A long-distance relationship has been brewing in New Jersey since the last home game. Over the past seven weeks, fans have relied on FOX Soccer Channel, WPS Fancorner, and the social media sphere to deliver up-to-minute news about Sky who?...Sky Blue!
Photo: Robyn McNeil
As the family reassembled yesterday for the long-awaited game-8 against the Boston Breakers, the stands began to fill with clubhouse jersey's, game-time goodies and loud cheer. The crowd of nearly 3,500 roared when the ladies of Sky Blue FC took the field; the debut match at Yurcak Field clearly underway.
Home turf and a spitfire start galvanized spirits on the field and in the stands, when Natasha Kai scored her second goal of the season, just four minutes into the match. A great assist from midfielder Meghan Schnur, the left side was covered and Breakers keeper Kristin Luckenbill defeated.
“If it’s my job to come off the bench and be that player for the team, then that’s my job and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. I’m here for my girls – my team, my family. I’ll do whatever it takes to help them win and lift their spirits up,” said Kai.
Kelly Smith answered back for the Breakers with a quick, keen goal, eight minutes after the play. Sky Blue FC keeper Jenni Branum mishandled a toss in, setting Smith up for an easy score just two yards out, thus tying the match. Unfretted by the slipup, Branum showcased a series of impressive saves keeping Sky Blue FC fired up.
"We had a great game but I feel that we have more to give,” said Sky Blue FC defender Christie Rampone, “This team is still on the up and up,” she said.
From a Schnur pass, Kacey White flicked one from the inside of her right foot. In play, the ball blew over Luckenbill and just made it under the cross bar, earning Sky Blue FC the 2-1 lead in the 29th minute. Defenses armed after a hard played first half, Sky Blue FC and the Boston Breaker s remained impenetrable for the remainder of the game.
“Today was a great turnout with great weather,” said White, “…we are lucky in this area to have a lot of committed fans that come see us day in and day out,” she said.
Join Sky Who? Sky Blue! on Saturday, June 13th at 7 PM on Yurcak Field as they welcome back contenders the Los Angeles Sol.
“To be the premier women’s soccer league in the world, and the global standard by which women’s professional sports are measured.” This is the bold mission of the 2009 WPS league. Today, over six thousand football fans gathered at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, to celebrate the East Coast kickoff between NJ/NY Sky Blue FC and the Los Angeles Sol. “Today is an historic day for soccer and women’s sports in the New Jersey/New York area,” said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “Sky Blue FC are playing their inaugural match in Women’s Professional Soccer and have officially joined the professional sports landscape in a region known as one of the soccer hubs in America,” she said.
The 90-minute match put a defense-armed Sky Blue FC against the LA Sol amid exceptional defenders, keen goalies and seasoned coaches.After Christie Rampone retired from the game due to a pulled hamstring in the 27th minute, it wasn’t long before international, all-star forward Marta scored the first goal for LA in the 42nd. Ignited by the reverence of the play, just two minutes later, Han Duan setup a gratifying assist for Marta to score the shut-out goal for LA. “This was a lot faster game then the game against Washington,” said Marta, “it’s very gratifying for an athlete to travel and not be at your home stadium and just have a reception like this.” The ‘Marta vs. Sky Blue’ chant wars setup a dynamic and energy for an interesting rivalry, and an exciting indication for the 20-game season.
General Manager and Head Coach Ian Sawyers sought comfort in the fans dedication to the Home Team and the notion that this was game one. “It was a phenomenal. It was really neat to see people out there in the fun zone. Having them there and all the seats almost all full it was fantastic. I think they tried to get behind us as much as they could we just didn’t give them enough to help us get over the edge.”
It’s just one week from the NJ/NY Sky Blue FC season opener, so at this point, adrenaline-filled countdowns are part of the agenda. Equally as important to the league, are the uniforms the world-renown ladies of the Women’s Professional Soccer teams are expected to wear. When celebrity, sport, fashion and a contract signing are the lead-in to season kickoff, expect the score to be big!
