Atlanta Beat trades No. 1 overall Dispersal Draft pick to Saint Louis

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Atlanta Beat trades No. 1 overall Dispersal Draft pick to Saint Louis

Post by Fran » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:13 pm

St. Louis will end up taking Marta with the top pick.



Atlanta Beat General Manager Shawn McGee announced trading the No. 1 overall Dispersal Draft pick and the Beat’s second round 2011 WPS Draft choice for three Saint Louis Athletica players: defender Kia McNeill, midfielder Angie Kerr (Woznuk), and the rights to Second Round 2010 WPS Draft pick Amanda Poach. The Beat also obtains Athletica’s second round Dispersal Draft choice at the ninth overall selection.

“This is a great trade for us,” said McGee. “While we certainly would have loved to have Marta or one of the other great players from the LA Sol on our team, the fact is that we have a game plan and a budget, and it is important to us that we stay true to that plan.”

“McNeil is a hard-nosed defender and Angie Kerr can play anywhere in the midfield,” said Beat Head Coach Gareth O’Sullivan.

McNeill is a centerback from Boston, Mass. who played in 19 games with 17 starts in the 2009 WPS inaugural season. She helped anchor a Saint Louis defense that allowed the second fewest goals in the WPS, (15), the second least GAA average (0.75), and the second most shutouts (10).

“Kia is a versatile defender who can play centerback or outside back,” said O’Sullivan. “She had a strong year with KDDF in Sweden in 2008 and performed very well with St. Louis in 2009.”

Kerr, formerly Woznuk, joins the Beat after starting and playing in 18 games with Athletica. She logged the second most minutes for the Arch City with 1,577 and played 1,246 consecutive minutes to start the year. Kerr has also appeared at six different levels of the youth national team in addition to holding a spot on the full US Women’s National Team for the 2008 Four Nations Cup and Algarve Cup with an appearance and a goal in the 2009 Algarve Cup.

“Angie Kerr is an excellent midfielder,” said the coach. “She maintains possession well and has spent time with the full WNT.”

In addition to McNeill and Kerr the Atlanta Beat also gained the rights to Santa Clara midfielder, Amanda Poach. “Poach, who suffered through some injuries during her collegiate career, is a very technical player and could be a pleasant surprise for us,” said McGee. “We are very pleased with the way our team is taking shape, and we still have a great opportunity to pick up a solid player from LA’s roster.”

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