Around The WUSA

Published on November 7, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release

ATLANTA (Thursday, November 7, 2002) - Two months after the end of the 2002 WUSA season the focus has shifted to 2003. All eight WUSA squads are looking to improve from year two with offseason training and exhibitions. The focus has also shifted towards the international competition.

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING: Leading the way is the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, the qualifying tournament for the Women's World Cup, which began on October 27. Eight teams (United States, Panama, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti and Jamaica) battled for a spot in the semifinals and a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup. On November 6, four teams (United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) with the influence of the WUSA (20 WUSA players are competing in this tournament - United States 16; Canada 2; Mexico 2) battled for a shot at the Gold Cup finals. In the semifinals, the U.S. defeated Costa Rica 7-0 while Canada dropped Mexico 2-0 at SAFECO Field in Seattle, Washington. Both the United States and Canada clinched berths in the 2003 Women's World Cup. The U.S. will face Canada in the Gold Cup finals on Saturday, November 9 at 10:00 p.m. (ET) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The 2003 Women's World Cup (September 24 - October 11, 2003) will be played in five Chinese cities (Shanghai, Hagkou, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu). The tournament will consist of 16 teams (six have already qualified - United States, Canada, China PR, Norway, Germany, Russia and Sweden) battling to become world champion.

The United States will now have the opportunity to defend its 1999 crown after qualifying for the Fourth Women's World Cup. During the Gold Cup, the U.S. has outscored its opponents 22-0 with players from the WUSA scoring 20 of the United States' total goals.

The WUSA is also making an impact on World Cup qualifying outside of CONCACAF. 2002 WUSA Most Valuable Player Marinette Pichon has helped France move one step closer to earning the fifth and final spot (UEFA) in the Women's World Cup next year with a 1-0 victory over England on October 17. Pichon's 75th-minute goal versus England gave France the first-leg advantage in the two-leg playoff between the two squads. A draw in the second leg versus England in Saint-Etienne on November 16 will be enough for France to claim Europe's fifth and final berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup.

POSTSEASON NEWS & NOTES

NAMAZI TAKES THE HELM: On October 25, the San Diego Spirit announced the hiring of Omid Namazi as the team's third head coach in the club's history. Prior to being named coach of the Spirit, Namazi led the Philadelphia KiXX (MISL) to three consecutive playoff appearances and the 2002 MISL title as a player-coach.

Namazi, who is a USSF "A" licensed coach and served as a staff coach of the New Jersey Olympic Development Program, was a five-time National Professional Soccer League (now the MISL) All-Star and is the KiXX all-time leader in assists. Prior to coaching the KiXX, he served as assistant coach with the Staten Island Vipers of the outdoor U.S. men's second division A-League in 1999, leading the team to a 19-9 mark and the conference quarterfinals. He played professionally in the American Soccer League with the Washington Diplomats and in the American Professional Soccer League with the Maryland Bays, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and the LA Salsa. In 1996 he was a member of the MetroStars (MLS).

POSTSEASON ACTION: Six teams (Atlanta, Boston, Carolina, New York, Philadelphia and Washington) closed out the 2002 postseason with exhibitions last month while two teams (San Diego and San Jose) have begun offseason training early in November.

On October 10, the Boston Breakers hosted the New York Power in Wilton, Connecticut (home of Boston's Kristine Lilly). The Power began the Tom Sermanni era with a 3-0 victory over the Breakers. Forwards Tiffeny Milbrett and Tammy Pearman each notched a goal and an assist in the match. Newly acquired Margaret Tietjen (from San Diego) assisted on a goal by Minna Mustonen (59th minute) to close out the scoring.

