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Well what a difference a week makes right?? maybe the title to the blog gives this one away, but you may be able to tell the first thing that i am going to talk about.
Let me just fill you in on my location at the moment. I am on a plane with the team and we have just taken of. We are way to Saint Louis having just been in washington for 2 days. I have a team mate to my right Kelly Schmedes, who at every bump and noise change i hear from the plane she tries her best to reassure me that everything is going to be ok and not to worry (please try explaining this to my heart, which feels like it is trying to beat its way out of my chest). so for my 2 hour plane ride i have taken the opportunity to blog and try and take my mind off things which at the moment thats what it needs.
So let me start from last week and a bit ago., last week i was back Home in England where we was playing 2 national team games as preparation for the Europeans Championships which is now just a couple of weeks away. These games were for the manager (Hope Powell) to see her players and to make her decisions on what the final 20 players are going to be for the final squad. Our 1st game we played Iceland, Hope used this game to give players who are on the fringe a chance to play and prove they are worthy for a place in the squad. So i found myself along with other WPS players Kelly smith, kaz Carney, Anita Asante and karen Bardlsy sitting in the stand watching this game. There were some really good individual performances but as a whole the team did not play up to the usual standards and we ended up losing the game 2-0. For some players the game was a real highlight because i think maybe 2 or 3 players actually made there debuts for the senior team, but it was a frustrating night overall.
That night me and my roommate Karen Carney stayed up till 2 in the morning so we could follow our WPS teams who were playing each other that night on match tracker, unlucky for Karen but my team Won (well done girls), it was so nerve wracking watching match tracker waiting for something just anything to pop up on the screen to fill us in on what was going on! it is much easier playing then watching a game for sure, i am a nervous wreck.
So with one national team game done, next up was Denmark who are ranked above us in the world rankings i think 6th or 5th?? I along with the normal other WPS players would be playing in this game, and i was looking forward to playing like i always am when it comes to any game of soccer. My mum and some friends were making the trip up to swindon to watch the game, so i was pleased about that even though we are back home in England we are in a hotel and on the field all the time and do not get time to see family and friends, so i knew i had a little time after the game to see them.
Just before i stepped out onto the pitch Hope told me.... go and show everyone just how good you are, this made me smile and i told her i would.
After the game i was named Player of the match and got presented with a bottle of champagne. This was only my 2nd time being named player of the match and for me i know its a major thing because for a right back to be named it, i must have done something right. Normally flair players or big name players get this and that is not me. i would say i did nothing special but i did work my Butt of for 90mins and I suppose sometimes that is more then enough. (the champagne just so you all know, went to my mum who i hope had a good night,ha)
I found out the night before also (i was not able to stay up all night to follow this one on match tracker) but my team had also beat FC Gold Pride, which was major because not only was they playing away from home the team won with out 7 national team players all away on national team duty (see i did tell you all, that players were waiting in the wings to prove what they have got, and they sure did that!)
With national team camp done i was back on a plane to Boston the next day ready to play Sky Blue(AGAIN). On the saturday nothing different here when it comes to sky blue, but once again we could not manage a win against them (what is it with this team??). so i will not go into much more detail about that game.
Which brings me up to speed with now. so our next game was V Washington, a win in this game would secure us a playoff spot, so this game was all to play for (if washington win they now skip us into 3rd place). with the warm up done, i was ready, i felt so good, i like Washington's stadium and field - the field makes for some good soccer to be played. The national anthems were over the whistle is blown the game is underway.... i can tell you exactly how my game panned out. A nice one two with Angela in midfield then i try to play the ball to Fabs, Washington kick it out for our throw. I take the throw, we get another one, i take it, we are on the attack, Angela again tries to play me a ball on the top of the washington box, i knew what i wanted to do but it doesnt come of. Washington go on the attack, but it breaks down, we have the ball in the back passing it around for a sec, the ball comes to me....... i have space to drive forward, i take a touch forward the ball slips away from me a bit, i slid to try and retrieve it then BANG.................. i hear a whistle Bompaster is still on the floor rolling around, the ref is running over, i see him go to his pocket........ so i think to myself great, a yellow card this early on, thats going make my game hard now....... BUT NO!!! he pulls out a RED!!!! i had to double take, i thought it was wrong, a red card in the 1st 5 minutes, come on! i was so shell shocked i could not say a word. my 1st red card in my career and i have been playing since i was 8! a red card for a tackle that was supposed to be that bad that Bompaster managed to get straight back onto the field within a minute of play and play 90 minutes with out so much as a limp.
THE FIRST 5 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that has to be some kind of record. One that i will be ashamed to have my name on the end of, but that just does not happen! but enough about me, i felt i had let my teammates down. They now had to run themselves into the ground for a whole game with a player down. I made my team work double than what they had to (IM SO SORRY)
but i was so proud of all my teammates, with 10 players they deserved to take something from the game. For about 70 minutes we did not even look like we was a player down thats how great they were.
Abby got free at the end and made the game 1-0, which now makes us have to wait longer for a playoff spot to come.
So like i said i am on the plane on my way to saint louis with the team knowing i cannot play, this hurts! I will be the first one to hold my hands up and say i am not a good watcher from the side, i am kicking every ball, heading every ball, and just want to be out there on the field with my team. It also hurts because i know that now i may only have one game left this season because if selected for the Euro's we will be leaving Boston on the 10th of august. Sometimes soccer can be cruel so now i have to be a real good teammate and be here to support my team from the sidelines.
so the deal at the moment is a playoff spot is still in our hands, which is a great thing. I believe all things happen for a reason, and they are there to make you stronger.... i will be chopping at the bit to get back into the side and play my last home game of the season against LA.
so like the title says Women of the match to Villan of the match i will be blogging again soon
(oh interesting fact i just found out, all the red cards this season in the league have happened against Washington, WOW)
And it was good to see Kelly J back on the filed for the breakers, she has told me she is going to do all she can to score on saturday to make up for me not being able to play, how nice of her
ok.....this has been your English Boston Breaker, sorry if i seem abit down but ............man, i hate not being able to play!!!
Alex
After 3 years of playing (not long I know)it still frustrates me not being able to play , matters are made worse when decisions go against you. You were great at Arsenal and You're amazing at the Breakers, I am truly inspired.
BethD07:39 PM EST