CHICAGO – The Chicago Red Stars today announced the loan of defender Kayla Sharples to Adelaide United Football Club of the Australian A-League Women. The Naperville native will be with the Australian club until March 28, 2022, after which she is expected to rejoin the Red Stars for the 2022 season.
During the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season Sharples played in 14 games, starting in 12, and played over 1,000 minutes for the Red Stars. The defender was an integral part in the Red Stars’ defense while Tierna Davidson and Casey Krueger were with the United States Women’s National Team at the Olympics.
“I'm excited to play for Adelaide United during the NWSL off season. It is and always will be a priority of mine to do whatever it takes to improve my game,” said Sharples. “I believe this is another great opportunity to better myself, get some time away and most importantly work on my game to help elevate me into the player I know I can become. I’m grateful to Adelaide United for adding me to their team this season and my goal is to help them win the league. I’ll miss Chicago, but I’ll see you in a few months!”
Sharples was drafted by the Red Stars in the 2019 NWSL College Draft with the 26th overall pick out of Northwestern University. At Northwestern, she was an All-Big Ten First Team player in consecutive seasons and played every minute in the Wildcats’ 2017 and 2018 seasons. On her down time this season, Sharples spent time calling women’s soccer games for the Big Ten Network.
The Chicago Red Stars wish Kayla the best of luck in Australia and look forward to seeing her back in a Red Stars jersey in 2022.
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