In case you missed it last week, WPS released the full schedule for 2010. And while there are a couple of times still being sorted out (the last two weeks are flex games for Fox Soccer Channel, allowing them to pick the best matchups those weeks) it is pretty safe to say the last big piece of the 2010 puzzle has finally been placed.
I don’t want to make too much of the actual games themselves because the big games will be determined as the season progresses, but I did want to share a couple of things that stand out on the Freedom’s schedule.
- This had been revealed previously but for the second season in a row, the Freedom will be in the opening match. However, this time around they will only play one day before everyone else as opposed to playing a week before everyone else and then having a bye.
- It looks like another doubleheader with D.C. United is in the works on May 1, the only dates both clubs are in town. Currently the place and time are TBD.
- The Freedom will have five FSC appearances and this year they are a little more spread out. Last year FSC showed most of the team’s early matches (which was bad because the team got off to a pretty bad start) and after a July 5 match against Los Angeles, didn’t see show the Freedom again until the playoffs.
- The All-Star game has been moved to June 30, an odd time considering most teams will have played 3-4 days before and get back to work 3-4 days after.
- The July 4 game against Sky Blue FC will be a tough sell, even with the defending champs. Hopefully the team gets some fireworks lined up for the families it hopes to attract to that game.
- Once again the team gets a rough schedule towards the end of the season with the Freedom playing three road games in 11 days. Add in that the second game of the trip is out to California and the team could be pretty wiped by the time the third game finishes in St. Louis.
- The Freedom will get plenty of looks at the expansion franchises as they play the Beat and Independence four times each and every other WPS team three times. In most sports that would be a good thing but looking at the way Atlanta and Philly are built, they may not be your typical expansion clubs.
This schedule should make for an entertaining 2010 and hopefully it will end in a longer playoff run than 2009.
Finally, one day after announcing the signing of Christie Welsh, the club announced 2010 first round pick Nikki Marshall has signed. Only a couple of spots remain on the 2010 roster.
Because of all of the roster spots the Atlanta Beat filled last week and the trade between FC Gold Pride and Los Angeles, I thought it was a good time to once again update the Roster Tracker. Everything should be current and just in time for the WPS Draft on Friday.
If any other roster moves occur before the draft, make sure you check back Friday morning for the latest info.
I didn’t realize it had been a month since I posted the last update to the Roster Tracker, but I guess when there are less than 5 moves in that span it is easy to let things go for so long.
Anyway, the file is again up to date, including the recent signings of Jessica Landstrom (Sky Blue FC) and Katie Chapman (Chicago Red Stars). If I have missed anything, let me know.
[UPDATE: Even though Sky Blue FC posted another player signing to Twitter just minutes after I posted the updated Roster Tracker, I have updated it to include the signing of Laura Kalmari]
Also, in case you haven’t seen this yet, the Atlanta Beat are partnering with Kennesaw State University to build the world’s first women’s soccer specific stadium. Hopefully this is a huge step towards establishing WPS in the U.S. and is a signal that this league will last longer than 3 years.
Finally, if you are looking for quick news and info regarding the Freedom make sure you check out this site’s Twitter feed. I post quick updates and re-tweet interesting info there that does not warrant a full blog post. So jump on the social media bandwagon and keep up with what’s going on.
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.
I apologize I haven’t posted before today but I’ve been out of commission with some sort of bug or virus. And I apologize that this post won’t have more of my rambling (or maybe that’s a good thing) as I am still fighting this illness off. With that said – onto the links:
- As expected, Sweden’s Caroline Seger was the first pick in the International Draft held Tuesday. It was a European invasion as 3 players from Sweden, 2 from England and 1 each from Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland were selected.
- Rumors of Peter Wilt’s force out in Chicago seem to be premature as Beau Dure of USA Today tells us via Twitter.
- FC Gold Pride seems to be the first team making offseason moves as they exercised the options on five players.
- And finally, on the lighter side of the news – Abby Wambach showed up at USWNT camp with a new dog, 10-week old Bulldog puppy named Kingston. Hey, this is a Freedom blog after all so I had to get something Freedom related on here.
That’s it on this end. Have a great Wednesday (or whatever day you are reading this) and I’ll try to have something more thought-provoking next time.
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