Carrie Moore News Archive

2002 August 30 - Final comments on the 2002 season

At one of the companies I used to work for, employees were rated at five basic levels, with "far exceeds expectations" the highest possible but extremely rare rating. But I think that's the one Carrie has earned this year.

I started up this website with no grand expectations: I supported Carrie because of our local connection, not because of any spark of stardom I saw in her. I was pleased to find that she was an easy player to root for: determined, hard-working, intelligent, and team-oriented. My highest hopes were that she'd become a regular on defense, getting significantly more playing time than last year and getting more of an opportunity to contribute. I saw no reason to expect much more than that - yes, she was a star in college, but then so is every American player in the WUSA. So at this point I would have expected to be crowing about no more than her playing time (sixth on the team and four times last year's) and some good plays (mugging Tiffeny Milbrett, a near-goal against the CyberRays, stripping Shannon Macmillan).

Two old bugaboos came back to cost the Freedom the Founders Cup: defensive lapses and an inability to finish. Even so, the Freedom played a very competitive game, which makes the result all the more disappointing.

All three Carolina goals came off of uncharacteristic defensive errors: Hege Riise was left unmarked in the box on the first goal, Prinz and Fotopoulos were marked but not closely enough on the second, and Jen Grubb turned the ball over to Prinz right in front of her own goal for what ended up being the deciding score.

Even so, the Freedom were still in it, scoring a tying goal in the first half off a thundering Jen Grubb free kick from near midfield that Fotop knocked into her own goal while trying to defend Abby Wambach. Then Mia came in and provided her usual spark, waking up the Freedom attack with one of her let-me-near-the-box-and-I'll-score spin-shoot-net goals. After that, Washington poured it on with the most ferocious attack in their history as Carolina bunkered in and let them have their way in the midfield. I made a note of every dangerous chance Washington had in that period and counted 15 in the 22 minutes after Mia scored. Unfortunately, shot after shot went high, wide, or right to the goalkeeper. The best chance might have been off a poor Luckenbill kick that went right to Abby Wambach. Abby turned it around and led Jacqui Little beautifully. Jacqui beat Luckenbill but then slid the ball a little too far to the right.

(AP Photo/Alan Mothner) Carrie battling Birgit Prinz

Carrie did her job, shutting down Prinz in the first half and all but doing likewise with Danielle Fotopoulos in the second. Even her loose marking of Danielle on the second goal is arguable: it's hard to tell where the ball is going to go on a rebound; unfortunately, it went right to Fotop. Anyhow, that's the only time that one of Carrie's marks scored, pretty good considering that she was on players five and six inches taller than she was. The team also seemed to accomplish what I thought was key, and that was neutralizing Riise's playmaking. But, as Gabarra said, they handled Riise well when she had the ball, not so well when she didn't, which is what let to the first goal. I thought we needed a Player of the Week performance from a forward in order to win. Unfortunately, we didn't get it, even though Mia was trying, and it took a big save from Luckenbill to keep Mia from getting her second (and tying) goal of the game. This also brings up the $64,000 question that Freedom fans will be debating until next season: Should Mia have gone in earlier? She's the team's most dangerous goalscorer, and Carolina spent much of the time when she was in back on their heels. But then bringing her in at halftime was working, and it's hard to mess with success. I'm not going to criticize or second-guess at this point, particularly when Carolina actually outscored Washington when Mia was on the field (the first time that that's happened this season).

On a side note, I'd like to express my disappointment at the fans in the Freedom sections on the east side of the stadium, who did little in the way of cheering their team on despite their playing in the biggest game in their history. I was sitting with the Crusaders across the way, and we were making a heck of a racket, though with only about 12 people there's only so much you can do.

Well, I'm disappointed that we didn't win and even more so because I don't think we played the game we're capable of playing. However, I'm disappointed for the players rather than at them. They worked so hard to make it this far even though there were plenty of excuses for thinking that this wasn't going to be their year. I hope that once their disappointment fades that they will look at this year at a great success - and, of course, as something to build on for next year!

Before reading on, just take a moment to appreciate our team's success: the Freedom are in the Founders Cup! Wow!

I have wondered online about how much I could have won if I'd made a bet in Vegas that the Freedom and the Courage would face off in the WUSA championship. Certainly neither at the end of last season nor at the beginning of this one was there much expectation of success for either team. But here we are: after tying for last place in 2001, the Courage come in as regular season champions and the Freedom as the hottest team in the league, with a five-game unbeaten streak and a whopping ten-game undefeated streak.

It's going to be a tough match. Forget about the Freedom's 5-2 clobbering of the Courage on July 31: the Courage were without midfield leader Tiffany Roberts, defensive star Danielle Slaton was hurting, and founding player Carla Overbeck did not play. Even setting aside the revenge factor, the Freedom are not going to score another five goals on this team.

The defense will likely have its toughest game of the season. Carolina is tied with Washington as the top-scoring team in the league. The Courage have three players in the top ten in scoring with forwards Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos tied for second and midfielder Hege Riise, a WUSA MVP candidate, in ninth. Carrie will likely mark Prinz, though that itself could be her toughest matchup of the season, since Prinz is almost as fast as Philadelphia's Pichon and six inches taller. But just stopping Prinz is not enough with Fotop as an alternate threat. The key is probably neutralizing Riise, who may be the top playmaking midfielder in the world right now and had a spectacular semifinal performance. Steffi Jones may be called upon to do a "white-on-rice" job on her. And it may also come down to Siri Mullinix making some big saves, thereby showing up those who snubbed her for a Goalkeeper of the Year nomination despite her league-leading save percentage and Player of the Week performances.

