Boston Breakers v Los Angeles Sol Highlights

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BOSTON BREAKERS 1 - 2 LOS ANGELES SOL

The Boston Breakers’ hopes of making the playoffs ended in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Sol on Sunday night at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.

Needing a win to advance to the playoffs the loss ends Boston’s season, as they finish in fifth place, one point behind Sky Blue FC who earns the fourth and final playoff spot. The Sol (12-3-5, 41 points), the number one seed in the playoffs, will await to host the 2009 WPS Championship on August 22.

Los Angeles started off the stronger. In the 3rd minute Chinese international Han Duan took the ball down the right side, and cut around defender Alex Scott, goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill came out to grab the ball before she could get her shot off. Aya Miyama had an opportunity when Aly Wagner bent a ball right in front of the net for her to connect on, but she hit it wide.

The Breakers opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Kristine Lilly send a long ball from the left side ahead of Kelly Smith, who ran past defenders and hit a low shot past Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc into the left corner. Smith ends her season as the Breakers leading scorer with six goals.

Boston continued to be on the offensive after its goal, and had chances to add to its lead towards the end of the half. In the 31st minute, Smith, this time sent a ball to Lilly, but LeBlanc picked it up before she was able to catch it. In the 34th minute, Heather Mitts intercepted a ball, changing the direction of play and sending a cross into the box, but nobody was able to connect on it for a shot.

Into the 2nd half and Los Angeles started to connect with their passes and put some pressure on the Breakers who were finding it difficult to create the same chances like they did in the 1st half.French Midfielder Camille Abilly came on and made an immediate impact. This was to be her last game as she returns to France for Euro 2009 preparations.

It paid off as the tying goal was scored in the 59th minute, when Marta received a long ball over the Breakers defense from Wagner, and lifted it over goalkeeper Luckenbill who had hesitated in coming out, into the bottom left corner of the net. It was Marta’s league-leading 10th goal of the year.

After Marta’s equalizer, the Breakers pressed to get the lead back. Scott sent the ball through to Lilly in the 56th minute toward the left side of goal, but her shot went right into LeBlanc’s gloves.Smith and second-half substitute Amy Rodriguez had the best chances to regain the lead. Smith shot a free kick in the 70th minute that just grazed the crossbar. Rodriguez’ fellow second-half sub Christine Latham fought for the ball on the end line and slide tackled the ball for Rodriguez at the top of the area, but the forward’s shot went high in the 78th minute.

In stoppage time, Marta drew a foul in the penalty area, and Shannon Boxx sealed Boston’s fate with a penalty kick goal to the upper right corner of the net.

Boston Breakers Head Coach TonY DiCicco

“I’m very proud of our team, but we just came short,It was a very frustrating season. During the last home game we dominated Sky Blue FC, who’s in the playoffs ahead of us. This game here I thought that we had some pretty good looks to get the second goal, but we didn’t connect. When you keep a team like L.A. in the game, they did what they needed to do in the second half.”


Lineups
BOSTON: Kristin Luckenbill; Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Candace Chapman (Amy Rodriguez, 74th minute), Heather Mitts; Maggie Tomecka, Kristine Lilly, Angela Hucles, Mary-Frances Monroe (Kelly Schmedes, 64th minute), Fabiana (Christine Latham, 68th minute); Kelly Smith.


LOS ANGELES: Karina LeBlanc; Keri Sanchez (Camille Abily, 46th minute), Allison Falk, Brittany Bock, Stephanie Cox; Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, Manya Makoski, Aly Wagner; Han Duan (McCall Zerboni, 87th minute), Marta.

WPS PREVIEW WEEK 20

Well it's finally hear. The last week of the regular season in the inaugural WPS league. Oh my it has been exciting.
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.

Saint Louis Athletica v Boston Breakers Highlights

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SAINT LOUIS ATHLETICA 1 - 0 BOSTON BREAKERS

Saint Louis Athletica clinched a playoff spot and home field for the WPS Super Semifinal by beating the Boston Breakers 1-0 at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park on Saturday night.

Eniola Aluko scored the game-winner in the 36th minute when Amanda Cinalli slipped a through ball to Aluko inside the penalty area. Aluko slotted home her shot beating Boston goalkeeper Allison Lipsher. The goal was Aluko’s sixth of the year.

The Breakers who had head coach Tony DiCicco watching from the stands after his suspension had a couple of threats to open the scoring earlier in the half. The first came in the fifth minute when Kristine Lilly and Jennie Nobis pressured Saint Louis defender Kia McNeil into giving up the ball. Lilly then broke in on goal but fired her shot wide of the near post.

Boston had another chance in the 16th minute off a corner. Lilly's corner was headed out of the box by the Athletica defense right to Kelly Smith at the top of area, but her shot went just over the crossbar.

Athletica had a chance to add to their lead in first half stoppage time when Niki Cross took a free drive from a free kick 30 yards out that went just wide of the left post.

Into the second half Smith nearly equalised for Boston in the 65th minute when Heather Mitts sent a pass to her in the penalty area. Smith turned and shot toward the upper right corner but Hope Solo made a diving save to deny Smith and keep the game 1-0.

2nd half substitute Sarah Walsh nearly sealed the game for Athletica in the 86th minute when she latched on to a though ball outpaced the defender and took a shot from distance that hit the left post and bounced safely back to Lipsher.

Athletica next play Chicago Red Stars for their last home game on Wednesday night 5th August. Having clinched 2nd place they can rest players in readiness for the playoffs.

Boston's last game is at Harvard Stadium Sunday 9th August to 1st place Los Angles Sol. Boston need a win to make the playoffs.

“My biggest dream is to give St. Louis a title in the WPS and god willing we will make this happen. I identify a lot with the fans here, the fans are part of the club, they come here to have fun and they believe in the work we do so we want to return that by giving them some happiness.” Said Head coach Jorge Barcellos.

“I think we played pretty well,” said Breakers assistant coach Lisa Cole “There were moments in the first half in which we kind of got away from our game plan. We put together a good half and put together several good opportunities that just didn’t fall for us. I’m proud of how we played and competed, but we have to finish.”

Lineups:

Saint Louis Athletica: Hope Solo; Kendall Fletcher, Kia McNeill, Tina Ellertson, Elise Weber (Stephanie Logterman, 55); Angie Woznuk (Sarah Walsh, 61), Lori Chalupny(C), Amanda Cinalli, Melissa Tancredi,; Eniola Aluko (Erin Walter, 93), Niki Cross.

