An understrength Breakers side--missing Kelly Smith, Alex Scott and Ifeoma Dieke through international duty and Leslie Osborne through injury--just missed a miraculous comeback last weekend in Atlanta, dropping a decision to the Beat 3-2 after being down 3-0 in the 87th minute.
But the "home" loss--played in Connecticut--didn't really hurt Boston much in the WPS table because Philadelphia and Chicago also lost last weekend. So, the Breakers remain in third place, five points behind Philadelphia and four points ahead of Washington with a game in hand on both of them. Sky Blue sits even on points with Washington and also has a game in hand on Philly and DC.
Boston's playoff prospects look good--but it's a good thing that the Breakers seem to be peaking now because the toughest part of the season might be yet to come. Sunday evening begins a four-game road stretch to finish the regular season, with games at Philadelphia and Atlanta followed by a clash with regular-season champion Gold Pride and then a potential playoff decider against Sky Blue.
Aside from Gold Pride's dominance, nothing is decided. But with the returns of Smith, Scott and Dieke (and hopefully Osborne, although I'm not sure of her status) imminent, the Breakers should have every opportunity to consolidate the third spot in the standings and make a run for the second. Harvard Stadium is going to be quiet for the next few weeks, but a home playoff game in mid-September would liven it up nicely.
The Philadelphia match will be on Fox Soccer Channel live at 6 pm Sunday night.
Thanks for the article. Two quick additions:
ReplyDelete1. Leslie Osborne has a broken collarbone and is out for the rest of the year. Such a tough loss - she was playing beautifully! To add insult to injury, she was really blind-sided on the play by Patrizia Panico....
2. If the Breakers do earn a home playoff game by securing either the second or third spots in the standings, the home game will not be at Harvard Stadium. The team announced this week that they are negotiating with two venues in the Boston area, including a new facility at Harvard that is apparently built specifically for soccer. They indicated that an
announcement will be made shortly.
Thanks, C. I wasn't sure what Leslie's status was, but I'm really sorry to hear that she's out for the season. She was really in a groove. That's a big loss.
ReplyDeleteOne of the Breakers PR people told me at the Sky Blue game that a playoff game might not take place at HS, but I didn't know that was confirmed. (I guess Harvard football pretty much takes over in the fall.) There's a facility under construction out behind the stadium by the baseball field. That, I think, is the new soccer facility. It will seat maybe 2000 or 2500 people from what I understand, which is about a half to a third of the normal Breakers crowd. But I gather that playoff games don't draw that well, anyway (strangely enough), so the club would be happy with that. It's a shame, though, as I really like HS as a venue.
Thanks again for the info. I've been a little swamped lately with other stuff and had fallen behind.
Lee
Thanks Lee! I just discovered your blog this morning and it's terrific.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters and I have been to almost all of the home games this year, and have been having a blast ... especially lately! Let's hope they can stay on a roll.
All the best,
Charlie
Thanks, Charlie! I'm glad to know that somebody's reading. I just got into the Breakers this year, but they're a lot of fun to watch and follow.
ReplyDelete