New York Power

The New York Power was an American professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional soccer league for women in the United States. The team played at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, New York. The team played from 2001 to 2003 when the league ceased operations.

New York Power
Full nameNew York Power
Nickname(s)Power
Founded2000
Dissolved2003
GroundMitchel Athletic Complex, Uniondale, New York
OwnerTime Warner Cable
ChairmanSusan Marenoff
Head CoachTom Sermanni
LeagueWomen's United Soccer Association

History
See also: Women's United Soccer Association § Establishment

On February 15, 2000, it was announced that the first professional women's soccer league would be formed by a number of major U.S. media companies and individual investors in response to the successful and hugely popular U.S. women's national soccer team who had won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Time Warner Cable invested $5,000,000 for the operating rights for a team in the New York market. In addition to the upfront financial investment, league investors also provided resources for staff, facilities, and promotional efforts via cable television.[1]

Team name and stadium unveiled

On November 16, 2000, the league announced the names of the eight teams admitted in the league. The New York Power was announced as the team name for the New York area with games to be played at the 10,000 capacity Mitchel Athletic Complex, a multi-purpose athletic facility located in Uniondale, New York. The team name was selected by team's front office with the slogan "Get emPOWERed" used in promotional materials.[2][1]

Inaugural season
Main article: 2001 WUSA season

The Power began play in 2001 during the inaugural season of the WUSA. The team finished the regular season with a 9–7–5 record third in the standings. They reached the semi-finals in the playoffs where they faced the Bay Area CyberRays and lost 3–2. Average attendance for the club's home games during the 2001 season was 5,724. Tiffeny Milbrett was the leading scorer on the team with 16 goals on the season. She also led the team in points (35), shots (73), shots on goal (42), and game-winning goals (4). Goalkeeper Gao Hong recorded 87 saves with a 1.11 goals against average (GAA).[3]

2002 season

During the league's second season, the Power finished last in the regular season standings with a 3–17–1 record.[4] The club had a rough time recovering from a number of injuries and the retirement of Norwegian defender Gro Espeseth, who departed after the inaugural season. Goalkeeper Gao Hong, defender Christie Pearce and defender-midfielder Sara Whalen all suffered injuries destabilizing the team.[5] In July, head coach Pat Farmer was fired after the team lost many more games than it won or tied. Assistant coach and former Rutgers University coach Charles Duccilli was named head coach. The team's general manager, Susan Marenoff, said of the coaching swap, "The team needed a change ... Pat worked very hard to make the best team he could. I really think we needed a different style, and that's what we've accomplished."[5]

2003 season

The Power re-surged during the 2003 season to finish fifth among the league's eight teams, narrowly missing the playoffs.[6] Australia women's national team coach and San Jose CyberRays assistant coach, Tom Sermanni, was named head coach during the 2002 postseason.[7] The Power finished the regular season with a 7–9–5 record. Forward Christie Welsh led the team in goals with six while midfielder Shannon Boxx led in assists with eight. Inaugural season star Tiffeny Milbrett ranked second on the team for goals (5) and assists (6) and led the team in shots (51), shots on goal (22) and points (16).[8] Goalkeeper Saskia Webber made 50 saves during her 13 appearances for the club recording a 1.52 goals against average (GAA).[8]

Year-by-year
Year League Regular Season Playoffs Avg. Attendance
2001 WUSA 3rd Place Semi-finals 5,724
2002 WUSA 8th place Did not qualify 5,575
2003 WUSA 5th place Did not qualify 4,249

Players

The "founding players" of the Power were Tiffeny Milbrett, Christie Pearce and Sara Whalen of the 1999 USA Women's World Cup team. International players who played for the Power included Ann Kristin Aarønes (Norway), Gro Espeseth (Norway), Gao Hong (China), Cheryl Salisbury (Australia) and Anita Rapp (Norway).

2003 Roster[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 FW  USA Christie Welsh
1 GK  USA Saskia Webber
2 DF  USA Kristy Whelchel
3 DF  USA Christie Pearce
5 MF  USA Shannon Boxx
6 FW  USA Heather Beem
7 DF  USA Sara Whalen
8 DF  AUS Cheryl Salisbury
9 DF  USA Lindsay Jones
10 MF  NOR Anita Rapp
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 MF  USA Emily Janss
12 MF  USA Krista Davey
13 GK  USA Carly Smolak
14 MF  AUS Joanne Peters
15 FW  USA Tiffeny Milbrett
16 MF  USA Tammy Pearman
17 MF  USA Justi Baumgardt-Yamada
19 DF  USA Jaclyn Raveia
25 MF  USA Margaret Tiejten

Coach: Tom Sermanni

Coaches

Awards

The New York Power received the WUSA Team Fair Play Award during the 2001 season. Tiffeny Milbrett received the WUSA Most Valuable Player and WUSA Offensive Player of the Year the same year. Gro Espeseth and Tiffeny Milbrett were named to the WUSA Global XI First Team in 2001.[10]

In 2003, Coach Tom Sermanni was one of three nominees for Coach of the Year.[11]

League suspension
Main article: Women's United Soccer Association § League suspension

The WUSA announced on September 15, 2003 that it was suspending operations.

See also

References
  1. 2001 Media Guide: New York Power. New York Power. 2001.
  2. Page, Rodney (April 8, 2001). "WUSA team-by-team". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  3. "New York Power". Sports Illustrated. April 11, 2002. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  4. Bell, Jack (April 4, 2003). "SOCCER; W.U.S.A. Preview". New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  5. "WUSA: Power tries a different style". Soccer America. July 3, 2002. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  6. "Power short-circuit Beat, give regular-season title to Boston". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  7. "WUSA: Power GM Marenoff resigns". Soccer America. May 1, 2003. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  8. "2003 NEW YORK POWER STATISTICS". USA Today. May 27, 2003. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  9. "2003 NEW YORK POWER ROSTER". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  10. "Milbrett Tops List of WUSA Post-Season Honorees". US Soccer. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  11. "Hamm, Scurry among awards finalists". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
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