SACRAMENTO, CA (08/30/10) - While its been an almost a month since the conclusion of the 2010 season in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), the next level of the sport of women's soccer has been setting up their own championship race. The top four teams in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) qualify for the post-season, and with only a few matches remaining, the race for the 2010 WPS Championship is turning the final corner.

The top three clubs currently in the WPS standings are led my former WPSL coaches, with Albertin Montoya and the F.C. Gold Pride (14-3-4, 46 pts) clinching the regular season championship and right to host the WPS Final on Sunday, Sept. 26th at 2:30 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium (FSN). After yesterday's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Independence (10-8-4, 34 pts), the Boston Breakers (9-7-5, 32 pts) are now neck-in-neck with the Philly side for 2nd place and the right to host the WPS Super Semifinal on Wednesday or Thursday, Sept. 22/23.

Facing off in a tight post-season race is nothing new to the two coaches, as Boston's Tony DiCicco (2008 WPSL East Coach Of The Year) and Philadelphia's Paul Riley (two-time WPSL Coach Of The Year) were also adversaries in their WPSL days. In 2007, Riley's Long Island Fury team knocked DiCicco's SoccerPlus CT team out of the WPSL playoffs via a 3-2 victory.

But for the top side in the WPS regular season, Montoya can now put his sole focus on preparing his team for the 2010 WPS Championship match. He had plenty of prior experience with post-season preparation when he had worked alongside WPSL Commissioner Jerry Zanelli and his California Storm team, who were Pacific-North Division champions this past season and one win away from the 2010 Final Four in Dallas, TX.

Two former F.C. Gold Pride veterans - Brandi Chastain & Sissi - were key players for Zanelli's 11-1-0 Storm team this summer, while Montoya has 11 former WPSL stars on his WPS regular season championship side; including recent signee Niki Cross who helped Boston Aztec win the 2010 WPSL Championship. At the WPS Draft held earlier this year, Montoya was effusive in his praise of the league Zanelli helped form over a decade ago.

"The WPSL is an excellent environment," said Montoya. "There are so many teams for us coaches to watch these up & coming stars that for whatever reason, didn't make the league last year or even this year. Sometimes they need just a little bit more time and maturity to find their way to being truly successful. If we didn't have the WPSL around, most likely these players would stop playing the game or we would lose them to teams overseas. Its extremely important that we stay connected with the WPSL just because its another avenue for our league to get stronger. Those players will develop under quality coaches and will go on to eventually have an impact in WPS."

For Riley, he has the dual honor of not only helping to prepare six of his former Long Island players to compete in WPS, but since he still serves as Director of Coaching for the Fury, he can also marvel at the young stars who are only one or two steps away.

"It has been amazing to see the growth of the WPSL both from a quality & quantity perspective," said Riley. "The league now boasts a lot of our [Long Island Fury] alumni in the WPS & that is credit to the league, the coaches and - of course - the players... Many of these players have been competing in the WPSL since they were [teenagers]. So, that experience has been a major influence on their careers and the improvement they have made as players."

As the commissioner of the WPSL, Zanelli has helped grow a regional league into a 50-plus team national organization. He has witnessed the exploits of these three former WPSL coaches first-hand and is proud of what they've now accomplished at the next level.

"Seeing the success of Albertin and the F.C. Gold Pride is gratifying since we've had a long-standing relationship," said Zanelli. "But to also see what Tony & Paul have done as well this season and for all three coaches to be at the top of the WPS standings, its a strong affirmation that we're doing the right thing. The role of our league is to help both coaches & players reach that next level of competition and when they get there - excel."

About Women's Professional Soccer (WPS): Headquartered in San Francisco, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world's premier soccer league for women with seven teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions. In 2010, seven teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including five original WPS teams - Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom - and two expansion teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at http://www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at http://www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer.

About the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL): The WPSL is a 50-plus team national league with five conferences starting in 2010 and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to: bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.

For more information, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info, phone us at 1-800-854-0913 or contact us via email at media@wpslsoccer.com. You can also keep up with our league on our social media networking sites on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!!

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Molten is the Official Championship Ball of the 2010 WPSL Final Four and is also a Proud Partner of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), and is the Official Soccer Ball of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Visit their official website at http://www.moltenusa.com for more information on their full line of products.