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The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) has announced that it is suspending operations effective immediately. The decision was made by the league's Board of Governors at a meeting today, Sept. 15, in New York City as a result of insufficient revenue to support a fourth year of play. "A shortfall in sponsorship revenue and insufficient revenue from other core areas of the business proved to be the hurdles which the WUSA could not overcome in time for planning the 2004 season," said John Hendricks, Chairman of the WUSA Board of Governors. "At this time, let me thank the great WUSA sponsors led by charter sponsors Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson who did step forward to enthusiastically support our league since inception." WUSA President and CEO Lynn Morgan commented, "It's been very gratifying to watch this league elevate women's sports to a whole new level of awareness and respect. I would personally like to thank the WUSA league and team employees, the passionate WUSA fans, our investors, and the wonderful athletes who compete in this league for their commitment to soccer and women's athletics." The WUSA's owners have invested more than $100 million to date to fund the league. The decision by the WUSA Board of Governors to suspend operations was made after reviewing revenue commitments for 2004. Of the WUSA's potential revenue sources, the breadth of corporate sponsorship has been the greatest disappointment, reaching less than half of the levels anticipated in the league's original business plan. WUSA's current cash reserves in combination with receivables and planned investment financing are not sufficient to continue operations. The WUSA Board met and acted today in order to protect funding for the league's shutdown obligations including severance arrangements. The Board was also anxious to avoid the potential disruption caused by continued uncertainty during upcoming World Cup play. The Board was unanimous in the belief that, given the financial realities facing the league, it was in everyone's best interest to make an immediate decision and announcement. The league was formed as a unique partnership between the owners and "The Women's World Cup will provide a platform to generate additional "The players remain hopeful that more sponsors will recognize the
value of Featuring the best women's soccer players in the world, WUSA athletes Top of PageThe Carolina Courage has decided to not renew the contract
of head coach Jay Entlich and will commence a search for his replacement
immediately, announced Courage General Manager Scott Travasos. Top of PageCourage Hopes Take A HitThe hopes of defending their WUSA championship took a big hit for the
Carolina Courage when they came up short in a 1-0 loss to the San Diego
Spirit before a crowd of 5,381 in the Spirit's Torero Stadium. Top of PageJust when the Carolina Courage was starting to turn its season around, disaster has struck for the second time this year. Danielle Fotopoulos, tied for the top spot in the WUSA scoring race Carolina already lost one crucial player, playmaker Hege Riise, to a
Fotopoulos tumbled to the Spartan Stadium turf while challenging O'Malley said Fotopoulos would return to North Carolina for a "Thori cut it, so I went to stop and change direction, and my knee
ACL injuries have struck the WUSA hard this season. Other WUSA players
who have been sidelined this season by torn ACLs are San Diego's Shannon
MacMillan, Philadelphia's Deliah Arrington, and New York's Sara Whalen
and Kristy Whelchel. Top of PageCary To Host WUSA All-Star Game ATLANTA (Tuesday, March 25, 2003) - The second annual WUSA All-Star Game will be held at SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina on Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 pm ET. Featuring a WUSA American stars vs. WUSA World Stars format, the All-Star Game will provide a look at all of the top players who are expected to compete in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in China in September and October. The WUSA All-Star Game continues the trend of world-class soccer events at SAS Stadium, home of the WUSA's Carolina Courage. Completed in April 2002, the 7,000 seat, state-of-the-art stadium has hosted U.S. women's national team exhibitions and was the training site for the U.S. men's national team prior to the squad departing for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The complex, which features seven fields, is the site for the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Women's