WUSA Kicks Off Saturday

Published on April 8, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release

ATLANTA (Monday, April 8, 2002) - The Women's United Soccer Association kicks off its 2002 season this Saturday, April 13, with all eight teams in action. The opening weekend of the second season of women's division I professional soccer is highlighted by the defending WUSA Champion San Jose CyberRays hosting the Boston Breakers at 4:00 p.m. ET in a nationally televised match on PAX TV. WUSA President and CEO Lynn Morgan will be in attendance on Saturday at Spartan Stadium for the presentation of the CyberRays' WUSA Founders Cup I championship rings.

In addition to San Jose hosting Boston, Carolina travels to San Diego, Philadelphia visits Atlanta and Tiffeny Milbrett and the New York Power invade RFK Stadium to take on the Washington Freedom. Complete game previews are included in the WUSA's weekly news release.

Following a successful inaugural season in 2001, the WUSA features a few minor changes for the league's second year. At the end of the 2001 season, the league's headquarters were relocated to Atlanta and Lynn Morgan was appointed president and CEO of the WUSA. Other changes on the business end include the Bay Area CyberRays changing their name to the San Jose CyberRays and the Carolina Courage debuting a new team logo.

On the stadium front, the Carolina Courage will move into the WUSA's first soccer-specific stadium at State Capital Soccer Park and the Atlanta Beat will call Herndon Stadium home. Atlanta, which played at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2001, debuts the beautiful new natural grass field at the 15,011-seat Herndon Stadium this weekend against Philadelphia. A 1996 Olympic venue located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Herndon Stadium will host Founders Cup II later this summer when the WUSA's best meet on August 24. State Capital Soccer Park will make its WUSA debut May 4 when Carolina hosts Atlanta. The Courage called Fetzer Field on the campus of the University of North Carolina home in 2001. In addition, the San Diego Spirit have completed Phase II of their stadium renovations, widening the Torero Stadium field to 72 yards and adding more seats, upping the capacity to 7,035.

Early media reports peg the Atlanta Beat as the team to beat this year in the WUSA. Head Coach Tom Stone's squad won the 2001 regular season WUSA crown, but lost to San Jose (then the Bay Area CyberRays) in penalty kicks in Founders Cup I at Foxboro Stadium. The CyberRays are also the favorite of many journalists when predicting the league's top club.

"I think some of the teams to beat this year are, definitely, the reigning champion San Jose CyberRays as well as Atlanta, who I feel has not lost a step at all from last season," New York Power forward and 2001 WUSA Most Valuable Player Tiffeny Milbrett said.

Bolstered by the addition of some world-class international players and rising U.S. national team stars, the remaining six teams - Boston, Carolina, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego and Washington - all made significant improvements during the offseason.

"I think the Charge will be an incredible team this year," Milbrett added. "I also think that it is great that we have some 'homegrown' talent in Danielle Slaton (Carolina), Jena Kluegel (Boston) and Abby Wambach (Washington). These players are going to come in and have a positive and immediate impact on their teams."

Each team will play a 21-game regular season schedule and the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. Updated WUSA team-by-team previews are available at www.WUSA.com.

ATLANTA TO HOST WUSA FOUNDERS CUP II: The Women's United Soccer Association announced on April 3 that Herndon Stadium, the new home to the Atlanta Beat, will host Founders Cup II on Saturday, August 24 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The WUSA Championship match will be broadcast live nationally on PAX TV to more than 90 million households in the United States and several other countries worldwide.

WUSA Founders Cup tickets are currently on sale as part of the Atlanta Beat's season ticket and group ticket packages. The 2002 Beat season ticket packages are the only way for soccer fans to secure the same seats for the Beat regular season and the Founders Cup. Individual tickets to the WUSA Founders Cup will be priced at $45, $30 and $15. Individual tickets will not go on sale until this summer. To order Atlanta Beat season tickets or for more information, call 1-877-SOCCER-1.

Foxboro Stadium in New England was host to the inaugural Founders Cup on August 25, 2001. The Bay Area CyberRays became the first team in league history to hoist the Founders Cup after defeating the Atlanta Beat 4-2 on penalty kicks following a 3-3 tie in regulation.

