My best memory of her play last season was that there was a ball about 28 yards out just to the right of the goal. I was at the other end of the goal and couldn’t see the kick very well, but I heard it. It hit the crossbar. Fortunately it didn’t go in, but hopefully next season it will go in." — Gerry Marrone, Sky Blue FC General Manager

Howard C. Smith | isiphotos.com

Lloyd is among the most dangerous free kick takers in the world, a skill she demonstrated against Sky Blue FC last year.

 

In the summer of 2008, when the members of the U.S. Olympic team were making requests as to where they wanted to play in WPS, Carli Lloyd decided she would rather go to Chicago then stay at home in New Jersey to play for Sky Blue FC on the same field she played her college ball on.  Lloyd got her wish.  But after one season in Chicago during which she scored only two goals and the Red Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs, Lloyd is ready to return to Yurcak Field.

“There’s nothing better than coming back home,” Lloyd said while being introduced as Sky Blue FC’s first off-season acquisition.  “It’s important to me to be home for many reasons, especially having a house here and family.”

Playing back in New Jersey, Lloyd will again be close to James Galanis, who has assisted Lloyd with her training since 2003.

“He’s my go-to person,” Lloyd said, acknowledging that one of the most difficult aspects of playing in Chicago was being far away from Galanis for the first time.  “He keeps me fit, he keeps me mentally prepared, and he keeps me sharp as well.  If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would be where I am and have accomplished so much.”

On the field, one area Lloyd should help Sky Blue FC is on set pieces, which was an alarming weakness at Yurcak last summer.  Lloyd is among the most dangerous free kick takers in the world, a skill she demonstrated against Sky Blue FC last year.

“My best memory of her play last season,” Sky Blue FC general manager Gerry Marrone recalled, “was that there was a ball about 28 yards out just to the right of the goal.  I was at the other end of the goal and couldn’t see the kick very well, but I heard it.  It hit the crossbar.  Fortunately it didn’t go in, but hopefully next season it will go in.”

Hitting the crossbar was somewhat of a metaphor for Lloyd’s 2009 season.  Midway through when it looked like the Red Stars were primed to finish fast, head coach Emma Hayes pegged Lloyd as the key to the remainder of the season.  Neither Lloyd nor the club finished particularly strong and she and the club parted ways.

“You never want to dwell too much on the past.” Lloyd said.  “I was out of sorts a little bit.  But I’ve come back after the season and I’ve worked as hard as ever to get myself back on track.”

Other Free Agent Signings and Acquisitions

Here is a look at some of the other free agent signings so far in WPS.

Julianne Stich, Chicago Red Stars:  Sitch started more than half the time for the league champions but was out of the rotation by the season's end. The Illinois native is the latest player to return home via free agency and will add depth at fullback and/or defensive midfield.

Heather Mitts, Philadelphia Independence:  A long speculated signing due to Mitts’s Philadelphia ties through the WUSA and her being booted over to left back by the presence of Alex Scott in Boston.  Mitts will be a valuable asset to the expansion Independence both on and off the field.

Leslie Osborne, Boston Breakers:  Osborne will be a nice replacement for the retired Angela Hucles and should be that much stronger a full year removed from knee and ankle reconstruction surgeries after being injured and missing the Olympics in 2008.

Candace Chapman, FC Gold Pride:  Chapman played 11 games for the Breakers mostly as a replacement for missing National Team players and should add depth to a FC Gold Pride backline that was under siege for a good portion of 2009.

Daphne Koster, Sky Blue FC:  The Dutch captain was acquired as an international discovery player and is being billed as a central defender.  That could create an enviable problem for the league champions once Christie Rampone returns from maternity leave as Koster, Rampone, and Anita Asante would make three center backs with international experience.

Allison Falk and Val Henderson, Philadelphia Independence:  Falk and Henderson were acquired from the Los Angeles Sol in a trade that sent the fifth and 22nd overall picks in the 2010 WPS Draft to the Sol.  Falk will add instant credibility to the Independence defense while Henderson was one of the most well-regarded backup goalkeepers in the league last year and posted a clean sheet in her only appearance.  The Sol meanwhile, continue to stockpile draft picks with three of the first nine and five of the first 22.

