The Independence Sign Free Agent WPS All-Star Midfielder Lori Chalupny

The beat (no pun intended) goes on for the Independence, announcing the signing of former US Women's National Team standout, Lori Chalupny earlier today. Chalupny comes to Philadelphia from the Atlanta Beat, where she played in 17 games and scored two goals. "Lori is a world class midfielder. She has great vision, is a fantastic engine and can play both the percentage and million dollar pass," Philadelphia head coach Paul Riley told the official Independence website today. As the former Atlanta Beat captain, Chalupny bring both experience and leadership to a team that is shaping up to be just as good or even better than they were a season ago.

Chalupny started her career out with the former WPS squad, the St. Louis Athletica in 2009. As a rookie, she scored a total of two goals with one assist, also leading the team as their captain to second place overall in the league. She was also named as one of the players added to the All-Star game that year, getting the nod as one of the starters. When the Athletica disbanded, Chalupny was picked up by the Atlanta Beat, making 15 appearances while scoring two goals.

The former Beat player has also made 92 Career appearance for the US Women's National Team, giving her a lot of international experience. Chalupny started her international career in 2003, culminating in 2008 when the US Women won gold at the Beijing Summer Olympics. During the 2007 Women's World Cup in China, Chalupny played every minute of every game the US played, a huge achievement by any standards.

Lori Chalupny joins Havertown native Sinead Farrelly at midfield while also being reunited with with former Beat teammate, forward Meghan Lenczyk.