Saint Louis Athletica 2010 - Can They Take the Next Step?

Coach: Jorge Barcellos
2009 Record: 10-6-4 (2nd place)
Postseason: Lost to Sky Blue 1-0 in the semifinal.

Returnees (9): Eniola Aluko, Lori Chalupny, Niki Cross, Daniela, Tina Ellertson, Kendall Fletcher, Hope Solo, Erin Walter, Elise Weber.
Draft Choices (5): Kristina Larsen (IR), Ashlyn Harris, Veronica Perez, Carolyn Blank, Sarah Teegarden.
LA Dispersal Draft (3): Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, Tina DiMartino.
International Signings ( 2): Madelaine Edlund, Elaine.
Free Agents (3): Kati Jo Spisak, India Trotter, Sarah Wagenfuhr.
Trades (1): Lindsay Tarpley

The 2009 season got off to a devastating start for Athletica. They opened with an 0-2-2 record, culminating in the loss of one of their best players, Daniela. But Athletica made some trades, came together as a team and had the league’s best record over the final 16 games. The question is, can they take the next step and win it all in 2010.

One might think that the 2nd place team would make only a few changes, but that wasn’t the case with Athletica. They did a nearly complete makeover of their international cast, signing Madelaine Edlund and Elaine away from Umeå IK. On draft day, they traded backup keeper Jill Loyden for USWNT player Lindsay Tarpley. Then they traded Angie Kerr and Kia McNeill to move up in the dispersal draft, where they selected Shannon Boxx, Aya Miyama, and Tina DiMartino. Athletica now has 7 players with USWNT caps and another 6 that have caps internationally for other countries. The real concern right now is the team’s health. Lori Chalupny has been battling problems from concussions and Daniela and Tarpley are coming off serious leg injuries. Toward the end of training camp, Kristina Larsen suffered a stress fracture in her foot and will be out 12 weeks. Does Athletica have the depth to overcome injuries?

Goalkeeping-Any conversation about Athletica has to start with defense and any conversation about their defense has to start with Hope Solo. Arguably the best goalkeeper in the women’s game, Solo makes acrobatic saves on a regular basis. She earned 8 shutouts last season with a 0.82 GAA. She distributes the ball as well as any keeper and even assisted on a goal late last season. After trading Jill Loyden to Chicago, Athletica chose Ashlyn Harris out of North Carolina in the college draft. Harris posted a microscopic 0.42 GAA for NCAA champs UNC. Athletica also brought in former Freedom keeper Kati Jo Spisak, a St. Louis native, to add depth at goalkeeper.

Defenders-Only two starters return from last year’s defense. Gone are Stephanie Logtermann (retired), Kia McNeill (traded to Atlanta), and Sara Larsson (Philadelphia). The good news is that one of the returnees is Tina Ellertson, who had an all-star season in 2009. Ellertson has better closing speed than any other back in the league and she gives Athletica a calming presence in the center. Young Elise Weber performed well last season and if she can improve her passing out of the back, she could be a very good outside defender.

The addition of Shannon Boxx gives Coach Jorge Barcellos the luxury of moving Kendall Fletcher to the back line. Fletcher, who played defensive mid last season, was often given responsibility for marking the opponent’s best player. Another player who might move from midfield to defense is Elaine from Brazil. Athletica also added Carolyn Blank out of West Virginia through the draft, signed free agent Sarah Wagenfuhr (formerly Florida State and Chicago Red Stars), and picked up Niki Cross at the roster deadline. Cross spent the ’09 season with Athletica and has the versatility to play defender or forward. The major concern here is depth. Tina Ellertson may be the least replaceable player on the team outside of Hope Solo.

