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St. Louis Atheltica Captain Lori Chalupny Sidelined Indefinitely
February 11, 2010
St. Louis Athletica announced today that captain Lori Chalupny is taking an indefinite leave from soccer to deal with concussion-related issues.
Chalupny will miss the USA's trip to the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal for the first time in six years. No definitive time of return has been determined for Chalupny's return. The captain of the US Women's National Team, she is also expected to miss a portion of the Athletica's preseason training camp, set to begin March 1.
“I am taking some time off so I can get some additional testing done for these concussion related issues,” Chalupny said to WPS media. “I need to go through this process now to insure my health for the future. I certainly don’t like the idea of missing a tournament like the Algarve Cup, or missing any time with Athletica. I just need to get some rest and take care of these issues.”
Chalupny started in all 18 games she played in for the Athletica in 2009, scoring two goals and adding one assist. A starter for the WPS All-Star game, Chalupny was also named WPS Player of the Week for Week Seven.
A regular starter for the US women, Chalupny has 92 appearances with the national team, and has eight goals to her international career. Among her accolades, Chalupny has an Olympic gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Games, and was also a member of the 2007 Women's World Cup Team.
About Saint Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica is a founding member of Women’s Professional Soccer, WPS. In their inaugural season, Saint Louis Athletica finished in second place in the WPS, and reached the WPS Super Semifinal. Saint Louis Athletica plays their home matches at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in suburban St. Louis. The 2010 home opener will be on April 11 against FC Gold Pride. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL.
About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)
Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with eight teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. In 2010, eight teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including six original WPS teams—Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY), and Washington Freedom—and two expansion teams, the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer .
This article was excerpted from a press release and reworked by freelance writer Lauren Salter.
photo: www.soccerbyives.net