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October 10, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Thursday, October 10, 2002) - Despite the fact that a new champion was crowned on August 23, the month of September was anything but quiet for the WUSA. The league witnessed four exhibition matches, including the first-ever WUSA All-Star Game, two trades, three new hires and the brief return of a soccer icon.

The highlight of September was the inaugural WUSA All-Star Game, which was held in Portland, Oregon on September 21. More than 14,000 fans witnessed history, at PGE Park (home of the A-League Portland Timbers). Washington rookie Abby Wambach was named Hyundai MVP of the All-Star Game, recording two goals and an assist to lead the South All-Stars to a 6-1 victory over the North.

The North jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal by 2002 WUSA MVP Marinette Pichon in the 12th minute. The South countered, rattling off six straight goals, including both scores by Wambach. San Diego's Shannon MacMillan and Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper each registered a goal and two assists for the South. Washington's Mia Hamm recorded two assists in the match.

Some WUSA teams wasted no time preparing for the 2003 season. Two trades took place at the end of September. The Spirit and Power exchanged both players and draft picks in the WUSA's largest trade. Shannon Boxx, Sherrill Kester and Margaret Tietjen were sent to New York for Jen Lalor and Wynne McIntosh in late September. Along with the five players, each team swapped first-round picks in the 2003 WUSA Draft, giving San Diego the first overall pick in next season's draft. San Jose and Philadelphia were involved in a trade, sending forward Mandy Clemens to the CyberRays for the Charge's first-round selection in the 2003 WUSA Draft in early February.

There are three new faces in leadership roles among the league's teams. San Diego named Dave Presher as its new general manager, filling the void left after the departure of Kevin Crow, who is now the chief operating officer of the WUSA. Boston named Pia Sundhage as its new head coach while New York hired Tom Sermanni to lead the Power in 2003.

The month of September also saw the return of a soccer icon. FIFA Co-Player of the Century. Michelle Akers suited up and played for the Breakers in an exhibition versus the Freedom on September 14. The former U.S. national team star played the first 45 minutes of the match as Boston defeated Washington 1-0 at Nickerson Field.

POSTSEASON NEWS & NOTES

POSTSEASON ACTION: There were three exhibition matches during the month of September, featuring five WUSA teams.

Three matches took place on September 14. The Washington Freedom faced the Boston Breakers at Nickerson Field, the San Diego Spirit battled the Philadelphia Charge in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and the San Jose CyberRays traveled to Tempe, Arizona to play the Arizona Heatwave (W-League).

In a match honoring former U.S national team star Michelle Akers, Boston defeated Washington 1-0 on September 14. Akers, who had not played in a game since Dec. 17, 2000 when the U.S. national team tied Japan (1-1) in a friendly, played the first half for the Breakers at midfield. In front of 10,297 fans, Boston's Kristine Lilly scored the game's only goal in the 64th minute to give the Breakers the 1-0 victory.

In the first half of a doubleheader that included Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, San Diego and Philadelphia played to a 1-1 draw at the Rose Bowl on September 14. Philadelphia's Jenny Benson gave the Charge an early 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute after converting a penalty kick. Forward Shauna Rohbock scored an 86th-minute equalizer for the Spirit to level the score 1-1. The match marked the first-ever WUSA event in the Rose Bowl, site of the 1999 Women's World Cup.

San Jose rattled off three goals in a 3-0 victory over the Arizona's W-League club on September 14 in Tempe, Arizona. Brandi Chastain started the scoring for the CyberRays with a goal in the 22nd minute when she fired a shot from the top of the penalty area. The CyberRays scored a pair of insurance goals in the second half. Tisha Venturini-Hoch recorded her second assist of the game in the 53rd minute with a square pass from the right side to Pretinha, who had an uncontested 8-yard shot from outside the left post. In the 64th minute, Christina Bell scored on a 10-yard header.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Here's a look at some upcoming matches featuring WUSA teams.

On October 10, the New York Power will battle the Boston Breakers in Wilton Connecticut. The match will begin at 6 p.m. (ET). Wilton is the home of Boston's Kristine Lilly.

On Monday, October 14, the Breakers will face the Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA Hall of Fame Game in Oneonta, New York. The match will begin at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

On Thursday, October 17, the Washington Freedom will face SC Energy (Russian Club) in Germantown, Maryland. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (ET).

