The Freedom fail to beat Boston

Sorry for the lengthy wait. I had finals and I only got around to watching the game yesterday. All in all, a rather tepid performance from the Freedom that drops them into 3rd place. The standings from 2nd all through 7th are very tight and the Freedom need to get back to winning ways in order to ensure a playoff spot (top 4 finish). Abby Wambach was on the bench after her injury, while Allie Long was missing all together because of a suspected broken toe. The back 5 were the same, while DeDycker and Gilbeau came into the midfield. Moros continued up top with De Vanna.

It started off okay for the Freedom. Homare Sawa fired over from a corner kick in the 10th minute, but after that, it was really all Boston. The runs from the forward players, particularly De Vanna, were causing some problems, but there wasn't enough firepower really, and shots on goal were lacking. Kelly Smith started very brightly, testing McLeod a few times in the first half an hour. McLeod, as she has been doing, came up huge, saving well from Smith and Amy Rodriguez. Boston was possessing the ball much better than the Freedom and the Freedom could not seem to get much going in the way of the attack. Possession was given away far too cheaply. The goal for Boston came in the 37th minute. A cross from Heather Mitts towards the back post was headed across the goalmouth and in by Christine Latham. I really think that this could have been prevented. I'm not sure if McLeod rushed out, or if the defender, I think Whitehill, should have been on the line. In no way should Latham have won that header, nor should she have scored from such an angle. But credit to her, I suppose. McLeod had another key save to keep the game close from another Amy Rodriguez shot about 5 minutes into the second half. Sawa came very close to tying it with a shot in the 90th minute that almost dropped over the line, but was quickly grabbed by the Boston keeper. A final score of 1-0 was enough to send Boston up to second.

Overall, I think just a relatively tepid game in general. But the Freedom did not look good, and this concerns me. I think this game proves the value of Abby Wambach. Although she has not been scoring recently, she draws so much attention from opposing defenses and she manages to create chances for other players. De Vanna has her speed, but she didn't have many opportunities. After a good few games, Rebecca Moros was quiet and inconspicuous. Sawa actually seemed to be more involved going forward in the absence of Long and with DeDycker holding. Jill GIlbeau didn't look quite comfortable in the midfield.

I still maintain that Sonia Bompastor, although a natural left back supposedly, should be playing up the pitch. Her presence in the first half of the season while she was playing midfield (and forward) greatly contributed to the Freedom's charge up the table. She scores goals, she can pass and she tracks back and I think her ball winning and possessing is missed when she is playing left back. The midfielders could not compete against the midfield of Boston, and in particular Kelly Smith, who seems to be returning to form. I just realized that I did not mention Lori Lindsey once so far, and that just goes to show you. She needs to have a big game. I think that with Sawa and Lindsey, the Freedom midfield should be able to compete with any team in the league, but for some reason, things weren't clicking this game. I think moving Bompastor back to midfield might be the key.

I am also awaiting news on Allie Long, because just as she was stepping up her game, she gets injured. I also want to see more goals still. De Vanna and Wambach need to start scoring. The midfield also needs to start possessing the ball, and all together, the team needs to work on their transitions and their final passes. De Vanna can't always make something out of nothing. Hopefully, this is just a blip and the team will get back to winning ways. The next game is Wednesday in Chicago, followed by the home game against LA on July 5th! See you all then!

Oh yeah, and in other news, the All Star game will be in St. Louis against Marta, Frisk and Ostberg's former club Umea of Sweden. Also, there are 2 expansion teams which I'm sure you are up to date on, most recently the Atlanta Beat.

GO FREEDOM! Get back to winning ways, ladies, and take back second place!

-Robyn

PS-Old pictures are up (on OleOle of course!)
http://www.oleole.com/blogs/washingtonfreedom/posts/the-freedom-fail-to-beat-boston