Predictions

Here are Soccer America Associate Editor Dean Caparaz’s predictions for the June 22-24 games: New York 2 Boston 0 Carolina 1 Atlanta 3 San Diego 1 Bay Area 1

Previews

(all times ET) Friday, June 22 – (7:00 pm) – Boston (3-4-3, 6th place, 12 pts) at New York (5-1-4, tied for 1st place, 19 pts) (AT&T 3, MSG). Season series: New York leads 1-0; All-time regular-season series: New York leads 1-0 (New York leads 3-2 on aggregate goals). Leading scorers: Boston: F Maren Meinert (5 g, 1 a = 11 pts); New York: F Tiffeny Milbrett (7 g, 2 a = 16 pts). Did you know? Boston F Maren Meinert scored and set up Dagny Mellgren’s goal in the Breakers’ 3-2 loss to New York at home on June 3. Neither player is around for the rematch in Uniondale, N.Y. Key players out: Boston: M Bettina Wiegmann (Germany/Euro 2001), F Maren Meinert (Germany/Euro 2001), F Dagny Mellgren (Norway/Euro 2001), F Robin Confer (strained back); New York: None. Notes: Boston G Karina LeBlanc is back from Canada’s nightmare trip to Europe. LeBlanc played the whole way in Canada’s 3-0 loss to Germany on June 14. Meinert, her Breakers teammate, scored once in the European Championship tuneup for Germany. Meinert and German teammate Wiegmann each scored a goal against a different Canadian goalkeeper in a 7-1 thrashing on June 17. Boston’s Mellgren scored once in Norway’s 9-1 rout of Canada on June 19. KEY MATCHUP: Boston G Tracy Ducar vs. New York F Tiffeny Milbrett: It’s a given that Milbrett, New York’s and the WUSA’s leading scorer, will get some chances. It’s ultimately up to her former U.S. teammate to stop her. Ducar has done it before. Back in their college days, Ducar, then Tracy Noonan, shut out Milbrett and Portland in North Carolina’s 1-0 win over the Pilots in Oregon on Oct. 29, 1994. SCHEDULED REFEREES: Referee: Faith Rossi; Assistant Referees: Steven Taylor (SAR), Brenda Wright (JAR), Fourth Official: John Konstantinidis. Sunday, June 24 – (3:00 pm) – Atlanta (5-1-4, tied for 1st place, 19 pts) at Carolina (2-7-1, 8th place, 7 pts) (Fox Sports Net South, CNN/SI regional). Season series: Carolina leads 1-0; All-time regular-season series: Carolina leads 1-0 (Carolina leads 2-0 on aggregate goals). Leading scorers: Atlanta: F Cindy Parlow (3 g, 4 a = 10 pts); Carolina: F Danielle Fotopoulos (5 g, 1 a = 11 pts). Did you know? Carolina G Bente Nordby made five saves and Beth Sheppard and Danielle Fotopoulos each scored as the Courage upset Atlanta, 2-0, on June 2 in Atlanta. Nordby won’t be around for the rematch. Key players out: Atlanta: M Charry Korgel (fibula fracture-L), M Sara Reading (torn MCL-R), M Marci Miller (torn ACL-L); Carolina: G Bente Nordby (Norway/Euro 2001), M Hege Riise (Norway/Euro 2001), D Nicole Roberts (tibia/fibula fracture-R). Notes: Carolina’s missing its Norwegians along with Beth Keller, whom the Courage cut on June 30. Atlanta’s depth was also hit hard when Miller blew out her ACL and Parlow was suspended for her red card against San Diego last Sunday. The return of Canadians Charmaine Hooper, Sharolta Nonen and Amy Walsh will help. In hindsight, the acquisition of Walsh, who has shared time with Miller as a defensive midfielder, weeks ago was a masterful move by Coach Tom Stone. Hooper, who scored Canada’s lone goal in a 9-1 loss to Norway, should boost the frontline. … Atlanta G Briana Scurry (knee sprain-L) is questionable. Backup G Melanie Wilson is expected to start for the second straight game. … Atlanta F Sun Wen (ankle sprain-L) is also questionable. F Emily Burt is expected to start up front with Hooper. … Stone is not taking the last-place Courage lightly. “We were dominated by them in the last contest,” he said. “The team is well aware of that. Losing Cindy adds another challenge to the whole process.” … Carolina added former North Carolina Tar Heel Julia Marslender to its reserve squad. Marslender, who was a midfielder for Coach Anson Dorrance, graduated from UNC this spring. KEY MATCHUP: Atlanta M Nikki Serlenga vs. Carolina M Erin Baxter: Carolina has trouble possessing the ball without Riise. It’s up to Baxter — and perhaps Tiffany Roberts, if she plays in central midfield as she did against the Bay Area last Sunday — to win the ball and try to keep it away from Serlenga, M Amy Walsh and M Homare Sawa. SCHEDULED REFEREES: Referee: Kari Seitz; Assistant Referees: Abbas Piran (SAR), Sandra Serafini (JAR), Fourth Official: Donna Cornwall. Sunday, June 24 – (6:00 pm) – Bay Area (4-4-2, tied for 4th place, 14 pts) at San Diego (3-5-2, 7th place, 11 pts) (CNN/SI national). Season series: Bay Area leads 1-0; All-time regular-season series: Bay Area leads 1-0 (Bay Area leads 1-0 on aggregate goals). Leading scorers: Bay Area: F Julie Murray (4 g, 1 a = 9 pts); San Diego: F Shannon MacMillan (5 g, 3 a = 13 pts). Did you know? Bay Area G LaKeysia Beene earned the first shutout of her current four-game streak when she made five saves to blank host San Diego, 1-0, on June 2. Torero Stadium was the site of the CyberRays only road victory so far. … Bay Area M Brandi Chastain earned her fourth yellow card of the season in that match. Key players out: Bay Area: D Lauren Molinaro (tibia fracture-R), G Jen Mead (knee surgery-L); San Diego: D Kristin Bengtsson (Sweden/Euro 2001), G Ulrika Karlsson (Sweden/Euro 2001). Notes: After throttling Philly, 3-0, at Spartan Stadium, the Bay Area became the only team in the league with a winning record at home at 3-2-1. … The Bay Area has flourished since moving to a 4-3-3 formation, scoring 5 goals in its last two games. San Diego switched to a 4-3-3 for its 3-2 loss to Atlanta last Sunday and then raced out to a 3-0 lead before holding off Washington, 3-2, on Thursday night. “We’re playing all different kinds of systems right now,” Spirit captain Julie Foudy said before the Washington game. “We’ve been switching around a lot and finding something that works for us. … I like a three-front and getting more people forward.” KEY MATCHUP: Bay Area M Carey Dorn vs. San Diego M Julie Foudy: In the last meeting, Dorn marked her coach’s wife out of the game. The Spirit still produced a few good scoring chances. But San Diego is much more dangerous when Foudy is involved. “I take it as a compliment,” Foudy said of being marked in midfield. “It’s happened quite a bit. The fact they have to spend a player to mark me, I take it as a sign of respect. I’m obviously not going to get the ball as much, but there’s other players on our team who are going to be able to pick it up.” SCHEDULED REFEREES: Referee: Thomas Perry; Assistant Referees: Steven Davidson (SAR), Patricia Novak (JAR), Fourth Official: Arnold Baldeaux.