I think this amazing group of players has created another first for the record books. The National Championship team of 2009 placed seven players in the professional draft! Assuming (and hoping) that WPS has a long and successful history, I doubt this will ever be matched again by any women's college soccer team in a single year! Nicely done by Tobin Heath, Whitney Engen, Nikki Washington, Casey Nogueira, Ashlyn Harris, Kristi Eveland, and Jessica McDonald! Record are made to be broken, but I just cannot imagine how this will ever be matched. Congratulations, thanks for a great job for the Heels, and best of luck to all!
It would've been interesting to compare had the WUSA held a 2004 draft. There will likely never be another college soccer team as dominant as the UNC 03 team was.
I don't think the 2003 team would have faired nearly as well. Without taking anything away from the spectacular success of the 2003 Tarheels, this amazing team had a great year. However, this awesome team was comprised of groups of players who had more challenging seasons both before and after 2003. The 2003 team's success was aided by many top players (These come quickly to mind: Tarpley, OReilly, Chalupny, White, Fletcher, Winget, Maxwell, Felts, Guess) who were not seniors. I would not include these guys in a theoretical WUSA pool any more than I would scratch my head over why Givan and Jones didn't go into the WPS draft this year. If you consider only the list of 2003 seniors (even adding one undergrad to make up for McDonald), I don't think you get near seven. This year's seniors were an amazing class: probably the strongest single cohort (year) to come through the UNC program to date, and I think this record of seven drafted pro players excceds anything prior years would have done (in a similarly competitive game environment) and will be there for some time to come. Whatever one's views on the comparisons, this year's seniors have been exceptional, and that is my main point. Once again, congratulations to them!
Comparison to past years or past eras is always problematic in sports. However, just as a gauge of where the professional scouts saw the talent this year , the draft of the class of 2009 is spectacular for UNC. It's not so much that there were 7 players taken from the Tarheel roster, but where they placed! 3 of the first 5 4 of the top 10 6 of the top 20 7 of the top 40 (36) We all knew that the Anson's 2006 recruiting class was a monster, but until this past year many missed how those players have been developing. And this is where credit is due to Anson and his staff. In 2006 who would have picked Whit as a #4 pick and the #1 defender? And who in 2006 would have imagined that Kristi would have even been a professional draft pick? Yes, based on their laurels coming in, most could have predicted success for the other 5, but their college careers could have taken a spill. They didn't, and as a group, the #1,#5,#8,#15,#19 picks represents quality players and quality coaching.
And, BTW, I'm going to bet that Kristi will surprise a few folks. As a fourth round pick, she is not a shoe-in to get playing time. Let's just watch!
It is a disappointment to learn that the WPS's LA Sol has disbanded. My saddness exists on several levels. Not only will I miss watching this excellent team play, but now it seems much less likely that we will have a chance to see a Nogueira ~ Marta combination: an experiment that would have been great fun to watch unfold. I wonder how this will effect Nikki Washington and Michelle Enyeart, two players whose competitive stock in the expected distribution draft will be down due to injury? While I hope not, I would not be surprised to see these two get pushed back into next year's pool due to their inability to make early season play? Also, it should be concerning for Kristi Eveland who will now face greater competition for her roster spot this Spring. Best of luck to Nogueira and Washington in the reassignment, and to all the former Heels players for good roster spots and outstanding play in the 2010 season! This is a tough way to kick off the Spring.
The dispersal draft of the LA Sol is perhaps the last hurrah for Casey and Nikki of the fabulous 2009 team before they start their professional careers for real. Of the three rounds that the draft took, both Casey and Nikki went in the first round. Casey went 4th (right after Marta) to Chicago, and Nikki went 6th to Sky Blue. The first two rounds are below: WPS Dispersal Draft (player rights held by the Los Angeles Sol) Round 1 1. Shannon Boxx, M – Saint Louis Athletica * 2. Karina LeBlanc, GK – Philadelphia Independence 3. Marta, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) 4. Casey Nogueira, F – Chicago Red Stars 5. Stephanie Cox, D – Boston Breakers 6. Nikki Washington, M – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) 7. Brittany Bock, D – Washington Freedom 8. Aya Miyama, M – Saint Louis Athletica Round 2 9. Manya Makoski, M – Atlanta Beat 10. Faith Ikidi, D/F – Washington Freedom 11. Kiersten Dallstream, F – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) 12. Michelle Enyeart, F – Boston Breakers 13. Kiki Bosio, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) ^ 14. Tina DiMartino, M – Saint Louis Athletica # 15. Estelle Johnson, D – Philadelphia Independence
Tobs... Snake bit again for WNT play? Just noticed that Tobs has been bounced from the travel squad to Portugal for the Algarve Cup because of illness. (Recall that she was all set to start in Germany in the fall, but got sick and couldn't play.) Does anyone know what the illness is?