College Cup. The inaugural WUSA All-Star Game was held in Portland, Oregon on September 21, 2002 as the South All-Stars defeated the North All-Stars 6-1 at PGE Park. Washington Freedom forward and 2002 WUSA Rookie of the Year Abby Wambach was named the Hyundai Most Valuable Player of the match for her two goals and one assist. "We are proud to showcase the world's best female players and one of the finest soccer stadiums in the country during this World Cup year," WUSA President and CEO Lynn Morgan said. "The inaugural All-Star Game in Portland last summer was a tremendous event and we believe this year's celebration of soccer will be even better." Featuring the WUSA's top stars, the 2003 All-Star Game is sure to provide a global flavor similar to the inaugural match, as seven different countries were represented at the 2002 All-Star Game. In addition, 17 of the 32 All-Stars in 2002 competed in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Complete details on the WUSA All-Star Game such as ticket information,
the official logo and national television network will be announced in
the near future. Top of Page25 WUSA Players Now Free Agents The WUSA Waiver Process, which included the waiver of 25 players by the eight WUSA teams, has come and gone without any of the 25 being picked up in the waiver draft. Since no players were selected during the WUSA Waiver Process, all 25 players (with the exception of Rebekah McDowell) are unrestricted and may re-enter the league through the tryout process. The lone exception, McDowell was not eligible for the Waiver Process due a pending trade between the Washington Freedom and the Philadelphia Charge. The trade, which sent McDowell to Washington for Anne Makinen on February 2, 2003, is dependent on the Finnish international's immigration status. On Feb. 21 league teams were required to reduce their rosters to at least 16 players, but not less than 12. The waiver draft was held on Monday, Feb. 24. Among the players waived were former UNC All-America Stacey Wilson by the Carolina Courage, which also waived Finnish forward Minna Mustonen. The Atlanta Beat waived defender Amanda Cromwell, while the Washington Freedom cut ties with midfielder Ann Cook, goalkeeper Erin Fahey, forward Meredith Beard and forward Tracey Milburn. McDowell was also on that waiver list. San Diego waived Mercy Akide, the former Nigerian World Cup standout, as well as former Duke All-America Sherrill Kester. Ronnie Fair, twin sister of U.S. national team star Lorrie Fair, was waived by the New York Power. Sarah Yohe, former University of Florida All-America, was released by the Boston Breakers. The WUSA Exercise of Option Date also saw a trade between the New York Power and Washington Freedom. New York traded goalkeeper Gao Hong to the Washington for future considerations. Gao, China's starting goalkeeper at World Cup '99, missed most of the 2002 WUSA season recovering > from preseason wrist surgery, playing in only four matches (0-4-0, 3.50 GAA).In 2001, Gao finished the season with a > record of 9-7-5 while finishing second in the WUSA in victories (9) and third in both shutouts (6) and save percentage (79.1). Individual Team Preseason Training will begin Saturday, March 1. Below is a complete list of all players whose options were not exercised:
Top of PageCarolina Courage General Manager Scott Travasos announced the hiring of Jay Entlich as Head Coach of the WUSA Champion Carolina Courage today. Entlich, 31, replaces Marcia McDermott, the club's Assistant General Manager, who stepped down as coach on November 15th. "Jay has had an almost meteoric rise through the ranks of women's soccer," said Travasos. "He has been a difference maker and winner at every step along his path." Entlich enjoyed tremendous success at the University of Tampa, where
he was A U.S. Women's National Team staff coach, Entlich has scouted and "With this hire, the Courage has secured an individual with tremendous
Entlich, a Fairfax, VA native, currently resides in Tampa, FL with his
wife The Courage begins preparations for its defense of the Founders Cup on
March Top of PageSanta Clara midfielder Aly Wagner and Penn State
striker Christie Welsh were the top two picks in the WUSA draft
