If you want to find an unlikely comeback story, look no further than the 2009 Saint Louis Athletica. The Athletica were the only WPS team to not have earned any points after two matches, remained winless until the fifth match and lost Daniela, their best player at the time, to a season-ending injury. Just to pile it on, the team were at the bottom of the standings during the duration of April and May.

But what was probably most frustrating to Coach Jorge Barcellos was that Saint Louis was actually a good side. Soccer can be a pretty capricious sport sometimes and it seemed as if the Athletica were destined to finish last, despite having talent like Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny and English striker Eniola Aluko, who would find her scoring boots soon enough.

However the tide turned for the Athletica after gaining their first win against FC Gold Pride during the fifth match of the season. Hope Solo then became the Hope Solo WNT fans know and love and earned shut outs in each of Athletica’s four victories (they lost two matches out of six during that streak). Perhaps there is no honor in losing to the 2009 Sol and the Freedom and other than those two bogey teams, Saint Louis continued to roll and earned a result from every single other team they faced for the rest of the season.

Things just clicked and the Athletica were playoff-bound, which was not even a fantasy at the start of the season when things were looking so bleak. In total, the Athletica took 34 points of a possible 48 from their fifth match on. Striker Eniola Aluko had a big part to play in their incredibly rich form as she went on to score six goals, good enough for fifth overall in the league. Leadership and determination were also exemplified at the back by the always solid Lori Chalupny and the speedy full back Tina Ellertson. Hope Solo continued to be an excellent stopper in goal, finishing the season with eight shut out performances which was second behind Los Angeles’ Karina LeBlanc.

Four consecutive wins helped propel the Athletica to an unbelievable second place in the league, behind the Los Angeles Sol. They also received a bye to the second round of the playoffs where they met fellow comeback kids, Sky Blue FC. Hope Solo conceded a rare goal in the first half and could never equalize, eliminating them from the playoffs. Despite the disappointment there was still a tremendous amount to be proud of.

It’s tough to imagine lightning striking twice in 2010. Lori Chalupny missed most of the preseason with concussion-related injuries. Lingering implications could worry both Athletica and WNT fans. The team has only retained seven players from 2009 and has lost some important role players like Angie Kerr (nee Woznuk) in midfield, defender Kia McNeill to a trade with Atlanta and forward Amanda Cinalli to the Atlanta Beat Expansion Draft.

However, the players arriving in the Gateway City are some of the most highly-touted in the league. Coach Barcellos will have a packed midfield with the acquisition of Shannon Boxx (who was the first overall pick in the Dispersal Draft) and Aya Miyama from Los Angeles. These two players were significant variables in the Sol’s equation for offensive success last year. The addition of another WNT’er Lindsay Tarpley from Chicago provides yet another dependable pair of boots in the center of the park. Moreover, midfielder Gina DiMartino was also drafted from the Sol in the Dispersal Draft and Brazilian Elaine will be leaving Umea IK to join the midfield.

Back-up goalkeeper Jillian Loyden was involved in the trade with Chicago to acquire Tarpley but she will be replaced by UNC product Ashlyn Harris and could very well be a seamless replacement. UCLA forward Kristina Larsen and Swedish striker Madaleine Edlund (Umea IK’s former number 9) could play off of Eniola Aluko, who had a blistering European Championships in September 2009. Daniela will also be back, which provides the front line with more panache and perhaps more goals.

It will be curious to see if Coach Barcellos can perform the same alchemy he did at the beginning of last year. This is a relatively new list of players and some will perhaps be asked to perform different roles to accommodate others, particularly in midfield. Saint Louis was one of the top surprises of the season. We’ll wait and see what the Athletica in store for us in 2010.

The Anorak

Hope Solo finished with .82 goals per game and .75 goal attempts allowed. Both figures were second best in the league

However the Athletica were a bit lean offensively at times and took the fewest amount of shots per game with 11.05 and also the second fewest amount of shots on goal

The Athletica has yet to come back and either lead or equalize after going a goal down

Three out of the four players with the most minutes will be returning next year (Ellertson, Chalupny and Aluko)

Only two out of the six players with assists last year will be returning (Aluko and Chalupny)

The Athletica neither conceded nor scored many goals. Tellingly, the only match the Athletica were a part of in 20 regular season games plus one postseason match that involved one team scoring 3 or more goals was a 3-3 draw with Washington Freedom

Outgoing: Amanda Cinalli (Drafted 4th overall to Atlanta in Expansion Draft), Niki Cross, Sheree Gray, Sara Larsson, Stephanie Logterman, Kia McNeill (Traded with Atlanta for #1 overall pick and 2011 second pick round), Ashlee Pistorious, Lisa Stoia, Melissa Tancredi, Sarah Walsh (Signed as a free agent with Boston), Erin Walter, Christie Welsh (Free agent with Washington), Angie Woznuk (Also included in trade with Atlanta), Jillian Loyden (Traded with Chicago for Lindsay Tarpley)

Incoming: D Carolyn Blank (46th overall pick from West Virginia), M Shannon Boxx (#1 overall pick in Dispersal Draft), M Tina DiMartino (Seleced 14th overall in Dispersal Draft), F Madelaine Edlund (Swedish international from Umea IK), GK Ashlyn Harris (19th overall pick from UNC), F Kristina Larsen (17th pick from UCLA), M Aya Miyama (Drafted 8th overall in Dispersal Draft), M Elaine Moura (Brazilian international from Umea IK), F Lindsay Tarpley (Trade with Chicago Red Stars), M/F India Trotter (Previously selected in 2008 player draft), D Sarah Wagenhufer (signed from Chicago as free agent)

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

• Filed Under:  
• Soccer, Sports, WPS

• Tags:
• shannon boxx
• Season previews
• Saint Louis Athletica

This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2010 WPS Season Kickoff