Robert's Page

Arrrrrgh!

This was a fine day for women's soccer, but a bitter result for my home team.

I loved having the drama of a must-win game against the league's best team. For forty-five glorious minutes, Boston was going to pull it off.

For the fact that we did not, I blame the coach.

Usually I am very slow to criticize a coach. As a fan I cannot know what is going on at practices, or in the locker room, or on the bench. All the same: Boston had a viable, active offense in mid-season. Why didn't we… Continue

The Pride dominated the first half of play, completely outclassing the Breakers; but when Nobis and Smith came on for the Breakers, the tide turned completely. The Pride was lucky to survive the onslaught and come away with a tie.

In the first half, the Bay area team controlled the ball far better than did the Breakers. Boston didn't seem able to get the ball to Latham and Rodriguez up front almost at all. Boston's midfield seemed nonexistent. Kasey Moore played gamely, but seemed miscast as a… Continue

I saw this game with a young child who expired at halftime. I was only there for the first half, and I didn't see much of that. We spent most of our time at the snack bar. (For the record, the hot dogs and french fries are pretty good, the chicken is a bit spicy for a child, the cotton candy is enjoyable but too much for one, the popcorn is OK, the fried dough is not as tasty as it looks, and on a sunny day the ice cream is worth the money.)

In the first half, neither team played particularly w… Continue

Hope Solo -- who apparently is a naturally outspoken person -- criticized her national team teammate Abby Wambach for the foul which took Daniela out for the season. (The WPS highlight video has a very clear view of the play [at 2:00]; there is a discussion in the article here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=643837&sec=wps&root=wps&&cc=5901 )

"There was no… Continue

I am thrilled that the play of the keepers in the WPS is top-notch, absolutely across the board.

This is essential for the integrity of women's soccer. Each goal is crucial; they should be well-earned. Goals are what show up on highlights. In the past, every time a soft long-range shot snuck in under the crossbar because the keeper couldn't reach that high, the reputation of women's soccer suffered. If goals can be scored because the keeper can't play, why watch at all?

All of the keepers in t… Continue