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WPS All-Star Ballot - help do my thinking for me!
We have until July 30 to pick our All-Stars, which is a tad off-kilter, because August is going to be the soul-crushing, agonizing final furlongs that grinds pretenders into the unforgiving dust. And I don't wanna vote for someone who costs their team a playoff spot on the last weekend.
Ideally, we'd have it after the championship game, because the story of WPS Year One is very different if Marta's Sol taste champagne or boot to the face. Okay, it's unfair to ask the suffering servants of WPS to arrange a roster in a week, but as of this moment, it wouldn't occur to me to vote for anyone on the Red Stars, for example. What if they make this majestic run and make the playoffs? Who am I to deprive the Red Stars, er, stars, out of a free trip to St. Louis?
I'm referring to the city. I can use the abbreviation. GOD.
On the bright side, this really is one of the easiest ballots I've filled out since November. Default to LA Sol players unless there's some compelling case for another team's player, sign, seal, deliver. What could be easier.
GK: "But I LOVE Hope Solo! She's the best! She won the United States an Olympic gold medal, and I really really really like her!" Tough fish, punks. This is the WPS All-Star ballot, not the Who You Like ballot. You'll have Karina LeBlanc, and you'll like it. Anyway, you'll enjoy her company. She's fun.
D: Yeah, see what I mean about compelling cases? Can't in good conscience vote for Franko. Maybe I could write in the baby, or something. Nah, all the "Soccer Mom!" headlines from the Joy Fawcett era would come back like undercooked pork. Stephanie Cox has played every minute for the best team in the league. It's also a little hard to argue with Allison Falk, since she's the only other Sol defender on the ballot who is now playing regularly, and I don't want to waste a write-in vote. I'm putting the A's Tina Ellertson there, just so I don't look totally biased. Why Ellertson ahead of LePeilbet? Well, the Saint Louis games I saw, Ellertson looked terrific.
M: Camille Abily, Aya Miyama, Shannon Boxx, Wagner's been hurt too much and there's no other Sol midfielder in this section. So I've got two midfield spots remaining. (I've kidded Miyama now and again about having the worst shot in the history of civilization, but her passing has been absolutely splendid. I don't anticipate much pushback on Abily and Boxx.) Sonia Bompastor is one obvious pick, and I can't decide on spot number five between Chalupny and Kelly Smith. (WPS has Smith listed as a midfielder on the ballot.) Um, um...see, the Breakers are in second now, thanks to that stupid loss Saint Louis had against the Freedom's assistant coach/goalkeeper. And Smith has more goals, which is understandable for a forward. But my heart says Lori Chalupny.
F: LA forwards: Marta, Brittany Bock's a defender, Han Duan's been disappointing, so another spot opens for the teeming masses. Eniola Akulo, Saint Louis, just ahead of the sentimental vote for Tiffeny Milbrett. Milbrett's been great, but she's been great because FCGP have been awful, and if they hadn't have been awful, then Milbrett wouldn't have had the chance to be great. So it's Akulo. Except Kelly Smith has been more productive. I guess what I'm saying is, I can't decide among Smith, Akulo, and Chalupny, and I can't decide whether to punish Smith because of the ballot structure, or punish a deserving midfielder because WPS thinks Boston's offense is run through Amy Rodriguez and Kelly Schmedes.
"But what about Cristiane?" Half her production for the year was in one game, the Red Stars are nearly out of it, etc. Maybe if she's awesome this weekend.
"But what about Kai?" Dunno. Beat Saint Louis tonight, get into a better playoff position, and we'll start considering a Sky Blue or two.
"But aren't you voting primarily for the team you've seen over twice again more times than any other?" Hm, good point.
If you think I missed someone, let me know. Or you can totally ignore me and vote your own picks here. Happy clicking!
Ideally, we'd have it after the championship game, because the story of WPS Year One is very different if Marta's Sol taste champagne or boot to the face. Okay, it's unfair to ask the suffering servants of WPS to arrange a roster in a week, but as of this moment, it wouldn't occur to me to vote for anyone on the Red Stars, for example. What if they make this majestic run and make the playoffs? Who am I to deprive the Red Stars, er, stars, out of a free trip to St. Louis?
I'm referring to the city. I can use the abbreviation. GOD.
On the bright side, this really is one of the easiest ballots I've filled out since November. Default to LA Sol players unless there's some compelling case for another team's player, sign, seal, deliver. What could be easier.
