I'm happy to see that the Bay Area (San Jose, to be specific) will be joining the WPS for the 2009 season.  "Play kicks off in the spring of 2009, with WPS teams based in the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. The league will expand [...] Click to continue reading...

Wow - I read today in the Swedish press that Pia has turned down an invitation from Dubya to visit the White House and be graced by his presence. I didn't actually think I could like him less today than I did on July 28 (just to select a random date).  But after watching his smirking [...] Click to continue reading...

To my mind, this was one of the finest moments in quite a collection of 'em over the past couple of days.  Bill came through last night, too. The historic milestone that Obama's nomination represents is both cause for celebration and cause for sadness ... because in 2008 we should be well beyond celebrating this [. Click to continue reading...

I know I promised I wouldn't watch or care about the women's nation team of the US till the team was cleared of the punks.

I was watching the Brasilian women's team, they just happened to be outplaying the US team once again. Hope Solo, remember her, kicked off of the team for talking, she won gold this week for the women's national team. Click to continue reading...

I think if there was ever any doubt that Pia Sundhage is the ideal coach for the U.S. women's team, they've been erased. In gold.

This piece highlights some of the reasons why her approach works.

I can't help but wonder if the men's senior team had taken a similar chance, had been willing to go a different route and stretch their concept of the game by bringing in someone who looks at play in a fundamentally different way, if they might not be better off in the long run. Click to continue reading...

Here's a nice write-up from Merrill in American Soccer News.  It will, indeed, be interesting to see how the WPS shapes the look of US Soccer in the years to come.  As for Merrill ... philosophy professor, eh?  Nice. Next up for the WPS?  WPS Teams submit U.S. WNT Player preferences to the League Tuesday, September 02, [. Click to continue reading...

Section 8 faithful Tom Dumore shows his support for the Red Stars. The guys and gals in the Chicago Fire Supporter's organization, Section 8, have taken a HUGE initiative here in Chicago: Part in parcel with the enthusiasm from the woman's team performance and in recognition of the upcoming inaugural season of Woman's Professional Soccer (WPS) and [. Click to continue reading...

Germany-Japan are underway and Japan is looking goo so far (17th minute). meanwhile, I can't imagine what the USWNT must be feeling right now. Hopefully they are focused and confident. Their making it to the gold medal match is a wonderful accomplishment and, at the very least, has brought the eyes [. Click to continue reading...

This post was written in response to a Guardian.co.uk article published on August 18th titled, "New US league targeting our players, Arsenal warn." I believe that the advent of Women's Professional Soccer here in America, which sets as its mission to be "the global standard by which all leagues around the world are measured," will do more to encourage women's leagues, teams and players than anything else the world over. Click to continue reading...

The Guardian reports that Arsenal is concerned about the WPS poaching their top players. Well, they US league is offering professional status, with the wages and contractual obligations that entails. If indeed Premiership clubs are concerned about a talent drain, they had better start making competitive offers to the players they want to retain. Click to continue reading...

The Guardian reports that Arsenal is concerned about the WPS poaching their top players. Well, they US league is offering professional status, with the wages and contractual obligations that entails. If indeed Premiership clubs are concerned about a talent drain, they had better start making competitive offers to the players they want to retain. Click to continue reading...

The news wires are now full of player profiles, match reports, you name it, as the US women's soccer team gears up for its gold medal match versus Brazil on Thursday morning. This team is living up to the Nike Women's World Cup hype of several months ago ... the greatest team you've never [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

The USWNT and Brazil both won in convincing fashion and will face off on Thursday morning (9AM ET) in the gold medal match. Germany and Japan (maybe it's me ... but doesn't that sound awfully World War Twoish?) will square off in the Bronze medal match-up (6AM ET). Kudos to Japan for making [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

Germany had a breakaway goal by Birgit Prinz - her first of the tournament. At @ the 40th minute Brazil - gradually starting to look more like themselves - scored on a beautiful play that went through Marta (faking a shot and drawing the defense) to Formiga who slotted it through. It was [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

First (from The Writer's Almanac), a wonderful poem by Marge Piercy to start your day with something introspective - before diving into the usual sports-centric deluge! This poem runs along the thought-path I was pursuing last night just before sleep. Guess it may be time to get reacquainted with myself . Click to continue reading...

Emma Hayes is in China to watch the Olympic Games. She says, "Unlike economies of this world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, the Women's game is developing at a rate where teams are getting closer to each other with every passing year." She delivers a strong quote about the future of the US soccer program in this post. Click to continue reading...

Norway 2, USWNT 0. The laments and wailing, the recriminations, the rending of clothes and gnashing of teeth have all begun and will continue until the USWNT plays like they can. Norway did it to us again ... or perhaps more accurately, we did it to ourselves. According to many on-line pundits, the [. Click to continue reading...

Grant Wahl has another excellent article on SI.com - this one focusing on Heather Mitts. Who knew that she ran with the bulls at Pamplona? ... and from the St. Petersburg Times, another take on this evolving USWNT - this by John Romano. He offers a nice summary of the challenges faced by [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) became the first major professional sports league in the world* to create its own social networking site today with the launch of the online WPS Fan Zone branded for now as "Beijing Now, WPS Next".

This is another indication that this League is going to be very smart and efficient in the way it connects with its fan base. Click to continue reading...

This is a good one - Leslie Osbourne interviewing her USWNT teammates before the last Brazil game.  (Certainly bittersweet, seeing Wambach, knowing what's in store!) Sphere: Related ContentSHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "WPS Video", url: "http://www.jordancornblog.com/wps-video/" }); Click to continue reading...

On the USWNT front, Lindsey Dolich has posted a nice preview on ESPNsoccernet about this post-Abby team. Abby's injury "forces the issue" as far as the USWNT's transformation goes. And I have my suspicions that the "liberating" aspects of the change may be quite strong for this team that has played laborious and [. Click to continue reading...

Tonight we hosted a quaint and friendly group in the Chicago Red Stars suite for the FC Barcelona training session at Toyota Park. Barcelona was preparing to play Chivas on Sunday at Soldier Field. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Pics of Barcelona Training Tonight at Toyota Park, Home of the Chicago Red Stars", url: "http://www. Click to continue reading...

I've been thinking a lot about how exactly to maximize this online community, and the more I discover about the WPS FanZone and what we can do in here, the better it becomes. From creating an interactive chatroom, to integrating videos and uploading photos, this site is incredible! I hope the players and fans get as much out of this as I believe they can. Click to continue reading...

The Toyota Park Annex (aka as the Chicago Red Stars office) has been rockin' with action lately. Consider:

* The interior rehab was recently completed with the addition of cubes for our sales staff and interns.
* The exterior design was completed yesterday with the addition of Red Stars and Toyota Park logos, Women's Professional Soccer word mark and a number of red stars. Click to continue reading...

Did you know David Beckham is interested in working with the women's league WPS? Or that he didn't even realize he had been given an option for an ownership stake in a race horse? Read today's story, which includes much of an exclusive USA TODAY interview. Yes, I had leftovers, but most of those are in the photo gallery.

Click to continue reading...