| 2001 season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Tim Murphy |
| Head coach | Mark Krikorian |
| Stadium | Villanova Stadium |
| WUSA | 4th |
| WUSA PLayoffs | Semi-finals |
| Top goalscorer | Liu Ailing (10) |
| Highest home attendance | 11,800 (June 3 vs. Washington) |
| Lowest home attendance | 4,756 (July 19 vs. Boston) |
| Average home league attendance | 7,153 |
| Biggest win | 5–1 (Aug 6 vs. Carolina) |
| Biggest defeat | 0–3 (June 20 vs. Bay Area) |
The 2001 season was the Philadelphia Charge's first season competing in the Women's United Soccer Association league, the top division of women's soccer in the United States, and first competitive season. The team was coached by Mark Krikorian. [1]
After establishing the team in November 2000, the inaugural roster for the Philadelphia Charge began to form through a series of drafts organized by WUSA. All eight teams first participated in the WUSA player allocation intended to distribute top players, notably from the American team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup the previous year. [2] The Charge were first allocated US international midfielder Lorrie Fair, being the team's first official player. Goalkeeper, Saskia Webber, and forward, Mandy Clemens finished out the initial allocation for the 2001 season. [3]
After distribution of domestic talent, WUSA hosted the WUSA foreign player allocation, assigning rights of foreign players amongst the eight teams. The Charge drafted German international defender Doris Fitschen and English midfielder Kelly Smith, both signed before the start of the season. [4]
With domestic and international talent allocated, the Charge announced in November 2000 that University of Hartford women's soccer coach, Mark Krikorian, would be appointed the first head coach of the team. [5] Prior to the start of the season, Krikorian would bring on former Swedish international Pia Sundhage and John Natale as assistant coaches. [6] Rosters were filled out in December 2000, where the league hosted the first WUSA Draft [7] Notable acquisitions for the Charge included Chinese international midfielder, Liu Ailing, US international defender, Heather Mitts, and US international midfielder Laurie Schwoy.
The Charge played their first match in team history away at San Diego Spirit earning their first win. The team's first goal was a penalty kick scored by Doris Fitschen, followed up by a 62nd minute goal from Kelly Smith. [8] The Charge would finish their first season 4th in the standings, securing the final spot in the first WUSA Playoffs. On August 18, the Charge played their post season match at Atlanta Beat, losing in extra time 3-2, Philadelphia goals scored by Kelly Smith and Mandy Clemens. [9]
Liu Ailing emerged as the primary scoring threat for the Charge, scoring 10 goals in the regular season from 19 starts and registering the team's first hattrick against Carolina Courage. [10] [11]
The first-team roster of Philadelphia Charge. [12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Staff Member |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Mark Krikorian |
| Assistant coach |  Pia Sundhage |
| Assistant coach | John Natale |
| April 221 | San Diego Spirit | 0–2 | Philadelphia Charge | San Diego, CA |
| Box Score | Fitschen  30' (pen.)Smith 62' | Stadium: Torero Stadium Attendance: 6,155 Referee: Kari Seitz |
| April 282 | Atlanta Beat | 0–0 | Philadelphia Charge | Atlanta, GA |
| Box Score | Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium Attendance: 11,228 Referee: Nancy Lay |
| May 63 | Philadelphia Charge | 3–2 | Bay Area CyberRays | Villanova, PA |
| Martin 32' Olafsdottir 66'Demko 79' | Box Score | Murray 33' Sissi 66' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 11,092 Referee: Todd Perry |
