WUSA

Atlanta Beat: I don't see the Atlanta Beat standing out anywhere except at goalkeeper and possibly on defense. They were inconsistent last year and don't seem to have done enough to move ahead for this season.

Look for: Briana Scurry to have a Goalkeeper of the Year season.

To exceed expectations: Parlow and Hooper will need to have big years, and the midfield will have to make up for the loss of Sun Wen.

To fall short of expectations: The defense is unable to cope with the upgraded attacks of other teams; the midfield falls apart without Sun Wen.

What actually happened: The Beat rode a historic performance from their defense - and Goalkeeper of the Year Briana Scurry - to a second-place finish. Unfortunately, after a hot start, their attack became anemic for the rest of the season, keeping them from a dominating year.

Boston Breakers: I have a good feeling about the Breakers. They've always been an underachieving team, and perhaps new coach Pia Sundhage will be the one to get them to live up to expectations. Goalkeeping and the defense are suspect, but that's where Sundhage is best. Meanwhile, Boston has two of the best playmaking midfielders in the league in Kristine Lilly and Maren Meinert.

Look for: The Boston defense to be much improved while their attack remains one of the best in the league.

To exceed expectations: Goalkeeper LeBlanc proves to be world-class; Sundhage does as good a job with the defense as she did in Philly; and the Boston attack is even scarier than usual.

To fall short of expectations: The goalkeeping is substandard, and the defense remains porous.

What actually happened: All the pieces fell into place: the formidable attack held up, supported by a world-class performance from Maren Meinert; the defense was significantly improved, and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc had a career year. It's no surprise that the Breakers were the regular-season champions.

Carolina Courage: Carolina has the whole package: world-class forwards (Prinz and Fotopoulos), world-class midfielders (Riise and Roberts), a solid defense, and the WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year. But all of the other teams will be gunning for the defending champions, and I don't know if they'll have the same drive to succeed as last year.

Look for: Prinz to have an Offensive Player of the Year season.

To exceed expectations: Prinz is unstoppable; Luckenbill continues to perform at the same level; and the team hangs on to their determination to win.

To fall short of expectations: Luckenbill reverts to the mean, and the team is happy with their single trophy.

What actually happened: Luckenbill was injured in preseason and never reverted to form, and Hege Riise had an ACL injury early on. Then just when the Courage seemed to be adapting to the losses, Danielle Fotopoulos also had an ACL injury and was lost for the season. The Courage could still have made the playoffs but were unable to come up with wins in key late matches and ended up in seventh place.

New York Power: I don't think the Power have done enough to get back in the mix. Their goalkeepers are suspect, and their defense, while more promising than last year's, is still not up to a playoff standard.

Look for: Just hope they're not as embarrassing as last year (and they shouldn't be).

To exceed expectations: Either Webber or Smolak has a career year minding the net, the defense proves to be solid, and Tiffeny Milbrett has a career year while remaining healthy.

To fall short of expectations: I'd rather not think about it.

What actually happened: The Power defense improved immensely but remained the worst in the league. Webber in goal was brilliant one week and awful the next. Tiffeny Milbrett still did not resume her season one form, even with Christie Welsh alongside to keep teams from focusing solely on her. But New York improved as the season went along and, helped by a career performance by defensive midfielder Shannon Boxx (who went on to earn all-star honors in the Women's World Cup) finished in fifth place, just out of a playoff spot.

Philadelphia Charge: The Charge rebuilt like a last-place team rather than like one that looked appeared to have a lock on the regular-season championship until late in the season. Only nine players remain from last year's team; however, those, except for the retired Erica Iverson, were the nucleus of the team. They should continue to have a good defense and solid goaltending with Melissa Moore. Meanwhile on the attack they have Kelly Smith, one of the best midfielders in the world, and the dangerous Marinette Pichon. Newcomers Deliah Arrington and Pavlina Scasna look to be scary as well. Philadelphia should definitely be in the mix.

Look for: Smith and Pichon to do some amazing stuff.

To exceed expectations: Krikorian gives up on the 4-5-1 and puts both his speedsters, Arrington and Pichon, out there at the same time, defying any team to try to stop both of them.