at the league's headquarters at Cox Central Park. San Diego engineered a trade soon after the 2002 season concluded to keep Wagner on the West Coast. The Spirit dealt midfielders Shannon Boxx and Sherrill Kester, defender Margaret Tietjen and the second overall pick to New York for the top selection, midfielder Jen Lalor and forward Wynne McIntosh in the largest WUSA trade ever. "Aly is the most talented player coming out of college and is the player we have been focusing on since we traded for the number one pick," said Spirit coach Omid Namazi. "Aly possesses unique qualities in her game that make her teammates better and will complement our team very well. She has an amazing feel for the game and where the ball should go to create the most danger for the opponent. You can't coach that. It's just something innate. I know her style will provide great entertainment for the San Diego fans will contribute to winning games." Wagner has worked her way into the United States women's starting lineup and has made 36 overall appearances, recording eight goals and 16 assists for the Americans. It's the second straight year a Santa Clara player went first in the WUSA draft. Defender Danielle Slaton, Wagner's college and high school teammate, was the top choice in 2001 by the Carolina Courage. "I'm extremely excited to be given this opportunity," said Wagner, the 2002 MAC Hermann Trophy winner. "Since the league's inception, my heart has been set on playing for the Spirit. It's a perfect place to play and I'm going to a team where I think I'll fit right in. My brother lives in nearby San Clemente and I'm looking forward to him being my neighbor. . . I think my style will work well with the likes of Mac (Shannon MacMillan), Julie Fleeting and the other forwards. . . Players like Julie (Foudy) and Joy (Fawcett) are people I can learn from every day. These are players who will make my transition that much easier." Welsh, the 2001 Hermann Trophy winner and MAC "Player of the Year" before the awards were merged, has 20 appearances with the U.S. women, notching 12 goals. She had 82 goals, 52 assists, 216 points and 27 game-winning goals in four seasons at PSU. "I'm so excited," said Welsh, a native of Massapequa Park, N.Y. "It's just great. I'm really excited to go back home. "Hopefully, I can get a bunch of family and friends out there. Maybe I can help the league's attendance rise a little bit. Who knows?" Hawkins, who operates best as a defensive midfielder, recorded 21 goals and 23 assists in 93 career games for SCU. She scored her first career international goal in a U.S. 1-0 victory over Germany Wednesday in China. "I knew I was coming to the East Coast, but didn't think it would be Boston,'' said Hawkins whose parents both attended Boston University, the campus which houses the Breakers' home, Nickerson Field. "Boston was my first choice. My relatives are here and we spent many summers in Boston.'' Washington goalkeeper Hope Solo was selected fourth overall by the Philadelphia Charge. The 2001 Pac-10 "Player of the Year" finished her collegiate career as the Huskies' all-time leader in every goalkeeping category, including shutouts (18), saves (325) and goal-against average (1.02). "I am so excited, I don't even want to go back to school," Solo said. "I just want to start training with the team." The Atlanta Beat then selected Stanford midfielder Callie Withers from Stanford. Withers orchestrated a Cardinal offense which outscored opponents 163-13 in 2002. "We are jacked up to add Callie Withers to our midfield," Atlanta coach Tom Stone said. "She had a fantastic senior season at Stanford and we are very happy that she was available with our selection. She's a very powerful player, a great ball winner with great aerial ability. She's also a very intelligent player, and I think that's something we can always use in our central midfield." Philadelphia followed with the sixth and seventh picks, taking Clemson forward Deliah Arrington and Dartmouth midfielder Mary McVeigh. The eighth and final pick of the first round went to the champion Carolina Courage which took Nebraska defender Breanna Boyd who has 37 caps with the Canadian national team. Santa Clara and North Carolina reach had three player selected among the 32 draft picks. In the WUSA's three drafts, UNC has had 20 players taken.
(Story from www.soccertimes.com
) Top of PageMcDermott Rejoins Courage as Assistant GM Courage General Manager Scott Travasos has announced the
appointment of Marcia "Marcia's contributions to this organization during our first two
seasons A native of McLean, Virginia, McDermott, 37, graduated from the University
"When I made the decision to step away from coaching, I was looking
for an McDermott will assist Travasos in the daily supervision of all function
"Marcia has demonstrated the ability to put the important puzzle
pieces The Courage will begin its defense of the WUSA Founders Cup trophy on
