WPS PREVIEW WEEK 16

Boston Breakers v NJ Sky Blue FC Sun July 12th 6.pm ET Live FSC & Webcast

The Boston Breakers look to bounce back from last week’s 1-0 loss at Sky Blue FC in a rematch between the two squads, Sunday at 6 p.m. at Harvard Stadium.

The Breakers (5-5-3, 18 points) fell to third place in the standings following last week’s loss, and have yet to take any points from their two previous meetings against Sky Blue FC – both of which were in New Jersey. The only other team in the league that Boston has yet to defeat is FC Gold Pride, although Boston did take a point from the Pride with a 1-1 draw on June 17.

Sky Blue FC (4-6-3, 15 points), meanwhile, climbed out of a last-place tie with FC Gold Pride with last week’s win and now sit just one point behind the Washington Freedom for the fourth and final playoff spot. Heather O’Reilly scored directly from the corner flag in the sixth minute for the game’s only goal last week. In both previous meetings, Sky Blue FC managed to grab an early lead within the first six minutes of play.

The playoff race is heating up with five weeks remaining in the season. Los Angeles (11-2-4, 37 points) has already clinched one playoff spot and can finish no worse than third. The Sol had a chance to clinch the regular season title on Wednesday against Saint Louis, but lost for just the second time this season. Athletica (7-5-2, 23 points) put some distance between themselves and the Breakers with the win, but Boston does have one game in hand.

The Breakers have a slim two-point lead over fourth-place Washington, and a three-point lead of fifth-place Sky Blue FC. Chicago (3-6-5, 14 points) won for the first time since April 25 last week and are back in the picture, just two points out of fourth place. FC Gold Pride (3-7-3, 12 points) are still very much alive, just four points behind Washington with seven matches remaining.

Sunday’s matchup between Boston and Sky Blue FC is the third of four scheduled regular season contests between the two. The teams will meet once more at Harvard Stadium on July 25. This will also be the fifth of six Breakers games to be broadcast nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. Boston is 0-3-1 in the previous four, but did break their TV slump with a 1-0 win over the Washington Freedom on June 24, a match shown live regionally on Comcast SportsNet.

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Chicago Red Stars v FC Gold Pride Sun July 12th 8.pm ET Live CSN

The Chicago Red Stars look to continue their push towards the Women’s Professional Soccer playoffs this Sunday when they host FC Gold Pride for a 7 pm match at TOYOTA PARK. The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and webcast on www.chicagoredstars.com.

Coming off their first win in two months, the Red Stars (3-6-5, 14 pts.) enter the weekend just two points out of fourth place in the WPS standings. Last week Chicago scored a pair of second half goals to beat Washington, in the process becoming the first team in WPS history to come from behind to win a game.

Red Stars forward Lindsay Tarpley earned WPS Player of the Week honors for her performance against Washington. The Chicago captain scored the game-winning goal, her third of the season, and assisted Cristiane on the Red Stars’ other tally.

FC Gold Pride (3-7-3) has found success against Chicago this season, with Christine Sinclair scoring two of her team-leading five goals against the Red Stars. FC Gold Pride’s roster features Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett, two members of the 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup team, as well as Brookfield, Wisc., native and former Chicago Eclipse star Leslie Osborne.

Sunday marks the fifth television appearance for the Red Stars this season, and the second on Comcast SportsNet. The voice of the Red Stars, Dean Linke, will be joined by former U.S. Women’s National Team member and current Northwestern University assistant women’s soccer coach Danielle Slaton in the broadcast booth. Sarah Kustok will provide reports from the sidelines during the match.

The Red Stars will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the U.S. championship at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup this Sunday, July 12th at TOYOTA PARK. World Cup heroes Brandi Chastain, Kate Markgraf, Tiffeny Milbrett and Briana Scurry will be on hand to interact with fans. The Red Stars are offering a special 99-cent ticket offer for the 7 pm match, with an additional ticket purchased at the group discount rate. The first 100 fans to purchase tickets in the midfield section will have the opportunity to take a postgame photo with Chastain, Markgraf, Milbrett, Scurry and the 1999 World Cup trophy. Call 1-866-WPS-2009 today to order your seats, or log on to www.chicagoredstars.com for more information!

With seven games remaining in the season, the Pride is still within striking distance of a playoff berth, currently standing only four points behind the fourth place Washington Freedom. The Pride can overtake the Red Stars with a win and three points, while also closing in on the Freedom, who have the weekend off.

After having missed last Sunday's match against the Athletica due to a prior commitment, the Pride will see Tiffeny Milbrett's offensive presence return to the field as she travels with the team to face the Red Stars. Milbrett is currently the team's second leading goal scorer and will look to help the Pride find the back of the net while in Chicago. The Pride has not scored since they tied the Boston Breakers 1-1 on June 17.