Sports Then and Now

WPS has unveiled their uniforms for 2010.

2010 is THE year for soccer. Last night in Philadelphia, PUMA and Women’s Professional Soccer unveiled the new 2010 WPS Home and Away Uniforms, including the official kit debut of the newest franchises, the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence.

Fusing fashion with sport, PUMA launched the newly-designed uniforms from the Power collection, keeping both style and performance in mind and giving players the courage to be awesome on and off the field.  The launch event, which took place hours after the 2010 WPS Draft, highlighted veteran players from the league’s nine teams and nine newly-drafted professional players who proudly wore their team colors for the first time. Read the rest of this entry →

Saint Louis selected Ashlyn Harris with the 19th pick in the WPS draft

Not having a pick until the second round of the 2010 WPS Draft didn’t phase the St. Louis Athletica this morning. With the 17 pick overall, Athletica began their day by selecting UCLA midfielder Kristina Larsen, then finished out their second round with the choice of University of North Carolina goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris as their #19 selection.

Following the second round, Assistant General Manager Tim Owens stated, “We feel that we have gotten two first round caliber players at the end of the second round. We are extremely satisfied thus far.”

Kristina Larsen, in training with the U-23 National Team in Carson, California, followed the draft online.  “Each time another pick was made I got more and more nervous,” she told WPS press. “I have heard that Athletica is a great environment to come to, and I hear that the fans are really welcoming. I am also excited to be moving out of California, I am ready to branch out.” Read the rest of this entry →

After a last place finish in their maiden season in the WPS, the FC Gold Pride has taken a giant step to add some punch to their much maligned offense by acquiring All-star mid-fielder Camille Abily from the Los Angeles Sol.

Abiliy, a proven goal scorer and play-maker, scored eight goals and added one assist last season for the Sol. She was the team’s second leading scorer, two goals fewer than her teammate Marta, who scored ten times. The FC Gold Pride scored a total of 17 goals as a team, while finishing with a record of 4-10-6. Read the rest of this entry →

Hope Solo is the first goalkeeper to be named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.

U.S. Soccer has announced its four Athletes of the Year for 2009, with one of them being Saint Louis Athletica’s No. 1 goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Solo is the first goalkeeper to be named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.

The U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award is the highest honor granted to a soccer player in the United States. The voting consisted of ballots from the media, fans, U.S. Soccer representatives and Board of Directors.

Solo kicked off the year by winning MVP honors at the Algarve Cup in Portugal. After a rocky start in the inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Soccer league (WPS), she proved to not only be a top-notch goalkeeper, but a commanding defensive leader as she helped lead Athletica from the bottom of the standings to finish second place and secure a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry →

Women's soccer superstar Kristine Lilly is actively involved in the Who Gives? Racing for a Cause fundraising campaign.

Ah, the holidays. A time to decorate the house, shop for gifts, bundle up and drink some hot chocolate. A time to sing carols, watch TV specials and spend some quality time with the family.

It’s also a time to bring tidings of comfort and joy.

The Who Gives? campaign by Athletes for Hope does just that. The charitable organization that assists athletes in contributing to the community started its campaign with an online debate that asks the question, “Do professional athletes have an obligation to give back to the community?” Athletes including Tony Hawk, Mia Hamm, Steve Nash and Heather Mitts have weighed in with their thoughts on are-athletes-obligated.org .

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The consumate underdog, in just a matter of weeks the Sky Blue FC went from last place to WPS Champions.

It has been a year of mixed emotions for incurable fans of the underdog. On the downside are ultimate victories by ultimate bullies such as the Steelers and the Yankees. Atypically, March Madness produced no Cinderella stories. Perennial underdogs, the Cleveland Cavaliers choked on their best opportunity yet to win an NBA Championship, faltering in the Conference finals, with Orlando.

On the upside are the overlapping individual and team stories of Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals, the parallel stories of two soccer Cinderellas, and a Warner-like comeback in the golf world.

And now, for the countdown.

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