Carrie Moore News Archive

2003 September 10 - Season review: All's well that ends well

I was prepared to write a true downer of a review of the Freedom's 2003 season, since so much of the magic of last year went missing: the thrilling Mia Hamm goals, the comeback wins, the wins against topnotch opponents. Washington eked their way into the playoffs, qualifying in fourth place largely on the strength of their early-season success. Except for Abby Wambach and possibly Jen Grubb, none of the players had as good a performance as last year, and many did worse.

Going into the playoffs the odds of bringing home the Founder's Cup seemed slim. The Freedom would most likely need to defeat both the Breakers and the Beat on the road when they had never in the team's history succeeded at doing either. Even if they faced the less formidable Spirit in the championship, they would do so in San Diego with a partisan crowd.

The Freedom at the very least would need to play to their potential, and the frustration all season had been how seldom they had done so. Even in their victories, they seemed to perform for only a half or so, and of their losses the less said the better. Even with a home playoff match as incentive, they turned in lackluster performances in their last two games.

That changed. In the two games that counted most, the Freedom players demonstrated what they were truly capable of. I should offer praise in particular to Abby Wambach, who brought her already impressive performance level up another notch for the Founders Cup, but mostly I would like to talk about the oft-maligned Freedom defense.

Washington's claim to fame this season has been their league-leading attack, headed by Abby and Mia Hamm. Their defense finished fifth in the league in goals allowed and last among the playoff teams. However, in the most important 180-plus minutes of the season, the defense kept the two top regular-season teams from scoring in the run of play, with only a dubious penalty-kick call on a play with virtually no chance of creating a goal to mar that record. Siri Mullinix made a couple of big saves, but the bottom line is that neither Boston nor Atlanta got more than one or two halfway decent scoring opportunities, even in the second half of each game when they had the run of the play.

The coordination and teamwork of Siri, Sandra Minnert, Jen Grubb, Carrie Moore, and Skylar Little (with help from the rest of the team, of course!) were enough to shut down some of the most dangerous scoring threats in the world, from Dagny Mellgren to Charmaine Hooper. That was the real key to victory, and it's something to point out to anyone who thinks that the Freedom are little more than Abby and Mia.

Carrie was of course a significant part of this. She did not have as spectacular a season as she did last year, though this was largely because she seldom took on the man-marking role that she shone at in 2002. Still, she played every minute of every game and hasn't been sidelined since her asthma attack in the playoff-clinching Atlanta game last year. Though it scarcely matches Jen's every minute/every game streak, it is impressive enough.

Now we look to 2003: can the Freedom be the first WUSA champion to make the playoffs again? Obviously, yes, but will they? Staying healthy is the first key (and what doomed Carolina). The competition will be fierce: Atlanta and Boston in particular will be gunning for Washington, and San Diego and Philadelphia will be nursing disappointment. You have to expect that New York and Carolina will be improved, while San Jose will be doing some retooling to try to stem their fall. For now perhaps we should savor the knowledge that the Founders Cup sits in RFK Stadium until next August, though I already look forward to next year.

2003 August 22 - Founders Cup Preview: Finishing the job

The Freedom are the first team to make it to the Founders Cup two years in a row. After losing a hard-fought match last year, you know they don't want to fall short again. But then neither do the Atlanta Beat, who are liable to get a reputation as the Buffalo Bills of the WUSA with a third playoff loss. So it should be a hard-fought battle, as history tells us:

• Every playoff game Atlanta has participated in has gone to overtime
• Every playoff game in WUSA history has been decided by a one-goal margin or PKs
• Every game between Atlanta and Washington in WUSA history has either been a draw or decided by a one-goal margin
• Six of the nine games between Atlanta and Washington have been decided by a goal in the 80th minute or later
• The last time Atlanta and Washington played a match with playoff significance is generally considered to be the best game in WUSA history

So the omens are good for what could be one of the best WUSA games ever. So what do the Freedom need to do to come out on top? Here we go with this game's keys, from front to back this time:

1. Finish! If the Freedom had put their opportunities away last year, they would be WUSA champions. Jacqui Little missed just right, and both Bai Jie and Pu Wei sent their shots right to the Carolina goalkeeper. Against the WUSA's best-ever defense, they can't afford not to take advantage of the few opportunities they're going to get.
2. Abby and Mia. The Freedom's two MVP candidates need to show their stuff. Abby has never gotten either a goal or an assist against the Beat, while Mia has been held to one penalty kick goal, with the notable exception of her eruption with one goal and two assists in last season's playoff-clinching game. And therein lies the lesson: Mia and Abby need to figure large on Sunday for the Freedom to come out on top.
3. Win the battle in the midfield. The Freedom midfield has been suspect all season and remained so in the Boston semifinal match. Mia Hamm had to turn into a defensive midfielder for most of the second half in order to keep things under control. Jacqui Little had some good moments on the attack, but Kelly Golebiowski didn't do much, and for significant stretches of the game the Breakers were allowed free possession on the Washington side of midfield. Atlanta has two of the best midfielders in the league in Homare Sawa and Nikki Serlenga. Letting them control the ball would be a fatal mistake.
4. Keep the Atlanta offense dormant. By the numbers, Atlanta is second only to the Freedom in goal-scoring. However, take out their two big games at the beginning of the season, and they've scored only 23 goals in the remaining 19 games. Washington scored 35 - more than half again as many - in the same interval. Atlanta has what might be the deepest and most varied lineup of forwards in the WUSA with Hooper, Dominguez, Pohlers, Parlow, and Crumpton. If they live up to their potential, it could be a long day for Washington
5. Don't allow scores early or late. Washington has given up a lot of early goals, and it cost them in the second game against Atlanta when Hooper scored in the fifth minute, and that was enough for the win. At the other end, as stated above, more than half of the games with Atlanta have been decided in the eightieth minute or later, with the Beat usually coming out on top. The Freedom need to stand fast and not tire against a Beat team that never gives up - as the Spirit learned last weekend, to their sorrow.
6. A big game from Siri. It's Boston that seems to bring out the best in Siri rather than Atlanta. In fact, Coach Gabarra generally favored playing Erin Fahey over Siri against the Beat. However, this could well end up being the battle of the goalkeepers, with not only WUSA pride but national team stature hingeing on how well Siri plays as compared with incumbent WNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry. I almost want to see the game come down to penalty kicks to see them compete all but head to head, but I don't know if my heart could stand another one of those so soon after the last one.

