2001 Philadelphia Charge season

Philadelphia Charge

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)
← Inaugural 2002  →

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]

Review

Team formation

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.

First season

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]}

Club

Roster

The first-team roster of Philadelphia Charge. ^[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   CHN Liu Ailing — DF   USA Jenny Benson — FW   USA Mandy Clemens — MF   USA Michelle Demko — FW   USA Deidre Enos — MF   USA Lorrie Fair — DF   GER Doris Fitschen — DF   USA Erica Iverson — MF   USA Kalli Kamholz — FW   ISL Rakel Karvelsson — FW   USA Erin Martin — MF   USA Rebekah McDowell

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   USA Heather Mitts — GK   USA Melissa Moore — MF   ISL Margret Olafsdottir — GK   USA Laurie Pells — DF   USA Vanessa Rubio — FW   USA Courtney Saunders — MF   USA Laurie Schwoy — MF   ENG Kelly Smith — MF   USA Jennifer Soileau — DF   USA Jennifer Tietjen-Prozzo — GK   USA Saskia Webber

Team management

Position	Staff Member
Head coach	Mark Krikorian
Assistant coach	Pia Sundhage
Assistant coach	John Natale

Last updated: April 3, 2020
Source:

Competition

Regular season

Main article: 2001 WUSA season

San Diego Spirit v Philadelphia Charge

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

Atlanta Beat v Philadelphia Charge

April 282	Atlanta Beat	0–0	Philadelphia Charge	Atlanta, GA
		Box Score		Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium Attendance: 11,228 Referee: Nancy Lay

Philadelphia Charge v Bay Area CyberRays

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

New York Power v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v Atlanta Beat

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

Boston Breakers v Philadelphia Charge

May 276	Boston Breakers	2–3	Philadelphia Charge	Boston, MA
	Mellgren 2' Meinert 81'	Report	Ailing 36', 77' Schwoy 83'	Stadium: Nickerson Field

Washington Freedom v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v Washington Freedom

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

Philadelphia Charge v Carolina Courage

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

New York Power v Philadelphia Charge

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

Bay Area CyberRays v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v Atlanta Beat

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

Carolina Courage v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v San Diego Spirit

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

Philadelphia Charge v Boston Breakers

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

Washington Freedom v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v New York Power

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

Bay Area CyberRays v Philadelphia Charge

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

Philadelphia Charge v Carolina Courage

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

Philadelphia Charge v San Diego Spirit

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

Boston Breakers v Philadelphia Charge

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

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
Stadium	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	H	A
Result	W	D	W	D	L	W	W	L	W	L	L	D	L	W	L	W	W	L	W	D	L

Source: WUSA
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Home/away results

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

Regular-season standings

Pos	Team v t e	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

Updated to match(es) played on August 2001. Source:

Playoffs

Atlanta Beat v Philadelphia Charge

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

Statistics

As of April 2, 2020

Players without any appearance are not included.

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

• Source: https://www.statscrew.com/womenssoccer/stats/t-WPHC/y-2001

Goalkeepers

As of April 4, 2020

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

Record = W-L-D

Transfers

In

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

Out

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]

Honors

2001 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year: Doris Fitschen ^[19]

References

1. Drew Crossley (May 24, 2016). "2001-2003 Philadelphia Charge". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
2. "WUSA kick-started". Sports Illustrated. May 24, 2000. Archived from the original on July 13, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
3. Robert Wagman (May 24, 2000). "Hamm is assigned to play in Washington as first 24 allocations are announced". SoccerTimes. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
4. "WUSA conducts inaugural foreign player allocation draft". SoccerTimes. October 30, 2000. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
5. Mark Pukalo (November 20, 2000). "KRIKORIAN TO TAKE CHARGE OF PHILADELPHIA FRANCHISE". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
6. "WUSA Notes: Assistant coach and front-office hirings". SoccerAmerica. February 1, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
7. "WUSA: Complete Draft Results". SoccerAmerica. December 10, 2000. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
8. "WUSA | PHILADELPHIA CHARGE (1-0-0) VS SAN DIEGO SPIRIT (0-1-0)". WUSA. April 22, 2000. Archived from the original on October 7, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
9. "WUSA | PHILADELPHIA CHARGE (0-1-0) VS ATLANTA BEAT (1-0-0)". WUSA. August 18, 2000. Archived from the original on August 21, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
10. "2001 Women's United Soccer Association Leaders". statscrew.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
11. "WUSA: Liu Ailing hat trick spurs Philly rout". SoccerAmerica. August 7, 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
12. "2001 Philadelphia Charge Roster". statscrew.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
13. Robert Wagman (May 24, 2000). "Hamm is assigned to play in Washington as first 24 allocations are announced". SoccerTimes. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
14. "Soileau Makes Final Roster for Philadelphia Charge". Ole Miss Sports. March 30, 2000. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
15. "Enos Makes Charge's Roster; Only AE Player In WUSA". goterriers.com. April 3, 2000. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
16. "WUSA: Charge fills foreign spot with Olafsdottir". SoccerAmerica.com. April 13, 2000. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
17. "WUSA Preseason: All eight teams announce cuts". SoccerAmerica. March 19, 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
18. "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times . June 21, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
19. "2001 Women's United Soccer Association". statscrew.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.

External links

• Philadelphia Charge website (archive.org)