Possible Preview of Founders Cup II

Published on July 15, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release

ATLANTA (Monday, July 15, 2002) - The WUSA's top two teams will battle for first place on Saturday, July 20 when league leader Carolina Courage (10-2-3, 33 pts.) visits the Philadelphia Charge (9-1-4, 31 pts.) in a nationally televised match on PAX at 4:00 pm ET. Saturday's match could be a preview of Founders Cup II, the WUSA's championship game that will be played in Atlanta on August 24.

Both clubs are currently on successful streaks. Carolina has won a WUSA-record five consecutive games, while Philadelphia owns an nine-game unbeaten streak (5-0-4), which is the best in the WUSA this season and third best in league history. The Courage's last loss was June 19 against Philadelphia, one of two identical 3-1 losses to the Charge during he 2002 regular season. The Charge's last, and only, loss this season came back on May 19 in San Diego. With a victory over Carolina, Philadelphia would move back into first pace in the WUSA standings and tie San Jose's WUSA-record 10-game unbeaten streak set in 2001.

Philadelphia forward Marinette Pichon has been one of the most effective players against the Courage this season, scoring two goals in each of the Charge's wins. Pichon is tied for the league lead in points with 25 and is first in goals with 12. However, Washington was successful in limiting the French national team standouts touches on the ball during Sunday's 1-1 draw with the Charge at RFK Stadium.

Carolina features the WUSA most productive scoring tandem during the last 45 days. Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos (8g, 6a, 22pts.- tied for 5th in WUSA scoring) and Birgit Prinz (8g, 5a, 21 pts. - tied for 7th in the WUSA) face the WUSA's stingiest defense, as the Charge allows just 0.86 goals per game. Carolina is the only WUSA team that has not been shut out during the 2002 season.

"They are a handful," said Philadelphia Head Coach Mark Krikorian, referring to Carolina's Fotopoulos and Prinz. "It's virtually impossible to defend either of them one-on-one. We'll certainly have a group effort to try and stop them."

Following last year's 6-12-3 (21 pts.) season, Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott made a number of personnel changes that have played key roles in the club's amazing turnaround. But Krikorian also points out that lesser known players are contributing to the Courage's success.

"I have the utmost respect for Marcia and her staff with some of the choices they made during the offseason," Krikorian added. "But it's not just about new faces like Danielle Slaton, Birgit Prinz and Unni Lehn. Nel Fettig has made an impact. Tiffany Roberts is playing at a much higher level, and players such as Erin Baxter and Staci Burt have elevated their games. I'm not surprised at Carolina's success, but I'm not sure I would have predicted it."

Saturday's matchup also pits the WUSA's most successful home club against the league's hottest road team. Philadelphia is 5-0-2 at Villanova Stadium this season, having outscored its opponents 15-6 at home. Dating back to last season, the Charge is 7-0-3 in the club's last 10 as the host, marking the longest home unbeaten streak in league history. All-time Philadelphia is 10-3-3 at home. However, Carolina is 5-0-2 on the road this season, making the Courage the only WUSA squad that has not tasted defeat on the road in 2002.

Should Carolina and Philadelphia finish first and second at the conclusion of the regular season, the two clubs would not face each other in the WUSA Playoff semifinals as the top seed faces the number four club and the second place team battles the third place squad. Following the one-game semifinals, the two winners advance to Atlanta for a chance to bring home the Founders Cup on August 24.

"We're still hoping to qualify right now," said Krikorian when asked about a potential matchup against Carolina at Founders Cup II. "Who knows? Once we qualify, our goal will be to secure home field advantage and then see what we can do in the semifinals."

* - Atlanta wins tie-breaker with San Jose and Washington due to Head-to-Head Competitions against all other teams equal in points (Atlanta 9 pts., San Jose 4 pts., Washington 4 pts.). San Jose wins tie-breaker with Washington due to Head-to-Head Goal Differential against all other teams equal in points (+1).

Tie-Breaking
1) Head-to-Head Competition (against all other teams equal in points)
2) Head-to-Head Goal Differential (against all other teams equal in points)
3) Overall Goal Differential
4) Total Goals
5) Disciplinary Points (5 -each Yellow Card; 10 - each Red Card or Staff Send-off) CAROLINA EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO WUSA-RECORD FIVE GAMES: With Carolina's 2-1 win over Boston Saturday evening at SAS Stadium, the Courage set a WUSA record for consecutive victories. Carolina has now won five straight games, eclipsing the previous mark set when Philadelphia started the 2002 season with four consecutive wins. The win also moved the Courage (10-2-3) into temporary possession of first place in the league standings, two points ahead of Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA STREAKING TOWARDS THE PLAYOFFS: The Philadelphia Charge extended its undefeated streak to nine games with a 1-1 tie versus Washington on Sunday, July 14. The Charge enters this week looking to tie the WUSA record for consecutive games without a loss (10). The 2001 Bay Area CyberRays hold that record. The CyberRays went 10 games without losing a match (June 2-July 22, 2001) en route to a berth in the 2001 playoffs and ultimately the Founders Cup. What lies in store for this year's longest unbeaten streak?