The Philadelphia Charge faced the Breakers in the WUSA Hall of Fame Game in Oneonta, New York on October 14. An 88th-minute goal by Lilly pushed Boston past the Charge for a 2-1 victory at At-A-Glance Field on the grounds of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Midfielder Sarah Yohe put the Breakers on the board with a goal in the 28th minute. Philadelphia's Tara Koleski drew the contest even at 1-1 with a goal in the 68th minute. The victory marked the first win for the Breakers under new Head Coach Pia Sundhage.

The Washington Freedom and Atlanta Beat squared off in the Space City Shootout in Houston, Texas on October 19. In soggy conditions, the Freedom defeated the Beat 3-2 in front of a capacity crowd (5,000) at Rice University's Track and Soccer Stadium. Washington's Meredith Beard was named the MVP of the game after recording two goals in the match, including the game-winner in the 88th minute. Australian international and Freedom guest player Kelly Golebioski notched an assist on all three Washington scores in the match. Tracey Milburn netted the Freedom's second goal of the match in 79th minute. Charmaine Hooper (23rd minute) and Marci Miller (90th minute) each scored for the Beat.

The Carolina Courage faced New York in a 0-0 draw in Charleston, South Carolina on October 19. The two teams battled to a scoreless tie at Blackbaud Stadium while experimenting with new players as part of the offseason tryout period. New York was playing without the services of defender Sarah Whalen and forwards Milbrett and Pearman while Carolina was missing forwards Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos, midfielders Hege Riise and Unni Lehn, and defender Danielle Slaton.

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY: Six countries featuring WUSA players took the pitch during late October/early November.

Canada: Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper, and Sharolta Nonen and Boston's Karina LeBlanc led the Canadian national team to a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup and the finals of the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup in Victoria, British Columbia (Oct. 30 - Nov. 9). In its first match of group play, Canada defeated Haiti 11-1 on October 30. Hooper recorded a hat trick in the lopsided match. Former Carolina Courage forward Silvana Burtini netted two goals in the match for Canada. On November 1, Canada defeated Jamaica 9-0. Hooper notched a goal in the 20th minute during the match to clinch a spot in the Gold Cup Semifinals. In the team's final match in Group 2, Canada was victorious over Costa Rica 3-0. Hooper tallied two goals in the match to give her club a first place finish in the group (3-0-0).

In the semifinals of the Women's Gold Cup, Canada defeated Mexico 2-0 at SAFECO Field in Seattle, Washington. Both goals were scored on own goals by Mexico. The first goal came in the 10th minute as Mexico's Dioselina Valderrama headed a Nonen free kick past goalkeeper Jennifer Molina. In the 70th minute, Molina could only watch helplessly as Elizabeth Gomez inadvertently kicked the ball into her own net, trying to handle a difficult cross from Hooper. Canada will next face the United States in the Gold Cup finals on Saturday, November 9 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The match is slated for 10:00 p.m. (ET).

China: Philadelphia's Zhao Lihong, San Diego's Fan Yunjie and Washington's Bai Jie helped lead China to a second place in the 14th Asian Games with a 4-0 win over South Korea on October 11. Zhao registered a goal in the 64th minute and recorded two assists (69th minute and 85th minute) to guide China to the victory. The win gave China the silver medal in the tournament after tallying a record of three wins, no losses and two draws to finish with 11 points. North Korea earned the gold medal in the 14th Asian Games after finishing the tournament with four wins, one draw and no losses.

France: Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon has moved France one step closer to a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup in China (September 24 - October 11, 2003). The 2002 WUSA MVP recorded a goal in the 75th minute to give France the first-leg advantage with a 1-0 victory over England on October 17 at Selhurst Park in London. A draw or win in next month's home leg match and France will earn a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup. The match will take place in Saint-Etienne on November 16.

Japan: Atlanta's Homare Sawa led Japan a third place finish with a 3-1-1 (10 pts.) in the 14th Asian Games. Sawa was responsible for three of the team's eight total goals in the tournament and started all five games. On October 11, Japan (with Sawa in the starting lineup) defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 to take the bronze medal in the 14th Asian Games.

