Q & A w/ Jim Gabarra and other stuff...

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. I had actual work to do, so I'm giving Pat an extra day to come up with a variety of insults directed toward me...

A couple of topics and then I'm off:

1. Washington Fredom & WPS - I've been meaning to put something up for a couple of weeks, but kept getting other stories jumping on my plate. I was able to chat for a bit w/ Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra before the opener against L.A. Although we didn't speak much about the game itself, we talked about this season, the league, and some comparisons between this league and the WUSA, where he won a championship with the Freedom in the league's final season. some of the highlights:

Q: What's the biggest difference you see right away between WPS and WUSA?

Gabarra: A couple of things jump out. first, the business model is different. The people running it seem to have a better business sense about them, and they seem sensible about how to operate the league...that's not a swipe at the WUSA, but I think this group is a little more realistic in terms of achieving success. They want to slowly grow and sustain the league, much like MLS did in its early days.

Q: You haven't played a real game yet, but what strikes you about the level of play?

Gabarra: There's no question the level of play is higher in WPS. Even after the WUSA folded, a lot of these girls played in the W-League in the USL, or went and played abroad, so their skills didn't really diminish. They have been professionals for several years now and know what it takes to succeed.

Q: Has that made the transition back to this higher-level league easier?

Gabarra: No question. We've only had a 3-week training camp this year as opposed to a 6-week camp with the WUSA, but we've been able to work on tactics and not as much conditioning...again, the women are professional and keep themselves in shape year-round...I think those who followed the WUSA and those who follow this league will (hopefully) see the difference right away.

Q: Your designated players (Cat Whitehill and Abby Wambach) are 2 of the best in the world, and you've also added Brianna Scurry. They've been playing with a certain group of people the past few years. How do you think they will adjust to new teammates?

Gabarra: They've already done it. I've known Abby for a long time, and Cat and Bri, and they all just blended right in. I'm pleased with the chemistry of this team. It's clicked from the start.

Q: How much can you attribute that to the fact that you have several players on the squad (Lori Lindsay, Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Janns, and a few others) who have been with the Freedom for the past few years?

Gabarra: I think it'll help us in the beginning as far as how the girls will play off each other. some of the other teams in the league had to start from scratch, so we have a slight advantage...again, the professionalism of this league and these players means it won't take long at all for teams to gel, so as I said, whatever advantage we have won't last long and it'll be an equal playing field.

Thanks to Jim for his time! He's got a million things on his plate and I appreciate him taking a few minutes to give me some good info...

Other quick hits:

Champions League: Those were a couple of muggings on Wednesday, huh? Barcelona humiliates Bayern, which apparently puts Klinnsman on the heat seat in Munich... maybe he should have taken the U.S. job a few years back? He'd have more job security...Chelsea goes into Liverpool, gives up an early goal, and storms back to take a huge lead back to Stamford Bridge in the 2nd leg. There are also several reports that AC Milan's Carlo Ancelotti is ready to take the reins from interim manager Guus Hiddink, which leads me to...

Beckham's future? - Ancelotti loves Beckham. Beckham obviously loves playing for Ancelloti. How much fun would it be for the world's most popular player to return to the EPL to face his former team twice a year and have chance at redemption? I'm calling it now, folks; Beckham goes to Chelsea and has a stellar year at Stamford Bridge. The question is; will Old Trafford boo him or cheer for him upon his return to the stadium where he participated in some of the best results and moments in the history of Man. U.?

Parting Shot: The Richmond Kickers are apparently shopping forward (and Jamaican international) Fabian Dawkins around the league. The team spent a majority of last season trying to acquire him, and when they finally did, he scored 3 goals in 5 games. Sounds like an interesting story. I'll make some calls and try to get an update next week, along with a USL2 preview.