2000 WUSA draft

:1.{{note|a}} First American pick.

:1.{{note|b}} San Diego got an additional "compensation pick" because Joy Fawcett, one of their allocated players, was pregnant.{{cite news|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/13407/wusa-draft-results-from-day-1.html|work=Soccer America|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 10, 2000|title=WUSA: Draft results from Day 1 }}

:1.{{note|c}} Traded from the San Diego Spirit for a 6th round pick and a 2nd round pick in the February 2001 supplemental draft. Soccer America noted that this trade apparently disrupted the subsequent order of the draft.

The draft was preceded by an invitation-only combine held over five days at Florida Atlantic University.{{cite news|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2000-10-24/sports/0010240120_1_wusa-general-managers-scout|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102195926/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2000-10-24/sports/0010240120_1_wusa-general-managers-scout|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2014|work=Sun-Sentinel|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=October 24, 2000|title=Wusa To Scout, Draft At Boca In December|first=Dave|last=Brousseau}} Although over 500 players applied, only 198 were invited to take part in supervised training and scrimmages.{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/2000/12/11/wusa-hopefuls-time-to-put-present-on-hold/|title=Wusa Hopefuls: Time To Put Present On Hold|work=Hartford Courant|access-date=December 31, 2013|date=December 11, 2000|first=Jerry|last=Trecker}} Around 40 of the players had previously been competing in the pro–am Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL),{{cite news|url=http://www.wpsl.info/news/00_1127.html|title=Over 40 WPSL Players Invited to WUSA Combine|work=Women's Premier Soccer League|access-date=December 31, 2013|date=November 25, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192232/http://www.wpsl.info/news/00_1127.html|archive-date=January 2, 2014|url-status=dead}} while most of the others were competing at W-League level.{{cite news|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2000/sa1486n.pdf|work=Soccer America|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 25, 2000|title=Rating the eight WUSA teams|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912002630/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2000/sa1486n.pdf|archive-date=September 12, 2016|url-status=dead}}

The draft assigned the rights of 15 players to each team. Teams could contract up to five of the players immediately, to start promotional work in their home cities.{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/2000/12/11/building-the-wusa/|title=Building The Wusa|work=Hartford Courant|access-date=December 31, 2013|date=December 11, 2000}} WUSA's vice president of legal affairs, Rob Kaler, had decided the draft order by randomly selecting envelopes containing each team's logo in a lottery.{{cite news|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/13339/wusa-atlanta-has-first-pick-in-draft.html|work=Soccer America|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 6, 2000|title=WUSA: Atlanta has first pick in draft}}

In November 2000, WUSA's vice president of player relations, Lauren Gregg, secured five Chinese players after flying to China for delicate negotiations with a somewhat reluctant Chinese Football Association (CFA) and the players' clubs.{{cite news|url=http://english.people.com.cn/english/200011/25/eng20001125_56137.html|title=US League Makes Last Bids for Chinese Women Soccer Stars|work=People's Daily|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=November 25, 2000}}{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019503/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194226/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019503/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2014|work=Sports Illustrated|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=June 19, 2001|first=Grant|last=Wahl|authorlink=Grant Wahl|title=Soccer}} All five players went into the draft and were selected with five of the first six picks.{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/us/news/2000/12/10/wusa_draft_ap/#more|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527082206/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/us/news/2000/12/10/wusa_draft_ap/#more|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 27, 2012|work=CNN Sports Illustrated|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 10, 2000|title=Sun to shine in Atlanta}} Top pick Sun Wen was in Rome on the second day of the draft, collecting her award as joint-FIFA Female Player of the Century.{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/12/eng20001212_57564.html|title=Sun Wen Elected FIFA Woman Player of the Century|work=People's Daily|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 12, 2000|first=Li|last=Yan}}

Gregg had traversed the globe since May 2000, trying to sign elite players identified by WUSA commissioner Tony DiCicco.{{cite journal|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/2001/06/stossel-p2.htm|title=As American as Women's Soccer?|work=The Atlantic|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=June 2001|volume=287|number=6|first=Scott |last=Stossel}} She was not always successful: Norway's Marianne Pettersen accepted a competing offer from Europe's only professional club Fulham,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/apr/08/newsstory.sport7|title=Something for the ladies|publisher=The Guardian|date=April 8, 2001|accessdate=December 31, 2013| location=London | first=Stephanie | last=Merritt}} while FFC Frankfurt blocked an approach for their German–American defender Steffi Jones.{{cite news|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/12319/wusa-join-the-party.html|work=Soccer America|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=February 14, 2002|title=WUSA: Join the Party|first=Scott|last=French}}

American players who had found success overseas, including Colette Cunningham, Denise Reddy and Jill Rutten, reportedly attended the combine but were not selected in the draft. Brazilian goalkeeper Andréia Suntaque and Dutch midfielder Nathalie Geeris were also in attendance but not picked.{{cite news|url=http://www.soccertimes.com/proleagues/wusa/2000/dec09.htm|title=After five-day combine, inaugural eight teams prepare for first draft.|work=Soccer Times|access-date=December 31, 2013|date=December 9, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924103317/http://www.soccertimes.com/proleagues/wusa/2000/dec09.htm|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} Each team was restricted to four foreign players, including the two already allocated by the league.{{cite news|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/12319/wusa-join-the-party.html|work=USA Today|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=August 22, 2002|title=Foreign talent flocks to WUSA|first=Ray|last=Glier}}

As well as foreign players and combine attendees, college players in their senior year were eligible for the main draft, although a further supplemental draft – specifically for college players – was arranged for February 2001.{{cite news|url=http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/121200aaa.html|work=University of Notre Dame|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=December 12, 2000|title=Former Notre Dame Player Kara Brown Selected On Second Day of WUSA Draft|archive-date=January 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193311/http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/121200aaa.html|url-status=dead}}

Many players, who were typically graduates from leading Universities, faced a substantial drop in salary, even if they made it on to a team's final 20-player roster. A collective bargaining agreement between the players and league allowed a minimum annual wage of $25,000, beneath an average salary of $40,000. After some deliberation, last pick Carmel Murphy decided not to take up her place at Bay Area CyberRays, in favor of going to medical school.{{cite news|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/8736/wusa-preseason-murphy-trades-c-rays-for-med-schoo.html|work=Soccer America|accessdate=December 31, 2013|date=March 2, 2001|title=WUSA Preseason: Murphy trades C-Rays for med school}}

{{Portal|Women's association football|Sports|Association football}}

• List of top-division football clubs in CONCACAF countries
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• 2001 WUSA season

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{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.socceramerica.com/article/13409/wusa-complete-draft-results.html Inaugural WUSA Draft]

{{Women's United Soccer Association}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2000 WUSA Draft}}

2001

Draft