(July 29, 2002)

Portland To Host Wusa All-Star Game
World-Class Women's Soccer Event to be Held on September 21 at PGE Park

PORTLAND OR (July 29, 2002) The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) and Portland Family Entertainment (PFE) announced today that Portland, Oregon will host the 2002 WUSA All-Star Game on Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT). The WUSA's inaugural All-Star Game, which will be presented by Hyundai, will be played at PGE Park and will be broadcast live nationally on PAX TV to more than 90 million households in the United States and several other countries worldwide.

WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco, PFE President Mark Schuster, New York Power forward Tiffeny Milbrett and San Diego Spirit forward Shannon MacMillan were at Portland's Multnomah Athletic Club today to make the announcement.

"We're thrilled to bring this great showcase of WUSA players to the city of Portland," said DiCicco, who led the U.S. team to a 4-2 victory over Canada at PGE Park on June 6, 1999, just prior to the Americans march to the Women's World Cup '99 championship. "Many of the players who starred in the 1999 World Cup will be participating, as well as some newcomers who are destined to star in the 2003 World Cup in China."

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome the WUSA All-Star Game as one of the biggest events we will have had the chance to host at PGE Park this year," said Schuster. "Certainly, this is a great event for Portland. It's yet another example of the big-time events we can bring to PGE Park."

The format for the WUSA All-Star Game will feature the North All-Stars vs. the South All-Stars, as the best players from the WUSA's eight teams will be split into two squads. The North team will feature players from the Boston Breakers, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge and San Jose CyberRays, while the South will consist of athletes from the Atlanta Beat, Carolina Courage, San Diego Spirit and Washington Freedom.

The WUSA All-Star Game continues the tradition of world-class soccer events in "Soccer City USA." Home to A-League's Portland Timbers, Portland has played host to many prestigious soccer matches. Portland was the site of Pelé's final game in the NASL's Soccer Bowl '77 on August 28, 1977, as the New York Cosmos defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at Civic Stadium (now PGE Park). Portland served as host of the sold-out 1994 NCAA Women's Soccer Final Four and has been the site for several U.S. Women's national team matches, including the send-off game for the 1999 Women's World Cup team that saw Milbrett, Mia Hamm (Washington Freedom), Cindy Parlow (Atlanta Beat) and Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers) all score in the victory over Canada. PGE Park also hosted the U.S. men's national team's 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in a World Cup Qualifying match on September 7, 1997.

PGE Park features a soccer capacity of close to 20,000 and is located in downtown Portland. Built in 1926, PGE Park underwent a $38.5 million renovation in 2000 when Portland Family Entertainment obtained management of the facility. The renovation was completed in 2001. Owned by the City of Portland, PGE Park is also home to the Portland Beavers (Triple A Baseball) and the Portland State University football program.

WUSA All-Star Game tickets go on sale Monday, August 5 at 9 a.m. PT. Soccer fans can purchase tickets at PGE Park and all Portland-area Ticketmaster outlets, including select Fred Meyer and G.I. Joe's locations. Tickets are also available by calling Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400 or by going on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. Individual tickets to the WUSA All-Star Game will be priced from $15-$45. In addition, a special $4.75 ticket will be made available for a limited time only in the Fred Meyer Family Seat Section.

Featuring the best women's soccer players in the world, WUSA athletes include Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Tiffeny Milbrett, Briana Scurry, Julie Foudy and dozens of international stars. The eight WUSA teams are the Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Carolina Courage, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge, San Diego Spirit, San Jose CyberRays and the Washington Freedom. The 2002 WUSA regular season concludes August 11 and Founders Cup II, the league's championship game, will take place August 24 in Atlanta.


WUSA ALL-STAR GAME OVERVIEW

WHAT: WUSA All-Star Game

WHEN: Saturday, September 21, Time: 4:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: PGE Park - Portland, Oregon

TV:       The WUSA All-Star Game will be broadcast live nationally on PAX TV and to several other countries.    

TICKETS: WUSA All-Star Game tickets go on sale Monday, August 5 at 9 a.m PT. Soccer fans can purchase tickets at PGE Park and all Portland-area Ticketmaster outlets, including select Fred Meyer and G.I. Joe's locations. Tickets are also available by calling Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400 or by going on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.


[Source: Dan Courtemanche, (678) 645-0757, www.WUSA.com, Paul Dodson, (678) 645-0764, WUSA Communications; Chris Metz, (503) 553-5433, Portland Family Entertainment]