There are three teams still in the hunt, but only two playoff spots remain.It's all come down to this final weekend.
In a nutshell really all teams need to win. They are in control of their own destiny.
Washington Freedom v NJ Sky Blue FC Sat Aug 8 7pm ET Live Audio HERE
This game is a playoff elimination match.Regardless of the outcome of this game, one of the teams will have to sit back and watch the Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol game on Sunday to see if they qualify for the WPS Playoffs.
Why both matches were not scheduled at the same time mystifies us here.
Sky Blue FC take on the Washington Freedom at the Maryland Soccerplex in a must win game.
Sky Blue FC and the Washington Freedom enter the match tied on points with a 7-7-5 record for 26 points but Washington holds the head-to-head tiebreaker at this point with a win and a tie in the two previous meetings between the teams.
Sky Blue FC heads into the match on the heels of an impressive 2-0 victory over FC Gold Pride on Wednesday night. Rosana and Natasha Kai scored goals while Karen Bardsley posted the shutout in goal as a surprise starter.
The Freedom dropped a 3-2 decision on the road to FC Gold Pride last Saturday in the team’s most recent action. That result broke a four-match unbeaten run for Washington, which had posted three straight wins to climb to third place in the standings. Abby Wambach scored three goals during the winning streak to earn WPS Player of the Month honors for July.
Sonia Bompastor is still available to play for Washington. This will be her last game. She leaves to join her French national teamates for Euro 2009 on Monday.
The Freedom signed goalkeeper Katie Forbis due to injuries to their backup keepers. Forbis had been playing with the Charlotte W-League team before joining the Freedom last week.
For Sky Blue. Goalkeeper Jenni Branam could make her return after sitting out Wednesday's match. English defender Anita Asante returns straight to the starting line-up from suspension as she will also play her last game before leaving for the Euro 2009 championships.
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Boston Breakers v Los Angeles Sol Sun Aug 9th 6pm ET Live FSC & Webcast
The Boston Breakers come into Sunday’s regular-season finale (6 p.m., Harvard Stadium) against the league-leading Los Angeles Sol needing at least a tie, and maybe more, in order to secure a playoff spot.
The Breakers (7-8-4, 25 points) find themselves in fifth place coming into the weekend, one point behind both the Washington Freedom and Sky Blue FC, which play each other on Saturday. Only two of the three teams will earn a spot in the playoffs.
The Breakers, who are the only team that is unbeaten this season against the Sol, come into Sunday’s match having lost two-straight - both 1-0 decisions on the road to Washington and Saint Louis. Boston has not scored a goal in 345 minutes, the team’s longest such streak this season. Conversely, the team’s defense has been stellar, allowing just two goals in the past five matches.
Los Angeles has seen their momentum slow down in recent weeks. The Sol booked their playoff spot early on back on June 29, and subsequently clinched the WPS Regular Season title on July 23. Los Angeles has won just once since securing that playoff spot, a 1-0 win over Washington on July 5, and are just 1-2-1 in July and August.
The teams’ only previous meetings came in a home-and-home series in early May. The Breakers became the first team in the league to score upon, and defeat the Sol with a 2-1 win on May 2 at home. The teams drew, 0-0, eight days later in California.
Kelly Smith and Alex Scott will play their last games for the Breakers. Scott coming back from a suspension. Head coach Tony DiCicco is also back from suspension.
The Sol may start again without French star Camille Abily or maybe they will let her play the final game to try and get the win.
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FC Gold Pride v Saint Louis Athletica Sun Aug 9th 8pm ET
The final game of the 2009 WPS Regular Season will see FC Gold Pride and Saint Louis Athletica play at Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara.
The Pride is currently 0-2-1 against the Athletica and is looking to finish out its season with a victory. Both teams have already secured their postseason fate. The Pride will remain out of contention for a playoff berth despite the outcome of Sunday’s match while the Athletica earned a guaranteed playoff berth earlier in the season with a win over the Boston Breakers on August 1.
On July 22, a late goal by Christine Sinclair knotted the score at 1-1 for the Pride and kept Saint Louis from clinching a playoff berth for another week.
Brazilian star Formiga is still a doubt to start the match for Gold Pride.
Athletica again will look to shape their side for the upcoming playoff game. Christie Welsh could start again after scoring twice on Wednesday against the Red Stars.
A win over Saint Louis would give Gold Pride a win over five of the league’s six teams they have faced during the course of the season – proving the depth of WPS in its Inaugural Season that on any given day, any team can win.
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