WPS prevails in inaugural all-star game
By Ron Clements
The best of the best from women's soccer settled in St. Louis on Sunday.
The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton was home to the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer all-star game, pitting the best players from WPS against the Swedish League champions.
Lori Chalupny said before Sunday's match that one advantage Umea IK had was that "they were experienced playing with one another" while the WPS all-stars had one practice Saturday afternoon to get adapted to each other's style of play.
Umea's advantage was evident early as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first 16 minutes.
Mami Yamaguchi sent a pass toward Madelaine Edlund, who found the back of the net in the second minute. In the 17th minute, after WPS goalie Karina Leblanc was unable to corral a shot, Sofia Jakobsson deflected the rebound off the left post and into the net.
"We know each other so well," said Umea coach Mika Sankala. "That was an advantage early, of course."
The WPS all-stars finally got on the scoreboard in the 23rd minute when Marta's cross was passed up by Cristiane and went to Kristine Lilly. The Boston Breakers midfielder sent a low shot to the left corner, beating Umea keeper Carola Soberg.
Marta, who squandered a pair of first-half scoring opportunities, got the equalizer in the 36th minute.
The three-time FIFA player of the year, and 2009 WPS MVP, took a feed from Cristiane before blasting a shot past Soberg.
"We didn't have too much time to practice, but we know the talent of all the players," said Marta, who referred to the match as "a party game." "We started out slow, but as the game goes by, we started organizing ourselves better, and kept going."
Chalupny said Marta's goal made the halftime adjustments easier.
"It was nice that we went into halftime tied," Chalupny said. "It would have been tough down a goal, and feeling like you had to come out and get one back right away in the second half."
It didn't take long for the WPS stars to take control.
Just over a minute into the half, Marta dribbled free down the left side before dumping the ball to Christine Sinclair, who then knocked it in from five yards out. Sinclair, a member of the Canadian national team and FC Gold Pride, notched another goal three minutes later. She got behind the Umea defense and beat Soberg to the right corner.
Sinclair nearly completed a hat trick after taking a pass from Washington's Abby Wambach, but her centerfield blast caromed off the crossbar.
"We've all played together for so long, so we know what to expect," Sinclair said. "I've played against Abby and Shannon Boxx, and with Kristine Lilly for seven years, it's like, 'Well, I know what they like to do.'"
WPS coach Abner Rogers, the league's coach of the year from the Los Angeles Sol, mocked Sinclair's hat trick attempt.
"I don't know what Sinclair was trying to do when she smashed the ball to death off the crossbar," Rogers joked. "It's such a great feeling when you hit it so perfect, but unfortunately that one didn't go in."
Sinclair countered the Los Angeles coach's comment with a laugh.
"As a forward, you score two goals, but all you think about is the one you missed," Sinclair said. "Being an all-star game, it would have been nice, but oh well."
Umea, champions of the Damallsvenskan, were without seven players, including star forward Ramona Bachmann, who woke up Sunday morning with a fever. With a short bench, Sankala said fatigue played a factor in the second half.
"In the first half, we showed what kind of football we can play," Sankala said. "In the second half, the U.S. team sent in seven new players, and we have only one substitution. That was a big difference."
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