GK: "But I LOVE Hope Solo! She's the best! She won the United States an Olympic gold medal, and I really really really like her!" Tough fish, punks. This is the WPS All-Star ballot, not the Who You Like ballot. You'll have Karina LeBlanc, and you'll like it. Anyway, you'll enjoy her company. She's fun.
D: Yeah, see what I mean about compelling cases? Can't in good conscience vote for Franko. Maybe I could write in the baby, or something. Nah, all the "Soccer Mom!" headlines from the Joy Fawcett era would come back like undercooked pork. Stephanie Cox has played every minute for the best team in the league. It's also a little hard to argue with Allison Falk, since she's the only other Sol defender on the ballot who is now playing regularly, and I don't want to waste a write-in vote. I'm putting the A's Tina Ellertson there, just so I don't look totally biased. Why Ellertson ahead of LePeilbet? Well, the Saint Louis games I saw, Ellertson looked terrific.
M: Camille Abily, Aya Miyama, Shannon Boxx, Wagner's been hurt too much and there's no other Sol midfielder in this section. So I've got two midfield spots remaining. (I've kidded Miyama now and again about having the worst shot in the history of civilization, but her passing has been absolutely splendid. I don't anticipate much pushback on Abily and Boxx.) Sonia Bompastor is one obvious pick, and I can't decide on spot number five between Chalupny and Kelly Smith. (WPS has Smith listed as a midfielder on the ballot.) Um, um...see, the Breakers are in second now, thanks to that stupid loss Saint Louis had against the Freedom's assistant coach/goalkeeper. And Smith has more goals, which is understandable for a forward. But my heart says Lori Chalupny.
F: LA forwards: Marta, Brittany Bock's a defender, Han Duan's been disappointing, so another spot opens for the teeming masses. Eniola Akulo, Saint Louis, just ahead of the sentimental vote for Tiffeny Milbrett. Milbrett's been great, but she's been great because FCGP have been awful, and if they hadn't have been awful, then Milbrett wouldn't have had the chance to be great. So it's Akulo. Except Kelly Smith has been more productive. I guess what I'm saying is, I can't decide among Smith, Akulo, and Chalupny, and I can't decide whether to punish Smith because of the ballot structure, or punish a deserving midfielder because WPS thinks Boston's offense is run through Amy Rodriguez and Kelly Schmedes.
"But what about Cristiane?" Half her production for the year was in one game, the Red Stars are nearly out of it, etc. Maybe if she's awesome this weekend.
"But what about Kai?" Dunno. Beat Saint Louis tonight, get into a better playoff position, and we'll start considering a Sky Blue or two.
"But aren't you voting primarily for the team you've seen over twice again more times than any other?" Hm, good point.
If you think I missed someone, let me know. Or you can totally ignore me and vote your own picks here. Happy clicking!
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Kelly Smith, Kelly Smith, Kelly Smith. (Though she'll be at Euro 2009 along with Bompastor, Abily, etc.)
Milbrett will be just fine as a reserve.
And I can make a case for Solo ahead of LeBlanc. Hope hasn't exactly taken the post-Olympic year off. She may pass LeBlanc in the saves category by season's end, since STL had something like 38 games in hand at last check. And hers were probably tougher, since she didn't have a whole back line of All-Stars playing in front of her.
If the Sol had Solo, they would've conceded maybe five goals on the season. That's a lot better than the ... how many goals have they given up? What? Six? OK, so it's a tough call.Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 09:43 PM by Beau Dure 
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I think you shouldn't make availability on the day of the game a factor. Vote for the best, whether they're going to be in this hemisphere that day or not.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 09:53 PM by Roger Allaway 
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Your backline is flawed without LePeilbet, who has been sensational in the league and proved her worth again tonight in the US v. Canada game.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 10:07 PM by Eleanor
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The Euro stars won't be there so voting for them leaves the Commish et al a lot of free reign which can't be a good thing
Jönsson has the most saves in the league and the RedStars would be even worse without her. LePeilbet has been class in the league. It may be an all-star game but only being able to vote for three defenders bothers me. Dowling is another good defender that has played rather well. Solo gets a lot of pr & credit but Chalu has been a driving force behind her team.Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 10:41 PM by kool-aide
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Just vote for the cutest. Because at the end of the day, it's all that matters.
Posted 23 Jul 2009 at 01:00 PM by gibroni
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