| 2009 season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Chris Hummer |
| Head coach | Jim Gabarra |
| Stadium | Maryland SoccerPlex |
| WSP | 3rd |
| Top goalscorer | Abby Wambach (6) |
The 2009 season is Washington Freedom's first season competing in the Women's Professional Soccer league, the top division of women's soccer in the United States, and seventh competitive season. The team was coached by Jim Gabarra who has led the team since its founding in 2001. [1]
In January 2008, Washington was selected as one of the seven cities to launch Women’s Professional Soccer in spring 2009. The WPS would be the next iteration of a women’s professional league since the WUSA folded in 2003. [2]
The Washington Freedom had been competing in the W-League since 2006, would begin the Washington franchise to field a WSP team.[ clarification needed ] Still led by head coach Jim Gabarra, the coaching staff stayed intact transitioning to the new league. The initial player allocation aimed to keep players in preferred locations and best marketing potential, with the Freedom getting Abby Wambach, Cat Whitehill, and Ali Krieger (on loan from FFC Frankfurt). [3] [4] [5]
The Freedom played in the league’s inaugural match on March 29, 2009, against Los Angeles Sol before a crowd of 14,382. [6] They lost the match, 2–0, and struggled for the first three weeks. The Freedom picked up their first win of the WPS era back in California, beating FC Gold Pride, 3–4, thanks to a 90th-minute goal from Abby Wambach. [7]
The season continued to be an up and down one with a strong run through June (going undefeated through 8 matches) followed by three consecutive losses. Winning four of their last five, the Freedom finished their first WPS regular season in 3rd place, earning their first playoff appearance.
The first round playoff match was a rematch of the last week of the season, where the Freedom defeated Sky Blue FC at home 3–1. [8] Sky Blue would get revenge winning 2–1 at the Maryland SoccerPlex, thanks to an 85th-minute goal from Francielle. [9]
The first-team roster of Washington Freedom. [10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Gabarra |  American |
| Assistant coach | Clyde Watson |  Guyanese |
| Goalkeeper coach | Nicci Wright |  Canadian |
| March 291 | Los Angeles Sol | 2–0 | Washington Freedom | Carson, California |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Falk  6'Abily 87' | Box Score | Stadium: StubHub Center |
| April 112 | Washington Freedom | 1–1 | Chicago Red Stars | Germantown, Maryland |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Sauerbrunn 54' | Box Score | Tarpley 29' Östberg  54'  63' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| April 183 | Washington Freedom | 1–3 | Boston Breakers | Germantown, Maryland |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Lindsey 60' | Box Score | Smith 56' 70' Latham 76'Hucles 81' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| April 264 | FC Gold Pride | 3–4 | Washington Freedom | Hayward, California |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Milbrett 30' Weimer 75'Sinclair 83' | Box Score | Wambach 18', 90' Lindsey 51'Long 70' | Stadium: Pioneer Stadium |
| May 35 | Washington Freedom | 3–3 | Saint Louis Athletica | Germantown, Maryland |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Bompastor 30', 90' De Vanna 79'Wambach 81' | Box Score | Daniela 7', 41' McNeill 39'Aluko 69'Weber 90' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| May 176 | Boston Breakers | 1–1 | Washington Freedom | Boston, Massachusetts |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Weber 15' Scott 49'Latham 52' | Box Score | Gilbeau 18' Moros 33'Singer 74' | Stadium: Harvard Stadium |
| May 237 | Washington Freedom | 2–1 | Sky Blue FC | Washington, DC |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Whitehill 35' De Vanna 39'DeDycker 77' | Box Score | Dowling 48' Rosana 65'Asante 84'Keselica 89' | Stadium: RFK Stadium [11] |
| May 318 | Washington Freedom | 3–1 | FC Gold Pride | Germantown, Maryland |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Graczyk 16' (o.g.) De Vanna 22'Whitehill 32' | Box Score | Forminga 45' Sinclair 57'Dew 83' 83' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| June 79 | Los Angeles Sol | 3–1 | Washington Freedom | Carson, California |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Abily 14', 60' (pen.) Bock 66'Boxx 71' | Box Score | Lohman 8' Bompastor 58' | Stadium: Home Depot Center |
| June 1310 | Washington Freedom | 0–0 | Chicago Red Stars | Washington, DC |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Wambach 82' Bompastor 84' | Box Score | Klein 37' Rapinoe 45'Carney  60' | Stadium: RFK Stadium [12] |
| June 2011 | Saint Louis Athletica | 0–1 | Washington Freedom | Fenton, Missouri |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Addis 23' Cinalli 35' | Box Score | Moros 83' | Stadium: Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park |
| June 2412 | Boston Breakers | 1–0 | Washington Freedom | Boston, Massachusetts |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Latham 38' Tomecka 71' | Box Score | Moros 68' | Stadium: Harvard Stadium |
