Group B encounters with the Ferns taking on the Nadeshiko. Look out for Japan with
their midfield creativity in Aya Miyama and captain Homare Sawa.
Miyama played for the Los Angeles Sol and St Louis Athletica in the WPS before they folded up
while Sawa is Abby Wambach's team mate in the Washington Freedom.
As much as Major League Soccer officials like to bash college soccer for not developing young
talent, the biggest challenge for professional soccer to continue to grow and develop players in
the United States is the establishment of a successful second division.
With the NASL and USL D2 going through his trials and tribulations to coexist, Paul Kennedy of
Soccer America writes of what's left of D2 soccer in the United States.
IMS has learned today that AC St. Louis General Manager Tim Owen made phone calls to his players
on Sunday informing them the club would not be in operation next season. The phone calls were made
in an effort to make sure players could make other arrangements for the 2011 season.
The following is a guest post by Brad Smith of MySoccerImage.com
WPS Problems Start in the Boardroom, Not on the Field
The latest announcement from the FC Gold Pride and the Washington Freedom has sent panic around the
WPS. This has come on the heels of the Los Angeles Sol folding, and the mid-season St Louis
Athletica debacle.
Women's Professional Soccer just wrapped up their second season of action last weekend and they
also recently announced the potential expansion of the league with a new eighth team to add to the
league. The WPS lent out conditional approval to a new club that will be located in western New
York as long as everything works out.
The Free Beer Movement - Chicken Soup for the Solo: Support Hope Solo's Recovery
Long time readers of the Free Beer Movement know how much we love Hope Solo. She's even an
honorary "free beer mover" after she bought St. Louis Athletica fans' beer during her time with the
club before they folded.
Part of making early season predictions is to come back around and evaluate them at the end of
the year. First, things I got right:
Sky Blue = meh
What I said:
I'll admit to being a bit flabbergasted by people picking Sky Blue to repeat. ...
really, until that team shows it's not going to eat multiple coaches during the season, I don't
rate them all that much higher than other teams.
USA's First-Choice 'Keeper to be Out Five-Six
Months
CHICAGO (Sept. 17, 2010) U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo will undergo surgery on
Wednesday, Sept. 22, on her right shoulder. Renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews will perform the
procedure in Birmingham, Ala.
A couple bits of information came my way in the wake of Tonya Antonucci's resignation as WPS
commissioner. First, the league office being funded by national sponsorships was intended to be a
feature, not a bug, as I might have implied. When I said:
Apparently the owners thought that 11% of the total budget was too much for a central
office that couldn't keep teams in the field and was running at break-even while the teams
themselves were floundering.
Women's Professional Soccer's second season is building to a....conclusion, and its sophomore
year has been an interesting one. On the field, FC Gold Pride (with The World's Best PlayerTM) has
already clinched the regular-season championship and will host the final on September 26,
Marta's 15 goals lead the league, two expansion teams joined the fold and one of
them opened a fabulous new stadium.
The Philadelphia Independence struck early when they traveled to Yurcak Field in Piscataway, NJ,
on Saturday and never looked back. Five minutes after first kick, Amy Rodriguez made a run down the
right and crossed to Danesha Adams, who struck a one-touch volley into the back of the net.
In the 17th minute Adams, making her first start of the season, returned the favor when she made
a lovely through pass to Rodriguez, who promptly buried a shot past Sky Blue keeper Amanda
Luckenbill.
This is what happened on Week 8 of WPS after a little rescheduling of games. FC Gold Pride (#1)
hosted the Washington Freedom (#2). Sky Blue FC (#4) took a little road trip down to Philly to face
the Independence (#3), and the Athletica Atlanta Beat (#7), now being called Atlantica (Hope Solo
started it!
The top of the ranks for Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league remained unchanged with the FC
Gold Pride's 1-1 tie tonight in the game against the Washington Freedom. The big news of the week,
of course, was the acquisition of Shannon Boxx (formerly of the Saint Louis Athletica) on Thursday
by the Pride.
The other two players with Wisconsin ties who played for defunct Women's Professional Soccer
club Saint Louis Athletica will be playing in Chicago this summer.
Defender Elise Weber (UW) signed a developmental contract with the Chicago Red
Stars on Friday. Midfielder Sarah Teegarden (UW-Milwaukee), meanwhile, joined the
Chicago Red Eleven – the Red Stars' affiliate in the United Soccer Leagues W-League.
From a second red card for Philly this season (compared to 4 red cards last year in the entire
season), to a game being canceled, to more of the same old Atlanta Beat happenings, to new player
signings, to a new, revised schedule, to the firing of a coach it has been a crazy week in WPS, to
say the least.
The Saint Louis Athletica in Women's Professional Soccer are shutting down their franchise as a
funding crisis hasleft the team without the necessary funds to operate for the 2010 WPS Season. The
Athletica players will be available as free agents to other WPS teams as of Tuesday, June 1.
Just two weeks ago, the league learned of a cash flow shortage at St.
From an actual reporter on the ground, and not just bloggers and fans who let the hurt blind
them to simple explanations, we get this from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Tom
Timmerman.
The different fates for the men's and women's teams happened because of different decisions by
their leagues.
On nagging question was never answered in yesterdays press release from the WPS. What changes
will happen within the league to allow players to move from Athletica now that they have folded? In
other words, the league has roster size limits along with Salary caps and none of those issues were
addressed in yesterdays statement.
Today a soccer team in the USA folded because of a "funding crisis."Â Â
I didn't cry.  Frankly, I barely blinked.
