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Article: Forward March: with the league's best defense and the return of Kelly Smith, Philadelphia may charge to the Founders Cup title. (2003 WUSA Preview).
- Article from:
- Soccer Digest
- Article date:
- April 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Century Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IF THERE WERE LESSONS TO BE learned from the 2002 WUSA season, they were that the league's parity makes everyone a contender and the most important ingredient for success is top foreign talent. Last year, the Carolina Courage pulled off a stunning worst-to-first turnaround powered largely by German scoring ace Birgit Prinz, Norway's midfield wizard Hege Riise, and Defensive Rookie of the Year Danielle Slaton.
The Washington Freedom, equally inept in year one, battled the Courage in the 2002 Founders Cup. The Freedom's path was blazed by China's Bai Jie and Pu Wei, Germany's defensive specialist Steffi Jones, the return of Mia Hamm, and the scoring skills of top ...