Hey Everyone, sorry its been awhile since I've posted a blog here. Sometimes real life gets in the way of internet blogging. Anyway here is my latest update on all things St. Louis Athletica!

On Sunday June 14th Athletica traveled to Harvard Stadium to take on Kristine Lilly and the Boston Breakers. I'm guessing most of you tuned in to FSC and saw Athletica's Eniola Aluko. St. Louis went into the half with a 1-0 lead and was able to hold off the powerful Boston attack in the second half, to sneak out of Bean Town with a 1-0 final.

Following the Boston victory Aluko was named Player of the Week. She scored the only goal in the league that week.

Athletica returned to St. Louis the following weekend, June 20th, to take on Abby Wambach and the Washington Freedom. Freedom's Rebecca Moros scored for DC in the 83rd minute to give them the victory. It was a very close contest with a shot total of 11-12 DC. Athletica forwards actually hit the cross bar 3 times during the match. The St. Louis heat was a major factor in the match & resulted in a less than normal match pace.

On Wednesday of that week, the 24th, the first place LA Sol came to the Soccer Park to challenge Athletica. Sol defeated Athletica 2-1, seeing goals scored by Han Duan and Marta. Notre Dame star Kerri Hanks scored the Athletica goal (also her first at the Professional level) It was at tough match for Athletica who had a total of 12 corner kicks and failed to produce anything with them.

Athletica made their second trade of the season on Friday the 26th, sending Kerri Hanks, Francielle, and rights to Renata Costa to Sky Blue FC in exhange for Australian forward Sarah Walsh, rights to Ester, and a conditional draft pick. Walsh is currently sitting out with a hamstring injury. According to Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, this trade took place to insure a roster spot for Daniela if she is able to return from injury. The two for one trade opened up a spot on the Athletica roster. League rosters freeze has been pushed back to July 15th 

On Sunday Athletica traveled to NY/NJ to take on Sky Blue FC on FSC. Aluko continued her dominance and scored the first Athletica goal. Sky Blue tied the game in the second half, only to lose after an undescrible goal by Elise Weber (see video below) The victory puts Athletica in third place.

The WPS has awarded St. Louis the first ever WPS all-star game. It will take place on August 30th against Swedish champions Umea.

Come playoff time 8 European players, including Aluko and Larsson will miss the playoffs and all-star game due to the European Championships. You can read all about that here 

Athletica return to the pitch this Sunday as they take on FC Gold Pride at 7 ct

On a rainy Saturday afternoon with national team coach Pia Sundhage looking on, St. Louis Athletica took down Natasha Kai and Sky Blue FC in front of an enthusiatic crowd of 3,124 on their new home pitch at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park. On a day set to honor breast cancer survivors, Athletica wore special white and pink kits, staff had pink ribbons fixed onto their shirts, and the match was played with a unique pink puma ball. Coming into the match Athletica was tied for last place with their game-day opponents, so this match was important for both sides.

Athletica started the match with three lineup changes: Amanda Cinalli making her debut after bring sidelined with a preseason knee injury, Stephanie Logterman who also made her debut after wrapping up her college semester in Texas, and Christie Welsh who started in place of the struggling to adapt Kerri Hanks.

Athletica pinned Sky Blue in their half for the a majority of the first 20 minutes, resulting in several crosses and a corner kick. Athletica would score the only goal of the match in the 15th min when Amanda Cinalli trapped a cross from Eniola Aluko & was left opened in the box, easily scoring. The rest of the first half consisted of back and forth chances for both sides.

At around the 50th minute Aluko appeared to have injured her hamstring and was replaced by Kerri Hanks. Other Athletica subs included, Francielle for Cinalli and Larsson for McNeill. Sky Blue controlled the second half, outshooting Athletica 8-2. However, they failed to create any legitmate opportunities.

The win puts Athletica tied for third place with the Breakers and Gold Pride. It is their third win in four games, all coming with a shutout.

Next Match: Next Sunday 5pm ct. @ Boston. Live on FSC or Streaming online through WPS

Next Home Match: Saturday June 20th 1pm ct vs Washington Freedom @ AB Soccer Park

 

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In just over 22 hours St. Louis Athletica will play their first match on their new home pitch at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park! They are set to take on Natasha Kai and Sky Blue FC. It is the first meeting between the two clubs who are tied for last with 8 points each. However only 4 points currently seperate last place with 2nd place so tomorrow's match is pivotal for both sides. Athletica are coming off a 2-0 loss last weekend to LA Sol. That loss snapped their 4 game unbeaten streak. Whereas Sky Blue is coming off a 2-0 over the Boston Breakers. Athletica fans will be treated with Women's National Team headliners, Natasha Kai, Christie Rampone, and Heather O'Reilly.

