Bay Area midfielder Brandi Chastain lost her appeal of her fourth yellow card, which means the league has suspended the U.S. World Cup champion for the CyberRays match at New York on Sunday, June 10. Coach Ian Sawyers could replace Chastain with Ann Cook, Carey Dorn, Theresa Wagner or Kim Clark. All can play in midfield, though only Cook is suited to the defensive midfield role that Chastain usually plays. Most recently, against San Diego, Dorn nominally filled that role while Chastain moved to the left flank. But Dorn was basically marking Spirit midfielder Julie Foudy. Both Wagner, in the middle, and Clark, on either flank, are attacking players.
Mead out, Szpara in
In other CyberRays news, backup goalkeeper Jen Mead is scheduled to undergo knee surgery on Thursday and is out three to four weeks. The club will move the George Mason product to the seven-day injured list. Coach Ian Sawyers says he will replace Mead on the active roster with reserve goalkeeper Janine Szpara. Dr. Martin Trieb, the team orthopedist, will perform an arthroscopic procedure on MeadÆs left knee to repair a torn medial meniscus, part of the cartilage structure in the joint. Mead injured her knee in practice May 14, the day following the CyberRaysÆ first victory of the season, over the Carolina Courage. But Mead was able to continue training. However, her effectiveness has been limited, and the question she and team doctors faced was whether to try and play through the season with limited mobility, or have surgery immediately at the cost of some games but at full capability after her return. The decision to go ahead with surgery at this time means that if her recovery time is normal, Mead will be available at full strength by July, when the CyberRays hit the toughest stretch of their schedule. In a 21-day period beginning with a home match against the New York Power on July 8, the CyberRays will play seven games — an average of one game every three days. LaKeysia Beene, the CyberRaysÆ starting goalkeeper, has played every minute of the season so far.
It’s a girl!
San Diego defender Joy Fawcett gave birth to her third girl — Madilyn Rae Fawcett — this morning. Madilyn Rae was born at approximately 8:55 a.m. at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., and checked in at 7 pounds and 7 ounces, measuring 20 inches long. “I’m feeling great, and I’m just happy to have a healthy baby,” Fawcett said. “I’m just glad the pain is over, and I’m looking forward to slowly getting back on the field.”
