(September 4, 2002)                                                                                          Hot News Main Page

WUSA All-Star Starters Unveiled
13 of the 22 Starters Competed at Women's World Cup

ATLANTA GA (September 4, 2002) The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) today unveiled the starting lineups for the North and South All-Star teams that will compete in the 2002 WUSA All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon on September 21. The WUSA's inaugural All-Star Game, presented by Hyundai, will have a World Cup flavor as 13 of the 22 starters competed at the historic Women's World Cup in 1999.

Headlining the list for the South All-Stars is Washington's Mia Hamm, San Diego's Julie Foudy and 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year Danielle Slaton of the Carolina Courage. San Jose's Brandi Chastain, New York's Tiffeny Milbrett and 2002 WUSA Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year Marinette Pichon of the Philadelphia Charge lead the North squad. Carolina and Philadelphia each placed five players on the starting lineups, while San Jose has four starters. Washington (3 players), San Diego (2), Atlanta (1), Boston (1) and New York (1) round out the starting lineups.

Fans, WUSA players, WUSA coaches and general managers, and a media panel selected the All-Star starting lineups. Each group's total votes represented 25 percent of the total. Five additional reserve players will be announced on Monday, September 9. The reserve players will be selected by the two All-Star head coaches in conjunction with WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco.

SOUTH ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUP
GK, Kristin Luckenbill, Carolina, 2002 WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year
DEF, Danielle Slaton, Carolina, 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year
DEF, Jennifer Grubb, Washington, Played in every minute of every Freedom game in two seasons
DEF, Joy Fawcett, San Diego, U.S. national team veteran has three children
MID, Hege Riise, Carolina, Norwegian standout is considered the world's best playmaker
MID, Tiffany Roberts, Carolina, Coaches consider her the WUSA's best defensive midfielder
MID, Homare Sawa, Atlanta, Japanese star increased scoring production by 150 percent in 2002
MID, Julie Foudy, San Diego, Captain of the U.S. national team
F, Mia Hamm, Washington, The world's all-time leading scorer at the international level
F, Birgit Prinz, Carolina, German star was the MVP of Founders Cup II on August 24
F, Abby Wambach, Washington, Rising U.S. national team star was the 2002 WUSA Rookie of the Year

NORTH ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUP
GK, Melissa Moore, Philadelphia, Led the WUSA in goals against average (1.00) in 2002
DEF, Brandi Chastain, San Jose, World Cup veteran played forward and defense in 2002
DEF, Jenny Benson, Philadelphia, Newcomer to the U.S. national team
DEF, Jennifer Tietjen, Philadelphia, Finalist for the 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year award
MID, Kristine Lilly, Boston, The world leader (men and women) in national team appearances (236)
MID, Lorrie Fair, Philadelphia, The midfield engine for the Philadelphia Charge
MID, Sissi, San Jose, Creative player tied for the scoring lead at Women's World Cup '99
MID, Tisha Venturini-Hoch, San Jose, Champion in the NCAA, Olympic Games, World Cup and WUSA
F, Katia, San Jose, Led the WUSA in scoring in 2002 with 15 goals, five assists for 35 points
F, Marinette Pichon, Philadelphia, 2002 WUSA Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year
F, Tiffeny Milbrett, New York, Portland native is the WUSA's all-time leading scorer (26g, 11a, 63 pts.)

The 2002 WUSA All-Star Game will be held at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT). The match will be broadcast live nationally on PAX TV to more than 90 million households in the United States and several other countries worldwide.

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.

Carolina Courage Head Coach Marcia McDermott and Philadelphia Charge Head Coach Mark Krikorian will serve as the head coaches of the two WUSA All-Star teams. Atlanta Beat Head Coach Tom Stone will serve as McDermott's assistant coach for the South All-Stars while San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers will serve as Krikorian's assistant on the North team.

WUSA All-Star Game tickets can be purchased 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 online at www.ticketmaster.com. Individual tickets to the WUSA All-Star Game are priced from $15-$45. In addition, a special $4.75 ticket is available for a limited time only in the Fred Meyer Family Seat Section.

WUSA ALL-STARS BY THE NUMBERS                 NORTH    SOUTH 
Players who competed at World Cup '99                 7           6        
Players who competed in the 2000 Olympics            6           6 
International players                                           3           3 
Current members of their respective national team    8           9 
Rookies                                                             0           2 (Wambach, Slaton)

Featuring the best women's soccer players in the world, WUSA athletes include Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Tiffeny Milbrett, Danielle Slaton, 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 WUSA recently completed its 2002 season when the Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Freedom 3-2 at Founders Cup II.

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