The Match is Athletica's Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The sides will play with a specially designed pink Puma ball. St. Louis will also wear special white and pink Puma kits. Limited Addition pink Puma balls and other merchandise will be auctioned off to benefit the St. Louis Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

If you are planning on heading out to tomorrow's match please take a moment to review the new parking plan for the AB Soccer Park. Their are a limited number of spaces available at the park itself so please take the time to view the other options. Parking Plan. Also please note that tailgating is not allowed in either available parking lot.

  

 

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Press Release, Photos, and video are property of Women's Professional Soccer, LA Sol, and St. Louis Athletica.

St. Louis Athletica entered Saturday's match against the LA Sol hoping to continue their two game win streak. However, things don't always turn out like you want them to. The Sol attack proved to be too much for Athletica. The match saw the return of Lori Chalupny, Hope Solo, and Melissa Tancredi who all missed last week's match against the Red Stars due to national team call-ups. Kia McNeil also returned from her one match suspension.

I was out of the area during this match, not to mention it was in LA and untelevised, so my recap of the match will be the press release issued by Women's Professional Soccer, LA Sol, and St. Louis Athletica. It can be found below the next paragraph. I encourage you to check out the Sol's blog, Above the Clouds recap of the game. & we also have a highlight video of the match.

CARSON, CA (May, 30 2009) – Saint Louis Athletica paid their first ever visit to The Home Depot Center with the result being a 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Sol. Goals from Camille Abily in the first half and Shannon Boxx in the second half were the difference.

The first half started with promise for Saint Louis and as the game progressed it was Athletica that had the first great chance come their way in the 31st minute. Angie Woznuk played Eniola Aluko onto goal with a perfectly weighted pass that allowed the England international to stride onto the ball. Aluko attempted to place her shot just over Karina LeBlanc but the Sol goalkeeper timed her run at Aluko perfectly and was able to get her fingertips on the shot and prevent Aluko from scoring her third of the season.

LeBlanc’s save may have shifted the momentum in what had been an otherwise even first half. Minutes later Los Angeles found space on the left wing for Shannon Box to drive a left-footed cross into the middle. A well defended Marta threw herself at the ball and got a glancing touch with her head to send it to the right edge of the six yard box where Camille Abily was there to drive a shot into top of the net for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead. The 35th minute wasn’t the end for LA, before the half was over Hope Solo was forced to make a point blank save on a Han Duan header.

The second half would start with Jorge Barcellos subbing in defender Elise Weber for Kendall Fletcher. Eniola Aluko managed a good shot to open the half still could not find the back of the net. Again the momentum seemed to shift as moments later Shannon Boxx hammered home a second for the Sol. This time fed by an excellent cross from Han Duan.

“As a team we did not play very well today,” said Head Coach Jorge Barcellos. “We could have done a lot better, we could have completed our passes better as well.”

Saint Louis still managed quality chances after falling behind by two. Niki Cross found Kerri Hanks inside the area in the 61st minute but Hanks couldn’t strike it cleanly leaving LeBlanc an easy save. Angie Woznuk and Hanks both sent searching shots towards the goal as the half progressed but LeBlanc dealt with them sure-handedly.

“ We just seemed like we couldn’t get things going,” said captain Lori Chalupny. “These was a lot of errant passing that was killing our attack at times. I think it was a frustrating game. I never felt like we got up to our potential for any period of time. And you can’t play like that against the top team in the league.”

“Its two steps forward and then a little bit back,” said Hope Solo. “We are growing though. We had great possession in the first half.”

The loss drops Saint Louis to 2-3-2 for the season. Athletica now trail the league leading Sol by 12 points. Next up for Athletica is Sky Blue FC on Sunday June 7th at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. Game time is 3:00 p.m. central.