As Abby says, when the Freedom are at their best, they're unbeatable. But they haven't brought their best for 90 minutes yet this season. Against an Atlanta Beat team determined to win, they will almost certainly need to do so.

2003 August 15 - Semifinals Preview: Defying expectations

About one year ago the Washington Freedom went on the road to play the league's elite team on the artificial turf of their stadium. Inspired by several hundred fans, the Freedom put in an inspired defensive performance on a swelteringly hot day and defeated the Philadelphia Charge, 1-0.

You can see the similarities to this year. Now for the differences. Last year the Freedom were the hot team in the league, falling just short of winning the regular season championship. This year, it's the Boston Breakers who are hot, riding a ten-game unbeaten streak and a three-game winning streak. Washington, meanwhile, has stumbled since clinching a playoff spot, losing their last two games.

The Breakers have traditionally given the Freedom problems, though on the other hand you have to go back to the 2001 season for the last time Washington lost at Nickerson Field. So one can anticipate that it will be a close game.

The keys, from back to front:

1. Siri needs to have a big game. She's all but single-handedly earned the Freedom a tie in Boston before. She needs to be ready to do it again.
2. The defense needs to frustrate the pair of Maren Meinert and Dagny Mellgren. After Washington's own twosome, these are the most dangerous in the league. If this requires Carrie Moore to man-mark Dagny for 90 minutes, so be it.
3. Playmaking in the midfield. I started to put down possession, but I think that's a secondary issue. Washington's frequently ineffectual midfield needs to give Mia and Abby chances to score rather than forcing them to make defensive plays in their own half of the field. Perhaps some direct play rather than the Freedom's usual possession game is the way to go.
4. A big game from someone up front. Abby or Mia needs to take over this game and demonstrate that one of them deserves the Most Valuable Player award that they've both been nominated for. Either one is capable of it, with five Player of the Week performances between them. But they need to do it on the road and against a solid team, rather than at home or against a mediocre defense.
5. Score first. The Freedom are 8-0-2 when scoring first but only 1-8-2 when giving up the first goal. Boston is not a team that you want to have to climb uphill against. Similarly, Boston is 9-1-3 when scoring first but only 1-3-3 otherwise. Boston is also an early-scoring team, with 9 of their 33 goals scored in the first 15 minutes, while the Freedom allowed 7 this year during the same interval.

The bottom line is that it's doable. The Freedom have gone to Boston twice this year and come away with draws both times. It's not hard to imagine a win. However, the Freedom will have to play consistently and well and do so for 90 minutes, something that hasn't happened yet this year. The first few minutes may be key, as Washington typically takes a few minutes to get going even on their best days. If that happens this time, the game may be over almost before it's begun.

Even without Bai Jie, the Freedom are capable of winning and taking the Founder's Cup. Their worst enemy has been their own inconsistency. With their national teamers on form and those inbetween playing solidly, the Freedom are a match for anyone. But that has happened too seldom this year. It needs to happen for the next 180 minutes of playing time for this season to be considered a success for the Freedom.

2003 August 8 - Game 21 Preview: Playing for pride

It worked for Philadelphia; why not for Washington? This match with San Diego, once potentially for a spot in the playoffs, is now for the largely meaningless difference between third and fourth place. The teams won't even know until the next day, when Atlanta and Boston play, what those positions mean in terms of whom they'll be playing.

It would be nice, however, if the Freedom could win the season series with one of the playoff teams. Washington has made it into the playoffs on the strength of beating up on New York, Philadelphia, and San Jose: seven of the Freedom's nine wins have come against those teams, with none coming against Atlanta or Boston.

Washington has the chance to set the WUSA record for goals scored in a season. The current mark is 40, and Washington is at 39. There's also a possibility of setting a new individual season scoring record: Mia Hamm has 33 points and Abby Wambach 32, with the record set last year by Katia at 36. A big game by either player could yield a new mark.

Other than that, there isn't much to play for. Sandra Minnert is till playing for her national team, so presumably Casey Zimny will get another start. She had a bad game against Philadelphia, but she wasn't the only one. Let's hope she can pull herself together for this match, along with the rest of the team. After all, it's always better to head into the playoffs with a win.

2003 August 5 - Game 20 Preview: The rematch in Villanova

Charge fans well remember the last time the Freedom came to Villanova: Philadelphia, the class of the league for most of the season and still in second place, was utterly shut down by a tenacious Freedom defense as Carrie Moore kept eventual WUSA Offensive Player of the Year Marinette Pichon out of the game for all but the last few minutes. The Freedom scored a goal late and went on to the Founder's Cup, while Philadelphia was done for the year. One imagines that the Charge players also remember that game.

This year, the match is only for pride, but pride can be a major motivator, particularly for a team trying to prove that its eighth-place finish was a fluke due to injuries and not a fair indication of the team's abilities. Unfortunately for the Freedom, most of the injured players are back. Heather Mitts has recovered from a broken bone, and Kelly Smith, while not 90-minutes fit, should see some playing time. On Saturday, the Charge took on league-leading Atlanta and demolished them, 3-0, in the worst loss Atlanta has suffered this season. If the Freedom get cocky or lazy, they could suffer the same fate.

But Washington has their own motivation: they need to win their last two games in order to put in a bid for a home playoff spot. If the Freedom win tonight and either the Beat or the Breakers do not, then just that quickly the Freedom are in the driver's seat for a coveted home playoff spot.