Stuck record time: forwards, do your thing. Unlike the Philadelphia game, one goal is not going to beat Carolina. Even in the July 31st debacle two goals weren't enough. Abby Wambach, Bai Jie, and Mia Hamm all had Player of the Week performances in that game, and they need to do it again when it counts. Getting goals, bringing the ball forward, keeping it out of Carolina's possession are all going to be important. I am in agreement with the many fans who think that Mia needs to be put in a position to score goals, not just make plays: bring her forward and let her do her thing. This game is not going to be 1-0; more likely it'll be 4-3.

I have a confession to make: for my own part, I'm not sure I care a whole lot who wins this game. I'm so happy with the Freedom already that it seems greedy of me to want them to get yet another win! If I care, it's on behalf of the players, who have worked so hard to get this far, certainly deserve to win, and will be very disappointed if they don't. Of course, I'm sure Carolina fans feel the same way about their players, and rightfully so. My hope is for a clean, exciting, well-played game and, of course, for Carrie to have yet another of her quietly sensational performances, demonstrating to all that she's become one of the league's best defenders.

Only one team in the WUSA took the season series from the Freedom, and that was the Charge. But the Freedom have now taken the game that counts the most, not only knocking the team I favored for the Founders Cup out of the playoffs but doing it on their home field. The Freedom are in fact the only WUSA team ever to win a playoff game on the road.

What keyed the victory was the defense, which shut down Philadelphia and Marinette Pichon after giving up two goals in each of their last three games. Jen Grubb made some key clearances, Siri Mullinix some big saves, and Carrie did another sensational "white on rice" job, this time limiting Pichon to a single shot on goal the entire game. To paraphrase an old cliche, you can't lose if you don't get scored on.

The offense was something of a disappointment, though perhaps not surprisingly considering the terrible heat, the artificial turf, and the "make no mistakes" approach the Freedom took, generally keeping Skylar Little and Emmy Barr back on defense instead of sending them forward on the flanks to start attacks. Midfield play was uneven: nonexistent early on but eventually settling down with some degree of success partway through the first half, then continuing into the second with Mia's arrival.

Success, surprisingly, came not from any of the "big three" (Mia, Abby, or Bai Jie), but from second-half substitutes Jacqui Little and Monica Gerardo, who teamed up with Pu Wei to get the only, but winning goal. It began when Mia sent in a corner kick that Charge goalkeeper Melissa Moore punched away. Pu Wei got to the ball, then sent a good high pass to Jacqui in the box. Jacqui settled, ran toward the baseline dodging two defenders while managing to retain possession, then turned and centered the ball back for Mo, who easily put it away as Moore desperately dove to try to block it. And that was all the Freedom needed for the victory.

In the end, the Freedom continue to prove that they come up with a way to win. It's not always pretty, it doesn't always come from the expected source, but they pull it out. Now if they prove it just one more time they get to take home the Founders Cup. Go Freedom!

Not to dis Carolina or Atlanta, but whoever wins this game is going to be favored to take it all. The Philadelphia Charge were clearly the best team in the WUSA during the regular season and only a bit of a letup after they'd clinched a playoff spot kept them from the regular season championship. Meanwhile, the Freedom with a four-game winning streak and a nine-game unbeaten streak are by far the hottest team heading to the playoffs.

It's easy to see a Freedom victory out of this: the Charge are coasting while the Freedom are hot, and Washington seems to be reaching its peak performance at just the right time. However, as I keep saying, the Charge are still the best-coached, most disciplined team in the league. It would be very surprising if they weren't very prepared for this game. Beating the Charge will take the best from the Freedom and would be a major accomplishment in itself, as well as getting the Freedom to the finals.

Concerns: the Freedom need to avoid getting into their recent "Mia will save us" mode of not getting into gear until Mia Hamm shows up in the second half. The defense also needs to step it up a notch and stop allowing two goals per game. I also worry about the effect of Villanova's artificial turf on Mia's and Bai's legs.

The Freedom have proven in their last 180 minutes with the Charge that they can play with them. The key matchup, I think, is our newly-ferocious three-pronged attack of Mia Hamm, Bai Jie, and Abby Wambach against the composed and tenacious Philly defense, by far the best in the league. No one has been able to stop the threesome yet, but if anyone can, it's the Charge.

The defense has proven that it can all but shut down the Philadelphia attack. Carrie needs to come up with another big game against Marinette Pichon, the second most dangerous goalscorer in the league after Mia Hamm, but as long as she can continue her success, the Charge should find it difficult to score.

What I'll be looking for early on is how the midfield is doing. The Charge have killed the Freedom in the midfield in the past, and that can't be allowed to happen again. Washington needs to maintain possesion and composure and limit the Charge opportunities. You also have to believe that if the Freedom can hold their own in the first half that the Charge would have to get worried: Mia always brings the team up another notch when she comes on, so the Charge need to score early and take the lead. If the Freedom defense can keep that from happening, then Washington has a good chance of making it to the final.

This time last year we finished a disappointing 6-12-3 season with a lackluster, 2-0 loss to the Power, a game whose only saving grace is that it may have marked Carrie's coming-out party, as she put in a determined ninety minutes, saved a sure goal with a block, and was named the player of the game for the Freedom, thus putting in her claim for being a regular this season.

