you know based on the 'views' we have a phenomenal amount of lurkers but almost no posting on big soccer. If you are like me I find myself nervously excited about the upcoming season though not one to woof. We were just a few players (and a few injuries) from greatness last year and it seems like we picked up the right pieces. pre-season buzz has been solid from the players on the boards and twitter. its hard to get too cocky though given all the upgrades on the other teams. That said I am cautiously optimistic that we can start very strong on the road against an overconfident sky blue squad. this post though was to get all us lurkers up with a team on WPS Fantasy. I realized that my team can join as many groups as it likes and wanted to encourage us to jump in at least to: 'Chicago Red Stars Fans' group - just click C and you'll find it in the list when you go to 'join'. I also see one for the supporters group 'Chicago Red Stars L134' and I'm sure they welcome the joiners. If i get a bit cheekier I may join the 'CRS Staff and Owners' - they left it public so why not compete against the insiders? Anyway looks like a great season -- we all need to be vocal and get out and support this team. See you on April 17?
I tend not to spend too much time in the CRS big soccer section, because usually there is a daily post consisting of just a review of news from all teams (which I've usually already read through my WPS google alert). Perhaps if those posts could be put in the same section (instead of a new post every day) people would be more inclined to check out and participate in this forum?
I'm expecting it to get busier.. hopefully once the season begins? I, too, am nervous... especially after reading so many people still expecting our team to finish near the bottom. I think we have one of the most balanced teams in the league.. and the chemistry seems to be there, unlike last year. I think they will go through growing pains the first week or two, but once Formiga arrives, and Carney and Rapinoe are 100%, I think we'll do great. Defense wins championships, so hopefully not having those three players this weekend wont affect us too badly. We got rid of Queen Inconsistent that was smack-dab in the middle of our lineup. I think just that alone, along with Markgraf and Engen in the center on D, make our team so much better.
I'm guilty of being one of those countless "lurkers"...however, once the season begins, I plan on posting. I'm very excited to see how our season plays out, because I think everyone else is underestimating us. With bright, young talent, and good chemistry, I think we can rival any team in the WPS. I also joined the fantasy group for CRS Fans...can't wait for the real competition to begin!
I really hope to surprise people this season. Everyone is doubting us. Chicago is the big underdog, which will bode well I think. I really expect Carney to have a big impact this season. She had a fantastic European Championships with 2 goals and led the tournament with 4 assists. Cristiane, too, I think will have a an even better year than last year. She did very well in preseason and in the offseason she scored 27 goals for Santos FC in only around 15 games - outscoring even Marta. People still have the conception that we'll be easy to be scored on. I'm really hoping we can prove tomorrow that our team is vastly different than last year.
We will find out tomorrow how much the red stars have improved. Who is going to the Globe pub for the watch party?I will be there.