All-Star Coaches Announced

June 2, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Monday, June 2, 2003) - Two of the most successful coaches in the WUSA's three-year history will be at the helm for the 2003 Hyundai WUSA All-Star Game, as Washington's Jim Gabarra and Atlanta's Tom Stone were named as head coaches for the midseason showcase. Gabarra, whose Freedom currently sits in first place in the WUSA with a 5-1-1 record for 16 points, will serve as the head coach of the WUSA American Stars. With the Beat currently in second place with a 4-1-3 record for 15 points, Stone will manage the WUSA World Stars. The 2003 Hyundai WUSA All-Star Game will take place June 19 in Cary, NC and will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7:30 pm ET.

Gabarra, 43, returns to the All-Star Game for a second consecutive season. He served as an assistant coach to Marcia McDermott for the South All-Star team in Portland in 2002. Gabarra has compiled a 22-18-9 record all-time for 75 points during the regular season, ranking third among WUSA head coaches. Stone, 37, who was a standout at nearby Duke University where he won an NCAA championship in 1986, will make his All-Star coaching debut. Stone is the WUSA's winningest head coach with a 25-14-11 all-time mark for 86 points. Both Gabarra (2002) and Stone (2001) have advanced to the WUSA Founders Cup, but each coach is still looking for his first win in the league's championship match.

Since WUSA teams have played an uneven amount of games, the All-Star head coaches were decided by the clubs that had the highest points per game as of June 1. Gabarra's Freedom average 2.29 points per game, while Stone's Beat average 1.875 points per game. San Diego's Omid Namazi was next in line, as his Spirit club is averaging 1.625 points per contest.

ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUPS ANNOUNCED TUESDAY, JUNE 3: Two lineups featuring the top players in the world will be unveiled tomorrow when the starters for the WUSA American Stars and WUSA World Stars will be announced. Fans make up one block of voting to select the 11 starters for the WUSA American Stars and the WUSA World Stars squads. The other two blocks that voted on the starting lineups were coaches/GMs and members of the media. Each voting block consisted of 33.3 percent of the vote. Fan voting has concluded and the media ballots are in, but the final tally will not be available until tomorrow morning after all ballots from coaches and general managers are tabulated. Fans should expect many of the stars of this fall's Women's World Cup to be named to the starting lineups. Five additional reserve players will be announced on June 9. The reserve players will be selected by the two All-Star head coaches in conjunction with WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco.

SAN DIEGO SETS CLUB RECORD WITH A SEVEN-GAME UNBEATEN STREAK: The San Diego Spirit stretched their unbeaten streak to a team record seven games after playing to a 1-1 draw against the Atlanta Beat on Saturday, May 31. Spirit captain Julie Foudy scored the tying goal on an 84th minute penalty kick to extend the streak. San Diego currently has a 3-0-4 record for 13 points. Under new Head Coach Omid Namazi, San Diego hopes to qualify for the WUSA Playoffs for the first time in club history. The Spirit went 7-7-7 (28 pts.) in 2001 and 5-11-5 (20 pts.) in 2002.

M & M GIRLS CONTINUE TO LIGHT IT UP: Boston's Dagny Mellgren and Maren Meinert, better known as the "M & M Girls" to their teammates, teamed up again on Saturday, May 31 as Mellgren scored the Breakers' lone goal (with an assist from Meinert) in a 1-0 win over San Jose. Meinert, who has a seven-game point streak, and Mellgren have combined for 12 of the Breakers' 14 goals this season (six each). All four of Meinert's assists this year are to Mellgren.

FOTOPOULOS TIES MILBRETT FOR ALL-TIME WUSA SCORING LEAD: Following a month in which she scorched opposing defenses with four goals and three assists in four games, Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos is now tied with New York's Tiffeny Milbrett as the WUSA's all-time leading scorer at 71 points. "Fotop" has 25 goals and 21 assists during the regular season, while Milbrett has 29 goals and 13 assists. All of the top 10 all-time WUSA scorers are three-year veterans of the league.

