Vote for U.S. Soccer Awards

U.S. Soccer has announced the finalists for the 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer awards and there’s only one week left to vote for the 12 categories  on USSoccer.com.

The eighth annual series gives fans the opportunity to make their selections for the best in soccer in the United States. The 12 categories recap a busy 2009 crammed full of action, which included FIFA World Cup qualifying, the FIFA Confederations Cup, Abby Wambach’s 100th goal, another Development Academy Season and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Female Athlete of the Year nominees include national team players Shannon Boxx (Sol), Heather O’Reilly, Christine Rampone (Sky Blue), Hope Solo (Athletica) and Abby Wambach (Freedom).

The Young Female Athletes of the Year are nominees Tobin Heath (UNC), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Christine Nairn, Kelly O’Hara (Stanford) and Katie Schoepfer.

Fans can vote once a day from now until Sunday, Dec. 13, in the Community section of ussoccer.com. For certain categories, voters will be able to watch videos and view photos as they relive some of the best moments of 2009.

Go make your vote count.

Wambach nominated for FIFA Award

Fresh off  her 101st career goal and a U.S. 1-0 win against Germany yesterday, it was announced that Women’s National Team and Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach is the only American nominated for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Award.

Freedom teammate and French National player Sonia Bompastor is also on the list of ten nominees.  There are 23 nominees on the Men’s side, with both lists reduced to five in early December.  The winners will be announced at the FIFA World Player Gala on December 21st.

WOMEN NOMINEES: Nadine Angerer (Germany), Sonia Bompastor (France), Cristiane (Brazil), Inka Grings (Germany), Mana Iwabuchi (Japan), Simone Laudehr (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Kelly Smith (England) and Abby Wambach (USA).

Go Abby!

Women’s Pro Soccer Weekend Wrap Up

Los Angeles Sol vs. Saint Louis Athletica

The Los Angeles Sol defeated the Saint Louis Athletica 2-0 on a chilly and cloudy Saturday afternoon at The Home Depot Center.

With the victory, the Sol improves its record to 6-1-2 and remains atop the WPS standings, while the Athletica drops to 2-3-2  and is tied for fifth position in the seven-team circuit.

The Sol had the first real chance of the game in the 25th minute, when a lofted ball from Martina Franko found Camille Abily just outside the six-yard box, but the French midfielder mis-hit her volley and it went right into the waiting hands of Athletica goalkeeper Hope Solo.

The Athletica nearly broke the scoreless deadlock themselves in the 32nd minute when Angie Woznuk played Eniola Aluko through behind the Sol defense, but her effort could not get past Sol ‘keeper Karina LeBlanc.

The Sol finally got on the board in the ten minutes before the half when Shannon Boxx lofted a cross into the penalty area from the left wing that Marta got her head to, playing the ball to Abily waiting at the far post.  Abily calmly collected the ball and put it in the roof off the net past an on-rushing Solo for the 1-0 lead, her third of goal of the season and second in as many weeks.

The hosts doubled their advantage in the 50th minute when Boxx waited patiently for, and then drilled home, a cross from Han Duan.  Solo stood flat footed on her line as the ball zipped past her and into the goal.

Neither team capitalized on any of their chances for the remainder of the game and the home side trotted off the pitch with a comprehensive 2-0 victory.

Washington Freedom vs. FC Gold Pride

The Maryland Soccerplex Stadium was filled with screaming youth girl soccer players and their families and as well the US Women’s National Team Head Coach Pia Sundhage was in attendance, and the Washington Freedom did not disappoint. Taking on the FC Gold Pride, the Freedom won 3-1 in one of their most convincing performances of the season.

The Pride’s starting lineup was without 1999 Women’s World Cup hero Brandi Chastain, who began the game watching from the bench.  After a frenetic first few minutes, the game settled down, with the game’s first scoring chance falling to Pride midfielder Tina DiMartino. After a savvy spin in the box to get by two defenders, DiMartino blasted a shot on frame that was turned away by Freedom goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

Although Freedom and US National Team star Abby Wambach struggled to get involved in the game early, Lisa De Vanna was active along the left flank making probing runs through the defense and posing  a dangerous scoring threat. Following the first scoring chance by the Freedom that saw a Wambach touch go begging, the Freedom got on the scoreboard in the 15th minute. Defender Cat Whitehill made a long run down the right flank and crossed a low dangerous ball into the six-yard box that was deflected in for an own goal by the Pride’s Kristen Graczyk.

