Boston Breakers Report

Gold Pride Wins WPS Title

2010-09-26T20:25:00.000-04:00

It might have seemed like a disappointment--and it really was--that the Breakers lost their WPS "super semi-final" at home to a Philadelphia team that they had handled fairly well for much of the season. But it really didn't matter because nobody, and certainly not Philadelphia in the WPS final, could contain FC Gold Pride, which finished off a season of dominance with a well-earned WPS title.

This blog kind of faded at the end of the season, right when things should have been getting good. That was primarily due to the birth of my son, who came into the world on Sept. 22. However, I have not lost interest in the Breakers at all. In fact, I hope to be at the home matches again next season.

Boston showed a lot of grit and determination this year in finishing second in the regular season and making the later rounds of the playoffs after a rough start. Perhaps the layoff between the end of the regular season and the semi-final was a negative and not a positive; this team fed off of momentum as the season went on, and it's hard to keep momentum going during a bye week.

Nevertheless, the Breakers were entertaining all season, and I'd like to thank the players, coaches and club officials who granted Steven and me access to games and interviews. You've got an excellent organization that is set for success on the pitch and at the turnstiles in the future. We'll see you in 2011.

Breakers One Win Away from WPS Final

2010-09-12T22:06:00.000-04:00

OK, so, to be perfectly honest, I've neglected this blog a bit lately. I'm sorry for that; I've got a lot going on in my personal life and at work. There is good news to report, though: The Breakers are in the playoffs.

Actually, thanks to WPS's bizarre playoff system, they're in the (only) semi-final, awaiting the winner of Philadelphia and Washington. The semi-final berth is the result of a hard-fought second-place finish for Boston. At least in WPS, unlike in MLS, the regular season really does matter.

The semi-final match will take place on Sept. 23 at 8 pm at what the Breakers' Web site is calling Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium at Harvard University, which, I can only assume, is the little stadium that's been going up behind the Harvard baseball field all season. If that's the case, then capacity for this game is likely to be maybe 2500 or so--about half of what the Breakers have averaged for home crowds this season.

So, the noisy echo of old Harvard Stadium might not be present, but hopefully a house full of Breakers fans will be. There's really only one piece of bad news for Boston right now. Should they win the semi-final at home, they'll have to take on the pre-determined finalist: regular-season champion FC Gold Pride (and they'll have to do it in California). The Breakers have lost every match they've played against Gold Pride this season and haven't really come close to competing with Marta and company.

But first things first: There will be a rest, and then either the Independence or the Freedom will bring a patriotic nickname to America's most historic city for a semi-final clash. There's one more Breakers home game, and it's the biggest one yet.

Breakers to Become Road Warriors

2010-08-27T00:38:00.000-04:00

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.

Breakers Thrash Sky Blue 4-0; Story up on Bleacher Report

2010-08-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

What a night, what a team, what a town. Seriously, Sunday night's 4-0 beat-down of Sky Blue FC was as comprehensive a game as the Breakers have played all season. They were simply rampant. Jordan Angeli was probably player of the match, but all Breakers involved were fantastic. Get well soon, Leslie Osborne--she separated her shoulder on Sunday night and will likely be out for Saturday's match against Atlanta.

The full match report is up on Bleacher Report.

Breakers Improve Playoff Chances, Miss Chance for Second Place

2010-08-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

The Boston Breakers, aside from Kelly Smith, are slightly less torrid than they were going into last Sunday's game in Philadelphia. But they're still on course for the playoffs.

The Breakers went into Philly with a chance to steal second place in the WPS table and came out with a hard-fought 2-2 draw--and a solid lock on the third spot in the standings. (The top four teams earn playoff berths.) Lauren Cheney found her way back onto the score sheet with an opening goal for Boston, only for Philadelphia's excellent midfielder, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, to cancel out Cheney's strike and then put the Independence ahead 2-1 in a busy first half.

But Smith, who scored for the fourth consecutive game and now has 10 goals on the season, equalized early in the second half, and the Breakers came away with a valuable point. They now sit five points ahead of fourth-place Chicago and have a game in hand. Perhaps the greatest threat to Boston in the standings at this point is Sky Blue FC, which trails Boston by five points but has a game in hand on the Breakers.

As luck (and the WPS schedule) would have it, the Breakers will take on Sky Blue on Sunday at 6 pm in their last regular-season home game at Harvard Stadium for 2010. As always, playoff implications will be strong.

