ST. LOUIS, MO (October 8, 2009) – Over a month has passed since the end of the inaugural WPS season. Yet the work of Saint Louis Athletica Head Coach and General Manager Jorge Barcellos has not slowed down. Contract decisions, the international draft, the expansion draft, and scouting have all been on Barcellos’ plate. Here in the first week of October, Atheltica’s Head Coach sat down at the team’s home ground, the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, to resume his “Ten Questions with Jorge Barcellos” series that will run once a month here on saintlouisathletica.com.

Q: You just made a lot of offseason transactions, exercising the options of quite a few players, waiving others. What is the hardest part of this process as a coach, especially a coach like yourself that fosters a family environment?

A: By being a professional team, we always want to get to the title game. So I think that for us to get there the team has to improve. About the familiar environment, I will always promote that. We work for long periods of time together and only with that environment can we remain strong and have a strong group. I am sure that the players arriving will feel that environment.


Q: What is your approach now in building the Athletica squad for the 2010 season? As of today you have ten players under contract and need 12 more by March.

A: We are looking for players with the competitive spirit of Saint Louis Athletica. I am sure we will build a strong team for next season.


Q: Essentially the starting core of your 2009 team remains intact. Nine regular starters are under contract for next year already. When you look at what you need to have, what are the positional elements you hope to acquire?

A: We are looking for skillful players. We want players that can play in more than one position, especially from the midfield on up to the forward slot.


Q: Only one international player is under contract for the moment. How does the talent pool look for players outside of the United States right now? And how important is it to acquire the right talent from this pool?

A: We are on the right path and we are looking for a player that will complement the attack together with Eniola, and with support in the midfield as well. There are many International players that can add value to our group, so that talent pool is very good right now.


Q: What are you spending the majority of your time doing and working on here in the first month of the offseason?

A: I am watching the domestic players closely, as the team is made up primarily of national players and domestic players here from the United States. I am getting myself better acquainted with the game here in the U.S. and the style of play that has developed here.


Q: How is your English coming? Will you be speaking with a translator come opening day in April?

A: My English is improving everyday. I go to class and then study and practice at home. I hope to be self-sufficient by the time next season opens.


Q: Now that the season has been over for a month, have you gained some perspective on what was accomplished and where Athletica fell just short in 2009?

A: As I think back on our year - Athletica finished second in the regular season and I believe we did a good job. Now we are building a team that we can get to the final with and win it. We are prepared to do some excellent work in 2010.


Q: Your defensive core is intact for 2010. Where will the scoring help come from to take the pressure off of Aluko?

A: Well, we hope to bring in a player with big attacking power that can help as well as compliment Aluko’s play. We recognize this. Yet this is something everyone always wants more of - as does each club in our league.


Q: Speaking of Aluko, she seems to have made great strides this year with Athletica and again with England in the European Championships. Where do you see her taking her game to in 2010? What is Aluko’s next level?

A: She is a very smart player and grows a lot the more she learns. I am sure she is a player that will improve even more in her fundamentals and help Athletica reach the WPS Championship.


Q: If you have one wish that can come true between now and Opening Day for Athletica what would it be?

A: I asked God to guide me during these days so that I could make the correct decisions to make Saint Louis strong, and with that to be able to give all the happiness in the world to our wonderful fans who followed us during 2009 and whose numbers will grow even more next year.


Q: You have two players on loan in Australia, Kendall Fletcher and Jillian Loyden. What do you as a coach want to see from a loan spell in terms of their game developing?

A: I hope that in this period they can grow even more and maintain a good game rhythm. A rhythm for the game is very important for each player in the group. Also, Loyden’s playing abroad will be very beneficial for our club because she played so few games last season. Now she will be able to build game rhythm like Hope Solo had. It's important for goalkeepers as well