Midfielders-There is no team in the league with as deep and talented of a midfield as Saint Louis. Consider that former Gold Pride starter Tina DiMartino could be the team’s 6th or 7th best midfielder, once everybody is healthy. But there lies the concern. Lindsey Tarpley is recovering from ACL surgery and may not be ready for the start of the season. And with all the depth at midfield, she may play forward for Jorge Barcellos. Lori Chalupny has been plagued by symptoms from concussions and may also be a question mark. Add to those concerns, Brazilian midfielder Daniela is still recovering from her injuries suffered in 4th game of the 2009 season. It appeared that she was just coming into form, scoring the first two goals for Athletica in that game.

But thanks to the LA Sol dispersal draft, Saint Louis has depth to spare. In part due to a trade with Atlanta, Saint Louis was able to pick up both Shannon Boxx and Aya Miyama. Merry Christmas, Jorge! A great veteran player, Boxx has long been one of the top defensive midfielders in the world. She scored 3 goals and 3 assists for the 2009 Sol. Miyama, who has magician-like skills in the midfield, led the league in assists in ‘09 with 6. One of the areas in which Miyama is most proficient is on set pieces, a sore point for Athletica last season. The aforementioned Tina DiMartino is good with the ball at her feet and gives Saint Louis another weapon in their midfield arsenal. Developmental players Sarah Teegarden and Erin Walter provide further depth. If everyone is healthy, this group may have no peers.

Forwards-Saint Louis has one of the league’s best young forwards in Eniola Aluko. At the start of the ’09 season, many people in this country didn’t know her name, but they certainly know now. Aluko had 6 goals, 4 assists, and caused an own goal, meaning she had part in 11 of Athletica’s 19 goals. The problem last year was finding her a running mate upfront. The team addressed that problem by signing Madelaine Edlund, who has scored 28 goals over the past two seasons with Umeå. Edlund scored a goal in the 2009 WPS All-Star game. The team also signed India Trotter, formerly of Florida State, who they had drafted way back in the fall of 2008. Then there is the possibility of Tarpley, Kristina Larsen, or young Veronica Perez playing forward. Perez has capped for the Mexican National Team. If the team can find another scorer, it should open up space for the speedy Aluko.

Summary-Athletica now has 5 players that played for the WPS in last year’s All-Star game and another that was selected, but couldn’t compete. They have a great goalkeeper, a great midfield, one of the league’s best defenders, and one of the most exciting attacking players in WPS. The one thing that stopped them last season was lack of scoring. There were all too many 1-0 nailbiters. Without Aluko, Athletica was unable to score against Sky Blue in the semifinal.

The main concerns for this team have to be scoring, depth on defense, but most of all, team health. If this team can get healthy and get off to a better start than last season, they should challenge for 1st place.

Saint Louis Athletica - The Offseason So Far

Madelaine Edlund and Lori Chalupny battle in the WPS All-Star Game. The two will be teammates with Saint Louis Athletica in 2010.

When Last We Left Them...

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Saint Louis Athletica finished in 2nd place with a 10-6-4 record and 34 points. After a very slow start which saw them go scoreless for the first 277 minutes of the season, they showed strong improvement as the season wore on. An early season injury to Daniela left Athletica without one of their more talented players. But they went 6-1-2 over their last 9 games, the best record in the league over that time. Saint Louis was eliminated by Sky Blue in a tough 1-0 match in the semifinals, as they played without leading scorer Eniola Aluko.

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Chances are, if you attended an Athletica match in 2009, you saw a shutout. Saint Louis, behind brilliant goalkeeping from Hope Solo and Jill Loyden, posted 10 shutouts. Athletica was also shut out 6 times in addition to their playoff game. Aluko was their only consistent scorer. After Aluko, only midseason acquisition Christie Welsh scored as many as 3, all coming in the last two games of the season. Saint Louis was led in the midfield by Lori Chalupny and Kendall Fletcher, and defensively by Tina Ellertson.

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Roster Moves

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Saint Louis retained only 10 players from their 2009 squad, leaving them a strong nucleus but a lot of holes to fill. They waived their option on two of their international players, Daniela and Sarah Walsh, and granted free agency to a 3rd, Melissa Tancredi.

