St. Louis Athletica
Encyclopedia
Saint Louis Athletica was an American
professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis
suburb of Fenton, Missouri
that participated in Women's Professional Soccer
. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte Stadium
, on the campus of SIUE
in Edwardsville, Illinois
, then moved to Soccer Park
in Fenton, Missouri
in June. On May 27, 2010, the WPS announced that the Club would fold effective immediately, forcing the league to compete with only 7 teams for the rest of the season.
Athletica was one of three parts of the Athletic Club of St. Louis, chaired by team owner Jeff Cooper, with the others being a large St. Louis youth soccer league network and the men's soccer team AC St. Louis
.
(WUSA), was announced in 2006, Saint Louis was one of the then-six cities that would have a team.
On August 26, 2008, it was announced that the Saint Louis' head coach would be Jorge Barcellos, the then-head coach of the Brazilian women's team
. Team Chairman Jeff Cooper's organization SLSU had plans for a soccer-specific stadium
ready, but the construction would not start until St. Louis had been also awarded an MLS franchise.
On September 11, 2008, "St. Louis" was revealed as the official team name through an online video, along with a new team crest. The name and crest were further updated on November 25th unveiling "Saint Louis Athletica" as the new name.
and 3-1 versus Notre Dame
.
Athletica got off to a very slow start, being the only team with no points after the first two games and winless after the first four, despite usually outplaying their opponents; Athletica out-shot their opponents by more than twice, and frequently was in complete control during the first half of games. Despite this, Athletica was in last place or tied for last place in the league for the first two months of the season, even after they started winning. In the fourth game, Athletica lost what was assumed to be their star player, Brazilian Daniela
, to a season-ending injury, and this combined with the slow start made many people write Athletica off.
However, Athletica went 10-4-2 the rest of the season, even better than the eventual season champions Los Angeles Sol during that same time period. Included in that impressive run was four consecutive away wins, which were largely responsible for propelling Athletica into second place in the league. Athletica only lost to two teams (Los Angeles and the Washington Freedom
) for the rest of the season. The solid play came from USWNT players Lori Chalupny
, Hope Solo
, and Tina Ellertson, and breakout scoring force English international Eniola Aluko
. Athletica ultimately clinched second two games before the regular season was over.
Athletica only got to play one playoff game, though, as they lost to #4 seed Sky Blue FC
, a team they had beaten in all three of their meetings during the regular season. Athletica did not play well during the first half, which allowed Sky Blue to score, and while Athletica stepped up their game very well in the second half, they could not find the equalizer. Athletica has thus never come from behind to win or tie.
from outside the St. Louis art museum (as viewed from the left), a symbol frequently used to represent the city of St. Louis before the Gateway Arch
was constructed. The crest also featured a fleur-de-lis
, representing both the city's French heritage and the convergence of the three rivers in the area. The colors used were dark blue, two shades of green, and grey.
In the video citing "St. Louis" as the official team name, an entirely new crest was revealed. While the general shape and design were retained, the color scheme changed to just green and two shades of grey, the fleur-de-lis's position was replaced by 2009 and two fleur-de-lises were placed on either side of the crest, and Saint Louis was replaced by a Joan of Arc
figure on horseback as viewed from the right, holding a flag up instead of a sword, the sword instead being at her hip. It also has what appear to be branches on each side of the coat-of-arms.
The final version of the Joan of Arc crest was not very different from the second version. Everything was retained except for the color scheme (replacing one shade of grey with the dark blue) and the 2009. Newly included was an "StL" on the flag with a bar under the 't', and the banner was extended to say "Saint Louis Athletica" with 'Athletica' centered.
Due to competitiveness in St. Louis youth soccer and the similarity between Athletica's logo and the logo used by SLSU's youth clubs, the Joan of Arc logo was phased out during the 2009-10 offseason, with the crown-and-sword crest that had been used as a secondary logo taking its place as Athletica's primary logo.
.
In both the home and away kits, the socks are grey and the shorts are green with grey stripes down the side. The tops for home and away are green and grey, respectively, with the WPS logo on the right shoulder sleeve. The Athletica crest appears on the left corner of the top and on the right leg of the shorts. The goalkeeper's jersey is expected to be hot pink. Athletica players will not have the option to wear the 'skorts' included in PUMA's kit design for games, along with the Red Stars
and the Freedom
.
