Keep in mind that the cameras were pointed toward the less-filled side of the stadium. Attendance was a little disappointing - I was hoping for a sellout - but WPS in their infinite wisdom scheduled the match directly opposite a DC United match.
I won't argue with any of this based on today's game, but will say that the Freedom looked ten times better when they played the same team last week: the back line and the midfielders worked together, Abby and Lisa were almost telepathic, the passing and crosses were on target. I mean, my friends and I are sitting there and literally saying to each other, "What happened to the team that played here last weekend?" Obviously, losing Bompastor hurt, but that can't be all of it. The team needs work, but not as much as it seemed to today.
Branam has had me on the edge of my seat all season. Thank god she made most of the plays she came out on. I needed a few games by Bardsley just to calm my nerves. When all is said and done, Branam has turned into one hell of a keeper. I hope she is good to go for the next round. I have not seen Cori Alexander play since her days at Portland.
It's also the side of the stadium where you have to look into the sun. People were baking out there, and a number of people came down from the stands to sit under the trees on Freedom Hill. WPS's scheduling of the game is curious -- what exactly was being shown on FSC at that hour (as opposed to FSN)???
The whole team looked tired from the get-go. Instead of the constant practices they should have been focusing on getting their legs rested. That's a Gabarra problem. Putting Huffman in for 20 minutes of duty was a reckless move. She had no business being out there after only 5 months of rehab. and it could easily have cost her big time if the leg got hurt again. That's a Gabarra problem. As for Lindsey, she probably was tired, and has been since her bout with pneumonia earlier in the season when she had to miss the L.A. game and was made to come back too early. That's a total shame because she was playing so well. But you shouldn't risk someone's health just because they had been playing well and you need them back. That's a Gabarra problem. The team didn't seem very focused either, and that is also a Gabarra problem.
Attendance Realities: Freedom gave away tickets on a few radio stations on Friday. Not sure how much support that drummed up. Weather factor- yeah, it was hot out there! Heavens, it was hot at 9:15 a.m. went I went out to run in the woods! Gabarra Factor: I'm no insider; just an observer. It seems that some coaches have historically had a lock on an area/region due to any number of components. I wonder what management's view of him is? Do they value him more due to W-League work with Freedom? Is he seen as the ONLY option? Are the political and personal connections just thicker than traffic on 95 and 495? (Not that there are thick personal/political connections within the DC Metro area... no, none at all!) It took Boston 2 years to get Sundhage. Hoffman was seen (to my knowledge) as a quality coach, great experience, scouting, etc.. History shows Boston had a rough 2 years, and during that time management (JC) slowly kept combing the available options while supporting his head coach. He knew who he wanted, had the contacts, made the deal. Boston had a HUGE turn around year 3 of WUSA. I just wonder what others truly think of G-man, too. Players, staff, etc? A name doesn't make a coach; connections don't make a coach. What's the real deal from behind the scenes and if a change would be necessary, are those who are in charge willing to go beyond the comfort zone of name, proximity, and any relationships that (perceiveably- sp?) tie and bind them?
They could fire him and hire his wife! But I don't see Gabarra going anywhere anytime soon. Grouse as we might about this game, he took a team five of whose top players were either unavailable or coming off of injuries at the beginning of the season to the upper tier of the league. Management: The ownership has stood behind him since 2001. He does do a lot of other stuff besides coaching the WPS team, so they might be loath to replace him with someone who might be less enthusiastic about the other duties. Players: He was able to recruit some of the top talent in the region for the W-League team, none of whose players could be put under any obligation to play for the team. I did ask one player who played with the W-Leaguers for a year and then went to another team before trying out for the WPS team and not making it about her situation, and she said, "I love the Freedom!" and explained that she'd gone to another W-League team because it was easier to play for that team given her job location that year.
It was horrible in those stands (but still not as bad as Villanova Stadium seven years ago), and, yes, there was an unprecedented number of people hiding out in the shade.
