PRESS WPS Gets Ready To Roll
| WPS Gets Ready To Roll |
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Jason Reckamp The Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) season is getting ever-closer.And Lori Chalupny, a standout at Nerinx Hall High in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina, couldn't be happier. For the first time, Chalupny will be able to provide area youngsters with some things she never had growing up: excessable professional role models and a concrete goal to strive for, all in a stone's throw (or maybe a short drive) from their homes. The St. Louis team, which will play in Collinsville once the stadium is built, is in negotiations with Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville to use its field for the first WPS season next April."Definitely, I'm really looking forward to playing close to home," said Chalupny, 24, who will be competing in her first Olympics next month in Beijing. "This league is so great, it's a dream come true. Soccer has grown so much in the St. Louis area, even since I played. "Not only are these girls going to be able play soccer at a high level, they're going to be able to have something to strive for - playing in the WPS. I think it's great. I can't wait." On Tuesday, the WPS league office announced its player selection process leading up to its inaugural season. Following the Beijing Olympics, the WPS teams - St. Louis, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York and Washington, D.C. - will build their rosters through an allocation of U.S. Women's National Team stars, a draft of international players, combines, additional league drafts and local team tryouts. For more information on the St. Louis United team and tryout information, visit womensprosoccer.com/stlouis. "The player allocation and draft process has been the top priority for the league office and team owners since first announcing the league's formation last September," said Tonya Antonucci, WPS commissioner. "WPS will be the ultimate showcase for the world's best female soccer talent and, for those athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics, the next stage in their careers. "As a North American league, our first priority is the U.S. Women's National team players, whose skills will be complemented by the world's top players, as well as the domestic players who have the talent and dedication required of professional athletes." With most of the recent talk surrounding attempts to secure a Major League Soccer (MLS), the WPS has flown a bit under the radar locally. But for St. Louis general manager Caryn Chasteen, a Collinsville native who graduated from Collinsville High in 1992 and played four years of soccer at Lindenwood University, the excitement surrounding the franchise has been growing for the last several months. Chasteen started with St. Louis United last September, finding out about the opportunity from former St. Louis University goalkeeper Meghann Burke and SLU coach Tim Champion. "It was a perfect fit, a no-brainer," Chasteen said. "There hasn't been a lot of chatter around St. Louis about the WPS, with the MLS and everything, but I have a feeling that will change. "When I first came on board, things we're pretty abstract. And we're still working some things out. Now, especially with the announcement about player allocation, we are getting closer. Before we know it, it will be time to start the season." U.S. Women's National Team pool players have already submitted their WPS market preferences. And with a high-profile player of Chalupny's stature, the St. Louis team should be will on its way to securing more top-notch national and international players. "From a team roster perspective, we are being very thorough in the player scouting and draft process," said Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis United. "The end-goal is to create a cohesive team ripe with talent and personality, and poised to win, of course." This has been a project in the making for Cooper, 38, a Granite City native and Edwardsville resident. In addition to being at the forefront of the movement to bring a MLS franchise and stadium to Collinsville, Cooper, through his St. Louis Soccer United (stlouissoccerunited.com) group, has spearheaded the merger of the three prominent youth soccer clubs in the Metro area - St. Louis Soccer Club (formerly Busch Soccer Club), Scott Gallagher and Metro United. "I think Jeff's really doing it right," Chalupny said. "What he's been able to do (with the merger)... it's getting the young girls involved and he's going at it in a grassroots kind of way. It's great." "I wish I could be a kid all over again," Chasteen said. "It's remarkable. With the three clubs merging, these kids have the chance to play at a high level at U-10 and U-12. And it's a system that will continue to grow." For most women's soccer fans, the thought of a new league only conjures up feelings of the failures of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), a league that existed from 2001-03. But with those failures in mind, along with fresh ideas and the entrepreneurship brought to the table by Cooper and other owners, and WPS commissioner Antonucci, the sky is the limit for the league, particularly locally. And it will undoubtedly help pave the way for an MLS franchise. "This league will succeed, absolutely," Chasteen said. "And it will for two reasons. One, the commissioner, Tonya Antonucci. She has worked tirelessly to get this going. She has a smart business mind and she knows soccer. And, two, we have a great ownership group. Jeff has a passion for soccer, and it's not just the MLS." |