We fans are doing our part: over 160 of us will be making the team-sponsored bus trip to the game, even though it's a midweek event. (I'm trying not to think about what sort of shape I'm liable to be in the next morning.) Let's hope our efforts inspire the Freedom as much as they did last year.

Personnel will be slightly scrambled: Sandra Minnert is back in Germany playing for her national team, so I would expect Casey Zimny to take the left back spot. Other than that, one hopes that it will be Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach up front again, and that they can put together the same sort of dominating performance they have in the past two games. If so, the Freedom fans will come home tired but happy, and Washington will be closer to a home playoff match.

2003 August 1 - Game 19 Preview: Win and we're in

With a win today, the Freedom could clinch their second consecutive playoff spot. Defeating the CyberRays would make it impossible for them to catch up, plus the remaining games among Boston, Carolina, San Diego, and San Jose make it impossible for more than two of those teams to pass Washington in the standings. Atlanta remains ahead, while neither New York nor Philadelphia could catch up at this point.

The Freedom seem to be coming together at about the right time. The defense is playing solidly, and Abby Wambach is on fire. July's WUSA Player of the Month has four goals in her last three games and six goals (thirteen points total) during the month of July. Washington totally dominated last week's game against San Diego, and only horrendous finishing kept the game close on the scoreboard.

San Jose is currently in sixth place but remains a formidable team, particularly on defense where they have allowed the second-fewest goals in the league. They are also a desperate team, needing to win most if not all of their remaining games to stay in contention. On the other hand, they have been prone to giving up late goals to turn wins into ties or ties into losses, and their attack has been anemic all season. The only exception might have been against the Freedom on June 22, when Pretinha had a career match to help earn a tie for the CyberRays. But Pretinha is now out for the season with an ACL tear, so Katia has become San Jose's primary scoring threat.

Because of this, it's been suggested that Washington return to the "white-on-rice" defense that was so successful last year, with Carrie Moore man-marking Katia. That's not something that's been tried much this season, and Carrie does not match up well against the much taller Katia. But we will see what Jim Gabarra decides to do.

The Freedom need to take control early, and a goal in the opening minutes would be most welcome. Abby, Mia, and company are certainly capable of it, as demonstrated in the several near-misses last week. If they can get their finishing act together, this could be a strong performance. At the other end, Jen, Siri, and the rest of the defense just need to maintain the same level that's been shown lately. My prediction is for the second consecutive 2-0 Freedom win, and a second consecutive trip to the playoffs.

2003 July 27 - Game 18 Comments: Domination but not much to show for it Carrie fights for the ball with Susan Bush. (AP photo) The Freedom could have won this game 10-0. The Freedom should have won this game 10-0. Except for perhaps the first five minutes (if that) and the last ten, Washington was in complete control of the game and had repeated opportunities to score. Abby Wambach should have had a hat trick by halftime; Mia Hamm likewise before the end of the game. Lindsay Stoecker missed two or three good shots, Jacqui Little sent one good opportunity right to Spirit keeper Jamie Pagliarulo, and Lori Lindsey had perhaps the most embarrassing finish of a night of embarrassing finishes when she received a perfect centering pass to her forehead and proceeded to knock the ball downward in textbook form, except she did it so far downward that it bounced over the goal instead of in. Jen Grubb rounded out the ugliness by sending a penalty kick early in the second half straight to Pags. The good side is that the Freedom did manage to finish twice and to hold off the Spirit throughout, even late in the second half when the Washington players tired. The first goal came on a poor clearance from Pags that went only about as far as the Spirit back line. Abby got to the ball ahead of any Spirit player and directed it toward Mia. Mia took the ball in, then passed off to Abby, giving her her third easy chance of the evening but one that she actually managed to put away. The second came in stoppage time when Abby got yet another breakaway, but this time backup goalkeeper Jenni Branam came out of the box when she went to grab the ball. She was given a yellow card, and the Freedom were given a direct kick from barely outside of the box. Well, we all know what Mia does with those sort of set pieces. In this case, she knocked it into the top right corner of the net for the clinching score. The game was frustrating throughout but only truly scary in the ten minutes before Mia's clincher, when the Freedom players began to tire and the Spirit started getting their first solid chances of the game. Fortunately, Siri Mullinix came up huge (as she so often does in such situations), several times punching the ball out of danger on San Diego corner kicks and in one instance making a point-blank stop on Kerry Connors, who had earned an unopposed shot at goal. Carrie Moore had her own part in the defense, frustrating the Spirit forwards as needed, most notably cleanly robbing Christine Latham of the ball after Latham had beaten Siri and was facing an open goalmouth. So for the moment the Freedom are in second place and only five points out of first. (All Freedom fans should be rooting for San Jose to beat Boston this evening, which would put Washington in the driver's seat for a home playoff spot.) The Atlanta-New York tie was helpful in that it kept the Beat within reach and the Power from keeping pace. Knock on wood, but the Freedom, with a comparatively easy schedule the rest of the way, appear to be in good shape for a playoff spot.

2003 July 22 - Game 18 Preview: Finishing the sprint

In 2002, the Freedom faced a five-games-in-fifteen-days stretch that started with them out of a playoff position and, based on previous performance, expected to finish out of a playoff position. They proceeded to go 4-0-1, including defeats of both of their main playoff rivals, to earn the third playoff spot.

In 2003, the Freedom were dealt an eight-games-in-twenty-nine days string that started on June 28 and concludes with this game. Going into the series, I noted that winning five games would all but ensure a playoff spot while winning three would be almost essential. The Freedom have actually gone 2-3-2, a lackluster performance but still not as bad as the 1-3-1 series preceding it. However, it's still the 5-1-1 start that's keeping the Freedom in the playoff hunt, but that's not going to hold up much longer with several teams challenging Washington for a playoff spot.

One of these is, of course, San Diego, and this is the second of three late-season matches against the Spirit that may well decide both teams' playoff fate. A loss here would put San Diego three points ahead of Washington and give them the tiebreaker, while a worst-case outcome to the weekend (wins by New York, Carolina, and San Jose) would dump Washington into fifth place and only two points out of seventh. So the Freedom need a win to stay in the hunt and to get that minimal third victory out of the eight-game sprint.