CHAMPIONS TO BE HONORED AT HOME OPENER:: The San Jose CyberRays will be honored prior to kick off of their April 13 home opener versus the Boston Breakers with the hoisting of the team's championship banner. WUSA President/CEO Lynn Morgan will be on hand to present the team with its 2001 championship rings. The match will also kick off the 2002 WUSA season on PAX TV with the league's first nationally televised game at 4:00 p.m. (ET)

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:: Last season the Philadelphia Charge were the youngest team in the league. That has changed this season with the retirement of a few players during the offseason and a number of newcomers from the 2002 Draft earning a spot of this years roster. With two of the youngest players in the league on its roster, Carolina has tied Washington for the youngest squad in WUSA.

WUSA Team Age Breakdown

Team Average Age Oldest Youngest

Atlanta 25 years 3 months 18 days Charmaine Hooper 34 Anna Kraus 21

Boston 24 years 10 months 24 days Kristine Lilly 30 Karina LeBlanc 22

Carolina 24 years 9 months 18 days Carla Overbeck 33 Emily Oleksiuk 21

New York 25 years 8 months 12 days Gao Hong 34 Katie Tracy 22

Philadelphia 24 years 10 months 24 days Liu Ailing 34 Karyn Hall 21

San Diego 25 years 3 months 18 days Joy Fawcett 34 Lori Lindsey 21

San Jose 25 years 10 months 24 days Janine Szpara 34 Danielle Borgman 21

Washington 24 years 9 months 18 days Mia Hamm 30 Pu Wei 21

Oldest: San Jose: 25 years 10 months 24 days Youngest: (tie) Carolina and Washington: 24 years 9 months 18 days

5 Oldest 5 Youngest
1. Janine Szpara (SJ) 1. Emily Oleksiuk (Car)
2. Liu Ailing (Phi) 2. Katie Barnes (Car)
3. Gao Hong (NY) 3. Pu Wei (Was)
4. Charmaine Hooper (Atl) 4. Anna Kraus (Atl)
5. Joy Fawcett (SD) 5. Karyn Hall (Phi)

CAROLINA BLUE RUNS WILD IN THE WUSA: The University of North Carolina has produced more WUSA players than any other college or university in the United States. With veterans such as Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow as well as newcomers Jena Kluegel and Danielle Borgman, the Tar Heel influence is quite noticeable. Only Santa Clara (which is second in number of WUSA players) equaled the number of first round draft picks in the 2002 WUSA Draft. Below is a breakdown of the top 18 schools represented in the WUSA.

Top 10 Colleges in the WUSA

School # of Players

1. University of North Carolina 18
2. Santa Clara University 13
3. University of Notre Dame 9
4. University of Connecticut 8
5. University of Portland 7
Stanford University 7
6. University of Florida 6
7. UCLA 5
8. University of Nebraska 4
9. University of Virginia 3
NC State University
UC Berkley
Duke University
10. Penn St University 2
William & Mary
Clemson University
BYU
George Mason University

Game Previews (Week One)

Saturday, April 13, 2002 - Boston Breakers at San Jose CyberRays - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast)
(All-time Series History: Tied 1-1-1)
The series is tied at 1-1-1, with both team's victories coming on the road. This will be Boston's third trip to Spartan Stadium. The Breakers hold a 1-0-1 record in Silicon Valley. Each team scored five goals versus its counterpart in 2001, while the Breakers recorded all five scores on the road. In the last meeting between these two teams, (July 15, 2001) CyberRays 'keeper LaKeysia Beene recorded her seventh shutout of the season in a 2-0 victory, while making six saves. In their last meeting in San Jose (May 16, 2001), Boston defeated the CyberRays 4-2. Despite being outshot 26-10, the Breakers were able to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Boston's Dagny Mellgren recorded a goal and an assist while Elie Foster tallied two assists. Two late goals by San Jose's Brandi Chastain, her only goals on the regular season, were not enough as the Breakers recorded their second win of the season.

