roster changes

No big surprise there. I thought they were a little light at forward anyway. With Kai and Walsh nursing injuries, and O'Reilly off with the Nats, they had to do something. I was kind of surprised Sesselmann hadn't wound up on a roster when Chicago cut her. Too bad for Jenny Hammond.

 

lol. You have to admit that it was a little amusing reading the headline for your new player. "Sky Blue FC Adds Hooker to Roster."

http://soccer365.com/womens_professional_league/story_24609000338.php

 

"Athletica Head Coach and General Manager Jorge Barcellos announced today that Saint Louis Athletica and Sky Blue FC of the new Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league have reached an agreement on a trade. Saint Louis Athletica will send forward Kerri Hanks, midfielder Francielle, and the rights to Brazil’s Renata Costa to Sky Blue FC in exchange for forward Sarah Walsh, the rights to Brazilian midfielder Ester, and conditional draft picks."

 

Hanks may be a better fit with this team. They have a former Notre Damer as Head Coach and some former ND players as well and as weird as this may sound she may even fit in with the former UNC players on the team since ND and UNC have played each other several times during Hanks' ND career. As a long time follower of the womens game including college, I have always felt that UNC and ND were each other's ying and yang although IMO, Waldrum and Dorrance are fairly similar in their systems, high pressure, lots of subs, how they attack, etc.
I think she'll fit with Sky Blue FC a lot better then with Athletica.

 

One positive thing to note on Hanks. Tom Timmerman was writing a piece on Hanks for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this weekend (unfortunately this kind of ruined that). But anyhow, he said he noticed how much happier Hanks had seemed the last week and he asked Tina Ellertson if she was more cheerful. Ellertson responded that it didn't change anything, that she always has always been upbeat for the whole season. Also mentioned in the story was how Hanks was probably one of closest to Ellertson little daughters, so they will miss her.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/free-kicks/free-kicks/2009/06/why-the-trade/

 

What must Sarah Walsh be thinking...she had settled in Sky Blue & lived with her Australian teammate McCallum & they spoke of their chemistry on the field...DO players get asked if they want to leave, can they decline the offer?

I understood the LA Sol trades to Athletica as the players were not getting a game but the Walsh trade i don't understand at all. Hanks yes thats fine.

 

I don't think they have a choice. They are owned by the team. Like other American sports the teams are at liberty to trade players as they see fit. Very few players in American professional sports have a "no trade" clause in their contracts.

 

I like Walsh a lot, but she only played in 5 games, due to lingering injuries. I don't know if she was ever 100%. She hasn't been a factor in the team's resurgence, at least not on the field. She's very much a speed player, and I think Sky Blue has an abundance of speed in their attack. What they seemed to be lacking was a true finisher, and maybe Hanks will provide that. I'll admit I'm not a huge Hanks fan, but then I haven't seen her play that much. Maybe the change of scenery will do her good. If she can trail the play and convert some of the chances that the speed players provide, you know, the classic 'right place at the right time' goals, she'll be a welcome addition.

On the chemistry front, Rosana's been playing well, so maybe they thought that adding another Brazilian, Francielle, would help her even more. Since they rarely had both Aussies on the field at the same time, that chemistry wasn't happening. Then you've got the wild card of the unsigned Brazilians that were swapped. If Sky Blue can sign Renata Costa for next season, that could be a big addition. She's young, can either play in back or in the midfield, and is a goal-scorer. She's in Sweden and her contract expires at the end of the year.

 

In Texas we had a governor named Jim Hogg who named his daughter Ima, as in Ima Hogg. Hopefully Katie will exercise better judgment should she have a children of her own.

 

Well, you could go by her maiden name (Antongiovanni), but it's so freaking long, I can't pronounce it...and I'm Italian.

Hanks never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. She doesn't have great speed. But I know she can still be a good player. She finally got a great setup on Wednesday and buried it. Maybe this will turn it around for her.

As for Francielle, there is a lot of raw talent there. She makes some bad decisions as you might expect from an 19 year old and she occasionally will shy away from contact, but you could see that she has a lot of talent in the games I've seen her. But for goodness sake, don't put her at outside back. Jorge did that against Washington and I've never seen so many uncontested runs up her side of the field. She's a midfielder and is good with the ball at her feet and can look pretty good passing it around. That's her strength.

 

Shaner to Los Angeles for their 3rd round draft pick in 2010, posted on the WPS transaction page.

 

Lets hope Hanks can fit in and contribute. NJ is in need of finishers. Of course Rampone, O'Reilly and Kai always come to play. I have been to 5 home games and was impressed with Dowling. She should get a shot on the WNT. Kacey White has some nice ball handling skills but needs to finish. Canada has a gem in Kelly Parker and Sitch needs to be on the field for the full 90. Cori Alexander was kicking balls around at the last game. So far no complaints with Coach Lindsey and I like her style.

 

Waht other backs do they have cause Asante will be missing some games due to the Euros. I don't know why they let Shaner go...unless Dowling will move infield i guess but then who to play RB...stich?

 

Sitch played back early in the season. Trying to remember if that was for Rampone when she was out. Actually, I think that is Sitch's first position, but don't know if she's normally inside or outside.

Francielle played back for one game against Washington, so she could in an emergency, but I wouldn't recommend it. She didn't have a good game back there at all. But with Shaner waived, I think Sky Blue is only at 21 players, so they could add somebody today or make a trade.

 

It's considered a trade, isn't it? Not a waiver...

Sitch played right back and Dowling moved to center back when Rampone was hurt. I would expect we'll see the same thing when Asante leaves for the Euros.

I hope the trade works out for Shaner. She's one I could see winding up as a starter in Philly or Atlanta next year, if Franko returns to LA.

 

That's correct. Sorry.

I noticed that Kai is listed as unavailable on the WPS roster report. That means Hanks might be starting right out of the blocks. Sky Blue is really thin at forward right now.

 

Wow, Shaner finally gets a chance to play and winds up with a badly broken leg. What a shame. Hope she's ready in time for next season.