The Washington Freedom: An Inside Look

By Becky Sauerbrunn

As our inaugural season draws to an end, I realize that it has taken me over four months to get to know my Freedom teammates. It is not because I am completely oblivious to others that it has taken me this long. I believe it takes a series of ups and downs to truly understand who a person is, and a soccer season is a perfect environment to facilitate this. As any true Freedom fan knows, we have had our share of ups and downs this season. We are in a playoff battle at the moment, needing to win most if not all of our remaining four games to win a playoff spot. I have witnessed the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly this season and I want to share with whoever wants to listen what types of people we have on this team.

#8 Sonia Bompastor – Yes, she's French. A slight language barrier has led to numerous hilarious situations such as the time she attempted to ask someone to stop looking at her but actually said, ‘Take off your eyes!” English is a tricky language. But that aside, Sonia is a very playful and humorous person. Her laughter has become part of the soundtrack in our locker room. Sonia on the field is another matter. Her determination intimidated many at first. She will tell you what she wants from you and will let you know when you make a mistake. Her animated movements, often misinterpreted as frustration toward her teammates, is usually a show of frustration at her own mistakes. I have learned a lot of swear words from her.

#15 Kristin DeDycker – My host family gave me some free tickets to a Taylor Swift concert earlier this season and I asked Kristin if she wanted to go. In a crowd of screaming and dancing teenage fans, Kristin and I sat and silently watched the show. That was when I realized I really liked Kristin. Her subtle sarcasm is really enjoyable if you are aware enough to listen for it. She is always someone you can go and talk to. She joined the Freedom as one of a few players who played in the WUSA. Her experience shows on the field and especially in training. Day in and day out she works hard and often goes out early to work on parts of her game. She does what the coaches ask of her and she does it to the best of her ability.

#7 Parrissa Eyorokon or ‘P’ – There are people who say nothing when they feel they have nothing relevant to say and there are people who talk to talk. P is of the latter group of people and I believe she would avidly agree with me. My first impression of P was, “Wow, she’s a talker,” and I initially thought it was because she was nervous and with a new team…but then she never stopped. And that’s why you have to love her. She is unstoppable and unapologetic. She plays that way as well. She gets the ball, she makes a decision, and then she goes for it whether she should or not. Some of her goals during training have been the best I’ve seen this season.

#3 Jill Gilbeau – Jill tells it like it is. No sugarcoating, no gold lining, only the cold hard truth. If I really want to know how I played during a game I ask her. She has a quiet confidence about her that few people possess, but more people should have. She takes everything in stride. Jill was initially labeled as the girly girl of the team, a title she vehemently denied. Her uncanny ability to get people to buy her drinks makes her the ultimate wing-woman, and the fact that she willingly donates those drinks to the rest of us only endears her more to our hearts.

#14 Sarah Huffman ‘Huffy’ – I’ve known Huffy for at least five years and I consider myself lucky for having known her that long. She is the type of player every team needs to succeed. Although her role changed early in the season when she suffered a knee injury, her presence is always around. Her intensity, whether it be with her rehab or when talking to the team, is contagious. She unashamedly shows you her feelings. This intensity has got her in trouble in the past, especially with refs. She demands a lot from herself and her team and although it may come off a bit harsh, Huf only has your best interests at heart. She’s the type of player you don’t want to let down.

#11 Emily Janss ‘Janssy’ – I love her humor. The side comments I hear her make during training always make me laugh. She says the things everyone else is afraid to say but everyone wants to hear. I respect Janssy for how she has handled this season. She works hard no matter where she is put on the field. She is a tenacious and smart player. One of my favorite memories this season was with Janssy when we were running cones. Why would running cones be a good memory? Janssy and I were bringing up the rear and every time we cut at that last cone we would turn to each other and grimace, thinking to ourselves ‘at least we are together in this.’

#24 Christen Karniski – I should mention that people call her ‘CK’ on the field, but she doesn’t actually like that nickname. She would only tell this to a few teammates during a lengthy vent session we had one day at her host family’s house. She’s too nice otherwise. Christen really is one of the nicest people I have ever met. Not a lot of fans know that Christen works part time in the Freedom offices doing a plethora of tasks (one task being to remind me every time I need to write my blog). You could never tell that Christen puts in more hours at work than the rest of us. She always works hard and has an amazing attitude. We’re lucky to have someone like her on the team.

#26 Madison Keller – She is definitely the quiet one on the team. She silently takes care of business. The thing I admire most about her is that she knows her style of soccer and she plays that way. She doesn’t try too much and she doesn’t do too little. Because of this I would say she is one of the more consistent players on our team. Jim constantly says we need to know our personal limits as soccer players and play within them if we are too succeed as a whole. Mad is a perfect example of that.

#27 Ali Krieger – Kriegs is on loan to us from FC Frankfurt in Germany. She had the courage to leave behind American soccer (not to mention her friends and family) to play professionally elsewhere. She told me that playing in Germany has completely changed her life for the better. Ali has done extremely well for herself over there and she serves as an example of what players should strive to achieve if playing internationally. Not many people know she is coming back from a broken foot. Her first games back were played with the Freedom and what’s amazing is that you could never tell.

#6 Lori Lindsey – She is freaking hilarious. She can laugh or joke about anything. She is completely shameless with her humor. The source of most people’s laughter is Lori. On the field she becomes a little more serious, especially if the team is not playing well. Give her a bad ball, you’ll know about it. She can be very demanding when it comes down to it, be it yelling or her body language. You could think she hates you, but when training or the game is over you’re best friends again. That’s just how Lori rolls.

