A post match reflection...

It was tough watching the Sol lose in the championship game.

I was working the game, but chose not to work from the press box. Mostly, so I could enjoy it with my family in the suite below, but also because I wanted to be able to cheer at the appropriate moments.

They say there is no clapping in the press box, the press box is neutral.

They don't say anything about "no heartbreak", though.

You can check the media guides. Not in there.

So, the first season has come to an end. And having a few days to reflect on it all after the final. I just have to say: Wow. What a season!

At the time, it sure felt like the Sol's amazing season came crashing down when that final wistle blew on saturday. But they still gave us a great show this year. From the inaugural game to the last kick, and nothing will take that away. And sure, there's controversy over the red card. Both sides feeling pretty passionate and presenting their cases. "She pushed her!". "She was just trying to slip past her!". "She wasn't the last defender!" And so on. But in the end... that's the call that was made.

That's soccer.

Throughout the history of the game there have been controversial calls. And there always will be. Sometimes they go in your favor and sometimes they don't.

As a Sol staffer, and fan, it hurt to see them down on the field in tears. It hurt to hear that fans were in stands in tears as well. But you just cannot deny the amazing Sky Blue story.

As Commissioner Antonucci said when the post-season format was announced "To win the league title means either a great season performance capped by a final game victory or an incredible run of play in the post-season to overcome the odds. I like those storylines."

Then, there it was. The storyline: A team faced with so many hardships and setbacks, pulled off such an unbelievable underdog storybook ending. Rising from the bottom of the ranks in the regular season, then scrapping it out in the playoffs to win those three games back to back with only a few days rest in between. With Christie Rampone stepping up and being the leader the team needed in it's most desperate hour.

Wow.

And that's soccer, too.

It's frustrating. And it's beautiful. And it's thrilling. And it's dramatic. And the WPS has shown that on any given day, any team... any team... can beat any other team. And when you sit down to watch a game, you know: you are in for something special. Something unique.

After the game ended, the song "Good Riddance (Time of your life)" by Green Day began to play through the speakers of the Home Depot Center. What a perfect choice of music. Days later, I still find myself humming the tune as I walk down the halls.

"It's something unpredictable,
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."

I hope you had the time of your life.