Here are the results for the international draft for the WPS. The players get drafted and then decide on whether or not they would like to play.
FIRST ROUND
Bay Area: Formiga (Brazil)
Boston Breakers: Kelly Smith (England)
Los Angeles: Marta (Brazil)
St. Louis: Daniela Alves (Brazil) *Trade with Washington Freedom
Chicago Red Stars: Cristiane (Brazil)
Washington Freedom: Homare Sawa (Japan) *Trade with St. Louis
Sky Blue FC: Sarah Walsh (Australia)
SECOND ROUND
Bay Area: Christine Sinclair (Canada)
Boston Breakers: Fabiana (Brazil)
Los Angeles: Aya Miyama (Japan)
Washington Freedom: Sonia Bompastor (France)
Chicago Red Stars: Heather Garriock (Australia)
St. Louis: Renata Costa (Brazil)
Sky Blue FC: Rosana (Brazil)
THIRD ROUND
Bay Area: Eriko Arakawa (Japan)
Boston Breakers: Maycon (Brazil)
St. Louis: Lotta Schelin (Sweden) *Trade with Los Angeles 4th Round
Washington Freedom: Lisa De Vanna (Australia)
Chicago Red Stars: Karen Carney (England)
St. Louis: Melissa Tancredi (Canada)
Sky Blue FC: Ester (Brazil)
FOURTH ROUND
Bay Area: Erika (Brazil)
Boston Breakers: Shinobu Ohno (Japan)
Los Angeles: Han Duan (China)
Washington Freedom: Louisa Nécib (France)
Chicago Red Stars: Caroline Jonsson (Sweden)
Los Angeles: Margret Lara Vidarsdottir (Iceland) *Trade with St. Louis 3rd Round
Sky Blue FC: Kelly Parker (Canada)
Man, this is really hard! I still have no idea who I'm going to cheeer for! Do any of you?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thanks Lori!!
Ok, so the USA WNT blog does this thing where it allows fans to ask questions to Lori Chalupny, a defender on the team. Many people ask questions, but she actually answered my question!!! I don't know why this feels so cool, but I guess it's neat that she took the time to answer questions from the fans.
zoe said...
Hey Chupa!
Congrats again on the gold!!
Just wondering..what was going through your mind as the ref blew the whistle at the end of the gold medal game? what was the most special moment for you?
Chalupa: Hi Zoe, thanks for the question. I will never forget the moment the whistle blew. I had always dreamed of winning an Olympic gold but never really thought about the final whistle. To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what I was doing or what I was thinking. I was just overcome by emotion. It's hard to pick out a favorite moment from that day, but I think standing on the podium, singing our National Anthem and watching our flag being raised was the most emotional for me. It was a moment of such joy but also pride. I was so proud to be standing there with the other 17 girls.
zoe said...
Hey Chupa!
Congrats again on the gold!!
Just wondering..what was going through your mind as the ref blew the whistle at the end of the gold medal game? what was the most special moment for you?
Chalupa: Hi Zoe, thanks for the question. I will never forget the moment the whistle blew. I had always dreamed of winning an Olympic gold but never really thought about the final whistle. To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what I was doing or what I was thinking. I was just overcome by emotion. It's hard to pick out a favorite moment from that day, but I think standing on the podium, singing our National Anthem and watching our flag being raised was the most emotional for me. It was a moment of such joy but also pride. I was so proud to be standing there with the other 17 girls.
Monday, September 22, 2008
USA closes out series with two wins over Ireland
Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. School has gotten kind of hectic and I haven't had much free time.
Anyways, the USA beat Ireland 1-0 on September 17 in New Jersey. The goal came from Natasha Kai in the 72nd minute of the game. She is the highest goal scorer this year with 15 goals! Tash is actually averaging 1 goal per game! Christie Rampone also celebrated her 200th cap in this game which she got during the Olympics.