Boston Breakers: Alli Lipsher; Heather Mitts (Abby Crumpton, 87), Candace Chapman, Amy LePeilbet, Nancy Augsustyniak-Goffi; Maggie Tomecka, Fabiana, Kelly Smith (Christine Latham, 72), Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly(C) ; Jennie Nobis (Kelly Schmedes, 58).

WPS PREVIEW WEEK 19

FC Gold Pride v Washington Freedom Sat Aug 1st 6pm ET

FC Gold Pride take on the Washington Freedom for the last time at Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara.
This is the third and final match-up between the teams. The Pride, currently 0-2 against the Freedom, will look to continue and build off their last two strong outings by putting an end to the team's 10-game winless skid and putting three points on the board this weekend.

FC Gold Pride has shown their resilience, stepping up their play in tough matches against the league's top two teams, earning ties against Athletica and Sol. In the team's most recent match, Pride forward, Christine Sinclair responded to the Athletica's 28th minute goal, scoring in the 87th minute of Sunday's match to tie up the game against Hope Solo and the Athletica. The Pride will look to Sinclair and her attacking force to create scoring opportunities this weekend.

As to the starting line-up for Gold Pride. Formiga their Brazilian midfielder may not take to the field. She is nursing a right knee sprain.

The Washington Freedom look to continue their momentum from their last four matches. They have not been beaten in four and have won the last three. The last one against Boston Breakers on Wednesday night.
With a win against FC Gold Pride, the Freedom would clinch a playoff spot. They currently sit in third place with 26 points, just one point behind the second place Saint Louis Athletica, one point ahead of the Boston Breakers, and three points ahead of Sky Blue FC.

Abby Wambach has scored 3 goals in the last 2 games.

No injury concerns for the Freedom but tiredness may play a part. This will be Washington's fourth game in 15 days all over the country.

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Saint Louis Athletica v Boston Breakers Sat Aug 1st 8pm ET Live KPLR , Webcast , audio Team1380.net


Both the Saint Louis Athletica and Boston Breakers can once again try to clinch that playoff spot with a win Saturday evening at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park.
Both teams failed in their last match to get the 3 pts which would have secured the spot.

The previous meetings between these two clubs have both been in Boston and produced a split. The first meeting in April resulted in a 2-0 win for the Breakers as they scored twice in the second half. The next encounter on June 14 was a 1-0 win for Saint Louis with Eniola Aluko netting the game-winner.

Few changes will be expected for Head Coach Jorge Barcellos’ side that has earned points in five of their last six games. Athletica has taken 13 out of a possible 18 points as they recorded a 4-1-1 mark during this stretch of play. Niki Cross is expected to start at forward for a fourth straight game. Cross scored her first career WPS goal last week in a 1-1 draw against FC Gold Pride.

Defender Sara Larsson is questionable for action due to a nerve in her back and Amanda Cinalli is also questionable as she recovers from a shoulder injury. Both players are available for duty though.

Boston will have to do without the services of defender Alex Scott, who was sent off with a red card in the fifth minute of Wednesday’s match against Washington, and will therefore miss Saturday’s game through suspension.
Kelly Smith could get a start after coming off the bench against the Freedom and playing for over 30 minutes. After the game she said her knee was feeling fine.

Head Coach Tony DiCicco is also suspended due to his comments about the officiating of the Washington game. He will not be on the touchline.

Forward Amy Rodriguez did not travel.


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Chicago Red Stars v Los Angeles Sol Sun Aug 2nd 6pm ET Live FSC, Webcast



It's Brazilian night at Toyota Park, as the Chicago Red Stars take on the Los Angeles Sol for their last home match of the season.

It's a meaningless match between the two as the Sol have already clinched the regular season crown and the Red Stars have been eliminated from playoff contention but since it's the first time LA have been in town the Red Stars are billing it as 'Brazilian night'. A match up between Cristiane and Marta the two great forwards for Brazil.

The two team have met twice before with a draw and a win for the Sol. That one was a 4-0 rout.

No injuries to report for Chicago. Australian midfielder Heather Garriock who is working her way back to fitness may get a start after some game time in the last two matches.

LA may alter their line-up in preparation for the championship game. Camile Abily who will not play in that game may sit out this game as Coach Rogers looks to integrate her replacement on the field.
The game will be a homecoming for LA's Brittany Bock. She played college soccer for Notre Dame.

WPS BREAKING NEWS - DICICCO SUSPENDED..HIS RESPONSE

Boston Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco had some very interesting comments about the referee after the game against Washington Freedom regarding the red card incident shown to his defender Alex Scott. It was not the first time DiCicco has slammed the officials. He was fined and warned then but now the WPS hierarchy has suspended him for another outburst.

DiCicco's statement about his suspension.

In response to my game suspension, first of all, I want to apologize to the referee community, my Breakers players, the team owners and staff, the Breakers fans and all fans of WPS. My comments following the match vs. Washington were wrong. After review of the incident, the center referee, Jose Rivero, was justified issuing the red card and my comments about the quality of the refereeing in our league were made with the emotions of a difficult game having just finished. These comments do not truly reflect my feelings. I think overall the refereeing in WPS has been good and continues to get better and I applaud the commitment of the U.S. Soccer referee community. I have tremendous respect for referees and the difficult task they have with making split second decisions and how often they do, in fact, get it right.

Sometimes my emotion and passion gets the better of me and this is an example of that. I love the game of soccer and I love coaching and, specifically, coaching the Breakers. The referees are part of the game and I would not want to do anything to diminish their contributions or our great game.

Washington Freedom v Boston Breakers Highlights

WASHINGTON FREEDOM 1 - 0 BOSTON BREAKERS

Abby Wambach scored the winning goal for the Washington Freedom against the Boston Breakers last night at the Maryland Soccerplex to keep Washington on-track for the playoffs.

The Freedom leapfrog the Breakers into 3rd place in the standings , with a game in hand.

The game started badly for Boston when Alex Scott was redcarded in the 5th minute for a tackle against Sonia Bompastor. Studs were showing as Scott slide tackled and caught Bompastor on the ankle. That changed the game. Boston retreated into a defensive shell and played counterattack.

As a result of the red card, the Freedom enjoyed the better of the play for much of the first half, although Boston did mount some pressure in the later stages, and was only out-shot, 6-4.

The best scoring chance of the first half came from Rebecca Moros in the 21st minute, when she received a cross with space to the far post on the right side of the goal, but she shot high over the bar.

The Freedom did not make the most of their player advantage. The midfield did not penetrate and they were not stretching the Breakers enough.