Key Players to Watch: The Breakers return leading scorers Mellgren (11 goals, 4 assists, 26 points) and Maren Meinert (8 goals, 7 assists, 23 points) while adding Norwegian national team star, Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (a member of the 2000 Olympic Team that defeated the U.S. in Sydney). With loss of Murray during the offseason, the CyberRays acquired Brazilian forward Pretinha, in a trade with the Washington Freedom. The addition of Pretinha (5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points), Washington's leading scorer in 2001, gives San Jose a distinct Brazilian flavor along with midfielder Sissi (1 goal, 10 assists, 12 points) and forward Katia (7 goals, 1 assist, 15 points).

The "Inside Scoop": This matchup features the co-leaders in assists for 2001 (Boston's Kristine Lilly and San Jose's Sissi - 10 assists). However, in head-to-head competition, Sissi leads Lilly three assists to none. San Jose had the best home record in the WUSA last season (6-3-1). However, the CyberRays were winless versus the Breakers at Spartan Stadium (0-1-1).

Referee: Sandra Hunt. Assistant Referees: Sharon Wheeler, Yader Reyes. 4th Official: Dinesh Singh

Saturday, April 13, 2002 - Carolina Courage at San Diego Spirit - 6:00 p.m. (ET) - Cox 4 (San Diego); CNNSI-Regional (Carolina)
(All-time Series History: Carolina leads 2-0-1)
In a rematch of both team's final game in 2001, the San Diego Spirit hosts the Carolina Courage for only the second time. Carolina holds a 2-0-1 edge over the Spirit, tying the Spirit 2-2 in their only meeting ever at Torero Stadium (August 12, 2001). Carolina outscored the Spirit 8-5 in the previous meetings in 2001. The two teams are part of WUSA history. On May 26, 2001 the Courage defeated the Spirit 4-3 in what is the highest scoring affair in the league's history. Of the five goals scored by San Diego against Carolina, four have been tallied by MacMillan, who finished 2001 ranked second in scoring with 30 points. Carolina's Fotopoulos has recorded at least one point in every match versus the Spirit.

Key Players to Watch: The Courage's leading scorers, Fotopoulos (9 goals, 5 assists, 23 points) and Hege Riise (6 goals, 8 assists, 20 points) in 2001, anchor a team which looks for a fresh start in 2002. Defender Danielle Slaton, selected first overall in the 2002 WUSA Draft, will play a prominent role as captain Carla Overbeck will miss a portion of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery. San Diego team MVP MacMillan (12 goals, 6 assists, 30 points) scored seven of the USA's eight goals at the Algarve Cup in late February. The addition of Chinese international Zhang Ouying up front with MacMillan will give the Spirit one of the league's most dangerous scoring fronts.

The "Inside Scoop": San Diego enters this match riding a six-game undefeated streak dating back to July 25, 2001. The Spirit has not lost at home in a league-leading seven tries (June 9, 2001). The Courage has yet to lose to San Diego, posting a 2-0-1 record in 2001. However, Carolina was only able to muster two wins on the road last season, tying the Spirit in their only meeting at Torero Stadium. Carolina, which finished last in shots (221) and shots on goal (119) will face the 2001 league-leader in both categories, MacMillan who registered 86 shots and 50 shots on goal.

Referee: Kari Seitz. Assistant Referees: Chris Strickland, Emiliano Monje. 4th Official: Kia Dehpaneh

Saturday, April 13, 2002 - New York Power at Washington Freedom -7:00 p.m. (ET) - CSN-DC (Washington);MSG (New York)
(All-time Series History: Washington leads 2-1-0)
In a rematch of the Freedom's last game of 2001, the New York Power will travel to RFK Stadium to battle the Washington Freedom. The Freedom holds a 2-1-0 record versus the Power, while maintaining an undefeated record (1-0-0) versus New York at RFK. Both teams have notched four goals against each other all-time. In their last meeting (August 11, 2001), former Power defender Gro Espeseth and 2001 league MVP Tiffeny Milbrett each scored once in a 2-0 shutout at Navy Memorial Stadium, clinching a playoff berth for New York. The loss extended Washington's winless streak to six games. The Freedom's last victory came against the Power on July 15, 2001. Two of the Freedom's six overall wins came against the Power. Washington's Bai Jie had New York's number in 2001, scoring three goals in three games for the Freedom. Milbrett, the league's leading scorer last season with 16 goals, notched two for the Power in games versus Washington.

