LET THE SEASON BEGIN - WPS UPDATE

Tomorrow March 1st marks the official day pre-season camp commences for many of the WPS teams. Some have already started their team meetings and put players through fitness tests. Others have been collecting and ferrying players from airports to around the city apartment hunting. For many it’s try-outs..to see who gets to stay for the rest of preseason before the roster is whittled down from anywhere from 25, 28 sometimes 30 players to the 22 required.

March 7 is when the international players are expected from tournaments in Europe such as the Algarve Cup in Portugal where the likes of the USA,Sweden,Norway,Finland,Iceland and Denmark have players participating who are signed to WPS teams and the same for the Cyprus Cup where WPS players from England, Canada, Holland and Switzerland are battling it out against each other.

With so much going on since the allocation of the Los Angeles Sol players early this month,here are some of the goings on…so far in Women’s Professional Soccer.

Atlanta Beat once again have been out in front packing their rosters top to bottom. New signings joining No1 draft pick Tobin Heath are forward Shelley Thompson(pictured right) from Vfl Wolfsburg. The first German signing snatches the last international spot for Atlanta. GK Brett Maron and midfielder Marisha Schumacher-Hodge are a couple of free agents. Maron having played in the Damallsvenskan for Kristianstads DFF last year and Schumacher-Hodge from Boston University played for the Boston Aztecs in the WPSL. They have waved goodbye to Carrie Patterson and Noelle Kesilica. The latter suffering a preseason knee injury.

Boston Breakers welcome Australian forward Sarah Walsh. Walsh returns after a successful season down under where Sydney FC won the championship. Walsh will be playing for her 3rd WPS team after clocking hours last season with Sky Blue FC and Saint Louis Athletica. However they will miss the dynamic duo of Christine Latham and Jenni Nobis. At least of the field they will. Canadian Latham was waived to make room for Walsh and Nobis suffered an ACL injury at the beginning of February.

Chicago Red Stars have been pretty quite on the signing business so far but now there are whispers that an international is about to be announced. The announcement is imminent according to Head Coach Emma Hayes. Any ideas? More good news - English midfielder Karen Carney is recovering from her knee surgery and hopes to be fit for the start of the season and congratulations are in order for Jill Oakes who announced her pregnancy. The Red Stars have released her from her contract.
Another player released but is not happy about it is Brandi Chastain (pictured left). FC Gold Pride announced that she will not be invited to pre season camp but they wish her well in what she does. Chastain said she was sad and mad at not having the chance to play with Gold Prides new players such as Marta and Camille Abily and to measure herself against them and the younger players. A young player Gold Pride have signed is another former LA Sol player in GK Brittany Cameron. Cameron was a development GK behind Karina LeBlanc and Val Henderson.

Saint Louis Athletica fans are still recovering from the shock of their captain Lori Chalupny taking indefinite leave can console themselves a bit with the news that Brazilian midfielder Daniela is on her way back from injury and has agreed terms with the team for the 2010 season.
With the award season out of the way.(FYI: Sky Blue won everything). Sky Blue FC announced a new shirt sponsor in Somerset Medical Center. So far they are the only team to have secured a shirt sponsor. More good news, Anita Asante the English defender is recovering from her knee surgery and should be back midseason. So should figurehead and captain Christie Rampone.

Lastly Washington Freedom who have retained many of the players from last season has signed Christie Welsh the former USWNT forward. Welsh will play for her 3rd team after stints with the Sol and Athletica. Welsh previously played under Head Coach Jim Gabarra with the Freedom in the W-League

Chalupny out indefinite?

Lori Chalupny captain of Saint Louis Athletica and US Women's national team is taking an indefinite leave of absence to deal with concerns related to concussions.
Athletica announced today that Chalupny is likely to miss pre-season training and possibly the start of the 2010 season.No specific date has been set for her return. She will also miss the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal in a few weeks where the USWNT take on Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
Chalupny has had previous problems with concussions. She suffered during the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she was taken off against Norway after a coming together with US goalkeeper Hope Solo.

