Will Chastain be playing this season?

I see she's still on the roster so that's good but is she under contract for this year?

I know some of you will say get rid of her but she still may be able to contribute as a sub.

It's nice to see she still has such a desire to play.

I'd like to see her become an assistant coach.

I think Chastain has one year left in the tank, and that she'll make the official full roster as the 18th (and last player), with some influence by what Rampone did last year for her team. Having an older savvy veteran, playing with tons of heart, and being a leader on the team (as a player/coach on the field and on the bench), is worthy of the 18th spot on the roster, provided she is not much worse than what the other 18th player would have been. The "intangibles" she brings as a player/coach and motivator (leading by voice and by example as a player/coach) helps this team even more so than if she were just an assistant coach only. She inspires them that much more with her leadership and heart at that age. She will only play an avg. of 15-20 minutes per game at most, and won't even play in a few of the matches at all, since she's the 18th and last player on the full roster. Brandi also still being a player at her hometown team still helps bring some more fans out to the stadium as well, more so than what the other 18th player on the roster would bring (such as a Kaley Fountain, who could be a developmental player for one year until Chastain officially retires).

And no, Chastain is no Rampone as a tangible player on the field, but all the other intagibles..she's just as strong as Rampone with all of those. She will make the roster for one more year, mark it down.

That's good to hear. Hopefully she can get an assist or maybe even score a goal this year.

Where exactly is she from?

Brandi grew up in San Jose; played at Santa Clara. Her husband is Jerry Smith the Santa Clara women's coach for 23 years.

If Brandi Chastain stays in shape and keeps her game form, there is no reason why she shouldn't play another year.

I saw Brandi recently and she is in amazing shape. I hope she plays, too, but I think whatever role she plays on the team will help it. She is a very positive inlfuence, she leads by example, she works extremely hard, and I think the other players have a tremendous amount of respect for her.

You guys are making no sense to me at all.

I enjoyed watching Chastain play as much as anyone else, and her celebration jersey-shedding has become so iconic that it might draw a few folks who don't know anything else about the sport, but lets stay grounded in reality, shall we? She won't draw a crowd sitting on the bench.

Chastain can no longer play at this level. It is a disservice to Rampone to compare the two. If you think players like Marta and Sinclair and Abily can't steady this year's crop of rookies (?) then how about Tiffeny Milbrett who still is a major on field contributor and among the best women to ever play the game?

I have no problem with Gold Pride rostering Chastain if they have a space to burn, and no information to determine how valuable she might be to the organization in a coaching roll. If she has those skills then power to her! Put her on the coaching staff.

But since someone else made the comparison, anyone who takes Chastain at this stage in her career over Kaley Fountain is simply an idiot! Fountain is a sharp, fast young player who can defend, attack out of the back, play the front line, reads the game well, and has a ton of potential to improve... (the list goes on...). I applaud Chastain for what she has contributed to the game, but people who like her over Fountain are living in the past and most likely have not seen Fountain play.

Absolutely agree with UNCFOREVER. Chastain can't contribute meaningfully at this level on the field. If she is needed for leadership then make her a coach. The team has plenty of veterans to lead on the field and if she IS needed to be a leader on the field then the team is in trouble.

Agreed. I've only seen one game in which she was in the back (2008 U20 qualifiers), but at the college level as a forward--there were games Wake Forest played in which Fountain was basically the Demon Deacons' entire attack.

And if Fountain only makes it to a developmental spot, I'll be convinced that she was sold short.

Based on interviews with Montoya since the draft, he's high on Fountain as well. I guess no coach is going to say bad things about a player he just drafted, but it sounds like Montoya is really psyched to have another speedy defender. If you're going to play a system that relies on having your outside backs get forward, you have to have more than two attacking outside backs on your roster. Even if Wilson and Riley are the starters, there's no way they'll be able to play every minute of every game. Having a third player in that same mold could be very valuable to the team.

That said, if Fountain comes into camp and proves not to be among the top 18 players, I'm sure she'll be cut. But I bet she'll be given every chance to impress.

As for Chastain, my opinion goes back and forth. I was glad she made the team last season -- and I think she merited her spot on talent. But I was a little disappointed that she was too busy with interviews and reality shows and travel and whatever to actually, you know, come to the games.

This season, the roster figures to be so much stronger that I'm honestly not sure if Chastain still has the talent to make it. If she doesn't, I hope they hire her as an assistant coach and let her provide leadership that way without taking a roster spot from one of the talented newcomers.

Tweeted by the GM:

Pride Releases Chastain

Too bad. Maybe she can picked up by another team as a sub.

I don't know about that...Age factor cannot be dismissed...

In any case, I wish her a good luck...I did see her during the sports segment for my local 11 O'Clock News...Chastain was having fun golfing...

Yeah, I saw that too. You know what tournament that was?

It's pretty obvious why FCGP cut her. They are too deep with talent now and she would've hardly seen any time anyway.

But maybe one of the less stacked teams could pick her up. It all depends on how badly she wants to play. With her reputation of being the 2nd most popular female footballer in HISTORY along with her World Cup glory I'm pretty sure she could find a team to at least give her a chance if she REALLY wants it.

She may only last a game or 2 if she doesn't play up to par but she could still get a chance with some team.

I would like to see the team bring her on in some capacity as an assistant coach or in management of some sort. It would be a shame to just see her go away... she can still help build interest in this team in this area.

SJ Mercury:

"FC Gold Pride general manager Ilisa Kessler had mixed emotions Friday when the club cut the 41-year-old midfielder to make room for a star-studded cast of offseason additions. They included Brazilian great Marta, the four-time FIFA World Player of the Year, and WPS All-Star Camille Abily."

If they have injuries during the season they could pick Chastain back up if no one else does.

I think Brandi would be a much better coach than Albertin.

That is what the development players are for.

Yeah, I agree. Her marketing value isn't going to be as a player anymore. She would be a great coach, assistant or otherwise. I think at 42 years old she's not going to be able to break through a roster. There is too much young talent out there now.

Having watched Brandi play for the Sac Storm the last few years, her best soccer is behind her.

Go back to the team which released you? Would it not be a matter of pride?

Being released by a team is not a good feeling...It would be something else if Chastain announced her retirement and voluntarily left the team...Angela Hucles of Boston did exactly that...

Don't people usually like "leaving on their own terms"?

Who knows? Maybe FCGP management tried to encourage Chastain to announce her retirement...

Then why is Brett Favre still playing?

At a very high level too.

Chastain and Brianna Scurry are vying for the "Muhammad Ali: I-didn't-know-when-to-quit award of Women's Soccer".

Last woman standing wins the award. . Looks like it may go to Scurry...

Chastain got cut because she made such a continued and determined effort to be a part of WPS as a player. GPFC made a correct (IMO) decision that there were other players better able to contribute. IMO, this is no surprise. Chastain should have seen it coming and might have chosen to bow out. Whatever the emotions around her release, I'm sure they will pass. Chastain seems commited to CA, so it seems unlikely she would go elsewhere, but with her ability and her love of the game it seems virtually certain that she will reemerge as an ambassador for women's soccer, either WPS or perhaps college. Nobody plays forever...