WUSA ALL-TIME POINTS LEADERS (TOP 10)
PLAYER TEAM GP GOALS ASTS PTS
1. Fotopoulos, Danielle CAR 49 25 21 71
Milbrett, Tiffeny NY 46 29 13 71
3. Meinert, Maren BOS 47 21 27 69
4. Hooper, Charmaine ATL 46 27 11 65
5. Mellgren, Dagny BOS 47 28 7 63
6. Katia SJC 48 23 10 56
7. Hamm, Mia WAS 36 20 13 53
MacMillan, Shannon SD 43 18 17 53
9. Lilly, Kristine BOS 48 11 28 50
10.Riise, Hege CAR 39 12 23 47

ROCHESTER EXPANSION?: A crowd of 7,664 braved the elements (solid rain) to cheer on local heroes Abby Wambach and Casey Zimny as the Washington Freedom tied the New York Power 2-2 on Saturday, May 31 at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY. Wambach did not disappoint as she scored a goal for the Freedom in the tie.

WUSA officials have been in talks with Frank DuRoss, owner of the A-League's Rhinos, about a future WUSA team in the new PaeTec Park, which opens in 2005. In fact, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle profiled future WUSA expansion in a cover story on page 1A of Sunday's newspaper.

SERLENGA TO BE ON WUSA.COM CHAT THIS WEEK: Atlanta Midfielder Nikki Serlenga will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com live web chat on Tuesday, June 3. The chat will begin at 4:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. (PT) and will last approximately 30 minutes. Serlenga will be on hand to answer fan questions. Fans can submit questions before and during the chat. For more information, log on to www.WUSA.com.

WUSA Game Previews (Week Ten)

Saturday, June 7, 2003 - Carolina Courage at Atlanta Beat - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast); (Season Series: First meeting) (All-time Series History: Carolina leads 4-1-1)

Carolina battled Philadelphia to a 2-2 tie on Saturday, May 31 at Villanova Stadium to extend its road unbeaten streak to two games. The Atlanta Beat took an early lead versus San Diego; however, a late penalty kick goal by the Spirit ended the contest in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, May 31 at Torero Stadium. The last regular season meeting between these two teams resulted in a 1-0 victory for Atlanta at Herndon Stadium on July 27, 2002. Forward Charmaine Hooper set the WUSA record for game-winning goals in a season with her sixth of the 2002 season during the match. The last meeting between these two teams was during the 2002 WUSA Playoffs. On August 17, 2002, the Carolina Courage defeated the Atlanta Beat 2-1 in overtime to advance to Founders Cup II.

Key Players to Watch: Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos (5g, 5a, 15 pts. - 4th among WUSA scoring leaders) notched her fifth goal of the 2003 season on Saturday, May 31. "Fotop" is tied with New York's Tiffeny Milbrett and the WUSA's all-time leading scorer (71 points - 25 goals, 21 assists). Forward Birgit Prinz (4g, 2a, 10 pts. - 9th among WUSA scoring leaders) tallied a goal and an assist versus Philadelphia on May 31. In two games versus Atlanta all-time, Prinz has registered one goal. Midfielder Unni Lehn (4a, 4 pts.) registered her fourth assist of the 2003 season on Saturday, May 31 versus Philadelphia. Lehn is tied for third in the WUSA in assists during the 2003 season.

Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper (4g, 5a, 13 pts. - tied for 5th among WUSA scoring leaders) scored her fourth career goal versus the Spirit all-time (seven matches) on Saturday, May 31. Hooper has registered three goals versus Carolina all-time (five matches). Forward Maribel Dominguez (6g, 4a, 16 pts. - tied for 1st among WUSA scoring leaders) was held scoreless for only her second career WUSA match on Saturday, May 31. The Mexican international leads the WUSA in total shots with 32. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry (4-1-3, 0.63 GAA) recorded five saves versus San Diego en route to her third draw of the 2003 season on May 31. Scurry holds a 1-4-0 record with a 1.80 goals against average versus Carolina all-time (five matches).