The USA capped off their 3 game series with a 2-0 win in Chicago on the 20th. Shannon Boxx was captain of the game as she celebrated he 100th cap. This was also the USA's 29th win in the calender year, which means they broke the record for most wins. The USA had 28 wins in 2004. The goal scores in this game were Lori Chalupny and Kate Markgraf, who both happen to be defenders! This was Kate Markgraf's first ever goal in 193 games with the national team. She actually got the goal off of a penalty kick.
The USA will take the month of October off before playing another 7 games in November.
Anyways, the USA beat Ireland 1-0 on September 17 in New Jersey. The goal came from Natasha Kai in the 72nd minute of the game. She is the highest goal scorer this year with 15 goals! Tash is actually averaging 1 goal per game! Christie Rampone also celebrated her 200th cap in this game which she got during the Olympics.
The USA capped off their 3 game series with a 2-0 win in Chicago on the 20th. Shannon Boxx was captain of the game as she celebrated he 100th cap. This was also the USA's 29th win in the calender year, which means they broke the record for most wins. The USA had 28 wins in 2004. The goal scores in this game were Lori Chalupny and Kate Markgraf, who both happen to be defenders! This was Kate Markgraf's first ever goal in 193 games with the national team. She actually got the goal off of a penalty kick.
The USA will take the month of October off before playing another 7 games in November.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
WPS USA WNT draft
Today the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) allocation (draft) of the USA WNT took place. There are 7 citys,(Boston, St. Louis, L.A., Bay Area, Chicago, Washington D.C., and the New Jersey Area) so only 3 players are selected to each team.
Unfortunately, you must be out of college to play in the league, so Amy Rodriguez, Tobin Heath, and Lauren Cheney, are not included in the draft.
Abby Wambach, Leslie Osborne, Cat Whitehill, Tina Ellertson, Kristine Lilly and Ali Kriger are included in the draft even though they didn't participate in the Olympics.
Well, here are the results:
Boston Breakers: Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly, and Heather Mitts
St. Louis: Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny, and Tina Ellerston
Los Angeles: Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox, and Aly Wagner
Bay Area: Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Leslie Osborne
Chicago Red Stars: Carli Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley, and Kate Markgraf
Washington Freedom: Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill, and Ali Kriger
Sky Blue FC(New Jersey): Natasha Kai, Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone.
I think that the two strongest teams would be Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars. Sky Blue FC have a fantastic central defender in Christie Rampone. She's a great leader and will be able to control the back. Natasha Kai is a great forward and Heather O'Reilly is a fantastic right midfielder who can create a lot of chances for her team.
Chicago also has a great team. They also have a great central defender in Kate Markgraf. She too is a great leader and can control the game. Carli Lloyd is a fantastic midfielder who will probably score a lot of goals for the team. Lindsay Tarpley is a versitle player who played as a midfielder in the Olympics, but also played as a forward in the 2007 World Cup.
The Boston Breakers have a great team as well. Angela Hucles has been playing better then ever and will be a great forward for the team. Kristine Lilly has a lot of experience and will be a leader for this team. Also, Heather Mitts is a very good defender and will be a huge asset for the team.
St. Louis I think will do pretty well. Hope Solo is probably the best goalkeeper in the world and will do a good job of controlling the back. Lori Chalupny played as a left back in the Olympics, but has also played as a midfielder in the World Cup. She is very capable of playing any position on the field. Tina Ellertson was defender in the World Cup, but she has also played forward.
Los Angeles looks pretty good. Unfortunatly they don't have a strong leader in the back, but I'm sure Stephanie Cox will step up. Shannon Boxx will be a leader in the middle and Aly Wagner can play up top or in the midfield. They don't have a dominate scorer, but they should be pretty good.
The Bay Area seems like the weakest team to me. Nicole Barnhart was the backup goal keeper in the Olympics and hasn't had that much game experience in the goal. Rachel Buehler is a good central defender, but also hasn't had that much experience. Leslie Osbore is a strong defensive midfielder, but hasn't played for awhile. This team doesn't have a someone that can really score goals, but hopefully they will get some.
