ALEX SCOTT BLOG

Alex Scott is now going to be doing her own weekly blog for Foxsports.com here is the 1st.
Check it out weekly at http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Alex%20Scott/2009/05/06/Life_in_the_WPS_and_Boston


Life in the WPS and Boston

So I had been at Arsenal Ladies since I was 8 and grew up at the club that I have always supported. I thought i would always be at this club as i was such a fan of the men's team, but this year the WPS came knocking! i had heard about all the plans for the womens professional league to come back and had not really given it a major thought. I have a house in England I have two dogs, play for a top team, things are going well with the national team why would I leave that?well after speaking with Tony Diccico and Joe Cummings at the Boston breakers, I knew this was a decision that if I turned down I would regret. So after lots of talking and lots of back and forth, I made the hardest decision I have had to make to date, leave England for America.

Boston is now my new Home, and I must admit i do love this city it reminds me in some ways of London, so i don't feel to far away from home, Boston is always busy and there is always stuff going on and people to see, plus at night when the city is alight it looks beautiful. Added bonus, it is a great sports city!


One of the main reasons I decided to come and play in the WPS is because I really wanted to push my game to the next level. This league is really proving to be the best that there is because the simple fact is, no other league has the same amount of top quality players that this league does. Playing every week against the best attacking players that the women's game has is only going to make me the best defender/outside back that i can be.One week i am marking Abby wambach who has such a physical presence on the field and her aerial ability is amazing and such a threat, as well as Bompaster who really has such a great soccer brain with her movements off the ball and her passing abilities, the next week i am marking Marta... i think the name says it all, but one of the quickest and most skillful players that the league has.Every week i am being presented a new challenge/puzzle that i have to solve, and that's is why i am loving playing in the WPS.

One wish I would have had for this league would be for America to be a smaller country, wow!!! i really cannot believe how much time i am spending on a plane traveling to the different WPS teams. If you have been to England you will know that it is a fairly small country our furthest game was a 5 hour bus ride at the most. The first game to my shock horror i had to sit on a plane for 6 LONG HOURS. When i got off the other end i could not believe i was still in the same country. I could drive to Spain or France in less time than that. My teammates are now aware that this Brit is scared of flying. Its funny for my teammates whoever the lucky one maybe who sits next to me on the flight will find themselves laughing at my little screams everytime there is a bump.

So all in all life in the WPS and life in Boston is going great. My teammates are a wicked bunch (i think making fun of my English accent is never going to stop) my team make me do the cheer at the end of training just so i count to three so they can laugh at the way i say it.... one ... two ... three.. really not much difference is there - i don't get it???

We have three wins and two loses now, and we all know that we are nowhere near the finished article. We are starting to get used to each others style of play and movements, so things can only get better for the Boston breakers.Stay tuned for more more blogs, I will be updating you week by week on life in the WPS and being a Boston Breaker. i will leave you with things that I now say, which in England is sooooo different. Going back to play on the national team, if i say any of the following words, I will get so much stick (made fun off!!) - no American slang is what they have told me on my return home!

Soccer = Football. PK = penalty. Candy = chocolate. Mall = shopping center. Restroom = toilet. Pinnies = Bibs. Sweater = Jumper. Outside back = right/left back

By Alex Scott, the English Boston Breaker!!

Karen Carney exclusive interview coming soon

Find out here how Karen is settling in America, her reasons for leaving the Arsenal and what she thinks of the WPS so far. Womans Soccer Insider has the exclusive... We have grilled the England International and will be posting her thoughts here.





coming soon

BRIT INVASION...PART 6

Karen Carney, Ifeoma Dieke and the Chicago Red Stars sat out the weekend.


Composure!

