Red Stars Deal Asante to Freedom

The Chicago Red Stars have dealt defender Anita Asante to the Washington Freedom for the rights to an unamed international discovery player.

Asante played the 2009 season for the champion Sky Blue FC team and started 16 matches for them. She missed the playoffs in order to play for England in the European Championship. She was injured in the fall and Sky Blue traded her to Saint Louis after the start of the 2010 season. When Athletica folded, she was then signed by Chicago. Asante had played in just seven matches this season and started three.

In other moves, the contract of Kosovare Asllani for the Chicago Red Stars has been terminated by mutual agreement. Asllani has scored two goals in 13 appearances for the Red Stars in 2010.

The Freedom elevated Meagan McCray to the full roster and waived Alex Singer. It is unknown at this time whether the Freedom plan to add Singer back to their developmental roster. With Erin McLeod and Briana Scurry out for the season, Ashlyn Harris has moved into the starter role, while McCray has become the Freedom's backup keeper.

WPS Midweek Notes - June 2

Asllani Named Player of the Week

Chicago Red Stars forward Kosovare Asllani has been named WPS Player of the Week. Asllani scored the only goal in Chicago’s 1-0 victory over 1st place FC Gold Pride. She took advantage of Marian Dalmy’s beautiful cross and scored her first WPS goal. The goal stopped Gold Pride’s 5 game winning streak.

Asllani is the first Swedish player ever to win the Player of the Week award and the first Chicago Red Star player to win it this year. At age 20, she is also one of the youngest players in the league. Asllani had been slowed earlier in the season with a rib injury.

Sky Blue Signs Panico

SBFC has signed long-time Italian National Team player, Patrizia Panico. Panico earned her first National Team cap in 1996 and has scored 80 goals in her career for Italy. She also has a long club soccer career in her home country.

Panico becomes the first Italian player to join WPS. Sky Blue used the slot that happened opened up when they dealt Anita Asante to Saint Louis in May.

Around the League

Atlanta Beat – The Beat tied the W-League’s Tampa Bay Hellenic 1-1 in an exhibition game on Saturday night. Tampa stepped in when Atlanta’s match with Saint Louis was cancelled due Athletica folding…..In that match, Kennesaw State alum Rebecca Nolin scored Atlanta’s first goal in their new stadium…..The Beat now have 7 starters from last year’s Saint Louis team including Hope Solo, Tina Ellertson, Kia McNeill, Angie Kerr, Lori Chalupny, Amanda Cinalli, and Eniola Aluko. The 7 players combined for 119 starts for Athletica in 2009 or 54% of the team's total.

Boston Breakers – The Breakers have placed Sarah Walsh on 30-day injured reserve…..Ashley Phillips earned her 2nd shutout in three weeks in Boston's scoreless tie with Sky Blue…..Other than Kelly Smith, only two players have scored for Boston in their last 11 games dating back to last year, Lauren Cheney and Kasey Moore.

Chicago Red Stars – Jill Loyden’s goals against average dropped below one with her 2nd shutout of the season…..The Red Stars will be attempting to win 2 games in a row for only the 2nd time in their history when they face Atlanta on Sunday…..All four of Chicago’s goals this season have come in the 2nd half.

FC Gold Pride – Marta and fellow Brazilian Cristiane are tied for the WPS lead in shots taken with 26…..Gold Pride reached 15 points on May 14 this season. Last season it wasn’t until August that they reached that many…..FCGP’s goal differential is a +5 in their three home games, but a -1 in their four road games.

Philadelphia Independence – Lianne Sanderson scored her 2nd goal of the season against the Freedom, this one coming off the bench…..Caroline Seger became the second Independence player to be ejected already this year. Earlier, Jen Buczkowski had received two yellows in a match, leading to an ejection…..Philadelphia has now scored in six consecutive matches.

Saint Louis Athletica – At the time of their demise, Athletica had scored in 11 consecutive regular season matches which stands as a record.....Athletica is the all-time points leader in WPS with 43 over two seasons. Washington, now at 42 points, will have a chance to pass them this weekend…..Eniola Aluko will finish as the franchise’s all-time leader in both goals (10) and assists (4). As she continues her career in Atlanta, she is third only to Marta, who has 13 career goals and Abby Wambach who has 11 career goals.