To fall short of expectations: The key to the Philly defense proves to be the departed Pia Sundhage and/or Erica Iverson, and the Charge trademark stinginess gives way to mediocrity. Kelly Smith gets injured (again).

What actually happened: The rebuilt Charge looked like a rebuilding team early on, then as soon as they started getting clicking were devastated by injuries to key players. Krikorian proved to be a less than imaginative coach without Sundhage as an assistant, and the Charge defense and goalkeepers were shown to be mortal. Still, what killed their success were the injuries, as shown by their two solid performances against playoff-bound Washington and Atlanta to end the season.

San Diego Spirit: The Spirit will be better than the Power, but I still don't think they're ready for prime-time. They lack depth on defense with the last-minute loss of Rhiannon Tanaka, and Pagliarulo, despite being a fan favorite, is not one of the league's better goalkeepers. However, picking up Aly Wagner is a big gain, and if the pieces fall into place, they could contend. I could see the Spirit making the playoffs, though I think it would take divine intervention for the Power to do so.

Look for: Aly Wagner to show why she's considered the top draft pick in WUSA history (and probably the future, at least until Heather O'Reilly shows up).

To exceed expectations: Pagliarulo proves she belongs in the national team pool, Wagner orchestrates a dangerous offense, and Shannon Macmillan has the monster year everyone's been hoping she'll have.

To fall short of expectations: The team remains less than the sum of their parts, with a shaky defense and an inconsistent attack.

What actually happened: The Spirit finally got their act together with their first winning season. With Pagliarulo and Branam they had the best goalkeeping tandem in the league, and, despite only a +1 goal differential and the loss of Shannon Macmillan, the team came through often enough in big games to earn third place.

San Jose CyberRays: The CyberRays strike me as a determinedly average team. They have no great weaknesses but no great strengths, either. And they didn't do enough in the off-season to remedy the situation. I think once again they'll fall a little short of a playoff spot.

Look for: Brandi Chastain to keep playing wherever she wants to.

To exceed expectations: LaKeysia Beene returns to inaugural season form; Mandy Clemens has a career year; the Brazilians take the attack to another level.

To fall short of expectations: The team continues to slide downward.

What actually happened: With Mandy Clemens and the Brazilians failing to perform to expectations, the CyberRays scored the fewest goals of any team in the league, with a failure to finish being their chief bugaboo. The team needs some new blood to avoid finishing in fifth place again, or worse.

Washington Freedom: The Freedom have most of the pieces and also Mia Hamm. Together with Bai Jie and Rookie of the Year Abby Wambach, that yields one of the most dangerous attacks in the league. Siri Mullinix is one of the best keepers in the world, and the revamped defense did extremely well the latter part of the season. The biggest question mark involves the Freedom's new midfielders Lori Lindsey and Kelly Golebiowski. The Freedom's key lack has been the absence of a world-class playmaking midfielder along the lines of Sissi, Hege Riise, Kristine Lilly, or Kelly Smith. It remains to be seen whether Lindsey and Golebiowski can fill that gap.

Look for: Mia Hamm. Need I say more?

To exceed expectations: Hamm, frustrated at just missing out on the Founders' Cup last year, goes on a mission from God, continuing her goal-an-hour tear, earning Offensive Player of the Year and MVP honors, and setting league scoring records that will stand until the Sun burns out. The defense continues to improve, and Lindsey and/or Golebiowski have All-Star performances.

To fall short of expectations: Gao Hong proves to be a troublesome backup to a Siri Mullinix away preparing for the World Cup; midfield play continues to be a problem; the defense reverts to season one form; Mia Hamm proves to be an ordinary mortal.

What actually happened: The Freedom relied on luck more than skill to win early, then on Abby Wambach to win late. Gao Hong was a failure, Bai Jie was stuck in China, and Lindsey, Golebiowski, and Hamm failed to live up to (my) expectations. On the other hand, the defense held up under fire even without quite as strong a performance by Siri Mullinix, Abby Wambach had a huge second half of the season, and the Freedom earned fourth place and a playoff spot. In the postseason, a stingy defense and a dominating performance by Abby Wambach led the team to the Founders Cup.