April Top of PageThe Women's United Soccer Association announced the promotion of Scott Travasos to the position of General Manager of the WUSA champion Carolina Courage today. Travasos, 31, has served as Assistant General Manager and Director of Business Affairs for the Courage for its first two seasons. "Scott Travasos is the right person to lead the Carolina Courage," said WUSA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Crow. "His familiarity with the organization will be invaluable in maintaining the team's high level of performance both on and off the field. We are confident in Scott's ability to step up and lead the defending Founders Cup champions in the right direction." A 1993 graduate of Wheaton College (IL), Travasos received a MBA with a specialization in sports marketing from Wake Forest's Babcock School of Management in 1995. Travasos brings with him a wide range of sports business experience. As a member of the South Florida Organizing Committee for the 1996 Olympics, he was responsible for promotion and sales efforts for Olympic events at the Orange Bowl. He served as Head Men's Soccer Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he brokered a department-wide sponsorship deal with Nike. Prior to joining the WUSA, Travasos was the Vice-President of Operations for The Beacon Group, an insurance firm based in Boca Raton, Florida. As the Assistant GM, Travasos has overseen all aspects of the day-to-day administration of the Carolina Courage organization. As Finance Director, he forecasted, monitored and achieved League budgetary goals. As Director of Sales in 2002, Travasos supervised the WUSA's greatest percentage increase in ticket sales from year one to year two. Travasos also served as Director of Player Personnel during the first two years. He was responsible for the acquisition of international stars Birgit Prinz and Unni Lehn, and he was a member of the draft team that acquired WUSA Defender of the Year Danielle Slaton. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to build upon a tremendous 2002 campaign," said Travasos, "and to lead a great organization to continued success both on and off the field." Travasos replaces Jerome Ramsey who vacated the General Manager position last month to accept another assignment within the Time Warner Cable organization. Travasos, who has been spearheading the coaching search since Marcia
McDermott's resignation on November 15, will turn his immediate attention
to the selection of a head coach. He is headed out of town to interview
final candidates this weekend and anticipates making an announcement by
the end of next week. Top of PageWUSA Prepares For First All-Star Game PGE Park in Portland, Oregon will be the site of the first-ever WUSA All-Star Game, presented by Hyundai, on Saturday, September 21. The game will be broadcast live nationally on PAX at 1 p.m. PT. WUSA play-by-play broadcaster Beth Mowins will be joined in the booth with color analyst Michelle Akers, while Eric Frede will serve as the sideline reporter.Carolina Courage Head Coach Marcia McDermott and Philadelphia Charge Head Coach Mark Krikorian will serve as the head coaches of the two WUSA All-Star teams. Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra will serve as McDermott's assistant coach for the South All-Stars while San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers will serve as Krikorian's assistant on the North team. The South All-Stars - Comprised of the top players from the Atlanta Beat, Carolina Courage, San Diego Spirit and Washington Freedom, the South All-Stars will take the field versus the North All-Stars in Portland. Of the 16 players suiting up for the South All-Stars, nine took part in Founders Cup II on August 24 in Atlanta, GA. Founders Cup II champion Carolina has a large presence on the South team with five players on the roster. Washington and Atlanta each have four representatives on the South All-Star squad, while San Diego (three) rounds out the lineup. The South All-Stars will be led offensively by Mia Hamm (8g, 6a, 22 pts.), Abby Wambach (10g, 9a, 29 pts.) and Shannon MacMillan (5g, 8a, 18 pts.). Washington's Hamm finished 12th in scoring in the WUSA despite playing in only 506 minutes. Wambach, the 2002 WUSA Rookie of the Year, led the Freedom in scoring during her first season in the league. MacMillan will start in place of Carolina's Birgit Prinz (playing in the UEFA Cup with her German club). The San Diego forward led her squad in scoring for the second straight season. Carolina's Hege Riise (6g, 13 