Things had been crazy with the travel, and the three games in seven days was awful. The travel does take a lot out of you, there’s no question. — Los Angeles Sol Head Coach, Abner Rogers

The Sol have not played on either of the last two weekends and by the time they kick off at Buck Shaw Stadium against FC Gold Pride on Thursday night, it will be more than two weeks since their last match.  They have three games to play, all on the road, and are within a point—either a point they gain or a point dropped by Saint Louis Athletica—of clinching the regular season title.
 
“It will be nice to get back to the swing of things, but actually the break has been great for us,” head coach Abner Rogers said.  “Things had been crazy with the travel and the three games in seven days was awful.  The travel does take a lot out of you, there’s no question.”
 
During the down time, Rogers gave the players a good amount of rest, and they scrimmaged with W-League side Pali Blues which is coached by Sol general manager Charlie Naimo.  They are also attempting to work out some personnel issues with injuries on the backline and Camille Abily unavailable for the playoffs due to the European Championships.  Rogers would not commit to taking Abily out of the lineup, but said the team has been working on several alternatives during training.
 
“We know what works and we know what doesn’t,” he said.
 
On the backline Allison Falk is recovered from the cut that kept her out for two matches, but she sprained her ankle near the end of training on Monday and is questionable for the trip to the Bay Area.  She will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
 
That could open the door for Sharolta Nonen to start in central defense.  Nonen was signed two weeks ago after Christie Shaner went down to a season-ending injury.
 
“It looks like she will,” Rogers said of Nonen, a former member of the Canadian National Team.  “She’s a great athlete.”
 
The Sol used a front-loaded schedule to help them race out to what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the WPS standings, but now they face the challenge of finishing with only three games in 32 days.  Should they go on and qualify directly to the final, that will mean another 12 days off from their last regular season game to the championship match.

“We will be approaching the Gold Pride game (this Thursday) and the last two games the same as we approached every game,” Rogers said.  “The mentality will be here’s what it takes to win the game, here’s what we have to do.  I think it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the league if we sat back and took it easy and someone didn’t make the playoffs.”

Battle of Female Coaches was a Rarity

If you line up the seven original WPS coaches in the order they were hired, Emma Hayes falls right in the middle.  When she was hired by the Red Stars on May 5, 2008, Hayes was the fourth coach in WPS—and the first woman.

“I think women should coach women,” she said on a conference call the day she was introduced to the media.

More than a year later, Hayes’s only opportunity to coach against another woman has come against Kelly Lindsey of Sky Blue FC.  And Lindsey became a head coach only after taking over for Ian Sawyers, who was terminated less than two months into the season.

“I think it’s great,” Hayes said after the second of her two matches opposite Lindsey.  “I think it’s great for the league that females are coaching in the league whether they are head coaching or assistants.”

The two Emma Hayes-Kelly Lindsey coaching matchups were the first ever in women’s professional soccer in the United States (Lindsey prevailed both times).  In three seasons, the WUSA employed two female head coaches.  One was Marcia McDermott, who led the Carolina Courage to the 2002 championship and now as general manager of the Red Stars, hired Emma Hayes.  But McDermott resigned her post with the Courage after 2002 and did not coach against Pia Sundhage, who led the Boston Breakers in 2003.

“It’s something I would like to see expansion teams do more of,” Hayes said.  “I would like to see that moving forward.”

Unfortunately for Hayes’s cause, both 2010 expansion sides have hired head coaches, and both are men.  And among the league’s 20 assistant coaches, expansion teams included, 13 are men including Hayes’s goalkeeper coach Nathan Kipp.

In the WNBA, the only other major team professional sport in the United States, the league launched in 1997 with seven female coaches among eight teams.  Today there are four female coaches for 13 positions.

“Each team has their guidelines and expectations for what they’re looking for,” Hayes said.  “I think giving women an opportunity at this level is something we’re not doing enough of yet.  I think they’re out there, they just have to search.”

Despite the rarity of her standing, Hayes said the only pressure she feels is what every coach feels.

“I’m a coach that wants to win,” she said.  “I just feel pressure as a coach not as a woman.”

