Last night I had a dream that Sky Blue FC took down the Washington Freedom 2-1 in today’s First Round WPS Playoff match.
Seriously.
I am not one to mess with the deep, enlightening nature of dreams (eh,who am I kidding?), so that is going to be my prediction for this afternoon’s game. Sky Blue FC will pull off the upset 2-1.
Now, let me try to justify that with something other than a reason that Mrs. Cleo might give you.
First, as I mentioned when I appeared on World Soccer Reader’s radio show, Inside the Six on Thursday, it is incredibly hard to beat the same opponent three times in one season. By the time that third (and in this case fourth with a tie inthe season series) game comes, the team that has continuously suffered defeat has typically adapted its game to sort out previous problems.
Washington won the season series between these two teams with a recordof 2-0-1, including a 3-1 win at the SoccerPlex exactly one week ago.
The second reason the visitors from New Jersey could pull off an unlikely win is the battle of the midfield. We saw glimpses of how great Rosana can be last week (and all season), including her incredible second half goal that brought the game back to 2-1.
Rosana also had several chances in the first half that could have been in the back of the net if it were not for Erin McLeod’s play in goal. With the absence of Washington’s star midfielder Sonia Bompastor, the balance of the midfield battle may have shifted.
I could be crazy, but Sky Blue FC very well could be set to pull off . Either way, I don’t see Athletica losing on Wednesday….