Hucles Retires

Angela Hucles retired from WPS and the women’s national team last week, springing the surprise on her teammates days before the National Team departed for a friendly in Germany.  Hucles enjoyed a strong college career at the University of Virginia and got her big break in 2001 when she landed with the Breakers in WUSA.  From there she earned her way onto the National Team and won a pair of Olympic gold medals.  Last summer in Beijing, Hucles picked up the scoring slack with four goals after Abby Wambach was injured in the final domestic tune-up prior to the event.

A more appropriate story about Hucles’s career and decision will be posted on this site in the next week, but in short Hucles personified class on and off the field.  She leaves soccer as a fixture on the National Team this decade, but she would not have gotten there without the WUSA.  With WPS heading into its second season, there are a bunch of younger players - both in the league and on the horizon – who will follow in Hucles’s footsteps.
 
Draft Talk

Believe it or not, the 2010 WPS Draft is a mere 12 weeks away.  Between now and then, we will do our best to keep up with some of the top candidates to be impact players when the names are read next January 15 in Philadelphia.  As it is likely some of you see more women’s college soccer than I do, please do not hesitate to send your thoughts and ideas over the next three months.

This week, we will take a look at some of the top goal-scoring seniors in the country:

Lauren Cheney, UCLA:  The UCLA senior racked up the goals early in her collegiate career with 19 as a freshman and 23 as a sophomore.  Sitting on seven strikes for the 2009 season, Cheney is known for her physical play and ball control.

Michelle Enyeart, Portland:  Enyeart played only 13 matches as a junior because she was playing in the U-20 World Cup.  This fall she has 11 goals, leaving her one shy of 50 for her college career.  Enyeart would hardly be the first Portland product to thrive at a higher level.  FC Gold Pride strikers Tiffeny Milbrett and Christine Sinclair among others, are Portland alums with international credentials.

Jessica Fuccello, Penn:  One of two seniors with more than a goal per game (16 in 13 games), Fuccello is doing her damage in the unheralded Ivy League.  Another player going out with a bang after an injury-plagued junior season, Fuccello will be looking to follow Emily Stauffer, who played in the Ivy League for Harvard and later spent two years in the WUSA with the New York Power.

Casey Nogueira, North Carolina: After leading the nation in goals with 25 last year, Nogueira’s production has fallen off in 2009 as she currently has scored just four goals.  Four tallies shy of 50 career goals, Nogueira should reach that milestone.

Kelley O’Hara, Stanford:  A second-team All-American in 2008, O’Hara is coming of age as a senior with 17 goals through 15 games to stand as one of five Division I players currently averaging more than a goal per game.  The 5’5” forward went to high school in Georgia giving her ties to both coasts.

Free Kicks

• The Independence have yet to play a game, but have already stockpiled enough defenders to consider using one as trade bait.  They could take the field today with a right-to-left backline of Heather Mitts, Allison Falk, Sue Weber, and Sarah Senty.  That leaves Jen Buczkowski and Nikki Krzysik as fifth and sixth defenders.
• Falk, who started the inaugural game and scored the first WPS goal, will not get to start the first game for the Independence.  She will be suspended for the 2010 opener for the red card she was shown in the WPS Championship.
• The Red Stars entered free agency hoping to re-sign Cristiane, but three weeks in the trail has gone silent.
• Red Stars forward Megan Rapinoe was injured in National Team camp and underwent surgery on her left knee.  She is expected to be ready for WPS training camp.
• Ella Masar of the Red Stars and Kacey White of Sky Blue FC have been named to replace Rapinoe and Hucles on the U.S. roster for next week’s Germany tussle.
• With the possibility of Sky Blue FC starting White, Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, and Yael Averbuch in midfield, they league champions could be hit hard when the National Team convenes next summer.

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.