Below is a comparison between each season's longest unbeaten streak:

Team Streak Record Points Goals For/Against Position

2001 Bay Area CyberRays 10 games 7-0-3 24 14-3 2nd

2002 Philadelphia Charge nine games 5-0-4 19 16-7 2nd

NEW YORK EXTENDS LOSING STREAK TO WUSA-RECORD EIGHT GAMES: On the flip side of Carolina setting the WUSA record for consecutive wins and Philadelphia's unbeaten streak, the New York Power continues to lengthen its WUSA record for consecutive losses. With Saturday's 4-1 loss to Atlanta, New York has now lost eight consecutive matches. New York last won on May 25, a 2-1 victory over San Diego. The Power has been outscored 29-11 during the eight-game losing streak.

CAROLINA'S BIRGIT PRINZ IS UNSTOPPABLE: Just how good is Carolina Courage forward Birgit Prinz? Well, Carolina is 7-1-1 since Prinz made her debut June 1. On Saturday, July 14 in a 2-1 victory over Boston, the German national team star scored her eighth goal of the season - in just nine games - and registered her fifth straight game with a goal, which ties the WUSA record set last season by Tiffeny Milbrett of the New York Power. Teammate Danielle Fotopoulos assisted on the goal, as both she and Prinz added to their league-record run of scoring a point in nine straight games.

"What's happening is teams have to commit two, and sometimes three, people to defend (Birgit) at any one time," Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott said. "That means Fotop(oulos), Unni (Lehn), Hege (Riise) - a great crop of goal scorers to have around Birgit - can create other opportunities as a whole to get in to the attack."

HAMM TO MAKE 2002 NATIONAL TEAM DEBUT JULY 21?: She made her first start on Sunday, July 14 in a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia, and the world's all-time leading scorer, Mia Hamm, may also start for the USA against Norway on July 21 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. The match will be televised live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET. The U.S. team will arrive in Minnesota on July 16 and Head Coach April Heinrichs will use the training camp to pick 18 players to face Norway.

The U.S. women will be looking to break a frustrating four-game losing streak to the Norwegians, all on foreign soil, which has seen the USA play equal to or better than Norway over the four matches, dating back to the 2000 Olympic gold medal game in Sydney, Australia, a crushing 3-2 sudden death overtime loss. In the next meeting, a young U.S. team fell 4-3 to Norway at the 2001 Algarve Cup in Portugal. The USA has also lost to Norway twice this year, 1-0 at the Four Nations Tournament in China in January and 3-2 at the 2002 Algarve Cup. Norway remains the only team in the world with an all-time winning record against the U.S. women, who are 13-18-2 vs. the Scandinavians.

Sunday's matchup will feature teammates vs. teammates as Carolina's Tiffany Roberts squares off against Courage midfielders Hege Riise and Unni Lehn from Norway. In addition, New York's Tiffeny Milbrett will go against her Power teammates Anita Rapp and Linda Ormen of Norway.

The 18 WUSA American players who were called into camp represent more than 1,800 international appearances. The following is a list of WUSA players who will be in camp training for Sunday's U.S. vs. Norway match.

USA - Cindy Parlow (Atlanta), Briana Scurry (Atlanta), Kylie Bivens (Atlanta), Kate Sobrero (Boston), Jena Kluegel (Boston), Angela Hucles (Boston), Tiffany Roberts (Carolina), Tiffeny Milbrett (New York), Lorrie Fair (Philadelphia), Jenny Benson (Philadelphia), Heather Mitts (Philadelphia), Shannon MacMillan (San Diego), Julie Foudy (San Diego), Joy Fawcett (San Diego), Brandi Chastain (San Jose), LaKeysia Beene (San Jose), Mia Hamm (Washington), Abby Wambach (Washington). NOTE: The U.S. has five non-WUSA players in camp.

NORWAY - Unni Lehn (Carolina), Hege Riise (Carolina), Linda Ormen (New York), Anita Rapp (New York). NOTE: Boston's Dagny Mellgren and Ragnhild Gulbrandsen - two Norwegian team regulars - will play for the Breakers at Atlanta this weekend.

