Sports Then and Now

After a last place finish in their maiden season in the WPS, the FC Gold Pride has taken a giant step to add some punch to their much maligned offense by acquiring All-star mid-fielder Camille Abily from the Los Angeles Sol.

Abiliy, a proven goal scorer and play-maker, scored eight goals and added one assist last season for the Sol. She was the team’s second leading scorer, two goals fewer than her teammate Marta, who scored ten times. The FC Gold Pride scored a total of 17 goals as a team, while finishing with a record of 4-10-6.

“We are pleased to welcome Camille to the Pride and look forward to her arrival in the Bay Area,” said FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya. “She has tremendous instinct on the field, her vision and decision making skills are right on point.”

“Based on her performance in 2009, I’m sure everyone is aware of what she can do on the field. Abily is a very dynamic player, I’m confident she’ll be very successful here in the Bay Area.”

Along with Abily, the Pride will also receive the 20th overall selection in next week’s 2010 WPS General Draft. In return, the Sol will receive midfielder Tina DiMartino, who was the Pride’s top draft pick last season (third overall), as well as the 14th overall selection in the upcoming draft. The Sol also obtained the rights to one of the Pride’s 2009 International Discovery Players.

“The Sol is gaining a very talented player in Tina,” said Montoya. “We wish her the best as she continues her career in LA.”

Barring more pre-draft activity, the Sol will enter the January 15th draft with the fifth, eighth, ninth, fourteenth and twenty-second picks in the draft, while FC Gold currently owns the third, tenth, twelfth and twentieth selections.

Abily appeared in 18 games for the regular season champions. Her eight goals were tied her for second place in the league with the Washington Freedoms Abby Wambach. Though Abily was named to the All-Star team, she was unable to play due to National Team responsibilities.

Abily has won the league with her respective club on four occasions. She won two titles with Montpellier and won back-to-back titles with Lyon. During two of those title runs, she was selected as the Female Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

She made made her international debut for Les Bleues in 2001 and has scored nine goals in 50 games for the French National team. In 2009, she earned Player of the Match honors in the UEFA Women’s Euro Cup while leading France to a quarterfinal appearance in the tournament.

Currently, Abily is on loan playing with the Paris Saint-Germain club team in her native country. She is expected to report to preseason camp with the Pride in March.