Sports Then and Now

The St. Louis Athletica earned a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Red Stars Saturday at Toyota Park in the Windy City.

The Athletica opened the scoring in the third minute thanks to a goal by midfielder captain Lori Chalupny. After a cross from Tina Dimartino was punched away by Chicago goalkeeper Jillian Loyden, the ball fell to Chalupny, who knocked it in for her first goal of the season.

The edge that the Athletica carried during the first half lasted until a second-half substitution by Chicago coach Emma Hayes brought Casey Nogueira onto the field.

In the 58th minute, a shot off the crossbar by a Red Star bounced straight down. The Red Stars continued to press the attack, and it ended in Chicago’s Katie Chapman passing the ball from right to left to Nogueira.

Nogueria took a touch to free space before firing the ball into the upper right corner past Athletica goalkeeper Hope Solo. Read the rest of this entry →

St. Louis Athletica officially announced its final 22-player roster today. The roster consists of 18 active players and four developmental players, denoted here with a “D” following their names.

Kristina Larson, the 17th overall pick in the 2010 WPS draft, will begin the season on the injured reserve list, as she suffered a stress fracture recently. Niki Cross was signed as a free agent to complete the roster.

The announcement comes ten days before the WPS kicks off their season on April 10. St. Louis will host FC Gold Pride on April 11. Read the rest of this entry →

Saint Louis Athletica of Women’s Professional Soccer, WPS, opened their 2010 exhibition schedule with a 4-0 win over the University of Illinois Women’s team on Saturday. Kristina Larsen, Eniola Aluko, Madelaine Edlund, and Shannon Boxx all tallied goals for Saint Louis.

For Coach Jorge Barcellos the game was a chance to see a lot of his new players and his new midfielder, Boxx, especially impressed him.

“She was unbelievable,” exclaimed Barcellos. “To have a player with this type of confidence in the field, and to control the game as she did, is incredible. She raises the level of the game, she helps us keep possession of the ball, and she orchestrates where every player should be. Just incredible.” Read the rest of this entry →

St. Louis Athletica announced their home and away schedule for 2010 on Thursday. The second season of the WPS will show four more games per team, bringing the total of games played to 24. The Athletica will host 12 home games at Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park this year.

A major highlight of the year starts immediately, with the Athletica hosting WPS Player of the Year Marta and FC Gold Pride on April 11.

“I love that we open up against Marta,” goalkeeper Hope Solo said. “Now that is the way to kick-off the season! Big game right out of the gate, you got to love that.”

The Athletica will also face FC Gold Pride on Wednesday, June 9.

St. Louis will travel to Chicago on Saturday April 17 to take on the Red Stars in their home opener. They will be looking for redemption as Chicago beat the Athletica in their home opener in 2009.

With the new 24-game schedule, the Athletica will play the seven other WPS teams at least three times each. They will face the Washington Freedom, Atlanta Beat and Chicago Red Stars four times.

Read the rest of this entry →

St. Louis Athletica announced today that captain Lori Chalupny is taking an indefinite leave from soccer to deal with concussion-related issues.

Chalupny will miss the USA’s trip to the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal for the first time in six years. No definitive time of return has been determined for Chalupny’s return. The captain of the US Women’s National Team, she is also expected to miss a portion of the Athletica’s preseason training camp, set to begin March 1.

“I am taking some time off so I can get some additional testing done for these concussion related issues,” Chalupny said to WPS media. “I need to go through this process now to insure my health for the future. I certainly don’t like the idea of missing a tournament like the Algarve Cup, or missing any time with Athletica. I just need to get some rest and take care of these issues.”

Chalupny started in all 18 games she played in for the Athletica in 2009, scoring two goals and adding one assist. A starter for the WPS All-Star game, Chalupny was also named WPS Player of the Week for Week Seven.

A regular starter for the US women, Chalupny has 92 appearances with the national team, and has eight goals to her international career. Among her accolades, Chalupny has an Olympic gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Games, and was also a member of the 2007 Women’s World Cup Team.

This article was excerpted from a press release and reworked by freelance writer Lauren Salter.

photo: www.soccerbyives.net

Lindsay Tarpley is a new edition for the Athletica.

The St. Louis Athletica completed a successful inaugural season in 2009 with a 10-6-4 record that included a playoff run. Boasting one of the strongest defensive lines in the league, the Athletica only struggled with goal scoring. In the 2010 WPS draft, the Athletica made the most of their late picks and selected several strong players who will make an impact in the second season.

Here are in-depth descriptions of each of the Athletica’s seven draft picks from January 15. Included are the International players drafted in September, 2009. Also profiled is a well-known player at the center of a surprising trade…

In a trade that came a mere 20 minutes before the draft began, St. Louis traded goalkeeper Jillian Loyden to the Chicago Red Stars for US International midfielder Lindsay Tarpley.

“This was a big opportunity for us to improve our club,” said Head Coach Jorge Barcellos in a WPS interview. “…we have received a midfielder that has world class credentials and ability. Lindsay Tarpley will be an amazing addition to Saint Louis Athletica.”

The Kalamazoo, Michigan native scored 30 international goals for the United States and scored 4 during her time with Chicago last year. Her strong presence in the midfield and her nose for the goal will improve the Athletica’s scoring position and offensive abilities. Read the rest of this entry →