Beat Get Their Man
 
Gareth O’Sullivan has been named head coach of the Atlanta Beat, who will begin play as an expansion side in 2010.  O’Sullivan most recently coached at Afturelding in the Icelandic Premier League where he coached Breakers’ midfielder Sophia Mundy.  Domestically, he served as head coach of the women’s team at Christian Brothers University and later launched the women’s program at the University of West Georgia.

O’Sullivan played in the Irish Premier League in his native Ireland and also in the USISL. 

“My focus is simply to win Championships for Fitz (Johnson, Beat owner) and for the great fans of Atlanta, a place where I have spent much of my adult life,” O’Sullivan said upon being announced.  “Atlanta is a hotbed for the sport of soccer and I believe that with my experience in both collegiate and international soccer, along with the great coaching staff we have put together, we can craft a team that will not only be competitive on the field, but also will be exciting to watch.”

O’Sullivan’s staff will include Leslie Marcus, who played for the old WUSA Beat as Leslie Gaston, and goalkeeper coach Russ Stroud.

The next major announcement for the Beat regarding their home stadium for 2010 is expected soon.

New Jersey Luvs Nikki Krzysik
 
Chicago Red Stars defender Nikki Krzysik grew up in Clifton, N.J., about a 45-minute ride from Yurcak Field.  In fact Krzysik played at Rutgers growing up, and on Sunday against Sky Blue FC, she had about 60 family members and friends in the stands at Yurcak.  But that’s not why she’s getting her own section this week.

Krzysik is not the first player to attract a gaggle of pals to a road game, but she appears to be the first player whose family set up a fly-over with a small airplane pulling a banner that read:

N.J. LUVS NIKKI KRZYSIK  #23

“That was cool,” the 22-year-old said.  “They told me yesterday so I was looking for it.  That’s the Jersey way to do it, you know.  Jersey shore, airplanes flying over.  It was awesome.”

Krzysik was on the bench at the time and did not get on the field until the 89th minute when Lydia Vandebergh cramped up.  A few minutes later she was whistled for a yellow card and although the ensuing free kick was cleared, Sky Blue FC wound up scoring before the ball was ever turned back upfield.

“I thought I got the ball, but he called a foul,” she said.

Despite the card and the tough loss, Krzysik was all smiles after the game talking about her support section.

“Their support is amazing,” she said.  “They pushed me to where I am now and keep pushing me.”

MVP Performances

Here are three players who produced MVP performances last week.  Note that these are not necessarily MVP candidates, but players who made important contributions over the last seven days.

Allison Lipsher, Boston Breakers:  Made six saves in two matches and became the first goalkeeper to record two shutouts in the same week, preserving 1-0 victories in both.  Lipsher has had her share of shaky moments this season, but has done a mostly solid job since supplanting Kristin Luckenbill as the Breakers’ first choice goalkeeper.

Natasha Kai, Sky Blue FC:  Kai has played most of the year with shoulder injuries that will likely require off-season surgery, but in two games last week she played 177 minutes and was a factor in both.  Wednesday she scored twice including what appeared to be a game-winner in the 86th minute.  Kai was not on the score sheet Sunday, but spent lots of time running at the Red Stars goalkeeper and backline, disrupting their buildup.

Lisa De Vanna, Washington Freedom:  De Vanna scored twice in seven minutes Wednesday to claw the Freedom back into a game after they had fallen behind 3-1.  She has been inconsistent this season but has helped pick up some of the scoring slack left by an inconsistent season from Abby Wambach.

Quick Outlooks
 
As the Sol continue on their impressive match towards securing first place, let’s take a quick look at how each team stands with three weeks to go.

1.    Los Angeles Sol (11-2-4, 37 pts):  Yes, the Sol are still in the league, and in fact will play Thursday night at FC Gold Pride.  They are already assured of at least being in the Super Semifinal and a draw on Thursday will be enough to secure the regular season championship and passage to the final.  They may also wrap that up before the game if Saint Louis draws or loses against Sky Blue FC a day earlier.

2.    Boston Breakers (7-6-3, 24 pts):  Can the Breakers win without Kelly Smith? That was how their paragraph opened last week when they were a fourth-place side.  In the week since, they beat Chicago and FC Gold Pride, both without Kelly Smith.  They are now in second place and although they cannot catch the Sol, there could be playoff soccer at Harvard Stadium yet.  Unless Wednesday’s Sky Blue FC-Saint Louis Athletica match ends in a draw, the Breakers will be out of second place by the time they play Saturday night, but that might be just as well.  The Breakers have made several forays into second place this season and have yet to win a game once there.