The 2nd half was pretty much the same with Washington finding it difficult to break down the Breakers. Allie Long came on in the 58th minute for Moros to bring some creativity to their attack. With close ball control and the willingness to dribble at defenders, Long added a spark to Washington.

Kelly Smith came on for the Breakers on 55 minutes for Jenni Nobis. Whenever Smith got the ball Freedom defender Cat Whithill followed. At one point she followed Smith into the Boston half hounding her until Smith lost control of the ball.

Wambach's goal came in the 73rd minute when she stole the ball from a Boston midfielder , passed it to strike partner Lisa De Vanna who 1-2'd it back to Wambach in the penalty area. Wambach beat the defender and shot a low ball passed GK Ali Lipsher.

Boston nearly leveled the game in stoppage time when Smith broke free from her marker and shot a hard ball towards goal. Washington GK Erin McLeod making a spectacular stop tiping the ball over the bar to preserve the lead. The ball was heading for the top right hand corner.

Both teams play their next games on Saturday. Washington head to North California to play FC Gold Pride.For the Freedom it will be their third game in a week. A win will see them jump to 2nd place in the standing for a few hours till the Athletica game.

Boston head to Saint Louis to take on 2nd place Athletica. A win there would put them in the playoffs.



"We were way too frantic," Freedom Coach Jim Gabarra said. "And we weren't using the width and we weren't possessing at all."

“I’m really proud of the players, they played their hearts out,” said Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco. “The game changed unfortunately in the fifth minute and Washington did what they needed to do. I just feel very bad for my players to have to have played a very difficult game.”

Lineups:

WASHINGTON: Erin McLeod; Jill Gilbeau (Kristin DeDycker, 82), Cat
Whitehill, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Singer (Ali Krieger, 39); Sonia
Bompastor, Homare Sawa, Lori Lindsey, Rebecca Moros (Allie Long, 58); Lisa De Vanna, Abby Wambach (C) .

BOSTON: Alli Lipsher; Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Candace Chapman, Heather
Mitts; Maggie Tomecka, Fabiana (Nancy Augustyniak-Goffi, 70),
Mary-Frances Monroe (Kelly Schmedes, 64), Angela Hucles, Kristine
Lilly (C) ; Jennie Nobis (Kelly Smith, 56).

WPS MIDWEEK MATCH 29/07/09

Washington Freedom v Boston Breakers Wed July 29th 8pm ET Live Comcast Sportsnet


Wednesday will mark the fourth and final regular season game between the Washington Freedom (6-6-5, 23 pts.) and Boston Breakers (7-6-4, 25 pts.). Just two points separate the two teams, giving this game vital importance as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. The winner of the game will find themselves in no worse than third place in the league standings, while Boston also has the opportunity to jump ahead of Saint Louis Athletica and into second place, although with a game in hand over Athletica.

Head to Head the Breakers lead with 2 wins and a draw.


The Freedom have also gone unbeaten in their previous three matches, including wins in their last two. Washington is the highest scoring team in the league with 26 goals scored, and yet has also conceded the most goals (28). Abby Wambach is tied for the team lead with Lisa De Vanna, having scored five times on the year, including a brace on either side of halftime in the team’s 3-2 win over Chicago on Sunday.

Boston is unbeaten in its last three matches and have not allowed a goal in 323 consecutive minutes, a team season-best. In fact, the Breakers have not allowed a goal to a team other than Sky Blue in eight matches since a 1-1 tie versus FC Gold Pride on June 17. That match was the first start for goalkeeper Alli Lipsher, who is now fourth in the league with five shutouts.

For Washington Ali Krieger could be fit to start. She has been training the past few days.
Boston's defender Sue Weber is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery last week.
Kelly Smith travelled with the team to DC but could start on the bench.

Boston Breakers v NJ Sky Blue FC Highlights

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WPS UPDATE

Playoff Picture

Week 18 didn’t do much to clarify the playoff picture but it did mark the official end of any post-season dreams for two WPS teams. With a loss Sunday to Washington, the Chicago Red Stars were officially eliminated from playoff contention, as was FC Gold Pride. The Bay Area side needed a victory over Saint Louis to stay in mathematical contention.

The Los Angeles Sol became the first team to clinch their seed in the WPS Playoffs Thursday with a scoreless draw against FC Gold Pride that gave the Sol the WPS Regular Season title. As champions of the regular season, Los Angeles earns the right to host the WPS Championship on August 22 at 4pm ET/1pm PT at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

But positions 2-5 in the WPS Standings are as jumbled as ever as Washington moved into a tie with Sky Blue FC for fourth-place with a game in hand over the New Jersey side. With nine games left in the WPS Regular Season, here’s a basic team-by-team playoff overview with this week’s clinching or elimination scenarios in the current order of the standings:

1.) Los Angeles Sol – has clinched the WPS Regular Season title and a spot in the WPS Championship

2.) Saint Louis Athletica – will clinch a playoff spot and guarantee a home playoff game with a victory on Saturday vs. the Boston Breakers

3.) Boston Breakers – will clinch a playoff spot with a victory on Wednesday vs. the Washington Freedom and could clinch a home playoff game with two victories this week

4.) Washington Freedom – August 8th game vs. Sky Blue FC to close the season looms on the horizon as a key game if these two teams remain within three points of each other.

5.) Sky Blue FC – August 8th game vs. Washington Freedom to close the season looms on the horizon as a key game if these two teams remain within three points of each other.

6.) Chicago Red Stars – Eliminated from playoffs

7.) FC Gold Pride – Eliminated from playoffs

Standings

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(C) L.A.	18	11	5	2	24	6	38
Saint Louis	17	8	3	6	15	14	27
Boston	17	7	4	6	17	16	25
Washington	17	6	5	6	26	28	23
Sky Blue	18	6	5	7	16	17	23
Chicago	18	4	5	9	15	22	17
Gold Pride	17	3	5	9	13	23	14

BOSTON BREAKERS 0 - 0 NJ SKY BLUE FC

Jenni Branam played a blinder for Sky Blue FC to frustrate the Boston Breakers once again at Harvard Stadium, denying them the win that would have clinched a playoff spot and keeping Sky Blue's record of no loses to Boston intact. Branam made eight saves to record the shut-out her sixth of the season – the second best total in Women’s Professional Soccer.

The Breakers started of strongly in the 1st half from the very first minute.In the 11th minute, Maggie Tomecka had perhaps the best chance of the match when she got on the end of a bouncing ball in front of the net, but hit it to the center where Branam was positioned to make the diving save. In the 17th minute, Kristine Lilly sent Jennie Nobis on a breakaway with a long ball, but with just Branam standing in her way of a goal, Nobis was unable to find the corner.

