MagicJack (WPS)
{{Short description|Defunct soccer club}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = magicJack
| image =
| fullname =
| nickname =
| founded = 2011
| dissolved = 2012
| stadium = FAU Soccer Field
| capacity = 1,200
| owner = Dan Borislow[http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/dc/news/general/101202-Statement-Maureen-Hendricks Washington Freedom Contact Information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206171149/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/dc/news/general/101202-Statement-Maureen-Hendricks |date=2010-12-06 }}
| manager = Abby Wambach
| league = Women's Professional Soccer
| season = 2011
| position = WPS, 3rd
| firstgame =
| largestwin =
| worstdefeat =
| pattern_la1 =
| pattern_b1 = _whitethinlines
| pattern_ra1 =
| leftarm1 = 01796F
| body1 = 01796F
| rightarm1 = 01796F
| shorts1 = 000000
| socks1 = 01796F
| pattern_la2 =
| pattern_b2 =
| pattern_ra2 =
| leftarm2 = FFFFFF
| body2 = FFFFFF
| rightarm2 = FFFFFF
| shorts2 = 000000
| socks2 = FFFFFF
| honours =
| American = true
| current =
| }}
magicJack (stylized with the first letter in lower case) was an American professional soccer club based in Boca Raton, Florida. The team competed in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) for one season until legal challenges caused the team's owner, Dan Borislow, to be banned from the WPS, which folded in 2012.
History
=Freedom era=
{{main|Washington Freedom (soccer)}}
In 2001, magicJack was founded as Washington Freedom, a team of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). The Freedom were the only team to continue as an organization after WUSA folded, first playing exhibition games, then joining the W-League. The Freedom were a founding member of WUSA's successor, Women's Professional Soccer. In 2011, the team was purchased by Dan Borislow, the owner of the phone tech company magicJack, renamed, and relocated to Boca Raton, Florida.
=First season=
File:MagicJack at midfield.jpg
The team opened its 2011 season with three wins, and was the only team with a perfect record for the first month of the season. Despite this, coach Mike Lyons was then dismissed, beginning a long period of coaching controversy, while both Borislow and Christie Rampone functioned as team coach at various points. During the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, magicJack lost in a WPS-record 6–0 defeat, falling to the Philadelphia Independence.
On July 21, 2011, Abby Wambach was named as magicJack's player-coach for the rest of the season.{{cite news |last=Habib |first=Hal |date=July 21, 2011 |title=U.S. soccer hero Abby Wambach will become player-coach of Boca Raton-based magicJack club |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/2011/07/21/u-s-soccer-hero-abby/7427562007/ |work=The Palm Beach Post |accessdate=December 24, 2023}} The team was the visiting side when the Western New York Flash of Rochester (Wambach's hometown) set the new WPS league record attendance of 15,404.{{cite news |last=Purdy |first=Jacqueline |date=July 27, 2011 |title=The post-World Cup bounce |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/blog/_/name/purdy_jacqueline/id/6808077/the-post-world-cup-bounce |publisher=ESPN |access-date=December 24, 2023}} magicJack ultimately finished third in both the regular season and the playoffs.
=Battling with the league=
In the waning months of the season, Borislow sent an e-mail to his players telling them that WPS was threatening to terminate the team before the season was over, and he filed a suit in Florida courts. The league denied this accusation, and agreements were made for the suit to be dropped.{{cite news |last=Dure |first=Beau |date=January 10, 2012 |title=Timeline of Dan Borislow's dealings with WPS |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/7443329/timeline-dan-borislow-dealings-wps |work=ESPNW |access-date=June 30, 2018}}
On October 25, 2011, the Women's Professional League Governors voted to terminate the franchise,{{cite web |url=http://www.womensprosoccer.com/news/press_releases/111027-MagicJack-termination |publisher=Women's Professional Soccer |title=WPS Terminates magicJack Franchise |access-date=2015-08-18 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719143909/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/news/press_releases/111027-magicJack-termination |archive-date=2012-07-19}} accusing owner Dan Borislow of violations ranging from "unprofessional and disparaging treatment of his players" to "failure to pay his bills". WPS also stated, "Mr. Borislow's actions have been calculated to tarnish the reputation of the league and damage the league's business relationships."{{cite news |date=August 3, 2011 |title=WPS to give magicJack the boot? |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2011/08/03/wps-to-give-magicjack-the-boot/ |work=Sun-Sentinel |accessdate=December 24, 2023}} All players were able to sign with new teams when free agency started on November 9, 2011.