3.    Saint Louis Athletica (7-6-2, 23 pts):  Lost 1-0 to Washington on Saturday, but still finished their four-game road stretch 3-1-0 including a win at The Home Depot Center against the Sol.  They are the only side still capable of catching the Sol but must win out and hope the Sol do not earn another point.  More realistically, a six-point week against Sky Blue FC and FC Gold Pride, both at home, will put Athletica on the brink of a playoff berth.

4.    Sky Blue FC (6-6-4, 22 pts):  Wednesday night, they showed they could score, doubling their previous single-game high in a 4-4 draw against the Freedom.  Sunday, they showed they could grind out three points, scoring the only goal of the day in second half stoppage time.  Kelly Lindsey has done a wonderful job steadying their ship and guiding them out of an early-season swoon and they could be in second place by this time next week with positive results against Athletica and Boston.

5.    Washington Freedom (5-6-5, 20 points):  The Freedom have now played in the three highest-scoring games in league history, and in all three have altered the result with a goal in the 90th minute or stoppage time.  Those five extra points are the difference between being in touch with the playoff teams and being in desperate straits.  They play three matches in seven days beginning Sunday in Chicago.

6.    Chicago Red Stars (4-8-5, 17 pts):  The momentum died last week with 1-0 losses in Boston and New Jersey.  A loss on Sunday against the Freedom will spell the end of Chicago’s playoff chances.

7.    FC Gold Pride (3-9-3, 12 pts):  The reeling Gold Pride are actually in a slightly better position than the Red Stars having two games in hand, but they are struggling to score goals and have not won since May 16.  A loss to the Sol on Thursday plus a Freedom win over the Red Stars on Sunday will eliminate FC Gold Pride from the playoff hunt.  If the Pride lose to the Sol on Thursday but Chicago earns a win or tie against the Freedom on Sunday, FC Gold Pride must defeat the Saint Louis Athletica on Sunday to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Last Week’s Matches
 
Sky Blue FC 4, Washington Freedom 4:  A thriller at Yurcak ended with three different players scoring multiple goals, a wild finish to the highest scoring WPS game, and a share of the spoils.  Sonia Bompastor put the visitors on top in the 4th minute, but Natasha Kai leveled it a minute later and Sky Blue FC raced out to a 3-1 lead through two Kacey White goals, the second just after halftime.  Lisa De Vanna pulled one back almost immediately and seven minutes later equalized for 3-3.  Kai hit what looked like the game winner in the 86th but a bizarre stoppage time sequence allowed Cat Whitehill to snatch a point for the Freedom after a Sky Blue FC clearance bounced off the top of the crossbar and down to Whitehill for a tap-in finish.
 
Boston Breakers 1, Chicago Red Stars 0:  Angela Hucles got on the end of a Kristine Lilly pass in the 35th minute for the only goal and the Breakers survived a second-half onslaught by the Red Stars to win despite playing without Kelly Smith and Alex Scott, off with the English National team.  The Red Stars had several chances to score after the break, none closer than a 64th minute scramble that saw Mary-Frances Monroe clear Jill Oakes’ shot off the line.
 
Washington Freedom 1, Saint Louis Athletica 0:  Homare Sawa’s 74th minute goal off a bad Athletica giveaway lifted the Freedom back into the win column on an afternoon when the Freedom were reduced to their fourth goalkeeper.  Kati Jo Spisak injured her quad at the hour mark and assistant coach Nicci Wright, on a short-term contract, was forced to don the ‘keeper gear and play the last 26 minutes.  She made one save and earned the victory.  Sawa’s goal took a bad bounce off Kia McNeill before sneaking inside of the near post.
 
Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago Red Stars 0:  Kerri Hanks snapped a scoreless tie in stoppage time to lift Sky Blue FC to run their unbeaten streak to four.  Both teams had quality chances during the 90 minutes, but neither were able to crack the scoresheet.  Natasha Kai had two one-v-one chances, but sent one wide and had the other saved on an aggressive challenge by Caroline Jonsson.  The Red Stars’ best chances were a Chioma Igwe header wide early in the second half and an Ella Masar header into goalkeeper Jenni Branam just before Hanks’s game-winner.

