Women's Soccer USA

Coverage of women's soccer in the US. If it's not here...it's not important...

January 29, 2009

Hege Riise becomes USWNT Assistant Coach

Hege Riise has been appointed as the new US Women’s National Team Assistant Coach. Riise had a distinguished career as a player winning a FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1995 and a Olympic gold medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Riise also played in the WUSA for the Carolina Courage.

Boston Aztecs sign two

The Boston Aztecs of the East Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) have announced their Summer 2009 coaching staff. Former Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) standouts & Aztec All-WPSL selections Meotis Erikson and Rebekah Splaine will serve as player/coaches this upcoming season.

January 28, 2009

WPSL ready for growth

With the next step in the evolution of the sport in the form of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) just months away, the effect has been felt not just in this country but all over the world. After the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) held in Las Vegas, NV last weekend, the national women's soccer league showed it was ready to roll with the changes.
Former Associate League Commissioner Joe Ferrara has had his duties elevated, and will now serve as the WPSL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the 50-plus team league. Andy Sones of the Millburn Magic (East Conference) - founder of SONESOCCER, YPSL Commissioner & former youth player in the English Premier League (EPL) with Charlton Athletic - will take over Ferrara's duties as East Commissioner.
Fresh off his induction into the USASA Region IV Hall of Fame, League Commissioner Jerry Zanelli - and the member teams present at the WPSL AGM - were all in favor of the further evolution of the national women's soccer league with these new appointments.

January 27, 2009

Red Stars sign Carney

The Red Stars made England's Karen Carney their first official signing Tuesday.
The 21-year-old forward joins the Red Stars from England's Arsenal Ladies F.C. and will be reunited with Emma Hayes, who was an assistant with Arsenal before accepting the Red Stars head coaching job in May.

January 26, 2009

Tony DiCicco

We spent too much money. The business plan was never right. But from an entertainment level, from a competitive level, from a player-development level, every team in three years made the playoffs; it was a different champion in every year; there were very few lopsided scores.

Lawsuit allowed to continue

Common sense tells you that if your view of the playing surface from the seating bowl includes the back of the goal, you may be in danger of being struck by a ball or puck. Or, maybe not. After a Wake County court threw out Teresa Allred's lawsuit against a women's soccer league and the owners and operators of a Cary, N.C., stadium now called SAS Soccer Park, an appeals court ruled in December that the lawsuit could continue.
Allred was sitting behind the goal at an April 2003 Women's United Soccer Association match when she was struck in the head by a practice shot that sailed over the goal and into the stands. Allred's complaint, Allred v. Capital Area Soccer League Inc., filed in April 2006, alleged that she suffered post-concussive syndrome and a neurological disorder as a result of the incident.

January 25, 2009

Sawa will join Washington

Veteran Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa has left NTV Beleza to join the Washington Freedom in the U.S. Women's Professional Soccer league, Beleza announced Friday.

January 23, 2009

Hayes named Atlanta W-League coach

The Silverbacks W-League announced David Hayes today, as the new Head Coach for the Atlanta Silverback Women. Hayes, who has spent the last four seasons as a player with the Atlanta Silverbacks of USL-1, is a USSF “B” Licensed coach and is currently the Technical Director for the Alpharetta Ambush Soccer Club.

LA Legends announce new head coach

The Los Angeles Legends are pleased to announce Twila Kaufman as the Head Coach of the LA Legends W-League Team.“We believe Twila’s coaching and recruiting ability, as well as her playing experience to be a great compliment to our young team,” says General Manager, Josh Hodges.
Kaufman has spent the past 5 years as a member of the Pepperdine University Wave’s coaching staff where she is involved in all phases of the program: conditioning, practice planning, academic affairs and game management. Kaufman is also the recruiting coordinator and has brought in nationally ranked freshmen classes from 2005-08 according to Soccer Buzz, including a program-best #15 ranking in 2007.

