Ajax America Women: WPSL Champions
Southern California now has two women's soccer national champions.
A day after Pali Blues won the W-League title, Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America Women took their first Women's Premier Soccer League crown Sunday night with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Rush.
It was the team's first WPSL title since 2001.
"Its been a long time coming," said Coach Brian Boswell, who saw his team make three straight trips to the Final Four (2006-08). "We're real happy with this one. Over the last couple of [Final Fours], we've been the bridesmaid and it feels good to be the winner. We're just a great team... it doesn't matter who's out there. We just play very well as a team. We play well for each other - more than any superstars."Earlier: more on the Pali Blues' title.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
For the uninitiated among us, can you explain the relative status of the W-League and WPSL? Is the W-League clearly higher than WPSL in the way MLS is clearly higher than USL's A-League? Or are they competitor leagues?
Nick replies: They are competitors. The level of play is about the same. The W-League is affiliated with the United Soccer Leagues and has 41 teams in four conferences and until this year had a minimal West Coast presence; the WPSL has 51 teams in five conferences.
Next year both leagues will likely lose all their best players once the new Women's Professional Soccer league cranks up.