NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER IN L.A. WILL BE KNOWN AS LOS ANGELES SOL
Team Slated to Begin Play in April 2009 at The Home Depot Center
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - Sunday, October 26, 2008 - The Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) franchise which will begin play next spring at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, will be the Los Angeles Sol, the team announced today.
Sol is the Latin translation for Sun and the modern word for 'Sun' in the Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish languages. Los Angeles is renowned for its sunny climate and rich heritage. With our team's name, The Los Angeles Sol, the team honors L.A.'s history and cultural tradition.
"We took our time selecting the team name," said Charlie Naimo, Los Angeles Sol General Manager. "We wanted to make sure the name encompasses the essence of both the community we represent and the long tradition of those who have come before us here - Sol is the perfect name to that."
Women's Professional Soccer 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 club has already been allocated three members of the U.S. Women's National Team that captured the gold medal in Soccer Tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games - midfielder and Redondo Beach resident Shannon Boxx, defender/midfielder Stephanie Cox and midfielder Aly Wagner.
The Sol owns draft rights to several international players, including Brazilian superstar Marta, Chinese forward Han Duan, French midifilder Camille Abily, Iceland forward Margret Lara Vidarsdottir and Japan midfielder Aya Miyama. In addition, the team selected four players in the WPS General Draft: defender Kendall Fletcher, goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, midfielder Manya Makoski and forward Christie Welsh.
The markets for the 2009 season are Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. WPS will expand to Atlanta and Philadelphia in 2010 and continues to explore additional potential franchises for 2010 and beyond. More markets will be announced as they are added to the League.
The inaugural WPS season will kick off in April 2009. At the conclusion of the regular season, a pair of semifinal playoff matches will be held with winners advancing to the WPS Championship Match. A mid-season or post-season All-Star Game will also be staged. Sol home games will be at The Home Depot Center's Soccer stadium, also home to the Los Angeles Galaxy and CD Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, with a capacity of 27,000 seats.
The team's general manager is Charlie Naimo, who spent the last four seasons as General Manager and, in 2008, coach for the Pali Blues, who won the 2008 USL W-League Championship. During this period, Naimo's teams have achieved a 67-3 regular season record. The Sol will be coached by Abner Rogers, a nationally respected coach with extensive experience and a history of success in the women's game.
The London-born Rogers served as the President and Director of Coaching at the Laguna Hills Soccer Club Eclipse since 2001. The Eclipse has been a nationally ranked girls club for the past four years and won national championships in 2002 and 2005. Rogers created the program's philosophy, curriculum and guidelines, including coaches' education, which has propelled the club into national prominence.
Season tickets for the inaugural year of Sol soccer at The Home Depot Center range from $125 to $750 and are already on sale. For more information or to purchase your tickets today, please call toll free at 1-877-4-SOL-TIX and www.LosAngelesSol.com.
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.
Media Contact:
Nick Ammazzalorso (310) 318-4566
nammazzalorso@leaderenterprises.com