Saint Louis Athletica (2-3-2) at Los Angeles Sol (6-1-2)
May 30, 2009 – The Home Depot Center, Carson, California

SCORING SUMMARY:
35th        LA    Camille Abily (assisted by Marta)       
50TH        LA    Shannon Box (assisted by Han Duan)           

LINEUPS:
STL: Solo; Larsson, McNeill, Ellertson, Cross (Stoia 65); Woznuk, Chalupny, Francielle (Welsh 75), Fletcher (Weber 45); Aluko, Hanks

LA: LeBlanc; Falk, Franco, Cox, Makoski; Box, Miyama, Abily, Bock (Zerboni 86); Duan (Larkin 87), Marta

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
None
 
STATS SUMMARY:
    STL    LA
Total Shots:    8    16   
Shots on Goal:    4    8           
Saves:    6    4   
Fouls:    7    3   
Corners:    2    6       
Offsides:    1    3           
Referee: Kari Seitz
Referee's Assistants: Veronica Perez, Bing Kongmehbol
4th official: Felisha Mariscal
time of game: 1:47
attendance: 6,288
weather: cloudy, 63 degrees   

 

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Press Release, Photos, and video are property of Women's Professional Soccer, LA Sol, and St. Louis Athletica.

St. Louis Athletica's back-up goalkeeper Jill Loyden earned WPS Player of the Week honors after her brilliant performance Saturday against the Chicago Red Stars. Loyden is the first goalkeeper in the league to earn the honor. You can see the saves that earned Loyden POTW honors here.

ST. LOUIS (May 26, 2009) - Saint Louis Athletica goalkeeper Jillian Loyden was named Player of the Week in the WPS, Women’s Professional Soccer, for Week 9 of this inaugural season. Loyden, filling in for Hope Solo who was on duty with the United States National team, was instrumental in propelling Athletica to a 2-0 win on Saturday night at Toyota Park in Chicago. Loyden made two crucial saves in the first half. In the 17th minute Loyden was able to get a hand on a strong header from Chicago’s Cristiane. Loyden tipped the ball over the bar preserving a tie game. In the 38th minute Loyden denied Karen Carney’s long range blast, again tipping the shot over the cross bar. Late in the second half Loyden stopped a blistering 85th minute drive from Frida Ostberg to keep the score line 2-0.

““Saturday was certainly a change of pace from practicing everyday,” said Loyden. “The transition was so easy thanks to my teammates and the coaching staff. I am just on cloud nine I am so excited.”

“This is what she has been practicing for. She gives us a lot of security in goal and with our defense,” said Head Coach Jorge Barcellos. “I am very happy that she has been chosen Player of the Week in the WPS.”

The WPS Player of the Week is voted upon by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters. Previous winners this year include Aya Miyama, Marta, and Aly Wagner of the Los Angeles Sol, Abby Wambach and Sonia Bompastor of the Washington Freedom, and Kelly Smith of the Boston Breakers. Athletica’s Lori Chalupny was named Player of the Week for Week 7 earlier this month.

The next Athletica game is Saturday May 30 at Los Angeles. The next home game for Athletica is Saturday June 7 at 3:00 p.m. when they host Sky Blue FC at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.  (New Jersey/New York). Tickets for Athletica games can be purchased by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL or on-line at www.saintlouisathletica.com.    

Week 1: Aya Miyama (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 2: Marta (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 3: Kelly Smith (Boston Breakers)
Week 4: Aly Wagner (Los Angeles Sol)
Week 5: Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)
Week 6: Sonia Bompastor (Washington Freedom) ‘
Week 7: Lori Chalupny (Saint Louis Athletica)
Week 8: Christine Sinclair (FC Gold Pride)
Week 9: Jillian Loyden (Saint Louis Athletica)

Note: Weeks 1-2 selected by The Soccer Magazine; weeks 3-9 selected by North American Soccer Reporters panel.

Press Release Issued by Women's Professional Soccer & St. Louis Athletica

Entering Saturday's match Athletica's backup goalie Jill Loyden had yet to record a minute of playing time. Of course that shouldn't be too surprising considering she's the backup to the best women's goalkeeper in the world, Hope Solo. So some would say Loyden had something to prove to the world on Saturday night & she did just that. She faced six shots on goal, 3 being legitimate scoring opportunities

Loyden's first big save came in the 17th minute when Chicago's Christiane redirected a corner kick from Karen Carney which Loyden was able to reach back and tip over the bar.

Athletica took the lead shortly after when right back Kendall Fletcher played a ball down the line to on running Eniola Aluko who carried the ball to just outside the 6yd box and fired a cross into the crowd which deflected off Red Stars defender Ifeoma Dieke and into the back of the net. The gaol was credited to Aluko as she was the last Athletica player to touch the ball

Loyden had her second big save of the game in the 38th minute when Chicago's Karen Carney cut into center & fired a shot at the top of the arc that Loyden again was able to tip over the bar.