January 22, 2009

U-23s will travel to Europe to face Norway and England

The U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team will travel to Europe from Jan. 31-Feb. 7 for two matches as part of a three-team competition in La Manga, Spain. The USA will face Norway on Feb. 4 and England on Feb. 6.
This will be the first U.S. U-23 roster that features a majority of professional players with 11 of the 18 having been drafted by clubs in the new WPS.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Kelsey Davis (Portland), Val Henderson (Los Angeles Sol)
DEFENDERS (6): Nikki Krzysik (Chicago Red Stars), Stephanie Logterman (St. Louis Athletica), Kia McNeil (St. Louis Athletica), Kasey Moore (Boston Breakers), Kat Reynolds (Santa Clara), Jessica Tsao (Portland)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Parrissa Eyorokon (Washington Freedom); Brittany Klein (Chicago Red Stars), Lorraine Quinn (Duke), Amy Smerdzinski (Wake Forest)
FORWARDS (4): Amanda Cinalli (St. Louis Athletica), Katie Larkin (Los Angeles Sol), Kelley O’Hara (Stanford), Christen Press (Stanford).

January 21, 2009

Fourteen year old Kori Quinn diagnosed with cancer

Some of you may have heard there is a girl, Kori Quinn who plays on the Viati 95's (U14's) who was recently diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma Cancer.
She is an amazing athlete and is now fighting for her life. Regardless of what jersey a player is wearing, a soccer player is a soccer player. We are reaching out into the soccer community asking for support for Kori and her Mom and Dad to help pay for medical expenses. Kori will start her 3rd round of chemo this upcoming weekend and then will have 10 more to go.
We are selling "Kick it for Kori" wristbands for $4 and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Kori Quinn Medical Fund.
We feel greatful to have healthy kids but when something like this happens EVERYONE needs to step up to the plate to support a kid who LOVES to play the game of soccer.
 You can find more info around Kori's story at www.viatisc.com and there is a link to her Caring Bridge website where her mom give daily updates.
Theresa Hultz
Cell 913-526-8565 
You can contact Theresa via the cell phone listed above or by email at theresa@viatisc.com
 

January 20, 2009

Ali Riley Signs with Pali Blues

The defending USL W-League Champion Pali Blues Soccer Club announced today their first acquisition for the 2009 season after signing New Zealand National Team midfielder Ali Riley. The Stanford University junior comes to the Blues one summer after playing every minute of the 2008 Olympic Games for New Zealand.
"We are so excited to get the ball rolling with the signing process, and I cannot think of anyone better then Ali,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo stated. “Not only is she a great player with a world of experience, she is a Palisadian. We had hoped she would have been with us last year, but she was competing in the Olympics."
Riley has over 20 caps with the New Zealand National Team, and she was a member of the Football Ferns’ first World Cup club in 2007. She hit the first and only international goal for New Zealand in an Olympic tuneup against China on July 17, 2008, and she had an assist in the first goal of their opening Olympic match last summer. She showed her versatility on the pitch this past fall after converting from forward to defender for her junior season at Stanford.

Bartlinkski earns D3 national coach of year award

University of West Florida women's soccer coach Joe Bartlinski was named Tuesday as the national coach of the year for NCAA Division II.
The honor was voted upon by the National Soccer Coaches of America Association.
Bartlinski led UWF to an unbeaten regular season in 2008, a school record 24 wins and the program's first appearance in NCAA Division II Final Four.
The Argos' only loss occurred in double overtime against Seattle Pacific University in the NCAA Division II National Championship game.
Earlier in the season Bartlinski was recognized by the NSCAA as the South Region Coach of the Year.
His career record at UWF is 152-21-9, which is leads the Gulf South Conference in all-time career wins and career winning percentage.

January 19, 2009

WPS salaries

How much will the players get paid? Here are the numbers according to league projections.
WNT - $47,500
WNT pool - $35,000
Top international - $32,500
International - $25,000
Top domestic - $20,000
Domestic - $12,875

January 18, 2009

Aubry takes over at Arkansas

Erin Aubry played in the Big Ten and most recently coached in the Ohio Valley Conference, but her SEC experience qualified her to succeed Gordon Henderson as Arkansas' new women's soccer coach.

