Gold Pride to sign Marta?

When St. Louis Athletica traded for the top spot in the L.A. Sol dispersal draft yesterday, the obvious conclusion was that they would be picking Marta, the Brazilian midfield maestro who led the league in scoring last season and pulled in big crowds wherever she played. Now, however, it looks like that might not be the case — the four-time reigning FIFA World Player of the Year may be on her way to the Bay Area.

Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported yesterday that Athletica would “almost certainly” use the pick on U.S. international Shannon Boxx, which would leave Marta available for other teams.  In the same story, Timmerman added that “Marta, whose contract is held by the league, will likely end up in the Bay Area with FC Gold Pride, one of the few teams that has room under the salary cap.”We know that FC Gold Pride is interested in Marta. As general manager Ilisa Kessler told me last week, “a player like Marta doesn’t come around very often. She’s one of a kind—she’s an amazing player and can shift what happens on the field and also with your fans, so I would say yes, if that opportunity presents itself, we would definitely consider it.”

Kessler removed any doubt about the team’s intentions when I spoke with her on Wednesday morning. “If Marta is available to us in the draft on Thursday, we are certainly interested in having her.”

If it’s true that St. Louis will take Boxx, that leaves only Philadelphia standing in the way between FC Gold Pride and the exciting forward. While it’s possible that the expansion side may want to enter their first season in WPS with a bang, some in the league think that Marta’s salary — reportedly in the $500,000 range — may be too much for them to swallow. It’s also interesting to remember that Marta was the third pick of the initial WPS draft.

While it’s still too early to celebrate, every indication is that Marta will be available when FC Gold Pride makes their first pick tomorrow — and that the Bay Area side will take her.