Key Matchup: (Carolina forwards Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos versus Atlanta defenders Kylie Bivens and Sharolta Nonen) The Courage has the second leading scoring tandem, behind Atlanta, in the WUSA. Prinz and Fotopoulos have scored a combined 25 points off nine goals and seven assists. With Nancy Augustyniak out, due to a red card suspension, Bivens will likely move into the central defense. Led by Bivens and Nonen, the Beat's defense is the stingiest defense in the WUSA this season (0.63 goals allowed per game) . The Beat's defensive tandem will have to match Carolina's physical play up front to stop the Courage from scoring goals.

The "Inside Scoop": Atlanta has struggled versus Carolina all-time (1-4-1), being outscored by the Courage 10-5. Atlanta's only victory against Carolina took place at Herndon Stadium on July 27,2002. Carolina will look to extend its road unbeaten streak to three with a win or a tie at Atlanta. The Beat will be without defender Nancy Augustyniak (red card versus San Diego - May 31) and midfielder Homare Sawa (Japanese national team duty). The Courage has registered at least one goal in each of its last 11 regular season matches.

They Said it: "We haven't played Carolina yet this season, so we'll have to be prepared for something new when we step onto the field on Saturday. The Courage present problems for us with their two power forwards up top in Prinz and Fotopoulos. Although their record does not show this, Carolina is still a very dangerous team and that attacking duo up top can really do some damage." - Atlanta Beat Head Coach Tom Stone on Carolina.

Referee: Jennifer Bennett. Assistant Referees: Sarah Kraus, Brian D'Amato. 4th Official: Patrick Baker.

Saturday, June 7, 2003 - Philadelphia Charge at San Diego Spirit - 9:00 p.m. (ET) - Cox 4 (San Diego - tape delay at 1:00 a.m. ET); (Season Series: First Meeting) (All-time Series History: Philadelphia leads 3-1-2)

Philadelphia snapped a four-game regular season home losing skid (dating back to July 31, 2002) with a 2-2 tie versus Carolina on Saturday, May 31 at Villanova Stadium. A late penalty kick goal by midfielder Julie Foudy extended San Diego's unbeaten streak to seven games as the Spirit tied the Atlanta Beat 1-1 on Saturday, May 31 at Torero Stadium. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 3-1 victory for Philadelphia over San Diego on August 3, 2002 at Villanova Stadium. The win clinched a berth in the 2002 WUSA Playoffs for the Charge.

Key Players to Watch: Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon (5g, 1a, 11 pts. - tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her sixth career multiple-goal game after scoring two goals versus Carolina on Saturday, May 31. Pichon has recorded one goal versus San Diego all-time (three matches). Midfielder Stacey Tullock (1g, 4a, 6 pts.) notched her team-leading fourth assist of the 2003 season on May 31. In three matches versus San Diego all-time, Tullock has tallied a goal. Midfielder Melanie Hoffmann (1g, 3a, 5 pts.) registered her third assist of the season versus Carolina. This will be Hoffmann's first meeting with San Diego. San Diego's Julie Foudy (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) scored the game-tying goal (PK) on Saturday, May 31 versus Atlanta. Foudy has recorded a goal and an assist versus Philadelphia all-time (six matches). Forward Zhang Ouying (3a, 3 pts.) leads the Spirit (along with teammate Aly Wagner) in assists with three. In two meetings all-time with the Charge, Zhang has notched a goal. Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo (3-1-3, 1.00 GAA) recorded 10 saves during the 1-1 tie with Atlanta on May 31. Pagliarulo is unbeaten in her last six starts (3-0-3).

Key Matchup: (Philadelphia forward Marinette Pichon versus San Diego defender Joy Fawcett) Pichon is Philadelphia's all-time leading goal scorer (19) and leads the Charge in goals scored with five in 2003 (half of the team's goal scoring total this season). Fawcett anchors the third ranked defense (1.00 goal per game) in the WUSA this season. Fawcett and company have not allowed their opponents to score more than one goal since April 5 (opening day).

