Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Monday, October 13, 2008) – The Pali Blues Soccer Club had a perfect record en route to winning the 2008 W-League championship, and the efforts of those players involved did not go unnoticed. In the Women’s Professional Soccer General Draft on Monday, the Blues saw seven players selected in the four round draft with midfielder Jill Oakes taken second overall by the Bay Area.
In addition to the seven players chosen Monday, Australian midfielder Collette McCallum was taken by Sky Blue FC in the WPS International Draft in late September to bring the Blues total to eight players headed to the professional ranks thus far.
“I am so happy for the Pali Blues players,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo commented. “I knew we would be represented in the WPS but to have eight players selected as of today is simply fantastic.”
Naimo, the recently named general manager of the Blues-affiliated Los Angeles WPS franchise, will remain the Blues head coach while staying committed to acquiring top-notch talent for the W-League side with plans of sending them to WPS.
“Of course I am sad to part with those selected, but it is all about them,” he said. “I am sure that we will have another handful picked up in January. Going forward, I am looking forward to the challenge of replacing these girls for the ‘09 Blues. The goal will be to place another seven in WPS in 2010.”
As far as a partnership with the professional and W-League clubs, Naimo said that the bond will be strong.
“The teams will absolutely be connected,” he remarked. “Our goal for the Pali Blues is to repeat as W-League champions, and we will continue to develop a strong presence in our local soccer community.”
After the WPS General Draft on Monday, Blues fans were happy to see fan-favorite defender Kendall Fletcher chosen in the second round by Los Angeles. Three Blues players will be reunited in San Francisco as the Bay Area selected forward Kandace Wilson (13th overall) and midfielder Liz Bogus (16th overall) after taking Oakes second overall. Other Blues players that are headed to WPS are midfielder Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers, 4th overall) and forwards Danesha Adams (Chicago Red Stars, 6th overall) and India Trotter (St. Louis, 14th overall).
"This is what we set out to do when we were approved by the USL- not only create a winning team and tradition, but also to develop our players and get them recognition for whatever other levels may be in existence,” Kenzo Bergeron, Blues Director of Operations, stated. “Today we saw tangible proof of not only our season accomplishments but our overall club philosophy.”
Bergeron went on to comment on the link between the W-League and WPS clubs.
“The Pali Blues will remain a home for players looking to gain greater skill in their game and will continue to be a place where our fans can remain excited about seeing the next generation of pro players as they emerge through our system of support and development," he commented.
The USL W-League played its inaugural season in 1995, and it is recognized as the premiere development league for female players in North America. The schedule is set to open next May and commence in August.
WPS is the highest level women’s professional soccer league in North America. Formed in September 2007 as the result of the efforts of the Women’s Soccer Initiative, Inc., WPS, which will begin play in April 2009, consists of seven teams across the country. The Los Angeles franchise is co-owned and operated by Blue Star LLC and AEG. For more information, please visit www.womensprosoccer.com.
