Another week, another look back at the 2009 season. This is going to be my last look at the 2009 season unless there is a public outcry for more. After looking at the Top 5 moments of the season last week it seems only fair and balanced to look at the Bottom 5 moments as well. So without further delay, here are the moments I am sure all Freedom fans would like to forget from 2009.

5. Freedom lose league opener in LA

The Freedom were the only team in the league to maintain an existence outside of the WUSA and WPS. The coaching staff spent years looking at talent and preparing for this moment where most coaches only had months because they had just been hired. The coaches had been active in the top level amateur league and already had the foundation of a team in place. On draft day, the Freedom took most of those players, banking on our chemistry to get them through the early part of the season.

And just like in the WUSA, the Freedom had the opportunity to kick off this new league. With the deck supposedly stacked in the team’s favor, the Freedom fell flat and lost to LA in the league opener 2-0.

The reason this loss is No. 5 is because after the match, this loss certainly felt like less of a loss. Having gone six years without a pro league at home, players like Abby Wambach and Lori Lindsey were happy just to have the opportunity to play pro again in the U.S. while many others were happy to finally have the opportunity. And while that feeling was good for the first match, it was a good thing it didn’t last.

4. The Chicago Red Stars

Despite the fact they struggled against everyone else this season, the Chicago Red Stars quickly became the Freedom’s nemesis on the field. Even though the Freedom didn’t lose to Chicago at home in 2009, that fact becomes little consolation once you consider the Freedom ended both of those matches with an 11 v. 10 advantage.

In April, defender Frida Ostberg picked up two yellow cards for her rough style of play, being sent off shortly after the start of the second half. But Washington couldn’t get through the Chicago defense and wound up with a 1-1 tie. Then in June, Karen Carney received a red card for a hard foul on Abby, putting the Freedom a woman up with 30 minutes left in the match. And once again, Chicago hunkered down and preserved the scoreless tie. Once Chicago finally finished a game against the Freedom at full strength, the Red Stars won 2-1. Washington did finish the series with a 3-2 win at Chicago while trying to secure a playoff berth, but instead of posting a 1-1-2 record against them this season, it easily should have been 3-1-0. Hopefully this isn’t a pattern that will repeat again in 2010.

3. Huffman goes down for the year

I mentioned a little about this when talking about the makeup of the roster but Sarah Huffman’s injury was a huge blow to the Freedom. Going down during the first week of practice, the loss of Sarah really jumbled things up in the midfield. I am convinced that if Jim Gabarra had everyone healthy to start the season we would have seen Sonia Bompastor play defender, her position on the French national team, and we would have seen Huffman pairing with Homare Sawa, Lori and Allie Long in the midfield. Who knows if that midfield would have produced better results but losing the No. 1 overall pick from the first domestic draft the league held certainly hurts.

Here’s to hoping Sarah is recovered and ready for 2010.

2. Goalkeeping in crisis mode

During the January draft, Gabarra surprised everyone when in the fifth round he drafted the most capped keeper in U.S. history, Briana Scurry. Having pulled out of previous drafts, it seemed that Scurry was seriously considering retiring before the Freedom selected her in the draft. Gabarra drafted her as insurance in case starter Erin McLeod wasn’t quite healed from the ACL injury she suffered in the 2008 Olympics but as the season got closer and McLeod got held up on Visa issues, it became clear the backup plan would be put into effect.

Scurry started the first three games and the results were not pretty. Not that everything was her fault but when the offense had scored only 2 goals in 3 games and the defense had given up 6 in that same span, Gabarra turned to his third option, KJ Spisak. KJ would be in net for the teams first win but would give up 3 goals in the process and the following week she gave up 3 more goals in a tie against Saint Louis. Fortunately that was enough time for McLeod to get her Visa straightened and lock down the goalkeeping situation for the Freedom.