Sky Blue did not have many chances in the 1st half.They only managed 3 shots. Heather O'Reilly being the most offensive player for Sky Blue.In the 26th minute, O’Reilly hit a shot that went right over the middle of the cross bar. Then in the 39th, she again got the ball and took it down the right side before crossing it across the goal mouth, but Ali Lipsher picked it up before one of O’Reilly’s teammates got a foot on it.

The Breakers went into the changing rooms wondering how they failed to score. After dominating the half.

The 2nd Half did not live up to the anticipation.

Kristine Lilly had The Breakers best opportunity in the 54th minute when she shot a ball to the left of the goal. Branam made a diving save to keep the game level.
Alex Scott having moved up to midfield had a breakaway and was tearing down on goal. Branam once again flew out of her goal to take the ball of her before she could get a shot in.

With Boston deflated with their failure to score. Sky Blue came more into the game and started to create chances. The best late on when Kelly Parker hit a shot to the left corner, but Breakers defender Heather Mitts got in front of it to deflect it from the goal.

The Breakers are now 2 pts behind second-place Saint Louis Athletica and remain two points clear of Sky Blue, who are tied in fourth with Washington Freedom. Freedom have a game in hand.

COACH TONY DICICCO On the draw…

Well we’re disappointed. In some ways we thought that was our best offensive half of the season, but we didn’t get anything from it. Jenni Branam made some great saves, but our quality in front of the goal just isn’t good enough and it has kind of plagued us all season long. We’re disappointed, but a point hurts them more than it hurts us. They only have two games left, so it limits how many total points they can get.



COACH KELLY LINDSEY

“Unbelieveable. Thank goodness for Branam, I think that’s the theme of the night for us. She definitely saved us – our team knows it, Boston knows it, Branam was the hero today by far.”

“I expect at this point that they have nothing but dislike for us and were definitely going to come at us. I expected numbers up top. I didn’t know exactly who they were going to throw in there, but I’ve watched their film the past few weeks and just expected them to be on an attacking fury. Every team needs to be at this point.”

“I think after those first 10 or 15 minutes, it was just ‘Let’s get into halftime, tie it or maybe we’ll sneak one and be a goal up,’ but we’re very happy to get into halftime tied. I think we can all take a sigh of relief and kind of start over and rebuild.”


Lineups:

Boston Breakers – Allison Lipsher; Alex Scott, Nancy Augustyniak, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts; Kelly Schmedes, Angela Hucles, Maggie Tomecka, Kristine Lilly(C) ; Jennifer Nobis (Amy Rodriguez 62', Christine Latham 77'), Fabiana (Abby Crumpton 58').

Sky Blue FC – Jenni Branam; Jen Buczkowski, Keeley Dowling(C) , Anita Asante, Meghan Schnur; Heather O'Reilly(C) , Rosana (Noelle Keselica 59’), Collette McCallum, Kelly Parker; Kerri Hanks (Julianne Sitch 65'), Kacey White.

WPS PREVIEW WEEK 18

Boston Breakers v NJ Sky Blue FC Sat July 25th 7pm ET

The Boston Breakers can clinch a playoff berth this weekend as they return home to face northeast nemesis Sky Blue FC in WPS action Saturday at 7 p.m. (ET) at Harvard Stadium. A Boston win and a Washington loss on Sunday would clinch a playoff spot for the Breakers.

Sky Blue FC have won all three previous meetings between the two.

A win on Saturday by Boston would put them back in second with a one-point lead over Athletica, pending Saint Louis’ match Sunday versus FC Gold Pride. The Los Angeles Sol clinched the regular season title last night, meaning teams are now playing to host the Super Semifinal (August 18 or 19) as the second seed.

The Breakers coming off a 1-0 win against FC Gold Pride will have all their national team players back. Expect to see Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Candace Chapman and Heather Mitts all return to the backline.Kelly Smith is still doubtful with a knee injury. She didn't play any games while on International duty with England.

Sky Blue FC are still in fourth place despite the loss Wednesday at Saint Louis. They currently are two points in front of the Washington Freedom for the fourth and final playoff spot, but have played one more match than the Freedom. The New Jersey club will have to play without captain and starting central defender Christie Rampone, who underwent emergency abdominal surgery while with the U.S. National Team in Rochester, N.Y. last week. She is hopeful to return to action by the end of the season. But they welcome back English star Anita Asante and Heather O'Reilly.

All three previous meetings were determined by just one goal. Sky Blue FC won the first two matches at home, 2-1, on May 31 and, 1-0, on July 4. They then took the first meeting in Boston, 2-1, on July 12.

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Chicago Red Stars v Washington Freedom Sun July 26th 4pm ET Live Webcast

The Washington Freedom travels to Chicago this Sunday to face the Red Stars at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. It will be the fourth and final regular season meeting between the two teams.

The Freedom will be looking for their first win against the Red Stars, as they have drawn 1 and lost twice to them, the last lost being at Toyota park last month where Chicago made WPS history coming from behind to win.

Chicago are coming of a defeat by Sky Blue FC in their previous match which kept them in 6th place in the WPS standings. A win would keep them in contention for a playoff spot.
Carli Lloyd, Lindsey Tarpley,Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney all return from their national teams.

The Freedom, on the other hand played a hard-fought battle with Saint Louis Athletica and came away with the win and the shutout, their third of the season.Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill and Erin McLeod will slot back into the starting 11.

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Saint Louis Athletica v FC Gold Pride Sun July 26th 6pm ET Live FSC and Webcast

Saint Louis Athletica and FC Gold Pride both enter Sunday’s match at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. on the brink. All eyes will be on them and so will the Fox Soccer camera's.

A must win for different reasons for the two teams.

For second-place Saint Louis, a victory combined with a Sky Blue FC loss or tie in its match Saturday versus the Boston Breakers will secure a post-season berth for the Athletica.
For last-place FC Gold Pride, who enters the match with a nine-game winless streak, a loss will officially eliminate them from the playoff hunt.

With four games left each, the Pride is in dire straits needing to earn three points in every remaining match to have a shot at the post-season, while the Athletica is looking to earn maximum points to secure a second-place finish and a bye into the WPS Super Semifinal.

Hope Solo and Melissa Tancredi return for Athletica. Defender Niki Cross will continue her stance up top to compliment striker Eniola Aluko.
Gold Pride will welcome back defender Rachel Buehler and more importantly forward Christie Sinclair.