#5 Joanna Lohman – Jo never feels like she trains enough. When all the rest of us are exhausted after a difficult training session and are leaving the field, you can always look back and see Jo doing extra work. I absolutely hate marking Jo in the box because she is fearless. She doesn’t care who she runs in to or how much it will hurt as long as the ball goes into the back of the net. Jo is an amazing people person. She has more connections in the DC area than most politicians and she uses these connections to get the rest of us into the trendiest clubs.

#9 Allie Long – She is quite the character. She was twenty minutes late for practice once. You’re probably thinking that twenty minutes isn’t too bad, but when you factor in the team requirement that everyone be at least thirty minutes early to training then it gets slightly more serious. Maybe you’re also thinking everyone gets a ‘get out of jail free card,’ but Al used her card up long ago. Despite the constant tardiness, you can’t not love her. She is goofy and crazy and you just have to laugh and say “well, that’s Allie for you.”

#18 Erin McLeod – She is the stereotypical keeper—slightly off her rocker and the absolute life of the party. I once watched her get nailed in the face by a close-range shot and start screaming, “Yes! That feels awesome!” Totally unfazed, she then proceeded to walk over to the sideline only because her nose was bleeding. She is an unbelievable keeper. Her reactions are so quick and her movements are so decisive. But what’s best about Erin is her attitude. Her enthusiasm and love of soccer makes everyone play that much harder.

#19 Rebecca Moros ‘Becca’ – Becca has a brilliant soccer mind. We can sit for hours and just talk about soccer because she understands the game so well. We watched an old Manchester United game on a flight once to one of our away games and that was when I realized that Bec and I were kindred soccer spirits. No one can ever question Becca’s work ethic. She is constantly doing extra training and lifting sessions because she wants to become better. Complacency will never be an issue for this girl. If I need to talk about anything, soccer-related or not, I go to Becca.

#10 Homare Sawa – I have never met a more technically sound player in all my life. This girl can do anything and she makes it look simple. She is also very helpful on the field. She talks to you when she sees something that you did not. There is hardly any language barrier because Sawa speaks amazing English. She doesn’t think so, but then again, Sawa never takes a compliment. She is extremely humble. She could afford to be the most arrogant S.O.B. out there because she can actually back it up. She is one of the players that I am really happy I got to know this season.

#1 Briana Scurry – Bri is just an amazing person. She has accomplished so much in her life and still aspires for more. You could never tell that she is one of the oldest players in the WPS. She is still agile and quick. I think Bri’s most dominant attribute, however, is her leadership. She organizes and demands the most out of every player that is in front of her. Although she is injured right now, she takes the time to talk to players individually to let them know things they can do to become better. To me, Bri has been very helpful and supportive and I can’t thank her enough for it.

#2 Sarah Senty – I really like playing next to Senty in the backline. She is composed on the ball and able to break pressure so easily. I always think a sign of a good player is someone who can make the players around them better. Senty does this. Off the field, she is a goofball. Her laughter is contagious and the things that come out of her mouth are priceless (and often R rated). She gives off this impression that soccer is just something she happens to do and do well but, when it comes down to it, you know she cares.

#21 Alex Singer – The team recently has joked that Singer gives the stink eye. It’s true; her Juno-esque facial expression can be seen predominantly on the playing field. But like the character referred to in the movie, Singer’s stink eye is not directed at any one person…it’s just something she does absentmindedly. Crazy and out of control at times, laid back and subdued at others, Singer keeps you on your toes. It’s like that on the field, too. One moment you think you have her and the next you’re being nutmegged and laughed at.

#61 Kati Jo Spisak ‘KJ’ – She is the glue that holds the team together. She is the official ice-breaker when it comes to tense times. Leave it to her to find some hilarious and often inappropriate way to make everyone laugh. Off the field she is the class clown. On the field she is nothing but business. Having KJ yell at you five minutes after she was joking with you can throw anyone for a loop. I’ve been a victim, so has many other of her defenders. She demands the absolute best out of you and gets pretty peeved when you don’t deliver that.

#17 Lisa De Vanna – Initially, Lisa had a few problems fitting in with the team. She tends to get frustrated with herself and that caused the team to get frustrated with her. I think it took a compromise half way through the season between Lisa and the team to get where our team chemistry is today. Lisa laughs more now…well, it’s actually more of a cackle, and the team tries to stay positive when she gets upset with herself. I believe her game and the team’s game has hugely benefited from this compromise because Lisa on a good day is unstoppable.

#20 Abby Wambach – She has a lot of responsibility and she handles everything with class. As one of the most recognizable faces of the WPS she is constantly asked to make appearances, take pictures, sign autographs, etc. She understands that all of this is necessary if we want the league to survive so she puts on a happy face and gets the job done. Her intensity day in and day out is truly remarkable. She never hides at training, her errors and her successes are always out there to see so we all can learn from them.

#4 Cat Whitehill – Cat is the liaison between the team and the coaches. When we’re tired after a hard week of training and need an extra day of rest, Cat is the person to go to. She fearlessly tells whomever what needs to be done in order for the team to be successful. Whether it be off the field or on you can always count on Cat to tell you how it is. I’ve been very fortunate to play next to her this entire season and I have learned a lot about what it takes to be a leader.