Women's United Soccer Association
Sport	Football (soccer)
Founded	2000
No. of teams	8
Country	United States
Ceased	2003
Last champion(s)	Washington Freedom

The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams nationwide in the United States. Previously, the top-level women's soccer league in the United States had been the amateur W-League, a role regained after the WUSA suspended operations on September 15, 2003, shortly after the end of its third season. Image File history File links WUSA.gif Licensing This is a logo of a corporation, team, or other organization related to sports, and is protected by copyright and/or trademark. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... See also: 1999 in sports, other events of 2000, 2001 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Bobby Labonte Indy Racing League - Buddy Lazier won the season championship Indianapolis 500- Juan Pablo Montoya CART Racing... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... // World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Mens all-around champions: Paul Hamm, USA, Yang Wei, China Womens all-around champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russia Mens team competition champion: China Womens team competition champion: USA April 13 — Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: William Kiplagat (KEN) 2:07:42 Women... The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the Womens United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003. ... UEFA Womens Cup Final 2005 at Potsdam Womens association football is the most prominent team sport for women in many countries, and one of the few womens team sports with professional leagues. ... See also: 1999 in sports, other events of 2000, 2001 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Bobby Labonte Indy Racing League - Buddy Lazier won the season championship Indianapolis 500- Juan Pablo Montoya CART Racing... See also: 2000 in sports, other events of 2001, 2002 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Michael Waltrip won the Daytona 500, a race that also saw the death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt in an unspectacular crash during the... The W-League is the first modern womens soccer league in the United States pyramid. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Mens all-around champions: Paul Hamm, USA, Yang Wei, China Womens all-around champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russia Mens team competition champion: China Womens team competition champion: USA April 13 — Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: William Kiplagat (KEN) 2:07:42 Women...

Founding

As a result of the US Women's National Team's (US WNT) first-place showing in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, a seemingly viable market for the sport germinated. Feeding off of the momentum of their victory, the 20 US WNT players, in partnership with John Hendricks of the Discovery Channel, sought out the investors, markets, and players necessary to form the 8 team league. The 20 founding players were: Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Tracy Ducar, Lorrie Fair, Joy Fawcett, Danielle Fotopoulos, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Tiffeny Milbrett, Carla Overbeck, Cindy Parlow, Christie Pearce, Tiffany Roberts, Briana Scurry, Kate (Markgraf) Sobrero, Tisha Venturini, Saskia Webber and Sara Whalen. First International Italy 1–0 USA (Jesolo, Italy; 18 August 1985) Largest win USA 12–0 Mexico (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 18 April 1991) USA 12–0 Martinique (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 20 April 1991) Worst defeat Norway 4–1 USA (Lagos, Portugal; 19 March 1998) Canada 3–0 USA... The FIFA Womens World Cup 1999 was held in the United States and won by the host team. ... Jon Hendricks (born September 16, 1921 in Newark, Ohio) is a jazz lyricist and singer. ... Discovery Channel is a United States-based TV channel founded by John Hendricks. ... Michelle Akers (born February 1, 1966 in Santa Clara, California) was a leading American soccer player and played on the historic 1999 Womens World Cup victory by the U.S.. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. ... Brandi Denise Chastain (born July 21, 1968) is a former soccer player, who was on the U.S. womens national soccer team from 1991 to 2004 and the San Jose CyberRays of the WUSA (2001-2003). ... Lorraine Ming Fair (born August 5, 1978), better known as Lorrie Fair, is an Asian American who is a member of the United States womens national soccer team, along with other players such as Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm. ... Joy Lynn Fawcett (born February 8, 1968) is an American professional soccer player. ... Julie Maurine Foudy (born January 23, 1971 in San Diego, California) was a midfielder for the United States womens national soccer team from 1987 through 2004. ... Mia Hamm-Garciaparra (born Mariel Margaret Hamm on March 17, 1972 in Selma, Alabama) is a former American soccer player. ... Kristine Marie Lilly (born July 22, 1971 in New York City) is an American soccer player, who has been a fixture on the U.S. womens national team since 1987. ... Shannon MacMillan is an American professional soccer player. ... Tiffeny Carleen Milbrett (born October 23, 1972) is a womens soccer player who was born in Portland, Oregon. ... Carla Werden Overbeck (born May 9, 1968, Pasadena, California) is an American soccer player and longtime member and captain of the United States womens national soccer team. ... Cindy Parlow (born May 8, 1978) is an American professional soccer player. ... Christie Patricia Rampone (born Christie Patricia Pearce, June 24, 1975) is a defender for the United States womens national soccer team. ... OF NOTE: A brilliant six-save match against Brazil in the semifinal was crucial in the championship run . ... Kate Markgraf (née Kathryn Michele Sobrero, born August 23, 1976), is an American soccer player, member of the U.S. womens national team. ...