EX- SOL PLAYERS REALLOCATED

Los Angeles Sol Players were today allocated to the remaining eight teams of the WPS after the demise of the Sol. The "draft" took place behind closed doors and a press release was issued an hour after the start of the "draft".

There was some surprise at the results. Most surprise came from Saint Louis Athletica who had traded up to get 1st pick. Athletica picked Shannon Boxx, Japanese star Aya Miyama, Tina DiMartino and Danish international Catherine Paaske Sorenson. It's a surprise because all 4 are top midfielders that you can say play in the same area of the pitch, something i thought Athletica were strong on. I guess defence isn't an option at Saint Louis. Remember Championships are won on defence. It's an old saying but so so true.

Other surprises being Brittany Bock to Washington Freedom and that the Freedom also got the rights to Nigerian striker Faith Ikidi. A striker who is contracted to Linköping (Swedish Damallsvenskan league) for the 2010 season. Strange but good to see a franchise think beyond 2010. Gives us our hope back.

Not so much of a surprise Marta staying in California with FC Gold Pride and Karina Le Blanc moving to Philly.

Good luck to all the ladies at their new teams. We will be supporting them all.


Here are the results by team:

Atlanta Beat - Manya Makoski MF , Pavlina Scasna F
Boston Breakers - Stephanie Cox D, Michelle Enyeart F
Chicago Red Stars - Casey Nogueira F
FC Gold Pride - Marta F, Kiki Bosio F, Lindsay Browne F
Philadelphia Independance - Karina LeBlanc GK, Estelle Johnson D
Sky Blue FC - Nikki Washington MF, Kiersten Dallstream F
Saint Louis Athletica - Shannon Boxx MF, Aya Miyama MF, Tina DiMartino MF, Catherine Sorenson MF.
Washington Freedom - Brittany Bock D, Faith Ikidi F


Results in draft order

Round 1
1. Shannon Boxx, M – Saint Louis Athletica *
2. Karina LeBlanc, GK – Philadelphia Independence
3. Marta, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
4. Casey Nogueira, F – Chicago Red Stars
5. Stephanie Cox, D – Boston Breakers
6. Nikki Washington, M – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
7. Brittany Bock, D – Washington Freedom
8. Aya Miyama, M – Saint Louis Athletica

Round 2
9. Manya Makoski, M – Atlanta Beat
10. Faith Ikidi, D/F – Washington Freedom
11. Kiersten Dallstream, F – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
12. Michelle Enyeart, F – Boston Breakers
13. Kiki Bosio, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) ^
14. Tina DiMartino, M – Saint Louis Athletica #
15. Estelle Johnson, D – Philadelphia Independence
16. Pavlina Scasna, F – Atlanta Beat

Round 3
17. Pass – Atlanta Beat
18. Pass – Philadelphia Independence
19. Lindsay Browne, F – FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
20. Pass – Chicago Red Stars
21. Pass – Boston Breakers
22. Pass – Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY)
23. Pass – Washington Freedom
24. Catherine Sorenson, M – Saint Louis Athletica


* via trade with Atlanta Beat (trade prior to draft)
^ via trade with Chicago Red Stars (Chicago receives FC Gold Pride’s 2nd Round pick in 2011 WPS Draft)
# via trade with Chicago Red Stars (Chicago receives Saint Louis Athletica’s 2nd Round pick in 2011 WPS Draft)



Paul Taylor (Featured writer)

NEW DAY IN WPS

We have sufficiently recovered from the doom of the LA Sol here at womans scoccer insider to report that a "New day" starts today for WPS.

Today sometime after 1pm ET, 6pm European time, the remaining women of the LA Sol will be placed (we hate the word dispersed...really) with the remaining eight teams of WPS.

There are a total three rounds, potentially 24 players can be picked with the likes of Marta, Shannon Boxx and Aya Miyama to name but a few up for grabs.

Saint Louis Athletica have managed to wrangle their way to 1st pick with some trading with the previous 1st pickers Atlanta Beat by sending defender Kia McNeil and Midfielder Angie Kerr(Woznuk) to Atlanta. What that means only time will tell.

Find out the results from twitter women's Pro Soccer and back here for an in depth update.