All-Star Game Notebook
by WPS - Staff Report
08/29/2009 - 03:30 p.m.
The WPS All-Stars pose for a photo in front of St. Louis's Gateway Arch.
With the WPS All-Star Game presented by the Coast Guard on Sunday (5pm ET/2pm PT live on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Nets, Comcast Sports Nets and MSG – check local listings; and webcast at womensprosoccer.com), both the WPS All-Stars and their opponent, Swedish national champion, Umeå IK, had a busy Saturday.
Raising the Stakes
Saturday morning the WPS All-Stars and Umeå were in downtown St. Louis for a media event, which Umeå head coach Mika Sankala began by heating up the rivalry in advance of tomorrow’s match. “WPS is good, but I think the Swedish league is still better,” he said. “We’ll find out tomorrow.”
HAO has a question
Members of the press weren’t the only ones asking questions at the media roundtable. Sky Blue FC midfielder Heather O’Reilly had a question for Los Angeles Sol midfielder Aya Miyama: Did I foul you?
Rewind to the 51st minute of last weekend’s WPS Championship presented by MedImmune at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. With Sky Blue FC holding a 1-0 lead, Miyama dribbled past O’Reilly into the penalty box in pursuit of the equalizer. O’Reilly dove into a tackle from behind that poked the ball away from Miyama while sending her toppling. The referee signaled to play on.
So what was Miyama’s answer? The ever happy Japanese star just shook her head and smiled. Sitting beside her, Miyama’s midfield teammate Shannon Boxx opined that she thought O’Reilly got the ball first before getting tangled up with Miyama.
O’Reilly then shared that as she lay on the ground with her arms over her head following the tackle, she was just hoping she wouldn’t get called for a foul. When she heard the crowd’s boos rather than the referee’s whistle, O’Reilly’s reaction was immediate: “Yes!”
Under the Arch
After speaking with the press, Umeå and the WPS All-Stars took a short walk to pose for a few photos under the Gateway Arch, the iconic landmark in St. Louis which is a national memorial to Thomas Jefferson’s role in promoting the western expansion of the United States. View photos from today’s All-Star activities.
Asking the All-Stars
Before the WPS All-Stars hit the field to practice, a representative from each WPS team plus WPS Chief Operating Officer Mary Harvey were interviewed for a live webcast during which they answered fan-submitted questions. If you missed the live webcast, check out the archived video.
Getting a little work in
Both the WPS All-Stars and Umeå trained this afternoon at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. Under the guidance of Los Angeles Sol head coach Abner Rogers, the WPS All-Stars began their session by breaking in half and playing a little one- and two-touch keepaway. They then moved to a small field scrimmage with no goals before adding the goals in. During the latter scrimmage, Boston Breakers defender Amy LePeilbet had the shot of the day, ripping a blast from 18 yards out into the far corner past Saint Louis Athletica goalkeeper Hope Solo.
The price of an autograph
At the midway point of this afternoon’s training session, the WPS All-Stars and Umeå swapped fields so that both teams could practice on the game field. As she jogged between fields, the Washington Freedom’s Abby Wambach was stopped by a young girl with a pen in hand seeking an autograph.
“Are you coming to tomorrow’s game?” Wambach asked before taking the girl’s soccer ball.
“No,” replied the girl.
“No! Why not?” Wambach responded.
“I’ve got practice,” the girl said.
“Well then, I’ll only sign for you if you buy tickets for a game next year,” Wambach said. “Will you buy tickets?”
“Yes,” the girl said.
“Okay, but you’ve got to buy them, not your dad,” Wambach replied. “How are you going to make the money to buy them?”
“By giving my dad back rubs,” the girl said.
“How about this?” Wambach countered. “Why don’t you volunteer and have your dad pay you for that.”
“Okay,” the girl said with a smile as she promised to purchase 2010 Athletica game tickets and Wambach happily handed over a freshly signed soccer ball.