The "Inside Scoop": Philadelphia's only win of the 2003 season has come on the road. San Diego is currently riding a seven-game regular season unbeaten streak (club record). Philadelphia's Pichon has scored five goals in the Charge's last four games. San Diego will be without the services of Julie Fleeting due to Scottish national team duty. San Diego is unbeaten in its last three home matches (1-0-2).

Referee: Jesse Johnson. Assistant Referees: Fabio Tovar, Sandra Belmont. 4th Official: Kia Dehpanah.

Sunday, June 8, 2003 - Boston Breakers at Washington Freedom - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - CN8 (Boston); (Season Series: First Meeting) (All-time Series History: Boston leads 2-1-3).

Boston moved into third place in the WUSA standings with a 1-0 victory over San Jose on Saturday, May 31 at Nickerson Field. Washington is coming off a bye-week in which the Freedom tied New York 2-2 during an exhibition on Saturday, May 31 in Rochester, NY. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in 1-1 tie on July 24, 2002 at Nickerson Field. Forward Abby Wambach scored her eighth goal of the 2002 season during that match.

Key Players to Watch: Boston's Dagny Mellgren (6g, 1a, 13 pts. - tied for 5th among WUSA scoring leaders) notched her sixth goal (the game-winner) of the 2003 season versus San Jose on May 31. In five meetings all-time versus Washington, Mellgren has tallied three goals and two assists for eight points. Forward/midfielder Maren Meinert (6g, 4a, 16 pts. - tied for 1st among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her fourth assist of the 2003 season on May 31 versus San Jose. Meinert has recorded a point in seven consecutive games. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (4-3-2, 1.89 GAA) tallied six saves en route to her first shutout of the 2003 season on May 31. LeBlanc leads the WUSA in saves with 38. Washington's Mia Hamm (6g, 4a, 16 pts. - tied for 1st among WUSA scoring leaders) registered two assists versus the Power on May 31 (exhibition). Hamm has had the least amount of success versus Boston (one goal in five matches) than any other WUSA team all-time. Forward Abby Wambach (4g, 3a, 11 pts. - tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) scored a goal in the May 31 exhibition with the Power. Wambach has recorded two goals in three matches all-time versus the Breakers. Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix (5-0-1, 0.67 GAA) is unbeaten in her last 12 regular season starts (10-0-2). Mullinix leads the WUSA in victories with five.

Key Matchup: (Boston forward Dagny Mellgren versus Washington defender Jennifer Grubb) Mellgren has found the back of the net for the Breakers in four straight matches and has registered a point in six straight. Grubb and the Washington defense are ranked fourth in the WUSA (1.29 goals per game allowed). Washington has held its opponents to one goal or less in six of the team's seven games this season. Mellgren is second all-time in goal scoring in the WUSA with 28, and is the only Boston player all-time to have registered multiple goals versus the Freedom (3).

The "Inside Scoop": Washington is unbeaten versus Boston in the last three matches (1-0-2). Both Boston's Meinert (seven games) and Mellgren (six games) are riding point scoring streaks. The Boston at Washington game will feature two of the three top scorers in the league (Boston's Meinert and Washington's Hamm - both with 16 points). Of the nine goals allowed by Washington during the 2003 season, eight have been scored at RFK Stadium. Boston has had more success on the road scoring eight of its 14 total goals this season away from Nickerson Field.

They Said it: "They're (Boston) traditionally the team that's played the most attractive soccer, with very dangerous attacking personalities and very mobile defenders. Against Boston we have had a tendency to be outplayed but still have managed to get results. They're a scary team for us." - Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra on Boston.

Referee: Tony Russo. Assistant Referees: Karalee Sutton, Sandra Serafini. 4th Official: John E. Schmitz.

