Just looking at the draft it looks like Boston and Chicago are the frontrunners in the league. Boston did well in drafting players we all know and acquiring some big time names like Kelly Smith, who is possibly the best forward in the world right now. However, Chicago's draft was more thought out in terms of putting the best team on the field. Brilliant pick with Rapinoe, she is a creative player who feels the game. Lloyd is the best player on the national team and is finally being utilized to play to her strengths by Pia. What a great compliment those two are for each other. The Rapinoe pick showed Chicago had the bigger picture in mind and has a great understanding of what type of team they want to field. Hats off to those guys in Chicago for picking players that will play attractive soccer. Washington missed completely on this draft and if Abby isn't healthy it could be a long year. Washington never ventured off the reservation and with players like Kelly Hammond in your backyard, if you aren't going to venture then at least pick one of the best center mid's that has come out of Virginia and played for a next level coach. St. Louis interesting picks, there are some good players there, but I wonder how much thought was put into the type of team they wanted since there picks are all of the map.
Kelly's played for Gabarra (like most of the folks we've drafted), but he didn't seem to think that much of her: she played in 13 of 14 games in the 2007 season but only put in 571 minutes.
Just looking at the draft is a horrible way to judge teams. The vast majority of the players coming out of the draft will be true rookies next year. Very few rookies are ready to really deliver 90 minutes/game from day one. Yes, a few veterans were sprinkled through the draft, but these drafts are more about long term need and not short term fixes. The complete roster that stands out to me is Athletica.
I doubt that he was only concerned with this last general draft and meant to ignore the earlier supplemental draft, the foreign draft and the initial allocation of the US national team. Even so, rookies are going to play an important part to these teams. Each team only received 3 national team players, up to 5 foreign players (and that's provided they can sign them and bring them over) and 4 in the supplemental draft - many of whom are one year out of college. If a team filled all its needs for its starting XI from those 3 allocations or drafts which total 12 players, then okay, the rookies won't mean much to their success. But how likely was that? If you picked early for attacking players, you probably came into Friday's draft thin on defenders. If you went early for defenders, you probably were short on attackers. And if you didn't get all the foreign players you picked, that's another slot where you may need a young player to fill the role. But why does Athletica stand out? Because 3 or 4 of their draftees spent a year in Sweden 2nd Division? They have excellent players - all the teams do - but they seem thin in the sense that in several areas they have good players but not necessarily the most outstanding ones. I might feel a little differently if I thought Daniela was coming - I think she's one of the outstanding players in the world and very, very important to Brazil's success - perhaps their 2nd or 3rd best player after Marta and, maybe, Cristiane. But last I heard, I don't think she is, at least not for this season. But perhaps I'm wrong? Daniela, along with Hope Solo and Lori Chalupny - that's a very impressive core for a team.
Maybe it's been mentioned elsewhere, but I'm curious about the players who haven't graduated from college yet. How is that going to work out? Does anyone have any info or ideas?
Tauri, assume you mean seniors just drafted who presumably have course work to finish up? The only thing I saw was an Amy Rodriguez quote pre-draft that she was planning on finishing her studies but would be working around her WPS obligations.
They go back to college, finish their eligibility and enter the draft after their college careers... It's not like these kids are like LeBron James coming out of college(or high school) to sign a multimillion dollar deal....These kids will sign a multi thousand dollar deal. They need their college degrees!
I think the question referred to the players that haven't graduated but have finished eligibility and were drafted (ie the seniors from the recent draft that would have graduated in May but will be going to preseason soon). I'm sure it will work the same as it did for WUSA...some will strike deals with their university to do their final bits of work from the road...some if playing close to their schools will do both...and others will go back for a couple months next fall when the season is over to finish up.
I couldn't agree more. That's why I'm curious/concerned. It's always rubbed me the wrong way for kids to leave school and go pro without a degree. I wasn't a soccer fan during the WUSA, so I had no idea how they did it. Thanks for this:
The players drafted who are still in school are all seniors meaning that when camp starts on March 1, they will be less than a semester from finishing up. They may be able to finish up college doing most of their work via the computer and just go back to take final exams for a week in May or something like that. I think I read that Kerri Hanks has actually already finished up her undergraduate work at Notre Dame and is working on her Master's. For the most part, female athletes have a much more realistic and practical outlook on their futures. Too often, male athletes get stars in their eyes about turning pro and forget that there is a life after a pro career, if they are lucky enough to get it. Because women's sports do not pay as well, most female athletes have no such illusions.
I can't wait for the day that players realize that their pro career is hindered by four years of college and opt to go pro early. That will be a sign that WPS is here to stay. College isn't for everyone.
