Women's United Soccer Association

Infobox sports league
logo=Wusa.pngpixels=150px
sport=Football (soccer)
founded=2000
teams=8
country=USA
champion=Washington Freedom
folded=2003

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 in the United States. The league suspended operations on September 15, 2003, shortly after the end of its third season.

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 on the momentum of their victory, the twenty US WNT players, in partnership with John Hendricks of the Discovery Channel, sought out the investors, markets, and players necessary to form the eight-team league. The twenty 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.

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, Pu Wei, Fan Yunjie, Zhang Ouying, Gao Hong, Zhao Lihong, and Bai Jie; Germany's Birgit Prinz, Conny Pohlers, Steffi Jones and Maren Meinert; Norway's Hege Riise, Unni Lehn, and Dagny Mellgren; Brazil's Sissi, Kátia and Pretinha; and Canada's Charmaine Hooper, Sharolta Nonen, 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, Kristin Bengtsson of Sweden, and Kelly Smith of England.

Teams

The WUSA franchises were in Philadelphia; Boston; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Cary, N.C.; Atlanta; San Jose, Ca.; and San Diego:

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

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.
*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

Television

At various times, games were televised on TNT, CNNSI, ESPN2, PAX TV, and various local and regional sports channels.

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.

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.

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.

With the WUSA on hiatus, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and the W-League regained their status as the premier women's soccer leagues in the United States, and many former WUSA players joined those teams.

Revival

Women's professional soccer is scheduled to return in 2009; however, the new league will be named Women's Professional Soccer. [cite news
url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2008-01-18-hamm-silhouette-logo_N.htm
title=Hamm's imprint made on new women's soccer league
date=2008-01-18
work=USA Today]

References

External links

* http://www.wusa.com/
* http://www.wusa.com/news/
* http://www.womensprosoccer.com/
* http://www.womensprofessionalsoccerleague.com/
* http://www.womensprofessionalsoccerassociation.com/

External news links

* [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/wusa/2003-09-15-wusa-players-reaction_x.htm "USA Today" article & timeline] , "WUSA decision jolts players," 15 September 2003