EP 38: ”WUSA 2001 — The Game That Launched Women’s Pro Soccer”

On Friday, April 10, 2026, women's soccer historian and NWSL stats manager Jen Cooper discussed the lead-up to the Women's United Soccer Association's inaugural league game on April 14, 2001 — the world's first fully-professional women's league game — and the precedent is set for all the women's pro leagues that followed.

1999 Women's World Cup champions Mia Hamm (Washington Freedom) and Brandi Chastain (Bay Area CyberRays) faced off in the match in front of 34,148 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, a number that was not surpassed in the USA until 2024.

The link for the the ESPN 30-for-30 podcast mentioned in the session about the WUSA featuring Julie Foudy is: https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/back-pass/

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

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