There's no question they're capable of it, even without Kelly Golebiowski, who's off playing for her national team. San Diego defeated Washington only 2-1 on an uninspired showing by the Freedom. If Washington plays the way they have lately, particularly the way Abby Wambach and Meredith Beard have come on, they should get enough chances for a win. The resulting best-case scenario (which includes a Boston loss) would have the Freedom in second place and in the driver's seat for a home playoff match.

So it's a big game: possibly the difference between home playoff and no playoff. Let's cheer them on!

2003 July 22 - Game 17 Preview: A shot at a home playoff match

If you'd asked me at the beginning of the year what I would consider a successful season from the Freedom, I would have instantly answered (because I'd thought about it), "A home playoff spot." With second-place Boston within reach, this is the time to make a run at success. A win here, then wins at home and against Philadelphia would probably be enough to ensure that successful result.

But it won't be easy. So far this year the only teams Washington has proven they are a match for are Philadelphia and New York - 15 of the Freedom's 24 points have come against those two teams, while they are 0-4-2 against the three other teams currently in the playoff picture (Atlanta, Boston, and San Diego). They've lost the season series against Atlanta and Carolina, and can't do better than a tie against San Jose or Boston. (This is a far cry from last year, when only Philadelphia bested the Freedom over the course of the season.) Boston in particular is a team that has given Washington fits, with Meinert and Mellgren's speed outdoing the solid but sometimes slow Freedom defense.

The Freedom will need a huge game from at least one forward. Boston's defense is solid this year, and Karina LeBlanc is proving to be one of the best goalkeepers in the league. The Beat couldn't score against the Breakers on Saturday, thanks primarily to some amazing saves by Karina. To win, the Freedom will have to do even better. With Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm, they have the potential, but they need to eliminate the finishing problems that plagued them even in their most recent game. Against New York, one can afford to miss chances. Against Boston, those may be the only chances you get.

At the other end, Dagny Mellgren is the top goal-scorer in the league (tied with Pichon), and Maren Meinert isn't far behind. The Freedom need to keep the ball away from them as much as possible, then find a way to stay with them when they do get the ball.

A win would be a huge step toward a playoff spot and even the aforementioned home playoff match. It would also prove that the Freedom can play with one of the elite teams in the league, which, as previously pointed out, has not been demonstrated yet this season. Meanwhile, a loss would be disappointing and eliminate almost any opportunity for a home playoff match, though it would still leave room for Washington to make the playoffs.

The real question is: Have the Freedom truly turned things around, or will they prove that they are still only marginally successful? We may find out on Wednesday night.

2003 July 18 - Game 16 Preview: It's now or never

In their last eight games, the Freedom have defeated only the eighth-place, injury-ridden Philadelphia Charge. Overall, they are performing like a sixth- or seventh-place team. If they don't want to end up in that position, they need to do better, starting with this game.

Like the Spirit, the Power are a team competing with the Freedom for the lower playoff spots. (I've mentally conceded Atlanta and Boston the top two spots.) This makes this game doubly important, a six-point relative swing. A Freedom win moves them ahead of the Power with a game in hand, while a loss puts them five points behind with only a few games to go in order to catch up.

The key will be reviving Washington's anemic attack, which has scored only ten goals in those last eight games, with four of those coming against the aforementioned Charge. Gabarra is going to try to do this by starting Meredith Beard, who has had strong outings in her last two games and was far and away the most dangerous attacker in the San Diego match. Let's hope that she can bring a spark to the offense.

The defense has given up sixteen goals in those games, though I wonder how much of that is due to other teams being able to press because they don't have to worry too much about the Washington attack. Still, Siri Mullinix has looked uncharacteristically vulnerable lately, just an average to slightly better than average WUSA 'keeper as compared with her standard-setting performances last year. And the defense looks slow and reactive, something that also didn't seem to happen much last season.

Fortunately, New York is a team that Washington seems to match up well against, with 3-1 and 4-0 wins so far this season. But the Power have come on strong after an 0-3 start and cannot be taken for granted. The Freedom will need to set the pace early and take the lead in order to keep the Power from eyeing an upset on the road.

The Freedom could still gain a playoff spot without winning this game, but it would require a major turnaround that would be difficult to hope for considering that they will have lost to most of their playoff competitors - Atlanta, San Diego, and New York - in succession. So while it might not really be now or never, it's now or very, very soon. There's not much difference.

2003 July 15 - Game 15 Preview: How do we match up?

Due to the eccentricities of WUSA scheduling, the Freedom have already played the Courage and Beat all three times but have yet to face the Spirit. For that reason, how the Freedom and Spirit match up will go a long way toward determining both teams' fates. Last year, the Freedom had the Spirit's number, winning each of the three matchups with a total score of 8-0. But the Spirit are a different and better team this year, with a new coach, a new potential superstar in midfielder Aly Wagner, and the first winning record in their history. They will certainly not be the pushover that they were last year.

With only seven games left in the season, it would make life a lot easier for the Freedom if they could get a win or two off the Spirit. Out of those games, they play San Diego the aforementioned three times, plus New York, Boston, San Jose, and Philadelphia once each. Out of these, the "low-hanging fruit" are probably the New York and Philadelphia matches and possibly the San Jose match. I look at the point totals something like this:

These are just estimates and could be off by a couple of points. If anything, they may be high since I think the league is a lot more competitive this year: the most successful and unsuccessful teams are liable to be closer to average than they have been in previous years. In win-loss terms, that means three wins means the playoffs, five wins means a home playoff game, and six wins (or no more losses) means regular season champion. So picking up a couple off the Spirit would be very helpful for the Freedom as well as making it harder for the Spirit to displace them.

The bad news is that Washington is liable to be one tired team Wednesday night. They will have played three games in the past thirteen days, then flown across the country, then will face flying back again for a weekend game at RFK. So a win is liable to be tough. Still, the Freedom got one of their marquee wins of last season, a 3-0 thrashing early at Torero Stadium, under similar circumstances. Perhaps history will repeat itself.