1. Playoff loss to Sky Blue FC

Using another card analogy, the deck was supposed to be stacked against SBFC as it began its playoff journey. As the last team into the playoffs, SBFC had the unfortunate task of needing to win three playoff games on the road in order to win the inaugural WPS Championship. That road began in Washington against a Freedom team they had finished 0-2-1 against during the regular season. The Freedom suffered the big blow though as Sonia missed the playoffs because of the 2009 Women’s European championship. Apparently that leveling of the field was all SBFC needed as they beat the Freedom at the SoccerPlex, making the Freedom the first WPS team to lose a playoff game at home. At least they weren’t the last.

That does it for my recap. Agree with my moments? Disagree? Let me know either by the poll or in the comments.

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As I continue this look back at the 2009 season, I thought it made the most sense to recap the season with a Top 5 moments post and a Bottom 5 moments post. Obviously, this post will be the Top 5. Two caveats to this list before we begin. First, there were definitely more than 5 great moments this season, I just felt these were the season-altering moments. Second, I included the buildup from last year in this because one year ago, no team had a single player. So to go from a team in name only to the conclusion of the first season in less than 12 months is a pretty significant feat and is an important part of what happened in 2009.

Ok, on to the moments.

5. Abby Wambach hits her stride after scoring her 100th goal wearing a U.S. uniform

Freedom fans were excited to see the star that had developed right before their eyes was returning to her roots to anchor the newest version of the Freedom but it was a rough go for Abby Wambach to open the season. Wanting to put the nasty leg injury that kept her out of the 2008 Olympics behind her, Wambach found it tough to get back to form and opened the season with only two goals in her first 16 games.

Something changed for Wambach though during the last four games of the season and I believe the goal she scored on July 19 in front of her hometown crowd in Rochester (No. 100 for her international career) finally relaxed her enough that she returned to D.C. finally able to pass the hurdles she had struggled with all season. She returned to score 5 goals in the season’s last 4 games, including 2-goal efforts against Chicago and Sky Blue FC, on her way to helping the Freedom clinch the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. That final outburst also made Abby the team’s leading scorer in 2009, finishing with 8 goals.

4. Freedom finally record first shutout

The 2009 season for the Freedom seemed to be filled with multiple hurdles the team struggled to get over. One of those hurdles was recording a shutout. Having to use 3 goalkeepers to start the season, partly because of Erin McLeod’s delayed arrival, the Freedom opened the season as the team to allow the most goals and most goals per game, a stat they would never overcome in spite of also scoring the most goals during the regular season.

Looking to fix the leak in the back, Jim Gabarra finally got one of his prized pupils – USWNT pool allocation Ali Krieger – on loan from her club in Germany to help fix the problem. By combining Krieger with McLeod and moving French international Sonia Bompastor back to her natural position of defender, the Freedom posted their first shutout of 2009 on June 13 against Chicago in one of the team’s 3 doubleheaders at RFK. The downside though was that the offense failed to score, meaning the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Sonia would subsequently be moved back to the midfield role she manned all season but after finally posting a shutout the Freedom would go on to post 3 more during the season. Not bad for a team allowing 2 goals per game up to that point.

3. Freedom pick up first WPS win

As that old cliche goes, it is never a matter of if but a matter of when. The Freedom had to keep telling themselves that as they started off the season 0-2-1 and had never led a game at any point so far in the season. With Abby having failed to score and with a goal differential of minus-4, using the term rough start might have been too kind. Then came the fourth game of the young season, a cross-country trip to the Bay area of California to face FC Gold Pride.

With a change at goalkeeper and with Sonia gone to play for the French national team, the pressure was on the Freedom to make something happen. Abby did that by scoring her first goal of the season, which coincidentally gave the Freedom their first lead of 2009. That’s only half the story though. After going up 3-1 in the second half, FCGP rallied to tie the game at 3-3 and it appeared as though the Freedom would need another week to notch that first win as the game headed to stoppage time.