Torrid Breakers Look to Move into Second Place

2010-08-05T23:53:00.000-04:00

Who would have thought back in early June that the Boston Breakers would be making a serious run for second place this weekend? Yet, on Sunday, Boston will travel to Philadelphia with the opportunity to take sole possession of second place behind the untouchable FC Gold Pride.

It's Philly that sits in second now, just two points ahead of the Breakers. It's hard to imagine, though, that the Independence are looking forward to facing a Boston team that is absolutely on fire. In the past week, Boston has racked up two more wins, a 3-1 home victory over Washington and a 2-0 decision at Harvard Stadium over the lowly Atlanta Beat.

Kelly Smith and Jordan Angeli are on fire, and Boston's once-leaky defense is holding steady in the stretch run. It seems as though whispers in the Harvard Stadium press box about the future of Tony DiCicco as Boston coach must have trickled down to the pitch and inspired the team. The Breakers are 6-1 since the beginning of July after winning just one match from April through June. That one loss in July came at home to Gold Pride, the club that has torn through the entire league this season.

Seven regular-season games remain for the Breakers--just one at Harvard Stadium, on August 15 against Sky Blue FC. The team's final "home" game will take place in New Britain, Conn., against Atlanta on August 21. Five away matches plus one displaced match might cause Boston some difficulty, but two of those games are against Atlanta, and only one of the final seven matches involves Gold Pride.

With Philadelphia and Sky Blue FC rounding out the rest of the slate, the Breakers have an excellent opportunity to solidify second place or, at the very least, a playoff spot. At this point, with the club playing its best soccer of the season by far, who would bet against Boston making a playoff run? Anything can happen, but August thus far looks a lot brighter than June did.

Breakers Move into Playoff Position with Win in Chicago

2010-07-26T01:43:00.000-04:00

The torrid Boston Breakers finally seem to be shedding the mediocrity and uncertainty that they showed in the early part of the WPS season. Boston won 3-1 on Sunday in Chicago by scoring three goals in the first 15 minutes of the match.

Kelly Smith had a brace before the Red Stars knew what hit them, and Ifeoma Dieke effectively ended Chicago's hopes with her first goal as a Breaker. The Red Stars saved some blushes with a strike in the 80th minute, but Boston took an important step toward a playoff spot with the victory.

The Breakers now sit alone in third place in the WPS table, having climbed from sixth in the span of just a few games. They still need to fend off at least two of Sky Blue FC, Philadelphia and Washington to solidify a post-season spot, so Saturday night's game at Harvard Stadium against the Freedom will be another massive contest.

Breakers v Gold Pride Match Report is up on Bleacher Report

2010-07-22T02:45:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night's match was a game of missed chances for Boston and a venue for a wonder goal from the magnificent Marta. The Breakers played pretty well but did themselves no favors in the playoff race with a loss tonight. I'll break that down some other time. For now, the match report from the game is up at Bleacher Report. Enjoy.

Breakers on Brink of Playoff Spot

2010-07-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

Don't look now, but the once-forlorn Boston Breakers have won three matches in a row and are just one point away from a would-be playoff spot. Plus, they have a game in hand on the teams they're chasing for fourth place. Sounds pretty positive, right?

There's only one small problem. The Breakers play their next match against FC Gold Pride, the runaway leader in the WPS table and far and away the best side in the league thus far this season. That clash will happen Wednesday at 7 pm at Harvard Stadium and will be one of just three more games to take place at Harvard Stadium in the regular season. The Breakers will also play a "home" match in Connecticut in August.

In the meantime, though, the Breakers are on a roll. Boston snagged yet another come-from-behind win today over Washington, a key rival for the final WPS playoff spot. After conceding just two minutes into the match, the Breakers fought back to equalize through the suddenly potent Liz Bogus in the 23rd minute. In the 74th minute, Jordan Angeli, also in form for Boston, settled the matter with a headed goal past Washington goalkeeper Erin McLeod. Both Bogus and Angeli scored for the second consecutive match; Bogus has two goals this season and Angeli three.

It's that kind of balanced scoring that has taken the pressure off of Kelly Smith, Lauren Cheney and Fabiana and has made Boston a team with multiple threats to find the back of the net. After racking up just one goal in May and two in June, the Breakers have exploded for seven tallies in three matches--all wins--in July. Prior to Independence Day, the Breakers had scored just seven goals all season.

