Photo by Jose Argueta
It’s gone from the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) to the W-League and now Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). Whatever the name and structure, one thing that has remained constant in the sport is the Washington Freedom. The Freedom, one of the first teams to be part of WUSA in 2001, has continued its tradition of excellence through each of the sport’s iterations, and this season is no different.
r a professional female soccer player? If there’s a weekend game, the week begins with a Monday weight lifting session. Tuesdays consist of a two-hour training session in the morning, followed by a busy Wednesday of morning training and then an afternoon weight lifting session. Thursday is another morning practice and Friday is a light one-hour training. The day after a game is when those who didn’t play are able to work on their fitness. In addition to the training, the players also have numerous publicity appearances that are equally important for a league trying to make the public, especially young girls, aware of its existence.
Erin McLeod, goalkeeper for the Freedom, and whose résumé includes playing with the Canadian national team, says that there is a need for a positive female role model. “When I was growing up,” she recalls, “I didn’t have any female role models, which was unfortunate.” Playing since the age of four, McLeod took inspiration where she could find it, which was the typically male soccer players.
The men’s and women’s games have traditionally been quite different. According to Freedom head coach, Jim Gabarra, “The men’s game is more physical and combative and the women’s game traditionally has been more tactical. But the games are evolving to be more similar than not.”
So what can you expect to see at a Washington Freedom game? Those who have never attended a women’s soccer game will most likely take their preconceived notions and throw them out the window. Be prepared to see the top female soccer players from around the globe. These are women who have won Olympic gold for their respective countries and have been playing since the day they could walk. And if you’ve been to a game before, but it’s been a few years, you probably won’t believe your eyes. As Coach Gabarra puts it, “The quality of both the international and domestic players has really improved. The level of play continues to become faster and more sophisticated.”
Furthermore, there are a few rivalries to look out for. The Boston Breakers and Sky Blue FC (New Jersey) are two games both Gabarra and McLeod expect to be intense, competitive ones. The Philadelphia Independence will also be a big game since they are the closest team geographically.
What makes this season so exciting and special is that this is the year for the World Cup qualifiers, which means many of the players will need to leave during the season to play for their country’s national team. One would think a coach would dread this, but Gabarra is not worried. “It’s an opportunity for other players to play and contribute to the club.” In other words, this season will be a test of how deep the Freedom’s bench is.
Besides facing the challenge of trying to win every game, the Freedom faces the constant hurdle of trying to put the WPS on the map. “I volunteer at underprivileged schools and the girls there are not aware of the WPS. Furthermore, they are surprised when I tell them that I’ve competed in the Olympics. They look at me like ‘Women compete in the Olympics?’” says McLeod.
One of the biggest obstacles the WPS faces is finding space in a crowded sports market. Despite this giant task, Gabarra is confident. “Soccer continues to work its way into our sports consciousness and women’s pro soccer can move right along with it since we have the best female players in the world playing in WPS.”
Be sure to check out the Washington Freedom website (www.washingtonfreedom.com) to see when our women warriors are playing next. A WPS game gives you elite international and domestic players, and the atmosphere at our Freedom’s Maryland SoccerPlex is as good as it gets for a sporting event.
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Bayhawks are Back
For 10 years there has been a professional lacrosse team right in our backyard. They’re known as the Chesapeake Bayhawks (formerly Washington Bayhawks) and they’re about to kick off their 2010 Major League Lacrosse season. Home turf is Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, where you can see US World Team players like Kyle Dixon, Alex Smith, Joe Cinosky and Shawn Nadelen. Their season kicks off on May 15 against the Long Island Lizards and continues throughout summer, ending in August — hopefully with the MLL championship. For their schedule and tickets, visit www.thebayhawks.com, then head to Annapolis to support a great time.