2003 July 11 - Game 14 Preview: Showdown in Georgia

We're heading into the most critical time of the season, when positions are won and lost and playoff spots are all but mathematically clinched (or not). Later games may provide the final successes or failures, but it's the games now that set the stage for those.

This match is a good example. With a win, Atlanta might put themselves as much as six points ahead of the field and would all but clinch a playoff spot, possibly needing only an additional two points with six games to go. On the other hand, the Beat have only one more home game left after this one, so this win would be very helpful for them.

Meanwhile, a win for Washington would put them one point out of first place with a game in hand on the team or teams they'd be trailing and within two wins of clinching a playoff spot.

It's annoying, though, that this key game is marred by the absence of national team players. The Freedom will be without Siri Mullinix, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach, while the Beat will be missing Briana Scurry and Cindy Parlow, as well as Homare Sawa and Maribel Dominguez. So it's not exactly the "A" team for either side.

The last time the Freedom played without their national teamers was the embarrassing 5-2 debacle against Carolina. One hopes, though, with that experience behind them and with an international-caliber goalkeeper in Nicci Wright that they will be more ready to play than they were then. Still, the Freedom have never won in Atlanta.

Shutting down the Beat shouldn't be the problem. The Freedom almost did that in the last game, allowing only a fluke goal by Charmaine Hooper off a botched clearance in the early minutes. But scoring is another matter. Washington couldn't do that in the last game even with their "A" team, and it seems even more unlikely now. Atlanta may be without Scurry but will have their entire back line, which is the class of the league this year. Last year's top defense, the Philadelphia Charge, allowed 1.05 goals per game. The Beat are allowing a mere 0.86 and have six shutouts this year. So it seems the most likely result is a 0-0 tie.

According to the Washington Post, the lineup for the Freedom will look like this:

Lori Lindsey lost a starting spot with her tentative play in the midfield, but then made a comeback against Boston at the beginning of the month and followed that with the score that clinched the win against Philadelphia Wednesday night. She and the rest of the Freedom's attacking front four need to show that they are worthy replacements for the national teamers. And in addition to those listed, look for newcomer Jennifer Meier to get her first minutes.

It's not a key game for the Freedom in terms of making the playoffs, but it is a chance to see if the Freedom belong among the league's elite teams and if they can play competitively even with some of their best players out. As such, it may be a harbinger for the rest of the season.

2003 July 8 - Game 13 Preview: Low-hanging fruit time

The Philadelphia Charge are a hurting, struggling team. They're in last place and trailing the league while missing a host of key players: Kelly Smith (meniscus tear), Deliah Arrington (ACL), Heather Mitts (broken tibia), just to name a few. On top of that, their marquee player and reigning WUSA MVP and Player of the Month Marinette Pichon was injured in their last game and carted off on a stretcher with a lower back contusion. So the Freedom, playing at home, should be able to win this one. There certainly aren't going to be any easier games this season.

Even if Pichon does play, the Freedom have proven that they can shut down the Charge in the run of play when they're without Kelly Smith. With Emmy Barr presumably not playing, the back line may be shaken up, but the defense, which did a good job against a formidable Boston attack last Thursday, should not have problems keeping Philadelphia out of the net.

A win is much needed and would be big: the Freedom would be back in at least fourth place and might be in position to return to first place by the weekend depending on the outcome of the San Diego-Atlanta game taking place at the same time. A loss, on the other hand, would leave the Freedom only three points out of last place and as much as seven points out of first. More generally, Washington needs to break out of their five-game winless streak and get back on track, and there will not be a better chance to do that this season.

2003 July 3 - Game 12 Preview: A win would be good

Being Boston in Boston (where the Breakers were undefeated last year), this is not among the "low-hanging fruit" left in the season. But that would make a win all the more significant as a sign the Freedom are back and threatening. Without a win, Washington could be out of the playoff picture by the end of the weekend, and it would be an uphill (though certainly not impossible) climb to get back in.

If the team that showed up for the second half in Atlanta makes a reappearance, it should win easily. Unfortunately, that's the only time that team has shown up this season, and it's an open question in my mind whether it was the Freedom's excellence or the Beat's poor clearances that made Washington so dominant for that 45 minutes.

Gabarra is at least sticking with the lineup that looked so good in that game, with the usual back line, Sandra Minnert and Lindsey Stoecker as the defensive midfielders, Mia Hamm and Steffi Jones as the attacking midfielders, and Abby Wambach and Jacqui Little up front. Mia is nursing a sore knee, so the team might reuse the very successful approach of last season to play the world's leading goal-scorer only in the second half.

To get a win, the Freedom need to play the possession soccer seen in the Atlanta game. They'll need a very good game from the defense to contain the dangerous Boston attack and particularly Maren Meinert, who is having an MVP season. Siri Mullinix may need to have a big game, as she seems to do regularly against Boston, and someone up front needs to step up and score, most likely Abby or Mia, but Jacqui or Kelly or Steffi would work, too.

This game ends up being similar to the Atlanta one: it's not unexpected or disastrous if the Freedom lose, but a win would be a big step toward the playoffs.

2003 June 28 - Game 11 Preview: Beginning the sprint

Each year the Freedom (and every other WUSA team) face a stretch in which they have to play a lot of games in a short period of time. The Freedom's sprint begins tonight, kicking off a span with 8 games in 29 days. Winning 5 of the 8 games would all but ensure a playoff spot, while winning at least 3 is almost a necessity. So it's time to look for the low-hanging fruit amongst these games.

Tonight's is probably not one of them. Atlanta has been the class of the league this year and isn't in first place now only because Boston has played an additional match. The Beat will be playing at home and looking to hold first place outright at the end of the day.

