WPS Post-Championship

by WPS - Staff Report
08/25/2009 - 04:18 p.m.

WPS Championship presented by MedImmune Saturday, August 22 – The Home Depot Center, Carson, CASky Blue FC 1, Los Angeles Sol 0

Sky Blue FC Returns Home with TrophyAfter winning Saturday’s WPS Championship presented by MedImmune, 1-0, over 2009 Regular Season Champions Los Angeles Sol, Sky Blue FC returned to New Jersey over the weekend for a week of WPS Championship celebration events.

In order to have the WPS Championship trophy on-hand for all Sky Blue FC fans to see, Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone hand-carried the trophy on the plane flight home. Talk about a valuable carry on!

WPS Championship Trophy Presentation
Rutgers Women's Soccer Home OpenerRutgers vs. UMBC
Tuesday, August 25 Gates open at 6 pm, Kickoff at 7 pm
Yurcak Field – Piscataway, NJ

WPS Championship Celebration with the Sky Blue FC team
Wednesday, August 26 Party at 7 pm
Charlie Brown's – Highland Park, NJ

Sky Blue Soccer School Team Camp with the Sky Blue FC players
Thursday, August 27 6-8 pm
Heavenly Farms Field – East Brunswick, NJ

Brazilian night with Rosana and Francielle (TBD) Newark, NJ
Friday, August 28 TBD

Colleges Celebrate WPS Champions
Colleges keep close tabs on their former players. Some of the top women’s collegiate soccer programs in the country celebrated their alumni who became WPS champions with news and notes this week. Notre Dame had eight players in the WPS Playoffs including WPS Champions Kerri Hanks and Jen Buczkowski. The University of North Carolina featured four Tar Heel graduates on Sky Blue FC, while the University of Connecticut (Meghan Schnur) and University of Tennessee (Keeley Dowling) celebrated their player’s success with stories online and photos in their media guides.

WPS All-Star Game presented by U.S. Coast Guard
Sunday, August 30 – The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, Fenton, MO, 4:30pm CT
WPS All-Stars vs. Umeå IK

WPS All-Star Game - TV Schedule Sunday, August 30
Pregame Show – Fox Soccer Channel, 5pm ET/2pm PT
Kickoff – Fox Soccer Channel, 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT
Tuesday, September 1Re-Air – Fox Soccer Channel, 5pm ET/2pm PT
Thursday, September 3Re-Air – Fox Soccer Channel, 3am ET/12am PT

Get to Know: Umeå IK
On Sunday, Aug. 30 the WPS All-Stars face Umeå IK in the WPS All-Star Game presented by the Coast Guard (5pm ET/2pm PT on Fox Soccer Channel and webcast at womensprosoccer.com).

Some background on Umeå IK:
Umea’s Season In the middle of a two-month break in Sweden’s top league, Damallsvenskan, Umeå (12-2-2, 38 points) sits in first place with a two-point lead over the second-place Linköpings FC (11-3-2, 36 points) and has outscored opponents by a 42-11 margin. The Damallsvenskan’s second half commences on Sept. 26 with the final day of play set for Nov. 7.
Umea’s History Umeå was founded in 1985 and has won seven Damallsvenskan titles since 2000 including the last four. Umeå also won the 2003 and 2004 UEFA Women’s Cup competitions, which crown Europe’s top women’s club team. In 2002, 2007 and 2008, Umeå were runners-up for the UEFA Women’s Cup. Several of Sweden’s and the world’s top players have suited up for Umeå including Marta, Hanna Ljungberg and Malin Möstrom.

Who to Watch
Ramona Bachmann, Forward
The Swiss forward is the second-leading goalscorer in the Damallsvenksan with 14 goals. She also has five assists on the season.
Johanna Frisk and Frida Östberg, Defenders

The Los Angeles Sol and Chicago Red Stars defenders, respectively, both hail from Sweden and will suit up for Umeå on Sunday. Both defenders played for Umeå prior to joining WPS.

Malin Möstrom, Midfielder
Sweden’s national team captain from 2001-2006, Möstrom is now retired from international soccer but still plays for Umeå.

Carola Söberg, Goalkeeper
The lone goalkeeper on the roster, Söberg is Umeå’s second-string ‘keeper behind Ulla-Karin Rönnlund who is with Sweden for the Euros. Söberg has played in seven matches for Umeå this season and allowed five goals.

Mami Yamaguchi, Midfielder
After winning the 2007 MAC Hermann Trophy as the NCAA’s best player, Yamaguchi decided to forgo her senior season at Florida State and signed with Umeå.

About WPS Championship presented by MedImmuneMedImmune is a proud sponsor of WPS and is the presenting sponsor of the 2009 WPS Championship. MedImmune teamed up with WPS for “Don’t Play with the Flu”™, a national education campaign about the importance of seasonal flu vaccination. MedImmune and WPS are committed to helping parents and families put up a good defense against seasonal flu. More information is available at www.DontPlaywiththeFlu.com.

Monday Night Futbol: Community Soccer Program

Staff Writers
JATO Athletics and Stricker Soccer continue to join forces to bring quality soccer programs to local associations and communities. The goal of the programs is to develop young players to maximize their development at the age and level they are playing at, to enhance the player’s experience and training, and to teach them to compete at a higher level.

JATO and Stricker Soccer operate weekly soccer training programs where young people can learn to develop a positive self-image, self-confidence, and other positive character traits through their interest and participation in soccer based on a philosophy of Positive Coaching. What makes winning kids is being built up, not down!

The staff coaches make the extra effort to understand and offer positive help to players, rather than negative criticism. Winning Kids, not winning games! Interest and enthusiasm are the only requirements for playing. A positive environment is created where all involved will benefit.

The Monday Night Futbol Program is free to all players in the Colleyville Soccer Association (CSA). Academy Soccer through the Colleyville SC is now an option for U6-U10 players within the CSA. For more information click or call... http://www.jatoathletics.com/ or http://www.colleyvillesoccer.net/ or 817-460-JATO (5286).

JATO Media Production

WPS PLAYOFFS ARE HERE

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Aug. 9, 2009) – Under warm and sunny conditions at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, the inaugural regular season of Women’s Professional Soccer came to a close on Sunday with a 1-1 draw between FC Gold Pride and Saint Louis Athletica. But it was two exciting games earlier on the weekend that determined the final WPS Playoff berths in WPS Week 20.

With a 3-1 victory by the Washington Freedom over Sky Blue FC on Saturday evening, the Freedom clinched third place in the WPS Standings and will again host Sky Blue FC in a rematch at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 4pm ET/1pm PT. On Sunday afternoon, the New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC clinched the fourth and final spot in the WPS Playoffs when the Boston Breakers lost at home in a nail-biter to the Los Angeles Sol, 2-1. With the score tied 1-1 and Boston pushing everyone up late in the game for a score – and a potential playoff berth – the Sol sealed Boston’s fate when Shannon Boxx converted a stoppage-time PK. The loss eliminated any playoff hopes for the Breakers, who needed a victory over the Sol to edge Sky Blue FC for the final WPS Playoff berth.

Two teams, Saint Louis Athletica and Los Angeles Sol, already secured their playoff destiny prior to Week 20. The Athletica host the winner of the WPS First Round between Washington and Sky Blue FC in the WPS Super Semifinal on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7pm ET/6 CT at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo.

As regular season champions, the Los Angeles Sol await the winner of the WPS Super Semifinal in the WPS Championship presented by MedImmune on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 4pm ET/1pm PT at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.