She will play this week and next and then she will retire to a coaching job. Look way down the bottom of this link. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48463-2003Apr17.html
That sucks. She'll go down as having scored one of the biggest goals in team history last year in the playoffs. Also, I interviewed her once at a World Cup party last year and she was really cool to talk to. So I'll miss her.
why on earth would she start the season and then leave 4 weeks later? i can only imagine that she had some sort of fight with those in power. it seems sort of unconsionable to take up a roster spot on a tiny squad and then go m.i.a. on week 5. i wonder if this has anything to do with golebiowski? but even that doesn't make sense since kelly is showing up this week. i also wonder if she is retiring from the mexican national team or maybe concentrating on qualifying for the wwc??? many questions that i suppose will be answered in the next couple of days in nsr stuff- this wnba thing really stinks, doesn't it?
I guess the Mexican federation also told her they didn't need her. Monica, you have played well for the Tri and the DC Blues. We hardly new ye!
Well, with Sandra Minnert and Kelly G. joining the team, someone was going to be shown the door. I think Mo's minutes were going to dwindle further, and since few of these players are making any money in this league, if you have a chance to better yourself, you take it... Hopefully, this ass't coach position will lead to something bigger and better.
If Bai Jie isn't coming back for 2003, no one had to be shown the door when Minnert came. Maybe Jim told her she wasn't in his plans at this point and was fine with her looking for another opportunity. What does this mean for Monica, Mexico, and WC 03? Is she retiring as a player altogether for this coaching gig? Was it her not being in Mexico's plans, not Freedom's, that prompted this move? (though that's no excuse for abandoning a club team). If she's taking up her 'duties' at Pitt in May it should be no WC for her as well. If Monica simply did this on her own, thanks for nothing Mo, we set our roster with the understanding you would be playing in 2003, waiving Ann Cook instead of you was a tremendous show of faith by the team in you (I thought the team should have waived Gerardo and kept Cook anyway), and now you leave WF hanging. There may be extenuating circumstances, perhaps we're persuing someone else and Mo was simply told the reality of the situation, but if this was prompted on her own she shouldn't expect any cheers on the 26th. Interested in hearing the real story.
Why we waived Cook instead of Monica I'll never know. This doesn't make sense. I agree with whomever said it's inconsiderate of her to take up a roste spot if she knew she was going to retire. what's Cook status with SJ? Starter, bench warmer?
One other possibility I forgot to mention (but have seen suggested elsewhere), this could be the start of rats jumping off a sinking ship - do the players know this is probably the last year and are securing jobs while they can?
Ann Cook reportedly played the entire scrimmage against the U21 team last weekend. She is on the full CyberRays roster (not the reserves). I expect she'll see playing time over the course of the season. She'll most likely come in as a sub, though she's capable of starting if the need arises. It's a shame about Gerardo, but we San Jose fans are really happy to have Cookie back
Personnel Issues Mount For Undefeated Freedom http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52852-2003Apr18.html "The timing [for the Freedom] was a little bad, but I think I'm ready to make this transition and move on. The opportunity was just right for me," Gerardo said. "Physically and mentally I could be playing, but I don't want to drag myself out there for years to come if my heart isn't all there." Gabarra said he had noticed a slight change in Gerardo's demeanor as she finalized her arrangements and waited to tell the team, but that her work habits remained good and that he supported her decision. "I was a little surprised, and obviously it puts us in a tough spot because we lose a player, but we have to think about what's right for her," Gabarra said. "Players get to the point in their careers where they see an opportunity to get where they want to be in a couple of years and it's too good to pass up." Gabarra likely will use one of his reserve players to fill the vacant roster spot until German defender Sandra Minnert arrives in June. Gerardo, 26, also plays for the Mexican women's national team, which is in the final stages of qualifying for this fall's Women's World Cup. Gerardo, a dual citizen, said she has not been in touch with Mexican officials but cannot foresee staying in top playing shape while working to revitalize Pitt's moribund program. She played in the 1999 World Cup in the United States... "It was great to have a winning season last year and I won't forget any of the girls I've played with and the friends I've developed. There's nothing bad to say about my experience," Gerardo said. "I really don't know how to explain my decision. In my soul I feel it's my time."