Just two minutes later Aluko finished off what would be Athletica's only shot on goal of the match. Kendall Fletcher struck the ball which deflected off a Red Stars defender and to the foot of Aluko who hammered it home.

The second half was filled with Red Stars chances led by Karen Carney and Frida Ostberg. Chicago outshot St. Louis 12-5. Athletica moved into a fifth place tie with Chicago after their 2-0 victory Saturday. They will try ton continue their winning streak next Saturday (May30) as they take on the LA Sol at the Home Depot Center at 6pm Central.

Other WPS Matches:
Freedom 2 Sky Blue 1
Sol 2 Gold Pride 0

The Next Athletica Home Match has been moved from Saturday June 6th to Sunday June 7th @ 3pm. It is Komen St. Louis For the Cure Breast Cancer Awareness night. This Match, along with the remainder of the home matches will be played at the AB Soccer Park in Fenton, MO.

Moving the remainder of the matches to the Soccer Park will save Athletica a lot of money. They were paying SIUE for the use of their grounds on a match by match basis. The Soccer Park was donated to St. Louis Soccer United by Anheuser-Busch when AB was taken over by Inbev this past year. St. Louis Soccer United is operated by Jeff Cooper, who also owns the Athletica. Therefore the Athletica will play at the Soccer Park free of charge. The Soccer Park is the most well known soccer venue in the area, if you couldn't tell by its name "The Soccer Park" & the location is better for those on both sides of the river.

 

 

 

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Athletica take on the Chicago Red Stars this Saturday, May 23rd at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. It is the second meeting between the two squads. Chicago defeated St. Louis 1-0 in the Athletica's home opener April 4th. Both the Red Stars and the Athletica will be without many of their United States National Team and Canadian National Team teammates. The United States and Canada will face off in a friendly match in Toronto on May 25th. The match will be televised on FSC. St. Louis will be without Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny, and Melissa Tancredi. Kia McNeil will also miss this match due to suspension Chicago will be without Lindsay Tarpley, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Marian Dalmy. It will be interesting to see how both sides change their lineups to accommodate the National Team callups.

Chicago's Ollin Omnimedia is offering a Spanish video webcast of the Match. The Link to the video stream will be available on the Red Stars Website. Around 7pm ct on Saturday.

St. Louis' Team 1380 will be broadcasting the remainder of the Athletica matches, both home and away. You can listen via a free live stream by clicking on their logo below. Besides the match, they will feature a 20min pregame show and half-time interviews.

The Next Athletica Home Match has been moved from Saturday June 6th to Sunday June 7th @ 3pm. It is Komen St. Louis For the Cure Breast Cancer Awareness night. This Match, along with the remainder of the home matches will be played at the AB Soccer Park in Fenton, MO.

Moving the remainder of the matches to the Soccer Park will save Athletica a lot of money. They were paying SIUE for the use of their grounds on a match by match basis. The Soccer Park was donated to St. Louis Soccer United by Anheuser-Busch when AB was taken over by Inbev this past year. St. Louis Soccer United is operated by Jeff Cooper, who also owns the Athletica. Therefore the Athletica will play at the Soccer Park free of charge. The Soccer Park is the most well known soccer venue in the area, if you couldn't tell by its name "The Soccer Park" & the location is better for those on both sides of the river.
*Note: At the time of publishing this has yet to be released to the media, however it has been confirmed by Athletica Season Ticket Holders.

 

 

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Our beloved St. Louis Athletica have yet another bye week. Since we have to wait until next weekend to see them get their second win of the season, I've done my best to keep all you Athletica fans preoccupied. First some lets cover some news though

Captain Lori Chalupny was named the WPS Player of the Week for her week 7 performance. Mainly, bending in her corner kick to score the only goal in Athletica's first win of the season. Congrats to Chups for bringing home this well deserved honor!

The Next Athletica match is next Saturday, May 23rd v Chicago Red Stars. It is the second meeting between the two squads. Chicago defeated St. Louis 1-0 in the Athletica's home opener April 4th. Both the Red Stars and the Athletica will be without many of their United States National Team and Canadian National Team teammates. The United States and Canada will face off in a friendly match in Toronto on May 25th. St. Louis will be without Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny, and Melissa Tancredi. Kia McNeil will also miss this match due to suspension Chicago will be without Lindsay Tarpley, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Marian Dalmy. I will have more on the possible line ups for the squads in next weeks preview

WPS Matches this weekend!
LA Sol defeated Sky Blue FC last night 1-0. With Marta scoring.