Teams and championship

Each roster primarily consisted of players from the United States, although up to four international players were allowed on each team's roster. Among the international players were China's Sun Wen and Bai Jie; Germany's Birgit Prinz, Conny Pohlers and Maren Meinert; Norway's Hege Riise and Dagny Mellgren; Brazil's Sissi, Katia and Pretinha; and Canada's Charmaine Hooper and Christine Latham. The league also hosted singular talents from nations which were not at the forefront of women's soccer, such as Maribel Dominguez of Mexico, Homare Sawa of Japan, Julie Fleeting of Scotland, Cheryl Salisbury of Australia, Marinette Pichon of France, and Kelly Smith of England. Sun Wen (孙雯) (born April 6, 1973 in Shanghai, China) is a well-known female Chinese football (soccer) player. ... Birgit Prinz (born October 25, 1977) is a German international womens football player. ... conny pohlers is an amazing ugly player and has the potential to be the best player in the germany team. ... Hege Riise (Ree-see) is a soccer player born in 1969 in Lorenskog, Norway. ... Dagny Mellgren (born June 19, 1978) from Ã…lgÃ¥rd is a Norwegian footballer currently with Klepp. ... Sisleide do Amor Lima (born June 2, 1967), best known by her nickname Sissi, is a retired Brazilian football player, and a former member of the Brazil womens national football team. ... Charmaine Hooper (born on January 15, 1968 in Georgetown, Guyana) is a striker for the Canadian womens national soccer team. ... Christine Latham (born on September 15, 1981 in Calgary, Alberta) is a striker for the Canadian womens national soccer team. ... Maribel Domínguez (born November 18, 1978) is a Mexican female footballer. ... Julie Fleeting (b. ... This article is about the country. ... Cheryl Ann Salisbury (born March 8, 1974 in Newscastle, New South Wales, Australia) is a female football (soccer) player. ... Marinette Pichon (November 26, 1975 - ) is a French football (soccer) player. ... Kelly Smith (born 29 October 1978 in Watford) is an English football player who currently plays in England for Arsenal Ladies. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II...

2001–2003 teams

The WUSA franchises were in Philadelphia; Boston; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Cary, N.C.; Atlanta; San Jose, Ca.; and San Diego: Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - D.C. Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hotlanta redirects here. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Nickname: Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: , Country United States State California County San Diego Founded July 16, 1769 Incorporated March 27, 1850 Government  - Mayor Jerry Sanders  - City Attorney Michael Aguirre  - City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein Donna Frye Jim Madaffer...

• Atlanta Beat
• Boston Breakers
• Carolina Courage (originally intended to be in Orlando, Florida)
• New York Power
• Philadelphia Charge
• San Diego Spirit
• San Jose CyberRays (called Bay Area CyberRays for 2001 season)
• Washington Freedom

The Atlanta Beat was a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... Categories: Football (soccer) stubs | United States soccer clubs (defunct) | Boston sports ... The Carolina Courage were a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... Categories: Stub | United States soccer clubs (defunct) | Long Island sports ... Categories: Stub | United States soccer clubs (defunct) | Philadelphia sports ... The San Diego Spirit was a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... The San Jose CyberRays was a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the Womens United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003. ...

