Women's Professional Soccer Returns
Photo by Ingorrr via Flickr
A little over 5 years since the first attempt at a women's soccer league -- WUSA -- failed to take hold in the States, a new attempt at making it a permanent fixture on the American sports scene will commence. The new Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league begins play at the Home Depot Center this afternoon and will feature Los Angeles Sol and D.C. Freedom in its inaugural match.
Los Angeles is led by Brazilian superstar Marta Vieira da Silva, better known as Marta. A three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta brings a wealth of experience and talent to the team, a fact one might find difficult to believe considering she is only 23 years old. She is also one of the players that WPS will lean on heavily in order to promote the sport in the U.S., and in turn, better address some of the faults that caused WUSA to fold. Joining Marta is Southern California and U.S. Women's National Team veteran Shannon Boxx and Chinese Women's National Team standout Han Duan.
The above mentioned trio makes the Sol a formidable team -- at least on paper. This afternoon's game will be the first opportunity to test the theory.
On the opposing side of the pitch, D.C. features Abby Wambach, who is arguably today's best American player. A strong and gifted player, Wambach has a knack for scoring goals which will serve the Freedom quite well. Unfortunately for D.C., Wambach was sidelined for several months due to an injury suffered just before the Beijing Olympics. She will undoubtedly need a little time to get back into the groove of things, but once she does, her presence will be felt throughout the league.
Regardless, today's match promises to be an entertaining one.
By the time that the women take the field, Chivas USA will have already settled their battle with F.C. Dallas. Chivas USA take on the hoops at noon in their first away game of the young MLS season. They will be looking to extend their success from their season opener a week ago Saturday and coincidentally join the surprising expansion side Sounders F.C. as the only clubs without any ties or losses. On the flip side, Dallas will try to right the ship by not allowing their season to begin with back-to-back home losses.
Aside from the psychological advantage Chivas USA will carry into the game, the other positive factor for the L.A. side is the timing. Playing Dallas this early in the season saves Chivas USA from the torture of having to play in the stifling summer heat of Frisco, Texas, taking a bit away from the home advantage factor. Despite these minor advantages, Dallas is a club that is traditionally strong on defense and physical, which should make for a hard fought match.
Lastly, although the Galaxy have a by week, midfielder Landon Donovan saw action last night with the U.S. Men's National Team, which also included Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan. The USMNT headed south to San Salvador for a match against their equals from El Salvador on a very busy day of World Cup Qualifiers. The spirited match ended in a 2 - 2 tie after the U.S. team rallied late in the game to erase the 2 - 0 deficit.
Game Details:
Los Angeles Sol
When: Sunday, March 29th.
Time: 3 PM
Where: Home Depot Center
TV: FSC
Chivas USA
When: Sunday, March 29th
Time: 12 PM
TV: Telefutura, FSN-PT
Radio: XEWW