Will the Athletica clinch a playoff berth? With FC Gold Pride be eliminated from the post-season chase? Exciting stuff!

FC GOLD PRIDE 0 - 1 BOSTON BREAKERS

Kelly Schmedes scored her first goal of the season to lead the Boston Breakers past FC Gold Pride, 1-0, on Sunday night at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Schmedes goal for the Breakers came in the 13th minute, beating the offsides trap from a pass by Mary-Frances Monroe before slotting the ball past Pride goalkeeper Allison Whitworth. The assist was Monroe’s first of the season.

The Breakers had the majority of play and chances in the first half, as Kristine Lilly and Fabiana were constantly dangerous in the attack. Boston held an 8-2 shot advantage in the first 45, including six shots on goal.

The Pride pressured the Breakers in the second half, firing off nine shots while not allowing a single shot on goal. Despite a couple of close-range opportunities, the Pride couldn't find the back of the net. The closest coming in the 57th minute when midfielder Tina DiMartino hit the crossbar and the followup shot from Formiga hit the post.

US Soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett shined once again on the front line for the Pride as one of the driving forces behind the team's attack.

Boston (7-6-3, 24 points) held on for the victory taking them back up to 2nd place in the WPS standings.

FC Gold Pride (3-9-3, 12 points) lost for the fourth-consecutive match and remain winless in their last eight. They are now 10 points behind Sky Blue FC for the fourth and final playoff spot with five matches remaining.

FC Gold Pride will remain at home to host the first place Los Angeles Sol on Thursday July 23rd.. This is the fourth and final time the intrastate rivals will meet during the 2009 regular season. The Sol owns the season series against the Pride, winning all three previous matches between the west coast teams.

The Breakers return home to face Sky Blue FC on Saturday July 25th in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams. Sky Blue FC has won all three previous meetings.

FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya.

"We stress how important it is to go out there and get the first goal show some energy, excitement and desire to compete, and try to make things happen. I think we lacked that in the first half. In the second half we started to create chances, hit the post twice and started getting in behind the defense, we were pressing them. As it happens so often we had one breakdown in the back. We have to give Boston credit, they took advantage of that and put the ball in the back of the net. At the end of the day, it was similar to some of the losses in the past whether we have our national team players or not, it's that one breakdown."

FC Gold Pride forward Tiffeny Milbrett.

"I want to take responsibility for not being able to tie up this game,It's not easy when you have missing pieces. Unfortunately were still a very young team and very fragile, we haven't grown enough together. I think what we see right now, is we're putting stuff together. But unfortunately luck is not with us sometimes, also were not creating our own luck."

"I think we are a team that needs to just keep fighting to the very end. Regardless, we need to button up our defense, button up our midfield, we need to score goals from our forwards, or even from our midfield; we just have to do everything," added Milbrett.

Boston Breakers Head Coach Tont DiCicco

“We got that first goal and that’s an important goal in this league.I thought we had a couple really good chances to go two up and we didn’t, so I knew it was going to be a really difficult game in the second half. Still we played well.”

Boston Breakers forward Kelly Schmedes

“We had a number of players missing.I feel like it says a lot about our team and just the depth of our team and the heart of our team how we had confidence in each other and we work hard for each other and that’s how we got the win.”

Line -ups:

FC GOLD PRIDE: Allison Whitworth, Carrie Dew, Kristen Graczyk (C) , Tina DiMartino (Adriane, 85), Leigh Ann Robinson, Greet Barnes, Formiga, Tiffeny Milbrett, Tiffany Weimer (Kimberly Yokers, 46), Erika (Sissi, 64), Eriko Arakawa.

BOSTON: Alli Lipsher; Abby Crumpton, Kasey Moore, Nancy Augustyniak-Goffi, Erika Sutton, Maggie Tomecka, Kristine Lilly(C) , Mary-Frances Monroe (Sophia Mundy,62), Kelly Schmedes, Fabiana (Stacy Bishop, 66), Jennie Nobis (Christine Latham, 71).

WPS PREVIEW WEEK 17

Washington Freedom v Saint Louis Athletica Sat July 18 5pm ET Live CSN, KPLR, Webcast,
Live audio www.team1380.net

Saint Louis Athletica are back in action this weekend after their bye week hoping to continue their winning streak after defeating the LA Sol.Athletica rolls into RFK Stadium to take on the Washington Freedom, carrying a three game winning streak, with all three wins coming on the road.
Both teams will be missing their top starters due to international duty and will have to dig deep into their squads to pick players.

The Freedom will be without Captain Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill and Erin Mcleod.
Athletica will also be without their Captain Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo, Melissa Tancredi and Eniola Aluko.

The matchup Saturday is the final of the regular season between these two clubs. The first meeting on May 3 resulted in a 3-3 draw with Washington scoring two goals in the final ten minutes to earn the tie. The next encounter on June 20 was a 1-0 win for the Freedom as Rebecca Moros struck for an 83rd minute game winner.

Since then the clubs have been headed in different paths. Athletica are on a roll with a perfect 4-0-0 in their last four away games and they possess the league’s best road record with a mark of 5-2-1.
Meanwhile, Washington is winless in their last four and had lost three straight before managing a 4-4 draw on Wednesday night against Sky Blue FC. Washington’s last victory was their win at Saint Louis on June 20.

Washington will send out defender Becky Sauerbrunn on Saturday and goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak. Both players grew up in suburban St. Louis and were standout club players. Sonia Bompastor will also start and Athletica Head coach Jorge Barcellos sees her as a threat.

“Bompastor is an underrated player in this league. She has a lot of potential and has not gotten all the credit she deserves,” says Barcellos. “She does get some attention and she does get noticed but this is one of the few players that can influence a game.”

With Hope Solo gone Jillian Loyden will make her second start of the year in goal for Saint Louis. In her lone previous game Loyden turned in a six save performance at Chicago on May 23 and earned her first professional WPS win and shutout. Loyden was named WPS Player of the Week for week 9 for her standout effort.

Washington needs a win to stay in touch with the four playoff slotted teams ahead of them.
Saint Louis sits in a good spot to make the playoffs as of now. Athletica have 23 points on the season, two ahead of Boston and four ahead of fourth place Sky Blue FC.

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NJ Sky Blue FC v Chicago Red Stars Sun July 19 4.30pm ET Live FSC, Webcast

Sky Blue FC will play its third match this week – and the second in a row at home – when it hosts the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday afternoon during Faith Day at Yurcak Field. Sky Blue FC hopes to maintain its success against the Red Stars taking a 2-0-1 record into the final meeting of the regular season between the two sides.