not really. They dont usually disclose much. Yea I was pretty happy that she got into the team but then got replaced by Rapinoe who came back from illness. Maybe Rapinoe passed it to Tobs ha ha ha ...jk
Still wondering about Tobs illness situation. Haven't heard a thing. Will she play tonight against FSU? Can someone in Atlanta tell us something as to how she looks?
hmm, well I'm not from Atlanta but I guess I'll help you it seems that she has some sort of stomach illness similar to rapinoe's. i believe that somewhere in the forums, someone said the sky blue fc coach saw Tobin the other day and was wishing her well in recovery. Must mean she's still back in jersey? Also i think Gareth O'Sullivan said something about her taking her time...i dunno for sure. Here's the article from The Equalizer though...
OK. Now maybe we 2009 UNC fans can put that season completely to bed as Tobs has finally emerged to actually play with the Atlanta Beat. The "stomach flu" has apparently lasted more than 2 months, but Tobs appeared in Atlanta in time to practice for a week with the team and started in last weekend's game against Philadelphia. Also, 4 players from UNC's 2009 NCAA championship team did get playing time in the opening weekend of the WPS season with Tobs and Whit starting. And, as I predicted Kristi did make the final playing roster (18) at Washington... I believe the only 4th round pick to do so.
"Now maybe we 2009 UNC fans can put that season completely to bed" Or not. I'm sure everyone who follows this thread is aware that Heath is out for the season and that St. Louis has followed the Sol into the history books. What folks may not appreciate is what an incredibly tough gig the WPS is. By my count, since beginning 2009 more than 80 players have lost their jobs so far. Of the roughly 160 players still rostered (including those rostered but on season ending injury reserve) 16 are former Heels. This does not include Washington (whose rights have been trading, but who is yet to play). I think it is pretty incredible that the Heels comprise 10% of the professional league in such a competitive environment. Of those 80+ players who have worn WPS jerseys and lost their jobs or retired, only two are former Heels. This must surely be something to consider when future critics want to charge that the Heels don't build quality players; couldn't survive if the NCAA was not such a substitution rich environment; or just plain play kick ball! Congratulations (once again) to the WPS rookie class of 2009, who have weathered an exceptionally trying period in WPS. Best of luck to them, the other former Heels, and to the league. Everyone who follows the turn-over statistics and the attendance numbers knows these players are on a high wire without a net. Good luck!
I am probably not the right source for this information. No doubt there are others on this board who are much closer to the facts. My understanding is that Tobin has had a systemic illness that has undermined her fitness for much of the Spring, and then suffered an ankle injury (which may have required surgery? I'm not sure?). The combination of the ankle and the general weakness from illness were (it appears) enough to knock her out for the season. Her stock appears to still be quite high, as she is still on the Beat roster, and this is a team that has been throwing tons of pretty good players over the side to pick up players from St. Louis. I think she will be a big contributor for Atlanta (and hopefully for the WNT!) in 2011.
I was worried about her health during the NCAA tournament last year. She seemed to be getting skinnier and skinnier as time went by. Earlier in the season she didn't play in Germany after getting the nod for a start, and followed that by being sick at the Va Tech game. I do hope that it is ultimately nothing life threatening. I worry when there is no announcement as to what is really going on.
Heath is on the season ending IR because her ankle injury required surgery and she & the team decided to go ahead and have surgery during the season rather than have her try to play on it, risk further injury & potentially derail her attempts to make the '11 WWC team. My uneducated guess based on a couple of posts in the ATL forum and other write-ups is that had this been next year Heath likely would have tried to play through the injury and put off surgery.
A spot check on the WPS careers of the 7 Tarheels drafted from the 2009 team. All 4 Tarheel rookies played in the Chicago win over Sky Blue (with Nikki now recovered from her ACL tear.) Starting midfielder for Atlanta, Tobin is out for the season with an ankle injury. Ashlyn and Kristi started for Washington on Saturday. That accounts for all 7. And did I not predict that Kristi would surprise many? From lowly recruit to UNC stalwart to 3rd round draft pick to professional starter! What an astounding class!
Whit named by ACC for Garber award as best female athlete in ACC for 2009-2010. Correct choice! (See ACC or Carolina websites for full write up)
The WPS is in a uproar with Chicago recently folding (on top of the Bay Area franchise a few months ago, and the St Louis team earlier....not to mention the Los Angeles team a year back). For 2009 UNC team members, Tobin will be leaving Atlanta and has signed (back home) with New Jersey, Ashlyn has signed to play in Rochester, and from the Chicago collapse, Nikki has signed with Boston and we're still waiting to see where Whit, Jessica, and Casey will land. (Kristie will apparently remain with the Washington team, but there is talk of moving that franchise to south Florida.....)