Interesting story from the Washington Business Journal. [UPDATE: Here is the article from the Freedom web site, which includes the new logo] Apparently, Joanna Lohman has been named the GM of the Freedom’s W-League squad. And her first item of business is changing the name of the W-League squad from the Washington Freedom to Freedom Futures according to the story.
This move is interesting on multiple fronts but the two things that jumped straight into my head are this is a good move for Lohman, who has stated before that she would love to eventually become the GM of the Washington Redskins. There is still a long way for her to go to get there but being the GM of a team is a good start to getting there so congrats to Jo.
Second is what impact will this have on Jo’s playing career. Jo was moved from the full roster to the developmental squad during the 2009 season and is currently a free agent. However, given the fact that she will only play for Washington because of her off-the-field job it seems that if she continues her career it will again be as a developmental player. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops.
Finally, one non-Freedom news item. For those starving for roster news, Saint Louis has added two international players, Swedish forward Madelaine Edlund and Brazilian midfielder Elaine. Both previously played for Umea IK.
That’s it from me. As always, feel free to comment on anything Freedom or WPS related below and have a happy and safe holiday.
I realize that the only thing that has been going on around here lately has been posts full of links but until the Freedom decide to let us know who will fill the open roster spots, the links are really all we have. So here we go:
- Q&A with Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra – updates us on what the coach has been doing in the offseason.
- Nairn flourishes for PSU – not only is this a feature updating us on Freedom W-League player Christine Nairn’s first college season, it has quotes from former Freedom and PSU player Christie Welsh. I am still waiting for the announcement that Welsh has signed with the Freedom.
- Casey brings the intensity – a feature on Maryland Terrapins senior goalkeeper Mary Casey. I included this link because apparently Casey was recruited by Maryland on the recommendation on Freedom free agent (and Maryland alum) Emily Janss. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Janss wind up with her alma mater as a coach if she fails to catch on somewhere else.
- Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill called up to WNT December training camp – no big shocker here but it’s nice to see that our WNT stalwarts continue to perform at a top level.
As always, if something happens I will post my reaction to it … but something needs to happen first.
Because the news continues to move slowly around the Freedom these days (even though the new ad campaign garnered lots of attention at various places throughout the web), here are some of the latest links I have found.
- I went through various aspects of the 2009 season right when it ended but for those of you looking for another perspective on the topic, the league web site posted its recap of the Freedom’s 2009 season recently.
- Sticking with the league web site, Atlanta knows who it will pick No. 1 overall – but won’t divulge that information until the day of the draft. Let the speculation begin!
- Speaking of the draft, here are some players to watch in the NCAA tournament for those trying to get an early look at potential WPS draftees.
That’s it from me on this rainy Thursday – as always feel free to use this post as a place to discuss anything on your mind that is Freedom related. Stay dry.
Hopefully you had a chance to see this half page ad when you read the Washington Post this morning but if you haven’t, make sure you check out the Freedom’s latest ad campaign.
My favorite take on this campaign so far comes from the Post’s Steven Goff, who is quick to point out the shots the team takes at the area’s most popular team (or most criticized at this point).
If you ask me (and even if you didn’t ask) I think the biggest gem of Goff’s post is the part about the discussions with an unidentified Swedish Center Mid, but that is a different topic for a different post. As for the ad, I think it is great that the team is being bold in its approach to build upon its 2009.
The ad has already stirred up quite a bit of discussion on both Goff’s blog and on Twitter and regardless of what you think of the tactic, anything that gets people talking about WPS has to be considered a success on some level right?
I don’t thinks its wise for most franchises to take shots at the other pro teams in its market but as a lifelong Redskins fan frustrated with the current state of things, I think this call out is deserved. So congrats to the Freedom marketing department for vocalizing many of the frustrations Redskins fans have experienced as of late.
Accompanying this ad is a program called the Freedom Fan Bill of Rights, which gives fans the opportunity to tell the front office what they think their rights are as fans of the team. I find the whole initiative to be a clever way to keep up the fan support the team earned in 2009 and hope it is the answer to improving support of the team and the league in 2010.
At the very least, this initiative captured our attention from the moment it hit the web, which is the best way it could start off.
I realize this story probably flew under most everyone’s radar last week but it probably shouldn’t have.
If you have clicked on the above link, you were taken to a story announcing the resignation of the Freedom’s Director of Operations, Louise Waxler. Anyone who knows Louise knows this is a huge loss for the Freedom. But that’s not what worries me.
Sky Blue FC took a lot of flak throughout the year as they went through coach after coach after coach. In one season the team went through three coaches and has hired it’s fourth for the 2010 season. If this were any other sport, ESPN would be running nightly features on how dysfunctional the organization must be. But because this is women’s soccer, it takes something extreme for most mainstream media outlets to pay attention.
Because of this, I think a lot of things that have been happening in the Freedom front office have flown under the radar. Does anyone out there realize that Waxler’s resignation is the fifth change in the front office since this calendar year and sixth since the Freedom announced they would be a part of WPS?
For a team that focused on consistency, familiarity and cohesion on the field, it sure has had trouble finding it in the front office. I’m not going to pretend to know what the situations were that led to the changes but I do find it suspicious this continues to happen.
But I wonder if I am the only one.
Alright, enough of my soapbox rambling and on to the other thing I missed earlier this week…
If you are looking for a good chuckle to get your weekend going on the right foot, make sure you check out this video of Allie Long at a local corn maze. Between talking back to a cow, getting weirded out by a pig eating mud or actually trying not to get lost in the maze, this video is pretty entertaining and does a good job of showing the off field personality of Allie.
Loading ...