With a free kick the only thing left to wrap up the contest, Cat Whitehill booted the ball into the box to the head of one Abby Wambach, who put the ball past Nicole Barnhart for the win. That goal would be the first of many late-game goals the Freedom would score this year to either win or tie up a game. After numerous wins in WUSA and the W-League, the Freedom now had a win in WPS to count among its accomplishments.

2. Abby returns to her professional roots

Ok, this post may seem like one big “Abby Wambach is great” post but this her return to D.C. was huge for the franchise. While this happened in the offseason, Abby’s acquisition (even coming off of a leg injury) made every fan in town feel that maybe things wouldn’t be so different with the new league after all. If Abby had come back and played with LA for instance, every D.C. would have felt betrayed and many of the diehards probably would have turned away feeling the league was stacked against the only team to wait out the return of pro soccer.

Abby was one of the faces of the Freedom when the WUSA was forced to take a hiatus and when she came back, much of the local attention the team had earned during those days started returning as well. There were many other players who played an important role on the field in the Freedom’s playoff run, but no one else has Abby’s off-the-field impact.

The only reason this event doesn’t rank No. 1 is because of what her return brought during this first year.

1. Freedom make playoffs and host first ever WPS playoff game

While the path taken to get there and the end result weren’t the prettiest, the fact the Freedom made the playoffs in the league’s first season is huge. Between piecing this roster together – including adding many pieces after starting the season – struggling to find offense, struggling to find consistency on defense, struggling to pick up that first win and having to wait until the final game to lock down that playoff berth, the Freedom managed to hold on and finish third in the inaugural season.

Compared to the WUSA days, in which the Freedom ended that first season with only 6 wins fielding a squad that featured Mia Hamm, a playoff appearance is a good accomplishment. There is still plenty of room to improve for 2010 but the base is there to build on and all of the hard work Jim Gabarra and Clyde Watson put in while waiting for this return was well rewarded with the playoff berth.

Those are my Top 5 Freedom moments for 2009. Next week I will give you my Bottom 5. In the meantime, let me know what you think of my list. Was something ranked too high? Too low? Did I leave something better off the list? Let me know in the comments. And make sure you take a moment to vote in the new poll on the front page.

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Part 1: The 2009 draft

ALLOCATION

The obvious first place to start should be with the first players the Freedom were allocated. Before I get into the individuals, I do find it interesting that if the USWNT player allocation had taken place a year earlier, there is a really good chance Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill are placed on separate teams. Amazing how much a couple of injuries impacted the process.

Abby Wambach – After getting off to a slow start while still recovering from the broken leg suffered right before the Olympics last year, things finally seemed to click for Abby after she scored her 100th International goal in front of her hometown crowd in Rochester, N.Y. on July 19. Abby continues to be one of the toughest players to deal with when she is on the field and should continue to be the leader of this team for years to come.

Cat Whitehill – Another solid leader with loads of International experience, Cat put her leg strength on display all season, helping the team come up with numerous timely goals. The two that come right to mind are the boot to Abby in stoppage time against FC Gold Pride to give the Freedom their first win and the huge punt on a rainy night to Sonia Bompastor to help the Freedom tie Saint Louis on the night they honored Mia Hamm. No other team boasts a weapon like Cat Whitehill and hopefully the Freedom will continue to find ways to take advantage of that asset.

Ali Krieger – Signing a contract extension in Germany at the same time she was allocated to the Freedom, it seemed like her presence in D.C. was iffy at best all season. Then an interesting thing happened, an injury and a setback cost her most of the German season and she was then loaned to the Freedom to help her get back into game shape. Her arrival coincided with a huge turnaround in the defense and she showed she was truly worth the wait. Unfortunately, she went straight back to Germany after the season and will not be able to return until her contract expires, which should be at the same point next season.

INTERNATIONALS

Homare Sawa – A player Jim Gabarra was familiar with during his WUSA coaching days, I believe Sawa’s offensive impact was neutralized the day Sarah Huffman went down with her ACL injury. Sawa seemed to mesh well with Lori Lindsey in the center of the midfield but Lindsey always seemed to be more of the aggressor while Sawa helped more defensively. If Sawa is to have more of an impact next year, she will need to be allowed to be more offensive minded.