Sky Blue FC – Karen Bardsley leads WPS with four shutouts to her credit…..Only four Sky Blue players have started every match, Laura Kalmari, Heather O’Reilly, Brittany Taylor, and Bardsley…..In spite of missing several matches due to injury, Tasha Kai is still tied for the team lead with 6 shots on goal.

Washington Freedom – The Freedom completed another unbeaten month of May and are presently on a four game unbeaten streak, just one shy of a team best…..Abby Wambach converted her first penalty attempt of the season against Philadelphia after being stopped in her only 2009 attempt by Kristin Luckenbill…..The Freedom now occupy 2nd place. A victory over Gold Pride this weekend would put them in 1st place for the first time ever.

Chicago Red Stars 2010 - Enigmatic Stars Go Young

Coach: Emma Hayes
2009 Record: 5-10-5 (6th place)
Postseason: Out of the playoffs.

Returnees (10): Karen Carney, Cristiane, Marian Dalmy, Ifeoma Dieke, Brittany Klein, Kate Markgraf, Ella Masar, Megan Rapinoe, Natalie Spilger, Lydia Vandenbergh.
Draft Choices (5): Whitney Engen, Jessica McDonald, Kelsey Davis, Michelle Weissenhofer, Jackie Santacaterina.
LA Dispersal Draft (1): Casey Nogueira.
International Signings ( 3): Kosovare Asllani, Katie Chapman, Formiga.
Free Agents (1): Julianne Sitch.
Trades (1): Jillian Loyden.

Of all WPS teams last season, the Red Stars were the one team I couldn’t figure out. They just looked like they should have been better. How can a team with Cristiane, Rapinoe, Tarpley, Carney, Lloyd, and Masar have trouble scoring? Twice this team went nearly 400 minutes without scoring a goal and they were shut out 11 times.

Chicago seems to be going to a youth movement, with 5 draft picks plus Casey Nogueira from the dispersal draft and international signee Kosovare Asllani joining the Red Stars. The exceptions were the signings of former Gold Pride midfielder Formiga and English international Katie Chapman. Chicago will also welcome back Kate Markgraf, who missed all of last season. With Lloyd and Tarpley gone, it means that Chicago is the only team that never had their 3 USWNT allocations on the field at the same time.

Goalkeeping-The Red Stars made a bold move prior to the January draft, trading USWNT player Lindsay Tarpley to Saint Louis for Jillian Loyden. Loyden’s stock has risen rapidly over the past 12 months. First, she won the backup role to Hope Solo in Saint Louis and shut out 2 of 3 opponents she faced in 2009. Then, she ventured to Australia where she won the W-League Goalkeeper of the Year. Since then, she has made the US National Team as a backup. To solidify the goalkeeper position, Chicago drafted Kelsey Davis out of the University of Portland. Davis has experience on US junior teams and should provide the Red Stars with a quality backup. At press time, the Red Stars didn't have a developmental keeper.

Defenders- The Red Stars started 2009 as one of the best defensive teams in WPS, shutting out 3 of their first 4 opponents. However, they didn’t post a shutout in the 2nd half of the season and this is certainly one area that needed improvement. The return of Kate Markgraf should go a long way in doing that. Markgraf, a USWNT veteran, missed the entire ’09 season. She is a solid, experienced defender who will anchor Chicago’s back line.

The second key addition is Whitney Engen. Engen was considered to be the top defender in college soccer last fall at UNC. The Red Stars also return Marian Dalmy, Ifeoma Dieke, and Natalie Spilger. Dalmy is a tall outside back who has some experience on the US National Team. Dieke has good speed and plays internationally for Scotland. Stanford grad Spilger played well last season in 13 starts. The Red Stars also return developmental back, Lydia Vandenbergh, who bolstered her playing experience with a stint in the Aussie W-League last fall. The additions of Markgraf and Engen should make this a top notch defensive group.