Top accolades this week, i think i will give it to Eniola Aluko.Aluko scored her 1st goal and Saint Louis Athletica's 3rd goal against the Washington Freedom at the SoccerPlex Stadium in Maryland. In an exciting yet physical and emotional match the game ended 3-3 with the Freedom scoring 2 late goals to tie.
Aluko was played through in the 69th minute with a great pass over the top by substitute Keri Hanks. Aluko ran on to the ball and struck a perfect shot across the Freedom keeper while under pressure from the centre-back Becky Sauerbrunn. It was a well taken goal and should give her confidence going into future games. Aluko also played hard and was constantly dangerous in a match Athletica having been 3-1 after 75 minutes up should have closed out.

“I would have taken the win rather than score,” said Aluko. “The draw took away any joy that came with that goal. Everyone is very disappointed. To go 3-1 up in any game and lose it in the 90th minute and lose Daniela is very tough to take.”


Goal, Again!

Kelly Smith once again has shown how much she means to the Boston Breakers . Scoring her 4th goal in as many games against LA Sol. Smith sat out against the Red Stars last match and boy! did they miss her. They were all over the place and were trampled 4-0. This weekend it was oh so different. Just 2 minutes into the game Smith struck a well placed shot to beat the previously unbeaten keeper Karina LeBlanc. She also displayed her superior skills in midfield against the likes of Shannon Boxx and Aly Wagner who had to use what ever method they could to stop her, it worked only when she was brought to ground. Smith takes the knocks and the accolades with aplomb.

"There was a lot of hype, obviously," Smith said. "For me, it's not Marta v. Kelly. It's Boston v. L.A., and I'm all about the team performance. I was pleased to get on the scoresheet, but if other players score and we get three points every week, I'm happy as long as we're winning."

While Smith played a great game, it was the Breakers' back line of Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Sue Weber and Heather Mitts -- along with goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill -- that kept Marta from looking dangerous and off the scoresheet. Scott had another solid game directly up against the best player in the world. Marta is fast but so is Scott and rarely did Marta get past her. Scott drove Marta into midfield to get the ball this way limiting her effectiveness and ultimately the Sol's game. As a consequence Scott did not do much attacking in this match. Looking forward to the replay in a bigger pitch and GRASS!

Anita Asante and Sky Blue FC were beaten by a single goal by FC Gold Pride. A Topsy turvey match with chances on both sides. The Sky Blue defence looked off the pace whenever the pacier Pride players were in and around the box. Asante possibly getting used to playing again with Christie Rampone was made to look slow at times, hesitating before clearing the ball. As a player she will need to be sharper against International teammate Karen Carney, Megan Rapinoe and Cristiane this weekend. As a unit the defence need to be more compact and alert to the offence of the only undefeated team in the league.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEKENDS GAMES

See both Kelly Smith and Eniola Aluko goals.

Washington Freedom v St Louis Athletica


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Boston Breakers v LA Sol


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FC Gold Pride v Sky Blue FC


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WASHINGTON FREEDOM 3 - 3 ST LOUIS ATHLETICA

Aluko 1st to the ball!

Saint Louis Athletica nearly earned their first win of the season Sunday night in Washington but could not hold onto a late 3-1 lead and were forced to settle for a draw and a point.
With just over ten minutes to play Saint Louis seemed to have matters under control but injuries to Tina Ellertson, cramping, in the 74th minute and Daniela, knee, in the 81st minute changed the complexion of the final quarter hour of the game and Washington stormed back to tie the match.

Sonia Bompastor equalized in just the first minute of stoppage time. Bompastor got to the end of a Cat Whitehill forward ball and out jumped all Athletica defenders to head over the top of Hope Solo who was stranded on her line. The goal was Bompastor’s second of the match.

Just over ten minutes earlier Abby Wambach set up the chance that got Washington back into the game. Wambach’s hard cross from the right wing to the back left post was met by Lisa De Vanna who drove a powerful header straight down between Hope Solo’s legs. Solo otherwise had the shot completely covered.

Athletica’s characteristic quick start paid off for the first time as they took possession immediately to start the game. Daniela fired onto goal from 25 yards in the game’s first minute. Her shot set the tone for what was to come.

