UNC 5, NC State 0

The North Carolina women's soccer team scored three goals in the first 9:47 of play and rolled on to a 5-0 win over visiting NC State Friday evening at Fetzer Field. UNC improved to 11-1-1 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Wolfpack fell to 7-5-1 (2-3 ACC). Freshman Renee Premji led the way for the Tar Heels as she assisted on four tallies with five different players notching goals on the night.

Inept?

"The Sol also did not pick up the option of Chinese forward Han Duan who made little impact between injuries, language issues and a lack of form and hopes to replace her with Czech midfielder-forward Pavlina Scasna, who formerly played in the WUSA with Philadelphia."

Naimo and Rogers, PLEASE do your due diligence.
Pavlina Ščasná is done.
She will not overcome her knee injury.
We know there is no fact finding in Atlanta but I hope that you guys do your homework?
Don't you?
Talk to Tomáš Kubíček from the Czech FA.
Nick Green, make Naimo and Rogers earn their money!
Ask them and Harvey hard questions.

Virginia Tech 1, UNC 0

Virginia Tech rode a 10-save performance by Kristin Carden to a 1-0 victory over No. 1-ranked North Carolina in women's soccer action Sunday evening. Virginia Tech moves into sole possession of first place in the ACC with the victory with a 4-0 record while UNC loses this season for the first time, falling to 10-1-1 overall and 3-1 in the ACC.

Misleading or inept?

From http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/ny/news/press_releases/090929-miettinenhire.aspx

"Miettinen is the current head coach for PK-35 in Helsinki, Finland, which is currently tied for first place in the Finnish Premier League. Prior to taking over at PK-35, she spent two years at FC Kontu in Helsinki, advancing her club to the Finnish Premier League midway through her first season at the helm."

Anyone with any knowledge of women's soccer or access to internet will find out that PK-35 is NOT in the Finnish Premier League but in second division.

Are we misleading or simply don't know?

Can FC Gold Pride be fixed?

Its public knowledge that Albertin "William Bligh" Montoya has lost the FC Gold Pride locker room sometime last May. Will it be long before Brandi Chastain takes his spot?

Peter Wilt is out

According to Chicago sources, Marcia McDermott has completed her boardroom takeover of the Red Stars by forcing out Peter Wilt and assuming his position in the organization.

Does not appear to be a wise move by the CRS.
1. Wilt is the man with second to none connections and experience in Chicago.
2. Wilt has a long memory and sticks around. Just ask the Fire.
3. In a league devoid of real soccer managerial experience, Wilt stood alone.

Will the CRS and the league overcome this setback? I believe this development is a major, major mistake.

WPS Expansion Draft

Both Atlanta and Philadelphia will need a lot of luck in 2010.

Atlanta
1.) Leigh Ann Robinson, D - FC Gold Pride
2.) Amanda Cinalli, F - Saint Louis Athletica
3.) Katie Larkin, D/M - Los Angeles Sol
4.) Sharolta Nonen, D - Los Angeles Sol
5.) Sara Larsson, D - Saint Louis Athletica
6.) Noelle Keselica, F - Sky Blue FC

Philadelphia
1.) Lori Lindsey, M - Washington Freedom
2.) Jen Buczkowski, D - Sky Blue FC
3.) Nikki Krzysik, D - Chicago Red Stars
4.) Sue Weber, D - Boston Breakerss
5.) Sarah Senty, D - Washington Freedom
6.) Danesha Adams, M - Chicago Red Stars
7.) Kelly Schmedes, F - Boston Breakers

WPS speculation

FC Gold Pride - Formiga will not return. Arakawa is not impressed with Montoya and will not return. Adriane and Erika are questionable at best. Weimer is desperate to get out.

Red Stars - Its no secret that Emma Hayes is not impressed with Lloyd and will try to unload her to either Sky Blue or Philly. Ostberg is out, Jonsson may go with her. Cristiane will have to take a pay cut to stay in Chicago.

Philly Independence - Caroline Seger of Sweden will be picked #1.

Atlanta Beat - Another Swede or two are expected to be drafted.

LA Sol - Han Duan will be gone.

Notre Dame 0, UNC 6

A soldout standing room-only crowd of more than 3,000 fans on hand at the new Alumni Stadium Friday night, hoping to the 2nd ranked Irish women's soccer team get its revenge on top ranked North Carolina in a rematch of last year's national championship game, won by the Tar Heels.
It didn't happen.
Jessica McDonald had two goals and an assist, while Casey Nogueira added a goal and an assist for North Carolina en route to a 6-0 win over the Irish.