This year I find I'm disappointed that we didn't totally stomp the hapless Power in our final, meaningless game, or at the very least shut them out. Somehow, four goals and a two-goal margin of victory is no longer enough to get me excited.

Well, mostly it's giving up the two goals that worries me. Experience and the standings both demonstrate that it's the defense that keys success in the WUSA, and our defense clearly fell down on the job, leaving opposing players unmarked right in front of the goalmouth on both occasions. This is not something we can afford to do against teams like the Charge or the Courage. Carrie at least did her job once again, shutting down Tiffeny Milbrett as she has so many others. Millie got free for one stunning shot late (thanks largely to a poor clearance that went right to her), but Erin Fahey made a point-blank save.

On the other hand, it is nice to see the offense doing its job week after week. I don't know how close to 100% Bai Jie is, but she scored an amazing goal to put the Freedom on top, knocking it in with the outside of her right foot. It's great to see her returning to her incredibly dangerous form at last. Emmy picked up an opportunistic goal, and Mia and Jacqui put our playoff opponent on notice that goals can come from just about anywhere: you can't stop just one or two players, and you certainly can't shut us down with fouls or knocking the ball out-of-bounds. Now it's the defense's turn to step up to the level of the offense and stop giving up two goals per game, as it has done in the past three outings.

So in the end we go into the playoffs as the team no one wants to face, with not-so-secret weapons in supersub Mia Hamm and "white-on-rice" defender Carrie Moore, who with some help have us on a four-game winning streak and a nine-game undefeated streak. Let's see if we can keep it going on the road next week against Carolina or (more likely) Philadelphia.

Well, that's kind of rude, but in terms of the standings it is a meaningless game: the Freedom have a lock on third place, since no one can catch them, and they can't catch Carolina. I think the only consideration now is preparing for the playoffs.

Online discussion has focused on whom to rest and how much. My half-joking exhortation was to start Tracey and Stephanie at forward, while resting Mia and Abby. The more likely reality is that this will be a dress rehearsal for the playoffs, with the usual subsitution pattern holding: Mia coming in for the second half, Jacqui coming in late for Bai Jie, and Casey coming in late for Pu Wei. The only change may be that the regulars come out earlier, so they can get some rest.

If the Freedom win, they will have won the season series with every team except for Philadelphia, and even that was a near thing. So I think we can look forward to the playoffs with confidence. Let's hear it for the Freedom's first six-game winning streak!

First off, congratulations to the Freedom for making it into the playoffs and doing so in the best WUSA game I've seen. The momentum whipsawed back and forth, but the Freedom came through in the end, giving Atlanta a taste of their own medicine with the game-winning goal in stoppage time.

The Freedom finish their grueling five-game stretch only two short of picking up the maximum possible number of points from those games - an amazing result that cements their claim to being the hottest WUSA team right now.

Atlanta dominated in the first half, and Carrie had a rare lapse in allowing Charmaine Hooper to score - only the second time she's done so in the new marking scheme. But a combination of gutty defense, Erin Fahey saves, and finishing problems from Atlanta kept the game in control. Then Mia and Mak came in after halftime and changed the whole complexion of the game. The Freedom kept the ball down in their offensive end most of the time and threatened repeatedly. Then Mia got the ball 1-on-3 and all but shoved it down the defenders' throats, outracing the lot and sticking the ball in the net. Later, a sensational corner kick along the goal line that Bai Jie somehow managed to curve into the net from a spot over the goal line provided the go-ahead goal. After tha, Atlanta began to press and, following a turnover deep in the Freedom end, got the ball to Cindy Parlow's head in the box for the tying goal. But finally, with seconds left in stoppage time, the Freedom earned another corner kick, and Pu Wei outleaped three Atlanta players to knock it past a helpless Briana Scurry for her first WUSA goal. And I'm not even mentioning all the near misses on both sides!

Once again, I apologize to the Freedom forwards for doubting them as for the second game in a row they rescued a defense that uncharacteristically gave up two goals.

As for Carrie, despite allowing the goal, she did her job and then some (peeling off of Hooper as needed to cover other players), then came off late in the game due to respiratory problems. I asked her about it after the game, but just about all she could do was gesture to her throat and gasp something about "asthma" (I think) - I gather it was some sort of exercise-induced asthma, not surprising considering the miserably hot and humid, "code red" conditions.

So congratulations to the Freedom for a successful finish to the regular season, and to Carrie for her part in making that possible. On to the playoffs!

Well, not exactly, but it might as well be. Surprisingly, despite their winning ways of late, the Freedom have still not clinched a playoff spot. But a win in this game would finally do it, allowing them the possibility of giving some key players much-needed rest next week before heading into the playoffs - a strategy that seemed to work for the CyberRays last year even as it cost them the regular-season championship. The Freedom also need this win much more than their opponents, who have two games left in which to clinch a spot to the Freedom's one. And few of us want to see the Freedom going into New York to play a team with nothing to lose and a chance to play spoiler. (The Freedom could fight for a home playoff spot by going for a win, but with today's victories by Carolina and Philadelphia, the odds for that seem remote.)

Strategy (most of which should be obvious by now): Carrie plays keep-away with Hooper, and Mia comes on as a second-half supersub: see if there's a defense yet that can cover Mia, Bai, and Abby all at the same time. But look for Atlanta to do whatever they can, including foul massively, to keep Mia from controlling the game as she did against Carolina. It may well be up to the other attackers to score by taking advantage of the attention paid to Mia. As always (I'm starting to feel like a stuck record here), that for me is the key to the game. The defense has demonstrated that it can be relied on to do its job, though Atlanta is currently vieing with Washington for the title of the hottest team in the league, so I think both sides will have their hands full.