"We need to see what we have first," Aubry said. "We're going to play with a lot of courage. We're going to really press them to have individual courage to take risks, go to goal, come out of the back, but we're also going to make sure that we keep the ball. We're going to use our strengths for sure, play a little bit above the SEC level."

January 17, 2009

Inspirational Chastain ready to lead

San Jose's Brandi Chastain has accomplished as much as anyone in women's soccer. She has won World Cup titles, Olympic gold medals and the adulation of countless fans.
Yet, at age 40, the woman famous for making the winning penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup final still had to prove she could play.
"Three months ago I wasn't sure she could," FC Gold Pride Coach Albertin Montoya said Friday after picking Chastain in the seventh round of the Women's Professional Soccer league general draft.
Chastain, perhaps the South Bay's most prominent female sports figure, changed her coach's mind during a series of tryout camps for the start-up professional league that begins play in April. She became the team's featured selection on a day the Gold Pride filled out its roster with a handful of promising college players.
"Watching her, she still has it," said Montoya, who added that taking Chastain wasn't a gimmick. "At the end of the day I've got to pick players who can make the difference. She doesn't waste energy; she reads the game."
Chastain, expected to play a quarterbacking role in the midfield, hasn't been with the U.S. national team since 2004 but competed with the semi-pro California Storm in recent years. One of her teammates was Sissi, a former Brazilian star who is the Gold Pride's assistant coach. The two also played for the San Jose CyberRays of the now-defunct Women's United Soccer Association that folded in 2003.

January 16, 2009

WPSL dominates first 2 rounds of 2009 WPS draft

After today's WPS Draft - which was held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention at America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, MO - many WPSL players can pursue that professional dream once again, as 29 former & current standouts were selected by the seven WPS teams in a 10-round format. On top of that fact, nine of the first 11 picks in the 2009 WPS Draft have ties with the WPSL.
"It is a great day for the WPSL but more so for the sport of women's soccer," said League Commissioner Jerry Zanelli, who is also the owner of the WPSL's California Storm & Director of Player Development for F.C. Gold Pride (WPS). "To have nine of the first 11 picks in today's WPS Draft connected to our league is truly gratifying, but as a whole, no where close to the satisfaction when it comes to the players themselves. This is all for them and what our league is truly about - developing players for the next level."
West Coast F.C.'s Amy Rodriguez - who signed with the team prior to the 2008 season but was called up to the gold-medal winning U.S. Women's National Team for the Olympic Games this past summer after an injury to star forward Abby Wambach - was selected 1st overall by the Boston Breakers. After that, former Elk Grove Pride star & All-WPSL selection Megan Rapinoe (Univ. of Portland) went to the Chicago Red Stars with the second overall selection.
The Long Island Fury of the East Conference were honored with two selections in the First Round, as U-23 USWNT star & UCLA's Hermann Trophy Finalist Christina DiMartino (3rd overall, F.C Gold Pride) and Allie Long (7th overall, Washington) of the 2008 College Cup Champion Univ. of North Carolina Tarheels will now take on the pro ranks. Alex Singer (Univ. of Virginia) - a starter on Long Island's 2006 WPSL National Championship team - was selected with the first pick (8th overall) of the 2nd Round.
DiMartino and her new coach - Albertin Montoya, who was on the California Storm coaching staff - were excited about their WPS possibilities.
"Christina is the best attacking midfielder in the country by far," said Montoya. "She can create, she can finish and she possesses skills you just can't teach. Her vision of the game is impeccable. We wish her the best in camp with the National Team and look forward to her arrival in the Bay Area."
Also, rounding out the first two rounds were WPSL standouts Kia McNeill (9th overall to St. Louis, All-WPSL selection with Bay State Select) and five-time All-WPSL selection & UConn's First Team NSCAA All-American Meghan Schnur (11th overall to Sky Blue F.C.). Notre Dame's Brittany Bock (5th overall to Los Angeles) played for the 2005 WPSL & U.S. Open Cup Champion F.C. Indiana squad and was named to the All-Final Four Team for her efforts.

