Sports Then and Now

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.

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With the Los Angeles Sol discontinuing operations in Women’s Professional Soccer and the players being divvied up among the remaining eight franchises in a distribution draft tomorrow, experts and fans alike have been speculating the order of picks.

One major question floating around the soccer world is: where will Marta go?

The Brazilian international was the top goal-scorer in the WPS in 2009 and lead the Sol to the league championship. Her technical play and nose for the goal makes her a dangerous forward, and her consistency in scoring will be a huge asset to her new team.

No one quite knows what the team General Managers will do tomorrow, and with speculations and rumors being tossed around, it’s anyone’s game. Some of the best players in the world are available, but it is unclear who will go first, let alone who will be selected one-two-and three.

With assistance of fellow Bleacher Report writer, Lauren Green, I used my own knowledge of the game and the league, and created a list of who might be the first ten draft picks.

1. St. Louis Athletica: With a huge trade coming on Monday, the Athletica exchanged key defender Kia McNeill, steady midfielder Angie Kerr (formerly Woznuk), and draft pick Amanda Poach for the Atlanta Beat’s first overall pick in the dispersal draft. A trade of this magnitude could only suggest one thing: Marta. With the Athletica looking to improve their goal scoring, the Brazilian would be a clear asset. However, recent rumors have indicated that St. Louis are looking to add midfielder Shannon Boxx to their roster. Boxx has international experience, regional roots (Notre Dame alumna) and a less expensive salary. She also has a nose for the goal and a powerful presence in the midfield (think Michelle Akers). St. Louis pick: Shannon Boxx Read the rest of this entry →

In the wake of a rather gray day in the brief history of the WPS, following yesterday’s announcement of the league’s decision to discontinue operation of the Los Angeles Sol, Atlanta Beat General Manager Shawn McGee was quick to remind fans of the WPS a few very important lessons.

Lessons like ‘When you fall down you need to brush yourself off and get back up’ and ‘Every problem has a soft spot’ and everyone’s favorite, ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’ resonated from McGee’s message during a phone interview this afternoon. Read the rest of this entry →

FC Gold Pride and Tiffeny Milbrett are poised for success in 2010

At the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Tiffeny Milbrett held a field demonstration session on Thursday, January 14, 2010.  We got there about 15 minutes after it started, but still got the gist of what was going on and enjoyed watching it.  Afterwards, we went up, introduced ourselves and got to talk to Tiffeny for a little while about her thoughts on the WPS draft, the upcoming season and the acquisition of LA Sol midfielder, Camille Abily.

Lauren Green (LG): What are your thoughts on tomorrow’s WPS draft?

Tiffeny Milbrett (TM): I think it’s going to be the best class ever for any WPS draft, (laughs), it’s the second year.  But no I think, I don’t know absolutely all the players because I don’t get to this part of the states, that part of the states to be able to see all of the players that are coming out.

But of course you know the top four or five players that will probably be taken right off the bat. And it’s just exciting I think, you know when the WUSA went away, it’s just, it was such a sad moment, not for the current players, but for those players coming up, coming through college.  You know, their dreams were wiped out of becoming pro and just tomorrow again, symbolizes the chance for these players to have a place to play as a professional soccer player. And that is just phenomenal to me.

LG: Is there anyone in particular that you would enjoy getting to play with if they were to be drafted by FC Gold Pride? I know they have a high pick in the third overall pick, but is there anyone in particular that you would be extremely excited to be playing with? Read the rest of this entry →

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 →