Two matches will take place on Saturday, October 19. The Carolina Courage will take on New York in Charleston, South Carolina at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Later that day, the Freedom will battle the Atlanta Beat in Houston, Texas at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY: With the 2003 Women's World Cup in China just around the corner (September 24 - October 11, 2003), many WUSA stars are representing their countries during the postseason. Here is a brief overview of those WUSA standouts in international action.

Australia: San Jose's Diane Alagich played in five matches for the Matildas during the past month.

On September 26, Australia fell to Canada 2-0 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Two days later Australia defeated Canada 1-0 on September 28 in Victoria, British Columbia.

The Australian national team took part in the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup in late September/early October. The Matildas fell to the U.S. 4-0 on October 2 at SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. The Australians defeated Russia 2-0 in their second match of the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup on October 6. The Matildas dropped its final match of the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup with a 1-0 loss to Italy on October 9.

Canada: Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper and Sharolta Nonen teamed with Boston's Karina LeBlanc to take part in a two-game series with Australia in preparation for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, which will begin October 27. Canada split its matches with Australia, defeating the Matildas 2-0 on September 26 in Vancouver, British Columbia and losing 1-0 in Victoria, British Columbia on September 28. All three WUSA stars took part in both matches.

China: Five Chinese internationals from the WUSA are currently taking part in the 14th Asian Games in preparation for the World Cup in 2003. Fan Yunjie, Pu Wei, Sun Wen, Zhao Lihong and Bai Jie are all representing their country in this six-country tournament. On October 2, China defeated Chinese Taipei 1-0. Fan and Pu started for China while Sun, Zhao and Bai all came off the bench in the second half. In the second match of the tournament, China and North Korea battled to a scoreless draw on October 5 as all five WUSA players started. China defeated Vietnam 4-1 on October 7. Bai scored China's fourth and final goal in the 53rd minute. Both Pu and Sun did not play in the match. On October 9, China battled rival Japan to a 2-2 draw. Bai netted both goals (48th and 56th minute) to put her squad level with Japan. The Chinese national team has one more match in the tournament. China will battle South Korea on October 11.

France: 2002 WUSA MVP Marinette Pichon and France are in good position to qualify for the 2003 Women's World Cup in China.

Pichon scored in the first half of the home leg of the series in Lens in front of 8,000 fans before Sonia Bompastor added a second goal five minutes later. France defeated Denmark 2-0 on August 24. In the away leg in Odense on September 15, Louise Hansen put the Danes in front as they searched for a second goal to send the game to golden goal overtime, but Séverine Lecoufle scored two minutes from time for France. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with France winning the playoff 3-1 on aggregate goals.

The victory puts France into a two-leg playoff against England (on October 17 at Selhurst Park in London) for a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup.

Germany: Germany defeated Norway 3-1 in a friendly on September 14 with a goal from Boston's Bettina Wiegmann. Martina Müller and Wiegmann staked the Germans to a 2-0 lead in the first half before Norway's Camilla Fosse Sæthre halved the deficit. Conny Pohlers added an insurance goal for the Germans moments later for the final margin of victory.

Germany head coach Tina Theune-Meyer has scheduled two upcoming friendlies in the next few months. On October 17, Germany will face Denmark in Ulm and on November 14 the Germans will take the field against fellow World Cup participant Russia in Lüdenscheid.

Japan: Atlanta's Homare Sawa has led Japan a 2-1-1 in the 14th Asian Games. Sawa has been responsible for three of the team's six total goals in the tournament, starting all four games.

On October 2, Japan fell to North Korea 1-0. Japan bounced back on October 4, defeating Vietnam 3-0. Sawa notched the team's third goal in the 89th minute. Sawa's goal in the 15th minute of Japan's 1-0 win over South Korea on October 7 proved to be the game-winner. On October 9, Japan played rival China to a 2-2 draw as Sawa registered the second goal of the match. Japan will face Chinese Taipei on October 11 to close out the tournament.

Mexico: In preparation for World Cup qualifying in CONCACF, five WUSA players were called Mexico's national team camp in September. San Jose's Linnea Quiñones, Lisa Nañez and Gina Oceguera-Eagleson, Washington's Monica Gerardo, and Boston's Monica Gonzalez all took part in a 10-day camp in Mexico City and Southern California from September 19-29.