| May 134 | New York Power | 2–2 | Philadelphia Charge | Uniondale, NY |
| Milbrett 54' Connors 58' | Box Score | McDowell 62' Karvelsson 80' | Stadium: Mitchel Athletic Complex Attendance: 2,348 Referee: Jennifer Bennett |
| May 245 | Philadelphia Charge | 0–2 | Atlanta Beat | Villanova, PA |
| Box Score | Parlow 2' Miller 40' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 6,432 Referee: Sandra Hunt |
| May 276 | Boston Breakers | 2–3 | Philadelphia Charge | Boston, MA |
| Mellgren 2' Meinert 81' | Report | Ailing 36', 77' Schwoy 83' | Stadium: Nickerson Field |
| May 317 | Washington Freedom | 0–2 | Philadelphia Charge | Washington, D.C. |
| Box Score | Clemens 20' Ailing 51' | Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 6,396 Referee: Rachel Woo |
| June 38 | Philadelphia Charge | 1–2 | Washington Freedom | Villanova, PA |
| Ailing 2' | Box Score | Grubb 32' Pretinha 49' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 11,800 Referee: Peter Kokolski |
| June 109 | Philadelphia Charge | 3–0 | Carolina Courage | Villanova, PA |
| Smith 16' Clemens 67'Schwoy 74' (pen.) | Box Score | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 5,862 Referee: Faith Rossi |
| June 1710 | New York Power | 2–1 | Philadelphia Charge | Uniondale, NY |
| Milbrett 15', 25' | Box Score | Ailing 60' | Stadium: Mitchel Athletic Complex Attendance: 3,104 Referee: Irwin Medina |
| June 2011 | Bay Area CyberRays | 3–0 | Philadelphia Charge | San Jose, CA |
| Kátia 48' Murray 50', 77' | Box Score | Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 4,687 Referee: Kari Seitz |
| July 112 | Philadelphia Charge | 1–1 | Atlanta Beat | Villanova, PA |
| Ailing 90+' | Box Score | Sawa 86' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 6,185 Referee: Kari Seitz |
| July 713 | Carolina Courage | 2–0 | Philadelphia Charge | Chapel Hill, NC |
| Fotopoulos 4' Riise 84' | Box Score | Stadium: Fetzer Field Attendance: 5,758 Referee: Nancy Lay |
| July 1314 | Philadelphia Charge | 3–0 | San Diego Spirit | Villanova, PA |
| Fitschen 21', 57' Ailing 78' | Box Score | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 5,683 Referee: Terry Vaughn |
| July 1915 | Philadelphia Charge | 1–2 | Boston Breakers | Villanova, PA |
| Smith 77' | Box Score | Mellgren 52', 85' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 4,756 Referee: Faith Rossi |
| July 2616 | Washington Freedom | 0–2 | Philadelphia Charge | Washington, D.C. |
| Box Score | Demko 44' Enos 78' | Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 6,794 Referee: Todd Perry |
| July 3017 | Philadelphia Charge | 2–1 | New York Power | Villanova, PA |
| Clemens 56' Schwoy 90+' | Box Score | Millbrett 34' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 6,588 Referee: Jennifer Bennett |
| August 218 | Bay Area CyberRays | 3–2 | Philadelphia Charge | San Jose, CA |
| Murray 51', 55' Kátia 62' | Box Score | Olafsdottir 52' Fair 90+' | Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 7,670 Referee: Ricardo Salazar |
| August 619 | Philadelphia Charge | 5–1 | Carolina Courage | Villanova, PA |
| Ailing 14', 37', 43' Clemens 48', 59' | Box Score | Riise 53' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 6,078 Referee: Sandra Hunt |
| August 920 | Philadelphia Charge | 1–1 | San Diego Spirit | Villanova, PA |
| Smith 75' | Box Score | Koleski 47' | Stadium: Villanova Stadium Attendance: 7,065 Referee: Rachel Woo |
| August 1221 | Boston Breakers | 2–1 | Philadelphia Charge | Boston, MA |
| Mellgren 54' Raygor 59' | Box Score | Schwoy 69' | Stadium: Nickerson Field Attendance: 6,075 Referee: Jennifer Bennett |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
Last updated: complete.
