Chicago Red Stars Bold Draft Day Moves: Tarpley Out, Cristiane In

The Female Soccer Player of the Decade, Lindsay Tarpley, has been traded by the Chicago Red Stars to St. Louis Athletica for second-string keeper Jillian Loyden.

After initially passing on their option to retain Brazilian offensive phenom, Cristiane, the Red Stars have re-signed her in the wake of Tarpley's trade.

The Red Stars used their fourth pick in the WPS Draft to claim UNC star Whitney Engan, the first defender taken in the draft.

We have been unsuccessful thus far to get a comment from the Red Stars front office. Therefore, we are left, for now, to attempt to read the tea leaves in the Red Stars personnel moves beginning with the release of midfielder Carli Lloyd and ending with using their first pick to take the best defender available. 

It appears that Chicago has acknowledged that last year's starting goalkeeper, Caroline Jonsson, did not live up to billing. While she had her moments, she also played inconsistently and gave up crucial goals that seemed stoppable if she had been at her best. 

They have addressed this vulnerability by jumping on an opportunity to acquire Athletica's second team keeper, Loyden. However, "second team" does not do this keeper's talent justice.

Loyden was featured in three games for Saint Louis in 2009 as the deputy goalkeeper to Hope Solo. Loyden posted two shutouts and allowed only one goal. Her May 23 performance at Chicago, which included six saves and a shutout in her first professional start, earned her WPS Player of the Week honors.

In December, she completed a loan with the Central Coast Mariners of Australia’s W-League. Her performance with the Mariners led her to be named the W-League’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

Chicago's acquisition of Loyden along with their choice to use their first pick to shore up defense on the pitch, seems to indicate that the Red Stars have chosen to emphasize a fortified defense.

In their inaugural 2009 season, the Red Stars had occasional defensive lapses in the backfield and in goal that proved fatal. However, most observers would say their inability to finish on offense was an even greater deficit. Chicago had several multiple-game scoring droughts and rarely scored more than a single goal in a match when they did score.

Because of that, it was a curious move on the club's part not to re-sign their leading scorer, Cristiane, and to trade their second highest scorer, Tarpley, in order to acquire Loyden.

It seems obvious that Tarpley was the asking price for Loyden, which further emphasizes the  impression that Chicago is shoring up the defense and hoping the offense will be adequate with better and more consistent play in the back half.  

Of the trade, St. Louis head coach Jorge Barcellos stated,  “This was a big opportunity for us to improve our club. We have given Chicago a very promising young goalkeeper, but in turn, we have received a midfielder that has world class credentials and ability. Lindsay Tarpley will be an amazing addition to Saint Louis Athletica.”

Tarpley, a midfielder, is an Olympic gold medalist from the 2008 Beijing Games. She was also a member of the 2007 United States Women’s World Cup team and was the second youngest member of the 2004 United States Olympic team. She was recently named U.S Soccer’s Female Player of the Decade and was twice honored as the WPS Player of the Week last season.

She has appeared 119 times for the United States and has scored 30 goals in her international career.

With Tarpley gone and Cristiane available, it was a no-brainer to fill the void by returning one of the Red Stars' fan favorites, not only to hold the line on offense but also to maintain fan interest.

Watch for another article with full details of Chicago's Draft Day activity, later in the day.

John Wingspread Howell is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and business consultant. He is available to speak for your organization or event about sports or a variety of topics. He also writes for Sports Then and Now and publishes the e-zine, Underdog Sports. www.underdog.sports.officelive.com.