Regardless of what happens from this point on, though, I think the Freedom season must be considered a success. Despite some key players arriving late (Mia, Steffi) and others being hampered or lost due to injuries (Lindsay, Mak, Bai), the Freedom have become one of the best teams in the league. Congratulations to all the players, especially the ones who have had to play through their injuries or who, like Carrie, have brought their play to a much higher level this year.

When I called for the Freedom to earn some respect, I didn't expect a 5-2 drubbing! I think we've made Carolina - and the rest of the league - sit up and take notice. Not only that, but the three-goal margin puts the goal-differential tiebreaker the Freedom's way, leaving Philadelphia as the only team so far that has won a full-season series against us.

And when I called on our forwards to have a breakout game, I didn't expect all of them to do it. But Mia Hamm (2 goals, 1 assist), Bai Jie (2 goals), and Abby Wambach (1 goal, 3 assists) all had Player of the Week-caliber performances. So I officially take back all the bad things I've been saying about them this year. Let's hope they left something in the tank for Atlanta.

This is only the second time in Freedom history that we've won despite giving up two goals, and the first time the Freedom have come from behind after giving up two goals. You can also look at it as the first time the offense has bailed out the defense - long overdue considering how many times this year Siri and the defenders have had to hold opposing teams to 0 or 1 goals in order even to tie.

Speaking of the defense, "White on rice" did her job yet again, facing up to her toughest challenge yet. Birgit Prinz did score, but she did it when Skylar and Jen were marking her, not Carrie - it wasn't clear either in person or on tape why this was.

The playoff situation is still remarkably muddled after the other games of the same evening: with San Jose winning and Philadelphia losing, any of the five teams still in the playoff hunt could finish in any position. All the Freedom can be sure of right now is that if they win their last two games, they'll do no worse than third.

The Philadelphia Charge can't be looking forward to facing the Freedom in the playoffs (I know the Charge fans aren't), not when the Freedom has played them short-handed but dead even for 180 minutes. It would be nice if Washington's other likely playoff opponent, the Carolina Courage, could be made to feel the same way. But it will have to come from this game, since the previous meeting was a 3-1 drubbing - the last time the Freedom have lost.

That's my conclusion for this game: I don't think the Freedom convinced many DC United fans to start buying tickets because it was a dull game to watch, but at least we got the win. The Freedom seemed to control the run of play except for very early and very late, but couldn't get the ball in the net or even take a shot on goal - only three all game.

Carrie pitched another shutout, this time against Shannon Macmillan, whom the coaches presumably decided was more dangerous than Julie Fleeting. Evidently they were right, since neither player had much impact. Compliments also to Jen Grubb, who made the consensus play of the game early on to knock a ball away that was on the verge of going in for San Diego, and to Steffi Jones for dominating the midfield - something the Freedom have had problems with lately. And Siri Mullinix made some big saves, though unfortunately she needed to in order to preserve the win.

The tie with Boston (rather than the win I expected) makes this game more significant than it was, as what should be one of the two easiest remaining games the Freedom have left (the other being against the New York Power). The Spirit are in seventh place, and the Freedom have owned them this season, outscoring them 7-0 in the two games so far. However, the games were closer than the score might have appeared, and San Diego has since added the high-scoring Scottish international Julie Fleeting, who has revived their offense. (And the Philadelphia Charge can tell you all about overconfidence against a league doormat after losing to the last-place Power Wednesday night, only their second loss of the season.)

Look for Carrie to play siamese twin with either Fleeting or up-and-coming national team star Shannon Macmillan. (I'd vote for Fleeting, but Mac is a possibility - I was going to ask Carrie about the game plan at the bartending event last night but never got the chance. Of course, it might have been one of these "I'll tell you, but I'd have to kill you" situations.) So we can all but expect for the Spirit to get their scoring elsewhere - not a major advantage for Washington since San Diego has three players who have scored four or more goals (Mac, Foudy, and Zhang Ouying). (Fleeting only has two goals but has been with the team for only three games, so she still has a better goals-per-game average than the others.)

More important, I think, is for the Freedom forwards to get their act together and score more than one goal on a team that, like Boston, has one of the league's weaker defenses.

A win would put the Freedom on the verge of clinching a playoff spot and give them some breathing room before facing two tough matches with Carolina and Atlanta, while a loss or tie would give hope to both San Jose and Boston. Let's hope that the Freedom players once again demonstrate that they are a playoff-worthy team.

If there's a theme to this game, that's probably it: both teams had their opportunities, and both teams should probably count themselves lucky not to have lost this game - the Freedom more than the Breakers. Siri again came up strong against the ferocious Boston attack, making numerous big saves but unfortunately making a rare misplay on a low shot that she got her hands on but which rolled over her and into the net for the tying goal.

I'm disappointed in our offense and surprised that we could score three goals against San Jose without our two top-scoring forwards but only one against a weaker Boston defense with them back. We had numerous corner kicks, particularly in the second half, but they didn't amount to much. Abby had one open shot from about 25 yards out that went over the goal. Mia, who came in to start the second half, had a free kick from about the same distance that barely went over the goal. Otherwise, she got few touches and wasn't much involved in the game. Someone apparently gave Bai Jie a talking-to after the San Jose game, when she repeatedly hung on the ball way too long before shooting it. But she took it a bit too much to heart and was taking potshots from 30+ yards out. However, one of those LeBlanc had to knock over the crossbar, which led to the goal-scoring corner kick, so I can't complain too much.