Heather O’Reilly’s contract signing amid the unveiling of the WPS home and away kits was nothing short of awakening to the players and management. “This is the chance for everyone to start realizing their dream and get a look at what it’s like on a professional level. We’re ready to launch!” said Ian Sawyers, Sky Blue FC’s Head Coach and General Manager at the February cocktailed social in Manhattan.
That evening, PUMA, the official sport brand for the league released the seven looks to don the toughest players women’s pro-soccer has to offer. Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Summer Sanders welcomed guests to mid-town’s The Event Space, where paired players modeled their colors.
Represent of each team were: Marta Vieira da Silva and Johanna Frisk of the Los Angeles Sol, Amy Rodriguez and Angela Hucles, of the Boston Breakers, Leslie Osborne and Christina DiMartino of FC Gold Pride, Carli Lloyd and Nikki Krzysik of the Chicago Red Stars, Hope Solo and Lori Chalupny of Saint Louis Athletica, Heather O’Reilly and Christie Rampone of NJ/NY Sky Blue FC and Allie Long and Sarah Huffman of the Washington Freedom.
The glamour of the Veev® adorned social escalated when Christian Siriano, fashion designer and winner of Bravo’s Project Runway Season 4, debuted his soccer-inspired Home & Away cocktail dresses, made of the same materials as the PUMA uniforms.
Designed in the hindsight of the fallen WUSA league, an acute business model, top-tier performances, and a community-focused fan base will drive the inaugural season. “The past league was very top down and required investors to spend more money than the business supported. What we are saying now instead is that we have the world’s best players. We have franchise owners in each market. Let’s keep our costs in line with helping the businesses launch and grow it as we grow,” said Tonya Antonucci, Commissioner, Women’s Pr0fessional Soccer.
With great packages available at skybluestore.com take the family out on a New Jersey drive to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater or Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway. On April 5th give Sky Blue a New York minute to score some points with you!
WESTFORD, MA & SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 15, 2008) - Today, global sportlifestyle brand PUMA and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) announced an exclusive partnership making PUMA an official founding partner of WPS and an official sponsor of all WPS franchises. The multi-year partnership makes PUMA the official sport and lifestyle apparel, footwear and equipment supplier of WPS, including the official WPS Match Ball. In addition to on-field performance wear, PUMA will outfit the athletes and teams at all WPS-related events, activities and WPS appearances in sportlifestyle apparel. This partnership kicks off with the inaugural season in April 2009 and will see PUMA collaborating with WPS to enhance the game of women's soccer and will act as the foundation in the PUMA Women's category.
"PUMA has built up a strong momentum in women's soccer over the past 10 years collaborating closely with pioneering partners that have redefined the game of a global and local stage. Today, we are proud to be one of the founding partners of Women's Professional Soccer in what promises to be a new pioneering chapter for women's soccer," said PUMA Chairman & CEO Jochen Zeitz. "The WPS partnership provides PUMA with a perfect platform to reinforce the brand's positioning as the most desirable sportlifestyle brand in the world as well as underline our continued commitment to women's sports."
With the WPS partnership, PUMA further underlines its commitment to women's soccer where it already has long-term partnerships with the likes of two-time FIFA™ World Player of the Year Marta da Silva of Brazil, who was drafted by the WPS Los Angeles Sol, U.S. National Team star Leslie Osborne, who will be playing for WPS in the Bay Area, defender Heather Mitts of the WPS Boston Breakers, and several Club teams in Europe including Swedish champion's Umea IK, UEFA Women's Cup Champions in 2003 and 2004. "To have PUMA, the world's leading sportlifestyle brand, as a founding partner in Women's Professional Soccer is a great endorsement for our league," said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. "We are proud to have PUMA's commitment to support, supply and grow the league and we recognize the creative, stylish and unique ways PUMA will promote WPS and women's soccer on the whole."
