Notes from a WPS match

So one part of being overseas is that today I actually was able to catch some WPS action, that's the Women's Pro Soccer League. Unfortunately not live, but through Fox Sports World's broadcast. So my thoughts after watching an entire game? Well it's pretty damn similar to Australia's own W-League.

I caught the Round 4 game between Sky Blue FC and FC Gold Pride, the team that has the best women's player in the world - Marta. But apart from Marta, whose skill-level is amazing, most of the players looked on par with the W-League. Of course the American game was fast and physical, but that's the way they play, and going on the game I saw yesterday, the Australian league is a more technical game and even more focused on possession. So the leagues have their differences, but going on yesterday's match, there is no reason why more of Australian couldn't get gigs there. Someone like Sam Kerr, with her physicality combined with great foot skills, I'm sure would carve it up.

But there is one thing that the WPS has that the W-League doesn't. And that is FC Gold Pride's Kiki Bosio and her flip throw. Yep, the flip throw. Here is her explanation of it, from an interview with her college team before she graduated last year.

SCU: What, if any, are the secrets behind your flip throw? How have you been able to make it such a valuable asset to your game?

KB: I don't think there are any secrets to my flip throw. It honestly is not hard to do once you get over the fear of doing it. It is a skill that I learned when I was nine years old so I have had 13 years to develop it. It has definitely been a useful tool to my game and the team's game. We've scored a number of goals off of it this year and play it similar to a corner kick.

Well anyway now Bosio is a first-year WPS player, but is starting to become a dangerous asset off the bench thanks to the craziness that is the flip-throw. Well that's what the special comments girl on the TV said, and yes, she apparently does it for every throw-in. So my question is, who will be the first to bring it into the W-League?

And to round it out, some other interesting WPS facts. If you couldn't get to the game yesterday, or the Fox Soccer TV broadcast, the game was also on an internet stream and for those lucky enough to have iphone's, a phone stream. Three different ways to watch the game? Yes please. Then there is my favourite, fantasy women's football. Check it out here. Perhaps one of the first female-athlete fantasy games out there?

Oh and the game? FC Gold Pride won 1-0 thanks to a nicely-finished set-piece goal from Canadian Christine Sinclair, who then did the chicken dance afterwards.