Carrie did her usual "white on rice" job on Dagny Mellgren, then on Kristine Lilly after Mellgren was subbed out. Unfortunately, she also made one of the worst plays of the team's less-than-impeccable evening, when she attempted to pass the ball to Skylar and instead hit (I think) Kristine Lilly right in the chest about twenty yards out from goal and almost dead-center. Fortunately, the defenders managed to converge before Lilly could get off a shot, but it was almost a very ugly play. (Another defender did similarly earlier on but hit the Boston forward in the arm, resulting in a handball rather than a Boston goal.)

However, we did win the season series against Boston and were one of the few teams (thanks to Siri) not to lose to them on their home field. Let us hope that the sloppy play and lack of offense were not due to exhaustion, and that the players can come up with a better game on Saturday against San Diego.

P.S. My friend and seatmate Sherri decided on a Jacqui Bobblehead because that was the one in the blue home uniform. I'll be getting the Siri Bobblehead on August 4.

Well, maybe not the Bobblehead part, but the Freedom did defeat the Breakers at RFK on June 12 in a memorable game that featured both Mia's return and her scoring the winning goal. And this was before Gabarra had it out with the team and did some retooling following the loss to the Courage, since when the Freedom have been undefeated despite some challenging games.

So there's no reason why this shouldn't be another win, particularly with an invigorated defense and the return of Mia and Abby against Boston's comparatively suspect defenders. Look for Carrie (new nickname "white on rice") to mark Dagny Mellgren, Boston's most dangerous scoring threat, but not as formidable as Pichon, Milbrett, or Katia (who collectively have one goal among them in 270 minutes of being guarded by "C. Moore").

The bigger issue is that this is the second game of five in a grueling two-week series and comes only three days after their huge win against San Jose. The Freedom players need to keep their energy up, so I'd expect liberal substitutions and to see Mia and Abby come off early, particularly if Washington is leading. The good news is that the Freedom probably need to win only two or three more games in order to make the playoffs, and they get to play the league's two weakest teams, San Diego and New York, once more each. But let's hope they're not too tired from the big win on Sunday, are focused on this game, and aren't as overconfident as I find I'm sounding. (But isn't it nice to go into a game thinking we can and should win - this is a novel feeling for us Freedom fans!)

I think the big game in the series is the one against Carolina, which is the only one the Freedom have no reason to expect to win. Since we're likely to draw them in the playoffs, I'd like to see us give them a good game and something to think about should it come to that. (I can tell you that after the Freedom's near-win on July 14 Charge fans aren't looking forward to seeing us again!)

Lastly, as a season ticket holder, I'll be picking up a Skylar or Jacqui Bobblehead doll at the game. The problem is, I have to pick one of the two!

Game day update: Confidence from head coach Gabarra: "We'll stick Carrie Moore on [Katia] and see how that works. She's stopped Milbrett and Pichon, so I don't see why Carrie can't shut her down." The defense has proven that it can shut just about anybody down. The issue is whether the Freedom can score without Mia Hamm or Abby Wambach. The good news is that the scoring has been spread around much better this season than last, with even defenders like Emmy Barr and Skylar Little getting into the act. But they may only have been able to score because the opposing defense had to focus on Mia and Abby. Again, we need a big game from someone on offense, and let's hope we get it.

Don't let anyone tell you that Sunday's game is a must-win for the Freedom. They do need to win four more games in order to make the playoffs, but the "low-hanging fruit" - the easiest games to win - are yet to come, in the remaining three home games and the concluding road game against the last-place New York Power. The CyberRays, on the other hand, have to finish the season with a three-game road-trip and have to face the two league elite teams, Carolina and Philadelphia, a total of three times. So this is a game they need.

Meanwhile, both teams will be playing without key players, due to an appallingly mistimed US national team friendly against Norway. San Jose will be without Brandi Chastain and goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene, while Washington will be missing forwards Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach. The key question may be whether Washington's backup forwards, presumably including Bai Jie, Jacqui Little, and, I hope, Meredith Beard, can score on the CyberRays and backup goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse. Much as I hate to root against Dawn, who was one of my favorite Freedom players before being cut and picked up by San Jose, Washington needs some goals. Last time the Freedom were missing Abby and Mia, they ended up being shut out by the Atlanta Beat, in a loss that may come back to haunt them.

If the Freedom's game plan is true to form, Carrie's job will be to shut down another current Player of the Week, Katia. Judging by the job she just did on Marinette Pichon - definitely the more dangerous player - she should be able to force the CyberRays to go elsewhere for their offense. And if she plays at least 54 minutes, she will not only break the one thousand minute mark for the season but also triple her playing time from last year.

In conclusion, a win would put the Freedom in elite status, arguably competitive with the Courage and the Charge as the best teams in the league, while a loss or tie only signifies that a team short key players is going to have a tough time on the road.

Once upon a time, the Freedom always lost to the Beat, and if you wanted a losing streak broken, the best way to accomplish it was to play the Freedom. Well, those days are gone.

