*just like to Of course, Cheney just wants to be in Sixers country, rather than play for an exhibition team, that newsouth hypes.
Wow, all you have to do is score two goals in a season and you become an icon? By those standards, they'll make Kai and Vero co-mayors of Philadelphia. In all seriousness, this team should be really strong because it has the continuity of having virtually all of its starters back, plus adding two top FA in Cheney and Chalup, having the best draft Riley's had in three years and being well-positioned to lose players during the Olympics .
Kai IS the current face of the franchise, which is why I made such a rebuttal at end of last season when the bigsoccer bloggers tried to make a claim that she was being swept under the rug by the team and the league. Such claims were predicated on nothing! Arod is an icon, too. Not for the (whatever number of) goals scored in this past season, but for being one of the Philly originals, along with Magnusdottir, and for her presence in clubhouse as a national team member, and her performance in the playoff runs both years has been stellar. Let's face it, she sells tickets. And she contributed more on the field than her numbers indicate, despite for her limited starts. Vero was league MVP. That doesn't mean she has trumped Arod's status. She had a great year. She got a nickname and a lot of accolades. She's still the third most recognizable face on the team.
she had an off season just like most of the WC players. she's the MAIN fixture in riley's over the top offense. how you figure she isnt? that being said, she is their kelly smith or sinclair/marta. she's the national teamer i see going back to a club vs the others like cheney who should jump on the magicjack boat for a condo and a good check. vero had a nice little run while sinclair was gone, but was MIA in the playoffs, esp WNY when they needed her and A-rod and Kai carried the team against WNY. hence, when i think about philly, i think of a-rod, not vero, not kai, not demartino, etc, etc, etc.
I don't know why anyone would want to play for an exhibition team rather than a WPS team, newsouth. But I guess alot rides on who magicJack brings in as a coach. And I already stated the benefits of Cheney coming to Philly... She's a Sixers fan! Can't wait for the official Welcome to Lauren Cheney! PS I get spammed by magicjack a lot lately, every day another piece of spam telling me to buy magicjack plus. So I will root against them twice as loud this fall when they come back to PPL Park. They are enemy #1, but bigsoccer doesn't recognize their club status, so I can't select them for my profile.
An icon is someone revered for unbelievable contributions or performance over a period of time. So the problem is your use of that word to describe ANY women' soccer player in Philadelphia. It's hyperbole on your part. The only woman's player that most people know in Philly is Heather Mitts due to her time with the Charge, her marriage to AJ Feeley and her work on local TV. And she's not even on the team anymore and is certainly not an icon. In general, there are only a few women's players who are icons— Mia Hamm, Abby and Hope Solo would qualify for the U.S. and your beloved Marta as well. In Philadelphia, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Reggie White, Brian Dawkins, Wilt Chamberlin and Dr. J are examples of icons. But ARod— not quite icon status yet, even amongst local soccer fans. Sebastian LeToux has become a cult hero amongst Union fans but even he would not be called an icon. That said, ARod certainly is one of the more popular players on the team and was their best player in 2010 before she was famously "ruined" in 2011. Vero was their best player last year. BTW, who do you think helped create all those scoring chances for Kai and ARod last year? Vero. You can keep crapping on her all you want to prop up ARod, Sinclair and Marta but it doesn't change the fact that she carried the team all year and was the focus of defensive attention from opponents in the playoffs. BTW, explain how Kai helped carry the team in the WNY final? She subbed out in the 73rd minute after being injured in the first half and really did nothing of note in that particular game. Had a great season but didn't do much in that game. So again, another weak attempt on your part to marginalize Vero's contributions to the team and league last season. And finally, give it up with Cheney. She's coming to Philly. BTW, her boyfriend is a millionaire who probably lives in a place nicer than any of Borislow's condos. She and ARod are good buds and will make a good combo on the field this year.
In case any of you missed it, here is a story from Friday's Inquirer about a recent combine the Independence held last week. It looks like the team is still shopping for a third keeper. I did not know that the Lasalle U head coach serves as one of Riley's assistant coaches. http://articles.philly.com/2012-01-27/sports/30670834_1_independence-lori-chalupny-amy-rodriguez