This is the last weekend of regular-season play, in a dramatic and action-packed first season of Women's Professional Soccer. In this weekly series leading up to the Championship, let us bid a heartfelt farewell to the teams who have wrapped up their campaigns, and move to the edge of our seats as the remaining teams battle it out for the playoffs.

The playoff picture is still hazy, but this is what we can make out:

• With 38 points, the Los Angeles Sol are guaranteed to host the Championship.
• With 33 points, the St. Louis Athletica are the incontestable #2, guaranteed to host the Super Semifinal on August 19th.
• With 26 points apiece, you'd expect that the Washington Freedom and Sky Blue F.C. would fill the remaining playoff spots, except for this: Their last regular-season game is this Saturday, against each other. To make things more interesting, the Boston Breakers, only one point behind them both, have their last game Sunday.

 

So if there's a win or a tie on Saturday, and Boston can beat the Sol Sunday, Boston is in the playoffs.

In other words: While the Sol will still be adjusting and experimenting in their last game, the Breakers will be fighting for their lives.

The Sol players have always said that any team can beat any other in this league, never buying into the hype surrounding them. If there's one challenge that faces the Sol, it's this: Boston is the one team they've never beat.

So if the Sol were seeking a worthy opponent to test out their new formation for the Championship, they've found it in the Breakers.

In a twitter post on Tuesday, Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo expressed sentiments pressed onto the team: "This game has the same meaning as a semifinal for us."

In early May, the Breakers were the first team to beat the Sol. The next time they faced off, on May 10th, they tied. The Sol would go on to battle in a 12-game unbeaten streak, while Boston would see scattered results.

Today, the Sol are coming off a disappointing loss to the Red Stars.

Finding themselves down 2 - 1 with several missed scoring opportunities, the Sol sent their players forward in the last 10 minutes. This led to Chicago's opportunistic third goal.

"You have to give credit to Chicago 'cause they finished well, and they capitalized on our mistakes," says Karina LeBlanc.

"We're just working on fine tuning some things. Last week we obviously created a lot of chances but the problem is we didn't finish."

With Abily gone, the Sol is also experimenting with a new midfield and attacking strategy. But LeBlanc insists that the bench is deep.

"We have 22 great players. That's the thing about our team, it's not just 11 good players—it's 22—so we can try different things."

"We're not freaking out as a team about the loss," adds LeBlanc. "Obviously we were disappointed after the game... But the thing about being a professional is knowing you can't do anything to change what's done. All you can do is handle what you can for the next game."

The loss to the Red Stars last week was really a moral victory for the Chicago franchise. The Sol fell under scrutiny for losing to a team that didn't qualify for the playoffs, but the real news is with Chicago fans showing up in big numbers and an outpouring of support for their team's final home game.

Playing to a franchise-record of 7,959 fans, Chicago showed their hometown that they may be out of the playoffs, but they're still strong. The team put on a fantastic show, which equals great momentum for their run next season.

For all teams remaining, from this weekend on it's go big or go home.

Follow the 4 p.m. PST Washington/Sky Blue game Saturday on the newly announced audio broadcast.

On Sunday, follow the Sol's last chance to face off in WPS play before the Championship, against a very determined Boston Breakers side at Harvard Stadium.

The match airs at 3 p.m. PST on Fox Soccer Channel.

Sol fans of all ages are encouraged come to the viewing party at The Fox & Hounds in Studio City and cheer on the team together.