Sunday, June 8, 2003 - New York Power at San Jose CyberRays - 6:00 p.m. (ET) - MSG (New York); (Season Series: First Meeting) (All-time Series History: San Jose leads 5-0-1).

During last week's bye-week, the New York Power played the Washington Freedom to a 2-2 exhibition tie in Rochester, NY on Saturday, May 31. San Jose dropped to fifth place in the WUSA standing with a 1-0 loss to Boston on Saturday, May 31 at Nickerson Field. The last meeting between these teams resulted in a 4-1 victory for San Jose at Spartan Stadium on July 27, 2002. Katia tallied two goals to lead San Jose to its seventh victory of the 2002 season. -

Key Players to Watch: New York's Tiffeny Milbrett (3g, 2a, 8 pts. - tied for 11th among WUSA scoring leaders) has registered three goals all-time versus San Jose (six matches). Milbrett (the WUSA's all-time goal scoring leader - 29) has recorded her last 16 goals on the road. Rookie Christie Welsh (4g, 8 pts. - tied for 11th among WUSA scoring leaders) leads the Power in goals scored with four. Welsh tallied a goal during the Power's exhibition with Washington on May 31. Midfielder Krista Davey (2g, 4 pts.) has come off the bench for New York to lead the league in both points per 90 minutes (3.08) and goals per 90 minutes (1.54). Both of Davey's goals (both game-winners) have resulted in three points for New York. San Jose's Pretinha (3g, 1a, 7 pts.) has registered two goals in San Jose's last two matches. Pretinha has tallied two goals and two assists all-time versus New York (six matches). Midfielder Sissi (1g, 4a, 6 pts.) leads the CyberRays in assists. The Brazilian playmaker is the league's all-time leader in game-winning assists (10). Goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene (4-4-0, 0.88 GAA) is second in the WUSA in goals against average. Beene holds a 5-0-1 record with a 0.67 goals against average all-time versus New York (six matches).

Key Matchup: (New York defender Christie Pearce versus San Jose forward Katia) The WUSA's top goal scorer and CyberRays' 2002 Offensive Player of the Year is off to a very slow start in 2003, just one goal in eight games. Katia has had a lot of success versus the Power in the past (4g, 2a, 10 pts.) and will look to get back among the league's top scorers versus New York. Pearce anchors the eighth ranked defense (2.88 goals per game allowed) and will look to take advantage of Katia's inability to find the back of the net this season.

The "Inside Scoop": New York has never beaten San Jose in six previous meetings (5-0-1), being outscored by the CyberRays 11-4. Three of the Power's four goals all-time versus San Jose have been scored by Milbrett. Since July 26, 2001, Milbrett has found all of her offensive success on the road, scoring her last 16 goals away from Mitchel Athletic Complex. This will be the first match between CyberRays' Head Coach Ian Sawyers and former San Jose Assistant Coach Tom Sermanni (now head coach of New York).

They Said it: "That's going to be fun. He's such a great guy, and he's done such great job with that program. But after a back-breaking loss, it's going to be interesting to see how our players rebound.." - San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers on facing his former assistant Tom Sermanni and the Power.

Referee: Arnold Baldeaux. Assistant Referees: Emiliano Monje, Colin Arblaster. 4th Official: Yader Reyes.

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 06/02/03

ATLANTA BEAT: None.
BOSTON BREAKERS: OUT -GK Tracy Ducar (tendonitis in both knees); M Devvyn Hawkins (L foot stress fracture).
CAROLINA COURAGE: OUT - M Hege Riise (R ACL tear); PROBABLE - D Danielle Slaton (R knee effusion).
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - D Sara Whalen (R ACL tear); D Kristy Whelchel (R ACL tear).
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: OUT - F Kelly Smith (R meniscus tear); M Pavlina Scasna (L foot tendonitis); F Deliah Arrington (R ACL tear).
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: OUT - F Shannon MacMillan (R ACL tear).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: OUT - D Dianne Alagich (L knee sprain).
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 06/02/03

ATLANTA BEAT: M Homare Sawa (Japan).
BOSTON BREAKERS: None.
CAROLINA COURAGE: None.
NEW YORK POWER: None.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: None.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: Julie Fleeting (Scotland).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.

suspension Summary 06/02/03

Player Team Suspension Reason

Nancy Augustyniak Atlanta Beat 6/7 vs. Carolina Red card (5/31 @ SD)

Warning Summary 06/02/03

Player Team Reason

Katia San Jose CyberRays 3 Non - Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated; A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non- consecutive cards accumulated.

