Sky Blue Soccer officially announced today the hiring of Joe Dorini to serve as the Director of the Sky Blue Soccer School. In addition to overseeing the educational branch of the Sky Blue Soccer organization, Dorini will also serve as the Team Administrator for Sky Blue FC - the NJ/NY entry into Women's Professional Soccer.
Dorini joins Sky Blue Soccer from West Virginia, where he most recently served as the Head Coach and General Manager of the West Virginia Illusion of the W-League. An NSCAA Premier Diploma holder and a USSF Licensed coach, Dorini also worked as the Director of Coaching for the West Virginia United Soccer Club and as the Director of Soccer at ProPerformanceRX in Morgantown, WV.
Sky Blue was in the news a lot this week with the Allocations and the USWNT game. Here are some links to read up about Sky Blue's week so far.
9/18: U.S. women win without much fanfare - Star-Ledger
9/18: U.S. national team treats Morris residents to women's soccer win - Daily Record
9/18: Busy Day of Role Modeling for O'Reilly - USWNT Blog
9/18: Big job ahead for women's soccer league - Jersey Journal
9/18: Women's Professional Soccer latest to roll in NYC - am New York
9/17: Meet the "New" Jersey Girl: Hawaiian-born Kai wins over local fans - Big Apple Soccer
9/17: Sky Blue FC's roster will hold 3 gold-medal winners - Daily Record
9/17: New women's soccer league - Varsity Aces
9/16: W-Leaguers among WPS allocations - USL
9/16: New League for Women Seeks Longevity - New York Times
9/16: Top Soccer players coming to NY-NJ - The Record
9/16: Women, Gold, Blue - Allocating WPS-NJ - Pink Standard
9/16: Natasha Kai allocated to Sky Blue pro soccer team - Honolulu Advertiser
9/16: U.S. women's team to play Ireland at Giants Stadium Wednesday - Star-Ledger
9/16: Women's Professional Soccer U.S. national team allocation results - Examiner
9/16: The Original Three: Rampone, O'Reilly, Kai join to Sky Blue - Big Apple Soccer
9/16: Rampone allocated to Sky Blue FC - Asbury Park Press
9/15: East Brunswick's O'Reilly, Point Pleasant's Rampone to play for Sky Blue FC in WPS - Star-Ledger
Here's a great shot of Natasha Kai celebrating her game-winning goal against Ireland last night at Giants Stadium with her Sky Blue scarf (photo: Robyn McNeil)
Heather O'Reilly against Ireland (photo: Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com)
Christie Rampone avoids the tackle of Ireland's Michele O'Brien, who played for Sky Blue's W-League team this past summer (photo: Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com)
US Soccer President Sunil Gulati honors Christie Rampone for earning her 200th career cap (photo: Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com)
Natasha Kai talks to reporters after the game with her Sky Blue scarf (photo: Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com)
We're crazy busy, but we're psyched.
That's because come tomorrow, the big unveiling in Manhattan will reveal the first of our Sky Blue FC players--along with the rest of the teams new treasures, as the WNT pool will be divided up amongst the seven teams.
Then, the following day, Sky Blue will be working the crowds (hoping that means you) at Giants Stadium during the USA Victory tour game v. Ireland. Look for us there; we'll be the ones with the excited smiles, encouraging you to support the team, and WPS, with season ticket purchases. We have all worked so hard, and learned so much, to get this far. And we've just begun! It's fun to share a passion, to help something grow. And it's especially exciting for most of us on a personal level: you'll find at Sky Blue FC, each of us is passionate on something with personal meaning to us. And we want to share that with you.
After our press event tomorrow, read the papers and the Internet (especially our website); watch T.V. Join our Facebook network. Interact and encourage all your friends and family. Help us to sweep over the area with awareness and excitement for the team, and the league.
This week you'll be introduced to the first players at Sky Blue FC, and WPS. And you'll be introduced to us, at Giants Stadium.
SBS Blogger
Sky Blue Soccer officially announced the name for its pro women's team that will play in WPS next year. The team will be called Sky Blue FC. For more information about the naming of the team and the new team logo, visit the Sky Blue FC page on the WPS website.
SOMERSET, NJ (Sept. 9, 2008) - Sky Blue Soccer unveiled today the name and logo for its entry into Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) - the upcoming professional women's league. The Somerset, NJ based organization announced that its professional team will be called Sky Blue FC.
Sky Blue FC will be one of seven WPS franchises set to kick off the inaugural season in April 2009 with teams also playing in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington DC. Sky Blue FC will play its home matches at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ.
In exactly one week, the members of the Olympic gold medal US National Team who are eligible for the WPS draft will converge on Manhattan. They will assemble with the staff of WPS and members of the media to announce the allocation draft to the various teams (set to MC is WPS investor and NBC MVP Steve Nash). We’ve been crazed and excited at Sky Blue, preparing to roll out the red carpet for our three allocated players, and the action on the following day, when the team takes on Ireland at Giants Stadium as part of its Victory Tour.
Please stop by at that game and say hello. We’ll have a tailgate in the parking lot, with a couple of Jersey Sky Blue players, and two tables inside the stadium. We want to gear up the drive to get you all to buy season tickets to our games, and promote upcoming events, such as our ACL injury prevention clinic on Sept. 20 at the SuperDome in Waldwick, NJ.
In the meantime, we’re getting press mention, such as about our new Women’s Professional Team name. Check out today’s column by Frank Giase in the NJ Star Ledger.
SBS Blogger
Giase: Bradley and US play it safe
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Newark,NJ,USA
by Frank Giase/The Star-Ledger Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago in Bridgeview, Ill., will be an interesting litmus test for ...
See all stories on this topic
It is great to know that we will have some gold medalists on our Sky Blue pro team. We would have been happy without the gold medal, but obviously, it is much nicer with it! Overall, I think the tournament showed that women's soccer is not dominated by one nation. You can't single out one person; there are so many great players.
I still feel emotionally connected to Formiga, who played for Sky Blue. I think no one plays like her. She plays like a man, and I mean that in a positive way! She played soccer tennis with my kids in the backyard; how can I not feel connected to her? I sincerely hope we will see her in WPS.
While I am happy the US won the gold, I am also happy that Germany won a medal, because they deserved it. They could have equally made it to the final. The US had the easier draw, and Germany had to play Brazil twice.
The fact that I am German makes me root for two teams. My kids are very connected as well; one even cheers more for Germany than the US. I would have been very torn if the two teams played each other. For the WPS, I wanted a USA victory, but as a German, I would hope they would win.
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
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