Brazilian Striker and LA Sol Teammates To Attend Blues’ Playoff Game Saturday
As if Pali Blues players aren’t going to be pumped up enough for their playoff opener, they will get an added kick of adrenaline on Saturday night at Stadium by the Sea when they invite international soccer star Marta and her Los Angeles Sol teammates onto the field to sign autographs at halftime. “Sol Night” also features a special offer for Sol playoff tickets and a Marta bobblehead doll. The W-League Western Conference champion Blues will host the Colorado Force, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. The local club has yet to lose a game in its first two seasons. Knowing perhaps the best female player in the world is in attendance figures to inspire them. Still just 23 years old, Marta Vieira da Silva, known around the world simply as “Marta,” has been named FIFA Player of the Year for three straight years and led the Brazilian National Team to Olympic silver medals in 2004 and 2008. She won the Golden Ball Award as the best player and the Golden Boot award as the top scorer at the 2007 Women’s World Cup. After scoring 111 goals in 103 matches over five seasons with Umea, a club team in Sweden, Marta joined the Sol of the new Women’s Professional League. The Sol are currently in first place and, not surprisingly, Marta leads the team in scoring. “Marta has been everything we hoped she would be and then some,” Pali Blues Coach and Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo said. “She’s getting it done on the field and has been a great ambassador for the franchise, the league and the game.” In their inaugural season last year the Blues posted a perfect 14-0 record on their way to capturing the league championship. The team finished the calendar year as the No. 2-ranked women’s club in the world by Women’s World Football and an astonishing 15 players from its 2008 roster moved on to play in the WPS, the highest level of women’s soccer in North America. “Having Marta in the stadium will be fantastic,” Blues General Manager Jason Lemire said. “Our fans come to games to see stars in the making. Marta and her fellow teammates on the Sol represent the fulfillment of that dream.” The Blues (9-0-3) finished the regular season with a 4-1 home victory over the Seattle Sounders last Saturday night. The roster features many of the most talented young players in the world, including Pacific Palisades’ own Ali Riley, Amanda Lisberger and Caitlin Blosser. “I was glad to see the team respond to being a goal down with four unanswered,” Naimo said. “We’re going into the playoffs averaging 3.5 goals per game in the last four and we have all of our players available, so the feeling around here is positive. This is just a great group and I want to see them succeed. They deserve it.” Though proud of the success his teams have enjoyed so far, Naimo knows there is still plenty of soccer yet to be played and is keeping his focus squarely on the silverware: “It’s a great feeling that both of my teams are in a position to win titles but we expected it. Everyone worked extremely hard in the fall and winter and now we are enjoying the fruits of our labor. However, neither our players nor our staff are content. We are focused on championships.” Tickets to Saturday’s playoff opener are $10 for adults or $5 for children and are available online at www.bluessoccerclub.com or by phone at 310-264-4649.
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