They will have to try and do this without their Captains Christie Rampone and Heather O'Reilly. Also missing will be Anita Asante, Karen Bardsley and Kelly Parker.

The Red Stars will be looking to get back to winning ways after their disappointing defeat in Boston after a run of good results. They too will be missing their top players. Captain Lindsey Tarpley, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Karen Carney all miss out this weekend.

Sky Blue FC (5-6-4, 19 pts.) heads into the match against Chicago holding the fourth and final playoff spot. The third-place Boston Breakers (6-6-3, 21 pts.) are two points ahead of Sky Blue FC and two points behind second-place Saint Louis Athletica (7-5-2, 23 pts.).

With their midweek loss to the Breakers, Chicago (4-7-5, 17 pts.) has dropped to sixth in the standings, two points shy of Sky Blue FC and the final playoff berth. The Red Stars are still five points clear of FC Gold Pride (3-8-3, 12 pts.). A win is vital for both teams with only a few games remaining.

For Sky Blue the loss of their players may be significant, none more so than in defence. The departure of Rampone means that both of Sky Blue FC’s starting central defenders will be unavailable for Sunday’s game. Asante being with England this weekend.With Asante missing against the Freedom on Wednesday night, Head Coach Kelly Lindsey was forced to make significant changes to her back four. The normally stingy Sky Blue FC defense allowed four goals in its least effective outing of the season.
Chicago still have Cristiane in their ranks and after her hat-trick heroics and then drawing a blank at Boston she will be jumping at the bit to be back in the scoring sheets this time around.

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FC Gold Pride v Boston Breakers Sun July 19 8pm ET

After a disappointing 3-1 loss last weekend in Chicago, FC Gold Pride (3-8-3) will look to put an end to their seven-game winless streak when they face the Boston Breakers at home this Sunday, July 19.

This will be the Pride's third and final match against Boston. FC Gold Pride earned one of their three wins with a 2-1 victory against Boston at home in the team's inaugural match on April 5. The Pride also tied the Breakers 1-1 while playing away in Cambridge, MA on June 17. A win this weekend will solidify the Pride's winning record over Boston this season.

With only six games remaining the Pride is currently seated at the bottom of the pack with 12 points on the season. Though the Pride is struggling for points, there is still a chance the team will find its way into the postseason. The Pride is only seven points out of fourth place.

Both the Pride and the Breakers will be missing key players this weekend, as the U.S. National Team will face the Canadian National Team on July 16 and July 22. The Pride will lose starters Captain Leslie Osborne, Rachel Buehler, and Nicole Barnhart to the U.S. National Team and Christine Sinclair to the Canadian National Team.

Defenders Carrie Dew and Kristin Graczyk return to the field this weekend ready for competition. After getting a cleat in the face during the first half of last Sunday's game against the Red Stars, Graczyk was pulled from the match unable to return. Dew missed last weekend's game to nurse a minor knee injury and ensure a successful recovery. The Pride will look to Dew and Graczyk's solid defensive play to help unify the back line against the Breakers. Coach Albertin Montoyo is looking for a player to take leadership in the offensive end. Tiffany Milbrett and Eriko Arkawa who has been relatively quiet need to step up. Will Tiffany Weimer play?

Boston will be missing the most players this weekend due to international duty. Kelly Smith and Alex Scott are away with England. Candace Chapman joins her Canadian national buddies and Heather Mitts, Angela Hucles, Amy LePeilbet and Amy Rodriguez are with the US Womens national squad. All 7 are starters for the Breakers. Head Coach Tony DiCicco looks to Kristine Lilly and Christine Latham to provide the spark for him.

Boston Breakers v Chicago Red Stars Highlights

Catch Up With Kelly..

Fair Game also caught up with Kelly.

Until this March, the only English female player to have played professionally in the USA - with the Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA - where she was a fan’s favourite but also plagued by serious injuries, Kelly Smith is again wowing American crowds, this time in the WPS for the Boston Breakers.

Amazingly, she still picked up the top scorer award for the FA Women’s Premier League this May, despite making the switch from her beloved Arsenal, across the Atlantic to Massachussetts, back in Feburary.

The goals are still flowing and life sounds good, news that all England fans will be delighted hear. FG tied Kelly to a tree on Boston Common (not really) and forced her to answer some of our nosey questions….

1. Have the first few months in the WPS been what you expected?
It has been what I expected. The football has been messy and scrappy - the first few months - as we are all getting to know each other and the way that we all play. It has definitely made my life easier having experienced playing out here in 2001 in the WUSA. It has made me settle in better, as I know what to expect.

2. How have you found the life of a professional footballer, second time around?
It\'s really enjoyable and doesn\'t feel like a job at all. I was really young in the league before and probably took it a bit for granted but now I am able to appreciate my situation more. I wake up every morning knowing I am doing something I love.

3. Only one England game to use as evidence but was it easier to step from the pace of a WPS game into an international than from the FAWPL or is it just different again?
I wouldn\'t say it\'s any different when we meet up with England. The pace in England training is so much faster than it is at club level and we have a week in camp to prepare for games. So, for me playing in the WPS is no different to how we always prepared for games with England.

4. How are you settling in and do you like life in Boston?
I love Boston, it\'s a great city with loads too do. There\'s plenty of shopping, restaurants, coffee shops and cool places to hang out. I live right off the Charles River, in Cambridge, where it is full of life, with people running, walking their dogs and cycling.

5. What are your team like to hang with? Do you spend quite a lot of time together?
My team mates are cool. We do hangout after training, maybe get lunch or dinner. Once a week we take it in turns at cooking at different team mates’ houses or we eat together at a restaurant. We try to get to a bar on Saturdays to watch the live WPS game on TV too. As the team is new, everyone comes from all over the country and abroad, so it\'s good to socialize and get to know the team outside of training.

6. Are you fed up with people copying your accent yet?
No, it\'s funny when they try to copy. They say that they love hearing the English accent, as to them it sounds ‘proper’. Kristine Lilly does the best accent.

7. How high profile are the Breakers’ team in the city? Are you getting recognised?
I was recognized in the mall by an English family who were in Boston for the weekend – how weird - and on the train, so far. The league is still so fresh and new we are getting out into the community to make it aware that Boston Breakers are back.

8. What is it like working with Tony DiCicco?
Tony is a great guy, who is very passionate about the game. He knows how to gel a team and get us playing. He is very honest and a winner. He wants the Breakers to be like a family, away from home.

