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San Diego Spirit to Play Charge in WUSA/MLS Doubleheader

July 10, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Spirit will face the Philadelphia Charge in a post-season exhibition match on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., that will serve as the first game of a unique doubleheader with the Los Angeles Galaxy regular season finale against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Spirit match kicks off at 4 p.m. PT, followed by the MLS match at 7 p.m. PT.

The match will mark a return to the Rose Bowl field, for the first time since the 1999 Women's World Cup Final, of eight players who were a part of the USA's historic win over China in the championship game, which took place three years ago today in front of a sold-out crowd of over 90,000 fans.

The eight players - four Americans and four Chinese - all played major roles in that match. The Spirit's Joy Fawcett and Julie Foudy played all 120 minutes of regulation and overtime, and Fawcett nailed the crucial second penalty kick for the USA. Shannon MacMillan came on in the 57th minute and played the rest of the game on the boiling hot afternoon. For China, the Spirit's Fan Yunjie played the entire game and was inches away from being the hero as her overtime header was headed off the goal line by Kristine Lilly in one of the most famous moments in U.S. soccer history. The Spirit's Zhang Ouying came into the match in the 59th minute and eventually nailed her penalty kick attempt, the fourth for her team. The Charge's Liu Ailing played all 120 minutes while Zhao Lihong came out of the match with just six minutes left for Qiu Haiyan, who converted her country's second penalty kick.

"It's a great opportunity to bring the WUSA to the Los Angeles area," said interim head coach Kevin Crow. "The Galaxy and the Spirit have been looking for some strategic ways to partner in the promotion of soccer in Southern California and hopefully this is just the first step of many events to come. We sincerely appreciate the invitation to play at the Rose bowl and I'm sure the fans will get an entertaining game."

The first-ever WUSA match at the historic Rose Bowl will also feature numerous players with Southern California ties, including the Spirit's Shannon Boxx (Huntington Beach), Rhiannon Tanaka (Anaheim), Foudy (Mission Viejo), Fawcett (Huntington Beach) and MacMillan (Escondido). The Charge feature Erin Martin (Temple City), Jenny Benson (Fountain Valley), Mandy Clemens (San Diego) and Melissa Moore (Van Nuys).

"We are pleased and proud to bring the Southern California soccer community a match featuring world class players," said Galaxy VP/GM Doug Hamilton, "This doubleheader represents an opportunity to see women who played significant roles in the creation of their league. It is an opportunity for those emotionally connected to soccer to celebrate the sport with two marquee match-ups."

The September 14 match will be second and last regular season appearance in Los Angeles of 2002 World Cup hero Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes. It is Youth Soccer Day at the Rose Bowl, featuring a special $13 reserved ticket price for all youth soccer players and administrators. For more information call 1-877-3GALAXY.



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


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