The Pride almost evened the score a minute later on a shot from inside the six by Pride forward and Canadian international Christine Sinclair that sailed over the crossbar. Sinclair squandered a pinpoint through ball from former US Women’s National Team player, Tiffeny Milbrett, a minute later when her touch let her down and went across the end line for a Freedom goal kick.

In the 22nd minute the Freedom would double their tally when De Vanna produced a chance from nothing, receiving a pass from midfielder Sonia Bompastor and pushing the ball through to herself and past a central defender. She touched it around onrushing Pride goalie Nicole Barnhart and tapped it in for an easy finish.

As the half wore on, the Freedom’s superior ability took over, highlighted by a few world-class tackles by center back Becky Sauerbrunn and defensive center midfielder Lori Lindsey. Lindsey in particular was instrumental in winning possession for the Freedom and controlling play.

In the 32nd minute, Wambach was taken down outside the area, setting up a dangerous free kick. After a bit of deception, the ball was rolled to Sonia Bompastor, who stopped the ball for center back Whitehill who blasted a shot past Pride net minder Barnhart to push the Freedom lead to three goals to nil. The Freedom scored again at the end of the half when a bad Pride giveaway in the center of midfield resulted in a run into the box by Bompastor who was taken down. Despite the contact in the area no foul was called and Bompastor was given a yellow card for diving. FC Gold’s Formiga got her name taken just before halftime as well for a bad foul on Wambach.

The beginning of the second half saw the Pride take control as they fought to get back into the game. The Freedom lacked much of the confidence going forward that had gotten them their three goal cushion and had to absorb the Pride’s pressure. This pressure eventually got the Pride on the board in the 57th minute, when following a corner won by forward Adriane, a Tiffeny Milbrett cross found Christine Sinclair, who nodded home the first goal for FC Gold.

Following the Sinclair goal, Wambach started to get herself more involved, and her teammates found her feet as she helped the Freedom control play in midfield. With her renewed involvement came a few hard fouls and Wambach found herself hitting the turf routinely as the half wore on, eventually earning Pride defender Carrie Drew a yellow card in the 65th minute. Her hulking presence in the box produced another dangerous scoring opportunity for the Freedom when another Whitehill free kick banged off the shoulder of the Pride’s Barnhart as Wambach applied pressure. The loose ball fell to a Pride defender who cleared the danger.

After a flurry of substitutions from both teams, the Pride switched to a three-forward system led by goal-scorer Sinclair and subs Eriko Arakawa and Tiffany Weimer. This three-headed monster combined with midfielder dynamo DiMartino to produce a flurry of dangerous crosses and opportunities for the Pride, culminating in a counterattack that saw Weimer deliver a perfect cross to Sinclair, only for her effort to clang off the post.
Wambach’s tenaciousness annoyed the Pride defenders all half and in the 82nd minute, the frustration boiled over. Wambach received a ball in the offensive third and pushed it past Pride defender Drew. Drew hacked Wambach down and then said something to the center referee, earning her a second yellow card and an ejection from the game.

The Freedom quelled any tension following Drew’s ejection by dominating the possession for the last seven minutes and into stoppage time, settling the game down and pleasing the home crowd.

Boston Breakers vs Sky Blue FC

The Boston Breakers saw their three-match unbeaten streak come to an end after a 2-1 loss at Sky Blue FC in WPS action on Sunday evening at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.

The Breakers (3-3-2) dropped to third place in the standings, one point behind the surging Washington Freedom who defeated FC Gold Pride, 3-1, earlier in the day. Sky Blue FC (2-4-2) moves into a three-way tie for fifth place.

Kacey White scored the winner in the 29th minute to break a 1-1 tie off of Meghan Schnur’s second assist of the match.  Schnur sent a cross into the middle of the box which White flicked over the top of Luckenbill and into the goal for her first tally of the year.