The St. Louis Athletica began play in at Ralph Korte Stadium
on the campus of SIUE. The hope was that the Athletica would eventually have been co-tenants of the 18,500-seat main stadium of the Collinsville Soccer Complex
, but construction on that facility was dependent upon Major League Soccer
awarding a franchise to Cooper's group, which has yet to occur. The complex would be ten minutes from downtown St. Louis, at the I-255/I-70 interchange.
The stadium at SIUE is roughly 20 minutes northeast of downtown. The stadium officially holds 3,000 spectators, though SLSU added bleachers so that there could be 5,000 at a game, which was met for the inaugural game against Chicago. There were five different types of seating sections by tickets available.
After AB InBev gave the Fenton, MO stadium Anheuser-Busch Center
, also known as "Soccer Park," to Cooper's organization in early 2009, rumors of Athletica moving there began to surface. These were vindicated on May 21st, when the Athletica front office sent out an e-mail to all season ticket holders notifying them of the move, to start with the June 7th game against Sky Blue FC
. Soccer Park is located just west of the I-270
/I-44 interchange, ten to fifteen minutes from downtown St. Louis.
, Facebook
, and MySpace
. After a member poll, the group named itself Laclede's Army after Laclede's Landing
and its namesake Pierre Laclede
. They pride themselves on chanting, drumming, and singing for their team. It welcomes anyone who wants to join to sit with them. At SIUE, Laclede's Army sat behind the north-end goal; at Soccer Park, Laclede's Army sits in section 20 at the northeast corner of the stadium. Laclede's Army was present at the very first WPS draft in St. Louis and at all WPS functions in the Saint Louis area. Laclede's Army site
Also present at the Athletica games is Verde Azul, a group of supporters from the Latin drum group Sambaborn. They also sat goal-line at SIUE by Laclede's Army. At Soccer Park, Verde Azul performs from section 8 on the southeast corner of the stadium.
River City Saints (RCS) was established in the summer of 2007 as a small collection of supporters for the St. Louis Lions organization. In 2008, during the building of the Women's Professional Soccer league, the RCS moved its efforts to a united supporter's front for all area soccer in and around St. Louis
. In March of 2009 The RCS attended St. Louis Athletica
's Missouri Kick-Off Meet and Greet at the Scott Gallagher Soccer Training Complex in Maryland Heights, MO
. The RCS continued their penchant for "D.I.Y." marketing and promoted the St. Louis Soccer United brand wherever and whenever possible, with both fliers, word of mouth and online advertising. The RCS co-exist as an all-area supporters group with the Eads Brigade (AC St. Louis
supporters) and Laclede's Army (St. Louis Athletica
supporters).
Starts
Minutes
Goals
Game-winning goals
Shots
Shots on Goal
Assists
GAA (270+ min)
Shutouts
Saves
Wins
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
suburb of Fenton, Missouri
Fenton, Missouri
Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,022 at the 2010 census.-History:Due to its proximity to fertile land and the Meramec River, the Fenton area has been inhabited for over 1,000 years...
that participated in Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte Stadium
Ralph Korte Stadium
Ralph Korte Stadium, otherwise known as "The Ralph", is a 3,000-capacity stadium located in Edwardsville, Illinois. It has an athletics track, and is also used for soccer...
, on the campus of SIUE
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
in Edwardsville, Illinois
Edwardsville, Illinois
Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...
, then moved to Soccer Park
Anheuser-Busch Center
The Anheuser-Busch Center, also known as Soccer Park, is located in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb southwest of downtown St. Louis. It was the home field of A.C. St. Louis. Opening in 1982 as the St. Louis Soccer Park, the Anheuser-Busch Center has been the home to regional sporting events at the...
in Fenton, Missouri
Fenton, Missouri
Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,022 at the 2010 census.-History:Due to its proximity to fertile land and the Meramec River, the Fenton area has been inhabited for over 1,000 years...
in June. On May 27, 2010, the WPS announced that the Club would fold effective immediately, forcing the league to compete with only 7 teams for the rest of the season.
