Keeping An Eye On The January Draft Order...

The WPS is up and rolling. They have already held their lottery for the 2009 January Draft, and we're happy to announce that SBFC is not last! However, the frightening fact is two of the best teams (Boston and Chicago) are drafting first and second.

Here's the order for the January 14-18, 2009 Draft in St. Louis:

1. Boston Breakers

2. Chicago Red Stars

3. Bay Area

4. Sky Blue FC

5. Los Angeles

6. St. Louis

7. Washington Freedom

A reversing draft order will be followed in subsequent rounds.

General Draft Day! Today! Hooray! Let's Play!

General Draft Day '08

It's good to know that the league reads our blog. Obviously, based on OUR complaints regarding the International Draft selection order, the league has instituted a reversing selection order in subsequent draft rounds. In other words, since SBFC drafts last in the first round (again) of the General Draft, it drafts first in the second round. You're welcome, SBFC. We've got your back. We're serious.

On to the SBFC selections by round:
1. Cori Alexander G
*Yeehaw! Thank you SBFC for getting a goalie. I know firepower is wonderful, but we need some D!!! Looks like SBFC is following this defensive road, especially after getting the rights to Anita Asante.
*Solid goalie. Ex-Vancouver Whitecap and US WNT Camper. And blogger to boot!
2. Keeley Dowling D
*See last comment. US WNT member and some UTenn coaching experience.
3. Kacey White MF/F
*Nicely done. After preaching the D, this is still a great steal. Don't know how she stayed undrafted this long. Great assist player to set up Kai & Co. WNT player, former Tar Heel and NJ Wildcat! Growl!
4. Jenny Anderson-Hammond D
*More D. Awwlright! Some coaching experience too. Our only problem is: how will SBFC get her last name of the back of a soccer jersey? And you thought feminism didn't have any drawbacks...

Perhaps the only other player we would have liked to get is Karina LeBlanc, but that's what happens when your team drafts last every time...

Extra thoughts and brain farts:

1. Thank you to the WPS for letting us follow along on Twitter! Allowing the fans to "watch" makes the draft immensely more interesting...especially when it's a dynamic draft, not a pre-selection.
2. If you are on the draft clock, how can you take a timeout (ahem Red Stars, LA, Breakers)? Why bother having a clock then?
3. Special sarcasm points to Bay Area NoNombres for selecting Liz Bogus. Pretty much sums up your lame team. Can't pick good players or even a team name, but you sure can pick a last name. We predict that'll be the highest-selling customized team jersey. If Bay Area has any fans. (Sorry Liz. But you're a Utahn, so we can't help it.)
4. After reading the combine blogs from Jen Buczkowski, we couldn't help but root for her a bit. But looks like she didn't get picked. There will be other chances!
5. No, Tracy Hamm is not related to Mia. Don't ask.

On to the Post-Combine Draft on January 14, 2009!!

Discovering If They Want To Play

Back on topic: SBFC has taken Collette McCallum (MF) of Australia in their post-International Draft Discovery Period. So they are talking to 5 international players. Only 1 to go to reach the maximum. And yet another Pali Blues player taken in the draft, potentially depleting all of the players on that team!

Not Kai Blue FC News, But Still Meaningful...?

So the International Draft seems like a memory, but what about the other 2 international players that each team is allowed to "draft" (ie. hold negotiations with)?

The Red Stars kicked off this weekend by claiming Alex Scott (D). CRS Coach Hayes previously coached Scott at The Arse. Go Chelsea.

So the beat goes on and teams are still making moves, even before the General Draft on October 6. Stay tuned...

International News on Wednesday! Exciting!!!

Brand new news! Here's who our own Sky Blue FC took in the International Draft:

Sarah Walsh Australia F
Rosana Brazil D/MF
Ester Brazil MF
Kelly Parker Canada MF

Keep it in your head that this means that SBFC has rights to these players, it's not a contract. This was not a bad draft, given that SBFC apparently picked last in every round.

Of note:
Formiga - Bay Area
Kelly Smith - Boston
Marta - LA
Daniela - St. Louis
Cristiane - Chicago
Homare Sawa - Washington

Enjoy!

Red Light...to Green...to Yellow...

OK, after the dearth of communication, the WPS is pacifying its fussy fans. We now know that the WPS International Draft is a go; results will be announced on Thursday, September 25. Thank you WPS High Muckety-Mucks!


A pacifier can be a good thing.
(Hand gesture blurred for your protection.)

Looks like the Bay Area NoNombres will have the first pick, since they had the lowest-rated Allocation. But before we get too excited, there are caveats. From the WPS site, here are the vital facts:

1. Being selected in the WPS Initial International Draft does not reflect any intent or commitment on the player’s behalf to sign..or...by the team to the player. Rather, it signifies the beginning of the process...
2. Each WPS team will draft up to 4 international players in this initial international draft.
3. Each WPS team can sign up to 5 international players for the 2009 season.
4. Each WPS team can negotiate with up to 6 international players at one time.
5. Signings will be announced by the team, presumably whenever signings occur.
   

So basically, this is like a paper note passed in grade school class:

Do you like me?

• Yes.
• No.

Love, Your Secret-Admirer WPS Team

You may get a kiss out of it, you may be left holding a piece of garbage paper. And there's definately no guarantee of marriage.

But somehow we're still excited about the possibilities!!!

ARE YOU READY TO RRRRUMBLE?!?!

With the rushed flurry of excitement from last week's WPS Allocation came a flood of news and pictures of our favorite players. The fun trumped the Olympics Gold excitement. So the International Player Draft this week should promise the same fun, right?