On the Washington side, Mia Hamm is nursing a sore knee and may not play. Coach Gabarra is therefore diddling with the lineup again, which in the past has generally had disastrous results. According to the Washington Post, the lineup in back will revert to the usual, while the midfield will consist of Lindsey Stoecker, Sandra Minnert, Kelly Golebiowski, and Steffi Jones, with Steffi taking on the playmaking midfielder role. Abby Wambach and Jacqui Little will be up front. The Freedom will need a big game from one or both of them in order to win. Keep in mind, though, that what Gabarra tells the press and what he puts on the field tend to be two different things.

Looking at the other games, it's hard to pick out the "easy" ones because the league has been so competitive this year. There are two games against Boston in Boston, which isn't good news, as well as another road game against Atlanta that will be affected by national team callups. The best bets might be the home games against New York and Philadelphia, plus at least one of the games against San Diego, whom we haven't played yet so it's hard to figure how we match up this year.

This game ends up being the moral inverse of the previous one: it's not unexpected or disastrous if the Freedom lose, but a win would be a big step toward the playoffs.

2003 June 21 - Game 10 Preview: Time to get back on track

The Freedom are at a crossroads, and this game may indicate how the rest of the season is likely to go. They've lost three of their last four games, but for only one of those games were they at full-strength, and, with a few breaks, that game could have gone the other way.

In those four games, the Freedom gave up a team-record eleven goals while scoring only seven (and only three total in the three losses). However, the San Jose CyberRays have scored only nine goals all season and may be without their entire Brazilian trio: Katia will definitely be out due to yellow-card accumulation, and Sissi and Pretinha are injured. If the Freedom defense plays up to its abilities, they should have a good chance at a shutout.

A lineup change may help. Word is that German national team defender Sandra Minnert will be taking over the left flank position from Emmy Barr. Emmy had a solid season last year, playing sensible defense and using her speed both to foil the opposition and to key Freedom attacks. But she hasn't done quite so well this year, perhaps due to knee problems. Meanwhile, Minnert looked impressive when she came in for Steffi Jones in the Boston game.

In addition, it appears that the Freedom will be moving to a diamond formation along the lines of the US Women's National Team. The Freedom attack has been anemic and unfocused all season, and perhaps this will help. My guess is that the formation will have Lindsay Stoecker as the holding midfielder in back, Steffi Jones on the right flank, the left-footed Kelly Golebiowski on the left flank, and Mia Hamm up front in support of forwards Jacqui Little and Abby Wambach. Ideally, this should give Mia more chances to participate in the attack while not weakening the defense overmuch. Considering that the current opponent is not much of a threat on offense, this seems as good a time as any to try a more aggressive formation. And I like to see Kelly as a starter - she's played more than well enough to earn that.

I am relieved to find that Sandra will not be replacing Carrie - at one point that seemed as if that was what she was brought over to do. However, I'm sure that there will be a fight the rest of the season for the starting slots in the defensive line. It wouldn't surprise me much to see more changes before the season is out - after all, Casey Zimny has been playing well and may end up displacing someone herself.

All in all, this game verges on a must-win for the Freedom: if Washington can't come away with a win at home against a struggling, injury-ridden opponent, then they shouldn't consider themselves worth of making the playoffs.

2003 June 10 - Game 9 Preview: Finer to be in Carolina

Perhaps the Freedom can erase the home field blues by going down to Carolina, where neither they nor Mia Hamm (at any level) have ever lost. One hopes that they will be inspired by the May 17 drubbing by Carolina to win and clinch the season series.

Due to the late red card flurry in the previous game, the Freedom will be without the services of Skylar Little and Abby Wambach. With Sandra Minnert available, I would expect Skylar's absence to result in Carrie moving to her position and Minnert taking over in central-d while Jennifer Grubb and Emmy Barr hold to their usual positions. As for Abby, I'm just hoping that Gabarra doesn't try putting Steffi Jones up top again. I'm not going to speculate further except to say that Kelly Golebiowski should definitely start.

A win would do much toward putting the Freedom back on track, while a loss would be a cause for serious concern, since it would make three losses in the last four games.

2003 June 7 - Game 8 Preview: Where do we stand?

The standings are surprisingly tight in the WUSA, and this weekend's games, with every team playing, could turn them upside down in short order. Come Sunday evening, the Freedom could possibly be in first place with a four-point cushion against the rest of the league and a game in hand, or else tied for third/fourth and one point away from being out of a playoff spot. So this is a chance for the Freedom to make a statement, and against a team that has given them trouble in the past.

Surprisingly, the Freedom have been very good at keeping a potent Breakers team from scoring, allowing only two goals last season. The problem in the past has been scoring on them - Boston held Washington to a mere three goals last year, tied for best with the formidable Charge defense. It remains to be seen whether this year's Freedom attack - so far the best in the league - can change that. If history is any guide, though, it will be a low-scoring game, with Siri having another big game and making the difference.

With a third of the season gone, it's as good a time as any to look at my beginning of season predictions and compare them with what's happening so far. Here's what we've got:

The biggest surprise is that the top two teams from last year, Carolina and Philadelphia, are in the cellar instead of contending; in fact, they're already nine points out of a playoff spot. Also, Atlanta is doing much better than I expected, with Briana Scurry and their defense having given up a mere five goals in eight games. San Diego is also doing well under their new coach.

Meanwhile, I'll take full credit for predicting Washington at the top of the standings and for Boston to be much improved. Still, it's early days: this time last year, the Freedom were near the bottom of the standings but went on to the Founders Cup. The next few weeks may show a lot about how this season will turn out.

2003 May 23 - Game 7 Preview: Time to get back on track

This game may determine whether last week's debacle is the end of an era for the Freedom or just a blip on the road to the Founder's Cup. Since about this time a year ago (May 26, to be precise), the only team the Freedom have lost to has been the Carolina Courage. And they've had New York's number lately, particularly at Mitchel Field, where the Freedom have always won, so far.

