Fanta Cooper

With Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) holding the first of its two potential player combines this weekend in California, the Sky Blue FC coaching staff will be seeking to secure the final pieces to the team’s roster for the league’s inaugural season. Head Coach and General Manager Ian Sawyers and newly-appointed Assistant Coach Kelly Lindsey will be in San Diego from today through Sunday to scout out the potential professional candidates.

WPS will be holding two combines for potential players – the first this weekend in San Diego and the second from December 18-21 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. At each combine, 72 different players will vie to catch the eyes of the WPS coaches and managers on hand with the hopes of landing a roster spot on one of the seven founding teams for the inaugural WPS season. Many of those faces will be familiar to Sky Blue fans with 16 of those players having previously put on a Sky Blue uniform.

CLICK HERE to read more about the WPS Combines ...

After playing for Sky Blue's W-League team the past two summers, Fanta Cooper is looking to impress at the WPS East Coast Combine. (Robyn McNeil)

Sky Blue Soccer announced today that Kelly Lindsey has been hired to fill the role of assistant coach for the organization’s pro team Sky Blue FC – the NJ/NY entry into Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). Lindsey joins head coach and general manager Ian Sawyers on the Sky Blue FC staff after serving as the head women’s soccer coach at Saint Mary’s College in California.

Lindsey guided the Saint Mary’s program the past three seasons after spending two years as the top assistant to Chris Petrucelli at the University of Texas. She also served as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado for one season in 2003. A United States Soccer Federation “A” License holder, Lindsey also worked with the US Under-21 National Team in 2004.

The former University of Notre Dame standout will be reunited with Sawyers after playing for him for three seasons with the San Jose CyberRays of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) from 2001 to 2003.

CLICK HERE for the whole story about Kelly Lindsey and Sky Blue FC ...

By Ian Sawyers
Reprinted with permission from Soccer America
When I was growing up a soccer-mad youngster in England, the way we truly learned to play was by copying the game we watched. Whether it was on television, or for those lucky enough to soak it up at a live match, our "lessons" came by going out to the streets, and in informal kick-rounds, attempting to copy the professionals we had seen play the game.

My wife, Hall of Fame soccer star Julie Foudy, tells a different story of her childhood. It includes her early memories of the only available athlete role models she could find -- professional American football and basketball players.

It's true that in the past in this country, it's been difficult to find the top players to imitate, especially for girls. But the new Women's Professional Soccer league, and teams like Sky Blue FC, are a positive step in the right direction. Now, you can complete the pieces of your soccer education with the third, and vital part, of the equation: train, play, watch.

Why watch the game? There are a lot of reasons, but as an educational tool it's simple: you can't do what you can't see. Soccer is a visual game and a lot of young players are visual learners.

Establishing mental images by watching my heroes play provided me with a road map equal to watching a TV re-run. I knew what was coming next in a given situation as I felt I had already seen it and lived it, and all I had to do was copy the movement.

A sports psychologist and old friend of mine once told me "the brain cannot differentiate between what is real and what is imagined." This has helped me a lot in my coaching career to try and encourage a constant use of mental imagery and "creating good pictures" in the soccer brain. It is said that the best players have good vision -- the seeming ability to see the entire field and anticipate potential movement. Sure, this comes from playing experience, but this experience also includes the careful attention to the skill of experts and role models and thus the formation of "positive pictures."

There are many ways to watch the game, each of them valuable and interesting. Watch with an eye toward different aspects of play. Isolate your watching experience. Start with the warm-up, one of the most essential parts of the game, and often overlooked by youth players. The warm-up of a professional entails many parts. It has a progression; it is physical (what they do); emotional and mental (How they act and feel. For example, do they chat with teammates? Are they silent and focused on their effort?). Imagine what would work best for you in a warm-up, or for your team.

During the game, try focusing on a player in your position, and then, switch focus to another aspect, such as movement off the ball. Most people watch the obvious -- the action with the ball -- but it is the activity that goes on all around that sets up that pass or shot.

