St. Louis Athletica, four days into practice, finally announced its first signing on Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with national team defender and St. Louis native Lori Chalupny. Not that there was a lot of suspense.

“Finally,” Chalupny said with a chuckle by phone from Portugal, where she started for the United States in a 2-0 win over Denmark in the Algarve Cup. “It seems like with every milestone we hit along the process, it gets more and more real, more and more exciting. I can’t wait to get back.”

Athletica was the only team in the league that had yet to announce a signing. Now that the Chalupny deal is done, expect to hear of a bunch of signings in the next couple days.
“She’s one of the best players in the world,” said Athletica owner Jeff Cooper, who saw the symbolism in having Chalupny be the team’s first player. “She was born and raised here and from the very beginning she’s been one of those special players. It will be a lot of fun to see her play her entire career here.”
Two other Athletica players left their marks on the U.S. win on Wednesday. Goalie Hope Solo made four saves in the game, including two tough ones on breakaways in the first half. Midfielder Angie Woznuk, making just her seventh appearance with the national team, scored the first goal for the Americans.

Chalupny, by the way, has been named co-captain of the women’s national team. Christie Rampone is the captain of the team, but if Rampone isn’t on the field, the captain’s armband will past to Chalupny, who made her 88th appearance with the national team in the Denmark match.

“It’s an incredible honor,” she said. “It came as quite a suprirse when Pia pulled me aside.It’s neat to have that role. I remember being a young player and not having understanding of the emotions. I relate to them a lot more. It’s a little more of a leadership role. I’ll continue to do what I normally do, which is what comes easy, being a leader by example. I’ll step up my vocal leadership.”