I don't think we will see the day that these young girls come out of high school & club right into the WPS. Watch what some of the seniors do to freshman players, for the most part the elite senior players are bigger,stronger and smarter. I am sure that some of these elite seniors will be surprised at the level of play from the WNT players and international players. College may not be for everyone but in the USA it offers the best training & coaching in preparation for the WPS. Many of the 70 players from the draft have been out of college for one to three years gaining experince in Europe & W League, even some of the seniors are not 22 year olds, they are 23 to 24 because of U-19 & U-20 obligations.
Sorry to be disagreeing with you on another thing, Andy, but when that day comes that'll be the day when the WPS has become like all the other sports that I'm sick of because of all the immature brats and punks, over-inflated egos and hyper-commercialism, fan interest and journalism set at perpetual scream levels, etc. Let's hope they can make money playing the game they love. Let's hope they can make good money. But I, for one, hope that it will remain a sport that doesn't get out of proportion or perspective. I like the fact that I'm cheering for women who are decently educated. (I'll lay off the USC jokes for the sake of making a point...)
I agree with Andy that someday we will see women bypass college to play pro, while somewhat agreeing with soccermavin that we are not there yet. I don't agree that you can make the blanket statement that it is the best prep for all players, it certainly isn't for men and it doesn't seem to necessarily follow for the women of other countries, why for the US? Several members of the USWNT were undergrads, and underclassmen for that matter. They certainly proved they didn't need to complete a college career to play at the highest levels.
The players that can compete at the WNT level out of high school are few and far between, Heather O Reilly comes to mind, but Casey & Tobin as underclassmen still had two years of college behind them. I agree that mens college soccer is not and may never be the best place for professional prep. I can't speak of the womens game in Europe because I don't know how it is structured but one would think that they have access to some pretty good coaching & training.
I was also thinking of the Brazilians, who reportedly have little in the way of coaching and training resources until they get to the NT level. College may be the right route for most US women, I just objected to the blanket statement. Each player and each situation needs to be assessed on the players own merits and needs. I just wouldn;'t want to see college mandated in order for a US woman to become a pro. I know A LOT has happened in 20 years or so, but Mia and Lil were barely out of middle school when they debuted!
I don't think it should be mandated and I don't think that it is but how would you compare the game of twenty years ago to the game of today? USA used to handle the international teams fairly easily, not today. I did see a statement that if a player wanted to have their name placed in the draft and still had NCAA eligibility they should talk with their academic advisor and coach. I guess if players like Tobin and Casey wanted to enter the draft they could have.
I think I said the game had changed in 20 years, and I think I made a couple other points before that last throw away line, and I think you said "I don't think we will see the day that these young girls come out of high school & club right into the WPS." I guess maybe we have already seen that day and hope that future special talents don't have their opportunities limited to post-collegiate drafts.
18 year olds can be drafted, but they must have forfeited their college eligibility. I thought I read this somewhere and I finally found it "2. What requirements must a player meet in order to play in WPS? In order to play in WPS, a player must be 18 years old by March 1, 2009, have either completed or forfeited her NCAA eligibility and have completed and submitted the Prospective Player Form." It is at the following link: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/soccer_ektid2422.aspx So in reality, you only have to finish high school.
If a player is good enough to compete then they should have the right to play. It will be interesting to see how many of the college seniors, directly out of school, win starting jobs on their respective teams.
ding. ding. (except I think she was 19 but she started pro ball in Brazil in her early teens) I do hope that players are able to take advantage of educational opportunities, there are those for whom college is not a goal or an interest. I do hope the WPS manages to avoid eligibility rules that posit one track for American athletes where college is 'manditory' and another for non-citizens where it is not.
Hej friends! I am very excited for start of new women's league, maybe my daughter will play one day! I saw this on ESPN about WPS Draft http://twurl.nl/6gwnt1 What does everybody think? I am happy with Boston's players. A-Rod is amazing and I hope Breakers have Kelly Smith too! We would be the best team for sure! What about other team? Cheers! Ivica
But if you have a degree where you can make 60K to start instead of 30K to play soccer... A player would need to be able to make a Million minimum to forgo the education Plus, how many players right of HS can play at the level needed ?
I agree, not many hs players are ready physically or ability-wise to compete at this level. There are exceptions obviously. I look at it this way. Most of the top college players get top competition against other college players. Many play for W-League or WPSL teams in the spring and summer. A few play on the U-20 and U-23 teams. This gives them year-round competition at a reasonably good level. In the meantime, they can get their education. Almost all of these players, with the possible exception of the National Team players have other jobs. Many are coaches for colleges, several are coaching at the college they played for. And once their careers are over at age 30 or 35, what are they going to do without a degree. Maybe soccer camps, maybe coach, maybe announce, but most will have to move on to a second career totally apart from soccer. It is good that they are prepared. There is a reason why only four players on last year's national team had not graduated yet (Rodriguez, DiMartino, Heath, and Cheney). There just aren't that many young players that are ready to play at that level.