The dream of women's professional soccer will be reborn today as the Washington Freedom again kick off a new league. The first game of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) takes place this evening with the reborn Washington Freedom @ the Los Angeles Sol.
The Freedom were originally a franchise in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), winning the league's final championship game in 2003. Since WUSA went under, the Freedom organization was maintained in lower levels of organized soccer until finally being fully reconstituted for WPS. Many of the Freedom players during that interim period will be part of the new team.
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Freedom version 2.0 still has the same head coach Jim Gabarra but with Abby Wambach ascending to the star player role in the wake of Mia Hamm's retirement. The Freedom also won't have the benefit (or high rentals) of RFK Stadium this time due to cost cutting concerns. Excepting three doubleheaders with D.C. United, Freedom home games will be at the Maryland Soccerplex.
The first Washington Freedom outing though will be a road game at the larger Home Depot Center, matched against a new Los Angeles Sol team with world player of the year Marta as the major attracton. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. EDT on Fox Soccer Channel.
______________________Labels: sports, washington freedom, women's pro soccer
