WPS CHAMPIONSHIP

Los Angeles Sol v NJ Sky Blue FC Sat Aug 22nd 4pm ET Live on FSN and CSN


Well this is it. The Inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer comes to a close with the championship game between Los Angeles Sol and NJ Sky Blue FC at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

We are back to where it all started.72 matches down, where the regular season champions, the no1 seeds Los Angeles look to cement themselves a place in history as the inaugural champions against the gritty, New Jersey team who stumbled into the playoffs, then bulldozed through to the Final with grit and determination by upsetting the no2 and no3 seeded teams.

Captains Shannon Boxx and Christie Rampone are very good friends from being in the US National team but all that is put aside as they battle for the title. Both have endured vastly different routes to this moment.

Sky Blue FC – the number four seed – has the unenviable task of playing its third playoff game on the road in eight days, the New Jersey side is also on a roll, playing some of its best soccer of the season. After highly inspirational victories over the Washington Freedom and Saint Louis Athletica in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Sky Blue FC will be hoping that momentum and adrenaline will be key factors to help the team bring home the title.

Los Angeles Sol wrapped up the top seed in the playoffs and the right to host the championship match weeks ago. Understandably, with the regular season title secured, Los Angeles closed the season with some subpar results winning just once in its final four games. The last match for the Sol was two weekends ago – a 2-1 road victory over the Boston Breakers on a penalty kick by Shannon Boxx in stoppage time.

In addition to the lengthy time off, the Sol will also have to deal with the absence of an important player in Camille Abily, who is with the France National Team for the UEFA Women’s Euro Championship. Abily was second in WPS with eight goals in the regular season.
Sky Blue FC will be missing key defender Anita Asante and reserve goalkeeper Karen Bardsley – the two are with England for the Euros – but the team has done well defensively in their absence.

So roll on the Final. How will Los Angeles cope without the calm play in midfield of Abily, how much longer can the legs of the Sky Blue players hold up, which captain is going to be the first ever person to hold aloft that championship trophy?