Daniela stuck again in the 5th minute. A Washington turnover was reeled in by Lori Chalupny. Chalupny fed Daniela on the left side of the penalty area but the Brazilian’s shot was over the bar.
Abby Wambach managed a shot in the 6th minute but her effort posed no problems for Hope Solo. Solo used the save as an opportunity to unleash a counter attack that saw Athletica rush down the field towards Washington’s goal. The Freedom’s Katie Jo Spisak made a blind save on a Melissa Tancredi shot but the rebound fell to Daniela who hammered it into the back of the net for the franchises first ever goal. Daniela and teammates celebrated with a samba dance.
The Freedom established some momentum midway through the first half. Wambach got free in the 28th minute down the right side but the speed of Athletica’s back line prevented a shot from being taken. The Freedom kept up the pressure though and it would pay off.

Just one minute later Washington evened up the game with a goal from Sonia Bompastor whose header off a Jill Gilbeau cross was perfectly placed inside Hope Solo’s right post. 1-1 after 29 minutes.

It would take Saint Louis several minutes to settle down and regain their composure and later in the first half they began to control possession again.

The result was a diving header on goal by Melissa Tancredi on a cross from Aluko that was driven in hard. Spisak handled the shot well.

6o seconds later Daniela struck again. Daniela made a one on one move to create space 25 yards out from goal and her strike was hard and true finding the upper corner of the net as it streaked past a stranded Spisak. Athletica regained a well-deserved lead again. 2-1 Athletica at the half.

In the 67th minute Jorge Barcellos sent in Kerri Hanks to replace Melissa Tancredi at forward as Athletica looked to inject some fresh legs in an attempt to kill of the game. Barcellos also switch Captain Lori Chalupny to the backline and brought Francielle forward at the beginning of the half.

The move to bring in Hanks paid off as she played a through ball to England’s Eniola Aluko who used her pace to get onto the end of it. Aluko reached the ball in the penalty area and her one-timer to the far post beat Spisak cleanly giving Athletica a comfortable two goal margin with just over 20 minutes to play. It wouldn’t last.

After taking a knock in the 73rd minute Tina Ellertson came out and was replaced by Niki Cross. Five minutes later Washington was back in the game when De Vanna scored and Bompastor’s equalizer 11 minutes later would send Athletica back to St. Louis still winless.

Following the game Daniela was taken to a local hospital for examination.

“I would have taken the win rather than score,” said Aluko. “The draw took away any joy that came with that goal. Everyone is very disappointed. To go 3-1 up in any game and lose it in the 90th minute and lose Daniela is very tough to take.”

LINEUPS:

WSH: Spisak; Gilbeau, Sauerbrunn, Whitehill, Singer; De Dycker (Moros 64), Lindsey, Sawa, Long (De Vanna 46); Wambach, Bompastor

STL: Solo; Francielle, Ellertson (Cross 74), McNeill, Weber; Stoia, Woznuk, Daniela (Gray 83), Chalupny; Tancredi (Hanks 67), Aluko

FC GOLD PRIDE 1 - 0 NJ/NY SKY BLUE FC

Robinson to the rescue!

FC Gold Pride kept up their unbeaten record at home in front of the enthusiastic 2,533 crowd. Small crowd maybe due in part to the weather earlier on in the day. It only cleared up 30 minutes before kick-off. The single goal came from the substitute Leigh Ann Robinson in the 86th minute - probably was unlucky not to start the match. She is on the roster as a defender but Coach Albertin Montoya put her on for her speed and to get behind Sky Blue's defence which of course she did.

"What we saw was that we could use Leigh Ann Robinson's speed. She's probably our second fastest player, and we talked about getting in behind the defense out wide, and there's no other player on the bench at that time that I felt could do that at that time as well for us." Albertin Montoya

The match was filled with plenty of physical play. Sky Blue FC midfielder Kelly Parker may have gotten a little too physical pressuring Formiga and was issued a yellow card in the 44th minute. The teams exchanged near misses at the end of the first half. First, Heather O’Reilly hit the post on a sliding, all-out effort to find the back of the net. Tiffany Weimer followed up that attack by bouncing a well-struck free kick off the cross bar to end the half.