In the 2002 Women's Gold Cup, Mexico will face the United States (October 27), Panama (October 29) and Trinidad & Tobago (November 2) with a chance to qualify for the 2003 Women's World Cup in China.

Norway: Four WUSA players took part in an international friendly with Germany on September 14. Hege Riise, Unni Lehn, Dagny Mellgren and Anita Rapp took part in a 3-1 loss to Germany in front of more than 3,000 fans in Grimstad, Norway.

Scotland: In the first-ever meeting between the two countries, Scotland (led by San Diego's Julie Fleeting) fell to the United States 8-2 on September 8 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Fleeting scored for Scotland in the 34th minute to draw the match even at 1-1.

The United States: 20 WUSA stars took the field for the U.S. national team during September (Briana Scurry; Kate Sobrero; Heather Mitts; Thori Bryan; Kelly Lindsey; Brandi Chastain; Jenny Benson; Tiffany Roberts; Jena Kluegel; Lorrie Fair; Kristine Lilly; Angela Hucles; Julie Foudy; Shannon MacMillan; Cindy Parlow; Abby Wambach; Mia Hamm; Joy Fawcett; Danielle Slaton; Siri Mullinix).

On September 8, the U.S. faced Scotland at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Washington's Hamm and Wambach led Team USA to an 8-2 victory with each notching a hat trick in the match. In the first-ever match between these two nations, the U.S. rattled off six unanswered goals in the second half to put away Scotland. Hamm also tallied three assists in the match. Four different WUSA players (Hamm, Wambach, MacMillan, Parlow) each scored for the U.S.

The U.S. opened up the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup with a 5-1 victory over Russia on September 29 at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, New York. Hamm registered two goals and an assist in the victory. Chastain put the U.S. on the board early with a penalty kick in the 25th minute. Parlow notched her 50th career international goal (becoming the sixth U.S. player to record 50 or more goals in her career) to extend the lead to 2-0. Hamm scored two goals in a three-minute span to put the game away. Second half substitute Aly Wagner (Santa Clara Univ.) recorded the team's fifth goal of the match in the 64th minute.

In the second match of the 2002 Nike U.S Women's Cup the United States defeated Australia 4-0 at SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina on October 2. Parlow netted two goals to lead the U.S. to the solid victory. Chastain put the U.S. on the board in the 23rd minute with her second straight PK in as many games. MacMillan rounded out the scoring with a goal in the 74th minute to give the U.S. a 4-0 lead.

The U.S. remained a perfect 24-0-0in the Nike U.S. Women's Cup, earning their eighth in as many tries, defeating Italy 4-0 on October 6 at SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. Four different members of the U.S. squad (three from the WUSA) scored in this match. After finishing the first half with a 0-0 draw, the U.S. tallied four goals in the second half. Lilly scored first in the 64th minute, 17-year-old Heather O'Reilly recorded her first career international goal in the 69th minute. Fawcett added to the U.S. lead with a goal in the 73rd minute, and Chastain notched her third consecutive penalty kick goal in as many games in the 78th minute to cap off the scoring.

The U.S. will now head to Victoria, British Columbia for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, beginning October 27. The U.S. will face Mexico on October 2 in the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California), Trinidad & Tobago on October 29 at Titan Stadium (Fullerton, California) and Panama on November 2 at SAFECO Field (Seattle, Washington).

NEW HIRES: There were three new hires in key leadership roles in the WUSA in September.

Boston Breakers Name Head Coach - On August 29 the Boston Breakers announced Pia Sundhage (Soond - Haga) as the team's new head coach. Prior to being named coach of the Breakers, Sundhage was an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Charge the past two seasons.

Sundhage is considered one of the world's all-time great female soccer players. She was sixth in the voting for the FIFA Player of the Century. Sundhage, who played her first international match at age 15, retired from competition in 1996 and earned 146 caps playing for the Swedish National Team.

New York Power Names Head Coach - Former San Jose CyberRays assistant coach Tom Sermanni was named the New York Power head coach on September 4.

Sermanni also coached the Australian women's national team from 1994 through 1996 with a record of 13-16-3. His 1995 team qualified for and played in the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden. Prior to joining the CyberRays in 2000, Sermanni coached the Canberra (Australia) Cosmos of the men's National Soccer League.

San Diego Spirit Names General Manager - On September 2, Dave Presher was named the San Diego Spirit's new general manager.