a, 25 pts.) will direct the midfield for the South All-Stars. One of the world's best playmakers, Riise will look to set the tone of the match by taking control of possession in the midfield. Atlanta midfielder Homare Sawa (7g, 6a, 20 pts.) became a major part of the Beat's attack in 2002. San Diego's Julie Foudy (5g, 4a, 14 pts.) will bring an added offensive threat, following a breakout season with the Spirit. Considered to be the WUSA's top defensive midfielder, Carolina's Tiffany Roberts (1g, 4a, 6 pts.) rounds out the midfield for the South All-Stars. Comprised of Carolina's Danielle Slaton (4g, 8 pts.), Washington's Jennifer Grubb (2g, 4 pts.), and San Diego's Joy Fawcett (1g, 1a, 3 pts.), the back line for the South will look to shut down the high-scoring attack of the North. Slaton, the 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year, made an immediate impact on the Carolina defense in 2002. A longtime U.S. national team veteran, San Diego's Fawcett brings an instant confidence and dominance to her team's back line. Grubb, the Freedom's ironwoman (played every minute of every match, including the playoffs for Washington), is a fearless and strong defender. In net for the South All-Stars is Carolina's Kristin Luckenbill (12-5-4, 1.43 GAA), the 2002 WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year. "Lucks," who played every minute in goal for Carolina in 2002, led all WUSA goalkeepers in wins (12) and saves (114). Backing up Luckenbill in goal is Atlanta's Briana Scurry (9-8-1, 1.3 GAA), one of the stars of the World Cup '99 championship team. The South's bench adds depth to the defensive position with Carolina's Nel Fettig (3a, 3 pts.), Washington's Carrie Moore and Atlanta's Kylie Bivens (1g, 4a, 6 pts.). A star on the Canadian national team, Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper (11g, 3a, 25 pts.) rounds out the South All-Star reserves. She is one of only four players to record a hat trick in WUSA action and is second all-time in WUSA goal scoring (23). The Charge leads the way with six players placed on the North Squad. In a close second is the San Jose CyberRays which had five players selected. Boston (4) and New York (1) round out the roster. Five members of the North All-Stars recorded 28 points or more in the 2002 season, ranking among the league's top eight scorers. Led by the WUSA's scoring leader in 2002 (Katia - 15 g, 5a, 35 pts.), the 2002 WUSA Most Valuable Player (Marinette Pichon - 14g, 1a, 29 pts.) and the 2001 WUSA MVP (Tiffeny Milbrett - 10g, 8a, 28 pts.), the North is loaded with offensive firepower up top. The starting three forwards combined for a total of 225 shots and 123 shots on goal during the 2002 season. Boston's Kristine Lilly (8g, 13a, 29 pts.) will give the North All-Stars a fourth attacking presence coming out of the midfield. Lilly ended the season riding a WUSA-record 10-game point-scoring streak. San Jose's Sissi (1g, 9a, 11 pts.) and Tisha Venturini-Hoch (6g, 1a, 13 pts.) will look to create problems for the opposing defense by creating scoring chances and unleashing shots on goal. Philadelphia's Lorrie Fair (5a, 5 pts.) rounds out the North All-Star's midfield. The Charge's midfield engine was instrumental in connecting with Pichon to help the French forward finish second in the WUSA with 14 goals in 2002. The defense for the North is comprised of two members from the league's best back line (Jenny Benson - 3a, 3 pts. - and Jennifer Tietjen - 1g, 3a, 5 pts.) and one of the WUSA's most versatile players (Brandi Chastain - 4g, 3a, 11 pts.). The Philadelphia Charge finished the 2002 season allowing a league-low 1.00 goals per game due to the play of both Benson and Tietjen and North reserve Erica Iverson. Chastain has been used as both a defender and a forward during the 2002 campaign, giving coach Sawyers an additional offensive weapon from the back line. In net for the North All-Stars is Philadelphia's Melissa Moore (11-3-6, 1.00 GAA), the WUSA leader in goals against average (1.00) and winning percentage (70.0) in 2002. Moore has the comfort of two familiar faces in front of her at the start of the match - Philadelphia teammates Tietjen and Benson. The North reserves are led by U.S. national team goalkeeper and the 2001
WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year LaKeysia Beene (8-7-5, 1.35 GAA). The San
Jose 'keeper ranks second all-time in WUSA shutouts after recording four
during the 2002 season. Boston's Kate Sobrero (1a, 1 pt.) is an experienced
veteran with the ability to play both central defender and outside back.
