Atlanta Beat signs U.S goalkeeper Hope Solo

In a series of moves that should vastly improve the expansion Atlanta Beat, the Women’s Professional Soccer league announced Tuesday it has it has signed three players from the now-defunct St. Louis Athletica, including U.S. national team goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Solo and other Athletica players were allowed to sign as free agents starting Tuesday after the St. Louis franchise folded for financial reasons last Friday.

Atlanta also has picked up from St. Louis American defender Tina Ellertson and English national team forward Eniola Aluko, who has scored four goals this season to lead WPS. The Beat, which tied Tampa Bay Hellenic of the W-League Saturday in a friendly that replaced a regularly-scheduled game against Athletica, is still looking for its first win in the WPS and plays at Chicago on Sunday.

In another move, Atlanta has placed midfielder Tobin Heath, its top draft pick, on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Solo, 29, is regarded as one of the top keepers in the world. She was named the WPS keeper of the year in the league’s inaugural season in 2009, and was an Olympic gold medalist in Beijing in 2008.

She’s also been a controversial figure, openly critical of then-U.S. coach Greg Ryan’s removal of her from the semifinals of the 2007 Women’s World Cup, in favor of former Atlanta Beat keeper Briana Scurry.

The move backfired, Germany won the championship and Ryan was eventually replaced by current U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, who has had Solo as her No. 1 keeper most of her tenure.

Solo’s also one of the biggest personality players in WPS, with The Atlantic dubbing her “The Bad Girl of Women’s Soccer.”