Boston Breakers 1, FC Gold Pride 0:  The Breakers won again without Smith, making an early Kelly Schmedes goal stand up for their second shutout of the week.  The win returned Tony DiCicco’s side to second place, although third-place Saint Louis Athletica has a game in hand.  FC Gold Pride extended their winless streak to eight and fell to the brink of becoming the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

International Goal Scoring Update

Natasha Kai and Kacey White keyed a strong week for American goalscorers, who outscored their international rivals 8-4.  Kai and White both had two for Sky Blue FC on Wednesday and Kai’s five now lead all Americans.  The gap between goals scored by internationals and goals scored by Americans is as close as it has been since the week of June 1.

The tally now reads:  Internationals 60, United States 56, Own Goals 2.  Here is the latest tally of WPS goals by home country plus the leading scorer from each.  Own goals are listed separate.

United States:  56 (Natasha Kai, 5)
Brazil:  20 (Marta, 9)
England:  11 (Kelly Smith, 5)
France:  12 (Camille Abily, 8)
Canada:  7 (Christine Sinclair, 5)
Australia:  6 (Lisa De Vanna, 5)
China:  2 (Han Duan, 2)
Japan:  2 (Eriko Arakawa and Homare Sawa)
Own Goals:  2

Free Kicks
 

• The Chicago Red Stars completed their season series against Sky Blue FC without scoring a goal over four games.  They did manage a scoreless draw to finish 0-3-1 in the matchup.
• Sky Blue FC have managed to work themselves into a strong position on the table, but they have still only defeated two teams.  They are 6-0-1 against Chicago and Boston and 0-6-3 against everyone else.
• Washington has now been involved in the only two games this season in which both sides have led.  After surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Chicago earlier this month, the Freedom led Sky Blue FC 1-0, trailed 3-1, trailed again 4-3, and wound up 4-4.
• Teams scoring first are now 42-1-8 with five scoreless draws.
• Three players were active on short term contracts for the weekend and all three saw action.
• Short term contracts are available when a team falls below 17 players including developmental.  The players are automatically released once enough players return—either from injury or National Team duty—to bring the roster back to 17.  Goalkeepers can be signed to short term contracts when a club drops down to one ‘keeper.  Only draft-eligible players can be signed to short term contracts.
• The Breakers roster was so depleted from National Team call-ups that they signed Stacy Bishop, who was released earlier this season, and Erika Sutton as short-term players.  Sutton played 90 minutes and Bishop played the last 24 off the bench.
• The Freedom used goalkeeper coach Nicci Wright to back up Kati Jo Spisak, and low and behold, she was pressed into service in the 64th minute.  If Spisak and Briana Scurry remain unavailable into the weekend, Wright could back up Erin McLeod when she returns from the Canadian National Team.
• The Freedom became the first WPS team to use four goalkeepers.
• No other team has used three goalkeepers.
• Chicago’s Heather Garriock returned from injury—again—and this time made it through to the final whistle.  In her two previous stints off the bench she had to be re-subbed out due to injury.  “She made some nice contributions,” Red Stars coach Emma Hayes said.  “She’s back and it’s nice to see her.”
• Kerri Hanks became the first player to score for two different WPS teams.  She scored one goal for Saint Louis Athletica before being traded to Sky Blue FC.
• Christie Rampone underwent abdominal surgery Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. and did not play for the United States a day later against Canada.  Sky Blue FC coach Kelly Lindsey said she had spoken briefly to Rampone and that she was hoping to get back to New Jersey in the next few days.  It was not immediately released why Rampone had surgery or now long she will be out of the lineup.
• The Freedom’s Abby Wambach scored her 100th international goal in her native Rochester, N.Y. and the goal stood up in a 1-0 U.S. win over Canada on Sunday.
• The U.S. plays Canada again on Wednesday and Canada’s Christine Sinclair has a chance to join Wambach on the 100 International Goal Club (Fox Soccer Channel, 8pm ET/5pm PT).

Have a question, a suggestion, or a story idea? Did you see something we didn't? Let me know at thirtymtp@aol.com.

Dan Lauletta is a freelance writer and can be reached at thirtymtp@aol.com. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Women’s Professional Soccer or womensprosoccer.com.