TIETJEN TO PARTICPATE IN THIS WEEK'S WUSA.COM CHAT: Philadelphia defender Jennifer Tietjen will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com live web chat on Tuesday, July 16. The chat will begin at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and will last approximately 40 minutes. Tietjen 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 15)

Saturday, July 20, 2002 - Carolina Courage (10-2-3, 33 pts.) at Philadelphia Charge (9-1-4, 31 pts.) - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast)
(Season Series: Philadelphia leads 2-0-0) (All-time Series History: Philadelphia leads 4-1-0)
The top two teams in the WUSA square off with the winner taking possession of first place. Carolina currently leads the WUSA, but Philadelphia is just two points behind the Courage. The game will be the final of three meetings between the teams this year and first at Villanova Stadium. Philadelphia handed Carolina the club's only two losses earlier this year at the new SAS Stadium, defeating Carolina with a pair of 3-1 decisions back on May 25 and June 19. These clubs are fast becoming serious rivals as they've been locked in a battle for the WUSA's top spot for much of the season. With two of the league's most potent offensive attacks and most stingy defenses, the Charge and Courage generated the best starts in league history.

Key Players to Watch: The league's most productive scoring tandem during the last 45 days, Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos (8g, 6a, 22pts.- tied for 5th among WUSA scoring leaders) and Birgit Prinz (8g, 5a, 21 pts. - tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) face the WUSA's stingiest defense. Philadelphia forward Marinette Pichon (12 g, 1a, 25 pts. - tied for the WUSA scoring lead, WUSA leading goal scorer) and midfielder Zhao Lihong (2g, 3a, 7pts.) provide the offensive spark for the Charge. Two of the league's more dominant goalkeepers, Philadelphia's Melissa Moore (0.86 GAA leads the WUSA) and Carolina's Kristin Luckenbill (85 saves leads the WUSA), could have a challenging day as Carolina leads the WUSA in scoring at 2.07 goals per game and Philadelphia ranks second at 1.93 goals per match.

Key Matchup: (Carolina forwards Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos versus Philadelphia defenders Erica Iverson and Stacey Tullock) - Prinz and Fotopoulos have each registered either a goal or an assist in nine consecutive games. Regular Philadelphia starting central defender Jenny Benson is with the U.S. national team. Look for the versatile Tullock to slide back into Benson's position and receive plenty of help from her Charge teammates. However, with the Monday afternoon call-up of Heather Mitts to the U.S. national team could change Philadelphia's defensive strategy.

The "Inside Scoop": With midfielder Lorrie Fair and defender Jenny Benson in Minnesota with the U.S. national team, look for Stacey Tullock to move back into Benson's position. Mary-Frances Monroe should fill Fair's midfield slot and Mandy Clemens would slide into Tullock's midfield role. However, U.S. national team Head Coach April Heinrichs also called in Heather Mitts late Monday afternoon to replace Danielle Slaton, giving Mark Krikorian and the Philadelphia coaching staff plenty to think about. Philadelphia is 0-1-1 when one of the Charge's four starting defenders (Mitts, Benson, Iverson, Tietjen) is missing from the lineup. Carolina will be without midfielders Unni Lehn, Hege Riise and Tiffany Roberts as all are out for the U.S. vs. Norway match. Philadelphia owns a better all-time record against the Courage than against any other team in the league. In the teams' five meetings, the Courage mustered just four goals as opposed to Philadelphia's total of 13. Something will have to give as Carolina is the WUSA's only unbeaten road team, compiling a 5-0-2 away from SAS Stadium. Philadelphia is 5-0-2 at home.

They Said it: " We will be playing without four critical starters, but we have confidence in our entire roster. We will need to finish our chances. Philly is the only team we haven't finished well against." - Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott.

Referee: Mark Arblaster. Referee Assistants: Thomas Supple, Steven Taylor. 4th Official: William R. Delaney.

Saturday, July 20, 2002 - Boston Breakers (4-7-5, 17 pts.) at Atlanta Beat (7-7-1, 22 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - WB 36 (Atlanta); AT&T 3 (Boston)
(Season Series: Series tied 1-1-0) (All-time Series History: Series tied 2-2-1)
With only five points separating these two teams, Boston heads to Herndon Stadium to face the Beat for third and final time during the regular season. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 1-0 victory for Atlanta on May 25. Cindy Parlow's 10th minute goal evened the Beat's season series with Boston (1-1-0). Atlanta is coming off the team's record-tying 4-1 win over New York last Saturday. The four goals scored tied the most in the team's history. Boston is coming off a tough 1-0 loss at Carolina and will be looking to grab three points from the Beat this weekend.