Along with Philadelphia's Iverson (2g, 4 pts.), the North squad should
have more than enough depth defensively to face the South. A pair of Boston
Breakers round out the North reserves, as Boston's Angela Hucles (3g,
4a, 10 pts.) and Maren Meinert (7g, 16a, 30 pts.) will provide a spark
off the bench. Top of PageMcDermott To Coach WUSA South All-Stars Carolina Courage coach Marcia McDermott will lead the South team in the WUSA's first All-Star Game in Portland, Ore., on September 21.The WUSA has also announced the starting lineups for the North and South teams, and five reserve players for each team will be announced next week. The game will played at PGE Park at 4 p.m. (ET) and televised by PAX. McDermott will have five players from her Courage team in the starting lineup, including Kristin Luckenbill, the league's Goalkeeper of the Year. Defender Danielle Slaton, midfielders Hege Riise and Tiffany Roberts and Birgit Prinz will also start from the WUSA national championship Courage. Atlanta's Homare Sawa was named as a starting midfielder, while defender Jennifer Grubb and forwards Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach from the WUSA runnerup Washington Freedom will start for the South. The starters: Top of PageCourage Beats Freedom 3-2 For WUSA Title Birgit Prinz's unassisted goal in the 58th minute proved to be the game winner as the Carolina Courage captured Founders Cup II, 3-2 over the Washington Freedom. Prinz, the game's MVP, added an assist on Carolina's go-ahead goal five minutes earlier, and was named Most Valuable Player of the match. Freedom super-sub Mia Hamm scored the game's final, and most spectacular goal, but her effectiveness was limited when the Courage struck twice in five minutes to open up a 3-1 lead."It was a great game for the fans," said Courage coach Marcia McDermott, the architect of the club's worst to first ascent. "Congratulations to Washington. What a great game they played today." The match began at a physical but acceptable pace, and neither team developed any remarkable, early chances. The best of the early chances, a poor angle shot by Unni Lehn, was knocked to safety by Siri Mullinix in the 12th minute. Carolina never trailed in the match, first taking the lead through all-WUSA
midfielder Hege Riise. Right back Staci Burt took advantage of an acre
of space on the right flank and served the ball to the top of the penalty
area. "I know that whenever Danielle Fotopoulos gets the ball on her head for a flick, I better be there," Riise said. "She's going to win it nine out of every 10 times." The Courage had the better of the soccer over the first 45 minutes. Center backs Nel Fettig and Erin Baxter anchored a defense that held the Freedom to a single shot on goal in the first half. Unfortunately for the Courage, the Freedom equalized without shooting when Fotopoulos accidentally deflected a serve beyond Kristin Luckenbill for the first own goal in Founders Cup history. "Of course I planned it," deadpanned Jen Grubb, who drove a free kick from near the midstripe that Fotopoulos redirected while trying to mark Abby Wambach. "That's our target area," said head coach Jim Gabarra. "You have to serve the ball in there and we've been getting great service from Jen all season." Hamm came on for Ann Cook in the second half, but it was the Courage that stole the show at the other side of the break. The play started when Hamm lost the ball to a slide tackling Lehn. In the end, Prinz was able to shoot from inside the 18-yard box. Mullinix made the save, but Fotopoulos controlled the rebound and buried the goal that put the Courage on top for good. "I know when Birgit is going to shoot, something is going to happen," said Fotopoulos, giving Prinz similar praise that she was given by Riise. "I followed up the shot and ended up in the right place at the right time. And it went in." Fotopoulos' goal was scored in the 53rd minute, and five minutes later, a rare defensive miscue by Grubb allowed Prinz to walk in on Mullinix for an easy goal. "It was a bad decision," Grubb said of a play that saw Prinz swoop in and intercept what should have been a basic serve into the midfield. "At the spot I was on the field, 20, 23 yards out, it's not really a good time to settle the ball and try to play it out. But, it happened. That's how it goes." The Freedom offered credit to the Courage for the flurry that put it
into a lead it would never relinquish. I just have to give a round of applause to those two players. They had
their two chances and they finished them." The Freedom never stopped pressing ahead in search of the equalizer, coming tantalizingly close on a few occasions. In the 77th minute, Luckenbill's punt went directly to Wambach, who just as quickly tried to thread the needle to Jacqui Little. Luckenbill rushed out to bother Little enough that her shot rolled wide of its mark. "A defensive adjustment we made," offered McDermott, "was to put Staci Wilson in as a second defensive mid, and ask her to always make sure we provide cover against (Hamm) on the flank. She did a great job." McDermott praised her entire defense, and was particularly fond of the game played by center back Fettig. "Nel Fettig from the beginning of the game to the end of the game was notable," McDermott said. "We had some lapses, but she had no lapses, and she held us together through some tough spots. But our entire defense was organized." Gabarra and the Freedom refused to hang their heads in defeat, the club's first in 63 days. "I'm extremely proud of what the Washington Freedom put on the field