Consider this: on average, a player runs between 5 and 6.5 miles per game, yet the distance that player covers with possession of the ball is only 2 percent of that, about 200 yards. So obviously, there's a lot to learn by watching what goes on all over the field.

Finally, watch the game because you enjoy it. What happens on the field is just a part of what WPS will offer you. Game days are also opportunities to celebrate your sport, and to share an exciting and fun experience with family, friends and teammates. It is also one of the rare opportunities to be with them in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, without the stress of usual of competition with your club or school teams. And, too, you will share that sense of pride when you look out at the greatest women players in the world and think: I play that game too. And I can dream to become one of those players.

(Ian Sawyers is the general manager and head coach of Sky Blue FC , the NY/NJ franchise of Women's Professional Soccer. As former head coach of the women's professional San Jose CyberRays, he led that team to the inaugural championship of the WUSA.)

Sky Blue FC has been in the new a lot lately. In addition to Christie Rampone Day at her alma mater Monmouth University last Sunday (which Sky Blue FC staffers attended in support of Christie), here is more news on our Olympic gold medal drafted players. In addition, following the round of the draft this past Monday, Sky Blue FC and Ian Sawyers quotes are featured on college women's soccer websites such as the University of Portland and the University of North Carolina.

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Tonya Antonucci, the WPS Commissioner, begins by reading the rules of the draft, including time limits, breaks, and rules. The WPS lawyer comes on the line, to elaborate, and to extend a caution on keeping certain rules.

The Staff sits around the phone call, trolling the Internet for “instant bios” to send to media (and to you! Our fans). Then, in the breaks (each team has one five minute “time out”, which is on as I write this), we glance up at the board in the conference room, where all the players on every team thus far have been listed, and we gossip about whom we think might be suitable for whom (like we are some kind of “Ian Sawyers” experts…). Who will we get??

Sky Blue FC has snagged Cori Alexander, goalkeeper from the 2005 NCAA Championship University of Portland team, and defender Keeley Dowling, a standout from the University of Tennessee.

(I stop to text my daughter, who knows the delightful Ella Masar, a forward who played for the U. of Illinois and the USA Under-23 team). She has just been selected to Chicago. And Kendall Fletcher, UNC alumni, and a wonderful leader, goes to adoptive home, Los Angeles.)

There’s a long pause between picks. At times, the pure silence can set the imagination going, or, if the pause goes long enough, you begin to think of your shopping list.

We’re starting to make bets. Mine started at $100, went do $10, and right as

I realize I am going to lose; I drop it to $1.

Waiting, waiting, waiting…It’s Sky Blue FC’s turn again, and Ian selects midfielder Kacey White, The US National Team and former UNC player. And defender Jenny Anderson-Hammond, who played for the Chicago Gaels of the W-League and is the assistant women’s soccer coach at Eastern Illinois.

We’ve got our four. Time to hear from Coach Sawyers.

In the midst of all the wonderful Olympic happenings, Sky Blue got together with Bobbi Brown Cosmetics for an event in Montclair, NJ. On Thursday evening August 14, about 50 people had a most joyous time. There were literally smiles the whole time. The theme of the event can be summarized by the introductory remarks made by Sky Blue GM and head coach Ian Sawyers. He said that the event exemplified self-concept, and traits being emphasized that evening--confidence, assertiveness, and a positive attitude--are important on and off the field, and in any endeavor in life.

