| Rating | Description |
| 10 | Arguably the best in the world at her position |
| 9 | One of the best in the league, definite national team material |
| 8 | Outstanding but not quite up to the above levels |
| 7 | Very good |
| 6 | Good |
| 5 | Fair |
| 4 | Clearly substandard |
| 3 | Poor |
| 2 | Very Poor |
| 1 | Awful |
| + | Insufficient playing time for a detailed judgment but showed promise |
| = | Insufficient playing time for a detailed judgment but seemed adequate |
| - | Insufficient playing time for a detailed judgment but showed cause for concern |
"Delta" means the change from last year.
| Siri Mullinix | Rating: 10 | Delta: +2 |
| Siri had a sensational year, singlehandedly turning Freedom losses into ties and ties into wins. There must be at least five points in the Freedom's standings that should be credited 100% to her. I wouldn't trade her for any 'keeper in the league. The only conceivable reason for her not being in the running for Keeper of the Year is that she wasn't a 21/90 goalkeeper. | ||
| Skylar Little | Rating: 7 | Delta: +4 |
| One of the most improved players on the team, Skylar went from being a sometime embarrassment last year to a solid defender this year. She was impossible to intimidate and played with a toughness that belied her size (leading the team with four yellow cards). Additionally, she provided significant support for the offense with her flank runs, particularly as the year wore on. | ||
| Carrie Moore | Rating: 8 | Delta: +3 |
| Carrie also had a sensational year, as her "white-on-rice" performances shut down just about every opponent's star goalscorer, a key element of the Freedom's improved defense and late-season surge to the playoffs. I don't rate her higher only because she needs to get more involved in the offense to deserve a national team callup (my first criterion for a "9" rating). Maybe that's unfair considering what a tremendous job she's been doing on defense, but I'm sure it's the national team coach's attitude. | ||
| Jen Grubb | Rating: 9 | Delta: +2 |
| Gabarra's best decision of the year may have been to make Jen Grubb the anchor of the back line. She led the defense to a vastly improved performance. In addition, she made some huge defensive saves, served as captain and leader of the team, took a couple of the most authoritative penalty kicks I've seen, and was deadly on set pieces. The only thing keeping me from giving her a "10" is that she did make a couple of costly mistakes on defense, most notably (of course) in the Founders Cup game. Regardless, she'd be my candidate for team MVP. | ||
| Emmy Barr | Rating: 7 | Delta: +3 |
| Like Skylar, Emmy showed improvement on both defense and on supporting the attack. Her height gave her the opportunity to score several goals, and her crosses toward the goalmouth were always exciting to watch because something almost always happened with them. | ||
| Lindsay Stoecker | Rating: 8 | Delta: 0 |
| Lindsay was one of our rocks both this year and last year. I have to think her loss cost us the Founders Cup - no way do we give up three goals to Carolina with her in the lineup. And I can't wait to have both her and Steffi in as defensive midfielders next year - no one will get through! | ||
| Steffi Jones | Rating: 8 | Delta: n/a |
| Steffi was a rock, too. Her composed midfield play was probably the best of anyone on the Freedom. I could always relax whenever she had the ball because I knew that nothing untoward was going to happen. Again, I look forward to seeing her and Lindsay together in the back of the midfield next year. | ||
| Anne Makinen | Rating: 6 | Delta: +3 |
| Makinen was a nonfactor last year, coming in late and never getting into the flow of the game. She was vastly improved this year, controlling the offense and making plays. Still, there's considerable room for improvement as she notched only two goals and two assists. Injuries were certainly a factor, as was an apparent loss in confidence in her by the coaching staff. But she settled the team whenever she came in. I'm hoping she takes it up yet another level next year. | ||
| Pu Wei | Rating: 6 | Delta: n/a |
| Pu Wei started out slow but improved as the year went on. Still, I consider attacking midfielder as our weakest position and Pu as the biggest disappointment of the season, if only because I expect a "9" from an international, and she didn't live up to that. However, she is very young, she improved significantly, she picked a heck of a time to get her first goal of the season, and she was second on the team with eight assists. | ||
| Abby Wambach | Rating: 8 | Delta: n/a |