“It wasn’t a good enough game for us today,” said Boston head coach Tony DiCicco. “Give Sky Blue FC credit, they scored two good goals, dug us a hole and we were not able to get out of it. We fought hard until the end of the game, but were unable to create quality soccer.”

Sky Blue FC took an early lead in the 4th minute on Natasha Kai’s second goal of the season. Schnur sent Kai through with plenty of room on the left side. She ran into the box, turned defender Amy LePeilbet and beat goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill to the near post.

Boston answered back thanks to a misplayed ball by Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Jenni Branam in the 12th minute. Stacy Bishop played a ball into the run of Alex Scott on the left side. Scott hustled to send a low cross just before the ball could go over the goal line, but Branam was unable to handle the ball and Kelly Smith tapped in the loose ball in front of goal to level the game at 1-1 with her league-leading fifth goal of the season.

Down 2-1 following White’s goal, Amy Rodriguez had a chance to equalize for the Breakers before the half was done with a header in the 43rd minute off a Kristine Lilly cross, but the ball hit the cross bar and was cleared away.

DiCicco was forced to make a substitution just before the half after Smith picked up an apparent knee injury, replacing the England international with Maggie Tomecka.

The Breakers had an early chance in the second half as Lilly was in on goal after a quick free quick in the 53rd minute. Branam, however, was well positioned to turn Lilly’s shot away for a corner at the near post.

The Sky Blue FC defense kept the Boston attack at bay for the majority of the rest of the half, although the Breakers did create a couple late chances in stoppage time on shots from Lilly and Angela Hucles.

————

Soccer: U.S. Women score twice in each half to defeat Canada 4-0

TORONTO, Canada (May 25, 2009) – The U.S. Women’s National Team scored twice in each half, getting goals from four different players to defeat Canada 4-0 in front of 10,255 fans at BMO Field. It was the USA’s first match in Canada since 2001.

Midfielder Shannon Boxx opened the scoring just 93 seconds into the match and midfielder Megan Rapinoe added a second just before the halftime. The USA put two more in the net during a four-minute span late in the game. Both second-half goals came from substitutes, as Lindsay Tarpley scored her 30th career goal in the 77th minute and 21-year-old Lauren Cheney knocked in a fantastic header in the 80th minute.

The USA dominated possession in a match played on the artificial surface at BMO Field and put together some excellent attacking soccer while out-shooting its northern neighbor by a 19-6 margin.

“I am happy about the performance and I am happy that we scored a goal on a corner kick,” said U.S. WNT head coach Pia Sundhage. “That’s something we are starting to work on and I believe that come 2011, when the games are so tight, that set plays will be very, very important. So, four nice goals and a pretty good game on turf.”

Boxx’s strike, which was the USA’s first shot of the game, was her second goal of the year after scoring just once in 2008 and it came against her club teammate on the Los Angeles Sol in Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. It was also Boxx’s 20th international goal as she became the 16th female player in U.S. history to score 20 or more goals in her career.

The goal was created on the USA’s first piece of possession as right back Heather Mitts played a penetrating pass forward to Boxx from the right side of the field. Boxx dribbled hard toward the edge of the penalty area, and when no Canadian defender stepped up to challenge, unleashed a 20-yard shot from 10 yards right of the penalty arc that skidded into the lower left side netting.

Canada’s only good chance of the first half came in the 43rd minute on a long free kick from Kara Lang, but the shot flew wide right of Hope Solo’s goal.

The USA got a huge score just seconds before the halftime whistle after Heather O’Reilly fed Rapinoe above the penalty area on the left side. Rapinoe collected and dribbled toward her defender before cutting hard inside, losing Canadian back Brittany Timko. The nifty dribble created a sliver of space for her bending 16-yard shot that actually curved around Abby Wambach and her defender, who were screening LeBlanc, and then spun perfectly into the lower right corner. It was Rapinoe’s fourth international goal in just nine career caps.

The USA struggled to find its rhythm early in the second half as Canada picked up the pressure, but settled down and regained control before putting the match away in the 77th minute after Wambach earned a corner kick on the right side. It was Wambach who jumped over two defenders to get a head on the ball, sending it powerfully toward goal. The ball hit Canadian captain Christine Sinclair near the goal line, but Tarpley pounced on the loose ball to force it over the line and into the open net.

