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SBI WPS Power Rankings

AbbyWambach (ISIphotos.com)  

                                                                          Photo by ISIphotos.com

By CHRISTA MANN

We are five weeks into this opening Womens Pro Soccer season and things keep getting more and more interesting. In the absence of some international superstars, teams revealed depth and a lack there of over the weekend.  As weeks progress, chemistry is growing more and more.

The L.A. Sol lost its perfect record, but remains unbeaten and is still considered the class of the league, bu the gap between the number one and number five teams is much less than it was in Week Three. However, teams six and seven are still too far to even challenge the fifth spot.

Here are this week's WPS Power Rankings:

1. L.A. Sol (3-0-1)

The Sol has yet to lose a game or to give-up a goal but the team is a bit shaky up top without Marta and Han Duan.  A 0-0 finish against the bottom definitely brings the level of this team down from its untouchable status.  Someone will beat L.A. soon.

2. Chicago Red Stars (2-0-2)

After a 4-0 win over Boston, Chicago has finally shown that someone other than Lindsay Tarpley can score.  Megan Rapinoe, Karen Carney, and Brittany Klein have all proved that the Red Stars are more than Tarpley and an overrated Carli Lloyd.  If Chicago can continue to play well in the back, Jonsson will keep a clean sheet and Chicago will soon challenge the Sol.

3. FC Gold Pride- Bay Area (1-2-1)

In a battle against the Freedom this week, FCGP maintained the majority of possession and finished on its open chances.  With a very strong midfield and two creative players up top, FCGP rates a little higher than its record reflects.  It scored 3 goals this weekend and that's more than Boston can say right now. Oh and by the way, FCGP beat Boston head to head in Week Two.

4. Boston Breakers (2-2-0)

Boston basically crumbled this week against the Red Stars.  With Angela Hucles, Kristine Lily, and Amy Rodriguez all contributing, there was just not enough effort or linking-up to consider the Breakers a top three team.  This team was shut-out by the team that came into the game ranked below it.  Yes, things would have probably been different if Kelly Smith had played.  Well, she did not, so without Kelly Smith, the Boston Breakers are a fourth place team.

5.  Washington Freedom (1-2-1)

After a great 4-3 win today over one of the top teams in the league, Washington has finally proved that the players on its roster are capable of living up to their names.  Wambach's first and last goals were not necessarily pretty, but she scored when the team needed a goal most.  As far as combining and possessing, the chemistry is building but it's not quite capable of stringing together more than four passes at a time.  Depending upon how the team progresses with KJ in goal,  the Freedom could be turning over a new leaf.

6. Sky Blue FC – Jersey (0-1-2)

SBFC had the bye week so there really isn't much to say.  After their scoreless tie with Chicago last week, there were a couple of good looks in the box, but I am hoping that this team worked on finishing passing to feet in small areas during the time off. If St. Louis had somehow managed a win over L.A., SBFC would be in a possible tie.

7. St. Louis Athletica (0-2-1)

In a game where the Athletica had everything in its favor, somehow finding the back of the net is less challenging than holding every team to a scoreless first half.  The battle is there in the back and it seems that a somewhat different backline did well.  Against the top team without its top players, St. Louis should have scored.  Until this team can at least get one to go into the back of the net, it will remain dead last.

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What do you think of this week's rankings? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Thank you for the balanced rankings… You have done well and Padawans can learn from you

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    really, this was some of the most balanced and insightful ranking i have seen regarding the WPS

    Reply
  2. i was critical of last week’s rankings and typos, so it’s only fair that i commend this week’s rankings as i believe (admittedly biased) these are reasonable.

    Good job.

    Reply
  3. Actually, I found the first goal scored by Abby Wambach to be a gorgeous, well-placed header she fought admirably to get to. I’ve watched three games and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the play of the WPS. A lot of one and two-touch passing, long combinations, better long-range passing than I expected to see and spirited physical play (with less flopping than the men’s game). Of course the speed of the players and movement of the ball is at a different scale as well but that’s the only immediately apparent irrevocable difference from the men’s game. The athleticism is starting off at a relatively high level and with time the skill, flair, sophistication and creativity will begin to emerge. The only criticisms I see thus far is the finishing is still a bit weak and the goalkeepers at times seem to lack some range and timing but some of that could just be early-season rust. I hope that this slow but steady growth, low-overhead, smaller stadium, grassroots marketing approach focusing on word of mouth and the internet helps the league survive. Beyond being a “politically correct” entity for women and girls it really is decent, entertaining soccer. It’s also good to know that at least with the WPS this country will finally see world-class soccer even if some fans turn their nose up at for being the women’s game. Personally, I’m looking forward to taking my ten-year niece to some Freedom games this year.

    Reply
  4. Things look promising for Washington

    1. Abby found her groove (and confidence) back
    2. They managed to win w/o the consistently awesome Bompastor (who will soon be back)
    3. The return of the goal-scoring tandem of W&W (Wambach and Whitehill)
    4. KJ, slightly better than Scurry, is now starting
    5. Erin McLeod will arrive, yes she will
    6. The team is looking more and more relaxed, more and more confident w/ their captain finally getting the monkey off her back

    Watch out STL 🙂

    Reply
  5. I would think the more diverse a blog is, the more readers it will have. I’m not sure they care too much about what you think Tommy. Just sayin’.

    Reply
  6. I disagree, Tommy. I’m glad Ives is giving space to the WPS. They are really going to need it, and creating awareness among MLS fans will only help the league and sport continue to grow. Keep these coming.

    Reply
  7. “I don’t mind a few posts here and there”

    Be sure to keep us in the loop on what else we can do to accomodate your preferences.

    Anyway…

    I didn’t initially think I’d enjoy this league, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The Gold Pride-Freedom game was really fun to watch. You can tell some of the teams are starting to click now, and there’s some remarkable skill on show in some of the ball skills, passing, and finishing.

    Reply
  8. Not trying to sound like a (jerk) but is this really necessary? Power rankings are always pretty arbitrary and useless, especially for a 7 team league. I’m sure there are some WPS fans here and I don’t mind a few posts here and there but I really feel like the vast majority here are just gonna scroll straight by this so why waste the time to compile and post this each week?

    Just my 2 cents

    Reply
  9. WoW…Jimmie… read the article is not written by Ives….

    2. is a Jersey thing… Soccer sucks in Jersey…!!!!

    Reply
  10. Jimmie- “Ives, did you really watch all these games? ”

    this blog has multiple writers/reporters/bloggers, Ives doesnt do the WPS section, hence the thing below the picture that says “By CHRISTA MANN”, im not sure there is enough hours in a week for a single person to watch ever game that is related to what is covered on this blog

    Reply

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