Sports Then and Now

For those of us who can’t decide between our “mates” and our “mates” this Valentine’s Day, the creative minds at PUMA have come up with the perfect gift.

Think of how deep you’d be buried in the doghouse if a Feb. 14th match between Chelsea and Arsenal took precedent over the whispering of sweet nothings into the ear of your better half.

Thanks to the PUMA Hardchorus, sports enthusiasts of all kinds can go on-line and dedicate a special song to that special someone. That someone who is destined to be home alone on Valentines Day, while you’re busy knocking back a pint with fans of the team that makes your heart skip a beat. 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

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 →

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 28, 2010) – After several weeks of negotiations with a potential new ownership group fell through at the last minute, Women’s Professional Soccer discontinued operations of the Los Angeles Sol on Thursday. The rights to the 19 players currently held by the Sol will be dispersed during a special draft for the league’s eight franchises on Thursday, February 4 and will be announced later in the day.

“While it’s regrettable to lose the Los Angeles market as part of our WPS footprint, we are pleased to have two new teams coming into the league in 2010,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “The league and our ownership committee worked incredibly hard over the past month to complete the transaction. In the end, we ran out of time and came up short of where we needed to be funding-wise for the Sol in 2010.” Read the rest of this entry →

Forward Michelle Enyeart grew up in a small town that isn’t exactly known to be a soccer hotbed.

In fact, Hemet, CA is hardly known at all.

But this small “city” located roughly between Palm Springs and San Diego has produced a name that is known to soccer experts and soccer fans across the country.

Enyeart has a soccer resume that is both extensive and impressive.

Some of the major points in her career include playing with the nationally-ranked Laguna Hills Eclipse Soccer Club, competing with the youth national teams (U-23, U-20, U-19, U-16), and participating in a full national team training camp. Read the rest of this entry →