July 21, 2010
WPS THIS WEEK – Pt 1
A look at Wednesday’s games

Wednesday, July 21
FC Gold Pride (10-3-1, 31 pts) at Boston Breakers (4-5-4, 16 pts) 4pm PT Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA


Two of the hottest teams in Women’s Professional Soccer meet Wednesday at Harvard Stadium. FC Gold Pride have won three straight games for the second time this year, while the Breakers are on a three-game winning streak for the first time in franchise history. This is the third meeting between the two clubs. FC Gold Pride has won both meetings this season, 2-1 at Harvard Stadium and 1-0 at home.

The Breakers now sit only one point out from the final playoff position, behind the Washington Freedom and Chicago Red Stars. FC Gold Pride comes into the game with two of the league’s top three scorers (Marta and Christine Sinclair). Gold Pride also boasts the number one team offense in the league and the number two defense.

On Sunday, the Breakers came from behind to defeat the Washington Freedom 2-1, while on Saturday Gold Pride further separated themselves from the Philadelphia Independence, moving into a double digit lead with a 2-0 win on two goals by Christine Sinclair. The Breakers have accumulated seven goals during the month of July, two more than they had in the entire season prior to the month.



Chicago Red Stars (4-5-5, 17 pts) at Atlanta Beat (2-7-4, 10pts) 4:30pm PT
KSU Soccer Stadium, Kennesaw, GA

The Chicago Red Stars come into Wednesday’s game against the Beat on a four-game unbeaten streak, the longest in team history, and are currently tied for the last remaining playoff position with the Washington Freedom at 17 points. The Beat lead the series with a 1-0-2 record and could clinch any tiebreaker between the teams if they end even on points with a victory or tie on Wednesday. Forward Ella Masar has sparked the recent Red Stars surge under coach Omid Namazi. She leads the Red Stars with four goals, all scored over Chicago’s past four games. The Beat, who are coming off their first road win ever, 1-0 over Sky Blue, are last in the league in both offense and defense, but feature high-scoring Eniola Aluko, who is tied for 4th in the league in goals after her transfer from Saint Louis Athletica.