The 2008 Lineup/Roster

Practice has begun and the players must assert themselves for a starting position on this team. This team is very deep. Its very difficult to pinpoint who will start (and where)...considering health and/or redshirting. I believe Garrett will start the best players...regardless of what position or role they've usually played before. This team is versatile and athletic. Many of its parts are interchangable. I like that. Anyway, with that said...my starting lineup is configured and open to that versatility. It'll read more like a depth chart...than a traditional starting lineup. I'm looking forward to everyone's own pre-season prediction and analysis.

It's a beautifully composed team on "paper". Each player has fantastic credentials and resumes. Kudos to the Coaches for putting them together. I think Garrett can confidently state that "I'll put up our 11 against anyone elses".

Now the hard work starts....developing chemistry and team play.

GO PILOTS!!!

K Davis (Start)
H DeYoung (Minutes)

M Enyeart (Start) = (*Redshirt?) - Team MVP Candidate and Hermann Trophy Candidate
M Rapinoe (Start) = (*Health?) - Team MVP Candidate and Hermann Trophy Candidate
E Reed (Start) = (*Redshirt?) - Will Garrett use her upfront or on the backline?
J Tsao (Start) = Will Garrett use her upfront or on the backline?
D Foxhoven (Start) = WCC Freshman of the Year Candidate
S Schmidt (Start) = (*U-20 WC?)
C Burke (Start) = WCC Freshman of the Year Candidate
K Winters (Start) = (*Redshirt?)
M Sweeney (Start)
M Oliver (Start)

R Rapinoe = (Minutes)(*Health?)
K Chandhoke (Minutes)
J Jacka
H Kreminski (Minutes)
K Nicholson (Minutes)
K McCluskie (Minutes)
E Nelson
K Kelly
S Jackman (Minutes)

Way to go Phantom, my man!!!

You've gotten us started, SO now LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Pilots games! Not those boring "sports"??? over in China.

Let me comment on your Lineups. Great start on paper. (I think you forgot about Kristen Kelly, central defender, and Sara Jackman, MF/D.) I think Kassie McCluskie is one to watch out for. Her size, strength and athletic ability are off the charts, from what I've read.

You are right about the versitility of this team. Garrett, I believe, has said that basically his freshman group can play pretty much anywhere on the field.

The U-20 WNT WC and the Rapinoes knees add a bit of uncertainty to this August camp. But with our quality depth, I think this group in general has a great shot at a WCC title and a very deep run into the Final Four in Cary, NC, early in December.

Great start, Phantom!!!

Thanks for the QA Fanatic! I missed Sara and Kristen on my cut and paste but added them above after you caught the oversight.

Oh..I should define the key (translation) I used for anyone wondering....(minutes = significant playing time)

This is fun! I've been playing the scenarios in my mind for months and I can't wait to see how it all works out on the pitch.

I agree that there is tremendous flexibility here, but the one position that seems thin is central defense. Jessica and Megan S. have each had a good season on the outside, but seem too small to move to the middle. I understand that Ellie may move to defense (though what I saw in the match against the U23s was not encouraging), but she also seems better suited to the outside so that she can make runs supporting the attack. I expect that Olivier will occupy one of the central spots, but who will take the other? Sophie maybe? Otherwise it might be McKluskie who is best suited to that spot.

Any thoughts?

Thank goodness we will likely not need to worry about able bodies on the bench this season as we did last. The way I see it, this season we will likely have bodies on the bench who could arguably be starters. I think this depth will help keep the team fresh and hopefully allow for our starters to respond when called on to take more of a load when the U-20's depart for the world cup.

I'm not so sure. There's a very good chance, from what I'm hearing (though not from Pilots sources), that Michelle, Keelin, and Elli will be gone to the U20 team for the entire season. It's possible that Sophie also could be gone, although I find it hard to believe she would sit out the season to play on the Canadian U-20 team when she'll have just played in the Olympics and already has used her available national team red-shirt season. With 20 players on the roster we're looking at, that means we're probably down to a roster of 17 players and possibly, though doubtfully, 16. It leaves virtually no room for injuries. So let's think good thoughts about our players staying healthy!

Added later: Maybe I'm wrong (I hope I'm wrong). Here's a quote from US Soccer about the U20 team:

"The U.S. team will finish [its current England] trip with a match on [August] 5 against Chelsea. The U.S. will then head home as the bulk of the team will prepare for their college pre-season camps, although there will be some U-20 activity during the college season." (My emphasis.)

So, maybe they're trying to set things up so that players do not need to red-shirt, just miss some games during the season. But, they definitely will have to miss the entire NCAA Tournament, if they keep winning in the U20 World Cup Tournament.

