Since it's in Oregon, and the OSU-Oregon football rivalry game is actually called The Civil War. Plus it's North vs. South This won't cause a pinprick of interest outside of the participants (except those in FCM, that is ;-)) and the game is the redefinition of standings-irrelevant. But it deserves your time and opinions here, since it will be the inaugural of what we all hope will be a fistful of ASG's in the years to come. It's an audition of sorts for Portland itself to see whether its sports fans will support an expansion team down the road. It has become, as proven today by the national team callups to the Nike Women's Cup, one last opportunity for those on the outside looking in to show the coach of our national team just how much of a nimrod she is. A breakdown, then, of what should be a most entertaining game: Goalie: Luckenbill vs. Moore: Moore is tops among all WUSA netminders in career GAA and winning percentage, 2nd in career save percentage and 3rd in wins. The X-factor here is how much anger Moore can channel into determination to keep the South off the board for the 45 minutes she'll be out there. She has, especially after today, a right to carry a chip on her shoulder (WUSA Goalie of the Year snub and the Global XI debacle). Motivation when you feel you've been disrespected can be a pretty powerful ally. South forwards (Hamm, MacMillan, Wambach) v. North defense (T & B of the TIMBer Line, Chastain): Brandi played defense only partially, splitting between there and the middle. Nevertheless, they can withstand, I think what the South can toss at them moreso than the South D can vs. the North front three. The loss of Prinz will be a significant hit for the South. Danielle Fotopolous, then? Nope; injured. Plus the North's 'Answer' awaits on the bench (E-I). South defense (Slaton, Grubb, Fawcett) v. North forwards (Pichon, Milbrett, Katia): Does the phrase 'Don't bring a knife to a gunfight?' ring a bell? What could unfold here will not be for the faint of heart, especially with a line which has scored 39 goals between them. Not even Carrie Moore will be able to stop the bleeding. South (Riise, Sawa, Roberts, Foudy) v. North (Lilly, Sissi, Fair, Venturini-Hoch) midfield: The one place where the South does have an edge. Meinert, I suspect, will come in at the middle, and probably for Venturini-Hoch (since I foresee the North trio going the full 90) if things go a bit sour. I can't help but believe V-H got the start on her name value alone. The problem is, the best midfielders the North have are unavailable due to other commitments (Lihong for the Asian Games) and injury (Tullock and Smith). I'm not sold on Hucles that much; Janss would have been a better option, IMO. But Coach K's hands were semi-tied on this one. Prediction: Krikorian has had McD's number (5-1 Charge vs. Carolina) and will play to win, and it it's entertaining to the audience, so much the better. South has the better bench here slightly. But the North has the better starters up front and in the back. Strength in numbers, and with goals to burn. So let's go with the North, 7-2. Paul (Milbrett hat trick, Pichon 2, Lilly and Katia vs. Hamm and Hooper).
To talk about the North's offensive power and not mention having Maren Meinert on the bench is a major oversight. Maren's eyes lit up with joy last Saturday when she was talking about the All-Star game. Look for her to bring the A-game. But the North is starting a "defense" with Sobrero and Chastain. Nurse, tourniquet, STAT. I'd be surprised if both teams didn't score more than 5 each.
But Sobs will be a second-half entry and you've got Benson and Tietjen out there and it's going to be difficult for the south to score. I don't think Coach K had her in mind, since DiCicco was involved in the selections. I wasn't slighting Meinert, at least I didn't think I was. I think she'll be the first substitution for the North. I'd like to see an all-Charge back line at some point later on in the game, but you know the powers that be will try to keep Brandi in there as long as they can, even though she's playing with a heavy heart... Paul