Athletica was one of three parts of the Athletic Club of St. Louis, chaired by team owner Jeff Cooper, with the others being a large St. Louis youth soccer league network and the men's soccer team AC St. Louis
AC St. Louis
Athletic Club of St. Louis, commonly referred to as AC St. Louis, was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF D2 Pro League, the...
.
History
When the creation of WPS, a new top-flight women's league that would replace/revive the Women's United Soccer AssociationWomen's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
(WUSA), was announced in 2006, Saint Louis was one of the then-six cities that would have a team.
On August 26, 2008, it was announced that the Saint Louis' head coach would be Jorge Barcellos, the then-head coach of the Brazilian women's team
Brazil women's national football team
The Brazil women's national football team represents Brazil in international women's association football. Brazil played their first game on July 22, 1986 against the United States....
. Team Chairman Jeff Cooper's organization SLSU had plans for a soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
ready, but the construction would not start until St. Louis had been also awarded an MLS franchise.
On September 11, 2008, "St. Louis" was revealed as the official team name through an online video, along with a new team crest. The name and crest were further updated on November 25th unveiling "Saint Louis Athletica" as the new name.
Inaugural Season
Athletica only played two preseason games, less than any other WPS team, and didn't play any other WPS team in those games. Athletica convincingly won both games, though: 7-2 versus the University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
and 3-1 versus Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
Athletica got off to a very slow start, being the only team with no points after the first two games and winless after the first four, despite usually outplaying their opponents; Athletica out-shot their opponents by more than twice, and frequently was in complete control during the first half of games. Despite this, Athletica was in last place or tied for last place in the league for the first two months of the season, even after they started winning. In the fourth game, Athletica lost what was assumed to be their star player, Brazilian Daniela
Daniela Alves Lima
Daniela Alves Lima , commonly known as Daniela, is a Brazilian footballer who played midfielder who last played for Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the Brazil women's national football team.-Career:Daniela begun her career at the age of 13, at Portuguesa de...
, to a season-ending injury, and this combined with the slow start made many people write Athletica off.
However, Athletica went 10-4-2 the rest of the season, even better than the eventual season champions Los Angeles Sol during that same time period. Included in that impressive run was four consecutive away wins, which were largely responsible for propelling Athletica into second place in the league. Athletica only lost to two teams (Los Angeles and the Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom
The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Germantown, Maryland that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
) for the rest of the season. The solid play came from USWNT players Lori Chalupny
Lori Chalupny
Lori Christine Chalupny is an American soccer midfielder currently playing for Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States women's national soccer team.-Career:...
, Hope Solo
Hope Solo
Hope Amelia Solo is an American association football goalkeeper. She became a free agent after Women's Professional Soccer terminated the magicJack franchise for which she played in the 2011 season. Solo is the current starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer...
, and Tina Ellertson, and breakout scoring force English international Eniola Aluko
Eniola Aluko
Eniola "Eni" Aluko is a Nigerian-born, English football forward currently playing for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer. Aluko moved with her family to Birmingham when she was one year old. Since she grew up in England, she chose to represent England at international level.-Birmingham...
. Athletica ultimately clinched second two games before the regular season was over.
Athletica only got to play one playoff game, though, as they lost to #4 seed Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
, a team they had beaten in all three of their meetings during the regular season. Athletica did not play well during the first half, which allowed Sky Blue to score, and while Athletica stepped up their game very well in the second half, they could not find the equalizer. Athletica has thus never come from behind to win or tie.
Second and Final Season
On May 27, 2010, team founder Jeff Cooper announced that the team was folding due to financial problems. The entire Athletica roster was entered into free agency on June 1st, 2010.Name
While it was initially announced that the team name would be just "St. Louis" – with no moniker – the official name of the team was changed to "Saint Louis Athletica" two months later, still well before the inaugural season began. According to the official release on SLSU's website,
The word “Athletica,” while not found in the English dictionary, is derived from the adjective “athletic,” with the “a” denoting the newly-created noun as feminine, a common practice in many foreign languages... The word ‘Athletica’ denotes strength and power – characteristics of this organization that are epitomized by the crest, which also pays homage to St. Louis’ roots,” said Cooper. “Naming a professional sports franchise is no easy task, to say the least. With Athletica, we feel we have perfectly captured the essence of our team’s identity in a name and crest that transcends cultures.