Key Players to Watch: New York's Milbrett (16 goals, 3 assists, 35 points) scored 53 percent of her team's goals last season. The Power captain was one of only three players to record hat tricks in 2001. The acquisition of goalkeeper Saskia Webber (4-5-3, 1.62 GAA) from Philadelphia in an offseason trade, will help strengthen an already solid position for the Power. With Washington's Hamm recovering from knee surgery, rookie Abby Wambach is expected to make a big impact on a club that finished with only six wins in 2001. Hamm (6 goals, 4 assists, 16 points) is expected to miss the first month of the season. Freedom defender/midfielder Bai (5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points) finished second on the team in goals and will look to increase her scoring output in 2002.

The "Inside Scoop": With Hamm out of the lineup for the Freedom, all eyes will be on newcomer Wambach to fill the void as well as marking the first time the Power will not have to face FIFA's 2001 World Player of the Year. Milbrett, who finished third in FIFA voting, was held to only one goal last season versus the Freedom, despite scoring a league 16 goals in 2001. In both matches which Washington defeated the Power, Freedom defender Bai scored both game-winning goals. Bai recorded three of her five total goals on the season versus the Power.

Referee: Rachel Woo. Referee Assistants: George Gansner, Karalee Sutton. 4th Official: Kenneth Kaplan

Saturday, April 13, 2002 - Philadelphia Charge at Atlanta Beat - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - WB36 (Atlanta); CN8 (Philadelphia)
(All-time Series History: Atlanta leads 1-0-2)
Philadelphia returns to Atlanta with memory of the WUSA semifinals from last year. The Charge fell to the Beat 3-2 in overtime with a 101-minute "Golden Goal" by Atlanta's Cindy Parlow, which propelled the Beat to the 2001 WUSA Founders Cup. With that loss, the Charge has yet to taste victory against the Beat. Atlanta holds a 1-0-2 record versus Philadelphia. Despite having the highest scoring offense (35 goals scored) in the WUSA, Philadelphia notched only one goal versus the league's stingiest defense in three regular season matches. No player on either team has recorded more than one goal in this series with Parlow , Sawa and Marci Miller registered goals for Atlanta and Liu notching the lone goal for the Charge.

Key Players to Watch: The Charge return the team's leading scorer Liu (10 goals, 2 assists, 22 points). Liu was one of three players to record a hat trick in 2001. One of the world's most dangerous forwards, Englishwoman Kelly Smith (4 goals, 3 assists, 11 points) also returns for the Charge. Adding to an already potent offense are international standout Marinette Pichon of France and Zhao Lihong, a teammate of Liu on China's national team. Atlanta, which was one step away from winning it all in 2001, looks stronger than ever. Atlanta returns all of its key player from the 2001 season. Charmaine Hooper (12 goals, 3 assists, 27 points) might be the most dominant scorer in the WUSA. Parlow (5 goals, 7 assists, 17 points) , who is doubtful for Saturday, seems to have the Charge's number, as she has scored three goals in all four meetings (including the playoffs) with Philadelphia.

The "Inside Scoop": This match features a rematch of last season's overtime playoff thriller, in which the Atlanta Beat defeated the Charge on a Parlow "Golden Goal". This matchup also pits last year's best offense (Philadelphia - 35 goals scored) versus the league's stingiest defense (Atlanta - 21 goals allowed). In this series defense has proved to be the better of the two as the Beat are undefeated against the Charge. However, Atlanta has only recorded one regular season victory versus Philadelphia in three tries. Atlanta goalkeeper Scurry, who recorded seven shutouts in 2001 will face a Charge team that registered a league-high 24 goals on the road (an average of 1.14 goals per road match). Referee: Ricardo Salazar. Assistant Referees: Jon Wilson, Brian D'Amato. 4th Official: Corey Pockwell