Tonight the Chicago Red Stars take on FC Gold Pride at 8:30et You can watch that match through the Red Stars Website the audio portion will be in Spanish. They will also broadcast next weekends Athletica v Red Stars match

Tomorrow the Boston Breakers take on the Washington Freedom @ 6et on FSC. The Freedom will be without Abby Wambach who will be serving her one watch suspension.

Now, for the promised entertainment. Here are some Athletica Articles and some WNT videos

Great article on Chalupny

Stoia's Job Conflict

One on One With Aluko

Chalupny Throws Out First Pitch @ Cardinals Game:
http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/stlouis/news/general/090507-Chalupny-at-Cardinal-Game.aspx

HBO's Documentary, 'Kick Like A Girl' Premieres Thursday May 28th @ 6pm on HBO. It tells the story of the Mighty Cheetahs, an undefeated third-grade girl’s soccer team. After two undefeated seasons against girls’ soccer teams their age and older, they are about to take on a new challenge: boys. Cheetahs coach Jenny Mackenzie chronicles the adventures of these third-grade underdogs as they set out to prove their game skills and overcome the skepticism of opponents and parents. Combining game footage and photography with anecdotes from players, parents and coaches, Kick Like A Girl is narrated by coach Jenny’s eight-year-old daughter Lizzie, a feisty, self-declared “soccer girl” who refuses to allow juvenile diabetes, elbow blocks or grass stains to get in the way of her desire to compete.

NEXT MATCH: May 23rd @ Chicago Red Stars 7:30ct
Next Home Match: June 7th vs Sky Blue FC 3:00ct

 

 

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Athletica made history Saturday in front of a crowd of 3,680 soccer hooligans. The team battled to its first victory of the season, defeating FC Gold Pride 1-0.

Athletica defender Kia McNeil was allowed to play despite her one game suspension because of the late notice given by the Commissioner. McNeil will now serve that suspension May 23rd against the Chicago Red Stars. Swedish international Sara Larsson returned from her hamstring injury and played a strong match in the central midfield for Athletica.

Athletica Starting Line Up:

FC Gold Pride Starting Line Up:

The match started with an early Athletica corner kick that resulted in a collision with Athletica's Tancredi and Gold Pride's Barnhart. Barnhart was able to make the save but she went down and was slow to get up. We received word after the match, that she broke her nose during that play. In the 13th minute Notre Dame Alumn Kerri Hanks had a great opportunity from the top of the box, but failed to get power behind it and Barnhart made the easy save. Athletica then controlled the play and earned their second corner of the match. Lori Chalupny took the corner, bending the ball perfectly over Barnhart and into the back of the net! St. Louis continued to control play and had several more corner kick opportunites in the half. Chalupny had a free kick chance from 20 yards out, but Barnhart came up with the save. The best Gold Pride chance came off the foot of Sinclair who beat several Athletica defenders but fired her shot just wide of the right post.

Gold Pride started the second half with Tiffeny Milbrett replacing Weimer. Gold Pride controlled most of the second half, minus a few offense surges from St. Louis. The St. Louis crowd got their first look at newly acquired Kendall Fletcher who replaced Larsson and Christi Welsh who replaced Kerri Hanks. Melissa Tancredi was replaced by Niki Cross after she went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Gold Pride's Erika replaced Leslie Osborne, who had a tremendous game in my opinion. Gold Pride had a lot of offensive build up in the second half but they never seemed to get any decent shots on goal. In the end Chalupny's corner kick goal was enough for St. Louis who won the match 1-0. Highlights of the match can be seen below.

Women of the Match:
St. Louis: Lori Chalupny
Bay Area: Osborne

Need Some Improvement:
St. Louis: Kerri Hanks
Bay Area: Formiga

I want to give a huge shout out to @FCGoldPride who was tweeting match updates with me.

For daily updates on the team follow me on twitter.

Also I received some great news, we will no longer be stuck with MatchTracker for the Athletica games. St. Louis radio station, Team 1380 will be broadcasting the remainder of the Athletica games, home and away. For those of you outside the St. Louis area you will be able to stream the matches through their website.

