Lori Chalupny

smithy · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:26 pm

Chalupny Getting The Job Done All Over The Field

As a youth player for famed St.Louis club JB Marine , she played a lot of forward , as do many of the top youth players. In college at the University of North Carolina , she played either attacking midfielder or outside left midfielder in a 3-4-3 formation.

For the U.S U-19 Womens National Team , which won the world championships in 2002 , she was more of a defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3.

When she broke into the full women's National Team , it was left back.

In 2007 , and at the Women's World Cup in China , she played in a three-woman center midfield as more of a linking player , logging one of the best and most consistent performances of any U.S player during the tournament.

Now , under head coach Pia Sundhage , she's back to playing flank defender.

what next , goalkeeper ?

"Probably not , because I'm five-foot-four ", said Chalupny , who says she actually did put in some time in the nets as an under 10 player. " But anywhere else on the field is fine with me "

A player like Chalupny is a valuable commodity to any coach , giving them multiple options to change tactics and formations , sometimes mid-game , knowing that she can produce from a number of positions.

" She is a player with a tremendous work rate ", said Sundhage. She is good defending one-v-one and she can go for 90 minutes. If we want to play with fullbacks going forward , she is a player that can deal with one-on-one situations , but also attack from either the left or right , and that's a big advantage."

Chalupny's versatility has certainly helped her develop into an impact player at the highest levels of soccer.

" I think playing a bunch of different positions has helped my overall game" , she said. " You get to know everyone's responsbilities on the field and the unique challenges of each position. It's fun , it's something new everyday ".

Chalupny does have a tint of longing in her voice for her former all-out attacking roles , but knows that she'll be able to satisfy that part of her soccer personality even at outside back.

" Attacking is one of the things I enjoy most about the game , " said Chalupny. " Last year , I had the opportunity to go forward and score a few goals. But the position I'm playing now allows me to attack a lot. It's just that I have to run further to get back in position ".

Whenever she plays , she brings excellent technique on the ball combined with powerful running and scrappy tackling , meaning opponents will have to be aware of her no matter what position she is playing , sometimes that seems to matter little to Chalupny.

" I think outside left back is a perfect position for me , " she said. " I have the freedom to attack as much as my legs will carry me. If I'm needed in the midfield , then I'll play there , but I think any soccer player who is part of such a good team would tell you that they just want to be on the field and contribute ".

And that's a good position to be in.

weipenguigumbi · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:31 pm

Thanks for the article. All of these things are true about Chalupny, which is why she's always going to be one of my favorites on the team. She's also got a cracking shot, which means she's always going to be an offensive threat in nearly every position she plays, she never seems to run out of steam so putting her in a position in which she can both defend and attack is really smart. Pia seems like she's doing an excellent job repositioning players, HAO's move has looked very promising so far. I think they are going to be a very offensive team during the Algarve, it would be fascinating to watch it, but it sounds like that's not going to happen.

Arsenal have just scored a possible winner against AC Milan, how happy is twcat going to be in a few minutes?

smithy · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:37 am

Hmm don't get me started on the non showing of the Algarve Cup. Very sore subject.

Chalupny is always going to be one of those player's who never gets the recognition that she deserves. It's a shame us the fans haven't yet had a chance to see what Pia's has done with this team.

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