Wambach, who came into the match with 99 goals, will now have the chance to bag her historic 100th goal in her hometown of Rochester, N.Y., where the USA will play Canada in its next match on July 19. Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, who also came into the game with 99 goals, failed to hit the century mark as the U.S. defense did a fine job of keeping the star striker out of dangerous positions.

The final goal came after O’Reilly ran down a long pass on the right flank and struck a hard cross from the wing that deflected off a Canadian defender’s foot, but it had enough steam on it to sail towards the near post. Cheney was making a hard near post run and deftly re-directed the ball with a superbly angled header into the upper right corner from about five yards outside the post. It was Cheney’s fourth international goal in 17 career caps.

Amy LePeilbet got the start in the center defense with team captain Christie Rampone and played an excellent first half in her first cap since Sept. 13, 2006. She was replaced at halftime by Rachel Buehler, who also played an extremely solid 45 minutes, highlighted by a thunderous tackle on Canadian Melissa Tancredi in the waning minutes.

Canada’s best chance of the second half came in the 54th minute as the USA lost a ball in the back, but the Maple Leafs couldn’t capitalize as Jodi-Ann Robinson launched her shot over the goal from 25 yards out.

Besides the header off the corner kick that led to Tarpley’s goal, Wambach didn’t get too many clear chances for her 100th goal, but she did take a good swipe at a loose ball in the 62nd minute that fell close to her after a long free kick.

The USA hit a flurry of shots in the second half, highlighted by an O’Reilly blast from the top of the penalty area on the right side, but couldn’t bust through until Tarpley’s 77th minute score effectively put the game away.

U.S. goalkeepers Solo and Nicole Barnhart split the match, with Solo hitting some booming punts in the first half that caused some danger for the Canadian backline. Barnhart had a bit more to do in the second half in tidying up her penalty area, but was not forced to make a save.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Christine Nairn became the first member of the USA’s 2008 U-20 Women’s World Cup championship team to earn a senior team cap, coming on for Angela Hucles in the 83rd minute. Nairn was the eighth player to be given her first cap by U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage.

The U.S. players now head back to join their WPS clubs and will not come together again until mid-July for two more matches against Canada, on Sunday, July 19, at Rochester Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., and then again three days later on Wednesday, July 22, at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. These will be the USA’s first domestic matches of the year after playing the first five on the road and compiling a record of 4-0-1.

The game in Rochester kicks off at 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN. The match in Charleston kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español. Both matches will be available online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

(via press release)

WPS Game One: Los Angeles Sol vs. Washington Freedom

Women’s Professional Soccer made a promising debut Sunday as a crowd of nearly 15,000 at The Home Depot Center in Carson watched the Los Angeles Sol defeat the Washington Freedom, 2-0.

A highlight of the afternoon was no doubt Los Angeles forward Marta, named as the Women’s World Player of the Year for the past three years by FIFA, soccer’s worldwide governing body.

The Home Depot Center crowd greeted the diminutive 23-year-old player from Brazil like a rock star. There was even a corner of the stadium staked out for “Marta’s Maniacs.”

And for the most part Marta didn’t disappoint though it’s clear that her electrifying skills will have to be woven into the Sol as they develop as a team.

The first strike came 5 minutes, 26 seconds into the match. Sol defender Allison Falk, who never achieved more than second-team All-Pacific-10 honors at Stanford, tipped a long ball from Japanese star Aya Miyami into the net with a flick of her head. Sol Goooal!

One bright star for the Washington Freedom was Abby Wambach, the U.S. national team star who was playing competitively for the first time since breaking her leg last July 16. The nearly six foot tall forward made a couple of good runs but couldn’t get through the Sol defense.

While the game lacked some of the intensity I would have liked, it was an admirable start to what I hope is a long and successful run for the league. Once the teams work out the kinks and get a rhythm going, the entertainment value should increase and rivalries will become better established to add to the drama.

For now, watching Marta’s explosive play up close and in person was enough.