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 4/8/02
ATLANTA BEAT: OUT - D Nancy Augustyniak (R knee patellar tendonitis). DOUBTFUL - F Cindy Parlow (R ankle sprain)
BOSTON BREAKER: OUT - GK Tracy Ducar (R knee articular cartilage lesion); D Kate Sobrero (L knee meniscus tear). PROBABLE - F Kristine Lilly (back spasms).
CAROLINA COURAGE: None
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - GK Gao Hong (R wrist surgery); D Jenn O'Sullivan (L knee ACL/PCL tear); D/M Sara Whalen (Broken ribs). PROBABLE - F Rachel Hoffman (R foot sprain)
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: QUESTIONABLE - F Rakel Karvelsson (R knee sprain); M Rebekah McDowell (L knee sprain). PROBABLE - F Kerry Connors (L knee sprain).
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: DOUBTFUL - F Tara Koleski (R knee sprain).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: OUT - F Mia Hamm (L knee thigh bone lesion); GK Siri Mullinix (R shoulder surgery). PROBABLE - GK Erin Fahey (R hip flexor pull).

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

Atlanta Beat

The Atlanta Beat defeated the Carolina Courage for the first time ever, 2-1 in the Beat's final tune up match on April 6 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Beat forward Emily Burt notched both goals in the win. The Beat played the match without the services of leading scorer Charmaine Hooper, central defender Sharolta Nonen and central midfielder Homare Sawa, who are in France playing in a tournament with their national teams. Boston Breakers

Despite controlling play throughout most of the game, the Breakers suffered their second loss in a hard-fought 2-1 battle with the Norwegian Premier League Champion Trondheims-Ørn Friday afternoon. Boston left La Manga, Spain with a 1-2-0 record. Boston opened the three-game tour with a 1-0 win over Norwegian Premier Team Kolbotn before losing to Alvsjo, a Swedish Premier Team, on Wednesday, and Trondheims-Ørn Friday. With starting goalkeeper Tracy Ducar out with a knee injury and backup Karina LeBlanc with Canada's national team, rookie goalkeeper Kristin Slater started the final match.

Carolina Courage

The Carolina Courage lost, 2-1, to the Atlanta Beat Saturday in a final preseason exhibition at W. Max Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The victory ended the Courage's streak of unbeaten results against Atlanta, extending back to last season. Despite the loss, Carolina outshot Atlanta 17-8. Hege Riise scored Carolina's lone goal, a well-taken set piece in the 71st minute.

New York Power

On Tuesday, April 9, the New York Power will participate in this year's Teamwork Soccer Benefit Match at Columbia University's Baker Field. The nightcap will feature an exhibition match between the NY Power and Columbia University's women's soccer team at 7 p.m. (ET). TEAMWORK 2002 will raise money for the FORCE® Program, a restorative health and wellness program for women with breast cancer in the Harlem Community.

Philadelphia Charge

The Philadelphia Charge lost to the New York Power, 2-1, on Sunday, April 7, ending their exhibition schedule with a 4-2-1 mark. The club played Sunday without Frenchwoman Marinette Pichon, who is with the French national team but is expected to be in Atlanta with the Charge for the season opener. Despite losing, the Charge outscored their opponents 31-11 this preseason.

San Diego Spirit

The San Diego Spirit is expecting a near capacity crowd at Torero Stadium for Saturday's opener versus Carolina. U.S. Navy Band Southwest Petty Officer Jeremy Parks will be singing the National Anthem. San Diego Charger Junior Seau will be doing the coin toss.

San Jose CyberRays

CyberRays goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene will participate in a WUSA.com live chat on Tuesday, April 9. The chat will start at 8:00 p.m. ET. and last 30 minutes. A link to the chat can be found on the home page of the league's official website, WUSA.com. For more details log on to www.WUSA.com.

Washington Freedom

In their final 2002 preseason match, the Washington Freedom defeated the University of North Carolina, 3-1, on Saturday, April 6 at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. The game was the featured match of 2002's "Kicks Against Breast Cancer," a women's intercollegiate soccer tournament to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

Women's United Soccer Association Stories from April 8, 2002

• Charge Ready for Atlanta - Philadelphia Charge
• WUSA Kicks Off Saturday - WUSA
• Atlanta Beat Announces its 2002 Local Television Schedule - Atlanta Beat

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.