Mexico: Boston's Monica Gonzalez and Washington's Monica Gerardo led Mexico to the semifinals of the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold. Gonzalez and Gerardo, both veterans of Mexico's World Cup '99 squad, have led Mexico to a semifinal match versus Canada on November 6 at SAFECO Field in Seattle, Washington after finishing second in Group 1 (2-1-0). On October 27 Mexico opened group play with a 3-0 loss to the United States. In its second match of the tournament, Mexico defeated Panama 5-1 on October 29. Gonzalez notched two goals as Mexico earned its first victory of the tournament. In its final match of Group 1 play, Mexico defeated Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 on November 2 as Gerardo notched both goals in the match to give Mexico a berth in the semifinals on November 6. With a chance to earn a spot in the 2003 Women's World Cup and a trip to the Gold Cup finals, Mexico face Canada on November 6. Two own goals by Mexico resulted in a 2-0 loss to Canada in the Gold Cup semifinals. Mexico will next face Costa Rica in the third place match of the Gold Cup on November 9 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

The United States: 16 WUSA players suited up for the U.S. national team to take part in the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup (World Cup Qualifying) in late October/early November. (LaKeysia Beene; Brandi Chastain; Tiffany Roberts; Joy Fawcett; Kate Sobrero; Jenny Benson; Lorrie Fair; Angela Hucles; Julie Foudy; Shannon MacMillan; Tiffeny Milbrett; Abby Wambach; Briana Scurry; Mia Hamm; Cindy Parlow; Kristine Lilly).

On October 27, the United States defeated Mexico 3-0 in its first match of the Gold Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Aly Wagner (Santa Clara University), Parlow and MacMillan scored for the U.S. as it took control of Group 1 in this eight-team tournament, which will send its top two finishers to the fourth Women's World Cup next year in China. The U.S. outshot Mexico 25-2 in the opening match victory. Lilly recorded two assists in the match, while Hamm tallied an assist on MacMillan's goal in the 42nd minute.

The United States' second match of the tournament was against Trinidad & Tobago on October 29 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, California. The U.S. defeated T&T 3-0 to take one step closer to a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup in China. Parlow, Chastain and Milbrett each scored in the match. Milbrett also registered an assist on Chastain's goal in the 54th minute. For the second straight match the U.S. blanked its opponent, outshooting T&T 30-1.

In the final match of Group 1 play, the United States defeated Panama 9-0 on November 2 at SAFECO Field in Seattle, Washington. Milbrett led the way for the U.S., tying a national team record for goals in a game (5). The New York Power forward registered a natural hat trick in the first nine minutes of the match. Shannon MacMillan added to the U.S. score, tallying two goals and an assist in the match. Wambach, who replaced East Brunswick (NJ) High School's Heather O'Reilly (strained hip flexor suffered on October 27 versus Mexico), recorded a goal and two assists. Boston's Hucles registered two assists while Carolina's Roberts scored a goal in the 40th minute. With the victory the United States finished atop Group 1 (3-0-0), advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.

In the semifinals of the Gold Cup, the U.S. defeated Costa Rica 7-0 on November 6 at SAFECO Field in Seattle, Washington. Parlow recorded her fifth hat trick of her international career, scoring the first three goals of the match. MacMillan and Lilly each recorded a goal and an assist in the match. Hucles extended the United States' lead to 4-0 with a goal in the 65th minute while an own goal by Costa Rica's Cinthia Lopez gave the U.S. a 5-0 lead in the 79th minute. Foudy, Cat Reddick (University of North Carolina) and Wagner (Santa Clara University) each notched an assist in the match.

With the victory the U.S. clinched a berth in the 2003 Women's World Cup in China as well as a spot in the Gold Cup finals versus Canada on Saturday, November 9. The match will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California at 10:00 p.m. (ET).

TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS: The San Diego Spirit and New York Power took part in the league's only trade during late October.

