Athletica select Shannon Boxx in dispersal draft

KSDK -- The St. Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer, WPS, announced Thursday that they selected midfielder Shannon Boxx with the first selection in the Los Angeles Sol dispersal draft.  

The team grabbed attacking midfielder Aya Miyama with the eighth pick. The Athletica also acquired Tina DiMartino with the 14th selection in the second round following a trade with Chicago.

Saint Louis traded up to the 14th selection by sending Athletica's second round pick to the Red Stars in the 2011 WPS Draft.

"We are very pleased that we have added a player of this caliber," said Head Coach Jorge Barcellos. "Shannon Boxx is going to be a great addition to our squad. She has been a remarkable player for the United States Women's National team over her career, and she will compliment the players we have in the lineup right now. Aya Miyama gives us the additional playmaking ability that we have been searching for, and Tina DiMartino is a player I have admired for a long time. Excellent day for us, I am very happy."

Saint Louis Athletica now has four United States Women's National team regulars under contract. Shannon Boxx will join her U.S. teammates Lori Chalupny, Lindsay Tarpley, and Hope Solo when training camp opens on March 1. Athletica now has four of the eleven starters from the gold medal match of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in their potential starting lineup. Boxx has appeared 118 times for the U.S. while scoring 20 goals in her career.

"There was a lot of speculation about who we would select over the last couple of days," stated Chairman Jeff Cooper. "Ultimately Shannon Boxx was the player we wanted, and the one we felt best fit our needs. We are thrilled to add a player of Shannon Boxx's stature. Being able to select Miyama with our eighth pick was a very welcome bonus, and trading to get Tina DiMartino was the icing on the cake for us. I think we came out on top today."

Boxx scored three goals and added three assists in 19 games last year for Los Angeles, while Miyama led the Sol with six assists. Miyama started all 20 games for the Sol and never came off the field, she recorded a perfect 1,800 minutes of field time. Miyama has appeared in the 2003 and 2007 World Cup for Japan, as well as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

DiMartino has recently been a member of the United States Women's National team. She played 18 games for FC Gold Pride last year while recording one assist. DiMartino was on the Sol roster by virtue of an off-season trade and therefore was a part of today's dispersal draft. Catherine Sorensen of Denmark was taken with the final selection, 24th overall.