The Freedom looked like world-beaters in the first half against Atlanta, pulling out to a 2-0 lead and dominating the run of play, even without Mia Hamm in the lineup. I thought that we needed a big game from someone on the offensive side, though I didn't expect it to be defender Emmy Barr. However, she got a goal and an assist and was deservedly the player of the game, though everyone in the starting eleven did extremely well. The attacks were disciplined and thought-out, with players working together as smoothly as clockwork. There were some near-breakdowns on defense, but everyone remained composed and recovered nicely. It was beautiful to watch, and if the Freedom can put together ninety minutes like this, they can play with anybody in this league.

Unfortunately, the second half wasn't nearly as polished: Atlanta came out with more determination, and Washington seemed less disciplined and unable to maintain possession. When Atlanta scored a goal to bring the game within one, I started to get worried. However, the Freedom seemed to up to whatever the Beat could muster, and both teams seemed to run out of gas on this hot, sticky night with about fifteen minutes to play. At that point it was just a matter of running out the clock and hoping the Beat didn't get some sort of break.

AP photo - click for larger version

Carrie had the thankless task of marking Charmaine Hooper for most of the game, and ended up with the bruises to prove it, as she took an elbow to the cheekbone that drew blood and had her out of the game for several minutes. (Frankly, Atlanta seemed to be the beneficiary of numerous non-calls and calls against the Freedom, including what looked like a red-card foul and PK by Briana Scurry against Bai Jie. I may have more to say about this after I review the tape.) But for the second game in a row she shut down one of the league's top scoring threats. On the 14th, we'll see how she - and the Freedom defense - does with Marinette Pichon. For now, though, the Freedom are deservedly in third place in the league, have already matched their point total from all of last season, and look like a legitimate playoff team.

Washington always loses to Atlanta. It doesn't seem to matter if the Freedom are a goal up with only ten minutes to play or tied with only seconds left in stoppage time; Atlanta always seems to come up with a way to win. Let's hope that changes on Wednesday. But don't get cocky if Washington has the lead late: Atlanta has scored five of their seven goals against the Freedom in the 81st minute or later. This one won't be over till it's over.

On the other hand, if Atlanta comes in thinking that they'll be playing the same team they shut out in April, they're in for a rude awakening. Mia Hamm was out, and Abby Wambach was up with the national team, so it's no great surprise the Freedom had problems scoring. But with Mia on fire and with Abby for a target, it should be a very different story this time.

Carrie has to be especially motivated to excel in this game, after misplaying the ball that Charmaine Hooper put in for the winning goal in the previous meeting with Atlanta. (Some fans have blamed her for that loss, though I think it's ridiculous to scapegoat a defender in a game in which the offense was shut out). But if she or one of her fellow defenders can do the same sort of job on Hooper that Carrie did on Tiffeny Milbrett on Saturday, I think all will be forgiven. However, the key to this game is more the offense than the defense: we've proven we can all but shut down Atlanta; we need to prove that we can score on them.

It's not quite a must-win game - the Freedom can make the playoffs without beating Atlanta - but it would be a huge help. A win would put them in solid playoff position with sole possession of third place and, perhaps more importantly, prove that the Freedom can beat playoff-bound teams. It would also ensure that the Freedom finish no worse than they did last year, with 21 points.

One win down, five to go - or at least that's how I figure it. The Freedom needed to win this one, should have won it, and did. It's nothing to get cocky or too self-congratulatory about, but at least they're winning the games they should win. Last year at this time they weren't even doing that.

Carrie started and played yet another complete game, beginning in central defense but moving (I think) to defensive midfielder when Casey Zimny came in for Ann Cook. In the opening game of the season, she was burned by Tiffeny Milbrett for the goal that turned the game around. This time, Millie was shut down - a key to any victory over New York. As Gabarra put it, "C Moore did a great job containing Millie (Tiffeny Milbrett) for a majority of the game." Carrie also played a key role in preventing a New York corner kick from going in, though admittedly she was beaten by Tammy Pearman to the ball in a play that led to New York's lone goal.

The Freedom showed an admirable flexibility in their positioning, their 4-4-2 looking more like a 3-4-3 at times, with Emmy Barr or Skylar Little playing well forward. (And congratulations to Skylar for getting her first WUSA goal.) Late in the game, the Freedom definitely played with three forwards when forward Tracey Milburn came in for midfielder Monica Gerardo, in response to New York's move to a three-back formation.

Abby Wambach still had trouble finishing, and I was glad to see Jacqui Little come in to give her some evidently much-needed rest. Mia Hamm, however, more than made up for any offensive deficiencies with two impressive goals, the first with sheer determination, basically pounding the ball at Gao Hong until it went in the net, the second with pure skill, turning and knocking the ball into the top left corner of the goal with one motion.

So the Freedom are meeting expectations. Come Wednesday against Atlanta, and it will be time to try to exceed them.

I figure that the Freedom need six wins in their nine remaining games in order to be confident of making the playoffs. Four of those games are against teams beneath them in the standings, and this is one of them. They need to sweep those games, then take two games from quality teams in order to get the necessary eighteen points. Anything less, and they're likely to be watching the WUSA playoffs from the stands, at best.

New York is in last place in the league and has the worst defense. Our now-healthy forwards - who should be league terrors as much as any set in the WUSA - should have no problems scoring repeatedly on them. And, if the Freedom can keep from "freaking" as they did in the first game with the Power, they shouldn't have any problems keeping the Power from running up the score. But if the Freedom somehow manage not to win this game, they'll be hard put to make the postseason and, in any case, would not deserve to.

I think the Freedom played better in this game than in the previous one. Unfortunately, they were playing a much better team. Their lack of challenges in the midfield and an inability to finish resulted in a 3-1 loss that was less lopsided than the score would seem to indicate (as the previous game was, though in the other direction).