WPS Draft

1. Boston - Amy Rodriguez
2. Chicago - Megan Rapinoe
3. Bay Area - Christina DiMartino
4. Sky Blue - Yael Averbuch
5. LA - Brittany Bock
6. St. Louis - Kerri Hanks
7. Washington - Allie Long

8. Washington - Alex Singer
9. St. Louis - Kia McNeill
10. LA - Allison Falk
11. Sky Blue - Megan Schnur
12. Bay Area - Carrie Dew
13. Chicago - Nikki Krzysik
14. Chicago - Brittany Klein

15. Boston - Kasey Moore
16. Chicago - Natalie Spilger
17. Bay Area - Tiffany Weimer
18. Sky Blue - Karen Bardsley
19. LA - Katie Larkin
20. St. Louis - Stephanie Logterman
21. St. Louis - Elise Weber

22. Washington - Jill Gilbeau
23. Washington - Parrissa Eyorokon
24. LA - Greer Barnes
25. Sky Blue - Christie Shaner
26. Bay Area - Marisa Abegg
27. Chicago - Jen Branam
28. Chicago - Chioma Igwe

29. Boston - Jennifer Nobis
30. Chicago - Stacey Tullock
31. Bay Area - Ameera Abdullah
32. Sky Blue - Julianne Sitch
33. LA - Val Henderson
34. St. Louis - Nikki Cross
35. Washington - Briana Scurry

36. Washington - Rebecca Moros
37. St. Louis - Jill Loyden
38. LA - Katie Hooker
39. Sky Blue - Jen Buczkowski
40. Bay Area - Leigh Ann Robinson
41. Boston - Kelly Schmedes
42. Boston - Ariel Harris

43. Boston - Lindsay Vera
44. Chicago - Lauren Sesselmann
45. Bay Area - Brandi Chastain
46. Sky Blue - Ouying Zhang
47. LA - McCall Zerboni
48. St. Louis - Lisa Stoia
49. Washington - Sarah Senty

50. Washington - Kati Jo Spisak
51. St. Louis - Megan Kerns
52. LA - Brittany Cameron
53. Sky Blue - Mary Therese McDonnell
54. Bay Area - Allison Whitworth
55. Chicago - Kat Tarr
56. Boston - Ashley Nick

57. Boston - Allison Martino
58. Chicago - Jessica O'Rourke
59. Bay Area - Alissa Oldenkamp
60. Sky Blue - Mele French
61. LA - Erica Janke
62. St. Louis - Sheree Gray
63. Washington - Claire Zimmeck

64. Washington - Christen Karniski
65. St. Louis - Lydia Vandenbergh
66. LA - Lisa Sari
67. Sky Blue - Fanta Cooper
68. Bay Area - Stacie Alberico
69. Boston - Stacy Bishop
70. Boston - Jaimel Johnson

Fawcett reaches Hall

Since 1998, seven members of the famed 1991 United States Women's National Team, which won the inaugural women's World Cup, have earned election to the Hall. On Thursday, Joy Fawcett made it eight.
Fawcett made the Hall of Fame cut as the top two vote-getters in the 2009 Player Election.

Alex Scott traded by Chicago

Chicago sends Alex Scott, its 6th Round Pick (41st overall) and its 10th Round Pick (69th overall) in the 2009 WPS Draft to the Boston Breakers for the 2nd Round Pick (14th overall) and the 4th Round Pick (28th overall).

What does this mean?
Its simple, Scott is Kelly Smith's girlfriend and this trade can only mean that Smith will sign with Boston really soon. DiCicco is building a powerhouse in Boston.

January 15, 2009

Shelton State drops women's soccer program

Shelton State Community College has decided to drop its women’s soccer program.
Barry Mohun, the school’s athletic director, called the move “an economic-type decision.”
Shelton State was the only two-year school in the state to offer women’s soccer as a scholarship program. The Buccaneers were successful, making it to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s district tournament level last season and regularly making it to the national playoffs.

January 14, 2009

Trotter quits

India Trotter has retired from soccer.
Will she un-retire within 12 months? I expect her to.