Key Players to Watch: Boston's Maren Meinert (7g, 11a, 25 pts. - tied for 1st among WUSA scoring leaders) recorded two assists versus the Beat earlier this season (April 20). Meinert tied the WUSA record for assists in a match with three versus San Diego on July 11. Kristine Lilly (6g, 9a, 21 pts. - tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) is riding a five-game point-scoring streak after scoring her sixth goal of the season on Saturday. Dagny Mellgren (10g, 2a, 22 pts. - tied for 5th among WUSA scoring leaders) rounds out the Boston attack. The Norwegian striker tallied two goals in Wednesday's victory over San Diego. The "Big Three" for Boston has accounted for 82 percent of the team's total goals scored. Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper (7g, 1a, 15 pts. - 12th among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her seventh goal of the season on Saturday. Hooper is the only Beat player ranked in the top 10 in goal scoring (tied for 7th). Homare Sawa (4g, 5a, 13 pts. - 13th among WUSA scoring leaders) continues spark the Atlanta offense. Sawa has already surpassed her 2001 totals in goals, assists and points. Hooper and Sawa will be asked to fill the offensive void left by the departure of Parlow due to national team duty. Chinese international Sun Wen (3g, 6 pts.) will look to contribute more offensively for Beat. The Atlanta forward recorded her third goal of the season last Saturday versus New York. Emily Burt (2a, 2 pts.) will likely fill the void left by Parlow's absence. Goalkeeper Melanie Wilson (1-1-0, 2.00 GAA) is expected to make her third straight start with Brian Scurry being called up to national team duty.

Key Matchup: (Boston forward Maren Meinert versus Atlanta defender Sharolta Nonen) - Nonen will have the task of shutting down one of the league's most dangerous strikers. Not only can Meinert score goals, but she can create them as well. Meinert is tied for the league lead in assists. The Atlanta defender must use her speed and strength to keep Meinert out of the Boston attack.

The "Inside Scoop": Boston is six points away from the fourth and final playoff spot. The Breakers will look to take three points from the Beat while snapping a five-game losing streak on the road. Boston's offense is ranked third in the WUSA (1.75 goals per game) and has scored eight goals in its last three games. The Beat has moved into third place after a 4-1 victory over New York last weekend. The four goals scored by Atlanta tied the club record for goals scored in a game. Despite the four-goal performance, Atlanta's offense is ranked eighth in the WUSA (1.47 goals per game).

They Said it: "As you know, we released all our players and Boston did not release all of theirs, so they are obviously taking a different approach to their relationship with the national teams than we are. They might think that gives them an edge. But I think the reality actually irritates our team just enough to put the edge back in our corner." - Atlanta Beat Head Coach Tom Stone on Boston

Referee: Arnold Baldeaux. Referee Assistants: Diane Driggers, Kelly Lee. 4th Official: Brian D'Amato.

Saturday, July 20, 2002 - San Diego Spirit (3-8-4, 13 pts.) at New York Power (2-12-1, 7 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - MSG (New York); Cox 4 (San Diego)
(Season Series: Series tied 1-1-0) (All-time Series History: New York leads 2-1-2)
Both San Diego and New York will look to keep their playoff hopes alive with a victory this weekend. The Power avenged a loss to the Spirit earlier this season with a 2-1 victory on May 25, the club's last win. Tiffeny Milbrett recorded two assists in that match to lead New York to three points. Since the victory, New York has dropped a WUSA-record eight straight matches. San Diego is coming off a week in which the team went 1-1-0. Shannon MacMillan registered two goals and two assists on the week.

Key Players to Watch: With the loss of Joy Fawcett (1g, 1a, 3 pts.), Julie Foudy (4g, 3a, 11 pts. - tied for 15th among WUSA scoring leaders) and MacMillan (5g, 6a, 16 pts. - 11th among WUSA scoring leaders) to national team duty, the Spirit will look to Zhang Ouying (5g, 2a, 12 pts. - 14th among WUSA scoring leaders), Lori Lindsey (2g, 5a, 9 pts.) and Fan Yunjie to fill the voids. Scottish international Julie Fleeting (1g, 1a, 3 pts.) has made an immediate impact on the Spirit roster. In her first two WUSA matches, Fleeting has scored a goal and an assist. She will also be looked upon to spark the San Diego offense. New York will be without the services of Tiffeny Milbrett (8g, 7a, 23 pts. - tied for 3rd among WUSA scoring leaders), Anita Rapp (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) and Linda Ormen (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) due to the weekend's friendly between Norway and the U.S. Emily Janss (5g, 1a, 11 pts. - tied for 15th among WUSA scoring leaders) will lead New York's offense this weekend. The New York midfielder is second on the team in scoring. Tammy Pearman (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) scored her second goal of the season on Saturday and may be called upon to ignite New York's offense. Pearman is expected to start.