Crest
Originally, the crest used to represent the St. Louis Athletica was simply the same crest used by Cooper's organization St. Louis Soccer United, which is also presumed to be the crest that will be used if SLSU is awarded an MLS franchise as well. The crest resembled a medieval coat-of-arms, and featured a rendition of the statue Apotheosis of Saint LouisLouis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
from outside the St. Louis art museum (as viewed from the left), a symbol frequently used to represent the city of St. Louis before the Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
was constructed. The crest also featured a fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, representing both the city's French heritage and the convergence of the three rivers in the area. The colors used were dark blue, two shades of green, and grey.
In the video citing "St. Louis" as the official team name, an entirely new crest was revealed. While the general shape and design were retained, the color scheme changed to just green and two shades of grey, the fleur-de-lis's position was replaced by 2009 and two fleur-de-lises were placed on either side of the crest, and Saint Louis was replaced by a Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
figure on horseback as viewed from the right, holding a flag up instead of a sword, the sword instead being at her hip. It also has what appear to be branches on each side of the coat-of-arms.
The final version of the Joan of Arc crest was not very different from the second version. Everything was retained except for the color scheme (replacing one shade of grey with the dark blue) and the 2009. Newly included was an "StL" on the flag with a bar under the 't', and the banner was extended to say "Saint Louis Athletica" with 'Athletica' centered.
Due to competitiveness in St. Louis youth soccer and the similarity between Athletica's logo and the logo used by SLSU's youth clubs, the Joan of Arc logo was phased out during the 2009-10 offseason, with the crown-and-sword crest that had been used as a secondary logo taking its place as Athletica's primary logo.
Uniforms
Athletica's uniforms for the 2009 season were revealed, along with those of all the current WPS team, were revealed on Tuesday, February 24th in New York City. The official WPS press release lists Athletica's colors as "USA Forest Green" and "Pace Grey". The kits for all teams were supplied by PUMAPUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
.
In both the home and away kits, the socks are grey and the shorts are green with grey stripes down the side. The tops for home and away are green and grey, respectively, with the WPS logo on the right shoulder sleeve. The Athletica crest appears on the left corner of the top and on the right leg of the shorts. The goalkeeper's jersey is expected to be hot pink. Athletica players will not have the option to wear the 'skorts' included in PUMA's kit design for games, along with the Red Stars
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a American professional soccer club that is based in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois that participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2009-2010, the Red Stars played their home games at Toyota Park in the Womens Professional Soccer...
and the Freedom
Washington Freedom
The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Germantown, Maryland that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
.
Special Occasions
On June 7th, in honor of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure that was to happen in St. Louis the next week, Athletica wore kits with white tops and socks and pink shorts instead of their normal green tops and shorts and grey socks. The game ball was also two shades of pink instead of the regular white with green stripes.Squad at Folding
Other Notable Former Players
- #2
FW Kerri HanksKerri HanksKerri Michel Hanks is an American soccer forward who last played for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer...
(2009) - #3 DF Stephanie LogtermanStephanie LogtermanStephanie Lynn Logterman was an American soccer defender who played for Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer, and was a member of the United States U-20 and U-23 women's national soccer teams....
(2009) - #4
DF Sara LarssonSara LarssonSara Larsson is a Swedish football defender currently playing for Philadelphia Independence of the Women's Professional Soccer league. She is also a member of the Sweden women's national football team.-Career:...
(2009) - #13 GK Jillian LoydenJillian LoydenJillian Ann Loyden, better known as Jill Loyden is an American soccer goalkeeper. She formerly played for the Chicago Red Stars in the Women's Professional Soccer....
(2009) - #14
DF Melissa TancrediMelissa TancrediMelissa Tancredi is a Canadian soccer forward who currently plays for Piteå IF ladies team.-External links:* *...
(2009) - #15 FW Amanda CinalliAmanda CinalliAmanda Cinalli is an American soccer forward currently playing for Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States U-23 women's national soccer team. She attended Laurel School in Shaker Heights, OH.-External links:* * *...