1) On October 15, the New York Power sent midfielder Sherrill Kester and its third round pick in the 2003 WUSA Draft (17th overall) to San Diego for goalkeeper Carly Smolak.

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 (4 goals) and Jones (2 goals) have led FFC Frankfurt to a 5-2-0 (first place in the Women's Bundesliga) record during the 2002/2003 season. In FFC Frankfurt's last match, Prinz scored a goal in the 90th minute in a 3-0 victory over FFC Heike Rheine on October 27.

In the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women's Cup, Jones' goal in the 64th minute, secured a victory in the first leg as FFC Frankfurt defeated HJK Helsinki 2-0 on November 2 in the Finnish capital. Both goals in the match were scored on Prinz corner kicks. The second leg of the quarterfinals will take place in Germany on December 1.

HOOPER NAMED TO USL HALL OF FAME: Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper will be inducted into the USL Hall of Fame on November 7. The first woman and Canadian to be inducted, Hooper has been the star of the Canadian Women's National Team since its official formation in 1986. Hooper, the Beat's all-time leading scorer (23g, 6a, 52 pts.), is tied for third among the all-time leading scorers in the WUSA. A 2002 WUSA All-Star, Hooper led the league with six game-winning goals in 2002. Prior to the formation of the WUSA in 2001, Hooper was a member of the Chicago Cobras (1998-00) and the Rockford Dactyls (1995-97) of the W-League.

Hooper is the only W-League player to lead the league in scoring three times (1995, 1998, 2000). As a member of the Dactyls, Hooper tallied 31 points in 1995. Three years later as a member of the Cobras, Hooper lead the league in points (52) and goals (23) and was honored as the W-1 Most Valuable Player. She led the team to the W-1 Championship game the following two years, finally claiming the title in 2000 after leading the league in scoring for the third time with 31 points along with her league-leading goal total of 13.

TRADING SPACES: On October 26 at 8 p.m. (ET), four members of the Philadelphia Charge (Jen Tietjen, Erica Iverson, Mary-Frances Monroe and Karyn Hall) made their television debut on the show "Trading Spaces" on TLC (The Learning Channel). The episode was the first that featured professional athletes on the hit show. Iverson and Tietjen swapped homes with Hall and Monroe and redecorated a room in each other's place.

Hosted by Paige Davis, "Trading Spaces" features neighbors who have volunteered to be on the show swap houses for two days while they redecorate one room in each other's homes. The participants each work with one of a rotating cast of interior designers and $1,000 budget.

The trade-off is that the homeowners can't see their own homes until the end of the second day and have nothing to say about what's going on in their house.

"It was great," Monroe said afterwards. "Karyn (Hall) and I were worried that Jen (Tietjen) and Erica (Iverson) would make our place look horrible. But we were pleased with the result."

DECEMBER ROSTER CUT DOWN AND WAIVERS DRAFT: On December 1 each of the eight WUSA teams will be required to cut its roster to no more than 18 players (including three reserves) and no less than 12. A waivers draft will be held of Thursday, December 5. Any player released on the December 1 waivers deadline will be available to be picked up by another team via the December 5 waivers draft. Any player not selected in the waivers draft may re-enter the league through the tryout process. 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 and Morris Brown College (November 18-22), in Atlanta, Georgia. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Beat will be training at Morris Brown College in the morning and Agnes Scott College in the afternoon. On Thursday and Friday training will be held at Agnes Scott.

Boston Breakers: There are no scheduled postseason training sessions for Boston.

Carolina Courage: There are no scheduled postseason training sessions for Carolina.

New York Power: There are no scheduled postseason training sessions for New York.

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: There are no scheduled postseason training sessions for Washington.

Women's United Soccer Association Stories from November 7, 2002

• Around The WUSA - WUSA
• CyberRays hold annual Fan Appreciation Picnic Sunday in San Jose's Kelley Park - San Jose CyberRays

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