Midfielders-If you look at Chicago’s 2009 midfield group, there appeared to be a lot of talent, but it rarely translated into goals. Of that group, Carli Lloyd is no longer with the Red Stars. The returnees are Karen Carney, Megan Rapinoe, and Brittany Klein. Klein was finally recognized for her strong play, being named to the '09 all-star team. Certainly one of the smallest midfielders in the league, Klein’s not afraid to mix it up and she always has an impressive work rate. Carney and Rapinoe may be two of the most talented young wing players in the world, but 2009 saw limited output for the duo, a combined 4 goals and 4 assists. Although Carney is recovering from injury, expect to see a lot better results from the two this season. Both are very good 1 v. 1 players that can break down opposing defenses.

The two major additions in the midfield both come from the international ranks. Chicago added English international Katie Chapman and former Gold Pride midfielder Formiga. The Brazilian star struggled through a 2009 season which saw her hobbled by injuries toward the end of the season and missing the all-star game. She still has the ability to make players around her better and I expect her to rebound with a strong 2010 season, once her visa problems are solved. Chapman has 76 caps for the English National Team and just scored the game winner in a match against Spain. Chicago area native Julianne Sitch and Illinois alum Jackie Santacaterina will provide depth here as well as on the back line.

Forwards-The Red Stars signed 20-year old striker, Kosovare Asllani, from Sweden to improve Chicago’s offensive output. Asllani scored 12 goals for Linköpings last season and she will be counted on to do more of the same with the Red Stars. Her forward running mates will be Cristiane, who scored 7 goals last season (and was the only Red Star to score between April 25 and July 1) and Ella Masar who spent most of ’09 as a reserve, adding two assists.

A trio of forwards from the college ranks will provide depth. Casey Nogueira had a knack for scoring clutch goals for North Carolina and hopes to be a spark for the Red Stars. Another former UNC player, Jessica McDonald, was Chicago’s 2nd round selection. Together, Nogueira and McDonald were UNC’s top two goal scorers last fall. Another Chicago area native, Michelle Weissenhofer of Naperville and Notre Dame, adds further depth at forward.

Summary-Certainly, the Red Stars would like to forget last season. The back line was troubled with injuries, the offense was anemic, they suffered two red cards, and they finished 6th. The injection of young talent, with a sprinkling of older veterans could be a move in the right direction, although the team will certainly miss a respected veteran in Lindsay Tarpley.

If everyone plays to their potential and the team gels, this could be a very good team. There is a lot of room for improvement over last year’s squad. The Red Stars will be tested very quickly as they open on the road against defending WPS Champions Sky Blue FC and their former teammate, Carli Lloyd.

Chicago Red Stars - The Offseason So Far

In the second installment on the WPS offseason, we'll take a look at the Chicago Red Stars.

When Last We Left Them...

The Chicago Red Stars finished in 6th place with 20 points and out of the playoffs. The season started promisingly enough with the Red Stars going 2-0-2 over their first 4 matches climaxing with a 4-0 trouncing of the Boston Breakers. But then, the wheels came off. Chicago managed just two goals over their next 9 games, which included scoring droughts of 396 and 451 minutes. They did manage 3 late season wins, including a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles.

Scoring was a major problem for the Red Stars as they tallied only 18 goals during the season, with 10 of those coming in just three games. Surprisingly after a great start defensively, earning shutouts in 3 of the first 4 matches, they gave up 24 goals over the last 16 matches and finished with the 3rd worst total in the league. Much of that can probably attributed to injuries on the back line. With Kate Markgraf returning to action in 2010, the Red Star defense appears to be in good shape for the coming season.

Roster Moves

Chicago instantly made offseason news by deciding to waive their 2010 options on several players, including Carli Lloyd and Cristiane, their leading scorer. Not surprisingly, Sky Blue signed Lloyd in October. Cristiane remains a free agent, but there is still the possibility that she could be back with the Red Stars in 2010. Also no longer with the team are Frida Östberg, who opted to retire, and Australian midfielder Heather Garriock, who was plagued by injuries for almost the entire 2009 season.