(2009) - #21
MF FrancielleFrancielle Manoel AlbertoFrancielle Manoel Alberto , commonly known as Francielle, is a Brazilian footballer who played midfielder currently playing for Santos, on loan from Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer.-External links:* *...
(2009) - #21
FW Sarah WalshSarah WalshSarah Walsh is an Australian football forward currently playing for Sydney FC of Australia's W-League and is a member of the Australia women's national association football team....
(2009)
Home stadiums
- Korte StadiumRalph Korte StadiumRalph Korte Stadium, otherwise known as "The Ralph", is a 3,000-capacity stadium located in Edwardsville, Illinois. It has an athletics track, and is also used for soccer...
at SIU Edwardsville (2009) - Hermann Stadium at SLU (2009-) select games only
- Soccer ParkAnheuser-Busch CenterThe Anheuser-Busch Center, also known as Soccer Park, is located in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb southwest of downtown St. Louis. It was the home field of A.C. St. Louis. Opening in 1982 as the St. Louis Soccer Park, the Anheuser-Busch Center has been the home to regional sporting events at the...
in Fenton, MO (2009-2010) - Collinsville Soccer ComplexCollinsville Soccer ComplexCollinsville Soccer Complex, also known as The Fields was a planned soccer-centered development to be located in Collinsville, Illinois, United States. The centerpiece of the complex was a 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium that would have been the home stadium for professional soccer clubs in...
(Proposed)
The St. Louis Athletica began play in at Ralph Korte Stadium
Ralph Korte Stadium
Ralph Korte Stadium, otherwise known as "The Ralph", is a 3,000-capacity stadium located in Edwardsville, Illinois. It has an athletics track, and is also used for soccer...
on the campus of SIUE. The hope was that the Athletica would eventually have been co-tenants of the 18,500-seat main stadium of the Collinsville Soccer Complex
Collinsville Soccer Complex
Collinsville Soccer Complex, also known as The Fields was a planned soccer-centered development to be located in Collinsville, Illinois, United States. The centerpiece of the complex was a 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium that would have been the home stadium for professional soccer clubs in...
, but construction on that facility was dependent upon Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
awarding a franchise to Cooper's group, which has yet to occur. The complex would be ten minutes from downtown St. Louis, at the I-255/I-70 interchange.
The stadium at SIUE is roughly 20 minutes northeast of downtown. The stadium officially holds 3,000 spectators, though SLSU added bleachers so that there could be 5,000 at a game, which was met for the inaugural game against Chicago. There were five different types of seating sections by tickets available.
After AB InBev gave the Fenton, MO stadium Anheuser-Busch Center
Anheuser-Busch Center
The Anheuser-Busch Center, also known as Soccer Park, is located in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb southwest of downtown St. Louis. It was the home field of A.C. St. Louis. Opening in 1982 as the St. Louis Soccer Park, the Anheuser-Busch Center has been the home to regional sporting events at the...
, also known as "Soccer Park," to Cooper's organization in early 2009, rumors of Athletica moving there began to surface. These were vindicated on May 21st, when the Athletica front office sent out an e-mail to all season ticket holders notifying them of the move, to start with the June 7th game against Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
. Soccer Park is located just west of the I-270
Interstate 270
Interstate 270 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 70:*Interstate 270 , a connection in Denver*Interstate 270 , a partial beltway around St. Louis...
/I-44 interchange, ten to fifteen minutes from downtown St. Louis.
Supporter's Groups
In November of 2008, well before the season started, a student at SIUE began organizing a supporter's group through websites like BigSoccerBigsoccer
BigSoccer.com is one of the most popular football -related websites in the United States. The site has more than 150,000 registered users, and had over 1.2 million unique visitors during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. BigSoccer is the de-facto home of American soccer, read by not only fans, but also...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. After a member poll, the group named itself Laclede's Army after Laclede's Landing
Laclede's Landing
Laclède's Landing is a popular attraction located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.Located just north of the Eads Bridge on the Mississippi Riverfront, the Landing is a multi-block collection of cobblestone streets and vintage brick-and-cast-iron warehouses dating from 1850 through 1900, now...
and its namesake Pierre Laclede
Pierre Laclède
Pierre Laclède or Pierre Laclède Liguest was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and "stepson" Auguste Chouteau, founded St...