Source: WUSA
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bay Area CyberRays | 21 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 37 | Qualification to play-offs |
| 3 | New York Power | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 32 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Charge | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 31 | |
| 5 | San Diego Spirit | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 28 | |
| 6 | Boston Breakers | 21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 27 |
| August 18Semi-Finals | Atlanta Beat | 3–2 | Philadelphia Charge | Atlanta, GA |
| Smith 33' Clemens 36' | Box Score | Sun Wen 67' (pen.) Parlow 79', 101' | Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium Attendance: 12,138 Referee: Ricardo Salazar |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | WUSA | WUSA Playoffs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||
| Goalkeepers: | |||||||||||||
| GK | USA | Melissa Moore | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| GK | USA | Saskia Webber | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Defenders: | |||||||||||||
| DF | USA | Jenny Benson | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| DF |  GER | Doris Fitschen | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| DF | USA | Erica Iverson | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| DF | USA | Heather Mitts | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Jennifer Tietjen-Prozzo | 19 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Midfielders: | |||||||||||||
| MF |  CHN | Liu Ailing | 20 | 10 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Michelle Demko | 17 | 2 | 10+6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Lorrie Fair | 17 | 1 | 14+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Kalli Kamholz | 12 | 0 | 7+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Rebekah McDowell | 20 | 1 | 15+4 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | |||||
| MF |  ISL | Margret Olafsdottir | 18 | 2 | 10+8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| MF | USA | Laurie Schwoy | 18 | 4 | 9+8 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | |||||
| MF |  ENG | Kelly Smith | 14 | 5 | 12+1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| MF | USA | Jennifer Soileau | 6 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Forwards: | |||||||||||||
| FW | USA | Mandy Clemens | 21 | 6 | 13+7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| FW | USA | Deidre Enos | 20 | 1 | 4+15 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | |||||
| FW | ISL | Rakel Karvelsson | 18 | 1 | 13+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| FW | USA | Erin Martin | 10 | 1 | 8+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Nat. | No. | Player | Apps | Starts | Record | GA | GAA | SO |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Melissa Moore | 10 | 10 | 5–3–1 | 10 | 1.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| | Saskia Webber | 12 | 12 | 4–5–3 | 18 | 1.50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 9-8-4 | 28 | 1.33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2000 | Lorrie Fair | MF | North Carolina Tar Heels | WUSA player allocation [13] |
| Saskia Webber | GK |  OKI F.C. Winds | ||
| Mandy Clemens | FW | Silicon Valley Red Devils | ||
| October 30, 2000 | Doris Fitschen | DF | 1. FFC Frankfurt | WUSA foreign player allocation [4] |
| Kelly Smith | FW | New Jersey Lady Stallions | ||
| December 10, 2000 | Liu Ailing | MF | China National Team | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 1, Pick 2, 2nd Overall [7] |
| Heather Mitts | DF | Tampa Bay Extreme | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 2, Pick 7, 15th Overall [7] | |
| Jenny Benson | MF | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 3, Pick 2, 18th Overall [7] | |
| Ruth Van't Land | FW | Cal Poly Pomona Broncos | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 4, Pick 6, 31st Overall [7] | |
| Sarah Yohe | FW | Florida Gators | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 5, Pick 2, 34th Overall [7] | |
| Raven McDonald | MF | North Carolina Tar Heels | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 6, Pick 7, 47th Overall [7] | |
| Rebekah McDowell | MF | North Carolina Tar Heels | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 7, Pick 1, 49th Overall [7] | |
| Michelle Demko | MF | Tampa Bay Extreme | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 8, Pick 7, 63rd Overall [7] | |
| December 11, 2000 | Kalli Kamholz | MF | Tampa Bay Extreme | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 9, Pick 2, 66th Overall [7] |
| Carly Smolak | GK | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 10, Pick 2, 79th Overall [7] | ||
| Jennifer Tietjen-Prozzo | DF | Lond Island Lady Riders | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 11, Pick 2, 82nd Overall [7] | |
| Erin Martin | FW | Three Kings United | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 12, Pick 7, 95th Overall [7] | |
| Beth Keller | FW | Chicago Cobras | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 13, Pick 2, 98th Overall [7] | |
| Laurie Schwoy | MF | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 14, Pick 7, 111th Overall [7] | ||
 Laurie Hill | MF | California Storm | 2000 WUSA Draft, Round 15, Pick 2, 114th Overall [7] | |
| March 30, 2001 | Jennifer Soileau | MF | Ole Miss Rebels | Signed [14] |
| April 3, 2001 | Deidre Enos | FW | Boston University Terriers | Signed [15] |
| April 13, 2001 | Margret Olafsdottir | MF | Breiðablik | Signed [16] |
| Erica Iverson | DF | Signed | ||
| Rakel Karvelsson | FW | Signed | ||
| Melissa Moore | GK | Signed |
| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 21, 2000 | Laurie Pells | GK | Waived [17] | |
| Angela Harrison | Waived [17] | |||
| Tracey Spinelli | Waived [17] | |||
| Beth Keller | MF | Carolina Courage | Waived [17] [18] | |
| Courtney Saunders | Waived [17] | |||
| Laurie Hill | MF | Released [17] |
2001 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year: Doris Fitschen [19]
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