Key Matchup: (New York defender Christie Pearce vs. San Diego forward Zhang Ouying): Zhang torched the Power in week two for two goals and an assist, leading the Spirit to a WUSA record six goals. Pearce will look to use her speed and national team experience to slow down the Chinese striker.

The "Inside Scoop": Both teams are in need of three points this week. New York has dropped a WUSA-record eight straight matches. New York's last victory was against the Spirit on May 25 at the Mitchel Athletic Complex. San Diego has recorded four points in its last three matches. The Spirit is the only team in the WUSA to have not recorded a victory on the road (0-5-2).

They Said it: "I think from a personnel situation it will be a very different San Diego team and a little bit different New York Power team with the national team commitments. I think both teams are playing for some pride and respect - so a lot of pride and respect is going to be on the line when we face them next week" - New York Power Interim Head Coach Charlie Duccilli on San Diego. Referee: Sandra Hunt. Referee Assistants: Brenda Wright, Mark Gorak. 4th Official: Steve Karaduzovic.

Sunday, July 21, 2002 - Washington Freedom (6-5-4, 22 pts.) at San Jose CyberRays (6-5-4, 22 pts.) - 6:00 p.m. (ET) - Action 36 (San Jose); CSN-DC (Washington)
(Season Series: Series tied 1-1-0) (All-time Series History: San Jose leads 3-2-0)
In a key matchup to determine playoff positioning, the Washington Freedom heads to "Silicon Valley" to face the San Jose CyberRays on Sunday. Both teams are tied with 22 points on the season. A 2-0 win by the CyberRays on June 26 evened the season series at 1-1-0. Katia, this week's WUSA Player of the Week, netted both goals in that match. The Brazilian scored the game-tying penalty kick in San Jose's 2-2 tie with San Diego on July 14 to keep the CyberRays amidst the battle for the third and fourth playoff spots. The Freedom is undefeated in its last three matches (2-0-1) after tying Philadelphia 1-1 on Sunday.

Key Players to Watch: Washington will be without forwards Mia Hamm (4g, 1a, 9 pts.) and Abby Wambach (7g, 5a, 19 pts. - 10th among WUSA scoring leaders) due to national team duty and will look to Bai Jie (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) and Jacqui Little (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) to lead the Freedom's offense. Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix (3-3-3, 1.16 GAA) will look to rebound from a broken left hand. The Freedom 'keeper missed the last two matches due to the injury. Midfielder Pu Wei (5a, 5 pts.) is tied for the lead in assists on the team an will look to set up the Washington's attack versus on of the league's top defenses (1.33 goals per game allowed). San Jose's Katia (11g, 1 a, 23 pts. - tied for 3rd among WUSA scoring leaders) led the CyberRays to four points this week, scoring three goals. The Brazilian striker buried the game-tying penalty kick goal versus San Diego on Sunday to move San Jose into a three-way tie with Atlanta and Washington. With departure of starting goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene (6-5-4, 1.33 GAA), the CyberRays will likely look to former Washington 'keeper Dawn Greathouse (2-2-0, 1.70 GAA) to start in goal.

Key Matchup: (Washington defender Carrie Moore versus San Jose forward Katia) - Moore will have the task of shutting down San Jose's biggest threat. The Washington defender will lead a back line that has not allowed its opponents to recorded more than one goal in the last three matches. Katia is second in the league on goal scoring, recording two earlier this season against Washington. Moore recently held New York's Tiffeny Milbrett and Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon scoreless.

The "Inside Scoop": This will be a crucial matchup in determining playoff positioning. Both teams are tied with Atlanta in points (22) and are currently battling for the third and fourth playoff spots. The Freedom is 4-1-1 in its last six and will be looking to grab three points on the road. This match is the first of a three-game homestand for the CyberRays, who are 5-2-1 at Spartan Stadium.

They Said it: "With two key players from each team on national team call-ups, a lot of people are going to have opportunities to step up at a critical point of the season. The question is who will step up and fill the gaps.'' - San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers on Sunday's match with Washington. Referee: Jesse Johnson. Referee Assistants: Kevin Boisen, Fabio Tovar. 4th Official: Dinesh Singh.

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 7/15/02
ATLANTA BEAT: QUESTIONABLE: M Liping Wang (R knee contusion); PROBABLE - F Sun Wen (left adductor strain).
BOSTON BREAKERS: None.
CAROLINA COURAGE: OUT -F Kim Yankowski (lower back strain); DOUBTFUL - D Danielle Slaton (L knee tendonitis); PROBABLE - D Carla Overbeck (sore R knee).
NEW YORK POWER: None.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: OUT - M Kelly Smith (R ACL tear); PROBABLE - M Stacey Tullock (R knee sprain); D Erica Iverson (back strain).
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: None
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: QUESTIONABLE - D Kelly Lindsey (flu); D Danielle Borgman (R knee sprain).
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.