. They pride themselves on chanting, drumming, and singing for their team. It welcomes anyone who wants to join to sit with them. At SIUE, Laclede's Army sat behind the north-end goal; at Soccer Park, Laclede's Army sits in section 20 at the northeast corner of the stadium. Laclede's Army was present at the very first WPS draft in St. Louis and at all WPS functions in the Saint Louis area. Laclede's Army site
Also present at the Athletica games is Verde Azul, a group of supporters from the Latin drum group Sambaborn. They also sat goal-line at SIUE by Laclede's Army. At Soccer Park, Verde Azul performs from section 8 on the southeast corner of the stadium.
River City Saints (RCS) was established in the summer of 2007 as a small collection of supporters for the St. Louis Lions organization. In 2008, during the building of the Women's Professional Soccer league, the RCS moved its efforts to a united supporter's front for all area soccer in and around St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In March of 2009 The RCS attended St. Louis Athletica
St. Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte Stadium, on the campus of SIUE in Edwardsville,...
's Missouri Kick-Off Meet and Greet at the Scott Gallagher Soccer Training Complex in Maryland Heights, MO
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights is a second-ring west-central suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was elected the city's first mayor. Mark M. Levin has been City Administrator...
. The RCS continued their penchant for "D.I.Y." marketing and promoted the St. Louis Soccer United brand wherever and whenever possible, with both fliers, word of mouth and online advertising. The RCS co-exist as an all-area supporters group with the Eads Brigade (AC St. Louis
AC St. Louis
Athletic Club of St. Louis, commonly referred to as AC St. Louis, was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF D2 Pro League, the...
supporters) and Laclede's Army (St. Louis Athletica
St. Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte Stadium, on the campus of SIUE in Edwardsville,...
supporters).
Year-by-year
| Year | WPS Regular Season |
Playoffs | Women's USOC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 Saint Louis Athletica season The 2009 Saint Louis Athletica season was the inaugural season for the team .-Off-Season:... |
2nd / 7 | 3rd | Did not enter |
| 2010 2010 Saint Louis Athletica season The 2010 Saint Louis Athletica season is the second season for the team, after a strong showing in their inaugural year .-Off-Season:... |
folded midseason | ||
Performance record
Includes playoff games| Year | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 34 | 19 | 16 | 5-4-2 | 5-3-2 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 2-0-2 | 0-1-1 |
Team Records
Games- 1. Tina Ellertson - 21
- 2. Kia McNeill - 20
- 3. Eniola Aluko - 19
- 3. Lori Chalupny - 19
- 3. Elise Weber - 19
- 3. Angie Woznuk - 19
Starts
- 1. Tina Ellertson - 21
- 2. Lori Chalupny - 19
- 2. Angie Woznuk - 19
- 4. Kia McNeill - 18
- 4. Hope Solo - 18
Minutes
- 1. Tina Ellertson - 1838
- 2. Lori Chalupny - 1665
- 3. Angie Woznuk - 1637
- 4. Hope Solo - 1620
- 5. Eniola Aluko - 1503
Goals
- 1. Eniola Aluko - 6
- 2. Christie Welsh - 3
- 3. Lori Chalupny - 2
- 3. Amanda Cinalli - 2
- 3. Daniela - 2
Game-winning goals
- 1. Eniola Aluko - 3
- 2. Lori Chalupny - 2
- 2. Amanda Cinalli - 2
- 4. Elise Weber - 1
- 4. Christie Welsh - 1
Shots
- 1. Eniola Aluko - 50
- 2. Lori Chalupny - 35
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
Shots on Goal
- 1. Eniola Aluko - 26
- 2. Lori Chalupny - 19
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
Assists
- 1. Eniola Aluko - 4
- 2. Kendall Fletcher - 3
- 3. Melissa Tancredi - 2
- 3. Sarah Walsh - 2
GAA (270+ min)
- 1. Jillian Lyoden - 0.33
- 2. Hope Solo - 0.82
Shutouts
- 1. Hope Solo - 7
- 2. Jillian Loyden - 2
Saves
- 1. Hope Solo - 84
- 2. Jillian Loyden - 16
Wins
- 1. Hope Solo
- 2. Jillian Loyden