WPS: Saint Louis Athletica Shutting Down

Free Kicks blog @ STL Today

Official WPS statement

Goal.com

Fake Sigi investigates the Vaid brothers (I highly recommend, because it reads like True Crime.)

WPS says it thought Jeff Cooper was sole owner of Athletica

Athletica’s game this weekend versus Atlanta is all systems go. After that, it will likely be the end. Atlanta will not be playing a game this weekend, as there will not be a team to play against play the Tampa Bay Hellenic of the W-League this weekend.

WPS: Rumors Sell Like Peanuts, Popcorn, Cracker Jack

Pop Quiz!

Which is more likely?

Rumor #1: Jorge Barcellos has taken the Chicago Red Stars job.

Rumor #2: In order to stay afloat, Athletica will be playing all road games.

Rumor #3: The league will make an announcement about this tomorrow.

I think #3 is well out of the realm of possibility…

WPS: Hanging Out With Entitled Whores

So what most people are worried about this week in Women’s Professional Soccer Land:

1. The Chicago Red Stars needs a new coach. Emma Hayes was booted just now. I mean literally just now, because there wasn’t a peep about it to the unwashed masses over the weekend. If I didn’t love the Fighting Irish so much, I would encourage Marcia McDermott to hire someone to kidnap Randy Waldrum and make him the head coach of the Red Stars until Jack Bauer comes to the rescue.
2. Saint Louis Athletica might fold. I don’t care for Saint Louis as a team, and clearly their organization/ownership was generally shoddy, but it’s no good for the league at all no matter how much I wish it weren’t so. Already people are spreading rumors that a third WPS club is in trouble. If Ms. Marta is to blame, someone may have to storm the WPS headquarters in San Francisco and take hostages until we get sensible people into the business, or until Jack Bauer comes to the rescue again.
3. I suggest to the big whiners to carry out the strategy I outlined in #2. If they want answers that badly, then get them. Throwing snits in front of other people who have no say in the matter doesn’t help anything.
4. P.S. I don’t actually watch 24.

WPS: The League Office Throws A Snit

Or it least it sounded like a snit.

Statement: Today’s trade between Saint Louis Athletica and Sky Blue FC has not yet been approved by the league office…

This is in response to St. Louis local media reporting the waiving of Daniela by Saint Louis Athletica, the exchange of India Trotter and a future draft pick to Sky Blue FC, and Athletica receiving Anita Asante and the injured Nikki Washington in return, as you may read in detail here. To little old me, the reaction it sounds like the league office got its panties in a wad, reminding the league’s dear devoted fans that “it ain’t a trade until we approve it.”

So, dear league office — be upfront. You released those (rather huffy-sounding) tweets in order to protect yourself from the outraged Daniela fangirls. Am I right?

WPS: Dumping on Albertin Montoya

That FC Gold Pride underachieved last year is–well, the result of many things. One of which was Albertin Montoya’s hard head. Especially on the topic of exactly who was capable to play in WPS.

I remember, and rue the day, that Cristiane recorded the first hat trick in WPS for the Chicago Red Stars. By then Weimer was deep in her slump;  also, Dew did not suit up for that game and DiMartino stayed on the bench all game. And it wasn’t just that which irked me; the failure to pull a shaken Abegg from the field and then the presumption to start Sissi — Sissi! — of all people. I noted to a friend that Chicago was probably gobsmacked at Montoya’s stupidity, but of course, they were quite willing to take advantage of it.

Fast forward to 2010. With the acquisition of Marta, Abily, and a strong class of rookies, people were starting to warm up to Montoya again. The future suddenly looked golden (pardon the pun). Then the first game arrives and already Montoya goes and does a stupid thing: leaves Carrie Dew at home. And then Marta, O’Hara, and possibly Gulbrandsen are played in the wrong positions. And Saint Louis’ midfield makes FCGP pay. (Although, I take issue with the fans who think DiMartino did better with Saint Louis. Of course they won the game, and of course DiMartino was good. But DiMartino worked her heart out for FCGP and nobody noticed or cared because FCGP didn’t get results.)

So after the first loss, which feels like a continuation of all the losses FCGP suffered last season, the fans are left with the sickly realization that even with all the changes, nothing has really changed. Montoya is still the same idiot he ever was.

The season is long and things can happen, but just as long[-lasting] is Montoya’s stubbornness.

Welcome back to the bottom of the WPS, FC Gold Pride. We missed you. The cellar does get cold sometimes, but we make it work, don’t we? We always do. Group Hug! We have each other and that’s all that matters!

Last place in the standings, but first in all the hearts of your frustrated, restless, angry fans. And that’s more than what Los Angeles (may it rest in peace until the league tries to resurrect it next season) had.

WPS: The Truest Tweet

This weekend’s Truest Tweet is:

I have hardly any desire to watch @skybluefc play since Kerri Hanks is no longer playing for them. #wps

It’s only Week 1 of WPS and FC Gold Pride has already broken my heart. In theory, I’m supposed to be supporting Saint Louis (because Christina DiMartino is playing for them and I said I would support whichever team she ended up on), but…well. We’ll see what the next week brings, and the next week, and the next week…

Coming up this week on rhythm bandits (in no particular order):

• I lick my wounds from this past week’s WPS Fantasy and try to find a way to build up points without having to choose players I don’t care about.
• [Hopefully] more news on where the hell Kerri Hanks is.
• Dumping on Albertin Montoya

It’ll be fun! Stick around.

WPS: Athletica’s Veronica Perez joins Mexico’s national team

Last summer, she spent 10 days with the U.S. under-23 national team before deciding she would play with the Mexico national team, her mother’s homeland. In Mexico, she is already on the full national team roster and will earn her first “caps” — international appearances — when Mexico faces the U.S. at the end of the month — March 28 in San Diego and March 31 in Utah.

“It was definitely a tough decision to make,” Perez said. “I’m still young. Most of the Team USA girls didn’t get their break (with the full national team) until their mid 20s.”

“Perez realizes her dream of playing pro soccer”, The Daily Journal, 16 March 2010.