Founders Cup champions

The Founders Cup (named in honor of the 20 founding players) was awarded to the winner of a four-team, single-elimination postseason playoff. Founders Cup Trophy The Founders Cup is the championship trophy of Canadas Junior B Lacrosse leagues. ...

• 2001 Bay Area CyberRays 3-3 (4-2Pks) Atlanta Beat in Foxboro, MA
• 2002 Carolina Courage 3-2 Washington Freedom in Atlanta, GA
• 2003 Washington Freedom 2-1 (OT) Atlanta Beat in San Diego, CA

Categories: Stub | San Jose sports | United States soccer clubs (defunct) ... The Atlanta Beat was a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... The Carolina Courage were a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ... The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the Womens United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003. ... The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the Womens United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003. ... The Atlanta Beat was a professional soccer team that played in the Womens United Soccer Association. ...

Television

At various times, games were televised on TNT, CNNSI, ESPN2, PAX TV, and various local and regional sports channels. Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is an American cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. ... CNN Sports Illustrated (or CNN/SI for short) was a 24-hour sports news channel. ... ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN. Nicknamed the deuce, ESPN2 was to be branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross, snowboarding, and BMX racing. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ...

WUSA suspends operations

The WUSA played for three full seasons, suspending operations on September 15, 2003, shortly after the conclusion of the third season. Neither television ratings nor attendance met forecasts, while the league spent its initial $40 million budget, planned to last five years, by the end of the first season. Even though the players took salary cuts of up to 30% for the final season, with the founding players (who also held an equity stake in the league) taking the largest cuts, that was not enough to bring expenses under control. is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Mens all-around champions: Paul Hamm, USA, Yang Wei, China Womens all-around champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russia Mens team competition champion: China Womens team competition champion: USA April 13 — Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: William Kiplagat (KEN) 2:07:42 Women... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the hopes of an eventual relaunch of the league, all rights to team names, logos, and similar properties were preserved. Efforts to line up new sources of capital and operating funds continued. The US WNT's 2004 Olympics success revived hopes that the league may be re-launched. Look up logos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Capital has a number of related meanings in economics, finance and accounting. ... The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, commonly known as the 2004 Summer Olympics were the 28th Summer Olympic Games. ...

In June 2004, the WUSA held two "WUSA Festivals," featuring matches between reconstituted WUSA teams (often with marquee players borrowed from other teams), in order to maintain the league in the public eye and sustain interest in women's professional soccer. // On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul. ...

With the WUSA on hiatus, the W-League regained some of the players it had formerly lost to the WUSA and, in early 2006, gained the Washington Freedom as an associate member. The Freedom played a limited exhibition schedule against various regional W-League teams that season, became a full W-League franchise in 2007, and went on to win the W-League championship that year. // For an extensive coverage see 2006 in athletics (track and field) May 12 — Justin Gatlin equals the 100m world record. ... See also:2006 in sports, 2008 in sports, list of years in sports. Scheduled Events For scheduled events of football (soccer), see: 2007 in football (soccer) November 25 - 95th Grey Cup held at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada February 4 - Super Bowl XLI held at Dolphins Stadium in Miami...

Relaunch effort

On December 7, 2004, the Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc. (WSII), announced its intention to "guide the re-launch of women's professional soccer in the United States." WSII hired a CEO, Tonya Antonucci, the executive who produced Yahoo! Sports and was General Manager of Yahoo's FIFA World Cup web site. In a FOXNews.com article on June 28, 2006[1], politics reporter Liza Porteus wrote that the target date for relaunch is 2008, a date confirmed by United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati in an on-air interview with Julie Foudy during a July 30, 2006 ESPN telecast of an international "friendly" between the United States and Canada. is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yahoo! Inc. ... The FOX News Channel is a US cable and satellite news channel. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // For an extensive coverage see 2006 in athletics (track and field) May 12 — Justin Gatlin equals the 100m world record. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) (trademarked as U.S. Soccer Federation) is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. ... Sunil Kumar Gulati (born July 30, 1959, in Allahabad, India) is the current president of the United States Soccer Federation or USSF and President of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer. ... Julie Maurine Foudy (born January 23, 1971 in San Diego, California) was a midfielder for the United States womens national soccer team from 1987 through 2004. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ESPN, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... A friendly match is generally a match where there is no competitive value of any kind, and most times quality of play is valued over the result. ...