Daniela San Diego Spirit 3 Non - Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated; A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non- consecutive cards accumulated.

Sharolta Nonen Atlanta Beat 2 Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated; A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =3 consecutive cards accumulated.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

atlanta beat: The Atlanta Beat battled the San Diego Spirit to a 1-1 tie on Saturday, May 31 at Torero Stadium... Forward Charmaine Hooper recorded her fourth goal of the 2003 season during the 1-1 draw... Midfielder Homare Sawa and defender Sharolta Nonen were each credited with assists on Hooper's goal... Goalkeeper Briana Scurry leads the WUSA in goals against average with 0.63... The league's all-time leader in shutouts (16) became the first player in WUSA history to record 200 catch/punches (202)... Atlanta will be without the services of Sawa (June 7 and June 14) due to Japanese national team duty... The Beat is the only team to have had a player sent off with a red card in 2003 (twice - Kylie Bivens on May 17; Nancy Augustyniak on May 31)... Atlanta is off to its best start in team history (4-1-3, 15 points)... The Beat is also ahead of the team's scoring pace from the past two seasons, registering 18 goals during the first eight games of the 2003 season... Atlanta's defense has allowed only one goal (of five total) during the run of play this season... Atlanta ranks second in team offense (2.25 goals per game) and first in team defense (0.63 goals per game).

boston breakers: Boston moved into third place in the WUSA standings after defeating San Jose 1-0 on Saturday, May 31 at Nickerson Field... Forward Dagny Mellgren scored the game's only goal as the Breakers went on to defeat the CyberRays... Mellgren has registered a goal in four straight games and has recorded a point in six straight... Maren Meinert notched her fourth assist of the season on Mellgren's goal... Meinert has registered a point in seven straight matches... Meinert is second all-time in scoring in the WUSA (69 points) behind New York's Tiffeny Milbrett and Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos... Mellgren and Meinert have combined for 12 of Boston's 14 goals this season... Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc earned her first shutout of the 2003 season... LeBlanc leads the WUSA in saves with 38... Saturday's win over San Jose earned the Breakers their fourth victory of the season in just its ninth game of 2003 (faster than any other season)... Boston ranks fifth in team offense (1.56 goals per game) and fifth in team defense (1.89 goals per game).

carolina courage: Carolina battled to tie Philadelphia 2-2 on Saturday, May 31 at Villanova Stadium... Forwards Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos each scored a goal versus the Charge... Prinz recorded her fourth goal and second assist of the 2003 season on May 31... Fotopoulos notched her fifth goal of the season... "Fotop" recorded four goals and three assists during the month of May... The Carolina striker is tied with New York's Tiffeny Milbrett for the WUSA's all-time lead in scoring (71 points)... Carolina is unbeaten in its last two road matches... Fotopoulos leads the WUSA in assists per game with 0.71... Midfielder Unni Lehn registered her fourth assist of the 2003 season on Fotopoulos' goal... Both Carla Overbeck and Erin Baxter were credited with their first assists of the 2003 season on Prinz' goal... Carolina ranks third in team offense (1.71 goals per game) and sixth in team defense (2.43 goals per game).

