WPS Chicago Stars FC

Chicago Red Stars Set for Rematch Against Atlanta on Saturday

Published on June 18, 2010 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Chicago Stars FC News Release


BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars face the Atlanta Beat for the second time in three matches when Chicago travels to Kennesaw, Ga., this Saturday in Women's Professional Soccer action.

The match, which kicks off at 6 p.m. CT, is televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

In the first-ever matchup between the two squads, the sides played to a scoreless draw on June 6 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. With the tie, Atlanta picked up its second point of the season. The Beat had a bye week last weekend.

Chicago is in the midst of a three-game undefeated streak. The Red Stars also are preparing for their second of four straight road matches. Chicago is coming off a 2-2 draw against the Washington Freedom on June 12.

RED STARS TRADE FOR GK WHITWORTH

On Friday, the Red Stars acquired goalkeeper Allison Whitworth in a trade with the Atlanta Beat. Chicago traded its 2012 first- and fourth-round draft picks for Whitworth and Atlanta's 2011 first- and fourth-round draft picks. The Red Stars brought in Whitworth when Chicago backup goalkeeper Kelsey Davis injured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last Thursday in training. Davis had surgery earlier this week and is out for the remainder of the 2010 season. Whitworth had three starts for Atlanta this year, posting a 0-2-1 record. She had a five-save effort to earn a scoreless draw against Philadelphia on April 11.

THREE INTERNATIONALS HEADED TO QUALIFYING

The Red Stars will be without three international players this weekend as part of 2011 FIFA World Cup qualifying action. Midfielders Karen Carney and Katie Chapman are competing for England's national team, and forward Kosovare Asllani is competing for Sweden's national club. This Saturday, England faces Spain, while Sweden takes on the Czech Republic. Chapman has played in every minute of the Red Stars' first nine matches this season.

"The good thing is we have players coming in and stepping in, and I strongly believe that they'll pick up the slack and make sure that we keep our level of play at a high level," Red Stars Head Coach Omid Namazi said.

LAST TIME OUT

The Red Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit and played the Washington Freedom to a 2-2 draw on June 12 in Boyds, Md. Brazilian forward Cristiane tallied two unanswered goals to lead the way for Chicago - a 30th-minute tally and an 82nd-minute score. Casey Nogueira provided a lift with the assist for Cristiane's second goal, and she created several other potential scoring opportunities. The Red Stars, however, suffered a late setback when defender Natalie Spilger was red carded in the 90th minute for an exchange with Freedom forward Abby Wambach. She will serve her one-game suspension Saturday night against Atlanta.

LOOKING TO MATCH UNBEATEN FEAT

With the Red Stars in the midst of a three-match unbeaten stretch, Chicago has an opportunity with a win or draw Saturday to match the organization's longest unbeaten string of four games. The Red Stars' four-game unbeaten run to open the 2009 WPS season with a 2-0-2 record has been the team's most successful stretch to date. Chicago did have one other three-game unbeaten stretch last year - three straight road draws from June 3-13, 2009.

FOUR STARS NAMED ALL-STAR RESERVES

Earlier this week, four Red Stars players were named reserves for the 2010 WPS All-Star Game presented by U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Forward Cristiane, midfielder Karen Carney, goalkeeper Jillian Loyden and defender Kate Markgraf will participate in the festivities, which take place at 7 p.m. CT on June 30 at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. (televised live on Fox Soccer Channel). Cristiane leads the Red Stars with three goals. Markgraf captains a Chicago defense in support of Loyden, who has three shutouts and a 0.89 goals against average. Carney leads the Red Stars with two assists.

ON THE HORIZON

Following Saturday's match against Atlanta, the Red Stars move to the third leg of their four-match road trip when they travel to Allston, Mass., to face the Boston Breakers for the second time this season at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 25. Chicago blanked host Boston, 2-0, on May 1, with Cristiane and Casey Nogueira posting second-half goals to lead the way. With that victory, the Red Stars tied the all-time series at 2-2-0.

TUNE IN ONLINE

Red Stars home matches are broadcast in both English and Spanish on www.ChicagoRedStars.com. The next Red Stars home match is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, against Atlanta. Rob Coons handles the English play-by-play, and Jorge Trujillo and Enrique "Tico" Fernandez provide the Spanish webcast.

QUOTABLE

"I can't say for sure if it's a turning point, but it was good to see that we turned things around in the second half [during last week's 2-2 draw against Washington]. We were able to put Washington under a lot of pressure and get back into the game. We had chances to win, and we'll continue to improve. But I don't think it's a turning point, because the minute you relax is when you fall off the cliff. We need to keep pushing."

Red Stars Head Coach Omid Namazi

Check out the Chicago Stars FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Women's Professional Soccer Stories from June 18, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central