Not so fast. The WPS Draftmeisters are nowhere to be found if you're a fan. I'd say things came to a screeching halt, but there's been no noise. Mum.

A letdown.

The only thing we know is this: on the week of September 22, the WPS is supposed to assign teams the rights to negotiate with 4 international players. No other news.

Dear WPS: don't be coy, let us know what's going on!

PS to Sky Blue FC: all I want for Christmas is Birgit Prinz and Fatmire Bajramaj!!!

NEW INFO...SBFC Single Game Tickets

For those of you who are as excited as we are for the upcoming WPS season, information about the 2009 Season itself is severely lacking.

There is plenty of info about season tickets. If you want to buy season tickets, go here. We have ours!!! See you there!!!

But what about single-game tickets? And maybe not all of us are wealthy enough, live in the area, are convinced about the league, etc. to buy season tickets...so we called the SBFC office for single game info. Below is what we found. (I would also venture that the info would mostly apply to the other WPS teams...)

1. The WPS is still getting on its feet, as you probably noticed, so not all is written in stone yet.


2. There will be 10 home games at Rutger's Yurcak Field.


3. There is no set schedule yet; the league should know more ~January 2009.


4. Games should run from April to August.


5. Mix of weekday and weekend games.


6. Approximate single game prices: $48 for VIP center seats; $28 for seat-back midfield seats; $19 for all other seats. If you want to see a diagram of the seating, go to the bottom of the page here.


7. Hope to meet you there!


8. Enjoy!

Thank you to the SBFC office for their help. And of course, as the WPS develops, the info may change, so stay tuned!!!

Showoffs!!

High in the sky on the Empire State Building. More beautiful than any scene from Sleepless in Seattle or An Affair to Remember...

WPS Draft Day #1 Picks!

Ian Sawyers, Christie Rampone, Heather O'Reilly, Natasha Kai, and Steve Nash on Draft Day. Yes, Ian, you should be smiling...

YES! ALLOCATION!

So it's not exactly NFL Draft Day on ESPN...but we can follow on Twitter. Just as good, right? And when WPS said the league would be grassroots, they meant it! But here's the feed from the net, hot off the presses:

"O'Reilly and Rampone return to their home state of New Jersey, while Natasha Kai will make the long move from Hawaii."

While we will miss Carli Lloyd from NJ, we thank her from going to Chicagoland and making room for Kai!

So from the Catholic Church of Sky Blue, we sing:
Hallelujah..Kai in domini, new jersey in the highest...

Sky Blue in the Face Ranting

Can we stop with the combination New Jersey/New York moniker/albatross? The MLS tried that too. It’s unnecessary and annoying. Pick a state. Use it. Stick with it. Presumably the league has combined the states to have name recognition and not to piss anyone off. But anyone with a central nervous system and/or a map can tell that New Jersey is next to New York and vice versa. Or maybe they should go the route of the old WUSA Carolina Courage: knock off the distinct words (i.e. North and South; so in this case Jersey and York) and use the word that remains - the “New Sky Blue” should work! And the internal rhyme makes it roll right off the tongue…

On the positive side, I like the newly-finalized “Sky Blue FC” name. It is somewhat ironic that a US league called “Women’s Professional Soccer” has a team with “Football Club (FC)” in its name. But tradition trumps all else in soccer. That’s the only reason I became a DC United fan instead of a MetroStars fan in 1996. That’s why the fans at every MLS game wave flags, hold up team scarves, bang drums, chant and sing, and set off flares. During our day jobs, we’re happy to be American; when we moonlight as soccer fans, we secretly want to be European or South American. Someplace where this sport matters. Hopefully, WPS will continue to keep this in mind when creating their new women’s soccer culture.

There’s no crying in soccer!!!

…because professional women’s soccer is coming back. Fortunately, the WPS gods decreed that there would be a team in NJ: the New Jersey /New York Sky Blue. So this part of the site will cover all items Blue. Unfortunately, there’s not much to go on other than this: the team is coached by Ian Sawyers (husband of Julie Foudy) and the games will played at Yurcak Field, Rutgers University . The team already exists in the W-League, but will get its start in the WPS next week during the US WNT player allocation process. Teams will ultimately be filled out by allocations, combines, drafts, try-outs, arm-wrestling contests, etc.. involving US WNT, international, W-League, and college players.

It’s nice to see that there is a sizable pool of quality women soccer players around. Given the wide-open roster possibilities, it’s hard to decide who would be best for the team. But here’s my fantasy starting line-up, given that teams are guaranteed 3 US WNT players and despite the fact that we don’t know what international or college players will go pro in the US . Also, I tried to pick mostly women of tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) origin, but sprinkled in some others for variety.

Pos Player Club
F Natasha Kai Heaven
F Tiffeny Milbrett Vancouver
F Kara Lang Canadian WNT
M Heather O’Reilly US WNT
M Tobin Heath UNC
M Katie Larkin BYU
M Yael Averbuch UNC
D Christie Rampone US WNT
D Kim Brandao Sky Blue
D Nikki Krzysik UVA
G Kristin Olsen USC

Honorable mention for Birgit Prinz, since she probably won’t leave FFC Frankfurt for the USA …bummer.

The good news is that SBFC will probably get O’Reilly and Rampone, since they picked NJ for their top destination. O’Reilly, Rampone, and Milbrett are solid players and can provide experience and leadership at their respective positions. Lang and Averbuch are budding scoring stars, Brandao is the best player on the W-League Sky Blue team, and Olsen is a central reason why USC won the 2007 NCAA Championship.. Kai can do no wrong and Heath provides the sparks, just as long as she stops trying to nutmeg everyone on Earth.

So here’s to our Sky Blue Draftmeister team, may they draft well and begin their WPS domination already!