Is WPS misleading potential sponsors?

In its "Los Angeles Sol Signs Brazilian Superstar Marta" press release the league states "Umea has captured the Swedish league title three times (2005, 2006 and 2007) since her arrival, and took the UEFA Champions League crown in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2007. In addition, they have drawn an average of nearly 10,000 fans per home game, easily best in the league."
Wait a minute, Marta's former club, Umea IK, averaged about 1,700 at home this season and NEVER averaged more then 3,000.
This is easily verifiable with a two minute phone call to Sweden. So, are they sloppy or sinister?

January 13, 2009

Krieger breaks foot

In the midst of her holiday rehab work from a previous injury that had kept her off the field for most of the fall, Krieger broke her foot. She told me she's having surgery this week and expects to be sidelined for two months, and that she's keeping U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage informed.

Marta ready for WPS

“We feel it’s great not just for our franchise but for our whole entire league,” Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo said. “It’s big news. We’ve been getting contacted by as much international media as we have local, but we’re definitely getting a lot of media attention. New York Times, L.A. Times. The big dogs. We’re obviously very appreciative of the coverage.”
The Los Angeles Sol are building their roster around Marta, the three-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year.

January 12, 2009

Marta's deal

- 5 year guaranteed contract
- $225,000 salary guaranteed by AEG
- $225,000 from Puma
- 10% of gross Marta merchandise sales
- house
- SUV
- cell phone
- equity position in the league
- team and individual performance bonuses

January 10, 2009

Hanks wins Herman again

Kerri Hanks is just the fourth two-time winner of the crystal soccer ball, joining an illustrious list that includes Mia Hamm, Cindy Parlow and Christine Sinclair, and is the only one to win in non-consecutive seasons. She was fifth in the nation in goals with 20 and tied for second in points with 55. She led Notre Dame this season to the College Cup final, where she scored just 16 seconds into the match, but Notre Dame lost to North Carolina 2-1. She finished her career tied for second in assists in NCAA history.

January 09, 2009

25 to attend camp

TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.
Jan. 20-Feb. 4, 2008
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.)
DEFENDERS (8): Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.), Marian Dalmy (Lakewood, Colo.), Kendall Fletcher (Cary, N.C.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Jill Oakes (West Hills, Calif.), Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Tina DiMartino (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Kacey White (Arlington, Texas), Angie Woznuk (El Cajon, Calif.)
FORWARDS (7): Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis, Ind.), Tina Ellertson (Vancouver, Wash.), Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.), Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), Megan Rapinoe (Redding, Calif.), Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.), Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.)

Freedom signs trio

The Washington Freedom has agreed to terms with Lori Lindsey, Becky Sauerbrunn and Emily Janss, three of its picks from the Women’s Professional Soccer draft in October.
They are the first three domestic players to reach agreements with a WPS club.
Sauerbrunn, the third overall pick in the October draft, has two caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team, was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and is the only three-time NSCAA All-American in Virginia history. The 2008 W-League season was her first with the Freedom.
Lindsey, the Freedom’s third round pick, has been with the Freedom since being traded from San Diego to Washington before the 2003 WUSA season. Lindsey was part of the Freedom’s 2003 WUSA and 2007 W-League championship teams and is one of only two players in ACC history to be named the ACC Player of the Year in back-to-back years (2000 and 2001), with Mia Hamm being the other.
Janss, the Freedom’s fourth round pick, is also a WUSA veteran having played with the New York Power from 2001-2003. Janss joined the Freedom in 2004 and was a part of the 2007 W-League championship team. The Maryland graduate was named to the All ACC First Team and All ACC Tournament Team in 1999.

Boston signs Latham

Canadian striker Christine Latham has signed with Boston of the new Women's Professional Soccer league, becoming the Breakers' first international player.
Latham has 49 caps for Canada and started all six matches at the 2003 FIFA women's World Cup, scoring a team-high three goals in the tournament.
The 27-year-old hasn't played for Canada since 2007 when she was suspended along with veteran Charmaine Hooper and Sharolta Nonen. The trio was cut after they failed to attend a training camp in Newfoundland and play in an exhibition series in China.
Latham has played in the W-League since WUSA's demise. She spent the 2005 season with the New Jersey Wildcats and captained the Atlanta Silverbacks from 2006 to '08. She was the Silverbacks' leading scorer in 2007 with 10 goals and two assists, and was third in the league with 15 goals this past season.