As far as acquisitions go, the Red Stars were pretty quiet early on. They did sign Oswego, Illinois native Julianne Sitch, who spent the 2009 season with the champion Sky Blue side. Sitch played several years for the Chicago W-League team and played her college soccer at DePaul. She started 11 matches for Sky Blue, scoring one goal. Sitch will provide some versatility to the Red Stars, as she can play both midfielder and defender. She has been sharpening her skills in the WPS offseason by playing for the Melbourne Victory of the Australian W-League where she has scored one goal as well.

December saw the Red Stars making two key international signings, tapping into European national teams. First came the signing of veteran English midfielder Katie Chapman of Arsenal. Chapman is a long-time member of the English National Team with 73 caps and 7 goals to her credit. She joins a talented Chicago midfield group which also includes her English teammate Karen Carney as well Megan Rapinoe and Brittany Klein.

The second signing was that of 20-year old Kosovare Asllani, a member of Linköpings FC and the Swedish National Team. The young forward debuted with the national team in 2008 and has scored 21 goals over the past two seasons in the Damallsvenskan. Asllani should bolster the Red Stars offense, but she will be hard pressed to replace Cristiane's 7 goals from 2009, unless the Brazilian forward re-signs with Chicago.

Current Roster

Goalkeepers (1)-Caroline Jönsson.
Defenders (6)-Marian Dalmy, Ifeoma Dieke, Chioma Igwe, Kate Markgraf, Jill Oakes, Natalie Spilger.
Midfielders (6)-Karen Carney, Katie Chapman, Brittany Klein, Megan Rapinoe, Julianne Sitch, Lindsay Tarpley (MF/F).
Forwards (2)-Kosovare Asllani, Ella Masar.

Additions-Asllani, Chapman, and Sitch.
Subtractions-Danesha Adams (drafted by Philadelphia), Nikki Krzysik (drafted by Philadelphia), Carli Lloyd (signed by Sky Blue).

Other Free Agents from 2009 roster-Cristiane, Heather Garriock, Jaimel Johnson, Mary Therese McDonnell, Frida Ostberg (retired), Lydia Vandenbergh, Michelle Wenino, Lydia Williams.
Internationals-Asllani, Carney, Chapman, and Jönsson with one slot open.
Draft Picks (in first 3 rounds)-Nos. 4, 15, and 24.

Needs to Address

With Cristiane being a free agent and Lindsay Tarpley coming off ACL surgery, scoring has to be priority one. Those two combined for 11 of the Red Stars' 18 goals last season, with Tarpley also leading the team in assists. The Red Stars were shut out in over half of their games last year and they can't afford a repeat of that performance. Ella Masar will be back with Chicago, but while Tarpley's rehab seems to be going well and the signing of Asllani is a great addition, I really think the Red Stars need another top scorer. Whether that means re-signing Cristiane or another international forward, or perhaps a top college scorer remains to be seen.

The second major need is a backup keeper. Last season, Caroline Jonsson played every minute of every game. She was very sharp early on, but later in the season, the onslaught of shots against her had to take their toll. Jonsson has just turned 32, not necessarily old for a keeper, but still it would be nice to groom somebody to be her replacement and this year's draft has several good candidates. It is unknown if Lydia Williams is still in the Red Stars' plans for the future.

The other area that Chicago might want to address is depth at midfield. With so many of their players being potential call ups for national team duty, it is likely that players like Rapinoe, Carney, Chapman, and Klein will miss several games. The signing of Sitch certainly addressed that problem, but more depth is never a bad thing to have.

The Red Stars were a bit of an enigma last year. They appeared to have all of the pieces of the puzzle and got off to a great start. But injuries hurt the team, as did a couple of red cards in matches against Washington. At times, it appeared that they offensively broke down into too much one-on-one play. I believe that in Rapinoe and Carney, they might possibly have two of the best young outside midfielders in the world. It certainly seems like this all should have translated into more than 5 victories. I have to believe that better things are ahead for this team in 2010, but there are some lingering questions that need to be addressed.