BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (June 6, 2010) – With five new players in the starting XI Sunday night, the Atlanta Beat picked up one point against the Chicago Red Stars in a 0-0 tie at Toyota Park.

"I think it was one of those games where we didn't get an opportunity to play that much football. I thought that Chicago closed us down very well. And we had a game plan for the second half, but we never really got it going. We tried to make a few adjustments defensively. But our keeper came up big on several occasions and hence the shutout," said head coach Gareth O’Sullivan.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo came up with several big saves in the second half to preserve the 0-0 result as Chicago’s closest chances came in the 49th and 51st minutes. Red Star forward Cristiane forced Solo to make a diving save. The Brazilian forward then played a strong cross from the right side to Megan Rapinoe, who went one vs. one with Solo, before Solo made the save.

Offensively, the Beat earned five shots with one taken on a free kick by Kerr, a header and a shot in the box by McNeill, and a shot by midfielder McCall Zerboni.

Both teams were forced to rely on their benches early when Beat forward Mami Yamaguchi and Red Stars defender Natalie Spilger had a head-to-head collision that resulted in stitches for both players. Spilger needed seven stitches on the top of her head and Yamaguchi needed eight for her forehead. Atlanta's Ramona Bachmann replaced Yamaguchi in the 11th minute and defender Elise Weber replaced Spilger. This injury was similar to the head-to-head collision between the Beat’s McCall Zerboni and Washington Freedom’s Sonia Bompastor on Sunday, May 16.

In the nets, Solo had eight saves for the Beat, while her counterpart Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian Loyden had one.

Atlanta Beat at Chicago Red Stars
June 6, 2010 -- Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
Red Stars 0, Beat 0
Beat 0 0 - 0
Red Stars 0 0 - 0

SCORING SUMMARY
None

Red Stars: Loyden (GK), Dalmy, Engen, Markgraf, Spilger (Weber, 11), Rapinoe (Asllani, 62), Chapman, Carney, Formiga, Cristiane, Nogueira (Masar, 86).
Beat: Solo (GK), Zerboni (Rasmussen, 55), Larkin (Bishop, 70), McNeil, Robinson, Yamaguchi (Bachmann, 11), Kerr, Chalupny, Blank, Aluko, Ellertson.

STATISTICS:
Shots: Red Stars 16, Beat 5
Shots on goal: Red Stars 8, Beat 1
Saves: Red Stars 1, Beat 8
Corner kicks: Red Stars 5, Beat 5
Offsides: Red Stars 3, Beat 2
Fouls: Red Stars 7, Beat 7
Referee: Daniel Fitzgerald
Referee's assistants: Shelley Finger, Ann Mayberry
Fourth official: Stephanie Toth
Attendance: 4,227

POST-GAME QUOTES:
Red Stars Head Coach Omid Namazi:
"I could look at it in a disappointing way and say we dropped some points, but it's my first game here so we're trying to change certain things. We did some of it, but we were missing that final pass. Our play in the final third wasn't that great, but I was encouraged by the way we controlled the game."

"It's pleasing to me that we can create chances. We have the players who can do things in the final third. Would I have liked to seen one in the back of the net? Sure, but hopefully we can train and get on the same page and make things happen even more."

Red Stars Midfielder Katie Chapman:
"I think every game we give our all and we put on a good performance. I think we're lacking the final third and scoring goals and that's obviously a big thing in football. We need to produce those chances and to finish them."

On her goal scoring chance: "It came across really quickly. I don't think I expected it to come that fast. I think I was really, really close from tapping it in. It's one of those opportunities we need to finish to win games."

Atlanta Beat Head Coach Gareth O'Sullivan:
"I think it was one of those games where we didn't get an opportunity to play that much football. I thought that Chicago closed us down very well. And we had a game plan for the second half, but we never really got it going. We tried to make a few adjustments defensively. But our keeper came up big on several occasions and hence the shutout."

"It's going to take us a while to jell together as a team and get to know each other. But at the same time, you can tell that the players we brought in are quality players."

The Chicago Red Stars are members of Women's Professional Soccer and play their home games at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The Red Stars are playing in their second season in WPS. Red Stars home games for the 2010 WPS season are available through a webcast at www.ChicagoRedStars.com. Their next home match is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, against the Atlanta Beat. For more information about the Red Stars, log on to www.ChicagoRedStars.com or call 866-WPS-2009.



About the Atlanta Beat
The Atlanta Beat joins Women’s Professional Soccer as one of two expansion teams in the 2010 season. Atlanta entrepreneur Fitz Johnson secured the rights to the Atlanta team in September 2008 before naming Shawn McGee as General Manager and Gareth O’Sullivan as Head Coach in the summer of the following year. On June 18, 2009, the Atlanta Beat officially became the ninth franchise in WPS as Johnson, McGee, WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin unveiled the team name, logo and colors. The Beat acquired its first official players through the 2009 WPS Expansion Draft and 2009 International Draft in mid-September before completing its roster with the 2010 WPS Draft in January. Atlanta’s new team takes on the same name as the market’s former Women’s United Soccer Association club which was the only WUSA team to reach the playoffs in every season. The Beat's colors are Ferrari Red, Championship Gold, and Black.

About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)
Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with seven teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions. In 2010, seven teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including five original WPS teams – Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom – and two expansion teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer.

About Well Star
WellStar Health System is the official jersey sponsor and Healthcare provider for the Atlanta Beat’s inaugural season. WellStar, a not-for-profit health system, includes Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Physicians Group; Urgent Care Centers; Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit www.wellstar.org.