Two-time WPSL National Championship coach to lead Philly

The Philadelphia Independence is proud to announce the selection of Paul Riley as its Head Coach. Originally from Liverpool, England, Paul has a long and illustrious career coaching men’s and women’s youth, college, and minor league soccer, including two National Championships (2006 and 2009) with the WPSL Long Island Fury.

Is Wilt hinting Red Stars ownership change?

In his weekly column, Chicago Red Stars CEO Peter Wilt gives us an interesting tidbit:
"Minor league baseball impressario Mike Veeck visited a Red Stars game at the end of the season..."
Is Wilt hinting an ownership change in Chicago? Remember the name, Mike Veeck.

UNC 4, UCF 0

Senior midfielder Tobin Heath produced a pair of world-class finishes while assisting on another tally in leading the top-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team to a 4-0 victory over UCF Friday night in the second game of the Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field.

Unprotected in Washington

1. Lori Lindsey
2. Kristin DeDycker
3. Parrissa Eyorokon
4. Jill Gilbeau
5. Emily Janss
6. Christen Karniski
7. Madison Keller
8. Rebecca Moros
9. Sarah Senty
10. Alex Singer
11. Kati Jo Spisak

Unprotected in Boston?

1. Abby Crumpton
2. Nancy Augustyniak Goffi
3. Mary Frances Monroe
4. Sophia Mundy
5. Christine Latham
6. Maggie Tomecka
7. Kristin Luckenbill

Unprotected in Northern California?

1. Greer Barnes
2. Lindsey Massengale
3. Meagan McCray
4. Tiffany Weimer
5. Kimberly Yokers
6. Eriko Arakawa
7. Brandi Chastain
8. Sissi
9. Marisa Abegg

Crossley Named Breakers Interim GM

Andy Crossley has been named the interim General Manager of the Boston Breakers, it was announced on Wednesday by the team’s Manager Partner, Michael Stoller.
Crossley was the team’s third employee, joining the Breakers in October 2007 as Director of Business Development. In that role, he directed the team’s ticket sales, merchandising and customer service programs. Prior to joining the Breakers, Crossley worked in minor league baseball for seven years, including two years as General Manager of the Brockton Rox and Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass. from 2005-2007.

Philadelphia will draft Sweden's Caroline Seger

Philadelphia Independence Manager Terry Foley said to a Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that his club will draft Sweden international Caroline Seger with their number 1 pick and is prepared to pay her a top salary.

US women's team to hold camp

Pia Sundhage invited 23 players who played in the inaugural season of the WPS professional league.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris, Hope Solo.
Defenders: Brittany Bock, Rachel Buehler, Lori Chalupny, Stephanie Cox, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Megan Schnur, Cat Whitehill.
Midfielders: Yael Averbuch, Shannon Boxx, Tina DiMartino, Tobin Heath, Angela Hucles, Brittany Klein, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Leslie Osborne, Megan Rapinoe, Kacey White.
Forwards: Lauren Cheney, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach.

Stunning title win for Sky Blue

Sky Blue FC have secured the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer league title by defeating premiers and favourites Los Angeles Sol in the final at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
The New Jersey-based side continued their improbable run to the title having scraped into the semi-finals with a win on the final day of the regular season.
A goal in the 16th-minute from USA midfielder Heather O'Reilly proved enough to separate the two sides despite the star quality of the home side which included Brazilian star Marta, Japan's Aya Miyama, China's Han Duan and experienced USA international Shannon Boxx.

UNC 7, UCLA 2

Defending NCAA women's soccer champion North Carolina tallied three goals in the first 13 minutes of play Saturday night to spark a 7-2 victory for the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels over No. 3-ranked UCLA in the season opener for both teams. A crowd of 3,372 at Fetzer Field sat through a steady rainstorm throughout the night to witness what proved to be a very different game from the one the two played last December 5 in the NCAA semifinals, a 1-0 Tar Heel victory.

The Atlanta Beat announces head coach

"Atlanta Beat General Manager Shawn McGee announced Gareth O’Sullivan as the first Head Coach of the Beat, a 2010 expansion team in Women’s Professional Soccer.
A native of Ballina, Ireland, O’Sullivan is a nationally respected coach with proven success at the youth, college and professional levels. Most recently he served as coach to Afturelding and KR in the Icelandic Premier League.
Prior to his years in Iceland, O’Sullivan coached collegiately in the United States. From 1997 to 2003, he led Christian Brothers University (Memphis, TN) women’s soccer team to five Gulf South Conference titles, en route to capturing the university’s first ever NCAA II national championship in 2002."