PUMA will have a presence in each market and stadiums for WPS games, as well as the WPS All-Star Game, WPS playoffs and WPS Championship game. PUMA and WPS have agreed to cross-promotional marketing opportunities via national print media, online media and television. This agreement also marks PUMA as an official licensee of the WPS for items including on field and sportlifestyle apparel, footwear and a wide variety of accessories.
Today's PUMA announcement coincides with the WPS league announcement about the 2009 WPS Draft, which will be held January 16, 2009 at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis. As a founding partner of WPS, PUMA will begin immediate activation at the 2009 WPS Draft next month, hosting league interviews in its booth, providing product and visuals at the draft day ceremonies, and running other promotional activities around the occasion of the league's first annual draft.
PUMA is a leader in the game of soccer with a European portfolio of five National Teams, including current FIFA World Cup™ holders Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic. In addition to being the official supplier to these European teams, PUMA has a long standing relationship with 11 African soccer Federations including the current CAF African Cup of Nations™ holders, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Namibia. In the U.S., PUMA has worked with all-star Major League Soccer athletes such as Matt Reis, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario.
New Jersey and New York fans have another exciting reason to shout: take me out to the ball game! Sky Blue FC, the new professional soccer team of the Women's Professional League (WPS) announced their first three players today at an allocation conference at The Sports Museum of America, in downtown Manhattan. Olympic Gold Medalists Christie Rampone, Heather O'Reilly, and Natasha Kai are the tri-state areas premiere appointees.
The conference was hosted by NBA All-Star and WPS part-owner Steve Nash and moderated by WPS Commissioner, Tonya Antonucci. The 21 women, who contributed to the United States National Team’s gold medal acquisition, were split among seven team areas: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, and New Jersey. "This is a big day for Woman's Professional Soccer, as teams now have Olympic gold medalists from Beijing allocated to their home cities along with other talented national team players. These are the first building blocks for the teams as the league begins the countdown to the inaugural 2009 WPS Season," said Antonucci.
Christie Rampone, Point Pleasant, NJ native and WUSA veteran was named captain for the 2008 Beijing bound team. She's a masterful defender who played every minute of the six games in China. Christie’s skills and leadership played a major factor in the US National Team's capture of Gold. Moreover, her professional league experience acts as a guiding light for the team. “This time around we’re going to have a lot of games, which American players need to raise our level, so I think that will be good all around.”
Heather O'Reilly hails from East Brunswick, NJ with an impressive career history. Her repertoire includes a New Jersey Wild Cats Championship, a University of North Carolina NCAA MVP designation, and All-Conference, County, and State acquisitions-all four years of high school. O’Reilly’s consistent dedication to her craft also makes her an invaluable asset to the team, but she attributes her success to a united team effort and excellent leadership. “Ian has an incredible knowledge of the game. Between him, Julie Foudy, and the 2009 team there is so much more for me to learn.”
Not only is Natasha Kai a forward to be reckoned with. She is the first-ever Hawaiian to make the Woman’s National Team and Woman’s World Cup Team. As the player who scored the winning goals in the game that lead to Olympic placement and the Gold Medal victory over Brazil, this Kahuku, Ohau spitfire appreciates the opportunities that soccer has provided. “We’re far from the U.S., and there aren’t that many opportunities in Hawaii. We have to go the extra mile. I was lucky. I stayed home, went to college, and the tables turned in my favor. I got noticed.”
The rebirth of a women's professional league within the New Jersey corridor provides significant role-models for young ladies and the opportunity to increase industry awareness to non-traditional markets. Ian Sawyers, Head Coach & General Manager explained, “We have the opportunity to reach everybody…and show them the health benefits of soccer. When you are out on the field for 90 minutes, you’re moving for 90 minutes. It’s an intense cardio workout that can keep kids healthy.”
The combination of skill, dedication, underscored international achievement, health benefits, and a national fan base- foreshadows a promising future of Sky Blue FC and the WPS league.
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