For more information, read this great article by a new Sky Blue supporter, LadyPink.

http://thepinkstandard.blogspot.com/2008/08/beauty-and-team.html

My gracious bosses at Sky Blue let me take this week to coach at the JFSLA, and how much I have to thank them!! I've been receiving the text messages from Kristin in Ops about our wins this weekend, but I haven't had much time for anything else. So far the craziest moment was being introduced as part of the staff with the likes of Julie Foudy, Cindy Parlow, Kim Pickup, and Jamie Paguilaro. When did I get into THAT group?? But I represented Sky Blue well, and have been spreading the word among staff who peppered me with questions about WPS during lunch. You can already tell where Ian Sawyers has cut his management skills, as he leads our camp during our soccer training, and in camp in general. I'm certainly proud to say he's the Sky Blue GM and head pro coach! The Sky Blue W-league team is coming by before their Wildcats game to do some team building with us. I have the youngest group of campers, so they are hyped to see these players, as they were last night when Carli Lloyd stopped by. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention future Olympian (It's official!!) and NJ native Lloyd stopped by last night to give the kids some inspiring words. She certainly has a bright future ahead of her! Anyway, I'm off to more soccer training then team building, then leadership skills development, then..... I'm loving every second, and its certainly inspired me to see why it's so important give these girls the strong, positive role models that will be, and are, the Sky Blue players. CHOOSE TO MATTER!!!!!
Peace,Natalie PS. ENGLAND!! OI OI OI (My team for the week)

The play was as heated as the metal bleachers with the temperature reading above 90°F when Jersey Sky Blue played the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team at Pascack high school in Hillsdale, New Jersey. It was a captivating and physical match despite being mostly one-sided in favor of the team who isn’t even old enough to vote. Fortunately, politics wasn’t an issue for the U.S. women who entertained the crowd with their fancy footwork and age-defying skill. Courtney Verloo squirted the ball past Sky Blue goal keeper Jillian Loyden in the first half to put the U.S. on top 1-0. The U.S. had a few chances to increase their lead with shots on goal by Victoria DiMartino and Erika Tymrak, but luckily Loyden is good friends with the crossbar. The U.S. women were able to notch one more goal before the final whistle. Kristen Mewis beat the last defender with deft footwork and scored on a breakaway with less than a minute left in the match. The U.S. women came away with the 2-0 win. U.S. head coach Kazbek Tambi stated this was a good match and great test for the players. “It was a good team effort. We are trying to be more consistent. This was a good evaluation for a tough setting.”

Over 250 fans came out to watch the match, including some notables. Charlotte Moran who is the head of Region 1 Girl’s ODP was in attendance. Rutgers women’s soccer head coach Glenn Crooks along with University of Virginia women’s soccer head coach Steve Swanson looked on from the sidelines sans stopwatch and clipboard. University of Rutgers basketball player and Pascack Valley high school alumna Heather Zurich watched the match from the stands. Ian Sawyers who will be the head coach and general manager of the 2009 pro team was also in attendance. Sawyers talked to the crowd via megaphone during halftime about the inaugural 2009 WPS season, player allocation, and the upcoming draft. I caught up with him after the match and asked what his thoughts were on the draft and the challenges of managing a new franchise. He stated he not only wants great players, but players with good character who will contribute to the community. The most challenging aspect for Mr. Sawyers will be getting people to know Sky Blue and creating a great product on the field that is enjoyable for everyone.

A special shout out goes to Arsenal who was a partner in Tuesday’s game. They had a game night on Saturday and hosted an ACL clinic with Atlantic Sports Health that morning.

Zalika Green

The Damallsvenskan Newsblog has a short editorial piece about the future of the WPS including comments about WPS coaches Ian Sawyers and Denise Reddy. The post also includes a brief financial comparison between the WPS and the Damallsvenskan and an analysis of the prospects of Swedish players migrating to the WPS.

CLICK HERE: http://dandal.webblogg.se/1205790026_scouting_at_algarve.html

The Fair Game Magazine blog has ongoing coverage of the Algarve Cup. In addition, there's a shot of new Sky Blue professional head coach Ian Sawyers checking out a game along with a shot of another "mystery" coach (April Heinrichs - another new pro league coach?)

The Fair Game blog can be found here: http://www.fairgamemag.com/index.php/eng/fair_game_blog