The CyberRays have 4 starters- Katia, Sissi, Venturini-Hoch and Chastain. NORTH ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUP GK Melissa Moore Philadelphia DEF Brandi Chastain San Jose DEF Jenny Benson Philadelphia DEF Jennifer Tietjen Philadelphia MID Kristine Lilly Boston MID Lorrie Fair Philadelphia MID Sissi San Jose MID Tisha Venturini-Hoch San Jose F Katia San Jose F Marinette Pichon Philadelphia F Tiffeny Milbrett New York SOUTH ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUP GK Kristin Luckenbill Carolina 2002 DEF Danielle Slaton Carolina DEF Jennifer Grubb Washington DEF Joy Fawcett San Diego MID Hege Riise Carolina MID Tiffany Roberts Carolina MID Homare Sawa Atlanta MID Julie Foudy San Diego F Mia Hamm Washington F Birgit Prinz Carolina F Abby Wambach Washington 5 reserves for each team will be announced Monday. Let's hope there's more Rays on that list! So, was anyone, from our team or any other team, shafted? The most obvious to me-I thought Fotopoulos should have been named over Hamm.
Non Shafting My initial thought.. Tish and Lil back on the pitch on the same team together... will be a wonderful sight to see Fawcett gets due credit! Yay! Possible Shafting If Meinert and/or Mellgren are left off of the reserve list, I'm shifting to shafting... come on....
I think Mia played better than Fotop this season, and is just flat out a better player than her. I mean Fotop is good...but Mia is awesome.
Fotopolous should have been named a starter. However, I won't complain if she is named as a reserve. I can reverse that and say that if Fotop was picked to start and Mia was left off, she would have been named no matter what. It's a combination of popularity contest and the fans picking to say who should start. Sometimes they get it right and other times they don't (i.e. picking a player who is selected on name value alone instead of current stats). If Moore and Luckenbill put together a decent show to back up their season, they should be considered candidates for the US National Team. As for Beene--she should be picked as a reserve--otherwise it's time for venting. The team's record speaks otherwise but she's remained steady at goal. Meinert and Mellgren had the misfortune of playing for the Breakers--since the coaches and league will name the reserves, they have a better time in picking those players, though they do have the agony of deciding who is selected and who gets left out. Cheers!
Re: Re: All-Stars Announced It's just hard to take Mia's 'half-season' over Fotopoulos's whole. Mia might actually be a better player than Fotop, but you can only take this WUSA season into account. Beene should be named back up. Not much serious competition for her in that spot.
My $0.02 Mia will also sell tickets, and because this is in actuality an exhibition game, on some level who really cares about the relative merits of one of the players on the field over another so long as the fans are happy? Let's get real: the average women's soccer fan (not hard-core BigSoccer members, but the average fan who shows up at a game or two) wants to see Fotop or Mia start the game? Hmmm...that's a no brainer. Either way I personally don't care since I'm no huge fan of either one of them, frankly, though I'm less of a Fotop fan for sure. I respect that they both did a tremendous amount for their respective teams this season. I'd count on Shannon MacMillan to be named a South reserve, despite a sub-par season (for her), just because she's one of the two players the WUSA used to promote this event (Tiff Milbrett being the other) and they can't leave her off the roster now. Though I won't cry if it does, I don't expect the UOP connection to benefit anyone else (I might snicker, however). For the most part, I thought the rosters were pretty fair, though of course I have my own set of head-scratchers. There are a few players on there who had roller-coaster seasons, while some consistent performers were left off. I will admit to voting for Meinert over Tisha, myself, though I am not unhappy to see Tisha on the roster. I voted for Pretinha, who didn't get the nod (yet?), and of course for some of our defenders who are also left off the roster (so far). I have never quite understood the fascination with Lorrie Fair (perhaps I never will), and I like Iverson over Tietjen, even though Tietjen's the leader of that back line. (Of course, I still like the 'Rays defense over everybody else's. ). No Mitts so far--no complaints here. I do think Beene should get the nod for back-up keeper--I will be really surprised if she doesn't. I confess that I'm glad that Sawa is the only player from Atlanta to make the starting roster. Homare is a class act and a fantastic, hard-working player. I always feel bad she's on a team with the Beat's reputation (I feel the same for Sun Wen, who I also have huge respect for).