Weimer missed a penalty in the 38th minute when Sky Blue Captain Christe Rampone back from injury - brought Weimer down inside the penalty box. Sky Blue FC GK Jenni Branam came up with a big save on Weimer's penalty kick, pushing the shot wide, and keeping the teams even at 0-0.

The goal came because Adriane, who entered the match in the 84th minute, did some serious thinking on her feet. The Brazilian looked left and noticed teammate Eriko Arakawa was in an offside position, so she looked back right and made eye contact with Robinson. Her pass fed through to Robinson perfectly, and Robinson's momentum and speed carried her toward the goal in open space.Robinson ripped a shot past goalkeeper Jenni Branam to the near post.

Gold Pride goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart was up to every challenge, especially in the first half when she had two brilliant saves. Central defender Carrie Dew - back from injury and badly missed and Formiga helped make Barnhart's job a little easier.

Sky Blue have now not won a single match. They were unlucky not to score and with Rampone back they can look to push on but it will be difficult. They are on the road again next week heading to Chicago to play the Red Stars in the FSC game of the week.

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the result – to come this far and not get anything out of the game,” said Sky Blue FC Head Coach and General Manager Ian Sawyers. “We had some great chances in the first half and obviously again in the second. We felt we had a couple of golden chances that we didn’t take care of.”

Lineups:

FC Gold Pride - Nicole Barnhart; Carrie Dew, Rachel Buehler, Kristen Graczyk; Formiga, Tiffeny Milbrett (Eriko Arakawa, 57th), Leslie Osborne, Tina DiMartino; Christine Sinclair (Leigh Ann Robinson, 70th), Tiffany Weimer (Adriane, 84th), Kandace Wilson.

Sky Blue FC - Jenni Branam; Julianne Sitch, Anita Asante, Keeley Dowling, Christie Rampone; Collette McCallum (Natasha Kai, 45th), Kelly Parker, Meghan Schnur, Yael Averbuch (Kacey White, 80th); Sarah Walsh (Rosana, 65th), Heather O'Reilly.

BOSTON BREAKERS 2 - 1 LA SOL

High Five!

Kelly Smith shows why she is important to the Boston Breakers and to the WPS.

The Breakers coming of of that 4 - 0 drubbing by Chicago Red Stars were determined to get the win and show their fans just how good they really are. With Smith back in the starting 11 and Amy Rodriguez dropped to the bench they put early pressure on the LA Sol. Heather Mitts set the play in motion with a feed to Kelly Schmedes 12 yards in front of the LA goal. Schmedes’ shot was deflected back to Smith, who fired the ball over Karina LeBlanc’s fingertips and into the upper right corner for the fastest goal in the league this season. 2 minutes on the clock. The Sol had just conceded their 1st goal and the Breakers were on their way.
They went up 2-0 in the 55th minute on a hard run upfield by defender Stacy Bishop, who dished to Kristine Lilly on the left flank. Lilly fought off LA defender Manya Makoski and beat LeBlanc on the far side.

The Boston defence dealt adequately with Marta and the rest of the Sol attack for most of the game. In fact Smith handed out high praise to her back unit. "....it was important to our defenders and keeper to show the level that they can play at. They’re the best defensive unit I’ve ever played with and today they showed it". Wow! high praise indeed from Smith considering the teams she has played with.

LA Sol at times had good possession and good passing. They got through the Boston defence at times but goals were marked off for offside.In the 1st half Marta had few chances but came alive in the 2nd half going on her typical runs from the left to inside. GK Kristin Luckenbill making the saves. They got their goal from an Aya Miyamo free-kick which Brittany Bock headed past Luckenbill in the 63rd minute. Tails up, the Sol pressed forward for the equaliser but the Breakers defence held strong sending most of the 8,031 strong crowd home happy.

