Somerset, N.J. (Friday, December 10, 2010) – Sky Blue FC of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) completed a blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Beat today, with the team receiving midfielder Angie Kerr, forward Eniola Aluko and Basking Ridge, New Jersey, native Tobin Heath in the deal. In exchange for the three premier players, Atlanta will receive a pair of 2011 first round draft picks from Sky Blue FC, in addition to future considerations.
“Acquiring three high quality and experienced players like Aluko, Tobin and Angie gets us really close to solidifying our team on all three lines,” Sky Blue FC head coach Jim Gabarra stated. “This deal greatly increases the excitement about our upcoming season, and it will surely provide our fans with some very entertaining soccer in 2011.”
A member of the English National Team, Aluko brings to Sky Blue FC some incredible firepower on the offensive end of the field. In two seasons in WPS, the Birmingham native has registered 15 goals and four assists, starting 36 of the 39 matches in which she has played. Her nine goals in 2009 ranked her sixth overall in the league. On the international scene, she has remained one of the top scoring threats for the Three Lionesses since debuting for her country at just 17-years-old in 2004.
Heath, who was the first overall selection in the 2010 WPS Draft, was rated the number two recruit in the nation after completing a standout career at Ridge High School in New Jersey. She also played locally for the PDA Wildcats and was named the New Jersey Player of the Year in 2005 by both Gatorade and the Newark Star-Ledger. She then went on to play for the University of North Carolina and won three NCAA College Cup Championships (2006, 2008, 2009). She became the youngest member of the U.S. National Team in 2008 at the age of 19, playing for the Gold Medal winning American side at the Olympics that summer in Beijing.
Kerr provides Sky Blue FC with additional experience at the national team level, both as a youth player and with the senior team. The California native has made 37 starts in 40 games played over two WPS seasons, starting with Saint Louis Athletica before making the move to the Beat in 2010. She contributed three goals and an assist to the offensive cause in Atlanta last year, and the University of Portland graduate also has an NCAA College Cup Championship on her resume (2005).
“One of our major priorities this offseason was to address our attacking and goal scoring side, and Aluko was always one of our primary targets,” Gabarra continued. “Tobin is a player I have always appreciated because of her attacking abilities, as well as her being a really creative 1v1 player. Without a doubt, she will be very entertaining back here in front of her hometown fans. Angie Kerr is also a very intelligent soccer player who will fit in well with our midfield, making this trio a huge addition for our team.”
Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone also shared the same excitement as Gabarra.
“Adding three players of this caliber only makes us wish the season was closer to kicking off,” he remarked. “A lot of negotiating went into this deal, and we could not be any more pleased to see it get done. The great fans of Sky Blue FC are in for a very entertaining season in 2011, and we encourage everybody to call us today to pick up their season tickets!”
Season tickets for Sky Blue FC start as low as $99, and all fans who wish to secure their place for the 2011 campaign can do so now by calling 888-SBFC-TIX. The team also offers flex ticket packages that start with as little as four games, and those can also be purchased today by calling 888-SBFC-TIX.
“Acquiring three high quality and experienced players like Aluko, Tobin and Angie gets us really close to solidifying our team on all three lines,” Sky Blue FC head coach Jim Gabarra stated. “This deal greatly increases the excitement about our upcoming season, and it will surely provide our fans with some very entertaining soccer in 2011.”
A member of the English National Team, Aluko brings to Sky Blue FC some incredible firepower on the offensive end of the field. In two seasons in WPS, the Birmingham native has registered 15 goals and four assists, starting 36 of the 39 matches in which she has played. Her nine goals in 2009 ranked her sixth overall in the league. On the international scene, she has remained one of the top scoring threats for the Three Lionesses since debuting for her country at just 17-years-old in 2004.
Heath, who was the first overall selection in the 2010 WPS Draft, was rated the number two recruit in the nation after completing a standout career at Ridge High School in New Jersey. She also played locally for the PDA Wildcats and was named the New Jersey Player of the Year in 2005 by both Gatorade and the Newark Star-Ledger. She then went on to play for the University of North Carolina and won three NCAA College Cup Championships (2006, 2008, 2009). She became the youngest member of the U.S. National Team in 2008 at the age of 19, playing for the Gold Medal winning American side at the Olympics that summer in Beijing.
Kerr provides Sky Blue FC with additional experience at the national team level, both as a youth player and with the senior team. The California native has made 37 starts in 40 games played over two WPS seasons, starting with Saint Louis Athletica before making the move to the Beat in 2010. She contributed three goals and an assist to the offensive cause in Atlanta last year, and the University of Portland graduate also has an NCAA College Cup Championship on her resume (2005).
“One of our major priorities this offseason was to address our attacking and goal scoring side, and Aluko was always one of our primary targets,” Gabarra continued. “Tobin is a player I have always appreciated because of her attacking abilities, as well as her being a really creative 1v1 player. Without a doubt, she will be very entertaining back here in front of her hometown fans. Angie Kerr is also a very intelligent soccer player who will fit in well with our midfield, making this trio a huge addition for our team.”
Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone also shared the same excitement as Gabarra.
“Adding three players of this caliber only makes us wish the season was closer to kicking off,” he remarked. “A lot of negotiating went into this deal, and we could not be any more pleased to see it get done. The great fans of Sky Blue FC are in for a very entertaining season in 2011, and we encourage everybody to call us today to pick up their season tickets!”
Season tickets for Sky Blue FC start as low as $99, and all fans who wish to secure their place for the 2011 campaign can do so now by calling 888-SBFC-TIX. The team also offers flex ticket packages that start with as little as four games, and those can also be purchased today by calling 888-SBFC-TIX.
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