Sonia Bompastor – I know I (and many others) have made this point before but Sonia is the reason this league exists. Were it not for WPS, we Americans may have never seen (and become fans of) French players like Sonia given the fact that France has a hard time qualifying for the only two tournaments average Americans care about – the World Cup and the Olympics. Sonia’s non-stop motor, experience and ability to play all over the field make her an invaluable asset on the level of Abby or Cat and she will be a necessary component of the Freedom next year.

Lisa De Vanna – It took a while to get her 90 minute fit but Lisa’s speed was one of the most dangerous weapons in WPS in 2009 and as she got her timing down, she was able to make defenses pay. With her and Abby up top, the pair complement each other well and give the Freedom a balanced attack.

Louisa Necib – Sonia’s countrywoman never played for the Freedom but the team continues to hold her WPS rights in hopes they can persuade her to come to the U. S. for 2010. With the rave reviews she often gets, she would be a quality addition.

Erin McLeod – A post-draft discovery player, the goalkeeping situation was a mess until she arrived – which took a lot longer than anyone thought. But now with her Visa issues in the past, she is one of the elite keepers in the league, which is a must-have in a league as small as WPS. Coming into 2010 at the beginning of the season should help her challenge for the claim of best keeper in WPS.

Lene Mykjaland – She almost ended up here last year and after only signing a 1-year deal with her Norwegian club, I don’t see how she doesn’t end up in D.C. this season. The young forward would add another dimension to an already deadly attack and would take the pressure off Abby and Lisa. I don’t care if anyone else is added to the roster, Lene should be the team’s top priority.

GENERAL DRAFT

Sarah Huffman – I feel bad for Sarah in that she has been playing all over the world the past couple of years and when she finally gets the opportunity to play professionally in the U.S., she suffers a serious injury during the first week of practice. It was great to see Sarah take the field in the playoffs and after spending the offseason playing in Germany, hopefully the No. 1 overall pick of the general draft will be able to display the talent that made her No. 1.

Becky Sauerbrunn – With some nice maneuvering in the International Draft, Gabarra was able to nab the No. 3 pick in the draft so he could select Becky. Becky and Cat seem to have a great cohesion in the back and should be the rock of the middle of the defense for a while. Along with Sawa, Becky was the only other player on the team to play all 1890 minutes (including playoffs) this season. Hopefully she is due for a national team callup at some point.

Lori Lindsey – After years of sticking it out with the Freedom in WUSA festivals and the W-League, things finally payed off as Lori proved to be one of the key components of this squad and proved to be good enough to finally earn another national team callup. Hopefully this isn’t the end of Lori’s career in Washington as she will be left unprotected for the expansion draft.

Emily Janss – After beginning the season as a starter on defense, Janss found herself riding the bench and getting little playing time by May. Like Lindsey, Janss is another who has been hanging around the D.C. area waiting to help usher the Freedom back into the pro ranks. Unfortunately for the former Terrapin, I think her days in D.C. may be winding down.

FREE AGENT

Kristin DeDycker – Probably the biggest surprise of the year, DeDycker not only had to earn her way on to the team through a tryout but she had to earn her way into playing time after only earning a spot on the developmental roster. DeDycker proved to be that defensive presence in the midfield the team was desperately looking for, but an injury early in the season hindered her the rest of the way. Having played for Atlanta in the WUSA, I can’t help but think there might be a reunion in the works. I am told developmental players are not part of the list for the expansion draft, but they will be up for drafting in January so we will wait and see what happens.

That concludes my look at the 2009 roster of the Freedom. In all it seems to be a solid unit that with one or two key additions, might finally be able to beat the Sol (or Sky Blue in the playoffs). Now I turn the floor over to you – any thoughts on the ’09 roster or what the team should do to improve? Leave me a comment.