The question really comes down to whether or not Gabarra can find talent that is better than W-League material. He never could find a left side defender -- other than pushing Bompastor back there when everyone else failed. His bench was non-existent in that the subs really didn't add anything other than fresh legs, they certainly wouldn't scare an opposing coach with speed or tactical acumen. And other than DeVanna and Bompastor, he built a team with absolutely no speed. Maybe he was following the DCU playbook on that one. I'm sure Gabarra will be back next year, but my family is not renewing season tickets now. I want to see a team with an edge, the players may "love the Freedom," but I want to see fights for 50/50 balls and some fouls during the game. This team is too soft and slow.
Well said, griffin. Players and fans may love a team, but are the results there that indicate success? Remember- one needs to look at two things to evaluate any system: hard data (e.g. results, numbers, etc.) and soft data (perception, belief, etc.). If G-man is in the position that he is in because he's willing to do the "extra" but the results within the organization (players, staff, etc.) along with the score board results are not at a high level, then hmm... that reflects on those above G-man. Therein lies what I perceive to be a potential concern. What does the overall admin. want of the team and how do they want the organization to run? I offer 2 examples: 1. The Breakers over the last 4 years. Cummings was willing to put up with a bunch, but not compromise on many things. His vision for the team, how to execute on all levels, etc. landed him a few Exec. of the Year awards. He's not perfect, but he gets the job done. He's also patient, allows things to develop, and then makes a change when the best piece is available. Plus, the man knows his players inside and out- and his staff. There's no slacking in Boston. (I don't know Washington to note on slacking and player knowledge, so this is only a reflection of Boston). 2. Closer to home- the school in which I work. 3 years ago we had a principal change. New one has come in, learned the school, and made learning and excellence the priority. There's full accountability on all ends, down to the students. The results- our SOLs (VA standardized tests) are the highest in school history. With that said- there's in depth training for all teachers, and all students know what the deal is- parents, too. This change was made by the Superintendent. His vision is quite clear. Best of Luck to the Freedom next year. Sometimes things are hard to hear, and changes can be torturous, but sometimes...they're necessary or else improvement doesn't happen.
Additionally, here are some questions I'd be interested in having answered by ALL teams (Pres., GM, coach, players, etc.): *What is your vision for your organization? *What is your vision for your team? *What do you believe about your players? *What do you believe about your coaches (administration)? *What do you perceive as the strengths of your team? *What do you perceive as the areas in which your team needs to grow? *How do you scout international, local, college players? *What resources do you see available on all levels (insert area for which they would be needed)? *What do you perceive to be obstacles in attaining your vision for your organization/team? I could go on... I would LOVE to see teams have these kind of open-forum discussions with season ticket holders. Why? They're one of your stakeholders. If the fans aren't happy, your organization isn't going to be happy! Also, you never know what idea a fan might have that will positively impact your organization and its results. I can't tell you how many ideas I get from my students on how to explain or teach something. If they can explain it better than my 10+ different ways, and the others get it- they all learn. It's about responsbility to the goal! It's not about ego, pride, etc.
I don't understand why people are so hard on Gabarra. The Freedom had two age-unlimited teams this year, one finished third and the other finished second in their respective leagues. What more do you want? As for the Breakers, well, they finished fifth, and we finished third, so something was off-kilter up there that wasn't down here.
I discount the W-League because it's semi-pro at best, just like I don't pay any attention to USL PDL teams. So, the W-League success is irrelevant and wasn't that Win Puffer's team anyway? I'm hard on Gabarra because although the Freedom finished third, they were flawed, predictable and had glaring weaknesses all over the pitch. Absent Wambach, Bompastor and DeVanna they were slow and played soft. Yesterday, NJ showed what effort, energy and commitment can mean in a game. Yesterday also exposed how important Bompastor was to the Freedom's game -- her "replacements" weren't even adequate. I guess what irks me is that I saw exactly the same breakdown and type of play in the 2008 W-League semi against the Pali Blues. Gabarra's team was slower of foot and thought in the that game too. I think you get a type of "plateau" with Gabarra, slightly better than average, but just not "killer" teams that dictate a match.