SEASON ENDING INJURIES: NEW YORK - D Sara Whalen (R knee ACL tear); PHILADELPHIA - F Rakel Karvelsson (R ACL tear); SAN JOSE- F Megan Horvath (L knee meniscus tear); WASHINGTON - D Lindsey Stoecker (L ACL tear).

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 7/15/02
ATLANTA BEAT: (CANADA) F Charmaine Hooper (will return for Saturday's match [7/20] for Atlanta); D Sharolta Nonen (will return for Saturday's match [7/20] for Atlanta); (USA) F Cindy Parlow; GK Briana Scurry; M Kylie Bivens.
BOSTON BREAKERS: (CANADA) GK Karina LeBlanc (will return for Saturday's match [7/20] for Boston); (NORWAY) F Dagny Mellgren (7/17 only); (USA) M Anglea Hucles; D Kate Sobrero; D Jena Kluegel.
CAROLINA COURAGE: (NORWAY) M Hege Riise; M Unni Lehn; (USA) M Tiffany Roberts.
NEW YORK POWER: (NORWAY) F Linda Ormen; M Anita Rapp; (USA) F Tiffeny Milbrett.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: (USA) D Jenny Benson; M Lorrie Fair; D Heather Mitts.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: (USA) D Joy Fawcett; M Julie Foudy; F Shannon MacMillan.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: (USA) D Brandi Chastain; GK LaKeysia Beene.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: (USA) F Mia Hamm; F Abby Wambach.

suspension Summary 7/15/02

Player Team Suspension Reason
Shannon Boxx San Diego Spirit 7/20 @ New York Red Card (7/14 vs. San Jose)

Warning Summary 7/15/02

Player Team Reason
None

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

ATLANTA BEAT: The Beat redefined "winning as a team" in the club's 4-1 pounding of the New York Power on Saturday, July 13 at Mitchel Athletic Complex as seven players from the Beat's offense earned points on the team's season high offensive output of 4 goals ... Furthermore, no one player earned points on more than one goal making this key victory a truly team effort ... The Beat's 11 points on the night were tallied on goals by Sun Wen, Nikki Serlenga, Homare Sawa and Charmaine Hooper and on assists notched by Kylie Bivens, Cindy Parlow and Emily Burt ... Atlanta defender Sharolta Nonen and goalkeeper Briana Scurry had played every minute of every game prior to the Wednesday, July 10 3-1 loss at San Jose, but the streak was broken versus the CyberRays ... Scurry's run of 1,170 straight minutes played ended when she did not play versus the CyberRays ... She also did not play in the following game versus New York because she was suffering from flu like symptoms ... Nonen's streak of 1,246 minutes played ended when she was replaced in the 76th minute versus the CyberRays ... Forward Cindy Parlow, defender Kylie Bivens and goalkeeper Briana Scurry have been called up by U.S. national team Head Coach April Heinrichs, to face international rival Norway on July 21 in Blaine, Minn ... Beat forward Charmaine Hooper and defender Sharolta Nonen have been called up by the Canadian national team to face Norway on July 17 at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, ON ... Atlanta is averaging a league-low 1.47 goals per game.

BOSTON BREAKERS: The Breakers downed San Diego 3-2 on July 10, as Dagny Mellgren had two goals, Maren Meinert tallied three assists and Bettina Wiegmann added two assists ... On Saturday, July 13, Boston lost a heartbreaker to Carolina, 2-1, at SAS Soccer Park in North Carolina ... Kristine Lilly had Boston's lone goal ... Lilly has registered a goal or an assist in five consecutive matches... During the month of July (three games), Lilly and Maren Meinert are leading the Breakers in scoring. Lilly has three goals and two assists for eight points and Meinert had one goal and five assists for seven points ... Boston has three players in the top six of the leading scorers in the league (Meinert 25 pts., Mellgren 22 pts, Lilly 21 pts) ... The only other team in the league with three scorers in the top six is Carolina ... Tracy Ducar earned a victory in her first start of the season on July 10 vs. San Diego ... She suffered the loss to Carolina in her second outing of the season ... Ducar did suffer a blow to her left eye that happened late in a game on a collision with Prinz ... Ducar, who had a butterfly bandage on her eye, injured her eye last season in a collision with San Diego's Shannon MacMillan ... Ducar, who played in 19 of 21 games last season, wears protective eye gear in training in games ... The Breakers have had 12 different starting lineups this season ... Forward Ragnhild Gulbrandsen only played eight minutes vs. Carolina but she almost set up a game-tying goal ... In the 88th minute, she flicked a ball onto the foot of teammate Dagny Mellgren ... Mellgren's shot from about six yards out sailed over the left corner ... Gulbrandsen has played in three games and has recorded 31 minutes on the field ... The Breakers will be without Kate Sobrero, Jena Kluegel and Angela Hucles next week vs. Atlanta as all three will leave for Blaine, MN to join the U.S. Women's National Team in training camp on Tuesday ... Kristine Lilly and Dagny Mellgren (Norwegian national team) will be with the Breakers ... However, LeBlanc on July 17 when Norway meets at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, ON.