Check out some highlights from the day:

WPS unveils new Puma uniforms

The stars of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), including three-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, Marta, number one WPS draft pick and Olympic Gold Medalist, Amy Rodriguez, and US National Team midfielder and Women’s World Cup bronze medalist, Leslie Osborne, unveiled the league’s Puma designed home and away uniforms in New York last night at a high-profile fashion presentation.  

Appealing color combos were on display but the skorts got a thumbs-down from many fans.  Kristine Lilly and Hope Solo appeared on the Today Show this morning and said the skort is a “wrap” and just an accessory so hopefully we won’t be seeing them on the field.

TV personality and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (swimming), Summer Sanders hosted the fashion show, while designer and winner of TV’s Project Runway Season 4, Christian Siriano added to the excitement by designing his own fashion interpretation of a home and away uniforms inspired by the colors and materials from of the league’s uniforms. The WPS uniforms will be put to the test in the WPS Inaugural Match on March 29th in Los Angeles, California when the Los Angeles Sol takes on the Washington Freedom.

Siriano has been a long time friend of the PUMA brand, designing outfits for musicians such as Estelle and Lady Gaga using existing PUMA fabrics and pieces. For this special uniform unveiling, in true PUMA fashion, Siriano designed his take on the home and away uniforms by infusing his style, personality and charm with the PUMA sportlifestyle DNA and female athletes in mind.

“This is the first time I’ve ever designed for athletes – it’s perfect because I always design for strong women in my Ready to Wear collections and professional athletes definitely have to be tough in mind, body and spirit,” said fashion designer Christian Siriano. “These soccer players are amazing and I love it!”

For those in the LA area, the Los Angeles Sol is hosting a free public event on March 8th where you can check out the new kits and meet the players.

Find more photos like this on Women’s Professional Soccer

Final Puzzle Piece: 2009 Women’s Pro Soccer Draft

January 14, 2009 – Just days away, the 2009 WPS Draft will take place Friday at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis (at America’s Center) and the Boston Breakers have the first pick.

Friday could be the most influential day in terms of the early success for each club and while the core of most teams is fairly well established, there are still plenty of nuances that can change the balance of play.

With the addition of the top collegiate seniors into the pool, the Breakers and Coach Tony DiCicco have the opportunity to add another Olympic gold medalist from the U.S. Women’s National Team onto the roster.

Recent USC grad Amy Rodriguez, who was with the National Team but did not participate in the December Combines, has long been touted as the best player available.  She is one of three members of the gold medal-winning Olympic team not yet affiliated with a WPS team. The other two, Lauren Cheney and Tobin Heath, still possess college eligibility.

Though the Breakers are stacked with forwards including Kristine Lilly and recently signed Canadian Christine Latham, Rodriguez seems the obvious choice for the top pick. Will there finally be an A-Rod Boston sports fans can rally behind? Surely trades will go down on draft day, but it is almost certain the Breakers will use their top pick on a player rather than deal it.

The order for the 10-round draft was determined via lottery and will follow the same pattern as the WPS General Draft in October with teams selecting in the following order, 1-7, 7-1, 1-7, 7-1 until the draft is completed.

Other key players who have just completed their NCAA eligibility include Yael Averbuch, M (UNC) Brittany Bock, M/F (Notre Dame) Carrie Dew, D (Notre Dame) Christina DiMartino, M (UCLA) Kerri Hanks, F (Notre Dame) and Megan Rapinoe, M/F (Portland).

And of course there’s still the question of the international players. While the WPS has no incoming transfer window, players will want to finalize their plans before the European window closes this month. Newly crowned FIFA Player of the Year Marta just signed with Los Angeles for three years and no doubt will be one to watch in the upcoming WPS season but what about Cristiane, Kelly Smith and others?

Tune into Fox Soccer Channel on Thursday between 8-10 p.m. (ET) to catch a first glimpse of the player that the Breakers will select with the first pick. In addition to an interview with the future No. 1 pick, FSC will also interview WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci, as well as unveil PUMA’s Official WPS Match Ball.the last round of the draft.

The official draft, which takes place Friday at 9:30 a.m. CT, can be followed on Fox Soccer Channel and on the WPS website. 

