2009 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs

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The 2009 WPS Playoffs were the postseason to Women's Professional Soccer's 2009 Season, that started on August 15 and culminated on August 22 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Contents

Format

The top four WPS teams, based on their regular season finishes, qualified for the playoffs. In the First Round, the third-ranked team hosted the fourth-ranked team. The winner of that match advances to the Super Semifinal, where they traveled to the second-ranked team. Finally, the regular season first-ranked team hosted the winner of the Super Semifinal in the WPS Championship match.

This format, fairly unusual in the American sports landscape, preserves the knockout-style postseason most American sports fans are familiar with, while also highly favoring the regular season first-ranked team.

Standings

PlaceTeamGPWLTGFGAGDPoints
1 Los Angeles Sol 2012352710+1741
2 Saint Louis Athletica 2010641915+433
3 Washington Freedom 208753232029
4 Sky Blue FC 207851920-126
5 Boston Breakers 207941820-225
6 Chicago Red Stars 2051051825-720
7 FC Gold Pride 2041061728-1118

Bracket

First RoundSuper SemifinalWPS Final
1 Los Angeles Sol 0
2 Saint Louis Athletica 04 Sky Blue FC 1
3 Washington Freedom 14 Sky Blue FC 1
4 Sky Blue FC 2

Results

First round

Washington Freedom 1 – 2 Sky Blue FC
De Vanna Soccerball shade.svg79' Report Kai Soccerball shade.svg56'
Francielle Soccerball shade.svg85'
Maryland SoccerPlex, Germantown, Maryland
Attendance: 4,217
Referee: Daniel Fitzgerald

Super Semifinal

Saint Louis Athletica 0 – 1 Sky Blue FC
Logterman Yellow card.svg 90' Report Dowling Soccerball shade.svg30'
Schnur Yellow card.svg 67'
Kai Yellow card.svg 78'
Soccer Park, Fenton, Missouri
Attendance: 5,064
Referee: Ted Unkel

WPS Championship

Los Angeles Sol 0 – 1 Sky Blue FC
Report O'Reilly Soccerball shade.svg16'
The Home Depot Center, Carson, California
Attendance: 7,218
Referee: Kari Seitz
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body Sol.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Los Angeles Sol
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body Whitespikes.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Sky Blue
FC
LOS ANGELES SOL:
GK23 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Karina LeBlanc
DF22 Flag of the United States.svg Manya Makoski
DF11 Flag of the United States.svg Brittany Bock Yellow card.svg 52'
DF3 Flag of the United States.svg Allison Falk Red card.svg 27'
DF14 Flag of the United States.svg Stephanie Cox
MF6 Flag of the United States.svg McCall Zerboni Sub off.svg 36'
MF4 Flag of the United States.svg Aly Wagner Sub off.svg 63'
MF7 Flag of the United States.svg Shannon Boxx (c)
MF8 Flag of Japan.svg Aya Miyama
FW10 Flag of Brazil.svg Marta
FW9 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Han Duan Sub off.svg 79'
Substitutes:
GK1 Flag of the United States.svg Val Henderson
DF2 Flag of the United States.svg Keri Sanchez
DF19 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sharolta Nonen Sub on.svg 36'
DF21 Flag of Sweden.svg Johanna Frisk
MF17 Flag of the United States.svg Liz Bogus
MF18 Flag of the United States.svg Katie Larkin Sub on.svg 63'
FW16 Flag of the United States.svg Lyndsey Patterson Sub on.svg 79'
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Abner Rogers
SKY BLUE FC:
GK23 Flag of the United States.svg Jenni Branam
DF17 Flag of the United States.svg Keeley Dowling
DF4 Flag of the United States.svg Jen Buczkowski
DF3 Flag of the United States.svg Christie Rampone (c)
DF12 Flag of the United States.svg Meghan Schnur
MF20 Flag of the United States.svg Kacey White
MF10 Flag of the United States.svg Yael Averbuch
MF24 Flag of Brazil.svg Francielle
FW9 Flag of the United States.svg Heather O'Reilly (MVP)Sub off.svg 84'
FW11 Flag of Brazil.svg Rosana Sub off.svg 72'
FW6 Flag of the United States.svg Natasha Kai Sub off.svg 68'
Substitutes:
GK22 Flag of the United States.svg Cori Alexander
DF38 Flag of the United States.svg Julianne Sitch
MF7 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kelly Parker
MF13 Flag of the United States.svg Noelle Keselica Sub on.svg 84'
MF14 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Collette McCallum Sub on.svg 72'
FW15 Flag of the United States.svg Katie Hooker
FW16 Flag of the United States.svg Kerri Hanks Sub on.svg 68'
Manager:
Flag of the United States.svg Christie Rampone

MATCH OFFICIALS

  • Assistant referees:
    • Marlene Duffy
    • Veronica Perez
  • Fourth official: Margaret Domka

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Media coverage

Both the First Round and the WPS Championship was viewable on Fox Sports Network, while the Super Semifinal was on Fox Soccer Channel. Also, all three matches were webcast on the WPS website.

Notes and references

    See also

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