9. Are you getting rough treatment from opponents or are your team mates and the refs protecting you?
Tony [DiCicco] told me, I was the most fouled player in the league to date, apparently. That\'s a compliment, as teams know I am a threat and want to stop me. Most games I get 2-3 players around me when I get on the ball, so I have to release the ball quickly, as my team mates are open. I personally don\'t think the refs give enough protection to the more skilful players. Ask Marta?!

10. Who has been the toughest opponent in the WPS, so far?
I would say Washington. They gave us a tough time at home recently, we had previously beaten them 3-1 at their field but they have really improved and kept the ball so well, for long periods in the game. It was frustrating to play in.

11. Are you surprised with your individual form or were you pretty confident you would ‘tear up the league’?
I am not surprised with my form, I was playing well for Arsenal and was confident coming into Boston that I could do well with my link-up play and also score goals. I was pleased to get the first ‘player of the month’ award.

12. Are you sad that you might potentially miss the post season games or does it not bother you too much – it’s Euro 2009 after all!?
It will be tough missing the games if we do make the play offs, but playing for your country at a major tournament is what it\'s all about. And, if selected, my main focus will be there with the national team.

13. Has anyone been out from home to visit you?
The whole month of June I have various friends coming and going, plus my mum and dad will be out for 10 days, so I will be happy to have them close by, for a while.

14. Who is more excited to be reunited, when you visit home – you or your dog!?
I miss my dog so much! I have had her since she was a pup. I originally got her from the USA in Philly. I chose not to bring her over for 6 months as she is now 8 and I thought the flight would stress her out. She has a nice comfy life with my family but I can\'t wait to be reunited with her when I am back in September.

15. Are you addicted to Twitter yet? (I think we know the answer!)
Yep, I\'m addicted. I love going on and seeing what my friends are doing and it also gives fans an update of what I am doing. The WPS really likes the idea of ‘twitter’ as you can reach out to your audience.

Fair Game : The Women's Football Magazine

Alex Scott is loving Boston...

Fair Game Magazine interviewed Alex on her life in Boston.


Just past half-way stage in the WPS, in the US, and England’s Alex Scott is loving her time with the Boston Breakers and winning a lot of fans, along the way. Having made the right back position her own (USA defender Heather Mitts has been forced to switch to the left side) and revelling in the attack-minded role that her coach wants her to play in the team, Scott is already being touted as the best full back in the league for her tireless performances, so far. She loves to chat as much as she loves to run and here she graciously offers some smashing and insightful answers to some of our tedious questions….

1. Have your first few months in the US and in the WPS been what you expected?
The first couple of months have been great in the WPS, I cannot believe we are already half way through the season already. Everything is still new and fresh. I have never really been to the US before, so every week we are travelling to different states where we get ‘down time’ after training to go explore and do the tourist things, which is amazing. I am getting a whole new experience with my football and I am gaining all new life experiences, which is something I am very grateful for.

2. Do you feel that your game has changed/improved over the last 3 months of training full time?
In the three months, I feel my game has improved already which was ultimately my main goal coming out here. I wanted to use and abuse the fact that I am training everyday to work on weakness in my game. Everyday in training we get 10-15minutes to work on anything we want, so you often find people go off in little groups and work things like long balls, technical skills, shooting etc. I often also go out early and practice with the goalkeepers, working on my crossing and finishing, which helps them in their sessions before the main session gets started.
But overall, I would say I am a lot more comfortable on the ball and under pressure, my passing has improved a lot, this is a league where if you give the ball away a lot your team will get punished, so you really have to take care of the ball. The games are very physical out here (if you watch the US national team play you will see just how physical), so I have learnt how to use my body well and how to be just as physical in games, like them.

3. How have you found the life of a professional footballer?
You know what? I aint going to lie...... it’s great! I do not have to worry about anything other than football, which is a dream come true. I remember in England, with Arsenal, we would be travelling back from away trips, I would be panicking on the team bus trying to do all my lesson planning to go to work the next morning and teach. I would get home from work, then go out and train, then instead of coming home and relaxing I would be marking papers ‘til crazy hours in the morning. It seemed like I was constantly on the go, but you get into such a routine you are able to cope with it all. So, to be out here now and your job is to train hard for two hours a day and that is it..... I’m like, ‘Wow!’
Sometimes, you do find yourself having too much time on your hands and can get a bit bored (not that I am complaining), so I am trying to use that time to my advantage because you really do not know how long this is going to last. At the moment, I am using the time to learn the guitar and learning to speak Spanish. When I get back to England I will most probably enrol on a few different short courses all to stack on my CV, for when the football (soccer) is over.

4. The pace of the games seems to be so fast and frenetic. How does that compare to domestic games back home?
That was a major change for me coming here. In the English league you have a lot more time on the ball, you can afford to receive the ball then pick your pass. Here, you do not have that luxury, you really need to know where your pass is going before the ball even comes to you. The domestic games back home you can get away with holding onto the ball, but just like playing for England at international level, you just cannot afford to do that, you will get closed down and whacked. Everything needs to be quick 1-2 touch passing if you want to break a team down, unless you are Kelly Smith or Marta of course, who seem to escape pressure like no other players out there.
However, I think the best thing from the English league is that a major bulk of the players in the league - even if they may not be the top national team players - still hold a lot of technical skills and game understanding. I think this comes from the love of the sport in England and having so much exposure to football to watch and learn from. Every week you get to watch the best players in the EPL, whereas here in the US, you just do not get that, people grow up watching and loving the sport in England.

5. It’s only been a couple of trips back and forward and only one England game but how was the travel and quick turnaround before being expected to train and play?
For me, coming back to play for my country was always as important as the decision to come and play in the WPS. I made sure that Boston agreed to this and I think they knew and understood what a major honour I feel playing for England. So, normally it has worked that we play on a Sunday night, then we are on a plane the first thing the next morning, arriving in England on Monday night. Hope Powell and the England staff have also been great, they have really managed and monitored us, making sure that when we are tired and feeling the jet lag not to over train us, managing all our sleeping patterns so we are not walking round the hotel like zombies but still getting us in the right frame of mind that come game time we have done all the right things to be ready to go.

