There may have only been two different scorelines in WPS this week but there a few surprises in store for us.

5.) The Rookies Will Be Just Fine

The WPS Draft Class of 2010 was certainly highly-touted as some of its players already had senior caps to their names by the time they had graduated in their uh, senior caps…and gowns. (It sounded better in my head). But between Casey Nogueira scoring the equalizing goal against Saint Louis and Kelley O’Hara’s two second-half assists and Lauren Cheney’s physical contribution to the Breakers’ forward line, it was a good day for the youngsters.

4.) Sky Blue FC: It’s Complicated

The consensus preseason #1 doesn’t appear to be the failsafe team that had been expected. SBFC had a difficult time getting their attack going against FC Gold Pride on Saturday, despite having players such as HAO, ‘tasha Kai, Rosana and Jessica Landstrom. Sky Blue’s offense also sort of died last week against Chicago when the Red Stars actually started showing some spirit. And a defense that allowed 18 shots and 7 of them on goal clearly has its issues. Mental frailties? Lack of team cohesion? Too early to call? Or were they just easy picking because….

3.) FC Gold Pride Could Possibly Be That Good

Listen, chances are a team with the likes of Marta, Christine Sinclair and Camille Abily are probably going to be alright. Likewise, chances that a team that outshoots its opponent 18 to 6 are probably going to score some goals. And Gold Pride did just that as Sinclair bagged a brace and Marta did what she usually does. It’s difficult to say right now but if this team continues to perform as a unit, will any defense be able to stamp out Gold Pride’s offensive spark?

2.) Are There Really Any Duds in WPS?

It’s also a little hard to say now but it doesn’t appear so. Even the Atlanta Beat appeared to press on until the very end despite losing 3-1 to the Washington Freedom. With the Red Stars fighting back to take a point from Saint Louis and Philadelphia succeeding in remaining in lock-step with the Breakers throughout the match, Sky Blue FC probably had the worst performance of the weekend. But let’s just say that it was just not destined to be their day due to a combination of the travel and the fact that they were visitors for Gold Pride’s home debut. Seriously, with the talent on the books in New Jersey, this had to just have been one poor result. If that’s the case, it’ll probably be more difficult to predict who finishes last this season in WPS than projecting which position Jim Gabarra will start Sonia Bompastor in next week.

1.) It Is Possible to Score Goals in This League

One of the biggest criticisms of WPS last season was the lack of goal scoring. But there were goals this weekend, a couple of them in fact and thank goodness for that. This is the first weekend ever in WPS where in which every single team scored at least one goal. That’s right, everyone got to see at least one goal scored for their team. This can only bode well for the league and let’s hope it continues.

***And 0.5.) Few People in the DC Area Seem to Care About the Washington Freedom

Eek, that attendance figure of 2,665 is alarming indeed. Where did the 1,200 other people go since last week? And that number was fairly low anyway. Washington was one of the best-supported teams last year in the league. Is there a reasonable explanation for why nearly HALF of the number of spectators that the team averaged last year showed up today? DC residents, please advise if I’m forgetting that there was an Icelandic volcano that erupted hear Boyds, Maryland today thereby preventing most Freedom fans from traveling to see Abby Wambach score a goal and contribute two assists.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

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• Soccer, Sports, WPS

This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2010 WPS Season