Boston's recent run of success has the club one win away from potentially leaping all the way into third place in the WPS table. The Breakers still sit in sixth, one point behind Washington and Chicago and two points behind Sky Blue FC, but they have a game in hand over all of the clubs that currently reside above them in the table. Chicago will travel to last-place Atlanta on Wednesday night, while Gold Pride will come to Boston.

Beating Gold Pride has been a tall order for the rest of WPS this season, due in large part to the amazing Marta's 10 goals in 14 games. With the Breakers on both a scoring streak and a winning streak, Wednesday night's game could turn into a real shootout. For Boston, a win would be critical--and would keep the momentum rolling as the summer stretches on and the playoffs approach.

Breakers Showing Signs of Life

2010-07-13T23:46:00.008-04:00

Well, this is a nice change. With last Sunday's three-goal outburst in a win over Atlanta, the Breakers not only distanced themselves from last place, they actually pulled themselves up to within striking distance of the playoffs.

After a home loss to Chicago in late June, there were whispers--only whispers--among Breakers observers about changes in the organization. There was even talk, although never from anyone within the Breakers organization, that Tony DiCicco's future as coach might be in doubt.

Not anymore. DiCicco, arguably the most accomplished soccer coach in American history, has found a winning formula for a team that underachieved all season until the calendar turned to July. On Independence Day, the Breakers nabbed a crucial away win against a Philadelphia club that shares a name with the holiday.

Home success still eluded them, though, and after the first half against Atlanta at Harvard Stadium last Sunday, it looked as though it would again. The Beat led 1-0 at the break, and the more than 4000 Breakers fans who showed up right after the finish of the World Cup final had to wonder whether they would see their team win at home at all this season.

Then, everything changed. Boston exploded for three goals in five minutes in what might end up being its most important sequence of play all season. Jordan Angeli, Kelly Smith and Liz Bogus all netted between minutes 49 and 54 and effectively buried the Beat in a 3-1 Breakers win. For the marvelous Smith, the goal was her fourth of the season. Angeli scored her second. But Bogus, who opened her account with Sunday's goal, had struggled in recent games to even make the Breakers roster.

"It’s definitely been a hard month for me, but I believed in myself the whole time," Bogus said in a quote on the Breakers Web site. "I had friends and family that believed in me and I just fight. I fight every day to get back on the field in this position. Thankfully Tony [DiCicco] saw that hard work and gave me that second chance."

The whole team seems to have a second chance now. Once arguably the biggest underachievers in WPS, the Breakers have left worries of finishing in last place behind for the time being and are gunning for a top-four finish, which would earn them a playoff berth. The currently sit four points below the Washington Freedom in the WPS table, but they have a game in hand on Washington and two on fifth-place Chicago.

Suddenly, after two consecutive wins, a season that seemed to be slipping away now means something for the Breakers. The complex WPS playoff format strongly rewards the winner of the regular-season championship, and that honor is essentially out of reach for the Breakers. But a playoff berth would give new life to a team that has struggled for much of this season for reasons that nobody could quite understand.

There's work to be done, though, and it starts with a massive match on Sunday afternoon at Harvard Stadium against Washington. The game kicks off at 5pm and will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel. With a victory, the Breakers could put a serious scare into their opponents in the playoff chase. It's almost as if the season is beginning again and anything can happen. Finally, the Breakers are riding a wave of success.

Note: Due to prior commitments, Steven and I both missed the July 11 game and will also miss the July 18 game, so we won't be providing a full match report on Sunday. We'll do our best to get to the home matches that take place after that. --Lee

Breakers Enjoy Independence Day, Beat Philly 2-1

2010-07-06T00:43:00.000-04:00

Finally, the Breakers got their first win since opening day on Sunday, beating the Independence 2-1 in Philadelphia in a comeback victory. The scorer of the winning goal was none other than legend Kristine Lilly, who tallied in the 84th minute. Lauren Cheney got Boston's equalizer just after half time after former Breaker Amy Rodriguez had scored for Philly in the 19th minute.

The Breakers, if nothing else, guaranteed that they'll stay out of last place in the WPS table, at least for the time being. Atlanta has a game in hand but trails Boston by four points. With a big win on Sunday against the Beat, the Breakers could conceivably catch the Chicago Red Stars, who sit fifth in the table and lead Boston by three points. The Red Stars are two goals to the better in goal differential, though.