6. How are you settling in – do you like life in Boston?
Boston is awesome (that is such an American thing to say, forgive me). Boston is so multicultural which makes it cool. The way Boston is structured you could forget you are in America. It is built in a very European way. There are so many Universities in Boston (Harvard and MIT to name two) which makes it a very trendy and happening place to be, mixed with a young and vibrant crowd. The streets are always busy, no matter what day of the week it is. There is always stuff going on. I think this is a main reason for me not getting too home sick because, like London, the city always seems to be buzzing, which I like.
Our apartment is also cool, me and Kelly Smith share an apartment, with Heather Mitts living above us on the 6th floor. The apartment has a gym downstairs, which allows us to do recovery sessions on days off. We also have a swimming pool and there is also a social room and a cinema room, so when the WPS games are on TV, the team can all come over, order in some food and we can watch the game on the big screen.
So, all in all settling in has not been a problem. I have to thank the Boston organization because they are the ones that made the transition so smooth for us and still to this day, are trying to help us in anyway they can.

7. Are enjoying playing for Tony DiCicco?
Before I came to Boston, just reading about what Tony had accomplished, made me very excited to be coached by him. To be coached by someone who won the Olympics [and the World Cup – fg] with the best American, national team there has been to date, with the likes of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain - there will always be lots to learn from him. I always am looking to learn and improve my game, so for someone to see my game with different view points and give me different targets to work on is such a good thing.
Tony is a coach that loves the role of attacking full backs, so I am in my element!!!! He is encouraging me to really be a play maker from my position, to get forward and score goals - you do not need to tell me that twice! I feel like I have a lot of freedom.

8. You banged in a great strike last month and have nearly followed it up with a few more – how many goals are you aiming for this season?
I would not really say that I set myself a scoring target for this season. When I was at Arsenal I wanted to score every other game and felt like that was a realistic target but being in this league, the games are so close and it is more or likely that your striker is going to get the only goal of the game. The WPS really does have the best attacking players that women’s football has to offer, so I can 100% say that my 1v1 defending skills have improved and I am trying to stop them scoring on us before I think about myself getting goals. It was a great feeling to get my first WPS goal though and it has really made other teams aware of my shooting capabilities. It is always a good thing when you hear other teams and other coaches being worried about what you can do on the pitch because it lets you know that you must be doing something right. Another goal anytime soon would be great!!

9. Your home field is crazy with all of the markings on it, it’s dizzying to watch on TV. Does it bother you while you are playing?
Wow....... all the lines are crazy, we did get told that the lines will be painted over when the [American] football college season ended but we are still waiting. Ha. I will never forget in my 1st home game of the season against St. Louis. I got a throw in, so I sprinted over to the ball to take it, I threw it in and no one reacted to the throw and players were laughing at me. The ref threw me the ball back, I looked around to my team mate who shouted, "Alex, you are at the wrong line.” I took a throw in from a blue line which is way inside the pitch instead of the normal yellow lines that we play to. I felt so embarrassed. The girls said they are going to put it on the highlight video at the end of the season... cannot wait for that. Not!

10. Who has been your toughest opponent in the WPS, so far?
I would have to say Washington, they really play well as a team, they are really good at keeping the ball, they have pace, flair play and the physical presence in Abby Wambach up front. I think they hold a lot of all round qualities in their team and now they have just added to that by the addition of their goalkeeper Erin McLoud who is one of the best. Playing them is a game where I always come off and my word I know I have been in a battle.

11. What are your team like to hang with? Do you spend quite a lot of time together? And who is the biggest ‘nutter’?
The team are a cool bunch, we hang out a lot, the Americans are really big on the whole team cohesion thing so they really make an effort to make sure we go out to eat, we hang out after games and that we all get on and have fun. I would say we do hang out a lot, I think because most of us are in the same boat, we are all in a new city experiencing new things and we are all kind of relying on each other out here.
I would have to name Christine Latham as the biggest ‘nutter’ on our team, I really have never met anyone like this girl. She is great and one of the people I am close to on the team. She is the character that every team needs to have. Without her, training everyday would be a real boring place to be.
Everything that comes out of her mouth is hilarious, I really do think that someone needs to give her a shot at being a talk show host, it would be one of the highest rankings on US TV, No doubt!

12. Are you fed up with people copying your accent?
Ha, not so much fed up with people trying to copy it but fed up with people not understanding. I really have to try and talk so S.L.O.WWWWW and try and pronounce every word right or otherwise I find myself repeating a lot of stuff. I think the worst copying of my accent I have heard to date has to go to Kristine Lilly. She really loves everything about the accent and tries so hard to copy me and get it right but it really is awful. She will ring me up and leave a phone message in some weird voice, I will ring back and be like... ‘Lil, what was you talking like?’ She will be like, ‘I was trying to talk like you Scottie.’.... LIL do NOT give up your day job!

13. Has anyone been out from home to visit you?
My mum and two friends came over for our first home game against St. Louis. My mum really liked it over here and was already planning her next visit. Faye white and her brother also came over for a week to visit Kelly and myself. Kelly’s mum and dad have been in town also, and we also have more friends coming over within the next couple of weeks. It’s great to have friends and family over, it has also meant a whole lot of walking around Boston and showing them the hot spots. I think I am now qualified to sign up to become an official tour guide of Boston.
[England Coach] Hope Powell, [England team Exercise Scientist] Dawn Scott and [England Physio] Tracy Lewis have also been over at different times to see how things are going and to check out our play before selection for the Euros this summer. It was good for them to see us and be here to experience the new environment that we are all in.

14. Who is more excited to be reunited, when you visit home – you or your dog!?
AWWWW, I love my dog, it's the best present anyone has ever bought me. I miss her loads. A couple weeks ago when we went to England camp and I got to visit my mum’s house for the weekend, before we came back to the states, (my mum is dog sitting till I get home) it was so sad. It’s like my dog knew I was leaving again soon and she really would not leave my side for the whole weekend. I think next year I would like to fly her over here with me because it’s hard being away from her. But that’s all I’m going to talk about my dog because people will think I have turned all geekie and a softie and I do not want that now! He he. But I AM so excited to be reunited soon...love you Ella!!!

15. What question do people at home ask you most about your time so far in the USA and what is your answer?
The question I tend to get a lot is ‘do you train everyday’?
The answer is yes we do. We train for around 2 hours every day. This can sometimes be followed by a weights session. The day before a game we will have a video session on our opponents and sometimes we have team bonding days, that my team never seems to win. It is the best job in the world to have but that’s really how you have to view it sometimes. We are paid to show up to work every day and to give the best we can to the organization. If you do not give the best, just like in any other job, your skills will be reviewed and you will be replaced. You really have to be professional about what you do and remember who you are representing and the duties you have to fulfil to your team and the league. I am just thankful that I am getting to live the life I did not think would happen for women's football in general. I will enjoy every moment why it lasts.

Fair Game : The Women's Football Magazine