With the 2012 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) season just around the corner, Sky Blue FC officially announced today that the club has agreed to terms with U.S. National Team defender Becky Sauerbrunn. The addition of Sauerbrunn provides a proven leader to the experienced back line of Sky Blue FC, which will kick off its fourth season of play this coming April.

"We are excited to add Becky Sauerbrunn, a solid and versatile defender who has truly shown her form in WPS and the U.S. National Team," said Sky Blue FC head coach Jim Gabarra, who made the Virginia product the third overall selection in the 2008 WPS General Draft when he was with the Washington Freedom. "I worked with Becky for quite a few years, and she will provide us with solid defensive play as we look to improve in that area. Additionally, she gives our team another great professional, both on and off the field."

While playing college soccer at the University of Virginia, Sauerbrunn became the only three-time NSCAA All-American in program history, receiving NSCAA First Team All-America and ACC Defensive Player of the Year accolades following her senior year in 2007. Prior to the launch of WPS, the St. Louis native spent a year with Gabarra and the Washington Freedom in the USL W-League, and she then played the next two seasons with the club under the WPS banner before suiting up for magicJack in 2011. On the international front, Sauerbrunn has played at every level of the U.S. National Team, previously serving as captain for both the U-19 and U-23 sides. She made her debut for the full national team against Canada nearly four years ago at the Four Nations Tournament in China and has since become a mainstay on the squad, including her earning a spot on its FIFA World Cup roster this past summer.