Presher will be responsible for overseeing the entire operation of the club, including sponsor and ticket sales, business development and affairs, human resources, community relations, marketing, and promotions.

Presher's previous business experience is based largely in the radio and television industry. Most recently, he was the vice president/general manager of three Viacom/Infinity Broadcasting radio stations in Dallas. Under Presher's guidance, smooth jazz radio station KOAI increased sales 40 percent.

From 1996-1999, Presher served as the general sales manager for KTWV-FM in Los Angeles, where he drove overall sales revenues from $23 million to $37 million.

TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS: Four WUSA teams wasted no time in preparing for the 2003 season in late September/early October.

1) On September 30, a deal between the New York Power and San Diego Spirit was made which involved five players and two draft picks (the largest trade in WUSA history). New York sent midfielder Jen Lalor and forward Wynn McIntosh along with the Power's first-round pick in the 2003 WUSA Draft (first overall) to the Spirit for midfielders Shannon Boxx and Sherrill Kester, defender Margaret Tietjen and San Diego's first-round pick in the 2003 WUSA Draft (second overall).

2) On October 1, the Philadelphia Charge sent forward Mandy Clemens to San Jose for the CyberRays first pick in the 2003 WUSA Draft (fourth overall).

The acquisition of the draft pick gives the Charge three first-round selections in the 2003 draft, which will be held in early February. Philadelphia, which acquired Washington's first-round selection in a trade during the 2002 season, holds the fourth (via San Jose), sixth (via Washington) and seventh picks.

Clemens will be returning to the Bay Area where she claimed the Hermann Trophy and Missouri Athletic Club Award as the NCAA's best female soccer player her senior season at Santa Clara University in 1999.

3) On October 1, the New York Power waived forward Emily Stauffer.

4) On October 1, the San Jose CyberRays waived forward Christina Bell.

WUSA STARS ON LOAN: Two WUSA players are currently on loan to German club FFC Frankfurt. Carolina forward Birgit Prinz and Washington defender Steffi Jones have been with their former club team since August 28 and will remain with FFC Frankfurt until early February.

Prinz (3 goals) and Jones (2 goals) have led FFC Frankfurt to a 4-2-0 (first place in the Women's Bundesliga) record during the 2002/2003 season.

In the UEFA Women's Cup, Prinz and Jones have led FFC Frankfurt to the quarterfinals (beginning October 28) after winning Group 3 with a perfect 3-0-0 record. In those three matches FFC Frankfurt outscored its opponents 17-1. On September 25, FFC Frankfurt defeated Nis 2-0 in the first match of the Group phase of the tournament. In the second match on September 27, Prinz' hat trick led FFC Frankfurt to an 8-0 victory over Osijek. Jones tallied the final goal of the match in the 90th minute. In the third and final match of the group phase (September 29), FFC Frankfurt defeated Shamrock Rovers 7-1. Jones recorded two goals in that match.

TRAINING AROUND THE WUSA: Here is brief look at the offseason practice schedules for all eight WUSA teams during the postseason:

Atlanta Beat: Atlanta will be training at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia during the week of October 14 in preparation for its match with Washington on October 19 in Houston, Texas.

Boston Breakers: Boston began a one-week mini-camp on Monday, October 7 at Nickerson Field. The mini-camp includes exhibition games versus New York (October 10) and Philadelphia (October 14).

Carolina Courage: Carolina began postseason training on October 10 at SAS Stadium. The Courage will continue to train in Cary, North Carolina until October 18. Carolina will head to Charleston, South Carolina on October 18 to prepare for an exhibition with the New York Power on Saturday, October 19.

New York Power: New York began training on Wednesday, October 9 at Mitchel Athletic Complex. The Power will continue its postseason training in Uniondale until Friday, October 18. On October 19, New York will face the Carolina Courage in an exhibition in Charleston, S.C.

Philadelphia Charge: There are no scheduled postseason training sessions for Philadelphia.

San Diego Spirit: San Diego will be training at the Allen Field Soccer Complex (November 2-10) in La Jolla, California.

San Jose CyberRays: San Jose will be training at West Valley College (November 1-14) in Saratoga, California.

Washington Freedom: Washington will train in the D.C. area on Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16 before facing SC Energy (Russian club) on October 17. The Freedom will then head to Houston, Texas to face the Atlanta Beat on October 19.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from October 10, 2002


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