this season, and especially today," he said. "It was a very
exciting game, and my hat goes off to Carolina. I think it was a statement
for what this league can put on the field." Top of PageCourage Headed To WUSA Founder's Cup CARY, NC - A "golden goal" by second half substitute Carla Overbeck gave Carolina a berth in Founders Cup II as the Courage defeated the Atlanta Beat 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at SAS Stadium. With the win, the Courage advance to the WUSA Founders Cup II versus the Washington Freedom on August 24 in Atlanta."We just came through a terrific game with Atlanta," said Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott. "Now, we need to focus our attention on Washington. They are the hottest team in the league. They are playing great soccer and are completely confident. This is going to be a great game between two teams that know how to score goals." Carolina will now head to Atlanta to face Washington in Founders Cup II at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on PAX TV. The Freedom defeated the Philadelphia Charge 1-0 earlier in the day at Villanova Stadium. Two minutes into overtime, Overbeck, who came in during the 74th minute, scored the game-winning "golden goal" to clinch the victory for the Courage. Danielle Fotopoulos began the play with a pass to Birgit Prinz down the right side. As the German striker was entering Atlanta's penalty area, she ripped a shot toward the far post. Atlanta goalkeeper Briana Scurry got her right hand on it to deflect the shot to the far edge of the six-yard box. An unmarked Overbeck ran onto the ball and buried a shot into the back of the net for the win. "For these two teams (Carolina and Washington) to go to the Founders Cup after a not so good year last year is just a credit to the whole organization," said Overbeck. "It was definitely special. We've been working hard all year. Marcia (McDermott) and the staff have done a great job. I glad we're going to the Founders Cup championship." Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute on a penalty kick by Nikki Serlenga. The Beat midfielder ripped a shot from the penalty spot to beat Carolina goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill to her right. The penalty kick was the result of Carolina's Fotopoulos fouling Atlanta's Cindy Parlow during a corner kick by Serlenga in the 27th minute. Following the Atlanta goal, the game was suspended in the 29th minute for 29 minutes due to lighting. The Beat was forced to play a person down for the remainder of the match after Julie Augustyniak received her second yellow card of the match and was sent off in the 57th minute. Carolina tied the match with penalty kick goal by Fotopoulos in the 89th minute. Burying the ball into the exact spot as her counterpart did earlier in the match, Fotopoulos beat Scurry to her right. The penalty kick was the result of Carolina's Hege Riise being taken down by Atlanta's Marci Miller in the area. "I think we just kept fighting," said Fotopoulos. "We kept wanting it more than they did and came up with the win. But, I can tell you that when the whistle blew I was in tears." With neither team able to claim the lead during regulation, the match went into overtime. Top of PageFreedom Beats Charge To Advance Monica Gerardo's 80th-minute goal was the difference as the Washington Freedom defeated the Philadelphia Charge 1-0 Saturday afternoon in the WUSA Playoff Semifinals. Gerardo's goal occurred when Washington midfielder Pu Wei dumped a pass into Jacqui Little in the penalty area. With her back to the goal, Little collected the ball, spun around, and dribbled down the right side to the endline before slotting a pass to Gerardo. The Mexican national team standout hammered the ball into the back of the net from seven yards past a helpless Melissa Moore. Gerardo and Little were both second-half substitutes brought in to spark the offense in the 90-degree heat at Villanova Stadium. "We know that coming in we have 30-35 minutes to make an impact," said Gerardo, who entered the game for Ann Cook in the 59th minute. "I think we both did that today." Although it was a scoreless first half, both teams had solid scoring chances in the first 45 minutes. Washington's Steffi Jones skimmed the crossbar in the 11th minute from 21 yards out, while teammate Ann Cook cracked a 23-yard shot that smacked off the crossbar in the 33rd minute. Philadelphia's best chance came when the Charge worked it in from the right flank and Kerry Connors cracked a 12-yard shot that Siri