Washington Freedom looks pretty good. Abby Wambach is probably the best scorer in the league, and they will probably draw a lot of fans to watch her play. Ali Kriger played in Germany for the past few years, and her team actually won the UEFA Women's Cup last year. Cat Whitehill is a strong defender and I think that she will come out stronger than ever.
I'm really excited to see which international players will be drafted to the teams and to have the league start!
I'm not sure which team I'm going to cheer for yet, but I'm excited that the league is up and running again!!
Unfortunately, you must be out of college to play in the league, so Amy Rodriguez, Tobin Heath, and Lauren Cheney, are not included in the draft.
Abby Wambach, Leslie Osborne, Cat Whitehill, Tina Ellertson, Kristine Lilly and Ali Kriger are included in the draft even though they didn't participate in the Olympics.
Well, here are the results:
Boston Breakers: Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly, and Heather Mitts
St. Louis: Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny, and Tina Ellerston
Los Angeles: Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox, and Aly Wagner
Bay Area: Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Leslie Osborne
Chicago Red Stars: Carli Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley, and Kate Markgraf
Washington Freedom: Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill, and Ali Kriger
Sky Blue FC(New Jersey): Natasha Kai, Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone.
I think that the two strongest teams would be Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars. Sky Blue FC have a fantastic central defender in Christie Rampone. She's a great leader and will be able to control the back. Natasha Kai is a great forward and Heather O'Reilly is a fantastic right midfielder who can create a lot of chances for her team.
Chicago also has a great team. They also have a great central defender in Kate Markgraf. She too is a great leader and can control the game. Carli Lloyd is a fantastic midfielder who will probably score a lot of goals for the team. Lindsay Tarpley is a versitle player who played as a midfielder in the Olympics, but also played as a forward in the 2007 World Cup.
The Boston Breakers have a great team as well. Angela Hucles has been playing better then ever and will be a great forward for the team. Kristine Lilly has a lot of experience and will be a leader for this team. Also, Heather Mitts is a very good defender and will be a huge asset for the team.
St. Louis I think will do pretty well. Hope Solo is probably the best goalkeeper in the world and will do a good job of controlling the back. Lori Chalupny played as a left back in the Olympics, but has also played as a midfielder in the World Cup. She is very capable of playing any position on the field. Tina Ellertson was defender in the World Cup, but she has also played forward.
Los Angeles looks pretty good. Unfortunatly they don't have a strong leader in the back, but I'm sure Stephanie Cox will step up. Shannon Boxx will be a leader in the middle and Aly Wagner can play up top or in the midfield. They don't have a dominate scorer, but they should be pretty good.
The Bay Area seems like the weakest team to me. Nicole Barnhart was the backup goal keeper in the Olympics and hasn't had that much game experience in the goal. Rachel Buehler is a good central defender, but also hasn't had that much experience. Leslie Osbore is a strong defensive midfielder, but hasn't played for awhile. This team doesn't have a someone that can really score goals, but hopefully they will get some.
Washington Freedom looks pretty good. Abby Wambach is probably the best scorer in the league, and they will probably draw a lot of fans to watch her play. Ali Kriger played in Germany for the past few years, and her team actually won the UEFA Women's Cup last year. Cat Whitehill is a strong defender and I think that she will come out stronger than ever.
I'm really excited to see which international players will be drafted to the teams and to have the league start!
I'm not sure which team I'm going to cheer for yet, but I'm excited that the league is up and running again!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
USA wins 2-0 over Ireland
On Saturday in Philadelphia the USA beat Ireland 2-0 on goals from Natasha Kai and Heather O'Reilly.
Heather O'Reilly celebrated her 100th cap as the games captain. She actually played in her 100th game in the gold medal match of the Olympics.
The USA took the lead in the 32nd minute on a fantastic header from Natasha Kai. Heather O'Reilly played a great ball near the penalty area and found Tash's head.