Boston will try to secure its first home win of the season on Sunday, July 11, at 6 pm at Harvard Stadium vs. Atlanta. Yes, that's right after the finish of the World Cup final. We do have to wonder who scheduled that one...

Breakers 1-2 Red Stars: The Bad Streaks Continue

2010-06-26T00:31:00.000-04:00

The Breakers' winless streak (nine games) and home losing streak (four games) are very much intact tonight, as a leaky Breakers backline allowed Chicago striker Ella Masar to score two long-range goals in a 2-1 Red Stars victory. The heat surely must be on Tony DiCicco at this point, and he and his players seemed at a loss for answers tonight after another home defeat.

Steven and I have our full report up on Bleacher Report, so check it out. The Breakers play at Philadelphia on July 4 and then take on Atlanta at Harvard stadium on July 11, the day of the World Cup final.

Goalless Breakers Lose Again

2010-06-20T13:17:00.000-04:00

Out in San Francisco last night, the Breakers' poor run of form continued. Kelley O'Hara netted the only goal of the match in the 37th minute as FC Gold Pride beat Boston 1-0. Gold Pride also beat the Breakers 2-1 back in May after a stunning performance by Marta.

The loss leaves the Breakers with just one win for the season to go along with four draws and four losses. Gold Pride extended their advantage at the top of the table, but the Breakers could soon find themselves in last place if the Atlanta Beat can manage to win the game they have in hand over Boston.

The Breakers will be back home to take on Chicago on Friday, June 25, at 7:30 pm at Harvard Stadium.

Breakers Lose on Stoppage-Time Penalty

2010-06-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Due to circumstances well beyond our control, neither Steven nor I was able to attend the Breakers game tonight. Therefore, we unfortunately can't offer a match report. In fact, all we can offer is the match report on the WPS site, which does a pretty good job of describing the match.

The good news is that the Breakers broke out of their goal-scoring drought and even managed to take an early lead. The bad news is that they lost in heart-breaking fashion, giving up a penalty to Sky Blue FC in second-half stoppage time and ultimately falling 2-1. Boston still hasn't won at home this season; in fact, the Breakers' only victory came in their season opener against Washington.

With the loss, the Breakers remain in next-to-last place, still five points ahead of Atlanta with one more game played. Boston plays FC Gold Pride in San Francisco on June 19. The next home game will take place on Friday, June 25, against Chicago, and we'll make every effort to be there.

One Goal in May for Slumping Breakers

2010-06-01T11:12:00.000-04:00

The hope of April faded quickly into the doldrums of May for the Breakers, who managed just one goal in four matches last month and haven't won since opening day in Washington. A side that was supposed to feature a fair amount of offensive firepower with Kristine Lilly, Fabiana, Kelly Smith and first-round draft pick Lauren Cheney has instead relied on an inexperienced but mostly effective goalkeeper and solid midfield play to stay afloat--if being tied for fifth in a seven-team league constitutes staying afloat.

Again last weekend, the Breakers failed to sting the back of the net. But again, they managed to hold their opponent, Sky Blue FC, scoreless. Lauren Green has an excellent wrap-up of the match on Bleacher Report. Draws won't get it done, though, for a club that has slipped four points behind fourth-place Sky Blue and fully eight points behind league leader FC Gold Pride. The Breakers have been talking all season about picking up goal scoring but haven't managed to solve their problems in that area. Their next shot at redemption comes more than a week from today, when they once again play Sky Blue. The match will take place on Sunday, June 13, at 4 pm at Harvard Stadium.

So Long, St. Louis: Athletica Shuts Down

2010-05-27T21:20:00.001-04:00

Let's hope that this isn't a case of here we go again, but the stability of WPS has to be in question after one of its franchises announced today that it's giving up the ghost. St. Louis Athletica is no more; it's folding in mid-season because the owners just can't maintain it as a going concern.

Franchise failures are always bad news. The LA Sol lasted just one season in WPS. But franchise failures that happen right in the middle of a season are an extremely bad sign, to say the least. Not only do they put the future of the league itself in doubt, they also mess with the league schedule and alienate fans everywhere. (For instance, the Breakers were to play their next home game on June 5 against...St. Louis Athletica. Not now. WPS will release a new schedule next week. The Breakers now list the June 13 match-up against Sky Blue FC as their next home game.)