new york power: New York is coming off a bye-week in which the Power faced the Freedom in an exhibition on Saturday, May 31 in Rochester, NY... New York and Washington tied that match 2-2... Midfielder Shannon Boxx and forward Christie Welsh each recorded goals versus Washington... Welsh leads the Power in goal scoring with four... Forward Tiffeny Milbrett has recorded her last 16 goals on the road (last goal at home was on July 26, 2001 versus Boston)... Milbrett needs one goal to become the first player in WUSA history to record 30 goals... New York's trip to San Jose on June 8 will mark the return of Tom Sermanni to Spartan Stadium... Prior to being named New York's head coach, Sermanni was an assistant with the CyberRays (2001, 2002)... New York ranks fourth in team offense (1.63 goals per game) and eighth in team defense (2.88 goals per game).

philadelphia charge: On May 31 at Villanova Stadium, the Philadelphia Charge and Carolina Courage each registered a point as the two teams drew 2-2... Forward Marinette Pichon recorded her second multiple-goal game of the 2003 season... Pichon has tallied six multiple-goal games during her WUSA career... The French international leads the WUSA in offside infractions with 18... Midfielders Melanie Hoffmann and Lorrie Fair each were credited with assists on Pichon's first goal of the match... Midfielder Stacey Tullock tallied her fourth assist of the season on Pichon's second goal of the match... Despite allowing 18 goals (second most in the WUSA), the Charge has allowed the fewest shots against (69)... Philadelphia ranks sixth in team offense (1.43 goals per game) and seventh in team defense (2.57 goals per game).

san diego spirit: San Diego extended its unbeaten streak to a team-record seven games with a 1-1 tie versus Atlanta on Saturday, May 31 at Torero Stadium... Midfielder Julie Foudy converted a penalty kick attempt late in the game to earn a point for the Spirit... The penalty kick goal was the second of the 2003 season for Foudy... Foudy is second all-time in WUSA history in penalty kick goals with three... The Spirit is also riding a three-game home unbeaten streak... Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo recorded a club-record and season-high 10 saves versus Atlanta on May 31... "Pags" is unbeaten in her last six starts (3-0-3)... San Diego will be without the team's leading scorer, Julie Fleeting, due to Scottish national team duty... Fleeting leads the WUSA in shots on goal with 21... San Diego's injured forward Shannon MacMillan joined the Cox4 broadcast team as a sideline reporter for the telecast versus Atlanta... San Diego ranks seventh in team offense (1.38 goals per game) and third in team defense (1.00 goal per game).

san jose cyberrays: San Jose was held scoreless for the third time in 2003 as the CyberRays fell to Boston 1-0 on Saturday, May 31 at Nickerson Field... More than half (62%) of the team's goals have been scored by the CyberRays' Brazilians (Sissi, Pretinha and Katia)... San Jose's 2002 Offesnive Player of the Year (Katia) is struggling to find the back of the net this season... Katia, who led the league in scoring (15g, 6a, 36 pts.), has only tallied a goal and two assists for four points in 2003... San Jose's 4-4-0 start to the 2003 season is the best in team history... With five corner kicks versus Boston on May 31, Sissi became the first WUSA player to record 100 corner kicks (102)... San Jose ranks eighth in team offense (1.00 goal per game) and second in team defense (0.88 goals per game)... CyberRays defender Brandi Chastain is scheduled to appear on CBS Television's The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn on Monday, June 9.

washington freedom: Washington is coming off a bye-week in which the Freedom played the New York Power to a 2-2 tie in an exhibition match in Rochester, NY on Saturday, May 31... Forward Abby Wambach and midfielder Lori Lindsey each notched a goal in the match... Forward Mia Hamm registered an assist on both goals... Hamm is tied for the league lead in scoring (6g, 4a, 16 pts.)... Hamm has scored a league-high three game-winning goals in 2003... The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year leads the WUSA in points per game (2.67) and goals per game (1.00)... Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix is unbeaten in her last 12 regular season starts (10-0-2)... Mullinix leads the league in winning percentage (.917), wins (5) and catch/punches (34)... Washington ranks first in team offense (2.57 goals per game) and fourth in team defense (1.29 goals per game).



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 2, 2003


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