Its clear that McGee HAS NOT done his homework.
Why do you ask?
1. Call Chairman Guðjón Guðmundsson at KR and ask hard questions.
2. What happened at Christian Brothers University?

Suuport WPS: buy season tickets today

"The Freedom has sold about 700 season tickets, half of Quinn's expectations. Chicago is near 1,200 and hopes to reach 2,000, according to Red Stars President Peter Wilt."

"WPS has one major national sponsor, Puma, and negotiations with other firms have "slowed down or stopped," Commissioner Tonya Antonucci said recently."

Show your support, buy WPS season tickets today!

Terrible team names: Women's 'soccer' gets the American treatment

'People are always doing something to get noticed, but I think the skirt may or may not take off here.'

Colorado looking to join WPS in 2011

Dr. Bob Contiguglia, a former president of the U.S. Soccer organization and Colorado resident, disclosed that he’s working with an initiative to put a WPS franchise in Colorado by 2011.

Pali Blues add assistant

The Pali Blues Soccer Club formally announced today the addition of Shayon Jalayer to their coaching staff for the upcoming W-League season. After winning the 2008 league crown in their inaugural year, Jalayer will join the Blues’ bench on Saturday, May 9th, when they begin their title defense against the Los Angeles Legends at the Stadium by the Sea.
Jalayer brings a wealth of soccer experience to the Blues. He currently owns Soccer Odyssey, which has been training athletes, in a variety of formats, over the past 10 years in Southern California. The USSF National License holder serves as the associate head coach of the women’s side at Riverside Community College, and he concurrently presides over Corona United SC as their technical director. As a player for Azusa Pacific University, Jalayer was his team captain and received MVP honors of the Cougars from 1994-1995. He also enjoyed a professional career in the Iran Premiere League for Teraktor Sazi in 2002, as well as five years with the Washington Stars of the American Professional Soccer League. He also represented Iran in the 1995 World Futbol Rapido Championships and the USA in the 1994 Futsal World Cup.

Makoski ready to star on March 29th

And on March 29, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., against the Washington Freedom, Makoski will make her Women's Professional Soccer league debut.
"I'm going to be playing with the best players in the world," the 25-year-old Makoski said. "I never thought that I'd make it this far. It's always been my dream, but now it's a reality."
And she'll be playing with such names as Marta, who was named by FIFA as the best female player in the world in 2006 and is a three-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, and U.S. national team members Aly Wagner and Shannon Boxx.

Pali Blues sign star forward

The defending W-League champion Pali Blues Soccer Club bolstered its roster today with the addition of Stanford striker Christen Press. The Blues will continue making acquisitions over the upcoming months in preparation for their sophomore season debut, which will take place on Saturday, May 9th, against the Los Angeles Legends at the Stadium by the Sea.
Press started every game of her sophomore season for Stanford this past fall and received All-Pac 10 Second Team and Top Drawer Soccer Second Team accolades. She led the Cardinal offense with 43 points on 16 goals and 11 assists and has already accumulated 65 points on 24 knocks and 17 helpers in only two seasons in Central California.

Chastain plays to fans who remember her soccer glory

With her husband, Jerry Smith, caddying for her, Chastain showed some impressive ability on the course, smacking long, straight drives on most holes and displaying a soft touch around the greens.
As she waited to tee off on No. 14, she struck up a conversation with a man drinking coffee in his backyard. A few minutes later, she waved at somebody at a backyard party who sang out, "Here we go, Brandi, here we go!"
After blasting her best tee shot of the day on No. 18, she hollered, "That one was for you, Connor!"
Seconds later, a chubby man pulled up his shirt, flashing his bare belly at her — an apparent homage to her famous and infamous celebration at the '99 World Cup, when she stripped off her jersey, down to her sports bra, after scored the tournament-winning kick.

Six players finalize contracts with Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC - the NJ/NY franchise in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) - announced today that the team has finalized contracts with six players for the 2009 season. The officially signed players are Brazilian Rosana, Australians Sarah Walsh and Collette McCallum, and Americans Cori Alexander, Keeley Dowling, and Jenny Hammond.

SF Nighthawks wins 2009 Silver Mug Cup

Under an ominous gray sky, the San Francisco Nighthawks of the Pacific Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) won the 2009 Silver Mug Soccer Invitational Tournament, with a 5-0-1 record while capturing 49 out of a possible 60 points. The Nighthawks out-scored their opposition by a 15-2 margin, taking the final against Salt Lake City Sparta of the WPSL Big Sky Conference by a 2-0 score.
Led by 2008 All-Pacific Conference selection Kimberly Boulos (2g, 2a) and Seattle Pacific (reigning NCAA DII National champions) standout & All-West Region honoree Jocelyn Charette (7g, 2a), the Nighthawks were relentless on attack the entire tournament - who were bolstered by the addition of 2007 WPSL Final Four MVP Maria Ruiz to the squad. The tempo of the games was provided by both Boulos (playing as an attacking midfielder) and defensive center midfielder Erica Dubin (an All-West Region selection for NCAA DIII UC-Santa Cruz), who played every minute of the six matches.