If there is any tiny silver lining for Boston here, it's that St. Louis players will become free agents as of June 1. That means, for instance, that Boston could conceivably bring in star goalkeeper Hope Solo to accompany young talent Ashley Phillips--although Phillips has played well enough to hang on to her starting spot. Striker Eniola Aluko will also be available and could serve as a goal scorer for a team that's having trouble finding the back of the net.

At this point, though, the Breakers just need to hope that WPS will still be around for the rest of this season and hopefully for at least another year after that. The Boston franchise actually draws well--and did in the old WUSA, too. One Breakers official told us that the WUSA franchise could have kept going; it was the rest of the league that foundered. Hopefully that won't happen again, but for now, the departure of St. Louis brings chaos to a league that badly needs stability.

Breakers 1-2 Gold Pride: Match Report Now up on Bleacher Report

2010-05-15T00:32:00.000-04:00

Marta is just unbelievable. She's in the pantheon: Gretzky, Jordan, Pele, Schumacher. Watching her play tonight was a pure pleasure, even if it did lead to a 2-1 loss for the suddenly struggling Breakers. Check out the match report on Bleacher Report.

Breakers, Freedom Blown Away in 0-0 Draw

2010-05-08T22:01:00.000-04:00

The latest match report is up on Bleacher Report. It's based on Comcast Sports Net New England's coverage of the match, which had all the picture quality of an Internet video from 2001. There's not much to say about this game, really--strong winds in Maryland rendered passes useless and played pretty effective defense for both teams. For the second match in a row, the Breakers failed to score. They also haven't won since their opening match--a 2-1 win in a less-windy Washington. Friday night brings Marta and FC Gold Pride to Harvard Stadium. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

Freedom v Breakers Tonight on CSNNE

2010-05-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

The Breakers return tonight to Washington, the scene of their only victory this season. They opened the season with a 2-1 win in DC, Kelly Smith and Lauren Cheney nabbing the goals.

Tonight's game will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Network New England, the same network that broadcasts the Celtics. The game starts at 7 pm. We'll have a report sometime after the conclusion of the match, so check back here after the game.

Breakers 0-2 Chicago: Cristiane and Company Leave Breakers Seeing Red Stars

2010-05-01T22:55:00.000-04:00

Our match report is up now on Bleacher Report. Have a look! And check back later this weekend and next week for more on this match and on the Breakers.

Athletica 1-1 Breakers: Haven't We Seen This Before?

2010-04-25T23:20:00.000-04:00

by Lee Pender

Baseball great and noted wordsmith Yogi Berra might have described today's St. Louis Athletica vs. Boston Breakers clash with one of his most famous quotes: "It's deja vu all over again." Once again, the rain came. Once again, Boston opened the scoring. And once again, the Breakers were undone by a goal that originated from a free kick. Boston did, however, manage to nab a point away from home.

On what looked on Fox Soccer Channel like a wet, windy afternoon in St. Louis, the Boston Breakers drew with St. Louis Athletica, 1-1, in a match that eerily resembled the 1-1 draw in Boston's home opener versus Philadelphia. The Breakers drew first blood only to have their opponent equalize just six minutes later--exactly as it happened against the Independence.

This time, Kasey Moore recorded her first goal as a Breaker, a strike that originated from a corner by Kristine Lilly. Lilly's corner, which came from the left-hand side of St. Louis goalkeeper Hope Solo, trickled into the penalty area, and potent Boston striker Kelly Smith trotted to meet it. Smith, though, playing the decoy, chose to let the ball sneak by her, and Moore slammed it home with a fierce shot across goal and into the corner of Solo's net.

Again, though, the Breakers' lead was short-lived. In the 27th minute, Athletica's Aya Miyama won a free kick just outside the penalty area to the right-hand side of Boston goalkeeper Ashley Phillips. Miyama sent her kick across the penalty area, and then chaos ensued in Boston's back line. Tina Ellertson of St. Louis headed the ball from Phillips's left-hand side directly to the face of the goal. From there, the ball pinballed and ended up on the head of Carolyn Blank, who nodded it home. The goal and the general set-piece confusion in Boston's defense strongly resembled last week's equalizer by the Independence. Clearly, the Breakers will be working this week in training on defending free kicks.

The rest of the match took place without much significant action, and two teams that were battling for first place fell into a tie for second in the league table. Boston now finds itself level on points (five) with its last two opponents, Philadelphia and St. Louis, while FC Gold Pride and Sky Blue FC top the table with six points each.