| July 113 | Chicago Red Stars | 2–1 | Washington Freedom | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Spilger 36' Cristiane 48'Tarpley 61' | Box Score | Wambach 34' | Stadium: Toyota Park |
| July 514 | Washington Freedom | 0–1 | Los Angeles Sol | Germantown, Maryland |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Box Score | Larkin 37' Boxx 88'Marta 90' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| July 1515 | Sky Blue FC | 4–4 | Washington Freedom | Piscataway Township, New Jersey |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Kai 6', 86' Dowling 45'White 27', 46' | Box Score | Bompastor 4' De Vanna 47', 54'Cat Whitehill 90' | Stadium: Yurcak Field |
| July 1816 | Washington Freedom | 1–0 | Saint Louis Athletica | Washington, DC |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Sawa 74' | Box Score | Larsson 68' | Stadium: [[RFK Stadium [13] ]] |
| July 2617 | Chicago Red Stars | 2–3 | Washington Freedom | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| 16:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Rapinoe 15' 32' Carney 69' | Box Score | Wambach 35', 56' Long 89'Bompastor 90' | Stadium: Toyota Park |
| July 2918 | Washington Freedom | 1–0 | Boston Breakers | Germantown, Maryland |
| 20:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Wambach 73' Whitehill 64' | Box Score | Scott 6' Mitts 37' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| August 119 | FC Gold Pride | 3–2 | Washington Freedom | Hayward, California |
| 15:30 EDT (UTC-04) | Yokers 9' Milbrett 83'Dew 61'Adriane 83' | Box Score | Sawa 17', 38' | Stadium: Pioneer Stadium |
| August 820 | Washington Freedom | 3–1 | Sky Blue FC | Germantown, Maryland |
| 19:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Wambach 19', 48' De Vanna 57' | Box Score | Rosana 53' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Sol | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 10 | +17 | 41 | Advance to Championship |
| 2 | Saint Louis Athletica | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 34 | Advance to Super Semifinal |
| 3 | Washington Freedom | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 29 | Advance to First Round |
| 4 | Sky Blue FC | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 26 | |
| 5 | Boston Breakers | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 25 |
The Freedom finished 3rd in the table earning a place in the WPS Playoffs in a First Round match up versus 4th place Sky Blue FC. Despite having defeated Sky Blue on the final day of the regular season, the Freedom dropped the First Round match at home after conceding a late goal to Francielle.
| August 15, 2009First Round | Washington Freedom | 1–2 | Sky Blue FC | Germantown, Maryland |
| 4:00 pm EDT | De Vanna 79' | Report | Kai 56' Francielle 85' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,217 Referee: Daniel Fitzgerald |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | WPS | Playoffs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Defenders: | |||||||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Sarah Senty | 8 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Cat Whitehill | 20 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | USA | Emily Janss | 5 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | USA | Alex Singer | 17 | 0 | 13+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | USA | Becky Sauerbrunn | 21 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Christen Karniski | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | USA | Ali Krieger | 11 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders: | |||||||||
| 3 | MF | USA | Jill Gilbeau | 20 | 0 | 12+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | USA | Joanna Lohman | 7 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | USA | Lori Lindsey | 20 | 2 | 18+1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | USA | Parrissa Eyorokon | 4 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF |  FRA | Sonia Bompastor | 19 | 4 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | USA | Allie Long | 19 | 2 | 11+7 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF |  JPN | Homare Sawa | 21 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Sarah Huffman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Kristin DeDycker | 7 | 0 | 3+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | USA | Rebecca Moros | 20 | 2 | 13+6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | USA | Madison Keller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards: | |||||||||
| 17 | FW |  AUS | Lisa De Vanna | 21 | 7 | 16+4 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | FW | USA | Abby Wambach | 18 | 8 | 16+1 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | USA | Clair Zimmeck | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. | Nat | Player | Women's Professional Soccer | ||||||||
| GP | GS | MIN | W | L | D | GA | GAA | CS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Briana Scurry | 3 | 3 | 270 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1.97 | 0 |
| 18 | | Erin McLeod | 14 | 14 | 1260 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 1.41 | 3 |
| 23 | | Nicci Wright | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
| 61 | | Kati Jo Spisak | 3 | 3 | 244 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2.18 | 1 |