Laura Kerrigan 'looking forward' to coaching high school

Not too many high school women's soccer hires raise an eyebrow when announced, but then again, there aren't many high school women's soccer coaches who can say they've been a head coach in the ACC for 11 seasons.
Such is the case with the new coach at Cary, former N.C. State coach Laura Kerrigan.
Kerrigan spent the last 11 years as head coach of her alma mater. She posted an 87-107-16 overall record but resigned on Nov. 3, citing that the personal strain of college coaching had become too much.

San Diego WFC hires new coach & G.M.

The San Diego WFC SeaLions of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) have announced the hiring of Paul Dougherty as their new Head Coach and Amie Becker as the team's first full-time General Manager.
Paul Dougherty played professional soccer for 19 years, including stints in the English Premier League (EPL), Major League Soccer (MLS), Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). A former San Diego Sockers standout, League MVP and fan favorite, Dougherty spent three seasons as a coach with the La Jolla Nomads Soccer Club, where his teams won two Surf Cup titles along with State Cup, Regional and U.S. Club Soccer National Championships.
Amie Becker graduated from New York University in 1998. She served as an account executive with the San Diego Spirit of the now-defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) from 2002-03 before joining the San Diego Sockers (MISL) as Director of Operations, where she was responsible for the management, planning and production of the team's home matches. In both positions, her duties included developing partnerships involving the team and San Diego's youth soccer clubs.
In 2006, she worked with Soccer United Marketing in sponsorship fulfillment for the Mexican National Team matches held in the United States. Becker also worked with U.S. Soccer, where she handled the coordination and logistics of Youth National Team domestic & international training camps and matches.

Marta's signing boost for WPS

With a week to go before the Women's Professional League's draft of college players, to be held Jan. 16 at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis, only four foreign players whose negotiating rights were obtained by WPS teams have signed to play in the 2009 season, but women's soccer brightest star, Marta, is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Sol, perhaps as soon as Monday when the FIFA Women's Player of the Year is announced in Zurich.

January 08, 2009

Frisk gets a three year deal with LA Sol

Swedish defender Johann Frisk signed a three year contract with the Sol.
This blog understands her salary to be $45,000 per season.

DiCicco mum on Boston’s draft plans

As a group, the seven WPS coaches are friendly and accessible. They are open and honest about a range of topics including but not limited to the building of WPS and their respective franchises. Just don’t ask them for insight on undrafted players.
“I’m not going to do that for obvious reasons,” Boston Breakers coach Tony DiCicco said when asked to disclose who showed well at the West Coast and East Coast Combines. “We don’t want to tip our hand. I’m sure that if all the coaches were honest, I’m sure that there were five or six kids that looked good that everyone will be interested in. But in case they didn’t feel that way, I don’t want to say anything.”

WPS draft

Tune into Fox Soccer Channel on Thursday, January 15 between 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) to catch live interviews from the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis including a league update with WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci, the unveiling of PUMA’s Official WPS Match Ball, as well as news and interviews about Friday’s 2009 WPS Draft.