Again this week, inclement weather dampened the attacks for both teams. As predicted, Boston did run with three strikers--Smith, Fabiana and Lauren Cheney--up front. But it was midfielder Liz Bogus--not Chioma Igwe, as the team had suggested on Friday--who took a seat for this match and didn't see the pitch. Nevertheless, Boston's attacking strategy melted in the rain at Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri, as did much of the play in this waterlogged game contested in front of what appeared to be a small--if dedicated--St. Louis crowd.

The Breakers will return to action on Saturday, May 1, at home to the Chicago Red Stars. Game time will be 6pm at Harvard Stadium.

Lee Pender and Steven Apostolov are co-authors of Boston Breakers Report.

Breakers Likely to Go on Attack in Athletica Clash

2010-04-23T18:21:00.001-04:00

By Lee Pender

After slipping into a 4-4-2 formation in the 1-1 home draw to Philadelphia last weekend, the Boston Breakers will look to come out firing on Sunday in St. Louis, with Fabiana likely returning to a lineup that should once again feature three forwards.

The team today revealed its probable starting lineup for Sunday's match against Athletica, which Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast live at 6pm. Fabiana was on the substitutes' bench for last week's match against the Independence but played 90 minutes in a 2-1 win at Washington on opening day. She'll team up with Kelly Smith and newcomer Lauren Cheney up front, and will take the starting spot held last Sunday by midfielder Chima Igwe, who battled bravely and effectively in a gritty match.

Should a winner emerge from this weekend's clash, that team will take over sole possession of first place in the WPS. A draw on Sunday, however, could complicate the league table at this point in the season considerably. Each side has a win and a draw to its credit, and both are tied atop the league with four points. St. Louis, like Boston, won its opener and drew its second match, locking up 1-1 with Chicago last weekend.

Also like Boston, St. Louis already has a two-goal scorer this season, with England's Eniola Aluko having tallied in each of her first two matches. Breakers veteran Smith also has two goals this season. The Aluko-Smith duel will mirror one of English football's more bitter rivalries of late, as Aluko is a former player for Chelsea Ladies and Smith is a veteran of the Arsenal Ladies squad. Crafty St. Louis midfielder Shannon Boxx, who has two assists this season, will try to slice through the shrunken Boston midfield and continue her good run of form.

Last week, the Breakers' midfielders managed to clog the center of the pitch against a Philadelphia team that was mostly determined to do the same thing. The result was a foul-weather draw largely played closer to the center circle than to the penalty areas, with quality chances relatively few and far between and physical battles frequent. Sunday's game, though, given Boston's probable 4-3-3 lineup, should yield more scoring opportunities for both sides--although it's worth noting that the Breakers have allowed two goals this season, while Athletica has conceded only one. Both sides have tallied three times thus far.

Boston will be looking to improve on its performances against St. Louis from last season; after winning the opener between the two teams 2-0, the Breakers dropped both of the other games in the series, each by scores of 1-0. Newcomer Ashley Phillips will continue her adventure in goal for Boston, while the excellent Hope Solo will be in net for St. Louis.

Happily for soccer fans, the forecast for Sunday in St. Louis calls for a high in the upper 60s with a chance of thunderstorms. Last Sunday's drizzly, chilly weather in Boston didn't dampen fans' enthusiasm but did likely affect the quality of the match.

Match info: St. Louis Athletica vs. Boston Breakers at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri on Sunday, April 25. Fox Soccer Channel will televise the game live at 6pm.

Lee Pender and Steven Apostolov are co-authors of Boston Breakers Report.

BBR Links up with Bleacher Report

2010-04-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

Good news! Boston Breakers Report will be providing match coverage of Breakers home games to Bleacher Report, a fantastic Web site about world sports that has a great Breakers page. So, instead of posting match reports here, we'll post them on Bleacher Report's Breakers page and link to them here.

Don't stop checking this site, though. We'll still be running original stories and commentary here on a regular basis. Also, be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter. We'll be back with more later this week on Sunday's match in St. Louis, so drop in here from time to time and see what we have going. And thanks for reading Boston Breakers Report.

Breakers vs. Independence: Game-Day Atmosphere

2010-04-20T01:27:00.000-04:00

Sunday afternoon brought drizzle, chilly temperatures and lots and lots of mud to Greater Boston. But it also brought nearly 5300 fans to Harvard Stadium, and they created a great game-day atmosphere for the Breakers' home opener. Here are a few scenes:

Hearty fans tailgated at the far end of the stadium parking lot about an hour before game time. There were some serious tailgating spreads going.