"You knew they were going to come out well, and with fairness to them, they scored two quality goals with two quality finishes. I give them credit but I think we played a very good game as well and I was happy with the work we put in". LA Sol's coach Abner Rodgers

Lineups:

Boston Breakers: Kristin Luckinbill; Heather Mitts, Amy LePeilbet, Sue Weber, Alex Scott; Kelly Smith, Angela Hucles, Stacy Bishop; Kelly Schmedes (Kasey Moore: 76), Chritine Latham (Amy Rodriguez: 64), Kristine Lilly (c).

Los Angeles Sol: Karina LeBlanc; Manya Makoski, Matina Franko, Brittany Bock, Stephanie Cox; Camille Abily (Katie Larkin: 75), Shannon Boxx (c), Aya Miyama; Aly Wagner, Han Duan, Marta.

Kelly Smith Named WPS Player of the Month for April

High five!

England's Kelly Smith has had a great start to her 2nd stint as a professional footballer in the WPS. She agonised over her decision to leave Arsenal and try once again to elevate her game and live out her dreams. So far it's all going swimmingly well. Other people have also taken note.

Boston Breakers forward Kelly Smith was named the WPS Player of the Month, it was announced today by Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) for the month of April.

Smith becomes the league’s first-ever monthly award recipient. She scored goals in all three of the games she played during the month of April, leading the Breakers to a 2-1-0 record in those matches. The English National Team forward was an automatic nominee for the award after claiming the WPS Player of the Week award on April 12 for Week 3. Smith beat out two of her opponents for the next two weekends, Los Angeles Sol forward Marta and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who finished second and third, respectively, for the monthly honor.

The award was selected by team ballots, media vote and online fan voting with each group accounting for one-third of the final tally. Nearly 1,000 fans voted at the league’s Fan Corner at http://fancorner.womensprosoccer.com to help select the winner.

In Boston’s home opener a week later, Smith was involved in both goals in the Breakers’ 2-0 win over Saint Louis Athletica. Smith scored the first goal and then provided the decisive pass on Kristine’s Lilly’s late goal to put the game out of reach. That performance led her to being named the WPS Player of the Week.

On April 18, Smith scored the league’s first-ever penalty kick to open the scoring in Boston’s first road victory, a 3-1 triumph over former WUSA rivals the Washington Freedom.

The England international is tied for the league lead in goals scored with Los Angeles’ Marta. Smith has finished as a finalist to Marta, the three-time reigning FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, in two of the past three years.

The WPS Player of the Month award is voted on at the end of each month by media, fans and teams. Nominees come from each of the WPS Player of the Week award winners during the month, and write-in votes are accepted. The weekly award is voted on by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR).

Congratulations Kelly from all at Womens Soccer Insider.

WPS PREVIEW WEEK 6

Boston Breakers vs LA Sol Sat May 2nd 7pm ET

Some say it's the showdown of the best 2 teams in the league. It's definitely the showdown of the best 2 players in the league. The Los Angeles Sol's Marta and Boston Breakers' Kelly Smith return to WPS action after missing last week's play, and they meet for the first time Saturday at Harvard Stadium. Their teams failed to score a goal when they were not playing. That is how important they are to their teams.
The first of back-to-back meetings between the Sol and Breakers. Both teams will be looking to gain that psychological one up.
The breakers will need to play better & defend better than they have been doing so. Alex Scott should expect a busy evening as Marta will most likely be playing down the left. Will Amy Rodriguez be instated into the starting lineup. She was substituted at half-time against Chicago in a disappointing display from her. Will Kelly Smith ignite the offense and try to put one past the impressive Karina LeBlanc who has not let in a goal in all 4 matches played.

LA Sol will have to get to grips with playing on artificial turf. Only Marta has had experience on the surface as her previous club Umea played on the surface. The Sol have Camille Abily and Han Duan back. It will be a fast paced game. Expect fireworks.

