February 26, 2010
A WORK IN PROGRESS
W-League team shaping up for second season

It’s been almost a year to the day since Ted Gradel acquired the Chicago franchise in the W-League, and he admits it’s still very much a work in progress.

The franchise, which operated from 2005-08 as the Chicago Gaels, was moved to the western suburbs and renamed the Red Eleven. The team has a working agreement with the Chicago Red Stars.

“I felt like there needed to be a place for elite female players to continue playing,” said Gradel. “This is a great opportunity to showcase role models to young girls.”

Gradel, a futures trader, has three girls of his own. None of them are currently playing soccer, but he points out, even with that, his daughter stood in line to get player autographs after games last season.

“To provide role models for those girls to look up to is very worthwhile,” he said.

Because he took over the team so close to the start of the season last year, Gradel says most of the time went into just getting ready to play -- getting uniforms, signing players and coaches, and finding a home field.

“There were so many aspects that I didn’t realize,” he said. “We put some foundational pieces in place.”

The team, which is an amateur club, has recruited mostly college players from across the Midwest. Last year the Red Eleven finished 10-1-1 and made it to the regional playoffs.

This season, under new coach David Nikolic, the team has already returned six players from last year’s squad.

Gradel says seeing players perform for the Red Eleven, than go back and succeed for their college team, is another one of the rewards to owning the team. It is for that reason that he feels the W-League should not include any professional teams. This year in fact, the league has only one club, the Buffalo Flash, playing as a pro club, after FC Indiana folded.

Gradel, who was a place kicker for the University of Notre Dame, points to Marquette’s Rachel Sloan who was little used in her freshman year in 2008, getting only three starts and registering a goal and an assist.

After playing for the Red Eleven last year, the Elk Grove native returned to the Golden Eagles and was their leading scorer, becoming the team’s first-ever All-Big East First Team selection. A former player for both the Fox Valley Strikers and Chicago Kickers United, Sloan led the Golden Eagle offense with 19 points on seven goals, five of which were game winners, and five assists.

“That’s why I do this,” said Gradel.

Other key returnees from last season include Julia Victor, Keli McLaughlin, Krystin Miller, Fanta Cooper and Michele O’Brien.

Gradel is awaiting the addition of former Eclipse goalkeeper Alexa Gaul. A member of the U.S. U-17 team at the 2008 World Cup, Gaul just completed her first season with the University of Texas.

The Naperville, native has already agreed to play for the Red Eleven but the club is awaiting approval from the United Soccer Leagues.

With players from Marquette, Iowa, the University of Illinois, as well as area natives coming back from the summer, the Red Stars are making good on Gradel’s vow to “feature top Midwestern players on the team.”

The Red Eleven open the 2010 season at home against the Buffalo Flash on May 29 at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.