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Now onto business. I wanted to recap the entire first season for the WPS Washington Freedom from September 2008 to August 2009, but when this article came out last week I decided to start with the 2009 WPS Draft held in January in St. Louis.

Given the state of things between Tony DiCicco and No. 1 overall pick Amy Rodriguez, I find it really interesting that there is the potential for Rodriguez to end up back in Boston. Given how the draft played out and how most of these players made up the core of each squad, I decided to look back at how Jim Gabarra did with his picks.

1. Allie Long (11 games started, 18 games played, 978 minutes, 2 goals) – If you ask this question at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season you get two completely different answers. Allie got off to a rough start and struggled early on but she became an important piece for the Freedom down the stretch. She still seems to hold onto the ball a little long sometimes  but she is making steady progress.

2. Alex Singer (13 GS, 16 GP, 1,143 minutes) – Alex displayed a toughness few on this team were asked to have as she was the recipient of some very crucial knocks during the season. Alex took an elbow from Boston’s Christine Latham that got Latham suspended (although it only drew a yellow card at the time?) and had played every minute of every game until a concussion knocked her out of the lineup. Alex impressed from the get go with her defense but the concussion never seemed to quite go away. With 6 months to heal, hopefully Alex comes back in 2010 ready to lock down the left side once again.

3. Jill Gilbeau (12 GS, 19 GP, 1,144, 3 assists) – Jill was one of the main displays of what Gabarra built this team on, versatility. Gilbeau started and played all over the field and was one of the team’s best weapons in the offensive third with her crossing ability. I think Jill has decent potential but would be aided in her development if some of her versatility was limited next season.

4. Parrissa Eyorokon (0 GS, 4 GP, 43 minutes) – Parrissa was one of two early injuries that really set this team back. The jury is obviously still out on Parrissa, who played on 43 minutes in 2009.

5. Briana Scurry (3 GS, 3 GP, 11 saves, 17 shots, 6 goals allowed, 2.00 GAA, 0-2-1) – This idea was good in theory – bring in the experienced veteran in case your No. 1 keeper doesn’t return to form (or make it into the country) soon enough. Unfortunately, Bri never recaptured any of the form that made her the premier goalkeeper in the U.S. for so many years. I would be surprised if she is back with the team next season.

6. Rebecca Moros (13 GS, 19 GP, 1,162 minutes, 2 goals, 1 assist) – Another player whose versatility kept them on the field, Moros came on as a dangerous attacking option (once she finally got the chance to play). If Moros is left unprotected in the expansion draft, don’t be surprised if she is one of the first players taken off the board. She made a strong statement this year that she needs to be one of the 10 players kept.

7. Sarah Senty (5 GS, 7 GP, 418 minutes) – Not joining the team until after she finished her final year at UVA, Sarah joined the squad and started most of the games she played by supplanting college teammate Singer. Another player who the jury is still out on.

8. Kati Jo Spisak (3 GP, 3 GS, 244 minutes, 10 saves, 16 shots, 6 goals allowed, 2.21 GAA, 2-0-1) – Where Bri failed, KJ succeeded by winning games. KJ joined the team as the developmental goalkeeper but had taken over the starting spot from Bri four games into the season. Erin McLeod joined the team shortly after but KJ did put the team in position to win a couple of games.

9. Claire Zimmeck (1 GS, 3 GP, 55 minutes) – Unfortunately Claire’s claim to fame will probably be the fact that she was the first player ever subbed out of a WPS match. After playing the first three games of the season without providing much spark, Zimmeck was cut on June 10 to make room for Ali Krieger.

10. Christen Karniski (DNP) – Christen was the only player to be on the roster all year but not play a minute. Her status for next season is a guaranteed unsure thing.

Alright, so there is my take on the ’09 draft now that Year 1 is in the books. A look at the rest of the roster building process will appear shortly and the season review will be in full swing. Meanwhile, let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

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