NEXT MATCH: May 23rd @ Chicago Red Stars 7:30ct
Next Home Match: June 6th vs Sky Blue FC 7:00ct

 

 

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Edit: This Afternoon Athletica acquired  defender Kendall Fletcher and forward Christie Welsh in exchange for a conditional 2010 draft pick and a 2011 first round draft pick. I've included the Athletica Press Release at the bottom of this post. It includes more info about the new additions.

St. Louis Athletica return home to Ralph Korte Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville tomorrow night to take on the 2-2-1 FC Gold Pride. Athletica will take the field without leading scorer Daniela who, as reported earlier this week, is out for the season with damaged knee ligaments and a cracked tibia. They will also be without defender Kia McNeil who was suspended for one match for her constant fouling of Freedom striker Abby Wambach during last Sunday's match. Wambach was also issued a one match suspension for her tackle that injured Daniela. Swedish defender Sara Larsson remains out with an injured hamstring.

I'm not even going to begin to guess what the Athletica line up will look like tomorrow night. With two injuries and a suspension, head coach Jorge Barcellos will definitely be experimenting with the line up. However, according to St. Louis Post Dispatch soccer reporter Tom Timmermann, Athletica will be appealing the suspension which would allow McNeill to play tomorrow until the appeal is heard by the commissioner. Timmermann also reports that Larsson is very close to returning to the line up. If McNeill and Larsson remain out for tomorrow's match, Athletica will have a five person bench. Let's hope everyone else stays healthy!!

Some notables for Gold Pride are: leading scorer Tiffeny Milbrett, Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Eriko Arakawa, and Formiga

If you're in the St. Louis area and are planning to attend the match, I encourage you to sit with Laclede's Army the official supports group of the club. They will begin tailgating at 4pm and enter the stadium around 5:30. They will most likely be sitting behind the goal. The Army is also encouraging fans to come out in sports bras as a mock of Brandi Chastain. If you want to know more about Laclede's Army I've posted a link at the bottom of the blog.

I will be tweeting (I hate twitter lingo) from the match on Saturday. All problems have been resolved from the last home match. You can follow my updates through my personal account: @bleedblue115 or through @WPSFansGameDay (I recommend. Provides fan perspective from all the matches.)

Check out the FC Gold Pride blog

Other WPS Action:
Sunday:
Boston Breakers @ LA Sol 4et
Sky Blue FC @ Chicago Red Stars 6et on FSC

Printed with permission from the WPS

ST. LOUIS (May 8, 2009) – Athletica Head Coach and General Manager Jorge Barcellos announced today that Saint Louis Athletica of the new Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league have traded a conditional draft pick in 2010 and a first round draft pick in 2011 to the Los Angeles Sol in exchange for defender Kendall Fletcher and forward Christie Welsh.

Christie Welsh, 28 years old, joins Saint Louis Athletica after a distinguished career with the United States Women’s National Team. Welsh has been capped 39 times with the U.S. and has scored 20 goals over the span of her career. Welsh played collegiately at Penn State University where she scored 82 goals and added 52 assists in a sterling four-year career that saw her honored as the first ever four-time NSCAA All-American in the history of women’s collegiate soccer.

"I am very excited and looking forward to joining a great team and an outstanding organization," said Welsh. "I can definitely contribute on the offensive end and I know my role will become more specific once I begin training with the team."

Kendall Fletcher, 24 years old, will be rejoining her collegiate teammate Lori Chalupny. Fletcher and Chalupny were in the same class at the University of North Carolina and were members of the Tarheels undefeated 27-0-0 NCAA National Championship team in 2003. Fletcher and Chalupny, along with Athletica midfielder Angie Woznuk and forward Kerri Hanks, also played together with the 2002 U.S. Women’s U-19 National Team that won that years World Cup Championship in Canada.

"From a playing standpoint I am thrilled to be joining Saint Louis Athletica," said Fletcher. "I am really excited because I know a lot of the players here. They have had a slow start in terms of wins and losses but they are an extremely dynamic team."

"I think we acquired two world class players," said Athletica Captain Lori Chalupny. "I think Kendall Flecther is one of the best defenders in the United States and Christie Welsh is a powerful forward with a knack for burying her chances. I think they will certainly blend in with the team and help us in our goal of winning the WPS Championship."

NEXT MATCH: TOMORROW Saturday May 9th vs FC Gold Pride 7pm ct @ SIUE. Mother's day specials available by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL

 

 

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