| Week | Player of the Week | Week's Statline |
|---|---|---|
| Week 5 | Abby Wambach | 2 G (18', 90') GWG, 1 A (51') |
| Week 6 | Sonia Bompastor | 2 G (29', 90') |
| Week 13 | Erin McLeod | 7 SVS, SHO |
| Week 18 | Abby Wambach | 2 G (35', 56') |
| Week 20 [ permanent dead link ] | Abby Wambach | 1 A (58'), 2 G (20', 49') |
| Month | Player of the Month | Month's Statline |
|---|---|---|
| May | Sonia Bompastor | 2 G, 3 A in 4 games; Freedom 2–0–2 in May |
| July | Abby Wambach | 4 G, 1 A in 5 games; Freedom 3–2–1 in July |
As part of the inaugural season, each of the league’s seven teams went through several mechanisms for player acquisitions to fill out their rosters. These included:
Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Beginning in 2004, the Freedom played its home games at the Maryland SoccerPlex. In 2011, the team relocated to Boca Raton, Florida, and became magicJack.
Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion. The WPS was the highest level in the United States soccer pyramid for the women's game.
The Los Angeles Sol was an American professional soccer club that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participated in Women's Professional Soccer.
Francielle Manoel Alberto, commonly known as Francielle or Fran, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Brazil women's national football team. At club level, she most recently played for Norwegian Toppserien club Avaldsnes IL. She previously played for Corinthians, São José and Santos in Brazil, as well as for Saint Louis Athletica and Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).
FC Gold Pride was an American professional women's soccer club based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association as the top-level women's soccer team in the San Francisco Bay Area. FC Gold Pride moved to its final home of Pioneer Stadium on the campus of CSU East Bay in June 2010 after opening their 2010 home schedule at the Castro Valley High School Athletic Stadium. The club ceased operations in November 2010 after struggling financially and being unable to find new investors.
NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013, Sky Blue FC also played in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) from 2009 to 2011.
The 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season served as the inaugural season for WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. The regular season began on March 29 and ended on August 9, with the postseason being held between August 15 and 21.
The 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season was the second season for the WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. Regular season champion FC Gold Pride won the WPS Championship on September 26 with a 4–0 victory over the Philadelphia Independence.
The 2009 Chicago Red Stars season was the first season of the soccer club, and it competed in the first season of Women's Professional Soccer league.
The 2009 Saint Louis Athletica season was the inaugural season for the team.
The 2010 Saint Louis Athletica season was the second and final season for the team, both in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) and as an organization. On May 27, 2010, WPS announced that Athletica would fold effective immediately, forcing the league to finish the 2010 season with seven teams.
The 2009 FC Gold Pride season was the team's first as a professional women's soccer team. FC Gold Pride played in the Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2010 Chicago Red Stars season was the second season of the soccer club and its second season in the Women's Professional Soccer league.
The 2009 Sky Blue FC season was the first season for Sky Blue FC in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). In the league's inaugural season, the club finished fourth in the regular season with 26 points, qualifying for the playoffs. After victories over the Washington Freedom and Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC defeated the Los Angeles Sol, the top team in the regular season, in the championship match to become the first WPS champions.
The 2010 Philadelphia Independence season was the team's inaugural season of competition in the Women's Professional Soccer league.
The 2010 Atlanta Beat season was the club's inaugural season in Women's Professional Soccer, joining the Philadelphia Independence as expansion teams in the league's second season, and was their first season in the top division of women's soccer in the American soccer pyramid. Including the WUSA franchise, this was the club's fifth year of existence.
The 2010 Sky Blue FC season was the team's second season as a professional women's soccer team, competing in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), then the top-division tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2010 FC Gold Pride season was the team's second and final season as a professional women's soccer team. FC Gold Pride played in the Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. After finishing in last place during the 2009 season, the team won the 2010 WPS Championship on September 26, 2010, 4–0 over Philadelphia Independence. On November 16, FC Gold Pride announced that it had ceased operations.