But this Power team is not the team of yore. Their defense, while still flawed, has been revamped, and the acquisition of Christie Welsh means that stopping Tiffeny Milbrett is not enough to stop the Power from scoring. Unlike last season, wins against them are no longer virtually guaranteed. They proved that last time against the Freedom at RFK, when the run of play went to the visitors, and only a career game from Jacqui Little and another strong game from Siri Mullinix kept the score from doing so as well.

Meanwhile, one hopes that the Freedom have learned their lesson from last week and will actually start playing up to their abilities. Except for last week, they do seem to be improving, and with the return of the national team players, you have to hope for a solid performance. But if they revert to recent form, they might suddenly find they've gone from having a winning streak to having a losing streak.

2003 May 14 - Game 6 Preview: Another unexpectedly struggling team

The Freedom once again play one of the top teams from 2002, and once again the team is, surprisingly, winless. Like the recently defeated Philadelphia Charge, the Carolina Courage are 0-4. The difference is that this time, it is the Freedom who will be the more shorthanded. Due to a women's national team game the same weekend, Washington will be without Siri Mullinix, Abby Wambach, and Mia Hamm - the first time this season that has been the case.

Of the three, the missing player that concerns me the most is Siri Mullinix. The Freedom play a very defensive game, more not to lose than to win, and Siri has been superb as the last line of defense. Without some of Siri's brilliant saves, Washington would likely be in the middle of the WUSA pack rather than at the top. Briana Scurry might be an adequate substitute, but I doubt that Freedom backup Erin Regan will. (Nicci Wright is supposedly in town but doesn't have her work visa yet.

The good news is, again, that Carolina is a struggling team. They've scored only four goals, the fewest in the WUSA, while giving up eleven. They've lost their world-class playmaking midfielder, Hege Riise, for the season, and will be missing national team player Tiffany Roberts for the game. On the other hand, WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year Kristin Luckenbill will be back in goal after missing all but the previous game, which has to be seen as a lift for them. And one presumes they will be looking for revenge after being beaten in their home opener.

Meanwhile, this will be a chance for Freedom fans to see what some of their backup players can do given 90 minutes. Given Gabarra's recent fondness for the 4-5-1 formation, I'd expect a starting lineup like this:

Additionally, Meredith Beard and/or Sarah Kate Noftsinger could see their first minutes of the season. The Freedom will only be dressing 16 players rather than the allowed 18 due to the national team callups and the absences of Bai Jie and Monica Gerardo.

Laura and Kelly have both put in solid performances as substitutes, so it will be interesting to see how they do. Kelly in particular made her first WUSA goal a sensational one, then almost did the same in the late going against Philadelphia, off, it should be said, a superb cross from Laura. So I'm looking forward to see how those two do when the game depends on them.

But the strength of the Freedom is the defense, and the so far feeble Courage attack will have to deal with the same lineup except for Siri. Unless Carolina plays an inspired game, it should be a low-scoring but comfortable win for the Freedom.

2003 May 9 - Game 5 Preview: Easy to be overconfident

Carrie may have her hands full with Charge speedster Deliah Arrington

Not all that long ago the Philadelphia Charge seemed like the elite team of the league, almost unbeatable, with a defense stingier by far than any other team's. That was before this season, and particularly before last weekend. Against the New York Power, the Charge broke their scoring drought and tallied four goals. Unfortunately, the Power scored five - more than last season's Charge would have given up in a month. It marked the third consecutive loss for Philadelphia, whose prior woes be could be attributed more to lack of offense than lack of defense. Meanwhile, the Freedom attack is at least as good as the Power's, and their defense is far better. The Freedom have given up four goals only once in their history, in last season's opener. On top of all that, Philly's two key attacking players are out: Kelly Smith with a knee injury and Marinette Pichon with national team duty. On the face of it, it looks like an easy win for the Freedom.

But the Freedom have the unfortunate habit of playing up or down to their opponents: their best game of the season was against the league-leading Atlanta Beat two weeks ago, while their worst was against the not-terribly-frightening New York Power. If they continue this habit, and the Charge come in looking for redemption after last weekend's embarrassment, it could be a very competitive game.

The good news is that the Freedom are healthy and should finally be able to play a proper lineup, which I see as:

Mullinix
S. Little - Moore - Grubb - Barr
Stoecker - Jones
Lindsey - Golebiowski
Wambach - Hamm

Mia should finally be moved up top, since Lori Lindsey and emerging star Kelly Golebiowski have demonstrated their ability to support from the midfield. If this crew, along with Abby Wambach, starts to click, it could be a long day for Philadelphia, and eventually a long season for the rest of the league.

On the other side, Washington's defense will need to stymie Deliah Arrington, whose speed is breathtaking but whose ball-handling skills are still somewhat raw. If Philadelphia comes out in their usual 4-5-1, this might be a good time for Carrie Moore to return to her man-marking ways of last season.

All in all, if the team that played the Beat to a tie shows up, it should be an easy win for the Freedom. If the team that faced the Power or that came out against in the second half against the CyberRays shows up, the match could be a lot more interesting than it ought to be.

2003 May 3 - You, too, can be as successful a soccer player as Carrie Moore! You just need to join her former club team, the Roanoke Star, according to this ad in the Roanoke Times.

2003 April 24 - Game 4 Preview: Day of Reckoning?

The Freedom have the longest winning and undefeated streaks in WUSA history, while the Beat come in on the wake of two of the most dominant performances in WUSA history. Something has to give.

The Beat have a formidable array of offensive weapons: Cindy Parlow, Charmaine Hooper, Homare Sawa, and the latest international goal-scoring phenom in Maribel Dominguez. These are backed up by a solid midfield, one of the best defenses in the league, and a goalkeeper who hasn't allowed a goal yet this season.

The Freedom have a dangerous attack of their own, headlined by Mia Hamm and supported by Abby Wambach and the up-and-coming Jacqui Little. Their bend-but-don't-break defense is anchored by Siri Mullinix, whose status as the best goalkeeper in the league is challenged, appropriately, only by Atlanta's Briana Scurry.

