WPA Season I, Women's Professional Soccer - USA

[dafyd]

Well, find myself home sick today, and to my surprise found that my local Fox Sports channel is showing a replay of Sunday's LA Sol vs Chicago Red Stars. Up until today, I hadn't caught sight of any stories on the new league, but then I hadn't gone out of my way to look, either.

I did do a search and found their website:

WPL Website

With 7 teams, and everyone playing each other 3 times, the regular season, we're almost down to the playoffs as the teams have played 18-19 games each.

From the game I'm watching (6 minutes to go) it looks like a lot of the players involve are feeling the wear of a long summer season. Marta still looks dangerous for LA, but has been so heavily defended that she hasn't been able to put away any chances, and the chances she's created for others have been squashed or outright blown. (til just now... nice cross by Marta, headed back across the box by Boxx... didn't catch who scored the goal though... and in the time it took me to type that Chicago scores their 3rd.)

Biggest problem from my perspective is that the games are shown on FSC, which I don't get. Some day I'm going to be back to working for a decent wage and I'll rectify that...

[shelsoccer]

I have to admit that I haven't made much of an effort to follow the WPS. I do get FSC, but the late Sunday afternoon time slot seems to escape me. Either something else on I'd rather watch, I'm doing something else or I just plain forget.

From what I have seen, I think the level of play is on par with the old WUSA. However, the WPS's (understandable) low-budget approach kinda leaves it in that netherworld of "niche sports." On top of that, the lustre of the '99 WWC has long worn off and the stars of that era have left the game. Except for Chastain, who is still trying to hang on.

[dafyd]

Shel, I was thinking about the level of play as I was watching. It seemed poorer to me, but then I reflected on that. MLS has improved over the years. Back when the WUSA was around I'd watch it over MLS because the women at that time had a better understanding of the game, over all. In fact, back then I'd avoid MLS games, what little I saw of it was painful to watch.

That isn't the case anymore. I still don't watch as much MLS as I could, but at least the level of play has risen to a tolerable level.

Now the women are starting back up again, and have a ways to go to get to a level where the best players aren't dominating play.

[raconteur]

The WPS Final is on Saturday between Los Angeles Sol and Sky Blue FC, a team I'm not sure where theya re from. An interetsing playoff format in the WPS. Four teams made the playoffs, 3rd seed hosted the 4th seed with the winner playing at the 2nd seed, the winner of that advances to play regular season champion Los Angeles Sol. It definitely rewards a team for it's regualr season success. So will Sky Blue playing it's 3rd game in 8 days or the completely rested home team Los Angeles have the advantage?

Here is a preview on the final:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-w...ov=ap&type=lgns

LA's key players are Marta and Shannon Boxx while Sky Blue are led by player coach Christie Rampone (the club's 3rd coach of the season!), Natasha Kai and Heather O'Reilly.

[shelsoccer]

Sky Blue FC -- from New Jersey -- certainly has had a roller coaster season, barely squeaking into the playoffs. LA, on the other hand, has been the class of the league all season. It'll be a major upset if the Sol don't take the championship.

[Manzanares]

Thanks for the info shelsoccer on where Sky Blue Fc is located. Like raconteur I ahd no idea where they were from. I kinda suspected the battle tested Sky Blues would win the title and they did 1-0, with a first half goal by O'Reilly. Shortly thereafter according to this article, LA went down a player and they were in a hole after that which they could not climb out of:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AjgQ...ov=ap&type=lgns

[Yogi]

That is the anamoly of the league's playoff system, in this championship game, one team was playing it's third playoff match, the other it's first. One goal and one red card later and it is the underdog but playoff tested Sky Blue winning the title.

This article outlines some of the coaching problems Sky Blue went through on their way to the championship,

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=ArhF...ov=ap&type=lgns