Saturday, May 9, 2009

Athletica Acquires Welsh and Fletcher

Yesterday, WPS announced that the LA Sol had traded Christie Welsh and Kendall Fletcher to St. Louis Athletica in exchange for a conditional 2010 first-round draft pick* and a 2011 first-round draft pick.

Obviously with the injury to Daniela, Athletica had little choice in the matter. They needed a forward...and they needed it now. With the addition of Welsh, I really believe Athletica can make a solid run for the playoffs despite its current standing in the league. Welsh is a player that I've been following since her freshman year at Penn State. The first time I saw her play (while visiting my former teammate and PSU goalie Emily Oleksiuk) I realized what a workhorse Welsh was. She may seem somewhat low-key on the field -- at times you don't even see the work she is doing off the ball--but when an opportunity presents itself in front of the net, you better believe Welsh will convert.

Now, Kendall Fletcher, on the other hand, will be a great contribution to Athletica's back line. Fine by me if she takes over for McNeill. Yes, if you can't tell I'm still bitter about McNeill's shenanigans from her last performance! In all seriousness, Fletcher is a talent that will gel well with this team and a player Coach Barcellos should be thrilled to have on his roster.

Overall, I'm happy with the trade because it gives me hope for the future of St. Louis. Welsh and Fletcher weren't getting any minutes with LA Sol. Now, they have an opportunity to shine.

Saint Louis Athletica faces FC Gold Pride tonight at Ralph Korte Stadium on the Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville campus. Follow the game on MatchTracker.

*(The conditional 2010 first-round draft pick becomes a 2010 second-round draft pick if Athletica fail to finish the season as one of the top five teams in the WPS.)

No comments:

Post a Comment