My prediction 2-1 away win for LA Sol





Washington Freedom vs St Louis Athletica Sun May 3rd 6pm ET Live FSC (11pm British Time).

It's a battle of WPS's worst defense (Freedom has allowed nine goals in four games) against the worst offense (St. Louis hasn't scored in three games).
This could be a great game. The Freedom are on a high after their last minute win at FC Gold Pride and Abby Wambach suddenly looks dangerous again. Can they continue the momentum. French international Sonia Bompastor returns from international duty. GK Kati Jo Spicek looking for her 2nd start. Erin McLeod is still having visa problems.

Athletica got their 1st point against the LA Sol last weekend and could of and should have collected all 3. It's only a matter of time before they score but honestly the players need to step up. Strikers Eniola Aluko and Keri Hanks need to step up. Key word - Composure!

My prediction 2-1 away win for Athletica (keep the faith!)







FC Gold Pride vs Sky Blue FC Sun May 3rd 8pm ET

The late Sunday match marks the first time two WPS teams have met for a second time. FC Gold Pride and Sky Blue FC played to a 1-1 draw in New Jersey three weeks ago. Both teams will be going for the win this time.

The Pride so far are the most entertaing side. Playing fluent and attacking football. Look out for the Tiffany Weimer and Christina DiMartino who had fantastic games last weekend. Last weekends result was a huge disappoinment to the players and a heavy loss to bear.Something that they won't want to have repeated. Centre-back Carrie Dew is set to return after injury. They need her.The defence is not quite as good as their offence.

Sky Blue have been mostly in the shadows of the Breakers and the Red Stars. Yet to win they need to kick on and state their intentions. They played well against Chicago in their last match but we have still to see the best in some players. English star Anita Asante will be looking to start her partnership in defence at last with captain Christie Rampone who may return from injury. Expect Heather O'Reilly and Australian Sarah Walsh to continue up front. Brazillian International Rosanna played her 1st game in a friendly at the weekend and scored a goal for Sky Blue after returning from a knee injury. She could start on the bench. They need a bit of flair.

My prediction 3-1 home win for FC Gold Pride

ENGLISH GIRLS GET TO GRIPS WITH TWITTER!

Gunners trio!

These days, everyone is all a-Twitter about Twitter.

In just the past few months, Twitter has become the hot new media platform to link professional athletes directly to their fans. By receiving messages from athletes on their computers and directly as text messages to their phones, over 800,000 fans are following NBA players like Shaquille O'Neal or legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Followers of professional players' "tweets" are allured by the behind-the-scenes access to an athlete's every move.

The WPS has been ahead of the trend, integrating the communication tool into the league site and its grassroots approach as much as possible. Over 20 WPS players are officially tweeting, giving fans a new take on their daily lives, including one trio of English internationals.

Alex Scott, Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers) and Karen Carney (Chicago Red Stars) are regularly tweeting, giving Twitter followers bouts of friendly banter each day about their training, the league and most recently the Chicago Red Stars thrashing of the Boston Breakers.

Smith tweeted, "finally back to Boston after a dreadful performance v. Chicago." Scott posted, "still hurting from getting beat 4-0, a game to forget, good goal Karen, will see you for a rematch soon, hehe." Fans also got an update from Karen about Chicago's bye week, "On my way to training no game this week = running."

However, these three players are not about to stream live status updates during a match — they say that, for them, it can be a distraction. But they do see the value of forming a unique connection with the league's fans.

"I think I heard about Twitter on TV and was curious as to what it was," said Boston defender Scott. "Since I signed up it has now become an everyday habit for me to go on there and update what I am doing, to talk or have some banter with Karen Carney." Scott, Smith and Carney have a combined total of 412 followers on Twitter.

Twitter updates, Scott says, give fans fresh insight into what players are doing on and off the field and an opportunity to learn more about the players; Carney agrees saying the more exposure the players and their teams get, the better for the league.



Extracts from Abigail LePeilbet, Special to FoxSoccer.com