Forward Ella Masar was the only magicJack player to publicly condemn the team owner, Dan Borislow, accusing him of mistreating players, including her.{{cite news |last1=Assel |first1=Shaun |last2=Keating |first2=Peter |date=September 13, 2012 |title=MagicTrick |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/8336849/why-hope-solo-abby-wambach-back-magicjack-owner-dan-borislow-espn-magazine |work=ESPNW |accessdate=November 27, 2017}}
=Exhibition team=
Borislow again filed suit in Florida courts; on January 10, 2012, the judge ruled that the league could not terminate the team's franchise without following its own procedures, and a hearing was set for the following week.{{cite news |date=January 11, 2012 |title=Judge rules against WPS in magicJack termination suit |url=http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2012-01-11/judge-rules-against-wps-in-magicjack-termination-suit |work=Sporting News |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203020850/http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2012-01-11/judge-rules-against-wps-in-magicjack-termination-suit |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |accessdate=June 27, 2012}} Before adjudication resumed, WPS and Borislow reached another deal, this time allowing Borislow to keep his team as an exhibition team, guaranteeing magicJack at least seven games for each of the next two years, one at each of the WPS teams' home grounds and two in Florida.{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7476038/wps-dan-borislow-agree-work-together-again |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124143318/http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7476038/wps-dan-borislow-agree-work-together-again |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |title=WPS, Dan Borislow to work together again |last=Dure |first=Beau |work=espnW |date=January 18, 2012|access-date=January 19, 2012}} The WPS announced on January 30 that it was suspending the 2012 season, in part because of their legal dispute with Borislow.{{cite news |last=Goff |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Goff |date=January 30, 2012 |title=WPS shutdown might mark the end of U.S. women's pro soccer efforts |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/wps-shutdown-might-mark-the-end-of-us-womens-pro-soccer-efforts/2012/01/30/gIQAGBHKdQ_blog.html |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=December 24, 2023}} The league announced that it would cease all operations on May 18, 2012.{{cite news |last=Dure |first=Beau |date=May 18, 2012 |title=Women's Professional Soccer folds |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7945174/women-professional-soccer-folds-three-seasons |work=ESPNW |accessdate=December 24, 2023}} Borislow died in July 2014 of a heart attack after playing in a soccer game.{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Laurence |last2=Coppola |first2=Gabrielle |date=July 22, 2014 |title=Dan Borislow, MagicJack creator, dies at 52 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/dan-borislow-magicjack-creator-dies-at-52/2014/07/22/c14c5af0-11dc-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=December 24, 2023}}
Players
=Final squad=
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player |no= 1 | nat=USA | pos=GK | name=Hope Solo}}
{{Fs player |no= 2 | nat=USA | pos=DF | name=Marian Dalmy}}
{{Fs player |no= 3 | nat=USA | pos=DF | name=Christie Rampone}}
{{Fs player |no= 5 | nat=USA | pos=FW | name=Lindsay Tarpley}}
{{Fs player |no= 6 | nat=JAM | pos=MF | name=Omolyn Davis}}
{{Fs player |no= 7 | nat=USA | pos=MF | name=Shannon Boxx}}
{{Fs player |no= 8 | nat=CAN | pos=MF | name=Sophie Schmidt}}
{{Fs player |no= 9 | nat=USA | pos=FW | name=Megan Rapinoe}}
{{Fs player |no= 10 | nat=USA | pos=DF | name=Tina Ellertson}}
{{Fs player |no= 11 | nat=AUS | pos=FW | name=Lisa De Vanna}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player |no= 14 | nat=USA | pos=MF | name=Sarah Huffman}}
{{Fs player |no= 16 | nat=USA | pos=MF | name=Lydia Vandenbergh}}
{{Fs player |no= 17 | nat=USA | pos=GK | name=Brett Maron}}
{{Fs player |no= 20 | nat=USA | pos=FW | name=Abby Wambach}}
{{Fs player |no= 21 | nat=USA | pos=GK | name=Jillian Loyden}}
{{Fs player |no= 22 | nat=USA | pos=DF | name=Becky Sauerbrunn}}
{{Fs player |no= 23 | nat=USA | pos=FW | name=Christen Press}}
{{Fs player |no= 26 | nat=USA | pos=MF | name=Nikki Washington}}
{{Fs player |no= 30 | nat=CAN | pos=GK | name=Karina LeBlanc}}
{{Fs player |no= 55 | nat=USA | pos=FW | name=Ella Masar}}
{{Fs end}}
Season table
Final regular season standings.
Blue denotes regular season champion, and top seed in 2011 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs.
Green denotes team has spot in 2011 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs.
| class="wikitable"
!Place ! style="width:240px;" |Team ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|Pld|Played}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|W|Won}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|D|Drawn}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|L|Lost}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}} ! width="20" |{{Tooltip|Pts|Points}} |
| style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
|1 |18 |13 |3 |2 |40 |18 | +22 |42 |
| style="background:#cfc; text-align:center;"
|2 |18 |11 |3 |4 |31 |18 | +13 |36 |
| style="background:#cfc; text-align:center;"
|3 |MagicJack |18 |9 |2 |7 |29 |29 |0 |28* |
| style="background:#cfc; text-align:center;"
|4 |18 |5 |4 |9 |19 |24 | -5 |19 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|5 |18 |5 |4 |9 |24 |29 | -5 |19 |
| style="text-align:center;"
|6 |18 |1 |4 |13 |7 |32 | -25 |7 |
Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20111017092522/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/standings/standings.aspx WPS standings]
*MagicJack was docked one point on 12 May for various violations of league standards.{{cite web |date=May 12, 2011 |title=WPS Imposes Punishment on MagicJack with Point Deduction, Loss of Draft Picks |url=http://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=5920 |publisher=allwhitekit.com}}
**Boston wins head-to-head 2-1-1 over Sky Blue.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Womens Professional Soccer}}
{{Florida Sports}}
Category:Women's Professional Soccer teams
Category:Women's soccer clubs in the United States
Category:2011 establishments in Florida
Category:2012 disestablishments in Florida
Category:Association football clubs established in 2011
Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 2012