Tony Quinn | isiphotos.com - PURCHASE THIS PHOTO

WPS featured five Australians on team rosters in 2009, and the most impressive performer, Washington Freedom’s Lisa De Vanna (right), will be playing for the Perth Glory. 

 

Loan agreements in international soccer are common. It’s mostly done to help develop younger players, or – for more experienced players – to provide them with continued competitive playing time in order to stay fit during down periods for their regular contracted clubs.

WPS stars are no different. With many of the best players in the world debuting with WPS in 2009, it’s no surprise that international clubs were clamoring for WPS talent. And with a six-month off-season, several top players had no hesitation in playing elsewhere in the off-season to stay fit, work on their games and come back ready for the 2010 WPS Season – which should prove to be even more competitive than the league’s inaugural debut.

Two of the biggest names on loan this off-season are Brazilians Cristiane and Marta, playing for famed Santos FC in the Brazilian league and competing in the Copa Libertadores in South America. Marta was selected as the Michelle Akers Player of the Year in WPS notching 11 goals playing for the Los Angeles Sol, while Cristiane’s offensive skills made her the only player to score a hat trick this season when she led the Chicago Red Stars to a 3-1 win over FC Gold Pride on July 12. As a free agent in the off-season, Cristiane is able to sign with any team and WPS coaches will be keeping an eye on her performance. The two offensive stars are joined at Santos by another Brazilian, Francielle, who helped Sky Blue FC win the WPS Championship.

Australia’s W-League is an up-and-coming women’s league with a season directly opposite that of WPS, making it a natural landing point for some players this fall. WPS featured five Australians on team rosters in 2009, and the most impressive performer, Washington Freedom’s Lisa De Vanna, will be playing for the Perth Glory where she will be joined by Freedom teammate Alex Singer.  The Saint Louis Athletica have sent two players over to the W-League in Jillian Loyden and Kendall Fletcher, who are playing for the Central Coast Mariners. Loyden can use the minutes. As a back-up to Hope Solo, she didn’t see much playing time but shined in her few appearances, winning WPS Player of the Week honors in Week 9 when Solo was away on national team duty. Fletcher, meanwhile, could become one of Athletica’s key players next year as they look to build off their second-place finish in the regular season. Meanwhile, Chicago Red Stars Megan Rapinoe might also suit up for a team in Australia this off-season.

Over in Europe, both of WPS’s French stars, Sonia Bompastor and Camile Abily, are playing for famed club Paris-St. Germain in the French league while Sweden will have Johanna Frisk (Los Angeles Sol) and Jennifer Nobis (Boston Breakers) among its ranks. Washington’s Becky Sauerbrunn is also playing in Scandinavia with Norwegian club Roa. And it wouldn’t be surprising to see WPS’s English stars get some additional playing time with their old clubs in England as the English National Team is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2009 European Championships.

Fall might mean a lack of WPS soccer action for fans domestically, but it’s certainly no down time for the players. With loan agreements in place for many of its players, the quality, depth and diversity of WPS’s soccer product will only improve as the teams hit the field in March 2010.

2009 WPS Players On Loan

FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
Eriko Arakawa (NTV Beleza – Japanese league)

Boston Breakers
Jennifer Nobis  (Pitea IF – Sweden)

Chicago Red Stars
Cristiane – Santos (Brazil) *free agent

Los Angeles Sol
Camille Abily - Paris St. Germain (France)
Johanna Frisk - Umea IK (Sweden)
Marta - Santos (Brazil)
Aya Miyama - Yunogo Belle (Japan)

Saint Louis Athletica
Kendall Fletcher - Central Coast Mariners (Australian W-League)
Jillian Loyden - Central Coast Mariners (Australian W-League)

Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
Francielle - Santos (Brazil)

Washington Freedom
Sonia Bompastor – PSG (France)
Lisa De Vanna – Perth Glory (Australian W-League)
Becky Sauerbrunn – Roa  (Norway)
Homare Sawa – NTV Beleza (Japan)
Alex Singer - Perth Glory (Australian W-League)