It made me realize that while I care deeply about the success of soccer in the USA, if I'm
honest, I care deeply about the success of men's soccer in the USA.
The financial mess in St. Louis has claimed its first victim. It was announced that St. Louis
Athletica of the WPS will fold, becoming the second club to fold this year in the league. Jeff
Cooper, one of the financial backers in St. Louis, broke the news to the team.
A financial crisis that impacts both the Athletica and the USSF D-2 side A.
The financial mess in St. Louis has claimed its first victim. It was announced that St. Louis
Athletica of the WPS will fold, becoming the second club to fold this year in the league. Jeff
Cooper, one of the financial backers in St. Louis, broke the news to the team.
A financial crisis that impacts both the Athletica and the USSF D-2 side A.
The WPS has released a statement cofirming what IMS had stated early today. All players from St.
Louis Athletica will be released from their contracts and allowed to sign with other teams as
free agents. However, the release did not state if salary caps from WPS teams
would change to allow for teams to take on more players.
Separate meetings were held today with players of both St. Louis Athletica and AC St. Louis.
Jeff Cooper co-owner of the teams presided over both meetings and according to a source it's the
first time players had seen the St. Louis attorney in months.
Cooper did the good-news-bad-news routine with players of each team.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirms and Women's Professional Soccer is supposed to
officially announce soon the demise of Saint Louis Athletica for financial reasons.
The tandem of Athletica and AC St. Louis has been under severe pressure recently after overseas
investors supposedly pulled their support of the clubs.
Yesterday former FC Gold Pride GM Ilisa Kessler did an interview with Jay Hipps of Center Line
Soccer on the demise of FC Gold Pride. Kessler says she knew the NeSmiths were looking for
investors, but only found out less than a month ago that they were planning on getting out of the
league.
I'm still looking at the escrow payment as what caused this.
Is USWNT holding midfielder Shannon Boxx the kiss of death for WPS teams?
Women's Professional Soccer announced today that St. Louis Athetica is shutting down immediately
after losing its major financial backer, following in the footsteps of the LA Sol, which folded at
the end of last season for the same reason.
Rumors were trickling in this past week that Jeff Cooper, owner of the USSF D2 Pro League team
AC St. Louis had found a new owner. On Friday the story seemed to be taking shape and by Friday
evening it was confirmed by numerous St. Louis soccer insiders. Here what IMS has learned.
If you've been following the news releases from D2 teams recently you know that many teams have
been bolstering their rosters before the August 31 deadline. As is often done at this time of year,
clubs add players they feel could help them make a playoff run.
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- What a difference a year makes for Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian
Loyden.
Last season, the Vineland, N.J., native played second fiddle to U.S. Women's National Team starting
goalkeeper and former Saint Louis Athletica starter Hope Solo. Loyden had a few opportunities in
the net during the inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer campaign, including a shutout against
the Red Stars.
Lindsay Tarpley is headed to her third Women's Professional Soccer team in the
league's two years.
The Madison native agreed to terms Thursday with the Boston Breakers, two days after she became
a free agent. Tarpley was in her first season with Saint Louis Athletica, but the club folded last
week for financial reasons.
Three state women's soccer players are looking for new teams after Saint Louis Athletica became
the second Women's Professional Soccer club this year to fold due to financial problems.
Midfielder-forward Lindsay Tarpley (Madison), defender Elise
Weber (UW) and rookie midfielder Sarah Teegarden (UW-Milwaukee) will
become free agents Tuesday, the league announced Thursday.
The St. Louis Athletica women's soccer team didn't have to shut down and fold the way it did
yesterday. Attorney Jeff Cooper, the former owner of the team, has a lot to answer for in regards
to the financial troubles that trickled into public view only a week ago. Not to mention the
inherent sexism in shutting down the more-established, less-financially risky women's team in favor
of the men's team that appears to have caused the whole financial mess in the first place.
The St. Louis Athletica women's soccer team didn't have to shut down and fold the way it did
yesterday. Attorney Jeff Cooper, the former owner of the team, has a lot to answer for in regards
to the financial troubles that trickled into public view only a week ago. Not to mention the
inherent sexism in shutting down the more-established, less-financially risky women's team in favor
of the men's team that appears to have caused the whole financial mess in the first place.
Reason 83 for why I love Peter Nowak: He gives his former club shit for employing defensive
tactics against the Union. "We were surprised from the minute the game started that the team that's
supposed to play attacking soccer played with 10 guys in the back, behind the ball.
Goal.com has a head to head preview of Saturday's Union's match against Houston. Their
prediction: the Union gets loss number six. My prediction: Flyers win. You can read the PSP preview
here.
The Daily News looks at rumors that the Union is pursuing Fabio Cannavaro. Sources at the Union
also tell the paper that signing MLS journeyman Carlos Ruiz is "in the works.
The beat (no pun intended) goes on for the Independence, announcing the signing of former US
Women's National Team standout, Lori Chalupny earlier today. Chalupny comes to Philadelphia from
the Atlanta Beat, where she played in 17 games and scored two goals. "Lori is a world class
midfielder. She has great vision, is a fantastic engine and can play both the percentage and
million dollar pass," Philadelphia head coach Paul Riley told the official Independence website
today.
Actually, it's another grey morning here in Lewiston ... but if memory serves, the sun will
break through!Â
Yesterday was full of wonderful moments, great and small ... and I must say that by @ 8PM I was
ready for bed (while the students, embarking on their last night of undergraduate life .