Kelly Smith

Kelly Smith reportedly signs a four year contract worth $95,000/season.

U23: USA 3, England 0

The US U-23 Women’s National Team took on England yesterday (2/6) in La Manga, Spain. Brittany Klein, Amanda Cinalli and Lorraine Quinn had the goals.

WPSL grows to 54 teams

In a big year of firsts and new clubs in the Puget Sound area you can now add the Seattle Synergy to your soccer radar. This fledgling club will play in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in 2009 and give local female players a stepping stone to the W-League and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS.)

This league is 54 teams strong nationwide. Top names like Tony Diccio have coached in this league (Connecticut) and now he's with the WPS team the Boston Breakers. This league is serious women’s soccer! This can create a great WPS feeder system.

Algarve Cup roster

U.S. Women's National Team 2009 Algarve Cup Roster (March 4-11, 2009)
GOALKEEPERS
Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica).
DEFENDERS
Rachel Buehler (FC Gold Pride), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis Athletica), Kendall Fletcher (Los Angeles Sol), Heather Mitts (Boston Breakers), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC).
MIDFIELDERS
Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol), Tina DiMartino (FC Gold Pride), Carli Lloyd (Chicago Red Stars), Heather O'Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Lindsay Tarpley (Chicago Red Stars), Kacey White (Sky Blue FC), Angie Woznuk (St. Louis Athletica).
FORWARDS
Angela Hucles (Boston Breakers), Natasha Kai (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (Boston Breakers).

U23: USA 1, Norway 0

The US U-23 Women’s National Team took on Norway earlier today in La Manga, Spain. Yael Averbuch scored for the US in the 73 minute.

Lines to coach Buffalo Flash

The Buffalo Flash of the United Soccer Leagues and their recently acquired head coach, former New Zealand international and USL-1 veteran Aaran Lines, announced their intention to field a team of professional players in their first year of W-League competition.
Lines is an experienced international player with 41 appearances for New Zealand, participating in the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup with New Zealand during his national team career. Lines has played for clubs in Germany, New Zealand, Poland, and most recently in the United States for the USL First Division Rochester Rhinos. He began his USL-1 stint with the Portland Timbers in 2005 and played his final two seasons with the Rhinos, seeing action in 66 USL-1 regular season games and recording three goals and seven assists. His club advanced to the postseason all three seasons with the Rhinos reaching the USL-1 Championship game in 2006.

Maryland Pride announce new GM & head coach

Thunder Soccer Club is pleased to announce that the TSC Maryland Pride of the East Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) has hired a new General Manager and Head Coach for the Summer 2009 season. The new G.M. will be Tony Corbett, who has been a long time coach in the Maryland area and will continue to serve as the Director of Coaching for all of Thunder's youth teams, as he has since 2001.
As part of the re-organization, the Howard County based club has also been interviewing for a new Head Coach and after an extensive search, they are very pleased to announce the appointment of Blackpool, England native Steve Knapman. The 33-year-old former professional has been coaching and playing in the Maryland area for the past 12 years.

WPS schedule

Women's Professional Soccer plans to unveil its complete league schedule Thursday afternoon.

"Formiga is the best midfielder in the world" says Montoya

FC Gold Pride, the Bay Area franchise of Women’s Professional Soccer announced today the signing of Brazilian Soccer standout Formiga, to a one-year contract. FC Gold Pride selected Formiga as the first overall draft pick at the WPS International Draft.
"With Formiga, we have signed the best midfielder in the world," said FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya. "She holds teams together. I spoke to several coaches from around the world before selecting her in the WPS international draft. She is consistently regarded around the world as the engine of her team. She embodies the heart and soul of the Brazilian National team and we are looking forward to having her bring her talent and passion to FC Gold Pride."
The 30 year old native of Sao Paulo, Brazil has been a constant presence on the Brazilian national team for 15 years, representing her country in four World Cup competitions (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007) and four Olympic tournaments (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008). The talented midfielder has been a leader and a catalyst for the marked rise of women’s soccer in Brazil. She has twice helped Brazil reach the Olympic gold medal match (2004, 2008) and twice captured the Pan American Games Championship (2003, 2007), lifting her team to victory in 2003 by scoring the game-winning goal in the match.