Despite a parking lot full of cars, there was plenty of room for a kickabout before the game.

Girls' soccer teams from all over New England came out to see the Breakers' home opener.

Activities for kids (including some sort of trampoline artists) abounded outside the stadium before kickoff.

Finally, it was kickoff time. Breakers fans cheered their team with passion and enthusiasm. Hopefully they'll all come back on May 1 and bring some friends with them.

Breakers Settle for Draw with Independence

2010-04-18T23:21:00.005-04:00

By Lee Pender and Steven Apostolov

The Breakers and Philadelphia Independence finished deadlocked 1-1 tonight in a match that featured a sending off, a lovely free kick, the first goal in Independence history and a penalty kick that wasn't.

In chilly, rainy weather on Harvard Stadium's field turf, the teams spent most of the match in a gritty battle for possession in the midfield. But the game could have taken on a totally different complexion had Kristine Lilly not been judged to be offside after appearing to have won a penalty.

In the seventh minute, Heather Mitts floored Lilly in the penalty area, and referee Bryan Roslund pointed immediately to the spot. Kelly Smith actually lined up and made the penalty while Independence players stood like stone statues and fans scratched their heads. Apparently Lilly was offside before being fouled by Mitts, and therefore the penalty effort went for naught. The confusion that resulted from the penalty actually being made and then discounted was, to say the least, not a credit to the officiating crew.

The first half yielded few chances for either side, although it did feature a magnificent duel between aggressive Philadelphia winger and Icelandic international Holmfridur Magnusdottir and breakers defender Alex Scott. Scott mostly got the better of the duel, but the match-up made for good theater nonetheless. Breakers defender Kasey Moore did rip a tremendous free kick in the 33rd minute that just missed the net to the top right-hand side of Philadelphia goaltender Karina LeBlanc.

In intermittent rain and temperatures in the upper 40s, a raucous crowd of 5286 was treated to a second half that was better than the first, at least on the scoreboard. The Breakers broke the deadlock with a gorgeous Kelly Smith free kick in the 50th minute. Lauren Cheney drew a free kick on a foul by Philadelphia's Allison Falk, and Smith lined up the kick straight on from about seven yards outside the penalty area. The kick deflected off of Philadelphia's wall and past LeBlanc, but the motion and trajectory of it were such that it would likely have found the net even without the deflection.

Smith was, nevertheless, humble in her description of the goal: "I tried to bend it in the top corner, and luckily enough we got a deflection and it went in," she told Boston Breakers Report.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Philadelphia equalized just six minutes later. Philly midfielder Lori Lindsey lined up a free kick to the left of Breakers keeper Ashley Phillips, and Falk got her head on the tail end of an excellent ball to notch the first goal in Independence franchise history.

"It was the perfect ball coming in," Falk told Boston Breakers Report after the game. "It was very exciting to get the first goal [in franchise history]."

Falk's goal would be the last of the match, but the fireworks weren't quite over yet. Midfielder Jen Buczkowski reduced her Philadelphia side to 10 players after racking up two yellow cards in 10 minutes. The first, which came in the 76th minute for a push from behind on Breakers forward Kelly Smith, was not necessarily an incorrect call but was certainly less than memorable. The second arrived 10 minutes later on what appeared to be mildly rough tackle, making the resulting red seem a bit harsh, everything considered.

"The red card--I saw it a different way," Independence forward and former Breaker Amy Rodriguez told Boston Breakers Report. "She went for the ball."

Nevertheless, the Breakers, despite creating a few good chances late, couldn't capitalize on their advantage and settled for a home draw. The result leaves them with one win and one draw from two matches; Philadelphia now has two draws in the franchise's first two games.

The draw left both sides mostly unsatisfied, both in the result and in the style of play the game featured.

"I thought our team played really crappy," Rodriguez said of the Independence. "We were not pleased with our performance tonight. Our possession wasn't very good. Our touches were off."

Smith also expressed disappointment in the Breakers' failure to secure a home result but praised her teammates: "We were disappointed from the game not to pick up three points at home," she said. "It was a tough game. There was a great battle in the midfield. Leslie [Osborne] and Chioma [Igwe] did a great job against [Philadelphia's] strong midfielders."