Win Puffer took over as head coach at some point during the season, but Gabarra was still on the sidelines for the games I attended unless he was on the road with the WPS Freedom. I'm not sure how the responsibilities were actually split.
Wasn't Bompastor originally brought in as a defender? That's what I had read. And if you look around the league, you're not going to find a lot of depth that brings more than fresh legs, except maybe LA. I agree with the speed issue. You need more of that, definitely. Is Huffman a fast player? Can't say I'm familiar with her game. I wouldn't beat up Gabarra too much. You won games when it mattered to get into the playoffs, unlike Boston, and you're only a couple of players away from being really strong. You've still got an open foreign spot (I never understood that one) so maybe he can find a gem at the Euros. I have to believe that for the non-German European players, a lot more will be interested in WPS for next year, now that they've seen what the first season was like. And I would lose the navy home uniforms. The heat was a huge equalizer yesterday and worked to Sky Blue's advantage, with your team wearing ovens.
I guess you should expect a lot of bellyaching on a soccer forum from fickle fans and chronic complainers and I suppose it's a relatively harmless outlet for it. But still, sometimes you wish women's soccer would be a place where you'd get a little better sense of perspective than your everyday talk-radio scream-fest. You'd think this was a pathetic team listening to some people. You'd think this wasn't a competitive balanced league where anything short of a championship meant incompetence. People have to do what they gotta do and fans have to deal with their team losing in a way they can live with. If it's too much frustration to stick with a team, it's too much frustration. But if this were really the norm, you have to wonder why any league bothers to stick around until next year. If we're going to set that high a standard, what team gives their fans a reason to come back, except the team that wins the championship?! What team isn't flawed? "Absent Wambach, etc..." - what team doesn't miss their top 2 or 3 impact players? DeVanna and Bompastor turned out to be top-10 type players in the league. Let's be honest - how many people have heard of them compared to Marta, Kelly Smith, the Brazilians and Germans generally, and a couple Swedes and Norwegians? (and who would've remembered those except for the obsessions of some of our friends on the Rivalry Forum?) So Gabarra or somebody did pretty well in landing those two in addition to Wambach who was allocated from the US team. Washington also, it seems, did rather well in scoring late in games - a remarkable trait and one that seems to outweigh any claims of being "soft" or not "having an edge."
"It was a game with a team like them, who were just keeping possession and getting crosses in the box, against a team like us, who were trying to get in behind on the transition," Freedom striker Abby Wambach said. "When you have two teams playing those opposite systems, and if we had gotten a little bit lucky, the result could have been totally different.". http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/16/freedoms-season-comes-to-an-end/
And really what the hell does this mean? Where else beside the W-League are you expecting to find all this talent you say your coach can't find? OK, you like the Frauen-Bundesliga, Damallsvenskan and Toppserien. Even if you thought this was a deep well of talent, there's a five international player limit as we all know. More from the US national team? There was something called an allocation to divvy up those players. So where the hell else do you expect them to come from and what team hasn't gone to the W-League well?
I think they were showing a repeat of a World Cup qualifier on FSC at that time, Germany vs. Azerbeijan. But the reason the game was on FSN as opposed to FSC was because FSN is in a LOT more homes and part of many basic cable packages but most people don't get FSC unless you have digital cable AND request for the sports package. I'm pretty sure some hotels have FSN because it's part of basic cable while ZERO hotels have FSC. So you see it's MUCH better for WPS to be on FSN than FSC and actually the WPS game of the week should be on FSN since a lot more people would be able to see it.
There's a mistake in that article. It says Rosanna scored the game winning goal but it was Francielle.