else is available? Let’s take a look, bearing in mind that most of us have no idea whether these players are actually planning to play this year:

– WPS Best XI 2011: Harris, Sinclair and Wambach were allocated. McNeill and Buczkowski signed as free agents. Engen is in England. Riley is in Sweden. Marta, Seger and Boquete are with Sweden’s Tyreso (along with Christen Press and Meghan Klingenberg — dang, that’s some team). Sweden plays a summer schedule, so unless someone moves midseason, those players would seem to be off the table. Engen could conceivably come back earlier.

That leaves Nikki Krzysik.

Jeff Kassouf also drew up a Best XI. Huffman has signed, Ellertson has declared she won’t play. That leaves Tasha Kai, who was last seen coaching in Las Vegas. She’s not on the USA Rugby player pool at the moment, though she played a bit with the sevens squad not too long ago.

– WPS 2012 draft: Leroux and Noyola were allocated. Henderson is an unconfirmed Kansas City signing. Hagen plays for Bayern Munich. Taylor and Deines (Taylor Dayne?) signed with Seattle. Wells signed with Washington.

That leaves first-rounders Stephanie Ochs and Camille Levin, along with most of the next three rounds.

– W-League All-League 2012: Averbuch is overseas. Cox is pregnant. Huffman’s already accounted for. Perez was allocated to WNY. Others may be anyone’s guess.

– Goalkeepers: Where are Val Henderson and Bianca Henninger?

– Others to consider: Joanna Lohman, Casey Nogueira.

Everyone ready? Check back for updates …

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soccer

NWSL free agent update: Feb. 9

Posted on by Beau Dure

Updated after the Supplemental Draft. No, we didn’t know all the free agent signings by then. A couple were announced shortly thereafter.

Here’s what we know or think we know so far:

BOSTON
1. Cat Whitehill, D
2. Lianne Sanderson, F
3. Kia McNeill, D
4. Kyah Simon, F (announced after draft)

CHICAGO
1. Leslie Osborne, M
2. Lori Chalupny, M
3. Ella Masar, F
4. Taryn Hemmings, D
5. Jessica McDonald, F (replacement for Amy LePeilbet; announced after draft)

KANSAS CITY
1. Jen Buczkowski, M
2. Sinead Farrelly, M (not confirmed)
3. Melissa Henderson, M (confirmed on draft day)
4. Leigh Ann Robinson, D (confirmed on draft day)

PORTLAND
1. Allie Long, M
2. Nikki Washington, D
3. Becky Edwards, M
4. Nikki Marshall, D/F

SEATTLE
1. Jess Fishlock, M
2. Kate Deines, D
3. Tiffany Cameron, F
4. Lindsay Taylor, F
5. Elli Reed, D (replacement for Amy Rodriguez; announced day after draft)

SKY BLUE
1. Brittany Bock, D/M
2. Manya Makoski, M/F
3. Danesha Adams, F
4. Lisa De Vanna, F

WASHINGTON
1. Candace Chapman, D (confirmed day after draft)
2. Chantel Jones, GK
3. Ingrid Wells, M
4. ???
5. ??? (compensation for late-arriving allocated player(s))

WESTERN NEW YORK
1. McCall Zerboni, M
2. Adriana, F
3. Samantha Kerr, M
4. Sarah Huffman, D
5. Brittany Taylor, D (compensation for receiving only two allocations)

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