| Our first-round draft pick more than met expectations. The claim that she scores goals just through size and strength is belied by her nine assists. She and Jen Grubb held the team together until Mia's return. I'm so glad we have her, and I look forward to seeing her play both for us and the national team for many, many years to come. I've dropped her rating a bit because she had a midseason slump and missed some wide-open chances that cost us at least one game - something that drives me crazy! I also want to leave some room for improvement next year. | ||
| Mia Hamm | Rating: 9 | Delta: +3 |
| Mia came in late, played only half of most of her games, and still scored almost at will, leading the team to the playoffs. Her 90 minutes in the key games against Carolina and Atlanta, with three goals and three assists, may be the best 90 minutes of any player in WUSA history. Obviously, she's a national team caliber player. I leave room at the top only because I expect her to be even better next year. Scary thought! | ||
| Jacqui Little | Rating: 7 | Delta: n/a |
| If I had to pick one player to epitomize the entire team, it would be Jacqui. She's tough, she's hardworking, she's a fighter, she never gives up, she makes the most of her abilities, she has a nose for the ball, and she just seems to make things happen. I hope she gets more playing time next year. | ||
| Monica Gerardo | Rating: 4 | Delta: 0 |
| I think Mo is wasted on this team as a midfielder. A great finisher, she had three beautiful, significant goals for the team. But she gives up the ball too easily in the midfield and doesn't put in the work rate required. I'd like to see her traded to a team that could use a forward (unlike the Freedom, who are swimming in them). | ||
| Bai Jie | Rating: 8 | Delta: +1 |
| Bai Jie played hurt most of the year, and it showed. Still, she came on strong late with some powerful performances, most notably against Carolina, when she scored two goals and an assist, and Atlanta, with her "Goal of the Year" header. Second only to Mia in terms of stirring the fans' adrenalin with her speed, moves, and change of pace, she should have a great season next year if she's healthy. | ||
| Ann Cook | Rating: 6 | Delta: n/a |
| As a replacement for the popular Frenchie, "Cookie" had more to prove than most. She started off slowly but proved to be a respectable substitute for Lindsay Stoecker in the midfield, tough on defense and able to make things happen on the attack. | ||
| Casey Zimny | Rating: 5 | Delta: n/a |
| Much maligned by some, Casey was several times put in the position of coming on the field on short notice and trying to get into the flow of play. That she, as a rookie, had some difficulties in those situations is not too surprising. However, she showed significant promise in her longer outings, and I hope she's still around next year. | ||
| Tracey Milburn | Rating: 3 | Delta: -2 |
| I think Tracey should be a respectable substitute for Abby Wambach: she's big, strong, and fast. However, she never seems to get into the flow of games or have much of an impact, and she's the only Freedom player I can think of who did worse this year than last. I believe we can find someone better than her as a substitute forward for next year. | ||
| Erin Fahey | Rating: 7 | Delta: +1 |
| A solid sub for Siri, Erin could probably start on some teams and back up any of them. I certainly don't get concerned when she comes in for Siri, which is a high compliment. | ||
| Sarah Kate Noftsinger | Rating: + | Delta: n/a |
| Skate came on late but immediately fell into the flow of the midfield and had an instant impact. She should definitely be kept around for next year and given a chance to show what she can do. | ||
| Stephanie Rigamat | Rating: = | Delta: n/a |
| Stephanie the dancing soccer player (just watch her warm up) played only 92 minutes and so didn't have much of a chance to show her stuff. She didn't impress me that much, but it's unfair to come to any conclusions with that brief a period of evaluation. | ||
| Meredith Beard | Rating: + | Delta: n/a |
| However, "Flo," even in 84 minutes made herself known, scoring the game-winning goal in the Freedom's first win of the season. I thought she looked promising in preseason as well and every time she went out. I don't know why she seemed to be further down the depth chart than Tracey or Stephanie. I'd like to see more of her next year. | ||
| Kathy Hoverman | Rating: n/a | Delta: n/a |
| Since she didn't play, I can't rate her. I did have some nice chats with her and hope that we get to see her play during the offseason. | ||