All this is complicated by the preceding national team game, so it's not clear how available the National Teamers will be. The situation seems to hurt Washington more than Atlanta, since Washington may lose the heart of their attack (Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach) while Atlanta loses only Cindy Parlow. (I am assuming that the goalkeepers are capable of playing both games.) Since the decision to play Canada came so late, Atlanta is under no obligation to release Charmaine Hooper or Sharolta Nonen.

with Jacqui Little and/or Meredith Beard subbing for NTers Abby and Mia as needed. Particularly if Mia is going to play only part of the game, she needs to be moved up front where she can score. Meanwhile, Kelly Golebiowski demonstrated her speed and ability last week and deserves a start.

On the face of it, it looks like a difficult day for the home crowd. Washington will likely need both to score multiple times and to play exceptional defense in order to have a chance. Performances like those in the two most recent games are not going to do it. But the Freedom's games with the Beat have always been close and almost always decided late. It can't be entirely unreasonable to expect a score along the lines of 4-3 that could go either way, though one must figure that if the Freedom's streaks are to come to an end any time soon, this game is the most likely one to do it.

2003 April 12 - Game 3 Preview: Sister, Sister

The first talking point of this game is that this is the first game with both Barr sisters, Emmy and Betsy, the only non-twins in the WUSA. Their father, Jim Barr, was a successful pitcher for the San Francisco Giants for many years, so both know what it takes to succeed as a professional athlete. Emmy improved significantly from a shakey first season and became a steady element of the Freedom back line, missing only 27 minutes last year. Betsy, meanwhile, is more than your average rookie, having helped Portland to the collegiate national championship just last fall as well as having been a key element of the US U-21 team. Both will want to have big games today

The second talking point is the changing Freedom roster. Monica Gerardo has announced that she'll be retiring after the Freedom's April 26 game, while the Chinese army refuses to release Bai Jie to travel to the US, citing the war in Iraq. With Kelly Golebiowski joining the Freedom after being away for World Cup qualifying, Gerardo is not much of a loss; however, not having Bai Jie, one of the Freedom's fastest and most dangerous players, is a blow. Bai was the Freedom's leading scorer in 2001 and an impact player last season despite having her knee wrapped most of the time. The Freedom coaches were looking for a breakout year from one of the world's top players but now don't expect to get it. Gabarra is discussing with the league the possibility of getting another international instead. Meanwhile, perhaps the emerging Jacqui Little can pick up the slack.

As for the game itself, when last the Freedom played in Spartan Stadium they did so without the services of Mia Hamm and Siri Mullinix. In the thick of the playoff race, they emerged with a 3-2 win that all but ensured them of a playoff spot. By the book, one would expect a similar win today.

However, much may depend on which team shows up: the one that dominated possession against the WUSA champion Courage in the season opener or the one that let the WUSA doormat Power control last weekend's game. Both Mia Hamm and Steffi Jones had off games in the latter, so it's little surprise that midfield possession was a problem. If those two return to form, and if Kelly Golebiowski provides a spark as a second-half sub (presumably for Lori Lindsey), then the Freedom should be able to come away with a win, extending their WUSA record winning and undefeated streaks.

2003 April 12 - Game 2 Preview: The good, the bad, and the ugly

The Freedom are good; the Power are bad; which means this game could be ugly. As a Freedom fan I hope it's that simple: Mia has another big game, Carrie shuts down Tiffeny Milbrett yet again, and the Freedom have another easy victory against the hapless Power.

But it doesn't have to work out that way: if the Power's rookie forward, Christie Welsh, has a breakout game and Saskia Webber has one of her up days in goal, this could be a close game. Fortunately, the Freedom seem to be taking nothing for granted, assuming that Atlanta's romp over New York last week was a fluke and not what to expect today.

With Bai Jie still out and Kelly Golebiowski on her way back but not here yet, the starting lineup looks to be the same as last week's. Expect Carrie to have her usual "white-on-rice" assignment on Milbrett while the rest of the defense deals with Christie Welsh and the rest of the Power attack. However, if Welsh proves to be as dangerous as her second pick of the draft status indicates, this could prove difficult. The Freedom have not done well against teams such as the Courage that can throw two capable forwards against them. On the other hand, the Freedom attack should have few problems going up against a Power defense depleted by injuries and absences due to international obligations. It should definitely be a high-scoring game on the Freedom side, while it will be up to the Freedom defense to make sure the Power don't keep up.

Today is a big day in a couple of ways: not only is it the Freedom's home opener, but with a win today the team would set a new WUSA record for most consecutive regular-season games without a defeat. If both teams match expectations, that's exactly what should happen.

2003 April 3 - Game 1 Preview: Freedom at Carolina

Last time the Freedom went down to Carolina, they won, 5-2, a blowout game that likely gave the Courage huge motivation for the Founders' Cup match. It's unlikely to be that lopsided this time, with Tiffany Roberts in the game and Danielle Slaton healthy. However, Mia Hamm has never lost in Carolina, and don't expect her to start now. Look for a close but high-scoring game, with the Freedom pulling out a 3-2 win.

Expected starting formation:
Mullinix
S. Little - Moore - Grubb - Barr
Stoecker - Jones
Lindsey - Hamm
Wambach - J. Little

In the second half, expect Mia to move up top, displacing Jacqui, and for Monica Gerardo to come in. If Mia tires, look for Meredith Beard to come in. If Lindsay tires, either Skate Noftsinger or Casey Zimny can take her place. Bai Jie and Kelly Golebiowski are unavailable for this game.

This should be a good test for the 2003 Freedom defense, which has had its biggest challenge against the tall Carolina forwards - the usual "white-on-rice" approach doesn't suffice. However, a healthy Lindsay Stoecker should be able to keep Hege Riise under better control than Anne Makinen did in the Founders' Cup. At the other end, Mia always comes up big in Carolina, and the Courage seem to struggle similarly against the Freedom strikers, who put on a furious display in the Founders' Cup and whose inaccuracy led to the previous regular-season loss to the Courage more than the lack of opportunity.