| Event | 2003 WUSA season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | August 24, 2003 | ||||||
| Venue | Torero Stadium, San Diego, California | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Abby Wambach (Freedom) | ||||||
| Referee | Terry Vaughn | ||||||
| Attendance | 7,106 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunshine 79 °F (26 °C) | ||||||
The 2003 WUSA Founders Cup, also known as Founders Cup III, was the third and final championship match in Women's United Soccer Association history, played between the Atlanta Beat and the Washington Freedom to decide the champion of the league's final season. [1] The game was played at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California on August 24, 2003. The Washington Freedom defeated the Beat 2-1. [2] [3] [4]
| Washington Freedom | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Atlanta Beat |
|---|---|---|
Wambach  7',  96' | Report | Hooper 46+' (pen.) |
     Washington Freedom | Atlanta Beat |
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Player of the match
Match officials
| Match rules
|
| Washington Freedom | Atlanta Beat | |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 20 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 6 |
| Corner kicks | 8 | 1 |
| Fouls committed | 15 | 20 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as 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, after making cumulative losses of around US$100 million.
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004. Hamm was the face of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, where she played for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels and helped the team win four NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship titles.
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Daniela Alves Lima, commonly known as Daniela, is a former Brazilian football midfielder who played for professional clubs in Brazil, Sweden and the United States. As a member of the Brazil women's national football team she participated in two FIFA Women's World Cups and three Olympic Games. Daniela was a box-to-box central midfielder who was renowned for her powerful long range shots.
Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion. The WPS was the highest level in the United States soccer pyramid for the women's game.
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Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis.
The 2002 Women's United Soccer Association season was the second season for WUSA, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. The regular season began on April 13 and ended on August 11. The playoffs began on August 17, with the championship match between played on August 24 between the Carolina Courage and the Washington Freedom.
The 2003 Women's United Soccer Association season was the third and final season for WUSA, the first top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. The regular season began on April 5 and ended on August 10. The playoffs began on August 16, with the championship match between played on August 24 between the Washington Freedom and the Atlanta Beat.
Mónica Marie Gerardo Moran is a football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder and a forward. Born in the United States, she had been capped by the Mexico women's national team, appearing at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. At club level, she has played in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) for the Washington Freedom.
Meredith Grace Beard is an American former professional soccer player. A forward, she represented the Carolina Courage and the Washington Freedom of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She won three caps for the United States national team.
The 2002 WUSA Founders Cup, also known as Founders Cup II, was the second championship match in Women's United Soccer Association history, played between the Carolina Courage and the Washington Freedom to decide the champion of the league's inaugural season. The game was played at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on August 24, 2002. The Carolina Courage defeated the Freedom 3–2.
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