UPSF - Interesting quote from US Soccer on the U20's: "as the bulk of the team will prepare for their college pre-season camps".

This appears to indicate that their won't be wholesale reshirting, as there was in 2004 for the U19 world Cup. It sure will take the proverbial rug out from under our feet come playoff time, however. How do you prepare for that? Sophie was a rock for us last season when she finally joined the team and became a crucial part of our scoring attack. She is the captain of the Canadian U20's and I would expect her to honor her commitment to them.

I think Garrett is going to have to play more players more minutes during the regular season this year to prepare them to take over when the "probably" four U20's make their final send-off perhaps somtime in latter October. He may need to platoon players and perhaps give quite a few more minutes to non-U20 players.

SoreKnees - I agree with you on center back. It seems to be our Achilles' Heel, experience-wise. (And that's because we lost both starting center backs to graduation.)

I think the positions are up for grabs and will be determined during August camp, which should be starting here in the next couple days. I know Korie has her heart set on one spot and has been working very hard. Kristen Kelly also has been hard at work. I agree that Michelle Olivier will come in and battle for a spot right away. She is the most highly regarded center back to come to Portland in some time. (Until Cloee Colohan comes to town in 2009. She is playing 90 minutes a game and having a major impact on the U17
WNT that has, like the U20's, qualified for this fall's World Cup - the very first U17 World Cup, I believe.)

Sara Jackman is versatile enough to play center back also. Sophie Schmidt may be the most obvious choice, until she has to leave the team for the U20 World Cup. Kassie McCluskie - watch for her. She is big and talented enough, form what I've heard, to play center back. She is my "wild card" of the 2008 recruits. The "Keelin Winters" of this Freshman class, if you will. I sure hope so.

So, we have plenty of options, SoreKnees. I think it's going to be a monster battle for those two starting center back positions. But in this year, in particular, we'll need three or four good strong players at the ready. And when Keelin leaves during the season for the U20's, someone will need to step into that holding mid spot. I am confident we have plenty of candidates to do that.

The 2008 Roster is up! Everyone, commence betting on how many players will change position from what's listed this year.

Of note: both Korie Nicholson and Megan Rapinoe were granted medical hardship waivers. Does this mean we'll be seeing both again in 2009? (Megan Sweeney was also granted a waiver)

Ninja,

It still lists Megan as a Sr. though. I think technically should she feel the desire/need she would have the option of one more season of eligibility, but If she performs as expected, I would think that the lure of the new women's league and WNT opportunities may pull her away from us, and understandably so.

Perhaps the allure of waiting to see if the league will last more than a year or waiting for some more west coast teams will be greater.

Unfortunately, after the knee injury, I am not sure that the allure of staying here an extra year has as much luster, especially after hurting it the first time possibly cost her a spot on the WC team last year, and the Olympic team this year.

Ninjapizza wrote:

Of note: both Korie Nicholson and Megan Rapinoe were granted medical hardship waivers. Does this mean we'll be seeing both again in 2009? (Megan Sweeney was also granted a waiver)

I can say without jeopardizing program secrets that, barring the unexpected, you can count on Korie coming back for her redshirt senior season in 2009.

The official word on Megan is that no one knows for certain, except Megan. Based on everything I am aware of, she wants to go out with twin sis Rachel in 2008. And I personally feel five years on the bluff is enough for a player with Megan's goals and drive.

If Megan is healthy, don't be completely surprised if we do bring home that 3rd trophy this December. This young lady IS a monster soccer player who is very frustrated and very ready, I think, to take on all comers starting August 23rd!

There's an article Here about Colorado's Nikki Marshall that says she will miss 4 regular season games and miss all of the Tournament, if Colorado makes it. That tells me players have been told when camps will be, so I'm guessing we'll have an idea before the season starts whether our players will redshirt or not, and how many games they might miss if they don't redshirt.

I wouldn't plan on four games being the answer if they don't redshirt, however. Garrett is a lot more conservative than perhaps Bill Hempen is with respect to keeping his players rested, and he certainly has more experience than Hempen in terms of knowing what a toll a combined schedule and the travel would take on players.

But at least Garrett and the players will be able to plan for the season now.

Hey, FANatic, where do you get all those great emoticons

UPSF - My SoccerMaster, Purplegeezer, told me to put "web smileys" in my search engine and a ton of sites would come up.

Alas, I always do what my SoccerMaster tells me to do, (regarding soccer-related info, anyway). So I came up with a site I kinda like:

Smiley Repository

There are a whole bunch of other options, though. Whatever you can dream up, there's probably a smiley for it.

I think I created a monster.

And for he record, The missing pants incident was none of my doing.