Find more videos like this on Women’s Professional Soccer

Marta, Marta, Marta pt 2

January 9, 2009 – We’ve been waiting for this news since September when it was announced that Marta was chosen as a draft pick by the Los Angeles Sol of Women’s Professional Soccer.

Now, according to the LA Times, the Brazilian striker is close to finalizing a deal with the Sol to play when the WPS  launches its inaugural season in March. The first game will be played March 29 in Carson and will feature the Sol against the Washington Freedom and its standout player, American forward Abby Wambach.

Twenty one year-old Marta and her agent, Fabiano Farah, are settling on a contract with Sol owner AEG that would make Marta the showpiece player in WPS and in all likelihood its highest-paid performer.

It’s likely that Marta will make a formal announcement at the annual FIFA World Gala in Zurich on Monday.

While Marta is a contender to repeat as the FIFA Best Player of the Year, there are a number of players eager to relieve her of her title including her Seleção strike partner, Cristiane, German bronze medallists from Beijing, Birgit Prinz and Nadine Angerer, as well as the England attacker Kelly Smith.  Stay tuned.

US soccer players allocated to women’s pro league

Boston Head Coach Tony DiCicco (far left) and WPS Part Owner and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash (far right) pose with the Breakers three allocated players: Heather Mitts, Angela Hucles and Kristine Lilly. (Women’s Professional Soccer)

September 16, 2008 – Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) announced the allocations of the U.S. Women’s National Team to its seven franchises Tuesday during a ceremony at the Sports Museum of America in downtown Manhattan.

The announcement was hosted by NBA All-Star and WPS part-owner Steve Nash and presided over by WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. Each of the seven teams set to begin play in WPS for the 2009 season were allocated three players apiece from the U.S. Women’s National Team pool. The allocation followed an extensive process in which the players and teams submitted their preferences to the league and a committee then examined the lists to give its recommendations. The WPS Board of Governors met on September 14-15 to consult with players, teams and the league to determine the best possible dispersal for all parties with the following allocation results:

WPS Player Allocations – U.S. Women’s National Team

WPS Team	Players Listed in Alphabetical Order
Bay Area	Nicole Barnhart	Rachel Buehler	Leslie Osborne
Boston Breakers	Angela Hucles	Kristine Lilly	Heather Mitts
Chicago Red Stars	Carli Lloyd	Kate Markgraf	Lindsay Tarpley
Los Angeles	Shannon Boxx	Stephanie Cox	Aly Wagner
Sky Blue FC	Natasha Kai	Heather O’Reilly	Christie Rampone
St. Louis	Lori Chalupny	Tina Ellertson	Hope Solo
Washington Freedom	Ali Krieger	Abby Wambach	Cat Whitehill

  Read more

Women’s Soccer: What’s Next?

September 13, 2008 – The Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) draft takes place next week so let’s check in on what’s happening with the new league.

If you’ve been living in a cave, you might not know that the WPS, scheduled to launch in 2009,  will be the highest level of women’s professional soccer in North America. The league consists of seven teams across the country with markets for the first season including the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. WPS will expand to Atlanta, Dallas and Philadelphia in 2010 and will continue to explore additional potential franchises for 2010 and beyond.

The Bay Area team is the most recent addition and up until last week, it looked like San Diego would have a franchise as well but the status of that team is in limbo.

Formally announced last September, the much-anticipated women’s pro soccer league hopes to build off the U.S. Women’s Gold medal-winning performance in Beijing. The WPS logo showcases a familiar silhouette – FIFA World Champion, Olympic Gold Medal winner and Hall of Fame player Mia Hamm, renowned as a pioneer for women’s soccer.

To stock its charter teams with players, the WPS first is going to allocate players from the U.S. national team and its player pool this month. Next will be a draft of top international players, followed by a general draft for domestic and international players. Over 100 players from the USL’s W-League were invited to a combine last week in Tampa allowing general managers and coaches to scout additional players.

You can catch live coverage of the 2008 WPS Player Allocation announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 12:30pm ET (9:30am PT).

So, who will play in the new league?

Read more

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