CAROLINA COURAGE: Carolina set a new WUSA record for consecutive victories when the Courage won its fifth game in a row, a 2-1 win over Boston on July 13 ... Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos teamed up once again for a goal ... It was the German striker's fifth consecutive game in which she has tallied a goal, which ties a record set in 2001 by WUSA MVP Tiffeny Milbrett. The goal and assist also extends both Prinz and Fotopoulos' WUSA record nine game point-scoring streak ... Carolina's other goal was an own goal by Boston's Angela Hucles ...Carolina boasts three of the WUSA's Top 10 scorers as Fotopoulos (8 g, 6 a, 22 pts) is tied for fifth in the WUSA in scoring, while Hege Riise (5 g, 11 a, 21 pts) and Prinz (8 g, 5 a, 21) occupy the seventh spot together with Carolina's Kristine Lilly ... Riise is tied for the league lead with 11 assists ... Prinz is averaging an incredible WUSA-high 2.33 points per game ... Carolina's German striker has registered a goal or an assist in every game she has played ... More importantly, the first-place Courage has gone 7-1-1 since Prinz joined the team ... After scoring only 28 goals in all of 2001, the Courage has scored a WUSA-high 31 goals, while allowing only 19 ... Compared to last year, Carolina's goal differential is amazing ... The turnaround is best illustrated by a goal differential that has flip-flopped from -12 last season to +12 this season ... The Courage will put its "road warrior" reputation on the line against powerhouse Philadelphia this Saturday ... Carolina is the WUSA's only unbeaten road team, having gone 5-0-2 away from SAS Stadium ... Riise, Unni Lehn and Tiffany Roberts will miss the July 20 match against Philadelphia due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21.

NEW YORK POWER: New York suffered its eighth consecutive loss when the Power lost 4-1 to Atlanta on July 13 at Mitchel Athletic Complex ... Tammy Pearman scored the club's lone goal ... New York captain and reigning WUSA MVP Tiffeny Milbrett won the ESPY Award for the Women's Soccer Category ... Milbrett, who could not attend the July 10 ceremony due to team commitments, was the WUSA's leading scorer and point producer in the league last year ... Milbrett has yet to score a goal at home this season ... She has played in seven of eight home games, having missed the first match while on duty with the U.S. national team against Finland ... All eight of Milbrett's goals have come on the road ... Last season, Milbrett led the Power with eight goals and two assists on home soil. Currently, Emily Janss leads the Power with three goals at home ... New York is 1-7-0 at home in 2002 ... New York named Robert Thompson as the club's new goalkeeping coach on Friday, July 12 ... Paul LeSueur, currently the Power's director of player relations and camps, will take on additional responsibilities assisting Charlie Duccilli in day-to-day team issues ... LeSueur was a college teammate of WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco ... Duccilli is 0-3 since taking over as head coach ... Milbrett, Anita Rapp and Linda Ormen will miss the July 20 match against San Diego due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21.

PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: The Charge extended its unbeaten streak to nine game with a 1-1 tie versus Washington on Sunday ... Midfielder Zhao Lihong's 85th-minute goal preserved this season's longest unbeaten streak ... With the tie, Philadelphia dropped out of the top spot in the WUSA standings for the first time this season ... For the first time in three matches, forward Marinette Pichon was held scoreless ... Defender Heather Mitts had her four-game assist streak come to an end on Sunday, tying the WUSA record for consecutive games with an assist ... The Charge will be without defenders Mitts, Jenny Benson, and midfielder Lorrie Fair due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21... With the tie on Sunday, Philadelphia is only seven points away from clinching a playoff spot ... The Charge's offense is rated second in the WUSA (1.93 goals per game) ... Philadelphia's team defense leads the league (0.86 goals per game) ... Despite being shut out on Sunday, Pichon has recorded 44 percent of Philadelphia's goals this season ... The French striker leads the league in goal scoring (12) and offside (25) ... Her 1.92 points per game ranks second in the WUSA ... The Charge is the only team that has not allowed its opponent to score during the first 15 minutes of action in 2002 ... Melissa Moore remains one of the top 'keepers in the WUSA ... She leads the league in goals against average (0.86) and winning percentage (78.6%) ... Saturday's Charge game will also be Women in Sports Night, as Philadelphia assistant coach Pia Sundhage and 76ers' executive Lara White will speak to a group of more than 300 Girl Scouts about their varying experiences in sports ... The Girl Scouts will then camp out overnight on the field at Villanova Stadium.

SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: San Diego earned a point on Sunday during a 2-2 tie with San Jose ... Shannon MacMillan and Julie Fleeting each recorded a goal in the draw ... MacMillan also registered her sixth assist of the season during the match ... On Wednesday, the Spirit dropped a match to the Boston Breakers 3-2 ... MacMillan also recorded a goal and an assist in the loss ... San Diego is 10 points out of the fourth and final playoff spot ... This past week, Scottish striker Fleeting made her first WUSA start, tallying her first career WUSA goal ... Katia's PK was the fourth allowed this season by San Diego...Opponents are 4-for-4 on PK's this year against San Diego ... Shannon Boxx became the third Spirit player to be issued a red card this season, tying a league record...San Diego used the same lineup for two straight games for the first time this season on July 10 and July 6 ... With Dagny Mellgren's two-goal performance on Wednesday, four opposing players have scored two goals in a game in 2002 ... Carly Smolak made her first start in goal for the 2002 season and her second career on 7/14...Smolak has a record of 0-0-2 when she starts ... San Diego has allowed two or more goals in 11 of 15 games...San Diego has allowed three or more goals in four consecutive road games ... San Diego has lost five consecutive road games... The Spirit has trailed at the half in seven of nine games...San Diego has not held a lead at halftime in nine consecutive games ... San Diego is 2-15-6 when the opponent scores first, both wins are against Boston ... The Spirit is the only team to remain winless on the road this season (0-5-2) ... San Diego will be without defender Joy Fawcett, midfielder Julie Foudy and MacMillan due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21.

SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: A 69th-minute penalty kick goal by Katia drew San Jose even, 2-2, with San Diego on Sunday ... Katia, this week's WUSA Player of the Week, registered three goals this past week, leading the CyberRays to four points (1-0-1) ... The Brazilian striker is second in the league in goals scored (11) and leads the league in shots (68) and shots on goal (41) ... 27 percent of Katia's shots on goal find the back of the net ... Her 1.53 points per game ranks sixth in the WUSA ... San Jose is currently in a three-way tie in points (22) with Washington and Atlanta ... The CyberRays are currently in the fourth and final playoff position after winning the tie-breaker with Washington ... San Jose's team offense ranks fourth in the WUSA (1.60 goals per game) ... The CyberRays defense is tied third (1.33 goals per game) ... San Jose leads the league in both shots taken (214) and shots allowed (157) ... San Jose is riding a four-game winning streak at home (the longest of the season in the WUSA ... Defender Thori Bryan extended her minutes-played streak to 3,435 ... Bryan has played in every minute of every match (including the playoffs) for the CyberRays ... The CyberRays will be without the services of goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene and defender/forward Brandi Chastain due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21 ... San Jose is 1-2-1 when Chastian does not play ... Goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse will likely get the start in Beene's absence.

WASHINGTON FREEDOM: Washington extended its undefeated streak to three games after tying the Philadelphia Charge 1-1 on Sunday ... Abby Wambach recorded her seventh goal of the season in the 75th minute ... However, Philadelphia's Zhao Lihong tied the match in the 85th for the 1-1 draw ... With the goal, Wambach remains the only rookie listed among the top 10 in scoring in the WUSA ... The Freedom striker is tied for seventh in the league in goal scoring ... She ranks ninth in the league in shots (40) and is tied for fifth in shots on goal (25), scoring on 28 percent of the shots on net ... Emmy Barr and Jennifer Grubb are tied for third in the WUSA in minutes played (1,350) ... Grubb has played in every minute of every match for the Freedom (3,240) ... Mia Hamm is tied for seventh in points per game (1.50) ... The Washington forward is tied for third in scoring percentage (33.3 percent) ... Siri Mullinix missed the Freedom's last two matches due to a broken left hand and is expected to return to the lineup this week ... Mullinix leads the WUSA in save percentage (81.0 percent) ... Washington's offense is tied for fifth in the WUSA (1.53 goals per game) ... The Freedom's team defense is tied for third (1.33 goals per game) ... The Freedom will be without forwards Hamm and Wambach due to national team duty when the U.S. hosts Norway July 21.

Women's United Soccer Association Stories from July 15, 2002

• Mitts Earns National Team Callup - Philadelphia Charge
• Possible Preview of Founders Cup II - WUSA
• Katia Named Player of the Week - WUSA
• Charge Gear Up for Busy Three Weeks - Philadelphia Charge

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