FCGP will be missing Camille Abily for this game (and the next game), but she should be back in plenty of time to prepare for the WPS Championship Game on Sept 26. If rumors are to be believed, that game will be her final appearance in WPS, so don't miss the chance to see her play one more time. Everyone else (with the exception of third keeper Erin Guthrie) will be available for FCGP. On the Boston side, Kelly Smith has not gone back to England yet, so she'll be available and Boston will be at essentially full strength. It's a little difficult to guess what lineup FCGP will play in this one. Will they play their strongest available team to keep the momentum going? Or will they switch things around to avoid showing Boston what they'll do in the final? For me, the biggest questions that have to be answered before the final are: 1. O'Hara or Milbrett? 2. Edwards or Dew? 3. Can Abily play the whole game at full speed? Actually, Montoya better have already figured out #3 by now, since Abily will not be able to play in a WPS game until the final. Two games ago, against Atlanta, she came on at half time and led the second-half slaughter with her classy passing. Last game, she went the full 90 and got an assist in stoppage time. My hunch is that they'll go with a 4-3-3 and play Boxx at attacking midfield. I think Milbrett will get the start but that O'Hara will come on either at half time or after an hour. I think Sinclair will be rested for one of the two remaining games, but I'll say she plays this time and sits out the Philly game next weekend. [LINEUP-4-3-3] Marta, Sinclair, Milbrett, Edwards, Boxx, Dew, Riley, Buehler, Chapman, Wilson, Barnhart [/LINEUP-4-3-3] Although technically this game does not mean anything, here are reasons FCGP might not want to lose: 1. A win or draw will allow them to break the WPS record for longest undefeated streak, a record (11 games) they currently share with the 2009 LA Sol. 2. A win will ensure that FCGP has a better regular season (on a points-per-game basis) than the Sol had last season. 3. A win or draw will ensure that FCGP's winning margin ahead of the 2nd place team is larger than the margin the Sol had last season. 4. A win will ensure that Boston does not get more points from the second half of the regular season (final 12 games) than FCGP. FCGP's large lead in the standings was built during the first half of the season when FCGP was playing well but Boston, umm, wasn't. But since then, the teams have been neck-and-neck as the hottest teams in WPS. 5. An FCGP loss would give Boston a psychological edge going into the playoffs, or at least take away the edge FCGP currently has over Boston. FCGP has beaten Boston all three times the teams have played this season, so there's no reason to start losing now. Much better to maintain an aura of invincibility.
Now I'm hearing that Montoya actually intends to rest the first string and play all the fringe players (Yokers, Tantillo, Graczyk, Bosio). So forget everything I said above about the lineup. All bets are off.
Be it nagging injury or whatever reason, overall this season Abily has underwhelmed. She has had some bright moments, but they have been few.
Certainly the first half, maybe even the first 2/3 of the season she wasn't really playing that well, but just in the last month or so I think she's been looking better. I think the issue with Abily is that she's a different kind of player than most of our other midfielders. She's not a ball-winner, and she's not a big defensive presence. So if the team doesn't have the ball, she can look kind of blah out there, maybe like a less athletic version of Becky Edwards. There was a time in the middle of the season when FCGP couldn't seem to hold any possession. They were still winning, mainly due to counter-attacks or Marta singlehandedly carrying the team, but Abily didn't really seem to be contributing much. But lately, the team has been doing a better job of keeping the ball, and I think that's where Abily really shines. When FCGP is trying to break down a packed defense, there is no one on the team who is better than Abily at holding the ball under pressure, switching the point of attack, or making the killer pass to create the goal-scoring chance. That's a dimension she brings to the team that we don't get from our other midfielders. Overall I guess I am disappointed to see her go -- assuming she does in fact go -- but not devastated. Assuming the league and team financial situation stays the same next season and we're able to use the salary room and international slots created by the departures of Gulbrandsen and Abily to bring in new players, we should be fine. It will be time to worry if financial constraints prevent us from bringing in players.