Anybody (besides me) disappointed not to see Kelly Lindsey in the starting lineup? I thought she has had 2 solid seasons and (for me) is "the heart" of the CyberRays' defense. --Socceroo
Lindsey did come to mind when I thought of who should have been named. She and Bryan were both great though it can be argued that Bryan didn't play to her full potential this season(and that can be partially blamed on her card situation). Like SomebodyOrOther, I don't get the Fair selection. I've never understood that one but I hear she's fast and physical and was supposedly the heart of the Charge midfield. One last comment about Hamm/Fotopoulos: I was basing my opinion on soccer playing, not fan drawing. I know that this game is for the fans but I was just giving my thoughts strictly from the playing ability side.
Yeah, I second that. I've been one of Boof's greatest fans ever since I got to watch the 'Rays live last year. I hadn't even heard of her before that, but out of all the players in that game, she was the most impressive. I remember thinking, who the heck is this girl and why isn't she on the Nats? Needless to say, I am now very well aware of who she is. Hopefully when the final roster for the Scotland game comes out, the other question will be rendered irrelevant.
Lindsey should get named as a reserve. Her own goal is past everyone now. Grubb just made a huge mistake that allowed the winning goal in FC2 to occur and she was still named 1st team. Reserves are announced on Monday, let's hope Lindsey gets where she belongs!
Kelly Lindsey did garner some playing time in 2000 with the USWNT. She played/started in three games and notched 270 minutes. January 7, 2000 v Czech Republic January 10, 2000 v Sweden January 13, 2000 v Austrailia
Yes, but that was as part of the "replacement squad" for the 2000 Australia Cup, which the '99 WWC team sat out due to a, um, labor action. More to the point, Gregg and Hoffman were the US co-coaches for that tourney. I think we'd all like to see Kelly be a more consistent member of Heinrichs' rosters. BTW, Michelle French was captain of that team, if anyone wants to get really nostalgic.
The USWNT is the USWNT no matter who is on the roster And the SCU Lady Bronco's did well in those matches. Nikki, Danielle, and Wagner all notced one goal a piece in Austrailia.
Must you hurt me like that? Every time we have a French-less national team I get nostalgic about that squad. IMHO, 2000 U.S. Australia Cup Team= COOLEST NATIONAL TEAM EVER . That team SHOULD have been a glimpse of National Team future, and instead I swear most of the players on that roster were blacklisted, at least for a while. Only now are they starting to creep back into the picture. Boof made the 18 for the Scotland friendly, and Beene didn't?! I'm hoping April has just seen enough of 'Keysh and is taking one last look before WCQ at Solo and Scurry...
Beene, Bryan, Pryce, Lindsey, French, Slaton, Heather Aldama, Cramer, Aly, Serlenga, Mascaro, Kester, Bush, Zepeda, Clemens, Monroe and Welsh were members of the non popular USWNT squad. Who the heck am I missing? Jen Branam???
That is the only reasonable explanation, isn't it? Solo is starting the match. C'mon! Has anyone ever been impressed by her or am I the only one in the anti-Solo group? If she's starting, Ape must be trying for one last glimpse. Mullinix was the other keeper that went and many think she played better than Bri this year, so....it's got to be Coach H. wanting 1 last look at these 2. Either that or she's completely lost it(wouldn't be the first time). Bryan and Chastain made the roster as well. Back to All-Star stuff, reserves are named tomorrow. Go 'Rays!
Nope - Siri Mullinix. Interesting that she and Susan Bush were the only UNC players on that squad, while SCU had Slaton, Aldama, Serlenga, Clemens, Zepeda (well, future SCU) and Wagner.
Excellent point. I doubt most of us have realized this before. Someone(i.e. Coach Heinrichs) should get a clue. UNC isn't what it's all about. She does seem to be doing a bit better when it comes to looking past that school for young talent. This proves that SCU has serious International Level talent for more than than just this past season.
I would have to be another one of those anti-Solo campers, but that's because of (1) her age and (2) her being a newcomer to the main US team. Give her some more playing time for club and eventually the WUSA and that will go away... and like Keller, Friedel, Meola, Thornton, Howard, Rimando, et al the goalkeeper corp for the women is very deep... With Beene, Scurry, Mullinix, and Solo one or two will have to give... Throw in Moore of Philadelphia, Luckenbill of Carolina (I take she is a US citizen), and Paguirulo of San Diego (who was in the pool at one point but erratic play has kept her on the outside) and it will be uphill for Solo to make it... On the other hand as an understudy she has all those names to pick up a thing or two so that helps tremendously... Cheers!
Just a look and see how Solo fares in international competition... Beene, Boof, and Brandi are basically buddies on the same team--not in the spirit of goodwill to alienate the "scabs" of that team... Aldama and Moore are stalwarts for Boston and Philly respectively. I'm thinking it's Beene and Scurry that are in as goalies, with Mullinix and Solo factoring in... Cheers!