The Wait Is Over

Windy City Shuffle

With the Houston Dash in town for a game tomorrow against the Red Stars, Jane Campbell and Andi Sullivan are out at Beatrix with Danielle Colaprico and Jen Hoy.

Jane: How does your owner do it, continually making fools out of the rest of the league in the transaction market?

Jen: I think Arnim secretly dreams up worst-case scenarios where he knows exactly who to go after when a player gets injured or we need help in a certain area of the field. I wouldn't say he is the only one that has held the league's other general managers by the short hairs. That duo in Boston can be pretty crafty when they see other teams tipping their hand on players.

Andi: Why can't WE have someone like that in our front office? Granted, we DID get three players from you for Cari and the draft pick.

Danielle: And they used the pick to get a player they rated higher than any of the three we gave up.

Jane: Now......Kelsey is starting to turn the corner. You guys might regret putting her into that deal.

Jen: We needed the defensive help. Sometimes, you have to give up quality to get quality.

Jane: True. So Jen, what happened with Alyssa? You not together?

Jen: I'm not sure. We went out after we got back from Orlando, but since then, nothing. We see each other at training and hang out on the road some, but she's not really pursuing this potential relationship and I'm not really happy sitting and waiting on her.

Danielle: Before you start asking if her and I are an item, we're friends and we talked about our feelings for one another and others before she approached Alyssa.

Andi: Not so easy trying to start something from scratch, is it? Going to school with Janice provided a lot of downtime to check one another out and let the feelings build before choosing to act upon them.

Danielle: I feel like I let my lust run away with me when it came to chasing Arin. She thinks I'm in this with her for the sex, when what I want is something a lot deeper, like the two of you have.

Jane: Don't be planning the wedding just yet. You never know what can happen. If the Dash don't make some improvements and fast, we'll be out of the playoff hunt by the July international break and might start dealing parts for ANOTHER rebuild. You saw how they left Lydia dangling on the waiver wire for any playoff contender to nab her. I don't know how committed the ownership is to fielding a competitive product.

Jen: Is there anything the league can do to make them adhere to minimum standards?

Andi: I think they're in a bind. On one hand, I'm sure they'd love to find a new ownership group that will lead the team properly. On the other, the club DOES spend a lot of money and have a great stadium situation, plus are joined with an MLS franchise.

Danielle: If the UVa girls can buy the Spirit, why can't another group of ex-players amass funds to try and pay the current ownership in Houston to get out of women's soccer?

Jane: Texas doesn't have that many big names that aren't still players. Where do you find that group who would WANT to rescue the Dash?

Jen: Good question.

***

Alyssa has invited the  defensive core of the Red Stars (Arin Gilliland, Cari Rocarro, Katie Naughton, and Casey Short) over to her apartment for a night of bonding.

Alyssa: I'm glad all of you could make it. Cari, since you're new to this, a quick primer. The defense gets together every so often, usually on a home weekend, to work on chemistry. I know you and Katie went to Notre Dame together, so I don't doubt you know each other really well, but the rest of us don't know you much yet and you us. We play games or rag on other teams or grill each other over our pathetic dating lives.