My greatest frustration was the inability to put the ball in the net: Abby Wambach had at least two better chances to shoot on goal as Venus James's first goal for the Courage (which Siri forced into a very tough angle), but she didn't put either on the frame. And the Freedom at least twice had the ball inches from the goal line with players close by but were unable to put it in.

Carrie had a challenging game, spending much of it marking Birgit Prinz or Danielle Fotopoulos, both of whom are significantly taller than she is. Some said that Venus James beat Carrie to the ball for her second goal, but that was in fact Casey Zimny (who is the same height as Carrie). Carrie was marking Birgit Prinz just before the third goal and came off her for some reason - it looked to me as if she misjudged the ball, but in any case Prinz had a clean shot at the header. However, both of the Carolina players assisting also went unchallenged, so there's blame to go around. Overall, though, Carrie seemed to perform reasonably well in her seventh complete game of the season and has already more than doubled her total playing time from last year.

The Freedom definitely missed Lindsay Stoecker, partially because Lindsay is actually taller than Prinz and only an inch shorter than Fotop, but primarily because she's been such a presence in the midfield, and the Freedom are going to have to work to replace her - and work harder than they did in this game.

The good news? The Freedom play the last-place Power next week and should be able to get back on the winning track in that game. After that, they have two straight challenging games with the Atlanta Beat and the Philadelphia Charge

The Freedom have never won three games in a row, but now would be a very good time. A win would put them at least into a tie for third place in the WUSA standings (since the two teams immediately ahead of them, the Beat and the CyberRays, are playing each other). And they play the Carolina Courage, who will be playing their third game in eight days. After this game, they go on the road to play the hapless New York Power before returning home for another two games, so the possibility of a continuing streak is very good.

The players on the field are key for this one. With midfield stalwart Lindsay Stoecker out for the rest of the season, someone needs to step up and take her place. It's helpful that Steffi Jones has finally arrived and can take some responsibility in that area, but Monica Gerardo, Ann Cook, or Bai Jie will have to step into the opening left. (Of course, I'd like to see them give Carrie a shot, but I don't think that's going to happen, if only because it would exhaust the Freedom's limited depth in defense.) Having both Mia Hamm and Bai Jie available for at least part of the game should be a big boost, but I think the real key is whether or not the players play focused, disciplined, team-oriented soccer for a full ninety minutes. Beating Carolina is going to demand nothing less.

Game day addendum: According to this morning's Washington Post, Carrie will indeed be starting due to Lindsay's absence, but it's not a simple substitution. Casey Zimny has been moved to Lindsay's defensive midfielder spot, and Carrie will take Casey's position in the central defense. Ann Cook will also be starting in the midfield, while - surprisingly - Anne Makinen will not. Gabarra states that having Carrie as d-mid would make more sense but that it would be more disruptive than the lineup he has chosen, reasoning I'm not sure I follow since the Freedom's standard back line this season has always been Skylar - Casey - Jen Grubb - Emmy Barr and has only varied when one of those is unable to play. Anyhow, it's nice to see Carrie going in there with the expectation of playing yet another full game. It looks as if she's going to get plenty of playing time from here on out!

It is an even-numbered game, though whether that factor is significant any longer is dubious. In any case, this is another serious test for the Freedom to see if they can put together a playoff-worthy performance against one of the best teams in the WUSA this year. In the same situation, the Freedom have surprised (against the CyberRays in their second game) and disappointed (against the Charge in their fifth game). Let us hope that this game is more like the former.

The Freedom have now won two games in a row. After dominating the Spirit for the first half, the Freedom looked in the second half like a team that had played three games in eight days. Only tenacious defending and yet another inspired game from Siri Mullinix kept them in this one. The final score may have been 4-0, but it was a lot closer than that, with the last two, meaningless goals coming off of counterattacks with the Spirit pressing forward and trying to come back.

Carrie played another complete game, her sixth of the season and eighth appearance overall, eclipsing her total from last year. Contrary to my expectations, she took Casey Zimny's spot in the central defense. Why this occurred isn't entirely clear, as Casey appeared to be healthy and was in fact warming up at halftime and during the second half, though Mia Hamm came out after playing less than a full half and used up the Freedom's last substitution.

No highlight-reel plays this time, in either direction. She did make one run forward that ended up not amounting to much, and she tried to repeat her near-goal thirty-yard shot against the CyberRays, though this one went well over the crossbar. Most importantly, though, she was a key part of a defense that pitched its third shutout of the year.

So the Freedom have broken their odd-numbered game jinx, though against a struggling team. They've won two games in a row for the first time since their first two games and are unbeaten in their last four games. On the other hand, they face the contending Carolina Courage next week, a game which should be a real test of whether the Freedom are a playoff-worthy team or not.

I think this is even more of a critical game than the last one. The Freedom have already demonstrated that they can win the occasional game; now they need to prove that they can do so consistently. They haven't won two games in a row since their very first two, so it's high time for them to do it again - even if it is an odd-numbered game.

They've already broken form by beating the Breakers for the first time in their history, which took them until their fifth try to do. They also tied in their last odd-numbered game, which marked the first one they hadn't lost.

Again, they have no excuses: Steffi is here, Mia is back, Siri is 100%, Bai Jie is available, and Anne Makinen should be playing the entire game. If the team can perform at the same level as they did against the Breakers, particularly once Anne came in, they should have a good chance to win.