Ireland played a tough match and held strong even though they were out shot 20-4.
The USA had many chances, but was unable to score again until the 86th minute. Heather O'Reilly cracked a great left footed shot that sailed over the Irish keeper and into the net.
The USA's next game will be on Wednesday in the states, but Thursday here. They will actually be streaming the game on ussoccer.com, so you should be able to watch it on your computer. Unfortunately...I'll be in class. ;)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Angela Hucles
Got this article off of ussoccer.com. I know it's a little late,(written during the olympics) but I thought it was a pretty inspirational. Hope you enjoy it!
Hucles the Hero
To put into perspective Angles Hucles’ performance in the 2008 Olympics, consider these statistical nuggets:
Heading into 2008, Hucles had scored exactly five goals in 70 career caps (just 27 starts) and had not scored since 2004.
In 2008, she has seven goals, including a team-leading four in the Olympics where has started all five games.
She had played in 18 matches heading into the Olympics – all in the midfield – and had started exactly one.
But when Abby Wambach went down with a broken leg 30 minutes into the USA’s last Olympic warm-up match, Hucles was called upon to step up.
It was quite a LARGE step.
Playing as a withdrawn forward behind the speedy Amy Rodriguez, Hucles has filled a valuable role linking the midfield with the forward line while finding pockets to receive the ball in front of defenses. She has been able to turn and run at the back line, play the center midfielders or spray balls to the wings. That ability has helped the U.S. attack move forward, leading to all sorts of scoring chances for her and her teammates.
“Angela Hucles is a fantastic story,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage, who actually traded Hucles from the Boston Breakers to the San Diego Spirit after the final WUSA season in 2003. When Sundhage took over as U.S. coach, she saw a Hucles who was fitter. faster and better able to play the style of soccer she desired. “She has been one of the most important players in this team.”
You can call it the experience of veteran player coming through. You can call it preparation meets opportunity.You can call it the right player at the right time or the right fit for the right style. Whatever you call it, call it a heck of a performance so far.
“Coming from playing in the midfield and now playing up top, I’m still playing almost directly with Shannon (Boxx) and Carli (Lloyd), so we’ve been used to playing together and it’s not as big of an adjustment,” said Hucles. “Just playing over the years with this team and having that chemistry both on and off the field has helped me personally. When there’s an adjustment like that, it really comes down to the chemistry which has helped us be successful.”
It’s not like forward is a foreign land to Hucles. It was her college position, where she is the University of Virginia’s all-time leading scorer, and also played up top for the U.S. Under-21’s. But when she broke onto the full women’s team in 2002 it was loaded with forwards, thus she moved to the midfield.
“It’s been a few years since I play forward and I haven’t been in this position where I’ve been able to shoot this much and have these kind of scoring opportunities,” said Hucles. “But overall, I’m happy whenever I get to play. Being part of the Olympics is a huge thing, much less being able to play in an Olympic final match. I love being able to score goals if that’s what’s asked of me and any way I can contribute I’m happy to do that.”
While her move from midfield to forward is impressive, her transition from the bench to the starting eleven has necessitated the most change in her outlook.
“I’ve been pretty much a substitute this entire year,” said Hucles. “My role has changed a bit with this Olympics. I think being a bench player is one of the hardest positions on this team. When you’re on the bench, you’re still playing in the game, you’re having the emotional drain, cheering, supporting your teammates, and you don’t get that physical relief that players on the field do. The substitutes don’t get enough credit a lot of time, or are overlooked.”
After Hucles scored her second goal against Japan, she ran to sidelines to celebrate with the substitutes, sharing the moment with her bench brethren.
Score one - actually two - for the reserves.
Hucles the Hero
To put into perspective Angles Hucles’ performance in the 2008 Olympics, consider these statistical nuggets:
Heading into 2008, Hucles had scored exactly five goals in 70 career caps (just 27 starts) and had not scored since 2004.
In 2008, she has seven goals, including a team-leading four in the Olympics where has started all five games.