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Surprisingly, at least to me, Athletica left attacking midfielder Amanda Cinalli unprotected in the expansion draft and she was selected by the Atlanta Beat. Outside of Aluko and Welsh, Cinalli was probably their most productive offensive player. She scored 2 goals and an assist after missing the first 7 games due to a leg injury. Atlanta also selected veteran defender Sara Larsson from Saint Louis, a starter of 12 games for Athletica. She eventually signed with the Philadelphia Independence after Atlanta did not pick up her option. Additionally, free agent Niki Cross, who scored a late season goal for Saint Louis, was signed by FC Gold Pride.

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The big news for Saint Louis was the signing of two veteran international players in late November. Athletica addressed some of their scoring needs by signing 24 year old Swedish forward Madelaine Edlund. Edlund has played the last three seasons with Umeå IK of the Swedish Damallsvenskan. She has scored 28 goals over the past two seasons with Umeå. Edlund should provide Saint Louis with a forward complement to Eni Aluko.

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The other signing was that of Brazilian midfielder Elaine Moura, another player that spent 2009 with Umeå IK. Elaine was a member of the 2007 Brazilian team that finished 2nd in the World Cup. The 27 year old strengthens Athletica's midfield and will give them added experience.

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Current Roster

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Goalkeepers (2)-Jillian Loyden, Hope Solo.

Defenders (4)-Tina Ellertson, Stephanie Logterman, Kia McNeill, Elise Weber.

Midfielders (4)-Lori Chalupny, Elaine, Kendall Fletcher, Angie Woznuk.

Forwards (2)-Eniola Aluko, Madelaine Edlund.

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Additions-Edlund and Elaine.

Subtractions-Amanda Cinalli (drafted by Atlanta), Sara Larsson (drafted by Atlanta), Niki Cross (signed by Gold Pride.

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Other Free Agents from 2009 roster-Daniela, Sheree Gray, Erin Kane, Ashlee Pistorius, Lisa Stoia, Melissa Tancredi, Sarah Walsh, Erin Walter, Christie Welsh.

Internationals-Aluko, Edlund, and Elaine with 2 slots open.

Draft Choices (in first 3 rounds)-Nos. 17, 19, and 28.

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Needs to Address

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Considering that Saint Louis scored only 19 goals last season and that only 3 players that scored are still on their roster, it's fairly obvious that scoring has to be a priority. With the loss of Cinalli, Athletica really needs a scorer out of the midfield. Last season, Saint Louis got only 6 goals out of their midfield, two each from Chalupny, Cinalli, and Daniela. Angie Woznuk was unable to add a goal or an assist in 2009 and Chalupny took quite a beating, suffering 46 fouls, tied with Kelly Smith for tops in the league. Without a top draft choice, Saint Louis may have to turn to the international market to find an attacking mid.

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Additionally, Athletica could use another forward. Right now, they have only Aluko and Edlund. Ashlee Pistorius could still be in the picture for 2010, but another forward is needed. It will be interesting to see who is left when Athletica drafts at number 17.

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Defensively, Saint Louis was strong with Tina Ellertson leading the way, surrounded by young talent like McNeill, Logterman, and Weber. But an experienced back line player would be welcome. Athletica looked particularly vulnerable in the first 30 minutes of the playoff match against Sky Blue.

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Saint Louis was the surprise team to many last season. They didn't boast a lot of big name stars outside of Chalupny and Solo. Aluko turned out to be one of the league's most exciting young players and Ellertson's experience on the back line was a key factor as Athletica clawed their way up to 2nd place by the end of 2009. While they have a nice group of veterans to build around and have added two very good players, there are still many holes to be filled in the next three months. Without any high choices, it will be tough to do this through the draft. They will have to make the most of their two remaining international openings if they are to challenge for the title in 2010.