It could happen, although it will take a combination of results from other games this weekend.
Perhaps more interesting is the Sol gamble about the timing of its final regular season game: essentially the club is betting it will draw more kids looking for something to do now school is out at noon on a summer Wednesday after a holiday weekend than fans at a midweek evening game.
What’s being promoted as McDonald’s Kids Day boasts a festival that includes soccer games, a banner making station, a tattoo station, the soccer collies, a juggling contest and something called the Sesame Street Toddler Play Area.
Naturally, there’s a ticket special: tickets start at $15 and include a Marta bobblehead. Visit Ticketmaster for the deal and enter the password “KIDS.”
BTW, the Sol have already become the first WPS to clinch a playoff spot, although that’s not particularly surprising given their league-dominating 10-1-4 record. That’s good for 34 points, almost double the number achieved by the second-place team, the Boston Breakers.
More importantly, the Sol will win the WPS regular season title Wednesday if, well, we’ll let the league explain it:
The magic number for the league title for Los Angeles now sits at nine points over the Boston Breakers, who won Wednesday against Washington, 1-0. Any combination of points earned by Los Angeles and Boston not collecting maximum points in a game would lower that number. A victory by Los Angeles on Sunday against Washington, combined with a loss by Boston at New Jersey would mean that the Sol could wrap up the WPS regular season crown at home on Wednesday against Saint Louis with over a month left in the regular season.
Mathematically, Washington, Saint Louis and Boston could still individually overtake Los Angeles but to do so, Washington would have to defeat Los Angeles in Sunday’s match-up and Saint Louis would need to win at Home Depot Center next week. Boston plays Los Angeles in the final game of the regular season.
The rest of the playoff picture and positions 2, 3 and 4 are still completely up for grabs.
Got it? Whatever. Keep it simple and circle this date on your calendar: Aug. 22. That’s the date of the WPS title game, the Sol are odds-on favorites to be there if/when they win the regular season title and if so it will be in Carson.
In other WPS news:
*I’m guessing this is from the “oops” department – Sol defender Martina Franko is pregnant and unable to finish the season.That forced the Sol Tuesday to acquire defender Christie Shaner from Sky Blue FC as cover. In return, the Sol sent Sky Blue a third round pick in the 2010 WPS draft. Franko, 33, started 10 games for the Sol’s miserly defense; in contrast the 24-year-old Shaner, a Notre Dame product, has appeared in just two games over 40 minutes for Sky Blue FC.
*The Sol’s Marta was named WPS Player of the Week for a second time this season after scoring three goals to lead the Sol to victories over Saint Louis Athletica and Chicago Red Stars; she shares the league lead in goals with eight.
*Sunday’s Sol-Freedom game is live at 3 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel.
*Marta’s former club team, Sweden’s Umea IK, will play against as team of WPS All-Stars in the inaugural all-star game taking place a week after the title game live Aug. 30 on FSC from St. Louis.