Mullinix pushed away in the 32nd minute. Washington's Mia Hamm entered the match at halftime, and the world's all-time scoring leader's first shot - a save by Moore -- came just 2:51 into the second half. Hamm finished with two shots on the day. Philadelphia's best scoring chance in the second half came in the 75th minute when the Charge produced a nice combination play at the top of the penalty area. But Washington's defense closed the play down and Marinette Pichon was unable to generate a shot. Pichon, whose 14 goals ranked second in the WUSA during the regular season, had four shots on the day, but only one was on goal as Freedom defender Carrie Moore shadowed the French national team star throughout the game. "I did everything I could to not let her get the ball," Moore said. "Even if she did get the ball, I wanted to make sure it wasn't dangerous. It was tough." Heading into Founders Cup II, Washington is the hottest team in the WUSA,
as the Freedom has gone 8-0-2 in its last 11 games. Top of PageWashington Freedom 5, Carolina Courage 2
Mia Hamm had two goals and an assist and Abby Wambach
registered a goal and three assists as the Washington Freedom scored four
second-half goals to defeat the Carolina Courage 5-2 Wednesday evening in
front of an overflow crowd of 7,214 at SAS Stadium. With the victory,
Washington (9-5-5, 32 pts.) moves within one point of second place
Carolina (10-5-3, 33 pts.). Carolina suffered its third consecutive defeat
following a 10-2-3 start. Top of PageBeat Finally Beats Courage 1-0 ATLANTA, GA - Charmaine Hooper's league-leading sixth
game-winning goal in the 68th minute gave the Atlanta Beat (9-7-1, 28
pts.) 1-0 over the Carolina Courage (10-4-3, 33 pts.) on Saturday evening
at Herndon Stadium. Top of PageAtlanta Beat Waives Five and One Retires The Atlanta Beat today waived Laurie Black, Kerry Gragg, Charry Korgel Morris, Mary Pitera and Maite Zabala to meet the league's 18-player roster limit deadline of 5pm today. All five waived players will enter the WUSA waiver draft taking place this Wednesday and could potentially be picked up by another WUSA team. Simultaneously, the team announced the retirement of midfielder Bryn Blalack.
Players waived from all eight teams will enter the WUSA’s waiver draft taking place Wednesday, December 5, at 5:00 p.m. The draft will span a maximum of four rounds and those players waived, who are not selected in the waiver draft, will become unrestricted players and are free to sign with anyone in the league at the minimum salary. Teams may draft a 19th player, but must waive a player from their active roster within 24 hours of the conclusion of the draft, to reach the maximum 18-player limit. The Atlanta Beat holds the seventh position in the waiver draft. Currently, with the maximum allowable of 18 players, The Beat will be limited to only one selection in the waiver draft. The draft order was determined by the WUSA final standings for the 2001 season and will be held in reverse of those standings. Top of PageWUSA Pronounces First Season A Success On the heels of a championship game that was decided on penalty kicks, the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) has dubbed it’s first season a success and said it expects year two to be even stronger. “The WUSA absolutely hit the mark this year, particularly in terms of attendance and sponsorships, and we showed that there is strong and growing support for women’s pro soccer in this country,” said WUSA Board Chairman John Hendricks. “I think we did a good job of tapping into the youth and family markets, and building a solid foundation for the league. In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll turn our attention to refining our operations so that 2002 is even stronger.” Some WUSA highlights from the inaugural season include:
"In every team city, the fans embraced this league," said Tony DiCicco, the WUSA's Chief Operating Officer. "We have proven there is a market for women's soccer. Now we have to build on that by expanding grassroots marketing efforts, leveraging investor resources and learning from this year's overall experience." Looking ahead, the WUSA is currently evaluating best practices across all eight teams to finalize an action plan for year two and beyond. The WUSA Board of Governors met in Boston last weekend, in conjunction with the Championship game at Foxboro, to review results of the first season and develop a plan to dramatically strengthen the league's long term operations. Details of that plan are expected to be announced later this week. The WUSA Investor Group includes media giants AOL Time Warner, Comcast Corporation, Cox Enterprises, Inc. and Cox Communications as well as individual investors John Hendricks and Amos Hostetter. The eight WUSA teams include the Atlanta Beat, Bay Area CyberRays, Boston Breakers, Carolina Courage, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge, San Diego Spirit and the Washington Freedom. League expansion is currently slated for 2003. |
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