USL News Release

Thursday, December 11, 2008

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Gaels have announced that they will continue operations in the USL W-League in 2009 as the Chicago Red Eleven under the new ownership of Ted Gradel. Gradel has purchased the franchise and looks to build upon the success that Gaels’ owner Mark Boyle has established in the past four seasons for the Chicago area franchise.

The Red Eleven franchise has been active in the past month with a number of other noteworthy developments.

Larry Sunderland will serve as Technical Director, a role he fills for both the Chicago Fire of the USL Premier Development League and the Chicago Fire Juniors. W-League 2008 Coach of the Year Tony Anglin, who led the Atlanta Silverbacks to a 13-0-1 record in 2008, will be the head coach for the Red Eleven in 2009.

“Our first priority was to find the best possible coach available – someone to create a training environment that results in a winning side and, equally as important, aids in the development and identification of future professional players,” said Sunderland. “With that said, Ted and I felt Tony Anglin was the right person. His experience coaching in the league, his passion for moving players forward, and his professionalism on and off the field are unquestioned.”

The balance of the coaching staff includes Benedictine women’s head coach Robyn Serge, Chicago Fire Juniors assistant director of coaching Steve Berry, and St. Xavier Chicago women’s assistant coach and Gaels staff coach Evan Strehlau.

Home games for the Red Eleven will be played at the beautiful 3,000 seat stadium of Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

The Chicago Red Eleven will also serve as the exclusive W-League affiliate of the Chicago Red Stars of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) for the state of Illinois.

“The Red Stars are pleased to continue our relationship with Chicago’s W-League team under its new leadership,” said Chicago Red Stars President and CEO Peter Wilt. “I’ve enjoyed working with Larry Sunderland for more than 20 years, and I look forward to working with him again, along with owner Ted Gradel, to launch the Red Eleven. This club will serve as a great place for the Red Stars to watch players who aspire to progress to WPS.”

Red Stars head coach Emma Hayes, who was instrumental in bringing Tony Anglin in as Red Eleven head coach, added, “we are excited to work with Red Eleven and to support them in putting together a competitive roster.”

“We are extremely excited and proud of our relationship with the Red Stars,” said Red Eleven Owner Ted Gradel. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our girls to be seen by the Red Stars coaching staff on a regular basis.”

USL News Release

Thursday, December 11, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) announced the official final list of participants who have accepted invitations to the WPS West Coast and East Coast Combines held Dec. 11-14 (San Diego, CA) and Dec. 18-21 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). Among the 144 players announced were 88 current and former W-League players with 18 as part of the 30 additional players that were selected following the previous announcement of the initial list.

Invites to the invitation-only combines were made through a careful selection process done by the WPS Coaches Committee. In total, 144 players will participate in the WPS Combines; no more than 72 at each location.

Among the additional players recently announced were longtime W-League veterans Josha Krueger, Tara Kidwell and Marisa Brown. Krueger led teams to five championship game appearances in seven years, winning the title twice. She played for the Chicago Cobras from 1997-2003, missing only the 2001 while guiding the Boston Renegades to the championship and the 1998 season. Kidwell has played in the W-League since 2003, seeing action for five different clubs. After four seasons with the Windy City Bluez, Marisa Brown of Jersey Sky Blue in 2008 finished second in the league in scoring with the Renegades in 2005.

WPS Combines - Participants List [+]

Among the initial invitees were several standout W-League players such as 2008 Most Valuable Player Sarah Steinmann of the Atlanta Silverbacks, 2003 Defender of the Year Fanta Cooper (Jersey Sky Blue) and Portuguese international Kim Brandao (Jersey Sky Blue). In addition to Steinmann and Cooper, other 2008 All-Conference honorees Stacy Bishop (Tampa Bay Hellenic), Jen Buczkowski (Chicago Gaels), Katie Hooker (Real Colorado Cougars), Lyndsey Patterson (Atlanta Silverbacks) and Julianne Sitch (FC Indiana Lionesses) were among the players accepted for the next set of combines.

Combine participants include graduating college seniors who will have completed their eligibility following the conclusion of the 2008 season and other national and international talent from top level amateur leagues such as the W-League and WPSL.

“The WPS Combines will be a tremendous platform for players to showcase their best in front of team officials and coaching staffs,” said Mary Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, Women’s Professional Soccer. “It is important that there are ample opportunities for teams to evaluate talent as they look to put together the strongest possible team on the field for the inaugural WPS season.”

During the combines, players will undergo general training and physical testing and will be assigned to specific teams with the opportunity to play in three games over the course of three days. Players’ rights will be drafted by teams at the 2009 WPS Draft on January 16 in St. Louis at the NSCAA Convention. Beginning in February, teams will also hold local try-outs in their respective markets.

Participating in the WPS East or West Coast Combine is not mandatory for a player to be eligible for the 2009 WPS Draft or a future roster spot on a WPS team. The full list of WPS Combine attendees will be released prior to the events.