Carrie will be starting in central defense, replacing Casey Zimny, who hurt her leg in the previous game. However, Casey is supposedly available to play if needed.

I did expect Carrie to play, though as a sub for Skylar and/or Emmy. I'm a little concerned about them, since they've been working hard and have played two full games in the last week. So let's hope that the Freedom can keep up the same energy level that they showed in most of the Boston game. With Anne Makinen starting again, at last, it should be doable.

How's this for a script idea: the old veteran, injured and thought by some to be washed-up, comes into the game with a taped-up knee when her team desperately needs a win. Just a few minutes later, she takes on the opponent's hot young rookie one-on-one and beats her for the game-winning goal.

Well, I hope you like the script, because that's exactly what happened last night: Mia made her first appearance in the 65th minute and scored the game-winning goal seven minutes later on only about her second touch, singlehandedly beating out Breakers' first-round draft pick Jena Kluegel, another defender, and the goalkeeper with a curving ball from near the edge of the penalty box.

Incidentally, every goal Mia has scored for the Freedom has been either a game-tying or game-winning one.

Carrie finally got an extended chance to play this evening, though unfortunately it was because Casey Zimny went out with an injury in the 28th minute (some said it involved Siri running into her, but I didn't see it.) She ended up playing solid defense, marking one or the other of the Breakers' dangerous forwards Maren Meinert and Dagny Mellgren and helping to shut them down after the early goal. She also started an attack after stripping the ball from (I think) Mellgren, taking the ball deep into the Boston end of the field before passing to Pu Wei, who forwarded it on to Abby Wambach for a shot on goal.

She also played a small role in the Freedom's first goal, intercepting a pass from Jena Kluegel to Kristine Lilly at the top of the penalty box and sending the ball out toward midfield. The Breakers got caught up in recovering the ball, then Jacqui Little stole it and was off to the races. She dribbled to the top of the penalty area as defenders converged on her, then passed to an unmarked Anne Makinen at the right-hand edge of the box, who somehow got a seeing-eye pass through to Abby Wambach in front of the goal. Abby touched the ball through Kate Sobrero's legs for the key tying goal right before halftime.

Carrie has now equaled her number of game appearances for last season.

Of the Freedom's first nine games, six have been on the road. They've had team star Mia Hamm for none of those games, Olympic silver medalist goalkeeper Siri Mullinix for just the last few, Steffi Jones for one, Bai Jie for only a handful, and midfield leader Anne Makinen only sometimes. Now, however, Siri is in good form, Steffi is here, Mia is returning, and the Freedom play five of their next six and seven of their next nine games at home. The time for excuses is over. If the Freedom want to make the playoffs, it's time to start chalking up some "W"s and adding to their standing points three at a time. With the tight WUSA standings, even just a few wins will improve their position dramatically.

Washington just recently played Boston and were lucky to hold them to a scoreless tie. Now, the defense needs to do its job again, and the offense, with Mia returning to (one hopes) rejuvenate it, needs to score some goals.

With the Freedom playing three games in eight days, I again expect to see more of Carrie than we've seen lately, if only to give Emmy and/or Skylar a breather, since the defenders have been working very hard of late.

On the road, against the WUSA's leading team, without Mia Hamm, the Freedom come away with a tie. It's disappointing that they gave up a late goal to lose the much-needed three points, but on the whole it's a fair result and close to my expectations of a scoreless tie. Incidentally, it's also the first odd-numbered game that the Freedom have not lost this year.

The Freedom definitely played better this time than last, though they still need to be more offensively minded - they seem to be playing not to lose, rather than to win. But they did create some chances.

Steffi Jones made her mark in the midfield from the outset, providing a controlling presence for both offense and defense. And, as I had hoped, she also served as a target on corner kicks. Meanwhile, the Charge seemed to be in shock from the loss of their captain and star, Kelly Smith, and did not play with the same discipline as they had in the previous encounter. However, they still have many weapons and should not be counted out just because they're adjusting.

Carrie warmed up late in the game and looked as if she might come in when Casey Zimny took a ball in the face. However, Casey quickly recovered, and Carrie spent another game watching from the sidelines.

Mia Hamm will not be returning until the June 12 game against Boston, but Steffi Jones is here and ready to play. Her accustomed role is as a central defender, but Gabarra has indicated that he's going to put her in the midfield. This seems to be a sound decision since that has been the weak link for the Freedom these past few games. Steffi is a very versatile player and was in fact the top scorer for her club team, FFC Frankfurt. In particular, it wouldn't surprise me to see her having a major role in set pieces, particularly corner kicks, since she's the tallest player on the Freedom, with an inch even on Abby Wambach.

The biggest change for the Freedom, though, between the last game against the Charge and this one is Siri Mullinix in the net. As good as Dawn Greathouse was in her tenure with the Freedom, Siri last weekend showed what truly world-class goalkeeping is like. Siri will likely need to have another big game if the Freedom are to have a chance in this one.

The big change on the other side is, of course, the loss of the brilliant Kelly Smith for the season. This will probably slow the fierce Charge attack down somewhat, but they still have a host of formidable scoring threats, including Marinette Pichon, Mandy Clemens, and Liu Ailing.

Overall, with the Freedom defense strengthened and the Charge offense weakened, I think the most likely outcome is a scoreless tie.

Carrie has only played a handful of minutes in the last four games, but the Freedom are facing a stretch with three games in eight days, so I think it's likely she'll get some playing time in the near future, if only to rest Skylar and/or Emmy.