The WPS has a feature up on its website about Sky Blue players participating in the USL W-League Combine this weekend down in Tampa. The story features insights from Domenique Esposito, Daniela Molina, and Jillian Loyden. You can read the story here.
There are nine players total from Sky Blue's 2008 W-League team participating in the combine. In addition to those three, Kim Brandão, Ashlyn Brantley, Marisa Brown, Jaime Komar, Michele O'Brien, and Leah Robinson will also be there. Stacy Bishop and Leah Tapscott (Sky Blue W-League players in 2007) and Kelly Schmedes (a guest player for Sky Blue in the China game in 2007) will also be part of the combine in addition to Denise Reddy - the Sky Blue W-League head coach in 2008 and the Sky Blue WPS assistant coach in 2009. Reddy will serve as a coach for one of the eight combine teams.
Brandi Chastain, famed member of the ‘91ers (Julie, Joy, Brandi, Christine, Mia) came to New York City this week on business.
She was briefed on Sky Blue, and while flipping through photos, came upon our own All-American goalkeeper Jillian Loyden. “I heard she’s great--that she deserves a look from the national program.”
Way to go Jill; well-deserved from the woman who held the National Team of China scoreless last June when they played Sky Blue select at Rutgers.
Brandi chatted about WPS, and is updated and supportive. We’re confident she’ll be involved in some serious capacity.
Another highlight was her story about the next “Chastain star on the rise.” Jaden, 22-month-old son of Brandi and her husband, Jerry Smith (Santa Clara University women’s soccer coach), got his first pair of cleats just recently. They were a gift from the Brazilian great, Sissi (now a Bay Area resident), whose 3 ½ year old son Michael showed up in his soccer outfit, complete with a Barcelona (Lionel) Messi jersey. Brandi, seeing the jersey of the Argentinean star, remarked to Sissi,
“You’ve certainly got high aspirations for your son.”
According to the Bay Area Sports drive, the story goes that when Sissi was a young girl growing up in Brazil, when she couldn’t find a soccer ball to kick around, she started using the heads of her dolls. Her mother worried about that. Obviously, no such worries for “Messi Michael.”
Look for the return of Brandi when she comes East again to broadcast the women’s Olympic soccer games for NBC TV and its outlets.
Yours,
SBS Blogger
Sky Blue goalkeeper Jillian Loyden is quoted today in a New York Times article about college athletics. (You may have to register for free to read it.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/sports/12lifestyles.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin
I hate to give away my age, but I was a teenager for the 1999 Women’s World Cup. A fan who has probably traveled more miles than most for women’s soccer. I hit up the “local” Division I team, Penn State, saw NT games at Hershey, VA Beach, and the Home Depot Center, the “Indoor Celebrations” at Cleveland and Pittsburgh. WUSA games in Philly. Dragged my parents to DC for the 1999 nailbiter vs. Germany. I still remember the first time I met Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain. I’m reluctant to admit I even had a soccer website and was written about in Newsday. (As with Peter Wilt’s blog, some details will not be revealed...)
Now here I am, leaving more secure job offers and better paying professions behind (Whose parents don't want them to be a lawyer?), because I have the chance to be a part of something. Something so exciting and new! Who wouldn’t want to be in on the ground floor?? I think Steve Nash and I agree, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Every hour spent at soccer tournaments or club meetings, pouring over game entertainment plans or maintaining the inventory, are all well spent when I see that little 10 year old get all wide-eyed when she meets Fanta or Jillian Loyden. Maybe I see a little bit of me in that girl; just excited to meet my heroes. She’ll want to do well in school or resist peer pressure because she sees what it means to be a successful female athlete… and more importantly, a successful human being.
When I was young, I was inspired by Julie and Brandi, and now everyday I get to see more and more kids feel the same inspiration from our Sky Blue players.
See you ‘round NJ,
Natalie
PS. Picture above is Penn State vs. UNC circa 2000... Can you guess where it was played?
Sky Blue goalkeeper Jillian Loyden joined US Women's National Team star Heather O'Reilly at the Clinton Book Shop on December 22, 2007 to read the book "A Turn for Lucas" - a book written by Sky Blue staff member Gloria Averbuch.
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