FieldTurf Announces 2008 Soccer Coach and Team of the Year Awards

FieldTurf announced the winners of its annual Soccer Coach and Team of the Year Awards for the 2008 season today. The awards will be formally presented at the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in St. Louis on January 16. Winners were announced in 11 different categories including the national high school team of the year. These awards are based on tabulated votes from FieldTurf Tarkett executives and a panel consisting of Al Albert, Tonya Antonucci, Chris Burt, Brian Ching, Glenn Davis, Anson Dorrance, Jay Hoffman, Bill Irwin, Buzz Lagos, Matt Reis, Steve Sampson, Steve Shak, Aly Wagner, Durward Williams and Tanya Vogel.
This year's winners are:
* USL W-League Coach of the Year - Shek Borkowski, FC Indiana
* NCAA Division 1 Coach of the Year (Women's Soccer) - Randy Waldrum, Notre Dame
* National High School Team of the Year (Girls) - The Pennington School (NJ)
* Southwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): Alta HS (UT)
* Northwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): Lincoln HS (OR)
* Midwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): St. Ursula Academy (OH)
* Metro High School Team of the Year (Girls): The Pennington School (NJ)
* Northeast High School Team of the Year (Girls): Minnechaug Regional HS(MA)
* Southeast High School Team of the Year (Girls): Sacred Heart Academy (KY)
* Great Lakes Region High School Team of the Year (Girls): Woodbury HS(MN)
* Midwest Metro High School Team of the Year (Girls): Strongsville HS (OH)
* Mid-Atlantic High School Team of the Year (Girls): Archbishop Spalding HS (MD)

January 07, 2009

1,000 season tickets

The Chicago Red Stars became the first franchise in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) to surpass the 1,000 season ticket threshold, Director of Sale Greg Zaskowski announced today.
“We’ve been consistently selling 40 to 50 season tickets a week,” said Zaskowski. “We expect the pace to pick up as we get closer to the April 19th home opener and the excitement builds. I wouldn’t be surprised if we sell 2,500 to 3,000 season tickets. We’re definitely creating a demand for the best seats in Toyota Park and the January 31st early bird discount deadline for the $99 season tickets will also spur sales this month.”

January 06, 2009

Naimo recognized

It's hard to imagine a first-year coach, in any sport and at any level, having a more successful season than the one Charlie Naimo enjoyed as pilot of the Pali Blues Soccer Club. That's why he's the winner of this year's Palisadian-Post Coach of the Year Award.
From the moment he arrived in Pacific Palisades, Naimo took charge of every aspect of the team's development, from public relations to recruitment to scheduling to team practice and, most importantly, to coaching on game day. Naimo pieced together a talented group of players, yes, but he also molded his squad into a cohesive unit capable of matching any opponents' style.
A prime example of Naimo's innate ability to know what buttons to push and when was evident in his substitution patterns during the latter stages of the W-League championship game. The Blues trailed FC Indiana, 1-0, with less than 10 minutes left but rallied for two late goals to cap a perfect season.
"We really struggled to make anything happen at the start of the second half, so I switched from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 formation to try and get some energy up top," Naimo said later. "Our depth was a huge reason why we won the game. Our bench gave us the energy we needed."

NC State hires new coach

NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler announced Tuesday the hiring of Steve Springthorpe as the new head women's soccer coach for the Wolfpack.
Springthorpe spent the previous five seasons at Fresno State University in Fresno, Calif.
There he compiled a 52-40-12 record and transformed the Bulldog soccer program into a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title contender that appeared in the league's championship game four straight years, winning twice, and earning a regular season title in 2006.
Fresno State made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2008.

January 05, 2009

Sky Blue FC Reaches Agreement with Australians Walsh, McCallum

Sky Blue FC - the NJ/NY entry into Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) - announced today that the club has secured agreements in principle with Australians Sarah Walsh and Collette McCallum for the 2009 season.

Southwestern Oklahoma State University hires Persson

The coach who built winning programs at three different Oklahoma colleges has been hired by Southwestern Oklahoma State University to do the very same for its women's soccer program.
Mark Persson, who has been the head women's coach at Southern Nazarene University for the past three seasons, emerged as SWOSU's choice from a deep and talented applicant pool according to athletic director Todd Thurman. Persson takes over for Joe Bradley who resigned after eight seasons at SWOSU.

January 04, 2009

Shannon MacMillan joins the DMCV Sharks

UCLA assistant women's soccer coach Shannon MacMillan joins the DMCV Sharks as the club's new director of coaching for competitive girls. MacMillan, who played a pivotal role in helping lead UCLA to appearances in the NCAA College Cup in 2007 and 2008, adds a new element of depth to an already strong staff of directors.