(Feb. 2, 2010) - Saint Louis Athletica announced Tuesday that they have acquired the first pick in the February 4th Los Angeles Sol dispersal draft from the Atlanta Beat. Saint Louis will send defender Kia McNeill, midfielder Angie (Woznuk) Kerr, the rights to its third round draft choice in the 2010 WPS Draft, Amanda Poach, and Athletica’s second round choice in the dispersal draft (9^th overall) to Atlanta. In exchange, Saint Louis will receive Atlanta’s first round pick, number one overall, in the dispersal draft, and Atlanta’s second round pick in the 2011 WPS Draft.

“We were presented with an opportunity to make our club better,” said Head Coach Jorge Barcellos. “We gave up some talented young players to do this. I want to thank Kia and Angie for the hard work that they did last season, they were a big part of the success that Athletica enjoyed in our first year. We wish them all the best in their careers.”

“This is a great trade for us,” said Atlanta Beat GM Shawn McGee. “While we certainly would have loved to have Marta or one of the other great players from the Los Angeles 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.”

Saint Louis will now have two selections in the first round of Thursday’s dispersal draft, 1^st and 8^th, and one final selection at the end of the third round with the 24^th pick.

McNeill played in 19 games for Athletica, making 17 starts. The Boston College graduate had become a fixture in the center of the Saint Louis defense.

“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 appeared in 18 games for Saint Louis, starting each of them, was second on the team in minutes played 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 U.S. 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 O’Sullivan. “She maintains possession well.”

Poach, from Santa Clara University, was selected 26^th overall in last month’s WPS Draft.

“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.”