She had played in 18 matches heading into the Olympics – all in the midfield – and had started exactly one.
But when Abby Wambach went down with a broken leg 30 minutes into the USA’s last Olympic warm-up match, Hucles was called upon to step up.
It was quite a LARGE step.
Playing as a withdrawn forward behind the speedy Amy Rodriguez, Hucles has filled a valuable role linking the midfield with the forward line while finding pockets to receive the ball in front of defenses. She has been able to turn and run at the back line, play the center midfielders or spray balls to the wings. That ability has helped the U.S. attack move forward, leading to all sorts of scoring chances for her and her teammates.
“Angela Hucles is a fantastic story,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage, who actually traded Hucles from the Boston Breakers to the San Diego Spirit after the final WUSA season in 2003. When Sundhage took over as U.S. coach, she saw a Hucles who was fitter. faster and better able to play the style of soccer she desired. “She has been one of the most important players in this team.”
You can call it the experience of veteran player coming through. You can call it preparation meets opportunity.You can call it the right player at the right time or the right fit for the right style. Whatever you call it, call it a heck of a performance so far.
“Coming from playing in the midfield and now playing up top, I’m still playing almost directly with Shannon (Boxx) and Carli (Lloyd), so we’ve been used to playing together and it’s not as big of an adjustment,” said Hucles. “Just playing over the years with this team and having that chemistry both on and off the field has helped me personally. When there’s an adjustment like that, it really comes down to the chemistry which has helped us be successful.”
It’s not like forward is a foreign land to Hucles. It was her college position, where she is the University of Virginia’s all-time leading scorer, and also played up top for the U.S. Under-21’s. But when she broke onto the full women’s team in 2002 it was loaded with forwards, thus she moved to the midfield.
“It’s been a few years since I play forward and I haven’t been in this position where I’ve been able to shoot this much and have these kind of scoring opportunities,” said Hucles. “But overall, I’m happy whenever I get to play. Being part of the Olympics is a huge thing, much less being able to play in an Olympic final match. I love being able to score goals if that’s what’s asked of me and any way I can contribute I’m happy to do that.”
While her move from midfield to forward is impressive, her transition from the bench to the starting eleven has necessitated the most change in her outlook.
“I’ve been pretty much a substitute this entire year,” said Hucles. “My role has changed a bit with this Olympics. I think being a bench player is one of the hardest positions on this team. When you’re on the bench, you’re still playing in the game, you’re having the emotional drain, cheering, supporting your teammates, and you don’t get that physical relief that players on the field do. The substitutes don’t get enough credit a lot of time, or are overlooked.”
After Hucles scored her second goal against Japan, she ran to sidelines to celebrate with the substitutes, sharing the moment with her bench brethren.
Score one - actually two - for the reserves.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Not Much to Say
Well..nothing to interesting has happened in the past few weeks. The team starts their tour on September 13. It is supposed to be a 10 game tour, but only 3 games are scheduled so far.
It's kind of sad. I don't have much to do. I mean, no more walking through the streets of garapan trying to find the game, no more match tracker, no more staying up late, and no more gold medals to celebrate for 4 years. At least the WPS(women's professional league) will be starting up in the spring. This will give us a chance to continue to watch our national team players while looking for new up and coming stars.
I will definitely continue to blog as often as I can, but unfortunately no big tournaments will be coming up. But of course, you can count on me to keep you posted!
Let's hope that some of these games are shown on TV here!!
Until next time...
It's kind of sad. I don't have much to do. I mean, no more walking through the streets of garapan trying to find the game, no more match tracker, no more staying up late, and no more gold medals to celebrate for 4 years. At least the WPS(women's professional league) will be starting up in the spring. This will give us a chance to continue to watch our national team players while looking for new up and coming stars.
I will definitely continue to blog as often as I can, but unfortunately no big tournaments will be coming up. But of course, you can count on me to keep you posted!
Let's hope that some of these games are shown on TV here!!
Until next time...
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