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St. Louis Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Team Announces Brazil's Jorge Barcellos as Head Coach

August 27, 2008 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
St. Louis Athletica News Release

ST. LOUIS (August 27, 2008) - Less than a week since leading his Brazilian Women's National Team to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, Brazil head coach Jorge Barcellos has agreed to take on a new career challenge as inaugural head coach of the St. Louis-based Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) team.

Barcellos, whose team brought home Olympic silver after a 1-0 overtime loss to the United States last Thursday, brings an extensive résumé to St. Louis, having served as head coach of the Brazilian Women's National Team since September 2006. In addition to guiding Brazil to second-place finishes at the 2008 Olympic Games and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup - the highest placements ever for Brazil in world championship events - Barcellos led Brazil to a first-place finish at the 2007 Pan American Games and second-place finish at the 2006 South American Women's Championship. Barcellos also coached the Brazilian U-20s to a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

"I'm looking forward to coaching some of the world's greatest soccer players in one of the world's greatest soccer cities, with the long-term goal of guiding St. Louis to a WPS championship title," said Barcellos. "To get involved with an elite league such as WPS at the very beginning is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm eager to get started."

"Coach Barcellos will be an asset to our entire organization, contributing his expertise to not only the WPS team, but also to our extensive youth system," said Jeff Cooper, owner of the St. Louis WPS team. "Our area's young female athletes, who aspire to be just like their Olympic heroes, now have an unparalleled opportunity to train under one of the world's greatest soccer coaches."

"St. Louis' rich soccer history makes it the ideal city for Jorge to launch his North American coaching career and we're extremely honored to welcome him into the organization," said Caryn Chasteen, president of the St. Louis WPS team. "Coaches of Jorge's caliber are few and far between. He will certainly set the stage for our team to recruit the best domestic and international player talent."

With Barcellos at the helm, the St. Louis WPS team will play its inaugural 2009 season at Korte Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Ill. (SIUE). The facility is just 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis and the soccer field is named in honor of Hall of Famer Bob Guelker, who coached at SIUE from 1966-1987.

"SIUE is eager to welcome Women's Professional Soccer and its fans to Korte Stadium as we help make history in the league's inaugural season and play host to some of the world's greatest soccer talent," said Dr. Brad Hewitt, SIUE director of athletics. "With the addition of Jorge Barcellos as head coach, Korte Stadium is set to become home to an international soccer powerhouse, and we are committed to providing an exceptional facility to further enhance that player and fan experience."

Korte Stadium is intended as a temporary home for the WPS St. Louis team, pending approval of a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise for the St. Louis area, at which time a state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium will be built in Collinsville, Ill.

For more information about the St. Louis WPS and potential MLS team, visit www.stlouissoccerunited.com.

Women's Professional Soccer Stories from August 27, 2008

St. Louis Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Team Announces Brazil's Jorge Barcellos as Head Coach - St. Louis Athletica

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