On February 27, 2007, Sports Illustrated confirmed a women's league would relaunch in April 2008 in an attempt to capitalize on the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Five teams were announced in MLS markets, with a 6th on its way. [2] However, it was not known if this would be the continuation of the WUSA or a completely new league. is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... The FIFA Womens World Cup is recognized as the most important International competition in womens football and is played amongst womens national football teams of the member states ofFIFA, the sports global governing body. ...

On April 18, 2007 the Associated Press reported that the WUSA would return in 2008 with eight teams. [3] is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ...

Cities for the 2008 relaunch

• Boston (Boston Breakers franchise)
• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• Washington, D.C. (Washington Freedom franchise)
• St. Louis
• New York/New Jersey area
• Dallas
• An 8th franchise to be announced

Categories: Football (soccer) stubs | United States soccer clubs (defunct) | Boston sports ... The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the Womens United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003. ...

Business plan and phases of relaunch

CEO Tonya Antonucci has reiterated that any attempt to operate a women's professional soccer league must be based on a solid business plan. She has initiated a three-phase plan for the re-launch: A business plan is a formal statement of a largely enforced business goal, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals (Fiifi Essel). ...

• Phase I final milestone is "reaching a tipping point of investors and sponsors signing on the dotted line."[4]
• Phase II is developing a marketing strategy and launch date.
• Phase III is the launch.

Reports are that WSII is in discussions with Major League Soccer (MLS) about the possibility of a partnership. MLS commissioner Don Garber and Antonucci both confirmed the possibility of sharing "soccer-specific stadiums" (SSS). Antonucci is looking for opportunities to share business infrastructure as well[5]. The six existing MLS SSSs are: A Spanish kilometre stone A milestone on the Boston Post Road in Harvard Square, Massachusetts, USA Slate milestone near Bangor, Wales A milestone or kilometre sign is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road at regular intervals, typically at the side of the road or in... The phrase tipping point or angle of repose is a sociology term that refers to that dramatic moment when something unique becomes common. ... Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada. ... Don Garber (born October 9, 1957) is the commissioner of Major League Soccer, succeeding Doug Logan in 1999. ... Columbus Crew Stadium opened in 1999 as the first of a growing number of American stadiums built for soccer Soccer-specific stadium (SSS) is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada. ...

• The Home Depot Center (HDC), where U.S. Soccer's National Training Center (NTC) is based, in Carson, California
• Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio
• Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas
• Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado
• BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Two more stadiums are expected to open in 2008, in Harrison, New Jersey and Sandy, Utah. In addition, several non-MLS cities have SSSs such as Rochester, New York. The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. ... The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) (trademarked as U.S. Soccer Federation) is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. ... Columbus Crew Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio. ... Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility, featuring a 21,193 seat stadium, built and owned by the northern Dallas suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. ... Toyota Park is the home stadium for the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, members of Major League Soccer. ... Dicks Sporting Goods Park is a soccer-specific stadium located in Commerce City, Colorado, home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team. ... BMO Field is a soccer-specific stadium under-construction located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. ... Red Bull Park is the proposed future home of Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer. ... Sandy Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Sandy, Utah, United States that is currently under construction. ... PAETEC Park is a soccer-specific stadium currently being constructed in Rochester, New York for the Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer team of the USL First Division. ...

External links

• http://www.wusa.com/
• http://www.wusa.com/news/

External news links

• FOXNews.com article "U.S. Women's Pro League Prepares to Blast Back Onto Soccer Scene" by Liza Porteus, 28 June 2006
• mysoccerblog article "Pro Women's soccer looking to return in 2007," 19 January 2006
• ESPN article "Antonucci lays the groundwork," 20 March 2005
• USA Today article & timeline, "WUSA decision jolts players," 15 September 2003